The Cynic's Corner

Domination of Fan Opinion Has Failed Gamers

2011-02-08T23:07:00.000-08:00

Before I begin this particular blog entry of mine, let me first say that this is going to be the last entry on my old domain, as I’ve decided to switch over to Tumblr from now on. Why, you may ask? Simply ease of access.

Now, let’s dig into the meat of this particular entry. What exactly do I mean by “domination of fan opinion” and why has it failed gamers? Well, I think what needs to be outlined first is who I’m talking about when it comes to the fan opinion. You’d figure this sort of thing would be obvious, but we live in an age of ambiguity. What could be the definition of one word to one person could be different to another. So, until this age ends, I’m a little bit stuck.

What I am talking about is the gaming “blogosphere.” The grouping of sites such as Kotaku, Destructoid, and others. The sites that could easily be seen as the most popular video gaming sites in the world. The writers employed at these sites are fans, rather than professional journalists. The reason I believe that many people flocked to these particular sites was due to the major distrust in the outlets that were popular six years ago. Many gamers suspected payola and dishonesty from outlets, so we essentially flocked to people like ourselves who were willing to let their voices be known.

That was a mistake.

One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from Marcus Auralieus. He once said that “anger can not be dishonest.” He is correct in this philosophy, and fans are anything if not angry. At our cores, we fans are reactionary, have entitlement issues, and are incredibly passionate. Thus, any opinion that you hear from a fan site like Destructoid is obviously honest of that person’s feelings. That particular person will tell you exactly what they’re feeling at that very moment.

However, it is that reactionary honesty that is also the biggest weakness to a fan. Though you may get an honest opinion from a fan, it will never be anything more than an opinion. It has no validity. It has the depth of a three inch swimming pool. It is worthless. The fan opinion simply serves to only reflect a small aspect of a much larger community. Though honest, its scope of vision is limited to those who are similar to a particular fan. To those outside, they are simply left shaking their heads at someone with a narrow mindset.

Truthfully, all of that which I have said is simply a description of what many have attached themselves to. Though fan opinion should be taken with a grain of salt, people have attached themselves to it. The issue here is the influence. Due to so many people flocking to a small number of fans with mass exposure, their issues have permeated into the gamer subculture. All of that selfish, ignorant, narrow-minded ideology has become how people view gamers, whether people realize it or not.

I have no need to call out specific people. They know who they are. I will simply say that gamers are seen as sexist, socially inept, and idiotic. I am none of the above. I know many people who are none of the above. My friends are none of the above. The people I work with are none of the above. Are you seeing a pattern here?

This is why I made a choice to be a journalist. Journalists, at their core, are required to simply deliver the facts, be impartial, and let the readers make up their own minds. My job as a reporter is to simply tell my readers about the information that I’ve been given on a subject. My job as an editorial writer is to give my theories based on what I know, but acknowledge that I don’t know nearly enough. My job as a critic is to analyze the quality and accessibility of a piece of art. The fact is that those who refuse to do this are bad journalists, and those who do it are good journalists.

There are those out there that claim that they are not journalists. To some, this is true. There are people I work with who are primarily entertainers, and I respect that. These people also have the sense to keep that in check by letting their audiences know that they don’t know everything, and aren’t capable of really being more than entertainers in the context of their content. That’s the way that being a video producer works. Though there’s always an opinion at the core, at the end of the day it’s just entertainment.

When it all becomes an issue is when a journalist is in a form of denial. Let’s say I were to point at a man on a bench, and tell you that he has media connections, writes for a major publication, consistently reports on news, and also reviews video games. You would immediately tell me that man is a journalist. To anyone with some sense, it’s rather obvious when you’ve walked into that role. If you continue to walk that way, you will be identified as such.

The fact remains that people cannot hide behind the term “blogger” any more. If a writer refuses to do their job, then he opposes the idea that he is a grown, intelligent human being. That person opposes the idea that gaming, as a medium, should be taken seriously. The actions of the media will inevitably be seen as a reflection of what they cover. If the most popular coverage outlets are fools, then we will all be seen as fools.

What I suggest is simple: We all need to grow up. Game Journalism needs to have a sense of maturity, or our community will not mature. We serve as examples to our community. If our actions are homophobic, racist, sexist, xenophobic, or anything along those lines, our readers will absorb and reflect these ideas. This is not what gamers want to happen to our community.

Video games are awesome, and they are worth defending. I’m sure there are many people who write for blogs that would agree with me on this. Thing is, you need to grow up, re-evaluate what you’re doing with your writing, and whether or not it’s the right thing to do. Should you begin to start typing after that sentence, stop immediately. Right and wrong do exist. Were we to do these things as writers for newspapers or magazines, we would be canned immediately.

Going back to Marcus Aurelius, he also said that “A man’s worth is no greater than that of his ambitions.” If you only want to be a sexist twit, then your life will be seen as a life lived as a narrow minded imbecile. Just do those of us who know how to do our jobs a favor. Stop talking, and you will seem more intelligent.

Ever the cynic.

-Micah C

Random Thoughts on Gundam Seed

2011-02-07T15:07:00.000-08:00

As I said in one of my most recent posts on Blistered Thumbs, I'm a huge Gundam fan. Though I haven't seen every series yet, I will say that I love both Gundam Wing and G Gundam, and the original series is pretty good too. I also got a kick out of Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory as well. However, there were quite a few people who told me that I should check out Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed: Destiny at some point, so I decided to check out the first series. So, here I am, fifty episodes later, and I'm sort of scratching my head about a few things. So, let me get the surface thoughts out of the way first, and then finish off with my final thoughts on the series.

- Is it just me, or does this series sort of feel like an amalgamation of every Gundam series to come before it? I don't think it's a coincidence that the Strike and the Aegis have the same color schemes as Wing and Epyon.

- Evidently there are no bras in space.

- So, the key to getting laid as a teenager is to kill people while driving a big robot? God damn it, where's a time machine when you need one?!

