Useless gaming news & chatter

[Rasix]

That's pretty much why I've stayed away from them. Their reputation for bugginess rivals an in-house Obsidian project. Sadly, I can't really stand to play any of the old Infinity engine games anymore.  The graphics, walls-o-text (I've gotten accustomed to voice acting), and inherent clunkiness makes them hard to revisit. I tend to play DA:O for that kind of fix.  I should probably pick up Pillars of Eternity at some point.

Heh, was there any blow back over the trans character in DA:I?  Or was that before we had to get really bothered about anything that made us mildly uncomfortable?

[lamaros]

Bg1&2 are still good IMO, the real problem is how much replayabilty do you get from walls of texts and d&d systems when you know them so well already? Not much novelty there.

[Cyrrex]

My issue with the BG Enhanced Edition is that it still looks like utter and complete shit graphically.  I guess I expected them to use a few more polygons and whatnot.  I mean, it looks terrible.  So I will go through my life never having played BG, apparently.

[Merusk]

 I should probably pick up Pillars of Eternity at some point.

If you're not a fan of walls of text anymore, PoE isn't for you. I find I'm bored of reading all the interactions after a 30-45 minute play session and put it away for a few days.

There's voice acting, sure, but they read lines very slow and ponderously. As if they believe over-dramatic delivery makes up for cliche tropes and amateur-level voices. So most of the time it's far quicker to read than to sit through the painful deliveries.

[HaemishM]

Bg1&2 are still good IMO, the real problem is how much replayabilty do you get from walls of texts and d&d systems when you know them so well already? Not much novelty there.

I tried playing the original BG1 and got about 20 hours into it before it just broke me. There were some interesting bits but missing out of QOL improvements like quest markers made it hard enough to play. Then realizing what a harsh mistress the AD&D 2nd edition system was, and how much better many other RPG systems have proven to be than that system over the years made it almost impossible for me to get up the inspiration to re-install it when I had a Windows 7 meltdown and reinstall.

[lamaros]

I like the AD&D system in BG1. Spells in BG2 are stupid, but the system otherwise is one of my favourites. Only being truly turn based would make it better. Also I hate quest markers and the other MMORPG stuff that is about these days. It's nice to just tool about and feel a bit free.

[Fabricated]

That's pretty much why I've stayed away from them. Their reputation for bugginess rivals an in-house Obsidian project. Sadly, I can't really stand to play any of the old Infinity engine games anymore.  The graphics, walls-o-text (I've gotten accustomed to voice acting), and inherent clunkiness makes them hard to revisit. I tend to play DA:O for that kind of fix.  I should probably pick up Pillars of Eternity at some point.

Heh, was there any blow back over the trans character in DA:I?  Or was that before we had to get really bothered about anything that made us mildly uncomfortable?

I think a lot of people kinda rolled their eyes about the way it was handled but that was in the middle of the whole thing with the lady writer people got super pissed at for writing something about how she wished you could skip combat in games.

[Hawkbit]

We probably need a DS3 thread soon, copy this over to first post when someone makes it: https://twitter.com/DarkSoulsGame/status/718124482561318912

[Jeff Kelly]

DS 3: Great game but a bit fan-servicey. DS core fanbase: Still mostly shit.

I absolutely hate that you can't throw a brick at the internet without hitting at least a dozen DS 3 streamers or a shitload of threads about why this is either the most amazing thing since the invention of amazing things or proof that satan is real. Sometimes I really wished that the internet would just shut the fuck up and simply enjoy something for a while before completely and utter overanalyzing and debating it to death or regurgitating the same dingleberries of pseudo-wisdom over and over again.

Everything is hyped or snarked to death by people that only regurgitate what they have once read on an internet forum and then you suddenly have a whole subculture of people whose mating call is "get gud" and who communicate entirely via stale memes - before the game is even officially released. If all of the people writing, talking or making videos about Dark Souls actually bought the games then From Software would have a franchise that rivals Call of Duty and would make approximately all of the money. I can't remember that there was ever so much hype about a game series that struggles to sell more than 1.5 million copies and that was largely ignored by most except for a small dedicated core fan base for nearly a decade.

The outspoken hard core fan base loitering on the internet and jumping on anything that even mentions the games in passing is now the biggest detriment to the games and probably has cost From Software a shitload of sales simply by regurgutating the same stale old untruths like the game's allegedly punishing diffculty or their compulsive need to self-affirm their manliness derived from playing a video game. /rant

[lesion]

The internet commentatron matrix is approaching critical white noise level. It's as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in stupid and were preserved indefinitely.

[Cyrrex]

Do the Souls games not sell more than a million something copies?  Is that for reals?

One day From will sell their souls (heh, pun) and turn this series into something that in no way resembles what it is now.  Until then, I am genetically pre-disposed to have to own and play their games.  Bloodborne is my least favorite of the series, but that's like saying I like Porsche's less than Ferraris because of all the compromises Porsche makes.  It is still way better than most games.  I have no doubt DS3 will be more or less the same, even if they have changed some things here and there.  I'm still going to play the shit out of it, and love/hate every minute of it.

Maybe not a day one purchase, though, and that is only because I still get a lot of mileage out of all the others.  I only every even finished Demon Souls, never really got close with the others.

[Jeff Kelly]

Dark Souls Lifetime to date sales are 2.4 million
Artorias of the Abyss expansion is about 2.1m
Dark souls 2 is 1.5
SotfS is 500k
Demons Souls was about 1.8M
Bloodborne is 2+ million

As always take sales numbers with a huge grain of salt

[Nija]

I love Dark Souls and I don't think I've ever used that phrase. I've never posted on any of their official forums and I doubt I've spoken much in any of the threads. I mostly post here and on rerolled, and that's it. I don't even crack open the SA games threads anymore, and I haven't really for years.

