Waffles or dry farts in your mouth?

The Splatfests have been pretty hit or miss but always interesting to see what opinion players have on little inane questions. It's a nice break from the overly serious debates that exist out in the world of politics and day-to-day life. I usually just chuck??le at the choices and go about my day, forgetting about the debate until the results are posted. That is until now. I've heard my clarion call.

Which stealth dessert is the better breakfast food: Pancakes or Waffles? Fight for your fave when the next #Splatoon2 Splatfest kicks off on Saturday, February 9th! pic.twitter.com/87ku9BzWPt

— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) January 31, 2019

Starting on February 9, European Splatoon 2 players will be able to pledge their allegiance to the starchy breakfast option of their choice: waffles or pancakes. It's interesting that they chose Europe for this debate as both originated on the continent, and here in America, it's not uncommon to find a diner menu that slaps?? Belgium on their waffle description to sell the sizzle. Of course, this also brings into question whether crepes count as pancakes but I'll leave that to another debate.

For me, the option is clearly waffles but I understand that there may be people out there that think differently than me so hear me out. Pancakes almost always need butter, syrup, toppings, or fillings to mak?e them palatable. Conversely, with a waffle, you can just eat it without any toppings and will be fine thanks to the varying textures caused by the waf?fle iron.

??Need more evidence? Well then look no further than Forrest MacNeil.

Will you ch?oose to support the flat lifeless disc of a pancake or be one with the glorious nooks and crannies of the elit??e waffle society?

The post Next Europe??an Splatfest asks which starchy breakfast is?? best appeared first on Destructoid.

Hey! Listen! Vote!

In our previous poll we asked everyone to pick their favorite Pokémon game in the entire ser??ies. Out of over 1,200 total votes, here are the top three results:

• (46.88%) Pokémon HeartGold & SoulSilver: 587 votes -- winner!
• (20.29%) Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen: 254 votes
• (13.34%) Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire: 167 votes

Now that you've had plenty of time to play the new Wind Waker HD and A Link Between Worlds, it's time to bring back one of our most heated debate topics from four years ago: what's your favorite Zelda game, and why? Vote in the poll below ??and tell us why you ma??de your pick in the comments!

Which is your favorite Legend of Zelda game? Yes, you only get these ones to choose from! I don't want CD-i joke votes to rob the main games of the points they all deserve. Please notice that I combined a few versions into single a voting option, such as The Wind Waker and its HD remake.

Share the reasons for your choice in the comments below. What aspects of its game design, gameplay??, ??visual and audio experience made up your mind? Give it some serious thought, share your thought process with all of us, and then get all of your online friends to join in on the fun! Check back next week for the winner and a new debate!

The post Game?? Debate to the Death! Favorite Leg??end of Zelda game? appeared first on Destructoid.

Gotta vote them all!

Have you survived the release of Grand Theft Auto V? Good! Out of over 1,400 total votes, here are the top three results from our last poll:

• (41.92%) GTA San Andreas: 594 votes -- winner!
• (34.65%) GTA Vice City: 491 votes
• (11.57%) GTA IV: 164 votes

Before the new Pokémon X and Y comes out later this week, let's take a look back at the rest of the series. It's hard to argue the oldest ones are "better" than the newer ones, so instead share which one was your favorite. Vote in the poll below and tell us?? why you made your p??ick in the comments!

Which is your favorite Pokémon game? Yes, you only get these ones to choose from! So if your favorite is Red & Blue, then vote for FireRed & LeafGreen. Same thing goes for Gold & Silver and their enhanced remakes!

Share the reason(s) for your choice in the comments below. Che??ck back on the following Tuesday night for the winner and a new debate!

The post Game Debate to the Death! Favorite Pok?mon game? appeared first on Destructoid.

Internet access once every 24 hours required to vote ;)

First, a reminder that the debate format has changed to a PollDaddy voting system, followed by a massive thank you for making last week's Half-Life debate the largest Game Debate Destructoid has ever had since I started this feature series back in 2006! Once the poll was closed we ha?d a total of 1,032 votes! Let's take a look at the top three results:

1. Half-Life 2 (537 votes) -- Winner!
2. Half-Life 2: Episode Two (219 votes)
3. Half-Life (186 votes)

This week, as this year's E3 comes to a close, let's take on the three varying sized elephants in the room. For this debate, let's not use words like "best" or "favorite" or even "winner" and instead make this really simple. Hold on to your butts and get ready for an important question: If you can only ever own one console out of the Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One, which console would you choose right now? Keep reading and scroll down to make your official PollDaddy vote!

This week's E3 2013 Game Debate!

S??hare the reason(s) for your choice in the comments below. Check back Tuesday night for the winner and a new debate!

The post Game Debate to the Death! If you o??nly get one E3 console? appeared first on Destructoid.

Associated Press just reported the Tetris series died ;)

In a recent debate, Dtoid user ctrain had a very good point. For a Web series that's been running for seven years with the name "Game Debate to the Death" we've certainly seen a lot of debates, but not so many deaths. There have been least favorite debates, survival of the fittest tournaments based on Street Fighter characters, and plenty of other brutal gauntlets, but this time let's make an all out sacrificial offering to the game industry gods. First, let's take a look at the results from the last debate:

• BioShock: 60 votes -- Winner!
• BioShock Infinite: 30 votes
• BioShock 2: 10 votes

Go ahead and unleash your repressed rage and let's spill some blood. Pick a game series that needs to forcibly be ended and dish out all the polygonal pain and pixel punishment that it deserves! There are no rules; if you can't honestly think of a candidate then be creative! Tetris! Cast?? y?our vote and check back next week for the winner (loser?) and a new debate!

The post Game Debate to the Death??! What series needs to?? just die? appeared first on Destructoid.

"Would you kindly?"

