Monthly Archives: March 2017

Horizon: Zero Dawn, The Legend of Zelda and Jim Sterling Controversy

Zelda Horizon Editorial

This has actually been on my mind for a while now: The whole Horizon: Zero Dawn and Zelda controversy. I’ve been keeping my mouth shut about it, because it doesn’t really concern me per se’, but in a way, it absolutely does. I have neither played nor reviewed either, though I’m definitely interested in them both. And what’s been happening to Jim Sterling over it is an absolute goddamn crime. Sure, his aesthetic is unsettling and makes me incredibly uncomfortable. For those of you who don’t know, Jim Sterling runs “The Jimquisition“, where he does gaming news, reviews, etc, all in his very unique, very distinct style. It’s his brand. As a journalist and game reviewer, I have nothing but the utmost respect for Jim, his honesty, his journalistic integrity. He doesn’t stray away from controversy, and instead embraces it. But I do desperately wish he didn’t make his aesthetic so. . . Third Reich. It makes me incredibly uncomfortable, to the point where I don’t watch many of his videos. I’ll listen, and chuckle, and appreciate his view, but I don’t watch much because it makes my skin crawl. However, he’s come under fire, DDoS, Death Threats, even more than normal, because of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and Horizon: Zero Dawn and all of the controversy that has come with it.

Zelda Horizon Editorial 2

Breath of the Wild was the highest rated game of all time, which, I guess is a big deal? I’m not saying anything negative about the game, because I haven’t played it, so I have no real say-so. But he dared to give Zelda a 7/10. The overreaction has been incredulous. I’ve never heard of such idiocy over a damn video game. In fact, any outlet that hasn’t praised it as the Second Coming [or First Coming, in my community], has been attacked, threatened, and harassed. The way it’s working out, is if you praise Horizon more than Zelda, you’re a Sony shill, and vice versa, as some horrid Nintendo Fanboy. Our own Colton/Solanias has in fact, played both. He loves both games, for varying reasons. Does he love one over the other? Maybe, but I haven’t asked in a professional capacity! People have been ratings-bombing [purposely dropping “0”s to make it a lower rating than Zelda], because fans have the nerve, the utter gall to like something more than Zelda! In one of Jim’s recent articles, readable here, This confuses me though: Why? Why is this necessary?

Zelda Horizon Editorial 3

This is real life.

In fact, from this article, one of my favorite quotes, one of the most disturbing ones came from his research. “The game score is way too high,” they said of Horizon. “Don’t have the game will buy it, probably will enjoy it. giving this game 0 out of 10 in the name of Zelda for all those PS fanboys. good day! =)” This is from “skysayrain”, a user on Metacritic.  Take that comment in, really soak it in. This sort of attitude is repulsive, though. At the end of the day, we’re all video game fans. We love what we love, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The problem, though. . . Why do we have to act like this? Can’t we all just love gaming, and appreciate the hard work that goes into them? The major companies congratulated each other when huge games came out like Zelda. Microsoft and Sony both congratulated Nintendo! Do we have to act like howling idiots and throw feces at each other because our favorite game isn’t on the top of the heap? Come on, that makes all of us look bad. I feel embarrassed to even have to bring it up! You don’t have to like everything [in fact, I dislike a lot of things] but you should respect other peoples’ decisions. If Zelda isn’t the highest rated game of all time, that’s not a crime. Threatening someone’s life over it? That kind of is. I may not agree with all of Jim Sterling’s opinions, but I damn sure respect them. “An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind”, as they say. A one percent dip in the Zelda rating? So what!? Does that make you love the game any fucking less? Of course it doesn’t! The game didn’t suddenly get worse because one percent left its Metacritic score!

Love what games you love, don’t harass other people because they don’t agree with you, or like something less than you do. Does that even seem remotely rational? Thank you, Jim. Keep doing what you’re doing. I haven’t met him, but I appreciate his take on gaming. At the end of the day. . . Does a number on a website lower how much you love something? If it does, you should really think about that.

Toygeddon

Toygeddon is a free-to-play 3D racing shooter developed by Unreal Vision for PC and is expected to release on Steam. In Toygeddon the toys of an old, dismissed shopping mall that will soon be demolished. Some of the toys have decided to go look for a new home. Some of the others disagree with that idea and want things to stay as they are. This means war! This means Toygeddon!

Features:

Different Game Modes: Fight in Capture the Battery, Exodus, or King of the Mall.

Toy Customization: Each toy has a unique look that can be customized how you’d like!

Vehicle Choice: Vehicles are divided into 3 different categories that have different speeds, health, and weapons capabilities. Choose the one that best fits your playstyle!

Battle Breakers

Battle Breakers is an upcoming free-to-play 2D fantasy sci-fi strategy game developed by Epic Games for PC and mobile devices. In Battle Breakers players can form a team of heroes of all different shapes and sizes to take on the monsters that have infested every corner of the Kingdom, including ice sheets, lava fields, ancient forests, and sheer mountains. With an interesting visual style and hundreds of distinct heroes to collect, Battle Breakers is sure to leave a unique impression!

Features:

Crazy Heroes: Everything from robots and ninjas to dinosaurs and mages will be encountered, and can be added to your own team.

Explore the Kingdom: Explore every corner of the kingdom from ice sheets and lava fields to ancient forests and sheer mountains.

In-game Shop: Purchase different packages in the in-game shop that will satisfy any needs, big or small.

Lineage M

Lineage M is an upcoming free-to-play mobile fantasy MMORPG developed by NCsoft for iOS and Android. Lineage M brings back all of the classic elements of Lineage like the classes, alliances, magic, and dungeons that you’ve grown to know and love, but makes them accessible from the convenience of your mobile device. With nostalgic artwork that will bring you back to the days of the first Lineage MMORPG and the exciting Transformation system it is sure to be a crowd pleaser for Lineage fanatics!

Features:

World Exploration: Explore the world by yourself or with other players and take on World Bosses for some epic loot.

Lineage Classes: Enjoy playing as your favorite Lineage classes you’ve seen throughout the Lineage series.

Transformation System: Transform your character to gain new skills and abilities temporarily.

Cabals: Card Blitz

Cabals: Card Blitz is a free-to-play, deck building CCG developed by Kyy Games for PC and iOS where players can lead a team of heroes through an inter-dimensional portal to the strange world of Aea. In Aea occult magic and steampunk-inspired technologies are everywhere you look. Your task? Discover as many powerful cards as you can, build an impressive deck, and defeat any sinister creatures you come across. How will you fare in the world of Aea?

Features:

Hand-painted Cards: The cards of Aea are gorgeously hand-painted and unique in style! Collecting them will become an addiction to see what visuals are on the next one.

Automatic Fights: Fights are conducted automatically, but you can control the pace of the action. Speed it up for quick battles or slow it down to see how your opponent fights so you can better plan for your next encounter.

Constant Multiplayer: Fight other players online or computer representations of them in offline multiplayer battles, meaning you’ll always have someone to take on!