What are you playing at the moment? [Archive] - Page 5

8-bit

24-08-2011, 04:05 PM

Grey matter is done, got a bit weird in Sam's last section but it pulled itself together for the final. I did guess what was going on about two or three chapters from the end, which is unfortunate as I always like being kept in the dark until the big reveal in these sort of things. at the end everything was sorted out with no lose ends and the credits rolled with some pretty artwork and a nice song. there was a weird clip at the end of the credits that made no sense to me but it hardly spoiled anything.

I will criticize the game for certain failures in understanding Britain. for example sam accepts the role as assistant for fifty pounds a week, the students in the experiment get paid fifteen, and all of them act like this is worthwhile payment for their time. the terrible 'typical English pub' and the wooden road signs too show a serious lack of understanding (or perhaps deliberately misleading view) of this fine country. there were a few other examples of not doing the research, but I didn't let them bother me much because it managed to tell a good story along the way.

some people don't seem to like the cutscenes because they aren't done in-game but tbh I loved them. the character models don't allow for a great deal of expression and the animations are wonky enough that it would have been very distracting in a cutscene. the change to the painted look helps mark the beginning and end of each chapter better than anything in-game anyway.

it avoids some of the worst sins an adventure game can commit, namely pixel hunting and lack of direction. hitting the space bar reveals all the objects you can click on, an objectives screen tells you how much is left to do before the chapter is finished, while the map tells you when you have finished in an area. its helpful without spoiling the puzzles. the inventory is a bit of a mess though, most items stick with you until the final chapter so finding what you need can sometimes take longer than it should.

it told a strong story, with excellent music, and had sensible puzzles that I could solve without going to a guide every five minutes due to some insane logic the designer had employed. at the end of the day thats really all I ask for in an adventure game and this one delivered.

Serenegoose

24-08-2011, 04:31 PM

On the PC: Bioshock 2, which is taking me longer than it should because GfWL LOVES TO FUCK WITH MY SAVES.
On the emulator on the PC: Earthbound. Joy.

GfWL IS the true form of Giygas' attack!

The JG Man

24-08-2011, 05:15 PM

trying to convice myself that I like Rockstar games rather than merely admire them.

I like the western genre. One of my favourite films is The Good, The Bad and The Ugly, so I was really excited to play RDR, especially after all the reviews it got. But strip away the ancillary stuff and the base game barely holds up. The first 1/3 is alright, the second third is pretty dire (I didn't get the fuss with 'that' music) and the final third was okay. The ending I have my own issues with, although on the whole I found it better than not. I think the admiration might be accurate; they created a living, vivid world that was so faithful to the western spirit, but the game let it down. There was a lot to do, but a lot of it was crap.

For me, the best part of RDR was the background music and the fact that if it was somehow a Firefly game, I'd have unquestionably been in love with it. Of course, no-one's gone that route...yet.

ANYHOW and here comes the essay, I have finished Call of Pripyat and I don't really know how to feel about it. The game, as a whole, is far more polished than Shadow of Chernobyl, but it still has many issues, I feel. One, I have NO idea how to pick up artifacts. The only ones I got were those given to me. I feel like I missed a considerable portion of the game because it just wasn't too clear. Secondly, the gun play is both pretty bad and very good. It's so inconsistent that sometimes I'll feel like a bad-ass and other times I'll be wondering why the hell I'm running out of bullets so quickly. Thirdly, a lot of the quests kinda halted for whatever reason. For example, one early one had me try and destroy a mutant lair. I tracked down a thing to help me let off some gas to destroy them, but it was locked and I needed a key. And then that was it. Nothing else. *Shrug* This then comes back to 'bite' me at the end. There were a few others like this that were a bit flummoxing in what I was supposed to do. I'm sure as hell not going to scour the entire portion of the map for a key.

From here on out there are ending spoilers. [spoiler]The tunnel sequence to Pripyat was pretty fun and I found myself enjoyable equipped considering I covered all bases. Then, when in Pripyat, Zulu decides to go away and then apparently get himself killed later for some obscure reason. After that, the military keeps getting popped off so my ending run to the helicopters has 5 people with me. It was rather silly that I was proving to take down entire groups and their soldiers were being picked off easily. Why not just send me? Ugh.

Then there's the final mission, the run for the helicopters. Fine, I can live with that, but we then spend a few minutes standing by the helicopters. We're right there guys! We can go! Nope, okay, let's stand here getting picked off. I don't get it anyhow because in the cut-scene after you take off, you're still being shot from, so either the amount of fire-power being shot at you initially was insufficient to do anything harmful anyhow, or why not just have the helicopters cover the landing area with their rockets and machine guns (which from the ending of SoC, are as powerful as they should be) before landing for a few seconds?

After that, there's the "Johnny went on..." thing that showed that everybody left unhappy or didn't leave, because they were dead. That gas valve I couldn't be bothered finding the key for? Everyone on the main boat in the first region got killed. Oh well, they should've come with me to take it out personally because near the end I had enough weapons to power a small army without anyone taking a hit. The scientists left because I couldn't figure out how to understand something I hadn't been told. Boo hoo. From my diligence in the laboratory in Pripyat I had documents that proved usefulish, I guess.
[/Spoilers]

The thing is, at the end I just didn't care what happened to anyone in The Zone. The ending was, admittedly, better than SoC's, but that's not saying much. It didn't leave me satisfied, although I'm curious as to what they'll fix in STALKER 2. I don't know whether or not I'll actually be inclined to play it though. Personally, I found it a slight above mediocre. The entire STALKER experience, that is. CoP is a better game, but I got more into SoC. The main character in SoC was far more interesting, especially with the development at the end, regardless of how crazy and inane it had become.

I'm glad I played them though, to see what the Zone was, but I feel the same about it that I did about HL2 (which I do think is better than SoC/CoP) - it's okay. It's good. I just don't see the amazing that a lot of others clearly do.

redox

24-08-2011, 05:28 PM

Super Mario World 2+2 Yoshi's Island. This is one of my favourite hacks - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwP0iL-Yct4&feature=related

Also playing Bastion at the moment.

ZamFear

24-08-2011, 05:54 PM

You have to have your detector out for artifacts to show up. Kind of an odd change they made between SoC and Clear Sky, and kept for CoP.

I wonder what happens if you decide to forgo gassing the bloodsuckers, and just come back with an exoskeleton and a machine gun. Is it possible to win that fight? If you do, does it give you credit for completing the quest? I think I'm going to have to go back to CoP just to try that >:)

Similar

24-08-2011, 06:29 PM

I wonder what happens if you decide to forgo gassing the bloodsuckers, and just come back with an exoskeleton and a machine gun. Is it possible to win that fight?
I used a few grenades and a shotgun once and killed them all disappointingly easily before I figured out how to find the gas (as long as you don't move into the room where they are after throwing grenades, they can't attack you from the sides and get bottlenecked in the hallway, so you can just mow them down there).

If you do, does it give you credit for completing the quest? I think I'm going to have to go back to CoP just to try that >:)I think it may, but I don't trust my memory. If it doesn't, you can probably still use the gas after they're all dead and complete the mission that way.

Playing Deus Ex. Completed the Statue of Liberty section, but then accidentally threw a gas grenade down in the Unatco HQ which made everyone hostile, so now I have to go back to my last save.

mrpier

24-08-2011, 07:08 PM

Space Marine demo, I guess the best description would be "AHAHAHAHAHA-HAHA Die you green filth!!" It's just glorious carnage all over, I really liked it. It will be interesting to see if they can keep the combat fresh and not become samey over the course of the game. Also all the furious clicking meant my mousehand got tired really fast.

Hensler

24-08-2011, 07:45 PM

Spent a couple of hours with the Space Marine demo. I wasn't sure what to expect from this game - Relic's last action-ish title, The Outfit, was fun but boring and unpolished. Space Marine on the other hand... IS AWESOME! I'm a big fan of Games Workshop. I've read most of the Warhammer 40k novels and comics. I've even bought and assembled a Space Marine miniatures army, but never played a game of the tabletop (yet). This feels like the first game to capture just how bad ass the Space Marines really are. I prefer a 3 button combo system in my brawlers, but the heavy & light/stun system works here. The weapons, especially on easy mode, have the firepower you would expect an Ultramarine to carry. And the small assault pack section works just as I'd hoped - you really feel like one of the assault troopers from Relic's Warhammer RTS.

Now I'm going to put some more time into Deus Ex (as all good Americans should be doing this week), and I have Crimecraft loaded up to try out tonight as my free-to-play title of the moment. It was horrible when it launched - we'll see what's changed.

ZamFear

25-08-2011, 12:17 AM

Well, that was fun.
186
Nothing a SPAS-12 can't handle, and it does credit you with completing the quest. No gas required :)

The JG Man

25-08-2011, 12:46 AM

An ode to the fact that the game is well designed enough to let you do that then, I suppose. Love the name of the file.

While I'm here, played a bit more of World of Goo. Completed the second chapter and realised I'm half way through. I really have to compliment the writing in it. It's kept short, but it's generally very entertaining. Oh and the game is great fun too.

vinraith

25-08-2011, 03:54 AM

Still playing lots of SotS, in anticipation of SotS 2.

Still playing AC: Brotherhood, but gradually getting frustrated with it. The irritations, like some of the "do not be detected or you get to restart over and over" missions, are starting to outweigh the stabby fun.

I'm considering starting an RPG, maybe one of the older ones in my collection. I've never played any of the PB Gothic games, but I have all three. Should I start with the first?

Lukasz

25-08-2011, 08:39 AM

i tried to pick up where i left 3.5 years ago in Pharaoh. middle game mission and i forgot a lot how to do stuff. will be bit of challenge to get used to the game again.

Heliocentric

25-08-2011, 09:49 AM

I'm playing Assassins creed: Brahood, bloody loving the mirrors edge meets metal gear VR missions.

Hensler

25-08-2011, 01:48 PM

Still playing lots of SotS, in anticipation of SotS 2.

Are you getting it on release? I think we need a big group for a Day 1 RPS multiplayer game.

SMiD

25-08-2011, 02:12 PM

i tried to pick up where i left 3.5 years ago in Pharaoh. middle game mission and i forgot a lot how to do stuff. will be bit of challenge to get used to the game again.

Ooooh! Pharaoh is a game I constantly fall back to for some reason. Fun little city builder, that. Except when it comes to pyramid building.

Tikey

25-08-2011, 02:18 PM

Human Revolution. It's great. It feels like coming home after a long long time.

Althea

25-08-2011, 02:39 PM

I've decided to play through Batman: Arkham Asylum again.

Is it just me, or are half of the characters voiced by Steve Blum?

8-bit

25-08-2011, 02:39 PM

I tried the space marine demo, the graphics aren't great and I was a bit upset by the lack of loud bang noises in the guns, then it gave me a jet pack and made everything better. I think next year when its cheap I will pick it up, but I wasn't impressed enough to make it a day one purchase.

Anthile

25-08-2011, 03:28 PM

In the awkward spot before the unlock of DX:HR, I decided to continue a game I started about a year ago: Blade Kitten. It's a fun platformer but really nothing special. It's also fairly easy.

vinraith

25-08-2011, 07:19 PM

Are you getting it on release? I think we need a big group for a Day 1 RPS multiplayer game.

I'll definitely get it day 1, but doubt I'd have time for an MP game in the forseeable future. Between teaching and research I'll be lucky to find a few snatches of time to play SP!

Hensler

25-08-2011, 10:22 PM

I'll definitely get it day 1, but doubt I'd have time for an MP game in the forseeable future. Between teaching and research I'll be lucky to find a few snatches of time to play SP!

Boo! Responsibilities? You're no fun :) .

vinraith

25-08-2011, 11:00 PM

Boo! Responsibilities? You're no fun :) .

Gotta pay the bills or I can't buy the games! :)

8-bit

25-08-2011, 11:26 PM

I just scored the most amazing goal in altitude. I was more than halfway across the map on grotto, stalling, enemies swarming around me, and just before I die I throw the ball in the general direction of the other teams goal. it then travels right the way across the map, bumping into the scenery several times along the way before falling into the goal.

of course I claimed it was intentional, but then who wouldn't?

Hensler

26-08-2011, 12:15 AM

Just saw that Rift is free until the end of the month as part of their .5 anniversary celebration - I'm going to play that for a while and put Human Revolution on the back burner. I'm really going through it fast and I want to savor it.

The JG Man

26-08-2011, 12:44 AM

I'm on my mission to clear the backlog and so far, that's 3 games I've seen the credits of in the last week! The latest entry is World of Goo which I've had since the first Humble Indie Bundle and then didn't touch until the last couple of months, but over the last two days I've made a concerted effort to try and finish it. And I have. And I am proud!

It's not the most difficult game in the world, far from it, but the difficulty curve is done exceedingly well and the satisfaction of coming over some of the more difficulty levels is definitely as satisfying as it is easy to give a sigh of relief. The writing, such that it is, is generally very humorous and along with the lovely colour palette, really helps give the game some character. Steam says I've played it in total for 6 hours...that's probably about right. Considering in balance I'd have paid about £2 for it, I'm more than happy with my purchase. It's a great little game.

EDIT:

In the backlog are Amnesia and Penumbra: Overture. Considering they're from the same dev team, and from the looks of things on a similar theme, is it worth playing the latter first, or does it make no difference? Is the latter even worth playing with the former? Thoughts, as always, welcome!

airtekh

26-08-2011, 09:57 AM

@The JG Man

Amnesia is a much better game than Overture. I personally would find it hard going from Amnesia back to Overture. Overture has some rudimentary combat which, in my opinion, detracts from the atmosphere that the game is trying to create. It's scary alright, but it becomes much less so once you realise how to take down enemies.

Amnesia, by contrast, has no combat at all, which was a wise choice by the devs. That keeps the tension throughout the game, when you know your only combat option is to flee, and find a safe place to hide. It also is an incredbibly atmospheric game, not one for the faint hearted!

If you have time, then play Overture, it's not a bad game, but Amnesia should definitely be the higher priority.

Heliocentric

26-08-2011, 11:25 AM

Renaissance Terminator: Brotherhood
I've put hella hours into this now, hovering up property, my assassins globe trot and appear from nowhere to kill on command, between my crossbow and my twin stabby sticks I can take out a compound of soldiers without drawing any attention.
Here's the awesome: do them all at once. Whether you have mercenaries walking with your sword and gun drawn with assassins coming out of the wood work all upon the backdrop of panicked civilians or you are a Sam fisher esque over equipped ninja with fire. support or finally a chameleon moving in the crowd with some wenches drawing off the guards attention. It's aces.

The JG Man

26-08-2011, 12:22 PM

Useful stuffs

Ta, then that is what I shall do! Amnesia then Penumbra. Considering their lengths of completion, shouldn't be too hard to knock them out by the end of the next week. Which would be nice.

