The Game Thread

[Crzy_Aus]

Fuck.
I just realized how much Borderland sucks.
What a fucking waste of time lol.
I just deleted it.
Thank god i didn't spend any money on it .

So how long did it take you to get "enlightened"? Just wondering.

The game has great setting and style fucked up by poor story and poor execution of Diablo-like mechanics. It actually had me playing it for like 20 hrs before I got bored.

 

[(__Joonas__)]

Looks pretty impressive. There's this contrast with this big (emo) mythical animal protecting a helpless little dude.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHzHoMT5eRg&feature=rec-rev-rn-1r-5-HM[/ame]

However, Playstation doesn't produce games with good music and atmosphere, like Nintendo used to.. for them graphics and stuff is the most important thing. Then they say "we will soon have reached the limit of what video games can do." No. Maybe technically, but now that there's the possibility to do cool looking big games, people should start concentrating on the experience, imo.

 

[Works0fheart]

So I finally stepped away from the multiplayer in modern warfare 2 and decided to maybe finish the campaign. I'm glad I did, it's been awhile since I've played a game to where the story has actually kept me on my toes a bit with all of the twist and turns. There was quite a lot of stuff that surprised me, and the game only gets better as it goes on. I really enjoyed the level where you had to retake the white house, it was very original.

 

[Crzy_Aus]

I don't know what you're talking about, man. Playstation games have had lots of good music (Hideyuki Fukasawa and Nobuo Uematsu, nuff said), and the song in the trailer is pretty decent too.

The trailer's cool, but as usual for E3 trailers, it gives no idea about what the game will be like. Ohwell.

now that there's the possibility to do cool looking big games, people should start concentrating on the experience, imo.

Agreed completely. Sadly, it's the polar opposite. I guess just because there's all the cool new tech, the companies want to spend more and more resources to make stuff good-looking rather than working on content, and in fact polishing the game experience a lot less than before when that wasn't available. After all, good graphics sells, and game companies have been proving this over and over again.

 

[Swabs]

Agreed completely. Sadly, it's the polar opposite. I guess just because there's all the cool new tech, the companies want to spend more and more resources to make stuff good-looking rather than working on content, and in fact polishing the game experience a lot less than before when that wasn't available. After all, good graphics sells, and game companies have been proving this over and over again.

That's pretty much wrong. "Good" graphics have become a standard ever since the 360 was released. These days we simply expect our games to have yay shiny graphics. It's no longer a selling point, it's a requirement.

Sure if a game has shit graphics it won't sell well, that's just because if I see a game with appalling graphics, chances are the game is appalling everywhere else as the game developers obviously haven't cared about creating a "polished" and presentable product.

But considering how ever since the introduction of the "next-gen" graphics haven't really improved that significantly at all. I highly doubt that there are people who still buy games just because they're pretty. Because hell, pretty much every game is pretty these days.

 

[Muffin]

I am guilty of buying a game purely because the physics engine satisfies my nerdy needs

 

[TheKid]

I did that once with Fracture, the worst gaming mistake I ever made.

 

[Muffin]

Never heard of that. I play Crysis mostly for cutting down trees and getting into car crashes. Fucking hate the power suit shit though, ultra power homo america strong shit

 

[TheKid]

Fracture=HEY LOOK AT OUR AWESOME PHYSICS ENGINE, THERE'S NO ENJOYABLE GAME BEHIND IT BUT WHAT THE HELL, YOU'RE A DUMB FUCK

 

[Ensi]

Bought Mirror's Edge because i'd like it in my steam list.

Also bought STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl, what am I to expect with this game?

 

[Crzy_Aus]

That's pretty much wrong. "Good" graphics have become a standard ever since the 360 was released. These days we simply expect our games to have yay shiny graphics. It's no longer a selling point, it's a requirement.

Sure if a game has shit graphics it won't sell well, that's just because if I see a game with appalling graphics, chances are the game is appalling everywhere else as the game developers obviously haven't cared about creating a "polished" and presentable product.

But considering how ever since the introduction of the "next-gen" graphics haven't really improved that significantly at all. I highly doubt that there are people who still buy games just because they're pretty. Because hell, pretty much every game is pretty these days.

If you say that 360 is the standard of "good graphics", you make me laugh.

The rest of your post pretty much supports what I just said - the game companies want to spend most of their resources on making the game shiny and don't work enough on their gameplay. Although you're right, it may not be because people like to buy shiny games anymore, more like the general gaming audience will NOT buy something that is NOT shiny enough (ugh the double negatives).

