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Aimless

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Posts posted by Aimless

  1. Posted

    I thought it was, may be wrong though.

    It was probably rumoured at some point.

     

    As for a PC release, I suppose that depends on how Ubisoft are feeling towards the platform come 2014 or so. I would expect a computer version, but the DRM might require you to sacrifice a goat when first starting it up.

  4. Posted

    I'm dreading Microsofts E3, as I can see it just being all about the TV shows/advertisement side of things and then a small portion being about Halo 4 and whatever else they have in the making, if anything.

    Here's how I see it going:

    • Open with Black Ops 2 demo
    • Show a montage of third-party games
    • Talk about new entertainment services
    • Show off a new version of the Dashboard coming later this year, now with more adverts
    • Reveal their cross-game Kinect exercise tracking thing; this is likely to feature an awkwardly scripted on-stage presentation
    • Close out with Halo 4

  5. Posted

    Speaking of filler episodes, I've only recently gotten into this show but was thoroughly confused when...

    ...Olivia started nonchalantly chatting with Charlie at his desk. I spent the rest of the episode waiting for this weirdness to be addressed, suspecting the situation might be along the lines of Dawn's from Buffy. Then the credits rolled.

     

    After some cautious Googling it seems they simply dumped an unused episode from the first season into the second without so much as a disclaimer. Not quite the mystery I was hoping for.

     

  6. Posted

    The reason you can't run game content from an external HDD is because that would be an obscenely weak link when it comes to piracy. To allow such functionality would mean the external drive would need to be specifically formatted to only work with that PS3, which would rather undermines the point of an external drive in the first place.

     

    In your position you should be looking to upgrade your machine's internal HDD. You can use standard laptop HDDs and it's very easy to do; there's even a how-to in the manual. Drives aren't as cheap as they used to be — a consequence of Taiwanese floods, I believe — but you should be able to find a 320GB drive for close to £40, which is more space than you're ever likely to need.

     

    If you're after a short-term fix, have a look through your Game Data folder and delete any installs for games you no longer play. Such files tend to weigh in at multiple GBs, so they're easy to spot.

  7. Posted

    Dear Ubisoft,

     

    I'm not going to advertise your game so that you release promotional material that's in your interest to get out there in the first place. If you want to create buzz around your trailer then make a good one, don't cynically hold it to ransom behind a social media wall.

     

    Regards,

     

    The Internet

  8. Posted · Edited by Aimless

    Take all the best things about the first then replace it all with generic action sections. Then you'll have Dead Space 2.

     

    I hear things like that a lot, but Dead Space 2 doesn't really have any more action than the first game. It could certainly be improved by halving the amount of enemies you face, but that was true of the original as well.

     

    The second game is an improvement on the first, as far as I'm concerned. It has much better pacing, whereas Dead Space had a constant sense of oppression that meant there wasn't really a chance for release; you need some exhale moments, like the save rooms in classic Resident Evil, in order to really appreciate the tenser situations.

     

    Anyway, I'm interested to see where they take a third game. As hinted earlier I'd love to see them significantly reduce the amount of combat, making it more meaningful in the process: one enemy that could spring from anywhere at any time is far more effective than a bunch that have preset spawn points.

     

    @The Bard, I think you should edit out that DS2 level spoiler. I'm generally of the opinion that game spoilers are fair game in threads for their sequels, but H-o-T did just say he's yet to play it so it would be a shame to ruin that particular surprise.

  10. Posted

    I don't think it's been mentioned in this thread, but Unit 13 is really decent. As with Zipper games past it could certainly benefit from more personality in the presentation, but the actual structure is very neat.

     

    The core mechanics aren't too far off the recent SOCOM, but the game itself is broken up into manageable missions of varying types — stealth, timed, assassination, etc — with the player able to choose which operative and equipment they use, each with different strengths and weaknesses. Your aim is to earn a 5 star rating for each mission, unlocking High Value Targets — bosses, in a literal but not so much mechanical sense — upon reaching a set number of overall stars.

     

    As you might infer, the game is very score-based with most actions — such as headshots, melee kills or maintaining stealth — leading to multipliers that tick down. The various characters give you numerous ways to approach missions, however, with a typical XP system unlocking new abilities and equipment.

     

    The game only seems to have a handful of environments, but each mission does a good job of mixing up where you go and what you face within each. I've also found the AI to be really good, which is to say it's just on the enjoyable side of dumb: they don't magically know where you are once alerted, instead converging on where they last saw you, with the rules of stealth being pleasingly consistent.

     

    If you can find a copy for under £25 I'd definitely recommend it. It's a good fit for the portable format, although I could see something similar doing really well as a PS3/360 downloadable title, too.

  12. Posted

    Conceptually it sounds like easily the most interesting entry since CoD4. If they can step far enough away from the numbing spectacle of where Modern Warfare went I could see myself buying this one rather than renting it.

     

    I haven't read any written previews yet, but the Giant Bomb podcast about it talked about things like branching storylines, some very limited squad control and moments where you can choose from multiple objectives. Those certainly aren't unprecedented game features, but they could do wonders for a series that has become so tiresomely prescriptive in the player's approach.

  16. Posted

    I know people tend to use this thread for pop, but here's a few memorable tracks from games I've been playing lately.

