So its my birthday (not why im posting) and i have a good friend who works quality assurance at sega... He knows that i like shenmue etc etc.. And he has just sent me a birthday message saying that he is currently looking for sailors... Lets just say that I know him well enough to know what that could mean :)

also, i just finished Nier. Good ending revelation... Although i Thought the character could have been more philosophically shocked and inquisitive.. An idea such as that has the potential for a full blown charlie kaufman movie... A well earned 7/10

^
Damn, Ezio could have saved alot of money on parachutes if he just learned to flap his arms.

Well aware of its problems, as usual, but I did manage to get it out by Halloween, so that's at least one goal reached.
It's basically just an adaptation, in a way, of my old text review for the same game. Had to change some things of course (and I kind of wish I would have been a little more thorough), but eh, new video's a new video.
My power was out for about 26 hours thanks to the hurricane, but luckily it came back on in time for me to quickly finish this and get it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CZKATGDtPE

I'm mostly just proud of the intro (everything before I start talking). You wouldn't know it, but there was a LOT of careful editing work that went in to all that. Transparencies, layers, speed adjustments, sound alterations... that sucker took a helluva lot of trial-and-error tweaking.

EDIT: Oh, and since I had to record the game using some slightly odd methods (hooking the PS3 up to an HDMI converter, converter outputting S-video to my capture device, capture device to the computer), the original footage of the game came out with a slight reddish hue, so I had to do tweaking on every single clip to fix that. Because of that, the footage looks slightly less vibrant than the actual game does. During the purplish and reddish-looking stages, in-game they actually "pop" a bit more than is evident in this video.
Just something to note. The colors aren't quite as "dulled" in-game.

So I'm curious about this AC: Ezio Trilogy that's apparently being released for PS3.
http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Creed-Ezio-Trilogy-Playstation-3/dp/B009GZX49Y/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1352098921&sr=8-9&keywords=assassin%27s+creed+revelations
Everything I look up on it says that AC2 includes "all downloadable content," but doesn't specify whether it's on the disc or just a voucher.
If it's on the disc, I may just have to get it.
Ah, who'm I kidding. I might get it anyway just to look pretty on my shelf.

EDIT: And Japan seems to be getting an even better collection:
http://www.ubisoft.co.jp/ac3/eziosaga/index.html
http://oi46.tinypic.com/6i9miu.jpg
All three games, a six-disc complete soundtrack, and the full AC Encyclopedia.
Damn Japanese. Even with games made in the west, they still get the cooler LE's and swag.

I touched on the issue in the Halo thread but it comes down to people just trying to consume and not actually getting into games for the fun of it.

For a new IP in its first month I'm sure they are happy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Kf3oBu7MRY[/youtube]

Febuary 1st Disc Release in Europe

http://www.tecmokoei-europe.com/news/?id=39399

No news for a North America release yet. Probably be digital only which sucks.

Awww yeaaa

Played it. Its NT's best game, but compared to DMC 3 its Ninja Gaiden 3.

All of the aesthetics are obnoxious.

Gameplay wise they do make it look 60, but thats part of the jankiness of the dropped inputs. This instantly becomes obvious when trying to cancel.

New Dante is that obnoxious guy that hits dislike on a kitten video on youtube and then tells the uploader to kill themselves. If the game were called sothing else, I'd still never be able to get past how annoying he is.

He makes me want to open mouth kiss Kratos.

So I had to get a different custom poster company to print my chosen Assassin's Creed image, but it turned out really nice. It was this one:

http://oi49.tinypic.com/34g57vp.jpg

Kind of a local company, so it got to me pretty quick.
I've got a few more images lined up to get made too. Fun stuff.

Sorry Kenny, but you aren't sounding too good in this.

First, you don't really know anything about the game or really series. If you want to have fun thats cool, if you have fun with this game thats cool. Thing is We (people who actually like DMC) got shafted. Its not blind hate that everything people were predicting months back all came true, and to say theres nothing wrong with how it plays really nails down the fact that you don't know why people play DMC. Hey I don't necessarily expect you to, but you need to realize there is a reason and it sure as hell isn't in this new game.

As for liking or disliking the content, why are people who dislike it fanboys? Their explaination of why they hate it isn't any less valid then you saying "Well i have an opinion and I like it". If you're gunna pull the "free thinking" card play it wisely. Right now you're no better then someone who says "Dante's hair is teh worst" because you're saying "dante's hair is teh best" dosen't have any more of an explanation.

at the end of the day people who like the core mechanic behind DMC (btw DMC 2 isn't an abomination, fans poke fun at it but just about all of us would take 2 over DMC) got shafted.

