Messages

1

General / Re: Which franchise have you beaten the most games in?

« on: October 31, 2019, 10:32:45 pm »

That would be the 'Musou' series (IE Dynasty Warriors and its brethren).

DW 2
DW 3
DW 4
DW 5
DW 5 Empires
DW 7
DW 7 Empires
DW 8
DW 8 Empires
Samurai Warriors 2
Samurai Warriors 4
Samurai Warriors 4 II
Warriors Orochi
Warriors Orochi 2
Warriors Orochi 3

It was a favourite series of mine, I'm still interested in the likes of Warriors Orochi 4, but the series peaked extremely early with Dynasty Warriors 3, the developers have buggered about with a few things like the combo system (hence why DW 6 isn't here) and an open world style (ditto DW 9). DW 3's massive roster of enemy types, huge battlefields and things like customisable bodyguards were amazing at the time it was released. Instead of figuring out how to make the battlefields more dynamic (like allowing you to bolster allied officers' forces with some of your own units so they're not constantly needing rescuing, whereas you have less support, for instance), instead it's the same tired formula but with hardly any allied soldiers on the battlefield and dispoable enemy fodder. In DW8 you could sweep up non-officer enemies like you were brushing the step, there was even a button to mash for that attack. Nah, it's lost its way, badly.

Not trying to get too off-topic, but if you like Zelda at all, you should really give Hyrule Warriors a shot if you haven't already! I've only played a little of DW8 (Vita) and DW8E (PS4), but IMO Hyrule Warriors just felt like a much more polished experience with more concise, well-designed gameplay.

That being said, I think the characters/thematics that attract people to DW never really attracted me, whereas the Zelda version does... so that could be a lot of reason for my personal preference.

In any case, I try to give it praise when I can. Give it a look, and maybe a try sometime! I've heard the Fire Emblem version is good too.

2

Modern Video Games / Banner Saga 3 - What's Your Opinion?....

« on: June 28, 2019, 11:08:37 pm »

Hi all!

First of all, if you haven't played the Banner Saga and stumbled across this through curiosity, I'd encourage trying it! The trilogy is super cheap on disc now. I also want to express that overall, I enjoyed the experience and hope to see more in the future. Lots of good things to say. Need to nab some posters from the official site.

Moving on... every once in a while, I like to write up a review for a game. Throughout last year and the early part of 2019, I spent time playing BS1-3, and writing a review on each entry.

One and two were straightforward enough, but after finishing BS3... I'm stuck. It's 90% done, but I've been sitting on it for a while.

So I'm looking for opinions. I sort of know where I sit, opinion wise, on two things, though I'm having more conflict with the second. So I want to hear what you think!

*WARNING: SUPER SPOILERS AHEAD... SCROLL DOWN FOR THE REST OF THE POST*




-































... OK, so I'm curious about two things.

1. Battles for Juno's group. Were these nearly impossible for anyone else... especially the finale? In general, the problem wasn't enemies, but the wave timer. Ivan's group felt (stats/ability wise) weaker and harder to use than Rook/Alette's group, which combined with the time limit, made things really tough... playing too defensively could put you in trouble; if you didn't eliminate the first wave in time, it was practically a guaranteed loss.

The ONLY thing that allowed me to win a lot of these, including the finale, was exploiting Juno. I would keep a friendly part member in the corner of the map, and send her among enemies (hopefully in the center or across the map); her power enabled her to control an enemy (inflicting damage), low health made her a target, enemy killed her, revive her with enough power to control an enemy again. Rinse, repeat until you win.

What's your experience with this? Anyone else use this exploit? Did you find this caravan's battles to be significantly harder? I also lacked trinkets for this group, so I'm wondering if that was a problem too. I had *some*, but Alette's group was much better off. (Buffing Canary to be a glass canon with a -3/+3was great haha)

2. The ending. This is what I'm really conflicted about. How'd you feel about it? I know this always leads to big discussions, I don't expect everyone to agree. This is a tricky topic for many games. But I'd like to hear your opinions.

3. Feel free to add anything else.

Thanks in advance.

3

General / Re: Anybody playing Rainbow Six: Siege?

