Yeh I never said COD or Halo where the best games, its just you can't expect them to make another planescape when it won't sell, why should they risk there jobs because some nostalgic fool wants it to be the good old days again when everyone else is happy with dragon age 2?xqtr said:The reason is: they are more popular with mainstream gamers.Macrobstar said:fair enough I think its perfectly fine to judge a game before you purchase it, as long as you've actually done research (looked at screenshots read reviws etc) I don't want to hand money to a company just so I can see if the games any good, you honestly think if the planescape formula was still amazing and popular developers would be making anyting else? I mean look at the all the generic shooters thanks to the success and popularity of COD and Halo, theres a reason those sort of trends die out...xqtr said:I'm not quoting you out of context. I have just trimmed your comment to the most relevant fragment to me (sorryMacrobstar said:).
And I think that Aliens 4 is better than Alien 1, despite that I haven't even seen Alien 1, but I have seen some screens that looked worse than Alien 4.xqtr said:
You have a wrong conviction that the best = most popular. COD:Black Ops have sold millions and millions of copies not because it's a very good, complex shooter. It's a (citing one of the posters, who earlier said that dying in a game breaks immersion) "INTERACTIVE immersive experience that puts me into the protagonist's shoes and allows me to feel the story by interacting with it". COD is more like an interactive movie. Look at this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RULv6HbgEjY. The dude completed the first mission in CoD:BO at the "Hardened" difficulty level without even shooting his gun (except for during two scripted sequences)! Near the end there is about 10 enemy soldiers shooting at him, and they are not even able to aim at him! It's more like an interactive movie than a game! Simple and easy "interactive immersive experience". And this game is popular among the kids that haven't even heard about Half-Life. This is what casual gamers want.
And since gaming became big bussiness, developers have been making games not for hardcore gamers, but for casual gamers, because it is casual gamers give them millions of dollars of profit.
And the same thing happened to RPGs. This is what Mike Laidlaw, from Bioware have said recently: "For me, I guess, fundamentally, there are more people who are ready to play RPGs than realize it. These are people who will play FarmVille. These are people who have shot enough people in the head that they've leveled up in Medal of Honor. They've gained XP and have received awards as a result. That's an RPG mechanic. They've played [Grand Theft Auto] San Andreas and they've run enough, and gotten buff enough, that their endurance is a higher. They've leveled." ( http://www.geardiary.com/2011/02/27/is-this-the-future-of-the-rpg-if-so-the-rpg-is-dead/ ). So you have an RPG developer, that wants to make RPGs for people that play FarmVille, MoH and GTA! Do you think that a game that has a dialog with 18 responses to choose ( http://i.imgur.com/Ap7HR.jpg ) will attract that kind of players? Too much dialog breaks "interactive immersive experience"! That is not what will bring you millions of dollars. A game where "something awesome happens when you press a button" ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMcVZQI6ybw ) will bring you millions of dollars!
Dying also breaks immersion and frustrates modern gamers, that's why today's normal difficulty is like yesterday's easy difficulty.
Modern gaming bussiness is not about making creative, innovative games. It's about making pulp for the masses.
That's why you will never see another Planescape: Torment.
PS. It's like with movies. Transformers will sell more than, say, Godfather. Does it mean that Transformers is better than Godfather?
Dragon Age II Review
- Thread starter Greg Tito
- Start date
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I agree %100, its like they think there is no possible way he good of enjoyed the game unless he was paided offNecromancer1991 said:Allow me to say a few things, to those of you who are annoyed that this game got good reviews and are concerned that "The Escapist has no integrity", you will be here again in a few months saying the same thing when another game you don't like gets a good score, don't deny it. Also when Tim Schafer makes a good main stream game is the day you will vilify him and spew your hatred. Look just because a reviewer disagrees with your opinion doesn't mean they have no integrity or were "Payed off", it means they had a different opinion, Nintendo Power is biased in their reviews (They need to be because they're limited to Nintendo consoles), but I don't send them hate mail and cry about it on the forums, if multiple people review the game and give it a good score, than it probably deserves the score it has, if you don't like it, well guess what:
And lastly if you don't like a game, fine, you don't like it & you can spew all the hate you want, but don't strut around like you're a big god damn hero proclaiming everyone who disagrees with your infallible opinion wrong (Of course this IS the internet so this will fall on deaf ears), just say "I don't think I'd like it" or "I don't like it", end of story!
