Become your own reviewer

So over the last few months the whole GamerGate thing keeps exploding then going quiet and then exploding again. What struck me most from it all was just how blase journalists were and they actually seemed to take offense that people who use their reviews as a guide for how they spend their money on games might actually be a little concerned that those reviews weren’t completely honest and might have been driven by an existing relationship with the developer or publisher.

Throughout it all i’ve watched from the sidelines, while the agenda trying to be shoehorned into the video game world is extremely annoying the whole review debate doesn’t really affect me as i don’t use them for my purchasing decisions and quite frankly i don’t know why anyone else does either.

I’ve played games for 24-25 years now. By this time i’ve pretty much got a handle now on what games i like, what type of games i like and what i’m open to trying. As soon as Let’s Plays and Quick Looks began appearing on the internet as well as just videos of actual gameplay, reviews became completely redundant to me. I could see large portions of the game and see what it was like, and how it played AND i had someone giving me their opinion of what was happening and i could see it in “real time” to see whether what they said was actually the truth. The written form of review is a dinosaur and should quite frankly go the same way.

Accusations of unprofessionalism and straight up collusion just further cements that view for me. So to those getting angry i say don’t. Just do what i did years ago and divert your internet hit away from those sites (which is the actual way to hurt them) and go find some videos on youtube or watch a stream from fellow gamers. You’ll find it’s actually more helpful and you get to see more of the game, which at the end of the day is all you need because who knows your gaming tastes better than you do? If it looks like something you’d enjoy then buy it.

Instead of getting angry just take some responsibility for yourself and do a small bit of research, after all if you were willing to take the time to read a review then why not use that time to watch a video? You’ll find those moments of dissatisfaction with your purchase will remarkably decline.

We’re still here, we just need the games

So a while back on the blog i wrote a entry entitled “And the game begins” where i talked about how i got into games and my history with them. As i talked about my love for turn based RPG’s i mentioned that fans of the genre like myself were still around, we hadn’t died out like the money guys in the suits would like to have you believe. The only problem was that the games had dried up, at least anything good so of course we couldn’t show we were still around with what actually matters to the companies – money.

We can be vocal and say we’re still here all we want but it seems it falls on deaf ears with companies. The Suikoden Revival Movement for example is a great cause and has been going on for a while and showed there is indeed demand for another Suikoden but ………..no Suikoden, heck it seems like getting blood from a stone just to try and get Suikoden II on the PSN store.

So i’m thankful to Square-Enix (man that feels weird to write) for Bravely Default even if it was a happy accident that they realised, oh wait, turn based RPG fans are actually still around and maybe we could make money by catering for them again. I’m also thankful to stuff like Kickstarter that allows for companies to try out stuff and allowed us to get Divinity Original Sin made which has showed that, yet again, fans of what was considered a dead sub-genre, the cRPG, are indeed still around and willing to buy good games of the genre.

So i just hope this is the start of a revival and we can go back to the good days of the late 90’s when games like this were prevalent and all over the place. Signs like Harada being open to a Xenosaga HD collection shows the companies are finally willing to listen because they see they can be profitable. Of course why in the first place they thought they weren’t i have no idea, it’s not like we fans just instantly deserted gaming after the PS2 expired.

We’re still here, but we can’t buy the games if they’re not made.

The Artist’s Work is Theirs, Not Yours

For what seems like ages now every time i’ve visited a games website to learn about games (shocking i know) and see what to look forward to i’ve unfortunately had to shovel through a bunch of nursery grade level sociology dissertations before i can actually get to the content i’m after. I’m not sure what’s more boring, those articles themselves or the pissing contests that are otherwise known as the comments section as folks pick what side of the fence to stand on to throw their rocks. 

 

 

The main points lately always seems to be something like “They should include X in this game” “X is not respresented in this game!!!” “There’s far too much Y and not enough X in this game, it’s disgusting!!!” and basically more entitled assholery that every game should always respond to their demands and desires otherwise it should be thrown into the fiery pits of hell for their crimes against gaming and society as a whole. 

