I'm sure that pizza vending machine only has the FRESHEST of toppings.
Worth Reading: 06/15/2012
I agree with Warren Spector. I think the games are becoming too violent, and this is boring. We should be more creative, because this violence is a symptom of a lack of creativity.
About Spector, I have to quote Tom McShea (GameSpot) when he was discussing another completely different matter: "I judge the message, not the messenger". It doesn't matter if Spector developed violent games in the past. His message is clear and express the truth, despite who he is.
@patrickklepek: Haters hate, Patrick. It's their nature. They don't mind to understand, even when you explain a thousand times. The secret answer: don't worry about them. :)
Good stuff this week as always Tricky. Also congrats for making it through Amnesia, you are a stronger man than me
I wouldn't say the shooter fan is a narrow audience.
I love shooters, but i look back at the last few games i've played alot of recently and it's Skyrim, Max Payne 3, Lunar Flight, Tekken 6 and MGS: Peace Walker. I wouldn't call Peace Walker a hardcore shooter and Max Payne 3 while dependent solely on killing people, doesn't fall into a standard mold for modern shooters.
I don't even know what game i'd buy right now if i wanted a "shooter"... i've got Future Soldier which i haven't started but that's not really a balls out shooter. I guess my point is i'm a hardcore shooter fan without a game right now, which is impressive considering i'm constantly told the market is overflowing with them.
Anonymity is important.
Consider this: I like to translate Japanese text on Danbooru from time to time, because it's got a hungry community and some nice tools, but with all the porn that's on that site, I'd rather not have to explain my presence there to my next boss.
Warren Spector is tired of the endless parade of violence in video games. Hey, me too!
I'm pretty tired of the whole argument that there is too much violence in video games. Society isn't accepting of violence in the "real world," so why can't we over-indulge in it in the imaginary world of video games? Besides, there are plenty of video games that don't have violence. You, Mr. Klepek, (and apparently Warren Spector) are purposely looking in all the wrong places.
This also applies to the podcast when you guys were "shocked" at the audience response for people getting shot in the face at E3. It's fake, it's fun, no one is getting hurt. Get over yourselves. Let me quote Ryan on a particular instance of violence that should make you rethink how serious you should be taking some of this: "There's one really good move where you can stab a dude 5 or 6 times, shank style, like uh uh uh uh. And that's really satisfying."
@EvilKatarn said:
Patrick, you bastard!
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-06-11-the-rise-and-collapse-of-yoshinori-ono
Here's what everyone actually should be reading right now.
Yeah, that's a pretty damn interesting (and depressing) article. I recommend everyone read it.
@ArbitraryWater said:
@Alaska_Gamer said:
I am jealous that Patrick will most likely get to play Eternal Darkness before I do. Really want to play that game, even though I'm not a big horror guy.
I played it like 2 years ago and honestly didn't think all that much of it. It's a decent enough action/adventure game with a sanity gimmick that is worn out the second you get the "restore sanity" spell. Obviously, I was playing it 9 years after the fact, but it's one of those games that I don't entirely understand the praise for.
I played the game when it was new. It was a novel, entertaining, and at times downright creepy experience marred by a few flaws. Namely:
- To get the "real" ending, you need to play through the game three full times (one for each alignment). By the third go-around, the game isn't as scary since, alignment-based enemy trickery aside, it's the same game each time.
- The sanity mechanic was too easy to work around. Once the player gains access to the Restore Sanity spell, the game can be played through tot he end without every being subject to untimely sanity effects.
- The magick meter is restored by simply moving around, leading to a lot of running in circles in cleared rooms.
Me and my mom are cutting the cable for Roku/Hulu Plus/Netflix, and now I can't watch Girls legitimately. I'm super bummed about that.
Warren Spector is my boy. I really do want to see more video games staying away from ultra violence as it's just a bit too much nowadays.
That read comparing westerns to shooter games was fantastic. Thank you for bringing this to my attention.
Pizza vending machines have been around a while as a whole, I remember reporting on one a few years ago. It wasn't as fleshed out as that, but the idea is always pretty damn cool.
That read on how neurologically speaking, the effect horror games have on the brain resembles anxiety, is actually very eye-opening. I enjoy games that are traditionall 'scary' games, I like the content, the style, the subject matter. That said, I found Amnesia unbearable to play, I found it actually unpleasant. And it's probably due to diagnosed anxiety issues. Every moment in Amnesia you are constantly under pressure and stress, there is no tension and release, because you are permanently 'leaking' sanity. The idea that every mistake makes me permanently worse and less capable of seeing the story to the end repels me on such a deep level that I haven't been able to go back to it. It's less about being in a scary castle full of scary stuff (which I love) and more about stressful micromanagement. Make sure you're in the light, don't waste tinder boxes there are only so many, don't use your lantern there's only so much oil, don't take damage or lose any sanity there's only so many chances to heal yourself. I'm taken out of the narrative because it's just me struggling with mechanics slated against me. And something about that (probably work related frustrations) makes it purely unpleasant rather than scary.
