Yeah I now it's been out, but I just finished Portals today(and Episode 2 the day before yesterday).
Episode 2: Much more epic than the first episode yet I found destroying Striders with those tiny bombs hard as hell. It also had better graphics and effects.
Portals: Much more enjoyable than Episode 2 and after the last puzzle, the game does a complete 180 on you to make for an action pack game even though you don't have any weapons(besides the portal gun). Also, the cake was not a lie Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
While I wouldn't say the graphics were an astounding leap forward, the game did seem to be a little sharper looking. And Alyx is still supremely hot. I haven't finished it as my xbox had some issues a while back, so don't spoil the ending. I plan on renting it out again one day.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
It's amazing how smooth Source games run on my cranky old PC, especially considering how good they look.
It was cool as ever. Although that last level with the striders and the bombs is immensely annoying, and I still need to finish that one.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
The Strider battle isn't so bad once you get the knack. Basically just mow down the Hunters with the car then sticky bomb it from behind, otherwise either the Hunters or the Strider itself will destroy the Magnuson devise before it can do any damage. At one point you can actually ambush one of them, I think it's the second Strider to come by the restock point just down from the water tower. Basically it tries to scuttle along on it's belly and take you by surprise, but if you hide in the pile of rocks to the left of the road it scuttles right past you and you have it at point blank range. Boom. The trick with the whole battle is to keep your car close and keep moving. Also if you're it close range with a Hunter, the 2ndary fire on the AR2 will give an instant kill.
Though Portal it lot's of fun and out of the three games was my instant favourite, once you've solved the advanced puzzles there's not much re-playability to it. Team Fortress 2 on the other hand has turned me into a multiplayer addict and a lethal Demoman and a Kamikaze Pyro.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
quote:Originally posted by Harry: It's amazing how smooth Source games run on my cranky old PC, especially considering how good they look.
Yeap same here. Unfortunately I can't say the same the same for Unreal Tournament 3, which apparently doesn't use my gfx card's anti-aliasing settings. I'm returning it tomorrow.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
The reason Source powered games run well even on crappy PC's is due to the fact that Valve actually takes the time to optimize their games for computers that don't cost $1900. HL2 runs nicely even on my old jalopy.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I have noticed that, though there if a big difference in quality between playing Source games on my old (as of a month ago) PC and the new one I just built. Though the difference is in the "bells & whistles" like realistic shadows, hight def textures, fire and lighting effects, especially with HDR. The difference in performance isn't near as much. What tips it compared to other games is that the Valve people actually pay attention to storytelling and gameplay so the graphics are just the icing on the cake. Speaking of cake, Poral is a prime example of that attitude.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Yeah man, I totally agree. Few games reach such a perfect balance of story, gameplay, and graphics, as the ones Valve have created.
The bells and whistles graphics options you mentioned do take a hit if your running on a bad rig. But that hit is significantly reduced when compared to say Oblivion.
What are you running on that new PC?
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
I have also recently bought a new PC, and it's very true that Valve games are just good regardless of graphics. The same goes for Call of Duty, which is still a high adrenaline rollercoaster ride in its fourth iteration, and does have some amazing graphics.
Crysis on the other hand, I can't really get into. It runs reasonably smooth (17-20 fps), and it does look insanely good... but somehow it plays very slowly. The enemies are overwhelming in numbers and strength, the vehicles are very hard to control, and it seems the only way to do things is to be cloaked and crawling 90% of the time. Although I admit that the open-ended gameplay (like Far Cry and Stalker) usually turns me into an over-cautious carebear.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:Originally posted by Da_bang80: Yeah man, I totally agree. Few games reach such a perfect balance of story, gameplay, and graphics, as the ones Valve have created.
The bells and whistles graphics options you mentioned do take a hit if your running on a bad rig. But that hit is significantly reduced when compared to say Oblivion.
What are you running on that new PC?
The new one is an Intel Core Duo 2.67GHz with 4GB of RAM and a GForce 8600 GT. Not the fastest piece of kit going, but it's better than what I had. I should probably mention that all the parts were ordered under close instruction from out own "Axeman" who's much more savvy than yours truly. Still having some teething problems with the occasional and apparantly random restart, but she runs good and can handle the chaos of Team Fortress 2 without so much as a stutter.
I'm not much of a gamer so I've never played most of the recent games going, I just stick to the likes of Half Life and Metal Gear Solid.
