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wow, the pop2 demo sucks

D

drohne

hyperbolically metafictive
played it on the new oxm disc. you know what it reminds me of? the bloodrayne 2 demo. affectedly "dark" visuals, flimsy combat, general ineptitude. except bloodrayne 2 has more platforming. :/ prince really has gone from a startlingly assured platform/puzzler to a makeweight action game.

i didn't think all the ANGST and GLOOM would bother me. but it's really overbearing, and it's really dismal, and it really does bother me. and the prince now speaks in an american accent! looks like they've removed every obstacle to commercial success! thanks, focus groups! even if the gameplay is there, i can't see myself enjoying it as i did the first. i wanted to give pop2 the benefit of the doubt. i've argued on its behalf. i mean, i'm no nintendo fan: i don't want games to validate my beliefs, i just want them to be fun. the pop2 demo is no fun. :(
 
D

Drinky Crow

Banned
I had the exact same feeling. Whee, flimsy hyperactive button-mashing battles. Oh boy, loads of scripted action sequences set to BEIGE. I really liked POP1 -- it was like Tomb Raider, minus all the suck. Like you said, this is just BloodRayne 2, with all the suck intact plus a bloom filter.
 
R

Ranger X

Member
drohne said:
i didn't think all the ANGST and GLOOM would bother me. but it's really overbearing, and it's really dismal, and it really does bother me. and the prince now speaks in an american accent! looks like they've removed every obstacle to commercial success! thanks, focus groups! even if the gameplay is there, i can't...:(
Click to expand...

You lost points there. Bad looks = bad game?
 
I

I Work For UbiSoft

Banned
The demo is from E3... Its like the sot demo last year.

But the final game is light years ahead of its demo and it has platforming. Also the Demo is to highlight the fighting engine as it was the worst part of SOT....
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
Don't skip PoP2 just yet. I felt exactly the same as you after the demo (the ship level, right?). It gets MUCH better. You realize just why the Prince is such a bitch now and there is a LOT of platforming later on, which is often even better than PoP1.

And the ship level is VERY underwhelming graphically. Later levels outclass almost everything, they look like Ico but much more detailed. I'm playing the PS2 version and there's not even slowdown...
 
R

Ranger X

Member
SiegfriedFM said:
Don't skip PoP2 just yet. I felt exactly the same as you after the demo (the ship level, right?). It gets MUCH better. You realize just why the Prince is such a bitch now and there is a LOT of platforming later on, which is often even better than PoP1.

And the ship level is VERY underwhelming graphically. Later levels outclass almost everything, they look like Ico but much more detailed. I'm playing the PS2 version and there's not even slowdown...
Click to expand...

I believe this news.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
What does the OXM demo consist of? Does it mirror the content of the PC demo (pirate ship + underground area)?

I seriously hope that Siegfried is right on this one...
 
D

drohne

hyperbolically metafictive
the oxm demo entails the ship level, a brief dungeon section, and a fight with that big ogre thing. i won't cancel my preorder, but the demo makes me very apprehensive. it's good to hear that the full game retains the original's platforming. that's what i really care about. but i still don't like the new style. the franchise has gone from somewhere distinct and original to somewhere very ordinary. that's never good.
 
I

I Work For UbiSoft

Banned
oh ok cool Siegfried... Yeah I would personally have given SOT a 8.0... But that's just me.

Would just give us a small hint if it is an AAA game like 90+ or just a 80 to 90 range game?
 
M

Matlock

Banned
Ah, finally a contrast to my "POP2 > POP" thread. ;)

So, uh, what bugs are you talking about...other than seeing that beast get stuck in the corner and not be able to be hurt/fight?
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
PS2 demo was the same and if the game had been like that I would have given it 6/10 or so.

The ship level is the very first level in the game, so unfortunately a lot of people will have to play through that part in stores to see what makes the game good. I expect that many will just give up on it.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Note to console developers:

Stop releasing shitty demos.

h, finally a contrast to my "POP2 > POP" thread. ;)

So, uh, what bugs are you talking about...other than seeing that beast get stuck in the corner and not be able to be hurt/fight?
Click to expand...

Contrast? Heh, maybe in title only. But I think the actual thread went into a diluge of hate like this one. :D

The demo does suck. Sucks big time too. Don't release a crappy demo and then come back and see "OHHH BUT THE FINAL VERSION IS SO MUCH BETTER".
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
I'll just say one more thing: the chase scenes with Dahaka (the guardian of time) are VERY well made. Totally believable, like a cross between Tyrant, a Nazgul and a few La Blue Girl tentacle demons. You'll WANT to run away and if you don't, you'll be dead dead dead.
 
D

dark10x

Digital Foundry pixel pusher
SiegfriedFM said:
PS2 demo was the same and if the game had been like that I would have given it 6/10 or so.

