I'd like to take the opportunity to speak about my first "ToS Violation", for "Trolling". It is, in fact, my first violation in the many years I've been visiting gamespot.com. I know exactly where it came from, not because of what I said, but rather because of what I said it in reference to. I am speaking, of course, of my comment about the new Katamari Damacy game. But, this isn't necessarily a post about me hating Katamari (though believe me, I hate Katamari), it's a post about how it's apparently uncool to say anything in relation to a game unless it's gushing fanboyism or "zomg LOL".


I thought the internet was supposed to be a place of communication, expressing ideas and thoughts from all angles on any subject, but apparently it's only for advertising. Why isn't ok to say you think the new Katamari is a "sickly-looking installment" of an overrated franchise? That's exactly what I think it is. Not because I hate the ps2, or because I only love Halo, because that couldn't be further from the truth. But my disgust at seeing Katamari's "innovative" gameplay championed at every turn and then milked to death time and again is apparently something no one else wants to hear, because We Love Katamari right? I don't think so. I know plenty of people who dislike Katamari, There is a comment section below the area where the preview was, where readers are allowed to voice their opinion. I didn't call anyone names, I didn't hate on the system it was on. I didn't do anything to provoke a flame war or anything, because I'm not a fan of fighting with people! Especially strangers over the internet. That kind of behavior is reserved for children. But still, my opinion, while admittedly strong, is not valid or worth hearing, because it's what.. not "pc" or something? Am I not allowed to disagree with people who think Katamari is good? That makes me some troll just waiting under a bridge to ruin someone's day? No. And this is an unfortunate misconception about people who post anything negative.


If you take a look at my contributions, I think they're mostly positive... reviews of games I really enjoyed, or comments about upcoming games I'm excited for. There are some negative thoughts in there, but that's ok, because it should be ok to admit that you think Phantasy Star Universe is the worst mmo you've ever played, or that you think Katamari is a mind-numbing exercise in sluggish controls, college humor, and awful graphics. That's precisely what I think of those two pieces of software, and I'm sure that there's someone out there who agrees with me. If you'd like to debate, that's cool, I'm up for a good conversation... I'm not just leaving comments to go "na na na boo boo.. your game SUX". It was a quick comment about my reaction to the game, and I feel that it was totally valid, written in decent english, and accurately represented my opinion of the game. And that is, you know, what I believe the whole point of the "comment" box to be.


My whole point is that we should be able to state our opinion, good or bad, because that's what free speech is all about right? I don't know when it became taboo to voice your negative thoughts about games, movies, music, etc...that's not trolling, that's a little thing we users of the english language refer to as criticism. I've seen "trolls", and I am most definitely not one of them. That garbage ticks me off just as much as, well, Katamari Damacy. Most people use the line "if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all" to keep the boards for their favorite games positive. I, on the other hand, think that if you don't want to hear anything bad about the stuff you like, just sit at home, lock yourself in a closet, pop in Katamari Damacy, and just don't talk to anyone. That way you won't ever have to hear the heresy of another person's opinion differing from your own.~

It'd be three words:

Deathtrap Dungeon Anniversary