Whatcha playin? (Video games wise.)

Montana Smith

Active member
Finn said:
Well, like I said, the Asian cinema is not completely unknown to me. Out of the ones you listed, I actually have seen Hard Boiled and Infernal Affairs. The former, incidentally, actually had a sequel made for it in form of a video game, titled John Woo's Stranglehold. It was a fun game, revolving around this cinematic and extremely garish shooting mechanic, much akin to Max Payne.

I bought John Woo Presents Stranglehold from a charity shop last Friday. I instantly thought of this thread and references to an Asian game, though this didn't turn out to be the game I had in mind.

Nevertheless, for the extremely one-dimensional gameplay, Stranglehold is fun to dip into.

"Massive environmental damage" is always a big plus when I'm playing a shooter, and this one really delivers!

The inability to save adds a bit of extra tension, as you're forced to employ tactics to survive long enough to your next health boost.

I also like the fact that there are a set number of enemies in each level, rather than spawning until you reach a certain point.

I've just killed Lok and entered a car park where a furious fire fight has broken out...
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Forbidden Eye said:
...it did come with this cool Scrooge Pin!

It is a cool pin, but do I really need any more Disney merchandise? Short answer: No. Especially when I still have the DVD sets.


Finn said:
Wait... they're printing strategy guides for FPSes now? What for?

Except that they really aren't "strategy" oriented. I've flipped through a couple of 'em, and they're closer to instruction manuals. They tell you where to go, where to exactly find all the collectibles, and how to take down any bosses among other things like complete map layouts. Nothing is left to chance.

Montana Smith said:
I bought John Woo Presents Stranglehold from a charity shop last Friday.

I've recently seen it on the store shelf, but can't bring myself to buy it. I'd much rather watch the related movies again. While it doesn't look bad, I just don't know. I'm still on the fence.


Currently, I'm, perhaps predictably, knee deep in the snows of Gotham City. ACIV: Black Flag, surprisingly enough, sits next to it untouched. While I had intended on it being a PS4 purchase, I had to cancel mine due to a hefty vet bill.

The rest of the year will likely end with Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus & Ducktales. I can't really think of anything else coming out I want to get.

In other news, Charles Cecil sat down with Playstation Access regarding the forthcoming Broken Sword V: The Serpent's Curse. The two obvious takeaways: 1.) It's coming to PlayStation Vita in 2014 and 2.) like so many Kickstarter projects is going to be released in halves.

 

Finn

Moderator
Staff member
Le Saboteur said:
Except that they really aren't "strategy" oriented. I've flipped through a couple of 'em, and they're closer to instruction manuals. They tell you where to go, where to exactly find all the collectibles, and how to take down any bosses among other things like complete map layouts. Nothing is left to chance.
Mm-hmm. The Internet says hello.

Complete waste of good moolah, if you ask me. Even better is simply having 'em rolling in the corners with no intention to spend at all. At least you get the pleasure to watch the maid as she bends over to pick them up.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
If you've never had the chance to run before the wind with the salt spraying across your face, I highly recommend it. Until then, I heartily recommend picking up Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Now that the game has opened up outside of Havana, it's really starting to shine.

They really need a few bawdy songs for the various taverns.

NSFW.


It also happens to be a fantastic looking game on the PS4.
 

Goodsport

Member
Besides the double XP earned in Battlefield 4 multiplayer play from Thursday, November 28th to Thursday, December 5th, don't forget to also log into multiplayer on December 5th to receive a free M1911 pistol scope, which was previously reserved only for the DICE developers.

Also, the China Rising DLC pack is now available to all BF4 Premium members and/or to everyone who pre-ordered the game.


-G
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Goodsport said:
Besides the double XP earned in Battlefield 4 multiplayer play from Thursday, November 28th to Thursday, December 5th, don't forget to also log into multiplayer on December 5th to receive a free M1911 pistol scope, which was previously reserved only for the DICE developers.

Also, the China Rising DLC pack is now available to all BF4 Premium members and/or to everyone who pre-ordered the game.

