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[PA Comic] Wednesday, February 18, 2015 - False Witness

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Posts

  • Zoku GojiraZoku Gojira Monster IslandRegistered User regular
    admanb wrote: »
    The colors and background in this are magnificent.

    Taken directly from what Washington looked like a couple days ago.

    But don't move here because it rains all the time and is completely miserable I promise.

    Oh, man. And being right on the waterfront for one of those sunsets, getting that view in stereo from both sides of the horizon...

    But yeah, don't listen to me. He's right. Rain, misery, et cetera.

    "Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are." - Bertolt Brecht
  • CambiataCambiata Commander Shepard The likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered User regular
    Quotes like "over 200 hrs of content" are actually off-putting to me. But I'm an adult with a job, I just don't have that kind of time anymore. I still bought at played Dragon Age Inquisition, but the hours of quoted content was definitely a negative.

    I think telling audiences the amount of content is important, for people with limited time. But the amount of hours in the game definitely shouldn't be an indicator of quality. If pacing is an issue that should be addressed - ie "it felt long" means bad pacing, not necessarily that the game was too long.

    "If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
  • GDT1985GDT1985 Registered User regular
    After thinking on it a bit more, a game's length is a reflection of quality if it is obviously using padding, fake difficulty, etc. There are many games that would be better if they were pruned a bit.

  • TryCatcherTryCatcher Registered User regular
    Honestly, saw a walkthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition and it just seemed so obviously padded that I decided to not bother.

    But a few months ago was unthinkable to say bad things about the GAME OF THE YEAR.

    On the other subject, if your site is only getting their headlines from Reddit, then your site is a complete waste of time. Same if your site isn't doing at least some video, since YouTubers are crushing the traditional websites.

  • LinktmLinktm Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    TryCatcher wrote: »
    Honestly, saw a walkthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition and it just seemed so obviously padded that I decided to not bother.

    Actually, strictly speaking main plot, it's the shortest Dragon Age so far. There is maybe 10 quests or less tops, and then a companion quest for all your other characters. Everything else is more or less optional (although you DO have to level up and do side-quests or whatever to gain "power" to unlock gated content, gated mostly so you don't get your ass handed to you or engage under leveled.)

    It's unfortunately (IMO) designed to be modular, meaning, you have a LOT of freedom to pick and choose what you do. They don't WANT you to do everything in the game on your first playthrough, but experience different zones, etc. as different characters (sort of like rolling an alt in an MMO and experiencing new starting zones, etc.)

    Linktm on
  • GDT1985GDT1985 Registered User regular
    Linktm wrote: »
    TryCatcher wrote: »
    Honestly, saw a walkthrough of Dragon Age: Inquisition and it just seemed so obviously padded that I decided to not bother.

    Actually, strictly speaking main plot, it's the shortest Dragon Age so far. There is maybe 10 quests or less tops, and then a companion quest for all your other characters. Everything else is more or less optional (although you DO have to level up and do side-quests or whatever to gain "power" to unlock gated content, gated mostly so you don't get your ass handed to you or engage under leveled.)

    It's unfortunately (IMO) designed to be modular, meaning, you have a LOT of freedom to pick and choose what you do. They don't WANT you to do everything in the game on your first playthrough, but experience different zones, etc. as different characters (sort of like rolling an alt in an MMO and experiencing new starting zones, etc.)

    This is really hard for me. I want to complete the game, which means doing everything. I do this in most games unless it is like Skyrim with too many things to do.(on top of the infinite quests)

    Inquisition has stopped me due to a broken companion quest(All new, Faded for her) I don't want to start a new game, and I don't want to progress further without Solas.(though I don't really use him) But, this is a discussion for another thread.

  • Finnish_LineFinnish_Line Registered User regular
    forty wrote: »
    I would hope that Mike can understand why some people who aren't millionaires and have to regulate their game purchasing might be interested in knowing such things.

    Thank you for bringing this up.

    Not only the extra money available to buy a $60 short game every couple weeks, but also to write it off on your taxes due to your job.

    Very few gamers are in this position.

  • GaslightGaslight Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    forty wrote: »
    I would hope that Mike can understand why some people who aren't millionaires and have to regulate their game purchasing might be interested in knowing such things.

    Thank you for bringing this up.

    Not only the extra money available to buy a $60 short game every couple weeks, but also to write it off on your taxes due to your job.

    This is something I was wondering about a week or two ago when Jerry was joking about not wanting to have to buy a GTX 980 on Twitter. Can you write off stuff like that, if your business is basically to play and talk about vidja games? It seems like you ought to be able to.

