Forum Overview :: Gamerasutra
 
Re: The Escapist is still horrible. by Mr. Copy 03/14/2010, 5:03pm PDT
Worm wrote:

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/issues/issue_244/7258-The-Last-Masquerade
It was possible, for example, to complete much of the game using only its dialogue options, and the characters actually had interesting and unique personalities rather than just serving as ciphers that handed out quests.

Worst of all, some fights were unavoidable, which was frustrating if you had focused on social interaction; and the game's last act eschewed the social side entirely, instead focusing solely on fighting.

I was going to point that this first statement was kind of disingenuous, but then he went ahead and did it. I can only imagine his pacifist vampire he had worked out in his head. The rest of it is basically impressions anyone could get from playing the game for a few seconds, and he sums it up with informing us that they just needed a little more time but probably shouldn't have used the source engine, STUNNING INSIGHT. Too bad Troika couldn't use their Diplomacy skill to MAKE A MASTERPIECE.


It had some of the most insipid writing I've ever seen in a video game. I don't know how the thing being "rushed" or "taken out of their hands" by the publisher made the characters say stupid things and prevent second and third draft rewrites.

The author of that article also ignores the fact that all their other games were unfinished as well. They had absolutely terrible and incompetent product managers at Troika. They consistently failed to manage the insane demands of terrible publishers versus the sketchy work of their employees. The five-year old writing AxeCop can let Activision bully their way into shipping a game early. It doesn't take any skill or talent to get bent over by a publisher who is only interested in enough of the game getting done to trick the amazingly lazy gaming press into giving unfinished, broken games 7/10s. I guess I don't understand what project managers think they're doing if they can't extract maximum time and money out of a publisher. Yes, it's very, very difficult. The relationship is antagonistic: Activision as a corporation exists in part by acquiring 60% of a game and suckering people into paying $50 for it. Managing that relationship is what a manager gets paid for, not... whatever it is they do at some of these development houses. Well, whatever, it all worked out for the worst, I guess.