In the previous debate we welcomed the new Tomb Raider installment with a debate against its predecessors in the series. Every single g?ame in the series received at least one vote, so it was fulfilling to see it be a close race to the trophy! Here are the results:

• Tomb Raider (2013): 13 votes -- Winner!
• Tomb Raider (original): 9 votes
• Tomb Raider II: 8 votes

Now that we've tackled the new Tomb Raider game, let's move on to the new BioShock game. I'm sure most of you have had time to BioShock Infinite play it so far; it? feels like half of you played through it in the first n?ight! If not, you have one week to catch up! Which of the three games is your favorite? Cast your vote and check back next week for the winner and a new debate!

The post Game Debate to the Death! Favorite BioShock game? appeared first on Destructoid.

Conan O'Brien is banned from voting!

In the previous debate we gave the SimCity hate a rest and instead focused on which game developer was?????????????????????????? the most loyal to their fans. More than a hundred people joined in on the debate and dozens of teams received much deserved praise. In the end, here are the developers that stood above the rest in votes:

• Valve: 31 votes -- Winner!
• Atlus: 24 votes
• Nintendo: 22 votes
• CD Projekt RED: 20 votes

Now that everyone has had a month to experience the new installment to the Tomb Raider series that has spanned over fifteen years, I want to hear which of those games is your favorite. You could easily argue that the newer games are "better" in controls and many other variables, so let's instead focus on which is your "favorite." Was it the story, the events, the dialogue, the emotions, the soundtrack, or something?? else? What made it the most memorable to you, and why? What gaming moment will you ??never forget?! Cast your vote and check back next week for the winner and a new debate!

The post Game Debate to the Death! Favorite?? Tomb Raider game?? appeared first on Destructoid.

All this negativity is just a phase

With so many online multiplayer games such as Halo and Call of Duty becoming successful franchises, console online gaming really took off this generation. In doing so, the demise of single-player games has become a hot topic for debate. Harvey Smith, creative designer of Bethesda's critically acclaimed Dishonored, believes all the negative talk that gets reported on is just a side effect of market expa??nsion, and part of a cycle where we tend to focus on only new things.

"What people say each cycle is, 'Fill-in-the-blank is the new thing.' And if you're old enough, you remember when it was live-action video games," Smith said to GamesIndustry International. "At another point it was MMOs. At another it was social games. At another it was multiplayer shooters. And none of those things are bad; they're all great. But what the reality seems to be is we keep adding types of games and finding new player groups for those. The m??arket seems to be expanding."

Smith then alludes to the recent phenomena DOTA which has taken much of the PC wo??rld by storm and reinvigorated the RTS genre, showing us that by always focusing on the new genres, people forget that there are plenty of people who still like the old stuff too, and are not just going to stop playing them.

"It seems like our attention focuses on the new thing, but in reality, there are still plenty of people that like a particular kind of game," Smith said. "Every time someone announces the death of the single-player game, something like The Sims or BioShock Infinite comes along and does different things well. So far we haven't capped out. It's not like DOTA fans are buying DOTA and not playing Skyrim, or buying Dishonored and therefore not buying Madden. I think there's a bunch of different audience types and ??we haven't even hit the limit yet."

Smith also touched upon feedback with Dishonored, with players calling for multiplayer modes. However, he stated that more players have thanked them for making an exclusively single-player game. He recalls the time where a former publisher tried to push a mu?ltiplayer flags mode on them, but Arkane preferred to concentrate the?ir efforts on getting two original things they had been working on right, rather than just adding a tacked on multiplayer mode that nobody wanted.

Smith hopes that in time there will so much competition, developers will be forced to specialize and differentiate to win, rather than trying to do too many things at once, whilst trying to copy what everybody else?? is doing.

Personally I dig a rich single-player experience, and I hope developers can see that many others do too, and with successful games like Dishonored and Skyrim, they can see that there's definitely still a place for them right here, right now. I know this man agrees with me. Do you?

Demise of single-player ??games overstated, says Dishonored dev [GamesIndustry International]

The post Single-player games still alive says D??ishonored ??dev appeared first on Destructoid.

SimDebate to the Metacritic Death!

Last week we debated over which of the Dead Space games was most worthy of a trophy, and it was great reading through your comments that brought up gam??eplay, visua??ls, scare factors, and other elements to judge the series on. Here are the top three results:

• Dead Space: 33 votes -- winner!
• Dead Space 2: 25 votes
• Dead Space 3: 6 votes

I had other plans for this week's game debate, but the community has spoken. A lot. And pretty much all about SimCity, Amazon, and the perpetually infamous Electronic Arts. So instead of focusing on? the bad, let's focus on something positive. W?hat game developer (not publisher) is the most loyal to its fans out of all the other game companies in the industry?

Is it because ??????????????????????????of their refusal to let profits change them? Is it their willingness to change to meet all of their fans' demands? Or maybe it's their unparalleled customer service? There are plenty of companies to choose from, so?? think long and hard before voting, and make sure you read through the comments to consider some of the other worthy candidates. Check back next week to see which company gets the crown!

The post Game Debate to the Death! Mo??st loyal game company? appeared first on Destructoid.

Game debate to the silent, stealthy death!

For those of you who never participated in the hundreds of Destructoid game debates I posted over the years, it revolves around taking a popular topic and letting all types of gamers explain their perspectives before casti??ng their vote. Hopefully we all learn to understand each other and the industry itself a little more each week. I read every comment and am always open t?o suggestions, so don't be shy!

This week I'm restarting the debate series with one of the most successful series of all time. For a lot of gamers, it's easy to think of Assassin's Creed as just an entertaining game series with frequent updates over the past few years. In reality though, it's become one of the best-selling game franchises of all time. So, what does this series mean to you?

Which game in the Assassin's Creed series is your favorite, and why? Not the one that's necessarily the best, but the one you like the most. What sets your pick apart f??rom the other games in the series? Sell me on the idea! Give it some serious thought, share your rea??soning with all of us, and then check back next week to see which game is the most loved!

Bonus Question: Who is your favorite character in th??e whole series, and why?

