The Spike Video Game Awards - Let's be embarrassed to be gamers! [Archive]

Kim

12-10-2011, 04:33 PM

The Spike VGAs air tonight, and with them comes the shameless, pointless popularity contest that all awards shows are, but that's not all. Video game news also makes its appearance, about everything from MGS Rising to a new game from Sony. Get hype?

The first bit of news of the day is that MGS Rising is now Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance and will be developed by Platinum Games, who I'm sure you all remember from Mad World, Bayonetta, and the upcoming Anarchy Reigns.

Flarecobra

12-10-2011, 04:44 PM

People actually care about that show?

Aerozord

12-10-2011, 04:47 PM

People actually care about that show?

if by care you mean, deeply shameful that it exists, then yes

Marc v4.0

12-10-2011, 04:53 PM

Video games weren't in a shameless, pointless popularity contest already?

Kim

12-10-2011, 04:54 PM

Aerozord

12-10-2011, 04:57 PM

Video games weren't in a shameless, pointless popularity contest already?

depends, how much do people care about metacritic scores?

Kerensky287

12-10-2011, 05:07 PM

The first bit of news of the day is that MGS Rising is now Metal Gear Solid Rising: Revengeance

Gods above, it sounds like a squirrelking fic.

...Actually, with everybody getting awesome ninja swords, I imagine that's EXACTLY what it's going to be like.

Still gonna buy the shit out of it though.

Jagos

12-10-2011, 05:32 PM

People actually care about that show?

Spike TV doing awards shows for Call of Duty, Halo, and Battlefield.

That's all this show will be about.

Azisien

12-10-2011, 05:42 PM

That Metal Gear trailer was so.................anime physics.

Arcanum

12-10-2011, 05:51 PM

Apparently you can download the Reveangance trailer here (http://www.mediafire.com/?m76v6y1hq2dbyi7). It's very... interesting... you could say.

PMCs GET SWORDS! RAIDEN GETS A SWORD! METAL GEAR GETS A SWORD!

It's basically Ninja Gaiden + Giant Robots

Going to get this game just because you can literally dice someone up into pieces.

RE: VGAs

I hate that there are actually people out there that care what game Spike picks as game of the year. Or that care what anyone else picks as their game of the year. It's like they need their favorite game to be validated by the community or else their life has been a complete waste of time.

The only thing about the VGAs that interests me (now that I've seen the MGS Rising Revengeance (oh god that name is so stupid) trailer) is Sony's new game, although I hope they will have something substantial to announce and not just another vague trailer (although that's probably what we're going to get).

Arcanum

12-10-2011, 05:55 PM

Spike TV doing awards shows for Call of Duty, Halo, and Battlefield.

That's all this show will be about.

Well hey now, other shooters like Uncharted 3 and Deus Ex might get a passing mention.

Azisien

12-10-2011, 06:12 PM

Ain't the GOTY nominees Batman Arkham City, Skyrim, Skyward Sword, Portal 2, and Uncharted 3?

I have seen much worse GOTY lists.

Ramary

12-10-2011, 07:05 PM

I am on watching the VGAs for 2 reasons.

Reason 1: It is seriously the most hilarious thing of the year, people who know me know I love watching trainwrecky shit, and as well getting pissed at said train wrecks. It is fun as hell.

Reason 2: Rumor of a valve announcement floating around. Plus there was that Valve employee wearing that HL3 t-shirt. But chances are this is just Valve fucking with us about Half-Life as usual.

Melfice

12-10-2011, 07:35 PM

Reason 2: Rumor of a valve announcement floating around. Plus there was that Valve employee wearing that HL3 t-shirt. But chances are this is just Valve fucking with us about Half-Life as usual.

So... that means what?
Another five years of waiting? Give or take a month or two?

And then three years for the actual game to release. Again, more or less.

