Video Games...Discuss Them

[Dukefrukem]

Far Cry 3!

I'm about 5 hours in, if you liked the 2nd you'll love the third. It's equally as frustrating 1000x more annoying. You spend more time killing animals and making ammo pouches out of them than you do missions. There's also a leveling system that rivals worse than Borderlands.

[D_Davis]

I'm about 5 hours in, if you liked the 2nd you'll love the third. It's equally as frustrating 1000x more annoying. You spend more time killing animals and making ammo pouches out of them than you do missions. There's also a leveling system that rivals worse than Borderlands.

I've played about 4 hours, and have almost everything crafted up to the 2nd/3rd tier, I've liberated 2 outposts, done about 4 missions, scaled 2 radio towers, and found some relics for leveling up. You must be playing it wrong.

The mushroom cave mission is just amazing. I also love how there are supernatural elements in the game! That was a real surprise. So good.

[Dukefrukem]

I've played about 4 hours, and have almost everything crafted up to the 2nd/3rd tier, I've liberated 2 outposts, done about 4 missions, scaled 2 radio towers, and found some relics for leveling up. You must be playing it wrong.


How disingenuous.

I didn't say I haven't done any missions. I said you spend more time hunting than you do actually trying to save your fucking friends (which is 100% accurate).

Far Cry 3 is essentially Assassins Creed 4 only on an island.

[D_Davis]

While out exploring in FC3, I found this huge pit, like a giant crater. I said F-it, and ran and jumped in, because at the very bottom of the pit there was a pool of water. I landed safely, and then began slowly climbing my way out (I love that this game has platforming). On the way to the top I discovered two hidden temples, with altars and relics to collect, and then found another cave that led through the mountain all the way to a derelict watercraft that has been a major set-piece earlier in the game. I emerged from the top of a giant waterfall that I had taken a picture of earlier - I just knew there had to be something up there. Such a great game - full of moments like this.

[megladon8]

I heard that it has pretty much the best first person platforming since "Metroid Prime".

That's saying a lot.

[D_Davis]

I heard that it has pretty much the best first person platforming since "Metroid Prime".

That's saying a lot.

I was thinking the same thing.

[Ezee E]

Can't wait to get it myself.

[megladon8]

Wow, IGN held a "Halo 4" vs "Black Ops 2" Peoples' Choice Awards to decide which was seen as the better game between the two big shooters of the season, and "Halo 4" absolutely dominated.

It got more than three times the votes in all three categories (graphics, campaign and multiplayer).

They chose wisely :cool:

[shaun]

Someone created Bruce Willis for their SR3 character.

http://imgur.com/a/muYaH

[shaun]

GTA: Vice City is now available for iOS. :)

[Dukefrukem]

Far Cry 3 Reviews. It's definitely the best of the series story wise, but I'm not sure they fully thought through the open world strategy. I think my bolded destructoid line sums it up very nicely. We've complained on MC a lot about characters who seem charming, normal, everyday guys thrown into situations where they are forced to kill hundreds of people... Well Far Cry 3 addresses this. It's a transformation the character goes through and it's done nicely.

Eurogamer (100/100): "Far Cry 3 is all the best things about open-world gaming. It's a glorious anecdote factory, where you manufacture brilliant new memories every time you wake up in a safehouse and head out into the jungle. ... And it always lets you play, but it also controls the tempo - sometimes a little heavy-handedly, but always with good intentions."

Gamespot (90/100): "Stretches of unpredictable exploration and free-form hunting alternate with challenging pirate confrontations, sometimes culminating with a rocket blast to the helicopter hounding you from above. This is an ambitious and finely tuned adventure that gets better and better as you play."

Game Informer (90/100): "After two remarkable but uneven offerings, Far Cry finally pulls everything together in the third installment. The diverse open-world action, compelling story, and an alluring environment that begs exploration are all high water marks for the series. This is an island adventure all shooter fans should experience. "

IGN (90/100): "Far Cry 3 is important for the same reason as Far Cry 2. It's a shooter that considers shooters thoughtfully, both in the way they're designed and the way we play them, and then asks us to do the same. Should massacring hundreds be a great way to entertain ourselves? Maybe not. But it is. "

Destructoid (80/100): "While riddled with minor gripes, there is no one overwhelming, glaring fault that threatens to drag the whole experience down. With the third installment in the Far Cry series, Ubisoft has managed to deliver a game that provides not one, not two, but three well-crafted experiences that may vary in terms of longevity but all manage to be of uniform quality."

[D_Davis]

I think my bolded destructoid line sums it up very nicely. We've complained on MC a lot about characters who seem charming, normal, everyday guys thrown into situations where they are forced to kill hundreds of people... Well Far Cry 3 addresses this. It's a transformation the character goes through and it's done nicely.


It's also not a character piece like Uncharted is. Very different styles of storytelling and purpose; again, it's all about context.

Nicely said, though.

Played about 10 hours of it now, and I've loved just about every single thing. So much freedom, and so many different ways to handle every scenario. Last night I got a bear to chase me, and I ran into an enemy camp causing the bear to forget about me and attack the enemies. Will they were trying to deal with the bear, I shot them all, and by that time the bear was dead so I was able to skin it.

[Dukefrukem]

I beat it yesterday. It's possible to do it in under 10 hours. If you do all the side stuff, 15-20. Just like Assassins Creed.

[Morris Schæffer]

For reals. TS2...oh man, hundreds and hundreds of hours spent on that thing with my two buddies.

Crytek has enveloped Free Radical Design and they've said that they'll consider HD remakes of the first two if the demand is high enough.

There's also a Cryengine TS update in progress:

http://www.facebook.com/Timesplitters4PLZ/posts/363887057040282

[Dukefrukem]

JC, I'm gonna buy a new graphics card for this game... Just like I did for the first Bioshock. BTW, it's been delayed till March. :-/


http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2012/12/bioshockinfinite005.jpg
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[Dukefrukem]

While out exploring in FC3, I found this huge pit, like a giant crater. I said F-it, and ran and jumped in, because at the very bottom of the pit there was a pool of water. I landed safely, and then began slowly climbing my way out (I love that this game has platforming). On the way to the top I discovered two hidden temples, with altars and relics to collect, and then found another cave that led through the mountain all the way to a derelict watercraft that has been a major set-piece earlier in the game. I emerged from the top of a giant waterfall that I had taken a picture of earlier - I just knew there had to be something up there. Such a great game - full of moments like this.

Bwhahaha I finally found this.

[megladon8]

Finished episode 5 of Spartan Ops last night. It's a game mode with promise but they need to work on how repetitive it feels. They repeated the same enivronments in all five episodes.

Luckily it sounds like 343 are addressing these issues with the second part of the "season" starting in Jan/Feb. All new environments, more interesting objectives.

The story and cinematics that go with the mode are amazing, though. The characters in the videos almost look real.

[Lasse]

Rayman Origins is pretty awesome, but I SUCK at platformers. Haven't played games like this since I had my Amiga 500. :lol:

[megladon8]

In Europe, Nintendo will be blocking 18+ online content on the WiiU until after 11pm.

Good call! I know I've never known of someone under the age of 18 who stayed up that late.

[bac0n]

In Europe, Nintendo will be blocking 18+ online content on the WiiU until after 11pm.

Good call! I know I've never known of someone under the age of 18 who stayed up that late.

Jesus. No wonder they lost The War.

[number8]

That's the law in Germany, and Nintendo Europe is based in Germany and has to comply with local laws. I'm guessing they'll find a way soon to tweak it so that it affects only Germany users and not other EU countries. They better do it fast, 'cause in the mean time they're taking a big PR hit for following the law. All people hear is that the WiiU is doing it, when in fact the Nintendo eShop has done this for the 3DS for the past year.

[Dukefrukem]

VGA Round Up with Duke's seal of approval/disproval.

Game of the Year
The Walking Dead: The Game (good choice)

Studio of the Year
Telltale Games (good choice)

Best Xbox 360 Game
Halo 4

Best PS3 Game
Journey

Best Wii / Wii U Game
New Super Mario Bros. U

Best PC Game
XCOM: Enemy Unknown (???? choice)

Best Handheld / Mobile Game
Sound Shapes

Best Shooter
Borderlands 2 (good choice)

Best Action Adventure Game
Dishonored (good choice)

Best RPG
Mass Effect 3 (BAD choice)

Best Multiplayer Game
Borderlands 2 (good choice)

Best Individual Sports Game
SSX

Best Team Sports Game
NBA 2K13

Best Driving Game
Need For Speed Most Wanted (how many driving games come out in a year?)

Best Fighting Game
Persona 4 Arena (good choice)

Best Adapted Video Game
The Walking Dead: The Game (good choice)

Best Independent Game
Journey

Best Graphics
Halo 4 (awful choice)

Best Song in a Game
"Cities" by Beck

Best Original Score
Journey (good choice)

Best Performance By a Human Male
Dameon Clarke as Handsome Jack (Borderlands 2) (GREAT choice)

Best Performance By a Human Female
Melissa Hutchison as Clementine (The Walking Dead: The Game) (good choice)

Best Downloadable Game
The Walking Dead: The Game (good choice)

Best Social Game
You Don't Know Jack

Best DLC
Dawnguard – The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

Most Anticipated Game
Grand Theft Auto V (good choice)

Character of the Year
Clap Trap (Borderlands 2) (good choice)

Best Game of the Decade
Half Life 2 (good choice)

[Dukefrukem]

Rage meets Deus Ex meets Mass Effect = this

onQCAJvSzJI#!

