The Gamer's Quarter

[antitype]

Ah, that's right. Well, even if they sold each game for $20, the three new ones would still amount to $60, $10 more than the PC Orange Box.

I agree, though, as I said above; I'd have preferred the Black Box, and I wish it was still an option for those of us who already have the other games.

Yeah, I think Valve is confused on what they want. The episodic format works for $20 games sold via Steam, in theory, but they really seem to be straining against this. I think it would make the most sense for them to move on to developing a full-fledged Half-Life 3 after this.
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[ryan]

Yeah, I think the problem is that Half-Life is a AAA series and they want to treat it like that. But you can't really put out content at the price and pace necessary for what they're shooting for with a series of Half-Life's pedigree. Telltale can do it with Sam & Max because they can reuse assets all over the place, which originally didn't need near the amount of manpower to create, and the series isn't going for such a grand scale. I enjoyed the original Half-Life, but knowing that the story wasn't going to finish out from 2 for another few years kind of killed my enthusiasm. At this rate, I'll just wait until they're done and buy the super deluxe edition with everything.

Well, if Half-Life 2 on the Xbox was any indication, I might just buy the 360 release a month or two after shipping and get it for a fourth of the price.
_________________
Come to me, Mordel. We shall depart.

[antitype]

I just played the Prey demo for a little bit, and I'm not entirely sure why this has such a reputation for being a shitty game. "Turok in space," they say. It's really not like that at all, from what I can see. The first set piece in the game, the bar, was extremely cool, with lots of little bits of Duke Nukem 3D-esque interactivity and humor. The whole alien abduction sequence was quite intense, too — and god, the game runs like a fucking dream on my computer. Really shows me that my computer is capable of more than S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has been leading me to believe (unless its engine is really so much more advanced than Doom 3's, which is what Prey runs on (or, more likely, it's just somewhat poorly put together and full of holes as a result of having been abandoned/neglected for such a long time before finally seeing the light of day))...

I could understand if someone argued that they didn't appreciate the Native American stereotyping, with the old guy at the beginning talking about some ominous change on the winds and such. I don't think it's being disrespectful at all, though — in fact, a couple of pigheaded white dudes harassing the bartender, your dude's girlfriend, take a brutal pounding from you just before things get freaky.

Based on the demo I would totally buy this game at a discount. $20 or so would be right on the money. Maybe $30. Am I horribly wrong? I mean, does it go way downhill after that? 'Cause at the moment I'm pleasantly surprised. I'm really curious about the wall-walking stuff, too...

For that matter I suppose I ought to check out Doom 3, if only to say I have.

Oh, and — I was able to finish Episode One earlier today without a hitch. Fucking sweet ending. Can't wait for Episode Two, now. Not too much longer!
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[Cycle]

The Prey demo blew me away. Unfortunately, the rest of the game isn't nearly as interesting as the demo promises. After the demo levels, it's pretty much doing the same shit over and over again.

I wish the original game came out, it sounded way more daring and interesting. Perhaps why it never came out!

Also, the demo is more optimised than the full version for some reason.

I tried playing Doom 3 on my new computer recently. Man, that shit got old FAST!
_________________

[antitype]

Well, I think that even if it is 15 hours of more of the same it'd be pretty cool. But there are more weapons and puzzle-y kinds of things with the gravity ramps (or whatever you'd call them), spirit walking, portals, and those teleportation pads you shoot, right? Or no? (So, hey, I guess this game was the precursor to Portal, huh. I hadn't realized that this was such a significant aspect of Prey.) And I'm guessing there's some more cool scenery, like that view of the surface of the alien planet you get in that one spot, when you open up a big window... The scale of it feels a lot like the later levels of Duke Nukem 3D. That's really cool.

I dunno, man, I think I'm sold. I mean, a lot would argue that the first 15 minute of HL2 are its most impressive, you know?

Then again, well, you'd know better than I would, since you've played it. But I think I've got to find out for myself now.

Up next: FEAR demo. We'll see if that one impresses me as much.
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

Doom 3 should have been like Painkiller without the arena-styled enemy encounters, not some pitch black survival horror shit that we ended up with. I'm all for mixing up the formula but when it loses the spirit of the prequels somewhat it's not really worth my time.
_________________

[Cycle]

I thought painkiller was a pretty darn awful game!
_________________

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

Think what you will but you have to admit it was closer to DooM than what Doom 3 was.
_________________

[Cycle]

I'm not so sure, actually! I'd rather play DooM 3 over Painkiller though. That game gave me a headache.

