Jeff Vogel blogs about awesomeness.

[Lurkar]

You know, aside from FFX, I pretty much agree with his bit. GTA4 was annoying as fuck. Niko was about as unlikable as it gets, and there's been this really irksome push to make games DARK, BROWN, and GRITTY. Unfortunately, that often makes them less fun. GTA4 was the champion of this; between having to constantly take your cousin and other allies out to dinner dates, and having Niko never show any enjoyment, the whole thing was just one big drag. It puts me in mind of Yahtzee's reviews of GTA4 and Saints Row 2, and how they compare; GTA4 tried too hard to be a DARK AND SERIOUS STORYLINE, and as such, you ended up playing as this boring, unlikable douche. Saints Row 2, on the other hand, openly accepted that you were playing a game to have some fucking fun.

 

[St. Toxic]

Hitler gave everyone in Germany jobs and improved our economy dramatically. Let's all go love Hitler.

This.

 

[Seboss]

Some guy posted he was being sarcastic about FF X - no he wasn't. If you ever read Vogel interviews you'll notice he has terrible taste, dumb opinions and is just a fuckwad in general.

Some guy here.
I'm not an avid reader of Vogel's blog or interviews, but I generally agree with him. Especially with a recent blog post about why indie developers should charge more for their games.
But anyway, let's have a second look at this paragraph:

In it, you play Tidus, who is a SPORTS STAR who gets to make time with HOT, MYSTICAL BABES, and who loves to laugh. And sure, you eventually turn out to not exist and dissolve, but sometimes that's the price you gotta' pay to have a good time, amirite?

"Sports star" in full caps: checked
"Hot, mystical babes" in full caps again: checked
Link to most embarrassing youtube video ever: checked
Typical 'amirite' irony mark: checked

How could this *not* be sarcastic? Bah...

 

[Jasede]

Nope, Vogel is too stupid to use sarcasm if there isn't truth behind it. It wasn't sarcasm he was using - it was self-irony.

 

[bhlaab]

rpg codex is the only forum where you'll see this posted:

What do I care if he made "good games"

My favorite part is how good games is in sardonic quotemarks

 

[Carlos' Bitch1]

Oh, we've been through this. Vogel is a retard. Yes, yes, he gifted you great (debatable) games - so what? Every single interview - and I mean absolutely every single one of them - has at least one or two major idiocies in it.

Nah, he just enjoys games for what they are. Escapism. That's all and all the nerdrage he causes by saying just that in interviews or on his blog is hilarious. He's not idiotic nor does he have idiotic views, he just doesn't take himself or gaming too serious. The only fault I can find with the guy is that he keeps milking the avernum and geneforge settings. I would really like to see something new and original from him.

He tried something new and original, and it is quite good actually. Unfortunately, Nethergate did not sell at all well. You should try it out.

 

[Annie Mitsoda]

I can separate what he's saying from who he is, and on the basis of his assertion of "gee, I'm tired of playing douchebags in games" I ABSOLUTELY AGREE. I'm fucking sick of playing someone who Smolders With Generic Rage, and who is trying to be viewed as a sympathetic figure even as he murders people by the truckload. If he's gonna be a douche, REVEL in the douchery, like the baby-seal-clubbing that is apparently in the very beginning of Overlord 2. Or better, give the main character a slightly geeky side, or vaguely accident-prone, or possibly not very smart, or ACTUALLY make them witty (instead of sounding like those circa 1995 US cartoons where characters were "hip!" and "edgy!" and their dialogue made me want to ram a pencil in my eye), or something. Give them a flaw, but don't make them ENTIRELY A FLAW.

I think someone who toes the line an excellently acceptable amount is Jimmy, the main character in Rockstar's Bully. At times he can be a little bit of a toolbox, but most often he's just trying to keep people from trying to beat him up. He sticks up for the little guy a non-after-school-special fashion. Taking from a fellow game designer, "his motto is 'this place sucks, don't make it worse,' as in don't make a shitty place [Bullworth Academy] suck more." He's by no means a role model, but they not only keep him from being too-goody-goody, they give him a rival who is just so EXCELLENTLY douchey that you cannot wait to see him get taken down in a big way.

But yeah. Had it up to here with douchebags in games. If given the option to make a character, yeah, I might see how much of a jerkstore I can be, but god, if more games made it so the main character wasn't a brooding dickwad, Annie would be happier by far. And while Tidus got on my goddamn nerves way too much, I can admit his sort of personality type is a nice change (his "main character isn't a silent tool" in the FF series actually came about with Zidane in chibi-tastical FF9, but nobody on this board fucking cares, so nevermind). That assertion should be taken as a push for more varied characters, not a plug for FFX, so wind down the JRPG-hate-o-meters, too.

 

[Ahzaruuk]

, or ACTUALLY make them witty (instead of sounding like those circa 1995 US cartoons where characters were "hip!" and "edgy!" and their dialogue made me want to ram a pencil in my eye). ..

Duke Nukem, anyone?

 

[JarlFrank]

, or ACTUALLY make them witty (instead of sounding like those circa 1995 US cartoons where characters were "hip!" and "edgy!" and their dialogue made me want to ram a pencil in my eye). ..

Duke Nukem, anyone?

Duke Nukem is what action heroes are supposed to be. Cool, badass and fun. Not some gritty "My life is shit but I still have to save the world", but the good old I'll fucking kick your ass you alien bastards action hero.
Action games are about action. And having fun. When I play GTA, I don't really care for the story especially since it usually sucks anyways. That's why Saint's Row 2 is a lot better than GTA4, because it's FUN and the story is incredibly cliched, ridiculous and full of overdone badassery and that's what GTA-likes should be all about. Fun.

