What's wrong with developers these days? It seems like tons of games are bestowed with an open ending, just to keep a sequel in the running. Why is it so important to leave open the door for a continuation of the story? If it's a good game, people will always be interested in a new installment in the series, but these open endings just force us to buy these games if we want to know how the entire story will unfold over the course of years. What if I die, at an early age? Then I would die empty and unfilled with knowledge of some of the greatest tales in the history of mankind. Not that it's really going to bother me when I'm six feet under because I don't believe in the afterlife and so on. Not that there is a small part of me that wants to believe in such things. I've lost a good friend and a cousin in a traffic accident so, it's really shame that they couldn't fulfill their dreams and such.
Halo 2 ended in an abrupt way that I don't think anyone expected. It just ends in the middle of the story. That's a real bummer without a doubt. Why is Bungie taunting us? I think that we are all dying to know how the story will unfold itself. On the other hand it is nice to know that we can expect another Halo, but I hope that Bungie is going to release on the next generation of XBOX hardware. They've allready drained the potential out of this generation so it would be a real disappointement if Bungie would choose the easy way out.
Yesterday the second big shock in a time span of a couple of week occured. Half-Life 2, grabbed me in the groin the same way that Halo 2 did. What the hell just happened there, I'm still wondering? It's obvious that we can expect another sequel, but I sure do hope I don't have to wait until 2010 to know how it will end or who knows only just continues.
One of the best things about videogames is this feeling of satisfaction that you get, for finishing a really compelling game with a great story that just drew you into it from the beginning. When I'm confronted with an open ending I don't get this same feeling of satisfaction but I'm rather disappointed. It leaves the player wanting more, but it doesn't strike me as a complete experience. When I finished Ninja Gaiden or Riddick I had this feeling of "wow, i just finished a really great game". With Half-Life 2 and Halo 2, it's more something like I'm stuck in the middle of a really great game.
They've always told me that patience is a virtue, but having to wait how these possible great saga's may end is a real endeavor.
primeeh Blog
Fair Play?
by primeeh on Comments
It's been a rather good week regarding the appeal of sports. Earlier this week there was a little riot on the training field of soccer team AA Gent here in Belgium. Two players got into an argument and ended up beating the sh*t out of each other. It ended with the lovely climax of one guy picking up a bat and totally started pummeling the other guy. Little battles on the field are more then common: elbows, punches and even head butts. But two players that are on the same team come on what the hell were they thinking.
Just recently I've seen the video of the riot at the Indiana Pacers - Detroit Pistons NBA game. Talk about a messed up situation, this reminds of the time when Eric Cantona drop kicked a fan right in the face. I'm not really into the NBA because I live in Belgium but I don't think that's a common fact in an NBA game. With al this commotion around the concept of "fair play" the last couple of years, I'm really surprised that such things happen.
The funniest thing is that when people are looking for a scapegoat to blame the problems of violence among young people, videogames have become a beloved target. Some time ago this Belgian politician came up with the idea to ban violent videogames from our insignificant country. Games would endorse people to commit violent acts so they are evil and must be destroyed. Ironically this politician is known for beating the crap out of his own wife and there are pictures of him and the rest of his neo-nazi club beating up some poor guy in broad daylight. And yet we are the f*cked up generation and community. What kind of twisted and evil plot is that. If they want to ban videogames, they have to ban religion as well. Religion has been the main cause of violence since the dawn of civilization, but no, you can't look back at the millions of people that have been murdered in the name of God, that's blasphemy.
The blame has always been shifting from generation to generation. Wasn't Rock 'n Roll know as the Devil's music? How many psycho's have killed someone based on some gore filled scene out of a horror movie? Of course there are some cases in which it's obvious that games are involved. There was this strange kid out of the Netherlands with a really absurd fetish for Squall Lionheart (he even walked around in the same costume) that killed a guy. But hey violence is all around us. Why only blame videogames, when we see it everyday on the news, inside and outside of the stadium, movies,... Who says that some kid ain't gonna knock some other kids block of because he saw the violence at that NBA game?
The only thing we can really blame for violent acts is humanity itself. Violence is a rather large part of human nature. It's a fact that simply kind be denied. If we really want to get rid of it we should first look inside ourselves instead of blaming it on external factors.
Just recently I've seen the video of the riot at the Indiana Pacers - Detroit Pistons NBA game. Talk about a messed up situation, this reminds of the time when Eric Cantona drop kicked a fan right in the face. I'm not really into the NBA because I live in Belgium but I don't think that's a common fact in an NBA game. With al this commotion around the concept of "fair play" the last couple of years, I'm really surprised that such things happen.
