RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[marelooke]

 

Why is Bethesda still pushing TES online. Nobody cares. 

 

I can't speak for Odysseus, but I'm having tons of fun with it.

 

 

I'm also quite enjoying it. So far the game hasn't tried to force me into grouping with others, I just hope that it stays that way and that they don't pull a GW2 on me by making the last quest in the "main storyline" a "group quest". That was a really nasty thing to do of the GW2 devs, seriously.

 

Imo the problem with current "open world" games is that they are nothing but a big game world with random foes around every corner and dumb fetch quests that send you over half the map. Except for that, the game world is actually pretty empty.

 

Let's take The Division for example. If you remove the missions from that game, you'll have a huge empty city in which you can walk around... and randomly shoot some pointless stuff. Sure the graphics are nice and there are some well done ambient animations with civilians, but other than that, the city offers really nothing at all.

 

Even stuff like GTA 5 is the same, except for a few minigames here and there.

 

I mean, does anyone boot up such a game and then think "man, I am so damn immersed in this huge city!111" ? For me it's usually... "ok, let's open the map. I am here, quest markers are there... let's go." and then I follow the dotted line on the minimap, usually not even watching what's going on around my player character. (This is how I spend time in Witcher 3. Honestly, at some point I've noticed that I am more focused on following the line on the minimap than anything else)

 

That's usually how I play Skyrim, pick a direction and walk, see what I find.

 

But what you say is, imho, the big shortcoming of most (imho failed) attempts at open world games, go off the beaten path and there's nothing to see, aside from nice landscapes. To counter this they just add idiotic minigames (hurr durr tower climbing, shard collecting, yadda yadda *sigh*).

 

The first company that makes a game with an interesting world *and* good quests will have struck gold, if that game is moddable to boot then they will have *really* struck gold. If Dragon Age: Inquisition is anything to go by I doubt that ME: Andromeda will be that game, we can almost certainly forget the modding due to the engine they'll be using and that alone already greatly diminishes any interest I might have had.

 

Frankly: have Bethesda build the world and Obsidian handle the story and you're most of the way there, then add some company that manages to build stuff without there being 20 bugs per line of code and you have a hit!

Edited June 15, 2016 by marelooke

[Rosbjerg]

New siege footage from Mount and Blade 2 Bannerlord..

 

Yum!

 

[Malcador]

I will miss the lemming approach to sieges

[Amentep]

Imo the problem with current "open world" games is that they are nothing but a big game world with random foes around every corner and dumb fetch quests that send you over half the map. Except for that, the game world is actually pretty empty.

 

Let's take The Division for example. If you remove the missions from that game, you'll have a huge empty city in which you can walk around... and randomly shoot some pointless stuff. Sure the graphics are nice and there are some well done ambient animations with civilians, but other than that, the city offers really nothing at all.

 

Even stuff like GTA 5 is the same, except for a few minigames here and there.

 

I mean, does anyone boot up such a game and then think "man, I am so damn immersed in this huge city!111" ? For me it's usually... "ok, let's open the map. I am here, quest markers are there... let's go." and then I follow the dotted line on the minimap, usually not even watching what's going on around my player character. (This is how I spend time in Witcher 3. Honestly, at some point I've noticed that I am more focused on following the line on the minimap than anything else)

 

For me the best example was in Dragon's Dogma - I spent hours just wandering the wilderness and finding what was there in the day, then at night and even once I knew, sometimes I'd just go wander again because I enjoyed the combat and the locations.

[Osvir]

 

 

Why is Bethesda still pushing TES online. Nobody cares. 

 

I can't speak for Odysseus, but I'm having tons of fun with it.

 

 

I'm also quite enjoying it. So far the game hasn't tried to force me into grouping with others, I just hope that it stays that way and that they don't pull a GW2 on me by making the last quest in the "main storyline" a "group quest". That was a really nasty thing to do of the GW2 devs, seriously.

 

I thought the game just got better after the Main Quest. Granted, I'm kind of invested at this point (I've cleared a lot, almost max crafting skills). I've also soloed 99% of the content thus far. Waiting with PvP and grouped content until much, much later.

