The General Gaming Thread!

[psilontech]

So, the turns have come and gone and I just finished my second turn as Germany.

Turn one consisted of me largely ignoring the Soviet slaughterhouse up north and pushing for Moscow, ending up but a brief walk from Moscow but unable to get into it based on the weird way the game wants to handle combat.

Threw the Luftwaffe at the British fleet and took out a sizable chunk of their offensive capabilities on the sea.

The British RAF starts pounding Western Europe, losing a few fighters in the process and begins landings to take my meager holdings in Africa, succeeding in removing my forces from the continent entirely.

Japan starts creeping up into Soviet and American held territories in Asia only to be pushed back to where they started after the soviets and americans took their next turns.

The Soviet's turn comes around again, this time employing a wall of meat strategy, taking back all of their lost territories and blocking me from access to Moscow, taking heavy losses in the process - Continues to churn out infantry, but Karelia is now understaffed as compared to where it was before.

G2 comes around and I decide to begin a massive push into Karelia, location of >80% of their forces. Soviet AA guns get lucky as hell (1/6 chance of shooting down a plane, takes out my bomber and two fighters out of four) but my rolls aren't terrible, resulting in me taking Karelia and essentially breaking the majority of the Soviet's standing army but taking heavy losses in the process.

Western Europe should have suffecient forces to withstand any landings the Allies can pull together at this point, but I'm massively worried over the three bombers sitting on England, ready to f my stuff up.

Unless something crazy happens between G2 and G3, the Soviets should be more or less finished before long with both myself and to a lesser extent Japan pushing heavily on them.

With them out of the game I think I can afford to start spending a little on research while I bring my Luftwaffa back to full strength and begin the Battle for Britain. Good thing radar doesn't factor into this version, eh?

[Mx.Silver]

However, X-Com is one of those games that looks promising for the concept. I hate to say it, but I may prefer this over the original.


It's Irrational, after all, these are the guys who made Bioshock, and just when you thought "underwater society gone bad" was unbeatable, they make "liberal supremacist city complex in the sky". Then they take a series known for unique setting, and put it in an even more unique setting.

You're kind of missing the point about why this game has upset so many people. It's not that it's necessarily going to be a bad game - althouhg from what I've heard from people who played the early demos it's nothing to write home about - it's that it has absolutely no business being called X-Com. This is chiefly because the name is the only thing it has in common with the original games: different setting, different enemies, different aesthetic style, plus the obvious completely different genre. It just looks like an idea for a new IP that someone slapped the X-Com label on because 'New IPs Don't Sell' and then had a ton of frankly pathetic attempts to pass it-off as being a true successor to the franchise, which succeeded only in further alienating fans of the original as well as numerous others who object to this sort of behaviour on principle (e.g. me).

Take this into consideration, should X-Com have been a strategy game again, then would it have sold?

It's not really possible to say one way of the other on this. I can say though that there is nothing that would prevent a Tactical TBS from selling, depending on what route you went down.

RTS games are all the rage, but the only really well known TBS franchises nowadays (that haven't undergone a dramatic treatment) are Civilization and Total War. Besides that, you'd have to remind me.

The thing is though, TBS has never been a particularly populous genre anyway, at least since the late 90s. This is even more true for Tactical TBS games, even including the RPG-Hybrids (Fire Emblem etc.). However, such games don't generally experience too much difficulty in making-back their costs and can still sometimes produce genuine hits (Advance being probably the best example).

And here's the thing: Tactical TBS are nowhere near as dependant on PCs as RTS games. Note the success the genre and it's RPG-hybrids have had on the handhelds. I don't think there have been many attempts to bring the genre onto iOS/Android yet but I see no reason to assume it wouldn't do well there.

So yeah I see no reason to assume that a TBS X-com game couldn't be successful, depending on how it was designed. Note that since Tactical TBS games don't traditionally rely on high-spec graphics developments costs probably wouldn't have been as high either.

This way, the console generation can experience something PC gamers cherish like forbidden fruit, and possibly pick up the original to see it's roots.

Except as mentioned before, they aren't experiencing X-com. They're experiencing a completely unrelated FPS that just happen to be named X-Com.

[Triscuitable]

I'm not missing the point, because people shouldn't whine because their favorite franchise is now a completely different game. People whine about this all the time, and it turns out fine!

All I'm saying is, I do not care about the outcome of this game, fanboys need to get a grip.

[Scuzzball]

I'm not missing the point, because people shouldn't whine because their favorite franchise is now a completely different game. People whine about this all the time, and it turns out fine!

All I'm saying is, I do not care about the outcome of this game, fanboys need to get a grip.

The problem is, they are taking a game series, and making a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME and tacking on the name. And then claiming they did nothing of the kind, it's just a newer version of the originals.

