Author Topic: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'  (Read 217190 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

Offline GoldenPhoenix

  • Now it's a party!
  • Score: 42
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #200 on: January 13, 2009, 05:22:33 PM »
The IGN review of Moon:
Quote
First of all, Moon is very different game from Dementium: The Ward. It's an adventure game with shooting elements intertwined, and while Nintendo fans reading this will of course instantly think of Metroid, I'd put this as more of an adventure game over Metroid Prime: Hunters for DS.

Why the **** does he compare it to MP Hunters? When people think of 3D Metroid they think of Metroid Prime, not Hunters.

Maybe because MP Hunters was on DS and not Metroid Prime?
Switch Friend Code: SW-4185-3173-1144

Offline UltimatePartyBear

  • Voice of Reason
  • Score: 35
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #201 on: January 13, 2009, 05:26:29 PM »
How's this for journalistic integrity?

After perusing some of this jerk's other writing, it's clear that journalistic integrity is so alien to him that it may burn his skin on contact.

Offline Peachylala

  • Bunk Pass Itch
  • Score: 4
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #202 on: January 13, 2009, 07:49:56 PM »
I can't decide whether I want to laugh or be horribly depressed at that article.

Peachy got himself a 360 Slim. ...Yahoo?

Offline KDR_11k

  • boring person
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #203 on: January 14, 2009, 02:39:28 AM »
Maybe because MP Hunters was on DS and not Metroid Prime?

Still doesn't define Metroid. It's the fallacy of equivocation, Nintendo fans think of Metroid and the DS has a game called Metroid therefore they're thinking of that: WRONG, the DS game is not the game people think of when they hear about an FPA because Hunters was pretty much a different genre. The description made people think of the console Metroid Prime games which differ from Hunters on the same attributes he mentions.

Offline GoldenPhoenix

  • Now it's a party!
  • Score: 42
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #204 on: January 14, 2009, 03:35:56 AM »
Maybe because MP Hunters was on DS and not Metroid Prime?

Still doesn't define Metroid. It's the fallacy of equivocation, Nintendo fans think of Metroid and the DS has a game called Metroid therefore they're thinking of that: WRONG, the DS game is not the game people think of when they hear about an FPA because Hunters was pretty much a different genre. The description made people think of the console Metroid Prime games which differ from Hunters on the same attributes he mentions.

Sounds like you are really reaching for something to critisize. Maybe it could have been worded better but you really have to look for something to hate in order to twist that statement your way.
Switch Friend Code: SW-4185-3173-1144

Offline Dasmos

  • Needs Him Some Tang in His Lollies
  • Score: 52
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #205 on: January 14, 2009, 09:43:50 AM »
Maybe because MP Hunters was on DS and not Metroid Prime?

Still doesn't define Metroid. It's the fallacy of equivocation, Nintendo fans think of Metroid and the DS has a game called Metroid therefore they're thinking of that: WRONG, the DS game is not the game people think of when they hear about an FPA because Hunters was pretty much a different genre. The description made people think of the console Metroid Prime games which differ from Hunters on the same attributes he mentions.

Sounds like you are really reaching for something to critisize. Maybe it could have been worded better but you really have to look for something to hate in order to twist that statement your way.

I don't think so. KDR's right, the guy's a toss. He's talking about an adventure game with shooting elements, not a shooting game like Hunters. It's not about wording at all, a game that is more about adventure than Hunters are the normal Metroid Prime games, so why not just say that.
Images are not allowed in signatures. That includes moving images (video).

Offline Schadenfreude

  • It's human nature
  • Score: 0
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #206 on: January 15, 2009, 11:06:44 AM »
I'm surprised no one has brought http://au.games.ign.com/articles/944/944826p1.html up yet.

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #207 on: January 15, 2009, 12:09:21 PM »
That article is divided into 3 page views.  FAIL.
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.