 

What faction/alliance/character are you playing? (I'm Daggerfall Covenant, Redguard Templar, that I've built into a jack-of-all trades type character)

 

@Division: I ignored the fast travel option almost completely (once or twice) for the single player content. And I played completionist (collected everything, did all side-missions). I loved it, and such a beautiful game. Lots of wasted hours (yet meaningful, in an immersing and personal sense) that I spent running the streets of Manhattan The only thing I didn't appreciate was the bullet sponging. Now, if it had been a bit more Dark Souls hardcore, that would've certainly been something and would've made exploring much more challenging and much more appreciated when overcoming obstacles.

 

Speaking of appreciation, I think that exploration and viewing things is up to you. If you are distracted by the compass or the next objective you're not stopping and looking around or immersing yourself. Of course, some games just aren't good at it (a lot of open world games, lots of the GTA games are "Go to X point") and Dragon Age: Inquisition certainly felt that way too.

 

In ESO I found a note on a small isle, "Isle of Contemplation", and it made me think, stop, and look around at my surroundings. The trees, the leaves, the water, the bench, and just think about life for a moment before I continued on on my journey in the game. It was one of those memorable moments you get once in a while in great video game experiences. Nothing fancy, just something small and insignificant really, but in some personal way meaningful. Then again, I've done that a couple of times in ESO, just appreciating the landscapes and the surroundings from time to time (the outdoors, the dungeons are kind of generic and streamlined).

 

​I guess I'm trying to say "game experiences are subjective", you give your own meaning to your own actions. And in my opinion, a positive meaning in the playground makes it more fun to play in it. If I think it's boring to build sand castles maybe I should look for another thing to build in the sandbox, or perhaps I should start or try to develop a different mindset about sand castles ;P

 

​EDIT: Speaking of Division, and staying on topic. Looking forward to the Survival add-on as well as the Underground one. Especially the Survival DLC, as that's something I'm curious about in the Division world space (what will vandals, spoiled food etc. gives a sense of urgency that the Division world building has been lacking. How do people survive, wouldn't they starve in the quarantined zone? Eventually? That DLC seems to cut off the agents in some, thus far, unknown zone).

Edited June 15, 2016 by Osvir

[Hurlshort]

ESO is the best Elder Scrolls game since Daggerfall.  Now that they've got thievery and the Dark Brotherhood, it's solid gold.  

 

They also have been on the consoles for less than a year, so they are still trying to build up that audience.

[Nordicus]

Gwent is going to have a 10+ hour story campaign where the battles are fought as the card game

[kirottu]

Get free ubisoft pc game every month for seven months.

[Rosbjerg]

I will miss the lemming approach to sieges

 

This looks pretty scripted - I doubt the AI is significantly improved to be honest, although from other videos it seems like they've improved formations (as can also be seen here).

So I'm sure the lemmings will be back

[Mamoulian War]

Get free ubisoft pc game every month for seven months.

 

Uplay required... that's not free...

 

[Lexx]

 

Imo the problem with current "open world" games is that they are nothing but a big game world with random foes around every corner and dumb fetch quests that send you over half the map. Except for that, the game world is actually pretty empty.

 

Let's take The Division for example. If you remove the missions from that game, you'll have a huge empty city in which you can walk around... and randomly shoot some pointless stuff. Sure the graphics are nice and there are some well done ambient animations with civilians, but other than that, the city offers really nothing at all.

 

Even stuff like GTA 5 is the same, except for a few minigames here and there.

 

I mean, does anyone boot up such a game and then think "man, I am so damn immersed in this huge city!111" ? For me it's usually... "ok, let's open the map. I am here, quest markers are there... let's go." and then I follow the dotted line on the minimap, usually not even watching what's going on around my player character. (This is how I spend time in Witcher 3. Honestly, at some point I've noticed that I am more focused on following the line on the minimap than anything else)

 

For me the best example was in Dragon's Dogma - I spent hours just wandering the wilderness and finding what was there in the day, then at night and even once I knew, sometimes I'd just go wander again because I enjoyed the combat and the locations.

 

 

Maybe I simply see games in "other ways". Because when I wander around in such an open world and see - for example - two NPCs chatting, then I don't see two NPCs chatting, but a tiny scripted event that always will be the same. Or when I see a group of bandits in a cave, then I see mere mobs placed there trying to entertain me with loot and combat. I can really feel walking into a simple trigger as soon as something happens around me. It's the same to me for every open world game, even in Witcher 3, which I otherwise find to be a great game.

