Games You've Beat in 2013

[TheMightyEthan]

 

I thought it was fairly obvious that option C would end with all three characters alive.

 

[TCP]

 

Yeah but it's marked as A) Kill Michael B) Kill Trevor C) Deathwish. So I was wondering if that was basically an option to get Franklin killed. It's weird that you can kill Michael and Trevor but not Franklin, since he's done just as many terrible things as Michael has.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

 

Yeah, you're supposed to think it's going to kill Franklin, I just don't think they did a very good job of making it seem that way.  It seems like it's supposed to seem that way, but not that it actually will be that way.

 

[TCP]

 

I was just hoping everyone lived and I wouldn't miss out on some of the character exclusive sidemissions.

 

[Luftwaffles]

GTA V

 

 

Chose option C not because I felt it was the best (kinda tempted to kill Trevor), but because I want to try to 100% this game, or get to about 85% before it chews me up and spits me out.

 

[Hot Heart]

Beat GTA V the other day.

 

 

Chose option C, of course. Was kinda concerned it would kill Franklin but then I figured Rockstar couldn't do that to him. I suppose it's a satisfying ending with the Strangers On A Train-style murderswap element but it just felt kinda cheap after everything else. And it was just the San Andreas 'kill your corrupt taskmasters' ending. Maybe A or B would've made for 'better' endings, but not with Franklin doing the deed.

 

[Strangelove]

 

I dont want to be a shithead, but how come so many people thought option c was killing Franklin? It was so obvious he NEVER would have died, despite any ending. Hes the neutral character, the one most people were supposed to relate to because he was a bit of a blank canvas. He's also the youngest. Maybe Ive seen too many movies and played too many videogames, but someone like Franklin never dies. Just playing as Franklin when its time to decide who dies, that gave it all away.
To be honest, its impressive how positive GTA5 is. All 3 main characters pretty much get their way by the end. It works out for all of them up until when you choose an ending.

 

[Hot Heart]

 

I only gave it a second's thought. The idea behind him dying would be to 'teach a lesson'; I see that all the time in films and television shows. I suppose expecting anything but him surviving would be giving Rockstar's writing too much credit.

 

[Strangelove]

 

"Teach a lesson" would be appropriate if he changed into a ruthless asshole, but he didnt. Plus like I said, GTA5 is a very different game than RDR and GTA4. There is no lesson to learn and pretty much no one point it tried to make.

 

[Luftwaffles]

 

I think the completionists out there would be genuinely pissed off if finishing the game meant not being able to get 100% completion because one of the characters was dead.

 

[TheMightyEthan]

 

I think the completionists out there would be genuinely pissed off if finishing the game meant not being able to get 100% completion because one of the characters was dead.

 

 

 

Yeah, that was the biggest thing that made me know that Franklin wouldn't die, because there HAD to be an option that would end with all three still alive.

 

[Hot Heart]

 

Well, I actually figured, since the other options would kill off at least one character, that it would get them all killed in that case (GOT BY THE SYSTEM, MAN) and then just give you an earlier save state before the endgame. That's common in a lot of (open world) games.

 

[toxicitizen]

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.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Thirty Flights of Loving.

 

Fun, cool little short game. I can't even image what a fully fleshed out game like that would be like. Noir and surreal at the same time.

[TheMightyEthan]

 

Great game, great HD conversion.  I wish they hadn't added some of the soft lighting that they did, because when it showed up it didn't match with the overall style, but it didn't show up horribly often (I got used to it when opening chests).

[Strangelove]

Beyond: Two Souls.

Not much to say really, just a really really good game. It keeps getting better and better as it goes on. The graphics, voiceacting, motion capturing, soundtrack are all top notch, the dialogue is actually not as cringeworthy as I expected it to be. Its actually pretty alright. Then again, they got magnificent actors who can sell anything. The art direction is also exceptional, not jus tin videogames, but in movies. Ive seen some things in this game Ive never seen anywhere else. 

Sadly, the overall writing is inconsistent. A lot of the time a certain scenario will play perfectly then near the end something gets added to it that kind of fucks it all up. I suppose the writers dont know when to stop. Doesnt happen a lot, but it happens enough to notice it.

And unlike Heavy Rain, the overall story doesnt seem to matter all that much, all the pieces make up a story, but the pieces are the meat of it.

