toxicitizen

From the Capcom weekend currently going on on Steam. 2,50$ each. Rearmed because it was fucking awesome and I never finished it. The other two because I've wanted to try them for the longest time but never got around to it. I'm also really tempted to get SSFIV Arcade Edition. I was holding off until Ultra and the move from GFWL to Steamworks, but it sounds like it'll be available as a DLC upgrade so getting the complete edition now and upgrading would actually be cheaper, I think. edit: Went for it. Complete pack was 12$ and it seems the Ultra DLC upgrade will be 15$ while the standalone will retail for 40$. Also I'm still a bit uneasy about it because WB Montreal is an unproven team. But it's hard to argue with a 25$ pre-order, and really, how badly could they possibly screw this up? I mean, the formula is there and it works. They're not really reinventing anything here.

Geez, if it's bad even compared to Revelations...

The King Washington stuff? Is it that bad? I obviously never got to play it but the alternate history thing seemed kind of awesome.

Well, to be fair, I did pre-order at the last fucking minute and I always choose free shipping. Maybe they've gotten worse, though? I haven't been using them a lot the past couple years because I tend to get all my multiplat games on Steam these days. But back when I still bought a lot of PS3 games, I'd usually get my pre-orders on release day even with free shipping. I even got them a day earlier a couple times.

Blergh. Amazon was taking forever to ship my damn copy so I lost patience and cancelled my pre-order today. Guess I'll just stop by the store on my way back from class tomorrow or something.

Yeah, pretty much the same thing for me. It's similar to how I play Civ these days. I can't play nonstop for a month like I did at launch anymore because I'll end up getting sick of it. But every now and then I'll play for a week and have a blast. The only reason I haven't been playing lately is I've got a bunch of midterms coming and big assignments due in the next few weeks. Might do an Ironman Classic run this week-end, though. I'll be rusty as hell so it probably won't last too long but that should scratch the itch until EW comes out.

New trailer reveals human enemy faction and seems to strongly hint at base invasion!

Ha, so GMG are doing these reward vouchers now. Instead of being posted on the site, selected customers (I'm assuming more than one) receive them by email. I got one for 25% off XCOM Enemy Within today. Kind of annoying considering I just pre-ordered it yesterday. So I got in touch with support to ask about getting the difference as store credit. Didn't really expect it to work but I figured it was worth a shot. They fucking gave it to me! So, combined with the 6$ from my pre-order, I'm now sitting on about 13$ in store credit. The current 25% voucher that works on Arkham Origins is still valid until friday, I think. I'm really tempted to combine my credit with it and get the game for essentially a 50% discount.

Yeah, the reception is unsurprisingly mixed. I was actually surprised by how well Heavy Rain was received across the board. Not gonna happen twice. But considering how positive some reviews are and how much I loved Heavy Rain despite its flaws, I'm not too worried about it personally. I have no doubt I'll enjoy it.

Yeah, it's essentially a slightly more strategic version of Puzzle Quest. It's pretty good.

10% off + 1$ of credit from trading in some shit games I got for free. Cost me 26$ and I got 6$ of store credit. The initial cashback/credit offer disappeared pretty quickly from GMG for some reason but it just showed up again. Glad I held off just in case. You might be disappointed then. Clash of Heroes is great but it has more in common with Puzzle Quest than it does with usual Might & Magic titles.

Splinter Cell Blacklist. So, now that I've finished it, I have to say it's a bit uneven. I stand by my original comment in the currently playing thread that the gameplay is fantastic. When it all comes together, it feels like a true Splinter Cell game. The night-vision goggles being back accounts for a big part of this, to the point where it's kind of mind-boggling that they ever thought removing them for Conviction was a good idea. But I digress. I would say the main problem with the game is the story and how it affects some of the missions. Something like two thirds of the main campaign is excellent. The missions aren't all amazing but there are some that feel on par with some of the series most memorable ones. I think it was in the third one that I entered a room that was completely dark except for the glow from a vending machine and there was something about the scene that just struck the right chord and made me go "Holy shit, this is the real deal. This is Splinter Cell." When the game gets these moments, it's really amazing. The problem with the other third of the campaign is the story. It's... kind of terrible. It ends up degenerating into over-the-top blockbuster crap, to the point where one mission in particular felt like I was playing an episode of 24. I mean, don't get me wrong, I was a huge fan of that show. But that kind of shit has no place in Splinter Cell. And I don't necessarily mean when the game forces you into combat with like an ambush or something. You can usually still go about it stealthily so I don't really have a problem with that. No, the bits that bugged me the most usually happened in cutscenes. Sam shouldn't be openly getting into gunfights or talking to first responders and cops. These guys should never even know Sam was ever there. But, yeah, other than that, I don't really have much to complain about. Like I said, the core gameplay is fantastic and the game is packed with content. I played on realistic difficulty right away and, according to Steam, it took me a little under 30 hours to do almost everything. Only things I haven't touched are multiplayer and the coop-only side-missions. Gonna have to give Spy vs Mercs a try soon.

I hadn't really thought about it but now that you mention it Cowboy, the last platformer I played that had lives in it was Sonic Generations and they were an annoyance more than anything else. I'd end up in situations where I wasn't paying attention to how many I had left, miss a collectible and kill myself to restart at the checkpoint. Then the game would go "That was your last life! Start the stage over, faggot!". It was annoying as all hell.