LOL, irony.
_________________

[antitype]

Hey, would you guys say Condemned is worth $15?
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[Cycle]

Haven't played it! From what I hear, probably.
_________________

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

[Cycle]

Yeah, the weapons in Painkiller were lots of fun, but also seemed to suffer from Serious Sam 2 syndrome where they just threw things in because they'd be awesome. I found the actual game design very weak. It was just arena after arena of killing swarms of enemies, and no care went into the actual swarms. Some levels were just fighting the exact same two-three enemies over and over again in very boring arenas. It felt very hollow and shallow and atleast three other kinds of -lows!

That's just me know, I know others who swear by it and think it's the best thing since DooM 2. I just don't see it, though.

Also, I don't care about DooM 3 darkness jokes.

Also, every DooM 3 review used the "all hell breaks loose (literally!!!)" joke.
_________________

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

The thing that I liked most about Painkiller was the level design (well, more the look of the levels than how the rooms were stuck together), I thought they were really done well and there was some genuinely great stuff in there. Like the Asylum level, I thought that one was done really well and the docks level. It made me not mind the Smash TV-ness of it all. If they made it less of a "sensible Serious Sam" it propbably would have been the best FPS of that year.
_________________

[Cycle]

Oh yeah, the Asylum is a definite stand-out. I can't remember the docks level, though. I also loved the appearance of the enemies and levels. Great stuff! It probably made me even more annoyed that the actual level design/gameplay was so banal. So much effort seemed to have been put in everything else.

The music and overall atmosphere totally sucked, too. When nothing happens you have this cool ambient music, but then some crappy cock rock pumps out when enemies start pouring out of the walls. Total mood killer!
_________________

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

Yeah, the generic thrash riffs. It's like we actuallyare fighting through hell.

The docks level was the one before the monastery on the cliff, two levels before that really cool final level. I might have to reinstall the game, casting my mind back to singular levels is making me want to go through it again.
_________________

[dessgeega]

so yeah, speaking of which!

my copy of snes doom hasn't arrived yet, so i've been playing through the pc version. the original dos version! the contemporary ports of the game are too hi-definition: the proportions are wrong, the screen is too big, the polygons too sharp, the textures repeat. i've been playing in dosbox, with joytokey mapping the controls to my saturn pad, and with the femdoom mods applied.

i just finished episode 1 on "hurt me plenty". i really love the way the infernal gradually makes its presence known in the game: first you fight human soldier, then fire-tossing humanoids and knobbly pink hulks who could just represent an army of ambiguous martian monsters; here and there you run across an ornate gold candelabra, and then you're fighting barons of hell in a giant pentagram. the game finally spells out for you that you are fighting the forces of hell, on a martian moon, and this sets the tone for episode 2 on deimos, where the new occupants have had more time to redecorate.

i like doom more than most first-person shooters (marathon excluded) because you are only required to negotiate a single axis; in first-person games that give me full 3d aiming and movement, i have a much harder time managing 3d space (and tend to panic because the perspective is that much more limiting). some people consider doom a 2d game; i don't because the perspective is what makes the game: peeking into a hallway, firing at an enemy, and ducking back out, then quickly checking for enemies lurking behind you. the use of sound and the status menu portrait to cue enemy positions is brilliant (the xbox live arcade version supposedly has surround sound, but i don't remember if nana had a surround setup when i played that version on her 360).

long ago i decided that doom is about the quest to become the biggest and scariest monster.
_________________

[antitype]

[dessgeega]

playing spread out with one hand a keyboard and one on a mouse just doesn't feel as intimate as using a gamepad, and doom is one of the few first-person shooters that plays comfortably on a pad. the live arcade version's dual-stick setup - one stick for moving, one for turning - is the best i've played, but a digital pad with shoulder buttons for strafing works just cozy (it's how the gba port works and, i assume, the snes).
_________________

[dongle]

[antitype]

[dongle]

[dessgeega]

i actually played wolfenstein snes recently. i find the combat infuriating - enemies lift their guns and, if you can see them, you take damage. dodging is vague, and bosses turn into pillar dances. doom has shotgun zombies who attack in a similiar way, but in that game they complement the projectile-firing and hand-to-hand enemies. in wolfenstein every fight feels like luck.

