no need to stan slow poke titanfall when quake is in the running
quake does not have any robots, let alone chappies that get into larger robots, sorry, 0/10
2 Likes
re: the question of Shadow of the Colossus and guilt, i feel like the simple gut response of “it’s sad when the big bois die” is pretty natural and reasonable, but the error among the critical community definitely was in somehow ascribing that as “the point.” back then, and even today, the “are games ART???111?” crowd makes the same mistake that your average woke lib media critic makes, which is of needing to ascribe a clear moral message to everything.
i think sotc’s minimalism and starkness gives it a sort of mythological amorality–this is just a thing that Happened. is it stupid and selfish to break the (presumably very important, and there for a reason) laws of your people to go to a “forbidden land” just to save a girl? sure it is! i mean hell, was her death even unjust? or was it just a natural illness, or an accident. but traditions and rules are made to be broken–that’s why we have stories about them.
wander wants the girl to come back to life. dormin wants to be reborn and do whatever a fell god does. the village folks want to preserve their village. the colossi don’t exactly “want” to not die, as they’re likely not particularly conscious, but whatever magic animates them likely gives them a drive as well, to preserve the seal on dormin via preserving themselves
this, again, amoral mythmaking is obviously going to be hard sell for anyone looking for a clear message, so many players tried to give it one: feeling bad about the colossi. even this isn’t THAT off, i mean… im sure wander is constantly reminded of the extent of his transgression, and maybe feels “bad” about it, but only as something to overcome and ignore in pursuit of his goal
all rules are eventually broken. all sealed gods eventually are once again set free, only to be defeated again. young fighting men with cute girlfriends tend to go to great lengths to protect them. it’s the cycle of history
man, good game!
16 Likes
Repeating what others have said but I replayed SotC recently and I sure did feel bad about killing these big giant beasts just hanging around so I stopped playing. Same for Monster Hunter. It makes me very upset. I wish I could say video games made me vegetarian but they didn’t.
4 Likes
MonHun never made me feel that, but SotC did, so maybe I’m the monster all along or something.
I think part of it is that MonHun feels so videogamey in the construction of everything that I don’t really feel like I am hunting anything real. Also the monsters can win sometimes, which didn’t really happen to me in SotC.
2 Likes
Yeah, you know, going back to my original metaphor, I don’t think I could complete a game where you play as Othello and manually have to do everything he does.
4 Likes
I’m the opposite and can play SotC because I know I’m supposed to feel ambivalent about killing completely innocent things there and can’t play Monster Hunter because you’re never supposed to care or think about the innocent monsters at all so the game itself feels morally heartless instead of just its characters
Granted, any game where you barge in an ecosystem and start mass slaughtering enemies is kinda morally questionable, whether the enemies attack you or not. But that’s like, all the videogames
2 Likes
Breath of the Wild vs. Third Strike
These are two games that I’ve dabbled with, but am too intimidated to commit to. Breath of the Wild is huge. I loved that first ascent up a snowy mountain and the variety of solutions you could use to make it up to the top. I played the beginning on a friend’s copy as he sat next to me. He watched as I cautiously searched for fire sources to relight my torch in order to make my ascent. It was a tricky climb that forced me to think critically. When I finished, he told me, “wow and I just ate spicy food.” In a series that has stuck to puzzle solving for so conservatively, it’s so refreshing to see an approach that inspires more creativity.
Third Strike is not my most played Street Fighter. That would be Alpha 2. However, I have spent a fair amount of time just watching characters bob up and down in training mode. I feel more inspired to watch than to play it. If I lived in a city with arcades, a place where I could shake hands with my opponent after a good game, I would probably be obsessed. But I live next to a farm and fighting games inspire more anger in me than pretty much any other video game genre.
7 Likes
that you can trap/tranq the mons in monhun and it’s quicker and less hassle than trying to kill them is a good thing, but unfortunately a lot of quests still insist on murder iirc
3 Likes
Katamari Damacy vs. Street Fighter II Turbo
No contest. I’ve had plenty of fun with Street Fighter II Turbo and it’s important and iconic as heck but Katamari just about transcends video games imo. Like, if I had to pick one game to launch into space, that would probably be the one. I recommend the soundtrack to anyone and everyone whether they like video games or not. Also its name literally translates to something like Clump Spirit, come on!
