Ben-DutkaI really, really dislike heat. If I had to choose between 0 and 100 degrees, I'd take 0 every single day of the year.
Okay, now I NEED to know more about Horizon
I really thought that after finishing God of War III , that would supplant Heavy Rain as my favorite game of 2010 thus far. Surprisingly enough, though, that didn't happen. As much as I love GoWIII, and as amazing as that entire production was, Quantic Dream's product had a singular impact on me. I freely admit that, which is why I'm stoked for David Cage's next project, apparently known as Horizon . The name alone is intriguing and if it's like Heavy Rain , I will be signing up to take another emotional adventure on day one. It's so important for his team to make another title of similar structure and style, just because I think it helps push the industry forward in terms of storytelling and overall immersion. But at the same time, I'm a little concerned…I had heard Quantic wanted to experiment with Move and try something different, which really doesn't sit well with me.
I'm taking solace in the fact that based on the early information , it doesn't sound like a low-budget, gimmicky title. I just need to know more about it. Very, very soon.
Games, don't go the Kardashian route. Please.
Movies are getting really, really sad, as evidenced by the overwhelming emphasis on flash and panache, and the apparent total lack of any real artistic or thespian talent. It's why more models are "acting" than ever before, and why Kim Kardashian is evidently being considered for the role of Lara Croft in the next movie. Now, don't get me wrong…Kim has got to be one of the most desirable creatures on earth (you know, provided she remains mute ). But I think we all know she isn't an actress. Now, I was just thinking…cutting-edge development uses an actor's voice and likeness in games ( Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Heavy Rain ), right? And you know, a virtual Kim Kardashian would be undeniably appealing, especially considering the standard target audience for video games (males 18-35). So when might a developer decide to take the film route, sacrifice the talent, and get the face and body for the sake of cash…?
The only reason I'm not too worried about this is because those who make our games love games, and so many of them (Kojima, Cage, Jaffe, Yamauchi, etc.) are perfectionists. They wouldn't be satisfied with half-ass sh** in their productions and furthermore, reviews are more important in gaming than in just about any other entertainment venue (just ask Rockstar about Red Dead Redemption ). Critics would pan the snot out of a bad performance and the game wouldn't sell so well…I hope . You see what I'm saying.
Personal gaming update
So yeah, Nier is done, and I was actually quite impressed with the twist at the end. It was quite the entertaining game overall and if I didn't have anything else to play, I'd go back and see more of the story through Kaine's eyes. But I do; I gotta start Red Dead from scratch, as I've said before. For reviews, summer is pretty bland but I'm pretty sure I'll be handling Naughty Bear and Singularity (among others) this month. Oh, and I never did finish 3D Dot Game Heroes and I'll want to do that at some point, but I can't imagine it would take very long. Alpha Protocol turned out to be broken, Backbreaker wasn't really what I wanted, and although Soldner-X 2: Final Prototype really is fantastic, I've pretty much gotten my fill.
Outside of that, not much else to report. Just remember I'll be choosing the winners for our Sumthing Digital soundtrack giveaway soon; probably early this week.
Ben, you said all they need is the face and body of Kim. They could hire a real actor to do the movements and voice acting, but use a Virtual Kim Kardashian for the eye candy.
I know that, but this isn't the trend for the best we've seen lately.
Didn't they use a different person for the voice portion of Madison in Heavy Rain as opposed to who did the character model?
Say Ben is the DLC for the young character in Nier out there on the store? I might do my first playthrough with him instead, the old dude is kinda blah.
Definitely gotta clock 3D Dot, but you know how it is when game's get you hooked. For some reason RDR isn't addicting to me so I just fire it up, do one or two missions then quit and play an RPG.
I should be pretty much set for summer, but do you have any plans on whether you or Arnold will be on top of New Vegas later in the year? (I know Fallout 3 wasn't your bag).
Also what are your thoughts on SquareEnix's announcement to announce something before E3?
Funny thing about Kim Kardashian as Lara Croft, which I'm still deciding on overall, is the trend toward larger womenfolk taking center stage.
Yes, the DLC is there but the main character is better. A mature man who acts like a mature man is relatively novel for JRPGs.
