Why So Picky?

When did gamers become so picky?

I am not about to go on a baseless rant against gamer culture and attitudes and nothing in this blog will have anything to do with GamerGate. I am simply reaching out to my fellow gamers in an attempt to understand why we've become so damned picky about the games we play. To be clear, I'm not referring to personal preference. Hey, everyone has their own style. What I am referring to is the apparent and incessant need to color that entire opinion based on a few things in a game that you don't care for or are broken.

These thoughts are directly coming out of a recent conversation I had with a fellow gamer. This guy was bashing Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag because of its perpetuation of the so-simple-it-is-boring combat and the outdated "tailing" mechanics. He said things like, "I hate this game" and "this is a travesty". When I asked him if there were any redeeming qualities his reply startled me. "Yes, but they don't matter. This game sucks."

They don't matter.   

I remember being a kid and this same buddy told me that the odd controls and the difficulty of simply moving around in Neversoft's Apocalypse didn't matter because the game was still fun. He said, "I find stuff to like."

Which is why I'm asking the question when did we become so picky? When did "fun" become less important than a game's perfection?

I disliked several things about Black Flag but I enjoyed several mechanics as well. Building up a navy from the ships I boarded and took for myself was a great deal of fun. I'll remember sailing around the Caribbean, diving for collectibles, and those wonderful sea shanties for a long time. I understand the objective need to let people know that I didn't like many things about that game but to go all out and call it a "shitty" game is ludicrous.

Right now, Destiny players are all over the map. I'm hearing more complaints than I can even remember to mention here in this post. "The game is too short" or "its just Halo" are two of the common ones right now. You know what I haven't heard or seen one person say? 'I'm having fun playing Destiny'.

If we were kids, we'd be out of our minds right now! I mean, we get to  online in this world with our friends and kill aliens! Even as an adult I can't wait to get in there and play in that sandbox. I know there isn't enough content to satisfy me right now but I also know that Bungie intends on pumping that game full of new stuff all the time. So it doesn't matter. I'm actually excited by that because it means I can play it for a bit then put it down and go on to the Elder Scrolls Online on my Xbox One and the other titles I'm itching to play.

This paragraph is normally where there would be a call to action. I have none. I am honestly just trying to figure out why it doesn't seem like we are having fun anymore. I do have gamer friends who get all excited like I do about games and have a lot of fun. But that number of friends I have who have more complaints than praise for their games is increasing.

Why? Are games really worse than ever or are we just getting picky? I don't know.

Free Consultation

Writers and Game Designers,

Today (and only today) I am offering up free Script Consultations to anyone who needs them in the indie game development industry. I can only do so many but until you see me comment here that my inbox is closed, please assume that I am still taking them.

I will be paying extra attention to story content, character development, and gameplay implementation. I am not doing this in an effort to fix every typo in the indie industry so much as I am offering up an opportunity to have a peer examine and critique your work. Games have the ability to be the best form of telling a story out there. Let me help you get the most out of that aspect of your game. 

I had some free time today that I could have used to read some more of my Captain America comics or continue my latest playthrough of Mass Effect but instead, I want to give back to the community I've become a big part of. The following is a list of criteria you must meet before asking me to look at it:

1. YOU must be the writer/creator/owner of the document you send me. 

2. Do not expect me to Edit or Proofread the entire document completely. I will, of course, point out the mistakes that I see as I read through it but I am not going to take a couple of days to fix every minute error of syntax, grammar, or mechanics. 

3. Send it to me in .pdf form please! 

4. I am NOT referring to the programming side of script consultation, but the literary sense. Do not ask me to take a look at your coding. That is not my specialty.


I am ESPECIALLY looking at RPGs and Adventure games. I am also giving priority to those indie devs who do not have an established storyteller at their disposal. Let me help! I cannot promise that I will change the way you look at your game, but maybe I can help you get the final push toward feeling great about your character(s) and story. A fresh set of eyes never hurt!

