So, because all the best stuff happens at around 2:45 am, I’d like to (hopefully quickly) talk about a topic that, over the past couple of days, has really become apparent to me.
This post, as with all the others, is going to be about games, so stick with me through this next bit. Have you ever seen whiplash? It’s a movie (an excellent movie) about a drummer who aspires to be the best in the world. Whilst not wishing to spoil anything, I want to talk about a scene that is really relevant to this topic. J.K. Simmons gives a brief monologue-esque speech about how the idea of something being ‘good enough’ meaning that no improvement is needed, is one of the reasons that jazz is dying. This is hands down my favourite, non-incredible-drum-solo moment in the film, because it’s so applicable to the world today. That’s all I can say about the scene without giving anything away, but I do advise watching the film.
‘What relevence does this have to the topic of the post?’ I hear you asking. Buckle up chief, you’re about to experience some game journalism.
Because I’m still bitter, the main focus of this post will be about ‘The Last Guardian,’ but not in the same way that the last one was. I’m going to talk about how the notion of ‘good enough’ is the reason that ‘The Last Guardian’ released to generally positive reviews and why when team ico/studio Japan grace us with their presence next, we’ll be in the exact same spot. Team ico built up a reputation as being an auteur driver studio with artistic visions for their games with the critically acclaimed, ‘ICO’ and ‘Shadow of the Colossus,’ and when ‘The Last Guardian’ was resurrected from the depths of development hell a few years back, the gaming world rejoiced. The fabled third game from this seemingly mythic studio was actually coming. When the game finally released, some outlets game it a 7 or 8 out of 10, acknowledging that, yeah, it’s got issues, but what are you going to do? Others even went as far as to give it a perfect score, stating that it was an unforgettable work of timeless art.
Games journalism sites commended the impressive animations, well written story and great soundtrack of the game, and had all but neglected the fact that everything else was average at best, outright bad at worst. For them, it was ‘good enough.’ It was ok that so much of the game wallowed in mediocrity, because it was technically working, and was therefore ‘good enough.’
This tolerance of absolute mediocrity is the reason that truly iconic and legitimately timeless works of art are so fleeting today. There’s so little push for anything above a passing score, that a passing score has become an achievement. ‘The Last Guardian’ is almost an embodiment of the notion of mediocrity being something to set your sights on, and it’s truly infuriating that now Studio Japan has once and for all proven that it can garner such a positive response from something so surprisingly average, it’s just going to keep happen. When yearly release games achieve perfectly serviceable scores for pushing out a polished, if not entirely revolutionary experience, I don’t lose sleep. When something is given so many chances to succeed, and 7 years to do it, but still ends up being lazily designed, then I write about it at 2:45.
I don’t hate ‘The Last Guardian’ for anything actually in it. I hate ‘The Last Guardian’ for what it represents; the failure of a game studio to make anything other than a mediocre game with a few novelties. The failure of games journalists to expect anything other than the bare minimum out of their games. And the failure of myself to vote with my wallet. By picking up a copy of ‘The Last Guardian’ (a pre-ordered steel book edition no less) I am a part of the problem, and whilst this may sound hyperbolic, that makes me sick. I can say with almost 100% certainty that ‘The Last Guardian’ is the most disappointing game I have ever played, because it was good enough. Team Ico knew that, and they did nothing.
Y, Though? 