Video Games: Excuse me Sir, the machine ate my quarter

[Shryke]

I like me a bit of RTS. Perhaps I should give Starcraft II a try. Does it require a pretty beefy PC? my current PC is rather weak by today's standards, and was only barely passable by the standards at the time I bought it. I could still play Dragon Age 2 on it at relatively modest settings.

Probably? I don't think the system specs are too high. It tends to lean harder on the CPU then anything I think.

But if you like some RTS imo it's the best out there. There should be some sort of starter or trial edition available that will let you play a few single-player missions for free if you wanna give it a try and see if it's for you. And the first two parts of the trilogy should be fairly cheap these days. I've seen them for $10 each on sale.

[karaddin]

I liked Legacy of the Void, but I still things Wings of Liberty had the best campaign story. Void started out strong, and the Protoss are my favorite faction, but I didn't quite like the direction it took.

Hidden Content

And yes, the missions do get repetitive.

What I did like most about it:

- the unit choices you were given

- the Spear of Adun is the best ship of the three major vessels in the whole game

- soundtrack is the best of the three

I finished the main missions last night, haven't done the epilogue yet, but

I was getting the Mass Effect vibe for a while, but I think it pivoted nicely and avoided that in the end.  I feel like if the Xel'Naga had saved them it would have fit ME more, but while the mcguffin (the keystone) was important, ultimately it was the Protoss uniting and turning away from the Khala that defeated Amon.  I was surprised at how little the Terrans and Zerg were involved, I was expecting Kerrigan to be the key, however I guess that was in Zeratul's prophecy and that didn't pan out, she was necessary to open the temple.

On the whole I thought it was a great expansion, Zeratul's fate really hit me though. I should have seen it coming but for some reason I didn't. I also felt more of a connection with Artanis than I do with most game pov characters, for some reason the whole "you start as this character, then they split off but are still within the game world" conceit from SC1/BW really worked.  You were kinda playing Raynor/Kerrigan/Artanis in SC2, but it felt different to SC1. 

[Gears of the Beast]

A few IGN employees say incredibly stupid shit on their podcast "unlocked", issue a false copyright claim on video noting said stupid shit. Streisand effect kicks in and the video is gets way more attention than it otherwise would have. Good times.

[Melphis Amekia]

I liked Legacy of the Void, but I still things Wings of Liberty had the best campaign story. Void started out strong, and the Protoss are my favorite faction, but I didn't quite like the direction it took.

Hidden Content

And yes, the missions do get repetitive.

What I did like most about it:

- the unit choices you were given

- the Spear of Adun is the best ship of the three major vessels in the whole game

- soundtrack is the best of the three

I disagree about the ending. In my opinion, they made the anti-ME3 ending. It has a satisfying conclusion for most characters, especially ones from the original SC, and we completely finished what was a plotline that followed also from the original SC and for the better. It was strong overall.

Definitely agree on the bolded part.

I like me a bit of RTS. Perhaps I should give Starcraft II a try. Does it require a pretty beefy PC? my current PC is rather weak by today's standards, and was only barely passable by the standards at the time I bought it. I could still play Dragon Age 2 on it at relatively modest settings.

You'll be able to play StarCraft 2, don't worry. It's not really demanding especially on low settings. I also checked and it has relatively similar requirements as Dragon Age 2.

[Arch-MaesterPhilip]

Has anybody played Battlefront  yet?

[RumHam]

Has anybody played Battlefront  yet?

Yeah I got access to it through gameshare. Probably not something I would have bought with everything else that's come out recently, but it's pretty fun. I love the heroes vs villains mode. Three people on each side are chosen as Luke, Han, and Leia / Vader, Palpatine and Bobba Fett and have only one life. They work with the rest of their team (who can respawn) to eliminate the enemy heroes. 

[Corvinus85]

 

I disagree about the ending. In my opinion, they made the anti-ME3 ending. It has a satisfying conclusion for most characters, especially ones from the original SC, and we completely finished what was a plotline that followed also from the original SC and for the better. It was strong overall.

