361:
within the room the door leads out of. Wreden found that when he was able to use various programming tools to bypass these, he ended up in a gallery with a message from Coda directed at him personally, thanking him for his interest in Coda's games but asking him not to talk to him any more, nor to showcase his games to others. The messages implied Coda felt that Wreden mistook the tone of his games as a sign of an emotional struggle and was missing the point of why he had engaged in game design, as well as accusing Wreden with modifying Coda's games to add more symbolism, and that Wreden's actions had betrayed Coda. As a result, Wreden felt terrible about what he had done, and thus reveals that the purpose of
34:
328:
315:, but there is no way for the player-character to die, or the player to make a mistake or lose the game. The narration helps the player get past certain parts of the game-spaces that were otherwise difficult or insuperable as designed, such as by providing a bridge to cross an invisible maze after the player discovers the difficulty. Once the player has completed a chapter, they can then return to any of them within the game, as well as disable the narration (and the help it provides) to explore the spaces on their own. The game has
408:. Among other hints in the game, Maiberg explains that the name "Coda" can be taken as its definition, meaning "a concluding part of a literary or dramatic work", and the theme of closing one door and moving on repeats frequently in the game. Maiberg also points to one of the game concepts where the player in Coda's game is inundated with abstract figures from the press, and considers how much attention Wreden had received following
357:". Wreden felt concerned that Coda was feeling depressed and weighed down by game development, and took it upon himself to show some of Coda's game concepts to others to get feedback to help encourage Coda to develop more. However, this in turn led to Coda to draw into seclusion. At some point in 2011, Wreden believed Coda had stopped making games, until he was sent an email with a private link to a final game by Coda.
2576:
793:
788:
634:
783:
778:
773:
629:
624:
619:
614:
721:
716:
711:
706:
701:
696:
691:
686:
681:
676:
376:, something he saw as the cause for showing Coda's games to other people. Shortly before the end, the emotional turmoil dredged up by recording the narration grows to be too much for Wreden, and he excuses himself as the player makes their way to the end of the final level. At the denouement, the player must jump into a beam from an earlier game, causing them to float up, to see an infinite maze.
487:
believing it to be non-fiction. The controversy led some to point out that the interpretation of the game was very personal, differing between each player; Wreden himself in light of the controversy refused to affirm or deny any interpretation of the game, until confirming the game's ultimately fictional nature in an in-depth interview with the podcast Tone
Control.
486:
window for those who believed the game was non-fiction and thus contained stolen works to return the game. Dale's statement, prior to clarification, led to some controversy in that Dale was suggesting misuse of the Steam refund system, though her clarification made it clear she was addressing those
335:
The concept of the game is based on trying to understand the nature of a person based on exploring files and documents on their computer without any other notes or documentation or knowing this person in the first place. In the game, the player, aided by Wreden's narration, looks to understand that
360:
This game, its design in stark contrast to the others Coda had made, included puzzles that were intentionally designed to be almost impossible to solve, such as an invisible maze, a six-digit combination that the player must randomly guess, and an impossible-to-open door that cannot be opened from
352:
Wreden's narration explains that he was inspired by many of Coda's game concepts, providing his own analysis on many of the themes he perceived to appear in Coda's games. However, Wreden had seen that many of the games are based on themes of prisons, isolation, and difficulty in communicating with
468:
Some have taken the game to be a work of non-fiction, in that the games presented are works of a real developer other than Wreden, and that the game itself could be seen as an unethical use of someone else's work and potentially copyright-violating. In considering this aspect,
283:. Wreden has stated the game is open to interpretation: some have seen the game as general commentary on the nature of the relationship between game developers and players, while others have taken it as an allegory to Wreden's own personal struggles with success resulting from
353:
others, and that eventually Coda's games took a darker tone and took much longer to produce, focusing even more strongly on dialogue that implied that game development was no longer a positive activity for Coda. One game near the end displays Coda's creative frustrations "
397:
writer Darren
Nakamura points out that for Wreden to publish a game at cost that is claimed to be the work of someone else, released without their permission, would be illegal, and thus providing evidence that Coda must be part of the game's fiction. Emanuel Maiberg of
278:
The game is narrated by Wreden and takes the user through a number of incomplete and abstract game creations made by a developer named Coda. Wreden challenges the player to try to come to understand the type of person Coda is from exploring these spaces in a
502:
engine, which itself serves as part of Wreden's commentary within the game on the nature of level design limited by the Source engine. Wreden has stated that he does not plan to give media interviews about the game and is letting the game speak for itself.
966:
gave the game a 69 out of 100 rating, feeling that some of Wreden's messages were delivered a bit heavy-handedly through the narration but still positively critiquing some of the experimental approaches that were used for narration and player experience.
433:
believes that neither Wreden-as-narrator nor Coda are to be taken as Wreden's own self, but instead two representative characters of the game player and game developer, respectively, that Wreden attempts to show sympathy for in modern game development.
290:
The game received polarized reviews. Many reviewers readily took to the narrative and the questions and ideas it raised on game development, while others felt the game forced some of Wreden's thoughts too hard and in a pretentious manner.
311:. The player hears details of the various scenes they explore via the game's narrator, Wreden himself, to describe what they see and make conclusions on the nature of the games' developer. Some areas include puzzle solving and
465:, described the game as "a man (poorly) coming to terms with his hugely overinflated sense of entitlement", interpreting the game's themes as not only applicable to game development, but also to inter-personal relationships.
