RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[Fenixp]

Well you do need to give it full administrator privileges first. And then you have to confirm those privileges each time you launch it. Personally, I get very suspicious every time a game asks me for elevated privileges in general - and, by the way, it's why I consider it an extremely dumb move on part of GOG to enable "Run as admin" flag on majority of their installed software. I think they finally stopped doing that tho.

Edited September 23, 2016 by Fenixp

[Zoraptor]

GOG did that because people insisted on installing old games into program files. Not exactly a great solution to be sure, but I imagine they got sick of "game does not work, it won't save!!!" complaints coming in every five minutes. Unflagging run as admin was certainly annoying, but I can see why they'd do it that way.

[Lexx]

Apparently a new DX:MD DLC is out (the one with Pritchard) and people are hating on it, becaus it is like paid advertisement for that multiplayer thing nobody plays.

[Gorgon]

Is it accessible from the main game or do you have to start over like the should have been a preorder bundle mission thing

[Lexx]

It's under "Jensen Stories" - so exactly like the cut-out preorder mission.

 

I guess I will pass and wait for a final "Director's Cut" version.

[Gorgon]

It's under "Jensen Stories" - so exactly like the cut-out preorder mission.

 

 

So they can collect from the microtransactions again I presume.

[Katphood]

Mafia 3 is shaping up to be a very nice game:

 

 

Watch Dogs 2...not so sure if it will be great or just another open-world checklist game:

 

[Fenixp]

And now the news you've all been waiting for, 8-bit Invaders announced

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSQXwsMdIX0

[Raithe]

The first Watch Dogs was one that had great promise, and then went nowhere. So I'm firmly in the "eh, I'll wait and see, and maybe get it when its on steam sales 9 months down the line"

[Drowsy Emperor]

Mafia 3 is shaping up to be a very nice game:

 

 

Watch Dogs 2...not so sure if it will be great or just another open-world checklist game:

 

 

With both of them I have a strong feeling of been there done that.

 

They're so bent on out GTA-ing the GTA formula that they don't realized its already tired and overdone.

[Rosbjerg]

As for Mafia, I wish they would realize that a great UI is one that fits into the setting and tone of the game - less is more - it's way too agressive with all these pop-ups and prompts in this contemporary sleek and mobile app looking way. It really doesn't fit the mood the game is trying to set, especially with a game set in the 60s or 70s ..

 

This was one of the reason I couldn't bring myself to play the newer Hitman games, the massive intrusive UI with achievement pop-ups and points, prompts and this borderline 'augmented reality' looking approach, that would've have fitted a sci fi game much better.. it just took me out of the game setting. Same here.

[Mamoulian War]

Feeling the same, I am maybe strange, but what annoys me most with these UI thingies, is goal markers which shows distance from your destination in meters. Especially in games, which have historical settings. I find it totally out of place and it is for me the most immersion breaking feature in most of the games.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Mamoulian War

[Fenixp]

You're both speaking of Assassin's creed but don't want to admit it

[Rosbjerg]

You're both speaking of Assassin's creed but don't want to admit it

 

Except that was exactly an augmented reality, established by game lore.. and so fitted the setting perfectly. It wouldn't even be Assassins Creed without it.

 

But also the reason why it didn't fit as well in the later games, as they downplayed the Animus interface. Which is also why thematically I think the first game is the best of the series. The game within in a game was really cool and the DNA styled UI was perfect.

[Katphood]

I have feeling that people are generally getting tired of open-world games. I've grown tired of most of them too. The Mafia 3 game has some nice 60's vibe to it though.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Katphood

[Fenixp]

Except that was exactly an augmented reality, established by game lore.. and so fitted the setting perfectly. It wouldn't even be Assassins Creed without it.

Well... Given the fact Animus was supposed to help main protagonist recall memories hidden deep in his genome (*shiver*), a random UI thrown on top of it wasn't something I'd consider fitting either the theme or the setting. I don't like when a game reminds me that I'm playing a game, yet UI in Ass Creed keeps reminding me that I'm playing a game embedded in another game.

[Rosbjerg]

You can dislike the design descision, that's perfectly fine, but calling it random is a disservice.

