Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Toy Story 3 trailer, the upcoming “Super 6” middleweight tournament, or Rob Schneider’s birthday, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.
Fantasy vs. SciFi — it’s a debate that will last an eternity. Most gamers I know enjoy both settings, but strongly lean towards one or the other. Some folks dig games with swords and sorcery, others prefer laser rifles and warp drives. Personally, I’m way more of a fantasy guy than a sci-fi guy. Space battles are cool and all, but I rather jump into an adventure filled with mystical spells, magic weapons, and cool frickin’ dragons. I liked Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, but I loved Baldur’s Gate.
My reasoning is simple; fantasy settings are more ridiculous, ergo more imaginative. Science fiction — good science fiction anyway — is often based on…(get this) science. Sure, it might be theoretical, but in many cases it’s plausible and not a huge leap from reality. Even though a lot of sci-fi features alien races and futuristic weaponry, it’s just too “real” for me. At the end of the day I see science as cold and clinical (I’m sure a psychiatrist would tell me that I’m just afraid of death).
Fantasy is more fun for me. A sword of sharpness? Ludicrous. A bag of holding? Preposterous. A race of miniature creatures that live inside trees and bake cookies? Waitaminute…those actually exist. So many elements in fantasy games, books, etc. are just impossible. Call me a romantic, but I enjoy dreaming about the impossible.
I’d love to hear about your preference. Are you SciFi or fantasy? Pick a side and explain your choice (please)!
I definitely lean more towards the fantasy setting for games and entertainment. I'm not opposed to Sci-Fi at all. I find that in interactive media the swords and boards type generally has a better story to me. Some sci-fi stories are epic and can't be touched by fantasy. For example: Mass Effect had one of the best sci-fi stories I have ever seen in a game. It's rare that I find a sci-fi story in a game that is that good. On the flip side, I think sci-fi is better movie or mini-series material than fantasy.
I actually like the titles that blend sci-fi and another genre or two together. Final Fantasy 8 is a good example.
i like how there arent pages for comments here, i used to hate having to load different pages on that other site
and i read what you said yesterday about those guys
truth be told ray, the feed kinda sucks for gaming news. Kotaku, even vgchartz usually gets stories first. I never went there for gaming news. I went there to talk to you guys, nothing more
We dont expect you to build rome in a day dude, just give us our coffee talk, with our without paul baldwin
I lean toward Sci-Fi. I find more of my own internal imagination pondering the technology behind the things I see, play, read, etc. Like when Issac Asimov first talked about robots it invoked enough thought that now we have vacuums that sweep the floor by them self as well as cars that actually don't have any driver of any kind. It proves that fiction leads way to truth as opposed to (in my opinion) the more conventional other way around.
But ultimately, my top preference is the healthy blend of both… superheroes. For the record I would like to state that Superman would beat the crap out of any other fictional character ever (shut up Batman fanboys). I think there are few exceptions that would just make a good fight. Spawn, Darth Vader, maybe Lord Valdemort… but that's about it.
Still, comic book style stories FTW!
i dont really have a good reason, but ive always kinda hated jamie foxx
I second the Thundercracker.
@THE_GREAT_THUNDERCRACKER I shall give you your Coffee Talk and hopefully a lot more, good sir.
Don't underestimate TheFeed. Klepek is one of the best news hounds in the biz. Andrew is one of the most talented writers I've ever worked with. Leahy is just…an amazing young man with a brilliant future ahead of him. Okay, I better stop. I'll get misty. Ha!
@N8R I am of the opinion that Darkseid should have kicked Superman's ass every time they fought. I never really understood why that was even a close fight.
dude, its totally not my business so feel free to not answer these questions
what the hell happened? did you do something? Did you ever make it to tokyo?
@ R Pad
It's because Darkseid always underestimated him due to his own flaws of being drunk with power. That was Darkseid's weakness… himself.
@THE_GREAT_THUNDERCRACKER I'm afraid that I can't answer all of your questions. I did make it to Tokyo though (actually twice in September). At the very least, I'm grateful for two United trips to Asia that helped me get 1K status.
@N8R Still not buying it. Darkseid could blink out an omega beam that sent Supes to a neighboring galaxy.
Also… I know we have Yankee fans here… but I'm rooting for a Freeway series. I just want to drive past bars and see the fights break out.
@N8R A freeway series would be a nice story. The Yankees winning it all in their first season in the new park would be a better one.
ok lets try this again
@ R Pad
Yeah he could… but he's too (what's the word I'm looking for) zealous?
just making sure my gravitar works, bear with me folks
ok still no?
@Thundercracker You can add multiple email addresses to a single Gravatar account. You can even assign specific icons to specific email addresses all under the same account.
HA HA!
i miss the g4 panda
@Thundercracker It's working for you now — at least on my end. If you don't see it on your PC then you might have the clear cache and cookies.
@ R Pad
You realize how crazy it'll get if there's a freeway series though, right?
The Yankees need another championship like the Pirates need another season under .500.
i got it dude
had " hotmail " when it should have been "yahoo"
im tired, i was working all night
I hadn't really considered the Sci-Fi (or as the the channel calls themselves now SyFy) vs Fantasy debate, then I stated looking at my games. I guess it more Fantasy for me but I liked Two Worlds, Oblivion, Mass Effect (1 for Sci-Fi), Too Human (I guess that's both), Viking, Rune.
So who all is getting Uncharted 2?
@ Thundercracker
I hate that damn panda.
That bastard made me care less about the endangered species act.
@N8R It would be incredibly annoying for 405 commuters. I'd actually find it kind of funny.
