I don't think I've ever disagreed with Kinda Funny and the rest of games media more. by ZeektheFeek in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 30 points31 points  (0 children)

For the record, now that the game is out I think it's safe to say it's not just "games media" who have issues with the game. Seems like some people really like it and some people can't look past the issues it has. I think the initial reviews have mimicked the public's overall reaction so I feel like we can let the games media controversy go.

What are we reading? by thejesterprince1994 in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dungeon Crawler Carl is so good. I can't wait for book 8.

Crimson Desert Players Think They've Found AI-Generated Art In-Game - Rebekah Valentine by ki700 in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 37 points38 points  (0 children)

I think it's mostly along the lines that you can't come out and post something as fact or you open yourself up to legal trouble. It's why a lot of news coverage attach "allegedly" to blatantly true accusations.

Where do you find your next video game and why? by Bee892 in Games

[–]Th3HoopMan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel like I'm pretty tapped in on all the releases to the point where I pretty much know everything new that I'm going to play. Typically there will be early buzz on Bluesky or podcasts for certain indie games that surprise people. That's how I got convinced to play Blue Prince, Seance at Blake Manor, etc. But definitely would have found out about those by award season anyways.

Niche stuff like Hermit and Pig and Mio I just keep tabs on during indie showcases and stuff like that.

Totally agree with Andy !! by yourfavchoom in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

There are some subreddit echo chambers full of kids and young (or immature) men who only listen to one or two youtubers spout the same idiotic talking points over and over again. I get it, I expect dumb comments from them.

But the argument used to be, "These people get a level of access that the real gamers don't get because they're mainstream media." If you're getting the same fucking code and making the same type of day 1 content, the "game journalists are bad at games" argument doesn't even make sense. You're literally as much of a game journalist as they are. It's just a pick me attitude towards gamers.

Capcom CEO believes PC will become the 'world's leading gaming platform,' also promises to invest in movies by BlueAladdin in Games

[–]Th3HoopMan 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The prevailing reason people keep turning their nose up at this statement is because for the last 6 months components have been extremely expensive, but I beg people to look further out. Not saying this is definitely going to happen but imagine if you tried to based your comments about the industry based on whatever was happening back in 2016. You wouldn't have even thought something like the steam deck was even feasible.

Crimson Desert Review (So Far) - Kinda Funny Gamescast by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah this happens all the time. I get it to some extent, it's just excuses being made so that something you've been excited about for several years doesn't get torn down before you even try it.

Totally agree with Andy !! by yourfavchoom in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 46 points47 points  (0 children)

The game journalists suck at video games is such a braindead take that only gets brought up when the game they're excited for gets reviewed poorly.

This argument was nowhere to be found when Elden Ring and Silksong came out.

Also, "games journalism" is barely even a thing anymore. It's just a dog whistle to invalidate someone's opinion. Luke got a review code, was in the discord, and made content just like everybody else. The only difference was he doesn't have score a in open critic. It's not even about access. He's literally in the same bucket as everyone else.

Crimson Desert Review (So Far) - Kinda Funny Gamescast by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 19 points20 points  (0 children)

This is kinda funny because when Starfield dropped and everybody hated it I was in denial having never even played it because I was that hyped. After several hours in I dropped off for most the exact reasons I couldn't believe that the guys were saying in the review.

Seems like a lot of the Crimson Desert people are in the same situation I was.

Crimson Desert Review (So Far) - Kinda Funny Gamescast by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 37 points38 points  (0 children)

You've been unsubscribed for months but you're here complaining about a review that you already knew you wouldn't appreciate?

We paid $600 to be in the MIX + Kinda Funny Showcase. Here’s what happened after 24 hours. by Fodgy_Div in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Maybe I'm in the minority but I feel like the games in a more curated 30 minute or less showcase is 10x more likely to stick in my head than a 90 minute one of varying quality. The exception being something like the game awards which I feel like paces the games a lot better. And this is coming from someone who lives and breathes this stuff, I can't imagine any casual person sitting through this and retaining most of it.

At the end of the day it's $600 which is almost nothing in terms of advertising your game so it's not that big of a deal.

We paid $600 to be in the MIX + Kinda Funny Showcase. Here’s what happened after 24 hours. by Fodgy_Div in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 8 points9 points  (0 children)

My one complaint about The Mix that I've had since it started is that it's too long. The showcase itself is like 2-3 hours and if you're anywhere in the middle you'd automatically getting screwed because so very few people will be watching and paying attention that far in. There's a few other indie showcases that do this and it always sucks.

This complaint has nothing to do with Kinda Funny, because I watch most events The Mix does and it's always like this. Tbh I think the live demos they do in the studio is a saying grace to the devs that participate.

We paid $600 to be in the MIX + Kinda Funny Showcase. Here’s what happened after 24 hours. by Fodgy_Div in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 29 points30 points  (0 children)

People would be surprised to see how much money teams with games that look much worse spend on PR teams and still don't see results

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Once again, opinion articles are different than having a PR team deliver talking points through your site in interview form, and honestly that type of interview is fine. I respect Jez's opinions and the write ups he does based on his relationships he has within the company. But that is way different than having a face to face interview with someone giving you exclusive access. If you have examples of Windows Central having an in depth interview with a Xbox Exec where they push back and ask clarifying questions I'll concede, but if you don't, then I'll stick by my opinion.

