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Unfair criticism of BioShock Infinite

By Turtlemayor333 August 12, 2010 46 Comments

To be fair this blog is surely aimed at a vocal minority, but just why is this game being met by some with either outright disgust or in-your-face apathy? I'm getting the impression from some of you that BioShock Infinite is being considered like a Guitar Hero Smash Hits or something, some unrelated spinoff that won't have any bearing on the franchise storyline and only serves as a way to make money until BioShock 3 is ready to go back to Rapture. Forgive me but somewhere between 2007 and now you seem to have gotten the story backwards.

BioShock 2? What's that?

You see, the game shipped only to make a quick buck between the real games in the franchise was actually BioShock 2 all along. At the end of that game (no spoilers here, folks) there was absolutely no reason I would want another story set in Rapture, at least for a long while. Maybe if they want to get into the prequel business that could work, but going forward there's nothing. Not because the story threads had been wrapped or anything, but because there was nothing compelling left under the sea. If BioShock Infinite were announced as another by-the-numbers sequel, the reaction would be vastly more negative. And this isn't even considering the awful business practices Marin/2k has been displaying with BioShock, its DLC and multiplayer.

This time you play as a shark. What a tweest.

So now essentially the father of the first game says, "We are going to make the story mean something again and give the players a radically different location." And you say, "The title sucks." It seems like quite the disservice. Of course I'm just going on what they're telling us on day one and the game could ultimately suck, but it's the ideas that are important. The reason I'm able to sit up here and say BioShock 2 is garbage is because the game has been out for months now. This just looks like people saying Mario Sunshine isn't a real Mario game and then rushing out to pick up Mario and Sonic.

Again, this probably doesn't apply if you hated the first game too or whatever. This is a question to everyone screaming New IP, New IP! who actually liked BioShock. Why exactly aren't you excited about Infinite?

46 Comments

Video Game Characters + The NFL Draft = ?

By Turtlemayor333 May 9, 2010 3 Comments

I want Donkey Kong, and I want him now!

So my idea is probably stupid and probably way too late (actually scratch the "probably" on that one) to be as interesting as might have been a few weeks ago, but in boredom for both video games and football lately, I was thinking: Who would crazy old Al Davis pick in a draft of video game characters in his commitment to Oakland's excellence? What kind of steals could the Colts or Patriots find?

The only rule is that they have to make their first appearance in a game. No Superman or Goku or Brett Favre. And I'm mostly trying to pick humanoids here, I suppose. Hopefully no one gets mad when I leave off the colossi or something.

Nathan Drake - Quarterback

1. St. Louis Rams
Who they picked: Sam Bradford (QB - Okalahoma)
Passing on what analysts considered one of the best defensive prospects of all time, St. Louis took the quarterback Bradford at number one overall instead. Here, the Rams make a similar decision, passing on all of the great athleticism of this imaginary draft to select Nathan Drake as the franchise guy. Drake's ability to comprehend and escape the most unlikely situations as well as his charm make him a great choice at quarterback both on and off the field.

2. Detroit Lions
Who they picked: Ndamukong Suh (DT - Nebraska)
Detroit only needs about seven seconds to decide what to do at number two overall with the Rams out of the way. Master Chief is the pick of a lifetime, and although I have him at linebacker he could probably dominate the league regardless of position. There's just nothing else to say here.

Augustus Cole - Defensive Lineman

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Who they picked: Gerald McCoy (DT - Oklahoma)
Although Master Chief being off the board is a bummer to every other team in the league, it was still to be expected. The Bucs make the best of their situation here by selecting another Microsoft flagship character, Augustus Cole AKA "The Cole Train." Already the most experienced player in this draft as a former Thrashball player, Cole brings acceleration and strength to the defensive line just like the real life Bucs expect from Gerald McCoy.

4. Washington Redskins
Who they picked: Trent Williams (OT - Oklahoma)
This was a bit of a reach for the Skins with what many considered to be a better offensive lineman still on the board, and here the Skins decide to reach again. No I'm not making Halo puns, as this time the pick hails from Nintendo's Legend of Zelda - Ganondorf. There might be a weight issue and he doesn't seem like the locker room type, but still a great physical prospect.

Kratos - Safety

5. Kansas City Chiefs
Who they picked: Eric Berry (FS - Tennessee)
Berry was an absolute steal for the Chiefs at the fifth overall pick, and here Kansas City is arguably getting the steal of this draft as well. Kratos immediately strikes fear into the mind of any offensive ball carrier and still has the athleticism needed to cover the pass. Like Master Chief, Kratos is available for pretty much any position you'd need and always has to be accounted for by the opposing coordinators.

This actually takes longer than I thought to put together. If there's any interest I'll do the next five picks soon! Leave comments please, and especially suggestions! So to recap...

1. Nathan Drake - Quarterback
2. Master Chief - Linebacker
3. Augustus Cole - Defensive Lineman
4. Ganondorf - Offensive Lineman
5. Kratos - Safety

3 Comments

"So bad it's good" and how Deadly Premonition is being sold short

By Turtlemayor333 April 20, 2010 26 Comments

So everyone is throwing their two cents into the ring on Deadly Premonition and I figure it's my turn. Like many I've been religiously keeping up with both Endurance Runs, which takes a bit of time I might add, as well as recently purchasing the game for myself. This is a good time to note that I haven't even reached the hospital in my own playthrough, so you'll see no spoilers here beyond what either Run has already seen. I'm just sharing my experience with this title and addressing those that maybe aren't satisfied with the ironic praise from trolls like Jim Sterling.

Hmm, Game Party indeed!

This blog also won't spend much time talking about how awesome Deadly Premonition is for its entirely too loud, entirely inappropriate soundtrack or how the awful controls make you want to throw the controller. Critics won't be appeased by the humor in vending machines that only sell saltine crackers (at least they look like saltines) for $35, more than the actual game costs in real life. These points have been thoroughly made in other blogs. Deadly Premonition instead deserves praise on the same level of The Beatles: Rock Band as a truly heartfelt dedication, in this case to storytelling and entertainment during the 80's and 90's.

I ask this to anyone who believes the value of Deadly Premonition begins and ends with the "so bad it's good" mentality. Have you ever seen such overwhelmingly positive reaction to shovelware on the Wii? In all likelihood, no, you haven't. Game Party (and nearly all its ilk) despite selling over three million copies and receiving two sequels is a terrible video game made only to fool children, mothers, and otherwise ignorant customers en route to dollar signs. My point is that Game Party should be a perfect candidate for the same "so bad it's good" logic, yet this clearly isn't so. Something else, in my opinion the very attitude of the developers, separates the two.

Hopefully this isn't coming across as an angry rant criticizing anyone who thought, for instance, the frame rate during the chase sequence was the funniest thing they'd seen all day. The game is funny, and whether it's accidental or intentional shouldn't be the major concern. What I'm saying here is that the lasting appeal is a different animal entirely. "So weird it's good" seems more appropriate, although as someone who never got into Katamari Damacy I don't think this phrase tells the whole story either. I was thinking of ending this by asking everyone to buy the game but at the risk of sounding like a commercial, just open your minds a bit instead. Explaining the genuine appeal of Deadly Premonition isn't easy, but it does indeed exist.

26 Comments