And I'm a dude who's finished Silent Hill 1 and 2, the original Resident Evil. Those games are great and full of frightening moments and surprises. Amnesia on the other hand was just a boot slowly crushing my chest, and that crosses the line from exhilarating to stressful.
Can I also recommend http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-06-16-saturday-soapbox-in-games-we-trust good article explaining why the recent fuss about Tomb Raider 'rape' scene highlights hos games have to grow up a little before taking on such grow-up themes.
Both Amnesia and Penumbra were scary, but too janky to be taken seriously. A horror game needs to be polished, above all. As soon as the player is reminded that they're playing a game, all terror is broken. Not to mention that both games were glorified fetch-quests.
I would recommend Call of Cthulhu, though, especially if you enjoyed Oblivion. Seems like a weird recommendation until you play it. It's got some great atmosphere. Just as awkward to play as any Frictional Games game, but it's an action game at it's heart instead of a proper horror game.
Excited as all hell to read what Patrick has to say about Eternal Darkness. It is one of my favorite games of all time, and for good reason; it's excellent!
The first thing I did when the Wii came out was buy a Gamecube and some games, including Eternal Darkness. Unfortunately I haven't played it yet. I have played a few hours of Call of Cthulhu, I stopped because I kept failing a chase sequence. This is to the game's credit, I was so creeped out I fumbled with the controls every time and couldn't think clearly. Having read The Shadow Over Innsmouth, that game nailed the atmosphere and the creeping dread perfectly. I really really want to play that game through.
Yeah, it sure is a shame that People Can Fly aren't making a Bulletstorm 2.Warren Spector is tired of the endless parade of violence in video games. Hey, me too!
but we all know the vast majority the people who make up the assholes of the Internet wouldn’t act like that if they actually had to associate their name with their commentary.
But the rest would, and would be all the more powerful because nobody has any anonymity. I don't need to be anonymous to really fuck with people, and have little to no repercussions. Even forgetting that though, nothing is worth giving it up.
@Virtua_Ben said:
Warren Spector is tired of the endless parade of violence in video games. Hey, me too!I'm pretty tired of the whole argument that there is too much violence in video games. Society isn't accepting of violence in the "real world," so why can't we over-indulge in it in the imaginary world of video games? Besides, there are plenty of video games that don't have violence. You, Mr. Klepek, (and apparently Warren Spector) are purposely looking in all the wrong places.
This also applies to the podcast when you guys were "shocked" at the audience response for people getting shot in the face at E3. It's fake, it's fun, no one is getting hurt. Get over yourselves. Let me quote Ryan on a particular instance of violence that should make you rethink how serious you should be taking some of this: "There's one really good move where you can stab a dude 5 or 6 times, shank style, like uh uh uh uh. And that's really satisfying."
Regarding the "flawed game with appreciable elements" question, the most flawed game I've played recently has been Telltale's Jurassic Park. It was very clearly inspired by games like Heavy Rain, but it missed the boat entirely on what made that game great, such as an intriguing story, variable outcomes some likable characters, and a feeling like you're in control, even in those "on-rails" segments. With Jurassic Park, it was only one long QTE. That being said, Telltale did have some nice small touches. Although all of the characters were immensely dislikable for all the wrong reasons, the questionable morality of one of the characters was a nice touch. True, the decisions and dialogue around that morality were bone-headed and shittily written, but it was a small point in Telltale's favor.
The other point about that game were the various death sequences that played out after I inevitably missed too many QTE buttons. They truly were the best part of that game, and could often times be surprisingly well-done. Take for example one moment when the party is being chased down a hallway by... well, some raptor-like dinosaur or another. Screw up and choose the wrong tunnel to follow, and the raptor-things bring down everyone one by one, with the last shot being Harding (the main character) holding his daughter's face to his chest just before the scene ends. It's not frightening stuff by any stretch, but considering the PG-13 "horror" of the movies, it can be pretty shocking - in a good way.
I believe this is a good read for anyone wondering about the appeal of visual novels:
Having one's real name attached to his or her comments on the Internet doesn't necessarily make people any less dickish. Just check out literally every single post on the Mass Effect Facebook page. People are still going out of their way to post that, yes, they still hate the ending.
