The "WTF I don't even" gaming moment of the year

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

If you must have one "WTF I don't even" this year in gaming, this is the one to have because it outstrips even the embarrassing spectacle that is the Spike VGAs:

Entertainment Weekly: Kirby Epic Yarn worst game of 2010- Destructoid

In a year that saw the release of Kane & Lynch 2, I'm Not Alone, Naughty Bear and Dead or Alive: Paradise, the experts at Entertainment Weekly have declared none other than Kirby's Epic Yarn as 2010's worst game.

Red Dead Redemption was the magazine's pick for best game, but Kirby's Epic Yarn was voted the worst for being too cute and nice. Metroid: Other M was voted the second worst for being "infuriatingly clunky" and turning Samus Aran into "a glum functionary pining for her old boss."

Of Epic Yarn, EW's Jeff Jensen stated: "There's a fine line between cute and grating, delightfully busy and irritatingly overwhelming -- and for me, this hyperactively adorable side-scrolling puzzler crosses it."

Naturally, Entertainment Weekly has the right to pick its games, and that is their opinion. It's not so much the decision that bothers me, though, but the absolute nonsensical reasoning behind it. Of all the total stinkers released this year, Epic Yarn is voted the absolute worst of the year because it's too cute?

Fair enough.

Note: The Jeff Jensen link is NSFW. It is not a link to his facebook or anything, just an adequate description of what this man is. Were I to add anything, he's the most soulless motherfucker on the face of the earth and probably hates babies, puppies and kittens because they're cute, too.

While Kirby isn't like my GOTY or even my favorite character, there wasn't a moment I played this game where I wasn't smiling. Its almost impossible for anyone to not enjoy this game on some level, even if you're a hardheaded FPS junkie. If you hate this game, you have to work really hard to hate it.

I mean, you can attach some really dirty things to Kirby and it still comes off adorable:

[Balfree]

Re: The "WTF I don't even" gaming moment of the year

i'd buy KEY even if it was just something you would watch on your tv screen without ever interacting with it. it's that cute.

game critics can suck my yarn balls.

[Icemage]

Re: The "WTF I don't even" gaming moment of the year

Kirby's Epic Yarn isn't the most amazing game released this year, but it's far from the worst. Neither was Metroid: Other M, flawed as it might be. There were many other games that were much worse.


Icemage

[Etra]

Re: The "WTF I don't even" gaming moment of the year

I'm confused as to why APB was not given worst game of the year.

It may of been an MMORPG, but it's still a video game. I mean, hell, it holds the number one spot for fastest game to close its servers after launch. <_< Pretty failtastic, imo. But calling something a horrible game because it's cute? Um. No. Otherwise, why isn't Barbie the worst game of the year?

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

I'm no graphics whore, but I always appreciate when someone creates a game with a unique visual style and Kirby is the most unique game I had seen since Okami in that regard. The folks that made Fl0wer have something really interesting planned for PSN, but I forget its name. Takes place in a desert.

[Icemage]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

I'm no graphics whore, but I always appreciate when someone creates a game with a unique visual style and Kirby is the most unique game I had seen since Okami in that regard.

You need to expand your gaming horizons more BBQ. There've been a number of interesting visual styles since Okami. Just off the top of my head:

- Valkyria Chronicles (PS3), really unique pencil-sketch style.
- MadWorld (Wii), mostly black-and-white visuals with only red for blood and very VERY sparing amounts of other colors for accents from effects.
- ilomilo (Xbox 360). Sort of a soft plushie look, vaguely reminiscent of LittleBigPlanet (which also deserves a mention for having a cool diorama visual flair).
- No More Heroes (Wii, PS3, Xbox 360). Faux-rotoscoping with a splash of specular lighting.
- Borderlands (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) - Cel-shading variant that looks great and really supports a game with some really neat gameplay.
- Team Fortress 2 (PC, Xbox 360, PS3) uses Phong shaders to excellent effect.

I find Kirby's Epic Yarn to be delightful visually, but calling it the most unique thing visually since Okami gives many other games with equally interesting artistic direction the cold shoulder.

