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Daniel Boyd (1066 KP) rated Mass Effect: Andromeda in Video Games
Jul 25, 2017
An Example Of Why There Is No Longer A Place For Mediocrity In The Video Game Industry
For those of you that are Mass Effect fans and are worried after reading the title of the essay that I am going to spend the rest of the essay bashing the game, you can rest easy put your pitchfork down. The only reason that Mass Effect is on the receiving end of my criticism today, is because it is simply the most recent example of a major game being released that doesn’t meet the high standard that we have come to expect from videogames in 2017. Don’t get me wrong though, I think that we should expect a high level of production standard in our games and frankly I think the fact that Bioware have released this game in this abysmal state is nothing less than unacceptable.
If you have been generous enough to read any of my other stuff, you may have seen a piece I wrote around a year ago, where I loosely reviewed the Amazing Spiderman 2 on PS4, but really I just used the review as an excuse to talk about the place for mediocrity in the modern gaming landscape. This essay will essentially be an updated version of that piece, because every now and again something comes along and reminds me that mediocrity is still a present factor in modern gaming. I am aware that not every game released can be a 10/10 masterpiece at the level of The Last Of Us, but gaming has came such a long way in the last few decades that in my eyes there is a standard that must be met at this point and there is no room for mediocrity anymore.
As a quick disclaimer, let me say that I love and miss the mid tier section of the video game market. I love so many Codemasters, Midway and THQ games and the mid tier is the main reason that the PS2 is my favourite console. With that out of the way; in theory, mediocrity in gaming should have went away altogether when the mid tier crumbled in the dying days of the PS2. What we should have been left with is incredible AAA experiences and smaller, innovative indie experiences.
Excuses can be made for some examples of recent mediocre games. Liquid Entertainment and Beenox games are mostly movie tie ins, developed quickly and released to make a fast buck off of the back of another property. Hello Games were a small studio that bit off more than they could chew. Sega is a big studio, but they have been slowly going downhill and losing respect at a steady rate for a while now. Bioware aren’t a mid tier developer, they are one of the biggest game developers on the planet. Mass Effect Andromeda had a budget of 40 million dollars and a five year development cycle, that is where most of the shock regarding the state of this game comes from.
Nonetheless, Andromeda will still go on to sell millions of copies, EA will make their money back and more games will be developed in the series. This is because the majority of fans of the previous Mass Effect games will have already pre ordered the newest entry and hype alone with carry this game through any turmoil it faces. Frankly I don’t specifically care about the future of Mass Effect as I have never really been a fan of that series, but if you are a Mass Effect fan this should concern you greatly. If you are unhappy with the state that this game has been released in, don’t buy it and if you really can’t resist playing it at some point, wait a while and buy it used from a Mom and Grop Shop. That way you aren’t giving EA your money and you aren’t allowing them to continue to rely on reaching their profit goals via a lackluster game. That is how you change the future of your favourite franchise; never underestimate the power that you possess as a consumer.
Like I said though, Mass Effect has never been my thing, my concern lies more on the overall gaming market and the worry that this will bleed out and affect the mindset of other developers. Using a big franchise name alone to sell your game and forfeiting any attempt at creating a well made experience for your audience.
This is an issue that we have to stamp out now, it may sound petty or harsh, but this is how we make gaming better for all of us. There is no longer a place in the industry for mediocrity and it is up to us, the consumers to prove that to developers.
The message that I keep reiterating is backed up again by this topic, stop being an apologist, stop settling for less, don’t be afraid to demand a higher standard. Spreading negativity isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it has a legitimate basis. This is how we push mediocrity out of gaming. Playstation’s best slogan is still, ‘Expect Greatness,’ because we should expect greatness from developers; don’t be afraid to call a spade a spade. The most powerful voice of all lives in your back pocket; your hard earned cash and that is what gives you the right to call for better experiences.
If you have been generous enough to read any of my other stuff, you may have seen a piece I wrote around a year ago, where I loosely reviewed the Amazing Spiderman 2 on PS4, but really I just used the review as an excuse to talk about the place for mediocrity in the modern gaming landscape. This essay will essentially be an updated version of that piece, because every now and again something comes along and reminds me that mediocrity is still a present factor in modern gaming. I am aware that not every game released can be a 10/10 masterpiece at the level of The Last Of Us, but gaming has came such a long way in the last few decades that in my eyes there is a standard that must be met at this point and there is no room for mediocrity anymore.
As a quick disclaimer, let me say that I love and miss the mid tier section of the video game market. I love so many Codemasters, Midway and THQ games and the mid tier is the main reason that the PS2 is my favourite console. With that out of the way; in theory, mediocrity in gaming should have went away altogether when the mid tier crumbled in the dying days of the PS2. What we should have been left with is incredible AAA experiences and smaller, innovative indie experiences.
Excuses can be made for some examples of recent mediocre games. Liquid Entertainment and Beenox games are mostly movie tie ins, developed quickly and released to make a fast buck off of the back of another property. Hello Games were a small studio that bit off more than they could chew. Sega is a big studio, but they have been slowly going downhill and losing respect at a steady rate for a while now. Bioware aren’t a mid tier developer, they are one of the biggest game developers on the planet. Mass Effect Andromeda had a budget of 40 million dollars and a five year development cycle, that is where most of the shock regarding the state of this game comes from.
