Like Fine Wine
Sometimes being late to the party is more enjoyable because you already know how to make yourself comfortable. I'm convinced that consumption of older media is the only honest way to enjoy it. If something is new, I get too caught up in wondering what everyone else's thoughts are; if a game is older, we know that everyone else made their minds up and that what's been said and done is over. And if anything to be said is new, it's more in the style where time is not urgent, the way it is with more academic topics. Fitting that an academic is the first one to treat games like books by having a book club of video games. I hope that's a trend that catches on. (Btw, Michael, there should be a link to it from the main page--I had to dig through posts to find a link to it, or would have had it not been referenced today.)
I've had a DS for 3 months and I picked up some GBA games; they are games no one plays anymore. I have no option but to enjoy them for their own sake. Also picked up the hard-to-find Contact, an invisible game that I suspect is much better than the reviews gave it credit for (I've only played it for 1.5 hours). Unforgettable beginning, and I mean literally unforgettable. I wish I could see some non-review writing on that title. Anyone know of anything?
When you want to enjoy games just for their own sake, what do you play? What would you be playing instead?
Also, an update on the last post: upon seeing some more writings that are far superior in experience and expression, I'll admit I now think the post below doesn't really mention anything original except the deliberate--reckless scale. Between that and Mitch's content--skill scale as reasons for playing, I think those two categories and four aspects (they aren't dichotomies because a game could have both, or even all four aspects covered) being taken into account would get rid of most criticism that is purely uninformed preference. Tired of "linearity", "freedom", "interactivity", and "narrative" issues being used as justification for negative criticism instead of simply the first elaboration of style? Me too.
I've had a DS for 3 months and I picked up some GBA games; they are games no one plays anymore. I have no option but to enjoy them for their own sake. Also picked up the hard-to-find Contact, an invisible game that I suspect is much better than the reviews gave it credit for (I've only played it for 1.5 hours). Unforgettable beginning, and I mean literally unforgettable. I wish I could see some non-review writing on that title. Anyone know of anything?
When you want to enjoy games just for their own sake, what do you play? What would you be playing instead?
Also, an update on the last post: upon seeing some more writings that are far superior in experience and expression, I'll admit I now think the post below doesn't really mention anything original except the deliberate--reckless scale. Between that and Mitch's content--skill scale as reasons for playing, I think those two categories and four aspects (they aren't dichotomies because a game could have both, or even all four aspects covered) being taken into account would get rid of most criticism that is purely uninformed preference. Tired of "linearity", "freedom", "interactivity", and "narrative" issues being used as justification for negative criticism instead of simply the first elaboration of style? Me too.
posted by Etelmik at
8:37 AM
2 Comments:
Thanks for bringing up Contact. That game looked really interesting but I never heard anything about it so it got pushed off of my list. Now it's back on!
I haven't gotten far into it, but it's been extremely interesting so far.
Just make sure you are willing to play it as a deliberate and content-driven game with little room for recklessness or skill. The actual fighting is bland, but the processes, organization, and plot are fascinating and defiant. It's like Earthbound; very fun world and story, but not challenging or full of inventory or battle madness.
I really want a look at the manual and game box--they are supposedly interesting, too.
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