I'm not really finding the game that much fun to play. I don't like the environment, and there is little sense of satisfaction or meaningful progression in the exploration. The look sensitivity is criminally slow, and there is not option to change it. That is inexcusable. It's maddening waiting to turn around.

Given that The PC version has sliders for both 2D and 3D mouse sensitivity, it's really inexcusable.

However.

I'm not really finding the game that much fun to play. I don't like the environment, and there is little sense of satisfaction or meaningful progression in the exploration. The look sensitivity is criminally slow, and there is not option to change it. That is inexcusable. It's maddening waiting to turn around.

I've given it a chance. Thumbs down.

So pretentious =/= a bad product, I guess is more accurate.

pretentious: attempting to impress by affecting greater importance, talent, culture, etc., than is actually possessed

Jonathan Blow clearly possesses all the talent he claims, and his accolades are all surely deserved, so I'm not sure the definition fits.

It's not pretentious just because you don't like it.

He definitely has the talent, but are we just ignoring the rest of the definition?

And I think I've already mentioned that I like his games, so it's probably not because I "don't like it".

I just watched 13 Hours. There's a Joseph Campbell line that gets repeated a few times, and it comes across as a little pretentious because there is nothing else in the movie like that. In a different movie, it would not have been pretentious at all.

Pretentiousness isn't good.

Fun fact: while working on that film last year, Michael Bay said that he thought he had a shot to win an Oscar for it, in all seriousness. It was delayed enough that that can't happen in 2016, so we'll see next year…

Could explain the quote.

It's good but not Oscar material IMHO.

Since it left Netflix as of today, I also watched The Hurt Locker over the weekend. It's a better movie. Neither is as good as American Sniper or as entertaining as Three Kings, as long as we're talking war films.

I just watched 13 Hours. There's a Joseph Campbell line that gets repeated a few times, and it comes across as a little pretentious because there is nothing else in the movie like that. In a different movie, it would not have been pretentious at all.

Pretentiousness isn't good.

Fun fact: while working on that film last year, Michael Bay said that he thought he had a shot to win an Oscar for it, in all seriousness. It was delayed enough that that can't happen in 2016, so we'll see next year…

Could explain the quote.

It's definitely pretentious. But so was Braid, and Braid was great.

Pretentious =/= Bad

Well, no. Pretentiousness isn't a good thing. No one sets out to make art that is pretentious.

I didn't finish Braid, but I like what I played and I also like what I know about The Witness. I haven't read any interviews with Blow, and maybe he comes across as pretentious, but interviews aren't games. I like what I like.

I just watched 13 Hours. There's a Joseph Campbell line that gets repeated a few times, and it comes across as a little pretentious because there is nothing else in the movie like that. In a different movie, it would not have been pretentious at all.

Pretentiousness isn't good.

I bought it and finished it last year in hopes of catching all the hype everyone seems to have for it.

Was the first encounter fun? Yes!

Was the rest of the game? I can't remember anything about it, which leads me to believe that it was so repetitive that at some point my brain stopped storing it to my long term memory.

I do remember that the story was cringe-worthy and riddled with cliche. Oh, and there was a boss fight at the end where I was fighting two of the same guy. That's about it.

Edit: After having my morning coffee, this post seems uncharacteristically grumpy of me. Still don't like Vanquish.

I was somewhat unimpressed at first but only at first. The combat system is incredibly deep, incredibly flexible, and incredibly fun. Try upping the difficulty, and you'll be forced to learn the nuances of the systems. Every gun has a purpose, as does every move. You'll feel like a badass soon enough.

This article makes him sound pretentious.

Was the first encounter fun? Yes!

Was the rest of the game? I can't remember anything about it, which leads me to believe that it was so repetitive that at some point my brain stopped storing it to my long term memory.

I do remember that the story was cringe-worthy and riddled with cliche. Oh, and there was a boss fight at the end where I was fighting two of the same guy. That's about it.

Edit: After having my morning coffee, this post seems uncharacteristically grumpy of me. Still don't like Vanquish.

Bullshit.

