What are you currently playing? 4.0

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

So, I just finished replaying Max Payne 2, and overall I think its a great game but just not as consistently good as the first game. I actually didn't have too much of a problem with the escort mission in Part 3, honestly, as Vinnie did a good enough job of hiding behind cover and the enemies usually rushed you in a group so it was easy for you to take them out quickly, rather than having them split apart and attack you from multiple angles.

One thing I wanted to point out is that, to be honest, I kind of liked Vlad. I mean, I didn't mind killing him, but for the main bad guy he was kind of a likable character (I also didn't care for Mona or Alfred Woden, so I didn't mind that he killed them off), or at the very least he wasn't as detestable as Nicole Horne, who was pretty much set-up to be a bitch who you wanted dead from the moment you met her. Also, the dude dies laughing, and you just gotta have some respect for a villain who dies with a smile on his face (or at least I assume he did since he chuckled before he died, since the graphics of that game don't exactly make facial expressions very clear).

[Foggle]

Vlad is awesome. I loved him as the antagonist, but not enough to feel bad about taking him down. He's my favorite character in the series after Vinnie (and Max, of course). Mona was a great love interest for Max, but Woden was barely even a character, really. I really like his voice actor in the first game, though.

The only problem I have with the escort mission is the very last shootout. He always seemed to deliberately run into the gangsters' bullets.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Heh, I kind of feel bad for Vinnie since he literally got blown to bits in a fucking Baseball Bat Boy suit. At the same time its simultaneously the most hilarious and over-the-top death in the series (even if you don't actually see it happen), and its also funny when you stop to think about the irony of it all, given that Vinnie was a hardcore collector of all BBB merchandise.

[Foggle]

Did you stop to watch the TV in Max's nightmare with Vlad and Vinnie? Great dark humor.

Regardless, Vinnie has the best lines in Max Payne 2.
"Hey, fuck you man, I'm a collector! Ain't nothin' nerdy about it... I'm a collector! In 20 years we'll see who's the nerd when I'm filthy stinkin' rich!" (or something like that)

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Yeah, that part was hilarious. And I stopped for almost all of the conversations going on in the game. Honestly, Remedy has some of the best humor in all of gaming.

And, I swear, I'll be pissed if Rockstar puts no references to Dick Justice in Max Payne 3. That is one of the funniest in-game self parodies in the series.

To quote the TV show itself:

Announcer: "Stranded in the dark and violent night, Dick Justice, a lone, hardboiled, fugitive cop, framed for the murder of his wife. On a quest for vengence through the criminal underworld in the city's heart of darkness."

Dick Justice: "The rain was coming down like all the angels in heaven had decided to take a piss at the same time. In a situation like mine, you can only think in metaphors. They had killed the love of my life. They were going to pay."

[gunswordfist]

So, I just finished replaying Max Payne 2, and overall I think its a great game but just not as consistently good as the first game. I actually didn't have too much of a problem with the escort mission in Part 3, honestly, as Vinnie did a good enough job of hiding behind cover and the enemies usually rushed you in a group so it was easy for you to take them out quickly, rather than having them split apart and attack you from multiple angles.

One thing I wanted to point out is that, to be honest, I kind of liked Vlad. I mean, I didn't mind killing him, but for the main bad guy he was kind of a likable character (I also didn't care for Mona or Alfred Woden, so I didn't mind that he killed them off), or at the very least he wasn't as detestable as Nicole Horne, who was pretty much set-up to be a bitch who you wanted dead from the moment you met her. Also, the dude dies laughing, and you just gotta have some respect for a villain who dies with a smile on his face (or at least I assume he did since he chuckled before he died, since the graphics of that game don't exactly make facial expressions very clear).

And now to reveal my two favorite Max Payne characters (besides Sam L..Max himself)

1. Vinnie Cognitti
2. Vlad

Vlad was my favorite when I first played the game, went with Vinnie because I remembered how damn funny he was. It sucks major ass that both are dead.

I also thought the Inner Circle was underexplored in the game and I wish Vlad wasn't the main villain. IIRC, he got along well with Max in the first game and they had a pretty cool "partnership" or whatever you call them working with each other. I wish the game was about someone from the government/military that used to work with Horne coming to kill Max to cover their tracks or something to do with the Inner Circle besides Vlad being Alfred's son. I can't even remember why Vlad was the villain in the game in the first place.

P.S. Loved at the end of the Vlad fight when he shoots out with Max. I wish he was more bullet absorbent though. That part was too easy.

