Recent content by svenjl

  1. svenjl

    How GTA V Fumbles on the Easy Stuff

    Well said. I could have done with more hand holding regarding the stock market and those assassination missions. Sure, you can Google anything, but I don't want to sit with my iPad while m playing a game. There were just a few mystifying gaps in learning the game.
  2. svenjl

    A New Commandment for Developing Games With RPG Elements

    The original Risen and Two Worlds II are examples, if memory serves me right, of RPGs that have static difficulty for enemies. The story and side missions guide you to particular areas where you can succeed while trying to maintain challenging gameplay. Sometimes that involves chugging potions...
  3. svenjl

    Bring Your Daughter to Murder Day

    Quite a few of these games involve the simple concept of protection of a female character, whether a sidekick (Bioshock Infinite) or a theoretically vulnerable child (TLoU, TWD). Crystal Dynamics explicitly stated they wanted the player to feel protective of Lara in the reboot. It's an easy...
  4. svenjl

    Dragon Age: Inquisition Review - Monumental

    No, just that Greg had a different opinion about DA2 than you. Simple enough?
  5. svenjl

    Star Wars: X-Wing - Lock Your S-Foils in the Awesome Position

    Amen. X-Wing defined against-the-odds video gaming for me (as well as joystick related hand cramp). I became so bloody minded and determined not to let the rebel alliance down. I think only Ace Combat Fires of Liberation, Red Baron, and US Navy Fighters came close to replicating that feeling...
  6. svenjl

    Star Wars: X-Wing - Lock Your S-Foils in the Awesome Position

    Was tidying up the bedroom yesterday and rediscovered my X-Wing and Tie Fighter discs including manual and control scheme fold-out!!! All in good condition. Completing X-Wing was equal to any other feeling of accomplishment at the time. A super game in a great decade for PC gaming. Sadly I...
  7. svenjl

    Assassin's Creed Unity Runs at 900p Resolution to "Avoid All the Debates" - Updated

    900p is the nail in the coffin? Or is it a Ubisoft issue? I bet Unity would look amazing at 720p. Performance and gameplay are paramount, and frankly 900 v 1080 is one of the dumbest cause of disputes and outrage imaginable to me. We've been gaming with 720p 30FPS for years! In less than...
  8. svenjl

    Assassin's Creed Unity Runs at 900p Resolution to "Avoid All the Debates" - Updated

    Could it be that Ubisoft couldn't hit 1080p on PS4 without performance issues, while 900p was the sweet spot? Better not to over reach on one console graphically, and aim for the best possible performance benchmark on both. If the PS4 version had run at 1080p but with frame rate issues, there...
  9. svenjl

    Diablo III: Ultimate Evil Edition Review - A Reaper Hit

    I get this, but don't feel my enjoyment of the game is being hampered by comparisons to other games. I don't play a huge number of ARPGs because generally I prefer a slower pace, but I have thoroughly enjoyed D3 RoS UEE so far (level 30 Crusader) for much the same reason that I loved both...
  10. svenjl

    Battlefield: Hardline "Not Just a Re-Skin" Claims Dev

    Dear fellow Escapist, Great to see that angry pills are still on the menu. Don't mix with alcohol, steroids or the use of heavy machinery. Take care and fuck the king. Sincerely, SJ
  11. svenjl

    To me Game of Thrones will never be the same (S4E8 discussion)

    I for one went to bed in a state of depression after episode 8. Not because Oberyn died, or the way he died, or because of what might happen to Tyrion (I haven't read the books). Simply because I'm tired of the body count overall and the number of utter pricks that routinely seem to be...
  12. svenjl

    Watch Dogs visual downgrades causing a stir on neogaf.

    Seems to me to be another case of cross gen games being dragged down by the lowest common denominator. Of course a polished demo will be of highest quality. I just picked up GTA 5, which I reckon looks amazing on 360, so I would anticipate that Watch Dogs will be of similar quality on last gen...
  13. svenjl

    Cutscenes Stole My Thief Game

    There will always be issues when cut scenes and exposition in a game like this are made so prominent. The value of exploration and discovery is muted, and the gameplay can become mechanical to the point of making deficiencies in that realm all the more obvious as well.
  14. svenjl

    Review: Risen

    Anybody there? Not important...OT: I am loving Risen after avoiding it for years. It's hard to get this game anymore, and luckily you can now buy it in Australia after it was initially denied classification. There are so many things that Risen gets right that I've found it easy to overlook...
  15. svenjl

    Thief Review - The Meh Project

    From what I've seen and read, this seems to be the way to go (including the ale part of course). Play it on as hard a difficulty as possible with lots of the assist type options turned off. Really make it a test of patience and stealth skills and become immersed in the world on that basis.