Game Discussion Thread

[Dalmeth]

I'm not sure when the definition of "First-person Shooter" was changed to include third-person survival horror games.

Unless you're talking about the crappy on-rails cashgrab Wii game, which should never be discussed.

Oh, don't get on his case.  It would be an orthodox FPS if the engagement window was longer.

[spicemustflow]

Anyone here played Mirror's Edge? I was so bummed when they canceled the sequel, to me it was one of the greatest first person (running?) games ever.

[lordcooper]

Absolutely adored ME.  Beyond Good and Evil 2 might scratch the itch if they ever get round to actually releasing it.

[spicemustflow]

Absolutely adored ME.  Beyond Good and Evil 2 might scratch the itch if they ever get round to actually releasing it.

Never played beyond good and evil, I'll give it a try.

But ME... man, the game that's probably responsible for many death's from attempted parkour.

[HavokBlue]

I'm not sure when the definition of "First-person Shooter" was changed to include third-person survival horror games.

Unless you're talking about the crappy on-rails cashgrab Wii game, which should never be discussed.

Oh, don't get on his case.  It would be an orthodox FPS if the engagement window was longer.

Are you talking about the Wii game? Because Dead Space 1 and 2 are not first-person shooters in any way, shape, or form. To be a first person shooter, the game needs to be... you know... first person.



The Mirror's Edge sequel may still happen, last I heard. They said they're looking for ways to make it a "modern game" which sadly means it's going to have some online manshooting component.

[janeshephard]

I love Arma's forums. I mistakenly call Dead Space an FPS, and 2-3 people correct me, one another person backs up, gets shot down two more times, and then just for laughs the corrections continue into pedantic ultra-nerd arguing.

Whatever, I guess I don't really play FPS games.

[Dalmeth]

Are you talking about the Wii game? Because Dead Space 1 and 2 are not first-person shooters in any way, shape, or form. To be a first person shooter, the game needs to be... you know... first person.

I'm talking mechanically.  Dead Space plays third-person rather than first person because there is so much melee combat, which has always been a weakness with the first-person view.  The player simply doesn't have enough information on how they relate to their immediate environment.

It's still a game where you shoot things down-range, comparable to any of the modern shooters in the gunplay aspect.

Now, is it comparable to DOOM of the old days?  Not even close.  Modern design philosophy prohibits it.

[bcw81]

Are you talking about the Wii game? Because Dead Space 1 and 2 are not first-person shooters in any way, shape, or form. To be a first person shooter, the game needs to be... you know... first person.

I'm talking mechanically.  Dead Space plays third-person rather than first person because there is so much melee combat, which has always been a weakness with the first-person view.  The player simply doesn't have enough information on how they relate to their immediate environment.

It's still a game where you shoot things down-range, comparable to any of the modern shooters in the gunplay aspect.

Now, is it comparable to DOOM of the old days?  Not even close.  Modern design philosophy prohibits it.

And... That's what makes it a third person shooter? Why is this hard?

[Dalmeth]

And... That's what makes it a third person shooter? Why is this hard?

There is no significant difference in terms of the experience.

Forgive everyone their desecration of your own personal definition of things and get on with your life.

[HavokBlue]

But... guys... come on.

It's not a personal definition. The FPS genre is clearly defined with a widely accepted standard for what qualifies as a first-person shooter. Similarly, the third-person shooter genre is equally defined, with a widely accepted standard for what qualifies as a third-person shooter.

First-person Shooters
- Doom
- Quake
- Marathon
- Halo
- Call of Duty
- Resistance
- Killzone

Third-person Shooters
- Gears of War
- Ghost Recon Future Soldier
- Dead Space (although I would consider it third-person survival horror)
- Lost Planet
- Alan Wake
- newer Splinter Cell games

There -is- a significant difference in terms of experience, and while it might not be immediately noticeable if you aren't sure what to look for, a third-person camera significantly changes the way you play and perceive a game. There's no need for people to get rude over this, but you can't really argue that they're the same thing.

[lordcooper]

lordcooper is writing in the first person

[janeshephard]

It's funny, because in Dead Space you actually have to aim to slice off limbs properly The melee is almost non-existent.

[Jingo]

Dishonored is a lot like the Thief series.

But it feels like all that world building is a waste when the character you play never speaks. There is one other interesting character but I have to go out of my way to find him.

That said, gameplay is almost perfect for what I would want in a stealth action series. Even though I miss Garret.

[Dalmeth]

It's funny, because in Dead Space you actually have to aim to slice off limbs properly The melee is almost non-existent.

