I still can’t get over how “wrong” it sounds and feels to have native English speaking accents for the voice work instead of the heavy Ukrainian and Russian accents. This is one to play with Ukrainian VA and English subtitles for sure.
Love this game. Ever since trying the VR mod though I’ve been dying for official support. Imagine using the proper VR controls to pop handbrake and steer the car, would be the most immersive thing!
Still, even with that said if you like the game and have access to a VR headset It’s still worth giving it a go, it really fits the game I think.
Yeah but it’s not really the same thing years later when most people are long finished with the game. Was the same with playing BG3 around release last year, participating in conversations with friends and strangers alike about discoveries in the game as it’s happening and everyone is talking about it and playing it at the same time. I’m sure similar things happened this year with Black Myth Wukong and Silent Hill 2 Remake to some extent, though I didn’t play those.
It’s not about spoilers so much as participating in the buzz and culture and community that only really occurs around release.
Totally. And between stuff like the stage fight in AW1, the Ashtray Maze in Control and We Sing in AW2 Remedy has gotten so damn good at integrating music and gameplay too.
I personally was blown away by POE - This Road as well. The track is mesmerising and every time a new variation on it played after an Alan chapter I had almost goosebumps. I still regularly go back and listen to the whole 9 minute track on YouTube.
I think going by overall mainstream appeal and zeitgeist it’s correct. Everybody was talking about BG3 that year, even people who are usually not fans of the genre. So in that sense I agree that 2023 was the year of BG3.
On the games’ merit alone as standalone pieces of art abstracted from context I think Alan Wake 2 puts up a good fight.
They threw out the original writer and composer, and seem to have changed most characters and the whole script. It also apparently plays more like Dishonored now.
While I admire the ideas behind patient gamers and think it probably works out really well for some people, I personally also enjoy participating in the zeitgeist from time to time. Playing Elden Ring on launch was fantastic - you really felt like you were exploring the world alongside everyone else as you’re finding Ashes and weapons that don’t even have wiki entries yet.
One thing I forgot to ask last post was the music, in particular the between-chapter songs. They were all written specifically for the game by various artists based on poems about the story Sam Lake gave them. I’ve seen lots of streamers just immediately skip and go to the next chapter, but I really recommend listening through each song. They’re all amazing, and it kind of makes me sad it didn’t get the award for best music.
I’m sure they are and I’m sure they’re doing their best, but such a huge part of why the original has become a cult classic was Brian Mitsoda’s script. They had him on board and threw him out. I really wish I knew what was going on behind the scenes. Did he piss someone off? Was the functional parts of the game not… functioning? Or was the script really that bad? They seem to be keeping basically none of it, but the characters in the Chinese Room trailers have none of the charm of Hardsuit Labs trailers…
I think we’ll get a mediocre Dishonored-like with a Vampire theme that is Bloodlines only in name, and fans will forever wonder about and mythologize that Hardsuit Labs version with Mitsoda and Rik Schaffer (which may well have sucked in reality).