Video Game thread II: Super Scumbo Bros

[u2popmofo]

Diff strokes, I can't stand how LA Noire's city looks. The engine looks ancient.

 

[LemonMelon]

The thing that bothers me about Infamous is the enemy design. They just look like a mess of polygons. And then, even putting graphical limitations aside, they still seem kinda generic

The graphics in general are pretty shit. When Cole talks, his jaw is exceptionally muppet-esque, and the game in general doesn't look as smooth as I would like. There are some bugs also; walls disappearing or changing to a solid slab of brown/black, buildings popping out of the mist, etc. A guy just started shaking violently for no reason. It's not the most polished game I've ever played, and I wish there was more variety in what you can do with your powers beyond jumping and shooting bad guys (or, in my case, good guys). The evil side missions are pretty fun, but the good ones don't give you any real incentive to play that storyline. These are all issues I would like to see fixed in the sequel(s).

 

[LMP]

Diff strokes, I can't stand how LA Noire's city looks. The engine looks ancient.

 

[Dfit00]

Diff strokes, I can't stand how LA Noire's city looks. The engine looks ancient.

I played L.A. Noire in its entirety and it sucked.

 

[No spoken words]

I played it in its entirety, too, and while I don't think that it sucked, I was certainly disappointed. It looked nice in B&W, though.

Almost done with inFamous. Getting a tad bored, but, my latest ability has kept me entertained.

 

[The Sad Punk]

I haven't played LA Noire in weeks. Still haven't finished it.

Played Infamous 2 for hours last night though, lots of fun. I like New Marais more than Empire City. Might try my hand at making a mission too.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Where does your disappointment come from as far as L.A. Noire? Were you expecting open-ended, sandbox gameplay because it had the Rockstar logo on it as publisher?

I haven't played it yet, myself.

 

[No spoken words]

I knew it wasn't open ended, so for me that wasn't it.

It just became very repetitive, and, there were no negative consequences regarding a pivotal part of the game. The interrogations are central to gameplay, and yet, even if you conduct a poor interrogation you can successfully close cases. So this diminishes your need to find every single clue at a crime scene, etc. I still tried my best but once it dawned on me that you could still advance without finding everything, or asking all the right questions, a lot of the sense of urgency dissipated for me. Also, the side missions, of which there are plenty, were very easy to complete, and, again, after a few very repetitive.

It almost felt like a film where the CGI is so important and vital to the filmmaker that things like story or performance seem to take a backseat. Maybe this is a poor analogy, but in the case of this game, the facial expressions and representations were amazing but perhaps the need to get that all right eclipsed other concerns.

I really did enjoy it at first, and again a little later when an overall story started to develop...but that didn't last.

 

[LemonMelon]

Maybe the sequel will be a great deal stronger? Seems like a great concept without a great deal of depth; perfect setup for a series, though hardly a perfect game.

I don't know why I've grown so cynical about sequels as of late...maybe it's the fact that I've started a couple of series from the beginning and I can see some flaws that were apparently fixed in the follow-ups. Hindsight and all that.

 

[No spoken words]

Mass

Effect

2

Amazing sequel.

 

[LemonMelon]

Between that, Resistance 3, Uncharted 3...shit, where are the new storylines anymore?

Not going to stop me from buying, and loving every last one of these games, mind. I'm just always thrilled when a great new series like Bioshock dominates or something really ingenious like LittleBigPlanet pops up.

 

[No spoken words]

Oh, in general I agree......I'd rather play a great new game than a great sequel...but there's room for both....and, truly, Mass Effect, at least to me, is on another level. Probably my favorite game since playing Ultima IV when I was a kid.

And on that note...I will begin Fallout Vegas now, since inFamous has been completed.

 

[LMP]

I knew it wasn't open ended, so for me that wasn't it.

It just became very repetitive, and, there were no negative consequences regarding a pivotal part of the game. The interrogations are central to gameplay, and yet, even if you conduct a poor interrogation you can successfully close cases. So this diminishes your need to find every single clue at a crime scene, etc. I still tried my best but once it dawned on me that you could still advance without finding everything, or asking all the right questions, a lot of the sense of urgency dissipated for me. Also, the side missions, of which there are plenty, were very easy to complete, and, again, after a few very repetitive.

It almost felt like a film where the CGI is so important and vital to the filmmaker that things like story or performance seem to take a backseat. Maybe this is a poor analogy, but in the case of this game, the facial expressions and representations were amazing but perhaps the need to get that all right eclipsed other concerns.

I really did enjoy it at first, and again a little later when an overall story started to develop...but that didn't last.

That's how I feel, too. This article sums up the overall experience pretty well:

Tom Bissell reviews L. A. Noire, the latest hit game from Rockstar Games - Grantland

 

[The Sad Punk]

That's how I feel, too. This article sums up the overall experience pretty well:

Tom Bissell reviews L. A. Noire, the latest hit game from Rockstar Games - Grantland

Fantastic article. Very tempted to pick up "Extra Lives" after reading that.

