Something went wrong. Try again later

jakob187

I'm still alive. Life is great. I love you all.

22972 10045 177 514
Forum Posts Wiki Points Following Followers

Uninteresting $#!% #18

By jakob187 18 Comments

IN THIS BLOG: 
 
HOWDY FOLKS!  Hope you all had a damn fine Thanksgiving, and for all the foreigners out there, maybe you should start slaughtering turkeys for a feast on the day as well...because why the fuck not?!  Of course, Thanksgiving is great and all, but once all the turkey and mashed potatoes have settled into your stomach for that big-meal-sleepy-feeling, there's only one other thing to look for in the week:  Black Friday.  I started my Black Friday adventures about three years ago with Best Buy, and the one thing I've learned since then is that you don't have to go to a store at 5:00am to wait in line when you are just buying some video games.  They've got tons of that shit.  Therefore, my Black Friday started at a regular 8:00am time frame and lasted for a couple of hours.  Aside from getting the first three seasons of Mad Men on DVD for $10 each, I also got Daybreakers for $5 (love that flick) and a slew of video games (two from Hasting's, but whatever).  So, with that said...GAMES!!! 
 

Brotherhood and the Frustrating Multiplayer Extravaganza

 Much like Bloody Good Time, the character you pick makes no difference. It's purely aesthetic.
 Much like Bloody Good Time, the character you pick makes no difference. It's purely aesthetic.
The single player in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, so far, is good.  It's not Assassin's Creed II levels of greatness yet for me, but I'm still early as hell in the game.  Most of my time has gone into the multiplayer portion of the game, mainly as a contemplating factor rather than a solid form of fun.  If anything, the reason I can't call Brotherhood anything close to my Game of the Year is strictly because the multiplayer feels...well, wrong in some ways.  Don't get me wrong - the idea and concept are great, and it's much bigger in scope than the inspiring material of The Ship and Bloody Good Time.  The execution is just a bit sloppier than I'd like.  Most people that I've seen in matches just run around on rooftops, shoot you with guns, and use throwing knives.  They don't try to stealth or sneak or remain hidden, and in turn, this hurts the people that are trying to play the game that way.  The minute one person's target goes to the rooftops, it starts a chain streak of people having to go to the rooftops, negating the majority of gameplay systems that Ubisoft put into the game.  I'm not saying this run-around-and-act-like-a-jackass play style is "playing it wrong" necessarily.  Not all assassins are sneaky, as some are flamboyant and don't care if someone notices.  Unfortunately, those sprinters are usually the ones with the advantage.  They'll burn through their kill contracts quicker, and even at 150 points a kill, they'll finish five contracts before you may get to finish one for 400 - 600 points.  It's a broken system, and I can only hope that Ubisoft will drastically reduce the points given for unsneaky kills at some point. 
 
Beyond that, there are a couple of times where I'm pounding my head against the controller.  Lower level players are at a MASSIVE disadvantage without any form of skills, something that other games have handled far better.  The way lobbies are set up...which is virtually just a loading screen that shows the number of players found...is uninteresting and limiting.  Why can't I customize my kits in the lobby?  Why do I have to wait until I'm IN THE GAME to do so?  Maybe I'm spoiled by games like Halo and Call of Duty having streamlined and essentially created a great lobby setup for consoles.  It just feels a little janky.  Above that, there's other issues.  I've stood directly next to my targets, hit the X button, and I've gotten no button register from it.  Meanwhile, someone can be what seems like half a mile away, slam that X button, and a series of animations will do the kill for them.  The compass will detect an enemy half a mile away from you in a sea of doods that look like them.  It's more than just a bit frustrating. 
 
