What are you playing? [SPOILER TAGS PLEASE]

Started by Sabby, May 31, 2009, 12:45:35 PM

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Capone

The big thing is Spyro changed companies. Insomniac stopped developing the franchise some time ago, which means you got a whole different set of heads involved.

As for the new game, well, some have actually compared it to League of Legends in its execution.

You buy the game, get three figurines and a stand. Technically, this is all you need to play. However, there are secret locked areas that require certain kinds of monsters. So, there are toys that sell certain monsters solo, or in groups of three. You put the figure on the stand, and that is the character you use.

I must confess, I want to give it a try.

Wolfy

Don't forget about the location figures that unlock new locations/areas for you.

Inkidu

Quote from: Capone on February 11, 2012, 09:33:26 PM
The big thing is Spyro changed companies. Insomniac stopped developing the franchise some time ago, which means you got a whole different set of heads involved.

As for the new game, well, some have actually compared it to League of Legends in its execution.

You buy the game, get three figurines and a stand. Technically, this is all you need to play. However, there are secret locked areas that require certain kinds of monsters. So, there are toys that sell certain monsters solo, or in groups of three. You put the figure on the stand, and that is the character you use.

I must confess, I want to give it a try.
Wow, some company attended the Nintendo school of superfluous peripherals.

I'm playing UFO: Alien Invasion again because they have a lot more Terran tech than X-Com. I like being able to send my starting squads in with more than just rifles and pistols. In AI you get sniper rifles, flame throwers, heavy machine guns, and even combat armor. You also can equip people with SMGs and whatnot. I think they do this because Research takes longer. This kind of technically makes it worse because you still die if you're not careful. Compounded doubly so because the funding nations of this game not only control how much money you're getting but also the numbers of soldiers, scientists, and engineers. It's a nice little change of flavor. It kind of makes up for it because you do get anything you buy instantly. 
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Capone

Not so much superfluous peripherals so much as "Kids love video games, and kids love toys...OH! OH! OHHHHHH! I got it!" And then they make an ingeneous money-making scheme that, oddly enough, appeals to the nerdy collector adult as well.

Seriously, I'd love to try this game, but I know I'd drop more money than I ought to on it.

Izzie Aditi

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (Clear Sky) I'm usually not all that much for FPS but yeah, I'll live 8-)
“Redheads are said to be children of the moon, thwarted by the sun, and addicted to sex and sugar.”


LunarSage

Just beat Arkham Asylum on Easy.  Are the endings different for different difficulty levels?

Oh and can anyone tell me if Arkham City is as good, better or not as good as Arkham Asylum?

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Capone

Quote from: Izzie Aditi on February 12, 2012, 09:05:17 AM
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (Clear Sky) I'm usually not all that much for FPS but yeah, I'll live 8-)

If you enjoy that, you might want to try Metro 2033. It's supposed to be by the original STALKER team.

Quote from: LunarSage on February 12, 2012, 09:07:38 AM
Just beat Arkham Asylum on Easy.  Are the endings different for different difficulty levels?

Oh and can anyone tell me if Arkham City is as good, better or not as good as Arkham Asylum?

The endings should all be the same, except for one teaser that you can probably YouTube. Nothing important.

As for Arkham City, it's a bit different. The mechanics are mostly the same, just MOAR stuff, which at first makes the game feel a lot more complex than Asylum. However, it's style is different.

Asylum played much like a Metroid game, or the original Resident Evil, where it was all in one general location where you gained access to new areas with upgraded gadgets. While that still exists in City, it ends up playing a lot more like inFamous or Assassin's Creed. It's more about going through this huge world with plenty of small side missions and tasks you can complete, all of which you can ignore if you just want to follow along with the story.

It's good, though. Both games are good, without a doubt. Some people prefer City, but I prefer Asylum because I'm a sucker for that Metroid/Resident Evil 1 style of game design.

Wolfy

See,I prefer City because it makes you feel MORE like the God Damn Batman.

