no you don't, it has the right idea but the execution is absolutely terrible. That being said, i liked the Princess Maker reference as wellsubtlefuge said:
Zero Punctuation: Yakuza 4
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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Heh, solid jokes overall. Weren't looking into this game, so the review haven't moved me either way though.
It's not like there aren't unusual offerings [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95937-This-Is-the-Best-Trailer-for-a-Japanese-Porn-Game-Ever] coming out of Japan (and into the West; I'm so getting that one for the sheer hilarity when it's released here) to warrant poking a bit of good-natured fun at, and there aren't any real malice behind it, nor hardly an exceedingly foolish assumption that this is what most Japanese people actually like.
Anyone offended by something behind which there is no malice need to toughen up anyway. Trying to censor or persecuting others based on one's own offence, when there's no actual discernible harm to what they say or do, is a far greater problem than entirely harmless jokes of varying taste.
How on earth would humorously stating that the Japanese are into some weird stuff - i.e. roughly the equivalent of "those cheeky Japanese" - be anywhere near crossing the exceedingly far off line for what satire and sarcasm can bear?A1 said:
It's not like there aren't unusual offerings [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/95937-This-Is-the-Best-Trailer-for-a-Japanese-Porn-Game-Ever] coming out of Japan (and into the West; I'm so getting that one for the sheer hilarity when it's released here) to warrant poking a bit of good-natured fun at, and there aren't any real malice behind it, nor hardly an exceedingly foolish assumption that this is what most Japanese people actually like.
Anyone offended by something behind which there is no malice need to toughen up anyway. Trying to censor or persecuting others based on one's own offence, when there's no actual discernible harm to what they say or do, is a far greater problem than entirely harmless jokes of varying taste.
Yahtzee described it pretty well. It's like a whorehouse without the sex. You pretty much show up and pay for time with a companion to talk to or whatever. Think of it like what an escort service is in it's official capacity, except you go to them, instead of having them go somewhere with you to be seen.zombie711 said:
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As far as the bit about the 14 year old Detective, I've asked similar questions about things like that. It's a popular theme in a lot of Japanese fiction, you see characters like that in "Persona" and anime like "Sukeban Deka". I'm not into anime as much as I once was, but the basic gist of it is that the laws and standards of morality are differant in Japan, and they are more likely to risk children in dangerous occupations. They have kids that work for the police that they use for spies and infiltrators for youth gangs, or to go into places where they will hopefully be dismissed as merely being harmless kids. It's sort of like the basic premise of "21 Jump Street" or "The Mod Squad" taken to an extreme in reality.
Of course what we're seeing in fiction is of course an exagerration for the purpose of entertainment. These kids are rarely trained, and don't typically have any kind of actual rank in the police department. A kid like that would not be a Detective, but might work for, and accept money from the office of, a police detective. Also apparently such service gives one a leg up in entering the police as a career later on.
One also has to understand the influance of American fantasy on the Japanese, and that has included things like "teen detective" fiction (not to be confused with child detective fiction, though you can include that too). It's apparently a little more popular over there still than it is in the US, which is where things like the Anime "Spiral" came from (even though it's years old).
Viewed in context the "14 year old teen cop who can fight successfully against adults" is something of a stock character, as it appeals to a specific demographic. The Japanese being kind of warped on some levels, I'd imagine part of the point was to have a character in their violent crime game that the youth demographic could identify with so they would buy it.
... and yet again, I will point out that I think people in the US, UK, Canada, and a lot of the first world, have to understand that we're unusual in the value we put on children according to most of the global population. Our idea of child protection and what constitutes a "normal childhood" is actually pretty unusual, throughout most of the second and third world (which greatly outnumbers the first world population wise) 12-14 is young enough to be handed a gun and sent fight for (or against) the local warlord, made to work hard labour, or put out on the streets as a prostitute to bring home money. A lot of people in the US who see kids like that as being in Jr. High, or just attending High School don't really "get it". Places like Japan that are caught somewhere between first world civilization and third world barbarity tend to be a bit more unusual. They have some of the same standards about children and education, but at the same time they not only have less problem with sexualizing them, but also less difficulty with putting them in danger. Here it would be unheard of for some kid to be routinely put into a position where they could get killed (they can't agree being a minor, and the parents would never allow it) so while a kid might wear a wire or be an informant once in a while, they aren't going to work for the police in an official capacity. Over in Japan, well, it's not viewed quite the same way. The idea of some kid getting cut up by drug dealers and used as fishing bait is still terrifying (as the thought of that happening to anyone) but considered a far more acceptable risk.