 Also, Brotherhood is about more than just stabbing in faces and necks. There's hacking and pummeling too!
 Also, Brotherhood is about more than just stabbing in faces and necks. There's hacking and pummeling too!
The biggest problem that the multiplayer has is this:  it doesn't take human intelligence into account.  When I see someone sprinting towards me, I'm a little more than positive that it's my killer.  Regardless, I get no form of escape meter when I start to run away.  I can't keep him locked on because I have to look the other way to see where I'm running.  If he continues walking while I sprint, then it penalizes me rather than him for being unstealthy.  There are also times where I say "that's my pursuer, I need to stun him".  Unfortunately, Ubisoft tells you not to rely on stuns.  Okay - I'll use a firecracker.  Oh, it blinded him but he can spam the X button to kill me anyways.  I'll use a smoke bomb.  Oh, the cough only affects him for a second, and even if I go in for the stun, it's a 1 in 3 shot that he can spam the X button and kill me.  I'm going to blend into this crowd.  Oh, he's using Templar Vision which sees right through everything, even though I'm doing nothing conspicuous. 
 
In concept, the multiplayer in AC: Brotherhood is sound, but in action, there is still a significant amount of work that needs to be done.  My idea:  give every player one lock-on every time they die.  Only one.  If they can target the person that they are supposed to be killing, then it stays targeted on them for the duration of the time that the player and/or target are alive.  If they can't, well...tough luck.  This is something incredibly basic that will easily prevent people from being jackasses nearly as much.  Decrease the amount of points for a gun kill to 50 points and a running killing to 25 points.  Promote the idea that people should be sneaky.  Also, populate your fucking rooftops with people OTHER than the players.  You have guards in the regular game.  Otherwise, only allow climbing to a roof when someone is in a chase. 
 
In other words:  fix your multiplayer up a bit more, Ubisoft.  It's getting there, but it still needs work. 
 

AND NOW, A COUPLE OF QUICKIES! 

 
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West - I finished this over the weekend, and it's a seriously great game.  Animation priority was rarely a concern for me.  However, when you can traverse a world as easily as that, it makes something like Assassin's Creed seem archaic in a way.  The story, character design and acting, and story beats are pretty incredible.  Essentially, the game reminded me of how good something like Beyond Good and Evil was...and I can easily say that if you dig Beyond Good and Evil, Enslaved is a game you need to play! 
 
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit - I'll speak more about this the next time I blog...I'm sure.  Personally, you are really hurting only yourself if you haven't bought this game yet.  The online is incredible amounts of fun, and the way that the Autolog system works...how you can carry your progression over between single player and multiplayer...just everything is so well-designed.  The graphics are GORGEOUS, the sense of speed is great, and the controls are easy enough that anyone can play but there is definitely a level of mastery possible with it.  My only complaint:  some of the slingshotting and rubberbanding that the A.I. does in the single player is goddamn frustrating.  I understand trying to keep the action going, but if I've gotten 11 seconds ahead of the cops, then don't fucking magically teleport five of them next to me in the last mile of the race and fuck me over!  Other than that, it's a SOLID fucking game, so buy this ASAP. 
 
Singularity - I've only gotten to the point in the single player where I've acquired the TMD.  However, everything in the beginning of that game...while ringing a little too close to the school level in F.E.A.R. 2, was genuinely creepy for me.  Then again, I have problems with the sounds of babies and children crying in pain (one of very few things that makes my skin crawl).  For being a game on Unreal Engine 3, though, this game is FUCKING GORGEOUS!!!  I have not seen a single instance of texture pop-in yet, and frankly, it gives games like Bioshock a run for their money!  Looking forward to digging in a little deeper on this one...and surprisingly enough, there are still people online with it! 
 
Split/Second - I'd already played quite a bit of this before I had my gamertag, as a customer had brought it up here to work and let me borrow it for a day or so.  It's a good game, great graphics, solid sense of speed and relatively consistent frame rate.  My only real issue with the game is that it can be pretty shallow after a handful of hours.  Still, I got it on the super cheaps ($15), so I'm not complaining. 
___________________________________________________________________ 
 
Damn.  This blog got all kinds of crazy long and out of control!!!  Sorry about that.  I wasn't expecting to go on a full-blown tirade with Brotherhood.  It's just frustrating to see something so ambitious be...well...can we say it's a little broken? 
 
Until next time, folks...PIECE! 
 
