The General Gaming Thread! [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

psilontech

2011-12-01, 12:24 AM

/(Technically vidya because it be online)\
I've recently been invited to an Axis and Allies knock-off game by one of my buddies, the game being hosted over at gamesbyemail or something like that. I haven't played in ages and I'm fairly certain that I'm going to be completely decimated playing as Germany as I've generally played as the USSR or the US in games long past. Better part of a decade past.

His group has supposedly been playing over there for quite some time, pulling in random folk from the site to fill the one-person gap in their ranks for a full game. It's going to be a slaughterhouse - I think my only real chance is to get lucky and snag Heavy Bombers and Rockets early on. Tips?

*Edit:

Allright, USSR turn 1 is in, now turn now.
He did NOTHING but purchase infantry and reinforce Karelia, my original target. As it stands, Karelia is stacked at 17 Infantry, 3 Armor, 2 Fighters as well as the AA and Factory that was already there.

So I'm faced with a decision:
A) Do I gamble on good rolls and potentially steamroll the game by turn 2 and go head-first into the grinder with EVERYTHING?
B) Derp and just go around it an blitz into Moscow, guarded by a single infantry?
C) Drag my feet and counter-infantry build-up to try and tech up to Heavy Bombers?
D) Trick Question, all of these suggestions are stupid and I should do something else?

Trixie

2011-12-01, 06:49 AM

I like the Steam thread, and I enjoy the stuff that goes on there. But I can't ever talk about just games in general, and feel like people want to go on this tangent, or even care. So I made this thread. We're here to talk about nothing more than video games. Be it your Xbox, your PS3, your PC, your iPod, 3DS, or even Atari 5200, it'll be spoken of here. So just bring up your subject, you'll see the exposition up here in consequent threads.

What about Pong? :smallconfused:

Also, IMHO, 'general' gaming can suggest things like football or golf, maybe a third word can be added to point to electronic gaming? </suggestion>

Dumbledore lives

2011-12-01, 06:55 AM

So I'm faced with a decision:
A) Do I gamble on good rolls and potentially steamroll the game by turn 2 and go head-first into the grinder with EVERYTHING?
B) Derp and just go around it an blitz into Moscow, guarded by a single infantry?
C) Drag my feet and counter-infantry build-up to try and tech up to Heavy Bombers?
D) Trick Question, all of these suggestions are stupid and I should do something else?

Personally I would herp and derp around until I had lost the game because of some bad luck and mostly bad placement of units. You on the other hand should try to get to Moscow, and once there just kind of dissolve the opposition.

Never trust luck or probability, it will always, what's the term sneak into the back alley and service drama (http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0584.html), and a very short game would not suit drama at all.

factotum

2011-12-01, 08:02 AM

What about Pong? :smallconfused:

Pong? Hah! New-fangled rubbish! *Real* gamers play Spacewar! on their PDP-1s and like it! :smalltongue:

Wookieetank

2011-12-01, 09:22 AM

Roguelikes is where its at. All hail ASCII! :smallwink:

Valaqil

2011-12-01, 10:56 AM

Roguelikes is where its at. All hail ASCII! :smallwink:

Roguelikes are pretty cool and all (seriously!) but I love my old-school text adventures. :smalltongue:
+50 Internet points to anyone who knows this _without_ looking it up.

You are standing at the end of a road before a small brick building. Around you is a forest. A small stream flows out of the building and down a gully.
>

Phase

2011-12-01, 12:03 PM

Pssh. Both are for casuals.

You are an ampersand. You are standing adjacent to a comma, a comma, a g, and an asterisk. It is dark, you are likely to be eaten by a Sigmund.

Forbiddenwar

2011-12-01, 12:24 PM

World of Goo on Android $2.99 but get the free version first to test if it works.

arguskos

2011-12-01, 12:40 PM

A) Do I gamble on good rolls and potentially steamroll the game by turn 2 and go head-first into the grinder with EVERYTHING?
Do you have a serious chance to win by doing this (by seriously, I mean better than 60%)? If not, don't even think about it.

B) Derp and just go around it an blitz into Moscow, guarded by a single infantry?
I like this one.

C) Drag my feet and counter-infantry build-up to try and tech up to Heavy Bombers?
Eeeeeh, if he infantry rushes you, he could just steamroll you. I'd suggest flanking/early aggression. Punish his massive build up in one location by striking somewhere critical that he can't defend.

D) Trick Question, all of these suggestions are stupid and I should do something else?
My default strategy in all games is either A). Win, or B). Herp so hard I Derp. Do either of these, they're both great plans. :smallcool:

Volatar

2011-12-01, 12:55 PM

I have picked Supreme Commander up again. I bought it when it first came out. I didn't like it. 5 years later I am loving it.

Cespenar

2011-12-01, 01:16 PM

Pssh. Both are for casuals.

Meh. The real hardcore gamers simulate it in their heads.

Djinn_in_Tonic

2011-12-01, 01:19 PM

Meh. The real hardcore gamers simulate it in their heads and them go out and program it themselves. In binary.

Fixed it for you. :smallbiggrin:

arguskos

2011-12-01, 01:30 PM

Meh. The real hardcore gamers simulate it in their heads and them go out and program it themselves. In binary. In Minecraft. Underwater.
Corrected Djinn's correction. :smallcool::smalltongue:

Jahkaivah

2011-12-01, 02:36 PM

Meh. The real hardcore gamers simulate it in their heads and them go out and program it themselves. In binary. In Minecraft. Underwater. During a timed escort mission.

Just the following the logical next step.

Thufir

2011-12-01, 03:15 PM

Roguelikes are pretty cool and all (seriously!) but I love my old-school text adventures. :smalltongue:
+50 Internet points to anyone who knows this _without_ looking it up.

It sounds familiar. Is there a bull in the gully? Is that quote, in fact, from the Very Big Cave Adventure?
Because I loved that game. And the bull in the gully.

Shas aia Toriia

2011-12-01, 03:21 PM

Not sure the split with Steam was necessary, but I'm glad we won't have to put up with people whining about being off topic anymore. Hopefully this thread can stay alive. :smallsmile:

Valaqil

2011-12-01, 03:45 PM

It sounds familiar. Is there a bull in the gully? Is that quote, in fact, from the Very Big Cave Adventure?
Because I loved that game. And the bull in the gully.

Good enough for me. +50 points to Thufir. It's from the Colossal Cave Adventure. You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.

Cespenar

2011-12-01, 04:00 PM

Looking at the crowd, I hereby claim this thread in the name of roguelikes and text adventures! :smalltongue:

Wookieetank

2011-12-01, 04:06 PM

Looking at the crowd, I hereby claim this thread in the name of roguelikes and text adventures! :smalltongue:

I'll give that a +1 :smallsmile:

Thufir

2011-12-01, 04:23 PM

Good enough for me. +50 points to Thufir. It's from the Colossal Cave Adventure. You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.

A bit of quick googling indicates that the Very Big Cave Adventure is pretty much just the Colossal Cave Adventure with some graphics added.
Sadly I never actually got very far with it. I only remember it for the bull puns.

Volatar

2011-12-01, 05:17 PM

Looking at the crowd, I hereby claim this thread in the name of roguelikes and text adventures! :smalltongue:

Dwarf Fortress > all. :smallamused:

factotum

2011-12-01, 06:18 PM

A bit of quick googling indicates that the Very Big Cave Adventure is pretty much just the Colossal Cave Adventure with some graphics added.

I think it was meant to be a spoof of Colossal Cave, not just the same game with graphics--hence the weak joke in the title.

Triscuitable

2011-12-01, 06:33 PM

Looking at the crowd, I hereby claim this thread in the name of roguelikes and text adventures! :smalltongue:

We're starting from point A, and we'll work our way from there.

Thing is, I've been playing Infinity Blade II an awful lot lately, so my mind's been occupied by how I can swipe my thumb to parry scary looking not-swords. And all the ridiculous amounts of not-blood coming from where you stab people.

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/11/119398/2017422-iphone_4s__infinity_blade_.png
When you kill him, you'll slice his thigh open for not-blood, and stab him in the skull from midair with a spectacular spray of nothing but energy. It's like Super Sentai, and sparks.

Cespenar

2011-12-02, 01:24 AM

Dwarf Fortress > all. :smallamused:

"Good", or even "great" and "excellent" don't cut it anymore on the Internet, does it? :smallsigh:

The Succubus

2011-12-02, 07:00 AM

Speaking of old school adventures, I heard an absolutely joyous bit of news recently - Codemasters are resurrecting the Dizzy games. :smallbiggrin:

Although if they pull an EA and turn a classic game into a half-butted FPS, I will go nuclear. :smallfurious:

polity4life

2011-12-02, 08:49 AM

Wookieetank

2011-12-02, 09:00 AM

...snip...

So I'm faced with a decision:
A) Do I gamble on good rolls and potentially steamroll the game by turn 2 and go head-first into the grinder with EVERYTHING?
B) Derp and just go around it an blitz into Moscow, guarded by a single infantry?
C) Drag my feet and counter-infantry build-up to try and tech up to Heavy Bombers?
D) Trick Question, all of these suggestions are stupid and I should do something else?

I'd go with D and kill Gandolf :smallamused:

Mx.Silver

2011-12-02, 06:58 PM

Although if they pull an EA and turn a classic game into a half-butted FPS, I will go nuclear. :smallfurious:

"Why? Sure, those old genres were great fun back in the day, but they just aren't relevant in the modern gaming world. We don't want people to stop playing the old games - we're big fans of the original and we're definitely paying as much homage to it as we can - but time has moved on. That's why the goal is to provide a challenging action shooter for today's gamers as well as fans of the original."

:smalltongue:

Triscuitable

2011-12-02, 07:28 PM

"Why? Sure, those old genres were great fun back in the day, but they just aren't relevant in the modern gaming world. We don't want people to stop playing the old games - we're big fans of the original and we're definitely paying as much homage to it as we can - but time has moved on. That's why the goal is to provide a challenging action shooter for today's gamers as well as fans of the original."

:smalltongue:

Besides, last time anyone tried the opposite, it turned out horrible, sold moderately for a series known to sell CONSOLES, and ruined the developer's good name, and developers in general. I'm looking at Halo Wars.

However, X-Com is one of those games that looks promising for the concept. I hate to say it, but I may prefer this over the original. It's Irrational, after all, these are the guys who made Bioshock, and just when you thought "underwater society gone bad" was unbeatable, they make "liberal supremacist city complex in the sky". Then they take a series known for unique setting, and put it in an even more unique setting.

Take this into consideration, should X-Com have been a strategy game again, then would it have sold? RTS games are all the rage, but the only really well known TBS franchises nowadays (that haven't undergone a dramatic treatment) are Civilization and Total War. Besides that, you'd have to remind me. This way, the console generation can experience something PC gamers cherish like forbidden fruit, and possibly pick up the original to see it's roots.

I've been watching too much (Enough?) MLP:FM; I imagined that horse as Pinkie Pie.

Pinkie Pie would say "Physics? Are you crazy?"

psilontech

2011-12-02, 08:44 PM

So, the turns have come and gone and I just finished my second turn as Germany.

Turn one consisted of me largely ignoring the Soviet slaughterhouse up north and pushing for Moscow, ending up but a brief walk from Moscow but unable to get into it based on the weird way the game wants to handle combat.

Threw the Luftwaffe at the British fleet and took out a sizable chunk of their offensive capabilities on the sea.

The British RAF starts pounding Western Europe, losing a few fighters in the process and begins landings to take my meager holdings in Africa, succeeding in removing my forces from the continent entirely.

Japan starts creeping up into Soviet and American held territories in Asia only to be pushed back to where they started after the soviets and americans took their next turns.

The Soviet's turn comes around again, this time employing a wall of meat strategy, taking back all of their lost territories and blocking me from access to Moscow, taking heavy losses in the process - Continues to churn out infantry, but Karelia is now understaffed as compared to where it was before.

G2 comes around and I decide to begin a massive push into Karelia, location of >80% of their forces. Soviet AA guns get lucky as hell (1/6 chance of shooting down a plane, takes out my bomber and two fighters out of four) but my rolls aren't terrible, resulting in me taking Karelia and essentially breaking the majority of the Soviet's standing army but taking heavy losses in the process.

Western Europe should have suffecient forces to withstand any landings the Allies can pull together at this point, but I'm massively worried over the three bombers sitting on England, ready to f my stuff up.

Unless something crazy happens between G2 and G3, the Soviets should be more or less finished before long with both myself and to a lesser extent Japan pushing heavily on them.

With them out of the game I think I can afford to start spending a little on research while I bring my Luftwaffa back to full strength and begin the Battle for Britain. Good thing radar doesn't factor into this version, eh?:smalltongue:

Mx.Silver

2011-12-02, 09:10 PM

However, X-Com is one of those games that looks promising for the concept. I hate to say it, but I may prefer this over the original.

It's Irrational, after all, these are the guys who made Bioshock, and just when you thought "underwater society gone bad" was unbeatable, they make "liberal supremacist city complex in the sky". Then they take a series known for unique setting, and put it in an even more unique setting.
You're kind of missing the point about why this game has upset so many people. It's not that it's necessarily going to be a bad game - althouhg from what I've heard from people who played the early demos it's nothing to write home about - it's that it has absolutely no business being called X-Com. This is chiefly because the name is the only thing it has in common with the original games: different setting, different enemies, different aesthetic style, plus the obvious completely different genre. It just looks like an idea for a new IP that someone slapped the X-Com label on because 'New IPs Don't Sell' and then had a ton of frankly pathetic attempts to pass it-off as being a true successor to the franchise, which succeeded only in further alienating fans of the original as well as numerous others who object to this sort of behaviour on principle (e.g. me).

Take this into consideration, should X-Com have been a strategy game again, then would it have sold?
It's not really possible to say one way of the other on this. I can say though that there is nothing that would prevent a Tactical TBS from selling, depending on what route you went down.

RTS games are all the rage, but the only really well known TBS franchises nowadays (that haven't undergone a dramatic treatment) are Civilization and Total War. Besides that, you'd have to remind me.
The thing is though, TBS has never been a particularly populous genre anyway, at least since the late 90s. This is even more true for Tactical TBS games, even including the RPG-Hybrids (Fire Emblem etc.). However, such games don't generally experience too much difficulty in making-back their costs and can still sometimes produce genuine hits (Advance being probably the best example).

And here's the thing: Tactical TBS are nowhere near as dependant on PCs as RTS games. Note the success the genre and it's RPG-hybrids have had on the handhelds. I don't think there have been many attempts to bring the genre onto iOS/Android yet but I see no reason to assume it wouldn't do well there.

So yeah I see no reason to assume that a TBS X-com game couldn't be successful, depending on how it was designed. Note that since Tactical TBS games don't traditionally rely on high-spec graphics developments costs probably wouldn't have been as high either.

This way, the console generation can experience something PC gamers cherish like forbidden fruit, and possibly pick up the original to see it's roots.
Except as mentioned before, they aren't experiencing X-com. They're experiencing a completely unrelated FPS that just happen to be named X-Com.

Triscuitable

2011-12-02, 09:39 PM

Scuzzball

2011-12-02, 11:07 PM

I'm not missing the point, because people shouldn't whine because their favorite franchise is now a completely different game. People whine about this all the time, and it turns out fine!

All I'm saying is, I do not care about the outcome of this game, fanboys need to get a grip.

The problem is, they are taking a game series, and making a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME and tacking on the name. And then claiming they did nothing of the kind, it's just a newer version of the originals.

Eakin

2011-12-03, 01:57 AM

Triscuitable

2011-12-03, 02:11 AM

I was going to start playing skyrim, but I ended up getting completely sidetracked and booted up super meat boy instead, now I'm hooked. I was at the end of world two, tonight I finished that, dark world one, and world three. From what I've played of Hell it looks like I'm coming into a big jump in difficulty.

