Various video game stuff not deserving its own thread

[Magick]

I don't see anything wrong with 'cloning'. That's basically the entire industry - someone makes an innovative game - like Doom for example - and then the others clone it, while putting their own spin on the formula. Both Nioh games are solid, and actually fairly different from Dark Souls.

I heard their latest game (Wo Long) wasn't quite as good, and i'm not a fan of ubisoft-type open world games, but this one looks interesting enough. It may look like Ghost of Tsushima on surface, but what if it's actually something like Way of the Samurai?

Agreed but only if they're truly putting their own spin on it. Most of the time it's just suits chasing "what the kids are into these days".

[rusty_shackleford]

What are some examples of video games where the main character isn't actually the main character? Spoiler tags, obviously.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, you're actually an alien mind-controlling the protagonist the entire time.

[maidenhaver]

Oblivion.

[Magick]

FF10 was a bit like that, where Yuna is sort of portrayed as the "Main" character, story-wise. Debatable, though.
In Chrono Trigger you can leave Chrono dead and complete the game without him.
Shining Force 3, the Scenario 1 Main Char isn't really the "Main Character" for the later scenarios. The "Chosen one" type person is someone else.

[Oyster Sauce]

What are some examples of video games where the main character isn't actually the main character? Spoiler tags, obviously.

The Bureau: XCOM Declassified, you're actually an alien mind-controlling the protagonist the entire time.

Prototype

you're the prototype

[maidenhaver]

Berwick Saga takes a huge dump on Fire Emblem.

[Nooneatall]

I don't see anything wrong with 'cloning'.

It's boring as hell and Fromsoft themselves have already redone Dark Souls like 5 times now. The market is over saturated.

Most games called 'soulslikes' aren't actually like dork souls beyond the combat.

I hate how popular demons souls and dark souls became because a ton of indie games decided their game also have to be difficult.
Dark souls is an awesome game and it was really fun the first time I beat it. Everytime I go back I just get depressed. There's some sort of depression porn millennials are into where everything is ugly muted roting and depressed

[maidenhaver]

Are you ********?

[Orvas Dren]

I never really got the souls games. The bulk of the "challenge" is due to enemies having oversized health pools and you having extremely clunky controls. I guess it gives normgroids the illusion of accomplishment since it's entirely just rinse and repeat, thus if you do it enough times you will eventually get it right and feel like you've done something.

[Oyster Sauce]

I never really got the souls games. The bulk of the "challenge" is due to enemies having oversized health pools and you having extremely clunky controls. I guess it gives normgroids the illusion of accomplishment since it's entirely just rinse and repeat, thus if you do it enough times you will eventually get it right and feel like you've done something.

Played Dark Souls for the first time a few months ago. Vast majority of enemies died in 1-3 hits. Controls were fine, the camera is just **** for certain boss fights.

[maidenhaver]

All challenge from games comes from overcoming your opponent, so if the opponent isn't human you are just an idiot chasing his tail. Also, playing with yourself is gay. Therefor, playing single player games makes you stupid and gay, probably fat too.

[WhiteShark]

People need to stop describing games in which pressing a button locks you into an uncancelable animation as being 'clunky' as though it were necessarily a flaw. It's a deliberate design choice. It creates a different type of gameplay, one that forces you to plan a head a little instead of being a purely reactive button masher, and I happen to enjoy it.

[KnightoftheWind]

All challenge from games comes from overcoming your opponent, so if the opponent isn't human you are just an idiot chasing his tail. Also, playing with yourself is gay. Therefor, playing single player games makes you stupid and gay, probably fat too.

[rusty_shackleford]

dork souls games are clunky because they have a 500ms delay prior to reacting to your input
console babies just don't notice it

[rusty_shackleford]

console babies just don't notice it

I can even prove this because nearly all the complaints are from PC players. Console babbies are completely incapable of noticing a game taking seconds to respond to their input because their brain operates at negative frames per second.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dark so ... nput delay

[maidenhaver]

confused ****** noises

Another young man groomed by single-player games into homosexuality.

[Oyster Sauce]

console babies just don't notice it

I can even prove this because nearly all the complaints are from PC players. Console babbies are completely incapable of noticing a game taking seconds to respond to their input because their brain operates at negative frames per second.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dark so ... nput delay

DS1 has a notoriously terrible PC port, not sure about the others.

[rusty_shackleford]

console babies just don't notice it

I can even prove this because nearly all the complaints are from PC players. Console babbies are completely incapable of noticing a game taking seconds to respond to their input because their brain operates at negative frames per second.
https://www.google.com/search?q=dark so ... nput delay

DS1 has a notoriously terrible PC port, not sure about the others.

Most "terrible ports" are because the games are terrible to begin with but people who play console games are just used to games controlling like ****.

[maidenhaver]

If a game can't be played on a number pad, its **** and so are people who support kbm.

[rusty_shackleford]

If a game can't be played on a number pad, its **** and so are people who support kbm.

number pads are for clerical work and clerical work is for women, men's keyboards don't have them

[rusty_shackleford]

Wish there were more game reviewers who did variety reviews. Seems like it's almost entirely dead now, only a couple people bothering to review indie games.

