wow - i don't think i could've found someone with a more exact opposite list of games i like. and i really just want to curbstomp you for your tone. as you pointed out quality writing is really hard - in fact i find myself disappointed so often i have to play games that don't take themselves seriously, like DMC3 (oh god the laughs i had), or games that are able to convey narrative through something other than dialogue, like half the games you disliked. it's not about ambition - it's about using what you have - being ambitious just as often means messing things up because you think beyond what your budget allows.valleyshrew said:
it's so rare that i find likable characters, that "less is more" almost always applies to me - which is PARTLY why Wall-e will always have very special place in my heart. often people try to convey too much through only one medium - most often it's voice - and not enough personality comes through animation, posture, gesture and the like. in ICO it even comes through gameplay and the lack of explanation - you're a kid with horns which you don't know why - you find a girl who is in trouble which you don't know why - but you feel the urge to defend her, like your character does. you are able to fill in the blanks yourself which should always have a greater effect, since YOUR answers, are always the prefered ones. that is to say, if you have actual imagination. oh, and the gameplay: you're just a kid, and your attacks reflect that, your running, your jumping, and how you just pull the girl along.
more importantly, it gives the game a special feel - a charm - and i don't feel that any city filled with PUPPETS whom you have no relation to or interest in can replace that. are you so detached from human the concept of human connection that you aren't able to feel a difference between your emotion toward, say, your mother and a stranger on the street?
and wow -have you even played okami? there's a shit ton of people, and actual characters in that game - if you've played the game, then you'd know that the visual style is, ironically enough, the least appealing part. it's an adventure game up there with zelda, and in my opinion actually better.
red dead redemption - full of shit people with shit reasons for their shit actions - if the choice is between people i can't stand, and someone who is simply quiet - then the choice is obvious. same with GTA 4. you can just hear the protagonist doesn't want to get involved because he knows the people are idiots and they won't be convinced that they are just that. fallout 3/NV has a shit ton to do in a huge world, too bad the appeal doesn't extend further with only a fraction being fun. it's visual style fits it perfectly considering it's grey and bland.
and reviewers shouldn't penalize linear games! what the hell is wrong with you?! linear games means a controlled experience, so they can pace it just right - giving you both excitement and breathers so you can get ready for more excitement. it is by no means easier - because if you make it linear, you know you have to make the quality all the better to compensate.
if anything, it's easier to make an open world sandbox game, because then that hook, that appeal, is already there. and all you have to do is throw the toys into the sandbox.
sorry - i knew this would happen when i clicked here. but at least i'm fully vented now.