[Eakin]

I was going to start playing skyrim, but I ended up getting completely sidetracked and booted up super meat boy instead, now I'm hooked. I was at the end of world two, tonight I finished that, dark world one, and world three. From what I've played of Hell it looks like I'm coming into a big jump in difficulty.

What else is worth getting on xbla? I also already have geometry wars, Ikaruga, banjo kazooie and tooie.

[Triscuitable]

I was going to start playing skyrim, but I ended up getting completely sidetracked and booted up super meat boy instead, now I'm hooked. I was at the end of world two, tonight I finished that, dark world one, and world three. From what I've played of Hell it looks like I'm coming into a big jump in difficulty.

What else is worth getting on xbla? I also already have geometry wars, Ikaruga, banjo kazooie and tooie.

If you haven't played it, Perfect Dark is awesome. But regardless of ANY OTHER GAME OUT RIGHT NOW, Shadow Complex. It is awesome, the story was written by Orson Scott Card. That is all I will say.

[Frankelshtein]

I was going to start playing skyrim, but I ended up getting completely sidetracked and booted up super meat boy instead, now I'm hooked. I was at the end of world two, tonight I finished that, dark world one, and world three. From what I've played of Hell it looks like I'm coming into a big jump in difficulty.

What else is worth getting on xbla? I also already have geometry wars, Ikaruga, banjo kazooie and tooie.

Hell certainly lives up to it's name, I can tell you that much XD

Still working through the game, but I'm on the last world. Victory is so close, I can taste it!

Also: This.

[Mx.Silver]

I'm not missing the point, because people shouldn't whine because their favorite franchise is now a completely different game.

Why not? In what way is complaining that the supposed 'revival' of a classic franchise has nothing to do with the franchise at all, invalid?

People whine about this all the time, and it turns out fine!

When exactly do things like this happen 'all the time'? The only thing that comes close to being a previous example of this was Fallout 3 and that barely qualifies given that despite the change in camera perspective it's still an RPG and obviously part of the same setting.

All I'm saying is, I do not care about the outcome of this game, fanboys need to get a grip.

Or in other words: "you don't care so nobody else should"?

[warty goblin]

The problem is, they are taking a game series, and making a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT GAME and tacking on the name. And then claiming they did nothing of the kind, it's just a newer version of the originals.

My problem with this complaint always comes down to one thing. It's just the name on the box folks, which is window dressing at best. Way I see it when something like this rolls along a person's got two choices:

1) Get upset and expend a lot of time raging at something of surprisingly little consequence even in the gaming world, let alone any wider picture.

2) Don't get upset about it, and get to play a potentially good game.

When broken down like that, I find it quite hard to sympathize all that much with people who take option 1.

[Forbiddenwar]

I can understand the rage.
Imagine the Dark Knight Rises comes out, People are excited they all want to go see it.

And then the trailers show Bruce wayne talking at a water cooler for 2 minutes with a woman. People get confused.

And then they discover that:
The Dark Knight Rises is a romantic comedy.
And there is no batman in it.
And Christian Bale only appears in the background of a shot, out of focus, and has no lines.

Because the title is just the name on the box, it doesn't matter.

Will people rage? Very likely.
Will the new information keep people from seeing the movie? Probably not. Some people will avoid trailers and decide to see it. And some people who like romantic comedies will go see it. It might even be a blockbuster.

Sorry, My hypothetical got away from me.

[factotum]

My problem with this complaint always comes down to one thing. It's just the name on the box folks, which is window dressing at best.

I'd have to disagree with that. Names *are* important, since they uniquely identify things; it's all very well Shakespeare saying that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but if I decide roses should be called hoofenfeffers and come up to you to say, "The hoofenfeffers were glorious last summer, weren't they?" you wouldn't have a clue what I was talking about!

In the case of a series of games, one at least expects them to have *something* to do with each other. If the new X-Com had the same setting as the original games but was an FPS, I wouldn't mind so much. If it was an isometric TBS where you fight aliens, but it was set in the 60s rather than the future, that'd be just about OK too. But to literally carry over *nothing* from the original games other than the fact you're fighting aliens? That's just ridiculous.

[Mewtarthio]

What else is worth getting on xbla? I also already have geometry wars, Ikaruga, banjo kazooie and tooie.

Bastion. Unless you've already got it on Steam, you should go and buy it right now. I'm serious: I want you to open another tab, go to the XBLA marketplace, and purchase this game right this very second.

It's a good game, is what I'm saying.

If you haven't played it, Perfect Dark is awesome. But regardless of ANY OTHER GAME OUT RIGHT NOW, Shadow Complex. It is awesome, the story was written by Orson Scott Card. That is all I will say.

Shadow Complex isn't really a story-based game. It's a Metroidvania in a near-future setting. From what I've heard, Card's contribution was minimal at best: The game just happens to share a setting with one of his books.