What else is worth getting on xbla? I also already have geometry wars, Ikaruga, banjo kazooie and tooie.

If you haven't played it, Perfect Dark is awesome. But regardless of ANY OTHER GAME OUT RIGHT NOW, Shadow Complex. It is awesome, the story was written by Orson Scott Card. That is all I will say.

Frankelshtein

2011-12-03, 02:49 AM

I was going to start playing skyrim, but I ended up getting completely sidetracked and booted up super meat boy instead, now I'm hooked. I was at the end of world two, tonight I finished that, dark world one, and world three. From what I've played of Hell it looks like I'm coming into a big jump in difficulty.

What else is worth getting on xbla? I also already have geometry wars, Ikaruga, banjo kazooie and tooie.

Hell certainly lives up to it's name, I can tell you that much XD

Still working through the game, but I'm on the last world. Victory is so close, I can taste it!

Also: This. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5McCwFBi36I)

Mx.Silver

2011-12-03, 05:36 AM

I'm not missing the point, because people shouldn't whine because their favorite franchise is now a completely different game.
Why not? In what way is complaining that the supposed 'revival' of a classic franchise has nothing to do with the franchise at all, invalid?

People whine about this all the time, and it turns out fine!
When exactly do things like this happen 'all the time'? The only thing that comes close to being a previous example of this was Fallout 3 and that barely qualifies given that despite the change in camera perspective it's still an RPG and obviously part of the same setting.

All I'm saying is, I do not care about the outcome of this game, fanboys need to get a grip.
Or in other words: "you don't care so nobody else should"?

warty goblin

2011-12-03, 10:10 AM

The problem is, they are taking a game series, and making a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME and tacking on the name. And then claiming they did nothing of the kind, it's just a newer version of the originals.

My problem with this complaint always comes down to one thing. It's just the name on the box folks, which is window dressing at best. Way I see it when something like this rolls along a person's got two choices:

1) Get upset and expend a lot of time raging at something of surprisingly little consequence even in the gaming world, let alone any wider picture.

2) Don't get upset about it, and get to play a potentially good game.

When broken down like that, I find it quite hard to sympathize all that much with people who take option 1.

Forbiddenwar

2011-12-03, 10:47 AM

I can understand the rage.
Imagine the Dark Knight Rises comes out, People are excited they all want to go see it.

And then the trailers show Bruce wayne talking at a water cooler for 2 minutes with a woman. People get confused.

And then they discover that:
The Dark Knight Rises is a romantic comedy.
And there is no batman in it.
And Christian Bale only appears in the background of a shot, out of focus, and has no lines.

Because the title is just the name on the box, it doesn't matter.

Will people rage? Very likely.
Will the new information keep people from seeing the movie? Probably not. Some people will avoid trailers and decide to see it. And some people who like romantic comedies will go see it. It might even be a blockbuster.

Sorry, My hypothetical got away from me.

factotum

2011-12-03, 12:13 PM

My problem with this complaint always comes down to one thing. It's just the name on the box folks, which is window dressing at best.

I'd have to disagree with that. Names *are* important, since they uniquely identify things; it's all very well Shakespeare saying that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but if I decide roses should be called hoofenfeffers and come up to you to say, "The hoofenfeffers were glorious last summer, weren't they?" you wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about!

In the case of a series of games, one at least expects them to have *something* to do with each other. If the new X-Com had the same setting as the original games but was an FPS, I wouldn't mind so much. If it was an isometric TBS where you fight aliens, but it was set in the 60s rather than the future, that'd be just about OK too. But to literally carry over *nothing* from the original games other than the fact you're fighting aliens? That's just ridiculous.

Mewtarthio

2011-12-03, 01:04 PM

What else is worth getting on xbla? I also already have geometry wars, Ikaruga, banjo kazooie and tooie.

Bastion. Unless you've already got it on Steam, you should go and buy it right now. I'm serious: I want you to open another tab, go to the XBLA marketplace, and purchase this game right this very second.

It's a good game, is what I'm saying.

If you haven't played it, Perfect Dark is awesome. But regardless of ANY OTHER GAME OUT RIGHT NOW, Shadow Complex. It is awesome, the story was written by Orson Scott Card. That is all I will say.

Shadow Complex isn't really a story-based game. It's a Metroidvania in a near-future setting. From what I've heard, Card's contribution was minimal at best: The game just happens to share a setting with one of his books.

Triscuitable

2011-12-03, 01:21 PM

Shadow Complex isn't really a story-based game. It's a Metroidvania in a near-future setting. From what I've heard, Card's contribution was minimal at best: The game just happens to share a setting with one of his books.

Doesn't matter, it's freaking awesome.

warty goblin

2011-12-03, 02:25 PM

Scuzzball

2011-12-03, 05:17 PM

*And by recent I mean "everything except Ender's Game". Especially Empire.

Hey, I liked the piggies. Do have to agree though. But the piggies were still pretty cool.

Volatar

2011-12-03, 06:02 PM

If you haven't played it, Perfect Dark is awesome. But regardless of ANY OTHER GAME OUT RIGHT NOW, Shadow Complex. It is awesome, the story was written by Orson Scott Card. That is all I will say.

Meh. Not a big card fan. The Ender and Bean series' were ok, but I haven't liked anything else he has published. The Homecoming series just pissed me off.

I can understand the rage.
Imagine the Dark Knight Rises comes out, People are excited they all want to go see it.

And then the trailers show Bruce wayne talking at a water cooler for 2 minutes with a woman. People get confused.

And then they discover that:
The Dark Knight Rises is a romantic comedy.
And there is no batman in it.
And Christian Bale only appears in the background of a shot, out of focus, and has no lines.

Because the title is just the name on the box, it doesn't matter.

Will people rage? Very likely.
Will the new information keep people from seeing the movie? Probably not. Some people will avoid trailers and decide to see it. And some people who like romantic comedies will go see it. It might even be a blockbuster.

Sorry, My hypothetical got away from me.

That is actually a very good analogy. Names mean something. They define a set of works. The gaming industry is ruining the ability for names to define anything when they continue again and again to make games that have no relation to previous games.

There are plenty of examples of successful revitalizations of a series. Deus Ex, while the setting was modified in some ways, remained similar many others, and maintained similar gameplay ideas. Fallout retained it's setting and open world RPG genre. Supreme Commander, while not technically of the same name, maintained the flow based resources and grand scale of Total Annihilation.

The only thing XCom has in common with X-Com is aliens. Everything else is different. When you do that, you actually lose many customers. I enjoyed the first X-Com games. I certainly won't be buying the new one.

Celesyne

2011-12-04, 12:29 AM

It kinda be like taking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and making another sequel. Call it Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4. So we got all the military FPS boys jumping for joy over it. Now were gonna take it and its not an FPS anymore, we're gonna make it an RPG. Oh, and there is no modern army, nor any real warfare. And the only connection to Price and Soap are the words Price on the price tag, and the in-game item Soap-on-a-Roap.

Triscuitable

2011-12-04, 02:02 AM

Meh. Not a big card fan. The Ender and Bean series' were ok, but I haven't liked anything else he has published. The Homecoming series just pissed me off.

Been mentioned the only relation is that it's the same "universe" his Empire series takes place in. The story is written by him, but the cliches are through the roof, and all because there's only dialogue every 2 hours, for three minutes. The rest is some amazing revolutions on the Metroidvania genre. Don't take what I said about Card for a grain of the teeniest of salts, I got carried away. Card's relevance is MINISCULE.

On another subject, who here's an iOS gamer? RAISE THE ROOF! I just beat Infinity Blade 2. Here's my two cents, which compared to your two cents, is like... fifty bucks!
You start off in a pretty Japanese-esque garden, to find the location of the worker of secrets, who can supposedly help you defeat the deathless threat. You confront a deathless, who, after you kill every last one of her champions, will answer your question, and then fight you. Then you fall for a trap, accidentally return the God-King (who's name is revealed to be Radriar), and are then subsequently shot in the head by Isa, who's your companion. Then you wake up. Not a dream, Siris (you) begins to question who he is. All those members of that extremely stupid family in the first game were actually just him, having suffered such a fall on his head each time he was thrown out of the tower by Radriar, that he forgot he wasn't the same guy. Instead, he goes on to declare he'll avenge his father in Italian, and then go and die again. The bosses are like Mega Man, with that there's a recommended order to take them out in, that the game doesn't necessarily share with you. Once you beat all three of the bosses, Thane, Behemoth Mech-thingy, and the scholar, you go back to the top, fight Thane (who's also Deathless), go to rescue the Worker of Secrets, who tells Siris of his true name, Ausar, and then reveals he cannot leave his prison unless you bring him Radriar. You slay Radriar's mooks where you began the game, and then, in a totally badass fight, defeat Radriar. "Killing me... will not end this..." "What made you think I would let you die so easily?" You then proceed to bash him head in, and take him to the WoS, who (SURPRISE), betrays Ausar, revealing Ausar imprisoned him in the first place. Then Ausar says the most amazing thing ever: "Oh my god, what have I done? No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWaLxFIVX1s) Credits, fade out, fade in to where Ausar began his quest to rescue the Worker. Who's there? Isa. Swings polearm, title drop.
In case you didn't know, I spoiled the whole game for anyone who hasn't beaten it. Took me about seven hours to beat it, and it'll take even more time to beat it again, because playthrough two is a New Game+, will higher-leveled enemies, a whole new arsenal of weapons, and a bunch more stuff. Epic loves to update this series, and a promised wave of new DLC will be added for free as time goes on.

Volatar

2011-12-04, 02:36 AM

I don't play on my iPod touch much (mostly browse Reddit and forums, like right now), but if I had IB I would definitely do so. It looks like a really awesome game (and I have played it a little on a friends iPad). Just don't have the cash for it sadly.

Triscuitable

2011-12-05, 08:33 PM

warty goblin

2011-12-05, 08:45 PM

Black Ops: Zombies came out on the iOS, so now I have something slightly more interesting than playing Infinity Blade II (which I've exhausted through three playthroughs in one day, culiminating with earning the titular weapon). In other words, Call of Duty + Bus + iPod = :smallbiggrin:

Yes, I know World at War: Zombies is available, but I played that one to undeath, so I just wanted something fresh.

I got World at War almost entirely for the Zombies mode. However that requires beating the campaign, and I'm just not convinced I can make myself suffer through any more of it to get there.

In other news, this November has had so many good games it's staggering. Skyrim (which I've almost entirely neglected), Saints Row the Third, which finally clicked for me recently and I've been mainlining ever since, Anno 2070, which may be the best citybuilder since Zeus, and Serious Sam III.

Triscuitable

2011-12-05, 08:52 PM

I got World at War almost entirely for the Zombies mode. However that requires beating the campaign, and I'm just not convinced I can make myself suffer through any more of it to get there.

The newest patch doesn't need you to suffer through that abomination. It unlocks it right off the bat. I may just install it again to play Verruckt once more.

warty goblin

2011-12-05, 10:09 PM

The newest patch doesn't need you to suffer through that abomination. It unlocks it right off the bat. I may just install it again to play Verruckt once more.

Really? Excellent, I'll get on that once I reap my way through some of the ridiculous backlog I've acquired this month.

Triscuitable

2011-12-05, 11:47 PM

Really? Excellent, I'll get on that once I reap my way through some of the ridiculous backlog I've acquired this month.

Do you have the PC version? If you do, all map packs are free, at the expense of an extremely irritating swath of patches, totaling at about 6.7GB, almost doubling the game's size.

warty goblin

2011-12-05, 11:52 PM

Do you have the PC version? If you do, all map packs are free, at the expense of an extremely irritating swath of patches, totaling at about 6.7GB, almost doubling the game's size.

For that sort of downloading (aka about two days on my current internet), I'm not sure I care enough. I mean the basic shooting is OK, but not much more than that. Killing Floor has it hands down for weapon handling, and is a lot faster to download.

Triscuitable

2011-12-06, 12:07 AM

For that sort of downloading (aka about two days on my current internet), I'm not sure I care enough. I mean the basic shooting is OK, but not much more than that. Killing Floor has it hands down for weapon handling, and is a lot faster to download.

That's only if you want all the packs. If you want to just play Nacht Der Untoten, that's the first major patch, which amounts to 100MB.

warty goblin

2011-12-07, 09:37 PM

So I just polished off Saint's Row III's story last night. It's looking to be a serious contender for my game of the year right about now. Storywise it's not as good as II (what is?) but it's still really good, and mechanically it's far better than its predecessor to the point where I'd consider it one of my favorite third person shooters simply for the gameplay.

Mewtarthio

2011-12-07, 11:10 PM

So I just polished off Saint's Row III's story last night.

You know, I never really gave Saint's Row a second glance before now. Still, if you're that impressed, I'm intrigued. What is Saint's Row, and why should I be interested?

polity4life

2011-12-07, 11:51 PM

snip

You know, I love it when Japan says, "To hell with the Pacific theater!" and just slaps Russia in the rear. That's a surefire way to take Russia out of the game fast as the only support America and Britain can provide Russia is fighter defense or bombs runs, and the easiest way to really mitigate Britain is to bum-rush Africa and the Middle East, which is pretty easy.

In any case, well played on avoiding that mess early on and forcing Russia to expend resources, stretch itself, and ultimately fold.

factotum

2011-12-08, 02:43 AM

You know, I never really gave Saint's Row a second glance before now. Still, if you're that impressed, I'm intrigued. What is Saint's Row, and why should I be interested?

Think Grand Theft Auto (3 era, not IV) with a considerably greater silliness quotient and you won't be far wrong! (Not played SR3, but in SR2 you could actually play a mini-game where you stripped off all your clothes and ran around scaring old ladies with your nakedness...).

psilontech

2011-12-08, 06:53 AM

Thanks largely due to myself procrastinating on projects I need to finish before the end of the year, I found myself booting up 'ol reliable once more, Master of Orion II.

For poops and giggles, I decided to pull a homeworld-only Impossible game and built my custom race to accommodate: Low-G, Subterranean, Aquatic, Large HW, Rich HW, Artifact HW, -10 Ground Combat / Spy, +1 Research.

Two things of note have happened so far: Space Amoeba comes out of nowhere and starts in on my homeworld not too deeply into the game, still only had a starbase as a defender. I save as the ****er appears and see if I can fight it off... It ends poorly. It takes out my starbase in short order before a little movie starts going and I come back to find that my beautiful homeworld is now Toxic and my poor little subjects are starving to death -- well, those that survived the process, anyway.

This would have obviously spelled a game-over, so I revert back to my latest save and start experimenting on the best ship I can build in the allotted time, three turns. After failing miserably several times, I eventually tweak everything so I get Battle Pods researched just in the nick of time and am able to get out a Battleship laden down with 2x shot MIRV'd nukes and reinforced hull (To survive the first shot and be able to get off its entire payload - Doesn't survive the second) with just 3 BC to spare.

The second thing was just amusing to me due to a little internal dialogue I for whatever reason imagined for a diplomatic event. A kitties call me up and demand my entire stockpile of credits (A little over 1,000 in bank, each unit representing a billion credits).

Mrrshan: Yeah... We're going to need about a trillion credits from you guys.

Me: Ah, well I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement. The Mrrshan have been valued trading partners for some time now! Of course, those kinds of credits make up pretty much the entirety of our treasury but I'm sure we can work out a reasonable interest rate for such a loan and...

Mrrshan: I think you misunderstand. There will be no repayment nor will there be any interest. Why, that's an awfully nice homeworld you have there... and I can't help but notice you have NO standing military fleet and your home system is the ONLY one you control. Would be a SHAME if something happ-

Me: NO HANDOUTS FOR NON CUTE KITTIES!
*Cuts communication*

...
Military Advisor: Sir, I'm reading the Mrrshan fleet mobilizing and heading in our general direction...

