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

[Cryptoplasty]

I think we need to ask ourselves why it's 2012 and were still playing games on disk. I think this is a great idea. We don't need video game stores. Buy the hardware, and never have to leave the house again. Steam games go down in price extremely fast, which after a couple months is the same as buying a used game on a console. 5 year old Xbox games are still $40 to download which is fucking ridiculous. Game companies will have more income to make better games, and game stores who rip off the world will be put out of business. DLC will be much cheaper too, if not free.

[Cryptoplasty]

Game companies will have to be extra careful about quality control as well. No more shovelware. People are going to be much more picky about what they buy because they know they can't sell the game. No more KILLEXPLODE 12 every month. I see this as a good thing.

No disk drive, no USB port. Nothing to be able to install any kind of pirating software. Download only through strict console software. Buy the games like everyone else.

[Cryptoplasty]

It'd also be pretty funny for Gamestop to say, "Hey, we're not stocking your next console."

They could sell them anywhere.

[Hypnagogia]

the power was out for 2 days, cable and internet for 4.
Couldn't get steam to start in offline mode; said it had no user data saved locally.
When the internet came back Monday night, I went into offline mode to have data saved...then a wind storm came and knocked it out again.
Was still out last night, and steam wouldn't start in offline mode; it has to be connected to the internet in order to go into offline mode...wtf steam?

[blastocystosis]

I think we need to ask ourselves why it's 2012 and were still playing games on disk. I think this is a great idea. We don't need video game stores. Buy the hardware, and never have to leave the house again. Steam games go down in price extremely fast, which after a couple months is the same as buying a used game on a console. 5 year old Xbox games are still $40 to download which is fucking ridiculous. Game companies will have more income to make better games, and game stores who rip off the world will be put out of business. DLC will be much cheaper too, if not free.

In theory I want to be behind this idea, but I'm someone who likes to have physical copies of something I purchase. I've bought the few downloadable titles every now and again on xbla/psn/vc, but it's just not the same as owning a physical copy to me. I'm the same way with albums too, though I've never once paid for music.

It's all heading to digital distribution anyway, so I'm sure this will be happening 5 years from now.

[Cryptoplasty]

As far rental services, get rid of them too. MS could have its own rental service where you pay a fee to play the game. They give you a passcode that wears off after a certain amount of time. Stores and rental services are unnecessary middle men. I understand fully that MS, Sony, and Nintendo can inflate prices, but they will have the opportunity to save money and make it fairer for the consumer.... if they choose to do so.

I understand that people still want physical copies, but as time goes on, people won't care anymore and won't make sense for them to produce disks. Digital downloads are so much more convenient and cost effective for all parties involved (except of course video game stores).

[Wang Mandu]

I think we need to ask ourselves why it's 2012 and were still playing games on disk. I think this is a great idea. We don't need video game stores. Buy the hardware, and never have to leave the house again. Steam games go down in price extremely fast, which after a couple months is the same as buying a used game on a console. 5 year old Xbox games are still $40 to download which is fucking ridiculous. Game companies will have more income to make better games, and game stores who rip off the world will be put out of business. DLC will be much cheaper too, if not free.

Isn't it something like half or nearly half of all Xbox users aren't even connected to the Internet? The Internet structure and pricing in the US is far too shitty to support a digital only console market. Bandwidth caps all over the place, slow dl speeds, exorbitant prices etc. etc. It's going to be at least another generation or two until consoles go fully digital. I don't blame Gamestop for "killing the industry" like a lot of publishers and studios want the harp on about, especially when every fucking new release has Gamestop exclusive pre-order bonuses. They fed the monster, now deal with it. As much as it has supposedly "hurt" the industry, Gamestop has helped it grow. I also don't trust the big publishers to offer fair prices if the middleman gets cut out. Only a handful of games, and usually put out by PC only studios, offer digital version discounts and pre-order discounts. Nor do I trust companies like EA who lock users out of their games because they said a few naughty words in-game or on a forum. At least on the PC, I can make a legitimate purchase and crack the game if I don't like dealing with some publisher's bullshit DRM. I can also get tweaks from users all over the Internet in order to improve a buggy game. Mouse lag? Someone's already tweaked the ini file and has a step by step guide as soon as I finish downloading the game. Shitty, low res textures? A couple of weeks and some awesome modders got that fixed. Hell, even Mass Effect 2 has some high res texture mods and that game is not designed to support mods at all. I don't think there are enough quality studios out there that put out consistently great games that don't warrant a re-sale. Can't re-sell my game? That thing better be polished and completely bug free if you're taking away that option.