I'm sure one of us will cover New Vegas. Arnold loved Fallout 3 even if I didn't.
And I'm not holding my breath for the Square-Enix thing. They haven't announced anything new that I've been interested in for quite some time.
I hear ya on SE, and you seem to have this sixth sense about stuff like that too.
Ben, just before you get in to RDR, I recommend that you put a little Ennio Morricone on your PS3. you need this music while youre playing RDR. ..trust me, it fits so well, so very well.
Ah, no thanks. I always stick to the original game soundtrack.
Same
Same here…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
im the same.. i really am, i always trust the developer to choose the right music, especially when it comes to R*.
If RDR had a soundtrack that kicked in and played things while you were doing these things, I wouldnt even of bothered to try to play music.
BUT.. from exp on RDR after 28 hours of gameplay, when your walking around the plains for hours upon hours hunting and just hanging out, to have a lil background music is sweet, but only if its right.
im not taking J.Cash or Dolly Parton… Ennio Morricone is the man if youre ever going to do this in RDR.
tracks like L Arena or A Sillhoutte of Doom, both featured in Kill Bill are incredible tunes to lose yourself in RDR. as for things like Good the Bad and the Ugly or Fistfull of Dollars, theyre cool too.. but theres less dramtic tunes that add to RDRs gameplay rather than make it something it is not.
so where I would agree 100% about changing game music (as I have said for many years on the forums) …this is the first time ive ever recommended it. but then again, lets face it, the amount of 'personal time' you put in to RDR while collecting things, making money and just having a nosey around the map makes this sort of music work. you could easily put 20+ hours of free time in to RDR, so not do it with style.
Last edited by dillonthebunny on 6/6/2010 4:13:54 AM
I like the music that comes in when you are in a shootout.
Yeah, whenever I play RDR, I always play The Ecstasy of Gold in my head 🙂
I always seem to log on when you've just posted up some new article/news.I guess I'm stayin up well past bedtime too often (4am).
After reading the reviews and posts by other members regarding Nier, I purchased it the other day along with Heavy Rain and Red Dead Redemption.
I spent all of yesterday playing Red Dead and the day before it was all about Heavy Rain but of the three games, the one that I've become most attached to for no specific reason, has to be hands down, Nier.
I don't know what it is that has me hooked. The side missions in many ways are annoying as in they just involve sending you back and forth on mundane missions with no real bearing on the main story. The fishing is annoying. It doesn't look the best but not bad enough to pass up on the game. So what makes it so endearing? Its the story. The father daughter aspect is awesome. You really feel for them. Its just an enjoyable game.
I was away when the review for Resonance of Fate went up. I read it last night and it got a good write up but the combat seemed to be an issue in so far as getting used to it. Since the game has been out a few weeks now I have to ask, if anyone has this game and have gotten used to the combat, what is your view of the game now? I'm considering ordering it in when I get some cash flow coming in again. Is it worth the purchase?
Last edited by frostface on 6/5/2010 10:12:49 PM
Wish I could help you, but I'm sitting on the fence about RoF for the same reasons.
I watched some gameplay on youtube and it looked interesting enough to get my attention. You're an old school RPG'r (btw like your 'What RPG's' thread in forums), have you seen any of the gameplay? Whats your take on what you've seen?
I also like the look of WKC but the store was out of stock the other day.
There's something uber cool regarding RoF thats kinda appealing in how it looks. Not that appearances make a great game but I'm interested non the less.
I know exactly what you mean about Nier. It's almost indefinable what makes it so appealing to RPGers, and it says a lot that I went back to it after having to abandon it for a while.
As for RoF, it was crazy in-depth and the combat was really innovative, but I just found it more of a chore than it needed to be. The idea is awesome and the animations and moves that go along with the Matrix-style gunplay are sweet…but there's just too much to think about, IMO. And I almost NEVER say that, being a long-time role-playing fan.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 6/5/2010 11:48:46 PM
resonance of fate is a great game, combat system gets pretty hard but once you get the tricks then its great. I'm talking about using unarmored areas, using the high ground, and using machine guns and handguns. right now i got side tracked by modnation racers so once i finish the last 3 races i'm going back to it. I grinded too much to the point that i needed to play a different game for a while, but that was my fault. just a friendly warning though, difficulty ramps up a lot from chapter 6 to chapter 7. i went from my group at level 50 brushing off attacks to getting half my life taken out by one attack while there are 4 other guys waiting to hit you. trick is know when to attack so that the enemy doesnt get the chance to. The only thing i wish they did was have your clothing buff you up in stats, theres so much to choose from but they dont do anything but change your appearance, and they're expensive as hell so im doing it later in the game.
