Ben's Week In Review: February 7
Dead or Alive ParadiseFebruary and March are great months for gaming...isn't that a novelty? ;)
Not likin' this side of you, ESRB
For the record, I'd like to clarify once again that I've always respected the ESRB. I think the vast majority of all games receive the proper rating, I think it's a great help to parents, and I even think the ESRB is often more accurate, more in-depth, and more reliable than the MPAA. But I really don't like this new trend of tossing personal opinion and commentary into what is supposed to be a factual, objective description of a game's content. Quite clearly, an irate, offended woman wrote the description of Dead or Alive Paradise, which - while understandable - isn't exactly professional. You can tell us about the "bounciness" and the cleavage and the posing; don't tell us the game "contains bizarre, misguided notions of what women really want." Nobody who plays this game actually believes real women act the way they do on that virtual beach. Nobody believes real women look like that or should look like that. Give us some goddamn credit for being older then the age of 10.
I can easily see how a woman might be offended by a game like DoAP, but I'd like to remind all those females of something: for many decades, we all played as muscular, impossibly handsome, ridiculously powerful and agile male heroes. They were all lantern-jawed, confident, and big hits with the ladies. ...doesn't that mean we, as growing boys, should've been offended? And doesn't it mean we should've felt inferior; that we should've felt bad about ourselves? The women can complain about how females are portrayed in video games all they want; I point them towards the first 20 years of gaming. Or are we saying women are more sensitive...?
I will NOT be able to figure out echoshift
I loved echochrome. It took me a bit of practice so my brain could wrap itself around the various visual perspectives, but I got better over time and to this day, it really challenges and awes me. However, I know for a fact I won't be able to do echoshift. After seeing the release announcement and learning a bit about the premise, I realized it was a lot like Braid. Now, Braid is great, don't get me wrong; it's a beautiful game with an ingenious concept. But I freely admit to having a hell of time reviewing it, because for the life of me, I just couldn't find a way to fully understand that time mechanic. There are certain concepts that our minds just can't accept, although I imagine that when we get older, we become more rigid, more set in our ways. If I was younger, I'd be more confident that I would eventually find the light bulb over my head for something like echoshift. But hey, we're not all the same, regardless of what certain left-wingers want you to believe.
Back in college, I remember taking a Psych class where the professor put a problem up on the overhead projector (oh shut up, it wasn't that long ago), and then asked us to raise our hands when we were done. The problem didn't even seem like a problem to me, the answer was obvious. In seconds, a bunch of people had their hands raised...and then we looked around, and realized that it was only the males. All the girls had confused looks on their faces. Then he put up a second puzzle...and the exact opposite thing happened. I still remember thinking that second puzzle was little more than an insensible mess. This proves something important, people.
Personal gaming update
I'm nearing the end of my second Heavy Rain play-through and as a reminder, look for the review on Wednesday, February 10 after 9 a.m. PST or 12 p.m. EST. I'm holding everything back until that time, so you won't be getting any early commentary from me. However, I'm glad to see so many of you have enjoyed the demo (if you didn't do the Four Days Challenge, it'll be up on the PSN this Thursday for everyone). This week is all about Bioshock 2 for me; I've become more and more stoked for this one over the past couple of weeks. Just reading that complete list of the Plasmids and Tonics brought back all those great memories of the original. It was just so good and I'm expecting nothing less than greatness for the sequel. The reviews I've seen thus far have been positively glowing, and I'm certainly not surprised.
I hear Dante's Inferno is pretty good, too, but it doesn't appear to be on the same level as Bioshock 2 and besides, I'll be playing God of War III in a month, anyway. I like to stay diverse, if I can. Now, if you don't mind, I have to get back to playing.
2/6/2010 Ben Dutka
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Comments (63 posts)
Scarecrow
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:15:13 PM
Based on main character alone though, GOWIII > DInferno
4 up, 0 down
THE-GAMER
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:18:27 PM
Last edited by THE-GAMER on 2/6/2010 10:19:20 PM
0 up, 0 down
Phoelix
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 2:40:01 PM
6 up, 0 down
Scarecrow
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:14:20 PM
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Fine if they wanna give accurate ratings
Not fine if they wanna "review" the games for us; calling it all sorts of names and saying it's "not good for you."
That's why we have psxe for.
--
Heavy Rain. That's game I will get. It will be the kinda thing which will make you re-think what games should be like, imo.
Sad 'bout White Knight Chronicles. We'll hopefully get a review from psxe ASAP.
