2011 Video Games Thread

[jeff061]

Been screwing around with Hacker Evolution, was on sale a couple days ago on Steam. Pretty cool game, though I'm guessing it won't appeal to some.

Game is based on a command line interface that' supposed to mimic the feel of command shells in the real world, though it's very much simplified. You are given goals to complete that require hacking servers and what not while avoiding getting traced.

It's pretty cool, unique and has a good feel to it. Though if you can't get into a command line driven game you probably shouldn't bother. But I think it's going to be a great game to have on my laptop when I'm traveling for work.

Actually just did a quick search, looks like it was mentioned a few times here at FOFC. In anycase, there's a demo on Steam.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by jeff061

Game is based on a command line interface that' supposed to mimic the feel of command shells in the real world, though it's very much simplified. You are given goals to complete that require hacking servers and what not while avoiding getting traced.

That description reminds me of (a probably much more complicated version) the "hacking" segments in the old Shadowrun game on Genesis.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Very cool msg I just got on FB ... from Bethesda, notifying me that I was one of the random winners in their E3 t-shirt drawing, just needed a size preference & a shipping address. I don't remember the last time I won anything, this is pretty f'n cool IMO.

[MJ4H]

Ocarina of Time 3D comes out Sunday. I'll be picking it up on day one. Pretty excited because I never played all the way through the original. Just never had an N64 long enough to finish the game.

[terpkristin]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Ocarina of Time 3D comes out Sunday. I'll be picking it up on day one. Pretty excited because I never played all the way through the original. Just never had an N64 long enough to finish the game.

Will be interested in if you HAVE to use the touchscreen, gyroscope, and 3D to play this game.

Never had an N64 so never got to Ocarina of Time but 3D and me don't get along and I've hated every other Zelda that's forced touchscreen controls. A shame, really, that used to be my 2nd favorite franchise and I've gone to loathing it in its Wii and DS iterations because of the forced gimicky controls that I have no interest in.

/tk

[Big Fo]

I think you just use buttons and the slide pad like in the original game. There is an options to switch items using the touch screen so you don't have to go into a menu though.

I never had an N64 either, I might get the game this weekend.

[MJ4H]

No, you aren't forced to use any gimmicky stuff. The stuff that is there is very well done. You can go into first person view by tapping a button in the corner of the touchscreen, and from there, you can move the 3DS around and the view moves with it. It's very cool.

This game is very well done. I played far enough to grab the sword and shield and now I'm letting my wife play it. We both love it so far.

[CU Tiger]

A search si turning up nil, anyone played Nascar The Game 2011?
My sons is wantin this, and the reviews are mixed to ay the last with reports of full field pile ups at the green flag.
Is the game playable?
He has saved up lawn mowing money, and I want to protect him from dropping $60 on a turd...

[BigDPW]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

A search si turning up nil, anyone played Nascar The Game 2011?
My sons is wantin this, and the reviews are mixed to ay the last with reports of full field pile ups at the green flag.
Is the game playable?
He has saved up lawn mowing money, and I want to protect him from dropping $60 on a turd...

Haven't played it but remember being excited about it when it released and quickly finding out it seemed like the worst bugged release ever. I kept up with it for a month or so and seemed like most of the major issues were still problematic. I would check out the information on OS Boards and see if that is different.

If it is just a racing game he is interested in and the NASCAR part is secondary Dirt3 sounds really good.

[CU Tiger]

Originally Posted by BigDPW

Haven't played it but remember being excited about it when it released and quickly finding out it seemed like the worst bugged release ever. I kept up with it for a month or so and seemed like most of the major issues were still problematic. I would check out the information on OS Boards and see if that is different.

If it is just a racing game he is interested in and the NASCAR part is secondary Dirt3 sounds really good.

Not sure what was up with my typing on that last post....wow that was uhhhh..yeah.

Anyway he has Dirt 2, looking at Dirt 3 but really wants a NASCAR game actually just to circle track race. Seems to be lots of promise of a mega patch but nothing as yet.

[terpkristin]

Looks like Amazon is running a promotion. Buy a 3DS, get a $25 amazon credit. Amazon.com: Nintendo 3DS - Cosmo Black: Video Games

Not sure how long it will last.

I'm probably going to wait on the 3DS until the next iteration comes out (better battery life?), but based on the feedback here (that I'm not forced to use the touchpad and gyroscope controls for it), I'll probably pick up Ocarina of Time 3DS "soon" so that when I have the console, I have no risk of missing it.

