@sub12 Precisely, it's pretty sad when people can no longer listen to a viewpoint that doesn't align with their own and rather than ask questions, look for middle ground and perhaps learn a bit, it's more like "rally the villagers, burn them at the stake for their whacky views".
But it isn't being "liberal" ,or "conservative", it's about being an idiot or not.
@dryrain Yep, but they could just include men in the next one and start work on a "budgie smuggling" physics engine, precisely working out the exact movements and wibbles of a comedy oversized appendage whilst indulging in an array of beach sport related chicanery and tomfoolery. Something for everyone then.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi Ah cool, got you. I thought exactly the same with MGS V, finished Chapter 1, thought it was brilliant, but a logical place to stop once they started making me do the same missions I'd spent ages S-Ranking again. Happy enough I got my money's worth, but I felt it detracted from my overall feeling of the game and feeling of "completion".
Though equally I suppose never completed the main quest of Skyrim but maybe the difference was that I felt making different characters and finishing the guild questlines was a series of "mini endings" I could be satisfied with.
@SonyInfinity But to use the fast travel facility, you must have already been there? You've already "explored" the area and just need to pass back through for an area. I liked the fact Witcher 3 gave you a lot of areas to explore and one time things / nests /dungeons in places you'd have no need to go in the main quest. It's similar to Fallout 3, Skyrim and Dragon Age but the difference is all the sub quests felt like they had more care in the writing, around the fact they were still essentially "go here, talk to them, check this, talk to them, decision". The ambiguity and interpretation of the result of your actions was the key bit, rather than just checking a list and gaining experience. I am really looking forward to Fallout4 (Christmas present) to see how it does these things well, but I felt Witcher 3 was the best example at that point of mainstream RPG's and the open world/sidequest/interest balance, with Skyrim and Fallout3 a small notch below and Dragon Age a notch below again.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi "but after a hundred+ hours I'd had enough of the same few types of quests/hunts etc." The time frame given doesn't seem to connect with the sentiment unless you are being 'funny'. How many hundred hours of variation would you personally expect from an RPG? It seems like a hundred+ hours of engaging storylines, exploring, side quests and stimulation before you'd had enough of the game is more than a fair return on your investment?
@DominicanGlory "Final Fantasy VIII.... SO BAD" Apologies for any straw man impression, but well, you gave me so much objective and well thought out criticism initially to work with!
I do remember OPM UK and other mags at the time discussing whether Square would break their own rule and have a direct sequel in light of the massive popularity and fan expectation or whether they'd stay true to their history and have a new adventure with similar themes.
I also remember all my friends loving VII, all getting VIII but trading in VIII almost immediately because "it's not the same as VII". Lightning in a bottle for a lot of people, i actually had people who no longer play games at all send me the VII remake trailer with childlike excitement.
Not particularily aiming anything at you, or even trying to put words into your mouth, but it just made me think how disappointing VIII felt to a lot of people at the time (Just like MGS 2) because it wasn't what people expected, despite the 10/10 reviews.
Now MGS 2 is hailed as a "post modern gaming masterclass" and a genre deconstruction on reflection, which I totally get now, being old enough to actually know what a genre deconstruction is.
I like VIII, inspite of all it's faults. I don't recall the draw system breaking the game, though I remember having the impression without gridning, it felt like you were perhaps way underpowered to start with, then overpowered at the end? Poor difficulty curve?
I agree with you the wheels came off the plot, though perhaps I am more forgiving because I loved the art and premise, it also sits very nicely in my teenage years nostalgia/guilty pleasure sweet spot with Will Smith, Oasis, Tekken 2, X-Com Apocalypse and the Nokia 3210 amongst others, so you'll have to forgive the rose tinted specs.
Absolutely loved Triple Triad too. Infact, that game up when I was talking about how much I love Gwent.
Had a quick skim over "Squall is dead" and it would probably make more sense than the turn the story actually took to be honest.
@DominicanGlory It wasn't Final Fantasy VII part 2 like everybody wanted at the time, and the final sections didn't feel like they had the emotional pull for me (I thought the antagonist behind the antagonist behind the antagonist - the lateish reveal of Ultimecea behind Edea behind Seifer was ultimately just one late step too far and felt a little limp) but I'd certainly said it holds up with the VI - X "peak" the series enjoyed.
I personally didn't feel too engaged by, and am generally apathetic towards IX, I wasn't a fan of the art or character design, it still was a good Final Fantasy game objectively though.
The mechanics and engine are fantastic, it's brilliant finding all the little things you can do or having so much choice to play the game in your style. I also feel they finally got the codec(radio)/cutscene/gameplay balance right this time so while it still feels like a MGS game, you get the radio chatter and cutscenes you had before, but it never feels intrusive or too long.
