Rocksolidaudio's Guide to Not Spending Your Holiday Money Like an Idiot

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The following CAG Editorial was penned by our very own Rocksolidaudio
Rocksolidaudio's Guide to Not Spending Your Holiday Money Like an Idiot
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It's that time of the year again. Significant others are eschewed, family members are quietly ignored, pets are bound, gagged and locked gingerly in the attic - it's gaming season. Huge releases are an almost hourly affair, the life of a gamer devolving into a technicolor series of hallucinations and blistered appendages or something similarly epic and hyperbolic.

If you're reading this site, your finances are far from disposable. Actually, I'll go out on a limb here and say that anyone rich enough to be able to buy everything they want this Christmas probably has no interest in sullying their hands on the digital cesspool we call "the internet" (outside of Bill Gates, though he surfs it while projected on the side of a smaller mansion inside of his house, sniffing coke off a solid gold hooker's back). That being said, I'm here to tell you how to spend your money sensibly - for your own entertainment and the greater good of the industry. You may not have a lot of money, but if you spend it right (i.e. take my goddamned advice), you'll have a much more gratifying holiday season and potentially influence future game development for the better.

Wii :wii:

 If you don't have one yet, you're probably not going to find one at this stage without a seven-leafed clover or a pair of frozen testicles after a night outside Target. If you do happen to find one, there's really no reason not to own the system at this point; the games that will define the system and justify it's unique control mechanic are still a couple seasons away, but there's plenty to keep you busy now, including creating a Mii (a cartoon avatar) that looks like your orthodontist. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is clearly the Wii’s flagship game, even if the Wii functionality is quite obviously an afterthought. Regardless, you will feel justified in your console purchase pretty much immediately, if for no other reason than the game’s length and dungeon design.

Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz and Rayman: Raving Rabbids are both fine choices for secondary games, provided you have a few friends and can track down an extra Wiimote/Nunchuk combo or two. SMB gets the edge when you're playing by yourself since it has a full single-player game as well, but nothing will get a room full of people laughing like taking turns kicking a screaming rabbit across a soccer field. If you can stretch out Zelda until January 15th, Wario Ware: Smooth Moves will most likely out-minigame them both. Elebits also turned out pretty fantastic if you're into the whole Katamari aesthetic and quirky, addictive gameplay. It's hide-and-go-seek with a gravity gun, tearing apart houses trying to find the Elebits creatures, with a surprising amount of depth (secret puzzles and items to interact with within level, a level editor, etc.) beyond the basic, yet immensely gratifying game mechanic. Also might want to pick up a grand or two in Wii points, as the Virtual Console is getting pretty hot with Gunstar Heroes, Alien Crush and Super Star Soldier nicely filling an old-school craving without having to perform exploratory surgery on your closet just to find the originals.

Xbox 360 :360:

Well into it's second generation of software, the 360 is doing about as well as anyone could have hoped (in the US at least, it is once again an abortion of epic proportions in Japan). Say what you will about backwards compatibility and the downfall of Live Arcade (though Assault Heroes is arguably the best game since Geometry Wars), Microsoft has done an admirable job of keeping the dashboard updated with added functionally and filling it with more media than we have time to sensibly peruse.

Gears of War has delivered on almost all expectations, and there's really nothing out there that looks better on an HDTV, outside of maybe footage of a Giant Squid attacking a Lion. DO NOT make the mistake of ignoring Viva Pinata though, which will ultimately have much longer legs than GoW, and deserves your attention as much as any other game this season. Rare (the developers) have crafted something uniquely addicting and beautiful, a garden management sim with a sense of humor, character and creativity you just don't get from your *ahem* garden-variety shooter.

As for online multiplayer, the obvious strength of the system, I've been told there are few better experiences than (the recently patched) Rainbow Six: Vegas with a couple of buddies. If you want to be a good Samaritan, opt out of anything published by Activison this season; it's not that Tony Hawk Project 8, Call of Duty 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance are bad games, they just typify the lack of progressive game design in the industry, confidently making the assumption that you'll buy them simply out of habit, not because they offer anything more than a couple of small improvements from last year’s versions. Supporting UbiSoft isn't much better when Splinter Cell Double Agent is essential the same game as the original, but at least they have other internal studios that deserve your money. Oh, and don't support microtransactions - they're just good, ol' fashioned stupid.

Playstation 3 :ps3:

 Much like the Wii, you're probably not going to have much of a choice as to whether you want the system when you can't find it anywhere. If you do happen to find one, and a decent amount of disposable income, go for it and pick it up. You know full well what you're getting into. There are five exclusive games on the system right now, only one of which (Resistance: Fall of Man) is worth skipping school for. There's certainly brilliance down the line, as Sony has been the overall best publisher for a long time now (God of War, Shadow of the Colossus, Ratchet and Clank, Jak and many more are all eventually getting PS3 sequels or have games in development by the same teams) and there are a shaqfu-ton of games in development word wide.

