Video Games - dragons, lasers and zombies

[Wee baby Shamus]

There is no better feeling than seeing the Grounded plus trophy popping up after you finally completed the Last of Us on that mode.

[Alex.]

Just finished it about ten minutes ago. Outstanding. The whole game was just brilliant. Can't wait to play the prequel bit, but mostly I'm just amazed. Hard to take a game like that in properly

[Alex.]

Mulling over the fact I shot some surgeons. Undoubtedly some of the most useful and skilful people in a post apocalyptic world and I shot them. Good lord

[The Drunkard]

Mulling over the fact I shot some surgeons. Undoubtedly some of the most useful and skilful people in a post apocalyptic world and I shot them. Good lord

That hit me as well. When I walked in there I just killed them all immediately, didn't even care. They can really put you into Joel's mindset sometimes.

Anyway, enjoying Far Cry 4, but some of the plot is a little bit annoying. Fought a boss, who knew I wanted to kill her, who wanted to kill me and had the ability to do so easily, but decided instead to send me on a drug trip and reveal a fair bit of backstory. Surely there was a better way to reveal that stuff and have me kill her.

[The Anti-Targ]

Valkyria Chronicles is excellent. Well, the controls are clunky as hell, the sheer volume of cut scenes can be a bit grating (since you have to select each one at a time and play to advance, couldn't they have just run them all together?) and there is some standard weird gender stuff going on (women are soldiers like anyone else! Hooray! Their uniform includes a miniskirt! Wait, what?), but the combat is excellent, the characters pretty well-defined and the jarring tonal jumps from some more cutesy anime stuff to WWII-evoking horror are brutally effective. More importantly, the actual use of strategy and tactics is superb. On one mission in a forest I had to face down an enemy general in his super-tank with my own not-so-super tank. However, I simply held off from advancing into the enemy camp and flanked his position from a ridge overlooking the base with my anti-tank troops who popped up and shot him without him being able to retaliate, and forced him to withdraw with my own tank completely unscathed.

There was also a sweet urban battle which had a watchtower I could stick a sniper in to dominate the battlefield and knock out both tanks (thanks to handily-placed explosive barrels) and troops from miles away. The only problem was that I had to remember to get the sniper to bail out of the tower at the end of every turn otherwise he was zeroed by every tank and enemy sniper on the map on the enemy turn.

Great game. Surprised this did so poorly in sales on the PS3.

I didn't do poorly. It sold well enough to justify a sequel, but for some inexplicable reason Sega went with PSP for the sequels and the sequels did poorly in the west, albeit achieved similar sales in Japan. I'll never understand that decision. They had the game engine looking very nice on PS3 with the first game so the cost of making a sequel would have been a lot less, and the game would have sold well. Good to know you're enjoying the game. If you have the opportunity to get the DLC then behind her blue flame is fun and you get a special weapon in for the main game that makes things rather easy, but it's so fun.

[Kalbear]

Sky rim for got would be horrible. A big open world where you can do anything and you're a superhero is exactly what got isn't about.

Telltale isn't a bad choice. Probably the best would be something like a bioware game.

[Civility Reigns]

I didn't do poorly. It sold well enough to justify a sequel, but for some inexplicable reason Sega went with PSP for the sequels and the sequels did poorly in the west, albeit achieved similar sales in Japan. I'll never understand that decision. They had the game engine looking very nice on PS3 with the first game so the cost of making a sequel would have been a lot less, and the game would have sold well. Good to know you're enjoying the game. If you have the opportunity to get the DLC then behind her blue flame is fun and you get a special weapon in for the main game that makes things rather easy, but it's so fun.

It did poor enough that it didn't meet Sega's expectations. The game was largely ignored by U.S. gamers in favor of blockbuster titles like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Gears of War, and sales only bounced back after a price cut and a fan-driven campaign to boost awareness of the franchise.

JRPGs and SRPGs aren't exactly chart toppers in the West, and in Japan the market has largely moved into handheld systems. Sega likely felt they could increase sales by moving to the PSP, just as Capcom increased sales by moving its Monster Hunter franchise. If the game had sold better, they wouldn't have needed to make that decision.

[Kalbear]

Doesn't have to be exactly the same, but my reasoning was that there is such a rich and diverse background that you would need something with the detail of Skyrim to express it well, and even then it wouldn't be enough.

