Video Games: Shadow of the Rise of the Live Madden War III- HD Remaster

[The Anti-Targ]

2 hours ago, briantw said:

I know Odyssey has microtransactions, but I haven't really felt like the grind forces me into wanting them.  I already feel like I'm leveling up faster than I'd like to.  After about forty hours with the game I'm at level 28, which is over halfway I think, and it doesn't really seem to be slowing down much if at all.  

I thought Witcher 3 was a much rougher grind than Odyssey, and that game didn't have microtransactions.  It also took me damn near 150 hours to finish.

Grind balance is definitely an issue for some games. But when it's associated with microtransactions which can let you skip the grind, that becomes something else.

I didn't really think TW3 was too grindy. I think there was maybe one or two main story missions (in the Skellige Isles IIRC) where I was undercooked when I first attempted them, so I had to go away and level up and find better gear before I went back. I definitely didn't feel like I needed to run around chasing the mystery points on the map, and there were always mission board quests that fit my current level. 

[briantw]

12 minutes ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Grind balance is definitely an issue for some games. But when it's associated with microtransactions which can let you skip the grind, that becomes something else.

I didn't really think TW3 was too grindy. I think there was maybe one or two main story missions (in the Skellige Isles IIRC) where I was undercooked when I first attempted them, so I had to go away and level up and find better gear before I went back. I definitely didn't feel like I needed to run around chasing the mystery points on the map, and there were always mission board quests that fit my current level. 

I don't think you can buy anything to entirely skip the grind in Odyssey, although I think there's an XP booster you can buy that makes you level up a little faster.  I can't really use the store in my game, because it's on Project Stream and thus the beta expires in January and my game disappears, but they did give me ten Monopoly dollars to spend.  I just ended up buying a map that shows the locations of a rare ore in-game and some random cosmetic shit.

The store is largely just cosmetic stuff and that aforementioned map I bought (which was kind of a waste of my fake money since there are daily quests that are simple and give you a bunch of the rare ore and that's a much more efficient way to get it).  I think you can also buy packs that give you a bunch of crafting resources, which I guess allows you to skip the grind to some extent, but it's not particularly difficult to amass resources in the game to begin with (and you can buy them in limited quantities from the actual in-game merchants with video game money).

As far as Witcher 3 goes, I didn't mean to imply it was too grindy.  I just think it was a little more so than Odyssey has been thus far.  I'm averaging about a level every hour and a half right now, and that doesn't feel too unreasonable for a game that probably has 200+ hours of actual content.  I'll probably be done with it in around 100.

[Mark Antony]

4 hours ago, The Anti-Targ said:

Is RDR2 infested with microtransactions and forced grind to steer you towards the microtransactions, like almost every 3rd party AAA game seems to be these days? Or has R* stayed away from that persistent revenue, live services, stuff?

There was pre order and special edition bonuses (think it was a special horse and an extra treasure map). I’m sure the online will have microtransactions once that comes out but the single player doesn’t. Pretty sure rockstar has never really had them in their story modes. 

[red snow]

Looking for some advice here. I've been waiting for the red dead redemption sequel since the Zombie version came out many a year ago. The snag is having to buy a console. The Xbox seems the better machine with deals and performance but the Sony exclusives are winning me over. Big fan of uncharted team and the time I spent playing Spidey on my brother's PS was great too.

The question is pro Vs non pro? I don't have a 4k TV and don't see myself getting one anytime soon. It sounds like the biggest issue is the memory of 500gig Vs 1000. I didn't realise how modern console games store a lot of downloaded content to run a game that's disc based. My brother was saying 100 gigs for red dead and Spidey each. That sounds concerning to me as it means I can probably only have a couple of games on the go at a time. Can you back game data up to external hard drives? As that would be a cheaper solution than paying £100 for the pro just on that factor. Or are their other reasons beyond the 4k and 1TB to warrant a PS4 pro?

