Monday, October 31, 2011

MAILBAG ANNOUNCEMENT!

Game OverThinker: Episode 60 is now in production. Fans and viewers already know that this episode will feature the the big battle between OverThinker, CryoThinker and PyroThinker; but the important part - the topic - hasn't been revealed until now:

It's MAILBAG time!



I'll be answering questions from YOU in the episode! Here's how to submit one: Just post it in the comments section of this blog (or the comments section of where you see the accompanying video) and there you go! Not every question will get in, obviously, but I'll try to get as many of the best/funniest/most-interesting/etc. to fit as I can. (I'll be doing the picking because, y'know, my show and all...)

NOVEMBER 12th is the deadline, so get them posted before that. ALSO: No anonymous questions will be accepted, no matter how good. Even if you're posting as "anonymous," put something you'd want to be called by (doesn't have to be your real name) in the question if you want to ensure it gets considered.

While no topic (within reason) is "off the table," here's some suggestions to make your question more likely to be considered:

BE INTERESTING - lets try to avoid "what is your favorite...," "have you played...," etc. After all, we could be cutting away to your question from a wacky ninja fight-scene, so it should probably be worth cutting away for :)

BE SPECIFIC - we want lots of questions to have room, so very general queries requiring very long answers ("could you give thoughts on a whole genre/series/etc?") are probably not making the cut. Also - keep it short and to the point, only the relevant text of the question will be repeated/read on the episode itself and may be summarized.

BE ON-TOPIC - video game questions, questions about the making of the show, etc. are going to get preference over "what do you think of this or that show/book/sport/etc?" Politics and culture questions should relate back to gaming or the show in some form.

DON'T TROLL - if there's something you dislike about me, the show, a prior episode, etc I WANT you to ask about it here and I will NOT reject a question because it is in some way a negative critique. Obvious trolling, however, will not make the cut; nor will questions designed to be read as "attacks" on certain people, persons, companies, developers, other web hosts etc. Oh, and this should go without saying, but this is not the place or time for "tell me what you think of MY show/game/product/blog/etc."

I'm genuinely eager to see what you guys come up with. Good luck!

158 comments:

Anonymous said...

Gamers tend to feel the need to fight amongst themselves (i.e. Hardcore vs. Casual, RPG vs. FPS, 360 vs. PS3). Do you think this could be a detriment to gamers, dividing up instead of uniting?

-Rathkor

Lordlaneus said...

my questions simple. Why are games fun? most people i've asked this to say it has to do with escapism, but I feel likes there's more to it, after all I love games like katamari but I don't fantasize about rolling up the world and setting it on fire (okay maybe sometimes)

Also can there please be a third dragon based ninja named Spyro thinker? Or at least spinning one named Gyro thinker

Neko said...

How do you feel about the way capcom is treating it's customers at the moment? Also why is Ivan's name Ivan?!

MovieBob said...

@Neko,

Try reading Ivan's name backwards :)

Richard Thompson said...

I've watched a great few of your shows and as you have stated on several occassion, have also seen how Marvel's expanded universe in their movies is really beginning to take route. You also mentioned that DC should perhaps adopt this approach.

To get to my point, I'll provide you with a little backstory; I started reading comics a year or so ago, because over the summer I watched the entire 5 seasons of teen titans. Throughout the story, the teen titans encounter assorted DC heroes and villians, and in the finale they really cash in on this, bringing forth the huge roster of characters.

This is what got me interested in comics, in particular some of the more obscure characters such as Jericho, Argent and The Herald, even the villians such as Mallah the french ape and General Immortus, who litterally pulled the legions of the hellghast out of his ass. They seemed interesting, but they were only really introduced in the final couple of episodes.

This led me to search, and indeed discover (mostly through wikipedia) for myself the huge web of continuity in the DC universe.

Also in the past few weeks, while scanning through channels in the morning I came across "The New Avengers" cartoon. This too hosts a huge roster of Marvel heroes and villians, and it got me wondering (finally to the point); Do these comic book giants throw in these characters due to the less discrimatory nature of their younger audiences, who are less likely to ask questions, or is it in the hope that they, as I, investigate further the origins of the more obscure characters, and as a result make the most of their huge catalogue?

The former appears to hold the most weight, as it brings new flavours to the shows and keeps the target audience interested, but the latter seems plausible on the account of it is essentially free publicity for characters some of whom havn't been seen or heard of in years.

Was just wondering what you're take on this would be, thanks.
- Richard

PS. in teen titans there's a vaguely referenced character called Melvin, who has a teddy-bear protector called Bobby. I couldn't find any references (other than the character Annie from league of legends essentially being a copy-paste) to them, was wondering if you knew where it originated?

herio said...

why did naughty dog sell jack and dax and come out with a tomb raider knock off

max said...

where have all the cartoon 3d platformers platfromers go

James said...

What's your take on the use of moral choice systems in games, such as those made by Bioware? Do you think they're handled effectively, or are there ways you think their use could be improved?

Matt said...

How do you maintain a balance between writing episodes of The Game OverThinker, The Big Picture and Escape to the Movies?

Matt Stonyer

Sean said...

Ratings in videogame reviews. What do you think? Do they oversimplify everything? Do they lead to grade inflation, as Clint Hocking argued? (link provided below). Are they just freaking annoying because it leads to fans ranting incoherently at anything less than a 'perfect score' for big name releases? What would be the right way to handle scores on review? Score out of 5? Ten? Percentile? Get rid of 'em entirely?

Link provided: Clint Hocking, 5 Stars and the Truth: http://clicknothing.typepad.com/Design/hockingc_GDC09_Microtalk_FiveStars.zip

Spongey Blob said...

Hmmmmm... I don't want to make my question sound particularly negative, especially considering just how many times I've been in the Episode 58 comments section railing against Other M, but I have a question about your views on FPS's; partially on their quote-unquote 'stagnation' and specifically on how much harm they're causing to the industry. I'm going to have to split this into two parts, so forgive me if it's overly long;

1) How is the stagnation of FPS's any worse than the stagnation of other genres in other console generations?

While I'm not going to pretend that the NES was capable of a lot more, or that there aren't plenty of things wrong with the modern FPS, surely the sheer weight of 2D platformers that were essentially knock-offs of each other should count as a stagnation; even the ZX Spectrum had quite a few adventure games and even the first ever first-person console game AND the first survival horror title. Of all the NES library, can you call any more than about twenty of them objectively 'good'? If it was such a good era for gaming, why are so many of those games considered absolute trite? It's a similar case with the many points-based arcade ports in the America and Japanese Golden Ages and British home-brew era, side-scrolling platformers in the NES era and 3D platformers inbetween the release of the PS1 and the modern console generation. Is the modern FPS really any more or less stagnant than these genres, or any more harmful? I think the gaming industry's already survived much worse.

2) Considering just how big the gaming industry has gotten, with so many different platforms, so many different ways of experiencing and making games, and even different markets and industries WITHIN the gaming industry, how can anything, FPS or otherwise, be truly 'stagnant' anymore, certainly to the extent you make them out to be?

I've often heard word that the majority of games made today are FPS's and that they are the most popular games around, and that is an easily disproven lie. Just look at the numbers of any given week of sales; sure, the big name shooters such as Call of Duty sell like hot buns, but they're the big sellers with lots of money behind their marketing department; in fact, it's oddly enough E-rated games that are doing the best on the main consoles, and I don't think I need to bring up the iPhone. While I personally think that the problem is more that the FPS's simply get more coverage (a problem in of itself), this isn't about my answer to the question, it's about yours.

That's about it. Again, sorry if it's overly long, and thank you for taking the time to look over if you do.

Abel had it coming said...

Are you canning the "American Bob" Series or are they just going to be casual one offs when a subject interests you?

Ekky said...

How big of a part do composers and musicians play within the various aspects that make up their games? (Immersion, nostalgia, ect.) And what is your take on failures like Battleforge and Guild Wars, both games which have remarkable soundtracks that simply got brushed aside due to failure of the games they were placed in.

P.S. GW still has great PvP, no matter what anyone says. <.< >.>

Baerm said...

A little build up before the question.

In high school, I was a big fan of your show. I supported you through the Screwattack webshow competition, and I was always enthusiastic to see a new episode of yours come up. But then an episode came up than made me question your perspective of games, "Worst Person."

