Name: Jason Picker

Level: VIP

Re: PALGN Apologises to FalconDude (1 year ago)

People think this mess is driving PALGN people away.

I can tell you this is far more interesting than your newest purchase and pictures of people's cats.

Hell I haven't posted anything here for 6 months, but I'm back every day to see if there is a new entry in the Roland vs The World saga.

Even if the scorecard has The World up by about a million, that Roland just keeps on giving it a red hot go. Post on you crazy diamond.

Re: NSW agrees to R18+ rating for games (1 year ago)

I agree, I just thought I'd put it out there. It sounds like they are speculating that some recent games on current systems may be reclassified, which is the most sensible approach. Pure speculation of course.

Re: NSW agrees to R18+ rating for games (1 year ago)

ABC are reporting it differently. They could be wrong of course. They are saying that some games will be reclassified.
http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2011/08/10/3290150.htm

However, there are probably good reasons they wouldn't open up appeals for all previous games:

1) Most banned games now aren't commercially viable anymore anyway as they are on old systems. So it's a waste of time.

2) Theoretically, a giant like EA with plenty of money could get Australia to reclassify any games they had RC'd based on the slight chance they may one day want to re-release games here on the PSN or something.

3) Classifications/crimes/anything that legislation applies to shouldn't retospectively be appealed because of a law change. Just because, for example, murder laws are reduced from 20 years to 10 years in jail doesn't mean every murderer under the old law should get a sentence cut. Or that your speeding fine from 10 years ago should increase with increases under legislation.

A similar theory applies to censorship. You get the classification that's given under the laws of the day, not the laws from anytime in history that are the most convenient to you.

Re: Forum Changes + Other Matters [June 2011] (1 year ago)

I'm sure you guys have already thought it through, but without Game Exchange, the traffic to your site will likely decrease. I for one used to check that thing like 10 times a day.

And when I'd go to Game Exchange, I'd also see what news and reviews were there. Without this drawcard, I'll be attracted to other sites, as I'm sure will some other people.

For all the issues and drama, most of us knew the traders who could be trusted and we steered clear of those that looked like scammers. If it was for legal reasons I can understand. if it was for "it's too much hassle" reasons, well I don't get it. People know the risks. Some lessons have to be learnt the hard way.

Maybe I'm just a bastard.

Re: E3 2011: Prototype 2 Preview (1 year ago)

Ah yes, and they were inside the bases or something. Poor, my memory is. I just remember puuuunching things.

The reviews were a bit mixed at the time, but I wonder if it's because it was released around the same time as Infamous and many people were a bit over the open world thing by the time they reviewed Prototype? Dunno.

Re: E3 2011: Prototype 2 Preview (1 year ago)

I was one of the people that thought this was better than Infamous. Punch a muthaf**in helicopter? Hells yeah.

Benza - Agreed regarding story based collectibles. If I recall correctly, there were story parts for finishing the side missions such as base infiltration etc?

Re: inFamous 2 Review (1 year ago)

Which is also how the Force Unleashed games feel like to me too. I'm looking forward to playing this though, the first one was pretty good fun.

Re: Might & Magic: Clash of Heroes Review (1 year ago)

A 40-50 hour RPG is better on a handheld? Um...okay.

Re: L.A. Noire Review (1 year ago)

Very true.

For shits and giggles, try playing this drunk as I did last night. You know how you read people's faces differently and see things that aren't there and don't see the obvious stuff when drunk? Oh, and how you tend to accuse everyone of everything without any proof? Adds a new element to the game

I accused that 15 year old of everything I could because she blinked suspiciously. Bitch.

Re: L.A. Noire Review (1 year ago)

Good review that really nails the game for me.

I found the best way to play LA Noir was to only tackle a few cases in a row in any one gaming session. Otherwise you can lose the impact and pace of each case, and things can start to feel too similar and drag a bit.

I'd compare it to a crime show or even a serialised show like Supernatural or Burn Notice where each episode follows a certain routine, while a deeper narrative is building in the background. While these sorts of shows are great in smaller doses, watching the whole thing in one go can lessen the enjoyment.

