Somerville

[cassidy]

 I may only be a small town boy, but that is a superb looking game. And a cracking trailer. 

[Mr Do 71]

Hopefully some news about a release date is incoming soon.

 

 

[Jamie John]

4 hours ago, Mr Do 71 said:

Hopefully some news about a release date is incoming soon.

 

 

 

This and SILKSONG need to get a bloody move on. There's not that much of 2022 left!

[Mr Do 71]

Some more images.

 

 

[Vemsie]

Can't wait but I wouldn't be surprised if it's a 2023 game at this point.

[mushashi]

Are those from the actual game? as they look quite different to what I've seen in previous trailers.

[Mr Do 71]

 

[Jamie John]

Awesome! Can't wait.

[Vemsie]

Very cool. Between this and Ragnarok I won't be bored when I return from my vacation.

[shirubagan]

So the 15th November in the UK. Excellent. 

[cassidy]

So that's a pretty confident teaser there. 

 

I reckon something special may be coming. 

 

 

[Ry]

Game pass as well. Yes!

 

I absolutely loved Limbo and Inside was my game of the year. No one does atmosphere like these guys. Can't wait. 

[mushashi]

On 27/10/2022 at 23:53, Ry said:

Game pass as well. Yes!

 

I absolutely loved Limbo and Inside was my game of the year. No one does atmosphere like these guys. Can't wait. 

 

The only connection this has with those games is Dino Patti. The actual creator of the game, Chris Olsen, has made sure this game keeps its distance from the Playdead stuff. So clearly their marketing message isn't working or gaming journalism isn't working.

 

Quote

“From the beginning, all the press was like ‘from the creator of Limbo!’ and loads of reductive comments like that,” Olsen laughed. 

 

[Junker]

First game in a while I I can’t play on PS5 or Switch that I’m envious of. 
High hopes for this one
 

[Quest]

 

11 hours ago, mushashi said:

 

The only connection this has with those games is Dino Patti. The actual creator of the game, Chris Olsen, has made sure this game keeps its distance from the Playdead stuff. So clearly their marketing message isn't working or gaming journalism isn't working.

 

I went into blackout mode early on, but also thought this was being made by people that split off from Playdead. Didn't even know Jumpship are based in the UK until today. 

[Calashnikov]

Are we allowed to say the reason we’re hyped for this is because INSIDE was such a fucking classic? Does INSIDE being such a fucking classic even have any bearing on this being any good? I don’t know what to think now.

[mushashi]

Depends on who you believe did the real heavy lifting on the Playdead games, Arnt Jensen who is credited as the creator and director for both their games, or Dino Patti, who had executive producer credit for both of them. They co-founded Playdead and then had a falling out, resulting in Dino Patti being bought out and forced to leave.

 

He then went on to co-found Jumpship with Chris Olsen, the creator of Somerville so I assume most people assume history will repeat itself and executive producers are of equal importance for the final product quality as the creator/director of games, we're about to find out.

 

Playdead are also making a 3D open-world game next, for Epic, apparently using UE5.

[Vemsie]

On 30/10/2022 at 10:27, Calashnikov said:

Are we allowed to say the reason we’re hyped for this is because INSIDE was such a fucking classic? Does INSIDE being such a fucking classic even have any bearing on this being any good? I don’t know what to think now.

Not really because this is very much Chris Olsen's game and he had nothing to do with Playdead. It does look really promising though.

[Mr Do 71]

Now available to pre-install.

[Jamie John]

Reviews are in, and they're a bit all over the place. Currently, the game's sitting at 75 on Metacritic. The editor-in-chief for VG24/7 says it's "The most beautiful videogame I've ever played", but our very own @BadgerFarmer  has given it 45/100 for PC Gamer. I'll admit, I've not read either review as I want to go in as cold as possible.

 

I'm definitely going to play it, but after Inside being one of my favourite games ever, I can't help but be underwhelmed.

[Stanley]

45/100 would suggest it’s just about playable. So unless that is because it is something really unique and divisive, like, say, Immortality, then I can’t see it being much cop. 

