Suscipe Domine Traditional Catholic Forum

The Parish Hall => Arts and Leisure => Topic started by: The Harlequin King on January 03, 2013, 10:42:07 PM

Title: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 03, 2013, 10:42:07 PM
I felt this was a "meh" year for games, mostly because there were no great single-player RPG's. Don't even think about mentioning the travesty known as Mass Effect 3 to me.

My nomination goes to Dishonored, a first-person stealth game set in a dieselpunk universe. I should call it whalepunk, really, given the prominence of the whaling industry in that world. My favorite thing about this game was the option to go completely nonlethal, though the fates for targets that you can spare are arguably worse than death.

(https://www.suscipedomine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fen%2F6%2F65%2FDishonored_box_art_Bethesda.jpg&hash=699695f0625f72dbe0e86b62ff55ca97bdeb3ac6)
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 03, 2013, 10:46:10 PM
I had thought about getting that game (Dishonored).

I don't even know what games came out this year.  I played Skyrim quite a bit, though that came out in 2011... I played the second and third uncharted.  Also, I played a lot of dragon age.  Both games.  I think I actually like DA origins more than skyrim... DA 2 kinda sucked.  It was OK on the first playthrough, maybe even the second, but I actually started to hate that game for how much of a step back it was from the first one.

I got a forty dollar gift card from the motehr in law to gamestop.  Should I get Dishonored, HK?  I'm working with a ps3. 
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Bonaventure on January 03, 2013, 10:46:23 PM
I didn't play many games in 2012. I don't remember buying anything that came out in 2012, and all I play now is MLB 11 or one of the old Fallouts.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 03, 2013, 10:47:52 PM
Quote from: Bonaventure on January 03, 2013, 10:46:23 PM
I didn't play many games in 2012. I don't remember buying anything that came out in 2012, and all I play now is MLB 11 or one of the old Fallouts.

Old fallouts or OLD fallouts?

I played quite a bit of Rome total war, Medeival total war 2 and Company of heroes this year.  None of those games are new, but they're timeless for me.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 03, 2013, 10:53:03 PM
Quote from: Mithrandylan on January 03, 2013, 10:46:10 PM
I had thought about getting that game (Dishonored).

I don't even know what games came out this year.  I played Skyrim quite a bit, though that came out in 2011... I played the second and third uncharted.  Also, I played a lot of dragon age.  Both games.  I think I actually like DA origins more than skyrim... DA 2 kinda sucked.  It was OK on the first playthrough, maybe even the second, but I actually started to hate that game for how much of a step back it was from the first one.

I got a forty dollar gift card from the motehr in law to gamestop.  Should I get Dishonored, HK?  I'm working with a ps3.

Dude, I know what you mean about Dragon Age. I was a huge fan of Origins and have played it many times, but DA2.... I don't know what happened there. The only two improvements were the dialogue wheel (sort of), and the more interesting combat animations.

As for Skyrim, I plan to get back into it once the Dragonborn DLC comes out for PC. But I haven't touched the game in a long time.

I would recommend Dishonored, far as games of 2012 go. But before that, 2011 was a great year. Let's see.... have you already played Deus Ex: Human Revolution? If not, that's the one for you. And if you have a PC capable of playing new games, The Witcher 2.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Bonaventure on January 03, 2013, 10:54:00 PM
Quote from: Mithrandylan on January 03, 2013, 10:47:52 PM
Quote from: Bonaventure on January 03, 2013, 10:46:23 PM
I didn't play many games in 2012. I don't remember buying anything that came out in 2012, and all I play now is MLB 11 or one of the old Fallouts.

Old fallouts or OLD fallouts?

I played quite a bit of Rome total war, Medeival total war 2 and Company of heroes this year.  None of those games are new, but they're timeless for me.

The Fallouts I can play on PS3. New Vegas and 3. I also have a pretty good Road to the Show pitcher.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 03, 2013, 10:54:30 PM
Quote from: Bonaventure on January 03, 2013, 10:46:23 PMI didn't play many games in 2012. I don't remember buying anything that came out in 2012, and all I play now is MLB 11 or one of the old Fallouts.

