Quantum Break

[Maf]

All of the weird stuff I liked. The Oldest House, the boardroom, the unexplained events, the things it eludes too. It’s the main thrust of the characters and their part in it which sucks. Their story is so uninteresting.

 

EDIT: Well, it starts interesting. Then they play the game of holding all the cards behind it’s back and revealing them when it feels like. That style of storytelling sucks and then the result of what actually is happening is like wow how straight forward and dull. 

[bellow]

Done! A spectacle to be sure, but I have to admit I got to the end of the game without really knowing what was going on, what the bad guys were doing,  and what they stood to gain from doing what they were doing (whatever that was).

 

So, really, by the end I was just going thru the levels, platforming, finding upgrade shards, and shooting fools. All well and good I suppose, but inevitably a hollow experience.

 

They can do gameplay. I'll give them that.

 

[Maf]

Me and you have very different ideas about what a hollow gaming experience is. For me if I played a game that had great story and characters but there was no substance to the button pressing I would call that a hollow experience. I don’t come to games for story or narrative really that’s just the sauce or glaze over the meat. If there’s no meat though then that’s a hollow video game or some metaphor I don’t really do metaphors shuddup @bellow

 

But I can play games all the day that don’t have story or reasons for the action. I don’t need story, at best I need a partial excuse to hit buttons and do stuff. I can walk away from games like that and be perfectly satisfied and say man that game is great don’t ask me what it was about. 
 

Hellblade to me is a hollow gaming experience. It’s Ok but the button pushing is not interesting enough and I find that buttons are more interesting than the reason for the button pushing.

 

EDIT: I’ll say with rare exceptions as a disclaimer because I’m sure there’s some game with dull gameplay but good story that I like that I can’t think of off the top.

[bellow]

But here the Devs have gone far beyond the norm to give the player a big narrative experience - all those quality actors and high end production values. If they aim and miss by such a margin then you feel it more. I swear you can wiki this game, read the plot synopsis and still not have half a clue what's going on when you go back to the game. 

 

I'd rather have, as you put it, a partial excuse to hit buttons as long as it makes a bit of sense. In many cases a simple RPG type progression thru a wonderful game world preparing you for a showdown with some nutter who wants to rule the world is more than enough. 

 

Complexity can be done right of course. Look at Hellblade. 

[bellow]

Why did you choose to edit your post rather than continue the conversation? Now it looks like your comment about Hellblade pre-empted mine, causing narrative confusion to the reader.

 

It's like quantum break all over again.

[one-armed dwarf]

It's ok I have read lots of non-linear science fiction I can deal with th.. aagaugghe im confoos

[Maf]

8 hours ago, bellow said:

Why did you choose to edit your post rather than continue the conversation? Now it looks like your comment about Hellblade pre-empted mine, causing narrative confusion to the reader.

 

It's like quantum break all over again.

 

My edits were done before you posted. Are you lost in time again @bellow? I told you about that before, stop time travelling, you don't have your license yet. 

 

I don't think Hellblade is complex. I think it's one of those games that hides behind being abstract and claims complexity. The few ways it relates to mental health are either on the nose or a really big reach.

 

Returnal does the same, but it has the buttons to back it up. 

[bellow]

13 minutes ago, Maf said:

My edits were done before you posted

I find that very difficult to believe, and now regard you as a kind of 'Paul Serene' figure, manipulating time for your own nefarious ends. I hope your as handsome as him, with that evil Irish thing he's got going on.

 

Plus, Hellblade isn't abstract. It's a very clear (and reportedly accurate) depiction of mental illness, and even goes as far as telling the player before the game starts.

 

I think your using philosophical terms out of place to impress onlookers. Yet another Paul Serene trait.

 

I've got your number, buddy. And if I wasn't stuck in 2025 I'd do something about it.

 

[Maf]

It tries to tell a story of mental health through Norse mythology, dark gods, and magic witches. Seems pretty abstract to me. 

 

The few bits like hearing voices and mood changes is the clear part. Everything else feels like a reach.  If the game didn't say it was about mental health at the start I don't think I would of known that's what it's about. 

 

I still don't really know what the game is about. 

 

Just like...Quantum Break! Looks it's still on topic, it's still on topic, I bought it back. 

[bellow]

Then why don't you just do this forum playthru of Hellblade? It will prove that you are not a time manipulating evil doer (as you will have to be in the present to play at the same time as everyone else).

 

And I will be able to guide you thru it's greatness.

[Maf]

I will join in on your Hellblade Forum Playthrough only if you join in on the DBFZ or GGS forum playthrough 

[bellow]

Playing games that aren't on gamepass?

 

The thought offends me.

[Jimboxy]

Started this last night, played up to the first "TV Episode" and watched that. Seems good so far, I do hope the TV show segments do something subvertive or clever and are not just there to move the plot forward. I know you can change elements of the show by your actions in the game. They do feel a bit odd, similar to those PS1/CD-i games that really upsold on the fact they had fully acted cut scenes, partially due to the production quality of them as well (Sci-Fi channel quality is probably being kind) so to have them there, and the quality to be poor AND to ask you to watch them for 20 mins at a time, to then not do anything smart with them will be frustrating.

 

In terms of the gameplay, I liked what I've done so far, I can see how the time altering combined with gun play should be fun and I seem to be doing ok with it so far, it was a little odd how Jack just seemed to crack on with the blasting of faceless goons without missing a bit, but elements of his backstory seem to be creeping out from the flavour stuff you find kicking about. It looks nice on Series S, is a little stuttery though in the cut scenes, but I've moved it to my internal drive now so that may help with that. The movement feels a bit clunky, with Jack looking like a time stopping killing machine that shat himself at some point (I guess becoming a time manipulating demi god might cause that to happen) and it goes that odd thing of people bumping it to things and stopping in an odd floaty way before moving again which is fine, but feels dated. Apart from that, looking forward to picking it up again, I do enjoy a time travel paradox story and they seem to have done some research into making it as believable as these things can be (I'm pretty sure the guy behind the movie Primer might be involved as it has some similar concepts going on)