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Szmitten posted:I thought I read that they wanted to make it functional but didn't have the time/effort to implement it.
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Aug 18, 2013 21:13
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MrsRobertRedford posted:Just wondering, did anyone find the secret passages on your own? I only found them because they were clearly marked on the maps. I feel like it would have been a really cool (creepy) experience to naturally find them. I misread the map when looking for the panels, and found the final secret room with the attic key before I'd found the basement key. It sucked because I had to stop and think hey, which order am I supposed to do these areas? Quite annoying to suddenly be jerked out into analyzing the game as a game.
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Aug 18, 2013 22:29
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Just finished this. Love how much it made me care about my fictional sister -- when I got to the attic suicide fakeout, I flat-out sprinted upstairs.
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Aug 18, 2013 22:41
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Really I knew the game had sucked me in when I started turning out the lights when I left rooms without thinking about it until later
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Aug 18, 2013 22:50
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DreamShipWrecked posted:Really I knew the game had sucked me in when I started turning out the lights when I left rooms without thinking about it until later I closed all of the doors as I went. I might be obsessive about turning lights on, but I wasn't raised in a barn. 
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Aug 18, 2013 22:53
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Flashing Twelve posted:17 year olds don't make emotionally appropriate or reasonable responses. Especially not with their first love, a love that her parents outright denied was even happening when they learned about it. The time period plays into it as well, queerness was much less accepted and visible back then than it is now, much more of a 'dirty secret'. Yeah I'm an only child and the game did nothing for me. That's probably why. e: Like I've never even heard of Riot Grrl or whatever. Oh well, I was expecting something like Telltale's Walking Dead, especially for the $20 price tag, I'll start recommending it to people when it hits $5 this Christmas though as it's a neat demo for a full game if you will. Bluedust fucked around with this message at 23:19 on Aug 18, 2013 |
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Aug 18, 2013 23:15
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Bluedust posted:Yeah I'm an only child and the game did nothing for me. That's probably why. Katie was just a camera with a good habit of writing home, though. I grew up an only child too and I sympathized with the real main character, Sam. Also I had no idea what Riot Grrl was but I am sure I would have been annoyed by it back then so I just never noticed.
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Aug 18, 2013 23:35
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100 HOGS AGREE posted:I stopped playing Dear Esther after I saw a humanoid shadow on a cliff that only appeared when it was at the edge of the screen, if you focused on it it would vanish. Apparently that was too much for me because it made me feel like I was getting stalked by something horrifying, so I closed the game immediately.
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Aug 18, 2013 23:42
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This game invoked a lot of familiarity and forgotten memories for me, being a latchkey kid from Vancouver who made trips to Seattle to visit a friend and her girlfriends, some of whom were involved in the same scene Sam was. People who opened my eyes to experiences, artistry and independence outside of my christian suburban upbringing, in an era before the internet where such support groups were still hard to come by. In fact I just realized that this game is sort of a love letter to that era, where kids shared notes instead of tweeting, and how important a box of wrinkled letters and sketches are compared to collection of emails or IMs you'll wipe with new hardware. When compiling a mix tape or movie collection required luck and time and effort and now I sound like a stupid old fart. But I feel lucky that a lot of my memories are darkness, rain, empty houses and sad songs, and all the other great things that contribute to teenage melancholy. And this game helped me relive that feeling.
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Aug 18, 2013 23:42
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Beautiful, beautiful game. It was almost as if I could feel the sadness in Sam's heart when she mentioned that her girlfriend was leaving for the Army. Also the struggle of love between the parents gripped me almost as much as the sister's story line too. Flashing Twelve posted:I'm interested though. Out of the people here who really enjoyed it, how many are queer? The story strongly reflects the personal experiences of a lot of queer people, which is why I think it's hitting some people much harder than others. I am, but the part that got to me most was the lead up to her girlfriend leaving for Basic. I went through that too but my relationship ended there. I guess that's why it hit me so hard. I wouldn't give this experience of a game for anything.
