I agree. Zelda's definitely not innovative, and I say that as an apologist of the post-OOT games. It's more like an example of neo-classicism in game design. No atonality, no improvisation or formal experimentation. But almost perfectly tuned for the narrow path it walks. And I suspect that's why the series still has a lot of fans.
Nice article, although I disagree with most of it - I love the "interlocking puzzle" Zelda, the claustrophobia of the design, the beauty of each travel location and dungeon connecting in a long unbroken chain. It's almost beautiful watching it all play out, each power to the next. The article does make one misstep: "Zelda sucks, and it has sucked for a long time." That's a line not worthy of the rest of the article. But the article redeems itself, if you manage to get past that line. Well done!
Sometimes I don't want to go searching around burning bushes and pushing rocks for four hours; sometimes I don't want want to get my ass handed to me a hundred times in a row them fist-pump the air when I succeed. In short, sometimes I want to play Skyward Sword. I want to play Wind Waker. I want Majora's Mask to exist (which has darker themes, but if anything is less expansive than those made before or after). I still love Ocarina of Time and I'll always remember how I felt when first stepping into Hyrule Field... maybe that feeling was eventually sullied for the 90%, but not for me.
Don't feed the troll, and don't confuse the publisher with the developer. Oh, and this is the best game of 2011.
No doubt. My favorite 2D platformer in years, and my favorite Rayman game next to The Great Escape, with animation, graphics, design, controls and music all stellar.
I need to take this opportunity to say it: if you love platformers, buy this now. Target has them for $10 off MSRP, if I recall. This is a better game than New Super Mario Bros., and about on par with Donkey Kong Country Returns. I hoped this would be something special, but my expectations were way exceeded.
This is the most awesome music video I have ever seen.
From what I've played, it's the IDEA of Minecraft I find irresistible. It reminds me of this game for the Atari 2600 called Surround (think blocky Tron light cycles)... one of the bonus modes was a "draw" move. I used to make blocky side-view dwellings with roofs, rooms, staircases and trap doors (mind you, it was just blocks on a screen, no interactivity).
Minecraft seems like a more interactive, vastly more involved version of that same idea. And it's wonderful. And yet it seems most of the people I know who are addicted to this game are software engineers. They love the idea that the game ITSELF is a problem in need of a solution, a problem which can be solved by communities and research (like software coding). That way you can share information, brag, etc.
Me? I prefer games that give you everything you need to thrive by yourself, even (especially) if the act of thriving is extremely challenging. In other words, I want to be able to figure stuff out without being required to resort to wikis and message boards. That's why I'll be passing on this for now... maybe 2.0? I have a feeling this is going to be a very long-term/ongoing project.
Minecraft seems like a more interactive, vastly more involved version of that same idea. And it's wonderful. And yet it seems most of the people I know who are addicted to this game are software engineers. They love the idea that the game ITSELF is a problem in need of a solution, a problem which can be solved by communities and research (like software coding). That way you can share information, brag, etc.
Me? I prefer games that give you everything you need to thrive by yourself, even (especially) if the act of thriving is extremely challenging. In other words, I want to be able to figure stuff out without being required to resort to wikis and message boards. That's why I'll be passing on this for now... maybe 2.0? I have a feeling this is going to be a very long-term/ongoing project.
Some people are annoyed for reasons of content, others for reason of form.
The content people are annoyed that someone is criticizing a game they like in a humorous / sarcastic style, which is the same old "how come my game didn't get a 10?" rage, which is yes, depressing, and easily dismissed.
But the form people have a valid complaint. How can they enjoy all the enjoyable humor and sarcasm if it's wandering lost in a thematic blizzard?
The content people are annoyed that someone is criticizing a game they like in a humorous / sarcastic style, which is the same old "how come my game didn't get a 10?" rage, which is yes, depressing, and easily dismissed.
But the form people have a valid complaint. How can they enjoy all the enjoyable humor and sarcasm if it's wandering lost in a thematic blizzard?
