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Captain Falcon

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Posts posted by Captain Falcon

  1. Posted

    A blind man could have seen these coming - it was always a matter of when rather than if.

     

    It does feel a bit too hot on the heels of X and Y though and continues the almost annual release schedule they've now hit upon for the series - 14 games in 15 years for Europe. It feels worse in a sense too as X/Y felt surprisingly fresh, not difficult admittedly, with the changes they made and to turn this out so fast as a same Generation game seems like a money maker.... and more so than than them all being money makers.

     

    It doesn't help that it's Gen 3 too. The fact that I spent more time playing Pokémon Colosseum than Ruby should say it all. It's defenders may call it a transition game, and it was in some ways, but that doesn't excuse the weak execution. Without that to hide behind this time, it's going to take some work to make it interesting.

  2. Posted

    I think there is some merit on marking a game down on it's difficulty.

     

    If you can steamroll the entire game, then the difficulty has effectively undermined the entire power up aspect. Which power up works best and when? Do I need to retain that ability I got from the first enemy because although the first part of the level will be harder, it comes into play at the end, etc. It adds an element of strategy. So unless you have those harder difficulties, which really should be available at the start, the use of power ups is less a matter of which is best and more a case of who cares - the player has no incentive to find the best solution to any given scenario and the reward that comes with overcoming a challenge. And by making the player walk through the game once, you've already devalued the experience of the second playthrough, unless it really shakes things up considerably, as the player has seen most of what's on offer.

     

    It really depends on what the game is and what it's trying to achieve. I know Kirby games ae trying to be accessible to younger games but I think when Mum and Dad walk into a shop to buy a platform game for little Jonny, they're far more likely to walk away with a Mario game than the one featuring a pink blob on the cover. It makes me wonder if there is a slight disconnect between the audience they are aiming the game at and the kind of person actually buying the game.

  3. Posted · Edited by Captain Falcon

    Yeah see in the past I have told other managers and it's been fine. However like you pointed out she is protecting her interests. It's a tough one..I think the reason she does things like this is because she wants to keep the staff she can rely. I have kind of become indispensable and we have a close working relationship just because of how much crap I've sorted out. However this could work to my disadvantage.

     

    She's trying to keep them but at what cost? If you're doing a great job in your area, you could be doing a great job in another area - an area in more need of your skills and abilities. You do need people you can rely on as a manager sure, but you have to have different kinds of people. Some want to come in, work hard and move up the ladder. Others want to come in and do their 9-5 and that's it. That isn't to say they won't work hard and you can't rely on them. They just aren't looking for any more responsibility than they already have from their current role. It fits into their life style and will come in day after day and do a good job until they choose to retire. And then you have those who just see it as a job and don't really care. And as much as you want a team of high flyers made up of that first group, you'll never be able to keep them around as they will be always looking for more. You want a healthy mix of the different types, well maybe not the latter group I mentioned, but it's those "lifers" who should be forming the bedrock of the team instead of pinning all your hopes on the star pupil - hold them back and then their performance will suffer as a result. Obviously I'm talking generally here as it depends on the nature of the job.

     

    So yeah, I wouldn't tell this person - it sounds like they are getting more out of this relationship than you are currently.

  4. Posted · Edited by Captain Falcon

    So here is a question do people tell their bosses when they are going for interviews?

     

    Allow me to give some context. I have got an interview for a promotion of sorts within our company. It's a move across into a different area of the company. I currently am a liaison for adults with autism who receive 24 hour residential care. The role I'm interviewing for is as a consultant for children with autism in my local area rather than the city I currently work at which is an hour away.

     

    Now the reason I ask about whether I should tell me boss is because she once blocked me from getting another job. I applied for two different liaison positions at the same time when I was a part time casual staff. I was due to interview for both within the space of a week. My bosses happened to fall first and she then withdrew my application from the other and forced the other guy to call me and say he couldn't interview me because she was going to offer me her role even though I wanted the other job over this one namely due to the client base. I've heard other rumours of her preventing people from applying for jobs and withdrawing their applications citing them not being ready and her thinking it would be beneficial to stay in her team. My thought is she is protecting her own interests by retaining staff who are good at their jobs at the expense of their own career progression.