The funniest thing is that when people are looking for a scapegoat to blame the problems of violence among young people, videogames have become a beloved target. Some time ago this Belgian politician came up with the idea to ban violent videogames from our insignificant country. Games would endorse people to commit violent acts so they are evil and must be destroyed. Ironically this politician is known for beating the crap out of his own wife and there are pictures of him and the rest of his neo-nazi club beating up some poor guy in broad daylight. And yet we are the f*cked up generation and community. What kind of twisted and evil plot is that. If they want to ban videogames, they have to ban religion as well. Religion has been the main cause of violence since the dawn of civilization, but no, you can't look back at the millions of people that have been murdered in the name of God, that's blasphemy.
The blame has always been shifting from generation to generation. Wasn't Rock 'n Roll know as the Devil's music? How many psycho's have killed someone based on some gore filled scene out of a horror movie? Of course there are some cases in which it's obvious that games are involved. There was this strange kid out of the Netherlands with a really absurd fetish for Squall Lionheart (he even walked around in the same costume) that killed a guy. But hey violence is all around us. Why only blame videogames, when we see it everyday on the news, inside and outside of the stadium, movies,... Who says that some kid ain't gonna knock some other kids block of because he saw the violence at that NBA game?
The only thing we can really blame for violent acts is humanity itself. Violence is a rather large part of human nature. It's a fact that simply kind be denied. If we really want to get rid of it we should first look inside ourselves instead of blaming it on external factors.
What's wrong with kids these days?
by primeeh on Comments
A deep question that has been pending on my mind for some time now. When you come in contact with a lot of other "gamers" you are always bound to meet people who have a different opinion or different values when it comes to gaming. We always tell each other to respect other peoples opinions but when they start ranting and raving about a game or a review without even trying to support their statement with useful comments that just ticks me of. I can start calling you names for an hour without stopping, but I don't think that will make much of an impact on other people.
There has been a lot of uproar regarding reviews lately. People seem to forget that a review is a personal opinion and not a broadcast towards the entire gaming community with the message: "You will respect my authority (or authoritaaah!)". I think it's kinda lame, when you give a game a score that people like they don't give a damn. But when you give a highly anticipated title a rather low score, you get an entire community of juvenile nitwits breathing down your neck. Look at what happened to Ivan Sulic. A whole bunch of dumbasses giving comments on a review about a game that they haven't even played or given it a divine status, worshopping this celestial entity based on a bunch of rubbish or a demo. If it's a highly anticipated game on a console they don't own or don't like (==> based on childish prejudices and the lame attitude that they don't even want to get to know the product) they're laughing their arses of.
What's wrong with people these days? Videogames are videogames, it doesn't matter how large the hype is or on which console a game appears. Why can't it just be about the games themselves? There are a lot of titles that can't live up to their expectations and a lot of other titles that are worth it, are being pushed aside by titles that have a larger publisher guarding it's back. People are starting to expect that hyped games have to get great scores. What's the point in reviewing then? If the community sets the score for a game, without even fully knowing what they are talking about? It's this lack of respect that really gets on my nerves. I don't always agree with reviews myself but at least I always try to give usefull comments and examples to support my point of view. Let alone stand that I would give my final opinion without at least giving the full a game a proper test drive.
It's really funny to hear that every site sucks because the game of the community's dreams can't live up to the expectations of the people who review it. From hero to zero in just one article. Nice touch. But heck, they might think that they can do a better job reviewing games, but the real fact is that they don't even have a clue what they are talking about.
There has been a lot of uproar regarding reviews lately. People seem to forget that a review is a personal opinion and not a broadcast towards the entire gaming community with the message: "You will respect my authority (or authoritaaah!)". I think it's kinda lame, when you give a game a score that people like they don't give a damn. But when you give a highly anticipated title a rather low score, you get an entire community of juvenile nitwits breathing down your neck. Look at what happened to Ivan Sulic. A whole bunch of dumbasses giving comments on a review about a game that they haven't even played or given it a divine status, worshopping this celestial entity based on a bunch of rubbish or a demo. If it's a highly anticipated game on a console they don't own or don't like (==> based on childish prejudices and the lame attitude that they don't even want to get to know the product) they're laughing their arses of.
