Story in many video games acts as the reason, that pushes the game player to trudge through game-play that may be getting a slight bit stale after several hours, just to learn what happens. Therefore, yes, it would be harmful to several genres, but even so, sometimes story is too evident and is forced on the player in spite of what a video game is actually about, game-play surprises and innovations. In many ways, story should be in the background, if at-all present, not in the foreground, as very little is more annoying in a video game than having control taken from the player to have the camera pan on a few things or events, that could have been ignored or paid attention to by the game player. Allowing the game player to maybe see it or maybe not see it adds to the interactive experience, and what each person gets out of a video game’s story.

Some video games may be centralized around story, however, so in this alternate reality where in-your-face story has been wiped from video games, some of these games may just fall flat on their face. Shouldn’t a video game be able to stand and differentiate itself from other video games, and still be highly entertaining, even if its story was stripped? Of course, but it’s nigh impossible to avoid some form of a story though, as even the Super Mario Bros. games, Space Invaders, so forth have a bit of back-story to explain scenery changes and why you’re going through the levels…

Those examples are clearly no Metal Gear Solid, where the story can be the central-piece. Metal Gear Solid brings up the question of, if there was no story, would a series like Metal Gear Solid be better off for it? As it is, you can barely scrape five minutes of continuous game-play together without being interrupted by a cinematic in recent Metal Gear Solid games. After witnessing forty minutes of story cut-scenes and playing the game itself in 15 minute intervals, is it a video game or is it a movie with occasion teases for the viewer to be directly involved? This is not to say that Metal Gear Solid is terrible, matter of fact it’s intriguing and fun to play, when you get to play, it’s just bogging itself down with story, but it’s not surprising given Hideo Kojima’s interest in film. Sometimes it begs the question of why the series is still a video game.

There is a reason, however, why some video game developers who love story-heavy experiences don’t make films. Developers like David Cage, the mind behind Heavy Rain, believe that video games are immersive experiences. He and others believe that just because they make video games, it doesn’t mean they cannot challenge a player’s morals and thoughts with an engaging story. They believe the video game community has grown up, and want a movie-like, well told story from their video games as well. They believe that video games should touch a player’s heart, make a player cry, and emotionally invest the player. This is why they make video games, and not films. If you agree with their game design choices or not is another story all together though, despite the fact that they do achieve this goal, for the most part.

Yes, most of the time you can skip cut-scenes, but the problem with that argument is that a lot of the budget that went towards creating an awesome and interesting cut-scene that lasted ten minutes could have gone towards a few more interesting game-play twist, when you’re playing the game.

It happens in games of ALL quality levels, from, critically acclaimed games, to staggering disappointments, to even just plain horrible shovelware. The notable offenders of what is being said are: Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (too many cut-scenes for its own good and not enough game-play to make up for it), the Xenosaga trilogy (sometimes you really would want the game to hush-up after a while, especially the second game), Metroid: Other M (unskippable cut-scenes and quite a few of them), Ninja Gaiden 3 (the story often crippled the main character, when it was not beneficial for the game-play), Game Party Champions (this is a mini-game compilation, but the main character is depressed in the story mode and his friend is trying to cheer him up, and the story sometimes interrupts the player in a mini-game compilation after each game, and it’s incredibly lame and if you want to unlock stuff in this game, story mode is there for you to do so). Numerous other games are offenders too, that do not try to present an interesting story but shove one in there with little to no budget anyway just to full-fill the story requirement, just like Game Party Champions does.

It’s obvious that story cannot be eliminated from video game universes, but it is certainly possible for it to be toned back. If you wiped away the story identity and the universe of a video game, would you be just left with a whole bunch of video games, such as first-person shooters, that operate the same? Fortunately it wouldn’t be the case as Halo operates quite a bit differently from Call of Duty and both of them operate differently from Red Steel 2.

As stated, Metal Gear Solid plays wonderfully, but even if there was only 33 percent more game-play between game-play and cut-scenes, it’d be a huge improvement. You can easily watch a movie or a book for a far cheaper price than a video game, so being charged video game price for a movie is not a fair value. Some video games also rely too much on the story hooking the player, hoping that it will make up for stale game-play. That is not the way to make a video game. Money invested into story elements could have been invested into innovative, previously unseen game-play styles, instead it’s often wasted.

