Video & PC Game Discussion

So far, it's very good.

Heavy Rain does look pretty good, I might borrow it off a friend soonish.

Mmmm Final Fantasy. That reminds me, its about 3 weeks before FF13 is released, can't wait. Probably will buy it on the first day, regardless of reviews.

Henry Plainview wrote: I LOVED Mass Effect 1. However, I'm sort of off videogames at the moment after a Baldur's Gate binge, so I think I'm going to hold off on ME 2, the relatively quick price drop discouraged me from buying launch and I thought the collector's extras were just OK. FFS, I think it went to $40 within 6 months, and it's only two years old and now it's $20! And I bought Bring Down the Sky and never even played it once.   I also can't find the cables for my 360.   Prey and TFU were fun rentals but don't really stand up very well. And the f**king destroyer sequence in TFU was the WORST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED. I will never play that game again just because of that.

ME2's a bit a disappointment anyway. No more Mako missions, which is good, but they're replaced with something even more annoying. Combat is better in ways, but also falls flat on its face repeatedly.

Also, for the hell of it, my Shep without his scar, since all scars are gone in ME2.



Suppose I owe you kids some ratings.

Mass Effect: 8/10. Fun and engaging RPG with a "battle system" which resembles Gears of War with magic powers. Neat! Cover system could use work, though, and the game is too easy. Vehicle missions are neat at first but eventually will drive you up a wall. Pacing is excellent, and things feel like you actually have an impact on a galaxy. Side-quests can get really repetitive, but there's some interesting story to be had in some of them.

Mass Effect 2: 6/10. One step forward, two steps back. Buggiest game released in recent memory, resulting in dozens of deaths and plenty of times where I was forced to load for being stuck on top of something after inexplicably warping on top of it. You now have "universal" ammo that isn't universal and are often caught carrying two extra clips for the one guy you use -- and when enemies take a whole clip to kill, you find ways of running out of ammo and being relegated to using secondary weapons which happen to have ammo. Frustrating. Cover system works better, but crouching has been removed, so you'll often get stuck in places where you can't shoot back without getting hammered. Choices have been extended in the game, but the game itself feels like a series of sidequests while you wait for an opportunity to actually further the story. The pacing that made Mass Effect so engaging has been turned on its head, and while some dialogue is quite amusing this time around ("you're working too hard"), the game does little else to keep your attention. Just a bunch of shooting people.

Call of Juarez: 4/10. Some of the reverend's missions are neat, giving you plenty of slow-motion gunslinging action, but most of it is a mediocre shooter combined with a terrible platformer. Not sure exactly what they were going for here, but it probably failed.

Prince of Persia (2008): 6/10. Gorgeous. Cinematic. And frighteningly linear at times. The game's running sequences feel contrived, giving you really obvious paths to follow, and the game keeps you from ever dying -- not in combat, not while climbing through the game's areas. This would be OK if it were tough, but it isn't: you only ever fall when you press the button twice because it doesn't respond and the game logs your command and jumps off a wall two seconds later to your death return to previous platform. Prince isn't a prince and can be an annoying ass at times (distinctly American), though some comments are pretty funny. As a little cinematic adventure, it works out alright, but as a platformer, it's pretty weak.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: 3/10. Cinematic in a cheesy 80s action movie way. Contrived from start to finish, beating to death the silly conventions which have defined the modern shooter: infinite health, infinite stream of opponents, and on-rails shooting sections. Tries over and over to shock you, but if you've ever seen Independence Day or any movie about terrorists ever (including a particular Bond movie), you won't bat an eye. POV is inexplicable for a widescreen view; I can see further with one eye closed. Ends up as a mediocre shooter with the worst multiplayer component in recent memory (/ragequit = 10 second wait, lag party, and generally uninteresting as a base product). At least it looks pretty decent.

Also, Pekka, I still remember the first Final Fantasy I played back in what, 1991? Been almost 20 years since now.

Which first Final Fantasy?

The NES Japanese releases or the NES US releases?

You can play those first ones on Final Fantasy Origins for the PlayStation now though.

KoS wrote: So far, it's very good. The controls are just a bit awkward at first, but you get used to it. I still need to make the origami that comes with the game.

FF3/6 is the best.

I've actually played the original Japanese version but translated and it's better.  The US release had bits cut out.

Still playing Compagny of Heroes & Civilazation 4

Edited by tamijo - February 26 2010 at 13:07

Edited by KoS - March 01 2010 at 01:15

True.

Edited by KoS - March 01 2010 at 01:24

No, the translation was fine but the original Japanese version had some extra scenes, I believe.  I've played both and the Japanese version seems to play differently to me.