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What is the last video game you played?


Quintus

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I didn't, but reading it now I still don't really understand the criticism. Nathan Drake is so intimately inspired by Indiana Jones (and Nathan Fillion), I don't understand how you can believe one character but not the other. They're the same!

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21 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

I didn't, but reading it now I still don't really understand the criticism. Nathan Drake is so intimately inspired by Indiana Jones (and Nathan Fillion), I don't understand how you can believe one character but not the other. They're the same!

 

Heeeeellll no, they ain't. Right from the start, Indy's got an edge to him. He looks, sounds, talks, and acts the part of a man who does what he thinks is necessary to get the job done, even it's getting rough and tumble and cold-blooded. Every aspect of his character lines up, at practically every moment.

 

Nathan switches between a goofy douche who looks like he shops at Whole Foods from his Gillette commercial checks to a mass murderer. There're two characters in the game: Nathan Drake as the writer (was it Amy Henning?) wants you to experience through the scripted narrative, and then Gameplay Nathan.

 

I had a similar problem with Red Dead Redemption: Marston is one of my favorite characters ever, but the one thing that bothered me was: why would a dude under the thumb of government trying to go straight for the sake of his family raze and murder towns full of people? Clearly Rockstar was aware of keeping the character and the gameplay consistent on some level, such as how Marston refuses the offers of any prostitute he comes across. But I think they still felt encumbered to their Grand Theft Auto paradigm of "freedom". 

 

As an example of a video game that handles this well, look at MGS V. From his looks to his voice to his dialogue to his actions, Big Boss is a dude that can kick your ass without blinking. However, there's still enough flexibility in his portrayal to allow room for the player to be a stone-cold killer or benevolent(ish) pacifist. 

 

The new Deus Ex games also do a great job with Adam Jensen.

 

 

Granted, I'm mostly familiar with the first Uncharted, which is where I aim my criticism; apparently the sequels got better, but after the original I wasn't compelled to continue.

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I disagree completely. Uncharted is a pulp adventure through and through. Nothing about the game would suggest "mass murder." It's just a literal byproduct of the gameplay. The shooting is quick, snappy, and animations fall in line with the tone of the combat and Drake as a character. Snapping necks is fast and easy, there's no blood or gore, and there's always a one-liner tucked away for the right moment. Contrast with Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us, and you can clearly draw the lines between them.

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2 hours ago, Koray Savas said:

Contrast with Naughty Dog's The Last Of Us

 

As much as I dislike Last of Us, it's a great example of a game character done right. Joel's actions in the game is completely in line with his presence in the narrative, and both enhance each other.

 

I remember reading an interview with a porn writer about ten years ago, who mentioned that he would focus the majority of his efforts on the actual narrative scenes, and for the sex scenes would basically write "[Kyle and Shawna have sex]" and move on. That's how scripts for games can feel sometimes, and in the case of games like Uncharted and Tomb Raider '13, don't always line up well.

 

They weren't for me, but I'm glad you enjoy the games. 

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Started playing Oxenfree last night. I guess I'm kinda hooked on the sci-fi mystery and will see where it goes.  The actual gameplay leaves a bit to be desired though.

 

One thing I don't get is why the LOAD TIMES are so massive though.  That's just bad coding.

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Yup I love the look and sound of the game too.  What do you mean by multiple playthroughs, like choosing difficult dialogue paths next time, or do they have a new game+ type mode?

 

And, yea, ostensibly, it's a point and click adventure game, but the interface is super simplified.  You don't even have any action icons or anything to pick from, all you have is a single button to climb or jump, a single button to turn on or off the radio, and then 3 buttons for each dialogue choice when given one.

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Just reached 100% in Spider-Man. Quite pleased with it overall, though unless you’re a madman like myself, stick to the story missions and side quests for a better experience. Impressed with John Paesano’s score; might just be my favorite Spider-Man score. Bizarre that it has no album release. 

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1 hour ago, Koray Savas said:

Just reached 100% in Spider-Man. Quite pleased with it overall, though unless you’re a madman like myself, stick to the story missions and side quests for a better experience. Impressed with John Paesano’s score; might just be my favorite Spider-Man score. Bizarre that it has no album release. 