Anyways, its not terrible writing in any way. Im not sure why people are saying that. Anyways, if you liked Heavy Rain, then you cant go wrong with Beyond.

Edited October 10, 2013 by Strangelove

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

How long did it take?

[Strangelove]

Less than 10 hours. Im guessing around 9. Solid rental for sure.

[toxicitizen]

You know, ever since losing patience with Amazon and cancelling my pre-order, I've been getting cold feet on this one. I still really want to play it but I'm starting to feel like I might not want to pay 60$ for it.

 

The option to pre-order Arkham Origins for 25$ on GMG also kinda puts the price tag in perspective. Think I'll put that money towards Arkham Origins instead and maybe grabbing more stuff from the Capcom week-end on Steam. DmC is 50% off already and if it goes any lower with a daily deal I'll be all over it.

[Faiblesse Des Sens]

Get your dollar sign after the number bullshit out of here and rent it.

[toxicitizen]

That's how we roll in french Canada, bitch.

[FMW]

I finished SMT IV today.  I mostly like the game.  The environment design, combat design, creature design, and interface design are all absolutely top notch.  It's also a very well produced game - it manages to convey epic scale and tell a pretty ambitious story without having too much money lavished on it.  2D sprites, talking heads, and 2D art stills are how this game rolls but it doesn't at all suffer for it.

 

However, I'm not a huge fan of the characters or the overall narrative premise.  I also don't much care for how they handled sidequests.  The overworld map design is a HUGE bummer.  Those problems aren't enough for me to dislike the game though.  There are long stretches (5+ hours at a time) where those problems don't appear at all and I forget that this isn't my favorite game in the world.

 

I secured the "law" ending but definitely intend to reach at least one more.

[Saturnine Tenshi]

Finally finished Borderlands 2. Pretty mediocre game, but I tend to get more out of coop than a lot of people would. Moved on to the Tiny Tina DLC.

[CrowKnow]

Brutal Legend, Alan Wake + American Nightmare, Ittle Dew, Rogue Legacy and Krater.

Actually starting to make the tiniest dent in ye olde backlog.  

 

Brutal Legend was solid.  The combat felt a bit stiff especially when trying to block at all, eventually boiled down to me rushing the enemy and playing facemelter as fast as I could.  In terms of the strategy aspect it felt cool being able to jump in and help with the combat then hop out and manage unit production/building.  Actually controlling units was kinda annoying and even doing something like attack moving wasn't great since units seemed to ignore everything else if you targeted  a large structure.  Not a big metal fan but, I enjoyed the world.  Ending felt a bit too quick and wrapped up a bit too neatly.

 

Alan Wake... Story and the Narration were great and kept me hooked until the end.  Combat was kinda stale by the end, not a whole lot of options on how to fight or variety in who you're fighitng.  That said micromanaging battery life, the enemy's position/life while dodging around was fun for the most part.  The atmospher/tension of the game had way more of an effect on me than any of the "jump scares" did.    I'm now disappointed there won't be a Alan Wake 2 in the near future.  American Nightmare fixed a lot of my complaints about the base game.  Variety of weapon/enemy types, the semi-openness was a nice change and finding collectables became less of a "stumbling through the dark looking for small white squares".  That "story element" had me burned by the 2nd time it happened.

 

Ittle Dew was an alright zelda-ish puzzle game.  It definitely had a sense of humour and charm that rubbed me the right way and some of the puzzles felt pretty rewarding when figuring them out.

 

Rogue Legacy was good and difficult... It's kinda self explanatory. Doubt I'll bother with New Game Plus

 

Played krater to try and scratch an ARPG itch but it didn't really do the job.  The control scheme makes it feel much more like an rts since you're controlling 3 units.  The progression isn't great since no new skills are unlocked and level ups do nothing but, increase the number slots for permanently equipped stat boosts/skill modifiers.  Definitely different and the post apocalyptic world is actually colourful and interesting.  Hopefully a sequel adds more depth in the right places.

[TheMightyEthan]

Beyond: Two Souls.

 

I can understand why some people don't like Quantic Dream's games, but what I don't understand is the reviews saying this is no Heavy Rain.  It's significantly better than Heavy Rain.  The writing is better, the acting is better, the story is better, everything's just better.  Highly recommend it for anyone who liked Heavy Rain.