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[Toma]

I'm working on my opinion piece. The features will be categorized as "Ramblings". I'm still writing the draft, but can I get some feedback of what I have so far? Does it seem coherent, make sense, flow nicely, etc.? Would you want to read other pieces in a similar fashion?

Sounds good, but be careful about the logic you are trying to apply. Even in a non-numbered review you still should weigh the pros and cons of a game to lay down the reasons why someone would or wouldnt enjoy it, or would you disagree with that?

 

[Twinduct]

I'm working on my opinion piece. The features will be categorized as "Ramblings". I'm still writing the draft, but can I get some feedback of what I have so far? Does it seem coherent, make sense, flow nicely, etc.? Would you want to read other pieces in a similar fashion?

Well be warned! As the Eurogamer thread of 'reviewing Alpha, Beta builds' as shown. A review is only valid, or seen as a review, if it holds a score!

 

[Toma]

Well be warned! As the Eurogamer thread of 'reviewing Alpha, Beta builds' as shown. A review is only valid, or seen as a review, if it holds a score!

What? Seriously? Good thing I bailed out on that thread before that. Oh and I also replied in the Spacebase thread again but no one seems to care I'd love for them to reconsider that stance.

 

[More_Badass]

Well be warned! As the Eurogamer thread of 'reviewing Alpha, Beta builds' as shown. A review is only valid, or seen as a review, if it holds a score!

Well as I state in the later part, I don't write reviews, I write impressions. And I hope that they don't mind if I discuss the Eurogamer Uncharted 3 review

 

[More_Badass]

Ok, here's an almost completed draft. Just figuring out how to best conclude it:
Edit: added the conclusion. What do you think?

As a gamer, I share the same inclinations as others: that need to race to the bottom of a review of that highly anticipated game from your favorite site and check the score. I'm proud when a game gets the score it deserves and frustrated when a reviewer doesn't see the inherent greatness and rates a game poorly.

But now as a reviewer, I've found that I can't and won't score a game. Over these few months and in hindsight of other occurrences in the gaming hemisphere, I've come to the conclusion that applying a score, a rating, just does a disservice to the product. A game isn't a singular entity, but myriad variables working in sync to deliver an experience. How can a single number or ranking possibly represent the entire spectrum of that experience, from the wonderful highs to its frustrating lows and every aspect in between? Truth is, it can't.

When I first started this blog, I considered scoring the games I write about. But I found that once you start down that path, you're no longer considering the game in terms of the experience, but within those self-imposed boundaries. What separates a 7 from an 8, or the 9 from 10? What superficial aspect could possibly separate a 9.5 from a 9.75?

Consider games like Alpha Protocol or Fallout New Vegas, both which were riddled with technical issues upon release. In that decisive moment, how do you weigh the pros and the cons? Do the bugs and glitches tarnish the product as a whole? Do you place the narratives, those taxing moral choices, the wonderful emergent moments, above those issues? Is it really worthy of a 7,8,9,10? What are the designated context of those numbers? What constitutes an arbitrary "Average", "Great", "Masterpiece"? I feel it's better and more beneficial to the gamer to forgo the scores and ratings and just discuss the game, which is why I post impressions, not reviews.

Consider Eurogamer's "controversial" review of Uncharted 3, which rated the game an 8 out of 10. Now personally, I felt the issues discussed in the article were perfectly valid, but reading through the comments, it seemed pretty apparent that most were fixated on the score, not the actual content of the review, and on the fact that because others had rated the game a certain score, then a lower score couldn't be valid. I've seen people compare entirely different games, in entirely different genres, not because they share any similarity in gameplay or tone or story, but because they share the same score. And I recall the controversy of hard-working developers losing bonuses and even jobs because of their game's Metacritic score. By designating a rating, all that a game is - all its promise and potential, its emotional resonance, all the elements that generate the experience - is reduced to just another number. And that's why I don't score games.

 

[Twinduct]

What? Seriously? Good thing I bailed out on that thread before that. Oh and I also replied in the Spacebase thread again but no one seems to care I'd love for them to reconsider that stance.

