Initial reactions to CC2
#21
Having finished the game this weekend:

The Good:
  • New tiles add freshness to the game. Doppelgangers are particularly amazing.
  • Bonus flags totally change the focus of competitive play. A harder but better scoring solution increases replay value and encourages a player to improve their skill. And sometimes their strategy, as bonus flags might actually be not worth the time!
  • Enough CCLP3-ness towards the end to be puzzling, given the large number of easier levels. An occasional secret item that we won't find out about unless we make an "illogical" move at the very beginning (such as Push-Up Maze), but makes the level solvable, could be frustrating but may also encourage logical reasoning.
  • Despite the fresh tiles, a lot of the levels are familiarly structured to CC1 since they were made around the same time by the same people.
  • Enough time spent introducing most of the new elements gradually, including in low pressure settings without time limits or challenges. Some might find it frustrating that nothing ever says that X can do Y, not even the official elements guide, and we have to experiment to find it out ourselves. Potentially fatally, such as the red teleport death trap in Thinktank. However, a more seasoned player might find this conducive to experimentation and thinking outside the box.
  • A refreshing emphasis on small but powerful levels.
The Not As Good:
  • Some of the new tiles are frustrating. At least half my deaths in bowling ball levels were by walking directly after one and "tripping" over it.
  • Loud sound effects, as mentioned.
  • Despite the fresh tiles, a lot of the levels are familiarly structured to CC1 since they were made around the same time by the same people. This also means they retain some of the drawbacks to the original levels: extended treatises on the same subject that offer little to no additional content as the level continues and thus grow tedious, such as Clear II.
  • Not enough time spent introducing some of the new elements in varied contexts. Maybe I was lazy trying to learn some of them, but I barely learned how the latch gate worked and, in Bombs Quad, I chose an alternate solution that avoided using it entirely because I didn't know how it would work and didn't want to lose six minutes of gameplay if I was wrong. I had to ask people in the CCBBC about some mechanics I didn't understand that had not been explained.
  • The railroad tracks, mostly when switches are included, are very difficult to follow visually. This got better slowly, but levels depending on bowling balls and railroad switches were still mostly trial and error exercises.
Questions:
Is there a specified sequence to the rover's behavior? Levels requiring the use of the rover to accomplish tasks were challenging because I had no idea how to control it.
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