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[phisheep]

So I've had to review quite a lot of junior work now and I have decided that two things irritate me (in addition to everything else that is remotely youthful or energetic and/or is not communicated by hand-written letter)

1. The incorrect use of myself. 'Myself' is not a formal alternative to 'me'. It is a reflexive pronoun. Google it.

2. Review your own work before you send it to me. One or two typos is natural. Four or more typos and careless errors are unacceptable and depressing, especially when I've taken two hours to talk you through the finer points of the project.

Phew.

I'm with you in the main sploat.

But also, in all the (seemingly thousands) of years I spent as a junior something-or-other, there's nothing more irritating than a boss who puts all their attention into spelling and grammar and none at all into the content of what you are saying.

Especially if it is a boss who has specifically requested an early version of your stuff to check (like before you've done the niceties).

Sometimes this leads into absurdity. I had a boss once (in my very early days, early 1980s) who spellchecked the entire 10 pages or so and never noticed I had missed a zero off the quotation at the bottom. My fault, sure. Bad boss? Sure too.

So in litigation for example, I am all about the evidence and the result, because the spelling can be sorted out afterwards unless you are actually in front of a judge.

Not saying you are like that at all, but it's a to-be-aware-of thing. Get the thing right before you criticise how you spell the thing.

 

[War Peaceman]

It's a marvel of game design but I'll be damned if playing a first person shooter with just one thumbstick doesn't feel just plain awkward.

does he know there's a better version on the wii?

Metroid Prime Trilogy on Wii <3 . Beautiful game.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4ZGRhkBuMs&feature=kp

Everyone talks about Phendrana Drifts, but this is the real star of its superb OST.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Metroid Prime is one of the greatest games ever made and an incredible technical achievement. Shit could've been a PS360 game never mind a Gamecube game for how amazing it looked, and all at a rock solid 60fps. Ridonkulous.

Also...

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Sword of Destiny (E3 2014 trailer)

Holy fucking shit. That aerial shot of the town...

Pump this game straight into my veins please.

 

[Slowdive]

Also...

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Sword of Destiny (E3 2014 trailer)

Holy fucking shit. That aerial shot of the town...

Pump this game straight into my veins please.

Yep, it looks amazing.

 

[BGBW]

Twin Snakes is total shit get out

Boo hoo hoo why did Kojima betray Sony and put a Metal Gear game on a Nintendo system boo hoo hoo

 

[Reknoc]

Metroid Prime is one of the greatest games ever made and an incredible technical achievement. Shit could've been a PS360 game never mind a Gamecube game for how amazing it looked, and all at a rock solid 60fps. Ridonkulous.

Also...

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Sword of Destiny (E3 2014 trailer)

Holy fucking shit. That aerial shot of the town...

Pump this game straight into my veins please.

Yup too hype, E3 is already over. Might have to pick up the last 2 books since they've finally been translated, considering the character reveal.

 

[Nerdkiller]

Been playing Deus Ex a fair bit, recently.

And now that I've mentioned it, people will reinstall it.

 

[sploatee]

does he know there's a better version on the wii?

It's expensive, though, isn't it? Also as far as I know he wants the tiny CD experience.

I'm with you in the main sploat.

But also, in all the (seemingly thousands) of years I spent as a junior something-or-other, there's nothing more irritating than a boss who puts all their attention into spelling and grammar and none at all into the content of what you are saying.

Especially if it is a boss who has specifically requested an early version of your stuff to check (like before you've done the niceties).

Sometimes this leads into absurdity. I had a boss once (in my very early days, early 1980s) who spellchecked the entire 10 pages or so and never noticed I had missed a zero off the quotation at the bottom. My fault, sure. Bad boss? Sure too.

So in litigation for example, I am all about the evidence and the result, because the spelling can be sorted out afterwards unless you are actually in front of a judge.

Not saying you are like that at all, but it's a to-be-aware-of thing. Get the thing right before you criticise how you spell the thing.

You're absolutely right. Completely, 100%.

To be honest, I was being a bit of a pompous bitch.

In actuality, I was really nice, sat down with her, talked her through my comments and said don't ever be afraid to shout up with any questions and probably apologised to her far too much because I felt awful being critical about even one thing. So probably too far the other way! This was just my vent!

 

[Little Old Man]

When does Community get shut down for E3?

