Stitch on 13/7/2009 at 16:27
Finished Loom last night and wow has that game not held up well. It feels like a sketch for a larger, richer game that actually explores the societies introduced and expands upon gameplay concepts.
And on the latter, what a truly squandered opportunity! The note-based magic system is used as little more than a set of progress-unlocking keys.
Enchantermon on 14/7/2009 at 00:03
Quote Posted by Stitch
It feels like a sketch for a larger, richer game that actually explores the societies introduced and expands upon gameplay concepts.
Well, it
was supposed to be a trilogy.
Paz on 14/7/2009 at 00:08
the one on steam is also the abridged version, so the game is slightly larger (by 20% or so I think?)
Chimpy Chompy on 14/7/2009 at 07:42
When they redid the game as a VGA "talkie" edition some of the dialogue had to be chopped out, to fit all that uncompressed audio on a CD-ROM. I don't know if any scenes or puzzles were completely cut though.
Paz on 14/7/2009 at 13:27
Yeah, I think maybe they lost some close-up shots too?
Cutting dialogue isn't great for an adventure - there was also an audio cassette with the original that supplied more background (though I've never heard it.)
I really like the enigmatic nature of the story's progression though. I've not played it in a couple of years, but it has a kind of magical realism feel - whether intentionally or not - that suits me just fine. Certainly I'd not mind if the thing was a bit longer. They pitched it to beginner adventure players, I think? Which doesn't excuse the length, but may explain some of the simpler puzzles.
On those, I think Stitch is being unfair. Nobody had seen anything like the Drafts (far as I know) in 1990. Yeah, it still operates within recognised adventure gamey borders - but the premise of a near ever-present 'object' which expands in ability to be able to solve all the problems, and the lack of any other obvious interface, is pretty innovative stuff. To say the developers didn't max out the potential is theoretically true, but I think an unrealistic expectation.
With a few exceptions, games develop pretty slowly on the innovation front. Somebody comes up with a neat idea but it takes a few titles for the creativity and technology to match one another and result in a feature you can say is really at its peak (and even then it might be stuck inside a shitty game.)
Having to write Drafts down or memorise them is lame as hell though. Or was it cheating to do that? I don't really remember ...
Sulphur on 14/7/2009 at 21:04
Quote Posted by Paz
Yeah, I think maybe they lost some close-up shots too?
Yep, those aren't there in the VGA version. Bit of a shame really, I felt they added more personality to the characters.
And you're spot-on about most of the things in your post. I agree with Stitch in that Loom could have been much more as a game if you look at it from an objective viewpoint; but to our less discerning inner child who looks at games not as a collection of various elements but as a cohesive, spellbinding whole, that spark of magic, I think, is still there.
And that's something I don't want to lose. I'd gladly buy me a dozen pairs of rose-tinted glasses to be able to still feel as much about something as I did then.
Aerothorn on 15/7/2009 at 02:47
Yeah, Loom has always annoyed me in that you have to play two different versions to really get the full experience. I've only played the VGA myself, and yeah, it feels kind of like a skeleton of a game.
The audio drama is not bad. I downloaded it back when I played it but can no longer find the link.
Still a shame it never got its sequels. Though it did lead to the great "Ever heard of Bobbin Threadbare?" bit in Curse of Monkey Island.
Edit: Additionally, I'm confused by the selection. It seems to me that in the Lucasarts Adventure Canon, Loom and The Dig (while both worthwhile) are considered the worst games. Why are they not putting their best foot forward? Where is Full Throttle?
Enchantermon on 15/7/2009 at 04:37
Even before Curse, there was "I'm Bobbin Threadbare. Are you my mother?" upside-down in Secret. Not to mention Cobb.
Quote Posted by Chimpy Chompy
I don't know if any scenes or puzzles were completely cut though.
No puzzles were cut.
Quote Posted by Paz
Having to write Drafts down or memorise them is lame as hell though. Or was it cheating to do that? I don't really remember ...
It wasn't cheating. The game came with a paper copy of the Book of Spells book you pick up in the game. It was provided specifically so you could write down your threads, and had neat little background stories for some, if not all, of the threads as well.
oudeis on 16/7/2009 at 00:44
Has anyone played the remastered version of Monkey Island yet? How does it look? I've read for years now how great the game was, how it was a shame that they don't make games like that anymore, etc. If it's any good I'll get it.
foldy on 16/7/2009 at 06:27
Of course, it's good.
They're giving you the original, and with the press of a button, you can switch between it and the updated version at any time.
The game sounds great. I love the new music, and you get the cast from Curse of Monkey Island doing the voices. It's excellent from top to bottom.
