Random Gaming Thoughts

[alienjesus]

SOTC is incredible and a monument of video game progress and creativity.

I recently had a conversation with someone who "hate's!" olives. I don't get frustrated with people not liking things I like, I get frustrated when people can't articulate why they don't like things they don't like.

I hate olives!

-Why?

I just hate them!

Like, all olives? Is it the brine? How about Kalamata olives?

-I don't know I just hate them.


----

That drives me cray. Vague reasons of not liking things are never a valid reason to not liking something. Unless you are talking about a person and don't want to hurt some feelings, as "I just don't like the person" is okay.

But "I hate walnuts" should require some explanation. "The controls suck" needs explanation as well.

If someone told me "Walnuts get stuck in my teeth, are a pain to shell, look like balls, create a mess in my kitchen and sometimes make my throat uneasy", I get it. But "I don't know! I just hate walnuts" is a terrible response.

but mostly with food the answer will be 'i dont lik the flavour (which is true for me too as i also dont like olives). Flavour preferences can be hard to articulate because our vocabulary around flavour is not only limited but also pretty vague. its easy to say if something is too salty or sweet or sour, but olives are none of those things to me, they just taste nasty

[Luke]

Whoa whoa...Are we talking sea scallops or bay scallops? Bay scallops are a bit like bivalve boogers.

My beef is that I hate an answer of "Because" or "I don't know". Now on the flip side of the coin, say I asked someone "Any clue why last quarter earnings were down?" and I get an answer of "I don't know, but I'll look into it"...I'm punch. Employees who are honest rule and I'd rather hear "I don't know" then a line of BS.

Not asking for a diatribe on why one of my friends doesn't like olives, but a "they look like zombie eyeballs and smell like zombie nutsack" would help me understand why they don't like olives.

It's not difficult to provide an explanation on why you do or do not like something.

SO!

TMNT on the Wii is a blast. Can't think of a game that includes a level where you jump on parade sized balloons that isn't fun.

[Exhuminator]

It's not difficult to provide an explanation on why you do or do not like something.

Unless one is mentally lethargic.

[RCBH928]

RCBH928, seven people responded to your opinions, only two actually agreed with you. That's not many, or even close to most. And, I'm not even sure what to think about this collective opinion junk. You can't stand on your own opinions and thoughts?

I very rarely hear you talk about things you enjoy, usually it's criticisms that sound shaky at best. To be honest, it feels like you only target negative conversations. It's always about what you didn't like. What DO you like?

Why are you so upset that there are people out there that don't agree with your game preferences? As you read, others described the game with bad controls and more of an experience than a game which matches my opinion. I said I was disappointed, I didn't say it was trash.

I like many things, I mentioned that the N64 is my favourite console many times. I like my PS3 that lets me play games from 3 generations and then more. L.A. Noir, Batman, Dead Space, The Last of Us... All the common popular titles but usually there is no need to state the obvious.

[Snatch1414]

I'm starting to get annoyed with all the abbreviations people use when describing games. I sat here for a minute trying to figure out what kind of game a WRPG was. Okay, it's a western RPG. I thought it was some sort of gameplay style.

Then I see someone use 'TPS'. I sat here (only for a few seconds this time) and realized they meant third person shooter.

It reminds me of an old joke on a movie or TV show where someone keeps using unnecessary abbreviations. The other guy asks what he's trying to say, the guy answers, and is met with "Then just say that!". That's how I feel about this. I feel like there's some weird credibility people think they have to uphold by using all this short hand. That and/or we're just incredibly lazy people anymore.

[BogusMeatFactory]

RCBH928, seven people responded to your opinions, only two actually agreed with you. That's not many, or even close to most. And, I'm not even sure what to think about this collective opinion junk. You can't stand on your own opinions and thoughts?

I very rarely hear you talk about things you enjoy, usually it's criticisms that sound shaky at best. To be honest, it feels like you only target negative conversations. It's always about what you didn't like. What DO you like?

Why are you so upset that there are people out there that don't agree with your game preferences? As you read, others described the game with bad controls and more of an experience than a game which matches my opinion. I said I was disappointed, I didn't say it was trash.