That having said, it DOES feel like something is missing. I spent the first chapter getting "S" rank on all missions, so imagine my surprise when Chapter 2 felt "Do it all again, plus a bit of new stuff". I think it just killed my momentum and enthusiasm, so I've put it on the shelf and picked up Witcher 3 to see what the fuss is about.
I have to say as a long term Metal Gear fan to the point of importing Snake Eater singles from Japan to get the bonus camoflagues, I can see why Witcher 3 is rated higher than Metal Gear.
Metal Gear is primarily about the mechanics, and main story, and after an amazing start and chapter 1, I felt the story just kind of fell flat, so it felt like a natural place to pause. I felt it lost a connection with me and no matter how fun controlling Snake is, I lost a bit of desire to play out the story. A better comparison to Metal Gear for me is Uncharted or Tomb Raider, where experiencing the story is just as important as the physics and polish.
Witcher 3's main story, having never played a Witcher before or have any understanding of the lore, isn't the main draw of the games, nor are the mechanics. It's the bit sized side quests that are compelling, and exploring Geralt's character through the "grey area" and ambiguous scenarios you are continually asked to resolve, naturally a better comparison to meis an Elder Scrolls game. I've never completed an Elder Scrolls game, because the main story is usually a macguffin or some reason to drag you around the world exploring and developing your character doing side quests. I've still immensely enjoyed every Elder Scrolls game and feel that I've lost nothing by not seeing the main story concluded. I do feel Witcher 3 does these things a bit better than Skyrim, and I constantly feel as if my choices are important or it's not just a case of picking "good answer or bad answer".
If you compare as an "open world game", Metal Gear's side ops just don't have the same pull or drag you in to a story except for the yellow "key" ones. A lot of them just feel like filler, standard "go there and get this, go there and eliminate that" and without the "rank" mechanism, they just feel like boxes to tick, rather than experiences you remember.
I think that's why it's a 9 for me, because it's not as good or compelling an open world game as Skyrim or Witcher, with the background stuff luring you in and keeping you busy, but equally by it's design it's neither a really great "story driven on rails" game like MGS1,3, or Uncharted, it just feels like it's a small notch below the best examples of on rails/open world and almost a little frustrating because with a fantastic engine and mechanics it's so close to perfection but falls a little short in my humble opinion.
Comments 307
Re: Backlash Fears Have Stopped Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 From Coming West
@sub12
Precisely, it's pretty sad when people can no longer listen to a viewpoint that doesn't align with their own and rather than ask questions, look for middle ground and perhaps learn a bit, it's more like "rally the villagers, burn them at the stake for their whacky views".
But it isn't being "liberal" ,or "conservative", it's about being an idiot or not.
Re: Backlash Fears Have Stopped Dead or Alive Xtreme 3 From Coming West
@dryrain
Yep, but they could just include men in the next one and start work on a "budgie smuggling" physics engine, precisely working out the exact movements and wibbles of a comedy oversized appendage whilst indulging in an array of beach sport related chicanery and tomfoolery. Something for everyone then.
Re: Soapbox: Why Fallout 4 Has One of PS4's Best Open Worlds
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi
Ah cool, got you. I thought exactly the same with MGS V, finished Chapter 1, thought it was brilliant, but a logical place to stop once they started making me do the same missions I'd spent ages S-Ranking again. Happy enough I got my money's worth, but I felt it detracted from my overall feeling of the game and feeling of "completion".
Though equally I suppose never completed the main quest of Skyrim but maybe the difference was that I felt making different characters and finishing the guild questlines was a series of "mini endings" I could be satisfied with.
Re: Soapbox: Why Fallout 4 Has One of PS4's Best Open Worlds
@SonyInfinity
But to use the fast travel facility, you must have already been there? You've already "explored" the area and just need to pass back through for an area. I liked the fact Witcher 3 gave you a lot of areas to explore and one time things / nests /dungeons in places you'd have no need to go in the main quest.
It's similar to Fallout 3, Skyrim and Dragon Age but the difference is all the sub quests felt like they had more care in the writing, around the fact they were still essentially "go here, talk to them, check this, talk to them, decision". The ambiguity and interpretation of the result of your actions was the key bit, rather than just checking a list and gaining experience.
I am really looking forward to Fallout4 (Christmas present) to see how it does these things well, but I felt Witcher 3 was the best example at that point of mainstream RPG's and the open world/sidequest/interest balance, with Skyrim and Fallout3 a small notch below and Dragon Age a notch below again.
@Bad-MuthaAdebisi
"but after a hundred+ hours I'd had enough of the same few types of quests/hunts etc."
The time frame given doesn't seem to connect with the sentiment unless you are being 'funny'.
How many hundred hours of variation would you personally expect from an RPG? It seems like a hundred+ hours of engaging storylines, exploring, side quests and stimulation before you'd had enough of the game is more than a fair return on your investment?
Re: Squall Slices onto the Scene in Dissidia Final Fantasy
@DominicanGlory
"Final Fantasy VIII.... SO BAD"
Apologies for any straw man impression, but well, you gave me so much objective and well thought out criticism initially to work with!
