Welcome friends, acquaintances & that ugly mother lover over there. Here comes another entry into Nerd Alley™! Giving you the hook-up on where to download more RAM.
I was going to originally title this entry "Video Game Message Board Posters are Some Whiny Bitches" but I didn't want to be inflammatory just because. I have a point to make damn it! Wanna hear it? Here it go...*strums guitar.*
We all know that almost all developers have at least one beloved franchise. And by beloved, I mean a franchise that prints money. Nintendo has Mario, Zelda & Pokemon, Sega had Sonic before the quality declined and Electronic Arts has Madden (and Madden has Brett Favre.) The IP that sparked me to write the entry is Ubisoft's newest Splinter Cell entry subtitled Conviction.
Even before the internet became widely available (and people didn't look at you sideways for "talking to friends online) we would tolerate the whine and the Methuselah speed of our modems to peck out our opinions on whatever tickles our fancy (or to surf for porn.) Oh, who am I kidding? I can barely remember online life before YouTube. Let me move on.
Those of you who are not familiar with the Series here's an overview fromWikipedia
Splinter Cell takes a lot of inspiration from other stealth-action series, Metal Gear and Thief: The Dark Project. As such, stealth is a critical aspect of gameplay; shooting and killing any civilians or enemy units may result in mission failure or increased difficulty (as guards may arm themselves or become more alert to better prepare for an attack). An alarm usually occurs if a non-player character spots a casualty, an unconscious person, or Sam Fisher himself. In the first two games, the mission is aborted after a set number of alarms have been triggered; sometimes only one will end a mission prematurely, depending on the mission. The third game features a new system, in which enemies move up to a new level of awareness for every alarm triggered. For example, after the fourth alarm is set off, enemies will fortify positions around the map and wait for the player.
The smoothest way forward in the game is to remain invisible, select non-obvious routes, and utilize diversions to pass guards. The game is a combination of problem solving and quick action. Attacks must be swift, silent, and decisive to ensure success.
This franchise has been a favorite of mine & I have anticipated Conviction since it was announced back in '07. When you're 6 games deep into a franchise there should be progression. Not just on the side of technology, but in character and plot development. Storytelling is not a strong suit. Sure it will look pretty, but it's still cliched.
Back on point, I believe that's why Ubisoft Montreal made the decisions to adjust the game play slightly. Yes there is a tad less stealth, but Sam Fisher is still death on two legs. Except now, there's no leash. Sure they could have done the whole "stop the terrorists...again" plot line. It's vanilla as can be, and a lot of fans still would drop sixty bones on release day. Plenty people copped first day....and couldn't wait to log on and bash it.
Jaded gamers & trolls alike (I hate trolls and they should be beaten repeatedly) took it to task, even though it was reviewed with high marks by various mags/websites. I didn't understand at first, it's a solid game. Better than solid. Then I thought about it...
Change
We just love the status quo. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I'm not throwing rocks from my glass comfort zone. If you have a successful formula, you aren't going to do much to stray away from it. A slight adjustment may be for the sake of story & presentation. I recall Nintendo getting a lot of shit for the art style (and sailing) aspects of The Wind Waker. You're still Link, you're on an adventure & you still wear green. So what's the damn problem?
They didn't turn Splinter Cell into Contra. The game was made in this way to progress the story. Sam is rogue, and frankly he doesn't give a fuck.
We want original ideas and we're tired of sequels, but is that really the case? Numbers don't lie:
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - Xbox 360 - Activision Blizzard - 4.2 million
- Wii Fit (w/ balance board) - Wii - Nintendo - 3.5 million
- Wii Sports Resort (w/ MotionPlus) - Wii - Nintendo - 2.4 million
- Wii Mario Kart (w/ wheel) - Wii - Nintendo - 2.2 million
- Wii Play (w/ remote) - Wii - Nintendo - 2.1 million
- Halo 3: ODST - Xbox 360 - Microsoft - 2 million
- Pokemon Platinum Version - DS - Nintendo - 1.9 million
- Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 - PS3 - Activision Blizzard - 1.9 million
- Madden NFL 10 - Xbox 360 - Electronic Arts - 1.5 million
- New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Wii - Nintendo - 1.4 million
The few Wii titles being exceptions, all sequels. One who wonders why we get so many rehashes only need to look at a year end list. In this financial climate, companies aren't as willing to take risks on new IPs. With development times & budgets ballooning as technology advances. You're going to bet on a sure thing. Us gamers are a fickle bunch & the hounds will be released if you slip up. Just ask Activision/Infinity Ward.
I had a point, then it turned into a rant, then it turned into something you may not read.
Stop feeding the trolls.
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