Game Scoop! Presents The BIG RPG Preview
Did you know there are 30 RPG's scheduled for 2014? Actually an IGN video worth watching!?ign.com editorial impressions media phantom_leo
It playes just like Uncharted when you fight the hunters/scavengers with the same mix of stealth/shoot and take cover/melee gameplay and sort of like Resident Evil 4 when fighting zombies (except for the faster enemies).
Anyway, I want to play some more. I guess it's not so bad
While the mechanics might be pretty much the same, I think the level design and mechanic implementation are vastly different. The stealth is significantly more complex (still extremely simple) and useful, shooting is significantly weaker, and the melee is less complex than in 3; probably closer to 2? I don't think it was much like RE4 at all, except for the pacing arch they attempted to implement in the first half (and failed miserably at), and all the homages they included to make their game look worse when compared to an actual masterpiece. The layout of cover etc. even against the scavengers is designed so that flowing stealth is immediately accessible, unlike in Uncharted 2 where it's designed 90% for good shooting except for a few sections, and in 3 where it's just a clusterfuck of idiotic bullshit.
In the second half they went for traditional Uncharted-style pacing, and it worked a treat (with a few exceptions, like post-hunting skirmish which was very much like RE4, and surprisingly worked well).
Stealth and combat in RE4 functions in a completely different way to The Last of Us; I don't see the similarity at all beyond shooting being awkward? In RE4 the levels are open or corridors with little or no cover, and the AI relentlessly harasses you rather than half heartedly look for you then piss around wondering where you are on obvious, predetermined routes.
The biggest similarity is probably the resource management, but after the opening third, there's an even bigger over abundance of resources than there was in RE4, so the illusion that RE4 created of always being low on resources when you actually weren't, isn't present in The Last of Us.
But I played it as 90% stealth on hard, so maybe that makes a difference?
Anyway, with that in mind, the game it felt most like was Metal Gear Solid 2 or 4 to me, including when I actually did occasionally go on shooting sprees. And obviously the base mechanics are generally not at all like MGS2 or 4, so we're probably just approaching this from a different design philosophy. Mechanics ripped straight out of Uncharted? Yeah. But to me that doesn't mean the games are very much alike except in that one limited way.
Man this is too deep, you're doing all your professional reviewer kind of stuff.
All I was saying is ... there are many times in the game when I pull out my handgun or shotgun and just stand there while I pop zombies as they dash toward me. This reminded me RE4 as I did a lot of that in that game.
I'm not saying it's anything like RE4 as I remember loving every moment of that game from beginning to end (and in fact I didn't even take a break to sleep while I played that game) where as most of the time I am trying to force myself to play on with TLOU as it's so damn boring.
About 65% through TLOU. The second third was better than the first but it's still nowhere near GOTY material. I understand the story will get emotional and all the rest of that and characters you care for will die etc (probably including Joel) but that doesn't make up for the gameplay. It's just uncharted with a bit of resident evil thrown in for good measure.
About 65% through TLOU. The second third was better than the first but it's still nowhere near GOTY material. I understand the story will get emotional and all the rest of that and characters you care for will die etc (probably including Joel) but that doesn't make up for the gameplay. It's just uncharted with a bit of resident evil thrown in for good measure.
You make that sound as if that is a bad thing?
Not bad, not by any means. Just not good enough. I expected more that's all. All the accolades and awards and all the praise had me expecting much more than something so formulaic, simplistic and derivative.
Hmmm... Sometimes I love gaming journalists, sometimes I hate them. Is the subtitle of this IGN article a clever play on words because the DLC features two kids with a heavy influence on exploration... "UnADULTerated."
--OR--
Do they mean the DLC is the definition of unadulterated?
un·a·dul·ter·at·ed
ˌənəˈdəltəˌrātid/
adjective
adjective: unadulterated
1.
not mixed or diluted with any different or extra elements; complete and absolute.
I know I am being picky here, but it takes on wildly different meanings depending on how you look at it. I know I am no one to comment on bad puns, but...
Phew, I took my son to a birthday party. They started playing baseball and there were a bunch of four and five year olds swinging bats. My testicles were tensing up.