1. Melee typically describes more the range and the sort of movements required, but in this case, first person view tends to leave you less aware when things are trying to nom your brains out.  And just about everything that tries to nom your brains out does it in your face.

2.  Never used the force gun, did you?  After a few damage upgrades, nothing could even touch me.

[spicemustflow]

Dishonored is a lot like the Thief series.

But it feels like all that world building is a waste when the character you play never speaks. There is one other interesting character but I have to go out of my way to find him.

That said, gameplay is almost perfect for what I would want in a stealth action series. Even though I miss Garret.

Tell me more. How big are the levels, etc. From what I saw, the atmosphere of the game is excellent, I just hope the game's not another assassin's creed, but a proper Thief-like.

And, yeah, Garrett and his quips were awesome. "A throne room? How pretentious can you get?"

[janeshephard]

My favorite line from Garret:

"So this is the Lost City... Not so lost no more!"

I LOL'd when he said that.

Although Thief 1 had a bit of a zombie and tomb problem IMHO. Thief 2 corrected much of that.

Unfortunately Ubisoft is making Thief 4 which means we'll probably be playing another game designed by focus groups.

[spicemustflow]

My favorite line from Garret:

"So this is the Lost City... Not so lost no more!"

I LOL'd when he said that.

Although Thief 1 had a bit of a zombie and tomb problem IMHO. Thief 2 corrected much of that.

Maybe a bit, but I really enjoyed Bonehoard and that level when you explore the sealed area of the City, forgot its name. Thief really a unique feeling of "you're not supposed to be there", unlike many other stealth games, where you can just kill shit if you wanted.

[HavokBlue]

Dishonored is a lot like the Thief series.

But it feels like all that world building is a waste when the character you play never speaks. There is one other interesting character but I have to go out of my way to find him.

That said, gameplay is almost perfect for what I would want in a stealth action series. Even though I miss Garret.

Tell me more. How big are the levels, etc. From what I saw, the atmosphere of the game is excellent, I just hope the game's not another assassin's creed, but a proper Thief-like.

And, yeah, Garrett and his quips were awesome. "A throne room? How pretentious can you get?"

The levels are pretty big, although some are more linear than others. Each level has a primary objective as well as a number of hidden bonuses and secondary objectives that can alter the outcome of the primary and stuff. The atmosphere and all the little details are awesome, and my only complaint so far is not being able to explore more of the world, because it's really intriguing.

[janeshephard]

I just checked Dishonored on metacritic and it's getting insanely rave reviews.

How long is the campaign? 8 hours? 20 hours? 40 hours?

I may wait until end of year and see if it goes on sale for xmas. Otherwise seems like a must play. Is there talk of DLC to add more content?

[lordcooper]

How long is the campaign? 8 hours? 20 hours? 40 hours?

Yes.

You could probably rush through it in about six hours.  Or you could take your time, explore the world, find all the side missions etc and get a good 20-30 hours before restarting to play in a different way.

[Akaramu]

I just made 20 (real life) dollars overnight by reselling an estate deed in Entropia Universe.  I think I'll keep playing that a good while longer... making money off the auction house worked in WoW and it works here, except I can exchange the profits into real cash.

[lordcooper]

Is anyone willing to help a total noob get to grips with DOTA 2?  Never played one of the hyper competitive games, but I fancy giving this one a go.

[Jingo]

Is anyone willing to help a total noob get to grips with DOTA 2?  Never played one of the hyper competitive games, but I fancy giving this one a go.

Step one: Ingore everything Dota and go here.

http://na.leagueoflegends.com/

[lordcooper]

Actually, could someone who's played played them all give me a quick rundown of the major differences between DOTA 2, LoL and whatever the other one was called?  I seem to associate LoL with being more of a casual game, but I'm not sure where that impression came from.

[RogueGunslinger]

They're remarkably similar in concept. You control a hero/champion that levels up and gains gold by getting last hits on minions that spawn from either side of the map and meet in the middle. You spend gold on items to buff your champs stats or gain certain active/passive abilities from those items.

There are certain objectives in the games(killing baron/roshan/ pushing down towers)

You sense of casualness from LOL probably come from the massive number of people that play it(like 13 million?). DOTA 2 is in beta right now, but functions like a complete game. Both are played highly competitively. There a 2 million dollar tournament for LOL today. DOTA had one for around 1 million a few months ago I believe.

Though the games are very similar the mechanics of each game feels very different. I suggest trying them both. I prefer LOL.




OH and there's a golden rule: Play with friends.