Kim

12-10-2011, 07:51 PM

New Bioware game is Command and Conquer Generals 2

Ramary

12-10-2011, 07:56 PM

The pre-show was gloriously terrible. This gonna be gud.

Ramary

12-10-2011, 08:17 PM

OH MY LORD IT IS SO BAD. I LOVE IT, I AM A FLY ON SHIT RIGHT NOW.

Also another bloody zombie game? Really? Why not like....I don't know giant ants.

The Last of Us: Face legions of 50s B-movie giant monsters, Giant ants! Giant cats! Giant carrots with a face on them!

Arcanum

12-10-2011, 08:23 PM

What I hope "The Last of Us" will be: a post-apocalyptic survival game where the emphasis is on survival instead of running and gunning and shooting down hordes of zombie-esque creatures.

What it will be: another zombie game focused on running and gunning and shooting down hordes of zombie-esque creatures. Only it's made by Naughty Dog so it will probably also feature platforming.

Gonna keep my hopes low for this one until we see some actual gameplay.

Ramary

12-10-2011, 08:34 PM

Q: Why make Bioware make an RTS when they have no experience in such things.
A: Cause how can C&C get any worst after 4?

Azisien

12-10-2011, 08:44 PM

Because Bioware is EA's bitch now. Old Bioware died right after Mass Effect 1 launched.

Red Mage Black

12-10-2011, 08:45 PM

I just have to ask this and I apologize if I sound like an asshole:

Why would anyone who's not a beer can crushing, keg standing, drunk driving, sports fan, FPS Fanatic, towel snapping and womanizing fraternity jock even bother watching Spike TV?

Expected Response:
- Because it's a trainwreck and it's fun watching people make fools of themselves.

I don't mean to assume that anyone that watches it is any of the above in the question. To clarify, maybe it just hosts a show you like and that's the only reason you'd ever turn to it. Even further, my above question also assumes they still host things like 'The Man Show', as I haven't had cable in more than a year and a half... maybe more.

Ramary

12-10-2011, 08:48 PM

I still say they were still kicking around Mass Effect 2, the main mission was stupid and poorly written, but recruiting the team and everything else was really good.

Dragon Age 2 was just crap.

Edit: No, yeah Spike TV is horrible.
Edit2: Miyamoto....you are above this...why.

Azisien

12-10-2011, 08:54 PM

Kerensky287

12-10-2011, 08:59 PM

New Bioware game is Command and Conquer Generals 2

HNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN NG

And I don't even mean that in a bad way, I mean, holy shit.

Like yeah Bioware has no experience whatsoever in RTS games but those guys know their shit. I fully trust them to figure out what to do, learn from the experience of the other big names (like Starcraft and Company of Heroes), and then make the plot actually fucking worth a damn because it's Bioware.

Kim

12-10-2011, 09:20 PM

Kerensky287

12-10-2011, 09:27 PM

Actually, I think it's a new Bioware division, meaning in this instance Bioware is being treated as more of a label than anything, and that Bioware being in charge literally says nothing about the quality of the product.

Ehh, well, sort of.

It's true in that it means you can't predict "It'll suck because of inexperience" or "It'll rock because of attention to detail," but Bioware is a company with standards. They'll hire people who know what they're doing, and they'll pay close attention to quality standards.

Kim

12-10-2011, 09:34 PM

they'll pay close attention to quality standards.

Dragon Age 2.

I mean, I liked Dragon Age 2, but it still flies in the face of that claim.

Also, CliffyB just announced Fortnight, which I think is secretly Minecraft 2.

Osterbaum

12-10-2011, 09:35 PM

BioWare is a company with standards dictated by EA. So there's that.

The Sevenshot Kid

12-10-2011, 09:56 PM

So Skyrim won game of the year.

Edit: At least I think it did. My guide shows the awards as coming on at eight but I literally saw Skyrim win a couple minutes ago.

Kim

12-10-2011, 10:10 PM

Karrrrrrrrrrrresche

12-10-2011, 10:15 PM

I mean, I liked Dragon Age 2

...What exactly did you like about it?