     

    So my interview is on Tuesday, outside of work hours...I'll see my boss in a meeting tomorrow do I keep it to myself?

     

    It depends very much on who your manager is and the relationship you have with them I guess. I've generally told my managers in the past and they were always very supportive. I didn't tell my last manager but that was only because I wasn't really working for them anyway and so didn't have much, if any, relationship with them - I did tell the manager of the team I was working for though and she gave me a lot of coaching and assistance to help strengthen my position for my current role.

     

    And within my team, I've told all of them at some poit or another that if they want to go for another job, tell me and I'll do what I can to help them get it. My job is to get the best out of my team and having someone working for me who doesn't want to be there doesn't help either of us. I've had one guy go through a couple of interviews for one role and we always talk about it before and after - it helps to build and maintain that trust.

     

    Your manager on the other hand doesn't sound like someone you can rely on to have your best interests at heart and I can't say I'd let her know my plans if I could help it. As you say, she thinks she's protecting her own interests but she really isn't because when you end up walking out the door and not come back due to stifled career progression, both her team and the business have lost you - and that's on her.

     

     

    As for me, I keep flip-flopping between feeling ok in my role (on the understanding I have more to learn still) and just wanting to throw the towel in as some things just don't feel worth the effort. I'm starting to get a little more comfortable in the past couple of weeks after a bit of a rough patch but it's still early days yet. Each month, the managers normally nominate someone from their teams for performance recognition but last month, I was a recipient of recognition and some vouchers for my efforts which makes me the only manager to have been nominated since we introduced the scheme in January - actually, I was nominated in January too but it was vito'd on the grounds that mangers shouldn't be rewarded. But although others seem to be happy with what I'm doing, I still can't help but feel I'm not doing enough and not doing it to the standard it should be. It doesn't help that my current manager is only on a contract and hasn't been made permanent yet. I really enjoy working for her and she's just what our department needs but she's had offers to go elsewhere, not surprising really, and I do have some concerns about the type of person they'd get in to replace her. It's just an extra element of uncertainty when I'm alreay so undecided.

  5. Posted

    Samus' ball is a meter in diameter in the 2D games. In Metroid Prime and Smash Bros, the ball is considerably smaller.

     

    The first Prime game quotes it as being a Meter wide. If you get flush with a hole designed for the morph ball, you will see it is quite wide but when the camera swaps to third person, it gives the impression of being much narrower than it really is. It is perhaps better shown in Metroid Prime 2 in Multiplayer but any fight with Dark Samus where she can use the Morph Ball shows how big it really is.

  6. Posted

    I'll throw it here since there isn't a dedicated thread for it.

     

    I beat the final boss on Borderlands 2 last week at level 36. I have done all the mission in the main game I can find except the last round of the Hyperion Slaughterdome and the newly acquired, level 50 You Will Die Seriously quest. What I haven't done yet is touch any of the DLC.

     

    Given how the major DLC scales, two up to 30 and the other two up to 35, is it worth playing them now or just go onto True Vault Hunter Mode and do them then when the will be at my current level instead?

  7. Posted

    Finished the Story DLC today and it wasn't bad but not much takes place in new locations. It starts well enough in Wayne Manor but after that, there is only one new place to explore and it isn't even that big really - certainly doesn't feel as big as Steel Mill place in the Arkham City DLC. You're limited to two sections of the Southern half of the map, walls of ice and strong winds hold you back, and you don't get the special suit until about half way through. There are three sidemission, which offer upgrades upon completion, to do but two are just repeated from the main campaign. Still any excuse to glide about the city and punch thugs in the face is fine with me. Had a couple of glitches but one I was able to just carry on anyway and it corrected itself and the other made me restart a challenge room - nothing major like some of the things I saw on the Steam forum.

