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Steam Holiday Sales 2013: DIE HARDER

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L

LuuKyK

Member
jaundicejuice said:
Tomb Raider 2013 straddles the same awkward gap that Hitman Absolution did and Thi4f likely will in that it's not inherently a bad game, it's also not a great entry in its own series. Tomb Raider 2013 feels weirdly out of place because Crystal Dynamics had been on the right track with Legend, Anniversary and Underworld and TR2013 kind of threw that all away. The story tries to convey how vulnerable and inexperienced Lara is, meanwhile you're murdering hundreds of dudes in the game almost from word go and surviving these ridiculous scripted sequences. She's fragile in the cinematics and superhuman in the game. The story also starts off trying to be relatively grounded but by the end it's all Big Trouble in Little China ridiculous. Initially you have to hunt for food/survival but that mechanic/interesting idea is tossed aside almost as quickly as it was introduced. It quickly becomes a means to farm for the dumb arbitrary experience bar system so you can unlock abilities and feel like you're progressing. It really felt like Uncharted with a different protagonist and a dumb experience system tacked on to it.

Worth 10$? Sure, I guess.
Click to expand...

Well honestly, its your typical adventure game. As I saw it, Lara, even if in proportions probably out of reality from mid-game on, was just responding to the harsh reality she found herself in. She starts hunting deers and the game does have things like food/fruit gathering to show a basic survival instinct. I mean, what else did you expect her to do? Starve to death? And yeah, she does fight and survive extremely crazy scripted sequences but I think thats fine if done for entertainment purposes like in the game case. It didn't ruin the immersion or anything for me to be honest. I guess thats subjective though, so I understand your point. In the end is not a marvel or something you simply cannot not play, but its definitely fun, well realized, solid, etc. That was enough for me.
 
Tizoc

Tizoc

Member
Managed to vote for the next community choice, my workshift ends in 20 minutes, 30 minutes til I get home. Hope there'll be deals that interest me by the time I wake up 8 hours later ZoZ
 
C

Caerith

Member
LuuKyK said:
Well honestly, its your typical adventure game. As I saw it, Lara, even if in proportions probably out of reality from mid-game on, was just responding to the harsh reality she found herself in. She starts hunting deers and the game does have things like food/fruit gathering to show a basic survival instinct. I mean, what else did you expect her to do? Starve to death? And yeah, she does fight and survive extremely crazy scripted sequences but I think thats fine if done for entertainment purposes like in the game case. It didn't ruin the immersion or anything for me to be honest. I guess thats subjective though, so I understand your point. In the end is not a marvel or something you simply cannot not play, but its definitely fun, well realized, solid, etc. That was enough for me.
Click to expand...
That may be, but it doesn't really fit the series it came from. Like, imagine if Super Mario 2014 has Mario and Luigi on an island somewhere where they have to fight off Somali pirates and hunt animals to make new suspenders and jump on things to fill up bars so they can jump on more things. It could be a great game, but what the fuck.
 
K

Kanokare

Member
So I won a game earlier here and it says

An error was encountered while processing your request:

This gift has already been redeemed.

What do? (And of course thanks for the giveaway :) Working or not )
 
R

Ruze789

Member
Wow I haven't looked at or thought about Jedi Knight DFII in ages, but I just had to click on it in the Community Vote to check it out. Looks awful, but my childhood really wants me to buy it for old times sake.
 
D

Dr.Acula

Banned
Luap said:
Interesting. I've never played any of those games so it's tough because I don't have any reference points. Why didn't you really like The Witcher 1 & 2?
Click to expand...

Same thing I didn't like about DAO, I found the plots to be very hard to follow and uninteresting. I really loved Mass Effect precisely because I was heavily invested in the plot. I think maybe the fantasy settings and all the fantasy tropes and names exist for me through other works, so it was easy to get confused, while Mass Effect created their own intergalactic races with unique traits. Run into a dwarf in any game, and you kinda get the same thing with the same kind of names, but in Mass Effect that have Volus (Space Dwarves) which have their own thing going on and they don't have to act or look like dwarves (They're just small, they're more like Star Trek Ferengi, but not really), so everything I learn about them and their role in the galaxy is fresh and it sticks with me.

