General gaming discussion

pixelburp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118283456#Comment_118283456

Apparently the game even has lore & an ongoing story within it too?

Retr0gamer

I can't imagine the storyline can be anything more complex than what a child would come up with while playing with a box of random toys.

'thano is about to click his fingers but then with the help of John wick spiderman snatches the infinity gauntlet away gives it to Michael Jordan how passes it to sonic the hedgehog who goes so fast he opens a worm hole to season 3's island set in the world of the NFL soundtracked by Ariana grande and then...'

The Raging Bile Duct

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118283657#Comment_118283657

Still makes more sense than any of the Japanese RPGs I've tried to play.

CastorTroy

I remember the reveal trailer. Didn't it actually have a story back then?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GSfjeYVpkQ

And did Spider-Man steal Ms. Marvel's emblem?

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118283862#Comment_118283862

...

SuperBowserWorld

Yup. Video games and story lines ....

Definitely a medium where the technology has driven the story. Mario is the same story each time with different technology. Except the 2d Mario's, which have the same story and tech since 1984 😀

RobbingBandit

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118268198#Comment_118268198

Funnier still if you shop in one of their stores the staff WiFi is protected CEX and the customer WiFi is unprotected CEX.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284081#Comment_118284081

Any time I hear someone say that a videogame story is good they need to follow it up with 'for a videogame' because I can count on two hands that amount of games with good well written stories.

As for the people that say they play videogames for their storytelling, my condolences.

RobbingBandit

Breath of the wild was different for me the first time I plated it I was losing my sight due to an ongoing health scare from March 2017 until July 2017 I played through struggling with the sacred beasts and the precision trials in the shrines but very much enjoying as much of the game as I could finally selling my switch at the end of July as the eyes just gave up after surgeries and some other treatment I was able to see again and re-bought a switch in January 2019.

I still haven't beaten the damn beasts and still due to the eye issues I will always have now can't see or focus on a TV screen the switch is my console of choice Breath of the Wild has so much to do in it beating the beasts isn't overly necessary to enjoy the game doing a speed Runton Hyrule Castle with 3 hearts is my proudest moment playing the game but as I found out in the inner sanctum ganon can not be beaten if the beasts haven't been.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284081#Comment_118284081

On the topic of stories in video games, I think the confusion as to what an RPG means in public debate is related to whether the story is good and provides you with choice, which is not really an RPG gameplay mechanic and is rather more related to a "choose your own adventure" book.

In my opinion, an RPG is defined by the game's actual RPG mechanics, such as leveling up, skill progression, whether you have character/class build variety leading to meaningful choice in how you approach enemies, etc.

Many highly regarded RPGs are strong with the "choose your own adventure" features, while shallow in the actual RPG mechanics.

The Raging Bile Duct

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284233#Comment_118284233

Jesus, RobbingBandit, it sounds like you were through the wars. Hope you're doing okay now. It's great that you can still use the Switch for your gaming fix.

RobbingBandit

They were the battles the war is never ending but I can tell you this the OLED switch makes it easier it is so sharp.

B.A._Baracus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118207539#Comment_118207539

Late to the party seeing your post. I highly recommend Mankind Divided. Its only around 5 euro on psn and xbox stores (always a sale) if you don't see it right now. Give it a week ha.

Human Revoutions is also quite good. But it plays like an fps shooter of its time now. I completed it during the year again. But mankind divided is modern and looks amazing. The city of Prague is stunning. Really suggest anyone that has half an interest to check it out. For a fiver you can't go wrong.

Doubt we will ever get a sequel to MD. But seeing as how popular CyberPunk was up until its release it may spur on development for a reboot.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118284800#Comment_118284800

Nice one, thanks.

Retr0gamer

Seems Halo Infinite has turned out to be great.

Between it and Forza it's been a strong year for xbox.

johnny_ultimate

I'm enjoying Forza Horizon 5 and Halo Infinite (MP) but there's the same problem Xbox has had for quite some time: they're just prettier versions of games I've already played. FH5 is just more Forza Horizon, and I for one am definitely starting to feel 'what more have you got?' even though this new one is obviously the most polished yet. Ditto Halo Infinite, whose main accomplishment seems to be 343 finally nailing the 'gamefeel' that Bungie nailed 10-20 years ago.

They're still plenty good games, and a big win for Xbox in an otherwise grim Christmas for new releases. Sony has had a basically non-existent 'late 2021', letting MS score a home run with two good games that benefit tremendously from GamePass. Seems to have been a particularly uninspiring year for the big annual franchises too (although haven’t played them so can’t comment beyond that).

