Expert Professional Advice

I’ve been noticing the slogan “May the best car win” in GM advertising and they are putting the superscript TM after it so they trademarked this nonsense? May the best toaster win, may the best product win, etc. could be everywhere – the thing is, having the nerve to trademark that reassures me that General Motors doesn’t have the best cars… It doesn’t inspire my confidence – it makes me more inclined to sense that we should have let the company fail from it’s own mismanagement. I still think the solution was to let the banks bailout the automakers if there was going to be a bailout. Isn’t that why we gave them capital? And we could have let them manage this long-term process of getting another large ailing firm back on track. Remember when the automotive CEOs went around begging in their jets? The executives should have given back their bonuses for the last few years (and given up salary as was asked by a few government officials) in order to receive a bailout.

So, may the best car win – it won’t be one of yours!

Dear GamePro:
Congratulations on your transition into your new magazine format (#257/Feb). I haven’t read your publication since I was a kid, but having had a professional interest in all media related to storytelling I’m glad I did come across your magazine again. There were a number of interesting comments on display to summarize the reviews you conducted:
An unabashed tribute carves out its own niche.
You really can’t go home again…
Two iconic franchises meet, but the results are less than exciting.
Let’s hope the movie is better.
It’s so much more than just a cash-in sequel.
A short rocket flight that has its moments but never quite reaches orbit.
Style trumps substance is this surprisingly great action game.

In the God of War Collection review on page 81 it states, “The series wasn’t revolutionary by any stretch – the story is an homage to the countless myths and legends we read in grade school…” The narrative is actually the story of Hercules – seems a bit strange that the reviewer or someone in editorial did not recognize this. But not knowing Greek mythology is forgivable, the main attraction to the issue was the coverage of the Russian novel that was turned into a game, the interview covering humor and the interview showcasing the storytelling within Heavy Rain. And part of what you revealed about Heavy Rain seems like it draws from one scene from films such as Black Rain and Saw, and the original Saw draws from the final scene in Mad Max.
Another odd point of note was during the Brutal Legend interview, page 32-33, “I had never even heard of Budgie before we started this game, but our music director Emily found them and they’re kind of like proto-metal, from the before metal times. They have this awesome song Breadfan…” The music director found them? Metallica covered Breadfan twenty or more years ago during their most influential period bringing attention to Budgie as one of the bands that inspired them.
These interviews show the potential of the medium for compelling storytelling – and it’s refreshing to see that rather than following structures without meaningful storylines that are simply moving a character along from point A to point B.
Well done!