The Game That Hates Games

[@sageoftruth]

It's interesting to see this developer talk about his game. Observing the mindset of a non-gamer making a game is a bit like observing a noob playing their first game. Clearly, he's thinking about immersion from the perspective of a Netflix watcher, were simply seeing the character do things is enough to get invested in them. It kind of reveals how standards and expectations change when suddenly the viewer has a controller in their hand, or how giving the player control can actually hurt the immersion if the game doesn't do a good job lining up the player's goals with the character's.

[@JadeWarShitpost]

Another David Cage

[@frankkennedy6388]

@@JadeWarShitpost Atleast David Cage lets you press more buttons.

[@Vulgarth1]

I mean, expecting people to get invested just by seeing characters do things is also a mark of a bad screenwriter. "Show, don't tell" is a good starting rule, but it's more involved than that.

[@Argusthecat]

@@Vulgarth1 "Show don't tell" is a really badly communicated piece of advice about storytelling, and I really wish we had a better way to explain it. It's really more about... "let the audience figure things out", if I had to sum it up. You want to trigger the part of the brain that enjoys solving a puzzle with every detail on the screen.

[@n0etic_f0x]

I do understand that but by my first choice I am already thinking my character is kind of an idiot. I mean when something goes on lockdown you do not try the door *even if you have the key* it is not a locked door it is a facility on active lockdown. Say a riot breaks out in a prison. guards start to fall and lockdown is issued. Why have the keys stopped working? Oh man... if I just think about it at all, of course the key will not work. Why would it? The game even actively forces me to think about this choice as well. It is supposed to be ultra-realistic but if that is true it is less sensical. In a game, I am supposed to cut the door open with the plasma torch. This facility is not real and this is not a simulation game. Heck, I just referenced Dead Space without intending to do so. The Plasma Cutter in Dead Space is clearly part of a game *not a simulation* it is there to be used as a weapon intentionally, in a sim or a game that wants realism is is dumb as a game mechanic it is iconic

[@RobinSpellbinder04]

The idea of thinking that 'what if TV Show but vidja game' is at all a super new and exciting idea all the while TellTale has existed for ages is very silly

[@WastelandPuppy]

Telltale Games has also been closed for ages.

[@marinveloso6083]

i would bring up quantum break but that’s an insult to remedy

[@Jonnyg325]

​@@marinveloso6083but a great example of how badly wrong this idea can go

[@ruok3351]

@@WastelandPuppy Telltale was revived. They just released The Expanse and Wolf Among Us 2 is next.

[@WastelandPuppy]

@@ruok3351 Oh, that's great. Wolf Among Us actually was the most interesting of their titles, but the old management decided to do fuck all with it because low hanging licensed fruit came along. The new management seems pretty intelligent and reasonable judging by their statements at least.

[@J0MBi]

Fort Solis really looks like the kinda game experience that was common on in the mid 90s on the then exciting new format of Compact Disc - long FMV cut scenes and a real lack of options were the norm as developers tried to create "interactive movies". Ironically it was probably the OG Resident Evil that figured out the formular best, by mixing lots of tense action and puzzles along with the fancy new graphics and cinematics to create the classic surrival horror tropes we all know today.

[@marinveloso6083]

“It’s a tight thriller. We want it to feel like Dead Space meets Duncan Jones’ Moon.” Yeah, James, but the difference is that the _Ishimura_ is actually scary. Fort Solis has all the fright factor of a rubber skeleton on a stick.

[@casualdanattempts]

I don't know...a rubber skeleton on a stick can be a little spooky, right? I mean, what if the person holding the skeleton shakes it around a little bit?

[@marinveloso6083]

@@casualdanattemptsVery true. My apologies to all rubber skeleton on sticks offended by my comparison.

[@dustincarroll7296]

​@@casualdanattemptsyou just gave me chills

[@eliotsausage]

@@casualdanattempts should never have read your comment right before bed… ”thanks”

[@frankkennedy6388]

I didn't think there would be a game with less interactivity than David Cage's games.

[@TENRAN432]

at least i got to shake the controller to mop a floor in detroit.

[@LukasJampen]

If people want to make a movie they should make a movie. Games are inherently interactable. If all interactions aren't optional why have them in the first place? So we don't fall asleep?

[@alaskarii007]

Usually I hate it when people say 'just make a movie' because the line is basically saying "I don't want good stories in my game lol" but damn it it sounds like it's actually 100% applicable here wth.

[@haihuynh8772]

@@alaskarii007 I think the problem is that some of the popular games praised for story like The Last of Us or God of War definitely suffer from writers being unable to use the medium at all to tell the story. What could have been a coherent plotline with tight pacing gets stretched to tedium by gameplay that doesn't contribute to the story telling.

