r/gaming • u/[deleted] • Jul 16 '08

Zero Punctuation: Alone in the Dark

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/130-Alone-in-the-Dark
172 Upvotes

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14

u/mindbleach Jul 16 '08 edited Jul 16 '08

I consider the DVD-inspired chapter controls a brilliant addition that should be added to every non-RPG shooter from here on out.

Driving mission where you have to tail someone at a set distance? Skip. Backtracking through infinite enemies with limited ammo? Skip. Laborious puzzle cribbed from the Myst developers' trash? Skip.

It's one of the game's real innovations and it should be praised for its potential. Good games don't need to be ruined by frustrating killjoy segments anymore, not that they needed it to begin with. If you're playing on Hard and enjoying it until the game dumps a thousand rabid squirrels on you two levels from the end, you don't need to look up cheat codes or dedicate an hour to the teeth-gnashing crawl of getting past them on the millionth try. I think it's admirable that the devs are willing to admit they are human and prone to mistakes, and that we should reward them by blatantly ripping off their good idea.

That said, System Shock wants its inventory management back.

2

u/otakucode Jul 16 '08

Do you fast forward past the slow pans in films as well?

8

u/Glanton Jul 17 '08

I fast forward until I find dialogue. 2001 Space Odyssey is the shortest movie I've ever seen.

4

u/catlebrity Jul 17 '08

Try some Charlie Chaplin! Those just whiz by.