P.S. - How was y'alls Thanksgiving and Black Friday?  If you didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, what did ya do instead?
18 Comments

18 Comments

Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22972

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
IN THIS BLOG: 
 
HOWDY FOLKS!  Hope you all had a damn fine Thanksgiving, and for all the foreigners out there, maybe you should start slaughtering turkeys for a feast on the day as well...because why the fuck not?!  Of course, Thanksgiving is great and all, but once all the turkey and mashed potatoes have settled into your stomach for that big-meal-sleepy-feeling, there's only one other thing to look for in the week:  Black Friday.  I started my Black Friday adventures about three years ago with Best Buy, and the one thing I've learned since then is that you don't have to go to a store at 5:00am to wait in line when you are just buying some video games.  They've got tons of that shit.  Therefore, my Black Friday started at a regular 8:00am time frame and lasted for a couple of hours.  Aside from getting the first three seasons of Mad Men on DVD for $10 each, I also got Daybreakers for $5 (love that flick) and a slew of video games (two from Hasting's, but whatever).  So, with that said...GAMES!!! 
 

Brotherhood and the Frustrating Multiplayer Extravaganza

 Much like Bloody Good Time, the character you pick makes no difference. It's purely aesthetic.
 Much like Bloody Good Time, the character you pick makes no difference. It's purely aesthetic.
The single player in Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, so far, is good.  It's not Assassin's Creed II levels of greatness yet for me, but I'm still early as hell in the game.  Most of my time has gone into the multiplayer portion of the game, mainly as a contemplating factor rather than a solid form of fun.  If anything, the reason I can't call Brotherhood anything close to my Game of the Year is strictly because the multiplayer feels...well, wrong in some ways.  Don't get me wrong - the idea and concept are great, and it's much bigger in scope than the inspiring material of The Ship and Bloody Good Time.  The execution is just a bit sloppier than I'd like.  Most people that I've seen in matches just run around on rooftops, shoot you with guns, and use throwing knives.  They don't try to stealth or sneak or remain hidden, and in turn, this hurts the people that are trying to play the game that way.  The minute one person's target goes to the rooftops, it starts a chain streak of people having to go to the rooftops, negating the majority of gameplay systems that Ubisoft put into the game.  I'm not saying this run-around-and-act-like-a-jackass play style is "playing it wrong" necessarily.  Not all assassins are sneaky, as some are flamboyant and don't care if someone notices.  Unfortunately, those sprinters are usually the ones with the advantage.  They'll burn through their kill contracts quicker, and even at 150 points a kill, they'll finish five contracts before you may get to finish one for 400 - 600 points.  It's a broken system, and I can only hope that Ubisoft will drastically reduce the points given for unsneaky kills at some point. 
 
Beyond that, there are a couple of times where I'm pounding my head against the controller.  Lower level players are at a MASSIVE disadvantage without any form of skills, something that other games have handled far better.  The way lobbies are set up...which is virtually just a loading screen that shows the number of players found...is uninteresting and limiting.  Why can't I customize my kits in the lobby?  Why do I have to wait until I'm IN THE GAME to do so?  Maybe I'm spoiled by games like Halo and Call of Duty having streamlined and essentially created a great lobby setup for consoles.  It just feels a little janky.  Above that, there's other issues.  I've stood directly next to my targets, hit the X button, and I've gotten no button register from it.  Meanwhile, someone can be what seems like half a mile away, slam that X button, and a series of animations will do the kill for them.  The compass will detect an enemy half a mile away from you in a sea of doods that look like them.  It's more than just a bit frustrating. 
 
 Also, Brotherhood is about more than just stabbing in faces and necks. There's hacking and pummeling too!
 Also, Brotherhood is about more than just stabbing in faces and necks. There's hacking and pummeling too!
The biggest problem that the multiplayer has is this:  it doesn't take human intelligence into account.  When I see someone sprinting towards me, I'm a little more than positive that it's my killer.  Regardless, I get no form of escape meter when I start to run away.  I can't keep him locked on because I have to look the other way to see where I'm running.  If he continues walking while I sprint, then it penalizes me rather than him for being unstealthy.  There are also times where I say "that's my pursuer, I need to stun him".  Unfortunately, Ubisoft tells you not to rely on stuns.  Okay - I'll use a firecracker.  Oh, it blinded him but he can spam the X button to kill me anyways.  I'll use a smoke bomb.  Oh, the cough only affects him for a second, and even if I go in for the stun, it's a 1 in 3 shot that he can spam the X button and kill me.  I'm going to blend into this crowd.  Oh, he's using Templar Vision which sees right through everything, even though I'm doing nothing conspicuous. 
 
