Video Games...Discuss Them [Archive] - Page 34

megladon8

02-01-2010, 06:54 PM

I want to replay ME so bad on PC, but I just don't have it in me. The story doesn't drive me THAT much... Wish it did.

I actually found the story to be the very best part of the game. The story and characters were freaking incredible. Like watching a really, really good movie.

Which is exactly what they were aiming for, I gather.

I found the Reapers and the Geth to be quite scary.

Dukefrukem

02-02-2010, 12:56 PM

I actually found the story to be the very best part of the game. The story and characters were freaking incredible. Like watching a really, really good movie.

Which is exactly what they were aiming for, I gather.

I found the Reapers and the Geth to be quite scary.

Agreed. Wait till you see the Collectors in ME2!

I'm 30 hours deep into ME2... still doing side quests. Not even on the main story.

Morris Schæffer

02-02-2010, 04:58 PM

Sycophant

02-02-2010, 06:40 PM

I've watched quite a bit of video and read quite a bit about it, but Heavy Rain looks just terrible to me.

D_Davis

02-02-2010, 07:22 PM

I've watched quite a bit of video and read quite a bit about it, but Heavy Rain looks just terrible to me.

Really? How come. I thought you'd be into this one.

Acapelli

02-02-2010, 07:31 PM

doesn't really look all that evolved beyond indigo red (which was terrible) other than being a lot prettier and more interactive

Sycophant

02-02-2010, 07:52 PM

Really? How come. I thought you'd be into this one.

A seeming desire to turn video games into movies with QTEs.

Also, I saw a shower scene (and ensuing woman-chased-in-underwear scene) they released as a preview video and was more embarassed by video games than I've been in a long time.

So make that a seeming desire to turn video games into crappy movies with QTEs.

Winston*

02-02-2010, 07:55 PM

A seeming desire to turn video games into movies with QTEs.

Also, I saw a shower scene (and ensuing woman-chased-in-underwear scene) they released as a preview video and was more embarassed by video games than I've been in a long time.

So make that a seeming desire to turn video games into crappy movies with QTEs.

Why does that sad video game pervyness make you angry, but not Bayonetta sad video game pervyness?

Sycophant

02-02-2010, 07:57 PM

Why does that sad video game pervyness make you angry, but not Bayonetta sad video game pervyness?

Because what you describe as the "sad video game pervyness" of Bayonetta is delightfully tongue-in-cheek and positive. Maybe there's something wrong with me, but nothing in Bayonetta (even the explicit sexual references) feels pornographic or lurid. It's just brazen and cheeky.

D_Davis

02-02-2010, 08:05 PM

Personally, I think HR looks dull as can be. But I thought more people here would totally be into it.

Sycophant

02-02-2010, 08:18 PM

You shake the Sixaxis to towel off the wet naked lady.

Sycophant

02-02-2010, 08:26 PM

HR really could end up affecting the future of video games in a significant way. I hope it doesn't. I could be wrong about of all this, but I think I object to HR on pretty much every level.

Please feel free to think I'm talking about Human Resources department(s) instead of Heavy Rain when I say "HR."

Stay Puft

02-02-2010, 08:36 PM

HR really could end up affecting the future of video games in a significant way.

No way. Nobody pays attention to David Cage. He puffs air and makes expensive adventure games, which nobody likes or plays anymore. The only reason Heavy Rain is getting hype and marketing is because Sony is pumping money into it.

Winston*

02-02-2010, 08:44 PM

Because what you describe as the "sad video game pervyness" of Bayonetta is delightfully tongue-in-cheek and positive. Maybe there's something wrong with me, but nothing in Bayonetta (even the explicit sexual references) feels pornographic or lurid. It's just brazen and cheeky.

I played the demo and felt it was all about the kind of anime perviness I hate. "Sexy" and video games do not belong in the same sentence, unless that sentence is this sentence.

Morris Schæffer

02-02-2010, 09:03 PM

Ezee E

02-02-2010, 09:15 PM

Some interesting debate regarding HR.

In other news, Mass Effect is really taking over now. I'm onboard the Normandy for the first time, she's my ship now, and I've selected a planet to travel to.

Now how the hell do I set foot on it? :):frustrated:
Click the button that says "land."

:)

Some of the planets you can't land on. It'll say on the bottom left or so if you can land, survey, or do jack shit with it.

Skitch

02-03-2010, 11:28 AM

*sigh*

I need a new game.

ledfloyd

02-03-2010, 01:30 PM

i've become hooked on chrono trigger. i could see this knocking off FFVI as my favorite RPG

Fezzik

02-03-2010, 01:33 PM

I love the atmosphere of Mass Effect 2.

The citadel, in particular, just blows me away. The side conversations you hear (especially the two Krogans arguing about whether there are fish in the Presidium Lakes or not), and the chatter by the game salesman are just fantastic.

The video advertisements being tailored to whomever watching them is funny too: "Shepherd, you've been dead recently, don't you think you deserve to rest in peace? Come, give our coffins a try!" or something like that.

Also, there are numerous references to the Baldur's Gate series throughout the game, giving the game a great, fun, irreverent feel while delivering an epic, cinematic experience.

It's trumped the first one in every conceivable way so far.

This may end up passing Fallout 3 as my favorite game ever.

My favorite Baldur's Gate references:

You can buy a

Space Hamsterfor your Captain's cabin,

and, one of Tali's battlecry emotes is

Go for the optics, go for the optics!

Dukefrukem

02-03-2010, 01:38 PM

KK2.0

02-03-2010, 06:47 PM

A review of PS3's Heavy Rain courtesy of solid site xboxyde.com

http://www.gamersyde.com/news_gamersye_review_heavy_rai n-8931_en.html

HR is of course one of those games which could well and truly push the medium forward with its emphasis on narrative.

I think the marketing for this game would be far more effective if they admit it's just a modern point and click adventure. Great part of my interest in HR comes from nostalgia for these titles.

Or maybe not. the genre is pretty much dead, except in France i guess. Not surprisingly Cage and his company are French.

D_Davis

02-03-2010, 07:07 PM

Or maybe not. the genre is pretty much dead, except in France i guess. Not surprisingly Cage and his company are French.

Telltale games has done a great job of bringing the genre back with Sam & Max, Wallace & Grommet, Monkey Island and others. The genre is kind of enjoying some new life right now.

But you're right in that it's never really died in France.

Morris Schæffer

02-03-2010, 07:42 PM

playing the first? or 2nd?

The first. I'm now on my first planet shooting things up with the Mako which doesn't control that bad really. Just ramming villains is fun as is using thrusters for no apparent reason! I guess that other planet didn't let me land which is odd because I was told I could track down an archeologist there who is the daughter of some chick who's conspiring with Saren.

Is it just me or is directing my squad a minor pain? They don't really seem to stay put when I tell them to. It's not too bad however.

I also get the feeling I'm not really playing this game the way it is supposed to be played. I'm not into the heavier RPG aspects and I fear I may miss out on some cool attack moves that way. When I need to distribute points, I just sort of assign shit without really, I mean really thinking things over.

KK2.0

02-03-2010, 09:40 PM

Telltale games has done a great job of bringing the genre back with Sam & Max, Wallace & Grommet, Monkey Island and others. The genre is kind of enjoying some new life right now.

But you're right in that it's never really died in France.

Makes sense SCEE is pushing Heavy Rain much harder than SCEA. Early French reviews have been positive, i wonder if the game will face similar reaction among the US media.

Forgot the Telltale games, i wonder if they enjoyed good sales. there are a lot of old gaming genres/styles finding new audiences btw, from revisions of 8-bit classics to new experiences with 2D like Braid.

Spun Lepton

02-03-2010, 09:59 PM

I'm losing patience with Demon's Souls. It's not stupidly difficult like Ninja Gaiden, but it's difficult enough, and it's starting to wear me down. No progress = NO FUN.

D_Davis

02-03-2010, 10:30 PM

Makes sense SCEE is pushing Heavy Rain much harder than SCEA. Early French reviews have been positive, i wonder if the game will face similar reaction among the US media.

Forgot the Telltale games, i wonder if they enjoyed good sales. there are a lot of old gaming genres/styles finding new audiences btw, from revisions of 8-bit classics to new experiences with 2D like Braid.

HR is getting a ton of press among the more "hardcore" circles. The gaming podcasts have been talking about it quite frequently for the past year. I predict an overall positive reaction.

The Telltale games have, generally, sold very well.

Scar

02-03-2010, 10:47 PM

I'm losing patience with Demon's Souls. It's not stupidly difficult like Ninja Gaiden, but it's difficult enough, and it's starting to wear me down. No progress = NO FUN.

I have a feeling that Demon's Souls would leave me foaming at the mouth ala God of War (climbing the spinal column in Hades), and thats not good.

megladon8

02-04-2010, 03:20 AM

I'm pissed that the very best song in "The World Ends With You" was not released on the soundtrack or in any way really. I've found a few copies online that were downloaded directly from the game cartridge, but nothing in CD quality.

Dead & Messed Up

02-04-2010, 04:37 AM

High Voltage (the company behind the respectable The Conduit for Wii) just announced that their boring-sounding game, Gladiator AD, has now been changed to Tournament of Legends, and it features classical mythical beasts, including:

Minotaurs
Gorgons
Golems
Valkyries

I hope the pool gets more diverse, but this could be pretty fun stuff. This is also the company making the Left 4 Dead clone The Grinder, which is pushing the Wii's abilities hard.

I should resume Cursed Mountain at some point...I was enjoying that game.

Morris Schæffer

02-04-2010, 10:47 AM

http://www.gamer.nl/doc/55979/Sonic-The-Hedgehog-4-verschijnt-deze-zomer-in-episodes

Sonic 4 2d to re-appear on XBLA etc... in episodes.

Cool!

