Grand Theft Auto V is a big game. Perhaps you consider this an understatement and of course, it is. But until you play the game, you can’t fully grasp the meaning of that common three-letter word. You may assume it pertains merely to the size and scope of the virtual environment. You might think it involves the attention to detail and the role-playing-like depth. If you believed both, you wouldn’t be wrong. However, it’s when you pause, step back, and cast an appreciative eye over the unparalleled vastness of GTAV as a whole that you begin to understand. Then you stagger, ‘cuz it’s just that overwhelming.
It’s never easy to issue a separate graphics score for open-world sandbox games, primarily because you know the developers were forced to sacrifice a bit of clarity and detail for the sake of smooth gameplay. But when you consider the ridiculous size of Los Santos and the surrounding areas, you can’t help but be impressed by what Rockstar has accomplished. Sure, zooming in on various parts of the world reveals minor yet outdated flaws, and the cut-scenes are hardly CGI quality. Again, though, step back a moment and view the enormity of this achievement. It’s all lovingly crafted, from the random shrubs on the outskirts of the city to the tallest skyscraper.
While it’s a challenge to appropriately analyze the visual presentation of such a colossal game (and compare it to other titles), it’s easy to evaluate the audio. It’s awesome. The voice acting on all fronts is superb, which is a definite step up for the franchise, the soundtrack is bigger and better than ever before, and the ambient city effects are unbelievable. It’ll take a while before you hear the same street conversation twice, the diverse soundtrack is a blend of modern music and throwback tunes, and even minor NPCs are voiced pretty well. Okay, so there are a few balancing issues between voices and the rest of the audio, but that’s about it.
It’s difficult to know where to begin. Do I start with the changes and additions to this particular GTA installment, such as the switching between three protagonists? Do I begin by assessing how the gameplay and specifically, the control, has evolved? Am I supposed to tackle the branching storylines, which admittedly have a few flaws? Do readers expect me to give them an idea of mission types, and if many of them seem similar or repetitive? What about the question as to whether or not we should wait to do a review, because the online multiplayer won’t be available until October 1? And hey, do all those hundreds of extras, like activities and outfits, actually have an impact? Or do they feel superfluous?
Yes, I suppose I could attempt to answer each one of those questions in logical, successive progression. However, I’d rather embrace the far-reaching scope of the game and tell you what it feels like to play GTAV, because there’s so damn much to do that it all coalesces into this absurdly immersive atmosphere. The immersion begins right out of the gate, as you’re involved in a bank heist, which soon spills out into the snowy streets. Here you will learn the basics, such as movement, aiming, taking cover, and switching between available party members. It’s all smooth, accessible and well-implemented. Then, before long, you and a buddy jack two sports cars, and you’re racing along the crowded streets of Los Santos.
It’s just the beginning but within a few hours, you start to realize the breadth of the experience. It isn’t just that you can change the clothes of each main character; it’s that they have everything from entire outfits to individual hats, shoes, pants and shirts. It’s not that you can bring any car to a shop and get a new paint job; it’s that you can upgrade and customize with mechanical (engine, brakes, muffler, etc.) and cosmetic boosts. It’s not just that you can switch between the characters at almost any time; it’s that each character has his own statistics, his own special abilities, and his own missions. It’s not just that you can participate in all sorts of activities, ranging from golf to the strip club; it’s that each activity feels fleshed-out and highly entertaining rather than tacked on.
Getting the idea? In terms of missions, you’ll be doing a little bit of everything. This is by far the most diverse array of mission objectives and types GTA has ever seen, and that goes double if you tackle the optional missions. Even early on, you’ll be ripping down a cliff-side deck with a tow truck (you thought the owner slept with your wife), and then you’ll be trying a questionable joint and mowing down aliens in your drug-induced haze. Tons of different vehicles await, as do plenty of colorful characters, and that’s not even counting the story-based missions that include all three protagonists toward the end. Factor in the extra stuff and you could spend a very long time with this one.