 

There's a reason why there was no UI at all when you were Desmond 'out in the real world' - to differentiate between the game and the metagame. This was imho a thematically great way to convey the games setting and anything but random. It was done precisely to remind you that you were playing a game, as Desmond, and that in order to save his life you needed to constrain yourself to the rules the Animus had set up, even though they were artificial.. and thus the artificial overlay was an important part of the game setting and theme.

 

What's the reason for this very similar UI in Mafia3? Of course you need a UI to translate game information into something that makes sense for the player. But I would love if more games took a hint from Assassins Creed, Fallout or L.A Noire, where the UI is incorporated into the setting and takes visual clues from the tone of the game.

 

Either make sure I don't see it unless I need to - or make sure it fits with the setting you're establishing. 

[Fenixp]

You can dislike the design descision, that's perfectly fine, but calling it random is a disservice.

Random as in I don't see its purpose given either the setting or animus - I always considered UI to be the game relying information from the protagonist to me, the player. What irked me so much about UI in Ass Creed was that the protagonist of most of the game was the person from 'memories' - the one who has no idea about what Animus even is, whereas this same information would be of not much use to one 'living' the memories... I'm not entirely sure how to explain it without getting entirely lost between actual reality, in-game 'reality' and in-game simulation, so I guess I'll just stop here :-P For me it just didn't seem to work, not even thematically. Then again, I'd be glad if all mentions of Animus got completely obliterated from Ass Creed series.

 

Anyway, I'm of the opinion that like 90% of UI elements in all games don't need to be persistent and 50% don't need to exist at all. I consider this a nightmare:

There are far more elegant ways of displaying many of those UI elements - and yes, you can toggle them, but that won't improve their display, that'll just get rid of them altogether. I suppose that what I'm trying to say is getting theme in your UI right is cool, getting rid of as much of your UI as possible is even better. I think Dead Space is THE game to look at for UI design.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Fenixp

[Keyrock]

Things I a tired of in video games:

• Open world
• Procedural generation
• Crafting

[Mamoulian War]

<p>

 

Things I a tired of in video games:

• Open world
• Procedural generation
• Crafting

Same here, but crafting can be refreshing, if implemented properly.

 

Procedural generation is the new pest of industry. The inability of proper hand made designing of game world is now marketed as a feature.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Mamoulian War

[Fenixp]

Same here, but crafting can be refreshing, if implemented properly.

Oh I love when games contain crafting. What I somewhat dislike is when they contain a "Collect things on a list to make item" minigame and call it "crafting". (To me, crafting has to be creative, like enchanting in Morrowind or weapon crafting in Dead Space 3, as opposed to a glorified fetch quest.)

[Hurlshort]

I get Game Informer in my mailbox because I buy enough stuff at Gamestop to make it worth getting that power up card.  It's not a bad rag for the bathroom, fun to look at the pictures and all.  But I was surprised to notice that Deus Ex: Mankind Divided only got 7/10 in their reviews.  Now most of their scores are pretty useless, but this was an odd one because that seems fairly low.  I mean, they hand out 9's on a pretty regular basis.  My first thinking was the technical issues dinged it, since the game was widely criticized for that, but that was not mentioned in the review.  Instead the complaints were like "too much stealth" and "the story was too slow".  I am used to disagreeing with Game Informer regularly, but I was surprised how opposite my opinion was in this situation.  

[redneckdevil]

Okay I am disappointed in all of yu's, no one has mentioned (that I've seen) that JazzPunk is on the ps4!!! Bout ****ing time!!

[Katphood]

One game that had a surprisingly nice crafting system was Dragon Age: Inquisition. Everything I picked from the ground eventually came to some use and that made the material gathering meaningful, To bad the story and the characters were garbage.

Edited September 24, 2016 by Katphood

[the_dog_days]

One game that had a surprisingly nice crafting system was Dragon Age: Inquisition. Everything I picked from the ground eventually came to some use and that made the material gathering meaningful, To bad the story and the characters were garbage.

 

Except the loot drops were horrible in comparison. Find a legendary purple weapon but its useless compared to a crafted weapon made of simple iron. I liked crafting in the Witcher games, but that's because it made sense with alchemy and the role it plays in both gameplay and in the fiction, but many games that are adding/have added crafting systems in recent years didn't need one and don't benefit from it.