Seeing 2 people say they wont buy a game because of an achievement...

Ezio has been the best developed character in the series thus far.The setting for ACII was simply astonishing,beautiful in every aspect.

Cant remember the last racing game to have a good OST? But yeah the DJ thing was cool in MSR[Hey Sega another game you should think about a HD port]

And if I may I'd like to add a category to this list

2012's 2011 GOTY:

:lol:
Nice. I like that. 2011 games that we first played in 2012, right?

2012's 2011 GOTY : Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine.

Surprised the hell out of me how much I loved it. Didn't expect it would be so good, even despite having played the demo.

2012's 2011 GOTY: The Witcher 2, I had the game the whole time but actually played it this year after the enhanced update and fell in love with the witcher universe all over again.

Well different kind of hard.

Basically dark souls is a game where dying only has meaning so long as you're trying not to die. Once you stop caring and use it as an asset, you're better off. The game doesn't explain, like anything, properly, so like what a given status effect does you'll just have to figure out by y'know getting one (or avoiding plague like the...well plague). Other then that, you're looking at tests of patience, like enemies that can only be hurt with ranged weapons despite the fact that melee weapons do more damage to everything leading up to em. Hiding useful items behind a boss, or throwing enemies that are way too strong for you directly in between you and your goals. Theres a certain flow, or rhythm to it, and once you get used to slaughtering rats and banking arrows for souls and suicide running for items and intel the game can't really piss you off anymore.

Its easier to get good at Dark souls then like Ninja Gaiden Black or something reflex related.

Also, did MGS 5 just get announced?

Leaving players in the dark (heheheh geddit?) is what the series does well, no need to really change that, I think in terms of accessibility he might just mean making it alittle easier to pick or making it so you get shops faster/easier.

found it funny that people asked for a WiiU version like the day it got announced, wonder which I'll get if that happens.

But that argument just kind of calls to point the fact that the reboot wasn't really necessary.

If "sales" was the reason then why is that when 4 brought the series to its series high they decided "this has to change"

To me its not like "Hao kuld dey do dat" but its just kind of meh, like I saw a gif where Dante was naked and there was nothing but pizza covering his crotch.

Its funny, the first thing NT did was criticize DMC, but they've gone out of their way to say "see this is the same" and have thrown in some really juvenile jokes. I'm almost expecting to see a two girls one cup reference.

It just seems like every time i try to find something that will get me to play the game, they show something that just turns me off.

Okay, so that's where that goes. Just started getting there last night. I actually just killed the demon with dual clubs (the one with two dogs around whe you fight him) and opened the door into the lower depths. He was hard as hell when I first went to him several hours ago, but I spent so much time improving the weapon I've been using (a black knight's sword) that last night I killed the bastard in three hits. :lol:
I guess wandering into the "wrong" areas was kind of a good thing. Already picked up a ghost-killing blade while in the Londo Ruins; I bought the seal which opens the door in the Darkroot Garden and traveled so far in there that I already met (but didn't beat, despite putting up a good fight) the wolf with the giant sword in its mouth, and picked up the Eastern Armor while around there.
And best of all: I killed the dragon on the bridge.
Without resorting to arrows.
Now that was satisfying. :D
I'm officially addicted. Should be picking up the Demon's Souls LE today if all goes well.

One more thing I found freaky as hell for some reason: when I was up past that door in the Darkroot Garden, I found a cliff where I could look down and see the Hydra in the lake below. Now, the Hydra is a creepy enough sight to begin with. But after I got done staring, I turned and moved around the cliff to a totally different area near a small bridge, and when I turned to look at the Hydra again, despite me being at least a mile up and away from him... he had turned and was facing my direction. :shock:
Probably just some kind of a graphical technique to help keep such a large creature so far away rendered in full, but it worked really well to creep me out, once again adding to my feelings on this basically being survival horror. I loved that.

It's funny, with this game more than any other I've played, I get this urge to post about almost every little thing I've done, as I do it.
It's probably just an effect of how satisfying everything feels when you accomplish something in the game.

Out of curiosity, have you finished the game Tuffty?

BioShock Infinite ending "like nothing you've experienced in a video game before"
[url]
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-12-18-levine-bioshock-infinite-ending-like-nothing-youve-experienced-in-a-video-game-before[/url]

I'm looking foward to this game, but in my humble opinion overhyping can only backfire

I'll probably look into the story as you're saying, but I'm trying to generally avoid the online Souls fanbase as much as possible.
I know they're probably nothing to go on, but based on youtube comments on different Dark Souls videos, Dark Souls fans seem to be snobby as hell.