Dukefrukem

02-04-2010, 06:53 PM

Game Daily (http://www.gamedaily.com/games/dantes-inferno/xbox-360/game-reviews/list/7883/0/) (80/100): "Rounding out this impressive package are a series of cut scenes (both 2-D animation and 3-D computer generated movies) ... Obviously, critics will obsessively compare Dante's Inferno to other games, or complain about the quick time events, but don't let those nitpicky issues prevent you from experiencing this imaginative and fun adventure. It's one Hell of a good time."

IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1066286p1.html)(75/100): "Dante's Inferno takes a bold, visually impressive take on a literary classic and adds in an intriguing action focus to create a different kind of action title. Unfortunately, some derivative combat sequences and a shallow combo system prevent the title from becoming a truly great experience."

Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/dantes-inferno-review)(60/100): "But you can't ignore the fact this is a God of War clone at its core, and many of the ideas here feel tired, familiar and dated. Nor can you ignore the fact that God of War III is nearly here. If it's a toss-up between that game and this one, as it probably will be for PS3 fans, you're best off waiting to see how Kratos' next adventure turns out."

1UP (http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3177808&p=4)(C+): "The game is filled with lots of good and well-executed ideas, but they all seem to exist independently of one another. It's a popcorn movie that clearly took a good deal of talent to pull together, but comes up short of creating the grand adventure that it seems to be trying for."

I think I'm still buying it on day 1

Dukefrukem

02-04-2010, 08:11 PM

whoa

http://gameinformer.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/610x0/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Componen ts.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.00.06/8204.marchcover.jpg

edit:

Rockstar Games is known for its ambitious projects, and L.A. Noire proves that the company’s reputation is safe. While the rumblings about the game have been heard for years, our world exclusive cover story is the only place you’ll be able to get concrete information on the gritty crime epic. Over the course of our 10-page feature we look at the game’s astonishing reconstruction of 1947 Los Angeles and learn how the team took on such a massive undertaking. We also talk to the team to see L.A. Noire’s groundbreaking facial-animation system in action, and learn how it might change the way we look at games from now on.

Some of the other features in our March issue include a look at the status of some of our favorite old franchises, previews of some of the Independent Games Festival nominees, and a guide for parents interested in parental controls. We also grill Platinum Games’ director Hideki Kamiya on Bayonetta, dig into the legal battle over Duke Nukem, and check out some of the hottest tech around. If you’ve been wondering why Polyphony Digital seems to operate without deadlines, Sony’s head of internal development, Shuhei Yoshida, explains why the company cuts the Gran Turismo 5 developer so much slack.

Sequels to Mass Effect, BioShock, and Battlefield: Bad Company get reviewed in the March issue of Game Informer Magazine, along with Dante’s Inferno, Aliens vs. Predator and many more.

Subscribers will be getting the March issue soon, and it will be hitting newsstands shortly afterward.

Ezee E

02-04-2010, 08:15 PM

Hopefully Noire isn't just GTA set in 1940s L.A., but this time with facial animations.

number8

02-04-2010, 10:55 PM

Yeah, I want them to do other stuff than just sandbox games.

Still, if they really recreated 1940s LA accurately, that is pretty impressive.

Morris Schæffer

02-04-2010, 11:07 PM

Heard of Noire two years ago so good to finally see something concrete.

Those detective elements are what intrigue me. If they could somehow combine a thrilling, enigmatic narrative with the player actual deducing what happened through genius level design and just heeding the clues, it could be a real class act. Condemned 1 and 2 did that, but possibly not entirely convincingly. I wonder if it'll be similar to Mafia 2. I guess in the end it'll add up to "go there, talk to person A who points you to person B" etc...

Story will be key.

Spun Lepton

02-04-2010, 11:11 PM

Where's Manhunt 3? The uncensored version of Manhunt 2 was wonderfully sick and I WANT ANOTHER DANGIT. Preferrably a version that I don't have to *YARRRRR* to play uncensored.

Ezee E

02-04-2010, 11:39 PM

I'd like a cop game where you may not fire any bullets at all. It depends on how you handle your investigation. Make it like The Wire. However, you can screw up by choosing to drink, "be a hero", or some other stuff.

Too impossible?

Winston*

02-05-2010, 12:00 AM

James Ellroy: The Game? Sounds neat. I hope they have an "obession meter", which once it reaches a certain level you have to sleep with a woman that looks like the deceased or kill someone of another ethnicity.

megladon8

02-05-2010, 12:03 AM

Trailer for "Fallout: New Vegas" (http://www.giantbomb.com/fallout-new-vegas-teaser-trailer/17-1972/).

Yeah, I'll be buying this.

Spun Lepton

02-05-2010, 12:38 AM

Trailer for "Fallout: New Vegas" (http://www.giantbomb.com/fallout-new-vegas-teaser-trailer/17-1972/).

Yeah, I'll be buying this.

My work blocked that site, so I found it at YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7xME0aFbC4

There's absolutely no doubt I'll be buying this.

megladon8

02-05-2010, 12:47 AM

My work blocked that site, so I found it at YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7xME0aFbC4

There's absolutely no doubt I'll be buying this.

I still haven't played any of the expansion packs for "Fallout 3" yet.

I'm honestly more interested in this.

Spun Lepton

02-05-2010, 12:56 AM

I still haven't played any of the expansion packs for "Fallout 3" yet.

I'm honestly more interested in this.

Yeah, I picked up three and haven't played all the way through them. They didn't hold me like the main game did. Not to say they're bad, just not nearly as compelling as the main game.

number8

02-05-2010, 01:27 AM

Just played the Dante's Inferno demo. I hate this game already.

Fezzik

02-05-2010, 02:14 AM

My work blocked that site, so I found it at YouTube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7xME0aFbC4

There's absolutely no doubt I'll be buying this.

Whoa, wait a sec. was that the NCR flag I saw? Old School!!

:pritch:

Dukefrukem

02-05-2010, 11:40 AM

Just played the Dante's Inferno demo. I hate this game already.

Did you see the reviews i posted a few posts up? not getting the BEST reviews.

Fezzik

02-05-2010, 01:41 PM

A side note about Mass Effect 2. When you get to Ilium and go to the bar / hotel, looking for the table with the Bachelor Party and listen in.

It's one of the funniest conversations I've ever heard in a video game, especially if you listen to it all the way through.

Dukefrukem

02-05-2010, 01:50 PM

Ezee E

02-06-2010, 05:33 PM

Beat Mass Effect yesterday. Wasn't too impressed by the ending.

The peak of the game comes when you make critical decisions, such as possibly killing one of your teammates, as well as saving one of the two.

But, it was still a good time. 20 hours.

No Fallout 3, but I'll definitely play the sequel sometime soon.

Tried the AvP demo. Playing with the alien is tough.

megladon8

02-06-2010, 10:21 PM

Just played the Dante's Inferno demo. I hate this game already.

What's so bad about it?

EyesWideOpen

02-07-2010, 12:12 AM

megladon8

02-07-2010, 12:18 AM

I'm still diggin' the heck out of "GTA: Chinatown Wars" on DS. I've put my other DS games ("The World Ends With You" and "Dementium: The Ward") on hold 'til I'm done with this one.

It's pretty incredible that, with just a few small changes, they accurately recreated the "GTA IV" map in a top-down style.

Drug dealing is very, very addictive.

megladon8

02-07-2010, 12:39 AM

Why does X-Box LiVE require me to input a valid credit card number when I'm redeeming a code for a free month of service?

ledfloyd

02-07-2010, 01:04 AM

Why does X-Box LiVE require me to input a valid credit card number when I'm redeeming a code for a free month of service?
so they can charge you when you don't cancel after the first month.

megladon8

02-07-2010, 01:11 AM

so they can charge you when you don't cancel after the first month.

But that's the thing, I've been a member for nearly 3 years, always paying my bill on time.

They sent me back my console after being fixed, and gave me a card for 1 free month of service. But when I input the code to redeem it, it wants me to re-enter my credit card number (which they already have).

Seems...weird.

number8

02-07-2010, 04:45 AM

What's so bad about it?

It's a very poorly done God of War clone (no, seriously, it's all chain attacks and quick time boss battles), but with magic attacks and a mana bar. Boy, I hate mana bars.

Ezee E

02-07-2010, 07:37 AM

But that's the thing, I've been a member for nearly 3 years, always paying my bill on time.

They sent me back my console after being fixed, and gave me a card for 1 free month of service. But when I input the code to redeem it, it wants me to re-enter my credit card number (which they already have).

Seems...weird.
Typically they need one on file for new users. Probably just easier for them. Not sure, haven't had to redo my membership.

Spun Lepton

02-07-2010, 08:14 PM

I'm finally making progress on Demon's Souls again. Now that I'm getting the hang of things, it's becoming fun again. It's still ridiculously hard at times, though. You should've seen the little dance I did when I beat the second boss. The SECOND boss. Ugh. I think there's somewhere around 10 bosses. I'm screwed. :lol:

Oh, having other people invade your game to kill you is crazy. I've invaded a few other games and I've mostly been met by people much stronger than I, except for one time where I just chased a guy around for a minute until he accidentally ran off a cliff. :lol: I won that one.

I like the co-op better.

Spun Lepton

02-07-2010, 08:42 PM

megladon8

02-07-2010, 08:48 PM

Can't freaking wait to get my hands on "BioShock 2".

I'll have to wait a month or two, but it'll be worth it I'm sure.

megladon8

02-07-2010, 08:56 PM

Zero Punctuation's review of Bayonetta
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1420-Bayonetta

Demon's Souls Review
http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/1321-Demons-Souls

THESE ARE NOT SAFE FOR WORK

I've all but stopped watching Zero Punctuation.

He was hilarious at first, but it got really, really old.

What bothers me the most is his shameless contrarianism. A select few exceptions aside, it's pretty much guaranteed that if a game is generally well-liked and popular, he'll hate it. And if a game gets lukewarm-to-bad reviews and no one plays it, he talks about how great it is and how everyone must have their heads up their asses.

