Yeah this game looked incredibly underwhelming, unpolished and the opposite of coherent from the get-go. And it's a shame cause 3D platformers are rare enough, and good 3D platformers you can count on two hands at best.
Oof I didn't even know this thing existed, but this is gonna be so cringeworthy 😆
Why do execs keep greenlighting these video game movies when it's clear even before they start shooting that it's gonna end in disaster? For Borderlands even, of all franchises! 😂
Welcome to the dream market of neoliberalism, where one service can be priced at X one day, at 2X the day after, and then again X!
I'm glad they didn't follow through with this, if only for the fact that doubling the price like that makes you really think about the world we live in and the absurd rules it abides by. If a corporation can double the price of a service from one day to the other, sorry but the whole supply and demand thing has gone to hell and we should rethink our system.
P.S.: I can already see loads of people misinterpreting what Imm saying so no, I don't have anything against MS, and the price hike alone does not equal Armageddon; I'm just saying, if MS can do that (and they can), it's safe to assume that a lot of services and immaterial goods we buy are priced arbitrarily as well. Obviously I'm not basing this thought on this alone, I already held this view based on a lot of other factors.
I've never been a Resi fan (or a horror fan in general, for that matter), but this game looks intriguing to me thanks to its setting.
I recently played Gone Home and I really liked the feeling of exploring a real building, which is something I've always loved but I've found in very few games.
Does anyone in here know games set primarily in one building to explore? I can think of Resi 1, Gone Home, Luigi's Mansion and nothing else at the moment.
Edit: oh and Resi 7 of course. I've yet to try it out.
Like any other "gimmick" game, it certainly looks interesting but we'll have to wait to see if the gameplay is actually good, and if the style adds or detracts from the experience. Let's hope the execution is top notch!
@Flaming_Kaiser that would actually a cool setup for a series! The only "issue" I'd see with it is that it probably would be even more interesting to explore it in video game form, since the series is VG-based.
That's basically where my ambivalence towards these VG-based movies and series comes from, I'm not sure they would add something that a video game sequel/prequel couldn't do.
@ISD1982 to be perfectly honest I've never played GOW 2018 to completion, I've mostly watched the story when my flatmate played it and got a hang of the gameplay playing it myself from time to time; so yeah, for a full assessment I'd need to replay it to completion, but I was surprised at how lackluster I found it to be. The combat in particular has got to be among the worst and most unreliable systems I've ever tried in a game of this ilk. I don't know who had the idea of Kratos and the enemies snapping towards one another when attacking, it's just fundamentally broken as it destroys all pretense of strategic positioning.
There's a fantastic 40-minute video by Matthewmatosis where he explains all of this and then some, making me realize and articulating into words feelings I got when playing but couldn't actually pinpoint. Hope I was helpful!
@Shinnok789 hey, that's gotta be the most useful contribution I've seen in a forum in a long time! I've never played BB myself but I read through it and will keep in mind for when I finally do! Mad props to you mate!
The ZeniMax acquisition isn't even gonna be finalised for another 6/10 months and I'm already tired of this discourse.
It's always the same: if PS gets exclusives, it's a big celebration in the community, while if MS gets them, there's gonna be all kinds of mental hoops to convince oneself they have to put those games on PS5.
At least the editors of this site are not the flame-fanning fanboys you usually find on fansites, and instead actively try to impart some logic 🙌🏻👏🏻
Heh, video games still haven't figured out how to tell a story unique to their medium for the most part, so what makes anyone think that adaptations will work? The ones we've had so far are more misses than swings by a country mile.
Also, story-driven, movie-like games such as TLOU and UC are just the most boring idea one could have, since they're going to either replicate the games without interactivity, or tell a side story or a prequel that could've easily worked as a game.
I don't like storylines being splintered across multiple media and I don't think a movie-only prequel or spin-off can be inherently better than a game doing the same thing, so I just don't get the point.
If you're gonna reply "money", yeah, I know that.
Call me naïve, but when a media project is unveiled I think about it as an artistic endeavor, not as its viability as a commercial product.
If I did so, I wouldn't be a consumer, I'd be a stakeholder, and there wouldn't be any need for anything to exist, as long as it rakes in cash.
Edit: a Sly Cooper cartoon would be sick, and I'm not even nostalgic for the character (I didn't have a PS2 growing up)!
That's a feature I love in games, and the level design is the thing I like the most about DS, so yeah I'm glad this is happening! This reminds me I still have to play Hitman 2!
@Gaming365247 at this point you apologists are way more annoying and vocal than critics of the game, but since you're paying lip service to something you cannot be the bad ones, right?
It's the second article in like a week where I see people moaning about those who criticize TLOU P2 with that horribly self-righteous tone, and noone actually criticizing it.
