Lightning Is On A Mission For God In Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

http://www.siliconera.com/2013/01/03/li ... tasy-xiii/

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKZSqd5Y8nA[/youtube]

Over breakfast.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7P_990Fb5g[/youtube]

Just beat Demon's Souls. What a wild ride that was. The King Alant fight at the end of the Boletarian Palace stage was the bitch to end all bitches. Unlike the boss of Dark Souls, it just takes place in a big, empty room, so there was nowhere that I could get behind to act as "cover". Had to get really good at dodging, and had to completely change my usual equipment load so that I'd be light enough to roll properly.
The ending to the game was much, much better than in Dark Souls though. I actually understood what was going on. Kind of an important factor. And the Old One was just surreal enough to creep me the hell out.

Having played them both, I think I like Dark Souls more, but both games had their obvious advantages.
Demon's Souls had, in my eyes, the better implementation of a story and a slightly better personality to it (which counts for a lot ). And that King Alant fight was a definite highlight for me (best one-on-one, human vs. human fight in the series so far, for my money)
Dark Souls had the better visual design and music, though, and made all the right tweaks to the areas of leveling up and equipment modifying.
Dark Souls 2 can't come out soon enough. I haven't felt this satisfied with pure RPG character development in a long time.

Great article on The Walking Dead game

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2013- ... rd-choices

Don't read unless you have finished it.

Funny thing is, they've pretty much done that very thing in the past. I remember in Maximum Carnage on the Genesis and SNES, the end of the first stage actually dictates that Spider-Man get his ass kicked, all for the progression of the story. So no matter how well you play, there's no way to actually win at that part.
I feel like I've seen it elsewhere too, probably during the 16-bit era again, but I can't remember where exactly.

To be fair in Ezio's case though, he was a total ruffian before donning the hood. He was a playboy, sure, but he was also essentially the leader of a street gang, which would likely give him at least some experience in combat (not to mention his father being an Assassin himself, so you never know if he maybe had some amount of fencing practice in the past). Plus it's understood that, in the case of Ezio and Connor both, their actions during gameplay are being controlled by Desmond, so naturally they'll come across as being more skilled than they likely would have been if the story were strictly about them.
And in Far Cry 3, if you've ever read anything from the writer, it's intended in kind of an artsy-fartsy way that the player is actually a "character" in the game, and that they're the main reason why combat comes so naturally to Jason.

Still, those are all just excuses. I agree that if a story is about someone's beginnings, there should be some failings along the way. It's only natural. The gameplay should jibe with the character.

So all then reviewers who have said it still plays like DMC are telling lies? The people who have it and saying it feels like DMC but has more platforming are telling Lies?

Yes. Or are having a mass attack of confusion. I played the same game they did, and I can give examples of why its very different, in all the reviews I've read people keep saying "Its the same" and when asked why, never give an answer.

I saw one review call it a love letter to fans.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCJUNSjKahA

suuuuuuure love letter.

More deflection. I can't do this I can't do that the reviews got it right, I've asked the question over and over.

Can you tell me why its the same?

If you can't, then is it? If no one can tell me why its the same, then is it? and if thats the case aren't they lying or confused? Isn't this maybe a bunch of people getting hyped up by reviews that were bought? How is it ignorant? Aren't I giving examples?

Theres stuff in the reviews that makes no sense, for example in the IGN review the writer brings up that the camera is a big issue, but then says that the game has no real issues. But if the camera was a big enough problem to actually mention, why dismiss it, wy not go into detail why you didn't like it? Aren't the people who will be possibly buying the game going to want to know about that issue?

It reminds me of when people danced around the fact that Assassin's Creed 3 had a long start. Reviewers deal in hype, they aren't providing meaningful deconstructions of the games and questioning if people would be paying full price for them, they're fulfilling an agenda.

Theres a certain irony that the people buying the game are falling into the metaphorical trap featured in the game's story.

So all then reviewers who have said it still plays like DMC are telling lies? The people who have it and saying it feels like DMC but has more platforming are telling Lies?

