RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[Hurlshort]

Ouch Amentep, way to go for the jugular.  

 

My personal problems are all about my 5 year old, who walks past the displays (which are always larger than the Skylanders and Lego ones) and wants to buy the characters because he loves Star Wars, Avengers, etc.  But then when I finally broke down and bought him a set and a few characters, it turned out to be nowhere near as user friendly for a young person.  This is a kid that has finished the storyline for all the Skylanders and many of the Lego games.  The building and sandbox mode was overwhelming for him though, and there is a lack of any real cohesive story mode.  

 

I suppose it is a bit petty that I don't want to have to explain to my 5 year old every time we pass through the aisle that we do not need more characters (which are also not as well made as the Skylanders or Legos, making them less useful as toys) because he doesn't really play the game.  But I do see Infinity as an inferior product, so it is hard for me to drum up much sympathy. 

[Amentep]

I understand not feeling that an inferior product has the right to succeed; I think the game could have done a lot of things better.  And some of the building stuff isn't easy for me as an adult, so I can understand it being impossible for a kid.  And that it took them three iterations to create toy sets that could be used by all the toys in the toybox was a big failing IMO.

 

BUT, understanding why Infinity didn't succeed (or in this case "didn't make as much money as they'd estimated it should, and the market for toys-to-life is slowing down and we really wanted to get out before Infinity took off in the first place so we're bolting"), it still seems a bit ghoulish to enjoy the demise of the company.  I see it all the time when game makers shut down ("Oh good riddance, I never liked their games" - like those games existing was an affront or something), or when TV shows are cancelled ("I hated that show, now I enjoy the tears of its fans that its gone!") but having enjoyed the series and seeing a lot of the same things you had posted online when reading the news ("I like Skylanders better so good bye" or "Yeah Lego was better so glad this is ended") just stings a bit to me.  And I confess I am still reeling a bit at the very unexpected news, given that two weeks ago I was reading about the next years plans.

 

I suppose now I need to decide if I want to invest in Lego Dimensions or save my money. :|

Edited May 11, 2016 by Amentep

[Malcador]

Nothing wrong with a little hatred and delight at others' (mainly fans) sufferring.

[Hurlshort]

Lego Dimensions is insanely good.  Tt has always churned out entertaining games, but adding in the moments where they stop the game and ask you to build stuff is on another level.  

 

 

As for rooting for the downfall of stuff, there is a benefit to having the cream rise to the top and the chaff fall away.  I was pretty worried that Skylanders would not be able to compete with Disney in this market.  Realistically they shouldn't, they didn't have the resources.  So there is also a sense of relief that they are not the ones closing up shop.  

[Malcador]

http://www.pcgamesn.com/civilization-vi/civilization-6-release-date-gameplay-system-requirements

 

http://www.pcgamer.com/civilization-6-everything-you-need-to-know/

 

Civ 6 announced

 

So big change to cities. Hm. Well hope it catches me better than 5

Edited May 11, 2016 by Malcador

[apolloooo]

this is the announcement trailer for civ vi for those who just want to see it :

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by apolloooo

[Amentep]

Nothing wrong with a little hatred and delight at others' (mainly fans) sufferring.

 

I think there is.  But then I guess - to me at least - you've summed up everything that I dislike about the internet in one sentence.

 

Lego Dimensions is insanely good.  Tt has always churned out entertaining games, but adding in the moments where they stop the game and ask you to build stuff is on another level.  

 

 

As for rooting for the downfall of stuff, there is a benefit to having the cream rise to the top and the chaff fall away.  I was pretty worried that Skylanders would not be able to compete with Disney in this market.  Realistically they shouldn't, they didn't have the resources.  So there is also a sense of relief that they are not the ones closing up shop.  

 

I've heard Skylanders isn't having a great time either - and to be clear from everything I read Disney Infinity wasn't canned because it wasn't selling and was in the red but because it wasn't making the amount of profit they wanted.

