Let us also not forget that after the game released, it was found that unfinished data for both Frank West and Doc Ock was found on the disk. It is quite possible that these two, along with Strider and an additional Marvel character (Let's go Gambit!), could be the next batch of DLC.
Well it has been some time since my first blog hit the scene and now I feel it is time to continue my work with this formula and see exactly what you all here at Giant Bomb think. Let take a look at our formula so far after covering 2 components of games the Story and the Cast. Story that is not only epic, but able to be enjoyed multiple times+Cast that is relate-able, fun, varied, awesome, and useful+?+?+?=Good Game
Part 3 The Sound
The way a game sounds can in some cases make or break it. Hell there is an entire music genera of games because of this component. The way a game sounds effects almost every aspect of a game depending on the genera. With FPSs if you have a gun from WW2 you don't want it to sound like some Fischer Price pop gun, or if your playing a game with futuristic space guns you probably don't want the sound of a typical earth gun to fill the air with each trigger pull. When driving a modern race car you want to hear the roar of an engine not a pathetic purr. The sound that each element makes can serve to strengthen the gameplay aspect of a game (See Part 4), and to enhance the experience that the player has
Beyond the sound effects of games there is the music. From licensed soundtracks from the biggest bands in the world to classical orchestras music is everywhere in games. Sandbox games such as GTA and Saint's Row 2 as well as music games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero pride themselves in having a diverse blend of music to fill out their soundtracks. Meanwhile games such as Halo and Final Fantasy rely on the musical talents of composers like Nobuo Uematsu and Martin O' Donnell to fill their respective games with wonderful music with full orchestras at their backs. A good soundtrack for a game should be one that you enjoy listening to multiple times. While playing Persona 3 and 4 I found myself falling in love with the diverse blend of music composed by Shoji Meguro. So much so my Ipod is now filled with his work.
If we look past actual music we must not forget that sound intertwines with Part 2 of our Formula, The Cast, and how it performs. Voice acting in games that rely heavily on the cast and story help to not only drive the plot forward but help you to get to know each character. While this might not be a huge concern in games with little to no story; to games that thrive on story and cast the way a character sounds is essential. Especially if it's a main character that will be around most of the time. More and more game developers are taking more time to find talented voice actors to take up the roles for their games. Actors such as Nolan North and Keith David who both have numerous live action roles are starting to pop up in more video games. Also more actors commonly associated with anime are making the jump into the video game ring (See Vic Mignogna). Now if you find the right man or woman for the role than you can help to straighten the cast element of your formula.
So if we bring our proper sound effects, strong soundtrack, and wonderful voice acting we just might have ourselves the proper components for this stage in the formula. So to avoid the formula being too long let's simplify it into this bit of data.
Sound that strengthens gameplay, the cast, and the overall experience
Well that make part 3 done. Now stew over this and the other two parts I have up, and let me now what you think. Once this whole thing is done I might rewrite a remastered edition that has all the information I have gathered on my own, as well as what you the gaming populous has to add. So don't be afraid to leave a comment, even if its bashing what I say all you are doing is expressing your opinion. Something I have respect for. So until next time Giant Bomb community, Shine On!
" @Phoenixfire103090: My guess is that he used his Xbox LIVE Vision Camera. "
Upon further interrogation that turned out to be the case. He found the best quality picture of the MC he could, printed it out, put it right up to his vision camera, and boom insta best Gamerpic ever!
I saw a guy on Xbox Live tonight that had a MC gamer pic. I wasn't sure at first cause it looked like him, but P3 wasn't even on the Xbox 1 so I was confused. I asked the guy and he confirmed it was the MC, but he didn't remember how/where he got it. Anyone else herd of this, and if so know if its still avalible?
There are 2 pages dedicated to the same character, Raphael the Raven. There really is no need for this, so I request both pages be put together, into one page.
" A good amount of abstract ideas always keeps me interested. "
I agree which is why I loved writing this blog, even if peoples opinions differ on these matters. As long as we keep open minds it is fun to have these debates. I hope to continue to bring my brand of abstract ideas to the site for a while.
" I don't care about story when it comes to about 95% of video game genres. @Phoenixfire103090 said:
"The story of a game is pretty much the purpose of the game. Without a good story it is almost impossible for the final work to be anything but decent. "
I could not disagree more. Arguably the majority of video games do not need a story. Sports games, racing games, puzzle games. Even first person shooters would be fine with a bare-bones plot. Hell, most of them have a stock, banal, boring, bare-bones plot anyway. I don't play a game to suck up the story. I play a game for the whole experience, of which story happens to be a very small part, at least for me. I sure as hell didn't play Killzone 2 to see the exploits of Rico and Co. In the past when I played the Pokémon games I didn't play those for the story, either. Nor did I play through MGS4 for the story, which ended up being a problem for me, since there was about four hours of gameplay in that game. "
You make a valid point that not all games require a story. However look within each genera and you will find games that have stories to them. From Madden's Franchise mode which has you create your players story, to the story mode of Tetris Attack which had you play Yoshi to save his friends (wow old SNES reference). Hell the Need for Speed games had some story modes in their history, and the Halo franchise was built around its story. However to some the story means a lot to people and while I do play a lot of games that don't really have that much in the story department, I find that most of my favorite games of all time have had one thing in common. An Epic story that kept me coming back for more each time I played. I say this argument breaks down to a "to each his own" setup. I did laugh at your MGS4 comment though as you were very true on the length of the gameplay. Also remember I have only done 2 components, and there still are a few more which do cater to games that might not have a good story. I do hope you will give me another look when that part gets finished.
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