If incorporated in a smart manner, development cost can still be largely allocated to what makes a video game worth its expense. Some of the smartest games when it comes to storytelling have been Metroid Prime (sure there are some cinematics, but they are all brief, and the game just lets you play and if you want to find out about the story, scan a few items), Bioshock (the atmosphere, the enemies and the mostly optional recordings are all you really need), The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (the game takes place across three days and the bulk of the game’s story and interesting plot-points are purely optional), the Portal series (sure, it has a ton of dialogue, but hardly ever does the game interrupt you the player), and Shadow of the Colossus (There is hardly any dialogue, but the game is chalk-full of emotion and an event that happens near the end of the game is heart-tugging, with as stated, hardly any dialogue). Many other games do story well, these were just but a few notable examples.

More games should be more thoughtful and intricate with how they present their stories, if a story is going to be done at all in a video game. The above examples often used minimalist or optional storytelling and yet they were still able to tell a large, enthralling story, that didn’t necessary get in the way.

It’s not to say though that every video game needs to take what is stated here to be a smart approach to video game story-telling. Truth be told, there’s a place for in your face, and behind-the-scenes storytelling, it just cannot be at the expense of game-play, which is why people pay upwards to $60 for a single video game. If a person wanted more story than game-play, he or she could buy a few low cost, and very good films or maybe a book or two.

It’s possible to have fun in more ways than you may presently think you can have fun in, it’s just a matter of getting you to realize that. Consider the above picture as you read on.

Playing games is one of many things we do to entertain ourselves, and video, card, board, and tables games all fit into this category of games, as well as activities such as Jenga, laser tag, bowling, basketball, badminton, ping-pong, or soccer. Therefore, if a person were to say, like card games ranging from Go Fish, to poker, to a trading card game like Magic The Gathering, shouldn’t he or she be naturally inclined to perhaps like other forms of games as well, like a board game or a video game or a physical activity like badminton? It goes without saying that every person likes a game of some sort.

Now you may be asking, where this is all going, well, it’s going in the direction that everyone likes games, but there’s certain games people won’t try or play because they feel it’s too intimidating or maybe just not for he or she. Yet, when you think about it, each game form has so many varieties, that it’s boggling to the mind. One or a few bad experiences with board, card, or video games, so forth should not damn these entire game forms from your fun options.

One attempt at a game form, like Chess, that didn’t go well does not mean you won’t thoroughly enjoy other varieties of the same game form, like Checkers. This train of thought continues into video games, if you did not like the first game you tried, like Soul Calibur II, a 3D fighting game, maybe you will like Super Smash Bros Brawl, a 2D platforming fighting game. The amount of examples and possibilities are beyond reasonable count.

To further elaborate on the examples given so far, lets assume, since you’re reading this, that you like video games, and if that is the case, if you enjoy the interactivity, strategy, and fun with other people in video games, maybe you’d enjoy Magic The Gathering, a trading card game or a board game like Risk; the differences at the end of the day are not that big, if you think about it in terms of interactivity, strategy, and fun. Sure, a lot of the visual medium of a video game may not be present, but the core elements are still there. A tactical role-playing game like Fire Emblem is a lot like chess with each character or piece being valuable and unique. A fighting game like Super Smash Bros. or a real-time strategy game like Starcraft is a lot like poker, rummy, or a trading card game with its mind-games and betting that you’ll be able to trick your opponent into losing the game. A first-person shooter like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 in a multiplayer deathmatch is a lot like ice hockey or basketball or soccer or even checkers in the sense that you are trying to avoid contact harmful to yourself while scoring a point or multiple points. Also, games like Boom Blox or Angry Birds are really just reverse Jenga with various objectives without the need to clean-up a mess. The possible examples are quite numerous.

So, with some examples to think about, it’s quite possible for most people to enjoy an awfully large amount of game forms and varieties, even if he or she doesn’t yet realize that, but it’s just a matter of each person being correctly introduced to each game form and variety. Therefore, if you’re a person who would like to try out another game form, I strongly encourage you to do so, games across many forms have quite a few similarities, and if you like one, you are likely to like the next, hopefully.