BobsLawnService

26-08-2011, 07:35 PM

Deus Ex : Human Revolution.

The JG Man

27-08-2011, 01:51 AM

WHY DID I GET BORDERLANDS?!

It's like Torchlight, except an FPS. The constant clicking on items, spamming the same move (well when your only action ability barely does any damage, there's not much point using it) and levelling up is exactly the same feel. I went with the Sniper guy, only because of the speciality in revolvers. Sunk 6 hours into it today. SIX! Good lord. There are a few glaring issues, I find (aim assist?!) but on the whole it's good, crack-like fun.

agentorange

27-08-2011, 07:49 AM

Started on my PS2 backlog; since a Castlevania thread over on giantbomb put Castlevania in my brain, I rekindled the Lament of Innocence run I started about 1 year past. The backtracking that I usually don't mind in the post-SotN games is a lot less bearable in 3D with fixed camera angles, but the combat is pleasant enough, and as with any Castlevania game there is the wonderful soundtrack (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQhLG4dOk7o) to augment the experience.

Heliocentric

28-08-2011, 02:04 PM

Big Brother(hood) day 14, Desmond is in the animus. So the game us finished, but with a reported 65% sync, meaning I probably have like 10% real content left.

Now to wait for revelations to slip under a tenner.

8-bit

28-08-2011, 03:39 PM

blood money. the high class stealth game.

playing though the levels, watching the behavior of the npcs, and planning the job are where the real gameplay is. pulling it off is actually quite easy but wonderful to watch, as all the parts of the carefully prepared plan move into place in the most elegant way. and I don't escape, thats the sort of behavior only ruffians participate in, I casually exit the building when the job is finished.

oh wait wasn't I supposed to be playing something else...right, deus ex came yesterday, framerate is a bit choppy though. I haven't decided if I am going to eventually kill anyone or not, will have to see if anyone deserves it.

Similar

28-08-2011, 09:08 PM

Deus Ex. Sneak, sneak, sneak, pew, pew, sneak, sneak, pick, pick, pick, sneak, hack, sneak, pew, sneak, bzzt, etc.

I'm at the abandoned gas station after playing for ... five days, I think. It's really a rather long game, fortunately, even though I remember it as if the levels took far longer to play through the other times (I once started the above ground part of Paris with no legs because I didn't have any healing (and somehow not the healing aug either or maybe just no power cells) and remember it as if I crawled around for days, avoiding bots and trying to find enough food to get my legs back. Oddly fond memory, even though I eventually had to go back to a far earlier save).

ETA: Also rather surprised by how well I remember the levels considering it's been five years since I last played it.

TailSwallower

29-08-2011, 03:14 AM

Seems like the latest patch fixed a lot of the issues I was having with DE:HR as I managed to play for a solid couple of hours without any crashes or hangs. Really enjoying it, but I'm feeling rushed to finish it so I can start reading more blog and forum posts about it.

I picked up Borderlands - haven't played any of the DLC, but I played the vanilla game on 360 when it was new, so I'm looking forward to tackling the full package with friends on Steam.

8-bit

29-08-2011, 03:20 AM

I just did the first boss on DX:HR. that, was awful, like properly awful, the worst boss fight since the Joker in arkham asylum. I had to turn the difficulty down, threw a couple of frag mines and it was over, but really, if you are going to have a boss fight then at least do it right.

sabrage

29-08-2011, 06:18 AM

I was hoping for MGS-caliber boss fights :/

There's nothing I love more in a game than the art of a finely crafted boss (Bayonetta, you were such a joy)

Ian

29-08-2011, 10:26 AM

Deus Ex.

Spoilers - Did the first mission and completely failed to realise I'd need to go out of the way to save the hostages. :( I thought they'd be near where the terrorist leader was.End Spoilers

I'm now just dicking around in the Sarif building trying to get into everybody's offices. :D

8-bit

29-08-2011, 12:52 PM

I was hoping for MGS-caliber boss fights :/

its funny because the entire level leading up to that first boss had a very strong MGS feel to it, and then you meet the boss :(

JackShandy

29-08-2011, 02:11 PM

Human revolution! It's such a shame that repeated use makes everyone forget that this name is a fantastic pun.

Hensler

29-08-2011, 06:40 PM

In addition to Human Revolution (good game, but I don't want to put Deus Ex in front of its title), I'm playing MAG on PS3. I wanted to play a massive shooter game that doesn't feel like Quake 3 wearing desert fatigues, and I needed a break from Battlefield titles. I wish Planetside 2 would hurry up and get here.

Flint

29-08-2011, 09:15 PM

Finished Human Revolution last night/in the wee hours of this morning. Moved onto Borderlands and been playing some of the DLC with my old character saves, but no matter how much it interests me it's feeling slightly... lacking. My mind keeps just going back to DXHR and I think I might just start another playthrough soon...

Kablooie

30-08-2011, 12:15 AM

Dungeon Master: Return to Chaos

Cable

30-08-2011, 01:40 AM

Zeno Clash! i'm enjoying the weirdness and the actual game isn't bad either. Also playing the original deus ex for the first time which is pretty awesome but man are guns annoying, with that slow accuracy increase thing

Heliocentric

30-08-2011, 12:23 PM

Okay, I need to honest here I've all I've played since I got it. I'm constantly drawn to compare it to GTA, not just stealing horses (like stealing cars), buying properties, the worldmap->cutscene->action->cutscene->worldmap of the missions, but the richness and density of the world, if assassins creed ever goes to a modern city the similarity will draw a lot of fire.

I kept wishing I could play a "conversation and swords/guns/magic" rpg with no experience, grinding or arbitary gating on skills. Assassins creed where the story and missions were less fixed on tracks. Every conversation and combat game I've played except those with stealth or strategy as a legitimate option I've pushed through the terribad combat to get to the lovely conversation. bioware and obsidian's collective output, others too.

But slap a mass effect conversation system on assassins creeds mobility and world? 10/10.

Giaddon

30-08-2011, 02:21 PM

What game is this? It sounds good!

Also, I'm playing Human Revolution. It's excellent. (Is that what Helio is talking about?) Focusing 100% of my gaming energy on this, then back to the city-builders.

Fumarole

30-08-2011, 02:23 PM

My bard is continuing his adventures across Faerun in Baldur's Gate 2 with the BiG World mod. I'm limiting myself to only loading a game when my entire party is wiped or the game crashes - no loading because someone important dies or I make a bad decision. If someone bites it I need to resurrect them if I want them rejoin the adventure, and I've already lost Yoshimo and Aerie. I also need to deal with the consequences of my decisions in dealing with NPCs, for good or for ill. I find this makes everything about the game more enjoyable.

Lukasz

30-08-2011, 03:02 PM

got too bored with pharaoh. there was some bug in game which made me wait 100 years for a pyramid to be build. need a break from it.

cant decided whether i should play septerra core, Kingpin, vampire the redemption or alpha centauri... AC requires a purchase as i don't have it anymore.

What game is this? It sounds good!

I think he is talking about Assasin's creed brotherhood

Heliocentric

30-08-2011, 03:27 PM

Sorry, I thought it was a given my last 56 posts in this thread were assassins creed:bros befo hoes.

The JG Man

30-08-2011, 03:31 PM

Completed the base game of Borderlands. Bloody good fun, is all I can say. The quests were pathetically weak, but never felt like a grind. The world is really, really well envisioned and the art direction is fantastic. Shooting mostly feels fine, although I always take issue having some weapons where accuracy takes a hit; being the 'Hunter' (if you tell me I specialise in Revolvers, I'm not going to not take it) having sniper rifles or pistols that quite clearly are lined up perfectly and miss is a little disappointing. Similarly, I don't want aim assist in a PC game unless there is a toggle to turn it off. There is not here. I also don't know where I stand on the 'Second Wind' mechanic when you get KO'd, as it is sometimes both brilliant and bloody stupid ("Oh good, I'm stuck behind a wall where I can't shoot anything..." and I refuse to lose money when there are so many save points near by, leading me to say this game has some of the best save scumming possible. About to die? No worries! Just exit out, reload and you save all the loot you've picked up to just before dying and you start nearby with full health and shields without any problem.

There are a few things here and there that weaken particular aspects, but the game, as a whole, is absolutely fantastic. In terms of wanting a game to just shoot people in the face for, it was exactly what I wanted. My only issue is the final boss pre DLC - where the hell is my good loot, yeah? I want a bad-ass new epic or orange (!) revolver, not a green SMG. Pah!

So yeah, Borderlands is the hotness.

Flint

30-08-2011, 04:43 PM

Any of you other fellow recent Borderlands owners having problems with the Mad Moxxi DLC? The CD key simply disappeared from my Steam and without it I can't activate the DLC.

The JG Man

30-08-2011, 05:30 PM

I just tried, based on your post. The DLC codes have all disappeared, apart from Dr. Ned, which I was able to activate. That is very very odd.

(Also, what a crummy way of activating the DLC.)

EDIT: If it makes you feel any better, the Steam forums for Borderlands are filled with posts about it. Might be worth a look there, I know I'm going to delve in...

EDIT 2: This (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showpost.php?p=24739720&postcount=90) worked for me. The 3 and 4 DLC pieces don't require a CD key, so don't worry about them.

Flint

30-08-2011, 05:49 PM

The last two DLCs do not require codes so those still work (I'm playing Knoxx at the moment), it's only Moxxi and Ned. When I activated Ned I could still see Moxxi's CD key, gone now though. Ah well, apparently it's the worst DLC anyway, just bothers my OCD slightly to have to skip it.

Drake Sigar

30-08-2011, 10:00 PM

Heliocentric

30-08-2011, 10:50 PM

So what's the bad news?

Yoshimo was cool, I just aced loads of the VR missions in AssCreedBros, (they are actually massively underdeveloped i hope to see better/more challenging/MOAR ones in the future) my reward? I get to dress up like a metal gear solid character. Eh...

But i feel great that I've drank the last of the non "collect crap and complete crap in a specific way" content in the entire game, I like that they have complete treasure maps, but i just don't want to walk around collecting stuff for no other reason than "its there".

Now to figure out if i can uninstall this without losing my save.

Doesn'tmeananything

31-08-2011, 08:14 AM

Bought everything Guild Wars quite cheap (for a total price of $27 which is less than the cost of just trilogy edition on Steam), and currently playing the prophecies campaign. Absolutely charmed by the art design, but other than that it seems like a pretty much standard MMORPG. As expected, it is somewhat difficult to find a party, but I was lucky enough to stumble upon an experienced player who gave me a tour of the tutorial area and generally provided fun times. I understand that PVP community is still very active so I can see myself trying that as well in the future.

F4T C4T

31-08-2011, 11:09 AM

I'm procrastinating at work at the moment because all I can think about is two awesome games I've been playing the past few days. One is Batman: Arkham Asylum which I picked up on Steam for £3 or something and the other is The Witcher 2.

Firstly Batman: why did I hold off for so long!? It's really very good. Gameplay is solid and it's a joy to pick up and play. I'm having trouble getting high combo scores before everyone's knocked unconscious though which is frustrating as certain moves are only available after a certain multiplier. I haven't been able to execute my newly unlocked grab and throw ability yet and I really want to throw some bad guys off high places mid-fight! I'm quite excited for the new one now as well.

The Witcher 2: I got sucked into this right away. I'm really enjoying everything about it right now. Even the combat which took me a good half hour of reloading that initial section with the ballista to get the hang of. It was one of those rare experiences these days that while reloading I wasn't frustrated but pondering different tactics and options available. Now I know what I'm doing (to a certain extent) my only gripe is that I'm not getting enough combat to practice! I want to storm another castle.

Heliocentric

31-08-2011, 11:57 AM

I looked at brotherhood in add remove programs and then remembered the game was 'sorta like "the ship" in multiplayer'. I gave it a spin and its really great. Why is this not getting more attention I ask aloud while knowing of 6 really obvious answers.

1. It's a multiplayer game slapped on the back of singleplayer franchise.
2. Despite the multiplayer having its own executable UBI force you to sit through launch trailers, a launcher app and a second loading transition from the single player to multi.(you can overcome this with a little shortcut iediting)
3. Fears about the DRM have dealt an indelible stain on all of their games, despite brotherhood having friendly 1 time DRM.
4. The multiplayer suffers from CODitus, you'll be playing against enemies with toys you won't have for a long time. I admit, nothing like the frustration tripple grenade->Heli->artillery could cause. Some of the gated content is playmodes, but really it serves as a good order of how to learn the game.
5. Serious case of thrown in at the deep end.
6. And this is a biggy Stupid mandated match making. With no dedicated servers I totally discounted the multiplayer as inevitably being a laggy mess, but someone programmed some peer to peer connection magic and the small player count in a match mean this works fine seemingly.

Despite any threats generated by these issues I honestly think this multiplayer is freakin' legendary. Watching your hunter kill the wrong guy because you shadowed an identical npc. Flying out of the sky to kill your target, who had just killed his target, only to get killed by your hunter.

It's got teamplay matches I've yet to try, like VIP and capture the crate, more as I play it.

Ian

31-08-2011, 02:47 PM

Fumarole

31-08-2011, 03:17 PM

So what's the bad news?Having played through the game before I know all about Yoshimo, but in this case the bad news is that now I am without a thief and a magic-user (my bard notwithstanding), thus my party is heavily fighter-based. The plus side is that I find combat easier now, if less varied.

Anthile

31-08-2011, 03:26 PM

You can always teach your priests Detect Traps and trigger them with summons. Doesn't work with containers but oh well. Knock helps with locks.

Heliocentric

01-09-2011, 12:35 AM

I'm curently playing the "shuffle feet annoyed" game because UBI server outages are holding a few games hostage.

Played dirt 2 instead, I cant play racing games for long (except trackmania and outrun) but dirt2 is a lovely distraction.

TailSwallower

01-09-2011, 02:11 AM

I was fully prepared to moan about boss fights having just done the first one in Deus Ex. I got maimed the first four or five attempts and then suddenly found a tactic that made it hilariously easy. Huzzah!

What is the tactic, kind sir?

Ok, now begins the Boss Battle Bitching (BBB for short).
First of all, fuck boss battles.
Now that we've got that out of the way - fuck this boss battle for punishing players that haven't been playing a combat-focused character up to this point.
Is it possibly to sneak around and get the drop on him? No, 'cause there's a stupid fucking cut scene before the fight.
Is it possible to hack into a computer to find out his weaknesses? A turret to back you up? Him? No. No hacking, sorry, all those Praxis points were a waste.

Now, it's lucky I'm a hoarder and grabbed the rocket launcher because I thought I could sell it for some scratch at the end of the mission... Only problem is that the rockets fly right through the bastard half the time. Sure, some of those are probably actually misses, but twice I watched a rocket clip right through him. I know, golden rule of rocket launchers - aim for the feet (which can prove rather difficult when you're cowering behind a cement block).

