Author Topic: Firewatch (Read 3333 times)

archnemesis · « **Reply #1 on:** February 09, 2016, 04:12:16 AM »

Right now I have to many other games to play, but I will definitely pick this up from a future sale. €20 for 5 hours is more than I would like to spend on a digital game.

Cerveza mas fina · « **Reply #2 on:** February 09, 2016, 04:42:06 AM »

Thats a bit steep and you know this game will be on sale a lot.

archnemesis · « **Reply #3 on:** February 09, 2016, 04:45:25 AM »

Complaining about €20 feels a bit weird though when I paid significantly more for Until Dawn, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls and The Order: 1886 on disc. On the other hand I didn't spend nearly as much for the downloadable versions of Dear Esther, Everybody's Gone to the Rapture, and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

Cerveza mas fina · « **Reply #4 on:** February 09, 2016, 04:47:39 AM »

Good point, but I sold 1886 after I finished it. I can't sell this.

Also those games have more "gameplay" that games like Ethan Carter.

Haven't gotten Until Dawn yet, waiting on a good sale.

Cerveza mas fina · « **Reply #5 on:** February 09, 2016, 04:51:08 AM »

On topic: what do you DO in this game?

archnemesis · « **Reply #6 on:** February 09, 2016, 05:00:16 AM »

I'm on a media blackout, but I got the impression that it is another "walking simulator". Gone Home (also done by parts the Idle Thumbs crew) has almost no puzzles or interactive elements. It's audio-visual storytelling.

G The Resurrected · « **Reply #7 on:** February 09, 2016, 05:18:49 AM »

The story and narrative that is told is based off player choice it's an interactive walking simulator.

spoiler (click to show/hide)

Talked to Campo Santo at PSX about possible stories surrounding this world and was told they are interested in exploring other characters stories in the same universe. I don't know if that means much, but I took it as they have more stories to tell here than just this initial story.

[close]

I'll buy it when it's on sale. No offense to their work here, but I'm just not gonna support console exclusive bullshit from indie's/thirdparty anymore.

sarslip · « **Reply #8 on:** February 09, 2016, 09:56:34 AM »

Quote from: Premium Lager on February 09, 2016, 04:51:08 AM

On topic: what do you DO in this game?

You become a Simp.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #9 on:** February 09, 2016, 10:02:20 AM »

I take these experiences individually so I don't really have any opinions on Firewatch until I play it.

I enjoyed Gone Home but didn't really care for the Stanley Parable that much.

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #10 on:** February 09, 2016, 11:16:21 AM »

Quote from: sarslip on February 09, 2016, 09:56:34 AM

Quote from: Premium Lager on February 09, 2016, 04:51:08 AM
On topic: what do you DO in this game?

You become a Simp.

You say simp, I say waifu.

tiesto · « **Reply #11 on:** February 09, 2016, 02:32:16 PM »

Graphic style looks really cool but walking sims with minimal gameplay are starting to wear thin with me.

fistfulofmetal · « **Reply #12 on:** February 09, 2016, 03:23:52 PM »

Limiting what is and isn't 'gameply' to such a narrow margin seems pretty silly.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #13 on:** February 09, 2016, 07:20:36 PM »

It all depends on a mix of things. Everybody has their unique vision of what is too little gameplay and its all valid for that individual especially if it isn't being bought on some big sale.

Some people carp about Telltale games not being worth it because they don't have a lot of gameplay but I think those games are well worth it. But something like Everybody's gone to the rapture is too little of a game for my tastes although others seem to really enjoy it.

nachobro · « **Reply #14 on:** February 09, 2016, 08:42:22 PM »

so do you just walk around and shit in this game?

tiesto · « **Reply #15 on:** February 10, 2016, 12:05:44 AM »

I'm more into puzzle-based, system-based, or reflex/risk-reward-based gaming. Every now and then I'll enjoy something with relatively simplistic (or very little) gameplay, if other elements are exceptional (story, music).

fistfulofmetal · « **Reply #16 on:** February 10, 2016, 07:03:13 AM »

I'm not gonna argue the point regarding what a person thinks is or isn't gameplay. I'll simply say that what you do in Firewatch is just as much gameplay as what you do in something like Tomb Raider, The Witcher, or whatever. What your opinion on that style of gameplay is whatever, but saying it isn't or barely gameplay to me is silly.

Anyway. I finished this last night. I mildly enjoyed it but I enjoyed the way the story ended however a lot of the moment to moment story beats didn't work for me. The relationship between the two characters wasn't as developed as I believe it should have. The mystery sets up a lot then goes nowhere and doesn't properly explain some of it's red herrings.

IMO I wouldn't recommend this to someone who doesn't really like this sort of thing. Gone Home basically defines this style and excels in every regard, unfortunately Firewatch doesn't.

Cerveza mas fina · « **Reply #17 on:** February 10, 2016, 08:50:04 AM »

I think it's totally valid to say that walking around that doesn't involve any kind of skill, is less gameplay, then Tomb Raider.