Me: F***.
:smalltongue:

warty goblin

2011-12-08, 01:24 PM

You know, I never really gave Saint's Row a second glance before now. Still, if you're that impressed, I'm intrigued. What is Saint's Row, and why should I be interested?

Saint's Row is... hard to describe.

In terms of basic gameplay mechanics they're nothing revolutionary, being fairly typical urban sandbox third person driving/shooting games. The gameplay however is generally quite insane without crossing the line into self-parody*. That is to say the characters take respond to their often ridiculous situations in believable (for sociopaths) ways, and although they might point out how completely whacked out some of them are, the fourth wall remains intact throughout. This means that you the player get to do fun stuff in a context that generally makes sense and takes itself seriously without being awkward about it. The game knows that skydiving through the windows of moving aircraft is ridiculous but fun, the characters do it because in the somewhat bizarre world in which they operate, it makes sense.

Basically it's an excuse to have a ripping good time in something that takes itself just the right amount of serious, and has the writing chops to pull it off.

*Although I suspect that the Professor Genki bits are in fact just that. It's oblique enough to feel smart, not lame however.

Mx.Silver

2011-12-08, 02:24 PM

Finally got around to beating V:tm: Bloodlines a couple of days ago. I'd had it for a while just sitting on my shelf as I was working through my 'to-play' list. I'm now kicking myself I didn't start it earlier, as it's one of the few games that more than lives up to its own hype. In fact it's probably the best RPG-type game I've played in the last few years, certainly the most immersive. As far as actually making you feel like a vampire it's nearly perfect, while the atmosphere creates a real impression of the dark, seedy underbelly of a city that the creatures of the night haunt. It's a real shame Troika aren't around any more.

I also recently got hold of acclaimed point and click adventure game Syberia. It's usually held up with The Longest Journey (which I liked) as one of the 'last hurrahs' of the adventure genre so I felt it was worth checking out. It does not live up to its reputation. At all.
There's nothing inherently wrong with the actual mechanics (in as much as there are mechanics in Adventure games) although Kate's walking speed can get annoyingly slow. And there have been a couple of 'puzzles/obstacles' that shouldn't have been there at all if only the designers had bothered to look at the scenario in any detail. However, there haven't been any 'make fake moustache out of cat hair and syrup to impersonate a man who does not have a moustache' levels of moon logic either.
No, the bigger problem is that Syberia is pretty much the best example I've ever seen of how not to write a game's story. This ranges from failing to provide any in-story motivation to complete tasks (and it is impossible to maintain immersion when you're asking "Why am I doing this?"), a frankly pathetic protagonist - Kate refuses to carry a wet piece of wood because 'it's icky', refuses to try and cross a shallow, narrow stream and is unable to just ignore three not-particularly-large birds - and one of the most annoying supporting characters I've ever had the misfortune of encountering. This might be excusable if the main plot was interesting and did not rely on someone having hit their head as a child and becoming retarded (I wish I was making that up), but such is not the case. The setting itself could be interesting if the game seemed to care about exploring it, but this seems to have been a fairly low priority.
I'm not seeing why this game gets anything like the praise it gets.

Triscuitable

2011-12-08, 06:26 PM

OH MY GOD, THIS WEEK IS UNBELIEVABLE. Chrono Trigger just hit the App Store, so there goes my weekend, along with Bastion, and Borderlands DLC, and dear god, I leave for Belize next MONDAY, and I'm going to get like four hours of sleep that night, and...

factotum

2011-12-09, 04:47 AM

What's making this an awesome week for me is the imminent release of X3: Albion Prelude on December 15th...but I'm not likely to have any time to actually play it, firstly because I'm still playing Skyrim (and likely to be for a good while yet) and secondly because I always spend Christmas at my mother's, and my laptop is nowhere near good enough to run the game! :smallfrown:

Cespenar

2011-12-10, 10:02 AM

I also recently got hold of acclaimed point and click adventure game Syberia. It's usually held up with The Longest Journey (which I liked) as one of the 'last hurrahs' of the adventure genre so I felt it was worth checking out. It does not live up to its reputation. At all.

IMHO it's nowhere near The Longest Journey, but a passing adventure title nonetheless. I don't remember disliking it for the reasons you gave, but thinking that it was merely "meh", or bland, in real words.

Speaking of adventure games, has anyone tried The Next Big Thing? It's new, but relatively obscure.

TaRix

2011-12-10, 12:21 PM

Speaking of adventure games, has anyone tried The Next Big Thing? It's new, but relatively obscure.

Eh, it's good for a bunch of laughs. You're not likely to get stuck for terribly long, but you can easily finish it in a day.

Cespenar

2011-12-10, 12:31 PM

Eh, it's good for a bunch of laughs. You're not likely to get stuck for terribly long, but you can easily finish it in a day.

It's a bit short, yes, but I cannot possibly say that I finished it in a day. If you mean "24 hours nonstop" by saying "day", however, I might understand. :smalltongue:

Geno9999

2011-12-10, 01:10 PM

After installing Age of Empires II: Age of Kings and the Conquerors expansion, I want to know how many people still play that game.
My favorite faction is the Byzantine Empire.

Triscuitable

2011-12-10, 02:18 PM

Looking for my discs now...

TaRix

2011-12-10, 04:53 PM

It's a bit short, yes, but I cannot possibly say that I finished it in a day. If you mean "24 hours nonstop" by saying "day", however, I might understand. :smalltongue:

Though I didn't time myself, I think I did it in under seven hours. This was all during Black Friday while other brothers were playing Skyward Sword and such. I DID use the 'hotspot locator' option, which was helpful in finding some awkwardly placed "to such-and-such room" spots.

Triscuitable

2011-12-10, 05:09 PM

So what's this "Jamestown" game I've been hearing so much about?

Drascin

2011-12-10, 06:03 PM

So what's this "Jamestown" game I've been hearing so much about?

It's a vertical shoot'em'up with a steampunk aesthetic. Very well designed, and a great game overall.

Volatar

2011-12-10, 06:05 PM

So what's this "Jamestown" game I've been hearing so much about?

Well...

Jamestown: Legend Of The Lost Colony is a neo-classical top-down shooter for up to 4 players, set on 17th-century British Colonial Mars. It features all the intensity, depth, and lovingly handcrafted pixels of a classic arcade shooter, with a modern twist: deeply-integrated cooperative gameplay.

Does that help?

Bayar

2011-12-10, 06:11 PM

After installing Age of Empires II: Age of Kings and the Conquerors expansion, I want to know how many people still play that game.
My favorite faction is the Byzantine Empire.

Turks. For the Jannisaries.

Triscuitable

2011-12-10, 06:12 PM

Does that help?

Yeah, it does.

Thanks Drascin, thanks Volatar.

warty goblin

2011-12-10, 10:18 PM

Cespenar

2011-12-11, 03:41 AM

So after a three plus week hiatus, I fired up Skyrim again this evening. For some reason the game just isn't clicking for me. Maybe it's because I'm coming off of a Saint's Row III flavored open world high, but it just feels so plodding - walk, kill wolf, walk, kill wolf, walk, get ambushed by nearly unkillable troll, walk, kill some bandits and get some boring loot, keep bloody walking, realize I'm going the wrong direction because the map blows chunks, kill another wolf, get killed by a troll.

I have to say at this point I think I prefer Oblivion.

To me, Morrowind is still the best of them, but for some reason, people try to lynch me when I say that aloud. The other two's losing point (IMHO) is the surroundings and the resulting atmosphere. They are, unlike Morrowind, not alien enough.

Cogwheel

2011-12-11, 04:56 AM

Yeah, it does.

Thanks Drascin, thanks Volatar.

You play up to four fugitives on British colonial Mars in the... 16th century? 17th? I forget.

The game consists of looking into the disappearance of a colony while fighting, in the game's words, "betentacled Martians, loyal to the Spanish". The story never, ever so much as takes a moment to acknowledge how absurd all this is.

The fantastic orchestral soundtrack is a bonus. So yes, unless you have an aversion to shmups, get it. Oh, and prepare to hate Croatoa's blockfest, I guess.

Bayar

2011-12-11, 09:17 AM

To me, Morrowind is still the best of them, but for some reason, people try to lynch me when I say that aloud. The other two's losing point (IMHO) is the surroundings and the resulting atmosphere. They are, unlike Morrowind, not alien enough.

Those people should not be considered as having opinions worth listening to in this case. Morrowind IS the best of them.

Castaras

2011-12-11, 09:39 AM

Beautiful thread. *sips tea*

Mostly at the moment I've been sat in Unreal Tournament 2004 (with uni people), minecraft, and am needing to get round to playing E.Y.E divine cybermancy. which is SO MUCH FUN. At least, it looked it when I was sat watching a mate of mine play it.

warty goblin

2011-12-11, 12:50 PM

To me, Morrowind is still the best of them, but for some reason, people try to lynch me when I say that aloud. The other two's losing point (IMHO) is the surroundings and the resulting atmosphere. They are, unlike Morrowind, not alien enough.

I never played Morowind, it came out well before I got into gaming, so it's one of those missed things,you know?

I actually like the atmosphere of Skyrim just fine, it's that while playing I don't do very much that seems fun.

factotum

2011-12-11, 04:02 PM

I actually like the atmosphere of Skyrim just fine, it's that while playing I don't do very much that seems fun.

How are you getting lost when quests put a massive arrow in the compass that points you at your next objective? :smallconfused: And once you've "discovered" a location you can fast travel there, which also skips all that tedious walking around and fighting wolves, trolls etc.

Having said that, while I enjoy Skyrim just fine, I echo the people who have already stated that Morrowind was the best of the games. Sure, magic was pretty much broken (in the "useless" way as opposed to "overpowered") and combat lacklustre, but the actual quests were interesting, the locations exotic, and the sheer immersion factor off the scale. If you're finding Skyrim dull, get the GOTY edition of Morrowind and try that instead!

warty goblin

2011-12-11, 07:15 PM

How are you getting lost when quests put a massive arrow in the compass that points you at your next objective? :smallconfused: And once you've "discovered" a location you can fast travel there, which also skips all that tedious walking around and fighting wolves, trolls etc.

By get lost I mean being unable to find a reasonable route thanks to the whacking great mountains everywhere, and the remarkably useless map not actually showing the trails to get over said.

Also, is it just me or is the density of suicidally violent wildlife even higher in Skyrim? Seems like I can't go a hundred feet without some crazed beast queuing up for a spine severing.

Having said that, while I enjoy Skyrim just fine, I echo the people who have already stated that Morrowind was the best of the games. Sure, magic was pretty much broken (in the "useless" way as opposed to "overpowered") and combat lacklustre, but the actual quests were interesting, the locations exotic, and the sheer immersion factor off the scale. If you're finding Skyrim dull, get the GOTY edition of Morrowind and try that instead!
I don't really play RPGs for the quests, since there's only about six different sorts, and that's if you're generous. I play them for good gameplay in an aesthetically pleasing fantasy setting. Skyrim gets the second, but misses the first for me.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-11, 08:13 PM

I think I just finished recovering from the first really big war in my EU3 game, MEIOU mod. Playing as Ottoman Empire, had already taken Hamidoglu and Eretnoglu in Anatolia, and taken all of Thrace and most of Bulgaria in Europe, when Hungary/Croatia declared war on me, bringing in with them Bohemia, a twice-as-large-as-usual Montenegro, and a whole pile of German and Silesian minors, of which the only ones that actually sent soldiers were Saxony and Teschen, a Silesian duchy. Oh, and then Moldavia invaded my vassal, Muslim Bulgarian Dobrudja, so I had to fight them off too... Luckily their Austrian ally didn't send any soldiers, otherwise I would be sooooo dead!

I defeated Moldavia, and if not for Saxony, Teschen, and Bohemia, would have defeated Hungary. My ally, Fez, the Moroccan state, helped a lot. They landed their entire army in Croatian Dalmatia, and ended up being crushed by the Croats and Hungarians. However, they tied up the Croat army long enough for me to eventually repel the Hungarians and Bohemians in Thrace and Hungarian Serbia. After a few years of war, however, I had run through all 55,000 manpower for reinforcements I had, and had to concede defeat. Yes, I was consistently defeating their armies, but I just couldn't match up with the rate they were pumping out new armies. The fact I had just scaled my army back from 75,000 to 50,000 soldiers right before the war didn't help.

But, I'm finally finished rebuilding my manpower reserves, and now ready to conquer more lands: except for the little fact that I have next to no targets. The Turks of Karaman conquered Macedonia, and Tunisia's conquered large parts of Albania, leaving me with no border with the Greek states. Trebizond, the last Greek state in Anatolia is now ruled by the King of Hungary, which rules him out, and I still have good relations with the other Turkish factions. That leaves only one option: taking out the last Christian Bulgarian prince, the Prince of Tarnavo.

Well, or I could try taking the Genoese possessions, but their navy is ridiculous. I'm better off getting those by subterfuge.

I've been putting of taking Constantinople: I'll take it a bit closer to the historical fall.

Imposter

2011-12-11, 11:53 PM

I don't really play RPGs for the quests, since there's only about six different sorts, and that's if you're generous. I play them for good gameplay in an aesthetically pleasing fantasy setting. Skyrim gets the second, but misses the first for me.

You'd probably hate morrowind then, unfortunately. It's a game that's really best when you're playing the game for the sake of exploring the game, and the actual gameplay is more than a bit terrible. World really is great though, and I'm willing to call it better than it's sequels because of that.

Mewtarthio

2011-12-11, 11:56 PM

I don't really play RPGs for the quests, since there's only about six different sorts, and that's if you're generous. I play them for good gameplay in an aesthetically pleasing fantasy setting. Skyrim gets the second, but misses the first for me.

Ah. In that case, we should probably mention that Morrowind is that, except more so. The lack of fast travel and compass arrows is nice for showing you the scope of the world, but not so nice for players that need to budget their time. It gets a bit annoying when you have to wander through the same ashen canyon for the fifth time to get to that Ashlander encampment, or when your latest quest is "You need to kill some guy. He's in a cave somewhere in the mountains. I think there might be some steam vents nearby." And don't get me started on the combat...

Really, the only thing Morrowind's got going for it is that the world really does feel exotic and alien. Which, to be fair, is a pretty big deal in a sandbox game, in my opinion: If the entire point is that I'm exploring the world, I want it to be a world worth exploring. That being said, I honestly think that if Shivering Isles had been an entire game (with a larger map and more detailed factions), it would have topped Morrowind.

Seerow

2011-12-12, 12:00 AM

Did the 360 ever get an update that let it play Morrowind? I know I got a copy of Morrowind as one of the first games for my 360 and being really disappointed that the 360 couldn't play it. So I have as of yet not ever tried it (not counting a few hours spent at a friends house like a decade ago when it was a new game)

Drascin

2011-12-12, 03:41 AM

By get lost I mean being unable to find a reasonable route thanks to the whacking great mountains everywhere, and the remarkably useless map not actually showing the trails to get over said.

You want a horse. A lot of slopes and steep inclines which cannot be walked on foot, can be ran through on a horse, because Skyrian horses are great climbers.

Normally, in most games, you pick a horse to go quicker. Horses in Skyrim are not really all that much faster than your own running speed, but instead they allow you to use more direct routes.

Volatar

2011-12-12, 08:40 AM

You want a horse. A lot of slopes and steep inclines which cannot be walked on foot, can be ran through on a horse, because Skyrian horses are great climbers.

Normally, in most games, you pick a horse to go quicker. Horses in Skyrim are not really all that much faster than your own running speed, but instead they allow you to use more direct routes.

Image version. (http://www.dealspwn.com/writer/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/skyrim-horse-540x400.jpg)

Triscuitable

2011-12-12, 06:23 PM

Volatar

2011-12-12, 10:54 PM

My best friend lent me The World Ends With You (DS). It's pretty darn awesome.