It's hard to imagine a scenario in which Sony doesn't have the best software lineup when all is said an done for this generation (outside of Halo 3), it just might be a while until there are enough exclusive games to justify the system purely for gaming. The other bells and whistles are certainly nice though, such as a great Blu-Ray player (you shouldn't really be considering this purchase without an HDTV), downloadable marketplace games that are good AND cheap (Lemmings and Crash Bandicoot for $6 each? Rock!), and more media support and PSP integration than you'll probably ever take advantage of. We all know it WILL be a great system, you just need to decide whether you want to start supporting it this early in the game.

Everything Else :ps2: :psp: :ds:

 The PS2 has far and away the best fall lineup, can we all acknowledge this? If you have a creative cell in your body, the brilliance of Okami will wow you like nothing else. Zelda meets absolute art, in a game that defines everything the PS2 has become as a system. Guitar Hero II will certainly exorcise your rock demons, and even though it's published by Activision, I still have to recommend it because the developer (Harmonix) deserves all the praise we can send their way, and hopefully we'll see another rhythm game as good and deep as Amplitude again. If you're a Final Fantasy nut, your expectations are probably in the right place for FF XII and you'll enjoy it, but if you've been playing Western RPGs like Oblivion for any stretch of time, the level grinding and archaic Japanese structure will probably annoy you. If you're not too set on next-gen graphics yet, Bully will also sate any desires for a great, immensely entertaining adventure game.

The DS isn't having quite the banner season as last year, but there's a Texas ton of side-scrolling goodness between Yoshi's Island DS, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin and Kirby Squeak Squad. Clubhouse Games and Elite Beat Agents also provide some unique experiences, and work very well on an airplane, which I can vouch for personally. The PSP still hasn't quite found it's calling, but it's managed to provide some pretty great experiences for the dedicated, thanks to a couple fantastic rhythm puzzlers from Q in Every Extend Extra and Lumines 2. The PSP also features some impressive mainstream accomplishments with Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories. We mustn’t forget about Gitaroo Man Lives, a savvy remake of one of the best yet elusive games on the PS2.

In short, think twice before you buy the usual sequels just because they're a couple hours of guaranteed fun - look a bit deeper and do your reading and take the risk on titles that could change the way you think about gaming. While you're at it, don't buy a next-gen (or 'new-gen') system if you don't own a PS2 yet. Though if you don't own a PS2, you probably don't own pants either, so you have bigger problems to think about.
Merry Kwanzaa!

Nick Suttner writes for G-Pinions, where hundreds more columns of his rants await your prying eyes, along with a pretty decent kinda-weekly Podcast.


Recommened games in this article (links to Amazon):

:wii: Wii
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Super Monkey Ball Banana Blitz
Rayman Raving Rabbids
Elebits
Warioware: Smooth Moves

:360: Xbox 360
Gears Of War
Viva Pinata
Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas

:ps3: Playstation 3
Resistance: Fall Of Man

:ps2: Playstation 2
Okami
Guitar Hero 2 Bundle with Guitar
Guitar Hero 2 (Game Only)
Final Fantasy XII

:ds: DS
Yoshi's Island DS
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Kirby Squeak Squad
Clubhouse Games
Elite Beat Agents

:psp: PSP
Every Extend Extra
Lumines II
Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops
Grand Theft Auto Vice City Stories
Gitarooman Lives
 
Thanks CheapyD for posting this great insight of RSA. My notion of not getting any nextgen stuff has been further reinforced and now I feel like I won't have any regrets not dipping into the next gen of gaming.
 
It's Rocksolidaudio's Guide to Not Spending Your Holiday Money Like an Idiot
not
Rocksolidaudio's Guide to Saving Your Money
 
[quote name='Zenithian Legend']Very insightful indeed, but how does this save me money?[/QUOTE]

Its not about saving money. Although I don't see how its keeping me from not spending money like an idiot since he recommended every handheld, all next gen systems if you can find them and some questionable games. :D
 
All of his comments on Activision's games this year are totally out of line. Marvel Ultimate Alliance is one of the funnest games I've played and there is simply nothing like CoD online. Activision's games this holiday season are all very very solid and very fun games.

I take this one with a grain of salt as usual. Rocksolidaudio, I could have saved you time when you wrote this one. All you needed to say is don't be stupid and live beyond your means and only buy the games you are absolutely going to play this season and actually truly want. This is essentially a glorified recommend me a game thread.
 
