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Post by KaiserShep on Jun 18, 2020 7:03:36 GMT
What makes you feel that way? A general shift in Bioware's writing, since, at least, Inquisition. They are trying to engage a younger audience, only they don't look to be trying to engage just a younger audience, but a more immature audience. And by immature, I don't mean people that don't appreciate a mature themes for mature people like myself, with blood, guns, swear words, sex and drugs. I mean in a very superficial, juvenile kind of way. Bioware's characters feel more like self-inserts in happy go lucky adventures, with very little gravitas, hoping to appeal to target demographics, rather than prioritizing them feeling realistic. Kassandra, for example, fawning over Varric's gay fanfiction. While I don't disagree with Kassandra having any interest in reading, her character arc is "Varric, write that fanfic or I will arrest you. Oh, no! The Inquisitor". I don't know how many people find this fun or endearing, but this is not character development. This is memes. And this is all Bioware has been aiming for since, right down to Anthem and the girl talking to us about grabbits in Fort Tarsis.
I hope you realize that this sort of comment only makes it appear as though you didn't actually play the game. This is the sort of superficial view of the dialogue that would suggest that it refers only to some snippets from YouTube like "X Character's Best Scenes" and that sort of thing, where sequences exist out of context, focusing just on the parts that amused players. I mean, how could this not be? This is about as far from Cassandra's character arc as possible, since it's actually something we as the player can affect in a separate, more serious quest, and this is just the companion gift quest. Cherry-picking and exaggerating examples to fit a narrative is kind of a weird thing to do when people who actually played the game several times know better.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 18, 2020 7:13:48 GMT
It's posts like this that make me think you're a troll. I mean, you got this wrong in so many ways? For example Cassandra's character arc being about Varrics gay(?) fanfiction when that wasn't what her character arc was at all (it was only a single small quest). Her character arc was about the Seekers and the Chantry, with her faith in those institutions being challenged. Hardly juvenile stuff. Hard to try discussing things with you when you just latantly make things up to try to discredit the games I'm sorry, but that's as far as I got and that's all the game gave me. I didn't care for it. Like I said, I played Inquisition for 30 hours and after a while, I stopped talking to the party members, because they didn't get new dialogue, because I needed to do sidequests, to progress the main story, to get more character interactions and I just gave up. I didn't care for it. And the game did little to incentivize me to change that, because I just didn't enjoy it. If it get better, after the 30 hour mark, I don't care.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 18, 2020 7:21:39 GMT
I never said it was only the open world part, but when the most common complaint about this game is that it feels like a "singleplayer MMO", it's obvious what seems to bother fans the most. Level design was clearly the major sticking point with a lot of people, and that makes sense, because having big open spaces that don't have enough engaging content spread throughout can start to feel like a chore to get between the parts that are genuinely interesting. There was a similar complaint people had about ME1 as well, because you had these wide open spaces with cookie cutter bunkers or long elevator rides that became a slog, which then got overcorrected, and they simply removed this sort of exploration in ME2.
Regarding Anthem, what I'm getting at is that it doesn't really provide any kind of case one way or the other regarding protagonist writing quality. The game is, seemingly by design, made to just be window dressing for a repeatable gameplay loop, which is where the game's true failing is. A game like Destiny sometimes teases for months or years with some intriguing story content, and Bungie will sometimes dish something that actually engages players for a while, but what really keeps them going is that constant pursuit of gear and progression for their Guardians, and a largely active player base filling up lobbies for these repeatable activities. Anthem went for this sort of odd hybrid, but they underwrote one part and totally underdeveloped the other. Where it needed to succeed the most was in that pursuit and progression for players who couldn't care less about story. This is just how it is with these stupid looter shooters, but they failed. If I was really looking through a list of protagonists to judge any trends in the state of BioWare's protagonists, the Freelancer would probably not even register, because by design, it's just a formality to get players into the mech suit. I hear you and I get you. But none of these arguments are a defense. Bigger problems of Inquisition took more center stage in the complaints, sure, because doing sidequests for 60 hours, to pad a game to an average runtime of 90 hours, means you'll be doing a lot more than just talking. The combat was serviceable, as well as in every Bioware game, but overall still a downgrade from Origins, at least for PC. So while I went in with no expectations about the combat, I expected to at least enjoy the writing, which I did not and apart from Blackwall, who was competently written, I did not like anyone else that much. As far as Anthem, the problem with it being universally bad, does not inspire confidence that anything will improve in the future, either for Anthem, or any other Bioware game. Why would it and why should it?