- Okay, so a transport got in your way for a split second, and you shoot it anyway. Somebody is certainly compensating.

- Desert Tiger. Ha ha. Terrible Irwin Rommel reference.

- I'm not sure why this series has to constantly put fourteen year old girls in scenes where they're in their underwear. This is kinda awkward.

- Christ almighty! Why did I have to see a kid get melted by a beam sword?

- Now that I'm thinking about it, the gore in this series is downright pointless. Granted, the Gundam series has never shied away from mature content, but it really hasn't made a lot of sense in this scenario.

-What the fuck is with Captain Maskeyface? He's got the depth of a piece of paper when it comes to characterization. His logic is "I'm a clone, so fuck everyone."

- Why is it that the two heads of the two big military nations are trying their best to impersonate Adolf Hitler? All this master race talk is making me ashamed for my German genes.

- Christ almighty, writer! How many times do you have to kill innocents in this show in front of Kira? WTF.

- There were way too many Gundams in this show. When that many show up, they stop being special.

Overall, the show wasn't bad, but it really wasn't that good either. The dub track was very solid, and the action kept the pace going as well. The problem is that it completely fails to really make sense of who I'm supposed to be rooting for during the course of the storyline. It doesn't make sense for me to root for peace when the peaceful people are developing the harshest weapons, and whupping complete and total ass.

It's a fairly average series, but I really don't have any seething desire to see the follow up season. This was an interesting experiment, but I think I'll just rewatch Gundam Wing at this point. That, or G Gundam. In fact, I'm going to give you my favorite part of that particular show. This is from the fight between Sai Saichi and Domon Kasshu. Fucking epic.

This hand of mine is burning red. Maybe I should see a doctor.

-Micah C

Thoughts on Ninja Assassin

2011-01-17T23:25:00.000-08:00

Yeah, yeah, I know I'm late on this. Truthfully, I don't really care, because it's 1:30 in the morning, and I can't sleep. Overall, I can't really say whether or not I enjoyed the film, because I'm simply torn on it. On one hand, the fight scenes were well choreographed, and the visual effects were really neat. On the other hand, this movie felt like it didn't really have a center to it. It starts, and just as you think the tempo is going to shift for the second movement, it's already near the end. It's sort of like listening to Orion by Metallica without what I call the "waltz" movement. This is just one of those movies that feels like it could have been something really special, but it just wasn't. With all of that said, let me just point out some things that pulled me out of the experience due to my brain being really active. Spoilers will follow.

- Why in the hell would you kill the old man? Who the hell is going to believe that he saw a freaking Ninja?

- Can you be named Raizo and have another profession other than Ninja? I can't imagine going to Buffalo Wild Wings and have a waitress tell me "Raizo will make sure your wings are perfect."

- Why do I feel like Batman should be popping up?

- Is there a role that Rick Yune has been in that wasn't "Evil Oriental Guy?"

- Are we going to get some sort of context for the fat British guy getting murdered?

- Since when was a kusari-gama such an effective weapon? Was this guy's instructor Ryu Hayabusa?

- Seriously, why do I feel like Batman should have shown up by now to punch someone?

- At some points, I think that Rain's a decent actor. Then, they give him more deadpan lines. For some reason I feel like Rain should be putting more emotion into his lines, but he almost feels like he's trying to be robotic on purpose. Ugh, I'm confused.

- Why am I surprised that they didn't get the chick naked at this point? It feels like it should be a B movie, but I haven't seen nudity. I'm in shock.

- WHERE THE FUCK IS BATMAN?!

- Oh, bullets can't fuck with Ninjas. No, wait, Ninjas can't fuck with bullets. Oh, okay. Ninjas can fuck with bullets, but only on certain conditions, like when, oh fuck this.

- Wait, he has to whip your ass and stab your new lady for you to use the technique of "not being honorable and stabbing his ass" on him? What kind of Ninja are you?

So, those are my thoughts on Ninja Assassin.

Waiting for Batman.

-Micah C

Ruh, roh! Micah writes for someone new!

2011-01-12T19:42:00.000-08:00

That's right, kiddies. Now I get to expand on my MMA stuff. I restarted MMA Mondays, and I'm also going to be writing for the blog Unintelligent defense. Here's a little sample, a link, and the newest MMA Mondays episode!

http://unintelligentdefense.blogspot.com/2011/01/scott-coker-may-be-doormat.html

Before I get started on this post and have a metric assload of folks calling me a UFC shill or something along those lines, let me say that I like Strikeforce. At their best, the promotion can put on some entertaining shows. They're not always competitive (see Lawler vs Lindland) and the matchmaking doesn't always make sense (Diaz vs Santos seems like a fight to beef up Nick's record), but usually someone's getting their lights put out, or something's getting broken. So, to that degree, I say that Scott Coker should put a feather in his cap. However, he may want to take it back out, because doormats don't wear hats, and he may qualify for the position of sitting on my front porch.

My New Years resolution

2010-12-31T12:48:00.000-08:00

2010 was an interesting year for me. I went from struggling college student with no direction to a games journalist known for being professional, but also for being a bit of a dick. It's not often that your life shifts like this, but I sort of stumbled upon everything. It's sort of like falling into a random building to find that you've entered a really good party. Only problem is that said party has a few jerks inside it.

However, one thing that I think can happen during the holidays is that your perspective can change. I'm not a big fan of really going too in-depth about the goings-on in my family, but what I will say is that my family made me see a few things. Fact of the matter is that I have a niece, two nephews, and another niece on the way. All of them either do look up to me, or will. The question that I have to ask myself is this: "Am I setting the right example for them?"

At the moment, the answer is a really big question mark. I'm a good journalist. I write well, I speak well, I'm well educated, and I'm intelligent. That's quite a few advantages. However, I did the one thing that I swore I would never do in my life. I let the things that separate me from other people consume my mind. Don't get me wrong, I think that there are huge problems within games journalism, and I truly believe that if we amplify everything, we hear nothing.

