Quick Look: Everybody's Gone to the Rapture

I dont understand why everyone is hating on "Walking Simulators"

In order for games to move forward as story telling mediums as well as competitive ventures of skill. Not ALL of them need to streamed live.

i thought dear esther was alright

I just think that if your game is likely to fall into the 'Walking Simulator' genre then maybe you should put a bit more effort into making the act of walking around pleasant.

I mean, it's a personal preference thing. As long as people aren't screaming "NOT A GAME" or some dumb bullshit like that, I'm fine with people dismissing games and genres they don't like. I personally think this looks really interesting.

I love "walking simulators". I'll pick this up!

Did Dan just call a postbox a "gold thing"?

@amyggen: Right, its fine to dismiss something you aren't interested in but I personally find "Walking Simulators" rather engaging if the story and world is interesting. I spent hours reading newspapers stuck to the insides of doors in Cradle just to see if I could get more context into the world before.

Criticizing the game because you dont move as fast as other games is silly. Its not CoD. I mean. I dont get the backlash. I feel like I'm ranting all over the internet now.

EDIT: and I'm not yelling at you personally just raging lol

Everybody's Gone to The Archers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qpgr

"Ooh Arr"

@spacecouncil: Because if it's done wrong, and many of them are, walking simulators are a dull experience.

@glitches: If any game in any genre is done poorly its a dull experience. Not JUST walking simulators

Eh, I guess it depends on what you're looking for. Austin is marvelous, but he would have probably waxed philosophical about the nature of gaming, what defines "gaming" (is this a non-game? Is that a fair term? Well...), and the depths of the human soul. Thesis paper talk, really. I'm not faulting him for it, especially since he's still knee-deep in academia. It's just his style right now.

Meanwhile, I was hoping for snarky irreverence and occasionally snide yet insightful commentary about how mind numbing and limited this genre can be when done wrong... and I got what I wanted. "I'll tell you what I can do. I can walk towards that ball of light and watch humanoid balls of light talk to each." "Nah, I spec'd for clip size." Dan and Jeff were the only things that got me through Shropshire. It's rough out there in the pastoral wasteland, man. :-P

@spacecouncil: True, unfortunately the style of game is relatively new and has very few shining examples. There are a lot more crap ones that got more attention because they were so bad that it poisoned the well on the game type for people.

@glitches: Right, and I'm not defending this game in particular. As I've not played it myself. But to dismiss a game entirely solely based off its classification is nonsense. If you're not interested, you're not interested. But its no reason for anyone to shit on the whole genre. Videogames as a whole is still in its infancy in terms of story telling.

dan "I just wanna go as fast as I can all the time" ryckert

I appreciate Dan trying to be as open-minded as possible here despite clearly not enjoying himself, yet I really can't help but be a little disappointed Giant Bomb East weren't the ones to quick look this considering Austin's familiarity with The Chinese Room's past work.

Anyway, while I understand the deliberate pacing of its movement and its narrative is going to put a lot of people off, I still think it's among the best of its ilk. I adore it.

that "Gate" is known as a stile, is designed for "ramblers" (Walkers) to walk over it, without having a gate,

"A stile is a structure which provides people a passage through or over a fence or boundary via steps, ladders, or narrow gaps. Stiles are often built in rural areas along footpathsfence,wall or hedge to prevent farm animals moving from one enclosure to another whilst allowing path users still to use the route."

Seems to be decent looking, but poorly designed and fairly limited gameplay wise. You would think that with as little interaction as they have going on they could at least figure out how to make passing gates a little more sensible than awkwardly working your way up some randomly placed boards.

Had no idea this was out. Sweet!

Not contesting that at all. I'm merely saying that all video games should be fun, that is, be an enjoyable experience. That is not to say this game isn't fun, I don't know I haven't played it, but I fear the moment we start going down some dark path where games aren't required to be fun anymore.

I think the problem is that the story these games tell is almost always completely underwhelming or poorly executed. At least, that's my issue with them, I can't speak for anyone else. Some people definitely are vehemently opposed to the very concept of them.

As much as I like Austin, I don't think this Quick Look needs half an hour of his trying to justify why this game is so very limited. Just because a game tries something different doesn't mean it is automatically worthy of praise or support.

@sor_eddie: What stories do MOBA's tell? I have played DOTA2, TOME, the Dead Island one I dont care for it. I've given it a chance and I'm still waiting for one to impress me to keep playing. I did enjoy the Dead Island one for more time than the others I'll say.

Some are definitely better than others. This just seems so very limited in terms of interaction, which is sad considering the basic premise of the game could have actually been a springboard into a very interesting experience. Instead of just walking around in decent looking areas you can't interact with to such a laughable degree that something as basic as a gate opening is too much to hope for.

Disclaimer, Because it's hard for people to understand: The following is an opinion. Oh Noes!

