8th October 2004, 1:28 PM
Wow, it's like puzzle adventure games have suddenly taken root in the collective conciousness of all gamers or something...
<img src="http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20041008l.jpg">
Indeed, one thing about these games is, unless you cop out and look up a solution (in which case, YOU DESERVE NO RESPECT AND MUST BE EXPECTORATED UPON!), or the puzzles are just pathetically easy, you WILL be driven mad with frustration at least a few times and consider this a viable option :D. That, or you'll just do what a couple people I've talked to generally say to describe these games "that puzzle was stupid, the game is stupid!", when all evidence regarding them being totally unable to figuer it out clearly points to that descriptor being more aptly applied to the speaker :D. I know ABF has a massive problem with the Myst games himself, and I understand why he doesn't like them, but me personally? I've enjoyed the games in the series I've had a chance to play, and PA's high praise suggests this one, even though it's made by a different developer (the uber legendary Ubisoft, which has generally proven that you can pretty much blindly buy whatever they make and know you didn't make a mistake), is still very good, and actually seems to answer ABF's main flaw with the games, lack of interactivity.
I'll be downloading the demo shortly, but even though it's Ubisoft, I really don't have great expectations (hmm, that would make an interesting book title...) for puzzle adventure games in general. Of course, making demos has always been an art of sorts. Heck, even the MP2 demo only really just gave you the same gameplay you saw in MP1. I would have liked to demo wall jumping or something at least.
<img src="http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2004/20041008l.jpg">
Indeed, one thing about these games is, unless you cop out and look up a solution (in which case, YOU DESERVE NO RESPECT AND MUST BE EXPECTORATED UPON!), or the puzzles are just pathetically easy, you WILL be driven mad with frustration at least a few times and consider this a viable option :D. That, or you'll just do what a couple people I've talked to generally say to describe these games "that puzzle was stupid, the game is stupid!", when all evidence regarding them being totally unable to figuer it out clearly points to that descriptor being more aptly applied to the speaker :D. I know ABF has a massive problem with the Myst games himself, and I understand why he doesn't like them, but me personally? I've enjoyed the games in the series I've had a chance to play, and PA's high praise suggests this one, even though it's made by a different developer (the uber legendary Ubisoft, which has generally proven that you can pretty much blindly buy whatever they make and know you didn't make a mistake), is still very good, and actually seems to answer ABF's main flaw with the games, lack of interactivity.
I'll be downloading the demo shortly, but even though it's Ubisoft, I really don't have great expectations (hmm, that would make an interesting book title...) for puzzle adventure games in general. Of course, making demos has always been an art of sorts. Heck, even the MP2 demo only really just gave you the same gameplay you saw in MP1. I would have liked to demo wall jumping or something at least.
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)