Ben-DutkaI've been out of town for a few days, but that really hasn't affected the site much. It's one of those vacations where you don't leave work behind. 😉
I would really love a new TimeSplitters
Crytek let everyone down easy with their humorous rejection of a TimeSplitters 4 project. But I was actually more disappointed than I thought I'd be when I read it. After a while, I stumbled upon the reason- These days, just about all shooters are deadly serious. They're gritty, realistic, and exactly the opposite of lighthearted. I still like them and I typically play them (just not online), but the almost complete lack of a shooter like TimeSplitters is depressing. The franchise always made me smile; it was entertaining without taking itself seriously for a second. Crysis is great, but it's nothing like TS.
I loved the idea of traveling through time – which they could very easily build upon with current technology – and both the weapons and overall game design was really quite charming. It had a color and a style and a general presentation that was just fun . There were no technical or political statements to make and it was not military-based. I just really think that above all else, the FPS genre needs a TimeSplitters resurrection.
Mirror's Edge 2 is something else we need
Speaking of games I think we really need, I hope DICE starts cranking on a Mirror's Edge sequel soon. I was excited to hear that DICE and EA are both still interested in such a project, because the original presented us with one of the most promising foundations of the generation. Sure, it had its problems, but that's typically what happens when you fiddle around with a fresh concept. While the first-person view was nothing new, the mechanics and design was indeed innovative and a great more could be done with it. Done correctly, a follow-up effort could really blow people away.
The only thing I'd worry about is if the developers took the wrong cue from this generation and turned it into a pure FPS. Do that, and I lose all interest. I'm just worried that EA might say, "Yeah, the sequel could sell more copies if it was a slick FPS." You know, say it's still "acrobatic" by implementing the Brink movement, but of course, it would feel just like a shooter. …and really, no thank you.
Personal gaming update
As I said above, I've been out of town so I haven't been playing much. The ridiculous part is that the first time I leave after getting the Vita, I don't freakin' bring the thing. LOL But anyway, I'm really looking forward to Max Payne 3 , which is now only a few weeks away; after checking out a few more behind-the-scenes videos, I'm convinced it'll be a Game of the Year contender. The way they're blending cut-scenes with the action is very Naughty Dog-like, and I'm sure the story will be a highlight. That's something that draws me, because I've been missing that recently.
But speaking of storylines, I'm also certain Bioshock Infinite will deliver. Lastly, I'm not sure if Pachter is right about Grand Theft Auto V launching on October 23 , but I'm almost not sure I want it to…if it does, I'll once again be totally overworked between October and November. You'd think one game couldn't make such a big difference, but a giant title like GTA really can. Oh well…guess we'll have to wait and see.
Timesplitters never was a big seller so I doubt that the series would be back.
We do need Timesplitters but that's what we think.
The developers doesn't think so.
TimeSplitters did quite well on the sales charts.
Oh for sure. I have Future Perfect for the PS2 which I think is the third entry, and while I would be psyched for a fourth I'd probably be pretty content with an awesome HD Collection, especially with the latest entry entirely intact. It is still one of my favorite FPS, definitely the fave of my PS2 library. I also really liked the comedic overtones, as well as the style and design, gameplay, the vast options in creating 2-4 player split-screen matches and of course the huge amount of unlockable and then usable characters with the option to use character specific stats. I mean that game had a variety of themes including: horror, sci-fi, military and even a retro Bond (but probably more like an Austin Powers) like vibe and weapons to match! Many here remember that?!?! AWESOME! Also, was it just me or was the AI pretty adept especially at the higher settings, I wonder how they hold up now? In conclusion, there are PS2 games I don't intend to ever part with ever (unless maybe there's a well made Remastered HD Collection, with Bonuses which could sweeten the pot).
On a side note I would also really like another and even more epic Champions of Norrath game, but here as well, a very well put together HD Collection (Champions of Norrath and Return to Arms for those who may not know) would also be welcome. I also have them both and returned to Norrath to start a fresh campaign over this past weekend. Ahhh, it was nice and I find still holds up well. I find it comparable, and better in likely every significant way than Dungeon Hunters: Alliance.
