Ooh, gotta seriously disagree with you there Ermin - I've never played KOTOR, and I'm not speaking at all about the gameplay, but as a big sci-fi fan I can still say that the universe of Mass Effect is one of the most incredible and immersive constructs I've ever encountered; if you read all the codex entries (as I of course did to get the full experience), the amount of backstory they put into the races to really flesh them out (which makes sense, cuz it's easier to write for someone or something you know, even if what you know is what you created), not to mention the universe as a whole, from the physical properties of Dark Matter and Element Zero to the Citadel and the Reapers that created it, GOD what a masterpiece of sci-fi storytelling...
Gamers, what are your decisions?
- Thread starter IronMaiden15
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Ooh, gotta seriously disagree with you there Ermin - I've never played KOTOR, and I'm not speaking at all about the gameplay, but as a big sci-fi fan I can still say that the universe of Mass Effect is one of the most incredible and immersive constructs I've ever encountered; if you read all the codex entries (as I of course did to get the full experience), the amount of backstory they put into the races to really flesh them out (which makes sense, cuz it's easier to write for someone or something you know, even if what you know is what you created), not to mention the universe as a whole, from the physical properties of Dark Matter and Element Zero to the Citadel and the Reapers that created it, GOD what a masterpiece of sci-fi storytelling...
I never said they did claim that they had a state of the art engine. However, they knew they did. At the time of Half-Life 2, the physics and lighting were phenomenal, and they still are. Valve's Source engine did a great job at standing the test of time; for example, Left 4 Dead. With the the new AI director in Left 4 Dead, the engine just got even better.
Um no, to add what Marcus said, the goal of the two game were totally different. Besides the BioWare mission statement of delivering games with superb stories, BioWare had a different plan with Mass Effect. If you play through both KOTOR and Mass Effect, you can tell that Mass Effect had superior cinematic presentation. I believe BioWare wanted to make Mass Effect like a great movie. Which is why they added the film grain filter and motion blur; to create a cinematic experience. They also did a great job with the voice acting and conversation gestures. I haven't seen anything like it in any other game. They put so much thought and back story and crafted it very carefully to make sure it doesn't contradict anything, which is very impressive for a very new IP. Comparing Mass Effect to KOTOR is like comparing Half-Life 2 to Team Fortress 2.
GarethSE
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Best animations? Dunno about that. I think the award for that has to go to Assassin's Creed. Great dialogue though, and most of the voice acting is fantastic indeed.
Tbh, best voice acting award should go to Oblivion of course ;]
Nah, in all honesty though, this generation has been fucking amazing.
The amount games have advanced as an artform this generation is just mindblowing.
The concentration of games that are thought provoking emotionally, visually and story wise over the last year is simply ridiculous.
And that's one point where I think GTA IV *TRULY* deserves praise. Niko Bellic should, in theory, be accepted as a scumbag through and through, but you come around to sympathising with him very quickly, and questioning the nature of morality as a result of it.
And technology wise? Crysis and Far Cry 2 on highest settings on my PC just utterly blow me away.
And a special mention to Far Cry 2 for advancing immersion in games years beyond anything else released this generation.
Now all of a sudden there's a crap load of games coming out with practically no HUD, animations to show you actually getting into vehicles rather than appearing inside them in a split second, proper day night cycles, and a true sense of place, and I'm gonna attribute Far Cry 2 with being one of the first games to be truly immersive.
AudioGeekZine
arsehole know-it-all
GTA IV is finally on PC WOOT!!
At one point I was very close to buying a ps3 or xbox just so I could play it.
At one point I was very close to buying a ps3 or xbox just so I could play it.
I've played GTA IV and although good, I still think Mass Effect was superior in that category. That's just my opinion though.
Eh, Mass Effect has good voice acting, though the animation leaves a bit to be desired IMO (though I suppose that's just cuz I got sick of seeing the same animations over and over 
) - the worst is when they try to get the characters to smile though, ye gods! 
Looks like Bioware still has some tweaking to do on their facial animation skillz...
) - the worst is when they try to get the characters to smile though, ye gods! Looks like Bioware still has some tweaking to do on their facial animation skillz...
Ermz
¯\(°_o)/¯
Re: Mass Effect.
When I compare games the first thing that usually springs to mind is gameplay mechanics.
KOTOR 1&2: You start the game at a point of origin which is used to familiarize you with the gameplay. After you complete a set of objectives to turn around your main goal for this sector, you are given a spacecraft with a limited party of NPCs to converse with/choose from. You are then given a quasi-linear mission structure where you get to choose from a number of locales (read: planets) to have at. Despite how you choose to accomplish these (given that there are usually two outcomes to each localized objective), and despite which order it's done in the game's finale still solely hangs on 1) your alignment, or more likely, 2) a decision you make prior to the end of the game. Throughout the course of the game you recruit other NPCs to add to your finite party, all of which have unique heritage and their own set of baggage, morality and predisposition. Sounding like Mass Effect so far?
I applaud the writers for creating yet another sci-fi universe, with its own lore and history to add to the dozens already out there. However, there are no drawing points to the Mass Effect universe remotely as enticing as the Star Wars one, when it is put in the right hands. The quality of story line in both KOTOR games absolutely leaves Mass Effect in a pile. From discovering who you are in KOTOR 1, to creating your first lightsaber, from your party noticing your fall to the darkside, to the philosophical self-struggle in KOTOR 2. Mass Effect is essentially just a KOTOR game without Jedi. It seems to have attempted to replace the religious Jedi order and the unquantifiable 'force' with something a little more tangible like 'dark energy' or whatever they called it (the game was so forgettable I can barely remember anything about it). As a footnote: I did read all the Codex entries and fully immerse myself in the story.
