Seraphim
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Oct. 27, 2009
Oct. 26, 2009
Oct. 25, 2009
Sept. 29, 2009
Sept. 28, 2009
Sept. 13, 2009
  • Seraphim replied to the topic Favorite headphone brand?
    Westone 3's for me; I'm a fan of iems since they'll get you more for the money SQ wise.
    1 month, 3 weeks ago
Sept. 9, 2009
Aug. 26, 2009
Aug. 20, 2009
Aug. 11, 2009
Aug. 5, 2009
  • Dude, have you read any philosophy texts?  They have to be pretentious, (anyone who thinks they're opinion is worth more than the paper, or in this case e-space, they wrote it on is full of it; note that this isn't always a bad thing), they have to be ambiguous, (nuance of language, and theory of mind are both heavily reliant on the context a work was released, so especially if ...
    3 months ago
Aug. 1, 2009
  • Dude, at my internship, I totally am working with a wing commander...I really wanted to tell him I loved his game, but didn't.  :(
    3 months, 1 week ago
July 31, 2009
  • Seraphim created a blog A Reawakening
    As an individual whose gaming career began with exposure to some of the greatest games of all time, (Street Fighter II, Sonic II, and Final Fantasy were the first three titles I ever played), the last dozen years or so have been disappointment after disappointment.  Sure, there have been some awesome releases; but as genres get more and more narrowly defined, and honed, games start to look more and more ...
    3 months, 1 week ago
June 11, 2009
June 9, 2009
  • Haha, this podcast was a weird experience; by after about an hour, I hated Leigh, but then I realized that she's doing a different style of podcasting:  I usually listen to the bombcast while I do other stuff, or doze off, so it's good for some funny entertainment while I go concentrate on something else.  Leigh makes a lot of sense, but you have to really pay a lot of ...
    5 months ago
May 19, 2009
  • maybe we all live in quantum universes where we never die as individuals; just everybody around us...we die in everyone else's worlds at different times, but never in our own world.
    5 months, 3 weeks ago
May 18, 2009
  • Seraphim replied to the topic your favourit feature on gb?
    Bombcast is probably the best, but I remember the glory days of Rich Gallup, so it's not as good for me as it might be...that said, it's still the best thing out there.  So, I'd have to side with the quick looks which are absolutely amazing decision-making tools.
    5 months, 3 weeks ago
May 17, 2009
  • Seraphim commented on the achievement The Inhuman Achievement
    How is it that there are less people who have this acheivement than the star mania one?  I sitll can't beat it, but 3 times star power was super easy (comparatively)
    5 months, 3 weeks ago
  • Seraphim commented on the
    5 months, 3 weeks ago
Added by Seraphim on July 31, 2009

As an individual whose gaming career began with exposure to some of the greatest games of all time, (Street Fighter II, Sonic II, and Final Fantasy were the first three titles I ever played), the last dozen years or so have been disappointment after disappointment.  Sure, there have been some awesome releases; but as genres get more and more narrowly defined, and honed, games start to look more and more like one another, and even the good ones just do "it" better.  I was so hungry for something new that I started playing games in genres I didn't even like, and random stuff I'd find on discount racks, (No One Can Stop Mr. Domino, etc.).  Eventually, I gave in, turning into that Halo-playing, Guitar Hero-evangelizing kid who'll lay down $60 for the next iteration of whatever.

Fast-forward to this year, and, just like any good Giant-Bomber, I watched the Endurance Run with baited breath.  Like many, I picked up the title after about a week of watching Jeff and Vinny make their way through the first dungeon.  I wasn't expecting a whole lot, telling myself it was probably just a solid JRPG with above-average voice-acting, and a nice hook.  Indeed, even after sinking about 10 hours into it, that's all it was shaping up to be; yet, this would eventually be the title that would rekindle my love affair with gaming as a medium.  So, what changed?  Any devoted follower of the Endurance Run can probably already guess, but this was the first time in over a decade that I felt myself emotionally invested to a game's cast.  What so many games try so desperately to achieve with high-profile voice-actors, 'cinematic' cutscenes, and 'immersive' graphics, this last-generation JRPG brought to you by the publisher that brought you Amazing Tater has outshone them all.  As someone who only recently graduated high school, it was amazing to see just how spot-on they were, choosing to opt-out of the conventional androgynous protagonist, and buxom damsel-in-distress for a homosexual street tough, and a detective rubbing up against the harsh societal prejudices that still force gender-specific occupational choices.

Still, personality isn't always enough.  What SMT: Persona 4 does brilliantly is force you to care.  While offering only a seemingly superficial incentive for fraternizing with the multitude of other players caught up in the midst of this drama, it's enough for you to give every plot-line a chance to evolve and develop organically until you actually find yourself wanting to hear more regardless of what the gameplay benefits are.  As weirdly sad as this sounds, you develop relationships with these characters that are almost akin to real friendships, (see Vinny bummed out that Nanako got thrown into the TV). 

But, as much as it may seem, this is not so much a love letter to Persona 4 as it is a plea to would-be game designers and developers.  Make me care.  Give me a reason to identify with your character, don't just tell a compelling story.  Don't make my harmatia a weakness, make it my strength.  Do whatever it takes to make me powerful, but helpless, even if that includes killing the protagonist off mid-game if that's what it takes.  Sacrifice high production values to spring for a better writer, and most importantly, don't be afraid to have imperfect personalities, people that don't fit stereotypes that people find pleasing, or 'normal.'  It adds a depth that is the reason why some of us play games.


Seraphim's Reviews
This user has not written any reviews yet.
Date Joined: July 21, 2008
City: Rockville
Gender: Male
Alignment: Neutral
Points: 1,246 Points
Ranked: Ranked #847 of 59,223
1,246 points you are ranked
847 of 59,223 users

Super Street Fighter IV
game - 49 points
Non-Player Character
concept - 44 points
Deathmatch
concept - 32 points
Random Loot
concept - 32 points
Steam
concept - 32 points
Fire
concept - 29 points

- 24 points
Sandbox
concept - 24 points

Favorites
a list of 2 items by Seraphim
Jeff 4 days, 11 hours ago
Game of the Day: Rambo: First Blood Part II (SMS)
Rich 1 month, 1 week ago
Rich is trying to convince the wife to track down Professor Layton when he visits Boston on Tuesday.
Kowalski 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Bioshock is fantastic, can't wait for II.
Brad 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Brad is watching the stack of games get higher.
SuperMooseman 2 months, 1 week ago
SuperMooseman is still loving you like it was the very first time
Vinny 3 months ago
Vinny is finally going through his mailbox...sorry for the late responses.
BobC 1 year, 3 months ago
is messing around with gbomb features