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 18, 2020 7:30:06 GMT
I hope you realize that this sort of comment only makes it appear as though you didn't actually play the game I played the game, I did not finish the game and I only got up to a point, before giving up. Because I just wasn't enjoying what I was getting out of it. In fact, I felt relief when I put it down and realize that the only person forcing me to play this game, was me. This is the sort of superficial view of the dialogue that would suggest that it refers only to some snippets from YouTube like "X Character's Best Scenes" and that sort of thing, where sequences exist out of context, focusing just on the parts that amused players. I mean, how could this not be? This is about as far from Cassandra's character arc as possible, since it's actually something we as the player can affect in a separate, more serious quest, and this is just the companion gift quest. Cherry-picking and exaggerating examples to fit a narrative is kind of a weird thing to do when people who actually played the game several times know better. I'm sure there are people that loved the game. But how many people who bought it, did not even finish the game? How many gave up? How many disliked what they got, like me? And, not to mention, a lot of game critics, I will mention Alanah Pearce in particular, who has come out on several occasions about reviewers being scared to criticize games, partly because of fans and makes a special mention of being scared to criticize Andromeda, specifically. So while the MMO tier fetch quests are definitely a hindrance, level design is definitely a hindrance, a lot of people will be scared to criticize other parts, because they don't want to appear too negative and provoke backlash. Whether I did not finish the game, is not on me. It's on Bioware. If I had enjoyed the experience more, I would have played it more. I didn't.
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Post by KaiserShep on Jun 18, 2020 11:37:18 GMT
I hope you realize that this sort of comment only makes it appear as though you didn't actually play the game I played the game, I did not finish the game and I only got up to a point, before giving up. Because I just wasn't enjoying what I was getting out of it. In fact, I felt relief when I put it down and realize that the only person forcing me to play this game, was me. This is the sort of superficial view of the dialogue that would suggest that it refers only to some snippets from YouTube like "X Character's Best Scenes" and that sort of thing, where sequences exist out of context, focusing just on the parts that amused players. I mean, how could this not be? This is about as far from Cassandra's character arc as possible, since it's actually something we as the player can affect in a separate, more serious quest, and this is just the companion gift quest. Cherry-picking and exaggerating examples to fit a narrative is kind of a weird thing to do when people who actually played the game several times know better. I'm sure there are people that loved the game. But how many people who bought it, did not even finish the game? How many gave up? How many disliked what they got, like me? And, not to mention, a lot of game critics, I will mention Alanah Pearce in particular, who has come out on several occasions about reviewers being scared to criticize games, partly because of fans and makes a special mention of being scared to criticize Andromeda, specifically. So while the MMO tier fetch quests are definitely a hindrance, level design is definitely a hindrance, a lot of people will be scared to criticize other parts, because they don't want to appear too negative and provoke backlash. Whether I did not finish the game, is not on me. It's on Bioware. If I had enjoyed the experience more, I would have played it more. I didn't.
How many? Don't know, don't care. In any case, it's irrelevant to my comment. I'm simply calling you out on a criticism based on incomplete information. Whether or not the game was interesting enough for you to finish doesn't matter. It may be on BioWare for your lack of interest, but presenting a "critique" about an aspect of the story without actually knowing what's going on is simply on you.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 18, 2020 12:18:52 GMT
How many? Don't know, don't care. In any case, it's irrelevant to my comment. I'm simply calling you out on a criticism based on incomplete information It is relevant. If you quit the game before reaching the "good part", it should not be on the player. It's the same defense people gave Final Fantasy 13. You remember who criticized that game? Doesn't look like a fair dismissal to me.
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Post by KaiserShep on Jun 18, 2020 12:53:03 GMT
How many? Don't know, don't care. In any case, it's irrelevant to my comment. I'm simply calling you out on a criticism based on incomplete information It is relevant. If you quit the game before reaching the "good part", it should not be on the player. It's the same defense people gave Final Fantasy 13. You remember who criticized that game? Doesn't look like a fair dismissal to me. Then your only valid criticism on the matter is that the game itself was not interesting enough to you to warrant completion. No one said that players are beholden to completing anything they don't want to. What I am saying is that you have no place to criticize aspects of a story you don't know about.