You then think to yourself, “Does only playing these type of games allow you to say you’re really into video games?”. Your next thought then is that it’s exactly like saying that you’ve only recreationally read the Harry Potter books, and one or two other mainstream series, hence making you a lover of books, which is utterly nonsense. 

So, when you expected to have an interesting conversation about various video games, you’re left with, to your more varied pallet, a dull and awkward conversation you almost always want to turn from, and shed a tear. When you thought you’d be able to relate more with this person, it turns out, that nope, you cannot, with that topic area, at the very least.

Then it’s at that moment he or she asks what games you like, and you just know it’s going to dumbfound them, just as if you were an actual lover of books listing off books you’ve read, as they’ve likely never heard of over half of the games you’re going to list like Slender, Super Meat Boy, Zack & Wiki, Geometry Wars, Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2, Okami, Shadow of the Colossus, and Rayman Origins, maybe with a few of the games they listed as well, that are more mainstream.

Now, not only is it irking that they haven’t heard of some more obscure titles, but even some critically acclaimed hot selling games that are quite mainstream as well, that have yet to reach the same level of immediate recognition such as Bioshock, Metroid Prime, The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker, Little Big Planet, The Elderscrolls V: Skyrim, Dead Space, and Starcraft II. These titles, people are more likely to have heard of, but at the same time, it’s unfortunately that it’s equally likely that while they’ve heard of them, they’ve yet to play these titles.

Not all hope is lost at this point, however, because you know, you may very well be able to get he or she to look into some of the games you listed. It may take some trying to do so, but it may very well be worth a try, because even you probably started off with a lot of the more mainstream games they are playing. It is a bit disheartening though that before you even attempt to lure them into other more obscure games that are not marketed as well, that he or she considers themselves fanatics of video games, when they’ve never heard of anything other than mainstream games.

When people list off their only games they really play as mainstream games, I’ve come to realize that it’s not really their fault. The more mainstream games are easy to market, and are hence easy to sell. Yet, many of the more obscure mentions you’ve made are easily just as good, if not better. Perhaps there’s a bit of elitism to the entire train of thought that he or she is not really into video games if all he or she plays are the mainstream titles like Call of Duty, and the many others, but at least he or she is enjoying some form of a video game.

It’s impossible to deny though, that it’s truly disheartening every single time, that a person claims to love video games, but has yet to experience it’s wide variety of genres. Video games are more than first-person shooters, action-adventure games, and sports. Here are several examples: your 2D and 3D platformers like Super Meat Boy and Super Mario Galaxy, platform puzzle games like And Yet it Moves, auto-run score attack platforms like Bit.Trip Presents Runner 2, point-and-click games like Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbados’ Treasure, physic puzzle games like World of Goo, strategical tactical games whether it be turn-based like XCOM or real-time like Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, strategical tactical RPGs whether it be turn-based like Fire Emblem or real-time like Valkyria Chronicles, 2D hack and slash games like Muramasa: The Demon Blade, team single-player and live-action role-playing games like Xenoblade Chronicles, arcade shooters like Sin & Punishment: Star Successor, hardcore arcade tough as nails racers like F-Zero, and many others.

We exist in a world, an industry where options are varied and plentiful, and yet many people restrict their video game experiences to only mainstream experiences, because the industry seemingly refuses to show its more creative projects to the mainstream audience, and it disheartens me more than a tad.

For those of us in adulthood or for those of you who are about to dive into it, no longer playing video games just because you’re an adult is like saying you’re going to stop reading books or watching movies just because you’re an adult.

Anyone who abides by this train of thought needs to reevaluate what makes he or she happy. Entertainment is vital to the well-being, and happiness of an individual, and to just stop playing games because you’re too old is a bad excuse to stop playing games. And while it is a valid excuse, if you have no time to expend, it is always possible to expend a few hours a week every now and then, as it will let you express yourself in ways you normally could not in a real-world setting, and allow you to be part of the game community, but that cannot be if you suddenly stop or stopped playing games because you were or are “too old”.

Video, card, board, and outdoor games all fit into this illogical concept that it’s possible to be “too old” to play anymore.

