2012 Video Games Thread

[Big Fo]

I should be playing A House Divided (the Victoria II expansion) right now but it got delayed until February 2 due to some kind of distribution issue. And Crusander Kings 2 was pushed back a week as well.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning Demo

Anyone download this yet? I hope to get some time with it tonight and was wondering what anyone thought.

Finally got my video card today so trying this out tonight.

[mckerney]

Steam key giveaway, Serious Sam: The First Encounter 2C9JZ-4DI4I-VA0Z9

[stevew]

Thanks, i've always been curious about the series.

[MJ4H]

Serious Sam Double D's youtube trailer is an absolute must watch.

I've probably posted it before, but man is it awesome.

[mckerney]

And here's a Steam key for Double D.

66FNX-2YRNQ-2HQL3

[chinaski]

Originally Posted by mckerney

And here's a Steam key for Double D.

66FNX-2YRNQ-2HQL3

Grabbed it, thanks much!

[MizzouRah]

This might be the first Tiger Woods game I've purchased since the 360 came out.

TW 13 - Kinect

Kinect for Xbox 360 Integration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fJlr5JU01g

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by stevew

Thanks, i've always been curious about the series.

It's a game on crack! Always loved the first one!

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

This might be the first Tiger Woods game I've purchased since the 360 came out.

TW 13 - Kinect

Kinect for Xbox 360 Integration

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fJlr5JU01g

I bet the kinect version of a golf game is every bit as fristrating and artery-popping as a real life game of golf.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Pretty heavy backlash in the gaming community over this MS720 leak. I'm guessing they'll back off the used game stance at some level.

Sources: The Next Xbox Will Play Blu-Ray, May Not Play Used Games (And Will Introduce Kinect 2)

[Ryan S]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Pretty heavy backlash in the gaming community over this MS720 leak. I'm guessing they'll back off the used game stance at some level.

I would be shocked if the 720 blocked used games. Assuming the 720 and the new PS are released at a similar time, it would give Sony a huge selling point for their system (as long as they don't copy Microsoft)

[mckerney]

Rayman: Origins Coming To PC, DRM Free | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

Well here’s a thing. The absolutely superb platformer, Rayman: Origins, is making its way from console to the PC on the 30th March. Michael “Beyond Good & Evil” Ancel returned to the 2D side-scroller he created, and the result is genuinely splendid. You can pre-order it now at the UbiShop for £20, which is half the price it launched at on 360 and PS3 (although the price most places are selling it at by now). Of course, the big question is: Woah, Ubi, what DRM will it come with? We’ve asked, can tell you that the digital download versions will only have a one-time activation, and retail copies, according to Ubi, will have “no DRM at all”.

Excited for this one, great to have another good platformer coming out on PC this year with Dustforce already released also.

[Big Fo]

It's not just used games. It'd be lame if you couldn't bring your disc over to a friend/relative's place and play over there for a bit. I think this rumor will prove to be false.

edit: and Rayman: Origins is quite good indeed.

[mckerney]

I played through the Kingdoms of Amalur demo and it was enjoyable but probably not something I'll be buying anytime soon. Not for someone who's looking for an indepth RPG, and if you're buying it on PC make sure you have a 360 pad as the keyboard and mouse controls are dreadful.

It feels a lot like Fable to me. The combat is good and the story seems like it could be interesting. As far as the open world aspect i couldn't really tell too much from the demo, but it doesn't have a traditional open world type feel to it from what I saw. Seemed like towns connected through outdoor hallways. Kingdoms of Amalur didn't feel like something that's going to pull me away from Skyrim though when it still feels like I have plenty to do even 80 hours in.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

It's not just used games. It'd be lame if you couldn't bring your disc over to a friend/relative's place and play over there for a bit. I think this rumor will prove to be false.

edit: and Rayman: Origins is quite good indeed.

If they do prevent playing used games I'd think it would be a system where the game comes with a code that gets tied to an account, so as long as you were able to sign into your account on a friends system you'd be able to take it over to their house to play.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

I think this rumor will prove to be false.

Very doubtful this is a rumor. I think Bill Harris hit the nail on the head when he said this is likely a trial balloon of sorts by Microsoft to see how users react before they make a firm decision on what they will and will not restrict.

[oykib]

This buy 65% of a game and then we'll dole out the rest as DLC over the next few months is bad enough. If this rumor becomes reality, M$ can forget about my gaming dollar.