  8. Posted

    Finished with 100% collection in 7:33 which I'm sure has to be my quickest time by some way although I think a good chunk of that is due to not scanning and reading everything in sight though I did take a couple of wrong turns at various points which bumped it up a little. I seem to recall having more difficulties with the Metroid sections in previous runs but it felt quite simple this time around.

     

    Not sure whether to get started on Echoes or have a little break - I certainly don't feel like I need a break but that could change part way in.

  9. Posted · Edited by Captain Falcon

    I just reached the first save point and am gutted to have not found any secrets yet. Should I have? Been keeping an eye out. Is it a similar kind of thing to the 2D ones, i.e. bomb walls and the like to reveal panels or such?

     

    Bombing everything will take forever and is in no way practical like in the 2D games. But more than that, it's a complete waste of time.

     

    Walls that can be destroyed can be identified in one of two ways.

     

    First up is to scan the wall, if it has a marker, and it will tell you it's composition. Depending on what's made of will determine if you can destroy it. It helps that the material is highlighted in red too. So Morph Ball bombs can destroy Sandstone, Super Missiles destroy Cordite, etc. It tells you what each weapon can destroy in the status menu when you pause.

     

    If there are no markers then the odds of you being able to destroy it are incredibly slim. The only way you can identify those ones is with the X-Ray/Thermal Scanner to see if something is on the other side but they are very few and far between.

     

     

    Time to crack back on - I'm at 100% scans, 98% from the first playthrough but I missed Ice shreikbat and bizarely a Pirate Data Log, 53% item collection and 4:02 on the clock.

  10. Posted

    I was watching part of speed run for the primes Saturday morning and it made me realise it had been a while since I played them so I started Prime 1 (Trilogy version) on Sunday morning. Got the power bomb last night and seem to be on a decent time. The game really is special but them Mines aren't half depressing to wander through.

  11. Posted · Edited by Captain Falcon

    I would be very surprised if there's not a Mario Kart 8 bundle by Christmas.

     

    For them to not do one now is a better business decision. That way, they get more money. If they bundled it with the console around launch, it'd hamper their revenue somewhat for the game as it'd be absorbed into the console cost.

     

    I know what you mean in that it forces a hardware sale and then they get more profit from an extra software unit but if, like in my situation, you don't want the software that is included, it has the opposite effect of putting me off buying entirely - much like I'd never ever buy an Xbox One whilst it comes with a Kinect (not that it wouldn't take something monumental to get me to buy one without of course - a proper Banjo and new Blast Corps would be an excellent start though if you're reading Phil).

     

    As it stands, you can get the Wind Waker bundle from GAME for £220 which is great value if you want that game but I really have zero interest in it - if that were 3D World or DKC, I'd find it difficult to refuse. The lesser of all the evils for me would probably be the Mario Bundle but then, it's not because I want it, I just see it as the least objectionable of the options and as a consumer, I have to vote with my wallet, which right now means no sale unless some amazing deal comes along which just happens to include it.

     

    Despite my general apathy towards the series, I would actually play NSMBU and NSLU at least once if I had them, especially given these are supposed to be the best of the lot, whereas I know Zelda wouldn't make it out the wrapper.

  12. Posted

    Do you think they will announce any new bundles soon?

     

    There are a handful of games out there now which I wouldn't mind playing and some of the prices on the premium models are at the point that I'd probably have bitten if it weren't for the fact that none of them contain games I actually want.

     

    And whilst it's easy to imagine a Mario Kart Bundle, though I'd have thought they would have announced something like that by now, it too falls into that category of a game I'm not overly fussed about.

  13. Posted

    They do not have SEGA's money to funnel onto a game this time so having to go cheap :p

     

    Well it's totally different this time - if the game is done on the cheap blame 2K.

     

    Borderlands 2 shipped over 8m copies so it's no surprise they want to try and get a bit more in before they are caught in the cross gen migration... although I think they are already too late on that one.

