Bit Blot Forum

Aquaria => General => Topic started by: Zaratus on December 27, 2007, 06:26:25 am

Title: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Zaratus on December 27, 2007, 06:26:25 am: Gave it a 3/10. Of course, it's a GameFAQs user review. Basic complaint - Everything was ripped off from other games, such as bosses from Metroid or Castlevania, or the song system from Zelda. Also, they apparently hated the graphics and the voice acting. Actually went to describe the graphics as 'horrid' and then went to say the voice acting was 'horrid, horrid' (wow, double horrid!)

http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/review/R121031.html (http://www.gamefaqs.com/computer/doswin/review/R121031.html)

Overall, it sounds like he was just determined to hate the game. Gotta love the comment saying that the 'Verse' is a ripoff of the 'Force'. Did the force require singing? And what about all those other games with 'Mana' or 'Magic'? Those also ripoffs? *shrug* And the last complaint he gives, about the walljumping also shows he didn't know the controls as well - being that if you click close to Naija, she just lets go instead of pushing off the wall. Oh well.

Anyway, just figured I'd share this and let you guys know. Not like the review matters any, just being a random GameFAQs user.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: KingAl on December 27, 2007, 06:48:18 am: Pfft, probably a disgruntled IGF contestant. I'm amused by the concept of someone ripping off Star Wars. Indeed, most of the things which are cited as rip-offs are not only unoriginal in the sources cited, but entirely irrelevant. Aquaria never pretended to be revolutionary, in my mind.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: doninss on December 27, 2007, 07:07:48 am: He also gave GTA: San Andreas (PC) a 5/10. Gamerankings has GTA: SA at 92% (60 media outlets), and 8.5 (419 user votes). His credibility is somewhat suspect.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: ZealousD on December 27, 2007, 07:59:18 am: It's a user review. Why should we care? I'm pretty sure that he actually didn't buy the game.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Quemaqua on December 27, 2007, 08:43:55 am: Not to mention Star Wars was really just a big collection of stuff ripped off from other sources. You can call everything a rip-off if you want to, or you can be reasonable and call it inspiration, which is what it is if you take something old and use it to help you build something new.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: KingAl on December 27, 2007, 09:42:19 am: Quote from: Quemaqua on December 27, 2007, 08:43:55 am
Not to mention Star Wars was really just a big collection of stuff ripped off from other sources. You can call everything a rip-off if you want to, or you can be reasonable and call it inspiration, which is what it is if you take something old and use it to help you build something new.
Exactly what I meant.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Quemaqua on December 27, 2007, 09:55:48 am: Indeed. I was just referencing the guy's use of Star Wars as an example in specific, since that makes the whole thing extra silly.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Crizzle on December 27, 2007, 10:48:03 am: That review was pure bullsh*t. Nothing more to say about it. :-\
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Xiagan on December 27, 2007, 11:13:53 am: ""Imitation is the sincerest form of appreciation."

btw, ;)
(http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/1808/thievingbitchll5.jpg)
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: foxkeh on December 27, 2007, 11:25:33 am: Review? All I saw was a one-sided rant... ???

Not only were most of his complaints negligible (essentially 3/4ths of it has nothing to do with the game itself, and the wall jumping bit is exaggerated), the general feeling of the whole thing was that A, it didn't matter that Aquaria came from only two people AND had better artistic and overall value than most commercial games, and B, people shouldn't support promising upcoming developers and just stick to buying the next Halo. Or EA games.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: mugodz on December 27, 2007, 01:51:32 pm: Disgusting.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Mull on December 27, 2007, 02:16:43 pm: ... Well, he was actually wrong on most of the points that could be called objective, for example "At no point do you ever actually kill a boss by, say, shooting at it" is completely false. Usually you don't bother with a few such sentences since there is some point behind it and bitching about it would be nitpicking, but seeing as he is wrong about almost everything it's kinda hard not to take issue with it. But then again, defending Aquaria here is preaching to the choir and has been done already.

