RPGWatch Feature - Black Geyser Review

Black Geyser has lots of bugs, I myself reported dozens of it. But they are actively working on it, listening to the community feedback, and have the fastest support I ever experienced (I assume some team members are active during the weekend as well).

Many publishers reduce your funding if your metacritic / Steam rating goes below 70%. Reviews mean survival for small indies. RTwPs are hard to code, lot of effort and bugfixing.

It's a game made with love. It doesn't deserve to be purchased or praised to the skies just because of this. Yet, the amount of hate and hatred it generated means the indie community is dying. It's full with selfish people who enjoy feeling to be important. It's not anymore about the games we all love to play (or avoid to play).
 
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Black Geyser has lots of bugs, I myself reported dozens of it. But they are actively working on it, listening to the community feedback, and have the fastest support I ever experienced (I assume some team members are active during the weekend as well).

Many publishers reduce your funding if your metacritic / Steam rating goes below 70%. Reviews mean survival for small indies. RTwPs are hard to code, lot of effort and bugfixing.

I don't think the problem with Black Geyser is with the bugs.

I fear they tried to bite a lot more than what they can actually chew. Hence the many problems the game has. Poor magic system, bad UI, combats too easy, very shallow NPCs with basically no dialogs, too many fetch quests, etc.
 
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I'm really done with this thread since it's all been said, but as I keep getting mentioned - just to make clear the numbers I posted weren't a lie or a deception. They are the recent reviews, which correspond to the actual release of the game, not pre-hype reviews of people that didn't even play it and were deceived into thinking this game was some kind of Baldur's Gate successor. That number sits currently at 58%, up from 54% a few days ago (yay?).

For the rest, keep crying about the media, the selfishness of people, and the lack of rainbows in pony land. Blame NASA too, preach the Earth is flat, or deny global warming for all I care. It's not going to change the fact that the game is bad, therefore it's not selling well even amongst the low hanging fruit that is its niche target audience.
 
Is this rpg watch or rpg codex?? :p

Yikes, this has become quite the duel!
 
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I'm really done with this thread since it's all been said, but as I keep getting mentioned - just to make clear the numbers I posted weren't a lie or a deception. They are the recent reviews, which correspond to the actual release of the game, not pre-hype reviews of people that didn't even play it and were deceived into thinking this game was some kind of Baldur's Gate successor. That number sits currently at 58%, up from 54% a few days ago (yay?).
Bizarre attitude to take. First, the bit about cherry-picking the recent reviews instead of all reviews. (You know that Steam already excludes reviews of people who got the game via Kickstarter from the score, right?) Second, thinking that it's so meaningful that the recent score is 58%. That score is based on 34 reviews, so 58% means 20 positive reviews, and 70% (where the game would be listed as "Mostly Positive") would be 24 positive reviews. So you're so convinced that the game is crap just based on a swing factor of 4 reviews over the last month?

By the way, I tend to think the game is probably bad, too, but I'll eventually try it out and see for myself, instead of letting 4 random people on Steam decide.
 
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Bizarre attitude to take. First, the bit about cherry-picking the recent reviews instead of all reviews. (You know that Steam already excludes reviews of people who got the game via Kickstarter from the score, right?) Second, thinking that it's so meaningful that the recent score is 58%. That score is based on 34 reviews, so 58% means 20 positive reviews, and 70% (where the game would be listed as "Mostly Positive") would be 24 positive reviews. So you're so convinced that the game is crap just based on a swing factor of 4 reviews over the last month?

By the way, I tend to think the game is probably bad, too, but I'll eventually try it out and see for myself, instead of letting 4 random people on Steam decide.

Pretty bizarre attitude to take into account the reviews before the game had been released and were based on the hype and the hopes for the game to be something that it is not, rather than reality. But you are entitled to your wrong opinion.

I obviously also watched the Fextralife video and read media reviews, and they all coincide with it being a 5-6/10 game, ie poor, ie "of a low or inferior standard or quality". Nobody needs more than that to make their own conclusion on how good the game is, but what you do with your money is not my business, and I applaud that you will make your own conclusion as well.
 
I obviously also watched the Fextralife video and read media reviews

That fextralife video was made 8 months ago, it was an Early Access review. Also, please cite these media reviews you've read.
 
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In the last 5 days there has been 5 reviews and they are all positive. Therefore, Black Geyser has a review score of 100% and is the best game ever made.

It now has a total review score of "Mostly Positive" on steam.

Ahem. *cough* *cough*. What were you saying Nereida?
 
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How many copies did you have to buy just now to make that happen? :lol:
 
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I obviously also watched the Fextralife video and read media reviews, and they all coincide with it being a 5-6/10 game, ie poor, ie "of a low or inferior standard or quality".

Errr, yeah, so most sites gave a 7/10. Including GameStar.de, the biggest gaming website of the German-speaking community, not merely Germany. Yeah it's back on Mostly Positive now on Steam.

Considering the game release seemed to be rushed out (not uncommon for indies who run out of money), I think 7/10 is nice. But to each his own, anyway.
 