And for another couple of bugs - the only time I managed to kill him is when he forgot about our fight and decided to settle the score with his arch-nemesis... BOX IN THE CORNER! He stood next to it dumping 3 frag grenades next to it. I don't even know if I managed to kill him while he was distracted, or if his own frag grenades are what did him in.
Cheap kill or no I was happy to take it as this was about my 15th try... But then I got that annoying fucking cutscene black out that hadn't reared its ugly head since the latest patch.

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu

(Not only that, but the cutscenes are fucking ugly. Any way to increase the resolution there?)

So yeah, still haven't passed it.
Sorry for the rant.

Lukasz

01-09-2011, 09:47 AM

ive decided. vampire redemption.

currently got a quest to kill a golem. Managed to kill Mercurio without bigger problem. just only 20 load games or so and 55 "f--ks" screamed at the computer

Ian

01-09-2011, 11:18 AM

What is the tactic, kind sir?

DEUS EX FIRST BOSS TACTIC SPOILERS ALERT
As well as the red barrels littered around the room there are slim green canisters that it turns out are filled with gas. Lob one at his face and he can't breathe and stands choking and even when he manages to overcome this seemingly can't see for the gas. So I lobbed it at his face, threw all my frags at his feet, emptied a clip or so of assault rifle bullets into his face and then threw one of the red barrels at him while he was throwing grenades at where I had been.

So if you're not a gunner type, as I'm also not, use of the gas canisters makes the thing a hell of a lot easier. In hindsight I could have killed him without using any ammo or grenades at all. :( Would probably be easy to just move around the room, ploughing into him with the gas canisters and explosive barrels.
END SPOILERS

But yeah, it's a pity because I'd have thought there's room to make more genuinely interesting boss battles if they allowed for techies and stealthers. Have the area a bit more complex and stick in some defences for you to hack and then try to lure the boss in to take massive damage by surprise as they don't anticipate the area's robots/turrets turning on them.

I assume the thing that makes my tactic above valid is a bit of a concession for wimpier players, but it's not really the answer.

TailSwallower

01-09-2011, 03:17 PM

I'd noticed the red exploding barrels (I think someone has even mentioned those in the mechanical spoilers thread), but I hadn't noticed the green canisters.

I beat it just a little while ago, and yeah, the fact that he loses track of you easily and focuses all his attention on where you had been is the only real way to get a drop on him.

It's 2011, can't we just hurry up and get rid of all boss battles in non-arcade-y games?

Ian

01-09-2011, 03:41 PM

The main issue remains that boss battles tend to not have anything to do with what you've been doing previously and seem to exist solely to suddenly make you feel like an underpowered dickhead. I'm semi-convinced that the issue is that hardly any devs who use them care enough to try and make them interesting.

I'd like the idea of a stealth boss. Not in the sense of that abysmal one in Alpha Protocol who's either invisible or kicking your face in, but a proper stealth boss who is also looking to get the drop on you for one quick hit. Or, as I said above, variations that at least let you tackle a typical punishment-sponge boss in a decent way.

The JG Man

01-09-2011, 05:35 PM

The base game of Borderlands was a tour de force in OH GOD GIVE ME MORE LOOT, but the DLC have been lacking, mostly mechanically. The first one has a stupid grinding quest that is implemented poorly, not to mention it didn't properly scale to my level so on the most common enemy, I was getting 1, maybe 2exp. It was enjoyable though, so I let it pass. The second DLC is a 'Horde' mode, but doing it by yourself is a lesson in frustration. Hard is fine, but you get these multipliers that can affect, say, your health, or enemy damage and so on. I ended up in some hideously contrived situations.

The third DLC, definitely the best out of the 3 I've tried so far and standing best up against the main game in comparison still has issues. Like the previous two, there's no instant transport stations like there are dotted across the game world for making travel a bit easier. This results in some really long trawls to and fro certain locations, made worse in this one by some vehicle sections that in the end get a bit dull. This too didn't properly scale to my level, although it wasn't as bad. Huzzah for 50exp! Upon finishing it, I was then presented with a load more quests that really should've be done along the way. And I was pretty thorough about picking them all up.

The game content of the three packs is absolutely fine, but the mechanics around them have taken a very bizarre turn to stupidity. Ohwell.

Casimir Effect

01-09-2011, 10:58 PM

The level scaling in Borderlands was always a bit dicey and this was more pronounced in the DLC. Especially those 'Floater' bastards in General Knoxx.
The grinding quest in Dr Ned (I'm guessing the get brains quest) really is just there for a bit of fun and there's no real reason to do it beyond (possibly) an achievment. I found the sense of humour in the first DLC to be excellent as well.
I have Mad Moxxi but haven't played it yet because of the reason you gave. From what I understand it is geared more towards MP where everything is fairer. Althoug that being said a high enough level character will have no problem.
General Knoxx was great except the emphasis on driving which I just didn't enjoy. Shame really, as the General himself is my favourite character in the games.

All in all it's an excellent pack to get and great value. Also demonstrates the way more DLC should be done: experimenting with game mechanics yet still providing satisfying content. And remember you still have one DLC left: time for the Robolution!

OT: Just started playing King's Bounty Armoured Princess and an Insanity (or whatever the hardest difficulty is) of FarCry 2, which I am falling in love with all over again just by how the game has changed with the added difficulty.
To anyone who has played Armoured Princess I have a question: does accepting every quest you find have any drawbacks? For example, will it spawn something that I cannot beat for a while thereby potentially screwing me over in the game?

The JG Man

01-09-2011, 11:37 PM

The problem I had with Braaaaaaaaains wasn't so much it was grindy and stuck out from all the other quests which were done fairly well (They cover up their "Go there. Then there." quests really well) but that you start collecting brains from the start of the island, only to have all you had collected disappear upon hitting the first quest. For 10. By that point, I'd have had closer to 1000. That's just not on.
With Mad Moxxi, using Mordecai, it's just not great for his play-style. It's obviously there as an option for SP, and you can use every weapon, but my aim is a head-shotting machine. As soon as you take that away from me, it becomes challenging, but possible. As soon as you start requiring me to use elemental rocket launchers on Badasses, well...not so hot.
And then Knoxx, I like the driving segments, makes the game world feel bigger (although it already is [incidentally, this is why I was upset the Mako was removed in Mass Effect 2. Sure, its implementation in 1 wasn't great, but it made it feel like the scale of the game was the entire galaxy]) but the controls are dire. WASD for movement, mouse for camera. Come on, that's the default for a very good reason.

But I agree with everything else. The humour is pitch-perfect and General Knoxx was an absolutely fantastic character. One of the most memorable I've played in any game, actually. I actually felt bad having to kill him. He'd clearly had enough. He was obviously a capable commander too, seeing as he actually had the place on lock-down, unlike Steele who just kinda went I AM COMMANDER STEELE AND OH LOOK I'VE JUST BEEN IMPALED. Sure, he was about to kill himself, but he had good reason. The content I got out of Knoxx was mostly good, although this REALLY suffered from the lack of teleporters.

TailSwallower

02-09-2011, 02:41 AM

Not in the sense of that abysmal one in Alpha Protocol who's either invisible or kicking you face in...

As much as I loved Alpha Protocol despite all its flaws, the boss battles were so stupid. It's like they thought they had to include them because they were using the Mass Effect engine and ME had them. At least in ME you could explain the over-powered bosses with Space Magic(TM), but Alpha Protocol was meant to be a real-world game, and yet for no discernible reason I can shoot this guy in the face a hundred times and he won't die.

HR kind of sits between the two - you could say that the boss is tough because he's an augmented badass, but I'm supposed to be an augmented badass too and it takes a lot less to kill me than 3 rockets and 2 machine pistol clips.

Heliocentric

02-09-2011, 03:28 AM

In regular KB saying no was sometimes a valid choice, especially in more nuanced missions, sometimes you need to actively avoid hostiles to get certain outcomes. I can't stand how arbitrary the conversations resolutions are sometimes though, I like that KB is subversive but punishing me in units/xp for saying something interesting is a hateful move.

Heliocentric

02-09-2011, 04:10 AM

Imagine how satisfying it is to join a server in one of them leveling shooters, you press tab and the world can see you are level 10, and everyone else is 45 to 50. Now imagine the satisfaction of winning the match in first place without all of their toys. Okay, now switch up that to being assassins creed brotherhood multiplayer.

I remember thinking the smartest thing about APB was the escalation of opponents, brotherhood has it too, at the bottom of the scoreboard no-one is after you unless the field is pretty level, but if you are a clean 1000 points ahead and no recent deaths? Having 3 people hunting you, 3 people you are nearly defenseless against. If one tracks you from on high and another two from different directions you need to make brutally cunning use of your abilities to not end up a pin cusion. Even then you are supposed to be hunting someone.

I still feel that I've yet to express the games details. There are 12 or so player models, each player picks one unique to them, then you'll enter a level, each a town from the story or a uniquely multiplayer one. The areas are maybe 400m by 400m but they are a warren of tunnels, rooftops and roadways. This town is populated by NPCs who look like you and your fellow players. They sit on benches, get up wander around, change direction for not much reason, they are cover, threats and your prey. You don't actually kill NPCs but hiding among them is the bread and butter of this game. Sure you can flip out like a ninja and run across roofing and swing about but your prey will see you coming and you'll get a naff kill score, not to mention your increased visibility to your hunters.

Sitting on top of this sneaking a beautifully animated collection of 1 hit kills (no hitpoints here, if you get assassinated that's it.) you can stun your hunter but that's only if they don't kill you first.

The additives to this, the time limited disguises(walk/sit near your lookie like disguse and laugh as your hunter follows his "general direction radar" and kills the wrong one netting you a 100 point lure bonus and a little breathing room. The smoke bomb isn't as subtle but when both your hunter and prey are inches away nothing beats it, 10 abilities in total. These all get upgrades/variants you need to unlock by using the basic one in a variety of ways.

I wish it had a demo its such a excellent game, I mean single player is great but that people will own brotherhood and never tried multiplayer is disappointing.

Casimir Effect

02-09-2011, 09:54 AM

I can tell KB:AP is going to annoy me on this front. Wish more games did what Borderlands did and assign a level to each quest so you know if you should be doing it or not. Oh well, I've accepted all the quests I've found in the starting place - kill bandit leader, find spy etc - so I'll know soon enough if this was a mistake.

I picked Mordecai as well and had massive problems in the very last arena fights during the standard game; the ones where badass things were spawned in great numbers. Never failed the fights but I had to 'Second Wind' several times during each one. In the end the only tactic that really worked was to hide behind some good cover and wait for things to walk round the edge, then rapidly headshot them when I couldn't miss or be shot by anything else. If I was to do it again I'd probably spend money to respec my character towards pistols as I reckon they'd be far superior in the arena.

I also felt that Knoxx really suffered from the teleporter lack. Driving made the world feel bigger but that wasn't something I needed. Especially as the cars felt fragile and could be taken out easily if you didn't pay attention, which I didn't when I just wanted to get where the mission was as fast as possible. And getting a Second Wind after being killed in a car is near to impossible if whatever killed you has just driven off. Teleporters would have fixed all those problems.
The Mako isn't something I like to think about as I hated it. Mainly because the thing is made in the UT3 engine and yet (like Gears of War) manages to have a terrible vehicle. Also, I once played ME after playing Tribes Vengeance and realised that the coolest thing would be to let you explore planets via jetpacks + skiing. They often already have the required hill-y nature.

airtekh

02-09-2011, 02:53 PM

I've just finished Deus Ex: Human Revolution. (no spoilers, so don't panic).

I ... have mixed feelings about it. I liked it, but at the same time I can't help but feel slightly disappointed for some reason.

I find it difficult to articulate why I'm disappointed with it, certainly not because it's a bad game - it's actually excellent. I think it's because Eidos Montreal came within a stone's throw of recreating the experience of the original game, but just fell at the final hurdle.

Mechanically, it's superb. The stealth, combat and hacking are all superior to the original game, but it's the other stuff which bothers me about it:

The lack of interactivity is the first thing which hit me. Everything except cardboard boxes, rubbish bins and a few vending machines, are nailed down and can't be interacted with.

The levels, while they mostly allow a variety of approaches (as is the calling card of a true Deus Ex game), they're not as large as I'd like, and can feel linear at times. Combined with the lack of interactivity, they occasionally feel plastic; like a level designer is looking over your shoulder.

The city hubs are vast in size, but aside from the heavily signposted sidequests, I found precious little else of note in my explorations. It lessened the impact of the city hubs for me, and made me feel like I wasted my time exploring the place.

The boss fights, as it seems everyone has noticed, feel out of place. I found them especially annoying as I focused on a non-lethal, stealthy hacker type of character.

The story isn't as fleshed out as I'd have liked. I hacked damn near every computer in the game, and read every book and magazine I could find and I still felt the last bit of story was poorly explained or rushed.

Maybe a second or even third playthrough is necessesary to fully understand the nuances and references to stuff during the game.

The music is also not as catchy as the original's tunes.

But I know that it's the crippling nostalgia I have for the original Deus Ex which is clouding my judgement. I have an insane craving to play the original game through again, just to check if I'm not misremembering things.

Given the clear influence that consoles were going to have on this game, this was probably the closest we were ever going to come to a second 'Deus Ex experience', and Eidos Montreal should be commended for that.

I suppose the real measure of whether I liked it or not is whether I would play it again, and the answer would have to be a resounding yes, preferably as a murdering psychopath next time.

I'm still playing Frozen Synapse multiplayer. I'm currently participating in the RPS Dark Extermination league over in the social forum.

With Human Revolution finished, I need another single-player game to replace it, and Assassin's Creed 2 should fit the bill. I loved the first game and I hear that the second is even better.

Heliocentric

02-09-2011, 03:31 PM

Asscreed 2 is a fully fledged game where Asscreed 1 was just a bunch of inherited ideas.

vinraith

03-09-2011, 01:51 AM

Oak

03-09-2011, 02:28 AM

I find it difficult to articulate why I'm disappointed with it, certainly not because it's a bad game - it's actually excellent. I think it's because Eidos Montreal came within a stone's throw of recreating the experience of the original game, but just fell at the final hurdle.

I'm finding it hard to articulate my disappointment as well. You covered a lot of the problems I had with it. I think, above all, it stretches itself thin in trying (sincerely) to be a Deus Ex game.

Heliocentric

03-09-2011, 06:41 AM

"Finished" Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, or more precisely finished the main plot. I've not done a lot of the side stuff, and have only a 53% synch, so I'm trying to figure out what is and isn't worth my time. I've done the armor of Brutus stuff, but haven't done the war machines, the DLC (Da Vinci disappearance), the "historical romance" quests, or most of the random little "go here kill that" faction missions. Anyone else who's finished the game, any advice on what's worthwhile?