     

    Still, 2K are publishing and 2K Australia are doing the work with Gearbox, by the sounds of it, merely acting as consultantsin an advisory capacity - a task they'll no doubt be paid for. But given it's actually Gearbox who own the IP, they are essentially licensing out their own property in what is probably a really money spinner for them.

  14. Posted

    So far the ones I seem coming were...

     

    I think those are all the big events that have happened so far. They were all pretty obvious I thought. There's probably a bunch of cheeky surprises to pop up before the game is through though.

     

    Yeah, I hated Oblivion/Fallout for the very reason you enjoyed them @Captain Falcon. I would much rather have a more focused story with likeable characters than a huge open world. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

     

    I haven't really played very many JRPGs so at lot of the usual tropes that others pick up on and use to predict the entire game story just from the opening cutscene can catch me unware but all the ones you listed I saw coming a mile off too but I think most did.

     

    I just like seeing new sights in games and getting to explore - as soon as I walk into an area, I'm already thinking "where next?". For me, the story is just an excuse to send me somewhere new which is why Tales of the Abyss annoys me and why I'm getting nervous as I near the end of Chapter 4 in Bravely Default if my understanding of the next few chapters is correct. But the vast nature, and sheer beauty, of the this world meant there was always something new to see right up to the end.

  15. Posted

    I love the music in the game but I'm finding the story to be pretty average. Every so called twist that has happened so far I seen coming from a mile away. I don't find the characters that great either.

     

    NWR had an interesting discussion recently about Bravely Default. They were saying that in JRPGs the story and characters are usually the most important thing, as these two things drive the player to continue playing. You care about their fight and you want to see how things work out for them. If you don't care for either of these then the games can become a struggle. Maybe this is why it's taken me three attempts to play this game.

     

    Still, I'm eager to get back home and get cracking on this after a few days break so something is drawing me to the game. To be honest it's probably just the fact that I can finally say it's done.

     

    Whilst a few are pretty heavily signposted, there are some twists you have to be psychic to see coming if you truly went into the game blind - the problem with some of those ones though were that I didn't like them and didn't feel the game needed them. You might disagree though when the time comes.

     

    I can't say I was ever overly taken by the characters themselves, but much like in Oblivion and Skyrim, it's the actual world that I love - that's the best character of all and the driving force becomes to see all it has to offer.

  16. Posted

    I've just finished this game this evening, having bought it and the season pass a couple of weeks back on Steam in the sale, and a couple of issues aside, I really enjoyed it. I only encountered one bug that forced me to have restart a section (I got stuck on a ladder) and whilst initially experiencing some quite bad stutter in gameplay, and slow down in the prerendered cutscenese, enabling D3D10 over 11 returned my frame rate to a constant magic 60 like in the previous games.

     

    Initially I was a bit disappointed as it didn't feel very new and after a good opening, once in the city, it felt lacking in atmosphere. It's supposed to feel abandoned and on lockdown but it just felt void and empty. It was odd too that old Arkham felt smaller than Arkham city despite being the same map. The ample snow too makes everything lighter and it seems wrong at first but I soon got used to it.

     

    But the more I played, the more I enjoyed it and became quite hooked. The story was certainly more interesting than the others - especially City where a lot of the villians just felt thrown in for the sake of it and never had the chance to be explored. Didn't really mind the different voice actors either who were a little different, but not really any worse for it - especially Troy Baker who brings a sinister vibe to a more serious take on the Joker than the other Arkham games. And for all the complaints I read about the altered combat timings, it never proved an issue.

     

    Only got a dozen or so Enigma data packs to find and the last side mission to do, it opens post game, and the challenge maps too if I feel like it.

     

    I'd been put off buying the game because of the complaints about it being a retread and buggy to hell but I've had a really enjoyable experience out of it all in the end.

     

    Looking forward to the Cold Cold Heart DLC now.