Thing is, it's not right for me to hold what makes me good at my job over other people. So, in essence, I'm done caring about what other people do or say when it comes to journalism, because I don't think that what they do or say matters. I think that what matters is who people trust, and I think that my methods make me trustworthy. When I wake up in the morning, or go to sleep at night, I don't need to be thinking about what others are doing. I need to focus on being the best that I can be.

So, my New Years Resolution is to take the question mark away from my head. I'm no longer going to let a bad attitude sour my skills or my ability to contribute to the games industry as a journalist. My focus this year is simply being the best I can be for whatever site that I work for. It's the attitude of a freelancer, and that's what I am. I don't worry about the website. That's for the heads to worry about. I worry about what work I'm putting forward. Well, that and if they're paying me or not.

So, with that said, Happy New Years, everyone. I plan to make the most of my 2011, and I hope you do too.

Vlog 12/17/10 - VGA Wrap Up and Games Journalism talk

2010-12-18T08:09:00.001-08:00

I Enjoy Murdering People

2010-12-10T00:04:00.001-08:00

I've killed a lot of people in my lifetime. I've killed a lot of people, and may God strike me down if I didn't have fun every single second of it. I've also killed a variety of people. You see, I don't discriminate. I'm an equal opportunity genocidal maniac. In fact, what's really cool is that I've killed everyone with just about any means of killing them. I've used assault rifles, machetes, piano wire, pistols, chainsaws, my bare hands, cars, trucks, motorcycles, and I even did it with this big fucking gun that shot out a massive ball of green plasma. I've also gone under tons of aliases, like Minion, Mario, Snake, Lucas Kane, and several others.

Oh, wait. You thought I was talking about actual people, didn't you? Nope, I'm talking about video games.

You see, the reason I'm writing this blog is because it seems like the idea of fun is now beneath other critics. Oddly enough, these are the types of assholes that will put up a post that mentions something about a woman and ejaculate, but when a game like Splatterhouse or Conker's Bad Fur Day is brought up in conversation, all of a sudden that type of thing is beneath them. Now, maybe everyone got offended by Splatterhouse's review guide and are just sensitive people (see: pussies) but why are we forgetting our roots?

That root is fun. Every single gamer out there has murdered everything in their path at least once. In fact, we've all done it in at least one way that made us feel a little bit dirty afterward. As high brow as I come off when talking about a game like Dragon Age or Red Dead Redemption, you know for a fact that at one point or another, I've boned Leiliana in the former, and tied someone who tried to kill me after a poker game to railroad tracks in the latter.

Does this make me a bad person? Of course not. I'm just someone who likes to be entertained, and when something generally entertaining crosses my path, I try to make the most of it. Heck, even when something sucks, there's ways to enjoy yourself with it. For example: on my birthday, I had a lovely lady over for supper (as in real food, and get your mind out of the gutter) and we watched a couple horrible movies in Johnny Mnemonic and Doom. You know what? We had fun, and those movies sucked. That's why we had fun though. The movies are so bad you just have to laugh.

This is my overall problem with some game critics. Many of them have forgotten what fun is. Dragon Age 2 wants to save time and put me into the combat as soon as possible, and people already hate it? In what backwards society does that make any sense? Is there someone out there that wants to have to navigate a labyrinth before being able to enter an arena to see a boxing match?! NO! What the hell is wrong with you?

Listen, I love that gaming as a medium is maturing big time. I love games like GTA IV, Silent Hill 2, and their ilk, but I don't want high art constantly. The thing that the movie crowd has on us game critics is they've learned to appreciate all kinds of entertainment. I love really good movies like Citizen Kane and Gladiator, but I can't watch them all the time, and if that's all that was released, I would go batty. Variety is something that should be embraced by gamers. Fun is what got us here, and fun should never be forgotten.

Also, fun does often mean murder in the case of video games.

-Micah C

Video Review - Splatterhouse

2010-12-09T14:12:00.000-08:00

The Year in Review - Micah C's Game Awards

2010-12-08T22:25:00.000-08:00

You know, I've had this blog for quite a long time, and since I'm a fairly well known gaming journalist at this point, I wanted to take the journalist hat off for a moment, throw on the fan hat, and give some year-end awards to certain video games and things oriented around video games. Now, keep in mind that these games are only video games I played, so please bear with me if I miss something.

The Negatives

The Stuffed Bra Award for most unnecessary padding.

The Winner - Final Fantasy XIII

Why it won the award - To be quite honest, I haven't played a game that has been this drawn out since the Xenosaga series. I do not know why this game takes so long to get started, and when it gets started, why it's plagued with horrible storytelling and half-assed attempts at character development. I know that JRPG's are usually long winded, but come the hell on! Not to mention, if I hear Operation NORA ever again in my life, I may be arrested for murder.

The Newborn Kitten Award for weakest attempt at a game.

The Winner - Medal of Honor

Why it won the award - I don't think I need to explain it that much, so I'll just sum it up fast. No story, no characterization, player doesn't care, buy Battlefield: Bad Company instead.

The Napoleon Complex Award for worst attempt at getting revenge on a publisher

The Winner - Jim Sterling for his review of Kane and Lynch 2

Why he won the award - Never in my life have I seen a more thinly veiled attempt to stick it to a publisher "on behalf of all gamers" than Jimmy's review of Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days. Sorry, but even mentioning Gertsmanngate in the opening of your review gives away your intention. It's like you painted "I'm trying to be anti corporate!" on your jacket in blazing green letters, and thought nobody would notice. It may have worked if Jeff G were homeless and his kids starved or something, but last I checked he's doing pretty well. Not to mention it didn't affect sales of the game. It sold over a million copies.