Metroid Prime is one of the greatest games ever made and an incredible technical achievement. Shit could've been a PS360 game never mind a Gamecube game for how amazing it looked, and all at a rock solid 60fps. Ridonkulous.

Also...

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - The Sword of Destiny (E3 2014 trailer)

Holy fucking shit. That aerial shot of the town...

Pump this game straight into my veins please.

It's about time games had some realistic sense of scale to towns and cities. No more Skyrim style shenanigans with whole settlements made up of three families and a beggar.

Been playing Deus Ex a fair bit, recently.

And now that I've mentioned it, people will reinstall it.

I really need to finish DE:HR: Directors Cut: Mix 4a: Remix 2: Nasty Bro Edition.

I think this summer I'm going to try and start/finish:
Pokemon Y
MK7
RDR: GOTY
DE:HR: Directors Cut: Mix 4a: Remix 2: Nasty Bro Edition
Witcher 1
Ni No Kuni
God of War
Resi: Revelations

Then maybe some stuff like Jak 2, Ratchet and Clank if the weather is really bad.

 

[CHEEZMO™]

Boo hoo hoo why did Kojima betray Sony and put a Metal Gear game on a Nintendo system boo hoo hoo

Don't project manchild console fanboyism on me pls

 

[QuicheFontaine]

I'm with you in the main sploat.

But also, in all the (seemingly thousands) of years I spent as a junior something-or-other, there's nothing more irritating than a boss who puts all their attention into spelling and grammar and none at all into the content of what you are saying.

Not quite the same, but it irritates me when bosses correct simply for style. My work is revised at the moment, and sometimes the only comment will be along the lines of "change 'we provide herewith' to 'we hereby provide'". Especially vexing when you report to two bosses that have different styles!

I found this in a previous job too. During the probation period you'd get a new Revising Officer every six months. After six months with one Revising Officer, you'd generally be able to get your reports into a format that they mostly go past without getting bounced back. Change to a new Revising Officer and suddenly every report is getting bounced!

Ah well, I can't complain too much. Getting a correction over something minor or superficial is certainly better than there being something wrong with the meat of what's being said - and it gives me hope that I'll be qualified in my own right soon. Plus my bosses are super nice (and their names actually go at the bottom of letters, so I can't blame them for wanting it their way frankly!).

 

[SKINNER!]

Metal Gear Solid 1 is great.

Metal Gear Solid 2 is the greatest game ever made.

Metal Gear Solid 3 is terrible. Didn't like it one bit.

Twin Snakes is total shit get out

 

[Reknoc]

Man, that Witcher 3 CE is £130, and I want everything but the gaudy ass statue that's probably inflating the price ((((

It's expensive, though, isn't it? Also as far as I know he wants the tiny CD experience.

dunno about the standalone but the trilogy probably is, shame since its one of the best packages on the wii. I can respect wanting to get a collection going for a specific console, but never really cared for it myself. Much more interested in playing the game than looking at it and try to go for which ever version seems the best e.g i'd recommend skies of arcadia legends over the original DC version unless you're some kind of freak that likes ridiculous encounter rates (though the dreamcast was always nice enough to give you a warning lol)

edit:

lmao

 

[Little Old Man]

Man, that Witcher 3 CE is £130, and I want everything but the gaudy ass statue that's probably inflating the price ((((

Yeah but think how much dust that statue would collect, and how much fun you'd have dusting it due to feeling guilty at how much you paid for it!

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Guys, have you heard of this dude Sam Fisher? He'd kick Solid Snake all over for fun. Also, he knows the meaning of the word "fun". Plus, Tobin > Gregson-Williams:

Amon Tobin - Ruthless
Those drums man, barely controlled lunacy. Fucking love that shit.

Metal Gear Solid 3 had the best writing of the entire series.

lol, that's like saying chlamydia is the best STD. All his scripts are over-indulgent, loquacious, meandering twaddle, dude needs an editor so bad.