@IronMaiden: The reason they added film grain and motion blur is because most other pseudo-cinematic experience games are packing it on in shovel loads. It appears to be the current fashion. Ironically it seems to increase a player's immersion, as they feel they are playing through a motion picture. We have had plenty of cinematic games in the past. It's one of the most straightforward things for game developers to shoot for. Don't want to make a revolutionary game that's freeform and actually considers player input as consequential? Hell, why not just make it play like a linear motion picture! The devs get all the control and subsequently choose how to feed you all the information and events. There is nothing new about how Mass Effect is presented. The gameplay mechanics were already done in the KOTOR series and Jade Empire, and the cinematic nature of storyline presentation has been done by many others before.
I personally don't play an RPG to feel like I'm watching a movie. The primary drawcard is the ability to make decisions in the game that actually affect the game world in some significant way. This is where almost every modern RPG has failed in some significant way. From memory, Fallout 2 is the last game that truly allowed you to do this. Fallout 3 failed, Mass Effect failed, The Elder Scrolls failed, and heck even my treasured KOTOR series failed in this regard - though KOTOR did mask it with some amazingly well written story.
Anyway I'm ranting and have forgotten the whole point of my post. What it does come down to regardless is that KOTOR > Mass Effect. Mass Effect = average & finally of course Fallout 1, 2 & Planescape Torment > Every game ever made.
EDIT: Amendment: I believe that Arcanum was in fact the last game to allow a player to truly make a consequential mark on the game world. This one came out after Fallout 2. I keep forgetting about it as I didn't enjoy playing it, but many do, and I would suggest at least trying it. It is at least miles ahead of most modern RPGs, even with all its flaws.
When I compare games the first thing that usually springs to mind is gameplay mechanics.
KOTOR 1&2: You start the game at a point of origin which is used to familiarize you with the gameplay. After you complete a set of objectives to turn around your main goal for this sector, you are given a spacecraft with a limited party of NPCs to converse with/choose from. You are then given a quasi-linear mission structure where you get to choose from a number of locales (read: planets) to have at. Despite how you choose to accomplish these (given that there are usually two outcomes to each localized objective), and despite which order it's done in the game's finale still solely hangs on 1) your alignment, or more likely, 2) a decision you make prior to the end of the game. Throughout the course of the game you recruit other NPCs to add to your finite party, all of which have unique heritage and their own set of baggage, morality and predisposition. Sounding like Mass Effect so far?
I applaud the writers for creating yet another sci-fi universe, with its own lore and history to add to the dozens already out there. However, there are no drawing points to the Mass Effect universe remotely as enticing as the Star Wars one, when it is put in the right hands. The quality of story line in both KOTOR games absolutely leaves Mass Effect in a pile. From discovering who you are in KOTOR 1, to creating your first lightsaber, from your party noticing your fall to the darkside, to the philosophical self-struggle in KOTOR 2. Mass Effect is essentially just a KOTOR game without Jedi. It seems to have attempted to replace the religious Jedi order and the unquantifiable 'force' with something a little more tangible like 'dark energy' or whatever they called it (the game was so forgettable I can barely remember anything about it). As a footnote: I did read all the Codex entries and fully immerse myself in the story.
@IronMaiden: The reason they added film grain and motion blur is because most other pseudo-cinematic experience games are packing it on in shovel loads. It appears to be the current fashion. Ironically it seems to increase a player's immersion, as they feel they are playing through a motion picture. We have had plenty of cinematic games in the past. It's one of the most straightforward things for game developers to shoot for. Don't want to make a revolutionary game that's freeform and actually considers player input as consequential? Hell, why not just make it play like a linear motion picture! The devs get all the control and subsequently choose how to feed you all the information and events. There is nothing new about how Mass Effect is presented. The gameplay mechanics were already done in the KOTOR series and Jade Empire, and the cinematic nature of storyline presentation has been done by many others before.
I personally don't play an RPG to feel like I'm watching a movie. The primary drawcard is the ability to make decisions in the game that actually affect the game world in some significant way. This is where almost every modern RPG has failed in some significant way. From memory, Fallout 2 is the last game that truly allowed you to do this. Fallout 3 failed, Mass Effect failed, The Elder Scrolls failed, and heck even my treasured KOTOR series failed in this regard - though KOTOR did mask it with some amazingly well written story.
Anyway I'm ranting and have forgotten the whole point of my post. What it does come down to regardless is that KOTOR > Mass Effect. Mass Effect = average & finally of course Fallout 1, 2 & Planescape Torment > Every game ever made.
EDIT: Amendment: I believe that Arcanum was in fact the last game to allow a player to truly make a consequential mark on the game world. This one came out after Fallout 2. I keep forgetting about it as I didn't enjoy playing it, but many do, and I would suggest at least trying it. It is at least miles ahead of most modern RPGs, even with all its flaws.
Notuern
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Duke Nukem: Forever
There has been allot of leaks claiming that the game soon is ready for release, and that the beta-testing is about to begin(Or already has begun.).
I actually believe that it will be released this time, as 3D-Realm denies all leaked release-dates and don't want to put one out there. ;P
There has been allot of leaks claiming that the game soon is ready for release, and that the beta-testing is about to begin(Or already has begun.).
I actually believe that it will be released this time, as 3D-Realm denies all leaked release-dates and don't want to put one out there. ;P
AudioGeekZine
arsehole know-it-all
slashvanyoung
Dopefish lives!
Notuern
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Hahahaha, exactly!
Seriously though, 3D-Realms has been so quiet about release dates this time, and rumors from the inside tells that its already playable, so just keep your finger crossed and you might just get to Duke out this xmas!
Duke Nukem Forever is such a joke in the gaming world.
I fear Alan Wake is going down the same path.
I fear Alan Wake is going down the same path.
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