[I Push Fat Kids]

First thing that came to mind was Divinity II, although the expansion release improved this aspect greatly.

Yes. Euro-dragon jank is some of the best jank.

Also Risen.

[Dan Yo]

Being buggy and unintuitive are what is typically associated with euro-jank. I think it extends to other aspects of European culture as well, as you can see in some music and television that might have lower production values than Americans are accustomed to.

Just kind of a blanket term for something that is unpolished.

[SatelliteOfLove]

euro-jank = ambitious, inspired, substantial, extremely technical game uncompromisingly designed for a specific audience who can appreciate the core experience without being pandered to with shallow embellishments or dumbed down mechanical design ameri-jank = shitty game seriously though, besides being an incredibly lazy and thoughtless criticism, 'jank' is a horrible, ugly word and should never be used by anyone. it's worse than 'shmup.'

I've always said:

"Euro/Japanese Jank": Game requires to you learn to play or you'll get yourself killed or stuck.

"AAA Jank": Game's jank saves you from getting killed or stuck so long as you do exactly what it tells you to do so its much less obvious to most.

Sometimes too much polishing takes off the intricate details along with the rough parts.

It's a sign that a game is worth paying attention to. Often it's like a negative way of saying "not dumbed down".

That too.

[King_Moc]

Witcher? You guys are high

Witcher 1, yes. Witcher 2, No.

[Grayman]

With DayZ Arma2 mod gathering popularity I noticed several people voicing their opinions that it has "typical euro-jank gameplay full of bugs", "the UI is of euro-jank variety" etc. Last game I remember having similiar opinions was the Gothic/ Arcania series and before that Sacred. What is Euro jank? Is every game from Eastern Europe put in this category? Are those bugs not found in American titles? PC-like UI and PC-like gameplay? I find it fascinating that a shitty game from America or Japan is called a "shitty game" while a shitty European game is called "Euro jank".

Eastern European Jankware typically does awesome stuff with in some areas but is not high polished. Anytime I have heard the phrase it is far from being a shitty game. More like a term of endearment for something that has some rough edges.

[Stallion Free]

Yeah, Serious Sam can't be included because one of the key qualifiers for eurojank is having ambition.

.

[Teknopathetic]

Euro-jank has almost nothing to do with the "ambition" or "gameplay" of a game and more the budget, bugs, horrific (but endearing) voice acting, overall lack of polish, etc.

[SparkTR]

I have no idea, but looking through this thread some of my favorite games this gen are Eurojank.

[Haunted]

Euro-jank has almost nothing to do with the "ambition" or "gameplay" of a game and more the budget, bugs, horrific (but endearing) voice acting, overall lack of polish, etc.

Ambition can at least be a factor in the amount of bugs and overall lack of polish, though. There's often a sense of "yeah, they bit off more than they could chew" with euro jank. Just look at Boiling Point or Precursors.

[VanillaPMP]

Stalker is like the definition of Euro jank.

[Teknopathetic]

"Ambition can at least be a factor in the amount of bugs and overall lack of polish, though. There's often a sense of "yeah, they bit off more than they could chew" with euro jank. Just look at Boiling Point or Precursors."


"Can." There are plenty of games full of the same flaws that are not as ambitious as those particular games.

[saunderez]

Stalker is like the definition of Euro jank.

Some might argue it was the King of Euro Jank when it was first released. The bugs combined with the general lack of polish meant I had to wait a good 6 months to actually play it.

[wanders]

I guess the American counterpart would be Ameri-trash?

[chickdigger802]

Aren't 'American' games pretty janky for the most part?


AC games are 'global team based' and they still are janky imo.

Bioware games were all pretty janky until... ME2 or so? Bethesda stuff are janky.

Call of Duty games are more broken than they probably should be with how much money and teams are on it.

[CecilRousso]

Arma 2 - a bit janky perhaps, but not that much that it bothers me, like with some other games.
Europa Universalis III - great game. Janky.
Gothic 4 - is it anything else besides janky?
Gray Matter - awesome, but janky.
Risen - janky, very much so.
Skyrim - nope, not janky. It has it shares of problems, but not janky.
The Witcher 1 - a bit perhaps, mostly because of the cutscenes.
The Witcher 2 - not even the slightest bit janky

That´s how I would classify games according to "jank factor". It´s about polish in graphics, interface and presentation, but not about bugs. Janky games might be buggy, but I would say it´s something that defines it.

I´m european, and not the slightest bit offended about the term euro jank.

[James Woods]

Play Death to Spies and you will know. Oh, you will know.

Holy shit yes. I thought nobody on GAF knew of this series. Still an interesting set of games tho, like the older Hitman entries but in WW2.

[cr_blah_blah]

I guess the American counterpart would be Ameri-trash?

but trash is derogatory, jank isn't usually meant that way at all (well, especially in relation to these games)

[Poimandres]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R: SOC is an amazing game, one of my favourite of all time.

The lack of polish in certain areas actually added to the appeal of the game. It was unpredictable in a way too few games are, and made exploring the environments very tense.