[Triscuitable]

Shadow Complex isn't really a story-based game. It's a Metroidvania in a near-future setting. From what I've heard, Card's contribution was minimal at best: The game just happens to share a setting with one of his books.

Doesn't matter, it's freaking awesome.

[warty goblin]

Shadow Complex isn't really a story-based game. It's a Metroidvania in a near-future setting. From what I've heard, Card's contribution was minimal at best: The game just happens to share a setting with one of his books.

Which, given some of his recent* output, is almost certainly a good thing.


*And by recent I mean "everything except Ender's Game". Especially Empire.

[Scuzzball]

*And by recent I mean "everything except Ender's Game". Especially Empire.

Hey, I liked the piggies. Do have to agree though. But the piggies were still pretty cool.

[Volatar]

If you haven't played it, Perfect Dark is awesome. But regardless of ANY OTHER GAME OUT RIGHT NOW, Shadow Complex. It is awesome, the story was written by Orson Scott Card. That is all I will say.

Meh. Not a big card fan. The Ender and Bean series' were ok, but I haven't liked anything else he has published. The Homecoming series just pissed me off.

I can understand the rage.
Imagine the Dark Knight Rises comes out, People are excited they all want to go see it.

And then the trailers show Bruce wayne talking at a water cooler for 2 minutes with a woman. People get confused.

And then they discover that:
The Dark Knight Rises is a romantic comedy.
And there is no batman in it.
And Christian Bale only appears in the background of a shot, out of focus, and has no lines.

Because the title is just the name on the box, it doesn't matter.

Will people rage? Very likely.
Will the new information keep people from seeing the movie? Probably not. Some people will avoid trailers and decide to see it. And some people who like romantic comedies will go see it. It might even be a blockbuster.

Sorry, My hypothetical got away from me.

That is actually a very good analogy. Names mean something. They define a set of works. The gaming industry is ruining the ability for names to define anything when they continue again and again to make games that have no relation to previous games.

There are plenty of examples of successful revitalizations of a series. Deus Ex, while the setting was modified in some ways, remained similar many others, and maintained similar gameplay ideas. Fallout retained it's setting and open world RPG genre. Supreme Commander, while not technically of the same name, maintained the flow based resources and grand scale of Total Annihilation.

The only thing XCom has in common with X-Com is aliens. Everything else is different. When you do that, you actually lose many customers. I enjoyed the first X-Com games. I certainly won't be buying the new one.

[Celesyne]

It kinda be like taking Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and making another sequel. Call it Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4. So we got all the military FPS boys jumping for joy over it. Now were gonna take it and its not an FPS anymore, we're gonna make it an RPG. Oh, and there is no modern army, nor any real warfare. And the only connection to Price and Soap are the words Price on the price tag, and the in-game item Soap-on-a-Roap.

[Triscuitable]

Meh. Not a big card fan. The Ender and Bean series' were ok, but I haven't liked anything else he has published. The Homecoming series just pissed me off.

Been mentioned the only relation is that it's the same "universe" his Empire series takes place in. The story is written by him, but the cliches are through the roof, and all because there's only dialogue every 2 hours, for three minutes. The rest is some amazing revolutions on the Metroidvania genre. Don't take what I said about Card for a grain of the teeniest of salts, I got carried away. Card's relevance is MINISCULE.

On another subject, who here's an iOS gamer? RAISE THE ROOF! I just beat Infinity Blade 2. Here's my two cents, which compared to your two cents, is like... fifty bucks!

Spoiler

Show

You start off in a pretty Japanese-esque garden, to find the location of the worker of secrets, who can supposedly help you defeat the deathless threat. You confront a deathless, who, after you kill every last one of her champions, will answer your question, and then fight you. Then you fall for a trap, accidentally return the God-King (who's name is revealed to be Radriar), and are then subsequently shot in the head by Isa, who's your companion. Then you wake up. Not a dream, Siris (you) begins to question who he is. All those members of that extremely stupid family in the first game were actually just him, having suffered such a fall on his head each time he was thrown out of the tower by Radriar, that he forgot he wasn't the same guy. Instead, he goes on to declare he'll avenge his father in Italian, and then go and die again. The bosses are like Mega Man, with that there's a recommended order to take them out in, that the game doesn't necessarily share with you. Once you beat all three of the bosses, Thane, Behemoth Mech-thingy, and the scholar, you go back to the top, fight Thane (who's also Deathless), go to rescue the Worker of Secrets, who tells Siris of his true name, Ausar, and then reveals he cannot leave his prison unless you bring him Radriar. You slay Radriar's mooks where you began the game, and then, in a totally badass fight, defeat Radriar. "Killing me... will not end this..." "What made you think I would let you die so easily?" You then proceed to bash him head in, and take him to the WoS, who (SURPRISE), betrays Ausar, revealing Ausar imprisoned him in the first place. Then Ausar says the most amazing thing ever: "Oh my god, what have I done? No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Credits, fade out, fade in to where Ausar began his quest to rescue the Worker. Who's there? Isa. Swings polearm, title drop.

