toblix

Costume Quest

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I'm pretty sure Double Fine employs a number of game designers.

Well, yes, obviously someone was lead game designer. I thought Tim Schafer filled that role for both games. Perhaps I should have phrased it as "better game designer".

Psychonauts was mostly good except for the Meat Circus and all the collection stuff (though at least that was optional). They are very different games, with different design goals, but insofar as they can be compared, Pyschonauts was a better game than Brutal Legend.

Brutal Legend, as I said, tried to do too much. The combat was OK and the driving was OK. RTS has never been done well on a console, unless you take the Pikmin/Overlord route, so while not great, was no worse than the competition. Rather than do all 3 merely OK, they could have focused on 2 of them great.

For me personally, the great writing will more than make up for the OK gameplay (especially at an XBLA price point), but there is no reason we can't have both. These games already have a smaller audience than the next big shooter, or whatever, due to their quirky setting, so not polishing the gameplay as much as possible will unnecessarily limit your potential audience.

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Only when I replayed Psychonauts earlier this year did I fully realize what a fantastic game it was. The first time around I had all those complaints about difficulty and collecting, but it ages just so well and it takes a second playthrough to appreciate its subtlety.

About this game, I have no idea what to expect. When you don another costume (I hope there's a silken Goku), do you get appropriate powers? If you do, it reminds me of a terrible PC deathmatch game I used to play called H.E.D.Z., where you swapped heads to gain different powers. I would link to Youtube, but upon revisiting this quaint memory the game turned out to be so ugly I just couldn't post it here.

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Well, yes, obviously someone was lead game designer. I thought Tim Schafer filled that role for both games. Perhaps I should have phrased it as "better game designer".

While he was very likely dabbling in the design of those two games in one way or another, the last time Schafer has been credited as a designer was on Full Throttle. He has served as a director, project lead, or creative director since, as well as story and dialog credits, but Erik Robson was the credited lead designer for all of the Double Fine games so far.

I don't know if that has any impact on what your saying though, but I think if anything it will mean most likely these four small games will all have varying design styles, so maybe you'll find something you like.

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Not into what looks like JRPG style combat, but I think the premise is cute.

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I'm more excited about this than I was for Brutal Legend.

Not sure why people aren't digging the art style. It looks like they're going for a Calvin & Hobbes -esque thing where the real world looks cartoony and a little goofy, but the imaginary world (the costumes come to life) is more detailed and realistic. Also, is it just me, or do the models for the children look suspiciously similar to Animal Crossing characters?

It'll be nice to have some old-school JRPG style combat without the horrible writing that typically accompanies JRPGs. The premise looks neat, too.

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I'm more excited about this than I was for Brutal Legend.

Not sure why people aren't digging the art style. It looks like they're going for a Calvin & Hobbes -esque thing where the real world looks cartoony and a little goofy, but the imaginary world (the costumes come to life) is more detailed and realistic. Also, is it just me, or do the models for the children look suspiciously similar to Animal Crossing characters?

It'll be nice to have some old-school JRPG style combat without the horrible writing that typically accompanies JRPGs. The premise looks neat, too.

edit; I should read entire posts before ranting :) I thought lobotomy said this looks like Calvin & Hobbes in the visual sense... this is heavily edited.

Alright I dont wnt to hate on this too bad because its not like its making my eyes bleed and I really like doublefine enough to give them a pass, especially when its an XBLA game.

I think the largest problem I have with the overall look(and it seems other people have the same gripe) is the inconsistent style between characters along with the environment. I understand this whole separation from fact and fiction, but that doesn't seem to be happening here at all or in any articulate way; to me it feels more like crazy town where we had american animators do some characters and then had the korea guys comp in some of theres, then off to france to get a few background elements(only the styles the elements in this game aren't referring to anything really specific and interested as I just suggested, it was merely an example). There is no harmonizing of the elements and mood, regardless to have them feel believable within the same space(like adding a cartoon character in live action, I thought Roger Rabbit did this really well, completely different "style" being harmonized in a believable world)

From a technological standpoint it looks like lazy, default shaders that make it look very generic(PA games and several others I can't bother to remember the names)

In no way do I see deliberate attempts to push towards any particular visual goal, thats my gripe, but I'll let that rest as I like the idea enough to play it.