I've been slowly working on the original Fallout recently. My introduction to the series was Fallout 3, and I replayed Fallout: New Vegas last month. It's a great series.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 03, 2013, 11:10:53 PM
I know what it was about DA 2, as I've now played it probably four or five times.  A couple things:

First, the size of the game, spacially.  It's not just that you're limited to Kirkwall and the surrounding area, but the levels are insulting.  Every cave is exactly the same.  Not metaphoric speaking, but literally.  You go through the same cave any time you go through a cave.  A "secret" entrance to a smuggler's den one minute is the entrance to a slaver's cavern the next.  All of the inside missions take place in the same house.  They just cordon off certain areas... which makes it almost worse. 

I actually HATED the dialogue wheel.  At least half of the time I thought that I was going to say something completely different than what I selected.  I don't need a voiced character.  It's a nice perk, but if it means that I never know what's going to come out of my mouth, I'd rather have the text options given in origins.  I actually thought they were much better, that they offered more options, and most of them conveyed a tone of their own.  Also, the mechanic that was used was such that in each act, the dialogue options you selected (such as charm or diplomatic) "stacked" so that Hawke "became" that particular manner in the parts where there was no dialogue option... which made for an inconsistent character throughout the game.

The combat did have improvements, but I thought as a whole that it was no better than origins.  Origins combat was a bit clunky and cumbersome at times, and the animations slow, sometimes not all that fluid-- but you got really cool animations like finishing kills, jumping on top of ogres, behading darkspawn, etc.  I barely ever saw these killing animations in DA2.  It was too stylized.  It was more fluid, and I like the idea of a sword hitting more than just the intended target but I'm not sure if it was really a fair trade off.  I did like the effect where you could wear a helmet but have the display not show the helmet.

But here's the really big problem: the characters.  Your party members just simply suck in dA2.  Where in origins, at least if you didn't like a particular character (ahemmorriganbitchahem) you could at least find them interesting or entertaining.  Varric was the ONLY halfway interesting character in DA2.  And that's mainly just because he didn't want to jump in bed with me.  Every single character wanted to get romantic with me.  There was the effeminate Anders (who was tolerable in Awakening) who is obviously modeled after a gay rights activist with his lines like "you can't persecute someone for who they are" (and all the time I want to smack him and tell him that if mages don't raise demons and try to kill people then they're alright, but guess what?  the dialogue wheel didn't let me!).  Then there's the elf, I can't remember his name, not Zathrian.  That was the keeper from Origins.  Fendel?  Whatever.  he was an emo creep that had his moments, but when he started to hit on me I was outta there.  Then you had your sister or brother (depending) which were tolerable, not much else... who else?  Oh yea the pirate whore.  And the whiny elf blood mage.  And they all wanted to get in your pants.

In Origins, you had the fantastic dynamic of real male and masculine friendship and comraderie on the way to complete a righteous quest to defeat a great evil.  Not in DA2.  Remember how fun it was to go back to camp after finishing the long and arduous deep roads and relax and discuss life and death with your battle companions?  DA2 didn't even come close to doing this.  Not even close.  I hated all my companions, and eventually hated my own character because he never said wht I wanted him to.

I think the political aspect is really interesting.  The presentation and voice acting, just like in the first one, were great.  I also felt limited in making Catholic actions in the game.  You couldn't suggest that the mages be treated civilly, but with discipline and that blood mages should be executed.  No, you had to either be a queer hippy mage lover and thus blood mage defender, or a cruel, mindless mage hunting authoritarian.  I fell on the latter side, and just pretended that my character differentiated between the sin and the sinner, so to speak.

The story itself wasn't actually that bad-- as far as the three separate acts.  Though, the side quests were all pathetic.  You find something and then you give it to someone later.  Side quest complete.  gaaaay.  O, I forgot, Aveline was a pain in the neck, too.

