As a big Mass Effect fan, I've been pretty lukewarm to Andromeda since the initial reveals (although I'm still going to buy day one it because it has Mass Effect on the cover and I'm a mindless consumer drone). This last trailer, however, was the first to pique my interest in the product as a game rather than a simple license extension. Here's hoping that they can actually deliver something good.
@notnert427: Though I can't wait to give Forza Horizon 3 a shot, I am really glad I played 2 first. It definitely feels like the red-headed stepchild of the series based on what I've read, but I agree that it's really, really good. Definitely a steal for $20, although I will say that the game's early generation DLC hawking can get a little tiresome.
Also, unrelated, I totally agree with you about the Titanfall 1 & 2 dichotomy. As a huge fan of the first game, I can't help but shake my head with people praising the second game's "unique feel". Not that it doesn't feel great, but c'mon, Titanfall did all that two years ago!
I can relate so hard to your thing about writer's block at the top of your post. For some reason getting the words out has been tough for me lately. Combined with recent world events occupying my thoughts, writing about video games just felt secondary for a while. But, as Austin pointed out in a recent Waypoint Radio episode, you just need to get the words on the page even if you think they suck. I'll admit my last few posts only went up after I threw up my hands and said "good enough". Not my best work, but I'm happy to be producing some writing on a consistent-ish basis.
Anyway, great write-up on ROTTR! I played the Xbox One version at the beginning of this year and loved it, although like you I could not even begin to describe the story. I haven't played the DLCs yet, but do you think they're worth revisiting?
You raise some fascinating issues here that I myself am still working through. Let me compose some (scattered) thoughts on the matter.
With regards to the Serious (or Political) Games discussion, it's admittedly a tough thing to accurately define. My reflexive response would be similar to my response to the tired "are games art" discussion, namely that all games are Serious. All of them. Everything, from Madden's glossing over the NFL's CTE issue to 1979 Revolution's commentary of the Iranian revolution, reflects an opinion on our society, culture, or history. For the most part I hold to that opinion, but I also understand the nuance people are trying to get to when they talk about Serious games. I'm admittedly less engaged with the morality of warfare if I'm playing Titanfall 2 than I would be playing a game like Killbox. Does that make Titanall less valuable to gaming's canon or Killbox not a "fun" game? Not necessarily, but there may be value in having some sort of taxonomy to differentiate them.
As for the question of whether developers participate in games criticism enough, I would argue that the act of making a game is in itself an act of games criticism. Let's face it, if you truly believe that games are perfect as-is, with everyone's wants and needs catered to, you would never bother making a game. To make a game is to first identify where the current game development output is lacking. For instance, Eric Barone felt that the PC market was in need of a Harvest Moon style game and then made Stardew Valley.
Now, I realize I'm being a little pedantic here, as your question is likely more focused on the after-the-fact criticism of video games, and should developers engage with that. I personally think that the level of a developer's engagement is a personal decision and there's no such thing as too much or too little engagement. Some developers find Twitter to be a cesspool and would rather avoid it, and I can't fault them for that. Others might not jive with Giant Bomb's editorial voice and are not worse developers for not listening to Jeff Gerstmann and company.
Anyway, I apologize for my wishy-washy response. As I said at the top, these are all questions that I personally struggle to answer. In any case, great write-up and I'm glad to see you posting again. Keep up the great work!
Great write-up! I too just got on the Hitman train, but for some reason I've been suffering through major writer's block regarding the game. In any case, it's really good, and I absolutely recommend getting the full version with all six episodes. If you think Paris is great (and it most certainly is) wait until you check out Sapienza or Hokaido! Colorado is the one disappointment, but it's still decently entertaining.
Honestly, as a person who was born and raised in the Bay Area, I would buy this game just for that. I was having weird tingly feelings seeing everything rendered so accurately.
I'm not from the Bay Area, but my wife and I honeymooned there. Honestly, even that brief experience makes Watch_Dogs 2's setting more appealing to me.
Also, I can't help but disagree with Jeff's assertion that fidelity to a real world place in games doesn't matter. I appreciate it for even cities I've never been to. I still remember visiting New York City for the first time a few months after GTA IV came out. It was such a cool experience to more-or-less know my way around from playing that game.
@blackout62: D'oh! You're right about me messing up the order of missions. Admittedly, the last mission was a bit of a let down after all the craziness preceding it that I kind of forgot about it. I ended up deleting the incorrect paragraph as it really wasn't all that relevant to the points I was trying to make.
@colonel_pockets: Such a good button prompt, and the lead up with all the weirdness was pitch perfect too!
@impartialgecko: Wait, Ratchet and Clank get pissed off at each other? But they're best buds!
@darkfist: Out of curiosity, what was so bad about All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault? Am I safe to skip them in terms of understanding the franchise?
@justin258: So you're saying Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal are even better than the Future games? I can't wait to check them out!
@rickrockmann:I'm definitely going to pick up the HD collection once it goes on sale, so it should be interesting to see the devolution of the franchise. BTW, I gotta say that going backwards through a franchise gives you a really interesting perspective on it.
Darth_Navster's comments