If you’re wondering why the game doesn’t get a perfect 10, I’ll tell you. While the control has been refined and updated, I still find on-foot maneuvering to be slightly slow and awkward. Michael responds to my commands with more vigor on the tennis court then he does in a gunfight, and that seems weird. Still, it’s a lot better than it has been before, as the gunplay is similar to Red Dead Redemption and the cover mechanic works very well. I also think the tutorials can be difficult to follow; you have to try reading the small print in the upper left corner of the screen, all the while trying to play. That could’ve been done better. Lastly, there are a few lingering bugaboos unique to GTA.
Those bugaboos include vehicles getting stuck in bizarre situations, as well as imperfect AI that is more noticeable in certain missions. For some, these small drawbacks are just part of the GTA experience and the final score shouldn’t be docked for their existence. The argument will be, “oh, that’s just GTA; we expect it.” All right, I’ll go with that, because it doesn’t hinder your enjoyment, but the bottom line is that flaws are flaws, as insignificant – or as expected – as they may be. Aside from this, the game is an eye-opening achievement on almost every level, and one that continues to expand and grow with almost every passing hour. The pacing is just fantastic throughout; it never feels stagnant or rushed.
The driving is the best it has been in franchise history, as every vehicle finally feels just about right. And remember, the more you drive, the better you get at it. The more you fire a certain weapon, the better marksman you become; the more you remain active and participate in sports like tennis, the more fit you become; the more you tackle alternate missions and invest in real estate, the more money you earn. On top of all this is the extraordinary dynamic nature of your environment. It’s not just about driving to available missions on the map. Maybe a thief snags a wallet, maybe an armored truck is starting its rounds (talk about an attractive target!), or maybe there’s a car chase. The cops don’t just chase you .
Exploring is made easy with the map, waypoints, GPS and a heads-up display that isn’t intrusive. You can turn all that off for a more immersive experience, if you wish, but I kinda like the assistance. For instance, when you’re being hunted by the police, each car has its own search cone after they lose sight of you. So, escaping doesn’t rely on madcap driving to get out of a single search zone; once you’ve lost them, you need to find a place to hide. Back allies and behind buildings are good ideas. This is a nod to the more realistic nature of the game, a direction Rockstar took with GTAIV and continued in GTAV. Well, at least to some extent. It’d be a big mistake to call GTAV a “simulator.” No, not even close.
The story isn’t amazing but it goes deeper than past narratives in the franchise, and involves more ins and outs. The characters are better defined and they do a good job handling the more complex, branching storylines. It can feel a touch muddled at times, but I think that’s partly due to the inevitable drawback of open-world games: Players spend a lot of time doing other things, and when they finally get back to the plot-advancing missions, they’ve forgotten a few points. And with so much to do in Los Santos, you’re almost guaranteed to occasionally lose track of the core story. I can’t say this is a design flaw, though, because there’s no really no way around it.
The game is absolutely bursting with content. And the most amazing part is that the vast majority of that content is great; it doesn’t seem pointless at all. This is helped by the RPG-like aspect of the game, in that much of what you do affects a character’s statistics or ability. I’m not just going to the shooting range for something else to do; I’m going to beef up my character’s shooting skill. Lastly, as you explore, driving, flying, sailing, diving, or just walking, you never seem to tire of the expansive, engaging environment. It’s not only because of the content, it’s also because Rockstar outdid themselves in the creation of this enchanting virtual world.
Grand Theft Auto V is a gargantuan accomplishment, with an emphasis on the word “gargantuan.” It may still have an assortment of inconsistencies, idiosyncrasies and eccentricities, but one could argue that such missteps still give this franchise a singular character. I say they still sort of detract from the experience, simply given the rapid improvements in the industry. But all in all, this is an amazing game, with an amazingly talented and driven group of developers behind it, and it all results in an amazing experience. There’s really nothing else like it and those who immerse themselves in GTAV will undoubtedly emerge with adrenaline-induced grins. Gotta love it.
The Good: Epic, sweeping, engaging world. Great soundtrack, excellent voice performances and dynamic effects. Unparalleled breadth and scope. Appreciated upgrades and refinements. Driving is the best we’ve seen yet for the series. Compelling characters. Obscene amount of content.
The Bad: Lingering control problems, and a few standard issues familiar to GTA fans.
The Ugly: “Los Santos has its fair share of ugliness but somehow, you just can’t look away.”