The Shrunken Udder Award for most pointlessly milked franchise

The Winner - God of War 3

Why it won the award - God of War should have ended with the original game. If it needed a sequel, it would have ended in a way that you could do one without it feeling stupid. Well, the team behind God of War 3 reminds me of a parapalegic trying to walk, despite his nervous system being dead. All God of War 3 does is flop around on the floor, failing to make any sort of impact, and just embarassing itself. Keep in note that both The Force Unleashed 2 and Bioshock 2 came out this year, and I'm giving the award to God of War 3 HANDILY.

The Thales Leites Flopping Award for gaming issue that wasn't really an issue.

The Winner - Review Guides from Publishers

Why it won the award - Well, if you can't tell by the name of the title, it's because I don't give two shits about review guides. Let me elaborate though. Evidently some people gave two shits about the fact that publishers sometimes send us reviewers guides for our reviews. Are they telling us how to do our jobs? Yeah, pretty much. Why would they do this? Because some reviewers are fucking idiots. "Splatterhouse is just gore and violence." Oh, I'm sorry, were you expecting a game called Splatterhouse to be about kittens and ponies, you fucking pussy? I'm sorry, but if you're missing the point like a fucking champ over and over again, I'd not only be sending you a guide of how to review my product, but I'd be hiring a tutor so you can learn how to do your fucking job.

The Positives

Best RPG - Mass Effect 2

Why it wins the award - Truthfully, most of the other RPG offerings to come out this year simply weren't as strong. Not only was Mass Effect 2 a really well written game that was fun to play, but it was ridiculously well polished, and keeps players coming back for more. It's one of Bioware's best RPG's to date, but really does a great job of making a 3rd person shooter/RPG hybrid without upsetting either side of the fence.

Best FPS - Aliens vs Predator

Why it wins the award - In reality, there really weren't a lot of strong offerings from the genre this year. Bioshock 2 wasn't a bad game, but it didn't really have a reason to exist. Call of Duty: Black Ops was an enjoyable experience, but it was a little hampered because it still relied too much on multiplayer to really sell the game to people (though it had a very strong story). Aliens vs Predator is by no means the strongest FPS that I've played in my life, but it was lots of fun, and had a solid balance between the multiplayer and single player portions of the game. It's not very often that we see a weak year from the FPS genre, but this was one of them.

Best Downloadable Game - Shank

Why it wins the award - It's an incredibly well detailed, fun beat-em-up that relies a lot on player skill and thought to get through the game. It also had a simple, yet well written, story that wasn't hard to follow, and had a lot of inventive portions to it. I just wish the boss fights were a little bit better.

Best Action Game - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

Why it wins the award - Truthfully, I didn't expect a reboot of my favorite franchise of all time to be this damn good. The storyline was well written, but didn't overwhelm the player. The game was long, but very well paced. The boss fights were epic and challenging, but never overwhelming. The level design was linear, but completely capable of immersing you in the situation. The combat was tight and a much needed improvement in the genre, but wasn't hard to learn. Truthfully, I think that Lords of Shadow is the second best game of the year, next to.....

Game of the Year - Red Dead Redemption

Why it wins the award - Though I feel like 2010 was overall a weak year for the game industry in its ability to produce solid titles, I also feel like Red Dead Redemption is one of the greatest games of all time. Not only that, but I feel like it's the best open world game ever made, even nudging out GTAIV for that position. It's a beautifully written game with a strong story, it has great multiplayer, and offers a sandbox that has a lot to do for those who like to faff about, but never insults the player with a purpose. I honestly feel like this is the one game that every gamer should own, just like how I feel every movie lover should own at least one Ridley Scott film.

So, those are my awards for the year. Keep in mind that these are all in fun, and aren't to be taken seriously. They aren't the official Blistered Thumbs awards either. Just my personal picks. Should you be offended for my awards, take one of these, and call me in the morning.

Revisiting my Reviews - Dragon Age: Origins

2010-11-28T13:02:00.000-08:00

Though I've given up my video series for now, there's been a couple things on my mind. First is that I'm considering bringing back A Piece of History. Second is that I wanted to essentially go back over my video reviews, and talk about what made them fun.

First off, I really regret the whole Marcus the Cynic/M dynamic I had. It really didn't work very well. On the other hand, the opening to this episode was epic as all hell. Another thing that you'll notice is how clear the audio is here in comparison to some of my more recent videos. That's because I was actually using my camera as an audio in rather than my microphone. I need a headset, bad.

Another thing that made this review tough was the constant shuffling I had to do with the footage. It's not difficult to capture console footage, but I had to rummage through my numerous save files to really find games that took place at different points of the storyline. Even so, I don't think I got any footage from Orzammar or the Verillian forest in there. Most of it is from the start and end of the game. Word to the wise - Don't make the same mistake.

My biggest regret about this review? I barely touched on the origin stories. I focused way too much on similarities to past Bioware titles, and I really wish that I could go back and do it again. C'est la vie, I guess. What I don't regret is putting a heavy focus on the choices you have to make in the game, and how deep they are. Too many people brush that off about Bioware games, but I think that it's something that needs to be said.

All in all, I think that I did a solid review of the game here, and I do think it's a really good RPG. In fact, I think that it probably has the strongest role playing element of any RPG thus far in this generation. Despite the fact that Dragon Age 2 may be getting simplified, I'm still a little jazzed for the title. Granted, I can turn that switch off the minute the game enters my hands.

-Micah C

More random thoughts on random stuff

2010-11-27T05:31:00.000-08:00

So, I woke up this morning with a killer headache that has just now faded. However, I have a routine when I wake up with a headache and down some ibuprofen to try and get rid of it. What I do is play a playlist on my Zune software of instrumentals, put an ice pack on the sore part of my head, and rest for an hour or two. Thing about doing this is that you're conscious for the entire time while listening to thought provoking music. So, now that my head has stopped aching and I can start picking out subjects to talk about coherently, I've got some good stuff to share.

