Poll: Does gore make a game good?

[KnightOfHearts]

I for one am quite excited about the release of Ninja Gaiden 3 as the series has been one of my favourites for a few years now.
After finding a review on inentertainment I was rather shocked at how many people are choosing to boycott this game due to the fact that there is no dismemberment.

I'll admit there are a few concerns I have with this game

- Only one weapon
- Upgrades are dependant on story progression as opposed to paying for them with the games currency
- Apparently no demonic enemies
- Downgraded difficulty
But side from the above NG3 looks like its going to be awesome!

After reading some of the comments like "Terrible news, the weapons issue is
Minor compared to no gore. Ill spend my money on something else"
and "no gore? no sale". I'm puzzled as to what the fascination is with watching your opponent scream when their arm flies off and their blood spews across the floor.
Ninja Gaiden has always been about the challenge, blood and gore ran a sad and sorry last to the myriad of weapons, crazy combos, getting your ass handed to you a million times and the awesome ninja acrobatics.
So my question is
Does gore make a game good?


Oh and no mean comments, if someone says they don't like gore in their games don't give them a hard time.

 

[Lucem712]

I played Ninja Gaiden 'cos of the cool weapons (Woohoo, claw hands/feets!) and the difficulty. I don't...really care if someone's arm comes off when I attack them.

It can be kind of gross sometimes. It got to the point where it seemed like Ryu stumbled into an army of poorly assembled manikins; it's not like Ninja Gaiden is the SAW series.

 

[Smertnik]

I won't deny it, I like quality gore in games, it certainly can add to specific types of games. That being said, the idea that gore makes a good game or the notion of even boycotting a game because of lack thereof seems extremely childish to me. I'm pretty sure the authors of such comments are almost entirely teenagers.

 

[Owyn_Merrilin]

It depends on the game. If one of the big selling points of a game is the gore, removing it from a sequel is a bad idea; think about Mortal Kombat Vs. DC Universe, which was a pretty terrible MK game even without the censored fatalities, but was kind of a case of "why did you go with this license in the first place?" With them censored. Especially because the controls felt more like Super Smash Brothers Vs. DC Universe, which with the limits on gore placed on the DC heroes and the mandated T rating, would have made a lot more sense thematically, too.

 

[StBishop]

Short answer: no.

Long answer: No, and why do people feel the need to put stupid shit in their poll options, why does it have to be "Derp, no" and "HELLS YES!"?

If you need an enthusiastic option at least have a scale. Fuck.

Also, stupid choice options; in this case "Jemima puddle duck" don't add hilarity, they add stupidity.

 

[Dejawesp]

The gore in Prototype was bloody fantastic. Splitting humans in half.

I'm pretty sure the first decade of the Mortal Kombat Franchise sold on gore as well.


Pretty much all western fighting games sell on gore.

A cool move in a Japanese fighting game is throwing an opponent into the air and then hitting and kicking them so many times that you earn 100 arbitrary combo points.

A cool move in a western fighting game is when you break the opponents leg off and use it as a club to beat him to death.

 

[Angelblaze]

It has to be 'tasteful' gore if you catch my drift. I'm sure we've all gotten sick or bored of the excessive violence of the mortal combat series after around 20 playthroughs of a story that most people really don't care to hear, which means that if you want to put gore in a game you have to be careful because people are going to immeidately assume that if you put too much gore/violent imagery/bloody head explody death that your trying to be mortal kombat.


To put it simply, no. It's how the gore is used nowadays that matters.

 

[DustyDrB]

The gore in the new Fallout games looks cringe-inducingly stupid, which is why I never take the Bloody Mess perk. I dunno...I seem to always hate games that make gore a part of its marketing.

 

[AD-Stu]

It depends very much on the game. I've never played a Ninja Gaiden game so I can't comment on that, but I can't imagine a Mortal Kombat game without gore, it just wouldn't work.

The same is true across all media - while the gore isn't necessarily the reason you go to see a zombie movie, for example, but you expect there to be some and it'd probably be a lesser experience without the gore.

 

[OldDirtyCrusty]

It depends very much on the game. I've never played a Ninja Gaiden game so I can't comment on that, but I can't imagine a Mortal Kombat game without gore, it just wouldn't work.

The same is true across all media - while the gore isn't necessarily the reason you go to see a zombie movie, for example, but you expect there to be some and it'd probably be a lesser experience without the gore.

Yeah.

