Dogfight and Offshore now have a pretty kick ass Assault variant.
Boom. Perhaps even more exciting is that this is not just an addition of some Assault objective markers to the orginial Offshore map. From here on out, every game mode I add will cause Offshore to experience dynamic changes in its basic details to suite the new game type. In Dogfight's version of Assault, the Red base is now more heavily fortified but harder to move around in while the Blue base is now much safer but contains a fatal weakness.
The full list of changes to the map include: -The Red Base now has a one way shield front door. The objective marker for planting the bomb is on the first floor, so it must now be accessed through the basement via a Grav Lift. -The Red Base's basic architecture has changed as well as it's Mounted Machine Gun positions. -The Blue Base now has much more visibility and many of its entrances have been patched up. -The Blue Base now has a teleporter underneath that allows Red to easily access their enemy's base.
I'm a little worried about only having one entrance to the bomb planting zone, so I may have to change the map up soon. There are also the classes which I'm not sure about at all. Changing to a more vanilla load out for all the variants is very possible. I'd like to get some people in to test it, so if you are interested in playing some god damn Halo just ring me up.
You can get the Dogfight Assault variant and the map Offshore from: My File Share if you have Bungie.net account By searching in the in game file browser for my gamertag: Shaughtzer
Original Post:
So I got Halo: Reach when it launched and the 14, well the official launch date anyway, and since then I've been thinking about what I would want to do in Forge first. I never was really into Halo 3's Forge outside of playing what was made in it. You had to use too many glitches just to get something viable, and that's just not very fun or stimulating to me. Forge World though is a fucking god send, here is where the shit gets real. So, I decided the first thing I would do is test the limits of Forge World and Reach by creating something completely new that could never have been done in Halo 3.
I don't like to just make maps. That just seems like a very redundant way of using Forge. The maps included in Reach already do a very good job of playing out their respective modes and, for the time being, I enjoy playing them. I want to use Forge and the custom variants to come up with new ways to play Halo and then build maps around those game concepts. It turns out that is is much more challenging, but all the more rewarding. As I said before, my first little variant is something that was impossible in Halo 3, and for good reason. I decided that the first thing I was going to do was invoke the spirits of the elder gods of gaming and bring back the Jet Pack as a necessity.
This is what i like to call Dogfight.
AW SHIT BRO, LADY SPARTAN WITH A SHOTTY Dogfight is, right now, a very shaky little production that is based entirely around the concept of aerial combat. There is no ground to land on outside of a few platforms and the main bases. Since everyone is using Jet Packs, I decided to adopt more of a class based system. I considered switching to a vanilla set and just giving everyone Assualt Rifles and DMRs, but where's the fun in that? The current classes are:
I haven't had a chance to test these out yet, but I developed them the quick and dirty way by pretty much just reversing the first two completely. Those are probably going to change a lot or just get stripped out entirely if I decide to get working on this, so you know. Whatever.
The only other major changes made are to the Flag Carrier. The Flag Carrier has been knocked down to 50% move speed because it turns out you can get to the other side of the map really fast if you can fucking fly, but also because i want to force the attacking team to protect their Flag Carrier instead of being jack asses. The other major change is that I took away the Flag Carrier's senor completely; so yeah he is pretty much screwed if you don't help him.
Right now Dogfight only has a One Flag CTF mode, but hopefully I'll be able to integrate other modes like Assault, Slayer, and Infection into the mix easily. This is mostly due to the fact that creating asymmetrical maps is easier because I don't have to care about getting the opposing basis exactly square in the sky. This isn't helped by the fact that I keep making stupid complex bases out of a lot of the larger building parts in Reach, but hey whatever.
So it is One Flag CTF, remember that for this next part.
Anyway, yeah Jet Packs. Who cares? The Jet Packs aren't fun. The way in which you use Jet Packs is where the potential for fun lies. This is a mode that is made by its maps. Currently there is only one map that I've made for Dogfight is called Offshore, and it is the reason this topic is interesting at all.
Oh Damn What may seem like a random assortment of blocks at first glance is, in reality, a random assortment of blocks with cool guns hidden in it. Okay, it isn't completely random, but I've had to take a few blind swings at this thing to get it to work right, and it still doesn't work completely right. Even this screenshot which, which was taken about an hour or two ago, is now actually completely outdated as I am still constantly iterating on it so that it will play better.
