Hatred--The Mass Murder Game

originally posted by: gottaknow
Honestly, I'm stoked about the game! Bring it on. It's about time. Nothing like a good run o' virtual violence to bring the blood pressure down now and then.

That's one thing about the Sims I always wanted. Bring a little genocide into it!

Well, here's another issue with the game that you might want to consider before rushing out and buying it at release. What I've been seeing is a whole lot of disgust from within the gaming industry and gamers. The most frequent comment that I've seen is that the game "rosses the line". If you look at the comments on Youtube, however, you'll also see a lot of people praising the game or suggesting music for soundtracks. The thing that caught my attention about the latter was what they were suggesting as soundtrack music--Linkin Park and Drowning Pool. Well both bands had songs that were noted as being "influential" to shooters.

abcnews.go.com...

And heck, "Andy" is still a huge fan: www.andyspeaks.com...

www.nme.com...

Now as a quick disclaimer, I don't think songs, video games, or books drive anyone to kill. I actually agree with Stephen King's statement in the quote in my OP. Those individuals are already broken to begin with but it is society's penchant to find those things that may have had some influence or, as King put it, became an accelerant in those delusional fantasies of those particular people. Another thing that is notable is that the computer records of many of the most recent shooters included research into past shootings. For the record, I like Linkin Park and Drowning Pool, play violent video games and by golly, I've researched shooters due to my interest in aberrant psychology. I still find this game disgusting and find the actions of those shooters to be grievous.

However, my own research into the psychology of mass murderers did lead me to an interesting thing of note--there is no profile of a mass murderer. In the last spate of shootings in the 90's, the Secret Service, who was the best at the time of developing profiles, was unable to create a profile at all. What does that have to do with this game? Well, if you have a large cross-section of society that finds the game repulsive and a smaller subsection that "looks forward to it", then that almost creates a red flag, doesn't it? Especially when you start checking the boxes off of other potential flags.

If there is one thing that I find the most distaste for, it is the concept of "thought crime" and I see the potential for that here. While I doubt that any agency would start scooping up Hatred players, using the surveillance apparatus to put them on watch would not be beneath our country.

a reply to: WhiteAlice
I think people make a bigger deal out of this then it is. But ultimately the people making this game it is likely just a very effective way to draw more eyes to them, and for a fledgeling company it is just smart business tactics. From what I seen in the video, there is nothing in the game that I would not say is just sub par gameplay, and believe you me I have played many shoot them ups, and plenty of gore games. This game is something that would come as a downloadable or for free if you were to up your subscription on PSN or the x-box network or steam or any other major gaming outlet.

And there are plenty of people who would dig this game as it gets to satisfy there fantasies, but ultimately I think such things and games are about power trips, even a game like GTA is just a power trip. In fact all videogames in there own way are a sort of power trip. From the latest call of duty were your running around gunning down plenty of evil soldiers to the games were its zombies to Nazis to whatever else, in real life you would not be running around and going Rambo on things as you would in those videogames, because frankly even on the easiest level difficulty you would end up dead.

So these sort of games are an outlet for people to play out there god and control fantasies in a way, were everything is nice and rolled up right in front of you, and its likely why there is never any challenge in any of these games, even a game like GTA the challenge in the game is mediocre, in fact it was so simple and easy it was just another thing which turned me off, after the first few missions it just becomes same old boring stuff.

And yes from the video promo in you link the game premise seems to be "Last as long as you can--kill as many as you can" And considering your going around shooting people waiting at the cashier or old people walking down the street, and it seems you even have infinite or obscene amount of bullets, its basically just shooting fish in a barrel type of gameplay.

And yes there would be plenty of people who would be into this game, some have even said so on this thread. It may even be an outlet for a lot of them to let out there urges or frustrations, but so would be joining the army and going to new and exciting places meeting new and different people and shooting them, as they say. I dont think this game offers anything new or worse then is already out there in the world and in videogames.

