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[Little Old Man]

Well that came out of the blue. Fuck. Everything to play for now for both Sony and MS.

The thing that angers me is that they spent weeks harping on about how important the always online functionality is to their vision and the power of the system, despite:
a) Most people knowing it was bullshit, and the use of the cloud the way it was put to us also being crap
b) Sony proving no such system was needed anyway.
The fact MS can drop it 4/5 months out from launch proves it was surprise surprise unneeded. So that begs the question where did the pressure for such a system arrive from? MS? Publishers? Both?

The last few weeks demonstrates how forcing your vision onto your target market (in addition to DRM), rather than allowing them to migrate over time with clear consise benefits is a foolhardy approach. Apple are the masters at convincing the public why they need a new gadget or piece of software.

I'm just glad that consumers win, and that MS had the good sense to reverse these ridiculous policies now, and not some time into the generation. The next few months are going to be amazing: Sony striving to keep its lead in popular opinion and stopping gamers being swayed over to the newly revitalized Xbone, whilst MS have a LOT of ground to make up for, which they have stupidly lost with nothing to show for it. One thing is for sure: prepare for MS to rain money down on its PR department.

 

[Musha_Soturi]

Still gonna get a ps4

 

[Jackben]

Stay tuned for Kentpaul's rollover back to team Xbone 180.

But let's be serious for a moment.

Even for a Sony or Nintendo fanboy it's difficult to be salty when you realize that all the developers and executives that spent the last three months taking a huge dump over the industry were just forced to shovel their shit back into their own mouths. Couple that with the fact that this was a win not only for Microsoft but the entire industry in terms of standing up to draconian digital rights implementation and I'd say this was a flawless victory for everyone with an interest in video games.

 

[Suairyu]

Oh wow. XBOX One just became a console I might consider getting when it hits £99 at the end of the generation to muck about with the exclusives.

Probably not, mind, as I'm still dedicated to my get-rid-of-stuff mission, and the PS4 will suffice should I get a console itch. But the mere fact I could consider getting a cheap one years from now is a positive result to a positive change taken by Microsoft.

 

[MikeJAMoran]

Finally, MS can stop touting the cloud as a big thing.

 

[no angel]

Still getting both but also still switching to ps4 for the multiplats.

 

[Hystzen]

Sorry MS backpedalling like this made me not want your console more. They should have stuck to their guns and take the blows instead bent over out of fear of losing money. Your console is still laughably more expensive and weaker with focus on media.

 

[Little Old Man]

Oh wow. XBOX One just became a console I might consider getting when it hits £99 at the end of the generation to muck about with the exclusives.

Probably not, mind, as I'm still dedicated to my get-rid-of-stuff mission, and the PS4 will suffice should I get a console itch. But the mere fact I could consider getting a cheap one years from now is a positive result to a positive change taken by Microsoft.

I need to do the same for the 360. I'm not paying over £100 for an 8 year old system though, bugger that.

 

[f0rk]

I really hope the man xbone 180 sticks, but I think now all this will be forgotten in 6 months and the consoles will be judged for what they are at the time. Seems Xbone supply is very limited though.

In other news I think I'm catching the DOTA bug.

 

[Suairyu]

I need to do the same for the 360. I'm not paying over £100 for an 8 year old system though, bugger that.

Picked mine up for £99 from Gamestop last year. Go get! It's built up enough exclusives now to make it worth it.

Best way to play the non-PC-ported multiplats, too.

 

[Mikeside]

I'd almost consider a 360 again just for Halo 4

 

[f0rk]

I'd almost consider a 360 again just for Halo 4

You should ask HaloGAF if they recommend Halo 4

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I'd almost consider a 360 again just for Halo 4

Great game.

Faster, prettier, nice new weapons (some admittedly superfluous), great mo-cap, comparatively involving narrative (it is Halo, at least this one had some heart, even if it was a little trite) and some wicked new vehicles.

I had a blast with it, I like what they did to shake it up while still feeling like Halo.

You should ask HaloGAF if they recommend Halo 4

Nah, just play it, make up your own mind. It can be had for tuppence nowadays.

The multiplayer lost its spark somewhat, maybe it's not quite as finely balanced.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Oh wow. XBOX One just became a console I might consider getting when it hits £99 at the end of the generation to muck about with the exclusives.

Exactly this.

 

[Little Old Man]

Picked mine up for £99 from Gamestop last year. Go get! It's built up enough exclusives now to make it worth it.

Best way to play the non-PC-ported multiplats, too.

What for though? It's only Halo and Gears that interest me. Everything else I'm interested in is available on PC or PS3.
When the console its sub £80 then I'll talk brass tax.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

I'd almost consider a 360 again just for Halo 4

Halo 4 is shit. So much so that I (who has played every game sans Wars and has all of the books except for the Forerunner shit) am absolutely done with the series.

 

[Suairyu]

You should ask HaloGAF if they recommend Halo 4

Linear, non-sandbox levels.

