It's not.
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Journey |OT| Perfect Strangers
- Thread starter alr1ght
- Start date
It's not.
Yeah, great spoiler parts. Seems we had a very similar experience. Also, when
you emerge above the clouds in that beautiful final level... flying through waterfalls, flying besides flying energy beasts, surfing and soaring across the mountain side
with a very real 'go into the light'
With Flower, there's already far bigger problems right off the bat that would inhibit enjoyment on my end even if there was something better there beneath it (I beat the game and there's not, but let's just say there was for the sake of argument): the sixaxis controls are absolute rancid garbage. Journey has excellent controls.
My partner was
white
Flow and Flower
white
But genuinely, playing with said super pro did not damper my enjoyment one bit. This is simply not the type of game where it really matters on your first experience. The game has the illusion of exploration, but it's all rather linear and obvious (even the 'collectables' are, for the most, supremely easy to locate). So in the end Journey really is primarily about sights and sounds, and you're going to get that with or without a super partner. And I think my experience was enhanced for the simple fact we had extreme comradery fairly quickly, and by the end of the game we were practically blood brothers: we had adopted a barking rhythm melody, we flew practically the entire way with our alternating singing, we stopped and started with a sense of almost otherworldly predictability of the others' action. We even adopted a specific celebration barking melody, which we did after every level milestone (- ** --- * -- *). It was a remarkable feeling, this unique multiplayer experience... and this was with me and my fiancee exchanging controllers throughout the game. I would not have wanted to solo.
I'm basically at a point where i will buy anything TGC makes, no matter what anyone else thinks of it, legnth, price, etc.
Great to hear. I too was kinda worried that this game would end up lacking in substance or losing its charm after a couple of minutes of gawking at the prettiness, hence why it has kept flowing on and off my radar instead of being a certain purchase. The unamious praise from reviews and impressions has made me feel a little bit more reassured, but hearing this kind of praise from someone who was very skeptical has me entirely at ease now.
DangerousDave
Member
The moment that you realise that the whole journey is a methafor
of life, from your first born steps, with the curiosity and desire for discovery, finding a partner (the limitation of only one partner is not a coincidence) in your life, and go together facing different challenges until you are old, when the steps are each time more and more difficult, and ending with death (and, in this case, a gimpse of heaven and then reincarnation)
kevinbutlerBOOM.gif
This game is absolutely captivating. The experience I had last night with it was unbelievably memorable.
It was actually somewhat late and I just wanted to check it out briefly before heading to bed. So I played through the first area and ended up in the section where you have to extend the bridges. The sound and atmosphere was very relaxing so I set the controller down to take it in for a moment and started to doze off. Just before that, however, I heard that singing noise and saw another character moving towards me. As I was initially in a half asleep state the appearance of this entity felt somewhat unreal. I had actually forgotten about the coop aspect and was totally taken by surprise when someone wandered into the world. A truly magical moment!
It very quickly snapped me awake, though, and we started following each other around. The anonymous coop aspect combined with the amazing atmosphere resulted in one of the most interesting and enjoyable gaming experiences I've had in years. I was just sitting there with a huge grin on my face as we moved forward and I ended up playing for an hour. It was just incredibly involving in a way that I didn't expect and it totally took me by surprise.
I mean, I knew the basic concept of the game before going in, but I didn't actually expect it to so fully capture my imagination. They're onto something here.
The game itself is also far more enjoyable to play than any previous release from these guys. The controls are actually great and enjoyable to use (sliding never gets old). The visuals as well are truly remarkable. I did not expect all of the shading and effects they would apply to the environment but it results in one of the prettiest games I've ever witnessed. Truly exceptional.
It was actually somewhat late and I just wanted to check it out briefly before heading to bed. So I played through the first area and ended up in the section where you have to extend the bridges. The sound and atmosphere was very relaxing so I set the controller down to take it in for a moment and started to doze off. Just before that, however, I heard that singing noise and saw another character moving towards me. As I was initially in a half asleep state the appearance of this entity felt somewhat unreal. I had actually forgotten about the coop aspect and was totally taken by surprise when someone wandered into the world. A truly magical moment!
