Andy's Thread of Obscure Games No One Cares About

Wow, the environments and destruction look fantastic. So much so that my first thought watching the video was how awesome it would be to have a Burnout crash mode for PS4/X1.

As for this game, I'm not sure why they wanted to bring golf into it because it barely resembles the sport. Like crash mode, each scenario is cool the first couple tries but after you complete the objectives there really isn't anything to push you to play again unless you want to leaderboard chase friends or top scores. If it is priced right, $29.99 or less it would be difficult for me not to buy it...especially if it helps fund them to make a new Burnout game.
 
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Incredibly stupid.

It's hardly a game. Just release it as a physics demo and be done with it. At this point it's Burnout or nada.
 
Looks like decent fun, but this absolutely needs to be priced appropriately.
 
That golf game has slick visuals, but the gameplay seems non-existent. The ball hits something and it literally explodes the entire area. Seems too easy to destroy all the objects.

The dev keeps taking about physics, but what physics? The golf ball is a fireball that literally goes through almost everything, and the second it hits something, everything in 3 ft radius explodes like it's a hand grenade.

On one hand, the golf ball goes through concrete statues and ceramic toilet bowls, but then gently bounces off a wooden table.
 
Oxenfree out now on PS4, with additions to the PC version (new endings, new locations, new dialogue, New Game +).

No reviews yet, but the PC version scored well (avg = 80).

Sample excerpt from a mid-range review: "Bottom Line: Oxenfree is a story about human interaction and how we choose to treat each other, all set against a backdrop of supernatural horror. It just feels really human in spite of all the weird stuff. Recommendation: If you love good ghost stories, play Oxenfree." (from The Escapist, who gave it an 80).
 
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Played Oxenfree tonight for about 2 hrs. Really good! Hard to break myself away from it.

The game is very well-written and well-paced. In fact, this is some of the best videogame writing and voice acting I've seen in a long time -- especially the way they incorporate real-time dialog, timed responses, interruptions, and silences. It feels natural. It works very well. The five characters are all well-scripted and well-acted. Whoever did the writing and directing here did a fine job. It's especially remarkable as an indie title.

I won't say anything about the story, other than it's entertaining. Lots of funky stuff happens. It's hard to describe, and I wouldn't want to spoil it anyhow. It's not a "horror" game like the review above says. It's lighthearted for the most part, interspersed with some suspenseful moments and strange happenings, but it's not "horror." The action is straightforward. There are some light, easy puzzles. It's mostly about navigating the world, talking, and unravelling the story.

Good stuff! If you like unique, story-driven indie games, check it out.


oxenfree-1.jpg


 
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Finished Oxenfree. Very good little game. Enjoyable and interesting story. Lots of supernatural hijinks. Distinct characters, good dialog, especially for a videogame. It took me about 5 or 6 hours to play through. It doesn't have much "filler" and doesn't overstay its welcome. The game has an interesting New Game+ mode where the main character seems to remember having already played through the story before, as if the whole game is a time loop.

It's a quality game -- well done, with unique storytelling, good pacing, and pleasant visuals. 8.7 for me.
 
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I'm playing through a little game called Toren today. I picked it up for $3 during the recent PS sale. It's a nice little adventure game, put out by a developer aligned with the Brazilian Ministry of Culture. It's very rough around the edges, with finicky controls, sub-par graphics, and an occasionally annoying camera. The reviews average pretty poor (upper 50s), although some reviewers thought it was great, 10/10, poetry in motion.

For $3, I figured what the hell.



edit: Ended up quitting at about the 2/3 mark, during a section that I found very annoying. The story didn't resonate with me; seemed like so much gobbledygook. There was too much repetition in the gameplay, which is pretty bad in a short game like this. The movement controls were pretty awful, too. I just wasn't having enough fun to press on. Not recommended.
 
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Andy said:
Oxenfree out now on PS4, with additions to the PC version (new endings, new locations, new dialogue, New Game +).

No reviews yet, but the PC version scored well (avg = 80).

Sample excerpt from a mid-range review: "Bottom Line: Oxenfree is a story about human interaction and how we choose to treat each other, all set against a backdrop of supernatural horror. It just feels really human in spite of all the weird stuff. Recommendation: If you love good ghost stories, play Oxenfree." (from The Escapist, who gave it an 80).
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This game is only $14 on Xbox One's sale right now. I was going to buy it, but think I just ruined the ending for myself by looking at the achievement list..... Not sure if I should now, not sure how much of a surprise type story element I unfortunately revealed by reading the secret achievement description.
 
u2popmofo said:
This game is only $14 on Xbox One's sale right now. I was going to buy it, but think I just ruined the ending for myself by looking at the achievement list..... Not sure if I should now, not sure how much of a surprise type story element I unfortunately revealed by reading the secret achievement description.
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Hmm. I just read through a list of all 13 achievements, and I don't see anything that would be considered a big spoiler. There is one achievement that might sound like a big reveal, but it's really not.