In LA Noir, you can start to see each case as a series of predictable parts (go to murder scene, conduct interviews, chase criminals)if you play it for too long rather than appreciate the intricacies of each case and what you need to do to build a successful conviction.

In my opinion this would have made an excellent series that was made available each month or so on download like Sam and Max or Back to the Future.

Re: Call of Duty Elite outed (1 year ago)

True, my optimism may be a bit premature. I just hate to think about how many great games could be made with the budget of a single Call of Duty game.

Re: Call of Duty Elite outed (1 year ago)

Eventually there will be a backlash against the yearly installments and blatant cash-grabbing.

I'll go out on a limb and say MW3 will not break records set by MW2 (I assume that still holds the records). I could also be completely wrong, but I think sales will drop from here on. Probably still be very profitable though.

Re: Hunted: The Demon's Forge launch trailer (1 year ago)

Filter's version of Happy Together was about the only interesting thing about this IMO.

Re: Red Faction: Armageddon - Sketch mode revealed (1 year ago)

Maybe you have to be a child of the 80s to appreciate this, but I think that's cool.

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (1 year ago)

Yeah people are getting caught up on whether ot not you can spray graff in a game.

The real issue was that the game, showed people how to get involved, the sorts of techniques that could be used, how the underground graff culture operates and tried to justify that it was for political and social purposes and that graff artists are heroes.

It also made real life graff artists as the game heroes. So it aligned itself with real "criminals". Far different from a fake game about fake situations.

"8.1 The Review Board determined, in the majority, that the theme of graffiti as depicted and detailed in the game was beyond that of fantastical game play and provided elements of promotion of the crime of graffiti."

And to all those people comparing it to shooting people in a war game...being a soldier isn't a crime.

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (2 years ago)

APPLICANTS: The Hon. Philip Ruddock MP, Attorney-General,
represented by Mr Josh Faulks
The Local Government Association of Queensland
(LGAQ), represented by Mr Greg Hoffman PSM, Director of
Policy and Representation, Ms Rachael Uhr, Youth Policy
Project Officer, Councillor Ronald Clark MBE, Mayor Gold
Coast City Council, and Mr Robert Livingstone-Ward,

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (2 years ago)

It's the instructional part that got it banned. If they were to tell you how to secure a gun and how to load and shoot it, that game would be banned.

From memory, Marc Echo was banned partly because the game attempted to teach you techniques and how to get involved and that sort of thing.

Check this out, and particularly part 7 where they go into the instructional parts of the gameplayand why they banned it
http://www.ag.gov.au/www/cob/rwpattach.nsf/VAP/%28084A3429FD57AC0744737F8EA134BACB%29~794.pdf/$file/794.pdf

EDIT: Just had a read again myself, it seems that some of review board thought that the game could fit under an MA, but the majority didn't.

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (2 years ago)

The interesting point about that is that they could still be banned, as Refused Classification can include: "Detailed instruction or promotion in matters of crime or violence."

I think that graff game half a decade or so ago was banned on the basis that the classification board felt like it was telling people how they could do and get involved in tagging or whatever. Which is why Jet Set/Grind Radio still gets through with an M or something.

EDIT - yeah the Mark Echo game Jarrod mentioned.

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (2 years ago)

Ha ha now THAT would be an interesting debate I'd be able to play them here in Canberra.

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (2 years ago)

Well...there is a sex discrimination act that could be crossed if it was too blatant. But I want to clear up one thing: The issue of nudity related to incentives and rewards only applies to the MA. There is no mention of that in the R rating. So in theory you could have that sort of the game and have it passed under an R. Just not the MA, which I think is fair enough.

I totally agree with the gist of what you're saying about sex being treated differently to violence, but I think what you and others here are actually talking about is a fundamental problem with society rather than the R rating guidelines, which only reflect that society that already exists.

Just a few points.

Ultra violent games will still get banned still under an R rating. Some very violent movies still get banned in this country. They don't just let all violence go through. Obviously it will take a lot to get banned, but it will happen eventually.

Sex and nudity are allowed in R rated movies and, according to this draft, in potential R rated games. Consensual sex is allowed. Nudity is allowed. However, as Sin suggested, penetration will likely be banned (we have an X rating in some places that allows that) as will sexual violence when it is not completely necessary to tell the story.

