The 2010 Video Games Thread

[Kodos]

Per BigDPW's request, here is your 2010 video game thread. Personally, I cannot wait for Tiger Woods 2011. It is reported that EA Sports will be collaborating with Rockstar to make an open world game where Tiger can hook up with women he's not married to, and his wife Elin (playable character) is always showing up on the golf course looking to beat the crap out of him. I think the Wii version may be the one to get due to the advanced motion controls. I can't wait to run down Tiger with a Hummer!

Here is a link to The 2009 Video Game Thread (http://operationsports.com/fofc/showthread.php?t=70004).

[illinifan999]

I had no idea that Mass Effect 2 was even in production much less that it's coming out this month. Sounds awesome that you can import your save from the 1st one and the decisions you made in that save will have an effect on your new game in Mass Effect 2.

[sterlingice]

Just posting so I get updates from this thread. Nothing useful

SI

[DataKing]

Bioshock 2. February 9th. That is all.

[Honolulu_Blue]

After I finish Dragon's Age, my plan is to play through both Bioshock and Mass Effect, so I will be ready for the sequels.

I have some good gaming ahead of me.

[MizzouRah]

Note to self to finish up Bioshock!

Red Dead Redemption!!!

[CleBrownsfan]

Just posting so I get updates from this thread. Nothing useful

SI

+1 & for the PS3 guys - I'm ready for MAG!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

+1 & for the PS3 guys - I'm ready for MAG!

FYI.....MAG is in open beta this week in case you didn't know. Go out to PSN and you can download the program to test it out.

[CleBrownsfan]

nice - did not know that. Anyone try it out yet?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

nice - did not know that. Anyone try it out yet?

Not yet. Open beta runs through January 10th.

[DeToxRox]

Heavy Rain, God of War 3, Read Dead Redemption and Bioshock 2 plz.

Plus the customary Show of course.

[JediKooter]

I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but, I am pretty curious about Star Trek Online that is supposed to launch at the begining of February. Also looking forward to The Force Unleashed 2.

[Icy]

MAG is the one i'm expectign the most, besides the new versions of NHL, MLB the show, FIFA and NBA2k.

Past year was the first in a while that i didn't purchase ncaa football, but i ended bitting on madden. I think i have played it 30 minutes, so in 2010 i need to promise myself i won't fall for any EA sports football game again.

[cuervo72]

EA to announce return of 'NBA Jam' - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4795625)

I don't really play consoles much anymore and I barely watch basketball but this...this has me intrigued.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

EA to announce return of 'NBA Jam' - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4795625)

I don't really play consoles much anymore and I barely watch basketball but this...this has me intrigued.

That's so 2009..........

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - The 2009 Video Game Thread (http://osatwork.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=2196324&postcount=1273)

[cuervo72]

That's so 2009..........

Front Office Football Central - View Single Post - The 2009 Video Game Thread (http://osatwork.com/fofc/showpost.php?p=2196324&postcount=1273)

Bah, MJ4H needs to learn how to read a calendar. And everyone in that old thread needs to stop living in the past*.



*says the guy with interest in a 20-year old franchise

[MrDNA]

Anybody seen the TV ad for Bioshock 2? It made my jaw drop. I believe Amazon is running a deal on pre-orders for this bad boy. I just need to convince myself I can afford it...

[judicial clerk]

For some eason Dante's inferno has tickled my fancy, so to speak.

[mckerney]

<object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/3DtiTxg70gI&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/3DtiTxg70gI&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object>

[mckerney]

<object width="853" height="505"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/6hzsCV8Ec8Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/6hzsCV8Ec8Y&hl=en_US&fs=1&hd=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="853" height="505"></embed></object>

[kingnebwsu]

Is it bad that I've recently been playing Phantasy Star Online on a person's PC server? (since Sega shut down the official ones) Yet I haven't played MW2 in 3 weeks...what's wrong with me?

[SackAttack]

Is it bad that I've recently been playing Phantasy Star Online on a person's PC server? (since Sega shut down the official ones) Yet I haven't played MW2 in 3 weeks...what's wrong with me?

That's okay. I've been playing Phantasy Star Zero on DS, since it's basically a DS version of PSO. I don't have a wireless router, but that game makes me feel like I ought to get one.

[sterlingice]

That's okay. I've been playing Phantasy Star Zero on DS, since it's basically a DS version of PSO. I don't have a wireless router, but that game makes me feel like I ought to get one.

Phantasy Star Zero? Do tell.

SI

[CleBrownsfan]

arggg - I played the beta for MAG for about a half hour last night. After playing I'm not convinced it will be a 1st day purchase. Graphics were meh and I really don't like the gameplay at all. I guess I'm just a little spoiled playing CoD.

[spleen1015]

1/26 Mass Effect 2
2/9 Bioshock 2
2/16 Heavy Rain
3/9 Final Fantasy XIII
3/23 Just Cause 2

The first qtr is going to be bad.

[Mustang]

The Force Unleashed 2.

I was disappointed with Unleashed mainly because it was a little to button mashy for me. I've never been a big fan of games where you have to do certain combos on the gamepad in order to do certain things in the game.

In the short term, the only game that is a day one purchase for me is Mass Effect 2.

[RainMaker]

Anybody seen the TV ad for Bioshock 2? It made my jaw drop. I believe Amazon is running a deal on pre-orders for this bad boy. I just need to convince myself I can afford it...
Pre-order is $53.99 and you get a $10 credit toward a future video game. For someone who will definitely be buying a game in the future, that's basically getting it for $43.99.

[MJ4H]

HD Nintendo DS With Motion Sensor In The Works!
Filed under: Interview, News, Nintendo DS/DSi — hey_suburbia @ 9:53 am

http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/giz-wants-ds-open-600x579.jpg
(artist rendering)

The Asahi Shimbun has an interview with Satoru Iwata, President of Nintendo, where he comments on a successor to the Nintendo DS. Iwata tells the paper:
The future handheld will be able to output high resolution graphics and have a motion sensor.
While Nintendo is developing the machine, Iwata did not set a release date. Instead, he mentioned DS sales in North America reached an all time high in 2009.
Most forums are buzzing about a Fall 2010 date, we shall see!

[gstelmack]

3/23 Just Cause 2

This is the one I want.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

1/26 Mass Effect 2
2/9 Bioshock 2
2/16 Heavy Rain
3/9 Final Fantasy XIII
3/23 Just Cause 2

The first qtr is going to be bad.

Gran Turismo releases in March as well. An argument could easily be made that the games coming out in the 1st quarter 2010 are a better overall lineup than what we saw in the Fall 2009 lineup. An absolute wallet-buster period for avid gamers. The Show is obviously a 1st day buy as well for any PS3 owner who likes sports.

[DataKing]

I thought the March release date for Gran Turismo was only for Japan.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I thought the March release date for Gran Turismo was only for Japan.

You're right. I've already preordered it through Play Asia since it's supposed to have English support. I had that stuck in my head and forgot that was the Japan date. Thanks for the correction.

[Big Fo]

Infinite Space
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
MLB: the Show '10

March will be a busy month if I'm still not as addicted to FM by then. No More Heroes 2 (January) might have dropped in price by then too.

Also big news revealed in the Iwata interview is that the new Zelda game for Wii will be coming out this year.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Also big news revealed in the Iwata interview is that the new Zelda game for Wii will be coming out this year.

Is it really big news if everyone knows that he's going to say it's coming out this year before he says it? Has to be the worst kept secret in recent memory.

[samifan24]

I played the MAG beta after seeing it mentioned in this thread and I came away unimpressed. It just didn't stand out to me.

By the way, I picked up a $15 Toys R Us gift card last fall and I don't think I'm going to use it. I'd prefer to trade it for an Amazon.com gift card. If you think you can use it and want to swap, PM me.

[Vince, Pt. II]

I'm not a huge Star Trek fan, but, I am pretty curious about Star Trek Online that is supposed to launch at the begining of February. Also looking forward to The Force Unleashed 2.

I have a bunch of friends who work at Cryptic Studios and I was invited to the Friends and Family Beta Test. It completely and totally fragged my computer the one time I tried to run it. Crashed to the Desktop probably 5 times, locked up the system 2 or 3 times, and one time my computer just randomly restarted in the middle of the game. I got to play about 1 minute of the game, and while it looked ok, the controls were a little inaccurate (reminded me of early Madden games where the players felt like they were running around on ice) and there were a few grammatical and spelling errors in the dialogue. It was early in the beta test, so I'm sure they'll tighten things up...but if you've played Champions Online (also by Cryptic Studios) it's hard to get too excited about Star Trek Online - outside of an absolutely amazing character design feature (when you start a new character), Champions is a pretty weak game.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Square/Enix still has a free pass on me for their Final Fantasy games - I buy each one the day it comes out. I have to say, however, that recent entries in the series haven't impressed me very much. It's not that they are bad games...it's just that they're so vanilla. For a franchise that absolutely blew me away with each of the first four installments (I, IV, VI and VII - the first four available easily in the US), everything since has been pretty generic and formulaic. I'm going to go back through and re-play VIII, IX, X and XII at some point to make sure I'm not missing something, but none of them really impressed me.

[sterlingice]

HD Nintendo DS With Motion Sensor In The Works!
Filed under: Interview, News, Nintendo DS/DSi — hey_suburbia @ 9:53 am

Now I have a quandary. My current DS is pretty much being held together by not much more than duct tape (ok, not quite that bad but almost). There's a bit of a story about me sitting on it with it open, breaking the hinge, and then doing a decent but not perfect repair job with a new case from ebay and how that's starting to unravel because, well, frankly, they're harder to repair than most laptops since they're so tiny.

I was pretty set on getting a DSI XL when it came out here, which should be in Q1 2010. But if there's another DS right around the corner- which probably will be Christmas in Japan and Q1 2011 here, maybe I should just look for a used DS (either Lite or Phat, so I have a GBA port) to tide me through until 2011.

SI

[JediKooter]

I was disappointed with Unleashed mainly because it was a little to button mashy for me. I've never been a big fan of games where you have to do certain combos on the gamepad in order to do certain things in the game.

In the short term, the only game that is a day one purchase for me is Mass Effect 2.