@SlickyFats A-ha. Any guesses as to why you gravitate towards fantasy?
@Everyone If you have a moment, please don't forget to…uh…thank our sponsors. Ha!
bizarro, bookshelf and blakseed are gonna be confused
@Thundercracker Oh yeah? Why's that?
cause everyones over here and apparently they havent got the memo
@redtailman
EVERYONE
cept im getting it friday cause i want to be able to sit and enjoy the game when i put it in
I'm love sci-fi more than fantasy. My friend convinced me to pick up WoW and i'm up to level 20 with a month of game play, but i really don't like it. It's just a little boring to me. Or maybe it's just that really looking forward to SW:Old Republic MMO and playing a game i really had no interest in playing to begin with.
The Yankees should win. If i have to hear or see about a rally monkey in the World Series once again. I'm going to punch my cousin in the face when i go to Anaheim next spring/summer.
@Thundercracker That's a bummer. It would be cool to have those guys in the mix.
@tokz_21 Please don't punch your cousin in the face.
@ Thundercracker
I haven't seen Bizarro in a good while as it is. I figured he either lost his internet or got locked up (he stayed getting in trouble).
@ R Pad
Very true… I'll be sitting up north laughing as well. But the 101 probably won't be pretty either. Then again, it never is.
@Rpad
yeah maybe i went too far on that but those monkeys are annoying plus i hate the name of the team, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Do you not realize your team name is using Angels twice? Any Californian should see that and should be annoyed by that too!
@ Tokz
It's using "the" twice too. "The The Angels Angels".
and what are the Dodgers dodging?
@tokz_21The name is SO stupid, language aside. I was living in Irvine (dullest two years of my life) when it happened. Anaheim got hosed. It's an insult to the city.
@N8R Bullets from Compton.
so an eskimo is driving cross country and his car breaks down, he takes it to the mechanic and about an hour later he comes out and tells the eskimo
well, you blew a seal
the eskimo then says, yeah but whats wrong with the car?
@N8R
Well since they were from Brooklyn originally maybe they were dodging bullets at the time.
@Rpad
I totally agree with you, Anaheim did get hosed on that one. I blame the owner and the fans for letting him get away with it.
thought this was funny
not a rick roll
and no need to take out spaces!! HA!
@thundercracker
It was hilarious especially the girl's faces at the :29sec mark. priceless.
@Thundercracker Yeah, I never liked that spacing links thing. Nor did I like links in the story opening in new windows. In my mind, it shows a lack of confidence in your content. If your content is good enough and the community is engaging then people will come back after they've checked out any links you've shown them.
Then again, I don't have a job right now so what do I know? Ha!
@ tokz and R Pad
Since I'm originally from Pittsburgh, my allegiance stays with the Pirates (sigh). You want to talk about fans getting hosed? The GM ruined that team yt built what probably is the best place to see a ballgame in the league.
All you can eat seats for $20 and peanut gallery for $9 no matter who they play/lose to. Plus, the way PNC Park is designed makes it so every seat is a pretty good seat.
I lean more towards sci-fi more than fantasy because I hate turn based RPGs.
I'm on my way to pick up my games.
@N8R My respect for goes even higher! Props for sticking with your team. I'd love to see the park though. I heard it's beautiful.
@RRODisHere *gasp* I LOVE turn-based RPGs!!!
@ Thundercracker
The title alone cracked me up. That went straight to Facebook.
@N8R
Yeah being from Chicago, I get to see the bumbling Pirates face the Cubs 16 times over the summer. I actually thought they were going to do something this year and make it out of the cellar but they can't. It's like the GM called it quits in April once they fell back 10 games. Traded McLouth and then traded Nyjer Morgan. Oh not to mention the great trade for Aramis Ramirez in late '03.
I am pulling for the Dodgers because I'd like Joe Torre to win one for someone besides Steinbrenner. I also think Manny Ramirez will have another contract dispute if he wins the world series this year. It's always fun to read about athletes with super large egos gripe about not making enough millions of dollars during a recession. (i'm looking at you crabtree)
As soon as class is done today….Brutal Legend will be mine.
the pirates have a few decent players
andrew mccutchen
okay, the pirates have one decent player
@ tokz
I went to visit my mom over the summer and took my son to a game the day after they traded Morgan. Fans were upset. We happened to be playing the Cubs as well (and lost of course).
When we were walking to the Park, I saw somebody with a Fukudome jersey and thought it was a joke. Then we got to the game… and it was no joke. His number should be #2 though. That way, the back of his jersey would read "FUKUDOME 2"
@ Thundercracker
Yeah, McCutcheon is next on the trading block.
I guess I always liked Sci-Fi over fantasy. I'm with N8R in that I'm a little obsessed with what the future holds for all of us. I eat up new technology like no ones business so I enjoy seeing a future that someone else has dreamt up.
It's funny though because I've really gotten in to fantasy games, Oblivion and Morrowind were probably the first real fantasy games I got in to. Of course I love the Zelda series but it's about as much fantasy as it is RPG.
When I look back now I think it's hilarious that I thought Sci-Fi was cool and Fantasy was nerdy… lol. Is it just me or did fantasy become a lot more popular in culture because of the Lord of the Rings movies?
@smartguy After the Yankees, the Dodgers are my next pick. I still have a soft spot for Joe and Donny.
@Shockwave562 It did, but then it caused a fantasy backlash…mostly because of people like Elias from Clerks 2.
@N8R
yeah we had fun with that one when we first got Fuk u do me.
Am I the only one who thinks HHH and HBK are too old for the DX gimmick now? They look like big kids out there now. Plus DX is not DX without the Outlaws.
