2013 Video Games Thread

[SackAttack]

All of those, plus fiscal aspects: the cost of replacing not just the dead console, but of replacing your library of games with either equivalent copies for the new platform, or different games entirely, or the fact that when the RROD was at its height, PlayStation 3 wasn't exactly a budget alternative.

People were no doubt pissed when the RROD was happening to them, but if you're sitting there with a RROD Xbox 360 in 2008 and the PS3 is $500 (pre-September) or $400 (post-September), you've got a couple choices: spend $349 on a brand new 360 and keep playing your existing games; spend somewhere less than that on a used 360 (knowing that it, too, may die eventually) and keep playing your existing games; spend $4-500 on a new PS3 and $60+ on a new library (depending on whether you were the type who played, say, CoD for months on end or had more varied tastes); or put more effort in and try to find a used PS3 and used copies of the replacement library. The cost of replacing the library, even with used games, means that either PS3 option was almost certain to be more expensive than either 360 option.

Some would have been able to absorb those costs, and been willing to do so. Some would have been able, but unwilling because of the previous investment. Some would have been unable, and thus would have tried to maintain their current investment as inexpensively as possible.

And some would have said "Well, looks like it's fuck this shit o'clock" and gotten out of the market entirely.

[B & B]

Hooked up the Genesis and dusted off NHL 94. Come over and its game on!

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by mckerney

All their friends they play with online have 360s

This looms extremely large in the console decision(s). Among my son's gaming friends, the XB vs PS ratio is something like 18:3 XBox, and of those three, two are dual-console guys.

To switch consoles in mid-cycle would have basically meant an end to playing with people he knew ... and teens (and a lot of adults too) just aren't gonna do that.

[mckerney]

Finished Valkyria Chronicles last night in my ongoing effort to get through my PS3 backlog, though it's not really helping that I just ordered Ni No Kuni after seeing it on sale the other day. I really like the art direction of Valkyria Chronicles and it's a good turn based strategy both in battles and its squad management, though I do prefer a standard turn based mechanic to the active combat. And I thought the campaign suffered a bit from some of the missions being designed in a frustrating way where they can be long and incredibly difficult on your first attempt but if you lose and have to play it again it again and know exactly what is coming the mission becomes way to easy. The story was ok while being way to cheesy at times, but it did make me realize for this sort of game much I'd rather play one with an emergent storyline along the lines of an XCOM than a set campaign like this had. A campaign like Valkyria Chronicles lacks the connection to a squad and and the fun/horrifying moments where you have to use retooled squad of rookies after everything goes wrong.

For other games I've been playing, I'm really glad to see Rogue Legacy has been at our near the top of the Steam charts. It bills itself as a Rogue-LITE and is a great 2D platformer where each time you die you choose one of your previous hero's offspring of varying class and attributes (some good, some hilariously bad like Vertigo where the screen is upside down, colorblindness or near sightedness). Your new hero starts with any upgrades and equipment you have purchased and any gold their parent collected to buy any new upgrades and equipment. It's much like the Binding of Isaac in that it's wonderful and I am absolutely awful at it.

[CleBrownsfan]

Anyone know if Last of Us will be on the PS4?

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by CleBrownsfan

Anyone know if Last of Us will be on the PS4?

I doubt it will be anytime close to launch, they haven't announced any plans for a PS4 version as far as I know. It might end up on the streaming Gaikai service for PS4 which will launch sometime in 2014, but details of how that will work haven't been released yet. There is the possibility of something like the HD Remake from the current generation somewhere down the line, but that's far from a for sure thing and when something like that would happen is anyone's guess. For comparison for this years gen the one for God of War 1 & 2 came 3 years after the PS3 launch.

[mckerney]

A little info on what Sony has said so far on Gaikai.

Gaikai streaming coming to PS4 and PS3 in 2014 | The Verge

Firstly, the service won't be available immediately at launch, but rather sometime in 2014. When Sony does release it, first in the US, it's going to give PS4 and PS3 owners access to a limited library of PS3 games, before adding streaming functionality to the Vita sometime down the road. Also, the service is headed to the US first, before rolling out internationally, and Sony expects it to "evolve rapidly over the coming months," although what that means is anyone's guess.

