415 replies to this topic

[Werthead]

I sped through the VGAs - they really are awful - but I did note with approval that they voted Half-Life 2 game of the decade. Actually, the nominees weren't half-bad, considering, and just about any of them would have been acceptable (I did them giving ME2 the nod over the controversial ME3 amusing). I wouldn't have even minded WoW winning (as a game it's not that great, but as an advanced form of social media and certainly a cultural phenomenon it's appeal is undeniable).

Otherwise the South Park trailer looked reasonably solid but BioShock Infinite's was extremely underwhelming. Maybe it was the huge combat focus when that shouldn't really be what the game's about (at least not if it wants to be true to the spirit of BioShock), but it seemed pretty generic.

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I don't understand how people can like a game like dragon age origins, it's story is terrible, the graphics and its scaling is horrible, the combat system is shit.. I had to actually uninstall it after purchasing it from steam

Graphically, the game is decent. Not brilliant, but certainly much better than what I was expecting from screenshots (which I think were taken from the 360 version). I was going to install the high-res textures, but the basic ones are pretty decent on PC at maximum so I decided not to bother (whilst for ME1 and 2 they're now essential). The story and writing is pretty mediocre, though, and I have to agree that it's not as interesting as its near-contemporary, Mass Effect 1 (which, given that I was nowhere near as much a fan of ME1 as most people, is saying something). However, I'm still very early in the game (and now on a break to play FC3 and The Walking Dead).

[OllieOwl]

halo bender: Well, the game does refresh the series in some ways, that you have to give it. It does a great job of giving you that epic feeling you usually get in movies that takes place in the frontier, and none other of the games have felt that way. It also does a great job of bringing in naval battles and naval quests. So if you felt bored of the series then I think this one can give you a feeling of bringing something new to the table. If you are very tired of Revelations though you might just have lost interest in the series and that is another thing, becuase they still keep much of what has been incorporated in earlier games. But even though some have bashed it, it is a good game in my opinion, well worth playing. It is very much an adventure.

On another note, I just replayed the Assassin's Creed, the first one, and although it does get repetitive and can be slow in some parts, the story was great, and the ending is the best in the series, in my opinion. It does a good job of giving you that mystic feel with desmond where you don't really know what is going on. In the later games they dropped that mystic feeling which I didn't like as much. So for me, I think I'd say the first one has the best story, at least for the moment.

But it's a pretty long game too (AC 3), the main campaign will take a while, I would say around 15 hours.

I haven't yet played TWD-games, but Heavy Rain was great, and that was an interactive game. I can understand why some people doesn't like it, but for me that way of telling a story is pretty enjoyable. My brother has played TWD though and he speaks well of them.

[Revan Baratheon]

Anyway I can't wait for TW3!! I understand you can import ur save file from the previous games into the new ones and based on that ull get different storylines and different characters? Cause I let letho live in the end.. And really would like to see him in witcher 3

[Merentha]

Revan Baratheon, on 08 December 2012 - 02:15 PM, said:

Anyway I can't wait for TW3!! I understand you can import ur save file from the previous games into the new ones and based on that ull get different storylines and different characters? Cause I let letho live in the end.. And really would like to see him in witcher 3

No, that is one aspect the Witcher 2 didn't handle very well.  There are a few throwaway lines and a message from a friend of yours, but the game just says "nope, you romanced Triss" and makes you run with it.  Of course, they also never pretended that carrying along the same character was a big selling point of the series, so I wasn't too mad.

edit:  Though, the ending options for Witcher 2 are important enough that I'd be upset if they didn't at least include that decision.  Letho...he leaves your story.  I think I'd be happier to just not see him again.

Edited by Merentha, 08 December 2012 - 04:08 PM.