... I would like to say something about the Verse, though, because even though I didn't think much of the overall narrative, I thought the concept of the verse was very well implemented. It made sense, it had an origin, a purpose and a reasonable way of interaction - which quite frankly is more than you get about "the Force" from the Star Wars films.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: great on December 27, 2007, 05:51:20 pm: nice. i was getting tired of all these 9/10 fanboi reviews 8)
too bad the review itself is crap
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: wwarnick on December 27, 2007, 07:12:48 pm: Eragon (Luke Skywalker) lives in a secluded town called Carvahall (Tatooine). There's a nearby kooky storyteller named Brom (Old Ben) who tells crazy stories about how Galbatorix (Emperor Palpatine), a Dragon Rider (Jedi), overthrew the Dragon Riders that ruled the land and created the Empire (the Empire). Then one day, Arya (Leia) is captured by Durza (Vader), but first sends the egg (R2D2) near Carvahall (near Luke's moisture farm), where it ends up in Eragon's hands (R2-D2 ends up in Luke's hands), and the empire comes to get it and destroys Eragon's farm (Luke's moisture farm), killing his uncle Garrow (uncle Owen) while Eragon was away. He flees with Brom to chase the Razac (Nazgul). Brom gives Eragon Zarroc, a Rider's sword (lightsaber), which eventually turns out to be his father Morzan's (Vader, Luke's father). They travel for a long time (like LOTR). Meanwhile Brom (Obi-Wan) trains Eragon in the ways of Magic (the Force). Then Brom dies at the hand of the empire (Vader killed Obi-Wan). Then Eragon meets Murtagh (Han Solo). They travel to the Varden (Rebel Alliance). They fight a big battle (of Yavin), and at the end, Eragon stabs the shade through the heart (Luke fires the proton torpedo into the thermal exhaust port of the Death Star), instantly winning the battle. Eragon goes to Du Weldenvarden (Dagobah). There he meets Oromis (Yoda), an old high-ranked Rider (Jedi) that everyone thought was dead (yep, Yoda). Oromis trains him in the ways of Magic (the Force). Then, with magic, Eragon sees that the Varden (Luke's friends at Cloud City) is in trouble, and he leaves his training to go help (Luke left his training to rescue his friends). He goes and he fights for the Varden against the Empire. But all of the sudden, another rider (Jedi) appears and is stronger than Eragon (Vader). It turns out that it's Murtagh, who's been enslaved by Galbatorix (Han frozen in Carbonite). "Eragon, I am your brother!" "No! That's impossible!" Then, Murtagh takes Zarroc (Vader causes Luke to lose his lightsaber), so he has to get one of his own (Luke again). Then the hero lives because of Murtagh's (Vader's) mercy out of brotherly (fatherly) love.

Sequel: Return of the Dragon Rider.
Three Prequels planned as well.

Eragon is a ripoff. Aquaria is not. Aquaria is a tribute to all preceeding games of the same genre. It's hardly revolutionary. What's groundbreaking is that such a game can still be fresh. It's more of a revival than anything.

wwarnick
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Ian on December 27, 2007, 07:19:35 pm: My favorite part was "you shoot energy out of one hand, zomg metroid ripoff"

Hehe.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Kagenoku on December 27, 2007, 07:23:43 pm: The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Zaratus on December 27, 2007, 08:51:34 pm: Quote from: Ian on December 27, 2007, 07:19:35 pm
My favorite part was "you shoot energy out of one hand, zomg metroid ripoff"

Hehe.

And while you are at it, what about Megaman as well?

Now, I generally don't mind negative reviews too much when they're well-written and actually bring up valid complaints. But this just really struck me as going out of his way to find things to hate about the game. I don't even know how he can complain about the graphics, unless his computer was running like crap and couldn't handle the game. The complaints about the VA work sounds like he just really doesn't like the british accent. Or is a person who insists on japanese voiceovers in games. Guess he'd hate Dragon Quest VIII, considering a large portion of the cast features british accents. Of course, it can be a matter of taste, but it does not warrent being called 'horrid'.

