What are you playing? [SPOILER TAGS PLEASE]

[Wolfy]

I thought about picking up Deus Ex (The original) but I can't get past the graphics. :/

[Hemingway]

A shame, Wolfy. Mostly for the atmosphere and story, though. Gameplay-wise, the game does show its age. Have you played Invisible War? It's not as good as the original, but you might find that easier to deal with. I don't think IW has widescreen support, though, for god knows what reason.

[Geeklet]

I'm playing Planescape: Torment.

I don't see what the big fuss is all about. It's a decent RPG, but I expected more from a game that's supposedly all about story and characters and dialogue. Baldur's Gate 2 might be the third most frustrating game I've ever played ( the first and second being Too Human and Baldur's Gate, respectively ), but even that I'd rank higher than this. It's just ... a mystery to me why so many people love this game so much.

The graphics/gameplay/interface is dated. If you can manage through that, it does have one of the more creative and well thought out stories of its time. Though there are occasions where I feel that certain elements in the story themselves are a bit lacking when you initially play through it, but the more you play and begin to see the bigger picture, that is when things start to fall in place.

[Hemingway]

The graphics/gameplay/interface is dated. If you can manage through that, it does have one of the more creative and well thought out stories of its time. Though there are occasions where I feel that certain elements in the story themselves are a bit lacking when you initially play through it, but the more you play and begin to see the bigger picture, that is when things start to fall in place.

I don't mind dated graphics. I play a lot of older games. There just seems to be something missing from the game, something I can't quite place. And I keep hearing these things about the story being the best ever, and I just can't seem to understand why. I've been playing it for a few hours now, and ... well, so far I have amnesia, and I can't die. Maybe the story gets way better later on, but you'd think that some four or five hours into the game, there'd be some sort of development.

Like I said, it's not a bad game. But I can think of a lot of cRPGs that have had me hooked and playing non-stop less than five hours into the game.

[Geeklet]

Well, like I said, there are some things that you really dont understand until later when you can see more of the big picture. I'm not saying its a perfect story. Not always the most engaging, especially early one when you know a whole lot less, but it is very creative and different that most anything that has been done, and it is a bit hard to explain without giving away any spoilers.

[Inkidu]

I'm playing Planescape: Torment.

I don't see what the big fuss is all about. It's a decent RPG, but I expected more from a game that's supposedly all about story and characters and dialogue. Baldur's Gate 2 might be the third most frustrating game I've ever played ( the first and second being Too Human and Baldur's Gate, respectively ), but even that I'd rank higher than this. It's just ... a mystery to me why so many people love this game so much.

Didn't Too Human have a protagonist called Baldur, and didn't he walk funny?

I guess you could call that Baldur's Gait. Oh, Yahtzee, you irate British fellow, you. :)

Don't worry about it too much, Wolfy. Human Revolution is supposed to be a prequel. That's why the guy has so many mechanical parts. From what I've seen it's doing what Invisible War tried to do with it's upgrading system.

[Sabby]

That confuses me. So, waaay in the future, where we start experimenting with nanobot technology, we have cyborgs being phased out, meaning they are at the peak of their advancement, since they won't be seeing any more action, and will be replaced with the more advanced nanobot augmented agents. What do these now outdated cyborgs look like? Like someone took a sloppy IED at point blank and got their missing bits and pieces replaced with a half a car. As the doctor said, 'they don't know whether to bring in a doctor or a mechanic'.

So here's the prequel, where cyborgs are new and hip! The Christian's hate them, but thats because they're new and cool and the kids like them. What do these new, untried, experimental models that prelude the walking scrap heaps look like?

Sleek and super high tech. Because that makes an amount of sense. Roughly the same amount as the Right Brothers inventing the F1 Fighter Jet.

[Hemingway]

Well, like I said, there are some things that you really dont understand until later when you can see more of the big picture. I'm not saying its a perfect story. Not always the most engaging, especially early one when you know a whole lot less, but it is very creative and different that most anything that has been done, and it is a bit hard to explain without giving away any spoilers.

I know ... well, the larger picture? I think I read about the game on Wikipedia or something a while ago, so yeah.

I mean, it's an interesting game, and it is fairly unique, in a lot of ways. I do like how a high wisdom/intelligence score can actually help you, even if you're not a fighter. I like how fighting isn't really the main part of the game. One problem, sort of, is the linearity.

Anyway, I'm going to keep playing it, and we'll see.

