Another MGS Post?! I Know; I'm Sorry...

This should be the last one until I start playing the game. I just felt like I should comment on something, namely the Penny Arcade strip that was posted on Friday:I could not agree more with the sentiments expressed in this comic strip. As of late, I've been very frustrated by the videogame journalism. Most of the time, it stems from the always ridiculous 100 point scale that websites like IGN insist on using, or habit of watermarking the crap out of any media posted on their site, despite that fact that the website does not, in fact, own the art assests, screenshots, and videos which they watermark. However, the review in question was fair, as near as I can tell, and 9.3 is a perfectly legitimate score. Note to the fanbase: as much as we all love Metal Gear, we must admit that the series has its flaws.

I've been disappointed with review scores in the past as well. I've always felt that Tales of Symphonia for the Gamecube was underrated by Electronic Gaming Monthly when it was released, and the following the game has garnered since its release only reinforces this notion. But it didn't begrudge EGM for it. In the long run, what matters is whether you yourself enjoy a game, and not whether it earned a perfect score on a gaming website. Lighten up, gamers!

Also, fans of Metal Gear Solid 2 should give this analysis a careful read. It's a very intriguing take on the controversal and often convoluted plot of MGS2.

On Internet Watermarking...

As I was watching some videos on my Laptop the other night, I started thinking about a common practice on the internet with regards to media: watermarking. Many websites (especially video game sites) watermark any video or screen-shot on their site, and at times I don't mind. If the editors are posting a video or image that they themselves have captured during a playtest or what have you, that fine in my book; after all, they spent effort to create this media, and they should have the right to claim some ownership of it. However, I'm much less forgiving when the media in question is provided by the game publisher/developer themselves, such as a trailer. How can someone reasonably claim ownership of something that's freely distributed online? They did not create this media, so it makes little sense to plaster your logo all over it simply because it's on your site.

Maybe I should start watermarking all the images I post on my blog. That way, anyone who saves an image will always know where it came from. It's not like these watermarks are eyesores. Oh wait...