im gonna have to disagree : sure people often misuse the term and use it in vague manners, but i dont think it makes it inherently lose meaning Personally i think there can be a good game that is indeed 'good/fine/great' on all fronts, but that doesnt actually feel remarkably 'better' than the sum of its elements. And there can also be a game that feels more than the sum of its parts but still feels like a lame game. And its not just for good elements being elevated, it often applies to when some elements are weak/bad in a vacuum too For example IV1, a great game, has its silly cheap plot, which isnt a bad plot but not a great one. and i think said story synergized really well with the gameplay and visuals, in a way that definitely keep me interested far more than the average videogame plot of similar caliber usually does. As a more elaborate example i really like melee action games : just like how a great and fleshed out player moveset can be completely shafted by enemies that are stale and bland to interact that wastes the potential of the character, sometimes a simpler player moveset can be massively elevated by a very high level of creativity and quality in the enemies. In the later case, sometimes that can singlehandedly make it so what would be an otherwise bland, unremarkable player moveset, result in a game that feels really uniquely good to utilize your moves to attack/defend from the enemies. (even in a case where there isnt all that much interaction between the two halves, like for example enemies that dont flinch or react very much to being hit) Just like how certain games with weaker cheap graphics can have these end up contributing really well to the atmosphere with things backing them up : When i played Environmental Station Alpha : It was the first instance of me booting up a game and feeling like the graphics were completely jarring and a huge letdown when playing, far worse than i thought it would be after looking at its steam trailers and screenshots. But over time i started liking them and the sceneries, because of how greatly the world and setting, the soundtrack and the sense of mystique from the overarching secrets helped it build a really great atmosphere, made me really inclined to get immersed and familiar with its style, etc. Eventually the game felt so much prettier than what i initially expected from watching said trailer
I mean if you want to get technical about there is no such thing as "greater than the sum of it's parts" in any context, literally everything is, in fact, *precisely* the sum of it's parts. 😁
0:10 its the phrase "da ya podhodjayu"
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im gonna have to disagree : sure people often misuse the term and use it in vague manners, but i dont think it makes it inherently lose meaning
Personally i think there can be a good game that is indeed 'good/fine/great' on all fronts, but that doesnt actually feel remarkably 'better' than the sum of its elements. And there can also be a game that feels more than the sum of its parts but still feels like a lame game.
And its not just for good elements being elevated, it often applies to when some elements are weak/bad in a vacuum too
For example IV1, a great game, has its silly cheap plot, which isnt a bad plot but not a great one. and i think said story synergized really well with the gameplay and visuals, in a way that definitely keep me interested far more than the average videogame plot of similar caliber usually does.
As a more elaborate example i really like melee action games : just like how a great and fleshed out player moveset can be completely shafted by enemies that are stale and bland to interact that wastes the potential of the character, sometimes a simpler player moveset can be massively elevated by a very high level of creativity and quality in the enemies. In the later case, sometimes that can singlehandedly make it so what would be an otherwise bland, unremarkable player moveset, result in a game that feels really uniquely good to utilize your moves to attack/defend from the enemies. (even in a case where there isnt all that much interaction between the two halves, like for example enemies that dont flinch or react very much to being hit)
Just like how certain games with weaker cheap graphics can have these end up contributing really well to the atmosphere with things backing them up :
When i played Environmental Station Alpha : It was the first instance of me booting up a game and feeling like the graphics were completely jarring and a huge letdown when playing, far worse than i thought it would be after looking at its steam trailers and screenshots.
But over time i started liking them and the sceneries, because of how greatly the world and setting, the soundtrack and the sense of mystique from the overarching secrets helped it build a really great atmosphere, made me really inclined to get immersed and familiar with its style, etc. Eventually the game felt so much prettier than what i initially expected from watching said trailer
I mean if you want to get technical about there is no such thing as "greater than the sum of it's parts" in any context, literally everything is, in fact, *precisely* the sum of it's parts. 😁
pretty much, whixh is why i find that phrase to be a meaningless talking point