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STEAM- Announcements & Updates 2011 Edition |OT2|
- Thread starter ClovingWestbrook
- Start date
- Status
Say what? How is this done?R1CHO said:
Grid is pretty good. Has a great visceral feel to it, for lack of a better word. In some ways better than Shift's. Some sim purists complain about the driving model but I found it fine.
edit: plus it has rewinds. All racing games need rewinds.
GhostRidah
Member
Cant judge the servers yet until there is another big sale or a big release, but I do hope they hold up with those speeds you listed.Mr Nash said:
DeepFriedMuppet
Neo Member
I know a lot of people have problems with Civ V and its lack of depth or something, but for someone like me who's a total Civ novice, and has always wanted to give it a go, it's probably a good entry point right? I mean, I feel like I could do with dumbed down and accessible, rather than anything too complex to start with.
Snuggler said:So I finally got around to playing my Steam copy of KOTOR. I managed to bump up the rez to 1080p and it's pretty damn nice. This is why I love PC gaming.
How did you manage to get the widescreen to work properly?
I've tried the patch, but the hud is always screwed up.
Even without a lot of Civ experience, you might get frustrated with some of the decisions that the AI makes. That said, you're correct in that it's probably a good entry point. The game is accessible and the UI is nice(r). The basic rules, abilities and effects are more clearly laid out than in previous versions--i.e., you don't necessarily have to read the manual to figure out a lot of basic things, although it is required for some clarification.DeepFriedMuppet said:
Xadhoom said:
Wow, Would have been nice if the game mentioned that at all. I don't even remember seeing that under the F1 help stuff, either. That might actually get me to head back and see if I can plow through it.
Ah, that reminds me of the other little quibble I had with the game: the crafting system. If I want to craft, say, three of something, then I've got to drag the two ingredients over to both slots and hit the craft button for every single item, which gets extremely tedious when you're trying to make multiples of something.
EA Steam keys can be activated on Origin.
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/21/ea-steam-keys-can-be-activated-on-origin/
http://www.pcgamer.com/2011/07/21/ea-steam-keys-can-be-activated-on-origin/
DeepFriedMuppet
Neo Member
Thanks to nexen and fallout.
I'm going to give Civ a go. For £10 I'm sure I'll at least get my money's worth, even if it doesn't turn out to be the all consuming game it is for other people.
I'm going to give Civ a go. For £10 I'm sure I'll at least get my money's worth, even if it doesn't turn out to be the all consuming game it is for other people.
anddo0 said:
I used the guide at the Widescreen Gaming Forum, just scroll down towards the bottom and you see the HUD fix section. It's pretty easy, you just download and extract a file.
http://widescreengamingforum.com/wiki/index.php/WSGF_Hacks_for_SW:KOTOR
I can confirm these work from Steam CD keys:Vastag said:
BFBC2
Burnout Paradise
C&C RA3
Maaaaybe Mirror's Edge - I can't remember if I used my steam CD key or a boxed copy.
These did not:
Mass Effect 1
C&C3
Need for Speed: SHIFT
Need for Speed: Undercover
Medal of Honor: Airborne
My boxed copies of
Saboteur
Mercs 2
Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2142
Spore
Crysis Maximum
also did not work on Origin
Customer service told me I could activate them with a picture of the cd key and a receipt. I talked them out of the receipt but then was too lazy to take pictures.Rodney McKay
Member
I was about to use my Dirt 3 code when I saw Civ 5 on sale.
Anyone want to trade Civ 5 for Dirt 3? I've been dieing to play Civ for a long time.
Anyone want to trade Civ 5 for Dirt 3? I've been dieing to play Civ for a long time.
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
Fallout 3 GOTY Edition
I finally wrapped up my 100% playthrough of Fallout 3 GOTY after starting back in May and I figured I'd do a Stump-esque write up because it's a good idea for this thread and because I know more than a few of you picked it up during sales and never got around to it.
Liked
There were quite a few things I enjoyed about the game, but my favorite aspect of it was the environment and exploration. The DC wasteland is absolutely massive and the sheer amount of detail put into it is incredible (there is a ton of unique architecture in the downtown ruins). Bethesda does a wonderful job setting things up for the player to stumble upon and it feels very rewarding when you discover and explore places such as the Dunwich building or the National Guard Depot. There is very little dead space in the wasteland and I never felt like I would have preferred a vehicle to walking when exploring new areas. Very few other open world games manage to match the wasteland's size and intricate detail so this counts for a lot.
