My Problem With Yahtzee's E3 Philosophy

[ReservoirAngel]

I'm actually looking forward to his cynicism this year around. I'm dying to see how badly he slams the Wii-U. I won't trust a word of it, but I'm dying to see his reaction, especially after he spent the past few years just bitching and whining about the Wii console.

 

[Zac Smith]

Yahtzee is not a reviewer, he's a critic. I'm sure he is interested in a few games at E3 like Batman or whatever but even if he was he is trying to make a point about the hype industry in games, which is a fairly good one.

Personally I see him and less of both and more of a comedian/entertainer. I don't really take any of his videos or articles seriously

 

[9thRequiem]

I think the best road is the middle path.
Not expecting everything to be terrible, and not getting over excited by every shiny bauble waved in front of you, but going in without expectations at all, and measuring things based on merits.

It's almost a certainty that everything will be over-hyped (That's pretty much what E3 is for), but it doesn't mean it won't still be good.

 

[Casual Shinji]

I hear Yahtzee say this around every E3, and whenever I do I think, "Right, keep telling yourself that. Maybe you'll actually believe it one day."
He wouldn't have to force himself to pessimistic in order to not be disappointed if he wasn't actually already looking forward to it.

It's obvious that the guy is passionate about gaming, so I'd say it's pretty impossible for him not to anticipate a new and interesting game. I also read in that big internet Q&A he did a few months back that he was looking forward to Portal 2, L.A. Noire and Infamous 2 . So there's that as well.

 

[Netrigan]

I find myself having similar pessimism. I'm typically open to new things (unless it involves Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern), but I take most advanced hype with a massive grain of salt.

It's a rare game I pre-order with no advance reviews or hands-on experience. LittleBigPlanet 2 which promised more of the same. I tend to pre-order the Lego games because you always know exactly what you're getting with those. Pre-ordered Bulletstorm and Infamous 2 on the strength of the demos. Mostly I wait for the first reviews to see if the game looks to live up to the hype.

Advanced publicity is used to rope in the punters. Too many times a massive advertising campaign has been used to sell something everyone knew was shit... like the American Godzilla movie.

 

[Adzma]

I'm the same as Yahtzee when it comes to hype and E3. Fact is you'll always be more disappointed if you expect something to be great and it turns out to be shit. It's also all the more merrier if it does turn out to be great.

I blame FF XIII for this, so much disappoint for that game.

 

[TheHardcase]

I think I automatically kind of share Yahtzee's view. The whole E3 thing comes off as kind of corny to me. I don't like to think of myself as a cynic, I just like to get my information more... plainly. If a game really looks good to me, it's not going to take a big demonstration to show that. I just need to see a demo on XBL and a release date (unless it's a sequel, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Serious Sam 3).

 

[CardinalPiggles]

I agree ^^ Looking forward to something feels good Knowing I will be playing Syrim by the end of the year is a good thing. It makes my heart sing =P And singing hearts are the best!

The problem is, if Skyrim turns out to be shit (sorry fanatics of The Elder Scrolls), then it will completely break your spirit.

For example, when I first heard about FF13 (I will stop using this game as an example I promise), I was looking forward to it so much, I pre-ordered it, so full price then, and after playing and loving FF10 and FF12 (sorry fanatics of the FF series of old times), I thought that their games could only get better. Turned out I hated FF13, I played about 5 hours of it, got bored, and traded it in for about half price (maybe less). Since then I have never pre-ordered any game, and never bought any game new release for full price.

So yeah, no optimism = no disappointment.

 

[remnant_phoenix]

I've already made a comment on this in another topic. Here it is -

You need to see Yahtzees E3 hype episode, because he's right. You wont be disappointed if you assume that it's going to turn out to be a piece of shit. If it does turn out to be good, then great. Happy days.

And that's where Yahtzee's wrong. Dead wrong.

You can still remain un-disappointed if you have no expectations at all. Why is that better? Because then you don't end up on message forums arguing with someone else because you think their must-have game is crap. Win-win for both parties.

Indifference > Pessimism.

I definitely agree. Taking an expectation-free approach has the Yahtzee-recommended advantage of pessimism (not being disappointed) but also has the advantage of avoiding disputes with others over different expectations. As a bonus, this approach (in my experience) is better at dodging the common trap of pessimism: turning a person into a jaded, cynical, and generally unpleasant person.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Yahtzee, but I wonder just how pleasant he is to be around IRL... (EDIT: That is to say, I wonder if he's fallen into said trap, and if he has, I wonder how deeply has he fallen.)

 

[Halo Fanboy]

I'm an excellent judge of game previews and I can usually get a pretty good understanding of games from them. And I can adjust my expectations as I get more information.

Expecting disappointment from every game is ridiculous and doubt any real person would actually believe such a thing. If you think all games are bad, why would you ever play anything?