I could keep going on and on, but I think that sums up the main points for me and my fingers are getting tired.  Maybe you have something to add?

PS the wife is currently playing origns and loving it.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 03, 2013, 11:13:45 PM
On topic: HK, I've read that DA3 has a level that is bigger (spacially) than the entire DA2 game.  From the reading I've been doing on it, it looks like DA3 will take place in Orlais, or at least is rumored to.  Obviously building off DA2, with a mage vs templar war.  I really, really hope that it's not a big soapbox to preach tolerance from.  Too much of that in DA2

Also: DA2 needed more grey wardens.  Obviously. 
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 03, 2013, 11:58:28 PM
Mith, that is an excellent synopsis of everything that was wrong with DA2. Thank you. And even gay people were annoyed with all the gay/bisexual NPC's. You should have at least liked Sebastian, though. I don't know if you picked him up, since he was DLC. He was the most Catholic-ish companion, being essentially the equivalent of a seminarian. And, he was actually straight.

I actually liked Fenris (the mage-hating elf), for the most part.

I really hope DA3 loosens up on the mage vs. templar nonsense. I just don't want to play a medieval fantasy version of X-Men, you know? Which is basically what the plot of DA2 was. What I really would like to see in DA3 is a focus on the war between the Qunari and the Andrastian kingdoms. DA2's most interesting moment was the battle between Hawke and the Arishok: the clash of two diametrically opposed and irreconcilable cultures.


And as for what I hated most about DA2..... it's the fact that none of your choices matter at all. You know someone's after Hawke's mother? You can't save her, no matter what. You know Anders is gonna blow up the Chantry and you call him out on his plan? Too bad, he's gonna find another way. You want to side with the mages/templars in the end? Doesn't matter: you have to kill both the First Enchanter AND the Knight Commander, anyway. Yeah, Orsino turns to blood magic even if you're on his side. What the hell? In other words, BioWare's writers basically shoehorned you into experiencing their version of the story, giving you only the illusion of choice, and therefore, only the illusion of the game even being an RPG.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 04, 2013, 12:09:43 AM
Well, I definitely identified with Fenris more than any other companion (except probably Varric, who was a good character even if I didn't identify with him) though it seemed the higher and higher I got his disposition, the more and more creepy looks he gave me when I went to his mansion. 

You're right, too.  About how it doesn't matter.  I actually wanted to side with the Arishok.. he was the only NPC that seemed to have any moral conviction.  I didn't play with sebastian, as I don't have any of the DLC for DA2.  Not sure if I'll get it, either.

Also: my import from Origins had... bsically no impact on the story.  In fact, I think something got corrupted.  I had Alistair kill the archdemon (though I committed to it, I let him at the end do it because I wanted to play awakening as my character) and in Awakening they referred to King Alistair... neither Alistair OR Anora showed up in DA2 like they did when I played it with a generic import.

The problem with the Qunari as they are presented is that they are the religious extremists, whereas everyone else are modernists and practical atheists.  The chantry doesn't even belive the maker can DO anything.  Remember when you go to redcliffe and try to get the mother to bless the soldiers?  She says that she doesn't want them to get the imperssion that he actually DOES anything.  So you have the Qunari presented as these evil fundamentalists, and then those who fight the Qunari are doing so out of tolerance... not tolerating the Qunari's intolerance of them.  I don't want to play a game like that. 

What was your favorite playthrough in origins?  As far as race, class, major decisions?
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 04, 2013, 12:37:27 AM
Your DA2 playthrough would've probably been way more enjoyable if you got the Sebastian DLC, which also affords a good Leliana cameo (my romantic interest in Origins) in one of his quests. But I wouldn't replay the game JUST to have him in your party.

Good point about the thing in Redcliffe, but I disagree about the Qunari being religious zealots. I mean, they are in the sense of religion being an all-encompassing ideology, but the Qunari are really atheists. They are basically medieval fantasy communists, and the Arishok was like a very principled Stalin. The Andrastians seem to be split on what, exactly, the Maker does. For example, Leliana definitely thinks the Maker is active in the universe.