You are are being pretty harsh. This isn't "nothing". It's a collection of small "somethings" which have no narrative glue to hold them together into a cohesive read. Losing your audience shouldn't be a point of pride. It's a sign something you're doing something wrong, unless you're writing only for yourself, in which case, why bother publishing?
Okay, so that's out of the way: Tim Rogers still needs an editor to shape his madness into something resembling a "fun reading experience". So why am I defending him? This time he makes some really good and (occasionally) tongue-in-cheek points about Skyrim from the perspective of a semi-outsider, and for the most part I agree with them, even though I love these games (too).
So here's a fun tip: read this like a menu, not an "article". Scan around, pick out what you want, and ignore the rest. You might find something good in there, like the "Eternal Rookie" theory buried in the 2,000 words of section six, or Sean Bean and Patrick Stewart references, or the part where he mentions the "playing [X] the right way" series is kind of irritatingly named, which is true.
I'm thankful he split the article into numbered sections this time. Tim: if you're going to continue to unleash your subconscious on us, keep doing that!
Okay, so that's out of the way: Tim Rogers still needs an editor to shape his madness into something resembling a "fun reading experience". So why am I defending him? This time he makes some really good and (occasionally) tongue-in-cheek points about Skyrim from the perspective of a semi-outsider, and for the most part I agree with them, even though I love these games (too).
So here's a fun tip: read this like a menu, not an "article". Scan around, pick out what you want, and ignore the rest. You might find something good in there, like the "Eternal Rookie" theory buried in the 2,000 words of section six, or Sean Bean and Patrick Stewart references, or the part where he mentions the "playing [X] the right way" series is kind of irritatingly named, which is true.
I'm thankful he split the article into numbered sections this time. Tim: if you're going to continue to unleash your subconscious on us, keep doing that!
Agreed. This teacup tempest is about three words: "The Best Way". That's what people are responding to here--not to the article content, which is useful and good-natured and really kind of unassailable.
People: It's the standard Kotaku glib-tone. The standard snark. How long have we been reading this site?
Getting my bundle next week, looking forward to it. But not reading too many more of these gudes... trying to keep a fresh eye.
People: It's the standard Kotaku glib-tone. The standard snark. How long have we been reading this site?
Getting my bundle next week, looking forward to it. But not reading too many more of these gudes... trying to keep a fresh eye.
The Harry Potter Lego games are among the best I've ever played, and I'm not just counting Lego games. Ridiculously fun. It does help if you're familiar with the books and movies. The spell system in particular is really well-done, as is the open world hub which doubles as its own mega-level. Though with Lego HP 5-7, the SD version is really beginning to show its age (true of Star Wars III as well). On the Wii, textures and frame rate all take a hit.
Although I haven't experienced crashes yet in Lego HP 2, apparently they're just as common here as in the earlier titles. They must have a very unwieldy engine, because I've had a lot of frozen screens on these games (with that loud, high-pitched tone).
Although I haven't experienced crashes yet in Lego HP 2, apparently they're just as common here as in the earlier titles. They must have a very unwieldy engine, because I've had a lot of frozen screens on these games (with that loud, high-pitched tone).
I'm warming to this column because I like knowing the writers' more off-the-cuff opinions on the games coming out. It is a little odd reading a gut check both from people who have played through most of a game alongside the impressions of those who (admittedly) not played it at all, but if I wanted a more thorough analysis, I'd read the full review.
It's okay if a reviewer thinks Kirby Return to Dreamland "just isn't very good", or if Skyward Sword doesn't get them exited enough to unpack their Wii. It won't affect my ultimate inclination, and it shouldn't affect yours either.
It's okay if a reviewer thinks Kirby Return to Dreamland "just isn't very good", or if Skyward Sword doesn't get them exited enough to unpack their Wii. It won't affect my ultimate inclination, and it shouldn't affect yours either.
