Black Ops 2 Is Like A Rich Jerk

[xptn40S]

I suppose that makes me the worst person in the world. Or maybe it was a relatable mistake.

A relatable mistake? For someone who's apparently been here for over four years with 8000+ posts, do you really expect me, or heck, anyone, to believe that?

Unless you've never read a column on the Escapist up to this point, this would without a doubt be willful ignorance.

But there were no buttons to click to read MY POST. Did you just get to the first sentence of mine, find an inconsistency and think "AH HA! I now can formulate a gotcha response and be snide about it rather than have a respectful discussion"? Well?

No, I saw your question "Why are critics of COD so afraid of considering COD's multiplayer?" and felt like giving you a link to one of his other columns that more or less explained his view on multiplayer in what I would consider a moderately friendly fashion.

I'd like to know WHY you have ignored all I've said since then, particularly this part that is very pertinent:

And even if was so adamant about not reviewing multiplayer games, then that is grounds for him NOT REVIEWING BLACK OPS 2 AT ALL! As he should recognise that's what Black Ops 2 mainly is.

So it all comes down to you wanting him to acknowledge the fact that the multiplayer is the biggest part of the CoD-series?
Y'know, I'm pretty sure he isn't completely oblivious to that fact just because he doesn't mention it, but seeing as there is a singleplayer-campaign in there, then like it or not, that's (usually) the one thing that he's going to review.
You wouldn't honestly believe that he judges the game's multiplayer by the game's singleplayer, would you?

Anyway, now I've read it this just shows that yahtzee doesn't LIKE playing multiplayer...

No no, it's competitive multiplayer that he doesn't like, he didn't outright say that he didn't like any multiplayer at all.

well I'm sorry that a small part of his job may involve doing something he doesn't like, but it's not like he has the worst job in the world.

So you're suggesting that he should be forced to review the multiplayer?

That is still not any sort of excuse for his poor journalism...

According to who?

...of reviewing Black Ops 2 as if it only consisted of the single-player campaign and drawing conclusions of the industry and playerbase from the success of the game on that assertion it was mainly singleplayer.

Again, you're jumping to the conclusion that he really is completely oblivious of the multiplayer.

And Zombies as well. He skipped that as well even though it's such a major feature it can be a default launch option.

...except that he sort of already did in his review of the original Black Ops.

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/2486-Call-of-Duty-Black-Ops

And y'know what? He said that he found it fun back then, and seeing how he's said in the past that anything he doesn't mention is usually fine, so you can probably take that for what it's worth.

He says he doesn't want to be political, no I think he want to be political, he just doesn't want to deal with the consequences of being political. Kind of like wanting to eat a cake yet still have the cake after he's eaten it... so to speak.

Care to give an example of what might give away this "hidden will to be political"?


I'll need some sleep now.

 

[Xdeser2]

*Rolls Eyes*

The Priviliged whites?

You realize many First world and developed countires are more than white, Right?

But hey, Im American so what I say dosent matter right? I must be the source of all the worlds problems even though im still in high school...

OP: Damn, I liked Yahtzee more when he was a game critic, not using a strawman argument to accuse people of racism just because they played a game...

 

[Treblaine]

and the military tech porn isn't helping.

As a former/recovering military tech addict... no... COD is not military tech porn.

That's like calling Armageddon a film made for NASA fanboys, no, it's got space rockets in it but it's about spaceflight, but it anyone who knows anything about spaceflight cringes watching a film like Armageddon.

COD has a John Woo approach to guns, taking the superficial but utterly screwing with the stats and even chronological existence just to impress frat boys. A G11 assault rife in 1968?!?!? It wasn't even out of prototype in 1991!!! FAMAS and AUG? Not till 1980's.

Things like the heartbeat sensor of MW2 are just a slap in the face, it's just a pop culture rip-off from Aliens and anyone who follows military tech knows that's 100% fantasy, but to some frat guys it seems plausible enough... if they know nothing about military tech.