Aerozord

12-10-2011, 10:18 PM

BioWare is a company with standards dictated by EA. So there's that.

actually in an interview they said that EA lets them do whatever the hell they want, and that EA's policy is don't fix what isn't broken.

Basically as long as they keep making well reviewed profitable games its the developer gravy train for them.

The Sevenshot Kid

12-10-2011, 10:24 PM

Yeah, it did. Seems fair enough. I mean, even if it wasn't *your* game of the year I don't think it's hard to see why it won without resulting to being dismissive of those who consider it their game of the year.

I like Skyrim. A lot. I had fun when I borrowed it from a friend. It's just one of those games I would never play all the way through because of how ridiculously big it is. But yeah, it totally deserves game of the year.

I guess if I'm being dismissive it's because the VGA's really don't matter at all.

Osterbaum

12-10-2011, 10:46 PM

Basically as long as they keep making well reviewed profitable games its the developer gravy train for them.
I bet EA would like just little bit of more gravy and no doubt they have just he perfect ideas to get it!

Ramary

12-10-2011, 11:30 PM

Wooooooo boy. That was one hell of a VGA.

Awkward Host with lame jokes. Check.
Big reveal trailers turning out to be lame. Check.
Ungodly stupid gimmicks. Check.
Not at all game related celebrities showing up. Check.
Going though 75% of all the awards in one montage to make more time for the above. Check.
Call of Duty winning best shooter despite every other nominee being better. Check.

Oh VGAs, it is like you never change, you and Call of Duty have something in common.

As for game of the year, I have yet to play 4 of them, but I want to, so I can't really say if I think skyrim deserves it.

Kim

12-10-2011, 11:33 PM

Did you actually play Modern Warfare 3? Game was actually really good. Seeing as one of its contenders was Battlefield 3, a game with a campaign that was complete shit from start to finish, yeah it kinda made sense that CoD won. Maybe Gears of War 3 should have won, but MW3 is good enough that I can definitely see why it did.

Azisien

12-10-2011, 11:46 PM

MW3 single player > BF3 single player (both suck though)
MW3 multi player < BF3 multi player (both rock though)
GoW3 = okay.jpg

It would be an easy thing to argue multiplayer is far more important in judging a shooter, at least in that particular match-up. However! The Call of Duty franchise is still more popular, so that settles that.

Edit:

I would totally choose JK Simmons over Steve Merchant for best male voice actor. Cave Johnson 4 lyfe

Ramary

12-10-2011, 11:59 PM

Noone plays Battlefield for the single player. Not a damn soul. EA forced DICE to put them in since Bad Company you apparntly make more money that way if you have "something for everyone".

MW3 single player, although is better then BF3's, is still not good. It is way too hand holding and I get the feeling that the game is basically playing itself, and I can't do anything faster then say the guy I have to follow can. The mutiplayer is also way too level grinding chaotic death match camper fest. BF3 multiplayer you actually need teamwork, and it has combined arms which makes for more diverse game play. But I guess that part is preference, and I still don't really like ether, I am just trying to analyze the games to see which deserves it more. Besides, It just does not change at all from year to year, so I don't see how it should keep winning.

I do not like Gears at all, but I know it does what it does much better then some other games, and it has this big feel of MACHO CAMP that I admit I adore.

Okay yeah, Rage was essentially a newer Fallout game, but with more guns and cars then RPG bits but at least you are not forced to follow someone around all the damn time like a kid on a field trip.

Actually now that I think of it, these nominees sucked, forget I said anything. Serious Sam 3 should of won.

Kim

12-11-2011, 12:21 AM

Single player being forced in BF3 does not excuse its awfulness. You put shit in a game, you lose points. Also, you're definitely making assumptions about people not caring about the campaign, and also assuming that everyone who would be interested in BF3 would be getting it as a fan of the series. At least, that's what you're implying. When game sales go up every year, that's a pretty ridiculous implication to make. People who hadn't played previous BF games got BF3, and I'm sure a fair amount of them might have been hoping for a campaign that didn't make them want to commit seppuku.

