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Virginia Review Thread - David Lynch: "My cow is not pretty, but it is pretty to me."
- Thread starter Dusk Golem
- Start date
More_Badass
Member
It wouldn't be pointless. Because there are racers or RPGs or [insert genre] that can appeal to players who may not be fans of those genres, that can act as gateway games, or break the ice for someone and change their opinion of a genre
The impressions of the unfamiliar are valuable
It's happened to me more than once. There was a time when I hated hard games, didn't care for RPGs or strategy games. Thankfully I decided to try Demons Souls, Fallout 3, and XCOM despite my hesitations and unfamiliarity with the genres
I don't like Final Fantasy but Tactics is awesome. Can't stand racing/driving sims, but Spintires and Eurotruck are really fun. Never played a space sim or 6DOF shooter until Elite Dangerous and Sublevel Zero, now I really like those genres
30 minutes of game-play from PS access - I'm guessing there's spoilers.
NeoRaider
Member
Exactly.
Laurel_McFang
Member
Ok reviews are good have to try it. thanks for the recommend. it's a shame rise of iron is taking up so much of my time.
More_Badass
Member
I don't think it's that simple, and she does a good job articulating her perspective and why it's hard for her to decide the best way to describe Viriginia.
There's a difference between "it's not a game" and describing the thin line between "interactive movie" and a minimalist adventure
Baddy has already pointed out that she's reviewed games in a similar vein to this one.
But, regardless, how would her opinion be worth less, hypothetically, if she never played this type of game before?
I don't play fighting games or strategy games very often - but reviews from people who play those games exclusively will mean nothing to me at all, I would need a perspective from someone who's similar to me; a passing interest in the genre but willing to play high quality titles.
So if the new Street Fighter comes out and is slammed by fighting game enthusiasts, but heralded by casual fans and reviewers then I might give that review more weight since it falls in line with my gaming habits.
Also - above everything else - it's one person's opinion on the game.
More_Badass
Member
Reminds me of when remasters of old classics come out and 99% of the reviews focus on the nostalgic appeal and how it's as good as you remember
But I never played Resident Evil (I have now). What does nostalgia and that classic gameplay mean to me? Can I get a review from someone playing it for the first time too, who doesn't have experience with classic RE?
It's fine to highlight a game's light gameplay elements and point out if you think it doesn't take advantage of this medium, like the TechRaptor 2.5/10 review did as well.
But this meta-discussion...
...is really rather tiring to me in 2016.
| Praxis |
Banned
Lynch is my favourite director, so this should appeal to me.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
I'll be honest since the Lynchian comparisons, how this will fair with fans of David Lynch. I'm not expecting it to be exactly like one of his works, but I don't mind that if I find the work itself enjoyable.
Phenomenal Flea
Member
I played the Steam demo, and even though I was anticipating it, the release still crept up on me! Was surprised at the price, so I'm just gunna buy it, even though I've already got plenty on my plate at the moment. I want more cool games like this to come out! Hope it's good!
Lady Siara
Member
Hm, the Tech Raptor review brings up an interesting point.
So basically it's completely on rails and there are no choices whatsoever. There's a collectible here and there but that's it. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing as a tight narrative experience is better than one with choices with no weight. Take the numerous decisions in Telltale games where the plot does not change at all, for example. This illusion of choice is jarring and takes me out of the narrative.
A bit longer to take in Virginia's sights and sounds would be appreciated though.
So basically it's completely on rails and there are no choices whatsoever. There's a collectible here and there but that's it. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing as a tight narrative experience is better than one with choices with no weight. Take the numerous decisions in Telltale games where the plot does not change at all, for example. This illusion of choice is jarring and takes me out of the narrative.
A bit longer to take in Virginia's sights and sounds would be appreciated though.
I downloaded the Demo ready to be sold, but found the camera controls to be incredibly sluggish & swimmy. It detracted from my experience big time and other than mouse sensitivity I didn't see any options to turn off mouse-smoothing. That and head-bobbing was WAY to exaggerated.
It's a shame 'cause the game looked gorgeous and engaging otherwise.
It's a shame 'cause the game looked gorgeous and engaging otherwise.
Yes, but after finishing the game I have only
4
17
DagnastyEp
Member
I like the premise, the trailer looked cool, the reviews have been great, and it's only $10.
Bought this morning, and will play once I'm done through Firewatch (which I'm currently enjoying quite a bit).
Bought this morning, and will play once I'm done through Firewatch (which I'm currently enjoying quite a bit).
OverBlood 3
Banned
Sounds interesting and yeah the whole 'is this a game' thing is tiresome. 2 hours sounds just right for this.
Eraserhead: The Game would be...something.
Lady Siara
Member
I'm going to guess the former.
DryvBy
Member
Great. So I'll have to ponder what the heck I just played for a day before it hits me?
dugdug
Banned
Same here, but, I'm always wary of game journos who compare a game to his work, because they only ever mention Twin Peaks.
I had this same problem when everyone was saying the same about Deadly Premonition. Like, is it *really* like Twin Peaks? Or does it just a weird mystery takes place in a small remote American town?
