RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[Mamoulian War]

 

Games without bossfights are same as sex without orgasm...

 

I wouldn't put it in quite that vein.

After all, there are times when you can have a really great story in a game that you're enjoying, and then you end up with some annoying as get out, grindy, nonsensical and fairly meaningless bossfight that isn't about skill, technique or character.. but about mashing a few keys repetitively to avoid the boss attacks,  while you slowly whittle down their 200k+ hit points using only specific moves because the bastard is invulnerable except in specific instances...

If orgasm was like that, people really would stop having sex..

 

 

But that is obviously design flaw, made by the creators of the game... In ideal world, you would never experience something like that... Unfortunately, we are not living in ideal world...

[alanschu]

If you define "boss fight" as "some sort of conflict resolution" then I'd agree.  If you define boss fight as "some sort of combat within the game that is against a unique foe" then I disagree.

 

Games like the Fallouts (original 2, and New Vegas, at the very least) as well as Planescape Torment have excellent resolutions because the combat can be entirely skipped.  In fact, the actual combat aspect of those boss fights are actually quite lame.

 

 

If a game has an interesting narrative, all it needs is "resolution of the conflict," and that need not be some combat sequence against a final foe.

 

Deus Ex doesn't have a boss fight at all, and IMO is one of the greatest games ever made.

[Amentep]

http://store.steampowered.com/app/228300/

 

Apparently if you don't pre-order Remember Me, you lose out on some fighting moves. WTF Capcom!?!?!?

Wouldn't that be more like "if you don't pre-order you don't get some bonus fighting moves that aren't necessary for the game but only exist as a fun pre-order incentive"?

 

I don't see this as any different from, say, the pre-orders getting equipment bundles for FONV that gave you different starting equipment. Nice, but it certainly wasn't necessary to complete the game. I seriously doubt its necessary to flip out and throw some Street Fighter II moves to complete REMEMBER ME.

[alanschu]

One person's bonus is another person's penalty.

 

I don't necessarily agree with that perspective, but I do recognize it.

Edited April 25, 2013 by alanschu

[Oner]

Deus Ex doesn't have a boss fight at all, and IMO is one of the greatest games ever made.

It did have quite a few actually, they could just all be skipped. Navarre, Gunther (though in his case, skipping=LAM on the wall), Simons, etc.

[Amentep]

One person's bonus is another person's penalty.

I'm much more put out by pre-orders or day one downloadable content that has some actual content to it - extra companions, extra storylines, extra areas to explore. I find those to be more difficult to take than "miss out on this special item (that doesn't really add anything different to the game)" or "miss out on this optional additional element (that again doesn't alter the game or gameplay)".

 

I suppose its because items and fighting styles above what is normally in the game to me is an additive element. I miss something I see as optional. Missing NPCs or areas seems to me a subtractive element, I'm missing content and thus my game experience is altered.

 

I certainly didn't find JADE EMPIRE, for example, different playing it on the PC and having a Rhino Demon transformation and viper fighting styles vs on the X-Box where I had neither of those but access to the Tien's Justice weapon. Ultimately the game was the same the only thing changed was some cosmetic differences to how I dispatched enemies.

[alanschu]

 

Deus Ex doesn't have a boss fight at all, and IMO is one of the greatest games ever made.

It did have quite a few actually, they could just all be skipped. Navarre, Gunther (though in his case, skipping=LAM on the wall), Simons, etc.

 

 

Fair point.  I was more referring to the end of the game itself.

 

The thing about the "boss fights" in Deus Ex, however, is that they are mostly just "fights against named characters."  They are mildly tougher than your average grunt (which would make sense given they are augmented).

 

You can just run away from Gunther too, I believe.  Anna can only be skipped, however, if you glitch her AI (otherwise she must die as Alex won't give you the key otherwise).

 

Even then, the most satisfying way to kill Anna and Gunther is to use their killswitch.

Edited April 25, 2013 by alanschu

[Majek]

Maybe for Günther, but killing Anna on  Lebedev's plane is much more satisfying.

[Fighter]

Bonus weapons that you got with Dead Space 3 preorder actually make the game worse. Because they are unbalanced and you miss out on the challenge of acquiring better guns on your own if you use them. But parts of the combat system... I don't know. It doesn't sound good to me. Usually I don't care for things like extra outfits or even some extra small sidequest that I can watch on youtube. 

 

But the idea of not having all the moves in a combat system is getting under my skin. Yes maybe it's pointless extra fluff that wasn't part of it to begin with. However it's not like you can put it beyond them to remove parts of the combat system to get you to preorder for a complete experience at this point. It's too tempting a trick. And even if it's not like that, it doesn't inspire confidence.

[babaganoosh13]

 

One person's bonus is another person's penalty.

I'm much more put out by pre-orders or day one downloadable content that has some actual content to it - extra companions, extra storylines, extra areas to explore. I find those to be more difficult to take than "miss out on this special item (that doesn't really add anything different to the game)" or "miss out on this optional additional element (that again doesn't alter the game or gameplay)".