The Last of Us being a Sony owned IP seems like it would make it more likely to end up on Gaikai. How well it would play though depends a lot on how well your internet connection can handle it, if there's much input lag it could make playing the game very difficult.

[markprior22]

I mostly play sports games (text and console) but was intrigued by Skyrim. I picked up a copy a week or so at a reduced price and have tried playing it a couple times but am now at a point where I am pretty much going in circles. I guess the problem is...I really don't know any type of strategy or how to proceed in these open world scenarios. I've done some searching, discovered some places, talked to people, etc but don't really seem to be accomplishing anything. Maybe this game type just isn't for me, but it looks fun. Any tips for figuring out an approach for a newb to enjoy?

[JPhillips]

I'm sure there's a Skyrim wiki you can look at to follow the main quest. The side quests, which there are numerous, can be done or not depending on how quickly you want to complete the main quest. Of the side quests, there really isn't any order, so pick one to do and stick with it until completion and then move to something else.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by markprior22

I mostly play sports games (text and console) but was intrigued by Skyrim. I picked up a copy a week or so at a reduced price and have tried playing it a couple times but am now at a point where I am pretty much going in circles. I guess the problem is...I really don't know any type of strategy or how to proceed in these open world scenarios. I've done some searching, discovered some places, talked to people, etc but don't really seem to be accomplishing anything. Maybe this game type just isn't for me, but it looks fun. Any tips for figuring out an approach for a newb to enjoy?

Skyrim is a game in which you create much of the narrative, not follow someone else's. These games are almost the opposite of Bioware's more linear story-telling games. Both can be wonderful experiences, but you have to play them differently.

There is a main plot/quest line, but there's no reason to let that drive your decision-making behavior. It's really more a game of exploration and your interaction with the world. I strongly suggest the Prima guides for Bethesda games like Fallout and Skyrim - they're extremely detailed and very valuable, over 300 pages packed with information, quests and interesting areas.

My favorite Skyrim experience was the first time leaving Whiterun and heading to Markarth. I wanted to get some mining done and I heard the Markarth area was the best for that. So off I went on what I thought would be a 10-15 minute run. Then one thing distracted me, then another, then an event happened, then something else....I looked up and realized that 4 hours later I still was only 1/2 to Markarth. In the meanwhile, I had been totally engrossed by the world itself.

[cartman]

Opulence. I has it.

Gold chrome Xbox 360 controller coming in August | Polygon

[mckerney]

The 400 Days DLC episode to Telltale's The Walking Dead is coming out on PC this Wednesday.

[spleen1015]

FINALLY gonna pick up the Last of Us tonight and see what the commotion is all about.

[CleBrownsfan]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

FINALLY gonna pick up the Last of Us tonight and see what the commotion is all about.

Picked up LoU yesterday and played 2-3 hours of it. I wanted to throw my controller several times but it does seem like a really cool game!

[DaddyTorgo]

Is Walking Dead playable on tablet, or am I really better off playing on PC (or PS3) for the graphics and the control?

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Is Walking Dead playable on tablet, or am I really better off playing on PC (or PS3) for the graphics and the control?

I have it on the iPad.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I have it on the iPad.

Do you feel it suffers controls-wise though?

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

Do you feel it suffers controls-wise though?

I haven't noticed it.

[Vince, Pt. II]

Can't seem to find the post that pointed me toward it, but Rogue Legacy was $15 on Steam and has been an absolute blast so far. It's a roguelike platformer that's sort of Metroidvania-ish. A complete action-RPG, you start with a hero, a sword and a magic spell. You can break many of the items in the castle in an effort to find gold. When you die (and it will happen early and often), you get to pick one of your three children (randomly generated) to be your heir. They keep whatever gold you acquired on your previous run through, and can use it to expand your manor (boosting stats/abilities and unlocking different classes that your future heirs can be) or to purchase equipment from the blacksmith or runes from the enchantress. Once you've outfit your progeny, they head back into the castle...but not before Charon takes all your gold. So there's no sense hoarding it! The castle upon re-entry is completely different, so it's a new exploration each time through.