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Aug 18, 2013 23:43
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1stGear posted:That was just the Street Fighter cartridge. I loved Sam's mom referring to them as nintendo tapes. It was such a good touch. Edit: In the sewing room seeing that Sam and Lonnie dressed up as Allegra and the First mate for Halloween was the most  thing.
Sankis fucked around with this message at 00:00 on Aug 19, 2013 |
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Aug 18, 2013 23:46
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Sankis posted:I loved Sam's mom referring to them as nintendo tapes. It was such a good touch. Ninetendo tapes, even.
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Aug 18, 2013 23:51
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Something else I liked in Sam's room was her latest draft of Allegra and First Mate. If you read it allegorically it kind of broadcasts what has happened up to that point and what Sam is going to do. There was still the suspense of a potential suicide pact going on in the background, but once I read that part of the story I kind of figured that Sam was going to get away, much like how Allegra always escapes impossible perils in search of broader horizons. In the basement the drawings on S&L's zine had them with much shorter hair, which left me wondering if it was their own Riot Grrl stylization or if they had really cut their hair that short. For Lonnie at least she probably had to do away with the bright red dye once she prepared to ship out for the Army.
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Aug 18, 2013 23:54
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Did anyone else turn off the object/text highlighting before they started? I've gotten into the habit of doing this with games like BioShock, Dishonored, Deus Ex, etc. For me, the process of exploration and discovery is more rewarding when I don't have big glowing halos and text pointers screaming "EXAMINE ME! I'M IMPORTANT DAMMIT!" whenever I get within ten feet of an object. So I turned them off in Gone Home too and feel I got a more immersive experience as a result, being able to make my own decisions about which objects were worth exploring rather than having the game decide for me. Also, of course Gone Home 2 would be a mistake, but I'd be open to the idea of an expanded "director's cut" of Gone Home 6-12 months from now, perhaps adding one or two extra rooms, moving a few objects around, adding a few more Sam journals, perhaps fleshing out the mother's narrative, etc. Just a few little things to reward and perhaps surprise those who've already completed it.
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Aug 18, 2013 23:57
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I'm curious how old the people are who've never heard of riot grrrl music. I'm a 31 year old guy, and while I was a touch young to listen to the scene when it was fresh, I loved 90s bands derived from the genre, like Veruca Salt, Breeders, Hole, Throwing Muses, and L7, though I guess they actually were riot grrrl though still popular in the later alternative crowd. I discovered Bikini Kill a bit later when a buddy into punk pointed out how similar Rebel Girl was to I Am The Resurrection by the Stone Roses. Rebel Girl vs. I Am The Resurrection edit: anyone that's played San Andreas probably knows at least one L7 song... It's a hell of a lot slicker than any riot grrrl music a couple years earlier though. teethgrinder fucked around with this message at 00:06 on Aug 19, 2013 |
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Aug 19, 2013 00:01
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I enjoyed this a lot, but I've got to say I cannot fathom how it's bringing so many people to tears. There's nothing in the main story of this game that isn't in a hundred teen dramas like Dawson's Creek or something. To be honest, while I would expect no less from a teenage girl's diary, I think that the game (and a lot of people who played it) kind of lend too much legitimacy to the central romance. I mean, it's a teenage "first love" relationship, it's going to collapse the second it has to exist outside of the bubble of high school and they both have to put up with each other 24/7. Gone Home 2 would be the story of how Sam came back a week and a half later with mascara running down her face, having broken up with Lonnie when she caught her with her tongue down another girl's throat during their first trip to a lesbian bar. Lonnie joins the army after all, and the Greenbriars never see their VCRs again.