[Stay Puft]

Best Graphics
Halo 4 (awful choice)

Because the game is bad?

The tech is the one thing 343i pretty much knocked out of the park, and some of the environment art is pretty good, too (lovely skyboxes as usual per Halo). I can understand a preference for Journey or Dishonored based on aesthetics, but this hardly seems a controversial winner.

[D_Davis]

Dishonored is probably my biggest disappointment of the year. That game is pretty lame.

[D_Davis]

Best RPG - Persona 4 Golden

Mass Effect winning best anything is joke.

/drunk.

:)

[Winston*]

Dishonored is probably my biggest disappointment of the year. That game is pretty lame.

In contrast I think it's great and you're pretty lame.

[Neclord]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is pretty dandy.

[Thirdmango]

Agree with SSX and You Don't Know Jack Facebook for those choices. Dawnguard is probably the best DLC this year as well.

A friend of mine who knows me very well says Far Cry 3 is a game I should have. I'm all about Open World and from what I've read of you guys playing it I think I need it.

[Scar]

Deus Ex: Human Revolution is pretty dandy.

One of the few things duke and I agree on is our hatred for Deus Ex.

Mass Effect 3 is quite awesome.

Haven't played Dishonored yet, but I'm loving AC3. Perhaps I should get back to the main quest so I can get my assassin's robes instead of hunting all the time.

[EyesWideOpen]

Mass Effect is one of my favorite franchises in games today but I don't really consider it an rpg. ME3 should have won best action adventure game.

[megladon8]

Because the game is bad?

The tech is the one thing 343i pretty much knocked out of the park, and some of the environment art is pretty good, too (lovely skyboxes as usual per Halo). I can understand a preference for Journey or Dishonored based on aesthetics, but this hardly seems a controversial winner.


I don't think Duke has even played it. Duke's like that.

But yeahh, 343 absolutely raised the graphical bar with this game. Rivals Cryengine.

[ledfloyd]

Uncharted 2 might be one of the best 10 or so games I've ever played. It takes everything the first game does well and improves on it. The platforming is clever, the setpieces are incredibly intense... it's just a great game.

[megladon8]

I'm surprised and impressed with how critics and players have embraced "The Walking Dead".

In this era of "I haven't killed anything in 10 seconds...this game sucks", it seemed a stretch that people would love what is essentially a point-n-click adventure game.

[Ezee E]

I'm surprised and impressed with how critics and players have embraced "The Walking Dead".

In this era of "I haven't killed anything in 10 seconds...this game sucks", it seemed a stretch that people would love what is essentially a point-n-click adventure game.
Story prevails all?

Scariest game in some time?

Probably some of the toughest "video game" choices I made.

Yeah. By far, the best I've played at least.

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm surprised and impressed with how critics and players have embraced "The Walking Dead".

In this era of "I haven't killed anything in 10 seconds...this game sucks", it seemed a stretch that people would love what is essentially a point-n-click adventure game.

I think you're over simplifying. Critics have embraced "I haven't killed anything in 10 seconds" games if they're good since forever. Braid, Fez, Journey, Limbo, Flower all critical darlings over the last few years.

And I doubt very highly that the average gamer who has a "I haven't killed anything in 10 seconds...this game sucks" philosophy is embracing The Walking Dead. It sold well for a downloadable game but nothing compared to all the popular boxed games. All the gamers at my work who only play shooters had never even heard of The Walking Dead game. And I can't imagine if they did get it they would give it more then 30 minutes before turning it off.

It's being embraced by the same gamers who are open to different types of games already.

[Ezee E]

Everyone who's played Walking Dead has loved it. Since it's DLC, I think many haven't heard of it for that reason. Season 2 of it will probably be huge.

[Dukefrukem]

Moving all to finishing Max Payne 3; although it's technically masterful compared to the previous two iterations, the story and gameplay are both broken up by the annoying cut scenes. I don't feel like I'm playing Max, even though what he says resembles the pessimistic downer I know, I'm used to him saying it while I run through the hallways. Not in the middle of a cutscene.

[Morris Schæffer]

Some tedium setting in with Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. Missions feels very similar although, to be fair, I'm doing a lot of side quests. Also, with so many games left to play, there's so little time. Which is a problem that is exacerbated by the fact that I found a new job after sitting on my bum for eleven months. Come to think of it, maybe that's not a problem.

[megladon8]

Moving all to finishing Max Payne 3; although it's technically masterful compared to the previous two iterations, the story and gameplay are both broken up by the annoying cut scenes. I don't feel like I'm playing Max, even though what he says resembles the pessimistic downer I know, I'm used to him saying it while I run through the hallways. Not in the middle of a cutscene.


I completely understand this criticism, but the game worked for me because I found the cutscenes and writing genuiely enjoyable to watch.

It was like watching an awesome 8 hour crime flick.

[D_Davis]

I fired up Infamous 2 last night, just to check it out. It's free on PS+, so I downloaded it. Man, what a fun game. And it looks amazing, and plays smoothly. I don't know why I slept on these games for so long.

[Dukefrukem]

I fired up Infamous 2 last night, just to check it out. It's free on PS+, so I downloaded it. Man, what a fun game. And it looks amazing, and plays smoothly. I don't know I slept on these games for so long,

Thanks for reminding me about this. I've had this since launch and I haven't started it yet. :(

[Morris Schæffer]

Maybe I should fire up the first Infamous too. Been sitting on my shelf for a loooong time.

It was really going head to head with Prototype in those days. Another game I have, but never touched.

[Scar]

I fired up Infamous 2 last night, just to check it out. It's free on PS+, so I downloaded it. Man, what a fun game. And it looks amazing, and plays smoothly. I don't know I slept on these games for so long,

Dark Souls

[D_Davis]

Dark Souls

That's my answer for everything. I'm so predictable.

[Skitch]

Maybe I should fire up the first Infamous too. Been sitting on my shelf for a loooong time.

It was really going head to head with Prototype in those days. Another game I have, but never touched.

I had a blast with both. Haven't played Infamous 2 yet, have to finish Arkham City first.

[number8]

Today on Amazon, for $33 you get Assassins Creed III and $9 of Amazon credits. Pretty good deal.

[shaun]

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced for iPad? Sold.

[Dukefrukem]

So did anyone catch this? Anyone have any info on it? The internet is blowing up that this is a MGS5 trailer. It's very strange.

nSfajBs2nyQ

[Ezee E]

Is that gameplay footage or cutscene? Looks awesome. Hopefully the whole game is all in that situation.

Started XCom and loving it. Very fun. Best strategy in a long, long time.

[Dukefrukem]

Is that gameplay footage or cutscene? Looks awesome. Hopefully the whole game is all in that situation.


Unknown. It could be nextgen. I like the Sutherland voice over though.

This is also nextgen.

gwnSo9bcIyA

[megladon8]

The stuff Valve is saying about their new quasi-console, "living room PC" type of unit is really confusing, and I'm wondering if they're just not wanting to admit (maybe even to themselves) that it's a console.

It seems that it is a limited-use PC that works in your living room on your TV, with a controller pad, and runs off retail game discs and Steam for DLC / downloadable games.

So...in other words...it's a console?

I love Valve as much as the next guy, but it's strange how they seem to be so deeply in denial about the fact that they're making a console. It's like they're still wanting themselves to be seen as
http://img845.imageshack.us/img845/1182/pcmasterrace.jpg

...so they want to keep the true nature of their console a dirty little secret.

[Winston*]

Finished Bulletstorm. Was a little bit bored of it by the end, but enjoyed it for the most part.

I don't understand why, with the tone of the gameplay, the cut scenes weren't more parodic. Actually I don't understand why there were cut scenes at all, I skipped half of them.

[Dukefrukem]

Where did you read that it would run retail game discs? Gabe never said anything about that. All the games would come from steam.

In the meantime, steam just launched Big Picture mode, which means all you need to do is bring your laptop in the living room, hook it up via HDMI, turn on Big Picture mode and you have a "steam console". Big Picture mode is pretty slick.

It's also weird how consoles are becoming more like PCs and Valve wants to be more like consoles. But for the most part, all we know is Valve will directly compete against next gen console gaming with some sort of hardware + BPM.

You're right, PC Gaming is pretty glorious.

[number8]

They should have just teamed up with Roku.

[megladon8]

God damn, "Halo 4" is such a good looking game.

Even after three playthroughs, there are images that still make my jaw drop.

The opening image of the mission "Infinity" is glorious.

[megladon8]

And now I am downloading the Crimson Map Pack and wishing that my internet was faster :(

Is there anyone else on this board playing "Halo 4"??

[Idioteque Stalker]

And now I am downloading the Crimson Map Pack and wishing that my internet was faster :(

Is there anyone else on this board playing "Halo 4"??

