Can you describe more about the mechanics of the action sequences? Do you get to move the character around for those, or is movement on rails and you're just responding to directions as to what buttons/keys to press when?
to put it bluntly; you're responding to prompts (like hit left on the right stick to live, press x to dodge, tap a like a fiend to do something else, etc). and most of the time only prompt is given at a time.
and keep in mind I'm not describing any sort of final build here, only what i experienced playing the short (10-15 minute) demo presented at GDC, and in no way do I speak for telltale.
basically I got very excited by the setting itself and all that nublar stuff.
I think if the whole "exploration"-element of gameplay is simplified to moving the analog-stick around the scene and get every possible interaction highlighted then there should at least be room for solving puzzles or getting through the scenes in several different ways. what makes out a game is interactivity and of course it's a matter of design HOW that interaction finally looks like. but if a game is reduced to a simple watching and clicking the provided buttons in the correct order we have nothing more than a navigation like through the menu of a DVD or BluRay. that's not innovative, that's primitive.
so for the scene with the Triceratops it would be nice if there's a different solution than using the horn of the jeep. maybe if the horn isn't used the T-Rex won't show up because he's not lured by the noise.
Well keep in mind that type of "PRESS X TO LIVE!" type of interaction only shows up when your life is in danger (action sequences), and there definately were times where two seperate choices were given in which direction to jump, without playing more of the game I can't for sure say what type of reprocussions it has if you jump to the left instead of the right (maybe only changing the death animation), but really "opened ended" and "adventure game" aren't often used in the same sentence; usually they rely heavily on a strong narritive executed in a particular way to ensure the amount of dialog stays writeable and so the story's message remains clear. Not saying it can't be done, just that anything more than a few self contained choices can drastically affect the amount of work required to create the game, and perhaps would disrupt the desired narritive. although yeah sure, they can prolly add a few choices that don't actually change any plot elements, but instead offer different solutions to the same problems, that get you to the same endpoint, like luring the triceratops away instead of scaring it away, or short circuiting the door panel instead of just entering the code; i definately like the idea that puzzles can have more than just one solution (without having to change what happens in the rest of the story). hold on to that one.
PS. are you really suggesting they don't have a t rex crash through the scene iconally? think about that.
No, there is no movement of the character directly, you change the screen view with the D-pad and then click a button to interact with specific things. Also, there is teh fast-travel that lets you see a whole different area by clicking there. You are also having to respond to button prompts most of the time. In later episodes they may let you walk at certain parts but I'm not complaining. This is basically a more evolved version of a Point-and-Click game, but its WAAAAYYYY more than i couldve asked for from anyone for a Jurassic Park game. I cannot wait for the release of episode one, my controller is rotting away waiting too! anyway, thank you Telltale!!!
yeah I agree, the d-pad acts is more of a boon than anything else, quickly getting from one place to another keeps you focused on the action and not getting from one place to another. I think its safe to say that a game in which your life is constantly in danger should play quicker (the quick scene changer helps that for sure) than a game where you're never in any sort of immediate danger. I feel jurrassic park focuses much less on exploration and much more on delivering action and more action
yeah I agree, the d-pad acts is more of a boon than anything else, quickly getting from one place to another keeps you focused on the action and not getting from one place to another. I think its safe to say that a game in which your life is constantly in danger should play quicker (the quick scene changer helps that for sure) than a game where you're never in any sort of immediate danger. I feel jurrassic park focuses much less on exploration and much more on delivering action and more action
I think Jurassic park has as much suspense as it has action, I wouldnt say the kitchen scene from the movie is fast-paced for example. Suspense definetly needs a slower pace, I cannot think of how to achieve that with this kind of navigation.
While I think for a scene like in the demo this fast-travel is appropriate cause theres not much to explore and everything is about solving one big problem, I still hope in later episodes when it comes to more important and bigger areas from the movie there will be other methods to explore the scene
The more and more I think about fast travel ... I'm starting to think maybe I will not get the game at all.. I really am not a fan of QTEs and now taking the exploration out of the mix as well... I am thinking this is not the game I was hoping it would be.
