A Week In Comments

Or a lead role as a white man who oppresses legions of blacks, browns, and yellows.

Or a white man who is chastised for the color of his skin.

Or any character, who doesn’t have to win or upgrade or level or learn pedestrian lessons, every time they face a boss, who happens to be much stronger, more intelligent, and sexier.

Maybe we need characters that can lose. Or characters whom try to sexy and can’t. Or try not to be, but are anyway. Or women who are strong, sexy, and smart, oppressing weaker characters, for their own good.

Or characters who fuck their way to the top. The list goes on.

Perhaps idealistic characters build gamer’s confidence, appear to their nature, and show them grinding in life will get results. But, perhaps building a weak character, would help gamers build actual character.

Occasionally in life, there are times when someone is a ‘Bayonetta.’ She has something other’s don’t, which gives her power. And hence, empowerment.

Sometimes idealism carries the day.

1) Story: Stories are for the first page of instruction manuals. Games don’t need a story. They’re not required in any way. Whoever started the notion that they were really damaged many games out there with shit shit stories. Super Mario Sunshine comes to mind as the prime example. Turn the game on, select new game, BOOM! You’re walking around. The minimal story that would be necessary to carry the game can be done interactively. No cut scenes are needed.

2) Space: It seems that 3D games have this idea that the bigger the world, the better. 1000 square km per area? Great! Innovative! No. Many locations, fine. One big Hyrule Field? Why? It’s just empty space. The technical limitations on the early games seemed to work in the series favour. Towns can have 4 houses. They can be close together. It can take 30 seconds to walk from one side to another of the town. I know, it’s not realistic. It’s ok. It’s a game. I don’t have to spend 10 minutes to find some lady in the red house who has a letter I need. I can do it in 20 seconds. Core gameplay shouldn’t be such filler.

3) Tools: More tools is not always better. More sword attacks is not always better. If the hookshot leaves, and we’re given a new tool, it will be okay. Fishing rods and bows and arrows can also go if replaced with something new. The seasons rod in Oracle of Seasons is a great example of a tool specific to one game that made the game play really fun. Evolving Zelda 2’s spell system would be great. I’m worried about the validity of this point because I haven’t played the Spirit Tracks or Twilight Princess and don’t know how they’ve done.

edit: 4) Sword fighting: You know what I loved? Fighting knights in Zelda 2. It was so simple. All you had to do was look if the knight was going to attack high or low and block until you saw a chance to strike. Simple, but it was difficult to do. There was no chance you took any damage by chance, it was always by your own mistake in timing, or coordination. That was great.

(I also editted out a petty jab in the first paragraph)