That is funny, because that was one of the few games where the combos didn't seem like some quantum string algorthm I had to figure out and actually didn't mind it. Plus I just force grabbed things and threw them or used the force lightning. I also liked throwing the lightsaber. :)

[JediKooter]

I have a bunch of friends who work at Cryptic Studios and I was invited to the Friends and Family Beta Test. It completely and totally fragged my computer the one time I tried to run it. Crashed to the Desktop probably 5 times, locked up the system 2 or 3 times, and one time my computer just randomly restarted in the middle of the game. I got to play about 1 minute of the game, and while it looked ok, the controls were a little inaccurate (reminded me of early Madden games where the players felt like they were running around on ice) and there were a few grammatical and spelling errors in the dialogue. It was early in the beta test, so I'm sure they'll tighten things up...but if you've played Champions Online (also by Cryptic Studios) it's hard to get too excited about Star Trek Online - outside of an absolutely amazing character design feature (when you start a new character), Champions is a pretty weak game.

Well crap, that did not sound good at all. Hopefully they've fine tuned it since then. I signed up for the beta but didn't get an invite. Never played Champions Online so I have no idea. Was hoping to support a local company as Los Gatos is very close to where I'm at and Star Trek is a huge franchise and was hoping they did it right.

[samifan24]

PS3 gamers, did Bethesda ever patch Fallout 3: GOTY Edition to make it playable? I've held off on buying the game because I heard that the expansion packs are unplayable in the GOTY edition. I'm wondering if I should just buy the regular edition for $27 on Amazon.

[tyketime]

We just got an XBOX 360 for the Holidays. So as a game for me, would it be better to buy Mass Effect 2 on XBOX or PC? Is "control" easier/harder on one vs the other?

[Scoobz0202]

I thought the controls were perfectly fine in Mass Effect, Tyke. The only thing that sucked in the original was driving the Mako (vehicle) around, but I bet it sucked on the pc as well. For the most part though, tyke, playing Mass Effect on the XBOX I never once thought, "Damn, I wish I was playing on my pc instead."

For me, I tend to buy RPG's that are multi-platform on the xbox instead of the pc. I prefer to sit on the couch and play on a 40+ inch HD tv as opposed to sitting at my pc.

[tyketime]

I prefer to sit on the couch and play on a 40+ inch HD tv as opposed to sitting at my pc.

I certainly understand and can appreciate that. Whether my wife & kids will like me monopolizing the main TV is another story...

[Scoobz0202]

Yea, I have issues with the tv time as well. I do actually have wires already plugged into the tv and I then have adapters already plugged into my pc monitor so I can just move the 360 back and forth.

[k0ruptr]

EA to announce return of 'NBA Jam' - ESPN (http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/news/story?id=4795625)

I don't really play consoles much anymore and I barely watch basketball but this...this has me intrigued.

stupid that it is wii specific. This game would make a ton on Xbox live arcade.

[k0ruptr]

Is it bad that I've recently been playing Phantasy Star Online on a person's PC server? (since Sega shut down the official ones) Yet I haven't played MW2 in 3 weeks...what's wrong with me?

ORLY? me too, schthack? or something different, I've been playing a lot, but I'm only level 20 on my new character (humar) but I'm k0ruptr on there so maybe we can game soon?

[HeavyReign]

1/26 Mass Effect 2
2/9 Bioshock 2
2/16 Heavy Rain
3/9 Final Fantasy XIII
3/23 Just Cause 2

The first qtr is going to be bad.

Guess I better get to work. I've already got Dragon Age sitting on my shelf waiting for FBCB to get done. Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Final Fantasy are all buys for me. Should keep me busy for approximately the rest of the year.

[k0ruptr]

Guess I better get to work. I've already got Dragon Age sitting on my shelf waiting for FBCB to get done. Mass Effect, Bioshock, and Final Fantasy are all buys for me. Should keep me busy for approximately the rest of the year.

please just concentrate on FBCB! we will reward you with plenty of sales to fuel your game buying afterwards! :D

[Vince, Pt. II]

Well crap, that did not sound good at all. Hopefully they've fine tuned it since then. I signed up for the beta but didn't get an invite. Never played Champions Online so I have no idea. Was hoping to support a local company as Los Gatos is very close to where I'm at and Star Trek is a huge franchise and was hoping they did it right.

I think it was a combination of server overload and software issues - the day that I played was Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, and according to one of my sources with the company they had minimal staff working due to the holiday and were swamped on the server side. I am a huge Trek fan, and I love the MMO genre, so I'm holding out high hopes. Sadly, all my friends that work for the company are in PR or HR, so I know nothing about the people that do the actual coding. I'm certain it's improved, but I'm gunshy about trying again after my computer got fried the first time.

[SackAttack]

Phantasy Star Zero? Do tell.

SI

Not a lot TO tell. It's Phantasy Star, but it's more akin to the original Phantasy Star Online than Phantasy Star Universe on Xbox 360/PC or Phantasy Star Portable on PSP.

You've got the whole mag-raising thing going on, and you can actually play online with other people without monthly fees. Actually, you can do the four-player ad hoc wi-fi, or you can connect through Nintendo WiFi Connection.

It's good times.

[JediKooter]

I think it was a combination of server overload and software issues - the day that I played was Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, and according to one of my sources with the company they had minimal staff working due to the holiday and were swamped on the server side. I am a huge Trek fan, and I love the MMO genre, so I'm holding out high hopes. Sadly, all my friends that work for the company are in PR or HR, so I know nothing about the people that do the actual coding. I'm certain it's improved, but I'm gunshy about trying again after my computer got fried the first time.

Hmmm...2 months to fix all that. Working in software QA, that's just doesn't seem like enough time to work out the bugs you mentioned, unless they are working around the clock. I like Star Trek and I do enjoy MMOs too and am hoping that it will be better than Star Wars Galaxies. Well, if you talk to them, I'm willing to buy, if they have a lot the stuff you mentioned ironed out.

[RendeR]

*sigh* so much yummy gaminess and me without a machine strong enough to run them.

I can barely play bioshock at all, so much so that I haven't bothered playing it in months.

These new ones all look to be well beyond the abilities of my computers.

I tried downloading the Avatar demo and I can't even read the menu pages due to the graphics cascading. just a jumbled mess.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Looks like 8 minutes of Heavy Rain gameplay video was leaked from CES 2010. Also, the other video in this post is video of someone who was in the presentation. He says that a feature in the DLC for the game will be to play through the game as the serial killer character.

Heavy Rain Gameplay and DLC Leaked (http://www.ps3blog.net/2010/01/08/ces-2010-new-heavy-rain-gameplay-and-dlc-leaked/#more-16727)

[Cringer]

My eyes have been opened up to mobile (phone) gaming. With the new stuff coming out for the Palm Pre announced at CES this year they had games up in the app store right after their event. I wanted to try some 3D gaming on a phone so last night I bought Sims 3 since my three year old laptop isn't able to handle the PC version. I am loving it. My daughter said she liked it better then the PC version of Sims 3. I may have to buy another game in a week or two, maybe Need for Speed Underground or X Flight (or whatever the flight sim game is called, I know they are all on the iPhone already from what I read).

[samifan24]

I just picked up Fallout 3 for the PS3, the original version. I know it isn't a new game but can anyone tell me if the GOTY edition has been patched yet? I've read the GOTY edition on PS3 is basically unplayable in the DLC areas due to freezing so that's why I bought the original version of the game.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Hmmm...2 months to fix all that. Working in software QA, that's just doesn't seem like enough time to work out the bugs you mentioned, unless they are working around the clock. I like Star Trek and I do enjoy MMOs too and am hoping that it will be better than Star Wars Galaxies. Well, if you talk to them, I'm willing to buy, if they have a lot the stuff you mentioned ironed out.

I know. I think that second post was me feeling bad for throwing my friends' software company under the bus. Further defense, my computer was acting screwy before I tried the beta, so hopefully that had something to do with it. They had plenty of people who were already in the beta that were playing with no problems (although that day even people who had been playing for a while were having connection issues), so perhaps it was something on my end.

That being said, my enthusiasm for the game is notably less because of the experience.

[DataKing]

Audiosurf might be the coolest thing ever. :D

[MJ4H]

For those that were terrified that NBA Jam would suffer because you had to waggle to play it:

NBA Jam Wii – More Details (http://www.wiinintendo.net/2010/01/14/nba-jam-wii-more-details/)

Filed under: News (http://www.wiinintendo.net/category/news/) — hattrick @ 10:33 am
<!-- end META --> http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nba-jam.jpg
Here’s a list of more details about the upcoming re-launch of the classic series.
Classic Campaign: 3v3, shot clock and goaltending regulations
Remix Tour: tweaks the traditional rules and regulations of NBA Jam
Multiple dunks
Spin move to avoid the shove
Faces on characters are actually photographs of the real players’ faces
Each character has 3 faces while running the court, 2 dunk faces, and a positive/negative face
Motion control player or classic NES-styleAnother list of returning features making it into the game:
Fire
Shattering Backboard
Cheats
Flashing Shoes
Flashing ball
Big Head Mode
Legends
Playable Mascots
Secret CharactersLooks like classic control scheme is an option so you won't have to worry about that. This looks awesome to me.

[MJ4H]

Also Tatsunoko vs. Capcom (2d fighter) looks freaking awesome.

<embed src="http://cdn.springboard.gorillanation.com/storage/xplayer/yo033.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="450" swliveconnect="true" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="e=4bffc0037b3a3a49328d685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f0947d4e15d253124c7d296b9a2a5d695fdd446d15f64f11765e48b3c77ea9b28f3c1db0d018862a02723d09accafe3f4ff222bb8b0&width=600&height=450&pid=wntd001&autostart=false&allowscriptaccess=always&usefullscreen=true&esnapshot=4bffc0037b3a3a493b90685cccfc7c21cc002973d57a44951a38fddf065f5c696a66be9b89ee2d2f094ccde2702233248cd6a0b1a8bad98ffbdf46911864f00632b8d76936b6c068b683c70a038a7ba3393d95da84&trueurl=http://www.wiinintendo.net/embed_code_lightbox/index/241/single/113631/wntd003/10/600/450/0/false/source/http:%2G%2Gwww.wiinintendo.net%2G"></embed>

[MJ4H]

Welcome to the NBA Jam Wii blog apparently. Sorry, but this is a game I'm definitely excited about. Here is some more:

NBA Jam Wii – Image and More Info (http://www.wiinintendo.net/2010/01/15/nba-jam-wii-image-more-info/) January 15, 2010

Filed under: News (http://www.wiinintendo.net/category/news/), Screens/Images (http://www.wiinintendo.net/category/photos/) — hattrick @ 9:32 am
<!-- end META --> Have you been wondering what the game might look like? Well, here is a scan from Nintendo Power to fix that appetite.
http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nbajam-nintendopower.jpg (http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/nbajam-nintendopower.jpg)
Also, here is some more information about the upcoming game:

Player faces switch with a blur effect, as to keep them from being to jarring when they rotate
When they pull off a good play, they run back up-court with a smile/goofy face
When they do poorly, they have a sad face
Players can be substituted at halftime
Unlockable mascots
Old school legends(Larry Bird and more)

[MJ4H]

So checked my mail today and I have the Nintendo Power that that scan is from. Holy crap, there is like a 6 page article about NBA Jam for Wii. I assure you, this game is going to kick all sorts of ass. There are tons more screenshots and they look awesome. They got one of the original NBA Jam creators on the team and they are staying true to the original intents of the game. This really will be awesome.

