Lack of Journalistic Integrity: A Rant

After reading through this months Game Informer I find myself...well...as irritated as ever.  I know I've gone on the rant about the lack of journalistic integrity in game rags before, and especially this one, but I really feel I need to point this months issue out. 

It is the “Top 50 Games of 2012” issue.  Now, I agree a lot of the games on this list are legitimately good games, but this list seems to represent the most PUBLICISED games of 2012.  I mean seriously, nearly 500 games have come out and that doesn’t even include small indie titles that didn’t have the official console stamp on them. (Also, there are some games still set to release later this month).  Are you telling me that out of these 500 games and between 20 different reviewers the “best” were Halo, Mass Effect, Assassin’s Creed III, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Black Ops 2…gah!  And “Mists of Pandaria"!? Really?  That’s the same game that has been out for 8 years but now has 50% more Kung Fu Panda …seriously people. 

 

Now, don’t get me wrong there are a couple of toss in art games that feel more like a tack on than anything else. “Here’s the title, a stamp sized picture of the box, and three sentences about it.” “But look over there, a half page on Borderlands, and a full page on Mass Effect, then another half page on it later in the same article:”…buh…

Then there are the editors, 20  of them, and there’s about as much diversity here as a Klan meeting.   It’s all 30 something white guys…wait, there’s a token Asian man, this is the gaming world after all…and…oh hey, is that a girl? 

So…the picture starts to make a little more sense.  All of these games are aimed at the “Target Demo” a 30’s something, white, male…because that’s what the magazine is written by and pandered too. Are you telling me that out of the 500 games from this year the top 10 lists of ALL of these editors look almost identical save for some small variations and the people publishing this thing aren’t seeing a tinsy bit of stagnation and lack of differing opinions.  This is a gamer rag after all, it’s supposed to be about opinion, and having different opinions. 

 

“Did you see this game dude?” “I know dude, it’s totally awesome.” “Hey! Tits McGee, did you see this game it’s awesome isn’t it.”  “Um yeah guys it’s awesome, should I put it on my top ten list.”  “Oh yeah tits, you totally should, especially ‘cause they sent us all free posters and stuff.”

Maybe it’s not that bad, but the “content” of the magazine really doesn’t paint a much better picture. 

 

I am shaking my head right now. Because the irony has not flown over my head

Yes, I am a 30 ‘s something white male, I do play Assassin’s Creed and Halo.  Would I call them the best games I’ve played this year? ….meh.     But when I read a rag of any sort I want to read some news, something outside my sphere of experience.    Not be brow beaten with the same games that advertising has been shoved down my throat since it was announced at E3 two years ago.  Especially when these editors are supposed to be playing games for a living and be, oh I don’t know, journalists.  That’s like a movie reviewer going and seeing ONLY movies that have television spots and then copy pasting the box summary.  “I love this game because you can do *insert game gimmick here*” “I love this game because of it’s awesome shiny graphics.” I hate to break it to you, but a shiny turd is still a turd. And a mouth full of bland ass oatmeal is still bland ass oatmeal even when it has food dye in it.

Big budget, and big production value, and big advertising do not necessarily make a “Best game”.   Best new game I’ve played this year?  Probably the Walking Dead, but then again I like point and click adventure games and it’s been a LONG while since one has been released that didn’t feature Elmo or come packaged with a toy.  And yeah, this game gets drooled over it’s fair share in the article as well but, then again, this same rag tore “Jurassic Park” apart a couple years back for the same reasons it’s drooling over the “Walking Dead” now.  What’s the difference you ask?  Why Zombies of course, and advertising, and Walking Dead is HUGE right now! Dinosaurs are so last century.

Also, a lot of games I play are classic or retro games.  And some of the games released this last year were retro games with HD upgrades to the graphics.  How did these hold up?  Are they still fun to play?  Hell, I still dust “Zone of Enders” and a few others off from time to time for the sole reason of them being damn good, and damn fun games.   Did they fix any of the control issues?  Come on journalists! Be motha fuckin’ journalists!  Tons of retro games were re released and not a one snuck onto the list…but…Mists of motha fuckin’ Pandaria did.

 

So here’s too you Game Informer; and your list of polished turds, oatmeal, and the odd raisin.   

*sigh*
/end rant

Three helpings of the same tasty Zombie Dish

So...Zombies.

The Walking Dead. 

If you haven't watched the show yet, you should.
If you haven’t read the comic yet, you should.