I did for about a week and a half. Didn't care much for the single player, and the multiplayer would be more fun if I had more xbl friends. I kept it as a party game, but I don't plan on putting in a lot more time on my own. I'm more into strategy games. Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 was just ported for Mac and that's taking up my time these days.

[D_Davis]

I'm going to catch up on the other Halo games first - I still haven't played ODST or Reach, so I can get those for really cheap right now.

[Irish]

Baldur's Gate: Enhanced for iPad? Sold.

Don't!

[Dukefrukem]

God of War: Ascension Multiplayer Beta Available to PS Plus Members January 8th

[ledfloyd]

i started playing the first Infamous a few days ago, and i'm finding it pretty tedious. just a few hours in so many of the missions already feel incredibly repetitive. the karma system is interesting but kind of clunkily implemented, providing you with a choose your own adventure scenario whenever a choice pops up.

maybe i should just skip to the second game (my PS3 came with Uncharted 1&2 and Infamous 1&2)

[megladon8]

I'm going to catch up on the other Halo games first - I still haven't played ODST or Reach, so I can get those for really cheap right now.



They're both great. I know a lot of people were turned off by the huge change in tone and structure with "ODST", but I thought it was really cool.

It almost works as a mystery game, and you play several different characters throughout, and see how their stories interconnect.

The central part of the game is open world in the Earth city of New Mombasa. You're the "Rookie", and there are Covenant everywhere. You're hugely outnumbered and out-gunned and you have to search around the city for clues as to the whereabouts of the rest of your team.

When you find a clue, the game skips back in time and you play as the soldier that clue relates to, and you find out what happened to them.

It's a really neat structure, and the music is almost all ambient, so the night levels which are punctuated by rich neon lighting have a really eerie, cool feel.

[megladon8]

I'm a mild fan of the "Gears of War" games, and I was pretty un-excited for this newest entry "Judgment" to come about early next year. It sounded like People Can Fly were basically just guns for hire, and there was no real passion or innovation going to be brought in - crank the game out so it's done and they cane work on new stuff, ya know?

Looks like that's really not the case at all, and the more I read about the upcoming "Gears" game, the more I am excited to try it out for myself.

They have completely randomized the enemy encounters. You cannot depend on repetition to help you figure out a strategy. If you get killed by a Mauler, when you come back to that area, it may be replaced by a Bloodmount, or just a crapload of soldier Locusts. Every encounter is different.

They have also integrated tower defense gaming into the main campaign to mix up the shooting elements, and the people who have played it say it is challenging and surprisingly deep.

[Stay Puft]

They have completely randomized the enemy encounters. You cannot depend on repetition to help you figure out a strategy. If you get killed by a Mauler, when you come back to that area, it may be replaced by a Bloodmount, or just a crapload of soldier Locusts. Every encounter is different.

I'm surprised more games haven't gone this route. There's only been a few, and it's a great concept (SiN Episodes is the main one that springs to mind since they made a big deal out of it at launch, but I guess nobody played it?). I guess Left 4 Dead and the director stuff was supposed to be similar, but I didn't spend much time playing that.

I hated the Gears sequels, but I'm very curious to check out this one. The guy who is writing the story for it is the same guy who wrote the story for Julia Loktev's new movie, The Lonelist Planet. Wrap your head around that.

[megladon8]

I'm surprised more games haven't gone this route. There's only been a few, and it's a great concept (SiN Episodes is the main one that springs to mind since they made a big deal out of it at launch, but I guess nobody played it?). I guess Left 4 Dead and the director stuff was supposed to be similar, but I didn't spend much time playing that.

I hated the Gears sequels, but I'm very curious to check out this one. The guy who is writing the story for it is the same guy who wrote the story for Julia Loktev's new movie, The Lonelist Planet. Wrap your head around that.


I love when stuff like this happens - a project that, out of left field, turns out to be something pretty cool and potentially special.

It looks like this could be the best of the series.

[EyesWideOpen]

I just played through the most recent Mass Effect 3 DLC "Omega". It was a pretty fun one-off side story and almost double the length of the last DLC. I'm always down for more Mass Effect.

I'm also about 3/4 of the way through Scribblenauts Unlimited (WiiU) and having a blast. This is my first introduction to Scribblenauts and I love how many just randomly obscure words they've built into this thing.

[D_Davis]

Super Street IV: Arcade Edition free of PS+! I've been wanting to get back into this. Now I'll order an arcade stick.

[Skitch]

Super Street IV: Arcade Edition free of PS+! I've been wanting to get back into this. Now I'll order an arcade stick.

I really need to use my free month now.

Per Arkham City...I've collected all the riddler puzzles, but it still says I don't have them all. Cruise around and find green guys?

[D_Davis]

Demon's Souls - NG++ - Man Eaters down, first attempt.

[megladon8]

I really need to use my free month now.

Per Arkham City...I've collected all the riddler puzzles, but it still says I don't have them all. Cruise around and find green guys?


Did you do the Catwoman ones too?

[Skitch]

Did you do the Catwoman ones too?

Yep.

[Morris Schæffer]

Super Street IV: Arcade Edition free of PS+! I've been wanting to get back into this. Now I'll order an arcade stick.

Which one would you get? Hori?

[D_Davis]

Which one would you get? Hori?

I got the WWE Madcats because its super easy to mod. Going to get some sanwa buttons and stick, too. It's a good base stick for only $40, and for only about $20 more in parts you can make it as good as many that sell over $100.

[D_Davis]

There are definitely still a bunch of people playing SFIV on the PS3, probably even more now that it's free. Can't wait to get my stick this week.

[Dukefrukem]

Yep.

Have you defeated the Riddler yet?

[megladon8]

My friend is trying to convince me to get a pair of Turtle Beach headphones (for gaming on 360).

It looks like there are a billion models.

Anyone have any experience with these? One in particular I should get? Or one I should steer clear of?

[Skitch]

Have you defeated the Riddler yet?

No. And I figured out my problem. I assumed the riddler marks were showing up no matter what, but duh, I forgot to clean up the interiors of the big buildings. Also didn't spend enough time messing with the menu screen to see they at least tell you what area you are missing stuff from. Few more hours to go! Yay. :)

[Ezee E]

My friend is trying to convince me to get a pair of Turtle Beach headphones (for gaming on 360).

It looks like there are a billion models.

Anyone have any experience with these? One in particular I should get? Or one I should steer clear of?
My brother won't play games without them.

[Morris Schæffer]

Dark Souls 2 reputedly as visually stunning as Watch Dogs and Star Wars 1313 according to trustworthy publication Edge Magazine UK.

[megladon8]

Having a few weird problems with "Halo 4" and I assumed they were due to my poor internet connection but after some Google'ing I found that others are sharing the problems.

Ever since the 12/06 update and Crimson Map Pack release, I have lost access to all of the Specializations except the two minimum ones that come with every copy of the game. Since I bought the Limited Edition I have like 10 more to choose from, but they've disappeared.

It's a pain in the butt, and I will opt to not use a Specialization until I can access the one I want, but I'm at least glad that I am not the only one with the problem, so I'm sure a mass-fix will be released at some point in time.


Also back in '08, does anyone here remember how Amazon randomly sent me a free copy of "Fallout 3"?

Well they just did it again. I got a copy of "Hitman: Absolution".

Funny that they were/are both games I really had no interest in and wouldn't have played otherwise.

Maybe my luck will continue and I will end up loving the heck out of "Hitman" (like what happened with "Fallout 3").

[Spun Lepton]

My friend is trying to convince me to get a pair of Turtle Beach headphones (for gaming on 360).

It looks like there are a billion models.

Anyone have any experience with these? One in particular I should get? Or one I should steer clear of?

I have a corded pair. They're nice. I use them on my laptop, too.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm playing the Freefall Beta right now, and it's got great potential to rival WoW whenever it's released. I have 5 invites to the beta if anyone wants one.

[D_Davis]

I'm playing the Freefall Beta right now, and it's got great potential to rival WoW whenever it's released. I have 5 invites to the beta if anyone wants one.

What are the system requirements? If my PC can handle it, I'd love to try it out. Looks great.

[Dukefrukem]

What are the system requirements? If my PC can handle it, I'd love to try it out. Looks great.

If it can play WoW, you can play FF.

There are different levels of graphics you can turn on/off too. So if you don't have the best graphics card, it will still run and look good.

[Dukefrukem]

Firefall Minimum System Requirements

OS: Windows XP (32/64-bit)

CPU (AMD): Dual Core @ 2.6 Ghz (Athon 64 x2, Athlon II x2, Phenom II x2)

CPU (Intel): Dual Core @ 2.2 Ghz (Core 2, Core i3, Pentium Dual Core)

GPU: DirectX 9 compatible AMD or Nvidia video card with 1GB RAM (AMD/ATI Radeon HD 4550 or Nvidia Geforce 8600)

RAM: 4 GB

Firefall Recommended System Requirements

CPU (AMD): Quad Core @ 2.8 Ghz (Athlon II X4, Phenom, Phenom II X4)

CPU (Intel): Quad Core @ 2.4 Ghz (Core 2 Quad, i5,

[Dukefrukem]

For those not familiar with Firefall, it's a bunch of WoW developers who left blizzard to start their own Developer company and this is their first game.