 

[Data4]

There are very, very few well done video game Antiheros out there. In fact I can't even recall one, unless you count Riddick in Escape from Butcher Bay. I'll probably get flamed to hell and back for this, but I think the character of Riddick is probably my favorite in the antihero archetype. Well, okay, aside from Death in the Discworld books.

You have to give the character a vulnerable side, whether it's secretly talking babytalk while cuddling a kitten, or hell, ANYthing that says "okay, this guy is seriously flawed and fucked up, but unerneath that, he's got some humanity about him."

 

[Ahzaruuk]

, or ACTUALLY make them witty (instead of sounding like those circa 1995 US cartoons where characters were "hip!" and "edgy!" and their dialogue made me want to ram a pencil in my eye). ..

Duke Nukem, anyone?

Duke Nukem is what action heroes are supposed to be. Cool, badass and fun. Not some gritty "My life is shit but I still have to save the world", but the good old I'll fucking kick your ass you alien bastards action hero.
Action games are about action. And having fun. When I play GTA, I don't really care for the story especially since it usually sucks anyways. That's why Saint's Row 2 is a lot better than GTA4, because it's FUN and the story is incredibly cliched, ridiculous and full of overdone badassery and that's what GTA-likes should be all about. Fun.

All I ever hear about Duke Nukem is those horribly over-done one-liners that make me want to choke a kitten.

 

[spacemoose]

I guess you wont enjoy this classic soundboard adventure then

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE3KdcTgrno

 

[Antagonist]

I would really like to see something new and original from him.

Already announced that he will be working on both a new engine as well as a new setting after Avernum 6 is out of a door.

 

[bhlaab]

All I ever hear about Duke Nukem is those horribly over-done one-liners that make me want to choke a kitten.

Duke is very misunderstood. I know it sounds like an excuse, but he's supposed to be an awful cliche, spewing retarded action movie one-liners and having little motivation besides just loving to kick ass sooo much that when the aliens invade he's first in line to defend Earth. He's a tongue-in-cheek, almost Watchmen-style parody of video game and action movie heroes.

Basically, Duke Nukem is what Marcus Fenix would be if Epic had any idea what irony was.

 

[Squeek]

I agree with Vogel's point. If the game you're playing involves a story, then its main character ought to be interesting enough to at least tolerate. Like the main characters in the books I read, I prefer the ones in the RPGs I play to be written well enough to enjoy.

Programmers who aren't particularly good writers probably ought to design other kinds of games, ones that don't require interesting characters. That's my opinion, anyway.

 

[Hobo Elf]

I guess you wont enjoy this classic soundboard adventure then

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE3KdcTgrno

You know what I never understood about this video? I never understood how NO ONE indetified it as Duke Nukem. Like, what in the fuck? Who are these casual non-gamers? Do they only play bejew'd?

 

[Imbecile]

All I ever hear about Duke Nukem is those horribly over-done one-liners that make me want to choke a kitten.

Duke is very misunderstood. I know it sounds like an excuse, but he's supposed to be an awful cliche, spewing retarded action movie one-liners and having little motivation besides just loving to kick ass sooo much that when the aliens invade he's first in line to defend Earth. He's a tongue-in-cheek, almost Watchmen-style parody of video game and action movie heroes.

Basically, Duke Nukem is what Marcus Fenix would be if Epic had any idea what irony was.

Maybe, but firstly the fans that I've seen mostly seem to take it all seriously. You know. "Duke Nukem is what action heroes are supposed to be. Cool, badass and fun" That kinda sentiment.

Also, theres very little to show that Duke Nukem is parodying anything. He is "hilariously" over the top, but then plenty of people take that shit seriously. When does he look incredibly stupid, or quote a one liner that should sound rough, but has some double meaning?

I

 

[JarlFrank]

Action heroes should be over the top and a parody of themselves, without taking it seriously at all. That just makes everything even moar fun.

 

[thesheeep]

No, not really. IMHO, it doesn't matter how they are. The only thing that matters is that they fit into the setting and story and give the player the best possible experience.

Sure, at the moment everyone is sick of those "old, gritty, dark" guys, which is kinda natural.
But that doesn't mean that they are bad per se. Just used too much.

 

[BearBomber]

FPS heroes should be just like Duke. Seriously, how can you make a game about one make stopping entire army of aliens with serious plot?

 

[Mantiis]

...his "main character isn't a silent tool" in the FF series actually came about with Zidane in chibi-tastical FF9, but nobody on this board fucking cares, so nevermind...

I do - Zidane is a great character and the walk through Pandemonium where he is shrugging off his friends but they won't abandon him gets me everytime. :tear:

 

[RK47]

I guess you wont enjoy this classic soundboard adventure then

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE3KdcTgrno

You know what I never understood about this video? I never understood how NO ONE indetified it as Duke Nukem. Like, what in the fuck? Who are these casual non-gamers? Do they only play bejew'd?

Nobody else reacted as much as that woman did too. Cant' believe she's a mother. What a mouth .

 

[Jaesun]

When is Vogel going to join ITS and then we can have cRPG HEVAN.

EDIT:

FF X had GREAT Music. Though the music in Xenosaga was way more awesome.

 

[PorkaMorka]

but punching girls is awesome

in all seriousness

 

[AzraelCC]

Just an aside. A friend of mine told me that he noticed that Final Fantasy X had some allusions to Borges' works, with its labyrinthine world as well as summoning simulacra and such. I've never played a Final Fantasy game except Tactics. Is this a possibility?