Day 218, Game 218 - Dragon's Crown

I've been going back and forth on how to approach the posting for this blog. There are many, many different directions I can go with it, some of which are controversial, others that aren't. I want to be careful in what I say, hoping not to imply something I don't necessarily mean but at the same time not holding back on my true opinions and reactions about this game. Maybe it's because of the lull of summer, or maybe there is true validity in the controversy this game has sparked recently, but regardless, I'm going to attempt to mix it all together in one blog post, as is only fair.

First thing's first, however. Dragon's Crown is an amazingly well-done, exciting and overall fun game, hands down. I don't know how else to properly convey that, and quite frankly, I don't think I need to. 

This is the game I have been waiting for, clamoring for, for my Vita. It is a 2D side scrolling, dungeon crawling, beat'em up loot grabbing, artistic, stylistic grinding type of game, blasted with RPG elements and overall over-the-top design. And it's almost perfect. The story gets in the way of the game play sometimes, as I just want to keep pushing on, leveling up, looting and discovering the fascinating world they have created. But hey, I understand the need for a story. I just wish it was done differently. 

Oh, I picked up this game for the Vita instead of the PS3 for specific reasons, despite everyone saying that while the two versions are identical, the action gets a little hard to keep up with on the smaller screen of the Vita while the PS3 version is brilliantly beautiful. Well, without seeing the PS3 version, I think the Vita version is just as gorgeous. Plus, I have so many unfinished games on my PS3, I didn't want to add another one to the shelf, so with it being portable, the Vita version is ideal for me to pack around with me and grind through as I please. Not being tethered to my home console will increase the chances of me putting the time into this game that I so desperately want to. 

Now I could go on and on about how this the very experience I have craved forever, about how this is what I wanted Soul Sacrifice to be. I could talk about how I haven't hardly put the game down, playing it on my breaks at work and any free time I could squeeze it in. But instead, let's shift gears just a little bit. 

When this game was reviewed by a journalist for Polygon, the internet essentially went into a frenzy. I don't want to go into the full details, as they are easily found with a quick internet search, so I'll give you a quick break down. This writer, who happened to be female, ridiculed the game harshly for the artistic style, as it dramatically and drastically exaggerates the characters in the game, even more specifically, the females. While wearing little clothing, the female bodies are, how should I say, slightly disproportionate, with certain characteristics greatly enhanced. While she had every right to be offended and disgusted, which led to a bad gaming experience, the comments that the story got were down right mean, hateful, rude and uncalled for. 

Just because you don't agree with a person's perspective on a game doesn't entitle you to personally attack them an question their motives or qualifications as a game reviewer. Despite the fact that she used choice words that could be taken as inflammatory when describing the audience she thought this game was made for, there are always better ways to handle situations like this. 

Personally, I understand her concerns with the artistic style, but I also see the game as being over exaggerated all around, not just the females, so I can also understand why people would think her comments were a little hypocritical. I don't have a problem with the style, as I understand that this is a design choice and honestly, I have seen far worse offensive styles in a game. I also have to consider that I am not seeing it from a female perspective, and if I could, maybe I would see it differently. 

Ultimately, it's just a giant can of worms. I guess what it comes down to is having an opinion is a right, not a privilege, but it is something that can be taken advantage of without proper understanding of how to articulate your opinion. There is also a very thin line between being opinionated and attacking someone with your opinions, and if you're not careful, you could not only step over that line, but sprint across it to a dark and seedy place that isn't easy to come back from. 

If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

For me, however, I have a LOT of great things to say about Dragon's Crown. I just want to keep playing it instead, thought. 

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