Ben-DutkaSo much freakin' shoveling this week. I'm kinda sick of it.
No multiplayer for The Order? GOOD
When I heard that Ready at Dawn wasn't prepping any multiplayer modes for the upcoming PlayStation 4 exclusive, The Order: 1886 , I knew I wanted it even more.
I'm not somebody who believes that all campaigns would be better if developers didn't work on multiplayer, but I do know that realistically, every team has a budget. Every studio has a set amount of resources and there are usually plenty of deadlines involved. The addition of multiplayer simply adds to the overall cost, both in terms of dollars and manpower. If all those resources are being utilized for the single-player element, and that's really all I care about, can that be a bad thing?
As for the part about only running at 30 frames per second, that doesn't bother me. Weerasuriya is right when he says 60FPS is most critical for shooters and fighters; for third-person action, we really just need a smooth, steady 30. Besides, I'm not one of those people who freak out over some barely visible framerate slowdown. Unless it's severe, it never bothers me.
Hmm…Activision appears to be doing the right thing with Call of Duty
I'm not buying that Sledgehammer Games will produce perhaps the "greatest Call of Duty game ever," but I like the approach. Look, we've been complaining about a lack of freshness and innovation in this franchise for years. Each title has a two-year development window (Infinity Ward and Treyarch trading off) but obviously, that isn't enough for such a massive production. We saw more examples of the downward turn with last year's Ghosts , for example. However, with Sledgehammer tossed into the mix, this means there's now a three-year development window for each new CoD title, and that could make a huge difference. Also, let's not forget that Sledgehammer really might try a lot of new things.
Call of Duty hasn't exactly tanked; Ghosts made Activision another billion dollars. But I think they noticed the slide, as did most everyone else, and they're doing something about it. Drives me nuts that Activision makes such a stride when other companies – 'cough' Square Enix 'cough' – keep going in the wrong direction with their flagship franchise. Activision didn't need to be beat over the head.
Personal gaming update
I haven't had much time recently due to a number of different reasons, but I've been playing a few games here and there. I'm really looking forward to Thief and although I'm forced to review Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII , I'm fairly certain I won't be completing it. I'll tell you what I can't wait to try: Child of Light . It's a tad cutesy for me, but if it has a true turn-based mechanic and deep role-playing elements, I'm on board. I just worry a little about the length; for only $14.99, I'm afraid this won't be a very long adventure.
And yes, I'm aware that Valentine's Day is this week. My girlfriend isn't a huge gamer but as she really loves Portal 2 , I decided to get these . It's more of a gag gift (I doubt she'd actually wear them), but she'll think they're funny. 😉
I'm happy about The Order too. Another good reason to not have that MP is it would be a wasted costly addition and the IP would have to sell even more to be successful. We want this thing to be a friggin franchise, they can add MP later after it's a success.
I really like 60fps, it's a very noticeable difference for me but since The Order seems to be doing some all-new things graphically and with physics I'm not bothered if they have to sacrifice a little smoothness for fidelity and stability.
PGU: I'm so pleased with Outlast I can't say enough good things about it. True horror, thrilling stealth, open strategy, perfect environments, it delivers in every way. Especially with the first person perspective.
If anyone's interested I decided to write a little something about how FPS has a lot to learn from Outlast over here: http://www.onlysp.com/outlast-could-teach-fps-games-a-thing-or-two/
Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 2/8/2014 10:23:07 PM
Ben what if she reads your post… she'll know what she is getting. Well part of it I guess.
Yes,very good there's no mp for The order,so that they can focus all on the sp,bring it on.
Oh what did i like the portal games,i hope so much there will be a next portal game,there can't be enough sequals on this game for me.
PGU
Well Fallout N.V.,i'm on level 26 now and i wan't some perks before i do the dlc parts.
The main story is not beeing done good,on fallout 3 you could keep playing after the main story with the dlc,but not with N.V.,but it's not a disaster,i saved did 1 ending and loaded my save and left the main story so that i can keep playing
also the stuttering of the game happens now more often,i use the l2/r2/square solution and it works [hopefully Bethesda make a more bug-less fallout 4 whenever that will be]
Last edited by slow and smart on 2/9/2014 1:24:01 AM
Aww, those earrings are adorable. Also, this week has been horrible. Today's the first time I've seen blue sky since last Sunday, just ugh.
The more I hear about The Order, the more I think I'm going to love it. No MP, those cool seemingly Insomniac-inspired weapons, a hefty focus on the narrative of their IP and, when you think about it, endless opportunities to plumb different settings, gameplay styles and characters in the future. I know, I shouldn't be thinking of it as a franchise already, but if it's as successful as it's shaping up to be, you can bet that Sony and R@D will fast-track a sequel.
