Comments on: Thoughts: Waking Mars.

By: Hentzau

Hentzau — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 19:12:56 +0000

But yeah, if you didn’t find the dead zone to be a problem then it’s a game with pretty much no downsides: it knows exactly what it wants to do and achieves it excellently.

By: Hentzau

Hentzau — Thu, 27 Dec 2012 19:11:12 +0000

Can you even hit the biomass limits using just composted green plants, though? I did some quick mental calculations and assumed that you couldn’t, but I may have been wrong.

By: A different Joe

A different Joe — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:41:26 +0000

Also I’d like to add that because of the focus on solving puzzles in a chamber to move onto the next and the general alien environment, this gave me strong flashbacks of Out of this World and, uh.. Flashback.

By: A different Joe

A different Joe — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 19:37:07 +0000

I bought this after reading your opening paragraph and seeing the occumpanying photograph of the game. It was obvious it was going to be a gem and I am not dissapointed.

I agree strongly with your praise of the game. Especially the dialogue between Amani and Jiang, which was done excellently.

I don’t think I agree about the existence a ‘dead zone’ in the game. I found it so much fun to be Jiang flying around in a jetpack growing alien ecosystems that I was disspointed once there were no more chambers to max out.

Maybe a strategy of balloon plants and massing creatures isn’t as fun as my strategy of converting chambers to mostly non-acidic composted green plants. Or maybe I just love being a stoic jetpacking scientist on mars.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 04:45:37 +0000

Note to developers and publishers – I’ve been a fan of all kinds of video games for over twenty years. It’s been my experience that a shorter, intense, creative game that flows right is always better than a strung out, slightly more difficult with little reward because of the stunt in gameplay. Waking Mars is a fabulous game – at it’s core it’s got great potential ! Thank you.

By: Gap

Gap — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:45:29 +0000

I think the two things aren’t mutually exclusive. War films can be exciting without the fighters running into the open spraying bullets, for example. How much it matters depends on your background, I suppose. Someone commented that military training had ruined Die Hard for them, because the shootouts are so ludicrously unrealistic.

By: Darren

Darren — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 21:33:08 +0000

I’m an English major and as analytical as they come, but to me Prometheus can’t support too much allegory or symbolism. Part of why I like it is that I just assume that every conclusion the characters come to in the film is simply wrong or incomplete. The Engineer ship may or may not have been going to Earth–there’s no proof that it was headed there, only that the planet was in the ship’s navigation log–there’s no solid evidence that the black goo is what the Engineers would have considered a weapon, etc.

Like I said, I think that a sequel could completely salvage or utterly destroy the film, thanks to it’s (divisive, understandably frustrating) vagueness.

I also forgive a lot of scientific error because I want to watch an exciting film, not a safety-minded scientific expedition.

By: Hentzau

Hentzau — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 03:05:36 +0000

I’ve read some very deep analysis of Prometheus regarding the various metaphors and symbolism in the movie, to the point where I’m now convinced it might be the ultimate example of allegory trumping logic. There’s something going on in the film beyond the usual piss-poor Hollywood blockbuster plotting, but whatever it is it actively exacerbated the problem rather than improving the final product at all, and so we end up with a rather disjointed, nonsensical mess that takes some rather horrendous liberties with science and the audience’s suspension of disbelief. As it is I can totally believe it’s the result of two different scripts being smooshed together.

By: Hentzau

Hentzau — Tue, 27 Nov 2012 02:55:47 +0000

Yeah, one of the things I didn’t mention (because I was trying not to spoil it too much) is the way the entire cave system is, well, a *system*. Each area is different and appears to have a specific function in the alien complex; they’ve actually managed to tie in level variety to their process of discovery quite excellently.

By: Pertusaria

Pertusaria — Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:29:30 +0000

That’s really neat, thanks. I got to the start of what I think you mean by “the dead zone” last night, and I have to agree – I’m not entirely looking forward to going back to every room I haven’t got the highest possible rating in and doing it to perfection.

I find the graphics are a big part of the charm – once in a while I’ve got to a new room and genuinely been awed. The plants are nicely drawn as well. I agree that what makes the game is the mystery and the understated way in which the characters handle it.