 

[Reknoc]

Guys, have you heard of this dude Sam Fisher? He'd kick Solid Snake all over for fun. Also, he knows the meaning of the word "fun". Plus, Tobin > Gregson-Williams:

Amon Tobin - Ruthless
Those drums man, barely controlled lunacy. Fucking love that shit.

lol, that's like saying chlamydia is the best STD. All his scripts are over-indulgent, loquacious, meandering twaddle, dude needs an editor so bad.

not that i disagree and 3 is totally him at his best but I dunno if I'd mock Kojima in the same post as touting Splinter Cell, a game based around (though not on any) Tom Clancy novels.

both are good series though, with 3 being the pinnacle of both. But neither are Thief so whatevssssssssssss

 

[sploatee]

Not quite the same, but it irritates me when bosses correct simply for style. My work is revised at the moment, and sometimes the only comment will be along the lines of "change 'we provide herewith' to 'we hereby provide'". Especially vexing when you report to two bosses that have different styles!

I found this in a previous job too. During the probation period you'd get a new Revising Officer every six months. After six months with one Revising Officer, you'd generally be able to get your reports into a format that they mostly go past without getting bounced back. Change to a new Revising Officer and suddenly every report is getting bounced!

Ah well, I can't complain too much. Getting a correction over something minor or superficial is certainly better than there being something wrong with the meat of what's being said - and it gives me hope that I'll be qualified in my own right soon. Plus my bosses are super nice (and their names actually go at the bottom of letters, so I can't blame them for wanting it their way frankly!).

That irritates me too.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

not that i disagree and 3 is totally him at his best but I dunno if I'd mock Kojima in the same post as touting Splinter Cell, a game based around (though not on any) Tom Clancy novels.

both are good series though, with 3 being the pinnacle of both. But neither are Thief so whatevssssssssssss

You're making the assumption that I could give two fucks about the story in these types of games.

"Global conspiracies, proxy soldiers, nuclear warheads, PMC's, blah blah blah..."

I play stealth games to skulk around in the shadows a shoot fools in the face. At least Ubisoft have the decency to lay out your objectives at the start of a mission then just let you get on with it.

Kojima is like your annoying little cousin constantly tapping you on the shoulder the whole time to spout barely coherent nonsense at you. Only not at all cute or endearing.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Guys, have you heard of this dude Sam Fisher? He'd kick Solid Snake all over for fun. Also, he knows the meaning of the word "fun".

Splinter Cell will forever be the pretender to the throne for me. It's great and all, but it'll never match Metal Gear. It's got the same problem as every Tom Clancy game, it takes it's "HOO RAH 'MURICA" stuff far too seriously (both thematically and gameplay-wise). All Sam had going for him was Michael Ironside and now... well, he's just become super generic Sam Shepard since the last game.

I can understand when peeps say it's long-winded and what-not, but when you're invested in the characters and the story it feels just right. It's always a wild ride for me. Kojima straddles between the philosophic, the emotional, the low brow, the operatic and the genuinely witty like no other, without ever undermining himself or the game; all the while bringing genuinely innovative mechanics to the table. The game's teach you how to play them and spend the rest of the game testing your accrued knowledge in fascinating ways. Add to that the level of detail and care he puts into each game and game world and, to me, you have a master class in game design.

His only real fuck up in my mind (and it wasn't the worst fuck up in the world) was most of MGS4 after Chapter 2. I still played the fuck out of it. Contrary to most people, I loved Old Snake.

Plus, Tobin > Gregson-Williams:

Amon Tobin - Ruthless
Those drums man, barely controlled lunacy. Fucking love that shit.

That's true, although HGW only really did the Main Themes in MGS2 & 3, to be fair. Kazuki Muraoka and Norihiko Hibino (amongst others) have done most of the series' in-game stuff.

Also: Arsenal's Guts is pure awesome.

At least Ubisoft have the decency to lay out your objectives at the start of a mission then just let you get on with it.

MGS says (after a long cutscene): here's some equipment, here's a room, get to the other side. It gives you so much to play with in doing so. Equipment in MGS has so many non-explicit uses that there are a staggering number of combinations and eventualities that can play out. Splinter Cell pales in comparison, even the mighty Chaos Theory.

 

[Reknoc]

You're making the assumption that I could give two fucks about the story in these types of games.

"Global conspiracies, proxy soldiers, nuclear warheads, PMC's, blah blah blah..."

I play stealth games to skulk around in the shadows a shoot fools in the face. At least Ubisoft have the decency to lay out your objectives at the start of a mission then just let you get on with it.

Kojima is like your annoying little cousin constantly tapping you on the shoulder the whole time to spout barely coherent nonsense at you. Only not at all cute or endearing.

Yea, but that's only a problem in 2 and 4.

