.I have been playing games now for about 20 years so as you can guess i started in the 8 bit era. Everything from shooters and beat-em ups, survival horror and adventure, to action and puzzle.
Now in all these games i have played there are ones that stand out, ones that are memorable, ones that make you smile when you talk about them.
What is it that makes them special?
It certainly isnt from over saturisation of adverts, flashy fmv sequences or how loud your weapon goes boom.
What that special quality comes from varies i think from person to person and can range from environment and temperament, but one thing that is common throughout is love of the game.
Of course i mean from the developers side.
If the developer loves the game he/she is making, then that love will be shown to the players.
If you love what you're doing, then everything will be executed to perfection; that is what strikes me with legend of grimrock.
The execution to me, is similar to (and i may be bold with my following statement but i stand by it) silent hill 2, resident evil 4, half life, baldurs gate etc.
Now of course im not saying these games are in the same ball park, but they all have a style, bounderies (gamewise) and a "flavour" and thats why imho i think LoG is like them.
There are restraints in LoG, purposefully there im sure to capture that old school feel (which it does more than adequately) but it doesnt matter in the slightest. I dont need special moves, big graphical effects or voice overs to enjoy a game. Because if its loved during its creation, it will be perfect in every way it can be.
Now i suppose getting to the point, as i stated earlier i have played many different genres of games for many years, and have seen the decline of games, not in a numerical sense but an artistic sense. It used to be about creativity, now its about the dollar.
It would be naíve of me to assume otherwise or course, but thats why games like this are even more important, to show that you dont need the glitz and glamour to have a successful game (which i earnestly hope LoG will be), you just need tlc.
I appologise for the long post, its just something i had to get off my chest.
So to all the extremely talented folks at almosthuman, thankyou so much for all the hard work. You have created a thing of beauty and it is very much appreciated.
