indiegames
January 19th, 2010, 06:20
Unpaid Internet Bill Leads to Game-Blamed Stabbing (http://kotaku.com/5451328/unpaid-internet-bill-leads-to-game+blamed-stabbing)
Comment by: Segador (http://kotaku.com/people/Segador/)
Nominated by: (Starman) #number258 (http://kotaku.com/people/mudkipNDS)
I watched a friend go from a quality individual to a fat, pasty, loser in 12 months thanks to his addiction to WoW.
He lost his very good IT consulting job because he would stay up past 3am, then crash, not shower, and show up late smelling like b.o. and hot pockets. I went to visit him once during this time; he didn't even have a mattress, he just had his computer and blankets on the floor. He'd roll awake in the morning and start playing, then roll over to his gross blanket pile to fall asleep. This is a man who had previously been a PT leader in the Air Force, trim, in shape, and going places.
He stopped paying his bills, so he got evicted from his apartment, but he didn't stop playing until they cut his power. Then he took his computer to a friend's house and kept playing, ignoring the calls from his previous landlords to come get his stuff. When he never showed up, they broke the locks and threw everything he owned away.
His problems were his fault. I'm not blaming Blizzard, or WoW. It was just amazingly sad. Addiction comes in many forms, and when you see someone in its clutches, it's a sobering experience.
Japan's 2ch. Replies To RPG Complaints (http://kotaku.com/5450647/japans-2ch-replies-to-rpg-complaints)
Comment by: Duin (http://kotaku.com/people/VilgeDuin/)
Nominated by: ? (http://kotaku.com/people/Irixyu)
Ah, the age old Internet of attacking something with increasingly absurd exaggerations.
And so many people are falling into it here, at IGN, 2ch and elsewhere. Senselessly bickering over something so trivial.
Enjoy what you enjoy, seek out improvements in areas you find are deficient and celebrate diversity, as that's what truly breaks up monotony and stagnation.
With that said, I dislike most sports games. They need a change because I arbitrarily said so. For I am a dunderheaded "American" with no sense of taste or subtlety. Sports games need more violence!
...please make another Mutant League game EA... seriously...
Hurray for pointless hyperbole and stereotypes!
Project Runway Consultant: Mario is Dressed "Appropriately" (http://kotaku.com/5449938/project-runway-consultant-mario-is-dressed-appropriately)
Comment by: Powerboot (http://kotaku.com/people/Powerboot/)
Nominated by: Showmeyomoves! (http://kotaku.com/people/Kogelvis)
But Wario dresses like a slut.
Japan's 2ch. Replies To RPG Complaints (http://kotaku.com/5450647/japans-2ch-replies-to-rpg-complaints)
Comment by: Xzyx987X (http://kotaku.com/people/Xzyx987X/)
Nominated by: Andrew Wyatt (http://kotaku.com/people/andrewwyatt)
I pretty much agree with everything the Japanese people had to say. Especially this one:
"Hey foreigners: we find your first-person shooters boring as shit. What do you say to that?"
Seriously, anyone who complains about JRPGs stagnating needs to take a cold hard look at the FPS genre. The amount of stagnation in JRPGs is virtually identical to the stagnation of FPSs. I honestly have only played two FPSs in my life that I enjoyed, and those were Quake III (instagib CTF is the best) and Halo (mainly because I found beating Legendary mode solo to be a fun challenge.) The gameplay in almost every other FPS I've played bores me to tears.
I also think the items on IGN's list deserve a more direct rebuttal.
10.) People Live Here?: Lot's of JRPGs have more dialog than just one line per NPC. In fact, as I recall, Grandia II had so much dialog it could take hours just to read everything the people in one town had to say. As far as making the characters behave dynamically and do more stuff, honestly who cares? If you want to play a game like that maybe you'd like to play the Sims instead?