Splinter Cell will forever be the pretender to the throne for me. It's great and all, but it'll never match Metal Gear. It's got the same problem as every Tom Clancy game, it takes it's "HOO RAH 'MURICA" stuff far too seriously. All Sam had going for him was Michael Ironside and now... well, he's just become super generic Sam Shepard since the last game.

I can understand when peeps say it's long-winded and what-not, but when you're invested in the characters and the story it feels just right. It's always a wild ride for me. Kojima straddles between the philosophic, the emotional, the low brow, the operatic and the genuinely witty like no other, without ever undermining himself, and brings genuinely innovative mechanics to the table. The game's teach you how to play them and spend the rest of the game testing your accrued knowledge in fascinating ways. Add to that the level of detail and care he puts into each game and, to me, you have a master class in game design.

His only real fuck up in my mind (and it wasn't the worst fuck up in the world) was most of MGS4 after Chapter 2. I still played the fuck out of it. Contrary to most people, I loved Old Snake.



That's true, although HGW only really did the Main Themes in MGS2 & 3, to be fair. Kazuki Muraoka and Norihiko Hibino (amongst others) have done most of the series' in-game stuff.

Also: Arsenal's Guts is pure awesome.

no what is this track you are posting and how is it not yell dead cell

Act 3 is also a rather large fuck up though, not only is boring as sin it also seems that its entire purpose is the character assassination of every MGS3 character, except EVE who already sucked. last cutscene was good though, act 3 probably should have been just that.

 

[War Peaceman]

Guys, have you heard of this dude Sam Fisher? He'd kick Solid Snake all over for fun. Also, he knows the meaning of the word "fun". Plus, Tobin > Gregson-Williams:

Amon Tobin - Ruthless
Those drums man, barely controlled lunacy. Fucking love that shit.

lol, that's like saying chlamydia is the best STD. All his scripts are over-indulgent, loquacious, meandering twaddle, dude needs an editor so bad.

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the best stealth game ever made. No question.

But MGS games are great too, because there is nothing else quite like them. They are so damn stupid and ridiculous and ambitious. They have an unparalleled attention to detail and have really bold conceptual approaches (MGS2 is so wonderful in this regard) even if the dialogue is frequently shit and the plotting diabolical.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the best stealth game ever made. No question.

Someone hasn't played Thief 2 or Blood Money.

no what is this track you are posting and how is it not yell dead cell

Also great, but Arsenal's Guts is all I had on when I played MGO2.

Act 3 is also a rather large fuck up though, not only is boring as sin it also seems that its entire purpose is the character assassination of every MGS3 character, except EVE who already sucked. last cutscene was good though, act 3 probably should have been just that.

Yeah, everything after the jungle had one issue or another. MGS4's cardinal sin was that it's shooting controls were so good and it's range of deadly weapons so vast and interesting, that it felt like you didn't need to stealth it at all...

 

[dapperbandit]

Two and a half pages of MGS twaddle

 

[Reknoc]

Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory is the best stealth game ever made. No question.

Question

edit: screaming meat <3 (i have not played blood money)

 

[War Peaceman]

Someone hasn't played Thief 2 or Blood Money.

Au contraire. Thief 2 is fantastic, but I prefer 3rd person stealthing so Chaos Theory edges it out for me. Blood Money is a good shout, I'd never really considered it a stealth game, rather a puzzle game. But that is a silly illogical distinction, really. I couldn't plausibly argue that it is worse than Chaos Theory, that's for sure.

Why has the stealth genre been so ruined?

 

[SKINNER!]

Anyone noticed that Ninja's complete disgust for MGS and Kojima is as intensive as his admiration for Paramore and Hayley Williams?

 

[Screaming Meat]

(i have not played blood money)

Rectify that immediately.

Au contraire. Thief 2 is fantastic, but I prefer 3rd person stealthing so Chaos Theory edges it out for me. Blood Money is a good shout, I'd never really considered it a stealth game, rather a puzzle game. But that is a silly illogical distinction, really. I couldn't plausibly argue that it is worse than Chaos Theory, that's for sure.

Au contraire, mon frere: A great stealth game is a puzzle game. ;P

 

[NinjaBoiX]

You make some good points gents and I can appreciate if not necessarily agree with all of them.

He does have some really clever mechanics in his games (staying in the cold too long will make Snake sneeze attracting guards, smoking cigs will steady your aim, holding up guards, etc, etc, etc,), but I just find the fundamentals of his games fairly lacking in the main.