Offline Flames_of_chaos

  • Dancing News Panda
  • Score: -1
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #208 on: January 15, 2009, 01:16:50 PM »
Heres the short version

1. A Great Cast with a Dud Script
Quote
How many times has a game proclaimed its cinematic virtues – epic story, Hollywood-grade (or at least, prime-time TV quality) voice actors in a staggering production of unparalleled genius? Then, when we sit down with the final game, the story and dialogue plods along limply before fizzling like bad internet fan fiction? There's nothing that can deflate the overall authenticity and quality of a game's setting than a poorly written story, sub-comic book pulp dialogue and bad cliche after bad clichΓ©.

Solution? The writing department in your average developer is usually a tiny fraction the size of design, and many staffers end up wearing multiple hats in writing roles – spending time creating manuals and support documents as much as creating a compelling setting. More focus on the writing process and creating a compelling world can pull a game out of mediocrity and make up for any visual shortcomings. Great examples are Braid, the Baldur's Gate series, the GTA series and just about everything that came out of the minds of Tim Schafer and Ron Gilbert. You don't need A-list celebrities to tell a great story.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Gears of War 2
Prince of Persia
Sonic Unleashed


2. Unreal Engine Overdose
Quote
Once a claim to fame, Epic's middleware engine has become all too common in the industry. When in the right hands – and with tech support from its creators – the engine can make games sing. The engine is capable of a gamut of industry standard rendering effects and presets, allowing developers to take a few essential shortcuts and help get their heads around volumetric fog, high resolution bump mapping and so on. That's a best case scenario. At its worst, the Unreal Engine 3 tends to make games look very generic too, and sometimes at the expense of true artistic direction and skill. If every game looks like Gears of War, then Gears of War stops being special or interesting. Every landscape need not look like an industrial cyberpunk wasteland, tinted brown and pale blue. Games like Damnation, BlackSite: Area 51, Army of Two and Turok are all guilty of this.

Conversely, when the engine is used to fuel true artistic endeavor, the results can be marvelous. Just take a look at Mirror's Edge, Bioshock and Mass Effect. Better still are games that have been developed from what are essentially original engines entirely – Grand Theft Auto IV, Pure and Resistance 2. All three of these games take the industry-standard effects and wrap them around an engine that looks just different enough from Unreal Engine 3 to stand out.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Damnation
Turok
Army of Two
50 Cent: Blood on the Sand


3. Sequelitis
Quote
This is a contentious category because it is dominated by outside forces more often than not, meaning that developers are, to some extent, swayed by the influence of the markets buying their games. That means if a game sells well, it has established a brand name in the market and a sequel is almost assured. Two companies, beyond most others, are most guilty of this – Activision and EA – though they're clearly not the sole parties responsible for the glut of sequels and installments. To be fair, EA has recently taken steps to stem the flow of sequels and foster more original IP which we completely commend. Activision has yet to follow suit to the same extent; its business model still focuses strongly on brand retention and sequels.

Sometimes, an annual installment is a welcome thing – some would argue that Guitar Hero needs its downloadable content and expansion discs to stay fresh. Others might say that the novelty has passed and that more time is needed between versions. You need only look at the ragged, sallow husk of a series that Need for Speed and Tony Hawk have become to see the results of oversaturation in the marketplace. The Sims is another; when The Sims 2: IKEA hit the market, gamers grabbed their buckets and worked through the nausea. Some never survived.

You might be asking yourself where Mario and Sonic are on this list, and it's true – those two, Sonic in particular, have been played out and spun in weird, uncomfortable directions for too long now. See below for a more in-depth look.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Guitar Hero series
Tony Hawk series
Need For Speed series
The Sims / MySims series
Tenchu series
This should be number 1

4. Too Human Syndrome
Quote
Lesson learned: there are few things as needlessly arrogant as announcing a trilogy before the first game is out the door. Too Human, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Gears of War and Half-Life 2 Episodes, we're looking straight at you. Speaking frankly, look – there's nothing wrong with ambition. You want to make an epic, sprawling universe? That's totally fine. But start with getting the first game right and then let the market decide if it actually wants a sequel, let alone a trilogy. If your team is stuck under the thumb of three games in a row, you're looking at potentially between five and ten years of development time – which means you might be spanning two console generations – or more.

