Firewatch

[Blacksen]

Reviews came out today: Firewatch Reviews on OpenCritic

Looks pretty good, especially on PC (the PS4 seems to have some performance issues).

Anyone else picking this one up?

[OnlineSamantha]

I'm still not entirely sure what the game is about, and I won't be picking it up until someone I trust can tell me.

[Blacksen]

I'm still not entirely sure what the game is about, and I won't be picking it up untill someone I trust can tell me.

It's like a 5-7 hour 3D version of Telltale games / Life is Strange (first-person narrative). It's about a guy in the woods who's watching for fires, and the girl he's there with.

[OnlineSamantha]

It's like a 5-7 hour 3D version of Telltale games / Life is Strange (first-person narrative). It's about a guy in the woods who's watching for fires, and the girl he's there with.

Hmmmm... It didn't seem particularly like a Telltale game to me when I watched the trailer. To be honest, it seemed more like a Dear Esther type of game.

[Ornerybear]

I'll pick it up tonight/tomorrow definitely. The concept looks interesting, i love the art style, and it is a cheap game.

As someone who loves Wyoming and our national parks/forests in this country, I think this will be fun experience. Plus my wife will enjoy it a lot as well. I'm also buying it for my brother in law who is a junky for the west, national parks, and games.

[Jinxz]

It's a mystery game. What really makes the game good is the banter between the main character (you) and the girl operator.

[Ornerybear]

just finished the game after work. I really enjoyed it. definitely a solid novella type story. my wife the short story writer sat and watched the whole thing. we really enjoyed it.

i think this is worth a re-play(read) in a few months

[Tech614]

Copy pasta from last game played thread.

Firewatch 5/10

Game had potential to be something, and I don't regret playing it as I could have done worse things but the game has a pretty lame story with shit just thrown in to keep you in suspense with no real payoff. Also performance issues out the ass in a game that shouldn't have them as it has great art work and style but is in no way a graphically demanding game. Game also crashed on loading screens twice, and had a bug halting progress forcing a reload.

Overall, really meh from a game I was semi interested in pre release.

[Rukh]

I just watched a twitch person I like play it from start to finish. 3/10.

Fake choices down a story on rails. maybe some people enjoy this sort of thing. Ending was a crap payoff. The voice actors did well. The environment was nicely done.

[Tech614]

The voice actors did well. The environment was nicely done.

Pretty much sums it up, good voice acting, and the game looks like a piece of art. Other then that I really have nothing good to say about it.

[glo]

It's hard to convey how disappointed you'll be after you finish without spoiling the game.

Basically, after you're done, you'll be genuinely annoyed that you spent money on it.

[Ornerybear]

Copy pasta from last game played thread.

Firewatch 5/10

Game had potential to be something, and I don't regret playing it as I could have done worse things but the game has a pretty lame story with shit just thrown in to keep you in suspense with no real payoff. Also performance issues out the ass in a game that shouldn't have them as it has great art work and style but is in no way a graphically demanding game. Game also crashed on loading screens twice, and had a bug halting progress forcing a reload.

Overall, really meh from a game I was semi interested in pre release.

I had none of these performance issues /shrug

[Jinxz]

Well it was a 4/10 for me. It was building up so good then BAM nothing. Huge disappointment.

[Tech614]

I had none of these performance issues /shrug

Having none, and not detecting any are a major difference. Sorry when 980 TIs are getting drops into the 40s when background loading has you're not immune to them. Game is a last gen looking cel shaded game with nothing impressive tech wise going on, it should be a rock solid 60 fps at all times on even mid range cards.

[Soulwind]

Well it was a 4/10 for me. It was building up so good then BAM nothing. Huge disappointment.

I think having the player come up with several theories about what's going on is part of the experience, and something they did on purpose, as you can sort of tell the game what you think at several points.

It's not the best "walking simulator", but it's a pretty interesting one. It has an open world, it's not huge, but it's big enough for the map to be useful. The story is linear, and the choices are cosmetic, but the interactive storytelling feels rewarding.

If I had to compare it to the game of this kind I like the most, Stanley Parable, I'd say the choice is removed from the enviroment but kept in the narrator(s) and that it's much prettier to look at. It's pretty much a short novel made into a game.

[tylenol]

I think having the player come up with several theories about what's going on is part of the experience, and something they did on purpose, as you can sort of tell the game what you think at several points.

It's not the best "walking simulator", but it's a pretty interesting one. It has an open world, it's not huge, but it's big enough for the map to be useful. The story is linear, and the choices are cosmetic, but the interactive storytelling feels rewarding.

If I had to compare it to the game of this kind I like the most, Stanley Parable, I'd say the choice is removed from the enviroment but kept in the narrator(s) and that it's much prettier to look at. It's pretty much a short novel made into a game.

I got no problems with the ending but what about that call you overheard between Delilah and someone? I don't recall it being explained, am I suppose to come up with a story behind that? It sounded like she knew something about something, did Julia die? did she know Ned was behind this bullshit the entire time and this whole thing was just her getting the guilt of not telling anyone about the kid or whatever the hell off her chest? I like the idea that maybe Julia died while I was out there and Delilah knew which is what that call was, she put on a fake accent acting like Julia that night and at the end when Delilah was telling him to go see Julia she was talking about her grave...screw it, that is what happened in my world

[Soulwind]

I got no problems with the ending but what about that call you overheard between Delilah and someone? I don't recall it being explained, am I suppose to come up with a story behind that? It sounded like she knew something about something, did Julia die? did she know Ned was behind this bullshit the entire time and this whole thing was just her getting the guilt of not telling anyone about the kid or whatever the hell off her chest? I like the idea that maybe Julia died while I was out there and Delilah knew which is what that call was, she put on a fake accent acting like Julia that night and at the end when Delilah was telling him to go see Julia she was talking about her grave...screw it, that is what happened in my world

I didn't call her out on it, but I saw someone do it on Youtube, she gets pissed off because you don't trust her and says something about it being a work call. The game is made so that you don't trust anything you see and come up with crazy theories (every book you find is about alternate realities, conspiracies and such). But after everything is explained with such normality, I can only guess it was just a work call and you, the player, are just paranoid about it.

The level of humanity in this game is impressive. The beginning is something many people can relate with. The relationship between Delilah and her boyfriend. The nerdy kid and the authoritarian father. The loss of a child and the guilt driving someone to madness. The solitude of two fire lookouts who only have each other but never actually meet.

It's either a letdown or a relief, but everything that happens is believable. No conspiracy, no lies, no surprise, just life.

[Lime]

It kinda fell short imo.

It has an amazing start, very likable characters, a very realistic setting, and great build up.... then nothing. The ending actually had me wondering, "Wait... is that it?".

I might recommend it to people, but it will only be as an 'alright' game.