[@LukasJampen]

No, saying "make a movie" is a criticism of the gameplay and not the story. If it is almost at the point of barely any player input aside from walking forward or pressing a button during a cut scene what is the point of having that in the first place. Nobody ever complained about a good story in a good game. But if it's barely a game in the first place what's the point.

[@aznthy]

How do you equate "just make a movie" as "I don't want good stories in a game", you must be dense. @@alaskarii007 This is literally telling a guy who wants to make a movie who is trying to make a game, which in turns shows that with this much thought into his game, you barely do anything and he should have just made a movie, which is more apt and correct, unlike your assertion.

[@R3TR0J4N]

​@@haihuynh8772 ngl how i hope players choice are presented for both and future titles. dynamic narrative would be phenomenal regards how practical(?) it was implemented, but notably game changing, with how it offers gameplay variety and replayability. even in gameplay oriented games like ER and AC6 theyve helped a lot with

[@CliffDiverBOA]

Every time I hear someone say "imagine if a TV show/movie was a video game!" I know I'm getting less game and more just staring at the screen.

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

why does this keep happening? so many people in charge of stuff they don't want to do and try to frankenstein a movie into a game, or game into movie, or tv show into a multimedia megafranchise or play into a themepark etc. its exhausting. Stop trying to make things into what they're not, you end up with a poorer version of both those things. Its so needless.

[@WastelandPuppy]

It keeps happening, because people keep buying it. And they keep buying it, because they aren't really that much into games.

[@BigBoy-ok3eg]

gaming as a medium can be a lot of diffrent things, dont be so close minded

[@whym6438]

if you combine things right, it can be incredible, but that requires the people in charge to be competent.

[@Kami74159]

​​@@BigBoy-ok3egJust because it can be a lot of things, doesn't mean that it should. Games as a medium have a completely different set of strengths and weaknesses compared to movies and books. Trying to force them into something they aren't good at is just stupid.

[@BigBoy-ok3eg]

​​@@Kami74159who gets to decide what games should and shouldnt be? I dont like these type of games so i dont play them but saying they shoudnt exist is very self centered

[@Adorni]

So, all that stuff about building sets and using special effects and such being more expensive is all well and good, but the immediate question that follows should be: “why not make it a CGI film, then?”

[@Raida7]

And machinima is a thing - use the video game engines and tools!

[@MrSamadolfo]

because some people like Interactive Movies, thus u have Until Dawn and The Quarry

[@aznthy]

He could have done a Machinema but nope, he think he is above that.

[@aznthy]

And this is less than those @@MrSamadolfo

[@dustincarroll7296]

​@@MrSamadolfothose are great games. That's this very idea done right. This is fkn wet garbage that someone set on fire and then sold for $30

[@dawson3776]

They should've spent their budget on making an animated series, you get to use the 3D assets and still make it a show

[@Everan614]

1:40 Yes, it's called Alan Wake and it came out 13 YEARS AGO

[@AwakenedAvocado]

And now its Alan Woke

[@mikecherry7548]

@@AwakenedAvocadono, it’s Alan wake 2

[@AwakenedAvocado]

@@mikecherry7548 it's Alan Woke. Cos he was awake, now he's woke. Alan Woke

[@mikecherry7548]

@@AwakenedAvocado no no it’s called Alan wake 2, the game “alan woke” is not real. I’m so sorry.

[@AwakenedAvocado]

@@mikecherry7548 did you look up Alan woke? I'm sorry but that's literally what the games called now, they changed the name.

[@ouij]

Dead Space meets Moon came out six years ago. It was called Prey.

[@EggBastion]

Ayy!

[@canObeans4we]

Just recently beat that. I absolutely loved it. Wish more people played it

[@soleenzo893]

playing fort solis and being utterly dissapointed and disgusted in it, only made me want to play Alien: Isolation or Prey again.

[@samalmond2321]

I think it is evident of just how vapid the first 10 minutes of this game are, that you were able to analyse what the first 10 minutes of the game did in the same amount of time the game took to just do it.

[@starpencil]

What's interesting is how they don't even use the lack of control to be cinematic. Kojima games take away control from the player but at least give you cutscenes that might as well be a movie.

[@leviticusprime4904]

Why wasn’t death stranding a movie?

[@starpencil]

@@leviticusprime4904 because Kojima still likes to push gameplay concepts. DS would lose a lot of significance and purpose without the gameplay.

[@CelestiaLily]

@@starpenciloh 100%, the gameplay saw the intricate systems used in racing sims and applied all that care to the traversal mechanics of walking - it's a "walking simulator" in the most literal sense of the term, and fits *perfectly* with how the difficulties of traversal are worth braving again & again for the benefit of human connection!! Fort Solis saw "walking simulator" and decided they didn't even need a run button🤦‍♀️

[@starpencil]

@@CelestiaLily I've always hated people using the term "walking sim" when talking about DS. Yes. The game is about walking across the United States. But when I think of a walking sim I think stuff made by Team Bloober. The "you can't go off the path" or tackle anything unless the game says interact. It's seemingly a delicate balance. Like he mentions in the video when games provide lots of little things to do (i.e last of us example) it makes things feel more like a game.