I'm continually impressed by the games that come out of Eastern European countries. Small teams can often pull off amazing things conceptually and at times even graphically with miniscule budgets. That is where the creative drive from 90s PC gaming lives on.

[wolfmat]

It's a meaningless label. The bugs and weird decisions in (mostly) Eastern European games that tend to be noticed by everyone are being mixed up with the nebulous and idiotic idea of "this came from those ex-Soviet states; grey houses, wodka, weird R, communism".

Of course, the bugs and decisions themselves are unique to the game, or the developer, or whatever. Uncommon, quirky properties of a game. You will find the same stuff in games from Canada (Mass Effect 1 inventory, Ubisoft DRM, Fez crash bonanza), from the US (Half-Life 2 sound stutter bug, Electronic Arts websites and forums for games), blabla. But because people like to throw with shitty labels, they say "Euro jank".

It's almost on the level of ad hominem attacks. Borderline racism.

[wolfmat]

I would like to add that Second Life was developed in San Francisco, California, USA.

So what does that tell you?

[saunderez]

I would like to add that Second Life was developed in San Francisco, California, USA. So what does that tell you?

Not much since Second Life is pretty much just an open canvas. It would be impossible to create a game with that level of freedom without it being a janky mess. And calling Second Life a game is probably giving it a bit too much credit, it's an open world chat room at the heart of it. I don't know why you're getting so defensive, as other people have said jank can be welcome or warranted as long as it's not accompanied by a ridiculous amount of bugs.

[BramVD]

Where did this word come from all of a sudden? Never ever heard of it

[MNC]

Lacking in polish. Often resulting in a literal jank motion in e.g. animations

[saunderez]

Where did this word come from all of a sudden? Never ever heard of it

I've been using the term for years for games that "aren't quite right", but apparently it was originally the term used for a non-responsive UI in a computer program. These days it tends to refer more to wonky animations, dodgy menu systems, complicated game systems and visual glitching. Janky games are definitely not exclusive to Europe but given the smaller studios pumping out incredibly ambitious games (in scope) it tends to happen more often over there.

[lastplayed]

Which side do British games fall on? Or are they in the middle?

[zkylon]

Euro-jank is the best thing ever. Overly ambitious, doesn't-know-when-to-quit buggy half baked games. And if you're lucky, hilarious dubbing and you get things like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DADiThF9g3k

[wolfmat]

Not much since Second Life is pretty much just an open canvas. It would be impossible to create a game with that level of freedom without it being a janky mess.

I don't think you can say that. Sure it's possible to do Second Life better in every aspect. It's a matter of design choices, programmer know-how and so forth. Lots of things obviously went wrong with Second Life at pretty elementary stages of it.

I don't know why you're getting so defensive, as other people have said jank can be welcome or warranted as long as it's not accompanied by a ridiculous amount of bugs.

The jank label doesn't irritate me at all, the Euro label irritates me. It is a brush much too wide for my taste.

Hallmark games come from European countries. Shitty games come from European countries. Same as everywhere else.

I'd much prefer labels such as "low-budget jank", "low-expertise jank", "early-release jank" and so on. Hopefully accompanied with elaborations. "They haven't figured out how to make a good inventory, this is too much of a hassle when you're in a pinch". "These buttons have a style that belongs into the last century". "It's not clear why they haven't bothered to properly support all common aspect ratios in all graphical matters".

Just saying "Euro jank" doesn't help anyone.

[Kong Fisso]

The term "Euro Jank" is not offensive in the least. It's endearing.

[saunderez]

I don't think you can say that. Sure it's possible to do Second Life better in every aspect. It's a matter of design choices, programmer know-how and so forth. Lots of things obviously went wrong with Second Life at pretty elementary stages of it.

Yeah but you're talking about a game that lets all players create things. It's extremely high level of jank is a byproduct of letting people who aren't game designers create in-game content. Anyone can create items and do elementary scripting in Second Life. It all comes together to make an ugly, inconsistent mess of a world. It's also Second Life's largest drawcard. I just don't see how you make a game with the freedom Second Life provides without the jank.

The jank label doesn't irritate me at all, the Euro label irritates me. It is a brush much too wide for my taste. ... Just saying "Euro jank" doesn't help anyone.

That's fair enough. Jank is jank as far as I'm concerned and from games I've recently tried I'd say Sniper Elite V2 is as janky as any European game I've played in the last couple of years.

[bhlaab]

AMERICAN GAMES


EASTERN EUROPEAN GAMES


Does that answer your question?

[sp3000]

Metro 2033 and Witcher are not jank in the least


Something like Cryostasis is the definition of it though. Brilliantly ambitious, probably far too smart for your average gamer, and dense and complicated if you dont your mind.

Cryostasis. Dev based in Ukraine. Impossible to get above ~20fps with an AMD card. Nice optimization bros. Good game though.

