Video Games...Discuss Them

[megladon8]

Transistor is fun to play and looks gorgeous but I find the narration a little obnoxious.

[D_Davis]

Did you play Bastian?

[megladon8]

Yeah I loved it. Don't know why I find the narration grating in this one, but I do.

[D_Davis]

Just curious.

I haven't played Transistor, yet.

[megladon8]

It's very cool. Great strategy to the combat, and you really have to figure it all out by yourself which I appreciate as well.

[EyesWideOpen]

I didn't care for Tropical Freeze it was just way too difficult. I finished my replay of the original Donkey Kong Country and it's definitely got it's share of frustrating moments. I died probably 50 or so times just from where something from off screen will appear on screen and hit you with no way to know it's coming other then trial and error. It's definitely not as awesome as I remember but I still enjoyed replaying it. I'm going to move on to DKC2 next.

So I finished up DKC2 and it's an improvement on the first one in level design, character movement and graphics but it still doesn't hold up as well as I remember as a kid. I also forgot how difficult these games are. I complained about Tropical Freeze and Returns difficulty level because I thought they were adding challenge that wasn't in the original trilogy but I was wrong. I think I'll take a DKC break before playing the third one.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Duke, did you play Banished? Cities: Skylines has me thinking about it. Probably my favorite city builder ever (if Roller Coaster Tycoon and Prison Architect don't count), brutally hard at first, but also lacking in late-game goals. Definitely an oversight when putting together my 2014 list.

[Dukefrukem]

Duke, did you play Banished? Cities: Skylines has me thinking about it. Probably my favorite city builder ever (if Roller Coaster Tycoon and Prison Architect don't count), brutally hard at first, but also lacking in late-game goals. Definitely an oversight when putting together my 2014 list.

I bought it last week but never got around to playing it. I'm obsessed with SKylines right now.

[Morris Schæffer]

Came here to check if there was any interest in Ori and The Blind Forest. It's pc and xbox one, which I don't have myself, but the launch trailer was achingly beautiful. Packs a huge challenge too supposedly.


http://youtu.be/Yjc-u8oCYmY

[megladon8]

Decided to play a couple of my unplayed PS3 games while I wait for Bloodborne. Tried Resistance 3 again and it still doesn't work.

So now I am playing Killzone 2. It's so weird with this series - they have all the ingredients for a good shooter series (gunplay is solid, great weapons, strong AI, interesting level design, beautiful visuals and great sound) but they are just missing...something.

[Dukefrukem]

Damn. Found a confirmed bug in Skylines that's basically halting the growth of my city. They need to patch it asap.

[Idioteque Stalker]

What? Traffic is my bottleneck, but it could totally be poor design.

[Dukefrukem]

What? Traffic is my bottleneck, but it could totally be poor design.

It has to do with the number parks you have in your city and your commercial zones. The park bug overestimates tourists who in turn buy from commercial property. It drops the commercial demand to zero while keeping industrial high. So you build industrial thinking the commercial zones will buy their products. They don't, because there's way more industrial zones than commercial and industrial suffers, which trickles down to tons of abandoned buildings and lowers property values etc etc.

There's a workaround by custom building different sized parks, but it's a huge pain in the ass for me considering I have close to 70 parks in my city. Check out some screenshots of my city here if you're interested. http://steamcommunity.com/id/Dukefrukem/screenshots/

http://www.reddit.com/r/CitiesSkylines/comments/2yytum/commercial_demand_bug_workarou nd/

http://steamcommunity.com/app/255710/discussions/0/610575007210860507/?insideModal=1

http://steamcommunity.com/app/255710/discussions/0/610575007214104109/?insideModal=1

[D_Davis]

La Mulana EX for Vita is damn good. Very challenging and cryptic.

[Scar]

This one's for Spun. My apologies for the lame 'commentary'.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbtfYVQmg88

[megladon8]

I thought I read the video title as "erotic fatality" and my interest in the game shot through the roof.

[Ezee E]

Are these fatalities easy to do? I remember the old ones were annoying to pull off. Like L-L-R-Up-R-KICK and PUNCH.

[Dukefrukem]

Are these fatalities easy to do? I remember the old ones were annoying to pull off. Like L-L-R-Up-R-KICK and PUNCH.

Yeh they were. I remember only playing scorpion because his was easy.

[Winston*]

There was the one button fatalities cheat tho.

[Ezee E]

There was the one button fatalities cheat tho.

I only knew the A B A C A B B code.

[bac0n]

Most of them are relatively easy to do if you practice a little, aka down-down-back-back-punch. The equivalent, I would say, of doing two special moves.

[Spun Lepton]

You also aren't required to memorize the special moves anymore, either. They're all readily available in the pause menu.

[number8]

Woah. Woah.

Nintendo teaming up with mobile gaming company DeNA to make smartphone games. This is huge.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/17/8230477/nintendo-dena-mobile-games-announcement

[D_Davis]

Looks like you're having trouble rescuing the princess.

Purchase the 1-UP! Pack for only $5.99.
Includes: 3 extra men, 5 mushrooms, 5, Fireball Plants, and 5 Tanuki Suits!

For only $3.00 more add 10 Golden Tanuki Suits!

BEST DEAL! BE a REAL MARIO BRO!
$99.99, unlimited extra men, and 100 Golden Tanuki Suites!

[D_Davis]

http://i.imgur.com/PrbBslJ.jpg

[Dukefrukem]

Yeh this a legendary move- Nintendo is notorious for not partnering with anyone on anything.

[Spun Lepton]

This one's for Spun. My apologies for the lame 'commentary'.

Holy shit. This game can't come out soon enough.

[megladon8]

Anyone have any ideas why I am having so much trouble connecting to the Playstation Store on my PS3?

I can get on just fine with my PS4, and on the PS3 I'm connected to the network, can see the sales and ads on the main page, but when I try to enter the store it just sits on the loading screen forever and never actually makes its way there.

[Ezee E]

Anyone have any ideas why I am having so much trouble connecting to the Playstation Store on my PS3?

I can get on just fine with my PS4, and on the PS3 I'm connected to the network, can see the sales and ads on the main page, but when I try to enter the store it just sits on the loading screen forever and never actually makes its way there.

I've been having that on my PS4, despite connecting every game just fine.

[Dukefrukem]

Hmmm.

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/31862908803061050/4B934BDEE0DCF90F141D09A767F3BD F4CF4D2D77/

[number8]

South Park: Stick of Truth's price on PSN dropped to $4.99. That's a hell of a bargain.

[Scar]

South Park: Stick of Truth's price on PSN dropped to $4.99. That's a hell of a bargain.

I concur. Ridculously hilarious and fun.

[Dukefrukem]

Holy shit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MD2R_P-p8I

[D_Davis]

I have a feeling that FFXV is going to be awesome.

[Spun Lepton]

That's the first footage from the game that piqued my interest.

[number8]

That seems a bit excessive.

[D_Davis]

Yeah, because usually FF games are so modest!

[Dukefrukem]

That seems a bit excessive.

Some of the older FF games, you can cast a summon called Knights of the Round- You can attach a special materia to it that makes it run 4 times, then you can mimic it to run 4 more times. The spell takes over 10 minutes to complete. So fun.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZOb7is19Lg

[Scar]

I'm having flashbacks to Chocobo breeding.

http://cloud-4.steamusercontent.com/ugc/920144122917907757/A45FEDBC3EA27DAB990A482BD9714B 9AA612DE54/

[Dukefrukem]

God I spent so many hours on that game. Fuck I spent so many hours breeding Chocobos. I remember seeing that if you beat Ruby Weapon, it gave you a Gold Chocobos. Which looking back at it, was a pointless feat. Because, if I recall correctly, you bred Chocobos to get a gold Chocobo- which allows you to walk on water and reach the island to get Knights of the Round. But the only time I beat Ruby Weapon was with Knights of the Round. Such a hard reward.

[Scar]

And you needed Final Attack Materia junctioned with Phoenix to beat Emerald Weapon, who was no slouch, but Ruby was the bad ass of the game. Beat Ruby, and you could phone in Sephiroth.

[D_Davis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP4u-Zna8m4

[EyesWideOpen]

Glad I decided to pick up Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition when it was on sale a little while ago. I had played the vanilla Guacamelee back when it came out and I got stuck on a boss and never went back to it. It's a really fun Metroidvania style platformer with great graphics and style.

[D_Davis]

Damn. MS canceled the Phantom Dust reboot.

That was the only thing I was interested in on the XBone.

[bac0n]

Damn. MS canceled the Phantom Dust reboot.

That was the only thing I was interested in on the XBone.

Look on the bright side. You just saved yourself about 350 bucks.

