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This only gave grief

3 (6.1%)

Grakelin is not stupid

6 (12.2%)

Are you happier now?

1 (2%)

------ Haiku, the encore -----

17 (34.7%)

Disagreeing, Fine

0 (0%)

Why you make a fuzz 'bout it?

3 (6.1%)

Lets just be happy

19 (38.8%)

Total Members Voted: 48

[mendonca]

a) Yes. Evil Genius.

I remember getting through a bit of the game, thinking "This is ace! I can't wait to see what else this has in store for me!" then realised that I had pretty much done everything it had to offer.

Interesting, but seemed like kind of a hitting-the-post-in-an-open-goal type scenario.

b) Duke Nukem Forever analogous to Elite 4?

Will Elite 4 even have any relevance to the world when it eventually does get released? (if indeed it does ... David Braben possibly keeps mentioning it only to attract attention to his 'brand')

c) Capitalism: I agree, we operate in a world that is driven by the need for money, so that people can buy toilet roll, bread etc. No problems with the way companies operate as companies are really no more than entities with which to make money.

We probably have to accept that innovative, thoughtful, creative games with real vision will generally only really emerge from bizarre crevices, and may not be immediately obvious, so we will just have to keep looking out for them. (even if that means going to play a 12yr old game for the first time in 2009 because you saw some dude/dudette mention it on a forum)

[Huesoo]

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When I first watched the SPORE 30 minute demo I felt a warm fuzzy feeling all over my body, then when I bought the game I had some kiddy shit that you spent 1-2 hours on each level until the space stage that you spend like 10 hours and poof your done. None the less I raged so hard im still raging today.

(Atleast the editor is so fun that ive spent over 100+ hours in it)

[Idiom]

Dumbing down + beating the dead horse = 6th or 7th circle of hell:
It's not necessarily that simple games are bad, but if you're going to go off in an ENTIRELY different direction with a game than it's predecessors, WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU KEEP THE NAME? It's like when they advertise a sob chickflick to be a comedy. Sure, it might be good for what it is within it's own aspects, BUT I came looking for something else entirely and therefore it will suck hard.

Case in future point:
Deus Ex 3 by EA. The guy in charge of Deus Ex 3 didn't even LIKE Deus Ex. They want to remove health kits for regenerating health, discourage level exploration (HALF the original game, subplots, and story!), and make it a linear action shooter.
...and SS3. And every future dead horse beating.

edit:
Is it just me, or are mediocre games scoring higher in reviews than they used to? IE game reviews are giving out on average higher scores than they used to, or at least the spread of scores given has a higher median now.

[sproingie]

Braben is one of those sad sacks with delusions of continued relevance.  It's like Bob "I invented Ethernet" Metcalfe.  It's Hank Hill and his three touchdowns in one game.

There have already been several sequels to Elite: Freelancer, X, X2, and X3.  Elite 4 is actually going to beat Duke Nukem Forever for the most drawn-out vaporware.

edit: I'll give him one thing, his company did produce Roller Coaster Tycoon 3, so he's capable of producing good stuff.  Then again, 3d Realms got Prey out the door too.

[Megaman]

the golden age of gaming is over, boys. The golden age of making money from them is here, though

[Soulwynd]

Evil Genius was so close to being actually fun, but ended up being awesomely tedious instead.  Were I doing Evil Genius, I would have:

This is an interesting spiritual successor of Evil Genius -> http://www.kongregate.com/games/theswain/mastermind-world-conquerer

I'd be interested in hearing what people think about it. I'm not much a fan of defense games, but thinking back, evil genius was basically a defense game, but had the whole tunneling from DK. I think I like the ability to create and shape my base way too much. Reason why DF is so compelling.

When I first watched the SPORE 30 minute demo I felt a warm fuzzy feeling all over my body, then when I bought the game I had some kiddy shit that you spent 1-2 hours on each level until the space stage that you spend like 10 hours and poof your done. None the less I raged so hard im still raging today.

(Atleast the editor is so fun that ive spent over 100+ hours in it)

The spore demo and the finished spore just aren't the same game. I'd love to play that demo and just fool around as a creature, without feeling like I'm playing a mini game, but more like a survival game.

