Video Games...Discuss Them

[D_Davis]

You can solo most of the game. Two companions are entirely optional, and you can ditch your main companion by throwing him or her off of a cliff. I did this in the demo. The boss was very challenging solo.

[Morris Schæffer]

Playing some Call of Duty 1 (XBLA) again inbetween sessions of L.A. Noire. Man, this is still insanely exciting on the toughest difficulty settings with lots of missions culled from the actual headlines. I'm now deep into enemy territory trying to sabotage a dam in the Ruhr area. And if you recall, this mission is basically linked to:

[shaun]

Why the fuck did I just buy Diablo III with two months of school left?

I'm up to level 13 or so. It's pretty fun despite the massive amounts of mindless clicking.

One word, don't even bother skilling up crafting for new armor. It's way more expensive to make your own than to just buy awesome stuff in the auction house for a fraction the cost.

[D_Davis]

One word, don't even bother skilling up crafting for new armor. It's way more expensive to make your own than to just buy awesome stuff in the auction house for a fraction the cost.

That's one of the reasons I'm avoiding this game. That auction house thing is such a pay-to-win mechanic.

Torchlight 2 will be my Diablo 3.

[Irish]

You can solo most of the game. Two companions are entirely optional, and you can ditch your main companion by throwing him or her off of a cliff. I did this in the demo. The boss was very challenging solo.

Yeah, that's a balance problem. Probably my biggest beef with AI companions in any kind of game.

The pals you have here don't sound particularly smart (limited commands, no required micro managing), which probably means they'll fall into the FPS category of "annoying, chatty cannon fodder."

[D_Davis]

The pals you have here don't sound particularly smart (limited commands, no required micro managing), which probably means they'll fall into the FPS category of "annoying, chatty cannon fodder."

I Actually don't get that sense from everything I've watched, played, and read. I also played the demo with the companions, and they were pretty cool. One of them called me to run up to her, and then she flung me in the air and I was able to grab on to a flying boss to attach it. It was pretty sweet.

I'm sure we'll know more about it next week, when the game comes out.

[bac0n]

Been having trouble getting into SSX. I think it's mainly because of Skyrim, but there's also the fact that they've all but eliminated the outrageous tracks with the shortcuts that take you into entirely different areas in favor or a more boarding-down-the-side-of-a-mountain approach.

There are no tracks like Merqury City, Tokyo, Hawaii, none even remotely close. All the tracks (at least the ones I've seen so far) are basically like racing down the backcountry parts of SSX3.

In short, less arcadey, more sim. Gonna give it another try or two to see if opening up more tracks makes it more fun, but if it doesn't get more fun, and fast, I might shelve it in favor of Twisted Metal or Dragon's Dogfood.

[D_Davis]

Using a Rift Stone, which you can find in most towns and cities, you access a slick interface that allows you to browse through a vast archive of pawns, many of which (providing your console is connected to the internet) are creations of other players. When we reviewed the game, the servers were full of pawns with Japanese names: presumably belonging to the development team. When the game is released there'll be many, many more to choose from, which is an exciting prospect.

Say you need a healer. You can search through a list of Mages, studying their stats and abilities to see whether they're right for your party. Some may specialise in offensive magic, while others are tuned for support and healing; there are limitless combinations, and you have to make sure you have the right team for each quest. Pawns don't level up, so as the Arisen's skills improve, you have to constantly change up and reshape your team. They're designed to be expendable.

You can hire two pawns at a time, in addition to one main pawn that you create yourself from scratch, and who travels with you for the entirety of the game. Ours is a tall, blonde, pointy-eared Strider named Anna, who's a mean shot with a bow. Once created, other players will be able to download her, earning us in-game items and currency. Capcom even say we'll be able to share our pawns on Facebook, although we were unable to test this.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...e=1#top_banner

And the coolest part:

Pawns get an experience rating, both for quests and enemy types. So if you're struggling with a boss, downloading a pawn who has already encountered it (in another player's game) will reveal specific weaknesses. "I've met this creature before! Strike it with fire!" they'll yell. It's an incredibly clever use of internet connectivity, and feels like an evolution of the similarly imaginative message-leaving system from Dark Souls.

[D_Davis]

More on the pawn system

[youtube]qEsVmmXQqWA[/youtube]

[D_Davis]

Been having trouble getting into SSX. I think it's mainly because of Skyrim, but there's also the fact that they've all but eliminated the outrageous tracks with the shortcuts that take you into entirely different areas in favor or a more boarding-down-the-side-of-a-mountain approach.

There are no tracks like Merqury City, Tokyo, Hawaii, none even remotely close. All the tracks (at least the ones I've seen so far) are basically like racing down the backcountry parts of SSX3.

huh. I thought it was just the opposite, which is why I was staying away. I was more into the open mountain stuff of SSX3.

[D_Davis]

Playing Artemis last night was probably the most fun I've ever had playing a video game. And it's way more of a video game than I thought it was. It is pretty much the next Rock Band. It is flawlessly executed, and requires everyone to work together as as team. Each station of the bridge has something unique to do, and it's actually a lot of fun being the captain and simply giving orders. If you can get 6 other people together with laptops, play this game.

[Dukefrukem]

Diablo III....