[D_Davis]

Look on the bright side. You just saved yourself about 350 bucks.

Yeah, that's true.

But Phantom Dust! That was a top 5 XBox game. So good and original.

[Spun Lepton]

Apparently, if you a quit an online game mid-fight in MKX, your character's head explodes and your opponent wins with a "Quitality."

heh ...

[Spun Lepton]

I'm returning the favor, Scar. Yowch.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2k67Z92cwqc

[Scar]

'Tis but a flesh wound.

[Stay Puft]

Damn. MS canceled the Phantom Dust reboot.

That was the only thing I was interested in on the XBone.

They didn't cancel it. The footage that was leaked today is from the same build that we saw a few weeks ago, when we first found out the studio was closing. Microsoft is partnering with an outside studio to work on the game, like they did with Double Helix for Killer Instinct. Microsoft, for whatever reason, decided to finish the work with another studio.

[D_Davis]

That's what I had heard before, but the news around today is that it's canceled for good. That'd be sweet if it was still on.

[Stay Puft]

It's just being poorly reported, because technically this version of Phantom Dust would be cancelled, that seems to be true. But the project is still in development, that has been confirmed repeatedly. The developer who spoke anonymously to Kotaku today even said that it felt like a slap in the face to be suddenly told that the game will be finished somewhere else.

We don't actually know for sure what is happening so speculation is running rampant, but it does sound like Microsoft decided to move the project in a substantively different direction and had another studio lined up that better suited that vision. I've seen some people suggest it may even be retooled as a cross-platform title to put it in step with the recent unified ecosystem push Microsoft has going with Windows 10. That would make sense to me; it could be their Hearthstone or something.

[Spun Lepton]

Predator confirmed for MKX. Likely in the "Kombat Pack." Rumors are swirling that Spawn will also be in the pack.

[bac0n]

I wonder if Predator will be 10x as fast as the rest of the Kombatants, like he is in the movies.

[Dukefrukem]

So Sony is about to announce a HD-remake of God of War III on PS4. Wut?

[megladon8]

Yeah why did they choose the weakest game in the series to remaster?

[Spun Lepton]

I wonder if Predator will be 10x as fast as the rest of the Kombatants, like he is in the movies.

$5 says he has a self-destruct fatality.

[Scar]

$5 says he has a self-destruct fatality.

Gotta have a total spine and skull rip out fatality.

[Sven]

Downloaded Abe's Odyssey and promptly surrendered. It's one of those goddamn annoying games that requires a fluency not just with the clumsy controls one must finely finagle, but with the impossible world functionality and hidden passages that one would only be able to find if one played the game for hours and hours and hours and hours.

No thanks. Anybody have any good PSN recommendations? I love action platformers and puzzle games, mostly.

[Dukefrukem]

Downloaded Abe's Odyssey and promptly surrendered. It's one of those goddamn annoying games that requires a fluency not just with the clumsy controls one must finely finagle, but with the impossible world functionality and hidden passages that one would only be able to find if one played the game for hours and hours and hours and hours.

No thanks. Anybody have any good PSN recommendations? I love action platformers and puzzle games, mostly.

Limbo

[Scar]

Limbo

This.

[Sven]

Cool. I'll get it. It's about time.

I just downloaded Tokyo Jungle for .90. So far it's super fun.

[Spun Lepton]

Is there a consensus on Hotline Miami 2? The first one made me feel all weird and icky, but I played it like crazy. Ending made no sense, either.

[bac0n]

Looks like two more DLC characters are making an appearance in MKX in addition to Jason & Predator, neither of which I have heard of before, and neither of which I really give a shit about. First is what looks to be some Mileena also-ran named Tanya, and the next is another ninja, Tremor, who wears brown and has earth-based attacks. Meh. I want Smoke.

[Spun Lepton]

Looks like two more DLC characters are making an appearance in MKX in addition to Jason & Predator, neither of which I have heard of before, and neither of which I really give a shit about. First is what looks to be some Mileena also-ran named Tanya, and the next is another ninja, Tremor, who wears brown and has earth-based attacks. Meh. I want Smoke.

Tremor is fan-service. A lot of MK fans wanted to see him return. He's the only returning character I don't recognize so far from the roster, so he must've been in one of the very few MK games that I never played. Tanya was created for MK4 and was OK. She was little more than a combination of Sonya and Mileena. They made the right decision to put her in a DLC. She was in the background during MK9. To see her, you needed to play Kitana and get to Shao Khan's arena. Tanya would be chained up in the background in the spot where Kitana usually stood.

[Spun Lepton]

Don't look D! Posting the day 1 DLC "Kombat Pack" trailer in case bac0n and Scar wanted to see Predator.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sHcPIBcxFpY

[D_Davis]

Back in the day all those extra characters would have been unlocked while playing the game.

[Dukefrukem]

Back in the day all those extra characters would have been unlocked while playing the game.

Back in the day, you would only have 15 characters to choose from. We have 27 now not including Predator and Jason.

[Morris Schæffer]

Finished Alien Isolation. Genuinely amazing, not only because the past has been so vile to his particular franchise. I think it got a bit repetitive and tiresome towards the end as every objective completed is met with a new one and so it could perhaps have been a bit shorter. I would have to say that on Hard this was a surprisingly "possible" game which is to say that frustration was kept at bay. Dunno what some of those reviews were blabbing about.

Now on to...Resident Evil 6.

[EyesWideOpen]

Redboxed and platinumed The Order: 1886 over the weekend. I like story driven single player experiences so I figured I'd give it a shot even with the mediocre reviews. The core gameplay is decent and it looks amazing my main problem is this is a game built around it's story and the actual plot of the game isn't very good (although to be fair it picks up about 2/3 of the way in once you're introduced to the rebel leader). The characters are for the most part uninteresting and it's got one of my least favorite story devices where almost all the drama in the story could be solved by one of the characters saying one sentence to the other one. The collectibles are lame and consist of items that you examine (which have no interesting or story reason for you do so), newspapers or pictures that you can examine (which again serve almost no interest to you), and audiologs which unlike pretty much every other game that has them you can't listen to them as you play you have to go into a seperate menu and stare at the screen while listening to them (they are boring anyways).

I don't regret the playthrough especially since I only paid $6 to play through it but yeah not worth even the $40 it's on sale for at the moment.

[Dukefrukem]

Now on to...Resident Evil 6.

Prepare for suckage.

[megladon8]

Is it even worth checking out, Duke?

Like if I had the opportunity to play RE6 for free should I bother or is it not even worth the time?

[Dukefrukem]

It depends on how big a of Resident Evil fan you are I suppose. The writing is so incredibly fucking stupid and the dialog reeks - brings you back to the terrible translation days of RE1. Not one of the campaigns make any sense or has any logic to them and you fight the same enemy over and over over. The campaigns pretend to "cross over" each other but it's really just running into the other characters at random times during random cut scenes. And that's the other thing... the cut scenes are soooooooooooooooooooooo long and you can't skip them. Add in the quick time events and you throw your hands up in the air.

I'd recommend playing either of the Resident Evil Revelations games over Resident Evil 6.

Also, Resident Evil 5 is getting steamworks soon, so there's another decent RE game to play on PC.

edit: Here's the review I published to steam:


Resident Evil 6 is not a Resident Evil game. The story travels so far off the tracks that this franchise is hard to save at this point. T-Virus, G-Virus and now the C- Virus, six hundred different kinds of enemies and over the top cut scenes that make the action in the Paul WS Anderson movies look tame. Subplots make little to no sense. Nothing is explained. Villains are just there because the world needs villains. As for gameplay, the co-op element as fine. I'm OK with that existing but why the overuse of cutscenes while your partner opens a door? Or pulls a lever? Is this game trying to compete with Metal Gear Solid IV? Let us play Capcom! I cannot even recommend this game for the co-op and I definitely would not recommend playing this game solo. Why does the game need to spell out the objective for us? Or where the entrance to the next area is? This is the same developer that gave us Resident Evil, a huge mansion to explore and solve puzzles and this is the best they can do in 2012? Capcom should do us all a favor and reboot the series, start from the ground up because seriously, I couldn't give a ♥♥♥♥ you're so desperate to connect the franchise together you feel the need to make Sherry Birkin a playable character.

[Scar]

I didn't like RE5, yet I played it and played it and played it and played it. With that said, I gave up on RE6 after a couple hours.

[Morris Schæffer]

Prepare for suckage.

I keep being enthralled by the action-packed launch trailer and the reviews which are saying there's strategy to the action, it's not a mere shootem-up supposedly. Graphics look great still and I was already a fan of the fifth one, generally considered the moment when the franchise lost its footing by abandoning its roots.

how bad can it be?

edit: from the way you describe it there seem to be some bad calls such as the inability to skip cut scenes, especially given their apparent longevity.