This is honestly one of the worst editorials I've read on gaming lately...although I don't read many to begin with, so keep that in mind. Dude is entitled to his opinion but I don't see why this is front-page worthy.

The vibe you get from this is that the PS3 is the system to buy since it's guaranteed to be awesome...but only if you don't have a PS2, in which case you should buy that. What the hell? I've yet to see anything "guaranteed" about the PS3 that should be awesome besides the sequels (which he claims to hate Activision for). He says the Wii "isn't worth having at this point" and then says "go for it" if you have the cash for a PS3. Neither one is really "worth having" right now, but between the two the Wii is probably the easy choice. And why should we buy a PS2 when we can play most of the games on the PS3 anyway?

Almost 1/3rd of the 360 section is wasted on "don't support this company," despite that company putting out quality games. I couldn't care less if it's Call of Duty 14...if it's a good game, it's a good game. Time would be better spent taking companies to task that put out consistently shitty products, rather than bagging on a sequel because it's a sequel. I'm with him on microtransactions for the most part, although lumping everything considered a microtransaction together is pretty careless. Not everything on there is a ripoff.

I'd also dispute the PS2's fall lineup as being superior to the 360's. It's certainly debatable, if nothing else.

And what's this "downfall" of XBLA? It didn't kick our ass, set us on fire, and throw us out the window this year, but it was hardly a "downfall." And if
 
This is honestly one of the worst editorials I've read on gaming lately...although I don't read many to begin with, so keep that in mind. Dude is entitled to his opinion but I don't see why this is front-page worthy.

The vibe you get from this is that the PS3 is the system to buy since it's guaranteed to be awesome...but only if you don't have a PS2, in which case you should buy that. What the hell? Why should we buy a PS2 when we can play most of the games on the PS3 anyway? Better to save that $150 bucks (or whatever) and put it towards something that won't be outdated next year. I've yet to see anything "guaranteed" about the PS3 that should be awesome besides the sequels (which he claims to hate Activision for). You really think next-gen Rachet and Clank or Jak is going to be a major evolution over the PS2 incarnations?

He says the Wii "isn't worth having at this point" and then says "go for it" if you have the cash for a PS3. Neither one is a must have at this point, but between the two the Wii is probably the easy choice if for no other reason than cost.

Almost 1/3rd of the 360 section is wasted on "don't support this company," despite that company putting out quality games. I couldn't care less if it's Call of Duty 14...if it's a good game, it's a good game. Time would be better spent taking companies to task that put out consistently shitty products, rather than bagging on a sequel because it's a sequel. I'm with him on microtransactions for the most part, although lumping everything considered a microtransaction together is pretty careless. Not everything on there is a ripoff.

I'd also dispute the PS2's fall lineup as being superior to the 360's. It's certainly debatable, if nothing else. One of the PS2's aces, Guitar Hero II, will be coming in quite possibly superior form to the 360 within 2-3 months. Take that out of the picture and you have Final Fantasy, Okami, and maybe Bully.

And what's this "downfall" of XBLA? It didn't kick our ass, set us on fire, and throw us out the window this year, but it was hardly a "downfall." No praise for the excellent HD-DVD drive either.
 
This is honestly one of the worst editorials I've read on gaming lately...although I don't read many to begin with, so keep that in mind. Dude is entitled to his opinion but I don't see why this is front-page worthy.

The vibe you get from this is that the PS3 is the system to buy since it's guaranteed to be awesome...but only if you don't have a PS2, in which case you should buy that. What the hell? Why should we buy a PS2 when we can play most of the games on the PS3 anyway? Better to save that $150 bucks (or whatever) and put it towards something that won't be outdated next year. I've yet to see anything "guaranteed" about the PS3 that should be awesome besides the sequels (which he claims to hate Activision for). You really think next-gen Rachet and Clank or Jak is going to be a major evolution over the PS2 incarnations?

He says the Wii "isn't worth having at this point" and then says "go for it" if you have the cash for a PS3. Neither one is a must have at this point, but between the two the Wii is probably the easy choice if for no other reason than cost.

Almost 1/3rd of the 360 section is wasted on "don't support this company," despite that company putting out quality games. I couldn't care less if it's Call of Duty 14...if it's a good game, it's a good game. Time would be better spent taking companies to task that put out consistently shitty products, rather than bagging on a sequel because it's a sequel. I'm with him on microtransactions for the most part, although lumping everything considered a microtransaction together is pretty careless. Not everything on there is a ripoff.