Send your scripts to the_last_penfighter@hotmail.com.

If you would like to chat about it, add me to your Skype contacts: Hexias

I look forward to hearing from you!

~Penfighter

Captain America Spotlight #1: Free Spirit

I am starting something new here at War of the Words and guess what? It has absolutely nothing to do with video games!  I am currently developing games, playing games, and talking about games both for recreation and business. As a result, I have been turning to comic books and other forms of media to escape from my busy life.

In light of that, I am going to begin regularly posting about Captain America characters, issues, storylines, and villains. I'll put up images (from my own digital Cap library), issue numbers, and other details that even other Cap diehards might find useful or new. Also, if you have any recommendations for me to read, I'd love to discuss my favorite super-hero with you! Just comment here or find me on twitter @MAWeeden.

Without further adieu, my first ever Captain America Spotlight begins!

Captain America Spotlight #1: Free Spirit

Free Spirit was first introduced in the issue above (Vol. 1 #431). She is Cathy Webster, a university student who pretty much rocks at everything except for athletics. She volunteers to do some sort of psychological experiment put on by Dr. Deirdre Wentworth that ultimately ends up with her being brain-washed to hate men (thanks to subliminal messages), as you'll see below.

"A good consciousness raising" indeed. Her confident stance in the image above and the techniques you'll see in the one below are a result of a powerful ray that has made Cathy into some sort of super-soldier not all too different from Captain America himself (who, at this point in the comics, was actually in the middle of losing some of his power). The Free Spirit makes quick work of these college kids before finally managing to break Dr. Wentworth's brainwashing.

On the whole, I never felt as if Cathy Webster was a serious A-lister in the Cap universe, but I always liked her costume and origin story. She did help quite a bit against Superia (who was Dr. Wentworth's other identity) and some other villains and even shouldered some of the crime fighting work-load left behind when Cap finally did lose just about all of the power he had.

The Free Spirit is a character I'd love to see come back in a big way or even play a role in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). She was set up to be one of the greats but that never did come to pass. Maybe we should start a movement to make sure that happens? Haha.

In the meantime, be on the lookout for more Cap Spots in my blog as well as some original content concerning Dark Link and another title we are currently developing over at Bio's Remnant Gaming.

See ya'll around!

~Matt

 

Writing and Development Assistance Day

Friend,

You've probably seen me blasting twitter all day with hashtags about game development and writing. I want to lead this blog post off by saying that yes, my offer to provide feedback and to answer questions relative to those tags is as simple as it sounds. Just drop a comment here, e-mail me at the_last_penfighter@hotmail.com, find me on skype by looking for the name Hexias, or drop me a line via twitter @MAWeeden.

I am giving myself to the gaming community today in an effort to restore a little goodwill and companionship to a community that has seen a lot of toxicity lately. So if you know anyone who is aspiring to write or develop video games (or books, comics, etc) please give them the contact information I have listed here and tell them that I am eager to help.

I am looking for questions you might have that relate to the development of YOUR games and IPs. Not mine. This day is not for me. The only gain here for me is to fulfill my selfish desire to get to know everyone I possibly can in the industry. Ask away! No question is too small!

My main skills are with content generation, gameplay design, character development, script writing, and story writing. But I might be able to help with other areas as well. Just ask!

I will be doing this until about 6:00pm Central Time (it is currently 11:21). That said, I will not close my inbox to anyone at any time in the future. I will just be ceasing my bombardment of twitter at that time.

See you around! And happy writing!

~Matt

You can also use the submission form to contact me found here (the submit button will send it to my e-mail): http://biosremnant.weebly.com/get-a-hold-of-us.html

List of Upcoming Games I Have to Try

Has anyone else noticed the massive list of games set to release this fall and winter? With the release of Destiny, we've officially started a cycle of releases that seems to guarantee we'll have something to play well into the spring and summer months of next year. This remains true even if some of them are duds!

