General Video Game Discussion

Buuhan1

I've thought a thread like this was needed for some time now, but wasn't entirely sure. Basically a thread to talk about news and such that don't belong in a specific thread, something trivial that doesn't deserve its own thread, or to just talk about things video game related in general.

To start, just a random little mess going on regarding an indy developer and a certain organization.

Anyone know of that indy game that came out on WiiWare and XBLA called "Super Meat Boy"? Well PETA, being PETA, made a parody game of it (similar to their Cooking Mama parody). To combat it, the developer made this response on twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/SuperMeatBoy/status/10140239737659392

Naturally, despite PETA shooting first, now all the Twitter PETA'ers are raging war. Quite amusing. Kinda wanna get the game to support them now, but I hear it is bloody hard.

Hiroy

The thread should have something that insist that it's about "news" or something like that. It's a better hook.

Anyway… I don't understand why PETA is on Super Meat Boy. It's simply a fun arcade game in where you play as a cute cube made of raw bloody meat.

Also... Go support the game. That's not a good reason not too.

Buuhan1

But I'll rage and not beat it. Wish it'd come to PSN, but that's not happening for some reason.

Hiroy

I don't think it's really about beating it. It's all about getting as far as you can and having fun trying to figure out pattens in levels. Even putting it down for a while after frustration could end up luring you back in. Believe me, and I only played the Dark World levels from the demo. For what it offers, it's a nice "pick up and play" game.

Cyber-Robin

Super Meat Boy is one of the games I keep needing to buy but probably never will due to the backlog I have ;-;

Anywho. What should I play next?

Assbro, Just Cause 2 or A Boy and His Blob?

TakinawaTonfa

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/02/tofu-boy-being-added-to-super-meat-boy-pc-in-next-patch/

McMillen is an awesome dude.

Buuhan1

@TakinawaTonfa:

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/02/tofu-boy-being-added-to-super-meat-boy-pc-in-next-patch/

McMillen is an awesome dude.

Oh, so basically flooded the PETA forums and that's why they did the parody? I figured PETA just did it unprovoked. Still hilarious, tho.

Insider2000

@TakinawaTonfa:

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/12/02/tofu-boy-being-added-to-super-meat-boy-pc-in-next-patch/

McMillen is an awesome dude.

Downloading a trial of that game when I get home.

That story alone is fucking awesome.

Hiroy

Lol! PETAphile is the word of the century now.

SympathyX

I had one of these a few weeks back:
http://apforums.net/showthread.php?t=30614

any chance of merging?

RageaSarus

The thread… merging with Super Meat Boy in... 5... 4... 3... 1...

Buuhan1

A game title recently was trademarked in both Japan the US by the name of "Lollipop Chainsaw". It now turns out that Grasshopper (No More Heroes) is developing this currently unknown game.

Grasshopper + that absurd title = Quite intrigued

Cyber-Robin

No more Geometry Wars ;-; Bizarre Creations shuts its doors.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/107757-Bizarre-Creations-Dies-on-Friday

Oh and Blur too…..(never played it)

sanji499

I have noticed that the game covers in the US are more explicit than the european or Japanese covers.

Cyber-Robin

@sanji499:

I have noticed that the game covers in the US are more explicit than the european or Japanese covers.

I dunno about that.

X-Blades game cover in US has her wearing panties. Cover in Europe and Japan doesn't.

I recently read this. It's linked to it =3

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/columns/extra-punctuation/8631-Extra-Punctuation-American-Box-Art-Sucks

Personally I think each one has some good ones and vice versa. It doesn't seem to be consistant.

sanji499

One of the comments said "
Because America is all about identifying with the main character- becoming the main character, so that's what we want to see on our box art. Admittedly, not always, but mostly. And we can't identify with a character (or characters) if we don't know what they look like."

It seems Americans are more in the visual than imagination and symbolism.

I think the Heavy rain cover for Japan and Europe are more memorable and reasonates harder in my mind. I am more the imaginative type.

It is the same for MGS3. I think seeing an artwork of the Boss and Naked Snake is more interesting than Snake hiding behind a tree.

Buuhan1

This is what Epic thinks next-gen should look like, and I agree.

http://m.kotaku.com/5774861/epic-says-this-is-what-next+gen-should-look-like/gallery/

Cyber-Robin

Damn. It's so…..dark. I hate having to adjust the brightness on the TV for games (only to get blinded once I switch to Mario or Katamari)

GuetaMinute

Really? You saw those graphics and the first thing you noticed was the darkness?

A few of those screenshots could have fucking fooled me. (none of the facial ones)

Buuhan1

It goes to show you, games can always look better despite our "It's so real!" reaction at the start of each generation.

