Stuff I look for in video games
Mar. 26th, 2009 12:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dmxratedThis entry is a response to an entry on Chelle's blog about what he looks for (and what she avoids) in anime.
Well, to be honest, though there are a few exceptions, I'm not usually one to watch a commercial or read an advertisement and think, "Oh, I gotta have this game!" Usually, when I buy or download a game, there's a specific reason as to why I do so, and the reasons behind each of them are so varied that I'd have to make a long, separate blog entry to explain each of them (even if I only listed the ones I own or once owned legitimately). However, there are some secondary factors that, for me, make the experience even more enjoyable. Let's explore some of those:
Music: I tend to distinguish this between comical music, ambient music, and "pumped-up!" The last of these three categories is my favorite, although there are a handful of ambient songs that I like as well.
Whenever I hear or listen to a song that really turns me on, I tend to think of a situation for Monster Collection Chronicles or something else where said song would fit. Usually, I think of something for MCC, but sometimes, it could be something like Project Mai or, in the case of various songs from Battle Arena Toshinden 3 and 4, a made-up multi-crossover fighting game which I might describe in another entry. Then we have songs from Air Force Delta for the Sega Dreamcast, and Mission 5 of that game is my personal favorite thus far. Unlike with most video game songs, though, I have no real outlet for anything from that game, which sucks since that game's soundtrack kicks so much ass!
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because a song is exciting, doesn't mean I automatically like it. There are a lot of cases in which I'm still indifferent to the song in questions. In fact, some songs, despite being of the pumped-up variety, very outright suck; such is the case with Superboy's theme from Death & Return of Superman, the Launch Base Zone theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (the Genesis version), and level 1 of Sewer Shark.
For a short while, I've had the idea of making a list of VG songs that I like, and links to each song listed. Said list would go into my profile page rather than in an entry, so that it wouldn't get buried as I continue writing to this blog. That way, whenever I wanted to add to it or access something, I wouldn't have to go dig it up. It would be like my equivalent to owning an iPod. But, if anything would be cooler than that, it would be if I created a YouTube video with ten-second clips of each game that contains all these kick-ass songs. (Kinda like, this.)
Anime-style characters: Okay, it's one thing if I'm playing something like Whacked!, Contra IV, or Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators, which I have other reasons for having played before. However, when I'm playing something epic, nine times out of ten, I like to feel like I'm spending time with something that's anime. Even when I'm not playing an RPG, though, I would very much prefer to spend time with anime-style characters than with cartoon-like or realistic characters. I guess that just comes with being accustomed to playing anime-style games like Chrono Trigger, Grandia II, Grandia III, and Dark Cloud.
Most of the earlier Sonic and Zelda games can slide, though. The characters are so tiny and pixelated that it would be up to the player to decide what their format really is.
Voice acting: Coupling this with the anime-style factor, this can be either annoying as hell or quite the music to my ears, depending on what language they're speaking. I don't know about you, but to me, Japanese voice acting sucks to no end. English voice acting? Usually, I'm indifferent to it, but if it's right after playing a game that has Japanese VA, then this can be like a glass of milk to wash down a cookie.
All these games that never got dubbed... that's exactly why I want to create a fandub of Makeruna! Makendou Z, and more importantly, to start a company to specialize in dubbing all these games.
Choices: Exactly why I like playing RPGs, especially those of the Pokemon series. With most RPGs, you have to customize your characters the way you see fit. Some weapons are stronger, but others might have their own advantages, such as inflicting elemental damage, having better accuracy, or inflicting status ailments. That, my friend, is where the dice come into play.
Oh, and I once made an entire blogpost specifically devoted to the Pokemon series. Here's the link, if you want:
http://dmxrated.livejournal.com/2008/08/21/
Just to let you know, though, a game doesn't have to cover all four of the above criteria to pass. Some games that I've played before only cover one aspect. In fact, there are even a few that don't cover any of them but still pass.
Well, that's it for now. I'm not listing all the games I ever bought and the reasons for buying them, but I will definitely make a list of video game songs that I listen to, and I'll be sure to describe the aforementioned crossover fighting game at some point.
Oh, and the game is not some MUGEN ripoff at all. It only includes characters from certain anime-style video games... including some that I've never played yet.
Well, to be honest, though there are a few exceptions, I'm not usually one to watch a commercial or read an advertisement and think, "Oh, I gotta have this game!" Usually, when I buy or download a game, there's a specific reason as to why I do so, and the reasons behind each of them are so varied that I'd have to make a long, separate blog entry to explain each of them (even if I only listed the ones I own or once owned legitimately). However, there are some secondary factors that, for me, make the experience even more enjoyable. Let's explore some of those:
Music: I tend to distinguish this between comical music, ambient music, and "pumped-up!" The last of these three categories is my favorite, although there are a handful of ambient songs that I like as well.
Whenever I hear or listen to a song that really turns me on, I tend to think of a situation for Monster Collection Chronicles or something else where said song would fit. Usually, I think of something for MCC, but sometimes, it could be something like Project Mai or, in the case of various songs from Battle Arena Toshinden 3 and 4, a made-up multi-crossover fighting game which I might describe in another entry. Then we have songs from Air Force Delta for the Sega Dreamcast, and Mission 5 of that game is my personal favorite thus far. Unlike with most video game songs, though, I have no real outlet for anything from that game, which sucks since that game's soundtrack kicks so much ass!
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because a song is exciting, doesn't mean I automatically like it. There are a lot of cases in which I'm still indifferent to the song in questions. In fact, some songs, despite being of the pumped-up variety, very outright suck; such is the case with Superboy's theme from Death & Return of Superman, the Launch Base Zone theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (the Genesis version), and level 1 of Sewer Shark.