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Aug 19, 2013 00:10
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teethgrinder posted:I'm curious how old the people are who've never heard of riot grrrl music. I'm 26 and live in southeast PA and never heard of the term Riot Grrrl until Gone Home. My (older) sisters weren't really into anything that I know of like that and I was 8 in 1995. I really liked that song in San Andreas and completely forgot about it. San Andreas had a pretty good soundtrack. I'm probably going to end up buying a lot of stuff on itunes now, though. Over the past couple years I've developed a liking of female vocalists and bands. Sankis fucked around with this message at 00:21 on Aug 19, 2013 |
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Aug 19, 2013 00:15
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Comrade Fakename posted:I enjoyed this a lot, but I've got to say I cannot fathom how it's bringing so many people to tears. There's nothing in the main story of this game that isn't in a hundred teen dramas like Dawson's Creek or something. Nah, I've actually known a couple different people who did stuff like this, and they're some of the best parents I've ever met. These things do work sometimes. Hell, with the divorce rate what it is these days, it's not any less legitimate than any other kind of relationship.
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Aug 19, 2013 00:25
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Comrade Fakename posted:I enjoyed this a lot, but I've got to say I cannot fathom how it's bringing so many people to tears. There's nothing in the main story of this game that isn't in a hundred teen dramas like Dawson's Creek or something. Well, I think while the story is not particularly unique, what makes Gone Home resonate with a lot of people is the novel way in which players uncover the plot, something that you can't really accomplish in a non-interactive medium. I'll say the characters are also more credible and realistically written than an episode of Dawson's Creek, this is at LEAST My So-Called Life level here! As for the game's ending, I feel like it's totally fitting and proper that the conclusion is ambiguous. You want the characters to make peace among themselves and be happy, even though it's unlikely that they ever will. It was a similar feeling to how I felt at the ending A Doll's House or a Raisin in the Sun, where even in the face of logically insurmountable odds, you hope in spite of everything that the characters succeed. The reality of Gone Home vanishes after that moment, so unless a sequel is ever made the aftermath is only a guess. It didn't make me cry though, I'm a cold-rear end bastard for everything but the last two minutes of "Rudy."
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Aug 19, 2013 00:26
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Comrade Fakename posted:I enjoyed this a lot, but I've got to say I cannot fathom how it's bringing so many people to tears. There's nothing in the main story of this game that isn't in a hundred teen dramas like Dawson's Creek or something.
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Aug 19, 2013 00:30
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This game is amazing and honestly tells a way better story than all the other big "story games" out there (Bioshock Infinite, Last of Us). And its mostly because there is no dumb combat I have to do to get to the next story bit. So many times playing through all 3 bioshocks I just didn't want to fight anyone, because the combat was just too boring. And in the case of Infinite, the combat was definitely improved but towards the end got very tiring. Honestly this is what I wanted Bioshock Infinite to be as well many other narrative driven games. Its just so drat good at telling its story and all you do is just explore and read through stuff. The mystery is great and solving it on my own was even better. Goddamn fantastic, this is an important game for sure.
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Aug 19, 2013 00:34
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Sonance posted:Did anyone else turn off the object/text highlighting before they started? I understand there's a lot of temptation to remove that stuff. I considered doing it as well, but the object text is just about the only way you can get glimpses of the personality player character.
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Aug 19, 2013 00:41
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No thanks this game is too expensive for what it offers.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:04
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teethgrinder posted:I'm curious how old the people are who've never heard of riot grrrl music. I'm 30 and only learned of the term Riot Grrrl about five years ago when I started listening to some Sleater-Kinney. I recognized some of the bands and songs from when I was younger, but not many. I grew up in Midwest pretty well insulated from everything but the most grunge-tastic of Northwest music in the 90's.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:04
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Was the second answering machine message ever explained ?
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Aug 19, 2013 01:19
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Sendo posted:Was the second answering machine message ever explained ? Both messages are the two calls from Lonnie that Sam mentions missing in her final journal entry. I thought it was a really great touch, I thought they were from the Mom or something at the start of the game but they get totally recontextualized by the end
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Aug 19, 2013 01:21
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Sendo posted:Was the second answering machine message ever explained ? Is that the girl crying calling sam? It's Lonnie after she changed her mind on the way to boot camp.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:23
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Sendo posted:Was the second answering machine message ever explained ? At first I thought it was the mother, but it's Lonnie at the payphone trying to call Sam. I think in her final journal entry Sam mentions that she missed the last three messages because she's been in the attic. I didn't get that either until I restarted the game.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:23
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Sonance posted:Did anyone else turn off the object/text highlighting before they started? Some of it is actually worthwhile though. Certain object highlight descriptions are actually from your character's opinion. Simple stuff like "Ew dad" when finding his hidden porn mag, but it adds flavor.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:31
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There's a secret 24th journal some guy is looking for on Twitch: http://www.twitch.tv/maxovitsj (was given hints from the dev: https://twitter.com/GoneHomeGame/status/369257521338265600)
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Aug 19, 2013 01:42
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So I beat this game and I didn't like it. Maybe if I were white and had a totally different upbringing a story about some gay girl would make me cry or w/e. Games like this upset me when they get praise like this.
