October 16, 2007

My Impression of Alpha Rant and a short discussion of perceptions of games.

Note that this is written with love, because I continue to listen and am entertained.

Joe: Well, I got Game X that everyone is playing, got great reviews, and everyone loves.
Chris: It sounds like crap. Like crazy joke time. It’s not a realistic shooter. Who cares? I don’t care. I saw a trailer. It was all silly. Wacky fun time. Not interested.
Joe: Well, it’s not that bad. I can see why someone would like it… you know, for the kids… in the same way they like those… you know… kids toys. But it’s not really doing it for me.
Chris: I just really don’t get why they just can’t make good games! Just make good games. No more jumpin’ around, running around, good games. Go make good games. I remember when they made games that were good.
Joe: I don’t really know why I buy games anymore…
Chris: Me either. Me either.

They’ve spent the last two episodes talking about how they hate the gameplay of Team Fortress 2 based on Joe playing it from the Orange box, and now I just listened to Chris buying it on Steam, so the next podcast will be all about him hating on it. I just really don’t get it. I get they like their little genre of realistic military games, but that doesn’t make everything else bad. Just… different. I dunno, I enjoy their crazy opinions, but it’s just… reviews purely for them and for nobody else.
Honestly, listening to anyone who isn’t a hardcore gamer or part of the gaming press talk about games is really sort of surreal… like when Leo talks about this or that that he’s playing on his 360 on This Week in Tech… it’s just… odd. I know those sorts of people are the norm, as opposed to people like me who read gaming news blogs for fun… but it’s just interesting seeing that different point of view, I suppose, because it’s something I don’t have at all. I know everything about any game I’d want at least a month or two in advance, if not more… but there are people out there who just walk through the store and buy things for their PS2 or whatever just based on the title and some art… who don’t know the release dates of this or that game, or even if a sequel to a game they like is being made. It’s kinda weird and wrong that I can’t imagine me not knowing these things… I guess it really is just that much a part of my life…

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