Oh boy, I walked into something fun. Let's start with the reasonable folks.
I'm going to have to take some issue with the America vs Japan there... Mostly because it disregards Europe. Counting the games together, it's 7 for America, 3 for Europe, 4 for Japan, and 1 for Canada (KotOR!).
Okay, I'm with you on that. Let's take it to Western vs Eastern then. That makes 11 Western, 4 Eastern. And also, it's 7 America alone, so the bias is again on America.
Have you played GTA:SA through to the end or at least saw the whole story?
Surprisingly, *yes.* It is no secret that I loathe all things GTA, mostly because of the white-trash audience to which it has catered (yes, I know it has near-universal appeal, and I don't despise people because they like GTA...but the people in life I've known who *really* get into GTA just disturb me...). However, in college, I watched a friend play through the vast majority of San Andreas. It had good execution/presentation, enough to argue that games, while having as much content as your standard film or short TV series, are presenting it in a way that is different than the non-interactive media. So yeah, that's decent. I won't argue that the story is good (and I assume it's the best of the series...it's the only one I've witnessed), but top 15? I'd argue it's only there because the game itself is so well-known and it's almost expected that on any list you give RockStar their props.
Moving on to an old friend who shocked me with a comment...
What does this have to do with anything, other than placing your own bias that's in favor of the reverse situation to the forefront?
I'd like to think that I would bring a more balanced picture to their "top 15" list. Maybe one or two less American and one or two more Japanese. I thought that, for the most part, the list was solid. Do not take me to be some raving Japanophile. And again, I'll bring up what Eusis said (and what I, sadly, failed to say the first time around): Europe has a fair showing in the list, which is great.
OH, and then there's this asshole! We'll have to respond to this in parts...
Yes, I have noticed an insatiable bias toward Japanese-developed games, and in Japan as a whole. In fact, the bias has grown so strong that I just outright refuse to read the front page of this site any longer.
Fair enough. This is because 95% of our reporting comes from Chris Winkler, who is most knowledgeable in the Japanese market, is fluent in Japanese, and thus reports on it. If we have a staff member who takes interest in North American and European gaming enough to write regular news stories, then that will happen. I agree with you here, and consider this a fair critique of our site. The ass-holery of your post had not yet begun, so when I read this first para, I was like "okay, fair enough, good point."
(though I will say this only applies to news. I just wrote a review for Depths of Peril, and am currently trucking through Marvel: Ultimate Alliance, Orcs&Elves DS, and Hellgate: London, despite a plethora of JRPGs at my fingertips. Other reviewers are doing the same, so we are doing our best to keep up with North American and European RPGs.)
Whatever outlandish "then don't post here" bullshit anyone may have immediately had surge in their mind, forget it. This is a discussion forum, and thus, negative opinions fall into such a degree of discussion.
Again, agreed. I hope no one else reads your post and thinks that. I didn't think that.
To those who actually know––and I won't outright name him to save face to "certain individuals" who don't know him––my own brother rants about me in regards to this site on a daily basis; he cannot tolerate how absurd the front page and the "coverage" has become. Untranslated Japanese game titles, often posted without screenshots accompanying them when they are readily available on other sites, including but not limited to the Design Abortion that is RPGamer's suicide-inducing optical vomit.
Chris, "your brother," myself, and other staff have presently been in discussion, based on "your brother"'s objections, that we should consider presenting translated titles of Japanese games (even if they are our own rough translations, until a formal English name is presented by a localizing company). Regularly providing image scans from Famitsu etc is also in the works. And yes, RPGamer is quite ugly.
It couldn't possibly just be me who feels this way, and possibly one of the reasons is because of the rampant incessatries that have to be spewed upon every "infidel's" face at every second with "hay did u know theirs a front page 2 te site lol." Gee, I wonder where we've seen that recently
RAMZA
truly, it is a mystery indeed.
1) what are "incessatries?" I'm not trying to be an ass...I literally looked up the word so I would know what it meant, but to no avail...the word does not exist. I assume you meant something along the lines of "bad things," considering the emotive verb "spewed."
2) "infidel?" Please explain.
3)
http://www.rpgfan.com/boards/viewtopic.php?t=3575 -- this is the thread to which Dios refers. here's the summary, for those who don't care to click:
D-Rider is like "hey, this game Avencast came out. I'm interested. Is it any good?"
I see the thread and think "well, I've said a whole lot about the game. So much so that I wrote a review about it, months ago, on this very site." So I left a reply with a URL to my review, along with a snarky comment about this site being "more than the boards."
D-Rider admonishes me for my being a douche bag. He does so in a tactful manner. I concede, admit I was being an asshat, and move on to discuss the game some more.
THEN, Dios comes in and insults *the entire site.* He said "if the site didn't suck so much lately, maybe people would care" in response to my original post regarding the site itself.
Now, maybe this doesn't mean much to some people, but to me, this means plenty. I've devoted much of my time, effort, and creativity to this site. I don't mean to be haughty, but I think there's a lot of good to be found on this site and the coverage we provide. When a person says the site sucks, it hurts. When it comes from someone who's been a longtime member of our readership, someone whose brother works at the site, someone whom I used to have a lot of respect for...that's just a huge problem. Which brings us to our next point...
Retain one thought in your mind, if you are capable of anything beyond the immaturity you've facaded by hiding your berating, flaming and slandering childish insults at me "elsewhere" mister
RAMZA
I don't need to hide. I sent you a PM because I didn't see the need to start the drama in public. But apparently you feel otherwise, putting my name in all caps, bold, large font, as though to get my attention and call me out for everyone else who happens upon this thread.
In reply to Dios's "the site sucks" comment, I sent Dios a lovely little PM. It simply said "fuck off." Or "fuck you." I can't remember. One of the two.
And I think anyone who reads this drama-bitchy exchange between us will agree with me when I say Dios deserves a second one. So here we go.
"Fuck you." and/or "Fuck off."
The immaturity I *facaded*? Seriously? Because I PM'ed a curse word to you to let you know just how angry I was. Would it have been more mature to say it on the boards? Or should I have found a better way to express myself (because, certainly, you've never cursed at anyone...)? please. I am capable of far more than you realize. What this comes down to is that you're always a dick for no apparent reason, and I'm only a dick when provoked.
And that one sole fact, the one thing you have to remember above all else, is that Japan sucks.
Like I said, always a dick for no apparent reason. I don't even understand this conclusion.
Now that this is out in the open, I'll be happy to see people take sides, or just comment on the pettiness of it all.
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