The "What are you playing now?" Thread

[Chris]

I know its 4 years late, but Dragon Age Inquisition is really good. The side quests do not feel tedious and that's probably the first time since Skyrim I can say that. Sooo much better than the 2nd Dragon Age. So if you played the 2nd and were turned off by the franchise, this one is worth playing.

Was really impressed with this game when I got it back in 2014, but I was quickly swamped with other games and I never got back to it. So I'm still like 5-10 hours into it and it's just sitting on my Xbox hard drive. It's really right up my alley. Gonna have to get back to it at some point.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I know its 4 years late, but Dragon Age Inquisition is really good. The side quests do not feel tedious and that's probably the first time since Skyrim I can say that. Sooo much better than the 2nd Dragon Age. So if you played the 2nd and were turned off by the franchise, this one is worth playing.

I just couldn't get into it. Felt too much like an MMO but in single-player, with so much tedious busy work. Like, your character is leading this major inquisition and he's still got to go out and pick his own fucking flowers? I also found the combat to be pretty unexciting. You kind of just go through the motions in every fight spamming the same attacks and then running around while you wait for them to cool down.

What are Far Cry games like? Meaning what separates those games from say...GTA? From an outsider, it seems like FC5 looks like a hillbilly rip off of GrandTheftAuto.

Or are there rpg elements to it?

Well, what separates them from GTA is that your character in Far Cry never has any real personality. The focus of most of the more recent games (since Far Cry 3 at least...don't remember much of Far Cry 2) is on the villains, and they are usually batshit crazy but fun. Further, GTA games tend to be all about the story, whereas the stories in Far Cry games are usually stupid and pretty nonconsequential. The games are mostly about playing in the sandbox. They give you a big open world and entirely too much shit to do, and it's your job to make your own fun within the confines of that sandbox.

That's the reason I usually enjoy the hell out of Far Cry games for about ten hours before getting bored and moving on to other games. I will admit that the new game looks very impressive (watched someone play the first hour or two), and it seems like they've revamped the quest system quite a bit so your map is no longer just inundated with a billion markers like in most Ubisoft games from the past five to ten years. I imagine it'll have the same sort of burnout period, though. It's just hard to get too invested in a game where you know the story ultimately won't amount to anything, and the game had a remarkable chance to make some political statements but, from every review I've read, sidestepped that entirely, which is just kind of sad for a game with the premise and setting that Far Cry 5 has.

I get that not every gamer wants a political message in their games, but if that's the case, maybe the game shouldn't center around a religious gun cult in rural America. They were inviting the criticisms they've gotten over their refusal to make any kind of a statement by using that premise and then doing nothing with it.

 

[Chris]

Not to rip on you Jack but I am really sick of hearing the “this game doesnt make the political statement I wanted it to!” Complaint on FC5.

Saw a review that praises 90% of the game then gave it a low score for that very reason. It was then I realized the reviewer had zero credibility. They wanted to make it about a radical cult so they did. That doesnt obligate them to make any sort of statement in a damn videogame.

It’s like people are just sad there isnt a big “Trump and the right suck!” Banner in the game. Ugh.

 

[Jack Brickman]

Not to rip on you Jack but I am really sick of hearing the “this game doesnt make the political statement I wanted it to!” Complaint on FC5.

Saw a review that praises 90% of the game then gave it a low score for that very reason. It was then I realized the reviewer had zero credibility. They wanted to make it about a radical cult so they did. That doesnt obligate them to make any sort of statement in a damn videogame.

It’s like people are just sad there isnt a big “Trump and the right suck!” Banner in the game. Ugh.

Well, I don't think it's so much that the game doesn't make the correct statement, but that it doesn't really make a statement at all. It picked an intentionally controversial setting and premise and then did nothing with it either way, which is just disappointing.

Contrast that with Wolfenstein: The New Collossus. That was a game that very easily could have sidestepped any real political message because, at the end of the day, it was a game about killing Nazis in dozens of creative ways, but instead it used its setting and premise to make some actual statements on the current state of the country.