I bailed after people started defending that stance!
I'm sure they will. As much as I hate the steam forum, a quick glance usually does speak mountains of the actual issues and some of the most active threads seems to be 'Yo, roadmap that shit dawg'. So I'm sure they'll revise or at least revisit that stance. Just remeber that the two actives in the thread (Remo & Jake) are both extensions of the projects (Jake with UI & Remo With Music/ writing?) so the core team is the ones that will actually talk about the future/ roadmaps and etc.

Well as I state in the later part, I don't write reviews, I write impressions. And I hope that they don't mind if I discuss the Eurogamer Uncharted 3 review

I'm mostly joking though. I rarely read reviews other than to get impressions. I don't take score ratings as anything more than a fluff for fanboys to fight over.

 

[Lamptramp]

That Double Fine charm is here. Spacebase DF 9 is more demanding than I thought. I died once, seeing them all go limp in space was disheartening. This is my first time at this kind of game. But I'm getting better. Need to start prioritising life support, then airlock room, then refinery for mining. Has anyone got a better plan?

Thats what I've been doing.

Took me three turns before I realised my right angled airlock was bugged and wouldn't allow people to enter

Looks great & plays well, Think the flow of new arrivals can get a bit too quick for my tastes but you can manage that a little at the seed creation page.

 

[Toma]

I bailed after people started defending that stance!
I'm sure they will. As much as I hate the steam forum, a quick glance usually does speak mountains of the actual issues and some of the most active threads seems to be 'Yo, roadmap that shit dawg'. So I'm sure they'll revise or at least revisit that stance. Just remeber that the two actives in the thread (Remo & Jake) are both extensions of the projects (Jake with UI & Remo With Music/ writing?) so the core team is the ones that will actually talk about the future/ roadmaps and etc.

Ah, I see. Well I am sure they realize that its an issue for the community. But seriously, that feature list? How awesome does that sound.

 

[Twinduct]

Ah, I see. Well I am sure they realize that its an issue for the community. But seriously, that feature list? How awesome does that sound.

Yeah! Really hoping it doesn't become Dwarf Fortress's to-do list though. I mean hell some of that stuff has taken years going unchanged! But yeah, design process would be worlds apart between the teams.

 

[Toma]

Yeah! Really hoping it doesn't become Dwarf Fortress's to-do list though. I mean hell some of that stuff has taken years going unchanged! But yeah, design process would be worlds apart between the teams.

Not to mention the team size. DF has 1 programmer.

Edit: I just noticed how devilishly ambiguous "DF" is as it could be "DF-9" or "Dwarf Fortress". Lets just agree on calling on Spacebase and the other DF. Do you think they realized that when they called their game DF-9? I mean they so obviously copy the concepts, that I find it hard to think that they didnt notice that.

 

[More_Badass]

Any final thoughts? Asked some friends on IGS to read it too, they thought it flowed pretty well. I guess it helps that I'm a college student who writes a lot of essays.

In fact, my Junior Seminar project is on video game violence and the psychological research on the issue. If anyone's interested, I'll share the paper when I'm done in December

 

[More_Badass]

Stanley Parable is released. On sale for $11.99
http://store.steampowered.com/app/221910/

 

[More_Badass]

The best SP review so far, from Destructoid's Jim Sterling:

How do you review a game like The Stanley Parable? To describe any one part of it is to risk its ruination. To detail what it has to say about game design, the illusion of choice, and the psychology of the gamer is to tell you too much.

Comparisons, too, are going to be woefully inadequate. Perhaps its closest cousin would be Dear Esther, but where Dear Esther wastes the form of interactive entertainment, Stanley Parable uses and then subverts it. Where so many games that aspire to be more than games end up less than any form of art, Stanley Parable strives, and then succeeds, to be every game ever created. Even so, holding the game to the standards of any other title is simply not going to be correct.

