Video Game General (Official)

[Archer Vonn]

did you guys know 3d mario world got outsold by knack? yeah. choke on that, review scores.

 

i dont see much of a way out for the wiiu. sony+ms are capitalizing on the casual market, which is what sold the wii, while nintendo is attempting the hardcore market while ignoring the only playing cards they have in that field, which are zelda and metroid. instead, we get donkey kong.

 

nintendo is just getting ravaged this generation. they might end up going strictly handheld at this rate.

[JiMing]

Sources, please.

I don't have any trouble believing such a thing, the Wii U is struggling still, and there's an oversaturation of Mario games lately. I just want to know where you got this from.

 

Who knows? Once Smash Bros., Zelda, etc. comes up, we might see the Wii U get a leg up in sales. But for now, one can only hope...

[Archer Vonn]

http://www.playstationlifestyle.net/2013/12/02/uk-sales-charts-killzone-shadow-fall-debuts-at-4-knack-beats-super-mario-3d-world/

 

mario isn't doing so well. it did better in north america (it beat knack there) but that isn't doing much. TLoU is still selling better than it is, and that game came out, when, june?

[Hodor]

It probably helps that TLOU is a 'mature' game and has been getting good reviews since it came out.

 

I doubt Nintendo's going to drop out after this generation. Remember the horrible sales of the N64 and Gamecube? If anyone has a chance of dropping and gathering flies, it's Microsoft's game division, what with the two billion a year lost by the branch.

 

Then again, there's also how Halo prints them money, and turning that into a bi-annual franchise would probably save that.

[Dapper-Sama]

Biannual releases of Halo would be bad. Devs wouldn't have enough time to make their games good.

[Terminus]

Well, there's been at least one Halo game every two years since Halo 3, so you might already be able to call it biannual.

 

And generally 2 years is a good enough amount of time for devs to make a really good game. When a series gets one or more titles a year, then I'd get worried.

[Kalopsia]

Well, there's been at least one Halo game every two years since Halo 3, so you might already be able to call it biannual.

 

And generally 2 years is a good enough amount of time for devs to make a really good game. When a series gets one or more titles a year, then I'd get worried.

Biannual monetisation of franchises is really the happy medium between release schedule and quality. Any more frequent and you risk brand saturation and burnout (see Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty)

[Hodor]

Biannual releases of Halo would be bad. Devs wouldn't have enough time to make their games good.

That doesn't really matter, considering most publishers care less about quality and more about all that money.

 

I mean, you ever look at EA?

 

 

 

Well, there's been at least one Halo game every two years since Halo 3, so you might already be able to call it biannual.

 

And generally 2 years is a good enough amount of time for devs to make a really good game. When a series gets one or more titles a year, then I'd get worried.

Biannual monetisation of franchises is really the happy medium between release schedule and quality. Any more frequent and you risk brand saturation and burnout (see Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty)

 

Honestly, I think biannual is honestly pretty bad and risks saturation just as badly as an annual release schedule if you're not spicing up the gameplay and fixing the glitches of the last entry. Triannual is probably the ideal, since it leaves quite a bit of time for the development cycle to at least try to be good without rushing out the next title.

 

Also what games are you guys looking forward to next year? So far the only things to color my interest are Telltale's Game of Thrones, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monolift's X, Project Eternity, Shroud of the Avatar, and a very cautious excitement for Dragon Age Inquisition.

 

Game of Thrones is almost entirely because I love what I've seen of the HBO series and the good word of mouth I've heard for The Walking Dead. TW3: WH is mostly because CD Projekt Red has yet to release a bad game. X seems to be another Xeno game and I liked Xenogears and what I've played of Xenoblade. Eternity and Avatar are both being handled by devs who've been doing the whole 'RPG' thing from the nineties and before, and both look pretty awesome. DAI has the whammy of being released in a year where 'actually-dark' dark fantasy games are coming out and general skepticism because of how hilariously incompetent Dragon Age 2 apparently turned out, but the delay to Q3 of '14 gives me a little hope for it being good.

Edited December 11, 2013 by Alastor MacBatman

[Manducus]

 

Well, there's been at least one Halo game every two years since Halo 3, so you might already be able to call it biannual.

 

And generally 2 years is a good enough amount of time for devs to make a really good game. When a series gets one or more titles a year, then I'd get worried.