[Katphood]

Can't. Wait. 

[sorophx]

looks very similar to Shadow of Mordor. is it the same developer by any chance?

[marelooke]

 

 

 

Why is Bethesda still pushing TES online. Nobody cares. 

 

I can't speak for Odysseus, but I'm having tons of fun with it.

 

 

I'm also quite enjoying it. So far the game hasn't tried to force me into grouping with others, I just hope that it stays that way and that they don't pull a GW2 on me by making the last quest in the "main storyline" a "group quest". That was a really nasty thing to do of the GW2 devs, seriously.

 

I thought the game just got better after the Main Quest. Granted, I'm kind of invested at this point (I've cleared a lot, almost max crafting skills). I've also soloed 99% of the content thus far. Waiting with PvP and grouped content until much, much later.

 

What faction/alliance/character are you playing? (I'm Daggerfall Covenant, Redguard Templar, that I've built into a jack-of-all trades type character)

 

@Division: I ignored the fast travel option almost completely (once or twice) for the single player content. And I played completionist (collected everything, did all side-missions). I loved it, and such a beautiful game. Lots of wasted hours (yet meaningful, in an immersing and personal sense) that I spent running the streets of Manhattan The only thing I didn't appreciate was the bullet sponging. Now, if it had been a bit more Dark Souls hardcore, that would've certainly been something and would've made exploring much more challenging and much more appreciated when overcoming obstacles.

 

Speaking of appreciation, I think that exploration and viewing things is up to you. If you are distracted by the compass or the next objective you're not stopping and looking around or immersing yourself. Of course, some games just aren't good at it (a lot of open world games, lots of the GTA games are "Go to X point") and Dragon Age: Inquisition certainly felt that way too.

 

In ESO I found a note on a small isle, "Isle of Contemplation", and it made me think, stop, and look around at my surroundings. The trees, the leaves, the water, the bench, and just think about life for a moment before I continued on on my journey in the game. It was one of those memorable moments you get once in a while in great video game experiences. Nothing fancy, just something small and insignificant really, but in some personal way meaningful. Then again, I've done that a couple of times in ESO, just appreciating the landscapes and the surroundings from time to time (the outdoors, the dungeons are kind of generic and streamlined).

 

​I guess I'm trying to say "game experiences are subjective", you give your own meaning to your own actions. And in my opinion, a positive meaning in the playground makes it more fun to play in it. If I think it's boring to build sand castles maybe I should look for another thing to build in the sandbox, or perhaps I should start or try to develop a different mindset about sand castles ;P

 

​EDIT: Speaking of Division, and staying on topic. Looking forward to the Survival add-on as well as the Underground one. Especially the Survival DLC, as that's something I'm curious about in the Division world space (what will vandals, spoiled food etc. gives a sense of urgency that the Division world building has been lacking. How do people survive, wouldn't they starve in the quarantined zone? Eventually? That DLC seems to cut off the agents in some, thus far, unknown zone).

 

 

Dominion Altmer Sorcerer, I'm only level 19 so far and going through the Wood Elf area (Grahtwood).

 

 

 

Imo the problem with current "open world" games is that they are nothing but a big game world with random foes around every corner and dumb fetch quests that send you over half the map. Except for that, the game world is actually pretty empty.

 

Let's take The Division for example. If you remove the missions from that game, you'll have a huge empty city in which you can walk around... and randomly shoot some pointless stuff. Sure the graphics are nice and there are some well done ambient animations with civilians, but other than that, the city offers really nothing at all.

 

Even stuff like GTA 5 is the same, except for a few minigames here and there.

 

I mean, does anyone boot up such a game and then think "man, I am so damn immersed in this huge city!111" ? For me it's usually... "ok, let's open the map. I am here, quest markers are there... let's go." and then I follow the dotted line on the minimap, usually not even watching what's going on around my player character. (This is how I spend time in Witcher 3. Honestly, at some point I've noticed that I am more focused on following the line on the minimap than anything else)

 

For me the best example was in Dragon's Dogma - I spent hours just wandering the wilderness and finding what was there in the day, then at night and even once I knew, sometimes I'd just go wander again because I enjoyed the combat and the locations.

