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Ketch .
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Joined: 17 Sep 2005 Posts: 420
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:38 pm Post subject: SOTC - is dull .... |
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Am I the only person who thinks that SOTC is highly overrated? For me the getting to the destination part is very tedious and with very few clues to help you get to your destination
The graphics, yes these ARE amazing. Highly organic, beautiful - but cold. Instead of warmth it gives you a form of desolate beauty in the landscapes and plants. The colossii are also highly impressive.
The battles aren't that interesting, (I've got to the Electric eel one). What is this a Bull-riding simulator? The most interesting thing is figuring out how to get onto each colossus. But when that is done, there is nothing left (so far). Zelda (Wind Waker etc,), fares FAR better as a puzzle solving action-adventure.
The whole idea seems pointlessly back to front. the stupidity of killing all the colossii is obvious to probably everyone who plays it. I haven't found it very moving so far either, sure I can see that you feel sad at destroying the creatures. But it isn't like it makes you cry or anything. At least in Metal Gear Solid games they have you believing that what you are doing is right til' the near the end.
I think that without the amazing graphics this game would have got hardly .any of the acclaim it has got. |
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Nana Komatsu weak sauce
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Joined: 17 Jul 2006 Posts: 1293
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:41 pm Post subject: |
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The storm clouds are gathering. |
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ajutla Moderator
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:42 pm Post subject: |
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I have never played sotc. i keep seeing it in stores and i never buy it, because i keep thinking about how shitty i thought ico was.
yeah, i went there. _________________
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Dracko .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:44 pm Post subject: Re: SOTC - is dull .... |
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Ketch wrote: | Highly organic, beautiful - but cold. Instead of warmth it gives you a form of desolate beauty in the landscapes and plants. The colossii are also highly impressive. |
Isn't that the point, though?
Incidentally, I've never given a damn for the plots in any Metal Gear game. They're all equally forced, in true anime tradition, pretentious at worse, dull at best. _________________ "This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!" |
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dongle .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:52 pm Post subject: Re: SOTC - is dull .... |
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Ketch wrote: | Zelda (Wind Waker etc,), fares FAR better as a fetch-quest |
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Dracko .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 4:59 pm Post subject: |
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And fetch-quests are crap anyway. _________________ "This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!" |
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dongle .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:09 pm Post subject: |
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Yup. I liked SOTC's atmosphere more and I felt that it stripped the gameplay down to a 'greatest hits' of fucking awesome boss battles and traversing beautiful, moody terrain. I don't have the patience for Aonuma Zeldas (i'm a whiner). |
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 5:52 pm Post subject: |
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There are some mindblowing colossi after the electric eel one.
But yea, different strokes, etc. |
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Lackey .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:30 pm Post subject: |
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Ketch wrote: | For me the getting to the destination part is very tedious and with very few clues to help you get to your destination. |
I always found it pretty easy to find the collossi. It's usually a more-or-less straight line from the starting point, if you use the sword guide. And really, I don't mind exploring desolate landscapes. I commute to school every day. It seems more real to me.
As for the rest, yes, sure. Overratedness shouldn't be a concern. I guess the battles are repetative in that you do the same thing each time but no more so than any videogame which uses the same enemies more than once. _________________ | Little bird fighting against a bat sect game | |
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Dracko .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:40 pm Post subject: |
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What other games focused on bosses constantly? Apart from Alien Soldier, and maybe Strider and Osman, none really spring to mind. _________________ "This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!" |
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Lackey .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 6:52 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, I guess with fewer enemies you're expected to differentiate between them more. I only mean that in most games with regular enemeis you'll have a limited vocabulary to deal with them. Shoot or don't shoot.
So yeah, you always climb on them and you always have to find and stab their weak spots. _________________ | Little bird fighting against a bat sect game | |
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Winged Assassins (1984) .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:03 pm Post subject: |
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I find it dull as well, when I am away from the game. I really thought it was some hot shit while I was playing it the first time through but now I've really lost all interest in the game and can't really be bothered going back to it. I'd sell it but I don't want to get rid of the art cards since they are nice to look at and I just love cardboard packaging.
I never played ico _________________
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Toto 4th Man
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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I played ICO for an hour and got bored. |
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chompers po pable .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 7:23 pm Post subject: Re: SOTC - is dull .... |
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Ketch wrote: | For me the getting to the destination part is very tedious and with very few clues to help you get to your destination |
well, did you forget that there is a beam of light that reflects from your sword, pointing straight towards the next colossus?