[gunswordfist]

Heh, I kind of feel bad for Vinnie since he literally got blown to bits in a fucking Baseball Bat Boy suit. At the same time its simultaneously the most hilarious and over-the-top death in the series (even if you don't actually see it happen), and its also funny when you stop to think about the irony of it all, given that Vinnie was a hardcore collector of all BBB merchandise.

[Foggle]

Yeah, that part was hilarious. And I stopped for almost all of the conversations going on in the game. Honestly, Remedy has some of the best humor in all of gaming.

Yeah, out of all the developers I've encountered, Remedy definitely has the best sense of humor, closely followed by Valve and then Insomniac. On that note, Portal 2's script is by far the funniest in gaming.

And, I swear, I'll be pissed if Rockstar puts no references to Dick Justice in Max Payne 3. That is one of the funniest in-game self parodies in the series.

Yeah, Dick Justice is a must. Also, it's not Max Payne without Lords & Ladies.

[Rosalinas Spare Wand]

So I've got No More Heroes Desperate Struggle in my hands and I'm gonna go buy Skyward Sword at Kmart tomorrow (fuck yes for weekly specials).

Which do I play first and what should I expect out of them?

[Foggle]

NMH 2. It's a lot shorter.

No More Heroes 2 - Expect hilarious otaku comedy, great music, lots of corners cut due to a no doubt incredibly low budget, awesome boss fights, horrible platforming, more variety in weaponry than the first game, fun 8-bit mini-games, decent beat 'em up action, and a rage-inducing final boss. Make sure to play the game on Travis' TV. You'll appreciate it.

Skyward Sword - Expect gimmicky controls, a story that takes an hour or two to actually get moving, and fetch quests. Haven't gotten far enough in the game to tell you more.

[Spark Of Spirit]

How much you like Skyward Sword will depend on your favorite Zelda game.

But I agree with Foggle, NMH:DS is a lot shorter, and is a great improvement on the original.

[Foggle]

How much you like Skyward Sword will depend on your favorite Zelda game.

And your tolerance for bad motion controls and tedium.

But I agree with Foggle, NMH:DS is a lot shorter, and is a great improvement on the original.

It's an awesome game, but its budget is evident at nearly every turn. You can easily tell that Marvelous and/or UbiSoft were really holding back on Suda51 with this one. It's only half the game it deserves to be in a lot of ways.

And be prepared to scream at your TV during the strength training mini-games and final boss fight.

[Foggle]

It's an awesome game, but its budget is evident at nearly every turn. You can easily tell that Marvelous and/or UbiSoft were really holding back on Suda51 with this one. It's only half the game it deserves to be in a lot of ways.

Allow me to elaborate on this a bit.

Through no fault of Grasshopper's, I'm sure, No More Heroes 2 is almost definitely unfinished, and there's a lot of evidence to support this.

- There is no city to roam around in, but the ending credits sequence shows that one was clearly designed for the game and nearly finished.
- One of the mid-game bosses has a 50% chance of crashing your Wii upon victory. The screen will immediately turn black and a terrifyingly loud noise will begin emitting from the little white box. The only way to stop this is to disconnect your console from the wall.
- The frame rate drops to sub-20 FPS during certain cutscenes.
- Naomi only sells two items the entire game and is now voiced by what appears to be a member of the development team.
- Most of the outdoor levels do not feature any music whatsoever. I have a theory about this one. Before release, Suda said in an interview that they tried to license The Stranglers' song, No More Heroes, for use in the game, but that they couldn't afford to. One of the final music-less sequences features about 50 seconds of walking in a straight line until you find a building with a picture of Travis' face painted on the side. If you play the song from the beginning over this scene, it fits almost perfectly.
- The Revenge missions have no context (and seemingly no actual significance), which is very odd for a Suda51 game.
- The platforming is seriously broken.
- You only use the motorcycle twice, and the only actual driving level features no enemies or anything of interest.
- The final boss battle and the last stage of the strength training mini-game are quite honestly unfair. Meanwhile, the prison island boss is nearly incapable of actually of killing you.
- The game promises 50 boss fights at its outset. There are 15. This one could just be Suda casually trolling the audience, though.
- The story contradicts the first game's at nearly every turn. But again, this one could just be Suda trolling.
- The "ending" barely qualifies as one.

But with all this said, please don't be discouraged from playing the game. It's still a solid 9/10 and one of the Wii's best, IMO.

[Daxdiv]

How much you like Skyward Sword will depend on your favorite Zelda game.

My favorite is A Link to the Past and Wind Waker. What does that say for me?

[Foggle]

How much you like Skyward Sword will depend on your favorite Zelda game.

My favorite is A Link to the Past and Wind Waker. What does that say for me?

Steer clear.