I think Uru also accomplished it, but that's such a massive black hole of a game that it's almost impossible to parse some of that out. And there's some enormous misfires there too: the pod puzzles require you to learn ecology by… sitting in a room for 12 hours watching sunlight work its way across the floor, then…

I meant that contextually, in the sense that if you're manipulating a bridge (to grab Excitable Misunderstood Genius's example elsewhere in the thread), it doesn't really matter to the puzzle why that bridge is there, who built it, and so on. Still, good to hear that there's at least a little more going on in them. :)

Yeah, it's so strange to hear that take on the game. The more I think about it, though, that's what seems intriguing about The Witness too. It's a take on the concept from someone who missed the point and, instead of just making a bad copy, reconfigured it with their own idea of what the throughline should be. Myst's…

That the puzzles in The Witness appear to be mostly uninformed by an environmental story is a confusing choice because of how strongly Myst excels at that. It sounds like it draws on a different vein of satisfaction, one that almost positions the game as a rationalist counterpoint to the series of its inspiration. And…

Great chain of discussion! I don't really have too much more to add, those comments were a good read on a topic I haven't thought too much about.

[EDIT: oops nevermind I already mentioned board games]

I have the Multiplayer Gold Edition, and I assume it'll run okay on an XP virtual machine. Strongly consider looking into that instead of getting a new laptop; it's way cheaper if you just happen to have a copy of XP handy!

So excited to see Strax working in music now!

I'm playing Don't Die in the Largest Storm of the Century. It's a survival horror game where you sit in an apartment and watch car accidents outside while almost three feet of snow encase your city.

Oh my goodness, I really want to dig up Civ II now! This could be an ideal snow day game. I think the soundtrack is responsible for maybe 60% of my love for it.

The mini-narratives that emerge from what characters you play are pretty great. In the earliest stages, the Cleaner is a walking anti-climax who can just knock everyone unconscious and make other plans moot.

That's awesome. I never finished Monaco (from a combination of distraction, starting and not committing a co-op playthrough, etc.), but that sounds like an exceptional way to tell a crucial part of the story through game mechanics.

It plays well solo too, but you're definitely limited in what options are available compared to co-op. There's always a ton of routes through the map, and if you have to choose between being a locksmith and a hacker, for instance, only some of those will be open. But that also means it's very replayable.

I think that might explain where we differ on what we thought of Syberia's empty enviroments: The Dig is one of my all-time favorite games, and similarly, as a huge fan of Myst, I love that sort of interpretive, empty game. It sounds like we just sorta disagree there. :)

Yes! I'm probably going at 2 or 3. It feels good to finally have a legitimate reason to break out the Gameological pin.

My greatest regret is playing starting a playthrough of Syberia II on Gametap and expecting that I could go back and continue it at some point. I have it through GOG, but I just need to sit down and play it.

I last played Syberia like eight years ago, so all that's left are the memories of how warm and soulful it is. But as you mention it, a lot of the more confusing puzzles are coming back to me. :( The detour with the opera singer that involves you blowing up a factory is really jarring, right?

Yes, Indie Arcade! I'll be there! Probably going midday or 2 or 3. Look for the guy in a tweed jacket with elbow patches and a Gameological pin. I'll probably just be on the Wizard of Wor machine all day if that's back again.

This weekend I'm going to the Smithsonian Indie Arcade! Any DC-area people going? It's a neat day-long event on Saturday where one of the Smithsonian galleries gets taken over by displays playing new in-development indie titles and classic arcade games. This is the second year, and if it's anything like last time,…

There have to be bootlegs out there. That was some of my favorite late-night television ever. It felt like watching a hostage crisis.