In case you didn't know, I spoiled the whole game for anyone who hasn't beaten it. Took me about seven hours to beat it, and it'll take even more time to beat it again, because playthrough two is a New Game+, will higher-leveled enemies, a whole new arsenal of weapons, and a bunch more stuff. Epic loves to update this series, and a promised wave of new DLC will be added for free as time goes on.

[Volatar]

I don't play on my iPod touch much (mostly browse Reddit and forums, like right now), but if I had IB I would definitely do so. It looks like a really awesome game (and I have played it a little on a friends iPad). Just don't have the cash for it sadly.

[Triscuitable]

Black Ops: Zombies came out on the iOS, so now I have something slightly more interesting than playing Infinity Blade II (which I've exhausted through three playthroughs in one day, culiminating with earning the titular weapon). In other words, Call of Duty + Bus + iPod =

Yes, I know World at War: Zombies is available, but I played that one to undeath, so I just wanted something fresh.

[warty goblin]

Black Ops: Zombies came out on the iOS, so now I have something slightly more interesting than playing Infinity Blade II (which I've exhausted through three playthroughs in one day, culiminating with earning the titular weapon). In other words, Call of Duty + Bus + iPod =

Yes, I know World at War: Zombies is available, but I played that one to undeath, so I just wanted something fresh.

I got World at War almost entirely for the Zombies mode. However that requires beating the campaign, and I'm just not convinced I can make myself suffer through any more of it to get there.

In other news, this November has had so many good games it's staggering. Skyrim (which I've almost entirely neglected), Saints Row the Third, which finally clicked for me recently and I've been mainlining ever since, Anno 2070, which may be the best citybuilder since Zeus, and Serious Sam III.

[Triscuitable]

I got World at War almost entirely for the Zombies mode. However that requires beating the campaign, and I'm just not convinced I can make myself suffer through any more of it to get there.

The newest patch doesn't need you to suffer through that abomination. It unlocks it right off the bat. I may just install it again to play Verruckt once more.

[warty goblin]

The newest patch doesn't need you to suffer through that abomination. It unlocks it right off the bat. I may just install it again to play Verruckt once more.

Really? Excellent, I'll get on that once I reap my way through some of the ridiculous backlog I've acquired this month.

[Triscuitable]

Really? Excellent, I'll get on that once I reap my way through some of the ridiculous backlog I've acquired this month.

Do you have the PC version? If you do, all map packs are free, at the expense of an extremely irritating swath of patches, totaling at about 6.7GB, almost doubling the game's size.

[warty goblin]

Do you have the PC version? If you do, all map packs are free, at the expense of an extremely irritating swath of patches, totaling at about 6.7GB, almost doubling the game's size.

For that sort of downloading (aka about two days on my current internet), I'm not sure I care enough. I mean the basic shooting is OK, but not much more than that. Killing Floor has it hands down for weapon handling, and is a lot faster to download.

[Triscuitable]

For that sort of downloading (aka about two days on my current internet), I'm not sure I care enough. I mean the basic shooting is OK, but not much more than that. Killing Floor has it hands down for weapon handling, and is a lot faster to download.

That's only if you want all the packs. If you want to just play Nacht Der Untoten, that's the first major patch, which amounts to 100MB.

[warty goblin]

So I just polished off Saint's Row III's story last night. It's looking to be a serious contender for my game of the year right about now. Storywise it's not as good as II (what is?) but it's still really good, and mechanically it's far better than its predecessor to the point where I'd consider it one of my favorite third person shooters simply for the gameplay.

[Mewtarthio]

So I just polished off Saint's Row III's story last night.

You know, I never really gave Saint's Row a second glance before now. Still, if you're that impressed, I'm intrigued. What is Saint's Row, and why should I be interested?

[polity4life]

snip

You know, I love it when Japan says, "To hell with the Pacific theater!" and just slaps Russia in the rear. That's a surefire way to take Russia out of the game fast as the only support America and Britain can provide Russia is fighter defense or bombs runs, and the easiest way to really mitigate Britain is to bum-rush Africa and the Middle East, which is pretty easy.

In any case, well played on avoiding that mess early on and forcing Russia to expend resources, stretch itself, and ultimately fold.

[factotum]

You know, I never really gave Saint's Row a second glance before now. Still, if you're that impressed, I'm intrigued. What is Saint's Row, and why should I be interested?

Think Grand Theft Auto (3 era, not IV) with a considerably greater silliness quotient and you won't be far wrong! (Not played SR3, but in SR2 you could actually play a mini-game where you stripped off all your clothes and ran around scaring old ladies with your nakedness...).