Triscuitable

2011-12-12, 11:50 PM

My best friend lent me The World Ends With You (DS). It's pretty darn awesome.

I love that game. Two screen combat with an awesome collection system, awesome art style, and great music? :smallbiggrin:

warty goblin

2011-12-12, 11:55 PM

Gonna buy Serious Sam 3. Then I want to ask the guys who made Serious Sam: Before First Encounter if I can pirate their game, for the sole purpose of seeing if I can thwart the evil, invincible, turbo-charged, roid-raging crab-demon-thing. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e91q5BtlxK0)

I've played a bit of BFE and maybe it gets better later, but early on it's remarkably mediocre for the most part. Think corridor shooter, but with only a pistol. Given the upcoming Steam sale (and the fact that everything goes on sale then) I'd say wait a week or two unless you're absolutely desperate for something to shoot.

Geno9999

2011-12-13, 12:17 AM

Image version. (http://www.dealspwn.com/writer/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/skyrim-horse-540x400.jpg)

I've been watching too much (Enough?) MLP:FM; I imagined that horse as Pinkie Pie.

Triscuitable

2011-12-13, 12:29 AM

I've played a bit of BFE and maybe it gets better later, but early on it's remarkably mediocre for the most part. Think corridor shooter, but with only a pistol. Given the upcoming Steam sale (and the fact that everything goes on sale then) I'd say wait a week or two unless you're absolutely desperate for something to shoot.

I know exactly what it is. It's a mindless shooter that serves no purpose other than to start a frosh game on Serious, and play through the whole damn thing. There's no strategy, no cover, just an awesome soundtrack, stupid enemy concepts, and a helluva lotta carnage. My kind of game.

"Oh hey, you hear of Serious Sam?"
"That game is just plain stupid."
"It can't be. There's five kinds of enemies to fight!"
"Feh."
"That's more than Call of Duty provides."
"Meh."
"There's an enemy who screams with bombs for hands!"
"Whatever."
"And about seventy-three attack you at once."
*Pause*
"SAY WHAAAAAAT?"

It's not "take cover, go out, shoot stuff, go back to cover, wait for the jam to fall off my face, go back out, shoot more stuff" like Call of Duty is, it's "run, shoot, run, shoot, run, shoot, run, shoot, SHOOT AND RUN OH MY GOD IMPOSSIBLE!!" Way more appealing to me.

Volatar

2011-12-13, 12:44 AM

I love that game. Two screen combat with an awesome collection system, awesome art style, and great music? :smallbiggrin:

So far I have found the two screen combat overwhelming, the collection system brilliant, art style not to my taste, and music a mixed bag of amazing and meh.

Yet so far I give it a 10/10. I am weird like that :smalltongue:

Triscuitable

2011-12-13, 01:10 AM

So far I have found the two screen combat overwhelming, the collection system brilliant, art style not to my taste, and music a mixed bag of amazing and meh.

Yet so far I give it a 10/10. I am weird like that :smalltongue:

Because SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEENIX tried something new for a change, that actually works (DISSIDIA YOU SUCK)?

Cogwheel

2011-12-13, 01:37 AM

Because SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEENIX tried something new for a change, that actually works (DISSIDIA YOU SUCK)?

Hey, Dissidia is fun.

Simplistic, terrible and really stupid, but incredibly fun.

Grif

2011-12-13, 07:48 AM

I'm just going to leave this here.

http://www.gog.com/en/news/get_empire_earth_gold_edition_free

Happy holidays everyone! The holidays are all about giving, and while we’ve been giving away game codes to lucky individuals over the weekend, we haven’t given a game to everyone on GOG.com yet, and we thought we should spread a little more holiday cheer. So, we’re giving anyone who comes to GOG.com and adds Empire Earth: Gold Edition to their carts a free copy of the game. Be sure to come by and pick it up before 10.59 GMT on the 14th of December, though, to get it for free.

That is all.

The Succubus

2011-12-13, 07:54 AM

GOG is awesome. What else needs to be said?

Castaras

2011-12-13, 08:31 AM

GoG is the best game selling site ever. Amazing games and no DRM, what more is there to like?

Triscuitable

2011-12-13, 10:09 AM

Hey, Dissidia is fun.

Simplistic, terrible and really stupid, but incredibly fun.

It's not fun when two minutes in you learn your favorite FF char for fourteen year's name is pronounced "SESSUL" instead of, hey, I dunno, "SEH-SEAL"?!

Also, classmate is stupid obsessed with the girls. He won't play guys, quit Story mode on Tidus, and won't shut up about Lightning, Yuna, Tifa, whatever. It's ANNOYING. He's 18, but I guess I should be easier on him. After all, he's not going to remember me, or his game in a few years.

polity4life

2011-12-13, 10:16 AM

Volatar

2011-12-13, 10:23 AM

I played a little board game known as Junta the other day. I used to play that a lot in my undergrad. days, and I'd always get the crap end of the stick. People would gang up on me, hinder my terms as president, and try to assassinate me like they were paid to (which they likely were). No matter the case, what a fun game! It really lends itself to a little LARP, which is entertaining when constrained.

Oddly enough, I'm still targeted in that game immediately. It's like Bang!; you remember who killed you last game and target them at least once in subsequent games, regardless of affiliation.

Out of the many games of Catan I have played, I have only lost once.

This has caused everyone to gang up against me in every game. They tend not to trade with me.

I still win anyways :smallcool:

Also, classmate is stupid obsessed with the girls. He won't play guys, quit Story mode on Tidus, and won't shut up about Lightning, Yuna, Tifa, whatever. It's ANNOYING. He's 18, but I guess I should be easier on him. After all, he's not going to remember me, or his game in a few years.

Thats far from unusual. I tend to only play female characters in games as well if I get the choice.

warty goblin

2011-12-13, 10:25 AM

I know exactly what it is. It's a mindless shooter that serves no purpose other than to start a frosh game on Serious, and play through the whole damn thing. There's no strategy, no cover, just an awesome soundtrack, stupid enemy concepts, and a helluva lotta carnage. My kind of game.

"Oh hey, you hear of Serious Sam?"
"That game is just plain stupid."
"It can't be. There's five kinds of enemies to fight!"
"Feh."
"That's more than Call of Duty provides."
"Meh."
"There's an enemy who screams with bombs for hands!"
"Whatever."
"And about seventy-three attack you at once."
*Pause*
"SAY WHAAAAAAT?"

It's not "take cover, go out, shoot stuff, go back to cover, wait for the jam to fall off my face, go back out, shoot more stuff" like Call of Duty is, it's "run, shoot, run, shoot, run, shoot, run, shoot, SHOOT AND RUN OH MY GOD IMPOSSIBLE!!" Way more appealing to me.

The thing is what I've played of it isn't like that at all. It's a lot of walking down brown corridors and taking out fairly small numbers of enemies at a time. At least the early levels clearly think they're way more over the top than they actually are.

Triscuitable

2011-12-13, 06:17 PM

Out of the many games of Catan I have played, I have only lost once.

This has caused everyone to gang up against me in every game. They tend not to trade with me.

I still win anyways :smallcool:

Thats far from unusual. I tend to only play female characters in games as well if I get the choice.

Except it's to an extreme beyond extremes. He's mentally damaged, thinks some are real, and believes Disney princesses are as well.

Thufir

2011-12-13, 07:05 PM

It's not fun when two minutes in you learn your favorite FF char for fourteen year's name is pronounced "SESSUL" instead of, hey, I dunno, "SEH-SEAL"?!

I confess myself entirely unsympathetic, given that Cecil is a real name, so its pronunciation shouldn't really be unclear...

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-13, 08:30 PM

I've never met a single person called Cecil, and have never heard of any Cecil other than Cecil Rhodes. So, not surprised if it's pronunciation is confused.

Triscuitable

2011-12-13, 08:30 PM

I confess myself entirely unsympathetic, given that Cecil is a real name, so its pronunciation shouldn't really be unclear...

Because "Seh-seal" is the actual way to pronounce it, not some overly-Japanese name. Hell, Square has used "standard" pronounciations for some names, like "Glenn" and "Hope" (even though I hate Hope). And that's it, because it goes from full sanity to TIFA SEPHIROTH TIDUS ZASZ ZIDANE YUFFIE and other crap.

Thufir

2011-12-13, 10:12 PM

Because "Seh-seal" is the actual way to pronounce it, not some overly-Japanese name.

Er, no it's not. Cecil. Seh-sill. And the sill can easily become a sul. But not a seal.

Seerow

2011-12-13, 11:34 PM

Huh I always pronounced it See-sill

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-13, 11:50 PM

Thufir has the pronunciation right. But yeah.

Aiming on getting a whole pile of games over the break. Haven't been gaming since my update to my EU3 game earlier in the thread. So little time...

warty goblin

2011-12-14, 12:24 AM

Snagged the Duke Nukem Forever DLC campaign today. So far it's good stuff, arguably better than the base game. The level design's better, there's a few new guns, and more chances to use the better guns from the base game. It's actually pretty funny too, it's made me laugh a couple of times in the first two hours or so.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-14, 08:37 PM

Cogwheel

2011-12-14, 08:55 PM

Stalker is hard. I was clearing out a factory, just cleared most of the second highest and the highest level.
I was just was about to turn to go back down the stairs, when I'm shot in the back of the head by a bandit that followed me up the stairs. I was lost to the Zone. Again.

Stupid awesome AI.

It's really clever until it takes cover behind an enormous pile of explosive barrels.

Stupid awesome AI in an entirely different way.

warty goblin

2011-12-14, 09:11 PM

It's really clever until it takes cover behind an enormous pile of explosive barrels.

Stupid awesome AI in an entirely different way.

This seems relevant (http://penny-arcade.com/comic/2009/03/30).

Although to be fair I've been killed more than once in various FPSs because I happened to be standing next to something that went boom when shot. More than a few times it went boom because I was the one who shot it. Besides, as much as we may complain about, so long as it doesn't happen too often it's actually kinda fun.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-14, 09:25 PM

Also, just learned that Stalker 2 WAS being developed, but just last week the company declared itself defunct, and all projects cancelled. :smallfrown:

Triscuitable

2011-12-14, 09:36 PM

Also, just learned that Stalker 2 WAS being developed, but just last week the company declared itself defunct, and all projects cancelled. :smallfrown:

It SUCKS so much. I never played Stalker, hear about the mess that was the first game, decide "I'll wait until 2," and I did. And now I won't. But I can't afford Stalker! DAMN!

In the meantime, I've purchased the HIB4, and I've lost myself in Shank. Jeez Louise, that game is perfect. The way the combat flows together, the insane difficulty, the platforming concepts, the beautiful art style and animation? It's impressively well done.

If you want, and can handle the shame and emotional destruction, I can pick up a bundle for you for a few pennies. I will buy three though, because even a soulless ginger has his limits.

EDIT: :smallfrown::smallfrown::smallfrown::smallfrown::s mallfrown::smallfrown: I can't play a game of Battlefield 3, because all of the servers are using the expansion I can't afford! WHY?!?!

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-14, 10:39 PM

I don't think the first game is a mess. Then again, I've only ever played it with graphics and gameplay mods, but it's still a damn good game! One of my favourite shooters, to be sure. Most likely my favourite shooter.

I think I need to start putting the AI difficulty up in Company of Heroes. Once I got 3 tanks running, that last skirmish was a breeze. Even after they brought 4 tanks off the edge of the map, I two of my tanks were able to bottle them up. Though those howitzer shermans were playing havoc with me, killing all my infantry from across the map without me being able to get at them. My mobile artillery wasn't as useful this time. Last game I won through crazy amounts of mortars and Priest mobile artillery. This one was just elite infantry at first, and supa amounts of heavy tanks later.

warty goblin

2011-12-14, 10:47 PM

I don't think the first game is a mess. Then again, I've only ever played it with graphics and gameplay mods, but it's still a damn good game! One of my favourite shooters, to be sure. Most likely my favourite shooter.

Yeah, I've only played the fully patched base Shadow of Chernobyl, and mess is certainly a too strong term. There's some polish issues, but that's part of the charm, as is the learning cliff the game throws you off of in the first few hours. If you can weather that you're good to go, if not, sucks to be you.

I think I need to start putting the AI difficulty up in Company of Heroes. Once I got 3 tanks running, that last skirmish was a breeze. Even after they brought 4 tanks off the edge of the map, I two of my tanks were able to bottle them up. Though those howitzer shermans were playing havoc with me, killing all my infantry from across the map without me being able to get at them. My mobile artillery wasn't as useful this time. Last game I won through crazy amounts of mortars and Priest mobile artillery. This one was just elite infantry at first, and supa amounts of heavy tanks later.
I'm currently going through the agony of installing and patching CoH up again, since I've never installed it on this computer. Holy fragage is that a miserable process. I did manage to get one skirmish in today though, after farting around with cancelling patches and failing to log in it let me play in offline, unpatched mode. It confirmed what I remember: CoH is the best tactical RTS ever made. For grand maneuvre it of course loses to Sins of a Solar Empire and the various SupCom titles, but for the nuts and bolts of using these particular units to take that position, nothing else comes close. Well, maybe Men of War, but Men of War isn't an RTS. It's pure insanity that happens to be controlled somewhat like an RTS.

Also just patched Witcher 2 up all the way. That arena mode is like crack - can't stop stabbing things!

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-14, 10:57 PM

The CoH modding community is great too. I'm currently playing the Normandy 44: European Theatre (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?233474-Normandy-44-European-Theater-v-1.7-V2.0-(w-Soviets)-Alpha-Testing-Has-Begun) mod, but another mod that looks great is the Eastern Front (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?247866-CoH-OF-ToV-Company-of-Heroes-Eastern-Front-1.2-Released) mod.

Also worth looking forward is the Modern Combat (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?218514-CoH-Modern-Combat!-quot-Air-Assault-movie-quot-(September-17th-2011)/page6) mod, and the WW1: Great War 1918 (http://forums.relicnews.com/showthread.php?157509-WW1-Great-War-1918-Mod-UPDATED-12th-December-*Trenches-and-cold-steel*) mod, but neither has been released yet.

warty goblin

2011-12-14, 11:05 PM

Triscuitable

2011-12-15, 12:36 AM

Played Chrono Cross. Ugh, what an awful excuse for a sequel to my favorite game of ALL TIME. Seriously! Dalton is the leader of Guardia (Play the DS remake of CT, he invades Guardia in 1005 A.D.)? What a load of crap!

And the unclear fates of half the original cast, Robo dies, Johnny's dead (but that's good, I hated him), Lucca was probably killed by Lynx, what the CRAP SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEENIX?!

All this crap with the combat too, it's so awful! What, I have stamina now? Is this the freaking Elder Scrolls? So attacking depletes my stamina, which powers my tech-err, ELEMENTAL ATTACKS (sheesh), and the battles have a freaking LOADING SCREEN?! I don't even get to see the baddies line up where I tapped their shoulders!

AAAAAGGH I HATE THIS GAME I SHALL FOREVER PURGE IT'S EXISTENCE FROM MY MIND AND WHAT WERE WE TALKING ABOUT WHY AM I TYPING IN CAPS?

Morty

2011-12-15, 02:20 PM

Is anyone in this thread familiar with a curious blend of third-person action and RTS game Sacrifice from 2001? I bought it from GoG since it was on sale, and it's quite interesting. Definetly unlike any other game I've played.
Right now, I'm in my fifth mission... my choices went like this: Stratos => Pyro => James => Stratos => Stratos again, in my current mission. This one looks like it'll be tough.
One thing I don't like about the game is that it's a little hard to keep track of everything. Having to control both your wizard and your units can get confusing, especially in a fight.
I'm also considering buying a new laptop, but it'll probably have to wait as I also have buying a Kindle in my plans. Once I do get a new laptop though, it'll be time to re-play Witcher 2 on a hardware that can handle it.

