the be all end all video game thread

To their credit, their PR approach to the news was essentially perfect.

Edit-

There is already a fledgling e-sports presence with first-person shooters in North America and fighting games in the US and Japan. It's really a matter of time, but the question is when it will break through.

I'm not sure that Starcraft 2 is popular enough in the US though, and their format has certain issues with it.

 

That was a good video, and I also have to retract my previous statement about releasing it in May no matter what. I would much rather play a game a month late, even Duke Nukem Forever, than one that is buggy or unfinished.

 

Every last PC game released by EA Games in the past decade, anyone?

 

EXACTLY!!!

I have been telling my friends this for years; the approach that no e-gaming league has tried yet, but which makes the most sense, is not the tournament format, but rather, something modeled after the "cash games" format of poker.

Hell, individual players in the Street Fighter/fighting games community have been setting this up, organically, since the start of tournaments; there was a match played a few years ago with $50,000 on the line.

If you really want to get players hooked, then as you noted, start a poker-like site where several games are played for cash prizes, with strict diligence with regards to cheating, boosting, etc. Then, like poker, feature satellites to some major championship tournament in Las Vegas.

Simultaneously, feature individual gamers in large-stake money matches over lots of sets; not just a short encounter in a tournament.

See, playing in a tournament isn't so attractive to the average gamer; they will get squashed like a bug, and have no chance at a prize. But an individual cash game against someone with a "rating" close to theirs? Suddenly, it becomes a lot more attractive.

Of course, the major impediment to this is that video games don't want their brand associated with "gambling", although if you think about it, the tournaments that companies like Capcom and Gamestop sponsor are essentially the same thing.

 

I've been saying it all along, it gets bad once you cross like 24. You start running into more foreigners and people that have been playing so long they don't care anymore. That's when you just have to grind it out until you're 30, and make sure to invite every single competent person you meet in game. Don't quit the game, just fight through it. It's rough, but there is another side. You'll be okay.

 

Hey, this may sound like a stupid question, but I have never figured out how to talk to someone outside my game. I've been message harassed by a couple of you guys during games and I don't know how to talk back.

 

Diablo, if you're in a game and someone is talking to you, it's very simple. /r and they're name will come up /r "DevilDogKill"

if you know someone is online and they haven't talked to you, its simply /w "theirname" and there you go.

The best part of this game are all the people that don't know they can turn the profanity filter off its not like its one little check box or anything.

 

Hells yes, I loved the original IL2 series, and now Oleg&co have made a new engine and a new theater for us to play in. This is definitely on my buy list come April. The graphics look great for a flight sim.

 

Just picked up "You Don't Know Jack" for the PS3. If you're a fan of the original series, I'd recommend it, although there are some tweaks they made to make it more online-friendly.

First, before the games were either 7 or 21 question games. Now, they're all 10 question "episodes." I'm sure the reason for doing this is to facilitate online play, as you can just play "episodes," without concerns about repeating questions for certain players. There are 73 episodes so far, with another 10 that were just released as downloadable content (with more to come, I'm sure). The "Dis or Dat" questions, just like the "Jack Attack" are back and are pretty much the same.

Unlike before, the questions let everyone answer, and points are based on how quick you answer, whereas before the only person who can answer is the person who buzzed in first. The questions in the 2nd round are also worth a ton of points, as is the Jack Attack. I've seen a lot of complaints in reviews that it is too easy to come back during the Jack Attack in round 3, but I've yet to see it really happen.

They've also added a new feature called the "wrong answer of the game," where they give you a clue at the start of the round and you have to look for the wrong answer that matches the clue. These are usually worth big points, so it is worth looking through the answers for the "right" wrong answer, with the ability to collect all the prizes.

The game has also been quite funny, with a few laugh-out-loud moments so far, and the questions are challenging without being frustrating. Some games have made me feel really smart, while others have made me feel incredibly dumb for not figuring it out.

Overall, I'd give it an 8 out of ten. Incredibly enjoyable if you like trivia games.

 

Took the early adopter plunge today and got a 3DS. I've always been big into handhelds, and although the launch lineup sucks, I didn't mind swiping one now before they become impossible to find a la every goddamn Nintendo hardware launch.

So far, it's looking like a good buy.

The pack-in games are shallow but fun, especially Face Raiders (wait... wasn't that a porn title?) As for normal games, I've played quite a bit of Pilotwings so far. Liked the first two, and although this one seems to lack some of the depth of the second game, I'm having a blast with it. The 3D really shows its worth when you're trying to land on little jetpack targets. Definitely makes me excited to see how they integrate the concept into games further into the system's lifecycle. I also got Monkey Ball (fucking love the whole series. Total guilty pleasure), which has been great so far, though they stripped some of the better side games out of it.

Now give me my Ocarina of Time, dammit.

 

Can someone help me?

Want to get a light gun game for my PS3:

A: Which one is best, for gun quality/game etc

B: Anyone know if the light guns are compatible with projectors?

Thanks in advance.

 

I'm thinking we should set up a time a few times a week to play. Getting called a noob for not helping when they over extend into a trynd and twitch is really irritating.

 

I've always been a fan of Nintendo Handhelds, played the shit out of my DS Lite. I just can't bring myself to pick up a 3DS until it gets a few solid games in its lineup. I'm even considering waiting until they release the "improved hardware" version, like the DS Lite over the original DS, although I'm not sure I'll be able to wait that long. I'm glad to hear that you like it though.

I bought Crysis 2 through steam over the weekend, and while I haven't had a chance to play it yet, my buddy played it for a little bit on Sunday before heading back to Dallas while dozed/fought a hangover. The one thing I can definitely say so far about it is that it looks really damned good, and my PC was able to run it on "extreme" graphics setting.

Of course that's one thing I saw right off the bat that I'm not sure I like. There are no "fine grain" graphics controls. You could set the resolution, and then choose between High, Higher, or extreme (I think that's what the options were, but I know there were only three). I'm going to spend some time playing it when I get home tonight so I'll probably write a little more about my impressions later.

 

I bought my 3DS yesterday morning at Best Buy (Free t-shirt, too!), but I didn't buy a 3DS game because...

Exactly. The games that I want are on the way. Ocarina of Time. Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle. Cave Story. Resident Evil: Revelations. The inevitable Mario title.

I'm just under the assumption that the 3DS is going to be sold out sooner than later and I wanted to have mine before that happens.

 

Some buddies and I got nostalgic about FPSs "back in the day." Man, this clip takes me back...



In other news, I never (and still have not ever) played Doom, Counter-Strike, or Halo. So, I fail.

 

Best game of the series IMO. A classic.

 

FYI, voting is currently going on for the Madden 12 cover athlete. I tuned out of the series a couple years ago, but I really like this approach to the cover player. I don't recall them doing this any year prior to this. Listening to Colin Cowherd run his fucking mouth is, thankfully, entirely optional.

<a class="postlink" href="http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/feature/madden2012cover" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://espn.go.com/sportsnation/feature/madden2012cover</a>

 

Is anyone else voting for players with regard to the madden curse? Personally I'm voting against players I'd rather not see go down/under perform next season. (And for players I generally don't like)

Can anyone recommend a game like Final Fantasy Tactics that is available on the PC? Tactics was probably my favorite final fantasy game and I've been wanting to play it again. I heard a rumor that it was being ported to iOS, but have no idea when/if it will be released. I also have a Wii, but do most of my gaming on the PC.