Video Games

The Common Room Off-Topic
#361

I just finished the new Sam & Max game, The Devil’s Playhouse (the final part was released yesterday) and I really enjoyed it, but I thought the ending was terrible.

First of all, they killed off my favorite secondary character, [spoil]Sal[/spoil]. In fact, they killed off way too many characters.
[spoil]-Sal (as said before)
-The narrator
-Girl Stinky
-Skunkape
-Sammun-Mak’s brain
-Boy Stinky’s body
-Sam Jr. (presumably)[/spoil]
And worst of all, [spoil]Max[/spoil]. So they decided to create a whole split timeline with [spoil]an alternate reality version of Max from season 1, who killed off Sam in the same way that happened to Max in the present timeline.[/spoil] It’s terrible because he’s not really the same [spoil]Max[/spoil], he missed out on basically everything that has happened in the modern series, and all of the righteous actions that he did in this episode (a major change for his character) were reversed. It’s pretty much going to ruin the series unless they find a way around it.

Other than that, I liked it. :unamused:

#362

As Walt Disney once said, “a good ending is vital to a picture.” The same could be said of video games, I think. Sorry you didn’t enjoy that part, Bryko. :frowning: (Although I admittedly am not that familiar with Sam & Max)

#363

I recently started playing Metroid Prime again.
It’s almost eight years old, but it doesn’t show its age one bit.
Graphics and sound are still awesome, as is the gameplay.

The only bit that bothers me is the extreme difficulty level of the final boss in the European Gamecube version, which I still haven’t beaten.
But then again, it’s better than getting stuck halfway through Echoes, because of the nigh-unbeatable spider guardian…

#364

Hmm. Speaking of Metroid, has anyone played Other M yet? I heard it’s pretty good, but doesn’t compare to the Prime series.

#365

Playing Red Dead Redemption at the moment, and I’m loving it! The theme itself has been done so well, with atmospheric music, a good range of things to do outside of the main missions, and beautiful scenery. The main character is intriguing and though perhaps a little predictable, he’s very likeable. I don’t really have any gripes about this game yet- I’m enjoying it too much!

#366

Lerin: I didn’t realize Other M had already been realized. I am a huge fan of the Metroid series, but I guess I just stopped following video game news.

#367

I like that game lizardgirl :smiley: I really love open ended games like that:

Fallout 3 - open-endedness in a The Road-esque post-apocalyptic wasteland
Mass Effect - open-endedness in space
Fable - open-endedness in the 1500’s (with magic)
Red Dead Redemtpion - open-endedness in the ol’ west

One thing about Red Dead Redemption that some people like, and others hate: the glitches. For example, the donkey woman.

#368

I played the Mafia II Demo and I loved it! But I know my parents won’t let me get it since it’s M. I’m not even gonna ask.

#369

lizardgirl - Ooh… I’ve heard nothing but raves for RDD, and I’m a fan of open-sandbox gameplay. I’ll try out the demo and see if it’s fun. :slight_smile:

Evil_Genius_27: Haha, the Donkey Woman! “Don’t you dare touch her! She’s the love of my life and she takes me everywhere!” 8D

annaborjack: I’ve seen TV spots for Mafia 2… as I’ve mentioned before, it’s the sequel to one of my favourite games of all time, and I’m really excited for it too! :smiley: I do, think, though, that your mum may be right on this and it might be a tad bit ‘adult-themed’ for someone of your age.

So I’ve got a part-time job, and these are the games I’m eyeing when I get my first paycheck:

Mafia 2
Red Dead: Redemption
Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
Just Cause 2
Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
Burnout Paradise
Test Drive Unlimited 2
Driver: San Francisco
Modern Warfare 2

I’m not gonna buy all of 'em (well, maybe the older ones second-hand), but these are the ones on my mind at the moment. Interesting to note that the video game industry, like the movie business, is dependent on sequels nowadays too.

…

I’ve spent the last two hours played three online Flash games recommended by folks on Wall-E Forum. All of them are brilliant parodies of video game conventions and each doesn’t take longer than 15 minutes to complete if you’re good:

The first is Tower of Heaven. It’s a basic platformer except after a few levels, the omniscient villain starts imposing rules that result in instant death, such as you can’t walk left, or touch the sides of blocks. It gets very frustrating towards the last two levels, but stick with it, cos’ the ending is pretty satisfying. It has beautiful 8-bit music and Gameboy-visuals that will stick in your mind.

The second is Depict1. Some people say it has a Portal-vibe to it, in the sense you can’t always trust what the tutorial-helper tells you what to do. As you progress the game, you find you actually have to break the rules to survive, much to the exasperation of the hint-helper. There’s an overwhelming sense of despair, especially in the seemingly-impossible end level, but it is very thought-provoking, and it challenges our preconceived notions of gaming convention (For example, pressing ‘Space Bar’ doesn’t make you jump, collecting crystals kill you, and pungee spikes are your greatest weapon).