Sammy explicitly asked if we readers agree, and that guy simply stated that he personally doesn't like the game.
It seems you are the one who needs to get over this game, if merely mentioning a personal preference triggers you so hard that you have to point your finger at anyone who disagrees with you.
Congrats to ND. I personally disagree that it's the best game this year, but it's undoubtedly a peculiar experience that tries a few new things, and clearly it resonated with a lot of people.
Funny though that everyone is talking about those pesky moaners but there's none to be found 😉
@get2sammyb so let me get this straight: my comment where I call the obvious troll literally "trash", not even a cuss word, for calling another user "poor" and shaming him gets deleted, but the obvious troll is still here spouting nonsense and bothering everyone?! The ****?!
I applaud you for being so collected. Every time I see this crap I get mad, then I see people defending it and start to fume. How people can be so stupid is beyond me. Thanks for explaining it in a clearer, more collected way.
@jmac1686 see, it's people like you who don't consider the consequences who make it worse for everyone else.
Just because you have 10$ to burn, doesn't mean you have to encourage companies to make games with broken economies in order to make people buy experience or grind endlessly.
"But it's optional!" NO, FOR PETE'S SAKE, IT'S NOT! Do you not realize that you have to throw all the game's economies put of whack to make this work? Basically you're encouraging companies to make it a grind for everyone else just because you have an extra 10$ and don't recognize good design from a scam.
Go on, encourage companies to suck your balance dry. I'm pretty sure that if we as a community were told 10 years ago that single player progression would be dictated by microtransactions we wouldn't have believed it. And yet here we are.
Quélle surprise. It's not like the huge grind of the game was indicative of this, no of course.
At this point, if you still buy these games at launch and get suckered by these practices, you're just part of the problem, you're just helping spread this toxin even further.
@Jayofmaya I see, awesome! To be honest at the moment I haven't had too much time to write melodies for it, so what I sent you is basically only the first 45 to 60 seconds lol
As soon as I have other ideas for the other sections I'll let you know! Also, if you have preferences on where to sing clean/unclean, or if you have vocal melodies in your head don't hesitate to tell me 😃
By the way, I was super hyped for this game but I feared it wouldn't be ready at launch.
I watched SkillUp's 52-minutes review and that pretty much answered all the questions I had, so yeah I'll be waiting for it to be patches and playable.
This game is something special, I don't wanna experience a half-assed version of it, so I'll jump in when the bugs are squished, the loot game and crafting are reworked, and the economy isn't completely broken.
@dark_knightmare2 dude I get defending the game if you like it, but saying it isn't divisive is pure BS and makes you look like an idiot. For Christ's sake, even ND themselves acknowledged that before release!
There's a difference between being ignorant and being willfully misleading, and I'm still on the fence on whether it's stupidity or malevolence, but I'd vouch for the former seeing how quickly you jump to dangerous conclusions about the political affiliations of people who may or may not like the game.
@Andy653 oh don't get me wrong, I know that and I absolutely agree! I was not talking about their financial side, I was talking about the players' perspective! I absolutely don't blame them for shifting to this kind of business as it makes sense financially, but I can't help but feel that they could do more with the resources they have. Hope it's clearer now 😃
@BowTiesAreCool well if you really ignored for such a little "debate", you must be pretty frail 😯 I had no ill will at all towards, I don't know why you had to blow it out of proportion.
By the way, if you really think I was talking about you in particular enjoying 2 games per decade without understanding I was talking in general, still think so after my explanation and even go on to use ignore for so little, well, I'm glad you did cause I don't want anything to do with such a thin-skinned crybaby who's only good at mocking others instead of getting their points 🤷🏼♂️ Some people really are incredible lol
@Nepp67 agreed! In general I personally prefer smaller, more dense handcrafted worlds than huge stretches of window dressing interspersed with copied and pasted outposts, like most Ubi games are for example.
@BowTiesAreCool dude maybe don't take everything so personally?
Point is: I'd rather see more than 2 games every 10 years from such a high-profile and once prolific dev/publisher. I mean, it's not exactly unreasonable to expect such a huge company to put out more than 2 games in a decade, especially looking at their track record.
In any case, why you had to make this about you in particular is beyond me, as if I made knew your gaming habits 😅
@BowTiesAreCool no need to mock. If you're ok with having only 2 games every 10 years, with basically only one receiving post-launch support, I'm genuinely glad for you. I for one, though, would very much like to be able to play more different games, instead of the same game for 7 years. Everything gets stale after a while.
Also, don't know why feel the need to defend a mega corporation resting on its laurels, when at its peak it was able to put out a game a year while keeping the quality bar pretty high.
@GodOfNothing indeed. It's embarrassing to think they're still updating this 2013 game 7 years later to be honest, especially considering they have only put out one game since and have barely supported that at all post-launch.
