I’m not sure where to put this because I’m going to talk more about AAA v. indie games, but I want to jump of that into talking about how I think about things in general. And why I have felt so deeply while playing Schrödinger’s Call (Acrobatic Chirimenjako). Add to that why I feel like nothing playing most AAA games. Oh, and just to get even spicier, why I don’t like most soulslikes even though I adore most FromSoft games.
While I’m at it, I’ll make the connection between my preference for indie games over AAA games and my preference for indie movies (when I even watch them) over Hollywood movies. To be fair, the last–no, the second-to-last blockbuster movie I’ve seen is–well, no. Let me rephrase that. The last superhero movie I saw in the theater was The Last–er, Guardian sof the Galaxy, and much to my surprise, I really enjoyed it.
After that, I saw Knives Out, which was hyped to an unbelievable degree. And which I was quite looking forward to. Even after seeing the trailer, which I did not like. Look. I went into the movie excited because I love Agatha Christie. I love huge ensemble whodunnits, and this was supposed to be the next big thing. When I saw the trailer, well, my enthusiasm dipped dramatically. All the cast members were excellent, but there was something amiss. I hated the way the trailer was cut, and I did not enjoy the dialogue at all.
I crashed while writing this, so I’m picking it up today. My sleep has been all over the damn place.
Back to Knives Out. I did not like the first movie by this direction. Rian Johnson. Brick. I found it pretentious, ponderous, and laborious. I did not enjoy one second of it, and I did not understand the hype at all.
I was willing to give him a chance with tihs movie because, well, I’m a slow learner in some ways. I so want a new Poirot (with less British colonialism, please or if it’s another Poirot, an actual Belgian actor), I was willing to overlook my initial doubts about the trailer. I enjoy an ensemble cast, and this one was star-studded. Yes, the trailer had highly-stylized dialogue and hyper-cuts that made me wince, but I tried to put that aside.
More doubts began to creep in when the director made this big deal about pleading with the reviewers not to give ‘the secret’ away. After watching the movie, I have no idea what he meant by that. If he meant the perp, well, I sussed that out the first time I laid eyes on them. I said, “This person did it”–whatever ‘it’ was, and I sincerely hoped it wasn’t the case.
But, alas, two painful hours later, it turned out to be exactly the case.
Look, the cast was fantastic. Jamie Lee Curtis chewing up the scenery gave me so much life. But that was the only thing I liked about the movie. I was so disappointed in the rest of the movie.
Sigh. Back to indie games v. AAA games.
I have to say that I don’t play many AAA games. Except FromSoft games, of course. But they weren’t really AAA when–hm. I read that they have always been considered AAA in Japan. At least by the time Dark Souls was released. That’s interesting because I’ve always thought of them as AA or guns for hire until maybe Sekiro. I think that’s just my perception, though, because they bounced from publisher to publisher. Or rather, they never limited themselves to just one.
I’m trying to think of the last AAA game I’ve enjoyed that wasn’t them. I think it was Ghost of Tsushima (Sucker Punch Productions), and that was a very complicated relationship. I checked when I played it, and it was Christmas, 2024–so nearly two years ago. I can’t think of an AAA I’ve played since then–though I’m sure I have. I must have. Right?
I checked. Nope. I have not played a Triple A game since then, at least not one I’ve reviewed. Except the demo for Nioh 3 (Team NINJA). Which I just…look. Here is my fourth post about the demo for the game in which I talk more about Elden Ring than this game. Heh. Not quite, but it’s very close.
Here’s the thing with most AAA games–they don’t make me feel anything. Or they make me feel something negatively. As I read through my posts about Ghost of T (as I mentioned above), it reminded me about how I did not feel the things other people said they felt playing the game (mostly dudes. This is important because I felt the game was very much a male power fantasy). In fact, the defining moment at the end of Act 2 that so many guys said was so affecting actively angered me.
I was disgusted (and frankly, gobsmacked) at how trite and _______ that part was. Fill in the blank because I don’t want to spoil that moment. Before that moment, I would have given the game a 7.5/8 (despite my fatigue with the game which was more my fault than theirs for bingeing on it), but that sequence knocked the game down a whole point. The ending saved it somewhat, but I still gave it a 6.5/7 once it was all said and done.
Oh, and the DLC was so disappointing, too. I still haven’t finished the final mission because I just could not do it. The few times I went back just to finish it, my whole body rebelled. Again, partly my fault for going immediately into the DLC when I was already so tired of the game (I got the complete edition), but I hated the antagonist. I thought they were tired, trope-y, and just annoying AF.
I liked a few of the NPCs, but I found the stories to be tedious at best and manipulative at worst. I mean, all stories are manipulative, but if you can see the strings, then the magic just isn’t there. I’m done for now. May write more tomorrow.