[haLobEnder]

OllieOwl, on 08 December 2012 - 02:12 PM, said:

halo bender: Well, the game does refresh the series in some ways, that you have to give it. It does a great job of giving you that epic feeling you usually get in movies that takes place in the frontier, and none other of the games have felt that way. It also does a great job of bringing in naval battles and naval quests. So if you felt bored of the series then I think this one can give you a feeling of bringing something new to the table. If you are very tired of Revelations though you might just have lost interest in the series and that is another thing, becuase they still keep much of what has been incorporated in earlier games. But even though some have bashed it, it is a good game in my opinion, well worth playing. It is very much an adventure.

I haven't lost all interest in the story. I just feel like AC: Brotherhood and AC: Revelations took the story on an unnecessary detour for the sake of greater annual profit, and somewhere along the line I just grew tired. It's sort of like the Wheel of Time. I want to know how the whole thing ends, but I can only be strung along for so long...
How lost will I be if I give up on Revelations and just pick back up with AC3? I think I'm nearing the end, but at this point I just can't be bothered to finish the game.

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I haven't yet played TWD-games, but Heavy Rain was great, and that was an interactive game. I can understand why some people doesn't like it, but for me that way of telling a story is pretty enjoyable. My brother has played TWD though and he speaks well of them.

I like the idea of Quantic Dream games more than I like their actual execution. The means of storytelling tends to be fresh and innovative, but when it comes to plot and dialogue it all still feels very much like a video game.
With Heavy Rain in particular I was enjoying it well enough but accidentally spoiled myself as to central mysteries of the story and just couldn't be bothered to finish. It just seemed so... silly.
Still, I have high hopes for Beyond: Two Souls... hopefully it delivers.

Edited by halO bendeR, 08 December 2012 - 05:27 PM.

[Leviathan I]

halO bendeR, on 08 December 2012 - 01:41 PM, said:

Are you going off first hand experience here, or are you just positing that the Walking Dead's story isn't good enough?
It's probably my favourite piece of media content that came out this year, and by that I include games, movies and TV. I'd only hesitate to give it a Game of the Year award because it's less of a game than it is an interactive movie. But you know what, I want more interactive experiences that aren't so much about who has the quickest trigger finger but are instead about immersing you in the story, so I'm glad it's getting recognition.

I've played it. It's interesting. It has a reasonably good narrative but it's not excellent, immersive story telling. Game of the year means best game of the year does it not? It shows what video games have to offer over other forms of media. I can critique the walking dead a lot but I'm not going to right now, all I'm going to say is that to be the game of the year it's not just about one element that may or may not be done well, it's about presentation and gameplay and sound and all that other good shit. The Walking Dead could be the GOTY if the story was outstanding despite lacking other elements of a great game. But it's not.

[OllieOwl]

halO bendeR, on 08 December 2012 - 05:24 PM, said:

I haven't lost all interest in the story. I just feel like AC: Brotherhood and AC: Revelations took the story on an unnecessary detour for the sake of greater annual profit, and somewhere along the line I just grew tired. It's sort of like the Wheel of Time. I want to know how the whole thing ends, but I can only be strung along for so long...
How lost will I be if I give up on Revelations and just pick back up with AC3? I think I'm nearing the end, but at this point I just can't be bothered to finish the game.



I like the idea of Quantic Dream games more than I like their actual execution. The means of storytelling tends to be fresh and innovative, but when it comes to plot and dialogue it all still feels very much like a video game.
With Heavy Rain in particular I was enjoying it well enough but accidentally spoiled myself as to central mysteries of the story and just couldn't be bothered to finish. It just seemed so... silly.
Still, I have high hopes for Beyond: Two Souls... hopefully it delivers.

Yeah, they did probably release those two games to milk the franchise for some money. Maybe they could have merged the two and released one sequel instead? But, I did like that Ezio was old and troubled, but it depends on what you like, I have a weak spot for troubled/tragic characters I guess.

