PixlBit

The Escapist only gave it 3.5/5...

Actually this goes completely against what I said in my article but I actually do have a problem with The Escapists review, mainly because th reviewer essentially argues that games shouldn't try to make a point, but should just be fun toys.

"Forcing players to murder people, not in a gamey "I killed you to complete a goal" way that defines this medium, but in a terrorizing and demeaning way, is not what will make videogames great."

 Seriously, this is exactly what journalism shouldn't be.

fuck the Escapist.  That's the stupidest thing i ever heard. 

Yeah I read that review straight after I wrote this and was like... well fuck.

it's like saying all books should be mysteries or all DVD's should be pornos.  Not to mention the fact that "fun" is relative! 

Yeah, I just completely changed the blog to be solely about this. It actually angers me. And yeah, fun is relative. So fuck this guy.

What have I done?

Bahaha I read it before you commented, don't worry.

Just through observation, it would appear to me that this new game, V, seems to be a superior predecessor to previous installments. I'll read escapist later, and compare to other reviewers. Too tired now...

You are tired. I think you missed the entire point of the blog :p

 But yeah, I agree, the game seems to address all of the features that made IV one of my least liked games of this gen.

Gamespot gave it a 9 out of 10 and the games looks awesome but I will give you all my first impressions when I get it at midnight to night.

The outcry over the Gamespot review is abhorent. People complained about there being a transgender person reviewing the game. You know what, if you are so petty as to try and get someone fired for being transgender, cut your fucking dick off because you shouldn't be allowed to breed.

Yes thats rediculous transgender or not he gave a fair reveiw and is sexual preferences are irrelevant but whatever its a 9 out of 10 and IGN gave it a 10 out of 10 and really the only thing I found wrong so far is a few very minor texture clashes but really nothing at all and by the way Blake the game is awesome and isnt even on the same scale as GTA4. And this reveiw by escapist he is refering to a scene in game where Trevor has to torcher some one and if you cant distinguish a game from reality then you probably have no business playing the game yet alone reviewing it.

Yeah but I heard that scene was a straight up attack on the way America treated terrorists. Is that right?

Well blake I heard the same thing but cant say cause im not that far so really I have no comment till I see for myself but lets face it the media has criticized every GTA game to date about the game so really it doesn't come as a surprise.

Yeah but it's video game media attacking it this time, not outside media.

Its almost like this guy has never played a GTA game before. What did he expect from it? It would be like reviewing Borderlands 2  and saying" This game is a terrible FPS, its so unrealistic. You dump rounds of ammo into one baddy before they drop. And then the guns shoot acid and fire! What the Hell?!" Uhm yeah, that is kind of the point, it's not that kind of game. For all its realism, GTA is still very unreal... because its a video game and it has a tradition of making fun of human society.

Yeah it's pretty retarded.

The only good journalism is for sports. Everything else, whether political or about pop culture is shit. Really shows where our priorities lie. Even those have their shit moments though (remembers Tebow fever a few years back).

Explain. I don't give a shit about sports or it's journalism, so i have no idea what you're on about.

Not sure what to explain, whether it's that Sports Illustrated and ESPN actually do the research they need and give good commentary on it (not all the time, but much more than other journalism) or Tebow, the shit quarterback who got lucky and people declared him amazing because of his luck and strong Christian beliefs. 

If any one mentions Christian values as a good thing, I lose respect. Christians value bigotry and misogony, and have been responsible for far more deaths than the Muslims America went after.

 Sorry... that needed venting. 

 'Satire excels at pointing out our foibles, our faults, but that doesn't mean it makes for great escapism." 

     It's great escapism because seeing all our foibles is FUNNY. Someone's forgetting the humor of the GTA games.

I think it's more that he has a problem with the dark nature of the humour, but still, that's what satire is.

It is the difference between The Godfather Part 1 and Part 2, between Inglorious Basterds and Triumph of the Will and between Just Cause 2 and JFK Reloaded. In the former examples, the audience can get behind the anti-heroes depicted for whatever reason and condone their admittedly awful actions, but in the latter group, the subject matter or the protagonist's morals are skewed too far from the norm to be comfortably witnessed.

Being a film nut, of course I'm going to cry about this but it stuck out like a sore thumb. There's so much wrong here. I can't speak for the games but this fucking doofus has never watched the films he mentioned or he's misinterpreted them. You can identify with characters that kill, maim and lie in one film (and "condone" those actions) but not the other? The fuck? Part 2 didn't make for a feel-good experience? It wasn't supposed to! That's the whole fucking point!

Good call to compare a Tarantino film (fictional) to an actual Nazi propaganda film, too.

Yeah he really went full retard on that one... I personally connect this with breaking bad. Terrible people can provide the most compelling stories.

1. GTA is good escapism. Just because Rockstar or Escapistman take it seriously doesn't mean I have to. It's still hijinks in a digital landscape to me. Gamers need to get a grip.

 2. And even serious business can be escapism. I love terror, satire, violence, foibles, unpleasantness in my escapism. Well, that's if... 

 3 . I believed in the concept of escapism and didn't play games to merely entertain myself.

 4. If people in the game media racket are fighting for games to be art, they're doing a terrible job of it by pushing every mind numbing, over produced AAA game to the forefront, and making critical darlings out of simple, shallow indie games, while remaining ignorant that ART HAS ALREADY BEEN ACCOMPLISHED IN THE MEDIUM. GO PLAY PLANESCAPE TORMENT,  CIVILIZATION, I HAVE NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM, OR SILENT HILL 2, YOU FOOLS! THESE GAMES EITHER CONSIDER OR REFLECT LIFE OR ALLUDE TO OTHER WORKS OF ART!  But it's not about art or art history, it's about playing cheerleader for Rockstar/Naughty Dog/Take-Two/Ubisoft/etc. 

 I agree with pretty much everything you've said and I have no comment really because you summed up perfectly.

 Just one question though: Have you played "The Cat Lady?" I ask because I consider that game a work of art, and it's the first I've seen to tackle depression properly.

I don't really agree with the way they brought about their point. I will say that for the few hours I have played I understand their lack of enthusiasm with the characters. I need to get much further before I make a concrete statement, but so far I don't care for these characters at all. I will also state that I don't like GTA games all that much, and so far this one has done nothing to change my opinion, but I will certainly keep going so my opinion actually matters later.

Yeah. As I said I have no problem with them disliking the characters. That's a valid criticism. It was more their sweeping statements about games as a whole that got me riled up. They essentially said fun and satire should be mutually exclusive, and that fun is all a game should be. That may not have been the intention, but they worded it very poorly.

 Also, I HATED GTA IV. What's the gameplay like in V, is it better?