|
 Every now and then a game comes along that sounds like it has hit the jackpot of everything I like, so when a cyberpunk game comes out that promises to tell the small stories of everyday life in a neon chrome dystopia, this gets my attention. Even more so when the gameplay is supposed to be reminiscent of Papers Please, a game in which the mundane act of stamping a page becomes a life and death thriller, except now you get to be a bartender and serve drinks to you technologically augmented clientele? So what happened!? Anime happened. Anime mixed with terrible, terrible people, but don’t take my word for it, take a look at some of these reviews from actual game reviewers! Mike Cosimano from Destructoid posted:A Hallmark of excellence. 9/10 Er, hang on Elias Blondeau From CGM posted:VA-11 Hall-A is a funny, thought-provoking, and sometimes tragic work of art Wait what? Rishi Alwani from Gadgets 360 posted:Simply put, if CD Projekt RED were to ever explore a game set in The Witcher universe that has you as an innkeeper instead of Geralt, well this would be the cyberpunk equivalent of it. 9/10 Is it just me? Or just me and everyone I’ve personally talked to about this game that thinks is actually completely terrible. Cringe along with us as we explore this most disappointing game, full of the worst the internet has to offer. We all appear to be lost to whatever it was that lead to such rave reviews, so please feel free to explain what it is we're missing. LPers Me: I paid money for this game. You probably shouldn’t listen to me Pavlov: Cultural anthropologist of animated crimes against humanity. Language nerd. Nasally lightweight Shibbotech the Mic-Slammer: You can make him commentate, but you can't make him do it sober. Sazero got called into Va-11 Hall-a by Shibbotech and is now questioning his friend making decisions. Miz Kriss, who fell asleep during the first episode. Wait, so what is this game? Story based game with the gameplay consisting mainly of serving drinks, with some of these drink choices opening different paths. For example, you can choose how much alcohol to put in drinks, stuff up orders, give them something other than what they ask for etc. Please consider this LP  . While it seems to have avoided getting any kind of rating on Steam or any other platform (my country has outright banned games for less  ), it contains a vast amount of topics which could get you in trouble. Below is a spoiler tagged list of things that may offend you that are contained in this game.Sexual references Reference to sexual violence/rape Scatological humour Sexualised underage-looking characters Misogyny Spoiler Policy: No spoilers thanks. Participation: If you want to join in for this LP you are very welcome, all you need is a microphone setup, Skype, and Audacity. Episodes Day One - [ASK] me about my sex tourism Day Two - Stalkers aren't that bad Day Three - Nanomachines, son! Day Four - Sign up now, and recieve my body free of charge! Day Five- Maximizing Password Code Depth Day Six -Best Boss for child abuse memes Day Seven - An LPers response to justified criticism Day Eight - Such Rad, Much Doge Day Nine - Are You Happy? Day Ten - Red Oni, Blue Oh No Day Eleven - Cherished Day Twelve - Kanyevania Mega Christmas Day Fourteen - It wasn't weird enough so this one has an ASMR reference Day Fifteen - Philosophy101 Day Sixteen - A Cyberpunk Bromance Day Seventeen - Exotic Alcohol Day Eighteen - Paper Cut Zenithe fucked around with this message at 22:28 on Jan 3, 2017 |
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 05:34
|
|
10/10
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 11:24 |
|
|
Reserved
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 05:35
|
|
|
.png) Day One
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 05:37
|
|
|
Oh? I'd kind of got the same impression that you say you had of the game before you played it. Kind of glad I've held off till now, but we'll see if your opinion has merit, I suppose.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 05:56
|
|
|
So is there an actual game element to this? Is the rest of the game 98% lousy visual novel and 2% following a recipe? Is there any time pressure in the bartending or even reason to succeed beyond a nebulous mention of an 800 cyber-dollar subscription fee to an anime reference? I have to admit, the kickstarter or steam greenlight or whatever I saw on this a couple years back piqued my interest enough that I wishlisted it when I saw it release, but I only got 17 minutes into your video before turning it off (Because of the game itself, nothing against your commentaries). I was more invested in the story of Cook, Serve, Delicious, and that doesn't HAVE a story. And it certainly has better gameplay.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 06:55
|
|
|
Dareon posted:So is there an actual game element to this? Is the rest of the game 98% lousy visual novel and 2% following a recipe? Is there any time pressure in the bartending or even reason to succeed beyond a nebulous mention of an 800 cyber-dollar subscription fee to an anime reference? As far as I'm aware, no. I have yet to get particularly far through the game, and other aspects may be introduced later but I seriously doubt it though. What is the reference by the way?
