VG: Anyone else feel this is just commercialism gone mad?

[Athel is a large otter]

i just feel this is too far, fine make a film of the book (even if the makers catch new line fever and do there level best to mess around with the plot)

but a video game



please

ahh well i suppose its money in pp's pocket and up to him what he does with his franchise at the end of the day.

[Blossom]

Why is a film any better than a video game?

[cloudpine]

I think it's fine to make a game of the book, or any book, so long as it's well handled

Unfortunately this looks rushed, cliched, and basically pretty dull. It bears little enough resemblance to the film, let alone the books, to bear the Golden Compass title, it seems to me. Not really Sega's finest hour

Having said that I've not played it yet, and I hope I'm wrong. It would be great to play through a decent version of the events of Northern Lights, and I'm not sure a game's any worse than a film or any other adaptation..? Just turning one story into another one to fit another medium. Especially considering the book's appeal with kids, the primary players of video games..

Also it's unheard of for a big kid's film (and that's what the film is, even if the books aren't "kids books") to be released without a rubbish game accompanying it. I think the whole universe would have ripped apart if they hadn't made a cash-in game to go with it. Is it being released by EA by any chance? That would make sense, they only put out terrible licensed games.

[Ian]

The Board Game is good fun

[Yrael]

I've finished the 360 version and loved it, why is everyone so dissapointed?

[TheKnifeBearer]

If a film is expected to do good and there is a way to mingle it into a game (LOTR, Harry Potter ect) it will be made and no matter how bad or how rushed it is people will buy it because it has a brand name.

Its like with films, an epic is made which will be remembered for ever, but because some money grabbing SOB wants to make more from it, they make a sequel which will make money no matter what anybody says because it a branded name.

This is my opinion, correct me if you think I'm wrong.

I personally voted 'No' to the poll.

[Darragh]

Making a film isn't commercialism gone mad but making a game is? Why do I get the feeling that you see games as toys with no relevance whatsoever? Do you even play games? Neither book nor film can tell a story the way a game can.

[Trystobefunny]

Making a film isn't commercialism gone mad but making a game is? Why do I get the feeling that you see games as toys with no relevance whatsoever? Do you even play games? Neither book nor film can tell a story the way a game can.

I don’t know about that. You’re saying a game can tell a story better than a book? Why do I get the feeling that you ONLY play video games all the time? A book can tell a story so much more than ether film or game. Your imagination is what makes a book better than a game or movie. A movie and game tell you what to think and how you see the characters and events. With a book you are free to do that yourself. And that is coming from someone that plans on going to film school sometime in the near future...

[Darragh]

No i didn't say a game could tell the story better. I said that book and film can't tell a story in the same way that a game can which makes it just as valid an artform in my opinion. The OP seems to be implying that it isn't.

Nope, I don't read books, I just play games. That's why I'm on this forum.

[Trystobefunny]

Ok I partly agree with that. Sorry for my misunderstanding of you previous post. And I kind of do see you point. The way they make games now you can choose loads of different beginnings and endings, completely changing the experience ever time you play. Although I get that same experience when I read HDM over again. I’m always finding something I looked over before and asking myself new questions. But I would have to say books are the best way to tell a story.

(I never said you didn’t read. It just sounded like you were implying that games were better.)

[Darragh]

It's not just multiple story arcs. It's the interactivity that I'm talking about. Over books they have this advantage. It allows great games to have the immersiveness of books. Books have imagination to immerse you with, a powerful tool in the right hands. It is telling that most games just offer "fun", the medium is still in it's infancy not even half a century old whereas I think books have been around for a few years more. All forms of story telling have their benefits. I feel like I'm going off topic but I guess this is the topic being raised.

[Trystobefunny]

I think that a sign of a great game is if it makes you actually feel for the characters. Although I am yet to find a game that made me feel the same was as when I finished HDM. But some have had small bits of feeling. The difference is you have to feel for the characters and the characters feelings have to be believable as well. The point I'm trying to make is that I’m guessing that this Golden Compass game does not do this given the many reviews on this site and many others. Which is why I continue to hesitate spending $2.60 to rent it.

[TheKnifeBearer]

Making a film isn't commercialism gone mad but making a game is?

I definatlly can be sometimes

Why do I get the feeling that you see games as toys with no relevance whatsoever?

Hell no!

Do you even play games?

Too Much

A book can tell a story so much more than ether film or game. Your imagination is what makes a book better than a game or movie. A movie and game tell you what to think and how you see the characters and events. With a book you are free to do that yourself.

Couldn't be more right.

I think that a sign of a great game is if it makes you actually feel for the characters. Although I am yet to find a game that made me feel the same was as when I finished HDM.

Final Fantasy X

[Darragh]

TheKnifeBearer, my comments were not directed at you but at the OP but thanks for sharing.

As for games being unable to match books. Go play Planescape: Torment then come back to me.

[Jez]

I think that a sign of a great game is if it makes you actually feel for the characters. Although I am yet to find a game that made me feel the same was as when I finished HDM.

I didn't cry when I read HDM, but some games have made me tear up a bit.

Anyway, it's my opinion that movie tie-in games are almost always rubbish commercial cash-ins. Which is why I'm not at all surprised to hear negative reviews of the TGC video game.

If a video game is taking commercialism too far, then so is the rest of the merchandise imo - books of the movie, board games, cuddly toys etc.

[Will's.Lost.Fingers]

Anyone else feel this is just commercialism gone mad?

Sure it is,but it's not gone mad,just ordinary commercialism.And with the second and third movies you can expect a lot more of this.That's why the movie sucks,because it is made to be sold/make profit out of it,not be watched/used.In their effort to make the movie more acceptable to larger groups of people New Line Cinema have effectively crippled it. Now everyone will try to make a buck from the new "phenomena",dump it down,distort,twist and simplify it as much as possible and when there is no more interest in it just move on leaving a pile of worthless ~*pineapples*~ behind.An Artist should not be concerned if his work will be liked or not,he must express himself into it,not obey public prejudice.

[Gabe]

A movie and game tell you what to think and how you see the characters and events. With a book you are free to do that yourself.

So everyone always interprets characters the same way in a movie/game and no one is ever manipulated by a book's narrator?

[Pausert]

A movie and game tell you what to think and how you see the characters and events. With a book you are free to do that yourself.

So everyone always interprets characters the same way in a movie/game and no one is ever manipulated by a book's narrator?

I think its also worth mentioning that appearance isn't what entirely defines your view of a character. I think its easier to deal with an adaptation of a character that is true to the book in every way but looks as opposed to the alternative of a perfect physical representation but a completely different mentality or mind.

[Acchon]

This game makes me so disappointed! As a gamer it makes me upset that these people are doing a worthless videogame about the book and movie I love. Why can't anyone make a good movie-licenced game for once? The only reason I finiched it was because I like the books.

[Darragh]

This game makes me so disappointed! As a gamer it makes me upset that these people are doing a worthless videogame about the book and movie I love. Why can't anyone make a good movie-licenced game for once? The only reason I finiched it was because I like the books.

There is good reason why people can't make a good movie licenced game. Time. (There are a couple of good ones though...but 96.2% are rubbish) They don't have enough of it. ALL the best games of the last few years had development times of at the very least 2 years. My personal favourites of recent times Resident Evil 4, Bioshock, Half-life 2, Wii Sports and World of Warcraft took ALOT longer than that.

It is a sad fact that these people see the videogame medium as the electronic equivilant to a Mug with The Golden Compass written across it.