Oh, the irony of claiming I'm on a high horse, when you stated not three days ago that anyone who dislikes the plot of MGS2 "just doesn't get it" and is too shallow to want to think while playing games.

This really isn't about me and my exquisite, sophisticated tastes -- which don't really exist yet, and are only burgeoning -- it's about people who are already mature adults, and their sophisticated tastes, which do exist, right now. I'm not there yet, as I've pointed out, but I can already feel myself moving in that direction. I'm 25 years old. I want this market to be ready for me when I'm 35 and married, or 40 with kids. I want an alternative to those "independant films" you alluded to in another thread; an actually cerebral experience to entertain myself with, but with video games. Guns, Swords and Cars clearly aren't getting us there, as video games have made no appreciable inroads towards capturing the adult audience in decades. Every time a new Kill-War-Death game comes out that involves me blowing up space aliens and secret agents, we move farther away from that goal.

And I said: Guns, Swords and Cars. I repeated this three times, in fact. Guns, Cars... and Swords.

Here is the first picture of Tidus I pulled up on Google.

http://magicfantasy.info/hpbimg/Tidus%202.jpg

I just want less games where I'm shooting and stabbing and killing stuff.  

 There are a lot of games that are mature, violent games that are actually pretty good. I mean, me and my friends enjoy the occasional 'Spaz out and do whatever the hell we want' in GTA, because IMO just going nuts with the game and handing the controller off after you're caught is pretty fun too. There are some games though that make more out of the blood and violence than the actual gameplay. 

I've got no problems with too many violent games, moreso the people who play them. If you're an adult and can avoid acting like a total moron because you're playing a violent video game (That e-thug syndrome), hey, all for it. The problem is, some games cater directly to that. And some people are just too stupid to realize that, yes, playing a video game and pulling some seriously sweet 'killins' does not make them tough or cool.

So hey, play all the video games you want, regardless of what other people say about it, considering the amount you've typed in posts, I can at least assume you're not one of those dolts, so do what you want. While I won't support bashing casual or mini games themselves, because I've had just as much fun with those in a group as I've had with things like Halo, GTA, Goldeneye. I think your complaints are more aimed at the people who think developing fifty of them is a good thing. (And the developers themselves.)

This is pretty much in line with my views.

Violent games about killing super spies and space aliens don't have to stop existing entirely to attract adult gamers, they just need to stop dominating the landscape (you may laugh at my examples, but consider all the games this includes -- Resistance: Fall of Man, Gears of War, Splinter Cell, Metal Gear, Halo... virtually every "killer app" that's has been or will be released on the 360/PS3 in the last year fall in to this category. Killing space aliens and super spies, every time). Similarly, lots of violent and/or sexual action movies that are clearly aimed at young males can exist as long as there are enough serious films made to allow the art form to grow and be taken seriously.

The problem right now is that "hardcore" gamers hold up games like Grand Theft Auto, Gears of War, Metal Gear Solid and God of War as the pinnacle of gaming. This is the apex of the video game world, and as long as that's true, there really isn't a lot of room for video games to become a legitimized art form instead of a childish entertainment.

It seems that Microsoft have obviously given Namco a bung to sign an exclusivity deal with them for say the next 2 years or so.

What is surprising, is if the games coming out are aimed at the Japanese market when they have so little units sold in that market....maybe this is their last chance to make a claim at selling more units in the far east.

Also, it's not surprising considering the small number of PS3's at home at the moment.  It could work with Namco i.e. by the time the deal expires, the PS3 will have a bigger base and then they can produce games for them, and if the PS3 fails miserably, then they continue where they are. 

I just wanted to point out that just because certain games are violent, doesn't mean they can't be targeted towards a mature audience.

You used Metal Gear Solid as one of your examples. What makes Metal Gear only targeted towards a teenage and/or immature audience? Are intricate plots with good character development considered immature, or even senseless violence? Sure, you have a point with some games such as God of War (ie. More blood and gore, essentially violence, then necessary), but that doesn't mean every game that contains or even about violence makes it intended towards a teenage/immature audience. Many RPG's, and games such as MGS are good examples of games that can be enjoyed by adult/mature audiences, without being senseless blood/gore.

I'm not going to tell you your views are wrong, because it all comes down to opinion. You have a valid point with games like God of War, Gears of War, and even Halo, but you can't discredit games with violence, for the sole purpose of those games containing violence.

*Yawn* Wake me up when MGS4 jumps ship.

You guys post the link. I'm too tired to do it right now.

Just check my post history.

John Lucas 

@Bodhesatva, I can't believe your younger than me... I see your point in gaming reaching a more mature medium(as in refined) but unfortunately I think games like Colossus and Ico will continue to fall into that "great game no one played" slump. Though who knows, the market is VERY different than 10yrs ago, and in all probability will be VASTLY different 10yrs from now.

BTW, don't lump MGS in with Halo again or we'll have to scuffle...LOL j/k... not ;)

 I don't think it's so much that he has a problem directly with violence in video games. I mean, we live in a fairly violent world as it is. And some stories, some ideas and concepts just can't be done with a lack of violence. If every game was non-violent, that would get stale too. I think it's moreso the fact that it seems like a majority of games are being made just for that group. I'm not really going to hunt down numbers to compare the numbers of violent to non violent games in production, but it just seems that way. And it could just be the times we live in. Sex and Violence has sold for years, now video games are going that way too. And just like music and movies, people don't really enjoy having the market command that the majority of things go that way.

Like I said above though, so long as it caters to a mature crowd, that's not an issue. Just don't cater to the braindead bunch, and we're golden.

Anyway, as for the actual topic of the thread!

It is rumor, so I'm believing we'll see this one squashed. Or at least, the game will be a timed exclusive, before the PS3 and Wii (if its the same game or a different version) are released. I just cannot see Namco-Bandai alienating the japanese market by sticking it on the 'gaijin' system only. You'd have to toss them a ton of money to want to ruin their sales, I just don't see Katamari doing great at all on the 360.