Game News 2.0

quokula · 18-09-2021 5:05pm

I used to be involved in the games industry in Dundee, which essentially was born from the zx spectrum manufacturing plant that was based there and donated hardware to local schools and community projects. Franchises like Grand Theft Auto may never have existed if not for that.

I’m sure there are similar stories from elsewhere from people who cut their teeth on that computer in the very early days of the industry. Personally I started on the C64 though, never owned a Spectrum myself.

Retr0gamer · 18-09-2021 10:09pm

I remember typing 'hack bank' into my c64 and getting an illegal error.

I felt like neo from the matrix mixed with Al Capone.

That's as far as my coding experience on 8bits went.

It's a shame Irish education didn't push coding the way the British and BBC did.

gizmo · 19-09-2021 6:44pm

Speaking of which, there's a cracking thread on Twitter here from Shahid Kamal Ahmad which may be of interest to folk old enough to remember when video games used to come on cassette tapes...

https://twitter.com/shahidkamal/status/1438891569868910596

Mr Crispy · 19-09-2021 9:37pm

I might start a thread for wild rumours. E.G. Quantic Dream are making a Star Wars game?

https://twitter.com/_Tom_Henderson_/status/1439237521347682305?s=20

Retr0gamer · 19-09-2021 10:43pm

So looking very likely that someone will actually make something with worse dialogue than episode 2.

quokula · 20-09-2021 12:08am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912276#Comment_117912276

That's a fantastic read (though I hate twitter as a platform for long threads like this)

Zero-Cool · 20-09-2021 9:17am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912276#Comment_117912276

Such a great read! I gave zero thoughts to how games were made as a younging on the C64. incredible to look back and think about it.

Niska · 20-09-2021 9:29am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117913205#Comment_117913205

Too late- it's called Rise of Skywalker

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 9:45am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117913839#Comment_117913839

You basically code in assembly which is as close to the bare silicon as you can get outside of machine language. It was the only way to get games running fast enough so such lowly hardware.

pixelburp · 20-09-2021 9:52am

Fahrenheit / Indigo Prophecy remains a standout memory of gaming tonal whiplash; having started a really interesting gaming idea for controlling both the murderer and detective ... only for the game to Hard Left into bullshít mayan conspiracies, Matrix slo-mo fights and internet gods. David Cage having control of a Star Wars game fills me with dread.

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 10:14am

Every single one of his games is this really interesting idea that David Cage then has no idea what to do with and fumbles badly and never quite finishes.

Fahrenheit had that diner scene with all its choices, none of which mean anything.

Heavy Rain has a compelling murder mystery that descends into ridiculous cliche and has to use red herrings to try and make it seem interesting.

Beyond.... well beyond is probably the most consistent narratively of his games but it's also complete and utter contrived shite. I had 'Aiden' figured out with in the first 30 minutes and the rest of the game was utter nonsense.

Detroit again is David Cage fumbling a good idea. His Kara short is excellent but then you get to Detroit and the entire game is sci-fi cliche.

He really should just be the ideas man who hands over his idea to a writer and game designer. It's the same with Kojima, his best works MGS and MGS3 were handled like this and when he has full control it ends up a mess.

The Raging Bile Duct · 20-09-2021 10:16am

Star Wars is a load of shíte tbh. I loved it as a young lad back in the eighties but since my balls dropped, it's not something that I've cared for all that much. Going to see the woeful Phantom Menace was where the veil of nostalgia started slipping from my eyes and I fell asleep in the cinema during the second one of that trilogy. I've watched the new trilogy in a Saturday afternoon, switch the brain off mode and they're... grand. I've no investment in the series to summon any other feeling towards them but that.

I must admit, finding out someone my age (mid-forties) is a Star Wars obsessive is kind of like finding out someone's into crystals or homeopathy. I lose a little respect for them.

Kingp35 · 20-09-2021 10:17am

Just as a counter to the above, I really enjoyed all of David Cage's games. They are also some of the few games that my wife loves and plays through until the end.

That said, I've literally zero interest in Star Wars so I hope his next game is another original story.

pixelburp · 20-09-2021 10:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914081#Comment_117914081

The movies might have become a mixed bag, but the world is absolutely a great sand-pit for adventures - be they interactive or not. Once you jettison the insistence on making everything tie back to the 'effin Skywalkers. The problem lately has been it is a mythology burdened by the very fans you speak to; while in gaming terms the bottom dropped out a little in regards options. But prior to the EA deal there was a wealth of great Star Wars games.

The Raging Bile Duct · 20-09-2021 10:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914086#Comment_117914086

I remember playing Beyond Two Souls and I got to the end part of it where I must have hit the controller two three times in an hour and my wife asked me 'Are you actually playing that game or what?' and I couldn't answer her. That whole game was a steaming pile of horsepoo and I think the missus lost a little bit of respect for me that day while she watched me finishing it.

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 10:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914115#Comment_117914115

The best star wars story is still the Tie Fighter games where you are going about doing the boring day to day of running an empire of defending the borders, playing as a customs agent and upholding taxation laws. It's utterly fascinating. Even when you get into the deeper lore of sith orders and other groups it's just so interesting being involved in all the sects and groups in the empire vying for power.