@ShogunRok hey Robert, sorry to bother you but I saw that the Other button is broken. What I mean by that is that I enter PC in the space given and when I submit it says my answer isn't valid. I also tried computer but it seems it just won't work.
@Arnna I totally agree on that! 😃 That's why I'm not really fond of ND games and other similar titles, I prefer the story to be more organic even if that means being handled weirdly: see BOTW for example, they couldn't have implemented story and gameplay better, but of course those who sought a more traditional story were left disappointed. Not that I blame them, mind you! I personally liked the approach, but I get why another wouldn't. What is indisputable, though, is that it works perfectly for the game it wants to be.
To be honest I think (or at least hope) that this problem will fade away with time, as video games are still in their infancy now, compared to any other medium. It's natural for any medium to take time before everyone gets its full potential, let's hope it happens someday 😃
I think the reason is pretty clear: usually AAA games are not hyped around their stories and storytelling, while this game clearly was, being made by ND and being the sequel to what is unanimously accepted as one of the most well-realized narratives in gaming history. It's really as simple as that 😃
On the topic pf David Cage games, I've never played any because nothing about that style of game appeals to me personally, and yes, the few examples I've seen does not exactly inspire confidence in the writing 😅 In any case, I obviously can't comment about those.
And lastly, I strongly disagree with your conclusion that the medium is to blame. The medium never is to blame. It's about how you use and for what, and that's the reason why adapting any one medium into another is a very tall order to pull off well.
If you wanna experience a story that really can only be told in video game form, play Nier: Automata. That's one of the very few games I know that couldn't be transposed to any other medium, and it's all better for it! Actually, it's definitely one of the best games ever created, simply on the basis that every single one of the multitudes of moving parts is interwoven in an incredibly masterful way that I've rarely seen elsewhere, in any medium. But hey, if it looks like it's not for you at a quick glance I totally get it, it's very good at masking how deep it actually is ahahahah
@Sam-Bridges you're more than welcome mate, thank you for the constructive discussion 😃
On the topic of the analyses, yeah, I do get the frustration with many thinkpieces on the subject because it being so divisive made it very easy for people to villainize things, as you rightly pointed out. Thus, recognizing the level-headed critiques among the shouting contest that was going on at the time was certainly difficult. Luckily for me, though, I've found several creators I trust to make well-balanced and nuanced content, and thus I already know where to look when I want a second opinion.
That said, have a good one! Hope to see you around soon 😃
-last but not the least, the dreaded words: LUDONARRATIVE DISSONANCE lol I said it so dramatically cause I know how hard is to be taken seriously nowadays with that subject ahahahha
No but seriously: the first game was about protecting Ellie due to the almost paternal bond that forms between Joel (the player) and Ellie, and it followed through as a linear 3rd person shooter where you have to survive in terrible comditions and taking hard choices to protect your life and that of those you love. Perfect fit.
Part 2, on the other hand, wants do bad to be a w***ing session on the gravitas of killing innocent, named NPC's and how wrong vengeance is. Was Part 1's ending not enough moral ambiguity for all this? I mean, who killed those doctors and didn't feel remorse for that? Of course Ellie is a huge motivation, but that's exactly why doing horrible stuff to protect her is so powerful in that game. Part 2 is a hollow husk, it's got nothing to say. It's the edgiest thing I've ever seen, which is why I'm so disappointed it is considered even close to the first game, when it basically squandered all the potential and power that that game had.
I'm gonna conclude here cause I've been typing for 20 minutes straight ahahahah
If you're interested in this discussion, though, I would asvise you to look for analyses on YT; I've found a lot good videos in there, both agreeing and disagreeing with my points. I've listened to both sides of the argument and came away with this opinion, but of course it might be different for you. That why I'd advise you to look those videos up, because you shouldn't trust only one source, and those people are way more knowledgeable than me on the matter 😉 Have a good one, my friend, hope I satisfied your curiosity 😃
@Sam-Bridges yes, of course! I'd love to discuss the subject, since you were very kind and respectful 😃
I of course don't wanna put myself on a pedestal as some kind of authority, I just wanted to give my 2 cents as someone who's passionate about writing and, as such, has a basic knowledge that the vast majority of people don't, but that of course doesn't make me a professor lol I've only been studying for 5 years or so, so I definitely have a loooot left to learn and practice.