[thesnwmn]

I'd highly recommend avoiding the PC Gamer review if you don't want to know too much. I found that horribly spoilery. It might not be against the final game but it feels it. Descriptions of scenes and events you mightn't want to know as well as puzzle solutions. Although I also accept that if it's as troubled as it suggests some of it might be helpful to reduce frustrations.

 

Doesn't really bother me personally but warning for anyone tempted.

[JPL]

5 minutes ago, thesnwmn said:

I'd highly recommend avoiding the PC Gamer review if you don't want to know too much. I found that horribly spoilery. It might not be against the final game but it feels it. Descriptions of scenes and events you mightn't want to know as well as puzzle solutions. Although I also accept that if it's as troubled as it suggests some of it might be helpful to reduce frustrations.

 

Doesn't really bother me personally but warning for anyone tempted.

I’ve just read it and, like you say, it seems so full of spoilers it’s like the reviewer hated it to the point they’re going to make sure to ruin it for everybody else.

 

Maybe they’re right and the 45/100 score is reflective of the game, but I advise nobody to read that review before playing it, if you’ve got even the smallest interest in the game.

 

If that was written by badger farmer, all I can say is poor show. I’m sure you could have got your frustrations across without such blatant spoilers.

[BadgerFarmer]

Hmm. Perhaps the issue is having a 1500 word count for such a thin game - it's difficult to avoid some detail. But I'm generally careful with spoilers.

 

In this case, I felt I need to give examples of my frustrations, and most of the examples I gave are from the opening sections of the game. There's also a certain amount that I felt I had to mention to explain the core mechanic and premise. I was deliberately vague about later plot developments.

 

Anyway, it's a short game on Game Pass that's out today, so reviews in this case aren't a buyer's guide so much as a critique. Perhaps it is wise to read them afterwards.

 

I do think the game's a dud, though. 

[Stanley]

That’s a shame, but even though it’s on Game Pass I’ll still consider reviews before playing a game. Time is after all the most valuable currency. 

[JoeK]

Well, if initial impressions are what we're going for - this is fucking bollocks.

 

Plus, it's rather obtuse to the point where I'm frustrated with it after just ten minutes.

 

I'm going to assume it'll get better, but it is not a good start at all.

 

Edit: it feels like it's not finished in any way. Or, somewhere in the middle of development something happened, because it's no-where near as good as Inside is.

 

 

[g wings]

1 hour ago, BadgerFarmer said:

Anyway, it's a short game on Game Pass that's out today, so reviews in this case aren't a buyer's guide so much as a critique. Perhaps it is wise to read them afterwards.

Except people who pay for it via steam etc…

[Majora]

Very disappointing reviews and early impressions. Apparently it runs poorly, is full of bugs and feels generally unfinished. Might wait for a patch or two so it's at least technically better but it just sounds like a bit of a dud. The dangers of getting excited based for a game by a new team because of the pedigree of one or two people in it I guess.

[JoeK]

Just now, Majora said:

Very disappointing reviews and early impressions. Apparently it runs poorly, is full of bugs and feels generally unfinished. Might wait for a patch or two so it's at least technically better but it just sounds like a bit of a dud. The dangers of getting excited based for a game by a new team because of the pedigree of one or two people in it I guess.

 

It is definitely buggy, but it also controls so sluggishly. It also has some utterly bizarre game logic that doesn't seem to follow its own rules, so basic stuff like hopping over a branch to progress is fine one instance but then seemingly impossible at another turn. I also think the use of 3d backgrounds (as in, you walking into the world rather than just use a 2d plane) is fairly pointless too.

 

It's very pretty and stylish, but as a game it's a huge disappointment for me. 

 

I swear, if Planet of Lana ends up being a duffer as well, that will be a big old shame indeed.

 

 

[Shook]

I’ve played half an hour. It’s a slog. Like it doesn’t even want you to enjoy it. Very disappointing so far.  It’s the controls and general feedback to the player. 
 

I’ve no idea what I need to do next and it’s not fun trying to work it out.