I think it's more a matter of most reviewers not actually being big fans of the series they're talking about. We've had discussions on it before, but I think it bears repeating that many reviewers just kind of fell into their positions, not from being a lifelong fanatics for videogames, but through being writers first and foremost, and needing to find a job to fit that skillset.
It's kind of like someone who majored in broadcasting falling into a job on a tabloid-style TV show. They don't actually care so much about the subject matter, but the job still fits their qualifications, so they find themselves hyping up Brad and Angelina's trip to MacDonald's like it's some kind of major event regardless. "Videogame journalism" is very much the same way.

Looking at it completely from the outside, looking only at videos and and making a more shallow comparison, sure, DmC looks like it plays like the old games. I haven't bothered with it in the least, so I don't know much about it myself, but I'll take the views of someone like Segata over a horde of "videogame journalists" any day, especially considering that he looks at games not just from the outside, but at a technical and mechanical level as well.
It's likely a case very much like Ninja Gaiden 3 (only worse, because of the aesthetic changes), where it looks like the same style of action, but many of the fundamentals are changed around and thus the feel of it is very different.
That doesn't mean that it can't be a fun game, but established fans of the series will still spot the differences and likely be unhappy with them.

Being a content creator to films or music or games. You know there is always vocal bunches. Some very nasty but they often take the approach to not let it get to them and hope thier work does the talking. That's what JJ Abrams did when so many were against his take on Star Trek at first. Then they saw it and most loved it. He never said yeah well the star trek you like sucks and mine is better. That is exactly what NT has done. Told us Dante isn;t cool but a joke and mine is period.

If you want a creepy, "oh shit, I'm going to die" intro to a boss fight:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjEb646Bjsc[/youtube]

Thanks guys, I think I'll go ahead and get Dark Souls. I suppose if I really love Dark Souls I can go and check out Demon's Souls some time down the road anyway.

So all the technical stuff about DMC that I didn't like isn't really that big a deal. I've ore or less learned to live with it, but this game is really not DMC and believe it or not it has little do do with the inputs or framerate.

It has to do with the angel/devil weapons, auto-lock and how the two affect the camera and flow. The game wasn't designed with large battles in mind. Its very much focused on the 1 on 1 but since they realized DMC does have a group element to it they just kind of throw enemies at you without really thinking of why.

Think of it like this, If you place three close range enemies, and two long range enemies, the idea is the close range enemies will be a constant pressure, while the slow attacking ranged enemies lob attacks at you that are fairly easy to dodge. If given a free lockon the player can look at one of the ranged enemies and dodge its attacks while fighting off the three enemies in front of them. They can also attack freely when it comes to range. They can place a special attack between two enemies in order to hit them both. Basically this whole dynamic is gone from DMC. The game itself is really forgiving and easier, which makes this work anyway but the depth of choice is combat is gone.

So far, while i do enjoy playing it (I have to mute or walk away anytime theres a cutscene though, the story so far has been nauseating) I can't help but miss the way DMC actually plays. Its good, and worth playing, easily ninja Theory's best game in terms of gameplay (Enslaved is the best in terms of story) but its not really a great action game, and specifically not a very good DMC.

I'll likely buy it on PC once it gets a price drop.

I actually didn't mind the invisible paths at all. There's enough of a visual cue for you to get by them if you go slowly. And once you figure them out, you realize they're practically a straight line anyway.

Far more frustrating in my eyes was the Tomb of Giants, or Cave of Giants, or whatever it was called. Not hard once you actually get the lantern, but before that? You can't see further than two feet in front of you! It's insane for an area that has so many bottomless pits and long falls. That place was the epitome of trial and error, and if you die... it's alllll the way back to the catacombs bonfire for you.
And in terms of Demon's Souls, the most frustrating part for me was the Flamelurker boss battle. I may have just been under-leveled or something, but he was a toughie. The fact that he actually gets more aggressive as he takes more damage just made it retardedly difficult.

Oh, and here's my character from Demon's Souls. Hard to actually make someone good-looking in these games (the pre-sets are all ugly as sin), so I think I did a pretty good job.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VRDU-kKOqI

Congratulations!