That said, I never wanted to mean this as "I'm a better writer than Druckmann" or whatever, absolutely. It's just that my formation lets me see flaws where an uneducated person probably wouldn't, just like I will miss the photography, lighting and blocking of a movie, while a crew member sees right through that. So, disclaimers aside (and I guess you understand why I'm so cautious with this subject lol), I'll sum up my major problems with it, although I might forget some:
-the structure. Boy is it awful. It has a lot of problems if you ask me, but the biggest is certainly how the pacing of the whole story collapses under the weight of this two-part structure. Maybe you'll disagree, but I think that the pacing is all over the place during this game. Try to graph the rising and falling action, it's literally all over the place. Aside from the fact that the plot is just point A to point B with little to no motivation or progression, the most glaring example of how the structure cripples the pacing is the midpoint (when Ellie and Abby meet). Problem is, that should've been the dénouement, not the midpoint. So basically at that point in the story you've worked your way through it all, you're staring the final boss in the eye, and the game goes "oops, let's go back to the start and do this whole thing again, but this time with Abby! Yeeeeee!".
-on the topic of Abby: it's clear that she was meant to create conflict inside the players, but the execution in my opinion is just terrible. You can't have one half where she's the devil incarnate and then a second half where we're menat to empathize for her "because dog". Seriously, that dog thing is one of the worst and most manipulative sequences I've ever seen in a game. It's really low in writing terms, and that is one thing I've never seen anyone defend cause it's just poor writing.
-the characters I find all incredibly unlikely or just uninteresting. I never got attached to anyone in Part 2, and I guess that was hard to fudge seeing as it was the biggest strength of the first game. Their motivations also are not really strong to be honest, but I don't wanna delve into each of them cause it's already a long-a** post (lol), and months have passed, so my memory's not gonna keep everything at the ready.
Comments 1,244
Re: Hands On: Balan Wonderworld Is an Unusual PS5, PS4 Platformer That Doesn't Style It Out
Yeah this game looked incredibly underwhelming, unpolished and the opposite of coherent from the get-go.
And it's a shame cause 3D platformers are rare enough, and good 3D platformers you can count on two hands at best.
Re: Kevin Hart Joins the Cast of Upcoming Borderlands Movie
Oof I didn't even know this thing existed, but this is gonna be so cringeworthy 😆
Why do execs keep greenlighting these video game movies when it's clear even before they start shooting that it's gonna end in disaster?
For Borderlands even, of all franchises! 😂
Re: It Finally Happened: BioMutant Just Got a PS4 Release Date
@Shepherd_Tallon hey, are you a Dance Gavin Dance fan or is that an actual interjection in English? 😄
(I'm not native, that's a genuine question lol)
Re: Hands On: Resident Evil Village's Maiden Demo Is Short But Sweet
@Arnna thanks for the recommendation, I'll make sure to check it out! Have a good one 😃
Re: PS Plus Once Again Priced the Same as Xbox Live After Microsoft Backtrack
Welcome to the dream market of neoliberalism, where one service can be priced at X one day, at 2X the day after, and then again X!
I'm glad they didn't follow through with this, if only for the fact that doubling the price like that makes you really think about the world we live in and the absurd rules it abides by.
If a corporation can double the price of a service from one day to the other, sorry but the whole supply and demand thing has gone to hell and we should rethink our system.
P.S.: I can already see loads of people misinterpreting what Imm saying so no, I don't have anything against MS, and the price hike alone does not equal Armageddon; I'm just saying, if MS can do that (and they can), it's safe to assume that a lot of services and immaterial goods we buy are priced arbitrarily as well. Obviously I'm not basing this thought on this alone, I already held this view based on a lot of other factors.
Re: Hands On: Resident Evil Village's Maiden Demo Is Short But Sweet
@Jimmer-jammer @LordSteev thanks to the both of you, I'll make sure to check them out!
Have a good one 😃
Re: Hands On: Resident Evil Village's Maiden Demo Is Short But Sweet
I've never been a Resi fan (or a horror fan in general, for that matter), but this game looks intriguing to me thanks to its setting.
I recently played Gone Home and I really liked the feeling of exploring a real building, which is something I've always loved but I've found in very few games.
Does anyone in here know games set primarily in one building to explore? I can think of Resi 1, Gone Home, Luigi's Mansion and nothing else at the moment.
Edit: oh and Resi 7 of course. I've yet to try it out.
Re: Immortals Fenyx Rising Crosses Paths with Netflix Show Blood of Zeus
Never heard of the show but I've heard good things about Immortals, I hope the rumored demo is on its way so I can try it out!
Re: Hitman 3 (PS5) - The Ultimate Stealth Sandbox
Great review, and excellent subheader 😄
I really loved the first but never got around to playing 2; at this point I might buy 2&3 together and play all the trilogy content in 3.
Re: Squadron 51 Is a PS4 Shoot 'Em Up Inside a 1950s Sci-Fi Movie
Like any other "gimmick" game, it certainly looks interesting but we'll have to wait to see if the gameplay is actually good, and if the style adds or detracts from the experience.
Let's hope the execution is top notch!