6 up, 0 down
rogers71
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:21:17 PM
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Even my 7 year old son has played through the demo. I didn't think he would get it because he is like so many of todays youth. Gotta have that instant gratification. But, to my surprise, he enjoyed it. Carry on Ben!!!
1 up, 0 down
LittleBigMidget
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:26:26 PM
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3 up, 0 down
darxed
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 2:57:38 PM
1 up, 0 down
geovanwitdakick
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:47:45 PM
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1 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:56:02 PM
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1 up, 1 down
Charger7302
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:59:50 PM
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I am loving the AvP demo. Using the alien to crawl on walls then attack is serious fun.I'm definetly picking this up on day one.
Over on my xbox, Mass Effect 2 is one of the best games I have ever played. Thank god I never sold my xbox because if I had, I would have missed out on a perfect game. Hopefully Bioware and EA decide to bring this franchise over to ps3, because ps3 owners are seriously missing out on one of the best games ever made.
2 up, 0 down
Qubex
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 12:21:25 AM
Q!
"i am home"
0 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 3:13:49 AM
5 up, 0 down
King James
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 11:47:49 AM
5 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 4:52:05 PM
4 up, 0 down
SvenMD
Monday, February 08, 2010 @ 1:56:11 PM
0 up, 0 down
fluffer nutter
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 11:00:12 PM
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1 up, 0 down
LittleBigMidget
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 11:13:36 PM
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0 up, 0 down
StevieRV
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 11:23:58 PM
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0 up, 0 down
___________
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 11:57:34 PM
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finished DI inferno last night and am now going for a 2nd play through to find everything.
very good story though theres a few twists in there i did not see coming.
nice to see that in a game, last time that happened was infamous.
games are normally so predictable, that needs to change.
3 up, 0 down
Qubex
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 12:22:20 AM
Q!
"i am home"
2 up, 0 down
___________
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 6:35:06 AM
99% of reviews main problem is its a GOW rip off.
SO FU**ING WHAT?
o, and gamespots main problem was in the beginning of the game the level design is so over the top, lost of new enemies but towards the end of the game your fighting the same enemies as in the start and the level design is much smaller and less wow.
which is a load of crap!
there are heaps of new enemies towards the end, only in the last circle do you find the shielded enemies, and larger enemies who are on fire and such.
and hes second complaint that towards the end your in small areas.
absolute BS!
violence has you traversing ropes hundreds of feet in the air, the first part you have to use this giant statue to destroy a obstacle.
i am yet to read a review on dantes inferno where a complaint is valid.
not one!
the only thing in dantes inferno that i would change is the god dam camera!
i have lost count the amount of times i have died because i cant see where the f**k im jumping.
9/10 easy.
8.5 minimum, id deduct a point because of the camera and half a point because enemies are a little repetitive and you only have 2 finishing moves.
R2 than circle to remove head or R2 than both sticks to rip the enemy in half.
fix the camera, and add more varying enemies and more finishing moves and this would get a 10.
weather its a exact carbon copy of another game is irrelevant your suppose to review the game your playing, not the game your not!
if we were reviewing games in retrospect to how original they are than nothing would be getting above a 5 because everything is a copy of everything!
0 up, 3 down
Bugzbunny109
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 1:06:45 PM
4 up, 1 down
Qubex
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 12:24:36 AM
Reply
Q!
"i am home"
1 up, 0 down
StevieRV
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 3:17:17 AM
2 up, 0 down
Beamboom
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 3:28:21 AM
However, I both hope and expect to be terribly wrong in these presumptions!
Last edited by Beamboom on 2/7/2010 3:30:29 AM
0 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 5:03:32 AM
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In other news, i finally did what i thought i never would... I purchased something of the PS Store! It was Final Fantasy VIII.... Had to be done. The annoying thing is i already have the game and its original discs, but my PS3 Emulator (60 ps3) Doesnt play it. I had some spare credit so got Vagrant Story also :)
7 up, 0 down
Sonattine
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 5:32:12 AM
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It's all the more surprising that she is a very intelligent and practical woman. I have seen her swap places with a male friend and park his car for him. I'm not bad behind a steering wheel, but she can park anything anywhere. And yet, mere games such as Braid and Portal completely baffle her.
I have heard that the main difference with male/female brains is that the male's navigates easily in space and that the female's can multitask. This goes to show, dear Ben, that you have a definite feminine side to your personality. I'm told chicks dig this. Try "I am NOT able to figure out echoshift" next time you meet an attractive specimen. Don't hesitate to report the effects.
2 up, 0 down
Deleted User
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 6:12:37 AM
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End of Line.
