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Old 16-09-13, 19:27   #51
malferink
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I don't know what you're saying about the music not playing in caves, in my version it plays exactly the same music as the PS does. ( I'm playing on PC )

I do agree though that if those music tracks are left out it doesn't feel right..
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Old 16-09-13, 19:38   #52
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Originally Posted by malferink View Post
I don't know what you're saying about the music not playing in caves, in my version it plays exactly the same music as the PS does. ( I'm playing on PC )

I do agree though that if those music tracks are left out it doesn't feel right..
I was using an installer that doesn't come with the music tracks.

However, the alternative is using an installer where I can't change the gamma settings, and as a result all of my screenshots will be really dark and washed out.

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As for your reviews ... well, they're excellent, of course. But I do wish someday someone would review TR1 without the rose-coloured glasses of nostalgia on. This is not meant as a personal criticism of your reviews () - just a general observation that when it comes to TR1, people seem to be unable to separate objective facts from personal emotions. Of course, if the nostalgia factor is an important aspect of your experience of the game, you would rightly give it prominence. But for someone like me, who has no particular nostalgic feelings about it, the reviews feel completely discordant with my views of the game.
It is an important aspect of my experience of the game, but you'll notice that I gave Caves a relatively low score despite having very positive remarks about the level in my review. City of Vilcabamba, on the other hand, is a different case. I really do think this level stands out for a variety of reasons - aesthetics, the little puzzles, the music, the secrets, etc. All of it works together to create one of my favorite experiences of the game (and a somewhat underappreciated one if you ask me).

It probably looks like I'm putting a cherry on top of everything I do, but I can almost guarantee you that there will be reviews in the future where I'm more critical.

I understand what you're saying though and I will take this into account in the future.

Last edited by sheepman23; 16-09-13 at 20:00.
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Old 16-09-13, 20:01   #53
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There's nothing wrong or "bad" about utilizing all of your human tools when reviewing most everything. Except of course when you are reviewing suppositories or centrifuges... It's the emotional aspect that separates the more interesting reviews from the mundane and technical (which by the way no one really needs in this place).
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Old 16-09-13, 20:12   #54
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It is an important aspect of my experience of the game, but you'll notice that I gave Caves a relatively low score despite having very positive remarks about the level in my review. City of Vilcabamba, on the other hand, is a different case. I really do think this level stands out for a variety of reasons - aesthetics, the little puzzles, the music, the secrets, etc. All of it works together to create one of my favorite experiences of the game (and a somewhat underappreciated one if you ask me).

It probably looks like I'm putting a cherry on top of everything I do, but I can almost guarantee you that there will be reviews in the future where I'm more critical.

I understand what you're saying though and I will take this into account in the future.
I'm not really suggesting that you stop letting nostalgia influence your reviews - if nostalgia was an important part of your experience of replaying TR1, of course it will influence your reviews.

I guess what I'm saying is that I would be interested in seeing a review of TR1 by someone who isn't influenced by nostalgia. Hmm, if I ever find a way to make the game work properly on my PC, I might take that challenge up myself.

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There's nothing wrong or "bad" about utilizing all of your human tools when reviewing most everything. Except of course when you are reviewing suppositories or centrifuges... It's the emotional aspect that separates the more interesting reviews from the mundane and technical (which by the way no one really needs in this place).
I did not say it was wrong or bad - notice I called Sheepman's reviews excellent. And the opposite of emotional isn't mundane or technical - it's objective.
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Old 16-09-13, 20:40   #55
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Originally Posted by Mytly View Post
I'm not really suggesting that you stop letting nostalgia influence your reviews - if nostalgia was an important part of your experience of replaying TR1, of course it will influence your reviews.

I guess what I'm saying is that I would be interested in seeing a review of TR1 by someone who isn't influenced by nostalgia. Hmm, if I ever find a way to make the game work properly on my PC, I might take that challenge up myself.


I did not say it was wrong or bad - notice I called Sheepman's reviews excellent. And the opposite of emotional isn't mundane or technical - it's objective.
We are human beings. There is always going to be some of "you" in whatever you write, and thank God for that. Your experiences with anything will always color your perspective in some fashion, and in this particular case one cannot escape the fact that in gaming, films, and other such stuff your emotions play a substantial role in how you 'see" it. His reviews are wonderful precisely because he speaks from the heart as well as the mind.

And I guess I would like to see an "objective" review myself, but to be honest it would be almost impossible today. The gamer of 2013 more than likely cannot see the game as we did all of those years ago. it is a very old game, and unless the would be reviewer has somehow avoided playing any modern games and only played games from that era and before, he cannot really review the game "objectively". Perhaps someone should post a few reviews from '96 and '97.