Let me try to explain. When people have Jet Packs, it is very hard to keep them from going places you don't want them to go. This is especially hard when you are making maps where the developers don't necessarily want you making maps, and even more difficult if you are trying to make a smaller map because you don't want to spend three weeks on a game type that might end up being a dud. That being said, I've had to try and invent ways to keep people from completely bypassing everything in between the bases, and I found that the best way to do that is weapon placement.
The Blue Base, and it is actually Red versus Blue in this mode i'm not trying to be cute or some shit, is basically an offensive oriented base. Blue is the team that will be Blue Team's Base trying to take the flag so they have to be more aggressive, or at the very least I'm forcing them to be. Its Man Cannon leads up to one the highest point in the map, it has two great sniping position, and they have great access to all the weapon spawns. What they don't have is a good base defense, at all. There are a ton of holes in their base through which Red can access them through, overall it is actually pretty small and they don't have a lot of room to operate within, and on top of that their spawning area is right there in the open. All of this pretty much means that Blue is going to be on the move pretty much all the time. The one problem I've had is that it is ridiculously easy for them to capture the flag due to the fact that their base is so open, but maybe that's a nice trade off for being so defenseless to begin with. I'd really like to take this thing for a test drive to see how it handles in a real game situation.
Red Team's Base, on the other hand, is pretty much Fort Knox. At the very least I'd like to think it is. The flag itself is a level underneath the main floor, and the only way to it is either down a stairway in the back or through the one way shield door on the main floor. For either of these options, you are going to want to a side route though, Red Team's Base because hitting the base head on is far from recommended. Red can pretty much see everything coming at it from the front, and if you try to take the main center path to the base you are going to get pelted by one of the two machine guns on top of Red's roof. On top of that, once you get in there it is even harder to get out. You'll be at the mercy of Red the entire time you are escorting the flag out of the base, because no matter what you do you will have to go past them to get out. Red also has the easiest access to all three of the pathways to each base, making them the most easily mobile should they choose to be. Blue will have to haul ass and fight hard if they want to score a cap, so I suppose in that respect it is a good thing that it only takes one capture to win a round.
Besides the two bases there are three pathways I mentioned that lead to the opposite base. The first goes straight down the middle with a slew of various platforms guiding the way. Blue's Man Cannon takes them to the highest point on this path so they can pull of quite a few ranged kills should they be accurate enough. Both the Rocket Launcher and Gravity Hammer on on this path, and as such they are going to be fought over a lot in the early game I presume. The next path is what I like to call The Strut even though it isn't a strut and it doesn't use struts. Basically it is a big long walkway that goes from one base to the other and is essentially the back entrance as it doesn't overlap like the other two paths. On that path you'll find a Plasma Repeater and a Sniper Rifle. Then there is the high path on the far right in the screenshot. That path is only easily accessible to Red via their Man Cannon, though Blue can reach it too, it will just take somewhat longer and unlike Red it doesn't give Blue access to another base entrance. That path holds the Grenade Launcher.
So that's basically it, a plain and simple, okay not simple, summary of Dogfight and it's first map Offshore.
I've probably put almost an entire day, as in almost 24 hours, into this thing, so I would damn sure appreciate it if you checked it out. Even as I was typing this i made some last minute adjustments to Offshore to make sure it wasn't complete shit before I shipped it out onto File Share.
If you'd like to try out Dogfight, then you will need to download both the game variant and Offshore from my File Share using a Bungie.net account or by doing a search in the in-game File Share for my Gamertag: Shaughtzer.
Now I'm going to go sleep or something because I've been working on this fucking map for almost 12 straight hours.
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I've been trying to justify it in my head, but the fact is that this is actually the only reason.
Just listen to those fucking whistles or whatever, how can you not want to play this game.
Well, okay maybe that isn't the only reason. I'm a huge fan of Clover Studios, and the new Platinum Games studio made up of its key members, so that was probably part of it too.
I've been playing quite a bit of it, and I have to wonder why it got such mix reviews. By today's standards it is, of course, somewhat outdated in both its graphics and design, but iti is still one fine piece of fucking game.
Now you may be asking: But British, why make a topic about God Hand?