The post Game Debate to the Death! Favorite Assassin’s Creed game? appeared first on Destructoid.

_{[Dtoid staff member Chris Carter used his community blog to dissect some of the tropes discussed in yesterday's interview with Anita Sarkeesian; ultimately, he remains unconvinced. Want to share your own opinion on the subject? Get writing! --Mr Andy Dixon]}

Recently, Anita Sarkeesian and Destructoid engaged in an interview, mostly regarding her new Kickstarter initiative, set to expose many anti-female or over-sexualized tropes prese?nt in videogames.

Anita made headlines when she was lambasted by angry detractors who attacked her personally, and said that "she was just doing it for attention." Although personal attacks ?are never OK, the fact that her Kickstarter now allots approximately $160,000 to this previously $6,000 ??project raises some concerns in many gamer's eyes: not with Anita herself, but with the project.

With this much money involved, people want to be sure that Anita is doin??g everything she can to truly make a difference, and not provide a face-value assessment of the s??ubject matter, that may misconstrue the original developer's intentions.

I have to say?????????????????????????? this upfront immediately, as many people will read the first few lines and make assumptions: this blog is not meant to be a personal attack on Anita in any way, nor is it meant to debate the etymology o?r efficacy of modern feminism. She actually seems like a cool person, I just take issue with some of the "tropes" that she has chosen to bring to light.

This is meant entirely as an in-depth look into some of the games that she feels are perpetuating a negative female stereotype, and not an attack ??on her personal character -- as a result, I'd like to ask that your comments here also refrain from any personal attacks. 

So without further ado, here are so??me of the examples she has given:

Sarkeesian: Rayman Origins is one of the best platformers I’ve played in years. It was a fun, challenging, and gorgeous game but I was frustrated that I had to repeatedly save the "busty" Nymphs in Distress.

Firstly, the Nymphs themselves are a classic set of characters from the original Rayman, and are not unique to Rayman Origins. In Origins, they provide Rayman and co. with ?t??heir powers, which are absolutely necessary to complete the game -- they are a powerful force that run the game's world, and oversee the elements that create it.

They are also the creator of Rayman himself (s??pecifically Betilla the fairy, who has a name). Yes, that's right, in this particular universe, woman created "man" (or Ray...man, in this case). If need be, the game's strong female characters could ??simply create another Rayman. This is essentially the antithesis of the Garden of Eden, a very male-centric origin story that contends that females were formed from the rib of a male.

An argument can be made that the Nymph's new look is overly sexualized, which is a fair assessment, given that they share many physical characteristics with a Tex Avery cartoon. I would contend that given the Nymph's (and? some fairies') actual historical origin of presenting themselves as tempting and desirable however, that this is more of an attempt to synthesize that same mythological history, to convey a familiarity with the audience.

I also feel like the Nymphs are very comfort??able with the way they look, and look down on Rayman from time to time as someone with a mischievous devil may care attitude.

This is just one example of the other side of the argument. I can only hope that these sorts of points are brought to light. As is the case with every argument, there are two sides, and progression can only truly? be gained by looking at all possible viewpoints, and forming a comprise.

Sarkeesian: On the indie side of things, I really enjoyed Bastion, but the only female character in the game doesn’t have any depth (to put it mildly); basically, her whole characterization was "The Female."

The fact that she does not refer to Zia by name is my first issue. "The Female" not only has a name, but she is far from being labeled "just the female". If someone rushed through the game without taking the narrator's framework to heart, or skipped the challenge arenas, it would be easy to come to that conclusion. Thankfully, that's the opposite of what actually happened in Bastion.

At one point in the story, ??the main character named "The Kid" (a male) assumes that Zia has been kidnapped, and rushes off to save her like a damsel in distress. However, it is ac??????????????????????????tually revealed that Zia left the camp of her own accord, willing to brave the wilderness to discover the truth behind their world.

At first glance, Zia seems like someone who would not be able to take care of herself. In one fell swoop, she has turned this trope on top of its head, and is ??a positive role model.

Bastion is a minimalist game -- you actually don't learn everything about any of the game's characters. In fa??ct, you actually learn the least amount of information ?about the game's main character -- a male simply named "The Kid".

Additionally, Zia is not over-sex?ualized in any way. She is simply seen wearing a very non-assuming outfit -- not that it would matter if she decided to dress different (which I'll get to in a moment). All in all, there really is nothing bad you can say about Zia.

Sarkeesian: This week I've started playing Gravity Rush and I'm really loving it, though I have to say it’s a little ridiculous that our hero Kat flies and tumbles through the city at tremendous speeds, lands upsidedownways on various building or structures and fights Nevi monsters all while wearing high heels and without any armor (or even pants). Can you imagine what her knees are going to look like? Someone needs to get this woman some protective motorcycle gear and a pair of hefty boots!

This is going to be my longest example, because I feel very strongly a?bout the positive characterizati??on of Kat.

I can't tell if Anita is trying to be funny her??e or not. Taken at face value, this argument is very tenuous, given that it doesn't take into account the game's world rules in any fashion. Kat's powers allow her to fall from unforgivable heights and not break any bones because of what's basically a force-field that's built into her superpower abilities. Whether or not she has "armor on" or not is not relevant, as she could protect herself from harm regardless of her wardrobe choice.

Speakin??g of wardrobe choice, however, Kat specifically refers to the fact that she "enjoys" donning a school-costume upon going und?ercover in one mission. If she really enjoys dressing up (as I know many of my friends do), who are we to deny her that right?

This also isn't taking into account all of the game's additional costumes besides the one you can find in basic screenshots, or, most importantly, her personal character. Simply put, Kat is one of the most positive characters to ever come out of gaming: ma?le or female. She's one of the most loving, kind, and heroic individuals in any medium to date. Period.

