I had a similar experience to yourself, and especially concur that there are a few neat ideas in there. One thing worth adding is that the sound design is artistically and technically impressive.
But there's a lot of parts (perhaps most of the parts) to this game, that are either boring or feel like a chore to do. It isn't a rewarding or fun experience overall, even if the premise is intriguing and the early exposition is well delivered.
Based on how interesting the first hour or two are I'm a little sad to say so but I'd give this game a 2/5 and would recommend people don't play it.
Dig Ben, dig Abby, but this was a super rough listen. Even more so than their E3 podcast.
In an age where there's so many good podcasts and YouTube offerings out there, a half hour of what sounds like a couple kids that just discovered their parent's tape recorder doesn't quite cut it, and was the strongest example of pure concentrated cringe I've experienced in quite awhile.
I would hope....if this continues, you guys go for something more structured as your E3 t-shirt booth sketch was one of the best Giant Bomb segments during the event and it would be awesome to see you somehow bring something like that to podcast form. Either that or have Jeff, Vinny or Dan/Jeremiah rotate to keep Ben from going a little too far off the rails.
But hey, what do I know?
Basically this. Please Ben and Abby don't abuse the privilege you have to put out podcasts by filling them with nothing. Even F1 podcasts and (especially) Danswers were not my thing at all but at least they had a theme and a point. This didn't.
By contrast, when duders riff off eachother to do a 'bit' during a podcast, it works because it mixes the absurd/silly with subject matter that people are serious and enthusiastic about. It works because the audience know what the people doing the bit are actually like and what they actually think. They have a context and a contrast. An extended drama class riff might be a useful exercise (and really fun to do) but it is also really indulgent to expect people to listen to it when that's also the extent of what it is.
I put 10 hours into this game before abandoning it.
I started to lose interest after 4 or 5 and those last few hours were, at best, dull in terms of gameplay.
Be aware that the early story set up is intriguing but it isn't sustained later into the game so a quick look isn't the best barometer of this *particular* game.
100% in agreement. 2014 was a very lean year. Shadow of Mordor was an above average game with a neat gimmick but it was not my cup of tea at all and finishing it felt like a slog.
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