I liked Skyrim just because it's sandbox. I understand Skyrim the least of all these games, but in that game the plot is crazily unimportant, it's something that just kind of "happens."

Witcher 2 especially, has two paths, and players are encouraged to play the other path after the game ends to gain further insight into the plot. If you like the plot of the Witcher, it's really amazing, and I know people who really love the Witcher and read the books and shit, but for me it just doesn't do it for whatever reason.
 
L

LuuKyK

Member
Caerith said:
That may be, but it doesn't really fit the series it came from. Like, imagine if Super Mario 2014 has Mario and Luigi on an island somewhere where they have to fight off Somali pirates and hunt animals to make new suspenders and jump on things to fill up bars so they can jump on more things. It could be a great game, but what the fuck.
Click to expand...

What a weird analogy. I fail to see how the game changed the franchise "tradition" so much. Its the same character, doing the same things. She is just younger and less experienced...

Aren't we going off topic with this discussion though?
 
R

rrs

Member
Kanokare said:
So I won a game earlier here and it says

An error was encountered while processing your request:

This gift has already been redeemed.

What do? (And of course thanks for the giveaway :) Working or not )
Click to expand...

Give it a bit, Steam is acting funny with gifts recently
 
A

Altazor

Member
jaundicejuice said:
Tomb Raider 2013 straddles the same awkward gap that Hitman Absolution did and Thi4f likely will in that it's not inherently a bad game, it's also not a great entry in its own series. Tomb Raider 2013 feels weirdly out of place because Crystal Dynamics had been on the right track with Legend, Anniversary and Underworld and TR2013 kind of threw that all away. The story tries to convey how vulnerable and inexperienced Lara is, meanwhile you're murdering hundreds of dudes in the game almost from word go and surviving these ridiculous scripted sequences. She's fragile in the cinematics and superhuman in the game. The story also starts off trying to be relatively grounded but by the end it's all Big Trouble in Little China ridiculous. Initially you have to hunt for food/survival but that mechanic/interesting idea is tossed aside almost as quickly as it was introduced. It quickly becomes a means to farm for the dumb arbitrary experience bar system so you can unlock abilities and feel like you're progressing. It really felt like Uncharted with a different protagonist and a dumb experience system tacked on to it.

Worth 10$? Sure, I guess.
Click to expand...

oh man, I really agree with you. I remember starting the game and playing for, like, half an hour and thinking "wow, looks like exploration and survival are going to play a big role in this game - hunting stuff, shielding myself from the weather, it seems like a gritty survivor thingie"

And then it became action cutscene after action cutscene and HOW MANY TIMES MUST LARA FALL FROM A GREAT HEIGHT AND NOT BREAK ANY BONE BEFORE THE GAME ENDS. It was a "bit" excessive. Lara should've died after the first hour of the game after all the shit that happens to her... constantly.
 
derExperte

derExperte

Member
Kanokare said:
So I won a game earlier here and it says

An error was encountered while processing your request:

This gift has already been redeemed.

What do? (And of course thanks for the giveaway :) Working or not )
Click to expand...

Check the URL.

The full code will look like https://store.steampowered.com/account/ackgift/A010G4A0EF24336F?redeemer=YOUREMAIL@gmail.com
Delete the question mark and everything after it in the PM to Modbot.
Click to expand...

So if the last part is there delete that and try it again.
 
F

FYC

Banned
Ruze789 said:
Wow I haven't looked at or thought about Jedi Knight DFII in ages, but I just had to click on it in the Community Vote to check it out. Looks awful, but my childhood really wants me to buy it for old times sake.
Click to expand...

Graphics haven't aged well, but it's easily one of the best Star Wars games.