Like, if you want to avoid making any kind of political statement, maybe don't put your game in a setting that invites plenty of comparisons to our current political and social climates. Games don't have to have any sort of message, but don't tease a controversial setting and then be too much of a pussy to use it in any meaningful way.

If they wanted to keep playing it safe, they should have set the game in another war torn foreign setting like every other game in the series.

 

[Chris]

Well, I don't think it's so much that the game doesn't make the correct statement, but that it doesn't really make a statement at all. It picked an intentionally controversial setting and premise and then did nothing with it either way, which is just disappointing.

Contrast that with Wolfenstein: The New Collossus. That was a game that very easily could have sidestepped any real political message because, at the end of the day, it was a game about killing Nazis in dozens of creative ways, but instead it used its setting and premise to make some actual statements on the current state of the country.

Like, if you want to avoid making any kind of political statement, maybe don't put your game in a setting that invites plenty of comparisons to our current political and social climates. Games don't have to have any sort of message, but don't tease a controversial setting and then be too much of a pussy to use it in any meaningful way.

If they wanted to keep playing it safe, they should have set the game in another war torn foreign setting like every other game in the series.

I don't get it, what statements did Wolfenstein make? That Nazis are bad? Trump is bad?

Maybe they wanted to mix up the setting. So they decided to go with a radical doomsday cult in Montana. That's a nice departure for the series. In no way does that obligate them to do anything. If its lack of political statement turns people off from the game, good riddance. Not necessarily referring to you because you outlined other reasons Far Cry really isn't your cup of tea, but when I see a review praise the game then give it a 6.5 because it doesn't "make a political statement" it's just silly. What political statement were people looking for?

I play videogames to get away from this political shit. I can't be the only one.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I play videogames to get away from this political shit. I can't be the only one.

I play videogames to be entertained. A game can have a message and still be entertaining. Spec Ops: The Line was free this week. That game was depressing as hell, but it was still one of the best games I've ever played from a narrative standpoint, and it was also one of the few (maybe the only) war games to actually tackle the impact that killing droves of people, even if they are enemies, has on a person.

As for Wolfenstein, if you read a lot of the letters and other items lying around, and listen to the conversations, the game offers a pretty solid satire of the current American political landscape. There's a lot more to it than "Nazis are bad."

 

[Chris]

I play videogames to be entertained. A game can have a message and still be entertaining. Spec Ops: The Line was free this week. That game was depressing as hell, but it was still one of the best games I've ever played from a narrative standpoint, and it was also one of the few (maybe the only) war games to actually tackle the impact that killing droves of people, even if they are enemies, has on a person.

As for Wolfenstein, if you read a lot of the letters and other items lying around, and listen to the conversations, the game offers a pretty solid satire of the current American political landscape. There's a lot more to it than "Nazis are bad."

I don't disagree, but I also don't want to be preached at in a videogame. The difference between me and certain schmucks out there is if I were preached at in Far Cry, yet enjoyed every other aspect of the game, I wouldn't dock the game and bitch about it. I've honestly never seen a game get ripped for not making a political statement, this is new territory for me.

Satire is great but I don't really see that as making a political statement. They didn't want satire about cults in Far Cry. They wanted it to make a political statement, ie have some sort of political message or revelation, and my own theorizing is they wanted something about how the right is evil.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I don't disagree, but I also don't want to be preached at in a videogame. The difference between me and certain schmucks out there is if I were preached at in Far Cry, yet enjoyed every other aspect of the game, I wouldn't dock the game and bitch about it. I've honestly never seen a game get ripped for not making a political statement, this is new territory for me.

Well, I've never said the game should be docked for it, but it is something that is worth bringing up in a game about religious nut jobs in rural America with a massive arsenal of firearms.

