Bioshock: Infinite's plot could have gone so many ways, a lot of them really good, and they went with that
yeah but it could have at least let me shoot the klansmen and not both sides it
After playing the first few hours, I was looking forward to seeing what they do with this whole "opening rifts through space" thing and how they were going to handle this utopian projection of Paris as a place of beauty and peace as the ultimate contrast to their American dystopia. Like, what's it like to escape from a horrible society which is also the only one you ever knew when you can also just go anywhere in the world? Turns out they just weren't going to do anything with that!
Battlefield 2042 could have looked back to the fantastic Battlefield 2142 instead of trying to take aspects of random arena shooters and turning itself in to a dysfunctional mess.
Actual investment in the Planetside franchise could continue it's trend of providing revolutionary gameplay on a scale not otherwise seen.
And, of course, the failure of the Soviet Union during the birth of the internet has deprived the world of thirty years of video games made under socialist production modes, which surely would have provided products that would never have been approved in the West.
the failure of the Soviet Union during the birth of the internet has deprived the world of thirty years of video games made under socialist production modes
Man I really never thought of that angle. Not that I haven't thought of how much better games made under socialism could be, but the way the fall of the USSR (who gave us fuckin Tetris btw) came right when video games were really taking off.
This also goes back to my assertion that literally everything would be better right now if FDR was successful in normalizing friendly trade relations with the USSR. No cold war = may no climate apocalypse.
I don't know if they'd be better or worse but I'm convinced Soviet gaming would be different. My basis for this assertion is that there is a ton of late-Soviet cinema that only got made because the motives behind filmmaking in the late Soviet era were very different from Hollywood and projects often got green-lit because someone thought they had artistic merit or something rather than that they'd produce a huge financial return.
And, of course, the failure of the Soviet Union during the birth of the internet has deprived the world of thirty years of video games made under socialist production modes, which surely would have provided products that would never have been approved in the West.
Imagine what they took from us
Planetside 2 is so laughable in terms of how few improvements it gets. It's pretty cool how big the battles can get and it sucks that there aren't any other games that have close to the same scale. It's such a depressing game to play.
I wish there was another game like that, but there isn't. And judging by current fads and trends, none are coming any time soon.
It just isn't cost effective I guess. It's hard to scale servers to lots of players and there maybe isn't any extra money to be made off of it. It still seems weird that there aren't many game studios investing in large scale games of any kind. There's Battlefield and battle royale games I guess, but nothing that has long running instances that you can hop in and out of other than MMOs which all suck even more than Planetside 2 (which is also considered an "MMO").
Elder Scrolls Online's Cyrodiil pvp zone is somewhat good for persistent long running pvp, but it has been ignored by the devs for a long time.
So many games have cool features that just get set on the back burner and never taken off.
Todd Howard has to get lucky every time. We only have to get lucky once.
I suppose if the devs tried to monetize Cyrodiil to modern greed expectations it'd be Clash of Clans in Tamriel. :NOOOOO:
I've thought about picking up Foxhole. It's not an FPS but it's comparable in scale. Also speaking of scale we really haven't seen anything close to a successor to Supreme Commander. Even SupCom2 was inferior imo.
If the original Call of Duty bombed, that'd be a lot less flaghumping propaganda for alternate decades afterward.
the medal of honor franchise started before cod and would've filled the same gap if cod never existed. or something else. shooting lends itself well to games and the post 9/11 landscape was itching for anything patriotic
edit: just found out that they made another wwii medal of honor game in 2020 and you unlocked documentaries about wwii veterans as you played the game and one of those documentaries wound up winning the oscar for documentary short. surprised i never heard about that
I don't buy into the belief that everything in pop culture and history would go the exact same way, no matter what, if something was changed or removed. It just seems pointlessly fatalistic.
Historians often say that some events could only have gone one way, and others are just freak chance. World War 1 is usually given as the example of something that was inevitable. Some pivotal battle or another for the freak chance.
I could buy that jingoistic shooter games were inevitable in post 9/11 USA. Or at least that multiple studios would've had to have had freak accidents and lost their games just before launch, to change it.
That's a fair argument to me.
I could at least settle for some delay to the flaghumping acceleration.
i tend to be of the opinion that culture is almost always downstream of politics/current events. in the early 2000s, there was clearly a market for jingoistic entertainment everywhere in america, look at 24 in tv for example. i don't think everything would be exactly the same, that is of course impossible to say, but i also think that the developers of cod were reacting to the world around them more than they were making the world around them. popular first person shooters about americans in wwii existed before cod and if cod never existed that genre still would have probably become popular because of the combination of current events and increases in technological capabilities (multiplayer, better graphics and setpieces etc).
