I'd save this for April Fool's Day, but I felt like playing it now. BACKGROUND:
Goat Simulator was all over YouTube all the way back in 2014, and like many, I had a laugh watching various content creators fuck around in the game. Until now, I actually haven't played the game for myself. PLOT: If this game has a plot, I wanna hear about it. PRESENTATION: Goat Simulator isn't really anything special in this department. The visuals look like slightly dated PS3 graphics (maybe older), and the soundtrack, while upbeat and goofy, isn't anything remarkable. Most of the spectacle in this game (if you could call it that) is the absolute jank you'll encounter while playing, like object and character models spazzing out, or the goat clipping out of bounds. GAMEPLAY: Goat Simulator is a sandbox game where, as expected, you run around in a 3D environment as a goat. The goat can jump, lick objects, headbutt, bleat, and toggle a ragdoll state. That's... mostly it, and it's all you really need. This game is probably most remembered for pioneering (or at least being one of the pioneers) what is often referred to as "wacky physics games." If you're used to games that have very responsive controls, or anything remotely resembling the laws of physics, there's a good chance you'll find this game insufferable to control. Along with the intentional jank of the game, it all comes together for a fucking weird experience. What is there to do in the game's small area? Well, cause mayhem, of course. Using a combination of all your abilities, you can wreak havoc on the town by accosting people, hurling objects around, getting run over by vehicles, launching yourself off of rooftops, and even causing explosions. The game also has a Tony Hawk's Pro Skater-style scoring system where you can rack up combos of all these shenanigans, and while the score itself means practically nothing, I guess it's just fun to see the number go up. The game gives you quests to nudge you along and give you something to do, but there's no real reward for doing them; they serve merely as a suggestion for what to do. Otherwise, it's kind of up to you to make your own fun here. I know many folks that don't care for sandbox games because they don't like not having any direction on what to do, so if you're one of those people, this game may not be for you. Although normal-looking on the surface, the starting town you explore hides some hilarious secrets, like trophies that give you mutators (which are essentially in-game mods that give you ridiculous abilities or change aspects of the game), or secret objectives that defy common sense (like the ability to transform yourself into a demon goat). Finding these things is worth it, as the payoff is usually the further escalation of the already monumental absurdity that is this game. If the original level isn't enough content for you, the game has DLC expansions that put you in different scenarios. There's one that puts you in space, one that parodies an MMORPG, and a couple that are crossovers (Payday 2, I am Bread, etc.). I didn't mess around with any of these too much, but a few of these expansions are free, and from what I've watched on YouTube, they're just as full of nonsensical hijinks as the base game. VERDICT: Goat Simulator is a mess of a game, but that is a deliberate choice; the fact that it's glitchy as hell is the very core of what makes it entertaining. The game itself doesn't give you much to do, and it's up to the player to just mess around and amuse themselves. For me, that was enough. The gameplay videos made me laugh then, and playing the game for myself made me laugh now. That said, the novelty wore off after a couple of hours, and outside of showing friends who've never seen it before how fucking ridiculous it is, I am content shelving this game indefinitely. If you're looking for a goofy time-killer that will keep you occupied for an hour, or want something to play with your friends or an audience to amuse them, Goat Simulator is a fun pick. If you're looking for anything more complex than that, this isn't really a game for you, but if you get the chance, play it for a couple of minutes and just have fun with it. Goat Simulator is available on a number of different platforms:
- end -
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
Categories
All
Archives
June 2024
Derryck
|