I mean it's about as profound to have something like a heartbeat sensor as having heat-seeking bullets that can bend around corners.

 

[Treblaine]

Anyway, now I've read it this just shows that yahtzee doesn't LIKE playing multiplayer...

An opinion, something he is paid to express.

I just wish he'd express his opinion on the 2/3rds of the game that he did more than ignore, he acted like everyone else ignored it.

Would you be any happier if he had simply played zombies and said that it was boring? It wouldn't make his videos any funnier, nor would it make his columns any more thoughtful. Hell, it would become annoying by the third review. Going by what he has said, the reason he plays primarily single player games isn't because he thinks that there is anything wrong with competitive multiplayer, but because it simply doesn't interest him. I can give detailed critiques of all sorts of art, but I'd stare at someone blankly if I was asked about my opinion on fashion trends. It isn't because I think that the idea of fashion is worthless, but because I don't care about it enough to form an arguable opinion.

Yatzee can talk about single player and come up with criticisms because the single player is something he has a vested interest in. It would be interesting to see Yatzee play multiplayer and try to figure out why people like it (which he has done to some extent, but that really isn't his style and I don't think forcing him to do so would make him better at what people watch him for.

He obviously has not, not to any extent.

He also did not touch on Zombies Segment, not to any extent.

You asked me a question and I answered it. Quoting what you've already said again back at me does not address my response, it's a dismissal of the allegations he makes in this review.

I can't fault his assessment of Black Ops 2's singleplayer, he thinks it's racist, that's insane but so what, it was somewhat whimsical in a painfully forced way. My problem is with him acting like this hackneyed single-player was the game's selling point and this was all that Black Ops 2 was when no COD game has even marginally stood on the merits of its single-player since 2007. He went from a "lol, unexpected racism" perspective that he used with his review of Uncharted, to "People who buy any COD game are bad people, because of its singleplayer".

I'm not forcing him to do anything. I am asking and expecting and saying he should not misrepresent the game and the people that buy it.

PS: How can he do critical reviews of games yet not be a games journalist? That is the industry definition of a games journalist.

 

[Treblaine]

I suppose that makes me the worst person in the world. Or maybe it was a relatable mistake.

A relatable mistake? For someone who's apparently been here for over four years with 8000+ posts, do you really expect me, or heck, anyone, to believe that?

Unless you've never read a column on the Escapist up to this point, this would without a doubt be willful ignorance.

Sight layout has changed in the past month, where I've not been using this site much.

It's precisely because of me being used to after 4 year the layout being a certain way that I would make such a mistake.

 

[kenu12345]

Dayum the COD fanboys are out in force today but anyway good article good points

 

[xptn40S]

I suppose that makes me the worst person in the world. Or maybe it was a relatable mistake.

A relatable mistake? For someone who's apparently been here for over four years with 8000+ posts, do you really expect me, or heck, anyone, to believe that?

Unless you've never read a column on the Escapist up to this point, this would without a doubt be willful ignorance.

Sight layout has changed in the past month, where I've not been using this site much.

It's precisely because of me being used to after 4 year the layout being a certain way that I would make such a mistake.

Yeah no, I'm not buying it, the "Next page" button is still down in the lower right corner of the columns.

But hey, I won't brood over this any longer.

(...okay, now I'll go to bed.)

 

[Treblaine]

So it all comes down to you wanting him to acknowledge the fact that the multiplayer is the biggest part of the CoD-series?
Y'know, I'm pretty sure he isn't completely oblivious to that fact just because he doesn't mention it, but seeing as there is a singleplayer-campaign in there, then like it or not, that's (usually) the one thing that he's going to review.
You wouldn't honestly believe that he judges the game's multiplayer by the game's singleplayer, would you?

I never said he was oblivious, I said he ignored it. Oblivious would be he couldn't find the multiplayer or zombies mode tough looking for it.

He DID ignore it from his review and his followup.

I don't think he judged the multiplayer at all, I think he completley ignored it and didn't factor the multiplayer at all in weighing the success of the game, concluding the content of the singleplayer was principal in the target audience's mind.