I like the gameplay vidz of RoF but was a little turned off by the reported blandness of the backgrounds and a battle system that may be a little to intricate to tweak properly. I'm sure I'll wind up with it at some point though.
The thing I loved most about the game was the outfit customization of each character. The graphics of the clothes and how they looked on the cut-scenes and on battle looks awesome! Also, I liked the weapon customization since you really see a difference when upgrading each weapon with parts (especially when dual wielding machine guns doing twice over 30.0x attacks on a single character attack)!
The battle system takes a while to get used to. I'm on chapter 15 now, and as I look back I have to say the game was very well worth my time, but it was a little tough to get used to. Especially the resonance attacks and other complexities of this breakthrough battle system.
Oh, Ben. Games are already beginning to fall into the trappings of Hollywood. Endless sequels which detract from the high quality of the originals. Bland, formulaic stories and gameplay. Graphics becoming more important than gameplay to the consumer. It really is the fault of the casual gamer as far as I can tell. The day that they start crafting completely superfluous and stupid characters for the sake of eye-candy in a game that really doesn't need aforementioned character is the day that I give up on humanity for good.
It's great that there are still occassional gems such as Heavy Rain, but the world is losing sight of creativity. If only the PSXE community could band together and create a game. Oh the ideas, the concepts, the amount of arguing.
What am I talking about? I don't know. As for the temperature, we get between 22 and 30 degrees celcius all year round. It's all good.
Peace.
I don't think it's quite so bad yet. We're still in a position in this industry where the best-selling games are almost always the best-reviewed games. It's almost the opposite in movies; the most trite, insulting pieces of sh** top the box office. So long as fans continue to reward quality in this industry, I think we'll be okay.
There just may be some instances of bad movie influences. And let's not forget that sequels in gaming typically turn out to be better than the originals, just because the technology and development ability got better. Look at Uncharted and Uncharted 2, or the progression of God of War or Gran Turismo.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 6/5/2010 11:51:27 PM
We may not be there yet, but it's coming particularly with the influx of so-called casual gamers to the industry. I mean, look at the sales numbers of titles like Modern Warfare 2 and Halo 3. They sell on name value, and the amount of follow on purchasers due to people wanting to play with their friends online.
Yes, you're right about games generally being better, but take a look at things like Tony Hawk: Ride. Was it the ninth, or tenth iteration? Either way, it was the worst reviewed to date. Another example would be Guitar Hero. While it hasn't necessarily gotten worse, I wouldn't say it's gotten better either, merely different. Picking on Activision here aren't I?
How about Final Fantasy 13? I understand that most of the complaints against it are levelled at the immense difference between it and earlier games. But again, unless I'm much mistaken it was the worst reviewed of the (numbered) franchise to date.I know that I'm actively seeking out examples of games getting worse, and I could rattle off a hundred to prove the opposite, but it's still a viable argument.
The degeneration of the industry has already begun. As for movies, yes, but is there a viable alternative to the flashy spectacle in terms of the ability for a film company to make money? One of my favourite movies is Casablanca because of the simplicity and focus on characters, but try doing something like that today and you might have three people going to see it. There has been a shift in the way people think.
I keep writing these massive editorials here. Anyone would think I have a hatred of brevity.
Peace.
I completely agree with you. I feel that the videogame industry is becoming to much of a business to support new and creative gaming ideas.
How many games like Flower, Heavy Rain or Shadow of the Colossus have you played recently or have seen that are currently in development? Little to none I'm afraid =( More developers need to be looking for creative ways to let the player interact and explore the game world they create.
Instead every game is getting an RPG lite feature stuck into the game to keep people addicted and playing their game/franchise. Heck I've even asked myself why filling up that EXP bar is so darn important even though it yields nothing except maybe a small insignificant upgrade and another bar that needs to be filled.