Tied to the terrific exploration aspect of the game is how Bethesda conveys story through the environment. There are so many fine details that you pick up as you explore that tell you more about each location. The way the corpses are left, the things that people left behind, the way rooms are destroyed each details says something. Soaking in the atmosphere of each area is a real pleasure.
Another aspect of the game that I enjoyed was the combat. The weapons and gore were gratifying and VATS really upped the spectacle of it. I primarily used VATS in combat and relied very little on manual shooting so it didn't completely feel like a first person shooter. This approach was pretty fun with the crosshair turned off because it made the combat quite intense if I fucked up in VATS. My favorite weapons in the main game were the Railway Gun and the Scoped Magnums as both had great sound effects and lead to brutal results.
The final highlight of the game for me were *some* of the quests. Bethesda didn't hit it out of the park with all of the quests, but you'll know it when they did. Quests like Tranquility Lane, You Gotta Shoot 'Em In The Head, and The Superhuman Gambit all have terrific setups and satisfying payoffs. Oasis, Galaxy News Radio and a couple others make terrific use of unique environments too.
Disliked
Not all of the quests were great though and some feel really "paint by the numbers." Those!, The Nuka Cola Challenge, Big Trouble In Big Town, and even a couple from the main quest don't feel very inspired and don't take place in interesting settings. Some also suffered from poor payoffs.
The dialogue and voice acting are another rather large issue in the game. On average the writing isn't terrible and there are some great characters, but there were some serious lows at points. The voice acting didn't help the dialogue at all as Bethesda pulled an Oblivion and reused a couple of the same actors for about 85% of the characters in the game. It's really blatant at times and really disappointing.
Along with mediocre dialogue, the main plot is fairly uninspiring. I never really cared about any of the main characters as many of them are severely underdeveloped (yes, I talked with them as much as possible). I played the game as a Wasteland Jesus, but main quest never really made me feel inspired to being saving the place and helping humanity out. You encounter about 50 assholes for every one truly good person you meet.
The PIP Boy is easy to use, but the notes area gets crazy cluttered really fast. There is no way to organize notes and it made finding specific notes I wanted to reference pretty irritating. By the end of the game and all the DLC, you have an insane number of notes and finding a specific one is near impossible.
The last real issue I had with the game is that there are two types of environments of the game that start feeling really repetitious: the Vaults and the subways. I know it's hard to make either one feel unique due to the logic behind their creations, but I was losing interest in exploring those two types of areas by the end of the game.
Overall
If you like open world games, Fallout 3 is a must play. If you liked Bethesda's previous games, there is also a very good chance you will enjoy this as well. If you don't like either of those things and still bought it, push it down that back log and push it far.
Oh yeah, if you like min-maxing in RPGs, it's super easy here. I had all attributes at 10 and all skills at 90-100 (could have all at 100 if I found a couple more books) well before the main quest was over.
Operation: Anchorage Thoughts
I enjoyed Operation: Anchorage because it was just so different from the main game. The environments feel so different and it's heavy combat focus leads to a different sort of pacing. You aren't encouraged to explore and the quest line doesn't take very long (it ends before it can get boring). It's a fun little side story that gives you some excellent loot at the end.
Verdict: Play It
The Pitt Thoughts
The Pitt is solid. The atmosphere is really thick and there are some really neat vistas. There is an interesting story behind it and the decision at the end is definitely a tough one. Like Anchorage, it's not very long and there is some pretty good loot to be found. There is a fetch quest that is kinda ridiculous if you want all the bonus items, but I liked exploring the area and I found almost every item without touching a guide.
Verdict: Play It
Broken Steel Thoughts
I really didn't like Broken Steel. None of the three main quests felt all that exciting and the additional environments were fairly uninteresting. The story was a predictable continuation of the end of the game and it just didn't feel significant enough to warrant it's own DLC. There are some interesting ideas in the couple side quests it comes with, but those are quite short.
Verdict: Skip It
Point Lookout Thoughts
This was the best DLC by far. The atmosphere in the area is even better than that of the main game. It's a ton of fun to explore each area looks gorgeous. The Victorian mansions, the camps on the beach, the seaside storefronts, Bethesda really brought their A game to the area design and attention to detail. The side quests are top notch and the main quest is quite good as well, though I wish it would have made a bit more use of the whole cult thing.
