The Stanley Parable

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JaySevenZero
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The Stanley Parable

Post by JaySevenZero »

Here's where you can leave your thoughts regarding The Stanley Parable for possible inclusion in the podcast when it's recorded.
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Mechner
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Re: 318: The Stanley Parable

Post by Mechner »

Probably the best example of a what you would call a walking simulator.

It also has some great comedy, which often is an afterthought in video games.
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TheEmailer
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Re: 318: The Stanley Parable

Post by TheEmailer »

One core idea, executed very well, that doesn't overstay it's welcome. This game could easily have been very pretentious or trying hard to be full of pop culture, the balance it achieves is genuinely compelling.
It's not just a case of good writing, I think it shows really good comedic timing in the structure of when events are triggered as well as understanding of what the player will try and how they might react.

Props to Kevan Brighting's performance, I especially like his delivery of increasing exacerbation with the player for disobeying orders. The transition in tone for each different path is also subtlety done, it's not a case of any massive jarring shifts.

One could look at the game in a deep way, i.e. the meaning of choice, the nature of entertainment. But what I got from it was amusement and delighted surprise in the creativity.
Yacobg42

Re: 318: The Stanley Parable

Post by Yacobg42 »

Once, I gave The Stanley Parable to my dad to play. He played it once through, following all the directions. I pressed him to try it again, and he nearly did the exact same thing, until I nudged him to *not* go along with the narration. At that point, the magic was gone.

The Stanley Parable is a one-trick pony, but it's a reallllly good trick. And it's a trick that, when prodded at, only spirals farther in on itself. Wreden said that they utterly exhausted every single possibility when writing the game, and that shows. There aren't any narrative stones left unturned here.

The thing is, and this might be too high of a bar, I'm not sure if The Stanley Parable is *saying anything* really. It's definitely a fun experiment, and is on some level a look at the linearity of most game stories. However, where something like Bioshock used this existing trope to make a statement about agency, the Stanley Parable just presents little vignettes. I wish I felt there was more going on here, but it feels very...surface level.

I partly only hold the game to this standard because Wreden's next project (The Beginner's Guide) is one of my favorite games ever, and proof he can pull off interesting vignettes and larger themes at the same time.

The Stanley Parable is fun! Maybe I'm selfish for wanting it to be more than that.
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Spacefarer
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Re: 318: The Stanley Parable

Post by Spacefarer »

I first played (and watched) The Stanley Parable in its original form as a Half-Life 2 mod. It was very interesting, but for no reason in particular, I didn't play that version too much.

The full version, on the other hand, I've put a decent amount of time into - enough time to see a fair share of its many endings. And, honestly, I can't really think of much negative to say about it. It is well-presented, it doesn't outstay its welcome, and it seems to achieve what it sets out to: that being a fun poke at storytelling within video games. What it does, it does extremely well, and it doesn't overdo it. Yacobg42 is probably right about it not being very deep, but I don't think it needs to be.

And I must mention the narrator. He's fantastic, and exactly my sort of humour.

I'd say that The Stanley Parable is the video game equivalent of The Colour of Magic, or The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. A funny, daft, and ultimately well-polished little adventure.

(Side note: it currently sits at #5 on my - admittedly WIP - top 100 games list. Mathematics, everyone.)
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matten zwei
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Re: 318: The Stanley Parable

Post by matten zwei »

Stanley Parable the infinite game.

I remember playing Stanley Parable for 3hours straight, before realizing that the game starts all over again and doesn't tell you, that it's over.

For me, Stanley Parable almost feels like a sketch or a draft of an interesting videogame. I found the gameplay in itself quite dull: "stanley pushed the red button", "stanley went through the hall" - and than it is up to you if you want to follow the narrators instructions or ignore them and go rogue.

I liked the Idea of having a narrator, especially if it's that well performed, but otherwise, the game did not have that much to offer for me. Maybe because I sort of knew what the game's gimmick was before I played it. The less you know about stanley parable, the better.

But even though it is not a Valve-game, it sure has a sense of Valve-humour, which I appreciate.

Maybe Valve can use some Ideas from "the Stanley Parable" and "Portal" for their upcoming game:
"Half Life 3: Confirmed"
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