Neil Druckman tries to mobilise TLOU 2 fans to vote for it for player choice in The Game Awards Player vote category

[Gordon_4]

I meant Naughty dog too by the way with the crunch. Google speak missed that one for some reason I didn't bother to recheck it. And yes I know there are several others that do crunch too. I'm calling them out as well. Doesn't mean they deserve awards either. While he may be another cog in the machine, Niel didn't do much to help his case. Nor am I going to cry nor hold much sympathy for him. Like I said before, the game is yesterday's news. I'll continue not buying any of Naughty Dog's games.

Somehow I doubt Druckmann gives a shit what we think because his product got bought, he’s got paid and the game itself is now swimming in accolades. Whether you think it deserves them or not.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Thanks for the info, but @Casual Shinji already covered this for me back in the LOUS 2 Review Thread. Thank you, though.

Fair enough.

My point is, even if Nintendo are seen as treating their creatives with respect, there's still definitely something very wrong there if Sakurai working in his office with an IV hooked up is considered a cute anecdote about his commitment to his work rather than an incredibly toxic work environment creating such overwork that he would rather bring his own hospital grade medical equipment to treat himself at work instead of taking a sick day.

That's fucked up.

 

[BrawlMan]

Somehow I doubt Druckmann gives a shit what we think because his product got bought, he’s got paid and the game itself is now swimming in accolades. Whether you think it deserves them or not.

And yet he will never learn from his mistakes and be just another self-absorbed game director with an inflated ego who rarely/never recognizes the flaws in his games nor bother to strive for something better or minimal at best. At least Insomniac bothered to learn their mistakes from Spider-Man when making the Miles spin-off. Sucker Punch delivered a fun multiplayer mode no one was expecting. Hopefully, Corey Barlog and Santa Monica Studios will learn from their mistake while working on Ragnarok. Jump button please. I don't give a damn about ND/Niel at this point, because as far as I am concerned, their dead to me. They are literally the only Sony game I refuse to buy.

 

[Casual Shinji]

And yet he will never learn from his mistakes and be just another self-absorbed game director with an inflated ego who rarely/never recognizes the flaws in his games nor bother to strive for something better or minimal at best. At least Insomniac bothered to learn their mistakes from Spider-Man when making the Miles spin-off. Sucker Punch delivered a fun multiplayer mode no one was expecting. Hopefully, Corey Barlog and Santa Monica Studios will learn from their mistake while working on Ragnarok. Jump button please. I don't give a damn about ND/Niel at this point, because as far as I am concerned, their dead to me. They are literally the only Sony game I refuse to buy.

I've heard the complaint about the lack of a jump button in God of War '18, but with the game as is what would a jump really have added? A jump barely did anything in the classic games - most of the satisfying platforming in the classic games was semi-scripted. Not that a jump would add nothing if they actually design other mechanics around it, but just a jump on its own, not so much.

Ironically TLoU2 added a jump feature, and it did actually make things more tense. And the amount of accessibility options is hardly anything to sneeze at. So with as pretentious as Druckmann is, there's still plenty of people working to make the game run and control as best as possible. Being able to individually set difficulty for protagonist, ally, enemy, items, and stealth is something I hope every game from here on out has as a feature. Also, motion aiming which I found to work surprisingly well. So they certainly strived to make the game playable to as many people as they could (who own a PS4), more so than most other games.

 

[Gordon_4]

And yet he will never learn from his mistakes and be just another self-absorbed game director with an inflated ego who rarely/never recognizes the flaws in his games nor bother to strive for something better or minimal at best. At least Insomniac bothered to learn their mistakes from Spider-Man when making the Miles spin-off. Sucker Punch delivered a fun multiplayer mode no one was expecting. Hopefully, Corey Barlog and Santa Monica Studios will learn from their mistake while working on Ragnarok. Jump button please. I don't give a damn about ND/Niel at this point, because as far as I am concerned, their dead to me. They are literally the only Sony game I refuse to buy.

