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The GFF Game Club [Now Playing: Max Payne] Now with less spoiler tags
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The Current Game Club Game: Max Payne Last day of play: Friday 30th April 2010 Ways to obtain the game: Can pick up second hand on consoles (Xbox or PS2) or purchase from Steam for PC owners: Max Payne on Steam. ----------------------------------------------------------------- The GFF Game Club is an event series that will run a bit like a book club, but for games. Essentially we will pick a game to play, set an amount of time for people to play the game. The idea is to encourage people to visit, or revisit, games that aren't necessarily brand new (though new-ish titles aren't entirely out of the question) and also get people playing stuff at the same time, sharing their experiences. We'll be focussing on mostly single-player experiences, so no multiplayer games, and perhaps even including some smaller titles like Flash games or small download indie affairs. How to join The GFF Game Club If you would like to join in with, or just register interest in possibly taking part with, The GFF Game Club idea then please post to say so. To help the process of picking games it would be very useful if members kept an up-to-date Backloggery page: Backloggery is a free service that lets you keep track of the games you own and their status (unfinished, beaten, etc). If you have a page please link to it when registering your interest. This is not a requirement, but is very useful for organising purposes. What are members required to do? Essentially, nothing. There are no requirements on anyone who chooses to take part. No one will be required to play the games we suggest, and you can choose which games you would like to play along as part of The GFF Game Club on a case by case basis. There will also be no requirement to finish games. If you can't finish or choose not to finish then that is a legitimate course of action, though we would still encourage you to join in the discussion as the reasons you didn't/chose not to finish could make for interesting talking points themselves. The Organisers There's a small group of us who will be organising the club and who will be the ones deciding on the games (and duration set for their playing) to be played each time. Suggestions and nominations are welcomed from any member of the club, but we'll be weighing those up with various factors, like how many people actually have the games, etc. The organisers are: Colonel Skills, Qwarky, Philia and myself. Members - ^-^ [ backloggery ] - aerisangel [ backloggery ] - Appetite Lad [ backloggery ] - Chaotic [ backloggery ] - Colonel Skills [ backloggery ] - Denicalis [ backloggery ] - Encephalon [ backloggery ] - Dr. Uzuki [ backloggery ] - Garr [ backloggery ] - GB [ backloggery ] - Gechmir - Iago [ backloggery ] - Krelian [ backloggery ] - OmagnusPrime [ backloggery ] - Philia [ backloggery ] - Qwarky [ backloggery ] - RacinReaver - Rockgamer [ backloggery ] - Shin [ backloggery ] - Skexis [ backloggery ] - Soluzar [ backloggery ] - Sousuke [ backloggery ] - Tokubetsu [ backloggery ] - Tritoch [ backloggery ] - Turbo [ backloggery ] - VitaminZinc [ backloggery ] - wvlfpvp - Yeldarb [ backloggery ] Note: If you're not a member, and have no interest in being a member, please don't post in this thread. Please be courteous, this thread will be heavily moderated. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Games Played: - ICO [finished: 07/01/2010] - Beyond Good and Evil [finished: 28/02/2010] - Ikaruga [finished: 28/03/2010] |
Seeing as how I'm currently mid-way through a playthrough of ICO, I think I'll sign up for it this time.
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Well it's not signing up for just a game, though you're welcome to play just this one game and no others, it's more signing up to say you're interested in potentially taking part along the way. But yeah, definitely cool if you're going to join in with the first game.
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Sign me up. We should do Bayonetta at some point =O
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Ahem, OP, you may change it to Philia proper. ^__^
Alrighty, ICO came about from a challenge from Qwarky in my journal's commentary regarding how terrible FFVIII was. (Yes, wvlf, I enjoy the Triple Triad, in fact the music from that game is STILL stuck in my head!) From checking out his backlog and see which FFs he had covered, I saw he was lacking a great title from his finished games belt, Chrono Cross! Just to prompt Q to play that rpg, I was willing to play through his recommended game thoroughly and immediately if he was willing to consider Chrono Cross on his available playtime soon. :) Of course naturally, ICO is a small gem compared to a large rpg like Chrono Trigger's successor, he recommended me to play Metroid Prime as well. Two great gems is getting its playtime, thanks Qwarky! That little story aside, I'm enjoying ICO to its gorgeous environment and its peaceful backdrop. Already I can feel that I'm seeing the grassroots of everything that came together for the next two installments be something quite great in their own unique way. I was going to go into details about certain elements of this game but I think I'll reserve the bit until the deadline passes. In other news about ICO, we still have our original copy factory sealed and amazingly enough, this gem can go for 100-300+ dollar range on Amazon! O.O' I mean really, we weren't even deliberately keeping this copy in that condition until years later we borrowed a copy from a friend of ours. Neglecting our ps2 collection helped to keep that seal as it is. But yeah, I wish you guys luck to find a good copy. Also, ICO is a blue disc game. If you're having problems in loading the game, go here for useful info to offset the DREs. I had already gotten a few DREs with this in my ps2 fat, but on the slim, great so far. So, I figured I should note this for you guys while playing this game. And yes, I had played Shadow of the Colossus a few years back and going back into this now which knowingly... a sequel to the prequel! (Like Lufia and Star Wars and etc etc) I figured this is going to be a real treat. In fact I'm glad I did (on SotC part). |
Im in when i can be :)
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Sure, I'll play this again. Great game.
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Yeah, I'll sign up too~
I won't be able to do this game though, as I don't own a copy of ICO, nor do I have any money to go pick up a copy [assuming EB or somewhere has a used one in stock]... But I'd definitely be in for future games. |
I'm down.
I'll finally be able to put my gamefly account to some use. |
This gives me a good excuse to update my backloggery. I'm in.
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I should already be in :cool:
For posterity, I'll replay ICO, it's been a long time since I last went through it. And yes, strangely enough, the US version is a CD, while the European and Japanese releases were on DVD. Also, the original PAL/JPN release was lovely: http://i199.photobucket.com/albums/a...GFF/icopal.jpg |
I've update the top post with the members so far. Remember, if you have a backloggery (or are willing to sign up), or have some other form of games list somewhere that'd be really useful.
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I already played through Ico a long time ago, but hey... I'm in. It is always a pleasure to revisit a game as delightful as Ico. I hope the next game will be something I didn't complete yet, but the chance to hear what some players new to the game have to say about it will be great.