I loved the variety of the San Andreas world: parachuting into Los Santos, riding buggies in the hills at twilight, trucking over the bridge to San Fierro, getting lost in the desert... atmosphere counts for a lot in these games, and I got sick of the endless grit and grime of Liberty City in GTA IV. Although we've already been to Los Santos, Rockstar already has a head start on the general map, so if they use the SA map as a starting point, they won't have to spend so much developing a brand-new world. In fact I'm betting that's one of the reasons they're revisiting LS.
It's kind of a speculation frenzy in the game press after the release of the 3DS, and I think in no small part that is fueled by a portion of the readership, which is hungry for Nintendo to fall short of expectations after years of swallowing the bitter pill of "teh casual market" invading "teh hardcore market". You can sense a sort of glee behind the dire prognostication.
We imported the SNES from Japan when it was first released, so this era reminds me of rounded edges and bright candy colors, which are (I agree) better suited to the spirit of the console.
However, in order to play North American "wedge" carts, we had to file down the edges of the cart slot to accommodate them.
However, in order to play North American "wedge" carts, we had to file down the edges of the cart slot to accommodate them.
I didn't care for Ultra Star (I know, blasphemy!) because the levels were too easy to blast through with 100%, and many of the level designs were mostly sparse and unimaginative. The real bulk of the game were frustrating boss rush arenas, and by that time I was burned out. Only a handful of Kirby titles (Canvas Curse, Squeak Squad and Epic Yarn) have populated the level design and art design with enough inventiveness to keep me coming back. This one looks like a winner, too.
Okay, so I also liked Kirby's Adventure on the NES. How can you not?
Okay, so I also liked Kirby's Adventure on the NES. How can you not?
DKCR is definitely harder in multiplayer mode, though a lot of fun. It gets pretty crazy when you're both doing timed platform leaps. Synchronizing your movement through the levels really makes it almost a completely different game, as with NSMB-Wii.
Looks like the new Kirby is going for the same kind of multiplayer dynamic as those two games.
Looks like the new Kirby is going for the same kind of multiplayer dynamic as those two games.
While I wouldn't go so far as to say "tragedy", this portion of the article felt a little tacky to me, considering the (to me obvious) uphill battle a portable system like the Play (which is floating in an ocean of competitors) has ahead of it. The N-Gage comparisons, while unfair in some respects, are actually quite valid in many others. The thing at least LOOKS like a million other attempts at portable smartphone gaming.
A portable game system that is unfocused in what it delivers, even if it delivers many awesome things at once, is more likely to fail as a platform because too many other consoles already deliver better, focused quality gaming experiences. And also, without a decent app store interface, you're dead in the water, as Nintendo has learned.
A portable game system that is unfocused in what it delivers, even if it delivers many awesome things at once, is more likely to fail as a platform because too many other consoles already deliver better, focused quality gaming experiences. And also, without a decent app store interface, you're dead in the water, as Nintendo has learned.
The less you know about Monster Hunter going into a game like Tri (for example), the less painful the early hours are, because so many tutorials and explanations are being thrown at you at once. Veterans will be bored, but I was fascinated. By the time you get a handle on it the basic controls and structures, you're doing missions that have a better payoff than (say) "collect herbs" or "hit these mini-raptors with a stick".
It's a grind? Sure. Like the Disgaea series, it's a long-term commitment for detail-oriented RPG fanatics. I doubt putting HD graphics on the model is going to transform its Western market appeal.
It's a grind? Sure. Like the Disgaea series, it's a long-term commitment for detail-oriented RPG fanatics. I doubt putting HD graphics on the model is going to transform its Western market appeal.
I realize George is something of a hero around these parts, standing up to the big evil corporation with his irreverent free information crusade, and that this case has ramifications for the larger issues of information control, etc. etc., but do any OTHER normally pacifistic and rationally-minded adults feel the urge, after gazing into his dead slacker eyes, to punch him in the throat just a little bit?