Back in the day I was an old school LucasArts adventure gamer (before they began to exclusively produce Star Wars titles) and thanks to ScummVM I still occasionally have a quick go on Monkey Island, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. It's a shame they don't make games like that anymore, unless you count the newer Broken Sword games, Dreamfall or Beyond Good and Evil, which are good, don't get me wrong, but tend to be a little stale and linear. BG&E least so.
quote:Although I admit that the open-ended gameplay (like Far Cry and Stalker) usually turns me into an over-cautious carebear.
Agreed, FarCry shit me right up to the point where it wasn't so much fun as exhausting. That's another thing Valve takes into account; player fatigue. It's actually possible to play through one of their games without getting bored or tired of the endless running and shooting, usually by breaking up the gameplay with little physics puzzles, scripted scenes or a stint riding around on a airboat/dunebuggy/'69 dodge charger (which I hereby dub the Colonel Lee) or just a nice "calm" moment.
Speaking of Valve games, has anyone heard about the upcoming Left 4 Dead? That looks like a keeper! (video here)
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I just exchanged UT3 for Bioshock, and man is it a far superior game. Nothing like electrocuting someone then smacking them with a wrench.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I just played the demo for that on Steam. Very pretty and very creepy, though I'll wait for it to arrive in the bargain bins before I'll buy the full version.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Re Left 4 Dead: This sounds awesome. Where has the loop for this one been, and why I have been so woefully outside it? (Although that "4" in the title is nearly a deal-breaker.)
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
quote:... It's a shame they don't make games like that anymore...
They are released as 'episodes', which are a few (6-10 ish, I guess) hours worth of top notch old school adventure gameplay, and they're quite affordable little downloads. And they'll send you a DVD at the end of the season with all 6 episodes and some extras.
I'm beginning to sound like a salesman, but I do think Telltale has hit the nail on the head with this system Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:Re Left 4 Dead: This sounds awesome. Where has the loop for this one been, and why I have been so woefully outside it? (Although that "4" in the title is nearly a deal-breaker.)
I think it's because you play one of 4 survivors, so there is purpose to the madness. At least it didn't replace S's with Z's.
quote:They are released as 'episodes', which are a few (6-10 ish, I guess) hours worth of top notch old school adventure gameplay, and they're quite affordable little downloads. And they'll send you a DVD at the end of the season with all 6 episodes and some extras.
I knew they've been doing new Sam & Max episodes, but with no demo that I could find I was hesitant to risk buying some crap, though if you're telling me it's good old school fun, I'll have a go.
I'm glad to see the idea of episodic downloads beginning to catch on, though of course like TV shows you're going to get some that don't quite make it past the starting gate (I hear SiN ep2 died a death) but for the good little gems it's a nice business model.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Yeah, but I think with SiN it was due to a change in management and maybe poor sales of Episode 1.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
I hear they're doing a new Deus Ex. Now done properly that could be a very good episodic franchise.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
A new Deus Ex? Cool, they had something good with the first one, but I think they fucked the second one.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Yeah, the first one was an epic masterpiece, the sequel just felt like a shallow imitation. I never did get around to completing the second one, so I don't know if it gets better near the end.
The only problem I had with the first game is that despite being a supposedly open story where they player decided how it goes, you have very little say in how the game actually plays out.
Anyway, the teaser trailer for the new game is here Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Cool. About the 2nd Deus Ex, I heard much critical acclaim. I guess that was just hype.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Well it certainly looked prettier, but the gameplay felt a little flat to me, compared to the first anyway. Better than the average shooter, but didn't live up to it's predecessor.
Posted by Da_bang80 (Member # 528) on :
Right, it didn't live up to the original. You couldn't switch around your biomods, once you chose them you're stuck with em. And depending on your play style that can really hamper your progress. It gets a little better near the end, but it's still a pretty poor game.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I just finished Bioshock. It had very touching ending...sniff...
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
That was fast work, you haven't had it a week! Oh and I just bought season one of Sam & Max, it is indeed quite good so far.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Well I played on easy . Plus I've been at home most of the week. There's also an evil ending. Maybe I'll play again to get it. Though even on easy it was still no joke. Those Big Daddys were tough.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
Portal is quite clearly the most awesome game of all time ever it is awesome cake etc.
Also, COD 4.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
Really, I wasn't expecting portal to end as it did. I found myself checking to make sure I hadn't inadvertently started another game.