But gotta say the likes of Returnal and (much to my surprise, given it's a series I've had little time for before) Rift Apart stand out more for me as I look back at the year - both fresher and more ambitious games than Halo and FH5 IMO.

super_furry

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285316#Comment_118285316

And both run brilliantly on the One X. Even if I'd been able to get hold of a Series X this year, I honestly haven't felt the need to yet, everything on it is still running and looking good on the One X.

DeSelby83

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285374#Comment_118285374

I do agree with your point but I think though it's almost inevitable that they are going to be more of the same to a degree, they are the 5th and 6th iteration of those games mainline series. I think with long running franchises you generally know what to expect. Going into the last of us 2 or uncharted 4 I knew it was going to be more of the same game, personally for me that isnt' a bad thing.

Not directly related to your point but I think one of the good things with gamepass is the variety of games you can try that are so different and fresher than "mainstream" games.

When I look back at 2021 yes I've played the big hitters and enjoyed them but the ones that stand out are psychonauts 2, the artful escape and Omno.

johnny_ultimate

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118286291#Comment_118286291

Don't get me wrong - I'm not calling for Forza Horizon to suddenly become an FPS or anything like that :P I just think it's a bit disappointing such a fun series is now basically 'same game, different map'. It's startingly similar to the previous game, far more so than most sequels. Now obviously there are loads of little tweaks beyond the map, but I'd really love to see them push the formula in a few new directions as well.

I'm mostly talking the big AAA releases here, btw. Psychonauts 2 is probably very close to my GOTY as well, and given that's Microsoft published (albeit by a studio they bought) it's an interesting comparison to FH5. That's a sequel that's clearly a follow-up to a particular game, but also absolutely loaded with fresh ideas: that's what I love to see from follow-ups to games I like - the developers really pushing the boat out and going further than they did before.

I reserve judgement on Infinite's campaign, of course, but I do think some of the more critical reviews of it do make it sound more like 'old Halo again' than a major reinvention: https://www.vice.com/en/article/5dgg7k/halo-infinite-is-a-fun-sandbox-stuck-inside-a-very-old-video-game And certainly the multiplayer is very much just 'Halo 3 / Reach, but again'. That's welcome after some weak entries, but not the most creatively inspiring of directions for the series!

Downloaded Halo but didn't even open it when I read you can't choose a playlist? Is that actually true that you can't just choose team slayer for example?

johnny_ultimate

I think MS have done lots of great cross platform work, but jaysus their PC Xbox interface needs lots of work still.

Pre-downloaded Halo Infinite in the app (had the MP installed in Steam already)

Booted it up and it said the campaign wasn’t released yet.

Exited the game and then the latest update was available in the Xbox app.

Opened the updated Halo Infinite app and clicked into the campaign. That opened an in-game installer to actually install the campaign.

Download was super slow in the in-game installer, but actually downloads at proper speeds when you exit the app.

Steam figured this **** out years ago, lads! MS Flight Simulator has the same in-game installed problem.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118286217#Comment_118286217

Could never go back to those load times. Once you go SSD you can never go back.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118285374#Comment_118285374

The same game but different map affects the longeivity of the game. Its a pity about the ever so slight lag you get on the cloud version. It's enough to make you drive like a drunk driver. If it would work well on cloud then it would be a great game for dipping into on the move, or even the odd game on the PC without having to install it.

I'll always keep it installed on my xbox and always come back to it. Its a game that doesn't last long as your main game on release, but always stays on my playlist. I even have 2 now and switch between 4 and 5 depending what scenery I feel like playing.

SuperBowserWorld

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118293085#Comment_118293085

Yup and quick resume is a game changer too on series s/x. Also more 60 FPS and higher res games.

Retr0gamer

Console plebs finally catching up with PC *

*Climbs back under his cardboard box and into his sleeping bag because he can't pay for heating since his GPU cost so much but at least the PC can warm the room when playing demanding games.

On a serious note, is the quick resume on PS5 fixed yet or still broken?

Edit: just checked, seems it isn't a feature yet.

Potential-Monke

With modern systems, the boot to start time is comparatively negligible so seems like a pointless feature to me. But if it's wanted, I'm sure it'll be implemented to appease.

I don't use it for Xbox, I always close my game when I'm done. But I'm always jumping between games, so maybe that's why I don't use it.

Retr0gamer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118295278#Comment_118295278

I just remember with returnal having no suspend feature that suspending the system and booting it back up was causing issues. I think that's the feature I was talking about rather than a resume game feature.

johnny_ultimate

I'm playing R&C Rift Apart and have been startled a few times at how quickly (basically instantaneous) it boots to game from the title screen.

I instinctively tend to pull out my phone when I'm expecting a loading screen, so am caught off guard when it just starts immediately :P

Retr0gamer

As the owner on a PC with a NVME that is faster than the PS5 SSD, load times still don't reach PS5 levels and it's going to be a long time before games are made with windows 11 direct access features. It's going to be a big positive for the PS5 for a long time.