[D_Davis]

Nice! My PC can handle that.

If you got one, I'll take a beta key.

[Dukefrukem]

Rgr that. I'll send to your gmail when I get home.

[D_Davis]

The second part of The Valley of Defilement in Demon's Souls has got to be one of the most intense and harrowing levels in video game history. I finally made it through to open the short cut last night, in my NG++. My hands were actually sweaty.

[megladon8]

Wow, Gamespot gave Shooter of the Year to "Halo 4" (not just on 360, but across all platforms).

That's pretty cool.

Granted I haven't been much of a fan of GS since the mass exodus to GiantBomb, but I'm glad the game's getting the love it deserves with awards season.

They also gave 360 Game of the Year to "Dishonored", which I was surprised by.

[Scar]

The second part of The Valley of Defilement in Demon's Souls has got to be one of the most intense and harrowing levels in video game history. I finally made it through to open the short cut last night, in my NG++. My hands were actually sweaty.

No matter how bad ass you are, those giant troll things will fuck your shit up. One is manageable, two is scary, and you're truly fucked if you happen to wander into Black Spirit territory while dancing with those trolls.

[Fezzik]

I'm playing the Freefall Beta right now, and it's got great potential to rival WoW whenever it's released. I have 5 invites to the beta if anyone wants one.

Oh, God. Yes please. I've been wanting into that game for a while.

[Dukefrukem]

Oh, God. Yes please. I've been wanting into that game for a while.

Sent

DD I don't have your gmail. I thought I did.

my username is Dukefrukem (like everything else) if you want to squad up

[Fezzik]

Sent

DD I don't have your gmail. I thought I did.

my username is Dukefrukem (like everything else) if you want to squad up

Thank you, sir! I'll add you as soon as I get it installed.

[Dukefrukem]

Sent DD. Excited to have you guys play.

[megladon8]

I would totally be in on it too if my internet didn't suck so much.

Sorry :sad:

[Dukefrukem]

How bad is your internet? Run a speed test. If you can play Halo online you can play FF.

[D_Davis]

Sent DD. Excited to have you guys play.

Thanks, yo!

[megladon8]

How bad is your internet? Run a speed test. If you can play Halo online you can play FF.


I can barely play Halo online. If I sprint or use a man cannon, I start to lag.

Just did a speed test with Speedtest.net and...

Ping - 825ms

Download Speed - 0.5mbps

Upload Speed - 0.26mbps


Now bear in mind we're having very bad weather right now and it's satellite internet, so the fact that there is a storm ongoing has the internet slowed down a bit.

[Dukefrukem]

Ping - 825ms


:eek:

[megladon8]

Yeah, living in the country and staying connected don't jive too well.

[Dukefrukem]

I just don't know what Nintendo was thinking. These should all be launch features.


Nintendo has announced that the Wii U's TVii functionality is finally about to go live.

The feature – which lets you view augmenting TV content on your GamePad and use it as a remote (with certain cable/content providers) – launches in North America tomorrow, December 20.

Unfortunately, TVii's integration with Netflix and TiVo won't occur until sometime in early 2013.

[megladon8]

I bought 4 bags of Doritos today at the supermarket in order to take advantage of the double-XP in "Halo 4" thing.

It's a really neat system they've set up, where you can "bank" your Doritos and Mountain Dew codes for use whenever you want, instead of it just being the next few consecutive rounds.

Say you're about to hit some major milestone in your Commendations (the "master" level of Spartan Slayer, for example, which awards like 10,000XP) then you can just turn on the double-XP for that round where you're going to hit it, and get 20,000 right off the bat.

Similarly if you don't want to waste them on a bunch of rounds where you're not doing much, you just leave them in the bank.

Neat-o.

[Morris Schæffer]

That's the guy who also made Prince of Persia, Jordan Mechner.

[Stay Puft]

Holy shit. The guy who made Karateka in the 80s got a team together and made a modern version. It's on XBOX and iOS.

Steam, too. And PS3.

Haven't bought it yet, but that's one game I'm planning to get to during my vacation time post-holidays. Jordan Mechner is one of my favorite game people, no word of a lie. Prince of Persia was some of the most influential stuff for me growing up.

[Fezzik]

And it begins again...


...Steam Holiday Sale. And GO!

[Lasse]

Ghostbusters for PS3 got pretty good reviews, and I jus borrowed it from a friend.

What do you guys think of it?

[D_Davis]

Ghostbusters for PS3 got pretty good reviews, and I jus borrowed it from a friend.

What do you guys think of it?

I played about 1/2 of it and liked it. It got a little tedious, but I enjoyed most of what I played.

[Dukefrukem]

And it begins again...


...Steam Holiday Sale. And GO!

Fuck. Way too early.

[Dukefrukem]

I played about 1/2 of it and liked it. It got a little tedious, but I enjoyed most of what I played.

This.

[D_Davis]

And it begins again...


...Steam Holiday Sale. And GO!

I always follow the Steam sale threads on reddit and other gaming sites, and I typically see a lot of people say stuff like, "I just bought 50 more games! Now I have 500 games on Steam, and I never play any of them!" Since Steam accounts are viewable by others, is there some kind of e-competition going on? Does it mean something to have a large Steam library? Any worry of amassing a huge digital library, and then having Steam go away? It seems like there's this really hardcore consumerism thing with Steam, and just buying everything because it's cheap. Do you see that?

[Dukefrukem]

There is a risk of steam going away as written in the TOS, but it's tiny. Steam continues to grow and it's the most beloved digital platform from gamers everywhere. I bet there is a lot of E-penis going on with teh sales, but it's also just a great time to stock up on games that are never normally this cheap. $2 $5 games are such a bargain and who knows when I'll want to play them.

[D_Davis]

I hope Steam never goes away, seems like a great thing, and I'd love it on a console or a more console-like PC from Valve.

[Lasse]

I played about 1/2 of it and liked it. It got a little tedious, but I enjoyed most of what I played.

Good enough. With the time I have for gaming I try not to play too many duds.

[D_Davis]

Good enough. With the time I have for gaming I try not to play too many duds.

If you really like The Ghostbusters, you'll enjoy it. It's basically GBIII.

[Winston*]

I share a Steam account with my little brother since I don't play games online. That dude has amassed like 100-200 games on there, buying bundles and deals and whatnot.

[Sycophant]

There's a website that show you how many of your Steam games you've never actually played. Mine's over 80% (of over 200 games). lol

I might get to some of them someday. At least I paid very little for most of them.

[megladon8]

I have very mixed feelings about "Hitman: Absolution", and after the latest cut-scene, they lean more towards the negative.

It's an incredibly mean-spirited, ugly game. Most of the time stuff like this really doesn't bother me. I'm usually the first to say "if you don't like it, don't play/watch/read/listen to it" - and while that still applies, it may be the closest I've ever felt to genuine disgust and even offense at a video game.

There's this awful, disgusting character named Wade who is a hired goon with a penchant for torture, and he is forced to take along his boss's mentally and physically handicapped son on a job to try to "make a man of him" or whatever. The kid is named Lenny and Wade refers to him as "limp-dick Lenny" (HA! Clever!), and every scene they're in together just involves having Wade belittle him and make fun of his handicaps.

Then comes a level where you (the Hitman) are trying to protect a girl in a hospital as Wade and Lenny shoot their way through to you. In one cutscene they have an elderly nun on her knees at gunpoint and Wade taunts Lenny about how much of a "pussy" he is that he won't show authority and kill the nun, and Lenny gets angry and flustered and accidentally does shoot the nun in the face...at which point Wade taunts and belittles him, and Lenny starts sobbing.

It's just ugly stuff, and without clever writing or interesting characters to fill this world, there's not too much to it other than feeling disgusted.


Gameplay-wise, I am actually finding it pretty limited. It has some interesting mechanics here and there, but for a game that is supposed to offer you the freedom to approach situations however you want, I feel like there is too much constriction.

You can pick up objects and throw them to distract enemies (such as books and bottles), but the number of items that are actually interactive in the environment is frightfully low. There are instances where you'll be in an office that is riddled with empty beer bottles all over the place (floor, tables, you name it) and you can't pick a single one of them up - you can only pick up that lone beer bottle sitting in a corner on the second level of the building.

Same goes for objects that can be used as weapons. There are blunt objects like baseball bats, pipes, hammers, wrenches, and these types of items are shown all through the levels, but the number that you can actually interact with is next to nothing.

I appreciate the game trying to encourage people to play it as more of a puzzle game than a shooter, but then why did they make guns so plentiful, and other stuff to complete objectives without killing so scarce?

I'm interested in trying out a couple of the levels on "Purist" difficulty, in which there are no checkpoints, no HUD, enemies are smarter and don't stop looking for you when they know you're around, and all you have is a crosshair.

Still, though, it feels (to me) like a very half-baked game. Maybe all the Hitman games are like this, I don't know - it's the first one I've played, and I can't say I'm overly intrigued to play more in the series.

