The Evil Computer Games thread

flyswatter · 11-06-2010 9:09pm

Banjo Fella wrote: »

Just finished it for the first time yesterday, bizarrely enough! 3 times, to get all the different endings. Awesome game, loved the plot and the way you can approach things in lots of different ways. Might have another play through it from UNATCO's perspective next time, if that's possible.

Yeah, love the open ended storyline. Bought the second game ages ago but didn't work on the desktop with Windows Vista at home.

Might try it on my laptop someday.

Pygmalion · 11-06-2010 9:11pm

flyswatter wrote: »

Also, the fact that your choices affected how the game turned out, you could always take a different option. You didn't have to go around killing everyone (like I did ). Also, the nano technology samurai sword thing was beyond awesome.

Indeed, I always kept my Rifle skill as low as it could go for the challenge.

Once you get in any way skilled with Rifle you're set for the game, since that's the machine gun, shotguns and Sniper all in your favour.
But just level up in pistols and stuff like hacking/lockpicking and the game gets pretty damn interesting :P.

Also the hit areas are amazing too, your get shot in the arm and your accuracy goes, shot in the leg and you move slower (and louder I think), get shot in the head and if you somehow survive your vision is blurred, aim is **** and you kinda stagger all over the place.

They don't make games like it anymore

flyswatter · 11-06-2010 9:21pm

Pygmalion wrote: »

Indeed, I always kept my Rifle skill as low as it could go for the challenge.

Once you get in any way skilled with Rifle you're set for the game, since that's the machine gun, shotguns and Sniper all in your favour.
But just level up in pistols and stuff like hacking/lockpicking and the game gets pretty damn interesting :P.

Also the hit areas are amazing too, your get shot in the arm and your accuracy goes, shot in the leg and you move slower (and louder I think), get shot in the head and if you somehow survive your vision is blurred, aim is **** and you kinda stagger all over the place.

They don't make games like it anymore

Definitely. I haven't played too many games (Used to be a PC Gamer but never picked the right PC to play all the latest games!) in my lifetime but its up there with the original Half Life as my all time favourite.

D4RK ONION · 11-06-2010 9:28pm

phlegms wrote: »

But games sales across the board have increased since the introduction of the Wii and Ds. It is definitely helping people in general get more into gaming as a whole and boosting the games economy. Just because they aren't whoring out the same old franchises over and over again doesn't mean they are "damaging" the industry. Thats just a silly and ill informed attitude to have..

Now, I don't say this often but LOL. I laughed, really I did. That's all they're doing. IP innovation is dying as companies can't afford to take too many risks on new titles. I really don't know how you came to that conclusion. This whole discussion started from talk of Mario, and they've whored that franchise so hard that he is now in space. AGAIN. Really now. Not to mention CoD 6, Guitar Hero 6 (actually about 9/10?).

The main reasons are that:

Games take a lot more time and money than they used to so a flop of a title is going to hurt a lot more
Customers don't have €50 to piddle away on a crap title, and are more likely to stick with CoD 1 billion. Even if the title is actually far better (see: Mirror's Edge)

sock puppet · 11-06-2010 9:50pm

D4RK ONION wrote: »

Now, I don't say this often but LOL. I laughed, really I did. That's all they're doing. IP innovation is dying as companies can't afford to take too many risks on new titles. I really don't know how you came to that conclusion. This whole discussion started from talk of Mario, and they've whored that franchise so hard that he is now in space. AGAIN. Really now. Not to mention CoD 6, Guitar Hero 6 (actually about 9/10?).

The main reasons are that:
Games take a lot more time and money than they used to so a flop of a title is going to hurt a lot more

Customers don't have €50 to piddle away on a crap title, and are more likely to stick with CoD 1 billion. Even if the title is actually far better (see: Mirror's Edge)

Agree totally. Though I don't think that a lot of games in a series is automatically bad. There have been 4 Elder scrolls games, about a million games set in the Forgotten Realms, 5 Metroid games, a load of Zelda games, Final Fantasy etc. What does really irritate me is seeing 6 almost identical games released in a period of 7 years. What's worse is that in Call of Duty's case anyway its sales actually increase with each passing game!

A Neurotic · 11-06-2010 10:45pm

flyswatter wrote: »

Anyone ever play Deus Ex? One of the best ever games imo.

