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Okay, we're all tired of the arthouse indie game, right?

Alexios

Cores, shaders and BIOS oh my!
Sounds like you aren't playing most/any, what's the problem? Is there a lack of other games? Seems like even dead genres have been revived in spectacular fashion these days, with few exceptions, thanks to both great indies and crowd funding and what not, on top of getting everything else still.
 
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BennyBlanco

aka IMurRIVAL69
It's just a pixelated platformer with dash. You can't say it play better than most modern AAA games. What would that even mean...

Most modern AAAs
-cinematic
-3rd person
-open world
-lite rpg elements and skill trees
-slowly walking next to characters who spout exposition while things happen in the background

I would rather play a good platformer personally.
 

chriskun

Member
I feel like we went through this golden age in the 360/PS3 era where games as a whole took a huge artistic leap and the returns since then have been super diminished and everyone is just trying to catch up.
 

Darchaos

Member
if they could just be abit more honest and not so much: Well, we do games couse we love to make games, we feel that the industry has lost it`S hart......Please, just say that you are chasing that one hit wonder that brings in the millions to you, that is totally ok! Its like hearing tha small indie shitband saying, we are just playing music maaaan, not selling out. Like you wouldnt take that stack of a couple of million dollars and show it up youre ass.

Be honest, dont be fake.
 

Pachi72

Member
At the end of the day indie games blow the hell out of AAA titles ,is more fun and visually appealing. Nothing better than watching a glorious 2-D art and you play with amazing animation. I’m gonna put like 400 to 500 hours in like 10 good indie games already. That doesn’t happen with AAA titles.
 
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Kagey K

Banned
I am playing artful escape because people raved about it. It is basically run right hold x. The game isn’t good, and I don’t know why people loved it.
It was a mix of the art and sound. It's a great palette cleanser when you are tired of getting sweaty in other games.
 

Handel

Member
I'm not, but I am kind of tired of wannabe Hollywood movie AAA "cinematic games" that do almost nothing unique with the medium of video games to tell their story. Ico can be said to be one of the first arthouse indie games, and that game has had massive influence on both the indie and AAA space, for the betterment of the industry as a whole. Gaming is still a relatively young medium compared to others, and as the medium goes forward more different types of games will emerge, and some won't have traditional gameplay but will still be interactive which is the key distinction from passive mediums like film or literature. There are going to be indie games that are going to be reflections of the devs inner turmoil, same as there are movies like that, which is fine just ignore them if they don't resonate with you in any way. Hopefully you can find one that works for you, if you care for video games at all beyond just traditional gameplay mechanics and borrowed from other mediums storytelling. Gaming wouldn't be my favorite medium without the "arthouse indies" of the world like Ico, Brothers : A Tale of Two Sons, Inside, etc. Movies can be both fun spectacle and emotionally moving dramas, so why the resistance to games also having such diversity of genres and styles?
 
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I am playing artful escape because people raved about it. It is basically run right hold x. The game isn’t good, and I don’t know why people loved it.
I think you miscalculated your sobriety level while playing.

The story is nothing great, but the art and visuals were neat.
 

Kagey K

Banned
I think you miscalculated your sobriety level while playing.

The story is nothing great, but the art and visuals were neat.
I'm going to guess he's literally holding left and X and never figured out the knee slide either.

It's a wonderful symphony for your eyes and ears if you are creative.

Just boring hold right and go, if not so much.
 

Hendrick's

If only my penis was as big as my GamerScore!
Some games have their cake and eat it.

celeste-switch-hero.jpg


Celeste plays better and has more challenge than most modern AAA games and also talks about some of the things OP mentions without being too in-your-face about it.

So nah, I'm good, I'll just pick and choose.
Most overrated trash. Basic platformer with with bad art and an awful story.
 
Op has a point. Some of these indies are like journo bait.

We hear raving about how touching and relatable the story is in a game.

Yeah, the story is super relatable to people struggling with mental illness trying to make rent while living with 5 cats in an elite coastal crimepoop city.

Otherwise, not so much...
 

Neff

Member
It's rare to play an indie title which doesn't feel like a derivative and uninspired homage to older, better games. Guacamelee! is one of the better examples out there and that's openly channelling Metroid and Zelda without shame (it literally has Chozo references in it). And honestly, the majority of them just aren't very good. Hotline Miami is a rare exception, but I've been burned on indie games too many times to the point where I don't even acknowledge them anymore.
 