Sidenote: why are the pre-rendered cutscenes so low-res? When you get an instance of a dark black or vibrant white, the enormous pixelation is really distracting. It doesn't feel like a game released in 2012.

[Dukefrukem]

There's a website that show you how many of your Steam games you've never actually played. Mine's over 80% (of over 200 games). lol

I might get to some of them someday. At least I paid very little for most of them.

Yeh the problem with that site is it doesn't take into account the period BEFORE steam started tracking your game hours. Steam says I've only played about 40 hours of Left 4 Dead... (psssh... yeh right (in Wayne Campbell voice)

[Dukefrukem]

I AM ALIVE for $5 is a good deal. I still can't believe even with this sale.... Doom 3 BFG edition is over $10 for a slightly upgraded 9 year old game.

[shaun]

Yeh the problem with that site is it doesn't take into account the period BEFORE steam started tracking your game hours. Steam says I've only played about 40 hours of Left 4 Dead... (psssh... yeh right (in Wayne Campbell voice)I don't doubt that the percentage played is in the right neighborhood but the hours is way way off. It says I played Rift for 28 hours when I was on most nights for like 2 months.

http://i49.tinypic.com/25itc9i.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

You and I have almost the same percentage. Weird. Im still not convinced I've only played 100 games.

http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s36/Dukefrukem/steamgamesplayed_Dukefrukem_zp s8b4e2180.png

[Dukefrukem]

And yeh, hours are way off.

www.xfire.com/profile/dukefrukem

[Ezee E]

There needs to be more games with a L4D approach. Can't play it now because I've had enough of it.

[Dukefrukem]

There needs to be more games with a L4D approach. Can't play it now because I've had enough of it.

Payday: The Heist
Kayne and Lynch
Army of Two

Although the ladder two are terrible, Payday is quite fun.

Aliens Colonial Marines will have a co-op mode similar to L4D too.

[Ezee E]

That sold it for me on Aliens. I'll read more about it.

[Dukefrukem]

That sold it for me on Aliens. I'll read more about it.

Haha. I just read on wiki: "Initially it was announced that the game would involve squad-based gameplay, allowing the player to issue orders to AI-controlled marines using context-sensitive commands.[9] However, Gearbox later revealed that this feature was dropped to make gameplay more accessible"

So I guess it was dropped.

But there is a versus gameplay mode, where 4 players play Aliens and 4 players play Marines.

[Sycophant]

I haven't played the first game in the series yet, but I'm most of the way through Kane & Lynch 2, and it's pretty amazing how it manages to be ugly like a film about violence can be and stand up for itself as a game and not have a gap between them that makes it feel incompatible.

[Ezee E]

Haha. I just read on wiki: "Initially it was announced that the game would involve squad-based gameplay, allowing the player to issue orders to AI-controlled marines using context-sensitive commands.[9] However, Gearbox later revealed that this feature was dropped to make gameplay more accessible"

So I guess it was dropped.

But there is a versus gameplay mode, where 4 players play Aliens and 4 players play Marines.
:sigh:

Is it still being made by the same companies that did all the last Aliens games? Because those are all awful.

Would be a great idea to go in on a Marines mission, L4D style, to take an army of aliens on, only to eventually get picked off one at a time. Face huggers, different types of aliens, the Queen. Great idea.

[Dukefrukem]

Would be a great idea to go in on a Marines mission, L4D style, to take an army of aliens on, only to eventually get picked off one at a time. Face huggers, different types of aliens, the Queen. Great idea.

Keep in mind, the AI/director SW that valve created/modified is far superior to anything else out there right now. So making a L4D clone may not be as easy for some developers as you think... which is probably why the squad based option was dropped.

[Morris Schæffer]

I'm 100% convinced that Aliens: Colonial Marines is going to scare the crap out of me. I expect a very memorable experience.

[amberlita]

So please remember that I run about 3 years behind the times on video games. Recently started Batman: AA and I am truly surprised at how much I'm loving it. Despite all the rave reviews and my unflinching love for all things Batman, I didn't expect I'd like the controls much or the combo battling (because I generally suck at that).

There's spoilers beyond this point, but I can't imagine anyone here but me hasn't played this game yet.....

Anyway, holy hell am I loving this game! Not having any issues with the gameplay at all. Some of the design and storytelling is really ingenious. I was genuinely creeped out in the morgue at the first introduction of the Scarecrow's fear gas. But by far my favorite moment has been when the game "freezes up", cut scene to Joker taking Batman to Arkham and you are controlling Joker with Batman in the chair. I nearly shat myself! Jaw on the floor - I thought I was starting from the beginning and was going to be playing as Joker (because that's possible in this game, right?). Took me a minute to get my bearings and realize I'd heard Batman coughing just before it cut away.

From a character standpoint, I love that Batman's biggest fear is being labeled a lunatic and then killed by the Joker. Of course that would be his fear! And yet, when you are stalking a room full of Joker's cronies, taking them out one by one, Joker's in the background egging them and Batman on. I remember hearing Joker say over the speaker something to the effect of "Oh, who am I kidding? Do whatever you want to them Bats! They mean nothing to me." Batman's convinced the Joker wants him dead but it's all an elaborate ruse just so Joker can watch him kick ass. It's damn near...romantic.

[Skitch]

Agreed! I'm still cleaning up Arkham City, I just cannot get enough of these gsmes.

[megladon8]

I'm 100% convinced that Aliens: Colonial Marines is going to scare the crap out of me. I expect a very memorable experience.


I think it's going to be great, too. I can't wait for it.

I think it's really cool that it's a direct sequel to Aliens.

[megladon8]

"Halo 4" is continuing to clean up in both critical and fan-voted awards.

IGN gave their overall Game of the Year award to "Journey". I really need to get a PS3.

[Ezee E]

Meg sure likes Halo 4.

[D_Davis]

Got my PS3 fight stick today. I should have ordered the new Sanwa parts along with it. The base is nice, and I think it's going to make a good stick once I mod it. Works OK as it is, but it's not as precise as a good Hori; but then again, once I mod it it will have cost about 1/2 of what a good Hori costs, and it should end up being even better.

[Skitch]

I've decided to put Arkham City away for a bit. Prince of Persia trilogy HD here we go...

[TGM]

Holy crap, why did nobody tell me that Kirby's Dream Collection existed?! Do you even realize just how long I've been searching for a (working) copy of the original Gameboy Kirby's Dream Land? It was like a dream come true stumbling upon that game last night!

[D_Davis]

Holy crap, why did nobody tell me that Kirby's Dream Collection existed?!


Sorry man! I just don'y know anything about Kirby!

[Skitch]

Downloading DC Universe for PS3. All free. Looking forward to it.

[TGM]

Sorry man! I just don'y know anything about Kirby!

Not your type of game, or just not into the character?

Anyways, putting the disc in the console made me realize that today was the first time in over two years I've even turned on my Wii. o.O

[Morris Schæffer]

Some fucking amazing GTA V screens:

http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2012/12/24/gtav-xmas03jpg-843c64_800w.jpg

http://assets1.ignimgs.com/2012/12/24/gtav-xmas02jpg-48a63b_800w.jpg

http://assets2.ignimgs.com/2012/12/24/gtav-xmas05jpg-48a63a_800w.jpg

Looks like they weren't kidding when they said you'll be able to dive and explore the ocean floor. And that second pic is just whoa. Like total whoa.

[Dukefrukem]

Played the shit out of SSBB this Christmas. Then I went to watch a movie I got in my stocking and realized... "fuck my ass, the Wii doesn't have a fucking DVD player." :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[amberlita]

Finished Batman: AA

I was surprised when it ended. That was the lamest final boss I've ever beaten.

[Dukefrukem]

Finished Batman: AA

I was surprised when it ended. That was the lamest final boss I've ever beaten.

Remind me again?

was it the juice up joker?

[amberlita]

Remind me again?

was it the juice up joker?

That's the one.

You basically fight a handful of bad guys in between pulling the Joker down off a ledge. Hit him once and you knock down a third of his strength.

Part of the surprise came from my "progress" only being at about 70%. I didn't play any of the challenges or extra material and I didn't think it'd be factored into the game progress. So I was shocked when I got to fighting the Joker, suspecting he would be the final battle, but even more shocked when it turned out to be the case and he was so lame.

[Ezee E]

That's the one.

You basically fight a handful of bad guys in between pulling the Joker down off a ledge. Hit him once and you knock down a third of his strength.

Part of the surprise came from my "progress" only being at about 70%. I didn't play any of the challenges or extra material and I didn't think it'd be factored into the game progress. So I was shocked when I got to fighting the Joker, suspecting he would be the final battle, but even more shocked when it turned out to be the case and he was so lame.
Yeah. Practically was a Resident Evil villain at that point. It's must better in Arkham City.

[amberlita]

This from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.