Loving this game MORE than i thought, to me thats insane. I have no words for the JOY im having.
Great Review !
Last edited by H0TSHELLZ on 9/19/2013 10:26:50 PM
Sounds like an intimidating monster to pick up and play. It's a shame they still have those control problems, how is the melee combat?
I'm finding melee combat incredibly fun. Lots of different moves. Though it's just 3 simple buttons. A dodge, a punch, and a kick. Though depending on where you're facing, whether you dodged an attack, or your momentum, your selected character will pull off varying moves. Really simple (especially compared to GTAIV) and fun to watch.
Oh, maybe a little like the Batman games I guess.
Like I said, the control has been refined and updated. It's only slightly slow compared to other third-person games. To say it "still has the same problems" would be very inaccurate.
What Ben said — it's not as tight as, say, Uncharted, but it is miles and miles better than GTA IV was. Very playable, very fun combat. The driving is just flat out awesome at this point, too.
Much improved, gotcha, it's weird how they have such a hard time making it just right though.
I'd always assumed it's just hard to get that ultra-crisp, nearly flawless control you get in a highly polished, linear third person game to translate to an open world game. So many possible pieces of cover to account for, so much "emergent gameplay" to play test, etc. This game gets SO much closer to that level, though.
Free editorial idea: The Last of Us and GTA V will both surely be in contention for Game of the Year, but which will age better? We always applaud and enjoy the ambition of an open world game like GTA but what makes it so special is what can drag it down over time — the gameplay imperfections become harder to ignore during replays, the exploration grows stale once you know where everything is, etc. But Last of Us is such a perfectly calibrated journey, that whatever imperfections it may have are so minor, and the whole experience is so well curated, you have to think that's going to still be amazing to replay years down the line.
Anyway, I'm rambling, and this week is all about GTA V. An interesting question in my opinion, though!
Melee is great
just can't get into these crime games. reality feels to close for me on this one. the D.C. shooting this week reminded me of how I feel about it.
I suppose it wouldn't bother me if GTA was like a cult game. But no, it's only the most popular single player game series ever made.. or thereabouts.
Last edited by Temjin001 on 9/19/2013 11:25:09 PM
Completely understandable. I'm not one to be affected much by violence in games, but when I first ran over a pedestrian in GTA5, it actually felt a little too realistic.
I have yet to go on a killing rampage because I usually leave that for when I pass the game, but there was a point where I wanted to try out my weapon and pulled it out in the middle of the street and shot some people down, and my goodness was it realistic as hell. Especially with the GTA5 graphics, they are close to being photo realistic.
I would find this whole thing amazing as hell if it were in a medieval nation-state-city from that time period.
I've never been the rampage-y type with GTA games. However, I love a good crime story 🙂 So far, um… there was a scene that made me feel extremely uncomfortable. The interactive torture. For those that played and know what I'm referring to.
Nah, if it were a medieval time frame, the whole town/city would rally together with pitchfork and torches in hand and stop you themselves.
And there'd be no bitches just witches!
Last edited by Underdog15 on 9/20/2013 8:00:29 AM
Does anyone else feel like GTA5 feels next-gen? I didn't think games on the PS3 could get any prettier than TLOU, but I'm starting to think GTA5 looks even better.
I've been comparing the look of the world in GTA5 to Watch Dogs and Second Son, and I have to say, I don't see such a big difference. I think GTA5 is gonna make a game like Watch Dogs feel current and not so much next-gen.
It also makes me wonder where that theory about the Xbox not being able to pull off graphics like the ones seen in TLOU stands, when it can pull off GTA5.
Sorry but I refuse to believe that a huge open world game like GTAV can have the same visual quality as a contained, linear PS3 exclusive like TLoU. No offense good sir, I simply don't believe you.
Having played both games I can tell you with certainty that TLoU has much much better graphics and detail. GTAV has outstanding graphics for an open world game, but can't hold a candle to games like TLoU.
Also GTAV doesn't even come close to the next gen.
See, I think this is where things can get a bit muddled. I mean, are we talking polygons or textures? Or art design and scope? We all think differently and I'm pretty sure both games are incomparable.
