TGO
Hype Train conductor. Works harder than it steams.
-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
So what it is about Bloober Team that everyone around here seems to hate so much?
- Thread starter Drizzlehell
- Start date
StueyDuck
Member
Literally given you multiple reasons as have many others. You just don't like those reasons
Last edited:
Dr. Claus
Banned
Nothing I stated was "console wars". Try again, kiddo.
StueyDuck
Member
What ever floats your boat big boy
Drizzlehell
Banned
Well, you're comparing walking simulators to a game that simply features a lot of story segments but still devotes ample enough time to actual gameplay.
As I usually say when I pick up a pair of blue trousers that look like jeans at a second hand clothing store: that's a real stretch, bro.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
To me most of their games are mediocre. Not like its bad, its just every single game I played is average.
Drizzlehell
Banned
What, you mean this:
Wow, iron-clad. You truly gave me a pause for thought there, mate.
How about you point to something specific that's in the actual games instead of just rattling a bunch of cons with no actual examples to substantiate it somehow? I described a specific puzzle that I thought was clever and inventive when you asked me this:
So you could at least do me the same courtesy.
Fess
Member
There were lots of negativity at the Xbox launch too, unless that was PS fanboys and then I guess you’re right anyway but from a different perspective lol
I’m hopeful, The Medium had a haunting atmosphere and was very scary at times at least for me. The gameplay was so-so. Can’t say I’ve ever thought the actual gameplay was good in Silent Hill 1-3 either though, which are the only ones I’ve tried, so I’m not too worried on that. I’d say it’s the thing that it moves from a japanese dev to a western dev that could lead to problems, Bloober could try to westernize SH.
StueyDuck
Member
Ok they're games have no gameplay. Looking at wall melt then going to place to say I've done part 4 of 7 where wall melted so you can go down a hallway and look at the next spook which isn't very scary just a loud noise and something moves fast
I mean exhibit A of bloopers brilliance:
Lol get those guys for silent Hill Konami said to themselves
Last edited:
coffinbirth
Member
While I agree with your sentiment....it's not very realistic.
Also, it's worth pointing out these "niche" titles Bloober have been putting out have outsold the last several Silent Hill entries. Keep in mind SH, as a series, has only sold about 8 million. Layers of Fear, with just two games, is at about 3 million. "Mediocre developers" have been with this franchise for what, 15 years now? You could've told me Downpour was made by Bloober, and I would've believed you if I didn't know better.
Konami is throwing exactly the talent and resources they are capable of at a franchise that is decades removed from it's prime. Who else would they even get? Sony? LOL. They dumped Days Gone like a wet sack of shit and that one game sold about as much as the entire Silent Hill franchise combined. I doubt they would take that on for just a feather in their cap. Timed exclusivity was probably the only investment they were even willing to make.
You want an internal team at Konami in the year 2023 to be working on ANYTHING beloved? Just be thankful this isn't some live service MTX-laden mobile shitfest. Or Amazon Luna exclusive or some other nonsense.
This is the beggar becoming the chooser.
StueyDuck
Member
By the way... you made a thread asking why if you don't like the answer maybe you shouldn't make a thread
I am not going to write a 12 page summary of all my thoughts of each act of each crappy game blooper put out. They were so bland and forgettable that I can't remember exactly what happened in each and every scene.
It was something about a painter and you walked around and "spooky" things happened. There was literally 0 engagement.
Blair witch was the same. I remember walking through a wooden house and that's about as much that stands out from that game.
When you play a proper decent horror game that is unique and stands out from its contemporaries you don't need to try jog your memory on what it's about or what happened.
I remember layers of fear as much as I remember Visage or Madison they were all hot shit PT ripoff.
And Madison came out recently.
Tell me why blooper is better than the Visage or Madison developers?
Last edited:
SportsFan581
Member
I tried to like The Medium but I just found it boring more than anything else. That's really the only Bloober game I think I've ever played.
Grildon Tundy
Member
I agree with your points-to-quality interpretation and why it happens. I just think of it in terms of the American education grading system (<70 = failure, 70-80 = average, 80-90 = good, 90+ = excellent). It is what it is.