Agreed. I was just thinking about this game the other day. Must play through again this summer.

Nostalgia: Remember Icarus? Actually creeped me out. Games never creep me out.

A Neurotic · 11-06-2010 10:47pm

sock puppet wrote: »

What does really irritate me is seeing 6 almost identical games released in a period of 7 years.

Sports and wrestling games are having a laugh, releasing the same game with a few tweaks every year and raking in the money.

11-06-2010 10:55pm

If they have the imagination to keep going, there's no problem. Final Fantasy had a good run, but it seems they might be drying up now.

The more creative games developers can develop longer series, but everything burns out eventually.

11-06-2010 10:57pm

A Neurotic wrote: »

Sports and wrestling games are having a laugh, releasing the same game with a few tweaks every year and raking in the money.

Agreed. They could just release updates to the content. New kits, players, etc. Release a new game when you actually have some worthwile new gameplay mechanics.

The exception is the football manager games, where the game got exponentially better over the last few versions. Definitely worth buying FM 2010 if you like 2009.

Pygmalion · 11-06-2010 11:12pm

Serenity Chubby Bassoon wrote: »

If they have the imagination to keep going, there's no problem. Final Fantasy had a good run, but it seems they might be drying up now.

The more creative games developers can develop longer series, but everything burns out eventually.

The final fantasy games aren't really a series though.
The only thing they really have in common is the name.
They completely revamp the combat system constantly and come up with an entirely new world and plotline each time.

phlegms · 11-06-2010 11:18pm

D4RK ONION wrote: »

[*]Customers don't have €50 to piddle away on a crap title, and are more likely to stick with CoD 1 billion. Even if the title is actually far better (see: Mirror's Edge)
[/LIST]

Was mirrors edge a good game?

You make some valid points but I still dont see how Nintendo are damaging the industry. That accusation still baffles me..

syncosised · 12-06-2010 12:09am

People need to get over their hatred of the Wii. It's bred an odd, new kind of anti-fanboyism.

You should be happy that video games have become more mainstream. You can buy them anywhere now. When I was younger and had an N64, I had to go to the nearest city (about 35 minutes' drive) to find a poor enough selection of the latest titles. I would argue that there is now a wider selection of excellent games available now. The difference is that now you have much more disposable income, and so the purchase of a new game has become a search rather than an eagerly awaited birthday / Christmas gift.

tl;dr Games are still fine!

phlegms · 12-06-2010 12:35am

syncosised wrote: »

People need to get over their hatred of the Wii. It's bred an odd, new kind of anti-fanboyism.

You should be happy that video games have become more mainstream. You can buy them anywhere now. When I was younger and had an N64, I had to go to the nearest city (about 35 minutes' drive) to find a poor enough selection of the latest titles. I would argue that there is now a wider selection of excellent games available now. The difference is that now you have much more disposable income, and so the purchase of a new game has become a search rather than an eagerly awaited birthday / Christmas gift.

tl;dr Games are still fine!

What this guy said!
But I'd also add to that, that PC gamers like myself always will be (and always have been) that special elite amongst the regular console dwelling swine. I think we can all agree with that?

Davidius · 12-06-2010 1:22am

phlegms wrote: »

Was mirrors edge a good game?

You make some valid points but I still dont see how Nintendo are damaging the industry. That accusation still baffles me..

I'll be honest I haven't really read the arguments put forward too far. I'm a bit lazy.

I'm going to take a stab at the logic behind the argument. I imagine that the idea is that through the massive sales of their easy-to-make casual friendly titles they're giving other companies the idea that they'd be better off diverting resources into producing shovelware over titles that require genuine merit.

Of course you could counter that with the companies using the profit from cheaply made crappy titles to pump more money into their genuine games. I don't think third party junk even sells well anyhow but they probably turn a profit.

Colm! · 12-06-2010 4:18pm

phlegms wrote: »

Was mirrors edge a good game?

Mirror's Edge was a fun game to play with excellent controls and mechanics, set in a city that rivals Half-Life 2's City 17, with an original soundtrack better than many film soundtracks, a rather engaging storyline, beautiful graphics and worked fairly well on nearly anyone's PC...
...it is beyond "a good game". It is jaw-dropping.

phlegms · 12-06-2010 4:44pm

Colm! wrote: »

Mirror's Edge was a fun game to play with excellent controls and mechanics, set in a city that rivals Half-Life 2's City 17, with an original soundtrack better than many film soundtracks, a rather engaging storyline, beautiful graphics and worked fairly well on nearly anyone's PC...
...it is beyond "a good game". It is jaw-dropping.