[Inkidu]

That confuses me. So, waaay in the future, where we start experimenting with nanobot technology, we have cyborgs being phased out, meaning they are at the peak of their advancement, since they won't be seeing any more action, and will be replaced with the more advanced nanobot augmented agents. What do these now outdated cyborgs look like? Like someone took a sloppy IED at point blank and got their missing bits and pieces replaced with a half a car. As the doctor said, 'they don't know whether to bring in a doctor or a mechanic'.

So here's the prequel, where cyborgs are new and hip! The Christian's hate them, but thats because they're new and cool and the kids like them. What do these new, untried, experimental models that prelude the walking scrap heaps look like?

Sleek and super high tech. Because that makes an amount of sense. Roughly the same amount as the Right Brothers inventing the F1 Fighter Jet.

Actually it does, all though I think your simile is a little bit hyperbolic. It took humanity thousands of years to go from the wheel to the plane, but we went from plane to spaceship in less than seventy give or take. So, if tech keeps going on this course having sleek and newer models even ten years in the future is not so far a stretch. Tech kind of stacks that way.

However, I understand that pictures are worth five score in words so what's a video worth:

Deus EX: Human Revolution Trailer CGI Extended Director's Cut (1080p) [h+]³

"And lo, did Icarus not heed the warnings of his father. He was young and arrogant; he flew far too close to the god, Helios."

[Sabby]

Wait, what? o.o You got me backwards there man... the early cyborgs look way more advanced then the later ones, which makes zero sense.

[Inkidu]

Wait, what? o.o You got me backwards there man... the early cyborgs look way more advanced then the later ones, which makes zero sense.

Oh, that! Sorry. I'm willing to chalk that up to graphical differences and just time between games. I think it's more of a technical issue or a design choice than anything narrative.

I just think of it as cyborg older than nanotech and go from there. :) Still, trailer is awesome.

[Hemingway]

I've been playing Planescape for hours and hours, and ... yes, it's a good game. It really is driven by those moments when you see how something connects to something else, though. Like when you realize that a story you hear is actually about your character.

It's also a good demonstration of the many ways in which games have gotten better, though. Gamers like to complain a lot, and a lot of people keep going on about how much better things were before. Yeah, I know that having a compass that constantly points you in the right direction makes things easier, and can lead to the feeling that you're just following an arrow. But you know what sucks? Having no idea where you're supposed to go, and depending on random chance to find the right way. There's a lot of that in Planescape, it seems.

[Inkidu]

I've been playing Planescape for hours and hours, and ... yes, it's a good game. It really is driven by those moments when you see how something connects to something else, though. Like when you realize that a story you hear is actually about your character.

It's also a good demonstration of the many ways in which games have gotten better, though. Gamers like to complain a lot, and a lot of people keep going on about how much better things were before. Yeah, I know that having a compass that constantly points you in the right direction makes things easier, and can lead to the feeling that you're just following an arrow. But you know what sucks? Having no idea where you're supposed to go, and depending on random chance to find the right way. There's a lot of that in Planescape, it seems.

I've never played Planescape either. However, Kingdom of Amalur: Reckoning, is supposed to take a lot of good cues from it. Sabby, would probably like it too. It's supposed to be more brawl heavy. The rogues are more like ninjas.

[Sabby]

Yeah, because I can't enjoy anything that doesn't go more then 20 seconds without something getting messed up. I love this image people get of me xD

[Inkidu]

Yeah, because I can't enjoy anything that doesn't go more then 20 seconds without something getting messed up. I love this image people get of me xD

I was just saying that they're really emphasizing multiple-enemy combat even for the mages. They have spells they sling left and right, and then you hit a spell that dashes you back before you drop a meteor on them. I like brawlers too and the last good one I played was Batman: Arkham Asylum.

[Sabby]

I Googled, trying to watch the preview on X-Play, something I usually don't do, and this is reminding me of why I have this habit. There are two reasons I have a media blackout, and the first I've mentioned plenty of times, wanting to play a game completely blind. But this preview brings up my next point... interviews fucking annoy me.

These people can't answer a question, it's like anyone involved in PR suddenly adopts another language and has to speak in riddles. "So what kind of game is this" "WELL we've been working in this field for several years now and we're trying to learn from our past projects, while also trying something different, things we wouldn't normally do, but keeping the element that players have come to expect, and I think the fans are excited about that" JUST ANSWER THE FUCKING QUESTION Dx I swear, game developers are like the Shi from Dresden Files...

[Inkidu]

From what I've read in Game Informer it's an RPG that is combat focused but has a Diablo-pile worth of loot. They allow cross-class and all sorts of stuff. It's still pretty early it's not coming out until Jan. of next year.