Re: Uncharted Movie, The Last of Us TV Show 'Just the Beginning' of Sony's Expansion into New Media
@Flaming_Kaiser that would actually a cool setup for a series!
The only "issue" I'd see with it is that it probably would be even more interesting to explore it in video game form, since the series is VG-based.
That's basically where my ambivalence towards these VG-based movies and series comes from, I'm not sure they would add something that a video game sequel/prequel couldn't do.
Re: Poll: What Was the Best PS4 First-Party Exclusive of the Generation?
@ISD1982 to be perfectly honest I've never played GOW 2018 to completion, I've mostly watched the story when my flatmate played it and got a hang of the gameplay playing it myself from time to time; so yeah, for a full assessment I'd need to replay it to completion, but I was surprised at how lackluster I found it to be.
The combat in particular has got to be among the worst and most unreliable systems I've ever tried in a game of this ilk.
I don't know who had the idea of Kratos and the enemies snapping towards one another when attacking, it's just fundamentally broken as it destroys all pretense of strategic positioning.
There's a fantastic 40-minute video by Matthewmatosis where he explains all of this and then some, making me realize and articulating into words feelings I got when playing but couldn't actually pinpoint. Hope I was helpful!
Re: Poll: What Was the Best PS4 First-Party Exclusive of the Generation?
@Shinnok789 hey, that's gotta be the most useful contribution I've seen in a forum in a long time!
I've never played BB myself but I read through it and will keep in mind for when I finally do!
Mad props to you mate!
Re: Bethesda Teases Indiana Jones Game, But Will It Come to PS5?
The ZeniMax acquisition isn't even gonna be finalised for another 6/10 months and I'm already tired of this discourse.
It's always the same: if PS gets exclusives, it's a big celebration in the community, while if MS gets them, there's gonna be all kinds of mental hoops to convince oneself they have to put those games on PS5.
At least the editors of this site are not the flame-fanning fanboys you usually find on fansites, and instead actively try to impart some logic 🙌🏻👏🏻
Re: Uncharted Movie, The Last of Us TV Show 'Just the Beginning' of Sony's Expansion into New Media
Heh, video games still haven't figured out how to tell a story unique to their medium for the most part, so what makes anyone think that adaptations will work? The ones we've had so far are more misses than swings by a country mile.
Also, story-driven, movie-like games such as TLOU and UC are just the most boring idea one could have, since they're going to either replicate the games without interactivity, or tell a side story or a prequel that could've easily worked as a game.
I don't like storylines being splintered across multiple media and I don't think a movie-only prequel or spin-off can be inherently better than a game doing the same thing, so I just don't get the point.
If you're gonna reply "money", yeah, I know that.
Call me naïve, but when a media project is unveiled I think about it as an artistic endeavor, not as its viability as a commercial product.
If I did so, I wouldn't be a consumer, I'd be a stakeholder, and there wouldn't be any need for anything to exist, as long as it rakes in cash.
Edit: a Sly Cooper cartoon would be sick, and I'm not even nostalgic for the character (I didn't have a PS2 growing up)!
Re: Hitman 3 Will Have Dark Souls-Esque Persistent Shortcuts to Discover
That's a feature I love in games, and the level design is the thing I like the most about DS, so yeah I'm glad this is happening!
This reminds me I still have to play Hitman 2!
Re: Secret NieR Automata Cheat Code Skips the Entire Game
The absolute GOAT 🔥🥰
(Oh and if you haven't played it, I'd advise you not to watch the clip because it spoils part of the ending)
Re: Game of the Year: Sammy's Top 5 PS5, PS4 Games of 2020
@Gaming365247 at this point you apologists are way more annoying and vocal than critics of the game, but since you're paying lip service to something you cannot be the bad ones, right?
It's the second article in like a week where I see people moaning about those who criticize TLOU P2 with that horribly self-righteous tone, and noone actually criticizing it.
Sammy explicitly asked if we readers agree, and that guy simply stated that he personally doesn't like the game.
It seems you are the one who needs to get over this game, if merely mentioning a personal preference triggers you so hard that you have to point your finger at anyone who disagrees with you.
Re: Sony Has Ten Movies, TV Shows Based on PlayStation Properties in Production
@ILikeStake you win 🙌🏻🔥
Re: The Last of Us 2 Dominates Biggest Ever PS Blog Game of the Year Poll
Congrats to ND.
I personally disagree that it's the best game this year, but it's undoubtedly a peculiar experience that tries a few new things, and clearly it resonated with a lot of people.
Funny though that everyone is talking about those pesky moaners but there's none to be found 😉
Re: Ubisoft Shoves XP Boosting Microtransaction into Assassin's Creed Valhalla a Month After Launch
@get2sammyb so let me get this straight: my comment where I call the obvious troll literally "trash", not even a cuss word, for calling another user "poor" and shaming him gets deleted, but the obvious troll is still here spouting nonsense and bothering everyone?! The ****?!