The more you play, the more aggressive you become: A long-term experimental study of cumulative violent video game effects on hostile expectations and aggressive behavior
March 2013
Youssef Hasan | Laurent Bègue | Michael Scharkow | Brad J. Bushman

Abstract: It is well established that violent video games increase aggression. There is a stronger evidence of short-term violent video game effects than of long-term effects. The present experiment tests the cumulative long-term effects of violent video games on hostile expectations and aggressive behavior over three consecutive days. Participants (N=70) played violent or nonviolent video games 20min a day for three consecutive days. After gameplay, participants could blast a confederate with loud unpleasant noise through headphones (the aggression measure). As a potential causal mechanism, we measured hostile expectations. Participants read ambiguous story stems about potential interpersonal conflicts, and listed what they thought the main characters would do or say, think, and feel as the story continued. As expected, aggressive behavior and hostile expectations increased over days for violent game players, but not for nonviolent video game players, and the increase in aggressive behavior was partially due to hostile expectations.

It's interesting. They're definition of "long-term" is all of 3 days, though.

Anyway, I have the PDF if anyone were so inclined. Had to get it through the university though, otherwise you have to pay.

[Dukefrukem]

3 days? How about 3 minutes? I was playing SSBB yesterday and when I died by way of the CPU 3 times in a row, I violently started punching my couch pillow. I should be locked up!

[Dukefrukem]

Steam Sale so far:

$1.01 - Home
$14.99- Tomb Raider Collection - (includes PSX games too for a total of 8 games)
$5.88 - Universe Sandbox, Half-Minute Hero
$11.24 - Dungeon Defenders 4-pack
$2.49 - Psychonauts
$4.99 - Tom Clancy's HAWKS 2
$5.09 - I AM Alive!
$0.00 - Dear Esther

TOTAL SPENT SO FAR: $45.69 for 16 games comes to $2.85 a game (not counting the 3 additional copies of DD)

Very tame for me this year.

[megladon8]

I really want to play "Dear Esther".

[D_Davis]

This from the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.



It's interesting. They're definition of "long-term" is all of 3 days, though.

Anyway, I have the PDF if anyone were so inclined. Had to get it through the university though, otherwise you have to pay.

I'd like to see the level of aggression measured and ranked against other mundane triggers like working, traffic, finances, fixing things, taxes, car trouble, etc. I bet it would be the least amount of added aggression - I know it is for me.

[D_Davis]

I'd also bet that aggression/anger triggered from video games dissipates more quickly than aggression/anger triggered by IRL things, because as soon as the game system is turned off, it's out of mind, where as other triggers (working, traffic, finances, fixing things, taxes, car trouble, etc.) all have much stronger, more lasting ramifications.

[amberlita]

Good point. I haven't seen any studies that measure those other factors. Unfortunately, since they are the target demographic, these studies tend to be geared toward teenagers/young adults who are not likely to appreciate the hassles of finances, job insecurity, child care, etc.

[megladon8]

Really enjoying GiantBomb's awards.

Really cool to see "Fez" and "Spec Ops: The Line" get some love.

Also it seems "X-COM: Enemy Unknown" may be the game that appeared on the most lists. Either that or "FTL".

[Dukefrukem]

My walking Dead ending was heart wrenching.

[D_Davis]

Good point. I haven't seen any studies that measure those other factors. Unfortunately, since they are the target demographic, these studies tend to be geared toward teenagers/young adults who are not likely to appreciate the hassles of finances, job insecurity, child care, etc.

For me, when I was young, school and social triggers were far more potent than video games when it came to triggering any kind of aggression or anger. I think it's kind of pointless to look at violent video games in a vacuum as a trigger for anything negative, especially when you don't rank those emotions on a scale with other triggers.

Maybe the violent video games are reminding the players of things IRL; maybe it's actually the violence people see on the news 24 hours a day that is the real cause of the aggression, but it is the act of playing a video game that triggers the repressed emotion, because games can be cathartic.

The same thing happens all the time with music and books - you're sitting there enjoying something and all of the sudden you remember something that happened to you and are flooded with emotions. The book or music didn't cause that emotion, they were simply catalysts in helping those memories to surface.

[EyesWideOpen]

My updated top ten since the year is pretty much over at this point:

1. Journey
2. New Super Mario Bros U
3. Mass Effect 3
4. The Walking Dead
5. FEZ
6. Dust: An Elysian Tail
7. Borderlands 2
8. Nintendoland
9. Papa & Yo
10. Rock Band Blitz

[Dukefrukem]

My updated top ten since the year is pretty much over at this point:

1. Journey
2. New Super Mario Bros U
3. Mass Effect 3
4. The Walking Dead
5. FEZ
6. Dust: An Elysian Tail
7. Borderlands 2
8. Nintendoland
9. Papa & Yo
10. Rock Band Blitz

My top 10.

HM: Mark of the Ninja
10. Firefall (Beta)
9. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
8. FTL
7. Dishonored
6. AirMech (Beta)
5. Far Cry 3
4. Hotline Miami
3. Diablo III
2. The Walking Dead
1. Borderlands 2

Bottom 5

5. Max Payne 3
4. Mass Effect 3
3. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City
2. Medal of Honor: Warfighter
1. Resident Evil 6

[shaun]

Anyone play the Gods and Kings expansion for Civ 5?

I'm finding the Steam deals a bit lacking and 75% off sounds about right for an impulse purchase.

[Dukefrukem]

No. I want to though.

In other news the PS2 was finally discontinued after 13 years running. Sold 150 million units.

The Wii is currently at 97milish.

[megladon8]

There are a couple of releases I still have to get around to playing, but my top 10 would include...

Halo 4
Max Payne 3
Spec Ops: The Line
Fez
The Walking Dead

Hmmm...will have to keep thinking...

[Ezee E]

Started Far Cry 3 yesterday. So far it's alright. When you get into battle, it's pretty intense. Hope there's more of that and less skinning animals and searching for leaves...

[Watashi]

Bioshock 2 is pretty much a carbon copy of Bioshock (but with a less political story). I still enjoyed it a lot mainly because it was fun to explore Rapture again after a long wait. I'm now starting Minerva's Den.

[D_Davis]

The best game I played this year stands far above all of the other new games this year:

Journey

[Idioteque Stalker]

Anyone play the Gods and Kings expansion for Civ 5?

I loved it. Not only does it add some awesome new stuff (religion, plenty of wonders, civs, units, etc.), but its changes to battle and especially city-state relations improve so much on vanilla civ that I can't imagine playing the game without it.

[megladon8]

The best game I played this year stands far above all of the other new games this year:

Journey


I'm dying to play this.

One of the greatest parts of the game (I hear) is the soundtrack. I've nearly cracked down and purchased the OST to listen to, but I am holding off 'til I can experience it all in the game itself.

Speaking of downlodable games with great soundtracks, have you gotten around to playing "Fez" yet?

[shaun]

I loved it. Not only does it add some awesome new stuff (religion, plenty of wonders, civs, units, etc.), but its changes to battle and especially city-state relations improve so much on vanilla civ that I can't imagine playing the game without it.Sold. Thank you.

[EyesWideOpen]

Started Far Cry 3 yesterday. So far it's alright. When you get into battle, it's pretty intense. Hope there's more of that and less skinning animals and searching for leaves...

Just got it today. So far so good.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I think I'm going to buy a PS3 with my fantasy football winnings, but I already own an 360 and haven't yet convinced myself that the PS3 exclusives are worth it. So far I definitely want Journey, MGS 4, and Demon's Souls. What else is essential?

[D_Davis]

I think I'm going to buy a PS3 with my fantasy football winnings, but I already own an 360 and haven't yet convinced myself that the PS3 exclusives are worth it. So far I definitely want Journey, MGS 4, and Demon's Souls. What else is essential?

I owned only a 360 for a long time, and then after Dark Souls got a PS3 for Demon's Souls. Just for that it was totally worth it. But now it's become my system of choice - it's quieter, faster, fewer ads on the dash, and I find the overall experience more enjoyable. Also, with PS+, you get a ton of free games.

I think Demon's Souls and Journey are two games worth owning the system for.

Also, Ni No Kuni comes out in a few weeks.

[Dukefrukem]

I think I'm going to buy a PS3 with my fantasy football winnings, but I already own an 360 and haven't yet convinced myself that the PS3 exclusives are worth it. So far I definitely want Journey, MGS 4, and Demon's Souls. What else is essential?

Ignore the people that say don't waste your time with Uncharted. Buy all three of them and play them in sequence. Killzone multiplayer is fantastic. Both Infamous games are great sandbox experiences. Warhawk and Starhawk are also great multiplayer experiences. Heavy Rain is a must play. Whether you like the ambition or not will be yours to decide.

[Ezee E]

Heavy Rain for sure.

[Thirdmango]

I don't know if anyone's said this as I don't check this thread too often but I just got on my xbox and found that they have the first episode of The Walking Dead for free.

[Dukefrukem]

Yeh i think that was a Christmas gift.

[Acapelli]

don't get heavy rain unless you like garbage

the other stuff duke says to get is fine though

[Idioteque Stalker]

Little Big Planet?

[megladon8]

Is there anyone here who would like a free copy of "Hitman: Absolution" on 360?

It's just not my bag at all. I haven't downloaded any of the extra content that came with the game (for example the "Contracts Mode") so those codes are still there.

And as anyone who knows me will attest, the game is in mint condition. Honestly you're pretty much getting a brand new game, just without a plastic wrapper.

