General gaming discussion

FitBoyAwesome

That's great to hear that you're enjoying FF12 now! It's always good to give a second chance to a game that you didn't enjoy initially, and it's great that the Zodiac Age release has helped you to appreciate the game more.

The Zodiac Age release did introduce some great improvements, such as the job system, which you mentioned, and it's great that it has made the game more enjoyable for you. I also heard that the improved graphics and sound have made a big difference in the overall experience.

As for the story, it's true that it can be a bit hit-and-miss in FF12. Some players love the complex political intrigue, while others find it hard to follow. However, I do agree with you that the story does lose momentum after a certain point, but I also believe that it still has its moments and can be enjoyable in its own right..

McFly85

Couple of hours into Metroid Prime, it’s really fantastic. I’ve never played a 3d Metroid but they adapted the format extremely well. Also really like the different scanner mechanics and some of the little details(the reflection from your visor using a missile!)

It gets bonus points for being the only game that my cat has chosen to sit beside my while playing on the big screen.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120228154#Comment_120228154

It's such a good game. The wait between the US and PAL release was excruciating on GameCube and when it finally arrived it was one of the few games I had high expectations for but managed to blow them away.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120228154#Comment_120228154

Our cat loved 2D Mario. He'd look on the ground when Mario fell off the screen. They obviously appreciate good video games.

johnny_ultimate

I played a good chunk of Metroid Prime when I got a lend of it a year or two after it was released - don’t think I ever completed it, but certainly played a lot of it. But there’s something about revisiting it this time where it feels kind of revelatory. Maybe I was just too young first time to really get the things it was doing around level design, atmosphere and environment, but it’s been proving thrilling this time around. Yes it’s had a visual makeover and modernised controls (although back in the mid 2000s we were much more used to games having quirky control schemes) but it’s still a remarkably fresh and forward-thinking game in ways I think only a select few more recent games have really managed to capture or build upon.

FitBoyAwesome

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120228361#Comment_120228361

The game is considered by many to be a classic and a hallmark of the first-person shooter genre, and it's not hard to see why. The level design, atmosphere, and environment are indeed top-notch and set the standard for games that followed. The game's focus on exploration and discovery, as well as its tight controls and immersive world, make it a thrilling and memorable experience.

It's interesting to note that despite its age, the game still holds up well today, which is a testament to its timeless design. It's also worth mentioning that the series has a dedicated following and continues to inspire games like (medieval 2 total war) and developers, so it's great that you're experiencing the game for the first time (or again) and getting to see why it's such an important part of gaming history..

SuperBowserWorld

Damn. Every hexagon reminds me of Metroid now..

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120231029#Comment_120231029

It holds up I think because nobody ever really tried to emulate it. There's nothing else like it besides the sequels and while they were great they never captured the magic of that first game.

I'm really enjoying Prey on Series X with FPS boost and Auto HDR. I had to abandon it first time around as well as Dishonoured 2. Arkane really do the jankiest 30fps. FPS boost is one of the greatest features ever on a console, such a shame its been canned.

wotzgoingon

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120232983#Comment_120232983

Two great games and more so Prey is the one I would love to go back to as my first time playing as it was such a great game. I loved using the gun the shoot's out a solid liquid that you can attach to walls to climb up to areas that you think you cannot reach but after exploring there was actually a door to bring you there.

DarC_Kn1ght

https://youtube.com/watch?v=6z7DIYJZm_k&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

https://youtube.com/watch?v=pRcDgETO11E&si=EnSIkaIECMiOmarE

Wasn't sure about this but it looks very good.

Zero-Cool

Ha, Dunkey is looking for a game to stream that won't get him cancelled. This is funny AND clever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OV4VaNW4FU

martyos121

The Chris Benoit music was absolutely flawless comedic timing. 😂

Andrew76

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120239857#Comment_120239857

Never heard of him but that was funny. 😁

quokula

I have a friend who's really vocal about his boycotting of HL and encouraging others to do so, who is now really excited about Atomic Hearts. A far greater share of that game's profits will help fund the Russian war machine than any tiny percentage JK Rowling will have got from the Harry Potter game. But yea, twitter pile-ons I guess.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120243529#Comment_120243529

I think some of Mundfish's public comments have been sketchy and vague (especially their extremely wishy-washy statement about the invasion), but I'm not sure I've seen anything that suggests anywhere close to the game is funding the Russian war machine? I know there was a bit of controversy over a website privacy policy (since changed), and some vague and I think unverified suggestions around past Russian investor/state investment in the studio. But even with that it's a big jump to actively supporting a war effort, and I definitely am not a fan of dismissing all Russian creative output and art based on the deplorable actions of the government.

If there's something I'm missing fair enough, and honestly I think the game sounds like a bit of a janky mess :P

Also: kudos to Mick Gordon for his approach:

https://twitter.com/Mick_Gordon/status/1625495826247319556?s=20

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120243730#Comment_120243730

Mundfish, from what I've bee reading, are partially funded by groups that are run by ex-Gazprom leaders who've got connections to the Russian government.