So you're suggesting that he should be forced to review the multiplayer?

No. I'm just saying he should.

...of reviewing Black Ops 2 as if it only consisted of the single-player campaign and drawing conclusions of the industry and playerbase from the success of the game on that assertion it was mainly singleplayer.

Again, you're jumping to the conclusion that he really is completely oblivious of the multiplayer.

No jumping to any conclusion. He REALLY DID not mention the multiplayer at all yet talked of the game's success in the context of the singleplayer as if that was the reason for it's success and that there was something perverse about the industry for buying a game for such a singleplayer.

That's misrepresentative.

Zombies Segment is different, he could give SOME mention of it, whether it is the same, better or worse or whether it's bad that it is the way it is. But he didn't say anything but to continue his political rant about singleplayer. It's all the more objectionable that he had the time for Zombies in his Black Ops review but not for Black Ops 2 where it was an even more significant role. He could have said something about its significance or its worth, but it was pushed aside in a rant about Black Ops 2 in the political context rather than how it stood on its own.

He says he doesn't want to be political, no I think he want to be political, he just doesn't want to deal with the consequences of being political. Kind of like wanting to eat a cake yet still have the cake after he's eaten it... so to speak.

Care to give an example of what might give away this "hidden will to be political"?

The bit where he rants about politics then backtracks from the backlash. It's not any hidden will, it's obvious, he just isn't being entirely honest when he says he doesn't want to be political. I mean instead of editing his text, he goes "oops, mustn't say that" as if he was live on the radio.

 

[Colt47]

I feel like Yahtzee deserves a commendation for just sitting through all these CoD games. My interest in the CoD Modern Warfare series died at entry number 2 and nothing I've seen in the recent years has managed to renew my interest. I'm kind of wondering who these 10 million people are that bought this game and if these people are just buying CoD because they need to get their moneys worth out of their XBox 360.

... you know, I just realized I still have an Xbox live subscription going and I haven't touched my white brick in two years. Crap, that beer goggled squirrel was right! It's nothing without Halo and Call of Duty! ~ ~

 

[BarbaricGoose]

I think he mentioned that internet assholes put him off, and I don't think that he ever pretended to be a real reviewer. The funniness factor has dwindled a bit, possibly because the recent games that have been coming out were not poorly crafted or anything, they were just boring or used an ancient formula. I know, I know, good comedian, phonebook, whatever.

I'm sorry if Yahtzee is getting his feelings hurt. I genuinely am. But I stand by what I said. He is very much a critic. Pretty much all definitions of the word fit what he does to the T, but I found this one to be particularly well suited: a person who tends too readily to make captious, trivial, or harsh judgments; faultfinder. If he wasn't a professional critic, I probably wouldn't give a shit if he only played 30-40% of each game before he lambasted it, but since he IS a professional, it very much bothers me. If his humor was still more than just sex pun after sex pun, I could forgive him for being lazy in that department, but... fuck. Anyone can make a sex joke, but very few can make good ones. They're traps!

Maybe his humor was ALWAYS 90% sex jokes, and I just got tired of it somewhere down the line. Maybe it's me. Anyway, thank GOD for Jim Sterling, or I'd have zero reason to visit this site.

 

[Treblaine]

I suppose that makes me the worst person in the world. Or maybe it was a relatable mistake.

A relatable mistake? For someone who's apparently been here for over four years with 8000+ posts, do you really expect me, or heck, anyone, to believe that?

Unless you've never read a column on the Escapist up to this point, this would without a doubt be willful ignorance.

Sight layout has changed in the past month, where I've not been using this site much.

It's precisely because of me being used to after 4 year the layout being a certain way that I would make such a mistake.

Yeah no, I'm not buying it, the "Next page" button is still down in the lower right corner of the columns.

But hey, I won't brood over this any longer.

(...okay, now I'll go to bed.)

