addink on 2/10/2009 at 08:53
Quote Posted by Pyrian
I don't think that analogy works. Some books and films are created to be fun, but it's not central to those media. Whereas game designers - at least the ones I know - really do sit down and try to figure out exactly how to make their games
fun as a fundamental premise to making their games
good.I'm not saying fun shouldn't be part of games. Fun is fun by definition. However not all of the great moments in gaming equal fun, they can also give a sense of achievement, or give an insight, or touch you emotionally.
What most developers are (or should be) trying to create is the state of 'flow', the state where the player is not bored or frustrated, allowing the player to totally commit. Within games this should feel like you are making progress but it's not handed to you, there's a real challenge and you can handle it. What the progress actually is is dependent on the type of game, dependent on the type of challenge within the game.
It's even possible that you don't make progress within the game, basically loose in some way or another, but within loosing you get an insight, you learn something, you don't feel like you wasted your efforts.
mothra on 2/10/2009 at 09:10
I actually like games better if they do NOT reveal its secrets and mechanics right away, if there is room for experimentation and total failure, but never without any return as in: 1 step backwards, 2 steps FORWARD. those are the most rewarding. If the game is just "fun" (who comes up with this stupid shit, no media has to be FUN to give a good experience) and still tries to hold your hand and teach you everything I feel like the designers think their audience is retarded. At least give enough options to alter the game/difficulty to your liking. AND please, when at last will all games feature a tourist mode which lets you just jump ahead over tedious sections or levels/bosses you don't wanna play. Why piss in the face of your customer and tell him: NO, you have to unlock this and that or we will NOT let you play the game you PAID for. the "hardcore" gamers can still play on hard/insane and work hard to beat the game but sometimes I just want my mother to see all of Psychonauts.
Angel Dust on 2/10/2009 at 09:45
Quote Posted by Thirith
Let's face it, though: many gamers are self-involved, self-important gits who think that the moment has an opinion differing from theirs those people are assholes who should shut the fuck up.
Personally, while I disagree with some of KG's writings, I've usually got a lot out of them. His article on the Cradle was very good IMO. He rubs a lot of people the wrong way, but then this is the internet where people tend to think that their opinions are the honest-to-god Truth(tm), so if they dislike something it
must be unadulterated crap.
Once again you've hit the nail on the head. I'd probably post a lot more around here if you weren't invading my mind and posting my thoughts far better than I could! :p
As far as gaming journalism goes, I don't really favour either the US or the UK. The US ones can get a little hyped up but the UK ones sometimes rely too much on crude humour and neither of them write much interesting criticism.
Zygoptera on 2/10/2009 at 22:33
Quote Posted by Thirith
Let's face it, though: many gamers are self-involved, self-important gits who think that the moment has an opinion differing from theirs those people are assholes who should shut the fuck up.
This.
Only time I strongly disagreed with KG was over his defence of Bioshock (and to a lesser extent there his Mask of the Betrayer review, though that was primarily about something said in the comments rather than the review itself), and that was precisely because it was exactly the type of defence you'd get from a fanboy. Other than that I've always found his views interesting, even if I didn't agree with him.
D'Juhn Keep on 7/10/2009 at 17:38
Quote Posted by EvaUnit02
On a related note, Kieron Gillen has retired from full time game journalism. Proof that there is a God.
Yeah, he's moved on to (
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=22662) comics. Following JMS's work on Thor will be hard because it really is excellent.
Matthew on 8/10/2009 at 09:26
I think his work on Beta Ray Bill shows that he has the potential, though.
Koki on 8/10/2009 at 09:38
Proving that there indeed is a god, he just hates all of us.
EvaUnit02 on 12/11/2009 at 16:20
(
http://www.destructoid.com/ubisoft-demands-high-assassin-s-creed-2-review-score--154456.phtml) Ubisoft allegedly tried to "buy" high review scores for AC2
*Sigh* What's more corrupt, the games journalism institution or Chicago? Godspeed to you dethtoll, if you still plan on entering that profession.
After Gershmann-gate, it was the final nail in the coffin for me looking at the big name sites like IGN and Gamespot altogether (as critical outlets), except as sources of promo media like trailers, interviews, screenshots and game convention coverage.
CCCToad on 12/11/2009 at 16:50
What are you talking about? Thats what makes the job perfect for him!
d'Spair on 12/11/2009 at 18:01
I used to read PC Gamer Rus that partially consisted of PC Gamer UK articles translated into Russian. I've aslo read a number of PC Gamer UK issues, and that was a great reading. By the way, I adore Kieron Gillen writing, not only his PC gamer stuff, but Eurogamer and RPS stuff too - he is definitely the best English-speaking gaming journalist I've read. His review on DX:IW in PC Gamer UK was magnificent.
Back when I was in the USA, I bought a couple of American PC Gamers. Well, compared to the UK magazine that was pure shit. Absolutely boring texts and awful design - I could never think that PC Gamer US was that bad.