Besides, I love the King's Field games - most people don't. Generally receives mixed reviews - a number of the negative reviews do bring up valid complaints - the game is *very* slow paced, the controls are a bit awkward at first. And the sheer amount of booby-traps can be a big turnoff for some. And almost always, there's a complaint about the graphics. (Which I've never cared overly much about - they're serviceable, and they're not *that* bad.) But, I find the games are pretty atmospheric, and they really reward exploration well - lots of secret passages with nifty treasures to find. I admit the games are a bit of an acquired taste. But, some complaints people make are purely BS, like mentioning that you need to level grind for hours, when if you are even halfway decent at fighting things, you don't need to grind at all. Though, if you're the type who has to buy out the shops, sure, you'll need to grind a lot for gold, but you generally find good equipment if you explore a bit. And I even saw a complaint about load times when the world is pretty much seamless. Only load times I remember are the usual - starting the game up, loading a saved game, and when teleporting. If people are going to complain, complain about stuff that's actually valid.

So, sort of like the Aquaria review I linked to. So, I guess any game where you get an ability to shrink your size to fit in small areas is ripping off Metroid's morph ball? Then the complaint about bosses being Kraid or Ridley ripoffs - right after the complaint about never having a boss that you just shoot at. Well, wasn't Ridley simply dodging his attacks and shooting the hell out of him? And Kraid, again, shooting the bugger at his weak point. Meh, I just felt I'd post it, and let everyone rip it apart. Besides, wouldn't you rather hear it here than out on the streets? *psst, you hear about that bad Aquaria review by some random guy?* =P

Alright, I'm out of things to say at the moment, and I'm starting to ramble a little I think, so I think I'm done here. For now.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: KingAl on December 28, 2007, 09:29:33 am: Quote from: wwarnick on December 27, 2007, 07:12:48 pm
Eragon is a ripoff. Aquaria is not. Aquaria is a tribute to all preceeding games of the same genre. It's hardly revolutionary. What's groundbreaking is that such a game can still be fresh. It's more of a revival than anything.

wwarnick

Not having read it, I couldn't say for sure that it's a "rip off", but there is the 'hero's journey' archetype which is replicated everywhere (the late Joseph Campbell waxed lyrical about it - haven't read him either, but there you go) - it was no more original in Star Wars than any other source. That doesn't necessarily diminish the quality of the final work; taking an existing formula and playing with it, using it as a basis for creative exploration, is quite common and creatively effective. In many ways it could be argued that this is what Aquaria does - it remains familiar to players in the way it hearkens back to classic 2D gaming, but it's still very much its own game. Anyone who dissects something and declares it a rip off can only be presumed unfamiliar with the phrase "the whole is more than the sum of its parts".
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Xenonym on December 28, 2007, 03:39:37 pm: ZOMG, Computers are a ripoff of Charles Babbage!!!1!

Sorry, I just had to say that.

My friend and I were practically shouting "WHAT?!" ten times or so thoughout the entire review.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Jenna on December 28, 2007, 11:00:18 pm: I'm the most pretentious sounding British woman? Can I put that quote on my website? :)

I was kind of expecting some people not to like the VAing or to not understand where I was coming from with the way I voiced the character. I could have voiced it like a crazy anime girl but it wouldn't have felt right to me. So yeah, feel free not to like the VAing as that is something very personal to people but to slate the graphics is just ridiculous cos they are undeniably beautiful.

I am just wandering what we got the '3' points for!
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Alec on December 28, 2007, 11:09:55 pm: To have a good time some people go traveling, they create things, make love etc.

Other people trash things randomly.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Upthorn on December 29, 2007, 02:08:18 am: Quote from: Zaratus on December 27, 2007, 08:51:34 pm
Quote from: Ian on December 27, 2007, 07:19:35 pm
My favorite part was "you shoot energy out of one hand, zomg metroid ripoff"

Hehe.

