*Sigh* Shouldn't be surprised at this point.
It's important to know: this writer didn't put Starfield in the same room with Baldur's Gate 3, these shortlists are tallied by weighing staff & community votes together (50/50 split). Whichever games make it past the prelims (between 5-7) are then refreshed for everyone to vote once again. These are the ones that made the shortlist.
-"these trash pandas gave Redfall the safe 4/10"
The game has a high-50 average overall. This is one of the few times 'safe' isn't the correct term for IGN. lol
@Everybody Loves Chris
-"That's the thing. There are rarely 'a writer' in AAA video games."
I mean... okay, fine. Even if we broaden the point to multiple writers, I think it still stands. Because it's organic creative exploration within the confines of said team, building something together based on their experiences versus what's a designated HR spreadsheet (the DEI version of "notes" given by Hollywood executiv...
-"It truly hasn't in any meaningful way outside of client journalists chancing it..."
I'm sorry, but you're either completely ignorant on the subject or we're not operating on the same definition. Because the most fundamental understanding of identity politics includes ethnic, religious, or distinct social backgrounds (i.e. how gypsies or the amish delineate from someone else). Outside of gaming, things like anti-sematic flare-ups after the 10/7 ...
@Christopher
-"2. Writers look for secondary sources on many topics from guns, medicine, historical reference, and even to understanding world social issues better. I don't see this as any different..."
The thing that's fundamentally different is said understanding of social issues comes with an *ought* smuggled in. When you talk about hiring those other experts, their main focal point comes to an inherent truthfulness: the most profici...
Identity politics has gone FAR beyond US politics. I don't know what you're talking about there.
-"They are presenting inclusion as a negative on the industry with nothing to go on outside of their own opinion, no interviews, no evidence."
Again, you're still framing the word "inclusion" neutrally when that's not how it's being portrayed within the article here. It's like you can't wrap your head around a ...
@-Foxtrot
-"Why not? Why wouldn’t they work? Any idea developed would have worked out if done correctly
Alice would have been perfect anyway."
Alice had her own part to play. I'll put it like this: a 2nd protagonist like Saga Anderson works so well *BECAUSE* she's not in the original. She's an expositional bridge to inform both herself and new players about Alan Wake's history, while also creating her own sort of tensi...
Damn, now I wish I replied to myself in this chain.
@Homeboy Chris
-"The problem is they label any change...."
1.) I totally agree the word's been ritually abused too. People within that same group might've also foamed at the mouth over something like Gone Home. lol
2.) I'm not sure "depriving" said characters really fits in the grand scheme. In the world of book, movie, TV, & game publis...
-"You do know that good journalists write articles with links to sources, but here they went down a US identity politics BS speculation route."
Is the quality of said article hinging on better sourcing and more hyperlinks, or more the mindset of *reacting* to what he's noticed? Regardless of the quality of the article (I don't think it's well-written btw), my main point was emphasizing your language about it "pushing a social divide." I jus...
@Foxtrot
-"Did they tell Remedy to add Saga in Alan Wake 2 over a returning character that could have been wrote into the story like Barry or Alice."
Neither Barry nor Alice would work for its dual protagonist structure; plus, Saga Anderson had existed in Sam Lake's mind back in the early 2010s. She was in a random Remedy Easter egg either found in Quantum Break or something else. The only difference from then and now is being race-swapped...
-"They’ve worked on Alan Wake II... Spiderman 2..."
It's so weird to see these paired together. Because that seems insanely obvious for the likes of Spider-Man 2 with its gender-neutralized version of "Spanglix" between Miles & his mom. I don't blame native Spanish speakers wanting to mute that while playing.
But for Alan Wake? I mean... there's some cringe dialogue at the beginning, but nothing that seems egregio...
In case it wasn't obvious, most of the N4G community doesn't take kindly to the concept of "social justice" and the observable results seen since the early 2010s. Depending on what we're talking about, esp. post-Gamergate, I can't say I really blame them.
-"This article is to push social divide through the lens of pretending to care, complaining about "agenda-pushing" when this article is agenda-pushing."
I...
Yeah, you really should. Chants is essentially a linguistic puzzle game all about deciphering language from glyphs and speech bubbles (in the form of glyphs) and then navigating through that world. It's mechanically and narratively an inverse Tower of Babel. Fantastic title up there as one of 2023's best overall games.
@Storm23
"I loved Humanity."
Hell yeah! That and Chants fight for my top spot of 2023.
Of the ones I've played:
-Humanity
-Chants of Sennaar
-Cocoon
-Viewfinder (least favorite/best but still a genuinely great puzzler)
Ones I haven't played (yet) but have a solid reputation:
-The Talos Principle II
-Trine 5
-Can of Wormholes
There could be a couple of other less-popular ones, but these are the ones that immediately came to mind.
Exactly. Instead, games like Cocoon have been grouped into "Best Adventure Game" here.
Alright, this is really getting to me. The Game Awards *and* DICE Awards not having a 'Best Puzzle Game' category? What the hell is this?
The unavoidable pitfalls of a 50/50 split influence between community & staff on GOTY awards. MW III was awarded a 3/10 on the site too. lol
I guess I have to be the ACKSHUALLY guy here. It's really Mojang & Blackbird Interactive.
Plus, Minecraft Dungeons (Mojang/Double Eleven) was supported far longer and even got an Ultimate Edition down the line. The thing is Legends simply hasn't earned the same level of fan excitement or sustained interest.
Literally have no idea what you're talking about here. As evidenced from last year's Developer Direct, it's a showcase of the game while mixing a bit of a studio tour & listening to some developer insight. It's just that simple.
Needless to say you're eating good atm.