Cogwheel

2011-12-15, 02:23 PM

Is anyone in this thread familiar with a curious blend of third-person action and RTS game Sacrifice from 2001?

Yes. Excellent game. Huge fan.

Everyone should play it.

I, however, should sleep. Gonna go fall over now.

Also, Stratos alone is reason enough to buy that game. He's amazing. "Oh, let's be honest, now; in any halfway civilized world, I would be the only god."

late for dinner

2011-12-15, 02:32 PM

Well, one of my favorite games...flash game none the less...(also nothing political about it except the name and the presidential anthem they play in the start up screen) George Bush Hot Dog stand. It is a time management game. Kind of like Diner Dash where someone comes up and orders a hot dog with or without ketchup and you grill it and make sure not to burn it, bun it, top it, and serve it then pick the money up off the register. You have daily goals to hit and every day, something new gets added...fries, drinks, grilled onions, burgers...it just gets harder and harder til you are serving like 6 people at a time and grilling 6 more burgers/dogs in the meantime. It's nuts and pretty soon thieves try to walk away without paying, so on top of your multitasking cooking, you have to watch people as they get the food to make sure they pay too. If you are looking for a challenging, casual game, just check out the googles for this one.

Morty

2011-12-15, 03:26 PM

Yes. Excellent game. Huge fan.

Everyone should play it.

I, however, should sleep. Gonna go fall over now.

Also, Stratos alone is reason enough to buy that game. He's amazing. "Oh, let's be honest, now; in any halfway civilized world, I would be the only god."

Yeah, I'm liking it so far. However, the mission I'm in right now appears really tough - I'm facing two allied wizards and I have to make sure neither of them manages to built four Manalyths before I defeat them. However, attempts to attack any of them result in me being ganged upon by the forces of both of them.

Cogwheel

2011-12-15, 09:01 PM

Yeah, I'm liking it so far. However, the mission I'm in right now appears really tough - I'm facing two allied wizards and I have to make sure neither of them manages to built four Manalyths before I defeat them. However, attempts to attack any of them result in me being ganged upon by the forces of both of them.

Correct: Just about every level 5 mission is very, very hard, unless you happen to be playing James or Persephone with Sirocco on your side.

Been a while, so I don't actually have any advice. Sorry.

Triscuitable

2011-12-15, 09:56 PM

So... Nobody feels the rage, hate, anger, and rageatenger I feel for Chrono Cross?

Cogwheel

2011-12-15, 11:32 PM

This (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVHJz9v26yA) is just amazing.

warty goblin

2011-12-15, 11:54 PM

Whee, busy day today. Wrapped up finals, finished the Duke Nukem Forever DLC, and launched into Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon as a post finals week brain relaxer.

The DNF DLC campaign was quite good for the most part, and contained some genuinely funny - and occasionally very good - writing. The final boss was rather bleh unfortunately, and a few of the early levels drug on a bit longer than they should have. I wouldn't have minded but they were very long on the dark grey corridor, and those grow monotonous quite rapidly. On the other hand there were a couple of new and rather inventive guns that were actually useful and common enough to be usable as something other than a gimmick. Overall I'd rate it at just ahead of the base game, which is to say a good time if you like your humor exceedingly bad and don't mind some less than wonderful graphics.

EDF: Insect Armageddon is, finally, a game that actually is crazy insane over the top and not just pretending it is. There may be more enemies in the first thirty minutes than many games manage in three hours. There's always about thirteen things blowing up at all times, and if you're not constantly shooting you're doing it wrong. Seriously, my right index finger hasn't ached like this since my last Sacred II binge. Nicely enough the story stays very far out of the way while playing things pretty straight. There's humor, but its usually fairly gallows in nature, and it never seems to go self-referential, which is a good thing. Something as ridiculous as this would go from amusing to painful if it started pointing its own ridiculousness out.

Morty

2011-12-16, 05:55 AM

Correct: Just about every level 5 mission is very, very hard, unless you happen to be playing James or Persephone with Sirocco on your side.

Been a while, so I don't actually have any advice. Sorry.

Hm, yes... the author of a Sacrifice Let's Play I found picked Stratos for that mission as well and he seems to concur that this mission is hard like several kinds of punitive afterlives. Oh, well. I'll see what I can do.

warty goblin

2011-12-16, 10:54 AM

And Steel Armor: Blaze of War is out in the US today. Damn but that's tempting, I've been hunting for a good tank sim that wasn't embarrassingly ugly, and as a bonus this one's not even set in WWII.

Cogwheel

2011-12-16, 10:57 AM

Hm, yes... the author of a Sacrifice Let's Play I found picked Stratos for that mission as well and he seems to concur that this mission is hard like several kinds of punitive afterlives. Oh, well. I'll see what I can do.

Backpedal a bit and take Persephone for level 5 or something, I guess? No one really has anything that great to offer at level 5 anyway, so it's not a big deal. Well, Charnel has some truly amazing handouts (Deadeye, but mostly Demonic Rift), but you do not want to subject yourself to that mission.

Halo of Stone's alright, I guess, but that's really about it.

Morty

2011-12-16, 12:34 PM

I don't think that's an option at this point. My only save is right at the beginning of this mission. I guess if it comes to the worst, I'll use cheat codes. :smalltongue:

Cogwheel

2011-12-16, 01:31 PM

I don't think that's an option at this point. My only save is right at the beginning of this mission. I guess if it comes to the worst, I'll use cheat codes. :smalltongue:

I'm fairly sure you can backtrack somehow. I forget how.

...Ah, wait. No. I just saved before every mission in case I reconsidered. My bad.

But yeah, cheats would do it. Good luck :smalltongue:

Morty

2011-12-16, 01:52 PM

Cogwheel

2011-12-16, 01:55 PM

They would or they wouldn't... the cheats certainly help in a fight, but the problem with this mission is that you have to be lightning-fast and prevent those two guys from building manaliths, and there's no cheat for that. It's going to take a few tries...

The correct cheat under these circumstances is "BOOM I HAVE FIVE DRAGONS".

Suddenly their manaliths don't help much.

No that is not the actual cheat code.

Morty

2011-12-16, 03:58 PM

Even if I could easily crush them, when one of them gets 4 manaliths it's over, because not letting them do so is the mission's objective. This is why it's so frustrating.
Another frustrating thing is Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. I bought it on the GoG sale along with Sacrifice, but for some reason, it slows down every once in a while, and everything moves as though in slo-mo, even after I reduced the resolution to 800x600 and the details to medium. I have no idea why this happens.

Volatar

2011-12-16, 05:50 PM

Prince of Persia: Sands of Time

everything moves as though in slo-mo

Isn't that, like, what that game is supposed to do? :smalltongue:

Morty

2011-12-16, 06:17 PM

I wanted to specify that it moves in slo-mo without me using the Sands, but I thought it went without saying. :smalltongue:

Triscuitable

2011-12-16, 06:47 PM

Sands wasn't that great (to me). I'm still invested in Chrono Trigger and GTA3, so I'll wait.

Eakin

2011-12-16, 07:13 PM

So... Nobody feels the rage, hate, anger, and rageatenger I feel for Chrono Cross?

To be fair, it DID have an awesome soundtrack

But was it a worthy follow up to THE GREATEST SNES RPG IN THE HISTORY OF RPGS? No it was not.

If you disregard it's heritage and terribly confusing story it's pretty good, but not great

EDIT: Tonight is Ret-faux night on my computer, with Breath of Death and Cthullu Saves The World Downloading from Steam as we speak.

Dublock

2011-12-16, 09:47 PM

THE GREATEST SNES RPG IN THE HISTORY OF RPGS?

But...but...but...Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES is the best RPG for the SNES.

Yes I know many people disagree with that statement and no you can't convince me otherwise. I just wanted to let you know I respectively disagree with you :P (And I hate Paper Mario too)

Seerow

2011-12-16, 10:13 PM

But...but...but...Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES is the best RPG for the SNES.

Yes I know many people disagree with that statement and no you can't convince me otherwise. I just wanted to let you know I respectively disagree with you :P (And I hate Paper Mario too)

Yo dawg, I'm gonna let you finish, but Chrono Trigger is the best RPG of ALL TIME

Starwulf

2011-12-16, 10:39 PM

But...but...but...Mario RPG Legend of the Seven Stars for the SNES is the best RPG for the SNES.

Yes I know many people disagree with that statement and no you can't convince me otherwise. I just wanted to let you know I respectively disagree with you :P (And I hate Paper Mario too)

No No No No No No NO! You BOTH have it ALL WRONG! Secret of Mana is the greatest SNES RPG Of all time! OF ALL TIME! ALL TIME! TIME! !

Eakin

2011-12-16, 10:49 PM

Yo dawg, I'm gonna let you finish, but Chrono Trigger is the best RPG of ALL TIME

Secret of Mana is great (if broken, the magic system is COMPLETELY imbalanced), 7 Stars is great too, and nobody here has even mentioned FF 4 or 6 yet. The SNES was truly a golden age for RPGs. But only one game dragged me to the video store, where I spent 45 minutes BEGGING the clerk to sell me their used copy of Chrono Trigger for $20. Successfully. Even if they only gave it to me to get rid of me, it remains the best game EVER.

The DS remake was also awesome, even if the added content wasn't so hot.

Cogwheel

2011-12-16, 11:41 PM

Going by gameplay? Dunno which the best was, though I have a soft spot for Treasure of the Rudras.

In terms of story? Terranigma. Best by far.

Triscuitable

2011-12-18, 10:58 PM

So, installing the OnLive app on my mom's Kindle Fire got me Defense Grid: Gold free! Sweet deal!

Morty

2011-12-19, 01:55 PM

Cogwheel

2011-12-19, 02:28 PM

Well, I decided to perform Mission 5 in Sacrifice for James instead. It's not quite as impossible as Stratos'. Besides, James is a cool guy and Stratos is a jerk. I finished it, but I wonder if I'd get a boon for banishing the enemy wizard in addition to destroying the device...
With that said, the AI in this game is really rather stupid. The enemy kept making suicide attacks at me, after which I always ended up with at least a few of his souls. It accomplished nothing for him, because even though I'd also suffer heavy casualties, I could collect my souls at my leisure whereas he would leave a few after retreating.

James is basically the one sane, nice guy.

Well, there's another deity who is also trying to save everyone, but you'll have to figure out who it is yourself. And anyway, Stratos has all the style.

The Dynamo mission is one of the more memorable ones, all told. I have fond memories of rushing it using Sirocco and beating the level within about two or three minutes. And yeah, AI's dense, but it's so overpowered that it wins anyway :smalltongue:

Morty

2011-12-19, 03:27 PM

Stratos has style, but his style involves self-righteously manipulating everyone.
Anyway, I finished that mission, banishing Buta. It was pretty enjoyable, yes. Banishing Buta was pretty easy, as I was lucky enough not to get magma in my face and he had donated most of his souls to be in suicide attacks. After I rushed the Dynamo, I was left only with two Sylphs and Gammel. I summoned a Taurock hastily and managed to destroy it just in time.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-19, 05:09 PM

I just remembered the time earlier this year, was playing Gears of War 3, doing the campaign, and we broke the game by killing a bunch of enemies we weren't supposed to. There's one point when a ridiculous amount of big guys with shields and stuff come out, and you're defending the fortress, and have to, like, try and kill them.
Only the game doesn't actually tell you that you're not supposed to be able to kill all of them before at least one of them reaches the gate and breaches it.
It was a very well-placed grenade, that one.
Only the game got stuck, and no more enemies came, so we had to reload and let them through this time.

Forbiddenwar

2011-12-20, 08:33 AM

I hate it when games do that, require a loss. Puzzles that require death as the only solution.
There was a boss fight in prince of persia that I got stuck on for 2 hours. Why? Because you are suppose to run away and leap to your death, abandoning the princess.
Yeah. Somehow that never occurred to me.:smallmad:

Dublock

2011-12-20, 10:04 AM

I hate it when games do that, require a loss. Puzzles that require death as the only solution.\

Personally I am fine with it but only when it is obvious, like starting a new RPG, you have 20 health and the dude has 200,000 health. If I *think* I can win, then I am going to spend hours to win (until I look it up and curse for wasting so much time).

Cogwheel

2011-12-20, 10:52 AM

\

Personally I am fine with it but only when it is obvious, like starting a new RPG, you have 20 health and the dude has 200,000 health. If I *think* I can win, then I am going to spend hours to win (until I look it up and curse for wasting so much time).

Personally, I believe that Planescape: Torment handled it wonderfully. Requiring death in parts, I mean.

Triscuitable

2011-12-20, 02:19 PM

\

Personally I am fine with it but only when it is obvious, like starting a new RPG, you have 20 health and the dude has 200,000 health. If I *think* I can win, then I am going to spend hours to win (until I look it up and curse for wasting so much time).

My mind harks back to the golem of a man named Dalton in a time period of 12k B.C. in a 1995 SNES RPG (no spoilers, heavy detail). The first time, you can't beat it, second time, you fight TWO AT ONCE, third, you fight the Overlord, and he's four times as strong as the last two, but... It's afraid of heights. And you're fighting on the wings of a plane.

The game?
It's Chrono Trigger, obviously.

Starwulf

2011-12-20, 03:30 PM

\

Personally I am fine with it but only when it is obvious, like starting a new RPG, you have 20 health and the dude has 200,000 health. If I *think* I can win, then I am going to spend hours to win (until I look it up and curse for wasting so much time).

Word. I remember when I played Breath of Fire 2 back in the day on the SNES. The fight against the male version of Katt for her love or whatever, I wasted every single healing item I had in that fight, and doled out 256k Damage to that bastard(FYI, the final boss of the game ONLY HAS 10k!). Granted, I realized after I dished out 50k damage to him that it was apparently a fight I was meant to lose, but by that point, I was was annoyed and decided to vent by beating the snot out of him until I ran out of items. Then I just re-loaded a save and let him wipe the floor with me.

factotum

2011-12-20, 05:06 PM

Personally, I believe that Planescape: Torment handled it wonderfully. Requiring death in parts, I mean.

Well, the critical thing with PS:T was that you would always come back after a death--that was the whole schtick of your character, after all!

Mewtarthio

2011-12-20, 05:54 PM

Yes, those annoying hopeless boss fights. I guess I can see how they might be necessary for the story, but they're pretty tricky to pull off.

So, what's the best way to go when the plot calls for the player to lose? The hopeless boss fight is one way: Upside is that it shows the player just how badly they were outclassed, downside is the player feels like they've wasted their efforts when it turns out there's nothing they could have done. You could throw the players a bone and give them some sort of reward for managing a victory, even if it doesn't change the story (eg The Chrono Trigger example, where beating Dalton's Golem gets you experience and tech points, but Dalton captures you anyway); losing players can at least console themselves that they were fighting for something.

There's also cutscene-based defeats. I'm certain we've all fought a boss who got right back up and smacked the player down after losing, but still sent us to the "Game Over" screen after winning. I'm equally certain that none of us have enjoyed the experience. It pretty much cheats the player out of a hard-won victory. Actual cutscenes might be the safest way to go, though the player might still be left screaming "I could have taken him!" (plus that sort of thing gets horribly abused to make players lose to, say, random members of the city guard).

My favorite plot-mandated defeats were the ones in The World Ends With You, actually. To win the hopeless fights in that game, you had to survive for a set amount of time against a horribly overpowered enemy. You're not so much fighting to win as you are fighting to not get splattered so quickly that the plot doesn't even have time to catch up. I believe the idea is that, for instance, an invincible boss might only want to rough you up and scare you a bit, but he's strong enough that he really could kill you without trying. As such, the player is encouraged to fight as hard as possible, but they're still nowhere near winning when the "He's too strong!" cutscene kicks in.

