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Xeogred
Thunderbolt from Hell

Joined: Tue Jul 25, 2006 11:28 pm
Posts: 7154
PostPosted: Thu Nov 22, 2012 11:22 pm 
 

Arx Fatalis runs really freaking weirdly, like I'm lightspeed or something... weird framerate issues. I'm on Win7 64bit, has anyone else played it successfully on newer systems?

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Necroticism174
Kite String Popper

Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:46 pm
Posts: 5352
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 2:55 am 
 

Alright, so I finished Hitman Absolution. I thought the missions themselves weren't as brilliant or memorable as some other Hitman games (some in Blood Money and Silent Assassine come to mind,) but the gameplay is refined and gone are the many bugs of days of yore. 47 no longer moves mechanically, and enemies don't walk into walls and get stuck. Story wise, this wins out over all the others. It's nothing really that special, but it's good to see 47's character getting more development, and actually having things to say. They removed weapon customization in the campaign (which was one of my favourite aspects of BM) and relegated it to the new Contracts mode (which I'm not very fond of). It kind of feels like a missed opportunity. I also get that, for story reasons, you don't get to choose your weapons at the beginning of each mission but goddamn does only having Silverballers at the start of each mission limit options. You have to familiarize yourself with the levels and locations of everything even more than in previous games. My main gripe with it was the new implementation of the enemy recognition system. For example, if you're wearing a police officer disguise, other police officers will know you're an impostor if you don't use instinct to hide your face or stay in hiding. Sure, it adds realism, but it led to a lot of frustrating moments. Anyways, don't let these things deter you, Hitman fans, as it's still a very satisfying game. Few things are as rewarding as finally pulling off that perfect kill and there are still some individual truly memorable moments sprinkled through.
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theposaga about a Moonblood rehearsal wrote:
So good. Makes me want to break up with my girlfriend, quit my job and never move out of my parents house. Just totally destroy my life for Satan.

http://halberddoom.bandcamp.com/releases

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MacMoney
Man of the Cloth

Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2002 10:17 pm
Posts: 2331
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:24 am 
 

Necroticism174 wrote:
Story wise, this wins out over all the others. It's nothing really that special, but it's good to see 47's character getting more development, and actually having things to say.


I'm not big on the series or that much in the know regarding the fluff, but what I found worked better for the games was when you (47) were just a tool for those with power and while you were at the center and an acting part, you didn't actually participate or have a say. Fits more with the railroading style that mission-based games like these tend to be as well as with what I know of the main character's background.

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Necroticism174
Kite String Popper

Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:46 pm
Posts: 5352
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:45 am 
 

Perhaps so, but after 4 games of that, it's refreshing to see 47 being the one driving the action.
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theposaga about a Moonblood rehearsal wrote:
So good. Makes me want to break up with my girlfriend, quit my job and never move out of my parents house. Just totally destroy my life for Satan.

http://halberddoom.bandcamp.com/releases

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satanic_neumann
Metal newbie

Joined: Thu Oct 09, 2008 5:01 pm
Posts: 366
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 4:48 am 
 

Far Cry 3 looks interesting, reminds more of the classic first game than FC2. I just hope my computer can handle it. Far Cry is the only FPS franchise which i dont deeply despise along with Crysis, too bad Crysis 2 was bad and 3 looks the same.

I've played very scarce lately, though i started Valkyrie Profile on PSP couple weeks ago. Loving it so far, challenging and unique rpg. As a huge Tri-Ace fan, Dunno why i haven't checked this game before.

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Kahalachan
Metalhead

Joined: Mon May 17, 2010 1:46 am
Posts: 573
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:24 am 
 

After playing some of The Last Story on Thanksgiving, I'm thinking I better just go back to Deus Ex Human Revolution.


I'm going to spoil the game without spoiling it. How?

Think of every fantasy story cliche and that's The Last Story.

Guess who discovers a mysterious power and is able to use it?

Who is this tough girl that is hiding from the guards and is being somewhat secretive about her identity?

Things are looking good at home. What's going to happen soon?


I mean it's like the game has so many tropes and is so predictable and sticking to formula, that it's its own damn spoiler. Chapter 5 is a spoiler for chapter 7. I mean......wow. WTF.


The game doesn't suck. I mean the pacing is fine. Nothing feels grindy. There aren't crazy long cutscenes. The story and gameplay flow smoothly together. It has some fun quirks, interesting design choices, and looks pretty and sounds great. You can't button mash like an idiot but you aren't gonna rack your brain to pass some tough section. If you want to sit down and relax and feel happy and push some buttons, this game will work for that.