It very quickly snapped me awake, though, and we started following each other around. The anonymous coop aspect combined with the amazing atmosphere resulted in one of the most interesting and enjoyable gaming experiences I've had in years. I was just sitting there with a huge grin on my face as we moved forward and I ended up playing for an hour. It was just incredibly involving in a way that I didn't expect and it totally took me by surprise.
I mean, I knew the basic concept of the game before going in, but I didn't actually expect it to so fully capture my imagination. They're onto something here.
The game itself is also far more enjoyable to play than any previous release from these guys. The controls are actually great and enjoyable to use (sliding never gets old). The visuals as well are truly remarkable. I did not expect all of the shading and effects they would apply to the environment but it results in one of the prettiest games I've ever witnessed. Truly exceptional.
not sure what the DLC's purpose would be. the game's purpose, the cycle, was fulfilled. it was short enough that if they wanted to make more content they probably could have... but it's not longer intentionally. It should not be one sec longer or shorter. It is precisely the right amount of time to leave you in love with the scenario without overstaying its welcome and turning into a 'oh great more aimless wandering' end result.
i understand how memorable this is and the desire to want more, but savor this experience instead of asking for DLC that wouldn't really make sense anyway
Yea, it is quite obvious. But it works because it does not beat you over the head with the messaging, there is no awfully written dialogue or painful hand wringing about
old age or arthritis or something
Journey relishes its gameness and leverages the strengths of the medium to immediately engage the player in a thoughtful manner that treats its audience with intelligence, which is in direct contrast to the hit-me-over-the-head-instead-of-utilizing-nuance direction that 98% of other games use. Journey doesn't want to be a movie. It wants to be a game.
I was too. I was curious, as I always am in unique products like this, but the beta demo had really turned me off. My fiance convinced me to get it (she loved Flower), and I admit I was bitterly curious, so we got it. It just blew me away in every way that matters.
Last night I signed up for PS+ just so I could buy and play Journey. I have zero regrets after finishing the game. It may have cost me over $30 in a sense, but it was worth every penny.
Anyone on the fence, if you can afford to sign up and buy the game, I would urge you to do so.
With regards to "playing it alone" on your first play through, I suggest you do not go down that path. Just start the game and see where it takes you. Most likely you will run into another player, and if you do then you are in for a real treat. The experience of going through it all with someone else was very powerful.
I nearly took my system offline for my first go through of the game, so glad that I did not.
Anyone on the fence, if you can afford to sign up and buy the game, I would urge you to do so.
With regards to "playing it alone" on your first play through, I suggest you do not go down that path. Just start the game and see where it takes you. Most likely you will run into another player, and if you do then you are in for a real treat. The experience of going through it all with someone else was very powerful.
I nearly took my system offline for my first go through of the game, so glad that I did not.
i also purchased PlayStation + just so I could try this game early.
I too did not feel like I wasted a single penny. Seriously, this left me feeling so confused. I feel like what I imagine it must be like if I just had my first awkward sexual experience and then realized that I didn't like chicks or something and had to confront that fact for the first time in its enormity*
*
note: just in terms of how confusing it must feel; this has no negative connotations here
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
There's the Amir0x I was looking for!
Seriously, very happy to hear your impressions because it's exactly what I was hoping this game could deliver, exactly the approach I'd hoped they'd taken. I can't afford + right now or I'd already be there. I'm a hell of a lot more forgiving than you, but our tastes overlap more often than not (except with Nier apparently, hah), especially when it comes to the importance of engaging gameplay over all else, so this has me incredibly hyped for this game.
Too bad the game doesn't have a box. This quote should go on the back.
Fine Ham Abounds
Member
JOURNEY - THE EROTIC AWAKENING OF AMIROX
test_account
XP-39C²
Anyone know where to find the dynamic theme? I've checked the store and it is nowhere to be seen. It didnt auto download anything either, i checked all my installed themes.
I'm still skeptical this game will have quite the effect you guys are describing. I guess I'll find out Tuesday. No way I'm buying PlayStation Plus for just one game.