O.K., now I'm really gone to get my games.
I'm with you on turn based RROD, I really like that a lot of RPGs are going with a more modern action sequence. Kotor was one of the first real RPGs I ever played and the first time I played it I hated it, I was so mad that I was just watching my guys fight. a few months later I gave it another shot and it became one of my favorite games of all time. (still though, it wasn't entirely turn based)
@RROD You're absolutely right — they are too old…but that's how I want to be when I'm in my '40s.
@Shockwave562 The thing with KotOR was that you could pause it any time and change strategies. This helped it appeal to old-school RPG fans that liked turn-base combat and newer gamers that wanted action.
ok, i dont wanna hear any sob stories
here are my teams
baltimore orioles
michigan wolverines
new orleans hornets
buffalo bills
buffalo sabres
and i like david ragan cause i work at ups
thats a sad, sad list…i have NOTHING to look forward to all year round
I'm not a fan of turn based either… but I play alot of chess (when people are willing to play me).
@Thundercracker I dunno…watching CP3 play is always a pleasure. I love his game.
Ya Ray I did appreciate that about the game. sometimes it was necessary to pause the game, check your inventory and re-strategize. I guess I appreciated how they made it feel real time.
Now on Morrowind I was really frustrated with the combat system even though I really enjoyed the game. I hated it when I'd swing an axe 20 times and half of them would be misses. I think Bethesda really did a good job with Oblivion. I would have liked to see as much blood as Fallout 3 though
Smartguy fears my avatar.
@RRODishere
Thank you, I'm glad someone pointed that out. They shouldn't have to do that gimmick anymore and they shouldn't be allowed to do it with out the Outlaws or X-pac. I was watching RAW for a bit yesterday and I couldn't believe Nancy O' Dell was guest hosting. First thought was guest hosting is getting out of control Vince get a GM in there stat! Second, was why am I watching this when Blackhawks are on the verge of the greatest comeback this young NHL season!
Down 5-0 in the first period and they come back to win 6-5 in OT!
@ Thundercracker
Where I complain about baseball… we are dominate in football and hockey (City of Champions).
The Pitt Panthers are the closest thing we have to basketball… and their pretty good too.
i agree ray, cp3 got me back into watching basketball
i totally didnt realize that g4 got rid of berghammer…..
you may be upset at me for posting this (please dont be)
http://www.g4rewind.com/
not sure whos read this but management at g4 are apparently on a kamikazee mission
I'm just happy that links actually work here
I fear no avatar!
@thundercracker
CP3 will give ya a good watch this season. Unless David West blows again
sorry about the bills. They had no answer for the PT Cruiser
@ Thundercracker
Joshua Krane is apparently out too.
@smartguy
i prefer "pt bruiser"
@Shockwave562 Yeah, but as a Baldur's Gate player, I really appreciated the pausing. There were times in Baldur's Gate when I'd pause the combat and conceive brilliant (not really) strategies before unpausing.
@tokz_21 To be fair, the guests hosts are helping the WWE get exposure from a variety of mainstream outlets.
@Thundercracker I'm not upset at all. At least I was mentioned in the article. Ha! I actually whined to Totilo for not being mentioned in the Kotaku article.
@N8R That man was one of the smartest people I've ever worked with.
definitely Ray. I think we'll both be enjoying Dragon Age very soon huh?
@Shockwave562 Oh man…I'm so incredibly psyched for DA! One silver lining about my current employment status is that I should be able to give the game the time it deserves. If that happens, I promise that Coffee Talk will still go up every weekday…though maybe not so much other content. Ha!
@Rpad
I agree with you on that part but they aren't helping with the story lines or helping them progress. Also you may want to check out the Morning Hangover, I think they may have borrowed your Morning Coffee topic from yesterday.
Bruiser is good too.
Falcons suck.
On a side note, every morning I get to school there is a guy playing Battletoads on virtualNes. The semester started in August and he finally just got past the speeder level. I bought him a coke just now.
@tokz_21 Ha! I'm sure Patrick was too busy to even notice Coffee Talk. No worries though — the topic is the starting point. The cool stuff is what happens when everyone starts discussing it…and several other topics.
haha I know it, DA is going to be amazing, my only concern is that in almost one year my new girlfriend has not seen me sink 100+ hours in to a game yet. good news is she goes to bed at like 9
@ R Pad
I'll believe it. The only time he ever said anything to me was to scorn me for something he misinterpreted. But in all fairness… they were easy things to misinterpret.
I have that mutant ability sometimes.
@ R Pad
Was the Morning Hangover your idea in the first place?
I don't have a preference in games. Books on the other hand, Fantasy 100%. Then again, most Sci-Fi books are written like a war journal and devoid of almost any kind of character development so it isn't really a fair comparison.
I like a mix of both worlds. If done correctly sci-fi and Fantasy blending together makes an awesome movie!. *Final Fantasy the movie is a good example! You have guns, mage, and industry setting as well as outer space settings all roll in one. It just have to all blend in well enough but not every story can pull it off. But I’m more of a fantasy type of guy. Since there are more stories, and movies of fantasy than sci-fi I guess.
@N8R No, it was Patrick's idea, but I managed and implemented it. However, I think I did a better job with it and cared more about it than he did. That's not a dig on Patrick at all — the young man does numerous things way better than I do.
