The Witness gets a 10 on IGN, 9 on GameSpot

"Because of the solitude of the island, and the various ways its mysteries can unfold, there's not a linear series of events. But there is a story. Through audio logs, and other media I won't spoil, The Witness quotes the observations and experiences of real-life physicists, astronauts, psychologists, religious figures, and explorers. Many drone for too long, extending their sermons long after their points are made. But when The Witness errs on the side of subtlety, it excels. It tells a human story, with thinkers who share a common thread: they're all trying to make sense of the world around them.

There are still things about The Witness I can't make sense of--some clues I might never notice, and some puzzles I might never solve. But the hints are there. It might not all be clear at first, but that's okay, because I'm always learning."

Mods feel free to add links

http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-witness-review/1900-6416336/

Wow, didnt think this would get such good reviews. Might be something to look out for

On one hand I really want to play this, as Braid was easily one of the freshest experiences I had (at the start of) last gen.

But on the other hand, I always get stuck in puzzle games and feel the need to cheat xD

Sony wins

Not surprising

@frank_castle: Sony wins what? The game is on PC and iOS as well.

Lol you were 9 seconds faster than the other thread.

On pc too.

Not even remotely surprised as Braid is excellent, naturally excited for this. Looking forward to this forum gassing up their shitty video game stories or games where the saving grace is how long they are, while downplaying a puzzle game, you know a genre about actual thinking.

They just win, guy.

It's what they do

@frank_castle: well...except for the vita

Picking it up tomorrow.

Tomb Raider's DLC also releases, so got some stuff to play.

This thread is better

As a reminder, the game comes out tomorrow for $40.

the witcher indie》》》》》》 halo 5 the most overhyped big budget game

But how are the actual puzzles?

It's a pretty gosh-darn big red flag when a game scores extremely well with mainstream reviewers and those reviewers barely talk at all about the gameplay.

Keep forgetting about this game. Will buy. Loved Braid, and this seems like quite the follow-up.

God damn it, I don't have $40 to spend right now, and I need it. I had $25 earmarked for this purchase specifically, but $40 is too much...

Gah.

I was all on board The Witness train until that price jumped in front of the tracks. Holy Bejesus who priced this thing? Indie gaming my ass.

A puzzle game? lmfao

This is why i dont take reviews seriously.. i know those type of games are enjoyable to many gamers but do not look fun to me

Truly amazing! Another gen 8 win for current gen 8 leader!

You don't really understand how this game works, do you?

$40? Nah, i'll wait for a PSN flash sale or when it hits $5 on steam/GMG/etc

I'd consider it if there was a physical release. Jonathan Blow has some nerve going on and on about indie gaming. This is not priced to be an indie game.

Haven't owned a handheld since the Gameboy Color

That's a market that Nintendo has always dominated and it's a market that will soon become obsolete as smart phones and tablets become more and more powerful.

$40 for an indie is still too much no matter what scores it gets. I'm more interested in Firewatch anyway.

Don't you think you're generalising a bit too much right now?

And what's wrong with a puzzle game anyway?

@Blabadon: I love puzzle games , ill buy this if its that good ! AAA game out of nowhere let alone that its a puzzle game.

@NathanDrakeSwag: game's had five years of development, has over 700 puzzles, etc.

It's the two year modern AAA budget done in five years by one man. It's not any other indie.

Nice to hear it.

$40? No thank you. I'll wait until its $5-$10 on Steam.

He should have released a physical version then. Its a steep price for digital-only.

@NathanDrakeSwag: right, because people can just easily release physical copies of their games without blowing through further budget.

I'm not saying $40 for this game is any perfect price or anything, I'm saying saying it shouldn't be $40 because it's indie is dumb.

What's wrong with puzzle games? A puzzle is one of the most elementary facets of a game.

I think a genre deserving of more scrutiny are RPGs.

To anyone that's upset about the price: It's the same price as The Talos Principle and $10 cheaper than Portal 2.

There's 600 puzzles in The Witness. A developer speedrun of the Witness took 6 hours according to a twitter post posted 2 weeks ago during QA. A Portal 2 speedrun is 2-3 hours long from an average player that knows the puzzles.

I guess people still arent really comfortable of the price of indie games beyond $20, no matter the enjoyment or length. My guess is, there's some perception of production value that acts as a qualifier for people to throw down the big launch day money.

I guess we were all expecting a price point similar to other indie games. Okay, maybe this isn't an indie game after all. Jonathan Blow seemed to suggest otherwise on his twitter feed. So the price comes as a surprise. Maybe we have to reevaluate how we view the game. Truth is, nothing about the production value or genre lend itself to that price. I was once hyped for this but now all I see is T$40H$40E$40 WIT$40NESS$40

Fair enough. Where's the option to purchase a physical copy?

I've refused to plunk down $15 for Journey. That tells you how I feel about how certain games are priced.

yep, Talos Principle was a $40 indie puzzle game and that was a fantastic purchase for that price. Lots of stupidity in this thread.

I wont be picking this up right away since I got Homeworld to finish, then Tomb Raider PC and Xcom 2 but I'll get it eventually.

How stupid is it that so many people here are unwilling to shell out $40 on this game just because it's an indie title? I mean, having a problem with a $40 price point isn't necessarily something I'd have an issue with, but having a problem with a $40 price for a game just because it's an indie title is fucking stupid.

You people are willing to spend $60 every year on practically the exact same Call of Duty and Assassin's Creed title, and yet here's a game with obvious, undoubted quality, a game that is being praised left, right and centre, a game that gives you more than a dozen hours of playtime (at the very least), and you don't want to buy it for $40 just because it's an indie game. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense to me.

I'm not upset about the price because it's an indie game or a puzzle game- as a matter of fact, I'm not upset about the price at all. I'm just sad because I can't afford it right now, so I may have to wait. But this is a game of obvious quality that justifies its price, and I have been willing to spend as much money on it as necessary since I first learned of it.

Wow, wasn't expecting this. Shame it's a puzzle game, since i don't enjoy puzzles.

@frank_castle: how is this a sony win . It would have scored well even it wasn't on ps4

Interesting, might pick it up later this year.

The shock of the sticker price has gone down. I want to support talented developers who don't make your average typical shlock. Okay, Mr. Blow, you have my $40.

2016: good year for gaming or charitable reviews?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with the pricing when you consider the amount of content that's going to be housed in the game as well as how it took a lot of time and effort to make the product.

The downplay here is extraordinary, because for once you have to play a game where the objective isn't to kill something.

I thought Mr. Blow said, every time you solve an in-game puzzle a kitten dies.

Quick reminder that Gamespot's reviewer has spent over 30 hours on the game and has not been able to complete all puzzles. There's a lot of content.

Also indie =/= small

@faizanhd: the ign reviewer spent even more time, and said they could see someone getting 80-100 hours