So like I said ban it, or not. I really dont care. But I will confess people are easily influenced by such things, our whole society is nothing but prof of that, in fact our whole way of government is just about gullibility and mass influence by streaming bull# over and over. And people really do seem to be effected by these sort of things, I dont think it may make somebody go out and start shooting up people and places if they played this game, but you never know there are some major idiots out there, and those just ready to break and this could just push them over the edge in finally playing through with there murder fascination just as much as it would be a outlet of letting it all out in a less violent way. Blowing steam to sort of say.

I dont know, for me at least I will not be palying this game, in fact even the latest and best games out there dont hold my interest as they used to, and this game being just another sub par GTA, only with more direct and quote on quote "shocking" mission objectives, well like I said, the people who made this game had to have a selling point or a way to draw eyes. Because look at it like this, if it was just another shooter game on the market...From all I seen in the preview vid of it, its even bellow sub par in terms of graphics and gameplay and everything else plenty of games out there are better, leaving its one selling point...ie the whole shocking debate about hatred and murder. And even those have been done to death, just not in such a blatantly obvious manner.

a reply to: galadofwarthethird

I don't know if playing shoot em ups is an outlet or based on a power trip or not. I'm quite good at games and really, if I'm doing super well against, it's because there's nobody home. I play video games because that is the easiest and most reliable way to shut down my brain and just become pure reaction speed. I actually get pretty bored and bummed if I'm topping the score charts in major ways--more so than if I'm missing everything. For me, it's simply about keeping my brain busy and catching a break. I do agree that people probably play video games, including the more violent ones, for a variety of reasons. Some may go for that power trip, others may vent out their aggravations of the day.

I agree that, technically, the game is sub-par in terms of graphics and gameplay and that a lot of game houses have been slack as of late in what they're producing. In a way, this game is a total reflection on the sad state of affairs when its primary marketing strategy is that it is controversial as hell. I prefer to sink my money into games that have great graphics and amazing gameplay. That said, the number of games that I've bought in the last year are a mere fraction of the ones that I've purchased in prior years. Even then, probably the most entertaining game I've played has been super simple, The Stanley Parable, and I enjoyed the heck out of it because it was so different and really clever.

It makes me sad that any developer would chose to push the envelope to make up for a lack of imagination or talent and push it in such a way that it is going to absolutely feed into what has long been a heated debate on violent video games and shootings. Considering how much of our youth plays video games today, it's almost statistically guaranteed that it will blow up in the industry's face, especially if those particularly disturbed individuals are drawn to that particular premise. It's going to get people like Jack Thompson slavering at the bit. This little marketing tactic, as one fellow in the industry remarked, just put the industry back 10 years on the debate.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

Well I think everybody plays games because they can kick back and not really think about anything while playing away. Very few games out there involve that much thinking, but a lot of them I have played involved more thinking then you would do even at places like schools or work.

In all everybody had there thing, and like other hobbies videogames are an outlet to wind down most times for the majority of people. And even the best games I have played out there for me they lose there appeal fast, even a game like Skyrim with its wide world and immersive storytelling I lost interest half way through, I will say very few games would hold my interest and of those that do there the type of games you play just because there really fun to play and not because of the graphics or the storytelling involved or any of that, all of that would come secondary to me. And ya I am finding myself buying less and less games as the years progress, and only really looking forward and playing one or a few games the whole year, the rest are kind of meh, alright but nothing I would replay again.

I had no idea who Jack Thompson was, looked him up, probably ran into a few articles about him and his videogame crusade years ago, but really he is redundant and its all meaningless. I really dont care what he has to say or think on thinks, he just looks like another idiot who for some reason people listen to. Plenty of those in the world.

As for this hatered game, no mystery here, and really its a videogame and while it may certain people will buy it because it feeds fancies, its basically the same reason why people played games like doom or shadow warrior, and were as those games catered to the whole bloody violence they were not specifically about going out and shooting people, but they were about shooting anything and everything in your way. This games specifically is about murder though, so really people need to look at it and see if they want it or not, its as simple as that. I mean if people are even scared to watch a video or click a link what does that say about things?

