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When's the last time you played Civ2? I don't remember the game really playing that similar at all. Most of the similarities came down to interface I think? But it's been so long since I played Civ2 so my memory might be off.

Looks like Firaxis are taking another stab at a SMAC type game without burdening themselves with the game's legacy... I approve!

Welcome frythefly, I enjoyed your thought process (though I still didn't care for MK)!

The thing is, when people talked about Doom clones in the 90s, those games really were mechanically identical. A game like Heretic uses the exact same mechanics as Doom, it's just a fantasy setting instead of a space marine in Hell setting. No one called rail shooters Doom clones because they were mechanically distinct. Having a fixed perspective (Myst, Duck Hunt, point and click adventure games, etc.) is pretty different from games where you control the camera. One of the reasons Myst was so successful in the first place was because of that fixed perspective design. Whereas first person games that require you to control the camera movement are notoriously difficult for people that don't regularly play video games.

Oh wow, thanks for sharing that Jake, that link is really good!

When you say there is a selective offense being taken, can you give any examples? I'm unaware of Idle Thumbs endorsing a game that has an American jingoistic aesthetic.

Gone Home and Myst are distinct mechanically, emotionally, thematically, visually, and in setting. The similarities are that they are both first person perspective games, feature no combat, and as Yohalem helpfully notes, you "look through other people's stuff". By that standard you could call Gone Home a clone of Sid Meier's Covert Action. That would be obtuse though.

I feel like Far Cry 3 writer Jeffrey Yohalem must be trolling me http://gamasutra.com/view/news/214696/QA_Smaller_is_better_for_Child_of_Light_writer_Jeffrey_Yohalem.php

I'm really happy they delayed the talk as I haven't quite finished Burial at Sea episode 2 so it gives me time to wrap it up this weekend!

Oh man, I came here to post about that. My jaw dropped when I saw the news. It seems like such a bizarre choice to me.

Yeah that's a really good point. There's so much interesting art out there, but some of it is always going to have elements that we take issue with, and how people balance that is going to vary, but it's worth acknowledging that tension exists.

Wow, there's a lot to talk about with this episode. I'll try and cover all my points as briefly as possible. The discussion of Luftrauser's made me recall the discussion about Sid Meier's Ace Patrol games, which also came under criticism for its portrayal of a similar era. The criticisms were of a different nature because the representation was different, but in some ways it also amounts to the same thing. I just don't think there's any good way to evoke that era. To Gormongous' point asking why the representation of the Soviet Union gets a pass, I think it comes down to context. Because anyone that has been to a war gaming convention knows there is always that guy dressed up in a S.S. officer's uniform, and it's really uncomfortable and weird. Because anyone that has played Company of Heroes multiplayer against random opponents knows there is always that dude yelling in a German accent. So I'm a little more sympathetic to the Vlambeer dudes response, even if I agree that it was kind of vague and didn't really address the criticism. Because we mostly agree that we don't think evoking WWII aesthetics should be off-limits, but as far as I can tell no one actually knows the right way to handle it. I strongly agree with Sean's comment about Sword & Sworcery, it really hit what drove me nuts about the game, like I get irrationally angry just thinking about that game. I would characterize all the indie games that were under discussion slightly differently though.... basically what I dislike is when games evoke this sort of generic mysticism. It seems kind of lazy and uninteresting, and I think bringing up Ico & Shadow of the Colossus was on point because a lot of times it feels like developers taking away the wrong idea about what was meaningful and cool about those games. What I find objectionable with a lot of these games (Brothers is a strong example of this even though there are a lot of good things about that game) is like the way they try to evoke emotions that feel unearned. That being said I disagree with lumping Kentucky Route Zero in with those games, and I specifically disagree with Sean's assertion that they aren't saying what they want to say. I think of that game as falling into the tradition of creative works that are a brain dump of the unconscious like a Fellini or David Lynch movie, and so I think KR0 is expressing exactly what it needs to express. I liked Chris' description of the stealth systems in Bioshock Infinite. Contrary to a lot of people on the internet's feelings about stealth games, I think they're best when they're not too difficult. Stealth-based gameplay is also ideal for appreciating all the amazing art work and sound design that goes into a game like Bioshock. Unfortunately I also agree that I dislike how the narrative of the DLC feels like fanfic, but I like that I get to at least appreciate all this amazing design, and a lot of it in Episode 2 is some of my favorite out of all the Bioshock games. It's making me feel really sad about the closing of Irrational all over again. Finally, the discussion about Brendon Chung's games just made me think about how I wish the Mass Effect games used the Blendo games model where it all refers to the same universe, but you have a bunch of games with unconnected narratives, and in different gameplay styles, just all residing in the same science fiction universe. So you have one game where you're a detective on Citadel, another game that's a business sim in one of the Mass Effect libertarian planets, a tactical spaceship battle game, etc. This was still a way longer post than I wanted it to be. Sorry.

Just want to say nice work with the Subjective Reviewer of the Month feature!

RIP Campo Santo

I picked this up on the iPad last night. They did a great job with the interface, but I have to disagree with the comments I've seen from people that consider it superior to the PC controls. I've lost some fights badly because some of my crew didn't move the way I expected them to move, and I find weapon selection and targeting to be more time consuming compared to hot key selection. Still, it's an excellent port, and well worth the $10 in my mind. It will definitely help make long flights more bearable.

However you don't have to take them out, you can always just run away. And please note I'm not trying to push you to continue on with something you're not enjoying. I'm a big advocate of just putting something away if it feels like a waste of time/isn't fun for you. I just bring that up because what I like so much about Thief and the Deus Ex games is how there are always multiple ways to handle a problem.

Also FWIW you can get out of the mines pretty quickly in the 2nd level and then there are no more zombies. If you hate zombies though, then you're really not gonna like the 3rd level.

Oh yeah, that's totally fair. He definitely had a huge impact in terms of establishing the unique atmosphere and setting of that game, and also just like figuring out what a stealth game would be, which is obviously a huge deal (he looked at submarine games as the closest analogy).

Yeah, those videos are really great. That being said, I don't believe Ken was involved with Thief from start to finish? He certainly had an important hand in shaping the game, but I believe that a lot of the writing came from other people at Looking Glass. He switched gears to make System Shock 2, which is where he really left his mark. If you're curious, there are some really great podcasts with ex-Looking Glass folks, including Ken: http://gambit.mit.edu/updates/audio/looking_glass_studios_podcast/

Oh yeah, this sort of behavior drives me a little crazy. Oh, you haven't seen Game of Thrones/Mad Men/Breaking Bad/Girls/True Detective? It is literally the greatest television series ever, you have to watch it... Life is full of all sorts of miserable events, so I'm not going to begrudge anyone for watching something that gives them pleasure. but man I wish more people could move beyond the conversation piece where they are just talking about how good these shows are (seemingly without ever going into detail about what makes them good), and always with the implication that if you're not following this show there is something off about you.

I haven't played this game in like a year, and man, I was just total garbage when I played last night! So much fun though!

Backers now have access to a prototype build of the game now. I'm excited to check it out when I get back home tonight!

Yeah, I know my friends that have an Apple TV are really surprised by how bad the UI is.

I would hold off if you haven't played Full Throttle yet, but for Grim there wasn't any real spoiler stuff.