Got woken up by this news as I stupidly didn't switch my phone to do not disturb last night. Surprisingly it was the only email I got throughout the course of the night.
As a seasoned veteran of many a UbiJank games I can honestly say none of their microtransactions other than the Unity Companion App Premium feature break the balance of their games as they've been grindy as fuck for ages. What is shocking is how most publishers will always peddle the reasoning 'but this is for players who don't have the time to spend unlocking everything' and then charge them through the fucking nose for the 'privileged' of getting the content in the game already but at an extra cost. When Battlefield had the Easy Unlock pack for BFBC2 and they actually started selling in silly numbers (well I guess 1 purchase would class as silly in my eyes) then you can see why they've stuck around. In a single player game where it's not giving anyone an advantage over my experience I couldn't give a toss to the wind if a publisher wants to fleece people of money if they're happy to pay for them just as long as my experience isn't crippled to offer that option (waves to MGSV and Dead Space 3) but in muliplayer games almost everything as a paid extra in a full price game is pretty much taking liberties.
For me it will be bullshit when they stand between me and game. As long as they don't have impact on game it is fine. If people want to spend more money on game without reason it is their decision.
Is it nice to hear that AAA game has microtransactions? No. Is it an issue? Yes if it is mandatory.
It's a silly thought but a thought all the same.
Seeing as how SF5 has the initial roster, and then unlockables in the future, they decided to change things around to mess with expectations.
It's almost impossible though. Since there is only 1 classic character, 1 character you haven't seen in a while and 2 new characters left to announce. They'll maybe be DLC but no way they are both in at launch.
It's a silly thought but a thought all the same.
Seeing as how SF5 has the initial roster, and then unlockables in the future, they decided to change things around to mess with expectations.
It's almost impossible though. Since there is only 1 classic character, 1 character you haven't seen in a while and 2 new characters left to announce. They'll maybe be DLC but no way they are both in at launch.
How do you mean mess with expectations? Almost the entire cast was completely expected.
Ok, so after 67 hours...I'm done with the story bits of MGS5. I'll try and spoiler what I can, but you've been warned. This might be long post.
Things I Liked :
Gameplay - The in-mission gameplay is top notch. I didn't find much jank and Boss controls pretty well. Enemy AI was pretty solid, adjusting tactics throughout the game (helmets, shields, etc.). Combat was quite satisfying throughout, though I mainly played stealth and only dabbled in heavy combat when the game forced me to. The different buddies were unique and helpful their own way, tailoring to different styles. Except D-Horse, he was kind of useless.
I liked being able to call in supply drops and air raids and stuff, though the iDroid/Ocelot stuff became a little grating ("Map has been updated", "The enemy sniper"....).
I enjoyed the Mother Base stuff, but I wish there was a bit more to do other than go back and shower. It was cool watching the base expand, but really no reason to explore. Most of my time spent in game was mostly for recruiting purposes, choosing stealth/lethal based on stats. Something about that feels wrong....
Customization - I enjoyed the customization interface on MGS4 better, but I'm glad they kept this in on 5. I liked being able to tailor and paint weapons to my liking. Every custom weapon was pink camo, because it was hilarious.
Neutral Things :
FOB - I participated in not a damn FOB mission. I was never Invaded and don't think I expanded the FOB at all. It's a feature I'd prefer to not have in the game, but fortunately it didn't impact anything.
Tapes - I liked Codec's better because they are a bit more visual, but I actually didn't mind having everything on tapes. Gave me flexibility to listen to only what I wanted to and still move around. Some drag on for quite a bit of time and I hate how enemy broadcasts overwrite the subtitles, but overall no real impact.
Things I Disliked :
Oh boy
Story - Let's get this out of the way. Holy shit. It was bad. The plot twist was clever, but actually made me not want to play the game anymore. I guess The Phantom Pain refers to the
pain when you realize you're playing the game as a phantom
. It's clear the game was rushed as shit as Chapter 2 is a complete cluster fuck compared to 1. It's not really that they didn't wrap up the story bits, it's that there really wasn't anything to wrap up. It felt like nothing really happened and then they through in the Truth mission out of nowhere to just end things. Really awful direction from a story standpoint.
I really didn't like the episodic nature they tried to do, it made the game feel disjointed and prevented scenes from flowing (helicopter shitstorm scene -> ACC to redeploy -> helicopter crash scene). Complete immersion breaker.
The nature of the 'episodes' seemed more in line with a sitcom where there is a larger very loose arc, but each episode is compartmentalized vaguely covering the arc. I was hoping for more something in line with The Wire. Where each episode moved you forward towards a goal. ...I still don't know what the 'end goal' of this story was. Things just kind of happened. I think Episode 51 would have helped massively, but the story was still a mess.
Intro/Outro - Why was this a good idea? You're basically spoiling any reveals of the current mission by telling me who's going to be in it. "Oh, Man on Fire and Gunship in this mission? Cool". Just bad and really unnecessary. Just like the "To Be Continued" nonsense that showed up 3 times.
