Firewatch

john the one

So Firewatch release date has been release as the 9th of February.

This is across PC, PS4 and X box 1, it has been in development the last 2 years by a small team and looks beautiful i must say!

First 17 minutes game play, looks fun and different.

Website so you can sign up for the newsletter if you so wish:

http://www.firewatchgame.com/

Anyone interested? I honestly cant wait,its on my radar too long now

SeantheMan

Seems like an interactive story, like Gone Home or that other game that I can't remember where I walked over some Island for 2 hours with commentary and had a real weird story and wasn't great.......I think it was called.....wasted time on an Island...or.....Dear Esther..yeah...that was it.

This looks a bit better, but I'll wait for a release and some people on boards to give their views.

I enjoyed Gone Home

john the one

Dear Esther, never played it but it looked beautiful. Gone home was nice too. But this game doesn't look as linear as either of them which is a good thing.

Zero-Cool

So, anyone getting this tomorrow? Just read the pc version will have a feature of being able to take in game pics and then pay 15 dollars to have them developed and sent to you. But of a strange one..

I'm mad to hear more about it, not sure how much it even costs.

Exclamation Marc

Zero-Cool wrote: »

So, anyone getting this tomorrow? Just read the pc version will have a feature of being able to take in game pics and then pay 15 dollars to have them developed and sent to you. But of a strange one..

I'm mad to hear more about it, not sure how much it even costs.

Very intrigued by it and once reviews don't stink, I'll definitely be picking it up on ps4. Looks very very good.

Maximus Alexander

Zero-Cool wrote: »

I'm mad to hear more about it, not sure how much it even costs.

20 quid on Steam, but on sale for 18 at the moment.

Looks interesting and different enough that I'm sure I'll pick it up as soon as I clear a bit more of my backlog.

heebusjeebus

Any sign of it on the PS Store yet? Do we know how much it will cost?

Captain Chaos

heebusjeebus wrote: »

Any sign of it on the PS Store yet? Do we know how much it will cost?

Still not up, think this will be €20 and there will a Plus discount for the first week.

2smiggy

reviews are varying quite a bit on gamerankings , might wait to hear some opinions on here

Originally thought this was on the way for Xbox too, doesn't seem to be the case now

Otacon

Deleted User wrote: »

Originally thought this was on the way for Xbox too, doesn't seem to be the case now

It isn't being published by Sony so it will more than likely reach the Xbox One at some point.

MillField

This games looks so good. For some reason I thought it was a mobile title. Disappointing to say the least!

Captain Chaos

Seems like the game is suffering performance issues on PS4, the devs are working with Sony to get a patch together to sort it out.

Exclamation Marc

It's definitely one of those polarising games like Journey. Either love it or hate the type of game it is. Most people seem to love it but there's no middle ground. Performance issues on ps4 are frustrating, might hang on a bit before I get it.

johnny_ultimate

Most of the reviews I've read say the whole thing falls apart at the end - although the general consensus seems to be it's excellent up until that point. Very curious to play it now to see what exactly is so iffy about the ending :pac:

heebusjeebus

The game is here:

https://store.playstation.com/#!/en-ie/games/firewatch/cid=EP0144-CUSA04118_00-FIREWATCH0000000

Zillah

Zero-Cool wrote: »

Just read the pc version will have a feature of being able to take in game pics and then pay 15 dollars to have them developed and sent to you. But of a strange one.

Weird but harmless. I don't begrudge them the attempt to develop another way of making some money from their game, and it doesn't impact anyone else's experience. It's the sort of thing I'd like to see more of, rather than early access, pre-launch DLC, expensive expansions, perks and advantages in multiplayer, etc.

CSGO suggests you spend money to roll some dice and get pretty skins for your guns. It's a little annoying how they kind of shove it in your face and repeatedly solicit you to do so, but it's a harmless feature that doesn't really impact anyone but the people choosing to take advantage of it.

johnny_ultimate

Really enjoyed the first hour or two. Lovely sense of physicality to the movement system, feels like you're genuinely traversing ground as an actual person! If you're playing on PC, I'd recommend playing with a controller for that reason - felt off with the keyboard and mouse, much more tactile and logical with a Dualshock! Not a whole lot of variety in what you do - lots of 'big drops' - and the map isn't particularly open. But it flows well and conjures up a potent sense of vastness and lonliness.

