Journey <thatgamecompany>

[Hawkbit]

Didn't see a thread for it.  I'm sure this will get flamed to hell over who thinks their games are crap or not, but w/e. 

I have a short list of games on my list this year, and Journey is on it.

Journey to launch on PSN March 13, 2012 - $14.99

[ffc]

If I understand this correctly, as you are playing online there is random and seamless drop-in/out coop? 

[Velorath]

Been waiting for this one for a while.  Good to see it's releasing soon, although I'll probably still be playing a lot of Mass Effect 3 at that time.

[Ingmar]

No Xbox version? I guess I won't stop believin' that maybe there will be one eventually.

[Velorath]

No Xbox version? I guess I won't stop believin' that maybe there will be one eventually.

There won't be (all their games have been part of a deal with Sony to make PSN titles).

[Ingmar]

Then I guess me and this thread will go our separate ways.

[Hawkbit]

This is their last of three games that are Sony exclusives; it completes their contract.  Not that they've ever said it directly, but I get the impression that they want to do multiplatform in the future. 

[UnSub]

It will be interesting to see what happens if they do try and strike out on their own without Sony's backing. thatgamecompany has always appeared to me as focusing on proof-of-concept modellers than actual game designers, so I wonder what will happen if they also need to be paying their own bills.

[Hawkbit]

Rumors seem to be that they're working on some form of Multiplayer or MMO kind of game, but they work generally in 3yr dev cycles and won't be chatting about anything in the near future.

[Velorath]

Rumors seem to be that they're working on some form of Multiplayer or MMO kind of game, but they work generally in 3yr dev cycles and won't be chatting about anything in the near future.

I think the rumors are mostly based on this job listing:

Scalability Engineer

thatgamecompany is an award winning game developer that believes games can be more than just compulsion based skinner boxes and teenage power fantasies. We believe games can be rich, meaningful entertainment for people of all kinds.

With our last game, Journey, we began incorporating online interactions into our projects, and we’d like to take it a step further on our next game. But while we’re pretty experienced making games, we’ve never built a full scale online service available to hundreds of thousands of users. People keep telling us that’s pretty hard. We like a challenge, but we also don’t want to screw this up. We’re looking for someone to help us plan and build our online infrastructure in a way that scales.

We’re a small team with a highly iterative and experimental development process. Day to day tasks depend on the specific needs of the project, but, in general, you’ll be helping us plan and implement systems for account management, data tracking, player matchmaking and automated testing, as well as selecting and integrating cloud services. In addition, like every member of the team, you’ll be encouraged to contribute to the design and development of the game itself.

There are two requirements for the position:

Firsthand experience building a scalable online service (either alone or with a small team)

A desire to see the medium of games mature and increase in relevancy for people around the world


You will be more likely to enjoy this job if you:

Value autonomy and personal responsibility

Enjoy cross-disciplinary work and collaboration

Seek adventure and uncertainty in exploring experimental and risky game concept

Believe in the practice of rapid prototyping and relentless iteration

Desire to create something not just for core gamers but everyone you respect in your life

[Samwise]

Ingmar, I just want to let you know that somebody saw what you did there.  I can't say if I approved, but I did see it.

[Nevermore]

You don't seem to be embracing it with open arms.

[Furiously]

I guess you don't get it anyway you want it.

[Velorath]

When did Journey references become their own little sub-genre of humor?  When insurance commercials are making the same jokes, that's when you know it's no longer funny.

[HaemishM]

Ingmar, I just want to let you know that somebody saw what you did there.  I can't say if I approved, but I did see it.

That took me a while. 

[Furiously]

When did Journey references become their own little sub-genre of humor?  When insurance commercials are making the same jokes, that's when you know it's no longer funny.

No...word play is always going to be funny to the person writing it.

[Ingmar]

I'm one of those people with no TV service, so I plead ignorance to knowing about the insurance commercials.

[Yegolev]

GROAN

[JWIV]

Holy fuck this game.   

I just did a single play through, and will be doing another at some point.  It's about 2-3 hours long, 14.99 on  PSN, and completely worth it.   This is a game rich in personal narrative and little stories and simply joyful shared experiences.   I probably will never forget that the person who I believed (I thought I met 2 people, in reality, I met 4) had traveled the entire game with me chose to sit down at the base of the final mountain while I chirped in excitement that we had reached the final part of our journey.   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YD8Zrruo6fE

[Velorath]

For some reason I had it in my head that this was coming out on the 16th.  Going to download it after I get off work.

[Quinton]

Very impressive.  I will definitely have to play through it again.  Highly enjoyable experience.  I feel like I rushed a bit in places and will want to take my time and enjoy the scenery a bit more (though some areas are really amazingly enjoyable to dash through).

[Velorath]

I hesitate to call it a game (although there is some game in there) but it was an amazing experience.

[JWIV]

I hesitate to call it a game (although there is some game in there) but it was an amazing experience.

I'd agree with this. I'm just not sure what else to call it.  Interactive art?  Shared collaboration with gaming elements?  It's all a bit clunky.

[Hawkbit]

It's all a bit clunky.

Only if you feel a need to categorize the experience.  

I also would hesitate to call it a game.  It is an experience, not unlike the designer's previous work.  I'm very happy to own it.

EDIT:  It's also very interesting to watch my daughter play it.  She's almost seven and generally pretty good at games.  In her first twenty minutes she found two things that I never did.  I tended to go straight for the glowy objects and she explores every nook and cranny methodically.  She is really excited by this game, though she was a little confused at first of what the goal of the game is. 

[ffc]

Love the multiplayer and how you are encouraged to stick with a buddy in order to keep the boost charged.  Running around exploring is great as is chirping to signal a newly discovered secret.  I also like literally growing as you progress through the game, similar to Flower and Flow.  Compared to those two, Journey feels like more of a "game."

[pxib]

If you wait until the end of the credits, it will give you the IDs of everybody who traveled with you beside the symbol they 'sang'.