Random video game news... Games are the most elevated form of investigation

[MrBrown]

Steam awards voting is up, and in the "story rich" category, there's four AAA-games, and a Chinese dating sim... I guess it has a lot of fans.

https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards

[melkathi]

ROFL

A Bethesda game nominated for innovative gameplay

[MrBrown]

8 minutes ago, melkathi said:

ROFL

A Bethesda game nominated for innovative gameplay

Well, players voted for it, blame them.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

On 12/20/2023 at 7:32 PM, Bartimaeus said:

I think I'd prefer to see the original video rendered at 160x120 rather than experience this hilarious travesty of artistry...

...but I'll do me, and you'll have to do you - for better and for worse, .

....why is his head swelling up like that? It reminds me of a dog toy or a cartoon.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Double post, fix your **** Bill Gates.

Edited December 22, 2023 by PK htiw klaw eriF

[LadyCrimson]

9 hours ago, bugarup said:

And still failed that. Ya'll here, who analyze and argue over aesthetics of some fluff piece that gets skipped 99% of time, are definite snobs. 

It's a fine line between strong personal aesthetic (or whatever else) preferences and snobbery.

I think most people who spend a decent amount of time yapping on game forums are going to be walking that line very often.

Edit: and yes that includes me.

Edited December 22, 2023 by LadyCrimson

[kanisatha]

[Sven_]

I still don't get it. Why did these guys ever leave Bioware when they continue making Bioware games? 

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

....why is his head swelling up like that? It reminds me of a dog toy

You know, I didn't know exactly how to describe how that specific element looked, but I think you put it perfectly.

Edited December 22, 2023 by Bartimaeus

[Hawke64]

17 hours ago, Sven_ said:

I still don't get it. Why did these guys ever leave Bioware when they continue making Bioware games? 

Faster development cycle, less pressure from the shareholders, more artistic freedom, I suppose. The last Mass Effect was released in 2017 and the next Bioware sci-fi game does not have a release date yet.

18 hours ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

....why is his head swelling up like that? It reminds me of a dog toy or a cartoon.

Looks like camera is zooming on his head/changing the FOV while he is being strangled to emphasise that Sarevok is Evil-aligned and killing a now-defenceless guard? So, Sarevok gets a face-obscuring helmet with horns, while the guard's face and emotions are shown. 

 

19 hours ago, MrBrown said:

Steam awards voting is up, and in the "story rich" category, there's four AAA-games, and a Chinese dating sim... I guess it has a lot of fans.

https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards

"Some days, only a narrative-heavy game will hit the spot, and this one packs a wallop. It's as gripping as any soap opera, and as well-tuned as a prestige-TV screenplay. Bravissimo -- for making us feel things!"

I somehow struggle to picture any of these having much story depth, but the Souls-like probably makes people feel things and throw gamepads. Larian's game, though, made me feel "Whoa, I can jump!" and "Whoa, I can throw the bosses into chasms instead of listening to them monologing", so that's something. Is the dating sim any good?

Edited December 23, 2023 by Hawke64

[sorophx]

On 12/22/2023 at 10:59 PM, Sven_ said:

I still don't get it. Why did these guys ever leave Bioware when they continue making Bioware games? 

probably because they don't get to make Bioware games in Bioware anymore.

[Mamoulian War]

1 hour ago, sorophx said:

probably because they don't get to make Bioware games in Bioware anymore.

Well, last proper Bioware game was Dragon Age: Origins, so in that case, they are pretty overdue

[Keyrock]

On 12/24/2023 at 4:18 AM, Mamoulian War said:

Well, last proper Bioware game was Dragon Age: Origins, so in that case, they are pretty overdue

As sad as it is, this statement is accurate, if we're defining "BioWare Game" as a proper RPG. It's not BioWare's last great game, I would argue that's Mass Effect 2, which came out just 1 year later IIRC. However, as much as I love ME2, and I do, it's soooooo much less a RPG and soooooo much more an action/adventure game than DA:O, or ME1, for that matter. ME2 is where, and again, I want to stress how much I like ME2, it might be BioWare's best ever game. Right now there are people with BG2-shaped pitchforks and BG1-shaped torches marching toward my home. I don't care, ME2 is ****ing awesome. Anyway, back on track, ME2 is where BioWare stopped making RPGs and fully switched over to making RPG-Lite action/adventure games, much like Zelda. Nothing wrong with that, BTW, that style of game can be fantastic, like, well, Zelda, but it's not truly a RPG. 