In a year that is going to be full of RPGs again, I have to stay it's starting out on two VERY positive notes. Bravely Default is MAGNIFICENT --and-- I've just come to the realization that, in the absence of any new Persona titles, the Tales series has taken up the reins that series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have dropped in the last few years. I am playing through Tales of Xillia right now and I have to say, I haven't enjoyed a console JRPG like this in years! It's colorful. It has well fleshed-out characters. It has a FUN battle system full of fast, action-like attacks and combination spells and skills. It has an epic story. It has just the perfect amount of Fantasy versus Technology. It has its cheesy romances and life-lessons. Just when you think you're nearing the end, you find out the game is not even half done! Plot twists, betrayals, unexpected allies and organizations hidden in the shadows. It has it all! Tales of Xillia, for better or worse, is the Final Fantasy VII of the Tales series. Even the stories share some similarities! I've probably put upwards of 50 hours into and I'm not bored yet! It's actually still compelling! Get this though: You choose a character at the beginning of the game and see the story through his or her perspective. Once you are done, if you want, you can choose all sorts of bonuses that are opened after clearing the game once, change difficulties if you want more of a challenge, start the game all over again and see it through a different set of eyes! There's a shit-load of sub-quests on either side of the story. There are TRULY challenging optional Bosses. There's sooo much content, it's nearly staggering! I wholeheartedly, without any hesitation, recommend this game if you're looking for something meaty and rather scarce these days!
Bonus #2: If you like this game, the sequel is already set for July in the West!
You got me to read the reviews on Xillia Leo. Interesting, there are 13 Tales of games?! Wow. Which is considered by most to be the best one?
I downloaded the demo of Bravely Default will play later.
FFXIII-2 is interesting. I am not liking the combat as much as I did in FFXIII which is stange cause its the same system, something seems off. I love the crazy time jumping though. Graphics are nuts but the PS3 is chugging trying to keep up.
That's like asking what's the best Final Fantasy! These days popular opinion seems to favor Symphonia and Xillia.
I did love Final Fantasy XIII-2, as I'll probably love Lightning Returns, but Xillia feels more like a classic FF than XIII ever could!
Let me know if you need any tips for Bravely Default. The demo doesn't do a very good job at explaining things. If you put it down out of frustration because it seems a bit needlessly complicated, it would be a real shame!
That's like asking what's the best Final Fantasy! These days popular opinion seems to favor Symphonia and Xillia.
I did love Final Fantasy XIII-2, as I'll probably love Lightning Returns, but Xillia feels more like a classic FF than XIII ever could!
Let me know if you need any tips for Bravely Default. The demo doesn't do a very good job at explaining things. If you put it down out of frustration because it seems a bit needlessly complicated, it would be a real shame!
Well there are the pillars of FF that everyone seems to love like VI and VII, you can describe them like that. Symphonia is the one I hear the most of.
Man this is too deep, you're doing all your professional reviewer kind of stuff.
All I was saying is ... there are many times in the game when I pull out my handgun or shotgun and just stand there while I pop zombies as they dash toward me. This reminded me RE4 as I did a lot of that in that game.
I'm not saying it's anything like RE4 as I remember loving every moment of that game from beginning to end (and in fact I didn't even take a break to sleep while I played that game) where as most of the time I am trying to force myself to play on with TLOU as it's so damn boring.
phantom_leo said:
I know Symphonia is supposed to be great and all, but I don't think I could go from this:
back to this:
The second picture looks better in pretty much every way...?
Just so you know, Travo. I bought The Last of Us again today. Installed it, got the latest version, so I should be good to go... soon... ish...
I haven't played in about 4 or 5 months, so I wouldn't last a minute online, but I plan on playing Single Player on a harder difficulty to get used to it again, then I should ready to try online again!
While the mechanics might be pretty much the same, I think the level design and mechanic implementation are vastly different. The stealth is significantly more complex (still extremely simple) and useful, shooting is significantly weaker, and the melee is less complex than in 3; probably closer to 2? I don't think it was much like RE4 at all, except for the pacing arch they attempted to implement in the first half (and failed miserably at), and all the homages they included to make their game look worse when compared to an actual masterpiece. The layout of cover etc. even against the scavengers is designed so that flowing stealth is immediately accessible, unlike in Uncharted 2 where it's designed 90% for good shooting except for a few sections, and in 3 where it's just a clusterfuck of idiotic bullshit.
In the second half they went for traditional Uncharted-style pacing, and it worked a treat (with a few exceptions, like post-hunting skirmish which was very much like RE4, and surprisingly worked well).
Stealth and combat in RE4 functions in a completely different way to The Last of Us; I don't see the similarity at all beyond shooting being awkward? In RE4 the levels are open or corridors with little or no cover, and the AI relentlessly harasses you rather than half heartedly look for you then piss around wondering where you are on obvious, predetermined routes.
The biggest similarity is probably the resource management, but after the opening third, there's an even bigger over abundance of resources than there was in RE4, so the illusion that RE4 created of always being low on resources when you actually weren't, isn't present in The Last of Us.
But I played it as 90% stealth on hard, so maybe that makes a difference?