(Okay, if there are people, modders - whatever, able to successfully patch your game without access to the source code, why weren't those people discovered, identified and hired to work on the game in the first place?)
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The Escapist is still horrible. by Worm 03/14/2010, 4:41pm PDT NEW
    Also Yhatzee explaining how Alone in the Dark(2008) was close to great :( NT by Worm 03/14/2010, 4:43pm PDT NEW
    Re: The Escapist is still horrible. by Mr. Copy 03/14/2010, 5:03pm PDT NEW
        We're talking about Bloodlines? by FABIO 03/14/2010, 5:39pm PDT NEW
            Grim Fandango had AWESOME writing. Also Zork. NT by Fortinbras 03/14/2010, 6:32pm PDT NEW
                Also the writing in the Marathon Trilogy was the best part of the game. NT by Fortinbras 03/24/2010, 2:14pm PDT NEW
            I'd like to see some of those options as well by Lizard_King 03/22/2010, 5:23pm PDT NEW
                You mean solving puzzles isn't gameplay? What? by Worm 03/22/2010, 5:52pm PDT NEW
                Re: I'd like to see some of those options as well by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/22/2010, 6:21pm PDT NEW
                    Re: I'd like to see some of those options as well by Lizard_King 03/22/2010, 9:54pm PDT NEW
                        YOU NEVER PLAYED DEUS EX??? NT by Mischief Maker 03/22/2010, 11:38pm PDT NEW
                            He probably read a negative review of it. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/23/2010, 2:11am PDT NEW
                            Re: YOU NEVER PLAYED DEUS EX??? by Lizard_King 03/23/2010, 7:34pm PDT NEW
                        Re: I'd like to see some of those options as well by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/23/2010, 12:19am PDT NEW
                            PS:T by Entropy Stew 03/23/2010, 1:47am PDT NEW
                                Re: PS:T by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/23/2010, 2:10am PDT NEW
                                    Be sure to play a mage with +int +wis NT by Entropy Stew 03/23/2010, 7:40am PDT NEW
                                        And CHA+ by Mischief Maker 03/23/2010, 9:48am PDT NEW
                                            Is there a way to make the spells faster? Don't cast them? by Bananadine 03/23/2010, 10:50am PDT NEW
                                            That description could also apply to Fallout, but ok whatever by Wittgenstein 03/23/2010, 3:27pm PDT NEW
                                    Re: PS:T by Entropy Stew 03/23/2010, 8:37am PDT NEW
                                        Actually that's kind of a spoiler and you don't find it out until later :( NT by Worm 03/23/2010, 9:05am PDT NEW
                                            Sorry, bad memory :( by Entropy Stew 03/23/2010, 11:48am PDT NEW
                                                Morte broke my fucking heart >:( NT by Worm 03/23/2010, 12:13pm PDT NEW
                                                    Morte approves (+20) *sex scene* NT by Entropy Stew 03/23/2010, 12:14pm PDT NEW
                            Re: I'd like to see some of those options as well by Fullofkittens 03/23/2010, 6:30am PDT NEW
                            Re: I'd like to see some of those options as well by Lizard_King 03/23/2010, 7:31pm PDT NEW
                        ICJ not having actually played Bloodlines might be a factor by FABIO 03/23/2010, 8:39am PDT NEW
                            Re: ICJ not having actually played Bloodlines might be a factor by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/23/2010, 10:08am PDT NEW
                                While everyone was masturbating over the release of HL:2 Fabio was being a faggo by Just some guy 03/23/2010, 11:35am PDT NEW
                                    It had one advantage over HL2 by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/23/2010, 12:00pm PDT NEW
                                    Another one who didn't even play the game by FABIO 03/23/2010, 9:26pm PDT NEW
                                        Nobody who worked on Bloodlines is talented enough to do even "emo." by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/24/2010, 2:08pm PDT NEW
                                            Re: Nobody who worked on Bloodlines is talented enough to do even "emo." by FABIO 03/24/2010, 2:44pm PDT NEW
                                                Re: Nobody who worked on Bloodlines is talented enough to do even "emo." by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/24/2010, 3:24pm PDT NEW
                                                    ok I'm gonna post that to /tg/ NT by irony 03/24/2010, 4:55pm PDT NEW
                                                    front page NT by Entropy Stew 03/25/2010, 8:37am PDT NEW
                                                    Guh? Where'd the image go? :( NT by laudablepuss 03/30/2010, 3:00pm PDT NEW
                                                        Weird. I'll re-host it. NT by Ice Cream Jonsey 03/30/2010, 5:34pm PDT NEW
                        Flavor by Mysterious Stranger 03/23/2010, 9:46am PDT NEW
                            Oops by motherfuckerfoodeater 03/23/2010, 9:47am PDT NEW
                                You should say "oops I wrote that" after every one of your posts! NT by guy who hates mffe >:( 03/23/2010, 11:55am PDT NEW
                            Re: Flavor by Noi Dau Don 03/23/2010, 1:41pm PDT NEW
                        Lizard_King reads Proust, disappointed game writers don't write like Proust NT by Wittgenstein 03/23/2010, 12:49pm PDT NEW
                            God forbid Caltrops posters should read books. by motherfuckerfoodeater 03/23/2010, 1:54pm PDT NEW
                                Do you read books just to talk/brag about how you've read them? NT by Wittgenstein 03/23/2010, 3:25pm PDT NEW
                                Proust gets garbage dayed in this thread NT by FullOfKittens 03/23/2010, 3:37pm PDT NEW
                        Re: I'd like to see some of those options as well by Jerry Whorebach 03/23/2010, 4:33pm PDT NEW
                            Fallout: Unsafe at any weight (for Jerry) NT by Wittgenstein 03/25/2010, 11:51am PDT NEW
                    ICJ, Please complain about Beyond Zork some more by Bunyip 03/24/2010, 7:24pm PDT NEW
    Re: The Escapist is still horrible. by jeep 03/23/2010, 1:54pm PDT NEW
 
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