In fact they remade shadow warrior and its as bloody if not more so then this hatred game, I mean you can literally cut up people with your sword into pieces, or shoot them to pieces. Here even in the opening scenes of the game its pretty bloody.


And really there are plenty of game more out there then shadow warrior, remember Postal? I think you could do all kinds of things in that game like set people on fire or all kids of lewd things like pee on them, throw your poop on them, or who knows what else, and really people who like those type of games will play them those that dont wont.

Also the reason why I said people play those sort of games is a control issue, and a god mode issue. In fact its why most games have cheats or codes for god mode or take no damage mode, it lets people go crazy in the game without there being any penalty to it. Every game out there is sort of like that though to different degrees, there just there to make you feel more so then you would be in real life, even a game like Mario, or in sports games, or rpgs, or any of them, or even movies and books, there all just an escape into a world were things are more in your control and to your liking.

But yes there is nothing more to it, other then watch and see what the game is about then buy it or not, or ban it or not. Here since you didnt post the video link, and since most people are to lazy to even dig through text or sites to find it...Well here it is, and it is absolutely nothing special. Hopefully nobody will go out and start gunning down people because they seen it on TV, or on youtube. But you never know, sometimes if somebody jumps off a bridge others may follow suit just because its the cool thing to do. Just go ask the Tobacco industry on how they got everybody to start smoking.


Also this guy says it all, the game is really nothing new.

a reply to: galadofwarthethird

The trailer was contained in the link within the original OP and I made sure to mention that it was linked there, with an appropriate warning as it is what it is.

I don't actually play any games that have a god mode in it personally as my preference is to challenge myself and cheating is something I find to be personally really disgusting. Why even bother playing if one is going to cheat? In games where there are difficulty options, I tend to chose the hardest or second hardest to warm up and then hardest level of game play. Like I said, I prefer challenges. If I'm playing against an opponent that is better than me, it pushes me to go faster and be more accurate. It doesn't make me mad. It's why other types of games are pretty dull for me, too, because they seem to be stupidly easy. I'm not sure where you base your assumptions on why people play specific types of games but you do know what they say about assumptions, right?

I think the only game that held my interest longer than normal was The Secret World and that's because it had code breaking and puzzles within it. Love that stuff. It made me sad when they cut the puzzle breaking from the Assassin's Creed series. I think that also points to a tendency towards shock and controversy in the gaming industry as points of differentiation over actual creativity. They are essentially churning out products for "everygamer" instead of appealing to the old niche market. Hence why difficulty levels, quality, and more have gone downhill. It's pretty depressing but that's what mass marketing will do.

And it'll also spawn stuff like the video game that is the subject of this thread. Some will buy it because the premise appeals to them. Some will buy it just to stick it to those who are indignant about it and to seem oh so edgy. It's sad really.

a reply to: WhiteAlice
I was actually thinking of playing the secret world, but I kind of phased out of that, in fact it was one of the games I was originally waiting to come out, but by the time it did, I kind of forgot about it and other things foreshadowed it. The only game I have played and replayed this whole year much more then any other games out there would be the Dark Souls series. Mainly because it really has a lot of content though it may not look like it at first, and the way they created the world there is always something to look forward to, or to discovering, the difficulty while people say is hard.

Its not really, the game borders on easy to sometimes hard for me, but it all depends on how you play it. Its not one of those types of games were you can run around with no worries, and people are used to those type of games so when they try the souls series they end up dying quite fast, its gameplay style is much different then other games. Also it had a lot of replay, even if you beat the game there was always new game +, and even then there was always something you missed the first or second or even the third time around which you could find in the game.