Ketch wrote: | desolate beauty in the landscapes and plants. |
yes i agree.
Ketch wrote: | The most interesting thing is figuring out how to get onto each colossus. |
yes i agree. there are many different ways of getting on the colossi, which are all fun to figure out. the physics in the game are really well done, and (for example) using a colossus' momentum when it swings it's arm (with you hanging on for dear life) around and then letting go at just the right moment, tumbling through the air, and just barely snagging the colossus' ear is thrilling.
Ketch wrote: | But when that is done, there is nothing left (so far).. |
well, after finishing the game, there is a TA mode where you can acquire new weapons to take the colossi down with.
Ketch wrote: | Zelda (Wind Waker etc,), fares FAR better as a puzzle solving action-adventure. |
you can jump in SotC.
Ketch wrote: | Without the amazing graphics, SotC wouldn't have recieved nearly the amount of acclaim that it did. |
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Cycle Mac daddy
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:00 pm Post subject: |
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ajutla wrote: | I have never played sotc. i keep seeing it in stores and i never buy it, because i keep thinking about how shitty i thought ico was.
yeah, i went there. |
That's what I thought, too. I hated ICO, and had a bunch of people at IC jump on me when I said I thought it was really dull (one guy stood by me but I forget who he was) so it's nice to see people here who agree with me.
Anyway, I decided to buy SotC anyhow and I really, really enjoyed it. Seriously! It surprised me and it gripped me from start to end. Well, there were one or two Colossi that I didn't like very much, like those two small ones and I actually thought the final one was just silly, but part from that I really loved the game.
Half the fun is getting on each Colossi, but I also really enjoyed killing them once I was up there, too. The bird-like one was the most memorable for me... so exhilerating!
So yeah, I really enjoyed it and this is coming from someone who thinks almost every game is over-rated.
Oh, I also really enjoyed exploring the world too, and discovering little things... especially since at first you think there's nothing to discover. There a few things I'd do differently (like with every game) but yeah, great stuff.
Quote: | you can jump in SotC. |
That's a pretty weak counter-point, buddy! |
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schild .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:08 pm Post subject: |
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Being able to jump is huge. I can't play Onimusha because you can't jump. Not being able to jump and then not being able to go over a 1 foot barrier drives me fucking insane. Especially in Zelda. Man, what the hell. Auto-jumping platformer style areas? Who in the shit came up with this?
-
Also, I wouldn't call the SoTC graphics amazing, but they are beautiful. |
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Cycle Mac daddy
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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Zelda doesn't need jumping, chump! Go back to IC! |
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chompers po pable .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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Cycle wrote: | Quote: | you can jump in SotC. |
That's a pretty weak counter-point, buddy! |
: ) |
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mechanoriINtransit .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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Shadow of the Colossus and ICO are probably the only games I can truly appreciate. Ueda is just about the only person trying to move forward these days. |
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dongle .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:38 pm Post subject: Re: SOTC - is dull .... |
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Ketch wrote: | I think that without the amazing graphics this game would have got hardly .any of the acclaim it has got. |
Well, it's not the technology behind the graphics (while impiressive) as much as the design. SotC is a mood piece and it is exquisitely designed in a way that greatly enhances the atmosphere. At this point we can argue about the game part of SotC being weaker than its overall A/V /experience/ but... |
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Dracko .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:38 pm Post subject: |
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mechanoriINtransit wrote: | to move forward. |
Whatever that means. _________________ "This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!" |
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mechanoriINtransit .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:39 pm Post subject: |
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Dracko wrote: | mechanoriINtransit wrote: | to move forward. |
Whatever that means. |
Exactly. |
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antitype .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 8:59 pm Post subject: |
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It's a matter of taste, I guess.
The obvious analogy still stands: SotC is ambient music. One who is more accustomed to rock music or pop music or even classical might listen to ambient and not appreciate the way that it subverts what you've come to expect from music, what you want music to be. You find it boring because it's not full of catchy hooks, and its rhythmic cycles are more drawn-out and nuanced. It forces you to wonder why you're listening to it at some points, but with some patience and careful attention you might find it even richer and more engaging/meaningful than more accessible and pandering music.