Verdict: Absolute Must Play
Mothership Zeta
This DLC was such a waste of a great idea. While the sheer amount of art that went into the space ship is worth checking out, everything else pretty much fails. None of the characters are likable or well developed, the quest drags on for far to long and the combat gets really tedious because there is just so much of it. There are a couple of cool moments, but I was really bored by the end of it.
Verdict: Skip It
And here is a screenshot to make up for ALL DAT TEXT:
I finally wrapped up my 100% playthrough of Fallout 3 GOTY after starting back in May and I figured I'd do a Stump-esque write up because it's a good idea for this thread and because I know more than a few of you picked it up during sales and never got around to it.
Liked
There were quite a few things I enjoyed about the game, but my favorite aspect of it was the environment and exploration. The DC wasteland is absolutely massive and the sheer amount of detail put into it is incredible (there is a ton of unique architecture in the downtown ruins). Bethesda does a wonderful job setting things up for the player to stumble upon and it feels very rewarding when you discover and explore places such as the Dunwich building or the National Guard Depot. There is very little dead space in the wasteland and I never felt like I would have preferred a vehicle to walking when exploring new areas. Very few other open world games manage to match the wasteland's size and intricate detail so this counts for a lot.
Tied to the terrific exploration aspect of the game is how Bethesda conveys story through the environment. There are so many fine details that you pick up as you explore that tell you more about each location. The way the corpses are left, the things that people left behind, the way rooms are destroyed each details says something. Soaking in the atmosphere of each area is a real pleasure.
Another aspect of the game that I enjoyed was the combat. The weapons and gore were gratifying and VATS really upped the spectacle of it. I primarily used VATS in combat and relied very little on manual shooting so it didn't completely feel like a first person shooter. This approach was pretty fun with the crosshair turned off because it made the combat quite intense if I fucked up in VATS. My favorite weapons in the main game were the Railway Gun and the Scoped Magnums as both had great sound effects and lead to brutal results.
The final highlight of the game for me were *some* of the quests. Bethesda didn't hit it out of the park with all of the quests, but you'll know it when they did. Quests like Tranquility Lane, You Gotta Shoot 'Em In The Head, and The Superhuman Gambit all have terrific setups and satisfying payoffs. Oasis, Galaxy News Radio and a couple others make terrific use of unique environments too.
Disliked
Not all of the quests were great though and some feel really "paint by the numbers." Those!, The Nuka Cola Challenge, Big Trouble In Big Town, and even a couple from the main quest don't feel very inspired and don't take place in interesting settings. Some also suffered from poor payoffs.
The dialogue and voice acting are another rather large issue in the game. On average the writing isn't terrible and there are some great characters, but there were some serious lows at points. The voice acting didn't help the dialogue at all as Bethesda pulled an Oblivion and reused a couple of the same actors for about 85% of the characters in the game. It's really blatant at times and really disappointing.
Along with mediocre dialogue, the main plot is fairly uninspiring. I never really cared about any of the main characters as many of them are severely underdeveloped (yes, I talked with them as much as possible). I played the game as a Wasteland Jesus, but main quest never really made me feel inspired to being saving the place and helping humanity out. You encounter about 50 assholes for every one truly good person you meet.
The PIP Boy is easy to use, but the notes area gets crazy cluttered really fast. There is no way to organize notes and it made finding specific notes I wanted to reference pretty irritating. By the end of the game and all the DLC, you have an insane number of notes and finding a specific one is near impossible.
The last real issue I had with the game is that there are two types of environments of the game that start feeling really repetitious: the Vaults and the subways. I know it's hard to make either one feel unique due to the logic behind their creations, but I was losing interest in exploring those two types of areas by the end of the game.
Overall
If you like open world games, Fallout 3 is a must play. If you liked Bethesda's previous games, there is also a very good chance you will enjoy this as well. If you don't like either of those things and still bought it, push it down that back log and push it far.
Oh yeah, if you like min-maxing in RPGs, it's super easy here. I had all attributes at 10 and all skills at 90-100 (could have all at 100 if I found a couple more books) well before the main quest was over.
Operation: Anchorage Thoughts
I enjoyed Operation: Anchorage because it was just so different from the main game. The environments feel so different and it's heavy combat focus leads to a different sort of pacing. You aren't encouraged to explore and the quest line doesn't take very long (it ends before it can get boring). It's a fun little side story that gives you some excellent loot at the end.