As for how lost you would be if you skipped revelations, I would actually say not at all. Ezio's story doesn't impact Connor's at all and although Desmonds arc of course continues, not that much happens to him in revelations. You do have his memory clusters which are about what he did before being abducted by the Templars before the first game. There is one thing that leads up to the final game which is the ending in the game, but i wouldn't say it is mandatory to know what this conversation is about. When you start AC3 you get a scene which explains what has happened before in broad strokes so you won't be completely lost. Or you can look it up on youtube.

But how far are you in the game? I don't think it is very long, have you reached the boat trip and the mountain city where Ezio dons a cloak? In that case you should continue, I don't think it is very much left. So I guess you can choose, there isn't much you need to know, but you do get the finishing of both Ezio and Altair's arcs, so that might be one thing to look forward to. I think either goes, but if you are really bored with revelations it is not that important I'd say.

As for Quantic Dream, you should watch the "Project: KARA" video on youtube. I'd rather have a game on that subject than Beyond: Lost Souls. I will play Beyond but KARA just looked intriguing to me. But what these interactive games do well is to immerse the player. The gameplay isn't great but the game needs to drag you in I guess.

[haLobEnder]

Leviathan I, on 08 December 2012 - 06:06 PM, said:

I've played it. It's interesting. It has a reasonably good narrative but it's not excellent, immersive story telling. Game of the year means best game of the year does it not? It shows what video games have to offer over other forms of media. I can critique the walking dead a lot but I'm not going to right now, all I'm going to say is that to be the game of the year it's not just about one element that may or may not be done well, it's about presentation and gameplay and sound and all that other good shit. The Walking Dead could be the GOTY if the story was outstanding despite lacking other elements of a great game. But it's not.

Frankly, I think 2012 has been a pretty lacklustre year for video games in general. Pretty much everything I wanted to play this year -- Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us, Tomb Raider-- was delayed 'til early next year.
I don't think there should be any more criteria for Game of the Year than what game you enjoyed the most, and in my case it was definitely The Walking Dead. I too could point out issues galore with the game --both on a technical level and on a narrative level, but ultimately none of it really matters to me because it's still the best gaming experience I had this year.
It's your right not to agree, but obviously enough people did agree for it to have scored as highly as it did.  
I also won't deny that I like the statement it sends: That not every game needs a multiplayer mode, that story in games does matter and that indie games done right can compete with big AAA titles. I'd see a game like Halo 4 winning top honours as the exact opposite statement.

ETA:

OllieOwl, on 08 December 2012 - 06:39 PM, said:

But how far are you in the game? I don't think it is very long, have you reached the boat trip and the mountain city where Ezio dons a cloak? In that case you should continue, I don't think it is very much left. So I guess you can choose, there isn't much you need to know, but you do get the finishing of both Ezio and Altair's arcs, so that might be one thing to look forward to. I think either goes, but if you are really bored with revelations it is not that important I'd say.

Yeah, I think I left off having just arrived at the mountain city. I pretty much skipped over all the Desmond related stuff in that game or avoided initiating those sequences; They just weren't very fun.

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As for Quantic Dream, you should watch the "Project: KARA" video on youtube. I'd rather have a game on that subject than Beyond: Lost Souls. I will play Beyond but KARA just looked intriguing to me. But what these interactive games do well is to immerse the player. The gameplay isn't great but the game needs to drag you in I guess.

I've seen it. It was interesting, but it didn't look all that impressive as a tech demo to my untrained eye.
Still, I have to agree that it would have made for a more intersting game than what we've seen of Beyond.

Edited by halO bendeR, 08 December 2012 - 07:10 PM.

[Revan Baratheon]

Agreed that 2012 was pretty crappy year for games, all the games that I purchased from steam this year were from 2008-2011, this year felt like it didn't have any big serious games.
Next year will be pretty awesome though

[kalbear]

It was pretty good for me. XCOM was amazing, diablo 3 came out, halo 4 was good, walking dead and dishonored are good and I'm having fun with endless space.

It wasn't a great year for aaa titles, but I don't think that makes it a bad year.