What's wrong with people these days? Videogames are videogames, it doesn't matter how large the hype is or on which console a game appears. Why can't it just be about the games themselves? There are a lot of titles that can't live up to their expectations and a lot of other titles that are worth it, are being pushed aside by titles that have a larger publisher guarding it's back. People are starting to expect that hyped games have to get great scores. What's the point in reviewing then? If the community sets the score for a game, without even fully knowing what they are talking about? It's this lack of respect that really gets on my nerves. I don't always agree with reviews myself but at least I always try to give usefull comments and examples to support my point of view. Let alone stand that I would give my final opinion without at least giving the full a game a proper test drive.
It's really funny to hear that every site sucks because the game of the community's dreams can't live up to the expectations of the people who review it. From hero to zero in just one article. Nice touch. But heck, they might think that they can do a better job reviewing games, but the real fact is that they don't even have a clue what they are talking about.
The Final Countdown
by primeeh on Comments
"It's the final countdown", this track by Europe has been bashing through the speakers for the last week. Although we Europeans still have to wait until Wednesday to play the game I can't hardly wait to get my hands on to it. I promised myself that I wouldn't read any reviews until I finished the game myself but when I saw the banner on the Gamespot website I couldn't restrain myself to actually take a "peak". 9.4, hmm an honest score without a doubt, cause me and other people were dreaming of a title that would be worthy of the "perfect" label. But just like the past has proven us many times before, a perfect game doesn't exist and neither is Halo 2.
After seeing the score I just had to know more about the game and I watched the 17 minute long video review of the game. Seeing all that new footage only makes these last hours all the much harder. I'm a really great fan of the original game, it had such a large impact on me. After about 15 minutes of Halo 1 I said to myself, "damn, I must have an XBOX and this game". With a birthday on the horizon and some extra cash I saved for a rainy day I found my way to the local game store to buy an XBOX with this title. It was like a really overwhelming package, the game is really great, specially on legendary and in 16 player system link.
I'm rather certain that this game will deliver a really great experience although it won't reach that level of sheer perfection that we hoped it would. Bungie had a rather difficult task at hand, how do you make another Halo game that's gonna be superior to it's predecessor in every way? Has every Final Fantasy been better then it's predecessors? Did Metal Gear Solid 2, erase the original from our minds? Can the new Grand Theft Auto games be described as a sheer revolution in every way? I think not.
Creating a really great game is hard, creating a great franchise with each game more compelling then the other is even harder.
After seeing the score I just had to know more about the game and I watched the 17 minute long video review of the game. Seeing all that new footage only makes these last hours all the much harder. I'm a really great fan of the original game, it had such a large impact on me. After about 15 minutes of Halo 1 I said to myself, "damn, I must have an XBOX and this game". With a birthday on the horizon and some extra cash I saved for a rainy day I found my way to the local game store to buy an XBOX with this title. It was like a really overwhelming package, the game is really great, specially on legendary and in 16 player system link.
I'm rather certain that this game will deliver a really great experience although it won't reach that level of sheer perfection that we hoped it would. Bungie had a rather difficult task at hand, how do you make another Halo game that's gonna be superior to it's predecessor in every way? Has every Final Fantasy been better then it's predecessors? Did Metal Gear Solid 2, erase the original from our minds? Can the new Grand Theft Auto games be described as a sheer revolution in every way? I think not.
Creating a really great game is hard, creating a great franchise with each game more compelling then the other is even harder.
Adventure In Da House
by primeeh on Comments
It's kind of strange of how my personal taste for videogames began to expand at a rapid rate. Since my financial status has improved dramatically and I was no longer bound to the treats of only one platform, I began to grow on a whole new level. Although I don't have as much time as I used to and the fact that I have this odd feeling that I'm not as good as I used to be, I developed into a more versatile player.
Adventure games never really appealed to me when I was younger but know I can't seem to get enough of them. My latest surprise was Benoit Sokal's Syberia 2. The game really got to me in a way that I hadn't experienced much before. I was driven to continue on en although I had to ask for some help (2 heads are better then one) to solve some of the puzzles in the game, we played it like non-stop until we finally reached the end. I didn't really have much experience in the genre, some of the old Monkey Island games, Beneath A Steal Sky and Broken Sword pretty much sums it up. I'm desperately looking for the first part of Syberia but so far my efforts have been in vane.
Today I read about a new adventure game that really appeals to me, Dreamfall. A game by the NorWegian developer Funcom. They already have some experience in the genre with the point & click adventure The Longest Journey which was released in 2000. Yet again I hear the announcements of an epic storyline and some new and innovative features to the genre. The screens looked pretty good so far, only it's still a long wait untill the summer of 2005. In any case I'll just pick up Myst 4 at the end of the month to satisfy my hungry nature for a great adventure game.
