I think a 6.5 is plenty fair, that's just short of a 7. People are so used to seeing nothing but 8-10s from every game that comes out (which is the fault of writers and reviewers, by the way) that anything less looks like a failure. 6.5 counts as "Fair" as in, not the best but not bad. That seems to be the general vibe I'm getting from most people that play the game, and personally I like that Gamespot reviews haven't been 9's across the board lately. Let's see how long before they slip into bad habits.
SEGA is well-known at this point for ignoring the pleas of the West (PSO, anyone?). And then they wonder why their reputation means nada, and they're going broke.
Actually, I sort of agree. I can't believe I'm saying that.
Here's the thing, I LOVE gore. Love, love, love it! But just like horror, it can get to a point where it's over the top and loses its impact, because it's just everywhere. It belongs in games like Mortal Kombat where that's expected, it belongs in games going for realism like a really good war FPS, etc. Basically, gore has a place, but that place isn't in EVERY video game, ever. It's just not. Has anyone ever actually seen a gunshot wound? Like, a real one? Unless you're nailing someone in an artery, you're not going to see fountains of blood splash out all at once, and even then it doesn't happen as fast as portrayed.
I liked the days when gore made me go...OMG! Did you see that!?....now I just sort of yawn and wait for the cinematic to finish so I can move on. I'd prefer a much more realistic amount of gore in a game; don't hide from it or censor it, but don't over-dramatize it, either.
It's better not to think about it too hard. You can't take the money with you when you die, so provided you play responsibly and don't let gaming become such a compulsion that you forfeit your ability to care both for yourself and family, who cares that the 5/10/15/whatever about a month you spend becomes much larger over a lifetime. I could say the same thing about everything, from going to dinner to paying rent. Doesn't change the fact that money is there, ultimately, to be spent. Do so wisely, set aside a teeny little portion of each check as your "**** around" fund and feel absolutely no guilt as to what it gets spent on.
Some of the arguments in the comments are completely glazing over the point, just as some the arguments in the article did. No, the typical male gamer doesn't look like the God of War, but neither is he hyper-sexualized to the degree female characters are. However, this isn't entirely the fault of developers/publishers. I place this blame solely on the audience for games. Yes, females are playing games more than they used to, but they're still not as comparable a demographic, nor as reliable of one, as their male counterparts. This explains why, when one game finally dared to sexualize the male body and even offer full frontal nudity (Dante's Inferno) there was a mess of drama over it. Even less extreme examples, like Snake from Metal Gear Solid and his infamous glutes, gain far more attention than they should for far less positive (if you could call the lust directed at female characters 'positive') reasons. The male body is frequently demonized and degraded while the female body is cherished and put on display. As a 3d modeler and animator, I'm not even allowed to give male characters the slightest semblance of a bulge, and God forbid their asses be slightly more realistic than pancake-flat. I can throw gigantic breasts on a woman no matter how young she looks, but create a male character with even the slightest of realism and suddenly, "Oh no, we can't have that." Whose fault is that, exactly?
@Landsharkk Nope. Fanbois on one side or the other will of course claim one is better than the other, but honestly they're both more alike than they are different. LoL is slightly more accessible, and I've found the community to be ~slightly~ (emphasis on slightly) less prone to rage quitting and bullying, but overall they're both great games.
That's pretty awesome, actually. I'm wondering how they plan on making money this way, though. I can't imagine purely aesthetic items doing well in a MOBA...or do they? Perhaps I'm underestimating the customization people put into these characters.
I like that the company is trying to be fair, I love it, but likewise I wouldn't want them belly-up and unable to develop more content because no one's buying anything. I'll probably do like I plan to do with GW2, throw some money at the cash shop on occasion just to chip in and keep the game going even though there's nothing in there I really need.
Hear that, developers? We will indeed support you based solely on principle if we love you enough.
@destiny_falcon Not entirely true. I have no love lost for Gamestop, but they're not the only ones that would be hurt. I've bought more used games directly from the people who owned them through eBay than I've ever bought from a gaming outlet. If publishers want to go after someone over used games, go after places like Gamestop, who give $10 credit for a game they turn around and resell for $40+. THAT is shady. Some guy on eBay trying to sell off his games and hardware because he's desperate to pay a bill? They need to leave that alone, and stay out of people's personal lives.
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