Let's Talk Sex - I was watching a video review this morning about the film Love and Other Drugs, and the critic made the mistake of telling me that sex was the glue that holds relationships together. I'm sorry, but WHAT?! Are you retarded? Okay, that was a little bit much, but what I will say about that particular critic is that he couldn't be more wrong if he said two plus two equaled cheese. Before I continue, let me say that the difference between this critic and I is probably the fact that I've actually been in a couple relationships. Sex is awesome. In fact, it's probably my favorite thing on earth next to video games and pizza. In fact, just about every time I get really happy I want to bone a woman's brains out. There's a fun story that goes along with that, but I don't want to get sidetracked. Point is that sex is awesome. However, it's not the glue that holds relationships together. What holds relationships together is emotional investment. Can sex affect that? Yes, but my marriage had a very healthy sex life involved in it. I'm divorced. Do the math. Emotions will always be the deciding factor. Love and sex are a beautiful mixture, but you can have one without the other.

Forgive and Forget - A couple weeks ago I had an interesting conversation with one of my best friends. We were talking about one of my biggest fears: The idea of my ex-wife trying to get back into my life. Now, my friend and I are like brothers, but he and his wife still have marginal contact with my ex via Facebook, and there was a time where I was considering moving to his area. Though I made him swear to me that he would never try to get me back in contact with her, he asked me a question that dropped like a bomb. "Have your forgiven and forgotten what happened?" My answer was "Forgiven, yes. Forgotten, no." After that, he told me that he hadn't forgotten either. Afterwards, I realized to myself that I should never forget what she did to me, and that comes to my lesson learned. Forgiveness is beautiful because it allows us to shed ourselves of the bonds of our past. Forgetfulness is idiotic, because it means that we have learned nothing. Never be hesitant to let go of the past things that hurt you, but should someone from the past come back, never forget what happened.

Popular =/= Bad - I've always found it funny that gamers who consider themselves "enlightened" refuse to give a popular video game that's actually good a chance. Case in point is the game I most recently reviewed, Call of Duty: Black Ops. Now, if there is any one person skeptical about the Call of Duty franchise, and modern war shooters in general, it is me. Honestly, this is the first time that I've been genuinely surprised at how good one of these games can get, and I think the 8/10 that I gave it was justified. It's a good game. Is it Half-Life 2 good? God no. It's still good. However, the comment section was riddled with people who seemed to just comment without reading my article, claiming the game was bad. Now, guys, I love you but I know what you're doing. You haven't played the game. You're claiming it's bad just because it's popular, and that's silly. I know that douchebags you went to high school with probably play it too, but why should that curb your enjoyment of games? What if I let that affect the fact that other people out there in life enjoy sex and pizza as well? I'd be freaking miserable. Popular things can be good. Just look at Metallica.

Well, I think that's all I've got. I hope you guys had a good Thanksgiving. Hopefully this week my new lady friend will get in touch with me, and I can take her out on a date or something. I also am hitting the quarter century mark in seven days, so I'm kinda excited about that. Well, next on the table for me is a pinball review, and I'll be getting a review copy of Splatterhouse in as well, so I'm looking forward to it. As usual, leave your comments in the proper place. See you guys later.

- Micah C

Games Journalism - A "To Do" List

2010-11-18T16:37:00.001-08:00

Since I'm in the middle of reinstalling all of my Steam games, and reuploading all of my music, I wanted to take a little time to give some tips on how to really become a games journalist. These are essentially the biggest needs that you're going to need to have in tackling it. In the list, I'll be going over general know how, necessary attitudes, and what I feel is "required reading".

Note: This is not a list about being a game blogger. To do that, you can have an I.Q. of 75 and just make random posts about condiments or underage Japanese girls. This is a list that will help you to not suck.

General Know-How

Note: These listings will reflect a lot of things that Daniel, James, and Allison went over in an episode of Extra Credits on "How to become a developer." Honestly, if you want to critique the industry, you need to know what they know.

- Have a solid understanding of video game history: You're going to make yourself look like a complete fool if you say a gravity shifting mechanic is "new and innovative" when Metal Storm did it in 1990. Having a knowledge of video game history allows your writing to stay fair and unbiased, because you'll know what innovations came about and when, and will keep your fanfare in check.

- Be incredibly well versed in literature: Most game developers out there have an extensive knowledge of Ayn Rand, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Edgar Allen Poe, and so forth. You need to as well. If you haven't read Atlas Shrugged, The Lord of the Rings, The Cask of Amontillado, or Out of the Silent Planet, you better get cracking. Many video games carry influences from these books in many ways, and you need to know what's going on.

- Have a knowledge of world religions: This is one of the most difficult, especially in modern society. Many developers come from a wide variety of backgrounds when it comes to religion, and you need to have a passing knowledge of where they're coming from. You also need to be able to take off the blinders of your own beliefs. For example: If you didn't catch the significance of Legion's name in Mass Effect 2, and then sighed when it was a Biblical reference, quit now. Mythology and Theology can lend well to art.

- Know your films: Though I've droned on and on about how games don't need to be more cinematic, that doesn't mean you shouldn't know cinema. There are quite a few things that video games could apply from cinema that would help in reviewing titles. For example: in my Medal of Honor review, I went on at length about lack of characterization in the game, and were I asked by the developers for examples of characterization in a similar scenario, I could rattle off five films and how they did it as a reflex. You need to be capable of the same.

- Know the commonly used technology: Though I don't expect you to give all the technical specs of the Unreal 3 engine, or tell me the minute details about how Nvidia's Phys-X tech works, you need to have a basic understanding of what the engine can do, and what games it's been used in. This helps your ability to critique a game. For example: If one developer is able to remove the texture pop-in issue of Unreal 3, it sets a new standard. Games need to be able to reach that standard, and should be held to it.

- Learn about music composition: This is becoming more and more paramount as time goes on. You, as an aspiring journalist, need to understand how music works, and its application in video games. You need to learn how it can aid the immersion process. You should be fully willing to beat someone to death for saying that Martin O'Donnell's work on Halo is superior to Akira Yamaoka's work on Silent Hill. Essentially, you need to know why a track like "Love Lost" in Lords of Shadow can make someone's heart sink, and the theme to Metal Gear Solid 3 can make your heart race.