Verdict: Play It
The Pitt Thoughts
The Pitt is solid. The atmosphere is really thick and there are some really neat vistas. There is an interesting story behind it and the decision at the end is definitely a tough one. Like Anchorage, it's not very long and there is some pretty good loot to be found. There is a fetch quest that is kinda ridiculous if you want all the bonus items, but I liked exploring the area and I found almost every item without touching a guide.
Verdict: Play It
Broken Steel Thoughts
I really didn't like Broken Steel. None of the three main quests felt all that exciting and the additional environments were fairly uninteresting. The story was a predictable continuation of the end of the game and it just didn't feel significant enough to warrant it's own DLC. There are some interesting ideas in the couple side quests it comes with, but those are quite short.
Verdict: Skip It
Point Lookout Thoughts
This was the best DLC by far. The atmosphere in the area is even better than that of the main game. It's a ton of fun to explore each area looks gorgeous. The Victorian mansions, the camps on the beach, the seaside storefronts, Bethesda really brought their A game to the area design and attention to detail. The side quests are top notch and the main quest is quite good as well, though I wish it would have made a bit more use of the whole cult thing.
Verdict: Absolute Must Play
Mothership Zeta
This DLC was such a waste of a great idea. While the sheer amount of art that went into the space ship is worth checking out, everything else pretty much fails. None of the characters are likable or well developed, the quest drags on for far to long and the combat gets really tedious because there is just so much of it. There are a couple of cool moments, but I was really bored by the end of it.
Verdict: Skip It
And here is a screenshot to make up for ALL DAT TEXT:
C_H_T said:
I've had my Steam bought version of ME2 activated on EADM/Origin for a while now. It's nice to have it on both platforms but kind of pointless at the end of the day. However, I guess I could see it being useful to try out new Origin features (other than obviously being a downloader). As a key can be used to essentially obtain two downloadable copies of the same game, what's to stop someone from giving their key to a friend?
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Thanks for your review. I already played FO3 but it's really great to see what people think!
I agree. Doing the sort of pseudo-platforming collection quest was really fun. I'm surprised this wasn't better received by others.
I totally agree, I have no idea how this was seen as such a good DLC. Other than the level cap rising and being able to continue in the world, I didn't actually like anything about the DLC's content itself.
Stallion Free said:
I agree. Doing the sort of pseudo-platforming collection quest was really fun. I'm surprised this wasn't better received by others.
I totally agree, I have no idea how this was seen as such a good DLC. Other than the level cap rising and being able to continue in the world, I didn't actually like anything about the DLC's content itself.
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
I enjoyed taking some time to write it up, it was nice working through my thoughts on the game. I definitely will do write ups in the future as I am quite productive with my back log in the summer lol.Stumpokapow said:
It's definitely a good direction to push this thread in as "what should I play in my back log" is such a common question and these kinds of write ups help people decide.
Joe Molotov
Member
Okay, confession time. I have a lot of games. Some of them I've barely even touched. So, along the lines of what Stallion Free's doing, I thought I'd take a random game everyday and play it for an hour or so, then post some impressions. And it's really going to be random. As in, I just created a list of all my games in Steam, ran it through a list randomizer, and now I'm going to play them in that order.
First up....Frozen Synapse. I know a lot of people have been hyping this one up, so I'm excited to take a crack at it. I'm not really the best strategic mind of all time though, so we'll see how it goes. I'll report back later.
BTW, here's what it gave me for my first 10 games.
1. Frozen Synapse
2. Bullet Candy
3. The Maw
4. Age of Wonders 2
5. Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
6. Capsized
7. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
8. Puzzle Kingdoms
9. John Deere: Drive Green
10. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
First up....Frozen Synapse. I know a lot of people have been hyping this one up, so I'm excited to take a crack at it. I'm not really the best strategic mind of all time though, so we'll see how it goes. I'll report back later.
BTW, here's what it gave me for my first 10 games.
1. Frozen Synapse
2. Bullet Candy
3. The Maw
4. Age of Wonders 2
5. Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition
6. Capsized
7. Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Island Thunder
8. Puzzle Kingdoms
9. John Deere: Drive Green
10. Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
I put 7 hours into one character on release and then 14 hours into another (did the same thing to FO3 on release too lol) so I have played a sizeable chunk of the game, but I do plan on starting over and staying focused on it as I did here. I'm taking a break in between the games though. I love Obsidian to death though so my bias in my eventual review is gonna be out in full force.Snuggler said:
I'm actually playing fallout 3 goty right now and I have to admit, having access to mods really takes the enjoyment of Broken Steel away. I guess I only really liked it because of the new perks and level cap raise, which doesn't mean much with mods. At least it has achievements I guess.