My suggestion, if you're going to criticize a work of fiction, it would be best to actually know what happens. If you don't want to play the game, then perhaps brushing up on the cliffnotes version might help for some reference. Otherwise, you'll just be making shit up and look silly to people who actually know what it entails. I do think Hanako might actually be right though, so, well played I guess. I've been had for sure.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 18, 2020 13:43:32 GMT
Then your only valid criticism on the matter is that the game itself was not interesting enough to you to warrant completion I'd like to interject that this isn't just my own criticism. You can dismiss it as hearsay, if you want. That'd be fair. It is entirely possible you've never heard a criticism about anyone putting the game down, due to the story or the characters not gripping them. Depending who you interact with. My suggestion, if you're going to criticize a work of fiction, it would be best to actually know what happens I think the game should make you want to know what happens, not make you drop it. I rarely put a game that I want to play down and not finish it. I do think Hanako might actually be right though, so, well played I guess. I've been had for sure You do you.
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eternalambiguity
N3
I am alive.
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Posts: 292 Likes: 350
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by eternalambiguity on Jun 18, 2020 16:46:52 GMT
You can disagree, but brand damage is an established effect. Divisiveness guarantees a smaller userbase going forward. Do you think tRoS wouldn't have been more successful, had TLJ not been as divisive? There's no quantifiable way to determine brand damage until the next game that doesn't have some controversy surrounding it comes out. People walking out on ME is not a trend? People just didn't show up, because they didn't care for Andromeda, that's all there is to it. You can verify it, just by looking at Google Trends, comparing how high, or low, Bioware IPs are trending around their releases and each new Bioware IP is trending progressively lower, since DA:I. This is actual, real world data, from the world's premier search engine. For years it was obvious there was something wrong with Andromeda. The most obvious indicator was that the last E3 before it released they showed one of those clips of people in the office talking about the game, with no gameplay at all. In addition there was the big controversy around animations. For Anthem there was the obvious fact that it's a complete shift for Bioware. Those issues are not "there's a universal problem with ME" things, these are "there's a universal problem with Bioware" things. If Bioware can stop their years-long pre-production cycles the problem, in theory, goes away. A general shift in Bioware's writing, since, at least, Inquisition. They are trying to engage a younger audience, only they don't look to be trying to engage just a younger audience, but a more immature audience. And by immature, I don't mean people that don't appreciate a mature themes for mature people like myself, with blood, guns, swear words, sex and drugs. I mean in a very superficial, juvenile kind of way. Bioware's characters feel more like self-inserts in happy go lucky adventures, with very little gravitas, hoping to appeal to target demographics, rather than prioritizing them feeling realistic. Kassandra, for example, fawning over Varric's gay fanfiction. While I don't disagree with Kassandra having any interest in reading, her character arc is "Varric, write that fanfic or I will arrest you. Oh, no! The Inquisitor". I don't know how many people find this fun or endearing, but this is not character development. This is memes. And this is all Bioware has been aiming for since, right down to Anthem and the girl talking to us about grabbits in Fort Tarsis. This was already handled. Things like Cassandra or the discussions with Solas or the Descent or iron Bull's subjective view of the Qun make this comment ridiculous. That the protagonists lack nuance and player agency. What nuance and agency was exhibited before, that is lacking now? Do you have examples?
