2014 Video Games Thread

[chadritt]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

South Park has gone gold apparently!

Yup, its official. Goes on sale March 4th for PC, PS3, and 360.

[Vince, Pt. II]

So I just played the first "day" of The World Ends With You (like a twenty minute intro/tutorial). I don't think any game ever has made me feel so uncoordinated and bad at playing video games. Holy crap. The control system is so very different than anything I'm used to, but I already really enjoy the stylized graphics and the music is pretty fantastic. Once I learn to be adequate at the controls, I think I could really like this game. It has already made better use of the dual screen feature on the DS than anything I've ever seen.

Edit:
235/236 nodes in Radiant Historia. The last node is an optional side boss that is one-shotting my party. Feels like I would need to put in several hours of grinding levels to have even a shot at him. Probably wont ever do that, but I'm not disappointed in that. Leave a really difficult boss in the game that hardcore players will want to work hard to defeat, fine by me.

[sterlingice]

For TWEWY, it's all about finding the pins that work best for you. For me, I liked having one or two good single shots, a good multi hit or two, a healer, a shield, or maybe another couple of good effect pins. That said, there are like 300 pins so you should be able to find something that works for you. I'm a mad completist so unless I was facing a boss, I was always trying out new pins that I found or bought to see what I liked. Also, if you like a particular pin, the next one in the series is probably a more souped up version of the last one (if you like one that shoots one lightning bolt, the next one up will do multiple bolts and two up does chain lightning- that sort of thing; for example- I don't remember it exactly).

BTW, your partner (Shiki, right?)- that never really gets better to control. Honest, IIRC, it actually gets progressively worse (it's been a year or two since my second completist playthrough).

I would try very hard to avoid spoilers for the game. I only recall getting stuck, thinking "where should i go to finish the day" once or twice. And I think it would be almost impossible to be completist on the first run through, much as I tried. Just sit back, try to find pins you want, and play through a second time on New Game+ if you want to try and get all the pins and pigs (don't ask).

I think along with the style (music and look with this odd urban meets Shibuya thing going), I love the plot. It's a bit cheesy so if you require more than Neku's generic angsting to go for serious drama, you're going to be disappointed. But I love the idea, especially as you get further into the game. It's hard to say more without giving much away and actually I've had to rewrite sections of this post because I'm thinking "whoops, he hasn't seen that yet"

SI

[stevew]

AC4 is only $30 for the 360 version. Seems like a good idea.

[cartman]

14 minute intro with gamplay for Stick of Truth. I can't wait!

[NobodyHere]

lol @ Jew class

[cartman]

Could South Park: The Stick of Truth be the Best Licensed Game Ever? - IGN

[chinaski]

Been playing Titanfall for the last 4 hours, seems to live up to the hype. Its pretty amazing. My PC couldnt handle it at max settings tho, had to go minimums, but it still looks great.

[Blackadar]

Banished is out tomorrow. $20 seems more than reasonable for this.

[Scoobz0202]

I'm pretty sure I will purchase Banished within the next couple days, but I'm not as enthusiastic as I was a few weeks back. I was really excited for it and watched a few Let's Plays and now I feel like that was a mistake. I worry about the depth of the game and that now after watching a few Let's Plays I feel that there is already in my mind a linear build that you should start out with. A few Lets Plays is probably a bad criterion to judge, though.

I'll probably purchase, though, just because it looks fun. Maybe the dev will be super active in balance, add-ons, etc. to make it tougher if it needs to be.

[Abe Sargent]

Don't know which thread to put it under (This Steam, or discounts) but I picked up Card City Nights for $2 off Steam this weekend, put about 12 hours into it before finishing it, and loved it. Totoally worth hte investment.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Early leaks of The Order: 1886. Full HD video of the GIFs in this article will be available tomorrow when the embargo is officially off.

The Order: 1886 leaked gifs and screenshots - VGLeaks

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Lots of video for The Order: 1886. Love the story and setting. Will have to wait and see more of the gameplay to see how the game plays. From the articles, most of the media was impressed with how seamless the cinematics and gameplay merged together.



