Poll: Game Of The Year- Let the battle begin...

[Hazy]

"I expected the main focus of the story to be on the racism and the flaws in the society, and then the main focus turned out to be Elizabeth! Also, the look into the racism and the flaws of that society wasn't even very good!"

"The food at this restaurant is terrible, and such small portions!"

The flaws in that society don't need to be belabored on, nor are they the thrust of the story. Stop ****ing looking for every story to boil down to a simple hermeneutic.

Yes they absolutely do. The game tries to sell you on the ultra-nationalistic pride and absolute xenophobia/racism that the people of Columbia have and then does absolutely nothing with it. The game plays it safe, and misses out on a big opportunity to tell a side-story of intolerance and bigotry as a result of it.

 

[Hazy]

Because BioShock Infinite is clearly more than a mindless shooter right?

Edit: Dammit, Shinji.

Well, yeah. It is. Attempting to reduce it to just a shooter so you can hand wave the entire exercise is...poor argumentation, to say the least. And that's not even getting into ACTUAL comparisons between modern shooters and fixed screen Atari-era games such as Space Invaders.

It's like saying Jagged Alliance had poor writing, therefore a fair comparison is Donkey Kong, which also had poor writing.

GENIUS.

So if a game with poor enemy placement, poor enemy variety, lackluster shooting elements, a two-weapon limit that discourages experimentation, and underwhelming boss battles aren't indicative of a mindless shooter, what is?

It's incredible how easily a game with mediocre gameplay mechanics can be so well-received provided the developers throw in a superficially deep story. Must be why games like Gone Home are so acclaimed.

 

[Talvrae]

year not over yet, still have some important game to release before we can make a choice i think at the next Batman game and Asssassin's Creed Black Flag

 

[BloatedGuppy]

So if a game with poor enemy placement, poor enemy variety, lackluster shooting elements, a two-weapon limit that discourages experimentation, and underwhelming boss battles aren't indicative of a mindless shooter, what is?

I've already stated...a couple of times now...my general dim impression of the shooting mechanics in that game. There's a far field between saying "The shooting was a bit naff" and "This game is basically a gussied up Space Invaders", though. One of them is fair criticism, and one is stupid hyperbole. Which is not a hallmark of "well written", unless you're aiming for comedy. And nothing about that review gave the slightest impression of comedy, aside from the comedically torturous delivery of the narration.

It's incredible how easily a game with mediocre gameplay mechanics can be so well-received provided the developers throw in a superficially deep story. Must be why games like Gone Home are so acclaimed.

Ah, so now we're hand waving the story as "superficially deep", and stating that it's "incredible" when people hold opinions that differ from our own. We can probably call it a day here, I can see where this is headed.

 

[Hazy]

So if a game with poor enemy placement, poor enemy variety, lackluster shooting elements, a two-weapon limit that discourages experimentation, and underwhelming boss battles aren't indicative of a mindless shooter, what is?

I've already stated...a couple of times now...my general dim impression of the shooting mechanics in that game. There's a far field between saying "The shooting was a bit naff" and "This game is basically a gussied up Space Invaders", though. One of them is fair criticism, and one is stupid hyperbole. Which is not a hallmark of "well written", unless you're aiming for comedy. And nothing about that review gave the slightest impression of comedy, despite from the comedically torturous delivery of the narration.

It wasn't the comparison I would have drawn, but I can give you that - the game is more intelligent than Space Invaders, that's a definite. But a 5th grader is more intelligent than someone in Kindergarten as well.

It's incredible how easily a game with mediocre gameplay mechanics can be so well-received provided the developers throw in a superficially deep story. Must be why games like Gone Home are so acclaimed.

Ah, so now we're hand waving the story as "superficially deep", and stating that it's "incredible" when people hold opinions that differ from our own. We can probably call it a day here, I can see where this is headed.

This "deep" story about Quantum Mechanics is just that: superficially deep. They throw in some intelligent terms and subject matter and hope it doesn't fall apart under scrutiny.

Unfortunately, it does. Ignoring the last portion of the game which leaves more questions than answers, the developers clearly did not understand how Quantum Mechanics worked. It isn't magic. The infinite worlds theory is just that: infinite. You can't pull some timey wimey space magic shit and call it a day.

Maybe if they hadn't tackled subject matter they weren't capable of conveying, the story would not have been so mediocre.

 

[Ruzinus]

"I expected the main focus of the story to be on the racism and the flaws in the society, and then the main focus turned out to be Elizabeth! Also, the look into the racism and the flaws of that society wasn't even very good!"

"The food at this restaurant is terrible, and such small portions!"

The flaws in that society don't need to be belabored on, nor are they the thrust of the story. Stop ****ing looking for every story to boil down to a simple hermeneutic.