So there is potentially plenty of opportunity to show sex and sex-oriented stories in games under the R rating.

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (2 years ago)

As has been previously mentioned - don't read too much into the specifics of the guidelines and how they are applied. If you are concerned, check out the sorts of movies that get banned in Australia as an idea.

Well they do have a point here. If you show naked women or get jiggy with a woman as a reward for killing, it is objectifying women in a condescending, teenage boy fantasy sort of way. It should be in context of the story, not as a "reward", so I have no problem with these guidelines at all.

As for rewards for violence...well that's the basis of 9 out of 10 computer games and a lot of movies, so I'm not sure anyone is changing that in a hurry.

Re: R18+ guidelines released by Brendan O'Connor (2 years ago)

It's more or less the same citeria that is applied to R rated movies. The fact that it mentions no real sex, in a computer game where all sex is animated (we are past FMV era) is weird.

Re: Brink Review (2 years ago)

There's a reason though - pressure. People have even been allegedly sacked over low reviews. That's why most have chosen the higher baseline.

Re: Brink Review (2 years ago)

I totally agree. Looking at Brink's meta score (which is dangerous in itself) you see a 70 out of 100 game (or whatever it is now). I see that as representing a pretty decent, functioning and fairly fun game without too many bugs. Of course, some of the individual reviews are much higher and lower for each reviewer. I think that's the danger of the combined meta score is that it can artificially inflate an average game into a score range that looks pretty good.

Jarrod makes an interesting point about 5 being the average, because while that's true in theory, a lot of people see a 5 differently because of meta and other scores in our lives which are subjected to a bell curve. To me, a 5 is a fail because it's below what I see as the "average" for a game to be decent fun. If a game doesn't score at least 7s (and more likely 8s and 9s) I simply won't play it. I see 6 as the first level of failure and 7 as a minor pass for a genre I like.

Unfortunately, I think many reviewers now use their scores in a similar fashion, where 6s are seen as failures and 7s are seen as minor passes.

Anyway, keep up the good work in scoring games what you think they are worth.

Re: Brink Review (2 years ago)

As long as you are rating the games on your honest opinion and not just marking games down to send a message, I support your score.

However, your comment does make it sound a bit like you are deliberately marking the game dow to make a point, which would be a bit irresponsible and unfair.

I'll assume you didn't mean it that way though and your score is a reflection of your honest opinion. Grandstanding is best left to the uneducated masses who post in the metacritic and ign user scores.

Re: What is your profession? (2 years ago)

Full time Speechwriter and part time flasher at the local skate park.

Re: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters Review (2 years ago)

Yeah last year's version has the challenges thing you're talking about. You can post your biggest drives and nine hole challenges and closest to the pin challenges etc and others can try and beat them for GamerPoints or some such arbitrary points thingy.

I did a few of them - was a fun diversion for an hour before I realised how much better some of the characters were compared to me because people had purchased all the upgrades that are otherwise nearly impossible to get.

My mate worked it out to be $90 or so to purchase all the upgrades for a character straight away without actually having to play 4,000 rounds to rack up enough experience points.

Re: Love to Hate #17 (2 years ago)

Not at all sir, your post was completely reasonable.

Re: Love to Hate #17 (2 years ago)

I wrote what I meant because I was actually saying is that CoD simplifies the issues of war from an American point of view, so I was having a go at the trend the series takes and how it would likely treat the "enemy".

It was a poor choice of words I'll admit, but I thought it was clear my intent was to criticise the COD series.

Rather than give the "enemy" in these games a real side to the story, it's all about US heroics against evil opposition who they generalise to make them easier to shoot. By saying "Muslim" I was deliberately using the common racial stereotype that comes out of a lot of US conservative media (and in other countries) at the moment - that is, all Muslims are extremists.

I am well aware that the vast majority of members of any religion are not extremists.

And I thank my negative giving friends for trying to teach me tolerance through negative reinforcement.

Re: Yoostar 2: In the Movies Review (2 years ago)

Certainly an interesting idea - shame it's not technically all there. This could have been a lot of fun for those parties with a few mates and a few drinks.