[random tangent]Zelda is RPG for Dummies, and I mean that in the absolute best way imaginable. Zelda takes much of the stuff RPGs do and dumbs them down just enough so that they become completely intuitive. The design is absolutely brilliant, this Miyamoto guy might have a future in the business.  You put someone who has never played a RPG in their life in front of a character sheet and you either have some explaining to do or they have some reading to do before y'all can begin. Anybody can just pick up a NES controller and start playing the game without so much as looking at the cover of the instruction manual. Anyone can understand I have more hearts means I can take more damage and this sword is better because now the monsters die in less attacks and I need a key to open a door. You go to a dungeon, you find something in said dungeon, and at the end you fight a boss. Lather, rinse repeat. That's basically what you do when you play RPGs, dumbed down, sure, but what you gain is that it's plug and play to pretty much anyone.[/random tangent]

Edited December 26, 2023 by Keyrock

[melkathi]

I thought Dragon Age Origins was bioware's best game, with Baldurs Gate being it's most influential.

[BruceVC]

On 12/22/2023 at 9:14 PM, MrBrown said:

Steam awards voting is up, and in the "story rich" category, there's four AAA-games, and a Chinese dating sim... I guess it has a lot of fans.

https://store.steampowered.com/steamawards

Guys lets all vote for BG3 where  its been nominated 

 

@melkathi   Melkie dont get angry but  I voted  for Starfield for innovation because with mods  I believe  it can achieve great  innovation, its about the potential for innovation 

[melkathi]

Like Obama's Nobel peace prize, huh?

[melkathi]

On 12/22/2023 at 9:41 PM, MrBrown said:

Well, players voted for it, blame them.

 

5 hours ago, BruceVC said:

 

@melkathi   Melkie dont get angry but  I voted  for Starfield for innovation because with mods  I believe  it can achieve great  innovation, its about the potential for innovation 

 

Why blame faceless, anonymous "players" when you can blame Bruce?

[Hurlshort]

None of the stuff I nominated made the final list except for BG3, so I'm bummed. JA3 definitely deserved to be on the Best Game You Suck At category, and Conan Exiles is definitely a labor of love.

That being said, I'm happy to put BG3 up as Game of the Year and Story Rich game. I definitely want more games in that vein. The other options have little appeal. Hogwarts Legacy was pretty good though. My kids played the heck out of that one.

Starfield was a good game and I'll play it a lot more over the years, but I'm not sure how it is innovative. It is still Skyrim in Space. I haven't played the others, but looking at the list, they are all pretty unique.

 

[Keyrock]

Starfield is many things, innovative is not one of them. That game is about as derivative as derivative gets. They couldn't even be bothered to come up with a new story, you're just the Dragonborn, but IN SPAAAAAAAAAACE. I suppose I should have spoiler tagged that last part... I apologize for nothing.

Edited December 27, 2023 by Keyrock

[kanisatha]

BG3 is not a story-rich game. The lame main story with a million plot-holes and contraditions is the game's biggest weakness. People who've played the game a lot have laid out these issues in great detail in thread after thread on the Larian forum.

[kanisatha]

This trailer seems to be a lot longer than the one posted here a few weeks ago. And it seems to say the game is expected to be released in the second half of 2024 (with game reveal in summer '24).

[LadyCrimson]

^ I was ok until they reached the key features segment. Whoever set up/arranged the subtitles ... I did not enjoy your sentence breakup structure. Took me right out.
Could just be my snobbery hat tho.

[Hurlshort]

5 hours ago, LadyCrimson said:

^ I was ok until they reached the key features segment. Whoever set up/arranged the subtitles ... I did not enjoy your sentence breakup structure. Took me right out.
Could just be my snobbery hat tho.

No there was definitely something wrong with that trailer. 

7 hours ago, kanisatha said:

BG3 is not a story-rich game. The lame main story with a million plot-holes and contraditions is the game's biggest weakness. People who've played the game a lot have laid out these issues in great detail in thread after thread on the Larian forum.

Story-rich does not preclude plot-holes and contradictions. It just means it has a lot of story. Just like calorie-rich food doesn't mean it tastes good or is healthy.  

Anyways, BG3 is an absolute mess of story, for sure. They tried to give every throwaway NPC a backstory and it's a bit crazy. It's one thing to have a town with named NPC's and quests revolving around them, but then they named every NPC in the enemy bases. Even the forest critters seem to have backstories. I didn't stop many to ask, but I'm sure each of the squirrels running around the forests have some lengthy diatribe on their family history. Is it good story? I've said it before, if you don't like Larian's writing, then you aren't going to like that they put 1000% more in this game. 

[HoonDing]

It's good for Larian they are so succesful now but they had their peak with Dragon Knight Saga, ironically when they were still under the yoke of an ebul publisher.

[BruceVC]

7 hours ago, Hurlshort said:

 

Anyways, BG3 is an absolute mess of story, for sure. They tried to give every throwaway NPC a backstory and it's a bit crazy. It's one thing to have a town with named NPC's and quests revolving around them, but then they named every NPC in the enemy bases. Even the forest critters seem to have backstories. I didn't stop many to ask, but I'm sure each of the squirrels running around the forests have some lengthy diatribe on their family history. Is it good story? I've said it before, if you don't like Larian's writing, then you aren't going to like that they put 1000% more in this game. 

Hurlshot its fine to criticize BG3 but please dont  be racist about  it 

BG3 has feelings to and words have an impact, never  forget how words have agency