It's a shame that the person I agree with most in this article felt that she had to remain anonymous. The words she uses and level-headedness she shows makes me question why she feared backlash at all, compared to the more confrontational and almost copy-pasted opinions of the others. I think this fear of putting a face to her words is more troublesome than this entire stupid ordeal surrounding a hunk of plastic that 10 UK teenagers were gonna buy, before it got all this free marketing. It was worth it point how dumb it was, but at this point we're just making it worse. Someone else is going to do this because free publicity is always better than paid-for publicity.
We complain about sensationalist media being as influential as violent games on kids, and then we can't shut up when a marketing exec shows his true colors. Everyone in marketing is a scumbag, be they man or woman. That's kind of the job. Sell a thing based on factors other than what the thing actually is. Or, lie.
I'm surprised Patrick didn't bother to point out that this same publisher is the one that purchased Saints Row, a franchise the entire staff now loves. I wonder, will people suddenly be more offended by the dildo bats, pimping missions and strip clubs that will undoubtedly litter The Next Great Sequel in the Saints Row Franchise?
You've really never cried over the ending of a game, Patrick? I guess that's not all that weird, since the things that set off those kinds of emotions vary wildly from person to person. I'm not saying it's an important metric in measuring the impact of storytelling in games. But with the amount of games that you've played, I would have thought that at least ONE would turn on the waterworks for you.
I've cried at the ends of games that weren't even all that sad. The first time I beat Ocarina of Time, I got a little misty-eyed. Zelda and Link saying goodbye among all those clouds, with that melancholy lullaby playing. Usually, it's the music in games that gets me. Big orchestral swells accompanied by an emotional gut-punch will hit me hard. That part in Valkyria Chronicles, you know the part if you've played it, was a dick move.
I'll also just cry during the credits of games, especially long RPGs. After spending close to 100 hours with those characters, it feels like I'm finishing a chapter in my life or something. The credits for Persona 3 and 4? Big ones.
I think Warner Bros. would be a good fit for Saints Row. They're not afraid of going over-the-top, seeing as they let Mortal Kombat do its thing pretty damn well. Darksiders would probably be a great fit for them as well. I couldn't care less about what happens to the WWE license, let EA take that one just so Warner can get the stuff that matters.
I can see EA wanting to grab Saints Row and try to turn it into their Call of Duty-style smash hit, but failing and letting it wallow in mediocrity. And nobody wants that.
Are they going to have stations where people can actually play the games, like the Smithsonian did? If so, this will be a success solely if I can actually get the chance to play vib-ribbon.
That article was way too well written to be considered a rant, Patrick. You may have been a bit emotional when writing it, but who cares? It was coherent and though-provoking. Be proud!
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