Completely agree on Point Lookout though. Having a pretty decently sized new land to explore was exciting and there were some pretty cool moments in the main quest.
As for Anchorage I'm not a huge fan of that. The quest was just ok but the loot you get at the end completely breaks the game if you went there right as you started the game. It's just too powerful for a good 10 levels.
My favorite part about these games though, besides exploration, is just the randomness of it all. I must have played this on 360 about 8 different times and when I got to that super market near the beginning of the game I found a dead chinese ghoul with a chinese pistol and ammo...that never happened that I can remember at least.
Then I was walking towards Arefu and as I crossed underneath a cliff a missile/bomb went across the air and exploded in the distance. Right after that a bunch of Alien Power Cells fell on top of and around me. Uhh...ok thanks game :lol
Completely agree on Point Lookout though. Having a pretty decently sized new land to explore was exciting and there were some pretty cool moments in the main quest.
As for Anchorage I'm not a huge fan of that. The quest was just ok but the loot you get at the end completely breaks the game if you went there right as you started the game. It's just too powerful for a good 10 levels.
My favorite part about these games though, besides exploration, is just the randomness of it all. I must have played this on 360 about 8 different times and when I got to that super market near the beginning of the game I found a dead chinese ghoul with a chinese pistol and ammo...that never happened that I can remember at least.
Then I was walking towards Arefu and as I crossed underneath a cliff a missile/bomb went across the air and exploded in the distance. Right after that a bunch of Alien Power Cells fell on top of and around me. Uhh...ok thanks game :lol
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
7 + 14Gvaz said:
*shakes head*
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Joe Molotov said:
The Maw is a splendid and pleasant little game. You'll get through it and the DLC in maybe 5 hours total. It's really got a lot of charm, and while the puzzles aren't super hard you will sometimes catch yourself forming a grin when you pull off the solution. The animations and characters are super cute.
I really like the progression from the first stage to the last one as well, and you'll know what I'm talking about when you get to it.
Stallion Free said:
Yah, I have found I really like having to sit down and think why I did or didn't like a game. It's actually been a new year resolution of mine to at least write up a brief paragraph about whatever media I am consuming whether it is movies, TV, books, or games. Now I'm just posting my gaming ones.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
This is nothing new to anyone, but this game is awesome. I like watching cooking reality shows, and a very common challenge to the contestants is to redo a classic dish (frank and beans, tuna casserole, etc.) in which they capture the elements that make the dish a classic but also put a new twist on it. GoL is Crystal Dynamics meeting that challenge with the Tomb Raider series. All the great things from Tomb Raider are here: exploring impossibly convoluted but great looking ancient cities, crypts, etc. Have environmental puzzles that are even more impossibly convoluted but still fun to figure out. Shoot dinosaurs with bazookas.
But there's plenty of new twists: its a dual stick isometric shooter that plays wonderfully, there's a loot system and challenges to get more loot/points for those that are so inclined but is also easily ignored for those that aren't, the entire game can be played in co-op. The puzzles change slightly to require the partners to work together in co-op compared to single player.
My favorite component of the game though was the pacing. This game is the example to point to when people complain they don't understand what game pacing is or should be. The pace is constantly changing up and keeping you interested. Right when I think I'm getting tired of shooting fire lizard after fire lizard I walk into a puzzle room and have to think through how I'm going to get this big ball onto the top of that pillar. After playing through a really open ended level where I'm collecting a bunch of keys I go into an extremely linear level where I'm just running away from a giant monster trying to eat me while I try to shoot down enemies on pillars to get a slightly better version of my shotgun. As soon as I am starting to think the game should probably start wrapping up soon, I'm fighting the last boss and watching the end cut scene. Fantastic.
None of the puzzles are all that tough, but at least for me they were hard enough that I still got the little rush of endorphins when I figured them out. I only have one minor complaint that did frustrate me at times and that was, for lack of a better word, the hit detection on a few environmental hazards. There are some tiles where spikes come out of the ground after you've walked on them, and sometimes they would kill me even though I felt I was clear. There are also some tiles where flames come out of the ground after walking on them, and I had the same experience with those. But this is a ridiculously small point that I only have here because I did get annoyed twice so felt it worth the mention, but overall the game is amazing, and if you haven't played yet, you really owe it to yourself to buy it. And if it's sitting in your backlog, move it up.