 

I'm a bit worried about Lego because the last few stand alone games were buggy (and I sold back Batman 3 because of a bug that kept corrupting my save files that never got patched and because of that I have not bought any further of the stand alone games).  Have there been many bug issues?

 

Also as someone who isn't overly a fan of building Lego stuff, not sure what I'd think of...having to build stuff for the game.

[Hurlshort]

Well, Lego Dimensions is plenty buggy.  But kids already have it too easy these days, so I just think of it as a character building exercise.  

[Gorgon]

Should I get uncharted for PC. Never played any of the console titles. 

[Bartimaeus]

I'll never understand people's glee when something they have no interest in ends or fails.  I really never will.  I saw it when SEGA got out of the console business and people were cheering because they only bought Nintendo with some people expressing anger that Sega didn't go under completely.  Mystifying.

 

A sort of sense of tribalism, I guess? "My team won, your team lost, hardee-harr"? Or, alternatively, "My choice was the correct one, everyone else's (who didn't choose the same as me) wasn't, hardee-harr". That's most applicable for the console war stuff you mentioned, though - for something like Disney discontinuing Infinity, I would imagine the rationale is something more like, "You guys are doing this poorly, please either do it well or just stop cluttering up the market with your inferior product". You say "something they have no interest in", but someone like Hurlshot clearly does have an interest in something like Disney Infinity - it's just not living up to his standards, so he'd rather see it get better or just go away...and that's the end of it. It's hard to consider the human aspect of it (namely, people actually losing their livelihoods and the reality of such situations for so many people, including the employees' families), mainly because we have no idea who they are and have no real understanding that they really exist beyond some abstract "I guess somebody must've worked on this...", so it's easy to not consider them when quickly posting some off-the-cuff comment about the story on some random forums, .

Edited May 11, 2016 by Bartimaeus

[Sarex]

Should I get uncharted for PC. Never played any of the console titles. 

 

Did I miss some announcement?

[Bartimaeus]

Should I get uncharted for PC. Never played any of the console titles. 

 

I am surprised...weren't all of the Uncharted Playstation exclusives? I'm surprised that it would be available on PC...

 

...and from the quick research I just did, it's not, so yeah...

[Malcador]

http://www.pcgamer.com/stellaris-warhammer-mod/

 

Well that was timely.

[Amentep]

 

I'll never understand people's glee when something they have no interest in ends or fails.  I really never will.  I saw it when SEGA got out of the console business and people were cheering because they only bought Nintendo with some people expressing anger that Sega didn't go under completely.  Mystifying.

 

A sort of sense of tribalism, I guess? "My team won, your team lost, hardee-harr"? Or, alternatively, "My choice was the correct one, everyone else's (who didn't choose the same as me) wasn't, hardee-harr". That's most applicable for the console war stuff you mentioned, though - for something like Disney discontinuing Infinity, I would imagine the rationale is something more like, "You guys are doing this poorly, please either do it well or just stop cluttering up the market with your inferior product". You say "something they have no interest in", but someone like Hurlshot clearly does have an interest in something like Disney Infinity - it's just not living up to his standards, so he'd rather see it get better or just go away...and that's the end of it. It's hard to consider the human aspect of it (namely, people actually losing their livelihoods and the reality of such situations for so many people, including the employees' families), mainly because we have no idea who they are and have no real understanding that they really exist beyond some abstract "I guess somebody must've worked on this...", so it's easy to not consider them when quickly posting some off-the-cuff comment about the story on some random forums, .

 

But what's the point of thinking "do it better OR go away"?  Why not just "do it better"?  Its this idea that something that doesn't meet Random Criteria 3 that I don't like should not exist that I just don't understand.   Something you don't like or something bad exists.  Unless you bought it and thought it sucked, why is its existence such an affront to humanity that one must be happy for its death, mock its supporters when it goes away and the like?  Tribalism?  Isn't that taking the PC Master Race thing too far?

[Malcador]

What are you, some kind of live and let live hippie?

[Amentep]

Yeah, generally the existence of stuff I don't like doesn't bother me.  I'm just weird like that.  I have no interest in Skylanders - or on Spyro before it - but that it exists doesn't effect me at all.

