Jump to content

so pissed at Obsidian


Recommended Posts

I think it's totally understandable why some women would be less than interested in playing a male character.

 

I also think its unfortunate that the western crpg market is such a male-orientated market. I think its one of the reasons why there are so few female posters on message boards such as this.

Notice how I can belittle your beliefs without calling you names. It's a useful skill to have particularly where you aren't allowed to call people names. It's a mistake to get too drawn in/worked up. I mean it's not life or death, it's just two guys posting their thoughts on a message board. If it were personal or face to face all the usual restraints would be in place, and we would never have reached this place in the first place. Try to remember that.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

That very link demonstrates that not all psychology is Freudian...

 

Which is why I didn't just post a statement, but made the statement sarcastic by adding a link to it.

 

I think it's totally understandable why some women would be less than interested in playing a male character.

 

I also think its unfortunate that the western crpg market is such a male-orientated market. I think its one of the reasons why there are so few female posters on message boards such as this.

 

There are a TON of female posters on the BIO boards and there's probably more here by percentage than in most other gaming forums.

Edited by Purkake
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, you never can tell when one of those yaoi fangirls is actually a 300lb canadian hell's angel who just likes to be called "mandy" on the weekends...

But that's just the nature of the internet :thumbsup:

 

In an in-depth game with serious story, yes, it can be interesting to go back and play a character of a different sex or race (if applicable) just to see exactly what does change, what other options there are, and at times see what new and funky dialogue options there are.. But it doesn't have to be the be-all and end-all to have those options.

 

Being able to tweak your character at the start is nice, but having a story that pulls you in is better. I'd rather have a storyline that pulls you in deep and makes the character feel immersed then have an amazingly wide variety of choices as to what a character is like ... but then have no real meaning or consequence for those choices of character customisation within the storyline. Which is what usually happens with games like that.

"Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course, you never can tell when one of those yaoi fangirls is actually a 300lb canadian hell's angel who just likes to be called "mandy" on the weekends...

 

Watch out, Maria, your secret is finally out.

Edited by Purkake
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking back, the thing that I think really stands out is just the sheer hostility in the OP's post. She really could have stated her piece in a fraction of the words. She would have spared herself the confusing Deus Ex paradox, and just stated her piece and moved on.

 

From her post, I gather that since this was an Obsidian game, she assumed she would be able to make a female character. Moreover, the comparison with DX suggests she thought it would be an excellent game.

 

She got excited about the game, and just found out that she couldn

Edited by Maria Caliban

"When is this out. I can't wait to play it so I can talk at length about how bad it is." - Gorgon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What about games built around a female protagonist? There's lots of game where you are forced to play a female character, games like The Longest Journey, Syberia, Beyond Good & Evil, Portal, No One Lives Forever?

 

I don't have problem playing them, but should they have also offered a male option?

 

90% of the time, if a game has a fixed protagonist, it's a white dude, and that's only because we're including adventure games. We might make it 75% of games if we agree that characters like Kretos, Crash Bandicoot, and Zelda don't count as white.

 

I think that trend is changing and will continue to do so. This is because more women are playing games and expect female characters, more women are in the game industry, developers are seeing more games with female characters, and I'd suggest that as male gamers grow older they are less turned off by playing female characters who aren't overtly sexual fantasies.

 

I will likely pick up Alpha Protocal, but I buy a relatively large number of games in a year. While games that let me play as a woman always have higher priority, I still tend to pick up a number of titles where I can only be a guy. The RPG is hardly the world offender in this front; try finding first person shooters where you can be female.

 

Does having to be a guy decrease the quality of the game? Usually not.

 

Do I understand why Obsidian is going the route it did? Sure. VO is standard in Triple-A games, but it's expensive and takes up space. Also, a predefined protagonist is good for branding. Someone else said that Micheal Thorton reminded them of defaultShep, Drake's Fortune, Doom Guy, etc. Of course he does, that look is something gamers are used to.