Plus... I honestly don't remember some of the middle parts of the game that well. The opening few scenes and the ending are utterly unforgettable, but the various puzzles have blurred a bit in the time since I last played. Many of those posting here in this thread are already on my friend list for the Backloggery, but here goes with a link to http://backloggery.com/main.php?user=soluzar. I only just realised yesterday I never got around to adding most of my PC games, but I'll do that ASAP. |
I've heard tell of a lot of little nuances in this game that I never personally noticed when I was playing. This will be the perfect chance for me to try it again and make sure I play with my analytical hat on. (Count me in-- backloggery name: Skexis)
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Omagnus, my BL username is Hitokoei.
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Count me in, though I won't have much to say about ICO. It's been a few years since I played through it and Nutty has my copy, so I can't replay it right now.
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I'll definitely be up for something in the future. Even though I own ICO, I'm kinda busy with some other games at the moment and I don't want to overload myself at the moment.
[ backloggery ] |
Considering it's an 8 hour game, you have no excuse not to finish it amidst Torchlight, DJ Hero and TEKKEN 6.
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My PS2 hasn't been able to read a blue disc game since 2002.
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If anything, I'll see what I could do. If I do find it, I'll probably blast most of the game on my streaming channel. First playthrough and archiving it while I'm at it. |
I'd like to join for this, but I don't own Ico.
However, perhaps I can play along for the next game; so here's my Backloggery then. |
Stick my name on the list, seeing as how I updated myu backloggery recently. I might even play Ico, although I've lost interest very quickly every time I tried to play it before.
Edit: Ok, so I've been playing ICO for 45 minutes now and it seems that every time something happens to make the controller vibrate it switches off the analogue controls, meaning every time I get hit by one of those shadow things, I have to remember to switch it back on or the kid just stands there like an idiot while the girl gets dragged off. This doesn't happen with any other PS2 games and I can't find an option to turn off vibration in the pad without starting a new game. I guess I can use the digital pad although the down button doesn't work too well on the one I'm currently using and I can't be arsed to dig out one of my spares at the moment. Is the kid with horns talking French? It certainly sounds like it which I'll admit is hampering my ability to connect with him emotionally... |
Several hard resets of the console have fixed the analogue stick issue, I'm now an hour and a half in, just reached the graveyard. I know some people find the relationship between Ico and Yorda quite endearing but so far she's mainly just annoying. She never comes unless you call her three times and when they run holding hands it looks like they're connected by bungie rope. That said, the castle is beautifully realised and the puzzles are suitably thought provoking without being too much of the try every item with every bit of scenery type you get in point and click games. At this point I prefer SotC but I'll stick with it.
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We should break this into chunks. Have everyone get to some arbitrary point and then discuss the game up to that point and continue that way. It'll make any discussion afterward more coherent because there's less to talk about. Other game clubs I've seen have a schedule of the games they're planning to play with a start date and then they establish points in the game to complete by other dates. It seems to run really smoothly. Sometimes a person is assigned screenshot duty, like a Let's Play, if you want to get into that here.
Perhaps a new thread should be created for each game in a subforum? |
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We've discussed a lot of how we'll go about this, and a single thread was selected over an entire subforum, in an attempt to focus the discussion, instead of splitting attention. The opening post will most likely be updated with links to where discussion for each titles "starts" for easy reference for people reading up later.
Personally, I'm beginning to feel there should have been one thread for club discussion and people joining in, and a separate thread for game discussion to avoid clutter (this can still be done with a simple thread renaming, luckily), but new people joining in will likely lessen once everyone interested have joined and the first deadline is reached. I'm also not in favor of setting checkpoints or requirements. We've all seen how badly most GFF members fare with schedules (GFF journal, Secret Santa, CD swap, etc), so we've set a single date by which we will begin discussion. It's up to everyone to decide how they'll play or if indeed they'll have time, putting less pressure (I feel) on the player, and making the experience more about them playing and enjoying the game, as opposed to keeping an eye on strict rules and requirements on process. If the final date comes and you haven't finished the game, you can discuss what you experience till then, and, if you plan on finishing, avoiding the discussion altogether since spoiler tags won't be used. But the main thing is everyone play at their own pace. For instance, I haven't even started my replay yet, I've been continuing Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. But then, I already know how quickly I can play through the game, even when taking my time, so it's easier. |
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However, if you would like to post thoughts and discussion before the end date for a game please put it in spoiler tags. As for the issue of multiple threads and sub-forums, for now I don't think we need to have more than this thread, but if need be we can always split threads out; we can see how things play out for the time being though. |
I'd be interested in this as well. I don't own a PS2 though so ICO is a definite no go for me. Nevertheless, I'd love to participate in the future if that's cool.
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I'd like to join in on this. Threw together a Backloggery and everything.
Plus, it gives me an excuse to finally play Ico. |
Since I appear to be the only one currently playing...
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Ending the spoiler chain!
I would like to join, Omagnus. Sign me up! |
Nothing actually spoiled, but discussion:
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OK, I've updated the first post with those new people who've said they'd like to join in, so that should all be up-to-date. And, provided I stop being a lazy bum, I'm going to actually try starting ICO today.
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Finished the game yesterday, jJust thought I'd offer up a few observations and a couple of responses to Shin's comments.
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I know we got started on this early and the period doesn't end for a while but does anyone have any thoughts on what the next game should be? I'd vote for something a bit more exciting, how about Crackdown? |
...or some xenogears?
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RPGs would be very hard to do. They require a lot of time and dedication, and a lot of people can not or would rather not do that. It would have to be short and simple, something Xenogears is not.
Crackdown isn't a half-bad idea. It's on the cheap, it's not too long, and I don't think it's a game that everyone's played. Maybe the first Army of Two? I'd like to see how multiplayer goes for the Game Club, and it's a quick and dirty game. Plus I wouldn't mind playing it again. |
I thought we were going to choose based on what was already in the backlog of a decent number of members. Incidentally, I didn't realise we were supposed to have already started discussing Ico, I thought we were going to wait until the closing date before that started. Not like I mind, having played it already, though.
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To keep interest levels up here you need some momentum. A few of us talking about it now will encourage more people to join the thread. We can keep talking about for as long as everyone has something interesting to say so chime in whenever.
Apologies to OP etc if I'm talking out of turn here and in fact you did want to wait for February to start talking about the game. I suggested Crackdown as it's suitably faster paced than Ico, I assumed a bunch of people had it, it's dead cheap if people want to pick it up, it's fucking awesome and frankly, I just felt like playing it. :) |
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Oh, she can vote for Xenogears all she wants.