I'm all for having your own original opinions and not being swayed by the crowd, but he just tries way too hard to ALWAYS disagree with everyone.

megladon8

02-08-2010, 06:40 PM

bac0n and I just came up with the greatest game idea ever.

A "Left 4 Dead" style game where you're trying to survive an attack by a giant monster.

It could be a Cloverfield-style monster, where there are tons of little monsters running around as well, giving you plenty of cannon fodder.

Spun Lepton

02-08-2010, 06:55 PM

I've all but stopped watching Zero Punctuation.

He was hilarious at first, but it got really, really old.

What bothers me the most is his shameless contrarianism. A select few exceptions aside, it's pretty much guaranteed that if a game is generally well-liked and popular, he'll hate it. And if a game gets lukewarm-to-bad reviews and no one plays it, he talks about how great it is and how everyone must have their heads up their asses.

I'm all for having your own original opinions and not being swayed by the crowd, but he just tries way too hard to ALWAYS disagree with everyone.

Yahtzee's first priority is to roast the game he's talking about. I don't so much take him as a reviewer than as a roaster. A very funny roaster at that.

And he gave as positive a review as you'd expect from him for Dragon Age Origins, a game that's, to my undertanding, pretty well reviewed and loved by gamers. After all his complaints, he said that he couldn't put it down for hours. So, there you go.

Spun Lepton

02-08-2010, 07:37 PM

Speaking of which, anybody have any comments on Dragon Age Origins for the PS3? I'm very close to running out and buying it.

Demon's Souls is just ... too difficult at times. It makes me weary of picking it up and playing because I know I'm just going to keep doing the same things over and over and over again.

megladon8

02-08-2010, 09:28 PM

From what I've read "Dragon Age: Origins" is pretty much identical in terms of gameplay between the 360 and PS3. I just hear that the PS3 has a slight edge in terms of graphics.

I will once again say how much fun I'm having with the DS, but similar to the Wii, I'm having so much fucking trouble trying to get it to work online.

Even with my Linksys router, it won't connect. I keep getting the same error message, and when I go to Nintendo.com to look up how to fix it, there is no help whatsoever.

This pisses me the hell off.

bac0n

02-08-2010, 09:41 PM

Snowy days like we're having here in the Twin Cities tend to give me a serious SSX3 jones. I may have to dust off the PS2 and throw it in this evening.

megladon8

02-08-2010, 09:45 PM

Snowy days like we're having here in the Twin Cities tend to give me a serious SSX3 jones. I may have to dust off the PS2 and throw it in this evening.

Will you literally throw it into the PS2?

That can be part of the game.

bac0n

02-09-2010, 01:35 AM

Will you literally throw it into the PS2?

That can be part of the game.
hehe. chances are it's already in the ps2, waiting for me to play it since the last big snowfall hit town.

Morris Schæffer

02-09-2010, 10:41 AM

Snowy days like we're having here in the Twin Cities tend to give me a serious SSX3 jones. I may have to dust off the PS2 and throw it in this evening.

Never played the sequels, but SSX part 1 blew my mind. Mercury City Meltdown was utter pwnage!!

Morris Schæffer

02-09-2010, 10:45 AM

whoa

http://gameinformer.com/resized-image.ashx/__size/610x0/__key/CommunityServer.Blogs.Componen ts.WeblogFiles/00.00.00.00.06/8204.marchcover.jpg

edit:

Perhaps some of you missed it, but there was already a trailer for this 3-4 years back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=796fPY49dZU&feature=PlayList&p=1D0A7F0060E78993&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=26

Skitch

02-09-2010, 12:34 PM

Dammit, I'm buying a new game this week.

bac0n

02-09-2010, 02:58 PM

Never played the sequels, but SSX part 1 blew my mind. Mercury City Meltdown was utter pwnage!!

The Sequels (Tricky & SSX3 at least - I never played SSX World Tour) were even better, and each had a version of Mercury City in it. Tricky's take on Mercury City was a lot like SSX1, except they took everything that was awesome about the board, and amplified it by about 1 million decibels.

The best board in the entire series, tho, was Alaska, the final board in Tricky. It's a total face melter.

I can't tell you how many countless hours I spent playing SSX games. Probably 50% of all my PS2 time was spent playing one of those games.

Dukefrukem

02-09-2010, 03:10 PM

finished Mass Effect 2 yesterday. Weak ending. Weak boss. Liked the first game better. 36 hours total.

Starting Bioshock 2 today.

Dukefrukem

02-09-2010, 03:11 PM

Ezee E

02-09-2010, 03:29 PM

finished Mass Effect 2 yesterday. Weak ending. Weak boss. Liked the first game better. 36 hours total.

Starting Bioshock 2 today.

Felt the same about #1.

I feel bad for people in 1 that were Biotech-focused people since the only way to beat the final boss was shooting him down. The bioweapons were essentially useless.

Acapelli

02-09-2010, 04:13 PM

The Sequels (Tricky & SSX3 at least - I never played SSX World Tour) were even better, and each had a version of Mercury City in it. Tricky's take on Mercury City was a lot like SSX1, except they took everything that was awesome about the board, and amplified it by about 1 million decibels.

The best board in the entire series, tho, was Alaska, the final board in Tricky. It's a total face melter.

I can't tell you how many countless hours I spent playing SSX games. Probably 50% of all my PS2 time was spent playing one of those games.
world tour was just awful. same drop in quality as street vol. 2 to 3

bac0n

02-09-2010, 04:20 PM

world tour was just awful. same drop in quality as street vol. 2 to 3

Yeah, it didn't look that appealing to me, particularly with their dropping of the sorta urban cool electronica aesthetic (trying to outrun an avalanche during a whiteout with Röyksopp's Poor Leno or Deepsky's Ride playing in the background = sublime) and it appears all the characters got the axe as well (WHAT?!?! NO ZOE?!?!) , which completely killed my interest in the game.

I'll just stick with SSX3, thankyouverymuch. Now, if that game were to get a current-gen update, I would be there on opening day. Shit, I would take a week off to play it like my friend does when the new version of Final Fantasy comes out.

D_Davis

02-09-2010, 06:45 PM

SSX 3= best "extreme" sports game ever. I don't think I'll ever get tired of that game. Boarding down the entire mountain from peak to base, while listening to great techno music = gaming heaven.

Dukefrukem

02-09-2010, 07:10 PM

bac0n

02-09-2010, 07:11 PM

SSX 3= best "extreme" sports game ever. I don't think I'll ever get tired of that game. Boarding down the entire mountain from peak to base, while listening to great techno music = gaming heaven.

Yeah, that's my favorite thing to do too, seeing as going all the way down the mountain is a thirty minute ride and there are so many different paths to take. Damn, now I'm REALLY jonesing.

Spun Lepton

02-09-2010, 08:29 PM

For the record, I bought Dragon Age and played it for ... ahem ... about 10 hours yesterday. FUN game. Really fun. I should've just gotten this instead of Demon's Souls.

megladon8

02-09-2010, 11:46 PM

I enjoy every video he does. They're typically SPOT ON from my perspective.

So there've been like, I dunno, 4 games in the last 5 years that you've liked? :confused:

Scar

02-10-2010, 12:01 AM

So there've been like, I dunno, 4 games in the last 5 years that you've liked? :confused:

You can bitch about certain aspects of a game *cough*RE4*cough*, yet still enjoy playing them.

megladon8

02-10-2010, 12:27 AM

You can bitch about certain aspects of a game *cough*RE4*cough*, yet still enjoy playing them.

Yeah but Zero Punctuation's reviews aren't just nit-picking but overall positive. Since he began in 06/07, there really have been just a small handful of games he's actually liked.

This is why I found his schtick got boring.

Dukefrukem

02-10-2010, 12:33 PM

So there've been like, I dunno, 4 games in the last 5 years that you've liked? :confused:

Well that's the whole schtick. Even the best of games have annoying aspects of them. But yeh, I'm a harsh critic with games. Exact opposite with movies.

For example, the Darksiders video, I'm playing right now.. enjoying the hell out of it, but i agree with EVERYTHING he says about it. It's great.

Lasse

02-10-2010, 12:51 PM

A new Guitar Hero: Van Halen is released on Friday. :lol:

KK2.0

02-10-2010, 04:55 PM

Took me around 25 hours to beat Darksiders, found nearly all the secret stuff, this game was such a good surprise.

And i'm pumped for the sequel, the end is a damn tease.

For the record, I bought Dragon Age and played it for ... ahem ... about 10 hours yesterday. FUN game. Really fun. I should've just gotten this instead of Demon's Souls.

I'm playing Dragon Age right now as well, great game! Visuals are a bit on the dull side, but gameplay and dialogue are so much fun. Sometimes i just stop to hear Morrigan and Alistair picking on each other.

But since i love Demon's Souls to death, i can't say a agree with the last sentence. :)

Oh, and save in Dragon Age OFTEN, i died once and my last auto-save was nearly two hours before it! :frustrated:

KK2.0

02-10-2010, 04:59 PM

Yeah but Zero Punctuation's reviews aren't just nit-picking but overall positive. Since he began in 06/07, there really have been just a small handful of games he's actually liked.

This is why I found his schtick got boring.

I think you take him too seriously meg, i bet he doesn't mean nearly anything he says about the games on his reviews, his main goal is to piss people off and i love it.

megladon8

02-10-2010, 06:06 PM

So I FINALLY got 250 head shots with my FAMAS in "Modern Warfare 2", which unlocks the final unlockable for it: fall colours.

I was so excited to finally be done with that gun. It's by far my favorite gun in the game, but I was obsessively trying to max it out before I would dedicate my time to another gun.

But...what? There's another level for the FAMAS? I have to get 350 headshots now??

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/253/rageface2.jpg

Dukefrukem

02-10-2010, 08:41 PM

Bioshock 2 runs like shit....

