RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[Tigranes]

 

Screw Creative Assembly. They make the same game again and again but break different combinations of things each time, and these days, progressively break more. 

 

Remarkable ineptness, given that if they just made exactly the same game and made slight improvements each time they would be in charge of one of the best franchises out there. 

Well, yes, they continue to reuse a particular formula, but it's a formula that is rather awesome and worth repeating. I know their games are less than perfect, particularly at release. But how long has Rome II been out, and it is still regularly being patched and improved. The other day I just got something called Rome 2 emperor edition downloaded for free.

 

I've had my frustrations with CA as well, but unless or until someone can do it as well or better than them, they are going to continue to get my money. I've played every Total War title since the original Rome, and I cherish each and every one of them.

 

 

Exactly, it's an awesome formula that no other game is able to compete with. So all they have to do is keep making the same game with minor improvements. 

 

Instead, you had entirely braindead AI which is willing to sit outside your gates and get bombarded, randomly break their own line, walk into concentrated fire, etc. (MTW2, Empire, Rome 2); a diplomacy screen which might as well not exist since MTW2 and arguably before; increasingly mod-unfriendly game code sucking the life out of a vibrant mod sector which was willing to go to unimaginable lengths to fix their mistakes; and more. 

 

I complained but still bought each time, too, until I realised that I had magnitudes more fun with older iterations, which I could still play at any time, and half the time spent playing the new ones was time spent pretending it is a better and not worse game. 

[Malcador]

Well that was my stance not theirs, but hopefully they have superb standards for the "fun" rather than them just being inept. I suppose the project dying after being rebooted is cause for concern.

[Gizmo]

Post Apoc rogue-like in Kickstarter; looks cool!  [spotted by Hexer]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/skyshinegames/bedlam

 

Edited September 25, 2014 by Gizmo

[Marceror]

 

 

Screw Creative Assembly. They make the same game again and again but break different combinations of things each time, and these days, progressively break more. 

 

Remarkable ineptness, given that if they just made exactly the same game and made slight improvements each time they would be in charge of one of the best franchises out there.

 

Well, yes, they continue to reuse a particular formula, but it's a formula that is rather awesome and worth repeating. I know their games are less than perfect, particularly at release. But how long has Rome II been out, and it is still regularly being patched and improved. The other day I just got something called Rome 2 emperor edition downloaded for free.

 

I've had my frustrations with CA as well, but unless or until someone can do it as well or better than them, they are going to continue to get my money. I've played every Total War title since the original Rome, and I cherish each and every one of them.

 

Exactly, it's an awesome formula that no other game is able to compete with. So all they have to do is keep making the same game with minor improvements. 

 

Instead, you had entirely braindead AI which is willing to sit outside your gates and get bombarded, randomly break their own line, walk into concentrated fire, etc. (MTW2, Empire, Rome 2); a diplomacy screen which might as well not exist since MTW2 and arguably before; increasingly mod-unfriendly game code sucking the life out of a vibrant mod sector which was willing to go to unimaginable lengths to fix their mistakes; and more. 

 

I complained but still bought each time, too, until I realised that I had magnitudes more fun with older iterations, which I could still play at any time, and half the time spent playing the new ones was time spent pretending it is a better and not worse game.

I don't disagree. But I know that the situation is more complicated than it appears on the surface. A lot of it boils down to the environments becoming a lot more complex. If you look at settlements in Medieval 2, they are all flat. In Rome 2 they are anything but. So the path finding that required for the AI to get siege towers and ladders to the wall properly is miles more complicated than it was in M2. And this problem caused other game mechanics, like AI to break. This was buggy as he'll at release, but on the one hand I'm happy to see them continuing to push the bar. And happy to see that CA continues to support and improve their games over time.

 

Maybe waiting 6 months to a year after release is the smartest move.

 

And yes, these far more complicated maps make modding a lot more complicated. It's unfortunate, but understandable in certain respects.

