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Post by ECM on Jun 17, 2011 14:47:36 GMT -5
I'm just setting up this thread for discussion about games we've beaten (or at least played substantially) which, in contrast to Now Playing, will probably be riddled w/ spoilers, so I've taken the liberty of adding a "Spoiler" button to the tags list: it looks like this 1. So, if you intend to ruin vast tracts of a game for everyone else, please encase it in spoiler Carbonite so that we don't have to learn, prematurely, that he was blind 2. (Also: I don't envision writing full reviews here because a. it takes me way too much time/effort to write proper reviews given my current schedule and b. well, there is no 'b' but, if there were, you can rest assured it'd be a really good reason why I'm still not doing it. So don't expect, well, whatever it is you would normally expect from a review I might write...which might be nothing at all. Which is good.) I'll be back today/tonight w/ thoughts on Duke Nukem Forever because I just know Smithee is *dying* for an update... 1 AKA, the face I'm still making over the fact that Zig has never played SMB3. 2 I think two people will get this reference.
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Post by feilong80 on Jun 17, 2011 15:49:33 GMT -5
2 I think two people will get this reference. I get it, and I lol'd
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Post by ECM on Jun 17, 2011 21:13:01 GMT -5
So, yeah, spoilers ahoy for Duke Nukem Forever (you have been warned!):
First off, let's just get this out of the way first: the game that is DNF (not the litmus test for whether you are a kind, caring, beta male that respects women to the very core of your being, never looks at porn, ever, and aren't interested in women in various states of undress because, of course, he respects women too much) is very good.
I don't toss around scores, but it's certainly worth the $60 (less on PC, smart people!) for the whole rollercoaster ride, purely on its merits as a game (which seems to have been lost on critics who respect women to the very core of their being, never look at porn, ever, and aren't interested in women in various states of undress because, of course, they respect women too much).
And now the bullet points:
*Yes, the game feels, in many respects, like a museum, featuring elements from myriad games since, at least, 2000. You'll find FEAR, Quake 3, Half-Life 2, Doom 3, Halo, Shen Mue (no, really) and even Rise of the Triad (Rise of the freaking Triad!) among others making 'cameo' appearances throughout the game.
*That said, this schizophrenia of inspiration is probably also its strongest suit, the net effect being that you're constantly thrown new gameplay ideas, whether it's the (awesome) mini-Duke levels, the Borderlands-'inspired' Mighty Foot stages, and platforming elements (yeah, platforming in an FPS released in the last decade that isn't Metroid Prime!), you're constantly shifting play styles.
So one second it's pure run 'n' gun, the next it's platforming antics and then you're riding around in monster trucks, RC cars, forklifts (sucks just as much as it does in Shen Mue! YES!) and manning turrets blowing the living hell out of creatures great and small (but mostly great).
*There's also the requisite RPG 'leveling' elements, but it's pretty minor: Duke interacts w/ various objects in the environment (cigars, porn mags, pinball machines, etc.) which grant him more "ego" (basically Duke's name for Halo's regenerating shield) so he can last longer under enemy fire.
*The only real downside, gameplay-wise, is some annoying reliance on quicktime events (mainly because they tell you every single time you engage in one--even when you've done the same action a dozen times--to press 'X' rapidly, because you're an idiot that can't remember how to open a door…for the 27th time.
However, it also features what is probably the best QT event ever1, involving an alien, a jetpack and shattered zygomatic processes (the downside is that super mega awesome QT's like that are few and far between).
*The level design itself is mostly strong, though there are a few weak ones (and one is absolutely terrible: the infamous--if you haven't actually played it of course--Hive2) scattered here and there.
*The puzzles are, in general, about what you'd expect in this day and age of Half-Life 2-inspired physics 'puzzles' so, basically, generic and run-of-the-mill situations involving stacking barrels and other activities that would make Gordon Freeman--and the alleged geniuses at Valve--proud. And as in HL2, they slow the game down, but there aren't so many that it's game-breaking or even game-bruising which is more than can be said for Valve's efforts.
*The biggest problem with the level design is the dearth of secret or hidden areas that make exploration either moot or, basically, impossible due to linearity. In fact, this is the biggest disappointment in the game: it's way too linear and secret-free compared to Duke Nukem 3D. (Though perfectly normal, of course, by modern FPS standards where side paths and non-linearity are about as frequent as well-informed, honest, game critics.)
*As for the question of whether Duke actually hails from the planet Chauvinism 69 located somewhere in the Erogenous Zone, orbiting the massive twin neutron star Misogyny (which, of course, resembles a set of hulking testicles), I can only say this: it's entertaining if you're not the type who respects women to the very core of your being, never looks at porn, ever, and isn't interested in women in various states of undress because, of course, you respect women too much.