That said, i'm long done with the overarching story on this franchise while bad dialogue is something I can easily tolerate since it has nothing to do with gameplay.

Nor do I mind the game spelling things out for me if the action inbetween is thrilling and well paced. Moreover, this is backlog for me and so i'm open to a quick, straightforward, "show-me-the-way" kinda experience.

perhaps I just need a game where I can fire lots of guns without getting punished for it after Alien Isolation. :)

[Dukefrukem]

I keep being enthralled by the action-packed launch trailer and the reviews which are saying there's strategy to the action, it's not a mere shootem-up supposedly. Graphics look great still and I was already a fan of the fifth one, generally considered the moment when the franchise lost its footing by abandoning its roots.

how bad can it be?

edit: from the way you describe it there seem to be some bad calls such as the inability to skip cut scenes, especially given their apparent longevity.

That said, i'm long done with the overarching story on this franchise while bad dialogue is something I can easily tolerate since it has nothing to do with gameplay.

Nor do I mind the game spelling things out for me if the action inbetween is thrilling and well paced. Moreover, this is backlog for me and so i'm open to a quick, straightforward, "show-me-the-way" kinda experience.

perhaps I just need a game where I can fire lots of guns without getting punished for it after Alien Isolation. :)

Just watch 30 seconds of one any of the videos I uploaded.....


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG40hHepR_0

[Dukefrukem]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdqI3tJnHC0

[Spun Lepton]

Just watch 30 seconds of one any of the videos I uploaded.....

"Kill them!" Literally three seconds later, the very same guy, "No! Stop! They are still of use to us!"

WHAAAAT?! Did somebody with Alzheimer's write the script?

[D_Davis]

Anyone play Infernal Runner on the C64? Man, I used to love this game.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmlTiuWI1Ts

[Dukefrukem]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpfytI2K7-I

[Ezee E]

Incredible.

[Morris Schæffer]

"Kill them!" Literally three seconds later, the very same guy, "No! Stop! They are still of use to us!"

WHAAAAT?! Did somebody with Alzheimer's write the script?

Depends on how they might be of use. What? Videogame characters can't make the wrong call the first time? Makes sense he would contradict himself 3 seconds later rather than three hours later. :p

[Sven]

Excited 'bout that Batman.

[number8]

That Gordon... It doesn't sound like David Kaye's voice. Is that... Is that Bryan Cranston?

[megladon8]

I actually thought the voice for Gordon in that video was pretty awful.

[Dukefrukem]

It sound more like Mike from Breaking Bad.

[Morris Schæffer]

I have started Resident Evil 6. What bugs me the most during the first hour are the graphics. Dark, murky, chunky textures. Perhaps I shouldn't bother and play Castlevania: Lords of Shadow instead.

But I'll persevere for a little longer, wouldn't be fair to Capcom if I simply took Duke's word for it. :D

[Dukefrukem]

Where are you in the game? I remember almost nothing happening for like the first 60 minutes.... such a boring introduction.

[Morris Schæffer]

Where are you in the game? I remember almost nothing happening for like the first 60 minutes.... such a boring introduction.

In a city, a school there was a big explosion cars flying through the air.

[Dukefrukem]

In a city, a school there was a big explosion cars flying through the air.

Oh that's the quentin tarantino tutorial/opening that you'll eventually get to later in the game. i'm talking about when you actually start playing? Have you made it past that yet?

[Morris Schæffer]

Oh that's the quentin tarantino tutorial/opening that you'll eventually get to later in the game. i'm talking about when you actually start playing? Have you made it past that yet?

I recall that bit ending yes. Then i was supposed to find this dude's daughter and she turned in the elevator. I have to open a gate now by going into an adjacent maintenance building and find a keycard.

[EyesWideOpen]

I think I'm going to start waiting on the Telltale episodic stuff until all the episodes are out. I really enjoy their games but the 2 months in between episodes makes it really hard for me to remember characters and the way I've been interacting with them which in a game where decisions are key is frustrating and I end up replaying through them again when the last chapter releases anyways.

[bac0n]

Wow, MKX's release must be getting close. Spun Lepton & I's trashtalking vis a vis txt messaging has reached a pretty feverish pitch.

[Spun Lepton]

Wow, MKX's release must be getting close. Spun Lepton & I's trashtalking vis a vis txt messaging has reached a pretty feverish pitch.

How dare you, sir. You have offended my gentlemanly honor. Prepare to settle our disagreements in battle. I shall remove your intestines forthwith.

[megladon8]

So the director of FF15 has said it has an all male cast in order to make the game "more approachable".

I forgot that we lived in 1932.

[Spun Lepton]

So the director of FF15 has said it has an all male cast in order to make the game "more approachable".

I forgot that we lived in 1932.

I love Japan, but they are incredibly sexist there. This surprises me not one bit.

Disclaimer: I'm sure not everybody in Japan is sexist.

[Winston*]

So the director of FF15 has said it has an all male cast in order to make the game "more approachable".

I read that as FIFA 2015 and was confused.

[D_Davis]

So the director of FF15 has said it has an all male cast in order to make the game "more approachable".

I forgot that we lived in 1932.

But who will be bestu waifu desu?

[megladon8]

Oh D_Davis, you are so kawaii!!!

[Spun Lepton]

Netherrealm released a trailer for a new character that I suspect will appeal to Scar quite a bit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPGj1o2LLTk

[Gittes]

2015 was looking like one of the best years for video games since 1998 (i.e., the release of Ocarina of Time, Half-Life, Metal Gear Solid, etc.) but now Uncharted 4 and the next Zelda have been delayed until 2016. Some folks are speculating that the latter title might get the Twilight Princess treatment (i.e., released on new hardware as well as the previous console). This is for the best, though. Both of those games seemed pretty far along already so I'm excited to see how polished they'll turn out with the benefit of even more development time.

Unless E3 brings some really major surprises, I'll be holding off on a PS4 until the inevitable Uncharted 4 bundle, and the only games I'll be buying for the Wii U this year will be Splatoon (perhaps) and Yoshi's Woolly World​.

[Dukefrukem]

2015 was looking like one of the best years for video games since 1998.

It was???
:confused:

[EyesWideOpen]

I picked up the Borderlands PS4 collection since I had some coupons that made it less than $30. I'm a couple hours into BL2 and it looks great. I used Axton (Commando) when I played through it on 360 so I chose Gaige (Mechromancer) on this playthrough and I really like her. Checking out her skill tree it looks like she has some cool options later on.

[Ezee E]

The only games I'm really looking forward to are Until Dawn and Everyone's Gone to the Rapture.

[Morris Schæffer]

I gave Spelunky on XBLA a try. I was actually quite into into, but it seems that whenever you screw around too much, a big old ghost appears that chases you around the level. I'm not sure this adds anything beyond needless agravation. This is, after all, a game of exploration with some puzzle solving first and foremost so why the need to penalize the player for taking his time is beyond me.

I'm not sure I'm gonna return to it. There have been numerous wonderful XBLA games I'm sure, some of which I feel lucky to have played, but each time I find myself drawing the same conclusion: It never quite grabs me like a great blockbuster can.

Moments after Spelunky, I booted up Destiny for the very first time and I'm considerably more engaged. The story's bad seems to be a recurring theme in the reviews, but I'm grateful for the sparsity of it all as it allows me to fill in the blanks myself. It makes traversing all the lands mysterious, intriguing, never quite sure what I'm gonna stumble on.

I recall quite a bit of discussion on that game in this thread and for the longest time I was puzzled as to what Destiny was. A SP game with elements of MP or the other way around? Certainly, I'm playing by myself now and I suppose I could complete the entire game by never interacting with anyone else. But is that true? Or is it implied that the only way to beat certain areas is to band together with others?

What if there aren't others in a particular area? Do I return at a later date hoping that other players will have joined the fray?

Or do I simply grind it up, leveling up my stats, returning to tough areas at a later time? Which begs the question of what the point is of being able to form parties with others beyond "it's cooler to defeat something together."

That said, I'm eager to return to it later today or tomorrow and that's a great feeling to have with videogames.

[Dukefrukem]

I recall quite a bit of discussion on that game in this thread and for the longest time I was puzzled as to what Destiny was. A SP game with elements of MP or the other way around? Certainly, I'm playing by myself now and I suppose I could complete the entire game by never interacting with anyone else. But is that true? Or is it implied that the only way to beat certain areas is to band together with others?

What if there aren't others in a particular area? Do I return at a later date hoping that other players will have joined the fray?