344:
developed from 2008 to 2011 that were only half-created, and is encouraged by Wreden's narration to try to imagine what Coda's personality would be like based on the abstract and unconventional game spaces and ideas.
856:, giving the game an 8 of 10 rating, identifies that the game asks philosophical questions on the nature of the role between game developers and players, and how to understand some elements of video game design.
846:
both gave the game five stars, O'Donnell calling it "gut-wrenchingly emotional" and
Bendixsen commenting that the game "honestly made me experience the whole creative process in a completely different way."
452:
essay applied to video game development, in which commentators attempt to attribute aspects of a game to how the game developer approached it, as opposed to considering how the game affected themselves.
525:
873:-like duality between being the game's narrator as well as the game's developer poses many questions for the player to think about regarding the nature of video game development. Jeff Marchiafava for
340:
in 2009. Coda is considered enigmatic, having created numerous strange game ideas which he has subsequently deleted or stored away and forgotten. The player explores these games, most being
892:
is "an odd, thoughtful and beautifully surreal game" with much of its imagery being iconic and memorable well after the player has finished the game. Christopher Byrd, writing for the
879:, rating the game 8 out of 10, stated that Wreden's approach to the game created a thought-provoking experience, "tackling serious human issues and emotions in a wholly unique way."
457:'s editor-in-chief Kris Graft notes that, as the game attempts to deconstruct the way players will interpret narrative video games, any attempt to interpret the deeper meaning behind
391:
One common interpretation is that the game is a metaphor for Wreden's own success and attempts to move past his struggles, with Coda being a fictional developer created for the game.
331:
In one of Coda's games, by removing the walls from a dead-end room, Wreden (as a narrator) reveals to the user the numerous inaccessible corridors that were programmed into this game.
1817:
1753:
1320:
1971:
954:
s Bob Mackey rated the game 2 of 5 stars, sharing the same opinion as
Machkovech that Wreden's narration pushed too much interpretation onto the player, and felt a game like
941:", and felt that while the game was intended as a personal journal for Wreden, his emotion-driven narration telegraphed the final moments of the game and failed to follow "
2201:
1404:
429:, building upon his own personal experiences from the sudden media spotlight in the relationship between the fictional Wreden and Coda. Interactive fiction writer
928:
was more critical of the game, rating it 3 out of 10, and stating that the narration was pretentious while the game concepts felt forced and overly complex.
2666:
2083:
1593:
437:
Another interpretative theme taken by some is that the game is presented as commentary on the role between the video game developer and their audience.
1376:
915:, "Wreden is pushing the boundaries of storytelling in video games", including using narrative tricks that went beyond those that were already used in
960:, also dealing with exploring an unfinished game and the reasons for why it was unfinished, succeeded better at presenting this idea. Tyler Wilde of
818:
received polarized reviews on its release. Several reviewers were very positive about the allusions it made to game development. Jeffrey
Matulef of
2194:
461:
is paradoxically "committing all of the sins" that the game presents as problems with player interpretations of games. Laura
Mandanas, writing for
1261:
1943:
509:
was announced by Wreden two days before its official release on
October 1, 2015. The game was developed by Wreden himself; his co-creator for
1511:
388:
is open to interpretation and invites players to share their own theories with him, providing his email address near the start of the game.
1827:
349:
is presented in generally chronological order of Coda's prototypes, showing the progression of Coda's work as the developer learned more.
2187:
2026:
2656:
1621:
307:
allowing the player to move about and explore the environment and interact with some elements of it as they progress along the work's
1429:
2146:
1999:
1884:
2651:
837:
1649:
1538:
2631:
1109:
898:, said the game blurred the line with interactive art and called it "one of the most emotionally alive games on the market."
402:
theorizes that Coda is in fact Wreden himself, with Coda representing Wreden's own psyche up to and including the release of
1565:
2626:
2616:
1791:
1483:
1198:
2646:
2621:
2510:
1853:
365:
is to try to reconnect to Coda by sharing his games with the public at large and to hope to apologize for his actions.
1230:
922:
Other reviewers criticized the game, finding the narration and intended message was too forced. Brittany
Vincent of
828:
to be one of the site's "Essential" titles, calling the game a novel approach to providing story without relying on
1676:
421:, points to blog posts made by Wreden after he had received a great deal of attention following the re-release of
2538:
2264:
2406:
1005:
956:
372:
level that may or may not have been designed by Coda, with Wreden sparsely narrating about his dependence on
2661:
2475:
1044:
513:, William Pugh, had been engaged in creating a new studio, Crows Crows Crows, and working on projects with
61:
1142:
2641:
1728:
2566:
2314:
1009:
1347:
1170:
2596:
1701:
1291:
308:
304:
280:
247:
233:
223:
425:, and that the game's version of Wreden is really a fictionalized version of himself acting as an
2503:
2432:
2399:
2236:
2601:
2055:
842:
666:
2524:
2468:
2350:
2250:
2111:
985:
105:
2611:
2606:
2552:
2531:
2343:
2257:
829:
499:
483:
482:
commented with later clarification that the game was short enough to fall within the Steam
171:
51:
41:
8:
2364:
2307:
2210:
1783:
942:
833:
448:
426:
404:
271:
147:
83:
73:
2138:
1455:
2636:
2580:
2390:
2226:
178:
2517:
2496:
2299:
1948:
1915:
1754:"'The Beginners Guide' to blurring the lines between video games and interactive art"
1321:"'The Beginners Guide' to blurring the lines between video games and interactive art"
884:
373:
312:
137:
115:
2482:
2425:
2112:"Her Story, Undertale, Darkest Dungeon receive multiple 2016 IGF Award nominations"
1976:
1114:
1077:
1072:
900:
866:
858:
729:
341:
275:, his previous interactive storytelling title that was initially released in 2013.