 

Well unfortunately despite what school told you that everyone gets a trophy and your parents constant reassuring that the world revolves around you and what you think the crushing reality is that no, not everything is meant for you. There are people who disagree with you and like different things from you. That does not give you the right to go up to them yelling and shouting that they’re wrong and you’re right and they should follow your way and everything they like should be stopped immediately and censored. 

 

When someone creates something from their imagination and puts their effort into something into creating what they envisioned it is just that, THEIRS. It is up to them what they include and exclude, what things they want to explore and using whatever and whomever they want in creating the vision they had and how they use them. They have no imaginary checklist you’ve dreamed up of this this and this should be included, that’s your vision, not theirs.  

 

Now not everything is going to be to your liking, heck you may even find it “offensive” but guess what? The creator isn’t bursting into your house, tying you up and forcing you to consume that content. You have the option to ignore it, not supporting it and not giving it your money. There are many things in media and entertainment that i do not enjoy and that aren’t made for me and so i use the ground breaking step of not watching it. I don’t spend energy going on crusades to end them because they don’t fit my world view because a) i’m too lazy and b) if i don’t like something why would i want to give it more publicity and support? You’ll often find if people aren’t talking about something it goes away FAR quicker. 

 

If you’re that so vehemently offended about something then ignore it, stop giving it hits and promotion, stop giving it free marketing by talking about it on and on and on and on AND ON. Why there seems to be this new found hobby in society now of being offended and actively searching for things to annoy you i have no idea. 

 

 

And here’s a crazy final idea, if you really are that angry and you really do feel that you aren’t being represented and you don’t have the content you want then put ALL that energy you’re using to stop others enjoying what they like and go be a creator and create the content you want and share it out with the world. There is nothing stopping you other than it being the harder option whereas pissing and moaning is extremely easy.

 

But then i guess that’s the problem, things are so sheltered now everyone still expects a trophy.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Giant Bomb controversy

So over the past few days the video game website Giant Bomb has been embroiled in heated controversy. People have been up in arms, both sides throwing their toys from their prams in feverish passion. The big crime that Giant Bomb committed that had the internet exploding over the past couple of days?

They hired two white males.

I feel there should be a dramatic chipmunk near me at this point.

Anyway yes the crime of the century GB perpetuated was to dare to hire two qualified white males to their team of ……….oh gasp!!!! qualified white males. Of course what followed was the usual “progressive” nonsense and complaints demanding that for diversity they should have hired another type of person because apparently all white males have the exact same opinions and never deviate from the white male script (mine must have got lost in the mail)

So without ANY grounds of evidence to base their ridiculous assumptions on the critics lambasted GB and basically called them a bunch of racist sexists because they didn’t get what they want.

Then the internet went nuclear.

After we were treated to the usual leftist brand of entitled assholery the internet was then awash with the right’s brand of good ol hatred who weren’t going to let this opportunity to showcase themselves in their usual disgusting light go amiss. The initial critics were attacked viciously along with female journalists who got caught in the crossfire due to their coincidence of being female and in games journalism. Various internet communities supposedly operating under the GB banner went full retard and everyone had a bad time. If you’ve been on the internet for more than 5 minutes in your life then you can picture the scenes.

The actual members of GB have handled it well, Jeff and company putting out messages telling the people to stop as they aren’t representing them they’re just being dicks. Heavy moderation went on and Jeff has since published an open letter about the incident and they will be reviewing their forum procedures from here on.

But then that leaves the initial supposed problem that caused all this in the first place. GB DARED to hire two qualified white guys to their cast of qualified white guys. To any sane person they would look at it, ask if they were the most qualified for the job see that they were and move on. But this is the new age, the age of “progress” which basically means when you boil it down “we want inclusion and diversity and a fair equal society ……….. just no white guys mmmkkk? xx”

I’ve actually seen a fair few articles that have admitted the guys that were hired were the best for the job but they shouldn’t have been hired and instead less qualified women should have been brought on just to fit an imaginary quota that has been dreamt up. They also then proceed to bleat on about fairness, equality and how everyone should be treated the same ……… just no white guys mmmkk? xx

Neither side of this came out looking good, the “progressive” types did their usual we’re fighting for equality and a “better” society spiel hidden under the actual message which is basically we want preferential treatment and we’re entitled to this thing because we say so and are basically just as bad as the rightist racist/sexist guttertrash who spewed their hate speech all over various forums and social media but they can get away with it as they put it in a nice bow and dress it up as “progressive” The counter side were just basically the angry nerds who apparently don’t know how to communicate their disagreement without hate speech, violence and threats to kill, i guess mommy didn’t cut the crusts off their sandwich or something.