Ooh, ooh Me sir!

They are actually worthwhile, all of them. The faction and assassinations(technically assassinations are mercenary faction missions I guess) are all worthwhile, but the dlc stuff and the war machines stuff despite being well made is super linear but awesomely prince of Persia(sands of time) at times.

Obviously ignore the collectables (flags;chest, feathers) and buying everything(I know you did the brutus which required aquaduct buying) unless you have OCD.

But everything else is worthwhile

Heliocentric

03-09-2011, 06:46 AM

Hensler

03-09-2011, 01:41 PM

I'm trying to play the Assassin's Creed Revelations beta, but can't get connected to any servers. Oh well, back to Project Snowblind.

Heliocentric

03-09-2011, 03:33 PM

I'm trying to play the Assassin's Creed Revelations beta, but can't get connected to any servers. Oh well, back to Project Snowblind.

ps3 ass creed rev? isn't snowblind trash? I tried the demo and was horrified how benal it was.

vinraith

03-09-2011, 03:34 PM

oh, on the topic of "the truth" its worth doing but follow a guide, searching the coloseum for a glowy thing was unfun and some of the spinny cracking missions break the accepted logic towards the last few.

Did you try the "vr missions", I found them to be lovely if underdeveloped.

I got so sick of those fucking spinning picture puzzles in AC2 that, to be honest, I'd totally forgotten about "the truth" in AC: Brotherhood. I enjoy the climbing puzzle aspect of figuring out how to get to the glowy thing, but everything else about it can pretty much fuck right off. I guess I'll try to find a guide.

I did try the VR's and, really, didn't see much point. The ones I tried were just "kill as many guys as possible in X seconds" and becomes too dependent on getting the wonky controls to target the guy I can see is about to attack me next instead of the guy next to him.

Heliocentric

03-09-2011, 03:39 PM

vinraith

03-09-2011, 03:45 PM

Oh, god sorry :p I totally forgot about the asstastic combat VR. I was talking about the flag. free running and stealth assassination VR missions.

They all have a puzzle element and often teach you a great deal about the game.

I must admit I overlooked those, taking them for tutorials. I'll give 'em a look. Thanks for all the advice, Helio.

Ian

03-09-2011, 05:53 PM

Well, you can colour me disappointed on the second boss.

Spoilers (natch)
On the bit where you have to wait for the lift and defend against guards I'd just hacked the turret and let it do the work for me. Once the lift arrived I decided to pick up the turret and take it with me. :D

Since I was very clearly dealing with genuine bastards, it was very helpful in letting me clear out a bunch of heavily-armed and armoured men and robots. I was hoping the boss fight would be triggered just after I entered the room so I could throw the turret in but sadly it was one where the pre-fight cut-scene triggers as you interact with the door. :( All that leg (and arm) work. WASTED.

On the bright side, the second boss is super easy.

I just used two typhoon shots and emptied some other types of ammo into her. The PEPs would have been quite handy had the fight got trickier too, it seemed to stun her briefly while I shot her with the sniper rifle.
End Spoilers

sabrage

03-09-2011, 07:37 PM

isn't snowblind trash?.

Do you ever play the games you make assumptions about, or do you just do your best to look like you know that which you don't?

Heliocentric

03-09-2011, 07:48 PM

Do you ever play the games you make assumptions about, or do you just do your best to look like you know that which you don't?

Er... As I said, I played a demo and it seemed seriously bum. Does it get better/was I being too harsh on it?

edit: actually, it seems i own the game for not very much money I think after reading a recommendation, but I remember assuming that the recommendation was actually mistaken... The crime that is the obscene backlog.

Anthile

03-09-2011, 08:37 PM

Heliocentric

03-09-2011, 09:38 PM

Casimir Effect

03-09-2011, 10:23 PM

Started playing The Last Remnant a couple of days ago. I'm currently "level" 22. I think I played almost the whole day and did nothing but sidequests. I got sidetracked by that desert town and it all went downhill from there. The quests were actually surprisingly easy but then I hit the The Ancient War quest and that goddamn Mantroskylo dragon absolutely destroyed my party.
I think I really like the combat system but I can't shake the feeling that ultimately, despite all the complexity, it really just comes down to dumb luck.

As you play more you'll get the hang of all the nuances in the combat: such as how morale, formation, union leader, union member skills, battlefield position and enemy union all effect what your unions can do. It's complex but great fun.

There are loads of sidequests in the game and many of the towns are entirely missable, so it's always worth exploring all the exits to an area. For example, the Burning Cauldron (I hate that place) has exits apart from Balterossa going south to Lavafender and West to the Vale of the Gods, with a new town beyond each of those. I'm pretty sure the main plot of the game won't take you to those palces ever, so it's entirely sidequest-based content.
The only problem some of the sidequests have is not giving any indication of the level you should be. As you've found - the Ancient War will fuck you right now. There are others which will do the same. But this does often produce some excellent fights where everything is really close. Also, even if you lose the fight then consider what went wrong and see if you can adjust your union makeup to counteract the problems.

Some advice: Battle Rank is not a typical RPG level system and is actually your enemy. As that bastard goes up the enemy get more powerful - more HP and better Arts/Abilities.
Some characters are a lot better than others. Essentially, there are the Soldier types (from the guy in Athlum square) who you can ignore entirely, Leaders (such as Semry, McGrady or others who are hired for around 5000GP) who are ok, and Unique Leader (such as the Athlum Generals, Baulson, Loki etc) who are the best. Soldiers were necessary on the console but useless on PC, and Unique Leaders get far more Arts and often better equipment progression than the Leaders. Occasionally you will need to have some Leaders though because there will not be enough Unique Leaders available (this is the case near the start of the game).

Have fun with the game. You'll make mistakes but never big ones. It's become a favourite of mine and almost any day I can sink back into my chair, pick up the 360 controller and waste the day playing it. Finished it recently and have been playing through the NewGame+ mode whenever I can't think of something to play.

laneford

04-09-2011, 01:28 AM

Just getting started in Deus Ex: Human Resources.

I think there is a good and fun game there, but holy hell the writing is appalling. It's as if every single sidequest and character is there specifically to break any sense of immersion I was having. I want to pour bleach into my ears if only to make the horrific dialogue end.

Serenegoose

04-09-2011, 02:15 AM

Oak

04-09-2011, 02:38 AM

Appalling? Really?

Nalano

04-09-2011, 02:56 AM

Appalling? Really?

Oh hells yeah. Especially when you get the hamtastic street thugs. Plus, the streets seem designed specifically to make going two blocks in one direction an exercise in frustration.

Serenegoose may have a point, but if I'm to take this as an "it's so meta" bit of irony, I'd turn into a hipster and thus have to kill myself.

laneford

04-09-2011, 09:21 AM

Appalling? Really?

Unfortunately, I think yes. It's an incredibly pretty, gorgeous, blade runner esque world and then someone says something.

I'm just doing the first sidequest mission

world's smallest spoiler

with the guy who's selling neuropozyne THREE METRES away from the office, having discovered this by reading a series of emails and datapads all conveniently containing passwords and incriminating evidence. Whereupon, caught red handed he won't give me he stuff, unless i kill a pair of drug dealers for him (or pass some conversation test). I'm supposed to be the HEAD OF SECURITY, give me the bloody pills and clean out your desk, I want you out of the building in 10 minutes.

I do like the game, but it feels so much like a game. Every random bystander, prostitute, homeless person, drug dealer has their own musings on augmentation. You turn on the TV, and it's ABOUT AUGMENTATION, you read a book and ITS ABOUT AUGMENTATION You pick up the newspaper and it's ABOUT THAT MISSION WOT YOU DID. It's like the world, in Deus Ex, is this tiny, 4x4 block sphere, inside Adam Jensen's head, and nowhere else.

Heliocentric

04-09-2011, 09:22 AM

Hot of the back of one bro' game by ubisoft I play another. Brothers in Arms: Hell's highway.
It's good, I mean the acting is bad, the map design not as efficent as road to hill 30 or as faceted as earned in blood, often pointlessly laced with dead ends. I've gotten unsalvagably stuck a few times because of the squad mates getting glued to terrain. But its serviceable, you can get quite a lot of satisfaction from destroying cover with mg fire.

The game is confused though, at times its a squad based maneuver game where you legitimately move from cover to cover to flank your opponent, but others you get locked in stalemates where you either snipe the enemies or make dashes across open land getting 80% dead (dont worry, the game has regenerating health) and then flanking them in the face (not actually flanking then).
Despite anything else the game is fun, its just not as pure as a puzzle FPS as the other titles generally were.... But tanks are much better in this game, boom!

Ian

04-09-2011, 12:30 PM

@ Laneford:
Spoilers
I got the stuff off him and left him to deal with the drug dealers himself, but I may have used the CASIE aug...

Either way I'd have thought that makes a modicum of sense assuming he thinks said dealers are going to kill him if he can't come up with the goods.

Oak

04-09-2011, 01:14 PM

It's certainly not subtle or elegant writing, but "appalling" still feels hyperbolic. Truly appalling writing is serious stuff: it offends the senses, stings the eyes, draws your thoughts to the absence of God. Appalling writing is Bones, or a Rick Moody novel. This is just...I don't know, maybe I'm guilty of letting games off the hook when they're too obvious or too earnest or too corny, but I think I've resigned myself to it being one of the hazards of any story-based game.

BobsLawnService

04-09-2011, 02:07 PM

I do like the game, but it feels so much like a game. Every random bystander, prostitute, homeless person, drug dealer has their own musings on augmentation. You turn on the TV, and it's ABOUT AUGMENTATION, you read a book and ITS ABOUT AUGMENTATION You pick up the newspaper and it's ABOUT THAT MISSION WOT YOU DID. It's like the world, in Deus Ex, is this tiny, 4x4 block sphere, inside Adam Jensen's head, and nowhere else.

Get used to the main characters being opinion vendors and not actual characters and quests being just as template driven with convenient airvents that handily link two rooms, then the weak walls in the strategic locations and the handily placed gas filled sewers to justify the rebreather. It's all very calculated, polished and sterile but it's easy to sit down and finish and not a bad game.

Ash_firelord

04-09-2011, 04:39 PM

Just finished Honest Hearts. Despite being an all-around good guy, my Fallout New Vegas character has reached the point where people / monsters blow up if he stares too long at them.

The DLC was really nice, the wilderness, a breath of fresh air, and I really enjoyed exploring Zion's caves, hunting for survivor logs. But damn is game is going on for too long now!

Giaddon

04-09-2011, 11:26 PM

After finishing DEHR (awesome) I warily started a second playthrough of Alpha Protocol (which I beat around a year ago and didn't much like) because it seemed the most HR-like contemporary game. The year must have shifted my expectations because I am enjoying it very much. It's obviously not nearly as polished as HR, but its fun enough and I like all the talking. If only the dialogue/story was HR quality, it would be a very good game.

vinraith

05-09-2011, 12:02 AM

Played Brother's Creed: Assassinhood with Vinraith, I stabbed him in the face while dressed as a monk, then he tried to stab me in the back but someone dressed like phantom of the opera shot him in the face, then in the last seconds of the game he snapped my neck while I was inches behind my target who was dressed like Harley Quinn*.
!! Success!!

*Literally the events under which we cross paths

I'm Vinraith and I endorse this series of semi-comical murders.

It really is quite a unique and fantastic thing, and one of the few action-game MP modes I've ever enjoyed.

Oak

05-09-2011, 04:05 AM

Did you know that it was (basically) inspired by The Ship? I highly recommend traveling back in time so you can find an active server to play that on.

As for me, I've been having a Mount & Blade multiplayer weekend. A lot of vanilla Warband, a bit of Mount & Musket, and some awkward fumblings in With Fire & Sword. That last one is pretty weird, but I like the cut of its jib. The setting is really welcome - makes me want a full-on Thirty Years War version of M&B - and presented in a way that makes good use of the game's schlubby engine. It'd be fun to play a huge, organized pike-and-shot battle with this.

vinraith

05-09-2011, 04:33 AM

Did you know that it was (basically) inspired by The Ship? I highly recommend traveling back in time so you can find an active server to play that on.

I am. I was aware of the Ship at the time, but 1) I don't buy purely MP games and 2) even back then I was given to understand you couldn't usually find enough players to get a game going.

Ash_firelord

05-09-2011, 04:44 AM

Heliocentric

05-09-2011, 06:12 AM

Did you know that it was (basically) inspired by The Ship? I highly recommend traveling back in time so you can find an active server to play that on.
You know UBI grabbed the 'the ship' team? Didn't they disband them too?
I did play the ship a little, people playing indiscriminate axe murderer ruined it for me, but when people employ cheap kills in assbro I can trick them into the wrong target for free points. And dying to a cheap gun kill 100 score to my hunter(rubbish) might mean my skills get refreshed meaning I can use my disguse and smoke bombs to block the real threats from killing me for 800 (awesome).

Doodier

05-09-2011, 09:15 AM

Giaddon

05-09-2011, 12:27 PM

Giaddon, Ash_firelord: Did you guys had any problem killing that Russian mob boss? I've stopped playing this game because of that snorting invincible monster! I think I should have made the other countries first and do Russia the last one, but no one told me in-game :/

I beat him by shooting him a lot (I did Russia first). If you feel stuck, however, just load the "last safehouse" checkpoint, go to the mission select screen, and then hit the back button, and you'll be able to deploy in a different country, if you want to level up and then come back later.

Aspongeinmauve

05-09-2011, 01:09 PM

Like most people, I'm currently enjoying DEHR. I'm also taking time to play a few games I should have played years ago; Doom 3, Mass Effect and S.T.A.L.K.E.R (can you believe I haven't played those?). Also I'm playing Carnivores for nostalgia, terrifying in the 90's when I was a kid, terrifying now.

agentorange

05-09-2011, 01:35 PM

Still trying to get through my PS2 backlog; taken to just randomly choosing a game and forcing myself to marathon it. Used the 4 day weekend I had to get mostly through Devil Summoner: Raido Kuzunoha Vs. The Soulless Army, which I stopped playing a year or so ago, after getting fed up with the combat system. Game really picked up after I got through the first two chapters, which are horribly drawn out and full of quests that leave you wondering where the fuck you are meant to go. Can't say I'd recommend the game, and if you are an SMT lover like myself you've probably already played it or are planning to. In fact now I feel like going back and playing the Sega Saturn Devil Summoner titles, which were far superior.

