RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS THREAD!

[Zoraptor]

I just hope it's on a Steam sale quickly.

It won't be on steam at all, unless valve changes their policy on Origin.

[entrerix]

i blame EA for DA2's problems. I'm not sure how i feel about bioware right now, but i definitely am annoyed at EA

 

dead space 2 was poo

DA2 had major issues

BF3 not on steam

 

blah

[Malcador]

I just hope it's on a Steam sale quickly.

It won't be on steam at all, unless valve changes their policy on Origin.

 

Oh right, duh, my mistake. Well then, nuts to it.

[Bos_hybrid]

I just hope it's on a Steam sale quickly.

It won't be on steam at all, unless valve changes their policy on Origin.

 

Valve policy? I thought it was EA trying to push Origin on people.

 

Either way ME3 is still a day one buy for me.

[Tale]

Valve appears to have a policy against allowing stores other than Steam within the games themselves. Or something like that. That's why Crysis 2 got taken off. And probably why Dragon Age 2 was removed.

[Wrath of Dagon]

I think anyone can accept that the other option, developing DA2 over 3-4 years after the DAO fiasco wasn't a viable option, especially since it still wouldn't have please the people who can't be pleased.

No, anyone can't accept that, since 3-4 years is what it takes to make a great game. Of course 3-4 is unacceptable if you only goal is a quick cash grab, which was the case here.

[Nepenthe]

Sure, it helps, but apart from Valve and Blizzard, who are rolling in it, who can do it these days? I guess DXHR did, too, but they could afford it because they didn't have to support an entire team the whole time, but hire people as they went. Well, I guess that would be the neocon way of doing it, sack everybody after completing the game, then hire them back as needed.

 

Looks like nepenthe "the bioware warrior" is on it again.. I get it you find it annoying that people whine about bio's games, but it's not much better to keep whining every single time someone says something bad about them.

 

And did I just whine about the whiners whiner?

No, you were the first whiner in this thread - since I was arguing viewpoints and not people.

 

For the rest, I'll just echo what Vol said. Generally discussions allow for more than a single point of view, but that's never been the strong suit of Internet in general, nor this forum in particular. I read a study the other day that said only ~20 % of gamers participate in discussions re: games. I wonder which came first?

[Tigranes]

20% seems a pretty large number to me. It's not like 70-80% of all who watch films or cook for fun engage in regular discussion online.

 

In my case it's more of a things-add-up kind of deal; they started putting more and more emphasis on stuff I found to be really boring over the years (cinematic, romance, sci-fi settings...), and I was only prevaricating on DA2 because I really had a lot of fun with DAO. Sadly, I doubt they'll be looking to make something like that again for a while, if ever.

[Bos_hybrid]

No, anyone can't accept that, since 3-4 years is what it takes to make a great game.

 

Baldur's gate 1998- Baldur's Gate II 2000- Baldur's Gate II TOB 2001.

 

Kotor July 2003- Kotor2 December 2004 (Yes Kotor 2 badly needed more time but plenty here seem to think it's great)

 

So no you don't need that long when the engine and assets are already in place. While yes it's obvious DA2 needed a lot more time, we can't know for sure that it was just because of the development cycle time and not mismanagement. I mean had they not decided to change the combat style, stylize the graphics and implement a new dialogue system(all to the detriment of DA2 imo) DA2 might of had more time to spend on length(create a credible end game, flesh out characters more) and more locations/dungeons.

[Gorth]

Well, I guess that would be the neocon way of doing it, sack everybody after completing the game, then hire them back as needed.

Why neocon? It's not uncommon to hire people on a contract/project basis. Sometimes they get extended beyond the original scope, sometimes continuation depends on milestones being met (and may terminate prematurely).

[Nepenthe]

Well, I guess that would be the neocon way of doing it, sack everybody after completing the game, then hire them back as needed.

Why neocon? It's not uncommon to hire people on a contract/project basis. Sometimes they get extended beyond the original scope, sometimes continuation depends on milestones being met (and may terminate prematurely).

Yes, but I'm talking about the whole team here. + it was 7 AM when I wrote that.

 

 

Trust me, I'm familiar with the concept of contracting, I've never had a "steady" job in my life.

Edited December 19, 2011 by Nepenthe

[Wrath of Dagon]

Sure, it helps, but apart from Valve and Blizzard, who are rolling in it, who can do it these days? I guess DXHR did, too, but they could afford it because they didn't have to support an entire team the whole time, but hire people as they went. Well, I guess that would be the neocon way of doing it, sack everybody after completing the game, then hire them back as needed.

Bethesda? You know, 10 million sold.

 

Baldur's gate 1998- Baldur's Gate II 2000- Baldur's Gate II TOB 2001.