Have you ever made a post here that wasn't a paid endorsement for Battlefield or FIFA? Or does the X-Bone give you achievements for how many concurrent posts you make on the same subject?


I need to ask Francis to create a video diary on this phenomenon, because no 'net rage compares to Francis'. Incidentally, this is indeed the future. Pay 60-bucks to platinum any game!

 

The Drifter

New member
I've been playing on the son's (an early Christmas present) Playstation 4. Been working my way through Knack. It's ratings are pretty bad, but I'm having quiet a good time with it. It's colorful, it's fun, and it's charming. I dig it.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
Le Saboteur said:
I've recently seen it on the store shelf, but can't bring myself to buy it. I'd much rather watch the related movies again. While it doesn't look bad, I just don't know. I'm still on the fence.

If you're still on the fence I'd recommend jumping back off the way you came.

Stranglehold doesn't have much replay value. While I did complete it three times to earn enough reward points to unlock all the extras, that's only just to see the behind the scenes artwork, videos and multiplayer character models.

It's an arcade style game that doesn't call for tactics. You just have to kill everyone, preferably while flying through the air in slow motion or by using the environment against enemies and run over pick-ups.

It feels very old-fashioned, and devoid of real interaction. I need more character involvement, and more interaction, such as you get in Grand Theft Auto or the Arkham and Fallout series. I like to mix up my killing, too, by taking a break from head-on rampage by playing a sneaky bastard (e.g., the old Splinter Cell series).
 

The Drifter

New member
Montana Smith said:
(e.g., the old Splinter Cell series).

Have you tried Splinter Cell: Blacklist? The one that came out recently? I'm a huge fan of the first three Splinter Cell games, but when they hit the 360, they got to 'action-y- for my tastes, but the new one goes back to stealth. I highly enjoyed it.
 

Montana Smith

Active member
The Drifter said:
Have you tried Splinter Cell: Blacklist? The one that came out recently? I'm a huge fan of the first three Splinter Cell games, but when they hit the 360, they got to 'action-y- for my tastes, but the new one goes back to stealth. I highly enjoyed it.

Hadn't heard of that one, and hadn't looked into Splinter Cell again since Finn explained the new direction the games had taken. Good that they went back to stealth.

Next on my wanted list is Arkham Origins, but I'll wait until they release a set with all the DLC on disc.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Somebody formally has my attention.


Otherwise, it's a mixture of DuckTales, Black Flag, and Arkham Origins.

Damn billy goats.
 
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Le Saboteur

Active member
Attila the Professor said:
If this is true, sounds like there might actually be something to the detective work here.

Le Saboteur said:
I'm wondering if you'll be able to muff a case.

I was expecting a lot from L.A. Noire. While it generally met my expectations, I was hoping for a bit more from the investigations. For example, if you didn't collect enough evidence you could end up charging the wrong person. You would have essentially failed the "level", and you'd have to start from scratch. I would have also liked a bit more in the evidence collecting, but we'll see what a sequel brings.

Which leads me to the newest trailer for Sherlock Holmes: Crimes and Punishments:


I'm greatly intrigued. If Frogwares & Focus Interactive manage to achieve the promise held in that trailer, then it's going to be great.
 

Ska

New member
Le Saboteur said:
Until then, I heartily recommend picking up Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag. Now that the game has opened up outside of Havana, it's really starting to shine

Wow you weren't kidding. The open-worldness of sailing around on the Jackdaw to uncharted islands, using treasure maps to find buried treasure, etc. is amazing. These worlds keep getting bigger and more details. Blows me away. I might say that this is my favorite Assassin's Creed game in the series, and I've played and completed them all. Maybe not in terms of storyline, but for setting and just an overall fun game to play.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
Ska said:
Wow you weren't kidding. The open-worldness of sailing around on the Jackdaw to uncharted islands, using treasure maps to find buried treasure, etc. is amazing. These worlds keep getting bigger and more details. Blows me away. I might say that this is my favorite Assassin's Creed game in the series, and I've played and completed them all. Maybe not in terms of storyline, but for setting and just an overall fun game to play.