 

[Netrigan]

I think I automatically kind of share Yahtzee's view. The whole E3 thing comes off as kind of corny to me. I don't like to think of myself as a cynic, I just like to get my information more... plainly. If a game really looks good to me, it's not going to take a big demonstration to show that. I just need to see a demo on XBL and a release date (unless it's a sequel, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Serious Sam 3).

Even then, if it's been a fairly long time since the previous installment, it's very likely to be fairly different. I went into Star Wars, Indy, Die Hard, and Terminator with fairly low expectations... well, at least I enjoyed Indy and Die Hard.

And Serious Sam 2 was a pretty big disappointment. These guys are two for three.

 

[Luthir Fontaine]

While i do enjoy Yahtzee's zp and find them funny as all hell, hes kinda of a rain cloud on everything gaming. Everything for him is bad...

 

[Netrigan]

No if I had to describe Yahtzee, I'd point to the most recent episode of South Park, specifically the topic and theme of that episode, and say "pretty much that."

But Stan was right about everything

 

[TheHardcase]

I think I automatically kind of share Yahtzee's view. The whole E3 thing comes off as kind of corny to me. I don't like to think of myself as a cynic, I just like to get my information more... plainly. If a game really looks good to me, it's not going to take a big demonstration to show that. I just need to see a demo on XBL and a release date (unless it's a sequel, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Serious Sam 3).

Even then, if it's been a fairly long time since the previous installment, it's very likely to be fairly different. I went into Star Wars, Indy, Die Hard, and Terminator with fairly low expectations... well, at least I enjoyed Indy and Die Hard.

And Serious Sam 2 was a pretty big disappointment. These guys are two for three.

Yeeaahh true. I only played it once, so I guess that shows it wasn't as good.

As for the series comment, I do agree. Even the Halo games (which have been close in time and turned out to be damn similar games) I haven't bought just because of being Halo. I'm sceptical every time.

 

[Netrigan]

I think I automatically kind of share Yahtzee's view. The whole E3 thing comes off as kind of corny to me. I don't like to think of myself as a cynic, I just like to get my information more... plainly. If a game really looks good to me, it's not going to take a big demonstration to show that. I just need to see a demo on XBL and a release date (unless it's a sequel, eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Serious Sam 3).

Even then, if it's been a fairly long time since the previous installment, it's very likely to be fairly different. I went into Star Wars, Indy, Die Hard, and Terminator with fairly low expectations... well, at least I enjoyed Indy and Die Hard.

And Serious Sam 2 was a pretty big disappointment. These guys are two for three.

Yeeaahh true. I only played it once, so I guess that shows it wasn't as good.

As for the series comment, I do agree. Even the Halo games (which have been close in time and turned out to be damn similar games) I haven't bought just because of being Halo. I'm sceptical every time.

It took me two or three attempts to get through the damn thing. It had its moments, but I think they over-played the funny angle. Like the Kamikazes in the first game were funny and after a while you learned to fear the bastards. In the second game, they have these weird bouncy heads which is just over-playing the joke.

 

[procyonlotor]

I was disappointed once or twice (and DA2 robbed me of 60 euroes, I wish I'd pirated it beforehand ;_. But it wore off. Now I just feel it is my duty to laugh at those games and recognize the symptoms next time.

Personally, seeing E3 is like taking a peek at what's inside Santa's sack. I enjoy the childish excitement.

If it came to going to one of these conventions, I think it'd have to be PAX.

 

[Marik2]

It's amazing how pathetically sad and pessimistic and picky so many people on this site are. *sigh*... I quit.

Yeah I learned that the hard way

 

[Netrigan]

I enjoy watching the E3 trailers. There's always a few games that look interesting that weren't on my radar before. I've got my good eye on Far Cry 3 at the moment and hope it lives up to the trailer.

But I won't be disappointed if it doesn't. It just disappears from my Amazon wishlist without ceremony.

 

[Krion_Vark]

The guy is fun, and he has already stated that his reviews shouldn't be taken seriously. Learn to lol a bit!

Nah, this is a philosophy he actually holds true. Depressing, isn't it?

Anyways, way I see it, I'm, quite simply, not a pussy. I'm not afraid of disappointment. It happens. It's a part of life. I'm not going to deny being excited about something just to protect myself from it.

But IS E3 really the thing to get hyped about? I mean there are so many other game shows now. E3 used to be IT now theres GDC, TGS, PAX to name a few. E3 has become a media thing not really something that even I really look forward to and I have been watching the Press Conferences for a while now but I don't really care for the hands on stuff just the announcements at the Press Conferences.

 

[Rad Party God]

Yahtzee can suck it, I don't agree with anything he says lately. What a bitter troll he is. Sheesh.

I'm really, really excited for the Wii U and a couple of other games that were shown at E3. Granted, it was a long time since I was ever excited about something and I did get excited about the Wii U. I had many dissapointments my etire life, but I just can't get bummed and depressed by anything and say that everything is shit. It's just part of life.