[Big Fo]

I'm glad they have two control options but I'm wondering what they'll use as the third button. Holding the Wiimote sideways you can hit the d-pad, 1, and 2 comfortably but NBA Jam is a three button game (shoot/block, pass/steal, and turbo). I'd rather not have to shake the controller in order to pass/steal. A classic controller option would be preferable for me, not just because of the extra buttons. I prefer the d-pad on the CC also.

It sounds pretty good from what I've read so far. Hope it turns out to be as good as Tournament Edition and Hangtime were back in the day.

[MJ4H]

The A button isn't hard to hit in the sideways config. The article clearly said you would easily be able to do everything in the sideways config that you can do with gestures. The article also described the gestures and they are being pretty intelligent about them and really want them to be responsive. It sounds pretty good.

[Tasan]

The trigger is pretty easy to hit in sideways mode. You use it in Mario Kart.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Random gaming thing, figured I'd just drop it in here.

My son busted out Far Cry 2 for a bit tonight & noticed that some of the billboards were advertising The Book of Eli.

Notable to me mostly because I'm surprised they're still getting sales for those ad placements after the game has been out for so long. Then again I was surprised that he had no problem finding opponents for online deathmatch so maybe FC2 had better legs than I thought.

[RainMaker]

I don't know why, but I love seeing real ads in games.

[spleen1015]

I was shocked when my son was playing Fight Night Round 4 and they had ESPN Radio SportCenters that had current news.

[RainMaker]

Well EA and ESPN have had a deal for years but EA has been too poor in development to implement it much.

Last year's The Show had ads for Ax Men and I remember seeing Dollhouse ads while playing Battlefield: Bad Company.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I was shocked when my son was playing Fight Night Round 4 and they had ESPN Radio SportCenters that had current news.

NCAA 2010 football has that too

[MizzouRah]

NHL 10 had a McDonalds ad I just noticed today.

[SackAttack]

Random gaming thing, figured I'd just drop it in here.

My son busted out Far Cry 2 for a bit tonight & noticed that some of the billboards were advertising The Book of Eli.

Notable to me mostly because I'm surprised they're still getting sales for those ad placements after the game has been out for so long. Then again I was surprised that he had no problem finding opponents for online deathmatch so maybe FC2 had better legs than I thought.

It's not just the game, though.

A lot of the in-game advertising is being served by ad technology that the game incorporates. My understanding is, they aren't buying views from a specific game, but they're buying views in a more general sense, and those views are distributed across the various platforms within the medium that use that technology.

I mean, I think Crackdown, which is 3-4 years old, still gets current ads when logged in to Live for that very reason.

[JonInMiddleGA]

It's not just the game, though.

A lot of the in-game advertising is being served by ad technology that the game incorporates. My understanding is, they aren't buying views from a specific game, but they're buying views in a more general sense, and those views are distributed across the various platforms within the medium that use that technology.

I mean, I think Crackdown, which is 3-4 years old, still gets current ads when logged in to Live for that very reason.

Ah, got it now.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Love it when they do videos like this one. Got a side-by-side view of the actual track next to the view in Gran Turismo 5.

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/yoGl6CeWCkE&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/yoGl6CeWCkE&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[Cringer]

I wonder how many people would complain about it looking like crap if they made the game's colouring and lighting the exact same as the "real" video they did a side by side with?

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I wonder how many people would complain about it looking like crap if they made the game's colouring and lighting the exact same as the "real" video they did a side by side with?

Probably the same people who complain about Player X not having the right wristband on the proper arm in Madden. :)

[k0ruptr]

The only thing that would bug me that I think would make it cooler is the real camera is shaking quite a bit. I think that would be a nice addition to the game when you are in the driver view. I didn't notice it shaking at all .

[gstelmack]

How much shaking do you notice when driving yourself? Your brain filters most of that out, but the camera has nothing to do that with.

I hate head-bob in FPS games for that reason. It's annoying as all get-out.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

How much shaking do you notice when driving yourself? Your brain filters most of that out, but the camera has nothing to do that with.

I hate head-bob in FPS games for that reason. It's annoying as all get-out.

Makes me dizzy. Can't handle that.

[Eaglesfan27]

How much shaking do you notice when driving yourself? Your brain filters most of that out, but the camera has nothing to do that with.

I hate head-bob in FPS games for that reason. It's annoying as all get-out.

Same here. Head-bob tends to make me dizzy as well.

[k0ruptr]

Ahh ok, didn't know it made so many dizzy, that makes sense. I do notice it though a little, but then I'm not usually driving around at 100 mph +, I'm sure people that are driving this fast do notice it quite a bit though .

guess I'm just one of the lucky ones :)

[Fidatelo]

I can't play Battlefield because of the head bob thing, it gives me the worst headache in under 5 minutes.

[Ramzavail]

I can't wait for Mass Effect 2 to come in the mail.

Plus, Infinite Space does look fun.

Sidenote: I've been TIVOing Star Trek TNG lately, I think I have a space fetish.

[Mustang]

I can't wait for Mass Effect 2 to come in the mail.


Mass Effect 2 is still slated for Jan 26th right?

[Ramzavail]

as far as I know.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Saw that Crysis 2 is featured in the Official Playstation Magazine this week, confirming that it's in development for the PS3. I'm assuming they'll be doing a PC version as well. Does anyone know if it's coming to the 360?

[Aylmar]

Saw that Crysis 2 is featured in the Official Playstation Magazine this week, confirming that it's in development for the PS3. I'm assuming they'll be doing a PC version as well. Does anyone know if it's coming to the 360?

According to EA, it's going to be released on all three platforms.

Crysis 2 - EA Games (http://www.ea.com/games/crysis-2)

[RainMaker]

Is anyone playing Assassin's Creed 2? I was disappointed in the first one but finding myself having a ton of fun with this version. Not a ton of combat so far but I'm really enjoying the storyline, scenery, history and puzzles. Sort of a King's Quest element to the game that a lot of games are missing on consoles.

There is supposed to be a DLC coming out soon.

[MJ4H]

Tatsunoko vs. Capcom Video Review

Man I can't wait for this and NBA Jam

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/sN7eSlcde0U&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sN7eSlcde0U&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

[Big Fo]

Is anyone playing Assassin's Creed 2? I was disappointed in the first one but finding myself having a ton of fun with this version. Not a ton of combat so far but I'm really enjoying the storyline, scenery, history and puzzles. Sort of a King's Quest element to the game that a lot of games are missing on consoles.

There is supposed to be a DLC coming out soon.

I really liked AC2, I rented it and finished it around the holidays. Great setting, pretty good storyline and the graphics are very impressive, especially when you climb up one of the taller buildings and just look around. Sneaking around rooftops and diving down to kill two guards at once with blades hidden under each arm is fantastic. The regular swordplay wasn't all that great (easy to button mash on many enemies, while harder enemies could only be attacked a certain way which got repetitive when one of them showed up) and the hire a group to help you maintain cover thing felt kind of gamey and too easy imo but it's still a really good game.

I never played the first one, from what I've read it sounds like it'd be hard to go back to it after playing the second one first.

[Philliesfan980]

NBA Jam does look awesome. It's a shame it's so far away (release date of 12/31/10 on EBgames.com). Hopefully they're able to move it up.

[cartman]

The PS3 has now been hacked. It was done by the guy that originally broke the iPhone.

On the PlayStation 3: Hello hypervisor, I'm geohot (http://geohotps3.blogspot.com/2010/01/hello-hypervisor-im-geohot.html)

[CraigSca]

As someone who is on the outside looking in, what does hacking a video game system buy you? Why would I want to do that?

[cartman]

As someone who is on the outside looking in, what does hacking a video game system buy you? Why would I want to do that?

If the other systems are any indication, being able to run other operating systems on it at the innocent end, to running pirated downloaded games at the other end.

[CraigSca]

Ah, gotcha. Thanks.

[Big Fo]

Pirated games, homebrew applications, get around region locking in order to play imported games, emulators/roms, maybe cheats in online play, etc. There are various reasons why people hack their consoles.

[Greyroofoo]

Anyone getting Mass Effect 2? I'm borderline on whether or not to preorder it. However I think I should finish Dragon Age first (which I think has an expansion coming out soon). I just wish I still had my mass effect 1 saved game.

Hopefully someone can post impressions.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

If the other systems are any indication, being able to run other operating systems on it at the innocent end, to running pirated downloaded games at the other end.

He's already admitted that pirating games on the PS3 isn't a terribly useful scenario. The large size of the games on Blu-ray discs make it more cost-prohibitive than the 360, where you can fit a lot more pirated games on the same amount of drive space. It's a lot of work with a lesser amount of benefit. It's much cheaper to do it on the 360 (if someone is the type of person that's scum enough to do it of course).

[RainMaker]

Anyone getting Mass Effect 2? I'm borderline on whether or not to preorder it. However I think I should finish Dragon Age first (which I think has an expansion coming out soon). I just wish I still had my mass effect 1 saved game.

Hopefully someone can post impressions.
I was tempted but have a couple games queued up (Assassin's Creed 2 and Ballad of Gay Tony) that I think I'm going to pass for now. There are just so many good games coming out in the coming months. I do think I'll pick it up sometime this summer when I can grab it on Ebay for like $25-$30.

[Ramzavail]

My Mass Effect 2 pre-order got backordered, GREAT!!1

[mckerney]

My Mass Effect 2 pre-order got backordered, GREAT!!1

I had my copy preloaded off of steam, but right I'm unable to log onto EA Online to use the DLC.

