Monday, March 21

The Colours

I recently spent a few hours playing deBlob 2, and while I endured some camera quirks and a fair amount of repitition, it proved to be a pleasant experience. Everything about the game, from the box art to the menus is brimming with colour. It proved to be such a welcome change of  palette and decor from Killzone 3, or pretty much any other game I've played through this year (with the sole exception of Bulletstorm). There are very few earthy or dark tones to be seen, and those that are in view can be changed to something far more vibrant with something as innocuous as player movement. The novelty wears off fast enough, but it has left me craving more colour from my gaming experiences.



Speaking of colours, Gamespot reported that THQ's stock dropped over twenty percent after Homefront's metacritic score dropped to as low as seventy-two. Initial reviews had the game sitting in the green, but not a day later it was drowning in a see of yellow (hoped you like the Metacritic pun). In an interesting article found on Bitmob, a community writer implies that journalists willing to publish favourable reviews for anticipated releases are allowed (via PR and Marketing firms) to go to print before press embargoes expire (thus affording the websites/publications these writers work for an increase in hits). While I am sure that the practice occurs, I've also made my opinions on Metacritic reasonably clear. Too add to that established position though, if you're going to use the site as your sole basis for any purchase decision then perhaps consider the following: "A game is only as good as it's worst review."

In spite of the majority of critics lambasting Homefront, it still managed to sell more than 375 thousand copies on its launch day (source: Gamespot). This is better than most games do in their first month (Alan Wake, Modnation Racers and Crackdown 2 if you're looking for examples). For me, that means that many gamers must have been interested in the premise of Homefront, even if they were influenced somewhat by early, positive reviews. I haven't read many (read: no more than one) reviews for Super Street Fighter IV: 3D Edition, but rest assured I've already paid for the game. I've also ordered Dead or Alive: Dimensions for the 3DS. Why? Because I like fighting games, and while there is some buzz behind SSFIV, I like the premise behind DoA:D. To clarify that statement: I like the idea of beautiful, buxom, scantily-clad women fighting each other in interactive environments.



Despite how much money or press time is afforded to unscrupulous journalists, there are few writers whose opinion is actually of consequence to me. Even then if they were to attack a game that I'm interested in, odds are I'll end up buying it anyway. Why? Disposable income helps, but ultimately the choice to abandon reason is my own. If I want to experience something, I'll put the money down regardless of the opinion of the gaming media at large.

Are there any games that you have purchased in spite of wide-scale critical condemnation?

5 comments:

  1. I picked up Homefront yesterday for free, after trading in some of my games that I just don't play, and therefore have no need for.

    I have only played the campaign thus far, but I have to agree with Giant Bomb's review on it. It had the potential to really have a story driven campaign that could shock, awe, and most importantly, make the mundane missions of FPS (and there are plenty of these that pop up in everyone) have a purpose other than filler.

    Also, I have nearly completed it, and I was playing for 2.5 hours max. That is with me not really paying attention to what is going on in some cases, and just breezing through it. Even by today's standards that is too short.

    But I still have hopes for the mulitplayer portion to keep me occupied for a while.

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  2. I just finished it last night. I reckon it clokced in at 3.5 hours: which is pretty freaking short for a campaign, even by CoD standards. It was awful.

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  3. I don't get how taking the golden gate bridge is meant to win a war. That lost me. I am really disappointed with where it went. They had a really good opportunity to make a story driven FPS and they cocked it up deluxe. And I mean deluxe.

    Also, did you notice there were times when the enemy walked right past your team mates just to shoot at you, and your team mates let them?! Seriously!

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  4. I agree with both statements, and will respond to them in order:
    1. There was no resolution to the story at all, and if anything the taking of the bridge should have let on to some great Korean stronghold (not that I wanted the game to go on or anything). You know, since the supply lines had been opened on the west coast and the US Army looked as though they were finally advancing?
    2. The final level was just plain baffling. There was US Army armour advancing up the bridge, but still Koreans would run straight past them and start laying to me. Why didn't the armour take care of the incoming enemy? What's so important about me?

    Plus: how freaking ugly was it? I still can't find a match online. I waited in a lobby for twenty minutes last night and nothing.

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  5. Same here dude. I am pretty disappointed. I will give it a couple of days, if I still can't find a game online, I think I will trade it in for something else. I should be able to get pretty good value on it from EB.

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