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 07:32
|
|
|
Zenithe posted:What is the reference by the way? Shining Finger is the name of an attack the main character uses in G Gundam, and Shining Finger is the name of the subscription in VA-11 HALL-A.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 08:54
|
|
|
... I like this game.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 11:08
|
|
|
Zenithe posted:Below is a spoiler tagged list of things that may offend you that are contained in this game.[/b]
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 11:49
|
|
|
This game is terrible. It's what happens when you let nerd with no real life experience be your writers. Copying stuff you saw in anime does not a good character make.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 11:58
|
|
|
Y-Hat posted:Well that's just fine and dandy. Also, those reviewers are either paid off or they're disgusting deviants. Va-11 Hall-A Review from RockPaperShotgun posted:I hesitate to call V4l… Va11 ha1… Val1… Valhalla a visual novel, which is ridiculous. It wears its influences on its sleeve, sometimes to a fault, and though its most ‘gamey’ aspect is that of a bartending sim, that’s really just a well-integrated excuse for telling a humble story. Is it a good one? Just kinda throwing that one out there. shibbotech fucked around with this message at 12:18 on Jul 17, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 12:16
|
|
|
It's not that bad. It's just not that good. Woefully mediocre game. Some of the jokes are funny though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 12:24
|
|
|
Donovan reminds me of a combination of Nick Denton and an old-school newspaper man- two different types of vulgar rolled into one.shibbotech posted:Just kinda throwing that one out there.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 12:51
|
|
|
Y-Hat posted:"I have a problem with 95% of this game, but it's actually good, don't judge me. Also please ignore who writes my paychecks, it's irrelevant." The writer (Sin Vega) isnt the one who works for the publisher (Cassandra Khaw). Also the reviewer enjoyed the writing but disliked the number of clicks and wished they showed more text on screen at any given point. That's a fairly good review that clearly sets out the pros and cons of the game.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 12:55
|
|
|
I like this game! It's only really interesting if you are a fan of visual novels because otherwise you'll get antsy reading the dialogue and won't want to sit through it. It's not a very good game to do a video LP of, it's more of a screenshot LP kinda deal. The game poses some pretty interesting questions about sexuality (in a jokey way at first, but later on it's less jokey about it) that I found fun to mull over.
CJacobs fucked around with this message at 13:39 on Jul 17, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 13:35
|
|
|
CJacobs posted:I like this game! It's only really interesting if you are a fan of visual novels because otherwise you'll get antsy reading the dialogue and won't want to sit through it. It's not a very good game to do a video LP of, it's more of a screenshot LP kinda deal. The game poses some pretty interesting questions about sexuality (in a jokey way at first, but later on it's less jokey about it) that I found fun to mull over. Ah, it's one of those games. I'm not being dismissive, there are some very good offerings in the sexual exploration subgenre (Although it seems like that's 80% of VNs, I can only name three off the top of my head that aren't), but it's very easy for them to disappear up their own rear end.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 14:50
|
|
|
the last lovely cyberpunk game i played was read only memories, is this as bad as that was
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 15:18
|
|
|
alcharagia posted:the last lovely cyberpunk game i played was read only memories, is this as bad as that was This game has a tie in with read only memories that's more than just a one-off reference, funnily enough. Unlike read only memories, though, this game is not bad. Dareon posted:Ah, it's one of those games. I'm not being dismissive, there are some very good offerings in the sexual exploration subgenre (Although it seems like that's 80% of VNs, I can only name three off the top of my head that aren't), but it's very easy for them to disappear up their own rear end. I would say that the rear end-up-disappearing in this game is pretty minimal. It's less disappearing up its own rear end and more doubling down on the concepts it presents in a way that you sort of have to just accept the game's world being what it is in order to enjoy it, if you disagree with those concepts.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 15:38
|
|
|
