Finn said:By the way, the fifth installment of Broken Sword series reached its required backing of $400,000 yesterday, so the game according to the vision the devs want it made is a go.
Finn said:Though I did manage to sneak a peek to Sleeping Dogs when visiting a friend. I have to say, it genuinely seemed like the first GTA-esque sandbox title that might just actually challenge Rockstar in their home turf. While Dishonored is still on top of my "to acquire" list for this year, I may just have to divert part of my budget to see what Hong Kong has to offer in all its glory.
I think I saw an article in some game magazine where Tim Schafer used to talk about this stuff. He said that game budgets bloat easily if one concentrates too much on the so-called external production values, ie. stuff that don't directly concern the people directly involved in the technical aspects of creating a game.Le Saboteur said:Though, I have yet to put a finger on why any game's cost should run into the tens of millions of bucks.
Sounds like a YLOD all right.Ska said:I'm assuming this is the yellow light of death and that my PS3 is a goner?
Finn said:Sounds like a YLOD all right.
One of the reasons I prefer PCs. They're not closed systems what comes to hardware, so if something goes fritz, the odds are it's nothing a relatively cheap replacement part, a screwdriver and some macgyvering won't fix.
Though in the technical sense, modern consoles aren't really that much more complicated - after all, they're nothing but tad fancier computers. In fact, I have heard stories of fellow propellerheads being able to strip their systems apart and jury rig 'em back into working condition. So if you know any garage geniuses, it shouldn't hurt to haul the thing over and let them take a gander at it. Unless the warranty's still good, that is. Goes without saying that in said case one should just FedEx it back to Sony.
Too bad. Though if it's been running this far without a hiccup, I suppose one might even consider himself lucky. Especially if it's been used regularly. After all, four to five years is sitting quite in the middle of the age range when machines with delicate electronics in them start showing wear and tear.Ska said:It's a 4-5 year old 40gb chubby unit. Def. out of warranty.
Finn said:Any PC acquired during the past five years or so should run even the newest titles in the genres with relative ease.
In this case, it actually stems from the devs being very faithful to the source material. The games are a continuation of a series of fantasy novels written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, and Geralt really gets around in those.Le Saboteur said:While doing research I was surprised at the amount of sex in the game. It seems to be a new trend amongst RPGs going back, at least for me, to the original Fable.
Finn said:The games are a continuation of a series of fantasy novels written by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski, and Geralt really gets around in those.
Finn said:Though I didn't actually find the amount of sex that high (at least by European standards), but it is very graphic, at least for what is supposed to be a mainstream video game.
Finn said:Also, it's used solely as a storytelling device* rather than a gameplay gimmick as in, say, Fable where you simply drag a random NPC to bed and the screen fades to black with some modest "oohs" and "aahs" for cheap player giggles.
Finn said:<small>*Think Ves is hot? Just Google "Triss bath scene". (NSFW)</small>
There are seven in total. Too bad very few of them at least thus far have made it to languages a regular westerner can be expected to comprehend. I think there are only two available in English. Besides those I've read one more in another language I can understand, and then went the wiki route to fill in the blanks.Le Saboteur said:Maybe I'll seek out a novel or two.
Wait, what? The Witcher 2... with integrated graphics? Does not compute, especially if you claim it runs on high settings.Le Saboteur said:I did go ahead and pick up a copy of the Enhanced Edition earlier today, and the good news is that this rig will run it; bad news is, it won't run it on Ultra. High works well, but I'll probably need to drop it to Medium in order to smooth out the frame rate.
While I'm prone to singing high praise from the rooftops to this game, I do have to admit that it is something of an acquired taste. Players looking for casual times should indeed beware.Le Saboteur said:The visuals are exceptional. I'm only through part of the tutorial so far, but the gameplay does seem rather deep. Let's see how it pans out!
Finn said:C'mon, am I seriously the only one here who talks about this game? If so, I'm slowly starting to think there's something wrong with me.
Finn said:There are seven in total. Too bad very few of them at least thus far have made it to languages a regular westerner can be expected to comprehend. I think there are only two available in English. Besides those I've read one more in another language I can understand, and then went the wiki route to fill in the blanks.
Finn said:Wait, what? The Witcher 2... with integrated graphics? Does not compute, especially if you claim it runs on high settings.
Finn said:While I'm prone to singing high praise from the rooftops to this game, I do have to admit that it is something of an acquired taste. Players looking for casual times should indeed beware.
Finn said:If you'd like some quick tips for which skills to invest in, shoot me a line.
Not really. I reckoned it more as a cultural thing. While the game's production values are there with the rest of the big boys, it is regardless a bit obscure title coming from an obscure developer, based on obscure source material. It definitely hasn't created as much marketing noise than, say, Skyrim or Mass Effect. So if there is a fault, it's not on those casual-loving console peasants, but on my skills at grassroots marketing.Le Saboteur said:You've probably come to the disheartening conclusion that everybody in this thread is a dedicated console gamer, myself included. That said, I am enjoying everything that's happened thus far in Assassins of Kings. Not that much has actually happened yet, but the collection of voice actors utilized to bring the world to life is quite impressive. More developers need to put this much effort into their characterization!
