Gone Home: strangely high reviews?

[lilrayray69]

Not sure if you guys heard of this game but it's a exploration/story game not unlike Amnesia and others like it. The premise is you, the character, comes home from vacation only to find your home completely empty and try to find clues to discoverer where your family went. It recently came out and got rave reviews from nearly all major critics.

Gamespot - 95
IGN - 95
GamesRadar - 100
Metacritic: 90
however, the metacritic user score: 4.8

I played this game and while I had fun, I was not impressed. It is a $20 game which lasts 2 hours at the most. The graphics, gameplay, sound, etc. are nothing new - pretty much direct copies of other games of the genre. The only place it shines is it's story - actually, not so much the story but the delivery. The voice acting is very good and the trail of notes/clues builds up a level of suspense which is pretty intriguing. However, once you get to the end you may (like me) feel extremely disappointed and feel like you just wasted your time.

If you read comments on pretty much any review site for it, almost everyone is saying that the game does not deserve a 9+/10, and that it is a complete rip off at $20.

Possible Spoilers:

Personally I think the main reason it's getting great reviews is it's cultural commentary on homosexuality. I feel as if they put that in purposefully in order to get better reviews, as it's not quite politically correct to trash a game about a homosexual relationship. If not for this I can't see any reason why this game would be hyped up so much and currently still #1 on IGNs "popular now" list.

 

[futurefields]

I'd day you are probably right.

 

[BlueWeasel]

I've not played it, but I saw the Gamespot review and though "WTF?"

 

[gothamhunter]

I played it, and it was amazing. A little short for the price, but since I basically paid for an interactive movie and ate snacks and drank at home, it wasn't any more expensive than a movie.

It's not for everyone, but if you love story heavy adventure games, you'll love it. I really connected with the characters.

 

[StinkyPinky]

I find game reviewers are just like art critics. If one influential reviewer likes the game they all just follow like sheep. Black and White being a perfect example.

I never take reviews seriously. It's all word of mouth for me. I've gotten to know certain people on certain forums that have similar taste so if they like a game then there is a good chance I will.

 

[acheron]

It struck me as the kind of game that is designed to appeal to reviewers. It sounded interesting enough that I might get it eventually, but when I saw it was $20 I figured it could wait. Thanks for confirming that.

 

[WiseUp216]

Metacritic users and mainstream review sites are probably the two worst places to get information about games.

I enjoyed it quite a bit. A solid 7/10, in my opinion. $20 was a little steep, considering the length, but I don't mind paying for something a little different.

 

[stahlhart]

I wish there were more reviews like this.

 

[DaveSimmons]

The reviewers all got it free, so the price didn't matter to them.

So, to them the game was a 9 - 10 / 10 if you ignore the cost.

 

[futurefields]

Lol...

"This 80,000 car performs great for a 30,000 car. BMW hooked us for free so 9/10"

 

[thedosbox]

Personally I think the main reason it's getting great reviews is it's cultural commentary on homosexuality. I feel as if they put that in purposefully in order to get better reviews

/facepalm - do you also think "teh gayz" are out to get you?

Haven't played it, but I've no issue with "games" that focus on great atmosphere and story telling - see Walking Dead and Analogue: Hate Story.

 

[Robert Munch]

I wish there were more reviews like this.

Ahahahahah this is gold.

If you're trying to produce a realistic, hardcore anti-terrorist sim, don't have the company making it name themselves "Magic Lantern Playware". And if that's not possible, don't have the fucking words "Magic Lantern Playware" pop up every time I start the game, because it makes me feel a lot less like a trained killer and a lot more like a i love you.

 

[Zeze]

Oh god wtf is this crap?

The game started so promising- I haven't played such heavy exploration based game since the 90's...

I played it with zero idea what the game was about. It started out great- amazing atmosphere and detail. I scoured every details of every room and sucked in all detail. It was amazing... for awhile.