No, GTAV does not look better than TLoU. It's not even close. But it's almost as impressive, just because of the amount of detail they were able to infuse into such a gigantic area.
My friend says it felt like playing a next-gen title simply cause he's not seen anything like this before.
His opinion was that this is the best he's seen on the PS3 the entire generation, but he's obviously taking everything into account when saying so.
It's not even close to TLoU graphically? lol. Ok.
HAHAHAA Kid shows up in a GTA thread to bash TLOU! It's like he has a TLOU radar!!!
Sir, how is that bashing TLoU? It does have superior graphics to GTA 5, but GTA 5 IS close. To say otherwise is hyperbole
Christ Kid, try being a little less predictable.
Not even close… umm okay. That's crazy.
I'm a massive fan of TLOU but come on… not even close?
I'm with you on this one Kid. I just started playing the game, and left off right after the jet ski scene with the porn stars and the whole time my jaw is on the floor almost in disbelief that the PS3 is pulling off those water effects.
Last edited by Fabi on 9/20/2013 12:47:35 PM
No, it's not close. It's not close in terms of detail or clarity, and the gap between the cut-scene quality is gigantic.
I'm not going to say anything in regards to GTA5, not only because they are different in game design and therefore how it handles graphics, but also because I haven't played it.
But it doesn't half become apparent that you're against anything TLOU. Even the one thing it objectively excels at, graphical quality and art. Did TLOU destory your life or something?
Again, who is bashing or against it? It's a tremendous game, but is it miles ahead of everything else that has ever been done in gaming? I don't think so. I agree with Fabi about being in amazement at times with GTA5. It looks great.I am also in amazement every time a clicker gets to me and blood spills out of my neck in TLoU. That's just amazing detail. I would definitely give TLoU the graphic edge. I just think that GTA is amazing too and not so far behind TLoU. Now, if you still think that is any way, shape, or form a bash against your precious game, well, thats just tough crap, man.
I can understand someone thinking TLOU is better looking, but I really think it's close enough to discuss. And I'm not the only one to think so, I have read more than a few reviews that share the same opinion.
I think it's ridiculous to say it's not even close.
And I don't think it's fair to compare cut scenes because Naughty Dog used tricks in those. They weren't using the engine in real-time, it was CG mixed with the engine.
What I'm trying to say is that while TLOU might look better if you compared screenshots or something, GTA5 looks equally as impressive because of the scope. The water looks amazing, so does the sunset, the animals, the cars, the sky, the mountains. It's just crazy to say it's not even close.
One thing I compared was the inside of Michael's house to the opening scene in TLOU. And in my opinion, GTA5 wins that one.
Last edited by Fabi on 9/20/2013 6:36:12 PM
Oh come ON dude, it's so obvious. No matter how slight, you always try to say something that can be perceived as a negative when it comes to TLOU. I mean I don't know why, that's all.
I know I said I wouldn't comment on GTA5, but are we talking rendering here, or are we talking actual art? Also, if you are to say it's close, does this mean it could be either one – like it's that close? If you are, then…
(BTW, walking down the street in Bill's Town is probably the most visually stunning thing I've seen in a videogame. If you're talking beautiful sunsets, nothing comes close to that.)
Fabi: Those aren't "tricks." It's superior visual creation.
Ludicrous: Ignore Kid. It's the same person who tried to say that Xbox 360 exclusives like Viva Pinata were on par with the PS3 exclusives, and don't forget that he admitted to only owning an Xbox 360 for the majority of the generation. He hates on TLoU because it's a PS3 exclusive, obviously. GTAV is not.
My problem with the GTA games and review are the the same with COD. They never have lasting appeal past the present time you play them.
To me games that deserve a 9-10 are games like Uncharted 2, Wind Waker, Bioshock, MGS3 and so on that you can play 10-2 years later and are not obsolete once the sequel comes out.
Out of all the GTA games I owned I never finished any of them and never felt the need to play them again. So far GTA5 is not impressing me to the level of hype that it has received. I think masterpieces deliver great characters and stories with well designed controls and a stable engine -none of which any GTA game has done.
I got stuck in the chair at the strip club last night, the shooting is horrible with a small cross-hair, the driving is still poor and the character and plot have not grabbed me for this game to deserve a 9.5.