[Irish]

Legend of Grimrock A+++

Hooray for puzzle based, throwback RPGs. Combat was frustrating at first, but once I got the hang of it, it was a lot of fun.

[Sycophant]

I just beat Demon's Souls, after the better part of three years of off-and-on trying! (Though this playthrough started in earnest about 6 weeks ago.) Game kind of tricks you into thinking it's harder than it is, that you're gonna face a lot of tough bosses like Tower Knight and Armor Spider, but you end up fighting mostly bosses like Leechmonger. This is maybe the weakest aspect of Demon's Souls in contrast to Dark Souls, alongside weapon utility and stat balance (and multiplayer). What Demon's Souls gets better is enemy placement that feels more thoughtful and strategic in creating tension (in Dark, I often felt more swarmed than intimidated).

Kind of a pity that the only online interactions I enjoyed (besides messages) were the repeated invasions of the same guy in 1-4 who just slaughtered me. I tried to help people and sought help, but summons signs either never showed up or always failed.

Oh well! Game's excellent!

[D_Davis]

I wonder if the guy who kept killing you in 1-4 is the same guy who killed me a bunch of times? I think his name started with an L.

I agree with Demon's Souls being more strategic, and that the bosses were easier than in Dark Souls. If Demon's Souls had better and more useful armor (I don't like how some armor is gender specific, and that heavy armor is all but useless) I might like it better than Dark Souls. There is something about the Nexus, and the way the levels keep opening up that I really like. It feels a bit more direct, like you can get to the action faster. Sometimes in Dark Souls I feel like I'm wondering around a lot.

Anyhow, to switch subjects, sounds like the pawn system in Dragon's Dogma is really good:

Ah, pawns. It’s considered proper form in games journalism to make a dirty joke here, but instead let’s focus on this: pawns are the smartest companions you’ll meet in role-playing.



The system works like so: pawns are a creepily subservient race whose sole purpose seems to be to aid the Arisen (you) and fight off the evil powers (a dragon) in Gransys.


You design one primary pawn in the same insanely, fantastically detailed character customisation menu that you created your own character in, and that pawn is at your side through the whole game. I called mine Leela. Then there are two other slots, which you can ‘hire’ pawns to occupy, by meeting them in the street, activating rift stones and entering another realm full of dry ice, or even recruiting friends’ pawns via Facebook.
Here’s where it gets really clever: these pawns for hire are unique, and have knowledge of certain quests in the game. If your mate’s ahead of you in the game, their pawn knows where to go in each quest, and how to kill certain enemies.


What’s more, they tell you about it. They have a fantastic sense of presence, talking through each situation, smashing boxes and barrels for loot (and grabbing said loot), panting in your ear as you all sprint away from insurmountable foes and placing a concerned hand on your shoulder when you run out of stamina and bend over for breath.


They exhibit wildly different personalities: a mage I spent a long time with hated combat but had incredible fire spells, whereas Leela relished any conflict. They’re a bit too vocal, though. When they dryly utter “I’ve gained new quest knowledge” on entering a new area, it doesn’t half break down that fourth wall. It feels like walking up to someone in a tavern and hearing them say, “Hey – can you fetch my amulet from a nearby cave for me? I’d go myself, but this game developer told me I should ask you to do it.”

http://www.officialplaystationmagazi...-ps3-review/2/

[Dukefrukem]

Shaun what's your battlenet? Lvl 21 Warrior Dukefrukem

[Scar]

I had a guy who kept invading me in 1-4. Killed him three times in the span of a few minutes.

[D_Davis]

Live stream of Dragon's Dogma on IGN right now.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/...-dragons-dogma

[Morris Schæffer]

Aliens: colonial marines arrives february 12, 2013. I thought it was way closer.

[shaun]

Shaun what's your battlenet? Lvl 21 Warrior Dukefrukem

ozu#1619 is the BattleTag.

Didn't play this weekend so still around level 13-14. Ozu, monk.

[megladon8]

IGN's review of "Dragon's Dogma" didn't inspire much faith, to be honest.

I think I'll wait to here some MC'ers opinions before I jump on this one.

[D_Davis]

IGN's review of "Dragon's Dogma" didn't inspire much faith, to be honest.

I think I'll wait to here some MC'ers opinions before I jump on this one.

Watch the livestream going on right now. Probably the best way to determine if it's for you, beyond actually playing the game.

I have it on at work right now, and I'm totally jonesing for it. Looks incredible. Every time I look up from some work, I see something that I can't wait to do.

The reviews are diverse - from abysmal, to claiming it's the best RPG on the PS3. I think it's going to be an ambitious game with a lot of faults, and it all depends on how many of those faults you can overlook to get to the fun.

[megladon8]

Watch the livestream going on right now. Probably the best way to determine if it's for you, beyond actually playing the game.

I have it on at work right now, and I'm totally jonesing for it. Looks incredible. Every time I look up from some work, I see something that I can't wait to do.

I'm actually considering waiting until I get a PS3 for this one, since it apparently runs much smoother on that system than on the 360.

The combat seems fun, but everything else looks like it could potentially be very blah.

[D_Davis]

I'm getting it on the PS3. Hopefully tonight at midnight.

[D_Davis]

Here is a much better looking live stream of DD.

http://www.own3d.tv/live/33395/GyoruSPY