I played through Fallout 3, Fallout NV, and Fallout 4 without experiencing a single bug. That doesn't mean a thing. Those games are still buggy, and a lot of people had bad experiences with them.
It's the writing that is Andromeda's actual reason for being a total bummer. Bugs are just a funny part of most games. If you think the writing is really good or as good as the original trilogy, then I have to disagree with your comparison skills of things like that. It makes me glad people are actually enjoying the game and can overlook things to that level, but these kinds of, "Gosh, I must be playing a different game," comments come across as so passive defensive. A lot of people are disappointed with this game, in the industry, among fans (casual and super). Even some apologists ended up disappointed. There really is stuff wrong with it, and the bugs do exist.
The original trilogy isn't Asimov; it isn't Clarke; it isn't PKD; but it has character for days, often unforgettably well-written and performed. Mordin Solus is such a fantastic creation. This genius scientist who analyzes everything out loud with unbroken speed, barely taking a breath, making tough decisions based on his own unwavering and complicated moral code in a flash, and simultaneously being a badass with a heavy pistol.
It also featured some fantastic casting. Martin Sheen, Keith David, Lars Henriksen (Aliens), Carrie-Anne Moss (Matrix), Claudia Black (Pitch Black, Farscape) Adam Baldwin (Firefly, Serenity). I'm not a fan of Mirina Sirtis' acting, but she was a main character on Star Trek: TNG for god sake, and I lost my shit when I heard her in the first game. That is some sci-fi pedigree to most fans of the genre, I would say. Andromeda sounds like a bunch of new actors in their first roles a lot of the time. I only like Vectra, out of all those characters. It's weak.
Austin's time with it in Waypoint's footage had a lot less of this weird facial goofery, as it was a cool-looking custom character. Her lips pouted weirdly, but fine otherwise. I prefer female Ryder's voice, too, though neither are close to Hale in the charm department. She got that irreplaceable mature, warm confidence.
They are better than Mark Meer though.
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I just found out Hackett is voiced by Lance Henriksen. I had no idea.
Erm . . . yeah. I was coming back around on this as a day-one buy -- that recent 17 minute video seemed polished and cool -- but this is a very messy first impression of how this game will play in more realistic chunks of my time, not just in a slice of planned footage. The combat is the only above-average aspect I saw here.
I'm not surprised the writing hasn't popped at all yet. It's had heavy involvement from the lead writer on Halo 4 if I recall, and it shows in some annoying ways. The squad-mate introductions were so ham-fisted. The pacing in general seems so hyper compared to the trilogy, like the stuff that should be interesting and Star Trekkie is on fast-forward.
The voices are . . . odd. That Krogan sounded so effeminate and not even slightly burly. What the fuck? His vocal chords must weigh more than my head.
I will buy it in April, but my expectations are back to neutral/deeply unsure.
No one has an issue with the chat saying there's a cool secret in the room you're in, or helping when needed -- that enhances the viewing experience a lot -- but stuff like, "That's a boss room," and "this is a fake save room people were talking about earlier" or "when you're petrified the fairy breaks you out with a mallet," and stuff is pointless and not very fun, especially when that stuff is highly likely to be experienced over the natural course of the playthrough. I know for a fact Mr. Caravella loves discovering cool things like that himself, and it enhances the enjoyment to see his little face light up, ha. Those surprising moments should be treasured is all. Everything else is totally cool; I haven't minded the chat interaction aspect until this episode. No biggie, Vinny's the boss man. We're just saying we found it annoying as viewers and wonder if Alex could be a little more strict with what he relays. I don't think that's crazily unreasonable or overly dramatic.
Wow, I thought it was just me! The chat aspect was driving me a little bananas this episode. Telling someone they're two seconds from a boss fight is way against the spirit of things, honestly, and I didn't think Alex would read that kind of 'advice'.
Vinny said he'd eat the peanuts to check out that different animation; he'd see it; then was immediately just told what it was in exact detail seconds after.
The only info that should be revealed is the stuff he would never ever figure out if he didn't explore every square of map (which Vinny pretty much does!), when he asks for a hint, or at the end of his run where you can say, "Hey, check this cool thing out before you're done with the game!"
You gotta let people enjoy those little thrills when they stumble into something new; so many of the good vibes are bottled up in those moments.
You're a patient man V-bomb!
Great episode otherwise. I'm glad you're still really digging the game. It's in my top five of all time. On a different note, the inverted castle, for me, is the second half of SotN and should probably be experienced to fully click with why it's so cool. It's bonkers, much tougher, and the funnest hours of the game also (again, for me). Would love to see them whiz through it at some point!
Good things about Shenmue: the fantastic main theme music (which I bought); the depth it strives for, regardless of any actual quality; that ONE good voice actor; and the font. I can't knock it for trying to be something more than just a game, and I'm glad they tried.
Bad things: honestly, nearly everything else. It has aged more poorly than maybe any other beloved game I can think of right now, and, as sad as it is to say, I think its scope and ambition totally blinded people at the time to its numerous flaws. I'm surprised more reviewers didn't heavily criticize the interminable pacing, bizarre storytelling (at least in this translated state, which I'm betting is responsible for 90% of its apparent mediocrity), and, most of all, the gameplay leashes it lassoes the player with: needing to trigger cutscenes in specific ways without much direction; filling out game hours with repetitive 'activities' until you can progress, or even waiting because you can't be bothered; running around and talking to people who just bounce you off in another direction to others who might know, like some pinball machine in a circle of hell -- over, and over, and over again. I get that it probably owes a lot of its pacing style to Asian dramas and soap operas -- that mix of real life and action -- but it didn't have the tech necessary to translate well into a game at the time. Even the original Yakuza which also hasn't aged well backed off some of that stuff, and Yakuza 3 specifically nailed nearly everything this game tried to do, but at a much higher degree of success, in my opinion. Considering that was on PS3, and Shenmue was on Dreamcast, I'm frankly amazed, and ultimately impressed that Yu Suzuki and his team got as close as they did. It's actually amazing, and you have to give kudos where it is due. That is why, even after this ER highlighted that stuff more closely and harshly than it might have ever been analyzed before ('cos three heads can be more damning than one with dumb shit), I will still place this game on a higher pedestal than most. It's a totally unique time capsule in gaming's past. I'm glad it exists, even if its novelty has been tarnished by time.
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