I think some people hate it when I start spouting off like this, thinking I'm being a self-important snob, but I think I'm only offering a different perspective. I like rock, pop, and classical music. I love a good hook in pretty much anything. Sometimes, though, I want something with a bit more depth, even when it bears the illusion of being somewhat simple or shallow (due to being uncluttered; pure in its vision). _________________ antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm |
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wourme .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:07 pm Post subject: |
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I wasn't really influenced by any hype about this game. I bought it blindly based on how much I liked ICO, after intentionally avoiding any reviews for fear of spoilers. And I thought it was amazing (though ultimately not quite as satisfying as ICO).
Quote: | The battles aren't that interesting, (I've got to the Electric eel one). |
The fifth colossus is just about the most exhilarating thing I've ever experienced in a video game. I can't really say they get better, though there is more variety to come.
This might be a case of unrealistic expectations for some players who heard a lot of praise for these games on IC or wherever before trying them. I find that I can never really trust what seems to be a consensus opinion, positive or negative, even among people who seem to be somewhat like-minded. Example: one of my favorite recent games is Beyond Good and Evil, but it seems to be generally despised both here and at IC. |
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Lockeownzj00 .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:11 pm Post subject: |
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Yeah, Shakespeare's a hack. |
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vision .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:16 pm Post subject: |
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--
Last edited by vision on Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:19 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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dark steve .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:18 pm Post subject: |
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I am in total agreement as to how amazing the vulture is. The armadillo was pretty great too. Conversely, a lot of the "puzzle" colossi are really very dull and uninteresting, if only because the game so readily gives you hints. It would have been better to either make them more "actiony" or maybe even turn around and do the opposite; to have them all active at once and then make them less aggressive and more complex.
It's a lovely game, though.
(guys I liked Ico a lot)
(also the bull is a total disaster I think it must violate every different game design doctrine ever written) _________________
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dark steve .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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If Beyond Good and Evil has a problem, it's that the photography is considerably more fun than any other aspect of the game and I started to resent all the things I had to do in order to be able to go take more pictures. _________________
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:22 pm Post subject: |
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BG&E is very good as a movie. It never felt like a game as much as an interactive movie. I liked it but it just never captivated me, so I would stand on either side of a line with that game. _________________ “The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
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david .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:32 pm Post subject: |
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Aren't there some Rasta rhinos?
In BG&E. _________________
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 9:35 pm Post subject: |
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I could go either way on them, really. _________________
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Swimmy .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 10:03 pm Post subject: |
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I said stuff about it elsewhere.
Basically my impression is that the game is really sweet and pretty and I love what they were going for, but they didn't quite make it. The colossi act too much like videogame bosses for me to think of them as living creatures, the videogameness is often a distraction, the puzzle aspects of boss fights are way overused, etc. It's like the game has a big hole in it. (Smaller holes can be kinda nice though.) _________________
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Ethoscapade .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:00 pm Post subject: |
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ajutla:
there's really no way you couldn't like sotc at least a little bit, honest.
also have i told you how much i kind of really like your article in TGQ 7 yet? because i do. i like it and ico and link's awakening and sotc. |
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internisus .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:28 pm Post subject: |
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antitype wrote: | It's a matter of taste, I guess.
The obvious analogy still stands: SotC is ambient music. One who is more accustomed to rock music or pop music or even classical might listen to ambient and not appreciate the way that it subverts what you've come to expect from music, what you want music to be. You find it boring because it's not full of catchy hooks, and its rhythmic cycles are more drawn-out and nuanced. It forces you to wonder why you're listening to it at some points, but with some patience and careful attention you might find it even richer and more engaging/meaningful than more accessible and pandering music.
I think some people hate it when I start spouting off like this, thinking I'm being a self-important snob, but I think I'm only offering a different perspective. I like rock, pop, and classical music. I love a good hook in pretty much anything. Sometimes, though, I want something with a bit more depth, even when it bears the illusion of being somewhat simple or shallow (due to being uncluttered; pure in its vision). |
No; I appreciate what you're doing with such an analogy.
Those of you who were disappointed by a lack of emotional power in SotC, whether regardless of or because of Ico, seem to me to have expected something with more punch or perhaps overt narrative structure like a three-act.
What I mean is this. Ico affected me enormously on a number of distinct levels that, because of what they are, congeal well. Most obviously, there is the relationship between you as the boy with horns and the ephemeral and frail Yorda; your role throughout the game of protecting this girl of light from the shadows that pursue her, and eventually the story events that play on and radically reverse that relationship. Now, some people just found that babysitting stuff annoying, and that's a whole other argument that I'd be happy to have sometime.