 

Oh son of a gun! Was it just that short, or did you put a lot of time into it? How "full" was it? A certain depressing emptiness tends to plague open-world Spider-Man games.

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12 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

 

Oh son of a gun! Was it just that short, or did you put a lot of time into it? How "full" was it? A certain depressing emptiness tends to plague open-world Spider-Man games.

No, to reach 100% was arduous in the tedious open world activities. That’s why I suggested to stick to the story if you want a mean and lean experience. To do everything would probably take 25-30 hours. The story is well told and has some fun boss battles. 

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I loved Spider-man 2 back in the day so I might get this new Spider-man for Xmas or something. 

 

I only really buy 2-3 new games a year anyway. 

 

Jurassic World Evolution and Shadow of the Tomb Raider  have been it for me this year.

 

I may have a whole week off in November and no plans to fill it so I might try a play through of the TR reboot trilogy 

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17 minutes ago, Jay said:

How's Jurassic World Evolution?

It's alright. Obviously worth it to unleash Rexy upon the helpless populace. Theme park builders were never my thing, I only got it for the sake of having another Jurassic game besides Lego Jurassic World.

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Telltale’s staff was laid off and the studio is scheduled to shut down permanently. The Walking Dead Final Season will be cancelled after Episode 2 releases. The Wolf Among Us Season 2 and their upcoming Stranger Things game were also cancelled.

 

Crazy news!

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9 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

Telltale’s staff was laid off and the studio is scheduled to shut down permanently. The Walking Dead Final Season will be cancelled after Episode 2 releases. The Wolf Among Us Season 2 and their upcoming Stranger Things game were also cancelled.

 

Crazy news!

 

Oh snap, what the heck!? They've been around forever, I thought their games did well!

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They had an absurd number of employees, like around 250, and consistently delivered shoddily developed games. I believe they just got a new CEO this year that laid off 25% of the staff with plans to dump their crap engine and start fresh, but ultimately this happened. Too little too late. 

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12 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

They had an absurd number of employees, like around 250, and consistently delivered shoddily developed games. I believe they just got a new CEO this year that laid off 25% of the staff with plans to dump their crap engine and start fresh, but ultimately this happened. Too little too late. 

 

Shucks, I didn't know their infrastructure.  Who's gonna make the licensed video game equivalent of Funko Pop figures now?

 

My brother's been waiting for Wolf Among Us Season 2 since Season 1 came out, he's gonna be pissed like a wolf!

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They had a couple great gems, such as Wolf Among Us and Borderlands, but a lot of stinkers too. 

 

I’m just surprised that they didn’t even finish the final season of Walking Dead. Sucks for the fans that have been waiting for 6 years. 

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9 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

 

I’m just surprised that they didn’t even finish the final season of Walking Dead. Sucks for the fans that have been waiting for 6 years. 

 

Agreed. 

 

9 minutes ago, Koray Savas said:

but a lot of stinkers too. 

 

 

Oh I'm not saddened by this--though I didn't see main articles they're completely shutting down, just that they laid off significant numbers and are focusing on fewer and better games. I was never really impressed with them, even when people were saying they were the next LucasArts.

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I loved their BttF game and kinda liked Wolf Among Us, shame about its Season 2 after people have been asking for it for years and it's finally been announced.

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I never got along with their art style at all, but I did quite enjoy the very first Walking Dead game, even though I regretfully never did quite finish it. It was surprisingly engaging, even if the mechanical aspects of the point and click gameplay felt decidedly crude and unpolished. 

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They definitely had something special with their storytelling, but the actual gameplay and engine always suffered because of their overloaded development cycles. I was looking forward to them creating a new engine for future games. 

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The real surprise is that they had 250 employees to produce the style of games they did at the rate they did.  About 200 of those were just clocking in and collecting checks.

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I’m not sure of the point of the PlayStation mini. Can’t you download the games from the store for your PS4?

 

I have a working PS2 so I’ve never not had the ability to replay any of these games. 

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Sad to hear about Telltale Games.

 

The Walking Dead series won't have it's final two episodes released, leaving it on a somewhat dismal ending. 