Just remember that there are four of us overseeing the choices here. So. |
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As for the discussion, there's nothing stopping it just yet (though as I've said, before the end date it should be spoiler-tagged), though I would imagine just naturally things will kick off more at the end date. I think we just have to see how it goes and how it all works, but so far it all seems OK, and I highly doubt "the best discussion" will be gone or anything. Quote:
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Joining during Ico.
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I guess i could see a 60 hours game being an issue.. Crackdown would be fun, ive watched it played but never played it myself. Love the music though, Celldweller rocks!
Is it xbox360 only though? |
It could be anything, but we're taking the PS2 into consideration because majority of GFFers have a PS2. Also the game library is massive.
But yeah, 60 or so hours in one game is okay. Just consider that most of us are busy with work/school/life so aiming for total completion may be impossible for some. |
I'd like to join as well. Here's the backloggery page.
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OK, so we're not far off a week away from the deadline; how's everyone getting on with the game? Has anyone started and not finished yet?
Also, how are people feeling about the amount of time we left for the game? |
I just finished Bayonetta, so I'll likely start my playthrough over the weekend.
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About time you finished Bayonetta (awesome game that it is).
Also, if anyone has any suggestions they'd like us to consider for the next game I guess it wouldn't hurt to start voicing them now. |
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As for me, I have to admit I kinda forgot about this but I can get Ico played by tomorrow without any problem. It's a short but sweet game, and having played it once before really helps. |
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Personally I'd like to see a game that can be emulated so all of us without the system and/or game would have a way to join in. |
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I know I had a problem with my PSdouble shitting the bed during this period, so I restarted on triple; but even with that, I think a tighter focus should exist to keep the thing going instead of it being shifted to the back of one's mind, y'know? And where do you draw the emulation line? N64? Most emulators of things past that are somewhat shoddy, and there are no Mac versions of stuff like nullDC for example (which is occasionally spotty anyway), so. And PCSX2 is all over the place depending on the game, etc etc etc. |
dawww, my first save couch and the kids fell asleep again :3
I'd forgotten you could zoom during the cutscenes. In a way I hate that. In games like this and MGS2, because you could zoom, you were always zooming, as opposed to leaving the cutscenes as is. Anyway, the only thing so far that bothers me (that I didn't noticed before) is how Ico has no turning animation. If you're standing still and move in another direction, he just clips towards without ever turning. He does have one when you change direction while running, though. Otherwise the animation, and visuals in general, are still splendid. |
How far along is everyone? We're approaching the first due date.
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I finished it last night~
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I stopped playing it and since then have finished ODST and got a fair way into Mass Effect on an evil playthrough.
I'm easily distracted. |
I started a new Mass Effect playthrough as well, but then continued ICO the next evening and finished it in one go. I suppose it helped since I knew how far away I was, so it kept me going.
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I started playing this tonight (not really for GFF Game Club specifically, kinda worked out that way), and good fucking LORD the controls and especially the combat are fucking awful. Nothing like getting 100% juggled on the ground by shadows as they take your woman who doesn't speak your language (like all women, am i rite?) a thousand miles away.
I'll give the controls a pass given the age of the game, and everything else but the combat is pretty ace, but MAN the combat blows. If this game was not so damn short and everybody didn't rave about it, no way I'd finish it. |
I said it before and so did Shin. The combat felt like hitting a block of wood with a stick. Once you upgrade, the combat noticably becomes easier. I dunno, its more of a pacing issue I think. I noticed the first half of the game was constantly with these guys while the latter half, you don't see them as much or even get to use your new upgrades all that much either.
Q said you could speed things up by killing the things with using power stone statues. But those opportunities are still rare. I also saw that on occasion the monster who grabbed her and sunk back into the hole doesn't necessarily come back out. Not completely sure on this though. |
I think if you're hovering near the hole, the shadow pops back out of another one. It certainly seems that way when there's only one left.
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The shadow eventually pops out. As soon as they shove Yorda in, they jump in themselves and while it takes some time, they'll eventually pop out again.
I also entirely disagree that opportunities to run to the idol statues are rare. There were about 4-5 battles where I had to fight off shadows, and a few more where I chose to fight them for more dramatic flair, but usually it was just a case of making it to the statues. |
Finished this today. It stands up reasonably well to the test of time. The only aspects which could stand significant improvement are technical. I mean, you could say the constant fog is an artistic style, but it irritates me. I'd like to see a clearer, sharper version of the game. I'm hoping they decide to make a "Team ICO" collection for PS3 akin to the God of War collection.
The combat is definitely the least entertaining part of this game. Completely frustrating. I don't find it detracts from the rest of the game too much, but it definitely isn't a highlight. I don't know if I'd want to see it improved though, because it adds to the feel of two helpless kids trapped in the giant castle... The main thing I want to see some discussion about is the basic premise. Spoiler:
Anyway... I enjoyed that, and I enjoyed reading what you folks new to the game thought. Hope we can keep the discussion lively for a while. I'll be away this weekend, but should still be able to get on the internet at times. |
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Actually, this discussion brings up an interesting topic (which I may have missed since I haven't been paying attention): Should Shadow of the Colossus be the next game?
I'd definitely be willing to play that gem again. |
Finished the game tonight. Aside from the combat (which blows hard) and the controls being a little clunky in general, the game is still pretty neat and holds up fairly well.
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OK, so here we are at the last day, so how did everyone get on? Who decided to give ICO a go and where did you get to? Did anyone not finish?
Since the discussion is now open there's no further need for spoiler tags when talking about ICO. If you haven't already I'd recommend jumping back a few posts and taking a look at Soluzar and Shin's interesting posts about the game's general premise. I think Shin is definitely onto something with his point about the fact that a lot of it is open to interpretation. I'm certainly interested to see what other people made of it. As for the game's mechanics, I didn't find the combat a problem at all. It wasn't as fun as the exploration of the castle and puzzle solving aspect, but I had no real issue with it. The aspect of the game that took the most getting used to for me was actually firing up a PS2 game on my big HDTV. It took a little while for my eyes to adjust to the rather pixelated nature of everything. At first I wasn't sure I was going to be able to deal with it, but I'm glad I stuck with it because once my eyes adjusted I could appreciate how beautiful a game it is really, especially the animation. In fact I'd argue that the animation in ICO could best a lot of current-gen games as it's the subtleties in the animation that really sells the relationship between Ico and Yorda. Q might not like me making this comparison, but I actually felt reminded of Uncharted when playing through some of the climbing sections as much like Naughty Dog's game I found they had that same sense of someone pushing the limits of their capabilities when clambering about, it never felt like it was particularly easy, which I think sells the engagement with environment and makes for a more relatable character. As something of a side-note we're now in the process of deciding upon the next game, so if you have any suggestions feel free to voice them now. |
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I just wonder if the next game, The Last Guardian, will have a similar link anywhere buried deep within. |
From what little I've seen of it, it looks like it'll be similarly ambiguous. You play a small kid who meets a big kitten-bird thing and that's about it. They'd be silly to shift from a working model and heavy exposition ain't their style.