Too Human: the trilogy nobody asked for. Incidentally, running on Unreal Engine 3.

Building needless anticipation of an epic series also causes disappointment if eager adopters never get the final chapters. Shenmue, anyone? If the first game doesn't shift the units, then you've effectively shot yourself in the foot by creating a game that never ties up its storylines and leaves gamers disappointed and unsatisfied. Never announce a trilogy before you've proven yourself in the marketplace – or, do so at your own peril and at the expense of credibility and the potential loss of major dollars.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Too Human
Mass Effect
Assassin's Creed


5. Wii Production "Values"
Quote
Something's gone very awry on the Wii. For the console with the greatest number of releases in 2008, it also had the largest number of games that scored 4.0 or lower on ***. That's almost a quarter of the Wii's catalogue – and that's a shocking percentage. One in four games released on Wii in 2008 flat out sucked.

What's going on, Nintendo? What does that Seal of Quality stand for?


Houston, we have a problem.

Rhetoric aside, here's the deal, kids. This is why the Wii is chock full of shovelware: it's smart business. Games that only require three programmers, two artists and no marketing means that the overheads are low. If it costs you less to make, you stand to gain a hell of a lot more. The Wii is the perfect platform for this approach to development, as is Sony's PlayStation 2. The hardware is relatively inexpensive, which means that the adoption rate is high. If the console is in lots of homes, then the chances of someone buying your software is markedly higher. If your game only costs twenty bones on the shelf, next to a game that costs a hundred (in AU dollars), then which game instantly looks more appealing to mum and dad?

Who cares if the game looks sub-N64 and plays like a poor Flash game? If the cost is small enough and the concept has the potential to suck in uninformed parents, then you can count the dollar signs. We really hope that – despite the Wii's massive install base – the current glut of awful Wii titles in the market can't sustain itself. Surely stores will become oversaturated with third rate shovelware and they won't sell. There's only so much shelf space, after all, and Wii owners will only buy so much software.

Worst Recent Offenders:
PlayZone Movie Studios Party (Wii)
Balls of Fury (Wii)
Clever Kids: Pirates (Wii)
Low production values/ small budgets doesn't necessarily mean bad games, there are plenty of games with small budgets that are awesome like for example Tatsunoko vs Capcom.

6. Sonic and Mario Visit the Rainbow Dentist (WTF?)

Quote
There's a wide valley of difference between Super Mario Galaxy and something like Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. And there's an ocean between Sonic the Hedgehog II or Sonic and Knuckles and Sonic Unleashed. Why is this? As two console titans gradually start to age, the desire from big business is to keep their star characters active and fresh. In this case 'active' means 'frequent appearances', and 'fresh' means 'it's time to take Mario bowling' or 'Sonic now has wings and break-dance moves'.


Seriously, Sonic should kick his ass in like, every event. He's a tubby plumber.

The overuse of two of gaming's biggest icons has, in fact, watered down their appeal to the gamers who made them a success in the first place. By wearing out their welcome over and over again, the inferred quality of these brands is lessened – even if sales remain steady. Ultimately, audiences will move on if the characters lose their appeal. Even expected sequels and updates like Mario Kart Wii need to ultimately do more than just the bare minimum to really maintain credibility long-term. Maybe it's time for other characters to have a moment in the sun? How about a Waluigi and Bigs the Cat double-team? Maybe not.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Sonic Unleashed
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games
I'm surprised Sonic the Hedgehog 2006 isn't listed as an offender.