 

 

Maybe I simply see games in "other ways". Because when I wander around in such an open world and see - for example - two NPCs chatting, then I don't see two NPCs chatting, but a tiny scripted event that always will be the same. Or when I see a group of bandits in a cave, then I see mere mobs placed there trying to entertain me with loot and combat. I can really feel walking into a simple trigger as soon as something happens around me. It's the same to me for every open world game, even in Witcher 3, which I otherwise find to be a great game.

 

 

My dad has the same thing with films, he understands the mechanics they use to build atmosphere and as a result they don't generally have the intended effect. I think there's only so much that can be done to avoid this, certainly with current technology. Maybe at some point we will have "true" emergent gameplay, including dialogues, but I doubt that will be anytime soon.

[Katphood]

looks very similar to Shadow of Mordor. is it the same developer by any chance?

 

Now that's what I call a "funny post". Golf claps all around, dude!

[Gorgon]

Blood and Wine sortof reminds me of this movie 

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237534/

 

**** IMDB for autotranslating. 

[Keyrock]

So, now that all the E3 presentations are over and I've had time for it to sink in:

 

The Awkward Hug That Lasts A Little Too Long But Secretly Feels Good Award For Best Presentation - Sony.  It's not even close, they blew everybody else out of the water.  The giant lavish theater and full orchestra just to flaunt their money.  The minimal talking by blowhards.  Kojima walking down a friggin' light bridge.  Game after game after game after game with no BS in between.

 

The Wet Feeling Fart That Makes You Check Your Underwear Award For Worst Presentation - EA.  While Ubisoft, as usual, was the most cringeworthy presentation, at least they try to be hip and fun, mind you, failing miserably most of the time.  EA's presentation was just completely soulless.  It was essentially a business conference with blowhards spitting out a steady stream of meaningless marketing buzzwords.  Also, the majority of the presentation was spent on Madden and FIFA.  Yawn.

 

The Predator Handshake Award For Best Surprise - Prey.  I mean, it looks like it is in no way shape or form related to the 2006 game, but damn that looked interesting and awesome.  

 

The Slowly Deflating Balloon Award For Biggest Letdown - Ghost Recon: Wildlands.  It's not that the game looks bad, it's just that that is NOT Ghost Recon.  In any way.  At all.  Like not even remotely close.  Damn you, Ubisoft, must you turn everything into Ubisoft: The Game ?(Big Open world.  Map littered with markers for useless collectibles and boring, meaningless stuff to do).  They are determined to make all their major franchises exactly the same.

 

The Holy **** This Looks So Interesting But It's A David Cage Game So The Dialogue Will Be Forced And Wooden And The Story Will Fall Apart Before The Halfway Point Like Always *sigh* Award - Detroit: Become Human

Edited June 16, 2016 by Keyrock

[Malcador]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDRhkAX0dnk

[Keyrock]

[Chilloutman]

 

I really want this game, but it is only for Xbone? if so its such a irony, game about totality being in hands of corporation which is restricting its use. Orwell would be pleased

[WDeranged]

 

 

I really want this game, but it is only for Xbone? if so its such a irony, game about totality being in hands of corporation which is restricting its use. Orwell would be pleased

 

 

It's apparently coming to PC as well

[Malcador]

Blood and Wine sortof reminds me of this movie

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0237534/

 

**** IMDB for autotranslating.

Does Bellucci get naked in it?

[Gorgon]

Think so, but it's a body double. There's a brothel too, none in Blood and Wine though. A mysterious creature is hunting the inhabitants of a small Duchery. A specialist with experience in science and the supernatural is sent in to investigate.  There's a secret cult and a connection between the murdered Chevalier... well I don't want to give everything away.

 

 

Sound familiar ?.

[apolloooo]

 

Call of Cthulhu E3 trailer : http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/117368-call-of-cthulhu-e3-trailer.html

 

Also Styx: http://www.gamebanshee.com/news/117361-styx-shards-of-darkness-e3-trailer.html

 

Hopefully it will have better development and final execution than the previous Call of Cthulhu, botched by Bethesda.

 

i love styx: masters of shadows, even with all of it's flaws. it got great core play and solid level design.

 

shards of darkness looks like it got better production value and time, which is the source of problem with the first one

[Wrath of Dagon]

What would you say the flaws were?  I hadn't particularly noticed.