Serious Game Reviews? Post your ideas here.

[carmen]

I was just wondering what kinds of games are out there now.*browses inner nets*

[drenrin2120]

Raising the bar isn't a bad idea, but I don't think we should take ourselves too seriously. As for copyrights, Drak did plenty of games with copyright material and there wasn't a problem. And as for 100% original stuff, that's not really charas style... Our entire archive of resources might as well be rips. So, yeah, we'll probably get to reviewing some n00b *** games, but we'll rip on them and it'll be fun.

I'm not saying this is gonna save charas, I'm just saying it's a start and we should see where it goes.

[Natako]

When you consider that people put Let's Plays of the original games (where the source materials come from) up on Youtube and they rarely ever get erased, I don't think it's such a big deal to show them in a review format. Consider regular reviews for games - you pretty much have to show clips from the game itself if you want the review to be interesting.

As for tilesets/sprites/etc. ripped from other games, there's just way too much of that stuff out there for them to crack down on it unless, as I said earlier, you're trying to make money off of the game. In that case, it's like trying to make money off something that wasn't yours to begin with. Think of it this way: in many respects, RPG Maker games are to professional games what fanfiction is to literature. Unless an author (e.g. Anne Rice) has specifically requested that his/her characters not be featured in fanfiction, no one's going to take down fanfictions which feature familiar characters or settings.

I don't know, that's just kind of how I view it. Regardless, I don't think that's much of an issue. You're free to argue with my viewpoints if you like.

And yeah, I agree with Dren. In fact, I think this conversation is a good time to post this:

[spoiler=Warning! May frighten small children.][/spoiler]

[carmen]

I'm not really worried about the resources used, I was thinking like, are we still hush hush about xp etc?

[drenrin2120]

naw, no one cares about XP or VX. I think VX was released in English too, so anyone can say they purchased the legit program.

[Natako]

I don't see why XP or VX games would pose any issues with copyright. Like I said earlier...no profit, no problem. From what I've read on the forums so far, I'm assuming that you're referring to the fact that this site was primarily focused on 2k and 2k3 back in it's day, but I don't think it would create an issue if people submitted XP/VX games...assuming that they are fully playable for anyone who has not purchased those two products. I have both of them on my computer anyway, so it's not a problem for any reviews that I do, at the very least. According to the rules, I'm pretty sure that it's fine to discuss aspects of newer RPG Makers. We're just not allowed to post download links to them, as that is illegal.

Personally, I think we should take all kinds of games. I use mostly XP these days. I know that there are other people on the forums who are creating games in completely different programs, such as Gamemaker. As long as I can run the game without downloading any additional software, I'm fine with reviewing it. However, the only games I can offer detailed technical advice on (in regards to programming gameplay, events, etc.) are RM games. If I were to review a game made with software I haven't used, I probably wouldn't be able to get as in-depth as I would with RPG Maker games where I'm aware of the limitations of the software.

[drenrin2120]

I think she's referring to when XP first came out, which was around the time she still visited charas frequently, I believe. When XP first came out, there was a big stink about whether or not Charas would support it due to legality issues. That seems to be a thing of the past now.

As for reviewing games made with other programs, this should be fine because what is reviewed is all the same. We may not be able to tell them how to fix problems, but pros/cons are still pros/cons, no matter what the platform. Being forgiving of a platforms limitations is being bias in itself. =P

Plus, I think Fruckert has some experience with GameMaker, anyway.

[fruckert]

Plus, I think Fruckert has some experience with GameMaker, anyway.

Tons.
Most of my games are made in GM.

[Natako]

The more I think about this, the more the idea of alternate viewpoints is becoming more appealing. However we achieve this - whether through having one video review and different text reviewers - I think it will be interesting and advantageous to the game makers if more than one of us posts some sort of review. We might even want to do a bit of collaborating. For instance, story/characterization is my forte, but I'm pretty sure that both Dren and Fruckert whup my *** in the coding/programming department (as for suggestions on how to fix flaws and such). I can still rate gameplay, music, etc. and explain what's done wrong and what's done right, but as for suggestions on how to improve them...Well, we all have different areas of expertise, and we should use those to our advantage.

[drenrin2120]

I was thinking that too. Some sort of system where we each apply our talents in our reviews? As for me and programming... ehh... it's rpgmaker specific, meaning I'd call myself a good "eventer" at best. Though I have been writing music and stories ever since I started doing this kind of stuff... Not that I'm an English or music major... =P

I'm not too sure about that though. We might as well all give our opinions on the total package, you know?

[Natako]

I'd call myself a good "eventer" at best.

I'm like this as well. If I spend enough time, I can create almost anything using events...but there are some places where scripting is necessary, such as in custom battle systems. Also, having too many events usually makes the game lag. One of these days, I really need to teach myself how to code. It would make everything so much easier.

[fruckert]

I'm not a terrific programmer, but I do know quite a bit about gameplay design.
Or at least I think I do.

[SaiKar]

I'm not really worried about the resources used, I was thinking like, are we still hush hush about xp etc?

Well, we still can't link to illegal downloads of the makers. But people can feel free to post resources for any of them they want. I was into doing XP character sets for a while, but they're kind of a pain so I stopped.

[zuhane]

Here's a tip:

You want a voice that grips attention? Use a girl's voice. Or given, a male  voice with an English or Australian accent. Like Razor's.

I'm British!

[Archem]

Yes, agreed! Lucas' lack of self-esteem will make his voice hilarious!