Either way, yeah, the sense of scale is pretty incredible. It took me awhile before I started realizing that places in the distance were ones I'd been to before. The backgrounds all looked too nice, I thought they were just sort of "static" backgrounds to make everything look bigger. But then I got to that cliff where I could see the Hydra far down below, and it just blew me away.
Kind of funny that the game is mostly all corridors, but it's still got that Elder Scrolls-style sense of "see it in the distance? You can go there."
It's not quite to that extent, but it's really cool nonetheless.

Just wanted to chime in and say I am fifty hours into this game myself, currently up to Anor Londo and Smough and Ornstein is the hardest boss encounter I've come across in both games yet (and I am playing Demon's Souls & Dark Souls for the first time alongside one another). Incredibly challenging (especially when you beat one of them and the other inhabits the abilities of the other AND your Estus Flasks aren't useable).

@OL: The Hydra is surprisingly easy once you have leveled up your Defenses enough, all you have to do is go through Darkroot Basin and run up to the Hydra, block, wait for it to hit you with all of the heads, then dash to one of the heads, strike it, rinse and repeat until all of the heads are gone and the beast is dead. Well done on beating the Capra Demon though, that bastard is tough! (I was actually lucky enough to beat him on the first try, I kept using the stairs trick, didn't look it up online or anything, I just let him fall down after me and hit him once or twice then legged it to the top of the stairs and repeated that process over and over). And yup, the fanbase can be really pretentious, but I've luckily come across some nice other players when I've played it online who have helped me along the way (especially in the sewers, damn that area is tough).

Definitely going to play through From Software's back catalogue when I am through the Souls games. They seem to be the masters of atmosphere. I suppose people have heard that Dark Souls II is going to make the game "more accessible", the original creator of the Souls series (Miyazaki) isn't directing it and is instead directing a new game of some sort (new King's Field? New IP?) I'm not too worried, I trust From Software enough.

I love how the game is littered with Berserk references throughout too.

About to play Shenmue 1!!!!!!
Its been 2 years!
And im going to play it all in Japanese with the ntscj

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3I_HQ75w6c[/youtube]

Shibuya:
That’s right. I think part of the allure is the “sense of adventure.” I really want to convey the feeling of advancing one step at a time and groping your way forward.
That's exactly the kind of thing I'm loving so much about the game so far.
Seems like the sequel is in good hands.

And just as a side-note: Gwynevere is the greatest gaming character ever created.
And yes, I equipped the binoculars the first time I met her.

So what did everyone get then?

http://image1.superdry.com/static/images/products/upload635605489962799576.jpg
http://www.ark.co.uk/prodimg/Superdry_Navy_Eagles_Tee1_1_408.jpg
http://image1.superdry.com/static/images/products/upload2357671007344993542.jpg
http://application.denofgeek.com/pics/interviews/tim.vine06.jpg
http://www.wnblog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/going-to-sea-in-a-sieve-danny-baker.jpg
http://jeffkatz.typepad.com/.a/6a0120a721c2d7970b0133f145d295970b-800wi

Also got some vouchers and should get some stuff tomorrow.

My 6 year old self would be shaking his head if he see I was happy with just getting clothes and books.

Just beat it last night.
Gwyn was intimidating as hell the first few tries, but then I started using the same tactic I did against electric-Smough: using the environment to impede his movement. I got by the little grouping of rocks near the entrance and just started strafing around it, keeping them between me and Gwyn. Some of his hits would connect with my shield, but most would miss since he presses himself up against the rocks so hard. Then, when he inevitably tries his grab me at some point (the only time he ever really slows down) I'd lay a single good smack on him with my weapon (a fully-upgraded Dragon Tooth, so it takes some pretty good health out of him). Rinse and repeat.
Seemed almost impossible for me to beat without that tactic. Looked up strategies on gamefaqs after I beat him, and no one seemed to mention the same thing. As accomplished as I felt after beating him to begin with, the fact that I used a strategy that no one else was mentioning made me feel even more accomplished. :D
I do have to say though, the ending was pretty disappointing. I was expecting at least a little more. A flythrough of Lordran to show what happens to it afterward would have been nice. Something like that. But no, it just... ends.
Still pretty excited to play Demon's Souls though. And to see what comes of Dark Souls 2.
This game really took me by surprise. I didn't expect to love it so much. And even further, it actually invigorated an interest in medieval fantasy for me. Previously I was never really all that interested in the standard dragons, swords, & sorcery stuff. Nothing against it, I just never felt very compelled by it. Dark Souls pretty much single-handedly changed that.

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.