The more and more I think about fast travel ... I'm starting to think maybe I will not get the game at all.. I really am not a fan of QTEs and now taking the exploration out of the mix as well... I am thinking this is not the game I was hoping it would be.
well, as i said, we were only shown a small glipse of the game, no denying the existence of QTEs, but the breadth of the finished product may be considerably more all encompassing, than the slice we played with. keep in mind its not that the exploration isn't there, i mean there were still several different areas you were able to jump between in the demo and several items to interact with, it just seemed like the actual act of walking around was taken out of the picture. i think suspense can be found within action, and i'm still holding out hope for a new kitchen scene! all in all, i found my time with the game to be extremely enjoyable, a nice well-balanced blend of different gameplay styles, and i promptly pre-ordered upon returning home. not to mention it looks and sounds AMAZING. seriously its really epic and very well textured and modeled
I'm still unsure about how I feel about it. I'll have to play the demo. I'm a big fan of Jurassic Park and until I play the demo and read the reviews that come out after the release, I'll give it the benefit of the doubt.
i'd strongly recommend at least playing the demo, i was pretty unsure about how all the elements came together until i actually spent some time with it
i have to add that probably THIS jurassic park game will stay the most true to original compared to any other jurassic park game.
that is simply because it deals with the main aspect of the story: an island with prehistoric creatures in a zoo-like environment and a handful of people who try to survive after the park's control went down. see, if you try to make a shooter out of jurassic park, it will mostly end up with loads of dinosaurs you have to fight against using different weapons. but that is not was jurassic park is ment to be. there is actually only ONE t-rex and THREE raptors (plus some which had bred out of their pen). like in trespasser (although i think that game is impressive) there were hundreds of raptors and seven t-rexes.
so telltale can stick more to the movie-provided universe with intense dangerous scenes, feeling abandoned, trying to restore some of the security systems and all that has not to be over the top. i think this game will provide more of the feeling you have, when watching the movie or reading the novel.
and thats what keeps me so excited.
Trespasser's storyline has JP taking place in 1989 and the game taking place in 1998 on Isla Sorna, Site B, the breeding ground. That's 9 years of those raptors having little raptors. And even then not all species were able to adapt to the modern climate. Due to there being more carnivores than herbivores, Sorna is destined to become ecologically unstable (just like the book)
Trespasser was meant to be a physics based first person survival horror game, but that didn't work out so well so they threw in lots of guns and tried to market it as a First Person Shooter/Adventure game. Some of the scariest mods I've seen for Tres featured few if any weapons at all. The original design of the game, as detailed by the design walkthrough, didn't have you fight a carnivore until level 3 (which went between 2 and 3 and showcased the Hunter's Camp), before then there were to be occasional scares, like an Albertosaur running past.
I wouldn't mind seeing a Jurassic Park Survival Horror game, especially if it was true survival horror and not that action-horror hybrid that is the current thing. Though it's pretty clear that JP The Game is going to be a modern version of the original early 90s point and click adventure genre but probably without all the backtracking those were bogged down with.
OK, this involves a bit of research: but who here has played Heavy Rain? If you have yet to experience that, PLAY IT!!!!!!
I can honestly say that there is no game that can compare. NEVER have action scenes in a videogame kept me on the edge of my seat. It's hard to even explain. Especially the action scene of when you're driving down the opposite side of the interstate during a heavy downpour (ha) - it was frightening not sure when a particular action would pop up. And HOW it would pop up - Or WHICH button would pop up. I was shaking through many different sequences, feeling the sense of dread.
If Jurassic Park the Game is supposed to be a Heavy Rain styled game? If it's supposed to incorporate the edge-of-your-seat styled action sequences, along with terror and suspense? Count. Me. In.
Comments
to put it bluntly; you're responding to prompts (like hit left on the right stick to live, press x to dodge, tap a like a fiend to do something else, etc). and most of the time only prompt is given at a time.
and keep in mind I'm not describing any sort of final build here, only what i experienced playing the short (10-15 minute) demo presented at GDC, and in no way do I speak for telltale.