Anyway, with that in mind, the game it felt most like was Metal Gear Solid 2 or 4 to me, including when I actually did occasionally go on shooting sprees. And obviously the base mechanics are generally not at all like MGS2 or 4, so we're probably just approaching this from a different design philosophy. Mechanics ripped straight out of Uncharted? Yeah. But to me that doesn't mean the games are very much alike except in that one limited way.
Man this is too deep, you're doing all your professional reviewer kind of stuff.
All I was saying is ... there are many times in the game when I pull out my handgun or shotgun and just stand there while I pop zombies as they dash toward me. This reminded me RE4 as I did a lot of that in that game.
I'm not saying it's anything like RE4 as I remember loving every moment of that game from beginning to end (and in fact I didn't even take a break to sleep while I played that game) where as most of the time I am trying to force myself to play on with TLOU as it's so damn boring.
___
Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
You make that sound as if that is a bad thing?
Not bad, not by any means. Just not good enough. I expected more that's all. All the accolades and awards and all the praise had me expecting much more than something so formulaic, simplistic and derivative.
___
Listen to Wu-Tang and watch Kung-Fu
Hands On with The Last of Us DLC, Left Behind
Unadulterated exploration.
______________________________________________________
Hmmm... Sometimes I love gaming journalists, sometimes I hate them. Is the subtitle of this IGN article a clever play on words because the DLC features two kids with a heavy influence on exploration... "UnADULTerated."
--OR--
Do they mean the DLC is the definition of unadulterated?
Angry puppeteer review up.
Phew, I took my son to a birthday party. They started playing baseball and there were a bunch of four and five year olds swinging bats. My testicles were tensing up.
In a year that is going to be full of RPGs again, I have to stay it's starting out on two VERY positive notes. Bravely Default is MAGNIFICENT --and-- I've just come to the realization that, in the absence of any new Persona titles, the Tales series has taken up the reins that series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest have dropped in the last few years. I am playing through Tales of Xillia right now and I have to say, I haven't enjoyed a console JRPG like this in years! It's colorful. It has well fleshed-out characters. It has a FUN battle system full of fast, action-like attacks and combination spells and skills. It has an epic story. It has just the perfect amount of Fantasy versus Technology. It has its cheesy romances and life-lessons. Just when you think you're nearing the end, you find out the game is not even half done! Plot twists, betrayals, unexpected allies and organizations hidden in the shadows. It has it all! Tales of Xillia, for better or worse, is the Final Fantasy VII of the Tales series. Even the stories share some similarities! I've probably put upwards of 50 hours into and I'm not bored yet! It's actually still compelling! Get this though: You choose a character at the beginning of the game and see the story through his or her perspective. Once you are done, if you want, you can choose all sorts of bonuses that are opened after clearing the game once, change difficulties if you want more of a challenge, start the game all over again and see it through a different set of eyes! There's a shit-load of sub-quests on either side of the story. There are TRULY challenging optional Bosses. There's sooo much content, it's nearly staggering! I wholeheartedly, without any hesitation, recommend this game if you're looking for something meaty and rather scarce these days!
Bonus #2: If you like this game, the sequel is already set for July in the West!
You got me to read the reviews on Xillia Leo. Interesting, there are 13 Tales of games?! Wow. Which is considered by most to be the best one?
I downloaded the demo of Bravely Default will play later.
FFXIII-2 is interesting. I am not liking the combat as much as I did in FFXIII which is stange cause its the same system, something seems off. I love the crazy time jumping though. Graphics are nuts but the PS3 is chugging trying to keep up.
That's like asking what's the best Final Fantasy! These days popular opinion seems to favor Symphonia and Xillia.
I did love Final Fantasy XIII-2, as I'll probably love Lightning Returns, but Xillia feels more like a classic FF than XIII ever could!
Let me know if you need any tips for Bravely Default. The demo doesn't do a very good job at explaining things. If you put it down out of frustration because it seems a bit needlessly complicated, it would be a real shame!
Well there are the pillars of FF that everyone seems to love like VI and VII, you can describe them like that. Symphonia is the one I hear the most of.
On BD I will.
Hmm an HD remake of Tales of Symphonia comes out this month.
I know Symphonia is supposed to be great and all, but I don't think I could go from this:
back to this:
The second picture looks better in pretty much every way...?
Can't tell if you're being serious or not... THEY LOOK LIKE TODDLERS WITH SWORDS!!
Just so you know, Travo. I bought The Last of Us again today. Installed it, got the latest version, so I should be good to go... soon... ish...
I haven't played in about 4 or 5 months, so I wouldn't last a minute online, but I plan on playing Single Player on a harder difficulty to get used to it again, then I should ready to try online again!
Toddlers with swords>>>generic anime teenagers in poseur coats posing dramatically.
Woooo!
Toddlers with Swords would make an excellent action game.
Why can't we get an old man RPG?