Forum Overview :: I Can't Afford a XBL Gold Membership :: I know you're not stupid, Fabio, so why can't you ever understand narratives?

[quote name="Horrible Gelatinous Blob"]Jerry's post referenced The Walking Dead S2, but since you can't stop fretting over how much The Wolf Among Us ruined your life, let's talk about your poor excuse for criticism. <b><i>SPOILERS FOR THE WOLF AMONG US</i></b>, for the unaware. [quote name="Fabio"]Usually in a detective story the scope and stakes of the crime widen as the plot goes on. Doubly so with this game because there is magic and the backdrop of an all powerful demon waging war on them. [/quote] You seem to fundamentally misunderstand the backstory. There is no all-powerful demon actively waging war on them. In the game, no mention is made of the Adversary. In the comics, the fact that there has been a detente between the refugee Fables and the Adversary for thousands of years is a critical piece of backstory and a secondary plot point that is frequently referenced. [quote name="Fabio"]This never happens in the game. The obvious setup never escalates.[/quote] Incorrect. The scope and stakes escalate from what seems to be a simple case of a john killing a hooker is revealed to mask a vast underground criminal network that involves, but is not limited to, loan-sharking, black market magic, human trafficking, slavery (both sex and otherwise), and murder is unveiled. [quote name="Fabio"]An obvious hooker is in obvious trouble with her obvious pimp. The pimp is running an exploitive loan shark black market operation. He has a mysterious boss. Ah ha! This will be part of some greater master plan where the mysterious boss is harvesting souls or something as part of a deal with evil demon that swore to eradicate the fables?[/quote] Where are you getting this shit about harvesting souls or evil demons from? You picked up a barely-recontextualized <i>Maltese Falcon</i> and are infuriated that it isn't a barely-recontextualized <i>Xena: Warrior Princess</i>. Adding Diablo to the game's plot wouldn't have been an improvement. The primary appeal of Fables is not assholes flying around casting magic missile at each other, but fairy-tale characters involuntarily cast into a much more realistic, grittier milieu. Sure, they brought a few plot devices and MacGuffins with them, but it's not fantasy-<i>based</i>, it's fantasy-<b>set</b>. I understand being disappointed that your completely unfounded expectations weren't met, but that's not the game's fault. That's your fault for thinking that you know everything about everything and then, when proven incorrect, deciding that it's reality that has it wrong, not you. [quote name="Fabio"]Nope. The mysterious boss is just an average joe running an exploitive loan shark black market operation. They try to disguise that with MORAL AMBIGUITY that just really highlights the amateur hour writing.[/quote] See above. Either you don't realize the extent of the corruption the Crooked Man represented and the obliviousness/apathy/borderline depravity of the official Fabletown government that allowed him to operate with impunity, or you're deliberately minimizing it to bolster a weak, unsupportable point. Not a good look either way. [quote name="Fabio"]This game might be even worse than Walking Dead.[/quote] I've been saying it for years and it bears repeating yet again: I don't care what you hate, Fabio. Just hate it for accurate, legitimate, non-ridiculous reasons. "This game sucks because it's fantasy-noir and I wanted it to be fantasy-fantasy," is not only criticism at its most juvenile, it's laughable in its failure to engage the game at even the most superficial level. IGN wouldn't publish that shit, and they'll publish literally anything. Go read some Jerry Whorebach posts (especially the ones having to do with game design theory) and see how he effectively communicates his criteria for evaluation and methods of interactivity. Take notes. Even if you don't necessarily agree with Jerry's opinions, it's immediately evident that he has a coherent, consistent, logical framework that he applies to his criticism. You should definitely work on developing one of those. [/quote]