-- spoilers --

About 30 mins into it, I realized that this was a budget indie game afterall. This meant I would never see any of the family animated and I probably wouldn't interact with anyone until something big happens or in the end.

Nope, the game ends with reading note pages- the same crap you've been doing in last 60 mins. As for the story content- wtf is this shit? It's not even a mildly complex story. It's just a dumb emotional teen dating. Homosexuality adds NOTHING to it. I expected some kind of horror or tragedy.. or at least some satisfying twist. The ending is just reading the 50th note page as the screen fades out.

9.5? 9? WTF is this shit?

More like 5 for content and gameplay. 7 for polished atmophere.

 

[gothamhunter]

Oh god wtf is this crap?

The game started so promising- I haven't played such heavy exploration based game since the 90's...

I played it with zero idea what the game was about. It started out great- amazing atmosphere and detail. I scoured every details of every room and sucked in all detail. It was amazing... for awhile.

-- spoilers --

About 30 mins into it, I realized that this was a budget indie game afterall. This meant I would never see any of the family animated and I probably wouldn't interact with anyone until something big happens or in the end.

Nope, the game ends with reading note pages- the same crap you've been doing in last 60 mins. As for the story content- wtf is this shit? It's not even a mildly complex story. It's just a dumb emotional teen dating. Homosexuality adds NOTHING to it. I expected some kind of horror or tragedy.. or at least some satisfying twist. The ending is just reading the 50th note page as the screen fades out.

9.5? 9? WTF is this shit?

More like 5 for content and gameplay. 7 for polished atmophere.

That's a little harsh of a review; I get the feeling that you focused too much on the story of the sister, which I know was the main focal point, but the entire game and atmosphere gives you a read into the entire family's life.

There were so many little things throughout the whole house that it gave me such a clear view of their family life that I felt like I really was the sister coming home, that I was honestly

Spoiler

ashamed at my dad for his porno in the library, concerned over his denied books and apparent drinking problem, scared that my mom was going to have an affair and leave my father, worried that my little sister killed our cat, hid it in the attic and the collar in her closet, slightly interested in the illegal acts that went down in the hidden basement, afraid that the reason no one was around was because my sister and her girlfriend summoned the dead evil spirit of a relative, and relieved, yet saddened, to see that my sister did not kill herself in the attic out of depression but rather left to be able to live her own life.

I agree, the homosexuality thing doesn't add anything significant, but it did give an insightful view of her burdens with her family and friends. If it was just because of some boy it would have been different; the parents wouldn't have been so judgmental and outright angry/in denial.

I can't disagree with the comments about the high price, even I came out like hmm, $20? I should have waited. But I'm very, very glad I did play it and found it to be one of the most atmospheric games I've played and had a better story than most games do lately.

For those interested, yes; the entire game is you walking around, picking up objects, moving objects, finding hidden things, and reading things. No pewpew or boss battles.

 

[futurefields]

No pewpew, guys.

 

[Zeze]

Spoiler

ashamed at my dad for his porno in the library, concerned over his denied books and apparent drinking problem, scared that my mom was going to have an affair and leave my father, worried that my little sister killed our cat, hid it in the attic and the collar in her closet, slightly interested in the illegal acts that went down in the hidden basement, afraid that the reason no one was around was because my sister and her girlfriend summoned the dead evil spirit of a relative, and relieved, yet saddened, to see that my sister did not kill herself in the attic out of depression but rather left to be able to live her own life.

I thought I caught them all.. care to elaborate on these?

Spoiler

1. Mom having affair? I only saw her excellent work and getting promoted.

2. I don't remember anything about having a cat or Sam killing it.

3. What illegal acts in basement? The only 'edgy' thing I saw was ouija board with the pentagram and the dead uncle's picture- which is really just a child's play.

I didn't think for a minute that Sam killed herself because right from the first note at the door, it's clear she just ran away. All that talk about Lonnie- obvious it was with her. No foul play. And the parents just went on their anniversary trip. After those two things were established about 30% into the game, that's when it got boring for me.

