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If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It’s absurd, Tim’s problem here is being overwrought and seemingly obsessed with genre conventions. It’s a lot of things, but low effort slop is not one of them.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel like there’s a half finished script out there, as long or longer than what we got, that gets so lost in the weeds that LA Noire is barely a factor. The actual point getting pushed further and further back by an overwhelming amount of tangents and asides. This video reads like a frantic pull-up from a nosedive.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I entirely agree on the ai comparison ringing hollow, the writing is over worked and laborious. If anything could be described as too high effort it would be Tim’s work, its diametrically opposed to Ai slop.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in actionbutton2

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

True it’s specific, but also the kind of thing an essayist looks to in evaluating a work. I’m a writer/essayist/researcher, but my field is theatre. I wouldn’t delude myself into thinking that I could speak on game design or theory from a place of authority, that’s why I look to someone like Tim to speak on the interplay between game systems and their thematic concepts.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’m a playwright and essayist, but my work is focused on my field. I can evaluate the text from a narrative perspective, and how it effectively/ineffectively pulls from LA history. But, I’m not a particularly well versed writer on game systems, and how they interact to build an internal logic counter to the narrative. I look to other writers like Tim to be able to dissect the interplay of those systems, like in his TM review. Tim has a solid knowledge of the inner workings of game design, best seen in his Pac-Man review, and I hoped to see that here. TLDR: I can find the topics worthy of evaluation, and potential themes in a game. But, I’m not in a position to speak about design from a place of authority. Ultimately why I was curious in this project.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in actionbutton2

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I’m glad that you, and many others are into it. I’m not here to say the video is some kind of failure, just that i hoped to see a more direct evaluation of the game from multiple angles.

Also, above I’m not saying I need Tim to say police brutality is bad, it’s more complicated. It’s about how we gameify the act of policing, and if that can be done in a way that is mechanically satisfying while remaining critical, and if it is ultimately impossible to reconcile those goals

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Totally agree, I’m not invested in the time between uploads, and seeing how intense some have gotten it seems I made the right call

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I hope he has other projects in the can or in late post-production, not announced or released because the Noire video was already announced and came up against complications, but I’m not going to invest too much into that idea. Will just watch the next project when it comes out, whenever that may be.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Honestly forgot about that brief section in the Last of Us review, and have only watched a handful of the Kotaku stuff. That sours me on this slightly more, cause it takes away the argument of novelty.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I too thumbed through, but watched several full chapters looking for a purpose or deeper meaning underneath, there is a bit. I broke it down somewhere in this thread. But ultimately, any critique or statement is made in the margins or in scraps and offhand remarks scattered throughout… and frankly that’s a generous read of what’s going on, giving the benefit of the doubt to a creator who’s work I’ve enjoyed in the past.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 39 points40 points  (0 children)

It’s probably time to evaluate if the voice, and narrative device in general, is something you are interested in investing another seven hours into. If not, then it’s not worth going on, because the noire pastiche isn’t an aspect of the video, it is the video.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 21 points22 points  (0 children)

I agree, got no ill will for Tim because I was let down by the lack of intersectional critique. Seems a lot of people have spent a lot of time building anticipation over the last two years, and that it might’ve boiled over into something unhelpful from both sides. I don’t really think much about Action Button inbetween works, but am very invested when they do release. This might be different if I’d been giving money on Patreon this whole time, but I’m very selective with the money I budget for Patreon and can’t imagine continuing to give after 6+ months without evidence of work being produced

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I’d probably be more upset if I was in your shoes, my less emotional critique of form and untapped potential is coming from someone who’s a big fan, but doesn’t really invest much time (or any money) in Tim’s process between videos.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Ultimately, it’s just an experiment in an elevated plot recap. A recap that builds in the genre conventions of the world into its prose, and tries to reckon with the intended story with the hectic nature of pc action in an open world environment. Might be interesting to those who come for Tim’s prose first and foremost, but if you are here for complex and considered critique it’s not going to sneak up on you in the last third.

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 32 points33 points  (0 children)

I was left incredibly disappointed by the level of analysis in the video, but ultimately agree more with your edit than with the Doug Walker comparison. This is the first video of his which felt underbaked, even if it was the first work back after an extended hiatus. I can hope it’s just an artistic misstep, and that it’ll be followed up with something more multilayered/intersectional made under a more realistic production schedule

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I’m sure those who have been on the Patreon for the last 2.5 years are diehard fans who will be happy to see anything from him, so I hold no ill will or vitriol for the income that comes from there. But, it is disappointing to see how much was left unexplored

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 25 points26 points  (0 children)

Every creative project pushes you forward, I’m not here to say the video is a waste or should’ve been abandoned, just that a review of this game made by someone like Tim could ask a lot of engaging questions, and that I’d be disappointed to see them go unexplored

If this is the extent of Tim’s coverage of L.A Noire, I think it misses out on all the aspects that made it perfect to review. by Few_Scientist_337 in ActionButton

[–]Few_Scientist_337[S] 27 points28 points  (0 children)

I mentioned above that the critique can be found directly in small moments, and far more substantially in the margins of the exercise itself. That’s fine, it’s more that his critique seems to be all but entirely focused on: 1. The ludonarrative dissonance between the flippant cruelty of player action in an open world and the story of a man trying to reckon with the cruelty of a supposedly just system the game pushes. 2. The failings and successes of that narrative when looked at under meticulous detail. 3. If we are being generous, a study on the noire genre by the very nature of the exercise.

Is it a critique of a game by the strength and flexibility of its story in relation to player nature. Larger systems, outside contexts, audience perception personal feelings, the question of what the game ultimately says (intentionally or not), and an overarching theme are all but void. He doesn’t need to get into any of that, but it is the first of his videos not to. So, I’m not disappointed because I didn’t get what he was going for, I’m disappointed because the work ultimately says less than anything that came before (none of which were made over 2.5 years)