The Halos the CoDs and yes even the rockstar games like Red Dead, usually sell because of there name and nothing else. All the halos are generic console shooters, I have played them all and I love shooters but they are absolutely nothing special.
Don't get me started about Call of duty….EXP points for doing anything in the online mode…Die a lot? heres some EXP, open a door like a big boy, heres some more EXP…I'm exaggerating a little but you get the picture.
Red Dead was fun but … other than the amazing game world they created…there were hardly new and creative ways to interact with said world. The tech is impressive but the gameplay was mundane and repetitive. Kill bandits, protect train, kill bandits, invade a mine etc. It is getting high reviews that it doesn't really deserve, but to each their own, reviews are opinions right?
When will this industry start evolving in ways other than graphics and kill streaks?
I really think far too many gamers think every last game has to be "creative" or "innovative" in some way. I wouldn't complain if I were you.
If we have the likes of Uncharted 2, God of War III, Heavy Rain, Red Dead Redemption, Assassin's Creed II, Bioshock 2, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 all in about 6-8 months, we really can't complain about any sort of lack of quality.
The only people who seem to complain are those who never lived through the 8 and 16-bit eras (and even the 32-bit era) where there was nowhere near the level of frequency of quality games. In the old days, you'd be lucky if you could find like 10 a year that could be considered awesome; these days, it's possible you'll three times that many in any given year. Seriously…don't complain.
For the record I grew up in the 8-bit era and I know all about the things you mentioned.
But can you really say that the PS1 didn't have one of the most amazing game libraries ever? Yes it was sort of a renaissance of the gaming industry but still a lot of if not some of the best RPGs i've ever seen in terms of story and characters AND gameplay, Action titles that tested your reflexes and made you a better player, and the platformers oh the platformers were brilliant…what ever happened to those?
I just feel we are getting 70% shovel ware these days and sadly…it sells for some unknown reason.
Of all those games you mentioned most of them did something sort of new or did evolve or did something extremely right. UC2 has an amazing story and characters, along with Heavy Rain and AC2. BF:BC2 gave us destruction 2.0 which is an evolution.
RDR and Bioshock 2 I think are quality but IMO RDR mainly is hugely over rated. Bioshock 2 felt to similar to Bioshock.
I know that nothing is new and that almost everything is an evolution of something else or based off of another idea or concept. But I feel the industry is stagnating, and that is honestly just my opinion. I dont need every title to be a AAA title. NIER wasn't and I loved that game, but it had soul or something that I can't put my finger on.
Anyway my main point is I would rather play 10 moderately unique games a year than 100 games that all feel the same or are lacking soul.
I'm not arguing Ben I know we disagreed about Alpha Protocol but please don't hate it was just my opinion. That was only my second post after years of just reading and watching I decided to join this community.
Your opinion is fine but you're letting nostalgia get the better of you. It happens to me, too. I still say the PS1 is the best RPG machine ever…but what did it REALLY do? Outside of a few major emerging franchises, like Gran Turismo and Metal Gear Solid, I don't see how it provided any more innovation than we've already seen in this generation so far.
There is almost no such thing as "shovelware" this generation, while it was extremely common in the old days. Games are big business now, which is why it's very difficult for a seriously broken game to make it to store shelves. Before, we'd see entirely broken games all the time. Now, to pass through the amount of approvals necessary, "shovelware" is officially a thing of the past.
You may not like something like Modern Warfare 2 and you may not like something you've already seen before – perhaps the new Prince of Persia is a good example – but that doesn't really have any bearing on QUALITY. Quality is first and foremost. Innovation is a distant second. Because you can utilize the freshest ideas and concepts the world has ever seen; if they're poorly implemented, nobody will care.
I'm not saying that every game requires creativity or innovation, but it always helps to pique my attention. No, if a game is great, then I will invariably get around to purchasing it.
I also understand your comment about the comparative amount of shovelware between now and then, Ben. I mean, I never had either a PSOne or PS2, or an Xbox, or GameCube, or well, anything between the Atari 2600 and my PS3, and having just had those two consoles, I recognise the vast difference in the number and quality of titles released for each. It's probably not fair of me to compare the two because the enormous technological leap from one to the other, yet I can't help it.