 

I suppose its because items and fighting styles above what is normally in the game to me is an additive element. I miss something I see as optional. Missing NPCs or areas seems to me a subtractive element, I'm missing content and thus my game experience is altered.

 

I certainly didn't find JADE EMPIRE, for example, different playing it on the PC and having a Rhino Demon transformation and viper fighting styles vs on the X-Box where I had neither of those but access to the Tien's Justice weapon. Ultimately the game was the same the only thing changed was some cosmetic differences to how I dispatched enemies.

 

To me, in this case, they have made a bunch of moves, and have taken some out that is only accessible if you pre-order. My guess is they are probably neater than your average moves. Considering this is an action game with lots of fighting (it appears)...

 

This to me is clearly a case of:

Then again, didn't Capcom invent on-disc DLC? It's too bad. Besides Dragon's Dogma, this is the only game that they're releasing that has piqued my interest in any way in years.

 

As far as Jade Empire goes, there was a significant difference between the release dates of the XBox version, and the PC version. I remember because i kept holding out for the PC version, it just wasn't coming so I bought the XBox version thinking it was never coming. Then of course some time later I heard about the PC version finally coming out. 2 years is a significant amount of time for me to accept that what was added to the PC version didn't get ripped off from me in the XBox version.

 

How did Jade Empire play for the PC? My wanting it then for the PC was based on how much more I enjoyed the PC version of KOTOR to the XBox version, and I bought the XBox for the sole purpose of playing KOTOR. When i finally did get JE for the XBox, I was glad because I felt the RT action suited itself better with a controller, vs the K/M of CTBw/P of KOTOR. Did JE have controller support? Fable 1 for PC just doesn't play right with me with the K/M. I've even had a hard time getting a setup with Xpadder that I'm happy with.

[Keyrock]

Then again, didn't Capcom invent on-disc DLC? It's too bad. Besides Dragon's Dogma, this is the only game that they're releasing that has piqued my interest in any way in years.

 

 

 

Capcom is guilty of a lot of sins.  My personal biggest pet peeve is their perpetual re-releasing of Street Fighter games with minor tweaks at full price:

 

Street Fighter IV, Street Fighter IV Arcade Edition, Street Fighter IV Turbo, Street Fighter IV Advanced, Street Fighter IV Advanced Turbo Arcade, Street Fighter IV Alpha, Street Fighter IV Ultimate Pink Magical Unicorn Edition, Street Fighter IV Ultimate Pink Magical Unicorn Alpha Turbo Black Edition.

[babaganoosh13]

After X-Men vs Street Fighter, my love for fighting games died after that. I just figured it wasn't going to get any better than that. Is there a better final enemy than Apocalypse?

 

Even Marvel vs Capcom 3 (another joke release): Same game as X-Men v SF, different package. Galactus did look great though.

[alanschu]

They did that with Street Fighter 2 as well.

[Nordicus]

They did that with Street Fighter 2 as well.

It was during a time when you couldn't just "download a patch/DLC/CD-Key", but there were innumerable arcade cabinets across the world. Buying the newest, bestest, most popular versions of the fighting games was a financial move for the arcades to increase traffic and revenue

 

Kind of a weird situation where "everybody wins"

Edited April 25, 2013 by Nordicus

[Morgoth]

Another EA firing spree: http://www.ea.com/news/ea-organizational-update

 

https://twitter.com/JesseCox

 

Apparently 2000 lay offs.

 

EA. "We can't keep up with firing people fast enough"

 

Meanwhile, Paul Krugman is talking bull**** about a recovery.

Edited April 25, 2013 by Morgoth

[Amentep]

To me, in this case, they have made a bunch of moves, and have taken some out that is only accessible if you pre-order. My guess is they are probably neater than your average moves. Considering this is an action game with lots of fighting (it appears)...

Or they made a bunch of moves, they are nervous because "games with female protagonists don't sell" (which IIRC was mentioned in an article specific to this game having to fight to have a female protagonist) and decided to create some super special moves related to SFII that will maybe encourage fans to pre-order so they can sleep at night rather than worry about the game tanking.

 

But realistically - to me at least - if the game has 20 different move combinations that you can build into 125,000 different 10 move combinations*...are you really going to miss 3 more moves to use?

 

As far as Jade Empire goes, there was a significant difference between the release dates of the XBox version, and the PC version. I remember because i kept holding out for the PC version, it just wasn't coming so I bought the XBox version thinking it was never coming. Then of course some time later I heard about the PC version finally coming out. 2 years is a significant amount of time for me to accept that what was added to the PC version didn't get ripped off from me in the XBox version.

 

How did Jade Empire play for the PC? My wanting it then for the PC was based on how much more I enjoyed the PC version of KOTOR to the XBox version, and I bought the XBox for the sole purpose of playing KOTOR. When i finally did get JE for the XBox, I was glad because I felt the RT action suited itself better with a controller, vs the K/M of CTBw/P of KOTOR. Did JE have controller support? Fable 1 for PC just doesn't play right with me with the K/M. I've even had a hard time getting a setup with Xpadder that I'm happy with.