Beforehand, I didn't like FPS's. Could never get into them (with Metroid Prime being a HUGE exception), and bought into the stereotypes associated with them. Time passed and I got my hands on Call of Duty 4, and I immensely enjoyed it. Whether it'd be the well-narrated but brief campaign or the addicting multiplayer. This changed my stance on FPS's and exposed me to new games. To this day my favorite FPS's are Team Fortress 2 and Bioshock, and I'm proud to say it. Which is why the arguments in this episode seemed more questionable.

The arguments you made against the FPS genre (and not the dominance, you poke at aspects of the genre itself plenty of times), were either extremely subjective or aimed at the wrong target. You blame the FPS for the obsession over brown realistic graphics instead of the publishers that oversee the game's development. Any other genre would suffer the same problems if it was the most popular genre in the console market. You claim that your preference of escapism over immersion is a legitimate criticism. And you seem to build most of these complaints based on the attributes of old-school games.

This leads to my main question, have you ever considered that your favoritism towards retro games negatively impacts your perspective of FPSs and the criticisms you make about the genre? If so, what would you do to resolve this unwarranted negativity?

You still make very good points when you tackle analysis and praise, but this episode made me question your criticism from then on out.

If you want to discuss this with me in more detail, then by all means do so. And to show that I'm not an FPS freak and just a guy giving a genre its fair chance, my all-time favorite games are Mother 3 and Earthbound. Two games some would say are polar opposites of FPSs.

MarioMan64 said...

What are your personal opinions on expansion packs and DLC? How do you interpret how they're being used by game companies and, as a whole, is it going to have a positive or negative impact on the industry?
Sort of related, do you ever buy DLC, and if so, what are your conditions for doing so?

pointPi said...

I've never heard or seen you talking about Minecraft, which I find kind of strange. I'd really like to know what your thoughts about this game. Do you think the impact it makes on the video game community is positive or negative?

Regards,
pointPi

GearSting said...

Is it unfair for new IPs to have to compete with "classics" that have an undying fanbase made in a time where the people making the new IPs were children?

Anonymous said...

During episode 42, you explained how first person shooters were a stagnating genre. However, at one point you implied that Half-Life and Portal were better examples of the genre, but weren't enough to excuse everything else. What exactly is it that makes these games better than the others, and how exactly are they not good enough to excuse the rest of the genre?

-Krazed Kevin

Trilbee said...

I've had a bone to pick with the videogame industry for quite a while and it's the issue of 'patching' videogames. I think that the option to patch videogames after their release has created a bad mentality for the developer because it effectively means that they don't have to finish the game before putting it on store shelves. Some games are released in glitchy and unfinished states because the developer released them knowing that they could fix it later and I think it's insulting to the consumer who are being asked to fork out money for a product that isn't finished.

A recent example is Marvel vs. Capcom 3, which was supposed to come with many additional modes and Capcom promised us that they'd be patched in for free along with character balancing but instead we're being forced to buy Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 if we want the balanced version with all the modes. This isn't the worst thing Capcom has done recently (they're going to start charging for game demos in Japan soon) but patching is a way to exploit the customer and get money for less work. What are your thoughts on patching outside of MMOs?

Many thanks and keep up the great work!

- Trilbee

cass said...

three questions, first two serious, one not so much

1. do you think gaming popularity has reached the point were there arnt any particular stigmas or steriotypes attached to being a gamer, or is there still some prejudice going on? how do you think normal people look at people who play video games? isit any better then say 5 or ten years ago?

2: this is only tangently realated yovideo games, and kinda old news, but what do you think of anonoumous, the hacker folks. do you think they did the psn break? are they a force for good or evil? are they part of some goverment conspericsy? basicly, whats your take on them?

and lastly, when is some major gps making place like garmin going to make a legand of zelda Navi themed GPS?

here me out, they could color it blue and give it little wings, and have a sword or a green hat as car sprites on the maps, and make the destination appear as a treasure chest or a triforce! it could play the main zelda theme when you turn it on, mabey. and the most imporitnt part, they should make it go "hey! listen! turn right on elm street" instead of just "turn right on elm street". its already super anoying. why not make it super anoying and AWESOME!!!

Back me up on this Ivan! this would be EPIC!!!

Anonymous said...

Please feel free to answer any, all, or none. I love getting a chance to ask questions.

1) Do you think video game scholarship similar to literature or film studies scholarship will ever catch on? Is there a need for it? (Will studying an individual video game's creation, advertisement, reception, media-specific techniques, messages and mechanics be at all interesting to academics or the arts community or anybody?)

2) What techniques for making your several video series do you feel you've needed most? (It would be nice to know more areas I should work on when creating my own opinion-based web show, should I get the funds.)

3) Can you give us any backstory behind "Bunnyface"? (How did he get his position on the force? Does he have a family? What does he believe in? Is he more of a lettuce guy or a carrots guy?)

-SeventyfivepercentG

Anonymous said...

Some other commenters touched on this before, but I'll just put my own spin on it.

You're dislike of the FPS genre is well documented, however you've stated that BioShock is one of your favorite games, and that Half Life 2 and Portal are good examples of the genre.

My question is what did these games do right that games like Halo and Call of Duty do wrong? Why, do you think, these games are the top of their class, and how they use the limits of the FPS to make their point?

-B2D2

Ultima Black Mage said...

Hi, been a fan since you first posted Escape to the Movies videos on The Escapist. Love the show. It's nice to see another intellegent gamer exists.

Anyway my question is actually based on the episode about putting the cartridge before the cloud. Considering that cloud save files are starting to be used a little more frequently these days, do you think the flash drive stored games should also allow for cloud save storage of save files and eventually the games too before the cloud becomes the only source of accessing video games?

Also while I think about it what do you think are the odds of Nintendo making another Metroid like Other M considering that a lot of people bitched about it and would you like to see it on 3DS like me? I like Metroid Other M :)

Ultima Black Mage said...

As a Gen NESer like you I've wondered if your "Pile of shame aka unfinished games" pile consists mainly of NES and SNES period games like myself? At least 80% of my pile of shame is from that period and whats worse is some of those games I've lost over the years.

I don't really want this in the show but had to ask it.

Anonymous said...

Hey Bob!

Anyone who has a firm understanding of this industry knows that it is just a matter of time until [physical]consoles get phazed out. I think a good indication of this is Playstation Suite. Suite is nothing more then a virtual PS platform that is probably gonna stick around waaay after the PS4 and PS5 eventually die. Coupled with technology similar to OnLive, and bam - a 'console' that streams content to electronics that are expected to become stantard in every home in the future.
At least, this is what I concluded from my research.
What are your thoughts on this?
Keep up the good show!

-Dii

Anonymous said...

What do you think of difficulty in games today? After playing Dark Souls recently I actually felt a challenge long missing in the industry.

Anonymous said...

What do you think of difficulty in games today? After playing Dark Souls recently I actually felt a challenge long missing in the industry.

-Manic_Mailman

Anonymous said...

With sonic generations coming out tomorrow and sonic colors being pretty well made, do you think SEGA has finally done right by Sonic?
Movie Games have always kind of sucked, how do you think this could be improved?

-SogekingDedede

Cole said...

Do you watch any shows on TGWTG.com?

Kyle said...

I have my old NES and SNES games, some Xbox and PS1/PS2 games that I have hung onto. I can still set up those systems and play those games Local multi-player only obviously)

With Digital Distribution, Cloud Saves, DLC, Online Passes, etc, -Will there come a day when I will not be able to play the games I own from this current console generation?

Requiem Prime said...

I keep hearing about two disparate issues: data compression and transmission is desperately going to hit the wall sooner than later, and at the same time everyone is marching towards the cloud and doesn't seem to care. Is there anything to worry about these two concepts colliding?

Hunter M said...

You've mentioned that the FPS can't seem to find much of an audience in Japan, but the dating sim genre is huge there, with the opposite true in North America. Think you can take a crack at explaining the social psychologies that go into such general preferences? (Carl Jung comes up. Calling it.)

Max Wilson said...

I'm just going to keep this as short as I possibly can, seeing as you have a fuck ton of messages-

You should seriously look into the BIT.TRIP series if you haven't already. They don't get that much love outside of their cult fanbase because of people's ignorance about wiiware; either it being a platform for not just really quality games, but the initial platform for one of the most artistic retro styled games EVER. Seriously man, this is the 2001: A Space Odyssey of video games here; and it tells its story and communicates its themes primarily through GAMEPLAY, with little couple second cutscenes giving context.

I'm not asking for you to do a review or anything (although that would be awesome), I'm just saying, seeing as you're into this whole 'games are art' thing, that missing out on these is like a moviebuff never seeing....like...2001: A Space Odyssey.