In concept, the multiplayer in AC: Brotherhood is sound, but in action, there is still a significant amount of work that needs to be done.  My idea:  give every player one lock-on every time they die.  Only one.  If they can target the person that they are supposed to be killing, then it stays targeted on them for the duration of the time that the player and/or target are alive.  If they can't, well...tough luck.  This is something incredibly basic that will easily prevent people from being jackasses nearly as much.  Decrease the amount of points for a gun kill to 50 points and a running killing to 25 points.  Promote the idea that people should be sneaky.  Also, populate your fucking rooftops with people OTHER than the players.  You have guards in the regular game.  Otherwise, only allow climbing to a roof when someone is in a chase. 
 
In other words:  fix your multiplayer up a bit more, Ubisoft.  It's getting there, but it still needs work. 
 

AND NOW, A COUPLE OF QUICKIES! 

 
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West - I finished this over the weekend, and it's a seriously great game.  Animation priority was rarely a concern for me.  However, when you can traverse a world as easily as that, it makes something like Assassin's Creed seem archaic in a way.  The story, character design and acting, and story beats are pretty incredible.  Essentially, the game reminded me of how good something like Beyond Good and Evil was...and I can easily say that if you dig Beyond Good and Evil, Enslaved is a game you need to play! 
 
Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit - I'll speak more about this the next time I blog...I'm sure.  Personally, you are really hurting only yourself if you haven't bought this game yet.  The online is incredible amounts of fun, and the way that the Autolog system works...how you can carry your progression over between single player and multiplayer...just everything is so well-designed.  The graphics are GORGEOUS, the sense of speed is great, and the controls are easy enough that anyone can play but there is definitely a level of mastery possible with it.  My only complaint:  some of the slingshotting and rubberbanding that the A.I. does in the single player is goddamn frustrating.  I understand trying to keep the action going, but if I've gotten 11 seconds ahead of the cops, then don't fucking magically teleport five of them next to me in the last mile of the race and fuck me over!  Other than that, it's a SOLID fucking game, so buy this ASAP. 
 
Singularity - I've only gotten to the point in the single player where I've acquired the TMD.  However, everything in the beginning of that game...while ringing a little too close to the school level in F.E.A.R. 2, was genuinely creepy for me.  Then again, I have problems with the sounds of babies and children crying in pain (one of very few things that makes my skin crawl).  For being a game on Unreal Engine 3, though, this game is FUCKING GORGEOUS!!!  I have not seen a single instance of texture pop-in yet, and frankly, it gives games like Bioshock a run for their money!  Looking forward to digging in a little deeper on this one...and surprisingly enough, there are still people online with it! 
 
Split/Second - I'd already played quite a bit of this before I had my gamertag, as a customer had brought it up here to work and let me borrow it for a day or so.  It's a good game, great graphics, solid sense of speed and relatively consistent frame rate.  My only real issue with the game is that it can be pretty shallow after a handful of hours.  Still, I got it on the super cheaps ($15), so I'm not complaining. 
___________________________________________________________________ 
 
Damn.  This blog got all kinds of crazy long and out of control!!!  Sorry about that.  I wasn't expecting to go on a full-blown tirade with Brotherhood.  It's just frustrating to see something so ambitious be...well...can we say it's a little broken? 
 
Until next time, folks...PIECE! 
 