And again, cool, you didn’t buy The Last of Us 2. Gamers aren’t all plugged into the Matrix like we are here. Hell until everyone started using him as their target for the latest minute of hate circle jerks, I had no idea who Neil Druckman was.

Also the omission of a function you want is not a mistake. If it has no purpose, don’t put it in is a basic tool of any kind of design.

 

[deleted20220709]

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[hanselthecaretaker]

Japanese companies don't really talk about crunch because crunch isn't a thing there, that's just their normal work week. Their companies basically run on crunch all the time because Japanese views on work are atrocious by default.

How many other countries have "overwork" as a high ranked cause of death?

Any game that you play from a Japanese company can be pre-supposed to have been made in crunch. It's just that crunch is a complete industry standard over there so it's not something that their workers actually complain about because that's how every Japanese company is run by default.

You’d think with their ongoing economic issues they’d want to re-examine their approach a bit. They also have high population density which is likely a leading cause of their growing disinterest in pair bonding. Not a great combination, but their current path was pretty unsustainable anyways. Their society needs a healthy amount of reworking, but then again so does America’s in other ways.

 

[BrawlMan]

I've heard the complaint about the lack of a jump button in God of War '18, but with the game as is what would a jump really have added? A jump barely did anything in the classic games - most of the satisfying platforming in the classic games was semi-scripted. Not that a jump would add nothing if they actually design other mechanics around it, but just a jump on its own, not so much.

Either that or if they keep not making a jump button, then please get rid of the height puzzles that are easily solvable by having the man jump. It creates this weird dissonance, and as much as I loathe this term, "it breaks the immersion". I got use to dodging no problem, but the only action games I know that work their best without jumping are No More Heroes, Killer Is Dead, and both Hyrule Warriors. Ironic, because you can technically jump in Age of Calamity when by a wall or vertical surface. You get a button prompt that says Wall Jump.

Also the omission of a function you want is not a mistake. If it has no purpose, don’t put it in is a basic tool of any kind of design.

If you're referring to God of War 4, that's your opinion and I disagree. We've already done this conversation before, you and Casual Shinji. Jumping worked fine in the old God of War games, it can work fine in the new ones, if given the chance and efforts. I am not saying jumping was always essential to beating all the games, though there were plenty of moments where jump or die was a factor in getting past the next area or would at times involve a puzzle. At the very least, if they don't add jumping, they better get rid of the fucking magnetic enemies slide on their feet when their melee attack was nowhere near range of you even when dodge and on the other side of the screen! Ghost of Tsushima has this problem too; I hope Sucker Punch corrects it in the sequel.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Either that or if they keep not making a jump button, then please get rid of the height puzzles that are easily solvable by having the man jump. It creates this weird dissonance, and as much as I loathe this term, "it breaks the immersion". I got use to dodging no problem, but the only action games I know that work their best without jumping are No More Heroes, Killer Is Dead, and both Hyrule Warriors. Ironic, because you can technically jump in Age of Calamity when by a wall or vertical surface. You get a button prompt that says Wall Jump.


If you're referring to God of War 4, that's your opinion and I disagree. We've already this conversation before, you and Casual Shinji, but jumping worked fine in the old God of War games, it can work fine in the new ones, if given the chance and efforts. I am not saying jumping was always essential to beating all the games, though there were plenty of moments where jump or die was a factor in getting past the next area or would at times involve a puzzle. At the very least, if they don't add jumping, they better get rid of the fucking magnetic enemies slide on their feet when their melee attack was nowhere near range of you even when dodge and on the other side of the screen! Ghost of Tsushima has this problem too; I hope Sucker Punch corrects it in the sequel.

I half fully think the lack of jump was to make it more cinematic. They didn’t want players jumping all over when Atreus is trying to tell Kratos a joke for instance. If they added jump it would have to fit not only into the context of gameplay, but the story-driven progression aspects too. I could see it being conditional based on whether you’re in combat or platforming, but disable it for narrative stuff.