That was a rhetorical question tbh..

Bobalicious93 · 12-06-2010 4:55pm

Super Mario Galaxy is great. It really is.

It may not have jaw-dropping graphics (though they are probably the most impressive on the Wii), an in-depth masterpiece storyline, an enthralling online mode, or anything of that ilk, but it just knows how to put a smile on my face.

Some of the levels are just genius. It's just classic platforming with a lot of seriously clever additions.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uJni9NjAF0

The part at 2.15 just made me grin like an idiot.

Colm! · 12-06-2010 5:38pm

phlegms wrote: »

That was a rhetorical question tbh..

Well yes, but the simple fact that Mirror's Edge was an amazing game shows that there is massive potential in original IPs. I know that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an awesome game, I know that Modern Warfare 2 was quite fun, but the simple fact is that when games like Mirror's Edge are being ignored, it annoys me.

I'm not saying "retire Mario" because Mario is awesome. What I'm simply asking is that Nintendo should take their games in new directions. Maybe it's time to make a new character so that we don't have to play an adventure with the 50th variation of Link? Maybe it's time to explore new genres, turn out new ideas? Because nearly every time Nintendo's taken their IPs in new directions, it's stood up brilliantly. The leap to full 3D in Super Mario 64 is a good example. The exception, sadly, is motion control. I had a Wii, and I got rid of it because it simply didn't have the games that my PC had. It didn't have a Half-Life 2, it didn't have a Mirror's Edge, it didn't have anything amazing. I had fun with Wii Sports, with Twilight Princess etc. but they got boring because they just didn't stand out.
Will Pokémon Black and White be any bit original? I mean, what makes any new Pokémon game different from Red and Blue? Nintendo need to experiment.

Likewise, so does Activision. So does EA.. etc. etc.

Valve changed people's perception of co-operative gaming with Left 4 Dead 2, just as they changed FPS games with the HL series. DICE helped to shape online gaming with the Battlefield games just as they influenced new platformers with Mirror's Edge. Naughty Dog and Insomniac redefined platformers with the Ratchet and Clank and Jak games. Nintendo is being left behind. Activision is being left behind. Hell, a lot of EA's teams (excluding DICE) are.

BUT THAT ALL SAID, as soon as I get the chance, I will play the **** out of Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Jackobyte · 12-06-2010 5:40pm

tl;dr

I love the COD4. Love it. I bought the prestige edition of MW2 (I'm weak) and got to 3rd prestige level 40 something before I gave up on it and went back to COD4. COD4 is just so much better. No overpowered killstreaks, no OMA glitches, no ridiculous amount of tubers. Only people who actually play as was intended. It is just so much more fun than MW2.

When I was younger, I adored GTA series. Completed Vice City and completed most of San Andreas before my save file corrupted.:mad: (may have had something to do with my dog getting my memory card for a 2 hour period the day before!)

I also loved the Driver games. I owned the 1st one and I owned the PS2 version of the 3rd one which I clocked up countless hours on. When I got an Xbox, I bought Driver: Parallel Lines which was my favorite and I played just as many hours on as the 3rd one. The way the the story set over 2 time periods was epic.

Colm! · 12-06-2010 5:42pm

WHICH REMINDS ME:
Driver1999. Who's pumped for that game?
http://driver.us.ubi.com/teaser/

phlegms · 12-06-2010 5:47pm

Colm! wrote: »

Well yes, but the simple fact that Mirror's Edge was an amazing game shows that there is massive potential in original IPs. I know that Super Mario Galaxy 2 is an awesome game, I know that Modern Warfare 2 was quite fun, but the simple fact is that when games like Mirror's Edge are being ignored, it annoys me.