Good game? It's got like the most amazing story put in a videogame

I think the game was specifically designed for literature professors with gaming rigs

[daviyoung]

Which side do British games fall on? Or are they in the middle?

Depends if they're janky or not doesn't it?

[saunderez]

Depends if they're janky or not doesn't it?

I've been trying to think of British studios that make janky games and only 1 game has come to mind....Leisure Suit Larry Box Office Bust (Team 17).

If you didn't approach ladders from the right angle you wouldn't climb them. Pissed me off after 10 minutes and I will never, ever go back to that game. To be fair that's an extremely bad example of jank because the game just plain sucked.

[Kong Fisso]

Metro 2033 and Witcher are not jank in the least Something like Cryostasis is the definition of it though. Brilliantly ambitious, probably far too smart for your average gamer, and dense and complicated if you dont your mind. Good game? It's got like the most amazing story put in a videogame I think the game was specifically designed for literature professors with gaming rigs

Literature professors with NVIDIA gaming rigs, it seems.

:( :( :(

[zoukka]

AMERICAN GAMES EASTERN EUROPEAN GAMES Does that answer your question?

So europeans make american(chinese) merchandise artsy?

[Muchi Muchi Pink]

Being buggy and unintuitive are what is typically associated with euro-jank. I think it extends to other aspects of European culture as well, as you can see in some music and television that might have lower production values than Americans are accustomed to. Just kind of a blanket term for something that is unpolished.

What. Everything made in the US is golden? BBC does one of the best stuff out there and music has big budgets, too. You try to generalize europe over "some" countries and their culture.

[wolfmat]

Yeah but you're talking about a game that lets all players create things. It's extremely high level of jank is a byproduct of letting people who aren't game designers create in-game content. Anyone can create items and do elementary scripting in Second Life. It all comes together to make an ugly, inconsistent mess of a world. It's also Second Life's largest drawcard. I just don't see how you make a game with the freedom Second Life provides without the jank.

Well, I wasn't referring to the user-generated jank, and what comes of it. That's a whole different level of jank!

Of course you can explain why jank is there, how it got there, why it's tolerable in this-and-that case. And that's necessary to make a quality assessment that makes sense in the context of what the game is. What I was alluding to with my post however was that it's not good enough to say "well, it's from the US, what did you expect lolz" in Second Life's case. Quite the opposite, it makes you go "say what?". That's what I think when I hear "Euro jank".

[BramVD]

I've been using the term for years for games that "aren't quite right", but apparently it was originally the term used for a non-responsive UI in a computer program. These days it tends to refer more to wonky animations, dodgy menu systems, complicated game systems and visual glitching. Janky games are definitely not exclusive to Europe but given the smaller studios pumping out incredibly ambitious games (in scope) it tends to happen more often over there.

Thx!!

[daviyoung]

What. Everything made in the US is golden? BBC does one of the best stuff out there and music has big budgets, too. You try to generalize europe over "some" countries and their culture.

I think what he means is that in America everything is an industry. Corporate, sterile and calculated. In Europe people still have a passion for their outputs, an artistic vision and inventive ideas. That's why we'll just always be cooler. It's a compliment.

[lilltias]

Being buggy and unintuitive are what is typically associated with euro-jank. I think it extends to other aspects of European culture as well, as you can see in some music and television that might have lower production values than Americans are accustomed to. Just kind of a blanket term for something that is unpolished.

What is this European culture you are talking about? I am curious.

[daviyoung]

What is this European culture you are talking about? I am curious.

Castles. Men on horses. Socialism.

[wolfmat]

What is this European culture you are talking about? I am curious.

I guess Lem, Goethe, Lennon, Eco, Tarkowski, Wagner, Blomkvist, Gropius, Picasso, Vermeer, Ravel and Shakespeare lit the way for Euro jank. Or something.

[StoppedInTracks]

That's fair enough. Jank is jank as far as I'm concerned and from games I've recently tried I'd say Sniper Elite V2 is as janky as any European game I've played in the last couple of years.

Sniper Elite V2 is an Euro game :)

[saunderez]

Sniper Elite V2 is an Euro game :)

I thought Rebellion was based in the UK? In any case it's a good example of a game that isn't bad, but is certainly janky.

[daviyoung]

I thought Rebellion was based in the UK?

UK is in Europe.

[Combichristoffersen]

I guess Lem, Goethe, Lennon, Eco, Tarkowski, Wagner, Blomkvist, Gropius, Picasso, Vermeer, Ravel and Shakespeare lit the way for Euro jank. Or something.

Leonardo da Vinci invented a lot of things, including euro jank.

Haha. What does that even mean?

I guess what he's alluding to is that quite a lot of people in the UK apparently don't really consider themselves as being European.

[lastplayed]

UK is in Europe.

In body, but not in mind.

[daviyoung]

In body, but not in mind.

Haha. What does that even mean?

[Kinky John]

No sir, this is euro jank.

I'd ride the Cheeky Girls until raw.

[Vlodril]

Its bullshit. Its not like western games aren't full of bugs and unpolished either.