Gone Home: So you want better written females in games? (or just better stories?)

[wulf3n]

Looking through the Steam store I found a game that just got released that has only had minor discussion here on the escapist:

Gone Home Launches Later This Month [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/126541-Gone-Home-Launches-Later-This-Month]
BioShock Veterans Unveil Gone Home [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/117155-BioShock-Veterans-Unveil-Gone-Home]

Now it seems crazy to me that there are currently 3 threads (or is it two) on how great Infinity Ward are for finally including a female model in multiplayer, but none I could find on this.

So I thought I'd create a thread to try and generate some awareness for "Gone Home" because the only way we're going to change the industry is to support the games that are moving in the direction we want.

So... Check out Gone Home [http://store.steampowered.com/app/232430/]

Look at some reviews

Giant Bomb [http://www.giantbomb.com/reviews/gone-home-review/1900-591/]
Polygon [http://www.polygon.com/game/gone-home/11272]
Gamespot [http://au.gamespot.com/gone-home/reviews/gone-home-review-6413000/]
IGN [http://au.ign.com/articles/2013/08/15/gone-home-review]

See if it's something you want to support. I know I have.

DISCLAIMER: I have not yet played it, and make no statement on its quality, just that it's the type of game I want to see more of and have purchased it.

 

[EternallyBored]

huh that's actually pretty interesting looking, I might have to pick it up at some point. Also, while I think your topic is a good one you might want to change the thread title it seems a little misleading

 

[IllumInaTIma]

Yup, support it I did... however for some reason my aiming in game is fucked up so I can't even pick up stuff.

 

[wulf3n]

huh that's actually pretty interesting looking, I might have to pick it up at some point. Also, while I think your topic is a good one you might want to change the thread title it seems a little misleading

Yeah, I was going for the Sensationalist Journalism approach. I guess I'll add the game to the title.

Yup, support it I did... however for some reason my aiming in game is fucked up so I can't even pick up stuff.

that sucks. Doesn't give a great first impression. Hopefully they fix the issue soon.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

Pretty damn funny that Danielle Riendeau is reviewing this one and gave it 10/10. I thought Polygon was all about assigning reviewers who were predisposed towards disliking the game? Why wouldn't they hand the Gone Home review to the resident Call-of-Duty or Madden fanboy? Probably because the game would get a 6.5 score that is neither applicable nor useful for the target audience.

Of course, someone giving a relatively unknown game like Gone Home a 6.5 wouldn't generate a ton of site traffic and notoriety for Polygon, would it?

Is it just me, or are reviewer/site agendas becoming far more pronounced?

All that said, looks interesting. I'll snag it on sale at some point. At the same time, looks dangerously close to a point and click adventure game with no puzzles, which means the gameplay might amount to "scan everything everwhere until you accidentally move things along or discover precisely what you're looking for at random" - and I'm not sure that experience isn't better suited to a short film.

 

[Zhukov]

So you basically just explore a really detailed house and try to piece things together based on what you find?

That actually sounds kind of fucking awesome in an understated sort of way.

Thanks for pointing this out. Will definitely look into it.

 

[hazabaza1]

Heard a lot of good stuff about this. That being said, I got a fuckton of stuff to get through first so I ain't getting it yet.

 

[hutchy27]

That does look interesting, may get around to picking it up sometime.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

snip

Ugh.

Isn't it possible that maybe, just maybe, the industry can grow in new directions without sacrificing or demonizing old ones?

 

[major_chaos]

Looks kinda like Dear Esther. I hated Dear Esther. If you like it knock yourself out, but I won't be supporting it.

 

[norashepard]

I have played this game, and it was fantastic, and I usually hate these kinds of games. Where Anna, Amnesia, and Dear Esther fail is having their mystery be something already alien. Honestly, how many of us have explored abandoned mills, or spooky estates? Very few. And thus, those games were never "personal" in the way that Gone Home is.