- Know bad writing when you see it: As the ability to make deeper games continues to evolve, consumers need to know the quality of the story that they're getting themselves into. More and more people are playing games for solid storytelling, so you should be able to pick out the good and the bad. A game like Metroid: Other M should NEVER be given any slack for bad storytelling, because the storyline is the center of the experience. Same goes for Modern Warfare 2, and other games out there.

Adopted Attitudes

Note: These really aren't things that everyone can adopt, because sometimes your personality will clash with it. If you're incapable of pulling these off, don't pursue journalism.

- Go in with an unbiased attitude: Too many writers out there are complete and utter morons when it comes to this subject. When you're asked to be unbiased, people aren't asking you to put your tastes away. That's idiotic. People are asking you to give every game you're given for review a fair shot. If you're not a fan of JRPG's, then you shouldn't review them. To use myself as an example, I refuse to review JRPG's, and RPG's that are like Diablo. I think they're boring. If I tried to review them, that would shine through, I wouldn't complete the game and couldn't give you, the consumer, an idea of what you're getting yourself into.

- Understand what the developer is trying to create: Here's a question that I pose to you. If someone gives you a plate of spaghetti, would you judge it on whether or not it's a cheeseburger? No, you wouldn't, unless you're daft. If you're expecting a game centered around assassination (which is a process that takes time, patience, and planning) to be a fast paced action romp all the way through, then you're a moron. It's like expecting a kung-fu fight in the middle of Schindler's List. To give the consumer an idea of what they're getting themself into, and the quality of the product, you need to understand the purpose of it. You're not going to see someone judge Painkiller or Turok 2 like it's Baldur's Gate.

- Come to the realization that there's a business to Video Games: I've got another question for you, the reader. Would you go and stomp on a Girl Scout's cookies because someone from that company had to lay off workers? No! Why are you demonizing a company for getting rid of a developer that is underperforming? Fact of the matter is that money drives the wheels of industry, and if you can't perform, you're going to get cut. Yes, the reality of someone loosing their job sucks, and we've all been there. However, what would you do if you were in the position of someone like Bill Gates or Bobby Kotick? Keep a developer around and watch your company bleed money? No, you wouldn't, and anyone who says otherwise is a liar.

- Learn that there is no cheering in the press box: This is the hardest part of being a journalist, and it's something that I struggle with daily. I'm both a Video Games journalist and an MMA journalist, and it is really hard for me to keep my composure when I hear news about Bioware doing something new, or watching one of my favorite fighters lose or win. Fact of the matter is that the job is to observe and report. If you can learn to balance the fan in you with the journalist in you, then you're in shape. The comforting thing here is that everyone you work with is a fan as well, and there will always be points where you can take the journalist hat off, and put the fan hat on. It's why I kept this blog, after all.

Required Reading

Note: Not all of these are books. I'm going to link you to some books, video games, films, and articles that I think you should experience before getting into games journalism. Some of the games you'll just have to download on Virtual Console though. Finding a hard copy is near impossible.

Books:

- War and Peace

- Crime and Punishment

- Atlas Shrugged

- War of the Worlds

- Out of the Silent Planet

- The Lord of the Rings

- The Chronicles of Narnia

- The Great Divorce

- The Works of Edgar Allen Poe

- The Works of H.P. Lovecraft

- Walden

- I, Robot

Films:

- Alien

- Aliens

- Gladiator

- Blade Runner

- Kingdom of Heaven (Director's Cut)

- Terminator 2: Judgment Day

- The Empire Strikes Back

- Pan's Labyrinth

- Hellboy

- Raiders of the Lost Ark

- Casablanca

- The Godfather

- The Silence of the Lambs

- Schindler's List

- The Departed

- The Road Warrior

- There Will Be Blood

- The "Dollars" Trilogy

Games:

- Planescape: Torment

- Knights of the Old Republic

- Fallout 2

- Baldur's Gate

- Half-Life

- The Orange Box

- Super Castlevania IV

- Chrono Trigger

- Out of this World

- Grim Fandango

- Psychonauts

- Super Metroid

- Super Mario 64

- Beyond Good and Evil

- Doom

- Painkiller

- Unreal

- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

Articles:

Opinions for Sale or Trade

- Here's the thing about me and Jim Sterling. We don't like each other. However, this article he wrote was very good, and he makes a solid point of how exclusive reviews look to people.

A New High (low?) in Game Preview Events

- Ben Kuchera is another guy that I don't particularly like. Personal feelings aside, I admire his passion for a lack of corruption in journalism, so this article is a must-read.

Game Journalists vs Game Bloggers

- Probably my most infamous article, but I'm not including it here because it's mine. I'm including it here because I know that it's true. True to the point where I got quite a bit of ire from bloggers because of it. It's how you know it's working. ;)

David Jaffe on The Problem with Game Journalism

- Jaffe is awesome. There's no debate. However, I do think he makes an excellent point here in this interview. We have to be journalists first.

No Cheering in the Press Box

As I've already told her, A.J. Glasser is an awesome journalist, and she talks about how the games industry is using our inability to control the fan instincts against us.

What Grade is your Content Comprehension?

This is an interesting article about proper writing level and such, but also carries an undertone that game journalists need to be intelligent folks, which I agree with. By the way, I average a 13 in the Gunning-Fog index, if you're curious.

How not to be a games journalist

Though mostly humorous, Mitchell Dyer makes some excellent points about the game press, and its issues with big events.

And there you have it.

One Man Banned: Episode 2

2010-11-10T14:19:00.000-08:00

Right Click to Download

Click Image to Play

On this week's podcast

-High Concept Films and Games: What makes them better than the normal shooter

-Games to check out: Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, Fallout: New Vegas

Intro Music: Ready to Die by Andrew W.K.