I wonder... Do you think Journey will hold up on multiple playthroughs? I thought Heavy Rain was incredible the first time through, on the strength of its killer-could-be-anywhere sensibility, but the game doesn't quite hold up once you know how it ends.
Now I know Journey is more of an actual game, in the sense there is joy in simply moving about, like a Mario game, but is it enough so that when you know all of the twists and turns and what not, it's still powerful?
I liked Dear Esther enough to play it several times, and that game is a straight-up walking tour. So it's not like I'm narrow-minded in the way I can appreciate games (though I generally prefer skill-based titles like Vanquish). I just hope this isn't a classic case of post-game rush-induced hype.
EDIT: Also, I read somewhere the last third of Journey is weak. True?
I wonder... Do you think Journey will hold up on multiple playthroughs? I thought Heavy Rain was incredible the first time through, on the strength of its killer-could-be-anywhere sensibility, but the game doesn't quite hold up once you know how it ends.
Now I know Journey is more of an actual game, in the sense there is joy in simply moving about, like a Mario game, but is it enough so that when you know all of the twists and turns and what not, it's still powerful?
I liked Dear Esther enough to play it several times, and that game is a straight-up walking tour. So it's not like I'm narrow-minded in the way I can appreciate games (though I generally prefer skill-based titles like Vanquish). I just hope this isn't a classic case of post-game rush-induced hype.
EDIT: Also, I read somewhere the last third of Journey is weak. True?
No. NONONONONONONO. If anything it could be the best sections of the game.
ashbash159
Member
Just played through it for the first time. Really loved it. Don't think I loved it as much as other people in this thread. My eyes didn't tear up. For some reason they did with Dear Esther, so I'll say that's a better "game".
lol, no
LOL, missed opportunity for that gif from The Office.
Auron_Kale
Member
Check your download queue. After I downloaded Journey from the store, I checked my queue and found the theme there.
Oh I'd somewhat suggest against that, your experience isn't dampened in the slightest when you meet another person on your journey and they come and go to, it's an absolutely sublime experience as it was intended.
test_account
XP-39C²
Man, playing Journey in co-op is such a great experience! Especially since you can "heal" eachother, so you dont have to run to those pieces of cloth all the time.
I assume that most people who have said their opinion about the game in this thread have actually beaten the game, so it wouldnt be about post-hype. If everyone will enjoy the game just as much is another question though.
And personally i think that the whole game was one solid experience from start to finish, no weak parts anywhere
Like every game, it totally depends on how much you enjoy playing through a single player campaign again. Or how much you enjoy watching a movie for the 2nd time. You know what is going to happen and what lies ahead of you etc.
I assume that most people who have said their opinion about the game in this thread have actually beaten the game, so it wouldnt be about post-hype. If everyone will enjoy the game just as much is another question though.
And personally i think that the whole game was one solid experience from start to finish, no weak parts anywhere
Is that bad or good ?
BiggStankDogg
Member
I've been pondering this all morning after beating this game last night. I loved this game, but how much DID I love it? I'ma at a place in my gaming life where I buy a ton of games, have a huge backlog, but normally end up playing Battlefield of CoD multiplayer. It's convenient, fun, I can get on with my buds and shoot/slice other dudebros. It's fun, but always ends in shit-talking, bitching about camping and noobtubing and just your general alpha male macho online posturing and I'm one of the biggest offenders in that regard.
That being said, after reflecting on this game and how it made me feel, I will go ahead and say this is the best game I've ever played. Period. Other games focus so much on online interactivity and party systems and clan whatevers and STILL you can lone wolf successfully without really worrying about supporting others and getting rewarded for doing so most of the time. I suppose the same could be said of Journey, but whatever magical sauce they marinated this game with brings out the altruism in you.
Even if you don't have to, people help others find secrets they might have otherwise missed. They wait when trouble hits you, or help you find your way when you're lost. The sense of discovery is magnified with another random player, even if their outfit shows more experience. They took all that we thought we knew about online communication and boiled it down to what truly makes us WANT to communicate. Not through a headset or text message, but through honest-to-goodness interaction. There's no griefing or even a DESIRE to grief, just this urge to hold your travel partner's hand and face the brave unknown together, whatever that may be.