It's fine. There's nothing wrong with it. Those are the best compliments I can give it. I really can't give this game much praise. But it's OK.


Edit:

To compare with Xenoblade......

I'm the type of person that I would like to see something excel leagues ahead of everything else in places and make some major mistakes that it can learn from, than for something to play it safe and be boring.

Xenoblade's soundtrack is the best this generation of games. The atmosphere and environments blew me away. The story was touching, shocking, fun, silly, interesting. Even the character that should've annoyed me and obvious fan service character grew on me cause there was development. Cause they are experiencing this whole ordeal and they change and grow.

Sidequests are pure garbage. What's the motivation? None. Ok the in-game achievements. Big deal. Voice acting is just painful at times.

The Last Story is this boring neighbor that you're fine with. Xenoblade is someone who can drive you crazy at times but you <3 them.

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 11:17 am 
 

Oh man, I just payed out 500 euro for the first bunch of components. And I have to pay another 400 or the next lot. Oh God, my poor wallet.

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Nahsil
Clerical Sturmgeschütz

Joined: Sun Jan 08, 2006 2:06 pm
Posts: 4577
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 12:34 pm 
 

yentass wrote:
Nahsil wrote:
Can't decide what to play next, most likely either FTL or Dark Souls.

Play classic ironman ;)


I shoulda played classic first time around, but I don't know if I'm masochistic enough for it AND ironman. I'll play it again someday but not now.
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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 3:10 pm 
 

BaloroftheEvilEye wrote:
Oh man, I just payed out 500 euro for the first bunch of components. And I have to pay another 400 or the next lot. Oh God, my poor wallet.


I can't decide if the performance boost of an i5 3750k is worth the bump in price. Ditto for the radeo hd 7970. i7 and gtx 680 are way out of my price range, unfortunately.

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inhumanist
Metal freak

Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:09 pm
Posts: 5634
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 5:54 pm 
 

http://penny-arcade.com/report/editoria ... pport-them

I can't say I'm surprised. It's kind of like with the Oscars, which are handed out by a club consisting almost solely of wealthy, white, elderly males. It's sad that Industries work that way.
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Necroticism174
Kite String Popper

Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:46 pm
Posts: 5352
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 6:20 pm 
 

So my PS3 froze for the first time during gameplay and corrupted my Hitman files. I tried the safe mode but no dice. Fuck this shit, I'm not starting to play. Will to play: killed. This is weak. The next generation of consoles better have better functioning failsafes.
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theposaga about a Moonblood rehearsal wrote:
So good. Makes me want to break up with my girlfriend, quit my job and never move out of my parents house. Just totally destroy my life for Satan.

http://halberddoom.bandcamp.com/releases

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:50 pm 
 

And here I assumed they never made games with female leads because their core demographic was young males.

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metaldiscussor666
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Sep 18, 2012 9:09 pm
Posts: 560
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:12 pm 
 

My brother just got a custom made cartridge of the unreleased game for the Nintendo Entertainment System EARTHBOUND, in the mail today. Not the one released on SNES. That SNES game is actually a game called "mother 2," which was released in america instead of the game for NES because the game for NES came out around the time of the SNES's lauch so it was never released. At least that's what my brother tells me. I was playing it for a couple hours and it's so awesome. I'd be all about getting myself a copy as soon as possible if my brother wasn't so damn agreeable with letting me share it.
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Last edited by metaldiscussor666 on Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:31 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 10:28 pm 
 

BaloroftheEvilEye wrote:
And here I assumed they never made games with female leads because their core demographic was young males.


Don't you think it might work both ways? Fewer female gamers because of fewer female game characters.

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yentass
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:28 am
Posts: 927
Location: Israel
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 3:43 pm 
 

Of all the reasons why there are fewer female gamers, "lack of female protagonists" is probably the last on the list.
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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:06 pm 
 

OK, cool. What are some other things the industry can work on?

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yentass
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:28 am
Posts: 927
Location: Israel
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:46 pm 
 

Not much really - it's either manufacture games geared towards that specific demographic or adapt them to fit a broader audience. Both of these options involve a significant financial risk no sane publisher would dare to take.
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Dandelo
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 5:08 am
Posts: 1096
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:16 pm 
 

One of the main reasons I couldn't get into The Last Story was how choppy the game ran. The framerate was terrible, I think it was more a shoddy engine or programming problem than anything else. There are better looking games on the system that run at 60fps.