I went into LA Noire knowing well and good what it would be - I didn't want another standard Rockstar sandbox, and I knew that wasn't what I was going to get. My problem with the game is that it slowly, but surely, becomes incredibly dull. I'd like to elaborate further, but I really think that would be a waste of time.

(Infamous 2 is great, though. Play that shit).

 

[No spoken words]

After reading that whole article, I think none of us need ever comment on the game again.....it's all there already.

Fallout Vegas is underway, bugs and all.

inFamous 2 may soon get purchased.

Oh, and my Xbox live account was hacked and some schmuck bought over $100 of games via my account. Account is now frozen, my cc account cancelled with a new one to start on Wednesday. Fun times.

 

[The Sad Punk]

Damn, bro. That sucks.

Tell me what you think of NV, still thinking of playing it despite the problems.

 

[No spoken words]

I have not even started my first main quest, so, I'm unable to really give feedback. U2popmofo has played it, though, so he can speak to how good/bad it is outside of the glitches. I loved Fallout 3 to death, once I go into it, that much I can say. I'll pop back in here in a few days to let you know how it's going, if you like.

And thanks....not a huge deal, just a little annoying/slightly creepy.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Thank you for the article on Noire, that is some excellent writing.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Turns out I had more free space on my HD that I thought. downloading the Uncharted Beta right now

 

[RavenBlue]

New Vegas is epic despite the glitches, which are less now than they used to be. It's a great game!

 

[LMP]

Blur is a live-action Mario Kart. Holy shit.

 

[u2popmofo]

Turns out I had more free space on my HD that I thought. downloading the Uncharted Beta right now

What say you?

Gametrailers TV aired the full 15+ minute demo for Bioshock Infinite last night. You can watch here (I haven't seen yet, but it's supposedly ridiculously awesome):

GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley

 

[Jive Turkey]

What say you?

It's fun. A lot like the last multiplayer, but the last one was fun too. I just wish the shooting was more accurate. I always feel like I'm just spraying bullets all over the place

Gametrailers TV aired the full 15+ minute demo for Bioshock Infinite last night. You can watch here (I haven't seen yet, but it's supposedly ridiculously awesome):

GameTrailers TV with Geoff Keighley

uhhhh, holy shit. That looks like it could be the most fun game ever. I really hope they manage to keep it looking as good as it currently does. Why so far away?

 

[No spoken words]

I still have never played a second of either Bioshock. I owned both at one point, then wound up giving them away. I don't know why I'm so disinterested.

 

[u2popmofo]

The story and setting is pretty awesome in the first. The graphics were extremely impressive at the time, but wouldn't be now probably. Art is still really cool though. i don't really think this has anything to do with that game though, so you could probably still hop in without having played a single second previously and be 100% fine.

JT, I sorta feel the same. Maybe a little disappointed even, honestly. Granted, it's a beta, but the Gears 3 beta was so fleshed out and amazing looking, that I can't help but pick out all the rough edges and early code. Coop is ok. Regardless, I'm sure the final product will be awesome, so it's all good.

 

[Jive Turkey]

I still have never played a second of either Bioshock. I owned both at one point, then wound up giving them away. I don't know why I'm so disinterested.

I felt the same way about Bioshock, but figured it was getting so much attention, I might as well give it a shot. The first one ended up being one of my favourites of this generation. You should at least pick up the first. I know around here you can get it for $20 brand new

 

[Jive Turkey]

JT, I sorta feel the same. Maybe a little disappointed even, honestly. Granted, it's a beta, but the Gears 3 beta was so fleshed out and amazing looking, that I can't help but pick out all the rough edges and early code. Coop is ok. Regardless, I'm sure the final product will be awesome, so it's all good.

Uncharted has always been about single player for me anyway, and from the looks of it, it's shaping up nicely.

I finished Infamous today. For the most part, it was a lot of fun. Especially toward the end when you have all kinds of crazy powers. I'm thinking about getting the new one, but how are the missions in the new one? I started to get a little bored of them. Is it still the same 'go here, do this 3 times/destroy 3 of these/make 3 of these elevators move' type stuff? Everything in threes

 

[bono_212]

Blur is a live-action Mario Kart. Holy shit.

Where have you been. It's just the best.

Still don't own it though

 

[u2popmofo]

I'm thinking about getting the new one, but how are the missions in the new one? I started to get a little bored of them. Is it still the same 'go here, do this 3 times/destroy 3 of these/make 3 of these elevators move' type stuff? Everything in threes

MUCH more diverse! They did away with the super annoying types of side missions as well (follow some exploding douche for 5 minutes type crap), so the focus even in those is always on some sort of enjoyable action. There are actual random things that pop up around the city to do (stopping muggings if you're a hero, or killing protesters if you're evil, etc.). Numerous different types of enemies, far more enjoyable combat, cooler powers, more diverse types of environments in the city, playing as good or evil actually results in different missions and even game endings, considerably better graphics, etc. You name it, it's improved in Infamous 2.

 

[Jive Turkey]

Sounds good. I'll definitely get it then