This may seem like hyperbole (shit, this whole thread might), but Journey takes the best of life's experiences from birth to death and somehow perfectly captures those feelings and allows you to share them with others for not other reason than you truly want to experience joy with someone else. They made the best of life playable. It sounds so sappy, but that is what it is.
This game is so good, I told my coworker that I wished it was on 360 because I would buy it for her to play. I would spend another $15.00 to give someone I know this experience. It's that good.
That being said, after reflecting on this game and how it made me feel, I will go ahead and say this is the best game I've ever played. Period. Other games focus so much on online interactivity and party systems and clan whatevers and STILL you can lone wolf successfully without really worrying about supporting others and getting rewarded for doing so most of the time. I suppose the same could be said of Journey, but whatever magical sauce they marinated this game with brings out the altruism in you.
Even if you don't have to, people help others find secrets they might have otherwise missed. They wait when trouble hits you, or help you find your way when you're lost. The sense of discovery is magnified with another random player, even if their outfit shows more experience. They took all that we thought we knew about online communication and boiled it down to what truly makes us WANT to communicate. Not through a headset or text message, but through honest-to-goodness interaction. There's no griefing or even a DESIRE to grief, just this urge to hold your travel partner's hand and face the brave unknown together, whatever that may be.
This may seem like hyperbole (shit, this whole thread might), but Journey takes the best of life's experiences from birth to death and somehow perfectly captures those feelings and allows you to share them with others for not other reason than you truly want to experience joy with someone else. They made the best of life playable. It sounds so sappy, but that is what it is.
This game is so good, I told my coworker that I wished it was on 360 because I would buy it for her to play. I would spend another $15.00 to give someone I know this experience. It's that good.
It's actually really horrible to be on your own, i found.
I went through a lot with the first guy i met.
We got up the the level where you climb a couple of towers in the middle of the desert. Right at the top of the second one,
Anyway, a bit later, when
you slide down the slope and fall into the caverns,
i don't know if i went a bit too fast or what. All i know is, when
i landed,
Really great how it makes you connect to one another.
malingenie
Member
Yeah I have never felt so desperate and amazed and connected to a game, had the same experience...
And I saw him plop down into a snow angel before me... right next to me... just thinking about it is making me emotional now
Another great moment was when I saw a companion in the distance, and I ran to him
only to see him being eaten by a dragon right before my eyes as I was nearing him
Two of my moments of the decade in gaming.
BlazingDarkness
Member
I can not wait to play through this again shortly
SecretMoblin
Member
Yes.
It doesn't dilute or minimize your first experience at all. If anything, it helps you reflect on it.
malingenie
Member
Has there been a guide or document created to determine where the missing glyphs are? In the stones at the beginning I am showing 4 missing, but I don't know which level they correspond to.
SecretMoblin
Member
phosphor112 put together a good guide a few days ago. If you're still stumped on any of them just ask:
Edit: Put the names of the areas in spoiler tags.
Even the way this game forces you into comradery with whomever your game partner is is just brilliant.
It's such a slow gradual 'nudging' toward that individual.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
This game is a masterpiece. The more I think about it, the more it is beyond reproach. I am sad I ever maligned this fucking game
It's such a slow gradual 'nudging' toward that individual.
1.
First you guys spot each other across a windblown desert, each going around singing flags down. More than likely, you find no reason to be forced into solidarity; you guys will likely proceed to create the bridge in whatever order.
Next you may occasionally start to guide one or another to a glyph the other didn't know about while catching a ride on a cloth animal or something
Following that, you ride the sand surf - swooping in and out, side by side, over jumps and under arches, guiding one another down smart paths to reach glyphs or simply to look rad. The distance between one another shrinks
Then you are underwater, or something like that, and you begin to start having to hide from those giant cloth snakes... and so you start to take a path much closer together, to avoid detection.
Next you guys must activate a huge series of glyphs in this lateral machine of sorts, and so you each race from position to position, helping each other fly to make the process painless.