[Malcador]

Oops.

Edited September 25, 2014 by Malcador

[Tigranes]

 

 

 

Screw Creative Assembly. They make the same game again and again but break different combinations of things each time, and these days, progressively break more. 

 

Remarkable ineptness, given that if they just made exactly the same game and made slight improvements each time they would be in charge of one of the best franchises out there.

Well, yes, they continue to reuse a particular formula, but it's a formula that is rather awesome and worth repeating. I know their games are less than perfect, particularly at release. But how long has Rome II been out, and it is still regularly being patched and improved. The other day I just got something called Rome 2 emperor edition downloaded for free.

 

I've had my frustrations with CA as well, but unless or until someone can do it as well or better than them, they are going to continue to get my money. I've played every Total War title since the original Rome, and I cherish each and every one of them.

 

Exactly, it's an awesome formula that no other game is able to compete with. So all they have to do is keep making the same game with minor improvements. 

 

Instead, you had entirely braindead AI which is willing to sit outside your gates and get bombarded, randomly break their own line, walk into concentrated fire, etc. (MTW2, Empire, Rome 2); a diplomacy screen which might as well not exist since MTW2 and arguably before; increasingly mod-unfriendly game code sucking the life out of a vibrant mod sector which was willing to go to unimaginable lengths to fix their mistakes; and more. 

 

I complained but still bought each time, too, until I realised that I had magnitudes more fun with older iterations, which I could still play at any time, and half the time spent playing the new ones was time spent pretending it is a better and not worse game.

I don't disagree. But I know that the situation is more complicated than it appears on the surface. A lot of it boils down to the environments becoming a lot more complex. If you look at settlements in Medieval 2, they are all flat. In Rome 2 they are anything but. So the path finding that required for the AI to get siege towers and ladders to the wall properly is miles more complicated than it was in M2. And this problem caused other game mechanics, like AI to break. This was buggy as he'll at release, but on the one hand I'm happy to see them continuing to push the bar. And happy to see that CA continues to support and improve their games over time.

 

Maybe waiting 6 months to a year after release is the smartest move.

 

And yes, these far more complicated maps make modding a lot more complicated. It's unfortunate, but understandable in certain respects.

 

 

Sure, the game they are making is an immensely complicated one, and I'm always one for forgiving lack of polish, bugs, etc. when you attempt something ambitious. (Hard to be an Obsidian fanboy otherwise.) 

 

The problem is that (1) the same problems recur in not just one or two, but three, four, five iterations of the series; (2) those same problems are exacerbated by the improvements they choose to focus on; (3) a lot of what they choose as 'improvements' does not actually fix/improve the core gameplay but adds even more sprawling fluff - e.g. Hollywood 'finishing moves' from individual soldiers in Rome 2. 

 

One might even conclude that their problem is precisely that they are not even being ambitious. They do not seek to improve, fix or overhaul the core mechanics, but keep everything broken that is 5+ years old then tack on even more stuff. Kudos to them for patching Rome 2 for months and months, but you can't patch those kinds of problems that are at the core of how CA approach the series' development. 

 

Anyway, I too would like nothing better than a good Total War game, so we will see how it goes with the Attila business. Shogun 2 was pretty good, and CA tend to do better when they aren't trying to simulate half of the known world (Barbarian Invasions, etc). 

[Volourn]

"Post Apoc rogue-like in Kickstarter; looks cool!  [spotted by Hexer]"

 

Has potential depending on character system.

[Marceror]

Sure, the game they are making is an immensely complicated one, and I'm always one for forgiving lack of polish, bugs, etc. when you attempt something ambitious. (Hard to be an Obsidian fanboy otherwise.) 

 

The problem is that (1) the same problems recur in not just one or two, but three, four, five iterations of the series; (2) those same problems are exacerbated by the improvements they choose to focus on; (3) a lot of what they choose as 'improvements' does not actually fix/improve the core gameplay but adds even more sprawling fluff - e.g. Hollywood 'finishing moves' from individual soldiers in Rome 2. 