[MikeVic]

My gaming has gone down a ton in the last 5-7 years, and I pretty much only play used games except for maybe a game or two a year. If there was some sort of used game restriction, I'd pretty much be done with gaming.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

I bet the kinect version of a golf game is every bit as fristrating and artery-popping as a real life game of golf.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by MikeVic

My gaming has gone down a ton in the last 5-7 years, and I pretty much only play used games except for maybe a game or two a year. If there was some sort of used game restriction, I'd pretty much be done with gaming.

It's media BS to get everyone talking about the x720.. there is no way in hell that will fly.

[sterlingice]

Hell, sounds as much like a Sony trial balloon as a Microsoft one

SI

[SackAttack]

Comment someone made at another site seemed plausible; the Online Pass, or Project $15, or whatever you want to call it...you know how that's been proliferating with the various studios, and you have to input a code to unlock your multiplayer (or included mission/character/whatever)?

It's not likely that the next Xbox or PlayStation are going to slam the door on used games for all of the reasons that have been cited - making someone buy a new copy of the game to play at a friend's house would never fly, and there would likely be lawsuits (from rental places, if nobody else) on fair use grounds.

But taking the Online Pass/Project $15 and bringing that all under one umbrella so that the system automatically activates those things for new copies would make sense. It would cut down on the number of unique 25-character codes needed for Xbox Live redemption, for example, and it would streamline things for the consumer. Does anybody really think the Online Pass is going away at this point? If that's a given, doesn't it make more sense for the system to handle that aspect of things automatically instead of going "where the $*#! did I put the manual so I can input that code"?

[cartman]

Originally Posted by CrimsonFox

I bet the kinect version of a golf game is every bit as fristrating and artery-popping as a real life game of golf.

Based on how it is in Kinect Sports Season 2, this is a resounding YES!

[frnk55]

Any thoughts on King Arthur 2? I see it unlocks in about 2 hours. I've never played the first one and this one looks kinda cool.
Oh crap I see there is a demo for it. Must try it out.

[bhlloy]

King Arthur was a really really good game that was insanely hard but fun. I think I started five or six times over and never got close to finishing it. Probably the most value I've got out of any game in the last five years.

If they tweaked the balance a little bit and left most of the rest of the game alone I'd definitely purchase it. Excited to check this one out.

[SackAttack]

Damn. Apparently MLB 12: the Show is going to utilize cloud saving capabilities to make franchise/road to the show carry over between the PS3 and the Vita.

While I have a feeling that some of the bugs from MLB 10 that kept me from buying MLB 11 will still be present, that alone might get me to cave and buy 12.

[mckerney]

Xbox 720 Spec Leaks - What if The GPU Rumours Are True?

Xbox 720 rumours have been spreading like a bad rash, and the current favourite is that the Xbox 720’s GPU is due to be derived from, or close to an AMD Radeon 6670.

Hopefully it ends up with a better GPU than that.

[Scoobz0202]

I'd be curious to know what type of card previous systems used in comparison to where the state of GPUs were at the time. I mean, it's a tested card that should be reliable. Would hate to see them throw something new in there and it complete fuck up and be RRoD v2.

[Matthean]

Got through normal difficulty setting with a guy in Path of Exile. What stuff is there I like a lot. They need to add a lot before I can say more though. Next update is Soon(tm) and the three after that will help form what goes live. The base of the game feels rather solid to me. I just hope the rest polishes it off nicely.

[MizzouRah]

Kingdoms of Amalur coming out on Tuesday, I can't wait.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

Kingdoms of Amalur coming out on Tuesday, I can't wait.

Curt Schilling was on the NFL stations on XM this morning talking about this. I might have to pick it up.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

Curt Schilling was on the NFL stations on XM this morning talking about this. I might have to pick it up.

He's been everywhere promoting.. I think he's on X-PLAY tonight.

I love the demo.. the combat alone is worth the price of admission, imho.

[Groundhog]

Decided to use my 33% off Valve voucher on Steam by finally picking up Portal 2. Went into the game screen and ... discovered I already owned it?! Sheesh. I have no recollection of ever purchasing that game.

[hoopsguy]

Originally Posted by Matthean

Got through normal difficulty setting with a guy in Path of Exile. What stuff is there I like a lot. They need to add a lot before I can say more though. Next update is Soon(tm) and the three after that will help form what goes live. The base of the game feels rather solid to me. I just hope the rest polishes it off nicely.

Just got into Act 2 on Normal last night, been playing it in spurts. The storyline hasn't felt particularly epic up to this point, but I thought they did a good job building mood with the scenery and music as I got near the end of Act 1.

I've barely kicked the tires in terms of trying stuff out in the game. I have almost completely neglected the passives, have only played my initial character, and just recently switched from ranged to melee builds to see how I liked them. So hard for me to give a fair "review" of the game because my overall play has been narrow, relatively speaking.