Thanks for reading, later.
Borderlands is cartoony and not very serious, but it isn't my thing and I don't think you like it either Ben. The kind of FPS I want more of is Bioshock and Singularity. Yes Infinite is coming but I want MORE! Hey there's a million military ones so why not?
MP3 does look great but I'll probably wait on it since it appears there are too many changes from the originals.
Picked up Tales of Graces F and it feels so classic I love it. Not turn based but Tales games never were and you CAN stop the action to strategize and stuff so that's awesome. After just an hour and a half I can tell it's ten times better than FFXIII-2. And it's a bloody Wii port!
20 hours into Two Worlds II and I'm just tapping into the depth, say what you want about the bad stuff but that is an amazing world with lots of depth once you get into it.
Bought Killzone 3, I just made it to the snow level. I'm extremely underwhelmed. They couldn't even get the lip sync right, the controls are mushy, and there's a lot of sound missing. I think Guerilla needs a new series, as much I do enjoy killing Space Nazis it might be time to move on.
Killzone 3 to me was a goddamn downgrade from Killzone 2.
yeah it feels that way doesn't it?
Also as an aside I wasn't trying to bash the Wii, I was just saying it's ridiculous that these games aren't even on PS3 until now.
Tales of Graces F is best jrpg on the PS3 period.. I hope Xillia releases next since its been registered.
Borderlands gameplay elements are like Diablo with guns and a first person view. Not for everybody, but it is a lot of fun if you enjoy teaming up with people online and seeing what kind of cool items you can discover.
It wasn't really cartoony, but the cell shading gave some people that impression. Tales of Graces is far more cartoony than Borderlands. It sounds like you're in to shooters that have originality and I am surprised that you weren't in to Borderlands. You have to take it online to experience it to its fullest because you have to cooperate with your teammates and you get BETTER loot based on how many other people you are playing with and the difficulty ramps up.
Have you tried playing Borderlands and meeting friends online that you that you can play with?
i had a lot of fun with killzone 3 on my 3d TV..Just can't play it for long until my eyes start getting crosseyed 🙂
maybe comic booky is a better term then, but at least jrpgs are supposed to be cartoony.
That you found Kz3 to be underwhelming was almost a relief for me, a kind of reality check.
I found it to be very underwhelming too, and all around me there were people screaming about how great a game it was, and I was like, "what ARE they so hyped up about".
One thing is the gameplay, who I in large segments found to be downright boring and poorly executed (like the sniper or driving segments), but I also found the caricatures of the world leaders to be too blatantly obvious, like a cheap American sitcom.
Last edited by Beamboom on 4/29/2012 2:40:03 AM
I too was underwhelmed when I first played KZ3; I just felt this whenever I played it: "Jeez, I could've done a better job on that". It's like, when they get into the snow-machine-thing-with-a-chainsaw, it just cuts straight to it! No introduction at all. The pacing is pretty bad too overall, too.
However, I still enjoyed the rest of the game. Sure, not as a good as KZ2, but it was a decent edition. But it could've been so much better; replace the controls with KZ2's, correct the sound in the cutscenes being a second out – which, for a first party game, is REALLY bad – and correct all the things that feel 'off'. But whatever, it was an enjoyable game – if you let your mind push the aforementioned problems aside.
Alirght someone needs to defend KZ3 here.
I thought of it as an upgrade from KZ2. It kept all that was KZ2 intact if not better. The enamy AI was a little smarter. The graphics went from brown and dark to sliver and red, but nevertheless it was slight improvement in textures. Facial animation standards are too high after MGS4 and LA Noir.
The story and characters were weak, but still better and a step in the right direction from KZ2.
I thought the pacing was spot on. I don't like rail shooting, but from an open minded perspective it was balanced pretty well.
KZ3 could have been a lot better, don't get me wrong, but it a more polished version of KZ2. That's the impression I got when playing though it.
Absolutely loved the Timesplitters series. I remember building some horribly bad levels.
Also I loved Mirrors Edge, until you started having to shoot.
