General gaming discussion

EoinMcLovin · 31-08-2021 6:17pm

https://twitter.com/bogorad222/status/1432443608930656258?s=19

Just saw this on Resetera

johnny_ultimate · 31-08-2021 11:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117715456#Comment_117715456

Some people are talking about it 😎

Markitron · 01-09-2021 7:39am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117829417#Comment_117829417

$5m for each pointless, momentum-killing fetch quest

johnny_ultimate · 01-09-2021 8:43pm

My favourite part of The Forgotten City...

...was being able to bark instructions at the lad near the portal when you start a loop. "NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, DO ALL THESE VERY SPECIFIC THINGS IMMEDIATELY!"

After playing Twelve Minutes and seeing how that fails at the same task, it's the kind of user-friendly design flourish makes a big difference in a timeloop game like this. Plus, it's incredible to spot yer man running around finishing the tasks in real-time while you take care of other things :P

Retr0gamer · 01-09-2021 9:52pm

I read the ending to 12 minutes after reading what JU said about it. Thanks JU for saving me some money! I'll be investing it in Forgotten City instead.

Mr Crispy · 01-09-2021 9:52pm

I kinda want to play 12 Minutes now because I've heard the ending is so bad.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

johnny_ultimate · 01-09-2021 10:09pm

@ThePhantomPain You don't need to worry about that with Outer Wilds - your knowledge and in-game encyclopedia persist, and that's all you need. Other than a last, end-game puzzle (which simply requires a couple of things to be done in order) there's no need to pick up specific objects every time and lug them around or anything like that. The timing of certain things is important, but there are big generous windows in terms of allowing you to sort them out. There's very little repetition. Still the perfect time loop game.

@Retr0gamer @Mr Crispy It's not just the hacky writing of 12 Minutes' ending that's bad, although it is a howler. It's the execution. The designer suddenly asks you to completely reinterpret everything that came before in a way that makes everything extra confusing and nonsensical. There's no lead-up to it, no carefully crafted hints that this is where the story is going - just a whole load of bullshit that comes out of nowhere, and stuck together with no sense of flow or artistry.

Not that the game was particularly great even before the ending arrived, but it knocked a mediocre game down to a bad game.

quokula · 02-09-2021 11:43am

I watched Yahtzee & Jack Packard play 12 minutes in its entirety in the post-ZP stream and I think that was more enjoyable than actually playing it would have been.

Zero-Cool · 02-09-2021 1:10pm

I've gone from really wanting to play 12 Minutes to really wanting to play The Forgotten City.

johnny_ultimate · 02-09-2021 1:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117837669#Comment_117837669

My work here is done.

pixelburp · 02-09-2021 1:34pm

It's a shame about 12 Minutes; I remember catching the early days of this, way back when it wasn't so publicised - and the idea of a Hollywood cast would have been ludicrous. The idea was fascinating and had really great potential for a fantastic gameplay loop ... but reading the spoilers of the eventual plot has me a little floored how they dropped the ball so badly. Really shows how good writing is still a moveable feast in game development.

johnny_ultimate · 02-09-2021 1:53pm

Between 12 Minutes and Marquette, it also seems Annapurna - a publisher I have a lot of time for, though I think their recent output has been of very mixed quality - is willing to throw money towards getting big acting names on board to elevate some of the weaker writing in their games. A cheeky little marketing trick. Bizarrely, you wouldn’t even know it’s Ridley and McAvoy in 12 Minutes if you didn’t know it was them.

Artful Escape, Solar Ash and Neon White do look cool (and of course Outer Wilds DLC), so hopefully 2021 will deliver one of the straight-up AI bangers akin to the glory days of Outer Wilds and Sayonara Wild Hearts. I’ve liked a few of their recent games (having played almost all of them) but usually with some significant caveat. If Found… was the last ‘oh this is really cool’ one.

Retr0gamer · 02-09-2021 2:03pm

They're just a publisher though. They can't get it right all the time. I much prefer to be in a world with the likes of Annapurna throwing money at interesting ideas that might not always pan out than indie devs struggling against triple A dreck.

johnny_ultimate · 02-09-2021 2:16pm

For sure. They definitely had a really remarkably strong track record at first which I think has faded a little bit - none of their 2020-21 games (except for GoaT Kentucky Route Zero, which was around long before AI) really have been creative, critical and commercial hits in the same way as some of those earlier titles. 12 Minutes got a lot of attention, but mostly for the wrong reasons. There was a certain curatorial edge to Annapurna's publisher choices that isn't quite as sharp these days.

But fully agree that I'd rather they're out there, releasing interesting games even if some of them don't hit. Also think they have a promising slate for the rest of this year, and then some really neat looking stuff like Stray, Skin Deep, Storyteller and the new Davey Wreden / Karla Zimonja & Jessica Mak games further ahead.

Retr0gamer · 02-09-2021 3:14pm

I can see why they backed 12 Minutes and Marquette, they fit their portfolio and both were interesting and seemed like sure bets that just didn't pan out in the end. Hopefully their curation goes back to getting things more right than wrong.

J. Marston · 03-09-2021 2:56pm

Got an urge to play Deus Ex: Human Revolution again so I went to reinstall it on the PS4......only to realise it was never released on the PS4! Didn't realise it was that long ago that I played it on PS3.

With all the re-releases, remakes and remasters I'm surprised this never got a release on PS4.

Retr0gamer · 03-09-2021 3:25pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117842554#Comment_117842554

Release Date: 23 August 2011.

Over ten years ago. I'm no authority but over ten years means it's now a retrogame.

Markitron · 03-09-2021 3:28pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117842554#Comment_117842554

I have never actually played that one. It is first on the list when the Steam Deck arrives, there is no way I'm going back to the PS3.

Retr0gamer · 03-09-2021 3:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117842740#Comment_117842740

I've gone back to some PS3 games recently. It's not even a 30 FPS generation more like hovering around 15-25 FPS with tearing. Hard to go back to.

03-09-2021 4:04pm

The first Uncharted was horrendous for screen tear

SuperBowserWorld · 04-09-2021 11:02am

I can't go back to 30 FPS.

Was jumping between AC Odyssey and Psychonauts, both in glorious 4k 60fps on Series X.

Then installed Red Dead 1 which I had been meaning to start properly.

Aggghhh, it looks so janky now. It's not just the frames per sec, but the responsiveness, animation and feel is sooo much better in 60.

I'd say Red Dead 1 and 2 will definitely get the 60 FPS treatment by Rockstar. Both are already 4k on Series X and One X.

Retr0gamer · 04-09-2021 1:05pm

And for years pc users had to listen to bullshit from consoles users that 30 fps was grand and more cinematic. And how we were spoiled saying we found it hard to play console games with awful frame rates.

120 and higher will blow your mind.

quokula · 06-09-2021 6:21pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117845990#Comment_117845990

Yeah I've got a 144Hz monitor and a 3080 but I'd still rather play an excellent 30FPS game on a big screen from the comfort of my sofa that I know is the exact experience the developer created and just works without all the faffing that PC gaming always inevitably entails. If the console game was 120FPS without having to make compromises then great, I'll take it, but it's far from the most important part of the experience.

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