the be all end all video game thread

I'm gonna bring up the new PS3 owner thing again real quick. I'm going to be buying one right after Christmas, and here is my list of "must play" games:

MGS4
Little Big Planet
Uncharted 1/2
Demon Souls

I'm also thinking of checking out Resistance 1/2 and Killzone 2 (maybe just rentals). My first question is, how good was uncharted 1? I hear Uncharted 2 was amazing, and I would like to play it soon, but are they the type of games where I should really play the first one before I play the second one?

Secondly, any suggestions on what order I should play those in (as in, are one of those significantly better than the others and I need to play it asap)? I am considering MGS4 first, then uncharted, with Demon Souls last.

 

It looks intimidating, until you figure out that those types of scores are 99.9% of the time a chain of killstreaks, and only require 7 or 8 "real" kills. And those are rarely achievable game after game for most players. Someone mentioned it a while ago, but since the game's been out a while, I've noticed that some games I'm absolutely on fire and Neo from the Matrix, and other games I might as well be a 5 year old trying to play this stupid game. Try not to get too frustrated, and you'll learn.

Best advice I can give a newbie to start: keep moving, as much as possible unless pinned down. When running or jogging, stick to walls and avoid open areas unless you can sprint the entire time you're vulnerable. When building a class, ALWAYS use a silencer. It kills accuracy long range, but I'll assume you haven't got the eye for seeing little fuckers that far away anyway, so don't worry. Also, use cold-blooded and ninja, and you're virtually invisible to the enemy.

The silencer is THE most key piece of equipment. If you're not using one now, you'll notice the difference. Avoid trying to be a knifer/sniper/akimbo dude for now. Go with the SCAR, FAMAS (3 burst shot, little harder) or the UMP45. I'll assume you haven't reached the higher level guns yet, like the M16, ACR or the P90. Also, toss stun/flash grenades in the general direction of your enemy as much as possible, and when you see the "X" on the screen, run in and to the side of your target, and mow them down. When throwing frags, cook them for 3 to 4 seconds prior to launch so the target only has a second to recognize the danger, then decide to run.

There really are no good sites out there to replace experience in this game, so just keep plugging. Hope this helps.

EDIT: Oh, and I almost forgot. Use the damned map as much as possible. Whether I'm in regular or hardcore, I'm constantly hitting start (on 360) to view the entire map. You don't need to necessarily see the orange dot to know where your enemy is. If you've learned the maps, and you're in the bottom 50%, obviously they will be in the top 50%, and combined with the good camping spots (unfortunately most camp), you'll know where you need to end up, and the most efficient way to get there.

 

I was one of those fan's hopelessly awaiting the release of Forever, sadly I doubt it'll ever come out. Time to kick ass and chew bubble gum, but I'm all outta gum!!

Along these same lines, does anyone have any good info on Diablo 3? It's been 10 years since D2 came out and D3 still doesn't have a release date. There are lots of video's of classes and the environment on their website, but nothing that points towards a grand finale.

 

Damn. I was 9 when Duke Nukem 3D came out and I remember going to a friends house to play it and thinking it was the craziest thing I had ever seen. Prior to that, it had never occurred to me that putting swearing and tits in videogames was a good idea. It's sort of sad to see that the rest of the industry passed 3D Realms by while they tried to 1up themselves.

As for Diablo 3, if there's another company as notorious for delays as 3D Realms, it's Blizzard. The only difference is that they actually release their games at some point. "It will be here when it's done."

 

I would save Demon's Souls for last, as it is probably the most difficult game on that list. Otherwise, it depends on what you're in the mood for.

MGS4: Fantastic action, with very, very long cut scenes in between. The game advises you to rest for 15 minutes every hour, but when some cut scenes near that length, it is kind of silly. If you played the other games and are eager to see how the story plays out (as I was), then you can get through MGS4 in a matter of 2 or 3 days.

I can't speak for the Uncharted games, as I've played neither (though both are on my christmas lists).