[@Assassin5671000]

​@@starpencilwell you can look at DS as an improvement to the walking simulator genre ,now you can walk and balance ,have more freedom where to go ,get challenges on the way to cross. Obviously I am joking but it does seem to push the boundaries of all other non vehicle traversal

[@randomdaveguy]

That phrase: "embarrassed of being a game" - that's exactly what I always think when seeing these kind of interactive media and most big budget productions. They spend so much money and effort to create cinematic experiences. Bitch, if I wanted a cinematic experience I would watch a movie. Let me play the shitting game

[@LJenkins1]

If people thought that Death Stranding was too boring, this "game" ought to have those folks think twice.

[@grandsome1]

DS wasn't boring, at least at first, the movement mechanics were engaging. The game just didn't hide the fact it was a fetch quest unlike most games who are also mostly fetch quests.

[@jaybrielrosales9191]

​@@grandsome1even then it had a lot of cool supernatural elements and honestly it felt relaxing in between. I need to re-download that game and continue where I left

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

I beat Death Standing twice. Unironically, I think the game is a misunderstood masterpiece.

[@LJenkins1]

@@SleepyMatt-zzz I know. I get that the game has a lot of expositional dialogue and general wackiness, but it's an honest part of Kojima's writing tropes that people seem to have just shrugged off. People complain about the weirdest things like the name "Die Hardman" but then they don't complain about names like "Pyscho Mantis" and "Revolver Ocelot". The gameplay loop is also crazy addictive and has tons of variables at play that make every moment require thinking and strategy. Progression is also super satisfying as the game slowly gives you more tools to make traversal easier, really giving you a sense that you're conquering the delivery industry. The story is also captivating, thought provoking, and intense at it's best and Metal Gear Solid 4 at it's worst, which I can still tolerate. It's much more coherent and well thought out than MGS4 but it isn't devoid of the Kojima problems. I can also really appreciate that it doesn't have any heavy sexual undertones like you'd expect.

[@LW1773]

The idea of a TV show as a game was done successfully with Telltale's Walking Dead and similar games.

[@J0MBi]

even Alan Wake 1 and Quantum Break took a shot at it

[@bitwise4996]

Everyone will call it an underrated masterpiece a few years from now when It's sold for 1.99$ on steam.

[@BenHussGaming]

No, not this one

[@ImDaRealBoi]

They really should've just made this a tv show honestly.

[@jaybrielrosales9191]

Do you think it would have been more or less expensive?

[@willuigi64]

@@jaybrielrosales9191 I don't know if the point of this criticism is about the costs of production.

[@DuggyDarko]

Bit disappointed as I thought this was going to be you ripping into Starfield 😂 Have these guys never heard of Heavy Rain? Detroit Become Human? Telltale's TWD games?

[@iHaveTheDocuments]

"I like actually playing games" This type of thinking is part of why i love Fromsoftware

[@leviticusprime4904]

Death stranding is basically a movie that wants to be game, so it forces in half baked or bad mechanics to “justify” it being a game

[@dinobro4273]

Me with BethesTURD games, mostly Skyrim and Fallout 4 They're soooo AWFUL yet enjoyable to play especially modded.

[@lynackhilou4865]

​@@dinobro4273they aren't awful , bethesda always had trouble with writing especially with their main quests but both fallout 4 and skyrim are good games and have a really interesting world , great art design , some unique quests , good gameplay loops with interesting mechanics...etc I know it's cool to hate Bethesda because bugs and all but let's be real , even with all their flaws their games like fallout 4 and skyrim are still good and a joy to explore ( and obviously a lot better when modded )

[@fireant353]

​@leviticusprime4904 ???? There is hundreds of hours of content in death stranding, what on earth are you talking about? Between the rigorous story missions, stealth based side missions, multiple avenues to literally "just play games" in the racetrack and shooting range portions (which do feed back into main content if you do them before finishing the story), and finally the extra stars you can get from completing each district's missions with good delivery times....it is hard to say that death stranding is uninterested in having the player "play" the game. The mascot of the game is the homo ludens, literally "human game player".

[@ultraxpress]

@@leviticusprime4904Death stranding is definitely not a movie. Yeah the gameplay is not very exciting for most people but it has great controls and mechanics. This is coming from someone who’s big fan of Fromsoft games, but I think Death Stranding nails the immersive exploration experience better than most games that try and I would still place it among my favorites.

[@yairmimran729]

You know if Monty liked a game or not by how much the yellow controller changed. I know it's much of a hot take, but I would take a game with okay or worse graphics (by today's standarts) that does almost everything else right, over a game with realistic aaa graphics that does almost everything else wrong. See for exemple the four first silent hill games. btw what do you think about sh ascension?