Here is a quick hit-list of games that you probably shouldn't miss. I will attempt to do this without unnecessarily fueling any hype trains and without adhering to any of my usual biases. In this day and age I believe it is important for gamers such as myself to try and look at a game release objectively. With that in mind, here is my list in chronological order! (Be sure to bookmark so that you can keep track as well! Also, comment with any games you think I need to add to my list. Lastly, this information is up-to-date as of the publishing of this article. I will post notes or comments if I update it any further)

First up is Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor set to release September 30. This "nemesis" system they keep showing off has me intrigued. I've seen enough gameplay videos to see that this game will most likely play and feel like a fusion of Rocksteady's Arkham games and the Assassin's Creed franchise. Whether or not this is a good thing is up for debate but the system of creating, dispatching, and dominating your enemies based on how you - the gamer - wish to do so is tantalizing. Here's to hoping that the open-world aspects have plenty to offer as well or this might end up just being a quick novelty instead of a sturdy addition to my library.

Alien: Isolation, releasing on October 7, has me guessing at this point in regards to what the actual gameplay will be come launch, but as a massive fan of Ridley Scott's Alien I can't help myself but be a little biased. That said, at this point this game doesn't have a high spot on my list of priorities. I simply don't know enough about the style of play right now to make an informed decision about purchasing this game. Information might be out there, however, so I'll do some digging this weekend and see if I can't learn anything new.

Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel releases on October 14 and might be one of the safest bets of the month. After watching the videos they've released and reading what is coming out of Gearbox, it seems evident that this is another Borderlands game. Some might say "just another Borderlands game" but I'd respond by saying, so what? Some of the most fun I've had on my Xbox 360 was spent on Pandora. This game looks like it adds a few new twists to a formula that has proven to be successful. I'm not saying it can't fail, but if you liked the other Borderlands games then you probably shouldn't miss this one either.

The next game on my list is Civilization: Beyond Earth which releases for the PC on October 24. Some are calling this the "next Alpha Centauri" but I'm not willing to heap a pile of baseless hype onto that topic. It does appear to be 'Civilization on new planets out in space' but I haven't seen anything that shows the same level of tech and unit customization as I saw with Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri. Another item that made that the original so good was the personality of each nation. It is difficult to say if Civilization: BE will showcase leaders as personal and different as the likes of Daedra Skye and Colonel Santiago. More importantly, it is no secret that some recent Civ titles have had their share of bugs or mistakes on release. Perhaps it would be best to see what happens a few days after launch before purchasing this title. (Still, it is Civ so I will eventually own this game. Even if I end up waiting for the expansion to fix any bugs.)

Some of you are going to roll your eyes about some of the games on this list.  Heck, even as I write the title Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (November 4) I can almost hear those eyes rolling about. I invite you, Doubting Gamer, to at least give this one a chance before you dismiss it out of hand.  Especially if you are judging it because you don't like Activision or you don't like previous entries in the series. Being honest, I haven't enjoyed a Call of Duty game since World at War. Objectively however there is enough here for me to be interested in at least giving it the good ol' college try. It remains to be seen if Sledgehammer will finally provide us with a proper campaign to play through, but the multiplayer reveals that they've done this year are enough to at least plant the notion in my skull that I shouldn't pass this game by like I did Black Ops II.


The next game shares a release date with another title in the same franchise. Bonkers, right? Assassin's Creed Unity comes out November 11 and is at the top of my list. I share a lot of concern with other gamers that the AC franchise has grown a bit stale in regards to gameplay and difficulty. That concern has been obliterated by the mentality of this title's developers and the risks they've taken to give us a story and associated game-play that they truly believe in. I also like the idea of them going back to some of the fundamentals of the first game including a return to assassinations being the focus of the game. I believe in what Alex Pedneault and the rest of the dev team are doing with this game enough to do even pre-order the collector's edition. Some would say that the joke is on me if the game sucks and they might be right. However, forming opinions takes research and thought. I've done both and refuse to be swayed by those who don't want anything to do with this title because they disliked other entries in the franchise.