9.) The Only Good Filler is Jelly in Donuts: The comments here just show a fundamental lack of understanding of what makes JRPGs fun. Raising up your character by battling monsters may seem mundane, but really, JRPGs are built on the premise that "though pain comes pleasure". The fact of the matter is, forcing yourself to work through a hard or unpleasant portion of the game should give you a positive feeling of accomplishment at the end. If it doesn't, why do you like playing video games again? Isn't overcoming challenges what it's all about?
8.) Invest in Presentation: I agree with what the Japanese had to say here 100%. For all the extra effort western developers put into their games' presentations, most of them end up looking very bland. At least JRPGs strive to have whimsical and interesting art designs.
7.) The Road Less Traveled: Actually, they may have a point here. Just look at Final Fantasy XIII... But then again, FFXII was almost the opposite, and historically JRPGs have been a lot less linear in terms of exploration than they are now. Then again, I can't honestly say I've ever disliked a JRPG just for being linear.
6.) Cliches are for Chumps: This is a false argument to begin with. Even if JRPGs do sometimes contain clinched characters, I don't think any of the good RPGs I can think of ever failed to have an interesting cast of characters. Maybe they guys at IGN just aren't playing the right ones?
5.) Voice Acting Approaches: How about just leaving the original voice acting intact? Problem solved. Oh, and I have to say, Final Fantasy XII has overall some of the best dubbing I've every heard. Despite a few annoying cast members (I still cringe when I hear Vaan's voice in my head) I actually prefer the English voice acting to the Japanese voice acting for that game.
4.) I Feel So Alone: I sincerely hope the Japanese never start playing MMORPGs. Any game where your stature is directly tied to how much time and money you have to dump down the drain doesn't seem like fun to me. At any rate, Sega did online role-playing right ages before any other Japanese developer with Phantasy Star Online. That game is honestly the only online RPG I've ever enjoyed. It's just too bad subsequent games in the series declined in quality.
3.) No More Save Points: You could let people save anywhere it JRPGs, and actually many portable JRPGs already do. Of course, it has to be a temporary save that gets deleted when loaded, or else it destroys the game's challenge.
2.) Write a New Story, Mkay?:Aren't pretty much 90% of all western RPGs just ripoffs of the Lord of the Rings? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
1.) Battle Systems: Kick It Up a Notch: Once again, a false argument. Almost any good JRPG I can think of had a good, unique battle system. Maybe not as unique as the shooting systems in western FPSs strive to be, but... Yea, you get my point.
Gran Turismo 5 Screens Burn Some Rubber (http://kotaku.com/5448849/gran-turismo-5-screens-burn-some-rubber/gallery/)
Comment by: TrjnRabbit (http://kotaku.com/people/TrjnRabbit/)
Nominated by: deanbmmv (http://kotaku.com/people/deanbmmv)
Dammit, I hate racing games, something about them really grinds my gears. Seriously, if you aren't getting hit by blue shells 20 times a race, you're not playing a real racing game and nothing anyone can say will shift my opinion.
Except. . . well, there's something about GT5 that just makes me want to give it a spin. I don't know if it's the amount of polish put into it, the freakishly awesome graphics or the fact that the Top Gear test track is there, but something is driving me to play this game.
Teen Drops 150 Pounds With Video Game-Inspired Diet (http://kotaku.com/5449078/teen-drops-150-pounds-with-video-game+inspired-diet)
Comment by: Rampage (http://kotaku.com/people/Rampge/)
Nominated by: Showmeyomoves! (http://kotaku.com/people/Kogelvis)
Just a question.
He gives video games the credit for something he's done in real life and he gets put on the today show and praised for it.
If he steals a car and says he was inspired by a video game is it the same thing?
I thought the life long fight of whether video games cause kids to do things or not kept getting ruled out in court?
Is there a double standard here?
Want to nominate comments? Send to tips any insightful or funny comments you read from other commenters. (Read: NOT YOURSELF). Be sure to include the post's URL, the commenter's page, the actual comment and your commenter page.