Little Big Planet is short on original game, but VERY long on replay-ability with all the downloadable levels and content.

I guess I'd recommend MGS4 first, then the Uncharted series, followed by LBP and Demon's Souls last, for its sheer difficulty and tendency to make you want to break your new controller.

 

I'd say 2012 at the earliest, that way if a release date is actually set before then it seems like a pleasant surprise.

Anyway, I wanted to say a little bit about Assassin's Creed II. I don't want to worry about sorting spoilers from non-spoilers so it's all going inside the tag:

Spoiler

The game is a lot better than its predecessor overall, let's get that out of the way. All of the missions and side quests are a lot better thought out than the were in the last game. I've always liked the assassination side quests but it was a bit annoying when the target is on the other side of the city. It should be a walk, but when it's 300 (meters? steps?) it gets a little tiring.

The story of this game is better although I wouldn't call it "compelling." People have said that they like Ezio better than Altaïr, I don't really see the difference. Yes, Ezio has more personality but it seems like that evaporates when the real game starts. I like how the story unfolds more smoothly through the hits than it did in the last game but it was pretty much the same "Templar dictators vs. Assassin liberators" story of the last game. The only difference is that Ezio didn't know he was becoming a member of an order, for a good 80% of the game he thought he was just stabbing dudes on his own accord. I actually thought the best part of the game was the infrequent rantings of Subject 16. He, unlike Desmond, actually shows the toll of spending time in the Animus. Assuming exploring one's genetic memories in the Animus is like going into the Matrix, it would be pretty jarring to go from being a citizen of the future to fighting knee-deep in blood and it seems like Desmond doesn't really care.

The ending was bullshit. So everything was planted by the Xel'naga/Forerunners/Ancients? Way to put work in, Ubisoft.

The addition of the second assassin's blade is cool but you can't do much with it other than a stealth double kill, other than that it's another weapon. I've found that the most fun weapons are the ones you never get to carry. The pike that some of the soldiers in Venice carry around is really cool and the axe that the heavy guards carry has a couple of satisfying counter combos.

Because I like to do all of the official side quests (fuck the feathers) it took me about a week to finish it. I bought it new and I'm planning on selling it back to the place where I got it because it doesn't have a lot of replay value.

 

I just picked up Demon's Soul the other day. Had a chance to sit down today for some quality gaming time, and holy fuck, i got my shit wrecked. I'm 24, have been playing video games most of my life, but even i was shocked at how unforgiving this game is. I started playing as a barbarian, but died promptly, about 10 dozen times. Switched to a caster spec class, doing a bit better. But it really teaches you to slow down, anticipate enemy attacks, and not to dash into rooms guns blazing.

Good thing im on christmas break, this game is going to ruin me.

 

Saw this on another board, lost it laughing. It was a discussion about the 1887s in MW2. Yes, I'm a complete dork.

 

Assassin's Creed 2

I've been playing through Assassin's Creed 2 lately, and I'm actually pretty happy with the improvements they've made over the old one. There are more side quests to get through, and improving your villa and city is one of the more fun ones (if only because it's nice to see money going into my fake bank account, if not my real one). Of course, the graphics are phenomenal and pretty seamless. Though I miss the Middle Eastern setting of the old one, the intricacy of Italy is really interesting to run around on.

Also I like how they've made free running a little more dangerous. You can't just fall off things and expect your health to return, now you actually have to go to the doctor. In Fallout style, your armor has to be repaired if you constantly fall off things as well, though not your weapons. The fighting sequences are still pretty easy, but at least you get to learn a lot more interesting tricks, and the double hidden blade is absolutely awesome when you time it right. Nothing beats seeing Ezio stab two guys in the throat at once. My one gripe is you're not allowed to go around assassinating civilians, because it will desynchronize the memory, and there are some very annoying troubadours that deserve assassination, in my opinion. I'm definitely loving the disarm technique though, but I wish there were more reasons to not just use my hidden blades all the time. They seem to be the most effective at killing people. Also there really ought to be a way to aim your throwing knives.