In one late mission specifically, Kat is tasked with overseeing the military's takedown of an evil alien species referred to as the Navi. During the operation, one lone pilot is shot down. Your male General dismisses him as a mere casualty of war, but Kat won't stand for it. Imm??ediately and without hesitation, she disobeys orders (knowing the potential consequences), and goes to rescue the pilot. "I can't just leave him. I just can't", she yells, as she drops down into the chasm below.

But it goes further than that. Not only does Kat show resolve, but she follows through. During that same mission, she has to save said soldier without the use of her gravity powers. Even without her super-human abilities, Kat is still a strong, and unrelenting force. She not only saves the soldier, but she goes on to save the entire town? on that same m??ission. Talk about a force to be reckoned with!

It'??s details like that (not i?nformation that can be picked up from a trailer), that I would like to see in the finished product.

Sarkeesian: I really appreciate the gameplay and some of the complexities of the Assassin’s Creed series, but I've been regularly disappointed with the female characters for a whole host of reasons that we don’t have the space to get into. I am, however, looking forward to Assassin's Creed: Liberation for the Vita which is (finally) going to feature a woman, so we’ll see how that goes *fingers crossed*.

Anita doesn't take into account two major factors: the efficacy of historical fiction, and Lucy Stillman. As fellow Dtoider Kyle MacGregor perfectly voiced, "It's not necessarily the place of historical fiction to be gender progressive if they're trying to be more or less accurate." I think this is a very salient point. Although there are women who do defy these traditions (as there actually were, historically), as a general rule, women would not be able to speak out against say, The Pope in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood.

Regardless, there are female assassin's to recruit in Brotherhood and Revelations. In fact, many gamers were proud that all of their supporting assassins were female -- the fact that this is possible in the game is a great thing. I also see no attempt to mention Sofia from Assassin's Creed: Revelations as a positive role model fo??r women, despite historical restrictions for her gender?? at the time.

There's no accounting for Lucy, who is arguably the most complex, and strongest character in the entire series to date -- I can only hope that some of the Kickstarter funds will go towards, say, Assassin's Creed: Revelations' DLC, which enhances Lucy's story.

?On top of all that, not only do these aforemen?tioned characters exhibit strength in the most dire of times, but they repeatedly outwit their male counterparts (Sofia to Ezio; Lucy to Dr. Warren Vidic and Desmond himself).

So do you guys agree in any form with some of the assessments given above? While Anita's personal at??tacks were completely unwarranted, the beauty of the internet is that amidst some of this blin??d hatred, rational gamers can also voice their opinion.

Note that this has nothing to do with "privilege", or any sort of socioeconomic argument: this is simply a balanced view of some of the misrepresentations given for a few of Sarkeesian's examples from a gameplay and narrative perspective.

I think people are quick to shut down arguments by attacking someone pe?rsonally (such as "you hate women", or "you are a self-loathing man"), but I like to think many of you community members are a bit more open minded ?than that. Just as this blog itself is one man's opinion, Anita's work is also another person's opinion, which she more than has the right to.

As Jim Sterling's Jimquisition series has wonderfully shown, the internet is a great thing, as it allows for a varying degree of opinions. This is simply one gamer's concerned opinion, nothing more. At the very least, I hope Anita can learn from some of the above examples, and?? convey a more balanced view in the future. I really think that with the right material, she can make a change.

I'm just not sure I'm convinced yet.

The post A response to some arguments in Anita Sarkeesian’s interview appeared first on Destructoid.

GDC is in town and that means all the industry's leading experts are in San Francisco to talk videogames. Two of whom are Kevin Dent (who works with developers to fund their games), and Jesse Divnich of EEDAR. They talk about a myriad of topics, such as what they think will be the biggest sequel of 2012, if the Wii U will flop, and what's the status of th?e next consoles from Sony and Microsoft.

Kevin and Jesse seem to have some sort of a frenemy relationship, and they share quite a few funny moments together in? the video. But they also have a lot of expertise and very interesting things to share, so it's definitely worth a watch if you want a glimps??e at what the rest of the year will look like for the industry.

The post Experts Debate: Max and Tara talk with vi??deogame analysts appeared first on Destructoid.

[Dtoiders CaptainBus and mrandydixon give us the first Debatoid, offering a comprehensive exploration of a pretty interesting topic. Check it out and join the debate. Want to see your own writing on the front page? Write something awesome and put it in the C Blogs. -- Kauza]

Welcome to Debatoid! We take a co??ntroversial topic, form a proposition, and set two contenders the challenge of stating their case in favor of and in opposition to the proposition. After which, users may vote to decide which contender they support. 

The proposition: As long as FPS games are our most popular genre, videogames will not be taken culturally ??seri?ously.

Ready? Debate.

 CaptainBus states his case for the proposition: 

The First Person Shooter represents easily our most popular genre this generation: For the biggest players in the western gaming industry, FPS games all represent their flagships; (Activision/Call of Duty, EA/Battlefield, Microsoft Game Studios/Halo, Sony Computer Entertainment/Killzone) 

Despite the overall dominance of these flagship titles on FPS market share, the genre remains extremely well represented througho?ut the videogame publishing world, and the speed and diversity with which these titles are being released are a clear indicator of their massive commercial appeal. 

By the end of this year the top FPS games that will be added to the already swelling roster will include; Homefront, Bioshock Infinite, Flashpoint: Red River, Brink, Bodycount, Crysis 2, F.E.A.R. 3, Call of Juarez: The Cartel, The Darkness 2, Resistance 3, Battlefield 3, Rage, Duke Nukem Forever and, of course, the annual blockbuster that is the next Call of Duty title. 

Many of these games are some way from release. However, I am sure we are all too familiar with the extent of the core gameplay in any and all of these ??games. By “we”, I mean any of us who may have ever played a first person shooter before. 

We know that the barrels explode, the bad guys don’t speak or look like we do, and a few first a??id kits or a quick time out can heal all wounds.&n?bsp;

Let me be the first to say; as far as treating videogames as a sport, in which strateg?y, mechanics, reflexes and aim are more of a consideration than considering the human condition, there is absolutely nothing wrong with t?hat. 