There's a Wii retail release out including all of the six games in the series for like, 40 bucks, with a shit ton of extra features, and you could get them all on wiiware for less.

Saburo said...

Why are gamers today so afraid of change, not just in motion control, but in Good DLC(Non-Microtransactions), Digital Distribution, Smartphones, and other new additions to gaming?

MacNille said...

MacNille here.

My question is:

When it comes to video game movies, most of them have sucked the worst of balls. We all know that some of them don't have so much when it comes to story (Resident evil, DOA and Super mario bros to name a few), but some of them has had really good story, that was given to the wrong people (Max Payne anyone?). Who do you think would be the man (or women) too make a Fallout movie? Or maybe a Knights of the old republic movie? If you are wondering, why i don't take up the Zelda games or the metriod series as an exempel, there is one reason: I did not grow up with them, and have to yet play a metriod game.
Also, exuse my english, as i'm from Sweden and got dyslexsia. Peace man.

Anza said...

What do you think about EA's(and other company's) Project 10$ and how it contends with used game sales (mainly from Gamestop) and do you believe its wrong of them to push such a thing considering trades are how a lot of people end up paying for the newer games that EA wants to sell tons of copies of?

- Anza

Anonymous said...

1: The antithinker zelda episode made me want a standard game overthinker on the zelda series. Any chance we can get one or perhaps a bit on it to coincide with skyward sword in the mailbag episode?
2:for a quick and easy one, your favorite pokemon?
3: Like you, I am a big nintendo fan, but perhaps you could identify some things about Nintendo that you see as weaknesses?

-Ed

Mr Knightmare said...

My question is simple. Why and where have paltforming collectaton games gone? You know the ones where you roamed the map collect X number of Y so you could progress throught the game, and you usually collect them by doing some tasks?

The types of Mario 64, Banjo-Kazooie, Bonkers or my favorite series Spyro the Dragon and the likes. There are zero platfoming games like it now except mario why do you think is that?

Anonymous said...

What's your opinion on rhythm games (rock band, guitar hero, dance central, etc.)? Do you think Activision shutting down its Guitar Hero division is a sign that rhythm games might leave the mainstream in a couple years?

- beatdown31

Anonymous said...

I'm wondering what you think should be the balance between gameplay and story and which should effect the other more? - Zechariah Munster(yes, that is my actual name, I'm not trying to pander to possible nostalgia)

Sam Robards, Comic Fan said...

I have two questions.

Considering the overall positive reception of Sonic 4, Sonic Colors and (from what I've read) Sonic Generations, do you think Sonic the Hedgehog is "back"? If not "back," do you at least Sega is on the right track?

I am mainly interested in your feelings on the reception of the franchise by the gaming "community", as it were, and how you feel Sega's approach to the franchise compares and contrasts to the suggestions you put forward in your two-part Sonic episode WAY back in episode 20-something.

The second question has already been asked, but I believe it's worth repeating: what are your feelings toward how publishers are utilizing Downloadable Content?

It seems that for every publisher that offers free (or very cheap) DLC, there are five more that will try to rip you off with outrageous prices, day-one DLC and charging you to access data that's already on the $60 disc.

I love the concept of DLC, but publisher's seem to be taking advantage of the concept to nickel-and-dime their customers.

I get that this ties back into the used games racket in the sense that items that are bought as DLC (especially full games) can't be returned to GameStop after a week of play, thus allowing publishers to get more money for their product. I have no problem with that.

It just seems that publishers are using DLC as an excuse to charge $60 for an unfinished game and make us pay extra for the rest of it whenever they get around to finishing it, if at all.

The newest Prince of Persia is a perfect example: the final chapter of the game wasn't even included on the disc. It was made downloadable content that cost around $5.

I'd go on, but this post is long enough already. Bah!

Sam Robards, Comic Fan said...

Oh! I have another quick little (non-episode) question:

Have you seen Super Mario Bros. Z?

Take Mario and Sonic sprites, throw them into a story together and mix in DBA-style narrative and fight scenes.

To quote you, Pure Awesome is what it is.

There's only eight or so episodes, and he doesn't really nail the user interface until episode 4 or 5, but it's still worth a viewing or seven.

Peace!

Anonymous said...

Dear Game Overthinker,
As both a game and movie aficionado, what game (either old or new school) do you think has the overall best story/narrative?
Your fan,
Gus

Gallium said...

Mr G. Overthinker,

As games develop greater and greater graphical (although not necessarily aesthetic) capabilities, it has been commented upon by you and many others that, on the whole games are getting shallower and shorter, often being propped up by less content intensive multiplayer. However, man hours and production costs for game development have never been higher. There is little sign of this trend stopping.

It can be argued that a desire to produce the latest and greatest burdened us with game engines capable of great technical feats but ill designed for producing content. In my opinion this has resulted in yet more palette swapping, linear game worlds and running through the same level multiple times despite the best efforts of developers.

My question is this: How can we get our lovely new graphical content without sacrificing gameplay content? Can we have our cake and eat it?

- Greg, Fife, Scotland.

Evil Monkey said...

We know alot about your film and game tastes, but what kind of music do you like?

ScrewAttackSamus said...

What do you think of the constant criticisms towards Nintendo for the past year? For example, do you find that people asking for their head on a silver platter due to the 3DS' launch as well as people (including journalists) prophesying doom for them have just gotten out of hand and are coming off as petty?

-Aiddon

Wesley Eldridge said...

Do you think the Western game industry will ever identify and begin giving creative freedom to it's skilled visionaries the way film has? (Examples : Spielberg, Nolan, del Toro, Cameron)

It seems this has been true in Japan for decades. (Examples : Miyamoto, Inafune and Kojima)

It also appears all of the American developers who really made a name for themselves like John Carmack and Will Wright haven't been relevant for years. The only current person who comes to mind for me is Markus "Notch" Pearsson and even he is only really known for Minecraft.

Anonymous said...

from marocwwe
your thoughts on SHENMUE 3 are we ever gonna get it. should sega and nintendo get to getter like be one

Evilkinggumby said...

2 actually:

1: We used to have so many spaceship based games back when 3d tech was lacking (Wing Commander, Tie Fighter, Rogue Squadron) and now I barely see any. Did the genre die, or do you think the games were just a stepping stone to more advanced 3d technology?

2: When you work on your episodes, have you considered recruiting help from outside, like voice work, pixel art, animation, music, etc? Or are you a one man show?

Anonymous said...

My name is Jake, and I was wondering what gaming websites you look to for your news?

Evine said...

What do you think about fan works, specifically those who make it. obsessive nerds or loving fans.

Example: http://youtu.be/CSlnZxvi37s

Gyasi Inteus said...

Gyasi (Jaw-see) here.

My question is fairly simple: How do you feel about some of your fans reactions to your new direction with the show? Some people have said that they can listen to you for hours, but can't really dig the whole Indie-film vibe, while ours say they don't really mind it, as long as it doesn't become primary reason for making the episodes. To me, you are one of an elite group of video game commentators (along with Jim Sterling, Yahtzee, and the Extra Credits team)trying to make the industry a better place, no matter how long your intro is and how many self-aware plot loophole jokes you make.

Just curious.

Bobert said...

In your "Worst Person" video, you mentioned that Half-Life and Portal were standouts of the FPS genre. What in your view makes these games so good, or what makes them stand out from the rest of the FPS's, and what could be done to help the state of the genre, because there is clearly some type of stagnation.

Valium said...

Every now and then, we get a game that defines or redefines a genre. Mario defined 2-D platformers, Tetris defined falling block puzzle games, Grand Theft Auto defined the sandbox game as we know it today, and for better or worse, Halo redefined what it means to be a modern FPS, and Street Fighter 2 is still the standard by which all fighting games are judged.

Is there any current game that you want to see reach that level of influence to the point where it becomes one of those genre-defining cornerstones, even (and especially) if you know it will never happen?

-Viletta Vadim

Anonymous said...

@Evine: If he does answer that question, I hope he makes it a point to bring up the Japanese doujinshi industry. Maybe you could say it's just their version of indie media with a different name, but much like Japanese games themselves, there generally seems to be a huge disparity from the western equivalent (and damn, do they tend to have an eye for quality despite not being "professionals").