Most settings and premises in games don't invite the kind of political commentary that Far Cry 5 clearly does, only it feels like they were too afraid to go anywhere with it. Much like how they throw in that ridiculous and unnecessary "made by a team of culturally diverse people" bullshit at the start of every AssCreed game. Ubisoft is clearly a publisher terrified of offending anyone.

 

[Chris]

Well, I've never said the game should be docked for it, but it is something that is worth bringing up in a game about religious nut jobs in rural America with a massive arsenal of firearms.

Most settings and premises in games don't invite the kind of political commentary that Far Cry 5 clearly does, only it feels like they were too afraid to go anywhere with it. Much like how they throw in that ridiculous and unnecessary "made by a team of culturally diverse people" bullshit at the start of every AssCreed game. Ubisoft is clearly a publisher terrified of offending anyone.

That may be the case, but truth be told, I can't say I blame them in today's shithole society.

 

[Rich]

I'm gonna get real snotty, but let's be honest, people on the left are very used to having their politics preached back to them in the culture and media, so it's kind of a shock to to the system when it doesn't happen or, like with the Roseanne reboot, goes the other way. They aren't sure what to do.

Have at it.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I'm gonna get real snotty, but let's be honest, people on the left are very used to having their politics preached back to them in the culture and media, so it's kind of a shock to to the system when it doesn't happen or, like with the Roseanne reboot, goes the other way. They aren't sure what to do.

Have at it.

And people on the right watch Fox News, which is a propaganda outlet of the Republican party that specializes in preaching peoples' politics right back to them.

No need to be an asshole, Rich. Chris and I were having a civil conversation and don't need someone to come in and toss gasoline on the fire.

Anyway, gonna neglect any further posts on this particular topic before we get this thread shut down.

 

[Chris]

I certainly didn't want to make this a political discussion in nature, of course. Just saying, I would truly be surprised if anyone knocking FC5 for not making some grand political revelation fell anywhere other than the left, political wise (I myself am somewhere in the middle, if anyone cares)

 

[gourimoko]

Not to rip on you Jack but I am really sick of hearing the “this game doesnt make the political statement I wanted it to!” Complaint on FC5.

Saw a review that praises 90% of the game then gave it a low score for that very reason. It was then I realized the reviewer had zero credibility. They wanted to make it about a radical cult so they did. That doesnt obligate them to make any sort of statement in a damn videogame.

It’s like people are just sad there isnt a big “Trump and the right suck!” Banner in the game. Ugh.

From the reviews I've read, most of them tend to say the same thing that @Jack Brickman is saying here; that the game starts down this path but then sanitizes it so much so that it becomes borderline absurd. So given this game wouldn't be the first in line to go down this road, why not make the most of the opportunity? By contrast, FS5 leaves so much on the table that other games like Bioshock Infinite really put at the forefront of the game.

And it's not really about politics at all ... It's more about missed opportunities in a game that chooses to have a lackluster, one-size fits all story, rather than making the game about anything of substance.

I don't get it, what statements did Wolfenstein make? That Nazis are bad? Trump is bad?

Yes, actually... Nazi's being bad is actually a point of contention these days, among millions of Americans. That's what's so startling about the conversation surrounding Wolfenstein.

According to Peter Hines, in charge of marketing the game:

"We're certainly aware of current events in America and how they relate to some of the themes in Wolfenstein II,"

"Wolfenstein has been a decidedly anti-Nazi series since the first release more than 20 years ago. We aren't going to shy away from what the game is about. We don't feel it's a reach for us to say Nazis are bad and un-American, and we're not worried about being on the right side of history here."

"[In the game] freeing America is the first step to freeing the world," ... "So the idea of #NoMoreNazis in America is, in fact, what the entire game (and franchise) is about. Our campaign leans into that sentiment, and it unfortunately happens to highlight current events in the real world."

So in a post-BioShock, post-Wolfenstein market; for Far Cry 5 to more or less generalize all of the radical nature of the antagonist cult, seemingly in an effort to avoid making any waves, seems strange; because, who would you actually be trying to appease in this instance? Think about it... as Hines more or less implies: who would be mad about killing Nazis?