Re: Ubisoft Shoves XP Boosting Microtransaction into Assassin's Creed Valhalla a Month After Launch
@johncalmc 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I applaud you for being so collected.
Every time I see this crap I get mad, then I see people defending it and start to fume. How people can be so stupid is beyond me.
Thanks for explaining it in a clearer, more collected way.
Re: Ubisoft Shoves XP Boosting Microtransaction into Assassin's Creed Valhalla a Month After Launch
@jmac1686 see, it's people like you who don't consider the consequences who make it worse for everyone else.
Just because you have 10$ to burn, doesn't mean you have to encourage companies to make games with broken economies in order to make people buy experience or grind endlessly.
"But it's optional!"
NO, FOR PETE'S SAKE, IT'S NOT!
Do you not realize that you have to throw all the game's economies put of whack to make this work?
Basically you're encouraging companies to make it a grind for everyone else just because you have an extra 10$ and don't recognize good design from a scam.
Go on, encourage companies to suck your balance dry.
I'm pretty sure that if we as a community were told 10 years ago that single player progression would be dictated by microtransactions we wouldn't have believed it.
And yet here we are.
Re: Ubisoft Shoves XP Boosting Microtransaction into Assassin's Creed Valhalla a Month After Launch
Quélle surprise.
It's not like the huge grind of the game was indicative of this, no of course.
At this point, if you still buy these games at launch and get suckered by these practices, you're just part of the problem, you're just helping spread this toxin even further.
No, scratch that - if you buy these games at all.
Re: Humanity Has Been Delayed to 2021
Best headline ever 🙌🏻
Re: Deal: Immortals Fenyx Rising Discounted in UK Two Weeks After Launch
Why they even bother with full price at this point is beyond me lol
Re: NieR Replicant Gets Short But Sweet PS4 Gameplay Trailer
@Jayofmaya I see, awesome! To be honest at the moment I haven't had too much time to write melodies for it, so what I sent you is basically only the first 45 to 60 seconds lol
As soon as I have other ideas for the other sections I'll let you know!
Also, if you have preferences on where to sing clean/unclean, or if you have vocal melodies in your head don't hesitate to tell me 😃
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4) - The Potential of a Masterpiece, Totally and Utterly Unrealised
By the way, I was super hyped for this game but I feared it wouldn't be ready at launch.
I watched SkillUp's 52-minutes review and that pretty much answered all the questions I had, so yeah I'll be waiting for it to be patches and playable.
This game is something special, I don't wanna experience a half-assed version of it, so I'll jump in when the bugs are squished, the loot game and crafting are reworked, and the economy isn't completely broken.
Re: Cyberpunk 2077 (PS4) - The Potential of a Masterpiece, Totally and Utterly Unrealised
Very fair and balanced review.
Hats off, @ShogunRok, it must've been soul-crushingly hard to review this game and properly explain the state it's in!
Re: All the Winners at The Game Awards 2020
Why did Among Us win? Wasn't it released in 2018?
Also, Best Narrative and Best Direction are incredibly ironic lol 😆
Re: Talking Point: Did The Game Awards 2020 Meet Your Expectations?
@dark_knightmare2 dude I get defending the game if you like it, but saying it isn't divisive is pure BS and makes you look like an idiot.
For Christ's sake, even ND themselves acknowledged that before release!
There's a difference between being ignorant and being willfully misleading, and I'm still on the fence on whether it's stupidity or malevolence, but I'd vouch for the former seeing how quickly you jump to dangerous conclusions about the political affiliations of people who may or may not like the game.
Re: NieR Replicant Gets Short But Sweet PS4 Gameplay Trailer
@Jayofmaya hey Jay, how are you?
I sent you an email with some tentative, unrehearsed ideas for you to check out, let me know! 😃
Re: NieR Replicant Gets Short But Sweet PS4 Gameplay Trailer
Yeah I'll join the choir 😄
Automata has jumped to the top of my favorite games ever after completing it, so I'm looking forward to this one!
Re: GTA Online Teases Biggest Ever Update in New Trailer, Designed for One to Four Players
@Andy653 oh don't get me wrong, I know that and I absolutely agree!
I was not talking about their financial side, I was talking about the players' perspective!
I absolutely don't blame them for shifting to this kind of business as it makes sense financially, but I can't help but feel that they could do more with the resources they have.
Hope it's clearer now 😃
Re: GTA Online Teases Biggest Ever Update in New Trailer, Designed for One to Four Players
@BowTiesAreCool well if you really ignored for such a little "debate", you must be pretty frail 😯
I had no ill will at all towards, I don't know why you had to blow it out of proportion.