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That's always a possibilty. I think most people's expectation is that there'll be some form of link though so I'd be amazed not to see one, even if like SotC, it's just in the end credits. Maybe the kitten thing becomes a colossus and it's another prequel?
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Moving right along. The next game we've got is :
Ah, yes. The criminally overlooked game of last generation. Very easy to find if you're terrible and lack a copy. Omagnus has a steam link in his opening post, but here it is again for ease. Anyone's computer will run it. Beyond Good and Evil on Steam Due date for this one is February 28th. More than enough time to polish this off. ------------------------- Secondly, it should be noted that Ico discussion can and will continue up until that date. As soon as the next game is finished, we can turn the flow to that one. If you're going to discuss BG&E before the due date, remember to use spoilers. Have fun, folks. |
Holy crap. How did I never see this thread? :3: Awesome idea, OP et al. I'll try and tackle Beyond Good & Evil. Never have beaten it in spite of the numerous times I've made it a ways in.
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Cool! A game I own, but haven't started. That's fine by me! I always did think this one would be worth a look some day soon. I assume the PS2 version is decent enough? I notice you're linking to the Steam version, but unless it sucks hard on PS2 I will stick with what I've got.
I notice the title is the same as the English name for one of Nietzsche's books. I always wondered if that's significant to the story of the game in any way. I'm genuinely pleased by this selection, I would probably have looked to this game soon anyway. |
There is nothing "wrong" with any version, it's just slightly superior in terms of visuals or fidelity on one or the other.
If I had to suggest one, GCN would be my console choice. Steam is linked because it's dirt cheap and because it's the easiest way to get it if you don't own it. By all means, play the PS2 version, it's hardly going to change anything. |
BG&E is up with there with Psychonauts as a gem of a game that, sadly, went un-noticed by most gamers :(
All of the versions are fine. I've heard of lock-ups on the PS2, but I'm sure none of the other mediums are devoid of issues. I've always done PC and haven't had issues. |
Feh. There's no physical copies of Beyond Good & Evil within 30 miles of where I live, and I don't like downloading games when I can own the disc.
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I suppose this bumps BG&E up on my list of things to play. I needed to get to it sometime soon since Philia issued it as a Backloggery challenge, but I've been preoccupied by other things. Pretty sure I made it about halfway through the game back when it first came out, but that was so long ago I'll need to restart.
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Definitely good to see a few people already up for playing the next game, that's ace. :) Don't forget though, there's still open discussion on ICO right now, especially now that the spoiler tags can be ditched. Gech: Will add you to the list on the front page. Pretty sure you don't, but do you have a backloggery page at all? |
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I was looking for something new to play since the next big console release I'm getting isn't out until March, so this should fit the bill perfectly. Luckily I managed to find a new copy a few years back for $10, so I should be starting this relatively soon.
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ICO: Alright guys, WHO GOT THE MACE?
Seriously, who actually got it without looking it up for it? I would had ran past that room without looking closely. Ditto for that unsuspecting TREE. o.o' When he (SD) was playing this game, I gave him a hint that there's something in that room and something to do with that tree. He spotted it (the different colored wall) first and saw the pushing animation on Ico when he ran against it. Eventually pushed at the right spot and got in. This strange room has a powered platform (like you do for the openings of the light beams) and a open top box at the top of the small steps. He ran about in it wondering what the hell its there for. It was the most amusing 10 minutes I had saw him play. He got in the open box and tried to get Yorda to CLIMB in. He finally gave up and went outside and then remembered I gave him that other hint. That UNSUSPECTING tree... >.> He whacked at it and this strange ball came down from it. I told him that it was a "coconut" (I'm quoting from the guide here lol) and it won't explode like those bombs you typically pick up. He suddenly had the idea for what it was for and ran back in there lugging the thing. I had NO IDEA that you could pull Yorda along while carrying it. I also had no idea that you can literally JUMP about with the thing. xD Throwing that "coconut" in there took him 7 tries. All laughable and hilarious just all the same when that mace came flying in from the window above them. xD |
And the lightsabre will the be there on a later playthrough in the JPN/PAL versions.
Truthfully, I never picked up the mace (or the sabre). The only extra I've done is the watermelon ending, which wasn't available since I was playing a fresh memory card with no clear file. |
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Q: What's this watermelon ending you speak of? |
If you play a second playthrough on the PAL/NTSC, you get english subtitles for Yorda's speech, a number of fancy graphical filters and a second player can control Yorda around and even carry stuff. If only she'd been able to swing a sword, you could have played through the game as her while dragging Ico along.
Anyway, as well as those, on the second playthrough, when you read the beach, there will be a patch of watermelons by the cliff edge. When you pick up and carry one of the large watermelons all the way to where Yorda is lying, you get a bonus ending.
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What really turned me off more than anything else, though, was the camera. In a game that wants to build so much upon the relationship between the boy and the girl, I shouldn't have to mess with switching from "immersion mode" to "puzzle mode" every time a minor puzzle comes up. But that's exactly what I felt like I had to do. It was horribly jarring and made it seem like I was constantly struggling with the camera to keep it where I wanted it to go. I broke immersion so many times over that I finally just put it down. I was willing to give the puzzles and the combat the benefit of the doubt, but ultimately I couldn't forgive the game for that awful cinematic camera. It works as a way to show the scope of the environments, but to me it constantly felt like it was either getting in the way of my focus on the boy and girl, or it was focusing too much on the environment and not enough on their place in the environment. There was no sense of how to get from here to there, in other words, without a lot of trial and error. That being said, it's still a game I respect, even if I don't enjoy it. As for Beyond Good & Evil: looking forward to it. The last full playthrough I had was when the game first came out, and I remember missing one animal because I had reached a point of no return. Not this time! |
Beyond Good & Evil? Awesome. I've got it for both GCN and PC [Steam], but I'll think I'll go with the latter. Just have to wait for Steam to re-download it, then I'm set! I'm definitely in this month.