Well that question is very simply answered my dear forum goer.
CUZ YO, NO ONE TALKS ABOUT FUCKING GOD HAND ANYMORE
Everyone's always chattin' each other up at their tea parties about friggin' Shadow of the Collossus and Kingdom Hearts.
NO.
This is where the action fucking is. Is there any other game that let's you pimp slap a huge cigar smoking, latino accent spewin', demon thugness on the PS2?
NO.
NO THERE IS NOT.
From what I've played of God Hand so far, it is fucking awesome. It's a Beat 'Em Up with the complexity of a fighting game. Every one of your attack buttons can be customized to a different move, and game even let's you come up with your own combo strings that can be pulled off by mashing the Square button. I've never played a game in the same vein as God Hand that has offered up this much depth with such a simple premise. It takes awhile to get used to the game mechanics at first, but it is one of those situations in which the first level is the hardest because you are still figuring out how everything works.
The best part is the difficulty. You may think "Oh I can just pick Normal on the select screen and get through this without much trouble. I may die a few times, but I'll get it eventually."
NO. YOU SHUT YOUR COCKY MOUTH.
This is not a game with just one difficulty. There are difficulties within difficulties. The better you play the stronger your enemies get. If you rack up enough kills without taking damage, eventually you will "Level Up", and by "Level Up" it of course means "Everything is going to kick your ass harder now." If that weren't enough, there are also the Demons. No, not the bosses. Just random ass Demons. Sometimes a normal thug will die only to have the Anti-Christ itself rise from his corpse.
Picture this: You just fought off an army of thugs. You had to fight hard, and you lost most of your health, but at least you came out alive...
BUT NO. Now you are fucked because random thug #17 had the devil living inside of him. Now you have to fight off a super powered demon with crazy fucking special moves and a health bar that never seems to deplete fast enough. You pretty much have to save your God Hand and Roulette powers up for these fuckers (You may have notice that I didn't mention these as part of the fighting system, and that is because they aren't. They are "OH GOD, FUCK SHIT, DIE YOU FUCKER DIE" mechanics that you only use against the toughest enemies.), because without them you are screwed unless you've managed to memorize their combos; and even then you may not win.
That's why I love this game. It delivers the brutal punishment that so many developers now a days seem to scared to force upon their audience. It knows it's hard too. Remember those levels I talked about? Well there are three of them on Normal difficulty. They are Level 1, Level 2, and Level Die.
LEVEL. DIE.
It's the little touches like this that make God Hand so fun. All the dialogue is completely incomprehensible, none of the character designs make sense, and the hardest difficulty is Level Die.
That is the kind of game this is. And it doesn't care what you think.
That's why I'm so surprised at some of the old reviews I've been reading for it. A lot of them seem to complain that walls disappear if the camera passes through them, but I saw that as almost necessary. Would you really want the camera to cramp in and spaz out while you are trying to fight off an army of thugs? I'll admit that the camera itself is a bit of an issue though. I remember one time vividly where I was at low health and fighting one of the random demons. All I had to do was land one last Roulette attack on him and I would have made it out alive, however I was stuck in a corner and couldn't get the camera around to find where the demon had gone. As i turned around to the opposite direction, I tried to initiate the attack in hopes that he would be behind me. It was then that the demon teleported behind me and began attacking as I tried to get out of the Roulette screen.
You can guess what happens next.
It really is kind of a problem, but I can't really think of a way that they could have implemented camera control more fluently when nearly every button is used unless they simply had a fixed angle. That isn't entirely unfeasible though, i mean, God of War did it. I kind of wish that someone would pick up this IP and make a new entry in the series. If you were to apply the advancements of modern game design to God Hand, then I have no doubt in my mind that it could be the one of the greatest games of all time.
That isn't to say that it isn't a classic though, because it totally is. This is the kind of game that cult fan bases are built around. There are still a few forums out there even where you find people who are still playing and still trying to get better at the game. There is even a God Hand Bible I found that lists all the terminologies for the game that people have been using, they have made and memorized fucking acronyms for moves. That is dedication.