ALSO, while MW3's multiplayer isn't as good as BF3's, I will say it's a fuck of a lot more accessible to the average gamer than BF3's.

Ramary

12-11-2011, 12:30 AM

If you don't mind me being harsh, you will though, people who buy a game from a franchise that was for the longest time a mutiplayer only game, and is still a mutiplayer above all else game, for single player is ether uninformed or a bloody moron.

Also, BF3 campaign is worst then MW3's but you make it seem like it is absolutely horrible in comparison, when it is only mildly worst then MW3, and let us not forget that they both basically suck, it is just MW3 hides it with BANG ZOOM ZIP OH CRAP LOOK AT THAT EXPLOSION, DIRECTED BY MICHAEL BAY.

One Drink Later Edit: Bleh, I am just gonna drop it, it is freaking Spike TV VGAs, who cares what they think.

Red Mage Black

12-11-2011, 12:36 AM

Fortunately for me, I'm not a huge fan of FPS games. Be it CoD or BF. The multiplayer for FPS games is the same from what I've seen. If you don't have good teamwork, you get slaughtered. It's also kind of shitty, much like with MMORPGs, if you don't have a friend to play with you to share the frustration, but at least you get to work together if your team doesn't even put the effort through.

It doesn't quite surprise me when war based FPS games win. It's just my opinion when I say that the best games ought to have an actually good story. Multiplayer aint got nothing to do with it. (Yes, I'm aware it's a double negative.)

The Sevenshot Kid

12-11-2011, 12:43 AM

MW3 wasn't bad but it certainly wasn't that good.

Playing the campaign left me frustrated because there's a lot of really cool setpieces that you don't really get to interact with that much. Plus, things get repetitive real quick. I had fun for a couple of hours but the last stretch felt boring.

Multiplayer's a helluva lotta fun.

Jagos

12-11-2011, 12:47 AM

BF3 - You have a boss battle with a rat.

Fuck that single player campaign.

Kim

12-11-2011, 12:51 AM

If you don't mind me being harsh, you will though, people who buy a game from a franchise that was for the longest time a mutiplayer only game, and is still a mutiplayer above all else game, for single player is ether uninformed or a bloody moron.

Yes, how dare people expect the single player campaign of a franchise they aren't familiar with but has a staggering amount of hype behind it to not be utter shit. Especially when the vast majority of video games focus on the single player campaigns first and foremost.

you make it seem like it is absolutely horrible in comparison.

It was. It was laden with terrible quicktime events, something MW3 only really resorted to once, the entire jet sequence was dull and tacked on, contributing nothing to the plot. It was railroaded without the same cinematic moments MW3 has to justify that railroading, and BF3 was also much, much worse at railroading the player. (See the "return to the battlefield" messages, the infinitely spawning enemies in boxed in areas, etc. If MW3 even had that last one, it did a much better job of hiding it.)

The AI was broken, and at one point I had no idea whether an enemy actually was because they stared at me without shooting for thirty seconds straight. Some textures didn't load in properly. It did nothing to prepare you for the helicopter and jet controls in the multiplayer, and if BF3 is a multiplayer focused experience it really should have. MW3 also did a much better job of regularly changing the gameplay up with stuff like the the sandstorm, the UGV, the super-armor in the last level, etc. MW3 paced its checkpoints better, and didn't include nearly as many, "Whoops your dead," things that BF3 seemed to like to pull. The plots of both games were dumb, but MW3 did a much better job of telling its dumb plot than BF3 did, barring one particularly stupid scene that tried to give MW3 some emotional weight and that we can all agree was terrible.

The Sevenshot Kid

12-11-2011, 01:03 AM

I totally agree with Non on this one.

