Obviously, a resolution for some of the incompatibility issues that have been discovered is top priority. But here are a few things I'd like to see get included for upcoming episodes:

1. A progress meter on loading screens.
2. The ability to change multiple "must restart" settings in one go, rather than having to restart after changing just one.
3. Antialiasing settings, clearly labeled as such.
4. Better synchronization between subtitles and voices.

All-in-all, it's a good game, very twisted, and well-executed (pun intended). For me, the best part is that it's a low-stress game. I know beating the clock is supposed to be part of the game, but somehow I prefer to just be..... thorough. ;)

All the game is missing is actual combat. But other than that, it's good.

I just got a message from the boys, and this is what they said:

1. A loading bar will probably be around in the second season. They're working on making it work well without compromising the stability of the game.

2. I'm not really sure what you mean by this. Could you be more specific, please?

3. Not everyone knows what "antialiasing" is, so we kept the controls pretty basically labeled. Play around and see what setting gets you both the look and performance that you like.

4. The length and display of the subtitles are actually determined by your resolution. There is no set "these exact words" per page, so they often won't synch up perfectly. Still, they should mostly be close enough that you can follow along within a few seconds or so.

Beating the clock is only one way to play. I've stuck around to see how much damage I could do, going back to previous parts of the levels, and sometimes I'll play through just to butt-stomp on all of the figures I've converted. Messy fun!

2-rather than having to restart the game everytime you change a setting make it so you can change all the settings you want, THEN restart them game so they will take effect.
3-that's a completely stupid answer, in no way shape or form should we have to (try) things on our graphical setting to see what they do. Setting graphics incorrectly in a game is known to crash machines, and lead to having to re-install. I repeat myself. That was a terrible stupid answer.

A few things I hope show up in later episodes:

1. More collectibles and hidden areas. As it is, the game doesn't reward exploration very much. We need hidden items (more hidden than the coins), secret passages, hidden characters and scenes, power-ups and so on to keep things interesting. Or, at least, we need reasons to explore other than "I got bored."

2. A "Restart Current Level" button on the pause screen. Having to go back to the main menu and then restart the level, or finish and THEN restart, is a minor annoyance.

3. Percentage-based completion figures, or at least a special reward for getting 100% in a level. Getting a "gold star" is nice, but I don't know if I converted everything or just 90% of everything in any given level. This is especially important if my first idea ever gets implemented.

4. Records other than time-to-completion, number of items converted, and coins collected. What about minimum time taken to get 100%? Largest item converted in a stage? Darkness level reached (Stinky Vs. Smelly)? Number of people and animals converted? What about a list of every item you ever converted in the game? Or is that what the gallery is supposed to be for?

5. Variety. Hopefully lots of it, both in locations and gameplay.

6. Better camera controls. It's fine that we can rotate the camera horizontally, but why can't we look up or down, or (optionally) zoom in and out? With all the interesting environments around, it's a little annoying not being able to see some of them properly.

7. This one's pretty minor, but...Better audio leveling. When I saw one of the trailers for the game, I found it rather odd that in the opening song, the background beat is loud enough to drown out the voices. I hoped that was an issue that would be worked out later, but apparently it wasn't. It's really hard to make out what Grimm is singing over the thumping drum beats in the background

8. Another nitpicky thing: better gallery navigation. Having to click arrows over and over is going to wear out my mouse. How about a nice, old-fashioned list with a scrollbar?

9. Environmental puzzles? The current episode doesn't require much thought, making for fairly repetitive gameplay. It wouldn't be too hard to build in some clever puzzles to make us actually think, rather than mindlessly wandering around corrupting things. The only problem with puzzles is that they generally don't lend themselves well to multiple playthroughs.

10. I mentioned this in #1, but I'll say it again: Power-ups. For example, items that temporarily allow for higher jumps, faster movement, or wider/more powerful effect ranges. Items that add effects to your aura (like something that freezes nearby enemies.) And so on. Likewise, there probably should be some detrimental effects. Floors that cause you to walk slowly. Enemies that attack you, slowing you down or preventing you from jumping. A bottle of perfume that lands on your head, causing you to make everything around you spring into bloom, rainbows scatter across the sky, and nearby people dance and sing...for a short while. Anything to make different playthroughs a little more random.

As far as antialiasing is concerned, I'm not a big fan of mysterious graphics settings. It should be really clear what different settings do, and at the moment it's not. If you're concerned people might get confused, why not have an "Advanced" graphics settings tab for things like antialiasing, filtering and effects?

I feel like the game has potential, but it hasn't lived up to it yet. Here's hoping.

I hope they turn this into an actual game instead of a lawnmowing simulator written by an emo poet. We get it, American McGee, you are dark and spooky. Now make a good game.

they should put less jumping to floating leageds and put combat in the game

Things Id like to see in the next episode...

Fun original gameplay coupled with humorous dialogue. Not this smorgasbord of mediocrity we were served with this episode.

sigh...

Let's try and keep this thread constructive, folks. Both GameTap & Spicy Horse are willing to consider constructive feedback for future episodes, but dismissal and antagonism aren't useful to anyone.

