Games Inbox: Black Ops II hate, TimeSplitters, and Halo 4 continuity
Today’s morning Inbox complains about the invasiveness of Autlog and mourns the passing of PMS3 magazine. To add your own comments to the Inbox simply email us at gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk.
Call Of Duty: Black Ops II – why all the hate?
Honest success
So I see Black Ops II has been the predictable success it was always bound to be, regardless of whether it does end up outselling the last one or not. The thing I can’t understand about the game though is why so many gamers have such a hatred of it. I know obviously anything (game or otherwise) that is that popular automatically becomes a target of hate, but the way some gamers go on you’d think it was a cancer on the whole games industry.
Every Call Of Duty I’ve played, and I admit I haven’t them all or this new one, has been perfectly good fun. A little shallow perhaps but obviously well-made and good value for money. I find the complaints about it being the same thing every year odd as well since this year’s doesn’t seem that way at all – as if some fans had their arguments saved up in advance and weren’t going to let the facts derail them.
I can think of far, far worse games that have been top dog in their time and at least Call Of Duty is good at what it does. If other games are copying it too much, making for too many military shooters, then that’s obviously a bad thing but that’s not Call Of Duty’s fault is it? It’s the other games.
The Sentinel
Missing their chance
So I see that
TimeSplitters HD petition still isn’t doing that great. While I write this it’s still barely past 50,000 and I don’t see it having much chance of getting to the 300,000 needed to make the game. I’m also a bit worried that
Elite: Dangerous doesn’t even have half of its goal yet, especially when they were obviously hoping to make much more.
I’m worried that gamers are once again dooming themselves to years of identikit sequels for failing to put their money where their mouth is. Although XCOM did okay it wasn’t a massive hit and stuff like Catherine and Split/Second never seems to sell as well as they deserve.
Perhaps it’s because both these games were only really popular in the UK, but that’s just more reason to get out there and support them. I know I have, have you?
T.Bone.Hawk
The right talent
Couldn't agree more with GC's statement about video game movie adaptations. Timothy Olyphant was highly impressive in Deadwood (as was the whole cast, I recommend that show to everyone) but even he couldn't save a poor script and the awful direction of Xavier Gens.
If I recall correctly, Guillermo Del Toro was at one point supposed to be overseeing a game but I think we'd all have preferred it if he'd have chosen to direct a movie based on a gaming IP.
Maybe if film makers begin to approach from the same angle as has been shown with the more recent Marvel and DC movies (solid scripts, production and direction by people who obviously respect the source material) we'll finally get a decent end product.
Let's all just agree that Uwe Boll and Paul W.S. Anderson should not be allowed anywhere near future attempts. Hiring directors with a proven record of making bad films will not help our chances.
iSickle
PS: I will admit I quite enjoyed Anderson's Event Horizon, but everything he's made since has been utter tosh.
GC:
Del Toro is apparently a keen gamer, and we know he was attached to the Halo for a time, and perhaps others. (He also seems interested in Star Wars: Episode VII.)
Catch up on every previous Games Inbox here
Never alone
Someone mentioned to me the other day Autolog in the Need For Speed games, and how it’s a bit invasive. I thought about those words for a bit and have concluded that I agree. Social elements in games seems to be in fashion these days, which to some I'm sure is a good thing but I've noticed it’s creeping its way into single player modes in games as well. I'm talking about Autolog of course, and now Forza's doing it in Horizon. Even games like Assassin’s Creed III flashes up how many times another player has done something.
The thing is, as my friend pointed out, this can sometimes feel invasive and add the pressure of being competitive and 'keeping up with the Jones' when you just want to be relaxing and playing how you want to play. I know you can ignore these challenges, but it’s hard to ignore when you know others will be looking at your starts while they're playing. It’s all about face.
I have to wonder if we're seeing the end of true single-player gaming, if you can't even play racing games or story-based games like Assassin’s Creed without getting challenges from other players thrown in your face. I've noticed in games where you would traditionally save replays to the hard drive to watch later, such as in racing games, now only allow you to post your replays to YouTube via some kind of editor. Where did this come from?! All I know is, I don't like it.
You shouldn't have to play logged off to avoid all this if you’re not in the mood for it. Personally I think there should ultimately be an option to have this element present in your game and by that I mean visible and flashing up on the screen while you’re playing, even if it is still there, behind the scenes logging your stats.
Spartas Edge
Big boss
I have sympathy for everyone who bought a PS Vita thinking Sony knew what it was doing, I know this feeling well from my beloved Dreamcast and watching Sega mess it up something rotten. Not to mention my PlayStation 3, which turned out to be such a dog to develop for Team ICO imploded trying to get The Last Guardian working properly.
It looks like Sony's game division has lost the plot big time and I wonder how much more incompetence the big boss at Sony is going to put up with before he starts swinging the axe?
