aspro said:

edgecrusher said:

Been playing Tomb Raider 4.

Forgot how hard these old exploration based games were....I die a lot.

...

I find with that type of game from that era the most difficult thing is the lack of signposting.  "So... what am I supposed to be doing now?"

You're right...and that's something I love about these old TR games. Let me figure things out on my own. Don't hold my hand. The newer TR games, as much as I like them, are nowhere near this challenging because of said signposting.

Hey wow, I remembered my password! Sup!

Anyway, I've been playing this uninspired piece of trash:

For those wondering, the game broke street date here in Australia on Saturday, well ahead of its Tuesday release. I'm also not under NDA, so I can talk as specific as you guys like.

Put simply, it's the first real disappointment of 2013. Nothing about the game feels inspired or holds a candle to what Aliens is meant to be. Plays like a half-arsed clone of Call of Duty (with zero of the polish), missions go on for much longer than necessary, checkpointing is awful, plus the challenge system (think the badass rank challenges from Borderlands 2) is broken as shit (die once, ALL progress gets reset). To cap it off, the game also likes to encourage you to melee enemies. Which doesn't make a lick of sense considering what you're fighting and just about every one of the films.

Can't talk about MP, because of Microsoft's crazy banning policy for people playing early (though I'd love to hear otherwise!). But if y'all have specific questions, I'm happy to go deeper via PMs and stuff if needed.

But put simply, fuck this game.

OMG its Homer!!! How is it going?

Sweet early info, I figured it wouldnt be great, but I was hoping for good.

Since people are doing Zelda lists now here are my rankings:

1. MM
2. OoT
3. TP
4. Alttp
5. LA
6. LoZ
7. WW
8. SS
9. Oracle of Ages
10. Oracles of Seasons
11. MC
12. ST
13. Four Swords Adventures
14. Zelda 2
15. PH

darthhomer said:

Hey wow, I remembered my password! Sup!

Anyway, I've been playing this uninspired piece of trash:

For those wondering, the game broke street date here in Australia on Saturday, well ahead of its Tuesday release. I'm also not under NDA, so I can talk as specific as you guys like.

Put simply, it's the first real disappointment of 2013. Nothing about the game feels inspired or holds a candle to what Aliens is meant to be. Plays like a half-arsed clone of Call of Duty (with zero of the polish), missions go on for much longer than necessary, checkpointing is awful, plus the challenge system (think the badass rank challenges from Borderlands 2) is broken as shit (die once, ALL progress gets reset). To cap it off, the game also likes to encourage you to melee enemies. Which doesn't make a lick of sense considering what you're fighting and just about every one of the films.

Can't talk about MP, because of Microsoft's crazy banning policy for people playing early (though I'd love to hear otherwise!). But if y'all have specific questions, I'm happy to go deeper via PMs and stuff if needed.

But put simply, fuck this game.

Wow that sucks to hear....I was really hoping this game was 1: Going to be good, and 2: that the Wii U version would be something special. So it looks like the next 2 games I wanted to get on the U (this and Walking Dead) are both going to be rushed uninspired crap. I thought liciensed games were PAST this?

Gearbox really couldn't do better? They have no problem making a good Borderlands but can't make a decent Aliens? Weaksauce.

My number one is a tie between OoT and MM.  Sometimes I prefer one over the other.  

edgecrusher said:

Phantom Hourglass is worse than Four Swords? WTF?

Four Swords is awesome, PH is not.

Peer's Most Wanted 2013 list:

I remember saying “games aren’t usually this good” when I first played through Uncharted 2. That game just fixed so many issues I had with exploration/action adventure games! From the non-interruptive, natural banter and story-development to the way action scenes built up slowly and packed genuine surprises and led to moments of awe, it was obvious that Naughty Dog would be the one to figure out how to perfectly combine action and story into something truly exciting. And while Uncharted 3 didn’t quite capture that same excitement in my eyes, it reinforced that the company knew what it was doing. The Last of Us looks like everything I’ve ever wanted: an intelligent, story-driven game with realistic human characters dealing with survival in a post-apocalyptic setting. I’m a big fan of the novel “The Road” -- especially the way the relationship between the two main characters develops in a world of death and mistrust -- and The Last of Us looks like it could turn out to be a game that brings the depth and maturity of a Cormac McCarthy novel to a tried “zombie game” genre.