4 up, 4 down
chucknasty
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 9:27:04 AM
7 up, 0 down
WolfCrimson
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 9:54:32 AM
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Ha ha, Ben is stoopid. :P
j/k Ben, we all know you're smart.
"If I was younger, I'd be more confident that I would eventually find the light bulb over my head for something like echoshift."
Ha ha, Ben is too old :P
j/k again mate, boy aren't I the whippersnapper today? (pun intended)
OK OK I'm gonna be serious now.
About that DoAP thing: Your reasoning on why women shouldn't complain based on the comparison of the past 2 decades of playing as muscular macho men *gasp for breath* doesn't make sense, Ben. Males WANT (although not directly) to play as muscular heroes who are handsome and powerful and whatnot, it's what they've wanted when they were small kids.I think it boils down to the fantasies of the 'inner child' of a person, and for males, this is it (heck I still kick and jump around sometimes, and pretend I'm super powerful and take down 50 bad guys). For females, it's something else, other than being superheroes, or scantily-clad women with massive bouncy mammaries. I'm only 80% sure on this, but I think they WANT to be pampered and famous like princesses, and be taken care of. Honestly, think about how parents play with their children, or how the children themselves play. Aren't the boys mostly playing rough-and-tumble games (with their friends, parents) or even playing with superhero action figures, while the girls are usually playing Barbie or House or whatever (what can be defined as feminine a.k.a. "that's girly stuff")?
I'm sure you're wondering how this ties in with what you wrote. My point is: While males in videogames are (or were) usually portrayed as buff-rough-and-tough, why us guys don't take offense to it (and why there's no grounds for us to take offense) is because, although most may not know it now or acknowledge it, it relates to their inner child fantasies, and they can be OK with it. And DoAP in no way does that for females.
You can't really compare the two... uhmm... "outrageous injustices" to both sexes' nature, because one of the two things you're comparing isn't an "injustice" at all. Just wanted to point that out.
And honestly, I kind of agree with the ESRB judge or whatever; DoAP portrays scantily-clad women (which is titillating material: automatic 15+ or 18+ rating or whatever) doing things that show off their scantily-cladiness and bounciness for no reason other than showing off (hence "bizarre, misguided notion that that is what women really want": automatic higher rating than before because of psychological impressionable material hence "Mature"). Yes, it's his/her opinion, as is my agreement with what he/she said, and I'm not sure if that is/is not within the responsibilities of an ESRB rater/judge, but really, I don't see a reason why it should bother anybody? Just because it's not brutally "objective-only, no subjectiveness allowed"?
I know to some (and I don't know if your included with them, so by default, you're not, but just incase) that the above paragraph may seem that way, but I'm not trying to needlessly argue with you, Ben, just saying what I think. You could ignore or disagree if you want (although I don't think many would).
Oh, and BTW, do you remember the name of the puzzle that Psych professor of yours gave you? I wanna google it and check it out, piqued my interest.
Last edited by WolfCrimson on 2/7/2010 9:59:03 AM
0 up, 5 down
WolfCrimson
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 9:55:18 AM
0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 2:29:55 PM
Yes, we all played cowboys and Indians and playing as a tough, buff, ladies man speaks to our inner child. But didn't girls play with Barbie? Didn't they pretend to be princesses? Aren't they harder on their physical appearances than men, and thereby desire more in the way of attractiveness? The point is, any woman who says she doesn't want to have the same appeal as the DoA girls is basically lying (although I know they don't wish to be as slutty), and the appeals are similar between the male and female heroes/heroines in games.
And no, when writing a factual description of the content of a game, you are not allowed any personal opinion or commentary whatsoever. That's simply against the rules and poor behavior for a professional.
Last edited by Ben Dutka PSXE on 2/7/2010 2:30:24 PM
5 up, 1 down
Highlander
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 4:11:45 PM
100% agreed, on the basis of personal experience and training, I have to agree with you 100%. Although generalizations about men and women, boys and girls are just that, and not true for every single individual, they are generally true. You are 100% correct about women wanting to be attractive.
Let's be honest, if a woman wants to be physically attractive to men, or for that matter to other women, what aspects of herself can she use to do that? Precisely. Just as men generally think that they have to be providers and protectors - and hence more masculine and heroic - to be attractive to prospective partners.
No matter how much we deny it, this is how we are programmed. It starts when we are kids.
People might want to read some of what Dr. Pat Heim writes and says on this topic, she is disturbingly accurate - and sometimes hilariously so.
1 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 7:05:05 PM
1 up, 0 down
WolfCrimson
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 @ 8:31:33 AM
0 up, 0 down
tlpn99
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 10:39:36 AM
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Cant say nothing about the Alien Vs Poredator demo as everytime I have tried to play a game of it it just keeps hanging at the finding other players to play. Unless of course there is no one else playing the demo lol.
Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo is great fun online with friends though. The vehciles are great to drive round in too.
0 up, 0 down
King James
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 12:31:41 PM
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0 up, 0 down
Bugzbunny109
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 1:11:00 PM
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2 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 1:32:48 PM
2 up, 0 down
JDC80
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 2:35:37 PM
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I picked up "Uncharted 2" and "Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2" Friday afternoon going to play through the story in Uncharted 2 then get a guide to pick up the treasures for the trophy.
As for "Bioshock 2" I'm going to beat the first one first and try rent Bioshock 2 or wait when the price goes down. My birthday is in May so I'm stuck between MLB 10 the Show(big baseball fan)and GOW III.
Another personal note: My cousin brought himself a brand new Xbox 360 and he gave me his PS2. So I didn't have to buy a new PS2 to replace my old one.
2 up, 0 down
Alienange
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 2:51:40 PM
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As for the mass amount of awesome that is coming out in the next two months... well... brace yourself wallet! We're going in!
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Mr Bitey
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 2:56:58 PM
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I'm a little bit annoyed that so many people are not going to give the game a change because it received a few bad reviews from the bigger sites. But it also picked up plenty of decent reviews.
btw the Metacritic score is flawed, because a lot of sites rated the import version. Due to that technicality they are not included in the International versions score. I actually contacted metacritic and confirmed this myself.
JRPGs typically get rated lower by western critics anyway. JRPGs don't feature guns or macho space marines, so of course they suck *rolls eyes*
I just wish people were brave enough to try something and form an opinion of their own. Why do people let strangers tell them what's acceptable to like? I don't get it.
Last edited by Mr Bitey on 2/7/2010 2:57:31 PM
5 up, 0 down
Highlander
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 4:14:02 PM
1 up, 0 down
Snaaaake
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 7:04:17 PM
That explains it when Famitsu usually give high score to JRPG and I trust Famitsu for their JRPG review.
But I'll still get WKC, after the price drop that is.
Last edited by Snaaaake on 2/7/2010 7:06:58 PM
0 up, 0 down
Danny007
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 5:15:29 PM
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Last edited by Danny007 on 2/7/2010 5:18:12 PM
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convergecrew
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 6:13:33 PM
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0 up, 0 down
carl0975
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 7:19:38 PM
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0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 8:04:24 PM
3 up, 0 down
rogers71
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 8:53:48 PM
The Heavy Rain Demo was the longest I have played. That goes back to the OPM demo disc days. It was also the best Demo that I have played.
Other developers need to take notes. To properly sell a game there needs to be a demo that shows what the game will provide a player. I have seen way to many demos lately that were either MP only or just plain sucked. QD did this one up right.
0 up, 0 down
___________
Tuesday, February 09, 2010 @ 6:23:01 AM
only took me 15 minutes to finish and thats including finding all the evidence at the crime scene and extracting all the info from the hooker.
it was no where near as long as i was hoping, infamous, batman AA, clive bakers jericho, GOW 3, lost planet 2, and god knows how many more had longer demos than heavy rain.
0 up, 0 down
Snaaaake
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 7:19:48 PM
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1 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 7:47:45 PM
1 up, 0 down
Snaaaake
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 8:14:50 PM
And it's something I don't understand in FPS multiplayer because it's just shooting and running so I don't really get the "MW2 multiplayer is better or Halo multiplayer is better" debate.
1 up, 0 down
Jawknee
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 8:14:57 PM
0 up, 1 down
just2skillf00l
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 8:26:54 PM
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That's like somebody creating an oatmeal cookie with a certain recipe and then someone else creates a lemon cookie with it's own unique recipe as well, and then the guy that created the oatmeal cookie says, "Wait, you can't make cookies, I started cookies, that lemon cookie maker is a copycat". Then nobody eats the lemon cookies and people start to say they taste bad but it turns out they never really gave the lemon cookies a chance. Stop treating Dante's Inferno like a lemon cookie! Silly example, I know, but effective nonetheless.
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just2skillf00l
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 8:43:23 PM
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Snaaaake
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 8:52:39 PM
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just2skillf00l
Sunday, February 07, 2010 @ 10:57:12 PM
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In the end, people will like something because they can relate to it more, they find something easier to grasp, or sometimes because they are mindless fanboys who quick thinking for themselves after selling their souls to a particular system. ;)
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THE-GAMER
Reply
Saturday, February 06, 2010 @ 10:10:03 PM