What I did find amusing is of all the sites. BioWare was sure to jump on this one since the others did not praise them so favorably. Frankly, I found this review uninformative and more concerned hand waving the issues.
I'm worried, the Metacritic user score is 3.4, which is so bad it's usually reserved for one of two cases:
1.) They did something specific to cause rage that results in spams of unfairly biased reviews (such as Modern Warfare 2's drop of dedicated servers)
2.) Only a few people reviewed it so far, and of them is an ass.
Well, 178 people rated the game, so it's not #2, and they aren't complaining about a specific nerd rage or single facet that caused hate, they are making broad statements about it being linear and bland. This does not bode well.
1.) They did something specific to cause rage that results in spams of unfairly biased reviews (such as Modern Warfare 2's drop of dedicated servers)
2.) Only a few people reviewed it so far, and of them is an ass.
Well, 178 people rated the game, so it's not #2, and they aren't complaining about a specific nerd rage or single facet that caused hate, they are making broad statements about it being linear and bland. This does not bode well.
This is not an isolated incident, the Metacritic user score for DA2 is 3.4, with hundreds of ratings.Necromancer1991 said:Allow me to say a few things, to those of you who are annoyed that this game got good reviews and are concerned that "The Escapist has no integrity", you will be here again in a few months saying the same thing when another game you don't like gets a good score, don't deny it. Also when Tim Schafer makes a good main stream game is the day you will vilify him and spew your hatred. Look just because a reviewer disagrees with your opinion doesn't mean they have no integrity or were "Payed off", it means they had a different opinion, Nintendo Power is biased in their reviews (They need to be because they're limited to Nintendo consoles), but I don't send them hate mail and cry about it on the forums, if multiple people review the game and give it a good score, than it probably deserves the score it has, if you don't like it, well guess what:
And lastly if you don't like a game, fine, you don't like it & you can spew all the hate you want, but don't strut around like you're a big god damn hero proclaiming everyone who disagrees with your infallible opinion wrong (Of course this IS the internet so this will fall on deaf ears), just say "I don't think I'd like it" or "I don't like it", end of story!
Probably because he's reviewing this game for it's own merits as opposed to what he thought of the first game. Funny concept, I know.Sabiancym said:
I know your pain, sir. I too have my exams the coming 2 months, and a lot of practical music exams as well.Avayu said:
must...practice....Integral..
animehermit said:4chan has been dumping shit all over this game for two weeks now, a quick trip to /v/ will explain that user score EXACTLY. a bunch of 1 day old accounts giving two word reviews? thats not suspicious.seona said:
Looks like classic "paid review" syndrome if you ask me.
or maybe there are other reasons, because blaming 4chan for influencing the game score a full 5 points out of 10 is absurd. not impossible, but extremely unlikely. I myself at least would give the game a 3/10 easily. the PC version has some of the most poorly designed controls out there. It's the same BS you get for the generic bad PC ports of what were supposed to be consol exclusive, so they shunned their original fan basis completely. That tied to easily recognized and very stereotypical dialogue choices may make role playing "simpler," but not better. all the choices have completely lost their weight and ambiguity, there's no more moral leniency anywhere in the game, and the radial menu limits the maximum number of choices to 6, but it hardly ever goes past the same boring 3 limit choices.
Just have to say it one more time, PC controls are awful, completely limited, and unintuitive. If you're going to make every single PC gamer out there struggle with a complete break between gameplay and controls, why not even let us use a controller!!!