We picked this one as our game of E3 last year, so it shouldn’t surprise you that it’s high on my list as well. My favorite franchises of all time are Zelda and Metroid – and like Arkham Asylum and Arkham City before it, Tomb Raider takes a familiar character and applies that Zelda/Metroidvania formula to it. I was a bit surprised by the fan backlash on IGN when we announced it as our E3 favorite, particularly the arguments that it’ll be an Uncharted rip-off (irony, eh? Considering how much Tomb Raider inspired Uncharted). While I’m not sure just how good the final game will turn out to be, I really, really like what I’ve seen so far. How can you not want to jump in and explore this world, like, right now:

A lot of the games on my list are “heavy,” gritty, and primarily story-driven games. The Pikmin games just make me smile. There’s just something magical about these virtual ant farm RTS games. I love the creative creature designs and the trepidation (and, afterwards, reward) you feel whenever you encounter a new species and try to figure out what makes it tick. Nintendo hasn’t done a great job at making us feel what’s different about Pikmin 3, but I have faith that this one will turn out well. Must. Protect. All. Purple. Pikmin.

Two words: Quantic Dream. I really, really liked Heavy Rain. The control system was flawed and the uncanny valley factor reared its creepy head, but I was totally hooked from beginning to end. Quantic Dream consistently creates the character connection and story development that we all (well, most of us) loved about games like Walking Dead, and makes it all look and sound really pretty. It’s one of the few companies that dares to put pauses and moments of repose in between action sequences. When panic hits you in one of Quantic’s digital dreams, it hits you hard. Beyond!

You notice a theme yet? I love games that tell stories. There inevitably comes this moment in a GTA (or Red Dead) game where I’m just overwhelmed by all the things I can do, or I get annoyed by a particularly annoying escort mission. But then I remember all the amazing moments, the sense of freedom, and above all, the deliberate pacing and great story-telling. GTA’s digital actors are utterly convincing and it’s tough to walk away not knowing where the Hausers’ stories of crime and corruption will take us. Just when I think I’m out, a new GTA game appears and PULLS ME BACK IN.

I’m a huge Jules Verne fan – and have vocally complained about how much it sucks that his great sci-fi material only gets mined for lackluster family movie fare, let alone adapted into video games. But the BioShock games are probably as close as you can get to being in a Verne novel, with its steampunk technology that lets humans go places they probably shouldn’t be – deep underwater, and now, high up in the clouds in a floating city. BioShock brings a personality all of its own to the mix: a society that appears innocent and whimsical on the surface, but is thoroughly corrupted to the core and eventually turns into a terrifying nightmare. They had me at “would you kindly.”

I am one of the few people who loved spies vs. mercs multiplayer. It’s okay if you didn’t get it. It was totally unforgiving. If you had three friends who were into it, you’d all get good at it together, learned the levels, and experienced some of the best stealth vs. action multiplay gameplay ever. Well, Blacklist could be bringing all this back, perhaps even in a more intuitive package. Well, and the single-player and co-op modes don’t look too shabby either. Ubisoft’s been one of the most reliable companies when it comes to delivering quality experiences. Perhaps I’ll be done with Far Cry 3 by the time SCB is out!

Yes, that’s a remake in my Top 10 most-anticipated games list. I loved Wind Waker when it first came out and my appreciation has only grown over the years. Resolution/blur factor aside, the game just holds up so beautifully. A redo that upgrades the visuals and fixes some of the small problems (character targeting/activation issues, tedious Triforce shards quest at the end), one of the best action adventures of all time is given new life. Apart from the fact that I’d just love to play it again, I hope that others who have never tried the game will get a chance to experience it for the first time.

This one’s probably the most mysterious game on my list. We really don’t know all that much about Watch Dogs, but I know that I love the near-future setting, the style, the stalking/listening elements, and what promises to be story-driven, but intense gameplay. As mentioned, Ubisoft’s studios know how to entertain. And it’s easy to forget the many innovations and clever themes our friends in France have invented and/or popularized (and have since then been ripped off and become commonplace). Remember the climbing in Prince of Persia (remake)? Blending into crowds in AC? The retina-burning, animated worlds of Rayman? Sailing ships, voice controls, shooting lights, clearing rooms with flash-bangs, and so on? If Watch Dogs manages to innovate yet again, it could be the start of a beautiful new friendship for me.

StarCraft aside, no other game ate away the hours in my college years quite like SimCity. Maxis created a hellishly addictive sandbox; initially difficult to get into, but even more difficult to stop getting into. I really cared for all the citizens of my growing metropolis, even when they declared me to be the worst mayor ever. The new SimCity promises to make everything a little more intuitive, getting you into the intricacies of city building much faster. And that tilt-shift visual style is simply too sweet to pass up. I may have to call in sick when this one comes out.

I could rattle off quite a few honorable mentions at this point, but know that I’m excited about the future of gaming -- on all platforms. As long as there’s Zelda, and Mario, and Halo, and Metroid, and Uncharted, and Fallout, and Elder Scrolls, and Rayman, and… Whoops, I should stop.

Dvader said:

Wait what? New Tomb Raider is like Metroid????

What?  Must buy.

Dvader said:

edgecrusher said:

Phantom Hourglass is worse than Four Swords? WTF?

Four Swords is awesome, PH is not.

Why did you like Wind Waker more than Skyward Sword, btw?