"Why are you wasting your time making these Mass Effect shirts when you should just be making us A BETTER ENDING?!" Because these people making the oft-cool Mass Effect-themed shirts are the same people developing that Ending DLC, and they don't have anything better to do than complain about the last 15 minutes of a game they haven't played in three months.
But maybe these people are just so used to being dicks on Facebook already that they're just oblivious to the fact that people can see that they, with their real names and identities, are being dicks on Facebook.
Flawed games that I learned to appreciate?
Most recent examples I can think of are Nier and Deadly Premonition, which despite their glaring flaws were the two of my most beloved games this generation.
Going back further...there was a game for the PS2 that I liked a lot called Steambot Chronicles. Basically an open world game that replaces cars with bi-pedal robots. Had clunky controls, very slow pacing, and many bugs, but still...probably one of my favorite ps2 games. REALLY ambitious with all the things you could do, I don't remember half of them, but there were musical rhythm games, robot arena combat, mining for fossils, transporting cargo, customizing the robot, etc...
@MooseyMcMan said:
I really should play Amnesia at some point, just to see how "scary" it is. No game has ever come even remotely close to seeming "scary" to me, so I'd like to be able to topple this game. Too bad my computer is garbage for playing games.
But, as usual, a nice write up, Patrick. Keep up the good work!
OnLive has the game... Plus you can play 30 minutes free.... Obligatory Link
If your computer can play streaming HD video, you can play OnLive
I've only played a few minutes of Amnesia so far, but I did play 2/3 Penumbra games and they are well worth playing!
I will also use this time to recommend the Kemco/Seika classic horror games for Patrick, such as Shadowgate and Uninvited. Uninvited still creeps me out to this day. Both NES and old PC versions are good.
I went ahead and tried Splice and Amnesia because of this article. Splice is neat and I understand why people who like puzzle games would like it. I especially liked the music. Amnesia was just too freaking scary for me, granted I cannot watch most horror films. It is interesting, though, how it sucks you in by your curiosity and then messes with your head. I'd like to see more games that actually play with manipulating the player like Amnesia does, but maybe not in a totally horror sort of way.
One game that came out recently that I loved was Splatterhouse for the 360/PS3. Terrible load times, glitchy, combat was rather simple but still fun, but all that stuff almost sold it even more as being a great shlocky horror game. It's not unlike Lollipop Chainsaw actually, as they're both big sendups to Troma-style fun horror films, which typically have really bad production values but are still very entertaining. I understand that they aren't amazing titles, but they are packed with so much charm, heart, and blood that I can't help but get behind it.
I basically just started Amnesia, scared the shit out of me. Eternal Darkness is an amazing game. I wish they would make a second one.
@Rekt_Hed said:
Ohhhh wow that pizza vending machine looks sick :)
I'm wondering why they keep mentioning in the video that the pizza "wasn't touched by any hands" and prepared "in a human free environment". I guess germophobes will be relieved, to me it just sounds disturbing and creepy.
Not-so-great game: Well, I just finished inFamous 2.
Jesus, that game has unsatisfying combat. The enemies are usually all over the place, blur and explosions make it hard to focus on what's going on, your weapons all feel far too weak (especially the pea shooter), too many enemies have projectile-based attacks like rocket launchers and globs of snot that send your guy flying or kill you instantly. It just feels frustrating in the worst way possible.
But the traversal in that game is on par with Assassin's Creed and is just plain fun, especially in conjuction with collecting blast shards and dead drops. I also enjoyed the story, or at least the characters, for as disjointed and impactless as it feels. Maybe it's just me, but the whole thing feels as if it's going down within the span of 24 hours with the constant reminders of "3 hours later" etc. Except that doesn't make any sense with people remarking how "Bertrand hasn't been sighted in a while" or Kuo apparently going through a long and torturous process after getting caught.
@patrickklepek I tried to impart this via Twitter, but I imagine that is extremely crowded, so I'll say it again in response to requests for not so great games that make you think. If you haven't played it, Pathologic is something I think you'd get a lot out of. It's made by a Russian developer (developer of Cargo actually), is extremely rough around the edges, and isn't "fun" per-say. The developers refer to it as a "decision making simulator" in which you play as one of 4 types of doctors trying to save a rural European town from a horrible plague, all the while trying to keep yourself alive. The graphics, combat, dialogue, and story are all crazy, however it puts you into a state of mind that nothing I have played has ever matched, aside from perhaps the tiny bit of Amnesia I have played. Pathologic is not a particularly scary game from a suspense stand point, however it is frightening and disturbing from a psychological standpoint. I really think you'd enjoy it, and it's only $10 on Amazon download (the only place I've found it).
It's the only game I've played where I found a gun and thought "this will be worth at least a loaf of bread." Pretty interesting stuff.
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