Yes they absolutely do. The game tries to sell you on the ultra-nationalistic pride and absolute xenophobia/racism that the people of Columbia have and then does absolutely nothing with it. The game plays it safe, and misses out on a big opportunity to tell a side-story of intolerance and bigotry as a result of it.

No, the flaws in that society are obvious. In fact, people who do see the dystopian aspects of Infinite as the main theme of the story criticize the game for having such a simple message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2cSKBFBDQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUm4JnxTxtvItQecKUc4zRhQ

There's errant signal, doing just that.

People who read it as a dystopic story criticize it up and down for just being too obvious.

 

[Vhite]

Only game that impressed me this year was Europa Universalis 4 but I'm still starving for more games with some depth.

 

[Agayek]

Any answer to this question that isn't "XCOM: Enemy Within" is provably incorrect. By Science.

...

No, it doesn't matter that the game hasn't come out yet.

 

[Hazy]

No, the flaws in that society are obvious. In fact, people who do see the dystopian aspects of Infinite as the main theme of the story criticize the game for having such a simple message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2cSKBFBDQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUm4JnxTxtvItQecKUc4zRhQ

There's errant signal, doing just that.

People who read it as a dystopic story criticize it up and down for just being too obvious.

Well, of course they're obvious - if you tell someone that a society is segregated and then see a "colored only" bathroom sign, it's a pretty dead giveaway. The problem is that they do just that: tell, don't show.

My whole point is that the subject matter is essential Racism: For Kids. It doesn't take any risks, doesn't bombard the player with jaw-dropping depictions of brutality, and doesn't draw a parallel between the beauty of the city and the darkness of its denizens. These are all things that the game wants you to feel, but they don't have the balls to depict enough of this to actually get this off the ground. Nobody utters the phrase "******." No innocent Blacks are beaten. Hell, the baseball throwing scene bears absolutely no repercussions at all. It's silly, and again, wasted potential.

 

[BloatedGuppy]

This "deep" story about Quantum Mechanics is just that: superficially deep. They throw in some intelligent terms and subject matter and hope it doesn't fall apart under scrutiny.

Unfortunately, it does. Ignoring the last portion of the game which leaves more questions than answers, the developers clearly did not understand how Quantum Mechanics worked. It isn't magic. The infinite worlds theory is just that: infinite. You can't pull some timey wimey space magic shit and call it a day.

Maybe if they hadn't tackled subject matter they weren't capable of conveying, the story would not have been so mediocre.

Is it your conjecture, then, that in order to be considered "deep" stories must be scientifically rigorous?

A great many acclaimed fantasy and science fiction authors will be sad to hear it.

My whole point is that the subject matter is essential Racism: For Kids.

THAT was your reading of the subject matter, was it? Not surprising you dislike it so strenuously.

 

[Hazy]

This "deep" story about Quantum Mechanics is just that: superficially deep. They throw in some intelligent terms and subject matter and hope it doesn't fall apart under scrutiny.

Unfortunately, it does. Ignoring the last portion of the game which leaves more questions than answers, the developers clearly did not understand how Quantum Mechanics worked. It isn't magic. The infinite worlds theory is just that: infinite. You can't pull some timey wimey space magic shit and call it a day.

Maybe if they hadn't tackled subject matter they weren't capable of conveying, the story would not have been so mediocre.

Is it your conjecture, then, that in order to be considered "deep" stories must be scientifically rigorous?

A great many acclaimed fantasy and science fiction authors will be sad to hear it.

No, because this is a game which tries to use a real-world application and fucks it up royally. Scientific rigor has nothing to do with it unless the game actively tries to include it - which it does!

THAT was your reading of the subject matter, was it? Not surprising you dislike it so strenuously.

Given that the game has about as much guts as a cast-iron pot when it comes to depicting these heinous acts, can you really blame me?

 

[BloatedGuppy]

No, because this is a game which tries to use a real-world application and fucks it up royally. Scientific rigor has nothing to do with it unless the game actively tries to include it - which it does!

So you felt the game with the flying cloud city, the magical vigors, the clockwork bird man capable of punching through stone and steel, and the giant human/metal automatons was trying to use "real world applications" and just fell down because of its insufficiently rigorous exploration of quantum mechanics. Okay then!

Given that the game has about as much guts as a cast-iron pot when it comes to depicting these heinous acts, can you really blame me?

Who said anything about blame? It's a way to read the story, I guess. I just feel it's rather akin to being asked, say, what "Children of Men" was about and replying "A war torn future...I feel they gave the war parts short shrift".