Resident Evil 4 vs. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Majora’s Mask rouses such extreme and diametrically opposed feelings in me. I adore the sense of melancholy and dark weirdness (watching those twins or the pale freak just outside of town do their dances, being put to sleep by the old crone, those giants, yes, that exquisite that observatory music and of course TINGLE), but I despise most of the dungeons and overworld chores. Seriously, they managed to make a worse water temple after Ocarina of Time. I actually prefer playing through that one as empty and bland as it might feel in comparison (though it certainly has its own unsettling qualities and charms). The transformations almost feel satisfying to control but the Zora swimming isn’t quite as graceful as I’d expect (or at least there aren’t enough open spaces to relish it) and the Goron roll is a little too mushy to enjoy in and of itself. It’s a game I enjoy thinking about more than playing which isn’t nothing, but those temples…I find them insulting and it tips the scale to…
Resident Evil 4 which, underneath its goofy exterior (that weird Little Lord Fontleroy character with the giant statue that chases you OMG and the knockoff codec conversations…), is a smart and savvy action game (the under the hood dynamic difficulty for example). I found it compelling enough to play to completion at a time when I wasn’t really playing video games anymore. Maybe it kickstarted my interest again (for good or bad…). And who doesn’t love the “What are ya boying” guy? Resident Evil 4 takes it.
Crazy Taxi vs. Undertale
Hm. I’ve made two attempts to get into Undertale and both times I end up getting about 3 hours in and lose interest. The humour is a bit too corny for me. The characterisations a little too self-aware. The battle “hook” is neat but not enough to snag my brain apparently. So what’s left? A lovely soundtrack. Sincere themes. Charming pixel art. A one-man show. It has my respect! But not my interest.
I’ve played maybe…6 or 7 hours of Crazy Taxi? Never got good at it and haven’t really cared to but it’s brought me some joy in and out of the arcade. I deeply admire its goofy gusto and if I was stuck with only Crazy Taxi and Undertale I know I’d be playing a lot more Crazy Taxi so it wins even though it trounced Fake Metal Slug 6 
Shadow of the Colossus vs. Puyo Puyo
Again, no contest. I don’t doubt that Puyo Puyo is a fine puzzle game but Shadow of the Colossus is an experience that changed how I thought about what games could do on an emotional level. It plays like a performance of poetry and sometimes poetry can be clunky, so what? There’s not really much I can say that others haven’t. Shadow of the Colossus all the way.
Super Metroid vs. Killer 7
I’m only a few hours into my first playthrough of Killer 7. It’s not always a game I want to go to after a long day of work but it sure has impressed me with its confident fever dreamery and sick style. The actual gameplay tasks so far are pretty hokey taken at face value but the context in which they are delivered sells it. I really dig the navigation of branching paths with a swipe of the analog stick. I will beat this game even if it takes a while.
Super Metroid is pretty cool but actually playing it doesn’t inspire intense feelings. Like, Samus rules and the moody tunes are ace but…I’ve not felt the desire to go back since beating it for the first time many years ago. I appreciate its legacy but I have to go with the game that feels more vital and harder to imitate. That’s Killer 7.
Sonic Mania vs. Riven
The first console game(s) I owned was Sonic 3 & Knuckles. I love old Sonic, and Mania was like my favourite dish on the kid’s menu, reimagined and served up by a 5-star chef. A lovely time was had and the soundtrack (Chemical Zone remix!) is a real banger. But…I’d be just fine with Sonic 2 or 3 & Knuckles carrying the torch (even though I have this creeping feeling that that’s what a lot of us are thinking and they’ll ultimately get pushed aside altogether). Also…
Cyan’s Manhole was the first video game to inspire a sense of wonder. Maybe the first game I ever played actually. Then Myst came along and was just as captivating. I’ve never played Riven (something to correct!) but I’d like to see some Cyan representation move through the ranks so Riven it is.
5 Likes
Cave Story vs Tetris
Cave Story
The way the story branches if you push against the boundaries makes this a masterpiece for me. Like Undertale, it lifts a retro aesthetic but applies it to a new structure. I love the way the action feels. I’m due for a replay.