The game does have one particularly groovy track (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4BsK3hDMrk)

Dominic Tarason

05-09-2011, 01:50 PM

Right now, I'm mostly playing the review copies of stuff indie devs sent me. Primary the Gundemonium Collection (http://store.steampowered.com/app/901734) on Steam (3 really good shmups, $10 for the whole set, one of them has online co-op) and the iPhone version of King of Dragon Pass (http://a-sharp.com/kodp/), the old PC classic, updated. It's also going to be $10 when it comes out next week.

I don't think you can get much more different than those two, but they're both really good at what they do.

vinraith

05-09-2011, 04:03 PM

the iPhone version of King of Dragon Pass (http://a-sharp.com/kodp/), the old PC classic, updated. It's also going to be $10 when it comes out next week.

Are there any plans to release the updated version for PC? It's criminal to rerelease a classic PC game like that and only make it available on that platform.

Dominic Tarason

05-09-2011, 04:07 PM

Are there any plans to release the updated version for PC? It's criminal to rerelease a classic PC game like that and only make it available on that platform.

Aside from a few new random events, not too much has been added to the iPhone version. It's just a polishing and tweaking update for the most part, and it does have one thing missing: the yearly visual overview of your village.

The PC version is still sold, anyhow - you just have to buy it physically direct from the developer.

vinraith

05-09-2011, 04:09 PM

Aside from a few new random events, not too much has been added to the iPhone version. It's just a polishing and tweaking update for the most part, and it does have one thing missing: the yearly visual overview of your village.

The PC version is still sold, anyhow - you just have to buy it physically direct from the developer.

When I tried this a few years ago, at least, you couldn't get them to respond to emails, and emailing them was the only way to acquire a legit copy.

Actually, what they should do is put it up on GOG. And maybe throw in the ability to run it windowed...

Dougal Mcfrugal

05-09-2011, 06:40 PM

deus ex, soon to be the new shogun DLC, then possibly rage or space marine. I loved the space marine demo but the whole not on UK steam thing has fecked me off a tad

Oak

05-09-2011, 09:44 PM

You know UBI grabbed the 'the ship' team? Didn't they disband them too?

Yeah, and right before Bloody Good Time came out. Well played, Ubisoft!

8-bit

05-09-2011, 11:28 PM

Spent the weekend finishing off the new deus ex, got back here to be greeted by that video on the front page. give angry internet men an inch and they spend four pages complaining about optional features in a game. oh well I am sure the rage had been building up for a while so it must feel good to let it out. Anyway, I enjoyed the game and at about 37 hours I think I got my moneys worth, it even had the bonus stuff even though it was just the regular edition so no complaints there either.

kind of spoilers:
I was disappointed that the game let me choose what ending I wanted instead of deciding based on my decisions through the game. Invisible war did the same and so did the original, so I am not sure if I should hold that against HR. oh to hell with it, its a bad thing that reminds me I am playing a game at a time when it really shouldn't and its a massive flaw that all three have.

Now back on to xenoblade and I want to say something but it would be a spoiler. Not story, environment. Talking about the scenery would be a spoiler. Just, if you are going to play it make sure it is day time when you reach satorl marsh.

squirrelfanatic

06-09-2011, 08:09 AM

Dominic Tarason

06-09-2011, 09:08 AM

@8-bit: Is Xenoblade good? I mean, you appear to like it, but would you recommend it to someone who found Tales of Symphonia too childish (in art style, mostly)? I would love to have a good RPG on my Wii and the Wikipedia entry sparked my interest in the game.

Xenoblade is great. There's a reason why every single review has given it a 90%+ scrore, which is just about unheard of for an RPG on the Wii. Huge wide-open environments, exploration encouraged, hundreds of sidequests (although I wish the game had some level-scaling, because you trivialize most of the main-plot quests if you do too many), and really clever and unique setting.

Of course, Nintendo have gone completely and utterly stark raving mad and released it only in Europe, with no hints of even a potential American release. Making it about the 5th game ever to get an EU launch, but not a US one. Interestingly, it's even translated/dubbed into UK English, although the original Japanese voice track is included if you want to use that.

If you also have a decent quad-core, you can run it perfectly in Dolphin, the Wii/Gamecube emulator. It looks SO much better on PC.

squirrelfanatic

06-09-2011, 09:56 AM

Of course, Nintendo have gone completely and utterly stark raving mad and released it only in Europe, with no hints of even a potential American release. Making it about the 5th game ever to get an EU launch, but not an EU one. Interestingly, it's even translated/dubbed into UK English, although the original Japanese voice track is included if you want to use that.

If you also have a decent quad-core, you can run it perfectly in Dolphin, the Wii/Gamecube emulator. It looks SO much better on PC.Thanks, I will see if I can get my hands on it then. Luckily, I am an European and can't help but smirk (just a bit, I feel bad for poor America), as it is pretty rare that we get a release the US don't.

And thank you also for hinting at Dolphin, I will definitely check that out.

Anthile

06-09-2011, 10:15 AM

Dominic Tarason

06-09-2011, 12:19 PM

Mod of the day: Project MSX (beta 1) for Doom 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8XuoDRzlko

What happens when you mix Halo and Doom? Something really rather cool, actually. Really good fun!

Drake Sigar

06-09-2011, 02:49 PM

Vampire Bloodlines keeps sucking me back in. I must have played it every six months since its 2004 release. Why are there no more games like this?!

Giaddon

06-09-2011, 03:27 PM

Wizardry

06-09-2011, 06:05 PM

Basically Deus Ex (2000) -> Vampire: Bloodlines (2004) -> Fallout 3 (2008) -> Alpha Protocol (2010) -> Deus Ex: Human Revolution (2011)

An excellent, though limited, lineage. The gaps are becoming shorter! Maybe we'll get ~one a year for a while.

(Yes, this genealogy is very debatable. But this is what it feels like to me.)
You've missed out Dungeon Master, Ultima Underworld, System Shock and The Elder Scrolls. And New Vegas. And perhaps Alternate Reality which pre-dates Dungeon Master.

Giaddon

06-09-2011, 06:23 PM

Drake Sigar

06-09-2011, 06:35 PM

You've missed out Dungeon Master, Ultima Underworld, System Shock and The Elder Scrolls. And New Vegas. And perhaps Alternate Reality which pre-dates Dungeon Master.I slightly favour Eye of the Beholder over Dungeon Master. Either way, games should bring back those food and water bars.

Heliocentric

06-09-2011, 07:17 PM

I've been playing alone in the dark...

...the 2005(i think) the one set in central park. *audience bursts into laughter*
Oh my god are the mouse and keyboard controls a disgusting mess. Right alt to dismount from a rope when you are using WASD to move? tutorial levels not explaining you need to be in first person to spray the fire extinguisher. Hillarious physics which mean things ping across the room when bumped into and rubble from a collapsing building tidied itself away ontop a tiny ledge.

Monsterous, plugged in a pad and beat a monster with a ladel, then finished it off with a burning chair. Much better, but still very very broken.
I've also nearly finished Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway but its just reaching the heights of the first 2 games in its final act so I'll reserve judgements until I'm done.

Wooly Wugga Wugga

06-09-2011, 07:23 PM

Nothing at the moment. I'm feeling a little burned out after finishing Deus Ex : Human Revolution. Maybe I should fire Homeworld up.

Lukasz

06-09-2011, 08:32 PM

I'm sure I left a lot out!

Still (re)playing Alpha Protocol. Still enjoying it, but the awful dialogue and story are weighing me down. Being evil is the best option because it's the only dialogue that is consistent. Also, I don't feel like I'm affecting the story too much... More like uncovering different bits of it, if that makes sense. The story as a whole is pretty much the same, but I know different things on this playthrough. Not as variable as I was lead to believe.

in AP your are a guy who is being lied to and used by frigging everyone. except steven. He was the only honest person in the whole game. everyone else were lying sons and daughters of bitches.

you can't affect the storyline much because you are not in control of it. you can tough affect the end in quite few ways.

I found AP storyline and dialogs way better than most modern rpgs so I can't see why you say its awful :P

8-bit

06-09-2011, 11:24 PM

@8-bit: Is Xenoblade good? I mean, you appear to like it, but would you recommend it to someone who found Tales of Symphonia too childish (in art style, mostly)? I would love to have a good RPG on my Wii and the Wikipedia entry sparked my interest in the game.

basically what Dominic said, great game, great game world, one of the best I have come across actually. characters are anime but not the offensive kind and it goes for a mostly realistic look. story (so far) isn't riddled with badly managed tropes and idiotic characters. and the battle system actually explains what everything does instead of hiding it under mountains of tutorials, so, nothing like the tales of games then :D

Giaddon

07-09-2011, 02:17 AM

I found AP storyline and dialogs way better than most modern rpgs so I can't see why you say its awful :P

Plenty of people like it, but I found Mike to be a sarcastic little fratboy shit, Mina to be human valium, Heck to be the definition of trying to hard, Sie to be a collection of limp bondage innuendos, etc.

I do like Leland.

squirrelfanatic

07-09-2011, 07:02 AM

basically what Dominic said, great game, great game world, one of the best I have come across actually. characters are anime but not the offensive kind and it goes for a mostly realistic look. story (so far) isn't riddled with badly managed tropes and idiotic characters. and the battle system actually explains what everything does instead of hiding it under mountains of tutorials, so, nothing like the tales of games then :D
Sounds like something I might be willing to invest a bit of money in. Whenever I think about buying console games I realise how much I have been spoiled by the ridiculous pricing of PC game sales. Maybe ebay can help out. :)

The points you listed are pretty much what put me off of a lot of console RPGs lately. "To learn how to handle this stuff work through this hour-long tutorial mission." Thanks, I already read the manual.

sabrage

07-09-2011, 07:18 AM

Started Blood Money on "Rookie..." The hints were ruining it for me, so I'm gonna restart on the next difficulty up.

In the meantime, played a couple level in From Dust (with my X360 controller) and I'm definitely liking it so far. I don't think the fire, exploding and water trees make it any more fun, unfortunately :/

agentorange

07-09-2011, 10:42 AM

Mod of the day: Project MSX (beta 1) for Doom 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8XuoDRzlko

What happens when you mix Halo and Doom? Something really rather cool, actually. Really good fun!

That looks absolutely fucking amazing, thank you for bringing it to my attention.

spenat

07-09-2011, 02:00 PM

Right now I am playing Archlord Online, my favourite Free2play MMORPG :)

Dominic Tarason

07-09-2011, 03:13 PM

That looks absolutely fucking amazing, thank you for bringing it to my attention.

It's pretty great. There's a few bugs still in the current build, widescreen support is wonky and not all the new weapons/enemies have been implemented yet, but apparently all of those are being worked on for Beta 2.

Also, the level pack featured in the video is called UAC Ultra, and it's pretty great. Really matches the MSX gameplay thematically, too.

Jockie

07-09-2011, 04:50 PM

Having a post Deus Ex: HR lull, only the odd game of LoL in terms of games.

Tempted by both Space Marine and/or Dead Island for the weekend, but they both have the kind of flaws that would normally relegate them to 'wait for a sale/savygamer deal' status.

vinraith

07-09-2011, 05:02 PM

Done with AC:Brotherhood (there are a couple of side things left but their frustration/fun ratio is too high) outside perhaps the occasional game of MP. Playing SotS multiplayer, still, in anticipation of the (recently pushed back :( ) release of SotS 2.

I am left, then, casting about for what to play next in SP. I'm seriously eying another attempt at STALKER: SoC with the Complete mod, maybe this time I can actually push past the beginning and make it stick. The other thought that's crossed my mind if firing up EU3 with all the expansions and giving Denmark a run. I guess we'll see what happens.

Giaddon

07-09-2011, 05:07 PM

What's the new SOTS2 release date?

Finishing up Alpha Protocol (just starting the last of the three operations), and playing Settlers 7 on the side. It's awesome! Also doing a replay of Human Revolution, which is even better the second time.

vinraith

07-09-2011, 05:30 PM

What's the new SOTS2 release date?

"October TBA" :(

cluongo

07-09-2011, 05:34 PM

Literally about to fire up Dead Island, just finished downloading on Steam.

Other then that, struggling to kill the 3rd boss on DE:HR. And been playing a lot of UT2k4, I have no idea why. Just trying to nostalg it up.

Heliocentric

07-09-2011, 05:36 PM

done with ac:brotherhood (there are a couple of side things left but their frustration/fun ratio is too high
you are weak and soft like a capitalist pig dog. When my people reach times of difficulty we stab them in the face!

vinraith

07-09-2011, 05:41 PM

you are weak and soft like a capitalist pig dog. When my people reach times of difficulty we stab them in the face!

The Truth is that The Truth is a giant pain in the ass, what can I say?

Heliocentric

07-09-2011, 05:55 PM

I told you to use a guide like a week ago.

vinraith

07-09-2011, 06:11 PM

I told you to use a guide like a week ago.

And as mentioned in the walkthrough thread, I'm of the opinion that if I need a guide to do it it's usually not worth doing. If I'm going to cheat, why not go all the way with it and just watch a video of what you see when you complete the stupid thing? That's exactly what I did.

Heliocentric

07-09-2011, 06:19 PM

You missed out on it being implied that the templars got bush elected because he would distract the people from the real issues, "the miracle" which happens at the end or brotherhood's was worth playing though.

vinraith

07-09-2011, 06:26 PM

"the miracle" which happens at the end or brotherhood's was worth playing though.

I lost you there, what now?

It's true that I did miss out on some quality conspiracy theory craziness.

Heliocentric

07-09-2011, 07:05 PM

the miracle is a free run sequence you get after collecting all of the truths

spoilers obviously
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QurE-EzN8vY

vinraith

07-09-2011, 07:15 PM

the miracle is a free run sequence you get after collecting all of the truths

spoilers obviously
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QurE-EzN8vY

Ah, yes, that's the vid I watched, I just didn't know that's what it was called.

Whitmore

07-09-2011, 07:17 PM

Currently playing through Rock Of Ages which is so far absoloutly fantastic, hilarious and musically pleasing. Wonderful visuals, fun controls. Also, tons of classical music. Wonderful.

Oak

08-09-2011, 04:36 AM

Yes, it turned out quite nicely.

icemann

08-09-2011, 07:36 AM

Finished off Deus Ex: HR a few days ago. Best game in the series in my opinion, though the first game is awesome, this one just grabbed me more, and had a much bigger time investment.

Currently playing Powermonger on the SNES (via emulator) and Diablo 2.

Doesn'tmeananything

08-09-2011, 08:05 AM

Dungeons of Dredmor! Recent - and hefty - patch has fixed plenty of bugs and balance issues, making the game even more enjoyable to play. Thus I doubled my game time since yesterday's evening.

Heliocentric

08-09-2011, 08:16 AM

Tried to return to splinter cell double agent, climbing is buggy, lit areas are just as dim as dark areas. To Hell with this, what's next.