/tk

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Playstation Move bundle only $50 if anyone's looking for one.

PlayStation Move Starter Bundle $50 + Free shipping - Newegg Deals, Coupons and Promos

[MJ4H]

Those that were wondering how the 3DS graphics compared to the N64 graphics for the OoT remake (aside from the obvious 3D):

http://www.wiinintendo.net/wp-conten...comparison.jpg

[mckerney]

LA Noire will be coming to PC this fall.

L.A. Noire Announced For PC | Rock, Paper, Shotgun

[SackAttack]

Sonic Generations demo out today with the re-imagined Green Hill Zone for 'old' Sonic. Not sure how I feel about it; the level design is cool, but makes Sonic look tiny by comparison (especially compared with the old game), and that size discrepancy makes it hard to really immerse in it.

[mckerney]

Team Fortress 2 Free To Play, it has begun.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Team Fortress 2 Free To Play, it has begun.

Huehuehuehuehuehue

At least server admins can ban them.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Atocep

Huehuehuehuehuehue

At least server admins can ban them.

There are already some servers that auto kick free players, I'm sure there will be some blocking Brazilian IPs too.

[Matthean]

I started attempt number far too many at playing through KotOR. I own two copies of the game and somehow never got even off the first planet. Someone gave me the PC version. Bioware's forums for the game got completely redone so the guide I was going to abuse for it is no longer. After looking around I think I have my Scout/Consular build down and I created my guy.

[JonInMiddleGA]

If you haven't seen it already, I highly recommend watching the "video preview" for Bejeweled Blitz in the XBL360 Arcade.

It's a funny minute or so (quite possibly better than the game would turn out to be on a console).

[sabotai]

Decided to buy Homefront off of Steam during one of their sales ($25). Decent FPS. Seemed to have a few collision detection problems (seemed like my elbow would get caught on something). A few quirks with the audio. Felt very "minor league" compared to Call of Duty but decent fun. And then it ended, in just under 3 hours. I know having a short single player mode is the norm these days, but less than 3 hours!? Well, my yearly lesson on making sure to read the reviews...

[DataKing]

Multiplayer on Dungeon Siege III is complete and utter shite...that is all.

[gstelmack]

I remember co-op on Icewind Dale way back in the day - maybe time to try those again from GoG and see if they still run.

[Hoya1]

Originally Posted by CU Tiger

A search si turning up nil, anyone played Nascar The Game 2011?
My sons is wantin this, and the reviews are mixed to ay the last with reports of full field pile ups at the green flag.
Is the game playable?
He has saved up lawn mowing money, and I want to protect him from dropping $60 on a turd...

worst game ever? perhaps.......
save your son's money. I find it unplayable.

I would recommend either waiting for the patch to come out and pick the game up used somewhere(I imagine there's lots available), or just wait til next year.

Maybe try gran turismo 5 if you have a PS3. It has 2 nascar tracks and a few of the cars/drivers, it's millions of miles ahead of the nascar game.

just my opinion

[mckerney]

Looks like TF2 going free to play was well timed by Valve, there are now around 100k people playing it at a time throughout the day up from around 10-15k with the Steam summer sale coming up soon.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Looks like TF2 going free to play was well timed by Valve, there are now around 100k people playing it at a time throughout the day up from around 10-15k with the Steam summer sale coming up soon.

That would probably explain why myTF2 noob son was just telling me about the lag problems & eventual CTD he got this afternoon.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

That would probably explain why myTF2 noob son was just telling me about the lag problems & eventual CTD he got this afternoon.

Maybe. I haven't noticed any lag since it went F2P, though I haven't been playing on the Valve servers, can't say I know if they're having any trouble handling the additional player load. He may be better off using the server browser rather than the Start Playing button. From there he can limit the search to US East servers and sort by ping, should be able to find something he can get a good connection to.

As for crashes, TF2 is usually very stable for me. It's usually updated at least once a week so for any crashes hopefully he won't run into it again or it's a problem that will be fixed soon.

[MJ4H]

Can anyone explain this free to play thing? Does that mean that after you buy the game, you can playing online free? Or does it mean the game itself is free? What exactly are we talking about?

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Can anyone explain this free to play thing? Does that mean that after you buy the game, you can playing online free? Or does it mean the game itself is free? What exactly are we talking about?

