the be all end all video game thread

From what I saw its not completely CoD style, its supposed to be a bit more tactical. Looks great though and I can't wait for it.

 

Well you don't have to, it came out the same day ME2 did. I was in the beta since the first wave, the differences in comparison to MW2 are vast. Overall I enjoyed it very much, but with Mass Effect 2 out now, Heavy Rain out later this month and God of War 3 coming in March, I don't know where I'm gonna fit it in.

 

It's made by Zipper....and it is heavily dependent on teamwork, that's about the only comparison between the two. That being said it is one hell of a technical feat to get the game as lag-free as the beta was, especially in the 256 player Domination mode. I mean the lag is negligible. The map modes are varied as are the objectives for each one. Sadly I think it'll get overlooked as everyone is still getting their Prestige on in MW2 but it's interesting and fun enough to warrant a purchase.

 

Am I the only one that things that the final boss of Mass Effect 2 was retarded? Seriously how hard is it for them to find some decent writers to come up with something better than that abomination.

 

After sitting down with a copy of Dante's Inferno, I almost feel bad for EA.

Almost.

This game releases alongside Bioshock 2, which will undoubtedly bury it at retail. Every review I've seen thus far on Bioshock has been glowing, and to say that 2K's franchise will likely control the shelves in February (not to mention in-store marketing materials) is a pretty damn safe bet. But if you have another $60 to spend this month, holy shit, Dante's Inferno is the one.

Going to new IPs in this climate is rarely a safe bet (let alone going to a gory, quasi-Christian-themed alternate history), but EA's new series seems to have pulled it off. The art direction, even in the damn in-game options/load/quit screen, is really something that drew me in to the experience. With Bayonetta and Darksiders already on the shelves this year, things are even more crowded, but fans of God of War will love this one. I'm a few hours in now, and what struck me the most was the game's portrayal of human depravity. The Hell setting really gives this beat-'em-up personality, much like the Tarantino-goes-to-Japan feel that put Bayonetta above a lot of brawlers.

Just my quick $.02 on DI. Anybody else about to finish Mass Effect 2 and getting bored with it? Loved the beginning, but somehow the non-linearity of it just feels like a bunch of random "go here and get your dude, then do their mission to satisfy them," over and over again. Seems like it just lacks the... urgency... of the first game. Dunno if I'm going to even bother to recruit my last dude and finish it.

 

The last boss is kind of lackluster, but the final mission itself is pretty cool. The decisions you make during it and how it affects the outcome is pretty interesting stuff.

 

Agree about the weak ending, I could see which decision were going to result in deaths and picked accordingly ahead of time. Anyone else think the deaths were kind of hamfisted?

Spoiler

I lost Tali and Jack both to doors that couldn't shut fast enough. Seriously? I was far more affected by the fact that Yeoman Chambers got turned in a Slush-Puppy before I could hit it.

 

Spoiler

From what I understand, who you pick for the other team leader will affect whether your person will die or not. Garrus is a pretty safe choice, I think, but Miranda is also supposed to work. You need someone with leadership skills. Supposedly if the other team has a good leader, they will think to provide covering fire and your other team members should survive. That having been said, when I did it I know I didn't choose a good leader, but I do remember them saying to provide covering fire and Legion still died on me, so who knows? Could be an element of randomness involved as well.

And with Chambers, apparently more crew members die the longer you take between doing the IFF mission and going through the Omega 4 relay. For example, Chambers didn't die on me because I went straight to the relay after I got the IFF (or maybe it was after I did Legion's loyalty mission, I forget the order). So it really is up to you who lives and dies.

 

I downloaded and played the demo of this game. While I did enjoy it, I guess the truth is that I have to make choices. There are too many good games coming out within the first 3 months of 2010. My shopping list for the first 3 months already looks like this:

Final Fantasy XIII
Star Ocean: The Last Hope International (I realize no one else anticipates this, but I love this series, so I am)
Dragon Age Origins: Awakenings (large expansion to Dragon Age: Origins)
Dante's Inferno

Keep in mind, those are just the games that I want. I mean, damn. Add ME2, Bioshock 2, Heavy Rain and God of War 3 to the list of highly anticipated games to come out in the first 3 months of 2010, and it is frigging insane what some people who are major gamers are going to have to invest if they want to play all of these games.

 

I'm much the same. Never played ME1, but after all the positive reviews on here for the sequal, im considering giving it a go. Problem is, MW2 is more than enough for me at the moment, and I can't see myself playing anything else for a while. I haven't even finished Batman yet, or everything in Assassin's Creed 2.

 

I actually feel fortunate in some ways. I can't play FPS games, because the vast majority of the time, I get all of about 5 minutes in before I start to get a headache and get motion sickness. It sucks that I miss out on some great games, but if I could play those games I'd likely be addicted to them, too. Its bad enough that the games I DO play tend to be RPGs that can take in the rage of 30 to 60 hours each.

And, truth be told, I haven't finished all the games I recieved at Christmas. I played through all of Assassin's Creed 2, and finished Batman (though there are still plenty of trophies to get and challenge maps to complete), but I have barely scratched the surface of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and I'll be getting Star Ocean next week. I'm so going to fail all my classes this semester.

 

Has anyone noticed the two references to the original Baulder's gate in Mass Effect 2

Spoiler

The Space hamster named Boo and if you use Tali she will occasionally shout (in a Russian accent) Go for the optics!

 

So I beat Mass Effect 2 for the second time last night, giving me my last achievements (insanity, keep everyone alive). I decided to then scan all of the planets in the galaxy and take care of all the side missions unlocked from exploration. After one side mission,

Spoiler

I think it was the one with the Reaper indoctrination machine in the caves

all of my credits, minerals, and even fuel went to zero. It let me purchase more fuel for free somehow and so I kept exploring and when going to a new side mission, I noticed how my character reset to level 1. What the fuck? I've tried looking it up but I can't find anyone experiencing this issue. Have any of you guys heard about a bug where your Shepard resets to level 1, loses your changed armor, keeps his unlocked weapons, squad remains their correct levels and keep their abilities, and all of your resources and money is set to zero? I guess it isn't a huge deal as I can finish up the last few side missions and it probably won't affect anything when I important to ME3, but this is still fucked.

 

Sweet, just signed up for the NFS World beta! I did the system profiler while I was running OSX instead of being in bootcamp. I'm sure I'll get rejected cuz of it too, even though they still saw the CPU, ram and crap.

 

Vegas Baby! The teaser trailer for the next Fallout game just dropped.

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/falloutnewvegas/video/6249461/fallout-new-vegas-teaser-trailer

 

If you don't feel like waiting until February 11th for the demo of Heavy Rain, good news. Just follow the instructions on the site and you'll get a redeemable code for the demo. I've done it an it works.

http://kotaku.com/5464839/want-the-heavy-rain-demo-right-now-heres-how