All in all, you should probably buy this game. I was able to pick up a copy of it for $10, though I've seen copies online for anywhere from twenty to even forty dollars and beyond. I gotta say though, even twenty is worth the price of admission for this gem. They just don't make such blatantly arcadey games like this anymore. Bayonetta is probably the only think I can compare it too, but then again you can't sucker punch bald fat guys or eat fruit off the ground in that game so fuck it.
So I've been going to this used software store that just opened up not to long ago a lot more recently. When they first came into town a few months back their stock was pretty fucking pathetic, but as it turns out people are willing to give up anything for a few cents. They've recently come into a horde of old DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, and most importantly old ass game. I think I will be going their more often to bulk up my collection.
This Week's Haul: River City Ransom (NES) - $12.99 The Legend of Zelda (NES) - $5.99 Dr. Mario (NES) - $1.99 Dragon Warrior (NES) - $0.99
The title has virtually nothing to do with the content of this blog post.
So hey guys? How's it going? I woke up today at 7 AM and I just now stopped playing Persona 3 Portable to come make this blog. This is due mostly in part to the fact that Person 3 is an evil temptress that keeps making me think that there will surely be a point in which I will get bored while playing this game and stop, but there never is.
That brings us to the actual content of this post, achievements.
Okay, well that might not make sense initial but let's just go with it for now hmm?
I feel like achievements are constricting gameplay experiences anymore; it's like I'm playing by a rule book half the time, performing only certain actions because I am told that that is what is required of me. Now obviously I can just ignore them, but that doesn't mean everyone else will. Achievements, or trophies if you want, have become so ingrained in the culture of gaming that it is nearly impossible to eliminate them from the experience entirely.
Now the most obvious of these offenders is the multiplayer aspect of games.
Okay...maybe that's actually kind of not the problem, but the point makes itself. People chase down dem numbers, and they chase them hard. Players have become so obsessed with achievements that they playing well is no longer the primary concern as long as it isn't a prerequisite for points. This is particularly a problem when games first hit shelves which, incidentally, are also the times of peak popularity. Achievement hunters tend to have a pretty astounding ability for completely killing a game experience. I wouldn't really be surprised if many people have been completely turned off a product's multiplayer and simply quite playing completely.
Here is a perfect example: Kane & Lynch 2 is coming out soon, and it has multiplayer achievements.
Some of those achievements involve betraying your teammates.
That'll work out well.
Now obviously betrayal is key part of gameplay and should be employed where applicable, but I can guarantee you'll have tons of kids day one going rambo on their cohorts every. single. time. Now obviously, that isn't fun for anyone and it may even end up completely killing that mode in the initial months. This is why I can't understand how developers keep shooting themselves in the foot like this.
But this is a problem everyone already knows about. This is old news.
Let's get to a more pressing matter.
Achievements are dictating single player experiences. Let's just say it right now, because it's true. Even if you aren't in it for the combined score, there are still completionists, like me out there, that can't bear to see a single challenge not complete, even it doesn't ultimately mean anything. I gotta say, I just don't like how I have to play games anymore. It's fucking irritating, having to change how I would normally play through a game just to fulfill a requirement. Now obviously I'm not too OCD, I only have a few S-ranked games, but it's still rather annoying.
Now obviously this is all my fault, but I still feel like I'm being robbed of something. I'm not just playing to absolute completion because i like a game, I'm doing it because I'm an asshole with very weak perceptions of what justifies self worth. Games like Persona 3 Portable, or really on games on not the 360 or PS3, are like fucking god sends from the heavens above. I can fucking quit them without having to worry about them, and play them how I want to play them.
You know, now that i think about it it ins't quite my fault. I suppose it's somewhat of my asshole friends' collective faults too. There's that guilt trip, no one wants to leave a game up on their profile, accessible to everyone, with little to no points. They will scoff at you, in their minds, secretly. Hell I've almost replayed games like Mass Effect and Dragon Age just to get achievements, even though I didn't especially want to.
Well, i played Mass Effect 1 again because i wanted to but that's kind of beside the point.
Really, I wouldn't mind if achievements were all just unlocked for playing through a game instead of trying to navigate it with some upfucked mind set. Herein lies the problem, we just won't allow that anymore. When a developer tries to pull that kind of shit nowadays it's a "cop out" or they are simply "bad achievements." It is unthinkable that someone should be rewarded just for enjoying a game.
