The Otogi games were pretty cool. At the time, the name FromSoftware meant nothing to me, but years later I realized the connection. I've been wanting to replay them so I'd gladly welcome support for them on the X1. I've got both on disc already!
Scariest media? If I'm choosing a game, Fatal Frame. It had some great jump scares and pretty damn creepy ambiance. I don't really scare easily, but this one got me a few times the first time I played it. Bob in Twin Peaks probably creeps me out more than anything else though. Something super unnerving about that character and how he's portrayed in the show.
Scariest moment of my life? Not sure I have anything too interesting to add here. Had a drunk driver head straight at me one night at about 3AM driving down the wrong side of the road. Had to react quickly and actually head to the other side of the road in a split second to avoid a head-on collision.
Best blend of comedy and horror? Pretty much every horror movie ever. I'm the asshole laughing hysterically through horror movies. Final Destination probably had me rolling the hardest.
Would bang Bayonetta from 1 over 2. All about that long hair.
I think written pieces are always tailored for an audience, whether intentionally or unintentionally. For instance, at a music site, especially ones focused on particular genres, reviewing a new album is unquestionably going to reference influential source material as a point of comparison. They might even talk about time signatures, composition, or a variety of other things. For better or worse, the only people capable of really consuming that review are enthusiasts, particularly ones with a more in depth understanding of the nuance that potentially makes that music special or basic.
Compare that to a review written for a newspaper and you're going to have a much more skin deep look at the music because the audience is much different. Writing inherently assumes an audience, and that's fully true for a review as well.
Now, I agree that referencing a bunch of other games recently played as a reason to dislike something is a problem that might be specific to a reviewer or an overconsumer of the medium, but that same point can be couched in a much different way. It's easy to point out that this game is unoriginal, shares traits of many of its contemporaries, but fails to stand out in any way. Some writing is just bad, plain and simple.
I think that terms like Metroidvania again come down to audience. You can say that one word and the entire enthusiast community understands what you mean without any explanation. Outside of there, that's absolutely going to throw question marks up for a casual consumer. The beauty of the internet is that a link can be dropped inline and confusion is easily dispelled. Saying something is like Dark Souls is generally meaningless unless you're trying to draw a relevant comparison to something in particular about Dark Souls this emulates.
Again, this comes back to audience. Many people in "the ghetto" speak in a vernacular that everyone else in the same space understands. They are writing for the ghetto and no one else. I think that big sites like IGN more than likely have a broader reader base and should avoid words like "Metroidvania" and referencing Dark Souls. There's no guarantee that your reader will understand what you're referencing. This is why good editing is so important, because even if the writer misses the mark, the editor should have a clearer grasp of who you're trying to reach.
But isn't this true across all mediums? You can easily read through sites that focus on movies and you'll find plenty of reviewers shitting on the latest Transformers release or the latest rom-com, or whatever. Music sites are even worse. People extremely vested in a given medium tend to have a more critical eye for quality and can appreciate the nuance the separates the good from the average or bad.
I think the bottom line is that people who are writing don't understand their audience. Like if I was writing for IGN, I'd have to take a much different approach on how I covered a game and what I highlighted as important or problematic. I think most writers have a tendency to write for longtime gamers, because that's what they are. Fundamentally, they don't have the appropriate mindset to write for that younger generation who might not've played the last 20 Mario games.
I agree that people get a little annoying with the obsessiveness around innovations. Not every game can deliver something new. And people have a hard time separating franchises from ideas. Like Super Mario Odyssey looks incredibly inventive and a very new twist on 3D Platforming. But it's Mario, so some people will use that as an easy dismissal because we've been playing Mario games for 30 years.
Furthermore, I think because the medium is still young, the community around it also skews young, and young people tend to have more juvenile viewpoints. And some are just uninformed. As the medium continues to mature, the critiques will as well. Online communities have a tendency to foster shitty behavior, so it's no surprise to see angry comments, especially when people are anonymous.
In my opinion, reviews have been on a downward trend for years because they've been unable to find a voice and stick with it. Are they writing for enthusiasts or for everyone? Is it a purchasing recommendation or a critique? It's all a jumbled mess these days and there's no way to pick it apart. Metacritic and just the general nature of the community existing online muddies the waters more. I think when the community was very enthusiast-oriented (basically when the internet first started), the quality of conversation was much better because people's general views were very much in sync. These days there are so many different types of games and gamers, that it's tough to address everyone with every critique.
Writing a review for a roguelike almost 10 years ago at Nintendo World Report really opened my eyes to how big of a problem this is. I hated the game (it was my first roguelike) and I just didn't have anything more than skin-deep criticism to give. Fans of roguelikes jumped all over me because my review, for them, was total garbage. I didn't understand the nuance and I couldn't have told you whether it was better or worse than any other roguelike. While my review might've been great for the uninitiated, it certainly wasn't of value for anyone with deep knowledge of the genre.
As the industry continues to expand, it's going to become increasingly more challenging to properly review games. The genres get more and more diverse and it's increasingly harder to find the right reviewers for the job. People need to take a step back and just realize that any reviewer is giving their opinion and nothing more. It's colored by all sorts of different things and can't be viewed as a definitive assessment of the quality of game.
While we might be able to to ascertain the quality of some components in a more objective fashion, even those are perceived through someone's filter. Basically I think it behooves most to find reviewers that align with their tastes and follow them. Whether they're professional or community-based. That's going to give you the best data on whether or not you'll like something.
... and I think I went off on a huge tangent, but this is something I've spent a lot of time thinking and talking about.
Weird. I'm back now, so I'll get it reset for you!
You got it man.
Your PB email is blake AT pixlbit DOT com. I'm going on vacation for the next week, so I won't be available, but hopefully you'll be able to log back in.
Blake, I was wondering what your tweet was about not long ago and I'm glad you've shared what was going on. I'm sorry to hear you've been going through some real shit and that stuff got a little crazy there.
In the future, if you ever need somebody to talk to, please, reach out. There's not a single person here that wants to see you take your life. I think I speak for everyone when I say that we care about you and want to see you get back to a clear state of mind.
Despite what some people may say, mental illness is an extremely serious issue that is impossible to understand unless you've experienced it yourself. The ones who think it's just a "passing feeling" or something you just need to "get over" are people who just don't get it.
Thank you for opening up, and if it helps, please keep posting here about your progress or how you're feeling if you're in a dark place. I'm also always available on Google Hangouts, so you can get me there if you just want to talk. Not sure I'll be a huge help, but sometimes it just helps to have someone's attention for a bit.
Be well dude and take care of yourself. Myself and this community is always here for you.
It could definitely use some love. I have a hard time finding stuff to the point where I basically need to know what I'm looking for when I go in there. I hope Nintendo plans on fixing that somewhere along the way.
Snipperclips is a lot of fun to play with a significant other (or your kids). Blaster Master Zero is a very well done remake of the original game, and Mighty Gunvolt Burst also looks fantastic, but I've yet to give it a go.
I put a decent amount of time into Snake Pass, but it's a game that requires quite a bit of patience as the learning curve is a bit steep. But it's certainly an interesting in unique game that fits the Switch well for handheld play (though it looks so much more gorgeous on the big screen).
I haven't played Splatoon 2 yet, but the first game was a whole bunch of fun and the demo for 2 looked like an improvement on what was already a solid game. If you're into casual online multiplayer, it's probably a good fit.
Also, I wish I Shovel Knight on there rather than my Wii U, so I'm really hoping they do a boxed copy of that game and I'll double-dip.
Damn, I missed this! Sir, I will absolutely have to catch your next stream.