I should note that I am not saying that a reviewer cannot be open minded or "fair", it's just that they will no doubt bring their 2013 gaming experience with them as they review it.

Edit:
I found a few, here is one..

Last edited by Eddie Haskell; 17-09-13 at 01:10.
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Old 16-09-13, 21:13   #56
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Interesting reviews, Sheepman, as usual.

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Originally Posted by Mytly View Post
I guess what I'm saying is that I would be interested in seeing a review of TR1 by someone who isn't influenced by nostalgia. Hmm, if I ever find a way to make the game work properly on my PC, I might take that challenge up myself.
It's not a review per se, but I just recently got into watching Alonzorion's blind playthroughs of TR games on youtube.

He didn't play TR (apart from a few levels in TR1 I think) as a kid and so now in his early 20's he's playing them through for the first time. I'm now quite hooked on seeing TR again through someone's almost "virgin" eyes - from your comments, I thought you might find it interesting too. I would say he isn't influenced by any kind of nostalgia.

TR1 was his first playthrough and his commentry gets better as he gets more into them - TR3 which he's doing now is really enjoyable.
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Old 17-09-13, 02:39   #57
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Originally Posted by Mytly View Post
I'm not really suggesting that you stop letting nostalgia influence your reviews - if nostalgia was an important part of your experience of replaying TR1, of course it will influence your reviews.

I guess what I'm saying is that I would be interested in seeing a review of TR1 by someone who isn't influenced by nostalgia. Hmm, if I ever find a way to make the game work properly on my PC, I might take that challenge up myself.


I did not say it was wrong or bad - notice I called Sheepman's reviews excellent. And the opposite of emotional isn't mundane or technical - it's objective.
I'm not sure if it's nostalgia or not. I tend to think I don't really feel that much nostalgia for TR1, since it's not the first game I finished nor is it my favorite in the series.

But when reading through Sheepman's review, as much as he emphasis on his own nostalgic factors, the review is actually rather objective IMO. I found many times I feel exactly the same about the things he said regarding the 2 levels so far. 6 and 9 are what I'd give to these levels as well. And I need to mention the music part, it's mystic, almost sad, and perfectly on cue; this is something special in TR1 compared to some of the more adventure driven music in later series. Things like that brings about a rather special atmosphere in TR1, that is definitely there, and can be appreciated even if you aren't nostalgic about the game.

I guess what I'm saying here is that this review isn't biased by nostalgia, even though nostalgia is an important component of the review. And the final verdict for City of Vilcabamba is a legitimate one. It is a masterpiece and special level that is often under-appreciated, that's exactly how the author described it in his review.

Last edited by aquaflute; 17-09-13 at 02:47.
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Old 17-09-13, 19:04   #58
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I think it's just a relative thing: Sheepman is essentially reviewing TR1, just as the title says. But all his past TR reviews were more objective, whereas this one is more subjective.

At least we get a score for the level which AFAIK is not based off nostalgia (as the Caves review demonstrated )
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Old 17-09-13, 19:49   #59
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Originally Posted by tomekkobialka View Post
I think it's just a relative thing: Sheepman is essentially reviewing TR1, just as the title says. But all his past TR reviews were more objective, whereas this one is more subjective.
I agree, I think it's good that the reviews focus more on nostalgia and the positive aspects of the game. The problem with reviews that are just completely objective is that they just state what everyone who has played TR1 has already experienced, whereas with subjective reviews, they add the personal experiences of the reviewer whilst playing each level. These reviews seem to mix the facts with the personal experiences which makes it even better imo.

Reading over the TR2 Gold reviews we did, I made the mistake of focusing too much on the facts rather than the nostalgic moments.
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Old 17-09-13, 20:10   #60
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I agree, I think it's good that the reviews focus more on nostalgia and the positive aspects of the game. The problem with reviews that are just completely objective is that they just state what everyone who has played TR1 has already experienced, whereas with subjective reviews, they add the personal experiences of the reviewer whilst playing each level. These reviews seem to mix the facts with the personal experiences which makes it even better imo.

Reading over the TR2 Gold reviews we did, I made the mistake of focusing too much on the facts rather than the nostalgic moments.
Yes, and at this stage in the game what is the point of attempting to document the game like Mr. Spock with a totally "objective" review? After 12 years and a mountain of reviews from every Tom, Dick and Harry what can one write that would make theirs different and worth reading? Utilizing their own personal observations (including nostalgia) is far better at this point in time than a dry and pointedly factual review that would only have been relevant when the game was fresh and new. And as I said, even if a person who has never played the game attempted a "Vulcan" review today, they would no doubt be tainted with the stain of the modern gaming era.

But anyway, The Lost Valley is on the way so...

Last edited by Eddie Haskell; 17-09-13 at 21:54.
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