Long and kind of pointless, but maybe someone would find it interesting. This is simply how I learned things when I had more interest in Japan and asked about wierd stuff like this in connection to old Animes and stuff.
Another lovely episode, well done. Seems to me he actually kinda liked it. Good for him.
And of course, i have to mention his awesome "nani".
Seems like an interesting game, i suppose. Though i doubt I'll be playing it: what I've seen so far in the trailers wasn't something i wanted that bad.
And of course, i have to mention his awesome "nani".
Seems like an interesting game, i suppose. Though i doubt I'll be playing it: what I've seen so far in the trailers wasn't something i wanted that bad.
I would absolutely play a game where the story and the gameplay combine to give you Pixies music.
You misunderstand. Yes I do like the Japanese audio but I wasn't justifying that. And I never said anything about your opinion being wrong, nor was it ever my intention to argue such a thing. I was simply defending the decision to use Japanese audio. But even so, I understand that subtitles are not for everyone. And I respect that.orangecharger said:
And yes, I admit that I made the mistake of assuming that you were making the same mistake as Yahtzee when you were really just referencing what he said. The reason I pointed the Kung Fu thing out in the first place was for purposes of cultural and political correctness. Although you could have made the fact that you were referencing Yahtzee clearer through the use quotation marks or something. Even so, I did make the wrongful assumption and it's still my fault for doing so. And for that I apologize.
Once again I misunderstand -- I am so stupid -- it truly must be awesome to be smarter than everyone. Tell me how does that feel? Thanks for continuing to point out my shortcomings. I have been reading some of your other posts and it seems like you spend a great deal of time making sure everyone is being politically correct and that they are made aware of the mistakes they've made in their posts -- making sure the turns of phrase they use meet your gold standard. I should have made it clearer that I wasn't being obtuse, or that my intention was not to offend Japanese or Chinese culture, and that I was aware of the cultural location of Kung Fu, and that I was only using the term Kung Fu for the particular martial arts in the game because Yahtzee had, and yada yada yada -- give me a break. Next time you see a post of mine keep your opinion to yourself and your PC police badge in your pocket. You making sure no one is offending anyone and helping me realize how I fail to understand the nuances of your discourse, is starting to offend me.A1 said:
I feel this already good review would have been greatly improved by an allusion to Yakuza 2's example of punching a ghost tiger in the face.
It isn't about being harmful. It's about being offensive. And while a joke may be intended to be non-offensive that doesn't necessarily make it so. I think that well-meaning people have a responsibility to be careful about such things.Imperator_DK said:
And yes, perhaps people who could plausibly be described as overly sensitive would do well to "toughen up". But I also think that's something that would probably best be done by going to therapy, or reading books about the subject, or even talking about it with friends and family and not by actually being offended.
Don't get me wrong. I believe in the right to free speech and I don't believe in taking away or infringing upon that right just because someone uses it in a questionable way. I believe the right way to respond would be to use that same right to free speech to respond in a defensive way or perhaps simply ignoring the offending stuff altogether. But even so as I said I also think that well-meaning people have a responsibility to do everything they can to avoid starting such an exchange in the first place.
I'm sorry that you feel that way. I never said that you were stupid nor did I ever mean such a thing. Even a smart person can make mistakes or misunderstand something. They are still human after all. But I understand that I may have unintentionally done something to offend you. If this is indeed the case then I'm very sorry about that.orangecharger said:
Still a long way from poor manners - to the extent a harmless joke regarding the more preposterous offerings from Japan even qualify as such - to prejudice.A1 said:
You certainly have every right to be defensive in regard to such things, but anyone who disagree with taking such stance similarly have every right to criticise you for de facto condemning others for harmless words by doing so as well.
Guess it's ultimately a disagreement over what warrant condemnation ("discernible harm" is my absolute requirement), and what "well-meaning" people should endeavour to do; Not every sensibility should be grovelled before, lest society become intolerable for anyone but those knowing how to weigh their words on gold scales.