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... I didn't manage to finish it, mostly due to playing too much else and the time period right after extending the bridge in the waterfall room. Still, there was a lot more of an emotional connection to the game in general, although that may be due to an internal paradigm shift in how I experience media (films, books, games) than anything else. I also didn't have the issue that y'all seemed to have with looking at it on a big HD screen. Game's still gorgeous, and, while the character animation was generally superseded by the animation in SotC, it still seemed to work well.
I just wish I had gotten to experience anew the Yorda-less part toward the end again, if only because of said paradigm shift. And I might not play through BG&E right now, but I'll be more than up for discussion once the time period is over. I played through the whole game at some point in the past 6 months or so back before there was news of the ON HOLD nature of the sequel. |
I think I'll give this one a miss, I've never been a big fan of platformy adventure type games at the best of times so buying another one I'm unlikely to enjoy seems a bit silly. Having forced myself to play Ico for slightly longer than I could be arsed, I don't think subjecting myself to another game from my "Don't like" category would prove anything.
Here's hoping you pick something fun next time. ;) |
(there's no platforming in Beyond Good & Evil, although I get your point)
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(Maybe the developers should have told the publishers that, seeing as how the official press release on the three shopping sites I looked at describe it as a platform action game)
(Edit: I take that back, it was all the reviews that called it a platformer) |
(There's platforming like there is in 3-d zelda games... you don't have a jump button, you just run towards an edge and jump across or climb up by holding the stick towards a climbable series of bigstairs or crates.)
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(Oh ok, I didn't like the 3d Zelda games one bit)
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Me agreeing with Shin on 3D Zelda might be why I felt BG&E to be so lackluster. :(
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I'm totally joining up - I need reasons to play things in my backlog, I really have no gaming willpower. Too bad I missed out on Ico, but I lost my copy of it anyhow so this way I won't be wasting money buying it again. BG+E, wooo!
my Backloggery |
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Course, the soundtrack is a big part of why I love it as well, I think. Enhances the mood so well. |
Started playing BG&E last night via steam download. The 2d text and pictures are glitchy as fuck. I also had to turn off anti-aliasing because that apparently causes issues as well. Anyway besides some rather annoying graphical defects due to settings the game is pretty good so far.
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For anyone running BG&E on PC, and that's having the glitchy graphics problems, try disabling "HW Vertex Processing" in the advanced options.
Also, for anyone that's like me and needs a joypad for a third person adventure game, try out Joy2Key as a keyboard emulator for your joystick. You might have to mess with the joystick threshold under the "Others" tab so that you're not twitching around all over the place, but it works well for what it is. |
So this
How wrong I was, friends. I vote we play this next month. It's a pc game. RR can't get mad because he doesn't have the console. It looks engaging, and frankly it has to be better than Army of Two. Make it happen. |
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Telltale put it out. |
2 games in fact.
Oh and thanks bunches, Skex, on your tip. All the glitches are gone now in BG&E. Started playing it at 1 AM to test that out like a dumbass. Looked at the clock and it was 6 AM. Game is good. Spoiler:
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Just to warn you: slaughterhouse race music is fucking awesome.
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I didn't make my post about ICO, as I've hit a bit of writers block. But here goes at least some of it.
Experiencing this game for a second time is actually kind of interesting. I never replayed it after the first time I went through it until this club. I often replay things, but this just wasn't one of them. So going through it again proved one thing to me. It showed that a vast majority of the experience is defined by the exploration and the wandering about. The leading the helpless lady through the castle that you yourself know nothing about. Worrying about the combat situations and all. Second time through this is all moot, as you'll remember most of it. It's not a hard game, so the challenges and sense of overcoming a sequence of tricky bits is not entirely present. And knowing is apparently more than half the battle, here. It's still very good, it just lacks that spark the subsequent time through that made it as interesting the first time. I guess this could be said about a lot of things you go through a second time, but in many of those cases the title doesn't lose *that* much of it's core being during any second plays. I still adore it, and it's still awesome as fuck, but it feels significantly more hollow than I was expecting it to than when I booted it up again. Unexpected, but I appreciate playing it again. Reminds me of all the awesome that it is. |
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I started a few days ago.
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Just finished the game.
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If it's not too late for this, I'd like to join and discuss some game with you guys. I don't know if I'm gonna have the time to finish Beyond Good and Evil this week again but I'm gonna try~
Here's my backloggery. |
More the merrier Ence, I'll get you added to the list on the front.
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I just finished this up, though I'll save thoughts for tomorrow since that's when we lift the spoiler requirement.
Since this game's time is very nearly at an end we'll be starting to think about the next game, so anyone have any suggestions they'd like to throw into the ring? If so, speak now. |
I'm pretty much done too. I've just the final boss to beat and then I'm good. I'll wait till tomorrow too, though cause... well, spoilers. You know.
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Actually Sousuke the discussion is now open, no need for spoiler tags any more. I'll put my thoughts together into some sort of coherent block and post them a bit later (a bit wrapped up in Heavy Rain right now), but feel free to go ahead and start discussing the game.
How did people get on? Did anyone start and not finish it? Anyone consider starting and not bother? Again, how do people feel about the amount of time we left? Any thoughts or input so we can keep refining the process much appreciated. And as ever feel free to lob some suggestions our way, though ideas for shorter titles definitely appreciated this time around as March is looking pretty crazy on the release front. |
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I was going to do this one, especially since Philia had already issued it as a Backloggery challenge to me, but I just never felt like it. I've been more into old RPGs and tactical stuff lately, plus the ongoing quest to platinum Demon's Souls. The time limit had something to do with it as well. Yeah, it's a short game, but I didn't want to feel pressured to beat it that quickly rather than taking my time. Considering March's release schedule we should go for something really relaxed and short next. Someone mentioned Crackdown, and that's not a bad idea. I've already gotten all the achievements I probably ever will, but causing mayhem in Crackdown never gets old. |
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I didn't like the setting of the game that much, to be honest. To get the positive out of the way first, I thought it was a lot of fun to play. The 3D platform action is always a favourite of mine, and I enjoyed this a lot. Fighting with a staff is cool. I also kind of enjoyed the vehicular fun, although not quite so much. What I didn't really care for was the cutesy anthropomorphic animals. I'm more than willing to overlook that for what is basically a good game, but it does dilute my enthusiasm somewhat. I don't always mind it, but something about the way it was done here just rubbed me the wrong way. I'm definitely not saying it spoiled the game for me, though. Overall I think it is a really fun game with a good storyline. Given another week I could maybe have put it to bed. Feel free to keep the time windows short though, as far as I'm concerned. Just gives me more incentive to play faster next time. I totally admit that I did lose focus and play other things a bit more than I should. |
I too started but never finished the game, and though I definitely like it enough to keep playing and eventually beat it, it's hard for me to get motivated enough to play it more than a few hours at a time. I agree with Soluzar that the "cutesy anthropomorphic animals" and overall whimsical feel of the game kinda kills the setting a bit, and I think if it was a bit more serious I'd be willing to play it more (as it is now it feels like Disney trying to make Mirror's Edge or something).