Spun Lepton

02-10-2010, 09:11 PM

I'd also like to point out that Yahtzee's videos for both iNfamous and Prototype were positive, even though he roasted them both for being so similar to each other. In the end he said that he enjoyed both for different reasons, and recommended them.

Ezee E

02-10-2010, 09:43 PM

Haha. What's unlocked after Fall?

Morris Schæffer

02-10-2010, 10:07 PM

KK2.0

02-10-2010, 10:11 PM

Heavy Rain is receiving a surprisingly positive reaction from the american media, i thought the opinions would be much more divisive. Destructoid was the most harsh of the critics so far, and it still gave it a 7/10.

But one of my fears seemed to be confirmed: English voice acting is atrocious, i'll stick with [insert any other language] with subtitles...

Ezee E

02-10-2010, 10:25 PM

That's the toughest part in the game.

kopello

02-10-2010, 11:50 PM

Playing Mass Effect is making me feel physically uncomfortable. I'm fighting that cunt Benezia - voiced by counsellor Troi no less - for the first time, but goddamit I keep dying! I so want to smash my joypad into goddamn smithereens, but instead decided to scratch myself. I think I've got some red marks in my neck and on my leg. Grrr.

Sorry.

Funny you mention it because I'm playing through the game for the first time at the moment and got to that part last night. I spent about an hour trying to beat her, and another hour this afternoon only to find out after you talk to her you have to fight her again. :frustrated:

That's when I just left the planet and decided to come back once I'm a much higher level.

megladon8

02-11-2010, 12:12 AM

Haha. What's unlocked after Fall?

Nothing, just like 10,000XP or something.

Kurosawa Fan

02-11-2010, 02:38 AM

Are there any NBA Live fans around here? I recently bought '10 for my son and I, but so far I'm pretty disappointed. I'm even starting to wonder if I'm doing something incorrectly. I'm missing a ton of layups and gimmie shots in the paint, and there are opposing players that take over a game that have no business taking over a game with spin moves and dunks (Peja, I'm looking at you). Anyone have any similar experiences with it?

Ezee E

02-11-2010, 05:51 AM

Morris Schæffer

02-11-2010, 10:40 AM

Funny you mention it because I'm playing through the game for the first time at the moment and got to that part last night. I spent about an hour trying to beat her, and another hour this afternoon only to find out after you talk to her you have to fight her again. :frustrated:

That's when I just left the planet and decided to come back once I'm a much higher level.

Ah, I can do that? Because there's a short cutscene with dialogue trees after her first defeat, which then segues into the 2nd confrontation. That's where I'm at. Part of me gets the impression I'm still too much into the FPS mindset and not grasping that this has undeniable RPG elements. And I'm not merely talking about leveling up, but even during battle I'm just shooting, hardly taking the time to assign powers and upgrades to my teammates.

Still, they perish so quickly.

One other thing, just getting to Benezia took a long time with a huge Mako section inbetween. If I leave this battle now, will I need to traverse that entire area again?! All those bloody corridors?

ledfloyd

02-11-2010, 06:52 PM

i finished chrono trigger. as far as SNES RPGs go it's not quite as epic as FFVI or as fun as Earthbound but it's a close third and a great game.

kopello

02-11-2010, 07:09 PM

Ah, I can do that? Because there's a short cutscene with dialogue trees after her first defeat, which then segues into the 2nd confrontation. That's where I'm at. Part of me gets the impression I'm still too much into the FPS mindset and not grasping that this has undeniable RPG elements. And I'm not merely talking about leveling up, but even during battle I'm just shooting, hardly taking the time to assign powers and upgrades to my teammates.

Still, they perish so quickly.

One other thing, just getting to Benezia took a long time with a huge Mako section inbetween. If I leave this battle now, will I need to traverse that entire area again?! All those bloody corridors?

What I had to do was go back to an old save earlier on the same planet, it was right after I downloaded the stuff from that guy's computer and he gave me the card so I can access the garage. So for me whenever I go back I'll have to drive all the way out to Pier 51 and find Benezia again. Just hope you have a save somewhere back at the base on Noveria, because I think that's the only way you can get back on the Normandy.

Actually now that I think about it if you have a save point somewhere on Pier 51 BEFORE you met Benezia you could back track to your car outside then just drive back to the base and get back to the Normandy, though I'm not certain it would work. I did all of this because I'm fairly certain it would be damn near impossible to beat Benezia at my current level, just could not do it.

Morris Schæffer

02-11-2010, 07:14 PM

Jesus so I can't bail out of this battle? That's inexcusable. I'm sorry, if I need to level up, then the game needs to give me the goddamn option to quit the battle and return later. I'm close to chucking the disc into the garbage bin.

Thing is, I can beat that bitch, but it's her Asarian bodyguards that piss me off.

Ezee E

02-11-2010, 08:16 PM

Spun Lepton

02-11-2010, 08:27 PM

Last night, in Dragon Age, I was travelling between towns and I met with a group of people, spoke with them, and a bunch of bandits ambushed us. They promptly CRUSHED me and my group. I reloaded, attempted to travel again, and the exact same thing occurred. Third time, once again met up with the bandits, but decided "to hell with this" and tried to attack without speaking to them AND THE GAME WOULDN'T LET ME. The game forces you into this fucking ambush, and I tried it over and over and over for three hours last night before nearly putting my fist through my TV screen.

Anybody have any suggestions? I'm already sick of this bull.

ledfloyd

02-11-2010, 10:50 PM

i finished chrono trigger. as far as SNES RPGs go it's not quite as epic as FFVI or as fun as Earthbound but it's a close third and a great game.
speakign of earthbound i've started playing mother 3. at first i was unsure of it, but it's growing on me. it has the same wittiness and sense of fun that made earthbound such a blast.

Ivan Drago

02-12-2010, 04:27 AM

But...what? There's another level for the FAMAS? I have to get 350 headshots now??

http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/253/rageface2.jpg

That's exactly how I felt with the UMP45. I thought I was done with it.

Morris Schæffer

02-12-2010, 10:40 AM

You might be able to load up a previous save point.

Yeah, this was always an option, but it still feels like such games should give one the option to simply leave a battle, even if only through the pressing of a button. I was uncommonly mad, but have decided to calm down, level up and return at a later date.

I really really really want to beat that woman.

Morris Schæffer

02-12-2010, 11:00 AM

trailer time

Dead Rising 2

http://www.gamersyde.com/stream_14293_lq_en.html

Haha, that moose head attack! :)

KK2.0

02-12-2010, 03:20 PM

trailer time 2

God of Fucking War 3

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-chaos-god-of-war/61815

short. but oh sooo sweet

and LOLWUT at "it only does vengeance"

BuffaloWilder

02-12-2010, 04:12 PM

Just finished Ocarina of Time for what must be the twelfth time, and it's ressurected my desire to do two things, and they are:

- play Wind Waker, finally

- try to write some sort of spec script for a film, based on the game. Probably just as an exercise, but there's certainly a lot to work up from.

megladon8

02-12-2010, 05:44 PM

"Final Fantasy XIII" has XP points you can spend...but it calls them CP.

Hehehehe

Hehehehe

Oh man. 4chan's gonna have a field day with this game.

Ezee E

02-12-2010, 05:45 PM

"Final Fantasy XIII" has XP points you can spend...but it calls them CP.

Hehehehe

Hehehehe

Oh man. 4chan's gonna have a field day with this game.
Don't get it.

megladon8

02-12-2010, 05:46 PM

Don't get it.

CP = child porn.

BuffaloWilder

02-12-2010, 07:47 PM

You sicken me.

megladon8

02-12-2010, 11:47 PM

You sicken me.

No, 4chan sickens you.

I don't believe I ever condoned child pornography.

Winston*

02-13-2010, 12:30 AM

Played some of the demo to Heavy Rain before turning it off in anger. This is the dumbest thing I've ever seen. It's like a parody, to have your character use his inhaler you have to press like a 5 point long button combination. This is more complicated than that action is in real life.

Morris Schæffer

02-13-2010, 11:07 AM

trailer time 2

God of Fucking War 3

http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclusive-chaos-god-of-war/61815

short. but oh sooo sweet

and LOLWUT at "it only does vengeance"

Unbelievable! Those enemies just look mindblowing.

EyesWideOpen

02-13-2010, 05:47 PM

The game "flow" is up for free on the PSN. I think the deal ends sometime tonight. I haven't played it yet but free is free.

megladon8

02-13-2010, 07:47 PM

I'm actually kind of looking forward to "Halo: Reach".

They've completely redone the graphical system to allow 1000% more particle collisions, and all the classic weapons (assault rifle, pistol, battle rifle) have been revamped to look and perform better.

They also say for the first time since the original "Halo: Combat Evolved", they're striving to make the world itself and the way it unfolds just as much a part of the experience as the shooting. So, more exploration elements.

Plus - return of the Covenant Elite!

Spun Lepton

02-13-2010, 08:00 PM

Oh, man, God of War III looks intense!

Ezee E

02-13-2010, 08:05 PM

Spun Lepton

02-13-2010, 08:15 PM

I finally beat that ambush party that Dragon Age Origins was forcing me to confront. I juggled my party around for a bit, trying to find a good balance between my characters. Settled with myself, (a mage with offensive attacks), a healing mage, and two tank warriors.

The ambush party included a mage on a hill who would blast the party with an exploding fireball, or would cast a freezing spell on me first thing. I changed the tactics around to, basically, "GET THAT FUCKING MAGE!!!" One or two attempts later, we wiped out the ambush party,

Then I forgot to save.

And we were attacked by a party of assassins, and they killed us.

So, I had to go all the way back to the ambush again. Luckily, it only took two attempts to get by them again. W00t.

ledfloyd

02-13-2010, 09:09 PM

has anyone else played mother 3? as someone who adores earthbound i am loving it.

