It's a fantastic thing, and the actors all do a great job to fit the tone. I'm glad this site started covering it since it never would have hit my radar. Hell, I still probably won't play it but I'll buy it for support.
Rebecca needs to be a voiceover actress, and Ryan needs to do inspirational speeches.
ContradictionVG, I just want to say that you did a fantastic job making an FMV game into something playable (and fun!). The transition snippits, isolated character cameras, and contradiction/conversation mechanic are a great framework to make the strengths of FMV shine. More than anything, the actors' performances do a fantastic job of making you want more - especially Jenks; oddly charming, that one.
I actually haven't bought the game yet (I will after this post!) but the only problems I see are the UI/controls, the video compression, and some of the apparently arbitrary actions you need to take in the story. (Having a hint system was a great idea, though, major props for that.)
My question for you is this: what's up with the compression on the FMV? That's the one big thing holding it back from looking great, especially seeing as FMV is the basis for the whole thing. Aside from that, keep up the great work!
I actually haven't bought the game yet (I will after this post!) but the only problems I see are the UI/controls, the video compression, and some of the apparently arbitrary actions you need to take in the story. (Having a hint system was a great idea, though, major props for that.)
My question for you is this: what's up with the compression on the FMV? That's the one big thing holding it back from looking great, especially seeing as FMV is the basis for the whole thing. Aside from that, keep up the great work!
Have you watched footage/screenshots from other places than GB? Because the GBeast footage is way more compressed than the originals, also this:
@giantbomb I think maybe you have all that Windows 'improve video quality' stuff switched on - keeps making the black level gray!
Like everyone here, I want to thank and congratulate you on your ridiculously charming game. I whole-heartedly agree with others that we need more of this sort of thing.
More importantly, however, I want to personally thank you for bringing Paul Darrow, in the role of Paul Rand, back in to the popular culture eye. I grew up adoring Blake's 7 and especially Avon, the role he played. I legitimately got goosebumps when he first appeared in Contradiction as Paul. Darrow is an great actor and it's surprising that he isn't as well known and successful as British standards such as Alan Rickman and Patrick Stewart. I encourage everyone here to seek out his work on Blake's 7! I also look forward to his participation in any future Contradiction sequels. Thanks again.
Just wanted to pop in and mention I bought this on the IPad and spent around six non consecutive hours playing it yesterday. Absolutely fantastic game, no joke, and I sincerely hope you get to make a dozen more.
Are any of the "quirks" legitimately gamebreaking? I only watched the first twenty minutes of the first quick look before I knew I had to get this game.
@contradictionvg: Just wanted to say that I absolutely love the game, and I have no affinity for FMV games because I didn't grow up playing them. There's a certain charm to your game that I haven't seen in any video game before. It's brought me joy only nintendo games have brought me before.
@kewlsnake: the only problems I had during the game are the following.
My graphics card died, therefore I only had the overlays and none of the video, but did have the sound, so I could interview people and travel using the map and directions. This is clearly not Tim's problem, but it shows that the game works when you have no FMV.
The change control screen is immediate, so when you press down to go down, it remaps up to down. The game has a reset control mapping button which solves this problem. it's a game with six buttons it's brilliantly simple. (Fullscreen, captions, search/use/labels, inventory, map, menu/exit questioning and UDLR)
@contradictionvg The game is hilarious, I absolutely love it. I'm curious though, how do you feel about GB playing through the entirety of your game? Assuming that they stream again and finish it
The game is absolutely fantastic, it just oozes charm. It really did take FMV games quite some time to discover its limitations, but your game really knows what it is and doesn't pretend to be anything beyond that. And what it is is absolutely great!
I can honestly say this is the first game I have ever played that has had a story and characters ("bravo" to the cast!) I cared enough about seeing through that I didn't want it spoiled. So, instead of buying it just to support the developers (as I had planned to) and then watching Vinny and the crew play it, I bought it, finished it in two sittings after the first feature aired, and can now enjoy the rest of GB's playthrough.
GB videos are often only as funny as the game they're playing, so know it's in large part because of your game that resulted in such unforgettably entertaining GB video content!
Havent played it, but ive watched the videos on the site. I plan on buying it, because i like silly/sincere stuff like this. I hope it does well enough to support your future endeavors.
It's not often I buy a game that I have no intention of playing, but I did that with Contradiction. I'm going to watch Vinny, Alex & Austin play through it, so I won't play it myself, but it's one of those cases where I felt like I had to support the developer. The quirkiness and charm of the game is just fantastic.
Did this too. I'm the weird situation where I don't want to spoil the GBE videos so I'm holding off playing it myself. But I wonder if there are things that are missable so I'll probably play through it a couple months later.
The thing that struck me about this game is that initially it feels a bit like it will be a very short, uninteresting story, as FMV games often are small projects. But it soon becomes apparent that there is actually some meat here. Also, while the UI is rough, it is totally functional, and the design decision to be able to skip around on the map from anywhere deserves a lot of praise (not to mention, the animation for moving the pin around is just lovely!).
As others have said, the acting & script is just the perfect amount of cheesy to make this work. It's a different tone but I get a similar feeling to when I'm playing Phoenix Wright. Mystery games are a great genre for telling elaborate, character-driven stories. Congrats on the well-deserved success!
@contradictionvg: This isn't usually my sort of game but you've managed to make a really cool thing! I have to ask, though, because I was wondering from pretty much the moment the game began: Did you intentionally model Jenks after an early-90s Richard O'Brien, or was that just fantastic luck that made him an even more hilarious character to me?
