Well technically it is a closed beta for backers. The Act 1 release isn't until the 28th. But for some reason the internet flipped their shot that Double Fine requested a review embargo so they just let people review the beta.
Well technically it is a closed beta for backers. The Act 1 release isn't until the 28th. But for some reason the internet flipped their shot that Double Fine requested a review embargo so they just let people review the beta.
I'm not really a big fan of point and click adventures, but I gave this some backing because of Tim Schafer - and I'm glad I did. The voice acting is phenomenal and the writing is hilarious. I fucking lost it "Commander Sweetie" - it's such a cute bit, and so funny because of how it's executed.
Let's be honest - the real problem is that anything Tim Schafer touches gets a pass by critics because Tim Schafer and critics who fancy that games are "art" - meaning that they should be ashamed of being games in the first place and all gamey parts can be excused for the sake of story.Quote:
Originally Posted by Frogacuda
whereas if games were really being scrutinized as art, such critics would, I dunno, actually take into account the inherent strengths of the medium, rather than find the 'game' part of videogames to be the problem with videogames
That's not to say that Tim Schafer isn't good at what he does. He's a great writer and world builder. Brutal Legend & Psychonauts prove that. Yet those also prove that his games tend to be terrible at being games. My curiosity with Broken Age starts and stops with the writing, and I think the PC-style point-and-click adventures are the best place for Schafer. They tend to put story and humor above any all things gamey, which is what he's best at. However I won't for one second take any review of the game seriously - they already had their minds made up that this would be brilliant before it even came out.
The problem with the Broken Age reviews isn't that the game is art and gets a free pass, it's that they're happening at all. It's a 6-8 hour game that only half is available yet. It's too soon to say how good it is. I mean, I really love what I've seen so far, despite being easy and the controls being thoroughly iPad-ified. I wouldn't assign it a score, though.
James
If something is out, it can and should be critiqued. This is out.
Each Hobbit movie has gotten reviews, it's fair game. Don't people also review TV shows?
Forever this.Quote:
Originally Posted by YellerDog
Also: if you're asking for money, it's no longer 'unfinished' - they feel confident enough in selling you half the game at the full price now, so criticism shouldn't be a no-no.
Probably.Quote:
Originally Posted by MechDeus
But the decision that they had to review it NOW during the beta period and not after the game became available to the public is pretty questionable. They're going to sit there and detail the bugs in a private beta without ever pointing out in the review that they're playing pre-release beta code.Quote:
Originally Posted by Hero
Why does a 3 hour long single player adventure game need a beta?