Good morning to you, too, sir!
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Sorry,

We all know you're not actually sorry about whatever is going to follow this, but I understand the sentiment. Let's continue...
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but even if that's true the game is no fun, which makes it terrible.

Really? I'm having a total blast with it. Just like I said in the post above. Maybe you're not having fun with it, but that does not make the game "objectively bad" on a universal scale. Lots of people are really enjoying this game.
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The puzzles are all super easy too, and the game pretty much tells you how to solve them by easing you in to them.

What, you want to brute-force these things? Let me know how much fun you have with that approach. Breadcrumbs are important. One element of good game design is like a symphony; early on you ease the player into a theme and then you progress, developing and iterating that theme over time into something more complicated and climactic. You vary the approach and intonation along the way, sometimes going off in unexpected directions, but always looping it back to the theme. Think about Beethoven's 5th. The Witness does this very well (and in ways that I'd wager you probably aren't fully aware of yet).
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Over 100 solved

Hey, mine is bigger!
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and I haven't had to put on a thinking cap yet.

I think we plebeians simply fail to understand the grandeur and expanse of your towering intellect, Cody.
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If it doesn't get harder soon I'm gonna give up.

Wait, what? It's so easy that you surrender? Let me get this straight; you haven't seen a single puzzle that you don't know how to solve yet? How much of the island have you even explored? Oh, right, 100-ish puzzles’ worth. If you do stick it out, tell me about the Red Door.
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I'm assuming it gets much harder based on what people are saying,

Yeah, it gets more difficult. That's why people are saying that. Coincidence? I think not! Call me when you bust out the ole pencil and paper. But remember, none of it is impossible (and it's not supposed to be). Look, it's a game, it should have a solution to every puzzle, and none of it should require calculus. See the comment about progression above.
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but if I don't like the environment (it is really not appealing),

Fair enough, it's a subjective thing. You don't like the environment, I do. We can agree to disagree.
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nor the [movement] (you can't walk off ledges and it sucks getting around),

There are a few points here and there where I'd like to shortcut a path, too, but why the hell would you want to walk off a ledge?
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why would I stay to solve the puzzles?

Right, if you're not having fun, then it's okay to not play it! I have stopped playing many games because I wasn't having fun with them. Games that other people have enjoyed and finished (the first Mass Effect immediately comes to mind). If you don't like it, then that's okay. You're not obligated to finish it.
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Also Vanquish was released in 2010, so it's pretty much impossible for any other game to be game of the decade.

Haven't played Vanquish. But I wasn't saying that The Witness was the game of the decade. I said, "I think The Witness may be the best game I've played in the past decade, bar none."

Edit: I really should add that this game is about the journey, not the destination. Solving puzzles is simply the mechanic; the meaning is found in the experience and exploration.

:)

It's a nice survey of scientific laws. There's a companion book to buy if you wish as well.

Do not, under any circumstances, read The Feynman Lectures on Physics unless you know physics. Feynman was a great educator and could pull off what is the wonkiest structure of intro physics courses ever, but it's much easier to pick up a Young and Freedman University Physics 11th edition.

I think The Witness may be the best game I've played in the past decade, bar none. I was looking forward to a Myst-like game from Thekla, but I didn't realize how profoundly deep this game would go. In fact, I'm still figuring some of this out and I've "finished" the game. I don't want to ruin it by calling things out directly, but The Witness has layers upon layers, and everything from the art direction to puzzle design to overarching thematic structure and even the game's title are elegantly tied together and immaculately intertwined. It is nothing short of a masterwork.[/spoiler]

Bullshit. Sorry, but even if that's true the game is no fun, which makes it terrible. The puzzles are all super easy too, and the game pretty much tells you how to solve them by easing you in to them. Over 100 solved and I haven't had to put on a thinking cap yet. If it doesn't get harder soon I'm gonna give up. I'm assuming it gets much harder based on what people are saying, but if I don't like the environment (it is really not appealing), nor the moment (you can't walk off ledges and it sucks getting around), why would I stay to solve the puzzles?

Also Vanquish was released in 2010, so it's pretty much impossible for any other game to be game of the decade.