The Order 1886 - New PS4 Gameplay & Info - YouTube

The Order 1886 gameplay & details - ambitious PS4 shooter's an Uncharted-beater - YouTube

The Order: 1886 - Debut Gameplay Reveal - Third Person Action - YouTube

The Order: 1886 - All New Gameplay - Quicktime Events!? - YouTube

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

dola

Interesting article over at Kotaku about a modder of Total War games who became frustrated with their support and decided to make his own game. Really neat looking game. Hope everything comes together.

When A Modder Tries To Make His Own Game

[BillJasper]

Have to say I having a ton of fun with Madden for the PS4. Seems like ratings and turnovers actually matter in the actual "All-Pro" franchise games.

Played three preseason games so far with Jacksonville:

Lost to Miami 48-16, had seven turnovers (-7).
Beat the Jets 31-29, had two turnovers (-1).
Lost to Philadelphia, 52-17, had seven turnovers (-5).

About my only complaint right now is that stretch plays are a little too easy to get to the outside on.

[Kodos]

Don't weaken my resolve to hold off on buying next gen!

[Matthean]

Irrational Games

When Jon Chey, Rob Fermier and I founded Irrational Games seventeen years ago, our mission was to make visually unique worlds and populate them with singular characters.
We built Rapture and Columbia, the Von Braun and The Rickenbacker, the Freedom Fortress and some of the nastiest basements a SWAT team ever set foot into. We created Booker and Elizabeth, the Big Daddy and the Little Sister, MidWives and ManBot. In that time, Irrational has grown larger and more successful than we could have conceived when we began our three-person studio in a living room in Cambridge, MA. It’s been the defining project of my professional life.

Now Irrational Games is about to roll out the last DLC for BioShock Infinite and people are understandably asking: What’s next?

Seventeen years is a long time to do any job, even the best one. And working with the incredible team at Irrational Games is indeed the best job I’ve ever had. While I’m deeply proud of what we’ve accomplished together, my passion has turned to making a different kind of game than we’ve done before. To meet the challenge ahead, I need to refocus my energy on a smaller team with a flatter structure and a more direct relationship with gamers. In many ways, it will be a return to how we started: a small team making games for the core gaming audience.

I am winding down Irrational Games as you know it. I’ll be starting a smaller, more entrepreneurial endeavor at Take-Two. That is going to mean parting ways with all but about fifteen members of the Irrational team. There’s no great way to lay people off, and our first concern is to make sure that the people who are leaving have as much support as we can give them during this transition.

Besides financial support, the staff will have access to the studio for a period of time to say their goodbyes and put together their portfolios. Other Take-Two studios will be on hand to discuss opportunities within the company, and we’ll be hosting a recruiting day where we’ll be giving 3rd party studios and publishers a chance to hold interviews with departing Irrational staff.*

What’s next?

In time we will announce a new endeavor with a new goal: To make narrative-driven games for the core gamer that are highly replayable. To foster the most direct relationship with our fans possible, we will focus exclusively on content delivered digitally.

When I first contemplated what I wanted to do, it became very clear to me that we were going to need a long period of design. Initially, I thought the only way to build this venture was with a classical startup model, a risk I was prepared to take. But when I talked to Take-Two about the idea, they convinced me that there was no better place to pursue this new chapter than within their walls. After all, they’re the ones who believed in and supported BioShock in the first place.

Thanks to Irrational and 2K’s passion in developing the games, and the fans who believe in it, BioShock has generated retail revenues of over a half billion dollars and secured an iconic place in gaming. I’m handing the reins of our creation, the BioShock universe, to 2K so our new venture can focus entirely on replayable narrative. If we’re lucky, we’ll build something half as memorable as BioShock.

We will do our best to update an FAQ in this space as questions come in.

[chadritt]

AKA: Im bored and don't want anyone else taking over so you're all fired...

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by chadritt

AKA: Im bored and don't want anyone else taking over so you're all fired...

Yep, which I find extremely distasteful. But since I don't play first person games, I'll never buy one of his products anyway.

[chadritt]

I think I might be bothered more by it because I know its in Boston which is a harder place for all the employees to find new work. If it was based in LA I might feel better since those people would have more options.

[BillJasper]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Don't weaken my resolve to hold off on buying next gen!

All I know is that in the current gen version, I could throw seven interceptions in a game and still beat the CPU 50-0. DB's are much quicker coming off of one receiver to pick up another. It's quite a learning curve.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Wow! Fun surprise today. FF XIV PS4 Beta is live for all PS4 owners. Already logged into my PS4 and started the download so it will be ready to go when I get home!