I played JE on the keyboard and it was fine - but I was familiar with the game, so I'm not sure my experience is the same as someone coming in with no experience in the game at all. Really used it more because its a game with different weapons/fighting styles in each version, but IMO neither feels inferior to the other. There are plenty of other choices in the game to satisfy the player (ie Me in this case). I should play it again on PC (my Xbox being boxed in storage as it is).

 

*I have no clue how the system will actually work, I'm just saying if you have a bunch of options that satisfactorily achieve the intended experience, why are you going to miss 3 moves? Unless you're a Guile, Ryu or Chun-Li player, i guess...

Edited April 25, 2013 by Amentep

[Labadal]

2000 is an insane number. I'm assuming the cancellation of the EA Partners program is one of many reasons this is happening. I hope as many as possible can land a new job. I've know the feelings these employees are going through, and I can tell you that it is pure ****.

[Nepenthe]

"Yay, EA is going bankrupt so Zynga will suddenly start making RPGs with deep, complex narratives and a ton of C&C! Happy tidings!"

[Keyrock]

I am somehow unable to enjoy EA schadenfreude at the moment.  I don't know if that's a good or a bad sign?

[Malcador]

"Yay, EA is going bankrupt so Zynga will suddenly start making RPGs with deep, complex narratives and a ton of C&C! Happy tidings!"

EA does that now ? But even so, someone else will make them if people want them, I guess.

 

 

Forgot the joke-indicating emoticon

Edited April 25, 2013 by Malcador

[marelooke]

 

To me, in this case, they have made a bunch of moves, and have taken some out that is only accessible if you pre-order. My guess is they are probably neater than your average moves. Considering this is an action game with lots of fighting (it appears)...

Or they made a bunch of moves, they are nervous because "games with female protagonists don't sell" (which IIRC was mentioned in an article specific to this game having to fight to have a female protagonist) and decided to create some super special moves related to SFII that will maybe encourage fans to pre-order so they can sleep at night rather than worry about the game tanking.

 

But realistically - to me at least - if the game has 20 different move combinations that you can build into 125,000 different 10 move combinations*...are you really going to miss 3 more moves to use?

 

As far as Jade Empire goes, there was a significant difference between the release dates of the XBox version, and the PC version. I remember because i kept holding out for the PC version, it just wasn't coming so I bought the XBox version thinking it was never coming. Then of course some time later I heard about the PC version finally coming out. 2 years is a significant amount of time for me to accept that what was added to the PC version didn't get ripped off from me in the XBox version.

 

How did Jade Empire play for the PC? My wanting it then for the PC was based on how much more I enjoyed the PC version of KOTOR to the XBox version, and I bought the XBox for the sole purpose of playing KOTOR. When i finally did get JE for the XBox, I was glad because I felt the RT action suited itself better with a controller, vs the K/M of CTBw/P of KOTOR. Did JE have controller support? Fable 1 for PC just doesn't play right with me with the K/M. I've even had a hard time getting a setup with Xpadder that I'm happy with.

I played JE on the keyboard and it was fine - but I was familiar with the game, so I'm not sure my experience is the same as someone coming in with no experience in the game at all. Really used it more because its a game with different weapons/fighting styles in each version, but IMO neither feels inferior to the other. There are plenty of other choices in the game to satisfy the player (ie Me in this case). I should play it again on PC (my Xbox being boxed in storage as it is).

 

*I have no clue how the system will actually work, I'm just saying if you have a bunch of options that satisfactorily achieve the intended experience, why are you going to miss 3 moves? Unless you're a Guile, Ryu or Chun-Li player, i guess...

 

I played JE first time with a kb/mouse and it worked great. I never even considered getting a controller (I hate those things for anything but racegames tbh)

[alanschu]

I took some time off due to orthodontic agony, and have a comic con this weekend.  Hopefully I am still employed on Tuesday!

[Malcador]

I took some time off due to orthodontic agony, and have a comic con this weekend.  Hopefully I am still employed on Tuesday!

You're QA right ? No shortage of jobs in that field, well or at least all these recruiters tell me so

[alanschu]

My QA is not "go work at a QA factory in an isolated clean room for $12/hr" though.

 

The reality is that, unfortunately, QA at BioWare isn't particularly transferable to QA at other companies.  Some places, like Rockstar, don't even opt for designated QA individuals and mandate that the developers all double as QA.

 

There's been a few people that have come through other QA departments that ended up at BioWare, and it tends to be highly regarded for what it's worth.  It's still not as glamorous as programming and the like, nor as universally recognized throughout the industry.

 

I applied for a QA position at BioWare to get my foot in the door.  I have stayed in QA at BioWare thus far because they treat me pretty well and respect my contributions as a member of QA.  It's flattering when I see a programming post and I mention that I might apply, and the programmers I currently support admit that they would find it bittersweet, because while it'd be an addition to the programming team, it'd mean a loss for their QA support.  My primary driver for considering other options at BioWare, however, is more due to the fact that I recognize that moving to a different place in QA and not just becoming a "people manager" is likely not in the cards.

[Malcador]

The postings I was talking about wasn't the kind you opened talking about, but alright.