^^if only someone could get him a sandwich
well Ray you were the only one who decided to participate in Morning Hangover, which I always thought was the point of it beyond discussion
umm what is the difference between the two?? idk/care enough to let it hamper down a good game [if in fact its a good game].. btw this site has the most awesome ads … i clicked on like 9 until my wireless started acting up..
oh wait, sorry Ray, i didnt see that you had more to your article under the pic.. in that case, i prefer the slightly bit more plausible sci-fi because of those "so-close-to-reality" theories.. its a bit easier to believe and connect to the game. if it makes you think that some day some of the shiz in the game may be a possibility, i like to imagine being able to implement it at least in the game.
well my point is that if g4 thinks that their online component is going to be somehow improved without ray, billy and joshua…they are higher than a giraffe's ass
ok guys ill see you tommorow
I can't believe I have uncharted2 reserve but I can't pick it up until I get paid which is this friday. I was hoping that I get some cash for my birthday but that just didn't work out as plan lol….
Have anyone play Persona4 for the ps2? I like it but some of you but not. It start off with a lengthy anime and lots, lots of talking… It's a turn based game plus anime * I love anime so this game hit the spot for me=.-
@oOcornflakeOo Thanks for the support, I truly appreciate it!
@Thundercracker Take care for now! Catch ya tomorrow.
yikes Snipe, I don't know how you're going to do it. I can hardly wait until 4PM to get out of work and go pick it up. I've got softball tonight though so I know I'm not going to get as much time in the game as I'd like.
@shockwave I was suppose to get uncharted2 yesterday night so I can play today. But since my wife needed some cash :/ I'm ending up waiting until this friday. Kindda defeat the purpose of perserving the game. Maybe I shouldn't of pick up Ninja Gaiden2 last week lol.
I'm so tiered of CoD4 right now, that I might pick up Brutal Legend. (I was hoping Last Remnant would hold me over till FORZA 3 came out, but my vidio card is getting RMAed right now. T_T)
oh the sacrifices we make, lol. well a couple of days won't kill you. I like that my girlfriend's money isn't mine yet because she would be unhappy with half my spending habits.
i gamble and use my winnings to support my other habits lol i could totally spank those 2M2MM kids asses… i just don't have the kinda bankroll they do cause i like to spend my earnings.
How come no one has talked about Rob Schneider or the upcoming Toy Story 3 trailer.
I really don't care about Rob Schneider but Toy Story 3, may have potential. I actually was suckered by Disney to see the 3-D re-release of Toy Story 1-2 but it was pretty good seeing them back to back and it believe it or not the little kids weren't annoying at all.
@tokz_21 I actually threw Rob in there because today's his birthday and he's part Filipino. Has he worked lately? I don't recall the last movie he was in.
@oOcornflakeOo I actually spent a good part of a year playing blackjack (counting cards) in Vegas. It was fun for a while — especially the free hotels and food — but it got too stressful after a while and I didn't enjoy playing anymore.
@rpad
Are you sure, it's his bday? According to IMDB it is the 31st. The only reason i went on there was to see what was the last movie he was in, which was that flop Don't mess with the Zohan. According to IMDB he's also working another movie with his buddy Adam Sandler again.
lol annoying little annoying kids! i'm that guy that tells someone else to stfu from across the auditorium.. kid or not… if the parent wont deal with them in an orderly manner, then i have to intervene haha i'm an ass sometimes. oh well
@everyone
any funny movie theater stories?
@cornflake
yeah i have one. I took my sisters to go see My bloody Valentine in 3-D. and this was just when the Kanye West CD 808 & Heartbreaks was booming in Chicago. So, if you haven't seen the movie don't but there is a part where there's a heart that gets taken out of someone. There's a guy behind us yelling 808's & Hearbreaks over and over. My youngest sister and i found it amusing. My other sister did not.
@tokz_21 I'm actually not positive. I was searching for celebs born on Octobe 13th and his name came up. Ha!
I prefer fantasy. Maybe its because of early childhood memories of watching D&D on sat. morning cartoons, or the chose your own adventure books that I had. I always got into that setting alot more easily then i had Sci-Fi. Though now I love both genres dearly, I have maybe 4 Sci-Fi style books as opposed to 3 bookshelves of fantasy stuff and I have read the Fantasy stuff 4 or more times each. some alot more then that in fact.
@Hrolf The ranger totally kicked ass in that cartoon.
@Rpad
eh, who cares. It's Rob Schneider, right?
Oops. Ha! Please keep in mind that I haven't slept since Sunday night.
@Rpad
Hey that's not fair that you get to edit/fix your comments and we don't. plus not it makes it seem like i was crazy to point your goof on comment #99. Are you still jet-lagging that bad??
aww man! I meant *now instead of not.
@tokz_21 I deleted your comment so nobody will think you're crazy. :)
It's not really the jet lag. I took a last-minute project to pay the bills. I wasn't really ready for it after everything that happened at G4. Between the project and the new site, I couldn't afford to sleep last night. Almost done though!
@ tokz
lol i once went to see the horrible superman movie in this theater we called the "Ghetto 8" cause thats where all the brothas go to watch they movies lol sorry, anyway, there was this scene where the camera panned upwards starting from the ground up to superman's face but when the camera started at his feet, some dude goes, "oh snap! even superman got dem bobo boots!"
i couldn't stop laughing
Yea, the ranger was pretty cool. Have you read the Dragonlance books? I met one of my best friends from highschool passing him by as he mentioned Flint Fireforge. 18 years later were still close and talk weekly. I also really enjoy the Magic Kingdom Of Landover For Sale…Sold series of books.
@Hrolf I think you'll enjoy tomorrow's Coffee Talk! That's all I'll say for now.
@rpad
Ha! thanks a lot for securing my sanity on your website.