It's never going to happen though and the article is merely based upon a rumor from an "inside source." Kotaku likes to pull stuff out of their asses to drum up page hits.

the power was out for 2 days, cable and internet for 4.
Couldn't get steam to start in offline mode; said it had no user data saved locally.
When the internet came back Monday night, I went into offline mode to have data saved...then a wind storm came and knocked it out again.
Was still out last night, and steam wouldn't start in offline mode; it has to be connected to the internet in order to go into offline mode...wtf steam?

False. I used offline mode for a week while I was waiting for my Internet to get setup. I've never had a problem with offline mode.

[Spooky Apparition]

your (cryptoplasty's) huge (and maybe/most likely wrong) assumption is that MS will lower the overall price of games if they somehow make used games an impossibility. i've never heard a publisher say, "used games really cut into our ability to make all games $45." it's, "used gamed cut into our ability to make the money we projected from a $60 starting point."

i'm pretty sure the likelihood of them going to extreme measures to prevent anyone from ever being able to play a second-hand copy of a game, while at the same time reducing overall prices and thereby cutting the amount of extra money they get from that whole endeavor is... not good.

[Cryptoplasty]

Not once did I assume would lower the prices of games at the time of release. They would be able to decrease the prices faster for the people who are willing to wait and not pay the full $60, as well as lowering the price of DLC.

Kind of like what Steam does now.....

[Spooky Apparition]

oh crypto... such a sweet, sweet man. *tousles hair*

they already do lower the price of console games after release.... for physical copies only.... to compete with the used game market. you can get a lot of games on amazon for $40 a few weeks/months after they come out.

the most egregiously overpriced games are the ones that MS sells ONLINE through xbox live. so what problem is making used games an impossibility going to solve again, aside from making EA more money?

[Hypnagogia]

False. I used offline mode for a week while I was waiting for my Internet to get setup. I've never had a problem with offline mode.

Um, no, not false. You don't need an internet connection to play in offline mode; you need an internet connection to get into offline mode in the first place.

Do you still get achievements while in offline mode? Do they register once you connect?
Or do they not register at all?

[Wang Mandu]

I don't know what to say man. I didn't have an Internet connection whatsoever, booted up Steam and it immediately asked if I wanted to go into offline mode. Pressed yes, restart, bamin'.

Achievements are queer.

I forgot how much of a drag the last few bits of Resident Evil 5 are. That boat is such a snooze in what is overall a pretty awesome game (boulder punching still cracks me up ). I still don't get people complaining about Sheva...load her up with a sniper rifle and herbs and she rock and rolls. I just bought RE4 HD from PSN and I'd like to play through 1-3 again but I'm worried they're going to look like dogshit. I wish those Gamecube remakes would get a re-release.

[Wang Mandu]

You console dudes really need to buy this game when it gets released on April 17th, 2012. Not a bad package for $60 and the Dark Edition is a damn good deal at $80. The art book is top notch.

http://buy.thewitcher.com/enhanced/

http://buy.thewitcher.com/dark/



http://www.gametrailers.com/video/exclu ... her/726181

[Hypnagogia]

if you get this, you have to post a pic of yourself wearing the wolf medallion.

[riley-o]

I still don't get people complaining about Sheva...load her up with a sniper rifle and herbs and she rock and rolls.

god damn it i'm not going to sit here and listen to someone defend sheva; she wastes ammo, she stands in your line of fire, she gets killed, if she has any space whatsoever in her inventory she goes and grabs herbs i don't even know exist yet and then uses them because i have a millimeter of damage, and i can't tell her not to do any of it. made the game significantly worse.

also survival horror is way less horrific if there's someone else with you.

[Friendly Goatus]

Anyone happen to have a bitgamer invite? Or any other videogame specific private tracker? I would be really grateful. Maybe even give you nudes.

[spacehamster]

You console dudes really need to buy this game when it gets released on April 17th, 2012.

I most certainly will, sir. Can't wait, actually.

[Blair]

if she has any space whatsoever in her inventory she goes and grabs herbs i don't even know exist yet

Fucking cunt! Obviously RE5 is feminazi propaganda since there's no option for the male character to go his own way...