Now if you’ve just become tired and bored of games, then that’s just a natural development of your self, but even so, if this is the case, it may be possible that you’re just looking for new game experiences and have grown wary of the same-old elements you’ve come to know.

Not to mention, video games for instance are rated M for Mature for 17 year olds and up, and 17 is on the verge of adulthood. Today, especially, the average age of a video game player ranges up into the 30s.

Being “grown-up” does not mean gaming has to come to an end. Returning back to the concept of challenge, even if you do believe you may be too old for games, think of the challenge of some games… Games develop many skills such as memorization, strategy, and hand-eye coordination, and it may be wise to keep those elements up to par as you age, so why not, if you enjoy games now or used to, continue playing or get back into it partially for those reasons as well, ladies and gentlemen. And even if you just played to pass the time or found games truly entertaining, why should age be an excuse? So, now, what does have to come to an end is this ideology that it’s possible to be too old to play games. Do what makes you happy, and do not abide strictly on what the adult-world supposedly wants you to do.

I hope you enjoy!

This is my let’s play or analyzation of Rayman Legends. Hope you like and enjoy!

Editor’s Note: We are sorry about not posting yesterday’s news till today.

Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you (or the greatest majority), of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and not, to make headlines easier to identify.

News: Nintendo has cuts its forecast profit, and announced that Wii U is being sold at a loss at $300 and $350 (IGN). Come Nov. 4, Wii will have Just Dance 4, and Skylanders bundles for $130 and $149, respectively (IGN). Over 250,000 people are on GameStop’s Wii U waiting list, this number does not include those who have pre-ordered. 5.5 million units are set to ship by March 2013 (GoNintendo). The Mass Effect film moves forward with the hiring of screenwriter Morgan Davis Foehl, a fan of the series and a writer of flicks with a strong emphasis on stealth action (IGN). Assassin’s Creed III is the most pre-order Ubisoft title ever (IGN). Here’s what Nintendo released today on their eShop channels. There is a lot (GoNintendo). Watch every video from Japan’s and America’s Nintendo Direct, where they showed a new Luigi’s Mansion trailer, talked Fired Emblem, showed and announced additional New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC for today, and so forth (GoNintendo). If you manage to be the first person in the world to beat Ghost ‘N Goblins on the 3DS, and if you take a clear picture of yourself with the ending screen, you’ll win four special shotglasses from Capcom (CapcomUnity). 

Other Things: Learn about some obscure Zelda facts via this video (TheGamingPixelShow). If you were ever considering a Mewtwo figurine, check this out (GoNintendo). The Angry Video Game Nerd is back with Ghost N’ Goblins. He is a reviewer of old, usually mediocre games who takes on the persona of an angry nerd (CinemaMassacre). With Halloween upcoming, take a look at some games that have used possession in gameplay (GameInformer). Be enlightened to Japan’s love for Nintendo, and why maybe Japan should dislike Nintendo a bit (Kotaku). There are 21 must-need facts in the Assassin Creed universe, check them out (GamesRadar). If you’ve yet to come up with a costume for Halloween, check out this list of cheap, simple, and easy to do ideas (GamesRadar). Legendary video game designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, attended a ceremony recently, where he won the Prince of Asturias award, and here is a video of him dancing, signing stuff, so forth (GoNintendo). Take a look at episode 1 of what looks to be a very good Castlevania fan series (Start). Learn about a bunch of obscure and very interesting Sonic factoids. For example, according to an unused audio file, Eggman’s mustache is fake (DidYouKnowGaming).

Stay tuned throughout the day, as this post updates.

Below additional information about this feature is mentioned.

You can find every edition of this feature in our “Categorical Selection” menu to the top right of our page via, “Gaming News and Other Things”.

This feature will be posted Monday through Friday. 

We credit the source that brought whatever we post to greater attention, alongside the actual source. 

We here at The Games’ Temple take NO CREDIT for the news, articles, and so forth posted in this feature. We’re just simplifying the search for content.

Not all of the posted links will be necessarily breaking news or information for that day, as some material could have ran under the radar on previous days.