Going through Chrono Trigger again, snes version. The translation is a little different on the DS version. I can't remember whether the snes version implies that Lavos has been controlling the evolution or not. I'm more than halfway through the game, so I'll see soon enough.

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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:27 pm 
 

yentass wrote:
Not much really - it's either manufacture games geared towards that specific demographic or adapt them to fit a broader audience. Both of these options involve a significant financial risk no sane publisher would dare to take.


Publishers will always take an opportunity to appeal to a broader userbase when it appears. Look at how far gaming has come on phones and tablets.

I don't really care about what "sane" publishers would do. I really wanted you to explain what other things could be keeping women from playing more videogames.

Let's say I have a shitload of money and an agenda. How do I get the girlies interested without alienating the dudebros?

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:39 pm 
 

I'm sure Morrigan could tell you, but I would personally, and strongly believe that action in general is very much a male thing, be it films or games (or metal for that matter). Now you can argue that's a biological or social issue, but the fact remains that women have been a minuscule fraction of the people that play video games since it's boom, and I'd also say at least part of that is due to the social stigma that soon became attached to gaming. Of course being slightly nerdy (or rather the popular version of it) has sort of become the in thing in a way, which is why so many undesirables have latched onto gaming recently and why "sexism" in video games has become so talked about, and will soon, hopefully, pass.

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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:44 pm 
 

BaloroftheEvilEye wrote:
Now you can argue that's a biological or social issue, but the fact remains that women have been a minuscule fraction of the people that play video games since it's boom, and I'd also say at least part of that is due to the social stigma that soon became attached to gaming.

I was actually so interested in this subject that I did a quick google.

http://videogames.procon.org/view.resou ... eID=003627

It's 60% male, 40% female. Closer than I thought, and directly contradicts your point that the demographic is inherently imbalanced due to the nature of the medium. I'd also like to add that one of the pioneers of the adventure game genre was a woman.

On a tangential note, the cost of creating a "AAA" game like Assassin's Creed or Call of Duty is so high that more games need to be sold to break even. That business model is not sustainable without massive gains in efficiency or an expansion of the target demographic.

I think you are seeing the waters being tested with the AC Vita spinoff having a female playable character.

Quote:
Of course being slightly nerdy (or rather the popular version of it) has sort of become the in thing in a way, which is why so many undesirables have latched onto gaming recently and why "sexism" in video games has become so talked about, and will soon, hopefully, pass.


This is pretty wrong, dude. Technology isn't really a nerd exclusive thing anymore. This is 2012, not 1992. If you don't want to critically analyze video games and see how they participate in cultural discourse, fine. That doesn't mean they don't.

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:55 pm 
 

You realise that figure factors in mobile games, right? I would love to see this mystical country where almost half of gamer are women. In fairness, brand loyalty that so many gamers possess is sadly enough to buy whatever mass appeal bland turd the big boys can shit out. Hell, Activision has published the same game for half a decade and it just keeps selling.

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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:02 pm 
 

Why does it matter that it includes mobile games? Those platforms are only going to get better hardware wise, and more and more capable of delivering experiences that were previously television or monitor bound. Most "next gen" engines were built to be "scalable." That's the hot talking point of next gen development. Again, for the current method of production to continue they need to expand their audience. No sense in spending millions on something only a fraction of potential customers can run.

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:06 pm 
 

Because those are absolute trash and also not the games where idiots like the shills at PA and Kotaku are talking about?

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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:12 pm 
 

Sometimes things you don't like are still relevant.

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:15 pm 
 

Except those AAA games are obviously what those dipshits are whining about. No-one, especially them, gives a shit about some no-name game that isn't in the mainstream like super-deep throat or the plethora of Jap rape sims. EDIT: (but suddenly no-name trash are important in statistics). Stop moving goalposts.

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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:23 pm 
 

You went from "Play videogames" to "play videogames that I care about." You seem to be very angry, perhaps you should calm down before we continue. Please do keep in mind I do not write for PA or Kotaku, nor do I visit their sites often.

Are you implying the games on mobile platforms are "no name trash"?


Last edited by sortalikeadream on Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:25 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:25 pm 
 

Apart from Angry Birds, which is just trash? Yeah, pretty much. Tell me, when someone tells you they like to play video games, do you automatically assume that mean mobile phone games?

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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:28 pm 
 

No, I assume they mean their iPad. :P

Sorry, your bias against that sector is just unjustified. It's a growing market, and more publishers are pushing to get their IPs represented on it because they realize the potential of the massive userbase. On the flip side, you had something like an indie games gold rush because every body wanted dat Angry Birds money. That trend is going to continue. See: Making sure Unreal Engine 4 is "scalable."