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by hoopsguy

Just got into Act 2 on Normal last night, been playing it in spurts. The storyline hasn't felt particularly epic up to this point, but I thought they did a good job building mood with the scenery and music as I got near the end of Act 1.

I've barely kicked the tires in terms of trying stuff out in the game. I have almost completely neglected the passives, have only played my initial character, and just recently switched from ranged to melee builds to see how I liked them. So hard for me to give a fair "review" of the game because my overall play has been narrow, relatively speaking.

Patch 0.9.6 is coming next week with 100-150 new passives. Seriously. I think this is why people don't even try to recommend builds. I am looking at rebuilding my ranger based on what I know but that's about it. I don't think there is much of a storyline yet because even the ending is a placeholder.

Act II has huge maps so you might want to look up the map on the beta forums to help with that.

[jeff061]

Hmm, I seem to have been invited to the Diablo 3 beta. Surprised me, I'm not a voracious Blizzard player. Some SC2, but nothing else. Are they common?

Anyways, didn't have a lot of interest in the game but will still check it out.

[CrimsonFox]

Originally Posted by Groundhog

Decided to use my 33% off Valve voucher on Steam by finally picking up Portal 2. Went into the game screen and ... discovered I already owned it?! Sheesh. I have no recollection of ever purchasing that game.

if you haven't played the 2 player version yet, I'm still looking to play that with someone

[MizzouRah]

This came out awhile back.. but it's a good video to see what Kingdoms of Amalur is all about.

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/119/1192713p1.html

[MizzouRah]

KOA

IGN Live Presents: Reckoning and Twisted Metal - Games Feature at IGN

Live streaming the game at 1 PM CST today and releasing the IGN review.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

KOA

IGN Live Presents: Reckoning and Twisted Metal - Games Feature at IGN

Live streaming the game at 1 PM CST today and releasing the IGN review.

Live streaming of Twisted Metal is at 3:00 PM CST. That's the one I'm looking forward to seeing.

[MizzouRah]

The IGN video review showed after the live stream and KOA received a 9.0 and was called, "amazing".. 38 studios has my money.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Dropped by Gamestop yesterday to look at games with my daughter. Got a chance to play the PS Vita demo model. Didn't play more than a few minutes. Two things I noticed right away......

-Model is much lighter than it looks. Was really surprised by it compared to the PSP weight.
-Dual analog really helps with ease of gameplay. Makes the PSP seem really antiquated in comparison. I'm guessing any ports from PS3 to Vita should be helped quite a bit by the control change.

[MizzouRah]

It's almost here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lhzDkaKi1w

[Big Fo]

I love some of the new additions in the Victoria 2 expansion. The added information on election year events, being able to tell your units to hunt down rebels automatically, excess influence working against the efforts of other nations influencing countries in your sphere, etc. I'm about 2/3 of the way through my first game and really enjoying it.

[Matthean]

Patch notes for PoE build 0.9.6 are up. Ice got the obvious nerf. Lightning and fire got a little bit of love but lightning got a touch more. A number of new passives and such. They condensed the passives a bit so there isn't literally 100-150 new ones. I like a number of the specifically named ones. Patch notes are in the general forum so there's no need to be secretive about it.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

It's almost here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lhzDkaKi1w

I played the demo over the weekend and I really liked what I saw. I like the way this game looks better than Skyrim. I prefer more cartoony, bright colors and not the more realistic looking, dull colors that are in Skyrim.

I won $75 with my 0-9 square in the Super Bowl pool last night to pay for this game tomorrow.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I played the demo over the weekend and I really liked what I saw. I like the way this game looks better than Skyrim. I prefer more cartoony, bright colors and not the more realistic looking, dull colors that are in Skyrim.

I won $75 with my 0-9 square in the Super Bowl pool last night to pay for this game tomorrow.

I'm with you.. and I won $35 with our square football pool last night.

[DataKing]

Anyone else looking forward to SSX at the end of the month? I played Tricky a ton...definitely looking forward to a long-overdue reboot.

[mckerney]

From the latest update on the Dota 2 blog,

We are working on a new update process that will allow us to build new features while minimizing the risk of destabilizing the game for everyone. To achieve this we are creating a new version of the game specifically for testing purposes. Everyone that has access to Dota 2 will find the new test version in their Steam games library, under the name “Dota 2 Test”. Instead of releasing the new content directly to Dota 2 each week, we will put it on this Test version first, where we’ll be monitoring it for any glaring issues. The week afterwards, we will update Dota 2 with the previous week’s Test version (while also releasing more new content in the Test).

Valve has done what I never though possible, they've created a beta version of a beta version of a game.