You stumble out into the snow, it's cold and it's harder to fly for long. You get ever closer to one another, to keep the scarf glowing for longer.
You begin to have to avoid horrific wind gusts, so you both end up huddling from behind rock to rock. You take up position together and rush forward together; you begin to become synchronized.
You now not only have to avoid the wind and cold, but the giant snake cloth beasts are back and you have to hide together beneath shelter to avoid its spotlight gaze. Your cloth scarfs barely work anymore unless you are right on top of one another, so you start to walk side by side without fail. Synchronization complete.
You end up walking that last journey together up that cold hill, just crawling toward the summit as you guys slowly freeze to death. You are now practically holding hands, as the only way to keep warm is to be literally touching one another. This is indicating by a dim red glow about your feet when you do this. It is just one tiny small comfort against the majesty and power of the storm, and there's no viable gameplay reason to do this at the end since there is no way to survive it... but you do it anyway. You need to do it. Your companionship is complete, how can you not go through this final tribulation together? How can you not take that step into the other side whilst you take your final breath?
You're free again, bursting into the sky of color and freedom and flight. And now even though you're free, you don't separate... you guys are one in the same, twirling around one another as you blaze a trail through the clouds. As you finish the game, walking toward the light, you both walk slowly as the light begins to obscure your vision. You or your friend will wait for you to make that final walk. There is no other option, really, even though there is.
This game is a masterpiece. The more I think about it, the more it is beyond reproach. I am sad I ever maligned this fucking game
indigo-cyclops
Member
This game...
On a serious note the end established a truly unique and powerful moment for me in gaming.
Unbelievable really, to have something both hit the core, deeply raw emotions of human existence and magnify the intricacies of human interaction, and how language can so prominently obscure and complicate so many of life's experiences.
On a serious note the end established a truly unique and powerful moment for me in gaming.
Just the final collapse, the struggle to continue, shook me from any distractions; the final ascent up the mountain, the freedom you feel has me so emotionally attached because in some strange way I feel like that is what death will feel like. Shackles removed, complete freedom and beauty surrounding you. You even look back for your partner, and at times you see them. But eventually (at least in my playthroughs) they all disappeared. But I still felt joy, a strong emotional clarity and freedom compared to early stages when losing track of a partners location. The game is such profound, subtle metaphor that it's so obvious at the end, but originally going in it escapes you.
Unbelievable really, to have something both hit the core, deeply raw emotions of human existence and magnify the intricacies of human interaction, and how language can so prominently obscure and complicate so many of life's experiences.
Hydrogen Bluebird
Member
I really want to play this but I don't think I'll be spending $15 on a 2 hr game. And I'm not even from the US so that 15 USD isn't exactly spare change. If this was a 10 dollar game, I would've bought it on March 6 (since I have PS Plus)
EDIT: but the reviews here are making me think otherwise
EDIT: but the reviews here are making me think otherwise
This was me prior to this game's release:
This is me after I played the game:
Length is perfect. Absolutely perfect. I spend $17+$15 to play this game, and I would've paid $60.
[url=http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=35632952&postcount=313]Amir0x[/url] said:
This is me after I played the game:
[url=http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=35863879&postcount=819]Amir0x[/url] said:
Length is perfect. Absolutely perfect. I spend $17+$15 to play this game, and I would've paid $60.
MomoPufflet
Member
Just finished the game (loved it), made a bunch of stupid memes. "Journey Buddies" if you want to join the carnival.
MomoPufflet
Member
Probably. I went in cold without reading the thread or anything, so my observations are probably lame/passe at this point. Oh well! I felt inspired I guess.
Well, i just finished my first Journey, i can completely agree to Amirox post above, it is a stunning game, i can hardly find the words to describe the feelings that overcame me while playing it, so i created my first comic ever to reflect my journey. I thought that would be fitting, it most definitively sucks, but that is all i got.
krimsoncharge
Member
Will i be wrong in saying that this is THE BEST looking game on the ps3. How big was SSM involvement on the technical side? God of war 4 will look infuckinsane!!
SecretMoblin
Member
Are we really doing memes now, guys?
:/
:/
Cramoss
Member
This.