Biannual monetisation of franchises is really the happy medium between release schedule and quality. Any more frequent and you risk brand saturation and burnout (see Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty)

 

 

 

Assassin's Creed been doing pretty good though, but CoD has taken a bit of a nosedive. I would like to see them bring coop campaign back.

Edited December 11, 2013 by MaliceGhost

[Terminus]

In the defense of biannual releases, I'd like to point to Naughty Dog and their Uncharted/Last of Us games. If it's a good enough dev, biannual can be done very well.

 

Anyways, next year?

 

Well, so far there's Infamous: Second Son (which I've already preordered), Bayonetta 2, Blazblue: Chronophantasma, X, Danganropa, Lighting Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (I played the Japanese demo, FFXIII was always meant to be an action-RPG), Steins;Gate, Kingdom Hearts 2.5 HD, and every single game from that Persona announcement a little while ago.

I'm also hoping that both Fairy Fencer F and Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus get US releases.

[Hodor]

Honestly, I'd normally be hyped for BlazBlue 3, but I just can't get as hyped for it as I did when they announced Guilty Gear Xrd was actually happening and it turned out not to be a dream. BlazBlue always felt like the not-quite-as-amazing younger brother of Guilty Gear, made because Arc Sys couldn't get back the rights for GG and kind of had to wing up a new cast.

 

Then again, I haven't played any of the revisions after Continuum Shift's original release, so that might have changed.

[Just A Dot]

To throw In my two cents, I got kinda bored with SSB. Brawl had a nice set of bells and whistles, but couldn't hold my interest for long. I've since proceeded on to other fighters.

If it didn't hold your interest, you never tried to get into competitive play

 

I'm not expecting SSB4 to really be all that big... No campaign (which I'm really not happy about), no cross-play, and talk of a smaller roster... I think I just killed half if my hype for Smash 4.

Indifferent to the campaign - Subspace was very tedious, and even on Intense, easy. I never expected cross-play, and I've heard that the roster isn't going to be smaller, but rather, the increase in roster size will be smaller.

 

did you guys know 3d mario world got outsold by knack? yeah. choke on that, review scores.

 

i dont see much of a way out for the wiiu. sony+ms are capitalizing on the casual market, which is what sold the wii, while nintendo is attempting the hardcore market while ignoring the only playing cards they have in that field, which are zelda and metroid. instead, we get donkey kong.

 

nintendo is just getting ravaged this generation. they might end up going strictly handheld at this rate.

Well, Mario 3D World is just another Mario game, which has been nothing major to anyone since Galaxy 2 (and, if you are me, Galaxy 2 didn't even impress you). Back in the day, the games were spread out and creative - World was '91, 64 was '96, Sunshine was '02, Galaxy was '07. Recently, they have just been annual .

 

And I won't deny that Nintendo is making VERY stupid decisions with the Wii U, to the point where I have lost faith in them as a company (again. I lost faith I guess a few years ago). But, when Zelda and Metroid and stuff come out, I will love them, so I still have to buy their consoles.

 

I don't see them going strictly handheld. Take a glance at this: http://31.media.tumblr.com/fc0f7b53fa213ef27353fcb53cbf6e4c/tumblr_mocd4gbMpZ1r2c75so1_500.jpg

 

Anyone who says they are going under hasn't done enough research lately. They have more than enough money to spare. The Wii U won't sell very well, I agree completely, but I still have a bit of hope that they will just go back to making a powerhouse console again next generation. Though, oddly enough, despite the N64 and GCN being the powerhouses of their generations, 3rd party support still wasn't there, because 3rd parties just hate Nintendo.

 

I don't personally care too much for most 3rd party games anyway. I play mostly Nintendo, and whatever I play now that isn't Nintendo is a Sony exclusive. There are VERY few 3rd party titles that interest me at all. Most are just shooters and shooters and shooters and bleh.

[Terminus]

Though, oddly enough, despite the N64 and GCN being the powerhouses of their generations, 3rd party support still wasn't there, because 3rd parties just hate Nintendo.

Well, there's that, and the fact that both the N64 cartridges and GCN discs offered less space than their competitor's media.

[Just A Dot]

 

Though, oddly enough, despite the N64 and GCN being the powerhouses of their generations, 3rd party support still wasn't there, because 3rd parties just hate Nintendo.

Well, there's that, and the fact that both the N64 cartridges and GCN discs offered less space than their competitor's media.

