Messages

26

General Chat / Re: Official 2010 NFL Football Season Discussion Thread

« on: March 10, 2010, 02:43:28 PM »

So the thing that I hear could really screw up the league this year and years to come is the fact that they've removed revenue sharing from the NFL.  Same thing they did with baseball that screwed it over.  Teams with more income start to buy teams and players and the sport goes to sh*t.  I think the removal of salary caps is something that goes along with it, but it's really a terrible thing.  I think that's why the Bills started playing games in Toronto to try and lessen the blow of that.  Wasn't there some debacle this year when the commissioner started talking about it and got shut up real quick because it was supposed to be an under-the-table deal that no one would know about before they implemented it?

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General Gaming / Re: Portal 2

« on: March 10, 2010, 02:26:47 PM »

So judging from the gameinformer teaser shot and what I think would be awesome, I'm guessing that the portals will be portals in space and time this go around, not just space.  Anyone see that or get excited about that?

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Monster Hunter Thwii

« on: March 10, 2010, 12:28:11 AM »

Anyone beat the bird with the thyroid-problem in the demo yet?  Couldn't do it tonight, gonna try again this weekend, but geez I found it tough.  Maybe because of the time limit.  Got him close to dead with the hammer but he kept running before I could deal the finishing blows and then time ran out.  Also the bird summoned dragon man on me on two consecutive attempts which didn't help, and I couldn't get him to shoot enough fireballs at the bird to really do anything.  Anyone do this successfully?  First go at MH, maybe I just suck now; I can dodge his attacks just fine, but I couldn't stay close enough to hit him in the throat when he calls.  Do certain weapons damage him more than others, beyond normal heavy/mid/light damage differences?

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General Gaming / Re: So nobody likes GameStop?

« on: March 10, 2010, 12:04:01 AM »

So I was coming into this thread after getting my Monster Hunter Tri demo to say how desperately GS needs some form of quality control, and was pleased to see you all already talking about this.  There's two GS's in my area, one is gay, and one is apparently not gay.  And guess which one has a female employee?  The gay one.  I was hoping she wouldn't be working when I went there.  She insisted that you had to pre-order to get the demo, and she's the same one who said she didn't have enough Ghostbuster shirts for my pre-order after I watched her open up and check a large box full of them.  I just don't understand how they can just refuse to give out pre-order items and how they can just claim their own policies that are completely against the game publisher's.  And I don't mean to bust on her too much because I know she's just trying to do her job with what she's been told to do, but why is she being told to do these ridiculous things?


So I went to the other GS in my area that I didn't know existed until today.  Sure enough they had a whole stack of them in a Monster Hunter Tri display box on the front counter, free to take.  Winded up chewin' the gaming fat with the guy for a while.  Definitely where I will be buying my games from now on.  Like night and day though.  They really need a QA department or something to enforce consistency; but hopefully the good kind of consistency, not the customers-can-lick-my-balls consistency. 

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General Gaming / Re: So this is what a MATURE zelda would look like.... (DarkSiders)

« on: March 09, 2010, 02:25:01 PM »

See, I played through the demo which recently came out and I was actually pretty impressed.  Maybe it was because I've been itching to get some news on the new Zelda, but it really seemed to scratch that Zelda itch.  Who knows when the next Zelda will come out, but this certainly felt like a great hold over game.  Having played through the whole game, does it continue to feed that need?

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: What we Want From the Next DS Hand Held

« on: February 28, 2010, 10:55:46 PM »

They should reinvent their approach to handheld package design because honestly, whose hands have 90° angles in them?  The square iterations of the GBA and DS really bother me.  Not just because of how they're uncomfortable, but because Nintendo made, what I think, is the best controller ever with the GC controller.  It's just so perfect and comfortable ergonomically, so they're clearly aware of how to design something really well to fit into a person's hands, and they just don't seem to care to work that into their handheld designs.  If there's one thing I want more than hardware, software, or motion controlling, it's just to make it fit well in my hands.

32

General Gaming / Re: Why do you still play games?