I do remember OPM UK and other mags at the time discussing whether Square would break their own rule and have a direct sequel in light of the massive popularity and fan expectation or whether they'd stay true to their history and have a new adventure with similar themes.
I also remember all my friends loving VII, all getting VIII but trading in VIII almost immediately because "it's not the same as VII". Lightning in a bottle for a lot of people, i actually had people who no longer play games at all send me the VII remake trailer with childlike excitement.
Not particularily aiming anything at you, or even trying to put words into your mouth, but it just made me think how disappointing VIII felt to a lot of people at the time (Just like MGS 2) because it wasn't what people expected, despite the 10/10 reviews.
Now MGS 2 is hailed as a "post modern gaming masterclass" and a genre deconstruction on reflection, which I totally get now, being old enough to actually know what a genre deconstruction is.
I like VIII, inspite of all it's faults. I don't recall the draw system breaking the game, though I remember having the impression without gridning, it felt like you were perhaps way underpowered to start with, then overpowered at the end? Poor difficulty curve?
I agree with you the wheels came off the plot, though perhaps I am more forgiving because I loved the art and premise, it also sits very nicely in my teenage years nostalgia/guilty pleasure sweet spot with Will Smith, Oasis, Tekken 2, X-Com Apocalypse and the Nokia 3210 amongst others, so you'll have to forgive the rose tinted specs.
Absolutely loved Triple Triad too. Infact, that game up when I was talking about how much I love Gwent.
Had a quick skim over "Squall is dead" and it would probably make more sense than the turn the story actually took to be honest.
Re: Squall Slices onto the Scene in Dissidia Final Fantasy
@DominicanGlory
It wasn't Final Fantasy VII part 2 like everybody wanted at the time, and the final sections didn't feel like they had the emotional pull for me (I thought the antagonist behind the antagonist behind the antagonist - the lateish reveal of Ultimecea behind Edea behind Seifer was ultimately just one late step too far and felt a little limp) but I'd certainly said it holds up with the VI - X "peak" the series enjoyed.
I personally didn't feel too engaged by, and am generally apathetic towards IX, I wasn't a fan of the art or character design, it still was a good Final Fantasy game objectively though.
Re: Review: Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain (PS4)
The mechanics and engine are fantastic, it's brilliant finding all the little things you can do or having so much choice to play the game in your style. I also feel they finally got the codec(radio)/cutscene/gameplay balance right this time so while it still feels like a MGS game, you get the radio chatter and cutscenes you had before, but it never feels intrusive or too long.
That having said, it DOES feel like something is missing. I spent the first chapter getting "S" rank on all missions, so imagine my surprise when Chapter 2 felt "Do it all again, plus a bit of new stuff". I think it just killed my momentum and enthusiasm, so I've put it on the shelf and picked up Witcher 3 to see what the fuss is about.
I have to say as a long term Metal Gear fan to the point of importing Snake Eater singles from Japan to get the bonus camoflagues, I can see why Witcher 3 is rated higher than Metal Gear.
Metal Gear is primarily about the mechanics, and main story, and after an amazing start and chapter 1, I felt the story just kind of fell flat, so it felt like a natural place to pause. I felt it lost a connection with me and no matter how fun controlling Snake is, I lost a bit of desire to play out the story. A better comparison to Metal Gear for me is Uncharted or Tomb Raider, where experiencing the story is just as important as the physics and polish.
Witcher 3's main story, having never played a Witcher before or have any understanding of the lore, isn't the main draw of the games, nor are the mechanics. It's the bit sized side quests that are compelling, and exploring Geralt's character through the "grey area" and ambiguous scenarios you are continually asked to resolve, naturally a better comparison to meis an Elder Scrolls game. I've never completed an Elder Scrolls game, because the main story is usually a macguffin or some reason to drag you around the world exploring and developing your character doing side quests. I've still immensely enjoyed every Elder Scrolls game and feel that I've lost nothing by not seeing the main story concluded. I do feel Witcher 3 does these things a bit better than Skyrim, and I constantly feel as if my choices are important or it's not just a case of picking "good answer or bad answer".
If you compare as an "open world game", Metal Gear's side ops just don't have the same pull or drag you in to a story except for the yellow "key" ones. A lot of them just feel like filler, standard "go there and get this, go there and eliminate that" and without the "rank" mechanism, they just feel like boxes to tick, rather than experiences you remember.
I think that's why it's a 9 for me, because it's not as good or compelling an open world game as Skyrim or Witcher, with the background stuff luring you in and keeping you busy, but equally by it's design it's neither a really great "story driven on rails" game like MGS1,3, or Uncharted, it just feels like it's a small notch below the best examples of on rails/open world and almost a little frustrating because with a fantastic engine and mechanics it's so close to perfection but falls a little short in my humble opinion.