411 Games Fact or Fiction 05.19.08: Sex & Nudity vs. Violence & Gore, Next Banjo Kazooie Game, Rumored Beyond Good & Evil Sequel, WiiWare Launch Titles, & More!

Posted by Tommy Coloma on 05.19.2008

411's Sean Garmer and Dan Hirsch tell us what they think about how Americans are more concerned about sex and nudity than violence and gore in video games, the return of Banjo Kazooie, the rumored sequel to Beyond Good & Evil, Rock Revolution's emphasis on the drum kit, whether or not WiiWare's launch titles impress, and the chances that Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will survive longer than most MMOs in this edition of Fact or Fiction Games.

Welcome to another edition of Fact or Fiction. This week Sean Garmer and Dan Hirsch return to tell us what they think about some of today's most important video game news and issues. Before we get started, let's see what they do here at 411mania -

Sean Garmer is in charge of 411's Football/Soccer Fact or Fiction. He also writes about what is happening in the soccer world in America's Football.

Dan Hirsch will be doing reviews for the Games section.

Let's go -


1. It's good that Americans are more concerned about sex and nudity than violence and blood in video games.

Sean Garmer: Fact

Well I guess it is good that Americans are concerned about the bigger of two evils. Sex and nudity aren't really ever needed in a game unless we are talking about making games like DOA or Rumble Roses that like to flirt with possibly getting adult ratings. In the end, they provide good gameplay with the almost nude chicks, so it is forgivable. Truly though, we don't need or want video games to show children how to objectify women or treat them like sex toys. Have a little bit of sexual stuff in an RPG to give tension to characters, but I don't think it is ever necessary to have full-on sex or anything near that in a game (like the "Hot Coffee" incident). What would be the point of it?

As far as violence and blood, I think it has to do mainly with the fact that the core video game audience (people like me who grew up playing Mario when they were 3 years old) has gotten older. So, we are drawn to much different things than we were when we were kids. The average age of a gamer today is 28. That they would much rather spend time playing games like Call of Duty or Halo is just a product of them being adults. I'm not one that enjoys games like that, but that's just me (I like COD, but not Halo), but as long as we don't have a lot of games like Manhunt or GTA popping up, I think the world will be ok.

Dan Hirsch: Fiction

I think the whole concept of trying to clean up the gaming world is ironic considering how every other media outlet pushes sex and violence as much, if not more so, than video games. The majority of the American public is concerned about the issue of sex in gaming because of what they hear from news outlets. Anyone recall that whole issue with Mass Effect in the Fall? All that uproar over a graphic sex scene that the children of America would be subjected to if they played the game in a particular way. Yeah, it was kissing and a bit of backside. I think whatever uproar comes toward the video game industry over snippets like this is a bit outlandish. Games have ratings just like movies and TV programs, so the American public can see what kind of content they are purchasing. If there's mature content, they are made aware of it. Considering how easily accessible pornography and other forms of graphic content have become, I find it funny how mature content in video games is suddenly the new "in" cause.

Score: 0 for 1


2. You have high hopes for Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts.

Sean Garmer: Fiction

I'm a little skeptical about this because the main focus is in building contraptions to go around levels and achieve objectives, while the old school part of the game seems to be pushed aside. Also, Rare hasn't done that great of a job with the last two old series they did something with on next-gen systems (Perfect Dark Zero and the Diddy Kong Racing semi-port). So, it kinda scares me what will happen to BK. I just hope it ends up a good game and everything works well, because if this one fails, Microsoft may start to wonder why they even bought RARE in the first place.

Dan Hirsch: Fiction

Sean has nailed it right on the head. The last time Banjo Kazooie was a relevant title, the N64 was Nintendo's flagship console. In my opinion, the Banjo franchise started to falter with its GBA releases and should have just quietly gone off to a corner and died. I really could care less if someone just curb stomped that trouser-wearing bear. Actually, I would care, as I would enjoy that tremendously. I'm looking at you Cliffy B - make it happen! I don't think gamers will care enough about this game to go out and buy it. Rare is looking like a bit of a flop for Microsoft. But who knows? Maybe this franchise resurrection will work in Microsoft's favor, as they definitely could use a cute fuzzy mascot to go alongside the Chief. Maybe all those Banjo fans will go out and buy the game in droves and make the name Banjo Kazooie relevant again! Do I think it will happen? Nope.

Score: 1 for 2


3. A sequel to Beyond Good & Evil is a good idea.

Sean Garmer: Fact

I've been screaming for this for a very long time. Of course it would be a great idea! The game is apparently in pre-production and is set to focus on Planet Hillys' future, but Ubisoft hasn't agreed to anything yet. The first one was very unique and really fun to play. I can still play it to this day; I pop it in from time to time, taking pictures and platforming. The characters are what made the game special. Jade was a great protagonist, and having a pig as a partner added just the right amount of comic relief too. I wish this would happen sometime soon. Come on Ubisoft!

Dan Hirsch: Fact

Even though the first game didn't sell very well when it was released, I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel. That's probably because I am not financing the game. So for me, it's a good idea to make a sequel for this game. Sales numbers were one of the original speedbumps for getting a second game off the ground, despite its positive reviews from big names like IGN, GameSpot, and Game Informer for the original game. Beyond Good & Evil had some good concepts going for it when it was released, and was fun and unique. I would look forward to seeing it and giving it a try. I'm even hoping that Ubisoft can release it without bugs (RSV:2 anyone?).

