Perhaps it’s because all I really do with time is play puzzle games. I mean of course that’s an exaggeration, but how hard could it be to get someone interested in a game which the core feature is puzzles?
By having it take place on an island?
Maybe it was the talking leading up to release, Those that got to look at early builds seemed to be blown away by the very concept. (or was it how pretty everything looked?)
Then upon release a lot of reviews read like.“Ah man! It’s got the thing and then it does this, and Fuck man you don’t even know. Well of course you don’t even know, how could you? I can’t really talk about it, I don’t want to spoil anything for you, for if I did the very fabric of time would shred.”
Again, exaggeration.
What most can tell me is that they take a feeling of discovery away from their experience. Finding out how to solve the puzzle in front of them, after hours of hitting their head against a brick wall.
But I think it’s my experience with puzzle games throughout life that I just know what to look for, and it leaves me coming up short. Although I appreciate the idea of using the island itself to solve the puzzles, at times it’s like sticking your hand into a jar of mad-libs. using all of these tricks to have the outcome essentially be the same answer.
I don’t want to be down on it completely, because it does have it’s moments here and there... But I’m sitting here wondering if Jonathan Blow is trying to get you excited about solving puzzles or if it’s a series of elaborate monologues discussing his own level of intelligence/insight and each series of puzzles is just another key to unlocking the next part of his lecture.
I did like the forest stuff, but then got annoyed when the game acted, as if to say “Oh jeez, we really have to find a way to make this hard because I don’t know.”
My attitude towards this game, makes me wonder of the actual ratio of people that are in awe of what this does versus the people aren't, (and secret option those that get it, but choose to dislike it because everyone loves it.)
Is it like, the Undertale of puzzle games? (I'll never play Undertale, so I don't even have any ruddy idea.)
*Ahem*
Hi...
I’m sure I’ve said this multiple times, but I’m a journalism student. Since my time attending J-school (in the past, what? year and a half.) The Canadian news industry appears to be waning. Newspapers both community and national are either downsizing or ending completely. We’re also not just talking print here, broadcast stations are experiencing the same problem.
So it makes you wonder why I even chose that profession in the first place. yeah, I feel like I've already brought this up on a blog before.
With the news of the Game Trailers shut down I suppose I should be running about feeling anxious. I do feel something for the downsizing of a great industry, but I feel it even more when it’s related to games.
It’s always something to think about y’know. What games coverage should be, what it’s going to be. It would be a bummer to think that youtube is a nail in the coffin of a site like game trailers. I know I don’t want it to just be people sitting in their bedrooms riffing on Sonic. There needs to be variety.
A site like Gamespot does such a great job of making variety. With the different types of shows, and the different ways to look at and talk about video games. So it's always exciting to watch them change around. Giantbomb as well, takes these formulas and runs with them in a way that they almost seem to be the new standard. With Austin Walker pushing the initiative for good writing, I look forward to what that will even mean, and the kinds of people with something to offer.
It should be inspiring for others to find new and exciting ways to make things happen with the stuff that they love.
I know can’t say much to the effect of Game Trailers but with them closed, the variety of this industry is fading just a little bit more. Honestly, I still miss the days of 1UP and the things that they experimented with in terms of multimedia.
Now I’m just making myself nostalgic, and I might as well be sad.
(And congrats to Matt Paget to getting the Gamespot gig, getting out before the entire B.C. news industry dies off. But when you have the drive anything can happen. Maybe we can make a website that just about replays in esports games.)
There’s another game that I have played, that I would have talked about in greater detail, but the video for it is not done. The person just hasn’t gotten around to her VO, and I suspect I just haven’t put my foot down enough.
But I guess that’s what happens when people live on opposites sides of the continent, there’s zero time for coordination.
I will say that I’m still finding the time to enjoy Battlefront. But maybe I’m also just saying that because it hit me over the weekend as a game to play, since I’m in the middle of projects and didn’t want to give myself more time to think.
Shooty games really are a great way to turn your brain off.
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