Background music: Soundtrack to Dragon Age: Origins

Don't forget to check out my interview with James and Daniel from Extra Credits on Blistered Thumbs.

One Man Banned ep 1 - Cloning and Writing

2010-11-05T03:23:00.000-07:00

Right Click and choose "Save Link As" to Download MP3

Click the thumbnail to play in browser.

One Man Banned is a new podcast I thought up randomly that will essentially let me talk about a couple of subjects on my mind in relations to gaming that I may not get the chance to talk about, and maybe other stuff that I simply don't want to write a blog post about.

Got a question you want answered on the podcast? Want advice on something? Send me an email at cynicscorner2009@gmail.com, or leave a comment in the comment box.

Background music from the podcast:

"The Broken" by Fireball Ministry

Music from the Planescape Torment soundtrack (which you receive for buying the game from GOG.com)

Music from the Shank soundtrack (which you can download here)

Note: Yes, I know that One Man Banned is also the name of a porn site. I don't care.

A Time and a Place

2010-11-01T01:19:00.000-07:00

As is already known about me, I'm the type of person who objects to garbage being thrown on my front lawn. Not literally, mind you. I'm talking about people trying to sell me an item that has been falsely advertised. For example, do I really care about someone dressing up as Mario going to John Stewart's Rally to Restore Sanity (which was a goddamn genius idea, by the way)? No, I don't care. Why is this on the front page of a website in such a large form? Why does it have equal status to a video game review?

Now, I've been in arguments about this with folks before, and I still don't care about what they think. Why? Because they're wrong, and if they try to argue with me, they're still wrong. If you made a mess in your pants, I don't really care if someone scared you so hard that your bowels loosened. You still smell like crap. It goes without saying that many websites have no idea where to place this sort of content, or how to handle it.

However, let's lend our ear to the other side of the argument. Some claim that there is a time and a place for this sort of content. This may shock you, but I absolutely agree. There is a part of me that has his interest piqued when he sees a Halloween lawn decoration that's a tribute to Pac Man. That's pretty neat. However, that's not all I want to see. I want to know how to get one. I want to know who owns this, and why. I want to know if there are other things like it. If you're guiding gamers, shouldn't you be telling them this information?!

This is what pisses me off so much. There are aspects of gamer culture that I love. For example, my sister grabbed a Portal image offline about "assuming the appropriate party position" and is going to put it on my birthday cake. That's freaking awesome, isn't it? What's better is that someone at the cake place will probably start laughing about it as well. Thing is, people want to know how this stuff comes about, and how they can get involved with it.

What I want to see from folks on websites (whether you be journalist or blogger) is to know exactly what these little tidbits have to do with gaming culture. It's neat to see people dressing up for conventions, but where do they take place? How can I get tickets? Give me more info about what's going down! Though pictures are worth a thousand words, those words don't often give details about what the hell it has to do with me. "This is cool" is not enough, kiddo.

On top of that, do the few of these little tidbits that are neat deserve as much attention as a game review, actual news, previews, or videos? No, and if you argue with me, you're wrong. Unless said culture post has something to do with legislation or shifts in the culture, it does not deserve to be given more attention than what people are actually visiting the site for. Heck, you could even make the argument that something about gaming culture that has to do with shifts or legislation is more news than anything.

So, what's the cure? Proper placement. In any and all websites, items need to be properly categorized, and weighed by their importance to the site. If this stuff is going to be posted, it needs to be posted in a fashion where the reader can get something out of it aside from a pair of breasts or something. If you see something at a con, tell us where the freaking con is! If you see a costume that you particularly enjoy, ask the person how they made it! This isn't difficult work! I would know!

Despite the thoughts about me, I enjoy little tidbits like neat costumes and such. Heck, I plan on going to Magfest one of these years dressed as the Heavy from Team Fortress 2. Why? Because stuff like that is fun, and gamers can really enjoy it. However, just posting pictures of it is downright silly, and a waste of time. I hope to see websites be much smarter about this content in the future, and maybe it'll come about.

Then again, we live in a world where some idiots who have a very odd understanding of the term "hard work" think that said work makes people free from criticism. I think it's safe to say that my general cynicism is understandable, eh?

Places you should visit, and why

2010-11-01T00:50:00.000-07:00

As you'll notice on the sidebar, I've added a "places you should visit" spot. Well, I wanted to throw in a quick post about why you should visit those particular places, and what they entail.

Blistered Thumbs - Aside from the fact that I work there, Blistered Thumbs is probably best summed up as the one site that really has everything that a gamer needs in a website. So, go visit.

Detroit Metal Podcast - DMP is a good metal blog to visit, and I once had a guest appearance on that particular podcast. So, if you love metal, stop by.

Epic Battle Axe - I've always believed that you should support people who do their job well, and the folks at EBA really have my respect. Professional, yet fun. Not to mention they have the best gaming oriented podcast in the business with the EpicBattleCry.

Game Journalists are Incompetent Fuckwits - I think that it goes without saying that I admire what Ben Paddon is doing with this blog, and I do appreciate the fact that he's said nice things about my work in the past. Aside from that, though, Ben's blog is a great resource for budding games journalists to read through, and learn what not to do.

Pushing Up Roses - As I've stated before, Sarah Wilson is a very good friend of mine, and probably has one of my favorite blogs on the net. She's fun, a gamer, and a great artist, so feel free to stop by.

Sean Fausz's Blog - Sean's an awesome guy. I don't need a reason.

The Angry Joe Show - Joe's also an awesome guy, but he has probably one of the most consistently entertaining net shows out there. Not to mention I enjoy that he comes from a fan's angle on his work. He has a great show, and with the BT stuff, he's been a peach to work with.

Extra Credits - I've said before on my Twitter that Extra Credits is the best online show you can find, and I'm saying it again. If you really want solid insight into game design, game history, and where the medium can go, watch Extra Credits. These guys do great work.

Random thoughts again.....