*Sure, the writing itself--which is what everyone is taking issue with as the game is tame even by Skinemax standards, never mind the hardcore porn most of the critics are devouring w/ glee every time their hands heal enough to apply lotion that doesn't burn their raw, cracked, palms and fractured wrists--can be terribly uneven. And a lot of the one-liners do, in fact, suck--not because they're 'misogynistic', but because, well, they're badly written, hackneyed, or lifted straight from films where they stick out like the overworked, mangled, appendage on a game 'journalist'.
But when they deliver a gem--and there are many--there are belly laughs to be had (I'm not going to share any of them, because several are event-specific and I don't want to spoil that).
And the writing for a few of the NPCs is, in fact, absolutely hilarious in a completely gratuitous way. (The pokes at other games are awesome, too.)
*And, yeah, the graphics are pretty blah, showing their age much more than anything else on the HD twins (they are pretty good on PC where there was clearly more effort, but the PS3 rev just looks washed out and tired compared to things like Killzone 3 and Resistance) but since I'm perfectly OK w/ Wii graphics 95% of the time, I don't really give a fuck if it's 'only' running on a modified Unreal Engine 2 (or at least appears to, since it clearly doesn't have that generic UE3 look).
*And let me say this again: if you have the option GET THE PC REV, do NOT buy it on console if only because the load times, if you die, can be brutal. We're talking 30 seconds after a death to get back in the action (on PC they cut that down to about 10 seconds or so).
It's actually pretty obnoxious that this is the case in 2011 even if the game has been in development since I started working in the game biz, way back in the twentieth century. (Trust me: a few spots are difficult enough that you'll have to repeat them several times and when you add those 30 second loads into the equation, you're going to want to stab someone.)
Anyway, basically, I had a blast. It's not perfect, it's not going to win game of the year and, no, it probably wasn't worth the wait (at this point, the second coming of Christ would have had to have been a pre-order bonus for that to happen) but it *is* fun and it *is* as entertaining as anything else released this year…if you're not the type who respects women to the very core of your being, never looks at porn, ever, and isn't interested in women in various states of undress because, of course, you respect women too much.
1 An admittedly low bar to hurdle. 2 Terrible not because there's rape in it (there isn't), but because it's basically a catalog of how not to design an FPS level.
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Post by ECM on Jun 18, 2011 6:50:54 GMT -5
And in case the above message wasn't received (re: Duke and porn and game journos, etc.): the whole brouhaha over the game's non-game elements is silly-bordering-on-ridiculous.
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Post by elchevalier on Jun 18, 2011 18:36:41 GMT -5
Ok, i haven't read much about the "scandal", basically, they dislike the sexist ellements of the game, yet nobody says nothing about killing hookers in a GTA game? Banging women in God of War? Seriously?
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Post by ECM on Jun 18, 2011 19:49:44 GMT -5
Yeah, that's basically what it boils down to: people that consume huge quantities of porn and play games that have 'sexist' elements far, far in excess of what Duke offers are just being dicks because it's 'ok' to hate this game (it also signals that you're a caring, introspective, male that respects women, etc.).
Read the IGN review (if you dare!) for a good example of this, but you can find all sorts of nattering like this on every gaming message board in existence.
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Post by feilong80 on Jun 21, 2011 9:38:35 GMT -5
LA Noire is the most interesting game of 2011 and my personal game of the year so far. Yet why don't I want to pick it up again?
First, let's be clear: this is Phoenix Freakin' Wright, on a freakin' console with full blown HD graphics, minus the comedy. That's just awesome. Second, as a jazz fanboy, walking around in 1947 LA is a joy beyond description. I so want to live in this era, so thank you game industry for giving a vehicle for that desire.
What LA Noire does great is the moment to moment gameplay of being a detective. The mechanics are pretty simple: walk around, pick up stuff, occasionally examine it further. Once done, you talk to people, and you judge their facial expressions to see if they are being truthful, doubtful (basically "doubt" in the game means to lean on them harder), or if they are lying. Selecting "lie" requires you to prove that with evidence, so making sure you absolutely grab everything at a crime scene is paramount.
When it weaves its spell, it works great. One particular case had me interrogating two guys back at HQ. I needed to get one of confess. One wrong move, and I might not get a confession, which doesn't affect the overall plot but does affect your case rating. Well, I got a guy to spill the beans. It was great, it felt like I just took down a boss!
There is some needed action sequences, although I think they went a bit overboard with the controls; these bits could have been simplified. LA Noire doesn't need a fully fleshed out cover system/melee combat mechanics. That it does so speaks to the 7 years of development and probable multiple design directions.
Like most games that focus on narrative, you'll be mad at some narrative missteps, and... big spoiler coming... they KILL YOU AT THE END. With all the grace of a gnat getting crushed by meteor that falls out of the sky. Which is a problem I have... I no longer want to play the DLC, or go back, because, you know, I'm DEAD. D-E-A-D. I was looking forward to continuing your character's story, but nope. I guess it wasn't "noire" enough to let you do that!
Still, this was a cool, unique game that kind of updates old school adventure games for a modern console audience.
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