You noticed that too huh? Then again, considering how the game will probably be treated in the QL, it's not really a surprise to see that kind of attitude here. I was gonna watch it but the negativity here, and possible quotes in comments from the video itself, turned me off. I'll just grab it on PSN later or maybe PC after that and find out for myself.

"Wheat makes bread, right?"

...jesus, Dan. Some of the things you don't know continue to drop my jaw.

Was hoping for a quick look of this one, reviews seem divided.

@sor_eddie: I have not dismissed all MOBA's. As I have stated I am waiting for one to KEEP me interested. I have played them. They don't interest me. As I have also previously stated If you're not interested, you're not interested. I just recently had the urge the try out HotS however I doubt it will interest me.

They should add the GB-crew in a small window bottom right or something on Quicklooks.

If you enjoy sound design when it's done well, you have to play this. They did a great job.

@sor_eddie: Well that's definitely not what I said, but hey if you want to go with that then fine. My point is that having GB West look at this game, especially with people who have said they're not fans of this kind of game in the past running the video, didn't seem like something worth watching. Interestingly enough, because I know that GB isn't the only place covering the game, I know that the game isn't the most amazing thing in the world either.

Though I suppose the easiest post for me would have been: The people posting about the genre are often acting like pricks by simply saying they're not games at all. [Most Of] The people doing the QL here don't even like the genre and are often dismissive of it, so why should I watch it when there are other places to go to see coverage?

My apologies, next time I'll put a giant disclaimer that my opinion on the site's content might be different from yours to make it easier next time.

Legit shook on the "run speed." If I developed this game I'd be too embarrassed to point people to hold-for-8-seconds sprint-button; it's just more indication of poor design choices.

And I don't mean to pile-on, it's just really disappointing that something so small can cause such a big problem in an otherwise interesting game.

I'm not sure if you've read the memo but "fun" is now a buzzword

Dan did a really good job at making it seem a lot more empty than it actually is. Half the quick look was him going back to an area he's already been so the events didn't trigger again.

I'm getting really tired him acting stupid, even if he doesn't know something he just plays on it too much and feels really fake. Like a knock off version of Karl Pilkinton.

ummm....nope!

I enjoyed Dear Esther, but cannot say that I was looking for more of its gameplay. Even among those that did get really into D.E., I don't recall a large outcry for proliferation on the gameplay side of it.

As a big fan of Frictional Games, maybe this explains what I see in their games. I feel that the Penumbra series and Amnesia were basically walking sims where horror elements took a back seat to the neat atmosphere and stories, and that the manual control of objects, cabinets, etc. was present to create gameplay where exploration didn't fully suffice.

I wouldn't have as much of a problem with the walking speed if the character had any presence in the world, but you seem to just glide across everything. There's no shadow of the character. That takes me out quite a bit. If I'm going to enjoy this kind of game I need enough weight and interaction to make me feel like I'm inhabiting the space. This seems to fall short in that respect. Jeff mentioned a game of being in a space is ok, but needs to have something more. I'd argue that in itself is enough if but they have got to give you some weight in the world!

@sor_eddie: Well, I also don't play many RTS games but I also have recently purchased Warhammer 40K Dawn of War 2. But at this point seeing as to how you've dismissed most of my comments already. I'm almost positive you will dismiss this as well.

I apologize for using a hyperbole regarding my opinion of my experiences playing and watching (the specific) MOBA's to which I extrapolated further as they do not have a narrative, in which walking simulators do, and MOBA's are mostly competitive play based on learning the game and are not narratively driven. Next time I'll remember I'm on the internet. Perhaps you should do the same.

That seems like a odd requirement given how subjective "fun" can be. What about the games that are intent on making you feel sorrow or fear? Can they be classed as enjoyable? The experiences they offer might not be "fun", but still worth partaking in.

Looks similar to my experience with Dear Esther. Walked to a point, didn't progress, wandered for 10 minutes, returned to that point, progressed the second time for some reason. I didn't get that game, either.

9.0 Gamespot

What the jeez..? Why even have a "go fast" button that does so little? I don't actually mind the walking, I just find it weird to have that button and have it be so pointless.

No Man's Sky? Everyone IS gone, right?

I've played a bit of it earlier and I'm having a tough time maintaining my interest. The story pacing is so incredibly slow and it's partly because of the walk speed. Dang, I really wanted to like this.

Fixed it

The dialogue could use some work to not sound like the author straight infodumping.

All this whining about it being slow. Dan looks to be moving pretty fucking fast around 5:40. If you were moving that fast in real life, you would absolutely be jogging. So I don't know the hell the problem is.

Also, this LOOKS beautiful

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: "engaging" is a better word than "fun" when talking about games. Fun is one kind of engagement, but it's hardly the only one. Schindler's List isn't really a fun movie, but it's certainly engaging to a lot of people.