I’d argue that Far Cry 3 is a much more interesting take on the whole ludonarrative dissonance thing, but that’s another conversation.

SAY IT AGAIN FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK!

And for what it’s worth, I think the dialogue and story arc are incredibly well crafted. But writing in games is more than just the text itself.

I’m perfectly fine if things aren’t my jam, but that’s not the case here. I think TLOU2 reached far without asking why it was reaching so far. It tried to induce negative feelings in players with no justification beyond inducing negative feelings in players.

I don’t think Ash is saying any of this from a critical perspective—it’s entirely personal, and she’s talking about how it’s difficult for her to deal with the voice of a bigot in a beloved character.

Hearing the voice of someone who went on a horrific rant is a great way to turn me off entirely, tbh. It’s hard to shake that, for whatever reason.

There seems to be a lot of that, honestly. Not just in terms of features, but I really don’t think they justified the gross transphobic ads the way they said they would. 

Except for last year (I think?), when fucking Untitled Goose Game won.

I mean, I honestly approve of how they select their nominees and winners. But yeah, being in bed with the entire industry really taints something that could otherwise be one of the most prestigious awards in the industry.

It was well-made, yes, but... What was the point of it all? Violence is terrible? People in terrible situations are made to do terrible things?

I can’t find the tweet right now, but someone pointed out that TGAs awarded Best Direction to one of the worst examples of crunch in the industry, over a developer with mandated vacation time and zero crunch.

Yeah, that’s what I’ve started telling randos who show up to complain about Kotaku’s progressive leanings or what have you—this probably isn’t the site for you. Which is fine! 

I would honestly prefer that they err on the side of victims rather than erring on the side of caution

I mean, yeah, but... That's literally true of everything? 

Agreed! Someone literally commented that they wanted a score, as if this was 2008 and mainstream video game criticism was basically “to buy or not to buy”

I mean... Isn’t the purpose so you can wear cool-looking shit while also having the armor perks you want?

Can’t wait for the Cyberpeople to hop in and say everything is alright.

Ian

I can't imagine who approved any of this. It's SO unattractive.

I haven't seen someone seriously suggest people read the EULA in months! Great job!