The problem with gaming critics and the gaming community at large is that they don't even know what they should like in their own medium. What should be praised first? Gameplay, or story? Can you neglect one while excelling in the other? It's amazing how different the opinions are in what constitutes a good video game, and this isn't good.

Prior to the shitastic Star Wars and the emergence of asinine blockbusters, most audiences and critics generally agreed upon what would constitute a good film: this is why a film such as The Godfather was both the highest grossing film of 1972 and considered a stone-cold artistic classic upon release. But even when critical standards are lower for "popcorn films" today, you can't get away with bad acting, production values, dialogue etc just because you're focusing on special effects and movie star power, because the ideas for "the standard" have previously been entrenched in the minds of critics and audiences.

Critically assessing games is still generally up in the air. I fully believe that there are games out there from which you can derive what should be assessed in a great game (Overwatch and its critical and commercial, seemingly longtail success comes to mind. Hitman's critical long tail also comes to mind), but critics haven't yet done what music, film, and television critics have done and extrapolated from excellent examples of yesterday, just what makes a video game good.

Thus, when you don't have a list of standards from which you can refer to, you're easily swept away by glitz and glamour, such as a Playstation 4 exclusive, heavily marketed, with huge production values and cinema-like presentation i.e Uncharted 4.

What the ****, just no.

If you want to commend AC3 for being ambitious, then it's akin to having sex with a girl who wants to wow you with all the tricks she learned over the course of binge-watching pornhub, only for her to vomit on your dick and fart in your face.

AC2 may have just been a casual blowjob but at least she made you blow your load.

So what you're saying is Hitman is the underrated European film with a detached sense of cool, while Metal Gear Solid is that Far Eastern anime that's objectively weird but somehow finds itself tickling the anuses of a niche group of die-hards.

Guys, nobody thinks you're a geek if you play with a handheld in public.

If you know my shit posting history, you'll know that I continuously rub this geeky hobby in the face of people. So yeah, take my word for it.

It's cool, play games in public. You might even find someone looking over at being interested in what you play.

@quadknight said:

Is that Chester from Linkin Park? lol

What's this meme by the way? I thought edge was when you get yourself to a climax but stop yourself from cumming. Same thing?

You're missing the point.

Gamers are like Rihanna/One Direction fans, except way fucking worse. Those pop music fans just want the same thing over and over and over again until something brand new takes them by storm, and none of them have the brain power to actually figure out what they would like if they rubbed some grey matter together.

The problem is, even though Rihanna/One Direction are huge, they're still a drop in the ocean compared to the range of music people around the world like, support, encourage, and grow. This is why we get good music year in, year out.

This is not the same with the video game community. Your medium is shit because you keep eating shit up until you can't take it anymore. You never had the balls to say "wait, I should stop consuming the same thing a bit", you just kept going until something new and shiny caught you're attention. You're the reason Halo went up to 5. You're the reason Final Fantasy is up to 15. You're the reason Forza, Gears, Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty are annualised. You could've helped the industry by supporting less of the same crap consistently. Rather, with your lack of discipline, the industry is slowly grinding to a halt.

And now, you're going on to rape one of the very few excellent AAA games out there. Few are having the balls to go "You know what, The Last of Us was a great standalone game, let's ask for something new and different."

You know what the ironic thing is?

The Last of Us was that refreshing change to Naughty Dog's Uncharted sequelisation. It was more of the same, and in fact it was pretty much playing it safe. But it was different enough to garner praise. It's not the fact that the Last of Us 2 exists, it's the fact that the hype just went through the roof for one stinking reveal trailer. Is there nothing developers and gamers won't molest until death?

Between massive AAA games not making their target mark, the constant nickel-and-diming to cover costs of your desired big budget games, the fact that you guys constantly look for "sales", and the relative dearth of creativity in the industry which actually fuels growth in the long term , you guys are literally the worst fans of your own medium.

The worst.

Sports fans can be grating, but you are worse.

Music fans can be wrong most of the time, but you are worse.

Film buffs can be snobbish arseholes, but you are worse.

Tabletop gaming fans can be super geeky, but you are worse.

And I don't know why this is. What is it about video games that makes you ultimate manchildren?

I wanted this to be the absolute worst of the worst for the community:

But straight up going goo goo ga ga over more, potentially uncreative sequels takes the cake. How can you be so nerdy, geeky, and spend hundreds of dollars on your own hobby and literally like the same shit over and over again? It astounds me.

This is why gaming is garbage.

Look at people getting mega hyped over a reveal trailer for a sequel that will most probably play it safe.

Stories technically don't improve over time. They just happen to be, and they're either good or they're not good. No one's going to say that Harry Potter is better than Dante's Divine Comedy, the latter being centuries older.

Storytelling in a particular medium can improve though, the more you understand the medium. In that regard, it's almost inevitable that storytelling in video games have improved. The problem is that it's at such a glacial pace because telling a story isn't necessary to making a good game. We've been enjoying video games for almost 40 years without anyone trying to reach the storytelling heights of poems, music, literature, or theatre and film. That will never change.

I was looking to purchase it as a Christmas present for someone. When I saw the price, I said lolno.

It costs more than the actual effing PS4.

This will be why it will ultimately bomb.

Sega's original mascot, before Sonic came along!