Am I the only one that is....Done?

[MrPopo]

Those Kirby ones are hilarious.

[Dylan]

Weren't the Ratchet and Clank games developed here in the west? That means that technically the games were cuted up for their Eastern release. Just look at Ratchet's eyebrows.

[Bikeage]

I agree that today there is a glut of games on the market that put the player into the role of a soldier or combatant in a violent conflict of some kind, but is that any surprise given that the US has been involved in a multi front War On Terror (And Drugs!) for the past decade or five, depending on who you ask?

And games had just as many violent themes in the 8 bit days as well. Sure, the graphics may not have been as, uh, graphic and in your face as they are today, but the intent was still there.

Kids yesterday, today, and tomorrow have and will ALWAYS be attracted to violence and gore. The only difference today is the marketing is not nearly as obscure or subtle as it was when I grew up. Back then experiencing violent or gory games and movies meant going out and searching high and low for them. Today all a kid has to do is press a button and it's delivered hassle free, whoever thought of merging convenience and shock value is probably wiping their ass with $100 dollar bills right now.

[ieatramen]

I think if SMB3 was released today it would be called...New Super Mario Bros 3

You refer to the picture of sonic, but you've got to remember that Mortal Kombat was released a year later and you could yank a dude's head off with the spine still attached. Gore has been around for a long time it's just that graphics are so badass now that it is easier for gore to come across as "offensive". Controversy sells, man.

I long for a future of old vidya gamez. anyone else with me?

I'm with you, but i also love blood and guts in my games (as well as my movies).

[dedalusdedalus]

JT, that's a great comparison of US/JPN cover art. I too prefer the Japanese, non-douchey looking, version of Ratchet.

Anyway, I blame the popularity of the scowl on Sonic the Hedgehog. He's the originator of the "Xtreme scowl and body language" school of video game box art.

[sevin0seven]

nice comparison....and very interesting marketing.

i actually like them smiling better.

[vlame]

What bothers me is that even the cute games have to be hardcore in the West. They always change the happy cover art from Japan so the character looks like a scouling badass, even when that supposed badass is Kirby:

Japan on the left, US on the right.

we're fucking gangsta

also imo at this rate games will be full of blatant sex in 20 years.

also games changed because those wh grew up with them KEPT fucking playing. and those that aren't bloodthirsty have nothing to play. like tomorrow imma play fucking miles edgeworth not shitty saint's row or GTA. and maybe street fighter...

[Hobie-wan]

Like the Kirby comparisons, even cars are like this too. All headlights these days are angled downward in the middle like angry furrowed brows.

Games have always had a violent aspect though. A good percentage of games have always involved blowing up or killing things, there were just less resources to show it before. Think about the first real blockbuster game, Space Invaders (that caused a Yen shortage). All about xenophobia and blowing things up. Heck even Pac Man is about eating your enemies or being dissolved into nothing. We call each chance in a game a 'man' or a 'life' and usually refer to losing as 'dying'.

[aeon]

It's a bit unfair to assume games today are only meant to be hardcore gore-nography. I have a blast playing Super Mario Galaxy and Viva Pinata right now. Also, neither of those cover arts are 'extreme' for western audiences (as per my taste I suppose).

And although I do agree that games most cherished by teens nowadays have some fps element, I can only think back to the days when my friend gave me a cracked version of Quake and completely blew my mind. Hell, I was sneaking onto my dads drafting computer to play Wolfenstein Spear of Destiny before that.

We all grew up a bit after playing Mortal Kombat didn't we? We consider MK a classic game of our chidhood (rightly so), and in twenty years kids will probably consider Bioshock to be classic (rightly so again), in the end what difference does it make?

[bacteria]

Games are like films, they used to be tame by today's standards but had far better stories. Films these days follow a similar formula to each other, and rely on big explosions, which is a pity - and shallow.

That is why I love retro games and have little time for modern ones, I prefer gameplay and longivity, modern games are yawnsville in comparision with a very short play life.

Interesting observation about Kirby artwork!

What's next, "Chainsaw bunny, the killing spree, now he's serious"?