Ian

08-09-2011, 08:34 AM

I wish I'd done this:

http://i53.tinypic.com/k2n6np.gif

squirrelfanatic

08-09-2011, 09:14 AM

Ian, that is awesome. :) Some of the knockout moves where hilarious to watch. My favourite was the one where Jensen spins the dude around like a ballerina doing a pirouette, than punches him in the face. Also, the two-man knockouts sometimes made me giggle when Jensen seemingly got a bad grip on one of the guys' legs and just sloppily shoved them over his shoulders.

Kade

08-09-2011, 09:37 AM

Nice sharing.
I am playing EA sports game. This game is made on cricket and i think when we play then we feel that we played in real life. This game is very good i like it.

airtekh

08-09-2011, 11:08 AM

I'm a good chunk of the way through Assassin's Creed 2. Man this game is huuge. I could probably spend another two weeks just doing all the side missions; I'm speeding up now, just doing the main story and a few of those hidden glyph things.

The freerunning is a constant joy for me. The simple act of plotting a path and getting from A to B via a series of rooftops just never gets old. I still find it strange that I have to hold down 3 keys to do it though.

Similar

08-09-2011, 03:30 PM

Needed something to de-stress with, so I started a new SP world in Minecraft. That was five days ago and I've been playing constantly, so I guess I might be looking at another months long bout of Minecraft.
Though, Lonely as a Mushroom Cloud (http://lonelyasamushroomcloud.wordpress.com/) keeps tempting me to start a modded Fallout 3 game and I'm not sure how long I can resist.
Also, I never did finish my current play through of Deus Ex.

DVD773

08-09-2011, 04:02 PM

Currently im playing alot of Borderlands GOTY (although im seem to prefer in SP) as well as working through the first Deus Ex although i always forget to quicksave and end up re doing whole levels, ive been spoilt my checkpoints dammit!

Heliocentric

08-09-2011, 04:40 PM

Ass creed (1,2 and bro)is wonderful with a 360 pad, just a thought.

Cable

08-09-2011, 08:07 PM

I'm still only on the first assassin's creed but i prefer it with m + kb not the 360 pad but that's probably due to my lack of experience in using a pad making me incompetent more than anything else.

vinraith

08-09-2011, 10:55 PM

Ass creed (1,2 and bro)is wonderful with a 360 pad, just a thought.

I played 1 with M&KB, 2 and Bro with gamepad. Both approaches have their advantages (I like that, when you press W, you run in an honest-to-god straight line and don't have to worry about wobble) and the imprecision of the pad bothers the hell out of me, but ultimately the fluidity and "analogueness" of directionality does more good than harm. Still, all of my most frustrating moments in those games (and the reason I absolutely refuse to play any "race type" mission in them) were directly due to the imprecision of pad control, and my general shittiness therewith.

Citruspunch

09-09-2011, 12:01 AM

picked up COD:Wow in the steam sale. Played for 2 hrs. meh. trite.

Went back to CODMW2, still trying to get the flaming skulls banner for M4A1 before MW3. No idea why, just a goal I set myself a year ago. 80 headshots to go!

picked up Magic carpet and dungeon keeper but neither really run properly so, bah...
same for dungeons...

Whitmore

09-09-2011, 07:43 AM

Today I shall play Men Of War: Vietnam, Space Marine 40k and Dead island! I intend to combine them all into one game where I control Space marines hunting zombies in Vietnam!

It shall be known as Men Of Space:Island Of Vietnam:The Marine 40.

sinister agent

09-09-2011, 08:10 AM

Men of Space is a great name for a game.

The JG Man

09-09-2011, 10:43 AM

Also a band!

This week I have...

Tried the Hard Reset demo. I thought it was good. Not great, just good. Great atmosphere, but pretty dull to play. Player movement isn't quick enough, there's not enough feedback on the weapons and...yeah, it feels pretty hollow. Perhaps one for a sale as it was fun to play, but considering the deluge of games at the moment, it can't just be fun, it needs to be really fun.

'Completed' Borderlands. I don't know what Gearbox's intention was of putting in a load of grind quests in the DLC packs. Apart from one in the third and fourth, they were handled hap-hazardly. I'll have to go with the consensus though, the third pack (Secret Armoury) is easily the best. This, for me, is probably due to one of my favourite 'baddies' I've encountered in quite some time. The final pack, the robot revolution, was okay, but fatigue was setting in at that point. Level scaling wasn't working properly so for almost all the DLC content packs, I was gaining barely any levels despite killing hordes. Incidentally, I started a 'Playthrough 2' last night and I was about 10 levels ahead of the average enemy. Sorely disappointing, but, considering I've put 51 hours into the game, I really won't be complaining. I more than got my money's worth and do eagerly await Borderlands 2 now.

In craving some multiplayer man-shooting, I tried Crysis Wars for about 10 minutes. I had no idea what I was doing. Killed a couple of people, died a couple of times. *Shrug* I left. I then went back to Bad Company 2, the first time since playing the BF3 alpha back at the end of July. Felt weird, but it's still good enough.

Finally, I started Dark Messiah of Might and Magic last night. It's pretty good, but suffers from two immediate issues. The first is the Source engine and its "You've moved 20m. Left me just do more loading!". The second is some slightly janky movement. There's a roof-top chase sequence early on and my character really struggled. Swinging on ropes/chains isn't fluid, nor is climbing certain objects or the such. That being said, I'm having fun and I await playing the rest of it...

...of course when that will be, I don't know, as after a small weekend away, I'll hopefully have in my hands a copy of SPHESS MEHREENS. Yeah!

Dominic Tarason

09-09-2011, 06:28 PM

My Game du Jour: Independence War 2. $6 over at GOG.com, 10 years old, and I went and recorded some gameplay footage to highlight that it has barely aged a day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5nuggJaRWA

I'm playing it exclusively with a wired 360 controller, too. No need to touch the keyboard. Information on that (and link to my controller profile - it took a while to assemble) in the youtube description.

Heliocentric

09-09-2011, 06:41 PM

Where's that profile Dominic?

I've finally given alpha protocol an earnest attempt. I wish there was a smarter way to use skills and equipment, but I'm loving stealth and the design of the environments.

But the show is stolen by the conversations, they are so much more nuanced than mass effect and often funny too.

Giaddon

09-09-2011, 06:45 PM

Dominic: Love the game, one of my favorites.

My plate is becoming increasingly full. I'm playing Dead Island, Alpha Protocol (replay), Settlers 7, and Human Revolution (replay). I think I'll try to finish Alpha Protocol (I'm quite near the end), and then settle into Dead Island / Settlers 7, dipping into Human Revolution when I'm in the mood. I'm trying to resists buying NFS: Hot Pursuit while it's on sale.

Also: Settlers 7 is soooooo good, peeps. Funky little city-builder/boardgame.

Dominic Tarason

09-09-2011, 06:46 PM

Where's that profile Dominic?

Link to it in the youtube description, like I just said. Also includes a visual controller map, because I was feeling nice.

Heliocentric

09-09-2011, 07:21 PM

Sorry, I saw the words, but they didn't mean what I read then to mean.

Lukasz

10-09-2011, 11:55 AM

Just did my first turn in play by email (dropbox actually) Alpha Centauri.
very exciting.

Anthile

10-09-2011, 01:17 PM

Still playing The Last Remnant.

http://i.imgur.com/O9427.jpg

Casimir Effect

10-09-2011, 03:26 PM

Still playing The Last Remnant.

You know you're loving it, admit it.

Where have you got to in the story/game (ie. how many unions are you allowed, battle-rank etc)? Tried to take on the Fallen yet?

Ian

10-09-2011, 03:29 PM

Just finished Deus Ex 3.

Very much enjoyed even if the ending could have been done a lot better.

Heliocentric

10-09-2011, 08:49 PM

Just did my first turn in play by email (dropbox actually) Alpha Centauri.
very exciting.
How do I get me some of this, cutting out AI makes Alpha Centuri like 15 times better. Well, I excuse mindworms *because*.

But probe teaming some super expensive tech of a real enemy is that much sweeter.

Lukasz

10-09-2011, 09:12 PM

How do I get me some of this, cutting out AI makes Alpha Centuri like 15 times better. Well, I excuse mindworms *because*.

But probe teaming some super expensive tech of a real enemy is that much sweeter.
there are two AC rps games going at the moment. second game had just started, with me doing the first turn and the other game had been going out for a week already. not sure how are they doing.

SirKicksalot

10-09-2011, 09:13 PM

I'm playing Dead Island. Best game I played this year. The atmosphere, the combat, the violence, the loot, the variety - fucking amazing. It was an impulse buy when I had almost no money left in my account and I'm extremely glad I made it.

Anthile

10-09-2011, 11:32 PM

You know you're loving it, admit it.

Where have you got to in the story/game (ie. how many unions are you allowed, battle-rank etc)? Tried to take on the Fallen yet?

I'm just done with the triple of bossfights in the aquaeducts. Good thing I have done every last goddamn sidequest and was quite overleveled at this point. The Gates of Hell still managed to beat me on my first try. I guess that's the point where most people rage-deinstall the game. I have seen quite a few bosses in my lifetime but this one is especially mean-spirited and evil.

Casimir Effect

11-09-2011, 12:15 AM

I'm just done with the triple of bossfights in the aquaeducts. Good thing I have done every last goddamn sidequest and was quite overleveled at this point. The Gates of Hell still managed to beat me on my first try. I guess that's the point where most people rage-deinstall the game. I have seen quite a few bosses in my lifetime but this one is especially mean-spirited and evil.

Yeah, I have quite a few names for The Gates of Hell and none of them are repeatable in polite conversation, or any conversation in fact. He beat me a couple of times at first and, even after extensive Union restructuring, I still remember it coming down to the wire at the end and praying to the computer gods that he wouldn't do his AoE attack (Blue Blazes I think it was. And as for fucking Pandemonium.... what a bastard. It was still a fight which never seemed impossible though, which is something I love about the game. That being said, his upgraded form is ridiculous. It's called The Fiery Gates, is entirely optional (Guild quest marked with question marks), is found in the same place, and when I attacked it I couldn't even beat the minions (homonculii) it sent out first before even appearing. And I was not a low level.

Glad you're sticking with it. One warning I'd give is this: if you want access to The Ancient Ruins (the optional, high-end dungeon) then you need to do the quest "The Fallen" before going to Undelwalt. The quest starts with Wyngale in Baaluck. It's... a tricky one.

(by the way, Jager should now be recruitable)

Whitmore

11-09-2011, 12:15 PM

Men Of War: Vietnam has started stealing most of my time and bloody hell if it isn't a hard game. I'm playing on Normal, and just.. Damn. I want more than four goddamn men! I've made it to the third mission, which made me take one look at it and go "Yeah, not right now" and close the game.

Not a complaint, but it is hard.. Great fun, though.

Giaddon

11-09-2011, 04:42 PM

Finished my replay of Alpha Protocol. Definitely liked it more the second time around, but I don't think it's one of the greats -- simply too flawed. The whole framing device/conversation with Leland is excellent, however.

Ian

11-09-2011, 05:03 PM

DE:HR successfully finished and enjoyed, I have moved onto Bully. Seems alright thus far but I'm not convinced that I won't get bored of it sooner rather than later.

Edawan

12-09-2011, 12:04 AM

I just started playing Darksiders, and I'd never felt that a game would play better with a gamepad as much as this one. The keyboard layout is really impractical for all the combinations the game requires.

squirrelfanatic

12-09-2011, 06:28 PM

LOL. I don't know what else to say. Apparently, I just finished "New Vegas, Honest Hearts DLC" without experiencing nearly any of the content. SPOILERS ahead.

So I joined this caravan to Zion Canyon. I get an intro cutscene. Cool dude with bandages makes me hope for awesome adventures. At arrival, we get ambushed, everybody except me dies. My Pipboy tells me to go through the canyon. I follow the trail and kill a lot of tribals who try to ambush me, again (silly folks, don't you learn from your mistakes?). I reach some caves. I kill some dudes. A dude with a hat appears. I play TF2, so I know how to handle things like this. I shoot, but not first. I run through some more caves, some more dudes die. I find a map. My Pipboy tells me to return to the entrance of the canyon, which I do. I get a confusing end cutscene, telling me that a lot of people do confusing things because of me (?) being (not?) involved. Most of them I don't even know or recognize. The end. END SPOILER

In short: LOL.

Heliocentric

12-09-2011, 07:36 PM

My first experience of fallout 2 was similar, you might need to replay the dlc eh?

Like a parent with horrible tasting medicine I've been pressuring my fiancee to [don't worry its pg friendly] use the 360 pad while she plays Assassins Creed because its so much more elegant, I mean the 5 mouse button controls seem good for you never having to find a key, but things like weapon selection are so much more seemless. She doesn't like the missions so far, but stabbing people (indiscriminate) and running away (comedy of errors) she enjoys, once she learns to enjoy climbing and jumping off things that's the three pillars of the asscreed games.

200 hours more of tutorial and she can play multiplayer with me.

squirrelfanatic

12-09-2011, 08:31 PM

Yeah, I think I some triggers got messed up or something, don't think this is the way the DLC is intended to play out. ;) But then again, I've got other stuff to do and other dudes to shoot, so this will probably be another time.

vinraith

13-09-2011, 12:29 AM

I'm giving Alpha Protocol another try, and actually getting somewhere with it this time. It's fun to play spy, this kind of setting/set up should be used more often in games, but of course it's every bit as deeply flawed as people say. I've made my peace with the hacking, terrible as it is, but what really gets me is that it's clearly designed for a controller, but the rest of the game is (for me) only playable with mouse and keyboard. The real illustration is the weapons course during orientation. I tried it three times with a controller and never cracked 41. My first try with M&KB I easily cracked 100. This'd be fine if it was easy/fluid to switch control schemes, but having to stop the game to switch to a controller every time I need to hack is a real pain.

The bigger issue I've found, though, is that even by the modern contortion of "role playing game" this isn't one, as I can't really play a role. I have no idea what's going to come out of my character's mouth at a given moment, conversations are just a mini-game to try to provoke the desired reaction by hitting arbitrarily labelled buttons. This is really unfortunate, a spy game should have a much more interesting conversation system and certainly one I can actually control in a meaningful way. My character isn't a character, he's a game avatar that says whatever I think will prompt the best reaction, with no personality of his own.

All that said, the stealth is fun, the gunplay is fun with M&KB, the gadgets are fun, the setting is fun, so I'll stick with it anyway. One can't be picky about espionage games, there quite simply aren't enough of them. Beggars can't be choosers.

The JG Man

13-09-2011, 01:09 AM

So, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic...

...it's pretty cool, isn't it? I'm at what feels like the half-way stage but could be wherever. Are you a bad guy?! I think you are. That is both different and fantastic.