But there is one last thing you must do. Abruptly cut off all contact with her soon. When you surprise her, pretend you're desperate; you've lost your job, your left eye, the use of your right arm, and say you're homeless too, body and clothes filthy with soot and dirt (stop shaving now, by the way). Say you need money and a place to stay for a little while. At this very point, kneel and offer her a ring handmade with wire or something to make sure she really loves you for who you are inside. If she says yes, then give her the real ring, and reveal your ruse. If she says no, then she will have revealed her ruse.

just looking for some tips, maybe some ideas to polish the plan up a little.

Plans are shit.
I don't mean yours in particular. I just mean in general.
When it comes to this kind of thing, I found that the right moment is far more important. You can plan the right place, the right speech, the right situation... but in the end, none of it is actually "right" because it's all being "scripted," so to speak.

The right moment , however, is something you don't know is coming until it actually hits. But ultimately, it's worth a helluva lot more than any plan.
My advice would just be to spend time with her, do things you both enjoy, and relax. Just let the moment come when you aren't thinking of anything else in the world but the two of you. You get a big goofy smile on your face because it all simply feels right.
And then you know the moment's hit.

Of course, I could just be spouting nonsense.
I've only done it once after all.

http://thetrendguys.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/The-Walking-Dead-Video-Game.jpg
Mario 64, Final Fantasy VII, Goldeneye and Halo are just some of the games that left a mark on the industry and will be remembered for what they brought to gaming. In 10 years time it’s very likely that we will be talking about The Walking Dead in a similar fashion. The game is very flawed in certain aspects but what it does well it does better than any game has done before it.

The game opens with your character Lee sat in the back of a police car on his way to prison for murder. From here you’re just given some time to learn the controls and the conversation system. From just this first conversation you’re able to see that what you do and say will effect what happens in the future. It doesn’t take long for the ride along to get interrupted by the zombie apocalypse and you’re thrown into the action.

http://guides.gamepressure.com/thewalkingdead/gfx/gallery/large/Screenshots/twd2.jpg
Hi I'm Johnny Knoxville and this is getting bitten by a zombie

Gameplay is the weakest part of The Walking Dead and it seems that Telltale realised this after the first episode. They tried to add puzzles like they have done in their past games such as Back to the Future and Sam & Max, Telltale which is made up mainly of old Lucasarts employees have always tried to stay true to their adventure game roots. Sadly when you’re stuck in a room surrounded by zombies looking for a key to a door or batteries for a radio it feels rather tedious rather than rewarding and takes away the tension of split second thinking that a game like this should have.

The good thing is that Telltale saw this fault and soon switched their focus onto the selling part of the series. The Walking Dead which before being a game has been a very big series in both print and TV form has always been about the characters. The zombies are just part of the environment and their only purpose is to help you realise that there is no relaxing. With it being a time where many complaints are thrown at developers for there being to many zombie games it’s refreshing. By the end of The Walking Dead you won’t feel like you have just simply played another zombie game but more a game about life and relationships.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Walking-Dead-Ep-4.jpg
Hardly One Direction but they will do

The game essentially plays out like a 10-12 hour version of the Normandy sections of Mass Effect 2 where you would just interact with your crew which was arguably one of the best parts of the game. In a time where there is no TV to occupy your time and all you have is the company of others who are helping you get by you will want to learn as much as you can about them. Just like people in real life they will leave a first impression which will very much shape how you treat them. Depending on how you respond to questions you’re asked you will shape how the other characters view Lee. It doesn’t take long for you to pick your favourites in the group and start deciding who you will save over the other should the situation arise.

This is where the game excels. You aren’t meant to like everyone but you come to appreciate them as a character in the story. One of the reasons for the excellent story telling is that Telltale handed the script writing duties over to Gary Whitta who wrote the film The Book of Eli. In years to come The Walking Dead will be remembered for being the game that pushed the fact that brilliant script writing is an important factor for some games and shouldn’t just be handed to anyone.

