Journey Review

[Thelvan]

I love the way you didn´t talk about the gameplay; a lot of people says that discovering it is half the fun, so I stopped looking for info about this game. But when I saw it was your review I had to take the risk.
One question, I want to play it but can`t do it right now, I dont have a ton of time at this moment; will my experience be dimished if I wait too long and I don`t find someone online to share the journey with me (no pun intended).
As always, I love your work.

Honestly, yes. The game will still be lovely, of course, but its magic comes from being a shared experience. It won't be the same without that.

Yeah, the player interactions are a big part of what makes the game special (though not all by a long shot). However, you have to figure that as long as there's an even number of players playing the game online, you'll get an partner, since the game hooks you up automatically. It shouldn't matter if there's 4 or 4000 people playing the game at one time, they should all get matched up.

Here's a question - let's say that activity dwindles to the point that you wind up working through the game with the same person, as opposed to a different person in every section? Do you think that would change the overall tenor of the game for you?

I had several occasions where I spent the entire game with only one other person. I personally think that going through this whole experience with only one other is an extremely bonding experience, from dancing with each other near the beginning to

Spoiler: Journey End Spoilers

when we're warming each other up near the top of the mountain.

On my first playthrough, right before I finshed the game, I danced for half an hour with someone I had spent the entire duration of the game with.

 

[Crimson_Dragoon]

I love the way you didn´t talk about the gameplay; a lot of people says that discovering it is half the fun, so I stopped looking for info about this game. But when I saw it was your review I had to take the risk.
One question, I want to play it but can`t do it right now, I dont have a ton of time at this moment; will my experience be dimished if I wait too long and I don`t find someone online to share the journey with me (no pun intended).
As always, I love your work.

Honestly, yes. The game will still be lovely, of course, but its magic comes from being a shared experience. It won't be the same without that.

Yeah, the player interactions are a big part of what makes the game special (though not all by a long shot). However, you have to figure that as long as there's an even number of players playing the game online, you'll get an partner, since the game hooks you up automatically. It shouldn't matter if there's 4 or 4000 people playing the game at one time, they should all get matched up.

Here's a question - let's say that activity dwindles to the point that you wind up working through the game with the same person, as opposed to a different person in every section? Do you think that would change the overall tenor of the game for you?

Depends on the person. If its a player who has no interest in cooperation and won't "talk" or work together, then that could hurt the experience. But someone a little more cooperative? It could work. And by that point, you'd begin to know and understand the person more, all without using a single word, which I think is simply brilliant.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I love the way you didn´t talk about the gameplay; a lot of people says that discovering it is half the fun, so I stopped looking for info about this game. But when I saw it was your review I had to take the risk.
One question, I want to play it but can`t do it right now, I dont have a ton of time at this moment; will my experience be dimished if I wait too long and I don`t find someone online to share the journey with me (no pun intended).
As always, I love your work.

Honestly, yes. The game will still be lovely, of course, but its magic comes from being a shared experience. It won't be the same without that.

Yeah, the player interactions are a big part of what makes the game special (though not all by a long shot). However, you have to figure that as long as there's an even number of players playing the game online, you'll get an partner, since the game hooks you up automatically. It shouldn't matter if there's 4 or 4000 people playing the game at one time, they should all get matched up.

Here's a question - let's say that activity dwindles to the point that you wind up working through the game with the same person, as opposed to a different person in every section? Do you think that would change the overall tenor of the game for you?

Depends on the person. If its a player who has no interest in cooperation and won't "talk" or work together, then that could hurt the experience. But someone a little more cooperative? It could work. And by that point, you'd begin to know and understand the person more, all without using a single word, which I think is simply brilliant.

Probably the best thing about the entire experience for me, is the ending.

Spoiler

Whether I'm first to the summit, or second, we always wait for each other, and finish the game together.

 

[Nelson Goodrich]

I love the way you didn´t talk about the gameplay; a lot of people says that discovering it is half the fun, so I stopped looking for info about this game. But when I saw it was your review I had to take the risk.
One question, I want to play it but can`t do it right now, I dont have a ton of time at this moment; will my experience be dimished if I wait too long and I don`t find someone online to share the journey with me (no pun intended).
As always, I love your work.

Honestly, yes. The game will still be lovely, of course, but its magic comes from being a shared experience. It won't be the same without that.

Yeah, the player interactions are a big part of what makes the game special (though not all by a long shot). However, you have to figure that as long as there's an even number of players playing the game online, you'll get an partner, since the game hooks you up automatically. It shouldn't matter if there's 4 or 4000 people playing the game at one time, they should all get matched up.

Here's a question - let's say that activity dwindles to the point that you wind up working through the game with the same person, as opposed to a different person in every section? Do you think that would change the overall tenor of the game for you?

I understand your point... If you don`t have a big community and you end up playing with the same small group of people, it stops to feel like a annonymus encounter game and more like a buddy movie... You convince me, I`m getting it right after my thesis

 

[Erttheking]

GAH! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE PS3 EXCLUSIVE?!

 

[Daystar Clarion]

GAH! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE PS3 EXCLUSIVE?!

