We Are Chicago

Man, i'm sorry. I feel bad not recommending this game because I think it's clear that the subject matter in this game is something very important to the creators. It feels passionate, and I like what the narrative is trying to do, especially in an area that's been glorified in video games with the likes of GTA, Saints Row, etc. But I just don't think I can get past the technical side of this. It's just a pain. The game suffers from severe lack of polish. It's pretty unpleasant to look at. The voice acting feels detatched and soulless. In the time I played, the dialogue felt like it was on a broken record. Conversations felt forced and not natural. And I don't know if anyone else experienced this, but my game had TERRIBLE FPS. My PC runs most games very well even on max settings, but it does tend to overheat at times, so maybe this is only on my end, but it was SUCH a slog to get through with the FPS. I want to give it more of a chance, I want to get further into it to give you a better and deeper review, but I just don't think I can.

I respect the subject this game conveys and the social issues the game developer is trying to present. However, I simply can't get over the technical issues and the gameplay itself. I can usually go with low fps & simple graphics, but this game constantly glitches while the characters are having interactions with one another. In addition, the interactions are too plain, containing mostly conversations and implications, with little real action and witnessing. Furthermore, some scenes just don't make sense at all. For example, you're eating pasta-you set up the table-you put forks and knifes and spoons and cups for everyone on the table-nobody uses any of the utencils listed except the fork. When there's a whole plate of pasta, your friend takes one bite of it using the fork once and then tells you he gtg and then leaves. The conversations and early character interactions are simply too extraneous. You go to school for three whole days without anything happening. Despite all, the game's intention is absolutely respectable and the idea conveyed in the game is worth being developed. I suggest the game developer fix the technical issues and put more details into the graphics and character interations, as well as increase the game pace a little bit. As a person living close to Chicago, I really hope that this game can be improved and if that happens I am willing to completely change my review on this game.

Its a good game that brings awareness to gang violence especially in Chicago. I can see how passionate the devs were with this game but I'm a little disappointed that that i paid 13.49 (on sale) for a game that only had about 2.5 hours of gameplay time. It has no replay value. Theres not much going on about the game. The story of the characters is a little lacking. Just expected a little bit more. I doubt there will be anything else added to the game but i could be wrong. Maybe worth 8-10 dollars I know its not much a difference but I just find it to be a little overpriced. Unfortunately I wouldnt recommend this to my friends to play.

Will likely get slammed by the interweb. :( My thoughts + no commentary video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=id_Nb4Q2Byg When first started I disliked it then couldn't put it down. Not often I'll play through a game in one sitting which should say something about the story. Aspects are watered a little down due to probable censorship issues though it does touch base on subjects which are currently relevant and should certainly be discussed. Video games are perfect form for this medium so I'm happy to see more developers trying something fresh. Frst playthrough lasted about 2 and a half hours, will certainly be running through it again to encounter different people and see the alternate outcomes. Basically a combination of choose your own adventure, walking sim with a hint of telltale. Graphics were quite impressive for a developers first attempt. Reasonably high quality assets and believable characters with wonderful voice acting that were coupled with full motion capture. Downsides. Performance could use some work. Suffered from 'judder' issues at times with the frame rate sitting above 60fps, dropping down to the 30 range when a bunch of npcs appeared on screen and first rendered. Briefly froze a few times between scenes as well but really that's just me nitpicking. (3770k/970/ssd). The game can cause motion sickness, there was no way to adjust field of view and isn't a mouse cursor displayed on screen. Sitting back a little fixed it for me but a word of caution to some people who I know suffer from the same problems. Enjoyed stuff like [i]1979 Revolution: Black Friday[/i]? Will probably like [i]We are Chicago[/i]. Not a game for everyone but it's worth giving a shot imo. Look forward to seeing more from this developer. Cheers folks.

Wanted to add my positive feelings about this, even though I haven't finished it yet. First of all, I'd suggest you avoid watching Let's Plays and such if you're like me and skip around the video to try to get some idea of what the feeling is like. Parts that looked really long and laborious to me were actually pretty easy once I let myself sink in to the dialogue. We Are Chicago is a game which seems to be trying to be like Life Is Strange, but without the supernatural elements and instead with a focus on urban slice-of-life in a high-risk area. It's low production values yes, but as long as your computer doesn't have issues with Unity games (mine used to), you should have consistently maxed-out FPS on a modern gaming rig and that helps with immersion. You're thrown into the life of a high school student, trying to make it to college and take care of his family at the same time, balancing loyalty to his friends with self-preservation and wisdom. While the game can be heavy-handed and extremely preachy at times about the crises that at-risk youths face, as a life simulator it does greatly and felt a lot like Indigo Prophecy to me, with pauses to immerse into your house, do menial tasks like setting the dinner table, and generally breathe life into the game's world by connecting to it. If you focus on those parts, I think you'll be fine. Chicago is a colorful palette of many of the world's best and worst things, and I feel that this story represents the feeling of being there well. As someone who is a foreigner to American culture but who has visited Chicago many times, I relished the opportunity to be able to understand what it would be like to actually grow up there instead of where I did. It's obvious from the start of the game that some people will be dying while others live, but the story isn't so heavy-handed as to make me absolutely sure what's going to happen. I wouldn't call it a page-turner, but I am curious what's going to happen to who, and I do think it's worth the moderate price if you understand that it's a grassroots community effort and needs more tolerance for flaws than you might be used to. Basically, give it a try if you're annoyed at the lack of Black protagonists in games, Black themes, or just generally have wanted to try a slice-of-life game that doesn't devolve into science fiction or fantasy 5 minutes in. :)

This is a terrible game. You can't make any bad decisions in the game, it all turns out the same. There was a total of 1 fight (you don't do any of the fighting, its a cut scene where it shows you getting punched twice), 1 shooting which you didn't witness (you were inside eating dinner) and there was 1 shooting between two of your friends at the very end which you just witnessed, but had no involvement in. This is a TOTAL WASTE OF MONEY. After opening the game for the first time, I had completed it in 2 hours. DO. NOT. BUY. THIS. GAME. -- ABSOLUTE WASTE OF $$$!

I am conflicted in my review of this game. I am a gamer, and I am from Da' Southside of Chicago. As a gamer, this is not the greatest game in the world, and I never expected it to be. As someone who grew up in and around environment presented in the game, I love what the game developers are trying to accomplish. I enjoy a good story, and "We Are Chicago" tells a good story. Unfortunately, I do not see much commercial success for this game or other games like this. Gamers like games that let them live out thier loot/ murder fantasies, and "We Are Chicago" is the antithesis to what typical gamers want from a game. I like this game. You make poor decisions, and things do not work out so well for you. However, if you make the right choices, eventually you can end up like me... 2000 miles away from Chicago... living out your dreams.

As a man who resides on the south side of Chicago this game hit home to me. Definitely worth the purchase. This is only a small taste of whats happening in Chicago right now.

The reason I bought this game was because I thought it'll actually portray the violent side of Chicago. It didn't, there's just some dumb conversations and ♥♥♥♥.

First of, this game will not give you hours of enjoyment, i'm sure the Developers would have loved that, but when i saw what this was about & who the charities the developers were partnered with, along with why they were doing this game, i thought sure why not, it's pretty much like making a donation except i get something back. If you go through the story in the characters shoes, as intended - and in real life if the game makes one single person avoid getting into gangs etc then it's done its job in my opinion.