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:33 pm 
 

Tablets are a gimmick, trying to be something between a smartphone and a laptop, but whatever, you're getting further and further from the point. Which is whether men are deliberately keeping women out of gaming by purposefully developing games to repel them or whether women have a natural aversion to action in general.

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yentass
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:28 am
Posts: 927
Location: Israel
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:39 pm 
 

sortalikeadream wrote:
Publishers will always take an opportunity to appeal to a broader userbase when it appears. Look at how far gaming has come on phones and tablets.

I don't really care about what "sane" publishers would do. I really wanted you to explain what other things could be keeping women from playing more videogames.

Let's say I have a shitload of money and an agenda. How do I get the girlies interested without alienating the dudebros?

That was exactly my point - you can't get the girlies interested without either alienating the dudebros or driving yourself into bankruptcy. I'd broaden what BaloroftheEvilEye said earlier - from what I've gathered, the female audience at best doesn't care about shooty-stabby stuff enough to "commit" to it as most of hugely advertised blockbuster video games expect their players. That's one of the prime examples why mobile games should be ruled out of the equation IMO - they're usually "family friendly" AND designed to be pick-and-play and not as demanding as bigger games are.


On a completely unrelated note - anyone wants to share their top fives of 2012, or do you think it's too early? I'll post mine tomorrow.
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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
Posts: 7721
Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:41 pm 
 

Top 5 Games of 2012:

1. Persona 4 Golden
2. Persona 4 Arena
3-5. I need no other games
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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:43 pm 
 

I've only bought one game released this year, Borderlands 2. Nothing else came out that I had any interest in, as far as I know.
Anyway, i'd say it's a decent game, but like the last one, has some annoying flaws. Haven't tried out the DLC yet.

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BaloroftheEvilEye
Metalhead

Joined: Fri Oct 02, 2009 11:42 am
Posts: 1635
Location: Ireland
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:46 pm 
 

yentass wrote:
sortalikeadream wrote:
That's one of the prime examples why mobile games should be ruled out of the equation IMO - they're usually "family friendly" AND designed to be pick-and-play and not as demanding as bigger games are.



This, pretty much. Mobile games clearly don't factor into the articles own idea of gaming if they're complaining about sexism in game development. It's just fluff to build up figures.

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Ravenlord266
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2005 7:18 pm
Posts: 1515
Location: Netherlands
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:00 pm 
 

Mobile games are a part of the casual revolution in gaming. They are a big part of the industry and should always be treated as such. seriously, your 'hardcore' games are just a piece of the entire pie.
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sortalikeadream
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 14, 2010 2:34 am
Posts: 1618
PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 9:23 pm 
 

BaloroftheEvilEye wrote:
Tablets are a gimmick, trying to be something between a smartphone and a laptop, but whatever, you're getting further and further from the point. Which is whether men are deliberately keeping women out of gaming by purposefully developing games to repel them or whether women have a natural aversion to action in general.



That gimmick is likely going to outlast consoles.

Whatever indeed. You've set up a false dichotomy and I don't see this conversation going anywhere productive.

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yentass
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:28 am
Posts: 927
Location: Israel
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:09 am 
 

Don't think so. Consoles came way before tablets and will probably last just as much (bear in mind that consoles also advance technologically, not only tablets) since certain people apparently prefer a dedicated peripheral for gaming rather than a "jack-of-all-trades" system like a tablet (or a PC, for that matter - it requires little observation to see that most of the sales come from consoles and not PC even though they easily out-spec any console, current gen or next).

Anyway, I think you derail your own discussion by arguing over the quality of casual games instead of their relevance to the topic at hand. First off, you can't really compare the two - Angry Birds is designed to be something you whip up, complete a level of it, then put back down when you have a spare 10 minutes to kill. Try this approach with bigger games, however, and you'll either make zero progress in this time span (see Dark Souls, Hitman: Absolution) or lose all context - and therefore, interest - of what you were doing (see any game with a non-checkpoint driven save system). Traditional games require a certain degree of commitment (properly understanding and mastering the mechanics, skill development - all of these require significant chunks of time and effort), and most women at best don't care enough about "action" stuff to find such a commitment appealing, according to my previous claim.