Mozzarella
Member
I think its because they have never made a game that people loved, all their games range from bad to mediocre to meh at best, i personally never played a game from them that i'd consider good.
Their understanding of game mechanics, game design and storytelling seems to be fundamentally flawed, which is the reason people are skeptical of them taking on a game like Silent Hill 2, a cult classic survival horror.
However and im probably going to piss off some people with this, Silent Hill 2 fanbase has a big portion of insufferable pretentious edgelords, they overanalyze the games to ridiculous degrees, and pass some flaws with some of the worst excuses and defending points i have heard, some of them will tell you its the gameplay but i dont recall SH2 gameplay being anywhere near good, it has always been a cheap and mediocre Resident Evil ripoff, some of the fanbase will go out of their way to invent new things to be outraged about, like in the trailer where James parked the car or if the door is open or not or if the Mirror was tilted or not, they are nitpicking so hard that its going to be impossible to satisfy them, i dont think its going to matter that much if they changed Bloober to some other developer because in the end from the perspective of the SH2 diehard fan, anyone that touches anything in their precious underrated hidden gem is going to ruin it.
I like the game, its very good, and i understand the complaints about Bloober, its just that some of the fanbase of this game are annoying, and funny enough most of them are zoomers who like to appear artistic and cultured, i even suspect some of them didnt play it and just watched some Youtuber analyze it or something.
Their understanding of game mechanics, game design and storytelling seems to be fundamentally flawed, which is the reason people are skeptical of them taking on a game like Silent Hill 2, a cult classic survival horror.
However and im probably going to piss off some people with this, Silent Hill 2 fanbase has a big portion of insufferable pretentious edgelords, they overanalyze the games to ridiculous degrees, and pass some flaws with some of the worst excuses and defending points i have heard, some of them will tell you its the gameplay but i dont recall SH2 gameplay being anywhere near good, it has always been a cheap and mediocre Resident Evil ripoff, some of the fanbase will go out of their way to invent new things to be outraged about, like in the trailer where James parked the car or if the door is open or not or if the Mirror was tilted or not, they are nitpicking so hard that its going to be impossible to satisfy them, i dont think its going to matter that much if they changed Bloober to some other developer because in the end from the perspective of the SH2 diehard fan, anyone that touches anything in their precious underrated hidden gem is going to ruin it.
I like the game, its very good, and i understand the complaints about Bloober, its just that some of the fanbase of this game are annoying, and funny enough most of them are zoomers who like to appear artistic and cultured, i even suspect some of them didnt play it and just watched some Youtuber analyze it or something.
Drizzlehell
Banned
I mean exhibit A of bloopers brilliance:
Lol get those guys for silent Hill Konami said to themselves
You do realize that certain things like fear or humor can be subjective? What you may find laughable can be unnerving to me, plus you can basically make a joke out of everything under the right circumstances. Watching a guy trying to entertain an audience during a stream is hardly a setting where you can get properly immersed in a horror game.
Also:
It's called a debate. It can be civilized if you won't puff up every time I disagree with you. Also a decent grammar would be helpful.
It's exactly what you should be doing if you actually want to have an earnest discussion instead of taking a bunch of cheap shots and expecting that I will just agree with you or whatever. Otherwise why do you even waste your time talking about it?
I mean, don't write 12 pages because I ain't gonna read that much, but at least have an intelligent argument that doesn't boil down to "I think it's bad therefore it sucks"
And...? Is your argument that if you don't go around whacking things over the head or performing some manual button prompts on your controller then it's not engaging? I was engaged well enough in plenty of scenes from those games. It was engaging when spooky things happened around me and it was up to me to figure out what's going on or how to progress. It was engaging when I talked to various tenants in Observer, or snuck around that cyber monster thingy... My point is, not every game has to be about collecting coins or "winning" the game. Horror adventure games are mostly about immersing you in the story, setting, and atmosphere. They're deliberately minimalistic with their gameplay so that you could focus on the narrative and exploration/horror aspects. I like them just as much as I like any other genres, but they're obviously gonna be a totally different kind of experience.