However, what if we strip away the game element and consider the FPS genre itself, in which we must consider the shooting of people or things as ??the primary component. How can it benefit us culturally? Let me take a case in point to consider: What would happen if you give a soldier a military videogame? 

In 2010, Point Magazine published an online article by Jo??shua Casteel, a former Abu Grab prison guard and a real modern warfare veteran. In the article, he described his sensations on playing Modern Warfare 2 for the first time: 

“What I did was … just now … was essentially just play some interactive, videogame version of Debbie Does Dallas. Anatomically correct. The full nine. It was even sexy. But further f*cking removed from real war than porn is from real sex. Which of course is why everyone loves it. It turned me on.” 

For those of us who have not experienced real combat, then, the experience ?must be further distanced; a military FPS, must give us an insight into war as much as pornography gives insight into sex to a virgin. 

On that basis, in which a military FPS; arguably the most gritty end of the FPS spectrum, and the one to which we could most associate as a parallel with what real people are doing elsewhere in the world, is considered akin to pornography, how can an FPS involve us more in an understanding of human behavior? If the answer is “it ca??n’t”, how, then, can an FPS be culturally relevant? 

Then, since we have proven that the FPS is the current standard by which videogames are regarded by the wider world, how ?can videogames be taken culturally seriously? 

 mrandydixon states his case against the prop?osition: 

Other than a certain out-of-shape plumber with springs for legs – whose influence has been dwindling as of late – First Person Shooters are the sole representatives of the videogame industry in today’s popular media. Recent games like Bulletstorm, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Duke Nukem Forever, whose boundary-pushing uses of violence and language have garnered the collective ire of Fox News pundits and liberal politicians alike, have ??become the literal faces of videogaming in the 21st Century, for better or worse. 

As such, the videogame industry is judged, by the outside world, wholly on the quality of a genre whose primary focus is shooting people in the face. (Or, in the case of Bulletstorm; the dick. Or the ass.) But are they doing their job? Are shooters upholding their elected position as our most popular g?enre, and thereby showing the ??world the relevance that videogames can have to our culture? 

Put simply: Yes. 

While shooters (and videogames in general) are nowhere near a Holodeck level of r??ealism or immersion?? (yet), their potential for emotional impact – when in the proper hands – can still be great. 

Regardless of the disconnect between the player and his or her in-game actions, experiences like shambling around the wreckage of your helicopter in the wake of a nuclear explosion (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare) or beating down Andrew Ryan with a golf club (Bioshock), when shown from a first-person perspective, can emotionally weigh on a player just as greatly as any scene from Saving Private Ryan or Apocalypse Now. 

Add to this, I would propose that the simple fact that shooters consistently receive media attention at all has se?aled their relevance withi?n our culture. 

Try to think about? the last time you saw media coverage for a new platformer. Or a racing game. A music game? RPG? Hell, even Madden, one of the highest-selling series in all of ga?ming, receives little-to-no coverage outside of the occasional commercial on ESPN. (To be fair, some “sex-laden” RPGs occasionally manage to slide themselves in and spray their filth all over the media’s spotlight, but on the whole this is not the case.) Certainly, each of these genres contains games worthy of praise, but because they rarely venture into the realm of over-the-top violence and profanity, they remain hidden from view. 

Let me be clear; I’m not advocating that videogames should have to resort to head-exploding violence and “dicktits” in order to generate a buzz, but that seems to be the way things are working out. However, I’m also not proposing that this is a bad thing. If shooters are what it takes for the rest of the world to debate – intelligently – the merit of videogames, then so be it. The fact that the industry has grown and – “dicktits” be damned – matured to the po??int of earning heated discussions on the 5 o’clock news is something we should all be happy about. 

It is because of shooters that videogames even have a place at society’s table. If it weren’t for the guaranteed media attention that the genre garners, videogames would still be seen as nothing more than a hobby enjoyed by children. And because they generate debate in a way that platformers, racers, sports games, and even RPGs couldn’t hope to??, shooters are our best bet at securing videogaming’s place in our culture. 

RESULTS 

Voting has now concluded on the 1st Debatoid ever! Many thanks to everyone who voted. The ??results are in and I have to say it was a very close call. I have to say this to try and build up the tension, because it was actually not a very close call at all:&nb?sp;

Congratulations to my colleague mrandydixon for his victory. A truly deserved one. Despite being new to the idea and being brought in at my request to try something entirely new, he was unwavering in his enthusiasm and support for the idea of Debato??id, and was? a gruelling opponent, providing an insightful and thoughtful counterpoint to my argument. 

I have the utmost respect for Andy as among the men responsible for bringing me back to Destructoid, and can saf??ely say that there wouldn't have been a Debatoid without him, and by this time I would have been a long distant memory of Destructoid past without his insistence and spirit. 

It was a tough sell to dig up the old "videogames as art" argument and giving it focus and punch by relating it to the current blockbuster of our generation that? is the FPS. I was hoping that by putting a slight slant on the idea it would bring some interesting new avenues to bear. Here are some of the highlights from the discussion: 

Lord Death of Murder Mountain 
"I genuinely don't see why video games should be culturally relevant. A lot of people believe that games should 'grow up' and start acting like Limbo or Braid. I kill these people." 

Occams electric toothbrush 
"Games should be culturally relevant because being cultu?rally relevant doesn't mean tha?t fun has to be sacrificed for the sake of art. 

??"For me, culturally relevant means it appeals to a wide spectrum of people and the medium takes on an intrinsic value for people??. It goes from being something they do to something they appreciate and even love. Entertainment, education, inspiration, um, something else-ation. I think games can be all of that without having to give up anything." 

Nihil 
"...as someone who has been moved by multiple genres in ga??ming, I'm holding out hope that FPS will churn out a few games that the mass media absolutely cannot gloss over as immature baby-raping simulators. It will take time, and it will take some big names to back it up, but there's a definite possibility for it to happen." 

