syntheticgerbil

That's exciting, I hope this one's good. While I love his visual flair and own a shitload of Gondry related DVDs, I find his actual movies as a whole tend to be very hit and miss. Human Nature and Eternal Sunshine were very strong starts, but I know a lot of people attribute those solely to Kaufman's writing (I don't agree, I despise the story for Being John Malkovich but love the visuals and Synecdoche is one of the worst things I've ever sat through). I liked Be Kind Rewind, but it seems a lot of people felt it was too base. I just found it slow in some parts. Science of Sleep was even slower and felt like it was missing a soul, which his latest documentary The Thorn in the Heart was a snoozefest and didn't seem to have any clear reason that it was even made in the first place.

See the awkwardness of the controls you are speaking of when I'm trying to ride Argo and rotate the camera to my side to look is way too much to deal with and it seems even though I'm holding a direction, it's camera dependent, so I start turning like crazy even though I'm trying to keep a constant circular path around the boss.

Finshed 8 and 9 earlier. Had jury duty and didn't get selected, so I went home and played some video games before I went back to work. NONE THE WISER ARE YOU BOSS?!

Now I can put on full display all the big bouncy boobie anime I constantly watch! Seriously though, another fucking app I have to take time out to hide off my news feed.

I heard he had to leave because a brutal legend erupted between him and Tim Schafer.

Who wrote that line?! I must know. I always assumed it was just another random little dead girl. Possibly a love interest but that's just a guess.

Yeah but in Japan they read right to left and they have had a major hand in making us go right, although I don't think they type code right to left... or do they?

THREAD'S CLOSED MOVE ALONG

Wait, after Humongous.he helped cofound and was creative director at Hulabee, another children's game company with David Grossman helping with design. They have three games to their credit up to 2003. Also I'm pretty sure he left Humongous about 1999/2000. I mean there's still a gap, but wikipedia doesn't have all the info. You should check his Mobygames. Also if I recall, the Deathspank project started late 2005 with the way he looked from the webcomic. It may not have been with Hothead, but I vaguely remember promo images that year. If you look at it that way it's a little over two years tops that he was not involved in making games. That's not too shabby. I also mean to play all these fucking kid's games of his one day, but so far I've only gone through some Pajama Sam and Freddi Fish.

Derp I guess I didn't read what Darthbator wrote correctly, sorry. Also, does anyone have any clue of what the Japanese manual for Shadow of the Colossus looks like? I found this neato Japanese manual scan from ICO I might get by trolling Yahoo Auctions Japan next paycheck: http://www.teamico.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=11575269 I don't know if these are drawn by Fumito Ueda or what (is he an artist?) but I'm curious if there's something similar in the Shadow JP version for PS2. I did get that little artbook for the Japanese HD collection that someone was nice enough to put on Ebay for $20 once without any competing bids. It's kind of neat with storyboards and design layouts on graph paper but otherwise short with interviews in Japanese taking up the other half.

Was that directed at me? I'm confused. It was dumb to respond to Tron in the same sentence, but I guess it made me remember that I originally thought Wander was female.

Can you place Macauley Culkin as the background to Idle Banter?

Wait what was his involvement in Big Castle? Did he design this? Edit: Searched, seems he did. Ignore this.

I think that's kind of a low blow, but on that note, I thought I was playing a woman at the beginning of Shadow of the Colossus. I wasn't really sure of the relation of the main character to the dead or sick woman.