@cornflake
I hear you sometimes traveling outside of your normal theater can give you great movie watching moments from the audience and some times they can give you the most annoying ones ever.
@R-Pad
Hope you get some sleep soon.
@oOcornflakeOo
When I went to go see the Ring, one of my friends jumped behind our seats and grabbed the ankles of the friend next to me. he shouted and stood up so fast. We were all cracking up, except the lady who kept yelling at the characters on screen. She thought we were being annoying lol.
It looks like Coffee Talk is winding down and we won't get 226 comments like the first one.
Once again another sequel that didn't measure up to the original.
@tokz_21 Hopefully this is a marathon, not a sprint. With some luck and support we can keep this going for a good, long while. I really wanted to make it to #100 with Morning Hangover. Let's see if we can get there with Coffee Talk.
@Sandrock323 Me too! I think maybe in an hour?
Guys, Toys R Us sucks. They didn't have Demon's Souls so I had to settle for Brutal Legend as my free game.
@Rpad
Would you still be keeping up your site if you find employment?
RROD, I take it you got Fallout GOTY also?
i love sci fi games, especially if the game is an RPG ie Mass effect, SW: KOTOR 1 and 2. if its FPS: alien versus predator or star wars jedi outcast. but i miss decent RPG fantasy games. Oblivion was great, diablo 1 and 2 were awesome. AND DRAGON AGE IS MY GAME OF THE MONTH FOR NOVEMBER!!!! I WANT THAT GAME NOW!!!!
@rpad
please do keep this site
RROD, you should play through Brutal Legend then trade it for Demon's Souls. hurry though, I imagine there will be a few returns of that game
@Rbee no disrespect to Uncharted 2 but Dragon Age may be Game of The Year. but we'll have to wait for it to come out
@RROD I'm glad you picked up BL. Tim Schafer is great for the gaming business and he deserves a smash hit. "Settling" indeed.
@tokz_21 I might as well, right? I have hosting for at least a year. Besides, there's a lot I can do here that I couldn't at a more traditional site. If my next employer (whoever the hell that is) is cool with it, I'd still write here.
There's also that chance that I could get absurdly lucky and actually make money just doing this. I'd love to add video content to the site. I have the access for some great interviews, but don't have the dough for gear and/or renting a crew. Let's see!
@rbee90 I shall certainly try!
@rpad
do you review games?
@shockwave562
uncharted 2 was excellent (finished it yesterday), but yeah,i agree with you.
@thundercracker
did blackseed, bizzaro, and grunto PM you?
@rbee90 I did for a long time, but I try not to unless it's something I actually want to play. I have SO many issues with the way games are reviewed. 100-point scales are stupid. Nobody can logically tell me the difference between a game that's an 88 and one that's an 89.
The timeframe in which games are reviewed is also ridiculous. In many cases, the reviewer has to cram in 35+ hours of gameplay into three days. In idiotic cases, publishers make you go to a hotel every day for a few days to play the game. In both examples, neither is how a "normal" person would "normally" play a game.
Experiencing a game is such a subjective thing. Slapping some arbitrary score on it almost always does a disservice to readers and developers. Unfortunately, so much is tied to Metacritic and Game Rankings. The score has become too important — I find it deplorable that some developer royalties are tied to a Metacritic score.
Ultimately, I think there should only be three "scores": buy it, rent it, f&%^ it. The words and explanations are more valuable than some number. I've been proposing this system for years, but nobody would buy into it…except my old boss at GameSpy, who implemented it into Crispy Gamer.
Hmmmmm. That was a pretty long rant. Maybe I should have written an article. Ha!
Well Ray I think with site traffic alone you may be able to score some in web ads that could bring in a bit of cash. It would be cool if this turned in to your full time job but I know important a paycheck is these days
@Hrolf
The Dragonlance books were great. I wound up buying that Twins Trilogy. War of the Twins I think it was. Did you read any forgotten realms? The Moonshae trilogy was great as was the Cleric Quintet. If you want a good mix of sci-fi'sh and fantasy check out "The Briar King" by Douglas Niles (I think that is his name). It's book 1 of the Kingdom of Thorn and Bone Trilogy. Do check that out. It's great.
@tokz_21 I actually can't tell you to click on anything. It's against Google's rules and I'm deathly afraid of the company.
And yes, rich aunties are welcome to donate too…especially if they're rich and hot. Is anyone out there the nephew or niece of Jennifer Aniston? I have to replace my diamond shoes that Microsoft took away. Ha!
@Shockwave562 That's the dream, hey? In a perfect world, I could be doing this full time, living comparatively cheaply in Phuket, flying back to America for important press events. Waitaminute…didn't I write something in the article about dreaming the impossible? Double ha!
@Smartguy @Hrolf Kindly do me a favor and save some D&D/Forgotten Realms talk for tomorrow. I promise you that there's a good reason I'm asking this.
@rpad
i totally agree with you. you should go work at kotaku as a reviewer or something, they dont use any of that 9.8 or 5 stars crap. the same thing goes for movies or a tv series. *looking at ign*
@rbee90 I respect the boys at Kotaku a lot, but I have a fundamental problem with the way Gawker treats content. I understand the demand for what they provide, but it's not something I'm interested in generating. I would love to see a gaming version of a site like http://gigaom.com
Om's team doesn't try to bombard the world with a ton of content as quickly as possible. The crew writes thoughtful articles at a pace that doesn't compromise quality.
Ok, but to answer your question @ Smartguy, yes, I have read ALOT of the Forgotten Realms books. I have heard of Douglas Niles, but have yet to read any of his stuff.