I must have had something like a hundred games for the Atari, but I only ever played maybe ten. On the PS3, I have close to 25, and I try to go through them all at least once a year, as well as keeping up with the latest releases. Anything that I'm not enamoured with I trade in.
And yes, quality should always be first and foremost in developers mind, followed VERY closely by keeping their consumers in good spirits (I'm looking at you S-E), then innovation is third. I think that's all for now.
Peace.
As far as SquareEnix's announcement to announce something shocking before E3…..
Since MS has now OK'ed porn, SE has taken MS's "exclusive" loaded Brinks armored truck offer, so Kim Kardashian will play the main character role in their newest Kingdom Hearts
Bikersaint, it's not funny to kid around with Kingdom Hearts, such thiings can give people heart attacks. I kid, but really though…
Sarcasm, folks!!!!
Just a thought, has anyone seen the new thing about Motorstorm 3: San Francisco? It's a translated site from French, but I like the screenshots.
Link here: http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://www.ps3gen.fr/motorstorm-3-images-volees-jeu-toujours-pas-annonce-actualite-11172.html&sl=fr&tl=en&hl=&ie=UTF-8
I agree with your Heavy Rain comment. It really has been the most well thought out and executed game this year. GOWIII is a very close second. Kim Kardashian can burn in hell for all I care. She is a horrible actor and I'm glad butters got her killed with his book.
What was it again? The penis that took a poop?
I believe it was the poop that took a pee as narrated by Morgan Freeman.
Ha HA the name of the book was The Tale of Scrotie McBoogerballs.
and butters was devastated after she died
That was the one the guys wrote, but Butter's wrote a second one. The poop that took a pee sounds right.
Yeah Yeah got me with that,touche world touche.
the 2nd book was called The Poop That Took a Pee
Can't wait to play Heavy Rain once I get back to the states.
Also Kim Kardashian… meh
is quantic dreams new game exclusive to the ps3? do we know?
It very likely will be.
I'm still upset about Alpha Protocol. I thought maybe, just maybe, we'd have another really good RPG on offer.
Maybe I have to take another look at Nier.
I'm a bit disappointed that psxe hasn't reviewed Modnation Racers (Sony didn't send ya a copy?). It's the kind of game they'd want reviews from as many sites as possible.
The Summer break is so important. If more new great games kept coming out for the ps3 it'd be impossible to buy them all…
I'm sure that is coming Scarecrow…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
Yeah, I'm a little bit bothered by no Modnation Racers review too considering Ben's been promising it for the last two weeks or so. Can we be sure that Arnold hasn't, you know, kicked it? I prefer to think that he's just being thorough.
Peace.
modnation racers is an amazing game, its get a bit difficult sometimes but i still love it. I'm 3 races away from beating the game but kinda got held up right now. since you havent gotten the game yet, i suggest you wait until they issue the loading time patch. they let you install the game but the loading time is still damn long. I dont play it continously because loading time between races are annoyingly long. and that was just single player where the only customizable thing is your racer and cart. i havent even touched online matches with custom maps yet. i have tried custom maps offline though. still long though.
hahah, i just noticed that the google ad thats floating around is the kardashians.
Last edited by johnld on 6/6/2010 2:39:29 PM
I can't see Kim Kardashian playing the role of Lara Croft. The gal has way too much junk in the trunk. She's kinda freaky looking.
I'm still playing ModNation Racers and RDR. I'm taking my time getting through both of them. I lose a lot of hours in that creation studio. I wish they would have made a way to flatten some of the layers when piecing shapes together. It would take some of the hassle out of creating karts.
I am 40 years old now as of June 6th. It sounds worse than it feels and that's a good thing I suppose.
Congrats TES!
40 is young
I think when one gets into the mid 50s or even early 60s, that's when you can nod and say "let me grow out a huge Santa Claus beard"
I love the CREATE in Modnation, it's so addictive, and you can do so many different kinds of characters, karts, and tracks
Happy BDay. Modnations 4ever.
Thanks Scarecrow and Milonakis.
I agree with you about how addictive the creation studios are. I have more time logged in there than I do racing.
Last edited by tes37 on 6/6/2010 1:29:45 AM