Topic: Journey........pretty "meh" if you ask me.

As somebody who really appreciated Flower, I was looking forward to sinking my teeth into Journey this week,......this being for the first time (prior 360 and Wii gamer here). I have to say, I was left pretty indifferent to it after completion,.......and to be honest, I doubt I'll keep it on my harddrive.

Maybe it's because some of the aspects of Journey where known to me prior to playing, or maybe it was because gameplay wise, it's a slow and plodding affair.......but I found myself kinda wanting to just get done with this little quest - quasi abstract look on life.

It's not a bad game IMO, some segments did take me back for a second, but Flower really left a mark with how it conveyed it's message and the beauty of nature, while also being mostly fun to play (flying through the sunset canyons was almost arcade like in nature). With Journey, I just don't find it all that moving or captivating, again, compared to Flower or even The Last Swan.

I kinda feel like I'm the only one who has this opinion, but yeah....

@sub12: Probably doesn't help that you've heard people raving about how good it is since it released. It has a few great moments (the sand sliding bit being my favourite) but also a couple of sections that almost out stay their welcome. The soundtrack is also really good.

@sub12: Its still good though, I didn't really know what to make of it, however like rogue legacy, tlou and rocket league I have openly talked about it in work and have thought about the game. On reflection its really memorable. I do think everyone has gone overboard though and its a game that is essential to play, but wont have the longevity of a true classic.

@kyleforrester87:

Agree, the sand slides, as well as the feeling of temporary flight.......pretty well done IMO.

I still get the itching that this is a showcase of critics holding a title in such high reguard that they are scared to criticize it or even just say, it was ok.........I mean look at metacritic, you can't tell me "all those critics" thought that this was some kind of epic piece of subdued art, to be studied for years.....

It's just stereotyping a title, just like how people think it's trendy to complain about Driveclub (more so in North America) or act like Altered Beast was a horrible game (no, for a 1989 launch title, it was fun jaunt and a great showcase that the MD/Gen could mostly replicate arcade graphics).

@sub12: Of course no game will be perfect as their is no accounting for taste, but I'd still say Journey almost flawlessly achieves what it sets out to accomplish. Of course it could have been 90 hours long with RPG elements and multiple endings, and in some ways it would have been a better game as a result, but overall would have been worse. So just considering what is there, I think it's pretty close to perfect.

@kyleforrester87:

Perhaps I'm being overly critical, I just left the game with little to no emotional impact, and.....I don't really want to play it again.........it's not bad at all,.....but after years of hearing that it's an absolute master class.

I enjoyed Flower quite a bit however.

@sub12: Did you bump into anyone on your journey?

@themcnoisy:

Yup, it seemed like most, but not all, of my game was played with amother player.

@sub12: are you sure though? Was it 2 different people or did you play the game on your own for patches?

@themcnoisy:

Probably two different people? After the whole aquarium tower thingy segment, right before you first encounter those flying snake thingy bad guys, I left the game on idle for sometime because I was getting a bit bored tbh, dunno if it was the same guy latter, probably not.

I can't speak for other critics, but I know when I wrote our original review I was under embargo and didn't speak to anyone who played it until after it came out. In fact, while I was confident in the 10/10 that I gave it, I was quite surprised to see other sites follow.

I think the biggest problem with games like this and The Last of Us is that they come with such high acclaim that people struggle to distance themselves from that positivity, and play them just waiting to be impressed. I'm not saying that anyone's in the wrong for feeling this way, of course - it's just one of the realities of all media really.

I'm on the other side of the fence. I think Journey is an amazing game and couldn't even bring myself to finish Flower. I tried to play Flower again today to see if maybe it would grab me but still nothing. I have all ready played through Journey about 5 or 6 times.

That said neither game is for everyone.

@get2sammyb:

Point taken, but it's not really that suprising....given that "that game company" had already become darlings of the industry and press after Flower, which is a good game no doubt. Maybe I'm just the oddball out, but the zeal over Journey seems to be a bit overblown. That being said, I didn't think it was a bad game......some things it did very well, but I finished the game feeling underwhelmed given the mass acclaim.

With The Last of Us, I felt it was justified, hell, after that opening sequence with Joel losing his daughter, you knew it was going to be special. Journey was more like "cool, but let's get on with it". As well, I was very excited to play Journey, I don't feel ripped off at all, but let's say that Flower will stay on my bar, Journey will be deleted.

It's not the best game on the PS4, at all, but opinions are like you know what, everyone has one.

I got the game on the recommendation of a friend and just as "Flower" it is a total borefest for me. I do enjoy mythical games and a good soundtrack but the "ambient" mumbo jumbo bored me to death, the vistas are basicly Flower without actual flowers. And the interaction with the game was very rudementary for my taste, the "story" or "myth" behind it all didn't capture me one bit. I deleted it. Im all for clever games but this one just bored the hell out of me. I don't know... I might try it again later but I also said the same about flower and never touched it again...

Weird.

One of the games I missed on PS3 (in fact I owned a PS3 since 2007 and missed a heck of a lot on that system, in all the years I owned it I only earned something like 400 trophies across what was mostly PS+ games ) since owning a PS4 from Nov 2013 launch model I've now amassed near on 2000 trophies so I'm really am in Playstation catch up mode. Anyhow, saw it was released for Ps4 and it was raved about on Ps3 -I thought it was an excellent game, with excellent art style and game direction, and very simple yet effective. The music helped as it was very dynamic.

IMO glad I got to play it eventually and well worth trying if you fancy an adventure /walking game that you play with others. I didnt know it was so focused online, but it also helped. I enjoyed it, but if you didn't get it from the go, then I can see why it might not be to everyone's taste.

I quite liked the first half of Flower, but the second half just got repetitive. I played Journey recently and that was pretty average too

@sub12: Like you say, everyone has their own take on a game, and it makes it more interesting. If anything I find it interesting when people offer a different opinion on something. And as you say, Flower struck more of a chord with you. I think everyone has games where they don't feel in sync with other opinions, even if if an opinion is only slightly lower (hell I know I'm that way with Resident Evil 4, but at the moment I still value my life!).

This thread blows my mind.

@get2sammyb: I think that the emotional impact has been missed by some people - but that's not a bad thing its just maybe the different parts of the game some people dont appreciate. That may be down to taste, I hated the kings speech but it won an Oscar.

The game feels like a journey first and foremost, like the bloated reading and slow moving pace of lord of the rings books to emphasise the slog of walking, the lack of communication and gaming tropes and the various alien scenarios within the sand world genuinely felt like a journey through an alien place exactly what the developers wanted. Its not a great 'game' the required platforming skill and difficulty is virtually non existent but the 'experience' is something else entirely.

Yeah, this was my experience too. I played it when it dropped on PS3 and I really enjoyed the switch from many of the gaming tropes. It was an experience. But I do know how hype can tarnish any experience. I didn't play The Last of Us until the PS4 release and I truly enjoyed the game, I wasn't "Wowed" by the game. But there are many games out now that can compete with The Last of Us (probably copying many game aspects).

Timing can be everything...