What does GC make of the way Sony has handled all this? I’d especially like to know how much it cost Sony to take the Vita from concept stage to retail. Surely they are going to lose a fortune, or am I missing something?
Lastly Call Of Duty: Black Ops - Declassified should have been barred from release by Sony, especially if it really is as bad as it sounds.
mitchell
PS: I wonder if the reader who wrote in to defend his purchase of a Vita is still confident it has a bright future?
GC:
The big boss at Sony used to be the head of Sony Computer Entertainment America, so he’s always believed to be more sympathetic to the gaming side of things than anything else.
Wisdom of age
RE: Foetus. The simple answer to a prejudiced judgement of games is that, in my opinion, the non-gamer feels threatened when asked to use imagination, think for him or herself, and leave the 'real world' behind. That's the 'real world' of I'm a Celebrity and suchlike spoon-fed pap, requiring no input at all from the watcher.
The opinions of the passive are fed by many branches of the media, whose only concern is to please their audience by reinforcing the ideas they already hold, not challenge them no matter how out of date or erroneous they may be.
It is unlikely we gamers will ever upset this cycle and while I'm sorry for people who react this way and will never know what they are missing, in my own case I'm just glad I gave gaming a try, many years ago now. I'm also happy that there are sites like GameCentral to redress the balance a tiny bit - don't ever stop doing what you and your readers do!
My word, that came out as quite a rant... sorry folks; but at nearly 70 I can be a grumpy old woman I guess, as well as a committed gamer!
Anita Clarke
Continuity error
Halo 4 is pretty good but why oh why oh why oh why can't the flipping developer make the effort to ensure continuity between levels and let you start the next with the same loadout you finished the previous one? I've just beat Requiem with a Covenant carbine and an energy sword, jumped through a portal yet started the next level with an assault rifle and pistol combo - where did they come from?
Nothing in the narrative cut scenes explains it so I can only presume Master Chief keeps spare weapons in a secret pocket in his armour. If this is the case, why can't I utilise these magic guns when I run out of ammo? Halo is also guilty of weapons not currently in my inventory cut scene blunder.
Come on programmers sort it out, you wouldn't expect such massive continuity blunders in movies yet in games they're commonplace. That is all I read you every day.
Dr Gargunza
Goodbye old friend
I’d just like to echo what MSV said the other day regarding the sad demise of PSM3 magazine, as I’ve been reading this magazine since the PlayStation 2 days and a girlfriend at the time knew I loved it so got me a subscription for Xmas one year, so I’ll be sad to see it go. In today’s world it was inevitable, as was noted by last week’s reader feature on the subject and the Internet being the main place for reviews and features.
But for us older gamers (I’m 36) growing up with magazines was part and parcel of gaming, from Your Sinclair/Crash/Zzap! 64/C&VG and so many others it was the only place where you’d get to see and read about upcoming releases and get demos and pokes (remember them?!). I remember buying C&VG and it had the import review of Street Fighter II in and it blew me away and I must of read that review with eyes wide open a million times causing me to badger my parents for a SNES for Xmas.
PSM3 was a good magazine – honest funny reviews, good features, great staff and staff writers and a nice shiny cover that also smelt very nice. And like MSV said it was nice to have something tangible to hold and read, for like him I work on computers all day then read my phone/Twitter/laptop so it was nice to have a real thing in my hand to read on my lunch breaks or when using public transport.
My favourite issues were always the ones where the review of the new Pro Evo was out, as I knew the editor, Dan Dawkins, is a keen fan so I’d always look forward to his views on the game. Even now when the magazine came through I’d skip straight to a review of a certain game I was interested in and take on board what was said about it as they were very honest, like yourselves, about things.
I’ll miss the childish excitement I got when I heard it land on the floor through my letterbox. Good luck to all the staff there and hope things work out for them in whatever they decide to do next, and thanks for years of magazine memories.
Michael crow
Inbox also-rans
Just a quick heads up. On Monday at 9pm Radio 1 is broadcasting a program about the influence of video game music and will be speaking to Northern Ireland's own
Chipzel (of Super Hexagon fame) among others.
Boomey
Why does the Dark Souls guidebook cost more than the actual game? Is it laced in gold or something? I was going to buy it but £30-£40 is a bit steep. I don't normally buy guides but the game's quite tough and the playing manual tells you nothing. Still enjoying it though.
UrbanSpacey
GC:
There are two wikis dedicated to the game if you want to save your money.
Good to see that Activision spared no expense on the instruction manual for Black Ops II. Actually I stand corrected, they didn't appear to spend anything on the instruction manual unless it was just left out of my copy. Still the inside of the box smells nice so that's good.
Karmarama
Bargain alert... XCOM: Enemy Unknown is £24.95 on Zavvi (Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3).