I'd also dispute the PS2's fall lineup as being superior to the 360's. It's certainly debatable, if nothing else. One of the PS2's aces, Guitar Hero II, will be coming in quite possibly superior form to the 360 within 2-3 months. Take that out of the picture and you have Final Fantasy, Okami, and maybe Bully.

And what's this "downfall" of XBLA? It didn't kick our ass, set us on fire, and throw us out the window this year, but it was hardly a "downfall." No praise for the excellent HD-DVD drive either.
 
Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is clearly the Wii’s flagship game, even if the Wii functionality is quite obviously an afterthought.
Click to expand...


not sure what other wii functionality you would expect as the game is near perfect, but hey, great article!
 
I agree with KaneRobot, this was a pretty blah editorial... it seemed a little too "fair and balanced" for me, aka biased.
 
So the way not to spend my money like an idiot is to buy everything? I'm a bit confused. That double negative in the Wii section ("If you do happen to find one, there's really no reason not to own the system at this point...") was on purpose, right?
 
[quote name='KaneRobot']This is honestly one of the worst editorials I've read on gaming lately...although I don't read many to begin with, so keep that in mind. Dude is entitled to his opinion but I don't see why this is front-page worthy.

The vibe you get from this is that the PS3 is the system to buy since it's guaranteed to be awesome...but only if you don't have a PS2, in which case you should buy that. What the hell? Why should we buy a PS2 when we can play most of the games on the PS3 anyway? Better to save that $150 bucks (or whatever) and put it towards something that won't be outdated next year. I've yet to see anything "guaranteed" about the PS3 that should be awesome besides the sequels (which he claims to hate Activision for). You really think next-gen Rachet and Clank or Jak is going to be a major evolution over the PS2 incarnations?

He says the Wii "isn't worth having at this point" and then says "go for it" if you have the cash for a PS3. Neither one is a must have at this point, but between the two the Wii is probably the easy choice if for no other reason than cost.

Almost 1/3rd of the 360 section is wasted on "don't support this company," despite that company putting out quality games. I couldn't care less if it's Call of Duty 14...if it's a good game, it's a good game. Time would be better spent taking companies to task that put out consistently shitty products, rather than bagging on a sequel because it's a sequel. I'm with him on microtransactions for the most part, although lumping everything considered a microtransaction together is pretty careless. Not everything on there is a ripoff.

I'd also dispute the PS2's fall lineup as being superior to the 360's. It's certainly debatable, if nothing else. One of the PS2's aces, Guitar Hero II, will be coming in quite possibly superior form to the 360 within 2-3 months. Take that out of the picture and you have Final Fantasy, Okami, and maybe Bully.

And what's this "downfall" of XBLA? It didn't kick our ass, set us on fire, and throw us out the window this year, but it was hardly a "downfall." No praise for the excellent HD-DVD drive either.[/quote]

Yup, I agree with everything you said. I was just too tired, too stressed, and too overworked to put that much effort into critiquing it. Still, I think I got the point across.
 
Blah editorial indeed.

1. Wii Sports is a selling point for the Wii.

2. Glad that we can put games from September and after Christmas in a holiday guide.

3. DS not having a banner season? Final Fantasy III, Scurge: Hive, Magical Starsign, Contact, Bomberman Land Touch!, Pokemon Ranger, and Mario vs DK 2 (since we're using games from September in holiday guides) would all like to have a word with you.

4. PS2 has the best fall line-up? Um, no we can't all acknowledge that. It has three banner titles, Guitar Hero 2, Bully, and FF XII. Okami isn't a holiday title as far as I'm concerned. The 360 still has Gears, Viva Pinata, Rainbow Six, and a bunch of titles that are the definitive versions so to speak (SvR 07, PSU, Call of Duty 3, etc etc).

5. It's not hard to imagine a scenario where the PS3 doesn't have the best games at the end of this generation. All you need to do is open your eyes and see what's going on in reality at the moment.

So in short, your guide to not spend your holiday money like an idiot is *shock/irony* idiotic.
 
This should be titled RockSolidAudio's Game Recommendations. I agree with the others, this is not front page worthy.
 
Has the author even played Marvel:UA? I have not played CoD3 yet but from what I've seen they have copied the good things about Battlefield PC Online game types/jobs and put it on a console. I've heard nothing but good things about CoD 3 and I can vouch that Marvel:UA is great for any comic fan or action RPG fan.

Is this guy a friend of the site or a long-time member or something? I have to say I stopped reading the article after reading his "opinions" on the 360.
 
Tony Hawk Project 8, Call of Duty 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance

"more media support and PSP integration than you'll probably ever take advantage of."
Click to expand...

To use 3 pretty good games as a minus for the 360 yet PSP integration as a plus for the PS3 is just insane.
 