Gekko135

I don't care how nice the games look. Stop making them less than ten hours! Or at least charge us the admission of a movie to buy the damn thing!
Go ahead guys… make yer games look sexy and sleek. Have them fucking cigarettes look photogenic.

I'll still be coming to the video store and renting your afternoon length masterpieces...
Gimme a shitty looking fallout game I can sink my fucking teeth into!

Anyway, I missed the Super Meat Boy talk... but I wanted to add one thing.

The sound track fucking rules!

Great stage music!
ADAoSJXt6HQ

And this, is a fucking boss theme! Hypes me up every time I hear it.
ATrQKgfLpD0

GuetaMinute

Not all games with amazing graphics are necessarily boring or short.

Most FPS, yes, but not all games.

Hiroy

Epic needs to talk about gameplay to please me instead of catering graphic whores. Showcases of graphics are always boring as shit to me, because after I buy the game I realize the showcases weren't really important.

If they really think that's how all games should look like, then they need to go make some fucking movies.

Buuhan1

You're ignorant if you think graphics aren't an important thing in video games. Sure, graphics don't mean shit if the game doesn't play well and there's games that look like shit but play well, but to just throw graphics a side like that is like saying the exact same thing to gameplay. They are two sides of the same coin, they always have been, and they always will.

Games like Uncharted 2 is what all games should aspire to be like. Bloody gorgeous and great gameplay.

Insider2000

@Buuhan1:

You're ignorant if you think graphics aren't an important thing in video games.

Ignorance doesn't apply to this conversation in any way, shape, or form.

@Buuhan1:

Sure, graphics don't mean shit if the game doesn't play well and there's games that look like shit but play well, but to just throw graphics a side like that is like saying the exact same thing to gameplay. They are two sides of the same coin, they always have been, and they always will.

They are called 'games'. Gameplay is the key factor.

Remove the beef patty, and a hamburger is no longer a hamburger. Remove the pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, or onions, and it's both still a hamburger and the general way I prefer eating a hamburger.

Games like Uncharted 2 is what all games should aspire to be like. Bloody gorgeous and great gameplay.

I have to wait another five years for the next chapter in Final Fantasy to come out because of graphic rendering. God knows, we can't have decent stories or gameplay, but we'll get life like graphics. That makes everything better. :getlost:

GuetaMinute

Ehh, I'm in between the
"LOL GRAPHICS ARE TEH BEST FUCK U NINTENDO AND UR KIDDY SHIT AND BAD GFX LOOLOLOL LOOK AT MY SUPER PC PLAYING CRYSIS MAXED OUT"
and
"LOL FUCK U HD FAGS WE DONT NEED GFX WE GOT GAMEPLAY EVEN THOUGH GAMES CAN HAVE BOTH BUT WE WONT ADMIT TO IT BECUZ THE WII HAS SHITTY GFX LOL"
crowds. I can defend both, pretty much.

Hiroy

@Buuhan1:

You're ignorant if you think graphics aren't an important thing in video games. Sure, graphics don't mean shit if the game doesn't play well and there's games that look like shit but play well, but to just throw graphics a side like that is like saying the exact same thing to gameplay. They are two sides of the same coin, they always have been, and they always will.

Games like Uncharted 2 is what all games should aspire to be like. Bloody gorgeous and great gameplay.

You missed the point bro. I'm talking about this damned showcase of facial textures, reflections and all that shit you find good. Because in all when it comes to the final product, that stuff would hardly even matter.

There were several articles I have read in past about games that are currently out. Mass Effect, Uncharted, Lair(freaking Lair), Oblivion, Bioshock, generic shooter #9000, ect. The articles went into detail about the technology used on facial textures, mapping, environmental lighting, effects and whatever tricks they can pull off to fool the human eye into thinking "IT LOOKS REAL!".

When I played they games, you think I spent 50 hours splashing about in pre-rendered water, admiring facial features like a painting, and screwing a 3D model of a woman because they looked realistic? Nah. I spent time playing the game, getting from point A to point B, and doing things that was required to obtain a reward or finish the game. When it comes to the technology behind making the game, none of that mattered to me one bit.

Buuhan1

Good, I'm happy for you. But advances in graphics is very important, and it is a crucial part of games rather you care about them or not. Facial mapping and textures, the way water moves when your character swims through it, and other little things that ultimately add great depth may not seem important to you, but they are important.