What the hell has happened to this site? Why are we getting forum post like this, when I'm accused of wilful ignorance, and after I give an explanation the only reply is a flat denial and reaffirming of the accusation of nefariousness.

Why even reply with just that? How about if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I'm fed up of this shit. I really am. This used to be a good site, now people are just so means spirited, I've have more uncivil conservations on this site than in youtube comments section. The mods may have stopped people cussing each other out, but they can't stop people being so snide and venomous, it's unbelievable the type of crap that goes on.

Every reply to my comments, is full of "ooh, so I suppose you want *insert exaggeration here*" no. You know what I expect, I just said it, now you are repeating a complete exaggeration that's totally extreme and so far beyond what I said.

When did it all become so tabloid.

 

[Jfswift]

I haven't tried it yet myself. It sounds like they could have made a longer game or broke it into two parts. Their loss.

Edit: this kind of reminds me of a gripe I had about Perfect Dark. They constantly introduce new gadgets and devices for each mission. A pretty fun game actually but I wish you had just a little more time to play with each new gadget or device.

 

[Colt47]

I suppose that makes me the worst person in the world. Or maybe it was a relatable mistake.

A relatable mistake? For someone who's apparently been here for over four years with 8000+ posts, do you really expect me, or heck, anyone, to believe that?

Unless you've never read a column on the Escapist up to this point, this would without a doubt be willful ignorance.

Sight layout has changed in the past month, where I've not been using this site much.

It's precisely because of me being used to after 4 year the layout being a certain way that I would make such a mistake.

Yeah no, I'm not buying it, the "Next page" button is still down in the lower right corner of the columns.

But hey, I won't brood over this any longer.

(...okay, now I'll go to bed.)

What the hell has happened to this site? Why are we getting forum post like this, when I'm accused of wilful ignorance, and after I give an explanation the only reply is a flat denial and reaffirming of the accusation of nefariousness.

Why even reply with just that? How about if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I'm fed up of this shit. I really am. This used to be a good site, now people are just so means spirited, I've have more uncivil conservations on this site than in youtube comments section. The mods may have stopped people cussing each other out, but they can't stop people being so snide and venomous, it's unbelievable the type of crap that goes on.

Every reply to my comments, is full of "ooh, so I suppose you want *insert exaggeration here*" no. You know what I expect, I just said it, now you are repeating a complete exaggeration that's totally extreme and so far beyond what I said.

When did it all become so tabloid.

I don't know! I'm too new! ~ ~

 

[kenu12345]

I suppose that makes me the worst person in the world. Or maybe it was a relatable mistake.

A relatable mistake? For someone who's apparently been here for over four years with 8000+ posts, do you really expect me, or heck, anyone, to believe that?

Unless you've never read a column on the Escapist up to this point, this would without a doubt be willful ignorance.

Sight layout has changed in the past month, where I've not been using this site much.

It's precisely because of me being used to after 4 year the layout being a certain way that I would make such a mistake.

Yeah no, I'm not buying it, the "Next page" button is still down in the lower right corner of the columns.

But hey, I won't brood over this any longer.

(...okay, now I'll go to bed.)

What the hell has happened to this site? Why are we getting forum post like this, when I'm accused of wilful ignorance, and after I give an explanation the only reply is a flat denial and reaffirming of the accusation of nefariousness.

Why even reply with just that? How about if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. I'm fed up of this shit. I really am. This used to be a good site, now people are just so means spirited, I've have more uncivil conservations on this site than in youtube comments section. The mods may have stopped people cussing each other out, but they can't stop people being so snide and venomous, it's unbelievable the type of crap that goes on.

Every reply to my comments, is full of "ooh, so I suppose you want *insert exaggeration here*" no. You know what I expect, I just said it, now you are repeating a complete exaggeration that's totally extreme and so far beyond what I said.

When did it all become so tabloid.

Maybe you would have more civil discussions if you were more civil sir or madam

 

[anonymity88]

*Rolls Eyes*

The Priviliged whites?

You realize many First world and developed countires are more than white, Right?