I've argued before on Hexbear that while culture is generally downstream of politics and current events, I believe it is dogmatic to ignore the possibility and potential for culture to flow back as well. That particular argument went very :wall-talk: so I'd rather not repeat it again except to mention that one particular cultural moment that caused a massed reactionary response that snowballed all the way into the 2016 elections (GamerGate) may have tipped the scales in getting enough apathetic and indifferent people involved and participating in the political process. Most of the ruling class and the political donor class were actually surprised (as was :trump-anguish: ) at the outcome of that election, and many "Her Turn" donors had to scramble to kiss the ring in a hurry afterward. I'm not saying :hillary-disgust: would have been that much better but I do give that as an example of culture splashing back into politics and causing a lasting change. After all, capital-G G*mer culture is still more reactionary and fascist-sympathetic now than it was before that incident.
It's not a surprise that nobody is in a hurry to publicize good news for flaghumpers
The VR MoH? Yeah that was a surprisingly decent VR shooter. Felt like the PS2 equivalent of a WW2 shooter
Battlefield back them didn't have a campaign, so i guess multiplayer FPS would continue to dominate the genre
All right, if one doesn't delay the flaghumping enough, get both. Skynet had to send quite a few terminators, after all.
In The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim, they establish in the first dungeon that looking at items in your inventory is possible, and might be required to solve puzzles in the rest of the game.
Unfortunately, they never once expand on this idea. Every single dungeon has the exact same puzzles - line up the stone pillars to match the pattern on the wall, then look at the claw in your inventory to line up the stone tumblers on the door. Imagine getting up to classic fantasy shenanigans like looking at a map under the light of the full moon to see the location of a secret passage, or a door that only opens when you speak a passphrase that you can learn from combing through the relevant library books and talking to the locals in the nearby town.
I think the recent Resident Evil games, both new and remakes, use this pretty frequently for puzzles?
Its a cool concept, feels very immersive-simulator esque even if Im not sure if any classic imsims have used this kind of stuff a lot.
In general, I don't get how Skyrim is so well regarded. Like, its hardly a terrible game, but I've seen it as candidate for game of the decade (of the 2010s), and it still being popular and getting rereleases... and just do not understand.
I played it through when it first released, and it was fine, held my attention at least. But had no desire to play/explore more. Tried going back with a heavily modded experience, and just the core gameplay is pretty lackluster. Not that I'm telling people their fav is wrong, I just don't see what the appeal even is.
For a lot of normies, Skyrim was their first real open-world high-fantasy experience in a game. As you said, the gameplay (esp. combat) is lackluster but it's also very accessible compared to a lot of other games in the same genre.
As the other guy said, it was a lot of people's first exposure. 2014 and prior it sold 20 million copies; Oblivion, which was the Elder Scrolls game preceding it, has sold less than half of that for it's entire existence (and I'd argue it had more depth than Skyrim)
Yeah, I grew up with Morrowind, which I think is obviously deeply flawed in hindsight, but I felt had a lot more depth of story and setting to it; Oblivion was okay, though I hated the level-scaled enemies, and Skyrim is like, fine? But really feels like they've shed mechanics and world design over time.
Yeah; Skyrim shed repairing weapons and armor (which is fine, that was always just kind of a hindrance/busywork to me), but it also got rid of the ways you could non magically persuade people that were in Oblivion, and a lot of mysticism stuff/school of magic went out the window, not to mention a lot of other little things
Morrowind to Skyrim lends itself to an even more dumbed down feeling I'd imagine, since I know a lot of little things were removed from Morrowind to Oblivion (and Morrowind had the most atmospheric feel)
Repairing equipment I'm fine with losing, just a tax really. Same with Morrowind's not great combat; weapons had a miss chance based on skill, so at the start of the game, something like 85% of your attacks just missed. Biggest problem with the game IMO. Magicka was also a pain, only regened on sleep.
But at the same point, by not needing full voice acting, there is way more dialogue in Morrowind than Oblivion. And its dialogue system, while having a crude UI by today's standards, allowed for a lot more depth of conversation, allowing to ask after a bunch of words. Downside is non-unique NPCs had dialogue based on location, race, politics, ect. Which was kind of cool, as those conversation could be useful, but it did mean a dark elf of the same faction in the same location would have identical dialogue to another.
Then, like Skyrim shedding Oblivion's social spells, Oblivion shed a lot of Morrowind's spells, mostly movement related. Fly being the obvious one, but things like Jump and Mark/Recall were also nice.