[Super Ugly]

I am positively geeked for Mass Effect 2. Fingers crossed that Amazon came come through with the pre-order. I've been having terrible problems with them recently.

[Qwikshot]

Mass Effect 2 is awesome, that is all.

[PurdueBrad]

Mass Effect 2 is awesome, that is all.

+1

Absolutely love that it found my old save (not a huge advantage, but there was some to it), enjoyed the opening, and actually like that this one feels a bit more driven by the main quest than the first. I thought the first didn't make the main quest feel like enough of a priority at times, whereas here, they've done a nice job of pushing it, at least early. I've put in about 3.5 hours and have only positives to say thus far.

[Qwikshot]

+1

Absolutely love that it found my old save (not a huge advantage, but there was some to it), enjoyed the opening, and actually like that this one feels a bit more driven by the main quest than the first. I thought the first didn't make the main quest feel like enough of a priority at times, whereas here, they've done a nice job of pushing it, at least early. I've put in about 3.5 hours and have only positives to say thus far.

Yes I felt sucked in, having beaten the first game I imported a level 49 infiltrator. Cinematically inspiring, not trudged down by much. Biggest bonus is that the intro did not feel too long, you went in and got to play.

Already located two additional party members including an "old friend" from the first game (I knew who it was just from the buildup but it didn't disappoint me when it was revealed). I like the characters so far, it's deep and they seem to all have personalities rather than cardboard templates.

I'm pleased and I've only scratched the surface.

[Greyroofoo]

Also enjoyed the intro to ME2, have had a chance to put much time into it yet.

[PurdueBrad]

I really like the new system during the cutscenes where you can trigger renegade or paragon actions. I missed using one, but have used all the others thus far (typically renegade).

[illinifan999]

Has anyone found any decent shops for weapons, armor? I've been to Omega, the Citadel, and Illium, but haven't really found a good one-stop shop like in the first game. I also like how we're recruiting some unstable people, makes me think there's gonna be something very interesting happening later in the game.

[illinifan999]

And I get to the "twist" mission. I was very surprised. Spoiler about the mission you get the twist, just talking about the level nothing else.

Boy the sounds in the Collector ship freaked me out. Just not happy noises for sure.

[RainMaker]

Does ME2 have co-op play?

[Big Fo]

Although I'll be playing the Show instead, I do like this bit of marketing for MLB2k10. They're offering $1,000,000 to the first person that pitches a perfect game on the X360 or PS3 version.

2ksports.com (http://www.2ksports.com/perfectgame)

[cartman]

Although I'll be playing the Show instead, I do like this bit of marketing for MLB2k10. They're offering $1,000,000 to the first person that pitches a perfect game on the X360 or PS3 version.

2ksports.com (http://www.2ksports.com/perfectgame)

Maybe I should play a game against my 3 year old niece. :D

[DataKing]

Although I'll be playing the Show instead, I do like this bit of marketing for MLB2k10. They're offering $1,000,000 to the first person that pitches a perfect game on the X360 or PS3 version.

2ksports.com (http://www.2ksports.com/perfectgame)

Console modders are going to have a field day with this.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I saw over at PastaPadre that they removed check swings from the 2K10 game. Interesting that they believe removing features will make the game better.

[rowech]

I saw over at PastaPadre that they removed check swings from the 2K10 game. Interesting that they believe removing features will make the game better.

Well...when you can hit a homerun on check swing, it's probably not that great of a feature anyway.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

God of War III release date is set. March 16th in the States and March 19th in EU.

It’s Official, God of War III Will Be Attacking Stores on March 16th! – PlayStation.Blog (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/01/it%E2%80%99s-official-god-of-war-iii-will-be-attacking-stores-on-march-16th/)

[MikeVic]

Anyone try the Bayonetta demo? It was fun, but I felt like I was just button-mashing the entire time.

[JetsIn06]

I've just found the the final member of my squad for Mass Effect 2. I'm about 30 hours in (No, I have no life right now ;)) and not entirely sure how much longer I have to go.

I'm pretty much ready to call this the best game I've ever played. It basically took out all of the little things that were slightly annoying in ME1. I love the story, the graphics are amazing...I love it!

[Eaglesfan27]

I've just found the the final member of my squad for Mass Effect 2. I'm about 30 hours in (No, I have no life right now ;)) and not entirely sure how much longer I have to go.

I'm pretty much ready to call this the best game I've ever played. It basically took out all of the little things that were slightly annoying in ME1. I love the story, the graphics are amazing...I love it!

Out of curiosity, PC or 360 version?

[illinifan999]

I've just found the the final member of my squad for Mass Effect 2. I'm about 30 hours in (No, I have no life right now ;)) and not entirely sure how much longer I have to go.

I'm pretty much ready to call this the best game I've ever played. It basically took out all of the little things that were slightly annoying in ME1. I love the story, the graphics are amazing...I love it!

I just did as well. It was quite surprising. I have no idea how close I am to the end, but I don't want it to come yet lol. I'm hoping there's more after we make "the jump".

Just a little disappointed. I brought my last team member to the Citadel in hopes that they would freak out or something. Sadly, nothing. :(

Edit: I'm on the 360 version.

[Big Fo]

I know everyone is on Mass Effect 2 but I'm a few hours into the first game, I'm enjoying it so far but can't decide if I want to keep plugging along at the minimum screen resolution and a still occasionally choppy framerate or wait until I get a new computer to finish it. I like the shooting/RPG combo and find the story interesting and want to keep going but I'm sure I'd like it even more with a higher resolution, more detail, and >30 fps. If I like the rest of the first one as much as I have so far I'll definitely get the sequel.

[illinifan999]

Most. Epic. Ending. Ever.

Just did the last mission. I don't know how any game could ever compete with a final mission like that one. I mean...just so amazing in every sense. All the decisions you're faced with...it's just...incredible. I'm so amazatized...it deserves its own word.

I can't wait to play ME3 and see how the decisions you made in this one affect that one.

[JetsIn06]

Out of curiosity, PC or 360 version?

I'm on 360.

[MrDNA]

Anyone try the Bayonetta demo? It was fun, but I felt like I was just button-mashing the entire time.

Pretty much my evaluation, as well. I did enjoy the constant "WTF?!?!" factor as stranger and stranger crap happened.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Sony announces that Heavy Rain will have a demo available on Feb. 11th.

Heavy Rain Goes Gold, Demo Coming February 11 – PlayStation.Blog (http://blog.us.playstation.com/2010/01/heavy-rain-goes-gold-demo-coming-february-11/)

New trailer for Red Dead Redemption. Looks really nice..........

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/aKAocKegly8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/aKAocKegly8&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

New trailer for White Knight Chronicles. Comes out next Tuesday............

http://www.viddler.com/explore/sceablog/videos/756/

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Although I'll be playing the Show instead, I do like this bit of marketing for MLB2k10. They're offering $1,000,000 to the first person that pitches a perfect game on the X360 or PS3 version.

2ksports.com (http://www.2ksports.com/perfectgame)

Bill Harris nailed exactly why this is so ridiculous........

Dubious Quality: Gaming Notes (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2010/01/gaming-notes_28.html)

If you play sports games, you know that the MLB2K series has been an embarrassment for several years now. Terrible bugs, crappy framerate, and inconsistent design have combined to make this one of the worst franchises out there.

MLB2K10 is coming out soon, and with zero buzz and record levels of skepticism about the game, 2K Sports announced a contest today that will pay $1 million to the first person who throws a perfect game in MLB2K10.

That's genius. Instead of adding eight or ten programmers to the game for a full year (which could theoretically improve the quality of the game), they decide on a shitty promotional stunt instead. Well-done.

[mckerney]

I'm about 30 hours in to Mass Effect 2 and only have two complaints so far. The first is that the controls don't seem very well designed for the PC, but instead made for a console. The shortcuts for squad upgrades, journal, and codex from the first game are gone, and Use/Run/Cover are all mapped to the same key. Secondofly, I was disappointed that Adam Baldwin's character only has a small role in the game.

Other than those minor gripes I've been having a great time with it, easily one of the best games I've ever played.

[mckerney]

I'm about 30 hours in to Mass Effect 2 and only have two complaints so far. The first is that the controls don't seem very well designed for the PC, but instead made for a console. The shortcuts for squad upgrades, journal, and codex from the first game are gone, and Use/Run/Cover are all mapped to the same key. Secondofly, I was disappointed that Adam Baldwin's character only has a small role in the game.

Other than those minor gripes I've been having a great time with it, easily one of the best games I've ever played.

[Ramzavail]

Interesting, b/c I heard that the ME1 PC version had better controls than the XBOX 360 ME1.

Anyways, I'm still on back order on deepdiscount.com - with no followup email. Great. I do like all the ME2 chatter, it whets my palette.

[Honolulu_Blue]

I am looking forward to "Mass Effect 2". It's going to take a while before I get it, though.

I am currently in the midst of a new "Golden Age of Gaming". I played through "Fallout 2" finally a few months back, I am nearing the end of "Dragon Age", after that it's "Mass Effect" (never played the first one) and then "Mass Effect 2". After all of that, I still have "Bioshock" and, possibly, "Bioshock 2" waiting in the wings.

[mckerney]

Interesting, b/c I heard that the ME1 PC version had better controls than the XBOX 360 ME1.

Anyways, I'm still on back order on deepdiscount.com - with no followup email. Great. I do like all the ME2 chatter, it whets my palette.

The Mass Effect controls were great with the exception of driving the Mako. Would've been happy if that had been a part of the game that didn't change, but it is a rather minor annoyance with how good the game is.

[Ramzavail]

Maybe I heard the PC version had better 'group team' controls than the XBOX version - did they improve that in ME2?

[RainMaker]

Bill Harris nailed exactly why this is so ridiculous........

Dubious Quality: Gaming Notes (http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2010/01/gaming-notes_28.html)
I think Bill is off on that. The million dollar prize is marketing which they hope to use the buzz from to make over a million dollars in sales from. I don't think you can put the hard cost of development with the variable cost of marketing.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I think Bill is off on that. The million dollar prize is marketing which they hope to use the buzz from to make over a million dollars in sales from. I don't think you can put the hard cost of development with the variable cost of marketing.

But the argument could easily be made that an investment of $1,000,000 in development would be more than offset in future years (assuming improvement of the overall engine) if they can correct the obviously poor development currently on the game. The $1,000,000 will only be good for this year under that scenario. You don't have to look any further than 'The Bigs' franchise to see what can be produced by that studio when good development work is done with a similar engine. The Bigs is a good game. 2K10 is awful.