There are other, more nuanced ways in which Ico resonated with me, however. For one thing, there's the very subtly told heritage of your character, from the sacrificial tomb to the broken statues of grown men with horns to the loss of those horns during the final battle with the Queen. The most lasting emotional weight of the game, though, is its sheer scale: the epic beauty of its deserted setting. No matter how many times I play the game, I feel compelled to walk softly through the decaying castle grounds as if I were in a sacred temple. I stop on rooftops and survey buildings in the distance and recall routes that I have already taken and plot out where I might go from here. The existence of these places, these windmills and water towers and burial sites and cave temples is so powerful because they are presented without ceremony, without grappling hook points or text boxes or treasure chests or any other such gamey distraction. They are real and majestic. The power of these settings contextualizes the act of leading Yorda by the hand and pushing boxes around and pulling levers and hunting boss monsters and hitting weakpoints for massive damage such that those actions, too, become real and majestic, unlike their predecessors from long videogame traditions of abstract and less meaningful experiences.
So, what Shadow of the Colossus gets so very, very right, and the reason why I look to it for the future of epic Zeldish games, is World.
And I hate to do yet another comparison of Ueda's games to Zelda, but the truth is that there's really nothing else, is there? These are the only action-puzzle games whose true focus is on a fantasy setting reminiscent of but still unique from Tolkien's paradigms. Yet Zelda has always been so overtly gamey, which was fine when I was ten years old, but now my only good memories are of the small Master Sword shrine in A Link to the Past and the ancient ruins with the inscriptions regarding the whale god thing whose name I forgot in Link's Awakening. Ico and SotC present you with these elaborately detailed worlds of ruined structures and ambient mood and never hold your hand about it or mistrust you in their presentation by spelling everything out Final Fantasy style. Their worlds are there for you to discover in as much detail as you like. They are very holy places. That's the lasting appeal they hold for me, at least, and it is one of the most powerful things I have ever found in videogaming.
Also, guys, you can't jump in MGS.
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dark steve .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:33 pm Post subject: |
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raiden can jump _________________
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boojiboy7 .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:34 pm Post subject: |
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In metal gear online, the roll can be kinda used like a jump, in certain places. |
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internisus .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:41 pm Post subject: |
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Sorry, Vision. There was really just one spoiler, but I've whited it out now. |
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vision .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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--
Last edited by vision on Sun Jul 10, 2011 10:19 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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internisus .
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Posted: Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:49 pm Post subject: |
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You of all people I would expect to be enamored with both of these games.
Swimmy, I really agree with your criticism below:
Quote: | The game's real problem is little but very videogamey things that undermine the presentation and the emotion. A few examples: Each colossus is a puzzle. They're all very easy once you know how to beat them. So much of the fun, aside from enjoying the scale and style of it all, is figuring out how to beat them. This can take a few seconds or an hour, depending on how quickly you catch on. But, if the game deems you're taking too long, a voice kicks in and gives you a hint. This is fairly annoying because it kills some of the wonder. But, even worse, the hints are mostly useless. (For instance, one of them told me to "seek higher ground." The hint I actually needed was just how to get to the higher ground, which I had already attempted several times.) And, even worse than that, the voice will repeat the same hint every two minutes. This is especially annoying when you already know exactly what to freaking do and you're just trying to get the colossus to attack in a certain way or move to a certain spot, all the while the game reminding you little more than that it's unecessarily impatient--as if you didn't hear the hint the first, second, or third time.
Another. It feels awkward fighting these giant creatures that seem to have some intelligence--they know that you're a threat to them, to shake you off when you climb their fur, etc.--but still act like such videogame bosses. You usually have to trick them to access their weak points. You hit them, they throw you off, and you get on them again--the exact same way. Shouldn't at least a few, just one or two, learn that they shouldn't allow you the same access to their bodies that just got them stabbed? Not every colossus has to be that smart, but if only a handful were, it would add a significant amount of believability to the world. Not only that, they'd be more threatening. A friend commented that it felt bad to go into this strange land and destroy these awesome, beautiful beasts for such a selfish reason. To me, they never felt like part of the world at all. You go to their lairs in a different order and they're not there, or they don't move. They exist as videogame bosses when they should exist as sentient creatures. (The time trials don't help that much.)
And of course there are other things. The energy and tension meters are pointless. I know, it's an easy gimmick to insult and it barely affects the experience, but a bit of uncertainty would have done this game well. I applaud the leniency with damage, but don't let me know that I'm so far away from death even after getting tossed around like a bitch or falling several stories. Let me learn.