And in reality, would you choose a video game as the best medium for interacting with the intricate themes of ASOIAF anyway? Or is it more about interacting with the world? I think Skyrim would be a great style for it to follow in that instance provided your character was someone of a specific social status, such as a knight, where fortunes can vary greatly.

i think a video game could be amazing. Interacting with the fairly basic world isn't that special; what is special about got (and what skyrim fucks up) is the interactions with people.

What I would want is a world where your decisions matter and the world is changing depending on what you and others do. Where the major way you get things done is through convincing others and making deals. Where fighting isn't that special most of the time. Again, skyrim is good at combat and being a big world but that world is largely the same. I don't need a large world; I need a well realized one.

[Wee baby Shamus]

Just finished it about ten minutes ago. Outstanding. The whole game was just brilliant. Can't wait to play the prequel bit, but mostly I'm just amazed. Hard to take a game like that in properly

If you have to pay for the prequel I would wait for it to be cheap. I paid $15 for it and it wasn't worth that much.

[Shryke]

It did poor enough that it didn't meet Sega's expectations. The game was largely ignored by U.S. gamers in favor of blockbuster titles like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Gears of War, and sales only bounced back after a price cut and a fan-driven campaign to boost awareness of the franchise.

JRPGs and SRPGs aren't exactly chart toppers in the West, and in Japan the market has largely moved into handheld systems. Sega likely felt they could increase sales by moving to the PSP, just as Capcom increased sales by moving its Monster Hunter franchise. If the game had sold better, they wouldn't have needed to make that decision.

Yup. JRPGs have almost all migrated to handhelds for exactly this reason. Japan portable games and JRPGs have become a niche product in the West. (and good ridance :P)

[Shryke]

i think a video game could be amazing. Interacting with the fairly basic world isn't that special; what is special about got (and what skyrim fucks up) is the interactions with people.

What I would want is a world where your decisions matter and the world is changing depending on what you and others do. Where the major way you get things done is through convincing others and making deals. Where fighting isn't that special most of the time. Again, skyrim is good at combat and being a big world but that world is largely the same. I don't need a large world; I need a well realized one.

Which is why I think a Telltale game or the like is probably the best thing to capture the material's style.

The alternative would essentially be like the CK2 mod, which loses all the interaction flavour for Machiavellian politicking. But then, I'm not sure there's much more there to do that the CK2 mod doesn't already kinda cover.

[Kalbear]

I agree. I don't know where the complaining is coming from.

[Jace, Extat]

Me. I said the game trailer looks like shit, because it does.

BTW, Kalbear, I think you're right about what would make a GoT game work, but I don't know if it's possible. BioWare would be the best bet, but even their narrative-based style wouldn't quite fit the requirements for the ASoIaF universe. A videogame needs to have actions beyond a dialogue wheel because they're so long, but in the ASoIaF universe, no single character makes a big enough difference with a sword to realistically put enough content in a game.

[Crom Dubh]

Take Chivalry: Medieval Warfare. Don't let Torn Banana make it, just steal the damn thing from them. Code it so it doesn't suck. Have good players test the damn thing (seriously, devs who can't play their own game right also seem to have a tough time balancing the damn thing). Add in lots of customization and heraldry stuff things (Hat Simulator 2014, gogogogo.)

Give Game of Thrones title and license.

Release.

Proceed to walk about awkwardly with your new set of solid gold testicles, because that's what you made with the millions of dollars in revenue this idea generated.

[Azzanadra]

I would give CD project Red the keys for an ASOIAF game. I hear DA:I is good but TBH I don't really trust Bioware much with their OWN properties these days let alone a universe so expansive and beloved as ASOIAF.

[Talleyrand]

Mulling over the fact I shot some surgeons. Undoubtedly some of the most useful and skilful people in a post apocalyptic world and I shot them. Good lord

Well to be fair the first one pulls a knife on you and as for the others. fuck it - in for a penny in for a pound

[Alex.]

If you have to pay for the prequel I would wait for it to be cheap. I paid $15 for it and it wasn't worth that much.

Got it with the remastered edition so no extra cost. Looks interesting and I will be getting into it this week. Might start a new game plus as well after a bit of Fifa in between to cleanse the palate.

Well to be fair the first one pulls a knife on you and as for the others. fuck it - in for a penny in for a pound

Yeah, that's true, but they're surgeons. If I hadn't been turned into this primal killing machine I would have liked to just knock them out or something. Seems like a waste. But then again they were cutting the brain out of an unconscious legend of a teenage girl so... maybe you're right. Fuck them.