I’ve said my piece about Tetris
5 Likes
the giants are cute thats why i feel bad. i never got the guilt was the point thing, people just shit their pants when a game doesn’t say YOURE THE NUMBER ONE GOOD GUY FOREVER. like if the game isnt constantly up your fucking ass about how heroic you, the main character of the world is, then it becomes this BREAKTHROUGH OF THE CONCIENCE: CAN VIDEOGAMES CONVEY A DEEPER MEANING THAN KILL THE BAD GUY? READ THREE YEARS OF THINKPIECES TO FIND OUT YES BUT BADLY
when i went to japants in 2005 and they had shadow of the colossus demo at some store we went to, i fucking hated it and didn’t understand anything going on. i thought you were supposed to make the homing beacon do the thing it does when you’re pointing the opposite direction of where you’re supposed to go. it didnt click that it was focusing a path, like, at all. i hadn’t played ico or touched a videogame in years. i thought it was an unfinished lawn with a big bridge and sword shining mechanics. i liked how it looked but i didnt understand anything! when it came out here everyone knew how to play it and i figured out that i was doing the exact opposite of what i should have been with the sword
i think the tentacles look cool as hell after each fight but i never finished it. there was some annoying boss with fucking lasers and that just ripped me out of the world. oh but right before i gave up i figured out a reliable way to clip through the ground and float/swim around blackness until death, and i did that for fuckin hours so i love the game.
my friend is a chef and moved to the town uedas from. he opened a restaurant and is waiting for ueda to visit home so he can serve him food. i hope it happens! his food is getting recommended to people at end of life counseling, so now he gets to balance scheduling people on first dates to not come in at the same time to someone hooked up to youre-about-to-die machines
i suck at puyo puyo too but i dont have any fun stories about it
10 Likes
Random question related Shiren: what’s do they call roguelikes in Japan? I know the Japanese Wikipedia has a page called ローグライクゲーム, but is that actually the preferred/common term? Like, I heard some rando the other week say that they call roguelikes “Mystery Dungeons”, but is that actually common for games outside of the Mystery Dungeon brand?
Inquiring minds would like to know.
the gamers will call it that but Japanese developers are unlikely to call themselves that (unless they are somehow entangled in the western indie influence circles in japan)
1 Like
killer7 vs Super Metroid
After years of follow ups from Suda 51, Killer7 feels more special than ever. It totally broke my young teen brain when I first played it. It obliterates the style vs substance dichotomy by showing that style is substance. I’m more excited to replay killer7 than any other game I can think of. If killer7 were as influential as Super Metroid was, I think I would love video games.
5 Likes
you know what, i dont care anymore. have fun eveyone, keep snood in your hearts
1 Like
Rondo of Blood vs Shiren the Wanderer
WOW! Usually matchups are between very different games so I’m able to make some arbitrary judgement. But these two hit very similar parts of my brain.
I love castlevania with its tunes and finely tuned pacing. I have only played the first level of Rondo of Blood but I trust everyone who says the rest is really good.
Shiren has all the good qualities of Rogue that I love. It has wands. It has pots. It has pitfalls. The pots might be my favorite part since they can do so much. I love how you have to throw them against a wall to get the items back. It facilitates so many tricky decisions about whether to smash the pot now or wait until it is completely filled. Koppa is cool. Maybe I’ll print out this papercraft later today.
5 Likes
Before I begin I think all these games are really great!
UNDERTALE
vs.
CRAZY TAXI
The looping hand stress of CT takes it for me. I think Undertale has great bullet patterns and is the second shooter on this list! I think this one may be a real generation gap.
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
vs.
PUYO PUYO SERIES
Woah lots of discussion came out of this one and really got a lot about how we engage with media. Puyo needs more praise and maybe if it wins I will figure out how to set up Puyo combos!
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD
vs.
STREET FIGHTER III THIRD STRIKE: FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE
Both these games are near perfect and do not need any more praise. I will not let a Zelda game win this bracket though.
CAVE STORY
vs.
TETRIS: THE ABSOLUTE: THE GRANDMASTER 2 PLUS
You can play TGM2+ co-op and it is great. We should all do it sometime.
KILLER7
vs.
SUPER METROID
I’ve replayed Killer 7 a lot and based off very recent experience I don’t know what y’all get out of SM outside the first and last thirty minutes. We’re In A Tight Spot.
DEMON’S SOULS (2009)
vs.