Games require skills and have rules, if no skill is required it becomes an interactive story.

Not making it less fun for the people that like it, but it's not a game.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #18 on:** February 10, 2016, 09:23:34 AM »

Whether its an interactive story or a "game game" is a worthwhile distinction to make probably but it doesn't effect my overall enjoyment of whatever it is one way or the other. People lump them together because its gaming software. Interactive fiction is just a sub-genre of gaming. Some people like that sub-genre. Some don't.

When I play the Walking Dead, or something like Gone Home, it very clearly is borrowing from the language of videogames to create a narrative experience. Some just execute it better imo.

fistfulofmetal · « **Reply #19 on:** February 10, 2016, 12:17:22 PM »

Quote from: Premium Lager on February 10, 2016, 08:50:04 AM

I think it's totally valid to say that walking around that doesn't involve any kind of skill, is less gameplay, then Tomb Raider.

Games require skills and have rules, if no skill is required it becomes an interactive story.

Not making it less fun for the people that like it, but it's not a game.

Don't really agree. I mean I don't even like the blanket term 'game' assigned to everything in this medium because it has a lot of assumed baggage.

I see Firewatch as a game as much as I see Gone Home as a game as much as I see Tomb Raider as a game. They're all in their own sub-genres of the same thing.

Cerveza mas fina · « **Reply #20 on:** February 10, 2016, 01:20:00 PM »

A game by definition has win and lose states or scores, some rules, some kind of activity, some competition.

I don't think thats up for discussion

demi · « **Reply #21 on:** February 10, 2016, 01:25:27 PM »

Read a story spoiler. This is by the Gone Home people? Zzz

Rufus · « **Reply #22 on:** February 10, 2016, 01:59:15 PM »

No, this is by former Telltale (Walking Dead, most notably) and Klei folk.

fistfulofmetal · « **Reply #23 on:** February 10, 2016, 03:51:48 PM »

Quote from: Premium Lager on February 10, 2016, 01:20:00 PM

A game by definition has win and lose states or scores, some rules, some kind of activity, some competition.

I don't think thats up for discussion

The term has clearly evolved beyond the strict definition being applied to it.

tiesto · « **Reply #24 on:** February 10, 2016, 04:50:40 PM »

Quote from: fistfulofmetal on February 10, 2016, 03:51:48 PM

Quote from: Premium Lager on February 10, 2016, 01:20:00 PM
A game by definition has win and lose states or scores, some rules, some kind of activity, some competition.

I don't think thats up for discussion

The term has clearly evolved beyond the strict definition being applied to it.

I don't think it's 'clearly evolved' when games with minimal interaction and zero risk/reward still get called 'walking simulators', 'interactive media', 'nongames' (popular term in the DS days which has fallen out of favor... but hell Brain Training at least has scoring in it

)

Rufus · « **Reply #25 on:** February 10, 2016, 06:51:41 PM »

It has evolved, it's just not universally accepted.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #26 on:** February 10, 2016, 07:39:42 PM »

Yeah this whole debate just seems pretty ticky-tacky to me. I'd probably rather talk about the experience someone had positive or negative than a semantics debate of what is "is".

Cerveza mas fina · « **Reply #27 on:** February 11, 2016, 02:02:57 AM »

In the end I don't care either, its like debating what art is

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #28 on:** February 11, 2016, 02:27:34 AM »

Played it. I enjoyed it. Not omg enjoyed it but liked it enough to be interested in it and to wonder where it was going. It's basically like a short story turned into an interactive novel game. Even more so than Gone Home. I think Gone Home is a bit more successful because of the way Gone Home disguised itself as one thing initially and was another.

It's probably even less of a game with game bits than most of these are so if that is an issue for you, you should probably skip this one. Also really short but then most of these style games are.

archnemesis · « **Reply #29 on:** February 11, 2016, 02:43:42 AM »

How short is "really short"? The devs claimed it is 5-6 hours.

Stoney Mason · « **Reply #30 on:** February 11, 2016, 03:31:14 AM »

I mean it probably can be that depending on how slowly or quickly you move through the environment. My time was a little shorter than that. Maybe 4 hours. There are no real puzzles. So there is nothing to kind of pad out your play time. Your time is always spent either listening to audio or moving to the next area in the environment.

archnemesis · « **Reply #31 on:** February 11, 2016, 03:36:39 AM »

That's what I figured. I prefer games that don't outstay their welcome. 4 hours is probably a good spot for a short story.

Cerveza mas fina · « **Reply #32 on:** February 11, 2016, 07:43:25 AM »

Thanks for the impressions Stoney.

Will prob buy on a sale one day, if they would patch in PSVR support them omgz for sure.

fistfulofmetal · « **Reply #33 on:** February 11, 2016, 10:02:52 AM »

Quote from: archnemesis on February 11, 2016, 02:43:42 AM

How short is "really short"? The devs claimed it is 5-6 hours.

I finished it in 2 hours.

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Author Topic: Firewatch (Read 3333 times)