Alright, so I have something like 8 hours on Splinter Cell Blacklist. Here are my impressions so far. First off, the elephant in the room: Sam's voice. It's not bugging me as much as I thought it would but I still can't really get over it. Every time Sam says something, I kinda want to scream "You're not Sam!" at the screen. But other than that, I have to say it's actually fucking fantastic. People weren't kidding when they said it was a return to form for the series, the gameplay is glorious. It keeps the good elements of Conviction (and arguably some of the bad) but it actually puts Splinter Cell back on top of them. Sam moves fast but to properly ghost you really need to slow down and be mindful of your surroundings. It's pretty damn great. I decided to play on realistic right away and it shows. I ghost and go for non-lethal whenever possible but I also tend to play recklessly, so it's kind of challenging. The whole Mass Effect thing, though... I'm not sure it really works. I'm 8 hours in but I'm not very far into the story. I did the intro level and the first campaign mission but the last 5-6 hours have been spent doing side-missions and upgrading my gear. And every single time I go back to the Paladin there's this countdown on the big screen that reads "Next Blacklist attack in ____" and it doesn't tick down because I'm not advancing the story. That's kind of immersion-breaking. The side-missions are pretty cool, though. Most can be played solo or coop and the maps are designed with that in mind, with extra paths that can be accessed or unlocked if you have a partner (think dual-lock doors or really high ledges). There's one type that's objective-based, another that just has you taking out all the hostiles in an area and there's a wave-based horde mode kinda deal (that one kinda sucks...). There's a fourth type but that one's coop only so I haven't tried it yet. So yeah, can't really speak as to the story yet but as far as the gameplay goes there's a lot to love for a long-time fan of the series like me.

Well, just watched it. Jesus christ, that was good. It was kind of a relaxed finale. Nowhere near as chaotic as the season 4 finale, and it was perfect. Also, am I the only one who couldn't care less about the Grey Matter stuff? I'm pretty sure all the necessary info was given very early on, like season 2 early or something. I never really thought of it as a major mystery of the show. He was a founder and he left before it took off. I'm actually kinda surprised to be reminded that the reason he left has never been clearly given because I was under the impression that it had been. A plothole? Lol, please. I really don't think it was ever intended for there to be anything to it, honestly. If anything, it was probably meant as backstory that added psychological depth for Walt. Anyone would feel entitled to their piece of that kind of success and it really fits with how he never seemed satisfied no matter how much money he made. You can feel that attitude throughout the series, even down to the intonation of his voice when he says "I earned it." Oh and I was spot on about who the ricin was for. Not sure if I'd mentioned it here, though.

Already 25% off on Steam. Good enough of a deal for me to bite. Went with the Deluxe Edition. I made sure it ran well enough on my system first, though. Not making that mistake twice... I'm also really glad I went with The Last of Us instead of this a few weeks ago. Didn't expect a discount so soon.

You think the lowest entry level is going to be that expensive? I kinda figured it would be cheaper, something in a price range that would compete with the Ouya (so 100-200$ ish?). Basically, a weak machine that can run indie games and little else, meant for those that already own a decent gaming PC and that just need the thing to stream their games.

Considering his pure hatred for steelbooks, I'd say it was probably him.

Eh, I just really don't like them. I mean, I wouldn't mind a thick steel box if it had the regular plastic case in it (like the SE of Dark Souls did) but only the steelbook? No thanks.

Was on the fence but the demo convinced me. I should've known better than to doubt Quantic Dream. Decided to pass on the GS-exclusive special edition, though. I love me some extra goodies but whoever thought steelbooks were a good idea needs to get broken shards of glass shoved up his urethra. Oh and also get the guy who invented clamshell packaging, while you're at it!

Just gave the demo a run. I am going to fucking love this game. I like how the action QTEs work. Not all in your face with prompts and you have to actually pay attention to what's going on instead of just looking for the icon. I actually screwed up a bunch of times. Aidan's controls are a bit shitty but I imagine that's something you'll get used to. I was hesitant about pre-ordering it because Heavy Rain was one of my most anticipated games ever while this one mostly flew under my radar for the longest time. So, I was intrigued but not really hyped. But the demo was full of that crazy David Cage nonsense I love so much. It actually reminds me more of Indigo Prophecy than it does Heavy Rain, so now I kinda hope the story just goes batshit insane towards the end. Now I have to decide whether to order from Amazon and get the regular edition or get the Gamestop exclusive Special Edition, which has a bunch of extras including the soundtrack and a bonus scene but comes in a *shudders* steelbook...

Lol. I only recently heard about it only to find out I already owned it from some indie bundle. I should give it a look as well.

I don't know, man. I started lurking on GAF recently and like half the time I'll just back the fuck out of a thread before I'm done reading the first page. The stupidity levels over there can actually rival those on reddit.

But when you say something vague like the "feel" of it, it really sounds like you're talking about the 80s theme more than anything else. I mean, what was so great about the map? The aesthetics of the architecture could be attributed in part to being based on Miami, I guess. But other than that? Vice City is probably my favorite of the entire series but I feel like the city itself was kinda shit compared to GTAIV's Liberty City.