Anyway.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Is it just me, or are mediocre games scoring higher in reviews than they used to? IE game reviews are giving out on average higher scores than they used to, or at least the spread of scores given has a higher median now.

I think the gaming media is being really lenient nowadays. Take a look at metacritic for example.

Spore:
Critic Review: 84/100 (74 reviews)
User review: 45/100 (1178 reviews)

Now take a buggy but complex and enjoyable game.

7.62 High Calibre:
Critic Review: 47/100 (4 reviews)
User review: 76/100 (13 reviews)

Of course, the number of reviews are too low to compare, but you can have an idea of what might be going on. If we take a game that I find mediocre but enjoyable, stylish, and fun for example.

Borderlands
Critic Review: 83/100 (58 reviews)
User review: 84/100 (66 reviews)

Now I wonder, how did it score the same as spore by critics? Also note that it didn't get nearly as much attention both from users and critics when it comes to reviews.

When it comes to critics, I only trust yahtzee and spoony. Spoony most of the time as yahtzee likes making fun and he's a HL2 fanboi, which doesn't mean he isn't entertaining.

the golden age of gaming is over, boys. The golden age of making money from them is here, though

Not necessarily. The amount of companies that went under and got bought the last decade was huge.

[Megaman]

EA seems to be rich, though. more like the golden age of big game companies? meh

[sarack]

My belief isn't that modern games are the problem. I think that the problem is in modern audiences. There's no game that suits everyone, so the developers have to aim at a specific audience. Usually, this choice will boil down to either the younger generation and 'casual' gamers, or older more experienced players.
If the developers target consoles and newer gamers, they know that with enough hype and a gimmick or two they can sell anything. The thing is, this audience doesn't care much for puzzles, learning curves or strategy. What impresses them is pretty graphics and really big guns. Therefore the developers, pushed either by their own need for money or insane publisher deadlines take the last game that sold well, slap something new on it and release it just as their deadline looms.
The second, 'wiser' audience, however has a lot of experience with great original games, and so is far too picky. Just about anything developers make will be called a cheap knock-off of some older game. Either that or it's just a cheap console port, or maybe it uses a gimmick that's just a bit too popular at the moment. Any of these things are enough to stop older gamers from buying said game. If the game isn't bought, it doesn't bring in revenue, the developers don't eat. Simple. If people just lowered their expectations, there wouldn't be a 'problem with modern games'. If people just openned their minds, they might find something great.

Just about the only people who make games for the sake of making games these days are either running out of money fast or are only involved in side-projects away from their 'real' jobs.

[Sean Mirrsen]

And then there's the one game we know and love.

[Rilder]

I hate games without freedom, Probably the reason why I've been enjoying X3:TC so much, the fact that I can do what I want.

[Muz]

I actually hate games with too much freedom, like GTA, Fallout 3, Morrowind, MUDs and MMOs. It's like it lets you run off and do whatever the hell you want, and there's nothing really fun to do. Too much freedom kinda makes the game have less depth and more width and stuff. DF appears to be a pleasant exception, though.

[Jreengus]

Yes, I don't like sandbox games either I get bored quickly (Even DF fell prey to this). When the only limit is my imagination I soon realise how constrictive that limit is.

[Ioric Kittencuddler]

Yes, I don't like sandbox games either I get bored quickly (Even DF fell prey to this). When the only limit is my imagination I soon realise how constrictive that limit is.

There is no computer game like this.  Every computer game is limited by the design of it's developers unless you can and do mod it.

[yamo]

When it comes to critics, I only trust yahtzee and spoony. Spoony most of the time as yahtzee likes making fun and he's a HL2 fanboi, which doesn't mean he isn't entertaining.
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I like the reviews at http://www.outofeight.info/

[Draco18s]

When it comes to critics, I only trust yahtzee and spoony. Spoony most of the time as yahtzee likes making fun and he's a HL2 fanboi, which doesn't mean he isn't entertaining.

I'm not sure he's a HL2 fanboi, he tore episode 2 a new one.  You have to pay attention to what he actually says sometimes.  He loved Portal (IIRC, it was the first game he reviewed that he actually said he liked) and Left 4 Dead (but criticized the players for playing like twats, thus ruining the enjoyment he was getting).  There are a few games he idolizes (states as such through various forms of innuendo), but has never reviewed directly.

Spoony I've not watched/read/whatever.