So, for Origins, my "canon Warden" (the one I imported to DA2) was a male Human Noble warrior. He was a stand-up guy, made most decisions as I would if I were actually in the situation, was bros with Alistair and excused him from his royal duties by having my Warden marry Queen Anora instead. Didn't go well with Leliana so that relationship ended, obviously. Alistair did the deed with Morrigan, so no one died when killing the Archdemon. Also had Alistair kill Loghain.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 04, 2013, 01:06:45 AM
Human noble is definitely the best playthrough, IMO.  My favorite was actually as a human noble rogue.  I like to play as a rogue so that I can have Alistair and Ogren, though I may do a later playthrough and get shale right off the bat.  Never liked Sten much.  If I play as a warrior, then I basically don't get to use any other warrior in combat as Alistair is a given.  So my typical party is me (rogue) Wynne, Alistair and another warrior, usually Ogren.  I usually do the circle first, then Orzamar followed by Redcliffe and finally Brecillian.  I also liked the playthrough as a dwarven noble, and commoner, though noble was more intriguing.  I didn't like playing as a Dalish elf.  I haven't actually done the city elf.  It seems weird to help the humans as an elf, considering the animosity.  I played as a mage as well, though never finished the game as one.  Have you played all the different origins?  I think the game basically begs you to play as a human noble.

In my last playthrough, I actually got the help of the werewolves and killed the dalish.  They were moping pagans, I figured they deserved it and the party didn't seem to mind.  Had played the game five times before I realized I could get the help of the werewolves.  First playthrough I ever did was actually as a dwarven rogue, kinda odd.  I've never done the dark ritual or had Alistair do it.  Did Alistair's disposition drop when you convinced him to?  One thing I always do is to give gifts to the party members who don't go into combat with me so that I still get their special quests and whatnot.

Interesting what you say about the Arishok.  I hadn't thought of it that way.  I guess I was thinking of their dedication to a code and their roles within it... it didn't really seem socialistic to me at all, but now that you mention it I can see that.

I'm actually watching the wife prepare for the landsmeet as I type this.  :D
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 04, 2013, 01:25:41 AM
Good thinking on being a rogue. It lets you be a lot more flexible in your party choices, but I enjoy having Leliana with me so she plays the rogue usually. I like playing as a rogue, but didn't think it fit with any sort of noble archetype, from a story point of view.

The Dalish Elf is definitely the weakest link of all the origins. Totally irrelevant and disconnected to the rest of the game world, since the tribe you meet in the main storyline isn't even the same tribe as in the opener. However, the City Elf opening story is actually great, since it's basically Braveheart. You should try out at leas the opener, if not do a full playthrough. A City Elf collaborating with humans makes more sense than a Dalish Elf doing so, since city elves, despite being treated like crap, have mostly assimilated and are Andrastians.

I don't remember if Alistair disapproves of doing the dark ritual. You've done 5 playthroughs and haven't done it even once? Haha, I don't think it's as immoral as having the werewolves massacre everyone. Just my opinion.

Send the wife my regards. I always enjoyed the Landsmeet section. Especially if you get all but one vote to go your way. Feels so righteous.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 04, 2013, 01:32:49 AM
Oh, actually, I thought of something even dumber in DA2. Playing as a mage.... and siding with the templars. How is that even possible?
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 04, 2013, 07:51:06 AM
Well, imagine a Legolas sort of character.  If you can do that, human noble rogue works out just fine. 

Have you ever done a full playthrough with Zevrian?  I think that on my very first playthrough (which would have been probably two years ago now) I brought him into the party but eventually kicked him out and dont' remember anything about it.  I think I invariably kill the scum.  It's a just punishment for attempted assasination of a grey warden and Teyrn of Hieghever, don't you think?