Too much overlap in terms of the roles the weapons play.

New enemies are horrendous bullet sponges, even when hit directly with headshots.

New artstyle is bunk, with Cortana being super-sculpted into that special version of "sexy" that exists in the minds of 14 year old boys.

Sound mixing is one of the worst I have ever encountered in a videogame. You will not be able to hear a lot of the dialogue, even in the cutscenes.

To add insult to the above point, the subtitles have a horrendous anime VHS fan-sub font.

I haven't touched multiplayer, but if it plays at all like the singleplayer then it's awful. Halo 3 is still the King.

What for though? It's only Halo and Gears that interest me. Everything else I'm interested in is available on PC or PS3.
When the console its sub £80 then I'll talk brass tax.

Top-of-my-head list:
Only version of Bayonetta worth playing - the best Devil May Cry-style game ever made
Crackdown - co-op open world superhero heaven
Dead or Alive 4 - for my money, the best non-hardcore "party" fighting game since the original Soul Calibur on the Dreamcast. (also, just want to say that DoA5 is shit)
Fable II - best in the series. The game has its detractors but the charming British atmosphere more than makes up for the flaws.
Project Gotham Racing 4 - arcade racing perfection
Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise - trojan horse deep simulation game disguised as cutesy kids game

 

[f0rk]

And I was mostly alluding to the multiplayer lol

 

[CHEEZMO™]

And I was mostly alluding to the multiplayer lol

It's even worse.

And dont get me started on the UI and menus n shit good god.

 

[Little Old Man]

ARE YOU A LAWYER

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Halo 3 had some nice moments, but large chunks of it bored me to tears. Dull enviroments, tedious cut scenes, recycled ideas, meh.

It looked lame too, even for the time.

Halo 4 felt like a shot of adrenaline. It made it feel fresh again IMO, lean and exciting.

But yeah, the sound mix was dreadful, I just played it through my TV in the end. ("You won't be able to hear the dialogue in the cutscenes" is a gross exaggeration though.)

 

[CHEEZMO™]

The environments were the best thing about Halo 3. What are you on

The only real downside to H3 was the fuckin Flood levels but that goes for all Halo games. Srsly tho they were fucking atrocious in 3 and made me hate replaying it.

 

[BGBW]

One thing I get out of this is that Nintendo may now need to reconsider their region locking policy.


Who am I kidding. That's not likely to happen.


That's the Nintendo Difference™©® for you.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

The environments were the best thing about Halo 3. What are you on

The only real downside to H3 was the fuckin Flood levels but that goes for all Halo games. Srsly tho they were fucking atrocious in 3 and made me hate replaying it.

That last level, with the flood, and Cortana glitching, and the HUD flickering, and the AAARRRGGHHH! I thought the library was bad, my god, I just put the pad down and stopped. It was actually winding me up. Nope.

Halo 1 had some amazing combat bowls, as did 2. Then 3 felt a lot more linear, and claustrophobic. I really didn't enjoy it.

Then Reach and 4 really impressed me.

I really don't get the Halo 3 love, it's the weakest by miles for me. Multiplayer aside of course, Halo 3 multi is still king.

 

[Suairyu]

ODST still has the best campaign.

And it uses the Halo 3 multiplayer.

This automatically makes it the best entry in the series.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

ODST still has the best campaign.

And it uses the Halo 3 multiplayer.

This automatically makes it the best entry in the series.

Agreed.

Campaign: ODST (dat OST) > CE > 4 > Reach > 2 > 3

Multi: 3/ODST > 2 > CE > Reach > 4

I thought Wars was a natty little RTS too, nicely streamlined controls (you can't polish a turd), quick gameplay and well balanced. And those CGI's were glorious, some of the best this gen for me, purely from a technical/resolution/aesthetic beauty pov.

 

[Rubbish King]

Fuck


I GO OUT FOR 6 HOURS AND I MISS THIS?!

ODST still has the best campaign.

And it uses the Halo 3 multiplayer.

This automatically makes it the best entry in the series.

It's funny because you're wrong

 

[Mikeside]

It's funny because you're wrong

I didn't love it at first, but looking back, it was a fantastic campaign. Totally not Halo, but utterly brilliant.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

I didn't love it at first, but looking back, it was a fantastic campaign. Totally not Halo, but utterly brilliant.

The structure meant that they could just go nuts with the combat scenarios. Relatively small, contained combat bowls allowed them to pour all kinds of crazy stuff into these little 30 minute vignettes without making the engine cry.

It was marvellous.

Edit: outside of the slightly odd hub world, it was still very much Halo. Once you were in those self contained missions, it felt like little shots of pure concentrated Halo cordial. Yum.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

ODST had the best soundtrack by far.

hnggggg

 

[Rubbish King]

ODST had the best soundtrack by far.

hnggggg

Indeed it was undoubtedly awesome


but i loved the shit out of the original trilogy soundtracks too

Also the Halo 4 menu music was pretty great


Speaking of game soundtracks, what is everyones favourite game soundtrack...like overall


I reckon mine may be silent hill 2 ^_^

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Hands down.