I mean if you started making a game back then in Russia that's the only place you are going to get funding from. It's a similar situation to Return to Castle Terfenstein, part of what you pay for the game is going to go back to fund some of the orchestraters of this war. Again, you just have to ask yourself if you can live with or care or are there enough games out there already that you can buy and play instead. I'm interested in checking out the soundtrack of this one though.

It's hard to know if the developers support what russia is doing, coming out against it is pretty much a death sentence. Also they wouldn't have much control over the funding unlike Warner Bros who could not give a hoot about ethics as long as profits are involved.

The Raging Bile Duct

Return to Castle Terfenstein... Jesus, my eyes rolled back so far, my eyes did a complete 360.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120243796#Comment_120243796

I know there were plenty of people online demanding they make an anti-invasion statement. Honestly, I think that was an impossible ask - that's the kind of thing that ends with people having 'mysterious' falls from balconies in Russia. Now, there's an argument that their word fart of a statement was worse than saying nothing at all, but - regardless of the political beliefs of individual developers or managers - I'm not sure what else could have been expected from a studio about to release a commercial video game.

pixelburp

Whatever about Rowling's beliefs ... is the game actually any good? I don't want to play it mind you, but it's funny how many of the Think Pieces are in such a hurry to debate the morality of putting money in Rowling's bank account, nobody's telling me if the game itself is up to snuff. It might sell like hot cakes regardless but if the game is total shíte the debate becomes a bit more redundant.

i don't think there's a Silver Bullet that answers the age old question of separating the author's opinions from their work: maybe now that pop culture has been industrialised and commodified it's more of a potent question demanding an answer; don't wanna buy those landfill Funko Pops if AuthorX is a big racist. Certainly back in the day I read Ender's Game fully aware Orson Scott Card was a horrible homophobe, and I couldn't give you a coherent reason why it didn't bother me. Maybe not-being-gay made it easier to dismiss - though I did somewhat chuckle at how there was a legitmate gay subtext within the book, making Card's beliefs ... interesting as a result.

Penn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120244125#Comment_120244125

Most people seem to be enjoying it. There have been claims that reviews are being skewed by WB mostly only sending the game out to reviewers who would be more positive on the game, but it's hard to know if there's much truth in that given the polarity of the game in the social context. But then some reviews like IGN spent most of the review talking about the games faults, and then gave it a 9 basically just because it's Harry Potter and you can do Harry Potter stuff in Harry Potter's school.

The game generally seems to have been fairly well received though.

johnny_ultimate

There undoubtedly was some 'selective' choosing of who received the game in advance - even Digital Foundry noted that they didn't receive a code until launch day. I know some outlets chose not to cover it, but others I think just weren't arsed when they weren't given an advance copy - that was the reason cited by SkillUp, who said he just didn't have the time to cover it post-launch given all the other games releasing soon.

TBH, while I've no doubt there are plenty of people who will thoroughly enjoy the game (see the dedicated thread), above all else the prospect of yet another AAA open-world game with 'RPG lite' elements is what really turns me off the game, novel setting aside.

Retr0gamer

Digital Foundry were given the excuse that the game was getting a day one patch and WB didn't want them to release a video not factoring in the patch, which is fair enough.

CatInABox

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120244389#Comment_120244389

But they don't release videos when they're told that there's a day one patch? You'll often see they talk about how they're not releasing their video yet until they can look at the patch.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120244389#Comment_120244389

It'd be a more valid excuse if WB weren't more than happy to give the game to influencers/streamers, and indeed publicly release the game several days early for people who ponied up a bit of extra cash. And as @CatInABox says, DF is more than capable of taking day-one patches into account as part of the review process. There's no question that a lot of prominent outlets just didn't get the game in advance, whereas a lot of other publications - including the no-name blogs that often show up with the highest score on Metacritic - did. That's not to say the game is bad, of course, but it was clearly a 'managed' rollout.

Retr0gamer

Yep I take your points. I definitely think WB sent out copies to influencers way in advance as they are more likely to give positive feedback (and they probably cherrypicked influencers that they knew would be very positive). I saw a stream of the game on tik tok about a month before release.

Cordell

Reviews are great and the game is selling (#4 on Steam's most played games) so it's either people don't know/care about the controversy, or the other, darker, alternative.

The amount of times I've typed up a comment on the JK Rowling controversy and ended up just deleting it before posting. This is my first ever comment on any media! Happy to contribute to the debate 😄

wotzgoingon

I bought a new GPU and got 33% off PC game pass code if anybody want's it. So that's three months for €19.99 instead of €29.99

I have no use for it since I already have it on Xbox.

I just said I'd put this here so someone can see it.

What gpu did you get? I'm looking into a new build, as I always do from time to time but never pull the trigger.