It's way more interesting than the standard hero stories that keep going with. I suppose last Jedi deviated from that but I still think it's a bad film that didn't really deliver on the premise.

So yeah, **** David cage and bring back expanded universe games.

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 10:34am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914086#Comment_117914086

I enjoy them as well but more in the same way I enjoy Wiseau's the Room and the Twilight films.

Penn · 20-09-2021 10:34am

Heavy Rain was atrocious. Having parts such as the woman having a shower, walking round in her underwear then being attacked by armed robbers or something, then her just waking up in bed because it was a dream... F*cking abysmal stuff. Not to mention having to tie the 60 year old Police Chief's tie for him just because the game needed to give you something to do.

Detroit was better, mainly bolstered by pretty great performances (especially Jesse Williams and Clancy Brown). But I was mostly glad it was on PS+ and I didn't have to pay for it. Still worth it on sale if you're into those types of games, but not full price.

That said I fear what Cage would do with a Star Wars game. It's not exactly a license which lends itself well to Quantic Dream's style of gameplay. Telltale maybe could still do something interesting with it, but not Quantic Dreams.

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 11:22am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914222#Comment_117914222

Art is subjective and if you enjoy something then that's great.

What isn't subjective is the fact that David Cage is an awful writer.

The Raging Bile Duct · 20-09-2021 11:32am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914222#Comment_117914222

I don't know anything about David Cage at all, I only know the games I've played - Heavy Rain and Beyond - and I thought they were scutter. It's not about being trendy, it's about wanting a decent narrative from the games. The stories in both were embarrassingly awful.

pixelburp · 20-09-2021 11:32am

Trendiness is reduction; Cage's ideas are interesting to be fair to the man, but he's a terrible writer without the smarts to realise them with a degree of nuance. Maybe if he worked in the TV or film industry, which I suspect he'd love to, those flaws would be beaten out of him by editors and peers - but writing is often the first thing to die in Gaming, and is stymied by a sense of self-praise. Can't look at Cage's writing, then at something like Hades, and think there's a short hop between the two in terms of quality.

Now, whether someone values good writing in a video game is another matter, obviously; that's in the eye of the beholder/player. Fahrenheit would have been an infinitely better game IMO had someone leaned over Cage as he wrote the last acts and went "uhhhhh, Dave. Focus man". Cos the mechanics of that first half were chef's kiss level of great - and a real shame nobody hasn't tried to take the kernel and run with it. A potential minefield for calculating outcomes for sure.

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 11:38am

I think a lot of the time when someone says a videogame has a good story it should be followed with 'for a videogame'. There's a few exceptions to that rule but they are rare exceptions.

In the cade of David cage his stuff is just woeful.

The Raging Bile Duct · 20-09-2021 11:49am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914423#Comment_117914423

Games like Heavy Rain or Beyond are basically interactive stories - you sure as hell aren't playing them for the gameplay mechanics - so they are going to live and die by their story. I don't think I ever groaned as loudly as I did when I found out who the Origami Killer was and I can't even bring myself to try and remember any of the mess of a story that made up Beyond - I think I'm suffering some sort of Post Traumatic Storytelling Disorder. When you compare them to the first Telltale Walking Dead or Life is Strange, you can see what can be done with the same game format to make infinitely more engaging and narratively cohesive games.

The only good thing to come out Heavy Rain is the cameo in Astro's Playroom. I had so much fun messing with that victim.

Mr Crispy · 20-09-2021 11:51am

I can't see Disney giving him (or anyone else for that matter) carte blanche anyway.

martyos121 · 20-09-2021 12:12pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914448#Comment_117914448

I'd be interested to hear what you think the exceptions are. I agree with you mostly btw, I can't think of too many games where I was completely engrossed with its story.

And even at that, a lot of those games with great stories are so often let down by boring gameplay.

johnny_ultimate · 20-09-2021 12:20pm

Give Star Wars to the Disco Elysium dev team, you Lucasfilm cowards!

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 12:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117914610#Comment_117914610

Putting me on the spot here but I'm more impressed when a game tells it's story within the framework of the game rather than aspiring to be another marvel film with a game attached.

Stuff like silent hill 2, system shock 2 and earthbound are stand outs but I feel the really good stuff has been in the indie space. Hades, umarangi generation, journey etc. Even dark souls I find fascinating how it weaved it's gameplay systems into the narrative, something the follow ups couldnt match.

I think comedy games work really well as well with stuff like the original monkey islands and barkely shut up and jam gaiden being stand outs.

Zero-Cool · 20-09-2021 6:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117912909#Comment_117912909

Good idea with the thread to see juicy games that may be coming out and track of they turn out to be fake or real. I just saw on Reddit that there was a 4chan leak that Mafia 2 remake is happening. Lot of specific details but would they really work on a remake so soon after a remaster (wasn't much of a remaster but still). Just give me Mafia 4 set in Vegas with criminal empire management like rumoured before.

Retr0gamer · 20-09-2021 6:49pm

New collection of lion king and Aladdin games. Thins time including the jungle book game but also it seems it will ha e the snes version of Aladdin. That means there will at least be one good game on the collection.

