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I like saying "Heechee" over and over., November 28, 2020The past ten days I have been playing Gateway. The moment I heard the electronic music and saw the first screen of the introduction, I was whisked back to the early '90s. I felt the same anticipation as when I had just put a new cartridge in my Nintendo-console and watched the pictures with the background story. Good stuff. Of course, Gateway is a text adventure, and I don't remember playing any of those on my SNES. Was this review helpful to you? Yes No Remove vote | Add a comment
Comments on this reviewPrevious | << 1 >> | Next deathbytroggles, January 25, 2021 - Reply I didn't mention it in my review, but thank you for pointing out the puzzle-that-shall-not-be-named in yours. While I don't mind gratuitous sexual situations in games, this one just really didn't jive with the game at all. At no point while playing did we get the impression that the character we were playing was even male, let alone led by the simplest of fantasies. To this point the player could project their own image of the hero, and this section of the game ruined it. In the section after in the mirror room it's once again confirmed you're playing a male, but I don't think there's any reference to it before. Just seems like the game took a dump on female and non-cishet players for no reason. Rovarsson, January 25, 2021 - Reply "Just seems like the game took a dump on female and non-cishet players for no reason." I think that might be 2020 sensitivity and awareness projected on a 30 year-old work. The scene is definitely unfriendly / downright insulting to women, but I don't think there is conscious misogyny behind it. To me, it feels more like automatic, kneejerk pandering to a perceived gaming audience. Hence my comment about a fifteen year old boy raised on hormones and 80's action movies. I liked the fact that the PC was not explicitly male up to that point too. In more modern works with deeper story and themes, I love getting into character, but in a straightforward SF adventure such as Gateway, I prefer actually being the protagonist, without the game pushing me into a box. And I like that this goes for all players. Which in this game, right at the end, it definitely doesn't. Really did sour up the win for me, as I wrote. I'm just starting the final chapter of Gateway 2 now, and there is no sign of anything like this until now. Great NPCs, some surprisingly deep philosophical and societal themes, and even more of the delicious worldbuilding we know and love from part one. Now lets hope the endgame keeps it up. deathbytroggles, January 25, 2021 - Reply Aye, we're on the same page. I was just alluding to how gaming has treated women for generations, intentional or otherwise. deathbytroggles, November 28, 2020 - Reply Years ago I got to the second part and got stuck and stubbornly avoided a walkthrough. I need to get back to this! Rovarsson, November 29, 2020 - Reply If you get stuck again I'd be happy to nudge you along. You could PM me or just post a request on the IF Forum. Good luck. deathbytroggles, January 24, 2021 - Reply Only needed a few hints and I just went to a walkthrough :) Rovarsson, January 25, 2021 - Reply Good for you! I've been up to my neck in Gateway 2 for the past few days. If you download it off the Digital Antiquarian website (https://www.filfre.net/?s=gateway) the original Cluebook is included. It contains a list of puzzles and objectives, then vague hints, then more specific hints, then outright solutions. Yaay. deathbytroggles, January 25, 2021 - Reply Hey, thanks for the tip. Shockingly, nobody ever did a UHS hint file for the Gateway games. Rovarsson, November 28, 2020 - Reply You really should! I've been checking out older games for the past few weeks, and this one was high on the list of classics. It has almost none of the oldschool disadvantages like keys gratuitously hidden on the complete other side of the map from the door they're supposed to open. The puzzles are all tightly linked to the story and they are just hard enough to get a real sense of accomplishment when you solve them without getting walkthrough-hungry and frustrated. I can also recommend The Abbey of Montglane. Same year, great puzzles and a fantastic wide-open exploring space. Enjoy and thanks for the response. |