But even that aside, I still have quite a few gripes about the game. I don't want to get too detailed until I finish the game proper, but so far my main gripes would be that the combat isn't that great and the partner A.I. seems to be borderline retarded. The game is not terrible by any means, but so far I don't see what's so great about the game that it gets as much praise as it does. As for the amount of time we had, I think it was fine if you you're not really playing much else, but looking at most people's Backloggery pages can we really say that's the case most of the time? I don't know exactly how long the game is, but I think with another week or two I probably could have finished it (for the record, I'm about seven hours in, at the factory soon after Pey'j is kidnapped). Admittedly I could have played it more than I did, but for a game everybody calls short it didn't seem that way to me at all (even though it only says seven hours on my save data, I know I played more because I loaded several parts to replay them over again). Maybe it's because I'm anal about collecting everything and just exploring the world in general, but I could easily see myself putting a lot more hours into this, far past the definition of what I'd call a short game. But again, maybe that's just me. So yeah, it's hard to determine what the correct amount of time should be for each game, but I think it should always lean towards more rather than less. This is especially true of next month, as it's a pretty big month in terms of game releases, and I can't imagine anybody not picking up at least one game. As it states in the opening post, you can always discuss the game (in spoiler tags) if you finish early, and I'm sure most people here have plenty of other games to play if they just need something to keep them busy until the next game is announced, so I don't see the harm in giving people more rather than less time to finish the games. I personally wouldn't mind if it turned into a once a month thing (announce the game at the start of the month, finish it by the end of the month, repeat), though I get that varying game lengths may constrict this from working all the time. |
I'm going to address the time issue first up since there's been some comments on that, and whilst I'm willing to say a week more wouldn't have hurt I'm not convinced it would really be that necessary. I had to buy this game and wait for it to arrive, which took about a week, and I've had a crazy busy month so as it turned out I didn't get to start the game until Friday, but I still managed to complete it (without any sort of rushing) before Sunday. Essentially I think for the length of game we left a reasonable amount of time, but this time people just didn't get into I guess.
For my money though I was really impressed by this game, more so than I thought I would be. I didn't really know much about the game up front beyond the fact I'd see the two main characters before and I knew a camera was involved somehow. I really didn't mind the whole anthropomorphic animal thing and actually thought it added to the character of the world in a kind of funky way. I actually thought the character design (for Jade and Pey'J mainly I suppose) was pretty strong. One thing it's easy to forget when revisiting games like this is that these are now a good few years old, and I believe Beyond Good and Evil was released in 2003, so it's 7 years old now. I've done the whole revisiting games I liked after a few years (less than 7) before and had some nasty shocks when I've found games that I used to love seemed terrible. In that light Beyond Good and Evil holds up really well and despite some small issues I was thoroughly entertained throughout. Personally I really enjoyed the stealth mechanics, though the combat was a bit loose and unfocussed. I didn't find the AI got in the way too much, and the smash move was pretty useful on the whole (and HH could take the DomZ guards out really easily with his head ram move). They could have been more useful, but I didn't find them a nuisance. The one thing that did bug me was the camera (not the gameplay mechanic camera) which could be really unhelpful at times, and trying to get it to show you the next bit where you need to be looking could be a real struggle at time. I certainly suffered a few deaths from trying to position myself to move the camera and just sneaking out enough into the sights of a guard. So overall I really enjoyed playing through the game. I'll definitely agree with the comment that the ending comes a bit suddenly and without much explanation (in fact the story on the whole could have done with more fleshing out), but I definitely had a lot of fun with my time with the game. |
I had beaten this game AGES ago and loved it then. Thought it was on the easy side til the final boss battle which took me forever to figure out. xD
SO. WHO GOT ALL OF THE ANIMALS (in photos)? How about that WHALE in the ice that you can destroy? :D |
BG&E spoilers now do not need to be marked.
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NO REFUGE. Oh shit, you're saying. Oh shit. You know that logo. That's the one alright, you're not wrong. Shit just got real That's right kids. It's... "A shmup?" you say? Well yes. You'd be QUITE CORRECT. Brilliant observations, as always! "Stop being a dick, Skills." Yes, well. Look. March is some serious bullshit. There's something between a major release and a semi-major release every week. We know most of you (us included) will be buying Final Fantasy 13, for example, because we're terrible. So how to keep the club going through that? Lighter, faster games. The game may demand a lot from you, but we aren't asking for you to 1CC it or anything. Play and enjoy. Available really easy to steal on the DC if you're unable to do so otherwise, but also available for a medium amount on GCN and for 800 space bucks on the XBLA. Link Due date is March 28th. Again, because of the schedule of the month, so there's tonnes of time for you to get your shit wrecked. |
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Also, as Skills has wonderfully pointed out the next game is up. Hopefully a number of you will join in over the course of the month as you don't have to do anything but sample the game (you could perhaps cheat a little and play the trial on XBLA to get a taster if you're not willing to purchase). |
Hee hee! You can ACTUALLY miss this. At the very end (he's one of the last animal photo you should take), he was encased in a huge chunk of ice that you would try to dodge when flying in space. But yeah, fire at the ice to break it apart (takes a lot of hits I think) and snap away. And its a missable, you won't be able to get it later.
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MAN I SUCK AT VIDEROGAME WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME SKILLS WHY WHY WHY?
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I can already say that there's NO WAY that I can complete Ikaruga. I have it for Gamecube, have done for years. I love the first three stages, ya know? :tpg:
I've given it quite sufficient playing time in the past to talk about the good and... I was going to say "good and bad points", but why lie, it doesn't have any bad points other than being difficult. Whatever. I'll join in chatting, and hey I might even give it another go. |
Exactly what Soluzar said. I've had Ikaruga on Gamecube for ages, and the best I've ever done was making it to the beginning of stage 4. Not a chance in hell I'll be able to beat it, but I suppose we can have fun discussing our failures while Skills taunts us for being terrible people.
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...And this will be the third game in a row that I will not be playing.
