BioShock Q&A
IGN is the latest site with a BioShock interview, asking Ken Levine about the first person shooter, focusing mostly on that genre definition and not much else.
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Skyburst101
replyAnd...now I'm at the point where I won't read another review/preview/Q&A/interview so that when I actually do play the game, I'll actually have a sense of surprise(other than the mental torment that Irrational Games already has in store for us) when I actually come across game content. Otherwise, it will end up being like one of those movie trailers...you watch the movie trailer, then you watch the movie. The plot/plot twists are essensially given away in just a few brief minutes, if even that. No sense of surprise overall reduces the attractiveness of an entertainment oriented product because I'll know exactly what I'm getting, and so the thrill, or shock value if you will, is lost, and causes the end users experience to be "dulled."
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against interviews, teaser videos/screenshots, Q&A's, etc. I just believe that far too often, while caught up in the struggle to get the target audience hyped up about their product, they cross a line that ends up hurting their audience in the end. For example, with Oblivion, bethesda essentially gave away the beginning, and the ending of the main plot months before the game was released through their teaser videos. Anyone with half a brain(try not to take offense) could figure out...hey, I'm going to be a hero, I have to find the emperors lost son, return him to the throne, and that will "close shut the jaws of Oblivion" whoopee]. And as a little note, I still haven't beaten Oblivion, but I can say that my experience has been diminished in terms of excitement since I know what's going to happen, and they gave away all the features far ahead of time. I hate myself for reading all these FAQ's/Q&A's/Interviews/previews/reviews for so many games. Maybe I should go back to the method I used for the first 6 years of my gaming career...go to a store(or gaming magazine), look at the boxes, ooh...that one looks good, I'll take it...It actually worked out quite well. I was introduced to Total Annihilation that way(of which I still love to this day. My brother won't play anymore since he has been unable to beat me whenever I use my favorite tactic...my brother and I both like aiming for longer games with minimal disputes until we're "ready" to fight...I come out with about 50+ Krogoths with about 100-200 advanced construction aircraft on "guard" mode on the Krogoth Gantry...they are produced one after another. It's a nearly failproof method that can not be beaten if you make it to the long game...or if you use the unit pack mod "TAUCP" then, well, mass produce Karganaths(I always played Core...Arm sucks IMO...horrible end game units compared to the dominating super units that the Core has). My ability to go off topic never ceases to amaze me...at 3:33 AM.
and, for those who are unable to read 2 paragraphs due to having ADD(that apparently is the most common diagnosis for kids since it allows parents to give them perscription strength medicine that calms them down since...hey, kids shouldn't have lots of energy, they should be reading a book since playing sports/video games, etc. isn't what kids do...damn irresponsible parents) here is the summary...in caps
STOP TELLING US THE ENTIRE PLOT/ALL THE FEATURES...IT RUINS OUR EXPERIENCE. IT'S GOOD FOR US TO BE SURPRISED. IF WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT IT(some feature or whatever), THEN WE'LL BE EXCITED WHEN WE REALIZE IT(some feature or whatever) IS IN THE GAME.
-end rant
anyone agree with me, or do you(anyone who reads this and is capable of responding) believe that everyone who simply wants a sneak peak of a game should get a big chunk of the main plot included in that sneak peak like the movie industry is already doing to a greater extent? You already know my view...what's yours, and why?-
I actually disagree to an extend. While it is nice to be suprised by some bits I don't think knowing will ruin a game like it does a movie or a book. Knowing what is going to happen and playing thru it are two entirely different experiances. That is the beauty of a game medium as apposed to movies or books. You can know what is going to happen or you can do it a million times and it is going to feel great. (F.E.A.R was good about this. I knew that little girl was going to be at the top of the ladder but it freaked my out anyway)
Also, I try to read as much as I can about games that i'm interested in and want to play. I'm not an artist or don't have a great eye for all the little details. When I play thru a game, I'll miss a lot of stuff but when I read reviews and Q&As and previews and interviews and everything, it points things out to me that I should look out for or other things I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. When I'm playing a game I tend to over look these things because I'm actually playing a game. But I'm looking forward to stopping in the bug tunnel in HLep2 and watching the way the little bugs light the tunnel or way the shadows react to the flashlight now.
I'm not too good at explainging what I mean, but I hope you get my point!
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