Dear Esther re-do Feb 14th

uh, wonderful. The original was mesmerizing, though it was not pretty and the voicing was low production. This updated version looks great
 
I'm still amazed by the graphics the Source engine can pump out for being 7 years old.
 
I...what?

I've never heard of anything like this before.

Trailer looks mighty fine. What the thing about?
 
So after looking this game up, it appears it is not a game at all really. You move around an island finding spots where the narrator talks, that's it.
 
exlink said:
I'm still amazed by the graphics the Source engine can pump out for being 7 years old.
Click to expand...

yes the engine has never been touched or otherwise upgraded in 7 years.

unreal engine looks pretty good too for being over a decade old. i'm also pretty amazed at what cry engine pulls off these days as well seeing as it made its debut in 2004.
 
socK said:
unreal engine looks pretty good too for being over a decade old. i'm also pretty amazed at what cry engine pulls off these days as well seeing as it made its debut in 2004.
Click to expand...
I know you're being sarcastic, but I do think UT99 still looks really good all things considered. :D
 
After reading about the game here for the first time a few days ago I grabbed the original mod and played it through, it's really just a long linear path with a few side areas, it tells a narrative which is highly fragmented and confusing and basically designed to keep you wondering about what it represents.

A lot of people see this is clever and artsy, but I see it the same way I see the ambiguous ending of the film Inception, it's really being deliberately ambiguous, there is no real "answer" to any of these questions just peoples best fitting ideas, so if like me and you expect some kind of resolution to the narrative, just don't bother with it (the mod).
 
Not my cup of tea (my tolerance of games as art only goes so far), but it's defying my expectations as far as how well it was going to sell.
 
ok i wasnt going to get this game but it seems like you guys say it is interesting. I might get it just to see what the fuss is all about.
 
exlink said:
I'm still amazed by the graphics the Source engine can pump out for being 7 years old.
Click to expand...

Really? Source is tired as shit imo.


I have been reading up on this game and still on the fence, hard to call it a game as well though. But it does have my interest.
 
Quoting myself from the other Esther thread that popped up today:

I played through it today. It only took a couple of hours. It's basically like playing through a short story. The only controls are WASD and Mouse. Pretty gorgeous scenery though. I wouldn't say it was amazing, but it was definitely interesting.
Click to expand...

Also, I wouldn't have realized that it was the Source engine if I didn't read it here in this thread.
 
I liked this. Was very interesting. Not really a game, but it doesn't have to be. Had a great atmosphere, the music was great and the graphics where pretty damn good.
 
So when are people going to be uploading the screens with forced 32x CSAA and all the bells and whistles? This game is beautiful!
 
Gameplaywise not much.

But it's amazing what the latest Source engine can do. The $10 is more than enough just for the eye candy. Seriously, I think it's the best looking Source game yet. The lush foliage, grungy terrains, etc are just absolutely breath taking.
 
PrincessFrosty said:
After reading about the game here for the first time a few days ago I grabbed the original mod and played it through, it's really just a long linear path with a few side areas, it tells a narrative which is highly fragmented and confusing and basically designed to keep you wondering about what it represents.

A lot of people see this is clever and artsy, but I see it the same way I see the ambiguous ending of the film Inception, it's really being deliberately ambiguous, there is no real "answer" to any of these questions just peoples best fitting ideas, so if like me and you expect some kind of resolution to the narrative, just don't bother with it (the mod).
Click to expand...


I steamed it this afternoon and just finished. Reading a review I was looking forward because I'm generally a fan of games taking 3D engines in different directions besides a FPS. I quickly realized this was nothing but a eye candy stroll. You can't interact with anything. The fragmented dialog sound like a babbling schizophrenic and really made little sense. I was sure that along the way I would see clues that would thread all the loose ends together. Guess what. Never happened.
Was the island real or in the main character (narrator and or first persons) mind?
Who was Esther exactly? A wife? A friend? A mother? A basset hound? NO clue.
Who did all the drawing of electronic and chemical diagrams and mis-quoted biblical texts?
What was the purpose of them.
It seem the story was a 100 piece jig saw puzzle and you find none of the pieces fit together.
I expected to find that the whole thing was a dream world a man in a coma or schizo condition was trapped in and at the end he would be revived or medicated or whatever and then there would be the pay off. The rest of the story that made the whole thing make some sense.
I do NOT see it as a triumph in an artistic sense. The ambiguous dialog seeming to have no connection to the world you were seeing. It was like talking a walk with a babbling drunk.
So you are left with endless trying to READ meaning it things to make something of it.
Guess with. That is a useless task, This thing was NOT story driven.
It was "follow the path" driven and "look around" That is all.
 
I did not understand the "game". Had tried the mod when first released then replayed it a couple of days ago to see if I missed anything. Walking on some path then dying or walking back or...?
 