Here's a handy guide (http://kotaku.com/5131097/a-guide-to-proper-commenting) to commenting. Read it, learn it, live it, love it.
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Comment by: Segador (http://kotaku.com/people/Segador/)
Nominated by: (Starman) #number258 (http://kotaku.com/people/mudkipNDS)
I watched a friend go from a quality individual to a fat, pasty, loser in 12 months thanks to his addiction to WoW.
He lost his very good IT consulting job because he would stay up past 3am, then crash, not shower, and show up late smelling like b.o. and hot pockets. I went to visit him once during this time; he didn't even have a mattress, he just had his computer and blankets on the floor. He'd roll awake in the morning and start playing, then roll over to his gross blanket pile to fall asleep. This is a man who had previously been a PT leader in the Air Force, trim, in shape, and going places.
He stopped paying his bills, so he got evicted from his apartment, but he didn't stop playing until they cut his power. Then he took his computer to a friend's house and kept playing, ignoring the calls from his previous landlords to come get his stuff. When he never showed up, they broke the locks and threw everything he owned away.
His problems were his fault. I'm not blaming Blizzard, or WoW. It was just amazingly sad. Addiction comes in many forms, and when you see someone in its clutches, it's a sobering experience.
Japan's 2ch. Replies To RPG Complaints (http://kotaku.com/5450647/japans-2ch-replies-to-rpg-complaints)
Comment by: Duin (http://kotaku.com/people/VilgeDuin/)
Nominated by: ? (http://kotaku.com/people/Irixyu)
Ah, the age old Internet of attacking something with increasingly absurd exaggerations.
And so many people are falling into it here, at IGN, 2ch and elsewhere. Senselessly bickering over something so trivial.
Enjoy what you enjoy, seek out improvements in areas you find are deficient and celebrate diversity, as that's what truly breaks up monotony and stagnation.
With that said, I dislike most sports games. They need a change because I arbitrarily said so. For I am a dunderheaded "American" with no sense of taste or subtlety. Sports games need more violence!
...please make another Mutant League game EA... seriously...
Hurray for pointless hyperbole and stereotypes!
Project Runway Consultant: Mario is Dressed "Appropriately" (http://kotaku.com/5449938/project-runway-consultant-mario-is-dressed-appropriately)
Comment by: Powerboot (http://kotaku.com/people/Powerboot/)
Nominated by: Showmeyomoves! (http://kotaku.com/people/Kogelvis)
But Wario dresses like a slut.
Japan's 2ch. Replies To RPG Complaints (http://kotaku.com/5450647/japans-2ch-replies-to-rpg-complaints)
Comment by: Xzyx987X (http://kotaku.com/people/Xzyx987X/)
Nominated by: Andrew Wyatt (http://kotaku.com/people/andrewwyatt)
I pretty much agree with everything the Japanese people had to say. Especially this one:
"Hey foreigners: we find your first-person shooters boring as shit. What do you say to that?"
Seriously, anyone who complains about JRPGs stagnating needs to take a cold hard look at the FPS genre. The amount of stagnation in JRPGs is virtually identical to the stagnation of FPSs. I honestly have only played two FPSs in my life that I enjoyed, and those were Quake III (instagib CTF is the best) and Halo (mainly because I found beating Legendary mode solo to be a fun challenge.) The gameplay in almost every other FPS I've played bores me to tears.
I also think the items on IGN's list deserve a more direct rebuttal.
10.) People Live Here?: Lot's of JRPGs have more dialog than just one line per NPC. In fact, as I recall, Grandia II had so much dialog it could take hours just to read everything the people in one town had to say. As far as making the characters behave dynamically and do more stuff, honestly who cares? If you want to play a game like that maybe you'd like to play the Sims instead?
9.) The Only Good Filler is Jelly in Donuts: The comments here just show a fundamental lack of understanding of what makes JRPGs fun. Raising up your character by battling monsters may seem mundane, but really, JRPGs are built on the premise that "though pain comes pleasure". The fact of the matter is, forcing yourself to work through a hard or unpleasant portion of the game should give you a positive feeling of accomplishment at the end. If it doesn't, why do you like playing video games again? Isn't overcoming challenges what it's all about?
