I am always amused/bewildered/confused by the console gamers who are so vitriolic against PC gamers. I mean, I don’t get console wars at all because who the fuck cares? Play what you want to play on what you want to play it on. That’s pretty much my belief. It’s also wild to me that after years of people saying that exclusivity is bad, there are a bunch of hardcore Xboxers who are now demanding exclusivity once again.
I mean, I get it because PlayStation is still sticking to their exclusivity as is Nintendo. PS has said that they will not be porting their games to PC any longer. If certain platforms stick with their exclusives, then Xbox has to do the same if they’re serious about being a meaningful console. But, and bear with me, it seems as if consoles are dying out as far as brand loyalty, then so be it.
Also, if Xbox is going to truly be exclusive, meaning not being on PC, then I think that’s the wrong way of thinking. I’m not in the industry, obviously, but at this point, going with exclusives that are truly only on the Xbox seems so regressive. Gamers have been advocating to get rid of exclusivities for quite some time, and now, a small minority of them are suddenly pushing hard for them once again?
Look.
I’m not someone who is brand loyal to anything that is a product. I’m also not a team player or anything like that. I don’t get having undying loyalty for something/someone who cannot by nature give you the same kind of loyalty in return.
This is true of teams, celebrities, and especially for products–which video games are. It’s a slippery area beacuse they can also be art, which is more difficult to put a price on. But, lik a piece of art that I might buy–it’s worth what I’m willing to pay for it. To me, I mean–not in general.
FromSoft is probably a ‘brand’ that I’m more loyal to than almost any other brand. I have said in the past that–oh, this is my post on them from yesterday. In which I rambled about this, that, and the other tthing. I will buy any From game I can immediately. In fact, they are the only games I’ll preorder. I am always willing to give my money to FromSoft.
Until now. I did not like either Elden Ring Nightreign or Armored Core VI Fires of Rubicon. Or rather, I could not play either of these games. Because of several issues I have, I simply could not do the things necessary to play these two games. Not “didn’t” or “wouldn’t”, but couldn’t. I can’t do anything that requires being able to gauge spatial distances accurately nor twitch responses. Nor any kind of deflection/parry.
Devout fans of FromSoft say, “Trust Miyazaki. He’s earned it.” (And to be fair, he did not direct either of the two games in the previous paragraph.) He is directing The Duskbloods. I’m uneasy with giving unconditional loyalty to anyone I don’t know personally, no matter how genius they are.
I would say that I don’t have to say that at all, but I feel like I do. I do understand that people get emotionally attached to video games (and to other pieces of pop culture) same with music groups, actors, and whatnot. I do get that, but I don’t feel it on the same level for the most part. Like with From games, I get appreciating Miyazaki and his brilliance, but I don’t know him as a person. I have no reason to pledge loyalty to him regardless of how great he is as a director/developer. And it doesn’t mean he’s above reproach or criticism, either.
I know that in the Discord I’m in, I’m the one that people roll their eyes because I will not hesitate to voice my criticism of From games. I try to be considerate about how I phrase things (like I wouldn’t say something is utter shit for example, especially as there is very little I could say that about when it comes to Miyazaki. Except his love for poison swamps–which are literal shit).
Most people in that Discord hold either Sekiro or Bloodborne to be the best From game (meaning their personal favorite). These are my two least-favorite of the games because they demand things from me I cannot do. I am always careful to say why they are personally my least-favorite games, but, boy, do people not like hearing about that.
This is something I don’t understand that well–how most normies NEED other people to like what tehy like. I realized in my twenties that people identified with things they liked from pop culture in a way I don’t. Or rather, that they see it as a big part of themselves that I don’t. Even songs that move me to tears, for instance, I can recognize why others may not like them.
It’s because I’m so used to being on the outside that I don’t take it personally when people don’t like what I do. I rarely like things that are popular, and even when I do like those things, it’s for a very different reason. I’m used to people thinking my taste is weeird, strange, or just plain bad. In fact, I will admit that I take a certain (not small) amount of pleasure in confounding people when I happily agree with them that my taste is terrible.
In the case of video games, one of the very few soulslikes that I enjoyed and played all the way through was…goddamn. I always call it Junkyard Souls and often forget the real name. Oh yes! The Surge (Deck13). It was janky as hell, but, wow, was it fun. Most people preferred the sequel, but not me. I didn’t even finish it (got close to it, but then got very tired of it) while I played all of the original.
I was once in the chat of a live video, and people were gushing about Nioh (Team NINJA) and how it was the best soulslike out there. I have played about a third of the original Nioh, and I just could not with it. For many reasons.
Side note: Interestingly, there are people who insist Nioh is not a soulslike, but that is neither here nor there. Many people believe it to be one, and more importantly for the purpose of this post, so do I. It’s been held up as one of the best if not THE best soulslikes out there*, which, *shrugs*, it is what it is. As the kids say.
So all these fanboys were gushing over Nioh in chat, and I very carefully typed that my favorite soulslike was The Surge. The indignant squawking to that was both predictable and amusing (to me). These guys were OUTRAGED that I would ever say The Surge was better than Nioh–which I made sure to point out that I had not said. I don’t rank games; I talk about them in terms of which I liked and which I didn’t–and why.
Do I think The Surge is a better game than Nioh? No. Did I nejoy it WAY more. Hell yes! Which is the whole point of playing a game, right? To have fun, I mean. I’m not putting down anyone who liked the Niohs, either. I’m just saying it wasn’t for me and The Surge was. For the most part. There were things I really did not like about The Surge, but it was fun enough for me to keep going and to finish it.
More tomorrow.
*Before Life of P (ROUND8 STUDIO/NEOWIZ)