Comments on: Lose Yourself http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/ Everyone knows girls don't play video games. Sat, 22 Nov 2008 07:08:09 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: Demosthenes http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2767 Demosthenes Thu, 29 May 2008 09:01:32 +0000 http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2767 I remember Jet Force Gemini, I loved playing the little robot that flew around helping you. The dog was pretty badass too. The Forest Temple is one of my favorite parts in Oot. Just the music, and all the weird inverted hallways, and how you clench up whenever see the shadow over you head and you hear the inevitable Whoosh of the giant hand. Classic. I like games that surprise me with something I havent seen before, but I have to agree that it is the core gameplay that really matters. I will always take game play over innovation, graphics and storyline. I remember Jet Force Gemini, I loved playing the little robot that flew around helping you. The dog was pretty badass too.

The Forest Temple is one of my favorite parts in Oot. Just the music, and all the weird inverted hallways, and how you clench up whenever see the shadow over you head and you hear the inevitable Whoosh of the giant hand. Classic.

I like games that surprise me with something I havent seen before, but I have to agree that it is the core gameplay that really matters. I will always take game play over innovation, graphics and storyline.

]]> By: Ang http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2770 Ang Thu, 29 May 2008 10:45:24 +0000 http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2770 I've got hooked by gameplay, with stuff like the Mario series (I'm currently replaying Super Mario 64 on the DS and loving it). But there have also been games like the Castlevanias, Halo and the Zeldas that hooked me on atmosphere before the gameplay kicked in. I’ve got hooked by gameplay, with stuff like the Mario series (I’m currently replaying Super Mario 64 on the DS and loving it). But there have also been games like the Castlevanias, Halo and the Zeldas that hooked me on atmosphere before the gameplay kicked in.

]]> By: Alison E http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2771 Alison E Thu, 29 May 2008 14:13:56 +0000 http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2771 I like games that either have a good story/characters by themselves, or games that leave me enough leeway to make my own without leaving me COMPLETELY in the dark. For example, one of my favorite games ever is the widely loathed SaGa Frontier, which is largely incomprehensible due to a number of things. I loved it because there were just enough hints left in the unfinished game for me to piece a lot of things together about the characters and the histories thereof myself, most of which ended up being correct (once I found the Japanese lore book and forced my hapless friends to translate it). Good times. I also gravitate toward the mages in any game, and SaGa FINALLY corrected one of the problems I've always had with the mage classes in every RPG I've ever played. Let's take the majority of the Final Fantasy Games, for example. Your caster characters run out of MP, they are ROYALLY FUCKED, unless it's one of those FF games where you can use an item to cast a spell (like Thor's hammer in the original FF), because Aerith running up and bopping something with her staff? Pathetic. However, your fighter classes run out of WP, THEY ARE FINE, and can still do a respectable amount of damage by just bopping something straight up with the weapon. This is lame and unfair and I hate it. In SaGa, if you train 100% in magic, the lowest MP spells become free. They're not as awesome as the big spells of course, just the magical equivalent of bopping something straight up with your sword, but it's better than forcing a caster to smack something with his/her staff for 2 points of damage. God, Wallmasters. I've hated those things since the first Zelda, and I have hated them in every iteration of Zelda on every console since. TERRIFYING. I remember OOT making a lot of enemies that previously seemed silly suddenly scary in 3-D and in proper scale. Peahats, for example. In the original Zelda, peahats are like Ganon's goofy flying party hats. In OOT, they are terrifying giant cuisinarts of rotary bladeified death. What awesome design. I like games that scare me, but I prefer to watch someone else play them. I have a friend who invites everyone over when the new Fatal Frames come out, and one of my favorite game memories was during the first one. He opened a door he'd opened a thousand times before, but this time, there was a ghost there, and my friend Aro and I shrieked out loud like horror movie cheerleaders. Good times. In summary: I like good design, and I like a good plot, but if I decide I like a character enough, I will slog through the crappiest battle system of the crappiest game ever designed. (One of the reasons I never finished FF8 was that I didn't find a character I liked quickly enough to suffer through the GOD AWFUL JUNCTIONING, especially after I had my first 'oops, you missed this thing way back there and since you didn't have it junctioned all this time, you're going to die' moment. Screw that crap, God.) I do have a deep and visceral loathing of minigames that trip me up on my way to carry out the plot. Here I am thinking of the "Make Nina jump in slow motion on some random pirate's head in Breath of Fire 3, and if you fail you can't progress no matter what you do in the rest of the game," and OH MY GOD TO HELL WITH YOU BREATH OF FIRE THREE. I like games that either have a good story/characters by themselves, or games that leave me enough leeway to make my own without leaving me COMPLETELY in the dark. For example, one of my favorite games ever is the widely loathed SaGa Frontier, which is largely incomprehensible due to a number of things. I loved it because there were just enough hints left in the unfinished game for me to piece a lot of things together about the characters and the histories thereof myself, most of which ended up being correct (once I found the Japanese lore book and forced my hapless friends to translate it). Good times. I also gravitate toward the mages in any game, and SaGa FINALLY corrected one of the problems I’ve always had with the mage classes in every RPG I’ve ever played. Let’s take the majority of the Final Fantasy Games, for example. Your caster characters run out of MP, they are ROYALLY FUCKED, unless it’s one of those FF games where you can use an item to cast a spell (like Thor’s hammer in the original FF), because Aerith running up and bopping something with her staff? Pathetic. However, your fighter classes run out of WP, THEY ARE FINE, and can still do a respectable amount of damage by just bopping something straight up with the weapon. This is lame and unfair and I hate it. In SaGa, if you train 100% in magic, the lowest MP spells become free. They’re not as awesome as the big spells of course, just the magical equivalent of bopping something straight up with your sword, but it’s better than forcing a caster to smack something with his/her staff for 2 points of damage.

