So on a whim I picked up Quantum Break a few days ago. While I found Alan Wake to be awful in pretty much every way except 'atmosphere' (seriously some of the most retarded combat in a AAA action game I've played and a tedious, boring story with a few good characters here and there), Remedy's first two games are inarguable masterpieces of story-based action gaming.

So where does Quantum Break fall? Well, I'm only about halfway through, but it's pretty promising so far. The story is essentially Alan Wake with the paranormal elements swapped for sci-fi/conspiracy claptrap which suits me far better, and they've removed most of the painful forced attempts at comic relief that dragged down Alan Wake every time it started to be halfway interesting. Even the budget TV show that comes packaged with the game (for some reason) isn't too bad, with some great acting from Lance Reddick and Aiden Gillen, although make no mistake, the game is most definitely not worth it for the TV show.

What Quantum break is worth it for is the combat. Holy shit, the combat. Unlike most modern third-person shooters, Quantum Break's combat is about keeping mobile. There's no snap-to-cover, even on Hard you can soak up a lot of bullets before the screen turns red, fairly early in the game you get semi-big arenas filled with tons of bad guys that you have to figure out how to take down and, best of all, your magic powers have extremely fast recharge rates and most of them only work when you're moving around. So what you basically get is the slick, smooth gunplay from Max Payne 3 but without the "realistic" movement system and annoying cover mechanics that kneecapped that game's best features. Oh, and Quantum Break is an enjoyable sci-fi romp that doesn't take itself so goddamned seriously all of the time, unlike Rockstar's stab at a sequel to the best action games of the early 00's.

So yeah, buy Quantum Break if you like 3rd person shooters and can play it.

I actually really enjoyed Max Payne 3. The story problems it has are fairly indicative of Rockstar-level storytelling - really cool setup and action set-pieces, but the main character(s) don't really evolve, grow or change in any meaningful way. The moment where Max shaves his head should've been that point, but there was zero change in his attitude afterwards.

The Panama flashback level in Max Payne 3 is probably one of my favorite levels. Great music and a really great setup. You're on this boat party where all of the guests were essentially slaughtered while you're drunk-napping, and you're going in after the fact through all of the horror and bloodshed, taking them out, one-by-one to this really awesome ambient synthwave music.

Fuck man, I kinda want to play through that game again. I think they put it out on the PlayStation 4.

I say story can be important, but if it's told like you tell a story in movies, it fails automatically and should at least be skippable.

I think that it'd be better to say that different forms of media tend to benefit from similarly different story-telling formats.

Well if we're talking about cutscenes, I'd agree wholeheartedly. A cinematic experience doesn't necessarily need to mean cutscenes, though. And I'd also say that reading isn't out of place in a game, either for conveying a story or giving clues for how to pass an obstacle.

As for reading in games, wouldn't you say the player is interacting by interpreting what is being said and relating it to what the rest of the game? I happen to think reading can have great value in a game.

If anybody here is currently into multiplayer shooters, I highly suggest TitanFall 2. It released on Friday and I've been playing the shit out of it and enjoying every second.

When the first one came out everyone said it was the greatest game ever then it died like a month later with no player activity lmao.

Okay.

Same with me until I started running custom persistent multiplayer campaigns with my friends in Arma 3. It's basically like a really good open-world MMO that also has a really realistic FPS engine.

Are you guys getting any of the games from the Steam Halloween Sale?

Dude WHAT THE FUCK even IS Arma 3? I get caught up watching it on Twitch all the time. I'll put it on just as a goof but then I get so engrossed. I watched a team of 4 rob a bank with 2 cars and then get chased down and held up at gunpoint by another gang. That was rad. But mostly it's just like people driving around doing absolutely nothing? I can't figure it out but it always locks me in for at least 10-15 minutes.

I'd rather be a robot shooting lasers in space than some grunt on the ground with a M-16, tbh.

Just saying, it's a good reason to be wary of those titles.

Has anyone here played the new Battlefield and if so, how many minutes did you last before the game crashed?


I mean, I'm interested in the game but after the disastrous first 5 months of BF4 I'm wary of bothering with a new Dice game so soon after launch.

It's a stupid reason to forego jumping into a game. A good game is a good game is a good game, and it's one of the most mechanically satisfying FPSs in recent memory, right next to Doom.

Hello!
I've trying to remember a game that I played a lot in my childhood but I can't. Things that I remember about it:
-It was on a PS1 demo disc (the black ones).
-The map was like a labyrinth. It had dark colors.
-Two teams were available (blue and red I think). We had a base where we could spawn tank-ish vehicles and choppers, having different "buildings" for each one. The "building" had red/blue painted on the ground in front of it.
-I am not sure but our character(?) could fly above the labyrinth wall.
-The tanks and chopper headed straight to the other base, i think.

Anyone? I know it is not much but I am desperate to find this game...

Are you guys getting any of the games from the Steam Halloween Sale?

I'm getting a brand new PC this week so add me on Steam now that the account will see some action! http://steamcommunity.com/id/metantoine

Hello!
I've trying to remember a game that I played a lot in my childhood but I can't. Things that I remember about it:
-It was on a PS1 demo disc (the black ones).
-The map was like a labyrinth. It had dark colors.
-Two teams were available (blue and red I think). We had a base where we could spawn tank-ish vehicles and choppers, having different "buildings" for each one. The "building" had red/blue painted on the ground in front of it.
-I am not sure but our character(?) could fly above the labyrinth wall.
-The tanks and chopper headed straight to the other base, i think.

Anyone? I know it is not much but I am desperate to find this game...