[gstelmack]

But the argument could easily be made that an investment of $1,000,000 in development would be more than offset in future years (assuming improvement of the overall engine) if they can correct the obviously poor development currently on the game. The $1,000,000 will only be good for this year under that scenario. You don't have to look any further than 'The Bigs' franchise to see what can be produced by that studio when good development work is done with a similar engine. The Bigs is a good game. 2K10 is awful.

Actually, it's amazing how much marketing can push the sales of a game regardless of quality or how the game actually stands up to review scrutiny. All you need to do is compare marketing budget to first-week sales of games to see this corollary.

Word of mouth can certainly help/hurt a game once it's been out for a bit, but it's amazing how much marketing dollars equates to day 1 sales. And of course big day 1 sales drag additional people in pretty quick. It's longevity that can be affected by quality, but if you get those giant sales up front who cares about longevity, especially in this day and age where most of your sales are in that initial launch period anyway before the used market and pirates take over?

Also note that if they spent the money on development without the marketing budget, how are they going to convince folks who have been burned in the past that they are actually better now? I think you could make a case that just having the existing team fix bugs without adding much in the way of new features, and then putting a big marketing push out to renew interest in the franchise and having them get a polished product, might be the best way to get themselves kickstarted for next year. It worked for Madden, didn't it?

[rowech]

All the 1 million prize tells me is they've made it impossible to throw a no-hitter.

[RainMaker]

But the argument could easily be made that an investment of $1,000,000 in development would be more than offset in future years (assuming improvement of the overall engine) if they can correct the obviously poor development currently on the game. The $1,000,000 will only be good for this year under that scenario. You don't have to look any further than 'The Bigs' franchise to see what can be produced by that studio when good development work is done with a similar engine. The Bigs is a good game. 2K10 is awful.
Marketing is an indirect expense while development is a direct expense. If you spend $1 million in marketing, you expect to make more than $1 million off of it. They are two different types of expenses that can't be compared to one another.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

All the 1 million prize tells me is they've made it impossible to throw a no-hitter.

That's the conversation at many fan boards.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Actually, it's amazing how much marketing can push the sales of a game regardless of quality or how the game actually stands up to review scrutiny. All you need to do is compare marketing budget to first-week sales of games to see this corollary.

Word of mouth can certainly help/hurt a game once it's been out for a bit, but it's amazing how much marketing dollars equates to day 1 sales. And of course big day 1 sales drag additional people in pretty quick. It's longevity that can be affected by quality, but if you get those giant sales up front who cares about longevity, especially in this day and age where most of your sales are in that initial launch period anyway before the used market and pirates take over?

Also note that if they spent the money on development without the marketing budget, how are they going to convince folks who have been burned in the past that they are actually better now? I think you could make a case that just having the existing team fix bugs without adding much in the way of new features, and then putting a big marketing push out to renew interest in the franchise and having them get a polished product, might be the best way to get themselves kickstarted for next year. It worked for Madden, didn't it?

All good points.

[JPhillips]

Yeah, if they're being honest about it it shouldn't take long. Over the history of baseball the average is around one no hitter every 1300 games.

[cartman]

Yeah, if they're being honest about it it shouldn't take long. Over the history of baseball the average is around one no hitter every 1300 games.

But perfect games are much rarer, around one out of every 19,000 games. But still, if there are 100,000 copies sold on the first day and 2 games played per copy, that means there should be at least 10 or so perfect games on the first day.

[MizzouRah]

MBBF posted the weapons video, here is the hands on preview:

Red Dead Redemption Hands-on - Xbox 360 Preview - at IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1063311p1.html)

This game is going to eat hours of my life.

[Radii]

MBBF posted the weapons video, here is the hands on preview:

Red Dead Redemption Hands-on - Xbox 360 Preview - at IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1063311p1.html)

This game is going to eat hours of my life.

*drools*

cannot wait.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Marketing is an indirect expense while development is a direct expense. If you spend $1 million in marketing, you expect to make more than $1 million off of it. They are two different types of expenses that can't be compared to one another.

I'll make one slight change to that statement if I may;
If you spend $1m in marketing you expect to make a lot more than an extra $1m off of it.

[Qwikshot]

Mass Effect 2 completed, absolutely awesome game...

[JetsIn06]

Also done with ME2.

Wow!!!

[CleBrownsfan]

Will I'll be lost or miss out on a lot if I haven't played ME1?

[Eaglesfan27]

Will I'll be lost or miss out on a lot if I haven't played ME1?

I'm replaying ME1 before I start 2, because it is also a very good game and I want to refresh myself on the story.

[PineTar]

MBBF posted the weapons video, here is the hands on preview:

Red Dead Redemption Hands-on - Xbox 360 Preview - at IGN (http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1063311p1.html)

This game is going to eat hours of my life.

May be nothing, but...

Sources: Red Dead Redemption development in trouble [update] (http://www.joystiq.com/2010/01/12/sources-red-dead-redemption-development-in-trouble/)

[illinifan999]

Is the game challenging? I never played the first one.

The game is as challenging as you want it to be. On the basic level, you'll probably die a few times, but nothing that will want to make you throw your controller in a rage. I think they're more focused on the storyline than on trying to frustrate players.



Will I'll be lost or miss out on a lot if I haven't played ME1?

You won't be lost, but there's a lot of things in the first game that show up in the second one. It'd almost be like if you started watching the Star Wars trilogy with the second movie.

[RainMaker]

Downloaded and played the Bad Company 2 demo the other night. Really think they stripped a lot of the fun from the previous version. They added "realism" in the forms of your controller and screen shaking like crazy during battle which is fine I guess for realism, but just annoying as a player. They changed the controls and also made it much tougher to drive a vehicle.

Just makes no sense why they'd change some great things about a great game just for the sake of changing it. Was really looking forward to this as I put a ton of hours into the old one but it looks like they tried to turn it too much into Modern Warfare instead of what makes the Battlefield games great.

[gstelmack]

They added "realism" in the forms of your controller and screen shaking like crazy during battle which is fine I guess for realism, but just annoying as a player.

Glad you put that in quotes. That's not "realism", that's a fan of Saving Private Ryan becoming a video game designer ;)

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Bummer. The Wal-Mart and Best Buy used game service is being discontinued. Anyone who bought Gamestop stock this morning is doing well.

Wal-mart, Best Buy Quit Short-Lived Used Games Test - IndustryGamers (http://www.industrygamers.com/news/wal-mart-best-buy-quit-short-lived-used-games-test/)

[CleBrownsfan]

Bummer. The Wal-Mart and Best Buy used game service is being discontinued. Anyone who bought Gamestop stock this morning is doing well.

Wal-mart, Best Buy Quit Short-Lived Used Games Test - IndustryGamers (http://www.industrygamers.com/news/wal-mart-best-buy-quit-short-lived-used-games-test/)

I guess I can say +1 for the "smaller" guy in the business?!?

[RainMaker]

I'd rather have competition driving up used game prices.

[CleBrownsfan]

I'd rather have competition driving up used game prices.

Best competition out there is Ebay & Craigslist - IMO. I don't even bother trading games in anymore. I get much more $$$ through ebay/craigslist.

[MJ4H]

Anyone tried Tatsunoko vs. Capcom yet? I can't wait until I have the opportunity to pick it up. I've heard it's fantastic and the reviews are very good.

[Fidatelo]

I can understand why people sell games to places like Gamestop, but why do people buy used games there? Every time I look for a used game at EBGames (which is becoming Gamestop up here) they are literally only $5 less than the new version. Why would I get a used copy and sort of screw the developer to save $5 on a $60 purchase?

[sterlingice]

I tend to get them on the other end of the spectrum. I got my PS2 towards the end of its life so whenever Gamestop would have their B2G1 free sale and I could stack it with my Edge membership, I'd be getting 3 greatest-hit level games for about $15.

I don't know why you'd ever do it the week after something came out? Unless it was, again, one of Gamestop's B2G1 sales.

SI

[Big Fo]

I can understand why people sell games to places like Gamestop, but why do people buy used games there? Every time I look for a used game at EBGames (which is becoming Gamestop up here) they are literally only $5 less than the new version. Why would I get a used copy and sort of screw the developer to save $5 on a $60 purchase?

No idea. Any used games I've bought there were like 2+ years after release for $20 or less. Paying $55 for a used game is strange.

[JonInMiddleGA]

No idea. Any used games I've bought there were like 2+ years after release for $20 or less. Paying $55 for a used game is strange.

FWIW, I only see that small a difference at Gamestop when my son is looking for something that's still pretty new. Anything else used is in the $12-$40 range, depending upon supply, demand, and age of the game.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Just a reminder for RPG fans. White Knight Chronicles hits the shelves this morning. Should keep the RPG people busy until FFXIII comes out in a couple of months.

[Fidatelo]

FWIW, I only see that small a difference at Gamestop when my son is looking for something that's still pretty new. Anything else used is in the $12-$40 range, depending upon supply, demand, and age of the game.

Maybe up here we just get screwed, or perhaps I'm just always looking for AAA titles or something. It just seems that, with the exception of sports titles (which drop precipitously as soon as the next version comes out) or total junk games, things will hang at that $5-less-than-new price for like 2 years after the game comes out.

To be honest, even a game that came out last week should be more like $10 off if you're buying it used. $5 just doesn't seem like a deep enough discount to me (but I guess enough people must go for $5 or they wouldn't do it).

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Maybe up here we just get screwed, or perhaps I'm just always looking for AAA titles or something. It just seems that, with the exception of sports titles (which drop precipitously as soon as the next version comes out) or total junk games, things will hang at that $5-less-than-new price for like 2 years after the game comes out.

To be honest, even a game that came out last week should be more like $10 off if you're buying it used. $5 just doesn't seem like a deep enough discount to me (but I guess enough people must go for $5 or they wouldn't do it).

I usually just wait until they offer the Buy 2 get 1 offers. At that point, you get a good deal on the used games.

[Ramzavail]

Just a reminder for RPG fans. White Knight Chronicles hits the shelves this morning. Should keep the RPG people busy until FFXIII comes out in a couple of months.

thats just PS3, right?

[Ramzavail]

Will I'll be lost or miss out on a lot if I haven't played ME1?