Its one thing which games back in the day had which most games today do not have, fun and challenging gameplay, and tons of replay value. But most companies are coming around to trying to emulate what dark souls did in there own brand and way, which over all is a good thing for videogames in general.

a reply to: galadofwarthethird

Well, as far as The Secret World goes, when the purple quests seemed to stop (purple--optional puzzle ones), my interest stopped, too. Was fun when it still was going. I've found the games that I've most enjoyed really are things like Orcs Must Die or Dungeon Defenders. I've sunk a possibly insane number of hours in those games because they are simple (stop the invasion with these tools provided) and provide for a nice level of ingenuity, strategy and creativity. Lots of replay possibilities with the mixing of different tactics/tools based on characters. My fiance and I have come up with some pretty silly strategies that actually worked. Totally rewarding experience when that happens and, oddly enough, they're more cartoony than most games that are on the market. I never finished Deus Ex: Human Evolution because it took itself way too serious and was lacking in actual player creativity (imo). I think a lot of games suffer from those issues today.

I haven't played Dark Souls but it sounds like something that would probably appeal to me due to that difficulty aspect. I really hope that developers are trying to emulate it a bit. Many of my gaming buds have the same complaints as I do and it's kind of disheartening since we're the lot that started the industry. That's what happens though whenever something goes mainstream, lol, right?

a reply to: WhiteAlice
Well the series is what I would have envisioned as a remake of the original castlevania/beyond oasis would be like. or games on the nes or snes or sega genesis ie form that period. Most of the actual castlevania game remakes were just platformers but lacked the thing which first drew people to the original games, and in spirit at least the souls game at least for me did that right.

Which is one reason why this series took off, it sort of brought back a lot of the old gameplay almost arcade style elements of the older games which first came out when people were kids. Its likely one of the reasons people dig it, they can relate to that part of there childhood when they first got that nes or sega system for Christmas. If you remember the games back then were more simple but were more fun, and more hard, and you generally had to replay the levels a few times before you overcame them and became good at them.

I suppose a lot of games sort of move away from that, which is one reason why some of the newer games today totally bombed, they may have had shiny graphics but were missing in the gameplay aspect. And considering a lot of the same people who some years ago were just kids and first played videogames, I suppose now that demographic is more grown up there are a lot of people who can relate to something like that.

I never played orcs must die or dungeon defenders, looks interesting but sort of out of my mind when they came out, I kind of missed playing those games, but anyways I dont play much videogames now a days anyways. I plan on getting two games for the rest of this year, and I will likely be playing those games for a good chunk into next year. At least I hope to, because most other games so far that I was looking forward to while alright kind of lose there appeal after a bit.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

So its okay to slaughter zombies - the corpses of other people, thereby desecrating and dishonoring the dead - THEY DIDNT CHOOSE TO BE ZOMBIES! All they wanna do is eat your brains - sheesh. Theyre not gonna eat your eyes, they arent unreasonable.

But still, your logic fails me. Either way you are shooting at computer generated humanoid shapes made of 0's and 1's on a computer screen.

If you dont like violent games - dont read about them, dont watch the trailers, and lastly DO NOT buy them. I enjoy games that let me do things i cant do in real life without serious consequences. Im sorry that you cant handle violence against -COMPUTERIZED- "humanity", that you like to lie to yourself as if violence and conflict are not the driving factors behind life on earth. We are born, we fight to survive, and we die. Some kill, others are killed.

Welcome to the real world.

There has been a new promo vid of this game on a videogame site I frequent once in a while.

I checked it out and it gives you a link to Steam. Supposedly they have a voting thing going on, so I went to check it out. Steam link...

Seems they got a whole voting thing going on to see if people want this game or if there going to be bringing it to steam. I have not been on steam in a long while now, but I went to check it out at there link. I even checked out some of the comments and a lot of people want to see this game. Me personally I clicked the No Thanks button. I really dont see the big deal of it, I mean other then the whole motif, guy in trenchcoat with long hair and the more graphically violence there does not seem to be much more to this game. In fact they have shown nothing new besides the same old scenes.