Also, your memory being poor isn't an argument.
Also, also, I don't know why you bring up some other, similar games. I like those too. Never said that Bloober's games were better or worse. What about them?
Last edited:
Drizzlehell
Banned
Oh yeah, Silent Hill fans basically imagine themselves to be like some sort of high-class reading club, sitting around a fireplace with a glass of bourbon and a cigar and debating finer points of Pyramid Head theories. Shit is mad pretentious, and I totally agree that you will never please that fanbase no matter what you do. Back in the days where I was in that local community that I mentioned, there were already a bunch of outliers who constantly argued amongst each other whether Silent Hill 3 or 4 are good games or not, so they couldn't even be pleased when the series was still in its prime.
StueyDuck
Member
You do realize that certain things like fear or humor can be subjective? What you may find laughable can be unnerving to me, plus you can basically make a joke out of everything under the right circumstances. Watching a guy trying to entertain an audience during a stream is hardly a setting where you can get properly immersed in a horror game.
Also:
It's called a debate. It can be civilized if you won't puff up every time I disagree with you. Also a decent grammar would be helpful.
It's exactly what you should be doing if you actually want to have an earnest discussion instead of taking a bunch of cheap shots and expecting that I will just agree with you or whatever. Otherwise why do you even waste your time talking about it?
I mean, don't write 12 pages because I ain't gonna read that much, but at least have an intelligent argument that doesn't boil down to "I think it's bad therefore it sucks"
And...? Is your argument that if you don't go around whacking things over the head or performing some manual button prompts on your controller then it's not engaging? I was engaged well enough in plenty of scenes from those games. It was engaging when spooky things happened around me and it was up to me to figure out what's going on or how to progress. It was engaging when I talked to various tenants in Observer, or snuck around that cyber monster thingy... My point is, not every game has to be about collecting coins or "winning" the game. Horror adventure games are mostly about immersing you in the story, setting, and atmosphere. They're deliberately minimalistic with their gameplay so that you could focus on the narrative and exploration/horror aspects. I like them just as much as I like any other genres, but they're obviously gonna be a totally different kind of experience.
Also, your memory being poor isn't an argument.
Also, also, I don't know why you bring up some other, similar games. I like those too. Never said that Bloober's games were better or worse. What about them?
so this is a troll thread, sweet putting it on block now since it's a giant waste of time
begotten
Member
I think they're a developer that's getting there. They haven't been around long but I appreciate that they pursue this identity in a niche genre.
Layers of Fear was decent.
2 was a okay sequel.
Observer is probably their best game IMO.
Blair Witch sucked.
The Medium was decent.
Their games just lack a memorable narrative and there's always some kind of technical unpolish.
They can scratch that psychological horror immersion and itch I have, but I could never seriously recommend or replay their games.
I hope things change come Silent Hill 2, for both their and that game's legacy's sake.
Layers of Fear was decent.
2 was a okay sequel.
Observer is probably their best game IMO.
Blair Witch sucked.
The Medium was decent.
Their games just lack a memorable narrative and there's always some kind of technical unpolish.
They can scratch that psychological horror immersion and itch I have, but I could never seriously recommend or replay their games.
I hope things change come Silent Hill 2, for both their and that game's legacy's sake.
Old_and_Slow
Member
I like Observer. I think it's well written, while being odd in all the good ways. But yep, it's a walking sim so there's gonna be the hate on that type of game period.
Their style is probably not the best fit for Silent Hill at first glance, so there's gonna be some automatic FUD inspired hate from SH fans. Hope they surprise everyone.
Their style is probably not the best fit for Silent Hill at first glance, so there's gonna be some automatic FUD inspired hate from SH fans. Hope they surprise everyone.
AlteredForms
Banned
Clearly it didn't get stellar reviews when two of the biggest gaming outlets (IGN and Gamespot) gave it 6/7 and the score on Metacritic is 79. It's a good game, but Bloober's games have been rated in the 70s as well like I mentioned so it's basically the same scenario regardless. Had we got Bluepoint Games or Nightdive Studios in this motherfucker then things would be a lot different, but this is what we got and it could be a hell of a lot worse (looking at you Grove Street Games).