Yes, it has a satisfying ending for the characters, (and they probably took lessons from the ME3 debacle). But I didn't quite like the direction it took with the Xel'Naga plot. 

Sure we knew since Starcraft I that the Xel'Naga created the Protoss and the Zerg, but the whole perpetual cycle of life was a reverse Reaper cycle of destruction. And Amon was reverse Shepard, trying to stop the cycle.

[Shryke]

I haven't finished the game yet but everything about the Xel'naga stuff is completely inconsistent with SC1 and really really quite terrible too.

The characters are also wildly inconsistent between SC1 and SC2 (Raynor and Kerrigan mostly, but that's the core to most of SC2 so it really shows)

[Melphis Amekia]

 

Yes, it has a satisfying ending for the characters, (and they probably took lessons from the ME3 debacle). But I didn't quite like the direction it took with the Xel'Naga plot. 

 

Hidden Content

Except we knew that the Xel'Naga had a cycle of life, though I grant you that we didn't know it was an Infinite, universe spanning cycle. We also didn't know it was Amon who uplifted both the zerg and the protoss. Also, this was how the writers originally wrote it back 17 years ago, so while we may compare it to the ME ending, this one was the "original".

[Melphis Amekia]

I haven't finished the game yet but everything about the Xel'naga stuff is completely inconsistent with SC1 and really really quite terrible too.

The characters are also wildly inconsistent between SC1 and SC2 (Raynor and Kerrigan mostly, but that's the core to most of SC2 so it really shows)

Except that they aren't, because Raynor and Kerrigan had had some sort of an intimate relationship during SC1(the Terran campaign lasts for months, even if we don't see it), and while he said in SC1 he was going to kill her, a) he was really raging at the time b ) it was not actually Kerrigan who killed Fenix, but the Queen of Blades. Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades are two different people because the former wasn't assimilated into the Swarm in SC1 by her own free will, thus becoming Queen of Blades, and the latter was by her infestation influenced by Amon as well as the Overmind(and her betrayal by Mengsk). The only one who is really inconsistent is Mengsk, who has become a Disney villain in SC2, but it can partly be explained by his paranoia and deteriorating state of mind.

[Reny of Storms End]

Yeah I got access to it through gameshare. Probably not something I would have bought with everything else that's come out recently, but it's pretty fun. I love the heroes vs villains mode. Three people on each side are chosen as Luke, Han, and Leia / Vader, Palpatine and Bobba Fett and have only one life. They work with the rest of their team (who can respawn) to eliminate the enemy heroes. 

I agree that it is fun. I have no interest in a few of the game modes, but am finding the rest very enjoyable (probably dislike 3 of 9). Heroes vs Villians is a lot fun. I've also enjoyed Fighter Squadron, where you can get a powerup that lets you become the Millennium Falcon for a time.  

[Shryke]

Except that they aren't, because Raynor and Kerrigan had had some sort of an intimate relationship during SC1(the Terran campaign lasts for months, even if we don't see it), and while he said in SC1 he was going to kill her, a) he was really raging at the time b ) it was not actually Kerrigan who killed Fenix, but the Queen of Blades. Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades are two different people because the former wasn't assimilated into the Swarm in SC1 by her own free will, thus becoming Queen of Blades, and the latter was by her infestation influenced by Amon as well as the Overmind(and her betrayal by Mengsk). The only one who is really inconsistent is Mengsk, who has become a Disney villain in SC2, but it can partly be explained by his paranoia and deteriorating state of mind.

Except neither of those are accurate. SC1 never suggests they had an intimate relationship and in fact suggests the opposite. Raynor is crazy about Kerrigan and she's flattered but brushes him off while rolling her eyes.

And Raynor ends Brood Wars finally turning the corner on those feelings, vowing he's going to kill her. First thing we see him in SC2, he's making mushy eyes over her and no anger at all.