So, how do you review what has become known as The Stanley Parable HD, the full-scale reimagining of one of the most intriguing mods available online? How do you discuss it, analyze it, and recommend it?

That's quite simple.

You don't

.

 

[Toma]

The best SP review so far, from Destructoid's Jim Sterling:
.

While I love these kind of reviews when they happen sporadically, it doesnt help me much in my decision whether or not to buy the game. Not too helpful for me then

 

[More_Badass]

While I love these kind of reviews when they happen sporadically, it doesnt help me much in my decision whether or not to buy the game. Not too helpful for me then

According to a few reviews:
- The game has about five hours of content
- Plays like something between Dear Esther and Antichamber
- The way it plays with and subverts the player's expectations is masterful
- The narrator is the best disembodied voice character since GlaDOS

Still debating whether to buy, because I loved the demo

 

[CheesecakeRecipe]

I'd say the Narrator is a much better character than GLaDOS. I don't know if it's his accent, more naturalistic way of speaking or the fact that his dialog is less written to be memebait but he's such a complex and interesting person.

I'm having a really hard time deciding if I want to cover this with some sort of creative spin or if I want to put a much more informative piece out there. Unfortunately, I can't inform without spoiling and that drives me nuts.

 

[Toma]

According to a few reviews:
- The game has about five hours of content
- Plays like something between Dear Esther and Antichamber
- The way it plays with and subverts the player's expectations is masterful
- The narrator is the best disembodied voice character since GlaDOS

Still debating whether to buy, because I loved the demo

- Meh
- Hm.
- Hmmm.
- Oh?

....eventually.

 

[Toma]

I'd say the Narrator is a much better character than GLaDOS. I don't know if it's his accent, more naturalistic way of speaking or the fact that his dialog is less written to be memebait but he's such a complex and interesting person.

I'm having a really hard time deciding if I want to cover this with some sort of creative spin or if I want to put a much more informative piece out there. Unfortunately, I can't inform without spoiling and that drives me nuts.

Do both and link the spoiler one at the end of your creative one without doing a normal post.

Review in a review!

 

[flowsnake]

Not to mention the team size. DF has 1 programmer.

Edit: I just noticed how devilishly ambiguous "DF" is as it could be "DF-9" or "Dwarf Fortress". Lets just agree on calling on Spacebase and the other DF. Do you think they realized that when they called their game DF-9? I mean they so obviously copy the concepts, that I find it hard to think that they didnt notice that.

I'd always assumed it was a direct reference, as well as to DS9 and Double Fine itself.

On another note...apparently Dark Matter came out? Nobody interested?

 

[One Foul Note]

On another note...apparently Dark Matter came out? Nobody interested?

I didn't even know it existed till it popped up on steam. If anyone takes the plunge I would love to read a preview. I would but ya'know, Fallen Enchantress is on sale and you gotta priorities.

 

[More_Badass]

Another good SP quote from Eurogamer:

Meanwhile, the narrator's spiel continues throughout, quietly earning a place alongside GLaDOS or Mark Hamill's Joker in the pantheon of great video game taunters. Comforting, cajoling, spiteful and frightened, the narrator's as much a pawn as you are, even if he often seems to be the Jeeves of your own personal Hell

 

[rybrad]

I didn't even know it existed till it popped up on steam. If anyone takes the plunge I would love to read a preview. I would but ya'know, Fallen Enchantress is on sale and you gotta priorities.

Make sure you get Legendary Heroes and not vanilla Fallen Enchantress. For the $2.50 for it makes a ton of improvements to the base game. As for Dark Matter, they previously had a failed crowdfunding effort and I haven't kept too much of an eye on it since then. I might give it another look and see about picking it up as it interested me before.

 

[More_Badass]

SCALE is on Kickstarter

You wield a device that can make any item any size. A tree, a wall, an enemy, a passing cloud, even the levels themselves are all "SCALEable". Space is relative in the game so progress is as much conceptual as it is physical. The unique mechanic of SCALEing is inspired by games like Portal and The Swapper. Progression through the game is freeform and open like Mario 64 or early Zelda overworlds. It’s all about exploring and discovering secrets!