(Actually, that's a lie. My favorite plot-mandated defeat is against Cauthrien in Dragon Age. The plot dictates that you lose the fight and get captured, and odds are pretty good that you'll be too stunlocked to waste effort fighting back on your first playthrough. If, however, you defy those odds and manage to win, the game skips the next chapter entirely and jumps straight to you confronting the villain. But I realize that's rarely practical.)

My mind harks back to the golem of a man named Dalton in a time period of 12k B.C. in a 1995 SNES RPG (no spoilers, heavy detail). The first time, you can't beat it, second time, you fight TWO AT ONCE, third, you fight the Overlord, and he's four times as strong as the last two, but... It's afraid of heights. And you're fighting on the wings of a plane.

Of course, when you fight the two golems at once, you've got the armors that absorb various elements. And the golems' main gimmick essentially lets you dictate which elements they use...

Maxios

2011-12-21, 02:41 AM

Can Saint's Row 3 be played local on the PS3 (as in, split screen?)

factotum

2011-12-21, 02:43 AM

Actual cutscenes might be the safest way to go, though the player might still be left screaming "I could have taken him!" (plus that sort of thing gets horribly abused to make players lose to, say, random members of the city guard).

Speaking of cutscenes, does anyone else find it annoying when your character gets to do impossibly cool stuff in cutscenes that you know is not possible when actually playing the game?

Cespenar

2011-12-21, 03:18 AM

Speaking of cutscenes, does anyone else find it annoying when your character gets to do impossibly cool stuff in cutscenes that you know is not possible when actually playing the game?

A version of that is the famous "I'm a level 30 wizard but I still need a key to open that door." syndrome. Only game off the top of my head that doesn't succumb to it is Morrowind (and the other Elder Scrolls games, probably).

Morty

2011-12-21, 07:12 AM

(Actually, that's a lie. My favorite plot-mandated defeat is against Cauthrien in Dragon Age. The plot dictates that you lose the fight and get captured, and odds are pretty good that you'll be too stunlocked to waste effort fighting back on your first playthrough. If, however, you defy those odds and manage to win, the game skips the next chapter entirely and jumps straight to you confronting the villain. But I realize that's rarely practical.)

Yes, that one was an example of a good way to do it.
One of the most jarring examples of this sort of thing was the first fight with Letho in Witcher 2 - after you beat him, which isn't easy, he knocks Geralt on his ass and escapes anyway. Way to go. :smallannoyed:[/QUOTE]

A version of that is the famous "I'm a level 30 wizard but I still need a key to open that door." syndrome. Only game off the top of my head that doesn't succumb to it is Morrowind (and the other Elder Scrolls games, probably).

You still need lockpicks or spells to open every crappy wooden door instead of hacking it to pieces with your huge enchanted dwemer waraxe or blowing it up. So I wouldn't say they avoid it. Breaking down doors was possible in Daggerfall, though.

factotum

2011-12-21, 08:09 AM

Only game off the top of my head that doesn't succumb to it is Morrowind (and the other Elder Scrolls games, probably).

Skyrim definitely has doors which are locked and require a key no matter what...you can't even open them with the Skeleton Key, AFAIK.

Cespenar

2011-12-21, 08:32 AM

You still need lockpicks or spells to open every crappy wooden door instead of hacking it to pieces with your huge enchanted dwemer waraxe or blowing it up. So I wouldn't say they avoid it. Breaking down doors was possible in Daggerfall, though.

Hmm, true, but at least they weren't plot-locked, was my point. Still, as you said, not a perfect case.

Skyrim definitely has doors which are locked and require a key no matter what...you can't even open them with the Skeleton Key, AFAIK.

Oh. I wouldn't know, I didn't play Skyrim.

The Succubus

2011-12-21, 09:54 AM

Triscuitable

2011-12-21, 02:57 PM

I don't know why but the words "Bayonetta" and "Devil May Cry" appeared in my brain.

There's a trope for that: Cutscene and Gameplay Segregation.

Arkham City: Lockdown is surprisingly awesome. It's like Infinity Blade, but combat is a bit more on the offensive, instead of waiting for an opening, you can counter moves right into an stunned enemy. There's no exploration either, you just fight enemies with no "breaks". You even can get old batsuits. In fact, the new update added the Adam West Batsuit!

Morty

2011-12-21, 03:00 PM

Well, I've finished Sands of Time. Inexplicable slo-mo nonwithstanding, it was fun. I've already played Warrior Within, so Two Thrones is next if I get the opportunity.

Wookieetank

2011-12-22, 09:40 AM

Well, I've finished Sands of Time. Inexplicable slo-mo nonwithstanding, it was fun. I've already played Warrior Within, so Two Thrones is next if I get the opportunity.

I highly reccomend Two Thrones. I found it to be a much better game than Warrior within, but perhaps thats just me. Still liked the whole series though.

So thanks to steam I managed to pick up the entire Halflife series this week. This being my first time playing any of the Halflife games (I know gasp! and all that :smalltongue:), I'm finding that even with its dated graphics that Halflife the first is still an awesome game.

Maxios

2011-12-22, 01:39 PM

Do any of you guys know if Saint's Row 2 and Saint's Row 3 can be played split-screen on the PS3?

Morty

2011-12-22, 03:29 PM

Warrior Within had great combat, but the grim 'n' gritty atmosphere really was a little over the top.
Also, there's nothing more annoying than winning a mission handily but losing one of your heroes... which is what just happened to me in Sacrifice. I guess I'll have to re-do it, since the hero is pretty useful. The hero units are generally quite an exception to Sacrifice's general dynamic - if a normal unit dies it's no big deal as long as you pick up the soul. But the hero units die for good.

Cogwheel

2011-12-23, 03:19 AM

Morty

2011-12-23, 09:41 AM

Gammel. The strange thing is, I reloaded and made sure he survived... but he still didn't show up in the next mission. Faestus was next to my altar, but Gammel was gone.

Cogwheel

2011-12-23, 09:47 AM

Gammel. The strange thing is, I reloaded and made sure he survived... but he still didn't show up in the next mission. Faestus was next to my altar, but Gammel was gone.

Yeah, I think he just up and vanishes at some point. Pity. He's none too useful, but I liked the voice actor. And also some of his lin- HAVE AT YOU!

Morty

2011-12-23, 10:37 AM

He's pretty tough, and he's one less Ikarus I have to spend three souls on.
On another note, I'm in the final mission now, but the last few were really easy. The one in which I had to destroy Charnel was especially dead easy, if you pardon the pun. The two enemy wizards just sat on their butts as I killed their creatures, stole their souls and destroyed their altars.

Cogwheel

2011-12-23, 10:55 AM

Yeah, anti-Charnel is generally trivial. Try anti-James as Pyro, however, and know pain.

Also the last level is a pushover. But that's okay because Tony Jay.

warty goblin

2011-12-23, 11:31 AM

Speaking of cutscenes, does anyone else find it annoying when your character gets to do impossibly cool stuff in cutscenes that you know is not possible when actually playing the game?

Not really. Usually because the sort of things that the characters do in cutscenes would, if its in the scope of the game's normal mechanics, be highly annoying and fiddly to pull off. Either that or it's something the game can't actually handle with its normal mechanisms, which would probably result in an QTE. I'd rather watch a cutscene than play most QTEs.

Morty

2011-12-23, 12:13 PM

Yeah, anti-Charnel is generally trivial. Try anti-James as Pyro, however, and know pain.

Also the last level is a pushover. But that's okay because Tony Jay.

I wouldn't call the last level a pushover, but it's not all that hard either. Speaking of which - is it possible to un-guardian creature from a Manalith? I have two Boulderdashes I guardianed to the two Manaliths near my altar to repel Marduk's initial attacks, but they're of no use now that I've pushed forward.

Cogwheel

2011-12-23, 02:30 PM

Nnnnnope. Can't unguardian. Can kill and recycle souls.

Also Boulderdashes are amazing.

Morty

2011-12-23, 02:43 PM

That they are. They make short work out of every flying creatures. They are, however slow. It's a disadvantage of siding with James - all his creatures are slightly slower than glaciers.
As for de-guardianing, I suspected as much. I guess I'll kill them and pick up the souls, though. I hope Marduk won't attack while I'm doing it.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2011-12-27, 07:30 PM

My Victoria 2 USA game is interesting. Had a looong period of Democrat governments, in which I played up the Warmongering. Britain had colonized Washington State before I could, and they also had claims on Oregon State, while I claimed most of British Columbia in retribution. They attacked me three times. The first time, they claimed Oregon and I claimed Washington. I won, the second time, they claimed Washington, and I claimed British Columbia. I won again.

Then I decided to have fun with Mexico. In addition to taking California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah, I freed the Republic of the Rio Grande, who then voted to join me. I would have freed the Republic of Chiapas, in the south of Mexico, but the second war with Britain threw me off. Before any of these wars, rebels had already set up the Mayan Republic of the Yucatan, which I supported against Mexico.

I'm at 1876, thereabouts, and from 1860 to now have been a decade and a half of near constant global war.
First, the equivalent of the Crimean War kicked off. France claimed jurisdiction over the Christians in the Holy Land, the Ottomans agreed, in retaliation, the Russians invaded the Ottomans, ending up at war with them, the French, and, at times, the Dutch, Belgians, and British. The Ottomans were totally occupied, but the French refused to give in, landing HUGE armies TWICE in the Baltic. I didn't see the size of the second invasion, but the first invasion was, at it's height, 200,000 men, and occupied all of modern-day Lithuania, Latvia, and parts of Poland and Belarus. They were eventually pushed back, but what really ended the war was the blockade on Russia. After over 10 years of constant blockade, and several popular rebellions, the Russians ended up compromising. The Ottomans were humiliated and disarmed, and had to pay money to Russia. Wallachia and Moldavia combined to form Romania, and were given a small bit of Russian Bessarabia to connect them to the sea, but remained a Turkish vassal.

Later, however, Prussia would undo some of this, and the Berlin Conference decided that Bosnia and Herzogovina should be made independent in the Prussian sphere of influence, that Romania should be given some of Dobruja, freed of Turkish control, and placed in the Russian sphere of influence, that Serbia should be given a little more land, and that Bulgaria should be made an autonomous region of the Ottoman Empire.

Then there was the super-confusing war. The Second War for Italian Independence (The first one, in which Sardinia-Piedmonte tried to go it alone against Austria failed) pitted France and her allies, including Spain, Denmark, and Sardinia-Piedmonte, against the ailing Austro-Hungarian Empire, no longer even listed as one of the Great Powers. However, then Prussia invaded France in an attempt to capture Alsace-Lorraine. In the end, the only thing that changed was... Denmark was forced to release the Duchy of Schleswig as independent, which Prussia later invaded and annexed. Other than that, the wars were completely useless.

In the meantime... I fought not one, but TWO civil wars. The first Civil War, of about 1862, was very short. Embarrassingly, after less than a year, I was forced to declare peace, and let the Confederates go. If the British hadn't chosen that moment to declare war for a third time, I would have succeeded, but a full 90,000 men had to go fight the British around the Kingston area, and a British army of a little more than 20,000 was methodically occupying British Columbia. If I had those 90,000 men fighting the Southerners, I would have won. As it was, they destroyed my armies in Rio Grande, destroyed my armies in Virginia, and all but destroyed my armies in Maryland.

In 1872, however, I resumed the war, and this time I won. The Confederate armies were still much better than mine, but the difference was, there was no threat of British invasion. The Brits had set up Canada as a Dominion, meaning that it was toothless Canada that had the claims on British Columbia now. Britain had no more claims on me.
The First Battle of Washington DC is still a little bit of an embarrassment though. 200,000 Yankee soldiers versus no more than 50,000 Southerners. 90,000 Yankee casualties, 25,000 Southerner Casualties, and the Southerners repel my armies. The Second Battle of Washington DC I won, but still. I fired that general. Useless General. Not that it's entirely his fault. Throughout the entire war, I won hardly a single battle on the offense, and the ones where I was in the defense were darn close things as well. If I had had my Army of the East in Washington, rather than in New York, that battle would have been much better...

Edit: Oh yeah, during the Russian time of revolutions during and after the war, the Altaic Union and the Siberian Republic briefly declared their independence. The Siberian Republic is still de facto independent, but the Altaic Union has since been pwnd. They were just tiny rump states past the Urals.

Triscuitable

2012-01-02, 12:36 AM

Fun time in Assassin's Creed 2!

http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613846549840192417/284D30826C10D3086F709D3EA52262E7E09B421A/
It's scary up here! I lack faith!
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613846549840193528/60F6E73F9F323BE7E504F90C252E4A0DA0702F9D/
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613846549840194210/49B0D4E6B8417D2AAF1A77DC5736AC439A316AD6/
AH! NO! I'm gonna slip and fall off!
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613846549840195846/204FA201FDA9DADD9520D1577460A3EE6C6C1118/
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613846549840196948/AAAB492D5E169A987D8AF5C4C87C69C7CE4E0F79/
Safe! But I need to prove I leaped in!
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613846549840198909/03A79358AE2CFEAD891DEBD14DDBC4B3891DFBA3/
Ignorethebugsignorethebugsignorethebugs
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/613846549840199780/F8709198EF4DA3557886B9804111380A79C96968/
Take the picture!
http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/6789/goddammitrk.jpg
GODAMMIT!

Volatar

2012-01-03, 12:08 AM

I am failing to understand your brand of humor.

Also, buy better armor already. 6 HP is just sad. I have 14 already. :smalltongue:

Triscuitable

2012-01-03, 12:27 AM

I am failing to understand your brand of humor.

Also, buy better armor already. 6 HP is just sad. I have 14 already. :smalltongue:

That was the first time in Villa Auditore! I'm not going to have anything short of 6!

(Plus, I actually decided to climb down. I added poor humor, and then internet go boom).

Morty

2012-01-03, 05:14 AM

I decided to buy Planescape: Torment from Good old Games to play it again, this time in English. I'm planning on being Neutral this time, but I'm not sure how easy it'll be... as brilliant as the writing in this game is, it doesn't handle alignment much better than other D&D-based games, which handle it poorly. I'm also not certain which class I'm going to pick. Maybe a Mage again. One of my pet peeves against Torment is that mages get some cool things Fighters and Thieves don't. For example...
You only get to hear the Pronouncement of Two Deaths as One from Dak'kon if you're a mage. You can swap classes at your leisure of course, but it feels a little metagame-y to me.

Cogwheel

2012-01-03, 05:17 AM

You need those mental stats, I'd say. Go mage.

Also, good and neutral are the easier alignments in that game, in the sense that no one actually has the heart to complete an evil playthrough.

Morty

2012-01-03, 05:25 AM

Well, sure, being Evil in Torment will slowly wither your soul. What I mean is that I worry I'll end up being Good instead for lack of Neutral dialogue options.
As for classes, it's possible to play a Fighter with high mental stats as well. So long as you've got Strength you're good, and you get that from reaching Fighter levels and Fighter-only tatoos. And playing a guy who can discuss philosophy as well as split someone's skull in two was entertaining. That said, I'll probably play a Mage, since I played Fighter last time.

Cogwheel

2012-01-03, 05:48 AM

factotum

2012-01-03, 07:57 AM

Also, good and neutral are the easier alignments in that game, in the sense that no one actually has the heart to complete an evil playthrough.

Apparently I have no heart, then, because I completed an evil playthrough of PS:T just fine. :smallconfused: And since I'm a person who dislikes GTA3: Vice City and Saints Row 2 because your POV character in both cases is an irredeemable psycho, I wouldn't say that's true...

Morty

2012-01-03, 08:31 AM

Two words for you.

Mechanus Cannon.

Well, of course the mages get all the nice things. It is a D&D-based game, after all. But playing a Fighter can also be entertaining, especially since Strength gives you dialogue options.