[briantw]

I can't speak for the pro vs. non-pro argument, as I don't own either, but as a PC gamer, if I were getting a console, it would absolutely be a PS4 over an Xbox.  Basically every Xbox exclusive worth playing is also on PC (note: couldn't give less of a fuck about Halo).  Basically every PS4 exclusive worth playing is not.  Makes it an easy choice imo.  

Probably worth it just for Last of Us 2 and Spider-Man alone.

[red snow]

31 minutes ago, briantw said:

I can't speak for the pro vs. non-pro argument, as I don't own either, but as a PC gamer, if I were getting a console, it would absolutely be a PS4 over an Xbox.  Basically every Xbox exclusive worth playing is also on PC (note: couldn't give less of a fuck about Halo).  Basically every PS4 exclusive worth playing is not.  Makes it an easy choice imo.  

Probably worth it just for Last of Us 2 and Spider-Man alone.

This has been my logic too. I also considered playing RDR2 on my new laptop which should be capable, only to discover it isn't out on PC yet.

[briantw]

8 hours ago, red snow said:

This has been my logic too. I also considered playing RDR2 on my new laptop which should be capable, only to discover it isn't out on PC yet.

The first one never made it to PC at all and this one isn't announced.  If it does come to PC, they'll probably do what they did with GTA V and wait a year or so to release it so they can get a lot of people to buy it twice.  Kind of a shitty business practice imo, but Rockstar is kind of a shitty company (not in game quality, obviously) so it plays.

[Lord Dracarys]

11 hours ago, red snow said:

Looking for some advice here. I've been waiting for the red dead redemption sequel since the Zombie version came out many a year ago. The snag is having to buy a console. The Xbox seems the better machine with deals and performance but the Sony exclusives are winning me over. Big fan of uncharted team and the time I spent playing Spidey on my brother's PS was great too.

The question is pro Vs non pro? I don't have a 4k TV and don't see myself getting one anytime soon. It sounds like the biggest issue is the memory of 500gig Vs 1000. I didn't realise how modern console games store a lot of downloaded content to run a game that's disc based. My brother was saying 100 gigs for red dead and Spidey each. That sounds concerning to me as it means I can probably only have a couple of games on the go at a time. Can you back game data up to external hard drives? As that would be a cheaper solution than paying £100 for the pro just on that factor. Or are their other reasons beyond the 4k and 1TB to warrant a PS4 pro?

The PS4 is generally the better console if you consider games and not the possibility of maybe a game using the XBOX's better tech. Especially if you're not looking at their higher-end models. The real tech difference from what I understand is how they handle 4K, but grain of salt because I'm not some kind of super knowledgeable tech guru. You can buy standard hard drives and then install them in the PS4 (I don't know about the xbox) and the process isn't terribly difficult (brief review of the ins and outs here: https://goo.gl/4WzyPz).

[Werthead]

9 hours ago, red snow said:

This has been my logic too. I also considered playing RDR2 on my new laptop which should be capable, only to discover it isn't out on PC yet.

RDR2 will be coming to PC - it's leaked about three times, most recently through the mobile app which has references to the PC version of the game in the code - but as said previously, probably not until somewhere between 1 and 2 years after release. As with GTA5, the PC version will be the definitive version, but you have to wait a frigging long time for it.
 

Quote

 

if I were getting a console, it would absolutely be a PS4 over an Xbox.  Basically every Xbox exclusive worth playing is also on PC (note: couldn't give less of a fuck about Halo).  Basically every PS4 exclusive worth playing is not.

 

Worth nothing that PC is getting every Halo game from hereon out as well, starting with the next one, but yeah, that's not going to swing it. The PS4 exclusives are more interesting.

Also, as a caveat to the above, if you get the PS Streaming subscription, you can play Red Dead Redemption 1 on PC (although you'll need an PS3 or 4 controller, but still).

 

[red snow]

Useful advice. Seems I'm not alone in terms of console choice given the exclusives. Still wavering on which version of PS4 to get. Considering the last gaming I did was with the minisnes I doubt I'm going to be underwhelmed by the slim version

[Mark Antony]

3 hours ago, Werthead said:

.Also, as a caveat to the above, if you get the PS Streaming subscription, you can play Red Dead Redemption 1 on PC (although you'll need an PS3 or 4 controller, but still).