Yeah, I think I may have attempted once or twice. Even though I didn't use it much, I thought it was cool! To create a level at the time on a console, especially PS2, well I may be incorrect, but I don't recall any other game prior to it's release or soon thereafter including such a feature. I guess it was quite robust to, for being on the PS2 and having no hard drive. Really really would like another and/or an HD Collection. Heck I'd take a remastered HD version of just the complete Future Perfect, but much preferably on disc!
Ahh hell yea! Thats what im talking about right there. Me and my friend are on a debate wether GTA V will release on 2012 or 2013. Who ever is right gets a 20$ PSN card. As for Bioshock Infinite I cannot wait to get my greasy hands on it. The game looks really good, but I will defenitely get Bioshock 1 and 2 since theyre really cheap. Lets not forget Max Payne 3, I cannot believe we are close to it's release day already. Im really looking forward to playing another Rockstar title. Then there are other title in the works too like Dust 514 and Resident Evil 6 maybe even Halo 4, lets not forget Assassins Creed III since we are already talking about games. Aahh hell yea! Looks like ill be forgeting what the sun is in the next coming months, especially when GTA V drops.
Ooh, and Jawknee, im in no position to be correcting you but you kept spelling "knew" without a "k", "new". Don't worry holmes i got your back!
By the Gods! It's a great year to be a gamer! Its raining games, and i remember saying this last year too! Hell yea, thats what im talking about.
Aaah, smart phone typos. Happens to the best of us. 😉
I've been out of town, too. I flew to Chicago, last Wednesday, as soon as I heard my sister went in to labor. Took my gaming laptop and my vita, but Spirit Airlines charged me $40 dollars just to lug my carry on which was over 16X14x12 to contain my clothes, toiletries, and laptop. Another point for the Vita…which I happened to play more since I've been out, so far.
exactly why i was so disappointed when bulletstorm 2 was announced to be canned recently.
when it came down to it the original was a pretty mediocre game.
repetitive, boring, too linear and limited.
BUT everyone loved it simply because finally heres a shooter that lets you have some fun, a little tonge in cheek humour and choose how you kill your enemies.
i found bulletstorm to be the perfect test of a persons creativity.
i found those who are creative and would constantly think up new kills would have allot more fun then those who would just constantly kick and shoot everyone.
just cause 2 is exactly the same, one of the silliest laziest most repetitive cheap games ive ever played!
but also one of the best because unlike every other shooter out there its colour pallet does not consist of brown, grey and black, and its not a military shooter, and its allowed to be overexcited and have a laugh!
military shooters are like the old faithful dog.
you get home, he brings you your slippers and sits on the rug next to you and sleeps.
nice and quiet, faithful and peaceful.
bulletstorm and just cause 2 are the 2 little terriers ripping the place up, stealing your slippers, humping the priests leg and berrying the remote.
which one would you prefer?
mirrors edge is another perfect example of a seriously flawed game but being so beloved because it was so different!
it was such a poorly designed game, it drove me f*cking nuts the car park level where you had literally 100 enemies both sides of you and you had to sprint right down the middle hopefully fast enough to not get killed.
problem being well, faith may be fast but she cant out run a f*cking bullet!
a seriously flawed game but again no one cared because it was so original and FUN!
which is what really makes me worried because every time DICE talk about bringing it back there always saying there looking at ways to change it.
why?
it does not need to be changed!
im really getting sick of this its a sequel so it has to be changed mentality!
if you want to make a different game then make a new IP for crying out loud not a sequel!
i swear to god were getting to the point where games are sequels only in name these days!
change the title, change the characters and you could swear they were totally different IPs from totally different developers!
its just pathetic!
a sequel is suppose to be the last game enhanced, fixed.
take everything people loved about the previous game and improve it.
take everything people hated from the previous game and fix it, if you cant THEN throw it out!
you dont go throwing everything out and creating a totally different game then slap the name of a well known series on there just for the sake of gaining a few sales from old series fans!
im still sitting here trying to figure out why prototype 2 has gotten such good reviews!
well, let me put it this way.
as ive said many times before my local EB stores only a really small one not many people go there so they always get 5 maybe 10 copies of a new game in.
prototype 2 has been out for 5 days now, the manager told me she got 10 copies in and sold 8 of them.
and in those 5 days of being available how many have been returned?