Does anyone remember Star Control? WHY has there not been a port to Xbox Live yet? and for that matter, I would really dig a Return Fire game as well.
@rpad
so its all about content control huh? hm. i find the dark side of web journalism intriguing. its like the dark side of the music industry, where record companies exploit and manipulate musicians and fans.
@Raymond Padilla
I respect your opinion but I think a 5 point rating system is stupid. With that rating system it puts a game like Uncharted 2 on the same level as a game like Brutal Legend. That 5 point system is not good enough to differentiate games. I think the best rating system is a 10 point system with .5 increments. Giving a game a 5 on a 5 point system is the same as giving a game a 10 on a 10 point system. I'm sure Brutal Legend will get a lot of 5s on the 5 point scale but I guarantee that it won't get any 10s. That 5 point system is seriously flawed to me.
@Raymond Padilla
I do agree that it sucks that devs royalties are tied to the Metacritic score. I read that the Dead Space devs didn't get any bonus royalty money because Dead Space got an 89 on Metacritic when they had to get a 90 or better to get their money. That sucks.
@rbee90 Yeah, I'd say a lot of sites are run like sweatshops. It's all about churning out as much as you can as quickly as you can — throwing everything to the wall and seeing what sticks.
@RRODisHere I think games like that should be on the same "level". Again, it's all subjective. For some people Brutal Legend is a five. For some Uncharted 2 is a five. You can explain the different appeal, nuances, etc. with words far better than with a score. Unfortunately, developers and publishers have too much invested in scores, a lot of readers don't take the time to read full reviews, and a lot of writers review poorly.
As for the five-point scale (no halves), I think it's the least "evil". My preference is for buy it, rent it, $U$% it, with the writer explaining why.
@RRODishere
are you f'king serious? dead space was a great game too!
Google scares me too.
::i think they're watching me through my web cam =$ ::
@oOcornflakeOo I find it best to put a sock over a web cam when it's not in use.
:p
The demo for Dead Space really sucked. the control was horrible, and the character looked stupid.
I couldn't get into the idea that I had to shoot off body parts before I could kill the things, though admittedly I have heard the demo was not a great representation of the game itself. The original design for the character looked pretty cool if i remember correctly.
But i am also one of the 3 people that HATED the new Resident Evil game, as well as all of the other games in the series.
@Rpad @Cornflake
Let's take this time to bow to the greatness of the future Skynet (Google)
I think that rating system makes sense RPad.. I would much rather know what a reviewer liked and didn't like about a game rather than what arbitrary score is attached to it. I will admit though I don't always read reviews of games I wasn't interested in. If a game gets good reviews I usually do it the favor of reading a few of them. I don't know how many Uncharted 2 reviews I've read
@tokz_21I think Google is a brilliant company, but I'm definitely afraid of it. As it is, I rely on its services way too much.
@Shockwave562 See, you're educating yourself about products so that you can make informed purchasing decisions. While a lot of people reading here might do that, I think the majority glances at scores and reads the last paragraph of a review (maybe).
@Hrolf, I've never really liked RE but I thought Dead Space was fantastic. I didn't play the demo but the story/gameplay and every element is just fun. it also has quite a bit of replay value as well. I think the controls were a lot more fluid than RE5
i LOVED DEADSPACE!! i hope nintendo doesn't @#$% up the series.. there was a review though on G4 that mentioned the predictability of where the monsters would come from.. like if you died, you would then know once you got back to that part of the level that the worm was going to grab you from the vent once you turned a corner.. idk how the devs would address that issue but other than that the game was flawless to me.
I'm a Sci-Fantasy nut. That's what Warhammer 40,000 is.
Basically it's Fantasy elaborately disguised as Sci-Fi.
I'm also confused about why you didn't like the main character in Dead Space Hrolf. just a guy in a space suit. The suit does look a lot cooler as you upgrade it
My only gripe with the main character in Dead Space was that he didn't talk.
@Ray
well usually i throw my socks into the hamper when i take them off my feet but i guess i could toss them over the web c.. hey wait a minute!! dont make me send the flying google monkeys your way!!
This review subject would make for a great Coffee Talk. (hint, hint)
Touche RROD, these days there really is no reason not to have voice acting for the main character on a game like this. I will admit certain RPG games are fine without a speaking main character but for the most part this needs to happen.
Mass Effect did a wonderful job with doing voice for male and female throughout the story, same with Saint's Row 2 which I really appreciated the options. I'd like to see more of that out of RPGs and other games where you 'create' a character
@RRODisHere Noted, good sir!
@oOcornflakeOo I use clean socks to make sure Google isn't spying on…oops.
not off work yet but I'm off to get Uncharted 2. can't wait to get it home
I didn't like the way he looked. I thought the suit was plain and unimaginative though I did not know the suit could be upgraded.
I read reviews of all games i consider for a purchase, and play the demo when available to get an idea of what it will be like to play. The only time I go on a score is usually DS games, but even then, I will read as many reviews as I can before making a purchase decision.
I have had a few purchases I wish I never made (Looking @ you Fable and Fable II Glitchy game Of The Year)
@shockwave
thats committed
@hrolf
his suit? his suit?! awe man dude, you're missing out! even the story explains his suit.. he's an engineer and that suit was upgradeable depending on the engineer's needs and his tasks at hand. the game is great, really. on ray's buy it, rent it, @#$% it scale its definitely a buy.
ill check it out if i get the chance, too many people have said its a great game.
it is good, 5.1 surround and the lights down will definitely make you a little edgy playing it though.