I'm really glad I nabbed the Star Wars collection a while back when it was on sale.
 
K

Kanokare

Member
thecharrr said:
Give it a bit, Steam is acting funny with gifts recently
Click to expand...

Ohh. Thanks for the info :) I sent the giver a message as well just to check up. I never even knew the email option could work this way, pretty neat.

derExperte said:
Check the URL.



So if the last part is there delete that and try it again.
Click to expand...

There was no ? mark at the end or anything following it so the end looks like ackgift/ABCDEFG01232F

Edit - Got a response and they key didn't work because of a mistake. Got it working now. Thanks, tmespe!
 
Head of Vengarl

Head of Vengarl

Banned
Dr.Acula said:
Same thing I didn't like about DAO, I found the plots to be very hard to follow and uninteresting. I really loved Mass Effect precisely because I was heavily invested in the plot. I think maybe the fantasy settings and all the fantasy tropes and names exist for me through other works, so it was easy to get confused, while Mass Effect created their own intergalactic races with unique traits. Run into a dwarf in any game, and you kinda get the same thing with the same kind of names, but in Mass Effect that have Volus (Space Dwarves) which have their own thing going on and they don't have to act or look like dwarves (They're just small, they're more like Star Trek Ferengi, but not really), so everything I learn about them and their role in the galaxy is fresh and it sticks with me.

I liked Skyrim just because it's sandbox. I understand Skyrim the least of all these games, but in that game the plot is crazily unimportant, it's something that just kind of "happens."

Witcher 2 especially, has two paths, and players are encouraged to play the other path after the game ends to gain further insight into the plot. If you like the plot of the Witcher, it's really amazing, and I know people who really love the Witcher and read the books and shit, but for me it just doesn't do it for whatever reason.
Click to expand...

Thank you. This and some video reviews I just watched that explained that in order to follow the story you have to look at some journal and remember a bunch of names and shit, kinda turned me off from the game. It was a close call but I'm gonna skip DAO and TW2. Let's see what tomorrow's sales bring to the table.
 
P

Platy

Member
Rogue Legacy broke my "indie games must be at least 75% discounted at winter sale" rule
The fact that I already talked to the dude who made the sprites may or may not influenced my decision =P

Now all games must be "at least 50% discounted" =P

See ? 50% or more .... not that hard, TELLTALE >=O

*still bitter about Wolf Among Us*

Till now:

Divekick
Electronic Super Joy
Deponia
Legend of Dungeon
Rogue Legacy

Christmas Gift for friends :
3DMark Advanced

Neogaf Gift
Edge (thanks Salsa)
 
D

Dr.Acula

Banned
Altazor said:
oh man, I really agree with you. I remember starting the game and playing for, like, half an hour and thinking "wow, looks like exploration and survival are going to play a big role in this game - hunting stuff, shielding myself from the weather, it seems like a gritty survivor thingie"

And then it became action cutscene after action cutscene and HOW MANY TIMES MUST LARA FALL FROM A GREAT HEIGHT AND NOT BREAK ANY BONE BEFORE THE GAME ENDS. It was a "bit" excessive. Lara should've died after the first hour of the game after all the shit that happens to her... constantly.
Click to expand...

I found the new Tomb Raider to be Uncharted with less charm and more on rails. IT borrows a lot of mechanics from Batman as well (grappling hooks, "Detective" mode). I burned through TR in about two days and it was fine for what it was. It just felt way too streamlined, way too structured, and while it kept the pace up, the big "wow" events that act as the payoff frequently underwhelm.

Luap said:
Thank you. This and some video reviews I just watched that explained that in order to follow the story you have to look at some journal and remember a bunch of names and shit, kinda turned me off from the game. It was a close call but I'm gonna skip DAO and TW2. Let's see what tomorrow's sales bring to the table.
Click to expand...

