Video Game News and Miscellany

Bubble181 · Mar 12, 2014

I wasn't really being a smartass more than usual

But, I mean, I keep more music than that on my HDD - and I don't feel like I own most interesting stuff in any genre. Sure, for the jukebox style radio stations, but...Well, I own the CD collection of a program they've been airing for around 40 years on one of our national radio stations. 92 CDs, no doubles. It really seems like a small number of songs to have for a radio station. I get bored to tears listening to Nostalgia Radio which is allthat's ever on at my work - not because they play bad music (far from it) but because I can pretty much predict accurately what songs we'll be hearing over the coming hour based on how long it's been for some songs.

AshburnerX · Mar 12, 2014

bhamv3 said:
I've heard that Dark Souls is still quite console-y on PC though? It's what's been holding me back from getting it.

It is. It's the first PC game I've ever played that flat-out needs a game pad. Yes, it has keyboard controls. No, those controls aren't very good. You can change them to something better but it still takes some practice.

You also need to install a graphics patch to up the resolution and fix some other problems. But with the patch and the game pad, it's hands down the best version of the game.

Frank said:
Dark Souls looked best on PC.......after the community fixed it's God awful issues that it shipped with. It was so half-assed.

To be fair, I don't think From Software had ever done a PC title at that point. Is it inexcusable that the port was so bad? Yes. But it got fixed and they focused on the PC version first this time because of those problems. I'm still reserving judgement until it hits release.

Ravenpoe · Mar 13, 2014

AshburnerX said:
It is. It's the first PC game I've ever played that flat-out needs a game pad. Yes, it has keyboard controls. No, those controls aren't very good. You can change them to something better but it still takes some practice.

You also need to install a graphics patch to up the resolution and fix some other problems. But with the patch and the game pad, it's hands down the best version of the game.

To be fair, I don't think From Software had ever done a PC title at that point. Is it inexcusable that the port was so bad? Yes. But it got fixed and they focused on the PC version first this time because of those problems. I'm still reserving judgement until it hits release.

They didn't want to do a PC port. It took huge demand for it for them to ever decide fine, they'll release it on PC, and then the port was super half-hearted.

But the game was still a huge success, and to their credit they've publically eaten crow, admitted they were wrong, and sought to make amends with Dark Souls 2.

AshburnerX · Mar 13, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
They didn't want to do a PC port. It took huge demand for it for them to ever decide fine, they'll release it on PC, and then the port was super half-hearted.

But the game was still a huge success, and to their credit they've publically eaten crow, admitted they were wrong, and sought to make amends with Dark Souls 2.

This is a very Japanese mindset. They don't really have a PC market beyond import games and hentai stuff, so no one really does PC ports or PC only titles. Fortunately, Japan has been kind of waking up lately. Square Enix has done a PC port for most of their big titles recently (except Final Fantasy titles...), Bethesda games have been selling like gangbusters, and FPS games are finally catching on. They can't afford to ignore the PC market anymore.

Gilgamesh · Mar 13, 2014

I'm playing Last of Us on PS3 right now, easily one of the best games (narratively) I've ever played in my life. How anyone can stand the fact that it stutters to all hell and is locked at 30fps is beyond me though. I can't imagine how people can play console games IF (key word is IF) they have the choice to play it on PC instead.

ThatNickGuy · Mar 13, 2014

Gilgamesh said:
I'm playing Last of Us on PS3 right now, easily one of the best games (narratively) I've ever played in my life. How anyone can stand the fact that it stutters to all hell and is locked at 30fps is beyond me though. I can't imagine how people can play console games IF (key word is IF) they have the choice to play it on PC instead.

Not everyone has the disposable income for a gaming PC that could run a game like Last of Us (if it were available). A good gaming PC still costs upwards of twice or even three times as much as a PS3.

Gilgamesh · Mar 13, 2014

ThatNickGuy said:
Not everyone has the disposable income for a gaming PC that could run a game like Last of Us (if it were available). A good gaming PC still costs upwards of twice or even three times as much as a PS3.

Maybe I should have bolded and colored red the (key word) part.

ThatNickGuy · Mar 13, 2014

Gilgamesh said:
Maybe I should have bolded and colored red the (key word) part.

Sooooooo...what're you tryin' to say there, mate?

Gilgamesh · Mar 13, 2014

Seriously, this game is sooooo fucking good (Last of Us) and I'm not, by ANY MEANS, a graphics whore, but when a game doesn't run smooth, it drives me up the wall. It's why I own more SNES games than I do PS3 games, I literally only own the PS3 exclusives (worth playing) and nothingelse if I can get it on my PC.