 

One might even conclude that their problem is precisely that they are not even being ambitious. They do not seek to improve, fix or overhaul the core mechanics, but keep everything broken that is 5+ years old then tack on even more stuff. Kudos to them for patching Rome 2 for months and months, but you can't patch those kinds of problems that are at the core of how CA approach the series' development. 

 

Anyway, I too would like nothing better than a good Total War game, so we will see how it goes with the Attila business. Shogun 2 was pretty good, and CA tend to do better when they aren't trying to simulate half of the known world (Barbarian Invasions, etc). 

 

I agree that Shogun 2 was excellent, and surprisingly stable. I also loved RotS, and feel that FotS was the best campaign of the 3. Really, Fall of the Samurai just hit all the right notes with me.

 

I think a primary reason for that title being so solid is the limited scope of that game... it's also one of the things that draws a lot of criticism. But I feel that CA often tries to take on too much with their games, and the games suffer because of it. Well, after a year of patching they may get *close* to the expected level of quality - and then you've got something pretty great - but the process of getting there can be very painful for the fans.

[Humanoid]

CA should just go back to making Australian Rules football games. They made AFL 98 and 99.

[Agiel]

Tom Chick, curator of the Quarter to Three site and, more notoriously, divisive and contrarian game critic, has Stage IV hypopharyngeal cancer. Though his doctor has given his treatment regiment an 80% chance for a cure, we all know those aren't odds to toy with, and regardless he's going to be out of commission for a while. That said, there's a Fundgate fundraiser for hm to "kick cancer right in the balls and be back podcasting on Quarter to Three soon." It had reached its $10,000 goal in 118 minutes.

 

http://www.gofundme.com/excvko

 

A lot of people might have their beefs with him, but I will say that his words are the most enjoyable pieces of games writing to me even though I disagree with at least half of what he says, and I can't say that about any other writer out there whether they write about games, music, or movies. 

Edited September 26, 2014 by Agiel

[HoonDing]

 

Lookin great.

Edited September 26, 2014 by HoonDing

[Volourn]

Lookin' unreleased. And, stealing others' work.

[Agiel]

Sign up for a GreeManGaming account and you'll get a 25% off coupon on almost everything on the site. Used it to take $10 off of my purchase of Wasteland 2.

[Nepenthe]

Sign up for a GreeManGaming account and you'll get a 25% off coupon on almost everything on the site. Used it to take $10 off of my purchase of Wasteland 2.

Do you have any Cialis to go with that?

[ManifestedISO]

Shadow of Mordor is getting lit up all over the place. 9.5 Polygon, 8.25 Game Informer, 9.3 IGN, 9/10 Shacknews, 84 Metacritic. 

 

Looks like Tuesday will be a day-off. 

[Nordicus]

Shadow of Mordor is getting lit up all over the place. 9.5 Polygon, 8.25 Game Informer, 9.3 IGN, 9/10 Shacknews, 84 Metacritic. 

 

Looks like Tuesday will be a day-off.

It's nice that once in a while, there still can be a AAA game that can be praised for its actually innovative systems

 

PC World review highlight:

 

"Hoshu of the Spiders." The name rolls off my tongue with all the hatred I can muster. I've been playing Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor for fifteen hours already, and here comes good ol' Hoshu, waltzing back into my life like that guy everybody hates at the birthday party, covered in scars from our previous encounters.

 

The two of us have done battle five or ten times over the course of the last ten hours. When first we met he was a mere shrimp of an Uruk captain—a scrawny little thing with a metal cage around his head, like a bear trap, who shot poisonous crossbow arrows at me. He killed me that first battle out of luck more than anything else, shooting me in the back as I fought another captain.