Edit: Beta starts on the 22nd, so a couple days to wait.

[Abe Sargent]

Banished came out today. Anyone know much about it?

Banished (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


http://www.shiningrocksoftware.com/game/

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

Banished came out today. Anyone know much about it?

Banished (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


http://www.shiningrocksoftware.com/game/

Some people were talking about it upthread. Wasn't on my radar, but looks interesting.

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

Banished came out today. Anyone know much about it?

Banished (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


http://www.shiningrocksoftware.com/game/

Yep. I won't get a chance to try it out until this weekend, but by all accounts it's pretty damn good. Just note it's also supposed to be pretty damn hard.

[Buccaneer]

Thanks, this looks pretty good.

[bhlloy]

And I get home to buy/install banished and Steam is down. #firstworldproblems

[Blackadar]

Originally Posted by bhlloy

And I get home to buy/install banished and Steam is down. #firstworldproblems

Think it's back up again.

[Scoobz0202]

Kind of annoyed as I purchased through the developers site to get the DRM free version and a steam key. Went to purchase using Amazon Payments and Amazon put my purchase on hold for a "Manual investigation" and I should have a solution "within 24 hours." Conveniently I can't cancel my order in the meantime so it would be stupid to purchase through Steam and then get the purchase through tomorrow.

#firstworldproblems

[BillJasper]

I'm finding Assassin's Creed IV (PS4) really glitchy. The chase missions are almost impossible because when you use the R2 to run, if you get close to anything you can climb, you're character will start climbing.

It's frustrating...

[Buccaneer]

Just move mouse slightly to move away from the climbing point. Oh...wait.

From what I saw from watching AC3 and reading about the previous version, this is a common AC issue or for most auto-climb games. I found that you never lose enough time from hopping down to make any difference since you're running most places anyways. Having to trail is a slow methodical process anyway and it's best to anticipate so you won't get too far behind.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Battlefield 4 got new DLC today. With it, came a bunch of new game-crashing bugs. Ouch.

I tried the game and already sold it back because it was so bad, both from the game and server sides. This whole roller coaster has likely ensured the death of this franchise. I can't imagine a situation where gamers would come back for a Battlefield 5 in any great quantity. It's a shame because I'm sure there were a lot of new people to the franchise like me who were hoping to get into the game, only to receive a steaming pile of s%@# with poor customer service.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

only to receive a steaming pile of s%@# with poor customer service.

Which I'd say (IMO) is only marginally worse than what the customers of BF2 and BF3 got in the first place.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Which I'd say (IMO) is only marginally worse than what the customers of BF2 and BF3 got in the first place.

Lesson learned for sure.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Lesson learned for sure.

Have sales actually gone down between versions? I thought they had increased. Isn't the lesson that people will still buy it as long as it's a known brand. They may complain bitterly, but they'll probably still buy it when the next one comes out.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by nilodor

Have sales actually gone down between versions? I thought they had increased. Isn't the lesson that people will still buy it as long as it's a known brand. They may complain bitterly, but they'll probably still buy it when the next one comes out.

This one may have done OK, but that's mostly because it was one of the few options available for the new consoles on release. After what most experiences have been, I doubt they will do nearly as well next time.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

This one may have done OK, but that's mostly because it was one of the few options available for the new consoles on release. After what most experiences have been, I doubt they will do nearly as well next time.

Look for BF5 to set sales records, since MBBF has called for their demise.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by cartman

Look for BF5 to set sales records.

You're on record. We'll see.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

You're on record. We'll see.

As are you.

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

This whole roller coaster has likely ensured the death of this franchise.

[sterlingice]

And what happens when it invariably sells around what BF4 sold, maybe slightly less, but still more than most things released that week? Then is it still going to be "death to the franchise" because the series had already peaked at BF3 (sales-wise; honestly, I couldn't tell you where it "peaked" gameplay-wise)?

SI

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

And what happens when it invariably sells around what BF4 sold, maybe slightly less, but still more than most things released that week? Then is it still going to be "death to the franchise" because the series had already peaked at BF3 (sales-wise; honestly, I couldn't tell you where it "peaked" gameplay-wise)?

