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Random Thoughts Brotherz! |
Welcome to an unfocused attempt at relieving myself (MENTALLY DAMMIT!) on the subject of video gaming.Well the first thing I have to say is I am really sick of having to dance around sideways and up a hill to play import games! I understand that companies don't want to ruin potential U.S. sales of a game that will be translated and released stateside at a later date. On the other hand how many great games have been passed over for translation because the powers that be thought that U.S. sales would be lackluster and therefore did not warrant the semi-expensive localization process. Let me tell you something right now, if I didn't go through the hassle with getting my Saturn to play imported titles I would not be able to enjoy a near arcade perfect home version of Samurai Shodown 3 or 4! A travesty indeed! And what about X-Men vs. Street Fighter? I would be stuck with a crummy PSX version that I wouldn't even wipe my ass with! I only wish I were kidding. Everyone remembers the stir that was caused by Tobal No. 2 being the greates thing ever according to many a reputable gaming magazines! Well that's a fighting game with a minimal adventure mode (not much text to translate) and we still did not even garner a second look from Squaresoft on that one. Petitions were started, and letters were sent, all to no avail. The only way we'll ever experience Tobal 2 here in the States is by voiding our notoriously unreliable Playstation warranty by installing a modchip. If a game is never coming stateside then what in the hell is wrong with importing? Well I'll tell ya a coupla gripes I have with imports. Number one, all you can really play is fighters and shooters unless you so happen to be bilingual. Number two, Importers (all of em) screw us over as far as pricepoints go, SS Best Coll. is the equivalent of a greatest hits game it retails for the equivalent price point of about 24 dollars at the current exchange rate, now explain to me how this could end up costing me as much as Marvel Super Heroes vs. Street Fighter (full price game released about a month ago) at my importer! The strength of the dollar vs the yen is a mute point to these moneygrubbing scumeaters. Full price is all you'll get and that's if you're lucky enough for them to actually have the title you want in stock! How lame can this get? Really lame unfortunately. As far as Mod Chips go the prices I've found are pretty enlightening! A mod chip costs around $12 on avg. but the lowest mod chip including installation anywhere around here (Seattle) is $40 bones. What the Hell is this crap? Over 300% mark up? So much for the brotherhood of Video Gaming! Any fool with about 15 minutes to spare and half of a frontal lobe could install his own mod chip! Don't let that "Proffesional" moniker fool you either, if you think that greasy Joe with the soldering iron is gonna replace your PSX gets screwed up by him during installation is gonna replace your Station, then you do need a head check! If he screws up its your problem! Gamers take shit from every angle and it's no good in my honest opinion! The magazines tout every new game as the best thing ever and store owners make sure to keep the hype alive. Face it fellerz the only people that actually care about the games (versus the cash) are us the proud gamers of America! All the other people in this industry care about, with the exception of possibly some of the development crews making the actual games, is thinning of your wallet and the fattening of theirs. Another thing on my mind lately is this whole mess of video game "Pretty Boys". You know the type I speak of. These are people who actually care about the way a game looks and believe that a game is based on graphics alone! Forget immersiveness, gameplay, fun and good game design, if it doesn't make your eyeballs sweat it sucks. These people make me sick! Yes graphic appeal is an important part of video gaming but it is exactly that, A PART!!! No game is going to satiate a gamer on graphics alone! If I wanted to see a great cinematic experience and only be an observer and only watch things unfold, I would rent a movie! I want to be in the thick of it all. I want to feel like I have total control over what is happening to my on screen persona, not watch helplessly as my character dies over and over because of poorly thought out level design or poorly executed control schemes. Sure I don't want to play a complete eyesore but there is a balance. If you think Graphical Pretty Boys are right then I suggest you go back to playing your 3 favorite games Wargods, Myst, and Time Commando! It is completely possible to make a beautiful and playable game. Resident Evil, FF7, Metal Gear Solid, Gran Turismo, Colony Wars, Samurai Shodown 4, and Vampire Savior all jump to mind with blinding speed! Just think if all video game creators strove for such balance, the world would be a much better place for all of us. And just maybe I wouldn't mind those Pretty Boys so damn much. Until Next time this is N8 saying innie!
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