Have you played Kingdom of Amalur: (sp?) Reckoning?  My preference in video games, like yours, are single player RPG's and I was reading a bit about this game last night.  I'm on ps3 so I don't have all the options that you PC gamers do.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 04, 2013, 07:58:25 AM
Yeah, I've never offed Zevran, though I suppose I wouldn't feel bad if I did. I think of NPC's as resources if nothing else, so I'd never remove one from my party voluntarily. I've even done a playthrough with Loghain once. That was interesting. Anyway, as for Zevran, the optimal playthrough in my opinion is to recruit him, do his quest, help him break free from the Crows and help him convert to being a "good guy".

Kingdoms of Amalur sucked so bad. I was bored from the start and couldn't play more than an hour of it.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 04, 2013, 08:05:41 AM
I have a few saves right before the landsmeet, maybe I'll load one up one of these days and bring Loghain into the party.  Alistair leaves if you bring him, right?

Really, Kingdoms of Alamur was that bad?  I read good reviews on it, though admittedly IGN's 9/10 doesn't seem as prestigious as it used to.  I've played a few of their 9/10 games that were more like a 6/10 for me.  Any reccomendations for a single player RPG on ps3?  Dishonered isn't an RPG, is it?  I suppose the new Deus Ex is... which I haven't played.  I actually rented it once and by PS3 died the same night and never got around to doing much in it.

One thing I read about KoA that I wasn't too keen on was that since your character doesn't have a destinty, so to speak, you can pay certain NPC's to wipe your stats clean and re-assign them.  So you could start out as a warrior and finish the game as a mage.  While I like a fair amount of flexibility, that takes way too much of the impact of my decisions out of the game.  Didn't plan your character because you were lazy or suck at RPG's?  Never fear, pay someone to start over!
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 04, 2013, 04:06:35 PM
Correct, you can't have both Alistair and Loghain. Keeping Loghain to me makes the most sense if you're gonna be a Human Noble who marries Anora, since you'd end up killing your father-in-law if you off him. But, you can still keep Alistair as king (though not in your party) if you've both hardened him after that quest with his half-sister, as well as nominated him for the kingship in the Landsmeet.

Yeah, Kingdoms of Amalur was that bad. If IGN rated it 9 out of 10, it's because they were bought out. My recommendation for Deus Ex stands. It's definitely an RPG. Dishonored is also good, but very light on RPG elements. There are some moral decision-making moments, but not too much character customization. Dishonored is also a much shorter game. Of the two, I would most definitely do Deus Ex. You might also try picking up the original Deus Ex for your computer. It came out in 2000, man, so even your machine would probably run it.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 06, 2013, 04:24:35 PM
Well, I went ahead and bought the new Deus Ex last night.  Played a few hours last night, loving it so far.  I have played the first one (though not the second).  It's probably one of my favorite games ever.  Mechs, Illuminati, what's not to love? 

Thanks for the rec! 
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 06, 2013, 04:31:57 PM
Quote from: Mithrandylan on January 06, 2013, 04:24:35 PM
Well, I went ahead and bought the new Deus Ex last night.  Played a few hours last night, loving it so far.  I have played the first one (though not the second).  It's probably one of my favorite games ever.  Mechs, Illuminati, what's not to love? 

Thanks for the rec!

No prob. The original is also one of my all-time favs. It's where I first learned about G.K. Chesterton, via the random clippings of The Man Who Was Thursday strewn about. If you were referring to the sequel, Deus Ex: Invisible War, don't bother. It's total crap and has zero relevance to Human Revolution.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Spooky on January 06, 2013, 05:02:42 PM
The Walking Dead I watched Tobygames play this and it's awesome. Made me want to buy it myself but my comp is too lame to handle it.

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2oM7jh6sNM
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 06, 2013, 05:05:30 PM
Quote from: Spooky on January 06, 2013, 05:02:42 PMThe Walking Dead I watched Tobygames play this and it's awesome. Made me want to buy it myself but my comp is too lame to handle it.

My roommate plays that. He was also a big fan of the series even before it was on TV (via the comics). I'm personally not into the zombie genre at all, with the exception of Nazi Zombies in Call of Duty: World at War. I don't even like the rest of the CoD franchise.

