intresting lookin game, i'll try it.

Fantastic review Alex! Very informative. :)

Good story and bad gameplay strikes me as a title that could have actually been good if it was more in line with stuff that's more of an interactive movie than a game like Heavy Rain or the Walking Dead.

Ultimately, a game has to be played and a great story seems like a total waste of everyone's time and effort if it's matched with lackluster gameplay.

@Alex: Great review Alex. I played through the game yesterday and found it somewhat difficult to nail down how I felt about it. The comment you made about the game's mechanics getting in the way of the story on occasion really clicked for me. I think that the game is a great experience, one I'd recommend people at least try, as it really shows a lot of potential. I didn't have as much trouble with controls or glitches (only one restart required), but I played it post-patch obviously.

One thing I'll add is after you finish a first play through of the story, they have this replay gimmick for collecting hats that kind of bummed me out a little. It just seemed way too videogamey for something with such focus on emotional gravitas.

Three stars sounds about right, from what I saw in the QL. Some interesting metaphors at play, a couple of somewhat interesting mechanical ideas, wrapped in a pretty dull looking gameplay experience.

@mrcraggle said:

I thought for sure Ryan was gonna review this. How does Alex have time to get through this, Sleeping Dogs and Sound Shapes in such a short period yet produce such in-depth reviews?

Well... I'm betting this was rhetorical for the sake of praise, which is cool. Still, Alex does not have to spend 3-6 hours every week on podcast audio and e-mail selection, nor Ryan's other responsibilities like TNT hosting, merchandise, QL hosting, guest scheduling (QLEX), moving his beyonce into their house, blocking people on Twitter, and there's a PAX Prime panel coming up in 12 days that probably needs some attention.

I'm just guessing. Could be off base. ;p Point being, they are all top men doing their part.

Great review, Alex. I am still on the fence with this game - it seems interesting, but I am not sure I will find it fun, which is what I am looking for at the moment. I'll have to check out the quick look too. Once again, fantastic review.

Hell of a review. Alex is the best writer of the staff, no doubt.

@DanTheGamer32: It isn't supposed to mean mediocre but most people take it that way.

@thatpinguino: 3 stars =/= mediocre

Its a shame that this review had to have a score, the text says worthwhile and interesting story and characters, but simple and unfun puzzles. Whereas the score says mediocre. But then that is why you read the reviews.

Great review as always Alex. You summed up my thoughts on the game perfectly. Papo & Yo has technical problems but I think the story was good enough that I played through it in one sitting. I feel with a little more polish this game could have been something special like Journey

Man, they sure are turning Alex into the workhorse.

Awesome review, Alex. You convinced me to pick it up, and I wasn't even interested before I read this.

trusted!

And even if the first fruit of that labor turned out flawed, the ideas behind it are still worth cheering for.

Except I bet this studio is going to go under, sadly enough. Dat recession.

@Xtrememuffinman: I'd say it's a little over four hours.

I think I'm definitely going to check it out at some point soon. The story stuff in it seems interesting enough that I'll probably be willing to forgive the technical issues.

@1960sSpiderman: Nope! Full time just like everybody else. I'm just good at churning through games, I guess.

Maybe he's more of a freelancer than a full-time employee so he gets paid by the review rather than a steady paycheck? That would explain the mass of Alex reviews and so few from anybody else.

After watching the Quick Look, this is exactly what I ended up thinking about the game: unique and personal story behind it, but unpolished gameplay. Boy, didn't I get told for criticizing an indie game! But I stand by my gut reaction. The game looks extremely charming, but not very fun to play. I guess a few patches could polish the rough edges a bit... I guess.

@mrcraggle said:

I thought for sure Ryan was gonna review this. How does Alex have time to get through this, Sleeping Dogs and Sound Shapes in such a short period yet produce such in-depth reviews?

Between this and the fact that he seems to be the less changed from the Gamespot days... he's definitely a robot.

How did I know it was you? HOW DID I KNOW IT WAS YOU!?

wait, the studio's name is actually minority media? That sounds really pretentious to me

I mean the game sounds really interesting and I'm bummed I can't play it, but I dunno.

I thought for sure Ryan was gonna review this. How does Alex have time to get through this, Sleeping Dogs and Sound Shapes in such a short period yet produce such in-depth reviews?

Good review Alex, downloaded the game but haven't played it yet. Just as an FYI, you might want to add an 'ing' to the end of 'begin' in the second sentence of your last paragraph. 

From the Quick Look, it seemed like an interesting concept but kind of a technical mess.

Lots of reviews hitting this week! Games are finally coming out!

Papo and BOOM! HEADSHOT.