I hate Halo. There, I said it. It feels really good to say it, because I've been holding it in all day long, listening to my classmates jabber on and on about how it'll be "t3h gr34t3st g4m3 of all tim3z!!!1!11!" Let me rephrase my statment: I hate Halo FANBOYS. Come to think of it, I hate videogame fanboys in general. Part of this is what is fueling my latest question: Where is our Don Quixote? For those who are not familiar with the character or the novel from which he's known, here's a brief summary: Alonso Quixano has read so many stories of dashing knights and damsels in distress that he has convinced himself that he is one, becoming (in his mind) the great and noble Don Quixote. He then goes on an 'epic quest' to win the heart of his make-believe princess, including asking the keeper of an inn (whom he believes is the owner of a castle) to properly knight him. The book was revolutionary at the time for successfully parodying the medieval chivalric brand of fiction, as well as bringing a degree of realism in its depiction of the townsfolf and their everyday lives. It is seen as the foundation of modern literature, a step away from simplistic and typical writing and one towards a more developed and complicated art form. But what does this have to do with games? First off, the setup is very similar; look at the most popular games today, and see how well they match up with the dashing knights and damsels in distress of medieval times. Just look at Halo itself; it's a very romantically designed game, of one man singlehandedly saving the world, time and time again. Obviously this works from a financial standpoint, because if you're playing a game, you're becoming a character; therefore, why would you want to be anything other than the most important thing in that game's world? I realize this is a very long post aleady. Part of it is ranting, I understand. But there is a decent point ot be made here: How can we develop a game that strays away from these romantic ideals, or at least bashes them in a sensible way? This is where I want to start discussion. My own idea was to bring the Don Quixote structure into the modern day- by having the player inhabit a character who confused the real world with that of a video game. You could easily implement all sorts of games into the 'real world', as the character's descent into madness begins. It could start with something humorously enjoyable, such as cramming luggage into a suitcase Tetris-style. Then, as the Don Quixote novel turned to more serious material, then you could bring on the more 'mature' genres of gaming, finally culminating with a first-person shooter level so outlandishly rediculous as to draw mockery. So, what do you think? [Edited by - Otaku42 on September 26, 2007 5:30:14 PM]

Quote: Original post by Otaku42
I hate Halo. There, I said it. It feels really good to say it, because I've been holding it in all day long, listening to my classmates jabber on and on about how it'll be "t3h gr34t3st g4m3 of all tim3z!!!1!11!" Let me rephrase my statment: I hate Halo FANBOYS. Come to think of it, I hate videogame fanboys in general. Part of this is what is fueling my latest question:

Heh. One of my professors told me that the only thing he hated about Marxism were Marxists.

Quote: My own idea was to bring the Don Quixote structure into the modern day- by having the player inhabit a character who confused the real world with that of a video game. You could easily implement all sorts of games into the 'real world', as the character's descent into madness begins. It could start with something humorously enjoyable, such as cramming luggage into a suitcase Tetris-style. Then, as the Don Quixote novel turned to more serious material, then you could bring on the more 'mature' genres of gaming, finally culminating with a first-person shooter level so outlandishly rediculous as to draw mockery.

So, what do you think?

Kindof a cool concept, actually. At first, I was worried you were just looking for any game that made fun of... games, but I'm a bit attracted to this concept. I'll see if I can't think of anything to flesh it out with...

That sounds f***ing awesome. Make it. I also had no idea thats what don quiote was about. Never judge a book by its cover. And never judge a post by its title.

Quote: Original post by Otaku42
I hate Halo. There, I said it. It feels really good to say it, because I've been holding it in all day long...

Entire websites exist to assert that Halo sucks, or Halo 2 sucks, or Halo 3 sucks. Legions of PC FPS fanboys have derided everything pertaining to Halo for five straight years.

Nobody cares.

Quote: But there is a decent point ot be made here: How can we develop a game that strays away from these romantic ideals, or at least bashes them in a sensible way? This is where I want to start discussion.

Well, why? What's wrong with escapes of fantasy? For almost all of us, our everyday lives are mundane and the precise opposite of heroic, so it makes sense that our flights of fantasy portray us as the sole hope for the survival of the universe, or the rescue of the princess, or the fate of the human race, or the containment of a violent terrorist cell, or...

Plus, the parody of game clichés is an old and well-celebrated tradition. You're not suggesting anything particularly new.

Quote: So, what do you think?

I think you don't actually like video games, and are reaching for a concept.

Don Quixote was successful because it not only parodied the picaresque style, but was also an incredibly well-done and well-received example of the genre. The "confused man" framing was hardly essential to the task, and I don't think painting Don Quixote by-the-numbers into the video game genre would be an interesting undertaking.

You seriously should try 2004's The Bard's Tale some time.

It is absolutely hilarious and mocks all common elements typically found in RPGs. For example when the hero has a short conversation with the narrator about why the wolves he's slaying are carrying gold and how they can have swords in their stomachs :)

-Markus-

Quote: Original post by Oluseyi

Quote: Original post by Otaku42
I hate Halo. There, I said it. It feels really good to say it, because I've been holding it in all day long...

Entire websites exist to assert that Halo sucks, or Halo 2 sucks, or Halo 3 sucks. Legions of PC FPS fanboys have derided everything pertaining to Halo for five straight years.

Nobody cares.

Quote: But there is a decent point ot be made here: How can we develop a game that strays away from these romantic ideals, or at least bashes them in a sensible way? This is where I want to start discussion.

Well, why? What's wrong with escapes of fantasy? For almost all of us, our everyday lives are mundane and the precise opposite of heroic, so it makes sense that our flights of fantasy portray us as the sole hope for the survival of the universe, or the rescue of the princess, or the fate of the human race, or the containment of a violent terrorist cell, or...

Plus, the parody of game clichés is an old and well-celebrated tradition. You're not suggesting anything particularly new.

Quote: So, what do you think?

I think you don't actually like video games, and are reaching for a concept.

LOL! Now thats too funny. Captain Obvious loves the hypocrisy of the stated apathy. Insecure fanboys are comedy gold!

Quote: Original post by thelovegoose
That sounds f***ing awesome. Make it. I also had no idea thats what don quiote was about. Never judge a book by its cover. And never judge a post by its title.

newer judge a crap by how it smeels.??[wink]
it might be a wonderful thing.[grin]