It's a bunch of bullshit retcons that are never addressed. It just moves on like this is how it's always been. Cause the main plot of SC2 is hackneyed and cliched and gag-worthy.

 

And hilariously, you are wrong about Mengsk too since his character is completely consistent between SC1 and SC2.

[Melphis Amekia]

Except neither of those are accurate. SC1 never suggests they had an intimate relationship and in fact suggests the opposite. Raynor is crazy about Kerrigan and she's flattered but brushes him off while rolling her eyes.

And Raynor ends Brood Wars finally turning the corner on those feelings, vowing he's going to kill her. First thing we see him in SC2, he's making mushy eyes over her and no anger at all.

It's a bunch of bullshit retcons that are never addressed. It just moves on like this is how it's always been. Cause the main plot of SC2 is hackneyed and cliched and gag-worthy.

 

And hilariously, you are wrong about Mengsk too since his character is completely consistent between SC1 and SC2.

I guess it depends on how you view it. I mean, I watched(since I can't play because playing on a newer system is a pain) a streamer (Archengeia/Loreruner) who does, well, loreruns where he completely explains all the lore while playing and he did so for all SC games and the way I saw it both were attracted to each other(no Raynor wasn't crazy about her then from what I've seen, but he was more into it... and may I quote: "Jimmy, drop the knight in shining armour routine. It suits you sometimes... but not now" That's not brushing off and is suggestive she too had something for him). Remember, the Terran campaign lasts months, for almost a year - we basically don't know what could've happened in between. And after Brood War, you know, characters change... It's kind of Blizzards own fault for not doing a prequel mission set or something like they did with Legacy of the Void. And why do you say I'm wrong about Kerrigan/Queen of Blades and haven't provided a comment why?

I'll try my best to remember since I haven't yet watched Arch's Wings of Liberty videos, but from what I do remember he went from a brilliant tactician and commander to the plain old power hungry villain who does okay-ish to good one liners, spend trillions on something in order to apprehend Raynor(no there's absolutely no paranoia there) and can't even keep the loyalty of his own son. I do have to refresh my memory, though, since I haven't played WoL in 3 years and never finished HotS but only watched some playthroughs.

The main plot and story of Wings of Liberty were okay in my opinion, epic at times even if cliche, while Heart of the Swarm's were bad. On the other hand, I felt like Legacy of the Void had by far the strongest plot and story whilst ironically the most boring mission-wise.

[Shryke]

I guess it depends on how you view it. I mean, I watched(since I can't play because playing on a newer system is a pain) a streamer (Archengeia/Loreruner) who does, well, loreruns where he completely explains all the lore while playing and he did so for all SC games and the way I saw it both were attracted to each other(no Raynor wasn't crazy about her then from what I've seen, but he was more into it... and may I quote: "Jimmy, drop the knight in shining armour routine. It suits you sometimes... but not now" That's not brushing off and is suggestive she too had something for him). Remember, the Terran campaign lasts months, for almost a year - we basically don't know what could've happened in between. And after Brood War, you know, characters change... It's kind of Blizzards own fault for not doing a prequel mission set or something like they did with Legacy of the Void. And why do you say I'm wrong about Kerrigan/Queen of Blades and haven't provided a comment why?

I'll try my best to remember since I haven't yet watched Arch's Wings of Liberty videos, but from what I do remember he went from a brilliant tactician and commander to the plain old power hungry villain who does okay-ish to good one liners and can't even keep the loyalty of his own son. I do have to refresh my memory, though, since I haven't played WoL in 3 years and never finished HotS but only watched some playthroughs.

The main plot and story of Wings of Liberty were okay in my opinion, epic at times even if cliche, while Heart of the Swarm's were bad. On the other hand, I felt like Legacy of the Void had by far the strongest plot and story whilst ironically the most boring mission-wise.