No narrative nosedive yet anyway :pac: The conversations between the two characters flow credibly and engagingly. Not the most technically or aesthetically demanding game, but plenty of fetching sights and lovely painterly lighting effects.

fedorafennec

After you finish the photos show in the credits. From the main menu, you can upload the photos to their site and it gives you a link to view and download them at. They seem to be higher resolution than what you play at. Mine were at 2960x1944 while I played it at 1080p.

Performance was a bit iffy but that might just be a unity engine thing. It crashed a few times at first but was patched like two hours after release and that sorted that.

The narrative seems like it is building towards something it isnt at times but I was pretty happy with it overall.

Maximus Alexander

fedorafennec wrote: »

Performance was a bit iffy but that might just be a unity engine thing. It crashed a few times at first but was patched like two hours after release and that sorted that.

There's nothing intrinsic to Unity that would cause performance to be iffy. The engine is as good as what you put into it. If it's poorly optimised that's on the developers.

fedorafennec

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

There's nothing intrinsic to Unity that would cause performance to be iffy. The engine is as good as what you put into it. If it's poorly optimised that's on the developers.

Just looked some of that up and don't know where I got that idea. Anyhow, I played it on low and medium and it was still quite pretty.

wandatowell

Put in 2 hours+ this evening. It's a fairly good game, enjoyable.

One thing I did notice is the sense of isolation/paranoia.

Impressive stuff so far for 18 quid.

wandatowell

Put in 2 hours+ this evening. It's a fairly good game, enjoyable.

One thing I did notice is the sense of isolation/paranoia.

Impressive stuff so far for 18 quid.

johnny_ultimate

Have found it very well optimised, actually, and that's coming from the miracle of optimisation that is The Witness! Easily hitting 60-100 FPS on Ultra, the only minor drop below was when walking through a thick forest area with dusky rays of sunlight pouring through - understandably demanding, and undeniably fetching to boot. Have played far less stable Unity-based games (Sunset springs to mind). Did come across one weird bug where I couldn't get text from a letter off my screen, had to quit to main menu to rectify it.

One thing I'm not so fond of in the game is the item physics and interactions. The wacky way you hurl items just seems at odds with the tone of the world and indeed the physical presence of your character. Especially jarring since some items have a proper 'put back' option where you place them carefully instead of flailing your arms wildly and hurling the object in the general direction of down :pac:

tok9

The PS4 theme with this is lovely from the brief moments I saw it.

john the one

I Will buy this game but not when they insult me with a 2 euro off discount on a pretty sale game. So tacky.

But it looks great.

Feck it, I'll get it now.

Zillah

fedorafennec wrote: »

They seem to be higher resolution than what you play at. Mine were at 2960x1944 while I played it at 1080p

Fascinating. Must have some mechanism where it rerenders at higher resolution for the screencap. No reason it would be an issue, I suppose, given that it only has to generate one frame.

Benzino

Played a couple of hours last night, really enjoying it so far and looking forward to finding out what happens. The stuttering on PS4 is disappointing, but I guess it doesn't impact this sort of game much (compared to an FPS for example).

tok9 wrote: »

The PS4 theme with this is lovely from the brief moments I saw it.

Yeah it's nice theme, like the sound effects with it. It's replaced my Journey theme.

chrislad

I finished this last night. Only had one graphical issue (where half the world disappeared. It looked like I was at the edge of a cliff, but once I walked 'off' the cliff, the rest of the world popped up) - While I can see why some people disliked the ending, I thought it was great. I don't want to get into it, as the games needs to be played with as little knowledge as possible. It took me just over 3 hours to finish, but it's definitely something I'll replay in a few months time.

Generic Dreadhead

chrislad wrote: »

It took me just over 3 hours to finish

At what kind of pace were you playing it?

johnny_ultimate

Finished it last night. Overall I dug it a lot. The main ending - i.e. what develops between the two main characters - is great. It's understated and melancholic in a way games very rarely are. It's a curious, meaningful friendship between two people tackling their own demons and ends appropriately.

