I don't think this is a graphics problem. I think people are just tired of silent protags. I mean, people were starting to make fun of it even when HL2 was new, enough so that the game actually draws attention to it in order to lampshade the issue somewhat.
this post was submitted on 26 Jul 2024
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Hmm... Gordon Freemann having no lines was much more jarring that the silent protagonist in the Portal series.
Gordon is supposedly a brilliant scientist, but gets ordered around by NPCs that do nothing.
Portal protagonist has likely brain damage from being in stasis for a while, so I can assume they are just mute.
So it really depends on the game, setting and story, if a silent protagonist works or not. But having some character with emotions and agency would be good anyway, without requiring them to speak.
Yeah, it kinda fucks up their style.
That art style always sucked. The way they draw heads and faces is a deep dive into the uncanny valley.
You take that back!
That's their own fault though. They could've gone a completely different route. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMojbF7lN0k
Why would they?
Because it a) avoids the mentioned issues of the display of emotions and b) it simply looks much better and more faithful to the original graphics style.
Who needs emotions in videogames?
I thought XI did the silent protagonist really well, and it's my all-time favorite in the series. What I really want is for them to stop releasing the game and then 6 months to a year later re-releasing a "definitive edition" with a few extras, a full-price pice tag, and no way to "upgrade". Fuck you. I bought the game once. I'm not shelling out full price for a couple of extra tidbits. Either release the full game the first time or eat shit.
If you keep giving them money at or around the time it comes out (or before, but I don't think they do preorders), then they will never stop doing this.
This has nothing to do with pre-ordering. I don't pre-order and I usually can't afford to get things right when they come out, unless they release on sale. They keep doing this because: 1. Dumb fucks buying it when they already have the og edition because of FOMO on the few things that were added. 2. People that hadn't bought the game yet so they buy the newer "definitive" edition.
Most other games that end up with a GOTY edition usually include all the content that was originally dlc, and can be "upgraded" to, usually for less than all of it did originally. And you don't have to redo achievements.
The thing with DQ is that there is no dlc. They just add some collectible or a couple of quests to flesh out where a character disappeared to or something. It's not enough content to even qualify as possible dlc. And there's no "upgrade" pricing.
So the only way to "stop this" is to do what I've already been doing— not buying it twice. But that doesn't actually stop them.
I wonder if it's a Japanese thing because the only other game I recall doing something like that was the Dark Souls remaster whatever. They at least had the decency to offer something if you owned the original but fuck having two copies of the same game with slightly improved gfx.
It certainly is, and it goes all the way back to at least the late 90s. I lived there from 00-03 and I saw so. many. games. do this. Granted, I was console only back then, and in Japan the number of new and used game stores is mind-blowing, so it's not like you couldn't trade in the old version and get at least SOME money back. Can't do that on PC.
I specifically noted that I did not think they did preorders. Secondly, you could also not buy it when it first comes out, which is what I was getting at. If you know they are going to do this, either wait to buy the "full version" or buy it later on sale or not at all. Basically, buying it when it comes out is still telling the company that, even for an incomplete product, you're still willing to shell out full price for it.
They don't always do definitive editions, so should I just wait forever and never get it? Also, waiting and getting the definitive edition still tells them it sells. They don't see why, they just see it selling. And if everyone just waits for the definitive edition, not buying the OG, they just view that as people not being interested in the game at all, so they quit making anything.
Edit: And I specifically mentioned pre-ordering because your thought process is the same as when it comes to pre-orders: if you don't pre-order they'll stop releasing unfinished garbage. That does not work here.
They don't always do definitive editions, so should I just wait forever and never get it?
This is not a binary. "If they do not release a definitive edition, I can never buy it" is not a true statement. Show the company that you're not going to get it right away and convince others to do the same.
they just view that as people not being interested in the game at all, so they quit making anything.
I have never seen this happen with a popular IP. People complaining on social media would also probably be a decent enough way for someone at the company to know as around release, companies will definitely be checking.
It was particularly bad with XI and the graphical downgrade (due to being based on the Switch version). So there effectively isn't even a definitive version.
I'm an idiot— even though I know my Roman Numerals, I wrote IX when I meant XI (Echos of an Elusive Age). I don't know what the "definitive" edition looks like, as I already own the OG and refuse to pay for another copy and have to get all the achievements all over again. The OG looks great to me, and I can't even use max graphic settings. I can only imagine how good it looks on max. If I'm understanding you correctly, the "definitive" edition looks worse? They can seriously go fuck a cactus. It's already not worth paying full price twice just to get some tidbits that aren't even tied to achievements. Japan puts out some amazing games. Classics. Industry changing innovations. But their decisions to do shit like that, as well as how they abandon their games after only a few bug fixes (that still don't fix many of the major bugs) has all but turned me off of games from the country that's known for video games.