[@MontyZander]

After that stream I think it’s a leviathan-sized turd 💩

[@yairmimran729]

@@MontyZander Is that just a weird way to put or does my name sound THAT jewish?

[@MontyZander]

@@yairmimran729 you say weird, I say accurate - no ties to jewish-sounding names!

[@yairmimran729]

@@MontyZander Oh ok the only context I heard this word in is when people talk about the bible lmao. I didn't know it was also a word for whale in English like it is in Hebrew.

[@MontyZander]

@@yairmimran729 honestly I meant it in relation to the massive Final Fantasy god!

[@Deltarr777]

The fact that watching a playthrough of this "game" is more entertaining than playing it says a lot. Great video as always😊

[@sup1602]

This game reminds me of the walking sim time; when all of these artsy games came out. What I really didn't like about alot of the walking sims were the lack of interactively in the games. Let me touch everything damnit!

[@Jonnyg325]

As, empty, as Firewatch is, it does allow you a crapload of interaction, one of the better walking sims I think

[@user-zn5zr2ed3x]

​@@Jonnyg325firewatch is a masterpiece just by atmosphere it creates. Its made to be lonely to make you connect with your radio buddy more, cant recreate in other media the feeling game gave me

[@KodasGarden]

​​@@user-zn5zr2ed3xshame its ending sucks, good game otherwise though

[@AedraRising]

One of my favorite games is a walking sim, Gone Home, but that game's entire thing was its exploration and interactivity helping to create an immersive and emotional story through extremely well crafted environmental storytelling.

[@R3TR0J4N]

true that, for its corridor design and a linear derivative, there's a lot of stuff to compact in that scale, reminds me of hwo they were able to run TLOU2 on PS4

[@user-zn5zr2ed3x]

Why people continue to try to fit games into the mold of movies when games are simply have much more potential? A game can be made into linear film, but a film will never have ounce of game interactivity.

[@mikerueffer579]

because their hacks that couldn't make it in movies so they go over to video games bringing their resentment with them.

[@Aughtel]

They sound like they're the type to think first person view is immersive cuz you can see the steering wheel, even if its on rails

[@misslethal2355]

Roger Clark and Troy Baker are WASTED on this, and I don't even like Troy that much lol

[@marinveloso6083]

his gradual unhinging would be incredible to watch if it wasn’t about the most boring thing possible

[@hooby_9066]

I still don't understand why this had to be a game. Machinima has existed for decades now, and some of it is actually great. You totally can make a TV-show using video game graphics - and if the graphics are good like in this case, and there's voice acting too - I see no reason why a machinima like this couldn't be sold on Steam (just don't call it a game - make clear it's non-interactive) - and potentially get picked up by Netflix or a competitor as well. It's not really common in the commercial space - but the first to pull it off and popluarize this, gets to make history!

[@ColorMeDoubleZ]

Real, would be cool if you could play it all in real-time too if for those who have the specs.

[@ColorMeDoubleZ]

The potential of realtime graphics is immense. The clarity beats any pre-rendered video even if those have superior fidelity/more consistent performance.

[@Supermariosupervideo]

Why don’t they just make an animated movie?

[@noco-pf3vj]

Firewatch is a WAY better walking simulator than this game.

[@Sassy_Witch]

a game with much better world building and story in similiar style would be Stasis: Bone totem. Highly suggest it

[@SidPhoenix2211]

I was SOOOOO excited for this game given that both Troy Baker and Roger Clark are *EXCELLENT* actors and I love their work. But as the launch neared and I saw gameplay from it and heard things about it... the price just DID NOT look worth it. I didn't get it, and the money that would've gone to this one went towards buying Alan Wake 2's Deluxe Edition. Now THAT was 110% worth it.

[@ungooglablegames]

Alan Wake 2 is mostly walking as well.

[@SidPhoenix2211]

​@@ungooglablegamesYeah, walking is a thing in both of them. But only one of them has painfully slow walking and occasional mind numbing "gameplay" to spice up a mid-tier Netflix show and it sure as hell ain't Alan Wake. And from a playthrough I saw the story is also just... bland. So yeah. Not even remotely the same thing.

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

​@@ungooglablegamesCrucially, Alan Wake 2 is also fun.

[@ungooglablegames]

The game is overpriced, I'll give you that, but I came to it knowing what it is and while I never made friends with the walking speed, its lack of bombastic elements made the story feel very real and put me in a mind space of paying attention to the smaller and subtler elements that I would have glossed over in a more mainstream game. Thus, the dramas which are way smaller in scope actually hit harder for me and I got way more immersed than in many other "desolate laboratory where you piece together what happened" stories. I think the difference is the corporate evasive language that they were using when asked if the game will have action, which made me from the get go know what I'm dealing with, and the fact that I'm playing it for a video, and I would have indeed ignored it otherwise. I am actually sad that these first impression stay with so many people, because for me it worked and I saw a game that's surprisingly unique, if you're not expecting Dead Space.

