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TheBirdmanOfUtah's A Way Out (PS4)
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| [August 29, 2018 10:39:33 PM]
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I've played a bit more of A Way Out. I'll be honest in that I am not sure what I should write for this entry. My opinions on the themes of the game haven't really changed. I think the creators of the game have already illustrated the themes of the game pretty clearly from the start. I'll recap a lot of my thoughts and opinions.
I think this game is very clearly an homage to many prison break stories and builds on the same ideas introduced in those stories. They deal with the people inside these prisons and bring you to question your preconceived notions about who an inmate really is. You have your fair share of scumbags and unforgivable pieces of shit in prison but you also have many that exist there for entirely different reasons. Both characters in 'A Way Out' are presented as having ended up in prison relating to events in there past that aren't made abundantly clear. We as people existing outside that world look down upon prisoners when many of them can end up there because of events out of there control. Other times, they can change and grow as people yet they remain dangerous in our eyes. I think this game is going for that same sort of message.
As stated before, I think it's neat that these characters growing close can be illustrated through gameplay. Just having to work together with a friend to complete these challenges adds more interactivity than a show or film could provide. I think more games should strive for ideas or concepts that can only be done in games. Even something as simple as the puzzles in this game where you might need to sneak into a backroom using a laundry cart. The game turns this into a cool moment of interactivity where one player climbs into the cart and must sneak through a room with several guards to unlock the door for the other player. The other player must communicate where the officers are because they can see the location of the room through a window that the one sneaking can't see.
i enjoyed the game and look forward to completing the rest of it but I do have some issues. These problems pertain more to the gameplay than the story but I figured I should bring them up. As I stated above, I think video games should strive to evolve separate from films and shows and do things that those mediums can't do. I think 'A Way Out' tries a little too hard to replicate existing prison break stories and it makes many parts of the game glorified cutscenes. It doesn't feel all that interactive and makes any player input feel superficial as a result. It's like playing a movie and that is both a good and bad thing.
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| [August 29, 2018 12:28:37 AM]
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As I mentioned in my previous GameLog, I am getting serious Shawshank Redemption vibes. I wonder if that has to do with certain tropes that are prevalent in any fiction taking place in a prison or if the creators took lots of inspiration from the novel/film. I haven't seen or experienced many stories with that sort of setting very often, the only ones that come to mind are all coincidentally Stephen King novels.
Me and my sister played the game for a one hour session today, continuing where we left off from the other day. Bringing back some comparisons between this and Shawshank from the other day, i'll elaborate on a theme I neglected to mention from the other day. One big aspect of the Stephen King story is the growing friendship between Andy and Red and the role that plays in the story. I think one thing that 'A Way Out' does well is continuing on that idea. It's something that can really be hammered home in a co-op game because it makes you actually play an active part in the teamwork between Leo and Vincent rather than being a bystander to what happens on screen.
I like that the game really utilizes the two player co-op. One part I enjoyed was a portion of the game where you and the other player must coordinate taps of a button to climb a steep wall or you both will fall. That is all I have to say about the game for now, will continue tomorrow.
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| [August 27, 2018 11:10:20 PM]
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I played 'A Way Out (2018)' with my older sister for roughly 45 minutes today. Would have played for longer but wasn't able to play it until late at night. I feel like classes have just begun and we haven't covered enough topics in class for me to connect this to our topics in class perfectly just yet. I can understand what the game is going for and will have to wait and see where it goes. It seems very similar to the 1994 film 'The Shawshank Redemption' as well as the book that it's based off of.
Since i'm too early in the game to tell, i'm not 100% sure what the themes or moral questions of the game are but I imagine they'll be similar to 'The Shawshank Redemption.' It dealt with questions about the American judicial system and whether those on the inside were really any worst or criminal than the guards and warden that watched over the prison. One big difference at this point however, is that the prisoners of Shawshank are nearly all innocent with the exception of Red while our two protagonists in 'A Way Out' were convicted of some actual crimes. I imagine that as the story unfolds, we will learn the motivations of both characters and may be lead to believe that they were justified in the actions that landed them in the prison.
For right now, not much has been necessarily revealed for either character's histories. The backstories we do get come from the little biography that appears when selecting the character you control. Vincent and Leo both have a brief conversation early on that they both have some sort of history with a mysterious character named Harvey and that the actions of Harvey led to both of their current situations. I left off around the part where you and the other player must work together to steal a chisel off the desk of a worker in the hospital. We will see where the game goes from here but I hope this summation is sufficient.
I'm not actually sure how long these entries need to be nor how in depth I should get about my game session and interpretation. I would appreciate some feedback so I can improve these later on. That is all for now.
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TheBirdmanOfUtah's A Way Out (PS4)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Monday 27 August, 2018
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