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What game are you playing right now?
I mean some people will give a game a good review if it was made by a small Indie two-man team from Lithuania
Out of curiosity, is that a real example or something random?
I can think of some adventure games from Lithuania, I can think of some two-man teams from Eastern Europe, but nothing that would match both simultaneously.
No it was just an off the head example, I think I had crown and Pawns: Kingdom of deceit, on my mind and its made by a small team. For the record I don’t think that the game is downright terrible but not near as good as some of the reviews would lead you to believe. it is a borderline straight up pass for me. like a 5 out of 10, Mostly because the game for a lot of people is semi broken with the qte events not working like they should and the story is just a severely downgraded version of broken sword, with some neat ideas and Concepts thrown in. I think their ambition, greatly outweighed their talent level.
Another game that I think is a little overrated is that gibbious game. The art and animation is top-notch and there is a lot of skill on the team but the story and puzzles leave a lot to be desired and I had a lot of problems running that game with the cinematics. I had to skip them and watch them on YouTube because the game would freeze during them. Also has some other bugs but not game breaking. But with this game I will openly admit it’s a lot more subjective… the puzzles and humor did not work for me, especially the blatant ripoff of the Monkey Island sword fighting with the awful rap battle. I did finish the game though and I can understand why maybe it works better for other people, so that one I would actually give a 6 to a 6.5 out of 10, and would recommend people to check it out on a deep discount.
my point remains though, for both of these games. I think a lot of reviewers graded them on a bit of a curve, I came to that conclusion from how they worded the reviews.
It might work somehow if the review guidelines were public, which they never are. Like, for instance, no free saving in the game is -1 points on 1-10 grading scale or something like that.
I can see that working in some venues. For example, in gymnastics, an extra step on landing results in an automatic .1-point deduction. (BTW, it took 86 years for the first perfect score to be awarded.) So I can easily see your point deduction for lack of a free save. But how to apply the same, non-subjective criteria, to graphics?? I have a well known bias against pixelated graphics being described as “retro.” As if that makes them look better! Hard to put a grade on that when someone else sees that as a perfectly acceptable design choice.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
It might work somehow if the review guidelines were public, which they never are. Like, for instance, no free saving in the game is -1 points on 1-10 grading scale or something like that.
I can see that working in some venues. For example, in gymnastics, an extra step on landing results in an automatic .1-point deduction. (BTW, it took 86 years for the first perfect score to be awarded.) So I can easily see your point deduction for lack of a free save. But how to apply the same, non-subjective criteria, to graphics?? I have a well known bias against pixelated graphics being described as “retro.” As if that makes them look better! Hard to put a grade on that when someone else sees that as a perfectly acceptable design choice.
that’s a good point but from your post history, I know how you feel about pixels. That’s why I really only have about two or three reviewers between websites and YouTube videos that I trust because I know my taste kind of aligns with theirs. Also I won’t ever really post reviews of certain genres that I know I don’t really enjoy in general. my wheelhouse is adventure games, jrpgs, rpgs, and third person action/adventure games. For instance I think people know how I feel about what I classify as walking simulators and anybody that does enjoy a Telltale Game would not want to read my review of their newest offering anyway, unless it was a complete departure of what they have been doing.
If I hosted a website for reviews each of my reviewers would have a detailed bio attached to their name on every article/review, so you could tell what they were into gaming wise. I would not put a person that does not like for instance racing games to review the next Gran Turismo.
I think the lack of a memorable soundtrack at Stasis 2 is a flaw, but again, should the game OST have any weight towards its rating, or could that do injustice toward 90% of the indie adventures.. however subjectively, yes, OST is a very important key of immersion and should not be taken lightly…, but if there are some sort of standards written at this site (or any) that say otherwise, I would oblige, but somebody has to draw the line
You are right, the ambient is pretty weak, and it does influence the gaming experience, especially during long distances as we are running back and forth collecting items and reading logs while there are those bells and scratching sounds playing on the background. Constant conversations between the party members that interrupt the game are also getting annoying, there are just too many of them and you can’t do anything while they last. I’m enjoying the characters though, especially Moses the smart toy.
PC means personal computer
that’s a good point but from your post history, I know how you feel about pixels.
As with all things, there are rare exceptions. Obra Dinn and To the Moon are two games to which I would give rave reviews. And, obviously, my aversion to pixelated graphics does not apply to games that were created with what was then state-of-the-art techniques. Think Sierra or Lucas Arts.
For whom the games toll,
they toll for thee.
I have not played Obra Dinn, the green-scale palette was a bit offputting I thought. But reviews looked good!