I play start with ME1, the game is great and really you can breeze through it without doing alot of side missions for under 20 hours.

[MJ4H]

http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/nbajam-photo1.jpg

[Ramzavail]

is that Jordan on the sideline?

[MizzouRah]

Oh yeah!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYP0uJpNjVc

[MJ4H]

http://i49.tinypic.com/1zbe1wn.jpg

[Big Fo]

Debut trailer for Fallout: New Vegas at gametrailers.com (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-fallout-new/61576)

Unfortunately there's no gameplay footage and it's all CGI. But it is interesting to see that New Vegas looks to be a thriving city, that will be quite a change from the broken down Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3. A Fall 2010 release date is given at the end of the trailer, I'm looking forward to it.

[Atocep]

Debut trailer for Fallout: New Vegas at gametrailers.com (http://www.gametrailers.com/video/debut-trailer-fallout-new/61576)

Unfortunately there's no gameplay footage and it's all CGI. But it is interesting to see that New Vegas looks to be a thriving city, that will be quite a change from the broken down Capital Wasteland in Fallout 3. A Fall 2010 release date is given at the end of the trailer, I'm looking forward to it.

This one is also being made by Obsidian using Bethesda's engine and resources. Obsidian is a group made up mostly of the same people (formerly Black Isle) that made the first 2 fallout games and also made KOTOR 2 and NWN2.

[JonInMiddleGA]

This one is also being made by Obsidian using Bethesda's engine and resources. Obsidian is a group made up mostly of the same people (formerly Black Isle) that made the first 2 fallout games and also made KOTOR 2 and NWN2.

Which is largely what has me nervous about this.

See, ultimately I want a sequel to 3 not 1 or 2. And if they come with the latter in terms of gameplay, I think they're looking at a sales underachiever which then lessens the chances of eventually getting a sequel to 3.

Yeah, I know, "1 & 2 were gr8, 3 wuz a basturd" and all that from the fan boys. But 3 also sold more copies in the first month or so than 1 & 2 sold combined.

Like I said, I'm not down on it yet, I'm just ... nervous.

[DataKing]

New Vegas is supposed to be using the same engine that Fallout 3 was built on, so the gameplay will be similar to that, not 1 & 2.

[JonInMiddleGA]

New Vegas is supposed to be using the same engine that Fallout 3 was built on, so the gameplay will be similar to that, not 1 & 2.

Yeah, I just get uneasy about "supposed to" stuff sometimes (basically when I actually care what happens).

I'm not a very trusting soul, what can I say?

[DataKing]

Yeah, I just get uneasy about "supposed to" stuff sometimes (basically when I actually care what happens).

I'm not a very trusting soul, what can I say?

Well, hopefully we'll get gameplay video soon and we can see for ourselves.

[RainMaker]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3194702/fallout3.jpg

[JonInMiddleGA]

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3194702/fallout3.jpg

Is there another kind of game out there?

[Honolulu_Blue]

Which is largely what has me nervous about this.

See, ultimately I want a sequel to 3 not 1 or 2. And if they come with the latter in terms of gameplay, I think they're looking at a sales underachiever which then lessens the chances of eventually getting a sequel to 3.

Yeah, I know, "1 & 2 were gr8, 3 wuz a basturd" and all that from the fan boys. But 3 also sold more copies in the first month or so than 1 & 2 sold combined.

Like I said, I'm not down on it yet, I'm just ... nervous.

I concur with all of the above.

[Big Fo]

I like old Fallout and new Fallout, I'm pretty sure I'll like New Vegas.

Another Obsidian game I'm anticipating is Alpha Protocol, a modern day Spy RPG that every developer interview and preview I've read makes it sound right up my alley. That should be out in a few months.

[Atocep]

It's the same engine. It's being overseen by bethesda. I'm not worried at all. If anything I expect a better story than the one bethesda had along with the same tongue in cheek humor the first 2 had.

[sterlingice]

Which is largely what has me nervous about this.

See, ultimately I want a sequel to 3 not 1 or 2. And if they come with the latter in terms of gameplay, I think they're looking at a sales underachiever which then lessens the chances of eventually getting a sequel to 3.

Yeah, I know, "1 & 2 were gr8, 3 wuz a basturd" and all that from the fan boys. But 3 also sold more copies in the first month or so than 1 & 2 sold combined.

Like I said, I'm not down on it yet, I'm just ... nervous.

I have a feeling it will play the same. It just won't feel like anything new because they won't push anything at all and the story will just seem like a little of a letdown compared to Fallout 3. It will feel like a big expansion pack rather than a new game.

SI

[SackAttack]

Which is largely what has me nervous about this.

See, ultimately I want a sequel to 3 not 1 or 2. And if they come with the latter in terms of gameplay, I think they're looking at a sales underachiever which then lessens the chances of eventually getting a sequel to 3.

Yeah, I know, "1 & 2 were gr8, 3 wuz a basturd" and all that from the fan boys. But 3 also sold more copies in the first month or so than 1 & 2 sold combined.

Like I said, I'm not down on it yet, I'm just ... nervous.

I think you're worried about nothing, honestly.

The issue to me is less the direction the game is going to take, and more "will they have time to do it right?"

KOTOR 2 was great...until the ending, where it was clear that LucasArts said "Christmas season is coming up, I don't care how much work you have left, you're done."

[DataKing]

:)

[SportsDino]

I have a feeling it could be better than Fallout 3. The engine will have the gameplay that draws in the crowds, but I fell that team will put in the one thing I felt was missing in Fallout 3, a plot with some depth to it. I think it will be a good combo of talents, the expansive world gameplay that I love from the Bethesda line (I'm an explorer type), with characters that fit into the atmosphere instead of just seeming generic.

Not hating on Fallout 3, many of the things it achieved are awesome... I still prefer Fallout 1/2 though overall.

[DataKing]

Gran Turismo 5 has been delayed once again.

Sony exec: Gran Turismo 5 now being targeted for fall release - Top Speed (http://www.topspeed.com/cars/car-news/sony-exec-gran-turismo-5-now-being-targeted-for-fall-release-ar84563.html)

[Kodos]

Turns out people don't like racing games where the other cars aren't actually racing....

[TroyF]

I have a feeling it could be better than Fallout 3. The engine will have the gameplay that draws in the crowds, but I fell that team will put in the one thing I felt was missing in Fallout 3, a plot with some depth to it. I think it will be a good combo of talents, the expansive world gameplay that I love from the Bethesda line (I'm an explorer type), with characters that fit into the atmosphere instead of just seeming generic.

Not hating on Fallout 3, many of the things it achieved are awesome... I still prefer Fallout 1/2 though overall.


I loved Fallout 3 til the end. That was one of the biggest letdowns in gaming history for me. The ending was so ridiculous I had to play it again just to make sure it ended as stupidly as I thought it had.

Give me the fallout 3 engine with a real ending? I'm a happy camper.

[cartman]

Turns out people don't like racing games where the other cars aren't actually racing....

The last couple of Forza releases have moved the bar up considerably.

[MJ4H]

Bought Tatsunoku vs. Capcom tonight. Won't have much time to spend with it for a couple of days, but the 15 minutes I just played were awesome. Easily the most fun I've had with a fighting game.

[PurdueBrad]

Love Mass Effect 2, lost three people ultimately, but enjoyed it a ton. Looking forward to #3. Took it and Uncharted 2 up to Gamestop today, got $80 in credit and traded it in for a bluetooth headset, MAG used (lucked out there), and had $5 left to put on The Show 10. Not too bad.

[RainMaker]

Okay, put some time into the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo. Loved the first game and played it more than any other on the 360. I always felt that games like Modern Warfare 2 and such focused more on reflexes and stick skills more than anything. Not a ton of strategy and if you aren't able to dedicate 20+ hours a week to it like a lot of people do, it's tough to compete. Battlefield to me seemed to have more strategy involved and required you to really work together and utilize the large maps. So for someone like me who doesn't have the stick skills of a 16 year old who plays 4 hours a night, it's a game I can compete at and actually be good in just by using my mind.

I hated the demo at first but it has grown on me. The first game was a bit more cartoony and video gamish. I actually liked that element of it. This one seems to be more gritty and they tried to add much more realism. Essentially mimic a lot of what MW2 did. Some of it is good (bullet drop on long shots) but some of it is bad (excessive shaking, tough to focus). In any way, here are the pros/cons I have seen so far.

Pros
- Got rid of the old tracking system where a player would show up red on everyone's map once you hit them with a shot. If you see someone, you can call in a spot which turns them red on the map for everyone for about 10-15 seconds. This element really adds a level to the recon class and anyone else who is too far away to make a kill. You really have to work well as a team and it gives attackers more cover so they can get in stealthy (last version made it too easy to spot an attacker on the map).

- Assault class can now can drop ammo packs for teammates. They also lowered the amount of ammo you can carry so you need your teammates help or be more conservative with bullets.

- Classes have gone from 5 to 4 with each taking on some extra tools. Medics can now revive a dead teammate. Recon is given C4.

Cons
- Shaky, grainy, and just much more difficult to see people, aim, and shoot. Maybe some people like this but one of the reasons I like video games is because I don't have to deal with realistic stuff like my guy shaking all the time.

- Seems like they switched the artillery strikes with some remote control helicopter thing that sucks.

- Didn't see a few weapons I loved from the previous. Now these may be in the full game. Goggles to track a tank and ultimately drop a missle on. Air raid that support had in previous ones to clear out a building or hill.

- Now for the most colassal cons and one that is an absolute embarassment to any shooting game. When you get killed, you get to see where your killer was and what he is doing. So you know exactly where the sniper was after killing you or the spot someone is hiding in the house. I honestly don't get why the hell this would be added as it takes a huge element of strategy away.

Anyways, long review of the demo but I do really like the series. I'd say it's not really an improvement from the last one, just different. Graphics and engine are the same and it looks like EA chose not to really revolutionize what they had. Guess I shouldn't be surprised although I was hoping this series would take a bigger leap forward.

[MikeVic]

I'm having fun with the Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo. And I don't normally like FPS console games.

[DeToxRox]

Bioshock 2 on Tuesday. Cannot wait.

[DeToxRox]

Ugh 8 am class tomorrow or else I'd get Bioshock 2 at Midnight. Anyone else picking it up tonight?

Also, NCAA Hoops on EA looks to be officially canceled according to Pasta Padre. Would this mean a possible College Hoops return?