Now I mean, obviously there are some instances in which achievements are a hallmark of excellence. Good example, the achievement for getting all the cakes in Splosion' Man. That was a good achievement, I enjoyed doing that. The kind of achievements that piss me off are the ones where it's "Do 50 of this." or "Make sure you do this at every spot in this 20 hour long game, and if you miss one well we didn't split the game up into replayable levels because fuck you." It's like ramming your head into a brick wall, obviously this isn't going to accomplish anything in the long term but hey at least I'll look cool and self loathing while I'm doing it.
Of course I'm going to have to just learn to ignore achievements at some point, but as I said it is kind of hard because there are a few out there that add to the gameplay experience in a legitimate way. Ignoring them completely doesn't seem like the right way to go in that situation, though maybe in the long run it's for the best.
So what about you Giantbomb?
Phrase some sort of question out of what I just typed and then answer it.
It has taken me several hours to come to terms with Limbo and what that game is.
Sadly, it will take me much longer to come to terms with the fact that GiantBomb calls this game Limbo while Microsoft calls it LIMBO.
In the meantime though, let's talk about the game.
Let me say up front, Limbo is fucking awesome. If you hate Limbo then you are a jack ass and a crook and I dislike you. That being said, Limbo is not perfect. I really wanted it to be perfect, but the simple truth is that it is not.
We begin to see the problem very quickly, in fact you may even notice it as soon as you boot up the game. That problem, ladies and gentlemen, is that the first few sections of this game are FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. "How is this a problem?" You may ask. "I thought being fan-fucking-tastic was normally considered, well, a good thing?" Well, while that may be, the problem lies in the fact that Limbo runs out of creepy forest steam pretty quickly. Hidden bear traps are giant spiders are quickly replaced with electricity and machinery, and the one vibrantly creepy dreamscapes are forgone in exchange for stark, bare factory floors.
Here is a test I would like those of you who have beaten the game to try. First, choose "Play."
Very good. Now, choose "Load Chapter."
I would now like you to gentle move your left analog stick from it's neutral standing position to the right. Watch as a the vibrant landscapes of visual interest slowly fade into generic platforms and sometimes circular saws. This is what I am talking about. Are there a few points in which it picks up a bit? Yes. Particularly the sequence with the HOTEL sign, but for the most part this is some pretty bland shit.
There was just so much they did right. Mysterious villagers, giant spiders you can barely make the details out on, dangerous traps hidden in the natural surroundings, giant spiders, that great scene at the beginning with the boat, giant spiders. The way I see it, it seems as though that the puzzles eventually took over the project and that all the cool atmospheric stuff kind of just got brushed off to the side. It's almost as if the ever more challenging cerebral aspects started to suck the creativity out of the world as the game progressed,
And then of course there is the ending. GOD DAMN THAT ENDING. It's just so sudden and, well, boring. I actually just thought it was a cool transition at first, I really didn't find the last gravity puzzle to be that big of a deal compared to the rest of the game.
Apparently it was.
A audible "Fuck you." left my lips as the scene faded to black. It was just so, unprecedented. After all the mind fucking shit you put me through the last puzzle is going timing my jumps correctly? Really? Really game? Is that okay? Because I don't think it's okay. Then of course was the ending itself which was just, bleh. I mean, they said so much with the simple imagery of those first few scenes. It was so awe inspiring, so fucking enthralling. Then they completely drop the ball with the "Hey I haven't seen this family member in a long time I'm going to sneak up behind them but then they are going to notice someone is behind them and perk up and then we are going to share a super emotional look before running into each others arms and embracing one another for no less then 15 minutes" except without that last part exactly. The huggles apparently lasted far longer than 15 minutes, as by the end of the credits all we are left with are two dead bodies and a shit load of flies.
I guess that is supposed to be edgy.
OK. Well, with all that being said, let's get to:
WAYS IN WHICH THE GAME WASN'T SHIT, NO I MEAN REALLY GUYS LISTEN FOR A MINUTE I ACTUALLY THINK IT WAS GOOD, NO WAIT DON'T LEAVE OH SHIT WELL I GUESS I'LL JUST TYPE THIS PART OUT ANYWAY.