I think the problems are more with the side-story, and the sense of mystery bubbling throughout the game (comes to the forefront in the latter half).

It's leads to a weak denouncement that asks for an emotional impact from the player based on characters they haven't encountered. It's rushed and clunky in execution. On the plus side, it doesn't go down the crazy conspiracy route it teases, and in a way reflects the paranoia and grief of Henry and more directly Delilah - certainly in that sense I can see what the developers were aiming for, and occasionally succeeding in. But honestly overall it felt an attempt to force contrived drama on a story that really didn't need it - forcing a genre story and accompanying twist upon something that works best as a character drama. It reminded me somewhat of the way Gone Home uses horror tropes as a tool to tell what is ultimately a much more grounded story, but here I don't think it was as elegantly interwoven throughout the whole experience.

With that caveat, I'd still overall call it a success. Oddly enough, it's the first 'walking simulator' I've played that seems to truly embrace the physical feeling of walking - and rapelling, running, hopping, hiking etc... The world is potently beautiful and lonely, although towards the end I think the map's relatively modest scale becomes a bit too obvious (even if it cuts down on backtracking as a result). I also appreciated Campo Santo's elegant use of smash cuts and edits - using the language of cinema in a positive way to emphasise time and dramatic beats. Definitely worth a play - not quite as thematically rich or structurally interesting as something like Sunset or The Beginner's Guide, but a simple, accessible story well told (apart from those moments it wants to be something it isn't).

Maximus Alexander

Cormac... wrote: »

At what kind of pace were you playing it?

Steam reviews and the 'Time played' listed above them seem to indicate that you'll get about 3.5 hours out of it, max. It's something I want to play, but it doesn't pass my "is it better value than a trip to the cinema" test, so I'll wait until the price drops a bit.

Mr E

I've heard that it's more immersive if you turn the map off in the settings (and it will lengthen the experience too).
Must check it out at the weekend.

ShaneU

Very disappointed, the story falls completely flat and it seems nothing you do has any major effect on the outcome.

LuckyFinigan

tok9 wrote: »

The PS4 theme with this is lovely from the brief moments I saw it.

Is the theme meant to come free with the game its showing up as €3.99 on the store for me

LuckyFinigan

tok9 wrote: »

The PS4 theme with this is lovely from the brief moments I saw it.

Is the theme meant to come free with the game? its showing up as €3.99 on the store for me.

Creamy Goodness

LuckyFinigan wrote: »

Is the theme meant to come free with the game? its showing up as €3.99 on the store for me.

There's two items in the store:

Game
Game with theme

My thoughts are its not meant to come free.

DeclanRe

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Steam reviews and the 'Time played' listed above them seem to indicate that you'll get about 3.5 hours out of it, max. It's something I want to play, but it doesn't pass my "is it better value than a trip to the cinema" test, so I'll wait until the price drops a bit.

Im about 3 hours in and i'm pretty sure im just over half way through, I enjoy wandering of the beaten path and finding things that may not be related to the main story but have relevance, e.g missing persons posters etc. You can sprint from A to B and finish it in 3-4 hours, but i'd say ill be about 5-6 hours. Not sure if that's relevant to you, but that's my two cents anyway

Maximus Alexander

DeclanRe wrote: »

Im about 3 hours in and i'm pretty sure im just over half way through, I enjoy wandering of the beaten path and finding things that may not be related to the main story but have relevance, e.g missing persons posters etc. You can sprint from A to B and finish it in 3-4 hours, but i'd say ill be about 5-6 hours. Not sure if that's relevant to you, but that's my two cents anyway

A lot of people seemed to say it ended abruptly, so maybe you're farther in than you think! Let us know, because I am someone who tends to take the scenic route myself, so if you get 5+ hours out of it then I probably would too.

chrislad

Cormac... wrote: »

At what kind of pace were you playing it?

I wasn't rushing it, but I did stick on my objectives and didn't wander off the beaten track, so to speak. There's not really much in the way of diversions really. I did pick up and read everything that I could.