And even on the violence side, well its nothing that has not been done in many games before, in fact it seems about as violent and touchy as GTA is, in fact you can do all that in GTA already. Not only that you can even dress up your character in a trench coat and sunglasses or whatever and just go out and start shooting up everything.

So really nothing new on that part other then the more graphically scenes that is, and the lesser graphics of the game engine. No doupt if this game comes out its going to be banned in a few places, Australia being one, they seem to ban all kind of games, some of them I would not even consider all that risky, but hey whatever, people can do whatever they want, but from all the comments on there it seems a lot of people would want this game...So you know, Whatever.

a reply to: 8fl0z

So its okay to slaughter zombies - the corpses of other people, thereby desecrating and dishonoring the dead - THEY DIDNT CHOOSE TO BE ZOMBIES! All they wanna do is eat your brains - sheesh. Theyre not gonna eat your eyes, they arent unreasonable.

This.

If you dont like violent games - dont read about them, dont watch the trailers, and lastly DO NOT buy them. I enjoy games that let me do things i cant do in real life without serious consequences. Im sorry that you cant handle violence against -COMPUTERIZED- "humanity", that you like to lie to yourself as if violence and conflict are not the driving factors behind life on earth.

We are born, we fight to survive, and we die. Some kill, others are killed. Welcome to the real world.

And This...You sort of contradict yourself eh?

Chill ax dude, its a game, its far from the real world. And if it was, well I do not think you would be surviving it, guns and all, in fact in my own neighborhood, likely more then half around here have guns, this is America after all, if some guy started shooting up like crazy, well even if it was surprising and out of nowhere, it would not take long for the people he is shooting at, to start shooting back, and well the when you got a bunch of people shooting at one guy, the numbers are not in his favor no matter how well armed he is. Lets just say that long before the cops get on the scene the problems would solve itself for our potential crazy gun toting serial killer dude.

So relax, go play some Mario or something, it would teach you about the finer points and real life skills of jumping on goombas. You know! Just encase you get attacked by one. I have played so much mario in my youth that lets just say no goomba dare mess with me, I would jump and squash it flat in no time.

a reply to: WhiteAlice

What is the difference between this game and the terminator? Replace the human protagonist with the rampaging anti humanity android, and is there any difference?

a reply to: AthlonSavage
I said above, there is little difference to this game between a lot of game out there. I dont know why they try to push it, even on that site were they were voting to see if it will come to steam. Well by all the coments its likely to come out. And look at it, I did. They do not show any gameplay that is not new, in fact it seems the majority of it is cutscenes and cgi. The actuall gameplay is a top down perspective like game which came out 15 years ago.

Its all hype I belive. There pushing a hype to sell this game. Even on steam most of the people who are for this game are only for it because it riles people up, in fact if they would not have made such a big deal it would not likely sell and people would not even bother with it that much, sure there would be people who played it, but even them would find it old after a while.

If you actually do look at all that they put out, the actual gameplay is years and years old. I mean top down shooter action, its not even a FPS, or a third person shooter. In fact GTA which came out some time ago is years ahead in both the graphical department and the gameplay department, In fact the first few GTA which came out over 20 years ago were top down shooter games, not that much different then this game only you could also steal cars. So ya! This is a retro when it comes to gameplay, they are not blowing anything out of the water in terms of anything.

Must be why they do not show anything but the violent cutscens and a bit of gameplay, because they likely do not have anything more then that, its all selling point. And well! In our consumer society its going to sell, most of them would not take a second look at the game and be like> "oh my god this game is a big deal, I got to buy it" A whole lot of crap has sold millions and made millions with less.

So ya dude! The things that your arguing it about, you know people comparing it to other things, well that may be its main selling point. I call shenanigans on this game, I wish I would have done that on a lot of games that have been out not that long ago, Destiny being one, but other as well, and even those games likely offer more then this game, its not even the most bloody and violent game out there, freaking Postal was a lot more crazy then this game....So what is the big deal! Is exactly that.