218:
1594:"The Stanley Parable Co-Creator to Launch New Game The Beginner's Guide This Week"
446:
s Hayden
Dingman believed the game was designed to demonstrate the fallacy of the
2454:
2447:
2371:
2293:
2276:
2243:
1758:
1325:
1262:"Step Inside the Labyrinthine Mind of a Game Developer in 'The Beginner's Guide'"
938:
894:
655:
479:
417:
327:
865:
s
Cameron Kunzelman compared Wreden's self-insertion as the narrator to that of
33:
2489:
2060:
996:
519:
514:
2590:
1822:
1570:
875:
742:
269:
on October 1, 2015. The game is Wreden's follow-up to the critically praised
1082:
526:
Dr. Langeskov, The Tiger, and The Terribly Cursed Emerald: A Whirlwind Heist
2286:
2004:
1208:
980:
highlighted Wreden as one of the top 10 developers in 2015 for his work in
930:
908:
462:
354:
254:
66:
257:
under the studio name Everything Unlimited Ltd. The game was released for
2545:
2336:
1944:"Can a video game make you a better friend? 'The Beginner's Guide' tries"
1566:"The Beginner's Guide wants intimacy, but then again, we're all so alone"
1460:
1405:"Creativity as an open question: Random thoughts on The Beginner's Guide"
1352:
1235:
1175:
990:
471:
430:
393:
316:
166:
2461:
2357:
1732:
1680:
1269:
1012:
awards for Excellence in Narrative and the Nuovo Award for Innovation.
605:
555:
250:
1171:"The Beginner's Guide is a game that doesn't want to be written about"
832:
or collectible diaries, and also an insight into Wreden's own psyche.
2084:"The Witcher 3, Metal Gear Solid 5 lead nominees for GDC 2016 Awards"
2031:
1858:
1626:
1516:
1408:
1147:
976:
924:
820:
753:
581:
454:
1430:""The Beginner's Guide" Is Brilliant, Horrifying, Secretly Feminist"
1920:
1889:
1654:
1381:
1049:
962:
947:
852:
802:
593:
439:
369:
337:
1885:"The Beginner's Guide PC Review: A Walking Tour of Writer's Block"
764:
266:
191:
1650:"Creature prison: The VR designs of Rick and Morty's co-creator"
1348:"Let's talk more about The Beginner's Guide, a game about games"
1488:
1203:
1004:
among its top 11 games for 2015. It was nominated for two 2016
2179:
2172:
2027:"Best of 2015: Gamasutra's Top Games, Devs, Events and Trends"
1377:"The Beginner's Guide review: A weird, fiercely personal game"
2116:
2088:
870:
258:
183:
1199:"The Beginner's Guide Tackles The Fears We Don't Talk About"
1484:"The Controversy Over A Video Game's Suggestion Of A Crime"
262:
187:
1622:"The Stanley Parable creator reveals The Beginner's Guide"
2000:"The Beginner's Guide review: Failure is as failure does"
1705:
1598:
643:
1972:"New narrative tricks at play in 'The Beginner's Guide'"
336:
of a game developer named Coda whom Wreden had met at a
1811:
1809:
2564:
1449:
1447:
1073:"The Best New Videogames Are All About … Videogames"
1016:
was nominated for "Most Innovative" game of 2015 by
1806:
523:, with one title being a similar exploration game,
1854:"The Beginner's Guide Review: Wreden, Begin Again"
1136:
1134:
1132:
1878:
1876:
1444:
1038:
1036:
1034:
1032:
2588:
1909:
1907:
415:s re-release. Christopher Byrd, writing for the
1720:
1539:"Tone Control Season 2 Episode 6: Davey Wreden"
1129:
1008:for Innovation and Best Narrative, and for two
1873:
1726:
1103:
1101:
1099:
1029:
673:
2195:
1904:
1778:
1776:
1255:
1253:
1231:"The paradox of selling The Beginner's Guide"
1847:
1845:
1190:
770:
611:
319:elements, primarily via Wreden's narration.
1815:
1110:"The Beginner's Guide Review: Good Evening"
1096:
984:. The game was named as one of the top new
937:s Sam Machkovech called the game Wreden's "
2667:Video games developed in the United States
2202:
2188:
1997:
1773:
1669:
1510:Taylor, Paul Kilduff (December 21, 2015).
1250:
1162:
32:
1842:
1314:
1312:
1107:
2109:
2081:
1512:"The Beginner's Guide to Interpretation"
1228:
326:
16:2015 interactive storytelling video game
1991:
1941:
1851:
1619:
1374:
1259:
1196:
1140:
2589:
2110:Nunneley, Stephany (January 6, 2016).
2082:Nunneley, Stephany (January 8, 2016).
2053:
1969:
1882:
1592:Moser, Cassidee (September 29, 2015).
1557:
1509:
1481:
1454:Dale, Laura Kate (December 18, 2015).
1309:
1289:
1168:
1108:Kunzelman, Cameron (October 1, 2015).
2183:
1913:
1852:Vincent, Brittany (October 2, 2015).
1816:Marchiafava, Jeff (October 1, 2015).