-Feel free to like our Facebook page, “The Games’ Temple” and follow us on Twitter @TheGamesTemple

Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you (or the greatest majority), of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and 

News: They’re back and have an objective: check out the newest Halo 4 gameplay trailer to find out what we mean (IGN).  Indulge in Assassin Creed III’s UK launch trailer (GameTrailers). With Wii U upcoming, Nintendo has decided to improve Wii Remotes with controller sync buttons being easy to access (GoNintendo).

Other Things: A technically legal hack, Project M, for Super Smash Bros. Brawl will soon launch its newest demo version, and here’s what they’ve done to Squirtle (ProjectM). Take a look at some of the most insulting game over screens in gaming history: the screens that rubbed your defeat in your face (GamesRadar). Here is a top 10 education video games list (ScrewAttack). Watch and listen to Game Informer editors play and talk about the beginning of the newest Medal of Honor video game, Metal of Honor Warfighter in Test Chamber (GameInformer).

Stay tuned throughout the day, as this post updates.

Below additional information about this feature is mentioned.

You can find every edition of this feature in our “Categorical Selection” menu to the top right of our page via, “Gaming News and Other Things”.

This feature will be posted Monday through Friday. 

We credit the source that brought whatever we post to greater attention, alongside the actual source. 

We here at The Games’ Temple take NO CREDIT for the news, articles, and so forth posted in this feature. We’re just simplifying the search for content.

Not all of the posted links will be necessarily breaking news or information for that day, as some material could have ran under the radar on previous days.

-Feel free to like our Facebook page, “The Games’ Temple” and follow us on Twitter @TheGamesTemple

Everything here is provided via links. Click them to learn more. Links in this color are what we believe will be of most interest to you, of interest links will also be in this color (when next to a red one). Otherwise, links will be alternated between blue and black, and bold and 

News: A man named Triforce, legally changed to the name, has begun his one month wait in line for Wii U in front of the Nintendo World Store (GoNintendo). Watch Sony’s two minute live-action teaser for Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale (IGN). Professional video game pirate, Justin Success Brooks profited over $900,000 in counterfeit Nintendo games between 2009 and 2011, and is being charged with the risk of prison time. He has plead guilty to all charges (GameInformer). Banjo-Kazooie used to be an entirely different game for the Super Nintendo: Project Dream, but due to technical issues it became the Banjo Kazooie fans know today. Click here to read much more detail about it (GameInformer). Indulge in the first [in a long time] Bioshock Infinite trailer, which only shows real-time graphics (BioshockInfinite’sFBPage).

Other Things: Learn all about Bioshock Infinite’s development timeline (GameInformer). Take a gawk at more cosplay: Link, Zero Suit Samus, Ivy and/or Bayonetta (Kotaku). Eggman doesn’t like being called Eggman, and wants to be called by a different nickname in this comedy skit (Dorkly). Video games sometimes challenge players to choose the greater good out of not-so-nice choices, such as nuking a town or not in Fallout 3; click this to read about it (GamesRadar). Sometimes video games are an escape for people, and this video delves into that with the fictional telling of a child who loves The Legend of Zelda in a homestead where her parents constantly argue. Caution: strong language (BaruchFilms). Learn why one person believes the classic and fanbase divisive title: Yoshi’s Island, should be studied at game design schools (NotEnoughShaders).  Watch episode 20 of Red vs. Blue’s season 10 here. It is a comedy, action series based off of Halo (RedvsBlue). Take a look at one person’s perspective on silent video game heroes, and why they’re important and/or why they’re good (GameInformer). 

Stay tuned throughout the day, as this post updates.

Below additional information about this feature is mentioned.

You can find every edition of this feature in our “Categorical Selection” menu to the top right of our page via, “Gaming News and Other Things”.

This feature will be posted Monday through Friday. 

We credit the source that brought whatever we post to greater attention, alongside the actual source. 

We here at The Games’ Temple take NO CREDIT for the news, articles, and so forth posted in this feature. We’re just simplifying the search for content.

Not all of the posted links will be necessarily breaking news or information for that day, as some material could have ran under the radar on previous days.

-Feel free to like our Facebook page, “The Games’ Temple” and follow us on Twitter @TheGamesTemple