I bought this one because of the QL too! I'm just past where they ended up in the playdate and I plan on finishing it. Can't wait for Contradiction 2: Jenks Goes Hawaiian.
. "But my goal was to make something entertaining and stupid and definitely not taking itself seriously..."
You succeeded in such an incredible way! I also love the response from you and the cast. Getting the game as soon as payday rolls around and I cant wait for a sequel.
MuftyRiots that's fantastic!! We live walking distance away from each other then, how bizarre is that?!! Next time you're in the Windle Island Starbucks you can say hello and make me feel famous!
johnnymcginley Yes Midsomer Murders was definitely an influence, we even approached John Nettles to play the chief but his agent turned us down! Taggert however... maybe a Wicker Man Scottish location would be good for the sequel!
Libb - I would definitely have to get a 'real' programmer in to do an xbox one or ps4 version and it'd have to be rewritten from scratch, so I doubt it'd be possible unfortunately. Might be worth contacting someone though, give them a big cut of the version they make etc.
There are indie-publishers, as well as people at Sony itself, who can hook you up with an experienced porting studio who will handle a console version for you. That's like how 2/3rds of indies get on consoles these days. You should hit up Shahid Ahmad of PlayStation UK on Twitter, he makes deals like that for a living. He actually has a similar background to you, doing programming and music in the heydays of the Amiga and C64.
I mean, if Hatoful Boyfriend can get a PS4 release, so can your game.
Libb - I would definitely have to get a 'real' programmer in to do an xbox one or ps4 version and it'd have to be rewritten from scratch, so I doubt it'd be possible unfortunately. Might be worth contacting someone though, give them a big cut of the version they make etc.
There are indie-publishers, as well as people at Sony itself, who can hook you up with an experienced porting studio who will handle a console version for you. That's like how 2/3rds of indies get on consoles these days. You should hit up Shahid Ahmad of PlayStation UK on Twitter, he makes deals like that for a living. He actually has a similar background to you, doing programming and music in the heydays of the Amiga and C64.
If you don't have any luck getting in touch with Shahid, send me a PM and I'll hook you up with contact info for some people I know at a couple of UK based publishers that do a lot of console ports. I'm sure you could probably get interest from someone considering that the major component of your game is the video content and doing a new interface should be relatively easy for most port houses.
It's a wonderful game, I'm really glad you're getting all this attention from GB. The dialog and acting is just cheesy enough to be absolutely perfect for this kind of FMV game.
And the central game mechanic, of finding the contradictions, is a fabulous idea! You've executed it just right, giving enough options on every dialog option to not make it obvious which the right answer is, but totally doable if you pay attention to the dialog and story. And while the UI is not fantastic or anything, I wouldn't worry about it too much: it's perfectly usable and that's all you need for a game like this. I really hope you get to make a sequel and get it out on more platforms.
I've also bought it without intending to play it (I'd like to experience the game through the GB videos), but I'm thinking of showing it to my mom, who's way into these kinds of stories.
Good luck with the game! I hope it sells like gangbusters!
Thanks for making THIS game. I bought it right after the quick look and I'm loving it. The acting is great and fun, the controls are not great but it's totally playable, not a big deal.
I find infuriating what Rock.Paper.Shotgun says about how Jenks is ruining the game!
Rock, Paper,Shotgun.says " It’s certainly unfortunate that the weakest actor of the bunch is the main character, Det. Jenks. He’s not bad, but rather incongruous to the tone of the rest of the game" and "His gurning is certainly distracting, but it’s more the exaggerated, playful nature of his delivery that seems both inappropriate for police interviewing".
The reason why I love this game is because of Jenks. Could you imagine Twin Peaks without Dale Cooper? Or Deadly premonition without Francis York Morgan?
Thanks for making this game. Watching the GB guys play it has been a serious highpoint for the website. You guys did the impossible and perfectly captured the tone of old FMV games while still being somewhat self-aware.
You made a thing that was destined to be written off, something that would be funny for 15mins then forgotten about as we laugh about that 'silly FMV' game that isn't worth buying, and one hour later everyone on this site is obsessed and not in an ironic way either. You did real good, I'd be shocked if this game doesn't get it's share of accolades at the end of the year from this site, sure it might be a bit janky but in a way it kind of adds to the charm. Hell people are buying this game without the intent of even playing it because they just enjoy watching it so much.
It's legitimately one of the most entertaining things I've watched in a while. With/without the commentary.
Great job, purchased it to support you guys though I'll probably just watch Vinny and the crew play the game. Hope to see a sequel, something like a murder at a dinner party (ala Clue) would be awesome.
@contradictionvg: Tim Follin! I've been such a big fan for literally all of my life! Some of my earliest memories is listening to your tunes while my older brother played Amiga. The Puzznic theme is still one of the catchiest songs out there.
With that said, I got to say I love Contradiction just as well. It's like a goofy, British FMV version of Phoenix Wright meets Nicolas Cage's Wicker Man and it's glorious. I'm so grateful that I found out about it through Giant Bomb. The difference to Phoenix Wright is that I feel that the ways to progress are more logical and well thought out. If the controls were fine tuned then the game would be an all time classic for me. It hits all the sweet spots I have.
I love everything about this game (menus aside, but hey). I've always adored FMV games, but ones that are actually fun to play are rare. When the QL first started, I admit that my thoughts were "Oh no... this is going to be TERRIBLE". It wasn't until about twenty minutes in and a handful of Jenks' Nic Cage style performances that I really "got" it. When he started throwing the horns, I was absolutely in love.
Intentional corniness is nearly impossible to do right, but you guys nailed it.
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