The plot was quite slow before, with the great game-play driving it, but now I'm actually intrigued. There have been a couple of instances of looking online to see where I'm going as I don't think it's made abundantly clear ("Here, find this little crevice that's easily ignorable and a few minutes and a level loading point back the other way.") I'm looking forward to finishing this now.

Heliocentric

13-09-2011, 01:42 AM

I'm Alpha Protocoling too, but I'm finding the conversations easy to read, I suspect you are simply a psychopath and your difficulties stems from a lack of normal human empathy.

I'm stealthing it too, between the shadow ops letting me punch people in the neck and using my pistol with traqs from cover (not just, its a skill you unlock), chain shot, excellence (it refreshes chain shot and shadow ops) and electric shock mines I have not even killed one person.

I'm 85% through Taipei and done with Rome.

MD!

13-09-2011, 02:09 AM

Quake Live duelling has started to drive me insane again, so for a change of pace, and to celebrate the final release of New Vision, I'm starting yet another Deus Ex playthrough.

I normally shoot a lot of people with my pistol, but this time I'm planning on a primarily non-lethal playthrough, with some fire-related exceptions. I'm packing a GEP gun too, as always, but this time it's totally going to be for bots and doors. (Well, that's what I'm letting Paul believe, anyway...)

For some reason I've never done much prodding with the prod, despite it being such a funny weapon to use. That'll change this time!

vinraith

13-09-2011, 02:27 AM

I'm Alpha Protocoling too, but I'm finding the conversations easy to read, I suspect you are simply a psychopath and your difficulties stems from a lack of normal human empathy.

I wouldn't rule it out.

Seriously though, if by "easy to read" you mean "easy to hit the right button to move someone's attitude up or down one point, depending on which you want" I'd agree that it's straightforward. That's not really a conversation system though, it's a minigame. I never say what I say because I'm roleplaying a character, I just say it to generate the desired reaction. To a point that makes sense in an espionage game, I suppose, but it doesn't exactly make for any sense of creating a character.

Tikey

13-09-2011, 02:30 AM

For some reason I've never done much prodding with the prod, despite it being such a funny weapon to use. That'll change this time!

Prod with the prod!

I'm on a second playthrough of Human Revolution, being more prone to killing than last time. Still it's hard for me no to play, well... like me.

ford

13-09-2011, 06:07 AM

Finally got my new gaming rig up and running, so I've been playing DX:HR. Loving it so far, trying to go for a commando kind of build. AJ don't have time to stack boxes and shit, nawmean?

Heliocentric

13-09-2011, 07:52 AM

Actually, its somewhere inbetween what you and I suggested. The Mass Effect mini quote is more useful, but generally if you pick an option in the last few seconds I can gauge the conversation.

I need to say that right out of playing a few splinter cell games. notably conviction the AI is dumb ad bricks predictable during stealth and the walking animations are straight out of deus ex.

Heliocentric

13-09-2011, 08:10 AM

The baton if infinitely more useful, combat strength Aug, melee skill and suprise can take down almost anyone with no ammo cost and power is much more plentiful, especially if you use repair bots.

Similar

13-09-2011, 09:55 AM

Minecrafting away while humming the famous eighties hit song, "It's my mountain and I'll remove it if I want to".

Rather poor timing, though; from what I've read, it sounds unlikely you can use 1.7 worlds with 1.8, so I imagine that the second I finish the track from my main base to the mountain removal area, 1.8 will be released.

Olero

13-09-2011, 10:49 AM

Dungeon Crawl Duck Soup - tiles

Aargh, 'tis a hard game. And addicting! Only made it to the 7th level so far, with a deathcount of some 15 characters (some of which died really really quick by quaffing a wrong potion, forgotting to heal, attacking with a wrong weapon or just meeting the wrong enemies..._)

Really enjoyed playing as a Half Ling sniper and the "extra life" Felid.

zakman

13-09-2011, 08:34 PM

Just finished Bastion, and now playing Space Pirates & Zombies on the laptop while I wait for replacement parts for the desktop. Once that's up and running it's going to be DX:HR all day, every day :)

Lukasz

13-09-2011, 11:18 PM

hooked up on terraria again. wanna built a huge city. will take a while.
bosses became somehow pathetically easy to kill imo. especially the eater. i can kill two in under 5 minutes with 140 HP and 40 mana.

vinraith

14-09-2011, 11:23 PM

sinister agent

15-09-2011, 12:00 AM

If you're going non-lethal, you'll be wanting to karate most people you meet in the head, rather than tranquilising them.

Heliocentric

15-09-2011, 12:18 AM

Heliocentric

15-09-2011, 12:33 AM

vinraith

15-09-2011, 01:01 AM

oh, yes don't try to traq/electrocute nade unless you can't sneak up behind them in person, one tap of e and they are out of action. the sneak skill can be combined with silent takedowns to clear a crowded room with no alarms.

Not all rooms though, or again perhaps I'm just not very good at it. I can maange a room with two or three guards with silent takedowns, beyond that the patterns get too complex and I tend to say "fuck it," especially if there's a guy in a watchtower. I had completely forgotten about the stun grenades, though, and don't know how to use the noise maker, so it sounds like my main problem is failing to avail myself of all my options.

sabrage

15-09-2011, 05:47 AM

I just beat From Dust. I'll probably check out the challenges in a month or so. I was quite disappointed by the "sandbox" map at the end; it just didn't have the same tension the actual story missions did (and I liked those.) The mouse control was abysmal and I hated that I couldn't skip the cutscenes when restarting a map, but besides those two quibbles and the fact that I had to manually tell the game to use the "Gamepad" control setup every time I launched, it was a very enjoyable little game.

My Picross 3D addiction is still coming along nicely; I'm about 2/3 of the way through the puzzles. I usually pick it up, play puzzles until I make a mistake, and immediately shut it off when I do.

Next up: Finish Bastion

Heliocentric

15-09-2011, 07:19 AM

C brings up a gadget list just like Z for skills and X for guns, G uses the currently selected item, you might need to buy what you want from clearing house and equip it in your cabinet/mission briefing.
Noise maker generates a disturbance where your crosshair would be. if you are using it near cover (as you should) them be sure to mount the cover with space to avoid firing a noise near yourself.

You'll need to buy the noise generator.

hold down C to draw an arc for your grenades, if they see it they might run away from the grenade, so try and corner them guard towers are excellent targets.

edit: stupid auto complete

Drake Sigar

15-09-2011, 07:20 AM

Still playing Alpha Protocol, but rapidly losing patience. Do I just really suck, or are there arenas throughout these missions where stealth simply won't get you through? Similarly, do I just really suck or is there not nearly enough non-lethal ammunition to make a non-lethal playthrough practical? I'm on my first mission in Saudi Arabia (Nasri), I've retried it several times now, but no matter what I do it invariably devolves into a third person cover shooter with lethal ammo as the only option.
What are you wearing?

Err, I’m not a pervert. I meant your character, what is your character wearing? You want armour which offers sufficient sound dampening. If you can’t afford it right away, it might be more beneficial to switch to civilian clothes instead. You’ll get better stealth skills and upgradable armour as you progress, but until then just assume that if an enemy faces your direction, he can see you.

I’ve managed to get through a lot of missions without firing a single shot, either by using non-lethal melee takedowns or sneaking past entirely. Nasri's place is a bitch, the last guarded room is a particularly nasty blighter. If you want to bring up a certain room I may be able to help a bit more. There are so many blindspots to exploit and carefully timed routes to avoid all contact. Just think of me as a caucasian Morpheus.

The JG Man

15-09-2011, 11:03 PM

So, of the 11 games I bought in the Steam summer sale (of which Just Cause 2 and Super Meat Boy I won't be including in the following count due to already completing them on my 360) I have finished my 6th out of 9 fresh games. The latter, Dark Messiah of Might and Magic. And it's pretty darn fun. Completed it on Normal difficulty in 12 hours, which I think is pretty good for paying £1.50. I started off the game quite balanced between Warrior and Mage (and completely ignoring Thief/Assassin/Whatever it's called in this game) but in the end went with sword and broad, having a healthy stock of mana and the Heal spell.

The combat, the meat of the game, is generally very fun. Using a sword is satisfying, especially with better swords and abilities. Early on, magic definitely seems to give you an advantage. The bows are alright; they're not rubbish, but it's hard sometimes to tell when they're working well. In fact, that would be only complaint with the combat, that sometimes you have almost no feedback on how much damage you're doing. Usually you can just about work it out that your tactic is working correctly, but it's not ideal. It was also quite cumbersome to equip a shield on occasions, as you need to have your sword equipped before donning a shield. It makes sense and you're probably thinking "Well why is this a problem?" Sometimes you need to use your bow, or a spell, so when you go back to using your weapons, you have to reload them both in order. Perhaps it's to do with "tactical decision making" regarding what tactics you used, but it just felt unnecessary.

Similarly, the limited inventory. You don't have that much stuff to pick up, so having an arbitrary limit, again, seemed silly, but it doesn't really impact negatively. In the same way that the plot and dialogue doesn't really impact negatively, although it's rubbish. Here's the plot of DMoM&M - There's a bad dude, with an artefact, you need to stop him. Granted, there were a couple of neat choices to be made and a very interesting twist, of sorts, but it's essentially not used. The ending is a complete joke, but at that point I didn't mind. It is what it is, which is a suitable vehicle for letting you decapitate enemy warriors and kicking or making orcs slide off cliffs. Yes, the kicking in this game is good.

It's really the limitations that are the problem. You have a stamina bar, limiting how far you can run for and enabling jumping and kicking. There's no need for it. If you're kicking, you're vulnerable. If you're jumping, you might be out of immediate harm, but the more powerful enemies all have ranged attacks. There are also no boss fights that are made specifically easier by having infinite run. The fun factor would've been increased and with no concern of balance (although, I haven't checked out the MP component and more than likely won't be doing so).

Besides the few limitations and the bad plot/dialogue, my biggest gripes were with movement and bugs. In the case of the former, climbing up terrain, which you're supposed to be able to do, is really hard. Every time I'd try and do it, I felt like the game was flipping a coin, trying to decide if it would let me do so. There would also be times when I'd try to move, but a small, small stone would stop me and usually get me killed.

For the latter, here's a great example; in the final boss fight, because I attacked early (and indeed had no reason to not) the fight bugged and was unwinnable. That's pretty poor. That's the final fight there. Sigh. There are a few others, such as camera alignment suddenly stopping working while climbing up rope/chains and a few others I can't particularly remember but remember being annoyed about. They don't ruin the game, but they certainly dampen it's good, rich funness.

All in all, great game for the combat, with some occasionally interesting dialogue and plot changes, but which are mostly throw-away. Worth getting, if it's £1.50...or £5.10.

Next up: Amnesia!

TailSwallower

16-09-2011, 01:07 AM

Next up: Amnesia!

A friend of mine gifted it to me but I've barely touched it. We should have an Amnesia race!

Anthile

16-09-2011, 01:12 AM

The jumping in Dark Messiah was so awkward. It seemed like you could jump two meters high but only half a meter far. I soon learned to quicksave before every jump over bottomless pits.

vinraith

16-09-2011, 01:33 AM

What are you wearing?

Err, I’m not a pervert. I meant your character, what is your character wearing? You want armour which offers sufficient sound dampening. If you can’t afford it right away, it might be more beneficial to switch to civilian clothes instead. You’ll get better stealth skills and upgradable armour as you progress, but until then just assume that if an enemy faces your direction, he can see you.

I’ve managed to get through a lot of missions without firing a single shot, either by using non-lethal melee takedowns or sneaking past entirely. Nasri's place is a bitch, the last guarded room is a particularly nasty blighter. If you want to bring up a certain room I may be able to help a bit more. There are so many blindspots to exploit and carefully timed routes to avoid all contact. Just think of me as a caucasian Morpheus.

I'm right at the beginning of the game, I don't even have the option to buy different armor. The default armor has a sound suppression of 4, civilian clothing have one of 5, surely the armor is the better bet there?

I think, much as I want it to be otherwise, that I just don't have the patience for pure stealth play. What are the consequences of just shooting the damned terrorists?

sinister agent

16-09-2011, 03:26 AM

The Guardian goes mental, for a start.

tomeoftom

16-09-2011, 04:56 AM

I've been enjoying RO2, MC 1.8, and bumming around in Dx3 making stupid videos:

http://youtu.be/jdnu8eVKxno
http://youtu.be/cxayFIFekOY

sabrage

16-09-2011, 06:26 AM

K, didn't end up playing Bastion at all.

Started up Blood Money again. Got right up to the end of the mission but died trying to escape. I like that there's no checkpoints. Both Rookie and Normal have really invasive tips at the top of the screen telling you what to do next; do these continue after the first mission or should I kick it up to Expert or even Professional? I doubt I'll be using any mid-level saves regardless.

After I died, I shut it down and decided to try Sword of the Stars for the first time. Instead, I ended up reading a good portion of the manual and watching all the in-game tutorial videos (while simultaneously playing Picross 3D) before deciding that I didn't have the devotion to learn this game at this particular moment and exited the game without even attempting the tutorial mission.

Finally, I started up VANQUISH. This game is straight-up badass, and actually sold me on Shadows of the Damned now because I guess I'm not as burned-out on TPS as I thought. Nonstop action, tons of enemies and allies fighting all at once, great weapons and a cool upgrade system... It honestly feels like the game I wanted Halo to become. I'm having a ton of fun but it's HARD and exhausting in that way that only Platinum knows how. I picked it up for less than $15 off Newegg a week or so ago and it's already shaping up to be one of my favorite games in a long time. I love the constant emphasis on movement and the bullet-time system actually seems useful because of the hectic pace. Compare to games like Dead Space and FEAR, where the slow motion was just tacked on to make an already easy game even easier (resulting in my never using it.)

Whitmore

16-09-2011, 07:09 AM

I'd love them to port Vanquish and Shadows of the damned to PC. They'd be fun.

Playing a heavily Modded Morrowind. It's great fun, and looks as good as Oblivion(In my opinion)

Heliocentric

16-09-2011, 08:08 AM

Heavily Modded Morrowind..looks as good as Oblivion
Did you install the melted wax faces mod for the complete oblivion look?

Anthile

16-09-2011, 08:32 AM

Whitmore

16-09-2011, 08:45 AM

Did you install the melted wax faces mod for the complete oblivion look?

I did one better! I replaced every head with a candle.

Drake Sigar

16-09-2011, 09:03 AM

I'm right at the beginning of the game, I don't even have the option to buy different armor. The default armor has a sound suppression of 4, civilian clothing have one of 5, surely the armor is the better bet there?

I think, much as I want it to be otherwise, that I just don't have the patience for pure stealth play. What are the consequences of just shooting the damned terrorists?

Yeah I'd stick with the armour.