Dr. Righteous said:
I steamed it this afternoon and just finished. Reading a review I was looking forward because I'm generally a fan of games taking 3D engines in different directions besides a FPS. I quickly realized this was nothing but a eye candy stroll. You can't interact with anything. The fragmented dialog sound like a babbling schizophrenic and really made little sense. I was sure that along the way I would see clues that would thread all the loose ends together. Guess what. Never happened.
Was the island real or in the main character (narrator and or first persons) mind?
Who was Esther exactly? A wife? A friend? A mother? A basset hound? NO clue.
Who did all the drawing of electronic and chemical diagrams and mis-quoted biblical texts?
What was the purpose of them.
It seem the story was a 100 piece jig saw puzzle and you find none of the pieces fit together.
I expected to find that the whole thing was a dream world a man in a coma or schizo condition was trapped in and at the end he would be revived or medicated or whatever and then there would be the pay off. The rest of the story that made the whole thing make some sense.
I do NOT see it as a triumph in an artistic sense. The ambiguous dialog seeming to have no connection to the world you were seeing. It was like talking a walk with a babbling drunk.
So you are left with endless trying to READ meaning it things to make something of it.
Guess with. That is a useless task, This thing was NOT story driven.
It was "follow the path" driven and "look around" That is all.
Click to expand...

I've not tried it but this doesn't surprise me.

I feel that this kind of media is cheating somewhat, storys, games, books, film are all about telling a narrative and usually a coherent one that has a point, when you're left to fill in the blanks to that degree you make the narrative ambiguous and quite frankly if you can fill in the blanks and come to some conclusion wildly different from someone else's then what's the point?

I certainly would not buy the game based on the mod.
 
I was a little let down by the ending when I played the mod a couple of years back. The suspense wasn't really resolved. Also, walking around did become tedious at times. Regardless of how good it looks and sounds, some people will probably be disappointed by this on their first playthrough.

The whole point of it, in my eyes, must be to ponder on what to make of the whole thing - to play through it once in a while and try to come to new conclusions. So its good that they have upped the whole presentation by this much, so you might feel compelled to experience the environment and narrative again
 
DeathPrincess said:
So it's like crysis, a poor game in nice scenery?
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Yeah, I read quite a few comments (on the Steam forums) stating "amazing visuals! This shows what the source engine can really do!"

Really??

The ONLY thumbs up I would give is the modeling of the terrain. The use of textures was pretty poor and the lighting, shadows, fog, weather, and other effects were NON EXISTENCE. The entire game was more or less a twilight and a night scene at the end.
So in reality this is a PISS POOR example of what the source engine is capable of doing.
Look at some of the excellent environmental effects in L4D2. I went back and played HEAVY RAIN 2 more times because the storm sequence was so convincing!
 
I want some more short answer reviews....

I don't want spoilers...

but I want people's opinion, as I really am interested in not shooting anything...is there like small puzzles or anything? Like do I have to pick places to walk and can go the wrong way? Can I even die? Like I said I don't want spoilers, but I also don't want just no interaction at all...

Worth $10 or not?
 
I think this game is only worth 1 dollar or less. Should be in a humble bundle pack
 
Bowhuntr11 said:
I want some more short answer reviews....

I don't want spoilers...

but I want people's opinion, as I really am interested in not shooting anything...is there like small puzzles or anything? Like do I have to pick places to walk and can go the wrong way? Can I even die? Like I said I don't want spoilers, but I also don't want just no interaction at all...

Worth $10 or not?
Click to expand...


There is NO interaction with anything at all. The first impression are there are visual puzzles to solve because you see writing, diagrams, and you want to piece it together but that isn't the case.

So most people seem to consider this an artistic exercise. I understand that; but I really don't see it that way.
Kind of like people that look at a Jackson Pallock painting and say "That brilliant!"
My opinion is that is a MESS.
 
Dang...

I really want a game with no shooting/fighting...but puzzles and such...would be a nice break for a game or two...

Just like Uncharted, but with no fighting :p
 
Bowhuntr11 said:
I want some more short answer reviews....

I don't want spoilers...

but I want people's opinion, as I really am interested in not shooting anything...is there like small puzzles or anything? Like do I have to pick places to walk and can go the wrong way? Can I even die? Like I said I don't want spoilers, but I also don't want just no interaction at all...

Worth $10 or not?
Click to expand...

The interaction is in the mind. It's you trying to piece together the random pieces of narration in the game (that change with each playthrough) to find out what the story means.

As far as actual interaction, there is WASD, and left click to zoom the camera. That's it. You just walk around and follow the linear path around the island. It's not completely on rails or anything, you can venture off on little trails and stuff, but they all end as dead ends and you just have to walk back and continue on the main path.

I don't regret my purchase but I wouldn't say it's worth $10 really. Wait until it goes on sale (probably soon) and then buy it. It's a great experience but it's only 1-2 hours long so I wouldn't really say it's worth $10.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
The ONLY thumbs up I would give is the modeling of the terrain. The use of textures was pretty poor and the lighting, shadows, fog, weather, and other effects were NON EXISTENCE. The entire game was more or less a twilight and a night scene at the end.
So in reality this is a PISS POOR example of what the source engine is capable of doing.
Look at some of the excellent environmental effects in L4D2. I went back and played HEAVY RAIN 2 more times because the storm sequence was so convincing!
Click to expand...

I agree that some of the textures are poor, but did you even look at the screenshots? The lighting is one of the most amazing things about this game and is easily the best lighting of any source game. The environmental effects are pretty nice also. What you can't see in the screenshots is grass blowing in the wind, clouds rolling in the distance, water dripping from the caves and flowing through the environment, and the great environmental sound and music. It's also worth noting that the screenshots in that album are only of roughly the second half of the game. The first half takes place on the island during daytime, and it looks great as well.
 
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