tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post2866089548926461983..comments2024-03-28T04:44:28.648-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Might and Magic III: Mudcrabs and Mud-SlingingCRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger93125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-85039688837529545262022-07-20T16:02:54.622-04:002022-07-20T16:02:54.622-04:00Re what became of Scorpia:
- In 2010 she had answ...Re what became of Scorpia:<br /><br />- In 2010 she had answered some questions, inter alia on being a female reviewer in the 80s/90s (I assume that's the interview Chet referred to): https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/gamazon-seven-questions-for-scorpia.<br /><br />- Later during the decade she contributed to the CRPG book put together by Felipe Pepe through a reprint of a 2006 piece by her titled "Cartography" (in CRPGs, of course):<br />https://crpgbook.wordpress.com/about-the-project/.<br /><br />- Based on that, someone writing for Kotaku managed to get in touch and published another article on and exchange with her in 2019:<br />https://www.kotaku.com.au/2019/09/searching-for-scorpia-whatever-happened-to-gamings-first-celebrity-critic/.<br /><br />Quote: "On the subject of her Might & Magic II review, Scorpia says to the best of her knowledge there was never any truly bad blood between her and Jon Van Caneghem, and says of her reincarnation as a monster: “I was disappointed; he ought to have made me big and nasty!”"<br /><br />The article also mentions her stating she still does some gaming, but has no desire to go back to reviewing games and that she closed the exchange with: "You can consider me retired."Buscanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-27005823394989411602020-01-31T18:27:41.413-05:002020-01-31T18:27:41.413-05:00There's a few "reviewers" that have ...There's a few "reviewers" that have become more-or-less mainstream by turning their reviews into a comedy show; Angry Video Game Nerd and Yahtzee Croshaw (Zero Punctuation) are the two best-known examples. Unfortunately, the presentation very often leads to people taking their over-the-top reviews at face value, or even completely missing the point of their criticism.<br /><br />For example, Yahtzee coined the term "PC master race" as a derisive term for gamers that drop $1000+ on monster PCs and look down on low-budget or console playwrs. Lo and behold, people now use "PC master race" to describe themselves with no irony or self-awareness.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14025511634630902101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-45775853058672609392020-01-31T12:11:58.779-05:002020-01-31T12:11:58.779-05:00I really miss Scorpia. Last I heard she had a webs...I really miss Scorpia. Last I heard she had a website but had shut it down because of "lack of interest." I wish she'd make a comeback and start reviewing games again. Overall I miss reviewing "personalities" in general. Everyone now seems bland, unknowledgeable, and overly eager to please gaming companies instead of just giving an honest review.EndlessMazehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00999364509330536088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-18227511002144435482019-02-26T19:29:36.316-05:002019-02-26T19:29:36.316-05:00Scorpia was way ahead of her time and was even sma...Scorpia was way ahead of her time and was even smart enough to know that she should not use her real name when writing reviews. What a legendTimnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-42850275034708236912017-11-13T22:27:11.311-05:002017-11-13T22:27:11.311-05:00Yeah, in 3.X D&D there is DR and Resistance to...Yeah, in 3.X D&D there is DR and Resistance to Elemental or Typed damage, which you could likely reuse code for, though they work slightly differently, but attack/damage work totally differently. Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72995732872910967442017-11-06T18:58:17.090-05:002017-11-06T18:58:17.090-05:00There was a press conference given by Sony where t...There was a press conference given by Sony where they boasted Ankit making the most realistic simulation of feudal Japanese warfare ever. Then a giant crab emerged, and they boasted Ankit their innovative combat system where you "attack the weak point for massive damage".<br /><br />So 1) apperently giant crabs are historically accurate<br />2) They tried to sell something industry standard as innovative. That would be like trying to sell an innovative magic system on the fact it has spell points that regenerate over time.Canageekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03770924810559440307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-86655284425033934712017-09-29T17:54:23.493-04:002017-09-29T17:54:23.493-04:00If a male writer gives your game a bad review beca...If a male writer gives your game a bad review because he couldn't solve a simple puzzle so he got stuck, and therefore you write him into the sequel as an NPC doing something idiotic over and over again while everyone laughs at him, that's petty but at least it's related to the subject.<br /><br />If you write the same male reviewer into the sequel as some kind of ghoul-creature that slinks around outside buildings and peeps in windows and performs obscene acts, because "lol he's a basement-dweller who will never have a girlfriend!", that's crass and completely uncalled for. It bears no relationship to the actual 'offense' and is just being a random gendered insult.<br /><br />Do you see the distinction?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9575892318582163112017-09-29T13:47:23.898-04:002017-09-29T13:47:23.898-04:00it's a bit condescending to assume that women ...<i>it's a bit condescending to assume that women writers either don't know this, are somehow above it, <b>or should be handled with kid gloves.