Milky Joe

02-14-2010, 03:39 AM

I started it and loved it but got distracted, as I usually do from RPGs.

monolith94

02-14-2010, 05:13 AM

I don't see why anyone would get excited about a new Halo game when we still haven't seen a true follow-up to the much more engaging Marathon universe.

Morris Schæffer

02-14-2010, 09:03 AM

I don't see why anyone would get excited about a new Halo game when we still haven't seen a true follow-up to the much more engaging Marathon universe.

Ah yes, the Marathon universe. Yes yes, good point. What the hell happened there?

has no idea what that is ;)

Ok, did some research. I never knew Bungie went as far back as 1994.

Lucky

02-14-2010, 12:03 PM

ledfloyd

02-14-2010, 03:18 PM

I started it and loved it but got distracted, as I usually do from RPGs.
i'm the opposite, once they get their hooks in me i am a slave.

monolith94

02-14-2010, 03:42 PM

Ah yes, the Marathon universe. Yes yes, good point. What the hell happened there?

has no idea what that is ;)

Ok, did some research. I never knew Bungie went as far back as 1994.

Bungie is an American video game developer founded in May 1991
–Wikipedia

They actually had a bunch of good games pre-Halo. Pathways Into Darkness, Abuse, I even enjoyed Oni (although that one didn't get such great reviews, I always loved the gameplay mechanics.). And, of course, the unassailably awesome Myth games.

megladon8

02-14-2010, 07:16 PM

"Dead Rising 2" looks freaking awesome. (http://www.giantbomb.com/giant-bomb-at-x10-dead-rising-2/17-2024/)

Make your own weapons?

USE A DILDO AS A WEAPON???

I'm buying this.

EyesWideOpen

02-14-2010, 07:54 PM

There is finally enough games I'm interested in that I reopened my gamerang account.

I added these to my queue:
Darksiders
Bayonetta
Mass Effect 2
Uncharted 2
Heavy Rain
Dante's Inferno
Bioshock 2

I also preordered Final Fantasy XIII.

number8

02-14-2010, 07:56 PM

Is Gamerang better than Gamefly?

megladon8

02-14-2010, 07:57 PM

What is gamerang? Is this all for PC?

Dukefrukem

02-14-2010, 08:04 PM

There is finally enough games I'm interested in that I reopened my gamerang account.

I added these to my queue:
Darksiders FUN PLAY
Bayonetta STILL IN THE WRAPPING FOR ME
Mass Effect 2 MUST PLAY
Uncharted 2 MUST PLAY
Heavy Rain DEMO IS FUCKIN INSANELY AWESOME
Dante's Inferno FUN PLAY
Bioshock 2 MEH PLAY

I also preordered Final Fantasy XIII.

my cents

EyesWideOpen

02-14-2010, 08:08 PM

Is Gamerang better than Gamefly?

I had gamefly for over 2 years and it became increasingly more difficult for them to even send me a game. I would have new releases at the top of my queue for months and they would always be "very long wait". They would receive a game I returned and then it would take 3-4 days to send me another and another week for me to receive it.

So last year I read some reviews and signed up for gamerang and couldn't have been happier. The worst I ever got on my queue was "short wait" and even when they were listed as that I still got the top game in my queue 90% of the time. I never had a problem getting a new release. The only reason I stopped my account for a few months is because I was backlogged on games I owned to play and needed to catch up.

The prices are pretty much identical the only downside to gamerang is that their website kinda sucks compared to gamefly but that's a small complaint.

Scar

02-14-2010, 10:04 PM

Late to the party, but COD:MW2 online is such a time stealer.

Ezee E

02-14-2010, 10:06 PM

Late to the party, but COD:MW2 online is such a time stealer.
It was. I ended up returning it for the sake of myself.

Scar

02-14-2010, 10:14 PM

It was. I ended up returning it for the sake of myself.

Started playing yesterday, and know I'm level 18. Must practice moderation.

Ivan Drago

02-14-2010, 10:18 PM

Late to the party, but COD:MW2 online is such a time stealer.

I was in bed late one night when a car alarm went off outside and I thought I was being tactical nuked.

Maybe I play it a little too much.

megladon8

02-14-2010, 10:43 PM

Late to the party, but COD:MW2 online is such a time stealer.

It is, but I get frustrated by the fact that I never seem to get really good at it.

However, I've spent several dozen hours playing it.

I might be losing my main MW2 buddy, though :( He's switching to PC.

Ezee E

02-15-2010, 02:11 AM

It is, but I get frustrated by the fact that I never seem to get really good at it.

However, I've spent several dozen hours playing it.

I might be losing my main MW2 buddy, though :( He's switching to PC.
Yeah. I spent a total of 2 days! I saw that and had to put it down...

Then wasted 20 hours on Mass Effect.

Acapelli

02-15-2010, 06:18 AM

i really don't understand the ending to assassin's creed 2

Dukefrukem

02-15-2010, 03:05 PM

Almost done with Darksiders...

Morris Schæffer

02-15-2010, 03:09 PM

It's funny, me and RPG's. I've been playing Mass Effect for about 13 hours now and it's only now that the pauze button (complete with that circular thingie that has stuff such as "throw" and "stasis") comes into focus for me.
I've been using it before, but only now am I actually lining up several powers for individual members) by directly targeting the bad guys after which a cool Predator-style red triangle highlights them. It just suddenly started to click.
I'm glad I didn't give up on this after that Benezia chick whooped my butt. I shall return to her hideout more powerful than ever.

Morris Schæffer

02-15-2010, 03:15 PM

http://www.vg247.com/2010/02/12/rumour-new-ssx-in-the-works-at-criterion/

Woohoo, Criterion to work on a new SSX game! :cool:

Kurosawa Fan

02-15-2010, 03:47 PM

http://www.vg247.com/2010/02/12/rumour-new-ssx-in-the-works-at-criterion/

Woohoo, Criterion to work on a new SSX game! :cool:

That would be amazing.

bac0n

02-15-2010, 03:52 PM

http://www.vg247.com/2010/02/12/rumour-new-ssx-in-the-works-at-criterion/

Woohoo, Criterion to work on a new SSX game! :cool:

Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease let this be true...

Skitch

02-15-2010, 05:08 PM

Riddick : Butcher Bay for $8.99...SCORE!

Spaceman Spiff

02-15-2010, 05:52 PM

Riddick : Butcher Bay for $8.99...SCORE!

This is a seriously excellent game, for some weird reason.

megladon8

02-15-2010, 06:53 PM

This is a seriously excellent game, for some weird reason.

Yes, it's one of the very best games of the last generation. Every single element in the game is just perfect. It's awesome.

I'm sad that my friends are all abandoning me to not only switch to PC, but also to play "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" instead of "Modern Warfare 2".

After a few months of playing "MW2" 'til the wee hours of the morning with my buds, the nights seem really boring now.

Skitch

02-15-2010, 08:13 PM

Yes, it's one of the very best games of the last generation. Every single element in the game is just perfect. It's awesome.

Last generation?

EDIT: my bad, I got the new Riddick game. Not the old. Dark Athena. + the revamped original.

megladon8

02-15-2010, 08:24 PM

Last generation?

EDIT: my bad, I got the new Riddick game. Not the old. Dark Athena. + the revamped original.

I haven't played "Assault on Dark Athena" (which I hear is fairly mediocre), but unless they really farked it up, "Escape From Butcher Bay" + better graphics could equal nothing but awesomeness.

Stay Puft

02-15-2010, 08:27 PM

Assault on Dark Athena is a lot of fun, has a cool setting, and features Lance Henriksen. I prefer it to Butcher Bay.

megladon8

02-15-2010, 08:28 PM

Assault on Dark Athena is a lot of fun, has a cool setting, and features Lance Henriksen. I prefer it to Butcher Bay.

I heard that it got rid of a lot of what made "Butcher Bay" so incredible - distinct and memorable characters and interactions, heavy focus on story and dialogue, etc.

Reviews said it just kind of plods through a predictable story with so-so shooting mechanics.

Stay Puft

02-15-2010, 09:07 PM

It does story and setting better than Butcher Bay, and the SCAR gun is good times. Reviews can just fuck off. They're never right.

The only thing that sucks is the final boss fight, but I thought the end of Butcher Bay was lame, too, so it's a wash.

Dukefrukem

02-15-2010, 09:56 PM

Assault on Dark Athena is a lot of fun, has a cool setting, and features Lance Henriksen. I prefer it to Butcher Bay.

great game.

EyesWideOpen

02-15-2010, 10:17 PM

Finally beat Mass Effect. Took me 36 hours but I finished every side quest I received and ended at level 50.

number8

02-15-2010, 10:44 PM

I don't know if I want to call Heavy Rain a "game," but I do want to see more stuff like this.

Skitch

02-15-2010, 10:48 PM

Stay Puft

02-16-2010, 12:16 AM

Well, I never finished Butch Bay on the xbox (hell, I didn't even get that far, got distracted by something else), so I'll probably play through it first. Is there any sort of continuity that would make doing such a benefit?

Yup. Dark Athena follows immediately after the ending of Butcher Bay (though the two stories are themselves distinct enough to stand on their own).

Skitch

02-16-2010, 12:22 AM

Yup. Dark Athena follows immediately after the ending of Butcher Bay (though the two stories are themselves distinct enough to stand on their own).

All I need to hear. Butcher Bay first. Thanks.

Morris Schæffer

02-16-2010, 07:55 PM

I bought the God of War collection for the PS3. I've owned these games for the PS2, but I just wanted to enjoy them in the best possible conditions. :cool:

megladon8

02-16-2010, 11:39 PM

You can take any word, title or phrase in the English language, replace the vowel(s) with two i's, and it becomes a Wii game. "Siil Hunting", "Batman Biigins" and "Aliiens vs. Predator" are games I'm very much looking forward to.

Watashi

02-17-2010, 12:45 AM

I've been playing Majora's Mask again because when I was a kid I only got past the second dungeon and got frustrated. I can understand why. Beating these dungeons without looking at an online walkthrough is near impossible.