[@OrionDawn15]

@@ungooglablegames If you wanted a story-driven game that's sort of like a show, there's the Telltale games which are mostly pretty damn good. I don't see why you needed to waste money on something so... below mediocre, just downright ass. But you do you.

[@arempy5836]

Why not just make a animated movie?

[@_kalia]

It's interesting considering this in contrast to VNs and particularly choiceless 'Kinetic Novels'. There, it being a game allows for adding visuals, audio, and sometimes even voice acting to what would otherwise be just a book. Here.. What is the choiceless gameplay adding that a tv show couldn't already represent? A tv-show-game that used the ability to move the camera to expand on or subvert what a traditional fixed-perspective show can represent would be interesting even without adding any narrative choice. This is just adding game interactions for their own sake.

[@dremy746]

I played this game at launch and yeah... it's really bad. Easily one of the worst games I've played in the last 5 years. The game is beautiful and the voice acting is excellent, but that's all this game has to offer. Granted, story-based games aren't for everyone and they can be a bit too boring for some people, but even within the context of this genre the game is just bad compared to similar type games from telltale or quantic. The slow pace of walking is definitely the worst part of the game. I literally started falling asleep in my chair while playing this due to the terrible pacing the walking speed creates. I mostly kept going because I wanted to see how it ended and expected a payoff in the story, but no. The story is just a generic slasher flick in space. The end is especially bad, where everything you did to that point made absolutely no difference and some random rescue team just shows up all of a sudden and saves the day. yep, boring slow game that rewards your patience with a lazily written deus ex machina at the end. I also beat the game in 3.5 hours while exploring everything I could find. I have no idea how people stretch it out to even 5 hours. If you're big into story games then maybe this is worth picking up if it's on sale for $5. It's probably not worth it for any more than that.

[@thomastakesatollforthedark2231]

Given this basically IS a short movie... Why not make it an animated movie?

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

Oh, can I also recommend Nioh 2 and WoLong? Both great games and would make good "wife plays" videos! :D

[@TehCakeIzALie1]

I've taken to describing Nioh 2 as "Nioh but the first 3-6 hours are actually playable" (followed closely by "Nioh but with the Devil Trigger from DMC").

[@satyasyasatyasya5746]

@@TehCakeIzALie1 That and its just a flat-out improvement over Nioh1 and I tell everyone to skip Nioh1 totally. You miss nothing, and get to the better game faster lol I also like Nioh2 way more than any FROM Souls game too. There's just something about it. Plus it actually has a NG+ system that adds whole systems, mechanics, items, gear etc. that you can play for 1000s of hours. Very underappreciated.

[@86themadhatter27]

Was very excited when this was announced at Gamesfest. Wow the visuals, wow the voice acting cast. This also seemed like a game right up my alley until i watched the first 30 mins and lacked all interest to pick it up. I'm curious if The Invincible will suffer the same fate

[@GrandHighGamer]

My issue with artsy 'narrative' games that want to me movies... is almost always that they'd be a boring fucking movie. Hey, imagine if the intro to your favourite movie just has the camera locked behind their back as they walk down a straight corridor for five actual minutes with no cuts? Even in this, imagine a movie where the exciting cold open is... your main character slowly walking in an unbroken shot to turn of a lift, then slowly walking to the lift, then slowly getting lowered. Make interactive movies as games, fine. But at least make them movies that would be fun to watch.

[@ronaldrodriguez7205]

It reminds me of Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice... I don't know why developers, and worse, publishers insist on calling them "games". They should be catalogued as "interactive novels" or something like that

[@dahkdm8787]

Fort Solis is also extremely similar to an earlier game with similar themes, setting, worldbuilding, and even art design: Moons of Madness

[@chefrowlet]

"what if a game was more like a movie/tv show" is the same energy as "what if a movie was more like a book". From the outset, you are ignoring a key factor of the medium you are moving into. Player interaction (and a win/loss state but that's a whole 'nother discussion) for games is *vital*, not incidental. This is such a common mistake in the field I feel like I'm going senile every time I hear a new one happened.

[@Sandro_de_Vega]

This is weird. I saw in credits few polish names so I checked, or rather I wanted to check, whether it was a Polish game. But not really. The game is made by 2 studios. One in Liverpool. And the second one... in kindergarten. I mean, I was looking for information about this studio, but I only found a Facebook page full of photos from events with small children. But this first studio has its own website. There is as much as 3 pieces of information on it. E-mail, information about recruitment and a note about this new studio with people with decades of experience. It's a bit hard to believe.