If you ever find yourself with some disposable income, I'll help you build a gaming PC.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Spooky on January 07, 2013, 05:01:51 PM
Well, it looks like my comp might be on it's last legs. What are your recommendations for say, under $400? (probably not much lol). I'm eyeballing this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Pavilion-p6-2313W-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-A4-3420-Accelerated-Processor-6GB-Memory-500GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-8-Monitor-Not-Included/21984277
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 07, 2013, 09:53:03 PM
Quote from: Spooky on January 07, 2013, 05:01:51 PM
Well, it looks like my comp might be on it's last legs. What are your recommendations for say, under $400? (probably not much lol). I'm eyeballing this one:
http://www.walmart.com/ip/HP-Pavilion-p6-2313W-Desktop-PC-with-AMD-A4-3420-Accelerated-Processor-6GB-Memory-500GB-Hard-Drive-and-Windows-8-Monitor-Not-Included/21984277

Yeah, $400 is stretching it. Let me get back to you on it.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: LouisIX on January 08, 2013, 04:28:54 PM
I really haven't played very many in 2012, but I thought the new Hitman was pretty good.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 15, 2013, 07:30:01 PM
HK: I finished Deus Ex Human Revolution two nights ago.

This post contains SPOILERS!!!!!!

So, my impressions-- I thought the gameplay was great.  I love stealth games.  Really, no complaints here, except for one thing.  The inability to do stealth takedowns from behind cover.  I thought that was lame.  Also, I thought some of the stealth takedowns were a little overkill.  I don't want to tap someone on the shoulder, have them turn around and then punch them five feet forward, because they might be seen at that point.  I I had a CHOICE which takedown to use, that might be different, but when I time my attack just right and end up being detected because I got the wrong animation, I'm not too happy.  Let's see... The fact that ammo was scarce was good.  I think I probably killed 5-10 percent of the enemies I encountered.  Probably even less.  The stun gun and tranq rifle are actually preferable because they're one-shot and down. 

The augs were quite fun, and it kept telling me to choose wisely because I wouldn't be able to get them all.  That didn't really matter, since I had laser sights which took away any aiming penalties, and who needs dermal armor in the game anyways?  The real way to play that game is unseen, if you need dermal armor you're not playing the game right.  The fact that you couldn't get "all" of the augs really wasn't a letdown, except that it took away from the RPG experience, although barely-- and I don't really play Deus Ex for an RPG experience anyways, so no biggie.

The bosses were actually very easy if you used grenades.  I only had a little problem with the last one, and that's mainly because my HUD was all messed up.  Otherwise, three grenades to any of the bosses and that about does it.

My main complaints were with the story.  It's not really believable, I think.  I know it's sci-fi, so I'm not talking about that.  The first game (it's been AT LEAST five years since I've played it, so I'll say "IIRC") had you so involved with all the characters and made the conspiracy with Illuminati, NSF, Knights Templar, M12 seem very real and plausible.  Though they were secret societies, they were very real and the game made them so.  In Human Revolution, the Illuminati isn't even mentioned until near the very end and Adam is first like "lolwut" and then he's convinced that they're behind everything-- with no names, no contact, anything.  All of a sudden the illuminati is this vague villain that we know nothing about.

Now, in real life that may be true, but for purposes of the game we need more to go on and more involvement.  It's almost as if the game is making fun of itself by just vaguely referring to the illuminati conspiracy. 

Darrow was a joke.  It turns out that he killed all those people because... he was angry his biology wouldn't accept augs.  I take this about as seriously as when someone says Hitler killed Jews because he had Jewish blood.  That was a serious letdown to get to the end and have Darrow flip out and be like "I can't get the technology, so screw them... oh no, what have I done?!"  That was just pathetic.  Very disappointing. 

I knew Dr Reed was going to be alive.  I don't think they did a very good job with that.  Maybe that's just me.  I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the game much more than the last quarter. 