To promote diversity you cannot exclude so others can be included, it’s all or nothing. You cannot on one hand say you’re against exclusion and sexism/racism then 2 seconds later call for no white guys to even be entertained for a job hire, that’s ridiculous. Until someone proves to me with actual evidence Jeff and his crew of crackas sat in a room and rubbed their hands with evil white man glee as they threw all the non white and female candidates into a trashcan then kindly shut up. Until someone can say to me with a straight face that a guy who worked for a leading worldwide publication for 10 years or so and was ready and willing to up and quit said job for this one was not the right candidate then kindly shut up.

Excluding others, whether it’s deemed by society to be the acceptable form of discrimination or not, for the sake of diversity and inclusion doesn’t work and just because you assume you’re entitled to getting what you want doesn’t mean that’s right either. You want your voice to be heard? Awesome do what Jeff and Ryan did 7 or 8 years ago and set up your own site. The internet is pretty big there’s room for everyone and hey seeing as there’s such a massive demand apparently for this type of viewpoint you shouldn’t have any problem creating a successful site. But hey i guess it’s better to bitch and complain and make baseless assumptions and complaints instead of actually being active about this supposed problem.

Here’s to continued years of the GB guys producing great content.

and for readers of this blog everyone is welcomed here …… just no white guys mmmkk? xx …… i kid i kid, you guys too

Can’t quite break that spell

 

Football Manager, a friend that has been around for what seems like a lifetime. Ever since i can remember it has been with me in my gaming life. From playing it on the Amiga when it was known as Championship Manager with just the English league to nowadays where you can have around 50. From signing what were sure to be footballing superstars like Freddy Adu and Kennedy Bakircioglu to signing folks that weren’t even real and dominated the game like To Madeira every yearly update brought with it new stories, new paths to glory and new signings you couldn’t wait to brag to your friends about.

Championship Manager 97/98 was my favourite for a LONG time. Before the days of 3d match engines we were making do with the constant text updates and that either glorious or devastating flashing goal box depending on the way it went. (I can honestly say i’ve shown more emotion and joy at a goal going in just by reading the match commentary than i have at any Fifa or Pro Evo goal) I must have spent easily over a 1000 hours on that game taking my team Manchester United to glory as well as a little jaunt i had with Scunthorpe and getting them to the Premiership.

 

Shortly after that we got the 2d match engines which gave you a visual representation of what was going on on the pitch and made it easier for you to imagine the game as it was being played. Seeing those little round circles run around a square bit of green pitch was somehow magically hypnotising and you could, and i did, spend hours just watching it hoping your team would get another 3 points and continue to march to glory or get further away from the dreaded drop.

It was also around this time that i got more and more into the customisation aspect of the game. I messed around in the editor creating dream scenario’s like a league of the 24 best teams in the world. I started using facepacks, kits, backgrounds and skins that brought a whole new experience to the game. My favourite ever skin was one called xwild from FM2010, still easily my favourite and it made the game feel even more amazing to play.

In fact i’ve probably spent more time editing FM than i have playing some actual games. In a way it’s its own game.

As i’ve gotten older i’ve had less and less time to invest into it but every year without fail i’ve gotten it and at least completed a few seasons. Up until now though i hadn’t bought FM14 and wasn’t planning too, however after receiving a 75% off code for it and seeing Moyes destroy my favourite club as if he was playing FM himself and had added a new manager to destroy his rival club i’ve been pulled back by the FM spell. So in i go again, this time to right the wrongs of Fergie’s successor and to create more stories, sign new wonderkids that become club legends and bring more glory to my club.

