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sweep

Stay in the woods. Stay green. Stay safe.

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Risky Business

By sweep 6 Comments

In the age-old crusade for perfection

the best we can hope for in a game is that it's positive aspects outweigh its faults. My own personal threshold for what passes as acceptable has been known to variate. While a games review score may be of little consequence, the review itself is often extremely insightful as to the direction of my future purchasing decisions. There are some games that I just know I wouldn't enjoy. Similarly, the opinions of the people that surround me on a daily basis carry a certain weight, sometimes to the extent that I would take a risk on a title that I had otherwise dismissed.

Exhibit A:

 People keep telling me to go and buy Borderlands.  

No Caption Provided

Borderlands looks awesome.

But it doesn't look perfect. If I had money to spare, I would no doubt already own a copy, but this would be taking a risk. My lack of funds dictates which games I buy. I honestly can't afford to take a chance on a game that I don't know if I would enjoy, especially when there are games like Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 on the horizon which are sure-fire crowd-pleaser's. This is a rather underwhelming course to take, a cowards way of refusing to leave the safety of the familiar. The games I will buy this Q4 will no doubt be great, but I'm unsure as to which will be actually be fresh and interesting. I take solace from knowing that my entertainment is guaranteed upon purchase. I don't think I could ever get tired of shooting zombies. But I will also slowly become Jack's complete lack of surprise when these titles turn out to be exactly what I was expecting. It's just... dull.
 
No Caption Provided
A games design can often be mistaken for fault, and indeed it's bizarre how some bad games can simply be tolerated. No doubt there are dozens of games which I have dismissed based on the argument of another, which I would have ultimately enjoyed. My own tolerance will of course vary from that of my peers, and it's a complete mystery to me as to where that tolerance will be applied. If I have one regret it's lacking in opportunity to distinguish which games are good for myself. The games I play have usually been mapped out as a long term strategy, confirmed or dismissed by reviews, and it's rare that I will spontaneously purchase a random title like Arkedo Series - 01 Jump. Taking risks can be incredibly rewarding, though few are afforded the financial luxury of being able to do so.
 
So I guess this is a rather depressing blog post where I lament my lack of availability to explore the gaming planet. I would like to stray from the beaten track, and one day I shall. But today is not that day. Sorry Borderlands. Sad face.
 
Thanks For Reading
Love Sweep
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sweep

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Edited By sweep  Moderator

In the age-old crusade for perfection

the best we can hope for in a game is that it's positive aspects outweigh its faults. My own personal threshold for what passes as acceptable has been known to variate. While a games review score may be of little consequence, the review itself is often extremely insightful as to the direction of my future purchasing decisions. There are some games that I just know I wouldn't enjoy. Similarly, the opinions of the people that surround me on a daily basis carry a certain weight, sometimes to the extent that I would take a risk on a title that I had otherwise dismissed.

Exhibit A:

 People keep telling me to go and buy Borderlands.  

No Caption Provided

Borderlands looks awesome.

But it doesn't look perfect. If I had money to spare, I would no doubt already own a copy, but this would be taking a risk. My lack of funds dictates which games I buy. I honestly can't afford to take a chance on a game that I don't know if I would enjoy, especially when there are games like Modern Warfare 2 and Left 4 Dead 2 on the horizon which are sure-fire crowd-pleaser's. This is a rather underwhelming course to take, a cowards way of refusing to leave the safety of the familiar. The games I will buy this Q4 will no doubt be great, but I'm unsure as to which will be actually be fresh and interesting. I take solace from knowing that my entertainment is guaranteed upon purchase. I don't think I could ever get tired of shooting zombies. But I will also slowly become Jack's complete lack of surprise when these titles turn out to be exactly what I was expecting. It's just... dull.
 
No Caption Provided
A games design can often be mistaken for fault, and indeed it's bizarre how some bad games can simply be tolerated. No doubt there are dozens of games which I have dismissed based on the argument of another, which I would have ultimately enjoyed. My own tolerance will of course vary from that of my peers, and it's a complete mystery to me as to where that tolerance will be applied. If I have one regret it's lacking in opportunity to distinguish which games are good for myself. The games I play have usually been mapped out as a long term strategy, confirmed or dismissed by reviews, and it's rare that I will spontaneously purchase a random title like Arkedo Series - 01 Jump. Taking risks can be incredibly rewarding, though few are afforded the financial luxury of being able to do so.
 
So I guess this is a rather depressing blog post where I lament my lack of availability to explore the gaming planet. I would like to stray from the beaten track, and one day I shall. But today is not that day. Sorry Borderlands. Sad face.
 
Thanks For Reading
Love Sweep
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mattbodega

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Edited By mattbodega

Are you asking whether the big Q4 games will be fresh and interesting? I have that answer for you already.
No. They Won't.
You have already played Left 4 Dead. You have already played MW2. You have already played Assassin's Creed 2. Reguardless of how smart or compelling the changes made to these franchises are, you have already played the base game. You KNOW, at some level, what to expect. There is no way a game in an established franchise can really SHOCK you the way it can the first time you see it. At the end of the day, in terms of lasting impact, an extremely interesting, exciting, and flawed game will always be more shocking and impressive than a well crafted version of a game you bought 4 times already.

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Oni

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Edited By Oni

Sweep knowing you, I'm pretty sure you'd enjoy Borderlands a LOT. Playing in co-op, it has most of the things that makes L4D so much fun in co-op (minus the zombies). The game gets super frantic and intense at times and the loot-lust is very addictive. Choosing between L4D2 and Borderlands I'd probably even go for Borderlands.

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sparky_buzzsaw

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Edited By sparky_buzzsaw

I'd argue the merits of Borderlands over established games like MW2 or L4D2.  Borderlands is flawed, true, but for the first game in a very fresh series, I'd say the developers have done one hell of a job.
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Claude

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Edited By Claude

All I know is... Santa Clause better be good to me, otherwise, he's getting a kick in the balls.

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sweep

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Edited By sweep  Moderator
@MattBodega said:

"At the end of the day, in terms of lasting impact, an extremely interesting, exciting, and flawed game will always be more shocking and impressive than a well crafted version of a game you bought 4 times already. "

"interesting, exciting and flawed" aren't harmonious. Some games are just straight up flawed. I would also like to point out that a game can be great and still not be enjoyable, this shit works in reverse. For example I didn't really enjoy Oblivion, and as a result i'm now totally unenthusiastic about buying Fallout 3. Their flaws are perhaps too personal for me to fully articulate. Playing Oblivion just didn't feel... right.
 
@Claude:
You fuckin' know it.