« on: February 26, 2010, 11:21:16 AM »

^I do like the aspects of the games you mentioned because I enjoy when there's parts of the game I can fill in with my imagination.  I've never felt motivated to do so with Mario games, but definitely with Metroid and Zelda, imagining what the character's thinking/feeling as ridiculous things are going down around them.  Most of the more complex, plot-driven games don't do this because they just feed you everything.  You don't get to mentally be an active part of the game.  It's the different ways that games find to do this, and new ways that they develop to engage your imagination that keep me playing.

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TalkBack / Re: IMPRESSIONS: Metroid: Other M

« on: February 26, 2010, 10:46:53 AM »

I gotta say I agree about the emo-retarded nature of a lot of Japanese characters over the years, and with how anime-styled this game looks, it would seem to go hand in hand.  I'm anticipating flat voice acting making that feel even worse, and with how present the cinematics and backstory will be, I'm preparing for pain throughout the game. 


And I don't get the authorization thing; Samus has always been the one, single person in the galaxy to get the job done regardless of the cost when no one else could.  I think Echoes made you feel that more than anything.  She's a no-holds barred survivalist one-man army that kills EVERYTHING in sight.  Having her be managed to the point that she's going to hold back using her full arsenal?  There's a disconnect for me about that.  Regardless, I do trust them with the gameplay itself because that's what Nintendo has always been, and will always be, exemplary at; it's their top priority.  Game-driving plot and story, not so much.

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General Gaming / Re: Why do you still play games?

« on: February 23, 2010, 12:36:36 PM »

Which is fine because games are about having fun, I just appreciate more depths that are being brought into games.  If everything were heavy, involved games I'd hate it, but Nintendo will always own the pure fun games so there will always be both sides to gaming, which is exactly how I ideally want it to be.

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General Gaming / Re: Heavy Rain

« on: February 23, 2010, 06:48:06 AM »

bowfinger?

36

General Gaming / Re: Square Enix expects FF13 to revive Japanese console market

« on: February 23, 2010, 06:29:06 AM »

If RPGs are to be overhauled it's to get rid of time consuming level grinding and focus on exploration and puzzle solving.

Or, you know, role-playing.

Haha, great point.  I don't think any of the FF games really let you role-play anything because you don't get to create any significant part of your character and the characters they make are rarely very relateable.  That's why I think RPG is fundamentally a misnomer, except in the case of a game like mass effect where role-playing is the point.  I'll still play FFXIII, but mostly because I didn't have a PS2 and haven't played one since FFVII.  The trailers make it look like it's supposed to have interesting character interactions between characters that will actually drive the story, but I'm still expecting Lightning to not remember her past and use friendship to overcome evil (which looks like it's going to be racism this go around instead of recreating a new world by destroying the current one).  Wait, you mean that's every JRPG ever?  No wonder no one in Japan cares about their games anymore.

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General Gaming / Re: Why do you still play games?

« on: February 23, 2010, 06:05:21 AM »

Alright so the "Great American Video Game" has nothing to do with anything Japanese.  Let's just get that out of the way right now.  It's not Mario, it's not Zelda, it's not Metroid.  Those are toys in fun worlds.  The epitome of games has to be one that utilizes the medium's advantages well.  In games you play the character through the world and story.  Mass Effect gets closest to showing what games can be because not only is it an incredibly well-fleshed out world where every aspect is detailed (to the point where game mechanics are no longer game mechanics, they exist because they are arbitrated by the world and its components and they couldn't have existed any other way), you define the game by how you define your character.  You create the protagonist and define how they interact with the surrounding world and characters.  You then decide outcomes of plot points based on the character development you employed for the protagonist.  This is the only medium that lets you do this.  If you wanted to do this in any other medium you'd have to be a writer and write your own novels; even then you're only creating your own single protagonist for other people to enjoy.


