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Giant Bomb #23 | See you Space Cowboy...

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popo

Member
If Gamespot's policies are anything like CNET's I think they mandate returning review hardware.

They return them - eventually. Bakalar was boasting about his home rig "testing" SLI 980tis and a G Sync monitor. You have to see how they perform long term, over say a year :D GB still use their Rift, Vive and the reference PC that came with the Rift for VR coverage.

I am not saying there is anything untoward. Unlike Tested and their yard sale or journos selling their press copies on ebay.
 

Xater

Member

Ever since I saw the reveal this game has been on my radar. Really looking forward to palying it.

Well it certainly has an ambitious soundtrack. I wanna know what their licensing budget was...

Take 2 is probably used to it and has some good connections. I mean they also have to do a shit ton of licensing for the GTA games and their sports titles.
 

Chuck

Still without luck
I cannot believe the PS4 slim had been video unboxed more than 2 weeks before it would even be announced, let alone when it would actually be for sale.

I wonder if Sony is going to plug their ears and go "lalalalala I can't hear you!" And then just announce that per usual. That'd be fantastic.
 
The lead writer stressing how they're only using slurs when they're meaningful followed only minutes later by a goon screaming about a voodoo doll being nigger magic is a pretty bad look.
 

popo

Member
I cannot believe the PS4 slim had been video unboxed more than 2 weeks before it would even be announced, let alone when it would actually be for sale.

I wonder if Sony is going to plug their ears and go "lalalalala I can't hear you!" And then just announce that per usual. That'd be fantastic.

Shipping it to retailers (only real reason I can see them appearing for resale in multiple places) before you announce its existence seems to be asking a lot in terms of keeping quiet. Looks like Sony plugged their in house leak good and proper though. Neither Klepek nor Austin's Neo source managed feed them this one.

I have to imagine they are going for a "and you can buy it Monday" twist - which will hardly hit as they intended when everyone has already seen it.
 
There was a Mirror's Edge sequel released this year

I finished up an old Beastcast last night and Vinny mentioned doing a Mirror's Edge stream the following day. Had that realization, too. And I forgot about it again until seeing your post.

Yeah, it's probably gonna be a "and it's available right now!!" and people will go "yeah, we already know".

That's why they'll announce the Neo is out right now.
 

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
Ever since I saw the reveal this game has been on my radar. Really looking forward to palying it.

When I first heard that the game would be developed by Hangar 13 I lost all hope. Because I was 100% sure Hangar 13 were the dudes who developed Flatout 3. But not only is that not the case, the Flatout 3 developer doesn't even sound remotely similar. But I'm 100% sure there is a developer with a similar name who developer some absolutely terrible game I've played before.

There was a Mirror's Edge sequel released this year

Liar
 

Xater

Member
When I first heard that the game would be developed by Hangar 13 I lost all hope. Because I was 100% sure Hangar 13 were the dudes who developed Flatout 3. But not only is that not the case, the Flatout 3 developer doesn't even sound remotely similar. But I'm 100% sure there is a developer with a similar name who developer some absolutely terrible game I've played before.

I was super skeptical going into their presentation and came out impressed.
 

Wunder

Member
Has this been posted yet? It's a Warioware-style MAME mashup by Bennett Foddy and AP Thomson and it looks fucking amazing. I hope the GB guys get their hands on it and play a few rounds.
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
The lead writer stressing how they're only using slurs when they're meaningful followed only minutes later by a goon screaming about a voodoo doll being nigger magic is a pretty bad look.



Wasn't that Austin's editorializing on it? I thought he clarified that they actually said it was voodoo. He just also thought that was problematic in itself.
 
Wasn't that Austin's editorializing on it? I thought he clarified that they actually said it was voodoo. He just also thought that was problematic in itself.

He mentioned in the article that it might have been voodoo or magic but was definitely preceded by the slur. The voodoo doll thing has the potential to be silly and fun but it seems absolutely jarring to combine the goofy reaction from the mafia goons with such a powerful racial slur.
 
The lead writer stressing how they're only using slurs when they're meaningful followed only minutes later by a goon screaming about a voodoo doll being nigger magic is a pretty bad look.

Only using slurs when they're "meaningful" seems odd, considering that they're often thrown around like it's nothing, especially in the era the game takes place. Racism/bigotry/all that shit is often senseless in nature, so I think it'd actually kind of stick out if they didn't tap into that.
 

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
If only there was a website where you could reference such information.

Sadly, searching for "Developer that kinda sounds like Hangar 13 and developed some bad game years ago" doesn't yield many results.

Only using slurs when they're "meaningful" seems odd, considering that they're often thrown around like it's nothing, especially in the era the game takes place. Racism/bigotry/all that shit is often senseless in nature, so I think it'd actually kind of stick out if they didn't tap into that.

True, but on the other hand I understand why people might be put off when NPCs yell "Nigger" every 5 minutes.
 

popo

Member
A period game or movie like that gets in to a tricky area.

I mean if they wanted to be authentic it would be constant Italian and black slurs with a side order of nasty sexism. But it is a video game not a documentary and that stuff isn't fun for the player to be hearing throughout a 30 hour game. So do you ignore it? Water it down? It is a tough one.

It is like a Tarantino and the N word. According to the internet 113 times in Django and 65 in Hateful Eight. Press have a field day over if it is authentic or deliberately provocative.


Wasn't that Austin's editorializing on it? I thought he clarified that they actually said it was voodoo. He just also thought that was problematic in itself.

He mentioned in the article that it might have been voodoo or magic but was definitely preceded by the slur. The voodoo doll thing has the potential to be silly and fun but it seems absolutely jarring to combine the goofy reaction from the mafia goons with such a powerful racial slur.