</b></i><br /><br />I think this says nicely what I was trying to articulate above. In caricature, especially caricature intended to show utter contempt (as opposed to playful political cartoons), depicting your target as physically grotesque is a device so routine that it's practically part of the job description. If we say that this is off-limits if the object of ridicule happens to be female, isn't there a whiff of condescension about that?<br /><br />Going after Scorpia in-game is "the low road" for sure, but if we're bristling at things that wouldn't faze us if the object of ridicule were male, maybe we should ask Scorpia first whether she really wanted a White Knight of Wokeness +1 to intervene on her behalf. It's entirely possible that, even as the target of an unwanted jab, she'd still rather see us strive for a society with open, equal-opportunity ridicule, rather than one in which performative good manners mask a contempt secretly expressed at the ballot box.PK Thunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14416777230563913195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-51531533598439144752017-09-28T21:01:03.414-04:002017-09-28T21:01:03.414-04:00Gotta say Corey, I played QFGI-V about a year ago ...Gotta say Corey, I played QFGI-V about a year ago (GOG versions, lost my originals long ago) and thoroughly enjoyed them all just as much as I did 25 years ago. Yes V is different, but as someone who enjoys adventure games and RPGs I felt it captured that wonderful mix of the 2 genres better than any of the previous four titles. Not to sound like too much of a fan boy, but the originality of the series is rarely seen in any meaningful way. Developers should never try to compete with or replicate a previous title even within a series. innovation requires change and as long as its will thought out it can still work, albeit differently than earlier titles. CT62https://www.blogger.com/profile/09367626671107670398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-20060506842608703102017-09-28T18:07:24.332-04:002017-09-28T18:07:24.332-04:00VK: Those are fair criticisms. I booted up QGV las...VK: Those are fair criticisms. I booted up QGV last year and didn't get far in it. First, the programmers somehow left in a debug option to go "straight to the action" and I foolishly chose that. It took me to an (as far as I can tell) unwinnable combat, probably intended for much later in the game when your character has higher skills. It also led me to a deserted fishing village that was part of the story line and just felt empty when played at the beginning of the game instead. That option should never have been available to players.<br /><br />Even if it had not been there, I think the combat was designed to be intuitive to FPS players, but not necessarily to players of the previous Quest for Glory games. As FPS games make me seasick, I haven't spent much time with them.Corey Colehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16772474266362396768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9743331371551225332017-09-28T17:07:41.933-04:002017-09-28T17:07:41.933-04:00My overall point is that there is a tendency of so...My overall point is that there is a tendency of some reviewers, Scorpia occasionally amog them, to judge the totality of games by their worst features. I try hard to judge them by the totality of their features.<br /><br />It's even worse today, when games are deemed to "suck" not even when they're bad, but when they simply aren't the BEST. You'd have to be insane to think that <i>Fallout 4</i>'s graphics are BAD, but plenty of gamers opined that they "sucked" simply because they weren't as good as the best games ever made. Ditto its quest line and dialogue options vs. <i>New Vegas</i>. That's a ridiculous standard to have to live up to.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73353045728189685472017-09-28T14:06:47.770-04:002017-09-28T14:06:47.770-04:00If I read the story correctly, Van Canaghem wrote ...If I read the story correctly, Van Canaghem wrote a letter to the editor, which was published and then responded to by Scorpia. Having been told where he could go and what he could do to himself when he got there, he took the low road, one taken by a host of quite famous and even brilliant authors. Twain, Shakespeare, Dante, Stephen King...virtually every hapless lackwit or greasy scoundrel in the world of fiction takes at least partial inspiration from old enemies, faithless friends, or the grating drone at the DMV just before a new chapter was due.<br /><br />When it's your job to deliver your opinion, you have to recognize that you will make people mad. If you never do, you're likely not doing a very good job. If even your bad reviews are couched in such wishy-washy language as to be inoffensive, they lose their effectiveness. I'm sure Scorpia realized that or else she wouldn't have lasted fifteen years. Punch and counter-punch is the order of the day, and it's a bit condescending to assume that women writers either don't know this, are somehow above it, or should be handled with kid gloves.<br /><br />At the end of the day, a major artist in the field thought her opinions important enough to take very personally. That's power.ThirtyNinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07720392687278454430noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67689098521830031112017-09-28T04:05:28.965-04:002017-09-28T04:05:28.965-04:00Yeah, the Scorpia thing really is super shitty in ...Yeah, the Scorpia thing really is super shitty in retrospect. Kind of taints the game a little for me. I would hope JVC has grown past that.Jayhttp://www.thaquoth.denoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-8645958954242855032017-09-28T02:58:16.040-04:002017-09-28T02:58:16.040-04:00Scorpia participated in a group on the old GEnie b...Scorpia participated in a group on the old GEnie bulletin board back when MM3 came out. She appeared to be shocked or at least very irritated when we players told her about the Scorpia monster. Later her professionalism and wisdom guided her public reaction. But she was not initially as cool as some of you report.bansheehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16438986830273754976noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11383462740000453522017-09-28T00:50:33.304-04:002017-09-28T00:50:33.304-04:00The first time I played QGV I was thrown off by th...The first time I played QGV I was thrown off by the different UI system, I think, but after getting used to it I enjoyed it a lot, and felt like it was a fitting end to the series.