Laaame. |
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Also, as has been said a number of times, feel free to throw suggestions our way if there's something you'd like to recommend for next time. |
Ikaruga is a game I've always wanted to try, but I've never owned a DC, GCN/Wii, or a 360, so I guess it's out of the question for me. It's probably for the best though between this busy March and still needing to finish up BG&E.
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I hate shoot em ups so I'll sitting this one out too.
Looking forward to a month when all my several fantastic suggestions aren't completely ignored. :( Actually, I might just start another thread seeing as how my suggestions were mainly a slightly different idea. |
How about FUCK YOU.
I have this game. I've been meaning to beat it, so why the fuck not I'll join in. Can't wait to discuss the deep and involved story with you guys. |
You can't beat Ikaruga. It's impossible.
I think I got to the 3rd or 4th level... |
Crackdown was discussed but not acted on this month, Shin, we were gonna save it for a little down the road.
I don't think I've seen any of GB suggestions. Have I just missed them? The PM function is there too, if you want to use that. ----------- Regarding BG&E, I didn't get all the animals this time either, although I probably should have. I didn't even bother with all the minor collectibles either, the game paces really well and I find myself just going through from story element to story element to keep it up. At times it feels almost like it's progressing too quick, that the characters should be stopping and questioning a few things, but that's something I noticed more this time than last. Maybe just because I gave it a little more thought as I knew what was coming. Still, holds up real well, and I'm glad the PC bug issues ended up getting resolved for Acer. |
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Ikaruga happens to be one of the games that was floating around since I kick-started this idea and since March is such a busy month we figured it made a suitably choice in something people could either mess with for 30 minutes or spend 30 days trying to master. I appreciate that the whole one game at a time thing means people don't get their wish in a speedy fashion, but I must say I'd be somewhat disappointed if you started a competing thread because of that (at the end of the day there's nothing to stop you playing the games you want to anyway). However, if you really think I'm running this in a terrible way then fair enough, let me know and I'll see what I can do to change that. Edit: Apparently I was too late and Shin has already created his own thread. |
It's not a competing thread, it's a different thread, doing different things, differently. Why can't we all just get along?
I have no problem with how you're doing things, I just felt something a bit different would be nice. Part of my role as moderator is to encourage community involvement you know and sometimes I have ideas that don't need CHz to re-write the database so I run with them. The only thing I'd change with this would be to pick games that might generate a bit more discussion. Ico was a good choice because of the whole ambiguous story angle, Crackdown would allow for discussion of tactics and different approaches to killing the bosses, BG&E doesn't seem to have sparked much of a reaction beyond people being annoyed with the animals and Ikaruga is a good choice, if you start talking about it while you're playing it, again to discuss tactics and what have you, rather than waiting till the end of the month to receive four or five posts saying how hard it is. You guys should encourage discussion during the playing period, it'd generate more posts and make the thread a lot more interesting in my opinion. |
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I'm not saying your thread is competing Shin, you are chasing something different (high scores), this much is obvious. However I didn't know what your idea was when I posted that, I just figured you might make a similar thread with different game picks, hence the comment.
Anyways, I have no problem with discussion whilst the game is in play and for Ikaruga I'd argue it doesn't really need to be spoiler tagged either, but obviously the problem with discussion during play is that it might spoil it for people who are a bit behind the pack. Hence we merely ask people discussing it during the time use spoiler tags. I can't control how people do and don't post, and I'm certainly not stopping anyone. If people want to try having a few months of purely open discussion with no spoiler tags I'm game. |
That's not how Gamingforce works, mate. If you build it they will come doesn't work here, if you want some discussion you need to start it (Which to be fair you have for each game so far to some extent).
I personally won't play Ikaruga because I genuinely dislike that kind of game but I'm not writing your thread off by any means, I'm glad I finally got round to playing Ico and don't feel so bad about not getting round to it sooner having done so. You asked for comments on how you're running things and all I'd say is you need to persuade you co-organisers to chime in with some more discussion, otherwise I see this potentially running out of steam before it's time. I really was only joking with that earlier post, I know my taste in games is somewhat divergent from yours, Skills' and Q's so I never expected many things I own to pop up in this thread. |
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Supporting the idea to add Shin to the group and while we're at it we can spoiler lock in the voting discussions for extra transparency.
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I wasn't suggesting any sort of conspiracy, more that the games you've picked so far have a somewhat you/Skills/Q theme to them. It's only natural you'd want to play things you're interested in playing, if you get me involved I'll not rest until everyone is playing Too Human and Killer Instinct for a month. There's plenty of you running this already and I've got enough on my plate as it is at the moment thanks (Just signed up to a 360 Blood Bowl league that's eating a fair bit of time, a few things here, trying to get a job etc etc).
I think Crackdown would be a fun, silly one to play, Monkey Ball was more of a score challenge idea, the actual game is shit, maybe stick in a Silent Hill game for over-analysis of the story lols and a Tomb Raider game might be fun and you can discuss secrets and shit, Black would be a good choice of fps as there are quite a few ways to approach the game which would be interesting perhaps and at some point I ought to play Skies of Arcadia so put that on the list. Those would be my suggestions as they're all games I've enjoyed in the past or own and have yet to play, I think there's plenty to talk about while you play them rather than just posting a review after a month and they're not likely to be things people have played recently. There are literally hundreds of similar games though and plenty of others that would fit the bill so don't in any way feel obliged to pick any of those. Also, if any of you think of any fun score challenges, please do post them in the other thread. :) |
We're actually trying to pick games we think everyone will find interesting, and that the maximum number of people who have signed up might have or have access to (or are able to get access to), what kind of game we think people have time for, something that varies up the style to the last pick somewhat, and other stuff besides. I agree that the picks thus far might not look that way, but that's very much how we've gone about doing it, and I can post the arse-long list of games that's been up for consideration and debated about over the last few choices. If people would like to know the process we've gone through (and read our inane chatter) to make the picks we've had so far I can make that available, I just didn't think anyone would care.
