Ben's Week In Review: July 15

The Last Of Us

I really can't wait for fall. Cooler weather and more games. :)

The Last Of Us exposes Japanese lagging

Japanese developers have come forward, saying they need to spend more money on their projects if they wish to remain competitive with the West. I have to agree completely because when I look at something like The Last Of Us, it's almost painful to see the quality and professionalism gap between Western and Japanese productions these days. It's not just in the top-notch voice acting, but it's also in the writing. It's just tighter and not so obviously amateur-ish. One also sees the difference in the choreography and how the scene is paced. Japanese scenes remain too...well, video game-y.

Thing is, it's studios like Naughty Dog and games like The Last Of Us and Uncharted that continually expose this seemingly widening gap. The worst part is that Japanese designers aren't blind to it; they know it exists and often mention it during interviews. They even know what they have to do to fix it. And yet, that fix appears to be a long ways off...if it happens at all.

I gots an excuse for playin' MGS4 again

I just don't know when I'll fit it in. I'm not a big Trophy person (in all honesty, I rarely care about them at all), but when I saw that Trophies were finally being implemented into Kojima's masterpiece, I was already remembering that game's epic greatness. Now, per the topic above, I still say some of the differences between Western and Japanese games remain clear, even in the case of MGS4. But I'll save that for another time; right now, I just love the idea of going back to the game. Not just for the Trophies, but because I'm kinda wondering how it has held up over time. Remember, it has been over four years and we've seen quite a lot of great games since then...

Besides, I rarely get the chance to play anything twice these days. I swore I'd play Uncharted 2: Among Thieves again and that didn't happen; I made the same declaration after finishing Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception, but nope. Things just keep getting in the way. That being said, I really think I'll try starting a new game in MGS4 when that Trophy patch arrives.

Personal gaming update

Right now, it's all about Rainbow Moon, which, as I say in the review, is altogether crazy addictive. It still bugs me about the control, but I keep thinking SideQuest could release a patch that implements a more stable movement format for the game. Would it really be that hard...? And I had honestly thought I'd be finishing Quantum Conundrum after the first few hours of play, but that game took a nasty turn that irritates me even now. Such ingenious design, and you go and...well, read the review; I won't waste time venting more here.

I'm looking forward to Dead or Alive 5 now, just because I keep forgetting that September isn't that far away. I also noticed Darksiders II and Sleeping Dogs have the same release date (August 14), so that should make next month a little more exciting, at the very least. :)