« on: June 15, 2019, 11:42:36 pm »

Cool! Thanks so much for sharing these with the community!

Since you work on the game, I've gotta ask... favorite operator? 

I honestly haven't played in 2 years, so keep that in mind...but my mains were Rook [mine] and Thermite, although I loved playing Mute as well. I always prefer the support classes though 

So who are your favorites?

Rook and Thermite, huh?... always a pain to play against lol! 

Same here. I got the game with the Year 2 pass, but haven't played for a bit (though I'm working on installing again now  ).

I think my favorite from a visual perspective is IQ! I like her mix of casual/tactical looks. I'm glad that R6 continued to include some operators with more variance in color and outfits (like Dokkaebi / Ela).

Favorite from a gameplay perspective?... that's tough. It's kinda hard to find a good mix between the skill choice and weapon choice.

For attackers, Ash is always a solid pick. Good weapons, and an ability that's always useful. I like Dokkaebi's ability the best, but was trying to use Ying a little before I stopped playing. I would say IQ, but her special ability just doesn't feel as useful as many other attackers' abilities.

For defenders, I started using Valkyrie, and really enjoyed it! Plenty of cameras, and useful for all teammates throughout the round. I was maining Mira for a bit, but it's a little trickier using hers.

Just curious, as someone who works in the industry... thoughts on Microsoft's Stadia? Think subscription/streaming services are the future? It's looking more and more like gaming is going to go the way of Netflix, and users will be paying for subscription streaming services, rather than physical media. At least once our internet connections here in smaller areas catch up lol. I'm actually kinda surprised that more places like Ubisoft haven't emulated EA, and offered games via subscription service.

4

General / Re: Anybody playing Rainbow Six: Siege?

« on: May 26, 2019, 06:55:49 pm »

Cool! Thanks so much for sharing these with the community!

Since you work on the game, I've gotta ask... favorite operator? 

5

Modern Video Games / Re: Would you agree game story narrative is inferior to the film industry?

« on: February 21, 2019, 07:22:11 pm »

Hardly, I play lots of Visual Novels and JRPGs that have fantastic stories. I can think of far more games I found emotionally impactful than I can movies. I don't think it's fair to compare the worst stories in games to the best of movies. It's just disingenuous.

(....)I'm not saying one can't like movies, but Video games can be just as good or even better on a case by case basis. It's too difficult to generalize.

Agreed. While game design has evolved to include more 'cinematic' features over time, games have long been taking cues from books and movies. I can't remember if it was Shinobi or Ninja Gaiden (or maybe both), but things like cutscenes, visual aids, and narrative have played significant roles in game design in one way or another.

At the same time, however, it's a medium that has it's own advantages and disadvantages. The most obvious advantage is interactivity- players can become invested in characters and worlds in a way that films and books just can't reproduce, because they lack the interactive element. It can create feelings and moments that the other mediums lack- imagine COD's "No Russian" mission without the interactivity. I probably could have sat and watched that in a movie, but it's a completely different experience to put a controller in someone's hand and tell them to perform the deeds themselves. One other good example is the ending of Arkham Knight- no spoilers, but the feelings and experience that last little bit creates just couldn't be reproduced by reading a comic, book, or movie.

There's a lot more to be said about it, but I think Baileykun is particularly right about something. There's a lot of great games with really powerful stories - if you're looking for suggestions for game experiences that might change your view , I'm sure plenty of people could offer up suggestions.

Full disclosure- I'm also a visual novel fan and like when a good story moves things along haha.

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Modern Video Games / Re: Buying used PS Vita games advice?

« on: February 09, 2019, 12:53:07 am »

Your story is the first time I've ever heard of anyone trying to pull a fast one with a Vita game. So, I guess it's uncommon? I play the Vita frequently and have yet to encounter an issue.

Same! As others mentioned, this was probably an isolated incident. I haven't bought too many used vita games, but those I have were from Gamestop without an issue.

Have fun collecting!  Some great titles for it, though many of the best ones are now available on PC/consoles. I noticed you had 999 in your collection, don't miss Danganronpa if you haven't played it! If you like roguelikes and don't mind cutesy, lighthearted anime appeal, Sorcery Saga is a unique game to add to your Vita collection as well. And of course, many people recommend Freedom Wars (for a Monster Hunter-esque game).