1677:"The Beginner's Guide for PC Reviews"
1647:
1591:
1563:
1482:Klepek, Patrick (December 23, 2015).
1402:
1319:Byrd, Christopher (October 8, 2015).
1070:
368:The game concludes with an ambiguous
1620:Matulef, Jeffrey (October 1, 2015).
1453:
1318:
1260:Maiberg, Emanuel (October 1, 2015).
1229:Nakamura, Darren (October 3, 2015).
1197:Klepick, Patrick (October 2, 2015).
1141:Matulef, Jeffrey (October 1, 2015).
1042:
384:Within the game, Wreden states that
2149:from the original on April 21, 2016
2054:Parkin, Simon (December 14, 2015).
1998:Machkovech, Sam (October 3, 2015).
1648:Wilde, Tyler (September 29, 2015).
1375:Dingman, Hayden (October 3, 2015).
675:
536:
13:
2511:Insurgency: Modern Infantry Combat
1970:Singal, Jesse (October 17, 2015).
1727:Walker, Austin (October 1, 2015).
1290:Wreden, Davey (December 4, 2022).
379:
14:
2678:
2657:Fiction with unreliable narrators
2164:
1942:Martens, Todd (October 5, 2015).
1169:Hudson, Laura (October 2, 2015).
772:
613:
205:
2574:
1914:Wilde, Tyler (October 5, 2015).
1403:Graft, Kris (October 12, 2015).
1071:Muncy, Jake (January 18, 2016).
1043:Tran, Edmond (October 1, 2015).
791:
786:
781:
776:
771:
719:
714:
709:
704:
699:
694:
689:
684:
679:
674:
632:
627:
622:
617:
612:
2539:Pirates, Vikings and Knights II
2209:
2131:
2103:
2075:
2047:
2019:
1963:
1935:
1883:Mackey, Bob (October 5, 2015).
1746:
1694:
1641:
1613:
1585:
1564:Muncy, Jake (October 1, 2015).
1531:
1503:
1475:
1422:
1396:
1368:
1340:
2056:"The Best Video Games of 2015"
1283:
1222:
1064:
882:Todd Martens, writing for the
869:, and suggested that Wreden's
490:
1:
2652:Video games about video games
2407:Half-Life 2: Capture the Flag
1916:"The Beginner's Guide Review"
1729:"The Beginner's Guide Review"
1702:"The Beginner's Guide Review"
1143:"The Beginner's Guide review"
1045:"The Beginner's Guide Review"
1023:
1006:Game Developers Choice Awards
2632:First-person adventure games
532:
7:
294:
10:
2683:
2627:Source (game engine) games
2617:Self-reflexive video games
2315:Thinking with Time Machine
1456:"The best new IPs of 2015"
1010:Independent Games Festival
2647:Metafictional video games
2622:Single-player video games
2415:
2388:
2381:
2274:
2224:
2217:
970:
574:
571:
549:
546:
229:
217:
197:
177:
165:
146:
136:
114:
104:
82:
72:
60:
56:Everything Unlimited Ltd.
50:
46:Everything Unlimited Ltd.
40:
31:
26:
2265:Research and Development
945:" narrative techniques.
309:interactive storytelling
305:first-person perspective
281:first-person perspective
248:interactive storytelling
224:Interactive storytelling
2433:Team Fortress 2 Classic
322:
1818:"The Beginner's Guide"
1784:"The Beginner's Guide"
332:
2251:Hunt Down the Freeman
2244:Entropy : Zero 2
830:non-player characters
498:was developed on the
330:
2553:Zombie Panic! Source
2532:No More Room in Hell
2330:The Beginner's Guide
1014:The Beginner's Guide
1002:The Beginner's Guide
982:The Beginner's Guide
913:The Beginner's Guide
890:The Beginner's Guide
826:The Beginner's Guide
816:The Beginner's Guide
517:, the co-creator of
507:The Beginner's Guide
496:The Beginner's Guide
459:The Beginner's Guide
386:The Beginner's Guide
363:The Beginner's Guide
347:The Beginner's Guide
301:The Beginner's Guide
243:The Beginner's Guide
27:The Beginner's Guide
2662:Works about artists
2365:The Stanley Parable
2308:Portal Stories: Mel
2145:. January 9, 2016.