I'm pretty sure Ingram's whole shtick was sticking himself up both literal and figurative asses. vvvvv I think we're doing no spoilers. Pavlov fucked around with this message at 17:00 on Jul 17, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 15:53
|
|
|
Y-Hat posted:Well that's just fine and dandy. Also, those reviewers are either paid off or they're disgusting deviants. Having seen the thing they're talking about... it's actually handled surprisingly well. Insofar as the characters react with appropriate degrees of "what the gently caress." Yeowch!!! My Balls!!! fucked around with this message at 21:38 on Jul 17, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 16:58
|
|
|
Y-Hat posted:Well that's just fine and dandy. Also, those reviewers are either paid off or they're disgusting deviants. Or maybe, and this might be shock!, they might just not share your tastes? I know modern game journalism isn't exactly the most reputable bunch of writers around, but I really really really doubt the developers of this low-budget indie visual novel go around bribing reviewers like some sort of boogeyman.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 17:03
|
|
|
I actually really like this game. It's aesthetic and some of the more sexual content may be off-putting, but as a story I thought the contrast of working a mundane job with some of the weirder aspects of the setting was pretty interesting, and the relationships between characters are actually pretty well-handled later in the story. The fact that Jill turns out to be a pretty great character to play as also helps. I can completely understand if some of the more shocking scumbag characters make people dislike it, all the same. One other curious bit that I don't think was addressed yet is something that actually made me want to buy the game on its release: The writer and artist are from Venezuela, and are apparently hoping to use the money from sales of this game to move. I remember reading an interview with the writer who said something about how some of the terrible things people say or talk about in the game were based on things we have seen or heard in Venezuela. Anyway, I hope you guys have fun(?) and if you want someone who didn't dislike the game on co-commentary some day, I'll be happy to contribute!
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 17:21
|
|
|
CJacobs posted:This game has a tie in with read only memories that's more than just a one-off reference, funnily enough. Unlike read only memories, though, this game is not bad. ok good!
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 17:34
|
|
|
oscarthewilde posted:Or maybe, and this might be shock!, they might just not share your tastes? Also one of the shirts in Jill's room has "SLUT" written on it. Classy.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 19:49
|
|
|
Y-Hat posted:Also one of the shirts in Jill's room has "SLUT" written on it. Classy. That's the joke, jill doesn't give a gently caress about anything
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 20:20
|
|
|
It works fine as a joke. If you want to claim something is giving an insightful and nuanced view into a contentious topic though, you need a character that can give better framing and context than that. Unless of course the insight you're meaning to give is 'nihilism'.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 21:00
|
|
|
Pavlov posted:It works fine as a joke. If you want to claim something is giving an insightful and nuanced view into a contentious topic though, you need a character that can give better framing and context than that. In an effort to try and step back from emotion and just analyze the game on its own merits, the biggest flaws for me are that a.) it feels like it tries too hard to be funny via shock humor and half-heartedly "starting conversations", but never follows through satisfactorily and b.) it simply isn't the type of game that engages me as a player - it feels boring to watch and boring to play. I enjoyed Papers, Please! but don't think the comparisons are favorable when it comes to Va-11 Hall-A. The setting feels pretty generic and it plays more like a glorified visual novel where your only options are to play as intended or to gently caress up multiple times for alternate dialogue. I love the soundtrack, I love the art style itself, all the drinks look spectacular, but I don't think it's enough to call the game a masterpiece when contrasted with characters that I find distasteful and almost seem designed solely to resonate with memetic internet culture and "edgy" topics. (Disclaimer: I am not a game designer and I tend to play RPGs/shooters, my favorite games are shooty-stabby, maybe I'm just not cerebral enough to appreciate the game - but for me this was a swing and a miss. A glaring miss. Stormtrooper-tier miss.) 