 

[Casual Shinji]

Between TLoU and Ubisoft I've been really spoiled by games that really goes to great lengths with their options for tailoring the experience to the player's wishes. From accessibility to difficulty, it really is great to be able to fiddle around to find an experience that fits you just right. Then I played CP77 and was amazed to realize it had nothing of the sort.

There have been a lot of games where the difficulty was almost perfect if only I could tweak this one thing. And in TLoU2 on Survivor it was 'enemies honing their aim on me just a tad too fast', and holy shit, I can actually fiddle with that, putting everything on Survivor but enemies on Hard. Boom done, perfect difficulty.

Either that or if they keep not making a jump button, then please get rid of the height puzzles that are easily solvable by having the man jump. It creates this weird dissonance, and as much as I loathe this term, "it breaks the immersion". I got use to dodging no problem, but only action games I know that work their best without jumping are No More Heroes, Killer Is Dead, and both Hyrule Warriors. Ironic, because you can technically jump in Age of Calamity when by a wall or vertical surface. You get a button prompt that says Wall Jump.

If you're referring to invisible walls, like 'I should totally be able to vault over this structure, but the game just won't let me', that's kind of a general issue with games overall, right? Even games that do have a jump will arbitrarily NOT allow you to jump over things that aren't on the path the game wants you to take. RE2 Remake has that one bookcase puzzle that would only require Leon/Claire to take a slightly longer step than usual to overcome, but instead you have to go to a basement, fight a Boss monster, get a key, open a door, and get a lever. It's an issue with level design that games still haven't solved, and likely never will.

At best I'd say a jump in the new GoW would get rid of those very short (about 18-feet high) climbing walls. But honestly I just hope they allow you to climb with your axe and blades in the sequel, and maybe have the option to aim your weapon and snap yourself to wherever you're looking, like the hookshot in Zelda.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

There have been a lot of games where the difficulty was almost perfect if only I could tweak this one thing. And in TLoU2 on Survivor it was 'enemies honing their aim on me just a tad too fast', and holy shit, I can actually fiddle with that, putting everything on Survivor but enemies on Hard. Boom done, perfect difficulty.
If you're referring to invisible walls, like 'I should totally be able to vault over this structure, but the game just won't let me', that's kind of a general issue with games overall, right? Even games that do have a jump will arbitrarily NOT allow you to jump over things that aren't on the path the game wants you to take. RE2 Remake has that one bookcase puzzle that would only require Leon/Claire to take a slightly longer step than usual to overcome, but instead you have to go to a basement, fight a Boss monster, get a key, open a door, and get a lever. It's an issue with level design that games still haven't solved, and likely never will.

At best I'd say a jump in the new GoW would get rid of those very short (about 18-feet high) climbing walls. But honestly I just hope they allow you to climb with your axe and blades in the sequel, and maybe have the option to aim your weapon and snap yourself to wherever you're looking, like the hookshot in Zelda.

Cloning with blades would be cool, and it could be a different animation like say if Kratos is stuck on a wall and has to throw his ax, he can dig his blade into the rock/ice/etc. and still throw it at that pesky harpie or whatever the Norse equivalent is.

And that RE2 Remake puzzle was the first bit that eroded my interest in continuing the game. I get they wanted to keep the old school design, but when it clashes so hard with the modern stuff it gets cringe-worthy. The lab is what pushed me too far into the nope zone. If you’re going to require backtracking then don’t put unkillable plant monsters in my path when I already used up my ammo on everyone else, and don’t lock me out of the area to the hidden weapon I missed that could have dealt with them properly.

Oh, and don’t put an even more unkillable asshole back on my ass in the middle of it all. I swear none of the first four games in the seriesfelt this frustrating or badly designed. Or maybe I was used to it back then.