As I said before, I think the opening act of this game is absolutely bangin'. While it may not hold that ferocity throughout it's full length, I still felt that the unique visual style lent itself to some very verbose visuals when compared to the slim pickin's one finds on the digital shelves these days. For some reason I keep coming back to World of Goo when I attempt to describe the atmosphere in readable language.
That's right. World of Goo. Not Braid.
I really don't get the Braid comparison. I mean yeah it's a puzzle platformer, but I found the content of the game to be so wildly different from the aforementioned time bender that to compare the two almost feels, well, stupid. World of Goo also provided that same sense of isolation and the somewhat simplistic, stylized visuals. I also felt that they had a similar story to tell, though as of yet I'm still not exactly sure what Limbo was trying to tell me, if it indeed was trying to tell me anything at all.
Let's get to the point. Limbo excels where it counts, as a game. In this department it is a shining bastion of perfection. The movement has a controlled looseness to it that demands one plays it to fully experience it. I can't even begin to describe what a joy it is to just play this game. I subscribe to the school of thought which states that platforming is the purest form of gaming. You move, you jump, and you are one. If that holds theory holds true in your mind, then let me be the first to inform you that the prophet has cometh and his name is Limbo.
I suppose there is also a context sensitive Action button, but let's just ignore that so I can say the controls are good and move on.
To call Limbo a straight puzzler is somewhat rahs. It really feels more like an adventure game, though that aspect too begins to fade as the game goes on. Okay, I'm sorry to go back into bitchy l need to for a second. Remember all those awesome moments with the Spider, or when you kill those tribesmen? Yeah, that doesn't happen again. For some reason the developers decided to scrap all the cool parts where you interact with the living world around you in favor to buttons. I still can't figure out what it was all for, it's really kind of baffling.
Let it be known though that if you want challenge and variety then it is here. Take all the visuals and eerie sounds away and there is still a very solid product here, perhaps one that was a bit hampered by it's own visual design.
Okay, you know what? I'm going to say it. They just gave up. Half way through the game they just game up on trying this creepy black and white dreamscape they had going and just focused on the puzzles. I mean, I would rather have the puzzles to begin with, but if you are going to start this shit at least finish it. I just have this feeling that the whole product is weaker due to the ever blander aesthetic design. I mean it goes from weird creepy tribe village to fucking generic platforms and sometimes saws.
GENERIC PLATFORMS AND SOMETIMES SAWS.
In all honesty this is would be a 4 or maybe even 5 star grade game if I had to give it one, but I suppose I'm just really de[ressed at the fact that all that potential that was visibly there was all but lost by the final act. The visual experience just kept declining as the game got harder, and while I relished the puzzles I had to, at the same time, wonder why the great setting that had been present before was slowly being peeled away.
Maybe this blog post was a bit disjointed, but really it's hard to articulate how much I love this game when there is so much I really think is wrong with it. Perhaps it is even that I like it so much that I wish it was perfect, and it really isn't. The world may never know.
I don't really have a good way to end this, so here is a picture of stuff.
So Jeff's article yesterday got me thinking. Specifically, it got me thinking about the fact that I pretty much have every single Nintendo Power magazine from 1998 or '97 or whatever to now somewhere in my home. I grew up readin NP and although I've since pretty much stopped playing Nintendo games completely, I still keep my subscription out of habit, and perhaps even a bit of pining for those days of old when I was huddled around an SNES with my friends playing stupid fucking games no one plays anymore but still say are good even though they actually kinda suck now.
That's not the point though, the point is that gaming and subsequently gaming journalism has changed a lot. Magazines just aren't as viable for news anymore and many have either dropped dead or had to adapt to the world of gaming journalism. A lot of people would say that NP died long before 2000, but I'm not of that mindset. It's certainly not the magazine it used to be though, it's lost a lot of the life that used to make it fun to read. I don't blame the NP staff or Future for that though, they're just trying to adapt in a world that doesn't want or need them.
So what is this blog for? It's a celebration of what was and what is. It's a look back at what gaming journalism was a decade ago as well as the skeletons it's left in the wake of the online age. It's a look at the slow decline of what many once considered the greatest gaming magazine to ever exist; and it's a time capsule to perserve the memories of generation of gamers that grew up reading NP.
