Not me, says I. If you guessed wrong, NO COOKIE FOR YOU! Wow, I got a lot of cookies here, because I'm guessing every single one of you thought this would be a blog about me playing Watch Dogs. Well, I wish it was. I really, really wish it was.
So, today is the launch of one of the most anticipated games - and new IPs for that matter - in a long time. Ever since the unveiling of Watch Dogs at E3 2012, it's been a game on everyone's radar including mine. Ubisoft is one of the many companies known for continually recycling existing franchise *cough* Assassin's Creed *cough*, so to see a new franchise spark so much interest was quite refreshing. The game not only looked beautiful, it also looked intriguing. It seemed like the video game equivalent of Person of Interest, that TV show with the Jim Caveizeal....litus or something. That guy who played the guy that was nailed to a cross in that movie all those years ago which was made by an anti semite. Anyway....
I was eager to have this game, but then... something happened. It started closely after the onslaught of media outlets printing stories of the graphics not being what they were promised. "This isn't what we were shown at E3 2012! This is worse!" So, controversy was created and everyone was flinging insults at each other because "#PCMasterRace" and "consoles are bringing down PC graphics". It became annoying. This, atop of nonstop UbiSoft marketing saturation of "This is going to be the best selling new IP of all time" and "Watch Dogs has the makings for a long lasting franchise", and who could forget the 1080p 900p 30 FPS 59 FPS debacle? Half the time, UbiSoft didn't even know WHAT they were doing with the game! Oh, and let's not forget the nine different editions of the game across all regions. It just got to be too much...
About a week or two ago, I started getting a bad vibe about the game. Of course, I knew it wasn't going to be a bad game, but I started getting the feeling that it was going to be the proverbial next best thing to sliced bread that UbiSoft was promising. I decided to play the wait and see approach. I've browsed GameRankings a bit, and so far, the game's doing decent. Not "OMG GOTY ALREADY!" status, but a good game all around. I decided that as of right now, Watch Dogs no longer holds my attention enough for me to buy the game right away. This will make a good 30 dollar game.
Now, not many gamers can exercise this level of self control. When you generate enough hype for a game, it's almost impossible for you to pull yourself out of its massive wake. I have succumbed to many hyped games, and there were several that I could have EASILY waited for and saved a good 30-40 bucks. I have too many games across the PS3, PS4, Wii U, Vita and 3DS to keep me occupied. In fact, the only game I know of this year for certain that I simply must have is Mario Kart 8.
I kinda wish the hyping up of AAA games would die down a bit. It is in fact bad for the industry. Great for business, but bad for the industry. I know it's contradictory, but think about it. How many Call of Dutys have we had to see being churned out every year? How many Assassin's Creeds? How many potentially promising titles have we seen miss the mark because they just HAVE to make that October/November release? Games need to take their time to be truly great. Hell, Watch Dogs has been in development for at least three years, and it didn't even manage to net one single perfect score yet. I'm sure gamers would have waited one more year if it meant that UbiSoft could iron out all the kinks. Gamers need to realize that we have a PLETHORA of different games that we can select from. We don't need to play only the big budget titles.
And going off on a tangent, it seems like the only reason I don't want Watch Dogs now is because of a lot of people are playing it now. Does that make me some kind of hipster? I don't know. Maybe it does. Maybe I get tired of hearing people talk about nothing but the same game. This happened to me with Red Dead Redemption. I actually chose not to buy it (there were three other games that I wanted that game out that day) because I was tired of my XBL friends doing nothing but talking up that game. I also haven't got around to getting GTA V, but that's an entirely different matter. I didn't get GTA V not because everyone was talking about. On the contrary, I put myself on blackout. I didn't want to hear anything spoiled and I decided at that time, I wasn't ready for such a massive game. I'm trying to play ketchup and I'm not doing a very good job of it.
Anyway... I've wanted to do one of these blogspot blogs for some time. Funny, I was going to do a blog at GameSpot.com, but it's apparently down. That's it. I'm no longer blogging there. I'll be here from now on, so if you want to follow me, please do! Thanks for reading!
EDIT: By the way, when I get some time, I'll spiff this place up and make it more appealing to your optic nerves. Until then, enjoy the awesomeness that is white!
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