 

[One Foul Note]

Make sure you get Legendary Heroes and not vanilla Fallen Enchantress. For the $2.50 for it makes a ton of improvements to the base game. As for Dark Matter, they previously had a failed crowdfunding effort and I haven't kept too much of an eye on it since then. I might give it another look and see about picking it up as it interested me before.

Cheers, although there is no fear of that. I already had the vanilla game and I used this sale to upgrade to the Legendary heroes edition. Also, Badass, that link to the Scale kickstarter keeps 404ing for me. Although I got to it through Google and it looks like a potentially very fun game. I do love my 3D reality warping puzzle games, probably the sign of a major god complex.

 

[CzarTim]

I played Democracy 3, here are my impressions:

I have put 7 hours into this, and wanted to give my feedback:

You really play more of a democratically-elected dictator whose only real limitation is "Political Capital" -- a currency used to enact policy change. For example, raising taxes costs a great deal of capital, while lowering it cost less. Capital refreshes each turn. The large problem with this system lies in the fact that the capital cost does not scale with the amount you change a policy. Raising taxes 1% cost the same as raising it 70%. This makes the process seem trivial.

In addition, because there is no Congress or Parliament to negotiate with, there is little strategy involved. The core gameplay revolves around moving sliders around and watching numbers change. In real life, an attempt to introduce universal healthcare would involve a bill which included both the funding for health services and accompanying taxes to pay for it. Here, the process would take several turns since I would need to use up my political capital separately on each individual part of the process.

The result is a remarkably shallow experience. No trying to get the votes for a bill to pass, no negotiation, no managing the media. Even the sliders can sometimes feel incomplete -- you can't individually control the income tax for different income levels. The core of the experience is seeing how the programmer thinks the nation would react to different numbers. I can't help feel there could be more to it.

 

[phantomspiker]

New Sir, You Are Being Hunted update is out:

* NEW – Balloon spotlight can now be shot out. Repairs after X time.

* NEW - Industrial Biome

* NEW – Scarecrow enemy type

* NEW – Bog Creature enemy type

* Inventory/Loot window positions reversed.

* Scanner Range increased

* Loot tables reworked

* NEW – Loot items now have additional tooltip info. Items now colour-coded for quick reference.
* Deployable/Throwable items no longer appended with nonsensical “with x rounds” tooltip.

* Fires should now drop to terrain surface rather than appear buried or hovering...


FIXES

* Fixed binding issue with keys and drop down menus.

* The “Use” key can now close the boat menu as well as open it...

* NPC's now investigate 'continuous' sound sources (train, alarm clock, fires, squeaky signs) without freaking

out when they get there...

* Squire should no longer be found flying next to big tree in village centres.

* Fixed issue with aiming accuracies not applying properly when zoomed.

* Fixed an issue where bots could spawn in very close to your starting position and insta-murder you.

http://steamcommunity.com/games/242880/announcements/detail/2128241706020909640

 

[More_Badass]

Finally playing NEO Scavenger. It's like someone made a turn based roguelike just for me, because I usually don't like turn based roguelikes, but this is fantastic gritty post-apocalypse survival. So much depth and it's really really intense.

NEO Scavenger is a turn-based, rogue-like RPG where you must survive in the wasteland long enough to figure out who you are. Each turn you must decide where to go, how to scavenge for supplies, and how to deal with anything and anyone you encounter. And with each passing minute, the pit in your stomach grows, your dehydration worsens, your muscles tire, and your body temperature drops in the cold autumn air. Choose your starting abilities carefully, because they and your wit are the only tools you have in the apocalypse!

 

[Toma]

I played Democracy 3, here are my impressions:

Unfortunately, the democracy series always gave me that feeling of pushing sliders instead of doing politics as well. It just doesnt work as a simulation for me.

Finally playing NEO Scavenger. It's like someone made a turn based roguelike just for me, because I usually don't like turn based roguelikes, but this is fantastic gritty post-apocalypse survival. So much depth and it's really really intense.

