You should be interested in what I have planned for part three based on what you said in that last paragraph. I agree with you that the AAA model is dangerous to the medium as an art form. I think it's been damaging to movies too.
I'm probably doing 3. The next one looking at the past, and the third one examining the potential future.
I picked up that game recently. I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say on it.
My take ended up being too long for a reply, so I made a blog instead:
http://www.pixlbit.com/blog/94/my_take_on_the_games_as_art_debate_part_1_redefining_the_question
A couple more throughts on this topic:
I always wanted to see a Heart of Darkness / Apocalypse Now video game. Looks like Spec Ops: The Line is trying to tackle the concept. Good luck to them.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / BladeRunner has a fantastic video game adaption. You guys should check that out!
Well, one requires you to have knowledge of the 80's WWF scene, where as mudcrabs in top hats is something everyone can enjoy, so I can see why you picked them. Still, hearing "ooooh it's comin!" before a dragon attack never gets old.
Aww come on, give Randy some love:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bifmj1O3D24
Seriously cool list though. When I end up picking up this game, I may grab the PC version instead of Xbox. Mods are one of the best things about Elder Scrolls games.
I'm disappointed too. My brother and I played Twisted Metal 2 to death as kids, and, while I wasn't going to pick this one up, I was anticipating a comeback for the series.
That's more of an opinion on my part. The game is quality, but is still looked at as a commercial failure. Since it's the publisher's responsibility to generate awareness, I blame them.
I got some gift cards recently, so I picked this one up. I'll probably sit on it until I'm done with Vesperia, but I'm very excited to give it a spin.
