Video Game News and Miscellany

I recall thinking when i started playing L4D2 that it feels different when you shoot and other small stuff like that.

The other things you mentioned are simply map design flaws and gaps in special infected gameplay that they fixed by adding the new ones etc. Nothing they couldn't fix with the previous game, in an expansion or a big content patch...

I really do wonder why they went with a whole new game instead...
It's not that different, it's mainly just some rebalancing and changing the sound effects. For instance, the pistols in L4D2 feel weaker because they have less flash and quieter effects, but they actually do more damage than they did in L4D1. Also, the shotguns became far less uber by reducing the number of infected they could penetrate (instead of having infinite penetration like the rifle).

Honestly though, I think the biggest problem people had was that they equated "continued support of the game" to mean "We're going to treat this like TF2 and give you shitloads of free stuff for years."
 
It's not that different, it's mainly just some rebalancing and changing the sound effects. For instance, the pistols in L4D2 feel weaker because they have less flash and quieter effects, but they actually do more damage than they did in L4D1. Also, the shotguns became far less uber by reducing the number of infected they could penetrate (instead of having infinite penetration like the rifle).
It's also the way they shoot somehow... it feel different... and not the guns being weaker either... and i haven't played #1 (well maybe once or twice) since i started playing #2 (like i said, i only bought the 2nd one)...

Honestly though, I think the biggest problem people had was that they equated "continued support of the game" to mean "We're going to treat this like TF2 and give you shitloads of free stuff for years."
And instead they got like 1 small campaign (the one after all the bitching and moaning doesn't really count) then started treating the 2nd game like TF2... seems Valve has a thing for the number 2.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Honestly though, I think the biggest problem people had was that they equated "continued support of the game" to mean "We're going to treat this like TF2 and give you shitloads of free stuff for years."
Actually, they made specific promises about what new content would be added. They said they'd add new maps, weapons and enemies. L4D1 got a new campaign, but never got new weapons or enemies like Valve had said it would.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Well, while I'm excited about new King's Quest, I'm not excited about hearing from all the Sierra fanboys whining about how TTGs titles aren't difficult enough and how all modern adventure games are too easy since you can't get into an unwinnable state.
 
Well, while I'm excited about new King's Quest, I'm not excited about hearing from all the Sierra fanboys whining about how TTGs titles aren't difficult enough and how all modern adventure games are too easy since you can't get into an unwinnable state.
Whatever. Fuck 'em.
 
J

Jiarn

Question: Thinking of getting The Witcher at some point. I've heard of EE versions, Uncensored (UK) versions and regular versions.

Now I thought the EE version was just missing some simple nudity, fixable with a patch I hear, but in other places I hear the Uncensored (UK) versions have added blood/gore, scenes and different dialogue.

What's the real story there?
 
Well, while I'm excited about new King's Quest, I'm not excited about hearing from all the Sierra fanboys whining about how TTGs titles aren't difficult enough and how all modern adventure games are too easy since you can't get into an unwinnable state.
The Joystiq preview of Jurassic Park shows that Telltale's willing to change things up.

Telltale. Fast becoming one of my favorite PC developers.
 
I'm guessing you meant Dragon Age 1?
No I meant Mass effect 1, They have been incorporating some elements from the Mass Effect series into DA, and I was worried they were going to taint DA into me not liking it so much. I have not played ME2 yet so I don't know if they improved much there but I really hated the AI control system in it which seemed to make my AI allies pretty useless damage sponges. The demo showed me that they did not hurt the DA series too much as I can still control my AI allies pretty good, and the dialgue wheel does not seem as misdirecty as in ME1.
 
Mass Effect 2 had excellent AI controls and they were much more than useless damage sponges.

Downloading the Dragon Age 2 demo right now... I'll have to wait till tomorrow to play it though.
 
How is the combat compared to DA:O? Is it more fast paced?!

Mass Effect 2 had excellent AI controls and they were much more than useless damage sponges.
They're still useless unless you control them each step of the way, but at least they have individual move commands straight from the keyboard in ME2...

Otherwise they made them more needed using the most annoying method of making your character have problems with certain protections the enemy has, unless you play a soldier (or have the proper DLC weapons).
 
Mass Effect 2 had excellent AI controls and they were much more than useless damage sponges.

Downloading the Dragon Age 2 demo right now... I'll have to wait till tomorrow to play it though.
That is good to hear I quit playing ME1 for a bit because it annoyed me so so I may give ME2 a try when it goes on sale next now as well.

How is the combat compared to DA:O? Is it more fast paced?!
Seems to be they infused some God of War like animations into the combat. Controls are not bad though the camera control playes a little different then in the first one(I did not rebind so it would be more fluent if I bound to my usualy control scheme) You can control each member still and the skill trees are more of a web and some were locked out in the demo so I am not sure how skill trees will pan out in feel by the mid-end game range I only managed to get a few abilities. Aoe Spells seem not to hurt your friendlies though, that will be good for some people bad for others depending on if you are pro or against FF.

It seemed more fast paced overall but the demo only really has snippets of combat as part of it is the intro part of the game. So far IMO the game is looking good. I am not sure if they included the AI behaviour tree that they had in number 1(I never tried it because I disabled it in DA:O as I am a micro manager in these games.)
 
They included the AI behavior controls. They also automatically update them. When I gave Bethany "Heal", the game automatically filled in tactics slots that said "Ally < 25% Health: Heal" and "Self < 50% health: Heal"
 
Seems to be they infused some God of War like animations into the combat. Controls are not bad though the camera control playes a little different then in the first one(I did not rebind so it would be more fluent if I bound to my usualy control scheme) You can control each member still and the skill trees are more of a web and some were locked out in the demo so I am not sure how skill trees will pan out in feel by the mid-end game range I only managed to get a few abilities.
It seemed more fast paced overall but the demo only really has snippets of combat as part of it is the intro part of the game. So far IMO the game is looking good. I am not sure if they included the AI behaviour tree that they had in number 1(I never tried it because I disabled it in DA:O as I am a micro manager in these games.)
Actually i was more interested in the combat in the first one, as i haven't played it yet... finished the demo twice already and the combat is too fast... so i have to either button spam or pause for every action... both are not my preferred method.
 
J

Jiarn

How many times will Mom and Dad, after their little drunken swinger parties, forget to remove the game before Johnny and Jane come into the living room to play Mario Galaxy.....
 
J

Jiarn

I'm still upset they sold out of the Alliance Premium Hoodies in my size over at Jinx....
 

figmentPez

Staff member
Team Fortress 2 got an update with the Shogun Pack. Four weapons, four hats and a noise maker. I find them mostly uninteresting, but there is a katana that, once drawn, must be used for a kill before it is put away.
 
That new Soldier Backpack sounds gamebreaking. Lets everyone in the deploy radius heal 20% of the damage they deal? Pop that during a push and it's like having an uber.
 

figmentPez

Staff member
That new Soldier Backpack sounds gamebreaking. Lets everyone in the deploy radius heal 20% of the damage they deal? Pop that during a push and it's like having an uber.
I don't see that as being any more game breaking than the Battalion's Backup, which gives 35%-damage reduction and immunity to crits. I think it depends on what the Concheror (sp?) takes to build up. I don't find it easy to build a charge on either of the previous soldier backpacks, and if the requirement is high enough for this new one it won't be going off all the time.
 
I want that medic hat.

Also, the half-zatoichi sounds like a fun weapon to mess around with.

Hell, the soldier backpack sounds like the only one that could have some serious use. The rest just sound like fun.
 
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