2010-10-31T00:26:00.000-07:00

It's not an easy task to be working for a website, especially as a review editor. Though I can't get into details, lets just say that it's not easy being a go-to guy for something, despite how much you enjoy it. There are points that you have to sacrifice your plans for your work, and try to work around issues that rise up. One thing that I will say is that Blistered Thumbs didn't have a review for my vote for game of the year, Red Dead Redemption. Now we do, and it took longer than it should have.

However, as I sit here, listening to music, I realize what I'm working toward, and what the future may hold. I'm not quite sure how the buzz is in the Channel Awesome community about Blistered Thumbs (you guys will have to give me feedback) but amongst the staff it's quite the event for us. As for me, I'm the type of person who has been incredibly low-key when it comes to being known on the net. One fellow writer of mine said that my show was the best kept secret on the internet. I think that a few people are in for a bit of a shock when they read some of my work.

I've essentially been trying to brace myself for an explosion. It feels like the moment before a dentist appointment. You know that you're about to have a moment of discomfort, but are trying to remind yourself that when it all settles down, you'll be fine. It certainly takes me to weird places, which is why I'm blogging. However, to set the stage of how different I've been acting lately, I've been drinking hot, black tea, and watching Midori Days. An anime that is a romantic comedy. Let me drive this in a little bit more. I'm six foot two, and am built like a panzer tank. I just watched a thirteen episode Anime that was a romance. Just so I can blame my emasculation on someone from the Channel Awesome umbrella, I blame JesuOtaku for saying the show is good. Illogical to do so? Of course. I'm still blaming her.

I think that it's safe to say that I'm building a foundation for the future here. There really is no doubt in my mind that Blistered Thumbs will explode in popularity. It's one thing for a new video game website to pop up. It's a completely different one for a site to pop up with a rabid, supportive fanbase attached. When people say that Channel Awesome has the best fanbase on earth, they're not joking. These are fans that stick with you til the end, and I'm hoping that they'll accept me as a part of the family.

However, the issue with the future is that you have to wait for it, and I've got a few things in the here and now that I have to worry about. One thing I've got to keep in mind is the difference between a doormat and a selfless person. I'm not the type of person who expects to get anything in return when I do something good for someone else. I do what I can to keep the people around me happy. At the same time, I've had to learn how to draw lines, which is difficult. I enjoy being a selfless person, but I don't want to be walked on. I'm going to have to get used to telling people I need time alone, and realize I'm not being a dick by doing so.

An unfortunate thing about the upcoming season of Winter is that it couples some very cold memories with it. Since my divorce, the cold has done nothing but make me feel isolated. My grandfather died on January 1st. My divorce was official in the winter. Every winter, my birthday goes by, reminding me of my own mortality. I think it's rather obvious as to why I hate winter. It's a cold reminder of how lonely life can be, and how good, warm days can feel so distant from where you are. In a way, loneliness is comparable to walking down a street in the middle of winter. It's isolated, dead, and cold. It gives this odd feeling of desolation that I abhor.

With the coming winter, and the loneliness that comes with it, I'm reminded of my own situation in life. You see, I'm picky about my company, and my core group of friends can be counted on one hand. As we've all gotten older, they've all grabbed a squeeze and continued on in life, save one friend. I can't help but feel like I've been left behind a little bit. Now, is it completely my fault? No. Some things happened that I couldn't control. However, I still don't like it. I sort of feel like I have to muscle my way into a conversation with some of my friends. Should things be like that? I wouldn't think so.

Last thing is that it all seems to come back to the fact that I'm single, and I hate that. Then again, I have to keep in mind that my subconscious is used to certain things in the winter, and the pleasure center of my brain wants to experience them again. Though some would give me loads of crap for these feelings, let me pose a counter to those accusations. Have you ever had the chance to sit with a woman, watching a film and being warmed by a blanket and body heat? Have you ever woken up in a cold room, and used it as an excuse to snuggle close to her? These are situations that I loved when I wasn't single that cannot be duplicated. I long for them. I dream of them, and they don't come.

Now, let me just say that I've decided to simply sit here and let things happen in my life. I want things to progress naturally, but there's a positive and negative to everything. One thing that drove me absolutely nuts after finishing Midori Days was that the entire process could have been avoided if the two of them had simply told each other their feelings. I'm waiting for someone to cross my path and speak up. So, here's my little slice of encouragement: Go forth and speak up. Whatever it is you feel the need to speak up about, just do it. The world moves faster with honesty. While you do that, keep in mind that you're keeping people from being in my spot, okay?

Well, until next time, I'm signing off. Let's hope that a woman speaks up to me, eh? Then maybe I can blog about something else for once.

-Micah C

Good news and bad news

2010-10-29T11:14:00.001-07:00

Medal of Honor video review

2010-10-27T12:37:00.000-07:00

Cynic's Corner Quickies - Castlevania: Lords of Shadow

2010-10-22T17:58:00.000-07:00

The Gag Order is lifted

2010-10-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

For the past month, I've been teasing that something big was coming. I've been hinting that there was going to be a huge change for me, and I've been really vague about it. Well, now I'm allowed to tell you. Rather, let me simply show you a video of the site that I'm going to be involved with.

No, you're not seeing things incorrectly. It's happening, guys. I couldn't be more excited about this!

Horror 101

2010-10-15T10:54:00.001-07:00

The Halloween Special

2010-10-14T02:25:00.000-07:00

This month, I've found myself with plenty to do, and I've been having a lot of fun doing it. However, I really wanted to cap off October with a grand finale for you guys who love the show, and love the blogs. So, I've decided to have a special on October 31st. You see, one thing that I've never tried (and may never try again) is a lone movie review. I've decided to change that just this once. On Halloween, I will be reviewing this film, and it's gonna hurt:

ADHD - Dead Space

2010-10-09T22:01:00.001-07:00

Watch after the credits for a goofy surprise.

A Piece of History - Half Life

2010-10-08T14:36:00.001-07:00