Where/how can I play it? What does it cost?

 

[More_Badass]

Unfortunately, the democracy series always gave me that feeling of pushing sliders instead of doing politics as well. It just doesnt work as a simulation for me.


Where/how can I play it? What does it cost?

$9.99

Here's the main site:
http://bluebottlegames.com/main/

Also on Desura, has a demo
http://www.desura.com/games/neo-scavenger

Was Greenlit in August, set to fully release in January

 

[More_Badass]

Combat is menu and text based, but it's really well done and you have tons of options. Like if you get knocked down, you can choose to roll out of the way or pull the enemy down to the ground. You can take cover and hide, surrender, try to force enemies to surrender, etc.

I was suffering from sever hypothermia and an infection from an untreated cut after diving through a window. I stupidly decided to sleep on an openly visible area without cover, was ambushed by bandits while I slept. Almost made it after one of the bandits tripped. I tried to hide but was discovered. I fought back, took down one enemy, but was killed by severe head trauma. I lasted 7 hours

 

[Deputy Dangle]

SCALE is on Kickstarter

You wield a device that can make any item any size. A tree, a wall, an enemy, a passing cloud, even the levels themselves are all "SCALEable". Space is relative in the game so progress is as much conceptual as it is physical. The unique mechanic of SCALEing is inspired by games like Portal and The Swapper. Progression through the game is freeform and open like Mario 64 or early Zelda overworlds. It’s all about exploring and discovering secrets!

Max and Adam of Rev3 were very positive about the booth showing of this at PAX. Concept is ripe with potential for experimentation and cool puzzles.

Also, your link appears to be broken.

 

[More_Badass]

Max and Adam of Rev3 were very positive about the booth showing of this at PAX. Concept is ripe with potential for experimentation and cool puzzles.

Also, your link appears to be broken.

Fixed
---

Any Stanley Parable impressions yet? The reviews have been good but GAFfer impressions are preferred

 

[More_Badass]

For anyone interested, here's a list of the PC and IOS games I'll be covering over the next two weeks:

Turret Tilt
Koya Rift
Soundodger
Mimpi
Indigo Lake
Papers Please
Fez
Tetrobot
Ethan Meteor Hunter
Blackvoxel
Tri
Shelter
NEO Scavenger
3089

Hey Toma, did you try NEO yet?

 

[Toma]

For anyone interested, here's a list of the PC and IOS games I'll be covering over the next two weeks:


Hey Toma, did you try NEO yet?

Consider me not trying anything else until you got a PM from me.

 

[PandaPedinte]

I played The Stanley Parable demo for a bit and I can't describe the game, I enjoyed the time and the experience it really is something different, I liked the narrator trying to explain what a demo is and how it's made during all the time I didn't know what could happen the next second and as far as I know the level in the demo isn't in the complete version. The demonstration was successful to give me an urge to buy the complete game but I'm a bit short on money right now so I'll wait until the Christmas sale.

P.S: "Eight"

 

[More_Badass]

IndieStatik's Full Bore impressions

As it stands, Full Bore is a solid, interesting little puzzle game with an intriguing setting, but possibly held back by a few unusual difficulty spikes and slightly finicky controls. If you like a little more meat on the bones of your block-shifting puzzlers, this one is a fairly easy recommendation at the current discounted price, but it won’t be blowing anyone away without some tweaks and refinements to the level design, smoothing out the spikes and troughs a little.

---
Made a thread for SCALE
---
NEO Scavenger is still awesome. You really have to take into account everything from the temperature to realistically tending to your wounds to worrying if your campfire will be seen if you decide to rest in an exposed area and hunting deer for food. Of all the games I've played recently, it's one of my favorites. It's regularly updated too and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging deep game

 

[Toma]

IndieStatik's Full Bore impressions

---
Made a thread for SCALE
---
NEO Scavenger is still awesome. You really have to take into account everything from the temperature to realistically tending to your wounds to worrying if your campfire will be seen if you decide to rest in an exposed area and hunting deer for food. Of all the games I've played recently, it's one of my favorites. It's regularly updated too and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a challenging deep game

Opinions and all, but I dont agree with the "difficulty spikes" complaints. The game wouldnt have been enjoyable without them. The controls I "understand" because they are different, but considering I was very apt at pulling off complex maneuvers at the end of the game, it feels more like a "not used to it, please give me old scheme" back, rather than a fair assessment of how the current control scheme is reinforcing the puzzle dynamics.