Lady Siara
Member
Assuming you haven't played it and found out for yourself, it is very much like Twin Peaks. It's basically Twin Peaks: The Game. I'm talking about Deadly Premonition here, by the way.
Firewatch was being compared to Twin Peaks before it launched and they don't have much in common, frankly. They...both take place in a secluded area and have a mystery?
dugdug
Banned
See, man, I want to believe, but, that's *exactly* what people said about Deadly Premonition. I'm more interested in this than ever trying to go back to DP, though.
Bloodporne
Member
This is by no means a slight against the game itself, but when I read something is 'Lynchian' I cringe a bit. His style is so utterly particular and singular to his character, there is no way to imitate that. His own originals border on the potentially-shit line if it weren't for his weird, invisible threads holding the rickety pieces together in some magical fashion.
Movie nerd analogy, but it's like when people describe Brian DePalma's work as Hitchcockian...it doesn't work. When I read someone else trying to be 'Lynchian' I have to assume it's willfully and aimlessly obtuse by trying its best to be weird like that disaster of a film Lost River that Ryan Gosling directed.
Movie nerd analogy, but it's like when people describe Brian DePalma's work as Hitchcockian...it doesn't work. When I read someone else trying to be 'Lynchian' I have to assume it's willfully and aimlessly obtuse by trying its best to be weird like that disaster of a film Lost River that Ryan Gosling directed.
semiconscious
Member
...Lady Siara
Member
It's rough around the edges but if you ever wanted to play Twin Peaks, Deadly Premonition is your best bet. You've got your playable detective, eccentric cast, looming mysteries, genuinely surprising twists and more weirdness than you can shake a stick at. Give it some patience and I think you'll be tickled.
Hero of Canton
Member
To me, it wasn't just the mystery in the small remote town that made DP feel Lynchian, it was that sense of everything being just slightly 'off'. I think some of that is accidental - the budgetary constraints leading to stilted animation and odd line delivery - but it does have that same sense of everything being shifted a few inches away from normality.
Virginia has something of Lynch in the way that it sometimes has the quality of a waking dream. It has surreal sights and unexplained recurring motifs and at times you can't always be sure what you're seeing is real or a dream or a hallucination.
I think both have Lynchian qualities, more so than a lot of games to which that description is often applied. (Alan Wake, for example.)
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
I will admit something, while I do use the terms, I find myself not agreeing with most "X is like Y" comparisons, especially of very personally high-detailed abstract works like what Lynch works on. An example even in gaming (and ironic here as David Lynch was one of the biggest sources of inspiration for this series) is Silent Hill. Silent Hill did good in taking it all in its own direction though, even though David Lynch was the series biggest inspiration, it wasn't ever really egging on it and made it its own thing.
And then comes the problem, I see so many people compare games to 'being like Silent Hill', but very few even come close to really capture the feel of Silent Hill. Part of the brilliance of these works like David Lynch's films and Silent Hill's games is they are incredibly enjoyable and unique but could easily fall apart in others hands, and the attempts to imitate reflect this again and again. They're missing the sort of talent and imagination that the originals had to give it a certain feel and allure, and since the original works are so unorthodox and come together through a very personal style that is far more complex than just "lol its weird/foggy/whatever", none really manage to capture it again.
HOWEVER, I don't mind the term Lynchian in itself. I've actually seen a number of works that aren't exactly the same, but enjoyable where some apply that tag to it. In fact, I have found I've enjoyed about every game that cites Twin Peaks as an inspiration, despite it never really fully feeling like Twin Peaks. I don't think anyone's even attempted to make a full-on take of Lynch's other works (though Lone Survivor did have a direct Mulholland Drive reference, and the Silent Hill series did pull more from Lynch's other works than Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive all did have some inspiration evident in the first four Silent Hill games, including direct calls to Blue Velvet in SH2 and Lost Highway in SH4).
I'm not really as bothered by its usage since I know what it means, and I guess it makes a lot of players think of David Lynch, Twin Peaks in particular. That's fair and good, my personal expectations isn't that it'll be as good as Twin Peaks or really capture the feel or quality of it, but might have a few similar things going for it, which I'm willing to give a swing. I do think Virginia will be good standing on its own.
The David Lynch quote I put in the topic title was kind of tongue-in-cheek, since every almost about every Virginia review so far mentions Lynch, and that quote seemed appropriate to me.
And then comes the problem, I see so many people compare games to 'being like Silent Hill', but very few even come close to really capture the feel of Silent Hill. Part of the brilliance of these works like David Lynch's films and Silent Hill's games is they are incredibly enjoyable and unique but could easily fall apart in others hands, and the attempts to imitate reflect this again and again. They're missing the sort of talent and imagination that the originals had to give it a certain feel and allure, and since the original works are so unorthodox and come together through a very personal style that is far more complex than just "lol its weird/foggy/whatever", none really manage to capture it again.