Or do I simply grind it up, leveling up my stats, returning to tough areas at a later time? Which begs the question of what the point is of being able to form parties with others beyond "it's cooler to defeat something together."

That said, I'm eager to return to it later today or tomorrow and that's a great feeling to have with videogames.

The game forces you to play certain strikes with other players via matchmaking or if you're already in a party. So it's impossible to beat the game without having played with at least other 1 person. (Thinking back on it, I'm trying to remember if some of the strikes are mandatory or not)

[Scar]

Strikes are not mandatory. The 'story' can be done totally solo.

[Scar]

Also, I think you need PS+ to access most, if not all of the strikes, raids, and PvP.

[EyesWideOpen]

Just traded some Amiibos for an Xbox One. It'll be good to have access to all 3 systems since the Xbox still has some exclusive stuff I'm interested in playing (D4, Ori and the Blind Forest, Ryse, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, Sunset Overdrive and the upcoming stuff Quantum Break, Cuphead, Inside, Rise of the Tomb Raider).

[Morris Schæffer]

Strikes are not mandatory. The 'story' can be done totally solo.

But the strikes themselves are only MP in nature? From what I've read, they deliver some of the biggest woah and fuck yeah! moments in the entire game, so I don't wanna miss out. I have PS+.

How are the strikes started? Does the game initiate this? Do I have to go in some kind of lobby? Will I know when they're available? Choosable?

[Dukefrukem]

But the strikes themselves are only MP in nature? From what I've read, they deliver some of the biggest woah and fuck yeah! moments in the entire game, so I don't wanna miss out. I have PS+.

How are the strikes started? Does the game initiate this? Do I have to go in some kind of lobby? Will I know when they're available? Choosable?

They'll show up on your planetary map and you just select them and launch it. It will take you straight into matchmaking.

[Ezee E]

The level design of the first Raid in Destiny is possibly the best that I've ever seen since the Super Mario Bros 64 days.

Crota's Raid matches that for a few moments such as the initial beginning and the run through the darkness. Afterwards, it mellows down a bit.

Looking forward to the next DLC.

[Dukefrukem]

I haven't played Destiny since October. I keep telling myself to wait Until Dec 2015, but I probably won't play again.

[Scar]

I haven't played Destiny since October. I keep telling myself to wait Until Dec 2015, but I probably won't play again.

I'm almost level 32, but I think I finally hit the wall. I think I'm done grinding in that one. I've got several exotics, I'd like to get an exotic chest piece, but I don't feel like putting anymore time in it right. What time I have will go into Bloodborne.

[Ezee E]

I'm almost level 32, but I think I finally hit the wall. I think I'm done grinding in that one. I've got several exotics, I'd like to get an exotic chest piece, but I don't feel like putting anymore time in it right. What time I have will go into Bloodborne.

Yeah, I have the bounty to get the Bad Juju, but figure I should just wait for House of Wolves, ready to come out very soon.

[Dukefrukem]

Yeah, I have the bounty to get the Bad Juju, but figure I should just wait for House of Wolves, ready to come out very soon.

Don't bother. That's the worst exotic gun you can get.

[Scar]

Don't bother. That's the worst exotic gun you can get.

Not even close. Its ridiculously fun in PvE.

[Ezee E]

I also have the Crota Autorifle that evolves into an exotic after completing enough Crota bounties... which is a TON.

[Gittes]

Just traded some Amiibos for an Xbox One. It'll be good to have access to all 3 systems since the Xbox still has some exclusive stuff I'm interested in playing (D4, Ori and the Blind Forest, Ryse, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood, Sunset Overdrive and the upcoming stuff Quantum Break, Cuphead, Inside, Rise of the Tomb Raider).

Cool. I'm not sure if you're a fan of Rareware, but people inside and outside of the company have really been hyping up their next project. It's something that longtime Rareware fans are going to appreciate, apparently (which is notable because said fans haven't really been appreciative of their recent, Kinect intensive output). If it's as good as they're saying, then I might get interested in picking up the console.

[Stay Puft]

Cool. I'm not sure if you're a fan of Rareware, but people inside and outside of the company have really been hyping up their next project. It's something that longtime Rareware fans are going to appreciate, apparently (which is notable because said fans haven't really been appreciative of their recent, Kinect intensive output). If it's as good as they're saying, then I might get interested in picking up the console.

Also, Rare fans need to keep their eyes on Project Ukulele. It's a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie developed by many of the former BK Rare staff (and including music from no less than THREE of Rare's former composers, including BK composer himself, Grant Kirkhope). There's going to be kickstarter for it next month that will probably focus on getting it on the Wii U (lead platform is PC since they're an indie studio). This is probably my most anticipated game at the moment.

[Gittes]

Also, Rare fans need to keep their eyes on Project Ukulele. It's a spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie developed by many of the former BK Rare staff (and including music from no less than THREE of Rare's former composers, including BK composer himself, Grant Kirkhope). There's going to be kickstarter for it next month that will probably focus on getting it on the Wii U (lead platform is PC since they're an indie studio). This is probably my most anticipated game at the moment.

Right. Definitely looking forward to this as well, given the pedigree of those involved.

[EyesWideOpen]

Big fan of Rare. Love their N64 stuff and Viva Pinata is one of my favorite games ever.

[Gittes]

Viva Piñata is one of the prettiest games I've come across, but I never got the chance to put a lot of time into it. Rare's N64 output is, of course, legendary. I also enjoyed Kameo a lot, which is the game I picked up back when I first bought a 360.

[Skitch]

Duke please don't post anymore Arkham Knight videos. I can't afford a PS4 and crying with erect nipples is uncomfortable.

[D_Davis]

I just realized that my Gamefaqs account is probably older than at least 1/2 of the people that post there.

#justmiddleagethings

[Dukefrukem]

Duke please don't post anymore Arkham Knight videos. I can't afford a PS4 and crying with erect nipples is uncomfortable.

Heh. It's definitely going to be GOTY in 2015.

[D_Davis]

Who's GOTY?

I always forget which GOTY is the official one.

[Sycophant]

I gave Spelunky on XBLA a try. I was actually quite into into, but it seems that whenever you screw around too much, a big old ghost appears that chases you around the level. I'm not sure this adds anything beyond needless agravation. This is, after all, a game of exploration with some puzzle solving first and foremost so why the need to penalize the player for taking his time is beyond me.

I'm not sure I'm gonna return to it. There have been numerous wonderful XBLA games I'm sure, some of which I feel lucky to have played, but each time I find myself drawing the same conclusion: It never quite grabs me like a great blockbuster can.

Obv Spelunky isn't really your thing and that's cool. Most major studio games leave me utterly cold, so different strokes. But the game is definitely not primarily a game of exploration. It's about getting as far as you can and getting as high a score as possible while you do it. But I say this as a Spelunky superfan who does the daily challenges and has put in nearly 300 hours in the past 18 months, so y'know.

[Gittes]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CBi3JJpUAAIzTw6.jpg

This is coming out in the fall for NA. June for EU. Too bad. This is the only game I'm pretty much guaranteed to buy this year and I would have preferred it a bit earlier. I think Nintendo will unveil another big holiday title at E3, though.

[Morris Schæffer]

Obv Spelunky isn't really your thing and that's cool. Most major studio games leave me utterly cold, so different strokes. But the game is definitely not primarily a game of exploration. It's about getting as far as you can and getting as high a score as possible while you do it. But I say this as a Spelunky superfan who does the daily challenges and has put in nearly 300 hours in the past 18 months, so y'know.

right except I don't see the addition of the ghost chasing you adding anything meaningful. Without said enemy it could still be about getting as far as you can with the highest score possible. I'll grant that exploration is not the right word given that most loot is in plain sight.

[Dukefrukem]

And with the most predictable news of the year, Quantum Break slips to 2016.

[Sven]

So, I got Shadow of Mordor. It's fun I guess, but I am even more resolved to return it because WHY DON'T YOU ALLOW ME TO INVERT THE CAMERA CONTROLS??

It's a super easy mechanic to program. There's no reason beyond intentionally frustrating your players to disallow inversion.

[Spun Lepton]

13 days until bac0n gets his butt whupped.

[megladon8]

So, I got Shadow of Mordor. It's fun I guess, but I am even more resolved to return it because WHY DON'T YOU ALLOW ME TO INVERT THE CAMERA CONTROLS??

It's a super easy mechanic to program. There's no reason beyond intentionally frustrating your players to disallow inversion.

What system? I played it on PS4 and didn't have this issue. I always play inverted.

[EyesWideOpen]

More games need to not allow inverted controls then maybe you guys will learn to play the correct way.