[Orvas Dren]

Wish there were more game reviewers who did variety reviews. Seems like it's almost entirely dead now, only a couple people bothering to review indie games.

wdym by variety review

[rusty_shackleford]

Wish there were more game reviewers who did variety reviews. Seems like it's almost entirely dead now, only a couple people bothering to review indie games.

wdym by variety review

Most reviewers specialize in a niche subgenre. Used to be a lot of reviewers who would review anything that came across their desk.

[Tweed]

I did variety once, nobody cared.

[Val the Moofia Boss]

What are some examples of video games where the main character isn't actually the main character?

Final Fantasy XII. Vaan is presented as the protagonist (appears on the promotional images, is the first of the six main party members you get to control and he never leaves the party unlike the others, is the character you control in town, is FF12's representative in the Dissidia crossover fighting game, etc). However, Vaan has no plot importance, and the narrative and the climax instead centers around three other party members: Princess Ashe and her quest to avenge her husband and her conquered kingdon, Captain Basch trying to liberate his kingdom, and Balthier. It should be noted that the creator, Yasumi Matsuno, left during FF12's development. Matsuno might have planned for Vaan to eventually take center stage in a later part of the story that never entered development.

Trails in the Sky SC. You play as the adoptive sister to the hero. You spend the first 30 hours of a 60 hour long game running around in circle's accomplishing jack all while your adoptive brother is doing the important stuff of finding the bad guy's secret base offscreen. Estelle could have been cut and the plot would have carried on normally.

Pokemon Sun & Moon. The story is about Lillie and her family drama with her estranged brother and her mentally ill mother. You're only job is to fight bad guys to escort her to the next cutscene in which you are a bystander. At the climax of the story, you don't actually do anything. It's Lillie's Pokemon that defeats the villain.

Sakura Wars 1. The male protagonist Ichiro is emasculated, as in the climax it is the girls who do everything when fighting against the evil. Sakura Wars 5 is much better at making the male protagonist just as relevant to achieving victory as the girls.

FF10 was a bit like that, where Yuna is sort of portrayed as the "Main" character, story-wise.

Doesn't count. My understanding is that Rusty was talking about stories where the game character you play as isn't actually the hero of the narrative. Tidus and Auron are the inuniverse unsung heroes, but are definitely the heroes of FF10's narrative. Tidus and Auron were presented from the beginning as being just as important as important - if not more so - to achieving victory as Yuna. While the inhabitants of the world glorify the summoner's journey and think Yuna is going to be the hero who will save them all, it is only Tidus and Auron who have special outsider knowledge. They know the truth about what Sin actually is and his weaknesses. They know that the Summoner pilgrimage is a sham and doesn't actually accomplish anything. The other characters think that Tidus and Auron are escorting the hero who will kill Sin, but it is actually the other way around. Tidus and Auron are simply helping Yuna acquire additional strength so she can help them kill Sin. The climax of the story revolves around Tidus, not Yuna. Yuna brings some muscle, and in the end sends the souls of the Aeons to the afterlife. Similar to Takeru being in-universe the unsung hero of Muv-Luv Alternative hardly anyone knows about (while the girls are remembered), but is still very definitely the definitive hero of the narrative.

[Orvas Dren]

Wish there were more game reviewers who did variety reviews. Seems like it's almost entirely dead now, only a couple people bothering to review indie games.

wdym by variety review

Most reviewers specialize in a niche subgenre. Used to be a lot of reviewers who would review anything that came across their desk.

wouldn't someone like Mandalore qualify as that? He reviews a bunch of random genres and others are starting to emulate his style

[rusty_shackleford]

wdym by variety review

Most reviewers specialize in a niche subgenre. Used to be a lot of reviewers who would review anything that came across their desk.

wouldn't someone like Mandalore qualify as that? He reviews a bunch of random genres and others are starting to emulate his style

Sort of, but his reviews are more like entertainment. It's difficult to find actual reviews of smaller indie titles.
e.g.,
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... f Trithius

One of the top recommendations for me isn't even in English


This is a game on steam with 250 reviews.

[Orvas Dren]

Most reviewers specialize in a niche subgenre. Used to be a lot of reviewers who would review anything that came across their desk.

wouldn't someone like Mandalore qualify as that? He reviews a bunch of random genres and others are starting to emulate his style

Sort of, but his reviews are more like entertainment. It's difficult to find actual reviews of smaller indie titles.
e.g.,
https://www.youtube.com/results?search_ ... f Trithius

One of the top recommendations for me isn't even in English


This is a game on steam with 250 reviews.

So like Splattercat except actually good

[rusty_shackleford]

So like Splattercat except actually good

Pretty much, yeah. He essentially has the market cornered because nobody else does it.

[rusty_shackleford]

Tried vagrus again because it seemed like something I should like due to its setting but then I realized (again) that it's basically just an interactive, overly wordy book. Sad.

And if you're actually looking for a good interactive book/gamebook-style game that's well written, I can recommend The Life and Suffering of Sir Brante