I never thought this game would get as much attention as it's getting but I'm glad an indie game is the recipient of probably the most GOTY awards this year.
Generally speaking, in the discussion of “games as art” I tend to fall into the “who cares” category. What’s art to me might not be art to you, and that’s fine (I’d argue that’s the point but that’s a different topic altogether). I only bring this up because it seems impossible to discuss thatgamecompany’s body of work without diving neck-deep into the topic. I didn’t like flOw, I thought Flower was good but only played through it once. Apart from being very different in a world where different (on consoles, anyway) doesn’t exist, their games didn’t leave any long-lasting impressions with me. Couple that with the fact that I don’t really care about “games as art,” and I didn’t have huge expectations for Journey. If what you’ve just read aligns with your own feelings on thatgamecompany and/or their games, and you haven’t played Journey, I’m here to recalibrate your expectations.
I don’t want to start cataloging the mechanics/environments/charact ers that makes Journey awesome, because experiencing the moment-to-moment stuff in the game is central to its fun, but there are a few things that deserve special praise. The bite-sized adventure the game takes you on is equal parts exhilarating and thoughtful, and the ending…let’s just say it’s better experienced than discussed. Journey also has the best co-op implementation ever on a console. It’s a point that has already been talked to death, but if you would have told me I’d have a good co-op experience with a person named BongRipper420 I’d have chuckled to myself and rolled my eyes. In a world where it’s easy for developers to just shrug their shoulders and say “It’s the Internet, we can’t stop them” when confronted with the typical poor behavior of players in an online setting, thatgamecompany showed everyone how it’s done....and this sir, IS A FACT.
This game to me had similar hyped to how I was with inFAMOUS back in '09. I heard about it read a little about it. When it released I had this uncontrollable impulse to buy it ASAP and now absolutely love both of those games!
And CoD is hardcore because you can shoot people in the face and die? You actually need to use your brain and emotions to able to get something out of Journey's experience. It's not a mindless, pure entertaining experience. It has meaning, which each player can decipher how he wants it.
Journey deserves all the attention it gets bcz it jus brought smting different 2 us gamers compared 2 the overpopulated FPS genre...i haven't played it bt i've seen my brother playin it & thought it was awesome, even some friends of mine were saying it's a masterpiece & kept urging me 2 gt it 4 sm time time
I find it strange how when certain people here are submitting actual reasoning and explanations with real substance as to why Journey deserves the acclaim it's getting, it's being ignored by people who refuse to appreciate what makes the game unique and special and deserving of awards.
So we have the ones saying it's overrated because they personally completely missed the point or simply aren't open minded enough to understand why thatgamecompany did what they did and the design choices that were made. If it's "just a glorified walking simulator" to you, then the point of the game, its story, gameplay and its deeper significance... it flew right over you're head.
And just out of curiosity, what should it be recognised as then if not game? Experience of the year?
I'm actually surprised there are still journalists that could 'understand' Journey and award it for what it accomplish among the industry. Unlike games like Far Cry 3 or Halo 4, Journey will be remembered for the years to come as a game that changed how we view games. And I hope Journey influences other devs to try different things and think outside the box. It was a shame no one followed Ico's or Okami's footsteps last gen. But with the rise of the indie market, I'm sure this is only the beginning.
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Generally speaking, in the discussion of “games as art” I tend to fall into the “who cares” category. What’s art to me might not be art to you, and that’s fine (I’d argue that’s the point but that’s a different topic altogether). I only bring this up because it seems impossible to discuss thatgamecompany’s body of work without diving neck-deep into the topic. I didn’t like flOw, I thought Flower was good but only played through it once. Apart from being very different in a world where different (on consoles, anyway) doesn’t exist, their games didn’t leave any long-lasting impressions with me. Couple that with the fact that I don’t really care about “games as art,” and I didn’t have huge expectations for Journey. If what you’ve just read aligns with your own feelings on thatgamecompany and/or their games, and you haven’t played Journey, I’m here to recalibrate your expectations.
I don’t want to start cataloging the mechanics/environments/charact ers that makes Journey awesome, because experiencing the moment-to-moment stuff in the game is central to its fun, but there are a few things that deserve special praise. The bite-sized adventure the game takes you on is equal parts exhilarating and thoughtful, and the ending…let’s just say it’s better experienced than discussed. Journey also has the best co-op implementation ever on a console. It’s a point that has already been talked to death, but if you would have told me I’d have a good co-op experience with a person named BongRipper420 I’d have chuckled to myself and rolled my eyes. In a world where it’s easy for developers to just shrug their shoulders and say “It’s the Internet, we can’t stop them” when confronted with the typical poor behavior of players in an online setting, thatgamecompany showed everyone how it’s done....and this sir, IS A FACT.
So we have the ones saying it's overrated because they personally completely missed the point or simply aren't open minded enough to understand why thatgamecompany did what they did and the design choices that were made. If it's "just a glorified walking simulator" to you, then the point of the game, its story, gameplay and its deeper significance... it flew right over you're head.
And just out of curiosity, what should it be recognised as then if not game? Experience of the year?