Not sure how Sim City missed the list.
Again, I think you mean "ingenious." And, while it's true no one asked me explicitly what I thought about you fellating Tom, I'm glad I did, because now I know why you do it. Tom, unlike you, is capable of speaking without using juvenile terms like "d-bag," and for people like you, he might as well be Shakespeare because of it.
Really wish I had my $14 back from that one. Basically a 30 minute political spiel with no gameplay.
That's actually really funny.
As much as I enjoy these yearly lists, I haven't actually played any of these games. I guess I should be thankful for that. I'm looking forward to the top ten.
I found the ending of Bioshock Infinite to be kind of a cop out. It threw in all that intellectual stuff to distract from not being able to deliver a truly heartfelt conclusion. I mean it still made me cry, but the heavy-handed metaphysical exposition distracted me from the empathy I was starting to feel for Booker and his struggle.
I could compare it with the ending of Mass Effect 3. *Read: Spoilers* My brother suggested to me that ME3 could have ended poignantly by revolving around Anderson's death, and I agree as that was the emotional climax of the story and it's most human element. Instead it made a big deal over this supposedly huge choice which, while it seemed to be epic in a virtual or 'moral' sense, really wasn't that emotionally significant compared to the simple drama of Shepard and Anderson trying to carry on and help each other through some very trying times, finishing with the end of what had become a paternal relationship between them. That part was particularly resonant for me because my Shepherd throughout the series was a colonist (all family and friends killed by slavers) and was also the sole survivor of a botched mission, so she really had no other friends or 'family' except for her relatively new companions and the Admiral. The whole thing just hit me all of a sudden once she woke up inside the Crucible.
SimCity isn't overrated, everybody already knows it's an awful game.
Tom Chick:
Most overrated Game GTAV:
Score: 5/5
The Last of Us and Bioshock Infinite
3/5
cool story bro
Tom Chick is Tom Chick
I'm kind of tired of people knocking Civ V fans as "not knowing how to play the game." Different people have different skill levels. I'm sure somewhere out there is someone who breezed through Dark Souls and didn't understand why everyone else found it so challenging. There are certainly criticisms to jump on, but focusing almost exclusively on one subjective facet and acting as if it is a universal viewpoint is petty and arrogant.
Here's a better way to say the same thing: "Perhaps to those without high-level Civ skill this expansion provided hours of fun and challenge. For those of us with years of experience and a mastery of the franchise's basic mechanics, no number of new systems can disguise the fact that the AI can't put up a fight."
Is that so hard? Or do you just enjoy people constantly complaining about your reviews?
Kotaku's recent story "I'm Probably Too Nice To Video Games. Maybe You Are, Too." is a great companion piece for this list. The author makes the argument that we grade video games on a curve.
I'm no Civ master, but I do tire easily of being forced to use the military option. In that one regard, I preferred Civ 4. I recently played a game and while the visuals are slightly dated and the board is squared, not hexed, I just felt like I could do more than beef up my army. Regardless, If I was a Civ master, it would be impossible and dishonest of me to review a Civ as if I wasn't.
Honestly, this is the my least favorite thing you do all year, Tom. For a guy who gets parades of crazies stomping through the comments section yelling about how your opinion is wrong, it's somewhat disappointing to have you write a list about how everyone else's opinion on these 10 games is wrong.
I can understand people not liking Gone Home because a they wanted something more mechanically oriented, but dismissing its story as a political spiel because it's about a gay character is kind of a sad indictment of your worldview.
I'm not suggesting he alter his opinion, but I don't think he should get a pass for flatly invalidating people's opinions based solely on skill level. It's analogous to criticizing Michael Bay films because people who like it are [insert negative descriptor here] rather than because the films are incoherent or too long or whatever. Obviously it's a little different with a game, but just an admission that he's past the point where his review can really accommodate anyone other than high-level players would be nice.
Also, not totally related, but I actually think that Civ V demands less of a military focus than Civ IV. Civ IV was constantly punishing me for not churning out units and forming perfect stacks, while Civ V let's me shore up my defenses via several systems and puts less emphasis on sheer numbers to begin with. I know it's not to everyone's taste, but again subjectivity should be acknowledged.
Maybe in retrospect he is including himself in the group of people who overrated it?
I'm not sure it's a matter of pointing out "wrong" opinions (even if such a thing were possible). I always enjoy these lists for recognizing games that were well-received critically but had underlying issues which were overlooked or ignored among the hype surrounding their release.
If they had told the exact same story without the character being gay, this game would have been roundly trashed and/or ignored. Other than a single flyer, there was nothing (including the reaction of the parents) which wouldn't have been the same if the character wasn't gay. I have no issue with the developers (make whatever game you want) but with the reviewers who let their views on LBGT issues influence their reviews. This was the first game I ever finished and then wanted my money back.
Spoilers! Guess I don't need to play that now.
Well I had no issues with the story but I don't feel like I got my money's worth for that game because mechanically, it was sparse and barren.
Well I reckon a story like that should be told regardless so that gaming can be more inclusive instead of attracting the same gamers it has been since the 80's but yeah, I feel like some reviewers may have given it a free pass on tokenism.