Sulphur on 9/5/2017 at 16:25
I was just mulling over that today - Arkane's got people like Harvey Smith who arguably had more of a systems and gameplay designer specialty back in the Origin/LGS/IS days, which is a good fit for the kind of emergent simulation-driven experiences they like to create. Levine was obviously the storyteller of the bunch, and Spector was sort of a more rounded version of both.
Now that they're all doing their own thing, you can see them employing their strengths: Arkane's games like Prey and Dishonored are compelling to play except that, despite all the lore and detail they put in, they really aren't great at storytelling; Levine's approach is like the inverse of that - he knows how to employ dramatic heft and has the skills to tell a strong story, but game systems aren't his forte. I haven't played Spector's stuff from JP, but I'm guessing there was more to Epic Mickey than just fanciful cartoon fantasy.
Just puts it all in relief, really: it was lightning in a bottle, having all of those minds around at the same time, co-developing games like Thief.
Renault on 9/5/2017 at 16:34
I think the only person working at Arkane with direct ties to LGS is Harvey Smith. I haven't played Prey yet, but I think Dishonored is unique enough that Arkane should be comfortable that they're not just plagiarizing old LGS games. Are Dishonored and Thief all that similar? Not really. There's stealth, but it's not the primary focus and it's not nearly as sophisticated as Thief. It certainly borrow elements from the game, but devs have been doing that in games for years.
In regards to building a legacy, give them a chance. They're only on their 5th game at this point.
Sulphur on 9/5/2017 at 16:35
As for Prey's stealth: it's, uh, complicated. Your standard enemy is one that hides from you, so you need to be on the offensive when it comes to those jerks. The bigger ones and drones can be stealth'd via a Dishonored style LOS system, but it's a bit iffy as to what their sight ranges are at times. Each enemy also has a detection meter above them to make it clear if you're about to blow your cover. All of that comes together as stealth that's not really compelling for me, but it's more or less functional.
Also, you can lean. Arkane always gets bonus points for that.
Judith on 9/5/2017 at 16:59
I think I read somewhere that they ditched Thief (i.e. light-based) stealth in Dishonored on purpose, because they felt it limited them aesthetically and design-wise. Since they managed to keep other aspects of the game interesting, I didn't mind it that much.
Edit: RPS review - recommended badge: (
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2017/05/09/prey-review/)
Edit 2, regarding latest Bethesda shenanigans and no-review policy: I bought the game today, and I still got the "Thank you for pre-ordering the game" message. Saying fuck you to journalists and consumers is one thing, but this just fabricating the statistics to push the agenda that pre-order culture is a must. Looks like I will buy my next Bethesda game at least a month after launch.
Vicarious on 9/5/2017 at 17:39
I have no problem with Arkane games being similiar to LGS stuff (at least so far). Honestly, how can I complain? I was sure we'd never see a game like this ever again, especially from a AAA developer. Yet here we are. Last year I wrote that post about how great a lot of the new games are and this is another example of that. Exciting times.
Pyrian on 9/5/2017 at 21:39
Quote Posted by Sulphur
I haven't played Spector's stuff from JP, but I'm guessing there was more to Epic Mickey than just fanciful cartoon fantasy.
Y'know how a lot of DX, DX:IW, and T:
DS seemed unpolished? That's the Spector touch for ya'...
Quote Posted by Abysmal
Okay, well my fingers are crossed that their next IP shows us something wholly original...
I'd rather they didn't. It's not like they
aren't bringing interesting mechanics to each game. If anything, they could use some better writers. It would be a pity if they threw out what they're good at.
Jason Moyer on 9/5/2017 at 21:49
They've done a whalepunk version of Deus Ex, I'd kinda like to see them do a cyberpunk version of Thief at some point. A stealth-suit that makes the wearer invisible in darkness, a protagonist trained by the invisible hand who breaks free and provides for himself by breaking into corporations and whatnot, gets himself inadvertently involved in some war between humanists and corporate techno fascists, etc. Make it happen.
Slasher on 10/5/2017 at 03:18
Has this been pretty smooth sailing performance wise?
Neb on 10/5/2017 at 04:04
For me, yes - and I was one of the people hit hard by the Dishonored 2 release.
Jason Moyer on 10/5/2017 at 04:08
Yeah, it runs great. Although I don't think it looks anywhere near as good as DH2, either.