Anyway, what are Bob's thoughts on Japanese eroge? (credit me as "Y-sama" if you go with this) I'm really curious, because in his Worst Person episode (#42), he ranks "Japanese dating sims" somewhat low, yet still a step above motion-controlled sports, FPSes, and regular sports (he also ranked the visual novel genre, under which several eroge fall under, kinda high). Though, he could probably save it for whenever he does another episode on the exploitation of women in games (albeit quite a few eroge are surprisingly tasteful "porns with story"). At any rate, I find it a real shame that such games have almost zero presence in the western world (I recall Dokidoki Majo Shinpan, although a very softcore title, got quite a bit of media coverage before SNK denied any plans to localize it), moreso when you consider the number of popular anime titles that were adapted from such games.

Anonymous said...

First: @ Lordlaneus

Because I can never resist the chance for awful puns:

Green ninja: Bio - Thinker
Drunk ninja: Wino - Thinker
Baking ninja: Pie - Dough - Thinker
Tea drinking ninja: Iroh - Thinker

Now: A completely silly question.

A hypothetical company is developing a Smash Brothers type brawler, and have decided to include some characters never before seen in a video game. What Characters / Heroes / Villains would you most like to see making their video game debut in such a game?

Signed,
Mr. Uvula

Zelkian said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Zelkian said...

Is there a revision, or revisions, to the video game industry that could foster an environment where games are of higher quality and more innovative.

I ask this question because, as a video game fan, I've become frustrated over the years by some of the changes and/or practices of the industry. Changes that seem detrimental to innovation and its continued existence. Some examples: Exponentially increasing development costs, rigid game pricing, unnecessary complexity, reliance on sequels, and unfair, cumbersome DRM.

P.S. I'm not that angry, I still love games, but I do worry about their future.

crock_a_dial said...

This might be a bit of a big question, but I'm interesting in hearing your thoughts.

What do you personally think about bill S.978, (the bill that'll make posting video game footage a felony) and the impact it could have on gaming websites like Screwattack?

Anonymous said...

You've said your dream job would always be directing a 'proper' Super Mario Bros. Movie adaptations of video games have to change a lot in order to fit into a 90-minute time frame; what changes do you think you would HAVE to make in order to make the transition from video game to movie. I think the hardest will be how to make Princess Peach an interesting female character (instead of a living trophy) without turning into some kind of action girl.

Arturo said...
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Arturo said...
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Arturo said...

This may sound mean spirited, but I think G4's days (on TV) are numbered. What do you think, Bob?

A. Crane

Link_Shady said...

Eduardo or Link_Shady

Are you planning on making a movie? You have a project coming up or an idea? What do you need to make your first breakthrough project? also, if you gain fame ad fortune, what would it be your Dream Project?

Link_Shady said...
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Anonymous said...

Bob,

Do you think we will ever see a cross-franchise Nintendo RPG ala Smash Bros?

--Gantoris--
From Juneau, Alaska

Unknown said...
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Unknown said...

You've touched on this before, but I think this is a topic worth exploring: How has your gaming changed as you've aged?

You mentioned taking time off in college, but many people I know had their longest/only flirtation with gaming during college. What happened that changed? What brought you back? How is your experience of gaming different now than it was as a kid? These are the types of questions that interest me because part of the best parts of GO aren't about games, but about our relationship to them.

-IaninAZ

Mads said...

Dear Bob

Do you think PC Gaming as a genre is less relevant than console gaming, or do you just never discuss it because you feel it is outside of your area of expertise?

If it's the latter one, do you feel like your commentary on gaming as a whole is poorer because of what you don't know? That it might narrow your perspective?

If it's the former...why?!?

Sincerely
Mads from Denmark

Hammbone said...

Hiya Bob!
My question is.
"Which Brother is best? Mario, or Luigi? and Why?"

Im preferential to The Green Machine myself, he jumps higher, runs faster and is over all more skilled than Mario, but he has the problem of having the worst traction on his shoes (that, and he's a coward)

Big Fan,
James

Hammbone said...
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Subtle said...

Hey Bob,

What are your thoughts on the set price of new AAA titles? Is $60 for every new disc an acceptable cost for these, or do you think that some titles should be cheaper, whether they are new IP's or not as big as other AAA titles (Fallout: New Vegas vs. The Force Unleashed 2, for example)?

Should we as video game players be loyal to the companies that make them, or might it be better to be a little more fickle? While stable support might be good for a company to be able to fall on should they stumble somewhere, couldn't it also make it way easier to take advantage of their consumer base? Is there some sort of middle ground between blind loyalty and blind hatred?

Can the 3DS recover, or is it pretty much dead?

Just in case you choose a question from me, you can credit me as Subtle.

Sean said...

How the hell has Microsoft avoided the kind of scrutiny and anger that Sony got, even though it's been suffering its own hacking scandal for a few weeks now and have been JUST as reticent in their handling of it?

Anonymous said...

Quite honestly, I absolutely loved Super Princess Peach. It made me laugh from start to finish. But I gotta ask, is it pulling the same style of "humor" as "Fat Princess", as in it doesn't mean to be to be in bad taste but it could be read as such?

Meh, I still love it. :)

Anonymous said...

Name: Scott Allen
Dear GameOverthinker, do you seriously believe that the "cloud" is the future of gaming, and if so, what do you think of the inherent problem of the cloud. (ie, that people can NEVER own any product they buy, that you can only play games so long as the publishers agree to maintain the service, that kids (who are still a big market) don't have access to credit cards and that you can never wrap them up and put under a tree (ruining gamings potential as a Christmas seller for kids).

Essentually, do you think that the movement towards the cloud is gaming moving simply for the sake of advancing technology while potentially carrying an anti-customer sentiment, or it the cloud redeemable?

Anonymous said...

How do you feel about issues like DLC that is already on the disc but still have to pay for it, DRM, and online passes for games where multiplayer experience effects the single player experience?
Also what kind of effect do you think that these issues have on the industry?
Nathan

Nathan Lynch said...

I would like to challenge/ ask you to do something:
- How would you make a movie out of the Mario Bros. franchise?

Much less heavy than some of the other questions here but Im interested all the same.

KevinCV said...

Here's mine: What would be your dream cast for a video game movie, whether it's Mario, Zelda, Dragon Quest, etc.? I'll let you pick which series.

Ben R. said...
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Ben R. said...

I can't really find an eloquent way of phrase this as a statement and preface it with a simple question.

Agree or disagree?

Your recent revisitation to the topic of "Other M" seemed to dismiss any potentially cultural fault as Japanaphobia. While blaming Japan entirely is clearly a spot on example of Japanaphobia and you are rightly to label such things as they are, the specific sub-cultures of Japanese anime and video games should shoulder the blame.

Within what I will refer to as the anime subculture, strong female role models are very scare and women that can function independently even more so. With Metroid being a largely western supported game and Samus being largely identified with as an independent character developers like Team Ninja, coming from a Japanese perspective (especially considering their previous content like Ninja Gaiden, DOA), did not know out of ignorance or did not try to cater to the western market and defaulted to the Japanese anime ideal of "strong" women.

So while Japan should not shelter the blame itself and implying that it should would be idiocy plain and simple, specific subcultural industries and consumers belonging to Japan are primarily responsible for Other M's Samus character and story failings.

Anonymous said...

@Ben Rogerson: are you kidding me? If anything, Japan's been having almost nothing but strong female characters these past few years. Given, you could attribute it to the "moe" boom, which caters mostly to males, and thus the characters are often sexualized or cutesified as a result (though in some cases, it almost seems like this is just an inherent trait of being the opposite sex; men's fetishes are widely varied, so even an "ugly" character might have an intentionally cute scene to herself). Still, it kinda says something when you have stuff like Touhou Project, where male roles are almost completely non-existent, and it's not as if several female fans don't exist. Actually, I think Bob already said it best: everybody likes to see a pretty girl.

Andrew said...

Dear Mr. Chipman,

In your eleventh episode ("Can it happen to us?"), you made the case that the American Gaming Industry was in an unseen state of peril. Over the three years that have transpired between then and now, would you say that the industry is still on that course? Or have certain instances (i.e. the supreme court desicion, etc) in Industry history saved us from that peril? Any update or extrapolation on the opinions you made in that episode would be appreciated. Thank you.

Andrew Northcutt

JPArbiter said...

Dear Bob;

Given the backlash over Duke Nukem Forever conforming to much to modern FPS standards (Two Weapon Rule, Regenerating Health) do you think that we are starting to see a fan push-back against What is considered generally accepted FPS design?

Sincerely
JPArbiter

P Marsh said...
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Ben R. said...

