Why are Video Games denigrated?
Why are Video Games so denigrated when other creative media are not? This is a question that has interested and irritated me for quite a while and I have already touched upon this idea in some earlier posts. There are double standards regarding criticism of video games. Most older people subscribe to the idea of not judging something without knowing about it. It has become something of a truism. So why does this not apply to video games? If you ask somebody who disrespects video games, which games they have tried themselves, they will most likely reply 'none'. Or possibly begin analysing the appeal of Pacman, and wonder why the youth of today waste their time moving 'a wee man around a screen'. Please crawl back under your rock... Either that or they will complain about the violence of certain games without batting an eyelid at films such as (the admittedly brilliant!) Pulp Fiction
I find it irritating that people can get away with this, but I sometimes believe that the key to the problem is down to a few, seemingly innocent factors.
The first of these is in the term 'game' itself. The definition of the word which instantly springs to mind is 'amusement or pastime'. But many games of today share the qualities of film and similar artforms while other, more competitive games have tremendous depths of playability which puts them on a par with many sports. The fact that video games are called games in the first place gives mainly older generations the instant wrong impression.
The second problem I believe is largely down to what developments certain people have lived through in their lives. An old school teacher once told me that I would certainly not still be interested in video games when I was in my thirties. But this assertion disregards the many changes and developments which take place in an individual's lifetime. Of course old age pensioners are not going to support video games when they did not spend their young years surrounded by them & technology. They would have to make a conscious effort to become interested - and many do! These are the people I have a lot of respect for. But maybe, just maybe, I'll be reflecting on the Playstation 3 when I'm in my 70s, while my grandchildren are raving about their personal Virtual Reality systems!
Non arguments when reviewing
I recently loaded up Shenmue 2 on the Xbox and started another run through the game, something that I haven't done in a while. It really is my favourite game (or rather series) of all time and to me it simply never gets old.
Certain reviews of games give lists of pros and cons as well as a final verdict. I noticed that a particular review stated that a negative point for Shenmue was that the fighting system was not as versatile as the Virtua Fighter series. (From which it was derived) The word 'duh' comes to mind in childish sense! Of course it isn't as versatile, Virtua Fighter does not have a wealth of RPG/adventure gameplay to contend with. A dedicated fighting game will have a terrific, sharp combat system compared to that of an action adventure game, but it must be understood that despite the fact that it (probably) isn't possible to implement a hugely detailed fight system into a title like Shenmue, it is also unwise to do so regardless. The target audience is different and many of the gamers who enjoy adventure based titles are not going to be hardcore, professional tournament level fighting game players that would be attracted to the likes of Virtua Fighter. They would probably not enjoy the game as much if the combat system was too demanding, no disrespect to their abilities! Maybe I'm just not very skilled! The whole point of my argument is that some reviewers out there do not make valid points about the games they are discussing. Some games, like Shenmue, I feel are judged very harshly and it is one of the most underrated titles ever released...
I was just looking at some weblog entries from the Championship Gaming Series. The team in question here are the San Francisco Optx, following their tough defeat at the hands of the Birmingham Salvo (holy crap, Britain beating the USA, this should NEVER happen!)
Most of the entries were standard, casual passages about life after defeat, but one very much stood out from the crowd, namely from the female Optx DOA 4 player, Vanessa. Titled 'The Day After' (more like 'The Morning After'), the post attempted to disguise its true nature under the veil of 'a good old fashioned vent' but in actual fact it's just pure, unrefined sour grapes. The belly of the beast considers the semifinal in which Birmingham's Messy defeated Carolina's Offbeat in a final round decider. Offbeat had won 5 rounds in a row, but lost the 6th to send Carolina crashing out. The poorly written blog demeans Messy, ranting about how he essentially didn't deserve any credit for winning the final round, when he had been dominated by Offbeat for the previous five. It seems to deny Offbeat choking for some reason, and even worse, denies Messy pulling through for his team, calling it an embarrassment! I'm sorry, but Offbeat actually stood up to taunt Messy before the final round... Messy remained seated, kept his focus and won. If that isn't pulling through then please tell me what is!? Oh, and during the world final itself, Messy defeated NinjaCW, the heavy favourite.
Winning when it really matters is exactly what all legendary sportsmen and women, no matter what discipline, have in common. It's a quality that Britain does lack in a number of areas, so it's great to see them triumph at the CGS.