[Inigima]

Started Dishonored (PC, about 4 hours) and The Last Story (Wii, about 2 hours) today. So much game playing lately, it's been a while since I've even wanted to spend that kind of time on games. Enjoying both, not without grumbles about both.

Dishonored: It's nice to be able to actually play stealthy (*cough* Deus Ex *cough*). I was expecting the game to be somewhat more polished, though. Sometimes you round a corner and oh hey there's a guy there. (I could just spam Dark Vision, I suppose, but I shouldn't have to have that up constantly.) I feel like getting/not getting caught is generally a bit more of a crapshoot than I'd like, especially with respect to sneaking up on enemies. Lots of choices though, and they feel like they matter, and games often don't handle that well. This one seems to.

The Last Story: For the Wii, great graphics, and combat takes place in real time, more or less. The combat system is a little sloppily implemented, which is counterbalanced by the hilariously forgiving five lives per person per fight. Story's decent if shallow so far, hoping it will improve. Also wishing I could go more than ten steps without a cutscene, and that some of the elements (city chase, e.g.) were better designed/explained. Good writing and voice acting, characters are fun.

[Merentha]

Inigima, on 09 December 2012 - 12:55 AM, said:

Dishonored: It's nice to be able to actually play stealthy (*cough* Deus Ex *cough*). I was expecting the game to be somewhat more polished, though. Sometimes you round a corner and oh hey there's a guy there. (I could just spam Dark Vision, I suppose, but I shouldn't have to have that up constantly.) I feel like getting/not getting caught is generally a bit more of a crapshoot than I'd like, especially with respect to sneaking up on enemies. Lots of choices though, and they feel like they matter, and games often don't handle that well. This one seems to.

Yeah, the sound design is just a tiny bit off.  Its usually pretty good, but not quite good enough to be able to navigate by ear. Remember you can peek around corners!  They won't see you when you lean.  Also, unlike Thief, you actually have options for when you get surprised.

[ICE CROW]

Revan Baratheon, on 08 December 2012 - 11:18 PM, said:

Agreed that 2012 was pretty crappy year for games, all the games that I purchased from steam this year were from 2008-2011, this year felt like it didn't have any big serious games.
Next year will be pretty awesome though

Pretty Crappy?

Mass Effect 3
Journey
Halo 4
Borderlands 2
Diablo 3
Dishonored
Darksiders 2
Catherine
Dragon's Dogma
Max Payne 3
The Walking Dead
Sleeping Dogs
Guild Wars 2
Assassins Creed 3
Far Cry 3

Not to mention a whole bunch of great Indie titles on PC,PSN and Xbox Live Arcade. I don't know what games you have been playing but it has been a pretty good year maybe not the best compared to other years in last 5 or so but still a damn good year.

Edited by ICE CROW, 09 December 2012 - 01:09 AM.

[AndrewBaelish]

Finally got to play The Old Republic tonight. Dang good I gotta say.

[Tyrellius]

Anyone been playing Baldur's gate?  I'm away from home so haven't had a chance to download it yet.

[Kosciuszko]

ICE CROW, on 09 December 2012 - 01:08 AM, said:

Pretty Crappy?

Mass Effect 3
Journey
Halo 4
Borderlands 2
Diablo 3
Dishonored
Darksiders 2
Catherine
Dragon's Dogma
Max Payne 3
The Walking Dead
Sleeping Dogs
Guild Wars 2
Assassins Creed 3
Far Cry 3

Not to mention a whole bunch of great Indie titles on PC,PSN and Xbox Live Arcade. I don't know what games you have been playing but it has been a pretty good year maybe not the best compared to other years in last 5 or so but still a damn good year.

Catherine was actually 2011.