6!
i still got mine, so only me and 1 other person out of the 8 is happy with the game.
and let me say ill certainly be returning it on tuesday, so that will make 1 person if he does not decide to do the same.
i was always worried it would be crap, but at least i was convinced it would be a big improvement!
its NOT!
honestly i seriously can not understand how radical entertainment can sit there, reading all the complaints about prototype and go do a sequel changing NOTHING!
people complained about the lack of enemy variety, so did they change that?
NOPE!
people complained about the repetitiveness of the missions, so did they change that?
NOPE!
people complained how buggy the game was, have they changed that?
NOPE!
people complained that the story was crap, did they change that?
NOPE!
honest to god the ONLY things they have changed are the things that did not need changing!
i really am dumbfounded!
i mean if your making a sequel to a game, are you going to fix the things people hated first? or fix the things people loved and leave the things people hated?
i really am lost!
the combat is FAR better than the original, but the problem is it never needed fixing in the first place!
it seriously feels too easy, i mean 1 hit and you have sliced through a enemy wheres the fun in that?
wheres the challenge in that!?
there are no where near as many enemies on screen this time either.
in the original prototype you were surrounded by enemies so when you swung your claws you hit 3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10 enemies.
now its almost grown a assassins creed AI type where one enemy attacks you then another then another.
just lost its fun, its allot more enjoyable to have 100 enemies pounce at you and you swat them off like flies.
than having one at a time do so.
i dont like the new upgrade system either i thought the old one from the original was better.
you dont upgrade individual weapons any more like you did in the original, now the XP you earn is used to upgrade your abilities instead.
for instance health bar, health regeneration, mutation, alarm awareness.
now you upgrade your weapons by killing certain enemies, just taken the fun out of it!
if there is ONE game out there that feels seriously, for the lack of a better word, dumbed down so any noob can play it, its this!
and thats saying allot because almost every game this gen has suffered from that!
everything feels simplified, like the upgrade system of the original was too complex for peoples mouse size brain to comprehend.
and so was the combat.
everything just feels as simple and basic as possible.
especially the combat, the 1 enemy attacking at a time, and the one hit kill on allot of enemies too.
this actually reminds me of the EXACT opposite of what infamous 2 was!
infamous 2 was a massive improvement in every single area except the combat.
prototype 2 is the exact opposite!
a massive step backwards in every department except the combat.
another really big disappointment about prototype 2 is its lack of ambition!
everything as i said before feels cheap and as simple and inexpensive as possible!
biggest problem with this game is it tries SO hard to be the big expensive michael bay film, but its not, its a cheap crappy movie 2 kids made for a school project.
it tries to play big set piece with the big boys like uncharted and COD, but its just pathetic!
its like the guy at the set of lights in his fiat panda trying to take the guy in the ferrari.
yeah i think we all know whats going to happen there……….
EVERYTHING is recycled!
hell even allot of the consume animations are recycled from the original game.
like the one where you crush a guys head, or trip them sideways then slice them in half.
as IGN said in their review almost every animation in this game is recycled from the original!
if ANY game this gen deserves the title more DLC pack then sequel its this!
they have not fixed any of the problems of the original, and yet allot of the things are copied over too.
your playing as a new character, so you would think you would have different moves and different finishers to mercer.
right?
WRONG!
you would think ok im a different character so you would thing you would have different weapons right?
WRONG!
i mean come on seriously how does that deserve a 8/10?
SERIOUSLY!?
i was really worried this would turn out as exactly as the original.
new and fresh but pretty crap.
sadly and surprisingly weve ended up with something WORSE!
only reason why people liked prototype was because it was so different!
now we have a sequel which is exactly the same so its not new and original any more, but we still have the crap game so it ends up being worse then the original!
wow, i thought id never be saying that………..
Jesus freaking Christ. Take a pill or something.
ok for once can we pretend your above the age of 10 and for once actually lets have a grown up discussion on why you disagree with me.
which part do you disagree with, or all and why?