I'm never scared during movies, I rarely see one that doesn't make me laugh when something scary happens but when I'm so in to the experience of a good scary game there are times my heart skips a beat or two
I have to agree with RROD on the review score. If the game comes out the same day and the reviews score is the same I think it is unfair for the team that work so hard on it to get the same score as the one that only at 80% complete and was rush out. The game should be review on how well polish it is. The game play, acting, and the graphics. Now a day the review is what hit and breaks a game company. A game that takes 1year to develop vs. a game that took 2-3 years in develop should be look at. The length of the actual game itself should be in consideration. Some people say that the length doesn’t matter as long as it’s a good game. But after you beat it in 3hrs and say that is the best game ever! What do you do the rest of the day? I have to say heavenly sword was the best game I ever play but to me it was a bite too short. I don’t want to pick up a game that they just throw it out knowing that people will pick it up. To me there should be a limited to the sequel and should stop at 4 the most.
Some of us just can't pick up 2 games at the same time. To me its one or the other Brutal Legend or Uncharted2….So the reviews are very important to me because I can only pick one but try and rent the other one
if it's one or the other snipe I'd go with Uncharted (waiting in my car now) I agree that Heavenly sword was short but I can't think of any 3 hour games I've played. I know a lot of people got some replay value out of it though. the sister missions with aftertouch really bugged me but other than that I liked it. fact of the matter is for me most games these days are only good for one play through. it's the standout titles that I put in over and over again
I should say I can't think of any 3 hour games within the last 6 years that I've played. I can think of a few games that I bought and didn't like after 20 min to an hour and I think Brutal Legend would fall in that category to me.
@Xsnipe2KillG4Feed How does an arbitrary number help you? For the things you said you want in a review, words are more meaningful.
@Everyone After 32 hours, I can finally take a nap! I shall dream about this story having at least 227 comments when I wake up…and maybe a hefty PayPal donation from Jennifer Aniston too.
See you in a bit!
I gotta admit Ray the last thing I ever thought I'd want from Jennifer Aniston is money but I still think it's clever.
enjoy your rest. stay off the crack
I don't know about a PayPal donation from Jennifer Aniston, but I gave you a small one last night. I'm not going to bother with the adds, so I'm just going to drop money your way when ever I can.
I think giving rpad pay pal donations and clicking on some ads will help him out greatly. Hmm i wonder if can write off my donations to Rpad. I can say he's some kid i'm sponsoring like the Worldvision commercials.
@tokz
Your donations to RPad would have to be more than your standard deduction in order for you to go into itemized deductions. It is either one or the other.
@review scores
Whether a game is good, great, awesome, bad, mediocre, plain crap is very relative to the enduser. I think assigning a number to a game is a bad way to go. Too many people just go straight to IGN or their favorite site and look at the final score and base a purchasing decision off of that. If you are going to assign a number to certain aspects of the game then those numbers should be indicative of standards. Not just how the reviewer is feeling or his man crush on the the sound guy for said game or if he thought the innovation outweighed dated gfx.
A definite standard would eliminate the inflated scores of some titles. That way the intangibles are what will stand out and be written about.
Can there be a 3 Star system set up here where we the users review the games via popular vote?
Even just a list of games to NOT buy might get alot of site traffic.
@smartguy
thanks for the heads up. I have no idea what you just told me though.
@n8r
I'm with you on the do not buy list
@ Tokz
It could be called the F*cket List.
I also vote for a Worst Games of the Year awards ceremony with awards like:
Worst Of The Year
Biggest Disappointment
Worst Gameplay
Worst Sound
Worst Gameplay
Best use of the "shovelware" genre
Worst FPS
Worst RPG
Worst Sports title
etc.
Worst of the year: Indie Games on Live
BIggest Disappointment: Shadow Complex. (aiming)
Worst Gameplay: dunno
Worst Sound: Aion
Shovelware: IronChef Wii or EA sports titles
FPS: Darkest Days
RPG: Tales of Vesperia (my opinion only)
Worst Sports: Madden (cause it hasn't changed in 10 years and is full price)
@ Smartguy
Though I agree that Darkest Days makes no sense what so ever (If I have an uzi during the Civil War, it will definitely be a pwnfest while they take 5 minutes to load their muskets) I didn't really like Call Of Juarez either.
I always thought science fiction and fantasy were one in the same since all science fiction is fantasy and fantasy (and everything for that matter) has to have some type of science (i.e., physics) in it as a foundation.
Consider my mind blown.
-M
It's official…
Just about everyone I care about talking to at G4 is here.
@ n8r
it's official let's start the f**ket list for every week's releases or maybe for the month. Some of us may not have time to try or play the games.
I can't get over how awesome that mug shot avatar is. I laugh every time i see it.
An uzi or a box of grenades would have been a pwnfest in the civil war.
@ Tokz
I'm with it. I like monthly because it allows more time.
Dude, this forum, blog, site, get together is great now that Iceman is here. I like his input on damn near everything tech or game related.
@ Smartguy
That pic provokes so many questions for me.
1) How many cops did it take to bring him in?
2) Did regular handcuffs do the job? If so, how many pairs?
3) Did they have to call in the paddy wagon just for him?
4) What was the holding cell like?
The list goes on. If you see the whole shot (http://www.thesmokinggun.com/mugshots/andregiantmug1.html) he doesn't even fit in the shot.
@N8R
To be honest, it looks like he went out and got himself into trouble after shooting some Princess Bride. That shirt looks like the one he wore in the movie.
@ Smartguy
I originally thought it was a drunk & disorderly, but smokinggun says it was assault for "roughing up a cameraman".