@yamato-0: Dude, you went from disagreeing with me and giving no example of positive female role models to "boo hoo, poor us men" because one show didn't have a male character to quasi-agreeing with me in stating that in anime female characters are only valued for their appearances.

Next time if your going to agree with me just get it out of the way first.

CanOfTheRelics said...

Have you ever played and completed a PC exclusive game or any game, which main platform was meant to be a PC? If yes, which one is your favorite?

Brandan said...

As we've seen there exist good movie games, but it is evident that a lot of them are pretty much rushed-out, crappy and half-assed versions of whatever film or possibly tv show is popular at the time. If they put so effort into it, how do they break even or make a profit when movie/tv games rarely sell well and also how can the gaming company afford to consistently make more and more sucky movie/tv games? Are movie games that inexpensive to make?

-Brandan

Kindberg said...

Dear Bob

Can a game be perfect?

-Jacob

Halollet said...

Dear Bob

What will it take to get a fat main character that isn't a comic relief? Especially a female one?

Best Regards,
Halollet

Anonymous said...

I love games like Metal Gear Solid and Bioshock for the way that they flesh out their themes, in that they are impactful on our thoughts and philosophies. Then I turn to other games like Shadow of Colossus and God of War that may have a meaning, but don't seem to have a message like the other two, but they are still somehow enriching and fulfilling. Is one more worthy than another?

Humberto the God

Vislor DTC said...

Why do I spend more time watching reviews, previews, trailers, features of and internet shows like yours about games rather than actually playing games?

Has the internet made me a passive consumer of rather than an active participant with games?

Göran Isacson said...

Dear Bob- what are your thoughts on Quick Time Events?

See, when I see a QTE I often feel like it's there so that the programmers can make a regular attack LOOK more interesting: that it's a cheap trick to pull the wool over the players eyes and make him think he's playing, while he is in fact just watching a glorified cut-scene. It makes games feel kind of claustrophobic, like the old Dragon's Lair games.

And to top it off, it feels like most big-budget games these days limit what we can PLAY in favor of what we SEE in many other different ways. QTE's are to me a somewhat cowardly compromise that lets developers claim we're playing something when we're actually just watching it.

In the end- it feels like QTE's limit what I can actually PLAY in a game. Do you agree or disagree?

Mike said...

My question is: What is the Game Overthinker's arc? What is he personally overcoming inside himself? What is his hero's journey? His anything?

I asked this before and your answer was that you didn't have a huge Hollywood budget, and that would have been a valid response if I'd criticized the production value, the special effects, or even the cinematography, but my issue is that the Game Overthinker, as a character, just isn't a good character. And characterization doesn't require money, it just takes good writing which costs as much as bad writing. The Game Overthinker, (the character, not you Bob) has got no depth, and no emotional resonance to him. He's not going anywhere, he's not progressing and he's not learning anything. He's the exact same guy he was in his first appearance.

He's had _far_ more screen time than Sam Witwicky in all three Transformer movies had, yet as valid as your criticism of that trilogy is, the Game Overthinker is actually less fleshed out and more one-dimensional than Sam Witwichy.

So to tie back to my question; if you can't have him be an interesting character, should he really be a character at all?

Chris Pranger said...

What would it take to make you turn away from Nintendo? What would they have to do to be considered "unforgivable" in your eyes, or for that matter the general Nintendo diehard?

Catharic Cat said...

Are they any episode topics that you would have done differently if you were to do them now, whether due to new information or a change in your own thinking?

If so, which episodes and why?

-Catharic Cat

Axl said...

I have 2 questions.

1) Do you think it's time for another Yoshi-lead adventure and do you think Yoshi could (successfully) carry entire game as the lead?

2) Instead of a live action movie based on the Mario Bros (or any classic of your choice, so... Mario) would you accept a feature-length CGI movie? I think CGI would allow for 'better' realization, but is it the shear existence of a good live action version the selling point for you?

Yes, I believe those are coherent.

Thanks,
Burning Dragoon

Anonymous said...

In regards to morality meters in video games, what do you think adding an ethics meter (Law <-> Chaos) would do to improve/diminish games that use such things?

I find that most games tend to lump purely Lawful choices into the Good camp and purely Chaotic choices into the Evil camp, and I feel it a crime to the complexity of humanity to do so. But would adding a separate representation of this help things, or simply layer complexity on something not worth keeping in the first place?

-Magian

shadowhikari said...
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nullhypothesis said...

Andrew Northcutt left this on your YT page... I think it's a good question:

We know of your not-entirely-unfounded distaste for G4TV... but do you think a video game culture-centric television network is a viable idea at all, and if so, how might it be executed properly?

Jannie said...

Bob:

I've watched your shows since you started posting them in YouTube, so despite frankly disagreeing with just about everything you say, I like to think I'm a longtime fan or at least a longtime contributor to your postcount. We're not exactly friends and I can't say that I'm a like minded person to you, BUT I like to believe that you can at least stand realistic criticism and so I make it my part to offer what I believe to be realistic criticism from those outside of your personal niche of gaming, whom I feel you have personally and needlessly attacked in the past by the way.

As a fan of FPS gaming and online gaming, I feel that your comments WRT these genres is simply nonsensical. But then again I also think you actually mean what you say. So I have a question.

Since they must have some flaws, what precisely do you believe are the ten most glaring flaws in Japanese gaming trends and how can they be fixed? Also, as a side note, if fixing them would mean that Japanese games become effectively more like Western games both in style (more shooters, more focus on online gaming, predominance of FPS or Third-Person games) then would you chose to do so?

Anonymous said...

In an old interview Why did you give your fans the finger by calling the GO show your play around show? I mean what is that even suppose to mean? You still discuss serious topics related to the culture so nothings changed. Unless you're mocking your fans pleas to quit these silly story lines.-II2none <---(How to say it: secondcoming

How long do you plan to continue these cheesy fan fic storylines?- Secondcoming

Do you even have time for video games between running three web shows?-secondcoming

Misterprickly said...

-Why are there so many DOOM clones (FPSs) and so few ZELDA clones (platform RPGs)?

-Why do most "big money" games (with uber realistic graphics) do so poorly in sales whereas an overly simplified game like Minecraft brings in truckloads of cash?

-Where has the comedy gone?
Games used to be, not just fun but FUNNY; What happened?

-What are YOUR thoughts on Character Creation? It used to be a major point but these days it's taken a major back seat.

-The right to bare ARMS or the right to bare BREASTS?

America has one Canada has the other... Which do you prefer?

Kyle said...

I know you're not a fan of shooters, but I have two questions regarding this genre:

1. Is there any home for 4-player split screen, or do you think it will eventually die out in favor of online only multiplayer.

2. In an age where our technology is so advanced, why are there still so many shooter protagonists lacking voice, story, even faces?

Thanks.
-Kyle from Santa Cruz, CA

KaiKasparek said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Laserkid said...

As an older gamer I am finding it harder and harder to enjoy newer games - for quite a while I was thinking that I was just "growing out" of games - the last big hits for me were Mario Galaxy (For whatever reason Galaxy 2 didnt mean as much to me), and Megaman 9/10.

I was then introduced to soyoban action, a freeware ridiculously hard game that I enjoyed way too much. I now have to question if its me thats grown out of games, or if games are just leaving me behind.

To the question I am giving context I ask, what has happened to videogames that older gamers such as myself find it harder and harder to enjoy them?

Soulack said...

As a short follow-up to "The Emperor Has No Clothes," what are your thoughts on Sony's change of strategy (delaying the release until there is a larger opening line-up of games) for the release of the psp2 (I forget its actual name) and Nintendo's parallel struggles with the release of the 3DS in a market where smartphones are now competitive rivals to both? Does it change your conclusions about Sony's ability to function as a game company?

Also, "Goldthinker." Think about it. Just saying.

Sir Laguna said...

I live in Pereira, Colombia (Excuse my crappy english)and I can get here most of the videgames I want because the companies only bring the Ultra-AAA games. The only way I can play games like Bayonetta, Catherine or Mirror's Edge is if I pirate them. Also, The games that you can get here are insanely expensive! $100 for "Cars 2"? NO WAY!

Do you think is justified for the gamers on this city to pirate games?

Unknown said...

Multiple questions, pick and choose as is your wont. Some of the ones I'd have asked have already been by others, so I won't repeat them. Any that you'd answer here, if not on the show, would be, of course, appreciated.

Have you given any thought of doing an updated or other side of the equation, how we gamers can help, retread of the topic of GO episode 16?