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 21:12
|
|
|
Again: It's better served as a screenshot LP because of the kind of game it is, same as any visual novel dialogue-fest type game. No offense to Zenithe.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 21:17
|
|
|
Overall the game accomplishes what it sets out to present: a pretty chill experience. I really like it because it's got a good Pheonix Wright Visual Novel ratio to gameplay and text going on. Enough Gameplay (even if it's pretty barebones) to keep you involved and all of the characters having their own stories keeps things fresh. It never gets too confusing since they're all presented organically too. Also one of the references in this game made me laugh for a solid minute, even though I only properly knew it from reading the Dominions 3 LP with buildscharacter's excellent diplomacy updates. CJacobs posted:I like this game! It's only really interesting if you are a fan of visual novels because otherwise you'll get antsy reading the dialogue and won't want to sit through it. It's not a very good game to do a video LP of, it's more of a screenshot LP kinda deal. The game poses some pretty interesting questions about sexuality (in a jokey way at first, but later on it's less jokey about it) that I found fun to mull over. This game is definitely a visual novel and should be treated as such. Part of the reason I was able to enjoy this so much is that Jill and I meshed together pretty solidly so I could really get into being her bartender-self. I had a lot of fun remembering how people liked their orders and what their individual tastes were and had a bit more fun with the less-specific orders (alright you memetic annoyance, you wanna get drunk!? I'LL DRUNK YOU OUT) Also: Zenithe posted:As far as I'm aware, no. I have yet to get particularly far through the game, and other aspects may be introduced later but I seriously doubt it though. What is the reference by the way? Everything that Gillian teaches you in the intro comes up. How to make drinks Big (and what drinks are already Big,) that Karmotrine is the ingredient that determines alchoholic content etc. The game part is more of a memory/interpretation game than a mixing one, since while you don't have to memorize the recipes, you do have to remember quite a few other things. Jill's hints help though. Dareon posted:Ah, it's one of those games. I'm not being dismissive, there are some very good offerings in the sexual exploration subgenre (Although it seems like that's 80% of VNs, I can only name three off the top of my head that aren't), but it's very easy for them to disappear up their own rear end. As CJacobs said, this game doesn't do that. It keeps itself grounded very well partially because all everyone does is just talk about stuff and partially because everyone has their own notes. It's not all sexual exploration all the time (aside from Donovan's proclivity-heavy comments he's mostly concerned with his news business as an example.) EponymousMrYar fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Jul 17, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2016 21:24
|
|
|
Man, that first episode was loving agonizing and I can't wait for more. I was certainly much happier when I didn't know this game existed, but now that I do, I need this LP to make the most of that forbidden knowledge.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 04:02
|
|
|
Maybe I'm crazy, but I kind of want to play this game once and then forget it ever existed.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 04:08
|
|
|
This is a very unpleasant game.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 08:56
|
|
|
I've seen some defense of this game on the basis of its writing, and I have no idea where they get the idea that this is well-written. What isn't offensive and creepy is stilted and boring, at least from what I saw in the first episode. I try to cut non-native English speaking devs some slack when it comes to how the dialog feels, since they, being indie devs, can't afford the sort of localization that would lead to really natural-sounding conversations, but when the entire main selling point of the game is conversations and dialog, I expect far better than what I just watched. Further, the cast so far is a bunch of generic anime stereotypes outside of Ingram (who's an abomination of lovely writing in his own special way), exposing the writers as exactly the kind of people Hayao Miyazaki was talking about in the interview that inspired the meme that the thread gets its title from, who know tons about anime, but actively avoid the real world. What's more is that everything this game set out to do has been done better, years ago. Analogue: A Hate Story and its sequel, Hate Plus, are far superior in terms of writing, in terms of presenting slice-of-life drama from an outsider perspective, in terms of sparking conversation about mature sexual themes, and even in terms of waifus, so basically, all this game has over its competition is the drink mixing.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 12:01
|
|
|
I keep reading the voice of the main character as Daria for some reason. Anyway, I kept trying to like the game but It kept meandering that I gave up, and gave everyone hard liquor until I was fired.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 13:15
|
|
|
I want to see what all this fuss is about but I'm worried I will end up on a government watch list for watching the first video from the sound of things.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 13:43
|
|
|
I like visual novels but I've always loathed the extravagant convenience of simply choosing your story branches with a single mouse click, so Vee-Aye-One-One Hal-Aye looks right up my alley. There aren't enough generic anime love interest templates yet, though. Would it be too spoilery to ask if we'll be seeing any maids, or women with animal ears in their hair? Hwurmp fucked around with this message at 14:23 on Jul 18, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 14:20
|
|
|
Update: I watched 12mins of it and decided this game has way too much poorly written junk and throw-it-in references to consider continuing. Didn't even see anything that could be considered risque.
Gridlocked fucked around with this message at 15:13 on Jul 18, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 14:41
|
|
|
I like the aesthetic and the soundtrack, but yeah, this game has way too much badly written text. The conversations last ages and veer between moods almost at random. It also bugs me how the devs are trying to handle mature themes in the most immature way possible.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 14:51
|
|
|
Really Pants posted:I like visual novels but I've always loathed the extravagant convenience of simply choosing your story branches with a single mouse click, so Vee-Aye-One-One Hal-Aye looks right up my alley. There are no love interests in this game
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 15:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 23, 2024 11:24 |
|
|
Never trust nerds with sex.
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2016 15:03
|
|