Nobody seems to care how you perform in Saudi, but there are many points throughout the game where a basic level of stealth is required. You’re also sometimes given extra rewards (you can kill a boss in Saudi’s last mission without him even being aware of you), and most characters are impressed by professionalism.

Then again, some characters are downright turned on by you blowing away anything that moves. Stealthing is the preferred way to play so you have all the options available to you, but if you want to be a gun-toting mercenary, who’s obsessed with redecorating every warehouse in hint of brain, go for it. At least you’ll get to thoroughly search every place you clear out.

Heliocentric

16-09-2011, 09:26 AM

Finished Alpha protocol, end game for me turned into 48 seconds of invisibility (shadow, excellence, shadow) walk around a room punching everyone in the neck.

I'll try and keep spoilers to a minimum but I kept to my less than lethal run, but I want to try a no stealth powers and no reloads run, I guess I can do a veteran run as well since that that run wad recruit.

The aimbot assault rifle skill sounds like fun. Also after checking the wiki on triggering alternate endings I think part of the end is bugged because I saved a life that isn't indicated and the talking in a cutscene suggested I picked to opposite ending for Taipei.

Heliocentric

16-09-2011, 01:18 PM

I re-dug through Alpha Protocol started a veteran game, nice having foreknowledge at times, but a lot of the magic is gone. Eager to get heck and call on him often, but actually I realised that after this I don't have a "next" game.

Downloading GTA4 on steam, maybe running people over in the big pear (just like an apple right?) will suit me.

Giaddon

16-09-2011, 01:43 PM

Both Rookie and Normal have really invasive tips at the top of the screen telling you what to do next; do these continue after the first mission or should I kick it up to Expert or even Professional?

The first mission is a tutorial mission. There are no tips in any other missions at any difficulty (I believe, never played easy).

vinraith

16-09-2011, 02:07 PM

Yeah I'd stick with the armour.

Nobody seems to care how you perform in Saudi, but there are many points throughout the game where a basic level of stealth is required. You’re also sometimes given extra rewards (you can kill a boss in Saudi’s last mission without him even being aware of you), and most characters are impressed by professionalism.

Then again, some characters are downright turned on by you blowing away anything that moves. Stealthing is the preferred way to play so you have all the options available to you, but if you want to be a gun-toting mercenary, who’s obsessed with redecorating every warehouse in hint of brain, go for it. At least you’ll get to thoroughly search every place you clear out.

I'd like to continue to play stealthy, but not feel compelled to reload every time I'm spotted or set off an alarm. I'm very unclear of the consequences of that, if there even are any, so I've been playing it like an "instafail" stealth game even though it's not one. I'm holding myself to a sufficient standard that I'm actually killing the game, because frankly I suck at/have little patience for pure stealth games. In short, I seem to be hitting some internal psychological defect that's screwing up the game for me.

In other news, I started playing Revenge of the Titans again, for the first time since the beta. I quite like what they've done with it, though I haven't worked out a strategy I'm happy with just yet. Great game though, strategically, graphically, and musically.

Giaddon

16-09-2011, 02:18 PM

Vinraith:
Specialize in pistols and stealth, at least (I believe you are already doing this?). Sooner rather than later you will find a silencer for your pistol, which makes the stealth game much easier.

Use "awareness" (a stealth ability) to see where guards are and where they are facing.

Don't play the game as an instafail stealth game! The checkpoint system is built into the game to encourage players to roll with their failings and experience the consequences of their play. This goes for both gameplay and conversations. Especially early on, before you get advanced abilities/equipment, it is very hard to go through a mission without being spotted. Don't worry about that -- it's not a pure-stealth game.

Consequences of an alarm are: guards know where you are. In a few missions, there will be specific outcomes if you trip an alarm, but it is never game-failing/ending to trip an alarm.

Consequences of killing: Depends. You are expected to kill your enemies, and not kill civilians. You will later meet certain factions whose members you may want to kill or not -- both options are viable and lead you through the game.

It's also useful to have some combat skills for the boss fights. Chainshot (pistol) is perfect for this.

Really, try to get through Saudi Arabia as quickly as you can, because the game really opens up and improves once you're out of the desert.

vinraith

16-09-2011, 02:23 PM

Thanks Giaddon, that's good to hear. I'll try to quit worrying about it. :)

Drake Sigar

16-09-2011, 03:15 PM

Vinraith:
Don't play the game as an instafail stealth game! The checkpoint system is built into the game to encourage players to roll with their failings and experience the consequences of their play. This goes for both gameplay and conversations. Especially early on, before you get advanced abilities/equipment, it is very hard to go through a mission without being spotted. Don't worry about that -- it's not a pure-stealth game.
I’m a perfectionist. Reloading at the last checkpoint every time someone spots me may be frustrating at times, but it’s all worth it just to get those words of awe from my associates and a neat reputation boost.

*Dissolves into the background*

Heliocentric

16-09-2011, 03:30 PM

vinraith

16-09-2011, 03:52 PM

I’m a perfectionist. Reloading at the last checkpoint every time someone spots me may be frustrating at times, but it’s all worth it just to get those words of awe from my associates and a neat reputation boost.

*Dissolves into the background*

You're really not helping, you know that? :)

Ban yourself from reloading

I suspect that's very good advice. I'm driving myself mad reloading, I need to just take my damned lumps and roll with it.

Casimir Effect

16-09-2011, 10:18 PM

Well... guess.

After giving the seven the beating of their lifetime (well, except for Milton - that was one of the most bizarre bossfights ever) and rolling over some of the most profilic rare monsters, I thought I did rather well - until I tried to take on The Fallen. In all the previous bossfights, no matter how tough they were, I never got the feeling they're impossible to defeat. This time I really have no idea how either now or at any time in the future I could ever beat him, bar insane level grinding. He has so many cheap attacks but that's not even the real problem. The fight also has a time limit. Grmbl.

Milton teaches you the meaning of dickmove with Overdrive. The seven fight is actually one of my favourite, especially if you've met them all previously. And getting Torgal his 'Lugh's Revenge' move is great.

The Fallen is... yeah... I did warn you. He goes something like this: you have 10 turns to beat him and at the end of every turn he almost always uses a certain bigass spell (one of the Magica spells as they're known). If he uses a spell called Life Spring at the end of one of these turns then you're basically fucked. It heals him completely and you won't have time to beat him without being superhighlevel. The worst he casts at you is Animalcule because it can give every status effect known to man which effectively disables a union. And as you mention his normal moves can be entirely dickish as well, especially when they hurt more than 1 union.

The other bad part of the fight is Wyngale. This guy... this fucking guy. You'll accidentely heal him rather than the union who needed it. You'll mistakenly resurrect him when all your other unions are down. Yet he does nothing in terms of damage and can be the cause of all your unions being hit by something. He's a dick and there should be a "Dump this asshat" option before the quest.

To beat him you need lots of people knowing Vivification herb or some resurrection Art (like Kiss of Life), lots of healing Arts in general (like Revitalize), some well levelled morale-reducing Arts (like Addle), and some high-level combat arts. I got my ass kicked a few times at first and had almost given up. I decided to give it one last go and got his health flashing (<30%) and must have gotten close before turn 10 rolled around and killed me. So I gave it another shot, had far worse luck but my final guy standing killed him. Everyone else was down, it was turn 10, and my guy won initiative and beat his ass. One of my proudest gaming moments.

He's only worth beating to get to the Ancient Ruins, which is a nice place for fighting & looting and something the PC version screwed up on (this area is just bought as DLC in the 360 version). But it isn't necessary to go there, only really if you're a completionist.

And I should also mention there is a DLC form of The Fallen too (there is for all the big bosses including the Seven). He's called The Lost, hangs out in the Southwestern Road, had twice the hitpoints, higher level attacks, and you only get 5 turns. I'm not even touching that.

Casimir Effect

16-09-2011, 10:25 PM

Want to really stop worrying about stealth? Ban yourself from reloading, and unlock sabotage 1, buy a bunch of emp grenades so you can speed past any hacks or lockpicks you don't fancy your chances with and turn off alarms.
I'm thinking I'll take a shotgun and kung fu Chuck Norris style.
But I won't be replaying for a while though, so...

I've already progressed quite far quake 4, dead space and overlord 2 but I think I've given up on them, at least for now.
GTA 4, Stalker or The Witcher are my Current singleplayer shortlist titles.
Suggestions anyone?

If you haven't played GTA4 it is well worth it. That game does a lot right and has a great feel. Like all GTA games it starts to suffer towards the end when you're getting a big bored and the mission get so long you yearn for some sort of checkpoint system. It's worth it for some of the characters though, which are the strongest point of the game.

I have Stalker but something about it doesn't agree with me - possibly its punishing nature. But it is well thought of around here so I'm sure someone else could persuade you to play it.

The Witcher is a fun game but has quite a poor flow: plot highs are often followed by drudgery where there's an overreliance on collect this, kill that and fetch this quests, made all the more annoying by them being dependant on the time of the day somehow. But the story and characters are often excellent, the world and atmosphere are what Bioware wish Dragon Age could have been, the combat and progression system are decent and allow for a variety of character builds, and the sex cards should be treated as a developer mistake and never spoken of again.

Just coming off Alpha Protocol, I'd recommend GTA 4.

Anthile

17-09-2011, 09:33 AM

Well yeah, these are the moments I just want to throw the game out of the window:
231

hamster

17-09-2011, 09:49 AM

Ehh I hated GTA 4. The "missions" felt like v. simple templates (chase after him, kill him, blah) and when reloading a mission doesn't take you to the mission area, but all the way back to where you GET the mission, which means a crap load of driving. It was so bad i quit after 10 hours.

Go for Witcher. Some tedious bits with the sidequests (lots of running back & forth between quest giver and quest area) but everything is fairly enjoyable. Story is nice, plot is intriguing and the environments are nice. You should try & download a difficulty mod though for some degree of challenge - otherwise the alchemy system is pretty redundant since you can just hack/blast everything to pieces.

Heliocentric

17-09-2011, 10:42 AM

Cant you just hop in a taxi to get to the mission?

Althea

17-09-2011, 10:45 AM

Ehh I hated GTA 4. The "missions" felt like v. simple templates (chase after him, kill him, blah) and when reloading a mission doesn't take you to the mission area, but all the way back to where you GET the mission, which means a crap load of driving. It was so bad i quit after 10 hours.
The Witcher is different how? Kill 20 of these to get 10 items, kill Y monsters to get X items to place in objects A thru G, go talk to Person 1 then go to Person 3. At least GTA made things fun, and you could always spend a lot of time not doing missions and just dicking about in Liberty City. The multiplayer can be pretty good, too, and Rockstar are still holding events for it after all this time.

GTA IV isn't the greatest game ever, but Helio won't find a better GTA-esque sandbox until Saints Row The Third in November.

Heliocentric

17-09-2011, 10:49 AM

GTA IV isn't the greatest game ever, but Helio won't find a better GTA-esque sandbox until Saints Row The Third in November.
My favourite GTA-esque game is assassins creed brotherhood, it really is one too.

But you remind me I have saints row 2, but performance concerns always put me off.

GothicEmperor

17-09-2011, 11:11 AM

Dawn of War II: Retribution. The Ork campaign is hilarious, from the pirate Warboss to the item descriptions. ALso some damn good fun.

I'll take Relic-style RTS over DotA any day.

Casimir Effect

17-09-2011, 11:56 AM

Well yeah, these are the moments I just want to throw the game out of the window:
231

If you have a good memory and can remember where the union got terminated then there's a chance you can tell who will be brought back: if not engaged in a deadlock a purely healing action such as Bring Them Back should indicate the target via a green line on the minimap. So if the green line is pointing to the bit of empty ground (blank map) where a specific union died then that is the one which will be brought back. This isn't really practical though so often it's worth doing it and praying.

Doesn'tmeananything

17-09-2011, 12:27 PM

At least GTA made things fun, and you could always spend a lot of time not doing missions and just dicking about in Liberty City.

You have to be joking there. The most abhorrently boring missions in the series had the luck to be placed in GTAIV. The pained memories I have of that game are me getting into a cab and driving to a mission giver, skipping the trip in order not to waste time getting there by other means, vainly hoping that this time I'd get something interesting to do. Apart from story missions, what other options the game provided? Oh, you could hang out with your friends, i.e. drive them to a cafe, strip club, whatever and play horrible mini-games. What else? You could annoy the police. Should I tell you how quickly those chases become old? And racing? Or stealing cars with no challenge at all and then driving carefully to a garage? God, no. There was so little incentive to not concentrate on progressing through bad story, as if that wasn't awful enough. I can't but feel that GTAIV is one the worst GTA-esque games yet.

It does have one good set of missions that rely heavily on exploration, though. Those were nice.

Myself, I'm on a third-person action spree and playing Tomb Raider Anniversary, Darksiders and PoP Forgotten Sands. Enjoying all of them.

agentorange

17-09-2011, 12:38 PM

Hearing the news about Syndicate got me reminiscing about isometric tactical combat games, and I happened to have Final Fantasy: Tactics War of the Lions lying around; having put it down in frustration two years I decided to get back into it and complete it. I find myself more engrossed in it than I was two years ago; I was a little impatient with the game back then but now I don't mind the slower pace, and it actually makes for a relaxing experience as I can listen to a podcast or some such while grinding away for job titles.

Althea

17-09-2011, 12:42 PM

*Snip*
I've always seen GTA IV as a make-your-own-fun game. I admit that, as someone rather uncreative, it can get boring quickly but sometimes it's fun.

hamster

17-09-2011, 01:16 PM

The Witcher is different how? Kill 20 of these to get 10 items, kill Y monsters to get X items to place in objects A thru G, go talk to Person 1 then go to Person 3. At least GTA made things fun, and you could always spend a lot of time not doing missions and just dicking about in Liberty City. The multiplayer can be pretty good, too, and Rockstar are still holding events for it after all this time.

GTA IV isn't the greatest game ever, but Helio won't find a better GTA-esque sandbox until Saints Row The Third in November.

Perhaps I'm missing something. When I played GTA 4 all the missions (at least up to the point i got to) were factory templates. Go clear that nest of bad guys; chase down the fleeing vehicle; go ice that guy. The kill missions basically had you go through an area and shoot down a bunch of thugs. To me the thugs all felt the same: bunch of idiots that had a few crappy automatic weapons. I mean if there was a bit more story behind the people you killed and a bit more choreography, scripted events, or the possibility of approaching things differently it could've been fun. But it just felt like they put up a boring environment with a bit of cover and placed a bunch of baddies inside. At no point did the missions feel like a set of dynamic events unfolding, requiring thought, attention and reaction. I felt no satisfaction (or really anything at all) completing any of the bite sized missions, only frustration when i failed catching up to some stupid car.