Oh dear, now you've gone and done it! But, no, I don't consider videogames art. I don't consider most forms of entertainment art.
But more to the point, I don't really care what someone does and doesn't personally define as art. Like love, religion, honor, and various other values, that's a personal decision that doesn't really need to be publicly debated.
"trash games that I find amazing"
I completely get that you're not venting your spleen about the review. That said, as another long-time TC reader (be it Fidgit or QT3), I'd like to point out that 2 out of 5 stars isn't trashing a game. That would be 0 out of 5. It's been my understanding that Tom has set out to use then entire spectrum of a quantified review system, rather than the 70%=C- one that most reviewers seem to adhere to. So I read 2 out of 5 as below average.
Now, my book, "White-Hating Coon," don't have none of that bullshit. The hero's name is Maleekwa, and he's descended from the black tribe that established the first society on the planet, while all you European motherfuckers were hiding out in caves and shit, all terrified of the sun.
"Hey, there is no guns and shooting, I'll give this game a 2/5"
It's official you are a hipster and a troll.
I will take back this statement if you can name ONE POPULAR game that you have reviewed that matches the consensus of other review sites.
As your scarf freezes and you lose jump juice, they help you retain it. But during the worst part you can't do much more than tweet at them.
But no, the coop is incidental.
The co-op is not incidental - it is key to the experience. Their fleeting arrivals and disappearance just goes to emphasise your lonliness in this desert. Your ability to communicate only through chirps not only limits you, it emphasises your similarities - this other person could speak an entirely different language, and yet when you're in the cave together and both scared of the creature, you're feeling the same emotion and sharing that fear through 'chirps'.
I wonder - when you're completing a marathon with a friend do you ask 'what purpose are they serving me'? Why are they here? They're there to urge you on - to experience the Journey with you.When they disappear, I felt a heart-wrenching, where I had become attached to the experience I was getting with this nameless person.Journey is all the more powerful without 'mechanics' - more people can enjoy it, and mechanics don't get in the way of what it's trying to portray. It's my fave game of the year, and can't help you missed the point. Maybe for the sake of it?
Fair enough, however if Journey is an attempt at being art rather than entertainment is it fair to review it as entertainment just because most other things controlled with a dualshock are entertainment?
Because this is the internet I feel I should point out I mean that as a genuine question that I do not have an answer for.
You should stop reviewing games. Troll or whatever, I honestly don't care. But reviewing is definitely not one of your strengths.
Tom - kind of sorry you didn't enjoy the game as much as some of the rest of us. I was actively looking forward to this game and was not disappointed. But it is relatively more linear than I expected. I wouldn't have minded the ability to wander a bit more aimlessly in any direction, which I remember was one of my earliest guesses about the game when it was first announced.
That being said, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience in Journey. The first time largely alone. The second time primarily with a companion. And the third time with the same companion the entire game.
One of the lines, I think from the G4 review that encapsulated the online experience the best was a line where the reviewer states that with the online play you'll see players being the most human to others. Especially when compared to online play in almost any other game (there are a few others - like Lil Big Planet). In my second playthrough I went falling off the side of the mountain and my companion followed after me to help me back up the back way. He could have continued on - there was no shame in that. But he followed me down even though we couldn't climb back up that way.
Personally, I like the initial impression of vastness in the game (even if the sandbox we play in isnt quite as vast as the vistas imply). I like the discovery of the cloth creatures and the kite like creatures and the implied story buried underneath it all that we all get to glimpse -- like the fallen civilization buried under the sand. I like that we have mechancial cloth dragon beasts that are actually terrifying and devestating and unbeatable by your tiny little journeyer. And I like the implications about where the dragon beasts actually came from -- but the story is open to interpretation.
While the "game" elements are possibly thinner than other games -- the platforming isn't hard and the game play is fairly linear. When you start exploring and looking for hidden things, there's a bit of looking around to do. I think what is resonating more with people is the story itself. If you want more gaming, than you're possibly going to be disappointed especially if you're also not resonating with the story. But for some the story or the experience is as much a part of the game as the gameplay.
I enjoy Journey. Perhaps more than I enjoy Flower. Flow - didn't like at all. I enjoy Journey for what it is and for what it isn't. For me, it was the right balance.
But its also not going to be that for everyone. I liked the review. I disagree ;) At least I play Ascension obsessively.
Of course, but Journey tends to do a very good job at it.
Why? Because it uses what's key about games and exploits it to create art.
Movies can be art if they use the tools they're given to create emotions - editing, camera angles, music etc.
If a game is to be art, it needs to use what is unique to the medium - that is, player control, online, interaction etc. Journey does that, and does it very well - it hardly relies on traditional movie cues that most games use (eg. Uncharted) and instead builds its emotion through interaction.
It is so good at this, creating a sense of lonliness and attachment to the character (the feeling that you ARE the character could be said to be done better than other artforms) that it succeeds as being a 'game as art' and does it well.
What's a scourge?
BTW Tom, I think there's a problem in the way you review games. It looks like, and this may just be a timing issue, that you wait until most reviews are out, look at how they're being scored and if they've been incredibly praised (eg. Journey) then you write the opposite.
If this isn't deliberate - then perhaps it's subconcious. I.e you go into the game thinking 'well what's so good about this then?' 'Oh that was easy, where are the mechanics?'. 'Oh this chirping serves no use.'
Perhaps it's neither of these - however, that is what it could be interpreted to be. I suggest that in the future to help you and how your reviews are interpreted - you try and be one of the first. I know, I know - there are issues around this (hopefully you're not denied review copies) - but until then, I fear people will accuse you of 'trolling' deliberately.
And just on related matter - try and go into games blind, without any knowledge beforehand, no any preconcieved notions. Not only will it help your enjoyment, it will aid your critical eye when reviewing.
Actually - most of the people who I have seen who enjoy Journey have come into it fresh and weren't particularly 'artsy games' lovers - they just loved the experience Journey gave them. You just need to read the thread on Neogaf.
I think that you're doing gamers a disservice.
I feel this review is biased in hopes of receiving hits from metacritic. Journey is of the same caliber as flower, if not more.
"you wonder what it would be like to climb the tallest mountain, to measure the size of the ocean, or to stand on top of the moon.
but we never wonder about that man you saw crossing the street, that woman sitting on the bus, or those people whose glances you catch briefly.
we never wonder"
You must have had a pretty ineffective partner :(.
Well, thanks for the tips, but I can assure you that I don't read any other reviews before playing or writing about a game. Furthermore, I don't even read forum traffic.
As for being denied review copies, Sony hasn't returned a single email or phone call from me for quite a while. I predict I'm not going to be able to post any day one reviews of their games anytime soon. :)
Thank you Tom. Someone more eloquent than me articulating my frustrations with the game. It's cool that some are getting excellent experiences out of it though. Just feels a bit emperor's new clothes
If someone tells you a game is more of an "experience" than a game, run the other way.
Last I checked, 2 out of 5 = 40% = fail. Stop sucking Tom's small dick.
Yes, stick to Call of Duty for its deep story then, retards..