it's also really samey - the architecture is flat, the enemies all have the same face, and the walls are always either grey or brown or that bizarre shade of blue. that blue has always put me off: it doesn't look like the sort of thing a german castle should be built out of. none of the enemy soldiers or golden candelabras or smoked hams look right next to those weird blue walls.

the snes version controls the same way i'm playing doom now - d-pad for movement, shoulder buttons for strafing - which works well. all the photos of hitler have been demoustachioed, and the dogs have become giant killer rats. the game starts with you breaking into wolfenstein instead of breaking out of it - it feels like stages have been left out, though i wasn't counting. and i think episodes from the original game and the "nocturnal missions" have been spliced in with each other.

it's been years since i played catacomb 3d.
_________________

[ryan]

From what I've read about Prey, it's decent, but it really starts with the best stuff first and then drags the same few bits out over the next 5-6 hours. At full price I wouldn't be a big fan of a 5-6 hour game that didn't seem to move beyond its revolving door, but at a discount price it would probably be a good way to spend an afternoon.

I found Doom 3 on PC not bad, but I really enjoyed it on the Xbox. I found that the keyboard and joystick were overkill for what it required - it just didn't need that kind of precision - but the controller felt so much more natural.

In the original Doom, I had more fun using the clipping code so I could leave the building and explore the outside world. I found it fascinating that there were outside portions that were largely useless but still there to see.
_________________
Come to me, Mordel. We shall depart.

[antitype]

I just played Radiant Silvergun on my computer, and it ran perfectly. Fuck YES. Thank you, SSF.

Looks like I'll finally get to play Panzer Dragoon Saga again (without spending half a paycheck), too. Man. That's almost a dream come true.

Sadly, though, it looks like Saturn torrents are kind of slim — or just not being seeded. Unless I'm looking in the wrong places (mininova). Otherwise I'd be asking for recommendations on Saturn games I may have never played. Imports and such. I'd really like to find Assault Suits Leynos 2 and Enemy Zero, as I've always been curious about both of those...
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[dessgeega]

how did you get radiant silvergun to run perfectly in ssf?
_________________

[antitype]

Just took a few google searches to find the proper BIOS, set it to Japan mode, mounted the ISO with daemon tools, and I was off.
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[dessgeega]

i've never been able to get it to run at the right speed. boo!
_________________

[antitype]

Well, I'm guessing it's a pretty demanding emulator — maybe my dual core CPU just gives it the extra push? I count myself lucky!
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[ryan]

I have Enemy Zero, no idea how to rip it.

Have you tried Return Fire? The full version is free, but I can't get it to work on my Saturn - I don't think I burned it correctly. Sega-saturn.net/returnfire.htm, I believe. Apparently they received the Okay to finish and put it out by the owners.
_________________
Come to me, Mordel. We shall depart.

[Winged Assassins (1984)]

[Cycle]

[antitype]

I guess I would have to resort to eBay for that, huh? Unless it's small enough that you wouldn't mind making a transfer (if possible)...

I'd totally forgotten that there was in fact a PC version of Enemy Zero. It'd probably be nice if there was one for D2 as well.
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[Cycle]

I think it's like two CDs It's pretty cheap though, it's on the XPLOSIV range.
_________________

[antitype]

Oh, geez, I forgot about how big it was. Yeah, I think the Saturn version is four discs.

Speaking of, I found tons of Saturn torrents here. I really love that you can check which parts of a torrent file you want, 'cause they've got a bunch of really huge sets there each with a handful of games I actually want to play.
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[Cycle]

Hey Dess, the game we were thinking of was Breakfree.


_________________

[antitype]

Hey, would anyone mind telling me where I can find a Sin and Punishment ROM that does work with the translation patch? I've tried about five now, to no avail...

EDIT: All set!
_________________
antitype.livejournal.com | last.fm

[dessgeega]

sick of waiting for doom snes to arrive, i played through episode 3 on the gba. you don't fight the spider mastermind at the end; instead, you materialize in a small chamber where you're immediately attacked from all sides by barons of hell, then fight through a cathedral full of cacodemons. (there's no cyberdemon either - in its place you fight several waves of monsters in an arena.) hell is a lot blander-looking in the gba version - there's less flesh and more brickwork. deimos seems a bit browner too. for a doom you can fit in your pocket, though, it's not bad.

as a side note, the minibosses do a hot cover of the doom theme.
_________________

[Crazy Bacon Lips]

Dess, how far did you get in UUW?