Hailey Knight · Mar 13, 2014

Gilgamesh said:
I'm playing Last of Us on PS3 right now, easily one of the best games (narratively) I've ever played in my life. How anyone can stand the fact that it stutters to all hell and is locked at 30fps is beyond me though. I can't imagine how people can play console games IF (key word is IF) they have the choice to play it on PC instead.

Not all console games are like that, but it was a bit annoying and one reason I won't be playing it again.

(Another is that I'm in the minority that feels it was good, but not great.)

Jay · Mar 13, 2014

My wife got me Last of Us as a gift last year I played about 3 hours of it then had to stop when I met the clickers. I already hated FPS controls on a console enough as it is without the purposely horrible shooting mecanics to the game. Some folk like it, it pissed me off even more when clickers can one shot you. The FPS lock didn't help.

As no PC version was expected, I simply watched a "silent" let's play and watched the game on youtube. It was very nice game though a bit overrated.

Gilgamesh · Mar 13, 2014

Jay said:
My wife got me Last of Us as a gift last year I played about 3 hours of it then had to stop when I met the clickers. I already hated FPS controls on a console enough as it is without the purposely horrible shooting mecanics to the game. Some folk like it, it pissed me off even more when clickers can one shot you. The FPS lock didn't help.

As no PC version was expected, I simply watched a "silent" let's play and watched the game on youtube. It was very nice game though a bit overrated.

Yep, the controls on a controller are utter garbage.
The purposely horrible shooting mechanic can slightly be fixed by ingame upgrades, silly as that sounds.
Same goes with clicker one shots, they can be stopped through ingame upgrades.

It is a good enough game that I'm continuing it and loving the interactions/dialogue/characters.

Ravenpoe · Mar 14, 2014

So, Blizzard released a technical test alpha of Heroes of the Storm (still a terrible name, because it has the same acronym as Heart of the Swarm) and people have been streaming it. When I heard that Blizz was making their own DOTA-clone, I thought that was the dumbest sounding thing I ever heard. But after watching these streams, it actually looks pretty fun. And it looks good because it does the one thing that all the other DOTA and LoL clones don't do. It doesn't copy DOTA.

The maps all have different objectives, and the battles are objective based rather than just trying to straight kill the other team. The maps shown so far are pretty diverse, with lots of different objectives, and all look very dynamic and fun.

Bubble181 · Mar 14, 2014

I already know I'll never play it. I understand the whole mash-other-IPs-together thing, and it's existed for a long time - heck, I even like Heroscape despite it - but I really don't want or feel positive towards Kerrigan fighting Diablo and Thrall.

AshburnerX · Mar 14, 2014

I haven't cared about Blizzard since Diablo III. Let me know if they do Worlds of Starcraft... otherwise I just don't care.

ThatNickGuy · Mar 14, 2014

I haven't cared about Blizzard since about Warcraft III.

Ravenpoe · Mar 14, 2014

Bubble181 said:
I already know I'll never play it. I understand the whole mash-other-IPs-together thing, and it's existed for a long time - heck, I even like Heroscape despite it - but I really don't want or feel positive towards Kerrigan fighting Diablo and Thrall.

I felt the exact same way, but then I saw it played, and it really does look unique and fun.

SpecialKO · Mar 14, 2014

I'd be down with World of Starcraft as long as it wasn't a straight-up re-skin of WoW. I loved WoW for a long time, up until I stopped playing, but I just feel done with Blizzard's flavor of quest-hubs and events-grinding that has come to define themepark MMOs. Most of the ones that feel especially different from WoW are even grindier or lack even more a sense of accomplishment.

So I guess I'm just really done with themepark MMOs.

GasBandit · Mar 14, 2014

SpecialKO said:
So I guess I'm just really done with themepark MMOs.

Oh I hear you on that. But it got me thinking... are there only 2 MMO genres? Theme Parks and Sandboxes? Are there others I'm not thinking of?

Shakey · Mar 14, 2014

Ravenpoe said:
I felt the exact same way, but then I saw it played, and it really does look unique and fun.

It does look pretty interesting. Have they released any pricing details? I know they said you would buy the heroes or skins. Just wondering if you'll have to buy the game or if it will be all micro-transactions.

