CCV: The Hype Machine
It's so tempting for me to write a blog on every Co-optimus Community Voice topic I see, but I just don't have the time. Ironically, the reason I have so little time is largely due to the fact that I've fallen for the hype of so many games and feel that once I purchase (most of) them, I should finish up at least the single player, or campaign, or SOMETHING to experience the game. There have been a few exceptions to finishing a game that I've fallen victim to, one of which was saved by co-op (and ruined by first person). Here's my list:
Overhyped by the "real" media: Grand Theft Auto.
That's right, I said it. The Grand Theft Auto series has forever been overhyped, and here's my theory as to why. It pisses off the prude grown-ups. That's right, the only reason most people still clamor for the next GTA is because they love that rush they get when they buy something that has been all but black-listed from stores in America, and that taboo has been perpetuated by the types of "fans" stand first in line, and the news media with its accusations that video games kill people.
Of course there are the few gamers who actually play for the missions, the mob mentality, the story, etc - but how many people that played any of the GTA games (after GTA3) spent hours killing people just to see how long they could survive with a 5 star "wanted" rating? Or, how many hookers they could bang, murder, and rob on the side?
That being said: The formula for Grand Theft Auto works, and the games are fairly decent - they're just overhyped in the wrong light to the point that they're lost to the mindless and only the negative aspects remain.
Overhyped by the rabid fans, and fanservicing Microsoft: Halo 2 through Reach (excluding Halo Wars):
Yes, here is another game that generally works. The gameplay is simple to pick up and play, the world is rich with alien life, and the co-op is running strong with this one. However, the games themselves are no supreme story, or really in-depth experience outside of running, gunning, and respawning a lot. Each game has the story of approximately 6 hours of gameplay, and only about 2 of those hours bother to relay any sort of storytelling - in a convoluted "Go over here," "No, wait - it's over there" kind of way.
I do realize a lot of toes are being stepped on here, but it's not intentional. Halo games are beautiful games - but they don't have a long enough game-life to keep me interested based on all of the hype we hear about for every. Single. One. Eventually I get tired of running at my friends, shooting them, and having them mad at me in versus mode. Likewise in Firefight mode I get tired of weapons hogs, kill-jackers, or other score-boosting tactics that lower my own score and make me mad at my friends. Halo is a largely competitive atmosphere, and someone always walks away pissed off in every mode except maybe the campaign. Hardly worth the "Save the world, become a Spartan" hype we heard for months before the games release, and still hear. Boot up your Xbox 360 Dashboard and more often than not you'll see an advertisement for a new map pack, new features, new trailers, or whatever they come up with next.
Overhyped and generally "meh:" Blur.
I bought Blur. I know, I know - but I did. I thoroughly enjoyed the ranked Beta, and the advertisements everywhere just ate me up. I desired a new Mario Kart experience. One with big-kid cars. It turns out that experience was great for about an hour. Then the novelty of "Hey look, it's got power-ups just like Mario Kart" wore off, and it was back to the land of "Just another racing game" that no one wanted to play with you. The Beta was where it was at, and now the full game has fallen victim to the overhype machine.
Oh yea, and that is an image of a Maxim girl wearing a tee-shirt that promotes Blur (the little arrow thing is a speed boost in the game) and - well, sex sells.
Overhyped: Fable 1-3
I don't think I actually have to write anything here. Oh, except for commenting on the image above: Ha-ha, just when you thought this was going to be a sexy-blog.
Overhyped and just not my thing: Borderlands.
Bracing for impact here, I know a lot of you guys are fans. Borderlands can be described (by me, and probably me alone) as boring. The game is one vast, enemy filled desert with little to do but shoot stuff, collect guns, shoot more stuff and collect more guns. I'm not much of a loot whore with games. That is to say: massive amounts of weapons with limited story or direction is not satisfying enough for me to invest time in a game. Yet I purchased Borderlands at the $60 price tag, and was thoroughly disappointed for a very long time.
This one has a happy ending, though. I found some people that wanted to party with me, but didn't have anything they wanted to play that I wanted to play. So our compromise was Borderlands. Sure I got motion sick by the vast wasteland spinning around in the bumpy vehicles - but I didn't have to drive in co-op. I'd sit in the gunner seat and blow things away with my eyes closed until the movement stopped.
This way I was able to complete the campaign plus three of the DLC packs with my friends, and only with my friends - the ones who were dedicated enough to stick around through the whole thing. Borderlands is a terrible single player experience, and an even worse "drop in with strangers" co-op experience (they always took the good guns and didn't want to do the story - not that the game had much story. At all). Though I have to admit the DLC pack Zombie Island of Dr. Ned really beefed up the story and added a fair amount of variety to the scenery.
Let's switch gears for a moment and take a look at one of my favorite titles that I feel was a bit underhyped in its lifetime.
Underhyped: Jet Set Radio (Jet Grind Radio, JSRF, Where's my Sequel?)
When I first purchased an Xbox, it came with a bundle pack. JSRF and Sega GT were put together to help sell the game. Well, how many people took that disc bundle and pawned it at their local Gamestop without taking a look? I have to say from my experience: I had more fun playing the "free" Jet Set Radio Future game bundled with the Xbox than I did with any other game on that system. No lie.
I spent hours just trying to beat the time limits on certain levels, or challenges for no reason other than to do so. I spent days trying to complete all of the tagging quests, and tricks. I even spent a fair amount of time creating my own tags for the game - and I am certainly no graphic designer or tagger. I was even close to pulling out the center two wheels in my roller blades to try those crazy stunts at home - but I didn't have a hexkey that fit the wheels or the guts to try and roller skate on a handrail.
Okay, so I wouldn't actually try to trick out on a handrail or anything, but I dreamt about it once. I also still listen to the soundtrack on occasion while I'm working.
Underhyped. Period: Mushroom Men: The Spore Wars, and anything else by a third party developer on the Wii.
Dear everybody, we all grew up on Nintendo products. Well, most of us did. Anyway, they have some great heroes who we hold very dear in our hearts - but gaming isn't all about Mario and Samus. There are other developers out there with other new heroes. Most platforms are very receptive of these new heroes, like Super Meat Boy on the Xbox 360, or Sackboy on the PS3. Nintendo though - those fans are a tough sell, and tend to shun anything that isn't already marketed by Nintendo themselves (or some major third-party developer like Capcom).
Please give games like Mushroom Men a chance. Please? I mean, without the (money) marketing strategies employed by Mario on his TV spots, these games don't stand a chance and are left behind. We don't want to leave anyone behind, right? At least, not anybody that is a really quality game worth playing.
Lost in the Other-Hype: Fatal Frame.
You know what's a really great horror series? Silent Hill. Everyone that loves the series loves it, and it doesn't need to be pushed anymore than it is. However, when a new horror series comes up - what is the mentality about it? "Well, it's no Silent Hill" is one I actually heard in reference to a really great, but not Silent Hill-like, horror game: Fatal Frame.
Of course Fatal Frame isn't the same as Silent Hill. Silent Hill is a psychological horror series that messes with your perceptions of reality. Fatal Frame is an investigative horror series where the ghosts can really only be seen through the lens of a 35mm camera. Silent Hill scares the crap out of me, but so does Fatal Frame. I feel like Fatal Frame didn't get a fair shot at the horror genre of gaming simply because of the excessive media hype around anything related to Silent Hill (which were both on the original Xbox and PS2 around the same time), and not really for any other reason.
I'd love to see Fatal Frame get a reintroduction to the current generation of gaming, and take a fair crack at scaring me again. Don't worry SH, I'll still come back to flail my Wii Remote for you - just give Fatal Frame a chance!