God, Wallmasters. I’ve hated those things since the first Zelda, and I have hated them in every iteration of Zelda on every console since. TERRIFYING. I remember OOT making a lot of enemies that previously seemed silly suddenly scary in 3-D and in proper scale. Peahats, for example. In the original Zelda, peahats are like Ganon’s goofy flying party hats. In OOT, they are terrifying giant cuisinarts of rotary bladeified death. What awesome design.

I like games that scare me, but I prefer to watch someone else play them. I have a friend who invites everyone over when the new Fatal Frames come out, and one of my favorite game memories was during the first one. He opened a door he’d opened a thousand times before, but this time, there was a ghost there, and my friend Aro and I shrieked out loud like horror movie cheerleaders. Good times.

In summary: I like good design, and I like a good plot, but if I decide I like a character enough, I will slog through the crappiest battle system of the crappiest game ever designed. (One of the reasons I never finished FF8 was that I didn’t find a character I liked quickly enough to suffer through the GOD AWFUL JUNCTIONING, especially after I had my first ‘oops, you missed this thing way back there and since you didn’t have it junctioned all this time, you’re going to die’ moment. Screw that crap, God.)

I do have a deep and visceral loathing of minigames that trip me up on my way to carry out the plot. Here I am thinking of the “Make Nina jump in slow motion on some random pirate’s head in Breath of Fire 3, and if you fail you can’t progress no matter what you do in the rest of the game,” and OH MY GOD TO HELL WITH YOU BREATH OF FIRE THREE.

]]> By: Leslie http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2774 Leslie Fri, 30 May 2008 00:47:00 +0000 http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2774 Demo - For some reason I never really was able to notice the sounds. But then again, I usually play any game with low volume or none at all. I'm not big on audio, it's pretty weird. I suppose for that reason I may have made the Wallmasters even more scary than they were. Just maybe. Alison - You totally have the quote of the year right there. "...terrifying giant cuisinarts of rotary bladeified death"? Hell yeah. FF8 was a game where I almost finished simply out of pure hatred for a character, rather than fondness. I really do not, and I repeat do not, like Rinoa. I suppose she would have been great, you know - if she'd kept her mouth shut. I feel like that about a lot of people, especially musicians. But I digress. Her character model is still wonderful, and I did love Angelo to death at least. The junction system was absolutely obnoxious, too! Demo - For some reason I never really was able to notice the sounds. But then again, I usually play any game with low volume or none at all. I’m not big on audio, it’s pretty weird. I suppose for that reason I may have made the Wallmasters even more scary than they were.

Just maybe.

Alison - You totally have the quote of the year right there. “…terrifying giant cuisinarts of rotary bladeified death”? Hell yeah.

FF8 was a game where I almost finished simply out of pure hatred for a character, rather than fondness. I really do not, and I repeat do not, like Rinoa. I suppose she would have been great, you know - if she’d kept her mouth shut. I feel like that about a lot of people, especially musicians. But I digress. Her character model is still wonderful, and I did love Angelo to death at least. The junction system was absolutely obnoxious, too!

]]> By: Ephidrina http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2777 Ephidrina Fri, 30 May 2008 01:30:48 +0000 http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2777 Character development is the main draw to most games personally. Obviously many people feel this way or RPGs wouldn't be so insanely popular. But just the overall notion of progression through characters is what makes them so. Whether it's through story, or statistics. I also like games that don't take themselves too serious. I don't want to be playing The English Patient. So if there is no artistic appeal, innovation, and humor in a game I will generally hate it. This plays a huge factor into immersion. It's so much easier to get sucked into a game that is warm and inviting than one that makes you feel like you're in a steel box. Character development is the main draw to most games personally. Obviously many people feel this way or RPGs wouldn’t be so insanely popular. But just the overall notion of progression through characters is what makes them so. Whether it’s through story, or statistics.

I also like games that don’t take themselves too serious. I don’t want to be playing The English Patient. So if there is no artistic appeal, innovation, and humor in a game I will generally hate it. This plays a huge factor into immersion. It’s so much easier to get sucked into a game that is warm and inviting than one that makes you feel like you’re in a steel box.

]]> By: Leslie http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2779 Leslie Fri, 30 May 2008 01:43:12 +0000 http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-2779 Ephidrina - You know, I was raving about how I loved Hellgate: London so much for not taking itself seriously at all. The dialog of many characters would not be as fun and memorable to me if the game really took its plot serious tothemax. It will always remind you of the seriousness of the Hellgate and the Burn that is consuming the world, but it doesn't drag you down with negativity. Good stuff. Ephidrina - You know, I was raving about how I loved Hellgate: London so much for not taking itself seriously at all. The dialog of many characters would not be as fun and memorable to me if the game really took its plot serious tothemax.

It will always remind you of the seriousness of the Hellgate and the Burn that is consuming the world, but it doesn’t drag you down with negativity. Good stuff.

]]> By: Sarevok http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-5055 Sarevok Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:30:27 +0000 http://girlsdontgame.com/2008/05/28/lose-yourself/#comment-5055 "You know, I was raving about how I loved Hellgate: London so much for not taking itself seriously at all. The dialog of many characters would not be as fun and memorable to me if the game really took its plot serious tothemax." If your into that, check out Overlord. It's pretty funny about that kind of stuff. “You know, I was raving about how I loved Hellgate: London so much for not taking itself seriously at all. The dialog of many characters would not be as fun and memorable to me if the game really took its plot serious tothemax.” If your into that, check out Overlord. It’s pretty funny about that kind of stuff.

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