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Modern Video Games / Re: Is Danganronpa 1 & 2 reload for ps4 a good starter to try Visual Novel

« on: December 28, 2017, 09:37:42 pm »

Danganronpa is absolutely fantastic but it's hard to really call it a visual novel since it has gameplay. But a large amount of the game is told in visual novel format so I guess you could call it a gateway drug to VN's. 

But yeah, definitely pick it up if you're interested. If you want to try a full-on visual novel though I suggest The House in Fata Morgana to people anywhere I possibly can, it's amazing.

I like to refer to them as interactive visual novels.

Eeeeeeeh I'm going to say yes and no on recommending this as a starting place.

Danganronpa 1 was both good and not so good. There are some moments of writing, be it an idea presented, a character saying something, or saying nothing, that are really well done. It has a large cast of characters, and there are sure to be a few that you come to like. However, at the same time, there are a few things that really irked me when I played. Chief sin among these was the ending, which I was not very happy about (sorry, it's best to go into these games with literally no idea of what to expect, but it can also be good to manage expectations). It was a game worth your time, but there was definitely room for improvement.

Danganronpa 2, on the other hand, makes me want to give you a solid gold yes. It still has some flaws, but the story is much better, and (unlike DR1) there was hardly a character that I didn't come to like in some way. The visuals were different, but nice. It's my favorite of all the games (though to be fair, there's only 3 + 1, and I've only played through the prologue and chapter 1 of DR3). Again, DR1 isn't terrible, but there are definitely aspects I didn't care for... playing it for DR2, however, makes the whole package more worth it.

As others have mentioned, the humor does get old. They aren't doing theirselves any favors by sticking to memes, 4th wall jokes, and sex humor... it gets kinda old. But DR puts forth some interesting ideas and characters, which is what's really worth sticking around for.

I'd encourage anyone who likes visual novels to pick up DR. The Zero Escape series is good too, but the pacing and inclusion of puzzles make it a very different game, though the story emphasis is very much there. The first game has a pretty fatal gameplay flaw, but maybe they fixed it in the new ports (even if they didn't, the story is still worth putting up with it through the first installment).

TL;DR - Danganronpa should be a pretty solid pick for any visual novel enthusiast, even if it isn't always solid. It's got thoughtful ideas, and will make you think... perhaps a bit more than you thought you would. It can definitely be dark, but it can be really positive, too. I have a ton of screenshots, and I think some of them are pretty darn inspiring.

EDIT: Maybe it's a bit more of an adventure game as well, but consider Life is Strange and Telltale games, too! A nice visual alternative that retains the core idea of story from visual novels, with a bit more interactivity.

8

Modern Video Games / Re: Is an Xbox One S Backwards Compatible

« on: December 25, 2017, 08:21:04 pm »

Also XBOX 360's aren't junk, no idea where you heard that but it isn't true.  Especially the XBOX 360 Slims, those are fantastic.  I have thousands of hours (10,000+) on my XBOX 360 Slim and it looks and works just like the day I took it out of the box new.

Same boat here. Never had any sort of problem with my slim, which was one of the first versions of that. My first 360 did break via E74, but it still happened years after I got it and was covered under a 3 year warranty, and so was able to be repaired at no cost to me.

Same! My original (white) Xbox 360 RROD'd, but thankfully it fell under the warranty at that time. The one they sent back hasn't had any issues, and I think our black slim model has been fine, as well. So you should be good to go! 

9

General / Re: VGCollect Secret Santa 2017 Loot Thread!

« on: December 15, 2017, 07:24:50 pm »

He had our opening party last night on Our Parents' Basement.  Telly, Tpug, and DashV all joined the fun it was a blast.  Here's the link if you want to watch an hour of chuckleheads opening video games.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NONvv3ZQ4as

Here's what I got.  Thank You, Santa!

I remember eyeballing that Deathsmiles edition at my local Gamestop years ago, wish I had bought it back then.  It just looks so cool.

Still available on Amazon, I think!

10

Modern Video Games / Re: Which PS4 Should I buy?

« on: December 10, 2017, 01:16:39 pm »

I have the regular PS4 and I haven't encountered any issues. It's been very reliable.