This year's CoD will definitely be one to watch, if only to see what Sledgehammer is willing to do on their own. I've heard rumours that they'll be doing a MW4, and if that's true then I think it's about time to give up. I just can't shake this feeling that, even with an extra year and the tiredness that a lot of reviewers highlighted with Ghosts, they will be afraid to stray too far from the established formula.
Personal Update:
In the past couple of weeks I re-read The Fountainhead and Slaughterhouse Five, as well as reading Animal Farm for the first time. Next on the list is Dune.
I've been playing a bit of Castlevania: LOS. Much of what I've played so far has felt like a real chore, just running down corridors and dealing with a few really insipid platforming segments, but it does seem to be getting better the longer I put into it. Might be getting Lightning Returns next week, in which case C:LOS goes on the backburner.
Also finally got back to work on my writing project after a month of staring at the page willing the words to flow through my fingers to no avail. I ended up having to segue through the part that had me stumped, so it'll be subject to massive edits in the next draft, but at least I'm making progress again, slow as it might be.
The biggest news for me, though, is that I've packed everything up and I'll be moving down to the city tomorrow to start uni. Really looking forward to it, but also kind of worried… I've been out of school for six years. Feels weird to be going back.
Off topic, just bought a Mini Cooper S 2006 convertable. Been driving it around the beaches this weekend here in Queensland and it is very cute but has a nice bit of zip when I put the foot down. Never had a decent car before so very excited. The wife and kids love it.
(There goes the PS4 unfortunately for the foreseeable!)
Enjoy it man. Lucky you in your convertible with that beautiful Ozzie weather. Here it's just rain and wind at the moment.
You regret nothing 😀
Awesome! I'm guessing you're down Brissy way? It's miserable weather up in the north here right now :/
Awesome car, I love me some hot hatches. I recently ordered a 2014 Ford Fiesta ST about 4 months ago and I get it next week. I've been in love with small Euro hot hatches for as long as I remember and I can't wait to drive one!
Thanks guys!
Sunshine Coast Lawless. Not getting the cyclones and tropical lows of you guys up north!
Or the unbearably stinking heat down south.
I've just been playing a bit of this and a bit of that this week. Started on Ni No Kuni but it was just way too cutesy for me. I'm in Ding Dong Dell and the kid's saying "neato" after he wins a fight. I'm sure the combat gets better later on but after spending 4 evenings with it I was just bored.
Played a bit of Jak 2 but after the first game was so colorful and cheerful I was really turned off by how drab and dreary the second one was. Played a bit of part 3 and that was fun up until I ran into some little challenge that was just absurdly hard.
Also played a bit of Skyrim on PC and a fair bit of GT6 as well. Got gold on all the seasonals now and I'm sort of working on doing all the driving missions and stuff to get 100%.
This week I think I'll start on Mass Effect 3 and on PC I might get into Tomb Raider.
Been playing more Skyrim, and I really gotta say: This game can just be played forever. If you love fantasy RPGs (unfortunately I'm not one of them) you should be able to play this game for YEARS.
It's crazy:
The play-through I am experiencing this time is SO different from the first. I've not even gotten a real encounter of a dragon yet – and I am much further into the game now than I ever was the first time!
I thought that at least the dragons were semi-scripted in that you more or less were guaranteed to meet one at certain stages in your characters development, but nope.
So here I am with an entirely different character having a very different tale to tell, and a game so huge that I could just keep playing forever.
Oh man how I look forward to the next Fallout now.
Last edited by Beamboom on 2/9/2014 1:11:53 PM
I can't swing a dead cat without hitting a dragon.
me too,i also look forward to the next Fallout,but i guess it wil take some time maybe end of 2015?stil no news….
@World: lol! Oh man, the mental picture your comment created in my head! 🙂
But really, it's strange. I've not seen any signs of any dragon anywhere, and now I've even travelled long distances outdoor to reach new mission locations. I've explored far more of the map now… And not ONE dragon!
I don't get it – but I like it. Now I feel I am more prepared for the attacks than I was during my first play-through, when I hardly had any spells or skills.
@Slow'n'smart:
Yeah definitely not before 2015. But then I think it is time! I cross everything I got that they'll break the news of the next fallout at this years E3.
Last edited by Beamboom on 2/10/2014 5:51:45 AM
" I just worry a little about the length; for only $14.99, I'm afraid this won't be a very long adventure."
Seems to contradict the article you wrote about MGS:GZ length not worrying you at all…….
COL is more than 2 hours long I am guessing, and costs a lot less then $40.
Doesn't contradict it at all. I like turn-based RPGs more than just about anything.