I REALLY thought they'd throw in some exciting- a tragedy or turn of events... it would've made the game MUCH better.

For those interested, yes; the entire game is you walking around, picking up objects, moving objects, finding hidden things, and reading things. No pewpew or boss battles.

Spoiler

That was my disappointment. I didn't expect 'pew pews' but....

No interaction with anyone or anything from start to finish.

No dialogue ever.

No extra effort into the ending? It was literally reading ANOTHER note as the screen faded away. That was painfully bad. At LEAST you can script something budget friendly like Sam calling the phone in the attic, Katie (you) pick it up, and then you hear Sam's voice 'live'. She tells you a heartfelt good bye and screen fades away.

Now THAT would've been just as simple to make with no extra resources. And it would've been ten-fold more satisfying.

 

[gothamhunter]

I thought I caught them all.. care to elaborate on these?

Spoiler

1. Mom having affair? I only saw her excellent work and getting promoted.

2. I don't remember anything about having a cat or Sam killing it.

3. What illegal acts in basement? The only 'edgy' thing I saw was ouija board with the pentagram and the dead uncle's picture- which is really just a child's play.

I didn't think for a minute that Sam killed herself because right from the first note at the door, it's clear she just ran away. All that talk about Lonnie- obvious it was with her. No foul play. And the parents just went on their anniversary trip. After those two things were established about 30% into the game, that's when it got boring for me.

I REALLY thought they'd throw in some exciting tragedy or turn of events... it would've made the game MUCH better.

Spoiler

1. There were multiple notes between her and her friend talking about the awesome fire ranger or whatever and all the subtle hints about her friend basically saying to go for it and she was thinking about it.

2. There was a picture of Sam with a cat. There was a cat collar in Sam's closet. The note about not going into the attic. The mention about ghosts. My thought was (at the time) that she used it for a ritual in the attic. Later we find out that it was her and her gf's safe haven.

3. The newspaper clippings in the basement about her uncle, the safe with all the drugs in it, a few other things...

Sidenote - did you find the old wooden toy and the part of the wall in the basement that had the height markings on it? Nice touches.

30% of the game? FFS man, how? Sure we could assume she was with Lonnie, but there was also the possibility of her being severely depressed since Lonnie left to military.

I feel like you missed a lot of side things; I didn't know they were on a trip until right before I went into the hidden area with the pentagram.

Spoiler

Edit - Sam calling her at that point would have been cheesy; how would have she known to call right then? I feel like it would have been a scripted event, which the whole game tried to avoid (minus the parts where you need part A to get to area B). And she wouldn't call the house because she wouldn't want to accidentally get her parents. And she couldn't call Sam because she wouldn't know where to call.

Edit 2 - Either spoiler tag your responses to me as well or don't bother spoiler-tagging anything lmao.

 

[Zeze]

Spoiler

Why can't Sam call Katie?

Sam knows the parents are obviously gone for the entire week- dad even left $40 for pizza.

Sam also knows when Katie arrives, that's why she left the note at the start of the game ("Don't look for me").

It wouldn't be a scripted event. It would be the exact same mechanic as the game has been:

1. Phone rings

2. Walk to it, left click to pick it up.

3. You hear Sam's voice. It's 'live' in the game world, but it's same as hearing the journal entry. It can very well be an one-sided conversation that would work perfectly- "Hey sis... I knew you'd pick up. I just wanted to say good bye... I'm so sorry. But Lonnie is taking good care of me. Tell mom and dad I love them. See you.. some day."

That would've been perfect. I mean I did appreciate the game's draw. But the ending so so piss poor... just one same note and screen fades? WTF. I almost got mad- all that amazing build-up, all that investment... then nothing.

 

[gothamhunter]

Spoiler

Why can't Sam call Katie?

Sam knows the parents are obviously gone for the entire week- dad even left $40 for pizza.

Sam also knows when Katie arrives, that's why she left the note at the start of the game ("Don't look for me").