Acapelli

02-17-2010, 12:45 AM

so i finally got around to beating saint's row 2, assasin's creed 2 and resistance 2 over the past few days. all great games and games that i will definitely pick up the next installment of (and i'll probably get the dlc for sr2 and ac 2 sometime soon). resistance was my favorite hands down though

now i've got red faction: guerilla to finish, and i'm gonna start ratchet and clank future: a crack in time now and metal gear solid 4 soon

Ezee E

02-17-2010, 01:16 AM

Played the Aliens VS. Predator demo for X-Box. Very disappointing.

Ivan Drago

02-17-2010, 02:04 AM

I might be losing my main MW2 buddy, though :( He's switching to PC.

Do you have a 360? I can take his place. :D

megladon8

02-17-2010, 02:05 AM

Do you have a 360? I can take his place. :D

Yep. megladon8 is my gamertag.

Ezee E

02-17-2010, 02:09 AM

Yep. megladon8 is my gamertag.
Don't worry Ivan. He will always be "offline."

megladon8

02-17-2010, 02:11 AM

Don't worry Ivan. He will always be "offline."

I still can't figure out why it says that.

Not even the Microsoft techies I've spoken with can figure out why it always shows me as offline.

Spun Lepton

02-17-2010, 02:32 AM

I still can't figure out why it says that.

Not even the Microsoft techies I've spoken with can figure out why it always shows me as offline.

:lol:

[Insert generic flippant remark about Microsoft.]

megladon8

02-17-2010, 02:45 AM

:lol:

[Insert generic flippant remark about Microsoft.]

Oh it's true, the Microsoft techies are terrible. Most of the people I've spoken to have been older women I suspect had never seen a 360 in their lives. Even the simplest things I explained made no sense to them.

*sigh*

Ivan Drago

02-17-2010, 04:31 AM

megladon8

02-17-2010, 04:35 AM

So, meg, you were complaining about how you had to get 100 more headshots after unlocking Fall? I just got 350 headshots with the UMP45...and now I have to do 150 more to reach Marksman VIII. :frustrated:

Ugh.

That's it, I'm using something else.

Oh hey, the F2000, this looks pret- OH GOD THIS THING SUCKS.

Morris Schæffer

02-17-2010, 10:38 AM

Played the Aliens VS. Predator demo for X-Box. Very disappointing.

One would expect that, with the wealth of material on offer, crafting a triple A title would be relatively easy, but nope. And so here's another A VS P game that doesn't quite set the gaming world alight although there are apparently aspects Rebellion absolutely did get right.

KK2.0

02-17-2010, 08:52 PM

Get Leliana in your party and learn arrow of slaying. It can take out a Mage in one hit from far away.

Oh thanks! i hate those mages.

Spaceman Spiff

02-18-2010, 04:23 AM

So is Bioshock 2 the business? I'd be especially interested in hearing the opinions of any here that not only have played the original, but System Shock 2 as well.

Morris Schæffer

02-18-2010, 10:39 AM

Well, on the basis of this trailer, Red Steel 2 would be one of the best looking games ever.

http://www.gamer.nl/doc/56170/Ren-sleep-spring-val-en-sta-op-in-Red-Steel-2

At least, if these were in-game graphics.

D_Davis

02-18-2010, 04:55 PM

So is Bioshock 2 the business? I'd be especially interested in hearing the opinions of any here that not only have played the original, but System Shock 2 as well.

My wife actually bought this for me for valentine's day. I told her that my no new video games in 2010 deal meant no video game gifts as well, so then she said she bought it for herself and that I could play it.

I guess she found a loophole.

Anyhow, I am really enjoying it. The simple act of adding dual wielding makes the game far more enjoyable than the first (having to constantly switch between plasmids and guns got annoying). I am also really enjoying the Big Daddy/Little Sister relationship. It's interesting. It's also neat how the story is presenting an opposing view to Andrew Ryan's, and in how the game is using this view as a catalyst for the action.

It's not as good as System Shock 2, but neither was Bioshock 1, but it is a fantastic sequel that does something pretty great - it actually makes the first game better while also being a dang good game on its own.

Dukefrukem

02-18-2010, 05:09 PM

So is Bioshock 2 the business? I'd be especially interested in hearing the opinions of any here that not only have played the original, but System Shock 2 as well.

I said it was bland a few pages back. More of the same of the first game. Nothing really impressive or intuitive.

Morris Schæffer

02-18-2010, 10:25 PM

Splinter Cell: Conviction trailer

http://www.gamersyde.com/news_splinter_cell_conviction_ story_trailer-8996_en.html

Fairly awesome.

number8

02-18-2010, 10:39 PM

Another Splinter Cell game, really?

D_Davis

02-18-2010, 10:53 PM

Another Splinter Cell game, really?

Yeah - it looks really, really good. They've pretty much revamped the whole thing, and they are doing some really neat tricks with some of the UI and special effects. It looks really slick.

For instance, the mission briefing stuff appears "in game" like it's being projected onto the scenery:

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/988/988445/tom-clancys-splinter-cell-conviction-20090601092744299_640w.jpg

I like the effect a lot. This kind of unique presentation is something I dig with games. I still remember the first time I hit the start button on PoP: The Sands of Time, and how it seamlessly transitioned from the title screen to the game. There aren't enough games that do this kind of thing.

Really looking forward to checking the new SC game out next year.

number8

02-19-2010, 12:06 AM

Watched the trailer. That looks like 24 ripped off Commando and someone made a Splinter Cell game out of it. :lol:

Ivan Drago

02-19-2010, 04:40 AM

So, meg, you were complaining about how you had to get 100 more headshots after unlocking Fall? I just got 350 headshots with the UMP45...and now I have to do 150 more to reach Marksman VIII. :frustrated:

Frustrated no longer. Just got 500 and don't have to get anymore. :pritch:

amberlita

02-19-2010, 05:19 AM

now i've got red faction: guerilla to finish, and i'm gonna start ratchet and clank future: a crack in time now and metal gear solid 4 soon

These games are so fucking awesome. Have fun, dude. Wish I could play them new again.

bac0n

02-19-2010, 03:39 PM

For those of you interested, I'm still loving the crap out of DJ Hero. Just made it through all the songs on Medium. I can five star virtually all of them, but they start to get REALLY tricky in the last few DJ sets.

Gonna try and five-star those last few and then I'm moving on to Hard. Or maybe I'll download some more songs. Yeah, I'll do that. David Guetta has a DJ set I wanna get my hands on.

Gotta say this again - god they have some great mixes in this game. So much fun to play. This is seriously the best rhythm game to come along since Rock Band.

KK2.0

02-19-2010, 05:09 PM

Sony is pushing this Heavy Rain game seriously i guess, even got Neil La Bute to make a short promo with snippets from David Cage and several people in the film business. They talk about the themes, but it would be interesting to know how they reacted to the actual game as well.

the video and details about the Paris launch party here http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/02/heavy-rain-paris-launch-party-recap/ i'd love to watch this debate about game and film industry with Terry Gilliam and others.

Can't wait to try this, i've read a few passionate reactions about it, both positive and negative, and they set my imagination on fire about the possibilities of the medium.

Watched the trailer. That looks like 24 ripped off Commando and someone made a Splinter Cell game out of it.

this concept sounds terrible for a movie, but awesome for a videogame. :lol:

megladon8

02-19-2010, 05:16 PM

"Advance Wars: Dual Strike" is the bees knees.

Morris Schæffer

02-21-2010, 09:02 AM

Some Mass Effects 1 thoughts. I really like how, even though numerous planets aren't accessible, the game really ignites my imagination about events that can merely be read about. Yesterday I was reading about some dude who landed on a planet and how a hundred years later his wrecked ship was found, but no trace of the person. That really gets me thinking and secretly hope that the game will return to that. Probably not, but ME conveys the mysteries, infinity and vastness of outer space so exceptionally well. Even just finding a piece of rock that I can investigate on a planet really isn't as boring as I had expected. It's subtly spine-tingling and exciting.

I also suspect that by now I'll be strong enough to return to Noveria and kill Matriarch Benezia, but I'm gonna wait just a little longer.

Winston*

02-21-2010, 09:24 AM

I also suspect that by now I'll be strong enough to return to Noveria and kill Matriarch Benezia, but I'm gonna wait just a little longer.

Huh? I just finished this game the other day (really enjoyed it) and beat this boss first time with no trouble. I thought the whole game was on the easy side which I liked because I'm not good at video games.

Morris Schæffer

02-21-2010, 09:31 AM

Huh? I just finished this game the other day (really enjoyed it) and beat this boss first time with no trouble. I thought the whole game was on the easy side which I liked because I'm not good at video games.

I just couldn't do it. Sure, I could kill her, but it's her Asari agents that just pounded on me and my squadmates afterwards. Just closing in on our location and blasting away mercilessly. It was the most frustrating bit of gaming I had experienced in years. I should say however that it was only a few hours after that encounter that I finally - FINALLY! - got to grips with the game's more RPG-ish aspects such as pausing the game and assigning powers to my squad rather than just myself. Me and RPG's was never a happy marriage, but I'm glad I persevered. Seeing my buddies use throw, stasis etc... is great fun.

Morris Schæffer

02-21-2010, 09:31 AM

Haha. Check out this crazy stunt on Just Cause 2:

http://www.gamersyde.com/stream_14393_lq_en.html

The last bit with the hair is hilarious.

Dukefrukem

02-21-2010, 10:01 PM

Just Cause 2 is gonna be the sleeper game of the year.

Beat Darksiders today... 20 hours on the hardest difficulty.

just started Bayonetta

megladon8

02-21-2010, 10:04 PM

So would you say "Darksiders" is recommended, Duke?