Just so you know my opinion is unpopular, so don't blame me if it ends up as your game of the generation ;)

SUBZERO-08 said:
Hopefully Fallout 3 / New Vegas will go on sale. Been meaning to add those to my backlog.
Click to expand...

I also didn't like Fallout (lol). I was just such a huge Fallout 1&2 fan and I think S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is like the best game ever (and spiritual successor to Fallout), so Fallout 3 really underwhelmed me.
 
T

Turfster

Member
Platy said:
*still bitter about Wolf Among Us*
Click to expand...
To be fair, Wolf Among us is about a month old, instead of over half a year... and isn't complete anyway, so if you'd bought it, you'd be jonesing for the next episode until they finally released the last one =p
 
R

Ruze789

Member
Godofnerdiness said:
Graphics haven't aged well, but it's easily one of the best Star Wars games.

I'm really glad I nabbed the Star Wars collection a while back when it was on sale.
Click to expand...

Good to know, I'll keep that in mind! I put an absurd amount of time into that game when it came out, maybe I will buy and (never/backlog) play through it again.
 
S

Spring-Loaded

Member
Altazor said:
oh man, I really agree with you. I remember starting the game and playing for, like, half an hour and thinking "wow, looks like exploration and survival are going to play a big role in this game - hunting stuff, shielding myself from the weather, it seems like a gritty survivor thingie"

And then it became action cutscene after action cutscene and HOW MANY TIMES MUST LARA FALL FROM A GREAT HEIGHT AND NOT BREAK ANY BONE BEFORE THE GAME ENDS. It was a "bit" excessive. Lara should've died after the first hour of the game after all the shit that happens to her... constantly.
Click to expand...

Not to mention hunting, gathering, making camp or anything remotely related to survival are not at all central to the gameplay. There are a few very small/simple puzzles. At the game's core, it's a TPS with a bad combination of the following:

  • Braindead, suicidal enemies
  • Bullet-sponge enemies that barely/don't react to getting shot
  • waves of enemies pouring out of monster closets
  • regenerating health
  • static, cover-filled environments

Each of those aren't inherently bad, but when they all come together, it tends to create a really uninteresting type of combat. The bulk of the game consists of this. Tomb raiding, hunting, Etc. only nets you XP that you use to augment your killing abilities (or your ability to gain more XP).

Lara should've been stranded almost entirely on her own. the preview material very clearly painted this as a survival game, but it's actually shooter with a "stranded on an island" theme. There's nothing wrong with the latter, but it's clear someone in the development team wanted to make the former at some point.
 
O

Omega

Banned
Spring-Loaded said:
Not to mention hunting, gathering, making camp or anything remotely related to survival are not at all central to the gameplay. There are a few very small/simple puzzles. At the game's core, it's a TPS with a bad combination of the following:

  • Braindead, suicidal enemies
    [*]Bullet-sponge enemies that barely/don't react to getting shot
  • waves of enemies pouring out of monster closets
  • regenerating health
  • static, cover-filled environments

Each of those aren't inherently bad, but when they all come together, it tends to create a really uninteresting type of combat. The bulk of the game consists of this. Tomb raiding, hunting, Etc. only nets you XP that you use to augment your killing abilities (or your ability to gain more XP).

Lara should've been stranded almost entirely on her own. the preview material very clearly painted this as a survival game, but it's actually shooter with a "stranded on an island" theme. There's nothing wrong with the latter, but it's clear someone in the development team wanted to make the former at some point.
Click to expand...

bow > all

Only time I didn't use my bow was when you were forced to use something else like towards the end of the game when you're forced to use a weapon to blow up a stupid gas container to keep moving forward.

i hate shit like that in games.
 
R

Rickenslacker

Banned
Oreoleo said:
If you had to pick one between Rogue Legacy and Spelunky which would it be and why? :)
Click to expand...
Spelunky because it's an altogether better made game. Rogue Legacy is in essence a very simple Metroidvania (as in, akin to the actual Castlevania games of that type), it's fun for what it is but ends up being shallow in terms of progression being mostly grind-based. You'll complete the game once or twice, clock something like 20 hours and be done with it.

