It's a thread! (Games discussion, etc.)

[Moge]

I really want to go back and play Xenoblade, but man is it a longggggggg game; PS1 rpg length. I didn't bother with most of the side quests and i still ended up spending 80 hours. Someday i'll get back to it (probably with the Dolphin HD rexture mod).

The last thing Nintendo should do is go balls out on hardware innovation. Sometimes it works (DS, Wii) and sometimes it's a catastrophic financial disaster (Virtual Boy, Wii U).

FF7 Remake is not PS4 exclusive (just timed exclusivity). It'll likely get a PC release much like Sony's other funded third-party game: Street Fighter V.

Played a lot of Call of Duty last gen and wow were the environments stale and non-interactive. Racing games can get away with heavy physics due to not having to animate humans.

[JG]

i still ended up spending 80 hours.

Actually thats well on the short end for Xenoblade.  It's 200 hours plus to complete all the quests.  The big problem is that 40 of it is inventory management.

The last thing Nintendo should do is go balls out on hardware innovation. Sometimes it works (DS, Wii) and sometimes it's a catastrophic financial disaster (Virtual Boy, Wii U).

And yet, Microsoft and Sony don't innovate at all (at least, not much since Kinect first came out), and are stocked with mostly boring games.  Uniqueness demands innovation.

Racing games can get away with heavy physics due to not having to animate humans.

I was actually thinking of FlatOut when I wrote my response, as its terrain and vehicles are highly destructive plus the developers spent alot of time animating human ragdolls that fly out of the windscreen in a powerful enough crash (part of the game is competitive minigames based solely on this premise.)  Granted the physics arent all that real becuase the cars can jump way too high and far and the ragdolls can fly hundreds of feet, but it satisfies my original statement that destructibility is nothing new.  The PS2 version of this game came out NINE years ago and this one (Xbox 360) eight.

Watch this and see how much of the environment (and car parts, re: rear bumber around 1:24) gets spread across the racetrack and then tell me how Uncharted 4 is somehow breaking new ground.  Beyond the hilarity of destruction derby type racing, this level of thoughtfulness put into how destructible the environment plays is one of the reasons why its one of my all time favorite games.

[Moge]

The thing about Uncharted is that it's a 3rd-person action game, which makes it all the more impressive. I have seen similar physics in Battlefield 3, but that's a fps so they can get away with elaborate animations by cutting out the player animation.

I hate to say it, but Nintendo should not lean too far on innovation. Whatever they make should push core gaming forward, and not sidestep it. The Steam controller is a good example of hardware innovation that will push core gaming forward.

[JG]

I hate to say it, but Nintendo should not lean too far on innovation. Whatever they make should push core gaming forward, and not sidestep it.

I can't disagree more.  Whatever Nintendo, or Microsoft, or Sony, or Steam do, they have to fill a niche and provide distinguishing characteristics.  If they truly wanted to push core gaming forward, they'd have to create consoles that outpaced PCs, like we had in the 80s and 90s.  Now PCs are far more powerful than consoles.  The so-called "core gaming" type of games are now PC-exclusive, or Xbox/Playstation/PC ported, and the PC version usually looks best, plus is patched and expanded upon more often.  Thus the consoles must do things the PCs can't, whether by having better controllers, voice and motion control, more integration with the online environment (achievements/trophies), or different gameplay experiences.  And now they're being challenged by phones and tablets which are filling their own niches (I call it "single-finger" gaming).  Everything unique in gaming, is now happening on a Wii U, a 3DS, or a phone/tablet, becuase they are different, not in spite of it.  I want something different that I can't get elsewhere.  I can't get dual screen from my PC, or from my tablet, or from my Xbox, or from a Playstation. Give me more of that Nintendo.  Give me the funky wand controller if you can make games where it seems natural to use it (Red Steel, Skyward Sword, Mario Tennis.)  Innovation might not always work (Virtual Boy) but I absolutely do not want to see them stop trying.

Go nuts, Nintendo. Impress me with all the things you have that the other guys don't.

[Moge]

I'm not opposed to vertical innovations. It's just that the ones that tend to stick around for another generation are almost always the secondary functions of the systems (the DS' touchscreen, the Wii's IR aiming, the Wii U's gyro control) as opposed to the main features which are likely to be dumped in the near future (motion control waggling, dual screens for sure will be dumped on the console side of NX).

[Moge]

Which version of DQ XI will you be getting, JGOO?

[JG]

Well, let's put it this way:
1. I didn't have a PS2 until DQ8 came along. Then I bought a PS2. (In fact, I bought the game before I bought the console - something I've never done before or since)
2. There was no DQ game for PS3. I never bought a PS3.
3. DQ11 is coming on PS4.

