06-02-2005, 04:23 PM | #81 | ||||
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Me, too. Maybe it's going to happen this year? Quote:
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06-02-2005, 05:33 PM | #82 |
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At the risk of taking this further off-subject , I think that one of the key "problems" that reviewers in traditional gaming magazines have with adventures stems from their love for all things multi-player. I read PC Gamer each month and multi-player takes up a greater part of it all the time. Games are routinely chastised for poor multi-player support even when the single player experience might be fantastic.
It's going to be very someone who's big love is for shooting someone up over the Internet to get into the pace of an adventure game. OK, so who's going to produce the first cooperative adventure game! Andy.
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06-02-2005, 05:52 PM | #83 | |
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06-02-2005, 05:57 PM | #84 |
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Okay not sure if anybody has done this, if so please disregard it then. The following is in response to an email I wrote to the writer of the review asking where he comes from in terms of the games he plays, i.e. is he an AG gamer as well as asked what he meant by implying Still Life will only appeal to Ag gamers here is verbatim what he said.
edit: I removed this until I can make sure Ryan is cool with me posting his email and all. Good point Fov, thanks. Last edited by hengst2404; 06-02-2005 at 06:24 PM. |
06-02-2005, 06:07 PM | #85 | |
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06-02-2005, 07:08 PM | #86 | |
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06-02-2005, 10:38 PM | #87 |
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No, he's saying mainstream reviewers are prone to unnecessary hyperbole. Actually, scratch that, everyone is.
plattyaj made a great point, btw. I've not actually seen it in relation to adventure game reviews, but nowadays many games get underscored for NOT having a multiplayer option. Personally I think this is blatantly stupid, as the multiplayer experience is a completely different animal and games can survive without them. I've read one reviewer complaining that RE4 didn't have a multiplayer option. I mean... wtf? WHO CARES! That said, there's been an upsurge in demand for strong narrative in games in recent years, so it kinda balances out... As for this review, well, there's really not much wrong with it. Judging from comments on this board, people are fairly evenly split between ecstatic from those who really dig this style of adventure, to disappointed for various reasons. The guy sounds more concerned with the fact AG's aren't progressing, much like Trepsie, rather than dedicated to towing a line. Most of the references to the games technical problems are justified from what I've played of it. If anything, familiarity can breed contempt. It's worth bearing that in mind when looking at mainstream reviewers who get played day in, day out to play all sorts of games - and mainly nasty crap too. If anything, the reviewer IS correct in many ways that adventure fans ARE more willing to forgive and have even admitted as such on these very boards. Comparatively, a weak RTS or FPS never garners many gamers within the hardcore of those genres, and there's plenty of bad reviews for them too which decry them for sticking to basics without either doing a good job or at least SOME kind of differentation. I've read reviews saying "hardcore RTS players might find something within the solid AI, but..." too. There's really no bias unless you want there to be.
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06-04-2005, 02:23 PM | #88 | ||
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Conversely, Still Life IS a 'tradtional' adventure game, thus it should be reviewed in that context as well, with the pinpoint emphasis not on innovation (because the game never set out to do that), but on how well the game refines and makes better and better the tried-and-true formula it adheres to. Because once the formula has crystallized, you can basically rehash it many times with barely a variation here and there. The only significant thing to do is to improve it more and more, refine it more and more, to the point where things like sloppy coding, redundant narrative conventions, and floating cigarettes should never be a problem anymore.
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06-04-2005, 03:16 PM | #89 | |
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Moment of Silence is a technically flawed game, for example. But Still Life? I mean, if you accept the fact that it's an adventure game that focuses more on the story, dialogs and characters than it does on interaction density, then I don't see what's wrong (technically) with this game. I'd even say that it couldn't be better (with the same story and gameplay orientation, that is).
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06-04-2005, 03:22 PM | #90 | |
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06-04-2005, 03:36 PM | #91 | |
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Characters are waiting in fixed places for you to start the action, and you don't have to worry about how to treat them, because they're implemented as hotspots, not as "intelligent" human beings, I understand where you're coming from. Otherwise, I don't. That's not saying that Still Life can't be a good game without trying anything new! But there is and will be *always* room for improvements in any genre... Note: I've only played the demo so far.
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06-04-2005, 03:39 PM | #92 | |
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It felt much more intense.
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06-04-2005, 03:41 PM | #93 |
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That's good, but did you feel the intensity more from the subject matter of the story, or from how the story and game were handled?
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06-04-2005, 03:42 PM | #94 | |
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And moreover, I felt like it didn't need any improvement, because it felt intense and gripping enough as it was. In other words, I felt content, as will, I think, many gamers who try it. (the controversial ending notwithstanding) EDIT: I'm only talking about Still Life, mind you, not about AGs in general. The only 3rd person games I felt content finishing lately have been Syberia 1 and the Black Mirror (unlike Nibiru, Runaway, Syberia 2, Wanted, Moment of Silence...). But even with these two games I had some reservations that I don't have with Still Life. (wandering around, waiting for time to pass, etc...)
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06-04-2005, 03:47 PM | #95 | |
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Ultimately, as long as nothing else sucks, that's what matters the most. But still, the story and game were handled nicely.
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06-04-2005, 03:53 PM | #96 | ||
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06-04-2005, 04:11 PM | #97 | ||
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The two timelines are different but both have their own atmosphere, from the muddy and perverted Chicago to the decaying Prague, with the sense (and knowledge) of impending doom. Blood and death are everywhere in both timeline, even when they're not shown, giving a sense of urgency, morbid curiosity, and evil pleasure. Quote:
That was for the puzzles. The story unfold itself with a lot of punch (with the occasional physical puzzle break, see above), going back and forth from one timeline to the other, leaving the player wanting more, but still satisfied from how each timeline unfolds.
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06-04-2005, 04:22 PM | #98 |
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Mmkay. Thanks for explaining.
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06-04-2005, 04:24 PM | #99 | |
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Don't mind me if I get carried away, as I'm pretty tired (it's 02:31 AM and I'm at work doing nothing but waiting in case something goes wrong).
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06-04-2005, 04:29 PM | #100 | |
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Trepsie, I know you are both a student and admirer or art. Just for the sake of beautiful pieces of art, you should check out Still Life. Syberia is one of the most beautiful looking games that I have ever played and Still Life in its dark and sinister manner is even more beautiful than Syberia. My offer still stands and I'm sure so is Lynsie's. |
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