Gaming Thread

[DOOFY]

who has xbox 360 and halo 3, my live name is BroncoDoofy, look me up let me know if u have, ill bee back, oh and ive played ace combat 6, wow, thats all i can say

[BugHunter]

i like that a good number of the team that worked on Diablo II is working on Hellgate London.


Yo, a bunch of guys and I have a huge Lan Halo 3 tournaments like every week in my dorm house. We hook up 4 tv's and 4 x-boxes and beautiful chaos ensues... ;D ;D ;D

[Deimos]

I could say something here. cuz' i'm pretty deep gamer myself...however, i've come to the observation that I just happen to be into a very select set of genres...platformers and rpgs...J-rpgs specifically. Which is why despite my love for games I don't post much here...but after reading a really good round table discussion on rpgs as a genre...I thought i'd post this up for the sake of posting it up- it's game-related, so I figure it should pass.

In any case, what it surrounded was the argument of Western RPG and Japanese RPG...is any one better than the other? Obviously, if you really observe the nature of the two, the answer is no. Primarily because you can't technically call JRPGs, RPGs at all. What they really are, are SPGs...or what I call Story-Playing Games...Wherein the focus of most Western RPGs is the idea of taking a blank slate and turning into something, and making the story as you go- determining the ending for yourself, the focus of the Japanese versions is observing the fate of a pre-determined character and becoming one with that persona.

What happens after that? Over here, that means you get sprawling epics that leave you entirely in control of everything you do, there's usually an over-arching story- but whether or not you chose to let that play out, is up to you. There's no bonding per-se because you know WHO you are...the image on screen isn't so much a character...as it is YOU, and you can't very well bond with yourself...well you can..but that's kinda weird no?

Vice-versa, you get something far more narrow. In this case, the adventure is in the story. The enjoyment will be determined as to whether or not you CAN bond with the characters presented. In this case it's all about "oooh, this guy/girl is so freaking awesome! I can't wait to see what happens next..." It's almost like taking your favorite book, and making it playable- that's the best way to look at it. Hence my SPG nickname.

And I for one, enjoy the Japanese version because I would much rather see a story play out in all its glory and connect with a group of characters and play as myself...especially because I personally lose sight of my goals in the sandbox style of most Western RPGs, and I don't connect with the people interact with. This is also why I don't enjoy MMOs...

something to chew on there...
---------------
Also, I now know why Asian developers, especially in Japan have taken SO long to embrace online connectivity...its simple...ethics.
Over there, it's considered rude to drag someone else away from their personal activity to join yours. Which is why, set meetings and in-house-non-internet lan games are more the norm- no interrupting others, and everyone you're playing with is right there with you.

I personally don't like dealing with other people when I play my RPGs...but hey, whatever works. I will say though, should Nintendo EVER decide to do a Pokemon MMO...THAT i'll raise a glass to and be more than willing to sell my soul for.

[Cobra5]

You know the idea of a pokemon MMO has been mentioned a few times in our circle over here. I don't know WHY that hasn't been done yet. Kids love MMOs for some reason (My sisters have played through every free trial out there), although myself I can't stand them- They're too plain. Like, I love the idea of an MMO... but... they just can't hold my attention. Making a cool character and watching him chop animals for an hour isn't fun for me. Something new needs to be done. And I'm not talking Tabula Rasa "new" (In effect, the same thing with new pictures). I mean something truly new.

Pokemon may be...childish, I guess you could say- but at its core, it has good gameplay, even if you don't like childish stuff (which personally, I am not opposed to anyway). It might be something like that that needs to happen to the MMO genre to pull me in- if not pokemon, then something, anything, with a fresh idea.

As for RPGs and J-RPGs, I can't find myself liking either really. Which is sad- back in the day, RPGs were my bread and butter. As for Western RPGs, I don't like this whole open-ended movement. Not so much in idea- I would love to make an awesome character and play through cool stories and do awesome stuff with him- but in its execution. In all of the open RPGs I've played, I feel that they just don't offer anything for your character to really DO. At least, to do and be cool. Because they are open, and cater to such a range of players and characters, the quests, stories, and activities you can engage in make you feel more like a cookie-cutter character then someone "cool".

As for J-RPGs, I love the idea of telling a story, and us watching through it- games with cool stories ALWAYS suck me in, and that's usually my favorite aspect- but I just well... don't like them. Its an opinion thing- I don't like the characters, or the worlds, that these games tend to paint. Again, its a difference in tastes. For example, I just can't stand the Final Fantasy Series after 9. I just don't like the people and stories in FFX or XII. However when a J-RPG comes along with a story, world, or characters I can appreciate (The last I can remember is Front Mission IV) I eat that stuff up .

Back in the day, Western C-RPGs held me tightly. Baldur's Gate, for example, still holds a place in my heart as one of the best games of all time. Its still installed, after all these years, after all those games I've deleted and reinstalled... that one hasn't left, barring technical difficulties with my hard drive.