I can answer that one: it was free. Just d'load the game (as a free d'load from Steam) & play basically.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Can anyone explain this free to play thing? Does that mean that after you buy the game, you can playing online free? Or does it mean the game itself is free? What exactly are we talking about?

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I can answer that one: it was free. Just d'load the game (as a free d'load from Steam) & play basically.

To elaborate on Jon's comment, the core game is free, but all sorts of other elements will have been monetized. How that happens depends on the sort of game. Dungeons & Dragons online, for example, you might purchase additional quest packs, or character slots, or the ability to level up past 4 or 8 etc.

The breadth is free, the depth costs money, if that makes sense.

[Radii]

Originally Posted by MJ4H

Can anyone explain this free to play thing? Does that mean that after you buy the game, you can playing online free? Or does it mean the game itself is free? What exactly are we talking about?

Are you asking in general or in the context of tf2? I dunno crap about tf2. But a lot of MMOs(LOTRO, Champions Online, Runes of Magic being the 3 I have played) "f2p". They all have models designed to make them money. From a player perspective it comes down to "can you spend extra money if you want for fun/small benefits or do you HAVE to spend money to make your character effective at all". I enjoyed Runes of Magic for a long time but at a certain point I had to spend significantly more than $15/mo to keep improving my character. Their model for this was really terrible imo. The current game I play, League of Legends, you can do everything for free, never have to spend a dime, but you can have access to more characters much faster if you spend some money.

All of these games are free to download and free to play, but some gimp you way more than others if you aren't willing to spend money.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

To elaborate on Jon's comment, the core game is free, but all sorts of other elements will have been monetized. How that happens depends on the sort of game.

Well damn, I interpreted this as a TF2-specific question, in hindsight I guess it could have been either narrow or broad.

The key point for TF2 is that, according to the devs at least, the microtransaction items don't affect core game play. I think the difference is largely in available "hats" (which my limited knowledge tells me are basically skill boost items) but that "All game modes, classes, and maps are available. Nearly every weapon is available through achievements, drops, or crafting. "

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

To elaborate on Jon's comment, the core game is free, but all sorts of other elements will have been monetized. How that happens depends on the sort of game. Dungeons & Dragons online, for example, you might purchase additional quest packs, or character slots, or the ability to level up past 4 or 8 etc.

The breadth is free, the depth costs money, if that makes sense.

TF2 is a bit different, you still get the depth. For the most part you get the same game for free that people who had paid for the game before it went free, the only restrictions are that you are limited in trading and backpack slots. To get the premium game you need to buy one item, the cheapest item being 49 cents, and you'll get the same things people who had the game before have. There is an item store (and there was before it went free) but you can get any weapon in the game through drops, trades and achievements.

It's a bit different from other free to play games because Valve benefits just as much from people using Steam as they do selling hats in the item store.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by mckerney

To get the premium game you need to buy one item, the cheapest item being 49 cents, and you'll get the same things people who had the game before have.

Ooh, didn't realize that bit (hadn't really looked into it all that much beyond verifying it was legit & telling my kid it was okay to d'load/install it).

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Ooh, didn't realize that bit (hadn't really looked into it all that much beyond verifying it was legit & telling my kid it was okay to d'load/install it).

I should clarify, buying one 49 cent item will get you a premium account, though to buy an item in game you need to put at least $5 in your steam wallet. You can use left over money in your steam wallet towards any purchase from steam though.

[mckerney]

Team Fortress 2: Free-to-Play FAQ

FAQ with differences between free and premium accounts.

You really don't need to buy any weapons to be good, in most cases I think the standard and achievement items are the best, and you'll get plenty of other items just by playing.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I should clarify, buying one 49 cent item will get you a premium account, though to buy an item in game you need to put at least $5 in your steam wallet. You can use left over money in your steam wallet towards any purchase from steam though.

Okay, so if my-has-used-Steam-like-three-times-ever noobie ass understands this right ... the best time to do the <$1 item for TF2 would be when I was buying something else cheap from Steam, so that I tied up as little unused "wallet" with them as possible. Is that basically right?

Hell, I don't think I even realized that Steam had anything like a wallet, off the top of my head I was thinking everything was billed straight to my c.c. on file.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Okay, so if my-has-used-Steam-like-three-times-ever noobie ass understands this right ... the best time to do the <$1 item for TF2 would be when I was buying something else cheap from Steam, so that I tied up as little unused "wallet" with them as possible. Is that basically right?

