N4G has a great system to reward people who make good comments and punish people who troll and make bad comments. This bubble system for the most part works well but when bias and spit come into the picture, the bubble system becomes corrupted.
4.Personal grudge.
Sometimes someone will hit the bubble down button on you just because they can. You made a simple comment to them that was pure blasphemy in their eyes and now they put you closer to a bubble down in rank. How often does this happen? Hard to say but it does happen. Sometimes people dont need a reason to bubble someone down. They just need to take out their anger on someone and you just happened to be in their way at the wrong time.
3.You commented first.
No matter how objective or politically correct your post was, if it was first, it will get attacked with disagrees, which is a pretty good indicator that people are taking bubbles from you too. You see, n4g is a big congregation of gamers with many different views on gaming, and some people here are more reasonable than others. Putting up a first comment might was well be like painting a bullseye on your chest. No matter what you posted, someone will hit disagree and possibly take your bubble. Sad? Yes. Common? Sadly yes.
2.You have an opinion (that differs from the other guy).
So lets say there is a really hyped game coming out. Everyone thinks it will be great but you have your doubts and you go to post why you think this game may not be as good as its hyped up to be. All of a sudden, you are bombarded with hate comments about how wrong you are and you have been slammed with disagrees and bubble losses. On N4G, if your opinion does not match the majority, you are on the majority's shit list. Nothing you ever do will get you bubbles and you will be shunned from the comments just because they want their subjective views to be law.
1.You are not a Sony fanboy.
Look at any first comment that has to do with praising PS3. Now look at any fist comment that has to do with praising Xbox 360. You will notice that in popular news, each comment has 100 agrees to about 40 disagrees for the positive Sony comment and vice- versa for the positive 360 comment. That means that Sony fanboys make up the greatest majority of N4G and like I mentioned in #2, majority rules. If you don't like Sony, you better not get too attached to your bubbles because posting anything Sony negative, even if its just an opinion and you are not trying to troll will be the fastest and most unfair way to lose your bubbles.
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn . Blog games. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Hiển thị các bài đăng có nhãn . Blog games. Hiển thị tất cả bài đăng
Thứ Bảy, 22 tháng 10, 2011
Thứ Bảy, 15 tháng 10, 2011
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron Demo is as Awesome as its Title is Long.
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron is an action platformer whose visuals are reminiscent of Okami and whose gameplay is reminiscent of Devil May Cry. This is not surprising considering Sawaki Takeyasu, the art director for both, is the mastermind behind El Shaddai.
According to the official site, the main character, Enoch, is a scribe from heaven trying to prevent a great flood by capturing renegade, probably corrupted angels. Enoch narrates a bit to himself at the beginning, but the rest of the dialog of the demo is taken by an archangel named Lucifel (Lucifer), who speaks on the phone as you pass and is not afraid to break the fourth wall to introduce a boss to you (though you do not get to fight the boss in the demo). It is a rather Clover/Platinum Games-esque narrative, and considering their track record, I am one-hundred percent okay with this.
One can tell from the first playable moment that this game is some kind of art—the whole world looks like a negative, with black surrounding and a white protagonist surrounded by trees made of flame-like clouds or cloud-like flame. Take a few steps forward and a drawn face floats across the screen accompanied by a laughing voice. The world shifts and changes around the character and it never gets boring just to look at. I found myself wanting to rush forward just to see how the environment would shift or just to see what the next screen looked like, since despite the dark silhouette motif everything remains interesting to look at. The demo goes back and forth between 3D eight-way movement and 2D side-scrolling. Platforming exists in both, but the 3D scenes tend to be more combat-focused while the 2D were entirely jumping and moving. It is the side-scrolling segments in which the environment changes the most drastically, in some cases having swirling, wave-like clouds rise from the bottom of the screen to act as solid ground for platforming. It is nothing short of cool to look at, and makes the simple task of walking forward something more than just a way to get from one in-game event to the next. Few times during the demo did I find myself staring at a static world—there is almost always some kind of movement.
Combat is smooth and fluid, and much like the environment, is fun just to look at and explore. There are really only four button commands in the demo: jump (x), attack ([_]), block (R1), and disarm/charge (L1). Though there is only one attack button, or perhaps because there is only one attack button, stringing combos together is smooth, fluid, and simple. The different attacks and strings of attacks are based on the timing of the button presses, such as how long of a pause is taken between attacks and how long the button is held down. There is a sort of rhythm to making strong combos. Enoch's attacks are fun to explore and watch, for despite the one-button system there are all kinds of cool things you can do, and discovering a new attack was always satisfying. You start off unarmed, but once you wound an enemy enough you can disarm it with L1, which permanently takes their weapon. You can hold on to it as long as you want, or you can switch it out with another one, but weapons get weaker with use, and every so often must be “charged” by holding L1, leaving Enoch vulnerable for a bit. It forces players to think a bit before just spamming the basic attack combo over and over, as it will exhaust the weapon quickly, and encourages them to find more efficient ways to use the weapons. At first I thought it might get annoying to have to charge the weapon, but since you can still attack enemies with a worn weapon to knock them away and deal a little damage, it just made combat more tense. Hopefully this affect will not be lost in the full game. There are only two weapoins in the demo: a sort of arched blade thing and a halo with eight floating arrowheads. Both are nothing short of awesome, but I fell in love with the halo weapon almost as soon as I saw it. Its attacks are all beautiful projectiles that you can whip around and fling and spin all over the place. Everything they do leaves a glowing trail behind, and I doubt I will ever get bored with it.