Sesudra

The

notes you found in the fortress later in the game really got me, especially when you discover what had happened to Brian. The note to his elderly neighbour, hoping he's found someone else to mow his lawn and can he let him know when school starts back, ending with "Your friend and neighbour, Brian" has really stuck with me

Generic Dreadhead

Worth €20? Yes or No?

chrislad

Cormac... wrote: »

Worth €20? Yes or No?

Hmmmm, I'd be inclined to say yes, but with a qualified but of if you have other games on your wishlist of a similar price, maybe hold off. It's a great experience, but it's not a particularly long one. I had steam credit left over so it only cost me a fiver. A tenner is probably a fair price for it considering the length of time and replay value. It's certainly a fantastic game, but it's also a very short one.

DeclanRe

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

A lot of people seemed to say it ended abruptly, so maybe you're farther in than you think! Let us know, because I am someone who tends to take the scenic route myself, so if you get 5+ hours out of it then I probably would too.

Cormac... wrote: »

Worth €20? Yes or No?

I'll be able to give a proper verdict tomorrow as i plan to finish it tonight, but so far i would say yes

johnny_ultimate

If the difference between a four and a five hour game is significant enough for you to not pay full price - then no, but I personally find 'length vs price' a mighty limited criteria when it comes to games of this sort.

It's probably one of the strongest and most accessible games of its type. Very well made, not without its shortcomings but lots to like. I always think an interesting game from an independent studio is worthy of as much support as it can get, so yes if it catches your fancy and you can afford it why not just go for it

DeclanRe

I would say yes its worth the €20, my total play time was about 5hrs, but I don't think games like these could be much cheaper for the amount of production that went into it, like the world is amazing. When i finished it last night, i was a bit hit and miss with it, but i'm still thinking about it now so i certainly did strike a chord with me, Some really excellent moments in it. I'd say yes get it, its essentially the cost of a movie and a popcorn, and ill remember this game much more than ill remember most movies

biggebruv

i would say no its not worth 20 not because of length but because it starts off very well stays fun and interesting but then just turns into a snoozefest i wont say anything incase of spoilers

but the first hour of the game was the best

the interaction between the chracters saves the game from just been terrible


the graphics are stunning though its an amazing looking game.

Creamy Goodness

it is of course worth €20, you'd spend double that on a trip to the cinema. it's a no brainer. Not every game has to be a 100+ hour mammoth.

Maximus Alexander

Creamy Goodness wrote: »

it is of course worth €20, you'd spend double that on a trip to the cinema. it's a no brainer. Not every game has to be a 100+ hour mammoth.

Trip to the cinema is a tenner. Also there's a small middle ground between 3 hours and 100.

Creamy Goodness

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

Trip to the cinema is a tenner. Also there's a small middle ground between 3 hours and 100.

cinema trip by two 10.20 x 2 = 20.40,
medium popcorn and two drinks = 10.00~

can't go to the cinema without popcorn.

the length of a game is such a terrible metric to judge whether it's worth it or not. I played 90 minutes of firewatch and i feel like i've got my monies worth already.

i'm constantly thinking about what happens next, what the consequences of my actions have been so far and the mix of emotions it's tugged on.

20 quid is nothing these days, it's what 2 packets of cigarettes, 3-4 pints, two cinema tickets above all of which are either more damaging to you or last less than firewatch.

i guess there's no pleasing some people though :pac:

Maximus Alexander

Why would I be paying for someone else's ticket and including the cost of snacks? By that logic, Firewatch costs more than 50 quid for two copies of the game and a takeaway while I play it. Nonsense.

I'm delighted you feel you got your money's worth, and you're free to use whatever metric you wish to decide how you spend your cash. I get much better value for money for my entertainment though. The game isn't going anywhere, it'll still be the same game when the price drops to a tenner.

At a loss as to what cigarettes, pints and the damage they do to you have got to do with value for money in video games.

I'm easy to please. For example, I'll be pleased to go do / play something else and pick this up when it's on sale. I'm going to finish modelling this Eurofighter Typhoon, then go to the gym, both of which are free and not bad for me (since you're concerned about my health).