Disgruntled gamer Dave ‘Mack’ McConkey examines the trend for elaborate and cinematic character actions in response to relatively simple button presses – and asks whether this is disconnecting gamers from the very experiences they crave.
GB: "With this feature, we take a look back at the incredible Batman: Arkham City with the aim of analyzing it from the perspective of a 2024 release."
Reviews are finally out for Marvel's Spider-Man 2, and the game's Metacritic review score means Marvel still hasn't toppled DC.
The Arkham games are largely excellent, a shame they are being followed up by that god awful looking suicide squad game.
All 4 Arkham games are just amazing...
With the Gotham Knights turning out sub par, hope the Suicide Squad fails as well... So that both Rocksteady and WB Montreal goes back to creating good single player DC games ...
A batman beyond game maybe?
Having the game fail would make it harder for them to get funding for their next game, please don't wish this on them. They already delayed the game a whole year after backlash, so we still have to wait and see how it will turn out.
You can't expect a game to match 96-94 meta apple for apple. Different era and different gen. No need to diminish either game's achievement. Arkham City and Spiderman 2 are both amazing sequels that improved upon their already incredible first parts.
To back that up, there are major websites that adjusted their review scales.
IGN used to have a 100 point system; now it's a 10 point system. I remember GameSpot back in 2004 was razed for giving Halo 2 a 9.4 when IGN gave it like a 9.7 or 9.8
Arkham Asylum was great, but when City came out... wow what a total overhaul that was. Nothing has had that type of night/day difference in scope and scale since.
SM2 is looking to be a great game in itself. Definitely an upgrade over the previous entries. Just from the opening battle with sandman, it gives me god of war 2 vibes with how that one opened with the battle with colossus of rhodes. That is still one of my favorite sequels of all time.
And right on cue, here comes the downplaying of Insomniacs masterpiece, not gonna work, this game is gonna be beast in success.
'' here comes the downplaying of Insomniacs masterpiece''
You know that train is never late.
There are good video game protagonists, and there are bad video game protagonists.
I disagree that max is unlikable. Chloe is infinitely more unlikable in my opinion.
Abby was absolute trash protagonist in every way..
Tidus was so meh to me..
On villain side, the one i didn’t like wa Micah, because they wanted him to be that way and it was brilliant👍🏽
Both are horrible, granted Chloe is infinitely worse, it feels like Chloe is just fanservice for people who too over the edge and wasn't written to be a character that makes sense
Ye I was expecting her too. Guess they actually played the game. Unlike you and whoever agrees.
She's actually not bad. It's the writing itself that is bad overall, but she's fine overall. She's no worse than Miles Morales IMHO. Both thrust into a spotlight and receiving both praise and blame and dealing with it.
Forspoken is a bland game because it's 75% bland, boring, repetitive going through the motions and diversions that add nothing of the value with purposefully gated memory moments that don't feel organic or like you're discovering things but waiting for others to reveal things.
Exactly Chris. Even though I liked the game. I kno u played it. People who actually played it and went thru her dream saw she was a good likeable person who really just acted out due to being alone and unloved. I think your problem is it was open world, I think if it was more linear you may have liked it better.
Oh no she's bad. Very unlikable even before you add on the bad dialogue. The game could have been quite good with a good protagonist
For all the people like synner. Shes actually half white lol. Inferior complexity is a hell of a thing. You'll be ok.
Most of these aren't even that bad. Especially comparing to others like Squall "Whatever" Leonhart, Forspoken's Frey, and the guy from Atomic Heart.
Squall is one of the best developed main FF characters so...
People talk about his "whatever" thing thats at the start of the game, not the character he eventually becomes in the end.
No amount of "character development", (especially the ones that for me feels sudden and undeserved like Squall's), will justify him being a d**k to my girl Quistis. Even if he found the cure for cancer, from that moment on, I would never like him.
The article is about being unlikeable, and he was indeed unlikeable for at least half of the game.
the "watever" is only present in the english localisation.
so your argument doesnt rly ... stand imo.
Good for you that you could enjoy the japanese version. That's not the case for me and the majority of people here, though.
i had to stop reading after the "blatant misogyny" in the Dantes inferno section.
i actually liked Max haha.
the forspoken chick is missing tho
Pretty much what I hate about current gen games. Less user input and more cinematic flair. Doesn't make for a great game though. Makes for a very mundane experience on the user end. Some gamers enjoy that cinematic experience, I for one dont. It turns into less of an actual game and more of an interactive movie.
Yeah, this is pretty much the big flaw with those Batman games - combat is basically one long QTE. The stealth bits are fun though, as is flying around the city.
QTE is only good if done in small quantities. However, Heavy Rain relied heavily on QTEs and that game is brilliant. It just depends on what sort of game you play.
I agree with most of what he says.
Let's try something shall we? Run any Assassin's Creed game, and let the enemies surround you. Let there be five or six enemies trying to attack you. Now press mouse button 2 repeatedly (or the controller equivalent) to counter-attack. Keep pressing the button, don't do anything else. Ezio will kill all of the enemies surrounding you in a cinematic fashion without a sweat. What a glorious victory. :)