To Ubisoft's credit, Far Cry 5's story and development began in 2015, long-before the rise of Trump and the mainstream normalization of far-right politics in America. In 2015, most political pundits felt the country was well on it's way to something of a centrist unification with the election of either Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush on the horizon, both being basically complements of one another -- but instead, we saw how things actually turned out.

However, Ubisoft also apparently went out of it's way to minimize and remove any potential connections between Far Cry 5 and real world events or politics; hoping not to make a political statement about right-wing radicalism, but instead, about extremism in general. This kind of generalization works to also mitigate any impact the story of Far Cry 5 could actually have; which is why so many reviewers found the game's story to be one missed opportunity after another.

Maybe they wanted to mix up the setting. So they decided to go with a radical doomsday cult in Montana. That's a nice departure for the series. In no way does that obligate them to do anything. If its lack of political statement turns people off from the game, good riddance. Not necessarily referring to you because you outlined other reasons Far Cry really isn't your cup of tea, but when I see a review praise the game then give it a 6.5 because it doesn't "make a political statement" it's just silly. What political statement were people looking for?

I mean, think about what you're saying... "Good riddance" to someone wanting a game about a Christian right-wing cult in Montana to remotely touch on current events? Why the harshness? Think about where that comes from... Nobody is holding torches up to Ubisoft for what they feel is their company falling short of taking the story further -- people are just pointing out, "hey, you missed the boat here," and likely deliberately so. But it seems strange to suggest people shouldn't suggest the story have some added gravity, especially when it so obviously touches on topics of relevance to everyday life.

Like, why not be a bit more meaningful in the delivery? Why avoid these topics? Who would be offended by Far Cry 5 making a political statement about right-wing extremism, and why should anyone care?

I play videogames to get away from this political shit. I can't be the only one.

It's interesting... I play RPGs for the same reason I'd read a book, or watch a movie -- and that isn't purely escapism, but often so that I can see/hear/experience a compelling story.

Some of the most compelling pieces of art I've ever I've experienced were in the form of video games. I've talked about Xenogears at length before, and won't go into it too much.. Suffice to say, this game was edited, and nearly blocked because of the explicit religious references and critiques throughout the story.

The game is very critical of rigid religious dogma and institutions, particularly the Catholic Church. At one part of the game, you have to kill an incarnation of God called "Deus" but originally this monster was called "Yahweh." The English speaking American translation/import staff literally begged the Japanese staff at Square to change the name out of fear of the game being trashed by fundamentalists or against retaliation.

The game is probably the deepest game I've ever played, story-wise, and while being escapist, it also speaks to religious fundamentalism in an extremely critical way that is also very real, historically significant, and thought-provoking.

They could have removed all of these references, and made the game about searching for crystals just like Final Fantasy, but they didn't. That's actually one of the reasons this game was not called Final Fantasy VII -- because of it's dark, adult and religious nature.

In the case of Far Cry, it's just an obvious failure to make the story worthwhile -- even if they would have failed, one could say that they at least tried.

 

[Jack Brickman]

I mean, think about what you're saying... "Good riddance" to someone wanting a game about a Christian right-wing cult in Montana to remotely touch on current events?

From what I've read, the game is too afraid to even confirm the cult is Christian even though it very clearly is.

 

[Chris]

From the reviews I've read, most of them tend to say the same thing that @Jack Brickman is saying here; that the game starts down this path but then sanitizes it so much so that it becomes borderline absurd. So given this game wouldn't be the first in line to go down this road, why not make the most of the opportunity? By contrast, FS5 leaves so much on the table that other games like Bioshock Infinite really put at the forefront of the game.

And it's not really about politics at all ... It's more about missed opportunities in a game that chooses to have a lackluster, one-size fits all story, rather than making the game about anything of substance.



Yes, actually... Nazi's being bad is actually a point of contention these days, among millions of Americans. That's what's so startling about the conversation surrounding Wolfenstein.