8.) Invest in Presentation: I agree with what the Japanese had to say here 100%. For all the extra effort western developers put into their games' presentations, most of them end up looking very bland. At least JRPGs strive to have whimsical and interesting art designs.
7.) The Road Less Traveled: Actually, they may have a point here. Just look at Final Fantasy XIII... But then again, FFXII was almost the opposite, and historically JRPGs have been a lot less linear in terms of exploration than they are now. Then again, I can't honestly say I've ever disliked a JRPG just for being linear.
6.) Cliches are for Chumps: This is a false argument to begin with. Even if JRPGs do sometimes contain clinched characters, I don't think any of the good RPGs I can think of ever failed to have an interesting cast of characters. Maybe they guys at IGN just aren't playing the right ones?
5.) Voice Acting Approaches: How about just leaving the original voice acting intact? Problem solved. Oh, and I have to say, Final Fantasy XII has overall some of the best dubbing I've every heard. Despite a few annoying cast members (I still cringe when I hear Vaan's voice in my head) I actually prefer the English voice acting to the Japanese voice acting for that game.
4.) I Feel So Alone: I sincerely hope the Japanese never start playing MMORPGs. Any game where your stature is directly tied to how much time and money you have to dump down the drain doesn't seem like fun to me. At any rate, Sega did online role-playing right ages before any other Japanese developer with Phantasy Star Online. That game is honestly the only online RPG I've ever enjoyed. It's just too bad subsequent games in the series declined in quality.
3.) No More Save Points: You could let people save anywhere it JRPGs, and actually many portable JRPGs already do. Of course, it has to be a temporary save that gets deleted when loaded, or else it destroys the game's challenge.
2.) Write a New Story, Mkay?:Aren't pretty much 90% of all western RPGs just ripoffs of the Lord of the Rings? Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.
1.) Battle Systems: Kick It Up a Notch: Once again, a false argument. Almost any good JRPG I can think of had a good, unique battle system. Maybe not as unique as the shooting systems in western FPSs strive to be, but... Yea, you get my point.
Gran Turismo 5 Screens Burn Some Rubber (http://kotaku.com/5448849/gran-turismo-5-screens-burn-some-rubber/gallery/)
Comment by: TrjnRabbit (http://kotaku.com/people/TrjnRabbit/)
Nominated by: deanbmmv (http://kotaku.com/people/deanbmmv)
Dammit, I hate racing games, something about them really grinds my gears. Seriously, if you aren't getting hit by blue shells 20 times a race, you're not playing a real racing game and nothing anyone can say will shift my opinion.
Except. . . well, there's something about GT5 that just makes me want to give it a spin. I don't know if it's the amount of polish put into it, the freakishly awesome graphics or the fact that the Top Gear test track is there, but something is driving me to play this game.
Teen Drops 150 Pounds With Video Game-Inspired Diet (http://kotaku.com/5449078/teen-drops-150-pounds-with-video-game+inspired-diet)
Comment by: Rampage (http://kotaku.com/people/Rampge/)
Nominated by: Showmeyomoves! (http://kotaku.com/people/Kogelvis)
Just a question.
He gives video games the credit for something he's done in real life and he gets put on the today show and praised for it.
If he steals a car and says he was inspired by a video game is it the same thing?
I thought the life long fight of whether video games cause kids to do things or not kept getting ruled out in court?
Is there a double standard here?
Want to nominate comments? Send to tips any insightful or funny comments you read from other commenters. (Read: NOT YOURSELF). Be sure to include the post's URL, the commenter's page, the actual comment and your commenter page.
Here's a handy guide (http://kotaku.com/5131097/a-guide-to-proper-commenting) to commenting. Read it, learn it, live it, love it.
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