The folks that made Fl0wer have something really interesting planned for PSN, but I forget its name. Takes place in a desert.

thatgamecompany's next project is called Journey. And it does indeed look spectacular.


Icemage

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

You need to expand your gaming horizons more BBQ. There've been a number of interesting visual styles since Okami.

I said "most interesting," I didn't say there weren't other interesting ones. And I've played most of what you've listed.

Whoever ported NMH to PS3 needs to be shot, btw, they stripped it of its style. I wouldn't say NMH did anything Suda hadn't already done with Killer 7, though.

[Malacite]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

Even more WTF (to me at least) is Other M 2nd worst? REALLY guys?!


....


Also Valkryia & Flower are arguably PS3's most beautifully artistic games. I also rank Heavy Rain right up there as well, but that's for a set of other factors.

Purely in terms of visuals, VC is still the most beautiful game I've ever played and I'm continually pissed @ the sequels being launched on PSP. Normally this isn't such a big deal, but in the case of VC where the artistic design was one of it's greatest strengths, it just doesn't make any sense to cut that out for more traditional cell shading and anime-style cinematics.

BTW how does Epic Micky fare in all this? I haven't gotten around to trying it yet (shit I still have to finish Okami lol >.<)

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

I wrote a follow-up when I finished Epic Mickey in the Epic Mickey thread.

More or less, its an enjoyable Zelda-like title that's held back by some camera issues and a poor explanation of the targeting system. Basically at no point does the game or the manual tell you to briefly hold down C while facing to get a lock-on. I didn't figure it out til I was about 2/3rds of the way through.

Don't be misled by the platforming elements, its more Deus Ex and Zelda than Mario. As platforming experiences go, Epic Mickey is very vanilla and doesn't really reach for excellence in that regard.

Rent if unsure, but I think it does warrant a second play-through so you can make different choices, how they affect your quest and see the different endings.

As far as VC goes, as nice as the visuals might be, its still a niche title and a strategy game, meaning its completely wasted on the PS3. The handheld/PC market is much more inviting to strategy titles. VC2 and 3 went where they would sell and VC2 has already outsold and profited VC because of the move.

Fans should be happy the franchise is continuing at all and improving with each installment. If you feel the need to complain, please think of all the Sega franchises that have been neglected due to low sales before you do so. I'm still waiting for Shenmue III and a proper Shining Force game here.

VC2, Phantasy Star Portable 2, Resonance of Fate, Sonic Colors and the publishing of games like Infinite Space and Bayonetta have done much to mend my ill feelings toward Sega, but they still have much work to do. Going forwardwith releasing 7th Dragon in the US for DS is another step in that direction, but aside from Iwata dropping the hint on that, there's no firm date.

[Malacite]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

Doesn't change the fact that it looks like shit on PSP and in VC's case, yes the graphics really do matter. I'd love to see more of that wonderful water color art style they did.


Strategy games in general are pretty niche, but C&C 3 and especially Halo Wars both managed to do quite well for console RTS, and VC actually did sell quite a lot. Apparently that's why SEGA raised the price on it twice. And then it mysteriously vanished from my local EBs >_> wtf lol.


Wouldn't mind seeing a new PS3/360 Skies of Arcadia. I'd just like to see VC2 and 3 for PS3. I don't like strategy titles on hand helds, with the lone exception of FFT. It's just too awkward. I don't even think it's that big of a demographic issue (it is to an extent) so much as lack of any real promotion of the game. VC was pretty accessible as far as strategy games go, nothing terribly complex about it. And between the art style and wonderful score it should have gotten more attention.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

Doesn't change the fact that it looks like shit on PSP and in VC's case, yes the graphics really do matter. I'd love to see more of that wonderful water color art style they did.


Strategy games in general are pretty niche, but C&C 3 and especially Halo Wars both managed to do quite well for console RTS, and VC actually did sell quite a lot. Apparently that's why SEGA raised the price on it twice. And then it mysteriously vanished from my local EBs >_> wtf lol.