[mckerney]

Ugh 8 am class tomorrow or else I'd get Bioshock 2 at Midnight. Anyone else picking it up tonight?

I preordered on Steam and won't be playing it tonight because of no option to preload, but I did just notice the release time was moved up from 4 pm tomorrow to 2 am this morning. At least with the change I should be able to play after work tomorrow.

[Samdari]

Also, NCAA Hoops on EA looks to be officially canceled according to Pasta Padre. Would this mean a possible College Hoops return?

I wonder. EA still has the NCAA license, right? I wonder if they wouldn't just keep paying it to keep 2k sports from making money.

Sucks that in 2010, there won't be any college hoops game though.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

I wonder. EA still has the NCAA license, right? I wonder if they wouldn't just keep paying it to keep 2k sports from making money.

Sucks that in 2010, there won't be any college hoops game though.

Only a year or two ago, people were saying that claims of EA Sports decline were crazy talk. I don't think there's any question at this point that they're hurting. NHL and maybe Madden appear to be the only franchises that have any sort of positive momentum.

[MJ4H]

FIFA has gotten better and better the past several years.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

FIFA has gotten better and better the past several years.

Somewhat true, though I would argue that the decline of the competition played a big part in that. But you're right that it has improved.

[JonInMiddleGA]

FWIW, my son's initial take on Bioshock 2 after about 90 minutes of solo play is "it's pretty good, not better or even as good as the first one though".

He's updated that in the last half hour to "it's a good game" but he agreed with my comment that it's basically the same game as before with just a few minor differences. Meleeing is fun he says and right now seems to be his preferred way to play to this point (which wasn't true for him in the first one, also fwiw)

Considering the price of new games these days, I sure hope multi-player will lengthen it for him considerably.

[cartman]

This upcoming game has the greatest name ever:

Dudebro — My Shit Is Fucked Up So I Got to Shoot/Slice You II: It's Straight-Up Dawg Time

Grimoire Assembly Forge (http://www.grimoireassemblyforge.com/games.html)

[RainMaker]

FIFA has gotten better and better the past several years.
I don't know about the last couple. They made a huge jump a few years ago when they basically re-made the game. But the last couple versions haven't really had much improvements.

[RainMaker]

Only a year or two ago, people were saying that claims of EA Sports decline were crazy talk. I don't think there's any question at this point that they're hurting. NHL and maybe Madden appear to be the only franchises that have any sort of positive momentum.
Does Madden really have positive momentum? I mean they have a huge licensing agreement and no competition yet still sell less games than they did back in 2005 when they had competition. I think Madden's disappointment over the years is one of the reasons they are in such huge trouble financially.

[MrDNA]

Positively going-down-the-toilet momentum? I used to be a Madden die-hard - now I neither buy the news ones or play the old ones I have. Part of that it my changing tastes, but a bigger part is its suckitude.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Does Madden really have positive momentum? I mean they have a huge licensing agreement and no competition yet still sell less games than they did back in 2005 when they had competition. I think Madden's disappointment over the years is one of the reasons they are in such huge trouble financially.

True from a sales perspective. There were quite a few who believed that last year's game was a positive step (myself included). Unfortunately for EA, the steep decline before this year's version played a big part in this year's sales numbers. Once the downward slide starts, you have to convince people that you're working to fix things. EA didn't do that nearly well enough.

Speaking of sales, has anyone else noticed the huge push to presell Madden 11 already? Pretty good sign that EA is really desparate for cash right now.

[spleen1015]

What are folks hearing about FF13? I just read a blog saying it was complete crap.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

What are folks hearing about FF13? I just read a blog saying it was complete crap.

Any chance we could read the 'crap' post?

FWIW......I don't know of any FF games that were poorly done. You may think the story lacked something or you may not like how the battles are fought, but for the most part, they put a lot of time and effort into those games and they generally are very polished.

[spleen1015]

Any chance we could read the 'crap' post?

FWIW......I don't know of any FF games that were poorly done. You may think the story lacked something or you may not like how the battles are fought, but for the most part, they put a lot of time and effort into those games and they generally are very polished.

Here you go...

hxxp://megatokyo.com/strip/1254#rant1017

[Big Fo]

I've read complaints about the lack of towns, the game being too linear, and it being a shorter game if you don't count all the cutscenes.

[Atocep]

Playstation Magazine got a hands on with New Vegas and said it's shaping up to be better than Fallout 3 in just about every way.

First, this is meant to be more of a sequel to 1 and 2 as far as story goes. Bethesda will do Fallout 4 as the sequel to 3.

Characters have more personality and are lifelike. GOAT has been expanded and your starting equipment is based off of where you put your skillpoints (more points in medicine = more stimpacks at the start). Companions now have an inventory you can manage, you can give them simple commands, and set them to passive or aggressive.

Speech got a complete overhaul. Instead of getting a percent chance that you see based on your speech level you get different dialogue options that open up to you. Your other skills will also open up different dialogue. They had an example from their time with the game where their stealth skill allowed them to make a suggestion to an NPC for a quest.

There's also a reputation system along with Karma. You won't be able to go slaughter people of a particular faction and then get quests from them like nothing happened.

Combat is more or less unchanged. Weapons can be upgraded in various ways and melee weapons each have a special attack. Other than that it's the same gameplay with VATS unchanged.

[DataKing]

Any mention of the rumored "hardcore mode?"

[Scoobz0202]

RE: Mass Effect 2

I am about 11 hours in. Recruited three of the first four people, did the first N7 side mission, and have completed all the other current side missions. A blast so far.

One quick question though, and this may be a spoiler so maybe the response from somebody should be in spoiler tags. But, should I worry about mining already? I unfortunately, or maybe it's fortunately, stumbled across somewhere where they said ship upgrades are critical. So, is that basically by endgame or should I do that now? Or should I just say fuck it and not get advice and if my whole crew dies they die? :p

[DeToxRox]

Any mention of the rumored "hardcore mode?"


I read stimpaks don't heal you immediately. They work over time. You can suffer dehydration and need to drink water and ammo also will have weight.

Cannot wait.

[mckerney]

RE: Mass Effect 2

I am about 11 hours in. Recruited three of the first four people, did the first N7 side mission, and have completed all the other current side missions. A blast so far.

One quick question though, and this may be a spoiler so maybe the response from somebody should be in spoiler tags. But, should I worry about mining already? I unfortunately, or maybe it's fortunately, stumbled across somewhere where they said ship upgrades are critical. So, is that basically by endgame or should I do that now? Or should I just say fuck it and not get advice and if my whole crew dies they die? :p

Ship upgrades are critical if you want your crew to survive, but they don't matter until you go on the suicide mission through the Omega 4 relay. The other upgrades are nice to have as well in combat, though you can probably get by without all of them.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Extremely excited that the Heavy Rain review embargo has been lifted. The game is scoring extremely well, averaging a 9.0 on Metacritic with 32 reviews. Here's a good video review from IGN that allows you to see various pieces of the game. Click on the link to get a higher quality video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_YxTVjcjYNg&feature=player_embedded

<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_YxTVjcjYNg&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_YxTVjcjYNg&rel=0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

[CleBrownsfan]

WOW - I can not wait for Heavy Rain.

[Eaglesfan27]

Heavy rain is the first game besides MLB: The Show that I'm looking forward to getting on my PS3.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Heavy rain is the first game besides MLB: The Show that I'm looking forward to getting on my PS3.

Only other game that reaches the level of those two games is the Uncharted series. I'd put the two you mention along with Uncharted on a very high pedestal. There's some other games that are very good quality, but they aren't anywhere near as genre-defining.

[CleBrownsfan]

Anyone read how long Heavy Rain is? I bought Uncharted 2 - beat it and haven't picked it up since. I'm really looking forward to Heavy Rain but these types of games have no re-play value to me after I beat them. Maybe it's a rental for me and not a purchase...

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Anyone read how long Heavy Rain is? I bought Uncharted 2 - beat it and haven't picked it up since. I'm really looking forward to Heavy Rain but these types of games have no re-play value to me after I beat them. Maybe it's a rental for me and not a purchase...

Depends on how interested you are in the various stories. You can play through as multiple characters and get new pieces of the story line. In addition, they're going to release DLC that allows you to play as the killer rather than the people trying to solve the crimes. So that will obviously be a much different story line as well.

[MizzouRah]

So, who's played Bioshock 2?

.. and how is it?

[TroyF]

So, who's played Bioshock 2?

.. and how is it?


Playing it and loving it.

It's essentially the same game as before with some twists. I'm liking the story thus far. (only an hour or so in) Melee combat is more enjoyable.

Having seen Rapture before, it doesn't amaze in the same way the first game did. This is more of an update than a new game, but I'm good with it. I can tell you right now I'll play through this a couple of times at least.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Having seen Rapture before, it doesn't amaze in the same way the first game did. This is more of an update than a new game, but I'm good with it. I can tell you right now I'll play through this a couple of times at least.

I haven't played it, but a couple of my friends that do have it had similar assessments to what Troy mentioned above. It's good, but more of an upgrade than a new game.

[MikeVic]

Anyone else here playing the Battlefield BC2 demo? I usually play in a squad with a couple of friends, but I'd play with others if I'm online by myself.

PSN: SuperKing83.

[RainMaker]

I have Heavy Rain on pre-order. Can't wait.

[MrDNA]

I have Heavy Rain on pre-order. Can't wait.

Heavy RainMaker?

[CleBrownsfan]

Anyone else here playing the Battlefield BC2 demo? I usually play in a squad with a couple of friends, but I'd play with others if I'm online by myself.

PSN: SuperKing83.

I didn't know it was out. I'm anxious to try it... d/l'ing it now. Have you played it yet MikeVic? Impressions?

[MikeVic]

I didn't know it was out. I'm anxious to try it... d/l'ing it now. Have you played it yet MikeVic? Impressions?

I thought I read impressions somewhere around here before too, which I mostly agreed with. I rarely play console FPS, so for me to like this is something very weird I think... I don't have great aim, but still find it enjoyable. You can team up in small squads, where you can talk to each other on a headset. Reviving and healing people as a medic is fun, trying to take down a tank or helicopter seems pretty hard and requires team work. You can destroy buildings, which is cool. Knifing someone gives you their dog tags, and a list of who's dog tags you have is available in the game. Getting the experience points for each class is cool, and the bonus scores things like 7 kills with an assault riffle in a round, 4 base defenses, etc.