The thing is, in all the dialogue between Raynor and Kerrigan (and there's not actually much) at no point is a real relationship ever implied. Raynor is clearly attracted to her and there's the implication they are friends but in their last conversations together, as she is literally being left to die, they don't talk to each other like they are anything but friends and Raynor has an unrequited thing for her. There's just no real support for the type of relationship shown in SC2 in SC1.

And again, Brood Wars never establishes any idea that Raynor thinks of Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades as seperate entities. He calls her Kerrigan or Sarah. Kerrigan`s whole play in Brood Wars is that she`s free of the Overmind`s control and Raynor believes this. That is, in fact, what was established as the truth before all of SC2`s retcons. To illustrate, his last words to her:

RAYNOR:

   He died because you betrayed him. How many noble
   souls do you need to consume before you're satisfied?
   How many more people need to die before you realize
   what you've become?

KERRIGAN:

   You don't even know what you're talking about, Jim!

RAYNOR:

   Don't I? I'll see you dead for this, Kerrigan. For Fenix
   and all the others who got caught between you and
   your mad quest for power!

KERRIGAN:

   Tough talk, Jimmy. But I don't think you have what it
   takes to be a killer.

RAYNOR:

   It may not be tomorrow,darlin'. It may not even happen
   with an army at my back. But rest assured: I'm the man
   who's going to kill you some day. I'll be seein' you.

And more to this point, from the final cutscene:

And alone, floating on a dark platform above
the burnt-out planet of Char, Sarah Kerrigan,
the Queen of Blades, sat and lorded over the
ravenous Swarms. Unable to shake the feeling
that a great threat loomed just over the
horizon, Kerrigan could only stare off into the
vastness of space where she beheld a great
void. Or perhaps a reflection of a hollow
victory and of the trials yet to come...

 

None of this supports anything like the idea you are floating or the relationships and such as they are shown in SC2.

SC2 just rewrites alot of how SC1 portrays it's characters and the lore to make it's Raynor/Kerrigan relationship and Dark God bullshit story work. It's just retcons to hell and back and most of them for the worst. They make things simpler and more cliched and more like stories we've seen Blizzard do before.

 

As for Mengsk, he's the same. He's just as power-hungry and megalomaniacal and seedy and fascist in SC1 as SC2. It's basically what defines his character as you learn more about him. By the end of the SC1 Terran campaign he's revealed as conniving power-hungry villain in the fascist leader mold. The final cinematic of the terran campaign is a propaganda video that looks exactly like the kind of stuff WoL throws in all over the place.

[Shryke]

And you know, while we're on this, the really aggravating part is there's no real reason for the retcons. You can follow most of the same beats of WoL and HOTS without retcons by just tweaking character motivations and the overarcing story. And it would probably be quite a bit better since alot of what they did with SC2 was making the lore more cliched and high-fantasy-esque.

[Melphis Amekia]

And you know, while we're on this, the really aggravating part is there's no real reason for the retcons. You can follow most of the same beats of WoL and HOTS without retcons by just tweaking character motivations and the overarcing story. And it would probably be quite a bit better since alot of what they did with SC2 was making the lore more cliched and high-fantasy-esque.

I would just point out, as I have before, that Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades aren't the same person. It's why Raynor didn't kill(and not just the prophecy). Yes, he didn't think of Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades like different people because why would he? No one in SC universe did that. But we definitely should because it's apparent to us in HotS they are two different people. Even Raynor sees that at the end of HotS(no matter how painfully cliche that looked). And Amon was hinted at throughout both SC1 and especially Brood War with the bonus mission, and the stuff about the Xel'Naga was also known for ages(I think the Overmind or Tassadar say what they were searching for, IIRC. I've known about what the the Xel'Naga's goal was and basically why since before SC2).

However, I do agree that it could have been done much better and that I would support a better plot/story for SC2, especially if Kerrigan wasn't immediately in love with Raynor at the start of HotS. Though, I find it ironic it's exactly all the cliched and high-fantasy-esque parts you're complaining about that were showed through the door with the epilogue of Legacy of the Void.