7. Motion "Control"
Quote
Motion control can go one of two ways: it either works and is great, or it doesn't and it detracts from the experience. If you can't implement motion control in an accurate, convincing and most importantly relevant way, then don't bother. Both the PS3 and Wii have plenty of titles that don't utilize motion controls properly or only in a tokenistic way, and it's not pretty when controls go horribly wrong. Who can forget the disastrous Sixaxis implementation in Lair? Or who truly prefers motion controlled steering in a racing game like Mario Kart Wii when there's no resistance on the wheel?


Lair died at the feet of the Sixaxis, wriggling, spasming and thrashing.

Accuracy and fun are paramount, and if motion controls are loose or inaccurate, the experience ceases to be fun. Then it simply dissolves into gimmickry, which is just one short stop away from irrelevance – which Nintendo has fought hard to prevent. Nintendo's upcoming MotionPlus peripheral is aimed at addressing just this problem; here's hoping developers learn how to leverage it, or Nintendo ultimately incorporates it into its remotes by default.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Lair
Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart had bad motion control?!?! That's news to me. Also Lair has a patch where you can play with "traditional controls" and people still think the game is mediocre.

8. Promises, Promises, Promises
Quote
The promise of downloadable content. The promise of patches. The promise of a sequel or series or TV spin-off. The promise that this is the next big thing – or the only big thing. Get onboard the hype train or risk losing out. The gaming industry is full of promises, and most fail to live up to the shiny marketing words.


Best movie game ever? Well... we'll see.

If you call your game 'the best movie game ever made', you damned well better prepare to put up your dukes, 'cause thems fightin' words. This exact sentence was proclaimed by marketing materials for X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and underlined by the game's producers on video. Now, it's great to see that level of ambition and confidence in a game – but come on – pride comes before the fall.

Just ask Dennis Dyack.

On this same point, we'd also like to put on our cynical hats for a moment (or is it already on?) and call out publishers who release a game just to put out a 'premium content' with extra features and gameplay at exactly the same time. This is a really ugly practice given the content really should've been included in the retail release of the game.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Too Human
Gears of War II
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Promises are not killing gaming.

9. STRONG FEMALE LEAD CHARACTER = EDGY, CLEVER AND DESIRABLE

Quote
Well, sometimes this is the case – Jade from Beyond Good & Evil, the old Lara Croft (from circa 1996 or thereabouts) and Samus Aran from Metroid all spring to mind; even your character from Portal – sometimes stoic, always tough and entertaining. But lately, there's been a resurgence in the 'strong female lead character' category, and we get the feeling that this isn't about sexual equality or women's lib. It's about boobs and ass and forced sexual equality. It's manipulative, in fact. She might be 'one of the boys', but she's still eye-candy and catwalk-perfect.


This is your fault.

Take Mirror's Edge's lead character, Faith; Asian to appeal to the Asian markets, female to soften up the lads and potentially sell to a female audience too. How about Elika from Prince of Persia? That's not clever design - that's clever marketing. There's a big difference. The Final Fantasy series has had its share of strong female characters, like Yuna in X-2 and now XIII. Again, it's a deliberate move (particularly X-2, which aimed at a female market with fashion-based equipment and magic-slotting).

Lara Croft still kicks around, as does Samus. But alongside those two comes Alyx Vance (Half-Life 2), Joanna Dark (Perfect Dark), Rayne (BloodRayne), The Boss (MGS), Zoe and April (Dreamfall: The Longest Journey), Jill, Claire and Ada (Resident Evil series), Elika (Prince of Persia) and the list goes on. It's not clever anymore; it's not special. It's become a bad clichΓ© that is as predictable as it is ultimately degrading. Let's stop pretending that's it's still a unique feature.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Resident Evil 5
Mirror's Edge
Prince of Persia

Dear IGN please restructure your editorial team.

10. CASUAL GAMING

Quote
Our final point is ultimately one that has divided gamers and the gaming market as a whole –and it's as much a positive point as a negative one (again, look out for our next feature, where we'll delve into the positive points of casual gaming). Nintendo has a lot to answer for – a lot of it good, a lot of it not so good. While Nintendo's 'Blue Ocean' strategy has unquestionably broadened the market, bringing in new demographics to the fold, it has been at the expense of genuine game content.