[Sabby]

Yeah, it looks promising. Not enough good brawlers around.

Now, if they can make a game look like THIS, I will be very happy.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel - Intro

Best intro ever.

[Wyrd]

Yeah, it looks promising. Not enough good brawlers around.

Now, if they can make a game look like THIS, I will be very happy.

Sacred 2: Fallen Angel - Intro

Best intro ever.

This is the sole purpose I bought this game. :)

Blind Guardian - Sacred [FULL SONG | INGAME CONCERT]

[Inkidu]

I played one of the Sacred games, but I kind of thought it was too much like Diablo, a style of game as I grow older I find very shallow, not even fun shallow. Lather, rinse, repeat shallow until you kill the thing that causes the end credits to role. I have never been more disappointed in the endings of games like I have been by Diablo, Diablo II, and Lord of Destruction. They were really crappy endings.

[Wyrd]

Diablo is a Blizzard game. What were expecting. Something with actual depth?

[Inkidu]

Diablo is a Blizzard game. What were expecting. Something with actual depth?

I was young, I was able to put up with a lot of crap from games that I can't anymore.

[Oniya]

I've been playing Planescape for hours and hours, and ... yes, it's a good game. It really is driven by those moments when you see how something connects to something else, though. Like when you realize that a story you hear is actually about your character.

It's also a good demonstration of the many ways in which games have gotten better, though. Gamers like to complain a lot, and a lot of people keep going on about how much better things were before. Yeah, I know that having a compass that constantly points you in the right direction makes things easier, and can lead to the feeling that you're just following an arrow. But you know what sucks? Having no idea where you're supposed to go, and depending on random chance to find the right way. There's a lot of that in Planescape, it seems.

One thing that Tales of the Abyss does is it has a compass, but it's a standard NSEW compass.  You get cues when you're talking to NPCs that location X is north-east of where you are, then you have to follow the compass yourself.  You still have the opportunity to say 'To hell with that, I'm heading south for a bit - then I'll come back and go to location X.'

[Inkidu]

One thing that Tales of the Abyss does is it has a compass, but it's a standard NSEW compass.  You get cues when you're talking to NPCs that location X is north-east of where you are, then you have to follow the compass yourself.  You still have the opportunity to say 'To hell with that, I'm heading south for a bit - then I'll come back and go to location X.'

That's the kind of thing I hated about Morrowind. Some of your directions are as vague as it's east of such and such mushroomville. There are times when I looked around and thought, "Am I still in Morrowind?"

Sometimes the place they're referencing you to go east of isn't even on your map, but it's rarer. However, I'm a man, so I don't ask directions... but that's more because most of the stuff in Morrowind was trying to kill me.

[NotoriusBEN]

the thing about cyborgs from Deus Ex HR looking newer and sleeker compared to the original Deus Ex cyborgs is a design and eye candy one. Its like how all the stuff in Star Wars 1-3 looks way cooler and newer than the stuff in Star Wars 4-6. The prequels were made after the sequals.

As for the progression of Deus Ex's technology. 

Cyborgs and robotics were the first generation of human augmentations. Better. Faster. Stronger. Harder. all that jazz. The problem with cyborgs is the hardware involved. Deus-Ex 1 mentions that it is very telling who is a cyborg because of the chrome, gunmetal, or near-flesh plating of their limbs. It is very hard for someone to go undercover in China when their parts are USA manufactured. The other thing about hardware... it gets obselete quick. Not so much a problem for an average consumer, but what about an agent? In order to stay on the bleeding edge and relavent to the every adapting arms race? You gotta have surgery to replace your outdated parts. It may be nice to have a universal socket, but even those change after a while. So that agent is on downtime and rehab to heal and learn to use his new part.

So the next evolution in Deus Ex is nanomachines. I would still think you'd have a ''socket'' or ''computer-deck'' installed on your person to monitor and keep the nanomachines working in concert, but the thing about nanomachines is that they are not quite as invasive as cyber.
Because they are less invasive, it means you can have agents with less downtime and more undercover work. Not to mention the ''shit your pants look" of that triad ganger you punched a fist-sized hole into, with no visible tech.

Now for some of the stuff that Deus Ex and Invisible War displayed like super human strength and subdermal armor... You would have to be absolutely SATURATED with nanomachines to get those abilities to work right. With Deus Ex HR's face lift, it may be better to have both in your agents' suite of abilities (Like stuff form ShadowRun 4e) There would be somethings better suited to nano (enhanced toxin filters for your liver, reoxygenate your blood) and some better for cyber (super strength, running)