Adventure games never really appealed to me when I was younger but know I can't seem to get enough of them. My latest surprise was Benoit Sokal's Syberia 2. The game really got to me in a way that I hadn't experienced much before. I was driven to continue on en although I had to ask for some help (2 heads are better then one) to solve some of the puzzles in the game, we played it like non-stop until we finally reached the end. I didn't really have much experience in the genre, some of the old Monkey Island games, Beneath A Steal Sky and Broken Sword pretty much sums it up. I'm desperately looking for the first part of Syberia but so far my efforts have been in vane.
Today I read about a new adventure game that really appeals to me, Dreamfall. A game by the NorWegian developer Funcom. They already have some experience in the genre with the point & click adventure The Longest Journey which was released in 2000. Yet again I hear the announcements of an epic storyline and some new and innovative features to the genre. The screens looked pretty good so far, only it's still a long wait untill the summer of 2005. In any case I'll just pick up Myst 4 at the end of the month to satisfy my hungry nature for a great adventure game.
Classic Horror
by primeeh on Comments
It's become a rather nasty habit to finish most Resident Evil games 2-3 times a year. I've been a really large fan of survival horror games for a really long time. It all started with Fredrick Raynal's unforgettable Alone In The Dark in 1994. I was only 10 at the time, but my older cousin introduced me into a new type of gaming. It really scared me back then though. This wasn't the only game that scared the living beegee's out of me in 1994. Although Andrew Spencer's Ectatica: A State Of Mind isn't considered to be a true survival horror game, it sure contained lots of elements that add up to the survival horror brand and even other genres these years. Since it's one of my favorite games ever, I could keep on talking about the innovation and charm of Ecstatica but I'll leave that for another time.
Anyhow, this weekend I plugged in my GameCube and threw the Resident Evil: Rebirth disc right in. Since I have finished it about 10 times now, it's become more of a routine job these days. After 15 minutes I got kinda bored and I decided to play the original Resident Evil for a change, it had been a while and this Shinji Mikami masterpiece has given me countless hours of pure horror and fun. So I searched for my PSone and underneath a large pile of dust (ehj I've using my PS2 for those games the last couple of years) and empty coke cans I found my old pleasure box again.
The first thing that got my attention again was the intro movie. For the people who haven't played the original Resident Evil, the intro in this game was made with real life actors. The intro wasn't that impressive, but back those days it was cool. When they reach the mansion, you got this really cool Cast introduction movie. But the thing that brings back the most nostalgic moments about the intro movie is Jill Valentine. When I was 12, I had a real crush on her. Sounds lame I know, but heck she was kinda cute.
On with the game itself, it's really hard to believe that the power of the consoles has improved that much over the years. But you won't hear me complaining about the golden oldies from the good old days. Even though the original game has crummy voice acting, rather funny animation and it ain't that scary no more I still had the time of my life with the original. I really got this B-movie kind of feeling when I played it and I liked it. I watch a lot of movies in my spare time and I'm a great fan of classical horror movies, with bad ass acting and cheap ass special effects. So in a lot of ways I had more fun with classic then the remake.
It's hard to replace the valor that some good old games can still bestow upon us.
Peace Out
Primal
Anyhow, this weekend I plugged in my GameCube and threw the Resident Evil: Rebirth disc right in. Since I have finished it about 10 times now, it's become more of a routine job these days. After 15 minutes I got kinda bored and I decided to play the original Resident Evil for a change, it had been a while and this Shinji Mikami masterpiece has given me countless hours of pure horror and fun. So I searched for my PSone and underneath a large pile of dust (ehj I've using my PS2 for those games the last couple of years) and empty coke cans I found my old pleasure box again.
The first thing that got my attention again was the intro movie. For the people who haven't played the original Resident Evil, the intro in this game was made with real life actors. The intro wasn't that impressive, but back those days it was cool. When they reach the mansion, you got this really cool Cast introduction movie. But the thing that brings back the most nostalgic moments about the intro movie is Jill Valentine. When I was 12, I had a real crush on her. Sounds lame I know, but heck she was kinda cute.
On with the game itself, it's really hard to believe that the power of the consoles has improved that much over the years. But you won't hear me complaining about the golden oldies from the good old days. Even though the original game has crummy voice acting, rather funny animation and it ain't that scary no more I still had the time of my life with the original. I really got this B-movie kind of feeling when I played it and I liked it. I watch a lot of movies in my spare time and I'm a great fan of classical horror movies, with bad ass acting and cheap ass special effects. So in a lot of ways I had more fun with classic then the remake.
It's hard to replace the valor that some good old games can still bestow upon us.
Peace Out
Primal
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