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 18, 2020 20:37:55 GMT
There's no quantifiable way to determine brand damage until the next game that doesn't have some controversy surrounding it comes out So you're saying that a movie like Terminator: Dark Fate didn't suffer from brand damage? Did that movie cause brand damage to the franchise? The fact that the franchise died because of it, is no indication of that brand damage? What would you consider evidence of brand damage? If you can't measure brand damage until the franchise is irrevocably dead, you're doing something wrong. And I need to remind people, ME died once already. The franchise limped its way to its own death. For years it was obvious there was something wrong with Andromeda. The most obvious indicator was that the last E3 before it released they showed one of those clips of people in the office talking about the game, with no gameplay at all. In addition there was the big controversy around animations. For Anthem there was the obvious fact that it's a complete shift for Bioware. Those issues are not "there's a universal problem with ME" things, these are "there's a universal problem with Bioware" things. If Bioware can stop their years-long pre-production cycles the problem, in theory, goes away. Assuming Bioware addresses all internal problems, how can you hook people back? Because, as I believe I've established that people won't be hooked by the idea of "Next Bioware game", because of Bioware's current reputation. Bioware doesn't have the audience's trust anymore. And you can see that by the gaming audience's waning interest in Bioware titles, with each new release. What nuance and agency was exhibited before, that is lacking now? Do you have examples? Do I have to present examples from the games that lack these? I haven't played these games in years and I have no desire to, but I don't remember having any satisfactory response to anything. And, fuck, the DA:I dialogue system is a nightmare to navigate. Like I have no intention of save scumming before every dialogue to find one option that I find satisfactory, out of 8 samey passive aggressive ones, with a vague description and having to resort to a stupid icon that supposedly helps you understand the tone of the answer you're going to give, but it's fucking retarded trying to make sense out of a teary eyed emoji fucking icon or what the fuck the moon/crescent looking icon is suppose to convey that ... Jesus Christ, I never want to touch Inquisition again. I've made myself mad, just trying to remember that shit. I can't have this conversation.
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Post by Hanako Ikezawa on Jun 18, 2020 21:07:33 GMT
What nuance and agency was exhibited before, that is lacking now? Do you have examples? Do I have to present examples from the games that lack these? I haven't played these games in years and I have no desire to, but I don't remember having any satisfactory response to anything. And, fuck, the DA:I dialogue system is a nightmare to navigate. Like I have no intention of save scumming before every dialogue to find one option that I find satisfactory, out of 8 samey passive aggressive ones, with a vague description and having to resort to a stupid icon that supposedly helps you understand the tone of the answer you're going to give, but it's fucking retarded trying to make sense out of a teary eyed emoji fucking icon or what the fuck the moon/crescent looking icon is suppose to convey that ... Jesus Christ, I never want to touch Inquisition again. I've made myself mad, just trying to remember that shit. I can't have this conversation. Again, destroying your position here. Yes, you do have to present examples. That's how arguments work. Most people consider it very easy to understand and navigate, so it's you, not the game, that has the problem. Fine, don't have the conversation. But then also stop whining about it. Either put up or shut up.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 18, 2020 23:20:48 GMT
Yes, you do have to present examples. That's how arguments work. All of it, then. All the dialogues, all the time. Everything. That's my example.
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eternalambiguity
N3
I am alive.
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Posts: 292 Likes: 350
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Post by eternalambiguity on Jun 19, 2020 2:33:14 GMT
So you're saying that a movie like Terminator: Dark Fate didn't suffer from brand damage? Did that movie cause brand damage to the franchise? The fact that the franchise died because of it, is no indication of that brand damage? What would you consider evidence of brand damage? If you can't measure brand damage until the franchise is irrevocably dead, you're doing something wrong. And I need to remind people, ME died once already. The franchise limped its way to its own death. You're being disingenuous again. Re-read what I said. I didn't say you can't measure brand damage until the brand is dead. I said you can't measure brand damage until another "normal" entry comes out. Assuming Bioware addresses all internal problems, how can you hook people back? Because, as I believe I've established that people won't be hooked by the idea of "Next Bioware game", because of Bioware's current reputation. Bioware doesn't have the audience's trust anymore. And you can see that by the gaming audience's waning interest in Bioware titles, with each new release. This is the very premise I'm rejecting here (or more accurately, I'm rejecting the declarative about it). I'm saying that if Bioware fixes those issues and the next game comes out without controversy, we can use that to judge if the interest as waned. Do I have to present examples from the games that lack these? I haven't played these games in years and I have no desire to, but I don't remember having any satisfactory response to anything. And, fuck, the DA:I dialogue system is a nightmare to navigate. Like I have no intention of save scumming before every dialogue to find one option that I find satisfactory, out of 8 samey passive aggressive ones, with a vague description and having to resort to a stupid icon that supposedly helps you understand the tone of the answer you're going to give, but it's fucking retarded trying to make sense out of a teary eyed emoji fucking icon or what the fuck the moon/crescent looking icon is suppose to convey that ... Jesus