Yikes. It still seems not enough of you out there know the difference between a developer and a publisher. Yup, I keep reading message board posts on different forums  from or having actual conversations with folks who rant and rage about whatever wrongs they feel certain game companies have committed against a favorite game franchise, but I always see the same mistakes in self-misdirection. You  simply can’t have a rational argument that works at all if you keep pointing your fingers in the wrong places. Once again, a DEVELOPER makes games, while a PUBLISHER gets them out the door into a retail or online shop near you. Yes, sometimes both are the same, but more often than not (in the case of many AAA titles), many hands are working together.  Let’s keep the DISTRIBUTOR out of this for now, as that’s a bit tricky to define and can get bizarre if you follow the twisty trail that loops backward on itself at times.

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Briefly, some random things to contemplate, as you would the moon on a clear night. All of these will be discussed in detail at some later date (and yes, there may even be a test):

Being bad at any games doesn’t mean the game is bad. Hit > To Continue (repeat as necessary).

A game isn’t truly considered “bad” until you actually finish it and can dissect what worked and what didn’t. Hey, you may even like the ending.

Applications of arbitrary rules of reality to any game will only make you enjoy it less. A bit of respect  for a developer’s intentions adds perspective.

Bunny hopping, circle strafing and stopping to teabag a dead enemy soldier in a real war zone will get you shot up faster than in any FPS.

Sometimes, skipping Easy mode in a game you’ve never played only to wind up complaining the game is too difficult only means your ego is bigger than your brain.

AI Snipers should always kill you in one shot. This is why they’re snipers. If you think about it, no army wants a soldier with such a position who can’t shoot straight.

Mastering a “bullet hell” shooter actually makes you less likely to fly a real plane out of danger (unless you’re an actual pilot who happens to love those Cave games)…

I’ll stop here, as I have a review to finish and dinner to cook. Class dismissed.

Yes, this post contains spoilers (but not the ones you probably think).

Not every game is going to have a happy “Hollywood” ending, class. Get over it. Not every single story wraps up nicely and neatly at the climax with the heroes walking off into the sunset with evil burning to death in some car that just flew through a guardrail as the villain tried to make good his (or her, or its) escape.Sometimes it’s boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy never finds girl again. But that’s not always a bad thing if it’s done right and even better, YOU get why it was done in the first place.

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