BTW thought i should add i finished prototype 2 tonight bloody short too only took me 5 hours to finish!
just a few blackboxes and hives to clear out now and i got the plat.
easiest game to plat since salvation released!
I.don't think you should buy games or continue gaming as a hobby since 90% of the time you seem angry or disappointed at the games you play.
That massive wall of text was so huge I didn't even take the time to try and count how many exclamation marks you used.
If im not having fun, especially now that im older, then most likely 90% of the time ill be dissapointed and angry with the games im playing. Besides, he might be exaggerating a little in his posts but its true. The truth hurts PSX users and they wont admit it. Also, Ben… hi? If there is a comment section on your website he should have all the rights to voice his opinion just like he has been doing. He asked you what do you disagree with him. So hes awaiting your answer. He doesnt know how to interpret your reply, "Jesus freaking Christ. Take a pill or something". A chill pill? Tylenol? A pill to put him to sleep for good?
Pointless. There's a reason nobody bothers trying to discuss anything with you, and it should be obvious that nobody takes anything you say seriously. You've never accepted another's viewpoint as legitimate in your entire posting history, and the number of complaints lodged against you SHOULD'VE caused me to take action a LONG time ago.
Just stop freaking out with your book-long posts and constant, rampant negativity.
I agree Tequila he is %100 entitled to his opinion and has a right to be disappointed and angry with the product especially if he is paying hard earned money. I just felt his rage filled comments were getting a little old but yeah…
The question isn't can he share his opinion, the question eventually becomes: is he a productive member of the community? That book he just wrote is… troubling. It might be best for him to start a blog and try to gain converts to his game hate speech.
I like him. I've never seen anything quite like him anywhere else, and there's not many I can say that about.
He's not all negative either, in that post. But yeah, it was long. Must have beaten even Highlanders longest posts there, probably with a good margin too. 😀
You should really join the forums, your negativity would fit in really nice there. 🙂
The whaa…? xD
"ok for once can we pretend your above the age of 10 and for once actually lets have a grown up discussion on why you disagree with me"
LOL! After that wall of text you just left, you say this?
Oh my…haha!
hmmm i'm debating if i should bother reading all that…… ahh what the hell i'll go for it should be good for a laugh or 2…..
Last edited by TheCanadianGuy on 4/29/2012 8:09:44 PM
@Oyashiro
His delusions of intelligence would, as well! (exceptions for the few cool guys in there)
seriously guys if you think that is long you need to take up a university degree!
and ben, thanks for proving my point!
@Under: A few guys is all that is there in total… So, are we unintelligent? Or negative? I think not!
Reflected, independent and free thinking minds, rather!
PGU:
DLed battlefield 3 for the new PC and low and behold PC gaming is just as frighting as I remember it. The sound quality on my computer has some serious issues. Yet people still complain about the price of consoles when the play and go theme is an under appreciated gem!!
I had to restore the PC to point when it didn't have BF3. So looks like I will have to re-dl that 10GBs at some point.
That's okay b/c PeaceWalker feels great on consoles. After that it's on to Metal Gear 1 and 2.
At some point I'm going to make a Twisted Metal / Portal 2 purchase.
PGQuestion. If there was a site that could answer this Q it would be this one. I want to listen to my PS3 through headphones. I don't want to talk to anyone or hear what they have to say. I just want play the SPC with out keeping my roommate up. My monitor does not allow this, and I'm stating to think my PS3 doesn't either. Any suggestions?
And why does a less than one month old PC have to do this to me? Planed obsolescence is a terrible thing…end rant
You might want to retype your question i cant really understand it. Why dont you just buy Turtle Beach PX5? You wont have any sound problems as they work with pc, ps3 and xbox. 7.1 surround sound. Very cool features.
The sony wireless headset allows you to listen to the game via headset.
Thanks, What I'm looking for are headphones that let me listen to the game rather than just online multiplayer voice chat. As for the PC issue it could be hundreds of things. I thought it was just a sound card problem, but now I'm thinking it might be rouge program that's occasionally eating up all of my CPU.
maybe change the audio output settings?
