The Bill's Now Playing Video Game Thread (Now with Bames)

[copstache]

protip for people playing tomb raider on pc: run it windowed. not all the graphical bells and whistles work full-screen for some reason. something seemed off about the graphics until i read to do that and now it looks awesome

this game has one of the most satisfying shotguns in recent memory

[copstache]

not at all really. that game's stated purpose was to make the player like the atrocities he commits on the local people and wildlife. so far, for a game still ostensibly about murdering hundreds of people, this one does a good job of making you feel like you're doing it just to survive and you don't have to like it.

[The Bill]

yeah dude, they beat the shit out of her

it's kind of making me uncomfortable

To reveal what a total sally I am, this has been something that has made me hesitate about buying it. From reviews I've read, the first two hours are just her getting brutalized and I'd kinda rather not watch that.

It sounds an awful lot like Far Cry 3 to me. For those who have played both-- any truth to this observation?

It's not that bad, dude. We've endured Angus's sadistic Italian gore films, we'remade of sterner stuff. The FC3 comparison is a fair one on several levels, but I'm saying I think Tomb Raider is even better. TR has made me nervous & afraid a lot like the scary parts of FC3 did, just replace shark in water with wolf in a cave.

[milkmandan]

I'm beginning to think that Steam is worse than heroin.

What's that? I can now impulse buy games at work and have it already downloaded when I go home because I left my PC on? Sure! HAVE MY MONEY YOU DEMONS!!!

Wait until you discover the mobile app...

[copstache]

collections going on sale/ humble bundles are the death of me

20 games for $15 SIGN ME UP WTF

[The Bill]

I have a ton of 90's - 2K5 PC games (mostly FPS) between Steam & GOG that I bought but don't play. As I've said, my present set-up is very awkward even with a wireless mouse/keyboard to play for long. Rumor has it, though, my next iMac at work will have bootcamp and Windows installed on it. UH-OH!!!

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

I have 193 games on Steam and have only beaten maybe 5%. But there is a joy in going back to an older game you never finished and going through it again. It all depends on mood. Those games you haven't touched, you will play them one day when you are most meant to play them. No guilt.

[copstache]

I have 193 games on Steam and have only beaten maybe 5%. But there is a joy in going back to an older game you never finished and going through it again. It all depends on mood. Those games you haven't touched, you will play them one day when you are most meant to play them. No guilt.

and that's why pc is such a beautiful platform. they'll be there, playable for you in the future. even if you're 5 computers removed from when you first played it

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

I have 193 games on Steam and have only beaten maybe 5%. But there is a joy in going back to an older game you never finished and going through it again. It all depends on mood. Those games you haven't touched, you will play them one day when you are most meant to play them. No guilt.

and that's why pc is such a beautiful platform. they'll be there, playable for you in the future. even if you're 5 computers removed from when you first played it

Totally!

It took a little modding, but I started playing those old Commandos games again. Total nostalgia.

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

Any of you guys play Chivalry?

Fuck all other multiplayer games. Chivalry is king.

[FVBTVS]

[riley-o]

so fucking

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

I've been thinking a lot about skill and difficulty in games the last month.

I generally don't use cheats in game. But if I die more than a few times and feel pretty frustrated, I'll lower the difficulty setting so I can get past it. Some games I just play on easy and burn through it. Those games that I can tell are not about a serious challenge. Just getting me from one place to the next.

I think games are different these days. It's not about challenge. It's about just enough challenge to go forward without frustrating the user.

I was so badass when I was a kid. Nintendo. Now that was hard gaming. My coworkers offered me $500 if I could beat Battletoads. I don't think I'll be able to unless I dedicate months and months of my life, and even then I might not be able to.

I respect games less nowadays. But I also think I've changed. Do you think kids these days are even at half the skill level that we were back in the Nintendo days?

[Spooky Apparition]

i think many kids who play online shooters are at levels of game virtuosity we couldn't have fathomed in the NES days. it's just a different type of skill/dedication than running through a level 100 times trying to beat it.

