Comments on: The Sins of Machinarium http://game-central.org/2009/editorials/the-sins-of-machinarium/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-sins-of-machinarium A new home for PC gamers Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:11:28 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Samy M. http://game-central.org/2009/editorials/the-sins-of-machinarium/comment-page-1/#comment-488 Samy M. Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:40:28 +0000 http://game-central.org/?p=6480#comment-488 Personally, I was very concerned with the robot's motivations. I definitely sympathized, just not because of the interactivity. I think it is a fantastic game, and the lack of interactive storytelling doesn't "break" the game by any means. But it does prevent it from being one of what I would consider the best games, games that successfully use interactive storytelling. Personally, I was very concerned with the robot’s motivations. I definitely sympathized, just not because of the interactivity. I think it is a fantastic game, and the lack of interactive storytelling doesn’t “break” the game by any means. But it does prevent it from being one of what I would consider the best games, games that successfully use interactive storytelling.

]]> By: phanboy4 http://game-central.org/2009/editorials/the-sins-of-machinarium/comment-page-1/#comment-487 phanboy4 Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:56:44 +0000 http://game-central.org/?p=6480#comment-487 I'm a bit conflicted on this. I see your point about the interactivity of video games being their unique asset. I agree with that, and hate the fact that it seems so many games recently seem to be aiming for a movie-like narrative, which doesn't leverage the strengths of the medium. However, I can't deny that many of the games I love narrate mostly through non-interactive sequences. And it seems to me that many games which rely heavily on the interactive narrative today simply do this by artificially restricting game world interaction to some degree while narration is occurring, Half-Life 2 did this in several places. Anyway, back to Machinarium. After thinking about it, I really don't see how the ability to influence the admittedly sketchy narrative would have added much to the game. The strength of the game for me doesn't lie in the plot but in experiencing and interaction with the strange and beautiful world Amanita Design created. That, and the puzzles. I found myself strangely unconcerned with the character's motivations. Now perhaps I might have if the narration had been more prevalent and interactive, but I still don't think that the game suffers because of that. Essentially, the story is very simplistic, basic, unadorned, and rather sketchy. Would the plot have really benefited all that much from interactivity given that, and is it such a game-breaking thing that it doesn't? I’m a bit conflicted on this. I see your point about the interactivity of video games being their unique asset. I agree with that, and hate the fact that it seems so many games recently seem to be aiming for a movie-like narrative, which doesn’t leverage the strengths of the medium.

However, I can’t deny that many of the games I love narrate mostly through non-interactive sequences. And it seems to me that many games which rely heavily on the interactive narrative today simply do this by artificially restricting game world interaction to some degree while narration is occurring, Half-Life 2 did this in several places.

Anyway, back to Machinarium. After thinking about it, I really don’t see how the ability to influence the admittedly sketchy narrative would have added much to the game. The strength of the game for me doesn’t lie in the plot but in experiencing and interaction with the strange and beautiful world Amanita Design created. That, and the puzzles. I found myself strangely unconcerned with the character’s motivations. Now perhaps I might have if the narration had been more prevalent and interactive, but I still don’t think that the game suffers because of that.

Essentially, the story is very simplistic, basic, unadorned, and rather sketchy. Would the plot have really benefited all that much from interactivity given that, and is it such a game-breaking thing that it doesn’t?

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