[megladon8]

Nah inverted mimics the way your head moves. Much more natural.

[Scar]

What system? I played it on PS4 and didn't have this issue. I always play inverted.

I also seem to recall that you can invert the controls on the PS4.

[Scar]

Oh, and I only play inverted on flying games.

[Gittes]

I recently completed Super Mario 3D World. Well, mostly. I beat Bowser and, I must say, that final battle is very well put together. It's not especially difficult, but there's so much to admire: the sustained sense of momentum and verticality, the dramatic intensity, the sheer dynamism of the whole event as you inch upward. It's so impressive.

Other thoughts: I really loved the ghost levels in this game. They're accompanied by this strikingly lugubrious piece of music, which is immediately arresting and sets such a great mood (it's not quite the type of music I would have expected, but that's part of its appeal and distinction). Thanks to the music, the ghost levels in these games aren't just cute and spooky, but also vaguely plaintive.

When I say I "mostly" beat the game, I mean that I collected all the stars and stamps, and I also got every gold flag, but that unlocks an extra final world. In that world lies what many believe is something like the platonic ideal of a challenging Mario platforming level: "Champion's Road." I tried it a few times, recognized how ludicrously difficult and deviously designed it was, and then decided to give the game a rest. I just know it would be one of those levels that would require incessant attempts, and I just didn't feel up to spending however many nights waging a battle of attrition against this last obstacle. Maybe that's symptomatic of the fact that I had already earned a sense of accomplishment from the game at that point and felt ready to move on. I may return to it and beat it one day.

[Sven]

You can invert up and down, but not left to right. Also, "correct way" comments are aggravating. We cannot all conform to your biological specification of "looking". Camera manipulation is not an element of gameplay. It is to clarify for the player, and when that clarity functions like games where poison mushrooms make all the controls go backward, things are amiss. There is no reason, NO REASON, not to include inverting.

[EyesWideOpen]

You can invert up and down, but not left to right. Also, "correct way" comments are aggravating. We cannot all conform to your biological specification of "looking". Camera manipulation is not an element of gameplay. It is to clarify for the player, and when that clarity functions like games where poison mushrooms make all the controls go backward, things are amiss. There is no reason, NO REASON, not to include inverting.

I though it was obvious I was joking.

[Sven]

I though it was obvious I was joking.

Noice. For some reason, though, I remember you espousing that opinion earlier in the thread. It's totally possible that that, too, was a joke. Sometimes I'm bad with jokes.

[Spun Lepton]

Noice. For some reason, though, I --

NOICE!!

[EyesWideOpen]

Noice. For some reason, though, I remember you espousing that opinion earlier in the thread. It's totally possible that that, too, was a joke. Sometimes I'm bad with jokes.

Sometimes jokes are hard to tell over the internet but yeah whenever someone tells me they have to invert the controls I give them a hard time but if someone seriously thinks there is a wrong way to have the controls then they have issues.

[EyesWideOpen]

First thoughts on my Xbox One since I hooked it up and messed around with it a bit last night. The controller is a step down from the PS4 and Wii U Pro controllers. The buttons are way too clicky and it just doesn't feel as nice as the 360 controller did. Not bad just definitely not as good as the other ones. I also prefer the UI and shop of the PS4. Everything on the One is too busy and hard to find. I clicked on the "All Games" tab in the One store and there were still some games that did not come up unless I individually searched for them which seems poorly designed.

I bought a year of Gold off a seller on Cheap Ass Gamer for $30 and the free games for the month were Pool Nation FX (which I have zero interest in), Rayman Legends (one of my favorite platformers ever but I already own on PS4 and Wii U), and Child of Light (very good game that I already own on PS4). So I'm looking forward to some games showing up that I haven't played. I've already downloaded D4, Max: Curse of the Brotherhood and Ori and the Blind Forest and I'll probably start D4 this weekend.

[D_Davis]

Rayman Legends is absolute platforming perfection. I'm slowly making my way through it, and there is a TON of it to work through. Every time I play it, I love it more.

[Spun Lepton]

Love their attention to detail!

http://i.imgur.com/jhfOmwC.gif

[Gittes]

How many of you have played Never Alone? It's coming to the Wii U in June and I'm intrigued. The Mac version recently came out too, so I suppose I could play it sooner than June if I'm so inclined.

[EyesWideOpen]

How many of you have played Never Alone? It's coming to the Wii U in June and I'm intrigued. The Mac version recently came out too, so I suppose I could play it sooner than June if I'm so inclined.

I played through it on PS4 back when it came out. The concept of the game, the art style, the mini history lessons of the tribe are all great and make the game worth a look but the actual game play is pretty mediocre. If it didn't have the other stuff it'd be a below average platformer.

[Morris Schæffer]

Thinking of selling my xbox 360, it's outlived its usefullness, but this comes with a huge BUT.

But how will I ever be able to play the orange box again, the only games in my collection I seem unable to part ways with. Will the games be released again in the near future? With Valve nowadays doing the exact opposite of what I would like to see them do, chances are surely frighteningly slim.

[Dukefrukem]

Thinking of selling my xbox 360, it's outlived its usefullness, but this comes with a huge BUT.

But how will I ever be able to play the orange box again, the only games in my collection I seem unable to part ways with. Will the games be released again in the near future? With Valve nowadays doing the exact opposite of what I would like to see them do, chances are surely frighteningly slim.

Steam.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I played through it on PS4 back when it came out. The concept of the game, the art style, the mini history lessons of the tribe are all great and make the game worth a look but the actual game play is pretty mediocre. If it didn't have the other stuff it'd be a below average platformer.

100% agree with this.

[Morris Schæffer]

Steam.

I guess that's possible.

[Morris Schæffer]

Thinking of selling my xbox 360, it's outlived its usefullness, but this comes with a huge BUT.

But how will I ever be able to play the orange box again, the only games in my collection I seem unable to part ways with. Will the games be released again in the near future? With Valve nowadays doing the exact opposite of what I would like to see them do, chances are surely frighteningly slim.

Which brings up another question. Would you guys format your hard drive when you sell your console? I guess smart answer says "yes", but what if in the future the xbox one becomes backwards compatible? Will the xbla games i purchased years earlier for the xbox 360 be waiting for me somewhere? Cloud? Microsoft servers? I'm asking this because i understood that wiping your hard drive means your account is still stored on the MS servers for access later.

[Dukefrukem]

Which brings up another question. Would you guys format your hard drive when you sell your console? I guess smart answer says "yes", but what if in the future the xbox one becomes backwards compatible? Will the xbla games i purchased years earlier for the xbox 360 be waiting for me somewhere? Cloud? Microsoft servers? I'm asking this because i understood that wiping your hard drive means your account is still stored on the MS servers for access later.

There will never be a backwards compatible future console. It's how they want you to re-buy games going forward via XBL and PSN.

[Gittes]

Hey Morris, there's a free update for HL2 on Steam; just letting you know in case you end up going that route. It improves the lighting and other elements. Came out recently. I can't give firsthand impressions because I'm still waiting for a sale to repurchase HL2 so I can finally play it again.

[Dukefrukem]

Hey Morris, there's a free update for HL2 on Steam; just letting you know in case you end up going that route. It improves the lighting and other elements. Came out recently. I can't give firsthand impressions because I'm still waiting for a sale to repurchase HL2 so I can finally play it again.

I may have a free copy if you're interested.

[Dukefrukem]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=81&v=CaOYPd8nN6Y

[Morris Schæffer]

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is underway

https://api.gamer.nl/platform_core/media/show_image/151317/(647,center)/

https://api.gamer.nl/platform_core/media/show_image/151315/(647,center)/

https://api.gamer.nl/platform_core/media/show_image/151314/(647x330,center)/

[Morris Schæffer]

Hey Morris, there's a free update for HL2 on Steam; just letting you know in case you end up going that route. It improves the lighting and other elements. Came out recently. I can't give firsthand impressions because I'm still waiting for a sale to repurchase HL2 so I can finally play it again.

Hey thanks. I read about it, but I'm ok for the moment. I still have my 360 anyway and although a free update is certainly never a bad thing, I'm more dissapointed that Half-Life: Black Mesa is still unfinished.

Let's hope for an all-in-one Half-Life pack in full HD for PS4 or Xbox One.

[Dukefrukem]

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is underway

https://api.gamer.nl/platform_core/media/show_image/151317/(647,center)/

https://api.gamer.nl/platform_core/media/show_image/151315/(647,center)/

https://api.gamer.nl/platform_core/media/show_image/151314/(647x330,center)/

Looking at Steam, I spent over 50+ hours playing Human Revolution- and it remains in my top 10 hours spent on games since 2000 (even with all the criticisms I had)

I also recently picked up the Director's Cut of the game, so I think I'll dive into it before MD comes out. I guess I'll play them both.