Well keep in mind that type of "PRESS X TO LIVE!" type of interaction only shows up when your life is in danger (action sequences), and there definately were times where two seperate choices were given in which direction to jump, without playing more of the game I can't for sure say what type of reprocussions it has if you jump to the left instead of the right (maybe only changing the death animation), but really "opened ended" and "adventure game" aren't often used in the same sentence; usually they rely heavily on a strong narritive executed in a particular way to ensure the amount of dialog stays writeable and so the story's message remains clear. Not saying it can't be done, just that anything more than a few self contained choices can drastically affect the amount of work required to create the game, and perhaps would disrupt the desired narritive. although yeah sure, they can prolly add a few choices that don't actually change any plot elements, but instead offer different solutions to the same problems, that get you to the same endpoint, like luring the triceratops away instead of scaring it away, or short circuiting the door panel instead of just entering the code; i definately like the idea that puzzles can have more than just one solution (without having to change what happens in the rest of the story). hold on to that one.
PS. are you really suggesting they don't have a t rex crash through the scene iconally? think about that.
yeah I agree, the d-pad acts is more of a boon than anything else, quickly getting from one place to another keeps you focused on the action and not getting from one place to another. I think its safe to say that a game in which your life is constantly in danger should play quicker (the quick scene changer helps that for sure) than a game where you're never in any sort of immediate danger. I feel jurrassic park focuses much less on exploration and much more on delivering action and more action
I think Jurassic park has as much suspense as it has action, I wouldnt say the kitchen scene from the movie is fast-paced for example. Suspense definetly needs a slower pace, I cannot think of how to achieve that with this kind of navigation.
While I think for a scene like in the demo this fast-travel is appropriate cause theres not much to explore and everything is about solving one big problem, I still hope in later episodes when it comes to more important and bigger areas from the movie there will be other methods to explore the scene
well, as i said, we were only shown a small glipse of the game, no denying the existence of QTEs, but the breadth of the finished product may be considerably more all encompassing, than the slice we played with. keep in mind its not that the exploration isn't there, i mean there were still several different areas you were able to jump between in the demo and several items to interact with, it just seemed like the actual act of walking around was taken out of the picture. i think suspense can be found within action, and i'm still holding out hope for a new kitchen scene! all in all, i found my time with the game to be extremely enjoyable, a nice well-balanced blend of different gameplay styles, and i promptly pre-ordered upon returning home. not to mention it looks and sounds AMAZING. seriously its really epic and very well textured and modeled
that is simply because it deals with the main aspect of the story: an island with prehistoric creatures in a zoo-like environment and a handful of people who try to survive after the park's control went down. see, if you try to make a shooter out of jurassic park, it will mostly end up with loads of dinosaurs you have to fight against using different weapons. but that is not was jurassic park is ment to be. there is actually only ONE t-rex and THREE raptors (plus some which had bred out of their pen). like in trespasser (although i think that game is impressive) there were hundreds of raptors and seven t-rexes.
so telltale can stick more to the movie-provided universe with intense dangerous scenes, feeling abandoned, trying to restore some of the security systems and all that has not to be over the top. i think this game will provide more of the feeling you have, when watching the movie or reading the novel.
and thats what keeps me so excited.
Trespasser was meant to be a physics based first person survival horror game, but that didn't work out so well so they threw in lots of guns and tried to market it as a First Person Shooter/Adventure game. Some of the scariest mods I've seen for Tres featured few if any weapons at all. The original design of the game, as detailed by the design walkthrough, didn't have you fight a carnivore until level 3 (which went between 2 and 3 and showcased the Hunter's Camp), before then there were to be occasional scares, like an Albertosaur running past.
I wouldn't mind seeing a Jurassic Park Survival Horror game, especially if it was true survival horror and not that action-horror hybrid that is the current thing. Though it's pretty clear that JP The Game is going to be a modern version of the original early 90s point and click adventure genre but probably without all the backtracking those were bogged down with.
I can honestly say that there is no game that can compare. NEVER have action scenes in a videogame kept me on the edge of my seat. It's hard to even explain. Especially the action scene of when you're driving down the opposite side of the interstate during a heavy downpour (ha) - it was frightening not sure when a particular action would pop up. And HOW it would pop up - Or WHICH button would pop up. I was shaking through many different sequences, feeling the sense of dread.
If Jurassic Park the Game is supposed to be a Heavy Rain styled game? If it's supposed to incorporate the edge-of-your-seat styled action sequences, along with terror and suspense? Count. Me. In.