  

That said, I just read the first two Hard Cover Volumes of the comic (24 total issues).  The third season of the show seems to be picking up where the 2nd volume (Issue 13) starts.   But there are some very important things that I should point out.

 

First: The Comic and the Series have the same premise, some of the same characters, some of the same set pieces, and some of the same big plot points.  But What the characters do, who dies and who lives, and how it all goes down are so different that it is entirely worth reading/watching both if you like one or the other. They are almost two completely different stories.

Second…and Third and Forth Probably: The narrative focus of both differs. 

 My comic nerd side is ashamed to admit that I watched the show before I read the comic. 

The show focuses much more on the interpersonal relationships and the Drama of the situation. He said-she said, who’s on who’s side, and the like.  It is after all a “Television Drama”  Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty of walking rotting corpses, people getting eaten, action, and interesting survival situations to keep things moving and engagin but, especially in the second season, the show slows down from time to time to examine peoples feelings

On the comic side of the coin it is a Survival Horror comic.  And it is very firmly grounded in that, the Survival and the Horror.  This gives the comic a more frenetic pacing and characters thinking more about where their next meal will come from than making sure that someone’s feelings aren’t hurt. But don’t think that the characters are any less developed or emotional than those on television. I’m simply trying to highlight that each of the two focuses more on one aspect than it’s counterpart, not that these things fail to exist in the other.  If they weren't there neither would be the amazing stories that keep fans clambering for more. 

 

Last bit is about the Walking Dead Video game...no, not the Facebook social game that is providing your information to people who want to pay for it…that’s a rant for another time. 

I’m talking about the Point & Click Adventure game released by Telltale Games.  Most Tie-In games for something from another media have a habit of being well…awful.  Typically they are made for the sole purpose of having fans of the series shell out more money because it has their interests stamp on it and are rushed through development to get them out while the “Iron is still Hot”.  This one though, is one of the exceptions.  It ties almost directly into the television continuity; so when television characters cameo their actual actor is the one you hear talking.  But that’s not what makes this a delightful bit of gaming, that’s more of a cherry on top of this sundae. 

The game, or games if you prefer, since it was released in “Episodes” is more like an interactive movie mixed with puzzles.  The interactive part has you taking on the roll of the protagonists and helping him make decisions on what to say and what to do when snap decisions need made.  Who lives and who dies being the biggies.  The cool part about this is that they are not decisions between “Good or Bad”.  Most of the time there is no “right” choice and they do pack a bit of emotional punch if you connect with the characters at all.

  The puzzles are all pretty logical, and in some cases almost ingenious. Example: find batteries for a universal remote to turn the t.v. at the electronics shop across the street on to distract the zombies.  The dialogue is well written and preformed and the art direction tying it to its comic roots. Short (a couple of hours or so per episode) but replay able if you want to see how different decisions effect the outcome…they do carry over from episode to episode for the curious.   

 

Am I fanboying over the whole Walking Dead phenom here?  Yeah, kinda.  But that’s what I do.  I write about the things that bring out strong emotion from me.  Good and bad.

Fanboying aside and looking at this through the eyes of a 30ish gent who grew up with monster movies and scary stories:  Each of these incarnations are solid entries into the Zombie field.  For being scary, for being zombies, but most importantly for having a well developed narrative and character depth that most horror movies and games tend to forget about in favor of shock and gore.  Don’t worry though, there’s plenty of that too. 

A Change of Pace

Yup….I haven’t posted in…months.  Then again I haven’t really played any table top games in months either.  The odd session here and there sure but nothing with any real meat to it.  Not because I don’t want to play, it’s just been a busy time.  Moving, new work…oh yeah, and me being so socially awkward and antisocial that I haven’t made any new friends since most of my old ones have moved away.

That and I have been doing studies in some of my other pursuits.  Video games, comics, books, movies, and television.  I look at these, and what I’ve been writing about them, then I look at all of the different forums that I post my thoughts, introspections, and reviews on and I think to myself “Why don’t I combine them all into one place?”  So that’s what I’m going to do.  And maybe with my brain being a little less scattered trying to section of all of these facets of myself and embrace them for the thing that they all share.

Narrative.  The telling of stories.  Examining life from different perspectives and looking at it either through un tinted glasses or characturing something so that what ever is being exaggerated can be examined a little more closely.  So here we go.  Everything under one roof.

You have been warned.

Welcome to Jack’s Dialogical Self.