That's why I never understood people docking the game because of regurgitated combat areas and other flaws.  The game is the beginnings of the realization of the medium.  The flaws just seemed to fall by the wayside in insignificance because I felt the impact of what was happening to my character and the weight of what my character had to decide, and I was just so engrossed in the world I didn't care about the repetition until my fourth playthrough.  I used to play games because they were toys and I enjoyed seeing and playing improvements on genres as the years went by, and my interest in gaming was kind of waning until the ME games because they're just such a landmark in the progression of games.  I wouldn't have called gaming a hobby for me until them; now I feel there is legitimate cause to claim that games are just as worthwhile as music, paintings, and novels, and Sands of Time was absolutely a major stepping stone for that. 


I still play games because ultimately I'm mentally engaged in an interesting way.  NSMBW was fun, but it doesn't hold up for long because of how second nature all the motions are, I don't have to think about it.  I still find them fun, but I don't get to employ my imagination like I can with ME and like I used to do with Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters toys.  Which is ironic because I started by saying how ME is NOT a toy, but the way you imagine your character acting and feeling uses the same mental faculties as imagining the Turtles taking down Shredder with a calculated attack plan on the Sewer playset like I used to do as a kid. I think that's a testament to the game because it's enjoyable in very similar ways, but you also get a great sci-fi world and story along with it. 


I think the best games can only come out of Western developers because, frankly, Japanese developers just don't get why people connect with stories and novels.  It's usually some garbled muck with infinite strangeness that inevitably conveys how the power of friendship can overcome amnesia.  If you can relate to that in a personal way, that's a great, unique thing, but that story holds no weight for me.  Maybe a lot of Japanese people deal with that, I don't know, but I do think Western developers will continue to be the ones to push the medium as they have in recent years. 

38

General Gaming / Re: Mass Effect 2

« on: February 23, 2010, 04:38:03 AM »

So, I intended to buy this and set it aside until I had more time to play it.  Turns out I wound up buying the collector's edition and blowing 50 hours on it in a weekend.  Epic fail.  Anyhow, I played the first and second Mass Effects on PC and definitely loved the first. 


I've got 4 characters I finished ME1 with to play through Mass Effect 2 with, but I don't think I'll be returning to my male character.  The voice acting is just such a ridiculous let down, especially with Jennifer Hale backing femshep. I was all set to play a badass, named him Dredd because he is Mr. I-am-de-law, got his face exactly how I wanted it, and the flat, emotionless delivery KILLED that character for me.  I just couldn't get the image of a voice actor in a studio reading a script in front of a wind-screened mic out of my head with male shepard.  Whereas Jennifer Hale tows the Paragon/Renegade line extremely well and really creates the character.  I think she even stepped it up in the second game.  Can anyone who played both male and female characters comment on the male voice acting in the second game?  Is it any better?  I really wanna kick ass with Dredd, but it's not worth the disappointment. 


The second game is a significant departure from the first, I think.  Ridiculously amazing opening.  I loved some of the side characters, plus returning characters became more interesting.  Mordin and Grunt were great, and really gave you insight into story threads from the first game.  That's what I think is best about the second game.  It expounds on codex entries and species-dynamics in an engaging, interesting way.  The side threads made the game more worthwhile for me than the main plot of it, which is great and ends well, but it definitely feels like the middle section of the story.  Don't expect to have your questions answered in full.  Didn't ruin the game at all for me, in fact it makes it feel like a natural extension of the first as it transitions into the third. 


Still waiting to see the Cerberus Network really deliver, though the side mission you can download from it is pretty great, especially if the opening of the game hits you in an emotional way.  I have to say that I did miss the Mako exploration.  But it wouldn't have fit in the game, plus the game's main storyline is structured very differently.  To all who have started Mass Effect 2 or haven't played it yet but intend to, my suggestion is to finish the main story before really exploring the galaxy.  The game gives you a little more direction as to when you should do missions, but you should complete the main story line as soon as it gets really intense.  They kind of hint that you can take time to go exploring, which you can, it's just a little misleading.  Just keep a lot of past saves handy once the main plot starts hitting its climax.


Still not sure where I stand with this game.  Definitely improved combat system.  I think they encourage you to role-play your Shepard more in the second game.  And I loved the character side-quests.  I just think it loses the feeling of exploring the galaxy that you had in the first game.  Which makes complete sense within the story and structure of the game.  You wouldn't be dickin' around driving over mountains aimlessly blowing holes into the landscape if humanity was threatened as much as it is in ME2. 