HOWEVER, I don't mind the term Lynchian in itself. I've actually seen a number of works that aren't exactly the same, but enjoyable where some apply that tag to it. In fact, I have found I've enjoyed about every game that cites Twin Peaks as an inspiration, despite it never really fully feeling like Twin Peaks. I don't think anyone's even attempted to make a full-on take of Lynch's other works (though Lone Survivor did have a direct Mulholland Drive reference, and the Silent Hill series did pull more from Lynch's other works than Twin Peaks, Lost Highway, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive all did have some inspiration evident in the first four Silent Hill games, including direct calls to Blue Velvet in SH2 and Lost Highway in SH4).
I'm not really as bothered by its usage since I know what it means, and I guess it makes a lot of players think of David Lynch, Twin Peaks in particular. That's fair and good, my personal expectations isn't that it'll be as good as Twin Peaks or really capture the feel or quality of it, but might have a few similar things going for it, which I'm willing to give a swing. I do think Virginia will be good standing on its own.
The David Lynch quote I put in the topic title was kind of tongue-in-cheek, since every almost about every Virginia review so far mentions Lynch, and that quote seemed appropriate to me.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
Also hate to double post, but added some more reviews to the OP. One I know some were looking forward to is up now, Rock, Paper, Shotgun is Positive on the game.
I'll be sleeping some, but will add any reviews to the OP that people post into this topic.
I'll be sleeping some, but will add any reviews to the OP that people post into this topic.
mckmas8808
Mckmaster uses MasterCard to buy Slave drives
Understandable, but why does it matter? Call it an interactive movie game. Sometimes it seems as if the reviewers could be trying to "knock" it for not being a traditional game.
It really is that simple. "Is it even a game?" isn't criticism, it's an insult. It's claiming that a game does not even deserve to be criticized on even footing with other games.
There are valid criticisms to be made about games like Victoria, criticisms like low interactivity, lack of meaningful interactivity, whether the story driven elements overwhelm the gameplay, etc. But "Is it even a game?" offers none of that.
What a spiteful, lowly thing to say. You know, I used to go to Destructoid for their awesome perspectives on niche titles. This though? I can't believe an editor actually published those words.
There are valid criticisms to be made about games like Victoria, criticisms like low interactivity, lack of meaningful interactivity, whether the story driven elements overwhelm the gameplay, etc. But "Is it even a game?" offers none of that.
What a spiteful, lowly thing to say. You know, I used to go to Destructoid for their awesome perspectives on niche titles. This though? I can't believe an editor actually published those words.
DJ Lushious
Member
At $10, I'm in. I've enjoyed the few "walking simulators" I've played. And the discussion about it being "Lynchian," or not, is also enough to sell me. I also can't argue with the playtime. Sometimes a quick game is a good break from the good ol' backlog.
Not Spaceghost
Spaceghost
For 10 bucks I'm in, I love weird little 2 hour experience I can just play through after dinner.
PackAPunchedMick
Member
There is a demo for a 2 hour game? wtf?
mattiewheels
And then the LORD David Bowie saith to his Son, Jonny Depp: 'Go, and spread my image amongst the cosmos. For every living thing is in anguish and only the LIGHT shall give them reprieve.'
The Firewatch comparisons to Lynch were way more inappropriate than they are here. That was just this ridiculous, meme-level thing that probably had a lot to do with the fact that the game's story was not known, but still very cringey. Never underestimate the internet's need to post an Agent Cooper meme whenever possible. But with this game, at least there's a clear influence.
Dusk Golem
A 21st Century Rockefeller
There's good and bad with this. The bright side is it's setting up that Lynch may be remembered even after his death as one of the greats of horror and surrealist work, he hasn't made a film in 10 years and is still relevant, and if anything has only gotten more popular in recent years (there is a new season of Twin Peaks coming out, but this was starting even before this was close to being announced). His works seem like they'll be remembered (rightfully so, in my opinion), and has inspired a lot of creators. The downside is we'll probably see "Lynchian" get thrown around more and more over time, and it start to mean more general things that stuck with people (ie, anything with Cthulhu is now 'Lovecraftian').
This is a general thought since I haven't played Virginia yet (will later today), and I fully believe this may be a great stand-alone experience (and see how it fairs to other 'Lynchian' games for how much it does channel that), but I expect to see the term get circulated more as time goes on, as it does seem Lynch is on his way to being remembered as one of the great pools of inspiration for people to try something different who established a very unique personal style that stood out.
More_Badass
Member
I don't think the question is inherently an insult. Context and response decides that. Considering how diverse and varied the medium has become, especially with the advent of mobile and then again with VR, asking "is this a game" or "what defines a game" is a necessary question, not because the answer should be yes but to understand why people might say no.
Elven_Star
Member
Bought. It's actually $8.99 for the first week. Is anybody doing the OT?
Fake edit: Download size is only 1.6GB Oo
Fake edit: Download size is only 1.6GB Oo
Messofanego
Banned
Glad to hear the team's effort over the years has paid off, been following them since 2014 when I first got to play it. Cool dudes.
Thanks for the OP and quotes, Dusk Golem!
Thanks for the OP and quotes, Dusk Golem!