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I sometimes play N64 or NES...but I don't even own a current console. However, my brother insisted on bringing his PS3 over to show me Portal...damn. That's got to be the best cake I've ever had.
But the whole escape sequence - we were in agreement (for once) that it got really boring. Too much of the same thing, same environment, pistons and crushers with no practical purpose all over the place. GLaDOS was fun, though. Especially "Still Alive."
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I can't wait for Episode Three. Gordon and Alyx are going to a ship owned by Aperture Science. I smell a cartoon crossover Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Hey hang on, why didn't my signature appear on that last post?
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Must have gone out for tea and dumplings.
I have to admit there were some bits of the post escape section of Portal that had me stumped. That last jump after the big turret battle had me stumped for quite a while. Still, as I understood it, all those pistons and stuff were what's driving all the movable platforms in the test chambers, of which we probably saw only a small faction. Then there's the fact that something has to provide the suction for the cube delivery tubes.
As far as Episode 3 goes, I'm very excited. Ep 2 went out with such a surprisingly emotional bang (I won't spoil for those who haven't completed it) that it left me wondering how it's all going to end. It is curious though that there's been very little word on it, despite the fact it's been in the works since Episode One was released well over a year ago.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
(Call of Duty 4 is pure awesome.)
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
I don't see why the pistons would be free-standing and not sealed inside a tube, though. I mean, what's providing their power, if they're powering something else? Usually a piston's powered by pressure on the end..hydraulic or combustion. (Combustic? )
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
Well the Aperture Science people were clearly on the eccentric side of psychotic, so it's anyone's guess. I'd rather know why they programmed robotic turrets with a non-threatening and weirdly enough non-blaming personalities or why they thought it was a good idea to give a sentient supercomputer the ability to pump deadly neurotoxin into the air cycling system or why they thought a quantum tunnelling devise would be a suitable alternative to shower curtains...
I haven't played a Call of Duty game since #2 and then only a demo. I remember it being very overly scripted with not much freedom of gameplay.
Posted by Harry (Member # 265) on :
That's still basically true. CoD is very linear. But this does give you (IMO) the most intense fights in any shooter I've ever played. The best one is the Soviet campaign in CoD 1 or 2, where you started as a lowly soldier that didnt get a rifle handed out, and end up planting the Soviet flag on the Reichstag.
Posted by Mars Needs Women (Member # 1505) on :
I like COD2 when you blow up that building full of Nazis.
I just finished a single player campaign for Half Life 2 called Minerva which was pretty good.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
"Very scripted" is not a criticism in and of itself. Half-Life 2 is very scripted... it just disguises it better.
CoD 4 multiplayer is frankly awesome. Even when compared to the also frankly awesome Halo3 multiplayer. I need more people to play on-line. I also need to buy the games to play them on-line rather than only playing them when I'm over my nephew's and dear-god I need a new TV.
(Playing Crackdown at the moment. It's pure fun in a box that's also a city.)
Posted by Daniel Butler (Member # 1689) on :
Well, Portal *was* supposed to be a sort of 'funny' game wasn't it? I got that impression from the audio commentary by the developers. And it did make me laugh. A lot.
Posted by Reverend (Member # 335) on :
quote:"Very scripted" is not a criticism in and of itself. Half-Life 2 is very scripted... it just disguises it better.
True. I suppose it's more a statement of preference than a criticism. Remember I only played the one demo mission and even that was a few years ago but from my recollection it seamed like the sort of game that so long as you can memorise the levels, i.e. when an door will explode from an enemy machine gun set up just inside or that if you pause in this particular spot two German soldiers will cross your path making for an easy kill, then you could get through the whole game without so much as a scratch.
True, HL2 has some very elaborate scripted moments, but the actual combat is usually set up so the AI is able to do things a little differently and it's smart enough to react to your tactics and try and outsmart you.
I suppose the fairest thing you can say is that the Valve boys & girls are better, or indeed the BEST at balancing great cinematic gaming moments with intuitive gameplay.
Posted by PsyLiam (Member # 73) on :
It also depends on how many times you want to replay it. The mirrors and curtains behind COD will show up if you look hard, but the first time through (on a decent difficultly level), it can completely win you over if you let it.
Plus, online multiplayer. Awesomeness.
There is a lack of cake though, which does bring it down a bit.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
. Plus I've been at home most of the week. There's also an evil ending. Maybe I'll play again to get it. Though even on easy it was still no joke. Those Big Daddys were tough.