Secondly, casual games are designed to appeal to everyone. There are enough women that play these games, so in order to increase the amount of "female gamers", one should strive to increase said amount in the traditional "core" games. There's also a sub-discussion to be had about whether the casual game audience qualifiy as "gamers" or not - and they're not, in my opinion (not every one who plays video games is considered a "gamer", and not due to some ridiculous "hardcore vs. casual" claims but merely because the very term "gamer" by definition implies dedication to the subject and even certain degree of addiction to it).


Now, on a more pleasant note - here are my top 5 for the year:

Spoiler: show
1. XCOM: Enemy Unknown
A prime example of how a remake should be handled - Firaxis made a great job at paying a tribute to a classic while maintaining their own identity and imprint. The end result is a game so addictive and satisfying, it not only tops my GOTY list but also can easily stare in the original's - a game widely considered as one of the best of all times - eye without a flinch in my opinion. The bug fixing by the devs is a little slow, but that's my only noteworthy gripe with this game.

2. Thomas Was Alone
Somewhat clunky mechanics, relatively easy puzzles (and only a limited amount of truly interesting ones), short time span and little replayability - these are the things I am apparently willing to sacrifice in favor of a well thought, well written, exciting and engaging narrative. A journey everyone should experience.

3. Mark of the Ninja
What can be said about the poor man's Dishonored really? Be prepared for a remarkably engaging and deep gameplay and a truly fancy design. The story has a promise as well, which sadly falls somewhat flat due to lack of proper leverage (the transition from the grindhouse silliness of Shank 1 and 2 to something more serious proved to be a harder task than expected I guess).

4. Dark Souls
Yeah yeah, I know it's been out for a year on consoles, but I don't own one so I only got to experience it just recently, so fuck off. DaS is another game I adore despite its flaws and some terrible design choices (a.k.a. the stuff people usually praise it for because I'm a hippie). The absolute high points of the game, in my opinion, are the meticulous attention to details and the profoundly thought out, incredibly morbid and fucked in the head lore and overall design; if only it was more streamlined, no one would be as much as mentioning Spec Ops: The Line these days. I also praise it for being different, a quality that's highly rated these days. Tends to switch places with #3 on a whim.

5. Max Payne 3
Some reviewers regard it as the epitome of the shooter, and I can't say I disagree. I'm also perfectly fine with one of the most popular criticisms of this game - its long and unskippable cutscenes, since I do enjoy focusing on the story when present. The story itself gets very stupid very quick, but at the same time feels sufficiently rounded (the interaction between Max and Passos felt more believable and interesting than the one between Max and Mona in MP2, for example). The game also look gorgeous but who cares really.


Honorable mentions:
Spec Ops: The Line - lost the tie-breaker to Max Payne 3 and comes at a close sixth place while conveniently avoiding the incongruity caused by #4 in my list. The story, while somewhat bursting at its seams and indecisive about what it's trying to accomplish, evokes a very palpable atmosphere of discomfort, and is basically the one key feature that sets this otherwise competent shooter apart from the rest of the herd.

Hotline Miami - here's a challenging game done mostly right; despite its knack for cheap shots (pun totally intended), its challenge/difficulty is mostly optional yet extremely satisfying once you decide to embrace it; nothing feels as good as the hubris of patting your self on the shoulder after an intricate, lightning fast spree that started with a cue in one's face and culminated in an A+ rating at the end of the level. Super Meat Boy would be proud. It's also worth noting the perfectly tailored soundtrack and the outlandish plot that constantly keeps taking sharp turns just when you think you had everything figured out (although the true potential of the premise remains largely unfulfilled).
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Last edited by yentass on Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:06 am, edited 1 time in total.
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kingnuuuur
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:35 pm
Posts: 2325
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 8:35 am 
 

I haven't played any other games this year, but I imagine XCOM would rank high on my list as well. Finished it twice. Probably the only thing I didn't like about it is the nutty plot twist, if we can call it that, and the anti-climactic ending.

Spoiler: show
We, the super advanced ethereals, are going to terrorize humans as an experiment, just to find out if they're strong and psionically gifted and hope that they won't kill us in return when we show up and lecture them...???
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yentass
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Joined: Sun Nov 23, 2003 9:28 am
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Location: Israel
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:07 am 
 

kingnuuuur wrote:
I haven't played any other games this year, but I imagine XCOM would rank high on my list as well.

Well, if it's the only game you played this year it's kinda expected :P
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kingnuuuur
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Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2008 3:35 pm
Posts: 2325
PostPosted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 9:17 am 
 

i.e. I've checked out other games but didn't really care for any. I haven't seen Max Payne 3 yet, and even though I'm a fan of the original, I don't expect it to top XCOM fun-wise.
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