Avatar was the most disappointing movie I’ve ever seen. From the moment I heard the term “unobtanium” I knew I was in for a slog of pretty-looking overly-CGI predictable banality with a healthy dose of preachiness. The fact that it was 3D just made it all that much worse.

For someone “working on one of the biggest franchises in gaming,” you sure do have a LOT of time to bitch and moan on Kotaku about other games. I get it, though, there’s not a lot to do after you finish delivering the morning coffee.

So you’re not an actual game designer then, just some rando on the internet. Got it.

Mhmm. What company? I’d be curious to know who employs someone who doesn’t understand the difference between code executing an improper outcome (a bug), versus three skills working exactly as intended leading to an undesired end result (bad game design).

You might want to look up the difference between a “bug” and an “unintended interaction.”

Normally, yes, as a system gets more complex, it becomes harder to keep track of all available interactions, but this is an obvious loop. Any time you allow something to be automated (Necromancer heals when doing damage), you immediately check for any mechanics that could provide for a runaway feedback interaction…

And again, all of those are cases of bad game design, because *you as the designer* intended a specific set of interactions, and then did not take the appropriate steps to produce the desired outcome.

Serious question: What point is there in playing a game about freedom of player agency when an interaction takes away all player agency? If you have no meaningful choices to make, then it’s no longer a game that you’re involved in.

Ni No Kuni was the first game I played (consistently, I mean) after my Mom died from a sudden heart attack a few years ago. Needless to say, I was a mess throughout.

This just gave me the kick that I need to start Ni No Kuni over and finally finish it. Life (and depression) got in the way the first time around, but I’ve been meaning to go back ever since. Only game to ever make me cry.

Who broke up Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore? THURSTON MOORE. Unless I'm mistaken, he was a willing participant in this and made those decisions that lead to his own breakup. I'm really disappointed that Jezebel would slut shame this woman, who now lives in internet infamy as a home wrecker. ugh ugh ugh.