I've been hoping since it first "aired" you'd do more of the "Who's Your Daddy?" concept from episode 36, do you have any intent at this time to do more of them?

The practical blood effects and cinematography for them you used in episode 50 reminded me of those used in the early works of "Godfather of Gore", Herschell Gordon Lewis. Is he, in any way, an inspiration for how you personally do practical effects on the cheap?

On a related note to the above, much of the fight choreography and related effects you've done since introducing story continuity remind me of tokusatsu series like Super Sentai and Kamen Rider (especially earlier ones), are such series an influence on how you personally do such scenes?

By the by, on a semi-related note, both Herschell Gordon Lewis and tokusatsu series are topics I'd love to see pop up on The Big Picture though that is neither here nor there in this context.

I've said in my comments on a couple of your episodes that some of my feelings on the coverage were tempered on the basis of assumed time constraints for the GO vids, but I am curious what your actual constraints are in terms of length. I'm also curious how long from episode conception to final posting you run on average, especially on the recent arc heavy episodes.

What do you think of game rental services like Gamefly in relation to the longer established brick and mortar stores like Blockbuster? Do you think they'll, as Netflix did before them, eventually paradigm shift the older rental establishment into a by mail format?

Back in episode 41 you were advocating not feeding into the Gamestop trade-in business model. Do you think that the ultimate end result of this model is going to be for the consoles to move to a similar download model for distribution as the PC mostly has (consoles already have the systems in place, but don't tend to use them for big new titles yet)? As a follow up, how do you feel it will, in the long run, impact the console consumer if they do move in this direction?

OK, that's all of them.

Anonymous said...

Hello there Bob

Do you like old school RPGs? I sure as hell like old school RPGs! I'm talking SNES to PSX, in particular that seemingly forgotten goldmine on the Playstation! I'm talking Alundra to Wild Arms baby.

See, I love those games, played the hell out of them, still do to this day, BUT, current RPGs are having a lot more trouble grabbing me.

Now, I'm the Philosotaku, so obviously, I think that there was something of a literal philosophical falling out in RPGs.

I remember Wild Arms 2 talking about what it really meant to be a hero, I remember Symphony of the Night asking it's main character to forgive the people who killed his mother!

If you ask me game don't have that anymore, but to the point, here's my question:

What happened to RPGs? between now and then that has changed them so dynamically

Lockgi said...

The jRPG.

You already did an episode like it, but you didn't really go into it at all. Is the jRPG stagnating? Why has this powerful genre become niche? Why has it refuse to evolve? How has it actually evolved. The episode you did do, didn't seem like it really went into the topic.

volvo crusher said...

I got three questions for you:
1. What were you going to say on evil twins before the Anti-Thinker interrupted you? That was getting really interesting.
2. Would you rather have videogames find ways to translate comic book superheroes into this medium as well as Arkham Asylum did or make up its own superheroes all of which were specifically designed with a game mechanic in mind similar to Infamous?
3. If you have played the Mass Effect games and plan on playing three, do you see yourself getting into the multiplayer now that Bioware has announced it rewards you in the single player for playing? I ask because of your comment on a system like this in your episode on level grinding.

Gus said...

Mr. Overthinker, I'm a huge fan of your show. I believe you are a very inteligent guy and you make many valid points.

Though I can't help but feel many of your opinions tend to ostrasize Sony fans (and I guess Microsoft too) by emphasizing how western developed games and characters are all about gritty realism, and not as supposedlly creative or vibrant as games/characters made in Japan. As someone who has owned all three of Sony's systems at one point, I can say this is not true. There have been just as many cartoony and out-there characters made in the west as there have been from Nintendo, Capcom, Square Enix, and so on.

So I guess my question to you is, how come any time you reference western games, you never mention characters like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Rayman, Jak and Daxter, Ratchet and Clank, Sly Cooper, Jade from Beyond Good & Evil, Rez from Psyconauts, Sackboy from Little Big Planet, or just about anyone created by Rare?

Thank you for your time.

Anonymous said...

Me and some of my friends have been wondering this for a while. Who would win in a fight Batman or Ezio Auditore?

Greg Bell

Darth Rahu said...

If you had the opportunity to make a game, any game, any genre, all creative decisions from you, what would you make? Would you make a Double Dragon esque game where you play as a Mario character beating the heads in of faceless Space Marines? Maybe a platformer where your character is attacked perpetually by CoD campers and you have to channel Assassin's Creed to stay alive? What would you make?

Darren said...

What video games do you personally consider works of art and why? How can modern games pursue that definition? And how would that help the gaming industry as a whole?

-Darren Miller

Darren said...

PS: I did watch episode 35 I was just hoping for a bit of elaboration. And when I wrote art I did mean high/good art like braid, Silent Hill 2, or yes Super Mario Brothers 3 :D

Darren Miller

Darren said...

To elaborate one more time basically what makes these games good art and why is what I was getting at :D

Sorry for the constant repeated posts :/

- Darren Miller

aaronbig1 said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
aaronbig1 said...

from aaronbig1
have you play any game's that have made you cry ?

HolyJunkie said...

Speculative fiction idea-maker talking. What do you think gaming culture would 'look' like if the FPS genre hadn't been given Halo or any of those 'realistic' military shooters?

I'm not asking for a specific answer, just some speculation, turned up to eleven with your ability to over-think stuff. Wild Mass Guessing, all that stuff.

-HolyJunkie.

Anonymous said...

I consider a hardcore game to be a game that can truly draw the player in and make him/her care about what goes on. Therefore I would posit that games like Mario Galaxy, Mass Effect, or Portal would be hardcore games because they possess a aesthetic, gameplay style, or story that might be harder to get or get into but becomes rewarding once you have gotten in. Conversely a casual game is, to me, a game that doesn't really require any initial mental investment to care about and can be picked up and enjoyed on the fly like some party games, the most fighting games, and maybe the Madden games. Anyone can play either type of game for a little while or a lot, but you don't really have to care about the characters or design in the casual game in order to have fun.
Thoughts?

-El Flaco

Anonymous said...

Why are game developers screwing us gamers over more and more?

Just as a couple off examples, you have the fact that most mainstream games nowadays won't last longer then an average bowel movement, DLC is becoming overwhelmingly prevalent even for games that shouldn't have any to begin with, there seems to be a big trend towards remaking and re-releasing the same games over and over again (see the various HD collections that have begun cropping up) and new IP ideas seems to have all but completely vanished.

Is it just that we gamers as a general rule are too easily pleased or are developers just not willing enough to take risks? What would it take to change some if not all of these trends (on both the gamers and the developers side)? Am I a complete idiot for having any sort of concern for these developments and for voicing them? What is your view on the matter?

-NorwegianDude

1080 said...

First person shooters are (at least in my opinion) starting to wind down as the dominant consumer genre in gaming, and I was wondering what you think may replace this, in terms of genre as well as who will do as such. Thanks, and really enjoyed the Schlocktober bit you did on the Escapist

Michael said...

In all of your shows, you often make references to Godzilla and the Toho universe and you've professed yourself to be a big fan of the series. Looking at the overall Toho universe, I can help but see its influence in games, especially among the NES/SNES/Genesis eras. Will we ever see the King of the Monsters in the spotlight on one of your shows?

Crimson said...

What are your thoughts on two related issues; first-day-DLC/$10-project and Square Enix's latest schedule regarding FFXIII-2, with their consitent DLC lineup on a biweekly basis?

James said...

Do you think that the "Cult classic" label is tossed around too much in the gaming world?

Anonymous said...

1) Since he's made of straw, how does pyrothinker not set himself on fire?

2) Any ideas or advice on how to make the first truly great movie adaptation of a video game? Is such a thing even possible?

-Brooke

Smashmatt202 said...

The Game Overthinker! I have two questions that I've been DYING to ask you, or hope you'd address in an episode at one point! They are questions that have been bugging me for some time, and I suppose this is as best a time as ever. I seriously hope you answer both of them, although going by your guidelines, I might only just get one answered. But if you could, try to answer them both.

First, in your series, especially early on, you've often used the phrase "VIDEO GAMES COME FROM JAPAN"! Would you mind going into more detail about why that is instead of just making a brief sidebar about it, saying how awesome Japan is, saying we're idiots for denying it? You know, go into more detail about how gaming culture trying derives its origins from Japan in a way that doesn't make you seem like you just love everything Japan produces.