Stiff, awkward controls, horrible animations (that roll in MGS4 is hilarious), bad sound effects (again, MGS4, those death screams, lol) and a general feeling of a disjointed construction. They often feel more like a series of gameplay vignettes tied together by cut scenes rather than one coherent game.

I'm glad Kojima exists I suppose, he's definitely a maverick and that can only be good for the industry. I just don't like his games (apart from MGS1 and ZoE).

*shrugs*

 

[Reknoc]

Also great, but Arsenal's Guts is all I had on when I played MGO2.

hah, that was yell dead cell for me or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4SHQSSeib4

Yeah, everything after the jungle had one issue or another. MGS4's cardinal sin was that it's shooting controls were so good and it's range of deadly weapons so vast and interesting, that it felt like you didn't need to stealth it at all...

I think thats what made it interesting to be honest. MGS is never really a stealth stealth game (hence all the mandatory alerts and boss fights) so it's a good level of freedom of how to tackle situations. most games that require stealth tend to force it upon you by nerfing any other tactic, MGS may have gone to far in the other direction though.

and I will play Blood Money eventually! I have it and have gone through the tutorial level like, twice (on different pcs) and i sucked at it lol

 

[Screaming Meat]

You make some good points gents and I can appreciate if not necessarily agree with all of them.

He does have some really clever mechanics in his games (staying in the cold too long will make Snake sneeze attracting guards, smoking cigs will steady your aim, holding up guards, etc, etc, etc,), but I just find the fundamentals of his games fairly lacking in the main.

Stiff, awkward controls, horrible animations (that roll in MGS4 is hilarious), bad sound effects (again, MGS4, those death screams, lol) and a general feeling of a disjointed construction. They often feel more like a series of gameplay vignettes tied together by cut scenes rather than one coherent game.

I'm glad Kojima exists I suppose, he's definitely a maverick and that can only be good for the industry. I just don't like his games (apart from MGS1 and ZoE).

*shrugs*

I think thats what made it interesting to be honest. MGS is never really a stealth stealth game (hence all the mandatory alerts and boss fights) so it's a good level of freedom of how to tackle situations. most games that require stealth tend to force it upon you by nerfing any other tactic, MGS may have gone to far in the other direction though.

I think that's one way that the finger-bending controls were better personally, it made "going loud" a last-ditch option. Unfortunately, MGS4 made you too powerful. For stealth to be worth it, the player character needs to be, at least in direct or multiple confrontations, the weakest piece on the board.

 

[dapperbandit]

Blood Money and Chaos Theory are roughly equal I would say.

They do a similar thing but one is about hiding in plain sight and "accidents" and the other is about shadow lurking and gadgets.

The toolset in CT is more satisfying to use and the game makes you feel smart as well because it doesn't hold your hand. stealth system is very well thought out too; why don't more stealth games reflect ambient sound? You can do louder things like break locks or shoot out lights and not be heard if there's thunder in the background for example or you're in a loud engine room.

On the other hand, BM gives you much more freedom in how you get close to your target, kill them and then escape. In a way it's a puzzle because each mission you have a more open level and you have to figure out ways to get past things like security scanners with a briefcase rifle or how to get a particular uniform undetected. Hitman 2: Silent Assassin peaked the tension but it's still there in Blood Money; that subtle music change as you're infiltrating and guards are beginning to suspect you...

Then of course there's the Amon Tobin vs Jesper Kyd debate which is mostly down to preference really.

Stealth fans seem like the hardest audience to please though because our favourite IPs are still going but publishers and developers have to modernise them to appeal to a broader audience which means meddling with gameplay and putting in invasive mechanics like Instinct in Absolution.

 

[Screaming Meat]

That's a fair assessment, Daps. Although I would say that Blood Money (hell, all the pre-Absolution games) trumps Chaos Theory in the "making you feel smart" department.

The toolset in CT is more satisfying to use and the game makes you feel smart as well because it doesn't hold your hand. stealth system is very well thought out too; why don't more stealth games reflect ambient sound? You can do louder things like break locks or shoot out lights and not be heard if there's thunder in the background for example or you're in a loud engine room.

Classic Blood Money mission Curtains Down has something similar:

Spoiler

If you fire the sniper rifle at the same time as the Opera Singer fires the prop gun on stage, it'll disguise your gunshot. You can do similar things in the Bayou missions too (Engine Room on the Boat Mission, Gunshots at the wedding etc.).