Sabby

#4908
My stupid brother tried to play Black Ops online when I told him specifically NEVER to log the fucking Xbox in Dx he did anyway, and now the firmware has been all shuffled about and half of my discs no longer work. Including Arkham City. I've 100% it, but I wanted to try New Game+...

Oh well, I need to get the newest mod anyway. It's guna cost a bit, but after this, I'm pretty much self sufficient. No more buying burnt games and leaving the console overnight for an operation, just download the .iso file and load it on a hard drive. Simple as that. Plus the Xbox version of games usually hits Pirate Bay WAY before the PC version anyway, so this works out great for me.

I've totally given up the self-guilt when it comes to piracy. Sometimes I do feel badly if it's a company I REALLY like, like Starbreeze, that I'm taking money from, but over the last year, it's getting clear that sympathizing with the system is only staunching the evolution it needs, and believe me, the current system we have absolutely does need change to continue working, and the only thing that will spur that change is money. If Piracy wasn't doing damage, SOPA/PIPA/ACTA wouldn't be getting pushed so hard, but instead of viewing it as 'Piracy harms the industry', it's more accurate to say 'Industry is hurting itself'.

In a much more quotable but less flattering package, STEAL SHIT! It forces reform! =D

Hemingway

Ugh. Sons of Liberty is a really frustrating game. I'm not sure I'll be able to finish this. I might skip it and move on to MGS4, much as I'd like to catch the story.

It has not just the least likeable character in all of Metal Gear as its protagonist, but quite possibly one of the least likeable character of all gaming. I can't think of anyone off the top of my head I like less, anyway.

That's bad enough. But the controls are also terrible. It's the first Metal Gear to feature a first person view, and it shows. It was bad in Snake Eater, too, but at least in that game they'd fixed a lot of the other issues, like the complete confusion that arises if, for some ungodly reason, you want to keep your back to a wall. Firstly, just going in the vicinity of a wall will stick you to it, and when you do, how you move is determined by the facing of the wall in the top-down view. In other words, if you approach a wall that runs from the bottom to the top of the screen from the right, to stay pressed against the wall you have to keep the stick pressed to the right, even after the view changes to a third person view. Contrary to what you might then expect, moving left and right requires you to push the stick up and down. It makes no sense.

Then there's the fact that sneaking is a pain in the ass, and taking guards out isn't really an option. If you take them out, they'll send a search party. If you're spotted, you might as well give up. It's not like they're able to kill you easily, but they find you no matter where you go. If you take out everyone around, go into a storage room - one of many - without anyone seeing you enter, and hide under a box ... that's still the first place they'll look.

It's even worse because, as mentioned, Snake Eater fixed some of the issues, and in Peace Walker they were almost all gone. In Peace Walker, pressing up against a wall is done by pressing the action button. Aiming is done in third person, not first, and you aim with the left stick instead of the right one. Also, Big Boss apparently knows how to move while crouching, a talent Raiden ( and ... Big Boss before getting that title ... ) never mastered.

Capone

I can't help but disagree Sabby, partly because even games that sell well and are successful end up having to force the studio to close its doors. Game development is expensive, it is Hell, and those people deserve every penny for every copy of the game.

The only people that suffer with all this anti-Piracy shit are the folks who actually have the decency to pay money.

I believe a better philosophy is if you can't afford it, then do you really need it? No, and therefore live without it. It's a luxury, not a need, not a right. Don't make someone else suffer for it.

Not to mention that, if anything SOPA is a perfect example that the big companies DON'T GET IT. Instead of making things more convenient, they'll fight the pirates tooth and nail and will inevitably make things worse for the honest customers. The only people who lose are people that pay, and if everyone resorted to piracy then we'd have nothing to pirate because no one could afford to make anything.

Don't pirate: just don't buy it, play it, watch it, or whatever. Live without it.

Sabby

Never said they weren't entitled to a paycheck, and just that the way things are going it's clear no ones going to be getting a fair deal at anything, consumer or creator, and I'm a little tired of being guilted over this. I'd rather not see the system stagnate because it's too much effort to be proactive. It's a sad state of affairs, I know, but really, how are you going to fix piracy? The only possible way to eradicate it forever is to take down the internet, and that will not happen.