Edit: Heh, I kind of like this idea of Stallion's. Rather than scores or letter grades we should recommend games based on where we think they should fall in your backlog.
Edit 2: Oh, I forgot the best feature. Your co-op partner is Minsc. God I wish they would have had him say "Go for the eyes" or "Buttkicking for goodness" at least once. They kind of would have fit in with the game too.
Stallion Free
Cock Encumbered
The finale is such a treat.Stumpokapow said:
ROBOKITTYZILLA
Member
LovingSteam should update the OP with a list of games and links to all the detailed impressions and reviews posted in the thread.
Something like:
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Coopolon
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
Stallion Free
I wish you could post user reviews on Steam or at least rate games you own.
Something like:
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Coopolon
Fallout 3: Game of the Year Edition
Stallion Free
I wish you could post user reviews on Steam or at least rate games you own.
Princess Skittles
Prince's's 'Skittle's
You can write a recommendation.ROBOKITTYZILLA said:I wish you could post user reviews on Steam or at least rate games you own.
Stumpokapow
listen to the mad man
Princess Skittles said:
Unfortunately the character limit is not generous, so it's really more about "play dis game it good" than actually diving into the game's successes and failures. :/
Princess Skittles
Prince's's 'Skittle's
The character limit is decent enough and allows you to make some quick and concise points. People generally won't read a lengthy write up anyway.Stumpokapow said:
ROBOKITTYZILLA
Member
Princess Skittles said:
I wouldn't recommend a game I didn't enjoy but I would probably write up a review to explain why or to help friends and others avoid making the same mistake.
Joe Molotov
Member
Stumpokapow said:
I played it for about an hour once and I enjoyed it, but then it hard froze and I hadn't saved. I couldn't make myself go back to it after that, but that was like a year ago, I think I'm up for another run.
Of All Trades
Member
Agree on the backlog rating although I think it may have the unfortunate effect of promoting quick games that aren't as good as longer games. That said,
Splinter Cell: Conviction
I've played all of the previous games and while Double Agent was something of a departure from previous SC games this one was a big one. A lot of the wait-wait-wait-wait-MOVEMOVE-wait-MOVEMOVE gameplay is stripped out due to how stealth works (fairly similar) and the execution system where a hand-to-hand kill (no-kill playing seemed to not be possible?) allows you to tag and insta-kill multiple people at once. The story is also pretty different in tone and without giving too much away I suspect that the purpose of the game (at least at some point in development) was to act as a series break in case they wanted to make more SC games that don't necessarily involve Sam Fischer, as the end of the game points to a future plot that could probably cover a few games and at the same time could act as the end of Sam's story. Also I didn't play any multi and had no intention of doing so (for various reasons unrelated to the MP, as I really enjoyed the PT/CT multi modes).
All that said, while it's possible to be really negative towards the game if you're completely attached to the old games and are unwilling to play a game "for what it is and not what you want it to be" (which can be a valid complaint in some cases), I really enjoyed what was a pretty quick, extremely tightly paced game that lasted for about 6-7 hours and cost about ~$10. The reduction in the stealth mechanism's importance (although the game gives you weapon upgrade points for performing all sorts of tasks/methods of getting around, including beating levels without breaking stealth or reloading and most of them were pretty fun to try for) means that the game never stalls out at a particularly hard section; while I thought the CIA mission in the original(?) Splinter Cell was extremely satisfying it really slowed down at points when it turned into a puzzle game. The game does a great job of making you feel like a complete badass while relying almost entirely on a silenced pistol and an array of gadgets (other guns are available), and the integration of the story and objectives into the actual gameplay (there's also a lot of "cutscene turns into level" moments that I thought looked cool) pretty much keep the intensity at a high. And it worked great on my e8400/4850HD at 14x9 res and high details (once I upgraded my long-stale videocard drivers).
I'd have been pretty chuffed if I had paid $60 for it (although maybe I would have played multi or the co-op which is supposed to be really good) but I didn't, and I'm glad I finally got around to installing and beating it and don't feel that my time was wasted.
Liked: pacing, story was decent although a bit ridiculous, a few levels were really well done, maintains some of the better elements from previous SC games, reward-based achievements.