If you want, you can put the achievement description in spoiler tags, and I can tell you whether it's a significant spoiler or not.
 
Andy said:
Hmm. I just read through a list of all 13 achievements, and I don't see anything that would be considered a big spoiler. There is one achievement that might sound like a big reveal, but it's really not.

If you want, you can put the achievement description in spoiler tags, and I can tell you whether it's a significant spoiler or not.
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This one:
Thicker than Water
Bring Michael back from the dead.

Having watched some reviews, I know / assume that's your dead brother.
 
u2popmofo said:
This one:
Thicker than Water
Bring Michael back from the dead.

Having watched some reviews, I know / assume that's your dead brother.
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Right, Michael is your dead brother. That's announced early in the game.

I wouldn't really call learning that you can "bring him back from the dead" a spoiler. That's the one I was referring to when I said it might sound like a big reveal, but it's not. It's more like learning about an end-game option that you wouldn't have known about otherwise. It's sort of like learning that if you respond X and Y, you can have sex with a certain crew member in Mass Effect. You might not have known about the possibility, had you not read the achievement list -- but the story hasn't been spoiled, because the story doesn't revolve around having sex with that crew member. Likewise, the story in Oxenfree doesn't revolve around bringing Michael back to life. He is just assumed dead.

I ended the game with him dead. I had no idea, until I read the achievement, that I could've resurrected him with the right combination of responses. I enjoyed the story without having any idea that was even a possibility. If anything, knowing about it might have added to my enjoyment of the game (appreciating its depth, trying to get my responses right to arrange it, then seeing the repercussions in the New Game + mode).

But anyhow, I don't think it's a story spoiler, really, more like information about a possibility that you might not have imagined otherwise.
 
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Andy, I saw your Firewatch review. Have you played / what do you think of some other similar "walking simulator" type FP exploration / adventure games? After Gone Home, I've been considering Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Everybody's Gone To the Rapture. Have you played either? I still want to play Firewatch as well, hoping for a sale on it at some point.
 
u2popmofo said:
Andy, I saw your Firewatch review. Have you played / what do you think of some other similar "walking simulator" type FP exploration / adventure games? After Gone Home, I've been considering Vanishing of Ethan Carter and Everybody's Gone To the Rapture. Have you played either? I still want to play Firewatch as well, hoping for a sale on it at some point.
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I was probably too rough on Firewatch in my review, because of my expectations. It was a good game, just not as great as I expected.

Vanishing of Ethan Carter was okay. It is atmospheric and moody, and the scenery is beautiful. It felt rather sterile to me, though. You walk around by yourself and trigger memories/scenes that play out. Like a lot of the games in this genre, there aren't any living, breathing people to interact with, just "recordings" of the past. I found it interesting, but I can't wholeheartedly recommend it, because (aside from one or two scenes) it really didn't capture my imagination and suck me into the story. It felt a little dry, abstract. Not bad, just not great.

I liked Everybody's Gone to the Rapture more. The story was better; it was more imaginative and mysterious, and the "characters" had more life to them than the ones in Ethan Carter. However, I was annoyed at the backtracking and slow movement. There is a speed-up button (not run, exactly), but it takes a few seconds to get going, and you don't go very fast. I consulted a walkthrough at one point, just to get things moving. I liked the game, but same criticism of Ethan Carter -- feels a bit like a museum piece, in the sense that you're not encountering anyone alive, just triggering memories. I love the audio, though. I still have Rapture's dynamic theme as my PS theme. I love that music and radio sound, mixed with the rain.

I played a couple others, too, but I can't remember their titles. Which is just as well, because I wouldn't recommend them.

I saw you mentioned Gone Home in that other thread. I'll have to check that out. Grand daddy of the walking simulators. Last I remember, it was $20, which seemed like too much to me at the time. Maybe it's dropped a bit.
 