It also seemed silly that Adam's like "we're going to Montreal to find Eliza."  When Malike was like lolwut "that's a long shot, dontcha think?"  I was thinking the same thing.  There was like no causation and barely even any correlation.  Of course, it turned out to be the right thing to do but still. 

Oh, and when I went through the harvesters hideout and found malik, I wanted an option to say something like "don't touch her" to Tong or something... no such luck.  That was stupid, I should have been able to be pissed about that.

The side quests were very fun.  And over all, I'd give it 7 or 8 out of ten justbecause most of it was awesome.  I think that about covers it.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 15, 2013, 08:52:45 PM
Haha, that didn't take long. Also a pretty good assessment of the story problems, except I don't think Hugh Darrow's motives were that unrealistic. The Illuminati was probably glossed over because to build it up would be to rehash old territory from the first game, though I agree it could have been handled better.

I never got detected for Adam using the wrong steal animation, though.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 15, 2013, 08:58:09 PM
I'm not saying they were unrealistic (though I think they were a little) but that they were uncompelling and stupid.  I like my villains to be bent on global domination or destruction.  Not whiny bitches who can't have a machine leg.  That's just comical.

Except for people like you and me and older, I doubt many people have played the first deus ex who played this one.  It's an "old" game.  I'm almost tempted to get it from gamefly and see if my pc will run it. 

As far as being detected, when you do that animation where he punches the target, the target flies three or five feet backwards from the point of attack, and sometimes falls right into another guards cone of vision.  and then you have to go grab him and drag him.  Sometimes just a second can make the difference.

Can I ask, what ending did you choose?
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 15, 2013, 09:06:03 PM
Quote from: Mithrandylan on January 15, 2013, 08:58:09 PMCan I ask, what ending did you choose?

Not that the endings really mattered, but my first instinct was the default Darrow video, even though I unlocked the possibility for the others. I chose it because it was the most truthful answer, being without any editing tricks or ulterior motive.
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Mithrandylan on January 15, 2013, 09:19:07 PM
I did too.

I was tempted to just blow the whole thing up, but that didn't seem right.

In the original Deus Ex I sent us back to the stone age!
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Vetus Ordo on January 15, 2013, 11:28:48 PM
I'm waiting for Europa Universalis 4 to be released. Let's hope it's an improvement over EU3. Historical events, please! There's never enough of them.

I also hope the game can be successfully modded by the online community as EU2 was. There was nothing as successful and well-done as AGCEEP for EU2 and For the Glory. EU3 vanilla disappointed me with the sheer lack of historical events. It was embarrassing. I'd also like to see a larger timeline: to keep insisting on a window of merely 3 centuries (15th-18th century) is far too limiting. One is left to wonder on what exactly "Grand strategy" means to Paradox...

Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: Lateran on January 22, 2013, 11:33:40 PM
Minecraft --- o, go ahead and laugh now  :tongue:
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: The Harlequin King on January 22, 2013, 11:36:31 PM
Quote from: Lateran on January 22, 2013, 11:33:40 PM
Minecraft --- o, go ahead and laugh now  :tongue:

....................


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA



It's cool. I'm not a fan of Minecraft, but as long as it entertains you without consuming you, it's all good. Have any favorite RPG's, though?
Title: Re: Best video games of 1970s and 80s
Post by: clau clau on April 25, 2024, 03:39:55 AM
The first text adventure game I solved.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/Empire_of_the_Over-Mind_%28Cover%29.jpg/220px-Empire_of_the_Over-Mind_%28Cover%29.jpg)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_the_Over-Mind
Title: Re: Best video games of 2012?
Post by: clau clau on April 25, 2024, 03:41:26 AM
One of my all time favourites.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/97/Star-Raiders-Box-Front.jpg/220px-Star-Raiders-Box-Front.jpg)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Raiders
Title: Best video games of 1970s-80s?
Post by: clau clau on April 25, 2024, 03:46:07 AM
I've never played Crowther and Woods collosal cave though. A all-time classic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFQ28arIEb4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colossal_Cave_Adventure