Why "Isaac" will NEVER be a "Great" game

[Okihara Jones]

I have almost 200 hours logged into this thing. I have played nearly every combination of weapon that exists. I have written about this game and pondered it's place in the world. And I have concluded that while there are thousands of gamers who love this game, it will never be on any top 10 PC "greatness" lists, it will never be a game that we look back upon, say, like "Baldur's Gate", "Fallout 1 & 2" or even dare I even suggest a contemporary "TF2".

Here's why:

ANY game where success of winning depends upon the randomness of a power-up drop over the skill of the player is a major fault.

You can flame all you want about how wrong I am, but the bottom line is WE ALL LIKE TO FEEL LIKE WE ARE KICKING ♥♥♥ WHEN WE WE PLAY A GAME. That is the bottom line. In TF2, L4D2, Dota 2, Starcraft 2 and any other successful game, we know that after playing a certain amount of hours, we will KICK ♥♥♥ because of the time we invested in PRACTICE.

But in "Isaac", no matter how much time we invest in playing, there is no guarantee that our allegiance will be rewarded. We will always be at the mercy of the power-up. There is no way to beat "Sheol", no matter how great we have become at dodging little pellet-bullets, unless we have the proper power ups. And this creates player frustration.

And that is why this will never be a great game. Interesting, perhaps even occasionally entertaining and thought-provoking. But until players can feel like they actually have a chance at truly kicking ♥♥♥ because of the skill they have deservedly acquired through months of dedicated practice (over the random "luck" of the power-up drop'), "Isaac" will always fall short.

But you can't beat 3 bucks for a game! Worth the loot!

Keep on gaming!

[m0rdecai]

Yes I agree that skill should be more important than random drops. But comparing Isaac with mulitplayer games, which by some amount, also have a random factors invovled, doesn't really work. Isaac for me, is a casual game I'll play now and then and because it's not competitive I can actually live with random drops, even if they suck. Still haven't finished the game though :D

[Mothman]

Binding of Isaac is a roguelike dungeon crawler. Roguelikes are supposed to have times when you get bad drops, cursed items, enemies you can't handle. Its randomness is part of the charm, the depth (particularly when it comes to items/trinkets that increase drop % of certain items), and the "adventure" feel of the game. If you were just able to breeze through Binding of Isaac once you got good at dodging, it wouldn't have half the replayability it does. The randomness of the game makes every playthrough different and challenging in new ways, and that, to me, is more important than "kicking ass."

[ScytheRider]

While your complaint is halfway valid, and Binding of Isaac is pretty luck-based, you do in fact get better the more you play. It's like Blackjack: you'll never win every game, but if you learn how to play you will have a clear advantage. Throughout the time I played this game, I watched as my win-lose likelihood ratio changed from roughly 1-in-7 to 7-in-1, and it was all because I learned how items work, which items to pick up at what time, which item combinations were bad, which risks to take, and how enemies moved and attacked. There were times when I felt awesome from clearing hard rooms (like 7-leaper rooms or 2-eyeball rooms) that would have certainly killed me back when I was less skilled.

I think the reason this game won't appear on many top-lists is because there's just nothing to compare it to; the game is too unique. I mean, what kind of top-10 list would this top? Rogue-like games? Zelda spoofs? Twin-stick shooters? Games starring naked babies? It's hard to fit this game into any category, so you're just going to wind up with a lot of gamers who say they enjoy this game without being able to lump it into a comparison pile with other games.

[Skullcrusher709]

dont say its a bad game just because you cant win

[Missingn0]

Originally posted by skullcrusher709:

dont say its a bad game just because you cant win

i don't think he once said it was a bad game...

[en123]

Randomness may be something that ruins the game for you, but for me that's what makes it one of my favorite games. Sure you get ♥♥♥♥ items sometimes, but trying to do your best with a crappy item combo is pretty fun to me. And getting new and crazy item combos that you'd never even thought of is even more fun.

[Xor]

Have you played 'The Purist' Challenge yet? The simple fact that it exists proves that it is in fact possible to complete the game without being at the so called mercy of the random power up. It's difficult as all hell but by all means doable. That and the item you unlock for completing it is totally boss...

[Punchy]

Originally posted by J.:

Have you played 'The Purist' Challenge yet? The simple fact that it exists proves that it is in fact possible to complete the game without being at the so called mercy of the random power up. It's difficult as all hell but by all means doable. That and the item you unlock for completing it is totally boss...

Were you playing the same challenge as me?

That challenge is the best example of being completely at the mercy of the RNG with regards to item drops.

That challenge is entirely down to how lucky you get with drops from bosses, the kinds of items in shops and whether or not the various secret rooms feel like tossing up anything good.

Lacking the item room does not automatically mean it's free from luck based nonsense. Arguably, lacking it makes you more confined to needing good luck, since you have less chances to get the kit needed to beat Isaac.

[LS | Dameon]

As interesting as it is. Im close to the 13th ending. I cant say how many times ive died XD

[Starbuck]

So, by this logic, the entire roguelike and roguelike-esque genre is terrible because RNG is taken into account when you get items. RNG is pretty much the point of a roguelike, not saying BoI is one, but it gives you a different play experience every time you pick it up.

[en123]

Originally posted by nvergara45:

So, by this logic, the entire roguelike and roguelike-esque genre is terrible because RNG is taken into account when you get items. RNG is pretty much the point of a roguelike, not saying BoI is one, but it gives you a different play experience every time you pick it up.

Exactly, the point is your game is different every time you play it. Sometimes it's unfairly hard or sometimes your super overpowered. That's the nature of the game, and seeing all the different combos I get wether they're bad or not is fun.

[Parkecon]

Everyone has their own opinions. No opinion is wrong because it's how a person feels not a valid fact. This person was merely long-winded in their opinion it does not make it more valid or any better than anyone else's. We can at least respect that this person has a point of view and move on.

[Ckormac]

Yeah, I don't buy what you're saying about power-ups. Having defeated the Chest with one bar of damage it is very much possible to win with bad luck. For those wondering, Eve + Odd mushroom.

[J]

I kinda agree with this, but it's really fun! If anyone reading this is now having doubts about purchasing then you're a silly billy :O this game is exciting :D

[CorvinObtuse]

Although I agree, and I love your whole-hearted review, Isaac's loring uncanniness depends on whether or not you can aquire the appropriate power ups. Or even a new combination of power-ups you have yet to use. The whole rogue-like element of this game is to see if you can beat it without dying, but not with the same weaponry. You compared the skill level with TF2, Left 4 dead 2, Starcraft 2, and DOTA 2. Why?

The Binding of Isaac is not on the same tier as these games, nor is it as competitive. From the sound of it you're a competitive gamer; which I can respect, but not in this review. Isaac is an indie game, and the fact is: Competitive gamers do not like indie games all that much, and sometimes vise versa. I do applaud you on one thing though; 200 hours in playing one game and beating multiple times with various weapons.

Indeed game on! :D And please, add me. :)