Not saying I have the answers, or that I know a better way, I'm just done with the whole shebang. Done, finished, over. If EA wants to serve me a summons over 'theft of intellectual property', then fine, but really, it's the same thing as a cranky teacher issueing a ban on note passing and Pokemon toys because it disrupts the class.

Capone

I'm just saying don't expect it to help. Piracy isn't going away, but it's not helping either. I simply want people to be honest with why they're doing it. It's not so that they'll start making better games/movies (which they won't, they'll just make what is guaranteed to make money which is always the products of least risk), it's not so they can try a game and if they like it they'll buy it (does anyone? Ever? Ever?), and it's not to teach corporations a lesson. It's because they want something for nothing.

Just be honest about it.

I'd rather people spend money on what they like, and hopefully that's quality entertainment.

Hemingway

I don't really care for piracy, but claiming you can't have any motive except wanting something for nothing is, at this point in time, just wrong. I'm sure that's the case with most people, and I think most people are pretty honest about it. But when, say, Ubisoft not just requires you to have an active internet connection to play their games, and then decides to take down their service meaning you can't play the games you paid for, a problem you wouldn't have had if you'd pirated them, it starts to make sense. I'm not saying it's right, but a lot of things have been done that haven't been right, to effect a change.

Oniya

This is why I play stuff at the free sites.  Once I finish off Gemcraft 0, I'll be sending Game in a Bottle a payment for the 'perks' on GC:L.  It's well worth it for the hours of enjoyment.
"Language was invented for one reason, boys - to woo women.~*~*~Don't think it's all been done before
And in that endeavor, laziness will not do." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Don't think we're never gonna win this war
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I do have a cause, though.  It's obscenity.  I'm for it.  - Tom Lehrer~*~All you need is your beautiful heart
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Inkidu

#4915
Extra Credits actually did this in one of their recent Mail Bag episodes. That is, "Why are games in Australia so expensive?"

From what they can figure it's an old tax law that was in effect when the Australian dollar was stronger, thus more-expensive games. It apparently never readjusted. So, Sabby, you need to write your local senator (or whatever Australia uses).

I can see you modding your game, but why don't you at least buy it online?

The only way I could possibly condone piracy is:

A) You country has banned it for no good reason.
B) It is not available in any form other than the torrent or whatever.
C) You have to pay nearly twice as much to buy the game. (i.e. old tax codes) EDIT: That's twice as much when you know it shoudln't cost that much. Again: If a game is sixty bucks new, but 120 bucks in Arkansas or whatever... that's called price gouging, and that's wrong.
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Brandon

For me Piracy is a demo service. I play a game and get to figure out how much I feel its worth with no risk to my wallet. Meaning I dont pay $60 for a game that I cant play for more then 20 minutes at a time like Darkness 2. If I decide a games worth $60 and I have the money then ill buy it just to support the deveoper (assuming its a reasonable release). If its not I wait till its marked down enough and then buy it (assuming I even like the game). If the game sucks or I cant play it because of some reason I dont buy it at all

The developers get their money for quality games and I dont spend a bunch of money on unplayable crap. Everybody wins.

Anyway I went old school again today, or rather older school, and started replaying Summoner. I remember buying that game right after the PS2 came out, I played it through the tutorial and then had a big argument with a friend who said "There are no RPGs being released before final fantasy X". I remember putting it away and never picking it up, that is till I got out of the army several years later. I really wish I had never listened to him and kept playing it, its a great game
Brandon: What makes him tick? - My on's and off's - My open games thread - My Away Thread
Limits: I do not, under any circumstances play out scenes involving M/M, non-con, or toilet play

MrModular


Capone

Ah, I missed that Sabby is from Australia. That does put a bit of a different spin on the price thing, though in that regard, I'd recommend doing what my friends do. Wait until stuff drops into the bargain bin. It sucks to be one or two years behind the curve, but at the same time you have fewer regretful purchases.