This doesn't mean I will buy a PS4 but its one of the few games for which I would buy a PS4. So far Last of Us Remastered is the only one that's caused an itch.  Moot point if they release for NX as well as I'd more likely get that version over PS4's.

I especially like the level of detail present in the video.  Note the running waterfall and cloud shadows that slowly creep across the surface and hwo the brightness changes when the user goes under or emerges from out under a cloud. And like true Dragon Quest games, it has pleasantly overly bright colors: breaking with realism and going with the tried-and-true cartoon look, in environment, characters, and monsters.  I wish the hero character was more animated though.  I didnt see any "Sonic the Hedgehog" idling (character gets impatient or moves a little when you stand still for too long) and the hair looks too much like a helmet because it's shaped just like one and doesn't rustle when running or jumping.

The retro-3DS style looks neat though.  I sure hope that mode is available in the PS4/NX version as an option. (Perhaps as New Game+ mode)




By the way, preorder two select Wii U or 3DS games at Best Buy to get your pin set in December. This should be a no-brainer. At least three of these games (Mario Maker, TriForce Heroes, and Xenoblade X) are required reading for the fall, and no one beats BB's 20% off Gamers Club discount.

[Moge]

It's madness that they're developing three entirely different versions (2 of them on the 3DS). I fully expect the NX version to be a downport of the PS4 version.

How's that Rare Replay? I honestly didn't think you would buy it seeing as how you rarely play retro games. If i had an XB1 i would buy it just to play Perfect Dark again. Still my favorite FPS alongside Goldeneye.

[JG]

I've only been able to play it for one session this week, and went with Battletoads. I remember it being hard, but its much harder that I recall.  Thankfully they threw in some cheats in the form of infinite lives and rewind.  The lives are very helpful against the bosses that wipe you out in one hit.  Rewind for all the race scenes where hitting a wall or enemy wipes you out.  Also has saves which original game didn't.

I think some of the Rare Replay games are released for Xbox Live download in 360 version. You might be able to get just Perfect Dark or PD Zero that way.  The disc comes with standalone 360 versions that can be installed if you don't want to install the full suite - not every game but the bigger ones like the Banjo games, Kameo, and PDs.

[Moge]

It has been about 8 years since i last played Battletoads. The game gets stupidly difficult beginning with stage 3, and then it gets worse and worse. I don't recommend playing the game all the way through unless you want to lose your sanity

What happened to playing Sunset Overdrive? I think it's more of your type of game.

Still a bit sour on Nintendo not allowing Microsoft to remake Goldeneye. The leaked screenshots online look so damn good

[JG]

It has been about 8 years since i last played Battletoads. The game gets stupidly difficult beginning with stage 3, and then it gets worse and worse. I don't recommend playing the game all the way through unless you want to lose your sanity

Well the infinite lives and rewind are making it bearable.  Its still a pain in the ass to rewind 20 times or so to get around some obstacles.  The racing stages (including stage 3) require so much exact precision and memory that they are near impossible.  I can't fathom how this game was beatable with 3 lives.  I daresay this game is in the same pantheon as Kid Icarus and Ghouls n' Ghosts as my hardest known NES games, definately a 10 of 10 on the difficulty meter.  Quite likely the hardest of them as the other games move slower and give you at least some chance to dodge.  I agree with your assessment of "stupidly difficult"

What happened to playing Sunset Overdrive? I think it's more of your type of game.

Seems like it.  Not as fun as it looks though.  It can get too disorienting - its tough to turn the way you want to ride a specific rail and turn some other way to aim at a baddy.  And when you beat the baddy, you find you've moved farther away from the goal than before the fight started, so now you have more baddies blocking your way.  Sunset Overdrive just has more coordination than I care to put into a game as a casual player.  It seems good, just not what I'm in the mood for now.


Work friend has given me Dragon Age Inquisition so the above two have to sit on the sidelines while I play through this one.  Not quite what I was in the mood for (I'd prefer to play Rare Replay) but its a borrow so I need to do what I can and return it at earliest opportunity.

[Moge]

There's actually an even higher difficulty in Battletoads: co-op. There's this misconception that Battletoads is a belt-scroller, but i would catagorize the game as a platformer. Not only is co-op mode entirely pointless after stage 2, but all the 2nd player does is just delay how the screen moves for all those intense platforming sections.

I dabbled a bit in WRPGs. After Fallout: New Vegas i don't really want to play another one, at least the one in the style of The Elder Scrolls. I like RPGs to be compact. Loved playing through SNES and Genesis Shadowrun and the first two Diablos.

Not interested in The Witcher or Metal Gear, JGOO? Probably up there in the top three for GOTY contenders by the press.

[JG]

Not interested in The Witcher or Metal Gear, JGOO? Probably up there in the top three for GOTY contenders by the press.

