Capital New York

guyinthehat commented on The Last of Us, and other video games that leave absolutely nothing to the imagination

Why the hail of Japan? Sure they have some games that are artistically driven but Metal Gear Solid and Call of Duty are no different in their over the top patriotic banter about heroes and brothers, countries and wars. It's all the same crap, just Call of Duty is short and sweet about it, and Metal Gear Solid is too enamored with its philosophies and story that it comes off more like a Michael Bay film hitting you over the head with its various "meanings" to seem more complex and intricate than it really is. I find Japan to be in the same market as America, albeit in a different way. The primary games that Japan is known for are JRPGs all of which, like MGS, are heavy handed in their messages and story. It's not to say Japan isn't full of games that are of a higher grade of art than most American blockbusters, I just think people assume because Japan releases a few artsy games that they in turn must be the artistic leaders of the medium. Lets not forget their Hentai rape games that they've released and the very skewed concepts of brother sister love that seems to be prevalent in many mainstream Japanese developed games. If America is about violence then Japan is about sex. Let's not forget Ken Levine is American as is the game BioSchock, which manages to pull more artistic feats than majority of Japanese games, while leveling the player with strong moral choices and philosophies; all while remaining nuanced and cultured. But the main point here is this; I really don't see why you're commenting on a game you obviously have no clue about. It's a survival story set in a post apocalyptic world where a man and a young girl must fight to survive in an increasingly violent and standoffish world. The point of the violence in the scene is to maintain a sense of tension and suspense. To ground it in reality and discuss the brutalities of survival and the things one must do to survive in a world like this. It's not glorified, it's effective violence that creates unease, much like the brutal violence you'll find in a Cronenberg film. You seem like another uneducated fool who only assumes games glorify violence, and blah blah blah; same arguments we've heard a thousand times against the medium by people who have no clue what they're talking about. You say with the addition of HD games began to take on more complex and intricate stories, yet there were games released before HD resolution that have plots that rival some of the greatest Hollywood films. You speak of the gaming medium as an inferior bastard child to film, when in reality they couldn't be more different. Comparing the industry to film is like comparing film to novels. Sure they can all blend into one another seamlessly and give the reader, watcher and player a different experience of the same story told through each medium. But each one has it's own way of telling a story, whether it be written, visual or through audience participation.

Posted on June 22nd, 2012 8:30pm