Gone is the time when games were simply challenges and stories and adventures with rules and levels and boundaries. Now, the game has become the toy – a device, a thing with a set function or goal – Brain Training, Wii Fit, Ubisoft's Imagine series – EA's casual games. Equally, it has also become about short-burst games that are quick and easy to develop (relative to traditional games), can be played on your iPhone or DS or downloaded from an online service like WiiWare, PSN or Xbox Live Arcade.



Now developers, hoping to make a quick buck off the back of a particularly prevalent trend, are flooding the market with knock-off products that take proven successes like Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training and Wii Fit or Wii Sports and turn them into something almost indistinguishable from the source material. All kinds of mini-game collections, maths tutors, language teachers, calorie counters, cookbooks, e-books and other 'toy/device/function' games eat up shelf space alongside an ever-shrinking number of traditional game releases. And this applies to every platform out there, from Xbox 360 to PSP.

It's not a pretty picture if you're one of the many long-time players who just don't find these kinds of products appealing – but that's the way the market is going right now. You're going to have to contend with products that aim at housewives and techno-grannies and your kid sister, while you and other 'core' gamers slowly begin to wonder where all the games have gone as you realize that Nintendo's half a dozen first-party releases (in a good year) may not tide you over.

And to you we say: have you ever considered taking up French or mastering the thrills of Sudoku?

Worst Recent Offenders:
Wii Fit
The Ubisoft 'Imagine:' series
Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training
Minigame collections of all kinds

So opening up a new market is killing gaming when the industry as a whole was declining and shrinking 3 - 5 years ago?
« Last Edit: January 15, 2009, 01:21:47 PM by Flames_of_chaos »
PM me for DS and Wii game friend codes
Wii: 6564 0802 7064 2744
3DS: 4124-5011-7289
PSN: Flames_of_chaos XBL tag: Evulcorpse
http://twitter.com/flames_of_chaos/

Former NWR and PixlBit staff member.

Offline NWR_pap64

  • You are not the boss of me
  • Score: 25
    • View Profile
    • Nintendo World Report
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #209 on: January 15, 2009, 01:26:55 PM »
I'm surprised no one has brought http://au.games.ign.com/articles/944/944826p1.html up yet.

See, like most gaming articles, they had some really good points, like the overuse of the Unreal 3 engine, sequelitis and even to a certain extend the overuse of Mario and Sonic. But they had to ruin it with the claim that casual gaming is destroying gaming.

Yes, I agree that game developers should stop making these knock offs in order to cash in on the success of "Brain Age" and "Wii Fit". But to claim that these will "kill" gaming sooner or later is being idiotic.

This has ALWAYS happened, since the beginning of gaming. When Super Mario Bros. exploded in the scene every game developer tried to create their own take on the franchise. When Street Fighter II made arcades fun again everyone was rushing out to make a 2D fighter, which created two of Capcom's rivals; Mortal Kombat and SNK's fighting series. When Sonic the Hedgehog got huge everyone was trying to create a cool furry mascot. When Mario 64 re-invented the platformer everyone followed suit. Did ANY of these kill gaming? Of course not. Why? Because people are smart enough to differentiate between a quality product and a knock off product.

True, that doesn't mean there aren't any dumb consumers out there  that buy these games by the droves. But if you look at the official sales data the ones constantly selling are those that are fun, compelling and polished. People want to get their money's worth and they will go towards the best products.

Finally, casual gaming is STILL a niche part of the fanbase. Yes, there are lots of people buying these games but it will take YEARS before the "casual" domination happens, if it happens at all. If you look at the sales data you will see that both casual AND core games are selling well. One has yet to dethrone the over, so why are people crying over spilt milk that is still in the carton?