Your measure of something being good constantly changes throughout the thread. First you're talking about how Bloober's games are "Uninspired, bland, poorly designed, poorly written, poorly optimized, 0 effort, copy cat games." without providing suitable examples and then you're complaining their games don't have unique and interesting mechanics "Which game mechanic in a blooper game really stood out to you as inventive or unique." You're clearly a person who just booted up one of their games and played it for an hour, hated it due to boredom or lack of attention and then uninstalled and now despise the studio. The video you provided of that idiot playing with the damn lights on and screaming like a moron to break the immersion is laughable and idiotic, I give PewDiePie some credit for dimming the fucking lights.Both of them are kind of acting like children now and not really listening to what anyone says even though they asked why everyone hates blooper
The thread is entirely pointless
Last edited:
Badlucktroll
Member
If SH2 remake turns a good profit, bloober is going to start cranking out silent hill games i bet. At least 1 original title.
Drizzlehell
Banned
God, you guys are so milquetoast. Can't even stand a minor disagreement without losing your tempers.
Do you really think I care? That's like the third time someone ITT announces that they're blocking me or whatever. Good fucking riddance, lol.
TheInfamousKira
Reseterror Resettler
Their studio name is dumb as hell and makes me think of flatulence.
Drizzlehell
Banned
If we're being completely realistic here, I'm betting that this whole revival will be just another shit show and Konami is gonna blow it like they always did in the past. If not immediately, then they're gonna do it as soon as at least one of those games will turn out to be successful or positively received. I doubt that they've learned anything about how to run a successful video game company since 2015.
Edgelord79
Gold Member
It’s more ambivalence than hatred. I don’t think anyone really cares too much about Bloober’s games to hate them. I mean I know I don’t. I don’t think I hate any studio.
I think for most people it’s just a matter of “meh”. You obviously feel strongly about this, however you have to admit you also seem to be in the distinct minority and have offered nothing groundbreaking to change peoples opinions.
I guess my question now is, what is the point? You aren’t convincing anyone and they aren’t convincing you. Just go enjoy Bloober’s games and everyone else be damned.
I think for most people it’s just a matter of “meh”. You obviously feel strongly about this, however you have to admit you also seem to be in the distinct minority and have offered nothing groundbreaking to change peoples opinions.
I guess my question now is, what is the point? You aren’t convincing anyone and they aren’t convincing you. Just go enjoy Bloober’s games and everyone else be damned.
Drizzlehell
Banned
I'm bored and I like to talk about stuff like that. I don't aim to change anyone's mind, really.
Carmen Winstead
Member
I'm certain OP is a paid shill by Philly Boy.
Drizzlehell
Banned
Yeah, I wish.
Hey Phil. If you're reading this - hit me up. I will WHORE myself out for some cash.
TheInfamousKira
Reseterror Resettler
I'm Commander Shepard, and Bloober is my favorite dev on the Citadel. Give me gold/a job.
Gojiira
Member
Sorry but IGN and Gamespot are borderline Kotaku tier, having trashed many stellar games. And while Isolation may not be perfect IT IS STILL a better horror game that was praised as such than anything Bloober has done…Now I agree Bluepoint would have been a good choice and this is sadly ‘what we have’ and ultimately I am willing to give Bloober a chance but their games dont inspire confidence and neither has anything they’ve said or shown about SH2 so far…
Badlucktroll
Member
I wonder if Bloober will do a direct sequel to their remake with Adult Laura coming back. It could be some shit like The Medium.
CrashNBurn_281
Member
Their games are mediocre. Who cares what platform they are tied to. Silent Hill remake has every indication that it will be mediocre until proven otherwise.
AeonGaidenRaiden
Member
I think its been proven many times that sales numbers dont equal quality. If that was the case than Fortnite, Counter Strike or Warcraft are better games than any franchise you can think of by about.....a 1000. RE6 was shit on by critics and fans, highest selling RE game to date. The game is still shit as far as RE universe goes. It sold because of many sales and marketing and more importantly, it was on EVERY console new or old gen. Layers of Fear first of all cost $20 on release, not $60. Second, it peaked with that Five Night at Freddies crowd and when it was popular for YTers to "react" to horror games. Point of entry is super easy as its mainly a walking simulator that even your grandmother can play. All it takes is someone like Pewdipie to shoutout your game and the numbers change, just like it did for Among Us.