My major complaint in recent FROM SOFTWARE news is that Bloodborne was a huge regression. You could beat almost every single boss by charging forward and moving to one side or another. Taking that tactic and applying to the previous souls games works surprisingly well, but nowhere near as well as in Bloodborne. Also armor is a complete afterthought in that game. Way too simple and rushed out.

I can't wait for DS3. I'll be streaming it (but i'm not a streamer) if you want to check out how a real person plays it. https://www.twitch.tv/nijasan

You can get a laugh at how horrible I am at Dirt Rally, too!

[Falconeer]

The D*Souls games are the best thing that happened to games in the XXI century, full stop. Sadly, the first one was the best one, and every game was slightly worse than the previous, but they are still leagues ahead of everything else.

In other useless news, Facepunch (Garry's Mod, Rust) are trying to do their own Minecraft VR game with Chunks. This is an HTC Vive game only. You craft in giant form, then you go thought your creation in smaller, human size. This is going live on Steam Early Access next week.

[Falconeer]

Shin Megami Tensei IV trailer. Sadly, only for the stupid 3DS.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8oEjmBtRTA

The story of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is one of human pawns being shuffled across a chessboard by the higher deities. One lone Hunter, the game’s protagonist, meets an early demise and through a pact with a lesser god, is brought back to life in exchange for his pledge of servitude. From there, the protagonist allies with other Hunters in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Tokyo beginning a plot that crosses over with the events of the original Shin Megami Tensei IV.

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse features:
• The Eternal Struggle Between Gods– The Shin Megami Tensei series, known for exploring the tenuous symbiosis between man and deity , reaches deeper than ever in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, as the band of main characters must decide which side of peace or anarchy they are on.
• Partner Up for Success – A new twist on the SMTIV combat formula allows players to bring one of seven partners to battle (in addition to the standard three demons), each with their own unique skills and AI. Plus, partners will fill up a meter that will interrupt the enemy, do massive damage, and give players an extra turn. Given the excruciating difficulty of battles in Shin Megami Tensei, the partner system will allow for new player strategies.
• Demons Aplenty – Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse has a series record 450+ demons to fight, fuse, or recruit to player parties. With demons from a wide selection of cultures and religions to choose from, players will be able to customize their party to their liking.
• Fuse For Affinities – Demon fusion, combining two or more demons to form a more powerful one, is one of the cornerstones of Shin Megami Tensei games, and now demons will have affinities for certain skills, giving players more decisions to make about which skills fusions will inherit.
• Press Turns and Smirking – The Press Turn system returns, which gives players (or enemies!) extra turns for exploiting weaknesses. The Smirk system returns as well, which gives huge offensive and defensive boosts to party members (or enemies) and now unlocks bonuses for certain skills, such as insta-kill attacks.

[Rendakor]

It's actually the sequel to SMT IV, which came out almost 3 years ago (also only for 3DS) and is worth buying a 3DS for. Now I wanna find it and finish my NG+ playthrough(s).

[calapine]

HK project a sold called "cat adventure video game".









Not sure what to say, except I like the idea. 

[apocrypha]

One problem springs to mind... you're going to spend the entire game looking at a cat's arsehole.

[Sky]

Cat owners are familiar with this already. My cat's main nickname is 'Butthole'.

Must-buy, if only for domestic peace.

[Fabricated]

Oh yeah, more firings/closures on the videogame website front.

The Escapist closed their Durham office and fired a mess of people a couple weeks back. I don't really follow it so not sure who all is gone but it looks like most of their lineup anymore.

Filefront is completely shutting down.

[schild]

The Escapist closed their Durham office and fired a mess of people a couple weeks back. I don't really follow it so not sure who all is gone but it looks like most of their lineup anymore.

This probably should have happened back in, oh, 2008.

[Rendakor]

The Escapist should never have been more than that one guy who does those stick figure reviews. Yahtzee?

[Jeff Kelly]

Escapist was done the moment Jim Sterling left. No clue why Yahtzee stayed there, he could make more with his own YouTube and twitch channel anyway.

[Fabricated]

Jim Sterling sucks IMO. I hadn't paid much attention to him lately and like 90% of his channel is him intentionally playing the shittiest games on Steam and kinda not doing a good job making fun of them. Then he argues online with the weirdos that make them until they sue him for being mean or something.

[Signe]

If someone tried to sue me for being mean, I'd stab them in the eye. 

[Yegolev]

Well, if someone tried to stab me in the eye, I'd sue them for being mean.

[Sky]

In a rare move, I preordered a game not coming out until October. I have a pretty strong love for the Mafia franchise, though.

GMG has it for 25% off for a couple days, unfortunately only the base game not the game+season pass.

[Yegolev]

I wondered who the fuck liked those games.  Mystery solved.

[Sky]

Don't make me stab you in the eye, Susie.

[KallDrexx]

Pyre's reveal trailer.  The art looks amazing, but then again that's not surprising considering who is making it.

[Fordel]

Pyre's reveal trailer.  The art looks amazing, but then again that's not surprising considering who is making it.

I threw my wallet at the screen and nothing happened :(

[Falconeer]

H1Z1 made 33M just in 2015? Fuck that noise. Unbelievable.

[Hutch]

Wow, Darkest Dungeon had nearly 600k sales in 2015, while it was in Early Access. I wonder what their post-release numbers look like. Not bad for a start-up 

[Jeff Kelly]

Konami threw away a 100+ million dollar franchise (MGS) for Pachinko. 41 Million on steam alone. Not including online revenue or console sales or retail.

Also we'll get a shitload of Fallout games going by those numbers.

[Falconeer]

Undertale. Two people splitting the 4M. Probably more, as that only accounts for 2015, and Undertale was released in September.