Yesterday, I got a chance to ask Juanolo some questions, to see how he felt about some of the gaming topics that are being discussed, on top of a couple of questions that I figured would have interesting answers. Enjoy!
codforlife: How do you feelabout violence in video games, and how do you think we, the gaming community as a whole can stop non-gamers from looking at violence in video games so badly?
Juanolo: I'm alright with violence in video games. Is it sometimes too much? Yes, it can be. Sometimes, I see it as violence, and unnecessary violence. Same goes for movies. I'm perfectly fine for violence as long as they go with the story. It it's violence for absolutely no reason, then I don't like it.
I don't think we can really change non-gamer opinions on violence because non-gamers think video games are insuperior medium that's all around violence. Since we can actually play violent games, people think video games are for losers. I don't think that everyone seems to. They think all gamers are nerds and are worthless. I hate that video gamers get that reputation. That's another debate, though.
I think that what we need to do is just convince. Look at it like this. People think video games was one of the reasons we've had that theater shooting and Sandy Hooks(both horrible accidents) that was a result of violence. The problem isn't about video games because the same game is sold everywhere else in the world, but the problem happens here, in the U.S. Besides, video games came to as violent as movies, but nothing has been said about movies. Besides, what they try to do is point out the most violent video games. Like Splatterhouse and Grand Theft Auto. Not all video games are violent. What I think causes these incidents is another story, but it sure isn't video games.
How do you feel about each of the next generation's consoles(Xbox One, PS4, WiiU)?
The WiiU, I think, will take place of the Wii, but in the end, it won't live up to expectations. I think Nintendo will work very hard to make it the next great console, and Nintendo fans won't be disappointed. With that said, though, I believe that the Xbox One and PS4 will be better.
What's really going to be great is the console war between the Xbox One and the PS4. In my opinion, I think the PS4 will do better. Not saying the Xbox One will be bad, but that's one thing I don't like, and that's people calling the Xbox One crap. Sure PS4 has made some great points, but that doesn't mean it's bad to get an Xbox One. Maybe 3-5 years from now, there will be a real close console war that will be great.
Another thing that I don't like is when Xbox players say the PS4 has no good exclusives. The games they are launching with are great, and there's a lot more to come for Sony's new console. I'll close by saying 2 words about no great exclusives on PS4: Naughty Dog.
How do you think movie licensed games should be made, to be actually good, instead of the mediocre or just horrible that we've received, for the most part.
I think this is simple. For us to have great licensed movie games, we need the right people to give that experience. I mean, the companies that do work on these games, aren't those big companies that I think could do much better. If you want something to be great, you want talented people to make that great. That's how I see it happening.
What games do you wan to see a sequel to that hasn't happened yet? And what games do you not want to see a sequel to?
Hmm...I would say Uncharted 4, but we all know that's already going to happen. If I had to choose any game, I would say The Last Of Us and a Bad Company 3. The Last Of Us was easily one of the greatest games I've ever played. With it's superb story, it was something special. Even how the ending ended, I think they could still make a sequel. For Bad Company 3, I must say Bad Company 2 was such a great game, and so far I think way better than Battlefield 3. Sure it doesn't sell as much, but in quality, Bad Company is just a much better series. Bad Company 3 would really make my day. The day that it's announced, I will go crazy on my page. If I had to choose between the 2 which I'd prefer, I'd say both because The Last Of Us would be the survival thriller that I always love, and Bad Company is the fun, action packed FPS that I really love.
I have 2 game series that I'm tired of sequels from: Assassin's Creed and Call Of Duty. I'm a big fan of these franchises, but they are really getting old. It's not that they don't change, because both do try to change, but they've definitely overstayed their welcome.
What games would you like to see rebooted?
I was absent in gaming from PS2 to previous. I played some games, but I wasn't the gamer I am now. I always wanted Star Wars: Battlefront, but that's happening. A game I would want rebooted is Half Life 1 and 2. I always hear that it's one of the greatest games of all time. I would love it if Valve rebooted it all for consoles. That would be great.
How do you feel about the case of Justin Carter, the kid who got arrested for the post he put up on a League of Legends forum on Facebook?
I didn't know that much about it at first, so I had to look it up. When I read what he said, I was happy he did get arrested. It's people like these that if we don't do something early when they're kidding, they won't have time to become serious and do something very dangerous and violent.
Did you buy Bulletstorm? And, if you did, did you enjoy it?
No, I didn't buy Bulletstorm. It came out the same day as Killzone 3, and I was a lot more interested in Killzone 3. Happy I did, because Killzone 3 is great. I did, though, play a little of Bulletstorm at a friend's once, and I came back with mixed results. It was ok, but not amazing, and not a 9.25.
What game got the most attention from you at e3? What game got the least attention from you at e3?
For me, I was really already excited for Watch Dogs and it proved to be something to be excited about. Metal Gear Solid V looked great. Happy it isn't an exclusive. Well, an Xbox One exclusive. Ryse also looked very interesting. Titanfall as well. Star Wars Battlefront got me jumping up and down. I enjoyed that as a kid, and now being remade? What else can you ask for? Also, about all the games showed at Sony's conference. Probably my favorite were Watch Dogs, Killzone: Shadow Wall, Infamous: Second Son, and Destiny.
I don't know anything that I didn't really care for because they all looked pretty great. There were 2 games that looked good, but I don't think as good as everyone says, and that's The Division and Titanfall. They looked pretty cool and fun, but I think we're pulled a little too much out. If I had to choose, I'd say the Rahman Rabbids TV/game crap. I really don't care for that at all.
What game has disappointed you more than any other?
Usually most games don't disappoint, and for me it's not that much. The most disappointed I was at a game was probably Bioshock. I got it for free with Bioshock Infinite(which I love), and was very excited for the universal success it has. It was supposed to be one of the greatest games of all time. I've played it on PS3, but witnessed the whole game in Xbox 360. It was a pretty good game, but one of the greatest of all time? Heck no. It was just a little too much disappointment. I try not to build too much hype around a game, but usually they prevail. So I did have high expectations for Bioshock, which might be a problem. Bioshock, for me, didn't meet expectations, and was a little disappointing. Probably the most overrated, in my opinion.
Last Question: Describe the following things for how you would develop a game: amount of time in actual development; multiplayer or no multiplayer; when you would release it(which month, and better yet, which day); whether you would make a sequel to it if it was successful.
I think it would be amazing to create my own video game. I would take as long as it takes to make my game. I don't want to rush it because it'll be flawed, but I don't want to take forever. It depends. If it was an action packed shooter, than probably, but if I made a dark, intense journey that's mostly story driven, then no. I wouldn't have multiplayer. It just depends. I would actually release it in about May or June on the second or third Tuesday that week. In the summer, it doesn't seem there's that many great games. mof course this summer had The Last Of Us, but what other really great game came out. Yes, if my game is semi successful, or a great success, I would make a sequel. Wouldn't be a yearly release, and it wouldn't last forever.
I hope you've enjoyed reading the first part of the Q&A between me and Juanolo. The second part will be conducted on Saturday, and then Juanolo will put it up on his blog. A review of Bulletstorm and maybe Splinter Cell: Conviction will be up whenever I receive my package from UPS(It might take a while). Tomorrow, I will probably talk about the games that I want to see a sequel to. Have a nice day!