According to Peter Hines, in charge of marketing the game:

"We're certainly aware of current events in America and how they relate to some of the themes in Wolfenstein II,"

"Wolfenstein has been a decidedly anti-Nazi series since the first release more than 20 years ago. We aren't going to shy away from what the game is about. We don't feel it's a reach for us to say Nazis are bad and un-American, and we're not worried about being on the right side of history here."

"[In the game] freeing America is the first step to freeing the world," ... "So the idea of #NoMoreNazis in America is, in fact, what the entire game (and franchise) is about. Our campaign leans into that sentiment, and it unfortunately happens to highlight current events in the real world."

So in a post-BioShock, post-Wolfenstein market; for Far Cry 5 to more or less generalize all of the radical nature of the antagonist cult, seemingly in an effort to avoid making any waves, seems strange; because, who would you actually be trying to appease in this instance? Think about it... as Hines more or less implies: who would be mad about killing Nazis?

To Ubisoft's credit, Far Cry 5's story and development began in 2015, long-before the rise of Trump and the mainstream normalization of far-right politics in America. In 2015, most political pundits felt the country was well on it's way to something of a centrist unification with the election of either Hillary Clinton or Jeb Bush on the horizon, both being basically complements of one another -- but instead, we saw how things actually turned out.

However, Ubisoft also apparently went out of it's way to minimize and remove any potential connections between Far Cry 5 and real world events or politics; hoping not to make a political statement about right-wing radicalism, but instead, about extremism in general. This kind of generalization works to also mitigate any impact the story of Far Cry 5 could actually have; which is why so many reviewers found the game's story to be one missed opportunity after another.



I mean, think about what you're saying... "Good riddance" to someone wanting a game about a Christian right-wing cult in Montana to remotely touch on current events? Why the harshness? Think about where that comes from... Nobody is holding torches up to Ubisoft for what they feel is their company falling short of taking the story further -- people are just pointing out, "hey, you missed the boat here," and likely deliberately so. But it seems strange to suggest people shouldn't suggest the story have some added gravity, especially when it so obviously touches on topics of relevance to everyday life.

Like, why not be a bit more meaningful in the delivery? Why avoid these topics? Who would be offended by Far Cry 5 making a political statement about right-wing extremism, and why should anyone care?



It's interesting... I play RPGs for the same reason I'd read a book, or watch a movie -- and that isn't purely escapism, but often so that I can see/hear/experience a compelling story.

Some of the most compelling pieces of art I've ever I've experienced were in the form of video games. I've talked about Xenogears at length before, and won't go into it too much.. Suffice to say, this game was edited, and nearly blocked because of the explicit religious references and critiques throughout the story.

The game is very critical of rigid religious dogma and institutions, particularly the Catholic Church. At one part of the game, you have to kill an incarnation of God called "Deus" but originally this monster was called "Yahweh." The English speaking American translation/import staff literally begged the Japanese staff at Square to change the name out of fear of the game being trashed by fundamentalists or against retaliation.

The game is probably the deepest game I've ever played, story-wise, and while being escapist, it also speaks to religious fundamentalism in an extremely critical way that is also very real, historically significant, and thought-provoking.

They could have removed all of these references, and made the game about searching for crystals just like Final Fantasy, but they didn't. That's actually one of the reasons this game was not called Final Fantasy VII -- because of it's dark, adult and religious nature.

In the case of Far Cry, it's just an obvious failure to make the story worthwhile -- even if they would have failed, one could say that they at least tried.

You haven't even played the game and are trying to comment on it based on what you read in reviews...no, it doesn't make a grand political statement, so you are correct in that aspect. But if Wolfenstein's great statement it makes is "Nazis are bad" and that is acceptable, then I think it's fair to say Far Cry says far right religious doomsday cults are bad. But that isn't enough...it has to do more?

Mmkay. We can agree to disagree. What would you have done with Far Cry 5's story in order to have some deeper meaning, or to say something about right wing extremism? Just curious.