Played as an Adept and loved the changes to the biotics.  More strategic for sure; AoE Throw and Heavy Warp/Pull were my goto's.  And once I discovered Warp Ammo, I never had it unequipped from anything.  I just think I blew through it so quickly that I don't think I'll be able to form a real opinion until I play through it at a more regular pace.

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General Gaming / Re: Torchlight

« on: February 23, 2010, 04:06:56 AM »

I think it's kinda ridiculous to be comparing this game to D2.  Torchlight is basically a fan-service game, essentially repackaging the original Diablo.  Don't expect to be engrossed into a living world.  I view it as a pickup and play action RPG; it's simple by intention and I appreciate that.  Take it for what it is; expectations can kill anything. 

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Nintendo Gaming / Re: Nintendo Media Summit 2010

« on: February 23, 2010, 03:47:18 AM »

Ok seriously guys, sonic in galaxy 2?  It's just a gigantic impossibility for so many reasons, mostly gameplay construction, they'd have to make an entirely new set of levels for sonic.  They'd never do it.... ever.  Ever.  We were lucky enough to get luigi in galaxy to begin with.  They don't throw enough of a bone to their own characters to ever give two sh'ts about sega's, and then actually put him in a real mario game.  Maybe I've been duped and this was always a joke, but Sonic Team killed sonic forever.  Deadsies. 


Optimistically, Nintendo will address one of their major franchises that hasn't seen a Wii iteration yet.  Probably, they'll give harder release dates for Galaxy and Metroid, and lets you know that Zelda has a release date of neverE10^9. (Yes, Giganever).  Impossibly, Nintendo ever does anything more with sonic than throw him on a track to perpetuate the ridiculous notion that he could be beaten by slow-ass, fat-ass, plumber-cracked mario.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Game of the Decade -- Vote After Listening to RFN 183!

« on: February 22, 2010, 09:51:43 AM »

After listening pcast 183 through to completion, I maintain Prince of Persia should have been on there for the reasons I stated before, but I understand the reasoning behind putting Majora's Mask on there.  I think the creepiness, weirdness, and overall inorganic structure of the world where each part felt more like a level than a coherent part of the world kept me from really getting pulled into it.  Whereas Wind Waker immediately pulled me in, and kept me pulled in with the spurts of emotional moments James was talking about.  The world felt more coherent with Ocarina of Time than Majora's Mask did because it's basically the same world just flooded, whereas Majora's Mask is some surreal amalgamation of Ocarina's sub-parts mixed with some new areas and new dungeons. 


The setting of the Wind Waker world sets up an underlying parallel between the Hero of Wind and the Hero of Time, which I don't know if it was ever directly alluded to, but it's clearly present.  And even though it was a more straightforward Zelda than Majora's Mask, I found it significantly more interesting; plus the fact that it pulls you into the adventure immediately rather than hitting you with bizarre fits of Japanese-ness (that I think prevented me from really feeling a part of the world) seems like Wind Waker gives you the kind of exploring-the-woods-in-your-backyard experience that Zelda was always intended to be.  You could argue a similar point that Greg made for Galaxy bringing Mario back to its roots in 3D; that Wind Waker really brought the feeling of exploration (even though its not a 1492 Columbus simulator) back into 3D Zelda, that it brought the franchise back to its roots in the way the game is laid out and how it feels.  Instead of the distinct towns and separated sections of the Ocarina and Majora worlds, the Wind Waker world seems to meld the coherent feeling of the worlds of the first Zelda and Link to the Past back into the mix.  Even though there's distinct islands that serve as destinations and distinct areas, you never feel like you're in a completely different part of the world because you're always surrounded by water and the neighboring islands.  Add in lack of load screens and its a more cohesive world than OoT or MM, which made me care to keep playing it more than Majora's Mask where the experience feels a lot more fractured because you're constantly restarting the game essentially. 