Also, I beg to differ on "pretty much every game is pretty". Pretty much every game TRIES to be pretty, but only the AAA titles from big companies have the resources to actually get there.

Also bought STALKER Shadow of Chernobyl, what am I to expect with this game?

Apart from unlimited amounts of awesome? The gunning is fairly realistic, there's some fun RPG elements, a cool sci-fi setting, pretty atmospheric. Plays more like a classic shooter (with none of this infinite replenishing health next-gen crap), with an armour system that's rather RGPish. Make sure you patch it up to at least 1.5. Also, if you're playing the English version, the translation isn't exactly great, and there's quite a few mistakes (ex. confuse cellar and attic for stash descriptions). And if you like it the first time through, replay it with one of the big mods like Oblivion Lost.

 

[Nikki]

Ok, picked up a few PS3/PS2 games:

SFIV
Devil May Cry 1 and 4
Onimusha 1 and 3
God of War I

can't get a good online connection, so that'll have to come later.

 

[dreams_of_eternal_hate]

Devil May Cry *____________*!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Chamet]

Also, I beg to differ on "pretty much every game is pretty". Pretty much every game TRIES to be pretty, but only the AAA titles from big companies have the resources to actually get there.

All games studios have the "resources" to make pretty games, but the artists might lack the skills or the time to make things look great. All the resources they need are 3D modelling software, an engine and graphics editing software, which they all have. Modelling environments, architecture and characters and texturing them to make them look good is very time consuming, that might be why some companies don't bother making something look the best it can.

 

[Crzy_Aus]

I didn't find DMC1 to be all that great - but then again, I was playing it on a laggy PS2 emulator on PC, so that may be why.

Nikki, you definitely do not want to miss DMC3 if you haven't played it yet, it's arguably the best game in the series.

SFIV is awesomesauce.

Onimusha 3 is a blast just cause you get to play as Jean Reno, and that's absolutely hilarious. Too bad the PC port was absolutely horrible.

I also recommend Chaos Legion if you like CAPCOM.

All games studios have the "resources" to make pretty games, but the artists might lack the skills or the time to make things look great. All the resources they need are 3D modelling software, an engine and graphics editing software, which they all have. Modelling environments, architecture and characters and texturing them to make them look good is very time consuming, that might be why some companies don't bother making something look the best it can.

It's time consuming and it costs a lot of money. Compare game budgets of today to, say, 5-10 years ago. Renting an engine or hiring people to make one, hiring gfx designers etc etc all costs money, and game budgets aren't unlimited. That's why companies usually opt for one or the other, and not because they're somehow "lazy". That, or the game turns vapourware like STALKER did at one time. EA or Bioware may have the money to spend, but Katauri or .dat or any other non-giant corporation don't, and have a hard time balancing GFX quality, writing, game design, bugfixing and meeting realistic deadlines. So no, not everyone has the realistic resources to make the games top-notch gfx quality, which is exactly what I said originally, if you stop misreading what I wrote.

 

[Nikki]

I'd just like to see demon Nobunaga

 

[Swabs]

So I got Modern Warfare 2 for xmas yesterday, been playing online quite a bit... Aside from the teenage Americans it's pretty damn fun.. And not wishing to brag, but for a game that I thought would have a pretty steep learning curve online, I find myself at the top of the scoreboards a fair bit

Never bothered with MW 1, saved myself some cash there.

 

[Swabs]

If you say that 360 is the standard of "good graphics", you make me laugh.

As in, the 360 was the first "next gen" console to be released and was therefore the first to showcase the "next gen" graphics we see in every game today. Anyway, almost every single gaming site that has done 360 vs PS3 graphics comparison has come to the conclusion that games not only tend to look better on the 360, but they actually run smoother too. So yes, I certainly would say that the 360 sets the standard for next gen graphics these days.

 

[TheKid]

What?
I've never seen a comparison that turned out in the 360's favour.

 

[Swabs]

Well you're obviously blind.

Here's one: http://uk.gamespot.com/features/6242816/index.html?tag=topslot;thumb;2

Obviously Gamespot isn't exactly the most reliable source but just check out the images. The PS3 screens have higher contrast but that's about it, the textures are much more detailed on the 360 screens.

I've been hearing that Bayonetta is a lot better looking on the 360 too, and suffers less from framerate slowdown and loading times.