Ben-DutkaYou know, I forgot how great Shadow of the Colossus was. …kinda random, but I just started playing it again. 🙂
CliffyB is right, you know
While I haven't agreed with some of his statements before, Epic Games design director Cliff Bleszinski's comments concerning next-gen graphics make perfect sense to me. I've always said that true significant leaps in visual presentations can be spotted by anyone, not just individuals who have lived and breathed video games for decades. A few less pixels has never really impressed me, and certainly wouldn't impress those not "in the know." That's why Bleszinski cited the "Mom test;" i.e., new hardware should give us an upgrade in graphics that even our out-of-touch mothers can notice. That would suggest a significant leap and something worthy of our money and attention.
However, that being said, although I can appreciate great graphics, I'm really reaching the point where I just want great experiences. Obviously, visual presentation is part of a great experience, but it's only a part . So when I say I only want a console that plays games I want to play, I'm not exaggerating in the slightest. I couldn't possibly care less what other features it has, and that's the truth.
How many sandbox shooters do we need?
Now it almost seems as if they're trying to kill off linearity in shooters, too. The Resistance series is done (well, basically), Killzone never sold as much as it should've, and very few purchase any Battlefield or Call of Duty for the campaigns. So maybe it makes sense that developers are moving away from linear storytelling within the genre, but I mean…how many do we really need? Borderlands 2 will be out this year, DUST 514 is essentially a MMOFPS, Far Cry 3 will undoubtedly be very open-ended, and now Crysis 3 will also take the sandbox approach ? I mean, I really loved Crysis 2 ; does the sequel really have to be more about exploration and player freedom than storyline?
It's just getting a little annoying. I know developers probably think that anyone who plays a shooter isn't looking for a fantastic story with awesome character development, and I'm probably in the minority. But I'm just not sure killing off linear storytelling in FPSs is the right way to go…not that I think it'll happen, but it certainly seems to be a current trend.
Personal gaming update
I'm pretty much done with Final Fantasy XIII-2 , as I've lost the motivation to go for the last two Fragments, and I've seen all the Paradox Endings. I still want to keep moving through Assassin's Creed: Revelations , but I sidetracked myself with Shadow of the Colossus . I'm talking about the one in the ICO & Shadow of the Colossus Collection , and I just love it. I had forgotten just how meticulously designed those Colossi were, and just how amazing it was to take them down. The best part is that I've left it behind long enough so that I don't remember exactly how to beat all of them, so in some ways, it feels pretty new.
Other than that, I still tinker with the Vita here and there, and thankfully, the reviews have let up. Stay tuned for more fun news; this week was sorta slow, as just about everyone seemed to escape for vacation. Saw a lot of "Out of Office" emails. 🙂
Pores: the reason people close their eyes for kissing.
Ben I noticed you haven't review binary domain yet. Was wondering if you ever were going to? It slipped under many peoples radars but the fans of it really seem to adore it. It sucks because it was a really great effort by sega but they didn't market it one bit and some people haven't even heard of it.
Story wise its reaaally close to what Karas tech demo is about. I think you would really enjoy it.
The mom test actually sounds reasonable. For some reason I was always friends with gamers that believed the graphics made the game. If the game didn't have super good graphics then it sucked. It was really annoying. The funny thing is I noticed it carried over into their dating lives. They dated pretty girls that couldn't hold a conversation with a rock. I'd talk to them and slowly feel my IQ drop.
Anyways. My PGU: I bought Valkyria Chronicles and Star Ocean the Last Hope and just started both of those games. I needed an rpg fix so I went out and bought those. Star Ocean made me nostalgic because I had SO3 on the ps2 and loved that game. And Valkryia Chronicles is just amazing. I had no idea what I was missing out on. It's incredibly fun. I'm really tired of shooting stuff now it seems. I bought twisted metal a few weeks too but I'm stuck on Iron Maiden on Twisted difficulty. I get to the end of the battle and then she obliterates me. I'm starting to give up on trying to unlock warthog. I'm not that good at the game either. Well I'm decent, I did manage to do all that with Reaper and I'm usually an armor over power type of player. I also bought UFC Undisputed 3 since I'm a MMA fan. It's so different from the last installments though so I keep getting destroyed. It's fun though. I also find myself popping Dynasty Warriors 7 Xtreme Legends every now and then.
Other than that I'm waiting till my next paycheck to get Tales of Graces F. The only Tales game I've played was Tales of Symphonia with my best friend and it left a lasting impression. And I'm also looking forward to the One Piece dynasty warriors game. It looks great imo. I'm a fan of one piece and DW.
Star Ocean had me from the get go, I think it's actually better than Till the End of Time for not being SOOOO full of battles (and impossible battles) but the story is a little less awesome. Thankfully the characters more than make up for it.
Yeah I'm really enjoying Star Ocean thus far. I just got Bacchus and I just zip around the battle area and shoot stuff. Reminds me a little of Mega Man. The characters are pretty cool.
What was great about the basic linear structure for Resistance 3 was that even though that was the case, you were constantly switching up your strategy to deal with new styles of play. You can't use the same approach throughout like you can in a war game because the very environments made you change your tactics or die.