There's nothing brilliant about the game - the gameplay is all stuff we've seen before, the graphics are simple and it can get a little repetitive, but the light humor that is involved in your offspring - some have interesting traits, like IBS (farts every time you jump) - and the difficulty combine to keep me engaged.

[Thomkal]

Another game company hacked, this time ubisoft:

Ubisoft accounts hacked, email addresses and passwords compromised | News | PC Gamer

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Vince, Pt. II

Can't seem to find the post that pointed me toward it, but Rogue Legacy was $15 on Steam and has been an absolute blast so far.

/agree with everything you posted, I played for a couple hours yesterday and thoroughly enjoyed it.

I was playing Dust before I stopped everything to dive into Last of Us. I think I may go back to Dust and try to complete that, but Rogue Legacy will be getting a decent bit of time here and there as well.

[nilodor]

I feel like I'm getting really old but I can't play the Last of Us anywhere near when I'm going to bed. The whole infected people, clickers running after you, horrible death, creepy vibe stuff doesn't play nice with my dreams.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by nilodor

I feel like I'm getting really old but I can't play the Last of Us anywhere near when I'm going to bed. The whole infected people, clickers running after you, horrible death, creepy vibe stuff doesn't play nice with my dreams.

Very true.

See - this is my problem with games. I haven't picked it back up since I hit that situation that I just can't seem to get through. Popped something else into my PS3 and now it's like...well...how long will it be till I pick it up again.

[SackAttack]

Posted this in the Steam thread inadvertently (and it's a PS3 game), so let's try this again:

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Playing an early copy of the upcoming Nippon Ichi RPG "Time and Eternity." I'm mostly in the positive camp on this one, but the protagonist is a lecher and the fanservice is creepy as all hell.

[jaygr]

Anyone else try the Walking Dead 400 Days DLC? I really enjoyed it. In case you don't know it has 5 short stories from survivors that all tie together a bit. It took me about 2 hours to play through. I found the stories to be quite good and they had some tough choices to make that have consequences and seems that they may play into season two of the main game.

If you liked the first season of the game I definitely recommend this DLC.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by jaygr

Anyone else try the Walking Dead 400 Days DLC? I really enjoyed it. In case you don't know it has 5 short stories from survivors that all tie together a bit. It took me about 2 hours to play through. I found the stories to be quite good and they had some tough choices to make that have consequences and seems that they may play into season two of the main game.

If you liked the first season of the game I definitely recommend this DLC.

Yep, I played it. I tend to agree with your assessment above.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by jaygr

Anyone else try the Walking Dead 400 Days DLC? I really enjoyed it. In case you don't know it has 5 short stories from survivors that all tie together a bit. It took me about 2 hours to play through. I found the stories to be quite good and they had some tough choices to make that have consequences and seems that they may play into season two of the main game.

I'm glad to hear that you liked it. I bought it and will probably play it in the next 4-5 days, but I'm pretty intent on completing Dust: An Elysian Tail for now and probably won't start anything else until I finish this.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Radii

I'm glad to hear that you liked it. I bought it and will probably play it in the next 4-5 days, but I'm pretty intent on completing Dust: An Elysian Tail for now and probably won't start anything else until I finish this.

I've been finishing up Dust too. Just made it to the mountains and at 82% completion right now.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I've been finishing up Dust too. Just made it to the mountains and at 82% completion right now.

I'm 60% in, just got the ability that lets you latch on to vines to get to more stuff. Seems like there should be one more ability left to obtain, I'm waiting until I get it to go back through old areas trying to 100% them.

[mckerney]

I just got the next ability, undecided right now if I'm going to go forward with story or go back and get last few treasures in some areas.

[mckerney]

Finished Dust tonight after playing it about 8 hours today. Started just before the point you were at picking up the Iron Grip early on. It's a good Metroidvania experience, but I found the combat to be a bit weak.