 

[Reknoc]

I think that's one way that the finger-bending controls were better personally, it made "going loud" a last-ditch option. Unfortunately, MGS4 made you too powerful. For stealth to be worth it, the player character needs to be, at least in direct or multiple confrontations, the weakest piece on the board.

well don't forget that snake is the ultimate soldier.

 

[dapperbandit]

That's a fair assessment, Daps. Although I would say that Blood Money (hell, all the pre-Absolution games) trumps Chaos Theory in the "making you feel smart" department.



Classic Blood Money mission Curtains Down has something similar:

Spoiler

If you fire the sniper rifle at the same time as the Opera Singer fires the prop gun on stage, it'll disguise your gunshot. You can do similar things in the Bayou missions too (Engine Room on the Boat Mission, Gunshots at the wedding etc.).

Huh, didn't know that about Blood Money. I agree with you that the Hitman games generally take more thought (and I would say they are harder as well.) But both are great. There's little touches to CT I really like though. Like sneaking up on and interrogating guards. Some of those encounters produce really great dialogue between Sam and the guard in question. Like the one in the bank in CT where Sam convinces him it's all part of a training excercise. Or the North korean who screams and yells about how much he loves America. You can really rattle the AI as well if you keep alerting them without giving them something to shoot at. If you for example, whistle at a guard for long enough he'll start yelling and shooting in all directions.

 

[NinjaBoiX]

My sabbatical (lol, read "employment safety net") finally got approved, I'm moving down Manchester on Friday 27th June.

Anyone noticed that Ninja's complete disgust for MGS and Kojima is as intensive as his admiration for Paramore and Hayley Williams?

I have no idea what you mean mate.



Guys, I want to rock around the clock or some shit, sehr excited! And it's sunny as fuck! And it's the weekend!

 

[Screaming Meat]

well don't forget that snake is the ultimate soldier.

Neither here nor there really. Stealth should be your number one, go-to tactic.

I think the shooting controls are ostensibly better in that they are much more intuitive, but they should've made Snake much weaker in terms of how much punishment he could take to balance it out (if you need story reasoning then "He's really old" will do). Even on the hardest difficulties you can tank your way through entire battle-zones, which to me is contrary to the series' gameplay. I think GZ has a slightly better balance on the harder difficulties, so I'm not worried about TPP.

Huh, didn't know that about Blood Money. I agree with you that the Hitman games generally take more thought (and I would say they are harder as well.) But both are great. There's little touches to CT I really like though. Like sneaking up on and interrogating guards. Some of those encounters produce really great dialogue between Sam and the guard in question. Like the one in the bank in CT where Sam convinces him it's all part of a training excercise. Or the North korean who screams and yells about how much he loves America. You can really rattle the AI as well if you keep alerting them without giving them something to shoot at. If you for example, whistle at a guard for long enough he'll start yelling and shooting in all directions.

Ah, man, The Bank! Such a cool level. Didn't know that about the whistling, either. That's awesome.

Don't get me wrong, CT is a class act: stylish, detailed, atmospheric, a little less "MURICA", and easily the series' peak for me, but it'll always be secondary to MGS and Hitman in my eyes.

Did you try Blacklist? First 2/3rds of it are a nearly flawless return to CT's style (not a similar level of detail, unfortunately). Grim's side missions actually have some of the best levels in series.

My sabbatical (lol, read "employment safety net") finally got approved, I'm moving down Manchester on Friday 27th June.

Congrats, Snake!

...I mean, Ninj!

 

[Reknoc]

Neither here nor there really. Stealth should be your number one, go-to tactic.

I think the shooting controls are ostensibly better in that they are much more intuitive, but they should've made Snake much weaker in terms of how much punishment he could take to balance it out (if you need story reasoning then "He's really old" will do).

Even on the hardest difficulties you can tank your way through entire battle-zones, which to me is contrary to the series' gameplay. I think GZ has a slightly better balance on the harder difficulties, so I'm not worried about TPP.

but stealth has never been that great in MGS, 3 is the only one that's ever given you particularly interesting stuff to use. Even then, since 2 the tranq pistol is OP and gives no reason to do anything but tranq everyone and move on. Making Snake weaker doesn't really help because they that'd make the boss fights less fun, though you could argue that maybe MGS bosses should allow for more stealth.

also its probably worth mentioning that "action" is in the games title. MGS just isn't a stealth game primarily which is why I try not to compare it to Splinter Cell or Hitman.