Good games, games you care about, those are the ones that deserve peoples time and effort and contributions. But games like these? Well, lets just put it this way, you don't see many people giving constructive criticism about Barbies Horse Adventure now do you?

> {quote:title=lupin wrote:}{quote}
> Well, lets just put it this way, you don't see many people giving constructive criticism about Barbies Horse Adventure now do you?
I'm sure that if people could give it enough criticism to make it a good game, they would, and that's what you have the chance to do here.

Thats not what my analogy was about. Its saying that only games that people care about or are passionate about typically garner good constructive criticism or in the PC world, user mods. Im not saying this series is horrible (though I think the first was, as mentioned, very mediocre at best), I was just offering up a reason why people might be sarcastic and poking fun at the game and the idea of suggesting new features.

On another note, I find it hard to actually suggest anything based on the fact this chapter was so flawed at a deep gameplay level and the next chapter and all chapters will play differently, or so they say. I would enjoy more advanced options as mentioned with the AA and AF. Another issue was the level design, it really felt impossible to really fail. There was absolutely no challenge and I would equate it to what I assume playing Wii Music is like. More platforming would of been preferred. Something is also lacking in the presentation, I really felt like I didn't connect to the story or exactly what I was doing. Then when the game actually started I was confused to if this was how the entire game was going to be or some sort of prequel to the game. I guess what Im saying is Id like the next episode to actually be a game, unlike this one.

in some ways, I'm waiting until week 2. Every game has a "Training Level" that's not that that great. I'm taking it that this is that level.

That's the opinion I'm taking of the game. Over on this week's , American mentions that this episode was one of the first created for the series, and that things in later episodes demonstrate the lessons learned from this episode. Much like a new TV series, I'm willing to give this one a few episodes to see where it goes before I form my overall opinion. Overall, I liked the episode, despite the fact that it got a bit repetitive, and I'm eager to see where the series goes.

Watching the loading screen gives a few indications of what's to come. Some of the messages made reference to items and powerups that weren't present in this episode, which should add a bit more to the experience. Another thing that should help is that most of the stories from here on out are more well known. I knew little-to-nothing about this particular story going in, so I don't think I was able to make a connection to the source material. The coming weeks all feature some more mainstream stories, which will probably resonate more with people.

One thing I think would be an interesting suggestion for future episodes/seasons would be to have an unlockable commentary system, similar to what was done in Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Portal, and some other recent games. I always enjoy it when games offer this because it's interesting to hear the ideas and inspiration for the section of the game you happen to be playing at that moment.

Well since the 1st one felt like a taste and seeing the upcoming fairy tales...I'd be thinking there will be some more brutality to come. I also think there should more things that Grimm darkens does some unexpected surprises to him, like it goes as planned but also gives a bit of a humorous backlash.

Wait, I was under the impression that subsequent episodes would not play the same. If so, Id really be surprised if this series does an about face in terms of quality and substance. And, seeing as the game currently has a 7 on the rating, it would appear that Im not in the minority on this feeling.

That's a really good idea, Xero, concerning the commentary option. I enjoyed that feature in TR:A, and would love to see it in more games.

Concerning Lilith's responses to my original post: Zorlac is correct in interpreting my statement. On the options screen, if you select OpenAL, you immediately have to restart the game in order to apply the setting, or you have to cancel. So you restart and go back into the options screen. If you want to turn on EAX, then you have to restart in order to apply the setting +again+. What is needed is to defer the changes until you are done picking options, such as by clicking "apply" or "OK".

On the antialiasing, lots more people know specifically what "antialiasing" means versus some nebulous "high quality" setting that might not include antialiasing. This can also trip some people up, such as if antialiasing isn't working properly. A person could spend fifteen minutes fiddling with options trying to get antialiasing working, but not really know whether the problem lies with their settings in Grimm or with their graphics card, because the setting in Grimm that turns on AA isn't labeled as such. If "antialiasing" is too confusing for the noobs, then put more detailed descriptions on some tooltips or something.

Anyway, thanks much for the response, and even though I shouldn't have to, I feel compelled to apologize for the uncivil remarks some other folks have been tossing around here. :(

> {quote:title=Lilith77 wrote:}{quote}
> 3. Not everyone knows what "antialiasing" is, so we kept the controls pretty basically labeled. Play around and see what setting gets you both the look and performance that you like.

Problem: Some people don't know what the label "antialiasing" means. They would have to mess with it for a while or look it up to figure it out.
Solution: Change it to a different label. That way everyone has to mess with it to figure it out and no-one can look it up.

Problem: New label is even more obscure because it is not descriptive like "smoothing" or even "softening".
Solution: I find your lack of faith disturbing.
Problem: (Choking and crushing sounds)

It just needs to be properly labeled. Plain and simple fact. If they don't know what it means then they shouldn't be changing the setting to begin with. If they do know what it means, you wouldn't know it by looking at the settings the way they currently are. Proper wording leads to clarification, improper wording leads to confusion, and mistakes, and in some cases PC failures. Word it correctly, enough said.

yes yes and more yes. i loved in ratchet and clank listening to the commentary you unlock by going through that fountain , definitely made me go back through each level just to hear it.