Christ, I never want to touch Inquisition again. I've made myself mad, just trying to remember that shit. I can't have this conversation. You're taking this too seriously. I did the same back before ME3 released, then I got hit in the face with reality and learned (to some extent) not to get over-emotional in my defense or criticism of a video game. This is kind of a weird take, because I remember times playing Origins when I said something and the response showed that it was taken in a tone different than I meant it. And the existence of the symbols is a pretty fabulous idea to create nuance - you're literally presenting multiple tones to exhibit, as opposed to the neutral-ness everything was portrayed as in Origins and ME1 (not that neutral is bad, in fact it's my preferred tone, but more options is good). Speaking of ME1 and samey dialogue...that game was full of it. You'd get three options and the dialogue would be almost identical, and it would be taken exactly the same way by the other person in the conversation. I'd argue Bioware's moved further away from that. I agree that it should have been more clear what each tone represented. At the beginning there was a popup about it, but I don't recall ever seeing a page explicitly describing each.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 19, 2020 8:46:34 GMT
You're being disingenuous again. Re-read what I said. I didn't say you can't measure brand damage until the brand is dead. I said you can't measure brand damage until another "normal" entry comes out. And I'm asking, if no "normal" entry comes out and the brand just dies, what then? This is the very premise I'm rejecting here (or more accurately, I'm rejecting the declarative about it). I'm saying that if Bioware fixes those issues and the next game comes out without controversy, we can use that to judge if the interest as waned. Controversy usually sparks interest, though. So it's more likely that people would tune in, just to see what went "wrong", or if "wrong" even exists in the first place. But I guess that is the point. Which means that even less people would turn up without it. You're taking this too seriously I will, unfortunately, take it as seriously as I do. This is kind of a weird take, because I remember times playing Origins when I said something and the response showed that it was taken in a tone different than I meant it. And the existence of the symbols is a pretty fabulous idea to create nuance Out of the question. No. It's non descriptive, except in extreme choices of dialogue, where it is obvious either way what you're going to say. Like, I don't need the blood dripping dagger icon to understand that the "fuck you" option is going to anger someone.
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eternalambiguity
N3
I am alive.
Games: Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
Posts: 292 Likes: 350
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Mass Effect Trilogy, Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age 2, Dragon Age Inquisition, KOTOR, Baldur's Gate, Jade Empire, Mass Effect Andromeda
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Post by eternalambiguity on Jun 19, 2020 16:41:51 GMT
And I'm asking, if no "normal" entry comes out and the brand just dies, what then? Then there's nothing to measure. Controversy usually sparks interest, though. So it's more likely that people would tune in, just to see what went "wrong", or if "wrong" even exists in the first place. But I guess that is the point. Which means that even less people would turn up without it. Not necessarily in a quantifiable way. Andromeda having multiple articles come out saying "hey, the animations in this new Mass Effect game are garbage" is not going to cause people to buy the game, and in fact it might cause people to be less inclined to search Mass Effect outside of the confines of a...whatever we call these things (I hesitate to call Kotaku a journal). Do you really think that those kinds of articles make people more inclined to purchase the game or search it on its own? Out of the question. No. It's non descriptive, except in extreme choices of dialogue, where it is obvious either way what you're going to say. Like, I don't need the blood dripping dagger icon to understand that the "fuck you" option is going to anger someone. It is by definition descriptive. It's describing the intended tone of the dialogue line. That's not debatable. What is debatable is whether it actually does it or not, and whether it's meaningful. Tonight I'll go back in and try to find a couple of examples, but I distinctly recall that the crying eye symbol was always an expression of emotion, and the "arms crossed" symbol was always a stoic statement, usually of indifference. These are, in my opinion, meaningful differences.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 19, 2020 17:03:15 GMT
Then there's nothing to measure. Just death? You're not going to examine what cost you that loss of customer base? What to rectify? Just keep on running yourself into the ground and wonder "how could this happen"? Doesn't seem like a responsible attitude, to me. Not necessarily in a quantifiable way. Andromeda having multiple articles come out saying "hey, the animations in this new Mass Effect game are garbage" is not going to cause people to buy the game, and in fact it might cause people to be less inclined to search Mass Effect outside of the confines of a...whatever we call these things (I hesitate to call Kotaku a journal). Do you really think that those kinds of articles make people more inclined to purchase the game or search it on its own? Apparently, a lot of people went out and bought games that AVGN covered and burned, because they were so bad, that they got entertainment value out of them. I watched the Twillight films, because they were so bad. I got the Dungeons and Dragons movie DVD, because it was so bad. Yes, people buy bad things for good laughs. Especially in 2017, when the economy was doing a lot better and people had some disposable income, so that $60 wasn't that big a deal. I'd argue that ME:A's controversy sold it a lot more copies, than it would have got without it. It is by definition descriptive. It's describing the intended tone of the dialogue line. That's not debatable. In that case, it's descriptive capabilities are garbage. I never, ever want to use the DA wheel ever again. If it makes a comeback in DA4, I will not even try the game.