I call bs on this. The game has been out for TWO DAYS. There's no way this score is accurate, given the amount of time it actually takes to play this game, and coupled with the fact that the game is at least worthy of a 7 (good, but not great, imho). I'm pretty sure this is artificially deflated...seona said:
Looks like classic "paid review" syndrome if you ask me.
Ummm... Na'vi are blue... and tall... and have quite a bit of different life structure. Merril is entirely different, though I will say the face is very similar to the facial structure of the Na'vi)RenegadePacifist said:
Also, cardboard animation? It's not the most fluid, but it's better than it's predecessor, and I've found nothing to actually complain about specifically.
VA/Dialogue is amusing and fitting (Fenris = Balthier!). Seriously, I've only run across two places where the dialogue didn't fit, and that was partially because I wasn't paying attention to the mood indicator.
I will agree on the romance scenes though. Bioware should have stuck with simplicity and not messed with trying to animate it.
Finally, I'm defending this game because I love it. Up to this point, 15 hours in, I've gotten upset at the following: 1) No auto-attack [it's coming though], 2) Copy-paste dungeons [Eh, I dealt with them in ME1], 3) A small number of dialogue problems.
Simply put, there's reason to defend the game, and there is reason to criticize the game, but to say we're "on the same level as Twilight fans" is juvenile and insulting.
A question for everyone who is already playing the game: how hard is the game on 'normal'? Is it comparable to 'easy' in Dragon Age: Origins, or..?
The game is a button mashing win fest on easy and just south of "annoying" on hard.PlasticTree said:
I think a lot of people are annoyed because they expect a review to be an act of journalism, as far as the facts are concerned, as opposed to a piece of propaganda for the company producing the game. For instance, does anyone, even the defenders of this review, actually think this is a PERFECT game? 100%, no doubt about it, flawless game and best RPG of generations? That is the point at which the review begins to slip into the realm of cheerleading instead of following its responsibility to the consumer to inform. Then, the review claims it looks better than any game in years. A cursory glance at the textures and graphics on even the highest settings disproves that statement, so again, we are left wondering what exactly the reviewer saw that we did not.
The list goes on, and you can find the other falsities yourself. But while some of a review is indeed a subjective opinion, the reviewer shows a pretty clear bias as far as the facts are concerned (which a journalist is supposed to avoid) as they review this game. That is what has offended many people, I believe, and why they feel the need to attack the game and what Greg wrote.
The list goes on, and you can find the other falsities yourself. But while some of a review is indeed a subjective opinion, the reviewer shows a pretty clear bias as far as the facts are concerned (which a journalist is supposed to avoid) as they review this game. That is what has offended many people, I believe, and why they feel the need to attack the game and what Greg wrote.
Couldn't help but notice how brilliantly sarcastic the narrator was.
Especially when the dwarf goes: 'I'll stop exaggerating now'... LOL!
Especially when the dwarf goes: 'I'll stop exaggerating now'... LOL!
Wow... lotta hate in this thread. I'll admit, that review did seem a bit... ahh... excessive. But let me put this controller down, take a break from fifteen hours of play, and simply state, that I'm having an awful lot of fun. Will I be playing this game for months? Yes. Is it the messiah come to cleanse the world of sinners? No. Is it better than DA:O? Fuck yes. Oh gods... to actually made an attractive character in a console RPG sorely lacking mods, oh thank the Maker. Is that why the game's great? No, but the little things help.
The lack of auto-attack is a pro, not a con. Even on hard and nightmare, where pausing and planning is a must, it keeps you from just cutting off your brain an expecting your character execute your whims, it keeps you alert to positioning. If you're the sort to champion those difficulties, you really shouldn't decry having to use a bit of multitasking power. And if you don't like those difficulties, set the thing to casual and enjoy Dynasty Warriors Kirkwall (I say this without a hint of sarcasm, hell, I enjoy a good mindless hack and slash every now and then.)
Anyway, you feelin' it, buy it. You not sure, rent it, then buy it. You sippin' on that haterade? Uhh... have fun with that.