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Aug 19, 2013 01:49
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edit: I am hilariously slow, and beat. I don't even have all the known journal entries, going to try and find the ones I'm missing tomorrow. Mondlicht fucked around with this message at 01:53 on Aug 19, 2013 |
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Aug 19, 2013 01:50
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xutech posted:When I first bought the game I had the sneaking suspicion that I was actually dead and visiting my family home one last time. I thought the talk about putting the ghost of the uncle to rest and the book on poltergeists was a red herring to make you think the ghostly disturbance was his, when in fact it was you, much like the movie "The Others". This was my inkling when I was nearing the end. I am glad it didn't turn out that way. Too depressing. Flashing Twelve posted:I'm interested though. Out of the people here who really enjoyed it, how many are queer? The story strongly reflects the personal experiences of a lot of queer people, which is why I think it's hitting some people much harder than others. I'm a fancy queer lady and honestly I wasn't too set on the romance plot just because it's that high-flying, wild, passionate kind of love that I don't really experience personally. It felt a little cliche, with lesbianism being associated with the punk scene and shenanigan...izing.... I never did that kind of thing, and I didn't really have to rebel, and my parents didn't see my sexuality that way. I was more like Katie, but that ended up working, since I'm playing Katie! Pick fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Aug 19, 2013 |
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Aug 19, 2013 01:52
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Pick posted:I'm a fancy queer lady and honestly I wasn't too set on the romance plot just because it's that high-flying, wild, passionate kind of love that I don't really experience personally. It felt a little cliche, with lesbianism being associated with the punk scene and shenanigan...izing.... I never did that kind of thing, and I didn't really have to rebel, and my parents didn't see my sexuality that way. I was more like Katie, but that ended up working, since I'm playing Katie! The romance might have played a little silly, but it does play to the high emotions of everyone's formative years, if only in a way that "Let's run away forever with no prospects" would sound like a *good idea*. I thought the kids were as hell, yes, but I wasn't that involved with their romance because it does make me roll my eyes at time. But I can sympathize with feeling left out and alienated for being different, even in a different way. So I guess connections can happen in different ways. Yoya posted:So I beat this game and I didn't like it. Maybe if I were white and had a totally different upbringing a story about some gay girl would make me cry or w/e. Games like this upset me when they get praise like this. I am surprised at some people in this thread, I'm not sure what it is about this genre of game that makes people feel the need to come and tell us how it *totally* didn't affect them. I don't like many games, I just don't bother talking about them. Perhaps because it's a thoughtful game rather than Call of Dudebro?
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Aug 19, 2013 02:05
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DreamShipWrecked posted:I am surprised at some people in this thread, I'm not sure what it is about this genre of game that makes people feel the need to come and tell us how it *totally* didn't affect them. I don't like many games, I just don't bother talking about them. Perhaps because it's a thoughtful game rather than Call of Dudebro? This genre? No I complain about all games if I felt they're over hyped. I feel like this is a discussion worth having, every thread doesn't have to be 100% unanimous praise. "call of dudebro" is pretty funny though, I gotta use it next time I meet some idiot jock.