Since a lot of thought went into how the game plays out no one will feel like they have got a ‘bad ending’ but more your own. You will be faced with some very very tough decisions that will shape how your game will play out. These happen as soon as 30 minutes into the game. None of the choices have a wrong or right answer and are just simply down to what you personally feel is best morally or what you feel is the best method to aid your survival.

http://www.bennylingbling.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/WalkingDead101-2012-09-10-18-18-08-73.jpg
No talking to strangers doesn't apply in an apocalypse

One thing will be the biggest decider in most of your decision making and that is a young girl named Clementine. You find Clementine alone in a tree house with no adult in sight and you take in upon yourself to look after her. It’s very easy for a child character in any TV series or game to become nothing more than an annoyance but this is handled brilliantly. The way us humans bond with children is by being a teacher to them which is what you become to Clementine, just like any child in real life Clem needs to be taught how and why to do things. Over time you build a strong relationship with her which does become the biggest decider of your decisions. I found myself choosing to do stuff that wouldn’t benefit my character but what would benefit her the most. By the end of the game you will feel you have had an effect on this character like you would on a child in real life. For these reasons Clementine will always been in the argument when it comes to best NPC in a video game.

The Walking Dead ends up being a game that has some big flaws which are massively overshadowed by the fantastic parts of the game. Even those that aren’t blown away by the game will be able to admit the impact the game will have on storytelling in the future for videogames. This is a game that rightfully deserves to be in conversations for a 2012 game of the year award but I will personally be placing it high on my top games of all time.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3FIviB90Ih8[/youtube]

I'm not going to shit on a game I haven't played yet. I still plan to play it, actually. But it wasn't just the direction they took the series in that I didn't care for (much preferred the gothic horror vibe to whatever mish mash this was going for). I didn't like the the character of Dante from the trailers in the new one, he just looked like an asshole, there was simply...nothing that stood out to me that made me want to play the game, even watching all of the trailers and trying to look past all of the shit being flung at it. And if your main character isn't likeable after you've "revised" him (and hey, I know Devil May Cry isn't Shakespeare, but the original Dante was likeable) then you're going to have to do something interesting to reel me in. And it didn't do anything to grab me.

At least that's why I didn't buy it, not because I had a personal vendetta against it or anything, it was just an "eh" looking game overall.

Well then, they did a bad job at marketing the game to me.

Here's my theory what the next Metal Gear will have:

Slavery, human trafficking and finally army camps where children are turned into dead eyed soldiers for the local guerilla forces to fight (remember those kids locked away in the cages in the first trailer).

Keep in mind that Big Boss was extremely guilty of the latter two when he went "mad", so there's a good chance this will be the game where we see his "downfall" into insanity. Which would explain that crazy dream-like trailer where he's in a hospital. Kojima's obviously going to be making a darker, more psychological Metal Gear. Which is neat. Hopefully a return to form.

Not just "some" story elements. Even the un-numbered ones are full-on sequels. Jump from AC2 to AC3 and absolutely nothing in the overarching story will make sense to you. It'd literally be like jumping from A New Hope to Return of the Jedi without paying any attention to Empire.

And I don't mind a constant stream of new titles, myself. To this point, I actually can't say they've been milking it by any means. Each console entry has been great, moving the story along properly and attempting to polish the gameplay further.
I mean, would we have complained if Shenmue actually got all of its chapters released on a steady basis over the course of 5-10 games, just because it ends up being a large amount of games?
If you like Assassin's Creed at all, then the sheer amount of content they've created for the series ought to be seen as a blessing, not a detriment.
As long as it's continuously good, I don't mind at all.

Are there any shameful secrets you have

talking about shameful secrets, i put your sig image into google, are you a member of http://forum.jphip.com/ :lol:

Hater Detected
http://i.imgur.com/lQUNcUa.gif

Being a fan of Hello!Project is noble. Certainly nothing to be ashamed of.

I have an account there too

^Feel exactly the same way. Easily my favourite Metal Gear this gen (alongside AC!D 2).

The last boss battle is absolutely the best final boss battle this gen, in that he's actually a challenge and his dialogue is just great. I am so looking forward to the DLC for Sam and Bladewolf.

"You know what? Fuck this war, I just want to see you dead!"

"Hahaha, this is the best fight of my life!"

My favourite:
"I have a dream! Where every man is free to think and act for himself. Fuck all these limp-dick lawyers and chicken-shit bureaucrats!" Fuck this 24/7 internet spew of trivia and celebrity bullshit! Fuck "American pride!" Fuck the media! Fuck all of it"

"America is diseased. Rotten to core. There's no saving it. We need to pull it out by the roots. Wipe the slate clean. Burn IT DOWN!"

