JAVIER ALTMAN
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", the Dreamcast was my first true love when it comes to game consoles. No system before it gave me so many enjoyable hours of awesomeness. I'll see what I can crank up before the deadline"
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
"s actually quite simple, Alex. If you think about it, Argo transcends the role of a simple tool because he is your only point of reference in the story. What I mean by this is: without Argo, you would be completely alone in this barren world. Generally, this causes an emotional response from the player and adds value to the AI partner - after all, you and it share a story, a tale, an adventure and ultimately depend on each other to survive and conquer adversity. As I said, Argo seems like he'll be a simple tool, but the narrative transforms him into so much more (or at least it attempts to). If you played it all the way to the end, you can tell Ueda puts a lot of emotional weight on your relationship with Argo, especially with Argo's sacrifice and later resurgence.
Granted, not everyone will feel an emotional attachment with a character even if they are designed that way - not every player is the same. This can be taken to any medium: I might find a book or a movie moving and touching, and you might find it nothing but entertainment. Both are valid points of view and valid ways of consuming such a product.
To sum up: Argo isn't just a tool, if only because the narrative helps him transcend that aspect. In terms of gameplay, I don't think any companion is more than a tool. But the narrative transforms the way you perceive a certain partner, and in Argo's case, that is exactly what happens.
Hope that clears it up a bit :"
Granted, not everyone will feel an emotional attachment with a character even if they are designed that way - not every player is the same. This can be taken to any medium: I might find a book or a movie moving and touching, and you might find it nothing but entertainment. Both are valid points of view and valid ways of consuming such a product.
To sum up: Argo isn't just a tool, if only because the narrative helps him transcend that aspect. In terms of gameplay, I don't think any companion is more than a tool. But the narrative transforms the way you perceive a certain partner, and in Argo's case, that is exactly what happens.
Hope that clears it up a bit :"
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
"ust simply don't want this E3 to suck donkey balls like 2008's did. Simple request, right"
Monday, May 25, 2009
Bottom line: work towards and with your strengths, not your weaknesses. The parts that have no CG to them look pretty good, but the all the digitally produced assets just don't cut it.
My 2 cents, feel free to hate me. I do commend their efforts and it's obvious they put a lot of that in this production, but I hope whatever they do next plays to their production strengths rather than settling for sub-par results due to one particular area of the whole thing"