Second, how is Super Mario Bros. 3 the greatest achievement in video game history? I've heard you call it the Citizen Kane of gaming (I might be paraphrasing that), and don't get me wrong, it's an awesome and fun game, but what exactly about it makes it that worth being the greatest achievement in video games? What puts it above other games that have advanced the medium? What about it is so amazing, outside the fact that you personally think it's the best?

Thank you for reading my questions, have a nice, ninja-free day.

-Smashmatt202/Matt B.

Bobiojimbo said...

why and how has competitive multi-player taken over so many games, and why is it so attractive to western gamers?

- Bobiojimbo

John Kennon said...

What do you think of So called gamer entitlement?

What I mean is people getting pissed about a feature of a game that will or won't be included, like Mass Effect 3 getting co-op and games like left 4 dead 2 coming out, where people tried to boycott the thing just because they wouldn't get more free content for the first left 4 dead?

Steven Ulysses Perhero said...

I'm perfectly alright with the story in it's current form (i.e. snippets at the beginning and end of actual episodes rather than filler), and I understand your reasoning for having them. But I have to wonder, if life had a New Game+, when you were doing the Game Overthinker again, would you start the plot segments differently (i.e. just start having them the way they are now rather than do an entire storyline where the show's hi-jacked by an obnoxious alter-ego to yourself)?
Additionally, if you did another Just For Fun episode like the "Political leanings of various video game characters" episode from back when Obama was newly-elected, how will the story segments be in that? Would they continue on as normal? Would they mirror the breather episodes of cartoons with all the currently-living characters hanging out at the beach or something? Or would they just be vanilla episodes with no skits or characters because they'd be tongue-in-cheek enough to not need them?

So, the first thing pretty much any gamer thinks of when they hear "Dead or Alive" (The three words in sequence, not any song by that name) is either "Jiggle Physics" or something similarly fanservicey. But then they put out a game on 3DS and, Nintendo not letting them just flash all the skin short of an AO rating or carry on with animu hi-jinks bullshit (Look to most of the female endings of DoA4 for examples, especially Kasumi's.), focuses on the plot previously reserved for manual blurbs and, holy shit, it turns out this "Soft-core porn vehicle" has a story and character dynamics well above average for fighting games. Can we expect an episode on this unfortunate disconnect?

What do you use in making the show, excluding the story bits? Like, your video editing software, your audio software if you edit that separately, what kind of mic you record with, etc.


These next two are questions I won't lose sleep on if they go unanswered but I would like to know.

First off, do you prefer the old-school arcadey linear Castlevania style of the original up to Rondo of Blood, or new-school "We'd rather be making the JRPG Metroid" Castlevania style of Symphony to either present or Order of Ecclesia? What do you see as the pros and cons of each?

And, is that your pet bunny playing the commissioner, or a friend's? What's his name? His voice sounds pretty deep, does he smoke? Does his family ever raise concern for his health over it?

ScrewAttackSamus said...

Also, your thoughts on THIS little hissy fit from Naughy Dog on Eurogamer giving Uncharted 3 an 8/10:

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-10-28-naughty-dog-lead-game-designer-discusses-uncharted-3-review

I'll tell ya what my thoughts are: ND, you're a bunch of spoiled brats who are now on my creative black list.

-Aiddon

The Lord Doctor Master said...

with the emergence of better technology, the ability of fans to develop their own games is becoming more and more possible. why is it, then, that fans still bitch and complain about games they do not like when they now have the tools to create a game they DO like?

The Lord Doctor Master said...

why are gamers so obsessed with buying the newest games and tech? there is a host of classic games that are worth playing, and able to be procured for free online. Recently, I've been going through the library of NES, genesis, SNES and playstation 1 games, and in terms of gameplay, design mechanics, aesthetics and overall fun, the older games are better games.

followup- why are newer games of inferior quality than older games? I played super mario bros wii, expecting a better version of super mario bros 3, and was sorely disappointed

Chris said...

Hey MovieBob, thanks for doing a mailbag episode! Since you have previously said that Super Mario Bros. 3 is your favorite game, why do you think it's better than Super Mario World?

Though I've played all of the NES Mario's and liked them, I grew up with the SNES and I personally think that Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island are almost the pinnacle of 2D platforming. Is it just a matter of what you played when you were a kid? If so, I can accept that.

-OmegaWyrm

Colin said...

We are all aware that gamer entitlement exists. My question is why do you think it exists? Is it just spoiled brats being spoiled brats? Or something much worse, like the game's plot ("You are the only one who can save us!" That kind of thing.) and mechanics indirectly feeding their egos?

Lockgi said...

I already asked something about the jRPG, and its stagnation, or if it is actually stagnating at all. I also wanted to add, how do they differ from Western RPGs, or what the actual difference even is.

Also, overall, what is actual story telling in video games? When ever I hear the topic, the same handful of games always get mentioned. To the point it feels like, "Game X has already been made, don't bother."

Mostly though, the stagnation of the jRPG. I personally think it has, and the people over at 1up.com think the genre as a whole has not, with the few exceptions here and there. "The Grind" I think they are called.

obviousBIAS said...

Dear GO,

Let's say games begin being taken seriously: we talkin' art serious or sport serious; or both?

I'm interested both in what you think might actually happen and, if it is different, what you would like to see happen.

NB: If both, the best analogy that I've found from games to other mediums would then be from games to spoken word [since it contains both storytelling and debate--art and competition], though surely we could get into the potential to analogize from games to written word, music, or dance on the basis of the presence of competition in those mediums [generally in those mediums the competition is to see who can be more artful]. The usefulness of the analogy here, is to color our consideration of which--art or sport--might actually win out long term as the more prominent use of the medium. The presence of riddles--basically games--in spoken word is also interesting.

This question kinda spins into "what do we mean by medium, anyway?"

I would also love to know what you thought about Tree of Life.

Smpoza said...

@Lockgi

Well, I'm not Bob, but I am egotistical and like talking about myself and my viewpoint. In my mind, the best storytelling in games is storytelling that takes advantage of the interactive nature of the medium, and can therefore be told best through games. While I think the Uncharted games have reasonably good stories, the fact that most of it is told through cutscene to me makes it weak as a game narrative-it may as well have been a movie.

In my mind, two of the best games (and two of my favorite games) to use the game's interactivity are Super Metroid and Chrono Trigger, for the ending (reinforcing Samus's desire to be alone by having the baby attack and nearly kill you, followed up by taking control away of Samus during the baby's sacrifice to emphasize how strong Mother Brain is as well as how weak Samus is when she only relies on herself) and matching gameplay with storytelling exceptionally well (the player is relieved to retrieve Crono because he cares AND it was a royal pain in the ass to get him back, Lucca feels helpless about what happened to her mother as does the player for failing to stop it, etc) respectively. But just because these games used these techniques, doesn't mean any other game using them is unoriginal; I feel that in many ways Mass Effect 2 is like a modern Chrono Trigger in that it uses many similar storytelling with gameplay techniques (searching the universe for an exciting cast of interesting characters to fight a seemingly unbeatable, omnipotent foe).

eric said...

Hi Bob.

You said you like shootemups as one of your favorite genres, WHat do you think of modern games made by companies such as Cave, g.rev and milestone OR do you only play OG such as r-type and Gradius.
-eric

MaxMcCoy said...

Do you think water levels deserve their negative reputation among gamers because they think it is too difficult or are the problems with them are all just overblown among gamers?

Monocle Pop said...

Jeez Bob, don't you have an email? I wrote this up in response to your talk over Twitter today with Film Hulk about the Citizen Kane of video games, and I searched for like, five whole minutes for your email before seeing this. FIVE WHOLE MINUTES BOB! Anyway:

It goes without saying that the interactive mediums made possible by computers have opened a lot of doors artistically. So, why then, are the only things being made with this technology games? Things designed to be fun? Imagine if the only movies that made a profit, and therefore the vast majority of them that got made at all, were romantic comedies or something. Or, actually, a better, funner example: porn. What if all movies were pornos? Oh sure, there was a variety of porn, and over time some smart guys realized the storytelling potential made possible by film, and starting putting more focus on the storyline and characters. Eventually, some of them even started doing it mainly for the story, but they still were financially required to (or maybe they just didn't realize they didn't have to) include a few donkey scenes. You know, just so the studio would fund the damn thing and the critics and masses wouldn't lambast it.
Films never would be taken seriously. And that's exactly the situation games are in. We need to include fun, we need to make it a game, and that's extremely limiting artistically. We all have had experiences in games that we enjoyed for reasons beyond fun, beyond the game aspect of it, so why do we feel the need to include at all? That's why we haven't had our Citizen Kane yet, we're just making porn.
Don't get me wrong, I love video games and porn, but I like other kinds of movies too, and I'd like to see whatever the interactive equivalent to that might be.
What do you think, Bob?