When I popped in MGS2, FF7 and U2 I was immediately wowed by those games and still play them this day. If GTA5 does not get better by the time Arkham Origins release I will trade it in.
Last edited by DarthNemesis on 9/20/2013 12:33:38 AM
You want story-driven, mostly linear games. So why did you bother?
The shooting isn't even remotely horrible. You're just not used to it. You're also assuming that your own personal preferences dictate a review score. And you may not have noticed, but there's a LOT more that goes into a review. Not just how you feel and what you want. That's borderline irrelevant.
I think he was more talking about the effect the game had on him, not what he wanted.
But the effect it had on him seems to clearly be due to it not being story-driven and linear. I agree with Ben – if that's what you are after, then why bother.
I knew what GTA was about as I have always played the series. I am saying that they game lacks story which makes it strange that it get's such a high review and called a masterpiece. How can the game be a masterpiece when the story is crap? If it was an online only game or a puzzle game then I could understand. Rockstar tried to deliver an interesting story but failed. Since the story is suppose to be a big part of the game it missed its target. I also pointed out other flaws. Reviewers are always overrating GTA.Cross hair is too small to see if you are aiming right and has nothing to do with me not being used to it. No one can say what exactly makes the game a masterpiece other than it being a popular game. Sleeping Dogs is the same genre with a much better story and combat, but of course it was rated lower for its flaws.
Last edited by DarthNemesis on 9/20/2013 5:43:15 AM
The story is not crap. That's just wrong, especially when compared to other titles in the series. And how would you know, anyway? How long did you play it for again? Not even long enough to figure out the shooting, which should be picked up by anyone very quickly.
You're passing judgment on a massive game after having played it for a very short span of time. I can't believe you think that's a good idea.
Regardless of if this is a game with a good story or wether hes right, shes right, you're right or Im right, I know exactly what he means. These games dont have stories that are captivating. We shouldnt expect that, because its not the games forte. What is, is the appeal of freedom. Thats why people buy this game. Somehow appeal translates to high review scores and while it probably should get high score, based on its achievements, (Ill say the same for CoD) it shouldnt get passes in areas where others dont.
Graphically, its impressive theyve done what they did with an open world, but even in your review Ben theres an unneasiness to give it a high score, yet it got one. The graphics are not bad but are we rating them on their achievement with an open world game or are we rating the graphics? For a game to have lackluster CGI at this point in the generation isn't really something to give a pass on either. That goes for all games too, because great CGI and in game cut-scenes go a long way.
But it doesnt matter my point is I see where hes coming from. I get it. I just dont think we should criticize the guy for stating how he feels. The game has been out for 4 days now, which is long enough to invest time to form an opinion.
No one is criticizing anyone for how they feel. The criticism is due to a judgment of the story that hasn't even been seen. It doesn't matter what you expect or what you think GTA will have as a narrative; what matters is what's THERE. And if you don't know it at all, how do you pass judgment?
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 9/20/2013 1:19:55 PM
If I remember correctly Ben you made a lot of bold statements about Ni No Kuni and didn't see the story all the way through before putting up the review. Also you attacked the aspect of not being able to run away from fights etc, even though later on enemies retreat from you.
I see no difference in what this guy is doing with his stance on GTA5.
If the writing and dialogue, and the story elements he has played were crap, well he can say they are crap. Much like you said the writing and dialogue in NNK were what was that word you used, amateurish?
So you are either hypocritical or you changed your mind on how one is allowed to judge a game.
Last edited by xenris on 9/20/2013 3:05:56 PM
Personally I think its only fair to review a game thats been completed. However I understand time constraints and this being a job for reviewers and they have to produce something. On top of which I do think its very plausible to come up with a fair evaluation before finishing a game which is why I come here for reviews, I know what im getting.
So my question is you are defending the story, but did you finish the game? In the past you've said you rarely finish a game before reviewing it. So im curious now, because if you havnt then why is his opinion wrong? If you have and you felt the story was strong it would be easier to suggest he keep playing at least.
But my last sentence in my previous post sums all that up, where I said that the game has been out for 4 days and that is a good amount of time to get familiar with the details.