Spelunky is a lifestyle. There's no grind to speak of, it's a game of pure mechanical mastery and player ability. The danger is real, death is swift, and progress is lost at the slightest misstep, but it's never frustrating and almost always gets you wanting to start another run. You'll play the game; you'll die a lot; you'll die a lot; you'll beat it; you'll discover things that eluded you for a hundred hours; you'll play at least once a day for the daily leaderboards.

Spelunky is the choice.
 
A

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
Oreoleo said:
If you had to pick one between Rogue Legacy and Spelunky which would it be and why? :)
Click to expand...



Rogue Legacy is really good. For my opinion on Spelunky, consult the post below:

Archaix said:
Spelunky is the best game. You know games? This one is better than all of them. It has great precision platforming, replayability forever, and difficulty that tests both knowledge and skill. I've got just under 300 deaths on the PC version and recently made it just shy of the final final boss, only to die because I didn't know a certain enemy type was immune to stomping. I could literally see the door to the final boss in the hidden final levels. And I immediately started again with important new knowledge. You can't get by the difficult platforming sections based purely on muscle memory because the layouts constantly change, you instead need to learn the game. How far you can jump from a standstill or running, how that changes with items, how far you can fall without damage, the range and time delay on your whip, you need to get the mechanics down to succeed. You'll probably start out rushing into everything and dying thirty seconds into the game, then you'll take it ridiculously slow and be terrified of everything*, then you'll play at a speed somewhere between the two and amaze anybody still living in phase 2.

There's an endless amount of challenge, not only from the randomized layouts but also from hidden levels, secret items to find, and achievement-encouraged alternate ways of playing the game. There's an Achievement for finishing the game with $500,000 worth of treasure. There's also one for finishing the game with $0 worth of treasure, which is so very much harder to do than the high score. Speed runs are encouraged and also the sort of thing crazy people do.

Spelunky is good. Really, really good. If you've ever liked a platformer, try Spelunky.

*Dark Souls of platformers

edit: Oh, christ. And the soundtrack. That god damned soundtrack. Just buy the game so you can hear the most triumphant "WE'RE GOIN' ON AN ADVENTURE" title music of all time.
Click to expand...


So...yeah. Spelunky.
 
I

I H8 Memes

Member
LuuKyK said:
What a weird analogy. I fail to see how the game changed the franchise "tradition" so much. Its the same character, doing the same things. She is just younger and less experienced...

Aren't we going off topic with this discussion though?
Click to expand...

New Tomb Raider is nothing like the old Tomb Raiders. They completely flipped the gameplay around. Whereas in the old games the levels were the real enemy and occasionally shooting animals and armed enemies was a small side show to the main event the new Tomb Raider is all about shooting things with very rare and poorly designed environmental puzzles. There are plenty of games like that. Classic Tomb Raider was the only game that used the game world as antagonist though.
 
A

akira28

Member
So FarCry 2 is supposed to be this crazy awesome immersive sandbox jungle game, right? Like better than FarCry3 which is 'just a game'?

Thinking about pulling the cord on this one.
 
C

crazyrabbits

Banned
akira28 said:
So FarCry 2 is supposed to be this crazy awesome immersive sandbox jungle game, right? Like better than FarCry3 which is 'just a game'?

Thinking about pulling the cord on this one.
Click to expand...

If you can put up with the respawning enemy checkpoints and constant need for malaria medication, go for it. It's a real deal-breaker for some people.
 
A

Archaix

Drunky McMurder
akira28 said:
So FarCry 2 is supposed to be this crazy awesome immersive sandbox jungle game, right? Like better than FarCry3 which is 'just a game'?

Thinking about pulling the cord on this one.
Click to expand...


It's a weird game. A lot of people hate it. I really enjoyed it, and as a rule I hate FPS games. I'm sure there's a reason for those two facts.
 
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