RE: We chat about videogames and videogame accessories.
09-13-2013, 06:04 AM
I like to say mean things about Dear Esther because I had a uniquely and specially awful experience with it. I know that it was experimental but I'm still holding it against The Chinese Room forever.
When I played DE, I kept getting stuck on small obstructions, not being able to find good angles to look at things, and most of all going the wrong way and backtracking. I believe I did so much backtracking (at a movespeed that you immediately realize is painfully slow when you want to use it to go somewhere instead of sightsee) that it may have taken me an extra half hour. It was less fun than it could have been.
"All story no gameplay" would be a cool experimental art game, but I don't think intentionally eschewing all the unique aspects of video games as a medium (e.g. experiences created by user choice rather than moving straight down a linear path) turned out very interesting. I would have had much more fun with Dear Esther the randomized short film.
When I played DE, I kept getting stuck on small obstructions, not being able to find good angles to look at things, and most of all going the wrong way and backtracking. I believe I did so much backtracking (at a movespeed that you immediately realize is painfully slow when you want to use it to go somewhere instead of sightsee) that it may have taken me an extra half hour. It was less fun than it could have been.
"All story no gameplay" would be a cool experimental art game, but I don't think intentionally eschewing all the unique aspects of video games as a medium (e.g. experiences created by user choice rather than moving straight down a linear path) turned out very interesting. I would have had much more fun with Dear Esther the randomized short film.
"The parties are advised to chill." - Supreme Court of the United States, case opinion written by Justice Souter