Dukefrukem

02-21-2010, 10:37 PM

tough to say. It's a combination of God of War, Devil May Cry, Portal, Prince of Persia and Zelda. I normally would condemn this game into hell before recommending it, for being THAT unoriginal by taking gameplay of every great game in the past 10 years and putting it into Darksiders, but I actually enjoyed it. There's a strong emphasis on puzzles in addition to EPIC boss battles. There's about 5 of them but it takes an extremely long time to get to each of them. The voice acting is also very enjoyable and worth paying attention to. So overall you have an extremely long game of puzzle solving and demon killing... pretty fun. 80/100 grade.

Scar

02-21-2010, 11:59 PM

I thought about DarkSiders, but w/ GoWIII right around the corner, I decided against it.

Instead, I've cracked out a bit (at least on Sundays) w/ CoDMW2. Now that I've hit level 30, I can run around w/ a Stinger and shoot Harriers and helicopters down with one shot! I love that shit.

Spun Lepton

02-22-2010, 12:01 AM

I am seriously enjoying Dragon Age Origins, still. Looking forward to creating my evil character next.

Anybody played Aliens vs. Predator, yet? I have the demo sitting on my PS3, but haven't fired it up. Initial reviews I've seen were ... negative. :(

megladon8

02-22-2010, 12:01 AM

Instead, I've cracked out a bit (at least on Sundays) w/ CoDMW2. Now that I've hit level 30, I can run around w/ a Stinger and shoot Harriers and helicopters down with one shot! I love that shit.

This is pretty much my job when I play with my friends.

If there's an enemy harrier, chopper or AC130 in the sky for more than 20 seconds, it means I must be dead and am waiting to respawn.

Scar

02-22-2010, 12:03 AM

This is pretty much my job when I play with my friends.

If there's an enemy harrier, chopper or AC130 in the sky for more than 20 seconds, it means I must be dead and am waiting to respawn.

I giggle like a school girl when I get to control the AC130's guns, whether in multiplayer or in special ops.

megladon8

02-22-2010, 12:04 AM

I giggle like a school girl when I get to control the AC130's guns, whether in multiplayer or in special ops.

Chopper gunner is great fun, too. I've gotten some ridiculous kill counts with that thing.

Though, honestly, anything automated (the harrier, or the attack chopper you don't control) is pretty pointless when playing on Hardcore, because everyone has the Cold Blooded and Ninja perks on.

bac0n

02-22-2010, 01:00 AM

I giggle like a school girl when I get to control the AC130's guns, whether in multiplayer or in special ops.

Kinda like I was doing when I drove the snowmobile off the cliff, guns a-blazin'?

Spaceman Spiff

02-22-2010, 01:18 AM

"Advance Wars: Dual Strike" is the bees knees.

Yep. Pretty much a masterpiece, and still the best DS game.

Dukefrukem

02-22-2010, 02:59 AM

Spun Lepton

02-22-2010, 03:57 AM

I just checked out the Heavy Rain demo and HOLY SHIT what a blast! I went through the initial interrogation and fist fight a few different ways. One interrogation, I played the nice guy and tried to finesse info out of her -- I got next to nothing. Next one, I chose to be pushy and a little insulting, and I got all kinds of info from her.

I am REALLY looking forward to this game.

If you have a PS3, download the demo and check it out.

Ezee E

02-22-2010, 04:03 AM

I giggle like a school girl when I get to control the AC130's guns, whether in multiplayer or in special ops.
LOVED the AC-130.

As for hardcore, everyone still heads to the same places, just have to take the chance.

Morris Schæffer

02-22-2010, 10:39 AM

Anybody played Aliens vs. Predator, yet? I have the demo sitting on my PS3, but haven't fired it up. Initial reviews I've seen were ... negative. :(

Still stunned that they can't seem to be able to take such kickass characters and hit it out of the ballpark. The sooner those idiots at Rebellion ditch the 3-pronged campaign part, the better methinks. These games want to be too many things at once. You: Marine. Aliens and Predators: the rest.

Rowland

02-22-2010, 10:42 AM

Since I can't afford new-ish systems/games, nor am I particularly willing to exert the commitment they require, and I'm in a retro mood lately, I'm going to look up highly regarded NES games I missed back in the day, play them, and post a review in this thread when I'm done (whether through completing the game or simply feeling compelled to move on). I'll probably throw in some titles I have played as well, to see if they stand the test of time.

I believe my first title will be Adventures of Lolo 3; I've played the first two, which were ingenious, elegant puzzle games, and I've read from a few sources that the third is the best of the series, so I'm pumped.

Skitch

02-22-2010, 11:24 AM

Finally got a SCAR gun in Dark Athena, the gun my friend has been raving about...and I absolutely hate the fucker.

Dukefrukem

02-22-2010, 02:29 PM

number8

02-22-2010, 02:39 PM

I hear you get to change your son's diapers!

Skitch

02-22-2010, 02:40 PM

You're in a real mood today, eh 8?

:pritch:

KK2.0

02-22-2010, 02:40 PM

I thought about DarkSiders, but w/ GoWIII right around the corner, I decided against it.

in fact, all those gameplay elements put it on a league of it's own, it's a lot more adventure-puzzle oriented than GOW. But wait until it's cheap then, it's a very enjoyable game with cool visuals.

Darksiders is clearly a game made by fans of videogames, all the rip-off started to feel like it was a homage-a-ton, there are some obvious ones, like the Panzer Dragoon and Portal levels, and some subtle, like destroying specific graves on the cemetery to make a chest pop-up from the floor, a-la Ghouls n Ghosts. I wonder how they'll make the sequel, i surely hope you already start with most stuff you collected.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 04:25 PM

Awesome.

John Carmack finally getting a lifetime achievement award from GDC this year.

http://kotaku.com/5477232/gdc-awards-honor-john-carmacks-lifetime-achievement

For those of you into the stories behind the games, I cannot recommend the book The Masters of Doom enough. It's an absolutely brilliant look at Carmack, Romero, Doom, and the cultural phenomenon of id Software.

Carmack is simply a brilliant man.

Dukefrukem

02-22-2010, 04:34 PM

Carmack is simply a brilliant man.

Still waiting for another original IP from Id... then I will see if that statement is correct. Will Rage be it?

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 04:41 PM

Still waiting for another original IP from Id... then I will see if that statement is correct. Will Rage be it?

He's already done enough, in and out of game development.

Armadillo Aerospace?

The dude is brilliant. Who cares if Id comes out with a new original IP? Look at what he has already accomplished.

You can be a real ass sometimes.

Dukefrukem

02-22-2010, 04:45 PM

He's already done enough, in and out of game development.

Armadillo Aerospace?

The dude is brilliant. Who cares if Id comes out with a new original IP? Look at what he has already accomplished.

You can be a real ass sometimes.

How am I an ass? I'm simply disagreeing with you're statement about him being brilliant. I actually never knew he was on the Armadillo Aerospace team. I thought you were talking about his influence in the gaming industry.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 04:58 PM

I thought you were talking about his influence in the gaming industry.

Yeah, because he hasn't been influential in the game industry at all.
:crazy:

Dukefrukem

02-22-2010, 05:01 PM

Yeah, because he hasn't been influential in the game industry at all.
:crazy:

Not since 1999.

Sorry if you found my post so threating.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 05:19 PM

I'm digging the heck out of Bioshock 2 - a lot more than the original. It just plays better, and the addition of dual wielding is a small change that makes the game more fun. Yesterday I had this huge, epic battle between me, a big sister, another big daddy, and a group of splicers. It was awesome. Totally brought a smile to my face, and when I lived through it all, barely alive, I felt like a total bad-ass. :)

I'm also really interested in the relationships between the little sisters and the big daddies. This was my favorite part of the first game, and so I'm stoked that this is really the focus of the second game; it also totally makes sense in context to this game's thematic focus of family over self. Really well done.

My only real complaint is that the graphics are actually a bit worse, especially the textures. Graphics are very important to me, and so this does bum me out a bit, but not enough to tarnish the overall experience.

megladon8

02-22-2010, 06:46 PM

I'm looking forward to trying out "Bioshock 2". I just really don't have the money to spend on video games at the moment.

I'm still really enjoying "GTA: Chinatown Wars". I've been playing it for about 13 hours, and am 45% through the game. Most of my time has been spent with the really fun and addictive drug dealing system.

They came up with some great ways to utilize the DS' touch screen capabilities in the missions.

Sycophant

02-22-2010, 06:51 PM

I played the demos of both Heavy Rain and Dante's Inferno over the weekend. Heavy Rain is probably the most annoyiong shit I think I've ever played. Dante's Inferno was boring.

Scar

02-22-2010, 06:54 PM

Tried the Heavy Rain demo today, and wasn't feeling it. Same goes for the AvP demo.

Dragon's Age: Origins is $30 at Best Buy....

https://myrewardzone.bestbuy.com/premier/viewDetails.jspx?tc=CPN_10

Skitch

02-22-2010, 07:31 PM

Dark Athena finished!

megladon8

02-22-2010, 07:47 PM

I played the demos of both Heavy Rain and Dante's Inferno over the weekend. Heavy Rain is probably the most annoyiong shit I think I've ever played. Dante's Inferno was boring.

I'm surprised by this, Syco. "Heavy Rain" sounded like the kind of game you'd really dig.

Sycophant

02-22-2010, 07:53 PM

I'm surprised by this, Syco. "Heavy Rain" sounded like the kind of game you'd really dig.

Yeah, Davis said this a little while ago, too, when I was expressing my skepticism. Maybe my tastes have changed, or maybe what I post here presents an obscured picture of what I value in video games. Heavy Rain, though, seems to try to make a movie video game and in doing so misses the point of both mediums. That the movie it tries to make into a video game seems like a bad, cliché-ridden movie doesn't help, but I think the very concept here is somewhat flawed.

I think a couple years ago, I think I may have wanted something like Heavy Rain, but it's now pretty much the antithesis of what I value in games.