By the way, if you really think I was talking about you in particular enjoying 2 games per decade without understanding I was talking in general, still think so after my explanation and even go on to use ignore for so little, well, I'm glad you did cause I don't want anything to do with such a thin-skinned crybaby who's only good at mocking others instead of getting their points 🤷🏼♂️
Some people really are incredible lol
Re: GTA Online Teases Biggest Ever Update in New Trailer, Designed for One to Four Players
@Nepp67 agreed!
In general I personally prefer smaller, more dense handcrafted worlds than huge stretches of window dressing interspersed with copied and pasted outposts, like most Ubi games are for example.
Re: GTA Online Teases Biggest Ever Update in New Trailer, Designed for One to Four Players
@BowTiesAreCool dude maybe don't take everything so personally?
Point is: I'd rather see more than 2 games every 10 years from such a high-profile and once prolific dev/publisher.
I mean, it's not exactly unreasonable to expect such a huge company to put out more than 2 games in a decade, especially looking at their track record.
In any case, why you had to make this about you in particular is beyond me, as if I made knew your gaming habits 😅
Re: Poll: Are You Buying Cyberpunk 2077?
@ShogunRok I didn't know who to refer to so I thought I'd ask you, since you wrote the article 😅
Thank you!
Re: GTA Online Teases Biggest Ever Update in New Trailer, Designed for One to Four Players
@BowTiesAreCool no need to mock.
If you're ok with having only 2 games every 10 years, with basically only one receiving post-launch support, I'm genuinely glad for you.
I for one, though, would very much like to be able to play more different games, instead of the same game for 7 years. Everything gets stale after a while.
Also, don't know why feel the need to defend a mega corporation resting on its laurels, when at its peak it was able to put out a game a year while keeping the quality bar pretty high.
Re: GTA Online Teases Biggest Ever Update in New Trailer, Designed for One to Four Players
@GodOfNothing indeed. It's embarrassing to think they're still updating this 2013 game 7 years later to be honest, especially considering they have only put out one game since and have barely supported that at all post-launch.
Re: Poll: Are You Buying Cyberpunk 2077?
@ShogunRok hey Robert, sorry to bother you but I saw that the Other button is broken. What I mean by that is that I enter PC in the space given and when I submit it says my answer isn't valid. I also tried computer but it seems it just won't work.
Re: Soapbox: Help! I Spent Money on Ultimate Team, and I'm Afraid I'll Do It Again
@Stocksy @thefourfoldroot @get2sammyb plus the album didn't cost 70€.
Re: Soapbox: Help! I Spent Money on Ultimate Team, and I'm Afraid I'll Do It Again
Spending 20€ on a digital sticker pack in a scummy mode of a 60/70€ game is just insane.
I didn't even know prices were that high. Urgh.
Re: GTA Online Is Getting an Underground Nightclub You Can Party At
So is it becoming Fortnite 2 with the concerts and all?
Re: Neil Druckmann to Continue Writing and Directing at Naughty Dog as Co-President
@Arnna I totally agree on that! 😃
That's why I'm not really fond of ND games and other similar titles, I prefer the story to be more organic even if that means being handled weirdly: see BOTW for example, they couldn't have implemented story and gameplay better, but of course those who sought a more traditional story were left disappointed. Not that I blame them, mind you! I personally liked the approach, but I get why another wouldn't. What is indisputable, though, is that it works perfectly for the game it wants to be.
To be honest I think (or at least hope) that this problem will fade away with time, as video games are still in their infancy now, compared to any other medium.
It's natural for any medium to take time before everyone gets its full potential, let's hope it happens someday 😃
Re: Neil Druckmann to Continue Writing and Directing at Naughty Dog as Co-President
@Arnna yes, of course I do 😃
I think the reason is pretty clear: usually AAA games are not hyped around their stories and storytelling, while this game clearly was, being made by ND and being the sequel to what is unanimously accepted as one of the most well-realized narratives in gaming history.
It's really as simple as that 😃
On the topic pf David Cage games, I've never played any because nothing about that style of game appeals to me personally, and yes, the few examples I've seen does not exactly inspire confidence in the writing 😅
In any case, I obviously can't comment about those.
And lastly, I strongly disagree with your conclusion that the medium is to blame.
The medium never is to blame.
It's about how you use and for what, and that's the reason why adapting any one medium into another is a very tall order to pull off well.
If you wanna experience a story that really can only be told in video game form, play Nier: Automata. That's one of the very few games I know that couldn't be transposed to any other medium, and it's all better for it!
Actually, it's definitely one of the best games ever created, simply on the basis that every single one of the multitudes of moving parts is interwoven in an incredibly masterful way that I've rarely seen elsewhere, in any medium.