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Your answer completely confirmed my suspicion.

Snip

What suspicion? That I don't think Black Geyser is a good game? I thought that was pretty obvious and I did not deny it anyway.

What I was angry about is that you made an absurd generallisation that I don't support indie games ("digging indie's grave").

As someone else mentioned, there are plenty good indie games out there and I have enjoyed a several myself as stated before. I don't think Geyser is one of them.

If anything, your post confirmed to me that you are just upset I don't like Geyser and decided to make some absurd generallisation.

So welcome to my ignore list.
 
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What suspicion? That I don't think Black Geyser is a good game? I thought that was pretty obvious and I did not deny it anyway.

What I was angry about is that you made an absurd generallisation that I don't support indie games ("digging indie's grave").
I think I clearly described the suspicious that got confirmed. No, it isn't you liking or not liking Black Geyser. Instead, it's you saying that it's fair to expect similar quality from Black Geyser than from Pillars of Eternity despite of the fact their resources are miles away from each other - for the mere reason you don't like Black Geyser. This is called bias at best. Or, emotional influence. Which is fine, but not really useful in a rational discussion.
 
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In the last 5 days there has been 5 reviews and they are all positive. Therefore, Black Geyser has a review score of 100% and is the best game ever made.

It now has a total review score of "Mostly Positive" on steam.

Ahem. *cough* *cough*. What were you saying Nereida?

Touché.
 
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I don't think the problem with Black Geyser is with the bugs.

I fear they tried to bite a lot more than what they can actually chew. Hence the many problems the game has. Poor magic system, bad UI, combats too easy, very shallow NPCs with basically no dialogs, too many fetch quests, etc.

Biting off more than they can chew is a watchword for most of the old games that are now oft banded around as legendary classics. So not by itself an interesting criticism, even though valid, it's just something that any RPG fan really should be fully used to by now.

Regarding the list of problems:

The magic system seemed ok to me, so you'll have to be more specific.

I didn't find the UI any better or worse than similar games in the genre. For example, I really hated Pillars of Eternity's UI with it's myriad of buttons within buttons, but I don't remember much about Pathfinder's UI, so I must have been ok with that, and, here, I don't recall battling with the UI much, so I'd class that as OK. Not amazing, but not bad.

Yes, combat was unfortunately too easy generally, as mentioned in the review. However, it's been an awfully long time since I played a similar RPG with even slightly difficult combat. I'd be hard pressed to name any popular RPGs with tough combat on normal difficulty since about 2005, and even before that a lot weren't specialised in combat. It's a very valid complaint, don't get me wrong, but I don't think anyone expects Knight of the Chalice from popular RPGs any more. More's the pity, but it shouldn't really be a major expectation of a game in this particular niche. But, yes, I agree, probably one of the most stand-out obvious downsides of the game.

The issue of shallow NPCs is an interesting one. I mean, compared to what exactly? It's no Torment, that's for sure, but I found it adhered to a very unnoticeable and expected formula for NPCs that is not unlike hundreds of other games. Unless the developers were particularly promoting 'best dialogues ever'? Or are you just referring to the companions? If you were just referring to the companions, then, sure, that is a glaring issue for those who like that, and was addressed in the review.

Fetch quests are an interesting complaint. The game has it's share of 'get me this item please' quests, for sure. But, again, pretty much every RPG ever has similar ones and in similar quantity. Meanwhile the game does have a lot of quests that are not fetch quests, some of which are surprisingly interesting and involving. So I find it a bit rough to blame the developers for not knowing every single person's individual threshold for fetch quests. I mean, it's a valid point, but it's a point you could make about all RPGs ever, so why overly pick on this one for it?
 
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The game isn't bad (imo), but I don't find it particularly compelling (again, imo).

I started it, played a little while and wasn't annoyed with anything in particular, but I've felt no desire to boot it up.
 
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I find the game to be kinda fun.

Does that mean I have poor taste? I did say “kind of fun”, so maybe not poor taste. On a scale of 1 to 10 where ‘1’ is poor taste and ‘10’ is fabulous, I’m maybe a 3? 3.5?

Can someone help me out? I’m trying to nail down my objectively absolute ‘taste’ score for this game based on something that’s essentially subjective.
 
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I find the game to be kinda fun.

Does that mean I have poor taste? I did say “kind of fun�, so maybe not poor taste. On a scale of 1 to 10 where ‘1’ is poor taste and ‘10’ is fabulous, I’m maybe a 3? 3.5?

Can someone help me out? I’m trying to nail down my objectively absolute ‘taste’ score for this game based on something that’s essentially subjective.

I feel you are calling for me!

I think you are alright. 3/5 seems about what the game deserves, so even if you have this acquired taste for certain under average games that particularly hit your fancy (don't we all?), you are not trying to deceive anyone to spend their money on it by overselling it ridiculously.

You have my blessings. I accept your tastes, and I love you as a human being with the ability to stay objective. :)
 
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