Also played 400 Days yesterday and agree with what's above, great addition to season 1 and hope it plays into the transition to season 2.

Now my current plan is to finish inFamous before starting Ni no Kuni, though well see if that ends up happening. Definitely starting Shadowrun Returns as soon as that is released.

[JonInMiddleGA]

currently d'loading Dragon Age Origins for 360. I figure surely between me & the kid we can get $5 worth of play out of it.

[mckerney]

Shadowrun Returns gameplay. It's a user created story so you don't need to worry about spoilers.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Shadowrun Returns gameplay. It's a user created story so you don't need to worry about spoilers.

The more I see of this, the more awesome it looks.

[SirFozzie]

New goal: Beg, borrow and/or steal enough laptops/smartphones (they make a version for Android/iOS) and friends to play a six player version of this: (Basically, Star Trek The Bridge, in video game form)

6-Player Starship Party Game! ARTEMIS! - YouTube

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

New goal: Beg, borrow and/or steal enough laptops/smartphones (they make a version for Android/iOS) and friends to play a six player version of this: (Basically, Star Trek The Bridge, in video game form)

6-Player Starship Party Game! ARTEMIS! - YouTube

I'm in. I have at least 1 friend who'd be in no questions asked, if not 3. I've had the same thought as you...hehe.

[Bigsmooth]

Been playing State of Decay as I wait for the Civ 5 release. A lot of fun and a different take on the zombie games. More of a Fallout 3 vibe in terms of inventory management and survival.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Bigsmooth

Been playing State of Decay as I wait for the Civ 5 release. A lot of fun and a different take on the zombie games. More of a Fallout 3 vibe in terms of inventory management and survival.

I think the thing that throws me with State is the seemingly never-ending barrage of rescue type missions. While it adds to the tension, at some point I started wondering why these f'n idiots keep going out alone instead of in pairs.

I also keep reminding myself that this is essentially a beta for a larger game that's planned down the road & that there's definitely potential for that to be a hit.

[Bigsmooth]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I think the thing that throws me with State is the seemingly never-ending barrage of rescue type missions. While it adds to the tension, at some point I started wondering why these f'n idiots keep going out alone instead of in pairs.

I also keep reminding myself that this is essentially a beta for a larger game that's planned down the road & that there's definitely potential for that to be a hit.

Yeah, definetily has the feel of an "unfinished" game. The footprint is in place for a pretty amazing game down the road hopefully.

[Scoobz0202]

Just read that Ryan Davis of the video game website GiantBomb passed away on July 3rd. That sucks. Have listened to their podcast for quite some time.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

I'm in. I have at least 1 friend who'd be in no questions asked, if not 3. I've had the same thought as you...hehe.

I'm going to be trying it out at GenCon, so I'll let you know how it goes

[DaddyTorgo]

How's this game "Dark?" that I see on Steam?

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

New goal: Beg, borrow and/or steal enough laptops/smartphones (they make a version for Android/iOS) and friends to play a six player version of this: (Basically, Star Trek The Bridge, in video game form)

6-Player Starship Party Game! ARTEMIS! - YouTube

We have played this in our Mission Control Center at work.

Yes, we are dorks.

/tk

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

How's this game "Dark?" that I see on Steam?

Everything I've read about it has said it's terrible.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

We have played this in our Mission Control Center at work.

Yes, we are dorks.

/tk

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Everything I've read about it has said it's terrible.

Darn. I figured, but that's too bad.

[Warhammer]

Artemis is awesome! It's loads of fun at Cons. There is also a Star Trek mod for it which is pretty sweet. Just beware of the Borg, they can teleport.

[SirFozzie]

Originally Posted by terpkristin

We have played this in our Mission Control Center at work.

Yes, we are dorks.

/tk

I'm jealous.

[chinaski]

Looking amazing...
Grand Theft Auto V: Official Gameplay Video - YouTube

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by chinaski

Looking amazing...
Grand Theft Auto V: Official Gameplay Video - YouTube

That is awesome.