I might be nitpicking, but you're still in the prologue. The game is divided into five sections. The prologue, chapters numbered I, II and III and a short epilogue. The actual 1st chapter starts after Geralt is done recapping things to Roche and escapes his captors. Once you make it to Flotsam, you know you're in the thick of it.Le Saboteur said:Currently: About halfway through the "To the Temple" segment of the 1st Chapter.
Heh. Not to mention Finnish.Le Saboteur said:It beats sorting through the gibberish that is Polish or Hungarian.
Now that makes sense, at least somewhat. It's one of those CPU-implemented graphics processors. Must be Ivy Bridge generation, I've heard those being able to handle mainstream gaming somewhat adequately, about on par with dedicated GPUs three or four generations back. Though I've yet to see a benchmark to go with that assessment I, suppose there's enough mouth-to-mouth going around that I can consider the story plausible, especially if the remaining components meet the modern standards.Le Saboteur said:Fairly certain. The spec sheet indicates "Intel HD Integrated Graphics." No other information is provided, and I haven't cracked the case yet..
One of the things that come natural to a PC gamer is looking over the control options and customizing them to meet your standards, instead of just looking out for in-game tooltips. Of course, the adjoining printed manual is a nice thing to have, too.Le Saboteur said:I'll do that. Feel free to do the same. I can say that it also helps to read the instruction manual! With nearly all console games doing away with paper inserts, I expected to be able to find the control scheme in-game. Getting slashed in the back by a soldier of La Valette because you don't know how to draw yours is quite embarrassing.
Given that it's already the sixth outing in Frogwares' Holmes continuity, I'd deduce it's safe to say they've got a stable enough fan grounding to push out a few more titles if they feel like it. Especially since practically every game has been in one way or another superior to the last. (Well, maybe save for the move from Awakened to Nemesis.) Definitely another one to add to the backlog.Le Saboteur said:The Testament of Sherlock Holmes is superb. I wasn't expecting much from their first multi-platform effort, but Frogwares & Focus Interactive have really captured the essence of Sherlock Holmes. Here's hoping that they find the necessary sales to warrant another outing.
Finn said:Given that it's already the sixth outing in Frogwares' Holmes continuity, I'd deduce it's safe to say they've got a stable enough fan grounding to push out a few more titles if they feel like it. Especially since practically every game has been in one way or another superior to the last. (Well, maybe save for the move from Awakened to Nemesis.) Definitely another one to add to the backlog.
Finn said:Too bad. Though if it's been running this far without a hiccup, I suppose one might even consider himself lucky. Especially if it's been used regularly. After all, four to five years is sitting quite in the middle of the age range when machines with delicate electronics in them start showing wear and tear.
Ska said:Looking forward to the upgrade in HD size. I'd like to transfer all my DVD rips to the PS3...use it more as a media device and not just a video game system.
I was about to place some snarky commentary on your hand-eye coordination, but then it occured to me that you're probably playing with a gamepad, as opposed to Mouse + KB. And if so, I have to agree that yes, first person is more of a gripe with that mode of control.Le Saboteur said:I don't play games in the first person person perspective. Have I mentioned this? My recent foray into Dishonored proves an exception to the rule, but some of the seemingly inherent problems with the perspective continue to plague my overall enjoyment. For example, slipping through a high security zone undetected was ruined because I couldn't see where I was on a ledge. So while inching along looking for a better angle to Blink to, I fall off the ledge into full view of a massive set of kleig lights. Much swearing, ducking and weaving, and the errant crossbow bolt later I escaped my pursuers. Reloading an earlier save is permissible, of course, but I prefer to play a level without saving as often as is possible.
I have to ask, which platform did you opt for? You know, since you seem to have a rig now that runs The Witcher 2, it should run this as well. Should solve your FPS woe quite nicely.Le Saboteur said:Yeah, I had heard about it; didn't particularly move me, then for some reason I clicked on this video and it went from "eh" to pre-ordered.
Finn said:I was about to place some snarky commentary on your hand-eye coordination, but then it occured to me that you're probably playing with a gamepad, as opposed to Mouse + KB. And if so, I have to agree that yes, first person is more of a gripe with that mode of control.
Finn said:I have to ask, which platform did you opt for? You know, since you seem to have a rig now that runs The Witcher 2, it should run this as well. Should solve your FPS woe quite nicely.
PlayStation Blog said:A simple fact is that the Hudson River was the single most strategic body of water during the American Revolution. It essentially split the colonies in two, so whoever controlled the river controlled the supply lines. And West Point was by far the most heavily fortified area during the war for this very reason. Where the fort was built, the river narrowed and made a small ?S?, allowing enough room for only one tall ship to pass through at a time. The Patriots built a massive chain on rafts floating across the water stopping any ship from making its way up because they were so outmatched in terms of the navy. It was the only way they could hope to hold it ? and it worked.