Both Messy and Offbeat are terrific players, but I would agree that the North American DOA4 skill level is higher than that of the UK, and I dare say the rest of the World. It's just a vapid, pointless attempt at criticising an underdog for showing the skill and determination on the day. The behaviour of NinjaCW after his defeat was also appalling. A very lame handshake with Messy, followed by him
completely ignoring ODEE, Birmingham's Manager, on his way off the arena. NinjaCW then lay inconsolably face first on the side of the arena...
Gaming is now branded a sport, the gamers branded 'athletes'. This ungraciousness in defeat is not how athletes behave. NinjaCW, like myself, is also a karateka, and his televised amateur dramatics do not conform well with the honourable actions of a true martial artist.
Aside from all the negativity of the blog and indeed this post, Vanessa did congratulate the Salvo on their win. This was great to see, and she is a fantastic player, but for some reason I seem find the phrase "I don't give a f**k" floating around some of the message boards of the American DOA4 players. It's great to know you don't give a f**k, about what exactly? Maybe you all enjoy thinking like this, but evidently, Birmingham don't take no crap from nobody, san.
Messy, you sure can hold your nerve under pressure.
RattlesnK and the Counter Strike Source team, you're awesome.
Vanessa, just keep thinking of that scoreboard. Hmmm, what was it again? 22-15 to Salvo?
Silent Hill Homecoming
I have always been a big fan of the Silent Hill series, and the latest iteration is looking impressive. One of the changes the developers have made is that the protagonist, Alex Shepherd, enters the fray with a certain degree of combat skills.
In the past, the combat in Silent Hill was deliberately cumbersome. The protagonists were fairly inept; they were ordinary people in (very) unusual situations. This idea certainly changed the feel to the game, and in a sense, added more atmosphere. It also defined a slightly different gameplay style to many other action adventure based titles, a style that was reactive rather than proactive, in that the player's mindset could not revolve around the idea of killing anything and everyone in sight.
Although the game has not been released, the fact that the hero is no longer your average everyday Joe could change the gameplay. This might all be for the better depending on the mechanics, engine and generally how well it all comes together, after all, the development team has changed. I'm just wondering what secrets Shepherd's Glen hides...
This seems to be a popular topic on the internet in relation to Soul Calibur 4. I think that the inclusion of these Dragonball Z-esque finishing moves is terrific. However, from what certain message boards are saying, these moves are a bit of a Nightmare (pun intended) to pull off. Others say that they are too easy! The timing seems to be the issue, but this ultimately comes down to reaction time, which will suit some gamers more than others, hence the mixed response. As with myself, spending a lot of my time playing adventure titles has not given me the sharpest joypad or arcade stick skills, so I think no tournaments for me!
An issue which has surfaced is that actually satisfying the criteria for executing a critical finish is difficult to achieve before the health bar has been fully depleted. It's probably easier to just win the round! This is really a natural obstacle for such a game element, largely because fighting game rounds are normally short. Of course, it's not surprising to hear that they're no problem to pull off in practice, but in the heat of a match it's a different story. I see them being very rare during high level tournament play.
It's a strange phenomenon during most video games, that you often have a lot of options and/or items at your disposal, but only really require a few to play or even beat the game. The best games force you to play elaborately, punishing rash play. Having said this, it's great to see interesting new features implemented throughout legendary franchises.
I've just started playing
Grand Theft Auto IV and already I'm beginning to get withdrawal symptoms from being away from Liberty City. I know I'm a bit late in buying it, but I'm usually forced to wait a lot longer after release before I buy A+ titles! Just graduated and job hunting! It is absolutely incredible as everyone has said, and being developed in Scotland makes it just that bit more flavoursome. This is fantastic for the increasingly successful games industry here.
Good to know that America is not wholly responsible for such a contribution. I have a feeling I'll not need a new title for a long time, so I'll post about the sights and sounds and all the best bits as and when they happen.
I love the ironic adverts and jokes in the game. It's peculiarly Scottish - this kind of humour - whether it's about ourselves or other people. Some may find it irritating but you can't live in Scotland without being able to 'take a joke' as they say.
Sandbox environments are not necessary in creating top class games, but you cannot help but be impressed by them, especially when there are so many side quests available, which add considerable longevity.
Soul Calibur 4 - Soul Charge?
I've been browsing online and I can't seem to find anyone who'll confirm that soul charges have been removed... Have they gone?
I watched some early playtests and previews about a month ago, and they mentioned the removal of soul charge. However, these were earlier builds of the game which meant that the developers may still have included it at the last minute.
A number of professional reviews didn't mention soul charge at all...
Several videos on
Youtube show characters glowing gold. Is this some other gameplay element, or some story specific power up?
Have I really missed something!? Maybe I was staring at it the whole time!?