Nonetheless, Andromeda will still go on to sell millions of copies, EA will make their money back and more games will be developed in the series. This is because the majority of fans of the previous Mass Effect games will have already pre ordered the newest entry and hype alone with carry this game through any turmoil it faces. Frankly I don’t specifically care about the future of Mass Effect as I have never really been a fan of that series, but if you are a Mass Effect fan this should concern you greatly. If you are unhappy with the state that this game has been released in, don’t buy it and if you really can’t resist playing it at some point, wait a while and buy it used from a Mom and Grop Shop. That way you aren’t giving EA your money and you aren’t allowing them to continue to rely on reaching their profit goals via a lackluster game. That is how you change the future of your favourite franchise; never underestimate the power that you possess as a consumer.
Like I said though, Mass Effect has never been my thing, my concern lies more on the overall gaming market and the worry that this will bleed out and affect the mindset of other developers. Using a big franchise name alone to sell your game and forfeiting any attempt at creating a well made experience for your audience.
This is an issue that we have to stamp out now, it may sound petty or harsh, but this is how we make gaming better for all of us. There is no longer a place in the industry for mediocrity and it is up to us, the consumers to prove that to developers.
The message that I keep reiterating is backed up again by this topic, stop being an apologist, stop settling for less, don’t be afraid to demand a higher standard. Spreading negativity isn’t necessarily a bad thing if it has a legitimate basis. This is how we push mediocrity out of gaming. Playstation’s best slogan is still, ‘Expect Greatness,’ because we should expect greatness from developers; don’t be afraid to call a spade a spade. The most powerful voice of all lives in your back pocket; your hard earned cash and that is what gives you the right to call for better experiences.
Dean Gregory (18 KP) rated Tsuro in Tabletop Games
Jun 2, 2019
Quick to play (3 more)
Simple to learn
Interesting concept
Charming
Very little scope for strategy (1 more)
Not much replay value
A Path Into Gaming
Tsuro is a game with a very simple concept: be the last player on the board. You do this by laying tiles which link to create winding paths around the board, which inevitably end up running off the board altogether. But be careful - colliding with another player results in a double elimination.
Because it boasts such trivial mechanics, it is very easy to pick up and play a few rounds quickly (some games can last under 10 minutes including setup), as well as being one that young children could enjoy. The player meeples have a good quality feel, and it can be satisfying watching the winding paths in the game board grow.
However, it very quickly becomes obvious just how simple this game is - winning is often less about trying to run your opponents off the board as it is trying to keep yourself in play for as long as possible, until you inevitably take yourself out of the game.
Tsuro, then, is an inviting game for introducing regular folk to the mad world of tabletop gaming, and is a solid option for beginning a proper games night with its simplicity and charm. I used it recently myself as a sweetner to help ease a new player into game night, and it worked a treat. It probably won't make regular appearances however.
I like it. Worth a look.
Because it boasts such trivial mechanics, it is very easy to pick up and play a few rounds quickly (some games can last under 10 minutes including setup), as well as being one that young children could enjoy. The player meeples have a good quality feel, and it can be satisfying watching the winding paths in the game board grow.
However, it very quickly becomes obvious just how simple this game is - winning is often less about trying to run your opponents off the board as it is trying to keep yourself in play for as long as possible, until you inevitably take yourself out of the game.
Tsuro, then, is an inviting game for introducing regular folk to the mad world of tabletop gaming, and is a solid option for beginning a proper games night with its simplicity and charm. I used it recently myself as a sweetner to help ease a new player into game night, and it worked a treat. It probably won't make regular appearances however.
I like it. Worth a look.
Pavilion: Touch Edition
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Designed exclusively for 64-bit devices requiring at least iPhone 5s, iPad Mini 2, iPad Air, iPad...
Agent Aliens
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AGENT ALIENS!!! Jump and shoot your way to freedom as you search for your fellow Aliens and break...
Sawyer (231 KP) rated Star Wars: Bounty Hunter in Video Games
Dec 17, 2017
this game was a highlight of my GameCube gaming days this fun departure from the usual lightsaber wielding Jedi Central games of the Star Wars Canon focused on the exports of Jango Fett the man who would serve as the template for the clone troopers one of the greatest military mights of the Galaxy and the father of Boba Fett a man who would be feared throughout the cosmos as he Embarked on a dangerous campaign to detain a dark lord of the Sith Empire the game would bring you to many back drops such as Savage jungle planets Prison Planet giant Metropolis Droid assembly lines and the criminal underbelly the gameplay was simple enough a mixtures of action and platformer with some slight stealth game mechanics
Entertainment Editor (1988 KP) rated Star Wars: Rebellion in Tabletop Games
Mar 7, 2018
Star Wars: Rebellion review: A fully operational 4-hour board game
Looking at the box for Star Wars: Rebellion, the massive new two-to-four-player galactic board game from Fantasy Flight, I had only one thought: "Look at the size of that thing!"
Loosely based on the 1998 video game of the same name, the board game version of Rebellion is ludicrously outsized. The galaxy, too large to fit on a single game board, here sprawls across two. Rebel and Imperial forces aren't represented by cardboard but by 153 plastic miniatures—including three Death Stars and two Super Star Destroyers.
Critic: Nate Anderson
Read the full review here: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/03/star-wars-rebellion-review-a-fully-operational-4-hour-board-game/
Loosely based on the 1998 video game of the same name, the board game version of Rebellion is ludicrously outsized. The galaxy, too large to fit on a single game board, here sprawls across two. Rebel and Imperial forces aren't represented by cardboard but by 153 plastic miniatures—including three Death Stars and two Super Star Destroyers.
Critic: Nate Anderson
Read the full review here: https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2016/03/star-wars-rebellion-review-a-fully-operational-4-hour-board-game/