The Witness - Release Date Trailer, coming 26th January 2016

PC or PS4?

I would like to have another game to play on my PS4, it hasn't had much love lately, but the other day I realized something. When it comes to digital purchases, it seems like it's a safer bet to just buy them on PC. I will always have a PC (unless zombie outbreak) with me but I might not always have a PS4 hooked up to my TV. Other than trophies, is there anything that sets the PS4 version apart from the PC version?

Thoughts?
 
PC or PS4?

I would like to have another game to play on my PS4, it hasn't had much love lately, but the other day I realized something. When it comes to digital purchases, it seems like it's a safer bet to just buy them on PC. I will always have a PC (unless zombie outbreak) with me but I might not always have a PS4 hooked up to my TV. Other than trophies, is there anything that sets the PS4 version apart from the PC version?

Thoughts?

as someone getting it for PS4, i think PC is the way to go for the eventual VR support
 
PC or PS4?

I would like to have another game to play on my PS4, it hasn't had much love lately, but the other day I realized something. When it comes to digital purchases, it seems like it's a safer bet to just buy them on PC. I will always have a PC (unless zombie outbreak) with me but I might not always have a PS4 hooked up to my TV. Other than trophies, is there anything that sets the PS4 version apart from the PC version?

Thoughts?
I can imagine the puzzle-stuff works better with a mouse. So PC.
If you have a huge TV and PC not hooked to it - PS4.
 
I'll guess an 87 Metacritic because I'm guessing there's going to be too much redundancy in the puzzles and some will be too obscure/hard for any casual player to beat it 100%.

I'm hoping not though and that it'll get a 92+

Blow's design philospohy is strongly anti-redundancy. You're right that it will be to hard for some people. I think expecting a 90+ MC for a game like this is overly optimistic. I think the scores will have a wide range. Wide in the 7-10 sense, anyway.
 
Going to be really hard not to click on those reviews when they drop, but I guess it could have been reviewed a week in advance. God bless quick launches!
 
Blow's design philospohy is strongly anti-redundancy. You're right that it will be to hard for some people. I think expecting a 90+ MC for a game like this is overly optimistic. I think the scores will have a wide range. Wide in the 7-10 sense, anyway.

Reviewers will not admit that the puzzles are too hard to not appear dumb.
Everyone will praise it.
 
Nah, if the game is too hard for them, they'll just find other vague complaints and issues with it.

I'm sure they will because outside of the puzzles and visuals, it's an empty game. There's no other gameplay elements other than interacting with panels.
 
Could this be a bit of a marmite game?, maybe the reviews will reflect that?, seems to be a big spread in scores for most games these days.
 
I'm sure they will because outside of the puzzles and visuals, it's an empty game. There's no other gameplay elements other than interacting with panels.

Oh, you've played it? And even if it's true that the only interaction is with the panels, that's not all there is to it. The puzzles are often in the environment, and you just use the panels to input the solution. That's not an "empty game".
 
I'm sure they will because outside of the puzzles and visuals, it's an empty game. There's no other gameplay elements other than interacting with panels.
Did reviewers say the same about Myst or Riven? This game operates on the same principles. And again, we already have preliminary impressions from two major sites and both love the game.
 
I'm sure they will because outside of the puzzles and visuals, it's an empty game. There's no other gameplay elements other than interacting with panels.

Couldn't this argument be applied to other games though? I mean sometimes the core element/mechanic of a game (for example, a shooter) is what makes it. There's nothing inherently wrong with what The Witness is doing unless all puzzles are the same thing. (I've only just started following the game after friends started talking about it, I have no idea how it will turn out, so maybe I'm wrong.)
 
So silly that you cannot preorder/preload some/all(?) indie titles on PSN.
 
Couldn't this argument be applied to other games though? I mean sometimes the core element/mechanic of a game (for example, a shooter) is what makes it. There's nothing inherently wrong with what The Witness is doing unless all puzzles are the same thing. (I've only just started following the game after friends started talking about it, I have no idea how it will turn out, so maybe I'm wrong.)

I'm saying if a reviewer doesn't like the puzzles for whatever reason then there's nothing else in there, so it'll result in a less than perfect score. I'm all for this type of game.
 
On the recent IGN and Eurogamer podcasts, people who couldnt discuss specifics because they were under embargo shared some thoughts on the game

Podcast Beyond Episode 427
- "This game is awesome...incredible"
- "Feels like Myst in terms of its atmosphere, its loneliness...you arrive at a place that has a history and you're uncovering that history"
- "Freaking gorgeous", with some "mindblowingly difficult" puzzles
- "Amazing aha moments"

Eurogamer Podcast #1
-"Fairly close to Portal or Portal 2 in terms of a game that has obvious scale and production values but zero combat and is very much focused on quite involved puzzling"
- "Discovery of the game world.. of the mechanics is everything"
- "Even if this came from a no-name developer...the word would get around that it was something unique and quite special"
- "Quite lavish, a really really beautiful game"
 
Genuinely curious about the critical response. Early word is the game is clearly good, but also often ambiguous and difficult. It won't be for everyone, including many critics.
 
Nah, if the game is too hard for them, they'll just find other vague complaints and issues with it.

This isn't a sports or racing game, so they can't whine about it being "sportsball" while writing about bugs that are actually features, or actual rules of the game, or even better why Football Manager can't compete with FIFA or PES, since you can't actually play the actual game.

A puzzle game that tries to be smart, most reviewers are afraid of being perceived as the dumbass that can't tie his shoes without some wrestler teaching him during a tutorial video.

15 MINUTES!

Guess the Meta!

92

89
 
The panels let you control other objects.

Like, there's a boat you control with a panel. We saw it in the trailer.

You do that indirectly yes, it still counts as 1 gameplay element. Even if there's a ton of variety, they're most likely all tied to puzzle solving. It's not like you'll use the boat for a racing minigame or anything like that. It has a specific purpose.

There's nothing to collect in the overworld, no creatures to hunt down, no inventory management, no stats to upgrade; it's just you, the beautiful island and a bunch of panels. If you don't like the core of the game there's nothing else to experience, and that would result in marking the game down.
 
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