And these are all minor complaints, I realize. But they add up. And in the end, I'm so reminded that I'm playing a videogame that I can't get into it the way everyone else seems to. Oh, it's good. It's really good, and a lot of games could stand to learn from all the things it does right. (I hope the next Zelda is watching.) It's just that SotC could stand to learn from a lot of things that aren't videogames. |
When SotC first came out, I wrote like fifty pages exploring different ways in which Ueda could have had all of the colossi exist simultaneously without breaking the difficulty curve. Your points do a good job of explaining what I meant by the game not going quite far enough. |
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helicopterp .
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:36 am Post subject: |
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Shapermc wrote: | BG&E is very good as a movie. It never felt like a game as much as an interactive movie. I liked it but it just never captivated me, so I would stand on either side of a line with that game. |
Didn't your wife play through this one? Or did you try to go back and play it afterwards. In any case, that's not a wholly invalid point.
Quote: | Aren't there some Rasta rhinos?
In BG&E. |
Yes, but more importantly there is a Walrus sapiens.
And I cast my vote in with those who enjoyed the sneak bits of the game. It felt appropriate given that you were trying to infiltrate the place for suspicious photographs (and photos of animals!) _________________ Like you thought you'd seen copter perverts before. They were nothing compared to this one. |
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helicopterp .
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 12:58 am Post subject: Re: SOTC - is dull .... |
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Ketch, I think you're just approaching the game from the wrong angle. Reading the first post of this thread, it seems like you are trying to superimpose a lot of external stuff--from other games, from your expectations of what a game should be, from everyone else's responses--onto your own experience with it. For instance, I think the journeys would be less tedious for you if you stopped thinking about them so much in terms of the destination (a very Zelda way to approach travel). Based on your comments, you obviously appreciate the style of the game's world. Why don't you just take it in? See what you can see for the hell of it. Don't think of it as a means to an end.
Also, I don't know why you expected it to make you cry. I don't know why you're disappointed that you haven't. I don't know why it bothers you that you see where the story is going.
Some of the longer responses in this thread were really well-conceived, and it wouldn't hurt to really try to take those perspectives in.
A few of the shorter ones at the beginning were bullshit. The people either didn't know how they felt or were trying to invent a way to feel, or both. Especially the guy who says he only cares about Ueda games because they're moving things forward. Whatever that means.
All that being said, no one should pounce on you for disliking it, but I personally think you should take another look, perhaps from another perspective without cumbersome preconceptions of what a videogame should be, one that just takes SotC in for what it is.
God I hope that didn't sound way too preachy. I didn't mean for it to! _________________ Like you thought you'd seen copter perverts before. They were nothing compared to this one. |
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:17 am Post subject: Re: SOTC - is dull .... |
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helicopterp wrote: | For instance, I think the journeys would be less tedious for you if you stopped thinking about them so much in terms of the destination (a very Zelda way to approach travel). Based on your comments, you obviously appreciate the style of the game's world. Why don't you just take it in? See what you can see for the hell of it. Don't think of it as a means to an end. |
I very much agree with this point of view (although I don't really think there's a "wrong way" to play the game). I found myself constantly exploring the world between colossus fights for the hell of it, trying to climb things just for the view you get at the top. Shadow is a weird game, in that on one hand it's so blatantly, rigidly structured into 16 major goals—a very videogamey progression of obstacles—but on the other hand, the game encourages dicking around. The world itself is beautiful and nuanced, and significantly there's no giant fucking arrow on the screen telling you where to go, like in GTA or Wind Waker; you have to press circle or else there's absolutely no reminders to stop aimlessly exploring and gawking. The absence of minor enemies between colossi serves the same purpose: there's nothing in the presentation that actively prevents you from forgetting all about your quest. And there's all kinds of beautiful vistas that reward you if you do.
That's another thing: the game's reward structure is completely backwards. If you waste time ignoring the game's structured goals, you'll see some memorable and exhilarating sights. Likewise, the Colossi are beautiful and awe inspiring. But killing the Colossi, fulfilling your goals? That just results in a thoroughly depressing cutscene and a brief moment where the game distressingly gives you control over your character but no agency, as in, you can run but you can't hide from the penetrating black tentacles.
So it rewards you for ignoring your goals and essentially not playing the game, while punishing you (mildly) for actually playing the game. Which is crazy, in the best of ways.