Cogwheel

2012-01-03, 08:39 AM

Well, of course the mages get all the nice things. It is a D&D-based game, after all. But playing a Fighter can also be entertaining, especially since Strength gives you dialogue options.

And then there's dexterity, in the mortuary. Assuming we count neck schnapps as dialogue now.

Morty

2012-01-03, 05:52 PM

Pretty sure there're other ways of using Dexterity in dialogue. I played Thief only once, though, so my Dexterity was never that great.
Also, I changed my mind - I'll go with Fighter. Mind you, Torment is probably the only RPG where Intelligence and Wisdom are as important, if not more, as Strength and Constitution for a warrior. :smalltongue: I'll probably start with 16 in Strength, Intelligence and Wisdom and invest points in Intelligence and Wisdom later on. Strength I can get from Fighter levels and Fighter-only tatoos.

Triscuitable

2012-01-03, 06:31 PM

Friend asked me what I was playing today. Said "Assassin's Creed II".

He says "I've beaten Arsearsein's Creed II."

Thankfully, he was joking. He loves that series. I knew that, and knew it well as water leaked from my nose (enjoying a glass of water).

Phase

2012-01-03, 09:03 PM

Cogwheel

2012-01-03, 09:11 PM

And while you're at it, if you like stealth, give Thief a try.

Triscuitable

2012-01-03, 09:20 PM

Hey Trisc, once you finish Ass Creed Dos, I recommend giving this series (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGtwgaWr9iQ&feature=g-user-u&context=G23f0752UCGXQYbcTJ33aAA64Gzw23cAhVUfXSCbbL g-z5XwURPFI) a gander.

Oh, I beat it years ago. I'm just playing it again because I found the STHUPER STHPECIAL ULTIMATE EDITION for the price of a single DLC pack, both of which I've never played. In fact, it was CHEAPER. $6, in fact.

And while you're at it, if you like stealth, give Thief a try.

ARGH NEVER PLAYED IT WANT IT SO MUCH

Cogwheel

2012-01-03, 09:46 PM

ARGH NEVER PLAYED IT WANT IT SO MUCH

...Yeah, can't help you there, I'm afraid.

Third game's on Steam, at least. Not as great, but still good.

Triscuitable

2012-01-03, 10:17 PM

...Yeah, can't help you there, I'm afraid.

Third game's on Steam, at least. Not as great, but still good.

I'm keenly aware. I'm rather sending a message into space to let them know I want a first-edition copy of Thief.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2012-01-04, 12:15 AM

I'm keenly aware. I'm rather sending a message into space to let them know I want a first-edition copy of Thief.

When martians genocide the earth under banners of old games, Trisc, we'll know who to blame.

warty goblin

2012-01-04, 12:33 AM

ARGH NEVER PLAYED IT WANT IT SO MUCH

GamersGate have the original Thief: The Dark Project (http://www.gamersgate.com/DD-THIEF/thief-the-dark-project)if one is so inclined.

Triscuitable

2012-01-04, 12:43 AM

When martians genocide the earth under banners of old games, Trisc, we'll know who to blame.

So long as we're nuked by a bomb made of old Fallout floppies, and our eXtra-terrestrial Combat units are ready, I'm good.

Geno9999

2012-01-04, 11:46 PM

Okay, I just found this pretty good Super Mario 64 mod called "Super Mario Star Road (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JBdxcnyxeQ&feature=player_embedded)"
(Though you'll need a ROM to play it... >_> <_< >_>)

Morty

2012-01-05, 09:03 AM

One of the things I like about Torment is how it turns expectations around. It's one of the few RPGs out there where swords aren't the best choice for a warrior, because there aren't any. My fighter, who is as smart as he's strong, is using an axe - which is also a subversion of genre expectations, because smart warrior-poets tend to use swords rather than nasty-looking axes.

Cogwheel

2012-01-05, 09:22 AM

Not even counting the time when you use a club, of course.

And by club I mean your own arm.

factotum

2012-01-05, 05:29 PM

One of the things I like about Torment is how it turns expectations around. It's one of the few RPGs out there where swords aren't the best choice for a warrior, because there aren't any.

Wouldn't it be more of a subversion if there actually WERE swords, but they weren't the best weapons? I mean, if I want to ensure nobody uses a particular weapon type in an RPG, just not having any of that weapon is the easiest approach, but not necessarily the most satisfying.

(Having said that, I suspect the reason swords are usually the best melee weapons in RPGs is because they were in real life--there's a reason they were much more common than, say, axes, despite being harder to make!).

Cespenar

2012-01-05, 06:43 PM

Not even counting the time when you use a club, of course.

And by club I mean your own arm.

Well, it's an economic and green choice; it extends your, ahem, reach; and above all, it's classy!

Morty

2012-01-06, 01:31 PM

Ugh, I hate the Modron Maze in Torment. But I'd like to have Nordom in my team, so I have to suffer through it. I alleviate its annoyingness by playing it on the lowest difficulty(the one in the game options obviously, not the easy setting of the maze itself) and save-scumming so that I only get one construct in a room, then dispatching it quickly after having Morte taunt it and Annah backstab it. Cheating? Yeah. But otherwise it'd be really frustrating.

warty goblin

2012-01-06, 06:37 PM

Wouldn't it be more of a subversion if there actually WERE swords, but they weren't the best weapons? I mean, if I want to ensure nobody uses a particular weapon type in an RPG, just not having any of that weapon is the easiest approach, but not necessarily the most satisfying.

(Having said that, I suspect the reason swords are usually the best melee weapons in RPGs is because they were in real life--there's a reason they were much more common than, say, axes, despite being harder to make!).

My understanding is that a large portion of the reason swords were such popular weapons in the middle ages* was due not solely to their effectiveness, but also to their status. Before the turn of the first millenium iron was extremely expensive, particularly the large, high quality pieces needed to easily make a sword. Hence pattern welding, which is immensely time consuming and meant that owning a sword conferred a lot of status as a warrior.

Obviously later into the period as iron became more plentiful, swords could be made more cheaply and became more widely available, but the mystique and status lived on.

(This isn't to say that swords aren't hella good weapons, but if you're looking for the absolute best option for splitting and skewering dudes, polearms are usually a better bet. Halberds have very little sex appeal however, so swords it is!).

*For RPGs set in other technology levels, this obviously does not apply.

Worira

2012-01-06, 07:26 PM

I would not particularly want to try to use a halberd in the cramped city streets of Sigil, and it wouldn't be my first choice for individual defense either.

warty goblin

2012-01-06, 07:43 PM

I would not particularly want to try to use a halberd in the cramped city streets of Sigil, and it wouldn't be my first choice for individual defense either.

Let me put it this way, in the vast majority of cases I'd rather be using a halberd or other polearm against a sword fighter than vice versa. If the sworsdman has a shield, this alters the equation, but there's a reason shields and halberds don't really have much historical overlap, and that reason is: armor.

Maxios

2012-01-08, 08:42 PM

I got DA2 and Alpha Protocol (both on the PS3) today. They're both very good. Alpha Protocolm gameplay wise, reminds me of the video-game adapation of From Russia with Love but with RPG elements.

Triscuitable

2012-01-08, 08:54 PM

I got DA2 and Alpha Protocol (both on the PS3) today. They're both very good. Alpha Protocolm gameplay wise, reminds me of the video-game adapation of From Russia with Love but with RPG elements.

DA2? *Google* Oh, the "meh"-iest of all Bioware RPGs. Comparing it to DA:O is like comparing Battlefield 3 to Battlefield: 1942.

Maxios

2012-01-08, 09:12 PM

DA2? *Google* Oh, the "meh"-iest of all Bioware RPGs. Comparing it to DA:O is like comparing Battlefield 3 to Battlefield: 1942.

So far, I like it the most out of all the Bioware RPGs I've ever played (except for KoTor or Baldur's Gate).

warty goblin

2012-01-08, 11:04 PM

Been playing some Dead Island the last few days, I'm rather liking it. It's really the only game since Dark Messiah that has made first person armed melee genuinely fun. I wish it had some form of blocking, but it gets the carefully aimed attacks to various enemy limbs down nicely.

That said the entire Diablo-esque RPG bit is mostly just annoying and various sorts of pointless. I like RPG systems to have actual depth and gameplay relevance, but getting +5% chance of bleeding with edged weapons is pretty much impossible for me to get excited about. I don't really feel more powerful, and I don't think I'm making any particularly interesting choices. Sure my healthbar gets longer, but the enemies all do more damage, so at best it's a wash for me.

Really, I wish game would stop including these irrelevant and unnecessary leveling up bits. I like me some RPGs, but not every game needs an XP bar.

Triscuitable

2012-01-08, 11:28 PM

Apparently, Niko, Roman, Brucie, and Billy West all cameo in The Ballad of Gay Tony. Which is pretty cool. It also shows that TBoGT takes place after GTA4, and during TLaD.

factotum

2012-01-09, 02:34 AM

Been playing some Dead Island the last few days, I'm rather liking it. It's really the only game since Dark Messiah that has made first person armed melee genuinely fun.

Just finished the game yesterday, as it happens...liked it a lot myself, apart from the final boss fight, which appeared to have wandered in from a game where they DON'T expect you to get up close and personal with sharp metal things! And I think the RPG-ish stats do make a difference--I was playing with Xian Mei, who specialises in sharp weapons, and I found it became largely pointless using anything else by mid-game (apart from firearms, which are always the best weapons to use against living humans--one headshot and they're dead).

I would rate Dead Island a lot higher than, say, Dead Rising 2, not only because the ratio between enemy numbers and weapon durability is a lot more sensible, but also because there are no time limits...I never did like games that insisted on hurrying me along to the next section.

Worira

2012-01-09, 02:48 AM

Dead Island
weapon durability
sensible

Well, those weren't phrases I expected to be seeing used like that.

factotum

2012-01-09, 07:43 AM

Well, those weren't phrases I expected to be seeing used like that.

Have you ever played Dead Rising 2? I mean, the weapons in that game are apparently all made of Plasticine...even if you pick up a sword, a weapon which is *designed to kill things*, it'll break after a dozen swings! Plus Dead Island has the advantage that you can SEE how durable a weapon is when you pick it up, and thus immediately decide what's usable and what's vendor trash.

Morty

2012-01-09, 08:30 AM

Starsign

2012-01-09, 09:07 AM

Funnily enough, polearms are rarely prominent in RPGs. The only RPG game I can think of where polearms were a strong weapon choice is Wizardry 8, and I'm not sure if anyone remembers that. I guess it's because where sword is associated with heroes and elite fighters, polearms tend to be associated with rank-and-file soldiery. Shame, really.
As for Alpha Protocol, it was a huge disappointment for me. It was hailed as an espionage game, but the stealth sucked and the lack of saving at will made it all the worse. :smallsigh:
I have played Wizardry 8, and yes Polearms are powerful, (so are Valkyries :smallbiggrin:) now if only I got farther...

For Baldur's Gate II there is typically only one sword I end up using through the game is the Carsomyr, and that is a Paladin-only weapon. (naturally I had Keldorn) The real MVP weapons for me are the Crom Faeyr (a Warhammer) and my character's fists claws as a Greater Werewolf. (Shapeshifter ftw :smalltongue:)

...I did miss out on the Flail of Ages when I played. :smallredface:

As for Alpha Protocol, I honestly enjoyed it. The stealth was just fine for me and I thoroughly enjoyed the story and characters. I was hoping that gun customization was more varied though (and that submachine guns were better) and that the levels were less linear.

warty goblin

2012-01-09, 04:28 PM

Just finished the game yesterday, as it happens...liked it a lot myself, apart from the final boss fight, which appeared to have wandered in from a game where they DON'T expect you to get up close and personal with sharp metal things! And I think the RPG-ish stats do make a difference--I was playing with Xian Mei, who specialises in sharp weapons, and I found it became largely pointless using anything else by mid-game (apart from firearms, which are always the best weapons to use against living humans--one headshot and they're dead).

I'm playing Xian Mei as well, and I'm absolutely in the all sharps all the time club. I don't feel like the upgrade tree is really enhancing my machette swinging experience however; I'm using them because I know they're better, but the head-severing at level 16 feels pretty much the same as the head-severing experience at level 2. The game tells me I've progressed, I feel static. Same thing with the healthbar, the game says I'm tougher because the line at the top of the screen is longer, but I don't feel tougher, or that the enemies are tougher, or anything. I die in about the same number of hits, they take maybe slightly fewer hits to kill, which could be due to me knowing how best to hew them apart now.

Also the loot is a bit dull. I can exchange my kitchen knife for...a kitchen knife that does 3 more max damage! I do like that different weapons have different (and nicely brutal) attack animations, which have appropriate effects on zombies - cleavers taking off limbs more often, machettes having longer reaches, etc. That's fun and adds some nice tactics, which combined with the weapon degredation adds some cool resource conservation as well.

I would rate Dead Island a lot higher than, say, Dead Rising 2, not only because the ratio between enemy numbers and weapon durability is a lot more sensible, but also because there are no time limits...I never did like games that insisted on hurrying me along to the next section.
I really haven't played enough of Dead Rising 2 to make a qualified judgment, although I do have to say it has a really good opening cutscene. The alienation was palpable, and I'm all about palpitating aliens.

Funnily enough, polearms are rarely prominent in RPGs. The only RPG game I can think of where polearms were a strong weapon choice is Wizardry 8, and I'm not sure if anyone remembers that. I guess it's because where sword is associated with heroes and elite fighters, polearms tend to be associated with rank-and-file soldiery. Shame, really.
Yeah, zero sex appeal. Also they're probably hard to do well anyways. If your game is realtime action, then any reasonable representation of a spear is just unfun to fight against or with, and if you go turnbased, modeling the extra reach well becomes a drag.

As for Alpha Protocol, it was a huge disappointment for me. It was hailed as an espionage game, but the stealth sucked and the lack of saving at will made it all the worse. :smallsigh:
I rather liked Alpha Protocol, but I expected the stealth to suck (stealth always sucks in games that aren't 100% about sneaking, and even then stealth sucks 75% of the time). As manifestations of the Mass Effect formula go, I'd rate it pretty much at the top of the list - above Mass Effect certainly.

factotum

2012-01-09, 05:08 PM

Also the loot is a bit dull. I can exchange my kitchen knife for...a kitchen knife that does 3 more max damage!

There's actually quite a variety of sharp metal objects that I can think of just off the top of my head: knives (kitchen, home-made, diving, military, double), machetes (home-made, standard, bolo), swords (katana, wakizashi), axes (splitting, fire), plus you can find a thing called a Reaper which is pretty much a miniature bat'leth...I'm probably missing a few as well. Then there's a variety of ways you can modify those weapons to add poison, fire or electrical damage. I think the variety of different weapons is actually pretty good!

warty goblin

2012-01-09, 05:13 PM

There's actually quite a variety of sharp metal objects that I can think of just off the top of my head: knives (kitchen, home-made, diving, military, double), machetes (home-made, standard, bolo), swords (katana, wakizashi), axes (splitting, fire), plus you can find a thing called a Reaper which is pretty much a miniature bat'leth...I'm probably missing a few as well. Then there's a variety of ways you can modify those weapons to add poison, fire or electrical damage. I think the variety of different weapons is actually pretty good!

There's a nice variety of types to be sure, and as I said above, I really like that the different types have different effects on your enemies. Once I figured out that cleavers and machetes removed limbs, fighting thugs got so much easier. The actual Diablo-esque randomization however is fairly bleh, albeit in mostly setting appropriate ways. It wouldn't do the atmosphere any favors if I found a Blistering Vampiric Straight Razor after all, but I sort of wonder why they bothered with the randomized attributes. Basically all I do is look at the base damage and level.