But hey, if it looks like it's not for you at a quick glance I totally get it, it's very good at masking how deep it actually is ahahahah
Re: Neil Druckmann to Continue Writing and Directing at Naughty Dog as Co-President
@Sam-Bridges you're more than welcome mate, thank you for the constructive discussion 😃
On the topic of the analyses, yeah, I do get the frustration with many thinkpieces on the subject because it being so divisive made it very easy for people to villainize things, as you rightly pointed out.
Thus, recognizing the level-headed critiques among the shouting contest that was going on at the time was certainly difficult.
Luckily for me, though, I've found several creators I trust to make well-balanced and nuanced content, and thus I already know where to look when I want a second opinion.
That said, have a good one! Hope to see you around soon 😃
Re: Neil Druckmann to Continue Writing and Directing at Naughty Dog as Co-President
@Sam-Bridges PART 2
-last but not the least, the dreaded words: LUDONARRATIVE DISSONANCE lol
I said it so dramatically cause I know how hard is to be taken seriously nowadays with that subject ahahahha
No but seriously: the first game was about protecting Ellie due to the almost paternal bond that forms between Joel (the player) and Ellie, and it followed through as a linear 3rd person shooter where you have to survive in terrible comditions and taking hard choices to protect your life and that of those you love. Perfect fit.
Part 2, on the other hand, wants do bad to be a w***ing session on the gravitas of killing innocent, named NPC's and how wrong vengeance is.
Was Part 1's ending not enough moral ambiguity for all this? I mean, who killed those doctors and didn't feel remorse for that?
Of course Ellie is a huge motivation, but that's exactly why doing horrible stuff to protect her is so powerful in that game.
Part 2 is a hollow husk, it's got nothing to say. It's the edgiest thing I've ever seen, which is why I'm so disappointed it is considered even close to the first game, when it basically squandered all the potential and power that that game had.
I'm gonna conclude here cause I've been typing for 20 minutes straight ahahahah
If you're interested in this discussion, though, I would asvise you to look for analyses on YT; I've found a lot good videos in there, both agreeing and disagreeing with my points. I've listened to both sides of the argument and came away with this opinion, but of course it might be different for you.
That why I'd advise you to look those videos up, because you shouldn't trust only one source, and those people are way more knowledgeable than me on the matter 😉
Have a good one, my friend, hope I satisfied your curiosity 😃
Re: Neil Druckmann to Continue Writing and Directing at Naughty Dog as Co-President
@Sam-Bridges yes, of course! I'd love to discuss the subject, since you were very kind and respectful 😃
I of course don't wanna put myself on a pedestal as some kind of authority, I just wanted to give my 2 cents as someone who's passionate about writing and, as such, has a basic knowledge that the vast majority of people don't, but that of course doesn't make me a professor lol
I've only been studying for 5 years or so, so I definitely have a loooot left to learn and practice.
That said, I never wanted to mean this as "I'm a better writer than Druckmann" or whatever, absolutely.
It's just that my formation lets me see flaws where an uneducated person probably wouldn't, just like I will miss the photography, lighting and blocking of a movie, while a crew member sees right through that.
So, disclaimers aside (and I guess you understand why I'm so cautious with this subject lol), I'll sum up my major problems with it, although I might forget some:
-the structure. Boy is it awful. It has a lot of problems if you ask me, but the biggest is certainly how the pacing of the whole story collapses under the weight of this two-part structure.
Maybe you'll disagree, but I think that the pacing is all over the place during this game. Try to graph the rising and falling action, it's literally all over the place.
Aside from the fact that the plot is just point A to point B with little to no motivation or progression, the most glaring example of how the structure cripples the pacing is the midpoint (when Ellie and Abby meet). Problem is, that should've been the dénouement, not the midpoint.
So basically at that point in the story you've worked your way through it all, you're staring the final boss in the eye, and the game goes "oops, let's go back to the start and do this whole thing again, but this time with Abby! Yeeeeee!".
-on the topic of Abby: it's clear that she was meant to create conflict inside the players, but the execution in my opinion is just terrible.
You can't have one half where she's the devil incarnate and then a second half where we're menat to empathize for her "because dog".
Seriously, that dog thing is one of the worst and most manipulative sequences I've ever seen in a game. It's really low in writing terms, and that is one thing I've never seen anyone defend cause it's just poor writing.
-the characters I find all incredibly unlikely or just uninteresting. I never got attached to anyone in Part 2, and I guess that was hard to fudge seeing as it was the biggest strength of the first game.
Their motivations also are not really strong to be honest, but I don't wanna delve into each of them cause it's already a long-a** post (lol), and months have passed, so my memory's not gonna keep everything at the ready.
Re: Neil Druckmann to Continue Writing and Directing at Naughty Dog as Co-President
@kyleforrester87 😆😆😆