 

And he climbed the ranks. And climbed and climbed. I've killed him. He's come back from the grave. I've killed him more times. He's come back again and again, each time with a snarl and a taunt, like "You thought you killed me, huh?"

 

 

Yes, Hoshu, I did. I stabbed a sword through your spine and left you bleeding on the battlefield. He doesn't even have that metal cage anymore. It was torn from his face, leaving oozing scar tissue across his eyes.

He just. Won't. Quit.

Edited September 27, 2014 by Nordicus

[Orogun01]

Ahh, romance by the fireplace. Good to see BW influence spreading, among other things.

[NOK222]

Don't you also get an Orc companion? 

[Volourn]

"The two of us have done battle five or ten times over the course of the last ten hours. When first we met he was a mere shrimp of an Uruk captain—a scrawny little thing with a metal cage around his head, like a bear trap, who shot poisonous crossbow arrows at me. He killed me that first battle out of luck more than anything else, shooting me in the back as I fought another captain.
 
And he climbed the ranks. And climbed and climbed. I've killed him. He's come back from the grave. I've killed him more times. He's come back again and again, each time with a snarl and a taunt, like "You thought you killed me, huh?"

 

 

L0L 'innovative' L0L

[HoonDing]

"The two of us have done battle five or ten times over the course of the last ten hours. When first we met he was a mere shrimp of an Uruk captain—a scrawny little thing with a metal cage around his head, like a bear trap, who shot poisonous crossbow arrows at me. He killed me that first battle out of luck more than anything else, shooting me in the back as I fought another captain.

 

And he climbed the ranks. And climbed and climbed. I've killed him. He's come back from the grave. I've killed him more times. He's come back again and again, each time with a snarl and a taunt, like "You thought you killed me, huh?"

 

 

L0L 'innovative' L0L

Reminds me of

 

Edited September 27, 2014 by HoonDing

[ManifestedISO]

 

PC World review 

 

 

Clearly they don't play video games very much. To wit:

 

 

Combat, especially, is the same "Just hit the attack button forever and ever while one or two orcs swing at you, amen" style as the Arkham games.

 

 

Whereas GI states:

 

 

 Combat carries a visceral punch, and is perversely satisfying with its brutal decapitations and revenge-fueled executions. Rhythmic inputs allow for a surprising array of moves, and button mashing is a sure recipe for failure. Mastering the system demands attention to all your enemies, changing up your maneuvers, and recognizing moments for a strategic retreat. 

[Undecaf]

Or could it be that GI are so bad at playing that they can't handle a rudimentary button mashing (that PC World reviewer can) and think the combat is actually more that it really is?

[TSBasilisk]

So, you know the stories about fans making games for defunct consoles? One of them, the RPG Pier Solar for the Mega Drive, is being ported to the PC.

 

Yeah, I'm impressed.

[Vaeliorin]

Or could it be that GI are so bad at playing that they can't handle a rudimentary button mashing (that PC World reviewer can) and think the combat is actually more that it really is?

It's certainly possible.  I always hear people talking about how awesome the combat in the Arkham games is, but in my experience (which is limited to the first), it literally was just mashing the attack button.  Sure, there were other things you could do, but you never actually needed to do them, so they were kind of pointless.

 

Honestly, it's one of the reasons, despite thinking Shadows of Mordor looks kind of interesting, I'm going to wait for the eventual "game plus all DLC" bundle to hit a Steam sale.

[nipsen]

Wouldn't exactly be the first time, in all of history, that a review magazine literally quotes the sales-rep.

 

This kind of stuff also happens after the reviews have been turned in. They're "staff pieces" with "contributions". And the final product just had a sentence changed from "the combat is unimpressive but with small twists that... blabla", and into "if you squint your eyes, the combat is varied, interesting and graceful, just like the advertisement says".

 

And you're not going to complain about your own review turning out like that. On the pain of lawsuit, loss of future commissions, and a bad rep generally, etc.