Yeah, it was amazing. And then it became incredibly stale. While I'm still keen on the game and it's concept, it's sat untouched for a couple of weeks now. I've reached a certain point in the development of the Jackdaw where it's the most powerful ship in the Caribbean aside from the Legendary Ships. At one point I was fighting a pair of squadrons (originally a nautical term stolen by the air pigs!) and a naval fort!

It's a common problem in open-world games, though. So much effort is put into the world they forget that the enemies should scale to your level/ability/whatever.

I largely avoided the 'net over the holiday period, but was almost gleefully shoveling my disposable income into Bobby Kotick's lap during that same period. No, I haven't succumbed to Call of Duty. There is another franchise you might have heard of.


Yes, Skylanders. I've been intrigued by the technology that makes the whole thing come to together for a while now, and often stop by the various setups at my local retailers. Plunk down any of the 55+ Skylanders onto the Portal of Power and that character 'magically' appears on screen through the wonders of an RFID chip. It's a pretty cool use of a rather benign* bit of warehouse/inventory/whatever technology.

*- Only until Disney completes its roll out across all its properties. Then it's going to become creepy.

If you've played Torchlight or Diablo then you'll be familiar with the basic gameplay -- a third person hack n' slash. Except the world is a primary hued mishmash of, well, everything. There are pirates, robots, magic spells, and the undead. I use that last one rather loosely, however, since several of the characters aren't actually reanimated corpses.

The game is obviously geared towards children, but Activision has tried to increase the overall appeal with the addition of an actual Hard & Nightmare mode. I've enjoyed my time with it so far. What was supposed to end up being an amusing weekend diversion has grown into a 25-character collection with several hours sunk into each one!

I'm impressed with some of the work that's gone into the character design as well. They all fall into one of three categories -- brawler, ranged, technical -- but each character has a distinct personality. The aforementioned Fire Kraken has become one of my favorites, but others like Grilla Drilla, Thumpback, and Double Trouble are up there.

Has anybody else succumbed to the allure?

My collection

Flameslinger (Series 2)
Thumpback
Thumpling
Grilla Drilla
Wash Buckler
Blast Zone
Ninja Stealth Elf
Knockout Terrafin
Phantom Cynder
Lightcore Countdown
Legendary Crim Creeper
Legendary Jet Vac
Legendary Ignitor
Legendary Slam Bam
Legendary Zoo Lou
Zoo Lou
Spyro
Spy Rise
Double Trouble
Hot Dog (Series 2)
Pop Thorn
Big Bang Trigger Happy
Super Gulp Pop Fizz
 

HovitosKing

Well-known member
Now available on PSN...independent title called Spelunky:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelunky

Tried the demo, then went ahead and bought the full game. It's a side-scrolling adventure game very similar to the 80's NES ToD game. Lots of Indy homages. Worth a play if you've not heard of it, especially since the demo means you can play for free. Just FYI.
 

The Drifter

New member
I've been playing Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag for about a month on my PS4. I'm loving it, and been devoting most of my time to collecting the various chests, and Animus fragments. I'm only 30% complete after all that time (Well, I did take a two week break over the holidays).
Before that I played and beat Knack for the PS4. Fun little game that harkens back to the old beat'em up days.
 

Le Saboteur

Active member
From all the way back on Page 8...

Le Saboteur said:
The Saboteur comes out next Tuesday!

Yeah, it did. And you played it. (For, like, an hour!) Something else must have caught your attention, because it sat around for, like, four years before you bothered to give it an honest shake.

Need your memory jogged?


There's a lot to like about Pandemic's final effort. For starters, it's cavalier attitude is rather refreshing after a generation of heavy-handed paeans to The Greatest Generation? that began with Schindler's List & later the 50th Anniversary of VE Day. You might say that it shares far more in common with the nazispolitation sub-genre of pulp fiction that inspired Tarantino -- minus the Jewish fantasy -- versus Army of Shadows or The Sorrow and The Pity. In fact, it reminds me a little of Spy Smasher.