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Man, I think it looks like a hoot, and I think this new development direction is a great idea for Double Fine. I hope it's a roaring success for them. They deserve a roaring success, for a change.

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<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npbz3ZER0UU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Npbz3ZER0UU&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>

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Ok, it looks a lot better in motion(not necessarily the animation but when a camera moves around) then it does in stills ( I should have learned this lesson when I saw Epic Mickey in motion)

Still don't like the children designs though.

The narration in that trailer isn't very good, not sure who their market it is now. Also, wouldn't it be more neat, if I was questing around for costume parts and everyone can make their own custom costumes ala an action rpg... oh wait I'm thinking of Diablo or torchlight or something now.

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Yeah, the narration is pretty terrible. The whole thing - narration and direction in particular - just seems to be trying to make us go "Oh, this looks like Nightmare Before Christmas. It must be good then!"

I'm not suggesting that the game itself is a rip-off. Just the trailer.

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Game looks great. It would be a must buy if I had any of the platforms it's releasing on. I'm not down with this lack of PC love on the small downloadable game front.

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This seriously isn't looking to be any fun.

I don't know about you, Murdoc, but I found Epic Mickey super ugly in motion, just as ugly as it is in stills. Costume Quest seems to be forming the same.

These character designs are so uninspired, the game is about some generic Halloween crap story, and I hardly even think the gameplay is going to be much worth raving about (that part, a hunch).

Depending on Schafer's credit in this game, I might end up giving it a pass.

Bring on the next of the four, I suppose.

Edited by syntheticgerbil

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True I was a little more wowed with the game design of Epic Mickey more then the visuals, but I pretty much cut my expectations after those screenshots and the fact its wii only now; so the game looked fun enough and the art was functional enough to be excited for.

I'm still not sure what to make of Costume Quest; again smaller title, XBLA, but I really expected something a little more unique from Double Fine.

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I really expected something a little more unique from Double Fine.

Yeah, I think that's probably it for me too. I would think at least the art direction would be way stronger, since it's Double Fine and all.

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I'm still not sure what to make of Costume Quest; again smaller title, XBLA, but I really expected something a little more unique from Double Fine.

Double Fine's modus operandi to date has been a unique story-telling twist on old gameplay formulas. Costume Quest seems to fit this mold exactly - a jRPG that exists in line between children's fantasy and children's reality as exemplified by Halloween Costumes. Is there a glut of Halloween RPGs I'm unaware of?

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I'm sort of talking about stuff beyond the premise. Halloween is fine, but the designs and aesthetics about it don't seem unique/interesting at all. The story, the trailer, etc... just doesn't seem to have the same Double Fine quirkiness I've come to love.

It's pretty bland so far.

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Giant Bomb Quick Look is up.

This game looks like pure joy. I had the same reaction as Vinny. It's got timed hits, costume crafting and swapping, buffing stamps, out of combat costume abilities, candy coming out of all the objects when you hit them like red orbs in DMC and even some mini games thrown in.

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Well, it appears Tim Schafer is credited for dialogue writan, so I guess I have to play this now. I'll probably wait until an official credit list still, but he seems to have already been credited as the writer in those newer interviews.

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Well, Costume Quest is not coming to PC so all eyes towards Deathspank.

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Well, it appears Tim Schafer is credited for dialogue writan, so I guess I have to play this now. I'll probably wait until an official credit list still, but he seems to have already been credited as the writer in those newer interviews.

Oh man, I love his writing. It's amazing how much of Host Master's dialogue reminded me of my favourite dialogue from Monkey Island.

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Oh man, I just watched the Giant Bomb quick look. I wasn't sold on this before, and have never bought a $15 PSN or XBLA game before at full price, but this is now totally a day one perch. Well played, Doublefine. I just need to make sure that my PS3 is online on day one (currently in the middle of a move, so now I have to keep the system out of boxes until I've had a chance to get a bit of my CQ on).

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Wow, I had watched that Giant Bomb video and I still felt like it was an iffy game or that it was bland.

Maybe I'll find out it's good when I play it I suppose. The gameplay could be great it seems, but I'm still so put off by the art direction and characters.

Also Thunderpeel, definitely the Hostmaster game is great. It's amazing what punched up writing can do for such a basic and short game.

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