Well it’s launch day for Halo: Reach, and the geeks were out in force (more like dozens) in the wee small hours, jostling in late night lines, eagerly anticipating getting their clammy hands on the latest must-have sequel.
If your like me and felt nothing but embarrassment as you watched BBC News this morning, then I thought for those of you who missed it, might like to watch the video of it. Keep an eye out for the guy who brought along his tired, confused and bored looking girlfriend towards the end of the footage, as well as the gentleman in the rather horrendous yellow and black cheque scarf. I’m embarrased for them.
On a side note, at 00:45 of the segment, there is film of Masterchief equipped with jet-pack, flying around Trafalgar Square this morning. You can view the offending footage here.
Makes you proud to be a gamer doesn’t it?…
Email the author of this post at lewisb@tap-repeatedly.com
It was just as bad on this side of the Atlantic, my friend. Apparently someone in a line was stabbed.
OVER HALO.
I mean come on, people. I’d stab somebody over, like, Shadow of the Colossus or Barbie Horse Adventures, but Halo? Pleez.
Aww, I don’t think there’s any reason to be hard on them. I don’t give two shits about the Halo series, but if tons and tons of people are that into it, more power to them. They have a game they love, and they want more. I can certainly sympathize.
Hmm, I can’t seem to edit my last comment. I was gonna add that I heard they are re-releasing Shadow of the Colossus and ICO for the PS3 as a joint package. Time to start stabbing Steerpike? : )
I guess I just have to say I haven’t been that excited about anything in recent memory…unless it was sex. I mean video games are fun and all. On the other hand I have to say that these guys seemed pretty well spoken compared to what you’d see over here in the U.S.
Oh Armand, there will be stabbings. Many.
Editing comments: we’re working on that. : )
Haha Steerpike 🙂
I’m not sure I’m being hard on them, but some of the dribble they and the journalist came out with was just cringe worthy.
The only thing I’ve ever queued for is the last Harry Potter and only then because I was awake and just went to Tescos!
I’m just disappointed nobody dressed up for the occasion. The Harry Potter queues were so much more interesting to look at!
It’s unfortunate that most of the known world thinks of precisely this demographic when hearing the word “gamer.” They might be right, I suppose, but the cynic in me cringes when I see millions lining up to eat another spoonful of shit from Bungie
Oh, oops, I meant to say shit tastes good to some people, and if they like it, then who am I to criticize?
[…] Tap Repeatedly drags out a BBC report on gamers lining up overnight for Halo: Reach. Unwittingly, these Halo enthusiasts have run into the open talons of a media that likes to cast them as sadcases who think some new game is more inspiring than something that you can really get worked up about like, say, entry to a Wimbledon game. If only the BBC had found some cosplay folks to jeer at, the drag queens of the gaming community, helping to typecast our special underclass. Don't worry, the television tells you, you're not as sad as your average WOO! WOO! gamer. […]
One man’s shit is millions of gamers’ joy.
I find Harry Potter and Pokemon less to my tastes then this game, but I don’t hold it against kids for liking products intended for mass consumption.
Hell, I loved Dragon Ball Z as a kid. Have you seen that show. It’s next to unwatchable. In the end, most of these were teenagers going to an “event” for a pop cultural product.
If anyone here (fairly) deserves scorn, it might be the journalists who waste airtime covering a small group of kids nerding it up. What, no kittens stuck in trees that day? : )
“I was gonna add that I heard they are re-releasing Shadow of the Colossus and ICO for the PS3 as a joint package.”
It’s funny, because as amazing as that package will be– and I’ll say it now, I’m buying 3 copies: one copy to keep factory sealed forever and fondle, a second as a backup copy and a third to play– I think their washed out looks on the PS2 fits the mood of each game perfectly. But of course I’m still totally interested to see how they port to PS3.
TGS. Tomorrow. And if there is new Last Guardian footage I may have to quit my job to leave work early and watch it over and over in the comfort of my own home. Stay the bloody hell tuned.
xtal, have you popped in Ico into your console recently? Just this past weekend I decided to play Ico again (didn’t know about these re-mastered versions and hadn’t played it since I beat it – multiple times – during its initial release), and boy oh boy does the game look butt ugly on my HDTV. I remember the game having a washed out, “bloomy”, dream-like look to it, but it was almost unplayable now. I have an original 60GB PS3 running the game, through HDMI to my tv.
Needless to say, I stopped playing and am highly anticipating these re-mastered versions. Have technical details on the discs been released? I’m assuming Ico will now be in widescreen and I’m hoping running at a rock solid 60fps.
I guess to each their own, tanis. I played Shadow of the Colossus for the first time in 2008 (still working on it … or more accurately, cherishing it.) and Ico for the first time this year. There was no hiding the fact that this was a nine-year-old game: on my 42″ HD TV the graphics were admittedly blurry and washed out as I mentioned prior. However, it really didn’t bother me; it felt oddly appropriate: almost like over the years I had failed to play the game it had undergone some gentle decay and brought an almost nostalgic feeling to me, despite that, with it, I had no previous engagement.
I imagine your experience, a genuine revisit, would be quite different from my own.
I’m always inclined to be more like Armand at times like this but then I see the offending video and I’m back with Lewis. Perhaps it’s something our mum fed us.
I think Jason’s on the money though. When you see fans queuing up for the latest Harry Potter book or Star Wars film you know people don’t see them as representative of that entire form of entertainment; they’re just fans of those series. When it comes to games though, I’d bet that those gibbering queues are all people know (and see) of gamers so we all get tarred with the same brush, which is pretty damn embarrassing. I love games but come on, the lead character is a frickin’ space soldier called Master Chief.
Master.
Chief.
I think the artists went down the pub, had a few pints and started stringing random high ranking words together to come up with that:
Marcus Lehto: Okay guys, we’ve been here for eight hours *hic* and so far we’ve got King Boss, Chief Champion, Master King, Don Captain, Captain Daddy, Boss Chief, Don King and Captain Champion.
Shi Kai Wang: Don King is a boxing promoter.
Rob McLees: What about Master Chief? *hic*
Wang: I like Don Daddy. It’s poppin’. *hic*
McLees: *hic* What about Master Chief?
Wang: *hic*
Marcus: Okay Rob, Master Chief it is. It’s your round. *hic*
As a character he’s just awful on every level and he’s certainly no Boba Fett or Samus Aran. What does Master Chief do other than reflect stuff in his visor? — Polish his metal? Master his chief?
From the Wiki entry on Master Chief:
Master Chief is the new Guybrush.
Captain Champion–that’s awesome. You are a funny man, Gregg. You should turn that comment into an article. Me like funny things.
“Master Chief is the new Guybrush.”
With one slight difference: You can’t purchase Master Chief’s latest adventure on the iPhone app store for $0.99 right now!
Threepwood – 1
Chief – 0
I guess my big fear when it comes to gamer stereotypes isn’t so much the jabbering idiot lined up for whatever game, but more the “comic book guy” from the Simpsons.
Sure he’s smart and likes nerdy things, but the high and mighty worst-[subject]-ever lines make me uncomfortable (I still laugh though.) I don’t want gamers to be seen in the same “elitist” light, sitting in a high chair passing judgment on all things pop culture. Must have something to do with my lovey-dovey hippie attitude (sarcasm, I have a very hard time dealing with hippies.)