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

[james]

Started up Final Fantasy IX last night - absolutely wonderful. About 4 hours in, already one of my favorite FF experiences

[spacehamster]

Anyone post this yet?

http://consumerist.com/2013/04/09/ea-ma ... -in-a-row/

[spacehamster]

I think the claims from some that it's a bit silly considering the truly evil corporations out there are absolutely fair.

My understanding is that this award is about how companies treat their customers. Sure, EA doesn't cause oil spills or lobby for wars so that they can go digging for coltane in the 3rd world and it's not to blame for the financial crisis, but the distain they have for the people who buy their product is, well, it's definitely up there with the best.

[Comrade Slinky]

If peter moore was beaten to death and hung from a bridge by an angry mob I probably wouldn't lose too much sleep over it.

[storm shadow]

I thought the general consensus was that 2 already got the horror vibe wrong? Because if it didn't, I might have to keep it in mind for a rainy day, now that I've finally come around on the first one.

I hadn't heard this, but it sounds like total "demos were better" logic. DS2 has a lot more atmosphere and fucked up vibes if you ask me; some of the areas you visit are way creepier than anything in part one, and the fact that through it all Isaac is being tormented by hallucinations of his dead-girlfriend-as-Marker-demon is just icing on the cake.

[riley-o]

Yeah Dead Space 2 was fucking great. I was really surprised because I'd heard such mixed reviews but when I got around to playing it, it felt like it did everything a video game sequel should; build on the story in a positive way, improve the gameplay, and be fun !

[spacehamster]

I hadn't heard this, but it sounds like total "demos were better" logic. DS2 has a lot more atmosphere and fucked up vibes if you ask me; some of the areas you visit are way creepier than anything in part one, and the fact that through it all Isaac is being tormented by hallucinations of his dead-girlfriend-as-Marker-demon is just icing on the cake.

Well, okay then. I didn't really follow the conversation about 2 much when it came out; at the time I'd decided that I hated the first one, and when people started saying the second wasn't as scary as the first, I laughed and stopped paying attention because as far as I was concerned, the claustrophobic atmosphere was the only thing the first one got right. Now I've since given it another chance and changed my mind, and I actually the hallucinations (there's also these constant whispers in the ambient sound, like Isaac's hearing voices) are one of my favorite aspects of the game, so this sounds good.

[storm shadow]

Yeah Dead Space 2 was fucking great. I was really surprised because I'd heard such mixed reviews but when I got around to playing it, it felt like it did everything a video game sequel should; build on the story in a positive way, improve the gameplay, and be fun !

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[riley-o]

For a second I thought you were referencing this

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[storm shadow]

Haha I didn't even think of that!

[Wang Mandu]

The opening of Dead Space 2 is fucking great, definitely one of my favorite openings. People were down on the sequel? I could see....

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...the last part with waves upon waves and the regenerator but just run.

Who you crappin' storm shadow?

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The dead girlfriend stuff sucked and should have been implemented smoother.

[Wang Mandu]

And the biggest thing the third game screwed up was moving away from gun specific ammo to universal ammo. I actually had to use different guns in 1 and 2 and the added tension of running low on my main gun and then having to switch to something else during an encounter really ramped things up for me. But in 3, once I upgraded a rocket launcher with a no damage guard, sheeeiit.

[storm shadow]

Who you crappin' storm shadow?

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The dead girlfriend stuff sucked and should have been implemented smoother.

Aw man I really liked those bits! I remember at one point when Isaac starts hallucinating and hearing her voice and I didn't realize until like halfway through the freakout that she was perched on top of a cabinet in the corner watching you

Related: I noticed that they put up the first Fatal Frame on PSN store, I never played those games back in the day and am kind of curious to try now...any fans with thoughts on how it might hold up?

[Spooky Apparition]

i'm curious about fatal frame too... always wanted to play that

also, am i the only one who thought dead space 2 was like... uncomfortably scary/intense? it freaked me out a lot more than amnesia, for example. TOO SCARY

[Wang Mandu]

I seem to remember the parts being a tad too predictable and unable to skip them. The first one or two I did enjoy but I'll always compare in-game hallucinations to Eternal Darkness. I may have to replay Dead Space 2 soon and see if my opinion has changed.

Spacehamster's talk about Dark Souls reminds me I still haven't finished it yet. Invasion + wheel skeletons broke me, feels bad.

[Spooky Apparition]

Spacehamster's talk about Dark Souls reminds me I still haven't finished it yet. Invasion + wheel skeletons broke me, feels bad.

check out catacombs shortcut videos on youtube. you can drop down from above and bypass most of them (and/or summon motherfucking paladin leeroy to take them out for you). i make the run to the catacombs boss at the beginning of every new character i start for a certain item and don't have to touch a single skeleton wheel

[Wang Mandu]

Thanks. Will give it another go soon and keep the youtube videos in mind if I get frustrated.

Dark Souls 2 screenshots.

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[DR. THRAXX]

[Spooky Apparition]

dark souls 2 video started.... looks just like a souls game, thank god. an enemy just broke through a prison wall because the guy arrowed him in the head the part at the end of the video looks incredible.. not sure if this is the PC version or not

[Wang Mandu]

http://www.ign.com/videos/2013/04/16/ev ... rk-souls-2

Q&A up, too.

God I love this studio. Most will throw on no damage and easy difficulty for a gameplay premiere. Not From Software.

[Spooky Apparition]

hah, yeah several times he was like, "so here's a new way to die..."

no release date though, not even a hint

[Wang Mandu]

Haha, death after death.

I'm guessing 2014, January-March at the earliest. I hope they take their time and PC version day and date with the console versions.

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[Friendly Goatus]

That reveal trailer did not disappoint

[Spooky Apparition]

shit, i didn't even realize there was a new trailer. looks awesome

some gameplay bits for the souls nerds:
- can walk around while aiming/shooting bows
- enemies adapt to backstab fishing
- combos for offhand weapons, so real dual wielding is possible

just those three changes alone are getting me stoked

[FVBTVS]

the only thing i'd put on my wish list would just to open the game up more and have genuine exploration of environments. i feel like the vastness and openness is more slight of hand than anything and the souls games have more in common with metroid/sotn/ninja gaiden than rpgs. develop the spaces between dungeons more so that when you discover shit you weren't necessarily funneled into it the same way every single time.

i know skyrim kinda has a negative connotation when it comes to these games but more like skyrim.