Same!

11

Classic Video Games / Re: Your Opinion Of Golf Games

« on: December 02, 2017, 10:22:20 am »

Their is a ton of retro golf games some even being on the Atari 2600. to the NES to the Genesis/Mega Drive and onward. which ones hold a special part in your collection, or heart. Or do you even have or like any golf games? what is your main opinion on some you might have played?

 Also try to explain which you like better playstation analog  or wii remote swing , or trueswing, or tri click or the 3 tap shot like in most golf games. my least favorite golf series is hot shots because of the 3 button timed tap swing method. I however LOVE the Analog or also known as trueswing method on PC or Mac.

Golf game are good for if you want to take a break from the hard and often fast paced video games that most of us enjoy, I think

And for a little extra information, can anyone tell me a Wii golf game, that I can play golf just like in the wii sports title? Where you swing more realistic because I thought I heard that the tiger woods games for Wii don't work like the golf game included on the Wii sports disc. basically I want a Wii game that includes a real time swing feature. But I don't know which one to buy at the moment.

Super Swing Golf and SSG Season 2!

I had to turn off the swing, though. I kept slicing the shot. o.o

I'm not sure how accurate the swing stuff is, but you can play with or without, and both are $5 or less! I might see if you can Google search some info though, to be sure 1. the swing motion controls are up to par (HA! pun), and 2. that it's your cup of tea.

And hey, try more than one game if you can! Wii stuff is ridiculously cheap. 

12

Modern Video Games / Re: 5 Historical Time Periods that I want to see in the Assassin's Creed series

« on: November 27, 2017, 06:03:59 pm »

I would like to see these five settings considered from what i read the rumor is feudal japan for the next setting. Where could the future Assassin’s Creed game take players..........

- American Mafia -  Al Capone era (Robert De Niro or William Forsythe as Al Capone)
- The 'Old West' was famous for cowboys, native Indians, the lawmen, gunslingers, the pioneers, the prospectors, the gamblers, the scouts, the outlaws, the gangs and the gunfighters.
- China (any period)
- Ancient Greece
- The War of 1812 (which lasted from 1812 to 1814)

I think one of their games using the unity engine was in China, but it was also more of a mini-release... Chronicles, was it?

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassin%27s_Creed_Chronicles ... also one for India, and one for Russia!)

But yeah, they're totally missing a good era, there. Lots of potential for 1800s onwards, as well as some ancient (and REALLY ancient) stuff from the various dynasties, too. Heck, the Three Kingdoms era would give them a lot of historical liberty, as well.

And hey, why not Assassins IN SPAAAAACE?? 

13

Video Showcase / Re: Lesser Known Gaming Channels?

« on: November 20, 2017, 12:37:23 am »

Two I just recently found:

Cleanprincegaming (a lot of gaming 'essays'): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3-PFlYP-Nc

Arlo (Nintendo focused): https://www.youtube.com/user/ArloStuff

Also, although LGR doesn't do much console stuff, He has a lot of really cool videos about retro computing! Plus, his laugh is the best. 

https://www.youtube.com/user/phreakindee

In a similar vein, Pushing Up Roses: https://www.youtube.com/user/pushinguproses

14

Video Game Deals, Sales and Promotions / Re: Some Amazon Deals including PS4 Games Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4...

« on: November 19, 2017, 08:13:04 pm »

Horizon Zero Dawn - PlayStation 4 - $19.99
http://amzn.to/2ivXoKo
Uncharted 4 - PlayStation 4 - $19.99
http://amzn.to/2yZKElq
The Last of Us Remastered - PlayStation 4 - $10.00
http://amzn.to/2j79Ob3
Overwatch - Game of the Year Edition- PlayStation 4 Blizzard Entertainment ($29.99)
http://amzn.to/2AeAly7

Also, in case anyone wants Uncharted 4, it's only $9.99 used at GameStop! 

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News / Re: SCHEDULED SERVER MAINTENANCE - Tuesday November 21, 2017 10PM EST

« on: November 17, 2017, 10:34:56 pm »

Sweet. Will plan on playing video games at that time 

This needs to be added the original announcement... "please plan to play video games during this time."