Also RDR1 is basically a remastered game on Xbox one x. Shit looks incredible. 

Idk if there’s many Original Xbox/Xbox 360 era games that would give someone enough interest for backwards comparability to swing someone from Ps4 to Xbox though. 

[Trystane]

18 hours ago, red snow said:

Can you back game data up to external hard drives? As that would be a cheaper solution than paying £100 for the pro just on that factor.

Yes, you can use an external hard drive with the ps4. You just have to specify in the settings that you want to install games to the external storage device.

[Kalbear]

You can trivially use an external HD with the xbox 1 as well. 

[red snow]

7 hours ago, Mark Antony said:

Also RDR1 is basically a remastered game on Xbox one x. Shit looks incredible. 

Idk if there’s many Original Xbox/Xbox 360 era games that would give someone enough interest for backwards comparability to swing someone from Ps4 to Xbox though. 

It still feels a shitty move by Sony not to make it backwards compatible. No idea how much cost there is in doing so but it always felt like an excuse to get people to buy remastered versions of classics.

 

5 hours ago, Trystane said:

Yes, you can use an external hard drive with the ps4. You just have to specify in the settings that you want to install games to the external storage device.

This seems like an easy fix.

[briantw]

Just now, red snow said:

It still feels a shitty move by Sony not to make it backwards compatible. No idea how much cost there is in doing so but it always felt like an excuse to get people to buy remastered versions of classics.

This is why I stick with PC gaming.  The only thing that makes games not backward compatible is when they literally no longer run under future operating systems, and even then most of the time modders will make patches that can get them working if the developers either won't or no longer exist. 

[red snow]

1 hour ago, briantw said:

This is why I stick with PC gaming.  The only thing that makes games not backward compatible is when they literally no longer run under future operating systems, and even then most of the time modders will make patches that can get them working if the developers either won't or no longer exist. 

I need to look into games I can play off my laptop as it's capable of current games so should get some life out of it. Also I can just connect it to my TV screen for joypad compatible games. I waste so much time on mobile games I'm realising I could use that time more "constructively" to play more complex games with actual stories.

[Luzifer's right hand]

I must admit I'm looking forward to Fallout 76.

It looks like it requires some ini tweaking to work ok with an ultrawide monitor but I did not really expect Bethesda to improve upon Fallout 4 in that regard. 

I guess I'm just glad that it is not a console exclusive at this point. 

I tried RDR2 on the Xbox One X. Great in principle but 24 years of mouse+controller gaming is too much I guess as I can't get used to aiming with a controller and always forgot which bumber button I have to use.  

 

[l2 0 5 5]

Loving RDR2. Probably has the most in-game distractions I've ever seen. I get sidetracked every time I'm en route to a quest. Lot of random, funny shit happens in the wilderness, too. Some funny vids on reddit. 

Fallout 76 will  be a wait and see game for me. I have a couple friends that are in the same boat with it. If they buy it, I probably will too. 

[A True Kaniggit]

3 hours ago, l2 0 5 5 said:

Fallout 76 will  be a wait and see game for me. I have a couple friends that are in the same boat with it. If they buy it, I probably will too. 

Yep. Me too.

I'm starting to believe Fallout 76's success may depend on 1 person buying the game and being just good enough to convince 2-3 friends to get it to play with them.

[briantw]

3 hours ago, l2 0 5 5 said:

Loving RDR2. Probably has the most in-game distractions I've ever seen. I get sidetracked every time I'm en route to a quest. Lot of random, funny shit happens in the wilderness, too. Some funny vids on reddit. 

Same with Odyssey.  Feel like I can't walk anywhere without forty new question marks and side quests popping up.  Makes it really goddamn hard to stick with the main quest.

I've been watching Red Dead vids on YouTube and it looks similarly ridiculous with regards to giving you more than enough shit to do for ten lifetimes.