The Golden Window

by sweep

I have been home since Sunday, and I have only blogged once even though I have fuck-all else to do. There's no excuse, really. I downloaded the Gears Of War map pack and I have been playing through Gears 2 on insane mode with my little brother. Watching his reactions to my new games has been interesting. Left 4 Dead - He loves excessively, presumably because of its simplicity. Fable 2 - Showed...

I have been home since Sunday, and I have only blogged once even though I have fuck-all else to do.

There's no excuse, really.

I downloaded the Gears Of War map pack and I have been playing through Gears 2 on insane mode with my little brother. Watching his reactions to my new games has been interesting.

Left 4 Dead - He loves excessively, presumably because of its simplicity.
Fable 2 - Showed no interest at having a dog mascot following you around, or the marvellous emote-tree's. Promptly got bored and went back to playing Resident Evil 4 on my Gamecube.
Gears Of War 2 - Played with mild enthusiasm, a general acceptance of a trial that needs to be overcome - more to prove a point than anything else??
Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo HD Remix - Didn't even play a single round.

Read the book before you play the game... My brother doesn't bother paying attention to "story" in games - his entertainment stems from a shallow confidence in his ability to shoot people faster than everyone else. He plays a lot of Team Fortress 2 and Super Smash Bros. I worry about him sometimes...

Anyways.

I enjoy comparing my opinions to that of others, especially when on a theme to which I have devoted considerable time. When that person is as gifted a writer as some of the folks here at Giantbomb, Its a genuine pleasure to discuss and compare notes on our experiences. So when Lies recently finished reading The Watchmen graphic novel, I leapt upon his blog like a hungry badger.

Lies Blogged:

"However, similar to Sweep's experience, I must say that perhaps I was expecting somewhat more from the claims surrounding this graphic novel. Is the comics industry so sorely lacking in talent that a tale that manages to weave a competent universe and believable characters is so noticeable? Is this industry really in straits so dire that a well-told story is so incredibly notable? I find it a question that intrigues me, but having never really known much about that culture, I couldn't comment for sure on whether I'm right or not."

Thanks for the free plug buddy =D

I responded to his blog;

"I think to appreciate watchmen at its full potential you would have to be there reading it on the day of its release and see the impact it had on the social approach to visual storytelling. The level of maturity and explicit content was apparently very controversial at the time, in a medium which was probably considered very childish.

We take a lot of our social conventions for granted. It sometimes feels like it's impossible to shock people any more."

Which I suppose is what it all comes down to. Don't get me wrong, I am hardly suggesting that it is impossible to relate to the Book and its merits, but that initial impact is diluted somewhat by the events that have succeeded its release. What we now consider to be mildly surprising may have been considered revolutionarily controversial at the time of its creation and public reception.

History is important in the land of video games, just as with everything else. However with the passing of time the origins of video gaming drift further and further away, and consequently become harder and harder to revisit. Games from our childhood may be pleasantly stored away on our shelves of nostalgia, but thrown back into the limelight and few can still hold strong to their original charms. There is usually a strong case that, as with the Watchmen, the context of the game is of greater importance than the actual context within the game itself.

Completely different, right? History is important in the land of video games. That's why sites like giantbomb exist, a virtual museum of nostalgia, a well of referential information. The background knowledge required to take full advantage of the average review or preview is staggering. Walk away now, choose any review from website of magazine, and I do not doubt there will be at least one reference to another game already in existence. Dark Sector? Its like Gears Of War right? Metroid Prime and Halo? Rock Band and Guitar Hero? Dead Space and Resident Evil? Unless you have played at least one of each of these pairs, the reference - and relevant comparisons - are lost and useless.

I don't approve of this.

I don't like the way that games are referenced to previous titles which I missed at their time of conception. Telling me that Bionic Commando is awesome and that not having played it somehow makes me inferior is, apart from fucking retarded, both unhelpful and unnecessary. I didn't buy re-armed because I didn't understand what all the fuss was about, having never played it as a child. To me remains just another average platformer. Give me Sonic the Hedgehog over Bionic Command any day of the week.

It is therefore slightly frustrating that such obviously gifted and intelligent journalists should have to rely so heavily on referencing previous titles in their articles. The old "Compare and contrast" method works well sometimes, but I'm not going to go and play another game to gain a better understanding of the title you were supposed to be informing me about originally.

This is the end of my little rant, aimed at nobody in particular (IGN??). Hopefully it will encourage someone, somewhere, to write about games in a different way. You never know...

That's all I got, for now. And by the way, "Golden Window" implies the importance of context, not a sex position.

Thanks for reading.
Love Sweep