Press and Reviews Thread

[IronGiant]

I think that the difficulty level is spot on, but then I'm just average at games.

[Yak]

Obiviously, he hasn't tried Vindaloo and Phaal modes then ?

I think he's completed it

No

"my first (and only) bash on Phaal saw me pummel my way through just over half of the fifty levels."

[bcass]

I'm ranked 5th in the world on the SG hardcore leaderboard and I think Vindaloo and Phaal are fucking difficult in this, especially trying to get any decent scores out of them.

Anyway, all these reviews so far have just been blog posts. Let's see what the bigger sites have to say.

[Dio]

I'm not sure the difficulty level directly relates to the accessibility. I mean, Tetris gets pretty hard pretty fast, but nobody ever accused it of being inaccessible.

I certainly think GRR covers the difficulty bases pretty well with the different modes.

[Yak]

I think that the difficulty level is spot on, but then I'm just average at games.

And that's exactly the point - I set out to make the game more accessible than SG and judging from what I've heard it is exactly so.

SG was a great game, and loved by lots of people, and there will always be people who prefer it. But the general vibe around it was that it was too difficult for mere mortals to get into. I don't think that's *true*, but that is the vibe around the game.

If I'd come up with more of the same no doubt I'd've taken a lot of stick for "not compromising" and "not giving people what they wanted". SG is what it is, GRR is what it is, both are great, get whichever one is closest to your gaming taste, or just get both and be done with it. I'm not going to say that one is better than the other and I'm not going to apologise for either one for any reason .

[gravy]

Obiviously, he hasn't tried Vindaloo and Phaal modes then ?

I think he's completed it

No

"my first (and only) bash on Phaal saw me pummel my way through just over half of the fifty levels."

Ah right, so he has played Vindaloo and Phaal modes

Other games have the same problems of being criticised for being too easy or too hard which why the majority of big releases have difficulty levels these days.

That said I can see it makes the job of balancing a game a lot harder if you have to do it for easy / medium / hard / insane etc

[gilesgoat]

I'm not sure the difficulty level directly relates to the accessibility. I mean, Tetris gets pretty hard pretty fast, but nobody ever accused it of being inaccessible.

I certainly think GRR covers the difficulty bases pretty well with the different modes.

Yeah but then again for example a game like Tetris also get frustrating pretty fast.

I think it's good when difficulty increases but it gives you the possibility meanwhile to learn/cope with it, of course some
levels will need you to do them a few times but then the difficulty is not really in "I managed to pass that level" but
"I managed to make a really high score".

I don't think this time anyone could accuse GRR to be "inaccessible", by the time you arrive at some levels I think you
are "quite tuned enough" to find them manageable

Of course would be totally unfair if someone would be put straight on into Vindaloo or Phaal

[gilesgoat]

*SNIP*

That said I can see it makes the job of balancing a game a lot harder if you have to do it for easy / medium / hard / insane etc

In fact : Korma / Madras / Vindaloo / Phaal.

[Yak]

It also depends what you want out of a game and how you play it. If your objective is just "get through to the end" then yes, that's possible fairly easily. However for me it's more about the act of playing - I simply enjoy playing each level and playing around with the bullet streams to get good scores. I'll often go back and play on Korma and Madras simply because I enjoy playing through in a more chilled style sometimes, and I just love hanging out round the grav sources and curling my streams while listening for that buzz .

That's what I intended when I made it, and that's what I see a lot of other people feeling and enjoying too from what I'm hearing. If all someone wants to do is bash through - well, it is possible, but it is to miss some of the main joy to be had from the game IMO.

[Sir_LANs-a-lot]

Any bullet curving mofo can play the game.

Not everyone can play it well.

[ALLseeingEYE]

I think he should give the game another shot. Even Korma gets pretty damn hard by level 50. He only initially says that he played 50 levels, so I'm guessing 1-20 Korma, then Madras 1-30. But he must have played through most of Vindaloo if he got to Phaal.

Personally, I think you nailed the difficulty Yak. I love going back to Korma, as you say since its a bit more chill, but there's still a ton to play with and improve on, but the game is simply insane at higher difficulty levels. The game has something for everybody in that respect. Perhaps the problem for him is that he couldn't just start out on Vindaloo/ Phaal mode, so became a bit bored with the more relaxed levels. But then again, Survival mode would likely be more his cup of tea if he's that good at it. That mode is really tough, but actually really fun as well.

Anyways, just one guys opinion. I'm guessing he's in the minority in regards to difficulty.

[Yak]

Also to be fair to moobaa he's not even said he doesn't like the game - in fact he says that people should buy both games! - only that he prefers SG, and I can fully respect that because SG is a bloody great game. SG was fiercely divisive - some people never got into it, and some people got so into it that for them it was one of the best games EVER, and there was precious little middle ground. GRR seems a lot less divisive with many more people finding it "just right" and very few actively disliking it.

It's a bit like cheese - some people just love a blue stinky cheese that's too strong for even most cheese lovers, and some people will only like a mild cheddar. GRR is a cheese that can be enjoyed by just about anyone who likes cheese, and if someone still prefers a nice Stilton - well that's fine too. The main thing is to get more Llamasoft cheese on more Jacobs crackers, and I think GRR achieves that admirably .

[ALLseeingEYE]

True, even more reason for him to try survival and complete Phaal

Never know, he'll probably wake up tomorrow, flick it on, and enjoy it with some fresh eyes. That often happens to me. Hell, thats how I came to appreciate Pink Floyd, just gave them another shot, then in due time, mind was blown.

[galaxis]

Right, moobaa, how could I not notice that...

Next:
Destructoid, http://www.destructoid.com/gridrunner-r ... 0266.phtml
incgamers, http://www.incgamers.com/News/18811/jef ... n-released

[Dave]

I think it was definitely a smart move making GRR more player-accessible. Can't wait to play it. Gotta wait for Win 7 to come out before I buy a PC again. It's a bummer being a Mac user sometimes...

SG was a good game too, don't get me wrong. Much harder of course. Nowadays, I usually give a game maybe 30-60 seconds before I decide "like" or "don't like". That might seem a bit harsh, but it's basically my way to sift through the huge variety of game demo's available. There are tons and tons of good games out there, but I don't have the time to play nearly any of them. If I can't pick it up in 30-60 seconds and start enjoying myself, I try another one instead.

Exceptions to this, of course, are when people say "Dude, this game is totally awesome! Give it an hour and you'll be hooked." Or made by a favorite developer/team. Or, a sequel to something I enjoyed in the past. I think that's partly the reason why companies like releasing sequels. Players know what to expect, and there's not much of a risk involved.

/opinion of a "busy" gamer