 

[Dirty Hipsters]

Between TLoU and Ubisoft I've been really spoiled by games that really goes to great lengths with their options for tailoring the experience to the player's wishes. From accessibility to difficulty, it really is great to be able to fiddle around to find an experience that fits you just right. Then I played CP77 and was amazed to realize it had nothing of the sort.

Well it would be really hard to tweak the AI difficulty in Cyberpunk considering the enemies barely have AI to begin with...

 

[BrawlMan]

If you're referring to invisible walls, like 'I should totally be able to vault over this structure, but the game just won't let me', that's kind of a general issue with games overall, right? Even games that do have a jump will arbitrarily NOT allow you to jump over things that aren't on the path the game wants you to take. RE2 Remake has that one bookcase puzzle that would only require Leon/Claire to take a slightly longer step than usual to overcome, but instead you have to go to a basement, fight a Boss monster, get a key, open a door, and get a lever. It's an issue with level design that games still haven't solved, and likely never will.

RE always had this issue, even with the revamp and jump to 4. Ironically, 6 suffers the least from this in the entire series. Besides, 2Remake really only suffers from that one example and the keypad puzzle. God of War 4 has this happen more often, which makes it more problematic and noticeable when you could jump in all of the previous games.

At best I'd say a jump in the new GoW would get rid of those very short (about 18-feet high) climbing walls.

Good enough for me. Bring back climbing with the Blades of Chaos too or with the Axe. Preferably both. They have no excuse not to do it.

I half fully think the lack of jump was to make it more cinematic. They didn’t want players jumping all over when Atreus is trying to tell Kratos a joke for instance. If they added jump it would have to fit not only into the context of gameplay, but the story-driven progression aspects too. I could see it being conditional based on whether you’re in combat or platforming, but disable it for narrative stuff.

Which is why I dislike it so much. You can blame Gears of War and everyone for copying and over relying on it too much. Even Bayonetta 2 does this twice with Loki (not that one!). And even when he pals/bonds around with Bayonetta, she can jump all she wants just fine otherwise. The same applies to Cereza in the first game, her past self. If Bayonetta can get this right, then Kratos can too. Him jumping around does not destroy the bonding nor distract me from connecting with Atreus. It add no immersion. I've talked about this for the 1000th time. Game developers, stop doing this. It adds nothing to the overall experience and is a time waster on repeat playthroughs.

​

FTR, this is Loki from Bayo 2.

​

 

[Casual Shinji]

RE always had this issue, even with the revamp and jump to 4. Ironically, 6 suffers the least from this in the entire series. Besides, 2Remake really only suffers from that one example and the keypad puzzle. God of War 4 has this happen more often, which makes it more problematic and noticeable when you could jump in all of the previous games.

Yeah, but the previous games had those same kind of issues; you could jump over this obstacle, but not that one. You could break this obstacle, but not that one. There's a gate here with bars wide enough for me to fit through, but somehow I can't. This is because linear games need to give the player the illiusion of taking place in a wide open world, while still locking you onto a set path. RE2 Remake similarly has those moments, where a hole in the wall is just there for flavour rather than an oppertunity for the player to pass through it. You need to find and mix pesticide to get rid of obstructing vines instead of using your fire weapons to burn through it. No game can escape these moments, except maybe for Portal which locks the player in a vault.

 

[hanselthecaretaker]

Which is why I dislike it so much. You can blame Gears of War and everyone for copying and over relying on it too much. Even Bayonetta 2 does this twice with Loki (not that one!). And even when he pals/bonds around with Bayonetta, she can jump all she wants just fine otherwise. The same applies to Cereza in the first game, her past self. If Bayonetta can get this right, then Kratos can too. Him jumping around does not destroy the bonding nor distract me from connecting with Atreus. It add no immersion. I've talked about this for the 1000th time. Game developers, stop doing this. It adds nothing to the overall experience and is a time waster on repeat playthroughs.