AshburnerX · Mar 14, 2014

SpecialKO said:
I'd be down with World of Starcraft as long as it wasn't a straight-up re-skin of WoW. I loved WoW for a long time, up until I stopped playing, but I just feel done with Blizzard's flavor of quest-hubs and events-grinding that has come to define themepark MMOs. Most of the ones that feel especially different from WoW are even grindier or lack even more a sense of accomplishment.

So I guess I'm just really done with themepark MMOs.

Try The Secret World. It's the advice I give to everyone who says they are sick of WoW and Wow-clones.

Jay · Mar 14, 2014

http://www.zam.com/story.html?story=33999

Pre-orders get exclusive horse. Those who don't can either pay a shitload of ingame currency for it or simply pay for it in their cash store. For an entry level mount.

...this game....

Frank · Mar 14, 2014

...is going to flop. There's no buzz about it whatsoever.

Hailey Knight · Mar 14, 2014

Even Age of Conan had buzz. This is ridiculous for a game sharing the name with one of 2011's best sellers.

AshburnerX · Mar 14, 2014

All the buzz I've heard about it is from the DAoC crowd who think it'll be the second coming of RvR pvp. I'm less than impressed.

GasBandit · Mar 14, 2014

AshburnerX said:
All the buzz I've heard about it is from the DAoC crowd who think it'll be the second coming of RvR pvp. I'm less than impressed.

Yeah, I fell for that with GW2. Won't be fooled gain.

(though really, Warhammer Online already was the second coming of RvR, some people just got shit stuck in their craw about its implementation)

AshburnerX · Mar 14, 2014

GasBandit said:
Yeah, I fell for that with GW2. Won't be fooled gain.

(though really, Warhammer Online already was the second coming of RvR, some people just got shit stuck in their craw about its implementation)

Warhammer Online had fundamental class imbalances that were never addressed. Some classes were just plain useless in RvR (I'm looking at you, Magus and Gunner) and some classes were just plain broken. They never addressed this... so the game died.

GasBandit · Mar 14, 2014

AshburnerX said:
Warhammer Online had fundamental class imbalances that were never addressed. Some classes were just plain useless in RvR (I'm looking at you, Magus and Gunner) and some classes were just plain broken. They never addressed this... so the game died.

Yeah, it got ridiculous in T4... but in tiers 2 and 3, it was perfect. I miss the nights of my guild defending Mandred's for over an hour vs 3 to 4 times our numbers in attackers.

The final straw that chased me off the game was the Warrior Priest nerf. I'd already been nerfed once before (I was an engineer until they nerfed THOSE too), wasn't going to give them a third chance.

T1 scenarios and T2 ORVR were a blast though. I leveled exclusively through PvP, no quests at all - and Deleted and rerolled so many alts after they leveled out of t2.

Jay · Mar 14, 2014

GW2 RvR was decent but it was all about zerging. It got old fast. Playing on low or medium pop server SUCKS.

GasBandit · Mar 14, 2014

Jay said:
GW2 RvR was decent but it was all about zerging. It got old fast. Playing on low or medium pop server SUCKS.

That was its major shortcoming. The elimination/ limitation of AE damage made it so it was a simple contest of numbers - whoever got there firstest with the mostest won every time. In DAOC (and even in WO) you could potentially defend vs a much larger attacking force by using choke point strategies and area effect damage. Not so much with GW2.

That, and being able to hit a target with a siege engine from within a completely different structure was retarded.

Jay · Mar 14, 2014

That and the game completely unable to keep track of the zerg. One second it's a 2 on 2, suddenly 50 enemies pop up on your screen in melee.

Time to run back from spawn.

GasBandit · Mar 15, 2014

Jay said:
That and the game completely unable to keep track of the zerg. One second it's a 2 on 2, suddenly 50 enemies pop up on your screen in melee.

Time to run back from spawn.

Heh, that was often a problem in DAOC as well. One moment you're having a nice small tussle, the next moment you're all AE mezzed, stunned, thornfielded, AE stunned, and mowed down one by one. I'll tell ya, I don't miss the AE crowd control that DAOC had.

GasBandit · Mar 16, 2014

Frank · Mar 16, 2014

I'd be like, I JUST POSTED THAT YO LAST PAGE, but my video has been removed by user.

Frank · Mar 17, 2014

Koji Igarashi (best known for all the 2D Castlevanias since Symphony) is now another major Japanese talent to step out from under the banner of one of the big Japanese publishers/devclopers. While this is probably a good thing since working for Konami is apparently just awful, it does mean the final death of the Igavanias.

Capcom, Konami and Square all seem to be just leaking major talent like a sieve.