Its annoying that people cant judge these games on their own merits, considering the games individual parts are VERY carefully assembled and fit together. It doesnt and should play like any other game in the genre, and thats what makes it so special for me, putting it into my "must have" list that I posted over in the indie must have thread.

 

[Moobabe]

You dick around in a stupid Fakteur review and get loads of views,.. then you put a shit load of effort into a serious article and get nothing!

INTERNET!

 

[More_Badass]

You dick around in a stupid Fakteur review and get loads of views,.. then you put a shit load of effort into a serious article and get nothing!

INTERNET!

No, that's the power of Reddit

Also Twitter is a great resource. I've found that I've gained more exposure than ever when I embraced Twitter and social media

 

[Moobabe]

No, that's the power of Reddit

Also Twitter is a great resource. I've found that I've gained more exposure than ever when I embraced Twitter and social media

The problem in both cases was that the Fakteur guys and Awesome Games don't have huge twitter followings, making any retweets etc not as potent as they might otherwise have been.

But you're right - but that's one of the frustrations I suppose.

 

[Toma]

No, that's the power of Reddit

Also Twitter is a great resource. I've found that I've gained more exposure than ever when I embraced Twitter and social media

I didnt get even a single hit from Reddit, lol. Guess no one cares about free music.

 

[More_Badass]

I didnt get even a single hit from Reddit, lol. Guess no one cares about free music.

Well I think the indiegaming subreddit is probably more heavily trafficked than where you posted yours.

The problem in both cases was that the Fakteur guys and Awesome Games don't have huge twitter followings, making any retweets etc not as potent as they might otherwise have been.

But you're right - but that's one of the frustrations I suppose.

Would you be open to collaborating or guest posts or something? Help your site get some exposure.

 

[Moobabe]

Well I think the indiegaming subreddit is probably more heavily trafficked than where you posted yours.


Would you be open to collaborating or guest posts or something? Help your site get some exposure.

Yeah of course!

 

[More_Badass]

If anything, the SP devs know how to make hilarious trailers. Just...
Making of the Stanley Parable trailer

 

[More_Badass]

First guest post, written by the one and only Toma:
PC Spotlight #28: Spacebase DF-9

Thanks Toma!

 

[Moobabe]

First guest post, written by the one and only Toma:
PC Spotlight #28: Spacebase DF-9

Thanks Toma!

I love me some Toma

 

[More_Badass]

Quick Frog Sord clip:

 

[daydream]

I always thought Frog from Chrono Trigger deserved his own spin-off. Looks great (and potentially maddening)!

 

[More_Badass]

The 7DFPS game Probably Archery has been expanded and is now on Steam Greenlight.
There's a demo that includes:

• 8 scenarios
• Gamepad support
• Native Oculus Rift support
• Available for PC, Mac and Linux

Site
Trailer

Manipulate your wrists, elbows and shoulders to get the arrow to the bow, draw it, aim and fire!

Inspired by games like QWOP and Surgeon Simulator 2013, Probably Archery gives the player more control over the minutia of their joint movements. Tons of ridiculous scenarios to conquer, multiplayer battles to fight and brutal target challenges to dominate.

 

[Jobbs]

On another note...apparently Dark Matter came out? Nobody interested?

I came here specifically to ask about this game. I dig a good survival horror vania and I'm always into supporting indie games if there's anything about them I like. Anyone played it? Anyone know anything? I basically just saw this for the first time today.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/251410/

Quick Frog Sord clip:

This looks fun. Need info.