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Post by Hanako Ikezawa on Jun 19, 2020 17:21:22 GMT
It is by definition descriptive. It's describing the intended tone of the dialogue line. That's not debatable. In that case, it's descriptive capabilities are garbage. I never, ever want to use the DA wheel ever again. If it makes a comeback in DA4, I will not even try the game. Does that mean you'll leave this site too, or will you still come and gripe about a game you haven't played or researched?
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 19, 2020 17:22:45 GMT
Does that mean you'll leave this site too, or will you still come and gripe about a game you haven't played or researched?
Alright, if it turns out to be a great game and the icons turn out to be better descriptive, I will support it. I do tend to exaggerate, some times. But I really dislike having to rely on an icon to understand the tone of my answer. The writer's words on the screen ought to be descriptive enough, for that. Otherwise, well, I'm going to be told that I can't criticize the game's writing, again.
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Post by redeem on Jun 19, 2020 18:35:50 GMT
I will never understand why people staunchly defend a video game like it's their family just because someone has a different opinion than them on it lol
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Post by KaiserShep on Jun 20, 2020 4:21:03 GMT
Controversy usually sparks interest, though. So it's more likely that people would tune in, just to see what went "wrong", or if "wrong" even exists in the first place. But I guess that is the point. Which means that even less people would turn up without it.
The interest controversy sparks only translates into higher traffic for YouTube videos and any other sites putting said controversy on display. Sure, it'll rake in those ad dollars for someone, but it won't mean much for the game itself. Take The Last Of Us Part II. These endless It's Ma'am memes won't get people to want to purchase the game. The one and only thing that will drive its sales is the interest earned by the success of its predecessor, and in the long-term, whether or not the game is actually a strong, satisfactory entry that the people (and critics) that bothered to get it genuinely enjoy. The controversy about what the leaks entail only serve to curtail that interest in making an actual purchase to some degree.
If a game is very good, positive word of mouth will probably save it and allow it to gain momentum. I think people easily underestimate the general audience's willingness to care more about the present than the past, and to forgive and forget so long as what's in front of them is better.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 20, 2020 10:05:51 GMT
The interest controversy sparks only translates into higher traffic for YouTube videos and any other sites putting said controversy on display. Not only in that. True, it does wonders for add revenue seeking outlets, but not only that. Take The Last Of Us Part II. These endless It's Ma'am memes won't get people to want to purchase the game It will. Some people. Some people will notice the game, because of the controversy and will play it to see what the fuss is for themselves. The thing is that, in this particular case, more people tuned out because of the controversy, than tuned in. In Andromeda's case, the game registered for a lot of people, that otherwise wouldn't, even if they bought it after the game went on sale. Anthem has effectively sold 50% of its sold-in inventory, because a lot of people jumped onto the game, to see what the fuss was all about, after the game got a better price tag. People bought it digitally, as well, during the recent sale the game was on last month. The one and only thing that will drive its sales is the interest earned by the success of its predecessor, and in the long-term, whether or not the game is actually a strong, satisfactory entry that the people (and critics) that bothered to get it genuinely enjoy True. But we kissed a large part of that audience goodbye with ME3. So what else did we have going? If a game is very good, positive word of mouth will probably save it A lot of good games, with good word of mouth, weren't saved. Because people simply didn't care for them. I think people didn't care for Andromeda. The public interest was lower than the two previous releases and that is with the skewed image in favour of it, due to the controversy. It trended lower than ME2 and performed worse than ME2. Barely, but worse, on both accounts. It seems that the interest around the controversy and the sales of the game allowed it to rival ME2's success. Which is why I believe, in this case, the controversy worked in favour of the title. Long term, the damage was too big and the game itself underperformed, in comparison to its budget, but for Andromeda, in itself, the public interest generated worked in its favour. I think people easily underestimate the general audience's willingness to care more about the present than the past, and to forgive and forget so long as what's in front of them is better. Apparently, we don't. I mean, have you seen the US right now?
