Post by: NWR_pap64 on January 19, 2007, 11:30:19 AM
The thing is, which game are they exactly making fun of or criticizing?
The comic can be seen here..
I have the feeling that they might be criticizing Nintendo's decision of making the latest Zelda game, Twilight Princess, into a realistic looking one, rather than continuing using the cel shaded style of the Wind waker.
Notice how the comic mentions some of the graphical features seen in TP, including the infamous use of a brown palette scheme and a soft blur effect.
If its true that they are making fun/bashing the TP graphics, then they are being foolish. The blur effect was only used during the Twilight real scenes, which added to the surreality of the world. Its true that the game does sport a brown palette, but it does make great use of color and shading (especially the greens in the forests).
Also, other games made use of the 'realistic" brown palette before TP was released. RE 4 on the Cube made heavy use of dark reds, brown, grey and even some orange. Gear of war also uses a lot of greys and black to convey the gritty look of war and if I am not mistaken so does Call of duty 3. And finally, Final Fantasy XII sports a lot of brown and gold colors, even if it is more colorful than any of the aforementioned games.
I ask because they usually do a quick commentary on the comic, but they didn't say anything this time. But the way they use the effects in the comic makes it look like they are making fun or criticizing the graphical style of TP.
I'll leave you guys to ponder what is the intention behind this comic.
Post by: Ian Sane on January 19, 2007, 11:44:32 AM
Besides there are far less subtle ways to make fun of Nintendo.
Post by: Caliban on January 19, 2007, 11:56:13 AM
Post by: Artimus on January 19, 2007, 11:57:29 AM
Post by: Smoke39 on January 19, 2007, 12:30:49 PM
Anyway, the comic seems like general satire to me, rather than making fun of any specific game.
Post by: GoldenPhoenix on January 19, 2007, 12:55:39 PM
Post by: Dasmos on January 19, 2007, 02:46:03 PM
Post by: Mario on January 19, 2007, 02:50:45 PM
Post by: NWR_pap64 on January 19, 2007, 03:22:46 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: Mario
Agreed. It's also a HUUUUUGE stretch to link that with Zelda, it doesn't even make sense.
Well like I said, they didn't do a commentary on the comic (why they made it, what inspired it etc.), plus some of the graphical effects they mention are exactly those found in TP. What got me the most, however, was the "brown" comment. If you remember, one of Joystiq's editors posted a rant as to how TP sucks graphically and that it was too brown for his tastes. I read the exact, same comment on the comic and I was wondered if they too were dissing the game.
But I guess you're right, maybe I am looking too much into it.
Post by: SixthAngel on January 19, 2007, 03:41:54 PM
Post by: KDR_11k on January 19, 2007, 06:48:58 PM
Post by: ShyGuy on January 19, 2007, 07:12:10 PM
Post by: MattVDB on January 19, 2007, 08:26:02 PM
Post by: Dirk Temporo on January 19, 2007, 08:50:48 PM
Post by: ViewtifulJoe on January 20, 2007, 01:27:03 AM
Post by: Magik on January 20, 2007, 02:41:00 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: Dasmos
Who cares? It's VGCats. It's not important.
Some people take things way to seriously these days especially when it comes to video games.
Post by: wandering on January 20, 2007, 03:39:28 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: pap64
[...] some of the graphical effects they mention are exactly those found in TP.
That's because Nintendo tried very hard to make TP look "next-gen".
Post by: Viewtiful mario on January 20, 2007, 03:52:37 AM
I dought it's Zelda, there are other games outh there besides Zelda.
Post by: vudu on January 20, 2007, 04:39:56 AM
QuoteBlasphemy!!
Originally posted by: Viewtiful mario
there are other games outh there besides Zelda.
Post by: therat on January 20, 2007, 04:52:22 AM
Post by: 18 Days on January 20, 2007, 12:30:06 PM
Post by: Artimus on January 20, 2007, 12:35:25 PM
Post by: Luigi Dude on January 20, 2007, 01:05:26 PM
To bad they have more misses then hits.
Post by: Sir_Stabbalot on January 20, 2007, 01:09:30 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: MattVDB
When I saw that comic, the first thing I thought was Gears of War. Great game, but the 6th panel pretty much summed it up. Brown, dark, and bloomed out where possible. It could be other games as well, as it is the growing trend, but if I had to pick a game, to me, it looks most like Gears.
Yeah, my buddy brought his 360 over, and I was fiddling with the settings when that I saw in the video options menu there's a graphics setting. I changed it to "Vibrant Colors" and the world looks tons better. I can understand that they wanted to make the game world look like it had been ruined, but the default setting really overdoes it.
Post by: KDR_11k on January 20, 2007, 06:20:38 PM
Post by: Arbok on January 20, 2007, 06:55:41 PM
Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
VG Cats is still better than, say, Penny Arcade that seems to just throw random imagery with unrelated text on there and adds some profanity because they think it's funny.
I will fully disagree with that statement:
http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2006/20061220.jpg
Funny 100% of the time? Well no, but then what is?
Post by: Dirk Temporo on January 21, 2007, 12:04:12 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: therat
games in general.... hl, wow, oblivion.
Neither HL2 or WoW are considered "next gen" games, and neither of them suffer from the issues mentioned in the comic.
Post by: KDR_11k on January 21, 2007, 12:33:49 AM
Post by: Artimus on January 21, 2007, 06:18:36 AM
http://www.vgcats.com/comics/?strip_id=192
Post by: Ceric on January 22, 2007, 02:13:04 AM
Post by: JonLeung on January 22, 2007, 03:33:22 AM
Realism and pseudo-realism are BORING... I think style (or lack of it) is what will peak out graphics sooner than an actual technical limit.