Birdmanrob (PSN ID)
This week's Hot Topic
The discussion point for this weekend’s Inbox was suggested by reader iSickle, who asks what your dream video game movie would be.
If you were a Hollywood producer what director would you sign up for your ideal project and what actors would you cast in which roles? How closely would the movie resemble the game and how would you handle the adaption in terms of using the same story as the original or some sort of spin-off?
Why do you think so many video game movies have been so bad and what’s the secret of making a good one? Which films do you think have got it right, at least in part, and which are the most miserable failures? And does the constant failure point to an unsaid truth: that video games just aren’t a very suitable thing to try and base a movie on?
E-mail your comments to:
gamecentral@ukmetro.co.uk
The small print
New Inbox updates appear twice daily, every weekday morning and afternoon. Letters are used on merit and may be edited for length.
You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word 4Player viewer features at any time, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
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travistouchdown
A rumour is that the tec problems team ico are having with the last guardian is AI related.
Crazy Crusha
@Karmarama: You don't need a manual for COD, here's my condensed version and all you need to know:
1) Run around like an idiot paying no heed to cover shooting at anything that moves (unless you're a sniper - see point 2)
2) If you are sniper lie down a mile away from your enemies and again shoot at anything that moves.
3) Die and then instantly respawn and repeat.
4) Shout "NOOB" at anyone using grenade launchers.
5) Verbally abuse everyone else in the lobby.
6) Teabag the corpse of the player you have just killed.
There you go, it's simple! No manual required! :)
JimmyChu
The problem was the market was saturated with average WW2 shooters then Activision saw an opportunity with a modern shooter and it was brilliant at the time. Now though the market is saturated with modern shooters and there is no end in sight.
I've been playing games since the early 90's and the lack of innovation and sequels for average games really gets my goat.
I was a fan of COD until BLOPS2 they tried to curtail camping but have made a complete hash of it the so called camper friendly perks til later in the game which is fine, but they went and messed it up with camper friendly maps every single map on the game has 100's of head glitch points which serve no purpose unless you are a camper and most of the times you do get shot it's from some guy head glitching.
The fact all weapons are so powerful you drop before you realize you are getting shot and have zero time to react so why move when you are guaranteed an easy kill head glitching and camping. Also the shock charges are a joke people placing shock charges next to bouncing bettys I died 9 times from this in one match.
If people like the game then fair enough but to me it is the worst call of duty to date and I will not be playing it after playing it for one week I'm already sick of it.
RyokoSparda
you dont need to use your brain in most games anyway, they are leading you by the hand more and more.
G1OAT
Let me break it to you sentinel, with some it may be hate with others concern. There are many angles when a game becomes too dominant it affects everything else. I am a big FPS fan and will comment negatively/positively on all of them where I see fit.
First problem with COD is the direction the game has been taken, not too my liking since COD4, purely my choice of course, I moved on from the Hollywood titles since MW2.
2nd. The big problem is the yearly updates of games like COD and FIFA, it is not warranted yet it is exploited, yes the market is there to be exploited but it still leaves a sour taste in my mouth if I were a fan who has to then be forced to move on to a latest shooter every year, who knows maybe 6 months, or even subscription which I would avoid on principal if I were still playing the game.
Then there is the 3rd angle is the giants like Gear and COD that affect all other games because developers need to cater other genres to the dominant market of shooter fans. COD players will have short attention spans, a lot of gamers do have short attention spans, COD is very suited to large geography of gamers.
If COD deserves its success then it deserves its success I just don't like to see Activision justifying a yearly update of COD just to constantly ponder money from those that may have put money elsewhere into something more creative.
Activision itself is not looking into of franchises or updating other due to this, yeah Zombies will clean up for the obvious reasons, it will be a competent shooter using the Call of Duty engine with Zombies added.
It will not have been built from the ground up as a new game despite all the money collected.
Foetus
@T.Bone.Hawk - I have always found this an odd viewpoint to take. I have signed the petition for timesplitters yet I have not pledged to Elite as I have never played it and have no idea about the game. I have bought X-Com but avoided Split second and Catherine. I have purchased Dishonored but have also bought Blops and Halo 4.
I guess my point is I buy games dependent on my interest in them and not on loyalty to the developer. I appreciate that we need to buy games from developers we wish to see do well however I am not going to start buying every niche title out there just to help a struggling developer and I will not be guilted into buying software that I have absolutely no interest in.
Dark anima x
Plants vs Zombies is great on a tablet.
Dark anima x
Has anyone ever played or heard of the wonderful and charming Dreamcast racer, PenPenTriicelon. If you love or just like Sonic all stars racing, then check it out. You gotta waddle, swim and slide around themed tracks. A sequel or remake would be great.