Funny enough, this list mentions things that were truly killing gaming, yet they decide to give credit to one that might not destroy gaming.

I am honestly wondering if these writers are truly writing from their hearts or are being spineless cowards and writing towards the fanbase who are the ones complaining about casual gaming.
Pedro Hernandez
NWR Staff Writer

Offline Peachylala

  • Bunk Pass Itch
  • Score: 4
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #210 on: January 15, 2009, 01:29:55 PM »
IGN wins the reward for digging itself into a deeper hole. Thankfully, this comment on the IGN reply board brightened my day!
Quote from: some smart ass on IGN
ELEVEN:
REVIEWERS hyping mediocre games, singing their praises high and low. Examples: Oblivion, Fallout 3, Halo, and a lot more.

Worst Recent Offenders:
Pretty much EVERY gaming site
Nice!
Peachy got himself a 360 Slim. ...Yahoo?

Offline NWR_pap64

  • You are not the boss of me
  • Score: 25
    • View Profile
    • Nintendo World Report
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #211 on: January 15, 2009, 01:32:30 PM »
He should have mentioned GTA IV, a game IGN hyped as Oscar worthy. So bad it actually got people asking if game reviewers were worth something.

I dare them to mention THAT.
Pedro Hernandez
NWR Staff Writer

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #212 on: January 15, 2009, 02:00:27 PM »
Yeah, there's nothing wrong with Mario Kart's motion controls.  It's not like forcing a twin-stick FPS player to switch the stick functions, or write with your non-dominant hand.

Makes me question the basic learning ability of reviewers.  Then again, it probably has nothing to do with learning, and all about attitude.
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.

Offline NWR_pap64

  • You are not the boss of me
  • Score: 25
    • View Profile
    • Nintendo World Report
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #213 on: January 15, 2009, 02:10:24 PM »
I personally don't play with motion controls, but its mainly because I don't have a comfortable gaming setup and can't find the correct way to hold the Wii Wheel.

Funny enough, the ones complaining the most are old MK players who are, literally, forced to learn to drive with new controls.
Pedro Hernandez
NWR Staff Writer

Offline KDR_11k

  • boring person
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #214 on: January 15, 2009, 02:10:48 PM »
How about: Brown. Bloom. Hype. High definition. 70€.

Or maybe in one point: Development costs.

Offline vudu

  • You'd probably all be better off if I really were dead.
  • NWR Junior Ranger
  • Score: -19
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #215 on: January 15, 2009, 02:16:15 PM »
Heres the short version

**** man, that's the short version?!
Why must all things be so bright? Why can things not appear only in hues of brown! I am so serious about this! Dull colors are the future! The next generation! I will never accept a world with such bright colors! It is far too childish! I will rage against your cheery palette with my last breath!

Offline NWR_pap64

  • You are not the boss of me
  • Score: 25
    • View Profile
    • Nintendo World Report
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #216 on: January 15, 2009, 02:25:33 PM »
How about: Brown. Bloom. Hype. High definition. 70€.

Or maybe in one point: Development costs.

YES! I am surprised that IGN didn't mention high gaming costs as something that is killing gaming. I mean, many development houses have closed because they didn't make enough profit. Plus, people are not willing to buy a 60 or 70 dollar game.
Pedro Hernandez
NWR Staff Writer

Offline Flames_of_chaos

  • Dancing News Panda
  • Score: -1
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #217 on: January 15, 2009, 02:29:54 PM »
Heres the short version

**** man, that's the short version?!

Beats flipping through 3 pages and looking at crappy pictures they posted that they think will justify the article.
PM me for DS and Wii game friend codes
Wii: 6564 0802 7064 2744
3DS: 4124-5011-7289
PSN: Flames_of_chaos XBL tag: Evulcorpse
http://twitter.com/flames_of_chaos/

Former NWR and PixlBit staff member.

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #218 on: January 15, 2009, 02:42:10 PM »
I personally don't play with motion controls, but its mainly because I don't have a comfortable gaming setup and can't find the correct way to hold the Wii Wheel.