PGU:
I picked up Mass Effect 3 and absolutely loving it! What a great piece of work. Hats off to the developers for creating a great experience, detailed and beautiful. I feel I am really part of a great space opera!
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
I felt that way as soon as I entered Omega in Mass Effect 2. You actually feel like you are there, somehow. Just need to finish some of my backlog before i get to Mass Effect 3.
You skipped ME2 Qubex?
Yhea World, haven't had the chance to play ME2 yet… have i missed a great game?
I seemed to have picked up on the story easily though, ME3 is a blast…
Q!
"play.experience.enjoy"
I played some of Mirrors Edge the other day, loved it! I remember playing the demo back when I was a 360 guy, I was going to actually pre-order it, but didn't for some reason, can't remember. Anyway, I'll get it at some point.
PGU: I beat ME3 about 2 days ago, it took me 3 days. I have to say, the game was pretty damn amazing. The ending was 'meh', but didn't ruin it for me. Loved it all. I watched the indoctrination video on youtube, which cleared everything up and even made the ending that much more better.
I'm current playing UFC Undisputed 3(which is great) and Nier(which is ok right now). I'll be busy for the next few days with these two. Especially since I'm considering replaying ME3. It's going to be a busy week for me.
so i rented (from my library) and played duke nukem forever this weekend and i just beat it. overall i really thought it was better than i expected. i guess with the reviews i read i didnt expect anything good at all. other than the water level at the very end, i had no problem with the game. it was just dumb fun. i did have a few glitches and at one point had to reload just to continue.
world says i should try the dlc so i just might buy the game real cheap and actually own it. i was really suprised by it and had a lot of fun.
Hey Ben are you gonna review Prontopup 2?
PGU
I got the platinum for Skyrim. I was having a bad week so I made another save and decided to power up the Ebony Blade and went on a killing spree to get that last trophy. I felt better. I'm going to take my character to level 81. By that time the dlc should be out then. Was also thinking about making a battlemage build but I'm still trying to work that out in my head. Question to all, what level did you guys finish the game? I mean I finished it at level 59 so I'm curious.
I downloaded I Am Alive and I have to say I am impressed. It feels gritty and real. I don't know if the game will explain what happen as to why the world is messed up but hey the game is great so far. As for my back log of games, it tasks me. It tasks me and I shall get through it, eventually.
Duke didn't quite do it (even though the multiplayer did), but it's good to know it was bravely revived and that kind of FPS is officially back, at least in Duke….and the next one, now that it has a fresh slate and entire original team back AND overlooking by Gearbox (the original Duke team has moved into Gearbox offices exclusively to work on Duke), should be special.
Borderlands 2 (also from the masters at Gearbox), although not quite a FPS, is lighthearted and even Duke/90's-like.
But one game keeps getting forgotten…..SERIOUS SAM 3.
A balls out TRUE 90's revival shooter! No cover. All man.
It ain't no Duke, but it sure is delivering actual old school, lighthearted play better than DNForever did!
I can't wait for old school fans here to play it when it arrives on PS3, it's absolutely FUN, especially LOCAL co-op.
I just bought MGS HD exclusively for Peace Walker which i almost completed on the PSP until the controls got unbearable. So glad it's come over to PS3.
Finished Saints Row 3 – 7/10
Done Catherine again – 8.5/10
15+ hours of Dead Island – 6/10
Gonna get Yakuza Dead Souls next and hope Rainbow Moon gets a release date annouced soon other than a vague Q2.
Speaking of Rainbow Moon, i urge any old school JRpg fans to check out it's official site @ http://www.rainbowmoongame.com and go to "system" and see why you don't have the right to JRpg complain anymore (what with Ni No Kuni blowing everyone away and the recent great Tales games for example).
Don't sleep on games you claim you want and ultimately don't support!
Sunspider13 is Skyrim more ''stable'' after all the patches, im thinking of buying it but i dont want to kill my PS3, lol.
@Kokushi
For me it is. Before the last patch I was having problems with frame rate drops and even the game freezing on me. Haven't had a any of that since the patch came out.