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2015 VIDEO GAME CATCH-ALL THREAD


Gonzo

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Final verdict on The Fall (thumbs up):

 

 

The Fall is a game that I was lukewarm on through some secitons, but in the end I've found playing through it enjoyable enough to overlook the flaws.

Let's get the flaws out of the way first so I can move on to talking about what works. First of all, although combat is not truly the focus of the game, the controls when needed do seem a bit clunky and basic. I wouldn't go as far as to call them frustrating, but I do think they could be a bit more refined. To me the bigger issue though is just how obtuse some of the puzzles are. I'm not saying "no one is beating The Fall without a walkthrough" because there are always people that do (and for every one that does, ten will say they did), but a couple of the puzzles are so unusual that's it's really hard for me to buy that most people did so. In a sense, at a couple points the game is almost too clever for its own good. There are a couple of moments of real frustration.

Also, without giving any story spoilers, this game does end on a cliffhanger. A sequel (or sequels) are planned, and you will not find total resolution at the end. This is a very minor annoyance at most to me, but worth noting for some.

Having said that, overall I still think the game won me over as a quality experience. First of all, the general atmosphere is a 10 out of 10. This is a creepy game, in its own way. But it's also a fascinating world to work through and experience.. The story is also overall quite well done and engaging. I love the graphical look, it's a very dark game, but in its own way it's really quite lush and fleshed out. I don't want to say too much here, because this is a very story driven game and I want this review to remain totally spoiler free, but so much of what sells the game to me is the story, mood, and general atmosphere that make it overall a better game than it otherwise would be. I also do enjoy most of the puzzles, they are a real throwback to a kind of game that just doesn't get made much anymore, and aside from a couple frustrations were interesting.

The total experience of the game, to me, was worthwhile and engaging enough to overlook some small problems. This is a really interesting little project, and I look forward to seeing The Fall Part 2 someday. 

I completed the game in according to Steam roughly 4.1 hours, walkthrough aided.

Recommended for fans of quality independant projects, science fiction, mild creepiness (not "gory horror"), puzzle solving, and generally people who appreciate immersive atmostphere.

 

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Well, Comcept has released a speed run of the first level of Mighty No 9 and, apart from the jerky frame rate, terrible sound effects, and lame voices, it doesn't exactly resemble the concept art:

1363672430436003500.jpg

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Well, Comcept has released a speed run of the first level of Mighty No 9 and, apart from the jerky frame rate, terrible sound effects, and lame voices, it doesn't exactly resemble the concept art:

1363672430436003500.jpg

 

It somehow looks worse than Mega Man Powered Up which was on a handheld.

 

What the hell happened?

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I'm sure that when Bloodstained drops, I'll wish I had bought in at a level that got me a Blu-Ray copy and a soundtrack CD, but $100 is just way out of my ability this year.  By and large, though, I don't regret that Amplitude (which made its seed with less than 24h to go) is the only gaming KS I've backed since 2012.

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Tomorrow morning is Microsoft's press briefing for Gamescom. They've announced they're showing gameplay for Quantum Break, Crackdown, and Scalebound.

I'm also hoping to see a Master Chief demo for Halo 5 as a compliment to the Agent Locke demo from E3.

Should be fun.

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That doesn't really surprise me. When I still played Star Trek Online and was grinding to the daily caps, I ended up with the equivalent of over $300 worth of items without actually spending anything.

 

I don't really like Pay2Win as a model, but I don't dispute it's incredibly effective at making money if you hit the right game people enjoy.

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Konami seems like a fun place to work.

 

 

Development studios at Konami are constantly kept under surveillance with camera systems, not for security reasons, but as a measure meant to keep workers efficient and productive by reminding them that they're under close watch. This is further emphasized by a policy that requires workers to clock in and out with timecards during lunch breaks. Workers who run late are publicly named and insulted.

 

The majority of Konami employees do not have e-mail accounts at all. And while there are some developers who do have access to internal email services (and a rare few in PR or sales who can send emails to outsiders), these workers only have access to temporary e-mail addresses comprised of random letters and numbers, assuring that these employees can't be consistently reached. Those at Number 8 Production Department (formerly Kojima Productions), have it even worse: They don't even have internet access.

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Konami seems like a fun place to work.

 

 

Development studios at Konami are constantly kept under surveillance with camera systems, not for security reasons, but as a measure meant to keep workers efficient and productive by reminding them that they're under close watch. This is further emphasized by a policy that requires workers to clock in and out with timecards during lunch breaks. Workers who run late are publicly named and insulted.

 

The majority of Konami employees do not have e-mail accounts at all. And while there are some developers who do have access to internal email services (and a rare few in PR or sales who can send emails to outsiders), these workers only have access to temporary e-mail addresses comprised of random letters and numbers, assuring that these employees can't be consistently reached. Those at Number 8 Production Department (formerly Kojima Productions), have it even worse: They don't even have internet access.

 

 

That honestly sounds too much like my former jobs (i work in a call center and they constantly monitor you), even down to the extent of lack of email communications.

 

However, the reassignment stuff would be grounds for breaking labor laws. Say Konami reassigns a developer that's doing poorly and the guy cannot do the reassignment or (worse) suffers a heartattack or gets hurt? That person is then out on sick leave and will possibly sue Konami (unless of course Japan's labor laws are vastly different).

 

It seems less like someone at Konami reading Discipline and Punish and more like some MBA student's idea of a 'structured workplace.'

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Interesting article about the economics of "freemium" games. The "whales" who play Game of War spend an average of almost $400. WTF.

The people who always finish at the top of MPQ events must be dropping serious coin.

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