[Scar]

But will there be air ducts?

[Dukefrukem]

But will there be air ducts?

I hope to fuck not.

[Dukefrukem]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvSs5b6y-YM

[Morris Schæffer]

He sure looks badass in that trailer. I don't ever recall dispatching villains with quite such grace and efficacity in the actual game though. Still, good game, but not as memorable as 2000 Deus Ex.

[Dukefrukem]

Nothing will ever be as memorable as 2000 Deus Ex.

[Skitch]

Morris, Orange Box was on PS3 as well. ;)

[Dukefrukem]

So after Bloodborne.... I think Sony is really grasping at straws on what to release next...

There's a rumor for a Sept listing of Uncharted The Remastered Trilogy .

I'm trying to decide if I would replay that... I think the answer is yes.

[D_Davis]

There are other games besides Bloodborne?

[Morris Schæffer]

Morris, Orange Box was on PS3 as well. ;)

That's gonna get sold even sooner than the xbox 360. :D

In other news, because it's that time of the year again, Activision has teased Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/04/09/activision-teases-next-call-of-duty-with-back-in-black-short?watch

[Dukefrukem]

No one cares about COD.

[megladon8]

Clearly, since it's like the biggest selling game franchise of all time.

[Dukefrukem]

Clearly, since it's like the biggest selling game franchise of all time.

It's no GTA and it's no Mario.

[D_Davis]

I'll pretty much always have a PS3 for Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.

I'd pay SO much money to gave those remastered on PS4.

[Winston*]

I'd pay SO much money to gave those remastered on PS4.

How much?

[D_Davis]

One...hundred...dollars.

[Idioteque Stalker]

I'd pay more than that if it really came down to it, especially since I sold both of my last gen systems already.

[Spun Lepton]

I'll pretty much always have a PS3 for Demon's Souls and Dark Souls.

I'd pay SO much money to gave those remastered on PS4.

I assume you're aware that Dark Souls II is on PS4 now, right, D?

[D_Davis]

I assume you're aware that Dark Souls II is on PS4 now, right, D?

Yeah - still not sure when I'll be picking it up.

Definitely not for full price. Wasn't a huge fan of 2, but I want to see the changes.

[D_Davis]

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that the new Xenoblade on 3Ds was actually a PS1 game.

http://www.thejimquisition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/041.png

http://www.thejimquisition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/021.png


And from what I hear, it doesn't make any use of the 3D or the touch screen.

WHY ISN'T THIS ON THE VITA?

Hopefully I can get past the potato graphics and enjoy the game.

LOOLLL!!

http://d1vr6n66ssr06c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/xenoblade-02.jpg

[Idioteque Stalker]

Good lord. Looks like FFVIII.

[D_Davis]

Hardware wise, the 3DS is the worst system I've ever owned, and my least favorite.

It's a total POS compared to the Vita, which happens to be the best piece of technology I've ever owned. The Vita is an amazing piece of hardware. It should be the best selling handhold of all time.

[Dukefrukem]

The Vita is an amazing piece of hardware. It should be the best selling handhold of all time.

That's what I said about the Game Gear.

[Gittes]

I may have a free copy if you're interested.

Thanks for the offer, but no. I'll just wait for a sale and grab it then alongside the episodes. I have no problem throwing a little bit more money at Valve for one of the greatest games ever made (even if I already bought it upon release way back when).

Speaking of Half-Life 2, I'll take this opportunity to remind everyone that "CP Violation" is one of the best pieces of video game music ever.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlQRyuKSsFc

[EyesWideOpen]

If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that the new Xenoblade on 3Ds was actually a PS1 game.



Never trust screen shots especially of portables. I guarantee you it doesn't look anywhere near that bad in action. But anyways it's just a port of the Wii game which already was massively overhyped. I couldn't get more than a few hours in before getting bored with it both times I tried to play it.

[Spun Lepton]

So, more rumors about MKX. (ONLY FOUR DAYS EEEEEEEE!!)

Apparently (some? all?) DLC characters will be available for free on the single-player game, but must be paid for in order to play them in online tournaments.

[D_Davis]

Xenoblade Chronicles 3DS looks so bad, that if I didn't know any better I'd swear that I was playing a 32bit nostalgia game. We're currently going through an 8 and 16-bit nostalgia faze, so a PSone era demake of a game would make sense. And in that sense, I am enjoying it a lot. It's a weird game. It looks like a PSone game, but it plays and feels like a modern RPG. The world is MASSIVE, the systems are deep and complex, there is a ton to do, and the music is some of the best I've heard in a game in a long time.

I'm really enjoying it. I'm only a few hours in, but I'm already hooked by the world's lore, and the basic premise of the ultimate quest is compelling enough that I want to know what happens. I also like how hard it is, and I like how much it leaves up to the player to learn and progress.

I can't really say if It'll hold my interest throughout it's entirety; the last JRPG to do that for me was the first Wild Arms on the PSone. But I'm betting I sink a few dozen hours into it.

[Sven]

Swapped out the load-time laden, non-camera-axis switching Shadow of Mordor for Saints Row IV, which I've been addictedly slaying for the last few days. Gratifying decision.

[D_Davis]

I'm super stoked for Witcher 3. I love that the developers have created dozens upon dozens of hours of unique, challenging, and deep side quests that many people will never even see. I love stuff like that. There are entire areas in Dark Souls and Bloodborne that you never even have to visit to beat the game.

I've heard stories of people who have played the W3 for a dozen or so hours, and each of them has had wildly different things happen, and it's all substantial.

I didn't get on with the first two games, but I'm hoping this third one will be the one to do it.

[bac0n]

Yeah, Witcher 3 is definitely on the must-buy list. Probably gonna pick it up in the fall after I've played out Batman Arkham Knight. (I'll have Elder Scrolls Online and MKX keeping me busy through the summer, I figure, that is, unless ESO winds up sucking).

I particularly love some of the villages. They look so packed and alive and bustling with activity. At any rate, I stopped watching the videos several months ago, cuz I didn't want anything else spoiled.

[D_Davis]

2015 is shaping up to be a great year for big games.

I'm still somewhat curious about ESO. If it goes free to play on the PS4, I will at least check it out.

[bac0n]

ESO has dropped their subscription fee, which is nice, but you still need to fork over the 60 bucks for the initial game.

[D_Davis]

ESO has dropped their subscription fee, which is nice, but you still need to fork over the 60 bucks for the initial game.

Even on consoles?

That's cool. I like just paying for a game - once.

[bac0n]

Even on consoles?

That's cool. I like just paying for a game - once.

Yup, F2P is now on PC, and will launch on XBone and PS4 in June.

[D_Davis]

I'm totally down to playing it for a bit.

Have you heard if you can solo a lot of it, or at least avoid a lot of the MASSIVE parts of the MMO stuff?

Can you play it like you would any ES game?

[bac0n]

What I've heard is that the game had a rocky launch for precisely the lack of stuff you mentioned - lack of solo content being chief among them, but in the year since the PC launch, a lot of those concerns have been addressed, making it much more Elder Scrollsy. There is a first person UI, the same sorts of skill trees that were in Skyrim, a justice system (you can pick pockets and murder NPCs, for example). So I'm cautiously optimistic.

[Gittes]

I never ended up buying the DLC for Mario Kart 8, but Pack 2 is coming out soon and it looks pretty neat. 200cc, which is free and not exclusive to the DLC, looks like a welcome addition as well.

This track looks like something out of Toy Story, and the intensity of 200cc comes through pretty clearly in this video:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkol-0QARf4

[Gittes]

I also like the seasonal changes in this one:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwVuK_mRAg0

[Dukefrukem]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwWLns7-xN8

[Scar]

I think my excitement watching that was higher than the new Star Wars preview.

Holy Glorious Goodiness.

[Acapelli]

thinking about buying a portable gaming system and was very nearly set on getting a vita, but i'm intrigued by the new 3ds xl

[Morris Schæffer]

I'm dissapointed with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and primarily its conclusion. "It's a suicide mission" one of the heroes informs us of their final assault and sure enough, the last 45 minutes are the game's easiest mission. On veteran no less!

Furthermore, the new, high-tech gadgets are cool, but other than in the MP mode, you don't feel empowered by them during SP because Call of Duty is not the kind of game where you're asked to figure out the environment and plan your point of entry. It's all mapped out in advance.

And I suppose another attack on US soil is one too many by this point. As I was inching my way across the Golden Gate bridge I kept thinking "when's it gonna collapse?" Boy would you believe that's exactly what happened!