 

That slipped my mind for a minute, which is dumb of me, seeing as I think I mentioned that a few pages ago...

 

Hopefully that isn't an issue next gen with their hypothetical powerhouse console, because games'll probably all be digitally available.

Edited December 11, 2013 by Ghabulous Ghoti

[Hodor]

 

 

Though, oddly enough, despite the N64 and GCN being the powerhouses of their generations, 3rd party support still wasn't there, because 3rd parties just hate Nintendo.

Well, there's that, and the fact that both the N64 cartridges and GCN discs offered less space than their competitor's media.

 

That slipped my mind for a minute, which is dumb of me, seeing as I think I mentioned that a few pages ago...

 

Hopefully that isn't an issue next gen with their hypothetical powerhouse console, because games'll probably all be digitally available.

 

The N64 was also a nightmare to program for- same with the Saturn.

 

A big reason why the PS1 got such a massive strong hold on the industry was a mixture of Sega's trademark incompetence (the Saturn was notorious for having the 3D functions pretty much duct taped in, there was a lot of bad will because of the failure of the Mega/Sega CD and 32X, and the US branch had just plain stupid policies) and the 700MB CD space.

[Just A Dot]

 

 

 

Though, oddly enough, despite the N64 and GCN being the powerhouses of their generations, 3rd party support still wasn't there, because 3rd parties just hate Nintendo.

Well, there's that, and the fact that both the N64 cartridges and GCN discs offered less space than their competitor's media.

 

That slipped my mind for a minute, which is dumb of me, seeing as I think I mentioned that a few pages ago...

 

Hopefully that isn't an issue next gen with their hypothetical powerhouse console, because games'll probably all be digitally available.

 

The N64 was also a nightmare to program for- same with the Saturn.

 

A big reason why the PS1 got such a massive strong hold on the industry was a mixture of Sega's trademark incompetence (the Saturn was notorious for having the 3D functions pretty much duct taped in, there was a lot of bad will because of the failure of the Mega/Sega CD and 32X, and the US branch had just plain stupid policies) and the 700MB CD space.

 

Yes, I've heard that it wasn't the easiest to program for, which I find kinda ironic, because of how easy to emulate it is.

[Archer Vonn]

 

I don't see them going strictly handheld. Take a glance at this: http://31.media.tumb...2c75so1_500.jpg

 

that doesn't specify home consoles or handheld consoles, it just lumps them all together. and considering the fact that the 3DS is currently the best selling console on the market and the WiiU is one of the worst, we can logically connect the dots from there.

 

 

Biannual releases of Halo would be bad. Devs wouldn't have enough time to make their games good.

 

not necessarily true. as was mentioned, the latest assassin's creed was arguably the best, and new vegas was the best RPG of the generation and it was made in less than two years. i will agree with you though that two years is not enough to make halo 5 good- 343 isn't a great dev. they don't have the same magic bungie did. the thing that sold halo 1-3 was how different it was from other shooters, meanwhile halo 4 picked up the pace and set it on course to copying call of duty.

 

don't get me wrong, it'll still sell. it just won't be a good game. the only thing that sets it apart from other shooters now is its art style.

 

and on a side note, i really hope we see the arbiter return in halo 5. that might peak my interest.

 

 

I doubt Nintendo's going to drop out after this generation. Remember the horrible sales of the N64 and Gamecube? If anyone has a chance of dropping and gathering flies, it's Microsoft's game division, what with the two billion a year lost by the branch.

 

the difference between microsoft and nintendo is that nintendo makes video games. that is their bread and butter. microsoft makes computers, and they are one of the most profitable companies on the planet. do you have any idea how much they lost on the original xbox? they still made another one, and it was still a financial failure. then they made a third one. they're big enough to let them be stubborn. and yeah, a lot of microsoft's shareholders want them to sell off the xbox division, so you may end up being right after all. xbox dropping off the map just isn't a sure thing yet.

 

 

Also what games are you guys looking forward to next year?

 

i gotta say 2014 looks like it'll be an amazing year for gaming. tons of games previously mentioned look like they will be great. infamous second son, the order: 1886, dark souls 2 and destiny are what i'm really looking forward to. that's just off the top of my head, too.