 

Kotor July 2003- Kotor2 December 2004 (Yes Kotor 2 badly needed more time but plenty here seem to think it's great)

 

So no you don't need that long when the engine and assets are already in place. While yes it's obvious DA2 needed a lot more time, we can't know for sure that it was just because of the development cycle time and not mismanagement. I mean had they not decided to change the combat style, stylize the graphics and implement a new dialogue system(all to the detriment of DA2 imo) DA2 might of had more time to spend on length(create a credible end game, flesh out characters more) and more locations/dungeons.

Well, you had to reach 14 years back for that one. Sure, KOTOR2 is often brilliant because it's Obsidian, but it could've been so much better with a decent development schedule. You're right about having the assets and engine in place though, most games don't have that luxury.

[Morgoth]

Some cool Brian Menze concept art, including Aliens RPG

 

That guy is a god.

 

And I still hate Sega.

[C2B]

Not news but I have read the Something-Awful Thread about XIII-2 to see how much of a trainwreck it is and.... it actually sounds pretty good according to an User.

 

http://forums.somethingawful.com/showthrea...mp;userid=24179

 

Seems to have fixed a lot I didn't like when I played XIII and since I did not dislike the setting and charachters I will give it a go.

[Morgoth]

BioWare commiting a huge mistake - getting inspiration from Skyrim for DA3?

[Maria Caliban]

I get it you find it annoying that people whine about bio's games...

I sometimes do. The two 'whines' I dislike the most are:

 

1) "BG 2 was the greatest RPG ever. BioWare game X sucks because it's not BG 3." - BG 2 might be one of the *biggest* WRPGs, but I've never understood how it constantly made people's top ten lists.

 

2) "BioWare is doing what BioWare has done for a decade now. I am unhappy with this." - BioWare has a formula. It doesn't make hardcore games. It doesn't do edgy games. It tries to produce the WRPG equivalent of a summer blockbuster. I sometimes feel people who complain about BioWare games would complain that a Micheal Bay movie had too many explosions and a shallow plot. Even when I agree with them (DAO had a hackney 'save the world from mindless hordes of evil' plot) at this point, if you're paying for a BioWare game, you know exactly what to expect.

[Syraxis]

*~*editz*~*

Edited December 21, 2011 by Syraxis

[HoonDing]

Define dark fantasy.

[Syraxis]

Define dark fantasy.

 

Actually scratch that. It's difficult to actually define and I think my personal belief on the subject is rather off.

[Tale]

They actually called it dark heroic fantasy. I just attribute it to the fact that the phrase is itself entirely made up. But of two real genres that they derive things from. Heroic fantasy, better known as Conan, which Dragon Age was heavily inspired by in at least one stage of development, though it later turned away from that design. And dark fantasy, which has the Cthulhu mythos as the most popular example. The darkspawn do seem to fit as dark fantasy elements, but they don't quite dominate Dragon Age enough to define it.

[Morgoth]

Define dark fantasy.

Set the gamma down a notch or two, and fantasize the rest you can't see of the game.

 

There. Dark Fantasy.

Edited December 21, 2011 by Morgoth

[Orogun01]

I get it you find it annoying that people whine about bio's games...

I sometimes do. The two 'whines' I dislike the most are:

 

1) "BG 2 was the greatest RPG ever. BioWare game X sucks because it's not BG 3." - BG 2 might be one of the *biggest* WRPGs, but I've never understood how it constantly made people's top ten lists.

 

2) "BioWare is doing what BioWare has done for a decade now. I am unhappy with this." - BioWare has a formula. It doesn't make hardcore games. It doesn't do edgy games. It tries to produce the WRPG equivalent of a summer blockbuster. I sometimes feel people who complain about BioWare games would complain that a Micheal Bay movie had too many explosions and a shallow plot. Even when I agree with them (DAO had a hackney 'save the world from mindless hordes of evil' plot) at this point, if you're paying for a BioWare game, you know exactly what to expect.

I guess that some people are still reeling from the fact that BW took a single aspect of their games and made it their main selling point and I do agree with what you said about expectations and BW games.

[Wrath of Dagon]

The newer Bioware games I've played had lousy quality, that's all there's to it. And yes, at some point being formulaic becomes an unforgivable sin.

[Tigranes]

Actually, their 'formula' has changed dramatically from 'early Bio' to 'cinematic Bio', and will probably undergo another transformation once they wrap up ME3 & TOR.

 

For me, the real core to the Bio formula that worked for me was the tactical combat. That wasn't particularly 'edgy' or 'hardcore' either but I liked it and it was fun. Since KOTOR their formula has changed to really deprioritize that, which is also coterminous with their turn towards sci-fi settings and much stronger emphasis on cinematics. I knew DAO's story delivery would be pretty much LOTR fanfiction + Porn, but I still bought the game for the tactical combat and enjoyed it. They threw that out again with DA2, so I didn't.

[greylord]

BioWare commiting a huge mistake - getting inspiration from Skyrim for DA3?

 

Compared to them taking things from DA2...anything they get inspiration from Skyrim can only be a good thing at this point in my opinion.