I was going to trade it in at EB Games, but their trade in values are insultingly low so I figured I'd make the offer on here first before getting like $3.50 for it.

Anyone who's interested just fire me a PM. First come first serve.


EDIT: All done.

[bac0n]

Just a warning on the Uncharted Games. I bought the 2-pack of the first two games, and neither of them will start on my PS3. What I have heard from perusing the support boards, was that the latest PS3 System Update makes it so they won't load. :sad:

[Scar]

95% of people really like Uncharted.

Then there's the rest of us....

[Spun Lepton]

Heavy Rain is a must play. Whether you like the ambition or not will be yours to decide.

Waste of money.

If you want a good interactive fiction experience, buy The Walking Dead.

[Dukefrukem]

Heavy Rain is $19. It's worth at least that.

[Dukefrukem]

Second Walking Dead video game commin' at ya

zt_DFmwxqJM#!

[Ezee E]

I don't see Telltale anywhere on there. Is it a complete different system? Looks more like L4D...

[D_Davis]

I don't see Telltale anywhere on there. Is it a complete different system? Looks more like L4D...

TT's was based on the comic book.

This is Activision (I think) and it's based on the television series.

[D_Davis]

Little Big Planet?

Great ideas, tons of charm, totally creative, and controls terribly. It's as if the devs never played another platformer; the jump is all kinds of wrong, the movement is too slow, and it feels clunky and unresponsive. Even after all the control complaints from the first game, they failed to address and change them in the second. It's a real shame.

[Ezee E]

TT's was based on the comic book.

This is Activision (I think) and it's based on the television series.
Lame. I was hoping for "Season 2" from Telltale.

[megladon8]

Lame. I was hoping for "Season 2" from Telltale.


I'm pretty sure that's still happening. This is just something completely different.

[Dukefrukem]

It is still happening. And yes this is an FPS.

[Ezee E]

I'm pretty sure that's still happening. This is just something completely different.
Can't wait. It'll be tough to beat that first season.

[megladon8]

Can't wait. It'll be tough to beat that first season.


I haven't gotten around to playing the final episode, but I feel like it's destined to be disappointing for me.

Particularly since I feel like I can see the ending coming a mile away.

Let's see, a game based on tough choices in which the two main characters are an endearing man and an overly cute little girl, and people talk about the ending being so devastating that they cried.

Gee...I wonder what happens?!?!

[Ezee E]

I haven't gotten around to playing the final episode, but I feel like it's destined to be disappointing for me.

Particularly since I feel like I can see the ending coming a mile away.

Let's see, a game based on tough choices in which the two main characters are an endearing man and an overly cute little girl, and people talk about the ending being so devastating that they cried.

Gee...I wonder what happens?!?!
Do tell.

[megladon8]

Do tell.


Either the girl dies, or we have to choose whether the girl or the man dies.

[Dukefrukem]

Either the girl dies, or we have to choose whether the girl or the man dies.

:P

edit: Not close.

[megladon8]

I've started playing "Syndicate" and it actually seems pretty darn neat.

The presentation is gorgeous and the controls and nice and tight.

Really neat dystopian future world, where electronic devices are obsolete as everyone is "chipped", which allows them full access to all tech and media fed right into their brains.

It seems people get chipped and choose a plan with a company of their choice (similar to cell phone plans today) and all these enormous companies engage in espionage to try to take control of the market.

You're an agent for one of these corporations, and you have special abilities in your chip (being able to see through walls is the first you're given).

The detail in the world is amazing. Because of your chip, you get a full feed of information on every single object in the game (if you walk by a cardboard box, you see a little white text box above it that says "Cardboard box. Manufactured in...").

[megladon8]

And yeah, "Syndicate" is really cool.

Learning more and more "breach" abilities (in which you wirelessly access someone else's chip and basically hack their brain).

I can now make someone shoot everyone around them and then kill themselves.

Pulling this off effectively is really satisfying.

I can also make current-gen weapons (ie futuristic weapons that have chips in them) backfire, causing enemies to stumble backwards out of cover.

The options in combat with these techniques are really cool.

It's a neat world, too, albeit a bit one-note (futuristic office buildings seem to make up most of the world), and I could see techno geeks having eye-gasms with the game.

[Dukefrukem]

Anyone play through the Fable franchise? thoughts? Just picked em up on steam

[EyesWideOpen]

Anyone play through the Fable franchise? thoughts? Just picked em up on steam

I loved 2. That's the only one I've played. 3 was supposed to be a huge letdown from the 2nd so I never got around to it.

[Fezzik]

I just bought FIFA 13 for the PC for $15 on Amazon. Very happy :D

[Skitch]

I loved 2. That's the only one I've played. 3 was supposed to be a huge letdown from the 2nd so I never got around to it.

3 suffered the same problems as 2 imo, biggest of which is that you're always more powerful than your adversaries. I don't know if I died more than a dozen times combined playing through both of them. I really enjoy the series, warts and all. They are far from perfect, but I really like the fighting system. Its simple. Duke, you're kind of a fan of RPG's I consider outside of my ability to play, so I imagine you won't be terribly impressed with the series, as it isn't very deep.

[Morris Schæffer]

More or less completed Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood. What can I say? I'm glad I'm done. Have I run out of patience to soldier through such ginormous videogames? Of course, it's up to me whether I do all the side-quests, but it's not that easy. On the one hand, it doesn't feel like I have to, but since I paid for the game, and since side quests may reveal some really cool bits, it feels like I'd be missing out to skip most of them. Anyway, cool game with a particularly accomplished sense of time and place. Not as fresh as part 2, but still memorable. I'm always amazed at how chimneys, rooftops and whatnot line up in perfect succesion to allow for that perfect parkour run. The storyline involving Desmond is sort of ho-hum, and the finale does make me curious about what really happened, but it's really about Ezio and fighting the Borgia's for me. All the rest feels pretty tenuous. Some glyph puzzles were brutal, and solving them didn't make them any clearer as per how they got solved. Not sure I'm gonna get Revelations, but AC III I may yet in the near future.

On to Max Payne 3 now. I mean, every so often I wanna play a more recent videogame instead of lagging behind years all the time.:)

[Dukefrukem]

I just beat Half-Life 2 for the 32243242th time. 100% achievements this time around.

[megladon8]

On to Max Payne 3 now. I mean, every so often I wanna play a more recent videogame instead of lagging behind years all the time.:)


Awesome! Enjoy!

One of last year's best, and one of the all-time best video game stories.

[Dukefrukem]

:-o @ Sony!

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.joystiq.com/media/2013/01/sonypatent.jpg

[D_Davis]

I'm betting it will have more to do with (possibly) preventing piracy than it does with preventing people from playing used/borrowed games.

I'm all for that.

If, though, it prevents me from playing used/borrowed games, I will not be buying the next Sony console. Period.

[Dukefrukem]

It's an RFID patent. It doesn't look like the game will work with any other system. It will be tied yours.

[Dukefrukem]

There's also no evidence this will be in the next system but they definitely filed for the patent.

[D_Davis]

It's an RFID patent. It doesn't look like the game will work with any other system. It will be tied yours.

Yes, I know, I read through the publication today at work. It could also be used as a measure to help prevent piracy. The machine would have to read any RFID to play the disc. It could be simply to stop pirated discs from being used on a machine.

But, it could also be used for that other use, and that would not be good!

[Dukefrukem]

Ah I see what you're saying. Let's hope it's for piracy.

[SirNewt]

Finally got around to playing through Saints Row III. It's pretty much what I thought GTA would be this generation.

Parachuting to Kanye, exploding pony carts, and Burt Reynolds were the highlights for me.

The ending was kind of unsatisfying though. Hopefully Volition will survive the THQ rout.

[Skitch]

Any system that blocks the use of used games will be a failure. That's my personal prediction.

[megladon8]

Even though I don't personally buy used games, I would still be in the camp that would boycott a system that doesn't allow them to be played.

That's a really shitty move.

[number8]

In either case, I assume it'll drive up the cost of games if they have to embed a chip on every game disc.

[Ezee E]

In either case, I assume it'll drive up the cost of games if they have to embed a chip on every game disc.
Even more of a reason to steer clear. $60 is already pushing it.

[bac0n]

In either case, I assume it'll drive up the cost of games if they have to embed a chip on every game disc.

And if the game manufacturers no longer have to compete with the second hand market, that'll drive up prices too. :(

[Skitch]

Bottom line: there's no way I could afford to be a gamer with out used games. NO way.

[SirNewt]

In either case, I assume it'll drive up the cost of games if they have to embed a chip on every game disc.

It almost certainly won't be a chip embedded in the disk. It will probably just be an NFC sticker in the box.

If this diagram represents the bulk of the patent this is definitely something that is too broad to warrant getting one.

[D_Davis]

It almost certainly won't be a chip embedded in the disk. It will probably just be an NFC sticker in the box.


Yep, and this tech is very cheap.

[Ezee E]

Played XCom forever last night. Strange that I feel bad for my soldiers.

[Yxklyx]

Played XCom forever last night. Strange that I feel bad for my soldiers.

Is it pretty much like the original? I've heard they removed some aspects, like Stunning. And your bases are never attacked?