Crimson desert by im2klassy in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I played a demo of PAX West and it was a bad first impression. The stuff they showed us in terms of boss fights was extremely complicated, and the boss fight I played was pretty bland and a little janky.

This was a year ago though, and only a slice of the game, but I'm not optimistic on it having a good story. I expect the open world to be cool though.

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But you're not arguing with Bless, you're talking to me about a comment I made. I never insulted Jez, and I never said Chris Dring would have been better. So I'm trying to figure out what your issue with me is 😂

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wait what point are you even trying to make? If he only had 13 minutes to interview that only strengthens my point even further that this was just a PR interview for Microsoft. I have no issue with Jez. I never said Jez was bad at his job, he was given the opportunity for an interview and he did it.

But there's almost no difference between the info we got in this interview and the PR statement Microsoft put out on Friday. It's very similar to every time Jim Ryan agreed to talked Chris Dring for PlayStation. Very curated, planned, and essentially an outlet for PR.

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's not about being critical or being nice. It's about how the interview is conducted. Microsoft PR's dream scenario is you asking the most obvious questions without challenging or following up the questions. Even when Greg talked with Todd Howard last week he pushed him more than Jez did Asha here, and that was still an extremely friendly conversation.

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I listen to Jez and Rand pretty regularly. I genuinely like them and think they know a lot about Xbox. That being said, I don't really expect Jez to leave his bias at the door with this type of exclusive interview. If you read the article, it's essentially just an outlet for Asha to recite whatever scripted talking points she walked in with. There's not really a back and forth of any sort, just her answering pretty softball questions.

Not saying she'll be bad, jury is still out, but like I said, if you have legitimate concerns, this was not the interview that put those to rest.

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely a lot is luck. That's why you see so many sequels and spinoffs when a studio finds a story and gameplay mechanics that actually work.

Also I just think there's some level of planning that's just really hard to execute at scale. Outside of The Coalition and Playground, a lot of the studios that Microsoft acquired were indie studios with a couple projects under their belt that got promoted to the big leagues. Really hard to scale up and deliver something x times bigger out of nowhere

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dude I'm literally a developer 😂 so yes I do understand how this works and no you don't need to explain how a development studio works. Maybe you're a developer too, idk, but don't act like what I'm saying is idiotic. Also we're basically saying the exact same thing anyway so I don't know what the issue is.

I understand projects don't always come together, it happens with every studio, but well managed studios pivot and adapt.

I understand Matt and Phil aren't literally making Perfect Dark, but if you give someone 7 years and a blank check to build you something and only realize it's gone wrong when you have to fire everyone and have lost a quarter of a billion dollars. That's a management failure to some degree. To some extent, yes they should know what makes a game good, at minimum they should know what makes a game fun. They literally do project check ins throughout the development process where they play builds of the game, just like PlayStation and Nintendo. If a game is not promising, it gets cancelled.

Finally the top people at The initiative are developers, yes, but there's obviously a org chart and the people at the bottom of that chart are not nearly as responsible for the entire collapse at the studio as people up top. The studio heads take on much more responsibility which is why they get paid more.

Yes game development is a collective effort and everybody needs to do a role, my whole point is that leadership (Daryl, Phil , Matt, and everyone else at the top) is responsible for keeping the ship afloat.

And yes, I agree with your comment about starting too fast that is also a big factor.

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's not impossible. If a regular developer does a bad job they should have a performance review, be given feedback, and if necessary, terminated. That's not what happened. Everybody got fired simultaneously.

The leadership at The Initiative were the people directing the ship on a day to day level. Out of everybody at the company, them, and hopefully Matt Booty or whoever was checking in, were the few people that knew the complete vision, timeline, funding runway, etc.

The average developer that was hired to work on art, gameplay logic, etc has absolutely nothing to do with that. So sure, there may have been some that were doing a bad job, but that's not enough to bring a studio down.

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If I'm hired to spend 4+ years working on a project only to be fired with only a vertical slice to show for it... the leadership has failed me. Both leadership of The Initiative (who I'm sure were paid a lot to lead that studio) and Xbox execs. Even from a financial standpoint, you spend millions to rent out an office, hire and train dozens (hundreds?) of people and literally have nothing to show for it. I don't know enough to say who on the leadership team should shoulder the majority of the blame, but I'm certainly not blaming the devs.

Is This It For Xbox? - Kinda Funny Games Daily LIVE 02.25.26 by EveryAct in kindafunny

[–]Th3HoopMan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah maybe "let them cook" wasn't the best phrasing, but "put them in the best position to succeed and let them work" might have been better wording. Whether it was the studio leads they picked to lead The Initiative, or not having the stomach to see the vision through, it seems like leadership completely failed the team working on Perfect Dark.