 

I thought you frequented this board, apparently I was wrong.

 

So care to give us a little female perspective on this? Does playing a male character bother you?

 

Depends on how you define 'bother.' It tends to irritate me if there's no female option and if there is that option, the majority of the time I'll choose it.

 

At the same time, I have never found a game unenjoyable or been unable to slip into character because the PC was male.

Edited by Maria Caliban

"When is this out. I can't wait to play it so I can talk at length about how bad it is." - Gorgon.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can't envision yourself as an in-game character when he/she is voiced, really.

 

So true, if the game is great, and have multiple choice and endings, who care if you play as a men or woman? All i want from a game is freedom of choice, great storyline and gameplay, i don't even care if i can't customize the character, as long as the game have what i said, im happy :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looking back, the thing that I think really stands out is just the sheer hostility in the OP's post. She really could have stated her piece in a fraction of the words. She would have spared herself the confusing Deus Ex paradox, and just stated her piece and moved on.

 

From her post, I gather that since this was an Obsidian game, she assumed she would be able to make a female character. Moreover, the comparison with DX suggests she thought it would be an excellent game.

 

The comparison with Deus Ex, a game that had only a male protagonist, is a blatant juxtaposition to her point and undermines it.

 

Deus Ex is an example of her enjoying a game without having to play as a female character.

 

 

If she's upset for assuming something that Obsidian never said, while at the same time in light of Obsidian stating (repeatedly) that the game was going to be about the protagonist "Michael Thorton," I think she was setting herself up for disappointment.

Edited by alanschu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nevermind the bollocks on what kind of idiot clusterluck of sexism and rampant "no waii" this thread has been since the second page, I could bet my left testicle that the OP was referring to Invisible War with "Deus Ex". I can't imagine anyone as having such a bad case of double standards like almost everyone in this thread seems to be implying that she has. Furthermore, my personal opinion is that Invisible War did different genders and the choice in between affecting gameplay very well for it's time, so the OP has every right to argue her point. She has come to, if not expect then, favor that kind of reactivity and choice in her titles.

 

People, please. This isn't 4chan.

Edited by Musopticon?
kirottu said:
I was raised by polar bears. I had to fight against blood thirsty wolves and rabid penguins to get my food. Those who were too weak to survive were sent to Sweden.

 

It has made me the man I am today. A man who craves furry hentai.

So let us go and embrace the rustling smells of unseen worlds

Link to comment
Share on other sites

From my perspective.. with the majority of crpg's... I find that I invest more in the storyline, immersing in the world and the background more then in whatever character I'm running through the world...

 

The character just become the means to exploring the storyline and any potential subplots / sidequests that turn up... and VO from the protagonist can help immersion in the world.

 

When it's pen and paper, then I crawl into the head of my characters and pick up all their neuroses. ;)

"Cuius testiculos habeas, habeas cardia et cerebellum."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've brought up my disappointment at being limited to a male character in this game, as others have. I do feel like it's a bit of a slap in the face at females (or anyone wanting to play female characters) after great games like TSL and NWN2. It's not going to keep me from buying the game and enjoying it, but I won't be able to enjoy the full immersion of role-playing like I have with female characters in TSL and NWN2. I'm hoping Obsidian keeps this in mind with future games. There are a lot more female gamers now than there used to be, and it's going to require leaders in the industry to re-think their marketing and story-writing strategies if they want to expand their sales to this expanding market.

From MST3K's spoof of "Hercules Unchained"--heard as Roman medic soldiers carry off an unconscious Greek Hercules on a 1950's Army green canvas stretcher: "Hi, we're IX-I-I. Did somebody dial IX-I-I?"

 

Read The Adventures of Jolee Bindo.

Story WIP: The Dragonfighters

My blog: Confessions of a Geeky Mom

 

Special thank you to my kids who keep adding achievement points to my gamercard.... :D

 

Jae%20Onasi.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...