I'm not saying "retire Mario" because Mario is awesome. What I'm simply asking is that Nintendo should take their games in new directions. Maybe it's time to make a new character so that we don't have to play an adventure with the 50th variation of Link? Maybe it's time to explore new genres, turn out new ideas? Because nearly every time Nintendo's taken their IPs in new directions, it's stood up brilliantly. The leap to full 3D in Super Mario 64 is a good example. The exception, sadly, is motion control. I had a Wii, and I got rid of it because it simply didn't have the games that my PC had. It didn't have a Half-Life 2, it didn't have a Mirror's Edge, it didn't have anything amazing. I had fun with Wii Sports, with Twilight Princess etc. but they got boring because they just didn't stand out.
Will Pokémon Black and White be any bit original? I mean, what makes any new Pokémon game different from Red and Blue? Nintendo need to experiment.

Likewise, so does Activision. So does EA.. etc. etc.

Valve changed people's perception of co-operative gaming with Left 4 Dead 2, just as they changed FPS games with the HL series. DICE helped to shape online gaming with the Battlefield games just as they influenced new platformers with Mirror's Edge. Naughty Dog and Insomniac redefined platformers with the Ratchet and Clank and Jak games. Nintendo is being left behind. Activision is being left behind. Hell, a lot of EA's teams (excluding DICE) are.

BUT THAT ALL SAID, as soon as I get the chance, I will play the **** out of Super Mario Galaxy 2.

Why are you answering questions I'm not asking?

Insect Overlord · 12-06-2010 5:55pm

Colm! wrote: »

WHICH REMINDS ME:
Driver1999. Who's pumped for that game?
http://driver.us.ubi.com/teaser/

Driver! Man, I loved that game!

Colm! · 12-06-2010 6:09pm

Insect Overlord wrote: »

Driver! Man, I loved that game!

Seriously, I had a nostalgia attack when I saw that video. I tried to wire up my old steering wheel controller and play it again, but appearantly there's no drivers for windows 7.

phlegms wrote: »

Why are you answering questions I'm not asking?

That post wasn't directed specifically at you, I was simply making a point whilst I was talking about mirror's edge

Bobalicious93 · 12-06-2010 6:22pm

Colm! wrote: »

Naughty Dog and Insomniac redefined platformers with the Ratchet and Clank and Jak games.

Naughty Dog did that a long time ago with the Crash Bandicoot games, which even today, are stunningly fun games.

phlegms · 12-06-2010 6:22pm

Colm! wrote: »

That post wasn't directed specifically at you, I was simply making a point whilst I was talking about mirror's edge

K.
But Mirror's Edge was fairly meh. It was an impressive tech demo/concept, but as a game it was very much a "must try harder next time" deal. You seem to be unique in your extreme love of the game.

Jackobyte · 12-06-2010 6:33pm

flyswatter wrote: »

Anyone ever play Deus Ex? One of the best ever games imo.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_Ex:_Human_Revolution
New one on the way.

Bobalicious93 wrote: »

Naughty Dog did that a long time ago with the Crash Bandicoot games, which even today, are stunningly fun games.

Loved Crash Bandicoot. Used take hours to load though.:/

Craguls · 12-06-2010 6:33pm

phlegms wrote: »

K.
But Mirror's Edge was fairly meh. It was an impressive tech demo/concept, but as a game it was very much a "must try harder next time" deal. You seem to be unique in your extreme love of the game.

Agreed. I bought it and thought it was fairly meh and I'm a pretentious twat when it comes to stuff being innovative and arty. Like normally I would've ate it up but no. Not this time. Dodge frame rate too.

flyswatter · 12-06-2010 6:46pm

Jackobyte wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_Ex:_Human_Revolution
New one on the way.

It's not developed by Ion Storm though so the visionaries from the first two games are not involved.

Colm! · 12-06-2010 7:15pm

Ehh, I can see why people could hate Mirror's Edge, but I don't share that opinion. And I'm not saying Mirror's Edge is the best thing ever either: GTA IV, MGS4, Fallout 3, LittleBigPlanet, BioShock (for the PS3, so it counts), Resistance 2 and Left4Dead were better games to come out in the same year.

Oh, and seeing as I mentioned fallout...

What's your opinion on Fallout New Vegas? I've seen the E3 2010 trailer and I admit I'm excited, but it's really just "Fallout 3. Again. In Vegas!". Even graphically no improvements.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-whnfIw_VfE

It's got some of the people who worked on the first two Fallout games working on it, but I was never a fan of turn-based RPGs, so I didn't like those games. Still, maybe their direction will help this game.

Davidius · 12-06-2010 8:34pm

Nothing like going back to finish a game and not quite knowing where you were.

The Evil Computer Games thread

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