P.S. - How was y'alls Thanksgiving and Black Friday?  If you didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, what did ya do instead?
Avatar image for pweidman
pweidman

2891

Forum Posts

15

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 4

Edited By pweidman

Great blog/post....or whatevs, Jakob.  I have only played through Enslaved of the games you talked about, and while I generally agree on your assessment, some things were great about the game and others not so much.  For sure, the environments were awesomely rendered as were the models.  The character animations were stellar, especially the facial animations.  Some of the best ever.  Expressions of the characters, and the Vo were exceptional imo.  Traversal was pretty damn well done also.  However the combat was fun for a while, but got repetitive and a bit stale by game's end. Puzzles I thought were far more fun in general than the combat stuff.  Also, the story, while starting off great and super intriguing, ended up being pretty flat and uninspired though like too many games do.  Also, the character Piggsey(damn I may have that a bit wrong,sorry)was awesome.  I just couldn't stop marveling at that model..very cool art design, as was most of the game and art style is obviously Ninja's forte.  There's DLC on the way as well...stuff centered on that Piggsey character is my understanding.
 
Avatar image for ht101
ht101

2157

Forum Posts

378

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 11

Edited By ht101

My Thanksgiving was great and on Black Friday I stayed home because I didn't want to be killed by soccer moms rushing to get presents for their family.  Been playing a lot of AC: Brotherhood and I love it.  I do get what you are saying about the MP in how people play it but I really haven't encountered that much.  Fortunate for me and I haven't come upon any people who spam gun kills or throwning knife kills.

Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22972

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@pweidman: The Pigsy's Perfect 10 DLC is already out.  To be honest, I was expecting a very different direction for that character...and for most of the game, I really did not like him.  It was almost solely based on just how much he pulls off this sex-crazed...well, pig.  It was quite off-putting.  The ending to the game didn't fall flat for me, as it left a lot of good questions open.  I'm going to end up doing a couple more playthroughs at some point to clean up some other achievements, and I might play the DLC at some point.  Beyond that, I enjoyed the game for what it was...and it was on the cheaps too. 
 
@HT101: You, sir, are very lucky if that's the case.  Have you been playing in Wanted or team matches?
Avatar image for claude
Claude

16672

Forum Posts

1047

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 18

Edited By Claude

You know what, you didn't have a curse word in your title before it wasn't cool.
 
Fucking multiplayer, multiplayer, multiplayer. To me, the death of single player games began when everyone started playing online with broadband being so prevalent. I've tried and tried, but multiplayer gaming is boring as shit, plus, just a plain nuisance when you have a life that calls you away from the game at any given moment. Fuck, I'm just old and jaded.

Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22972

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@Claude: You are the Vinny to our Jeff, Brad, and Ryan, sir.  Don't get me wrong - I'm going to get into the single player...as well as get back on New Vegas at some point.  If anything, though, I'm drowned in single player games right now.  Black Ops, Hot Pursuit and Brotherhood were recent purchases, but before that... 
 
Enslaved, New Vegas, still wanna play the new Alan Wake DLC, still wanna play Vanquish, playing through some more Dead Space and Bayonetta, still wanna play the new Castlevania... 
 
I love single player as much as multiplayer.  Actually, looking through the games I own, the majority are single player experiences.  You have to remember, though, that I work at a gaming center...where we focus on multiplayer gaming.  In turn, that leads to a lot of multiplayer game playing whenever a big title like Black Ops or something of the sort comes out. 
 
To give it credit, the multiplayer plays into the story of Assassin's Creed in a small way.  Essentially, you are playing as an Abstergo agent inside of an Animus practicing combat techniques and trying to learn training that gets you closer to thinking like the assassins.  It definitely helps make it work with the game's single player story, much the same way that Bioshock 2's multiplayer played well into the story of the first Bioshock.
Avatar image for lordxavierbritish
LordXavierBritish

6651

Forum Posts

4948

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 7

User Lists: 6

Edited By LordXavierBritish

I agree with you 100% about AC:B's multiplayer. The concept is fucking fantastic, but the mechanics Ubisoft implemented around it are fucking retarded. High Profile characters will always have the advantage due to kills being a HUGE priority over stuns, higher level players will always have better options due to improved variations of abilities unlocked through challenges, and stealth is only rewarded with the chance of getting extra points. 
 
