Game Ranter Banter: Saints Row 3, Resident Evil 6, Diablo 3 & Max Payne 3

Typically, I like to start off these posts with something relevant to gamers, before segueing into a random joke that refers to the Game Ranter Banter. Sadly, my creative juices have been drained this week. Video games.

This week our writers will discuss the GenkiBowl DLC for Saints Row: The Third, Capcom's desire to get Call of Duty fans to play Resident Evil 6, the legnthy development cycle of Diablo 3, and Max Payne 3's place in modern shooters and the controversial Game of the Year Edition. Let's begin.

Resident Evil 6: Zombie Warfare (By Trung Bui)

The desire to attract more fans to a company's game is always an incredibly important priority. Capcom has thus stated their dream to pull Call of Duty fans toward their own property and why not? Being able to draw from one of the most popular entertainment franchises in gaming history would be a great coup to Capcom and a mark in the win column. However, what kind of changes would be coming to their latest iteration of Resident Evil?

Capcom knows that the lessening of the survival-horror element affected some of the reception to Resident Evil 5. Elements of RE5 were creepy, but in the end, it played out more like an action movie with a few closet scares. Capcom aims to return to their roots in Resident Evil: Revelations (demo now available) and from the trailer, RE6 might be pretty darn good.

Gamers do bemoan the phrase "accessibility" in their video games, but if Capcom looks more toward the successes of the Dead Space franchise in how scares can (or should) be delivered, their next project can be incredible. Let's keep our fingers crossed that Operation Raccoon City won't just be an attempt at a fast-paced Resident Evil game, the track record for those games aren't very good. That being said, RE5 was the best-selling game in the series to date.

A Max Payne in the Ass to Conventional Wisdom (By Brian Sipple)

We praise today’s top tier shooters not only for their photorealistic graphics and Michael Bay-rific action, but also for the way they feel like the real thing — and rightfully so. But spend time in any one of them, and it’s not hard to spot moments where the perception of reality breaks down. Be it repetitious, cookie-cutter death animations, the way turning to aim and turning to move are often literally joined at the hip, or when going prone feels like crawling around in pool of molasses (looking at you, Call of Duty), the nuances of today’s games still offer plenty to nitpick on.

That’s exactly why I got excited after writing Wednesday’s article on Max Payne 3’s targeting and weapons. Even for a third-person shooter, its approach to movement, aiming, and animation feels like a breath of fresh air from what we’re used to seeing. At first, I thought it was ironic to hear Rockstar extolling the level of realism in game whose protagonist can be seen shooting five dudes in the face mid-dive over a pool table. But when they seem to be applying the same care and love built into games like Grand Theft Auto IV and Red Dead Redemption directly to guns, bullets, blood, and more guns, it’s almost as if Max himself has drunkenly smashed a bottle of Jack Daniels over my head and knocked some senselessness into me.

Ohhhh Yeah, I Remember Diablo....2. (By Andrew Dyce)

Let me make one thing clear: I am all for developers taking their time to release the game they want to. Never, under any circumstances, should a game make it to shelves as an unfinished product. But the ridiculousness of Blizzard with the ongoing Diablo 3 debacle is starting to get on my nerves. After who knows how many redesigns, the developers told us the game was 'in its home stretch' - a year ago. Since then the team has come up with interesting new loot mechanics, completely removed those same mechanics, and brought fans some good news of a console release plan before denying that was at all a reality.

Here's my problem: this is clearly and quickly approaching the point of absurdity, since Diablo 3 is likely more than 90% of the game it will ever be. Developer commitment is a terrific thing, but obsessing over perfection instead of sticking to a plan almost never ends up well - just ask the team behind Gran Turismo 5. The StarCraft, Diablo and Warcraft brands have brought great security to Blizzard over the years, but taking fans for granted is a dangerous game to play. But hey, it's nice to know they have that Auction House figured out.

Murder Time Fun Time...Minus the Fun (By Anthony Taormina)

I would like to take my Banter time to talk about GenkibowlVII, the newest DLC for Saints Row: The Third (a game I label as my favorite of 2011, don't judge). While the single-player game is permeated with some of the highest highs I saw in a video game all year, it is colored with some lackluster side missions that rely solely on recycling activities, ad nauseum.

And so developer Volition, instead of capitalizing on the solid writing and pitch perfect sense of humor from the main campaign, decided to release a side mission collection for DLC. To say this is a disappointment would do a disservice to my hopes.

Clearly there is a place for arena style mini-games or what have you - Borderlands did it quite well with Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot - but as the first in a promised trio of offerings it created the wrong impression. The other two DLC selections sound more story-based, so let's hope this isn't a downward spiral.

Not Having A Fallout With GOTY Editions (By Anthony Molé)

Game of the Year Editions are a topic of controversy among gamers. Some people love them because they get extra content, others feel cheated out for being early adopters. While both sides could argue for days on end, the truth is they're both right.

When I bought Fallout: New Vegas at launch I knew there would be some sort of special edition containing all of the DLC down the road, and lo and behold, just a few days ago I wrote about a trailer for the Fallout: New Vegas Ultimate Edition. Do I feel cheated? No, not at all. This practice has become so commonplace in the game industry that at this point, if you buy a game at launch and then complain about the GOTY Edition, it's your fault. Waiting is really one of the best things to do when it comes to games (and evidently, hardware), unless it's a franchise you absolutely love or you want the Collector's Edition, why not wait a year for the GOTY Edition to come out? It will save you money and give you time to play other new releases.

Oh, and if you're posting in a comment thread about a new release, please don't say "I'm going to wait for the GOTY Edition." As smart as it is, no one wants to hear it.

Conclusion

That's all for this week's Game Ranter Banter. As always, let us know what you think of this week's news in the comments, or on Twitter @GameRant and Facebook.com/GameRant and if you have specific topics you'd like any of the team to cover, don't hesitate to ask.