NIGHTS INTO DREAMS…
If I was deciding this bracket would Demon’s be #1? Probably. That’s also boring. Let’s go with the score attack game with the clown that can really only be truly played with Felix’s 3D Saturn Controller hooked up to a linux machine.
RIVEN
vs.
SONIC MANIA
Oh no my children. But also you ever think about those stairs leading down to the sunbeasts? You ever imagine yourself sitting their watching them make their calls?
OUTRUN 2
vs.
GAME BOY CAMERA
Gotta give it to the fun camera that let’s me take pictures of my friends. I did have a 20 minute philosophic discussion with Booji what if Outrun 2 v. Crazy Taxi? Also gotta be honest I get bored with any Outrun 2 track by the end of the run. And I will play Outrun 2 any chance I get. I thought the PC port looks too clean. Maybe need to emulate the PS2 version.
EVERYBODY VOTES EVERYBODY WINS
9 Likes
Demon’s Souls vs NiGHTS into Dreams…
I remember trying Demon’s Souls on my friend’s copy. He sat next to me and I thought it would be a great game to swap the controller over. You know, see who can get further. I was wrong. He was much better than I was and could play for stretches of fifteen minutes while I couldn’t make it past five. It made me so angry that I didn’t want to let go of the controller. I got annoyed with how long it took to make up lost progress. This is my problem. Years later, I’ve had the chance to spend real time with Dark Souls and Bloodborne and I enjoy them a lot, but I haven’t been able to go back to where it started. I’m a little sad I missed the moment and couldn’t play my own copy when my friend was going through it. Now, I just feel a weird level of embarrassment.
I also missed the moment for NiGHTS but it always seemed to exist outside of any moment. For me, the game itself exists in a dream reality. I have yet to see a SEGA Saturn in person and I’m convinced that the console was invented by my subconscious.
1 Like
KATAMARI DAMACY
vs.
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO
Oh hell. The two video games I’ve had t-shirts of the longest. Weekly breaks to replay the final stage of Katamari kept me sane when grad school was at its worst. Street Fighter 2 was an absolute phenomena in fifth and sixth grade and has remained a source of joy and challenge ever since. And looking around my apartment, as least one friend has gotten me a Street Fighter related present for like the last three Christmas/Birthday seasons. Practically, I’ve logged more hours on the Katamari Switch re-release than I have on the SF collection, so I guess I gotta vote that way.
RESIDENT EVIL 4
vs.
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: MAJORA’S MASK
Strange that these are two games that I’ve tried to start a couple times each but never stuck with. I think MM’s inconvenient save system is a problem with the game whereas me being too jumpy after surviving that village attack is a problem with me. Point to RE4.
UNDERTALE
vs.
CRAZY TAXI
Crazy Taxi, hands down
SHADOW OF THE COLOSSUS
vs.
FANCY PANTS TALK FOR MEAN BEAN MACHINE
Again, no question, Shadow
THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: BREATH OF THE WILD
vs.
STREET FIGHTER III THIRD STRIKE: FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE
Going back to my Switch tie breaker, I have played more SF collection than I have Breath of the Wild. I know I need to pick it back up, and it’s not out of any ill will but I haven’t yet.
CAVE STORY
vs.
TETRIS: THE ABSOLUTE: THE GRANDMASTER 2 PLUS
True Tetris has no t spins. Cave Story
KILLER7
vs.
SUPER METROID
Argh, I guess if I absolutely have to pick, I’ll give it to Super Metroid. NMH is more my preferred Suda51 game.
CASTLEVANIA: RONDO OF BLOOD
vs.
MYSTERY DUNGEON: SHIREN THE WANDERER (1995)
Rondo of Blood to no one’s surprise.
DEMON’S SOULS (2009)
vs.
NIGHTS INTO DREAMS…
I’m of the bent that Dark Souls 1 is actually a bit better, but I still gotta give it to Demon’s Souls over Nights
RIVEN
vs.
SONIC MANIA
Stab in the dark, but Myst is better than any Sonic except 2, so Riven.
OUTRUN 2
vs.
GAME BOY CAMERA
Outrun 2 is illegal to sell now or something, and isn’t even sprite based, so fuck that game. Gameboy Camera of course, and poops to anyone who thinks it’s some kind of stunt pick.
3 Likes