Well sad for you. I love it so far. The narrative is just HILARIOUS. Damn. They made so many funny cutscenes I just like to fail missions in different ways to see what happens lol.
xenris, I know you love to attack me at every turn, so knock it the hell off.
This guy saw none of the GTAV story. An hour's worth maybe. I saw at least 15 hours of Ni no Kuni before I passed judgment on that, so there's hardly any comparison and there's no hypocrisy anywhere.
I also wasn't wrong about the enemy bit. You can't run away from foes…you can't. Just because they run away from you doesn't change that fact, yes?
You can run away from the enemies, on the world map. In the dungeons you aren't meant to be able to avoid them because then you would be under leveled for the boss fights. It is a simple design choice. They could have done random battles but they opted for the monsters on the map instead. And YES monsters run away in fear from you which makes backtracking a breeze that is a very important point. Its not like old games where you were level 99 and level 2 monsters attacked you and wasted your time.
No I don't like to attack you at every turn. In fact most of the time you attack me for my stance on things.
I was just pointing out that you judged a story before it was over and for the record it was a 50 hours game so 15 hours is NOTHING, and you missed out a lot of excellent story points, and twists.
You also don't know how long he played this game, the games been out for 5 days and people have already beaten it.
He was just saying the story didn't wow him so far.
I've never attacked you once. I've defended myself for you calling me out constantly, because you get some sort of childish rush from doing that.
And freaking get over Ni no Kuni. It's like I backed over your kitten or something. The story writing was MEDIOCRE. The dialogue was MEDIOCRE. The character development was MEDIOCRE. That wasn't going to change, regardless of any twists or turns there were.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 9/21/2013 12:16:18 AM
I should go through the archives and dig up some of the things you've attacked me for. Off the top of my head, my opinion on the Mass effect series, the grand theft auto 5 original screens, PCs not being that expensive etc.
" The story writing was MEDIOCRE. The dialogue was MEDIOCRE. The character development was MEDIOCRE. That wasn't going to change, regardless of any twists or turns there were."
So how are you allowed to feel this way about NNK but Darth can't feel this way about GTA5?
Its not so much you backed over my metaphorical cat, its just that reading your review and me beating the game fully and doing new game plus, well some of your "facts" were misleading to the readers and could have deterred people from playing the game.
You are implying that I'm childish in your last statement when did I call you a name? Isn't inferring that someone get off on a childish rush … well childish? The only thing I said to you was that this seems hypocritical, but that is hardly name calling.
Wrong again. You basically called me an idiot for not siding with "the people" concerning Mass Effect. And of course, when "the people" got what they wanted, they still whined and bitched, exactly as I said they would.
And I already told you. I don't need to complete a book to know the writing is mediocre, the character development is mediocre, and the dialogue is mediocre. I don't need to finish "50 Shades of Gray" before I can conclude it's trash. The writing doesn't magically get better; only the STORY changes. And that's irrelevant if the components are amateur hour, which is precisely what we found in Ni no Kuni. I know writing. You, apparently, don't.
You've challenged me on multiple reviews; the only assumption one can draw is that you believe you're better at it than me. Fine. Go do it and leave me the hell alone.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 9/21/2013 11:43:33 AM
I can dig up your archives and embarrass you if you want because I know exactly what I said and I never called anyone an idiot until they resort to calling me such names. You have a short fuse and I can even quote you in recent articles exploding on users comments.
You say you understand writing but apparently didn't understand that mass effects ending was absolute garbage, the devs and PR team straight up lied in previews. It was the blatant lying marketing that I hated. Also how it went from an RPG to a shooter. Something which you will never know because you refused to play ME1 even when it released on the PSN recently.
A lot of professional reviewers loved the story and writing in NNK, so I guess they were all wrong too?
I really don't know if you know writing when you apparently think that ME3 had good writing, and a fine ending.
I've only challenged you on a handful or reviews, and I'm not even challenging your GTA5 review. ME3, NNK, and Alpha protocol, are the ONLY reviews I have challenged.
I'll dig up the comments for you, xenris. I never called you any names. I simply disagreed with you, and then you entered your lecturing mode, which you're apparently not able to dismiss from your attitude. Nobody ever "exploded" on anyone; I'm allowed to debate what you said, and you were never once personally insulted. Rather, you insult my integrity and knowledge at basically every turn, primarily because you feel entitled. As all of your ilk always do. Entitlement is your life motto.