For a short while, I've had the idea of making a list of VG songs that I like, and links to each song listed. Said list would go into my profile page rather than in an entry, so that it wouldn't get buried as I continue writing to this blog. That way, whenever I wanted to add to it or access something, I wouldn't have to go dig it up. It would be like my equivalent to owning an iPod. But, if anything would be cooler than that, it would be if I created a YouTube video with ten-second clips of each game that contains all these kick-ass songs. (Kinda like, this.)
Anime-style characters: Okay, it's one thing if I'm playing something like Whacked!, Contra IV, or Mick & Mack as the Global Gladiators, which I have other reasons for having played before. However, when I'm playing something epic, nine times out of ten, I like to feel like I'm spending time with something that's anime. Even when I'm not playing an RPG, though, I would very much prefer to spend time with anime-style characters than with cartoon-like or realistic characters. I guess that just comes with being accustomed to playing anime-style games like Chrono Trigger, Grandia II, Grandia III, and Dark Cloud.
Most of the earlier Sonic and Zelda games can slide, though. The characters are so tiny and pixelated that it would be up to the player to decide what their format really is.
Voice acting: Coupling this with the anime-style factor, this can be either annoying as hell or quite the music to my ears, depending on what language they're speaking. I don't know about you, but to me, Japanese voice acting sucks to no end. English voice acting? Usually, I'm indifferent to it, but if it's right after playing a game that has Japanese VA, then this can be like a glass of milk to wash down a cookie.
All these games that never got dubbed... that's exactly why I want to create a fandub of Makeruna! Makendou Z, and more importantly, to start a company to specialize in dubbing all these games.
Choices: Exactly why I like playing RPGs, especially those of the Pokemon series. With most RPGs, you have to customize your characters the way you see fit. Some weapons are stronger, but others might have their own advantages, such as inflicting elemental damage, having better accuracy, or inflicting status ailments. That, my friend, is where the dice come into play.
Oh, and I once made an entire blogpost specifically devoted to the Pokemon series. Here's the link, if you want:
http://dmxrated.livejournal.com/2008/08/21/
Just to let you know, though, a game doesn't have to cover all four of the above criteria to pass. Some games that I've played before only cover one aspect. In fact, there are even a few that don't cover any of them but still pass.
Well, that's it for now. I'm not listing all the games I ever bought and the reasons for buying them, but I will definitely make a list of video game songs that I listen to, and I'll be sure to describe the aforementioned crossover fighting game at some point.
Oh, and the game is not some MUGEN ripoff at all. It only includes characters from certain anime-style video games... including some that I've never played yet.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-12 12:45 pm (UTC)That way, whenever I wanted to add to it or access something, I wouldn't have to go dig it up
Look above an entry at the heart shape thingy. It's the favorite function of this site, similar to dA. Click it, add relevant tags and it can be accessed with one click from your profile, and you can add a line to your profile telling people to look at your memories to see your most relevant entries.
Also, you can start using tags on your entries, so you won't have to dig through anything, just click the tag to find back your associated entries.
I don't know about you, but to me, Japanese voice acting sucks to no end.
Standards for video games might differ from the quality that occurs in anime? Since seiyuu is a more appreciated job in Japan, there's a bigger chance of voice acting in anime to be better than over here, but that might be different for video games. Or you could simply have a dislike for the sort of sound that is created by Japanese language. A friend once explained that in Japan the stress on a sentence is placed differently, and some dislike hearing Japanese for that reason. Personally, I just stick with which ever version conveys emotions best.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-12 12:46 pm (UTC)And, responding to your comments about Japanese VA vs English VA, I honestly don't know what it is about the former that I find nerve-wrecking. Personally, I tend to favor the latter regardless of actual VA quality differences between versions.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-12 12:51 pm (UTC)Each time I post a blog entry, part of the fun is, afterwards, listing in my head each game and console mentioned on the entry, and the console that each game goes to. In the case of this entry, it would go like this:
Project Mai (N/A; still has yet to be made)
Battle Arena Toshinden 3 (Playstation)
Battle Arena Toshinden 4 (Playstation)
Air Force Delta (Dreamcast)
Death & Return of Superman (Super NES)
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Genesis)
Sewer Shark (Sega CD)
Whacked! (Xbox)
Contra IV (Nintendo DS)
Global Gladiators (Genesis)
Chrono Trigger (Super NES)
Grandia II (Playstation 2)
Grandia III (Playstation 2)
Dark Cloud (Playstation 2)
Makeruna! Makendou Z (PC-FX)
What's even more fun, is when any of the games in question are rarely referred to, or are only referred to for the first time ever on this blog. In this case, those games would be Air Force Delta, Sewer Shark, and both of the aforementioned Toshinden games.
Typically, I don't mention a game on this blog just for the sake of mentioning it. Doing so would only take the fun out of it. This is also why, as I mentioned before, I usually don't talk about my YouTube visits unless there's anything worth noting about them. And, yes, I did once make a post called "Video Games: The Top 50 (and five that suck)", but in that case only fifty-five games, plus any that were worth noting on the sidelines, were mentioned. With a list of songs I like, I'd be listing quite a number of games for the first time, which would spoil the fun of referring to any of said games for the first time in a future entry.
As for the tags, I might get around to creating some for each entry in my blog. Don't know when, though, what with so much stuff going on. But, I do hope you understand my reason for making a list in my profile page rather than as its own entry.
no subject
Date: 2019-07-12 12:52 pm (UTC)I get the drift, something like the rules I have with numbers. You're a counter too, if in a different way, that's nifty.