[Spooky Apparition]

You console dudes really need to buy this game when it gets released on April 17th, 2012.

fuck yes. i had a fear it was going to get canceled or something. definitely a day one buy for me. sounds like it's going to be a great port content wise, if not graphically.

[Wang Mandu]

god damn it i'm not going to sit here and listen to someone defend sheva; she wastes ammo, she stands in your line of fire, she gets killed, if she has any space whatsoever in her inventory she goes and grabs herbs i don't even know exist yet and then uses them because i have a millimeter of damage, and i can't tell her not to do any of it. made the game significantly worse.

also survival horror is way less horrific if there's someone else with you.

You're goddamn right I'm going to defend a broad that has my back when a licker has it's tongue wrapped around Chris's neck squeezing the life out of him, when she shoots me up with that green stuff after Chris took an axe to the head. You gotta keep that ho in check and she plays nice. I stuck her with pistols early on and then with a taser and a sniper rifle. Her aiming is almost too good in some instances but it saved me a few times from the maddening tnt + shooting galleries of the last few areas. I'm (stupidly) going to attempt a solo Professional run here in the near future. I was tempted to be Sheva except Capcom made the horrendous decision for her to only aim to the left.

The bosses from that twink Irving on are a chore with her, I'll admit. I nearly threw my controller when I was battle Wesker and I'm waiting for her to bring me the rocket launcher. She literally zigzagged in open space right in front of me. Dreadful AI. Once I learned to completely ignore her in the boss fights and only use the special fight specific weapons myself, they were a piece of cake.

RE4 wasn't even "real" survival horror and RE5, thankfully, shed that genre tag completely.

You console dudes really need to buy this game when it gets released on April 17th, 2012.

I most certainly will, sir. Can't wait, actually.

My man.

[riley-o]

just beat shadow of the colossus again-- they fucking butchered the controls and gameplay on this re-release which is a real shame because it's such a great game. the design and scope and ambition to make a game like this does wonders for my faith in the medium and honestly of the human species but to go back and change it for the drastically worse, to the point where i'm not going to play it again, is really sad. also really sad:

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

totally forgot about and almost lost it when agro fell

[james]

dunno how easy it would be to illustrate something like that...

[Wang Mandu]

It's similar to publishers saying one copy pirated equals one lost sale. They can't back that statement up with any facts at all but it's something nice and convenient to justify online passes, cut content used as a "reward" for new buyers, and drm.

just beat shadow of the colossus again-- they fucking butchered the controls and gameplay on this re-release which is a real shame because it's such a great game. the design and scope and ambition to make a game like this does wonders for my faith in the medium and honestly of the human species but to go back and change it for the drastically worse, to the point where i'm not going to play it again, is really sad. also really sad:

I just bought this on PSN. What did they mess up? I only took down the first colossus so I haven't spent too much time with it. The only thing I can think of is the camera was never this unwieldy. I might be misremembering things.

[spacehamster]

Well, I figure if companies and even some gamer-types are going to keep holding it aloft as the proof postive that used games are for pedohpiles, they should have SOME evidence, right?

Well, you'd have to assume that people generally have a certain amount of money that they're willing/able to spend on games, and that money can then go to x amount of used games or a considerably smaller amount of new games. In other words, if the used games market disappears, people won't stop buying games, they'll just buy fewer of them and spend all of their money on new ones.

That's the simple version. On the other hand, it also seems plainly obvious to me that killing the used games market would boost piracy to previously unheard of levels, and whether or not that affects the industry's profits, well, that's another can of worms altogether. Personally, I've never believed that, but a lot of people do.

Of course this isn't proof that game developers are starving to death because of used game sales, and as I've said before, I actually think videogames is probably the healthiest and most successful part of the entertainment industry at the moment, so I'm not saying I really think the used game market is a threat. But it's pretty clear that they're losing money because of it. Or rather, not making money they could be making.

[spacehamster]

Not making the money they think could is probably it in a nutshell. I'm just sick of these corporations suddenly acting like you're hurting the poor struggling artist when you buy used games, then having to hear gamers parrot it back. By the amount of this shit I've heard, you'd think developers are throwing themselves out of high-rises every day due to ruined careers by Game Stop. It's the specificity of the claim that gets up my ass-- "Buying used puts people out of work". OK... show me.

Yeah, absolutely. I think the above is the absolute closest you'll see me getting to defending a point made by corporations who make piles of money from other people's creativity, and I already feel dirty for having said it.