<br /><br />I loved playing U5 but only with a walkthrough. I just didn't have the patience to play it straight, not sure if I do now even- it's a really dense, tough game. U4, in contrast, was the first Ultima I beat without a walkthrough (I think,) I was pretty shocked by how accessible it is by modern standards.<br /><br />Also, I've been skipping your M&M posts b/c I want to play them unspoiled, but the Scorpia trivia caught my eye, couldn't resist!Joet88https://www.blogger.com/profile/06298640825880372478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-57895979418795313212017-09-27T20:52:42.089-04:002017-09-27T20:52:42.089-04:00Hm. I just found a gem of recharging (GOG version)...Hm. I just found a gem of recharging (GOG version). Yep, works there, too. Funny.Quirkzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16409671254311123117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-70287856233031237282017-09-27T15:37:25.194-04:002017-09-27T15:37:25.194-04:00It does. Funny note, at least in the SNES port, yo...It does. Funny note, at least in the SNES port, you could find an item with recharge item, and recharge itself infinitely. Unfortunately, inventory space was so limited I didn't bother exploiting this.Zenic Reveriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16441583549326102945noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31654859968537140242017-09-27T15:22:34.314-04:002017-09-27T15:22:34.314-04:00Eww, that makes sense. No wonder the buffs feel so...Eww, that makes sense. No wonder the buffs feel so powerful in the Xeen games. They were balanced for higher costs and smaller effect.<br /><br />Does this game have the recharge item spell?GBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15031332983375940560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-11952727808816157242017-09-27T15:16:09.114-04:002017-09-27T15:16:09.114-04:00I was mainly referring to alpha and beta engine se...I was mainly referring to alpha and beta engine sectors, which Chet just got clues for and may reach soon. Those are midgame areas, and the crystal arrays there are all bad.ikantspelwurdznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47729886277611304042017-09-27T15:08:28.633-04:002017-09-27T15:08:28.633-04:00Temples are a good way to buff everyone cheaply. I...Temples are a good way to buff everyone cheaply. I don't think there's an advantage to the expensive temples. But you'll only get +8 or so this way.<br /><br />A premium option is the well of magic in F4. Set a beacon, wait until morning, then charge your SP above maximum and town portal (because spells take 10 minutes to cast outdoors) and then buff to your heart's content. If necessary, recall back and recharge SP, then zap back to town and continue buffing.ikantspelwurdznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39836581471611778272017-09-27T14:36:32.739-04:002017-09-27T14:36:32.739-04:00Blackwind and Greywind are completely optional, as...Blackwind and Greywind are completely optional, as is Swamp Town. Blistering Heights is only needed for training and spells. <br /><br />Still worth doing, but optional. You can skip the entire southern sectors of the map. DRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101990235685120060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73266982892047103332017-09-27T14:34:31.814-04:002017-09-27T14:34:31.814-04:00Unfortunately no. Also as unfortunate, while in MM...Unfortunately no. Also as unfortunate, while in MM4+5 World of Xeen the effects of Bless, Heroism, Holy Bonus, and Power Shield are party-wide, here they are character-specific. This makes it prohibitively expensive to buff the party fully. In my recent playthrough, I would burn through all my archers' spell points casting just Power Shield. DRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101990235685120060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26237651237959978532017-09-27T14:30:24.361-04:002017-09-27T14:30:24.361-04:00To be fair, if you played MM4 before 5 was out, th...To be fair, if you played MM4 before 5 was out, then it was probably the most perfectly balanced of all the Might and Magic games standing alone. You were meant to buy 4, beat it, then install and bring over your party to 5, then the World of Xeen specific content. <br /><br />I wasn't nearly as enamored of MM5. As a whole, I think MM3 is better than MM5/World of Xeen, but MM4 alone is the best of the classical era Might and Magics. I hold MM5 to be better than 1 and Swords of Xeen only, and 1 only because I haven't actually played it. <br /><br />Now of course, we just install the whole thing together. I'm not even sure you can get a modern copy without them together. I'd have to see if I still have my Clouds of Xeen disc to install it alone. DRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101990235685120060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76572377843204261032017-09-27T14:23:30.367-04:002017-09-27T14:23:30.367-04:00They don't work inside the Isle of Fire either...They don't work inside the Isle of Fire either. You have to walk. <br /><br />I just played through Terra for my You Tube channel, and tried to teleport around. DRGhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101990235685120060noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-29490763702159908922017-09-27T14:16:37.258-04:002017-09-27T14:16:37.258-04:00Yep, I touched the crystals, saved without realizi...Yep, I touched the crystals, saved without realizing....<br />And yeah, my entire game became unplayable. That's where I stopped playing.AdvancedHeronoreply@blogger.com