 

Apparently they didn't meet projections - I know a lot of criticism for this has gone to the 'Let's Play' YouTubers and Twitch streamers where audiences watch them play it rather than purchase the games.

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It's the same thing with these "professional gamers." I can't understand how you can get excited watching these "professionals" play Starcraft and Team Fortess and whatever else, making big sums of money that we'll never get a piece of. 

 

I understand that we all pay big money to watch in person or on TV or buy the merchandise for our favorite American football and international football and baseball and hockey and basketball teams play their kid's games, and make millions doing it. But I don't think video games should even be in the same breath as pro athletes. 

 

~°~

 

@Quintus HumbleBundle store is selling No Man's Sky on Steam for 60% off. Is it worth it? 

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1 hour ago, Wojism said:

It's the same thing with these "professional gamers." I can't understand how you can get excited watching these "professionals" play Starcraft and Team Fortess and whatever else, making big sums of money that we'll never get a piece of. 

 

I understand that we all pay big money to watch in person or on TV or buy the merchandise for our favorite American football and international football and baseball and hockey and basketball teams play their kid's games, and make millions doing it. But I don't think video games should even be in the same breath as pro athletes. 

 

~°~

 

@Quintus HumbleBundle store is selling No Man's Sky on Steam for 60% off. Is it worth it? 

 

Agreed. I go to hurling matches to watch lads do something I love but I can’t do to a sufficient level. 

 

Everyone can play a fucking video game. 

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2 hours ago, Wojism said:

 

@Quintus HumbleBundle store is selling No Man's Sky on Steam for 60% off. Is it worth it? 

 

At release, no. But a raft of big updates later and it is very easy to recommend even at full price. Ultimate chill out game. I suggest Survival mode, which is only really challenging very early on. Once you get going though, it's ideal (and not hard at all). But if you prefer no stakes, the default difficulty setting is also enjoyable enough.

 

Another thing to consider is this: are you into grindy games? 

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21 hours ago, Bilbo said:

I’m not sure of the point of the PlayStation mini. Can’t you download the games from the store for your PS4?

 

I have a working PS2 so I’ve never not had the ability to replay any of these games. 

The PS4 only plays PS4 games natively. The PlayStation Now service lets you stream PS3 and PS4 games over your internet connection. The PS2 on PS4 line is a selection of games specifically ported over to the PS4 with added enhancements and trophy support. PSone games are only playable on older consoles with backwards compatibility, and the PS3, which allowed you to purchase and download PSone and PS2 games on the Store. But because Sony’s architecture is so backwards, that’s not possible on the PS4. 

4 hours ago, Bilbo said:

Agreed. I go to hurling matches to watch lads do something I love but I can’t do to a sufficient level. 

 

Everyone can play a fucking video game. 

Everyone can play a fucking sport. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t take skill to be good at it. Gaming is no different. 

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I like to watch Let's Plays for the personalities involved in bringing the content where otherwise I wouldn't be able to play, on various consoles, the prices of games etc. This doesn't mean I don't play the games, it's about experiencing something vicariously.

 

Obviously the genre is enormous, enough so that it dominates a lot of YouTube.

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Finished Oxenfree last night.  Not super rewarding at the end, though I suppose I didn't get the "true" / "full" ending.

 

 

I got Ren and Nona together, and I saved Clarissa so all 5 of us left on the boat.  But then on the final picture it looped back to her about to arrive on the island again.  Reading a bit up online about it now, it seems that it's both possible to save Michael's life, and have him and Clarissa stay together too.. and possible to avoid going to the island altogether ultimately, though that seems only possible on a re-play.

 

Not sure if I want to replay it all again to get a better ending.  The problem with is is the late parts of the game are too slow;  In the beginning as you walk to locations, it's completely fine because there is new dialogue as you walk there, and all the locations are new to you.  But late in the game, you just have to get from point A to point B, it it takes SO GODDAMN LONG (the excruciatingly slow load screens don't help either) since you're just walking through places you've already been with no dialogue or nothing.  I miss the latter LucasArts games when you could double-click on the side of the screen to instantly go to the next one.

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