Video Games: The Real Thread That Never Ends

[Inigima]

The main beef to be had with Alpha Protocol is the balance -- pistols and stealth are hilariously broken. The game does a lot very well, though, and for $10 if you're looking for something to play I think it's a no-brainer.

[Jon AS]

Combat in general is pretty broken in Alpha Protocol. Though it's not always in your favour, mind you.

One example that comes to mind is that when using an assault rifle, instead of actively using the cover system you're probably better off just picking a chest high wall to crouch behind, which can often make it impossible for enemies to hit you (edit: while you actually can shoot them).

Of course that doesn't compare to simply turning invisible for 30 seconds and murdering a room full of people without anybody noticing what's going on. My favourite moment of that was killing a gangster who seemed to be getting what passes for a lapdance in this game (well, if there wasn't enough money to fix the combat, clearly there wasn't much of a budget for animations either) without the stripper noticing until the stealth effect wore off.

The hacking minigame can go jump off a cliff though. The lockpick and circuit-breaking ones are fine, but the hacking one is severely annoying.

While the hacking was occasionally annoying, there was nothing more frustrating to me in that game than consistently falling about a second short in some of the more difficult circuit breaking minigames. With the hacking I could just blame it on bad design, while the circuit breaking felt like I was simply too slow to beat a beatable challenge.

[MerenthaClone]

The main beef to be had with Alpha Protocol is the balance -- pistols and stealth are hilariously broken. The game does a lot very well, though, and for $10 if you're looking for something to play I think it's a no-brainer.

Which is why everyone should just put all their points into this and whichever one lets you make the minigames easier (and kill people with EMP grenades so you can carry more so you can bypass more minigames per mission) because the combat is pretty tedious. However, the dialogue and reactivity is what really makes the game. Also, you need to play it through a few times to see how truly reactive it is. At first glance, its like a standard Bioware "your choices matter! (but not really)" but they actually do in this game.

[Jace, Extat]

How's the AI? I saw this for $10 recently was thinking of getting it, but I've read that the AI made the game borderline unplayable; like Aliens: Colonial Marines levels of bad.

I struggle to believe that anything exists that can match the unplayable condition of Aliens: Colonial Marines.

[Werthead]

The AI is okay. It's not the worst I've seen in a game by a long shot, and the enemy sometimes did a good job of flushing me out of cover with grenades.

Meanwhile, the way, way-ahead-of-its-time Outcast is being remade.

[Relic]

Episode three of TWAU out today. Looks like TellTale is back on schedule.

[Inigima]

HOLLA. Thanks Relic.

[Relic]

HOLLA. Thanks Relic.

Man I wish I bought this via steam. Taking forever to download on Guatemalan wifi ;(

[Tony Soprano]

Just finished Episode 3. Woah. Easily the best one yet.

I absolutely love Bloody Mary. Finally, a new character that actually makes a compelling villain. While the others were quite compelling characters as well, I never really thought Woody or Crane or the Tweedles were actually behind it all. I never imagined it could turn out to be a conspiracy as big as this, but I could feel that someone was pulling everyone's strings.

I killed Dum. And immediately regretted it afterwards. I didn't actually feel bad about killing him, but rather because Snow was there and saw me do it. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a major speedbump in the relationship between her and Bigby. But yeah, besides that, I totally think that bastard deserved to die.

[Relic]

Just finished Episode 3. Woah. Easily the best one yet.

Ugh hate you. Im still downloading. 35% done....

[Talleyrand]

Just finished Episode 3. Woah. Easily the best one yet.

I absolutely love Bloody Mary. Finally, a new character that actually makes a compelling villain. While the others were quite compelling characters as well, I never really thought Woody or Crane or the Tweedles were actually behind it all. I never imagined it could turn out to be a conspiracy as big as this, but I could feel that someone was pulling everyone's strings.

I killed Dum. And immediately regretted it afterwards. I didn't actually feel bad about killing him, but rather because Snow was there and saw me do it. I hope it doesn't turn out to be a major speedbump in the relationship between her and Bigby. But yeah, besides that, I totally think that bastard deserved to die.

Agreed, I bloody loved this one.