Edited December 12, 2013 by The God of War

[Dapper-Sama]

Uh, forgot that biannual mean two years. Derp. Thought it meant 6 months. =P

[Just A Dot]

 

 

I doubt Nintendo's going to drop out after this generation. Remember the horrible sales of the N64 and Gamecube? If anyone has a chance of dropping and gathering flies, it's Microsoft's game division, what with the two billion a year lost by the branch.

 

the difference between microsoft and nintendo is that nintendo makes video games. that is their bread and butter. microsoft makes computers, and they are one of the most profitable companies on the planet. do you have any idea how much they lost on the original xbox? they still made another one, and it was still a financial failure. then they made a third one. they're big enough to let them be stubborn. and yeah, a lot of microsoft's shareholders want them to sell off the xbox division, so you may end up being right after all. xbox dropping off the map just isn't a sure thing yet.

 

Well, Nintendo owns the Seattle Mariners, so they have at least one other source of income

[Archer Vonn]

oh, shoot. had no idea about that. i think my point still stands, though.

 

ugh, this financial/marketing stuff is so gross, lol

Edited December 12, 2013 by The God of War

[Primis]

The original Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: Tactics are currently available for free at GOG.com, and will be until tomorrow at 1:59PM GMT.

Edited December 13, 2013 by Primis

[Hodor]

The original Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: Tactics are currently available for free at GOG.com, and will be until tomorrow at 1:59PM GMT.

Yessssss.

 

Been meaning to get into Fallout.

[Timelady Gallade]

 

The original Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: Tactics are currently available for free at GOG.com, and will be until tomorrow at 1:59PM GMT.

Yessssss.

 

Been meaning to get into Fallout.

 

Downloading them right now.

 

I hope they work on Mac 10.5.8. xD

[Hodor]

 

 

The original Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: Tactics are currently available for free at GOG.com, and will be until tomorrow at 1:59PM GMT.

Yessssss.

 

Been meaning to get into Fallout.

 

Downloading them right now.

 

I hope they work on Mac 10.5.8. xD

 

They should, GOG has a decent amount of Windows to Mac ports.

 

Worst comes to worst, you could try it in Winebox or some other Windows emulator.

[Constructelf]

The original Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: Tactics are currently available for free at GOG.com, and will be until tomorrow at 1:59PM GMT.

Just signed up for GOG today; saw the promo and decided that it was worth downloading even though I know nothing about Fallout (I mean, three FREE games? What a deal!)

[Primis]

 

The original Fallout, Fallout 2, and Fallout: Tactics are currently available for free at GOG.com, and will be until tomorrow at 1:59PM GMT.

Just signed up for GOG today; saw the promo and decided that it was worth downloading even though I know nothing about Fallout (I mean, three FREE games? What a deal!)

 

Same here, except I actually signed up the last time the original Fallout was free. Still haven't played it, but at least I have the complete trilogy now...

Edited December 14, 2013 by Primis

[Archer Vonn]

i wonder what this giveaway means for the fallout community. will a lot of kids wise up and realize just how insulting fallout 3 is to the lore? well probably not people who love fallout 3 love it in spite of its stupid gameplay so they probably won't care about its stupid story either

 

i might replay fallout 2. do a low-intelligence run or something fun like that.

 

edit: fallout tactics was a spinoff its not a 'sequel' ergo its not a 'trilogy'

Edited December 14, 2013 by The God of War

[jeremy752]

Wow, thanks for the GOG link! I had no idea these were being given away for free.

[Wazdakka]

I considered downloading Fallout... but then I saw how terrible the graphics are.

[Hodor]

I considered downloading Fallout... but then I saw how terrible the graphics are.

It's a computer game from '97, what are you expecting?

 

Besides, it's a pretty good game anyway.

[Just A Dot]

I considered downloading Fallout... but then I saw how terrible the graphics are.

I am very disappoint in you. Do graphics really mean everything? I mean, your signature indicates that you play Minecraft, which certainly doesn't look realistic at all.

[Archer Vonn]

I considered downloading Fallout... but then I saw how terrible the graphics are.

 

you don't deserve to play fallout

[Makuta of Time]

I might be getting a Ps4 or Xbox 1 when I come back from vacation, but don't know what's better. I want the One for Forza 5 only, but I'm still thinking about the 4. Can you guys help me by giving me the scoop which is better? Thanks.

[Archer Vonn]

Forza's just another racing game with a cool name, sorry to all the die hard Forza fans here.