  17. Posted

    This game is the single greatest launch game of all time besting both Tetris and Super Mario 64 for demonstrating what the console is about. But does that make it a great game? Not at all.

     

    The game is only notible for its input mechanics. Remove that and you're left with an incredibly basic game. The actual gameplay is no more sophistocated than the NES games that did golf, tennis and baseball back in the 80s. The only thing that is different is that now instead of pressing buttons on a controller, you swing the Wii Remote. The inability to be able to move you player in Tennis is a hinderence that results in the forced doubles and a simpler game than those Tennis games from two decades prior that allowed for better tactics, and mind games, when it came to positioning.

     

    The asthetic design is so inoffensive it goes full circle and becomes another irratant. Not so bad in multiplayer but it feels absolutely soulless when I play it by myself. The only game I mildly enjoy is golf but the pitiful number of holes prevents any long term enjoyment.

     

    The dearth of content harks back to its demo origins and frankly, had the game shipped with normal controls, no one would have given it a second of thought for its actual gameplay.

     

    Tried and true gameplay make for solid foundations sure, but outside of its control scheme, it's unremarkable in every way imaginable.

  18. Posted

    I totally get where you are coming from and appreciate you highlighting such aspects (and giving me a slap.) ;)

     

    I think I'm just tired of the apathy toward Nintendo systems and how the big developers I loved as a kid all now want to become adult entertainment developers where games should all be hyper realistic and focus on becoming a killing/competition simulator.

     

    Titanfall is the latest 'Murica fuck yeah war machine game to fit into this philosophy (and I expect that from EA) but what the hell happened to Konami, Capcom and all of the great developers we lost over the years in pursuit of this Hollywood-competing industry?

    Half of the western studios were bought out by bigger western companies and killed. Rare/Criterion/Bulldog/Westwood studios are all examples where the money machine doesn't always work.

     

    I'm pro Nintendo because they at least have stayed congruent with who they are also offering brilliant games and age-appropriate entertainment that can be enjoyed by all ages. Instead, half the kids I know all now want (or play) GTAIV and don't want to play 'kids games' like Mario.

     

    But I realise this is Nintendo's fault too. They constantly make the same mistakes when they promise to have learnt from their previous mistakes time after time. They also let the Wii die out with a flicker not building or riding on the system's legacy. And the name WiiU showed how out of touch they are with a global market.

    This generation is going to be generally frustrating all round for WiiU owners as is the norm for many Nintendo gamers - but again most of it is Nintendo shooting themselves in the foot.

     

    I wasn't sure if was being a touch personal with that last section but I'm glad you didn't take offense. I just don't like seeing smart people saying silly things when I know they know better. There are plenty of other people posting rubbish around here and the last thing it needs is yourself, typically a beacon for balanced positivity, joining in with them.

     

    As for the rest of this, totally agree but I think you answered you own question with regards to what happened to the devs. The market they were targetting changed and now the kids do want their "adult" games. It's reflective of a total change in the types and ways we absorb media, and how its content has changed, with some having adapted and some having not.

     

    Nintendo continue to do, as they always have and likely will, their own thing and sometimes it pays off and sometimes it's to their detriment. It is incredibly difficult, however, to argue against the fact that they have in large been totally responsible for their own downturn in performance over the years.

     

    @Retro_Link

     

    Isn't that just as much you changing as it is Nintendo changing.

     

    I know my tastes have changed, or perhaps more accurately expanded, over the years. Had Nintendo's recent output been coming out 15 years ago, yes it would seem exciting but now it doesn't have the appeal because I'm targetting a broader range of games and there are plenty of other things out there that I haven't experienced before.

  19. Posted

    Thanks for the update Captain Falcon!

     

    Time for the reveal of the fifth new character?

     

    Yep, will probably happen during AE Grand Finals. Luckly it's on the East coast so it doesnt involve staying up so late.

     

    TeamSp00ky and Capcom Fighters will be hosting the action this weekend.