I never made any statement about the ending in ME3. I never said anything about whether or not EA or BioWare lied. I commented on the ATTITUDE of the fans who reacted. They didn't react like adults; they reacted like you did, like you have done to anything concerning Ni no Kuni- like put-upon, whining children who didn't get what they want, and they're going to throw a temper tantrum until they do.
Multiple respected developers and designers came forward and said BioWare absolutely should not appease these whining kids and deliver any new content. They all said it because of one reason: Not because the dev or publisher didn't lie, but because they know the type of people involved. You can't ever please them. And you can't, as the new DLC proved. Getting on your soapbox and ranting about how I was "pro corporation" or some such crap…it backfired horribly, and you're pissed about it because you KNOW we're all right.
You all acted like children and you don't coddle that behavior. You ignore that behavior.
As for Ni no Kuni, it has mediocre writing. If it was praised for having good writing by anyone, yes, they're wrong. Blinded by the "oh, it's Studio Ghibli and it's a true JRPG and blah blah blah," so everyone caved and gave the game a pass on just about everything, including the lame-o dialogue and character development, which were just plain bad. Ni no Kuni is not an example of progressive game writing. Beyond might be; Ni no Kuni really, really wasn't.
But of course, me saying that means I "exploded" on you, and now you have hurt feelings, so I should apologize, recant my review, and write a new one to appease those who pretend to know it all, and get mad when they don't get what they want. From developers, publishers, critics, journalists, anyone who keeps the "little man" down, right?
Yeah, don't hold your breath.
You just called me a child not three responses up, and several times in this response…how is that not name calling?
Wait, you are actually saying that I was one of the people who threatened the lives of the Bioware employees? I acted like a consumer, who didn't get the product that was advertised, which is a right as a consumer.
Tell me again why you are grouping me up with the people who threatened bioware, and signed petitions. I did none of that so I don't know why you are making things up at this point.
If people had have known about the ending it wouldn't have sold nearly as well.
My stance was, the ending we got was a pure LIE. They sold the product on that LIE and as a consumer you should either get a refund, or they should make it right. The DLC ending was decent but still followed the nonsense A B C ending which they SPECIFICALLY said would not be in the game in interviews with the doctors.
People who were content with the ending didn't play ME1 all the way to ME3, those who did were really upset hence why they said something about it.
It was passionate fans for a once great series that turned to crap once EA bought out Bioware. In fact all of Biowares games have performed more poorly since they were bought out.
As for NNK, alright I get your stance on this, everyone who liked the story and thought the dialogue was charming and whimsical is wrong.
What the heck are you on about in your last paragraph, I'm not bothering to decipher that as you have made a lot of bold assumptions about who I am what I stand for and even the things I have said.
If you defend them, you're one of them. Period.
And it was hardly universal. I know PLENTY of people who played all the Mass Effects and not ONE had an issue with the ME3 ending. They followed the news and reports same as everyone else, and they do not agree that BioWare "lied." They say some of it may have been misleading, but that's hardly any different than any other promo for any form of entertainment.
Most movies that have very little action are advertised as having tons of action; they often only show the action parts of a film during the ads. It's entirely misleading in every way. Should people be demanding their money back there, too? Ads on TV are purposely misleading. You can call them "lies" if you wish. Doesn't really change anything.
All you're really saying is that you're right and everyone else is wrong (and you accuse me of doing that, which is really funny). I suppose all those fans that had no problem at all with ME3, that look at the whiners with rolling eyes and nothing but contempt, are just too stupid to follow a storyline, or too indifferent to "rise up," right?
Yeah, you supported the petitions. You supported the entitled brats. You demanded BioWare fix it (for free, I might add). It's all a giant load of crap and again, I repeat, it didn't matter. The entitled masses still weren't satisfied and the boycotts and death threats still kept showing up. And why? You know why. No-life losers, every one of them. I'm not saying YOU are; I'm saying you clearly supported their ire.
I have no desire to coddle. I have even less desire to coddle those who ASK to be coddled.