Its not to say the newer games add nothing, but I feel like most of what they add is just presentation; so better UI, UX, graphics, voice acting. Skill perks are really the only standout as a true new mechanic. I guess maybe also horses? But spells/potions kind of fit that role of faster overland speed in Morrowind.
red dead redemption 2 should have let you hang out with gang members outside of missions/camp. huge missed opportunity
This is applicable to so many games. A lot of open world games become so empty and lifeless after you complete the story because all the characters basically disappear from the gameplay. One of my biggest complaints about a bunch of games that could otherwise be fun to play even after you "complete" them.
not surprised to hear that. wish they would've included it, would've been cool. it seems like they had to leave a lot of stuff on the cutting room floor, especially in new austin. would be really cool to be able to see all the scrapped stuff. isn't there some website that catalogues unused or unreleased video game stuff? something 64 i think
yeah there's two spots, one called the cutting room floor, and the other is unseen64
Also, I think they should have been a lot bolder with their story-overworld integration when it comes to camp funds and shit like that, because 99% of people who have played the game have at one point or another asked the question of "I have all this fucking money, surely at some point its enough" and it would be very impactful if the game literally just shows you that no, the gang is at a point where no amount of money you can realistically get is going to be enough.
They already have a natural story point where you could transition into full freeroam without the gang being a financial strain, instead of just spending camp funds on upgrades and cosmetics, do shit like, oh someone got a gunshot wound, time to pay a back-alley doctor, whoops someone got arrested we're gonna need bribe money, help us Arthur we're actually starving etc etc.
It feels like they couldnt decide between the wish fulfillment of being an outlaw during the golden age of the west or w/e and having the story drama of the taming of the west and the end of outlaws.
The beginning of MGS3 could have been so much better
For one thing I would have started it with a CQC tutorial vs the Boss to mirror the final boss fight while also letting the player get to know her as a character for at least an hour before the betrayal
xenoblade 2 could have toned down the body proportions a lot, then i wouldn't feel bad reccomending it to people as one of my favorite games
The slightest changes to the appearances during localization caused :stupidpol: to explode with rage already.
I didn't bother with Xenoblade because its surface presentation was so obnoxiously waifu focused that I didn't stick around. Maybe I missed something good.
it's got its charm :shrug-outta-hecks: beautiful environmental design, great stories, and, at least in the second, intricate combat. The first one I can recommend wholeheartedly, especially with Definitive Edition, it's infinitely more tasteful and it's got a more engaging story of the two IMO
i'd rec experiencing them through ChuggaaConroy's two playthroughs (though the first is the original Wii version and not definitive with redone graphics) if you're skeptical about picking them up, because the dude is comprehensive and passionate when it comes to the game
all I can say is that the story's aren't what you'd expect initially and MonolithSoft designed the graphics for Skyward Sword and did some of the level design in BOTW, so they have a reputation as far as that goes. IMO they're in the Final Fantasy tier of weeb games when it comes to depth.
I wouldn’t be a heavy user of this but a recent one (not super egregious or anything) that springs to mind is the lack of a photo mode in the latest Pokémon games. You get phones in SWSH and PLA but you still can’t take selfies of your dripped out trainer and their mons out in the wild. Idk feels like a no brainer to me.
The Sims: Misery edition
Where you pay rent for your house/apartment, get knocked back from over 99% of your jobs, and the jobs you get have almost no upward mobility. Sometimes your sim is depressed and just doesn't respond to your clicking. Food in the fridge goes off quickly, but it's also cheaper to bulk cook, so you're at risk of eating semi-spoiled food a lot of the time.
Sims truly do live in an idyllic liberal fantasy world.
I have enjoyed SimCity for decades but I acknowledge and accept that its modeling is pure :LIB: ideology that pushes you to make a gentrified police state.
There is a game that is called Workers & Resources: Soviet Republic. Might be what you are looking for.
Edit: Yes we did it comrade ... the hivemind is working.
Fortunately we have the 100% materialist Workers and Resources: Soviet Republic.
edit: lmao we commented at almost exactly the same time
I was very disappointed when I first played cities skylines and it made me build a shitload of roads and earn a bunch of revenue before I could even start building renewable energy and trains
Also at any time the cops can give you a surprise death and early game over.
focusing on being poor or homeless.
this is what Kenshi has been like for me so far
Kenshi is awesome. Does have a bit of a problem with the lategame though. It's really a game about struggling and overcoming adversity. Once you've overcome the adversity and you have 15 dudes who are all badass combat gods who live in a well-oiled machine of a fortress that they built in a pretty, green river valley you're just like "Okay, I have won the game. Guess I'll play something else now." Cause there is more stuff you can do after that point but it just doesn't feel the same when you have a safe, pleasant home to return to.
I dunno, building a successful, self-sustaining fortress tends to attract the attention of the Shek or the Holy Nation, who regularly send squads to try and knock you down. But the fact that these remained threats into the late game might say more about my inability to effectively defend myself.