If you are going to compare, use The Medium as an example since that was a $60 game and it didnt do so well. SH games arent easy to pick up and play with the whole limited inventory etc. I dont think anyone ever said anything good about the last 2 SH games, it was given to a US team and Team Silent is no more therefore the psychological horror was gone. Bloober can have att the sales numbers they want, it doesnt change the fact that their games are aimed at the lowest common denominator in gamers, a short, not too complicated, average game.
Last edited:
coffinbirth
Member
You are taking my comment out of context. My point in bringing up sales was to highlight the reality that Silent Hill doesn't typically generate enough sales to warrant much beyond what we're going to get. The person I was replying to suggested that Konami is slighting the franchise by not pouring more money into it/offering it up to Sony to develop, and I think that's unrealistic.
I never said Bloober made good games.
Konami hasn't put out a Silent Hill game in a decade, and Bloober Team is remaking one of the best ones. It's not a ground up AAA new Silent Hill game made by Bloober, but rather something that will have all of the elements that their original IP's lack.
Drizzlehell
Banned
People love to romanticize the story around the fabled "Team Silent" (as well as many other aspects of the history of that series) but the truth is that there never even was such a thing. In reality, it was just rotating development teams within Konami who made those games, with only a handful of key figure heads returning in various roles. It's also why each of those games feels so different from one another. With Ito and Yamaoka back to supervise this remake, you might as well say that Bloober is the new team silent because that's how the development of those old games looked like back in the day.
Also the last two Silent Hill games were developed by a British and Czech studios respectively.
freemandos
Member
Well, I can't say I like Blobber Team as a Silent Hill developer or even horror games developer at all. And I played every single horror game of theirs (on PC btw):
-Their games have the horror and the narrative sublety of a hammer.
-Relying too much on shock value more than emotional weight and more 'methodical' horror...on superserious "deep" psychological story-driven games.
-Poorly optimized games (if they give us another 'Callisto Protocol case' with SH2 remake I wouldn't be surprised).
-Relying too much on gimmicks.
-Games very shallow and repetitive, scare-wise and gameplay-wise, overstaying its welcome too fast.
-After making games inspired or based on popular media, they made a Silent Hill inspired game, with its own (undercooked) mechanic...which anyone non-Blobber Team developer can't give it a better use without pay them first. A simple gameplay mechanic.
-They made so many horror games...and learned so little about its own mistakes. And rising productions values and giving a more cinematic experience (The Medium) don't fix them.
And with all these faults, now they are the choice by Konami for making the next big Silent Hill game, and its not even a new game: a Silent Hill 2 remake. Not very excited. And what for? Playing with OTS camera like...every single modern AAA third person game? It's not like a great and innovative archievement or "update". More gameplay than previous developer games? Yeah, it's not hard with a 2001 released game basis. In other words, it's not enough.
I'm almost sure if The Medium wasn't a Silent Hill wannabe game Xbox exclusive with "cinematic presentation" and good initial reviews, Konami wouldn't never pick Blobber Team. Because there are a lot of FAR BETTER indie horror or survival horror games or even P.T or Silent Hill inspired games made by other people.
If they prove me wrong and shut my mouth...I would be SO glad. Honest. I LOVED original Silent Hill games and I liked Shattered Memories. And I liked (not loved) Observer. But my hype is -10 and I'm not seeing any hint of Konami and/or Blobber Team saving the franchise or the genre at this moment.
Again, I wish I'm wrong and being too hard.
-Their games have the horror and the narrative sublety of a hammer.
-Relying too much on shock value more than emotional weight and more 'methodical' horror...on superserious "deep" psychological story-driven games.
-Poorly optimized games (if they give us another 'Callisto Protocol case' with SH2 remake I wouldn't be surprised).