Sam_thu_man
Looks like that eternal Sony hater Mitchell is in full swing today. GS's response to him was very light to say the least. COD of Vita was not published by Sony or is he blind. Yes there should be an element of quality control but that goes for each and every console out there and stopping something like COD from being released is the least of Sony's worries. Team ICO? Sorry but what have Sony done to jeapodise The Last Guardian? In the time that Team ICO should have gotten their act together Naughty Dog have developed and perfected Uncharted and have moved onto bigger and better things it seems with the Last Of Us + Santa Monica have new God of War on the horizon. Hard to program for and couldn't get The Last Guardian to work properly?!! Is Mitchell a mind reader or what?
megablast16
RE: Karmarama. One of my petty annoyances about gaming at the moment is the phasing out of proper manuals. I'm fed up of opening a new game and increasingly finding a single slip card with just warranty info on it. Bring back game manuals you cheapskates, if only for that lovely inky, new game smell.
Foetus
@Anita,
Fantastic response, I could not have put it better myself.
The next time I get asked if I can still see myself doing this at 50, I shall you use yourself as a fine example of exactly why I shall not just be doing it but enjoying myself immensely.
Dissi_uk
What's with all this talk of Sony losing the plot and messing up their gaming division? And peoples fears that Sony will be incapable of releasing the PS4?
PS1 = huge success. PS2 = success. PS3 = successful enough, as sales figures showed last week. Sure the PSP's haven't really done much but then no handheld other than from Nintendo has done well...
Isn't Sony's gaming division the most profitable part of the whole company?
jake armitage
last guardian has not been cancelled just being ported to the ps4 so there goes a ps3 sale sony but a reluctant ps4 you jammy gitz
JonnyC
I didn't realise the reason The Last Guardian hadn't been released was because Team ICO can't program the PS3. I thought it was because it hadn't been finished yet and they want to make it perfect. Maybe they should talk to Naughty Dog if their so incapable.
chriswalsh86
I know where my money has gone :)
chriswalsh86
The two videos in question for anybody who has not seen them.
chriswalsh86
Star Citizen has nearly surpassed $5 million on Kickstarter and looks better than Elite IMO. If you want all that money, put out a quality promo like Chris Roberts did, with real scope and details. Genuinely looks epic. Sure, Elite has a following here, a niche corner of the British gaming community, written and frequented by middle aged dudes who enjoyed the original two decades ago, but without greater effort in promotion it is hardly going to appeal to a mass market and raise the necessary funding to be greenlit.
pauldennett
Good point about the social elements of games. Companies look to the bottom line at the end of the day, and if that kind of social sharing is popular - Facebook, Twitter etc are indications that it is, in general terms anyway - then it will be included.
I agree there should be an option in game to remove notifications, but I simply don't let it bother me if it is a feature. I couldn't care less what people online think of my stats or how they stack up with everyone else. I think the highest I've ever been on an online leaderboard was somewhere in the 25-30,000's...I know there's no way I can compete with those who put serious time into their games. And I'm fine with that.
PazJohnMitch
You can almost set your clock by the first phantom neg.
PazJohnMitch
Weapon swapping in games cut scenes is one of my pet hates. Max Payne 3 would swap your weapons after ever scene. This was especially annoying if you had no ammunition for than weapon.
PazJohnMitch
I find myself in the position where I wish CoD was not as successful as it is. All the games are decent and I enjoy playing them. So I do not wish for the series to suddenly die.
I would however prefer the huge mountains of cash gamers spend on this single franchise to be spread across a broader range of games.
This of course is not Activisions fault. They are onto a winner and there is no reason for them to change the formula.
I imagine other success stories of yesteryear such as the Beatles are actually backdropped against similar concerns of them stagnating the music industry.
magicsquirrel
Personally I liked Alien vs Predator and the first Resident Evil film, don't understand all the negative overreaction to his films.
magicsquirrel
I think maybe some people take games and gaming way too seriously. For the most part they're on a level with blockbuster films or bestseller, book of the week page turners. This really isn't any elitist, intellectual pursuit here, it's a way to waste a few spare hours just like anything else is, and if you resort to attacking or criticising what others do in their spare time to justify your own hobbies then you're no better than them. What does anyone else's opinion matter, if you enjoy it then enjoy it.
Petch1984
Well said Anita Clarke. No doubt ITV is the trashiest and I vaguely recall a commissioner all but admitting to spoon feeding junk TV to ITV viewers because that's what they demand, again it raises the issue of supply and demand. If you are on to a winner and personally rose to the top of a company/industry via a business background you are not going to relinquish or risk this stranglehold, your mindset is highly unlikely to demand quality over success even if you try to obtain both.
The Sentinel is right, there is no pressure or reasoning why a market leader would stray too far from their Call of Duty model, but we shouldn't be absolutely pessimistic because the masses can always surprise - Minecraft overtaking MW3 on Xbox live being a prime example. As long as games exist there will always be a creative reaction to what is popular, a rebellion to what is accepted as the norm.