[Werthead]

Would you recommend the game for something like 5 or 10 bucks?

Yes, absolutey. Story-wise I enjoyed the game far more than either Dragon Age (the first two), although gameplay-wise it's quite ropey.

Also, the GoT game takes a good 3 hours or so to get going. Those first few hours can be rough. If you get through them, the game opens up a lot more and becomes far more enjoyable.

Could always do a first person shooter like Wheel of Time...

That was a pretty good game. I'm not sure it was a very good Wheel of Time game, but it was certainly a surprisingly solid FPS experience. And gets some serious bonus points for the female protagonist and putting some thought into how you'd adapt the setting to an FPS framework. Also, some excellent level design.

Paradox would be better, I think.

CK2 and EU4 >>>>>>>> RTW2

True, although most of the earlier Total War games >>>>>RTW2 as well, for that matter.

There are of course mods for all of these things. The Crusader Kings II mod is particularly highly regarded and the Medieval II: Total War mod is looking good, if they actually manage to release it before Medieval III comes out :)

Also, Paradox have specifically ruled out making a GoT game. They had discussions with Team GRRM but it sounds like they couldn't nail a deal. BioWare, Bethesda and Relic also all passed.

[The Anti-Targ]

It did poor enough that it didn't meet Sega's expectations. The game was largely ignored by U.S. gamers in favor of blockbuster titles like World of Warcraft, Call of Duty and Gears of War, and sales only bounced back after a price cut and a fan-driven campaign to boost awareness of the franchise.

JRPGs and SRPGs aren't exactly chart toppers in the West, and in Japan the market has largely moved into handheld systems. Sega likely felt they could increase sales by moving to the PSP, just as Capcom increased sales by moving its Monster Hunter franchise. If the game had sold better, they wouldn't have needed to make that decision.

Their expectations were too high. The game sold over 1 million globally (wikipedia) and >760K of that was outside of Japan. 1 million in sales globally for that sort of game is bloody good.

It was a slow burner in the west and gamers didn't really notice it until it won "best game nobody played" awards in 2008, which then boosted 2009 sales. Hells I even came on here in 2009 and talked this game up, to a gigantic "meh" from everyone. Funny enough one comment on here was "that's that turn based game where you can get shot at when you're having your turn.. no thanks." And only a few years later we get X-Com Enemy Unknown which everyone praised to the high heavens, and the same thing happens in that game.

And of course their move to PSP was an absolute disaster from a sales perspective. It sold marginally less on PSP in Japan but VC2 completely bombed in the west to the extent that VC3 was never localised.

If Sega had half a brain on this game they would have recognised that in the west there was, in the end, a decent fanbase for the game, and a sequel on PS3 would have sold a decent amount, as launch price and would have made them some money. Given VC2 turned out to be brilliant (see reviews) it was a guaranteed hit (relatively) for PS3. Perhaps they decided a bit too early to switch to PSP before the fanbase in the west built up tot what it was.

[Shryke]

Their expectations were too high. The game sold over 1 million globally (wikipedia) and >760K of that was outside of Japan. 1 million in sales globally for that sort of game is bloody good.

It was a slow burner in the west and gamers didn't really notice it until it won "best game nobody played" awards in 2008, which then boosted 2009 sales. Hells I even came on here in 2009 and talked this game up, to a gigantic "meh" from everyone. Funny enough one comment on here was "that's that turn based game where you can get shot at when you're having your turn.. no thanks." And only a few years later we get X-Com Enemy Unknown which everyone praised to the high heavens, and the same thing happens in that game.

And of course their move to PSP was an absolute disaster from a sales perspective. It sold marginally less on PSP in Japan but VC2 completely bombed in the west to the extent that VC3 was never localised.

If Sega had half a brain on this game they would have recognised that in the west there was, in the end, a decent fanbase for the game, and a sequel on PS3 would have sold a decent amount, as launch price and would have made them some money. Given VC2 turned out to be brilliant (see reviews) it was a guaranteed hit (relatively) for PS3. Perhaps they decided a bit too early to switch to PSP before the fanbase in the west built up tot what it was.

A slow burner is not a good thing by publisher standards. Whether a game is a success or not is decided quite quickly.

Also, enemies only shoot at you in XCom if they are in Overwatch. Which is itself an action you take. Not the same thing.