Aldurin

12-11-2011, 01:09 AM

I can't see any reason to buy either game, especially since the hype is largely generated from people that refuse to acknowledge a game that isn't a full-military FPS.

Also, even though I'm late for the Bioware discussion, I just have to say I've never seen anything in it that I've really liked. The demos for ME2 and DA2 felt dull, and after playing through Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (I really hope Sonic Team is no longer allowed to throw around their licensing like that again) I can't really take them seriously, even considering the RPG field.

Kim

12-11-2011, 01:25 AM

OH another reason to judge BF3 harshly for its multiplayer: You can only access the multiplayer if you buy it new or pay like fifteen bucks for the online pass or whatever if you bought it used. If BF3's point is multiplayer, you are actually locked out of its very reason for being unless you're willing to pay more. In contrast, I did not have to pay to unlock Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer.

Osterbaum

12-11-2011, 06:41 AM

A game should be able to stand on it's single player alone. That said I realize we don't live in that kind of world, so I just don't buy games like MW3 or BF3.

Karrrrrrrrrrrresche

12-11-2011, 10:52 AM

Yes, how dare people expect the single player campaign of a franchise they aren't familiar with but has a staggering amount of hype behind it to not be utter shit. Especially when the vast majority of video games focus on the single player campaigns first and foremost.

I don't think it's a matter of daring to. It's not as if you had to be a bold and fresh new thinker or Evil Knievel to go think Battlefield's Singleplayer was going to be bad. You just had to be uninformed of the series.
But yeah. There was hype for BF3... for it's multiplayer.

My problem is the award was either going to the entirety of the game, for the Single player, or for a popularity contest. If it was the entire game, BF3 has it hook line and sinker for the superior multiplayer experience.
On the other side of the coin, for singleplayer Gears should've taken it.
Popularity contest? There's MW3's award. That's what it always comes down to.

Oh actually in retrospect MW3 wins the best movie experience too I guess.
Really: After playing a few hours on my friends copy and then just watching the rest on youtube, watching it was the far better experience.

Ramary

12-11-2011, 12:04 PM

Okay guys, I think we can ALL agree on one thing. This was the best part of the VGAs.

http://i1085.photobucket.com/albums/j426/Ramary/miyamotoheadbang.gif

Also I checked the full reward list since only like...4 was given out on stage. Portal 2 beat MW3 and BF3 for best mutiplayer.

I don't know guys, I am now really confused at the logic of the VGAs, what the hell did they based winning best shooter on, or was it really the "well we have to pick ONE of them even if they are all weak" category.

Maybe they wanted Portal 2 to win best shooter but just "shooting portals" doesn't count.

Revising Ocelot

12-11-2011, 01:00 PM

The impression I get of this Spike thingy is that it's simply a thinly disguised marketing platform. Nothing more.

When all the news is about "ooh so&so's phat new trailer", some of the awards don't even get filmed, and with the gross lack of any sensible, informed decision making except for perpetuating to the general media stereotype of vidya gamers? Yeah.

Good to know I can continue to safely ignore it in the future.

Ramary

12-11-2011, 01:08 PM

OF COURSE IT IS!
I still like trying to find logic out of their awards.
I always fail to do just that.

Jagos

12-11-2011, 02:01 PM

BF3 is most definitely not a superior multiplayer experience. It's a game that tactically instills a sense of team play on a massive scale. The vehicles and various abilities are fun, no question, but the faster death really cheapens the enjoyment.

Karrrrrrrrrrrresche

12-11-2011, 02:44 PM

Kim

12-11-2011, 03:02 PM

If it was the entire game, BF3 has it hook line and sinker for the superior multiplayer experience.ONLY if you think the accessibility of an experience has no value. I don't take points away from BF3 for the multiplayer being inaccessible as fuck, but MW3 certainly *gets* points for being infinitely easier to get into for the average gamer. ALSO: MW3 Spec Ops >>>>> BF3 Spec Ops

For those two reasons, MW3 is the superior game, in my opinion. (Because we've already addressed how terrible BF3's single player is on every level)

Ecks

12-11-2011, 03:23 PM

Something Something Something First Person Shooters
Something Something Something Why Are We Arguing

Kim

12-11-2011, 03:33 PM

Why Are We Arguing

Because I watched the Spike VGAs and want to kill myself.