At least emblems like Big Boss are in for people who really want to play it like a pure stealth game.

 

[Jedeye Sniv]

My sabbatical (lol, read "employment safety net") finally got approved, I'm moving down Manchester on Friday 27th June.

I have no idea what you mean mate.



Guys, I want to rock around the clock or some shit, sehr excited! And it's sunny as fuck! And it's the weekend!

Fuck yeah NinjaBrah! Go go go! Inches closer to the glorious south.

 

[Screaming Meat]

but stealth has never been that great in MGS

wut

MGS1-3 were built from the bottom up with stealth primarily in mind. That is the primary play mode.

MG was one of the earliest stealth games. MGS was the second ever 3D stealth game (and only by a few months) and is still a major influence on most stealth games that followed.

MGS1-3 rewards the player for avoiding detection by making sustained fire fights an incredibly dicey (although not insurmountable) problem that tends to drain valuable resources which could be better used later on. The option has always been there, but until MGS4 (with it's smoother controls, tougher Snake, wider array of weapons, vaster ammo stocks, and multiple ways of healing) it was your fall back position.

 

[Reknoc]

wut

MGS1-3 were built from the bottom up with stealth primarily in mind. That is the primary play mode.

MG was one of the earliest stealth games. MGS was the second ever 3D stealth game (and only by a few months) and is still a major influence on most stealth games that followed.

MGS1-3 rewards the player for avoiding detection by making sustained fire fights an incredibly dicey (although not insurmountable) problem that tends to drain valuable resources which could be better used later on. The option has always been there, but until MGS4 (with it's smoother controls, tougher Snake, wider array of weapons, vaster ammo stocks, and multiple ways of healing) it was your fall back position.

Yea, but there is very little to MGS's stealth. You hide behind a wall and wait, until you get a suppressor then you kill a dude when he's not looking. Like, I'm not going to defend MGS4 because it's MGS4 but tanking stuff isn't really a bigger problem then sniping everything from across the map with the tranq gun.

This is probably why MGS3 had the dumb suppressor degradation.

edit: also i remember having way more problems with MGS4's controls than I did with the PS2 games, since it had more options for aiming and movement during aiming haha

 

[NinjaBoiX]

Fuck yeah NinjaBrah! Go go go! Inches closer to the glorious south.

Thanks man, it's been a long time coming! Much closer to ma southern peeps too, awesome.

Edit: and Meat. Nice jpeg, lol!

Yea, but there is very little to MGS's stealth. You hide behind a wall and wait, until you get a suppressor then you kill a dude when he's not looking.

I dunno man, I'm not the biggest MGS fan (no shit) but the stealth mechanics have always always been fairly solid (lol). What you just said could describe most stealth 'em ups to be fair.

 

[Reknoc]

Thanks man, it's been a long time coming! Much closer to ma southern peeps too, awesome.

Edit: and Meat. Nice jpeg, lol!

I dunno man, I'm not the biggest MGS fan (no shit) but the stealth mechanics have always always been fairly solid (lol). What you just said could describe most stealth 'em ups to be fair.

yea but most stealth games are shit. I love MGS, so it's not about whether they're solid or not, there's no denying they work fantastically and that's why people care about MGS but no one will remember Velvet Assassin. That's not my point, my point is that it's barebones and to purely stealth a MGS is not that fun because 3 is the first time you ever really get any toys.

controversial opinion: I think Spy Fiction is a better stealth game than MGS2

 

[sploatee]

Thanks man, it's been a long time coming! Much closer to ma southern peeps too, awesome.

Edit: and Meat. Nice jpeg, lol!

I dunno man, I'm not the biggest MGS fan (no shit) but the stealth mechanics have always always been fairly solid (lol). What you just said could describe most stealth 'em ups to be fair.

Hurray! Look forward to be able to catch up without the need for military organisation!

Congratulations and good luck.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Yea, but there is very little to MGS's stealth. You hide behind a wall and wait, until you get a suppressor then you kill a dude when he's not looking. Like, I'm not going to defend MGS4 because it's MGS4 but tanking stuff isn't really a bigger problem then sniping everything from across the map with the tranq gun.

