What Are You Currently Playing? 6.65: Neighbor of the Beast

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The reason that AA worked was because it wasn't trying to be big. It was just a good Batman game made by diehard Batman fans, and you could tell that a lot of love and attention to detail that went into it. The environment was just the right size to make the level design feel sharper, the game's length was perfect for its very simplistic mechanics so that they never got too stale before the end of the game, and the story was entertaining for what it was without trying to tackle more than it could properly handle.

In comes AC, which people praised up the butt-hole, but I couldn't help feeling anything above a "well this is OK, I guess'" throughout my entire experience with the game, and eventually I realized that it was because it tried so hard to be big that it basically exposed just how monotonous it really was. The mechanics got boring quickly, the city was so big that it actually became a chore to explore, the level design was far less intricate than before, and the story was just a convoluted mess. The side-quests and boss fights were terrible, as well. The fact that critics praised this game really showed me that it only took impressive scope more than genuine substance to impress them.

As for AK, I just don't care about it. If fans enjoy it, then great, but personally I'd much rather play DMC4SE, a much older but still infinitely more enjoyable game, IMO.

[Nel_Annette]

Arkham Knight is basically Arkham City but with a worse story, more DLC, and a bizarre focus on driving the Batmobile.

That's exactly what my friends were telling me today, and a few reviews from people I watch on YouTube were echoing that. I've been hearing that the boss fights are horrid, the ending is pretty much an unsatisfying non-ending (they didn't specify what), and that whenever they tried to explore or do a mission on foot, they'd instantly be stopped in their tracks because they needed the Batmobile to move on. A shame, really.

Admittedly, I don't care that much about the game, I just wanted the Batman PS4, so it's not too much of a letdown for me.

And on a side note, I did just order the MGS Legacy Collection and the Rising game.

[Foggle]

The reason that AA worked was because it wasn't trying to be big. It was just a good Batman game made by diehard Batman fans, and you could tell that a lot of love and attention to detail that went into it. The environment was just the right size to make the level design feel sharper, the game's length was perfect for its very simplistic mechanics so that they never got too stale before the end of the game, and the story was entertaining for what it was without trying to tackle more than it could properly handle.

A big reason I loved AA was that it featured the Joker at his absolute funniest. The writing and voice acting were both so brilliant in that game. Overall, it just felt like a wonderful tribute to TAS.

Admittedly, I don't care that much about the game, I just wanted the Batman PS4

Understandable, that thing is amazing!

I hope you enjoy MGS! Even with the microtransactions, 5 is looking like a masterpiece to me.

[Nel_Annette]

Hoping to get Ground Zeroes after these come in. Then I'll probably cool it with this binge-buying thing I've been doing all year. I've got a lot of pre-orders waiting in the next six months (where the hell is the Woolly World bundle, Nintendo?) and another semester at school coming up.

[Nel_Annette]

Finally. This is my day now.

[Foggle]

 

[Nel_Annette]

Oh my god, it let's me redownload Spelunky for free? So much better than what Nintendo's doing with redownloads on the eShop.

[Foggle]

Having a hard time getting into Twilight Princess right now. I think my analog stick might be somewhat messed up, as the movement controls feel really bad to me. To be fair, I have had this controller for, what, 13 years now? Always something, I guess. I've also been unnaturally tired lately, so I'm not really in the mood for a game that starts off slowly. I've decided to play Metal Gear Solid 4 instead, and hopefully return to TP afterwards.

This game definitely gets off to an amazing start. The first 2.5 hours sport excellent gameplay and surprisingly engaging cutscenes. Of course, I know that the story goes way downhill later on, and that the stealth almost ceases to exist after a certain point, but I'm loving it so far.

[talonmalon333]

I'm not really in the mood for a game that starts off slowly. I've decided to play Metal Gear Solid 4 instead, and hopefully return to TP afterwards.

I actually think the beginning of MGS4 feels the least like a stealth game. Very heavy on running around shooting things and not a lot of cover for stealth.

Also, you say the story goes downhill, but the best part of it by far is the final hour or so of the whole game.

[Foggle]

I actually think the beginning of MGS4 feels the least like a stealth game. Very heavy on running around shooting things and not a lot of cover for stealth.

It's incredibly stealth-based. I mean, I guess you can run and gun, but the level layouts are complex and clearly geared around sneaking, and Otacon even tells you not to engage the enemies in combat. I've been having tons of fun avoiding detection in the middle of a warzone. It's designed exceptionally well, IMO.

[gunswordfist]

I'm not really in the mood for a game that starts off slowly. I've decided to play Metal Gear Solid 4 instead, and hopefully return to TP afterwards.

I actually think the beginning of MGS4 feels the least like a stealth game. Very heavy on running around shooting things and not a lot of cover for stealth.