There's a big difference between RTS and turn-based. RTS works on PC because you can sit down and finish a session in an hour or less even with the micromanaging. Turnbased fare, which likes to weasel in an myraid of other elements like civilization building, diplomacy and just excessively deep job systems tend to also have battles that could take up to two hours to complete in a single-player campaign.

Valkyria Chronicles and Jenne D'Arc encourage a bit more speed in your strategy, but even so, there's so much micromanagement between sessions that could eat up your time.

I like the sense that I've accomplished something and strategy games designed for consoles don't give me that. There's no quick save or sleep mode to let me bookmark where I was and that's rather important because I don't want to slog through the same Time Mage gimmick levels that a game like Tactics loves to pull while making me endure pointless melodrama during battle all over again.

I hate to break it to you, but FFT was a poorly designed game largely because of its Final Fantasy element and it has not aged well. People liked it because it said "Final Fantasy" on it and there was little else to play at the time. Looking back, the story is the only thing the game has going for it because I can't even enjoy it when you have the likes of Jeanne D'Arc, VC2, Disgaea and the forthcoming Tactics Ogre remake on PSP.

Now that SE is letting the Quest team work on Tactics Ogre again, you're going to see what kinds of games Quest really made and why TO is better than FFT. Jobs are more streamlined, player choices drive the direction of the campaign and perishing allies are as costly as ever. There are even progressive elements thankfully woven in like the quick save and the ability to mulligan the last two battle phases (though I'm sure there's a limit to how much you can do it).

I also think scenarios get over-complicated, which is something Devil Survivor overcomes quite well. They're still ballbusters in some sections, but at least its over quickly if you win and the scenario doesn't take more than twenty or thirty minutes to complete.

[Armando]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

I hate to break it to you, but FFT was a poorly designed game largely because of its Final Fantasy element and it has not aged well.

Are you referring to job/ability/character balance? Because I can't think of anything else about that game that was poorly designed. It was unbalanced, but the gameplay mechanics itself weren't bad by any means.

At any rate I beg to differ that people only liked it because there was nothing else to play. It's a good game in its own right. Not the best tactics game ever, for sure, but to say people only liked it for lack of other games to play is just excessive. I also think you're downplaying the importance of plot - seems like you're saying Tactics isn't that great a game for having unbalanced gameplay but great plot, but a game with more balanced gameplay but weaker plot is fine.

If you run the game into the ground, its flaws are obvious. The first time you play it, you don't know what the exploits are so the game actually has difficulty. I don't know anyone that got to Gariland Magic City, Golgorand Execution Site, the final fight with Gafgarion, the solo fight with Wiegraf, or the Elmdor fights and had an easy time.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

seems like you're saying Tactics isn't that great a game for having unbalanced gameplay but great plot, but a game with more balanced gameplay but weaker plot is fine.

Its exactly what I'm saying.

[Armando]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

Sorry - a game can be perfectly balanced, but if the plot is boring/bad or the gameplay isn't fun/interesting/engaging, it's not that great either. You can't label a game weak just because plot isn't important to you or because gameplay imbalances irk you. Having more balance doesn't automatically make a game funner or more memorable (though it's never a bad thing.)

[Icemage]

Re: The &quot;WTF I don't even&quot; gaming moment of the year

The first time you play it, you don't know what the exploits are so the game actually has difficulty. I don't know anyone that got to Gariland Magic City, Golgorand Execution Site, the final fight with Gafgarion, the solo fight with Wiegraf, or the Elmdor fights and had an easy time.

Actually the first time I played FFT I did OK on all of the above, but mostly because I grinded the heck out of my party and had everyone learn Mana Shield and MP Regen. I think the only one where I really had any serious trouble was the solo fight with Wiegraf until I figured out I could just boost speed and start hitting him with extra turns.

That said, aside from a handful of really broken mechanics (Mana Shield + MP Regen, Chameleon Suit + Holy + Arithmetics... heck, just Arithmetic in general, and some Mimic combinations) most of FFT is relatively balanced. Of course, some of that went out the window with Dark Knights in FFT:The War of the Lions, but that's not what's under discussion.


Icemage