Yet again FM has me under its spell

And the game begins

 

I’ve been playing video games ever since i was 5 or so. When my Uncle lived with my Gran he’d have his Spectrum ZX and later on his Amiga 500 there and whenever he left to go to work or visit friends and whenever my Gran wasn’t playing on it i’d hop on and play such things as Pitfall, Pac Man, Cannon Fodder, Sensible World of Soccer, GODS etc.  From there an interest was sparked. I’d sit and watch my Gran play things like Ultima and Might and Magic and be lost in the worlds they created, sat there cross legged almost hypnotised as my Gran slayed another dragon or ogre. I was around 8 or 9 at this time and my love for RPG’s was born.

 

 

By this time i had my own Sega Megadrive/Genesis and i began to play such games as Soleil, Fatal Labyrinth and Shining Force. This continued when we got a Playstation and my love for RPG’s really began to blossom, especially the turn-based variety. Final Fantasy 7 was like a door opening into this fascinating new world, i’ll never forget the first moment that train pulled into the station and Barrett and Cloud hopped off it almost seamlessly. My very first “wow” moment in gaming (the other ones being Lost Odyssey and watching The Division trailer)  I began to play more and more RPG’s – Suikoden, Vandal Hearts, Breath of Fire, Wild Arms, all fantastic series which i loved.

 

This PS2 continued this great time for me as a gamer with more fantastic games, continuing the series of established franchises (i’ll ignore Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter for my own sanity, and probably yours)  and also introducing new ones such as what is now my favourite series – Disgaea and Shadow Hearts.

 

However it was also around this time i saw the writing on the wall for my favourite genre and it started with FFX-2. I loved FFX and was extremely excited for this sequel, more of the same i thought, i even paid 60 pounds for the import version because i couldn’t wait the extra 5 or 6 months it always took Europe to get the games, boy was i wrong. The story had devolved into some J-Pop nonsense, they had ruined Blitzball and the battle system had changed. This was the beginning of a dark time for my personal tastes as a gamer of which it has barely recovered.

 

 

FFXII came out and it was more of the same, the classic turn based battle system had totally gone now and with it the control over the entire party. Never will i understand or like any game that restricts my control, i don’t care what in-depth AI they have for my party members it will never be as good as just letting me control them myself. Atlus realised this with Persona 3 and that’s why FES came to be but sadly Square-Enix have continued down this path. It gets even more aggravating when if your character dies the game is over as for some reason your computer controlled team mates can’t chuck you a Phoenix Down. Along with this, more and more RPG’s were now coming out with action style battle systems. When i see the reviews i see how “advanced” and “exciting”  these are meant to be yet i’ll never see the allure of hammering away at the X button killing a screen full of the same enemy model over and over with the same combo over and over. Forgive me but i don’t see how that is more advanced.

 

The PS3 continued this theme and the RPG’s that were released were often awful, FFXIII was an abomination and a perfect example of what i talked about in the last paragraph. Infact if it wasn’t for Disgaea 3 and 4 i probably would have lost interest in gaming almost altogether. Thankfully they had 100’s of hours of content to keep me busy and keep that flame of love for RPG’s burning. This generation allowed me time to go back and play stuff i missed or to revisit old classics i loved and also to finally beat Luca Blight in Suikoden 2.

 

 

But now i see a slight glimmer of hope on the horizon. Ni No Kuni was a good start although still not perfect and Bravely Default was a welcome return to SE’s roots while also showing that there is still a market for Turn-Based RPG’s. Recently SE publicly said they were surprised at Bravely Defaults success and would have to re-evaluate their approach, to that i say it’s about time but i still see the trailer for FFXV and sigh. The Turn-Based RPG fan has long been ignored by games developers and it’s time for a return back to that time and hopefully less of a focus on the dude bro shooters that have plagued the industry for the last generation. I hope so because i love games and i want that passion back that i had for them.

 

To the games companies – The fans of Turn-Based RPG’s didn’t disappear, we’re still here, it’s just that the games did.