Christ, this thread is nearly impossible to follow. Yeah I guess that's my question ultimately. I like this kind of dumb shlock every once and a while, but I do like it separated for more serious things. I wouldn't call myself sexist for finding some dumb sexist things funny. It's when things like Bayonetta get trumped as some kind of women empowerment when things get annoying. But Bayonetta itself is a game full of dumb schlock and while I don't like Bayonetta, I understand the appeal. I don't know. Lots of people on Idlethumbs, including people in this thread, like stuff like that if our threads in the years gone by are anything to go by, but I wouldn't really assume anyone here is sexist or enablers of such. I think that's the thing, the original is in such bad taste, there's an element of making fun of it in Double Dragon Neon. Really, from what I understand from my friend who had played it, Double Dragon Neon is both a love letter and a roast of the original for it's idiocy all the same. This is not to say it's an essential joke, but it's one aspect of the theme of the game. And like, you guys cite Louis C.K., but I personally don't get him. I find him way too constantly crude and offensive to the point where I feel sick after a while, but to each their own. While you do bring up the point of him not being scared of Meryl immediately after the saving, you are misrepresenting it still. Snake sees she has the safety on as well as noticing how she's holding the gun, not because he assumes she's a sissy since she's a woman. The same trick is used later against Ocelot and Johnny's rookiness later in the series, especially with Johnny being a complete reenactment. Really it all plays into Snake's skills of observation and this idea that he's the perfect soldier which is a main element to the series plot. Again, I think you guys criticizing Metal Gear aren't that familiar with the series and should read this http://thehathorlegacy.com/the-women-of-metal-gear-solid-part-1/ Great read and pretty much goes into detail on what Thrik said. Metal Gear definitely has major issues (especially 4, see my issues in that thread), but has done some unique things at the same time with it's large inclusion of female characters in an otherwise big bro military world. Hopefully Anita will touch on Metal Gear a little bit more than just one isolated part where Snake is saved either by himself or the Ninja, depending on what path you take. Holy fucking shit it does. If there's anything that permeates the series non stop is the homoeroticism. The amount of shots up Snake's ass alone I think outweighs any female gazes throughout the series. The butt hump shot in MGS4 on Act 2 is hilarious on how long it lingers. Forget that Vamp totally has a thing for Raiden and lots of other dudes, Snake and Otacon's love totally outweighs anything he had for Meryl once. I think the biggest problem with Metal Gear in general is there is no actual game where you play a woman, even though it seems obvious.

Making a thread for index reasons. Someone had recommended the Jak game series long ago on 2005 Idlethumbs I think along with the whole rest of the PS2 talking animal mascot shebang. I did play the Sly Coopers much earlier and loved them (except not so much on 1), but I'm now just getting around to playing the first Jak game. There's also the motivation that Hirokazu Yasuhara worked as game and level designer on 2 and 3, but I'm getting the feeling I'll dislike those. Hope I'm wrong, I suppose. There's a lot to like about this game and for whatever reason, according to the ads I had seen back in 2000 that had me wanting the game originally (but with no PS2), I had always expected it to play like a more American version of Zelda. It appears that was not the case and instead I was playing a very standard platformer that had very frustrating controls but comfortable and intersting level design similar to Mario 64. I really didn't enjoy collecting a ton of shit, but I'm obligated to 100% every game I play and it wasn't that painful, but I would rather games not take a page out of the Rare books. I have not played any Crash Bandicoots to that extent yet so maybe this kind of design is akin to those? I get the feeling it is. I hate how the main character looks. Seeing how he changes on the boxees for the next few games, I see he only gets worse. He looks like an idiotic frat boy or like the lead singer of that unmemorable late 90s band Lit. I'm guessing I'll really hate him when he starts talking the next game and gets all agressive, but I'll see. Maybe something will be written where he's redeeming in someway, but I'm prepared for mediocre fanfiction levels of story. Just weird how bland the main character is and how much it sticks out from the designs of the rest of the characters and environment. I really don't know how to trump the game's strengths but it was very enjoyable to figure out every nook and cranny of the levels and find out the secrets. It managed to have that elusive addictive quality which made the game enjoyable despite any flaws. Really the worst thing going for this game is the camera. I don't know if this just how most 3D game cameras were back during the turn of the century, but despite possibly being spoiled now I don't seem to remember any other game I've played from that era being this broken in terms of camera. Looking at old reviews, Jak and Daxter made good scores all around on various sites, with a few citing camera problems but not really being offended by them. I just don't know what's up with this game with the major problem being that it's missing a way to snap the camera behind the character. I had to almost constantly make sure I was controlling the camera correctly when jumping or whatever else because it would hardly ever intuitively follow the character or even stay behind him. If I ever had to change direction or avoid an enemy, I was running straight into the camera and being blinded. Not to mention it seems like the camera was just sort of a freefloating thing in the world I was controlling that would get stuck between collision boundaries in walls or obstacles without any way to make it move in some points as I had walked in a way it would get stuck. Extremely frustrating, but I'm sure it won't be like that next time around. On the note of the PS2 mascots, I probably won't be playing Ratchet and Clank. There's nothing eyecatching at all about those and I hate that ugly cat.

