Jimquisition: Beneath A Steel Skyrim

[HoradricNoob]

Sadly, the pointy-clicky genre reach it's zenith and subsequent death after Sam & Max: Hit the Road, DotT.

I still miss those gems, and the memories of childhood innocence that is conjured up by those titles.

No game will ever come close...ever.

 

[sinn3r]

He repeated himself about half a dozen times in a row.

So that was his topic. How very subtle, huh?

 

[psilontech]

I'm starting to get sick of everyone sucking Skyrim's dick. It started getting old about two weeks before the game came out.

 

[Lukeje]

Just to say i only recently played "Beneath a steel Sky" and i LOVED it. SCUVV emulation and abandonware for the win.

It's not abandonware. It's freeware.

Edit: and did this really need to be said? Games can be good for different reasons? This is not a revelation.

 

[k-ossuburb]

Umm, what about The Binding Of Isaac? Admittedly TBoA randomizes its level layout every time you play it, but you're pretty much confronted with the same basic order of Basement I, Basement II, Caves I, Caves II, The Depths I, The Depths II, The Womb I, The Womb II and Sheol.

You do eventually get to know it pretty well despite how random it makes the levels since you've always got that basic backbone of familiarity that comes with experience and practice at the game.

 

[teh_gunslinger]

I think it's a good point, if a bit on the old side. Chris Remo of Idle Thumbs fame made the argument for pulling back and exploring a small environment but using that smaller scale to ramp up the level of detail. He was of course talking about The Last Express.

I recently saw someone had made a representation of the Titanic in the CryEngine and thought that that (or something) similar would be a great setting for a game. I for one would happily play a murder mystery onboard the Titanic, trying to solve it before the inevitable end. Add to that the time rewind mechanics of The Last Express and I'd be lost for a very long time.

 

[Vault boy Eddie]

The dog's name was Spunky. I don't know why I found that so funny, but I did.

 

[ExileNZ]

So, regarding his closing point, did anyone else think of Yahtzee's point and click adventures?
I'm fairly certain they're the last ones I played, with the exception of I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream (which travels all over the place).

 

[Dhatz]

Totally sounds like someone's craving a MLP game! yay.
But realistically you have to play Gemini Rue(new oldschool game).

 

[EvilPicnic]

Jim focuses on limiting locations, but this principle of less-breadth-->more-depth can apply to most other aspects of games.

For an example in regards to characterisation, in Portal 2 there are only two real characters who you interact with: GLaDOS and Wheatley. By giving these two characters the space other games give to a whole cast of npcs we feel we can really get to know them to a greater level.

 

[SimGrave]

Exactly how I feel about the first Resident Evil.
And somehow the reason why RE5 was less interesting to me.

 

[Electrogecko]

Gotta say, I thought this was one of the weakest episodes in months. What exactly was the point?

He was similarly engrossed in two radically different games, but this is simply what happens when you're playing a game you enjoy. As I just played Skyward Sword recently, I thought of Skyloft when he was talking about becoming familiar with an environment....Skyward Sword has a lot of that all around...a bit too much most would say.

While I've never played Skyrim, I'd say that the ridiculous area of the game would discourage most from visiting the same area twice. There are the towns of course, but I can think of several recent games that have used a confined space to provide a lengthy and compelling experience.

My point is, it seemed like he was flailing. He repeated his thesis like 7 times throughout the show and failed to link the two title games in any way beyond "they were both good." Perhaps he just wanted to point to and share with us an obscure and low budget game so he could try to win a few fans.

 

[Lancer873]

You know what game I'm reminded of with the Steel Sky thing? Cave Story. I'd say that was perfect for the intimate description. Every place and every point in the game. There were only a few branches in the story and gameplay, but you couldn't help but play through time and again to see them all. My latest runthrough involved specifically getting the machine gun, just so I could see if one NPC had some changed dialogue while I had the mimiga mask on (He did ^-^, couldn't check without the machine gun because you don't have jet boots while you have the mask on, but the machine gun propels you upwards)

 

[Substitute Troll]

I'm starting to get sick of everyone sucking Skyrim's dick. It started getting old about two weeks before the game came out.

The reason we are is because it deserves to be sucked. Find something else to suck on if you feel so strongly about it.

Aaaand the video isn't working for me. I haven't seen it, it won't load.

 

[geizr]

In other words, there is no singular, magic bullet way to create a good, appealing game.

 

[CodeOrange]

Guys, with Skyrim having poor narrative, gameplay mechanics and shoddy design , It's obvious that immersion is the only thing that the game has going for it. And no, I'm not going to go in-depth with it because you all already know that this game has these glaringly obvious faults but you all choose to ignore it! All of you! When the game's buzz wears off in 3-4 months time, all that will remain is a broken game with no true re-playability. Fridge logic.

Comparing a game that only requires you to tap into areas of your brain to understand sophomore humour to one that requires guesswork (re tapping into the creator's "logic") is like comparing bestsellers to a well written mystery novel. They're both books, but the former ain't going to be remembered in high esteem.

Think of it in this way: if you're only playing Skyrim to be trapped in this false reality, then what happens when the novelty wears off? Good adventure games last the test of time not because you become attracted to Whiterun's intuitive (albeit uninspired and miniscule; streamlining is a double-edged blade) level design, but rather because the game had a soul. Time was devoted to the classics, and Skyrim was rushed out in November to make a quick buck. Proof of this is in how Bethesda withheld releasing a demo for the game, not because it was to be edgy but because the dev team didn't have any more time.

Sterling, I understand that you aren't the most hardcore gamer, but can you at least stop pretending that you are? Please stop enforcing the elitist hive mind that gamers already have; pride only serves to clog the drains of mediocrity. I'd also like you to stop recycling your old material.

 

[TJF588]

*thinks of FINAL FANTASY XIII's impersonal tunnels* Man, I hope slogging through that pays off with XIII-2. Here's hoping...while avoiding reviews of it.