Assassin's Creed: Rogue also releases on the 11th but I am not as excited about this one yet. Mostly because I am not convinced it clearly separates itself from the boring, all-too-easy combat and horrid stalking missions of previous entries. The notion of playing as a Templar has my curiosity piqued enough to want to give this game a fair chance. 



Halo: Master Chief Collection comes to the Xbox One on November 11 as well. What a busy week this one will be for my console! Anyway there isn't much time I need to spend on this one. I am a massive fan of Halo so it makes sense that I'd want to play all four core games with updated graphics and framerates (I'm still playing them on my 360). The multiplayer has me excited as does the access to the Halo 5 Multiplayer Beta  (set to release on December 29) and the Ridley Scott produced Halo: Nightfall series that comes with the collection. The only thing I want more than this collection is Halo 5 itself. 


Dragon Age: Inquisition will come out seven days later on November 18 and will find its way to my game shelf soon thereafter simply because it is a fantasy RPG. Sounds pretty biased and I'll admit that I definitely am subjective when it comes to dealing with this genre.  I did not care for DA: II that much but the first one left me wanting more. Hopefully this one is a good RPG adventure more along the lines of what I'm used to getting from other franchises boasting the name BioWare. Its new engine and open theme leave me with hope that I'm not too far off the mark in adding this to my list.

The last one on my list for now is FarCry 4, which also releases on the 18th. I had a great deal of fun playing FarCry 3 and I hope I'm not let down by the next installment in th3 franchise. The new setting looks to be even better and the open-world design and gameplay I came to enjoy from the last FarCry game seems to be in full swing. I have seen some gameplay videos that left me feeling that there isn't as much innovation as some might be wanting from a next-gen title. However just as with Borderlands, more of the same is more than enough for me with certain franchises. I didn't tire of the last one in the series until I'd found every last nook and cranny there was to explore. I believe the next one will hold me in a similar grip.





And that about does it for my list. I do want to point out that for the time being, I am almost exclusively playing games on my Xbox One & 360. Aside from Civilization, there isn't much I intend to get and put on my laptop. You will also note the absence of any indie games. The honest reason here is that I have had enough bad experiences getting excited about an indie game only to realize it wasn't what I was expecting. I have become a bit more cautious about these over the last couple of years. I'll definitely write up a piece about the indies that look good in the coming days.

If you are excited about a game, please let me know below!

It has been since May, but I'm finally getting around to adding a new post. To say life has been busy would be an understatement. My wife, Angie, has been spending a lot of time away from home as she starts up a promising career with Banker's Life out of Saint Louis. The result has been some stress and tension around the home but nothing to really complain about. This is good for her and for us as a family.

Complaints instead are directed at the laptop of mine which suddenly and inexplicably ceased all function and perished before its time. Lousy good for nothing piece of ju--

Anyway, life goes on and with a new computer comes new opportunity. The start-up video game developer Bio's Remnant Gaming that I've done some work for throughout the year has an exciting venture in the makings and I've been lucky to have a chance to participate. We've finally got a website put together that more or less details who we are as a company and why we exist as well as some glimpses at one of our feature projects.

http://biosremnant.weebly.com/

The site is basically an "alpha" version that will be steadily upgraded and polished up as time goes on so check back often!

It is with great pleasure that I announce the game Dark Link as the main project for us over at Bio's Remnant. I've worked on the story concepts and characters for this game for some time now and couldn't be happier to see the copyright taken care of and the game officially in the works.

I will probably post osme nuggets and tidbits in my personal blog here at blogspot but expect to find more depth and more material at the Developers' Blog over at the official site.

Give me a follow for more game reviews, updates on the games I'm making, and what is going on with the fam. See you around!

~Matt