MuMu

12-11-2011, 04:24 PM

Didn't last year's Awards have Neil Patrick Harris singing or am I mistaking it for another show?

Why even bother to top that

EVILNess

12-11-2011, 04:51 PM

Didn't last year's Awards have Neil Patrick Harris singing or am I mistaking it for another show?

Why even bother to top that

That was the Tonies. (Tonys? Tony's?)

EDIT: Goddamn Broadway Awards.

The Sevenshot Kid

12-11-2011, 05:03 PM

Didn't last year's Awards have Neil Patrick Harris singing or am I mistaking it for another show?

Why even bother to top that

Oh yeah, he sang that depressing Sarah McLachlan song in remembrance of all the characters that died that year.

Bells

12-11-2011, 05:50 PM

I think we all can just agree that even the Porn Movie Awards are less Shamelessly Ad Whoring than the VGA's

Ecks

12-12-2011, 02:34 AM

Because I watched the Spike VGAs and want to kill myself.

You poor poor fool.

I didn't even know they were on, and wouldn't have tuned it if I had remembered.

Because gaming in the media is a bad joke.

Jagos

12-12-2011, 03:09 AM

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm
nope.

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

... Your name is not Karesh, it's just Damn You...

Karrrrrrrrrrrresche

12-12-2011, 10:24 AM

... Your name is not Karesh, it's just Damn You...

I genuinely don't know whether that was a concession of defeat or if you're just mocking me.

Solid Snake

12-12-2011, 04:21 PM

Actually, as crazy as it sounds, I've calmed down considerably regarding Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance, or whatever the hell they want to call it these days.

Oh, the name still sucks. But part of me is actually glad that a game in which Hideo Kojima appears to have minimal involvement is not trying to implement the stealth-centric gameplay mechanics that Kojima's done best. In that sense, the best thing about Metal Gear Rising is that it may no longer technically fit any pretense of a "Metal Gear" game, aside from the name. For purists like me, the "Metal Gear" series will still stop at MGS4, and Revengeance can be better treated as a spinoff.

I mean sure, if the game starred Solid Snake or even Big Boss, the notion that Snake would be in chewing out soldiers in ludicrously over-the-top aggressive swordfight scenes would be somewhat ridiculous. But this is Raiden, and they're free to go in a different direction and implement a very different playstyle with him.

My biggest remaining concern is that, assuming the creators still want this game to fit canonically, that this really should play out as a prequel and not a sequel to MGS4; so long as that's the case, Raiden can go absolutely batshit insane all he wants in Rising and still "recover" before MGS4 begins. If there's a positive trajectory with the characterizations and the theme just doesn't boil down to "Jack's so badass, look at how badass he is!" yeah, it could feasibly work, and even be partially explained by the fact that MGS2's ending (and becoming a cyborg) should have done some psychological damage to the guy.

So yeah I won't say I'm thrilled, but I think Kojima's actually taking the right approach in distancing himself somewhat. Recent interviews and news articles and whatnot have repreatedly stressed that MGS Rising "isn't really MGS," which is appropriate. And, so long as everyone remembers that Otacon and Snake never canonically spoke with Raiden during that timeframe, we can even (hopefully?) avert a cameo sequence with those characters. I actually think the single most offensive thing to happen with Rising would be a Snake cameo. This "isn't really MGS," and he isn't supposed to be there, and his mere presence would snap everyone out of the unique mood this new game is trying to manufacture.

...Liz is now disappointed that she did not scar me as deeply as she hoped.