Penny does Troika

[Odin]

The online comic called Penny Arcade have of course talked about the recent gaming happenings and commented on Troika's "demise":<blockquote>It sounds as though Troika is no more, or at any rate they are liquidating everything in their offices, so if they are still coherent as a developer presumably their next game involves sitting in a bare room. Troika (for those of you with a concussion) is the little company that couldn't, producing games of marvelous, unprecedented promise coupled with epic lapses in technical execution. The company was a hole that great ideas crawled half-way out of, so I hope you'll pardon me if I don't dab the corner of my eye with a handkerchief and try to look strong. There were undeniably talented people there. Hopefully they'll end up someplace where that kind of thing matters.</blockquote>I'll shead a tear then..
Link: Penny Arcade

 

[SuAside]

anyhow, each is entitled to his opinion, so here is mine:

fuck you too, tycho...

 

[Roshambo]

I think there's a distinct difference in trying, and another for shooting for the lowest common denominator who will lap up anything on the merit that it has a licensed name attached to it.

There are developers far more deserving of contempt than Troika, especially when there's a lack of titles resembling good CRPGs around lately (at least in terms of planned design) and a multitude of faceless developers churn out another forgettable action title. Or, I suppose, they could have stayed at Interplay with Black Isle Studios and settled for developing those craptacular Infinity Engine SLAM DUNK!s Feargus is so fond of...

 

[Big T]

I actually agree with him.

Troika was a good ideas factory, but without enough "solid" support.

Also, I don't think he was really being derogatory, just implying they are a little naive, that they hadn't considered how to actually make the games they planned.

Meh, my tuppence worth.

 

[Tannhauser]

It's hardly as if Troika's games fell absolutely flat because of their faults. Even with the problems in the games, they managed to be enjoyable much of the time.

 

[PhredBean]

Fuck Tycho, he's always been a sellout and a fake. The guy is so into his "I'm an evil asshole" bit that he can't say something good about a game or company without being paid for it. Any time he praises something, check the ads at the top and side, half the time it's their newest sponsor.

Troika's games may suffer in a few departments, but they excel in others. I for one am going to sorely miss them and the games we may have missed. They have alwaysimpressed me with their games dialog, something that has more or less become a lost art in the gaming industry.

 

[Big T]

Troika's games may suffer in a few departments, but they excel in others.

Isn't that pretty much what he said?

Troika (for those of you with a concussion) is the little company that couldn't, producing games of marvelous, unprecedented promise coupled with epic lapses in technical execution.

Unless you had different ideas about where they suffered and excelled.

 

[Macaco]

I mostly agree with him... i've played all troika games, and never bothered enough to get through any (well, i finished arcanum, but i was playing an ogre and just bashing everything after a certain point)

 

[Briosafreak]

Fuck Tycho, he's always been a sellout and a fake. The guy is so into his "I'm an evil asshole" bit that he can't say something good about a game or company without being paid for it. Any time he praises something, check the ads at the top and side, half the time it's their newest sponsor.

Finally someone that tells the truth, that`s hard to find, even here. I completely agree.

 

[Fez]

I didn't think it was that hostile. He said they had great ideas, which were only half implemented. I've heard similar sentiment on Troika and FO fan boards. We all felt some frustration when they would make a game that could obviously be great, but was brought low by one fault or another. That's what the "hole that great ideas crawled half-way out" meant to me. He said they were all talented and wished them good luck.

Don't know about the sellout thing or his opinions being bought, I don't know him well enough or have not spotted it myself.

 

[Briosafreak]

I like the cartoons a lot, even when i disagree with what they stand, and that happens quite sometimes. But what appears in their collumn isn`t to be trusted, as many in the industry know.

They are very close to Bethesda in a way that isn`t business related, so he might not always be a gaming industry whore, but still i would take everything he says with a grain of salt.