I like many things, I mentioned that the N64 is my favourite console many times. I like my PS3 that lets me play games from 3 generations and then more. L.A. Noir, Batman, Dead Space, The Last of Us... All the common popular titles but usually there is no need to state the obvious.

I think he was more calling out that 2 people agreed with you and you referred to that as, "many, if not most people," agreeing with you. That is not true. The fact of the matter is, you didn't understand the game. It is fine that you didn't understand the game, but it boggles my mind that you have a hard time grasping these things, sometimes.

If you want to get into the specifics, ICO features a female character that relies on you to help her. It is that helplessness that she has that is part of the games overall theme. You are there to protect her and help her navigate these obstacles. There is an emphasis on reality of movement. Characters move in a realistic fashion with animation that isn't 100% precise control wise. That is intentional and is part of the game itself.

It is connected to Shadow of the Colossus directly. Want to know how? check the spoilers. It does include the ending.

The character you play in Shadow of the Colossus is breaking into a sacred land to try and resurrect his dead lover. To do so, he makes a pact with a spirit that requires him to kill the 16 colossi. As you do this, you start to morph and change, growing horns and letting this spirit take control of you.

In the end, the high priest and royal guard of your civilization comes down into the forbidden land and seals your spirit away. When they leave, the woman you love wakes up and takes a baby with horns on its head found on the seal and walks into the forbidden land. It is assumed that the main character in ICO is that baby.

The garden in Ico can also be reached in Shadow of the Colossus by climbing the temple tower.

So there you have it. It is explained. You didn't like the controls and that is fine but by no means did many, if not most people agree with you. It is exactly the opposite. If you didn't get the story or feel like there wasn't one is because the story isn't given to you on a silver platter, that is fine, but that does not mean there isn't a story. I don't mind that you didn't like the game. Some people don't enjoy those types of games and that is fine. I get why you don't like the controls, as it is a different experience than many games, but I love them. The game is great and deserving of its praise. If you feel it is overrated, again, that is fine, but I disagree and we will have that disagreement until the day we die, which is again, just fine.

[Cronozilla]

Why are you so upset that there are people out there that don't agree with your game preferences?

This is a joke, right?

As you read, others described the game with bad controls and more of an experience than a game which matches my opinion. I said I was disappointed, I didn't say it was trash.

I absolutely read what everyone has said, except only two people said the controls were some measurement of "bad". The other comments (from five+ people) were about people enjoying Ico, a different game, or how lazy comments without rational explanations are annoying.

I like many things, I mentioned that the N64 is my favourite console many times. I like my PS3 that lets me play games from 3 generations and then more. L.A. Noir, Batman, Dead Space, The Last of Us... All the common popular titles but usually there is no need to state the obvious.

It's not obvious. It's not obvious at all.

[Sarge]

That and/or we're just incredibly lazy people anymore.

This. I tire of typing Western role-playing game far too often, and I figured the folks around here would know what I'm talking about. It's a pretty common term in gaming vernacular these days, especially among RPG faithful (i.e. JRPG vs. WRPG, although country of origin doesn't have as much to do with it anymore as much as certain conventions).

[Nemoide]

It is connected to Shadow of the Colossus directly. Want to know how? check the spoilers. It does include the ending.

When they leave, the woman you love wakes up and takes a baby with horns on its head found on the seal and walks into the forbidden land. It is assumed that the main character in ICO is that baby.

Now it's been a while since I've played those games but I think you may be incorrect on one minor point:

I'm pretty sure the horned baby at the end of SotC is *not* the main character of Ico. The main character of Ico has horns and is locked away, but I believe they say a child with horns is born every generation or something like that. I vaguely remember that Ico is sealed up next to many other stone boxes presumably holding OTHER horned boys. Rather, I interpreted the baby at the end of SotC as the start of that horned-child-lineage. (Although now that I'm thinking about it, it could be baby Ico and the lineage was already established before then...)

[Sarge]

Yeah, I see it as a line, started there, not the same character.

There's a ton of speculation about various story aspects in those games, and some of it gets absolutely crazy deep in detail. Read the plot/theory analysis on GameFAQs, for instance.