    Gaslight on
  • SariiasSariias Registered User new member
    I don't bother with Polygon and the like anymore. Very tired of click bait trash. At least they have an article naming strategy designed to invoke sensationalism that makes such articles easy to avoid, once you recognize the pattern.

  • Finnish_LineFinnish_Line Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Gaslight wrote: »
    forty wrote: »
    I would hope that Mike can understand why some people who aren't millionaires and have to regulate their game purchasing might be interested in knowing such things.

    Thank you for bringing this up.

    Not only the extra money available to buy a $60 short game every couple weeks, but also to write it off on your taxes due to your job.

    This is something I was wondering about a week or two ago when Jerry was joking about not wanting to have to buy a GTX 980 on Twitter. Can you write off stuff like that, if your business to basically to play and talk about vidja games? It seems like you ought to be able to.


    -- Quoting http://dispatches.cheatcc.com/1181 --

    What about being "paid in games?"

    There are a couple problems with this actually. First of all, games that you review as a game journalist are a business expense if they come out of your own money. They are a thing you need to have to do your job. When doing your taxes, you can deduct business expenses from your income, and this isn’t just for game journalists. This is for pretty much every job in the U.S. So you really can’t count games as “income.”

    Furthermore, 90% of the time your publication isn’t actually paying for these games. Review copies tend to come from publishers or developers and are sent to review outlets for free. No money has been spent on letting you review that game, at least not by your place of employment."

    -- UnQuote --




    So it depends on how Gabe views Penny Arcade and his work for it. Is buying Destiny a required expense in order to draw a strip about Destiny? Did he get Destiny for free from Bungie because his work will increase sales? Or, because there won't be an official review of it on Penny Arcade, does PA get passed over for free games in favor of IGN and the like?

    Finnish_Line on
  • TryCatcherTryCatcher Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Gaslight wrote: »
    forty wrote: »
    I would hope that Mike can understand why some people who aren't millionaires and have to regulate their game purchasing might be interested in knowing such things.

    Thank you for bringing this up.

    Not only the extra money available to buy a $60 short game every couple weeks, but also to write it off on your taxes due to your job.

    This is something I was wondering about a week or two ago when Jerry was joking about not wanting to have to buy a GTX 980 on Twitter. Can you write off stuff like that, if your business to basically to play and talk about vidja games? It seems like you ought to be able to.

    Well, I do know that reviewers and YouTubers and streamers that can, write the price of the game that they buy as tax returns or, more likely, just ask for a press license key. Penny Arcade is obviosly on the level where they can do that easily and let the accounting/PR people handle it.

    TryCatcher on
  • DjiemDjiem Registered User regular
    Sariias wrote: »
    I don't bother with Polygon and the like anymore. Very tired of click bait trash. At least they have an article naming strategy designed to invoke sensationalism that makes such articles easy to avoid, once you recognize the pattern.

    Any article that has such a click bait title is an article I avoid, and not just with video games. If your article has ANY value whatsoever, it doesn't need or have a click bait title. I also tend to avoid articles that have a question as the title.

  • CambiataCambiata Commander Shepard The likes of which even GAWD has never seenRegistered User regular
    I think vsove said that DAI is actually no shorter, looking strictly at plot missions, than DAO or DA2. Which suggests to me that the problem with it is pacing. I think the problem with it is that the big, shocking, climactic moments all happen in the early story missions, and then every mission after In Your Heart Shall Burn feels like a very long denouement.

    "If you divide the whole world into just enemies and friends, you'll end up destroying everything" --Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind
  • Mr. MaskMr. Mask Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Reminds me of Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes drama. Polygon mentioned its playtime a few times, not in an opaque criticism. Contrary to opposition, the playtime to cost ratios mentioned by users in the comments here fall within the game's bounds.

    Mr. Mask on
  • TheCanManTheCanMan GT: Gasman122009 JerseyRegistered User regular
    Cambiata wrote: »
    Quotes like "over 200 hrs of content" are actually off-putting to me. But I'm an adult with a job, I just don't have that kind of time anymore. I still bought at played Dragon Age Inquisition, but the hours of quoted content was definitely a negative.

    I think telling audiences the amount of content is important, for people with limited time. But the amount of hours in the game definitely shouldn't be an indicator of quality. If pacing is an issue that should be addressed - ie "it felt long" means bad pacing, not necessarily that the game was too long.

    I think your last point is a really important one, and I think when reviews talk about game length they often conflate the objective critique with the more important subjective critique. In judging the quality of a game I don't care how long it is, I care about how long it felt like it was. A game could be 6hrs or it could be 60hrs, as long as that time spent feels good and the experience feels complete it doesn't matter. On the other hand, if the 60hr game starts to feel tedious or the 6hr game feels incomplete, then neither game is worth the money.