And while you are at it, what about Megaman as well?
Pfft. Megaman is such a kirby ripoff.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Alec on December 29, 2007, 04:10:08 am: "Tennis for Two" was the only original game!
/
(http://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/images/unbranded/m/unbranded-monocle-on-string-value-.jpg)
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: billyea on December 29, 2007, 04:16:48 am: Quote from: Alec on December 29, 2007, 04:10:08 am
"Tennis for Two" was the only original game!
Total ripoff of tennis.
Which was in turn a total ripoff of people throwing stuff at each other. ;D

I'm pretty sure it all started at the amoeba level, when one amoeba decided to frustrate another by hurling a food particle at it.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Zaratus on December 29, 2007, 05:12:13 am: Quote from: billyea on December 29, 2007, 04:16:48 am
Quote from: Alec on December 29, 2007, 04:10:08 am
"Tennis for Two" was the only original game!
Total ripoff of tennis.
Which was in turn a total ripoff of people throwing stuff at each other. ;D

I'm pretty sure it all started at the amoeba level, when one amoeba decided to frustrate another by hurling a food particle at it.

Alright, that just reminded me of the old Qbasic game, Gorillas. Old precursor to Scorched Earth, two gorillas on top of buildings, throwing bananas at each other. =P

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2f/Gorillas_screenshot.png)
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: billyea on December 29, 2007, 05:15:32 am: Quote from: Zaratus on December 29, 2007, 05:12:13 am
Alright, that just reminded me of the old Qbasic game, Gorillas. Old precursor to Scorched Earth, two gorillas on top of buildings, throwing bananas at each other. =P

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/2f/Gorillas_screenshot.png)
Haha, that looks like 8-bit fun (it's 8, right?)! Especially the smiling sun.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Alec on December 29, 2007, 05:17:53 am: QBasic!

Best programming language ever.

Nibbles was the other classic. ;)
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Xiagan on December 29, 2007, 12:48:29 pm: Nibbles! I totally forgot about it! :D
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Toom on January 02, 2008, 03:45:40 am: There're reviews like this for every single game in GameFAQs' listings (which is why I only use the wretched thing for, you know, FAQs - the user reviews generally make me want to put a shotgun into either my own or a bunch of other peoples' mouths and pull the trigger over and over again). What actually irritates me the most is that stuff like this can cause people to dismiss negative reviews of generally high-scoring games offhand, because so many of them are dreadfully-written, irrelevant, negativity-for-its-own-sake rants like this, and reviewers with genuine and considered grievances with a game can be easily overlooked.

Of course, this paint-eating mouth-breather apparently cannot discern between pretentiousness and enunciation, so fuck 'im. GIVE US OUR COLONIES BACK, YOU CURS.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: doninss on January 05, 2008, 01:46:02 am: Quote from: Alec on December 29, 2007, 05:17:53 am
QBasic!

Best programming language ever.

Nibbles was the other classic. ;)
I loved that language. So accessible.

Oh, BTW, that review at GFAQs is gone. Apparently 1337toothbrush's advice was heeded. http://boards.gamefaqs.com/gfaqs/genmessage.php?board=937798&topic=40378652
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Xiagan on January 05, 2008, 03:38:14 pm: Aww... we should've copy+pasted it first for general amusement...
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: JSW on January 05, 2008, 04:13:17 pm: The song system in Zelda was just a rip-off of Loom, anyway.
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: Glamador on January 06, 2008, 03:25:25 am: I really need to play Loom...
Title: Re: Hmm, First Negative Review?
Post by: KingAl on January 06, 2008, 03:26:38 am: Quote from: JSW on January 05, 2008, 04:13:17 pm
The song system in Zelda was just a rip-off of Loom, anyway.

Not just the song system, the whole bloody starting sequence :P