Music is always hard to do justice with words. Put simply, the music fits. It is not some swelling orchestra, nor any sort of instrument, nor is it chip-noises. It is made up entirely of sounds, some of them sound choir-like, but they can not really be described as anything but sounds, and they are always appropriate. Ambient is the best way to categorize it. While platforming between fights, the ambient sound is calm and subtle. During combat, it of course picks up, but it stood out to me because it was not loud or distracting. I cannot stress enough how important that is. Despite the connection and resemblance to Devil May Cry, El Shaddai's music is exactly the opposite of the music of DMC.
Overall, the demo kept me engaged the whole way through (as demos are wont to do), and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys action games, pretty games, or generally awesome things. As a final note, when this game hits shelves I hope there is an option to turn on Japanese voices, because the main character's voice in the demo is exactly what I expected it to be.
According to the official site, the main character, Enoch, is a scribe from heaven trying to prevent a great flood by capturing renegade, probably corrupted angels. Enoch narrates a bit to himself at the beginning, but the rest of the dialog of the demo is taken by an archangel named Lucifel (Lucifer), who speaks on the phone as you pass and is not afraid to break the fourth wall to introduce a boss to you (though you do not get to fight the boss in the demo). It is a rather Clover/Platinum Games-esque narrative, and considering their track record, I am one-hundred percent okay with this.
One can tell from the first playable moment that this game is some kind of art—the whole world looks like a negative, with black surrounding and a white protagonist surrounded by trees made of flame-like clouds or cloud-like flame. Take a few steps forward and a drawn face floats across the screen accompanied by a laughing voice. The world shifts and changes around the character and it never gets boring just to look at. I found myself wanting to rush forward just to see how the environment would shift or just to see what the next screen looked like, since despite the dark silhouette motif everything remains interesting to look at. The demo goes back and forth between 3D eight-way movement and 2D side-scrolling. Platforming exists in both, but the 3D scenes tend to be more combat-focused while the 2D were entirely jumping and moving. It is the side-scrolling segments in which the environment changes the most drastically, in some cases having swirling, wave-like clouds rise from the bottom of the screen to act as solid ground for platforming. It is nothing short of cool to look at, and makes the simple task of walking forward something more than just a way to get from one in-game event to the next. Few times during the demo did I find myself staring at a static world—there is almost always some kind of movement.
Combat is smooth and fluid, and much like the environment, is fun just to look at and explore. There are really only four button commands in the demo: jump (x), attack ([_]), block (R1), and disarm/charge (L1). Though there is only one attack button, or perhaps because there is only one attack button, stringing combos together is smooth, fluid, and simple. The different attacks and strings of attacks are based on the timing of the button presses, such as how long of a pause is taken between attacks and how long the button is held down. There is a sort of rhythm to making strong combos. Enoch's attacks are fun to explore and watch, for despite the one-button system there are all kinds of cool things you can do, and discovering a new attack was always satisfying. You start off unarmed, but once you wound an enemy enough you can disarm it with L1, which permanently takes their weapon. You can hold on to it as long as you want, or you can switch it out with another one, but weapons get weaker with use, and every so often must be “charged” by holding L1, leaving Enoch vulnerable for a bit. It forces players to think a bit before just spamming the basic attack combo over and over, as it will exhaust the weapon quickly, and encourages them to find more efficient ways to use the weapons. At first I thought it might get annoying to have to charge the weapon, but since you can still attack enemies with a worn weapon to knock them away and deal a little damage, it just made combat more tense. Hopefully this affect will not be lost in the full game. There are only two weapoins in the demo: a sort of arched blade thing and a halo with eight floating arrowheads. Both are nothing short of awesome, but I fell in love with the halo weapon almost as soon as I saw it. Its attacks are all beautiful projectiles that you can whip around and fling and spin all over the place. Everything they do leaves a glowing trail behind, and I doubt I will ever get bored with it.
Music is always hard to do justice with words. Put simply, the music fits. It is not some swelling orchestra, nor any sort of instrument, nor is it chip-noises. It is made up entirely of sounds, some of them sound choir-like, but they can not really be described as anything but sounds, and they are always appropriate. Ambient is the best way to categorize it. While platforming between fights, the ambient sound is calm and subtle. During combat, it of course picks up, but it stood out to me because it was not loud or distracting. I cannot stress enough how important that is. Despite the connection and resemblance to Devil May Cry, El Shaddai's music is exactly the opposite of the music of DMC.
Overall, the demo kept me engaged the whole way through (as demos are wont to do), and I would strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys action games, pretty games, or generally awesome things. As a final note, when this game hits shelves I hope there is an option to turn on Japanese voices, because the main character's voice in the demo is exactly what I expected it to be.
Used Games - Win the battle. Lose the war?