[dessgeega]

i found a small colony of humans behind an ankh banner. when i try to leave, a vampire bat swoops down and murders me.
_________________

[aerisdead]

So it turns out that Panzer Dragoon Orta isn't as bad as everyone says it is.

I actually rather like it.

And the 360 BC is perfect, for anyone who cares.
_________________
aerisdead

[Crazy Bacon Lips]

[simplicio]

I got Etrian Oddyssey and played it over the weekend. Kinda nice, though I resent the grinding! I ended up leveling up 3 different characters with Chop, just to get through that handaxe quest more quickly.

My guild (Townies) has mapped just about all of the 2nd floor, taken down a couple FOEs and is beginning to think about that 3rd floor now.

How do I unlock the other two classes?

Also, Wes needs to tell us (me) about Dawn of Mana in this thread.
_________________
"Worlds turn the new machine to thee. To thee. Though, thine the new machine space."
-Kurt Schwitters, 1919

[Pijaibros]

[Shapermc]

[aerisdead]

[Shapermc]

OK, so I spent most of my gaming time this weekend between Odin Sphere, Senko no Ronde, and Taito Legends 2 (though, that's quite a few games), with the occasional bout of Calling All Cars.

Calling all Cars is better than I thought it would be both visually and mechanically. Though, it's a major disappointment that it's a PS3 game because there is almost no reason at all to play the single player. It seems like it would be a really awesome party game though, and it would be easy even for non-gamers to pick up. Yes, there are only a few levels, and a dozen cars, but it's really all you need if you're actually playing this multi-player. I don't think this game was ever intended to be a single player game, which is the main reason that it's a shame it's on the PS3.

Senko no Ronde becomes better the more time I spend with it. I've beat the story mode with about half of the characters. Apparently there are "good endings" if you let the opponent pull off both of their BOSS formations. This is because it gives them enough time to expose their full story so that you can be led to the "good" ending. That's a pretty great thing to have in this kind of game honestly. I tried to play online but no one seemed to be on when I tried. After about 15 minutes of trying I finally hooked up with a S.Korean who kicked my ass really hard. He was ranked quite high, so even though I lost very fast I still gained quite a bit of rank. The game was lagging out like crazy, though I was uploading a lot of files and downloading some stuff on my PC, and it was S. Korea. So my opinions of that are still out.

Taito Legends 2 is amazing. Most of my time was spent on Don Doko Don (love it). But I spent some time on a good chunk of the games. I forgot how amazing the G.Darius ost is.

Finally, yeah, Odin Sphere. My opinion in constant flux on this game. For a long time I was in love, but only after initial disappointment. Now I think I'm disappointed again because I finally got to the second character (nearly 12 hours on Hard mode) and, well, he feels like more of the same. Not only is the combat fairly similar, it even feels slightly less strategically interesting. Oh, yeah, and you get reset to level 1 (though he is leveling faster than the first character) so its strange. The game is easy again almost. But I'm constantly amazed with level and character design. The final level of the main characters story is gorgeous and well thought out, also very hard. UNFORTUNATELY, there are so many things going on in this level that the game slows down to a halt during very hectic situations. Also, the final boss of the first story has both an amazing design and a horrible design (amazing in everything but the disgustingly large breasts... and I like breasts!).

So, I'm going to hold off on giving Odin Sphere any kind of final judgment for a while.

[dessgeega]

shaper spent like ten minutes humming the don doko don forest theme in my ear the other night, no foolin'.

fed up with waiting for snes doom, i've been playing through episode 2 in pc vanilla doom. the deimos stages just open the game up that much, just add that necessary bit of sophistication to the level design. and with only introducing, what, two new enemies and three new weapons? i really appreciate the economy of doom's level design.

maybe tomorrow i'll hike down to the rental place and see if they have odin sphere in. i'm getting pretty curious.
_________________

[helicopterp]

[dessgeega]

found my way to the secret stage of episode 2. yikes. that did not end pretty.

hypothesis: all game stories told through dialogue boxes are bad. i hear you can at least set the voice-overs to the original japanese though?
_________________