Funny enough, the ones complaining the most are old MK players who are, literally, forced to learn to drive with new controls.

I'm not sure what you mean by the old MK players being "forced."  Analog sticks are available... did you mean the reviewers who attempt to play the game?

When I was learning the Wheel, I ended up treating my right-thumb/"2 button" like an axis, since I was pinching it all the time.  The biggest hurdle for me was executing hard turns (tilt the wheel >90 degrees) in a way that was quick and easy so that I can translate my thought processes from the older games to the new controls.  Hard turning with an analog stick is natural and typical cuz it's such a short movement.  What the analog might lack is finer, gradual turning (and in reality the sticks easily wear out).  In contrast, the Wheel setup excels at those finer movements out-of-the-box, and I just needed the realization that there's some raw technique involved in performing the hard turns.  After getting accustomed to those aspects of the Wheel, the awesome feel as a Mario Kart game was unparalleled.
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #219 on: January 15, 2009, 02:43:34 PM »
Heres the short version

**** man, that's the short version?!

Beats flipping through 3 pages and looking at crappy pictures they posted that they think will justify the article.

I appreciate the trouble of giving me just the meat and potatoes without the awful restaurant.
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.

Offline Kairon

  • T_T
  • NWR Staff Pro
  • Score: 48
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #220 on: January 15, 2009, 05:03:23 PM »
MK Wii has GREAT motion controls.
Carmine Red, Associate Editor

A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head:
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished:
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Sega and her Mashiro.

Offline NWR_pap64

  • You are not the boss of me
  • Score: 25
    • View Profile
    • Nintendo World Report
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #221 on: January 15, 2009, 05:36:21 PM »
I personally don't play with motion controls, but its mainly because I don't have a comfortable gaming setup and can't find the correct way to hold the Wii Wheel.

Funny enough, the ones complaining the most are old MK players who are, literally, forced to learn to drive with new controls.

I'm not sure what you mean by the old MK players being "forced."  Analog sticks are available... did you mean the reviewers who attempt to play the game?

When I was learning the Wheel, I ended up treating my right-thumb/"2 button" like an axis, since I was pinching it all the time.  The biggest hurdle for me was executing hard turns (tilt the wheel >90 degrees) in a way that was quick and easy so that I can translate my thought processes from the older games to the new controls.  Hard turning with an analog stick is natural and typical cuz it's such a short movement.  What the analog might lack is finer, gradual turning (and in reality the sticks easily wear out).  In contrast, the Wheel setup excels at those finer movements out-of-the-box, and I just needed the realization that there's some raw technique involved in performing the hard turns.  After getting accustomed to those aspects of the Wheel, the awesome feel as a Mario Kart game was unparalleled.

I was talking about those reviewers and gamers attempting to learn the motion controls. I have friends who LOVE MK Wii, yet can't stand playing with the Wii Wheel because they can't get used to it.
Pedro Hernandez
NWR Staff Writer

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #222 on: January 15, 2009, 05:45:28 PM »
Yeah, must be an attitude thing.  Having to first unlearn before you really learn?

I laugh when I see 1 or 2 non-wheel players online per worldwide match.  It's a common occurrence, they're in the minority, and they still get creamed by wheel users.
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.

Offline EasyCure

  • wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle, yeah!
  • Score: 75
    • View Profile
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #223 on: January 15, 2009, 07:08:25 PM »
I'm surprised no one has brought http://au.games.ign.com/articles/944/944826p1.html up yet.

See, like most gaming articles, they had some really good points, like the overuse of the Unreal 3 engine, sequelitis and even to a certain extend the overuse of Mario and Sonic. But they had to ruin it with the claim that casual gaming is destroying gaming.

Yes, I agree that game developers should stop making these knock offs in order to cash in on the success of "Brain Age" and "Wii Fit". But to claim that these will "kill" gaming sooner or later is being idiotic.