Anonymous said...

Dear Moviebob. Or Overthinker. Whatever you want to be called.

Nowadays, gaming is at its most mainstream. Angry Birds, Call of Duty, and the Wii all prove that people who aren't or weren't "traditional gamers" are capable of enjoying the medium in some form. However, if you go onto any big gaming site, forum, etc, and you even mention the words "Angry Birds," all you'll get is a about 1000 different hate messages claiming that casual gaming sucks and so on. My question is this: why do reject new players instead of embracing them? Personally, I was introduced to gaming through Pokemon, which had the same sort of cross-cultural megapopularity back then as Angry Birds does now. Instead of welcoming new gamers who might be drawn in by the Wii or what-have-you, we brush them aside. Why do you think that the gaming culture does this? Compare this to a different medium, like movies. Movie buffs don't look down at people for going to see some mega-popular blockbuster (as long as it's good, of course.) Why can't gamers do the same thing?

Ted

Alexandre said...

I would like to know what are your thoughts on game reviews of today and game critique in general, and how things like Zero Punctuation and Extra Credits help the industry, the medium but (especially with Zero Punctiation Fan/Hate Dumb) don't necessarily better the audience that just doesn't want games as viable way to explore the human condition to flourish. By the way, just to sort of quote Extra Credits: "Art is not the opposite of fun". We can, should and must have both. And mix them into one game, like Shadow of The Collosus and MGS3

DarkKnight86 said...

Is gaming profiting from fear of terrorism?http://kotaku.com/5857139/the-video-game-industry-have-profited-from-fear-and-anxiety-about-terrorism-professor-says

ZeroCreativity1 said...

I know you've mentioned that gamers need to shape up online before they can be taken seriously as a community.

GeekNights have suggested that gamer's behavior online is often caused by a game's mechanics. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRlYM9F50EQ&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL). I was wondering what your thoughts on that were.

And what do you believe a game designer's responsibility is when designing an Game that could affect one behavior?

-Wes

hazlenaut said...

Which character would you bring back from the past to now?
Which side character should get the spotlight? It could be a sidekick, villain, extra and etc.

JamesWebber said...

bob, what do you think of games like Kana Little Sister, Hentai/Bishoujo games that actually have something more to them other than just anime pornography and girl dating/chasing. Other examples are Crescendo, Hourglass of Summer, Tsukihime etc...

- Tiago

Anonymous said...

bob, what do you think of games like Kana Little Sister, Hentai/Bishoujo games that actually have something more to them other than just anime pornography and girl dating/chasing. Other examples are Crescendo, Hourglass of Summer, Tsukihime etc...

- Tiago

Spocanlf said...

What is your thought on eddutainment? Do you think that games can be useful as tools for educating people? Can they do it without alienating the H4RDCOREZ!!! crowd? Can they do it without sacrificing fun? Is there a game that already accomplished such a thing?

pointPi said...

Do you think there's going to be a third nation/region in the video game realm that can make as much cultural impact as Japan and the US? If so, what region? Canada? France? Scandinavia?

Regards,
pointPi

Anonymous said...

What would you say about the current state of game journalism, especially the fact that most are funded by the games they review or game-stores? How do we get away from this trend?

Ekit said...

Nintendo made a record deficit this year. Why do you think this is? Do you think they might be going out of business and what do you think they should do to save the company?

// Erik

Chris said...

@Tiago

I seriously doubt Bob is going to weigh in on Visual Novels like that, which is kind of a shame because I think there's a lot of potential in them, but it's pretty difficult for people who don't know Japanese to read them. I've only read a few but they're some of the best stories I've ever seen. Tsukihime is the only one you mentioned that I've read and it's probably the best piece of vampire fiction I've ever seen, and that's only a small fraction of the novel. Its follow-up, Fate/Stay Night, is pretty much another take on the Watchmen concept, and a damn good one. And Saya's Song is probably the most compelling and disturbing horror story I've ever seen. Also, the fact that these novels contain depictions of sex makes a lot of people disregard them outright. Very unfortunate.

Shane said...

For a long time now, and especially since I went back and watched old GOT videos (particularly 'Building a Better Gamer'), I've been wondering if video games immersion-prone nature are actually dangerous (in the way that they cause over-reliance) when played by young people. What do you think?

I made that paragraph short because I know you don't want super-big questions. However, I feel I must elaborate, but feel free not to address these next bits on-air if you choose this question. Or, on the other hand, do! :)

I'm sure every person who loved video games as a child can remember their parents nagging them to stop playing so many games and do something else, which I believe most of us have chalked up to our parents 'not getting it'. But as I've grown up, I've had to combat many negative habits I formed as a child - and I've come to really resent the sedentary lifestyle I had to grow out of. I still play a lot of video games, follow video game press and shows (like yours), but I also live an active lifestyle and have a wide network of loving friends and family. I had to work for years to lose the weight I had grown used to living with from my years as a sedentary child (over 70 lbs), and it's only this year that I have reached a healthy weight for my height and age (24 years). I had to work just as hard to form good study skills so that I could succeed in higher education, instead of the lazy disregard for hard work I had built from said lifestyle. It was finally when I stopped gaming so much that I was able to save my failing college grades and GPA. Currently, I have now started along my dream career path, and am living, working and loving my life in Taiwan!

I can't help but look back on those formative days when I was a 'serious gamer' hanging out on message boards or with other 'gamers' exclusively as a lifestyle I'm glad I drifted apart from. Many of my old 'gamer' friends are still in the old habits, in the same small town, some in the same houses they grew up in. I'm convinced I can't be the only one who feels that serious gaming, and the 'gamer' lifestyle that surrounds it is dangerously habit-forming... but so many people suffering from game-addiction, especially younger gamers, aren't given a chance to see a way out because they inevitably see themselves as the gamer lifestyle's biggest defenders.

(aside: For myself, gaming's biggest defenders are Michael Abbot's The Brainy Gamer, and MovieBob's work on The GOT. And just because I stopped to pay you this compliment absolutely means that you should let this affect your judgement during selection.)

Let me restate that I have loved games all my life, and I probably always will. But when the day comes that I see my own son or daughter wasting their youth on the floor, staring up at the TV from behind their controller, I too would take the controller from their hand and urge them down a better path. Maybe that's a very personal question, but I want to know, even if this isn't answered in the show. How would you approach your own future child's development around gaming?

- Shane H.

theGamingBeast said...

Here is my Questions Bob,

(I narrowed it down to two)

1.After what I have seen on your show, it seems like you dislike PC gamers and don't give them the time of day? What was the instance that make you dislike PC gamers? And have you even tried any PC games (including Retro ones).

2.You have once talked about D&D (since D&D inspired many aspects of videogaming in general I believe its a waranted question) and that you didn't play it because you were no good at math. I suck at math myself and still play alot. I use simpler rules and follow one rule:
-"have fun"
Too make a long story short:
Its seems you played in a bad group, so I wanted to ask you if you would be interested in an online Session (playing over skype and an online dice room) of D&D or other Roleplaying game that would be fun. I have done so and its real fun, and I believe every selfrespecting nerd should at least try it. Would you be interested? Message me if so.

ToskP10 said...

Love your shows, I'm a big fan. I've been going through your archive, but something about episode 14 bothered me. You said that Cammy absolutely, and without any possible doubt, was gay. What bothers me is your certainty. If you were stating your opinion, that'd be fine, but you seem to claim some kind of infallible gaydar, going purely by physique. There are no straight women with the body of Bruce Lee? Ok, yes, there is no-one with the body of Bruce Lee, but to say someone is a lesbian because she has the body type a fighter would have to have seems verging on the I-don't-want-to-say-it-but-you-leave-me-no-choice politically incorrect. If I had said there were no straight women martial artists at my previous club, I'm sure several of the members would have stepped forward to correct me, enthusiastically. You're piece was short, and meant in humor, but if you go over it do you think it's possibly saying something you don't want to say?
Keep up the good work!
ToskP10

Anonymous said...

Short and sweet: when do you think Sony and Microsoft will launch their next consoles, and what (if any) innovations do you think they'll include to compete with you-know-who? Also, do you think next gen will have its own "Waggle War" over whatever feature becomes popular?

-J.C.