The one thing that's kinda different/weird is after you die, it shows you where the person is that killed you. I don't hate or love it, as I haven't found it to be beneficial or hindering yet. If a camper kills you with a sniper rifle shot, well, it's good you can't just keep standing in one spot since someone will come back to kill you. So I think it promotes moving around and I'm ok with that.

[MizzouRah]

Playing it and loving it.

It's essentially the same game as before with some twists. I'm liking the story thus far. (only an hour or so in) Melee combat is more enjoyable.

Having seen Rapture before, it doesn't amaze in the same way the first game did. This is more of an update than a new game, but I'm good with it. I can tell you right now I'll play through this a couple of times at least.

Thanks!

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

New God of War III trailer up at the official website.

God of War 3 (http://www.godofwar.com/Index/#Videos)

[RainMaker]

Not to shit on Bioshock 2 since I thought the first was probably the best 360 game I've ever played. But it's really like a different version of the first. It comes across more like a DLC than a new game. The story is great and I'll enjoy the game, but was expecting a little more considering their first efforts.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Not to shit on Bioshock 2 since I thought the first was probably the best 360 game I've ever played. But it's really like a different version of the first. It comes across more like a DLC than a new game. The story is great and I'll enjoy the game, but was expecting a little more considering their first efforts.

I wouldn't disagree with that much. The multi-player adds a new dimension (which my son gives high marks for fun factor) but the single player definitely seems to be very much the same as well as (IMO) possibly easier than the first.

[RainMaker]

I haven't tried the multiplayer and not sure I will much. Doesn't interest me at all as I'm not much of an online player unless it involves Battlefield.

[JonInMiddleGA]

I haven't tried the multiplayer and not sure I will much. Doesn't interest me at all as I'm not much of an online player unless it involves Battlefield.

I'm definitely not an mp/online guy, although my son finally convinced me to at least try BS2 (mostly to make him happy, I still give less than a damn about it frankly). It's ... okay from that perspective I guess, I just purely suck at it & have no real hope of that improving.

[RainMaker]

That's part of my problem with playing online. I just suck at most games because I don't blame them nearly as much as the other people online. I feel like I'm up against kids who play 5 hours a night and have it mastered. So I usually stick to one or two online games that I can actually build up a semblance of talent on.

[Julio Riddols]

L.A. Noire looks amazing with a capital AMAZING. I love the concept, it looks like a mash up of Mass Effect/GTA/and Heavy Rain only set in the 40s and done by Rockstar. I'll buy a system for that game alone when it comes out.

Rockstar Games Presents L.A. Noire (http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/splash.html)

[MikeVic]

I tried the Heavy Rain demo... kinda disappointed. The fight scene was great, since it was dynamic based on if you missed button presses. The part where you climb up the muddy hill was so stupid though. The story seems like it could be alright, but there's no way I'm paying $60-70 for this game. The controls for walking are really stupid imo too. Why the hell do I have to hold down R2 to walk, and point my guy in a direction. I felt more helpless in certain situations than with the Resident Evil controls. I just wanted to walk in front of a table to put money on it, since I saw an action for it... and it took me a few tries to get to the right spot again. That's completely unacceptable.

[RainMaker]

L.A. Noire looks amazing with a capital AMAZING. I love the concept, it looks like a mash up of Mass Effect/GTA/and Heavy Rain only set in the 40s and done by Rockstar. I'll buy a system for that game alone when it comes out.

Rockstar Games Presents L.A. Noire (http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/splash.html)
Read about it in the latest Game Informer. Looks really different and unique. I'm not someone who is into that era, but I love when game companies take a chance on something different than the standard futuristic shooter.

[Izulde]

L.A. Noire looks amazing with a capital AMAZING. I love the concept, it looks like a mash up of Mass Effect/GTA/and Heavy Rain only set in the 40s and done by Rockstar. I'll buy a system for that game alone when it comes out.

Rockstar Games Presents L.A. Noire (http://www.rockstargames.com/lanoire/splash.html)

I had no idea this game was coming out, but I can not wait for it now.

[RainMaker]

Played another couple of hours of Bioshock 2 today. I can officially say I'm really disappointed in it. I mean it's a good game because it's basically the same as the first. But for a sequel to a game that was given Game of the Year honors by many places, it's nothing special.

I really don't like how the environment is not open ended. You can't really go back to places. You basically have a line that goes from start to finish with no messing around. The game seems much more scripted too with your encounters. I thought the last one had a more dynamic feel and for instance Big Daddy encounters could take place almost anywhere.

Most of the enemies are the same, weapons the same, and so on. Changing how you hack stuff isn't really an addition, just changing how something was done. I look at all the sequels coming out and how they've really stepped up (Uncharted 2, Mass Effect 2, MW2, even Assassin's Creed 2) and Bioshock 2 seems to have really taken a very conservative approach to the game and basically made a DLC that should be going for $20 on Xbox Live.

[TroyF]

Played another couple of hours of Bioshock 2 today. I can officially say I'm really disappointed in it. I mean it's a good game because it's basically the same as the first. But for a sequel to a game that was given Game of the Year honors by many places, it's nothing special.

I really don't like how the environment is not open ended. You can't really go back to places. You basically have a line that goes from start to finish with no messing around. The game seems much more scripted too with your encounters. I thought the last one had a more dynamic feel and for instance Big Daddy encounters could take place almost anywhere.

Most of the enemies are the same, weapons the same, and so on. Changing how you hack stuff isn't really an addition, just changing how something was done. I look at all the sequels coming out and how they've really stepped up (Uncharted 2, Mass Effect 2, MW2, even Assassin's Creed 2) and Bioshock 2 seems to have really taken a very conservative approach to the game and basically made a DLC that should be going for $20 on Xbox Live.

I'm in the opposite viewpoint. It is the same. But i was thrilled with the first version and my expectations coming into this one was low. With a different studio making it, I just hoped they wouldn't screw things up. Give me another story in Rapture, don't screw up the game mechanics, and I'm thrilled. Well. . . they did exactly what i wanted. No, I didn't get a ton of innovation. It did meet all of my needs though. As for a $20 download, I think that's a bit harsh. I've spent hours on this game and am still not near the end. This is clearly another full game. I think how you view the game really depends on your expectatios. If you were expecting a ton of innovation, you aren't getting it here. If you thought the first game was sensational and would be happy with another full storyline in the same universe, I think you'll be pleased.

To be honest, I look at God of War in the same way. I didn't think 2 was a drastic upgrade from the first one. (I'm playing the God of War collection and replaying the games now and still don't feel like the second was some sort of monumental upgrade) The PSP game was essentially the same type of gameplay. And I'm perfectly OK with all of that. It's such a sensational game, I just want more of the same with minor tweaks. While I expect the PS3 to be an upgrade because of the system, I hope to God they didn't break what worked in the other three games.

[RainMaker]

Well I loved the first version which is why I guess I had higher expectations. If this game was a standalone with no prequel, I'd probably be bonkers over it. I guess expectations can change how we view games.

See I don't think the DLC is that harsh when you compare it to some of the DLC on the market. I think it's closer to what GTA did with their DLC. New story, new protaganist, but more or less the same controls and atmosphere as the original. Fallout 3 created whole new levels that were rather deep.

I mean it's still good and I'll play it through. But the first one blew me away and I was hoping to have that same experience.

[PurdueBrad]

I tried the Heavy Rain demo... kinda disappointed. The fight scene was great, since it was dynamic based on if you missed button presses. The part where you climb up the muddy hill was so stupid though. The story seems like it could be alright, but there's no way I'm paying $60-70 for this game. The controls for walking are really stupid imo too. Why the hell do I have to hold down R2 to walk, and point my guy in a direction. I felt more helpless in certain situations than with the Resident Evil controls. I just wanted to walk in front of a table to put money on it, since I saw an action for it... and it took me a few tries to get to the right spot again. That's completely unacceptable.

I was on the opposite of this. I agree, the R2 to walk was annoying at first but I quickly adapted. My only complaint in the end was the struggle up the hill and down the hill but the fact that you don't get "hurt" made it okay. The graphics are really, really impressive and I love that you can lose the fight or other events and the story moves on. I was quite impressed and pre-ordered as soon as I finished with the demo. I will be interested to see how traditional gamers accept or don't accept this game.

[DataKing]

I've been playing BioShock 2 as well, and I'm enjoying it. Granted, it doesn't have the "WOW!" factor that the first one did, but the environment was really why I had that reaction to the first one. So naturally I'm not going to have the same reaction the second time around. But I am certainly enjoying myself with the game.

To say that the weapons and the gameplay are exactly the same as the first one I think is misleading. Yes, some of them are the same (Rivet Gun = pistol with standard ammo, machine gun, etc), but there are some new toys too. I'm having a good deal of fun with the trap rivets and auto turrets. And defending the little sisters is an aspect that is new as well.

It may not be ground-breaking like the first one was, but BioShock 2 is certainly still worth my time and money.

[MizzouRah]

Anyone picking this up next week?

SEGA :: (http://www.totalwar.com/napoleon/gameinfo/synopsis.php)

[Samdari]

Anyone picking this up next week?

SEGA :: (http://www.totalwar.com/napoleon/gameinfo/synopsis.php)

Nah, to me the series has been going steadily downhill since Medieval. I am just not as interested in the battles with gunpowder involved. Even Rome, without gunpowder, was a bit of a disappointment.

[Izulde]

Anyone picking this up next week?

SEGA :: (http://www.totalwar.com/napoleon/gameinfo/synopsis.php)

No.

Looks too much like M:TW2, which I hated.

[gstelmack]

Nah, to me the series has been going steadily downhill since Medieval. I am just not as interested in the battles with gunpowder involved. Even Rome, without gunpowder, was a bit of a disappointment.

See, my favorite part of Shogun was getting musketeers on a hill and massacring hundreds of charging enemy samurai :D

I just got Empire on the discount deal and enjoying the battles, although unit movement seems a bit fast for the rate of casualties. I'm far more into the battles than the strategic map part, and will get Napoleon at some point almost for certain.

Unless Sid Meier gets off his butt and brings Gettysburgh into the 21st century. I tried the XP compatibility patch but the map scroll speed is too fast, and the options screen crashes when I try to slow it down.

I love me some real-time gunpowder-era tactical games.

[MizzouRah]

No.

Looks too much like M:TW2, which I hated.

I bought it for $7 off Steam and so far I'm enjoying it...