Hell, I don't think I even realized that Steam had anything like a wallet, off the top of my head I was thinking everything was billed straight to my c.c. on file.

They added the Steam Wallet last September before they opened the Mann Co. item store in TF2. And yes, it is pretty easy to do when you would be buying something from Steam. Just add $5 to your wallet and buy a 49¢ item. Then when you go to buy a game it will automatically ask you if you want to use your Steam Wallet balance first. It doesn't have to be something cheap necessarily, you could use the $4.51 left in your wallet and pay any amount over that on a credit card.

I will say again that TF2 isn't the typical pay to win style free to play game. It's more akin to a CoD game weapon wise where you can get items through random drops and achievements or pay to buy them. The more expensive and rarer items may fit certain play styles better, but they're not really better than the standard and more common items. The best non starting weapons and items like Heavy's Natasha and Sandvich or the Sniper's Jarate are all achievement items or fairly common drops. Most of the expensive items are hats that are only cosmetic anyway. And what weapons you have are far less important than how well you can work as a team towards the objectives.

[DataKing]

Shutting Down This YearSWG Star Wars Galaxies News - MMORPG.com

I still refuse to forgive SOE for ruining what was one of the best MMOs ever.

[SnowMan]

Originally Posted by DataKing

Shutting Down This YearSWG Star Wars Galaxies News - MMORPG.com

I still refuse to forgive SOE for ruining what was one of the best MMOs ever.

Totally agree...pre-cu was so much fun!

[DataKing]

Originally Posted by SnowMan

Totally agree...pre-cu was so much fun!

Best crafting system ever, bar none.

[SnowMan]

Absolutely, the crafting and player shops made that game awesome. I actually had 2 accounts so I could have a crafter-only character and many times I was messing around making weapons (farmed/bought a 15 point suit) for friends. The experimenting, rare blueprints, rare components made the economy and the social aspect of the game amazing. I wish another game could come along and re-capture that lightning.

[JonInMiddleGA]

New COD:Black Ops map pack today. Haven't played it myself yet but from watching my son play a bit this looks like one of the better map DLC's for the franchise in a while.

I'm not sold on the drive-in being "another Nuketown" as the devs claimed to intend but these definitely look better than the last batch (Convoy, Hotel, etc) which was a steaming pile afaic.

[JediKooter]

Totally agree with everyone about SWG. I was there from launch day (which wasn't much of a launch when all the servers went down) and gave it up shortly after the change and letting anyone be a jedi.

Keeping my fingers crossed that The Old Republic will be awesome.

[RainMaker]

Earth Defense Force: Insect Armagedeon came out today. Lot of fun if you've played the first one. Online co-op and one of the best casual games out there.

[thesloppy]

Just last night I was futzing around with a PS2 emulator in order to try and play 2008 MLB Power Pros, and I was failing in a most frustrating and unrewarding fashion. Today when I log on to check the XBLA marketplace there's something new from Konami called "MLB Bobblehead Pros". You shall have my $10 sight unseen, mind-reading video game machine!

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

Just last night I was futzing around with a PS2 emulator in order to try and play 2008 MLB Power Pros, and I was failing in a most frustrating and unrewarding fashion. Today when I log on to check the XBLA marketplace there's something new from Konami called "MLB Bobblehead Pros". You shall have my $10 sight unseen, mind-reading video game machine!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSZmL...layer_embedded

[thesloppy]

I'm disappointed there's no "life mode" yet. They've got something similar slated for DLC called 'My Bobble', but it's not available yet. Still fun though, and a good deal for $10.

[Atocep]

Originally Posted by thesloppy

I'm disappointed there's no "life mode" yet. They've got something similar slated for DLC called 'My Bobble', but it's not available yet. Still fun though, and a good deal for $10.

I picked it up. Plays exactly like Power Pros. Definitely worth $10.

The only issue I've seen is the semi-auto fielding appears to be broken. Which is a problem for my son since it's the way he prefers to play.

Hopefully they get the DLC released rather quickly.

[thesloppy]

Originally Posted by Atocep

The only issue I've seen is the semi-auto fielding appears to be broken. Which is a problem for my son since it's the way he prefers to play.

Well, your son can take solace in the fact that he's a bigger man than me. I switched to full-auto fielding almost immediately.