[@dymaxion3988]

With the caveat that this video is the only context I have for this: what if they cut out all the pseudointeractive stuff, and just had a string of cutscenes? Then, instead of having the audience download all the assets to recreate the action on their potentially underpowered machines in real time, maybe the sequence of cutscenes could just be recorded?

[@FrancisYorkMorganFBI]

why not just go one step further and turn the entire thing into a cgi movie?

[@alaskarii007]

​@@FrancisYorkMorganFBIEXACTLY! ARCANE LITERALLY PROVED 3D ANIMATIONS CAN BE MORE THAN KIDS FILMS WHY DOES THIS KEEP HAPPENING!?

[@haihuynh8772]

@@alaskarii007 Executives living in ivory towers comprehending the world uncritically through numbers happened.

[@wendigoking4126]

It’s honestly sad because I genuinely thought the story was at least somewhat interesting (when I could fucking piece it together since I thought I searched every nook and cranny but I apparently missed HALF the collectibles) and I absolutely loved Troy baker in it. But honestly I felt like Troy was part of the problem… I liked some of the chemistry between the two leads and the way they played off each other, it felt believable. But then you thro win Troy baker who steals the show like a natural and it sucked any love I had out for the two main characters. You find out VERY quickly that there’s no threat and any tension leaves and it HONESTLY nearly put me to sleep. I liked some of the syfy hooks they set up and the sense that the evil thing causing all the problems might have already gotten out and is in another colony felt interesting, but honestly I doubt we’ll get a sequel and the best character (Troy fucking baker!) is already dead! Honestly I think they could have just made it an animated series and it would have been amazing. We’re living in the times where shows like arcane are leading a renaissance in animated and 3d shows.

[@Cyynapse]

why in gods name would you let a guy who has no experience in video games be your game director

[@Tman2bard]

Sheesh, Heavy Rain had more credit as a video game/cinematic thriller than this.

[@gameguy301]

Ive actually thought how cool it would be if an animated series was done in a realtime game engine, as it would remaster itself anytime you got new hardware, if 10 years from now you want to watch in like 8k 240fps you could. and something like giving the viewer the ability to unlock the camera and even coordinate and save their own camera directions would be the ULTIMATE bonus feature that a regular movie or show could never do. but at that point just call it a show and set expectations properly, dont just frustrate people expecting a game only to waste their time with bare minimum interactive experience.

[@adanufgail]

When I see those UE5 trailers with "look how easy it is to make a game look amazing" graphics, THIS is the end result: garbage games that sell on the basis of looking good alone. The Steam reviews are mixed and every positive review talks about the visuals. God forbid you have a janky looking game that's an amazing story, we're going to see a new wave of shovelware asset flips that cut a good trailer and ship a barely functioning skeleton. Because all you need to do is get past 2 hours and that money is yours forever.

[@Cavemanner]

So what I don't get is why they didn't just make a digital movie? Like, it's not unheard of for a director to use an Unreal engine to make a show or film. I haven't seen it myself but wasn't one of the episodes of "Love, Death, Robots" made in Unreal? Instead they put out these lackluster experiences that are an insult to gaming and fail to make the impact it would have as a show or movie.

[@StormCrownSr]

I genuinly thought this was a video on Starfield. Mostly because of the man in the thumbnail.

[@kal-eldritch]

New Monty video, let's goooo

[@CalvinChikelue]

I was wondering when I watched a gameplay video of the cliff section + 5 min after if there was any more to this game but apparently not. Sounds miserable & I’m definitely the type to be frustrated when a game locks a correct path by making going to two dead ends mandatory

[@elmarjuz]

feels like doods wanted to do a 3d animated series - ended up putting in a bunch of effort into making it look good, animations and such, then realized how much work it actually is to fill out the runtime with actual coordinated interesting content, and went for the "interactive experience" as a way to salvage the wasted work effort and use the player interactivity as a form of padding

[@eternalmiasma5586]

Only reason I played this game is to hear Arthur Morgan meet Joel

[@creecher1118]

I think there should be a special thumbnail/title indicator for "First Ten Minutes" videos.

[@SleepyMatt-zzz]

These guys should have looked into writing hacks like David Cage. Why do people keep thinking they are reinventing the wheel, all they managed to do was create a boring movie 😂

[@Endocrom]

Gotta "legitimize" these kiddie video games by making them more like movies.

