Update.strip is now available.
I can't make heads or tails of Getting Up, seriously, and that's even when weird glitches aren't halting all progress. I'm going to give it another go, but it's weird how much more amenable I am to wholly alien cultures in games than I am this stew of urban brand identities. As a known lexiconnoisseur, there's little I enjoy more than raiding a context for its exclusive jargon - but there's like four fucking games here, none of them great, and I don't know which one I hate the most.
Luckily, Grandia III has managed to cleanse our palette. I'm playing it with Gabe, and we've detailed how it usually works to be engaged in such an effort. Thus far, the old enmities haven't surfaced. With this much fun so close to the surface, the flagellation I endure finding the chewy center of other games stops looking like due diligence and becomes something like masochism.
With RPG combat systems wresting more and more control away from players - and I have faith that you can derive which franchise I'm alluding to - it's a relief that Grandia has retained a fully turn-based system where position and timing still matter. There are actually spots on the controller where our tears of jubilation disturbed the hand oils and snack residue.
It is that fruit so succulent it bends the bough, almost buxom in its fullness.
Combat-wise, at least. Having only picked it up a couple days ago, we do not have the wisdom that might have come with a review copy in the weeks prior - Jane tells us that the game's story largely evaporates by the second disc. Good riddance, I say. She sends up JRPG bullshit in the first paragraph of her review, and I'm happy to take it from there.
The stories in most of the JRPGs we get are fucking garbage. Is this a controversial statement? Only the most dominated nihongophile recoils, straining on his Eastern leash. These "stories" are challenges in an of themselves: like a hulking boss creature, they are trials against which the human mind must strive. Exhausting existential retreads that course through the meat of the brain like poison.
There is a defense, however. Like the protagonist in Pi, I've long since drilled out some portion of that organ - the part that stays up all night in coffee shops talking about whether or not God wears white. That cortex is outta there. Or it's still there, but there's a cavern bored through it so that the things teenagers think are deep fall right out.
(CW)TB out.
Well my comments about EQ II seem to have made the rounds. Judging by the response I’ve seen on line and all the mail I got it would seem a lot of people feel the same way I do.
I actually got a mail from John Smedley this morning that I might as well share with you. It seems only fair to give him a chance to respond here.
Normally I like you guys a lot.. even when you dig on us.. but it felt like you went personal on our artists. Low blow IMO
We have some of the most talented artists in the business and EQ II is a gorgeous game. Certainly art style is a subjective thing.. and if you want to bag on the art then that’s certainly your right. But unless and until you’ve had any of your art in a game calling people robots just seems weak.
John Smedley
President, Sony Online Entertainment
I agree that SOE probably has some very talented artists working for them. However none of that talent is making its way into the final product. I think that the problem is EQ II has no unifying artistic vision. It’s a game designed by committee and that’s a sure way to kill creativity. If I were to look at individual portfolios I’m sure I’d have plenty of nice things to say about the artists that work there. But I’m not, I’m looking at EQ II and at looks terrible. Is that their fault? No I think it’s the fault of the corporate machine they are trapped in.
Art is indeed subjective. I gave you my impressions and that’s all. You see it differently and that’s great, good for you. To tell me that I am not qualified to have an opinion on the graphics in a game until I’ve worked on one is pretty ridiculous. Plenty of people tell me my work is shit and none of them ever made a fucking web comic.
***UPDATE***
I had a bit about SOE and Child’s Play here and if you saw it that’s fine. I thought about it some more and I decided to take it out. I’ve always said we need to keep CP separate from PA and I should listen to my own advice.
-Gabe out
I have not seen this pop up anyplace else yet so I’ll post it here. Looks like NCsoft announced their secret game. It’s called Dungeon Runners and they apparently have Joe Mad doing concept art. You can see some screens here . The game looks super early but interesting. Joe’s designs are are pretty amazing.
-Gabe out
I almost forgot. I’m six hours into Grandia III and it’s incredible. The best turn based combat I’ve ever seen in an RPG. I guess all the reviews say the game goes down hill after an awesome start. I’ll let you know on Monday if that ends up being true. So far I’m loving it.
-Gabe out