[Shryke]

I would just point out, as I have before, that Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades aren't the same person. It's why Raynor didn't kill(and not just the prophecy). Yes, he didn't think of Kerrigan and the Queen of Blades like different people because why would he? No one in SC universe did that. But we definitely should because it's apparent to us in HotS they are two different people. Even Raynor sees that at the end of HotS(no matter how painfully cliche that looked). And Amon was hinted at throughout both SC1 and especially Brood War with the bonus mission, and the stuff about the Xel'Naga was also known for ages(I think the Overmind or Tassadar say what they were searching for, IIRC. I've known about what the the Xel'Naga's goal was and basically why since before SC2).

However, I do agree that it could have been done much better and that I would support a better plot/story for SC2, especially if Kerrigan wasn't immediately in love with Raynor at the start of HotS. Though, I find it ironic it's exactly all the cliched and high-fantasy-esque parts you're complaining about that were showed through the door with the epilogue of Legacy of the Void.

Except, as I showed in the previous post, this is not what SC1 says. It very much implies that Kerrigan is an independent person at the time of and the end of Brood Wars. There is no distinction like you are making. It's just Kerrigan, a single person, after being freed from the Overmind's control. Raynor most definitely does not buy the idea that they are separate entities till SC2. Where he has mysteriously completely forgotten everything that happened in Brood Wars and never mentions it or acts like it happened.

And Amon was not really hinted at in anything related to SC1. The bonus mission in Brood Wars is vague as hell about what's going on but the Xel'naga seem the most obvious candidates for what's going on. And not in the way SC2 presents them. I mean, shit, HOTS's entire zerg arc basically takes a giant shit all over the original Xel'naga and Zerg lore as established in SC1. It literally does the exact opposite of what was given in SC1. The people writing SC2 apparently don't even remember what was written about either of those races originally. There's little reason to believe the vague allusions made in the bonus mission refer to what we eventually get in SC2 considering everything else involved in this part of the story is a retcon.

[The Anti-Targ]

I watched a few matches of Battlefront Walker Assault on twitch last night. It looks quite fun. The metascores for this game are on the low-ish side. As a MP only game it equates to Titanfall and Evolve. It's getting scores similar to Evolve, but well below that of Titanfall. I wonder why they are giving it scores closer to Evolve than Titanfall? 

The concept of Evolve, to me, is the most interesting of all 3 of these games. But it seems the execution of Evolve's concept was not very good.

Evlolve should have had a SP campaign where you played as monsters trying to rid your territory of arsehole people who are coming into to try to turn your habitat into industrial wastelands. At least that way everyone would get a chance to play as the monsters, which hardly anyone ever gets to do in the competitive modes.

[Jace, Extat]

For my part, there's no depth on Battlefront (yes, I'm weak and I bought it). It's literally the most basic elements of a multiplayer shooter draped in Star Wars.

The Star Wars skin is good, I love running through Endor with fifteen Storm Troopers and rushing a bunker. But it's missing the brain-dead fast speed of Call of Duty, the pacing techniques of Titanfall, and the team/squad dynamics of Battlefield. The lack of classes is a huge annoyance because there's no gameplay variance, it sucks there's no squads (only an unexplained 'partners' system), and I've only got to play as a Hero 3 times in about 100 matches despite being towards the top of my team's leaderboard most games.

It feels like a game that was designed to appeal to everyone on the planet who wanted to be a Storm Trooper or defend against the Empire on Hoth, as opposed to a shooter with any overarching gameplay theme.

[Reny of Storms End]

Having played both Battlefront and Evolve. I'd take Battlefront every time. Both suffer from not having a SP campaign, but Evolve also had like only four maps and limited character options. I think my group of friends and I ended up playing for about a week before dropping it for good. Granted it's still early for Battlefront, but I feel there's enough there to keep me playing for awhile. At least till the first couple map packs. I'm usually done with any FPS after a couple months anyway.  

I agree that the concept of Evolve is really interesting, and hopefully future games with be able to do more with the idea.