[@sh4nkst4r]

I liked Fort Solis especially for the slow pace and laid-back and relaxed gameplay and for the same reasons i play other sory-focussed games. Sometimes i want to give as little inuputs as possible but without being absolutely passive like when watching TV. There's still more player-agency in even the dullest game just by walking through the environment at my own pace. Definetly less boring than watching TV - at least for me. From the very first trailer it was obvious to me that Fort Solis is nothing like Soma, or Deadspace. I knew exactly what i was getting myself into and the game was made for people like me. And people like me see and recognise these types of games from a mile away and do not hesitate to jump right in. True, there are some missing the mark or bottling the landig. But Fort Solis is not the desaster you make it sound like to be. I play Fort Solis any day over the Eleden Rings of the World (to name just one example) or any other overhyped "Hardcore-Game" for that matter. Not that I don't enjoy games with fast pace and action and skill-demanding inputs. Sometimes it just has to be a Citybuilder, or a Game that kind of plays itself (think of "Everything" - the game - there is legit a default option which makes the game play itself after you stop your inputs for a while - amazing stuff!). I actually admire the Developers from Fort Solis for not mindlessly following any trends or external demands, but instead just realising their specific vision in a vast sea of an oversaturated market with lots of lesser alternatives and horrible gameplay, story and/or graphics. Anyways... you are just as much entitled to your opinion as anyone, really. Just leaving some feedback. Keep up your work. Have a good day. (P.S.: It's Roger Clark voicing the Protagonist! - The Voice of Arthur Morgan from RDR2 - This alone is reason to play it... 😄)

[@TevyaSmolka]

forte solis was such a trainwreck.

[@davidwinnerwise1429]

Well Kojima's approach to making games is heavily influenced by his love for movies (unless I'm wrong) and was able to properly implement his ideas especially with the Metal Gear games. The devs of Fort Solis could learn a thing or two from him.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

i've actually just been watching your reviews for the Bioshock Trilogy. A fantastic series of reviews and you've earned a new subscriber. I follow several gaming retrospective channels and each has their own style. I love how in-depth you go with the concepts that inspired the game, Bioshock is a very good subject for this depth. I also loved your tape effect on the interviews, and unnecessary but very engaging touch. Bioshock is the Best of the three. I still liked 2, it was different enough from the first to feel unique while still being Bioshock. Although 3 was an interesting game, it didn't feel like Bioshock. It felt more like a spiritual successor than a prequel / sequel. The style and design of the games was so unique. Again, terrific reviews and will be checking out more of your work.

[@ourochroma]

Who put a video game in the middle of my movie?

[@Kinos141]

Why not make a 3D animated TV show?

[@dustincarroll7296]

The best part of this game was not having to do the emotional carriage of feeling anything at all when a main character bites it. I've felt more emotional connection to a stranger giving me a mean look after bumping into me in public

[@RobotsWithKnivesCartoons]

Sometimes people get mad at me because I refuse to play games by Hideo Kojima, because they just look like games that really want to be a movie. I remember back in 2003 or 2004 I had a room mate who was really into one of the Metal Gear games and I saw him 'playing' but the game itself was interrupted by hours of cutscenes that I didn't find very impressive looking. This game seems like it's sort of like that but multiplied tenfold. Like I enjoy a good movie, but I don't want to play a movie, I want to watch them, and if I sit down to play a game, I want to fucking play it. Do not take my control away.

[@Two-ToneMoonStone]

Having worked with similar types of leads, its not that they don't like games, its that they deeply misunderstand them. I promise you they like games as much as you and I, they just like a very specific type of game and lack the talent often needed to make it.

[@AspelShuyin]

When you said "this game hates games" I was hoping for something more like Yoko Taro, who has repeatedly talked about how games are bad and video game characters are all psychopaths.

[@jooch_exe]

Fort Solis was obviously an interactive movie.

[@J0MBi]

minus the interactive part

[@SollowP]

I have a wonderful quote from one of my favorite games that tries to be a movie. JASON JASON JASON

[@minerman60101]

This could've been a CGI tv show lol, no live action needed

[@王征服]

Hey Monty, will you be covering "Armored Core VI"? As a fellow Fromsoft stan and first time Raven, I think you'll like it.

[@OB.x]

Oh I thought this was Calipso Protocol at first, but it's not. Least Calispo Protocal is interesting so far.... it's just on pause for CP2077. The intro, is kinda weak, even though alot of cool stuff is happening. It feels ridgid, that's the issue. You're just like "okay come on, get to the game part, yeah I get it, we're getting board by...space pirates? who cares....yaddayadda. i'm innocent, don't shoot...uh oh. i crashed landed on a prison planet *yawn*". Finally the game starts up, and it's very...linear so far. It kinda feels like what you're describing with Fort Solis, but not as bad. I get what they're trying to do, you're in a situation with 0 agency now as an escaped convict... but even AFTER the intro, and the first area, still feels very... "come on, lets get to the game, stop with this handholding crap" but I think that's the whole game. But I am enjoying the game so far, I feel it's gonna pick up more later. I thought Calispo Protocal was more like Fort Solace, but it's more mid between deadspace and this.

[@YeOldeMachine]

I watched a dude play this game a while back. I love Roger Clark as Arthur Morgan...but my god his accent was HORRIBLE in Fort Solis. Every time he spoke i was embarrassed for him. I was shocked they allowed it in the game

[@Sorain1]

I wish the investors would file suit, because instead of making a potentially solid and profitable CGI streaming show, this pack of fools made a terrible video game that will be lucky to turn a profit. (Unless they cut corners and otherwise did it on the extremely cheap.)