  • darleysamdarleysam On my way to UKRegistered User regular
    Yup, it's what they do with the time they're taking up that matters. I've got no problem with a five-hour game, if those five hours are used to deliver an incredible gameplay experience. Funnily enough, while this comic was about The Witness, the same discussion's kicked up over The Order: 1886 because it's reportedly a really short game. The difference here is that The Order sounds like it really doesn't do much with those few hours of runtime, which leads me to believe that if they extended if further, an already thin game would just be stretched even further into tedium.

    forumsig.png
  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    Journey is, I feel, a good length for the experience and the cost.

    All these factors are going to have different values for different people though. Some people just want more for their time, even if its of less quality, because they can buy less games so they want every dollar to stretch further.

    I don't judge games on how long it takes to play though. I judge them on how long I'll spend playing them.

    If you've got a blood palace style thing in your game I know I am going to get a lot of hours out of your game because I will want to beat that fucker.

    If its got a lot of complex mechanics I'm going to want to know how they all work.

    So I've got a fairly unique take.

    I don't mine the gameplay for any other genre anywhere near as much. So most other genres aren't as good value for money to me.

    Morninglord on
    (PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
  • SpaffySpaffy Fuck the Zero Registered User regular
    Cambiata wrote: »
    I think vsove said that DAI is actually no shorter, looking strictly at plot missions, than DAO or DA2. Which suggests to me that the problem with it is pacing. I think the problem with it is that the big, shocking, climactic moments all happen in the early story missions, and then every mission after In Your Heart Shall Burn feels like a very long denouement.

    I don't give a shit about collectables, in any game. DA:I for me provided a very rich and rewarding experience without them.

    Would the removal of the busy work have provided an even-richer core experience? Maybe. But I'm satisfied with my purchase regardless.

    ALRIGHT FINE I GOT AN AVATAR
    Steam: adamjnet
  • MorninglordMorninglord I'm tired of being Batman, so today I'll be Owl.Registered User regular
    edited February 2015
    I do collectibles if I have to fight shit to get em!

    you just got a collectible lying on the ground and a few guards lazing around it

    "nobodies ever gonna come up here" one says to the other, while in the background my character is in the middle of pouncing on both of them

    Morninglord on
    (PSN: Morninglord) (Steam: Morninglord) (WiiU: Morninglord22) I like to record and toss up a lot of random gaming videos here.
  • DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    As far as this length argument goes I tend to prefer around 15-20 hours for a full length action game and 40 to 60 hours for an RPG.

    I rarely care for "OVER 100 HOURS!!!" Because let's face it you'll be collecting bear asses for half of that.

    Also I don't mind paying full price for a shorter action title but only if its a tight experience and has some replayability.

  • SynorbsSynorbs Registered User regular
    Thank you. I've been saying this to people all my friggen life @ game playing time and so on. Great comic, esp Gabe in the last panel. I'm still playing Baldur's Gate II, amongst a few others.

  • fortyforty Registered User regular
    Gaslight wrote: »
    forty wrote: »
    I would hope that Mike can understand why some people who aren't millionaires and have to regulate their game purchasing might be interested in knowing such things.

    Thank you for bringing this up.

    Not only the extra money available to buy a $60 short game every couple weeks, but also to write it off on your taxes due to your job.

    This is something I was wondering about a week or two ago when Jerry was joking about not wanting to have to buy a GTX 980 on Twitter. Can you write off stuff like that, if your business to basically to play and talk about vidja games? It seems like you ought to be able to.


    -- Quoting http://dispatches.cheatcc.com/1181 --

    What about being "paid in games?"

    There are a couple problems with this actually. First of all, games that you review as a game journalist are a business expense if they come out of your own money. They are a thing you need to have to do your job. When doing your taxes, you can deduct business expenses from your income, and this isn’t just for game journalists. This is for pretty much every job in the U.S. So you really can’t count games as “income.”

    Furthermore, 90% of the time your publication isn’t actually paying for these games. Review copies tend to come from publishers or developers and are sent to review outlets for free. No money has been spent on letting you review that game, at least not by your place of employment."

    -- UnQuote --




    So it depends on how Gabe views Penny Arcade and his work for it. Is buying Destiny a required expense in order to draw a strip about Destiny? Did he get Destiny for free from Bungie because his work will increase sales? Or, because there won't be an official review of it on Penny Arcade, does PA get passed over for free games in favor of IGN and the like?
    I don't know about your specific questions, but Gabe has mentioned on multiple occasions that they get a lot of free shit from publishers and such at PA.

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