[Kurt Russell's Beard]

i think many kids who play online shooters are at levels of game virtuosity we couldn't have fathomed in the NES days. it's just a different type of skill/dedication than running through a level 100 times trying to beat it.

You have a point.

I work with a guy who is pro level. In fact, he destroys guys who play on pro teams that we sponsor in LAN events. We measured his twitch response in milliseconds and it's unbelievable. Even the way he navigates through windows environment is like expert sniping, it's so fast, clicking through options, closing windows, etc.

You're right, it's a different type of skill.

What's funny is that he's a really humble guy and doesn't respect that skill set. He respects the hard side-scroller/platforming style of gaming.

[Necrometer]

What's funny is that he's a really humble guy and doesn't respect that skill set. He respects the hard side-scroller/platforming style of gaming.

I don't think that's so weird; people tend to take their own abilities for granted and long to excel at the things that escape them. I think?

[Spooky Apparition]

What's funny is that he's a really humble guy and doesn't respect that skill set. He respects the hard side-scroller/platforming style of gaming.

i think that's an interesting distinction when it comes to tolerating difficulty and/or wanting to play skill-based games. personally my favorite games are usually ones that are challenging, but it also takes like five minutes for me to turn down the difficulty of a shooter if i die 10 times in a row and don't even know what's happening (or just completely lose interest and quit playing the game, as i often do).

on the other hand, i think the old-school platforming style of gaming, and modern games like super meat boy, souls series, etc., make difficulty something tolerable because it's such an integral part of the game design itself.

the last time i played a call of duty game or some other shooter like that and kept dying on the hardest difficulty, i didn't feel like i kept dying because someone designed the game to be played that way; it felt like a computer turned up the number of points it took away from my lifebar because i changed a setting . well... obviously that's what was happening, but it was too transparent.

i find that sort of difficulty completely unengaging, but i can try a level on super meat boy 50 times and actually appreciate how maddening it is.

so i guess i agree that most modern games aren't about true difficulty, but the ones that can elegantly enforce strict rules for success are the games i enjoy the most (and respect the most, for that matter).

[copstache]

What's funny is that he's a really humble guy and doesn't respect that skill set. He respects the hard side-scroller/platforming style of gaming.

I don't think that's so weird; people tend to take their own abilities for granted and long to excel at the things that escape them. I think?

that's pretty much my life in a nutshell, but on the plus side i guess it keeps you humble

[FVBTVS]

yeah theres good thoughtful organic hard and then theres just mechanical mathematical arbitrary hard which is generally a waste of time. the cod difficulty is completely a waste of time..

[Necrometer]

yeah theres good thoughtful organic hard and then theres just mechanical mathematical arbitrary hard which is generally a waste of time. the cod difficulty is completely a waste of time..

which class is this: http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html

[Cryptoplasty]

Any of you guys play Chivalry?

Fuck all other multiplayer games. Chivalry is king.

I played this during the free weekend they had a couple months ago. In theory it's easily one of the most retarded games I've ever played, but for some reason I had a lot of fun with it. Eventually I got bored and starting killing teamates. I'll never buy it, but it was definatly worth a few hours for free.

Just make sure to turn off the voice chat

[FVBTVS]

yeah theres good thoughtful organic hard and then theres just mechanical mathematical arbitrary hard which is generally a waste of time. the cod difficulty is completely a waste of time..

which class is this: http://www.foddy.net/Athletics.html

[copstache]

I've heard a few interviews with Bennett foddy and that dude is smart as hell. I'd say its in the former category

[copstache]

Then there's games like the halo series which are really clever in regards to difficulty. It makes it mathematically harder but also progressively unshackles the AI as you bump up the difficulty. Apart from the entirety of 2 and the cortana level in 3 that series should be the goddamn textbook for "good hard"

[FVBTVS]

yeah i was going to bring up legendary but i feel like ive said it in this thread maybe a thousand times.