I think one of my biggest complaints about Western RPGs is this, personally: They fall into one of two molds. Either "Open Ended" Like say oblivion, where you do whatever the hell you want in a "living world"... but they always end up feeling empty, and as mentioned, have stories and such too vague to really build a personality out of. The other mold would be "Good and Evil", like say Fable or KOTOR, where they give you a choice to be one or the other... claiming to be open ended and letting the player craft a character as they see fit, but in the end, you just choose between two pre-made characters: SUPER-good and SUPER-evil. Still, I'm looking forward to Mass Effect, although I really hope it doesn't suffer from this problem.



yeah... so... no RPGs have held my attention for any amount of time in quite a long time. I do desperately want one, I do, its the Genre I grew up with. But for now I'm sticking with Action games and RTSs until something really good comes around. Maybe my standards are too high, or perhaps my tastes too picky... but I guess I just haven't found any RPGs worth playing.

[BugHunter]

These are both great conversations over here. You both point out several things that I agree with. Much relevance for me right now because I'm in the middle of making a game demo from scratch with a team of fellow students for our senior project. And basically, its an rpg with elements from Pokemon and Armored Core. I'll give you the elevator pitch and ask what you think:

"Our game is an action/adventure/RPG that's a mixture of Pokemon, Final Fantasy and Battle Bots. You follow the story of a young prodigy named Kade and his robot, "Cy", as they chase their dream to compete in the Robotic Battle League. It's all about robots battling robots while hunting through scrap yards for better and more powerful parts. The game will feature personalized bot customization, free-roam, turn-based combat, and a system of checks and balances for weapons and items as opposed to experience levels.

Our heroes travel to frenzied stadiums, brave ruined wastelands and challenge an illegal underground while trying to make names for themselves. But then, they discover that large factions have devised an evil plot of global domination by using the planet's ancient secrets and only Kade and Cy can stop them. So, not only do they attempt to reach the top of the RBL, but they must also save the entire planet before it's too late.

The name of this epic adventure is 'Salvage'"



I like to think that we're trying to strike a balance between the above mentioned Western RPG's and J-RPG's where the robot arena battles are rather sandbox and you follow an epic story of these characters. We are also adamant with staying away from an anime style and anything cutesy. But really, tell me what you guys think because we're practicing for when we have to present these ideas to a larger audience.

[daft alchemist]

I did read all of that, but I don't feel like talking about RPGs with anyone because I do like MMOs and I do like some Japanese RPGs and I don't really like the "open-ended"-ness of western RPGs (including Baldur's Gate to a point, although my biggest gripe with that game is the novel you have to read for every spell just to know exactly what the spell does, but it reads like legal-ese anyway so I have no idea what the damn spell does even after I read the novel description).

HOWEVER! I will say this:

Battle Bots ftw always.

[Cobra5]

I think that sounds like a cool idea for a game, certainly. Moving away from experience level and getting upgradeable parts instead sounds awesome, and making your own robot is always a cool mechanic (Um... I have every armored core game except 4, so... maybe I'm biased )

Also sounds a little like Robotrek, and old SNES RPG... you played as an inventor who built robots, and changed their weapons and such. However, in my opinion, that game had some fundamental flaws, such as the difficulty curve. In one dungeon, you would kill every enemy in one hit, and get almost no experience for it- in the very next, every enemy would kill you in one hit.

Anyway from the description you gave, I'd play it

[Tassatul]

The thing about MMOs is that the gameplay is secondary. Oh, its certainly important, if the game has major flaws or is just clunky, no one is going to play. . . but the main pull comes from the social aspect. I'm still playing World of Warcraft, but in all honesty, the game really doesn't interest me anymore. The reason I'm still playing is because (1) theres nothing else to really play and (2) I'd hate to leave everyone I've become friends with in WoW.

In other news. . . I finished Starcraft again. Moving on to Brood War. Hooray!

[daft alchemist]

I agree with Tass. I'd hate to stop playing with Remm, Res, Gar, Abdul, Necro, Smoke and the rest. It'd bum me out hardcore.

[Cobra5]

Yeah. Thats what I meant by I like the IDEA of MMOs... but they're all SO BORING ...

I want to find one I can have fun with. SOmething where I don't just beat up animals/baduys for hours for no real reason other then to build up my character. Some goal beyond improving my character.

[BugHunter]

thanks for the input amigo.

The only MMO I've ever gotten my hands on was that free one called Runescape. Pretty decent for a free online game, but i dont have time to play it anymore and all the players end up farming items and money like crazy.

[daft alchemist]

That and Runescape is like a gateway to your computer for adware and spyware and such.

[BugHunter]

Anyone else not able to wait for the new Smash Bros. Brawl? Sonic has now officially joined the roster.

[daft alchemist]

I look forward to any game that features Link with rabid anticipation. ;D

[Deimos]

well, if the 22 characters already announced is only about halfway there (they've made quick to point out that they're going to try to have EVERY character from the previous games in this...and not all of them have even been unveiled yet)....that says something.

I keep checking smashbros.com every morning for their daily updates

Gray Fox is an assist trophy! makes me want to see either Knuckles or Tails as an assist trophy from the Sonic world.



Makes me want to buy a Wii...