Mx.Silver

2012-01-09, 06:41 PM

warty goblin

2012-01-09, 07:13 PM

Amen to that. Polearms are probably my favourite family of weapons so I've always found their lack of exposure quite disheartening. It also really doesn't help that a number of works seem to think that a glaive is some kind of giant throwing star :smallsigh:

And having done a bit of sparring at various points, I can tell you they're quite astonishingly effective. Really until you reach a sword large enough to be used as a polearm, there's not a lot in the way of single weapons that can beat them. Sword and shield counter them well, because the shield allows one to easily close one or two lines and so be able to step closer and take a swing, but sword and empty air? Not hardly.

Halberds maybe, and it's hard to argue a guisarme is particularly nice to look at. Glaives have their moments though, and the partisan can be a very nice looking weapon. Then there's the bardiche, which is basically what happens if you take a great-axe and give it style.
If one's open to things of a more purely ax-like persuasion, I've always found the Dane Axe to have a certain terrifying grace. I'm not sure I'd really qualify them as polearms however, since I tend to think of polearms as modifications of a spear or at least incorporating significant spear-like features, not overgrown axes.

Cespenar

2012-01-10, 07:57 AM

Polearms and polearm-fighting can be very aesthetic, even comparable to the swords, in my opinion. They definitely look better than maces or axes.

Morty

2012-01-10, 08:01 AM

Mx.Silver

2012-01-10, 08:31 AM

Any weapon can be pleasant to use and look at in a game, if done right. I could certainly stand to see some well-decipted polearms in place of the shovel-shaped travesties that usually pass as two-handed axes, for instance.
Now, polearms have something of a problem in that their big disadvantage is their size, making them awkward to carry around. But I've yet to see a game that adresses this issue. Not sure how it would be done, anyway.

Equipment size is kind of mess in games anyway. When your character can fit six buckets and twelve helmets in his/her pockets without any noticeable difficulty, the fact that the whacking great spear strapped to their back isn't giving them problems fitting through doors barely even registers.

Triscuitable

2012-01-10, 09:27 AM

Picked up AC: Revelations. Haven't tried it yet though.

Volatar

2012-01-10, 10:48 AM

This is the general gaming thread right?

So, here is a picture (http://i.imgur.com/XyX1I.jpg) of me playing Catan with my sister, dad, and my brother, who at the time of this photo, was 2000 miles away.

Modern technology is awesome. :smallbiggrin:

Morty

2012-01-10, 12:06 PM

Equipment size is kind of mess in games anyway. When your character can fit six buckets and twelve helmets in his/her pockets without any noticeable difficulty, the fact that the whacking great spear strapped to their back isn't giving them problems fitting through doors barely even registers.

It is, yeah. The two RPG games where I actually liked the inventory were Witcher 1 and Mass Effect 2. In the former, the protagonist only carries books, components, plot-related items, potions and other small things in his inventory, and weapons and armor are worn on the body, as it were - you only get to carry the armor and weapons you're wearing. Mass Effect 2 disposes of inventory altogether, which is also deliciously refreshing after the mess that ME1 inventory was. Of course, in Witcher 2 they decided to introduce a traditional inventory and a completely unnecessary crafting system, which is apparently obligatory. :smallsigh:

warty goblin

2012-01-10, 02:00 PM

It is, yeah. The two RPG games where I actually liked the inventory were Witcher 1 and Mass Effect 2. In the former, the protagonist only carries books, components, plot-related items, potions and other small things in his inventory, and weapons and armor are worn on the body, as it were - you only get to carry the armor and weapons you're wearing. Mass Effect 2 disposes of inventory altogether, which is also deliciously refreshing after the mess that ME1 inventory was. Of course, in Witcher 2 they decided to introduce a traditional inventory and a completely unnecessary crafting system, which is apparently obligatory. :smallsigh:

That always bugged me about Witcher 2 as well, since the first one so hit the feeling of being a traveling adventurer sort with its inventory. On that note Mount and Blade has a marvelous inventory, although the bit where a dagger taxes your carrying capacity as much as a greatsword is a mite odd.

And I'm going to come right out and say it: crafting in games bores me. Alchemy is generally OK, but I don't get any particular enjoyment out of hoovering up every bit of stray lint so I can turn it into +3 Acid Bracers of the Savannah or somesuch later. Even more annoying is realizing I should really be going through my inventory and upgrading items I don't need before I sell them to make more money, it just adds another layer of tedium.

The one exception to this is crafting in Dark Messiah, because there's only one or two chances to do it throughout the game (which makes it special) and its an actual process that takes place in the gameworld, not a pop-up crafting window.

On a related note, I like looting and getting new items, but I find that doing so constantly makes each individual item count for less, and so be less fun. If I use one weapon for two hours or so and then find a cool new greataxe, that's special. Getting minutely better equipment all the time isn't.

Starsign

2012-01-10, 02:06 PM

Morty

2012-01-10, 04:19 PM

That always bugged me about Witcher 2 as well, since the first one so hit the feeling of being a traveling adventurer sort with its inventory. On that note Mount and Blade has a marvelous inventory, although the bit where a dagger taxes your carrying capacity as much as a greatsword is a mite odd.

That was a little weird, yeah. But apart from that, it was good as far as inventory systems go.

And I'm going to come right out and say it: crafting in games bores me. Alchemy is generally OK, but I don't get any particular enjoyment out of hoovering up every bit of stray lint so I can turn it into +3 Acid Bracers of the Savannah or somesuch later. Even more annoying is realizing I should really be going through my inventory and upgrading items I don't need before I sell them to make more money, it just adds another layer of tedium

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who feels that way. Gathering components, trying to figure out what to craft and whether or not it's going to be replaced by a better item soon after - it's all tedious, annoying and pointless.

I've never played either Witcher games, but in ME2 there honestly WASN'T an inventory system in the first place. Sure items can be chosen on the ship but you have very minimal choices unless you have the DLC (and as amazing as they are, who would go ahead and buy them? :smallsigh:) At least Heavy Weapons are more varied... If Impractical at times (Grenade Launcher though is amazing in Insanity :smallbiggrin:)

Well yeah, there wasn't. That was my point. And that was what I liked. Sure, the weapons sould have been more varied, but apart from that it was good.

Maxios

2012-01-10, 04:29 PM

A while back, I played a flash game where you had to mine gold. However, as you dug and moved, you would lose fuel and you would have to go back to the surface to refuel. You could use the gold to buy upgrades (larger fuel tank, increased durability, etc).
I've forgotten the name and link this game. Can somone link me to it?

Worira

2012-01-10, 04:58 PM

Hmm... Motherload (http://www.xgenstudios.com/play/motherload) hits all the criteria mentioned.

warty goblin

2012-01-11, 10:05 PM

That was a little weird, yeah. But apart from that, it was good as far as inventory systems go.

Indeed, the interaction between personal and party inventory was particularly delightful. Also, so far as I can tell, pretty much entirely unique, which is odd as it makes such complete sense. I suppose it wouldn't integrate very well into most dungeon based RPGs, since instead of being a tactical consideration in the middle of a dynamic battle over open terrain it would just be pointless slog back to the starting point. Inadvertently this raises a point I'll get to in a moment.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who feels that way. Gathering components, trying to figure out what to craft and whether or not it's going to be replaced by a better item soon after - it's all tedious, annoying and pointless.
Worse, I find it usually is done instead of finding really cool weapons and items out in the world. But then I tend to prefer smaller numbers of highly purposed and unique weapons to hordes of virtually identical ones. I really like that moment when you find the big powerful shotgun or sword right before a major encounter and going 'aw yeah.'

Ah yes, my other point. Dungeons; I'm sick of 'em. Isn't fantasy supposed to be about, well, the fantastic? Why does this seemingly almost always translate to walking down a poorly lit ten foot wide corridor, fighting the same mix of giant vermin and always evil yet strangely non-problematic humanoids? Then we get to open the chest, pick up the generic loot, head back to town, sell it all to buy some slightly better equipment and do it again.

Now I've got nothing against this, so far as it goes. Hell, I've had a lot of fun with it, but sometimes...sometimes I can't help but feel there's room for so much more. I want to ride dragons, sail the wine-dark seas, meet strange and interesting creatures and maybe not have to kill them, marry the prince/princess and generally have what 'adventure' used to mean. Somewhere along the line it seems to have degenerated into iterated perfection of improbable violence through constant pillaging.

Triscuitable

2012-01-11, 10:49 PM

Well, Jailbreaking my iPod will be an interesting experience.

factotum

2012-01-12, 02:30 AM

Now I've got nothing against this, so far as it goes. Hell, I've had a lot of fun with it, but sometimes...sometimes I can't help but feel there's room for so much more. I want to ride dragons, sail the wine-dark seas, meet strange and interesting creatures and maybe not have to kill them, marry the prince/princess and generally have what 'adventure' used to mean. Somewhere along the line it seems to have degenerated into iterated perfection of improbable violence through constant pillaging.

Can't help but feel you're playing the wrong games. Neither Skyrim nor The Witcher 2 are endless dungeon crawls, for example (and even when you ARE in a dungeon in Skyrim, there's a huge amount of variety--Blackreach is an awesomely beautiful place that just happens to be underground, for example).

Starsign

2012-01-12, 08:53 AM

So has anyone heard of Kingdoms of Amalur? It's sort of a fantasy action RPG game that I can't quite explain well enough.

Morty

2012-01-12, 09:20 AM

Ah yes, my other point. Dungeons; I'm sick of 'em. Isn't fantasy supposed to be about, well, the fantastic? Why does this seemingly almost always translate to walking down a poorly lit ten foot wide corridor, fighting the same mix of giant vermin and always evil yet strangely non-problematic humanoids? Then we get to open the chest, pick up the generic loot, head back to town, sell it all to buy some slightly better equipment and do it again.

Now I've got nothing against this, so far as it goes. Hell, I've had a lot of fun with it, but sometimes...sometimes I can't help but feel there's room for so much more. I want to ride dragons, sail the wine-dark seas, meet strange and interesting creatures and maybe not have to kill them, marry the prince/princess and generally have what 'adventure' used to mean. Somewhere along the line it seems to have degenerated into iterated perfection of improbable violence through constant pillaging.

Not that I disagree, but isn't that a bit of a discredited theme? I can't recall the last time I did some classic dungeoncrawling in an RPG game.

warty goblin

2012-01-12, 11:43 AM

Can't help but feel you're playing the wrong games. Neither Skyrim nor The Witcher 2 are endless dungeon crawls, for example (and even when you ARE in a dungeon in Skyrim, there's a huge amount of variety--Blackreach is an awesomely beautiful place that just happens to be underground, for example).

The few dungeons I played in Skyrim (before becoming terminally bored of the whole thing) were pretty much just a single, seldom branching, corridor down which I would walk, killing the assorted things placed in my path, before reaching the chest at the end. I'd actually say they were a step back from Oblivion, where the dungeons sometimes had some branching going on. Hell, even the aboveground stuff felt kinda dungeonish to me - go here, kill that, bring the item. Mostly just kill that though. (To be fair I 'only' played about 6 hours of Skyrim, so its quite possible my sample is unrepresentative.)

Witcher 2 is mostly an exception though, I'll grant that.

Maybe I've just hit a point of general ennui with the industry. Somewhere along the line apparently 'thrilling adventure' turned into 'kill 89% of everyone and everything you meet.' Or maybe (probably) it's always been this way, and I've just done it enough to really start to notice.

Starwulf

2012-01-12, 04:27 PM

So has anyone heard of Kingdoms of Amalur? It's sort of a fantasy action RPG game that I can't quite explain well enough.

YES! I can't wait for it to come out, looks to be an awesome game, I have very high hopes for it! Plus, R.A. salvatore! WOOT!

The few dungeons I played in Skyrim (before becoming terminally bored of the whole thing) were pretty much just a single, seldom branching, corridor down which I would walk, killing the assorted things placed in my path, before reaching the chest at the end. I'd actually say they were a step back from Oblivion, where the dungeons sometimes had some branching going on. Hell, even the aboveground stuff felt kinda dungeonish to me - go here, kill that, bring the item. Mostly just kill that though. (To be fair I 'only' played about 6 hours of Skyrim, so its quite possible my sample is unrepresentative.)

Witcher 2 is mostly an exception though, I'll grant that.

Maybe I've just hit a point of general ennui with the industry. Somewhere along the line apparently 'thrilling adventure' turned into 'kill 89% of everyone and everything you meet.' Or maybe (probably) it's always been this way, and I've just done it enough to really start to notice.

Hmm, yeah, your sample is very small. Playing 6 hours of Skyrim(or any TES game for that matter) is like playing 20 minutes of another game. You just can't form a solid opinion with such little playtime of it. I've put close to 1k hours into Morrowind, and about 300 into Oblivion, and probably double both of those put together into Daggerfall, and the last time a poll was taken over at Bethsoft forums, I was actually in the lower reaches, with some people having put well over 5k hours into a single TES game(granted, this is with mods, but usually only after multiple vanilla play throughs). I"ll eventually put at least 400 or so hours into Skyrim, more if some really great mods get released for it from the community.

warty goblin

2012-01-12, 04:55 PM

YES! I can't wait for it to come out, looks to be an awesome game, I have very high hopes for it! Plus, R.A. salvatore! WOOT!

I was working myself towards pre-ordering, then they released a video about crafting. Now I'm back on the fence. I'll probably pre-order it anyways, just need to see a bit of material focusing on something actually fun.

The art style should bother me, but it doesn't. Somehow they managed to get enough cartoonishness in there to be appealing while avoiding looking like WoW.

Hmm, yeah, your sample is very small. Playing 6 hours of Skyrim(or any TES game for that matter) is like playing 20 minutes of another game. You just can't form a solid opinion with such little playtime of it. I've put close to 1k hours into Morrowind, and about 300 into Oblivion, and probably double both of those put together into Daggerfall, and the last time a poll was taken over at Bethsoft forums, I was actually in the lower reaches, with some people having put well over 5k hours into a single TES game(granted, this is with mods, but usually only after multiple vanilla play throughs). I"ll eventually put at least 400 or so hours into Skyrim, more if some really great mods get released for it from the community.

What can I say, if I'm not having fun with a game after six hours, I'm comfortable in saying it's really not for me. At that point either the pacing sucks, or the entire thing is just going to be boring, either of which is enough to eliminate it from the list of things I want to play.

And really, the question is whether six or so hours is a representative sample of the entire game's gameplay - I'm certainly not there for the story, which I found quite poor. I figured it probably did give me enough data to make an informed decision, which was that it did nothing better, and some things worse, than Oblivion.

Cespenar

2012-01-12, 06:27 PM

And really, the question is whether six or so hours is a representative sample of the entire game's gameplay - I'm certainly not there for the story, which I found quite poor. I figured it probably did give me enough data to make an informed decision, which was that it did nothing better, and some things worse, than Oblivion.

While Bethesda games don't have much in the main storyline, their sidequests (guild-stuff, for example) usually have much better writing and ingenuity in them. I'd give them a try, if I were you.

warty goblin

2012-01-12, 06:41 PM

While Bethesda games don't have much in the main storyline, their sidequests (guild-stuff, for example) usually have much better writing and ingenuity in them. I'd give them a try, if I were you.

I'm at a point where the limiting factor on my gaming is basically time, not things to play. If a title doesn't have engaging mechanics I'm gonna kick it curbside, because I've got a mound of other games leering at me from caves in the ponderous mountain that is my backlog. Skyrim's combat was so excessively kludgy it simply lost out.

Bottom line: I don't really care how much content a game has, I care how good that content is*. If Skyrim's mechanics were twice as fun to play, with half the content I'd be on that like white on rice. As it is, why play something with poor gameplay when I could be playing Saint's Row III, Dead Island, Anno 2070, or any number of other titles?

*Actually anymore I suspect I'm becoming more and more favorably inclined towards shorter games. See that pesky time thing.