Of course, that's how to go about it legally. I do also support shipping games in from afar, as evidently it's cheaper to buy the US or Euro version over seas than to buy the Australian version, or so I'm told.

Sabby

Don't forget late release dates and pointless censorship.

Inkidu

Quote from: Brandon on February 12, 2012, 11:41:27 PM
For me Piracy is a demo service. I play a game and get to figure out how much I feel its worth with no risk to my wallet. Meaning I dont pay $60 for a game that I cant play for more then 20 minutes at a time like Darkness 2. If I decide a games worth $60 and I have the money then ill buy it just to support the deveoper (assuming its a reasonable release). If its not I wait till its marked down enough and then buy it (assuming I even like the game). If the game sucks or I cant play it because of some reason I dont buy it at all

The developers get their money for quality games and I dont spend a bunch of money on unplayable crap. Everybody wins.

Anyway I went old school again today, or rather older school, and started replaying Summoner. I remember buying that game right after the PS2 came out, I played it through the tutorial and then had a big argument with a friend who said "There are no RPGs being released before final fantasy X". I remember putting it away and never picking it up, that is till I got out of the army several years later. I really wish I had never listened to him and kept playing it, its a great game
Call me a cynic, but I don't ascribe that this philosophy. You get the game for free, and then you're going to go out of your way to buy it legitimately? It seems a really roundabout way to do things. Regardless, you're probably at least up-and-up about it, but I doubt even one sixteenth of the millions of people who pirate games are ever going to buy a new copy.

Personally, myself. I read a bunch of reviews by professional and amateur sources and then I decide what I'm willing to pay for the game, if they release an actual demo all the better. Better yet, I'll actually rent a game if I'm still mixed. Though, that can still go wrong  (Final Fantasy XIII I'm looking at you.). If the game isn't worth my time, I'll know. If I want to play it out of pure interest, but it doesn't look like a keeper, I usually get it used. Oh, wait, by the industry's standards I'm worse than a pirate.

Kick-ass! I'm a rebel on the edge without a cause! Anarchy! *Runs off to burn something and listen to bad rock*
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Brandon

Quote from: Inkidu on February 13, 2012, 07:44:42 AM
Call me a cynic, but I don't ascribe that this philosophy. You get the game for free, and then you're going to go out of your way to buy it legitimately? It seems a really roundabout way to do things. Regardless, you're probably at least up-and-up about it, but I doubt even one sixteenth of the millions of people who pirate games are ever going to buy a new copy.

Personally, myself. I read a bunch of reviews by professional and amateur sources and then I decide what I'm willing to pay for the game, if they release an actual demo all the better. Better yet, I'll actually rent a game if I'm still mixed. Though, that can still go wrong  (Final Fantasy XIII I'm looking at you.). If the game isn't worth my time, I'll know. If I want to play it out of pure interest, but it doesn't look like a keeper, I usually get it used. Oh, wait, by the industry's standards I'm worse than a pirate.

Kick-ass! I'm a rebel on the edge without a cause! Anarchy! *Runs off to burn something and listen to bad rock*

You're right, most people wouldnt do that but the difference between them and me is I do do that. Its about principles and I have always stuck to mine. If I say Im boycotting a game for some reason that developer will never get my money until that something changes (i.e. ME3 PC release requiring origin)

Ill say what Ive been saying for awhile, Piracy is a legitimate problem but its also the scapegoat for poor sales right along with used games. A lot of people seem to think that 1 pirated copy = 1 lost sale but this is a fallacy, making the game accessable to everyone brings in new players for current and future IPs. Think about Tribes ascend, anyone can get a beta key right now and play the game for free. Once its released everyone can play the released game for free. This brings more people in because there's no risk involved, anyone can pick up tribes and play it. If they dont like it they can walk away, if they do like it they will keep playing it and probably spend money on the cosmetic items as well as purchasing classes faster then they could do with in game currency
Brandon: What makes him tick? - My on's and off's - My open games thread - My Away Thread
Limits: I do not, under any circumstances play out scenes involving M/M, non-con, or toilet play

Inkidu

I'm not going to say that one pirated game equals one lost sale. There's no way to prove that, but conversely, there's no way to prove that one pirated game doesn't equal one lost sale. Which, is what most pirates do to ease their guilt. Mine is no better, but I split the difference. I assume that half the total number of confirmed illegal downloads is the number of lost sales. I figure they do lose about half on average.