He says the Wii "isn't worth having at this point" and then says "go for it" if you have the cash for a PS3.
Click to expand...

hahaha, oh wow! I didn't catch that when I skimmed it this morning. actually I didn't catch anything. Let's not forget that we should buy a PS3 because sequels to star franchises are in development (and won't be ready for months) but don't support Ubisoft or Activision because they're just putting out sequels to their star franchises :lol:


I think I was more focused on the deluge of ridiculous metaphors, similes and other unnecessary, but entertaining complications for a guide about buying video games. but I don't see why this guy gets his long winded opinion on the front page. it certainly won't make anyone click on the game links below it.
 
wow, glad you guys like my article so much!

it was supposed to be opinionated, not some middle of the road list of hot games for the holidays. when you badmouth a game or company you're bound to piss a few people off; i'm alright with that.

i didn't cover the systems from the perspective of which to buy if you had to choose one - i'm sure everyone on this forum would own all three if they had the means. i don't own a PS3, as i don't have the excess of money for it that i mentioned. though i've spent enough time with it to formulate my opinions about it and will definitely own one at some point. no rush though. and the guide wasn't about saving you money, it was about nudging you towards games you'll ultimately enjoy the most on each system.

for you activision nuts - i specifically said that those weren't bad games, but buying them all up is inarguably detrimental to the industry. when i see a game like marvel (buggy, broken online play, anything but next-gen on the 360) selling as much as it does and okami floundering in sales, something is wrong. but alright, i'm glad you guys enjoy the games as much as you do, with all sincerity.

this was just supposed to be a casual, entertaining read for some holiday shopping, no reason to get out your venom.
 
"He says the Wii "isn't worth having at this point" and then says "go for it" if you have the cash for a PS3."


if you're going to rip on me, please as least do me honor of reading more carefully before doing so. i said there is no reason NOT to own a wii. sheesh.
 
Sorry to Cheapyd and the origional poster but I agree that this is by far one of the worst guides iv read all year. I mean this is basically the same stuff posted at sites like 1up and IGN with some jokes. If it was really a guide on not spending money first off there would be no mention of the PS3(hehe)but more importantly we would see tips like good places to buy and mentioning of things like that FF3 is $40 yet you can find great games from just a few months ago for around $20 now or that Okami is $30 at most places so why spend $50 on a newer title.

Honestly, no tips on where to buy and everything mentioned is either a new title or no mention to it being cheaper. This is jsut another holiday this is whats popular guide.

O and again I agree with others....come on saying Wii aint worth owning but freaking PS3 is...and what kind of joke is it to say the DS isnt having a great year!
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']wow, glad you guys like my article so much!

it was supposed to be opinionated, not some middle of the road list of hot games for the holidays. when you badmouth a game or company you're bound to piss a few people off; i'm alright with that.

i didn't cover the systems from the perspective of which to buy if you had to choose one - i'm sure everyone on this forum would own all three if they had the means. i don't own a PS3, as i don't have the excess of money for it that i mentioned. though i've spent enough time with it to formulate my opinions about it and will definitely own one at some point. no rush though. and the guide wasn't about saving you money, it was about nudging you towards games you'll ultimately enjoy the most on each system.

for you activision nuts - i specifically said that those weren't bad games, but buying them all up is inarguably detrimental to the industry. when i see a game like marvel (buggy, broken online play, anything but next-gen on the 360) selling as much as it does and okami floundering in sales, something is wrong. but alright, i'm glad you guys enjoy the games as much as you do, with all sincerity.

this was just supposed to be a casual, entertaining read for some holiday shopping, no reason to get out your venom.[/quote]
backpedaling on what you wrote. You'll fit write in with the "journalists". Bleh again. What bugs are talking about when it comes to Marvel UA? Did you play the same 360 version that I played? I didn't experience I single bug on my go through. Online play seemed fine as well for the most part (was too enthralled by single player and haven't put the proper amount of time into it as CoD3 sucks my life at the moment. That and that I mostly play offline with younger family.) And the graphics look great and what are you expecting when you hear the words "next-gen". I personally want fun and enjoyment and recreation and a solid game. Marvel UA and CoD3 are both just that (though I wish that CoD3 would fix the ranked matches, but Treyarch have posted emphatic replys to the community stating that they are in the process of fixing them and releasing a patch soon). Still, regular player play is awesome. Okami is a casualty because it was released during one of the heaviest seasons of game. It just got thrown into a glut of games. Happened to Prince of Persia, XIII, and Beyond Good and Evil years ago. Same thing with Viewtiful Joe.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']
O and again I agree with others....come on saying Wii aint worth owning but freaking PS3 is...and what kind of joke is it to say the DS isnt having a great year![/QUOTE]

as i just said, you're welcome to disagree and get on the hate train, but pleeeeeeeease read it at least. i never said the wii is not worth owning, quite the opposite, and i didn't say the DS isn't having a great year, i said it's not a banner year compared to last year, which had animal crossing, nintendogs, etc.