It wouldn't be a scripted event. It would be the exact same mechanic as the game has been:

1. Phone rings

2. Walk to it, left click to pick it up.

3. You hear Sam's voice. It's 'live' in the game world, but it's same as hearing the journal entry. It can very well be an one-sided conversation that would work perfectly- "Hey sis... I knew you'd pick up. I just wanted to say good bye... I'm so sorry. But Lonnie is taking good care of me. Tell mom and dad I love them. See you.. some day."

That would've been perfect. I mean I did appreciate the game's draw. But the ending so so piss poor... just one same note and screen fades? WTF. I almost got mad.

Spoiler

So Sam calling at the exact moment that is the end of the game wouldn't seem scripted?

I'll say this; I see where you're coming from. I think if maybe they went back and thought about something like that, they would consider doing it. But considering the entirety of the thing is under the impression that Sam has already left and has no idea when Katie is supposed to return (she didn't call until they were all gone; the new message light was blinking), it just wouldn't have fit, IMO.

Edit:

Spoiler

MAYBE if periodically you heard the phone in the attic ringing, as if Sam was actively attempting to call for Katie without knowing when she'd get there. Remember there are no cellphones though so we'd have to assume she was already at her destination or using multiple payphones.

 

[Zeze]

All in all, I did enjoy it. I love anything that's new, innovative, or old way brought back.

Def not agreeing with these crazy 9+ reviews from critics. Not even close.

 

[CottonRabbit]

Haven't played it, but the trend of flash games masquerading as indie games is getting ridiculous. And it's ridiculous how reviewers give indie games a free pass on being repetitive or short. I fell for the hype on Hotline Miami, which I only played for 30 minutes. Divekick is another new one that's being hyped solely because it's different and indie.

 

[Midwayman]

Reviewers tend to place a bit too much emphasis on novelty I find. They see so much of the same stuff that anything new really sticks out. Average Joe isn't quite so desensitized.

 

[smackababy]

Divekick is a 2d fighter that is a parody of fighters and the FGC. Sure, it is indie, but I wouldn't exactly call it a game the developers are trying to sell it as some kind of new Street Fighter.

 

[WiseUp216]

Haven't played it, but the trend of flash games masquerading as indie games is getting ridiculous. And it's ridiculous how reviewers give indie games a free pass on being repetitive or short. I fell for the hype on Hotline Miami, which I only played for 30 minutes. Divekick is another new one that's being hyped solely because it's different and indie.

Who said anything about flash games? Gone Home isn't anything remotely like a flash game.

 

[flexy]

I read the review on GS and was not sure what to think.

So I got the game and played for a bit and did NOT find it too exciting. The reviewer used words like "rich" etc.

I replied on the forum WTF is "rich" about this game when it's all in that one setting (the house) and all I did was effing going from one room to the other, opening drawers and reading notes.

The reviewer ALSO said it's not a puzzle game...while I am at a point in the game where it's ALL about finding the keys to open the unlocked doors...so it's DEFINITELY a puzzle game. (I cannot stand puzzle games and "find the hidden item" type of games...it's effing annoying).

So..basically..walk from one room to the other...read notes, open this or that trying to find a key. "9.5" <--- yeah right. The fact that I was not compelled to continue playing until now is proof enough that this obviously is not a "9.5 game".

In regards to GS (and probably the entire gaming scene at the moment) overall, I see a lot of weird "super casual" retro and super-simplified puzzle games reviewed and getting high ratings....games which more resemble flash games or "social network games" someone would play on MSN on a short lunch break. I seriously think the entire gaming scene is going down-hill because of that.

It seems that many developers now program more for the super-casual, mobile users than for "real" PC users.

There are very, very few companies at the moment who realize that this is a bad development..among them, Jade Raymond/UBISoft Toronto which as far as I remember is one of the few who criticized what's going on in the gaming industry right now.

A game like Gone Home is not really more complex as those flash-puzzle games...it could've been made as a browser flash game as well so the comparison is very much justified.