Also, you say the story goes downhill, but the best part of it by far is the final hour or so of the whole game.

When did you become this fucking stupid?

I played Spelunky again for the first time since like last year. The game still whooped my ass. I barely got to World 2.

[talonmalon333]

I actually think the beginning of MGS4 feels the least like a stealth game. Very heavy on running around shooting things and not a lot of cover for stealth.

It's incredibly stealth-based. I mean, I guess you can run and gun, but the level layouts are complex and clearly geared around sneaking, and Otacon even tells you not to engage the enemies in combat. I've been having tons of fun avoiding detection in the middle of a warzone. It's designed exceptionally well, IMO.

I just remember, when I played that section of the game, thinking about how wide and open the area was and how much more difficult it was to hide and avoid having the enemies spot you.

I suppose it could have been that I just wasn't as good at the game at the time. I've only played MGS4 once (MGS3 is so much better).

[Nel_Annette]

Today I descended into Hell. A bullet point list of my thoughts.

-Well, let's download every patch for Assassin's Creed: Unity. Uuuuugh.
-That took six hours?! That took six hours!!!
-Yep, they sure are delightfully British... for French folk.
-Did that man just freeze mid-animation? His frozen body is still hovering down the street! God that's creepy!
-When do I get the costu-- oh, wait, that was actually quick.
-Why did you take out whistling?!
-Why did you take out hiding in the bushes?!
-Did... did one of the pedestrians just walk through the brick wall of a building?
-Oh, this cover system seems cool.
-This cover system is crap! Arno, move! Stop sitting there! I'm pressing buttons and you won't move! The bad guy's coming around the corner, move your ass! No, don't swap cover! You're not hiding anymore; he's looking right at you!
-Holy fuck the combat got convoluted! You get killed pretty damn fast! ...Which I guess is more realistic but I do miss my babby-mode chain kills.
-Wow, I can actually customize everything about my costume. This is actually a really cool new feature and should be in every AC from now on.
-Two guards hit me and I fell through the world.
-Oh my god, they have Shaun back for the databases. Fantastic!
-Why are there four different currency systems?! And buying stats and equipment and upgrades and skills are each tied to a different currency? Fuck, that's confusing.
-What are Hack Points? What are Creed Points? I'll just click on "Get More" and-- you are not asking me for my credit card information. Seriously? Hell no. Fuck off, Ubisoft.
-Why can't I do half the missions on the map? Let me just read what this says... Co-op? No. What about these other missions... phone app?! Auuuugh. Come on! How the hell would anyone ever have enough time to 100% this convoluted shit!?
-Okay... okay... fuck all the side stuff... let's just do the first real assassination. "There are at minimum, 12 ways to do this mission." Sounds promising. How you gonna fuck this one up, Ubi?
-Oh my god, this is actually awesome. I've got a wide area around Notre Dame to work with, I've literally counted about 15 different ways I can get into the cathedral and kill this guy. I think... I'll at least try stealth. I steal the keys... climb to the top of the cathedral to unlock some doors, sneak my way down stairs to the second floor. The guy's on the ground floor... I see where all the guards are, I can clearly map out where all the escape routes are... Okay, yeah, I've got complete confidence in my plan. Let's kill this prick.
-Holy crap, it worked! And I escaped without a single confrontation! Easily one of the most satisfying assassinations I've ever done in the series. The game didn't restrict me; it gave me a myriad of options and let me do it my way.
-Every main assassination in each game should have been like this. Especially from now on.

So... yeah, there are actually quite a number of new things introduced in Unity that I hope they carry over to the next games. Unfortunately, though, even with six hours/gigs of patches, Unity is still a broken, buggy mountain of shit that shamelessly uses microtransactions and relies too heavily on things like phone apps and co-op. Still, if the rest of the assassinations are as open-ended as this, maybe I can salvage a bit of enjoyment out of this mess.

[gunswordfist]

  I've always loved your Assassin's Creed posts. Sounds like EA has still continued to make the series a load of mess with some good gameplay underneath.

[Foggle]

I just remember, when I played that section of the game, thinking about how wide and open the area was and how much more difficult it was to hide and avoid having the enemies spot you.

I suppose it could have been that I just wasn't as good at the game at the time. I've only played MGS4 once (MGS3 is so much better).

I'm honestly finding MGS4 much easier than 3. I think it's because the controls are smoother. Also, the wide open environments seem to have more cover in this one than they did in the previous game; thus, hiding from the enemies is actually easier IMO. 3 is definitely the better game overall, but the core gameplay in 4 is still excellent.

-Well, let's download every patch for Assassin's Creed: Unity. Uuuuugh.
-That took six hours?! That took six hours!!!

Whoa. Do you have a slow connection, or does it have like 50GB of patches? That sounds horrifying.