mjc0961 said:
But when it came time to try and sell me on Journey, all I got out of the episode is that it starts off with some boring as hell walking around in the desert but then there's some co-op and later the game becomes "compelling" and other words Yahtzee has described as coming from the "GameSpot Review Generator". That doesn't actually tell me anything about why I would want to try Journey. It tells me nothing of what the game is like. It just seemed to me that you had nothing tangible to say about it like you have for the other 3 games and will have tomorrow for The Walking Dead. And considering that this game comes from the same developers as the phenomenally bad Flower and flOw, the episode had the opposite effect of what you had intended: it convinced me that I should NOT play Journey because it sounds like it's in league with Flower and flOw: an art game that forgets about the second word of that label and just focuses on being art at the expense of actually having a game to play.
Your loss that you're judging a game before playing it. There is really little to say about Journey, as its source of quality is something else entirely. You can point out several individual aspects of the game (its incredible soundtrack, visuals, gameplay mechanics and whatnot) as Jim did, but it's not that what makes it so compelling, it's that every single aspect of the game works seamlessly together, creating an unforgettable experience for many. Seeing as it's more of an experience-based game rather than a mechanically amusing one, it makes it harder to explain why that is the case. Your experience may vary and if you did not enjoy it, it's practically impossible for those who did to explain why they do like it and for those who don't to understand why it's so loved. And if the idea of a compelling and emotional experience isn't your cup of tea because the developers didn't limit the game to a specific view of what games should do/be like and instead used this interactive medium perfectly to achieve a specific goal, then I do recommend you stay away from it.
The kind of games you seem to be mentioning right now are games like Dear Esther, where the game limits the player to merely walking around and taking in the scenery while letting the narrator talk to your ear for an hour or so. Journey however would have bombed incredibly hard and failed at everything it was trying to achieve if not for its well thought out and well executed gameplay mechanics.
Also, I disagree with you on previous games as well. flOw and Flower were pretty good games and rightfully received critical and fan acclaim, although they can't really compare to Journey.
Also, I really need to play Lollipop Chainsaw someday. I want to buy it when it's cheaper, even though I know I'm going to get weird looks when I take the game to the register.
Oh and yeah, Walking Dead winning the Jim awards was pretty obvious and I support your decision 100%. Probably the most emotional/soul crushing experiences this year. The end of the season is cripplingly depressing and insanely well executed. Just hope they don't screw up season 2.