So I quit the demo and played some more Bayonetta, which I can't get enough of. Now there's a fucking video game.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 07:57 PM

I'm looking forward to watching my friend play Heavy Rain, just as I enjoyed watching him play the Metal Gear Solid games.

Dukefrukem

02-22-2010, 08:07 PM

I played the demos of both Heavy Rain and Dante's Inferno over the weekend. Heavy Rain is probably the most annoyiong shit I think I've ever played. Dante's Inferno was boring.

Why was annoying about it?

Tried the Heavy Rain demo today, and wasn't feeling it.

Did you play the FBI agent part? Or only the first Detective PI part? The PI part sucks...

The FBI Agent part was what sold me.

Sycophant

02-22-2010, 08:37 PM

Why was annoying about it?

So many long, seemingly arbitrary sequences of button-pressing, the majority of which halt the progression of the story just to make you push said buttons (or shake the controller). Story seems cliché and dull (at least from every video I've seen and what was delivered in the demo).

Winston*

02-22-2010, 08:40 PM

I thought it was stupid too, Sycophant. That damn asthma inhaler bit..

Voice acting seemed rubbish too, which is weird.

megladon8

02-22-2010, 08:44 PM

I'm blown away by how good the facial animations in "Heavy Rain" are.

Sycophant

02-22-2010, 08:45 PM

Voice acting seemed rubbish too, which is weird.

Truly.

number8

02-22-2010, 09:23 PM

As I said before, I don't know if I'd consider Heavy Rain a video game—and I don't think Heavy Rain seem all that great either—but I am intrigued in the exploration of interactive choose-your-own-adventures movies, if only for the cultural investigation of its popularity.

Sadly, it's a limited medium, because there's no way we would ever get one of those that expands beyond the action/thriller/horror genre. A Heavy Rain-like game about a Kore-eda family would be interesting to play, but no one would buy it.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 09:47 PM

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 09:52 PM

number8

02-22-2010, 09:53 PM

I don't ever play online, but I've heard that too. From what I understand, teenagers typically prefer the 360.

megladon8

02-22-2010, 09:58 PM

There are a lot of idiots on XBL, but again, like I said on FaceBook, the 360 makes muting people very, very easy.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 10:02 PM

I don't ever play online, but I've heard that too. From what I understand, teenagers typically prefer the 360.

I also tend to notice the racial and sexual hate speech on the 360 coming more from people with southern American accents, and there seemed to be fewer of those people on the PS3, at least when I was playing. I don't know if this is true or not, but I wonder if the the PS3 has skewed more to an "upper-class" or more "educated" demographic, while the 360 may be more "rural," or "Wal-Mart."

I have no idea if this is true, just something I was thinking about.

For what it's worth, I have a 360, but no PS3.

These kinds of things are interesting to me - I remember reading a report by the MIT Media Lab about the kind of stereotyping that goes on when people see where your e-mail is from. In general, people tend to think that users with gmail accounts are more educated than people with AOL or hotmail addresses.

number8

02-22-2010, 10:04 PM

There are things I'm definitely intrigued by. For instance, when one of the characters dies, you continue to play through the game with the other surviving characters, thus never seeing a game over screen because of a death, and also losing out on some of the story.

That's certainly the most intriguing part of it. See, this is why it would be so interesting to play a family drama. What if you mess up and the character you're playing dies, and then you switch over to control a different family member, and you have to play through the grief, making sure this one doesn't go into depression? Something like that.

megladon8

02-22-2010, 10:12 PM

That's certainly the most intriguing part of it. See, this is why it would be so interesting to play a family drama. What if you mess up and the character you're playing dies, and then you switch over to control a different family member, and you have to play through the grief, making sure this one doesn't go into depression? Something like that.

Eh...I've dealt with things like this in real life.

I'd rather not have video games - a purely escapist medium of entertainment, if there ever was one - start to emulate the pains and depression of reality.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 10:19 PM

I'd rather not have video games - a purely escapist medium of entertainment, if there ever was one - start to emulate the pains and depression of reality.

But should video games only be "a purely escapist medium of entertainment?"

Can't we have both?

Some people say the same things about "depressing" films, or books.

bac0n

02-22-2010, 10:26 PM

Stemming from a facebook discussion meg and I were having...

Over x-mas break last year, I played a bunch of CoD5 on my nephew's PS3, and I was shocked by how different the community was. I played for a couple of days before someone was called a fag, or a nigger, or some other disgusting word. I've read claims by some people that the PS3 online community is, in fact, a more mature group, and based upon my limited anecdotal experience I'd say those claims are correct.

On the contrary, I was at a friend's house playing COD4 when it first came out, and within minutes of going online, there was some spanish guy repeating My Dick in your mouth ad nauseum. It was so pathetic, it was actually kinda funny.

I think the main reason you get more assholes on XBL is mainly due to the fact that more people own XBoxes than do PS3s.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 10:27 PM

On a personal level, meg, I agree with you - I play games largely for escapist reasons. The deepest level I play on is to slightly simulate an RPG-like feel of exploring a new world. I couldn't care less about story in games - I've never once been legitimately intrigued by a video game's narrative. For a good story, I'll turn to a book first, then a movie.

However, there are people out there who do want more from their games in terms of narrative and emotional connection, and I think that games like Heavy Rain might be a step in this direction.

Again, though, if the best a game can do in terms of narrative impact is to poorly emulate another medium - cinema - then the industry is in trouble. Games need to celebrate the things that make them games, the things that make them different than books and films. This is the same argument I have against grouping graphic novels in with traditional prose novels. The two are different, and should be celebrated equally, but separately.

Video games need to find and celebrate their own unique voice and vision, and so on this point I side with Syco regarding Heavy Rain's lame attempt at being an interactive movie.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 10:27 PM

On the contrary, I was at a friend's house playing COD4 when it first came out, and within minutes of going online, there was some spanish guy repeating My Dick in your mouth ad nauseum. It was so pathetic, it was actually kinda funny.

Heh....

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 10:33 PM

I don't know if this is true or not, but I wonder if the the PS3 has skewed more to an "upper-class" or more "educated" demographic, while the 360 may be more "rural," or "Wal-Mart."

I don't mean this quite the way it came out. I simply wonder of there is a perceived stereotype between the two, like there is with gmail/AOL email accounts? And if so, is this stereotype unfounded? Do I notice it simply because more people on XBL have microphones? Or is there something more to it? Are people in certain regions more apt to own and use a certain console?

megladon8

02-22-2010, 10:49 PM

I completely understand people who want more from the narratives in their games, and I would too. Like you, D, I'm pretty much completely uninterested in the stories in video games - this may be why stuff like JRPGs have never really done it for me, since the epic, interconnecting storylines often take precedence over interesting gameplay.

The fact is, games are still a very, very new medium. And it's only really been about 30 years (give or take) that they've even attempted to tell stories with them. Stuff like "Pong" and "Pac-Man" was never narrative-minded.

I think the next 10-15 years will be pivotal for video games, not only in terms of the technology but also in companies spending more time exploring the way games can tell stories in their own way. Like you and Syco were saying, though "Heavy Rain" is trying to attempt storytelling from a different angle, it's still just trying to emulate the experience of a movie.

Funny enough, I'm currently playing through "Half Life 2" again. Now THIS is a game that knows how to tell its story. You never stop to watch some overly-expository cinematic, or poorly scripted quick time events. The story and the gameplay form a symbiotic relationship - THIS is where I hope game companies will venture more towards. So far it seems only VALVe and a very small handful of others have understood how very effective this technique is.

number8

02-22-2010, 10:52 PM

I'd rather not have video games - a purely escapist medium of entertainment, if there ever was one - start to emulate the pains and depression of reality.

This is a longstanding argument for the rejection of film as art too ("When I go see a movie, I want to escape reality and be entertained, not see real people problems!") and I find saying the same to video games to be no more or no less dismissive.

Many people have touted video games as an artform of the new era, but I find it so ridiculous to say such a thing if the medium is limited to only a number of storytelling genres. I want to see games that challenge and affect its players intellectually and emotionally in a variety of manners.

If someone can make a compelling (non-sport) video game without any weapons, aliens, monsters, gangsters or any of that, I am absolutely interested.

number8

02-22-2010, 10:55 PM

By the way, I just realized, but doesn't in Heavy Rain, you play a father losing his son?

megladon8

02-22-2010, 10:56 PM

This is a longstanding argument for the rejection of film as art too ("When I go see a movie, I want to escape reality and be entertained, not see real people problems!") and I find saying the same to video games to be no more or no less dismissive.

Many people have touted video games as an artform of the new era, but I find it so ridiculous to say such a thing if the medium is limited to only a number of storytelling genres. I want to see games that challenge and affect its players intellectually and emotionally in a variety of manners.

If someone can make a compelling (non-sport) video game without any weapons, aliens, monsters, gangsters or any of that, I am absolutely interested.

I'd agree, but with video games and that ever-looming idea of "virtual reality" that I'm sure will happen at some point, are these really the things you'd want to experience as if you were there?

A film or a book still has a level of detachment. A video game calls you into the actual role. At the point of virtual reality it could be so real you'd really think you were there, experiencing those things.

I personally would have no interest at all in experiencing something like Funny Games as a hyper-realistic video game.

D_Davis

02-22-2010, 11:09 PM

I personally would have no interest at all in experiencing something like Funny Games as a hyper-realistic video game.

I would. Not as a regular thing, but as a one-time experience something like that would be kind of cool.

Reminds me of a board game called Train.

The game is a pretty simple exercise in "worker" placement and hand management. As players, you are trying to get people onto a train as efficiently as possible. The winner is the person who gets the most people on the train. However, at the end of the game you reveal the train's destination - a Nazi Concentration camp. So the winner is actually the person who sent the most Jews to their death.

I wouldn't want to play something like that all the time, but it does show that through some careful manipulation something like a board game can really have an impact.

I'd like to see something like this in a video game.