NOTE:
Of the two issues on display here, one was chosen for being the most current, while the other was chosen to being of a similar caliber and subject matter of the former. Namely, both were coverly triple A releases. Some of these examples use more than one page from a section to best give the viewer a feel of what that section was about as well as the over all aethetics.
Column Head 1
Column Head 2
ISSUE 137, OCTOBER 2000
ISSUE 254, MAY 2010
I may have another one of these coming down the pipes in a few days, this time detailing all the new and lost departments NP has had over the decade like the cheat code section Classified Information and the RPG previews called Epic Center. Not sure how long that will take though, it's gonna take a lot of digging. I'd like to do another post like this though, I really enjoyed looking back through all those old magazines and remembering what gaming was like back then.
So I finally got into the Beta today, along with everyone else and their grand mother, and I have to say I was quite enthusiastic about what this prospective title might bing to the Halo franchise. I've always like the rhytm of Halo's combat, its a very loud and quick flow somewhat akin to games like UT or even Quake but brought up to today's standards with better networking and social features.
Also the gameplay is good.
I've never really been able to stick with Halo though, there just wasn't enough varity to the base frame of it for me to get really excited about extended play sessions. However with Reach it seemed like Bungie had finally stepped up to the bandwagon and was about to jump on into the Class-Based party with the rest of the cool kids while still retaining their unique vision.
Now, don't get me wrong. I like what Reach is doing, and overall the gameplay feels a lot more balanced and exciting, but god damn are those Armor Abilities disappointing. The two interesting ones, Armor Lock and Active Camo, turn out to be pretty much useless against anyone who knows what they're doing while Sprint is pretty much just a more useless version of the Elite's Evade.
So what does that leave? That's right, Jet Packs. They took out the max jump height from Halo 3 so they could implement it in a clunkier fashion in the guise of individuality. Height advantage is everything thing in a game like Halo, and if I have the option of being able to get to places other players cannot reach you bet your fucking ass I'm going to take it. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if the other abilities weren't as friggin' useless as they are, but all I'm seeing in games is a group of Spartans all with Jetpacks and it's getting boring as hell.
Yes, it is a Beta. Yes, some of these things will probably get changed. But still, God damn.
First off, explain to me the point of having an Active Camo if it alerts the enemy to my presence. You're better off moving slowly, staying off the radar, and using Sprint or Evade to move in for the kill. Radar Jamming was stupid in Halo 3 and it's still stupid now. Sure it's a bit bewilding at first (All those flashing light and the like.), but I'm not going to mistake the red dot running right fucking at me for a decoy. And then there is Armor Lock which seems completely useless outside of defending points, and even then you are going to die anyway. Everyone knows to back off when they see a lock at this point, and if you are actually defending a crucial point then chances are you are facing more than one attacker, and even if you get one down the other is still right behind you. Maybe you are serving as inefficent cover for your buddy, but if that isn't the case then chances are you are dead as soon as the effect has run its course. Sprint is pretty much as generic as it gets, and since you can't actually carry an objective while using it it ends up being little more than a cut of several seconds off from point A to B.
Utlimately, I'm sure Halo: Reach is going to be a far different game from the Beta. There is really no point in even making this thread because no one from Bungie is going to read it, and in the end I don't really give a rats ass.
The point is that Armor Lock doesn't matter when you are on top of a building.
Active Camo doesn't matter when you are on top of a building.
And Sprint, I have to say, doesn't matter when you are on top of a building.
Really, a lot doesn't matter when you are on top of a building. In a shooter, when you have access to areas of height advantage that other players do not (and you can use it properly) you are pretty much going go win everytime. Now obvilously situations in which leaving the top of a building are certainly called for in Halo: Reach, but when I pretty much have the top of a building on the go it really doesn't matter. Really, the level is your top of a building because the ability to rise high into the air and drop down upon unsuspecting players is ominpresent.
When mobile the top of a building is better for getting assasination kills than Active Camo something is wrong.
That being said, I am hence forth refusing to use mobile the top of a building because if I wanted to jump high I'd play Halo 3.
Ok.
I'm Done.
EDIT: Now, I'm certainly no game designer, but I've been tossing some ideas around all day about possible fixes for the Armor Abilites, and this is what I've come up with.