When everyone is of a similar level and actually trying to remain incognito and using things like crowds and hay bales to rack up points the game is certainly more entertaining. Ubi really needs to pull the reins back and force people to try and actually go for skillful kills rather than just running around hammering the X button. 
 
Really though, and you pointed this out, the real problem is that you aren't rewarded for actually being able to pick your hunter out of a crowd. The only way to stun is usually from behind or while after using an upgraded smoke bomb (because I tried to use a regular smoke bomb when a guy was RIGHT NEXT TO ME and he still got the kill off while I he was coughing and I was entering the stun animation.) It doesn't actually recognize you as trying to escape unless your hunter fucked up really badly which is just poor design. Running away in that situation is just a complete waste of time, plus you run the risk of altering your target to your presence or drawing attention from other hunters. 
 
It's just really sad the way this turned out. I'd like to try and get a group of people together who want to abide by the stealth mechanics of the game sometime just to play a few rounds and see how it goes. Some of my favorite moments with AC:B, including the single player, have been other players outwitting me and causing me to attack civilians. I've seen some pretty amazing maneuvers pulled off when people playing to be stealth, and it's those moments that make the multiplayer worthwhile.

Avatar image for claude
Claude

16672

Forum Posts

1047

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 2

User Lists: 18

Edited By Claude
@jakob187: 
 
All those great new single player games now have or will have multiplayer in the future. Bioshock went there and now Assassin's Creed. It's been hinted that Mass Effect might have an entry. Money well spent or just trying to cater to the game center crowd? It seems important to a lot of gamers, especially with traditional players or hardcore.
 
I've read so many times how GoldenEye 007 on the N64 was the beginning of great multiplayer matchups, but I barely touched the multiplayer. The single player was and still is the single most important part of that game for me. 
 
I wonder sometimes if and when I will be in the minority. Even your most basic of casual computer games have multiplayer. Maybe I need to find my game to play with others online. I don't want to be found with my head stuck in the sand.
Avatar image for tracerace11
tracerace11

317

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By tracerace11

I love everything that you have written, but I have to strongly disagree with you about the multiplayer.  You say that when the players start running around and just stabbing fools for 150 points that they are at an advantage.  I totally disagree.  I am at the advantage of seeing the idiot run like a moron.... but they do not matter to me.  The only people I have to worry about is my target, and those pursuing me.  I play very defensive.  I let the pursuing try to find me (morph) and smoke bomb them then stun.  I love the multiplayer because I can play my way and try to win, but sometimes the flashy assassin wins too. 

Avatar image for privateirontfu
PrivateIronTFU

3858

Forum Posts

2

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 3

Edited By PrivateIronTFU

I actually agree 100% with everything you said. Especially the parts about the incredible acting in Enslaved, and the all-around awesomeness that is Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. I'm really trying to get into Brotherhood multiplayer, but I totally agree that 'unsneaky' kills should warrant fewer points. That's what's holding the multiplayer back for me.

Avatar image for arbitrarywater
ArbitraryWater

16138

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 70

Edited By ArbitraryWater

What the hell? When did you change your icon? What kind of world am I living in?!?! Where is Joe?!?! Oh, and from what I've played of it (at a friend's house) I like the AC Brotherhood multiplayer more in concept than in execution. It's a little too.... random for me. The fact that everyone kind of just runs at you ruins the part where you are supposed to be stealthy.  Although, one match the person who won got around 600 points per kill using poison, perhaps as an antithesis to rushing up to a guy and stabbing him.
 
@Claude: Really, Multiplayer isn't the end all that people make it out to be. For as much as I enjoy playing COD with random people (and for as much time as I have sunk into it), a strong single player experience is far more likely to leave an impact and pique my interest. The ultimate problem with competitive Multiplayer is that it requires people, and it requires you to be competent to have any fun. Cooperative stuff is a little more forgiving on that end, but in those cases I would rather play with friends anyways.

Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22972

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@Claude: When I look at Brotherhood or Bioshock 2, the single player wasn't some throwaway sidebar.  I enjoyed that.  Meanwhile, I will agree that there are plenty of games where the multiplayer is the primary focus and the single player is an afterthought.  I'm hoping that games like these two will show that you can make an intriguing multiplayer portion while also offering a large amount of replay in the single player. 
 
