youmeyou

Yeah actually the last time I played it I kept missing the pipe in that first or second level (you know the one). That was definitely an "Oh, come on!" moment for sure. I might go back and do another run through as it really is a lovely experience, warts aside. I love games that challenge you to be graceful in them. By that I mean, you can complete the level tripping your way through but you WANT to do it and look cool while doing it. This is also the reason I so thoroughly enjoyed Dishonored.

Imagine being able to tag in other runners in your single player campaign, like something out of Dark Souls? fffffyes.

Warning, dipping into super creepy zone. (admittedly the thread sort of started there)

My friend got stuck figuring out how to destroy Agree that the end is just ridiculous. Really feels like they just ran out of ideas or time or both.

Sounds like a remix from the first game's theme:

Nah they just mentioned it would be on PC as well.

Also: bleurgh: http://kotaku.com/the-trash-talk-during-microsofts-conference-was-awful-512330167

I hope Below gets ported to PC soon.

This was a blast and a half. In fact, I may have killed more people than I actually avenged here. Maybe that doesn't matter. Maybe all that matters is that I now have the ability to kick down doors.

Yeah, I'd wager a guess that - apart from theme - the two games have nothing in common.

Playing it with another player makes a pretty significant difference. The loneliness is never more profound than when you look for your partner after sliding down a mountain only to realize they've disappeared. And the last bit is even more intense when you see another person going through what your own avatar is going through. And then after finishing the game you get to see you've been playing with someone called Sukmydix87 and you're like... huh. I'm sure there are more speed runners playing now or people trying to collect all the scarf pieces but I also heard a lovely story about someone who had played the game dozens of times, bedecked with a dazzling white robe (you get for getting all collectibles), and acting as a sort of mentor or guide for newer players, showing them how to get to certain spots and grab hard-to-find collectibles. Of course, if you don't want to be shown what to do you can always hang behind until you're disconnected and wait to find a new partner, but I think there's something nice about this sort of benevolent as opposed to competitive interaction being supported within the mechanics.

Man, I'm really looking forward to some sweet Russian vs. Opera vs. Jake discussion next episode. I fully expect the entire hour to be dedicated to it.

Yeah, agreed. Violence has its place and is effective when used well. In fact, that seems to be the main point of contention between good and bad reviews for Last of Us: whether or not the violence serves or detracts from the game. It definitely feels like we're at a stage where AAA is butting up against its (current) creative boundaries. The writing, which is infinitely more flexible, is overshadowing the gameplay, which is still stuck in the hi-score seeking arcade style antics of 30 years ago. I say this more for Bioshock Infinite, not having played Last of Us yet obviously. But it's funny when reviews are like "crafting systems? yuck!." old staples just aren't cutting it anymore. Especially when you are getting attention from outside the video game press.

So I finished this. My thoughts around the excellent atmosphere still stand. I'm really, REALLY disappointed about where the story ended up though. I was trying to not to pay attention but they really force it on you in the third act. My disappointment started with the sniper, Anna.

Oh, you can name fleets too!

YES. I can now rename stars(as a premium player)! Let the juvenile designations begin.

Deadendthrills is doing a great pre-release screenshot series: http://deadendthrills.com/ I love me some dirty ramshackle future city sci-fi art

This is great: there's a puzzle on the home page that suggests the game's release date and price. http://papersplea.se/

no! how? edit, oh god just did it, that is perfect. just perfect.

This game is meta as HELL

Ah dang, it crashed right when I think there are a few kinks to iron out in this version still. Characters pop around a bit and the sound on route zero kept cutting out in a way that didn't seem purposeful. Despite the bugs, I'm loving this chapter. The way they designed route zero is fantastic, a clever play on the linear perspective that hides the three-dimensional depth many of the game's scenes (and narrative subtext)

Yeah, I understand that perspective. Reading subtitles in a game is really, really weird. And it does erect an extra layer between you and the content that can be somewhat immersion breaking. It's odd though, I'm still able to feel like I'm occupying the world of the game despite not understanding much of what's being said. Perhaps this is because, at least 5 hrs in, there's not much attention being paid to who your character actually is. It's a testament to the devs actually that the world appears to function apart from your character's input. So even if I do feel like an outsider, for the first five hours (after the sniper/intro segment) you actually are an outsider trying to survive in hostile territory. Maybe this will change if the direction of the narrative ever flips inward. I'm also interested to see how you feel about all of this after playing more of the game. So go play more Metro already!

In terms of playing Metro: Last Light in English or Russian, I'm a proponent of playing in Russian (with subs). Though I don't think it is ideal - since having to read subtitles while also controlling an avatar is never going to be ideal. However, the point I would make is this: I played through 2033 with English dubbing and I could not describe to you the plot of the game or my character's importance in it. Besides general statements like: "it's the future," "shit's fucked" and "people live underground," I would be hard pressed to come up a cohesive list of events that transpired while playing the game. I still think it's an incredibly impressive accomplishment, however, because as Chris alluded to, the narrative generated by the tone and the environment stands on its own. The explicit narrative of Artyom being 'the one' and nuking some ghost-like alien dudes exists really apart from this. And it's not terribly interesting, for that matter. So when I picked up Last Light I decided that would be the aspect of the game I would focus on: the atmosphere and tone. The minute details that lend credibility to this world that no amount of VO, no matter how well delivered, ever could. It reminds of Tom Bissel's review of Skyrim where he compares its overflowing amount of disposable lore with the rich environmental storytelling of Dark Souls (http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7290527/one-night-skyrim-makes-strong-man-crumble). In choosing Russian, I am purposefully limiting the amount of verbally delivered lore I am receiving. Much of the incidental dialogue isn't even subtitled. And it's having the opposite effect from bringing me out of the game. It's similar to what's been said here about music vocals being interpreted as instruments. The Russian voices lay over the backdrop like a rich aural tapestry. They add to the game's character in a way that poorly voiced English delivery does not (I did play briefly in English so I can safely say the English VO is mostly not very good). It's an experiment I guess, it's almost like skipping the cutscene, but from my experience with 2033 I am - perhaps unfairly - anticipating that the meat of the game is not in its explicit narrative.

"Some Journey players who had recently lost a parent have been playing the game to work through their grief, projecting their thoughts onto the other player as a kind of parent figure. “By walking through the whole game with this character, by walking into the light, they felt they’ve managed to say goodbye to their parents,” says Chen." That is so incredible. I can totally envision this narrative too.