Timers/Microtransactions - We all know Microtransactions suck, so not much to touch on there. The timers in this game do nothing but gate progression. 8 hour in-game timer? fuck you. And then limiting how many things you can develop? Ugh.
Unable to 100% Stealth - I've bitched here before, but it's annoying that the game forces you to go lethal on roughly 3 'climax' missions. The game doesn't tell you this, forcing you to retreat to the ACC to develop or redeploy some more aggressive weapons. Unfortunately, only 2 missions let you retreat. To get through 45, I had to restart the mission and individually supply drop Armor, rocket launcher, grenade launcher, and grenade pistol. Even then, only got through by calling in Air Support constantly.
Unfortunately, the negatives out way the positives for me. I enjoy MGS games for the convoluted stories, but this was a bit different lacking flow and a real overall story arc. Just based on Game play? It'd be high on my GOTY list but overall I was quite disappointed with the package we received as the Final Kojima MGS game.
I still got my money's worth out of it, but the bad taste is still lingering.
I used to have to re authenticate Steam Guard when my ISP would switch my IP around to Iceland (yeah don't ask) but not if it was from the same country.
Origin on the other hand constantly tells me I'm logged in on a difference device when it happens though.
It'll be interesting to see, since it seems like 2 new SFV characters on lock. So that would mean only 1 more veteran character. If they're still even following that. I'm just glad people can't talk like we know the list 100% now.
It's a silly thought but a thought all the same.
Seeing as how SF5 has the initial roster, and then unlockables in the future, they decided to change things around to mess with expectations.
In Minecraft: Story Mode, playing as either a male or female hero named 'Jesse,' you’ll embark on a perilous adventure across the Overworld, through the Nether, to the End, and beyond. You and your friends revere the legendary Order of the Stone: Warrior, Redstone Engineer, Griefer, and Architect; slayers of the Ender Dragon. While at EnderCon in hopes of meeting Gabriel the Warrior, Jesse’s friends discover that something is wrong… something dreadful. Terror is unleashed, and you must set out on a quest to find The Order of the Stone if you are to save your world from oblivion.
We will get that only when Robert Bowling leaves HIB. Bundles got lame when he joined HIB. And if he couldn't manage his own studio he can't manage bundles XD
I think fellow SteamGaffer Thezez bought a Steam key for BLOPS1 (thanks bernardo!) and it turned out that Mac version does not give Windows version as well - as a freak exception.
I know, not much to do with the question but it ought to be important info when buying.
I think fellow SteamGaffer Thezez bought a Steam key for BLOPS2 and it turned out that Mac version does not give Windows version as well - as a freak exception.
I know, not much to do with the question but it ought to be important info when buying.
I'm still optimistic about an Assassin's Creed bundle coming soon. Very soon.
Never played any visual novels, was living a happy life. Accidentally played SC2VN (a short VN about eSports). It was pretty good, but now half of my queue is otome novels in rosy pastel colors...
Were going to be playing with the 'iconic' World Warriors with our great grandkids. Every time I see another one of them revealed for SFV my hype goes down another notch.
Were going to be playing with the 'iconic' World Warriors with our great grandkids. Every time I see another one of them revealed for SFV my hype goes down another notch.
Never played any visual novels, was living a happy life. Accidentally played SC2VN (a short VN about eSports). It was pretty good, but now half of my queue is otome novels in rosy pastel colors...
I think fellow SteamGaffer Thezez bought a Steam key for BLOPS2 and it turned out that Mac version does not give Windows version as well - as a freak exception.
I know, not much to do with the question but it ought to be important info when buying.
I'm still optimistic about an Assassin's Creed bundle coming soon. Very soon.
It's worth noting that every other CoD game with a mac version has Steam Play so yeah, the Mac version for Black Ops is one weird anomaly. Thanks for mentioning that though.
Assassin's Creed bundle eh? Wouldn't say no to it, haven't played any of the games after Revelations.
Were going to be playing with the 'iconic' World Warriors with our great grandkids. Every time I see another one of them revealed for SFV my hype goes down another notch.
If there is an AC bundle, you'll at least get ACIII as a steam key, considering humble sells steam key versions of it already, if that's any consolation
They have generated steam keys for ACIV before but that was only because of the Unity Seasons Pass offer. I don't think they'll do so again, especially for ACIV.
The first AC will be DRM free.
Other than those, everything else would likely be Uplay unfortunately.
Ha! Nvidia want £150 for the 16gb Shield TV and £220 for the 500gb version. Sure it's a pretty hefty device and their game streaming service offers something none of the other streaming boxes do but it's close to 3 times the bloody cost of the competition plus game streaming comes with a monthly fee that will easily add up.
Never played any visual novels, was living a happy life. Accidentally played SC2VN (a short VN about eSports). It was pretty good, but now half of my queue is otome novels in rosy pastel colors...
welcome to the dark side, be sure to play/read Narcissu as it's free and really good, but most importantly buy Higurashi and Long Live the Queen, to see what VNs really can be if people try.
welcome to the dark side, be sure to play/read Narcissu as it's free and really good, but most importantly buy Higurashi and Long Live the Queen, to see what VNs really can be if people try.
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