The story is good so far, classic out-for-vengeance tale, and the voice actor is MILES above the guy who voiced Altair. This time you actually feel like you can absorb yourself in the story. A friend of mine said he was pretty sure that the voice of Ezio is the same guy who played Niko in GTA IV, but I can't vouch for that. However, I'm almost dead certain Desmond Miles is the same voice as the Prince of Persia. I do agree with whoever said before that you spend too much time in the Animus. I have been playing for a few hours and I have no idea what they're doing out there, and that was the fast-paced gripping part of the first, which they've thrown out for the second. I enjoyed the first Assassin's Creed where you'd either desperately want to go back to the Animus, or desperately want to know what's going on outside of it. While I haven't exactly gotten bored playing around in the Animus, I want to know what the hell I'm working toward.

I'll put the rest under spoiler tags in case anyone is sensitive about this stuff.

Spoiler

I really like all the nods to the first Assassin's Creed. I haven't played far enough yet, but I am trying to complete the quest to get Altair's armor as fast as possible, since I miss looking like an actual assassin.

Best part of the game so far: When you finally meet your Uncle Mario.

Ezio: Do I know you?
Uncle Mario: Ezio, you don't remember me? It'sa me, Mario!

I hope whoever included that line got a raise.

I'm actually taking my time to complete all the side quests, because if the ending of the second is anything like the first, I want to savor it.

Also, did anyone else think that Kristen Bell's sprite looks absolutely awful compared to the first game? I don't know what they tweaked, but she looks a lot different to me.

 

You will get better as you learn the maps. At first it's "run around and get killed by dudes in random places" and then pretty suddenly it's "run to the random places and kill dudes". Look forward to that process.

 

Borderlands would be a GREAT game if it wasn't for me not being able to connect to any fucking servers...

And I even went through the trouble of forwarding like 10 different ports.

 

I've got some of the maps figured out pretty good, and others I can't stand (fuck you, Vacant and Overgrown). I find myself sneaking up on guys more and more. The biggest problem for me is actually killing guys when I come across them. No matter how sure I feel about my aim, it seems to take half a clip to take down an opponent. I watch when I get taken out on the Kill Cam, and these guys turn the corner, lock on to me instantly, and pop 3-4 rounds with ease. Unless I'm shooting them from behind, I'm most likely to go down first.

I'm up to Level 32, so you'd think I'd have it figured out by now. Still, it's tons of fun. I'm looking forward to not being the bottom feeder of my teams, though.

 

May be a good idea to try and monkey around with your sensitivity settings too to figure out what you like. I bumped mine up from the default to have it fit my style better. If you're not using stopping power, that's a good way to get into the swing of things as well. That, or just run around noob tubing people.

 

Stopping Power is almost a must for "Spray and Pray" guys like myself. It really depends on what weapon you're using, though. Is it automatic or 3 round burst, like the M-16 or FAMAS?

 

It depends on what gun your using and where you are aiming. Upper torso-head is going to be 1-2 shot drops every time. Use burst trigger pulls to avoid the muzzle climb. As the guy said above me, stopping power is key as well. That being said, the whole reason I stick to hardcore is to avoid that hit indicator with no kill. Granted hardcore tends to gravitate to the camping play-style, but hitting someone once and getting the kill is just more my cup-o-tea.

 

What is Christmas in the PC gaming world without The Steam Holiday Sale!?

And for those looking to find us:

The Rudius Media Steam Group.

The Idiot Board Steam Group.

 

damnit. Had to change my gamertag, again. Don't think anyone complained/reported me this time though. Anyone know if they (MS) randomly checks gamertags against a list of...inappropriate names?

Originally Phetus Phister, then PhetusPhister69, now PhetusPhister00

 

Christ, Braid is an insanely hard puzzle game. Not really skill wise or in any annoying way, but in how abstractly you have to think to figure out the puzzle.

 

I just got my new receiver in today. When I sober up tomorrow, I can play MW2 for the second time. Epic Christmas present for myself.