[The Anti-Targ]

halO bendeR, on 08 December 2012 - 06:59 PM, said:

Frankly, I think 2012 has been a pretty lacklustre year for video games in general. Pretty much everything I wanted to play this year -- Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us, Tomb Raider-- was delayed 'til early next year.
I don't think there should be any more criteria for Game of the Year than what game you enjoyed the most, and in my case it was definitely The Walking Dead. I too could point out issues galore with the game --both on a technical level and on a narrative level, but ultimately none of it really matters to me because it's still the best gaming experience I had this year.
It's your right not to agree, but obviously enough people did agree for it to have scored as highly as it did.  
I also won't deny that I like the statement it sends: That not every game needs a multiplayer mode, that story in games does matter and that indie games done right can compete with big AAA titles. I'd see a game like Halo 4 winning top honours as the exact opposite statement.

It was great that 2 indie games were up there on the GOTY nominations. Both bringing something far more interesting to the gaming table than just another FPS; and the notorious bias in gaming critics aside, it's not even the best reviewed of the FPS games of 2012. Being the opposite of a FPS fan I am so over this console generation being so dominated by FPS (I blame CoD for that) so I am overjoyed that Walking Dead won over Halo 4. Nothing against Halo 4 except for the fact it's FPS and I want to see less of that sort of game.

Has anyone seen the conjecture going around that the trailer for The Phantom Pain is actually Metal Gear Solid 5?

[Leviathan I]

How can you blame a game for being popular? If a game is selling a fuck ton of copies it means people enjoy playing them. You can't just say "well I enjoy this genre, therefore everyone else should". FPSs dominate because tons of people find them fun/addictive.

[Jon AS]

Having picked up the entire Total War package in the recent sale, my plan was originally to play the ones that were new to me in release order. But Empire was just kind of bland, military units had little variety (the main difference being how good they are at shooting guns) and I can't get any sense of tactics from the battles. I finally got a fun game going as one of the Indian factions, even turned my country into a republic along the way, but sort of lost interest.

Napoleon looks a bit more interesting, but I wasn't in the mood for the historical campaigns with their limited scope.

So ultimately I went and installed Shogun 2, and I think that was a good call. I've already had plenty of fun despite not achieving much of anything, and this game actually makes me really hopeful for Rome 2.

Now excuse me, I need to get back to conquering Japan.

[Merentha]

Leviathan I, on 09 December 2012 - 06:10 AM, said:

How can you blame a game for being popular? If a game is selling a fuck ton of copies it means people enjoy playing them. You can't just say "well I enjoy this genre, therefore everyone else should". FPSs dominate because tons of people find them fun/addictive.

As someone who does like FPSs, its really easy to blame a game for being popular.  It means execs in charge of large studios will want to make more games like that.  Its really easy to point to the console market and the success of CoD and attribute the general suckiness of Battlefield 3 to both of those factors.  The gunplay, squadsize, lack of VoIP and map design really suffered, in part because of those two factors.  It means that fun, interesting games like Alpha Protocol get rushed out the door, or delayed without any ability for the devs to use that delay to improve their game.  It means that every MMO has to ape as many features of WoW as possible (see: SWToR) whether or not they're actually good.   ME3 lost a lot of dialogue options, possibly to appeal more to the CoD group (adding in an option to not even select your dialogue does make it seem like the intent was to appeal to FPS fans).  More specifically, people who grew up on CoD only want incredibly bland recoil patterns and cqc lasers on crack in their FPSs, which change later FPSs too.  The money CoD gets (and Madden) by releasing yearly iterative copies on the same game (Madden does this worse, admittedly) pushes execs to mandate the same rapid turnaround.  DA2 being pushed out as quickly as it was would be indicative of this to me.

Its totally selfish, but you CAN blame other games for pulling money, attention, and focus away from your chosen genre, or for making it so that your chosen genre has features that you hate.  Fortunately, Planetside2 is out, and I really can't complain about CoD poisoning the FPS genre while that massive Titan of computer-focused FPS gaming stands as pretty much exactly what I've wanted in an FPS since BF2142.

edit:  The success of Kickstarter does help mitigate some of the above factors, see Project: Eternity.

Edited by Merentha, 09 December 2012 - 10:47 AM.