This is probably why MGS3 had the dumb suppressor degradation.

You're doing the series a huge discredit. The player has loads of neat little options in the first two 3D games alone: crawling under objects, using boxes as cover, ducking or hiding around walls, making noise to distract enemies (by knocking or throwing spent magazines), shoot out enemy radios, use steam or a fire extinguisher as a distraction, the cardboard box disguise, Playboy magazines, Chaff for cameras, Flashbangs, Judo flip, combat roll etc., etc.

Whether you kill people or not, if you do it whilst you are hidden it is still considered stealth gameplay. Stealth, the element of surprise, is the emphasis of the game and it is what is meant to make Snake/the player so formidable. When that element is blown, the balance should swing to the enemy soldiers, putting your valuable resources and life at risk (a la MGS1-3).

 

[dapperbandit]

Did you try Blacklist? First 2/3rds of it are a nearly flawless return to CT's style (not a similar level of detail, unfortunately). Grim's side missions actually have some of the best levels in series.

I did not and I regret it. I'd heard it comes close but I'll admit I was suckered into the negatvity surrounding it before release. As much as I tend to lambast cross gen I wish I could play it on my PS4.

As it stands however, with my backlog the way it is I don't feel like I can justify buying more stuff for my PS3.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Edit: and Meat. Nice jpeg, lol!

You deserve it, buddy!

I did not and I regret it. I'd heard it comes close but I'll admit I was suckered into the negatvity surrounding it before release. As much as I tend to lambast cross gen I wish I could play it on my PS4.

As it stands however, with my backlog the way it is I don't feel like I can justify buying more stuff for my PS3.

Me too, man. I saw it on sale and thought fuck it. It has some truly appalling decisions, but they're mostly outweighed by the good points. The MP is brilliant.

 

[dapperbandit]

Congrats Ninja.

Are you pleased to be moving away from Sunderland?

When I arrived I must say my first impression was "this looks like a historical reconstruction of an impoverished 80's town during the Thatcher years."

 

[Reknoc]

You're doing the series a huge discredit. The player has loads of neat little options in the first two 3D games alone: crawling under objects, using boxes as cover, ducking or hiding around walls, making noise to distract enemies (by knocking or throwing spent magazines), shoot out enemy radios, use steam or a fire extinguisher as a distraction, the cardboard box disguise, Playboy magazines, Chaff for cameras, Flashbangs, Judo flip, combat roll etc., etc.

Whether you kill people or not, if you do it whilst you are hidden it is still considered stealth gameplay. Stealth, the element of surprise, is the emphasis of the game and it is what is meant to make Snake/the player so formidable. When that element is blown, the balance should swing to the enemy soldiers, putting your valuable resources and life at risk (a la MGS1-3).

Right, in fairness I did forget the radios which is awesome, but a lot of that is just saying hiding behind a wall and waiting in different ways. I'm not saying MGS isn't a stealth game but not a stealth stealth game; which probably means nothing but unless you play on like european extreme alerts dont mean shit in MGS other than a score at the end.

like SC even on normal just getting caught is pretty much instant death as soon as your caught.

I just dont find hiding behind a wall (or under a box) as exciting as changing the map to be perfect to me (shooting out lights etc), disguising myself to get closer or to get through.

Throwing a poisonous snake at someone is rad as hell though.

edit: i think an easier way to say this is MGS is the stealth equivalent of burnout whereas SC/Hitman/Thief are more like uh... forza or something i dunno

 

[dapperbandit]

On the subject of racers, how does BritGAF feel about Driveclub?

There's a "51 facts" thread about it on Gaming side and some of it blew my mind and has me way more interested than I had been previously.

 

[Screaming Meat]

Right, in fairness I did forget the radios which is awesome, but a lot of that is just saying hiding behind a wall and waiting in different ways.

That's a bit of a reductionist view on it. I didn't list every possible thing you could do and there is a fuck ton more. The ideal is that you "ghost" an area, sure, but all stealth games offer the option of altering the world with varying degrees of subtlety to suit you. MGS isn't an exception, it's the rule, baby.

edit: i think an easier way to say this is MGS is the stealth equivalent of burnout whereas SC/Hitman/Thief are more like uh... forza or something i dunno

YOUSHUTYORMOUF

We should probably take this to an MG thread. I think we've dominated BritGAF quite long enough