The Rise Of Walk-Em-Up: A Exercise In Being Pointless?

Pixelgate writes:

''If there’s one trend I can never understand within video games it’s the rise of the Walk-em-up. The sheer amount of titles popping up with the same core concept, in which not much happens, is utterly bizarre. I’ll play anything on anything, I’m open to trying ‘new’ genres and video game experiences, but for the most part, walk-em-ups just feel…cheap. I can briefly recall playing Myst way back when, a odd title that confused me during my childhood, but it still had a curious appeal.''

[timmyp53]

I honestly feel like that title did lots of things right though because it's understanding and engagement with the player while self identifying basically that it was actually a game.

At the same time though I disagree with you on you focusing so much on whether something is good or bad as a 'game". There needs to be a line drawn. Games are evolving sure but not only that, something else entirely is emerging.

Maybe we just shouldn't call them games. They are a basically a separate media. Some beautifully creative and emotional stuff is coming out of it and their being judged primarily on what is the norm in interactivity.

P.S
I personally thought Everybody's Gone to the Rapture was boring and Gone Home was great.

Also you guys should check out Kentucky Route Zero. It's so good.
http://store.steampowered.c...

[PixelGateUk]

In all fairness, given they are sold as games i can't help but look at them as games. I do agree it's a new 'thing' that still needs further definition, but until that happens, or least until their creators call them otherwise, i gotta view it as a game.

I've only played a small amount of Kentucky, unfortunately it was cursed by the steam sale affect and buried under other new games...and Wasteland 2 :P

[timmyp53]

It'd be interesting to have a section on XBL Marketplace or PS Store that was titled ' Interactive Experiences'.

I don't know though. Would you throw in titles like Until Dawn or Telltale games? Brings up a bunch of issues.

It definitely is something we should talk about though when you have people that are basically just casuals. They go on a website like Gamespot and see that Everybody's gone to the Rapture has a 9/10 and then you see them raging in the comments section because they thought it would actually be what they define as a "game".

Anybody else have thoughts about this?

[GameCrateEd]

Any review worth reading should describe enough of a game like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture to give a reader an opportunity to understand what sort of "game" it is. If they just see "9/10" and go buy it, then they can't blame anyone but themselves. Games are more than numbers, and reviews need to be read in order for the numbers to make any sense.

[mike32UK]

Its all a matter of taste. If you get bored Easy and don't like slow burner type movies,chances are you won't like games like this. Personally I have time for games like Everybody's Gone to the Rapture I absolutely loved it. Then again some of my favourite games over the past year or so have been Dying Light, The Swapper, Alien: Isolation, Until Dawn, Far cry 4 and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter... So yeah I have quite a varied selection so like I said it all comes down to taste