I managed to stop myself from killing him though it was tempting. I'm trying to make my Bigby pretty restrained and reformed from the Big Bad Wolf Days, though its getting harder. I swear to god though if i don't get even a little gratitude from those chubby midgets i'm going to take the first chance to rip their throats out

[Fez]

New Borderlands game coming this fall (and its 360, PS3, PC only)

Its not Borderlands 3, but "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel" which takes place between the first and second game (and on the Hyperion space station and a moon, not Pandora itself).

Created in collaboration with Gearbox, 2K Australia’s Borderlands prequel introduces four new heroes — including, for the first time, a playable Claptrap. Athena, Wilhelm, and Sheriff join the roster as employees of Handsome Jack in a game described as having more content than the original Borderlands and less than Borderlands 2.

I'm wondering if it will be a $40 game if they're admitting it won't be as large as BL2; although they are saying it will have lots of new gameplay mechanics and won't just be an extended DLC.

[KiDisaster]

New Borderlands game coming this fall (and its 360, PS3, PC only)

Its not Borderlands 3, but "Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel" which takes place between the first and second game (and on the Hyperion space station and a moon, not Pandora itself).

I'm wondering if it will be a $40 game if they're admitting it won't be as large as BL2; although they are saying it will have lots of new gameplay mechanics and won't just be an extended DLC.

I doubt it. Not being made by Gearbox, set off to the side in terms of the story, fan service with the playable claptrap. I'm seeing Arkham Origins potential. Full price release that's fun if you really love the series but not worth it until the cost drops.

Hopefully I'll be wrong. I love me some Borderlands.

[Inigima]

I like some stuff about Borderlands, but Gearbox is really bad at designing major systems like loot and skill trees. I put up with it in Borderlands 1, but it killed BL2 pretty quickly for me, especially since the skill trees were markedly worse.

Also, Randy Pitchford is kind of a dick.

[sToNED_CAT]

Can anyone suggest a good business simulator/economic management game to me? Simply something where your goal is to make money, and preferably something released in last 5 years.

[Shryke]

I like some stuff about Borderlands, but Gearbox is really bad at designing major systems like loot and skill trees. I put up with it in Borderlands 1, but it killed BL2 pretty quickly for me, especially since the skill trees were markedly worse.

Also, Randy Pitchford is kind of a dick.

What Gearbox is worst at is designing UIs.

I never touched the first one, but the BL2 UI is a freaking masterclass is bad UI design. If I'd seen it on it's own, not connected to a game, I'd swear it was a prop for a 4th year class on UI design purposely made to show the students what not to do. You bring it out during the first lecture and then spend the rest of the week dissecting how it fails at every level of design and then go "Now, let's learn how to do it right".

[Jace, Extat]

Can anyone suggest a good business simulator/economic management game to me? Simply something where your goal is to make money, and preferably something released in last 5 years.

Eve

[Derfel Cadarn]

Technicaly EVE was released 11 years ago (or 10) but only technically since its been constantly updated

[Alcibiades]

What Gearbox is worst at is designing UIs.

I never touched the first one, but the BL2 UI is a freaking masterclass is bad UI design. If I'd seen it on it's own, not connected to a game, I'd swear it was a prop for a 4th year class on UI design purposely made to show the students what not to do. You bring it out during the first lecture and then spend the rest of the week dissecting how it fails at every level of design and then go "Now, let's learn how to do it right".

Yep. I played some Borderlands 1 and liked it ok. A friend was trying to get me into Borderlands 2 when it came out. So, I checked to see if they'd improved the UI, and the consensus seemed to be that they hadn't. Any nascent interest died in that moment.

[Fez]

Agreed, I bloody loved this one.

I managed to stop myself from killing him though it was tempting. I'm trying to make my Bigby pretty restrained and reformed from the Big Bad Wolf Days, though its getting harder. I swear to god though if i don't get even a little gratitude from those chubby midgets i'm going to take the first chance to rip their throats out

I loved it too; really good stuff. I also feel like they gave more reaction time during conversations than the previous episodes had, and I appreciated that.

I killed Dum and I'm okay with it. My Bigby started out restrained and is slowly losing it through the course of the investigation; getting closer and closer to going back to the old days. And considering all the things Dum did, and that this was just at the end of a fight where he tried to kill me, I thought killing him at that point both fit the character and was justified.

Does anyone know who voiced Aunty Greenleaf? She sounded so familiar but I couldn't place her.