CelicaCrazed 
"Like I was saying the other day to someone on here, mainstream shooters can be critically analyzed if gamers really want to. A game like Killzone 2 has its story universally panned but if you sit down and deconstruct it, the game does an amazing job showing a man unable to control the chaos around him. Gamers tend to only analyze the "Heavy Rains" and "Braids" of the video game world becaus??e that is what those games are being marketed as." 

jjjenigma 
"I believe games ?are already somewhat culturally relevant, but I'm ta??king a view on what may be stopping them from advancing even further abroad. I love my FPS's, and they can contain undeniably powerful moments but i still think we are limiting ourselves with what we can do with the first person perspective. " 

Elsa 
"Nobody would play COD for hours and hours every night if they were playing with bots - part of the attraction for FPS military games is the same addiction that draws gamers to large MMO's like World of Warcraft&nbs??p;- it's the social interaction with other people.&nbs??p;

"That onli?ne interaction is in itself culturally relevant - the formation of clans, the heirarchy of leadership in clans (and the fact that the leadership has no basis in gender or age - anyone can lead a clan and it's not unusual to see 16 year olds taking leadership roles over 30 year olds). The nature of FPS online games have a cultural relevancy in the social interactions observed and played out." 

mrcecilman 
"We're not determining the worth of the FPS genre; we're looking at the way non-gamers perceive the medium due to the popularity of sai??d games. 

"A few weeks ago i was talking to a non-g?aming co-worker about video games and asked him 'What would you think of me if i randomly walked up to you and said "I play video games?" ' 

"His response was 'Well, I would assume you just sat around, smoked pot, and played Call of Duty all day.' " 

vApathyv 
?"The mere fact that this topic even warrants debate shows just how far we've come and how much FPS games are a part of that." 

I have to say that I have been incredibly impressed, enthused and excited b?y the prospect of introducing Debatoid to the cblogs, and the reception has not been a disappointment. I'm delighted to see people already anticipate the?? next instalment in what I hope to be a long and illustrious series. 

I intend to consider Debatoid as a blog for the community, by the community. You do not need a degree in journalism or a debate championship medal to qualify. You just need to love videogames and love talking about them. If you want to be involved as a contender or to contribute to a future topic, simply drop a PM to Debatoid, CaptainBus, or email?? me at cap?tainbus at gmail dot com 

That is not to say that I will never get involved as a contender in Debatoid, nor will this be the last t?ime I will ask mrandydixon if h?e wishes to participate. Nor may it be the last time we debate against each other...but that is all for another time. 

A brand new Debatoid, with brand new contenders, will be winging its way soon. The contenders are prepared, the topic is decided, and the opening statements are 50% complete! I do not wish to give away the next topic,?? but suf??fice to say that we have an exciting future in the pipeline! 

Thank you, Debatoid will see you soon! 

 CaptainBus

The post Debatoid: Do FPS games prevent videogames’ cultural relevancy? appeared first on Destructoid.

In the previous debate I started bringing the massive RPG debate tournament qualifiers to a close by asking everyone which Wild Arms game was their? favorite out of the e?ntire series. After reading through all of the comments it's clear that there's a lot of different opinion about some of the games, but when it comes down to votes here's how the rankings ended up:

• Wild Arms (14 votes) -- Winner!
• Wild Arms 3 (8 votes)
• Wild Arms 2 (2 votes)
• Wild Arms 5 (1 vote)
• Wild Arms XF (1 vote)

This week you'd better be ready for a huge debate because it's time for my annual question: What's your favorite game of 2010? I'm not asking which you think is the best, I want to know your personal favorite of the year. Destructoid has announced its winner and bonus winners, and I know the Destructoid Show had a Twitter poll for reader votes, but I know not all of you have Twitter accounts. So here we go! Let's settle 2010 once and for all. If you don't have a Dtoid account yet, what are you waiting for?!

Cast your vote in the comments (voting for more than one game gets you disqualified) and check back next week for the results! Bonus Question: What was your least favorite game of 2010?

The post Game Debate to the Death! Favorite game of 2010? appeared first on Destructoid.

In the previous debate I took a? break from our ongoing RP??G series debate topic to see how you all would adapt when asked which of these two vastly different games was better:

• StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty (49 votes) -- Winner!
• Halo: Reach (25 votes)

Moving on, let's see how the previous RPG series debate went. Here are the results of the three most popular Mana games yo?u all voted on, with the rest receiving less tha??n five votes.

• Secret of Mana (28 votes) -- Winner!
• Seiken Densetsu 3 (22 votes)
• Legend of Mana (17 votes)

This week we take on one of the last RPG series before solidifying the RPG tournament brackets. If you thought our epic Street Fighter series debate tournament was ??huge, then just wai??t! Actually, no, don't wait, go play some of the RPGs in recent debates and start preparing!

Which game in the Wild Arms series (full list here) is the best, and why? What sets your pick apart from the other games in the series? Sell me on the idea! Get me stoked to see it compete in the RPG tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did! If you've never played a Wild Arms game before, then feel free to vote on the worst M. Night Shyamalan movie debate over on Flixist instead!

The post Game SERIES Debate to the Death! Wild Arms series appeared first on Destructoid.

In last week's debate we moved from the Valkyrie Profile series to the newer Valkyria Chronicles RPG series. Even though almost nobody had a single bad thing to say about the PSP sequel, the response was overwhelmin??g for the first. Here are the results:

• Valkyria Chronicles -- (48 votes)
• Valkyria Chronicles II -- (4 votes)

This week we're discussing a series that spans two decades and several consoles and handheld devices. The Mana series -- known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan -- has had its strong points and weak points depending on who you talk to, so I'm eager to see which games get the mos??t praise this week. As for the massive impending RPG debate tournament, we're almost ready to start the brackets! Just a few more weeks to go!

Which game in the Mana series is the best, and why? What sets your pick apart from the other games in the series? Sell me on the idea! Get me stoked to see it compete in the RPG tournament! Give it?? some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did!