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Post by KaiserShep on Jun 20, 2020 17:27:25 GMT
I think people easily underestimate the general audience's willingness to care more about the present than the past, and to forgive and forget so long as what's in front of them is better. Apparently, we don't. I mean, have you seen the US right now?
C'mon, you know that's not the same. Systemic societal issues aren't the same as a bad video game. No one is in fear that the new video game might kill or grievously kill them for no good reason.
What would be an example of a game that got largely positive reception by fans and critics, but failed regardless?
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Post by alanc9 on Jun 20, 2020 17:40:40 GMT
"Positive reception" includes making its sales targets, right?
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Post by eternalambiguity on Jun 20, 2020 17:41:18 GMT
Just death? You're not going to examine what cost you that loss of customer base? What to rectify? Just keep on running yourself into the ground and wonder "how could this happen"? Doesn't seem like a responsible attitude, to me. You're losing the plot here. "Just keep running yourself into the ground" is not the same thing as never releasing another entry in a series. Which one are we talking about? Apparently, a lot of people went out and bought games that AVGN covered and burned, because they were so bad, that they got entertainment value out of them. I watched the Twillight films, because they were so bad. I got the Dungeons and Dragons movie DVD, because it was so bad. Yes, people buy bad things for good laughs. Especially in 2017, when the economy was doing a lot better and people had some disposable income, so that $60 wasn't that big a deal. I'd argue that ME:A's controversy sold it a lot more copies, than it would have got without it. Yeah, no. There's a difference between "people think the story is bad" bad, and "this is broken" bad. Andromeda was the latter. That's not going to garner sales. In that case, it's descriptive capabilities are garbage. I never, ever want to use the DA wheel ever again. If it makes a comeback in DA4, I will not even try the game. I just watched this video and then played the beginning of the game to look at all the options in that first conversation (that 30 fps bug is so awful - it's not just the framerate, but the pacing is terrible too). There are for choices, and the actual spoken dialogue line is as follows: - crying eye: "I can't believe it. All those people...dead." - angry fist: "Whatever you think I did, I'm innocent!" - confused head: "I don't understand." - arms folded: "So what happens now?" So I'd say the symbols are all pretty accurate. I did notice that the paraphrased line for the angry fist was "Let me go!" That's absolutely a different statement from what was actually spoken. But that's a different issue from what you complained about before. It's possible to have a dialogue wheel with full lines. It's possible to have no dialogue wheel with tones or paraphrased lines.
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Post by SirSourpuss on Jun 20, 2020 21:02:42 GMT
You're losing the plot here. "Just keep running yourself into the ground" is not the same thing as never releasing another entry in a series. Which one are we talking about? Well, if you've "run yourself into the ground", you're probably not going to be able to release another entry in a series, so either or? Yeah, no. There's a difference between "people think the story is bad" bad, and "this is broken" bad. Andromeda was the latter. That's not going to garner sales. Nonsense. I know people that weren't even thinking about getting it and bought it, because they were seeing the memes and having fun. So the controversy did, for a fact, sell at least a few copies to people that wouldn't have otherwise. That's arms folded? Looks like a guy in armor with big pauldrons to me. What am I supposed to make of that? And how small is that tear under the eye? I can't see shit. The confused and surprised icons are confusing, as well. The star is "special". Yeah, it's "special", alright. What the fuck. Why is the exclamation mark investigate and not a magnifying lens, like any sensible person would draw? The crow is Underworld. What the fuck kind of stance is Underworld and ... this is causing me a migraine. Why is politics a crown? Usually, a crown would be related to etiquette, a courteous response. The shuriken is arcane. Great. And yeah, I can totally make sense of the icons for Mage, Human Mage, Elf and Dwarf. Is this abstract painting? No. I can't make sense of the paintings, the art style is terrible, absolutely terrible and barely half of this makes sense.
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