[@TheMadAfrican1]

Cinema and TV are entirely different from video games. One is an entirely interactive medium ffs. As Yahtzee said years ago, people that think games should be more like Cinema are idiots (I'm paraphrasing but still).

[@lordknightalex]

someone needs to get through "what if netflix bu video game" people that you can just make a non-live action series! i mean, damn, multiple endings already exist in bandersnatch so what's stopping you from just making a series w multiple endings using the visuals you have access to?

[@darth_dan8886]

Really. You're gonna sit me down in a driver's seat of a vehicle and make it neither fast travel NOR let me drive it? Give me a walkable character without at least 2 secrets I can find in an area? I don't think they're embarrassed (though after this they should be). I think they're just confused.

[@Xalantor]

This is what happens when people get into a creative industry not because of a passion, but just as a job. The same as games "journalists" thinking that writing about or for games is beneath them and they deserve Hollywood glamour. Especially with short projects like these focusing on the "cinematic experience" they'd rather write a movie, but cannot so they try to shoehorn their vision into a medium where it doesn't belong.

[@peloquin5652]

bla bla bla ... speak for yourself pal, the first and only playthrough was a lot of fun for me and the game had a tension until the end that you rarely experience these days ... of course it's a walking simulator that you probably won't play through a second time because of the story, but it doesn't cost much money (at least here in europe) apart from that, the story and gameplay including the synchronization of the 3 protagonists was superb!

[@mrjtfang2]

I wish Fort Solis ended up being more, to be honest, because I normally don't mind how this type of game runs. 'Gameplay' was just slow on account of movement but I did find it interesting.

[@TheMTOne]

The cheaper that games become, the more that genres will hybrid. And why not? If it costs X millions of dollars to hire a famous actor, but you can get more exposure with a voice actor and making something as a game for more money, then they will. Its just going to be really easy for now with games that have more CG as time goes on. Same with movie games making a comeback, as now assets are more shareable.

[@phantomhck]

I solved the damn Rubik's cube puzzle and nothing happened. Not even a game recognition or something. I would have taken a 'neat...' and then he puts it down. Bummer.

[@R3TR0J4N]

interactive films. aint suprized if netflix announce a live action adaptation, with how convenient HBO's TLOU was i hope the entertainment industry doesnt heavily reliant on linear derivative story driven games as a mean for success

[@IxodesPersulcatus]

You can make the most convincing pizza out of styrofoam and put it on display, but don't expect it to taste any good. That's the thing with interactive media: you *interact* with it.

[@darkcaste]

It looks like they just used the 3rd person template from a game engine, made some things clickable, and animated everything else. i.e. no game systems, just an interactive animation?

[@AstroTerran7734]

One that is not nearly as bad as this is Deliver us the Moon and its sequal Deliver us Mars. Of which I think were rather exceptional in terms of story and game play.

[@rngwrldngnr]

I keep seeing this thumbnail and thinking the essay is about The Invincible, which I'd actually recommend.

[@winter9213]

The devs really didn't realize that a consumer goes into a media with a completely different mindset and expectations, when they play a game rather then watching a movie or series.

[@Endocrom]

Did they steal the design from the Cyber Truck? Maybe, or maybe the cyber truck is just sooo generic.

[@CYXNIGHT]

The creator's gonna be mad when he learns about Telltale Games, Supermassive Games, and Quantic Dream 💀

[@olimmai]

I like plenty of "walking sim" games but the idea of trying to make a netlfix show as a videogame makes me physically ill

[@mushroomGdog77]

wow i thought this game was starfield i know what this say about Bethesda if a smaller developer team can look just like starfield .

[@GavinWandersee]

It’s not good enough for a 1 hour trial lmao this sucked cause it felt like I wasted an hour just walking from place to place

[@dextrodemon]

guy who has never heard of david cage somehow makes a david cage game lol, or not even since it doesn't have all the funny little inputs

[@Vesdus]

Soma was an awesome game

[@ImVeryOriginal]

Clear case of David Cage syndrome: wannabe moviemakers trying to make videogames into movies while failing to understand either medium.

[@themightycrixus1131]

I am just gonna say it. The last of us is not that good. Its an average games that goes on too long and it is full of itself... Not to mention the sequel is even worse.

[@Raida7]

Lol, "the tool of immersion" that is "added to our systems" Yeah mate that's not how you make a good game or tv series

[@DionicioRT]

I remember seeing this game being highlighted in a video that showcased Early days Unreal Engine 5 games, shame that the game seems to be just a really stunning but slog to play of a game

[@pleasekillyoursef]

Silly, netflix does not make TV shows, it makes 1 hour long videos to sleep