anyhow, let the hate continue, sorry to interrupt...
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']as i just said, you're welcome to disagree and get on the hate train, but pleeeeeeeease read it at least. i never said the wii is not worth owning, quite the opposite, and i didn't say the DS isn't having a great year, i said it's not a banner year compared to last year, which had animal crossing, nintendogs, etc.

anyhow, let the hate continue, sorry to interrupt...[/QUOTE]

Seems like symantics. Ill admit I didnt read the whole Wii part, but saying the DS didnt have a banner year is pretty much lsaying the same thing. And it doesnt change that your article said absoultly nothing. All you did was say hey these are a some of the new things on the market buy them! You didnt provide places to buy them and you were not providing games that were any cheaper then the norm for the most part....so again how is your article about not spending money like an idiot. No offense, if anything your guide sounds like my family shops, hey this is new and supposedly popular...buy it! If anything you should have focused on something like saying ok so your little Nephew wants that fancy new FFXII which will set you back $50 but you only got $20, why not try Shadow Hearts which is a similar style but in your price range. O o little Johny wants Zelda but you just cant afford to buy him a Wii and Zelda, why not try Okami which is on sale for only $30 at many vendors like amazon.
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']as i just said, you're welcome to disagree and get on the hate train, but pleeeeeeeease read it at least. i never said the wii is not worth owning, quite the opposite, and i didn't say the DS isn't having a great year, i said it's not a banner year compared to last year, which had animal crossing, nintendogs, etc.

anyhow, let the hate continue, sorry to interrupt...[/quote]

Not a banner year :roll::roll::roll::roll::lol::lol::lol::lol::rofl::rofl::error::bs::bs:

No estoy comprende

Final Fantasy III
Castlevania Portrait of Ruin
Kirby
Elite Beat Agents
Clubhouse Games
Pokemon games (those dungeon games were surprisingly enjoyable)
Yoshi's Island 2
Mario V Dk2
Contact
Magical Starsign
and a whole slew of games that have been released through the year and slow and quiet summer months.
etc.

And I'm sure I missed plenty.
 
This year was much better than last when it comes down to the DS. Nintendogs got old very fast and Animal Crossing just doesnt appeal to me. I was a much bigger fan of the PSP until this year in which Nintendo blew me away on the DS.
 
Im gonna add that its not just the problems with your article though but that CheapyD posted this and made it front page. A bad guide would have gotten you a little heat.....but a bad guide getting front page coverage when buy.com didnt even get that....ya messed. I reffer people to this site but thats gonna stop soon, I mean honestly cheapyD opening his PS3 and this make the front page....I miss the old site.
 
[quote name='MSI Magus']Im gonna add that its not just the problems with your article though but that CheapyD posted this and made it front page. A bad guide would have gotten you a little heat.....but a bad guide getting front page coverage when buy.com didnt even get that....ya messed. I reffer people to this site but thats gonna stop soon, I mean honestly cheapyD opening his PS3 and this make the front page....I miss the old site.[/quote]

Throw up ViolentLee's article/his top 10 games. It has some games missing that I personally would put, but at least he can back up his opinion and he's merely going off of the games he's actually played.
 
[quote name='hiccupleftovers']Throw up ViolentLee's article/his top 10 games. It has some games missing that I personally would put, but at least he can back up his opinion and he's merely going off of the games he's actually played.[/QUOTE]

what would you like me to back up? i just hate arguing in threads, but i will gladly expound on anything i said.
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']what would you like me to back up? i just hate arguing in threads, but i will gladly expound on anything i said.[/QUOTE]

Id love to hear why I should buy the games you mentioned for $25-50 when I can find awsome games for $20 easily. Id love to hear why I should cough up $250 for a Wii let alone $600 for a PS3. And since instead of just saying you have some points id love to hear why you think this guide is better then any other like the one 1up.com has that basically did the same thing as you and say here are the hit new games buy them!
 