I'd like if there were more things to climb. In fact, I'd still like the game if it was just a climbing sim. |
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:20 am Post subject: |
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Swimmy pretty much explains why I like Ico better than SotC, even if SotC is more immediately impressive. |
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Harveyjames the meteor kid
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:30 am Post subject: |
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internisus wrote: | Oh, it's good. It's really good, and a lot of games could stand to learn from all the things it does right. (I hope the next Zelda is watching.) |
Apparently, when SotC was previewed for the first time Miyamoto and Aonuma were sighted watching it. Right after that they released a press statement saying 'We will be resting the Zelda series after Twilight Princess. It will be the last Zelda for a long while'. Hmm. |
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internisus .
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:41 am Post subject: |
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Swimmy said that, not me. =(
But yes, we know pretty much for fact that SotC is going to be a huge influence on the next Zelda. |
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:41 am Post subject: |
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Harveyjames wrote: | internisus wrote: | Oh, it's good. It's really good, and a lot of games could stand to learn from all the things it does right. (I hope the next Zelda is watching.) |
Apparently, when SotC was previewed for the first time Miyamoto and Aonuma were sighted watching it. Right after that they released a press statement saying 'We will be resting the Zelda series after Twilight Princess. It will be the last Zelda for a long while'. Hmm. |
Actually, I believe they said something more to the effect of, "This will be the last Zelda of this kind for some time," which lead people to believe that SotC had caused them to realize that they needed to go back to the drawing board. _________________ antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm |
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Harveyjames the meteor kid
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 2:49 am Post subject: |
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That's right, yeah. |
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 3:39 am Post subject: Re: SOTC - is dull .... |
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I like the posts from internisus, helicopterp and Kipple. You pretty much sum up why I like the game so much. The thing that resonates most with me is this: Kipple wrote: | I'd like if there were more things to climb. In fact, I'd still like the game if it was just a climbing sim. |
This is why jumping does actually matter in this game, on a basic gameplay level. It might sound silly, but the thing I like to do most, in Ico as well, is to climb and leap around just exploring the environments. |
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Cycle Mac daddy
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 4:27 am Post subject: |
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I also really enjoyed exploring the world of ICO and thought it was beautiful, mystical... I too often walked through the environments because it felt so improper to cause such a noise in such a elegant place... which is why I was so dissapointed that I hated the gameplay. Hated the combat, the bland and derivative puzzles, and leading that clueless chick around who never does what I want her to do due to obvious programming and AI limitations. The jumping was neat, though!
I also wish it was designed more as a platform game and was just about getting around a beautiful world and exploring it. And I just realised, I kinda wish it had a Riven thing going on... Riven crossed with Ico would be incredible.
Anyway, that's why I like SotC more. You can just freely explore the world, jump on things (I also wish there were more things to jump on), and annoying puzzles and combat don't get in the way unless you want them too - except I totally didn't find them annoying, excluding for the final one and the second bull one which was just TERRIBLE.
I also think it didn't quite hit perfection... I wish you would just stumble on the Colossi, no cut scenes... you would just walk in the desert and that sand worm would shoot out infront of you, for example. I also think they could have let you pick which one to fight and still had it blanaced with some clever design, some of them could be a bit smarter and some of the videogamey features could have been a cut back some. It's annoying, because when a game gets so close to getting things right, everything that it got wrong stands out so much more.
But yeah, a Ueda game that involves lots of jumping, exploring and less videogamey stuff would be great.
Sorry for the poor writing quality of this post, it's the heat and working in it. |
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OtakupunkX .
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Posted: Thu Nov 30, 2006 9:54 am Post subject: |
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It took me a very long time to buy SotC. I had heard it was really good by a lot of people (some of which participate in this forum), but for some reason I could never bring myself to buy it.
When I did, I played it for about 10 minutes, got frustrated by the introductory jumping sequence because I am tragically un-l337, and turned the game off so I could go play a massive game of hide and seek at a local mall with some friends.
Later that night, I booted up the game again and started over. It took me awhile to get past that jumping around the mountain sequence, and when I got to the first colossus I played it for a bit, got frustrated, and shut the game off so I could go to sleep, as I had to be at work early the next morning.
I started playing it again after I got off work that day, and got hooked. I'm not very far in it because I have about a million other things going on right now, but I'm really enjoying the game. I agree with Cycle though, SotC could've been better if it had a Riven-esque kind of thing going on. |
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