"Don't fuck with this Senator!"

Tuffty wrote:

"If America's gone to shit, then you're just another maggot in the pile."

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMeqlyORegg[/youtube]

TMNT!

HYPEHYPEHYPEHYPEHYPEHYPEHYPEHYPE

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTik6sYT_BE[/youtube]

This is exactly why a score at the end of a review will always be justifiable. Yeah, yeah, I know people like to bash people who just skip straight to the score and don't bother with the writing, but sometimes one does not wish to read the writing, and Bioshock infinite in exactly one such time.

Yeah. The last tomb i did simply required me to put 3 gas cans on a metal seesaw [which looked out of place in a acient tomb] to hold my weight so i could run and jump.
The puzzle was basically getting the 3 cans off their shelves.

If I'm not mistaken one of the resident evil games also required one.

This whole thing is bullshit, I think everyone wants to try it and the reaction to it isn't over the top. People don't really understand what the problem is, i mean people don't see the issue with a lot of things but this one specifically it seems like no one gets how many different ways this is going to hurt everyone.

I agree with you, I think it could be done well but....let's be honest, games don't really do a great job telling origin stories. There's that disconnect between narrative and gameplay that you see in games like AC3, Tomb Raider or the new DmC where logically, the character you are playing as shouldn't be this all powerful badass from the beginning but they are.

Don't get me wrong, I think it'll be a solid game, but I wouldn't hold my breath about showing off a more inexperienced Batman because the liklehood is you'll be able to fight bad guys just as flawlessly like you have done in the previous two games.

That's a really interesting thought. To be able to play a disadvantaged character who is KIND OF good only to get better and better as the game progresses. For that to make more sense, they would have to be time lapses. Otherwise it'd be weird for Bats to not able to do a leapfrog at first then three gameplay hours later he's hopping around like a rabbit on speed.

I think it works better for Supernatural characters.

Priceless

But MS don't need dicks like this who has since switched the account to private

http://images.eurogamer.net/2013/articles/1/5/6/9/6/6/7/136514995488.jpg/EG11/resize/600x-1/quality/91



Speaking of which, he is no longer with microsoft.

pwnt

http://i.imgur.com/XlJj6wE.gif

Dreams do come true.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLoMmueIQ6c[/youtube]

Eh, I don't know that that's really a reference or not. Seems a little too vague. Could very easily be coincidence, and even then it isn't that close.
No closer than the similarity I posted not too long ago between the poster for Destiny and a movie poster in the game Dead to Rights: Retribution. Just a similar look, not actually a reference.

People need to stop blaming others before knowing what happened, and it was not the Saudi student. Someone attacked that guy because he was doing something "suspicious" like you know, running from a god damn explosion. The New York Post is not reliable news, they're just a tabloid that is full of dimwit racist morons, as the guy was not ever a suspect at all. NYP just makes up shit and they're run by News Corp. So, Fox News, and Rupert Murdoch, reliable? No.

But if you'd bother to research you'd know that already, in fact you could have known it right after you read it if you were paying attention because not even an hour after the report the Boston Police said it wasn't true and they didn't know where NYP were getting their info. Again, the guy was tackled for being foreign and running from an explosion at an international marathon, and was then questioned. He could have had his life ruined because of some racist idiot.

Here's a story about that http://bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/04/15/perfect-day-turns-evil/W7KQHq1NWFqukte3VQ14DJ/story.html

Not only that, here is a lot of updates that were posted as new information came that quickly shot down the NYP idicoy.

Update #1
Update #2
Update #3
Update #4

And fuck that guy that blamed Muslims. It's just despicable and disheartening. Speculation and placing blame on others before knowing the details is dumb and it gets innocent people hurt.

So it turns out all these conspiracy theories were derived from completely out of context, over analyzed "facts" that put the blame on innocent civilians while the "savage" people (who are of eastern-european descent) are on the run, shooting out the police, and wrecking havok.

Yeah. Sounds like a legit False flag. The government is totally behind all this 100%.

The one on the right looks like he would be your wealthy rival in some anime-style dating sim.