I miss gory fps. The last i remember was cod:bo, even there i missed the gory headshots. I want to see results when i use a pumpgun on someone at close range (even if it`s urealistic) and where the hell are the bullet holes?
The gore shown in bulletstorm was fun but a bit overdone for my taste. A new sof from raven would be a dream come true.

 

[Snotnarok]

No its not that it makes it good but when a game like Ninja Gaiden a game so deep in blood gore and violence does a 180 and tries to employ stealth and less blood it kind of kills the reason for players to get into it when that's when that's what makes the game fun.

That's like Mass Effect suddenly turning around and taking out the renegade and paragon convo replies. Is it game breaking? No but it's a lot of fun to see such things.

Edit: The other problem is a lot of series that were eager to have gore are getting toned down much like many movie series that were rated R get demoted to PG-13 and less interesting. Probably to make it more appealing to more people, which annoys me because it's censoring what something was meant to be.

 

[DementedSheep]

It can add or detract from a game depending on how it?s done and how well it fits but it definitely isn?t a make or break thing.

 

[Fishyash]

I just want to leave this here.


I don't think putting in gore does not make a good game on its own. It... has to fit really, and I don't really think you need gore for a ninja gaiden game unless the gameplay fits it really.

If Ninja Gaiden is a really violent game (as in, you swing swords with high fidelity graphics) then gore would probably improve the game, since you expect to chop people's arms off, instead of slashing through them and then only see them get hit in a way that looks like they got hit on street fighter (no offense to that game, it makes perfect sense in the gameplay there).

Honestly the only games where it makes sense is when gore is a selling point like in mortal kombat, or there will be lots of "lethal attacks" a la bushido blade that oneshot the weak enemies.

 

[Kae]

Of course not, the gore is irrelevant to the quality of the game, I mean sure sometimes it can help and it's of great appeal to some people but if you're product is good it should be able to succeed if you don't have gore, unless you're franchise is defined by gore like Mortal Kombat, but I don't think Ninja Gaiden was ever defined by it's gore, I'm pretty sure it was the ridiculous difficulty and the cinematic style that defined it, well cinematic at least on the NES but the 3D ones have a pretty good looking combat too.
Basically what I'm saying is that if you won't buy a game that looks awesome just because the enemy's arm won't fly off you are kind of a moron but I must admit that dismembering an enemy is always satisfying.

 

[greatcheezer2021]

gore can enhance the gaming experience, depending on genre. either comically or to set a tone/mood. a game does not need it, but if dying is involved, you cant avoid it.

think back to the beginnings of entertainment. Roman theatre and gladitorial games. theatre was the combination arts and music, which was greatly improved throughout history thanks to both, great minds and audiences alike.
being a gladiator was combat and blood sport, all for the entertainment of the audience. the romans had special reasoning behind the games with several themes, akin to early theatrics. you sure as hell went to the games to see someone die, albeit messily depending on the circumstance/day. the games went well because had its own crowd and people were mostly satisfied with what was expected.

my point is, gore and disturbing images are not necessary, but in themes where the aspect of death is involved, it is expected to be done well, even if theatrically. however, gore alone does not make the game. it is the players and the public's general reception whether the game is successful or not. individually, it is all about whether you choose to take life and limb(s) in a virtual world.

 

[Vanitas likes Bubbles]

Short answer: no.

Long answer: No, and why do people feel the need to put stupid shit in their poll options, why does it have to be "Derp, no" and "HELLS YES!"?

If you need an enthusiastic option at least have a scale. Fuck.

Also, stupid choice options; in this case "Jemima puddle duck" don't add hilarity, they add stupidity.

Maybe because some people arent massive killjoys like you. Also this is a gaming community, it isnt always taken seriously.

OT: Gore really adds nothing for me. Infact I had a fear of gore when I was younger.

 

[Littaly]

I'd say no, because I personally don't care a bit for it. I'm fine without gore, and for the most part I'm OK with gore too (as long as it doesn't give off a desperate vibe).

But it's not like it doesn't matter. The level and style of the gore can be a very conscious part of the game's visual aesthetic, and sometimes to great effect. In those cases (which are by no means rare), I'd be lying if I said it doesn't matter.

So, yeah, I thought "Jemima puddle duck" was the option that best described what I just said.

 

[manic_depressive13]

It can add to the aesthetic, just like good voice acting and graphics can help create a better atmosphere, but of course none of these things can, in themselves, make a good game. Unfortunately, Ninja Gaiden never had anything going for it except gore and massive tits.