The ship level is the very first level in the game, so unfortunately a lot of people will have to play through that part in stores to see what makes the game good. I expect that many will just give up on it.
Click to expand...

I dunno, the ship isn't that bad UNLESS you are looking for another Sands of Time. I was very disappointed by it simply due to the fact that it totally failed to provide more of what I was looking for. However, I can see casual players being impressed by it...

The ship looked visually good on the PC, though. The shader-like effects used on the deck to simulate wetness was very impressive. I do not like the dreary atmosphere presented, though...
 
Randam_Hajile

Randam_Hajile

Member
The demo just made me really sad. I loved the charm, wit, and adventure feel of SoT and now it's totally gone. I feel WW is a decent action game, but it's not Prince of Persia. It's dark, brooding, and just feels so unlike everything that made the first game so great. I think I swallowed my stomach when I heard the opening song. By the time the Prince said "Bitch", I just rolled my eyes.

I'm not sure if I'll buy it or not.
 
M

Mrbob

Member
Randam_Hajile said:
The demo just made me really sad. I loved the charm, wit, and adventure feel of SoT and now it's totally gone. I feel WW is a decent action game, but it's not Prince of Persia. It's dark, brooding, and just feels so unlike everything that made the first game so great. I think I swallowed my stomach when I heard the opening song. By the time the Prince said "Bitch", I just rolled my eyes.

I'm not sure if I'll buy it or not.
Click to expand...


Supposedly the demo isn't a good representation of the final product. Then I ask: Why release a demo at all?
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
Deepthroat: I did not. One of my editors did.

And Randam: That's exactly how I felt, it gets better. At least he doesn't talk much so it won't bother you :)
 
L

LukeSmith

Member
The demo of SoT in last year's OXM was junk, too. The game turned out pretty well. We'll see how this is Nov. 30th (if you want to pay $50) or Dec 17 (if you want to pay $20).
 
X

Xellos

Member
I agree, the demo is horrible. The battle system is still not very good, despite the faster pace and added combos.

The PoP series has always been about paltforming. If there's good platforming in this game then that's what should have been on this demo. Last year's demo was way, way better than this crap.

By the time the Prince said "Bitch", I just rolled my eyes.
Click to expand...

I completely agree. This whole "dark" angle to Warrior Within seems very forced and out of character for the series. The cursing was gratuitous and did not fit with the character. The Prince's gruff, american accent didn't help either.
 
L

Lord Error

Insane For Sony
Later levels outclass almost everything, they look like Ico but much more detailed
Click to expand...
Really? I though the first game had Ico-like look, but the second one is really quite different. I like the new look, btw, but I think it's just very, very different from Ico. Much darker and more browny.
 
C

ced

Member
I want one of you guys to assure me the respawning endless battles are gone. I cant even get myself to play through SoT again because of those.

Im not really that upset about its change in art direction, it still keeps a top notch atmosphere, just completely opposite of SoT.

The change in VA does suck though. I loved the narration in SoT, one of the few games where the VA is good, and implemented well.
 
S

SiegfriedFM

Member
No respawn battles. A few times one or two badguys appear from out of nowhere, but usually you can see everyone. Oh, and you're usually free to run away if you know where to go.

It's only in the very beginning that it's dark (down in the dungeons and so). Later you get outside and it's really bright, lots of bloom effects, lots of vegetation. Prince is like a black smudge on the screen :)
 
E

Elios83

Member
Siegfried,developers claimed they had pushed the PS2 an other 25% over the first POP.Do you actually see the difference and in what?
Thanks :)
 
S

SKluck

Banned
I haven't preordered because I'm hoping someone has a buy POP2, get POP1 free thing going on. I rented, beat, and loved the first.
 
Randam_Hajile

Randam_Hajile

Member
Yeah, I'm probably still gonna buy the game. I just really hope you're right, Sieg. I WAS enjoying some of the gameplay, so I hope the game gets better.
 
S

siamesedreamer

Banned
I just played the same OXM demo and the one thing that pissed me off the most in PoP1 is back - when you get knocked down you have to jump right back up in the same spot and you're open to getting drilled again. That was my only complaint in the first one. I don't understand why they didn't incorporate some kind of roll to the side ala Zelda. Its literally infuriating.
 
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SiegfriedFM

Member
I roll away all the time after being knocked down. Only time it doesn't work is when certain enemies pin me to the ground when I try to jump over them.
 
M

Mr_Furious

Member
It's times like this that makes you wonder why companies even bother releasing demos. It's not like it can ever be accurately tracked how much additional sales demos provide. There's too many negatives vs a marginally small positive that gives me the opinion, demos do more damage than good.

Case in point: Look at all of the bitching of shitty demos on this forum where the final product turned out much better.
 
E

evilromero

Member
The fighting was the worst part of SOT. Why would they want to emphasize that? If they completely dropped the combat aspect and focused on the puzzle/adventure angle I'd be perfectly happy with that.
 
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