And secondly, their plots follow a pretty standard mystery outline, which by design remains more or less static, regardless of what the player has learned so far. But this game's plot had me go from skittish and terrified of imagined phantoms to literally clapping at the fantastic ending. It was truly dynamic and apart from VTMB, is one of the only games to make me go through the full range of emotions. And seriously, the ending twists are top notch.

TL;DR: This game is one of the best out there in terms of storytelling and any self-respecting "games are artist" should play it as soon as they can. Or maybe I'm just a fangirl who needs to shut up. Either or.

 

[Festus Moonbear]

Bought it and finished it yesterday, it's about a two hour playthrough. Don't worry, it's not too much like Death Esther because you actually have to do things. I really loved the game - it was every bit as intriguing and immersive as any zombie or military game, but instead of saving the world or rescuing the princess you're just solving a very ordinary mystery and getting to know a very ordinary family. It throws you one way - almost playing off what your expectations of a setting like this would be based on your gaming experience - and then takes you another way altogether. There's a wee bit of nostalgia in it for those over 30, but it doesn't feel like pointless referencing - more like how Edgar Wright uses references in his films, to actually tell the story and flesh out his characters. I highly recommend it, although some might be averse to paying 20 bucks for a two hour game, so be aware of that. (I thought it was well worth the price and was happy to support it.)

 

[Techno Squidgy]

...literally clapping at the fantastic ending...

You wouldn't happen to be American, would you?

OT:
I don't know whether I'm interested in this or not. It looks like an interesting idea, but at the same time this also looks like it has the potential to bore me out of my skull.

They describe it as an "interactive exploration simulator" which to me sounds like looking around a lot and clicking on things. Which would also be an adequate description of most FPS games but at least in those the things click back and provide a bit of challenge.

I think the problem is that I like games to test me in some way.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

some might be averse to paying 20 bucks for a two hour game

Looks like I'm waiting for the Christmas sale. I was hoping for more along the lines of 4-5 hours.

 

[nogitsune]

The game looks interesting, I really like that people are trying something new, but I won't be getting it. I hope people who play it enjoy it, the whole thing looks loaded with things that will just make me depressed from what I read. Still it's an interesting idea.

 

[Something Amyss]

Is it just me, or are reviewer/site agendas becoming far more pronounced?

It's you. Conspiracy theories aren't very becoming. Worse still when it's based around how publication x didn't like game y which I like.

OT: TC misses the point comparing this to the COD thing. You have a routine install base of millions who eagerly anticipate the next title vs a game by a studio that did a piece of Bioshock DLC putting out an indie title.

This game doesn't look at all interesting to me, so I won't support it. Cheers to those who wish to, though. However, people wanting changes in games probably aren't going to care about changes at the indie level, especially since this doesn't seem to be something new so much as more indie fare.

 

[wulf3n]

OT: TC misses the point comparing this to the COD thing. You have a routine install base of millions who eagerly anticipate the next title vs a game by a studio that did a piece of Bioshock DLC putting out an indie title.

I wasn't comparing this to the CoD thing. I just find it ridiculous how much traffic the CoD thing gets when what I perceive to be much more important goes under the radar.

So instead of complaining about the CoD thing on those threads [any more] I decided to create a thread on this.

However, people wanting changes in games probably aren't going to care about changes at the indie level, especially since this doesn't seem to be something new so much as more indie fare.

That is why you fail [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLrpBLDWyCI]

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

Is it just me, or are reviewer/site agendas becoming far more pronounced?

It's you. Conspiracy theories aren't very becoming. Worse still when it's based around how publication x didn't like game y which I like.

I hardly think the notion that some reviewers are pushing specific ideologies qualifies as a conspiracy theory.

Also, my argument would never take the form of "publication x didn't like game y which I like". It would take the form of "publication x assigned staff member z to review game y despite clear indicators that he/she was biased against the product, and the subsequent review became an embarrassing outlier based on faulty criteria - which was most likely the entire point because 90% of internet 'journalists' are click-baiters". I mean I think Kinectimals is fucking stupid, but I wouldn't go giving the game a low score because I'm not a complete idiot. I recognize it's not intended for me, and my criticism would be a useless resource for anyone considering the game.