2035:. December 23, 2015
1545:. February 15, 2018
917:The Stanley Parable
834:Stephanie Bendixsen
568:
543:
511:The Stanley Parable
449:Death of the Author
427:unreliable narrator
423:The Stanley Parable
410:The Stanley Parable
405:The Stanley Parable
285:The Stanley Parable
272:The Stanley Parable
2642:Walking simulators
2301:Portal: Revolution
1830:on October 4, 2015
1794:. October 20, 2015
1356:. October 12, 2015
1292:"Game of the Year"
566:
541:
333:
313:conversation trees
303:is presented in a
2562:
2561:
2518:Jailbreak: Source
2497:GoldenEye: Source
2442:
2441:
2324:
2323:
2139:"Most Innovative"
1949:Los Angeles Times
1708:. October 7, 2015
1432:. October 7, 2015
911:stated that with
885:Los Angeles Times
812:
811:
564:
563:
374:social validation
342:exploration games
239:
238:
2674:
2597:2015 video games
2579:
2578:
2577:
2570:
2483:Fistful of Frags
2426:Fortress Forever
2386:
2385:
2222:
2221:
2204:
2197:
2190:
2181:
2180:
2176:
2175:
2173:Official website
2159:
2158:
2156:
2154:
2135:
2129:
2128:
2126:
2124:
2107:
2101:
2100:
2098:
2096:
2079:
2073:
2072:
2070:
2068:
2051:
2045:
2044:
2042:
2040:
2023:
2017:
2016:
2014:
2012:
1995:
1989:
1988:
1986:
1984:
1977:The Boston Globe
1967:
1961:
1960:
1958:
1956:
1939:
1933:
1932:
1930:
1928:
1911:
1902:
1901:
1899:
1897:
1880:
1871:
1870:
1868:
1866:
1849:
1840:
1839:
1837:
1835:
1826:. Archived from
1813:
1804:
1803:
1801:
1799:
1780:
1771:
1770:
1768:
1766:
1750:
1744:
1743:
1741:
1739:
1724:
1718:
1717:
1715:
1713:
1698:
1692:
1691:
1689:
1687:
1673:
1667:
1666:
1664:
1662:
1645:
1639:
1638:
1636:
1634:
1617:
1611:
1610:
1608:
1606:
1589:
1583:
1582:
1580:
1578:
1561:
1555:
1554:
1552:
1550:
1535:
1529:
1528:
1526:
1524:
1507:
1501:
1500:
1498:
1496:
1479:
1473:
1472:
1470:
1468:
1451:
1442:
1441:
1439:
1437:
1426:
1420:
1419:
1417:
1415:
1400:
1394:
1393:
1391:
1389:
1372:
1366:
1365:
1363:
1361:
1344:
1338:
1337:
1335:
1333:
1316:
1307:
1306:
1304:
1302:
1287:
1281:
1280:
1278:
1276:
1257:
1248:
1247:
1245:
1243:
1226:
1220:
1219:
1217:
1215:
1194:
1188:
1187:
1185:
1183:
1166:
1160:
1159:
1157:
1155:
1138:
1127:
1126:
1124:
1122:
1105:
1094:
1093:
1091:
1089:
1068:
1062:
1061:
1059:
1057:
1040:
957:The Magic Circle
953:
943:show, don't tell
936:
906:
901:The Boston Globe
867:Alfred Hitchcock
864:
838:Steven O'Donnell
796:
795:
794:
790:
789:
785:
784:
780:
779:
775:
774:
724:
723:
722:
718:
717:
713:
712:
708:
707:
703:
702:
698:
697:
693:
692:
688:
687:
683:
682:
678:
677:
637:
636:
635:
631:
630:
626:
625:
621:
620:
616:
615:
569:
565:
544:
540:
477:
445:
414:
299:The gameplay in
209:
207:
129:Andrea Jörgensen
97:Richard Flanagan
36:
24:
23:
2682:
2681:
2677:
2676:
2675:
2673:
2672:
2671:
2587:
2586:
2585:
2575:
2573:
2565:
2563:
2558:
2476:Eternal Silence
2455:Dota Auto Chess
2448:Age of Chivalry
2438:
2411:
2377:
2372:Weekday Warrior
2320:
2294:Portal Reloaded
2270:
2213:
2208:
2171:
2170:
2167:
2162:
2152:
2150:
2137:
2136:
2132:
2122:
2120:
2108:
2104:
2094:
2092:
2080:
2076:
2066:
2064:
2052:
2048:
2038:
2036:
2025:
2024:
2020:
2010:
2008:
1996:
1992:
1982:
1980:
1968:
1964:
1954:
1952:
1940:
1936:
1926:
1924:
1912:
1905:
1895:
1893:
1881:
1874:
1864:
1862:
1850:
1843:
1833:
1831:
1814:
1807:
1797:
1795:
1782:
1781:
1774:
1764:
1762:
1759:Washington Post
1752:
1751:
1747:
1737:
1735:
1725:
1721:
1711:
1709:
1700:
1699:
1695:
1685:
1683:
1675:
1674:
1670:
1660:
1658:
1646:
1642:
1632:
1630:
1618:
1614:
1604:
1602:
1590:
1586:
1576:
1574:
1562:
1558:
1548:
1546:
1537:
1536:
1532:
1522:
1520:
1508:
1504:
1494:
1492:
1480:
1476:
1466:
1464:
1452:
1445:
1435:
1433:
1428:
1427:
1423:
1413:
1411:
1401:
1397:
1387:
1385:
1373:
1369:
1359:
1357:
1346:
1345:
1341:
1331:
1329:
1326:Washington Post
1317:
1310:
1300:
1298:
1288:
1284:
1274:
1272:
1258:
1251:
1241:
1239:
1227:
1223:
1213:
1211:
1195:
1191:
1181:
1179:
1167:
1163:
1153:
1151:
1139:
1130:
1120:
1118:
1106:
1097:
1087:
1085:
1069:
1065:
1055:
1053:
1041:
1030:
1026:
973:
951:
939:sophomore slump
934:
904:
895:Washington Post
862:
850:Edmond Tran of
813:
792:
787:
782:
777:
720:
715:
710:
705:
700:
695:
690:
685:
680:
656:Washington Post
633:
628:
623:
618:
542:Aggregate score
539:
535:
493:
480:Laura Kate Dale
475:
443:
418:Washington Post
412:
382:
380:Interpretations
325:
297:
213:
210:October 1, 2015
204:
161:
132:
100:
22:
21:2015 video game
17:
12:
11:
5:
2680:
2670:
2669:
2664:
2659:
2654:
2649:
2644:
2639:
2634:
2629:
2624:
2619:
2614:
2609:
2604:
2599:
2584:
2583:
2560:
2559:
2557:
2556:
2549:
2542:
2535:
2528:
2521:
2514:
2507:
2500:
2493:
2486:
2479:
2472:
2465:
2458:
2451:
2443:
2440:
2439:
2437:
2436:
2429:
2421:
2419:
2413:
2412:
2410:
2403:
2396:
2394:
2383:
2379:
2378:
2376:
2375:
2368:
2361:
2354:
2347:
2340:
2333:
2325:
2322:
2321:
2319:
2318:
2311:
2304:
2297:
2290:
2282:
2280:
2272:
2271:
2269:
2268:
2261:
2254:
2247:
2240:
2232:
2230:
2219:
2215:
2214:
2207:
2206:
2199:
2192:
2184:
2178:
2177:
2166:
2165:External links
2163:
2161:
2160:
2130:
2102:
2074:
2061:The New Yorker
2046:
2018:
1990:
1962:
1934:
1903:
1872:
1841:
1805:
1772:
1745:
1719:
1693:
1668:
1640:
1612:
1584:
1556:
1530:
1502:
1474:
1443:
1421:
1395:
1367:
1339:
1308:
1282:
1249:
1221:
1189:
1161:
1128:
1095:
1063:
1027:
1025:
1022:
997:The New Yorker
972:
969:
810:
809:
806:
798:
797:
768:
760:
759:
756:
750:
749:
746:
738:
737:
734:
726:
725:
671:
663:
662:
659:
651:
650:
647:
639:
638:
609:
601:
600:
597:
589:
588:
585:
577:
576:
573:
562:
561:
558:
552:
551:
548:
537:
534:
531:
520:Rick and Morty
515:Justin Roiland
492:
489:
381:
378:
324:
321:
296:
293:
237:
236:
231:
227:
226:
221:
215:
214:
212:
211:
201:
199:
195:
194:
181:
175:
174:
169:
163:
162:
160:
159:
156:
152:
150:
144:
143:
140:
134:
133:
131:
130:
127:
124:
120:
118:
112:
111:
110:Jesús Higueras
108:
102:
101:
99:
98:
95:
92:
88:
86:
80:
79:
76:
70:
69:
64:
58:
57:
54:
48:
47:
44:
38:
37:
29:
28:
20:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
2679:
2668:
2665:
2663:
2660:
2658:
2655:
2653:
2650:
2648:
2645:
2643:
2640:
2638:
2635:
2633:
2630:
2628:
2625:
2623:
2620:
2618:
2615:
2613:
2610:
2608:
2605:
2603:
2602:Windows games
2600:
2598:
2595:
2594:
2592:
2582:
2572:
2571:
2568:
2555:
2554:
2550:
2548:
2547:
2543:
2541:
2540:
2536:
2534:
2533:
2529:
2527:
2526:
2522:
2520:
2519:
2515:
2513:
2512:
2508:
2506:
2505:
2501:
2499:
2498:
2494:
2492:
2491:
2487:
2485:
2484:
2480:
2478:
2477:
2473:
2471:
2470:
2466:
2464:
2463:
2459:
2457:
2456:
2452:
2450:
2449:
2445:
2444:
2435:
2434:
2430:
2428:
2427:
2423:
2422:
2420:
2418:
2417:Team Fortress
2414:
2409:
2408:
2404:
2402:
2401:
2397:
2395:
2393:
2392:
2387:
2384:
2380:
2374:
2373:
2369:
2367:
2366:
2362:
2360:
2359:
2355:
2353:
2352:
2348:
2346:
2345:
2341:
2339:
2338:
2334:
2332:
2331:
2327:
2326:
2317:
2316:
2312:
2310:
2309:
2305:
2303:
2302:
2298:
2296:
2295:
2291:
2289:
2288:
2284:
2283:
2281:
2279:
2278:
2273:
2267:
2266:
2262:
2260:
2259:
2255:
2253:
2252:
2248:
2246:
2245:
2241:
2239:
2238:
2234:
2233:
2231:
2229:
2228:
2223:
2220:
2218:Single-player
2216:
2212:
2205:
2200:
2198:
2193:
2191:
2186:
2185:
2182:
2174:
2169:
2168:
2148:
2144:
2140:
2134:
2119:
2118:
2113:
2106:
2091:
2090:
2085:
2078:
2063:
2062:
2057:
2050:
2034:
2033:
2028:
2022:
2007:
2006:
2001:
1994:
1979:
1978:
1973:
1966:
1951:
1950:
1945:
1938:
1923:
1922:
1917:
1910:
1908:
1892:
1891:
1886:
1879:
1877:
1861:
1860:
1855:
1848:
1846:
1829:
1825:
1824:
1823:Game Informer
1819:
1812:
1810:
1793:
1789:
1785:
1779:
1777:
1761:
1760:
1755:
1749:
1734:
1730:
1723:
1707:
1703:
1697:
1682:
1678:
1672:
1657:
1656:
1651:
1644:
1629:
1628:
1623:
1616:
1601:
1600:
1595:
1588:
1573:
1572:
1571:The A.V. Club
1567:
1560:
1544:
1540:
1534:
1519:
1518:
1513:
1506:
1491:
1490:
1485:
1478:
1463:
1462:
1457:
1450:
1448:
1431:
1425:
1410:
1406:
1399:
1384:
1383:
1378:
1371:
1355:
1354:
1349:
1343:
1328:
1327:
1322:
1315:
1313:
1297:
1293:
1286:
1271:
1267:
1263:
1256:
1254:
1238:
1237:
1232:
1225:
1210:
1206:
1205:
1200:
1193:
1178:
1177:
1172:
1165:
1150:
1149:
1144:
1137:
1135:
1133:
1117:
1116:
1111:
1104:
1102:
1100:
1084:
1080:
1079:
1074:
1067:
1052:
1051:
1046:
1039:
1037:
1035:
1033:
1028:
1021:
1019:
1015:
1011:
1007:
1003:
999:
998:
993:
992:
987:
983:
979:
978:
968:
965:
964:
959:
958:
950:
949:
944:
940:
933:
932:
927:
926:
920:
918:
914:
910:
903:
902:
897:
896:
891:
887:
886:
880:
878:
877:
876:Game Informer
872:
868:
861:
860:
855:
854:
848:
845:
844:
839:
835:
831:
827:
823:
822:
817:
807:
805:
804:
800:
799:
769:
767:
766:
762:
761:
757:
755:
752:
751:
747:
745:
744:
743:Game Informer
740:
739:
735:
733:
732:
728:
727:
672:
670:
669:
665:
664:
660:
658:
657:
653:
652:
648:
646:
645:
641:
640:
610:
608:
607:
603:
602:
598:
596:
595:
591:
590:
586:
584:
583:
579:
578:
570:
567:Review scores
559:
557:
554:
553:
545:
530:
528:
527:
522:
521:
516:
512:
508:
504:
501:
497:
488:
485:
481:
474:
473:
466:
464:
460:
456:
451:
450:
442:
441:
435:
432:
428:
424:
420:
419:
411:
407:
406:
401:
396:
395:
389:
387:
377:
375:
371:
366:
364:
358:
356:
350:
348:
343:
339:
329:
320:
318:
317:metafictional
314:
310:
306:
302:
292:
288:
286:
282:
276:
274:
273:
268:
264:
260:
256:
252:
249:
245:
244:
235:
234:Single-player
232:
228:
225:
222:
220:
216:
203:
202:
200:
196:
193:
189:
185:
182:
180:
176:
173:
170:
168:
164:
157:
154:
153:
151:
149:
145:
141:
139:
135:
128:
125:
123:Matthew Breit
122:
121:
119:
117:
113:
109:
107:
106:Programmer(s)
103:
96:
94:Matthew Breit
93:
90:
89:
87:
85:
81:
77:
75:
71:
68:
65:
63:
59:
55:
53:
49:
45:
43:
39:
35:
30:
25:
19:
2551:
2544:
2537:
2530:
2523:
2516:
2509:
2502:
2495:
2488:
2481:
2474:
2467:
2460:
2453:
2446:
2431:
2424:
2416:
2405:
2398:
2389:
2370:
2363:
2356:
2349:
2342:
2335:
2329:
2328:
2313:
2306:
2300:
2292:
2287:Aperture Tag
2285:
2275:
2263:
2256:
2249:
2242:
2235:
2225:
2151:. Retrieved
2142:
2133:
2121:. Retrieved
2115:
2105:
2093:. Retrieved
2087:
2077:
2067:December 23,
2065:. Retrieved
2059:
2049:
2039:December 23,
2037:. Retrieved
2030:
2021:
2009:. Retrieved
2005:Ars Technica
2003:
1993:
1981:. Retrieved
1975:
1965:
1953:. Retrieved
1947:
1937:
1925:. Retrieved
1919:
1894:. Retrieved
1888:
1863:. Retrieved
1857:
1832:. Retrieved
1828:the original
1821:
1798:November 12,
1796:. Retrieved
1787:
1763:. Retrieved
1757:
1748:
1736:. Retrieved
1722:
1710:. Retrieved
1696:
1684:. Retrieved
1671:
1659:. Retrieved
1653:
1643:
1631:. Retrieved
1625:
1615:
1603:. Retrieved
1597:
1587:
1575:. Retrieved
1569:
1559:
1549:February 24,
1547:. Retrieved
1542:
1533:
1523:December 23,
1521:. Retrieved
1515:
1505:
1495:December 23,
1493:. Retrieved
1487:
1477:
1465:. Retrieved
1459:
1436:November 14,
1434:. Retrieved
1424:
1412:. Retrieved
1398:
1386:. Retrieved
1380:
1370:
1358:. Retrieved
1351:
1342:
1330:. Retrieved
1324:
1299:. Retrieved
1295:
1285:
1273:. Retrieved
1265:
1240:. Retrieved
1234:
1224:
1212:. Retrieved
1209:Gawker Media
1202:
1192:
1180:. Retrieved
1174:
1164:
1152:. Retrieved
1146:
1119:. Retrieved
1113:
1086:. Retrieved
1076:
1066:
1054:. Retrieved
1048:
1017:
1013:
1001:
995:
989:
988:for 2015 by
981:
975:
974:
961:
955:
946:
931:Ars Technica
929:
923:
921:
916:
912:
909:Jesse Singal
899:
893:
889:
888:, said that
883:
881:
874:
857:
851:
849:
841:
825:
819:
815:
814:
801:
763:
741:
730:
667:
654:
642:
604:
592:
580:
524:
518:
510:
506:
505:
495:
494:
470:
467:
463:Autostraddle
458:
447:
438:
436:
422:
416:
409:
403:
399:
392:
390:
385:
383:
367:
362:
359:
355:up to eleven
351:
346:
334:
300:
298:
289:
284:
277:
270:
255:Davey Wreden
242:
241:
240:
158:Halina Heron
142:Davey Wreden
126:Jack Parsons
91:Davey Wreden
78:Lydia Nelson
67:Davey Wreden
52:Publisher(s)
42:Developer(s)
18:
2612:Linux games
2607:MacOS games
2581:Video games
2546:SourceForts
2490:Garry's Mod
2382:Multiplayer
2337:Dear Esther
2211:Source mods
1983:October 17,
1543:Idle Forums
1461:Destructoid
1414:October 12,
1360:October 13,
1353:Boing Boing
1266:Motherboard
1236:Destructoid
1176:Boing Boing
1088:January 22,
991:Destructoid
824:considered
572:Publication
491:Development
472:Destructoid
431:Emily Short
400:Motherboard
394:Destructoid
253:created by
179:Platform(s)
148:Composer(s)
84:Designer(s)
74:Producer(s)
62:Director(s)
2591:Categories
2504:The Hidden
2462:Dino D-Day
2400:Black Mesa
2358:Korsakovia
2237:Black Mesa
2123:January 6,
2095:January 8,
2011:October 3,
1955:October 5,
1927:October 6,
1896:October 5,
1865:October 1,
1834:October 1,
1765:January 3,
1738:January 3,
1733:Giant Bomb
1712:January 3,
1686:January 3,
1681:Metacritic
1661:October 1,
1633:October 1,
1605:October 1,
1577:October 1,
1388:October 3,
1332:October 8,
1301:January 3,
1275:October 2,
1270:Vice Media
1242:October 3,
1214:October 2,
1182:October 2,
1154:October 1,
1121:October 1,
1083:Condé Nast
1056:October 1,
1024:References
606:Giant Bomb
556:Metacritic
547:Aggregator
251:video game
2637:Art games
2391:Half-Life
2227:Half-Life
2032:Gamasutra
1859:Shacknews
1788:Good Game
1627:Eurogamer
1517:Gamasutra
1409:Gamasutra
1148:Eurogamer
1000:included
977:Gamasutra
925:Shacknews
843:Good Game
821:Eurogamer
754:Shacknews
668:Good Game
582:Eurogamer
538:Reception
533:Reception
455:Gamasutra
155:Ryan Roth
138:Writer(s)
116:Artist(s)
2525:NeoTokyo
2469:Dystopia
2351:Flipside
2147:Archived
1921:PC Gamer
1890:US Gamer
1655:PC Gamer
1467:April 7,
1382:PC World
1050:GameSpot
963:PC Gamer
948:US Gamer
853:GameSpot
803:PC Gamer
594:GameSpot
440:PC World
370:epilogue
338:game jam
295:Gameplay
219:Genre(s)
2344:Eclipse
2258:Minerva
2153:May 21,
765:USgamer
661:100/100
267:Windows
230:Mode(s)
198:Release
192:Windows
2567:Portal
2277:Portal
1489:Kotaku
1296:Medium
1204:Kotaku
971:Awards
808:69/100
736:9.0/10
500:Source
484:refund
265:, and
246:is an
172:Source
167:Engine
2117:VG247
2089:VG247
1115:Paste
1078:Wired
952:'
935:'
905:'
871:Janus
863:'
859:Paste
731:Paste
575:Score
550:Score
476:'
444:'
413:'
259:Linux
184:Linux
2155:2016
2125:2016
2097:2016
2069:2015
2041:2015
2013:2015
1985:2015
1957:2015
1929:2015
1898:2015
1867:2015
1836:2015
1800:2015
1767:2018
1740:2018
1714:2018
1688:2018
1663:2015
1635:2015
1607:2015
1579:2015
1551:2018
1525:2015
1497:2015
1469:2024
1438:2016
1416:2015
1390:2015
1362:2015
1334:2015
1303:2024
1277:2015
1244:2015
1216:2015
1184:2015
1156:2015
1123:2015
1090:2016
1058:2015
836:and
758:3/10
748:8/10
649:8/10
599:8/10
323:Plot
263:OS X
188:OS X
2143:IGN
1792:ABC
1706:IGN
1599:IGN
1018:IGN
840:of
644:IGN
587:80%
560:76%
2593::
2141:.
2114:.
2086:.
2058:.
2029:.
2002:.
1974:.
1946:.
1918:.
1906:^
1887:.
1875:^
1856:.
1844:^
1820:.
1808:^
1790:.
1786:.
1775:^
1756:.
1731:.
1704:.
1679:.
1652:.
1624:.
1596:.
1568:.
1541:.
1514:.
1486:.
1458:.
1446:^
1407:.
1379:.
1350:.
1323:.
1311:^
1294:.
1268:.
1264:.
1252:^
1233:.
1207:.
1201:.
1173:.
1145:.
1131:^
1112:.
1098:^
1081:.
1075:.
1047:.
1031:^
1020:.
994:.
986:IP
919:.
907:s
529:.
478:s
287:.
261:,
206:WW
190:,
186:,
2569::
2203:e
2196:t
2189:v
2157:.
2127:.
2099:.
2071:.
2043:.
2015:.
1987:.
1959:.
1931:.
1900:.
1869:.
1838:.
1802:.
1769:.
1742:.
1716:.
1690:.
1665:.
1637:.
1609:.
1581:.
1553:.
1527:.
1499:.
1471:.
1440:.
1418:.
1392:.
1364:.
1336:.
1305:.
1279:.
1246:.
1218:.
1186:.
1158:.
1125:.
1092:.
1060:.
208::
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
