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Post by mrdomino on Nov 28, 2008 21:37:12 GMT -5
Mondo is one of the few games on my 'games that make me think' list. Its a short list:
Metal Gear Solid 2 Ico/SotC Killer 7 Mondo Medicals/Agency Deus Ex
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Post by madamluna on Nov 28, 2008 22:44:19 GMT -5
Mondo is one of the few games on my 'games that make me think' list. Its a short list: Metal Gear Solid 2 Ico/SotC Killer 7 Mondo Medicals/Agency Deus Ex Same here, that and killer7 (killer7 love!) get my gears turning sometimes. I don't want to get too tl;dr on anyone, but it's fun to bring up once in a while, right?
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Post by agentkoopa on Nov 29, 2008 17:28:15 GMT -5
As long as we're getting all cerebral, I think it might have to do more with being thrust into situations that you can't comprehend or influence, even though the player tries hard to do both. In both Medicals and Agency, the player is in the role of someone who is ordered to perform weird, illogical tasks for what is ostensibly a good cause. But the further you get, the clearer it becomes that you're going with motions that are dictated not by your intentions, but the intentions of the other characters in the game. In Medicals, death isn't just a function of whether or not the player is any good at the game, it's the only possible outcome. Whether you die during High Risk Variation or the ending doesn't matter, because either way the same effect is accomplished. The only person who could change this at all would be the priest, effectively putting the main character's life in his hands instead of the player's. Whereas normally the actions of the player dictate "I win! Happy end!" or "I lose! Bad end!", in this case, it comes down to "I'm going to die either way, but my input only affects when and how." In Agency, the same thing happens. Even though the player doesn't realize it at the time, they're the one who's going to kill the President. In the same way that the player just sorta bumbles into their death unknowingly in Medicals, the player doesn't mean to kill the President--it just kinda happens, because there's nothing else to do at that point. Whether it was just an accident or the Boss set you up isn't exactly relevant, but it's very easy to wonder about, considering he doesn't leave you with any other choice. (Maybe that's also why he directed you to the Submissions with the cancer patient and the native massacre, to more easily explain how you'd go off to kill the President afterwards. But that's getting off on a tangent.) I like that "degradation of initial intentions" idea, though, and that could also be applied to the player's side too. Especially in Agency. "oh god, I just wanted to save the President! Why are these laser indians chasing me?! *pew pew pew*" Yes! I understand perfectly what you mean here! The player isn't in charge! It's their crazy world, and they dictate what happens to you! And it's happening to you, not some generic player character like in so many other games. In my opinion part of what makes the Mondo games scary is that the characters and situations threaten the player, not the player character. At least in Agency, this is because the player feels responsible for "their" decisions. You're an Agent, and you're pressing the buttons and shooting bizarre light-up natives and these are all your own actions, not anyone else's. It's not a war setting, it's not a puzzle setting, so you don't really have the excuse of saying "sorry, war's on, blam blam blam," or "I'm a button pusher! Let's push those buttons!" And at the end, you feel like you have really murdered the President and will be held responsible. In Medicals, of course, there's more of a feeling of hopelessness and claustrophobia. But still, the Priest seems to threaten you directly. Maybe I'm just overthinking things. But these are the impressions I get from playing Cactus' games.
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Post by voodoomaster on Dec 10, 2008 19:25:02 GMT -5
I think the games just got two times scarier for me. I don't think it's overthinking things - that view makes the game so much different (for me at least), and even better. It's like showing the viewpoint of the people who get manipulated by Insert-Chessmaster-Guy-Here in Show Name; how bizarre and nonsensical everything is... and the worst bit is that you can see that much, but they don't tell you anything. It makes you feel people will use you to their own ends and then discard you without a backward glance, and truly, that's even more terrifying than being confused.
You know, given the airport screenshot and the "terrorism" description, I have a feeling that Mondo Nation will have some sort of message about the whole Iraq thing. Perhaps even a character's view on it, or at least a similar event. Even if there is no such message, I'll be able to find one...
Thank you for all the games, cactus. This is looking awesome.
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Post by cactus on Dec 21, 2008 21:44:32 GMT -5
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Post by cesque on Dec 21, 2008 21:52:54 GMT -5
...interesting
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Post by Akhiloth on Dec 21, 2008 22:23:25 GMT -5
Beautiful.
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Post by Akhiloth on Dec 21, 2008 23:33:56 GMT -5
Wait a minute.. If it's a trailer, then it must be already finished?! Yayzels!
And cactus.. Why are you posting 4 o' clock at the morning?
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Post by mrdomino on Dec 21, 2008 23:54:34 GMT -5
Perhaps because that's when he finished the game? (hope)
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Post by deathclaw on Dec 22, 2008 17:14:09 GMT -5
It's been a while since i've been so pumped for a game.
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gflex
Decent member
Posts: 6
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Post by gflex on Jan 1, 2009 1:33:31 GMT -5
To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure polls are the best way to decide this kind of stuff. I love the Mondo games. They do things other games don't. They're obviously niche products, and go against people's expectations, so popular opinion doesn't seem to be the best way (to me) to make decisions about them. That being said, what I love most about the Mondo games is, well, twofold I think: - They remind me of experiencing a really freakish dream that can't be properly described; this is true in virtually all respects of the games, from the nondescript, purely-functional aesthetics (dreams tend to leave out details) to the disturbing emotional/thematic content, to the language/speech used, to the bizarre and abstract logic in the gameplay, and more.
- The fact that seemingly nothing in the game could possibly have a canonical explanation. Actually, this also makes it more like a dream; you can certainly interpret things a number of ways, but which way is right? Nobody knows, and I like it that way.
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Post by mrdomino on Jan 3, 2009 0:28:08 GMT -5
I would just like to say that I really like that explanation.
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Post by tgoc on Jan 3, 2009 0:58:50 GMT -5
I don't get hung up over most surreal sources of entertainment mean in most cases. Like David Lynch for example. I don't know where he is pulling half the shit from. Jodorowsky (spelling?), however, I do think about. I think Mondo is the same way. Not to degrade whatever it is going for, I'll still like it the same.
Edit: I never made a game specifically for somebody like they want me to. I always go by what I want to do. I then, agree, that a poll to decide the genre wouldn't be my thing. Obviously Cactus is more successful than me but other artists would tell you to go with what you want to do. I don't think you broke this rule yet, so keep it up. I have respect for you Cactus.
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Post by cactus on Jan 3, 2009 6:19:21 GMT -5
I always go with what I want to do myself, but I still find it interesting to see what people would like to play.
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Post by qog on Jan 3, 2009 11:12:10 GMT -5
that makes sense...
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