 

[Atmos Duality]

Monaco was fucking awesome and is my GOTY, for lack of better candidates.
By Popular Opinion, my money's on Bioshock: Infinite, based on what I've heard.

 

[Hazy]

No, because this is a game which tries to use a real-world application and fucks it up royally. Scientific rigor has nothing to do with it unless the game actively tries to include it - which it does!

So you felt the game with the flying cloud city, the magical vigors, the clockwork bird man capable of punching through stone and steel, and the giant human/metal automatons was trying to use "real world applications" and just fell down because of its insufficiently rigorous exploration of quantum mechanics. Okay then!

No, I said that the game's usage of Quantum Mechanics is a real world application that is used incorrectly, which it is. The game takes the template for a real-life property, goes along with it (for the most part, anyway) and then at the very end decides to re-write it to fit its own agenda.

The idea of "super powers," "mechanical men," and "giant flying mechanical birds" are all fiction. Those are all fair game. I'm saying that you can't suddenly pull the "hey, the whole infinite worlds thing? Turns out they're not really infinite" card and get away with it.

 

[Ruzinus]

No, the flaws in that society are obvious. In fact, people who do see the dystopian aspects of Infinite as the main theme of the story criticize the game for having such a simple message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2cSKBFBDQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUm4JnxTxtvItQecKUc4zRhQ

There's errant signal, doing just that.

People who read it as a dystopic story criticize it up and down for just being too obvious.

Well, of course they're obvious - if you tell someone that a society is segregated and then see a "colored only" bathroom sign, it's a pretty dead giveaway. The problem is that they do just that: tell, don't show.

My whole point is that the subject matter is essential Racism: For Kids. It doesn't take any risks, doesn't bombard the player with jaw-dropping depictions of brutality, and doesn't draw a parallel between the beauty of the city and the darkness of its denizens. These are all things that the game wants you to feel, but they don't have the balls to depict enough of this to actually get this off the ground. Nobody utters the phrase "******." No innocent Blacks are beaten. Hell, the baseball throwing scene bears absolutely no repercussions at all. It's silly, and again, wasted potential.

And how exactly would you have gotten more from the story if the n-word were used, or if we witnessed a black or irish man being tortured?

 

[Hazy]

No, the flaws in that society are obvious. In fact, people who do see the dystopian aspects of Infinite as the main theme of the story criticize the game for having such a simple message.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ2cSKBFBDQ&feature=c4-overview&list=UUm4JnxTxtvItQecKUc4zRhQ

There's errant signal, doing just that.

People who read it as a dystopic story criticize it up and down for just being too obvious.

Well, of course they're obvious - if you tell someone that a society is segregated and then see a "colored only" bathroom sign, it's a pretty dead giveaway. The problem is that they do just that: tell, don't show.

My whole point is that the subject matter is essential Racism: For Kids. It doesn't take any risks, doesn't bombard the player with jaw-dropping depictions of brutality, and doesn't draw a parallel between the beauty of the city and the darkness of its denizens. These are all things that the game wants you to feel, but they don't have the balls to depict enough of this to actually get this off the ground. Nobody utters the phrase "******." No innocent Blacks are beaten. Hell, the baseball throwing scene bears absolutely no repercussions at all. It's silly, and again, wasted potential.

And how exactly would you have gotten more from the story if the n-word were used, or if we witnessed a black or irish man being tortured?

It would have certainly helped in terms of cementing the subject matter as a more serious part of the game. You can't just say "hey, we want you to be shocked and appalled by this stuff" and then not show anything appalling or shocking. If you want an emotional response from the audience, you have to meet us halfway.

Same thing with the rape scene in Hotline Miami 2. If you want us to believe that these people are deplorable pieces of shit, show them doing something that is deplorable!

 

[BloatedGuppy]

No, I said that the game's usage of Quantum Mechanics is a real world application that is used incorrectly, which it is. The game takes the template for a real-life property, goes along with it (for the most part, anyway) and then at the very end decides to re-write it to fit its own agenda.

The idea of "super powers," "mechanical men," and "giant flying mechanical birds" are all fiction. Those are all fair game. I'm saying that you can't suddenly pull the "hey, the whole infinite worlds thing? Turns out they're not really infinite" card and get away with it.

Is there a list of things somewhere I can peruse that states all the different things that fiction/fantasy writers cannot "get away with"? I was laboring under the stupid assumption that "getting away" with bending the rules of how our universe works is rather the point of fantasy.

If you want an emotional response from the audience, you have to meet us halfway.

Are you substituting your opinion of the game for "the audience", now? I had been lead to believe that Infinite was actually a fairly widely acclaimed game, both critically and popularly. Evidently someone is having an emotional response, and likely taking it into account when handing out those high scores you find incredible.