SI

Here's the numbers on the franchise thus far....

2002 PC Battlefield 1942 2.47M
2004 PC Battlefield Vietnam 1.36M
2005 PC Battlefield 2 2.25M
2005 PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360 Battlefield 2: Modern Combat 1.64M
2008 PS3, Xbox 360 Battlefield: Bad Company 2.59M
2010 PC, PS3, Xbox 360 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 6.54M
2011 PC, PS3, Xbox 360 Battlefield 3 15.00M

Battlefield 4 on all consoles has sold around 8.5M thus far, so they're already down roughly 40% from their peak on BF3. They might get some more sales out of it, but probably no more than 10M judging from previous trends on how it sells more than 6 months from release.

[stevew]

I never realized that many people play Battlefield. It's just something that has never registered to me as something I'd even wanna try.

[chinaski]

Originally Posted by Abe Sargent

Banished came out today. Anyone know much about it?

Banished (video game) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


http://www.shiningrocksoftware.com/game/

Got about 12 hours on it so far. Its the standard town builder/resource management type game. Im loving it. Amazing quality for just one programmer. Havent seen any game stopping or minor bugs yet either.

In its current state, I see this as great building block to a game that is going to have tremendous scope. Its going to get really good once the mod tools are out (scenario, terrain, AI). I could see myself playing this frequently for years, ala Civ series.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by Mizzou B-ball fan

Here's the numbers on the franchise thus far....



Battlefield 4 on all consoles has sold around 8.5M thus far, so they're already down roughly 40% from their peak on BF3. They might get some more sales out of it, but probably no more than 10M judging from previous trends on how it sells more than 6 months from release.

Which is kindof my point. BF4 was not the cause of its death any more than BF5. It was that the franchise peaked at BF3 in sales.

SI

[cartman]

You clearly underestimate the damage caused by some bugs in downloadable content that less than 2% of the install base has purchased. THE FRANCHISE IS DOOMED....................

In any event, I'm having a hard time finding any info on these supposed game crashing bugs. If they were severe and widespread enough to be the end of a long running franchise, you'd think there would be some coverage of it.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Which is kindof my point. BF4 was not the cause of its death any more than BF5. It was that the franchise peaked at BF3 in sales.

SI

Agree at some level. BF4 was their chance to take the franchise to the next level building off BF3 sales. Instead, they've taken a gigantic step back.

[sterlingice]

Considering the only franchises that sold better than BF3 on either the PS3 and 360 were GTA, Call of Duty, Halo, Gran Turismo, FIFA, Elder Scrolls, and Kinect Adventures- I'm not sure what "the next level" would be.

SI

[Eaglesfan27]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Considering the only franchises that sold better than BF3 on either the PS3 and 360 were GTA, Call of Duty, Halo, Gran Turismo, FIFA, Elder Scrolls, and Kinect Adventures- I'm not sure what "the next level" would be.

SI

Exactly.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Considering the only franchises that sold better than BF3 on either the PS3 and 360 were GTA, Call of Duty, Halo, Gran Turismo, FIFA, Elder Scrolls, and Kinect Adventures- I'm not sure what "the next level" would be.

SI

I don't think there's any question they expected to see bigger growth in the franchise after posting 15M units on BF3. COD games were averaging between 23-27M per iteration. Analysts predicted right around that.

Analysts predicts Battlefield 4 sales to hit 14 million - GameSpot

Before the game was release, the CFO predicted that BF4 would 'exceed expectations' and was matching BF3 in preorders.

Battlefield 4 will "exceed expectations"; pre-orders "stacking up well" against Battlefield 3 | PCGamesN

As recent as this month, EA was claiming that the quality issues that have plagued the game for months didn't cut into sales. However, they refused to give actual sales numbers to substantiate their claim.

EA: Battlefield 4 sales were unaffected by quality issues

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by stevew

I never realized that many people play Battlefield. It's just something that has never registered to me as something I'd even wanna try.

I believe that's part of the problem with the franchise (as a consumer, the company could hardly care less I suppose):

Copies sold <> number of people playing.

One of my strongest recollections about BF3 -- in the short time it actually managed to work before we gave up & traded it in, and even after we re-bought the blasted thing months later -- is games that consisted of 2,3,4 people instead of an actual reasonable number of players.