Goat Simulator

Year: 2014
Genre: Action
Website: http://www.goat-simulator.com/

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Lee:

• Platform: PC
• Hours logged: 2.5
• Playthroughs: --
• Rating: --/10

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Notes and Discussions:

• Lee (5/9/2014): When I saw the YouTube demo video for Goat Simulator that Coffee Stain Studios put out, I just had to play it. Who can resist running around as a goat, headbutting and kicking everything in sight?
  
  It turns out that the only carrot that this game offers, besides some fun easter eggs and a few giggles, is a set of Steam achievements. My philosophy on achievements has changed over the years. In the beginning, when I got my first Xbox 360 (I have purchased two of them, thanks to the fucking Red Ring of Death), my obsessive nature latched on to this new and exciting game element called "achievements." I would buy and play games for the sole purpose of gaining more achievements. Eventually, I forced myself to stop after burning weeks (maybe months) of gameplay time on getting 100% Xbox 360 achievement completion on Fallout 3. I don’t know what I was expecting to happen after accomplishing that. I didn't unlock any cool game features. There was no fame nor fortune. I did not get blown by naked angels descending from the sky. All I have to show for it is 1000 Microsoft Gamer Points. That day, I decided to turn my focus toward the enjoyment of the gameplay itself and away from the slavery of completionism. I think that much of the hedonic focus that I try to detail in these video game blog entries was born during that realization.
  
  I do still have to keep in check the small tickle of delight that I get when I unlock an achievement (or PS3 trophy) in a game, so I haven’t completely lost my appreciation for them. And this game has some pretty clever ones. Achievements put aside, I definitely enjoyed licking things and dragging them around with my goat tongue, doing backflips on a trampoline, and causing massive destruction. The Satanic stuff was a really nice touch too. While I feel that I have explored most of what the game has to offer, I hear that there is still a jet pack to find...and what’s with the crop circles? Did I hear correctly that there's a new map being released this month? That's how you win, Coffee Stain Studios...keep the content coming! I'd like to feel that I got my $10 worth.
  
  I continue to be hung up on wanting games to be more like Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2. Some of the achievements that I mentioned above related to doing certain stunts or discovering special areas of the map. But I want more. I want to collect more stuff. I want to unlock more bonuses. Hell, maybe I even want to level up my goat. Am I asking too much from this "novelty" game? I don't think so. There is a fun concept here, and I'm excited to see where these guys take it.