Comments on: Gamasutra analyzes Last Express http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/09/gamasutra-analyzes-last-express/ Video game design tips from the creator of Prince of Persia, plus news and information about his projects. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 02:30:45 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: Larry http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/09/gamasutra-analyzes-last-express/#comment-1362 Larry Tue, 08 Sep 2009 03:14:16 +0000 http://jordanmechner.com/?p=2498#comment-1362 A very thoughtful and insightful analysis. I still love this game, Jordan. A very thoughtful and insightful analysis. I still love this game, Jordan.

]]> By: Adam Zanzie http://jordanmechner.com/blog/2009/09/gamasutra-analyzes-last-express/#comment-1354 Adam Zanzie Fri, 04 Sep 2009 20:23:59 +0000 http://jordanmechner.com/?p=2498#comment-1354 With this, Cross has by far written the best essay around on The Last Express. That part where he praised the film's realistic amount of space kind of reminded me of what you, Jordan, said in the "Making Of" documentary for the game- on how the whole thing is set within an enclosed space and is, therefore, the perfect atmosphere for a computer game. One thing Cross pointed out that I confess I never thought of before was how brilliant of an idea it was to plunge gamers into the game without much introduction to Cath or the rest of the characters. We know next to nothing about Cath upon his illegal boarding of the train (unless we've read the Instruction Booklet!), and we learn very little about him even as the story progresses. But then again, Cath's past history- the shootout in Ireland, Tyler Whitney's revolutions in Cuba/Mexico- it's all a "MacGuffin", as Hitchcock might have put it. We're led to believe that it's important... but it really isn't. Even after Cath finds out how Tyler died, it's about as helpful as finding out exactly what Charles Foster Kane's "Rosebud" was. It explains nothing, and everything. With this, Cross has by far written the best essay around on The Last Express. That part where he praised the film’s realistic amount of space kind of reminded me of what you, Jordan, said in the “Making Of” documentary for the game- on how the whole thing is set within an enclosed space and is, therefore, the perfect atmosphere for a computer game.

One thing Cross pointed out that I confess I never thought of before was how brilliant of an idea it was to plunge gamers into the game without much introduction to Cath or the rest of the characters. We know next to nothing about Cath upon his illegal boarding of the train (unless we’ve read the Instruction Booklet!), and we learn very little about him even as the story progresses.

But then again, Cath’s past history- the shootout in Ireland, Tyler Whitney’s revolutions in Cuba/Mexico- it’s all a “MacGuffin”, as Hitchcock might have put it. We’re led to believe that it’s important… but it really isn’t. Even after Cath finds out how Tyler died, it’s about as helpful as finding out exactly what Charles Foster Kane’s “Rosebud” was. It explains nothing, and everything.

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