Jumped into MP and surprised to find myself thrilled immediately. The small-ish battlegrounds make for exciting, feverish action and the special abilities suddenly do pop out a lot more. More intense than Battlefield.

[Winston*]

Man, Dark Souls really makes other games seem easy by comparison. Playing the Tomb Raider remake. Turned the combat to hard and am restricting myself to only using the bow and arrow..

[Dukefrukem]

Here's the best PS4 bundle I've seen to date:

Dell is offering $400 gets you:

A PS4 console
The Last of Us Remastered
Sony Silver headset
Three months of PlayStation Plus
A $100 Dell promo gift card that you could use on games (or anything else).

You can also forego the three months of PlayStation Plus, and get everything else for $382.

[Spun Lepton]

Played my first online bouts in MKX last night. Mileena, Ravenous variation. Fought 13 rounds and won 7. Honestly, I fared a lot better than I anticipated. The matchmaking in MKX is pretty neat, it shows you a chance percentage for winning against the opponent before you agree to fight. The percentages aren't completely accurate, mind you. I agreed to fight somebody with a 51% chance of winning and I wiped the floor with him. I also met somebody with a 65% chance of winning and we were perfectly matched.

Oh, I also received my very first PSN troll message. First guy I fought, I walked all over him. Two minutes after the fight ended, I got a message from him calling me a, "laggy bitch." I shut down that shit right away, turned off the ability for non-friends to message me.

[bac0n]

Damn, almost makes me wish I would have held off buying a PS4 - could have gotten an employee discount.

Almost.

[Scar]

Only time I sent a message was in Demons Soul. This guy invaded me three times in five minutes. Instead of going toe to die with him AGAIN, I hit him with the massive firestorm spell. Single hit kill. Messaged "flawless victory. Fatality." Didn't get invaded again.

[D_Davis]

Fired up Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, last night after about 2 years of playing it. I really liked the game, but only got about 1/2 way through it. Started up a new character, and instantly liked it again. Such a great playing and looking game. It's a real shame that the developers blew it so bad with the business side of this thing, because it could have been a fantastic series, one that I'm sure I'd like far more than the Elder Scrolls games. It's got a lot of what makes the ES games good, but it also has one major thing that the ES games lack - good gameplay/combat.

[Spun Lepton]

Fired up Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, last night after about 2 years of playing it. I really liked the game, but only got about 1/2 way through it. Started up a new character, and instantly liked it again. Such a great playing and looking game. It's a real shame that the developers blew it so bad with the business side of this thing, because it could have been a fantastic series, one that I'm sure I'd like far more than the Elder Scrolls games. It's got a lot of what makes the ES games good, but it also has one major thing that the ES games lack - good gameplay/combat.

Yeah, that was a game that deserved a sequel. I really enjoyed it.

[Morris Schæffer]

https://youtu.be/PKRGvSi5xXk

Looks amazing

[Dukefrukem]

https://youtu.be/PKRGvSi5xXk

Looks amazing

That does look better thaN I was expecting.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Hmm... I didn't expect to be interested in a Mad Max game. Looks promising.

[Scar]

Haven't played a video game in a couple weeks. Not sure what to fire up when I'm not so fried. Not ready to go balls out on Bloodborne, maybe something like Assassins Creed Black Flag. Something to pass the time with out the need to invest myself like Bloodborne.

Don't get me wrong, I will be cracking out on Bloodborne again, just not in the mood.

[Spun Lepton]

Haven't played a video game in a couple weeks. Not sure what to fire up when I'm not so fried. Not ready to go balls out on Bloodborne, maybe something like Assassins Creed Black Flag. Something to pass the time with out the need to invest myself like Bloodborne.

Don't get me wrong, I will be cracking out on Bloodborne again, just not in the mood.

Shadow of Mordor is a fantastic game for this. It's so easy to just fire it up and wander around Mordor, slaughtering Uruks and Orcs at will.

[Spun Lepton]

https://youtu.be/PKRGvSi5xXk

Looks amazing

WOW! I was not expecting to be that interested. I am definitely keeping an eye on this one.

[Dukefrukem]

Oh damn- Marvel signs deal with Telltale (http://www.polygon.com/2015/4/23/8486213/marvel-telltale-games-partnership).

[Ezee E]

Sign me up for Mad Max.

[Spun Lepton]

Played some King of the Hill in MKX last night and won 10 consecutive rounds, with an additional 1 or 2 rounds here and there. This means I'm half-way to unlocking the Revenant Kung Lao skin. I plan to beat bac0n's butt with Revenant Kung Lao when he actually decides to play against me. I'm also half-way to opening Dark Empress Kitana.

[Dukefrukem]

So bad news for Silent Hill fans- though not official yet, it appears the game staring Norman Reedus and co-director Guillermo del Toro has been canceled. Konami issued a statement saying they would continue to develop for the Silent Hill franchise, but it appears both of these talents are off the project.

[Dukefrukem]

And in Duke gaming news, I am back on the Payday 2 wagon. Finally became infamous last night.

[D_Davis]

LOL. So far every single game that Del Toro has been connected with has been canceled.


I played 10 hours of Kingdoms of Amalur this weekend. I really love that game. Some of the story is really interesting. The way that the House of Ballards stories play out and how they are tied to the overall story is very cool. Hopefully this time I stick with it until the end. At least I want to see the first DLC, which I heard was very good.

[Dukefrukem]

drool


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmwLe7Mit2U

[Morris Schæffer]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQVYtOfEbKs
And here it is, Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Some cool shit like 4-player co-op for the whole campaign, but this one really looks very similar to the last one, more than is usually the case.

[Dukefrukem]

Yeh I'm loving the 4-player co-op option. This should be standard in most games moving forward. I see a little bit of Titan Fall in there too.

[megladon8]

Shovel Knight is great.

[Morris Schæffer]

Gameplaytrailer Just Cause 3


http://youtu.be/LR4EBYeh8BQ

This is going to be the most fun game of the year. Look at it! Just look at it goddammit!!:cool:

[Dukefrukem]

Gameplaytrailer Just Cause 3


http://youtu.be/LR4EBYeh8BQ

This is going to be the most fun game of the year. Look at it! Just look at it goddammit!!:cool:

I bet it gets pushed in 2016.

[megladon8]

If it doesn't look as incredible as that trailer I am going to blow shit up for real.

[EyesWideOpen]

I'm taking next week off to catch up on some stuff. Right now on my list is Axiom Verge, Life is Strange Episode 2, Broken Age, Ori and the Blind Forest, Max: The Curse of Brotherhood and Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (which comes out next week).

Over the last couple weeks I've marathoned through Borderlands 2 and all its DLC on the PS4. It's been a couple years since I played through it on the 360 and it's still fantastic. It was probably around 100 hours worth of stuff and I never got bored. I'll hold off on replaying through the Pre-Sequel on PS4 for awhile since I just played through that a few months ago when it came out on PS3 but I'm probably more interested in a Borderlands 3 then almost any other future game release.

[Gittes]

Life is Strange Episode 2

How is this? I haven't played either episode.

EDIT: To be clear, I wasn't specifically referring to the second episode, but rather what you've experienced so far. Was the first episode especially good?

[Spun Lepton]

It looks like enough kids got their hands on MKX. Went online last night and got my ass handed to me in pretty much every match.

[EyesWideOpen]

How is this? I haven't played either episode.

EDIT: To be clear, I wasn't specifically referring to the second episode, but rather what you've experienced so far. Was the first episode especially good?

I really dug the first episode. I've been a big fan of and have played all of the Telltale adventure games since The Walking Dead and even though they've consistently been good I've started to kind of burn out on the same exact game with a different dressing. So it's good to see Square-Enix release Life is Strange which at its core is a similar game to the Telltale stuff but it stills feels completely different in some great ways. Examples: It looks way better and runs way smoother then any of the Telltale stuff, really interesting time rewind mechanic which lets you play out choices and then decide which one you want to stick with, a lot more stuff to explore and interact with (it actually feels like a lived in world). With the Telltale stuff it lives or dies by it's story and writing. I've never seen anyone rave about the gameplay in the Telltale games. Life is Strange is actually fun to play.

[Gittes]

Is anyone here familiar with the Ecco games? As a small lad eager to make the most of his Friday night visits to the video store to rent a game, I would occasionally grab one of these titles, at first out of curiosity, and then due to a lack of compelling alternatives. It would yield a few minutes of mildly fun, meandering gameplay as I swam around and leapt out of the ocean, etc. I never got very far but there was something lonely and vaguely disconcerting about the game's atmosphere. It struck me as a bit dreary back then.