Nah they absolutely say something like Nigger Voodoo or Nigger Mumbo Jumbo. Maybe, maybe it was "black voodoo," but it definitely wasn't just "black magic." The mobsters said nigger in nearly every non-major mission fight I had with them.

Edit: I will add that there's a brother, Charles Webb, as a senior writer on the project, so that has been a point of constant optimism for me.
 

FStop7

Banned
tumblr_np6y13hDVG1u0pacoo1_500.jpg

mods help
 
Only using slurs when they're "meaningful" seems odd, considering that they're often thrown around like it's nothing, especially in the era the game takes place. Racism/bigotry/all that shit is often senseless in nature, so I think it'd actually kind of stick out if they didn't tap into that.

That's a good point, though I lean more towards what popo said about it being a 30-hour game -- hearing this stuff pop up in canned dialogue lines every single firefight could quickly become exhausting. It's a delicate balance to be sure, since skewing to the other extreme and treating every racial slur like some huge dramatic moment might come across as ungenuine.
 
True, but on the other hand I understand why people might be put off when NPCs yell "Nigger" every 5 minutes.

I mean if they wanted to be authentic it would be constant Italian and black slurs with a side order of nasty sexism. But it is a video game not a documentary and that stuff isn't fun for the player to be hearing throughout a 30 hour game. So do you ignore it? Water it down? It is a tough one.

Yeah, having it be something uttered by pedestrians constantly would be shitty, but I think it needs be a part of the game that makes the player uncomfortable, as fucked up as that sounds. Watering it down for the sake of making it easier for the player to swallow feels like it'd be diminishing the impact of the game's racism and go against the devs intentions of giving the racial aspect the proper treatment.

Shit, the more we talk about this, the more I'm convinced that this is something a game developer can't possibly nail.
 

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
A period game or movie like that gets in to a tricky area.

I mean if they wanted to be authentic it would be constant Italian and black slurs with a side order of nasty sexism. But it is a video game not a documentary and that stuff isn't fun for the player to be hearing throughout a 30 hour game. So do you ignore it? Water it down? It is a tough one.

It is like a Tarantino and the N word. According to the internet 113 times in Django and 65 in Hateful Eight. Press have a field day over if it is authentic or deliberately provocative.


Oh weird, his clarification in the Beastcast made it seem like he was exaggerating at first. I don't think anybody in the room was really taken aback by the word "magic" when he yelled it out.
 
After reading Austin's article, I'm still looking forward to playing Mafia 3, but it seems like they're leaning a little too hard on the racial slurs as way to build atmosphere and it's not really cutting it. Video game storytelling has always struggled with nuance, though.

At some point, the writers and developers don't want a gun fight to be completely silent, so they attempt the build on the world they've created by relying on a few key phrases and ideas, but that ultimately leads to them losing their significance. That's often why we get stuff like, "Get that asshole!" or "You're gonna die, bitch!" The latter coming from The Division when you're playing as a woman.

Video games don't have the luxury of being tightly edited pieces, especially when you're dealing with an open world game.

I hope the developers take some of the feedback to heart.
 

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
After reading Austin's article, I'm still looking forward to playing Mafia 3, but it seems like they're leaning a little too hard on the racial slurs as way to build atmosphere and it's not really cutting it. Video game storytelling has always struggled with nuance, though.

At some point, the writers and developers don't want a gun fight to be completely silent, so they attempt the build on the world they've created by relying on a few key phrases and ideas, but that ultimately leads to them losing their significance. That's often why we get stuff like, "Get that asshole!" or "You're gonna die, bitch!" The latter coming from The Division when you're playing as a woman.

Video games don't have the luxury of being tightly edited pieces, especially when you're dealing with an open world game.

I hope the developers take some of the feedback to heart.

Honestly, repeating phrases are one of my pet peeves in games. I hate them. I'd rather have an option to turn them off completely than constantly hear them spout the same 4-5 lines over and over and over.
 
AAt some point, the writers and developers don't want a gun fight to be completely silent, so they attempt the build on the world they've created by relying on a few key phrases and ideas, but that ultimately leads to them losing their significance. That's often why we get stuff like, "Get that asshole!" or "You're gonna die, bitch!" The latter coming from The Division when you're playing as a woman.

That's a part of video game writing I can't stand: dialogue in fights never sounds natural. Fights are a mess of half-sentences and grunts and noises, not a bunch of people shouting standard ass taunts and shit.
 
Yeah, in my experience video game firefights are at their most tense when things are absolutely quiet save for the bark of the gunfire. Taunts and generic action music rarely help the mood.
 

justjim89

Member
That's a part of video game writing I can't stand: dialogue in fights never sounds natural. Fights are a mess of half-sentences and grunts and noises, not a bunch of people shouting standard ass taunts and shit.

The one that bugged me the most was in Scarface: The World is Yours (a great game and I won't hear otherwise) the mooks you're shooting would spout Tony Montana quotes at Tony Montana.

"I take you all to fucking hell!"

"I'll take all your fucking bullets!"

"You gonna need a fucking army to take me!"
 
That's a part of video game writing I can't stand: dialogue in fights never sounds natural. Fights are a mess of half-sentences and grunts and noises, not a bunch of people shouting standard ass taunts and shit.

It was a whole meme in Splinter Cell: Conviction, enemies would NOT shut up. Penny Arcade even did a comic about it I'm not going to link because fuck those guys.
 
It was a whole meme in Splinter Cell: Conviction, enemies would NOT shut up. Penny Arcade even did a comic about it I'm not going to link because fuck those guys.

Idle Thumbs had a funny bit about it way back when.

It's best in the Batman Arkham games when the idea is to actively mess with them.

Actually, it's the absolute worst in Batman Arkham City playing as Catwoman.
 
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