60°

Why video games are the new entertainment leaders

Posted by Don Reisinger

After playing through Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots, it became quite clear to me that video games have supplanted film as entertainment leaders. The game shines on so many levels, it's difficult to recount them all here. But perhaps more than anything, it allowed me to become a part of an environment that goes above and beyond anything I've ever experienced in a movie.

And after playing through this instant classic, I can't help but wonder if the video game industry has finally realized that it commands mainstream attention and must favor a new type of gaming that creates unprecedented entertainment value.

I'm a firm believer that video games have replaced movies as the de facto leader in entertainment. Games offer greater entertainment value, usually have better stories, and generally appeal to people far more than any movie currently in theaters.

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news.cnet.com
LastDance5776d ago

I believe it.

It's amazing how much CRAP comes out of hollywood. But there is also some good stuff amongst it.

SaiyanFury5775d ago

There is the odd gem that comes out of Hollywood, but most of it is tripe.

"Today, movies are thinly veiled attempts at turning a profit by over-hyping with utter disregard for the opinion most people will have."

This guy isn't kidding. How many more generic, cookie cutter CG Disney/Pixar or Dreamworks movies are going to come out? Hollywood is seeing how popular the videogames industry is getting and since the ever-growing industry is now turning equal or greater profits than the movie industry, Hollywood is trying to cash in by making cheap movies loosely based on games. Take one of the greater FPS games out in the last few years that is Doom 3. Hollywood goes and makes a horrible, virtually storyless movie with sub-standard acting. Now we're getting an MGS movie, a proposed HALO movie and so many more I can't even name them all. The simple fact of the matter is that Hollywood either seems to be running out of original ideas (how many movies these days are remakes of movies that were released 15 or more years ago) and is more interested in making a buck. I rarely ever go to theatres anymore. It's actually been so long since I've been interested in a movie that I can't remember the last time I went to a theatre. Oh well, I'm having more fun playing these awesome games than shelling out good money for Hollywood tripe. There's the odd good one released, but for the most part, they're only after your money.

millerlite5775d ago

I'm sorry, but not all movies are video games you can't control. Tell me how Schindler's List has anything remotely in common with any video games...

If anyone thinks the movie sequences in MGS4 and GTAIV are at all close or better than actual movies, they need their head examined. I have both games and love them, but there's no way I'd say they're better than real movies. You get a two minute clip followed by some running around on your own, and you don't even need to follow up on the story. Not my idea of immersion.

mistertwoturbo5775d ago

Your missing the point here. It's the fact that these games gives you the OPTION to either skip it, or watch it. Then immerse yourself in it's world however you see fit. And secondly, it doesn't sound like you even touched MGS4 at all. There's no 2 minute clip followed by some running around. Some of the action sequences in there truely does rival the big hit movies (Refer to Raiden's scene of gekko pwnage)

However I'd be inclined to agree that video games aren't replacements for a good movie. I loved Transformers and Iron man, and those don't need to be explored as a video game to fully enjoy.

SaiyanFury5775d ago (Edited 5775d ago )

@2.2

Agreed. Most of the time you don't even need to play the licensed games based on those movies because they in themselves are cheap cash ins for developers and Hollywood companies to make a buck.

thesummerofgeorge5775d ago

Hollywood is very aware of video games as the new money making medium. I was actually just reading a book on the same subject. This could mean more games with major budgets like MGS4 looking to repeat it's success now that it's clear how much money can be made even as an exclusive on the youngest console. It's an exciting time for video games.

100°

Mainline Grand Theft Auto trailers ranked from best to worst

As we have all been graced by the release of Grand Theft Auto 6's trailer, we're ranking the best and worst GTA trailers to date.

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videogamer.com
purple101134d ago

We be getting these posts All week now lads. Someone noticed a number plate ... Someone noticed a billboard... I can see it now

Just go on YouTube and watch one of the many videos dissecting the whole 1minite 30secs worth.

This site supposed to be for news.

roadkillers134d ago

These updates on N4G are going to ruin whats rest of this site. Unfortunate since I was one of the first members.. The site shows unsecure when i login as well.

130°

Grand Theft Auto 4 Anniversary: The Beginning of the Age of RAGE

Grand Theft Auto 4 is an important game for Rockstar, not least because it was the first title in the franchise to use the newly created RAGE engine.

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gamerant.com
franwex351d ago

Wasn’t the Table Tennis game the first to use RAGE?

isarai351d ago

Was about to say the same, but they do say first "in the franchise" so 🤷

cammers1995351d ago

The fact it hasnt been remastered is insane.

Abear21351d ago

Rage engine made driving on the sidewalk in cinematic slow motion camera a blast

290°

Fifteen Years On, 'Grand Theft Auto IV' Is Still the Series’ Best

There’s never a bad time to relive its magic, and with rumours of a potential Grand Theft Auto IV remaster making the rounds, why wouldn’t you?

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goombastomp.com
Machina354d ago

The series' most overhyped and overrated (especially by critics) more like.