The post Game Debate to the Death! Mana series appeared first on Destructoid.

In last week's debate we compared and contrasted newer and much older games from a series that gets much praise in the RPG communities. The original a??????????????????????????nd the sequel were tied for the first dozen votes, but eventually the fame of the original groundbreaking game left the others in the dust. Here are the results:

• Valkyrie Profile -- (24 votes)
• Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria -- (11 votes)
• Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume -- (1 vote)

As promised, this week we see the first and second Valkyria Chronicles games battle for the right to go on and represent their series in the upcoming RPG series debate tournament. I expect a lot of text explanations this week since there are only two games to choose from. Let's see how you think they stack up to one another, and what exactly it is that separates the winner from the other game. Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back? next week to see how your game did!

The post Game SERIES Debate to the?? Death! Valkyria Chronicles appeared first on Destructoid.

In the previous debate we reached way back to one of the oldest RPG series of all time. Despite release dates spanning about two decades, Ultima fans proved to be every bit as varied as the series over the years. To have an almost even amount of fan support for that long ??is a victory in itself??, and the many developers who have impacted the series should all be proud. Here are the results:

• Ultima VII -- (18 votes)
• Ultima IV -- (8 votes)
• Ultima VI -- (6 votes)
• Ultima III -- (3 votes)
• Ultima VIII -- (2 votes)
• Ultima IX -- (2 votes)
• Ultima V -- (1 vote)
• Ultima Underworld -- (1 vote)

This week, we tackle a series that some would consider old, although it began just as the Ultima series began to slow to a stop. Don't let the two new Valkyrie Profile games released in the past four years fool you; the original Valkyrie Profile stretches back to 1999. And before you ask, yes: votes for Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth will count for the original,? and vice versa. They will count as one combined game for the sake of this tournament's organization. 

Which game in the Valkyrie Profile series is the best, and why? What sets your pick apart from the other games in the series? Se?ll me on the idea! Get me stoked to see it compete in the RPG tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did!

P.S. If you haven't played the new Valkyria Chronicles game yet, then hurry up! It and the original RPG will face off in next week's debate to the death! A game that got a 9.5 review from our staff competing against one of the top 10 games of the decade isn't a fight you want to sit out on!

The post Game SERIES Debate to the Death! Valkyrie Prof??ile series! appeared first on Destructoid.

In the last debate, we had one of the closest voting races I've ever seen. Persona 4 would take the lead by two or three votes, and then Persona 3 would strike back with a few votes of its own to tie it up. This continued about ten times until one ga??me's pool of fans eventually dried up. It was e?xciting to see them compete, and both games should be proud of their performance. Here are the results:

• Persona 4 -- (54 votes) -- Winner!
• Persona 3 / Persona 3 FES -- (41 votes)
• Persona 2 -- (8 votes)
• Persona 1 -- (1 votes)

This week, the Mickey Rourke of role playing games enters the RPG wrestling ring. Before the multiple console RPG explosions of the 90s, Ultima was already a famous PC series with several installments and countless fans. However, as the veteran aged, things eventually slowed and later stopped as the prestigious PC series inevitably retired. Nothing can take away what it accomplished in the past thou?gh, and this week it??'s up to you to pick which game deserves to represent the entire series in the upcoming RPG series tournament.

Just to be clear, you can vote for any of the main series Ultima games, but Ultima Online is off limits. The purpose of this tournament isn't to include MMOs or online RPGs, but instead?? focus on great ?single player RPGs.

Bonus Question: What was your favorite item, enemy, and level of the game you voted for? Tell us w???hy you loved the game!

The post Game SERIES Debate to the Death! Ultima series appeared first on Destructoid.

Last week was a nostalgia nightmare for many readers, as we were tasked with the challenge of picking which EarthBound (Mother) game was our favorite out of the series. Some were completely on board with the newer Mother 3, while some stood by the EarthBound game they grew up with, but most were torn over the choices and forced to weigh the pros and cons before making a careful decision. That's always ??the sign of a good debate! In the end, after much fist-shaking at Nintendo, here were the results:

• Mother 3 -- (44 votes) -- Winner!
• EarthBound (Mother 2) -- (32 votes)
• Mother (EarthBound Zero) -- (7 votes)

This week we have another series that never received much marketing, but still went on to snowball and stand tall with a tidal wave of fan support around the globe. Out of all the Shin Megami Tensei: Persona games in the series, which is the best, and why? What sets your pick apart from the other ga?mes? Sell me on the idea! Get me and others stoked to see it compete in the RPG tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did!

Bonus Question: What's one thing you didn't like about t??he game you voted for?

The post Game SERIES Debate to the Death! Persona series appeared first on Destructoid.

EarthBound, which has always been known as Mother overseas, started out as one of the most beloved RPG series of its time, remained one of the most cherished series all throughout the 1990s, and has since then proven that it stands the test of time with ease. However, with the release of Mother 3 a few years a??go, m?any are divided as to which game deserves the crown, and that's precisely what we're going to determine this week!

As for last week's debate between both K.OT.O.R. games, Dtoid reader Jarmel summed up most voters' opinions with "This is like comparing Modern Warfare to World at War." Here are the results:

• K.O.T.O.R. (57 votes) -- Winner!
• K.O.T.O.R. II: The Sith Lords (14 votes)

I've got a feeling this week's discussion might be similar to the Fallout series debate, where many expected the most recent game of the series to win with ease, only to see a strong surge of support for one of its predecessors. Will the battle between EarthBound and Mother 3 live up to my expectations? Will it be a landslide? Or will one of the other games in?? the series pull off a surprise win? Anything can happen, and the outcome is all in your hands!

Which game in the EarthBound / Mother series is the best, and why? What sets your ?pick apart from the other games in the series? Sell me on the idea! Get me stoked to see it compete in the RPG tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did!

The post Gam??e SERIES Debate to? the Death! EarthBound (Mother) appeared first on Destructoid.