A fable 3 developer recently stated that "secondhand sales cost us more in the long run than piracy these days."
While no further explanation was given, the focus on used games has much to do with the fact that despite the best of efforts, piracy cannot be stopped. The sale of used games seems a more attractive battle to developers, one that they may actually be
able to win. While i understand the frustration surrounding the gamestop economics of selling used games for $5 less than a new one, the fight against used sales may be a bit short-sighted.
These are a few things that may be worth considering.
PAY IT FORWARD
When i was younger, used games were all that i could afford. Without this market, i would not be the gamer i am today. A gamer that spends hundreds of dollars a year on my favorite hobby. While used sales may not be good for the
individual publisher at times, it may be good for the industry as a whole. Without these bargain bin items, we may lose the youth of today to the vices of reading and physical exercise.
FREE MARKETING
A few years back, i skipped on purchasing Assassins Creed at launch as reviews from friends were less than stellar. A month before the sequel, i picked it up for cheap, and while i agreed with what was said of the game, i enjoyed it. One month later, i bought the sequel at full price, which i would not have done without that cheap used predecessor.
TRICKLE UP ECONOMICS
This one is simple. i can buy say 4 new games per year. My friend can't afford gaming as a hobby at $60 a pop (utters some incoherent rubbish about a social life). He buys my games, and i buy more new ones. Publishers are trying to apply the same logic of piracy induced lost sales to used games. In their minds, every used game represents lost income. They like to reason that every downloaded game represents lost income. The fact of the matter is, that without used sales, a lot of people would have to simply find another way to pass time. Not everyone agrees that $60 for a game is a good use for their cash. Don't let them confuse you with their reason and logic. Just run.
ITS A KEEPER
Ever notice how the games Nintendo make rarely decline much in price? Price fixing allegations aside, there are other good reasons for this. They make a quality product, something that you want to keep even though you may never play it again. Why? The same reason people collect and display books. It says something about you as a gamer, about your tastes and style. So instead of making "generic space marine shooter #55", you may want to produce something of worth. My copy of ICO is not going anywhere.
While no further explanation was given, the focus on used games has much to do with the fact that despite the best of efforts, piracy cannot be stopped. The sale of used games seems a more attractive battle to developers, one that they may actually be
able to win. While i understand the frustration surrounding the gamestop economics of selling used games for $5 less than a new one, the fight against used sales may be a bit short-sighted.
These are a few things that may be worth considering.
PAY IT FORWARD
When i was younger, used games were all that i could afford. Without this market, i would not be the gamer i am today. A gamer that spends hundreds of dollars a year on my favorite hobby. While used sales may not be good for the
individual publisher at times, it may be good for the industry as a whole. Without these bargain bin items, we may lose the youth of today to the vices of reading and physical exercise.
FREE MARKETING
A few years back, i skipped on purchasing Assassins Creed at launch as reviews from friends were less than stellar. A month before the sequel, i picked it up for cheap, and while i agreed with what was said of the game, i enjoyed it. One month later, i bought the sequel at full price, which i would not have done without that cheap used predecessor.
TRICKLE UP ECONOMICS
This one is simple. i can buy say 4 new games per year. My friend can't afford gaming as a hobby at $60 a pop (utters some incoherent rubbish about a social life). He buys my games, and i buy more new ones. Publishers are trying to apply the same logic of piracy induced lost sales to used games. In their minds, every used game represents lost income. They like to reason that every downloaded game represents lost income. The fact of the matter is, that without used sales, a lot of people would have to simply find another way to pass time. Not everyone agrees that $60 for a game is a good use for their cash. Don't let them confuse you with their reason and logic. Just run.
ITS A KEEPER
Ever notice how the games Nintendo make rarely decline much in price? Price fixing allegations aside, there are other good reasons for this. They make a quality product, something that you want to keep even though you may never play it again. Why? The same reason people collect and display books. It says something about you as a gamer, about your tastes and style. So instead of making "generic space marine shooter #55", you may want to produce something of worth. My copy of ICO is not going anywhere.
N4G Quality Control?
User blog
N4G have to started advertising external Hard drives bundled with PS3 pirated games.
It seems a little hypocritical considering the communities stance of piracy. Of course I know N4G is website run by massive hypocrites profiting from the "console wars" and generally just helping to create a horrible gaming culture.
But is that a step to far, they're now bringing in advertisement revenue from piracy websites. I know many of you feel very strongly about Piracy ain't it about time N4G starts worrying about it's quality control?
Instead of just leeching off the fanboy gaming culture to squeeze as much profit from it's users as possible, you decide.
N4G have to started advertising external Hard drives bundled with PS3 pirated games.
It seems a little hypocritical considering the communities stance of piracy. Of course I know N4G is website run by massive hypocrites profiting from the "console wars" and generally just helping to create a horrible gaming culture.
But is that a step to far, they're now bringing in advertisement revenue from piracy websites. I know many of you feel very strongly about Piracy ain't it about time N4G starts worrying about it's quality control?
Instead of just leeching off the fanboy gaming culture to squeeze as much profit from it's users as possible, you decide.
Đăng ký:
Bài đăng (Atom)