This has ALWAYS happened, since the beginning of gaming. When Super Mario Bros. exploded in the scene every game developer tried to create their own take on the franchise. When Street Fighter II made arcades fun again everyone was rushing out to make a 2D fighter, which created two of Capcom's rivals; Mortal Kombat and SNK's fighting series. When Sonic the Hedgehog got huge everyone was trying to create a cool furry mascot. When Mario 64 re-invented the platformer everyone followed suit. Did ANY of these kill gaming? Of course not. Why? Because people are smart enough to differentiate between a quality product and a knock off product.

True, that doesn't mean there aren't any dumb consumers out there  that buy these games by the droves. But if you look at the official sales data the ones constantly selling are those that are fun, compelling and polished. People want to get their money's worth and they will go towards the best products.

Finally, casual gaming is STILL a niche part of the fanbase. Yes, there are lots of people buying these games but it will take YEARS before the "casual" domination happens, if it happens at all. If you look at the sales data you will see that both casual AND core games are selling well. One has yet to dethrone the over, so why are people crying over spilt milk that is still in the carton?

Funny enough, this list mentions things that were truly killing gaming, yet they decide to give credit to one that might not destroy gaming.

I am honestly wondering if these writers are truly writing from their hearts or are being spineless cowards and writing towards the fanbase who are the ones complaining about casual gaming.

Well said Pap, as usual.

While reading this I thought up something that's been popping into my head the more and more i read debates against the supposed "Casual domination" and how it will "kill gaming," and its something I've yet to touch on these boards.

What ever happened to Wii being a fad, anyway? I feel that every single time an article pops up or a debate breaks out that the "casualization" of the industry brought on by Nintendo is like these journalist or core-but-think-they're-hardcore* bloggers/forum posters are simply admitting defeat in a war that doesn't really exist.

From '06 to '07 all I heard was fad this, fad that, bubbles will bursts etc etc. Now it's all about "Nintendo is killing gaming" isn't it? As a Wii owner with no trouble finding and enjoying games for this great lil system, I think this is all pretty funny to be honest. I don't believe that more casual games or non-games are hurting or will ever hurt the industry because casual players and games have ALWAYS been around.

The one thing I'm sick of amidst all of this, though, is all the stupid labels that get thrown around. I really wish people would learn that, like many of us have stated here plenty of times, there are NO HARDCORE GAMES just players, just like there are no real casual games, just players. GTA and Halo aren't hardcore, they've sold millions because of their mainstream appeal. Pac-man is something anyone from 5-95 can enjoy, but only someone 'hardcore' enough will play it till they reach the kill screen. Video games are just videogames, and i miss the days when hardcore/casual/non-game weren't their own genres.

I know that was a little off topic but i had no where else to post a coherant thought like that at the moment. Carry on.
February 07, 2003, 02:35:52 PM
EASYCURE: I remember thinking(don't ask me why) this was a blond haired, blue eyed, chiseled athlete. Like he looked like Seigfried before he became Nightmare.

Offline NinGurl69 *huggles

  • HI I'M CRAZY
  • Score: 28
    • View Profile
    • Six Sided Video
Re: The PATHETIC state of the gaming 'media'
« Reply #224 on: January 15, 2009, 07:54:27 PM »
lolololololol

The Wii's a fad.  Just look at Wii GH: Metallica being released later than the non-casual versions.  Wii isn't important, so the game doesn't need to come out as soon.  =D

The bubble didn't burst cuz there was no bubble.  The non-casuals realized this and moved on to the next natural conclusion:  the doom of gaming.  =D

Just do what I do and only use the terms "casual" and "non-casual."  Putting "non-" in front of the word is all the rage, and I'm sure the non-casuals will love noticing the extinction of their beloved "h___core" label.  =D
and the extinction of their way of life
:: Six Sided Video .com ~ Pietriots.com ::
PRO IS SERIOUS. GET SERIOUS.