[D_Davis]

Your base never gets attacked, but the game is hard enough without having to worry about that!

[Dukefrukem]

In either case, I assume it'll drive up the cost of games if they have to embed a chip on every game disc.

RFIDs are pennies. Like the discs they are printed on. In mass production the extra cost is null.

[D_Davis]

Let's say this RFID thing is to tie games to systems, then the consoles will just be even more like PCs. You can't loan the games you've purchased on Steam to other people, and you can't sell/buy digital downloads as used games. Games are tied to your Steam account, and from what I can gather from my glorious PC Overlords who remind me at every chance, PC gamers love Steam. This is the main reason why we have rarely, RARELY seen PC games for rent at stores.

So the more I think about it, the more I'm OK with it.

Worst case scenario is you have to pay the publishers an extra $5 to unlock the used game to use on your system. This will mean that stores like Gamestop will have to lower the already-too-high prices on their used games, and maybe more money on used sells will go back to the publishers and developers, and not into Gamestop's pockets.

[number8]

I didn't mean that RFID chips are expensive. I meant that it'd be costly to manufacture special discs that can have them embedded and still be read by an optical disk reader. I don't think the disc can still work if you just have it stuck on (NFC stickers are not flat), and if it's on the box, it'd defeat the whole purpose of why they want it in the first place.

[SirNewt]

I didn't mean that RFID chips are expensive. I meant that it'd be costly to manufacture special discs that can have them embedded and still be read by an optical disk reader. I don't think the disc can still work if you just have it stuck on (NFC stickers are not flat), and if it's on the box, it'd defeat the whole purpose of why they want it in the first place.

I don't mean an NFC sticker is on the disk (this may be possible) but that it comes inside the box with the disk perhaps on a card. The card is usable only once.

[D_Davis]

Any additional cost would be negligible because Sony would bulk order and have produced millions of discs at a time.

I doubt we'll see an increase in game prices next gen. If anything, I bet we see more lower priced games, or at least more tiers in which games are priced. We'll have the big $60 games still, but more stuff coming out at a variety of lower prices, both boxed and download.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Even more of a reason to steer clear. $60 is already pushing it.

Just a comment.

I remember when SNES games retailed for $60.

The fact that game prices have not gone up significantly in the past two decades, despite the advances in tech, the increased cost to produce, the much larger development teams...it's kind of insane that Batman the Animated Series and Arkham City cost the same amount of money.

[EyesWideOpen]

Video games have been cheaper in the last five years then any other time in its history.

[Sycophant]

At least the US doesn't pay Japan or Europe prices for new retail games. A lot of PS3 games release in Japan for about 8400 yen. Persona 4 Golden for PSVita retails for 7329 yen, which is about $84.

[Dukefrukem]

At least the US doesn't pay Japan or Europe prices for new retail games. A lot of PS3 games release in Japan for about 8400 yen. Persona 4 Golden for PSVita retails for 7329 yen, which is about $84.

This is a great point. Games in Aussie are almost double US prices.

Who knows what games are gonna cost in the next gen. All I know is I <3 steam.

[Skitch]

Yeah I remember spending $50+ for Perfect Dark N64. After the Panasonc 3DO took its first price drop (from about $799 to $425) I jumped aboard. It stopped being produced a few months later and became worthless. I'll never get hooked again.

[D_Davis]

Just a comment.

I remember when SNES games retailed for $60.

The fact that game prices have not gone up significantly in the past two decades, despite the advances in tech, the increased cost to produce, the much larger development teams...it's kind of insane that Batman the Animated Series and Arkham City cost the same amount of money.

If anything, games have gone down in price since the advent of retail video games. Atari 2600 games were $35-50, adjusted for inflation that's way more than what we pay now.

And yes, NES and SNES were $50, some more depending on RAM chips.

And with the added cost of production these days, $60 is actually a very, very good deal.

So basically, I'm just agreeing with everything you said because it's a true fact.

[megladon8]

N64 games retailed for $70-$80 back in the day.

I remember paying $74.99 for "Goldeneye 64".

[Morris Schæffer]

I remember when SNES games retailed for $60.

I paid a huge amount of green for Streetfighter 2 back in 1992. Or at least my parents did. I don't think they understood why I needed to have exactly that game.

[EyesWideOpen]

I made it about halfway through my replay of the original Paper Mario and was getting bored so I switched over to playing Kirby's Epic Yarn. Played about an hour and loving it so far. Very adorable.

[megladon8]

I never played the original "Paper Mario" but I loved "The Thousand Year Door".

I thought the GameCube was a great system.

[Skitch]

I just got annoyed with Warrior Within (even though I'm very close to finishing it) and switched to inFamous 2. So far so awesome!

[EyesWideOpen]

I never played the original "Paper Mario" but I loved "The Thousand Year Door".

I thought the GameCube was a great system.

Yeah The Thousand Year Door is a better game. I have Super Paper Mario which I've never played so once I finish with Kirby I'll play that one.

[SirNewt]

I've never made it far in the Paper Mario games. They looked really cool but the gameplay never grabbed me.

I did play through Mario RPG about a dozen times back in the 90s.

Oh, and a played a ways into Super Star Saga which seemed great.

[Dukefrukem]

Second Walking Dead video game commin' at ya

zt_DFmwxqJM#!

Good news. This was a fake (http://oneofswords.com/2013/01/walking-dead-survival-instinct-on-igns-up-at-noon/).

[EyesWideOpen]

Good news. This was a fake (http://oneofswords.com/2013/01/walking-dead-survival-instinct-on-igns-up-at-noon/).


The trailer was fake but the footage is all real footage that they showed on ign and then some fan made it into a trailer.

[megladon8]

"Syndicate" continues to be pretty darn cool.

I gather I am nearing the end of the campaign, and I've really enjoyed the world and the incredible amount of detail. Everything in this world (and in the game itself, as even its menus mimic the game's dystopian future world of commercialism and corporate espionage) is fully realized and made to look and feel like a shiny new technological gadget that takes one more step in bridging the gap between the real and the digital.

At the end of each level you receive scores on kills, headshots, successful "breaches" (hacking someone or something in the game), accuracy, etc. Even these ratings have cheeky names (if you do really well, reach the level of "CEO" or "Executive"), and under the scorecard it says "Are you hitting your targets?"

The voice cast and acting are great, with Rosario Dawson, Michael Wincott and Brian Cox playing the three lead roles.

The story is nonsensical and superfluous - an overly convoluted (yet paper thin) story of rival corporations sending high-tech cyborg agents to steal data from each other in the constant struggle to gain supremacy in the world of high-tech development.

The shooting feels fantastic, and each gun has an alternate fire function that's really well implemented. For example the standard assault rifle comes equipped with two scopes - the standard burst fire uses a red dot sight, and if you switch firing modes you tilt the gun 45 degrees to use the zoomable sniper scope, and it shoots single rounds.

Combining the shooting with the three main breaches leads to some neat tactical gameplay, and you really must be tactical here, because you get your ass handed to you if you just try to run-and-gun.

What really steals the show, though, is the world and its presentation. The sights, the sounds, it's all shiny and full of light bloom and visual distortions making it look hyper real (think a J.J. Abrams movie on steroids, with regards to the lighting).

It's a shame I can't play the co-op because apparently that's where the game really shines, combining a "Left 4 Dead" style of 4-player co-op with the tactical shooting of the gameplay.

Highly recommended to shooter fans!

[Winston*]

Getting a lot of extra enjoyment out of Saints Row 3 since I turned my character into a vampire.

[Acapelli]

Getting a lot of extra enjoyment out of Saints Row 3 since I turned my character into a vampire.
since making my character into jason statham and purchasing the ability to not die from falls, i've been recreating the ending to crank a lot

[Dukefrukem]

since making my character into jason statham and purchasing the ability to not die from falls, i've been recreating the ending to crank a lot

That's awesome.

[Dukefrukem]

oh and this is here.

Xi3, Valve Announce New Steam-Powered PC


The Half Life creators are finally ready to showcase their Steam-powered system, which is less than half the size of traditional gaming PCs.

Today Valve and hardware partner Xi3 announced they will showcase a new "development stage computer system" this week at CES. The press release didn't share the PC specifications, but it will be optimized for Big Picture mode and be housed in one of Xi3's modular systems like the one shown above (most likely with a different array of ports). This chassis is roughly the size of a grapefruit and is built to mount on the back of displays.

"Today marks the beginning of a new era for Xi3," said Xi3 CEO Jason A. Sullivan in a press release. "This new development stage product will allow users to take full-advantage of their large high-definition TV displays for an amazing computer game experience. As a result, this new system could provide access to thousands of gaming titles through an integrated system that exceeds the capabilities of leading game consoles, but can fit in the palm of your hand."

[Dukefrukem]

Update: Can it actually fit in the palm of your hand? :eek: Engadget and everyone else are going hands-on at CES.

[Dukefrukem]

STEAM BOX!

http://hothardware.com/newsimages/Item24024/Piston.jpg
http://hothardware.com/newsimages/Item24024/Piston_IO.jpg
http://hothardware.com/newsimages/Item24024/Piston_Open.jpg