SC:CT OST - Kokubo Sosho Stealth

Those skittering snares and offbeat cadence, aww yeah.

 

[f0rk]

Ordered a set of these Olly Moss prints, £33 for the 3 pack

 

[phisheep]

Well that came out of the blue. Fuck. Everything to play for now for both Sony and MS.

The thing that angers me is that they spent weeks harping on about how important the always online functionality is to their vision and the power of the system, despite:
a) Most people knowing it was bullshit, and the use of the cloud the way it was put to us also being crap
b) Sony proving no such system was needed anyway.
The fact MS can drop it 4/5 months out from launch proves it was surprise surprise unneeded. So that begs the question where did the pressure for such a system arrive from? MS? Publishers? Both?

The last few weeks demonstrates how forcing your vision onto your target market (in addition to DRM), rather than allowing them to migrate over time with clear consise benefits is a foolhardy approach. Apple are the masters at convincing the public why they need a new gadget or piece of software.

I'm just glad that consumers win, and that MS had the good sense to reverse these ridiculous policies now, and not some time into the generation. The next few months are going to be amazing: Sony striving to keep its lead in popular opinion and stopping gamers being swayed over to the newly revitalized Xbone, whilst MS have a LOT of ground to make up for, which they have stupidly lost with nothing to show for it. One thing is for sure: prepare for MS to rain money down on its PR department.

The thing that worries me is that MS have a management structure that let this happen in the first place. There's a whole series of numpties there all up and down the management chain who thought this was a good idea and who do not understand customers. And that really ought to worry them, and it seems not to worry them at all.

If I employed somebody who didn't understand customers that much I would sack them. Quickly.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Ordered a set of these Olly Moss prints, £33 for the 3 pack

I want the Jill Sandwich one.

"What do the numbers mean Mason?"

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Hands down.

total

 

[Jackben]

Ordered a set of these Olly Moss prints, £33 for the 3 pack

Same here, apprehensive that it's a random set of 3 but I suppose I can swap with a GAFfer if I get some I don't want.

 

[Chinner]

Ordered a set of these Olly Moss prints, £33 for the 3 pack

going to order this too. i hope he sends to thailand!

 

[Rubbish King]

Hands down.

SC:CT OST - Kokubo Sosho Stealth

Those skittering snares and offbeat cadence, aww yeah.

I fucking love Amon Tobin, he iz da shit


something about silent hill though, some of it so soothing, best thing about the second movie was that it brought back all dat nostalgia

 

[donkey show]

Eh, there's this tidbit from all the Xbone shenanigans that is still shady as fuck.

Finally, Whitten could not give any reassurance that Microsoft will not change its policies in the future.

 

[Volotaire]

Hands down.

SC:CT OST - Kokubo Sosho Stealth

Those skittering snares and offbeat cadence, aww yeah.

Yes Amon Tobin.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Gonna have to buy that OST now.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

So BritGAF feels Tobin, nice.

Apart from how good the music is, I love it that each track is arranged in such a way as to allow for swells and crescendos to amplify the tension, then the vicious drop into a frantic cacophony of snares, hi-hats and breakbeats to signal Sam being spotted.

A modern masterpiece.

 

[Mikeside]

I don't often gush about games (OK that's a lie, but shut up) but wow am I loving The Last of Us.

I don't think I'm all that far through, but it's doing such a good job of making me care about Joel & Ellie and the relationship between them.

Plus the gunplay is fun & the weapons feel really powerful.




I might actually complete this game.


Oh shit, it's kept me up until almost 3am. Night GAF.

 

[Rubbish King]

I don't often gush about games (OK that's a lie, but shut up) but wow am I loving The Last of Us.

I don't think I'm all that far through, but it's doing such a good job of making me care about Joel & Ellie and the relationship between them.

Plus the gunplay is fun & the weapons feel really powerful.




I might actually complete this game.


Oh shit, it's kept me up until almost 3am. Night GAF.

in what sense do you mean powerful

 

[Jordan]

in what sense do you mean powerful

Bitches be dying...

 

[Rubbish King]

Bitches be dying...

So in the sense that they're physically powerful

 

[Jordan]

So in the sense that they're physically powerful

I don't know, I've not been played that game... I just wanted to chip in with a 'bitches be' quote

I'll leave now

 

[Rubbish King]

I don't know, I've not been played that game... I just wanted to chip in with a 'bitches be' quote

I'll leave now

NOT SO FUNNY NOW EYYYYYY

 

[Jordan]

NOT SO FUNNY NOW EYYYYYY

I wasn't trying to be funny :'(

So, I feel like we're talking shit.

How is everybody today? Looking forward to the weekend? Got much planned?