Posts by Thrik

  • Wolfenstein Returns?

    I agree that it's a bit of a shift in focus for the series with things clearly being taken to the epic scale, and it's something that'll inevitably draw comparisons with games like Killzone, Resistance, etc. In fact Killzone is probably this games' biggest rival as that game is absolutely drenched in sci-fi Nazi-esque imagery.

    Still, I'm optimistic a good game will come out of it. At the end of the day the old Wolfenstein stories have been told, and this is an opportunity to take some of its stronger elements and make something that can actually succeed in today's market. An IP as venerable as Wolfenstein deserves it.

  • Names in Games?

    Just seems kind of redundant when LinkedIn offers virtually the same service but is a lot better and has infinitely more people already on it. As has been said many times (particularly about Google+): the best social network is the one people you know are actually using.

    I vaguely recall another site trying to do exactly the same thing some years ago, which predictably I've never come across again.

  • GTA V

    It's this kind of shit that gets me excited about this game:

    [Blocked Image: http://www.rockstargames.com/V/screenshots/screenshot/961/1280.jpg]

    What truly made San Andreas for me was that missions took you into all sorts of locations that weren't city streets, it felt really good to be able to get away from the city for a while. Maybe it makes up for me not doing it IRL so often. Looks like GTA5 is taking it up to a whole new level. I can just imagine boating out to that lighthouse for some mission and the atmosphere round there being awesome.

  • Wolfenstein Returns?

    Pretty cool trailer, I hope it turns out well after a predecessor that I can't say drew me in. It's actually been a really long time now since I last played a WW2 game, and of course the sci-if slant makes things even more interesting.

    Kind of funny to think that WW2 games are relatively rare now after their huge boom not that many years ago.

  • just a quick reminder

    One thing I do remember really striking me about HL2 was the variety and execution of its environments. There is such a huge difference between the oppressive and noisy city streets, the unforgettable claustrophobia of Ravenholm, and the isolation and quiet of the coast. Then there're countless locations that fit inbetween: the prison, Citadel, rivers, etc.

    I think HL2 nailed delivering a long, uninterrupted journey through a believable, desperate world just as much as HL1 accomplished the same with a remote research facility.

    Valve's biggest stroke of genius with HL2 was making it largely nothing like HL1, making it hard for people to say either is implicitly superior. They are both kings of their own domain.

  • just a quick reminder

    I'd have to choose HL1 for the same reasons as Mazy. That game was so influential on me, and it was also about as perfect as it gets as a creative piece in the context of when it came out.

    As a game I'm tempted to say that HL2 was more accomplished and did just as much as HL1 to influence the direction of shooters, but the community and it's incredible mods tip things HL1's way every time. It was a wonderful time to be into modding/mapping.

  • Xbox One

    Agreed, not a selling point for me at all. Logistics aside, it just doesn't look that good to me. I like my living room's ambient lighting that I carefully planed thank you.

  • Call of Duty: Ghosts

    lol there's something very unsettling about the character in that video.

    If they're going to keep the CoD series going into the next generation they definitely need a new engine, although as Ghosts will likely be a bridge release it'll probably still run on the old engine and just have some things pushed up like with most early releases this generation. More god rays or some shit.

    I kind of think they'd be better off not releasing Ghosts on the next-gen consoles and making this a current-gen only title if it is still on the old engine, then there'll be more shock and awe when they do inevitably release a next-gen CoD with an incredible new engine. Doubt it though, we all know Activision loves its monies.

  • Call of Duty: Ghosts

    I can appreciate your point, there are a lot of people out there who seem to think it's totally uncool to be into something that a lot of other people are into. There's probably some proper name for it, but I like to think of it as aversion to popularity. With these people it's a seriously uphill fight to convince them something is worth trying if they can see a lot of other people like it, very sad way to be.

    I think with Call of Duty a lot of people are genuinely fatigued by it though, I know I am. Same for Assassin's Creed even though I have mostly really enjoyed those games. I guess some publishers have been experimenting with how much they can get away with releasing lots of sequels this generation. Of course there'll be a lot of people jumping on the 'fuck CoD' bandwagon...

  • Call of Duty: Ghosts

    I think the negative reactions stem more from extremely short games being released on an excessively regular schedule. MapCore's industry-based membership is a bit above hating games for the sake of hating. Even those like me who previously loved the CoD series and were fans before the Modern Warfare days are tired of it.

    It is the definitive 'milk the cash cow' series, more so than any other I can think of. At least with Assassin's Creed there's a lot of gameplay there. Call of Duty? I'm lucky if they last me six hours, and there's virtually no replay value because of their ultra-scripted nature. Unless you like multiplayer — and I can think of much better alternatives — the CoD games represent the worst value for money you can get in gaming.

    If they released one every two years and put twice as much single-player gameplay into it I'd probably be more likely to buy them. As it is, I gave up after the Modern Warfare series because I was so pissed off with how much I'd spent on so little gameplay.

    After playing games like Deus Ex and Dishonored, the proposition of spending on so much on such a tiny sliver of gameplay — no matter how awesome and bombastic — is almost insulting.