I was looking forward to the discussion that the previous debate would spawn, and it didn't disappoint! Fallout is one of those series that has a huge amount of new and old fans, and witnessing them clash in? the comments made tallying the votes even more exciting. Here are the?? results:

• Fallout 2 (68 votes) -- Winner!
• Fallout 3 (55 votes)
• Fallout (22 votes)
• Fallout Tactics: Brotherhood of Steel (2 votes)

Just like recent debates with Golden Sun and Mass Effect, we've got another debate this week that's between a "series" of just two games. Before there was Mass Effect, BioWare was proving their worth with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. BioWare continually proves their relevance each generation, and the winner of this debate w??ill ?most likely move on to do battle in an even grander BioWare bracket.

Which of the two K.O.T.O.R. games is better, and why? What sets your pick apart from the other game in the series? Sell me on the idea! ??Get me stoked to see it compete in the ??RPG tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did!

Bonus Question: What's one thing you didn't like about the ????game you voted for?

The post Game SERIES Debate to the Death!?? K.O.T.O.R. series appeared first on Destructoid.

In last week's debate we discussed the pros and cons of two of the most loved games in recent years, and both games saw an immense amount of support, with many elaborate posts that I really enjoyed reading. Dtoid reader knutaf even wrote a community blog about the debate! With well o?ver 100 votes cast, it looks like the winner will surely be a strong contender in the massive-sized RPG series tournament that we're slowly approachi?ng:

• Mass Effect 2 (82 votes) -- Winner!
• Mass Effect 1 (42 votes)

This week we take on another series debate that will make many readers roll their eyes, and even I expect a Fallout 3 massacre to be inevitable, but that's still no reason to assume Fallout 3 is better just because it's newer and larger. There are some valid arguments against Fallout 3 which need to be discussed before casting a vote. Such as the debate that Fallout 3 was less mature and morally ambiguous as its predecessors. And also the very compelling argument that Fallout 3 was incredibly buggy, even for months and months after its release. Are these just chinks in the armor? Or enough to slay the?? beast? That's for you to decide!

Leave no concept or design aspect untouched, weigh all options, and check out what other points are being brought up in the comments before casting a vote! Which of the Fallout games is the best,  and why? What sets it apart from the other games in its series? Sell me on the idea! Get me stoked to see it co??mpete in the tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see h??ow your game did!

The post Game SERIES Debate to the Death! Fallout series appeared first on Destructoid.

Just like the previous debate, calling Mass Effect a series after two games feels a little strange, but just like Golden Sun, Mass Effect is a series where fans lo??ved the sequel as much -- or even more -- than the original game. That en??ded up being the case in the last debate, so this week should be interesting to watch. The original game took an early lead, but the sequel slowly built momentum and eventually overcame the first game in votes:

• Golden Sun: The Lost Age (31 votes) -- Winner!
• Golden Sun (26 votes)

With some series we see fans fiercely split in their support for one game and hatred of another in the series, with the other side having th?e exact opposite opinions. It's good to see a series where the majority of fans are all in unison in their praise and gratitude to the designers for not letting them down.

However, it's these scenarios that I find to be the most interesting debates of all. Since it's that much harder to make a choice between two games, it makes us think even longer on what exactly it is that we did and didn't like in each game, and why we felt that way about those mechanics, characters, or stories. I don't expect this week to be an easy debate for the Dtoid Army, but I hope you don't shy away from it just because it's hard to choose! Don't forget you're choosing which game will go on to represent this? series in our future RPG tournament!

Which of the two Mass Effect games is better, and why? What sets your pick apart from the other game ??in the series? Sell me on the idea! Get me stoked to see it compete in the tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did!

Bonus Question: What's ?one thing you didn't like a??bout the game you voted for?

The post Game SERIES Debate to the Death!? Mass Effect series appeared first on Destructoid.

Yes, I know. Calling Golden Sun a series is a little laughable, but this RPG tournament qualification process is all about including every game the Dtoid Army demands, and the Golden Sun games were high on that list.

In last week's debate we opened the flood gates to what will surely be one of the fiercest competitors in the tournament that lies ahead. I basically asked everyone what "generation" of Pokémon games was their overall favorite, and "it was super effecti??ve." With almost 200 votes cast, I'd certainly say so. After the dust settled, here is what the final vote totals came?? out to:

• Pokémon Gold / Silver / Crystal / HeartGold / SoulSilver (115 votes) -- Winner!
• Pokémon Red / Blue / Yellow / FireRed / LeafGreen (35 votes)
• Pokémon Ruby / Sapphire / Emerald (16 votes)
• Pokémon Pearl / Diamond / Platinum (9 vote)
• Pokémon Snap (2 votes) -- Awwww!

There were also a few games that received only one vote, such as Pokémon Stadium, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, Pokémon Puzzle League, and Pokémon: Johto Photo Finish. Maybe in the next debate I'll even go ba??ck and tally up which pokémon earned the most votes in last week's bonus question.

Both Golden Sun and its sequel Golden Sun: The Lost Age managed to achieve nearly identical amounts of success, ??and went on to be some of the best gaming the Game Boy Advance ever offered. They both added a few refreshing elements to the RPG gameplay formula, and were also well known for their impressive handheld graphics and special effects. I've heard ??equally great things about both games, so I'm really eager to see which one comes out victorious this week.

Which of the two Golden Sun games is better, and why? What sets it apart fro??m the other game in its series? Sell me on the idea! Get me stoked to see it compete in the tournament! Give it some serious thought, share your reasoning with all of us, and then check back next week to see how your game did!

P.S. I'm going on vacation to Italy for the next few weeks, so there won't be another debate for a while. Use that extra time to catch up on some of the RPGs that have won recently that you never had a ch??ance to play! You don't want to get caught with your pants unequipped in the middle of a heated RPG series tournament!

The post Game SERIES?? Debate to the Death! Golden Sun series appeared first on Destructoid.