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Aug 19, 2013 02:15
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If anyone is even vaguely interested in the whole notion of riot grrrl and what it was all about (there's got to be at least one reading this thread right? maybe?) pick up Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus.Publishers Weekly posted:A Brooklyn-based journalist gives a brash, gutsy chronicle of the empowering music and feminist movement of the early 1990s led by young women rock groups like Bikini Kill and Bratmobile. Politicized by such national events as the backlash against feminism in the press, the first Iraq War, and the Supreme Court's gearing up to review Roe v. Wade, young women were incensed. Kathleen Hanna, a college student from Olympia, Wash., was spurred to action after interviewing writer Kathy Acker and working for a domestic violence shelter, and she decided to start a band. Hanna, along with Tobi Vail, a fanzine writer (Jigsaw) and former punk rocker who was dating Nirvana's Kurt Cobain, were on a mission to spread female rebellion via their band, Bikini Kill. Meanwhile, Allison Wolfe and Molly Neuman, who had met at the University of Oregon, were in Washington, D.C., cobbling together their own band, Bratmobile. Thus, writes Marcus in this compelling account, the Grrrl Revolution was sparked. Marcus enthusiastically tracks the "scattered cartographies of rebellion" and captures the combustible excitement of this significant if short-lived moment. Or even just read the article The 10 myths of Riot Grrrl by Everett True, music writer (and occasional SA frontpage contributor!) and early and enthusiastic proponent for what was going on with it. Or even check out a whole shitload of his old articles here.
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Aug 19, 2013 02:20
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Wait wait wait - I don't remember reading anything about Terry and Oscar. I saw the taped-up note from Oscar inviting him to the house that was like "I'll understand if you refuse this invitation." I don't remember finding anything else that even hinted at any abuse. I'm feeling like I missed a large portion of the game. Where did I go wrong? I got everything else, but the Oscar/Terry relationship was completely missed by me. Some of my favorite parts: - The Lisa Frank-esque folder in one of the closets. - Any of the back-and-forth notes lying around. That brought me right back to high school. - Danny and his Super Nintendo. Every kid had someone in the neighborhood with a game system and/or games that they wanted to trade with. - The Ouiji board and the half-finished paper with it. I can just see in my mind two teenage girls getting that message and writing it down and freaking out and stopping as soon as they realized what it was saying. But...who has a lone locker in their bedroom? Where does one even get a locker like that for their house? Did Sam order one from a workplace supply catalog or something? My immediate thought for the X-files tapes was that the Dad was into it. He was into writing about JFK and conspiracy theories. X-files is conspiracy theories 101. There's even a JFK assassination episode. But then I remembered that it was must-see TV for the era and wasn't only the dad's thing when I saw that poster in Sam's room. Edit: Just found this in my Steam inventory. Yesss. 
Raere fucked around with this message at 02:26 on Aug 19, 2013 |
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Aug 19, 2013 02:24
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Raere posted:Wait wait wait - I don't remember reading anything about Terry and Oscar. I saw the taped-up note from Oscar inviting him to the house that was like "I'll understand if you refuse this invitation." I don't remember finding anything else that even hinted at any abuse. I'm feeling like I missed a large portion of the game. Where did I go wrong? I got everything else, but the Oscar/Terry relationship was completely missed by me. Massive spoilers, but check out this link for info on the first part. It's a lot of piecing together. I completely missed it, too. http://clockworkworlds.com/post/58411117679/the-transgression-you-can-do-better As for the locker, I assumed that the parents had to pay for it/buy it after Sam and Lonnie vandalized it.
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Aug 19, 2013 02:32
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Raere posted:
I hung out with a lot of people in the riot grrrl and general punk scene back then, and you would basically just steal one from where ever, lots of people had stupid poo poo like that. It's amazing what effort teens will go through to 'stick it to the man.' It didn't seem out of place to me at all. And I love that card. I kept examining that binder over and over in a hope to find something.
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Aug 19, 2013 02:33
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One of the biggest strengths of literature and film is the ability to place the audience in an unfamiliar point of view. You don't need to be exactly like a character to click with their story, you just need to grasp basic human emotions and be capable of empathy. Gone Home is getting a lot of hype in part because it actually asks the audience to see things from others' perspectives. You have to put in the effort to not just absorb a laundry list of things that happened, but to consider why they happened and think about the possible outcomes before you discover what came next.
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