-Relying too much on gimmicks.
-Games very shallow and repetitive, scare-wise and gameplay-wise, overstaying its welcome too fast.
-After making games inspired or based on popular media, they made a Silent Hill inspired game, with its own (undercooked) mechanic...which anyone non-Blobber Team developer can't give it a better use without pay them first. A simple gameplay mechanic.
-They made so many horror games...and learned so little about its own mistakes. And rising productions values and giving a more cinematic experience (The Medium) don't fix them.
And with all these faults, now they are the choice by Konami for making the next big Silent Hill game, and its not even a new game: a Silent Hill 2 remake. Not very excited. And what for? Playing with OTS camera like...every single modern AAA third person game? It's not like a great and innovative archievement or "update". More gameplay than previous developer games? Yeah, it's not hard with a 2001 released game basis. In other words, it's not enough.
I'm almost sure if The Medium wasn't a Silent Hill wannabe game Xbox exclusive with "cinematic presentation" and good initial reviews, Konami wouldn't never pick Blobber Team. Because there are a lot of FAR BETTER indie horror or survival horror games or even P.T or Silent Hill inspired games made by other people.
If they prove me wrong and shut my mouth...I would be SO glad. Honest. I LOVED original Silent Hill games and I liked Shattered Memories. And I liked (not loved) Observer. But my hype is -10 and I'm not seeing any hint of Konami and/or Blobber Team saving the franchise or the genre at this moment.
Again, I wish I'm wrong and being too hard.
TerribleAtThisGame
Member
I've played Observer and The Medium. Observer was pretty decent but nothing crazy but The Medium was just not good as far as I'm concerned.
I don't hate Bloober at all, just think they're thoroughly mediocre based on what I've played. Nothing about those two games stands out to me as "I'm psyched these people are doing a franchise that is in desperate need of some TLC". That being said, Retro Studios randomly made fucking Metroid Prime. Granted, with a ton of Nintendo oversight but still. The one thing I don't get and that I do view negatively is them putting Bloober on a Silent Hill 2 remake as their first SH project. I think it would've made way more sense for them to do a new installment first. SH2 is a very influential and beloved game for a reason and I think it looks weird to be like yo, guys, I know your last game was an SH pastiche, while you're at it, can you remake this? I'm sure it didn't go down that way but I get why people view it that way and why they're weirded out by a dev whose last game was a grab-bag of Silent Hill "stuff" is now Konami's flagship SH guy.
I replay Silent Hill 2 once every few years and yeah, I have nothing against a modern take just so it can be experienced by newer generations who would undoubtedly find the controls and gameplay janky as fuck. I don't think it'll come close to the original's absolutely uncomfortable weirdness created by intentional and unintentional elements but then again I'm not the target audience. I still think the original is fucking fantastic so ultimately, I don't really care if the remake turns out to be an abject turd.
I don't hate Bloober at all, just think they're thoroughly mediocre based on what I've played. Nothing about those two games stands out to me as "I'm psyched these people are doing a franchise that is in desperate need of some TLC". That being said, Retro Studios randomly made fucking Metroid Prime. Granted, with a ton of Nintendo oversight but still. The one thing I don't get and that I do view negatively is them putting Bloober on a Silent Hill 2 remake as their first SH project. I think it would've made way more sense for them to do a new installment first. SH2 is a very influential and beloved game for a reason and I think it looks weird to be like yo, guys, I know your last game was an SH pastiche, while you're at it, can you remake this? I'm sure it didn't go down that way but I get why people view it that way and why they're weirded out by a dev whose last game was a grab-bag of Silent Hill "stuff" is now Konami's flagship SH guy.
I replay Silent Hill 2 once every few years and yeah, I have nothing against a modern take just so it can be experienced by newer generations who would undoubtedly find the controls and gameplay janky as fuck. I don't think it'll come close to the original's absolutely uncomfortable weirdness created by intentional and unintentional elements but then again I'm not the target audience. I still think the original is fucking fantastic so ultimately, I don't really care if the remake turns out to be an abject turd.
ZoukGalaxy
Member
You nailed it by yourself, this is exactly the point.