I was thinking about what you said, but then I see you already sort of answered it in the same message and I had forgotten the second paragraph. It doesn't sound like you are saying this automatically means the creators or anyone who laughs at the "ironic sexist" humor as inherently sexist, but if they are not, they are enacting poor judgement, right?

Yeah what number are we on now? I need to catch up but I am also confused where to get to.

Reading your posts is like someone shitting in my ears. Good news is, I won't be anymore! (I can also miss out on your trollbait title targeted at me as well, classy!)

So glad those times are over. Good riddance.

So I beat Jak 2, with all orbs. That was yesterday. I beat it the day I started getting super sick. Seemed about right since I don't think I've gone through such a torturous game loop in a long time. Difficult racing minigames in a game not about racing is just cruel. I don't even know where to start other than 100%ing all race sequences was a combination of bad collision detection, fucked up expectations from developers, and a generic lack of care or testing offered to a side part of the game. That's where my time with the game. I've heard other parts of Jak 2 are supposed to be infuriating but I wouldn't know, since every time I didn't have to race somewhere, I felt like I was playing a Kirby game. I was actually into the story. It's very odd how similar this is to Beyond Good and Evil in terms of gameplay, scope, plot, and tone. I kept thinking I was hearing "Loyal Hillyians" when I passed this dictator's voice box around the city. Sucks this game could have been more fun had the designers allowed some wiggle room. I hear I'll be happier with Jak 3, guess I'll see.

Hah yeah, I was thinking about why the original is like that, and it's most likely because the designers did not care to do any other kind of unique animations outside of the punch for a kidnapping, since just walking slowly over to someone and picking up their girlfriend in front of them is probably a just slightly more ridiculous than the whole intro as it is. It appears Wayforward felt it was suitable to be just as "lazy." Also I don't want any more episodes, because this thread is too fucking long as it is.

Yeah, unfortunately that's my problem too.

I'm going to come to the conclusion that Anita is probably the wrong person to go to for more interesting discussion on this stuff. Her videos before are lists, not sure why I figured they'd be more thought provoking or in depth with more information if nothing before would have indicated that? I just want something like this but in video form, as no one else seems to be doing so: http://thehathorlegacy.com/the-women-of-metal-gear-solid-part-1/ The author of the articles on the women in Metal Gear exhausts every notable female character in the series, how some are steps forward, some are steps back. Good examples, bad examples, what could be improved, etc. I guess that's where my interests lie.

Less threatened? Alright. It's super easy to just sit around and rattle off a list of video games doing it wrong, because nearly all of them are. That's just boring. I want more time spent on what the Zelda topic touched upon but with other characters, not pointing out that things like Double Dragon showed panties long ago or that Mario 2 doesn't count as an example of Peach not as a damsel because it was a reskin. I'm personally also not wanting a video of exceptions, that's just as boring. Again, the conflict of a female character being strong on her own but at the same time being dragged down by a trope because of lazy writing or not enough thought it a lot more interesting of a discussion, whatever you guys define is the right or wrong way to do an analyses. Sheesh guys, yeah it's the first episode, but we are on a message board talking, thoughts are bound to be written down. Probably these videos are not for me then but I'm going to watch the next few either way. Also on a side note, the princess does rescue you one time in Prince of Persia when she sends out her pet mouse to jump on a switch for you. On that note, Farah? Can she talk about Farah at some point?