Andy said:
I saw you mentioned Gone Home in that other thread. I'll have to check that out. Grand daddy of the walking simulators. Last I remember, it was $20, which seemed like too much to me at the time. Maybe it's dropped a bit.
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It was one of the free PS Plus games one or two months ago. its short, but I enjoyed how different the story ends up from what you think it's going to be at the beginning. Great writing and voice acting as well.
 
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Andy said:
I was probably too rough on Firewatch in my review, because of my expectations. It was a good game, just not as great as I expected.

Vanishing of Ethan Carter was okay. It is atmospheric and moody, and the scenery is beautiful. It felt rather sterile to me, though. You walk around by yourself and trigger memories/scenes that play out. Like a lot of the games in this genre, there aren't any living, breathing people to interact with, just "recordings" of the past. I found it interesting, but I can't wholeheartedly recommend it, because (aside from one or two scenes) it really didn't capture my imagination and suck me into the story. It felt a little dry, abstract. Not bad, just not great.

I liked Everybody's Gone to the Rapture more. The story was better; it was more imaginative and mysterious, and the "characters" had more life to them than the ones in Ethan Carter. However, I was annoyed at the backtracking and slow movement. There is a speed-up button (not run, exactly), but it takes a few seconds to get going, and you don't go very fast. I consulted a walkthrough at one point, just to get things moving. I liked the game, but same criticism of Ethan Carter -- feels a bit like a museum piece, in the sense that you're not encountering anyone alive, just triggering memories. I love the audio, though. I still have Rapture's dynamic theme as my PS theme. I love that music and radio sound, mixed with the rain.

I played a couple others, too, but I can't remember their titles. Which is just as well, because I wouldn't recommend them.

I saw you mentioned Gone Home in that other thread. I'll have to check that out. Grand daddy of the walking simulators. Last I remember, it was $20, which seemed like too much to me at the time. Maybe it's dropped a bit.
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You should keep an eye on the PSN free games, as Gone Home was free recently.
 
Andy said:
I was probably too rough on Firewatch in my review, because of my expectations. It was a good game, just not as great as I expected.
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I can't remember all your criticisms, but I believe i recall you being disappointed with the dialogue, writing, and characters. I too was really excited for the game before it was launched. I remember I watched a quick look / preview of the first day of the game, and I too found the dialogue and characters a bit unbelievable from just 20 mins or so of watching. Regardless, I still look forward to playing it at some point.

I just noticed Everybody's Gone To The Rapture is on sale on PSN this week for $8, I'll be getting it (and I'm sure it will be free next month on PS+ with my luck).
 
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I think Oxenfree was one of the games i had on my radar. You say it's actually good huh Andy? I heard it's an easy game, with a platinum trophy. That's a rare combo. I might have to check it out sooner rather than later.
 
I bought Oxenfree a couple weeks ago on sale and I've been playing it the past few nights. My impressions are all over the board right now, thinking I'm about 2/3 complete. I am going to hold off on commenting until I've finished as I have multiple ideas of where this thing is going. (And that alone is a kudo for it).

Stay "tuned". :wink: get it? lol.
 
TDbank24 said:
I think Oxenfree was one of the games i had on my radar. You say it's actually good huh Andy? I heard it's an easy game, with a platinum trophy. That's a rare combo. I might have to check it out sooner rather than later.
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Yeah, I enjoyed it. I liked the story, dialog, and characters. I thought it was a pretty neat little game.

Ymmv, of course. My taste in games is a bit odd. Heck, that's why this thread exists. No one cared about the games I created threads for, so I decided to create one big thread for all of them. :txbsmile:

p.s. Yes, it's an easy game, in terms of puzzle solving and gameplay. Very straightforward.
 
I have 2 games that I feel deserve mention in this thread. I had heard about neither of them though I understand they were both previewed at E3. Both are set for release in the coming months and are definitely on my radar for each bringing something new to the table.


Steep - UbiSoft
Blown away I never heard about this before. Looks like the potential for a Triple A game in a genre that has been overlooked this gen. Not just snowboarding, but skiing, hangliding, and websuit down the recreated Swiss Alps. Looks amazing.


Overcooked - Team 17
The creators of Worms bring us what is a madcap cooking game with 4-player (on the couch or online) co-op action. Looks like fun!
 
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I didn't watch most E3 conferences, so missed hearing about these two games too. They look pretty good. Steep looks like the best winter game I've seen. And I can't believe it. A UBI game which doesn't have tons of icons, UI and numbers all over the screen.

And the cooking game looks hilarious. Good to see that game has some dynamic movement in the levels.... shifting and moving stuff to give the game fresh gameplay.
 
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