The advances of these elements allow artists to create worlds and have them truly realized, rather they be ultra-realstic or cartoonish. For me constantly evolving graphics means more resources to game designers, just as color and CGI were to filmmakers, or tablets and illustration software to artists. There's plenty who'd voice displeasure to CGI, or traditional artists to digital artists, but it doesn't change the fact of what these advances have allowed others to achieve.

GuetaMinute

I'm one of those who believes better graphics can actually make the experience more complete, and immerse one more into the game. Imagine an incredibly atmospheric FPS (Metroid Prime) with maxed-out Crysis graphics.

Graphics don't make a game, but they can certainly enrich the overall experience.

Sometimes I wish I was rich and could afford a super-fucking-awesome PC and play all these exclusives coming out this year (or some that'll clearly run and play better on PC because that was the platform they're intended for)

Cyber-Robin

Wind Waker had nice graphics. Although they look kinda blocky nowadays. Still beautiful.

Had nice gameplay too (except that whole triforce collection crap. God I hated that)

But the problem I'm finding is too many devs are going for graphics and turning out poorer games in general. God of War 3 looks amazing compared to 1 and 2. Yet it's pretty darn bleh. As is FF XIII. Assassin's Creed 2 and Bioshock managed to balance them a bit.

Robby

Final Fantasy 4, 5 and 6 beat the shit out of final fantasy 10, 12 and 13, and they were done on Super Nintendo. Final Fantasy 7, 8 and 9 are generally better liked than the later games as well, and they were on Playstation.

Mario 1, 2, 3, and Super are great games. Donkey Kong Country.Sonic 1, 2, 3, and Knuckles. Chrono Trigger. Mario Kart was a perfect game on the SNES, and it hasn't changed much over the course of all the systems and graphic upgrades. The original Star Fox was a series of triangles and squares and it was fantastic.

Tetris and Pacman are among the greatest games ever made.

Yes, I'll take Super Metroid over regular Metroid any day, but it was a better game all around anyway. Graphics are important, sure. But they haven't needed to be photorealistic for the last 20 years, and they don't need to be now. The difference between Virtua Fighter 2 and Virtua Fighter 5 is so minimal beyond the graphic upgrades and minor tweaks its almost a moot point.

Graphics do matter, if they're bad to the point of distraction (for instance, I find Phantasy Star nearly unplayable) but they're not the end all be all. GAMEPLAY is king, every time.

MagiciteKefka

If we're talking graphics that makes good games, we just have to mention Okami. Sure, even without the beautiful art direction the game would have been great, but it wouldn't have been as memorable.

I'm mostly a fan of modern games, since i was born in 1993. I kinda grew up with a Playstation and a N64, but i've played loads of more old school games now that i'm older. Final Fantasy VI and IX are two of my favourite games, and that has nothing at all to do with graphics. I still consider FFXIII to be a good game, but that's mostly because of the graphics, no one can deny that the game looked great.

Robby

@MagiciteKefka:

If we're talking graphics that makes good games, we just have to mention Okami. Sure, even without the beautiful art direction the game would have been great, but it wouldn't have been as memorable.

Yes, and that just proves the point. Its not photorealistic, and its much more memorable for it. Its also going to age really well because its so stylized, the look they achieved will always be cool.

MagiciteKefka

@RobbyBevard:

Yes, and that just proves the point. Its not photorealistic, and its much more memorable for it. Its also going to age really well because its so stylized, the look they achieved will always be cool.

Yup, true. Okami has for the latest 10 years or so been the pinnacle of video game graphics, for me at least.

Buuhan1

@MagiciteKefka:

Yup, true. Okami has for the latest 10 years or so been the pinnacle of video game graphics, for me at least.

Considering the game's only 5 years old, that's some serious praise right there. But I agree, Okami will definitely be one of those games that holds up. It's already considered a classic, it could quite possibly be considered a "holy grail" of gaming in another decade or two. I still feel sad I never played it for more than a few hours back when it came out.

MagiciteKefka

@Buuhan1:

Considering the game's only 5 years old, that's some serious praise right there.

Yeah, it is. But i haven't seen a game before that pushes the graphics on its own console (in this case the PS2) in a completely other direction from what most people want. Most people want realistic graphics, Okami went in the completely opposite way. But of course, games from the SNES and PS/N64 era pushed its consoles limits as well, but they didn't do anything spectacular that really grabbed my interest. Sure, the games look nice, but Okami has been the only one where i was truly amazed.

GuetaMinute

Holy shit does everyone suck on Okami's d now? Or at least everyone on AP Forums?

Cyber-Robin

Because Okami deserves it. Seriously. It's that damn good. I don't think I've ever met anyone who is serious about games and doesn't like Okami.