Witcher 3: From what I've seen, too much like Batman and Shadows of Mordor on the gameplay side and too much like Dragon Age on the adventure side.  It's a possibility but its low down on my list.  Potential buy for a Black Friday deal though.

Metal Gear: Pass. I don't enjoy this series or stealth games in general. And I don't like the must-use-stealth stages of more action-oriented games (Batman, Assassin's Creed, etc.)  I'm too simple: I want to go in there and knock heads, not sneak around.


I don't entirely trust the press to choose GOTY anymore.  They choose pretty over fun too often.  Plus its too predicated on the wow factor of a few hours of gameplay, not the whole experience, which is sometimes greatly flawed later on or shows extreme signs of lack of thorough gameplay and testing.

Take for example two GOTYs for 2014: Shadow of Mordor and Dragon Age: Inquisition. I'm not the only one to run into the unbeatable orc scenario in Shadow of Mordor. The orc attributes are randomly set and you're screwed if you get an unlucky combination or a weakness you can't exploit (like "Can only be harmed by assassin moves", but it patrols in the middle of nowhere from which you can leap down on him.)  Inquisition has shown some oddities like suddenly despawning enemies, characters flying rediculously high into the air when attacking an enemy on a ledge, or suddenly dropping a few feet upon warping to a campsite; but it really pissed me off today in that I got hit by the Servis glitch, where a critical enemy character doesn't spawn (or despawned?) when you attack his fort, thus leaving the final task in a long series of tasks permanently uncompletable (the only workaround is reloading an earlier save game, which isn't done often due to built-in auto-quicksave).  This is a bug known since the first week after release last year and apparently is still out there, unfixed by Bioware.  Any game that exposes a flaw to many players that outright prevents 100% completion of the game disqualifies it for game of the year in my book.

I get much more info reading reviews from actual players not getting paid to do it, like what we do here every end of the year choosing our own game of the years.  I'm very much looking forward to hearing everyone's thoughts on this fall's crop of super-games. First half of the year has been totally devoid of worthwhile entries but the second half is stocked.  If year ended today I'd have a hard time giving my game of the year honors to a remake (either Majora's Mask or Xenoblade, as they're the two best I've played so far.)

[Moge]

You perfectly can play MGS going all rambo, although it's nowhere near as fun as a real shooter of course.

How much experience do you have with Western RPGs?

[JG]

Still not interested in the MGS franchise. I was loaned an earlier game in the series many years back and just simply didn't enjoy it.

I'm not sure what qualifies as "Western" RPG anymore.  Seems like the ones made in the west are all tablet-based now, and the consoles only have eastern (Japanese/Korean) games.

[Moge]

Western RPG: made by a Western dev.

You ever play any indie games?

[JG]

Western RPG: made by a Western dev.

You ever play any indie games?

I often don't know where the gams are made anymore.  I'm going to guess and answer of no to your question though.  The ones I can think of off the top of my head would be eastern.

Not often for indie games.  Plants vs Zombies perhaps qualifies, before Popcap was bought out.  And about every year or two I'll play through the opensource port of Star Control II.

[Moge]

How long is a playthough of Star Control 2? Always wanted to play it, but it seems fairly massive i hear

Man, can't believe how many great games there are to play these days (and how lengthy these games can be). Want to get around to playing Mario 3D World and Captain Toad at some point.

[JG]

Star Control II, rebranded as The Ur-Quan Masters in its open source port (due to copyrights on the Star Control name), is in the 30-60 hour timeframe. Its very open so you can go where you want and do things generally in the order you want, though there are natural event prerequisites.  The main factor in how long it takes is how quickly you can harvest materials and biologics to improve your flagship up to full exploration readiness (such as large enough full tanks and a max number of thrusters to be able to get far enough away to contact some of the alien races.)  Knowing where to find high value worlds or where ancient artifacts are located speeds things up immensely.  Knowing where not to go also helps a bit but you can save often enough to undo a mistake.  I bet its great fun for a first timer, but I've played through it so many times there's no great surprise unless I do something totally bizarre and outside the expected role (like becoming a slave trader) or purposely letting the bad guys kill everybody else (which they do after 4 or 5 years of game time.)   Make sure you get the add-on packs, particuarly for the full voice option.


Super Mario 3D world is the best Mario game since Mario 64.  Catsuit Mario is super fun and getting your choice of all four hero characters with their SMB2 bonuses (like Luigi high jump and Princess floating) is a nice touch. Its on the easy side though, certainly much easier than the New SMB games or Mario 3D Land but then again 3D World is geared toward a slightly younger age.  There are also some Captain Toad stages in 3D World.  Captain Toad's own game is just an extension of these stages so play Mario first to see if you like them (I didn't care much for them)

[Moge]

Made any levels yet, JGOO?

Did you gave up on Dragonage?