Yeah the religious dudes would regularly come by and see whether I've decided women are evil yet. While I was getting settled I just had a man with a holy book meet them and go "yep, I promise women don't have rights here" but eventually I just had a woman say "what are you gonna do about it :gigachad-hd:" and then slaughtered every single person they brought. When your guys are skilled and geared enough, combat is basically not even slightly dangerous anymore.
Being poor and homeless sucks. It's hard to make a compelling video game about experiences that are inherently dehumanizing and miserable.
Most popular types of games are all about war in one way or another. Yet they are fun.
They're about war from a perspective that empowers and often nearly deifies the individual. Doomguy runs like 60 miles an hour, carries an entire arsenal, and can eat rockets to the face with a grin and keep on going. Master Chief is a 7 foot tall unstoppable ubermensch who single handedly destroys entire armies. They're nominally about war but the protagonists behave more like greek heroes. In more grounded games you're still often something like a sniper or another elite soldier who wields wildly disproportionate power. In multiplayer games, especially modern games, the individual is heavily emphasized with many customization options and different powers and abilities. Death is cheap and painless and the individuals K:D is emphasized over any collective goals like completing objectives or capturing points. No one suffers trenchfoot. No one spends hours bleeding out in a ditch screaming for their mother. If games include artillery then it is a momentary inconvenience. No games place you, powerless, in a bunker as you pray the shelling stops before you drown in mud. Civilians are never seen, all conflicts are between soldiers of roughly equal footing and thus bloodshed is kept morally pure.
War games are a grotesque parody of war that don't even try to show the substance of the real thing.
You could certainly make a game with a homeless or poor protagonist, but such a game would be unlikely to convey in any way the actual experience of being homeless or poor.
You could say the same about movies. Every form of media has to alter it's depiction of reality to match it's form. Often these changes make for a significantly less accurate picture.
I mean a game that portrays the realities of being homeless would be a lot like a post apocalyptic horror.
Like Fallout or something. You have to be aware of your needs to survive.
But unlike in power fantasies like Fallout, you can't violently lash out at the world. You're unarmed, outnumbered and disorganized.
I don't think creating an empathetic experience around homeless people is that hard.
The only way I could see it working would be as a character driven RPG like Disco Elysium or Planescape: Torment. I don't think creating an empathetic experience is the hard part, it's jumping from an interactive story to an actual game that's hard.
People play The Sims (and games in general) to experience good feelings. Many don't get any good feelings at all in their lives and depend solely on games. Making them feel frustrated (challenging game) or sad (not successful in-game) is a recipe for ragequits and being review-bombed with 1 star reviews. Giving these people the feelings they want (need, actually) is a recipe to attract people who will spend, spend, spend on your skins and loot boxes.
The whole MMORPG experience was never about the games, it was about friendless misogynist nerds in their mothers' basements finding what it's like to have friends for the first time. Ever wonder why they exploded in popularity? Turns out being a piece of shit in real life means you're sad and alone. Giving them good feelings, etc., refer to first paragraph.
The most recent I can think of is the amount of mindless monotonous combat against humanoid enemies in Control.
You set up this great universe and setting for puzzles and abstract threats and then those are locked to single quests and the majority of the game is shooting at guys with guns or mildly fucked up guys that fly or explode or something. Its IMO a completely useless gameplay loop that feels separated from the rest of the game and is there because they didnt have confidence in the setting to carry interest the whole way.
It also didnt help that lots of enemies were just copy paste encounters where the only viable combat loop was to spam telekinesis. The guns regardless what was used always felt like pea shooters.
Oh and the alan wake dlc felt like a lazy teaser trailer for alan wake 2 that i had to pay money for.
I just wanted more spooky fridges and scp style encounters :(
Loved the setting of the game, and the exploration and puzzles, but the actual gameplay made me get bored part way through. Still feel like I should finished it up someday, but leftoff from long chains of combat, and its such a drag.
Need for speed hot pursuit 2010 was the first need for speed game made by criterion (the people that made the burnout games), and while it was plenty of fun, it was rushed to release before Christmas. Thus the game was not an open world racing game, even though it was clearly designed from the ground up to be. All the races take place in gated off sections of the open world, you can explore the full open world map seperate from the race events, though there's nothing to do in it except explore. So it was all there, just not put together due to a rushed release. So much wasted potential.
Need for speed rivals was a similar game with the open world being functional, but it was no where near as good a game.
Nothing has recaptured the magic of Underground 2. It's like they have know idea what made it so great.
OpenTTD does not let you couple and uncouple trains.
Let me do my freight trains properly dammit! :rage-cry:
lack of end game flight in botw. shoulda given me a bird or something.
It's amazing how much six directional flight can add to a game. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is kind of a mediocre fighter, but flying around the Toriyama world is so cool it elevates the experience to something completely unique. Hell, Nights only had four-directional flight and people fell head over heels for that game.