The sad thing is that it doesn't always have to do with ease of access. The Witcher 2 got rave reviews, has no DRM and its DLC is free, completely free. However, that doesn't stop it from being the most pirated PC game of last year right under Crysis 2 I believe. Sadly, I think it comes down to greedy people more than it comes to the rare and refreshing cases of principle. :\
If you're searching the lines for a point, well you've probably missed it; there was never anything there in the first place.

Hemingway

The problem publishers like Ubisoft, who are notorious for their restrictive DRM, is that they punish legitimate users while doing nothing or at least very little to actually beat the pirates. I've said this all before, also in relation to music, and it's getting sort of old, but it's also so obvious. Services like Steam work because they make it easier to be a legitimate user than a pirate - or at least not more difficult. I think what they need to do is see piracy as capitalist competition.

That's why CD Projekt, the makers of the Witcher, have the right idea. I mean, aside from that one time they tried to sue individual pirates. They've created a magnificent game, one that's well worth owning, and then, in an age where a lot of developers/publishers are pushing DLC that in the most extreme cases doesn't even offer any new content ( Here, have a shiny new texture! Only $2! ), they're handing out an enhanced edition of their product for free.

It's possible that's what happens when you don't have EA or Ubisoft breathing down your neck.

I'm not trying to make a moral argument here. I think it's pretty clear by now that the legality of piracy is not what's in question.

In slightly related discussion, though only because Double Fine's latest venture is a great example of how to do it right ( if you haven't heard, they managed to raise something like $1.6 million for a new adventure game, and anyone who donates at least $15 gets the game for free when it's done - now that's a product made for the consumers ), Obsidian seem to be considering raising money for a new project, too. From the consumers. So that they won't have EA breathing down their necks. Hell, it could be the first time ever Obsidian produces a game that's not brilliant but bugged, but simply brilliant.

Which is a good thing, because frankly, I'm losing faith in my old favorites. I absolutely hate admitting this, but Bethesda has gone from producing brilliant games to making utterly bland, cookie-cutter games aimed at the mainstream. And increasingly, or so I fear, BioWare is doing the same. All hope isn't lost for BioWare yet, far from it. I still think Mass Effect is one of the most brilliant games ever - if not the most brilliant. But that's partly because we haven't had a decent sci-fi game in about a decade. But compared to their older titles, it seems to me that BioWare games are starting to follow a pretty simple formula, too ( and I'm not just talking about the way the characters and plots are similar ). I don't know. In my opinion, they haven't started to deteriorate in quality yet, the way Bethesda games have, but .. I'm worried. I'm worried, is all.

Meanwhile, Obsidian have produced some incredible games. Their games are usually flawed in some way, but their consistently good. I'm one of those people who liked Alpha Protocol, and New Vegas was far superior to Fallout 3.

DudelRok

I have no intention of feeding a corrupt system... and I'm poor... and have no moral qualms with theft.


ANYWAY.... Final Fantasy I

Spoiler: Click to Show/Hide
I gave the gnome-guy some explosive stuff and he made a canal for me. I'll be playing later today, and the lack of direction that comes with early RPGs (and games in general from that era) is pretty obvious even with the GBA reboot (which is easily broken with the MP system).

Whatever, it's fun anyway... which is shocking considering most RPGs from that era, even revamped, suffer from their original source a fair bit.

Rather like how I got my ship, too. Random pirate started a fight with me, kicked his arse, was given ship as a reward. That's good storytelling!

I AM THE RETURN!

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