The gaming gods want you to repent your evil ways.

Repent, child! Repent and forsake the wicked box of exes!

 

[Erttheking]

GAH! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE PS3 EXCLUSIVE?!

The gaming gods want you to repent your evil ways.

Repent, child! Repent and forsake the wicked box of exes!

Seriously, first Infamous, then Killzone now this, too many good games on that that are exclusive, god I hate exclusives, even how some Xbox games are exclusive.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

GAH! WHY DOES IT HAVE TO BE PS3 EXCLUSIVE?!

The gaming gods want you to repent your evil ways.

Repent, child! Repent and forsake the wicked box of exes!

Seriously, first Infamous, then Killzone now this, too many good games on that that are exclusive, god I hate exclusives, even how some Xbox games are exclusive.

It's a double edged sword I'm afraid.

Console exclusives breed competition, and competition is great for the industry, unfortunately, it also means you miss out on a lot of great titles if you happen to get the 'wrong' console.

 

[Simalacrum]

Why ONLY PS3 :'( i understand exclusives but even and exclusive tends to show up on steam/PC. Please PC version please! >.<

Sadly, I doubt that will happen. Thatgamecompany have exclusively made games for PSN so far, I have a feeling that they're actually part of Sony.

 

[-Dragmire-]

For some reason, based on the visuals alone, it looks kind of like Samurai Jack's visual style to me just without any combat.

 

[J-Alfred]

If the player LogansBaby from the PSN is reading this, I'd just like to thank you for making my first playthrough of this game so memorable. I'll always remember it.

 

[J-Alfred]

Why ONLY PS3 :'( i understand exclusives but even and exclusive tends to show up on steam/PC. Please PC version please! >.<

Sadly, I doubt that will happen. Thatgamecompany have exclusively made games for PSN so far, I have a feeling that they're actually part of Sony.

They can actually make games for other platforms now; Journey was the last game in a 3-game contract with Sony. So Journey probably won't ever be on XBLA, Steam, or PC, but thatgamecompany's later games very could well be.

 

[ghostdog20]

It does not seem like much fun, just very pleasant visuals and sound.
Why is ~2 hours of wandering around in a desert fun? This is a serious question. I have not yet played the game, but it seems like a normal puzzle platformer.

 

[Vault101]

I really want to play it now...

BUT I dont want ot stop playing one certain awsome game, to start another awsome game...thats how I lose itnernest...I'll stick with ME3 for now...

 

[The_Echo]

For those wondering "why, oh why is this a PS3 exclusive?", Journey is the last game in a three-game contract thatgamecompany had with Sony. While this does mean that, yes, it will remain an exclusive title, it also means that future games by them have the potential to appear on other platforms.

Spoiler: And then I gush on and on about this game, possibly to the point of ridiculousness.

This game is incredible. Susan said it perfectly: "It's not something you can commit to words, really, it's something you have to feel."

If there is a word in the English language to describe this game, I've never heard it.

This game spent its entirety sneaking into my soul and digging as deep as it possibly could, only to wait until the very end to reveal to me what it found in a rushing flourish of transcendence I may never again capture in my lifetime.

I felt something--I couldn't tell you what--and kept feeling it even after the credits had rolled, after I turned the console off, and even now, I still feel it lingering. Every person who has the means with which to play this game really has no reason not to.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

It does not seem like much fun, just very pleasant visuals and sound.
Why is ~2 hours of wandering around in a desert fun? This is a serious question. I have not yet played the game, but it seems like a normal puzzle platformer.

Does the idea of surfing down a huge sand dune through a lost city at sunset appeal to you?

How about travelling through a cave as if it was the bottom of the sea but absent of water?

It's far more than walking through a desert, I assure you.

 

[Susan Arendt]

It does not seem like much fun, just very pleasant visuals and sound.
Why is ~2 hours of wandering around in a desert fun? This is a serious question. I have not yet played the game, but it seems like a normal puzzle platformer.

Did you read the review? Pretty sure I explained that.

 

[ghostdog20]

Did you read the review? Pretty sure I explained that.

Gameplay-wise, the review mentioned simple puzzles, collecting, and co-op. That's fine, it's pretty common.
It doesn't seem fun enough to deserve so much praise, or worth $15 for so little game time.

 

[PunkRex]

I watched my friend play the whole thing, him and this random player stuck it out all the way up this snowy mountain. Every time one fell behind the other would wait for them, it was kind of sweet. We called him Phillipe, he got smashed by those ShadowOfTheCollous mother lickers about 3 times, each time we were like "PHILLIIIIIIIIIIIPE, NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"

Also, is it wrong I want a Journey avatar plushie... or big squishy pillow to hug? Like those waifu ones... except im not gonna unload happy timez into it.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Did you read the review? Pretty sure I explained that.

Gameplay-wise, the review mentioned simple puzzles, collecting, and co-op. That's fine, it's pretty common.
It doesn't seem fun enough to deserve so much praise, or worth $15 for so little game time.

The gameplay isn't what's special about Journey. There really isn't all that much gameplay, per se.