Number1TailzFan354d ago

Not sure tbh.. I'd say 3 was the most overrated. It's pretty rough to go back to, it was quite rough even trying it just after Vice City. Lack of humour and vehicles that had the weight of polystyrene with top speeds to match.

VC & the stories games (even LCS) were all fun. I remember there being a lot of praise for GTA 3 on TV and in game mags, saying it was a Dreamcast killer of a game or words to that effect, and honestly after playing it on PC I didn't think it was that special and kind of dull, had the odd moment of fun but hardly anything. I heard they cut online multiplayer at the last moment for PC, shame because it could've made all the difference.

Would've loved to have seen what kind of cartoony GTA style game they could've done on Dreamcast as a competitor, I bet something along the lines of Simpsons Hit & Run would've worked well.

BlackTar187353d ago

@numberz How can the game that defined a generation and was copied by everyone be overrated? Was a asinine comment

seanpitt23353d ago

For me 4 was better than 5 was more realistic and the physics was on another level! 5 was a major let down in that department!

Number1TailzFan353d ago

@blacktar you have your opinion i have mine. I found the game dull, and it is for the most part. It set the foundation for the much superior SA and VC however.

KwietStorm_BLM353d ago

You say GTA III is overrated because it's rough to go back to and rough to play after Vice City. Your entire opinion is in hindsight. Of course it's rough going back to it today. It came out over 20 years ago. That doesn't take away from the fact that it pioneered a lot and was a paradigm shift for a lot of trends in game development today. Vice City in a lot of ways is just a more refined version of III. It was San Andreas that took the big leap forward from a design perspective. If III doesn't release, who knows if the open world genre would be what it is now. How can that be overrated?

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1nsomniac353d ago (Edited 353d ago )

Not at all. My most played game of all time. Truly stunning accomplishment in gaming and with PC graphics mods it just took it to levels beyond anything that came before and possibly even after.

People who moan about it generally tend to be people who played it on under powered consoles and couldn’t handle the more realistic car physics. It was the slightly more realistic approach that made it stand out more. Absolutely love it. In fact I always said Vice city was my favourite of all time. But after going back to the remaster I realised 4 was actually the best.

Profchaos353d ago (Edited 353d ago )

I'm no critic and I consider it the best games in the franchise after recently replaying every entry it's story when paired in conjunction with it's DLC was and still is amazing.

shinoff2183352d ago

Lol. Fun fact. That dlc cost a certain green colored console 50 million for exclusiveness. Un heard of back then. Just to point out the hypocrisy of the 3rd party exclusive agenda going on.

Anyway how the dlc better then the base game by a mile. Lol imo

DigitallyAfflicted352d ago

I've enjoyed gta4 the most from all the others too.

DarXyde353d ago

San Andreas holds a special place in my heart. Honestly, I couldn't get into IV at all. Didn't even finish it. I had some pride in playing it at first because I'm originally a New Yorker, but it just didn't do it for me.

To each their own.

shinoff2183352d ago (Edited 352d ago )

Gta sa for sure. To this day my favorite. My least fav is gta 4 easily. Gta 4 made me feel like the dude in next friday trying to take the cd back talking about i cant get jiggy wit this.

Maybe looking back it would be 3 but 3 did so damn much for gaming in general. . My first gta was of course the top downs so the series has came a long way.

notachance352d ago

Yeah I remembered falling asleep playing the last mission in GTA4.. the most boring protagonist (out of all the voiced protag), and the town is too small.

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-Foxtrot354d ago

Not really

Overrated

Boring

Liberty City despite being a reimagined version for the HD era lacked any variety

Lacked the GTA fun charm overall

Niko was bland compared to past protagonists like Tommy, CJ or Victor

blackblades353d ago (Edited 353d ago )

GTA 2 was the best, lol my only owned GTA game. Vice city was alright when I rented it back then. I cant really say which is the best cause those the only 2 games i played but GTA 2 was fun on PC back in the day. Closes game to it that I enjoyed was SR3 and I dont care what people say. That none serious tone was fun enjoyable.

banger88354d ago

Like hell it is. San Andreas was far better, much more fun and a better game overall.

isarai353d ago

Nah, it's a masterpiece in attention to detail and the amount of immersive systems at play. But it really isn't very fun, ESPECIALLY when compared to the previous games in the series. Like tons of things are just wonky and actively kneecap lots of experimentation, or is just lame. Like why do I take huge damage when falling into water, why can I only stand in very specific large trucks when they are moving but not smaller trucks and vehicles, why is the melee combat such a massive down grade from GTA SA and GTA IV, why is the euphoria nowhere near as reactive, why is being drunk using a rasterized animation of staggering rather than the far more entertaining euphoria GTAIV and RDR used when you were drunk, why do npc vehicles barely react to you popping there tires even at high speed, etc etc.

I've always loved playing around in GTA games world. Like the campaigns are great but the majority of my time was always spent just playing in the open world. Yet GTAV is the only game in the series I never really returned to after beating it, it just lacks that fun factor the others have, I spent more time in GTA SA remastered than GTAV

chicken_in_the_corn353d ago

It's one of my least favourite GTA games. It's clunky, the ai is exploitable, it's far too long and the writing is absolutely awful.

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