It builds on this with an absolutely beautiful black and... grey Paris shot through with touches of yellow, blue, and red. Visually this adds to the immense sense of gloom and oppression hanging over Nazi-occupied Paris while the punches of color help to punctuate the horrifying reality of life under German control. For example, the sudden shock of red as a German patrol murders a group of suspected Resistance fighters does the required job of getting your attention. Come by later and those blood stains still decorate the walls and streets.

Unfortunately, that brilliant artistic decision is undermined by the fact that after an area is "Liberated" (or, inspired enough to fight back) color returns to that specific area. Intended to symbolize life and vitality coming back to that arrondissement, it, instead, turns the City of Lights into a mud brown and rather fugly city. I would have preferred the absence of colors throughout the entire game.

Pandemic has dropped you into the pea coat and newsboy cap of Sean Devlin, an Irishman who was forced to flee that Emerald Isle for mysterious reasons. And boy-oh-boy is he ever an Irishman. Fond of whisky, women, and a good punch up, Sean turns up on the Continent in the company of the some fellow auto enthusiasts that run afoul of the Despotic Nazi Butcher after they drunkingly run his ride off a cliff into the waiting arms of Neptune. One of Sean's mates gets himself killed following this escapade setting in motion the overarching narrative of revenge and retribution. Now, the car was cool but nowhere near the level of the Red Skull's Schmidt Hydra Coupe.

Anyway, the gameplay is equally fast and loose. Sean can take a full clip of automatic gunfire before death becomes a pressing concern. Not a problem, though. Just stay out of sight for a couple of seconds and his health will completely regenerate. Enemies thankfully go down much, much easier which is good since the shooting isn't as fine tuned as it should be.

It should be noted that the stealth mechanic is completely broken. It's not even worth trying in most of the missions so far. I can beat down a Wermacht officer in the middle of the street with zero consequence, but step a foot too close to a Gestaposoldier, while disguised as a Gestapo general, and the bullets are flying fast and free. You're better off meeting your objectives head on.

Still, dynamiting Nazi installations and vehicles is an absolute blast. Pun intended. I don't think I've dealt with the main story in the past couple of days. Instead, I've gone duck hunting, raced through the French countryside, and dynamited any number of German armor and Nazi propaganda stations. I've ever taken over a couple of German AA-guns and shot down several zeppelin! So there's plenty to do outside of the main campaign for those so inclined.

I would say that I'm about halfway through the game at this point in time, and with above par voice acting, an amusing story, and a central mechanic that will never get old I'd give The Saboteur a solid 7/10 so far.

Feel your bosom swell with patriotic fervor! Aux armes, citoyens!

 

The Drifter

New member
I've been gaming on the PS4 as of late. I went through Knack which I thought was a fun game. It harkens back to the simple days of just going from point A to point B while beating the tar outta of different enemies along the way.
It's not a deep game by any means, but it's fun. And that's all that really matters in the end. The graphics are nice and clean. They have a Pixar quality to them. In fact the whole game reminded me of a Pixar film. The game could become tiring to some, I suppose, as it has a decent length, with no reprise of the same beat'em up formula. And I dislike how it requires multiple playthroughs to be able to even upgrade your character. But all-in-all it's a fun game.

After playing through Knack, I went to Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag on the PS4. Now, I am just gonna get this outta the way right off the bat. I've played through every Assassin's Creed game to date, but this one is by and far my favorite of the series. I enjoyed almost everything about it. The story, the outstanding and jaw-dropping graphics (it has the BEST environments in any game that I've seen), and it boasts the best main character from any past AC games.
I sunk a lot of hours into this one, and I enjoyed every moment of it. The only gripe that I have is that Ubisoft really need to redo the combat mechanics, as it's still clunky, and not very fluid at all.

I'm now working my way through Thief. I'm enjoying it so far as well. I will post more impressions of it after I beat it. After that, I plan on playing through the PS4 version of Tomb Raider, and then moving on to Infamous: Second Son which drops Friday.

Also: There's a WRPG that hits in May on the PS4, PC, 360 and PS3. Has anyone heard about this? It's on my radar for sure. (Finn, I'm sure that you've heard about it.)
 
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