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Grim Fandango

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Re: Grim Fandango

#121

Post by account42 »

Rastonbury wrote: post #61
vvpan wrote: post #57

Well I certainly cannot relate to the criticism. I played the game early on as a teen (and every few years since) and while, at times difficult, I never thought the puzzles were "confusing", it seemed like a pretty organic combination of styles of puzzles built into the game. The head turning dynamics I have also found to be quiet pleasant as it made me relate to the character more. Not that criticism is bad but Grim…

I remember watching my teenage cousin play it as a young child and being really drawn in, then when he let me play I remember getting frustrated because I had no idea what to do, it ended up being more fun watching him play

That doesn't mean too much though, most games don't intend for you to start playing somewhere in the middle. Usually mechanics are introduced incremtally and difficulty of the problems to solve is ramped up while you have a chance to hone your skills. E.g. what may seem as moon logic on its own may actually be very logical in the weird world thhat the game has introduced you to by then.

Re: Grim Fandango

#122

Post by account42 »

glimshe wrote: post #115
vvpan wrote: post #57

Well I certainly cannot relate to the criticism. I played the game early on as a teen (and every few years since) and while, at times difficult, I never thought the puzzles were "confusing", it seemed like a pretty organic combination of styles of puzzles built into the game. The head turning dynamics I have also found to be quiet pleasant as it made me relate to the character more. Not that criticism is bad but Grim…

I never liked Grim Fandango despite recognizing its importance. I think it's too weird in a bad way. For me, it lacks the optimistic fantasy of LucasArts previous entries and is just too, well, Grim. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece like, for instance, Monkey Island 2.

Are you implying that a masterpiece can only be upbeat and positive?

Re: Grim Fandango

#123

Post by account42 »

cousin_it wrote: post #38

> Taken as a game rather than the movie it often seems more interested in being It's interesting how movies today seem to be the "top" art form: there are books, comics, videogames that want to be movies, but never in the other direction. (There are books and games based on movies, but they are clearly secondary.) I wonder if there could be some other art form that would be "above" movies in this sense.

Makes sense considering that movies are usually self-contained art pieces while games these days more of then than not try to upsell you DLC or microtransactions and TV series tend to be so drawn out that hey are cancelled before getting to the point.

Books are the odd one out in that they don't have this problem and as a result are still considered prestigious (probably moreso than movies) but instead suffer from lack of audiovisual communication.

Re: Grim Fandango

#124

Post by account42 »

blackeyeblitzar wrote: post #6

What a time that was for gaming. Everything felt special. I am afraid to revisit these old greats though, in case seeing them today ruins the illusion of the past.

I play tons of old games these days and if anything it reinforces just how shittier things have become.

Re: Grim Fandango

#125

Post by account42 »

frmersdog wrote: post #99

Always worth mentioning: if you're a fan of Grim, The Journey Down is a game that borrows a LOT from it, while taking advantage of the advances made in the interim.

What advances do you think TJD takes advantage of compared to GF besides the improvements in graphics which are IMO barely relevant to the experience. I like the TJD trilogy well enough but claiming it not only holds up to the classics like GF but actually surpasses it is not something I can get behind.

Re: Grim Fandango

#126

Post by account42 »

pornel wrote: post #18

The pre-rendered backgrounds were breathtaking in the 90s, but today the old off-line ray tracing looks worse than what modern games can render (same goes for the original Myst). The remastered version has been released before AI upscaling got interesting. I wonder if a re-remastered version could be made look better.

> The remastered version has been released before AI upscaling got "interesting"

And thank god for that.

Re: Grim Fandango

#127

Post by dgfitz »

kaashif wrote: post #58
dgfitz wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Anecdote: the word ‘vehicle’ is referenced aty day job a lot. I had a PM who always, always said ‘vee-hickle’ and I honestly always thought he was full of shit. On day when he was really mad about $(thing I predicted) he just comes out and says ‘vehicle’ like it’s spelled. I don’t remember feeling smug or annoyed, mostly just kind of bummed at the farce.

> he just comes out and says ‘vehicle’ like it’s spelled What do you mean by this? In what what is "ve hicle" not pronouncing it as it's spelled but "ve icle" is? Isn't the one including an h more faithful?

I meant he pronounced it two different ways when he was too angry to fake it. Was that not apparent in the post, or were you just being a prick?

Re: Grim Fandango

#128

Post by frmersdog »

account42 wrote: post #125
frmersdog wrote: post #99

Always worth mentioning: if you're a fan of Grim, The Journey Down is a game that borrows a LOT from it, while taking advantage of the advances made in the interim.

What advances do you think TJD takes advantage of compared to GF besides the improvements in graphics which are IMO barely relevant to the experience. I like the TJD trilogy well enough but claiming it not only holds up to the classics like GF but actually surpasses it is not something I can get behind.

>claiming it not only holds up to the classics like GF but actually surpasses it

I didn't.

>the improvements in graphics

That would be the big one. Also whatever changes in development/publishing that made it producible by an indie outfit no one had heard of, rather than Tim Schafer(TM) backed by LucasArts(TM).

Re: Grim Fandango

#129

Post by m463 »

dale_glass wrote: post #3

I think one understated problem Grim Fandango had is that it's too adult. Today "adult" often means "there's sex and/or gore", but the content is still simple and juvenile. But Grim Fandango isn't like that, it's just full of themes that probably confused the heck out of almost every kid that tried to play it. Like the very first chapter throws you right into office politics. You deal with stealing a job from another…

Maybe it needed a Leisure Suit Larry style age verification:

  All politicians are
  a. hardworking.
  b. honest.
  c. ethical.
  d. on the public payroll.
  Correct answer: d.

  "Gone With The Wind" is about
  a. outer space.
  b. a bank robbery.
  c. four hours long.
  d. dust.
  Correct answer: c.

  Two bits is
  a. all it takes to consume a "Big Mac."
  b. computer talk.
  c. about a dollar.
  d. the former cost for a shave and a haircut.
  Correct answer: d.
https://allowe.com/games/larry/tips-manuals/lsl1-age-quiz.ht...
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