     

    The first is vocal, you bring your own words to the other two.

     

    Build That Wall by Darren Korb and Ashley Barrett, from Bastion

     

    The Streets of Whiterun by Jeremy Soule, from Skyrim

     

    Apotheosis by Austin Wintory, from Journey

  17. Posted

    Oh please, it's no more telling of creative bankruptcy than New Super Mario Bros. 2; every company makes safe bets.

     

    If Sony has a problematic future it's far more to do with the bottom dropping out of the TV market and the strength of the Yen. One familiar fighting game — which by all reports is actually very well executed — means bugger all, especially creatively as the company is supporting some of the riskiest games out there at the same time; Journey's a recent example, although if you'd like imminent ones Datura and The Unfinished Swan fit the bill.

  18. Posted

    I don't think the demo's very good, although I do intend to buy the full game; such games don't really lend themselves to confined, impersonal sampling.

     

    The character creator deserves a special mention by virtue of producing results that don't look like they're carved from potato, although you can also come out with some monstrosities if that's your thing. It's nice that your character and main Pawn will be transferred to the game proper, too.

     

    At the moment I'm trying to pick my poison: the PS3 version's lower framerate or the 360's horrible screen tearing. I suspect I'll have to leave my choice until the last minute as a consequence, wait for impressions of the retail version.

  19. Posted

    Interesting. Thanks for that. However, I shall not participate in this weekend's challenge as I can't bother trying to complete Limbo with only five deaths or less! And certainly not only for 10G.

    You only need any 6 of the listed Achievements across all three games.

     

    If you don't have them already the other Limbo ones are easy using chapter select and a guide, and if you've finished Shadow Complex you should have three for that game, too.

  20. Posted

    My original point when bringing those characters up, as I hope was made clear by the paragraphs not quoted, was that having an entirely recognisable — or, ironically, "all-star" — cast doesn't matter so long as you have a handful of names people do recognise. And the names that resonate with others aren't necessarily going to do the same with you, especially the audience of this forum; ultimately this is a Nintendo site, and the vast majority of people are here for that reason.

     

    This game is intended for PlayStation fans in much the same way as Smash is for Nintendo fans. There are plenty of people out there who grew up playing Jak & Daxter rather than anything starring Mario, wasted their education playing multiplayer Twisted Metal or for some bizarre reason absolutely love Kratos. Mario's image is iconic, sure, but whether he has actual relevance for an individual is another matter entirely.

     

    Just as a point of interest, Sony do have an actual mascot character, but only in Japan: Toro.

     

    5783123.jpg

     

    He does make the odd cameo in the West, but I suppose he was never brought over properly as he would clash with SCEE and SCEA's marketing.

  21. Posted

    I figure a fair number of people won't know about this as it's a relatively new thing, but Microsoft have a blog called PlayXBLA that likes to run weekend Achievement challenges.

     

    Most of you will probably already qualify for the current one as Limbo and Shadow Complex are two of the featured games, so follow the link, send an e-mail to the listed address and next week they'll send you two XBLA codes. Who can say which two games you'll get, but if you don't want/need them you could always trade them with someone else or give them to a friend.

  23. Posted

    Yeah, this is a massive rip off of Smash Bros but honestly, it'd be nice is Nintendo took some liberal inspiration from Microsoft and Sony instead of corking their ears and ignoring how the medium has refined itself.

    I don't think that's entirely fair. Nintendo are very much about refining the medium, however they have a very particular perspective on it, namely that video games are toys and family entertainment.

     

    For me that is merely one aspect of games, which is why I find myself gravitating towards Sony these days as they're the platform holder most interested in feeling out and pushing the boundaries. I'm not sure you can really chastise Nintendo for not doing the same, though, as it simply isn't their disposition; it would be like bemoaning Pixar for not making The Road.

  24. Posted

    Anyone who expects this to get anything but 'acceptable' reviews is mistaken. Bias journalists kit lap it up, but more well rounded ones will give this an honest 7 at best.

    So despite your never having played the game and at best watched a couple of minutes of footage, any journalists that end up rating it highly — despite the currently positive previews — are biased?

     

    Glad we cleared that one up.

  25. Posted

    On the other hand, how many people had any idea who the Ice Climbers, Pit, Roy or Marth were before playing them in Smash Bros.? They're familiar now, sure, but I don't see how they're intrinsically any more 'worthy' than, say, Tombi, Sir Daniel Fortesque or Kat from Gravity Rush.

     

    Sony has a huge range of characters to choose from, especially if they want to draft in those of third-parties that have been synonymous with the brand in the past; Lara Croft, Cloud, Snake, Kazuma Kiryu, Reiko Nagase, anyone from the first three Resident Evils, etc. It doesn't matter if not everyone's going to be familiar with them all, so long as there's obvious headliners to get people on board.

     

    I think people are saying "charm" when what they mean is "nostalgia". And I'm not even necessarily talking in relation to the games where Nintendo's cast first appeared but the original Smash Bros. itself, which came out over 12 years ago when most of this forum would have been at their most impressionable. You didn't buy that game for Ness and you won't buy this one for Radec, but just because characters don't mean anything to you doesn't mean there aren't people out there that care.

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