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Yumi

Member
I think it’s fine. Though a lot of similar games in appearance come out, there are plenty of resources to find which one actually have depth or good gameplay.

Buying a independent game soles on looks is a most likely a mistake. Game pass/free games on stores, or even heavily discounted games on steam make this an easier gamble. But generally I just wait for the best ones to start circulating in the gaming ether and choose which ones I think I’ll like best.
 

Roberts

Member
Barely played any indies (other than big names like Braid, Limbo, Inside etc) before GP, but now I'm a fan and it doesn't look like I will get tired of them as long as we get bangers like Artful Escape, Death's Door, Echo Generation and so on. Just finished Biomutant and despite the jank, it is one of my favourite open world games in recent times.
 

JimboJones

Member
Some will be bad , some will be good some will be copy cats that will burn you out on whatever genre it is.

Just like non indie games.
 

JayK47

Member
I try plenty of these games and end up hating most of them. Some of them look like they could be fun, but most are so damn boring. I enjoyed Firewatch but hated Eastshade. Lifeless Planet was tolerable. I really do not like side scrollers and will not even pick them up for free on Epic.
 
I cannot look at indie games without seeing whose behind them, and I imagine them as depressed 20-30 something year olds desperate to make it big and somehow I end up viewing their games with even more derision than even AAA games as being nothing more than money grubbing attempts. I hate them.
 

Sakura

Member
There are a ton of good indie games and I play indie games frequently myself.
That being said, I do know what you mean OP, there are a lot of indie games that are all style and no substance. What kind of reception would Eastward have gotten without the art? I usually just hit ignore on those games when they show up on Steam.
 
Seems like an appropriate discussion for this time of year, as credibility hounds in media tell us about all the games they truly loved ("But more, like, appreciated?") this year that we, the plebs, have never heard of. I hate to paint with a broad brush, but you all know what I'm talking about.

Which brings me to the overall point: how many more indie, arthouse games about grief, loss, mental illness, and social isolation do we really need? I understand that indie devs are limited in budget and so have to make games that can try to achieve greatness some other way, but we need more Hades(es), and fewer side-scrolling, painterly, tender games featuring an art style and essentially no gameplay.

I used to be very charmed by these games, and now I find myself dismissing them out of hand, for the same reason movies have begun to bore me - how much more can they actually do that hasn't been done to death?

This is a great argument, let's get rid of FPS, action games, adventure games, racing games, battle royals, building games, city builders, and 2d side scrollers, and who needs Madden 3031? We already have enough games like these.

Not directed at OP: Insert insulting statement to assert dominance and moral authority.

On topic:
I just ignore games I'm not interested in. It's ok it exists. Everyone is up in arms about Volcano High here because it talks about furries. I doubt I'd ever buy it, but it's not hurting me by existing. Leisure Suit Larry has existed for decades at this point. I've never bought one, and I never will. It doesn't mean it shouldn't exist. I think Braid was the first game somewhat within this genre that I thought was terrible, but everyone was raving about. I don't think I've played any games in that vein since.
 
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Zannegan

Member
On further consideration, I really enjoy hearing Yahtzee Croshaw tear them to shreds. Does that alone not justify their existence?
 
What else is there when big triple A titles are launching an absolute buggy mess or getting delayed. Only a small few titles are good and not everyone might be interested in the ones that work. If it's not that we get early access titles which last multiple years with small updates here and there.

Also any game that does well gets ultimately milked to death. Not ever company has millions of dollars to make games simple
This board has such an anti-indie bias. Exactly, triple a is a total disaster right now in terms of broken games, unfinished games, nickel and diming customers, and false promises. Indies are where the most creative and passionate games are coming from these days. It's a shame there is such a negative stigma still towards them.
 

Handel

Member
This board has such an anti-indie bias. Exactly, triple a is a total disaster right now in terms of broken games, unfinished games, nickel and diming customers, and false promises. Indies are where the most creative and passionate games are coming from these days. It's a shame there is such a negative stigma still towards them.
It's really sad to see because before the HD era there was no indie distinction. Back in the day there were many beloved games from smaller studios, a good game was a good game even if it didn't have a top tier production budget.
 
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