Disliked: Some levels were too linear, a couple sections had really annoying checkpoints (particularly one late-game section with invisible lasers coupled with non-precision movement), story felt incidental to the overall series, didn't "feel" like a SC game (not too much environment sneaking/hiding, huge focus on killing).
Splinter Cell: Conviction
I've played all of the previous games and while Double Agent was something of a departure from previous SC games this one was a big one. A lot of the wait-wait-wait-wait-MOVEMOVE-wait-MOVEMOVE gameplay is stripped out due to how stealth works (fairly similar) and the execution system where a hand-to-hand kill (no-kill playing seemed to not be possible?) allows you to tag and insta-kill multiple people at once. The story is also pretty different in tone and without giving too much away I suspect that the purpose of the game (at least at some point in development) was to act as a series break in case they wanted to make more SC games that don't necessarily involve Sam Fischer, as the end of the game points to a future plot that could probably cover a few games and at the same time could act as the end of Sam's story. Also I didn't play any multi and had no intention of doing so (for various reasons unrelated to the MP, as I really enjoyed the PT/CT multi modes).
All that said, while it's possible to be really negative towards the game if you're completely attached to the old games and are unwilling to play a game "for what it is and not what you want it to be" (which can be a valid complaint in some cases), I really enjoyed what was a pretty quick, extremely tightly paced game that lasted for about 6-7 hours and cost about ~$10. The reduction in the stealth mechanism's importance (although the game gives you weapon upgrade points for performing all sorts of tasks/methods of getting around, including beating levels without breaking stealth or reloading and most of them were pretty fun to try for) means that the game never stalls out at a particularly hard section; while I thought the CIA mission in the original(?) Splinter Cell was extremely satisfying it really slowed down at points when it turned into a puzzle game. The game does a great job of making you feel like a complete badass while relying almost entirely on a silenced pistol and an array of gadgets (other guns are available), and the integration of the story and objectives into the actual gameplay (there's also a lot of "cutscene turns into level" moments that I thought looked cool) pretty much keep the intensity at a high. And it worked great on my e8400/4850HD at 14x9 res and high details (once I upgraded my long-stale videocard drivers).
I'd have been pretty chuffed if I had paid $60 for it (although maybe I would have played multi or the co-op which is supposed to be really good) but I didn't, and I'm glad I finally got around to installing and beating it and don't feel that my time was wasted.
Liked: pacing, story was decent although a bit ridiculous, a few levels were really well done, maintains some of the better elements from previous SC games, reward-based achievements.
Disliked: Some levels were too linear, a couple sections had really annoying checkpoints (particularly one late-game section with invisible lasers coupled with non-precision movement), story felt incidental to the overall series, didn't "feel" like a SC game (not too much environment sneaking/hiding, huge focus on killing).
Nice writeup on Fallout 3, Stallion.
For me: I really liked Mothership Zeta. I really liked the art and while it did drag on too long there was so much new content that I didn't mind it. Helps that I like aliens.
I disliked Point Lookout lots. I went into there at the very top of the level cap (post Broken Steel) and everything I fought was a hyperactive bullet sponge. Unloading multiple clips of chinese ak-47 into the face of a hillybilly wearing a t-shirt only to be one or two shotted when he closed distance got old really fast.
The Pitt was my favorite by far. It was the only one that felt like a complete story. The moral greyness of it worked for me as well, even though I usually dislike purposeful ambiguity in these games.
The other two I'm ambivalent on. They were ok.
How are the add-ons to F3:NV? I bought them during the sale but have to start fresh so I'm not ready to tackle them yet.
For me: I really liked Mothership Zeta. I really liked the art and while it did drag on too long there was so much new content that I didn't mind it. Helps that I like aliens.
I disliked Point Lookout lots. I went into there at the very top of the level cap (post Broken Steel) and everything I fought was a hyperactive bullet sponge. Unloading multiple clips of chinese ak-47 into the face of a hillybilly wearing a t-shirt only to be one or two shotted when he closed distance got old really fast.
The Pitt was my favorite by far. It was the only one that felt like a complete story. The moral greyness of it worked for me as well, even though I usually dislike purposeful ambiguity in these games.
The other two I'm ambivalent on. They were ok.
How are the add-ons to F3:NV? I bought them during the sale but have to start fresh so I'm not ready to tackle them yet.
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