To the Moon was a struggle for me to enjoy. Very light on gameplay. I think other games have dealt with similar themes better.
I’ve been working my way through Pillars of the Earth. Just reached Book 2. Love the art. The story is a bit slow. Definitely more like a digital book than a true point & click. Not so into the characters or their arcs, but enjoy playing a medieval game that is not fantasy.
I have not played Obra Dinn, the green-scale palette was a bit offputting I thought. But reviews looked good!
Six palettes, or “monitors”, to choose from: IBM 2x, Zenith, Commodore, Mac, LCD
Sometimes, when I clean the rooms, I get a little curious and… erm… you know… snoop through our guests’s stuff. - This Bed We Made
Interesting, didn’t realize you could switch it up!
Interesting, didn’t realize you could switch it up!
You can also switch between smooth and sharp. So don’t rob yourself of playing one of the best adventure games ever. 
Sometimes, when I clean the rooms, I get a little curious and… erm… you know… snoop through our guests’s stuff. - This Bed We Made
Cool, thanks for the recc. I’ll keep my eyes open during the winter sales.
@luckyloser
It was meant with a wink.
@Karlok
Nice list. I would try Outer Wilds if it would be avaiable for macOS. Some of the music in The Longing seems nice, but the speed is too slow. The Witness: Yeah! There Is No Game: Wrong Dimension a.o. can’t afford pixels and annoys with the narrater. Return of the Obra Dinn: I want colors in my games. There are some fab puzzles in Day of the Tentacle, but quite some time the story and characters are over-excitedly unfunny. The Case of the Golden Idol looks interesting, but also isn’t available DRM free for macOS. Cube Escape: Paradox: I very much enjoyed Underground Blossom. Gorogoa has a fab concept, some puzzles are great, others are less entertaining and the music is boring. Stories Untold: On top of the ‘parser’, dolled up thing with typical annoying voice acting. You could use AI for text adventures. So, you showed some taste. Machinarium is good, but I don’t feel comfortable in its world and some puzzles weren’t fun. TWAU: I remember some strong colors, weak animations as well as nice and boring moments. The episodic format was horrible.
Hmm. You could differentiate between oh yes!, good, okay, somehow interesting but not for me and nope. You can find moments of brilliance in quite some games. Games full of joy are hard(er) to find and more common in non adventure genres. If you cherry-pick beloved ones, there are even fewer.
Today I say: Close to my heart are The Dig, The Witness and games from other genres. The Cave, Memoria, Shadow Point, Time Stall, Hit the Road and others are special to me. Games which combine wonderful and weak(er) moments: Inside, Lost in Play, Call of the Sea, the ‘I Expect You to Die’ series etc.
What are you enjoying these days?
@jsfx: Even though you haven’t played at least 6 games on my list it’s obvious from your comments that we have very different tastes in games. Which is fine of course. At least we both liked The Witness. I confess that I found The Dig boring and after all this time I don’t remember if I ever finished it. 
And I only play adventure games, no other genres. I used to enjoy platforming as well, but that was a long time ago and my eye-hand coordination has become pretty bad.
So I don’t know if the games I’m currently enjoying are of any interest to you.
Puzzle game Submachine Legacy. I mentioned it in another post.
The Bed We Made. Sort of a detective game.
BTW I also played Lost in Play, which you mentioned. A nice snack in between meals.
PS: Next up: Ghost Trick (finally available for PC), I’m looking forward to playing this classic one. The Sexy Brutale. Started it when it was released, hated the controls, but now I am finally going to play this intriguing game. The same goes for Hypnospace Outlaw. Its icon has been sitting on my desktop forever. I also haven’t played Firmament yet, shame on me as a backer.
Sometimes, when I clean the rooms, I get a little curious and… erm… you know… snoop through our guests’s stuff. - This Bed We Made
*diligently taking notes*
It could always be worse, remember that.
mjp
@Karlok
The Dig is a wonderful raw gem that could have been much more. I like Broussard’s shorts for their oldskool SF vibe.
We have an overlapping region, like Rusty Lake. I would be interested in Submachine: Legacy and Ghost Trick, but they lack native macOS support. Hypnospace Outlaw takes time without offering worthwhile fun. I still haven’t started Dude, Where Is My Beer? and Tunic.
Which adventures are you looking forward to next year?
Which adventures are looking forward to next year?
I suggest that you (or someone) would start a new thread about 2024 games, like there is for 2023 games:
2023 looks good!
I quickly checked my Steam wishlist and there must be over 100 games which are (possibly) going to be released sometime next year. I think there’s lots to discuss there, but unless there are some pre-release demos available, I don’t think too many people are playing them “right now” as the title of this thread says.
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