JimBurnley · 20-09-2021 6:52pm

MGS remake. Deluxe edition comes in body sized cardboard box with free pack of cigs

PopePalpatine · 20-09-2021 7:08pm

Didn't David Cage get sidelined recently after some sexual misconduct allegations?

OptimusTractor · 21-09-2021 6:41am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916804#Comment_117916804

https://www.fanbyte.com/news/report-in-my-games-all-women-are-whores-says-david-cage/

PopePalpatine · 21-09-2021 8:24am

What a classy gentleman. When's he joining Activision?

Jordan 199 · 22-09-2021 9:18am

Petrol Station Simulator coming to Xbox next year. Cool!

https://www.purexbox.com/news/2021/09/gas_station_simulator_is_a_steam_best_seller_and_its_heading_to_xbox_in_2022#comments

Markitron · 22-09-2021 10:30am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922570#Comment_117922570

I wonder will it include a feature where the taxi drivers treat the staff like **** just because they buy a lot of petrol there and feel like they own the place.

Zero-Cool · 22-09-2021 10:44am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922828#Comment_117922828

So, you definitely worked as a disgruntled petrol station employee for it to be that specific :D

I see it's also coming to Playstation, looks like a laugh.

In other news, EA Play is currently 1 euro for 1 month (can't stack) until end of September and you can use it for the free 10 hours of Fifa 22 if you wanted to give it a go.

Markitron · 22-09-2021 10:52am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922888#Comment_117922888

I can assure I was 100% gruntled until I had to serve them every day

Retr0gamer · 22-09-2021 10:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922828#Comment_117922828

Or the bellends with bottom of the range BMWs or Audis kicking off with you get one drop of petrol on the paint work.

I need to see my therapist again. I've been triggered.

Stone Deaf 4evr · 22-09-2021 10:58am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117922828#Comment_117922828

I hope you can level up strength by horsing 45kg bags of coal into the boot of mrs murphys car, but get a roasting for throwing them on top of her shoppping.

Mr Crispy · 22-09-2021 3:24pm

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1440677268041338897?s=20

...

sniper_samurai · 23-09-2021 9:58pm

Apparently if you want to transfer your save in Death Stranding to the PS5 version you literally have to deliver it in game first.

Bloody Kojima.

Mr Crispy · 24-09-2021 2:57am

So the cast for the Mario movie has been revealed...

https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1441168482112966661?s=20

Quickly changing the subject before I stab myself in the temple...

SNES curio Actraiser has received the proper remaster treatment, and is out now!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zki3kY4YCQ

Zero-Cool · 24-09-2021 8:40am

Mario and Luigi trying to figure out why there's going to be a new Super Mario film when the first was perfection.

pixelburp · 24-09-2021 8:44am

To be fair, Pratt has acquitted himself well in voice work for Pixar's Onward - and he's an excellent comic performer in the first place - as by and large big Hollywood names don't translate to animated, voice-only roles IMO. The choice of Pratt in the first place is totally lazy but unsurprising: you can be sure the casting department had a single piece of paper, with the names of Pratt, Reynolds and The Rock listed at the top.

Zero-Cool · 24-09-2021 8:53am

Oh it's animated, phew ok carry on.

Retr0gamer · 24-09-2021 9:00am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117931527#Comment_117931527

Yuzo koshiro has said actraiser will have an arranged soundtrack as well an option for the original snes soundtrack.

Also all the new music he composed for new areas have also been recorded on an actual snes.

CatInABox · 24-09-2021 9:40am

Jesus, that new "expansion pak" tier for Nintendo Online is one of the most money grubbing things I've ever seen.

Retr0gamer · 24-09-2021 10:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117931966#Comment_117931966

True but you also have to consider the price compared to XBL and PSN, it's significantly cheaper and you get games you haven't either played 5 years ago or didn't play 5 years ago because you didn't want to play them.

Paying to play online is still scum no matter what platform as you are essentially paying to use their platform which they advertise to you on for the privilege for something that is provided for free on PC.

Stone Deaf 4evr · 24-09-2021 11:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117932251#Comment_117932251

It never ceases to amaze me how people just brush over Nintendos shortcomings regarding networking and online management.

for the price of entry to PSN or XBL, you've robust friends lists, gamertags, clan support, LFG, party chat, matchmaking, messaging and voice chat, across different games and platforms if you include pc,

whereas nintendo come out with some nonsense like downloading an app to your phone or scanning barcodes or 30 digit 'friend' codes and people just give them a pass,

its hors£hit, and not good enough in this day and age. you cant argue 'its cheaper' if its not fit for purpose to begin with.

And waving the flag that PC is free is also pointless, given the high cost of entry / component scarcity that isnt going away anytime soon. Consoles have never been better value than the are this gen (if you can get one).

sniper_samurai · 24-09-2021 11:48am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117931966#Comment_117931966

The worst is trying to charge €49.99 for a Bluetooth 3 button Mega Drive controller when Retrobit do official 6 button Bluetooth Mega Drive controllers for half that.

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