Shenmue (or why its open world still matters)

[danielmann861]

[Feature] - Shenmue (or why its open world still matters)

Open world games are a dime a dozen these days. In fact, I would say it’s a genre that is completely over saturated and in need of a rest. O...

thelongtake861.blogspot.com

A blog piece I wrote today for my personal blog. Enjoy!

 

[code l name]

Nice read. This passage really stood out to me-

You could talk to almost everyone that walked around town and they all had lines of dialog that would change depending on the current event you were pursuing.

It really reminds me of some dialogue I first experienced earlier this year and I think a huge part of the original games continued appeal for fans.

 

[danielmann861]

Nice read. This passage really stood out to me-



It really reminds me of some dialogue I first experienced earlier this year and I think a huge part of the original games continued appeal for fans.

You know...I don't even think I've heard that piece of dialog before. But that's what I meant, the game constantly rewards you with little shit depending on how you play. It really encourages self-discovery and that's why I still think it matters.

Glad you liked it. It's nice to finally be writing again. I didn't realize how much I missed it. Also nice to get feedback...the other day I posted the Gummo piece I wrote on Reddit and got a really nice compliment about that one as well ("you should keep writing about movies as your humanity pervades")....I was flattered by that. I have no idea how to promote this blog in general...outside of starting another Twitter account for it I guess.

So yeah, it's just nice to be writing again in general.

 

[RyoHazuki84]

I forgot who it was, but I remember there was a video about a guy saying that open world games like GTA tend to be treated more as "playground" as opposed to being in an actual world. By no means it's anything negative, just that's how the game feels. I'll admit, GTA is a very fun playground to be in, and I also feel the same about MGSV, but there's really no "interactivity" with how the world functions. I was hoping in MGSV, you can take part in active battles between the Soviets and the Mujahadeen and affect the outcome like with some battles in MGSIV, but I was wrong.

In Shenmue, you don't affect the outcome, the circumstances of how and when you do it are largely affected. For example, there's a scene with Nozomi you can ONLY get until AFTER Christmas. In some instances, we probably beat the game before then. The thing about Shenmue is we almost always get something we've never seen before. Yes, you can do that with other games, but it's special with Shenmue based on how you progress. There aren't things you can get at any time.

When it comes to time with other games, I don't really feel it because it's of no influence on what you're doing. Yes, monsters come out at night in FFXV, but that's more of a novelty to force you to stay inside unless you really want to grind.