Active Camo -Remove the fucking radar jam. Instead, completely turn off the user's radar. The user's sound is still muted. -Take the user off the enemy radar completely. There is really no point in moving slowly to stay invisible when you are already silent without the Camo except in a few rare occasions. This creates a choice for the player, move quickly and give away your position thorugh visual cue or move slowly and remain completely invisible. Choice is good in games as it leads to more tactical thought going into decisions. Currently, the only choice one has when using Active Camo is too die. -Maybe lower the max time of invisibilty to make up for radar silence, though in my opnion I think the current max would work just fine.
Armor Lock - This one was really hard to do, but I think I might have a work around. Lessen the radius and shield damage of an EMP and in exchange give the user invicility for several seconds when coming out of a full Armor Lock manuever. This gives them a little wiggle room to actually work with instead of offering themselves up on a platter whenever it is activated. - Allow the enemy to do regenerable damage to the Armor Lock. Basically, shooting the Armor "Lockie" has the potential to kill them if enough is done, though if it does not kill them the damage means nothing. Obviously this would have a really high threshold. Several big hits would be required, but i think it is a good trade off for the invicibility effect. I think there is a nice play off there, though of course there is no way to test this in a game so I could be completely fucking wrong.
Sprint - Let them run with the fucking objective. Come on guys. Maybe lower the speed when running with an objective, or the time it takes for the ability to recharge. But seriously, come on.
Mobile the Top of a Building - Lower the maximum height. - Lower the maximum height. - Lower the maximum height. - Give less coverage on top of buildings. Height should be a trade off for protection, not an out and out advantage.
So I was talking to myself today, as I frequently do, and the conversation went something like this. "Man British, you've done it all. You've got four Followers, an almost respectable Wiki editing score, and one damn fine skin complexion if I do say so myself." It was shortly after this humbling dialouge, however, that I came upon a misstep I'd made in paving my road to glory. In my hast to share my divine presence with the world, I had forgotten to create a kick ass blog. Today, I rectify that error.
My friends, do I have a treat for you; because today I give unto you:
Idle Hands & Fats Wallets: A Brief Tale of Monetary Transactions That Could Have Been Spent On Basic Necessities But Totally Weren't
Among my close compatriots, I am known for often buying games on sale due to the fact that I will definetly play them what do you mean I said that last time and didn't you know what go to hell why are we friends anyway. Yes, many a grand title has fallen into a decayed state of exsistence upon a dusty self due to severe mistreatment and a below average love quotient. Upon viewing thesestartling images my friends, you may feel the need to open weep upon your keyboard. But that's ok, we won't judge you here. What you will witness today is a gallery of inhumanity towards games the likes of which come only once every generation. But you must feel that heartbreak my friends, that unrelentant anger; because if we do not learn from my mistakes, I fear the mistakes of the past shall be repeated yet again. So now, against my judgement, I reliquish to you the grizzly documents. Here's to a most sobering affair.
Column Head 1
Column Head 2
Column Head 3
Column Head 4
Fun Fact: I read the strategy guide included in the box.
Fun Fact: I am probably going to buy Yakuza 3 at some point.
Fun Fact: I bought this at a pawn shop. Ironic? (Y/N)
Fun Fact: I am currently playing it on the PSP.
Fun Fact: This one is still sealed in plastic.
Fun Fact: I bought this after already owning and then selling back the 360 version.
I'm sure you've all had enough of these atrocities (I noticed a few of you even fainted), but I must ask you to view one last portrait of misery. A warning, woman and children may want to leave the room; because shit is about to get heavy. I submit to you this final tortured soul in our parade of pity.
Quick question. Is 'Geif a good choice for a kind of newish but still suckish player?
I mean, this isn't my first time at the Street Fighter rodeo but I'm not exactly what you would call "good" or "decent" or "even the tiniest bit respectable." I've played a lot of fighting games, including Vanilla SFIV, but I've never really sat down and gotten good at one. I just figured out how to do standing command throws and I'm feeling really good about Zangief, but I'm wondering if he is the best place to start.
I've been trying to get out of the fireball legaue for awhile (No offense to people who like those characters, that just isn't my style) and finally being able to take the reigns of a character outside of that area is kind of fucking liberating.
So yeah. That question.
Fun Fact: This is only a blog because I can't get a normal post to attach to a forum :D
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