244: Crying Out For More

Lewis Denby

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Crying Out For More

Not many games use psychoactive drugs as necessary plot elements, but the intense visuals of Outcry do little to make up for the nonsensical puzzles and gaping plot-holes. Still, Outcry has enough artistry going for it that Lewis Denby urges you to play it, warts and all.

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carpathic

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Oct 5, 2009
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An excellent article that thoughtfully threaded through the discussion of form over function I thought.

Thanks.

Might check out this game - just because.
 

shogunblade

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Apr 13, 2009
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That was a very good article.

I am not a PC gamer by any stretch of the imagination (despite my being subscribed to said magazine in early 2000),

But I might actually invest in this game, just so I could say I played it (plus, I have this odd obsession with Russia that developed far beyond Tetris and Run, Lola, Run).

So, yeah, a great article.

EDIT: I have been informed that I have been misinformed... "Run Lola Run" is actually German, Not Russian. Therefore, I change my odd Russian obsessions to "Night Watch".
 

commasplice

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Dec 24, 2009
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Huh. Never heard of this game, but now I'm suddenly interested in picking up a copy.

Edit: $9 w/o shipping on Amazon and I've only got 7 ;_;
 

Ekonk

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shogunblade said:
That was a very good article.

I am not a PC gamer by any stretch of the imagination (despite my being subscribed to said magazine in early 2000),

But I might actually invest in this game, just so I could say I played it (plus, I have this odd obsession with Russia that developed far beyond Tetris and Run, Lola, Run).

So, yeah, a great article.
Not to burst your bubble, but "Run, Lola, Run"'s original title is "Lola rennt". And yes. That is German.
 

Byrn Stuff

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Ekonk said:
shogunblade said:
That was a very good article.

I am not a PC gamer by any stretch of the imagination (despite my being subscribed to said magazine in early 2000),

But I might actually invest in this game, just so I could say I played it (plus, I have this odd obsession with Russia that developed far beyond Tetris and Run, Lola, Run).

So, yeah, a great article.
Not to burst your bubble, but "Run, Lola, Run"'s original title is "Lola rennt". And yes. That is German.
ninja'd
 

CoverYourHead

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Dec 7, 2008
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I may have to check this out someday. I tend to enjoy games that have horrible flaws but still communicate a great experience.
 

Nocta-Aeterna

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That seems like a really interesting game. If artistic direction and visuals are so well done that it can drag someone through a comepletly broken game, then I múst check it out some day!
 

Otterpoet

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What's strange is that Dreamcatcher/The Adventure Company seems to have that problem throughout their product line... visually gorgeous and well-written stories that are rife with HORRIBLE game-play issues (and the worst voice-acting known to man). I Love and Hate their game, Keepsake. I love the story, the way it looks, the characters, and most of the puzzles. But it is just overflowing with stupid game-play issues. For example, one puzzle can be manipulated and moved around... and can even be completed... but won't work until you've finished a task several steps later in the game. But it doesn't have any indication that you need to do those steps first. Yet, as much as I hated those problems, I still remember the game fondly.
 
Sep 13, 2009
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I really think Mr. Denby should check out this game:

http://www.pathologic-game.com/

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/04/10/butchering-pathologic-part-1-the-body/

It's a brilliant game that the traditional reviewer has to condemn. This may, to some eyes, show a weakness in traditional reviews and reviewers. But there's always more than tradition. We're proud to be publishing Quintin's dissection over the next three days. Spoilers abound, but - c'mon! - you were never going to play it anyway. I consider this essential. Take it away, Quintin... - KG
 

The Random One

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I applaud games like this. But to spurn certain gameplay conventions is doom for the medium. There are certain things that the game industry take for granted but are not (i.e. 'everyone loves burly space marines! who needs a storyline? let's stick some guns in there.') But there are some things that are the result of true and tired trial and error, and you should not ignore it. Look at portal. Okay, it's no Citizen Kane, but it has a nice difficulty progression, it makes you feel all fuzzy inside when you complete a puzzle, and you almost never wonder where to go (unlike, say, Half-Life 2).

The same way some experimental moviemakers will try to do away with basic moviemaking elements, or literature deconstructed itself with postmodernism, some people will push these boundaries. But since games require the gamer's effort to proceed, you are failing in your quest unless you expected the game to be so hard to solve the player had to resort to a walkthrough. (Now that would be an interesting commentary.) There's little point in building an amazing wonder of sensation and misdirection if those experimenting it need to alt-tab back to our drab old world to proceed through it.

Then again, after watching the characters in Dead Space explain exactly they were feeling as if the designers assumed I might be an autistic robot raised by wolves who would be unable to comprehend that strange thing humans call fee-lings, I welcome any game that assumes I am able to understand things that are not explicitly said.
 

syndicated44

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Well if your part of the team you sold me. I love artistic adventure games plus why not run through my old days of being consistantly baffled as to why my fridge was talking to me and why that light inside was just so damn funny.
 

brenatevi

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The Random One said:
The same way some experimental moviemakers will try to do away with basic moviemaking elements, or literature deconstructed itself with postmodernism, some people will push these boundaries. But since games require the gamer's effort to proceed, you are failing in your quest unless you expected the game to be so hard to solve the player had to resort to a walkthrough. (Now that would be an interesting commentary.) There's little point in building an amazing wonder of sensation and misdirection if those experimenting it need to alt-tab back to our drab old world to proceed through it.
I wonder... What if you created a game that did require going back and forth from the real world? If you set up the walk through correctly, it might lend an added tinge of surrealism (like adding in details that aren't even in the game... or start misspelling words subtly until the document becomes unreadable...) It probably wouldn't work, but it might by as entertaining as Outcry.
 

Lucifron

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Dec 21, 2009
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Very interesting article. It is in fact so interesting, that I am considering checking this game out.

Also:

"Outcry's flair totally nails the otherworldly visual creeping that defines those real-world psychedelics. Not that I've ever taken any, of course."

Is it just me or is this a contradiction?

:D
 

rddj623

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Sep 28, 2009
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With such a compelling article I may have to check this game out...
 

LewisResolution

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Apr 29, 2009
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Thanks for the comments, folks!

Doktor Merkwurdigliebe: I came this close (*indicates*) to pitching something on Pathologic for this issue. Then I decided I'd written about it far too much already, at both Eurogamer and Resolution Mag. Quinns' piece you quote the intro of is absolutely spectacular, and everyone should immediately head over there and lose themselves in it.

Mortagog: Whatever could you be implying? ;-)
 

Swaki

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Apr 15, 2009
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after finishing this article i headed over first to steam, then to coolshop, then outside to my local indie game store, no luck, i then did a google search, no place to download it, apparently amazon is the only way to go, but having no interest in paying that much for shipping the search will go on.

edit: after going true hundreds of Google pages i was starting to go insane, and so i cracked, ready to pay amazon more for shipping than what the game costs i headed over there, but what is this, "We are not able to ship this item to your default shipping address.", apparently there is no way for me to get this game.

edit edit: the frustration is to much, knowing there might be a game out there that may be better looking and a with more powerful experience than machinarium (another puzzle game with horrible puzzles) drives me insane, if anyone out there got a copy for sale, please PM me.

i shall not pirate.
 

Disthron

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Aug 19, 2009
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If it's 6 out ot 10 it isn't terrible. It's above average, a terrible game would be a 2 or 3 out of 10.