Post by: Caliban on January 22, 2007, 04:32:49 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: Ceric
I think it's pretty general and is definitely poking fun of TP. (Come on the Bloom effect is everywhere...)
Ok, but which part of TP is HD? Read the comic again and tell me that HD wasn't said.
Post by: Hostile Creation on January 22, 2007, 05:16:15 AM
Although the VGcats immediately before this one, with Starfox, is really good. Only good one I've seen in years.
Post by: JonLeung on January 22, 2007, 05:32:13 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: Hostile Creation
Can't we all agree that all gaming webcomics suck, Pennyarcade and VGcats alike? Because they do.
Although the VGcats immediately before this one, with Starfox, is really good. Only good one I've seen in years.
I disagree with Hostile Creation on all counts here. Most of the web comics I read are gaming-related, and I do like Penny Arcade and VGCats because the art is better than other game-based comics I've seen (I'm sure someone will make some webcomic suggestions now).
The Star Fox one I also disagree with. While the dialogue was entirely from the games, which was witty in an odd way, I don't like comics that rely on shock value...homosexual inter-bestial sex jokes aren't that funny IMO. It's not that I'm traditional or zealous, or have a particular view of things like homosexual jokes or sex jokes...it's just that, well, aren't homosexual jokes passé yet? Any theme of jokes gets old before the tenth time, so I'm sick of them long before, what, the hundredth time? There's no shock value when it's overdone...any shock now is that they have to resort to that for a laugh.
In that case, yes, Penny Arcade's wang/gay jokes and VGCat's occasional "shock value" jokes are the ones I dislike. And Penny Arcade made a comic mistakenly insisting that the X in Mega Man X stood for "ten" (which it doesn't), which surprised me a lot, coming from gamers that should know better...but otherwise I don't understand the hate for all of their comics as a whole. Maybe the haters think they're overrated? Is that it?
EDIT: I'm not saying I'm "more mature" or "better" than anyone who did enjoy that particular VGCats or other similar comics, though I'm sure I sound like I might be. >_>
Post by: KDR_11k on January 22, 2007, 05:58:12 AM
Eh, whatever. Sinfest > all gaming comics.
Post by: JonLeung on January 22, 2007, 06:13:27 AM
Monique is a hottie. I love the (kind of new) Sunday strips that are full page colour ones.
I used Slick's line "You make my nads explode with joy" on some female co-workers at Playdium. Soon I was known as the "nads-exploding" guy.
Anyway, I remember a PvP comic pointing out the whole "you have to read the newspost to get the joke" thing which was obviously pointed at Penny Arcade. But I could never get into PvP because many times it seemed way nerdier than other gaming comics already are.
I always ask for new webcomic suggestions but then I rarely enjoy anyone's suggestions.
Don't ask me why I have been reading Penny & Aggie lately. But maybe I could enjoy "slice of life" comics.
Post by: Ian Sane on January 22, 2007, 06:21:39 AM
I regularly read four web comices: Penny Arcade, PVP, VGCats, and Perry Bible Fellowship.
PVP updates every day. Thus having a stinker isn't a big deal. No one is perfect so if I don't find a comic funny odds are tomorrow's comic will be or the day after. I get seven comics a week so odds are at least one of them will be funny.
Penny Arcade updates three times a week. Well since I have to wait longer for each comic there is more pressure for it to be funny because I have to wait longer for the next one. So when they have some self-indulgent Cardboard Tube Samurai story arc with no humour in it whatsoever that's a multi-parter I'm going to have to wait at least a week for the possibility of a funny comic.
VGCats only updates once a week. PBF is even more infrequent. If the comic sucks then I have a wait a fair bit of time for a good one to show up. I find when it works PBF is one of the funniest things ever BUT if the comic is a dud I have to wait like two weeks for another one. If two suck in a row there's a month of no funny PBF.
For a comic that doesn't update as often months can go by of complete suck while a daily comic can have a whole unfunny story arc go on for 20 strips and still take less than three weeks.
I really find Penny Arcade funny when it's "on" but the problem is that often it's very self-indulgent or has in-jokes that obviously only the creators and their friends would enjoy. PVP has probably the most universal humour and it updates every day so even though I would consider Penny Arcade to be funnier at it's best, PVP is a more consistent strip because with so much material out there you know that at least once a week you're going to laugh your ass off. The other two are worth reading but I really never know what I'm going to get so I'm not as attached to those strips.
Post by: nitsu niflheim on January 22, 2007, 06:23:26 AM
Post by: wandering on January 22, 2007, 09:18:33 AM
Quote
Originally posted by: KDR_11k
I just think PA usually isn't funny at all because there's nothing even resembling a joke. Sometimes they make a joke but destroy it by adding a superfluous panel after that or something.
I assure you the lack of punchlines is intentional. Not that that makes it funny or anything.
Incidentally, I read PA regularly...but not for the comic, which I've never cared for. I just enjoy the news posts.
Quote
Eh, whatever. Sinfest > all gaming comics.
And Dinosaur Comics > all other webcomics period.
...Sinfest is pretty good, though I'm kind of tired of the whole people-who-look-cute-but-are-actually-naughty thing.
Post by: KDR_11k on January 22, 2007, 11:58:16 PM
...Sinfest is pretty good, though I'm kind of tired of the whole people-who-look-cute-but-are-actually-naughty thing.
That sounds like it has some contrapunction (elements that run completely against the suggested main theme, e.g. the violence in Happy Tree Friends) going on which really isn't the case. Sinfest is pretty straight-forward with its characters and its portrayal of the "immoral" (i.e. nothing explicit, the most you see is the characters being drunk) fits with the rest of it. It's mostly a satire of real life (especially political subjects) and I wouldn't call any of the characters "cute but naughty".
Post by: wandering on January 23, 2007, 11:05:12 AM
