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Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011?

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On Thu, 31 Mar 2011 08:25:30 +0200, Brunon Bluthgeld <brunon99@o2.pl>
wrote:

>W dniu 2011-03-31 03:42, Spalls Hurgenson pisze:
>
>>
>> I'm not totally going to blow away Amnesia; it's head-and-shoulder's
>> above Frictional's last attempt at gaming, "The Ball", which was a
>> poor-man's clone of Valve's "Portal".
>
>It's true. Aside of the little fact The Ball isn't Frictional's 
>production, which you can notice from miles away :>

You are correct. I was confused because they both sport a nordic game
program logo and I mistook that for the developer's logo. Apologies
for the misstatement.

>> But the gameplay was uninspired, hindered all the more by the lack of
>> variety in textures and monsters. 

>Well, I can't disagree more. Aside of one thing: the degree internet's 
>focusing on scary aspect of Amnesia is sort of insulting to developer's 
>design skills. It's good it's properly scary, but it's even better that 
>it's an adventure game that depends of logic and not tedious pixel 
>hunting and combining random objects, not to mention brilliant interface 
>which IMO is still the best way of interacting with object I've ever 
>seen in any game.

The so-called scary bits are all the game has going for it. The
gameplay is ripped off of Penumbra, right down to the annoying
interface; the click-drag physics where you pull open drawers and
doors was neat when I originally saw it in the Penumbra demo but very
quickly became tiresome when stretched across a whole game.  The
puzzles *are* tedious pixel hunts, or the 3D equivalent. You randomly
wander across the level looking for the handful of interactive areas
where you can pick something up or use one of the few items with said
spot. And the level design is dull as dishwater. That the game fails
to actually be scary is  just the ultimate insult.

So I didn't like the game. I'm glad you did since I do feel the
developers (whomever they actually may be ;-) have potential so I hope
Amnesia does bring them some success. 

>> There's a dearth of top-down shooters these days so Shadowgrounds
>> remains a welcome alternative to the usual FPS titles that I play, but
>> I can't help but think that this game could have been so much more.
>
>> Just Cause 2 had a number of interesting moments but the title as a
>> whole was marred by a lack of good design and pacing. It takes more
>> than just a huge map to create an entertaining experience.

>> * Prey (replay)
>> One thought kept running through my head as I played this game:
>> they're really going to make a sequel to this game? Why? A more boring
>> and less original game is hard to imagine.

>Shadowgrounds is consistently good shooter, geometry mindfucks in Prey 
>are mindblowing to the very end also everybody else seems to like JC2. 
>Ok now, you're really hard to please aren't you :>

Oh, I've played so many games that I've long since passed cynical and
gone straight to crochety. ;-)

Shadowgrounds and Just Cause 2 both had their moments but failed to
stand out. If Shadowgrounds had done more with the eponymous shadows
I'd probably have enjoyed it more but it too quickly devolved into a
straight-up shooter with poor AI and a lack of standout explosive
action sequences in the second half of the game. JC2 mistook vastness
of its gameworld for expansive gameplay. They both offered fun
experiences but could have been far more than they were and, as such,
will not be well remembered in years to come.

Prey, though, just sucked. Its gameplay, art design and technology
were stale years before it hit the market and even its few tricks
("geometry mindfucks") weren't enough to save it from sub-mediocrity.

IMHO, as always.

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Thread

What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> - 2011-03-30 21:42 -0400
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? PW <emailaddyinsig@ifIremember.com> - 2011-03-30 21:42 -0600
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Ward Ruot <michealjamesbird@btinternet.com> - 2011-03-31 03:43 +0000
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Brunon Bluthgeld <brunon99@o2.pl> - 2011-03-31 08:25 +0200
    Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> - 2011-03-31 21:22 -0400
      Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Brunon Bluthgeld <brunon99@o2.pl> - 2011-04-01 07:44 +0200
        Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? "Ayatollah of rock 'n' roller" <thisisf@lse.co.ck> - 2011-04-01 17:09 +0100
          Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Brunon Bluthgeld <brunon99@o2.pl> - 2011-04-04 08:18 +0200
        Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? PW <emailaddyinsig@ifIremember.com> - 2011-04-01 14:39 -0600
          Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Toby Newman <google@asktoby.com> - 2011-04-02 17:43 +0100
            Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Angus <angus@_ANTISPEM_angusm.demon.co.uk> - 2011-04-02 20:37 +0100
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? BrunoN Bluthgeld <brunon99@removethispart.o2.pl> - 2011-03-31 18:41 +0200
    Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Rin Stowleigh <rstowleigh@gmail.com> - 2011-04-26 19:19 -0400
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Michael <netterNachbar6@lycos.de> - 2011-03-23 00:36 +0100
    Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Georg <georg@rgv.cc> - 2011-04-05 01:07 +0000
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> - 2011-03-31 21:34 -0400
    Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Toby Newman <google@asktoby.com> - 2011-04-02 17:45 +0100
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> - 2011-03-31 21:39 -0400
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Sheldon England <sheldonengland@netscape.net> - 2011-04-01 14:00 -0700
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? mcp.andrew@DELETTHISgmail.com (Andrew MacPherson) - 2011-04-04 05:02 +0100
    Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? PW <emailaddyinsig@ifIremember.com> - 2011-04-03 22:18 -0600
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Etal <look@sig.bcause.this.is.invalid> - 2011-04-05 20:29 +0200
  Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? noman <no_m_an@zzzyahoo.yycom> - 2011-04-13 23:31 -0700
    Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? William McNee <wullie@hame.the.noo.invalid> - 2011-04-14 18:00 +0100
      Re: What have you been playing... IN MARCH 2011? Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> - 2011-04-14 23:06 -0400

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