Dude… he could of done some serious damage just by bumping into the guy. After all, He is the brute squad.
now, you see, I've always have wanted to do something like a worst GOTY type of thing but i thought i was just being a debby downer! lol you guys are awesome..
RPADTV.COM FTW!!
@N8R
Indeed. The cameraman thing lends itself to jacking someone up on the Princess Bride set as well. I'm sure a sucker punch would land me in the ER
@ Smartguy
A sucker punch from Andre could land someone in the morgue.
He could shake an adult to death.
If they tazed him, would they have to do it more than once?
How much would he have to drink to fail a breathalizer?
Once should be enough.
Half a fifth? I don't think he could drink enough beer to get the job done. He'd get tired before enough was in his system.
Man this is one big cup of coffee. 840 p Chicago time and it's still going strong.
Alrighty, what did I miss?!?
@Shockwave562 Well, the fantasy is that Jennifer Aniston is paying to sleep with me, similar to Beavis' dream:
@N8R @tokz_21 Can we call it the Phuket list? It's family friendly and I do miss Thailand.
@ R Pad
Phuket List sounds good to me.
I bought uncharted and brutal legend just now. Damn bestbuy for putting them next to each other.
@ Tokz
I usually go through a pot or 2 myself daily.
@rpad
it's okay with me. It's not my idea more n8r's than mine. I just suggested monthly reviews.
@ n8r
wow that's a lot. I don't even drink coffee haha.
@smartguy
why didn't you go to toys r us. They have a buy 2 get the 3rd game free special.
None close to me.
Oh man that sux smartguy
Yeah and no. I didn't plan on getting both initially. I had decided that I'd grab the first one I saw when I went in the store. Bestbuy had them on the same display.
Bestbuy 1 Smartguy 0
I'm waiting for a check my wife and I are expecting before I hit up Toys R Us. I'm not sure if it will come in time however.
I've been watching Law & Order: SVU all day on USA. Man, that show is screwed up.
@smartguy
damn best buy and their stocking procedures.
@n8r
I can't stand watching law and order. Oh well I gotta go heroes replay is on g4 right now.
Hrmmm. What shows do you guys watch in general? I don't watch a ton of TV — mostly WWE, boxing, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, and American Idol.
Monday: WWE Heroes, The Big Bang Theory, Greek, Castle.
Tuesday: Warehouse 13 in the summer
Wednesday: New Comic Book Wednesday :)
Thursday: Bones, Supernatural, and Ace of Cakes
Friday: Smallville, Dollhouse, Eureka (in the summer), and I try to watch Stargate Universe.
That's my tv schedule for the week :)
@ R Pad
Red Dwarf
Lost (can't wait until January)
Heroes
Dexter
L&O:SVU (I really can't get in to the other ones)
TUF
Fringe
… and many, many documentaries.
I miss Carnivale. How are they gonna cancel it on a cliffhanger like that?
Football.
I netflix a few things. I do not watch tv at all.
I try to watch shows I've already committed to like
smallville lost heroes big bang theory how I met your mother the office and 30 rock.
My friend is trying to get me to watch flash forward but idk.
I'm disappointed in this heroes episode even the lesbo kiss with Hayden was disappointing.
@Smartguy Yeah, Netflix is pretty cool. I'm a big fan of video on demand and Hulu too.
@Ray
Yeah VOD is great. I tend to buy DVD sets of shows that interest me. I own all of the Sopranos, Rome and Deadwood. Once those shows were off the air I cancelled my subscription to HBO. The other shows just didn't do it for me. Then last year, Directv gave me a credit on my bill for extensive hurricane outage thanks to Gustav. I finally got to see an episode of Dexter. So naturally I went and bought all of the Dexter shows that were available. I prefer my viewing to be gritty and adult. I can't get into commercial TV.
Best netflix lately: ShoGun. As good as the book.
Dexter is fantastic. Heroes is really good, as is Weeds. Californication is actually pretty good as well. lots of T&A within the first few episodes.
Monday is Heroes and Trauma both very good shows
Tuesday is whatever we have from netflix, usually for the kids
Wednesday we watch whatever is on netflix we want to watch
Thursday is NBC all night
Friday is usually Netflix
sat we try to go out
and sunday is animation domination
I watch Seaquest when i get home and i am sitting down to eat, usually around 4 am, and I have alot of history documentaries and things of that sort that I get into.
Yeah, I catch up on the Daily Show on Hulu as well as the Office.
I use a few other *cough cough methods of obtaining shows as well.
I really only have cable for my kids. Those lucky bastards can turn on the TV at any time of the day or night and find a cartoon. When I was a kid, we had Saturday morning and a few hours before and after school. That was all.
I am both a sci-fi and fantasy geek, but my leanings are more sci-fi. Mass Effect is proabaly my favorite game of all time, with KotOr a close 2nd. However, I've long since preordered Deagon Age: Origins as well, and I'm looking forward to it more than any game this fall save Assassin's Creed 2 & Brutal Legend (which is hella awesome so far!!!!).
@rpad
http://kotaku.com/5380764/6-days-in-call-of-duty-…
have you seen this? guess where it's headed?
I watch football, wrestling, and Desperate Housewives.
checking if my avitar works
@cornflake
if your avatar is a pic of a bowl of cornflakes then it works.
Mine is a picture of a big blak guy.
@Big Blak
hahaha. really???
@ Tokz
Yea man, its strange lol.
yeah i kinda just hacked my old account lol i forgot the password but all works just like it use to now =D
@Big Blak
indeed. next thing you know my avatar will have a pic some guy toking.