*picks controller back up*
The lack of auto-attack is a pro, not a con. Even on hard and nightmare, where pausing and planning is a must, it keeps you from just cutting off your brain an expecting your character execute your whims, it keeps you alert to positioning. If you're the sort to champion those difficulties, you really shouldn't decry having to use a bit of multitasking power. And if you don't like those difficulties, set the thing to casual and enjoy Dynasty Warriors Kirkwall (I say this without a hint of sarcasm, hell, I enjoy a good mindless hack and slash every now and then.)
Anyway, you feelin' it, buy it. You not sure, rent it, then buy it. You sippin' on that haterade? Uhh... have fun with that.
*picks controller back up*
Alright, you didn't quite like the game. I get ya.Panopticon01 said:
I don't know, I didn't like much the first game's characters either, they all seemed kinda shallow and stupid and quite annoying, too. And I never dug the battle system that much either. Maybe that's why I never got too hooked.
Anyway, the graphics thingy doesn't seem that horrible to me, I'll settle for a Mass Effect (1) graphics level (maybe a liiiittle more expressiveness) but eh, won't matter much either. And as for the combat and skill trees, as long as it feels actiony while affordable and I'm not forced to pause the game every 2 seconds to issue orders or having to control the tank personally so it doesn't run headlong into a dragon's flamey breath.
I'm downloading the demo again, see if it works and I definitely think it's worth a try if I like it. It looks like the story and characters will be more tight without all that multiple-race-multiple-background main character thing (not a bad thing, but I think it was too thinly spread) and it'll have a talking Hawke, which I find extremely pleasing. Also? Say all the shit you want, but I think this is the only Single-player game in which I can have my MMORPG-style combat fix without having to go back to that giant time-waster that is WoW.
meanwhile, ONWARDS TO THE ORLYSITH HORIZON!
Honestly, I'm still kind of torn about auto attack. Maybe I'll keep it off when it gets patched in, but I really miss being able to keep a close eye on other party members, rather than having to make sure I'm still attacking the right thing. Either way, I look forward to the coming weeks when we get a console patch, since the only reason I'm posting is because my game just glitched...
Frankly this thread has devolved into trolling mixed with sporadic intelligent comments (God the escapist community is dying a slow painful death by the looks of this), I mean I've enjoyed the gameplay thus far, sure it's been changed to be more active, but otherwise it still has that strategic element (Focus the casters, keep tabs on ranged attackers, etc), really overall this is a good game that was a enjoyable experience.
P.S: The metacritic user scores are by no means reliable, the amount of disconnect the two score experience is always massive for some of the big titles, not to say that there are no intelligent reviewers there, also all the different versions of the game get separate reviewer sections, so the PS3 version of CoD may have a user rating of 9.75, whereas the Xbox version will have a 4.6 which also makes the bare scores sporadic at best, overall I tend to avoid meta critic user reviews because they tend to boil down to "OMG the reviewer were payed off" for the negative reviews of critical darlings (kind like this thread....). Also people seem really determined to post bad reviews on all three versions of the game which is suspicious IMO, most bad reviews are one off rants.
P.S: The metacritic user scores are by no means reliable, the amount of disconnect the two score experience is always massive for some of the big titles, not to say that there are no intelligent reviewers there, also all the different versions of the game get separate reviewer sections, so the PS3 version of CoD may have a user rating of 9.75, whereas the Xbox version will have a 4.6 which also makes the bare scores sporadic at best, overall I tend to avoid meta critic user reviews because they tend to boil down to "OMG the reviewer were payed off" for the negative reviews of critical darlings (kind like this thread....). Also people seem really determined to post bad reviews on all three versions of the game which is suspicious IMO, most bad reviews are one off rants.
Them's fighting words!Macrobstar said:
Actually, half a year ago I had another run of BG2. With the mods out there that update to HD textures and a high resolution, it's still absolutely playable.
What I loved about the game is the dialogue system - especially the banter between party members that could actually lead to something, instead of just throwing out some funny lines in a while.
BG2 is one of the games that aged really well. Planescape, I agree, is too fiddly for the modern gamer. And get off my lawn!