But does it surprise you that a Forum for a Japanese Manga loves an Awesome Japanese Game?

MagiciteKefka

@GuetaMinute:

Holy shit does everyone suck on Okami's d now? Or at least everyone on AP Forums?

Have you even played Okami before?

I agree with Cyber though, it is just that damn good, and anyone who's played it will understand that.

Mr. Zoro

I feel ashamed to say I haven't played Okami yet..

Or, having not played video games recently. I just started playing Super Street Fighter 4 the other day and just got back into the groove. Sure, I suck, but it's still a ton of fun.

Oh, video games, how I've missed you so~~

sanji499

I haven't played the silent hill series, nor Ico or Shadow of the colosus.

People want games to be more realistic. Isn't the purpose of a game is to evade reality for a short period of time ?

As a street fighter fan, I consider Street fighter alpha 2 to be the best of the series.

Hiroy

@GuetaMinute:

Holy shit does everyone suck on Okami's d now? Or at least everyone on AP Forums?

Same reason you suck on Halo's d and consider anyone that's a fan of games outside the western genre a cocksucker. You aren't the only picky and close minded gamer in this forum, nor do you have to express it all the damned time. Seriously. It's quite annoying. Nothing agianst you personally.

Anyway, Okami was originally going to have a more modernized style at the time but the idea was scrapped in place for something with a more "painted" look. They even had an unlock-able trailer in the game. If they did use those more "realistic" graphics, the game probably would not have been memorable or even long.

@sanji, you should play SotC. While most of the game was empty, the boss fights in the game were among the most interactive and imaginative I ever played agianst in an action-based game. There's noting more satisfying than controlling a fragile human with limited abilities abilities to take down enormous titans. If the overworld were smaller, it would have been a perfect game for me.

Cyber-Robin

I want Collossus so much. They always have it pre-owned for £25 in my local shop. But I never played Ico too so I'm gonna get the PS3 re-release. It's actually the thing I'm looking forward to most on there =3

SympathyX

@Cyber-Robin:

I want Collossus so much. They always have it pre-owned for £25 in my local shop. But I never played Ico too so I'm gonna get the PS3 re-release. It's actually the thing I'm looking forward to most on there =3

Twenty five quid for a fucking PS2 game?!

What a rip!

Toastboy

@RobbyBevard:

Graphics do matter, if they're bad to the point of distraction (for instance, I find Phantasy Star nearly unplayable) but they're not the end all be all. GAMEPLAY is king, every time.

I obviously want to have both great visuals and amazing gameplay, like Resident Evil 1&4 last gen, or Uncharted and Mario Galaxy this one, but many games that only shine due to achievements in graphic power will be surely forgotten, while stuff like Super Metroid still counts as one of the greatest games.
Not to mention that the art style is often also more important. As already mentioned, I'll also take something like Okami (or Killer7, etc.) over First Person Shooters that try to imitate current Hollywood ,,blockbusters'' visuals with unkind, bald main characters any day.

@RobbyBevard:

Yes, and that just proves the point. Its not photorealistic, and its much more memorable for it. Its also going to age really well because its so stylized, the look they achieved will always be cool.

Now it would be nice, if one would use such graphic power to create unique worlds and imaginative games like Okami again. But instead, most non-independent ,,big'' western developers this generation end up milking either a)bland space marine scenarios, b)realistic warfare, or c)uninspired Lord of the Rings-esque fantasy. It sickens me to the core. But the mainstream loves it, while Okami, anything made by Clover Studios/Platinum Games, etc. etc. keep being financial flops.
Which sadly also leads Japanese devs ruining their series, by making Resident Evil a shallow shooting game, or outsourcing Castlevania to some Spanish studio that turns it into bad God of War, etc.

RageaSarus

Can it be?!
A brand new Darksta– shot

http://www.capcom.co.jp/DD/

Seriously. What the fuck is that? :wassat:

Hiroy

Dammit… It's one of these cocktease countdown gimmicks.

Silence

It's probably a PSN and Xbox Live release of one of Capcom's best goddamn arcade beat-em-ups in existence.

I'm talking about DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: SHADOWS OF MYSTARRA.

It's the only Capcom franchise with a "DD" name, Darkstalkers and Monster Hunter don't come close aaaaaand:

This is a fucking dragon.

It was hands down one of my favorite Capcom games, rare as hell to find in the arcades. I played the shit out of this on MAME, and I hope to hell this is it.

RageaSarus

I WAS going to say "Dungeons and Dragons," but I thought I would be called "stupid."

TakinawaTonfa

The news breaks….

...Capcom actually announces a Quiz and Dragons remake.