At the same time, I look at Assassin's Creed II, which was my Game of the Year pick last year.  I played that game up to the point that I S-ranked it...and I never played it after that.  I did everything, completed everything, and I felt no reason to go back.  I was satisfied with my time in it.  Brotherhood could see me playing it for a bit longer, but I'm just hoping they fix that multiplayer side a bit more.  I will say that Brotherhood is probably one of the best ways that anyone has integrated a single player ideal to a multiplayer setup.  Well, that and Hot Pursuit.  God, I'm fucking in LOVE with Hot Pursuit! 
 
@tracerace11: The matches that I've played where people are running around have seen that person winning on a regular basis.  Essentially, I chalk it up to what I like to call the "COD Syndrome", where everyone wants to just run around and shoot their gun without playing any strategy.  Despite how defensively I or anyone else plays, it hurts the game when people do shit like that.  Moreover, it's sad to see that Ubisoft didn't do more to have people adhering to those rules.  I think that Bloody Good Time actually handled that stuff rather well, despite how unpopulated and buggy the game can be.
Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22972

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@ArbitraryWater: It's my "anti-Santa-Hat" avatar for every holiday season on Giant Bomb.  Claude even used it to make a nifty picture one time!
Avatar image for cincaid
Cincaid

3053

Forum Posts

23409

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 6

User Lists: 5

Edited By Cincaid

Nice blog as always!
 
As I don't live in the US I don't celebrate thanksgiving. So I spent my weekend hanging out with the girlfriend and finishing my S-Rank of Dragon Age: Origins.

Avatar image for ht101
ht101

2157

Forum Posts

378

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 1

User Lists: 11

Edited By ht101
@jakob187: I have played both but I have seen people running around more in the team matches since it seems like that's an easier way to get points, especially in the 4 Vs. 4 mode(forgot the name).  Wanted has more people who play it like Ubisoft hoped people would.
Avatar image for arbie
Arbie

1473

Forum Posts

0

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 4

Edited By Arbie

Interesting points on AC:Brotherhood's MP. I agree about it not taking intelligence into account. I mean for a start, why can't we kill our pursuers? Someone pointed that out on a similar thread and I don't see why, when you clock on who your hunter is, you can't kill them. I think that would reduce the number of people who sprint around looking for easy kills. The not relying on stun business is ridiculous. I've twice in the same match been unable to stun my pursuer who is obviously moving towards me to make the kill. If the game doesn't register it, Ubi obv doesn't think you should either. On a match like Manhunt when you have more than one pursuer, having to sprint out into the open rather than rely on stun often leaves you sprinting into another hunter, and bam you're dead!
 
I love the multiplayer but it isn't without its frustrations. Considering it's the first AC MP though I'd guess they were wanting to see how it worked with the players before making any changes.

Avatar image for swamplord666
swamplord666

1816

Forum Posts

216

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 0

User Lists: 8

Edited By swamplord666

i just think they should scrap lock on completely. i've played without it absolutely fine but it gets a bit much when, as you said, people can murder you from 10 feet away. Also i do think the player should only get 50 pts for unstealthy kills. but on the other hand i wish they would have implemented a system that rewards you for killing your target after a long chase or evading after a long chase. 
If you guys want to play the way we all enjoy, feel free to invite me to your games :) psnid: swamplord666

Avatar image for jakob187
jakob187

22972

Forum Posts

10045

Wiki Points

0

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 9

Edited By jakob187
@swamplord666: We play on 360, but appreciate it nonetheless. 
 
@CrazyChris: S-Rank on Dragon Age?  You are a stronger person than me.  I gave the fuck up on that game when I realized that Bioware fucked up in passing it off to a shitty development house for a port.  Well, that and I got the Redcliffe glitch...and I'm not starting over, goddammit! 
 
@HT101: The team matches definitely seem to have it happen more.  Alliance isn't nearly that bad.  I just wish they could find a logical way to cut sprinting out of peoples' main go-to without cutting sprint out completely.