Anyway, a few months ago, I decided to do a little research on Ecco and I soon realized that this is a very bizarre and fascinating entry in video game history. The following post, from another forum, may help to clarify my point:


Most people will never know how weird and crazy these games got. There is still probably an enormous number of people who think this is a series about being a dolphin swimming in the ocean, not about alien invasion and time travel and meeting god.

[Ezee E]

Is anyone here familiar with the Ecco games? As a small lad eager to make the most of his Friday night visits to the video store to rent a game, I would occasionally grab one of these titles, at first out of curiosity, and then due to a lack of compelling alternatives. It would yield a few minutes of mildly fun, meandering gameplay as I swam around and leapt out of the ocean, etc. I never got very far but there was something lonely and vaguely disconcerting about the game's atmosphere. It struck me as a bit dreary back then.

Anyway, a few months ago, I decided to do a little research on Ecco and I soon realized that this is a very bizarre and fascinating entry in video game history. The following post, from another forum, may help to clarify my point:

I only played the dolphin part and never got anywhere, :lol:

[Dukefrukem]

Guess who's playable in Arkham Knight DLC?????


https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oSoIgMoDN8aC98njXPPWLyIA5xI=/0x20:1024x596/640x360/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46262190/10911273_969906649708494_10784 4308781169782_o.0.0.jpg

[megladon8]

I'm glad that there is some actual media coverage and backlash on Arkham Knight's DLC.

Absolute bullshit.

[EyesWideOpen]

It's exactly the same as every other game that has story content DLC and I don't see what the issue is. If you don't like season passes then don't buy them and they'll go away.

There is always some sort of Internet backlash on stuff like this prerelease and then people still buy it in droves. It's easy to complain about stuff like this but then you need to follow through and speak with your wallet.

[Dukefrukem]

I'm glad that there is some actual media coverage and backlash on Arkham Knight's DLC.

Absolute bullshit.

What's bullshit exactly?

[megladon8]

It's exactly the same as every other game that has story content DLC and I don't see what the issue is. If you don't like season passes then don't buy them and they'll go away.

There is always some sort of Internet backlash on stuff like this prerelease and then people still buy it in droves. It's easy to complain about stuff like this but then you need to follow through and speak with your wallet.

Yeah and I don't buy stuff like this so I maintain my right to speak out about it.

[megladon8]

What's bullshit exactly?


It's 2/3 the cost of the game for a bunch of content that trickles out over 6 months and may not even be any good.

One of the highlights being pushed about the DLC is tons of racetracks...what if the car portions end up being terrible? Then you paid 40 bucks for a bunch more crap content.

Same thing goes for the "Gotham invasion" stuff. What is an invasion? What will that entail in terms of gameplay? Will it be fun?

If it was more of the tried-and-true story based content that would be one thing (still an annoying money grab but at least we would know what we are getting), but when they want us to shell out a large amount of money for content we don't even know about, that is bullshit.

[EyesWideOpen]

Yeah and I don't buy stuff like this so I maintain my right to speak out about it.

Ok. I guess it's just I don't get bothered by stuff very much. They are selling people optional stuff. If you're not interested then don't buy it. Still don't understand why we need an outrage over it.

[EyesWideOpen]

Is anyone here familiar with the Ecco games? As a small lad eager to make the most of his Friday night visits to the video store to rent a game, I would occasionally grab one of these titles, at first out of curiosity, and then due to a lack of compelling alternatives. It would yield a few minutes of mildly fun, meandering gameplay as I swam around and leapt out of the ocean, etc. I never got very far but there was something lonely and vaguely disconcerting about the game's atmosphere. It struck me as a bit dreary back then.

Anyway, a few months ago, I decided to do a little research on Ecco and I soon realized that this is a very bizarre and fascinating entry in video game history. The following post, from another forum, may help to clarify my point:

I was pretty fascinated by these games as a kid. I remember always getting stuck fairly early on in them though.

[Dukefrukem]

It's 2/3 the cost of the game for a bunch of content that trickles out over 6 months and may not even be any good.

One of the highlights being pushed about the DLC is tons of racetracks...what if the car portions end up being terrible? Then you paid 40 bucks for a bunch more crap content.

Same thing goes for the "Gotham invasion" stuff. What is an invasion? What will that entail in terms of gameplay? Will it be fun?

If it was more of the tried-and-true story based content that would be one thing (still an annoying money grab but at least we would know what we are getting), but when they want us to shell out a large amount of money for content we don't even know about, that is bullshit.

Seems fair.


Earlier this week, we announced the Season Pass for Batman: Arkham Knight. While the story of Rocksteady’s Batman: Arkham Trilogy will come to a close on June 23rd, we are excited to continue telling stories and delivering more content to explore and play through in the 6 months following the game’s release. We’ll be building more narrative, more missions, more challenges and more characters and vehicles that we want players to experience, even though they didn’t fit into the storyline of Batman: Arkham Knight.

We’ve heard from our community that you want more information on what we’ll be delivering in the Season Pass. While we aren’t ready to unveil every aspect of the content we’ll be developing, we would like to share more detail now to give you a better sense of the scope of the Season Pass.
“Even though they didn’t fit into the storyline of Batman: Arkham Knight.” This is the reason that some villains are being presented separately, guys, and I love Rocksteady for it. They clearly wanted to use some villains and they just didn’t fit in the main story. Can’t wait.

Batgirl: A Matter of Family

An all new prequel story expansion in an entirely new location where you play as Batgirl for the very first time in the Arkham series

Barbara Gordon as Batgirl in a new location? Where? Part of Gotham? Curious. Exciting.

The Season of Infamy

Play as Batman in all new story missions featuring legendary super-villains invading Gotham City, with new story arcs, missions and gameplay features.
The Season of Infamy, huh? This could just refer to villains attacking Gotham over a prolonged period, but it positively screams involvement from Calendar Man and has echoes of The Long Halloween.

Gotham City Stories

Play as Batman’s key allies in narrative missions extending their storylines, from both before and after the events in Batman: Arkham Knight.
Awesome. Just freaking awesome. Robin was my favourite playable character in Arkham City and I loved Harley Quinn’s Revenge, but I always felt that Nightwing needed some of his own story. Looks like we’re getting it for Robin, Catwoman and Nightwing this time out.

Legendary Batmobiles with Themed Tracks

Drive the most iconic Batmobiles from Batman’s 75-year history, on custom-built race tracks, each themed to that Batmobile’s specific era. Every Batmobile will be drivable across every race track.
Come on, this just sounds fun.

Crimefighter Challenge Maps

Engage in a series of new challenge maps utilizing the unique play styles of Batman and his allies.
We knew challenge maps were returning, but nice to have confirmation that the allies will be playable too.

Character Skins

A variety of skins from across the eras for Batman, Robin, Nightwing and Catwoman.
And here we have confirmation of which allies are playable in challenge maps. Will Batgirl be added to that list? We’ve been talking about which skins that we’d like to see on the forums.

[EyesWideOpen]

Just finished up Broken Age. I can't remember ever having such a different reaction from the first part of a game to the second part. Act 1 was great. Act 2 didn't even take me 30 minutes and I was ready to stop playing it. I slogged through and finished it but enjoyed pretty much none of the second act.

[Ezee E]

Can't wait for Arkham Knight.

Probably won't get the DLC.

[Idioteque Stalker]

Maybe it's hard for me to be an impartial judge based on the DLC plans for games I love, but I'm happy to pay for any and all significant content updates for The Last of Us, Dark Souls, and inevitably Bloodborne.

[Ezee E]

Oh yeah, I did get the Last of Us DLC. Totally worth it.

[Spun Lepton]

Tomorrow.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVLIgsf6qcs

[D_Davis]

Maybe it's hard for me to be an impartial judge based on the DLC plans for games I love, but I'm happy to pay for any and all significant content updates for The Last of Us, Dark Souls, and inevitably Bloodborne.

It's how its handled.

Ask me to pay for the DLC AFTER you've finished it, so I can determine if it's worth my time and money.

NEVER ask me to pay for something that isn't done.

Season Passes are the absolute worst - totally anti-consumer. They're asking you to buy the game, and then turn right around and pay for a grab bag of stuff, of which the timing and quality are completely unknown and up in the air.

Anyone who buys a season pass for future DLC is part of the problem.

Releasing quality DLC is not part of the problem.

[Gittes]

I only played the dolphin part and never got anywhere, :lol:


I was pretty fascinated by these games as a kid. I remember always getting stuck fairly early on in them though.

Well, I think we all missed out on something amazing. I mean, look at this:

https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7757/17371035485_09f0f0748e_o.gif

That is...so weird and so cool.