     

    They had the team 5v5 Marvel yesterday which was pretty good. The usual suspects were there, Justin, PR Balrog, Chris G (who was looking a bit out of form) but I was surprised how good some of the other guys were doing with characters not viewed so favourably. I guess lower tier characters have the benefit of not giving the giving the match experience to the better players that they can sometimes be caught off guard.

  20. Posted

    His laughing was pretty sad where an audience of Monster Hunter exists. Namco Bandai have also worked on WiiU so it seems like a missed opportunity for them as well. We could discuss sales estimates but it's typical third party cynicism in my opinion.

     

    The monster hunting audience is certainly at the more hardcore end of the gamer spectrum to the point that they likely own another console that could play the Soul's titles. The overlap is such that the number of the population that isn't covered isn't worth bothering with. Besides, one of the reasons for MH's mild susccess in the west is Nintendo's considerable push and effort - something that wouldn't be given to a none exclusive third party game. If the audience was so strong, Capcom would do a port of MH4G to Wii U but judging by the interview over at EG the other day, there is little change of that happening unless Nintendo decides to pony up the dough. There is a market there, alothough small, but it's already covered else where.

     

     

    Part of the problem is the following as w

    Owing to years of tactics from MS and SONY in regards to financial incentives to bring third party titles to their systems - many third parties now expect a transaction to take place. Purely on the basis that their AAA titles bring value to the MS & SONY brand.

    As Nintendo tend not to do this, (nor build effective online systems that can extract money from consumers easily) developers can then do a 'Rayman' on WiiU (where no exclusivity/timed exclusivity deals exist) or back out completely.

    It's crap for consumers in my opinion, but Nintendo don't want to venture too far down that street.

    I don't have the answers but it's definitely frustrating for Nintendo gamers.

     

    Or to put it another way...

     

    Owing to a decade of bullying tactics from Nintendo in regards to third party support and making them jump through hoops just to be allowed to publish at costly rates, many third parties were fed up of being treated so poorly. Purely on the basis that their games are good enough to stand up without the Nintendo brand associated with them, they took them elsewhere.

    As Sony and MS were very happy to welcome these companies and provide support, both technical and financial, they were looked upon quite favourably. They also build a foward thinking robust online infrastructure that enables a developer to support their game long after release in variety of ways to keep customers happy and loyal and widen the player base by offering services that would draw in people who want more than a dedicated games machine. Sometimes this may involve an expense to the player but it is their choice whether to pay and the take up of such services has only grown as the hardware manufactures offer greater services that allow consumers to extract even more value from their machines.

     

    The crafty bastards...

     

     

    Look, I'm not saying MS and Sony are innocent here, but you're offering such a blinkered view that I also mistook your post for that of another member. You're normally far more balanced than that in your analysis, whilst still looking for the good in Nintendo, that I feel you've done yourself a disservice here.

  21. Posted

    Anyway, I bought extra copies of Bioshock Infinite and Tomb Raider for $14. You can find more deals here including a 66% slash on Rayman Legends, currently selling for $14.

     

    http://store.steampowered.com/sale/baftapromo?snr=1_41_4__42

     

    You can also grab Crysis Dead Space 2 for $6.79 each--assuming your prices match my store's region.

     

    There is just over an hour left but yeah, Tomb Raider and Bioshock Infinite are on sale for £4.99. Rayman Legends is £8.49.

     

    I myself picked up X-COM: Enemy Within (DLC) for £4.99. Never seen it that cheap anywhere before. The best I've seen was the physical copy in GAME once for £10 but I've never seen it that low online, let alone at the new price.

  25. Posted

    Yep, Asylum and City were so good that I'm actually happy Rocksteady is doing one more Batman game. My only problem is that it isn't coming out on any console I have, goddamnit!

     

    I'm in the same boat as I wouldn't trust my computer to run this at a clip I'm happy with... even without any botched DX 11.0 implementation like last time.

     

    Whether it's through the purchase of a PS4, or the more likely new PC route, I'll definitely have to pick this up. It's got GOTY written all over it.

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