Score: 2 for 3



4. The emphasis on the drum kit in Konami's Rock Revolution will help to make it a must-buy for those who enjoy music games.

Dan Hirsch: Fiction

People are probably going to look at their drum kit and say "Rock Band rip-off." I think the impressive kit Konami is offering, which features 6 drum pads and a bass pedal, will be a huge selling point in advertising, but I don't think it is enough to unseat Rock Band or Guitar Hero as the must-have music game. Those two have name brand recognition and brand loyalty working for them. Rock Revolution does not. It's kind of funny to think that Konami was the first to try out a guitar-based rhythm game (GuitarFreaks), only to fail, and then see their concept rake in millions of dollars in sales years later with Harmonix's take on their game. Now, the same thing is happening with the drums. It seems Konami is jumping on the bandwagon a bit late, even if they were the trailblazers for drum-based gaming as well (DrumMania). I think for Konami, it will all be case of too little, too late instead of too much, too early.

Sean Garmer: Fact

I think we need to pay close attention to what Tommy's question asks here. To people that like music games: Yes. Just like how sports fanatics like more realism, and RPG fans like games that follow the strict regimen, music nuts are going to like games that are more realistic. They've just shown us what the drum kit looks like (who knows what the Guitar is going to be able to do), and it has 6 pads with a sturdier kick pad. Each drum piece represents a real life drum part, like hi-hat or cymbal. Most people won't know that Konami was the first to attempt this, but maybe it will mean it has given them time to perfect it. We'll see when it comes out. What will hurt it is that it won't have the MTV or EA name attached to it that would draw the casual fan base, but if the song list is good, and the downloadable content pans out well, you never know. I think the price will be important too; if Konami can find a way to charge less for their stuff, it could sell well.

Score: 2 for 4


5. You are impressed with the WiiWare launch titles.

Dan Hirsch: Fiction

I would say that I was definitely satisfied with the Wii Ware launch titles, but I was far from impressed. Their lineup included the following games: Lost Winds, Defend Your Castle, Pop, V.I.P. Casino: Blackjack, TV Show King, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King. The list is a little on the sparse side with only 6 games. Even considering WiiWare as a launch, it's still not a ton of games. Plus, I saw just one recognizable name on that list, that being Final Fantasy. This leaves me sort of split. Part of me likes all these new IPs we get from these fun little downloadable games, but the other part of me wants something familiar, something I can trust. I have a much more difficult time spending 7 to 15 dollars on something new and unfamiliar than I do on something I am familiar with. If Nintendo wants to be successful with their version of XBLA, they will need to balance their selection of games between new innovative games and a selection of games that feature recognizable characters and/or franchises. While XBLA features a lot of classic games and new IPs, they don't have a lot of arcade games that feature franchises tied to the Xbox 360 console. The only title I can think of is the Keystone game for Fable 2, and that hasn't even been released. If Nintendo can tie their big names into WiiWare (like they did with their Japanese WiiWare titles), then they will begin to impress me.

Sean Garmer: Fiction

I'm impressed with how they look and things like that, but the list doesn't make me want to go buy most of these games. I love Final Fantasy, but I've never understood the whole Crystal Chronicles thing, so I wouldn't want to buy it. I've seen clips of all these games. Pop looks too elementary. TV Show King is impressive with its graphics and amount of questions, but the fact that it's multiple choice doesn't help you since you can give away the answer to whoever you're playing against. Lost Winds is just bad. The only one that intrigued me was Defend Your Castle. It has a very interesting look to it with stick figures trying to attack a castle, and you dropping stuff on them to stop them. What's important here is that this allows independent developers to make their own games on a system that encourages family involvement, so you never know who will play your game. I agree with Dan that for this to work Nintendo may have to step in and provide their own content, with their recognizable characters. Once people start getting the hang of how to use WiiWare, I'm sure we will see some good games come out that any of us would love to recommend.

Score: 3 for 5


6. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will last longer than the 18 months it usually takes for MMOs to fail.

Dan Hirsch: Fiction

I have to say I'm not a big fan of the lovely genre of games known as MMORPGs (pronounced Ma-More-Pig-Ah if you're a fan of Yahtzee). I've read up on the game, and it features some cool innovations and a unique attack system. But, that's definitely not enough for me to buy it, let alone play it for a year and a half.

Speaking from a layman's point of view, I don't think it will be the next World of Warcraft by any means. Any game gets stale after a period of time, and even for an MMO, 18 months is a long time. So, this leads me to believe that this game will see its subscribers fan base diminish and eventually fade away.

Sean Garmer: Fiction

I hate MMOs because I've seen many friends destroy their lives because they got addicted, but that's really their fault for allowing themselves to get sucked into the experience. I also have friends that can play these games and still have a life, so it's whatever I guess. This MMO has some nice stuff in it, but I have to agree with Dan that this thing won't even last the 18 months. The market is getting saturated with these at this point.

Score: 4 for 6



We have a final score of 4 for 6. Don't forget to join us next time for more Fact or Fiction!

Now, we just picked up a mushroom power-up that's making us feel like we're on a bad trip. If we can rise to the challenge and finish the level we're on without being turned into a laughable number of gibs, we'll be back next week.