 

I see it in comics fandom all the time, people act like something they don't like (particularly if it effects a DC or Marvel superhero story) is tantamount to someone walking over and shooting their dog, burning their house down, and stabbing them repeatedly in the face.

Edited May 11, 2016 by Amentep

[Bartimaeus]

But what's the point of thinking "do it better OR go away"?  Why not just "do it better"?

 

I am not sure.

 

Words of wisdom, I know.

[Malcador]

 

 

But what's the point of thinking "do it better OR go away"? Why not just "do it better"?

I am not sure.

 

Words of wisdom, I know.

Well threatening consequences is the only way to get things done.

 

Also, this is why they need to make Amentep a moderator

[Rosbjerg]

 

this is the announcement trailer for civ vi for those who just want to see it :

 

Is that Sean Bean narrating? Didn't know his 'Eddard Stark' dialect was his native one.

[marelooke]

 

 

• More Freedom: One of our biggest ambitions is to give players an unprecedented level of freedom for a Mass Effect experience –where you’ll go, how you’ll get there, and how you’ll play.

• New Uncharted Worlds: We’re leaving the Milky Way behind and headed to Andromeda, where we’ll meet new allies, confront new enemies, and explore fascinating new worlds.

• The Next Great Mass Effect Experience: Mass Effect: Andromeda will be the first Mass Effect game for today’s consoles and the first built on the Frostbite engine. We’re pushing the technology to deliver visuals, story, and gameplay that have never been done in franchise history.

I dearly hope this does not mean they're making Mass Effect: Inquisition - revenge of the checklist

 

 

Oh yay, Frostbite... It's going to be ME: Revenge of the...loading...loading...loading...times, and then disappointment about what you get after the loading's done (I mean graphically). Not that the game looked bad, obviously, but when drawing comparisons with another game made by a rather small firm in Poland... (at least compared to Bio...)

 

http://www.pcgamesn.com/civilization-vi/civilization-6-release-date-gameplay-system-requirements

 

http://www.pcgamer.com/civilization-6-everything-you-need-to-know/

 

Civ 6 announced

 

So big change to cities. Hm. Well hope it catches me better than 5

 

No more DLC for Beyond Earth then I guess? Pity.

 

Which reminds me that a gameRPG set in the Dying Earth universe by Mr. Vance would be really cool. Obsidian? *hint*

Edited May 12, 2016 by marelooke

[Humanoid]

Gamers' time and money are not infinite resources, so you need to consider that when discussing jobs in the videogame industry. The failure of one studio doesn't happen in isolation, it may well directly lead to the survival of another, or in the creation of space for a new entrant in the market.

 

In relation to gaming budgets, Disney Infinity and its rivals would take up an even bigger chunk proportionally due to the high cost of entry with all the toys, microtransactions, and frequent refreshes. It's not hard to imagine then that its disappearance will lead to said money being distributed amongst quite a few different companies and thus keeping them afloat. Impossible to quantify exactly of course, but I wouldn't be terribly surprised if it led to a net positive in job numbers for the industry as a whole.

[HoonDing]

"• New Uncharted Worlds: We’re leaving the Milky Way behind and headed to Andromeda, where we’ll meet new allies, confront new enemies, and explore fascinating new worlds."

[pmp10]

http://www.pcgamesn.com/civilization-vi/civilization-6-release-date-gameplay-system-requirements

 

http://www.pcgamer.com/civilization-6-everything-you-need-to-know/

 

Civ 6 announced

 

So big change to cities. Hm. Well hope it catches me better than 5

At least they are looking into some compromise on one-unit-per-tile nonsense.

[Raithe]

 

 

Is that Sean Bean narrating? Didn't know his 'Eddard Stark' dialect was his native one.

 

 

It's that slightly watered down Yorkshire native accent. It used to be thicker when he started out 20 odd years ago, but now its not quite as extreme.

[ShadySands]

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2016/05/magnum-opus-games-bioware-story