I loved the Wind Waker story as well, where it's kind of consistent with old Hyrule that you played in for so long, but it's a completely different world, plus they cared to add a little weight and motivation to the characters.  After defeating Ganon a number of times, adding in some plot aspects and character development made it feel fresh, rather than just regurgitated.  I know plot in Nintendo games is taboo, but there's only so many times you can play the same kinds of worlds and game-progressions before it feels stale without adding in new elements to the characters, new characters with some relatability, new worlds, etc. I think Wind Waker did that better than Majora's Mask to create a unique game because basically MM had the time structure/restarting the game every few hours, character-based side quests, and the awkward/uninteresting/central-hub-based world structure that drove the unique feel.  Majora's Mask did have great dungeons, but the overall game still felt like a variation on Ocarina wrapped in a cyclical package and a more constrained world.  Tough for me to find Majora's Mask a better game, but that's why it's just an opinion.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: Game of the Decade -- Vote After Listening to RFN 183!

« on: February 17, 2010, 01:26:38 PM »

Little disappointed to see Sands of Time didn't make the list because on top of the 3D platforming aspects (which was the first game to really execute the acrobatics of the Matrix, wire-fu, and other stylistic approaches to stage combat in film), it was one of the first games to best execute a cinematic, circular narrative where the end of the game informs nuances throughout the entire game, similar to Memento where a full viewing lets you in on the details present throughout the film.  I really think it was ahead of its time and had a much greater impact on gaming than it gets credit for.


I feel like Majora's Mask is only on there because Ocarina of Time was two years too early to make this list, which by the same token I don't think Galaxy 2 should be on next decade's list because it will be an iteration on the more original game, its predecessor.  I think Wind Waker was a better game, particularly because of how it executed on the mostly-water world in an adventure game, which in concept seems ludicrous for a land-lubbing series like Zelda. 


More importantly, it set the precedent for the art of the game to be the graphics of the game, instead of rendering concept art in realistic textures and quadrillions of polygons.  You wouldn't have had Okami without Wind Waker, and you most certainly wouldn't have had Ubisoft use the art style it did on the recent Prince of Persia.  Its impact can be seen just by how reaction to screenshots has changed.  It went from disappointment/anger at a 3D artistic style, to peaked interest at a more artistic approach to graphics that we see more of today.  It opened the door of artistic 3D graphical design well before the industry was ready.


Melee was great because of how many hours were pumped into it/sucked into its ridiculous black-hole time-sink, but I'm not quite sure its a game of the decade, and I think its only because of its limited scope.  Can a fighting game ever be a better game than a solid adventure game?


Wii sports was great and definitely industry changing, but Galaxy is really the closest to perfection that any of those games come to; though it is on this list because I think it was a greater evolution on platforming than even Super Mario 64. 


Prime was fantastic, I think the best, most compelling 2D to 3D transition of any of Nintendo's franchises.  First person shooting, adventuring, and platforming in one game.  No game has ever done that to the level of execution that Retro did.  Let alone the expansive world, exploration, and discoverable plot left to the player to find if they wanted to, its game mechanics alone, imo, set it apart from the majority of other games.  A little RPG weapon upgrading/equipment changing that was integrated into the gameplay, as Metroid is known for and that Prime expanded upon with the visors, and I'm hard-pressed to find a game that utilizes as broad-reaching genre characteristics to make a really unique game.  Prime vs. Galaxy in my book.

43

Podcast Discussion / Re: PAX East Panel -- RFN: A Live Nintendo Podcast for Grown-Ups

« on: January 26, 2010, 03:46:06 PM »

Great to hear guys.  Looking forward to it.  Might be cool if you guys had a planned discussion segment like you do on the podcast, could offer a subject for the Q&A, interactive directed discussion with listeners?  Might work well.

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Podcast Discussion / Re: RetroActive #11 Poll -- Second Chance Edition

« on: January 23, 2010, 12:28:27 PM »

Plus playable Bowser, it was like Godzilla joining up with with his first enemy, Anguirus, to fight Gigan & King Ghidorah, exciting stuff