On the accusation of back pedalling:
Giving rocksolid the benefit of the doubt, let's say he saw that there was a miscommunication there and what you derived from it wasn't his original message. He responds to better explain himself, and you, apparently assuming your original interpretation was exactly the message he wanted to convey and accuse him of back pedalling. Acknowledging that he should have written the article in such a way that the miscommunication wouldn't have happened, what else would you have him do in that situation?
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']what would you like me to back up? i just hate arguing in threads, but i will gladly expound on anything i said.[/quote]

I'd love to see you back up your argument on Call of Duty 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. If these are good games and you're basically telling to shell out for anything with that "cool" and "its the latest" factor then why shouldn't I buy these games (and an actual factual argument, not bullshit like bugs. or if you have experienced bugs than I'd love to see you back it up and outline specific bugs. The only thing I've seen said about Marvel UA is that it can sometimes it have issues loading up which I've only experienced once, but wasn't that big of a deal).

I'd love to see how you can backpedal and back up your argument for the DS not having a great year. I already made my argument with my list of games and we all know that the thing and its games are selling.
 
[quote name='polybren']On the accusation of back pedalling:
Giving rocksolid the benefit of the doubt, let's say he saw that there was a miscommunication there and what you derived from it wasn't his original message. He responds to better explain himself, and you, apparently assuming your original interpretation was exactly the message he wanted to convey and accuse him of back pedalling. Acknowledging that he should have written the article in such a way that the miscommunication wouldn't have happened, what else would you have him do in that situation?[/quote]
If I'm not coming to the conclusion that he wanted, then he should have written a better article. This getting front page on CAG. If I wanted I could go out now and write up a report of what I think you should spend on, but it would not necessarily deserve front page material. Regardless, an article which is essentially a game recommendation guide attempting to sway somebody to one side or the other really ought not to make front page. We have plenty of game recommendation threads and many of the accusations that he has put out are clearly biased. DS not having a banner year? I think the sales charts and my local Walmart/BB would beg to differ. Marvel UA and CoD3 not good games that you should buy? Huh where do you get this stuff? PS2 having the best fall lineup? I'd beg to differ and turn your attention to the 360 with Rainbow Six, FEAR, CoD3, Marvel, Gears of War, Viva Pinata, etc. He goes from one end of the spectrum recommending, no screaming for you to buy Sony sequels (not at the moment, but to buy a PS3 so as for the Sony sequels that they are bound to bring) to the other end telling you to venture out unto uncharted waters and then back again claiming sequals (specifically Activison ones for some reason) = the uber badder suxors and are evil to the industry regardless if they are actually good. Bah, all you can do to back up an article like this is to backpedal.
 
[quote name='rocksolidaudio']what would you like me to back up? i just hate arguing in threads, but i will gladly expound on anything i said.[/QUOTE]


okay, to start, how are Zelda's controls an afterthought? you and the guy from gamespot said this, but didn't specify why.

How are Activision and Ubisoft's sequels detrimental to the industry while Sony's sequels are worth supporting? I have to disagree with that. If you are talking about bugginess, frame rates, and stuff like that, then Shadow of the Colossus, as awesome as it is, would fail miserably. God of War even had it's share of problems.

I'm far from an Activision/Ubisoft nut and I do like the Sony games more, but I just don't get the 3rd degree here. Buying a sequel is buying a sequel no matter how you slice it. It might be nice to think that you are buying Okami because you're an enlightened gamer while Joe Bestbuy picked up Madden '07 because everyone else did. That's not the case, he got it because he likes football and it's a tried and true franchise in his opinion. Just like you would buy Ratchet and Clank 27 because that's a tried and true franchise.

As far as "hating" on your article goes-- It wasn't bad that it wasn't middle of the road. It just came off as pretty pretensious for something advertised as a guide to buying videogames. You go off on tangents about the future of the game industry, say PS2 has the best holiday line up on account of games that came out months ago, say people would be frustrated with FFXII after playing Oblivion (? apples and oranges) and demonize one set of games for being sequels while praising another set of games for being sequels.

well, I tried to be constructive and diplomatic. please don't flame me :lol:
 
And if Okami sells well enough because enough people bought it to merit a sequel are you going to criticize its sequel even though it could the absolute most vivid and beautiful game to come out for next-gen?
 
[quote name='hiccupleftovers']I'd love to see you back up your argument on Call of Duty 3 and Marvel Ultimate Alliance. If these are good games and you're basically telling to shell out for anything with that "cool" and "its the latest" factor then why shouldn't I buy these games (and an actual factual argument, not bullshit like bugs. or if you have experienced bugs than I'd love to see you back it up and outline specific bugs. The only thing I've seen said about Marvel UA is that it can sometimes it have issues loading up which I've only experienced once, but wasn't that big of a deal).

I'd love to see how you can backpedal and back up your argument for the DS not having a great year. I already made my argument with my list of games and we all know that the thing and its games are selling.[/QUOTE]

you're missing the point entirely, but that's alright. i was simply saying instead of supporting these activision games which are pumped out yearly and lack any sort of progressive game design, why not spend your money on more creative experiences that might be more fulfilling for you, like viva pinata and okami.