​

My point was the new GoW is a lot different from the old, and they purposely did this for the cinematic “mature” agenda. Bayonetta is a lot closer to the classic GoW’s hack n slash gameplay, where combos and lots of jumping fit well.

 

[BrawlMan]

Yeah, but the previous games had those same kind of issues; you could jump over this obstacle, but not that one. You could break this obstacle, but not that one.

I know, but I find it the most annoying in God of War 4, considering how open the world is compared to the prequels.

My point was the new GoW is a lot different from the old, and they purposely did this for the cinematic “mature” agenda. Bayonetta is a lot closer to the classic GoW’s hack n slash gameplay, where combos and lots of jumping fit well.

I've already understood the point clear as day. I don't like it. Call it whatever you want, it is not immune to criticism. I am not claiming you are, but many others think otherwise in the "professional" sphere. Once again, Bayonetta can bond just fine with Loki (only happens twice), a younger version of her father, Balder, and kick ass with her mom, Rosa in the past, then God of War can do it too. Hell, the moments with Rosa add more immersion, because it does not stop to slow you down and you're both working together and pull some team up moves or torture attacks. You are doing it through actual gameplay even if it's a bombastic set piece.

 

[CriticalGaming]

I know, but I find it the most annoying in God of War 4, considering how open the world is compared to the prequels.

With realism, comes the cost of still having to put game limitations upon the world. That's why those things stand out more.

 

[BrawlMan]

With realism, comes the cost of still having to put game limitations upon the world. That's why those things stand out more.

​

 

[bluegate]

And what do you know, The Last of Us Part 2 has been awarded by far the most awards this year;

1. The Last of Us Part II - 178
   Media Outlets: 125 | Readers' Choice: 53
   
   
2. Hades - 41
   Media Outlets: 38 | Readers' Choice: 3
   
   
3. Ghost of Tsushima - 29
   Media Outlets: 23 | Readers' Choice: 6

Game of the Year Tracker

We're tracking Game of the Year (GOTY) awards from around the world. Discover what media outlets and players voted as the best titles every year.

www.gameawards.net

 

[CriticalGaming]

And what do you know, The Last of Us Part 2 has been awarded by far the most awards this year;

1. The Last of Us Part II - 178
   Media Outlets: 125 | Readers' Choice: 53
   
   
2. Hades - 41
   Media Outlets: 38 | Readers' Choice: 3
   
   
3. Ghost of Tsushima - 29
   Media Outlets: 23 | Readers' Choice: 6

Game of the Year Tracker

We're tracking Game of the Year (GOTY) awards from around the world. Discover what media outlets and players voted as the best titles every year.

www.gameawards.net

Sadly i think The Last of Us 2 is winning even among some of the public because it looks good. Shiny graphics win over people who dont know any better.

This is one of those cases in which the general gaming public doesnt play a lot of shit, let alone pays enough attention to things like story and mechanics to know any better.

The same "gamers" who buy Madden every year and fuel microtransactions because thats just what you dont in those games. People who think Call of Duty is brilliant because it is so pretty looking.

Graphics and looking real are big grabs to casual gamers and even middling gamers who might just vote on polls or whatever occasionally. Much like many gaming "Journalists" and "Reviewers" who simply half-ass their way through a game for work.

Like the Gamespot reviewer of Cyberpunk who said in their Gamespot podcast about the game that she played the who game without even bothering to look at the skill tree in the game. Which not only says a lot about Cyberpunk, it also just goes to show you how much these top sites lack people who give two flying shits about their job. Even if the skill tree was useless or too complicated, the reviewer owes it to work ethic to at least TRY to experiment with it in order to see how it affects gameplay. Which by the way she says the skill tree is interesting and robust in the actual written review. Which means the review is just a bunch of gibberish cobbled together to mean a deadline for a review of a game she couldnt be bothered playing.....for her job.