 

PS4 has more games and a wider variety of games coming to it, but Xbone launched for a few more. If you're planning on getting sick of video games soon, get an Xbox. Otherwise, get a PS4 because it's got a much brighter future.

[Manducus]

I might be getting a Ps4 or Xbox 1 when I come back from vacation, but don't know what's better. I want the One for Forza 5 only, but I'm still thinking about the 4. Can you guys help me by giving me the scoop which is better? Thanks.

 

 

If you want to only get Forza 5 only, then don't get the Xbox One (just one game for a console). Get the PS4 if that's the case.

 

 

I don't know about you, but I'm sticking with the Xbox One. Not particularly a Sony fan, but they sure make excellent flatscreen TV's.

[Wazdakka]

 

 

 

 

I considered downloading Fallout... but then I saw how terrible the graphics are.

I am very disappoint in you. Do graphics really mean everything? I mean, your signature indicates that you play Minecraft, which certainly doesn't look realistic at all.

 

 

You are "very disappoint" made me smile.

Well, I was mainly thinking about the second game - Fallout 2 has similarly shoddy graphics and it came out years later. I am certainly not a person to prize graphics over gameplay value, as I have all three Marathon games (even older than Fallout), the first two Halos, and, as you mentioned, Minecraft. That said, I watched a few videos of the early games and compared them to the modern Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, which dissuaded me completely. In addition, it just wasn't pleasant to look at. All dark, boring, grainy textures that even Marathon could outdo in variety and general aesthetic appeal. However, I feel that to completely disregard the graphics in a video game is just as bad as exclusively prizing them. If a video game looks good and is beautiful to look at as you play, then that is certainly a bonus.

Edited December 16, 2013 by Wazdakka

[Dapper-Sama]

 

I considered downloading Fallout... but then I saw how terrible the graphics are.

 

you don't deserve to play fallout

 

Don't be such an elitist. Jesu, man, jesu.

[Hodor]

 

 

 

 

 

I considered downloading Fallout... but then I saw how terrible the graphics are.

I am very disappoint in you. Do graphics really mean everything? I mean, your signature indicates that you play Minecraft, which certainly doesn't look realistic at all.

 

 

You are "very disappoint" made me smile.

Well, I was mainly thinking about the second game - Fallout 2 has similarly shoddy graphics and it came out years later. I am certainly not a person to prize graphics over gameplay value, as I have all three Marathon games (even older than Fallout), the first two Halos, and, as you mentioned, Minecraft. That said, I watched a few videos of the early games and compared them to the modern Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas, which dissuaded me completely. In addition, it just wasn't pleasant to look at. All dark, boring, grainy textures that even Marathon could outdo in variety and general aesthetic appeal. However, I feel that to completely disregard the graphics in a video game is just as bad as exclusively prizing them. If a video game looks good and is beautiful to look at as you play, then that is certainly a bonus.

 

Fallout 2 was released a year after the first. Considering how hard it was to make a game in the genre at the time, they were very likely in development at the same time.

 

Comparing Marathon and FO3 and NV to these is like comparing apples and oranges. They're not even the same genres, even if FO3 and NV are part of the same franchise- the only thing you could really compare them on is lore, which Fallout 3 is notorious for barely adhering to (and NV is a revised version of the original Fallout 3 by the same team). Marathon is an FPS. FO3/NV are Action RPG/Shooter hybrids. FO1&2 are isometric cRPGs.

 

This'd be like me complaining about Skyrim for not playing like Doom.

 

And the game is set in a post apocalyptic wasteland. Of course it's going to have gnarly, dead looking textures- it arguably help immerse, something very important in RPGs. Especially one like Fallout, where you could make an entire run without attacking anyone.

 

The thing is, the game's gameplay and writing easily make up for the poorly-aged visuals. Shooting down the game on graphics and comparisons to games that aren't even in the same genre doesn't make sense.

[Archer Vonn]

he doesn't wanna play fallout man leave him alone

 

 

I don't know about you, but I'm sticking with the Xbox One. Not particularly a Sony fan,

 

which means you're a halo fan, the xbox brand has never had anything else worthwhile to its name, even if xbros pretend otherwise. and there's nothing wrong with liking halo. just dont be like, in denial about that.

[Hodor]

he doesn't wanna play fallout man leave him alone

Yyyeah, got a bit over heated about that, sorry.