The third is p0nd. I won’t spoil much except to say it is a very beautiful artistic game, at least in the beginning. It’s a spoof of meditative games like Myst or Fl0w. Basically you have to get your character to a pond by pressing the space-bar to take deep breaths. It actually is quite therapeutic and calming… here’s a tip: Make sure you collect all the blue orbs to reach the final level. Try not to miss any orbs or make your character ‘cough’. The end quote by Roger Ebert is also poignant (His statement is basically “video games don’t constitute art”, which this game not-so-subtly comments on).

There’s also a game mentioned called Cat Mario that is a wiss-take on the Italian plumber. From videos I’ve seen on Youtube, it actually looks pretty funny!

#370

Evil_Genius_27- If you like those games, you’d LOVE Oblivion. It’s the most open-ended and expansive game I’ve ever played. In my opinion, it’s pretty much a better version of Fable, and it’s so easy to get into. You’ll be saying, “well met!” and “by the Nine!” in no time. :laughing:

I haven’t come across any Red Dead Redemption glitches just yet, but I hope I meet the Donkey Woman. :laughing:

#371

lizardgirl, I’ve had my eye on Oblivion for a while now. I think as soon as I’m done Mass Effect and Dante’s Inferno, I’ll give it a try. I’ve seen it for $19.99 at the local Game Stop, so next time I go shopping, I’ll pick it up :smiley:

Good luck with the donkey woman, if you run into her :wink: And also: the cougar man.

#372

Eh, felt like posting some of my favorite games for the heck of it.

  • The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
  • Super Mario RPG
  • Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
  • Banjo-Kazooie
  • Um Jammer Lammy
  • Kirby Super Star Ultra
  • The Smash Brothers games
  • The entire MOTHER trilogy
#373

Glad to hear it, Evil_Genius! Let me know what you think of it. But you’d better hurry up- The Elder Scrolls V is scheduled for release sometime next year! :laughing:

#374

Just came in to say I can’t stand the whole “games are not art” argument… not all games are great art, but not all paintings are great art either. For every Pixar masterpiece you have a crappy Brazillian knockoff… but if the creator makes it with the intention of creating art, then guess what, it’s art.

#375

Even the ‘great’ Roger Ebert had to retract his statement on “games are not art”.

Anyway, what happens when you mash Pokemon and GTA together?
youtube.com/watch?v=IANdOC7iHfs

#376

To me Kingdom Hearts mean a lot. I mean i waited like 3 years for a playstation2 just so i could play. I LOVE it so much ^^" i swear everytime a new game comes out of ifs its the manga or something i sooo cry YD Sora, Kairi, and Riku are like my little babies >.< i loves theem
I just for Birth by Sleep yesterday and i had to go to bed at 12 last night so i wouldnt stay up till 3 ^^" I was playing it this morning and its just so beautiful. To me pretty much Anything can be art and Kingdom Hearts is just one beautiful masterpiece. From the music to the graphics to the moves of the characters. Everything about it is just so beautiful to me >.<

#377

Oh, we’re talking about games as art now? Well I’ll just throw my two cents in then. I think Bioshock and Portal definitely qualify, especially the former.

#378

I just bought a really neat little Indie game called “VVVVV” yesterday.

Basically, it’s about a group of crew members on a ship who get separated in an accident, and you play as one who has to rescue the other five. The gimmick is that instead of jumping, you flip gravity 180 degrees. So, to get over even a tiny little bump on the floor, you have to flip gravity, walk over it on the ceiling, and hop back down. The mechanic is used in so many creative ways that the game is always fun and fresh.

I’m about halfway through now, but I can say it’s definitely worth $5.

Trailer/place to buy it:
store.steampowered.com/app/70300/

#379

Games as art? Banjo-Kazooie, anyone? I mean, those characters are just oozing with personality. And don’t even get me started on Conker… I could fill pages of my blabbering of how much that game means to me. Actually I am doing that now. Huh. I’ll shut up.

Oh, and Rare always manages to make games look way ahead of their time.

Donkey Kong Country looks N64 quality, but it’s SNES.
Conker: Live and Reloaded looks 360, but it’s Xbox Classic.
There’s more, but I forgot. Like, I forget stuff real easily.

#380

Hey guys - I feel pretty accomplished today. I was able to beat a whole ton on Super Mario Galaxy 2 over the past couple of days… I already have over 100 Stars, and I almost completed all the worlds for the first time! :smiley: That makes me excited!

But, on another note, I kinda gave up on the level in “World S” where you have those platforms that appear only when you spin, and those “dark clones” are following you. I think it’s called the Flip Out Galaxy. I got like, two game-overs on that one. :angry:

I haven’t really played any games that I can call “art”… I mean, I love Mario games and all, but there really isn’t any story behind it - other than Bowser kidnapping Peach for the millionth time. :unamused: The only other things that I think would classify Mario games (Super Mario Galaxy especially) as “art” would be the soundtrack and the beautiful graphics (yeah, yeah I know - the Wii’s graphics aren’t as good as the Xbox or Playstation 2 or 3… but hey - I like it :wink:).