[quote name='hiccupleftovers']And if Okami sells well enough because enough people bought it to merit a sequel[/QUOTE]

okami will not get a sequel, because the developer was disbanded, because their games didn't sell.

if you'd rather not risk it, stick with what you know you'll like. i guess i could have said that in the article, i just assumed it was implied that you didn't HAVE to listen to my suggestions.

if you really feel like reading about the bugs i encountered in MULA, here's what i wrote about it:
http://www.g-pinions.com/2006/11/aids-renamed-by-activision_116268049598017013.html

and that's it for me in this thread, i really should have just let things lie in the first place. IM me if you'd like to discuss anything specifically. i see that the opinionated CAG community has a problem with opinion columns. no one had a problem with the last thing i wrote for CAG (http://www.cheapassgamer.com/archives/rare-for-a-reason-gitaroo-man.php), but that was just praising one game so i can't expect to piss anyone off that easily.
 
"Want just one example of how simply broken the game is? Tom and I (after having to rejoin one another a half dozen times thanks to poor network code) were fighting a giant ice Yeti, or something. A boss whose name I forget for good reason. He spits out minions who carry ludicrously large spears; once you have killed the minion and taken his spear, you can actually damage the boss by climbing his body in a little button-pressing minigame and stabbing him in the neck (well, if you do it four times). Problem is, Wolverine was equipped (auto-equipped, mind you) with an item that puts enemies under your control for a good while, meaning you can't attack them and they'll attack whomever you're fighting. However, this breaks the boss fight - you can't get their spears since you can't kill them, and they can't hurt the boss since only you can, with a spear. After wrestling with the game to find out what the hell was doing that, we finally found the item and figured we could just unequip it. How wrong we were - that just led to the enemy being neither here nor there, permanently unkillable and useless to all. The game broke itself, auto-equipping the wrong item at the wrong time."


Are you kidding me? Thats your big beef with the game? That because you had auto equip turned on, and an item was auto equiped that has a special ability. It turns out that the special ability is actually functional and works how its intended to, which yes when used during that specific battle will stop you from winning. That is not a bug whatsoever, and is definately not worth condemning the game because of it.



[quote name='rocksolidaudio']


okami will not get a sequel, because the developer was disbanded, because their games didn't sell.

[/QUOTE]


We all know that, but what was asked was would you condemn the purchase of Okami's sequel just for the fact that it is a sequel if one were hypothetically made?
 
My only issue was with the vagueness of the article. It's a guide to not spend money like and idiot on the holiday, yet you mention that it's worth buying both the Wii and PS3 not for stuff out now but for games that should be coming in the future. Other than the activision games you never really gave enough details on why anything was worth spending a lot of money on or alternatively what we should avoid spending money on. It read more like "They're all worth spending money on, if you use your own discresion"
 
:rofl: I guess if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. I enjoy CoD immensley. It's a great game with a great online community and IMO, if you can afford it then one you should not miss out on. No reason to condemn it for being a sequel, but nice way to back out of what you wrote.

And of course I know that this is something I'd like. That's why I bought it, and if you haven't experienced a Call of Duty then you should definitely pick one up.
 
[quote name='whiptcracker'] It's a guide to not spend money like and idiot on the holiday, yet you mention that it's worth buying both the Wii and PS3 not for stuff out now but for games that should be coming in the future. [/QUOTE]

Yet, it you do buy a Wii or PS3 only for the games being released at a later day you are spending money like an idiot. You have the chance of a) a price drop on the system or b) overstock getting them so you can use a coupon at a later time closer to the release of those games.
 
Even moreso than the "miscommunication" of the article and the errors beleaguring (sp not looking it up now) the article is the article's pretentious presumptious nature. Don't ever assume when you write an article that your audience knows what you are going to say or talk about. I thought that's like the first rule of editorial/journalist/report writing. Second rule is to always be able to back up your statement would some fact.
 
I'm not going to say it's the worst editorial I've ever read, and "not spending your money like an idiot" is not the same thing as "saving money." Given the number of CAGs who lament spending *more* money since being on this site, I think we can all agree on that.

I do, however, think that your jokes are lame, your writing dismal, and your forced wry sense of humor made your op-ed a chore to read. The title is indicative of the vagueness of the article - what does it mean to not spend money like an idiot? - as well as the poor writing skills, lack of discipline (stay on *point*, my good man!), and general need for an editor.

Thanks for the try; I don't take issue with the content of your opinions, but, rather, your writing. Very kotaku.
 
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