But hey, Im American so what I say dosent matter right? I must be the source of all the worlds problems even though im still in high school...

OP: Damn, I liked Yahtzee more when he was a game critic, not using a strawman argument to accuse people of racism just because they played a game...

You know...

Feel free to call me crazy here but I think that maybe, just maybe he might be exaggerating for comic effect...

 

[Treblaine]

I don't see his problem with multiplayer. I mean respawns are instant, surely he isn't insecure enough that he can't deal with his number not being as big as the other man's number, especially if it get's him material for his popular weekly show that can help him earn some scratch.

See I'd REALLY like so see him rip into an analyse COD's multiplayer, it's something that has intrigued, confounded and annoyed me. I've been simultaneously attracted to it and appalled by it, I want his perspective on both why it is so popular, and also why it is so reviled. I can't quite put my finger on it myself and Ben has insight on these sorts of things of noticing things that have annoyed us for long but we couldn't quite summarise.

Maybe you would have more civil discussions if you were more civil sir or madam

Where was I uncivil? Please point it out so I can apologise for such error in character.

And when did incivility become licence to be uncivil yourself? This isn't self defence, snideness is no counter to snideness.

 

[Waffle_Man]

You asked me a question and I answered it. Quoting what you've already said again back at me does not address my response, it's a dismissal of the allegations he makes in this review.

I repeated myself because I perceived your answer as begging the question. You didn't answer a question, you simply responded to a lone comment at the top of my post. I could probably respond to most of the following with other things that I've already said, but out of respect, I won't.

]It would be interesting to see Yatzee play multiplayer and try to figure out why people like it (which he has done to some extent, but that really isn't his style and I don't think forcing him to do so would make him better at what people watch him for.

He obviously has not, not to any extent.

So? The point was that it was an interesting hypothetical, but not something I'd expect, let alone demand, he do.
He isn't a journalist, so I wouldn't expect him to act as one.

He also did not touch on Zombies Segment, not to any extent.

Would the movie have been made any better by touching on the zombie segment? Would it have been funnier if he had said "also, there's zombies. I didn't find it fun." Would the column have been better if he had said "also, there is zombies. I didn't find it fun."

I can't fault his assessment of Black Ops 2's singleplayer, he thinks it's racist, that's insane but so what, it was somewhat whimsical in a painfully forced way. My problem is with him acting like this hackneyed single-player was the game's selling point and this was all that Black Ops 2 was when no COD game has even marginally stood on the merits of its single-player since 2007.

He cares about the single player. He doesn't like the single player in Black Ops 2. Is he wrong?

He went from a "lol, unexpected racism" perspective that he used with his review of Uncharted, to "People who buy any COD game are bad people, because of its singleplayer".

He also said "Hitler was right" in one of his videos. His humor works on hyperbole. Where did he say "all people who buy COD games are bad" in the column? If he did say that, I would be the first to admit that it was a bit of a dick move on his part, but it doesn't negate the essence of the criticism.

I'm not forcing him to do anything. I am asking and expecting and saying he should not misrepresent the game and the people that buy it.

I can't really say anything to this end unless you can find me a quote where he willfully lies that isn't in a comedic context. Hell, show me where he outright lies that is in a comedic context.

PS: How can he do critical reviews of games yet not be a games journalist? That is the industry definition of a games journalist.

Reviews are not journalism by definition. Reviews require subjectivity. Journalism is about being as objective as possible. Do you have any idea what a journalistic review would look like? If not, you do now. [http://www.destructoid.com/100-objective-review-final-fantasy-xiii-179178.phtml]

It's the same way with his column. It's all about his opinions, which is practically the opposite of journalism.

 

[kenu12345]

Where was I uncivil? Please point it out so I can apologise for such error in character.

And when did incivility become licence to be uncivil yourself? This isn't self defence, snideness is no counter to snideness.

The tone of all your posts plus from what I've seen blantantly ignoring certain things. Dont take this as anything but a comment. I meant no insult in this just wanted to point out something