Fair enough if you're too busy, but I think you'd be an interesting contributor to the process (and someone who would do their part), which is why I suggested it. I don't think someone pushing for Too Human or Killer Instant would be a bad thing at all. In fact Too Human is a decent suggestion (though for a quieter month) and if people took to heart the idea that part of this is about exploring games you might not otherwise look at (you know, like how a book club works) you might even get a whole bunch of people playing the game. Hell it's cheap enough these days that I'd definitely consider it, and so far I've had to buy two out of three of the picks. Just so we're clear I really have nothing against you Shin, I do appreciate your feedback and it is precisely what I asked for, the only thing that irked me was the (not obviously a joke to me, though perhaps you just picked a really bad day for this, but that's a whole other story) swipe at the thread and Philia in your new thread. Though I am now aware that it was in jest so fair enough, no harm done. |
The trick is to assume everything I say is a joke :)
I think this whole silly arguement was born out of you, me and Skills all having a bad day at the same time, these things happen I guess. I'll certainly carry on contributing to the thread, mate, or at least I will on the months where I join in. I'll probably download the trial version of Ikaruga off XBLA or something if I get ten minutes free and you never know, I might even enjoy it! |
I will play this game until my eyes bleed black and white spores and I'll never beat this game. I'm still gonna try for the sake of this though!
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Unwilling to credit feed?
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If Shin starts sitting on this crucible, I announce now I'll play no games with wing shoes in them.
Fuck that guy. |
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OK guys, so since we're now getting close to the final day for the current Game Club game, who's been playing? If so, anyone want to share their thoughts so far?
And more importantly, anyone have suggestions for the next game? I'm thinking it should be a small-ish game again because April is another crazy month, but I'm willing to take all suggestions on board. So, hit us with your thoughts. |
I'll admit I fell apart this month. I didn't keep up with proper attempts at these stages like I should have, but Battlefield seriously monopolized my time.
Despite the fact that I KNOW the patterns for stage 1 and 2, the couple of times I did try it this month my reflexes failed me, and all I could post were 'eh scores. I haven't surpassed the 2ish mill posted in Shin's thread by any respectable amount, not to speak of coming anywhere CLOSE to my old records. It's kinda sad, actually. I will make a god damn NOTE of it to put some time in tomorrow, again. I figure this was an unpopular genre for the club, and it's a shame, since there's plenty of easy to access shmups that would make for some decent discussion. What do people think of the genre as this sort of thing? Didn't work? Just a bad choice in it? Anything? |
I definitely would have been up for trying the game out, but like I mentioned in my earlier post I just don't own a system that can play it. I don't have anything against shmups as a genre, I've just never actually played them much. I really don't think it was the game as much this month as it was how busy everyone was with the massive amount of new releases. It more than likely would have happened regardless of what game was chosen, so I wouldn't take it as a knock against Ikaruga or shmups in general (but then again, maybe GFF is full of shmup-hating bastards).
As for a suggestion, maybe we could give Max Payne a try? I admit that one of the main reasons I'm recommending it is because I need motivation to start on it again (I was about halfway through it before my PS3 died and thus I lost my save data), but quite a few people around here seem to like it and probably wouldn't mind playing it again, and I'm sure there are some others who have been wanting an excuse to give it a try as well. I guess it also helps that it should be pretty easy to get a copy (the PS2 and Xbox versions are like $5 at GameStop, and I'm sure you can find the PC version just as cheap on Steam or wherever). |
I've been planning on replaying both back to back for a while now, so I'm open to the suggestion~
We'll be sure to discuss it when we do. |
I played the demo, wasn't impressed enough to buy the full game. I like slightly slower paced shooters where the screen isn't necessarily full of bullets, plus I like ones with power-ups. SWIV is awesome, as is Raptor Call of the Shadows and Xenon 2 is great, not just for the Bomb the Bass soundtrack.
Maybe you should have a quick headcount of who's going to play the next game once you've chosen it? It's all well and good saying Max Payne is the game du jour but if there are more people playing Bad Company 2 this month, would it not make sense to make that the game to discuss. What's actually coming out this month anyway? The only new thing I'm tempted by is Resonance of Fate which is out here today I think, not seen anything else on the coming soon chart that inspired me to lay out for a full price launch title. |
Well the original idea was to dig up older games people might have missed or have but need that extra kick to go ahead and finish/play them. New releases usually have their own threads for discussing anyway.
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I'm not adverse to the suggestion of a more recent release particularly, though Bad Company 2 is probably not a great pick for the next month.
I know Crackdown is one suggestion floating around, and we can add Max Payne to that list too. Anyone have any other thoughts they'd like to submit? As for Ikaruga, I plan on giving it another play this weekend at some point, and whilst it's certainly a decent game the problem for me is that I just don't enjoy schmups that much. They can be fun, but I just don't have that bit of my brain that makes people want to perfect whole levels and chain the entire game. Basically if I survive long enough to make it to the end of the stage then that's a major win for me. I can see the appeal, but it's just not my cup of tea I guess. I do like Ikaruga's colour swapping mechanic an awful lot though, I think that's a very clever twist on schmups and the ability to absorb bullets of one colour and the tactics involved in which colour you choose to shoot out (do you risk damage for dealing more vs. playing it safer) creates a lot of depth from a simple set up. For that reason alone the game has kept my interest far more than any other schmup has done in a long time. |
I fired off a few ideas to Skills yesterday. I think the next game should have some sort of multiplayer aspects to get people talking. That said, here are some that I can remember:
Crackdown - Been mentioned several times, and hasn't been played by toooo many people here. I don't think. A shitload of fun once you max out your agility rating, or have a co-op partner. Army of Two - Yes, yes, the stigma behind it, I know. But it's dirt-cheap now, has decently strong multiplayer (mainly co-op, but there's competitive modes too), and it's a game I know a lot of you haven't played. Bionic Commando - Stigma, blah blah. Totally underrated, and people who haven't even played it bitched about it, which bugs the shit out of me. There's multiplayer, but not particularly strong. I mainly just want to see how people react to the game when they actually play it. Very cheap now, too. Also, just for the hell of it, I mentioned Full Throttle. Just because it should be an option in every choice you ever make. |
I don't think Army of Two's problem is stigma but more that it's such a bad game, slightly livened up by splitscreen co-op. You're still playing co-op of a fairly bad game, with more of the fun coming from interaction between the two of you, and not so much with the game. I imagine co-op over online with that game is a pretty empty experience.
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I wouldn't say the first one is bad unless you're just forced to play with the AI. The second one with AI is still not great, but better than the first. It might be kinda cool to do more co-op games for game club, frankly. It would be like having a workout partner that pushes you to come to the gym. And it might make the game experience mean a little more having shared it with a friend. That being said, I didn't play Ikaruga at all this month because I own it on gamecube, and I sold my gamecube/don't have a wii, so. |
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And you talk like there isn't a chat system for people to interact with one another when playing the game online. Of course it doesn't trump sitting next to someone you know and playing it locally, but online multiplayer isn't bland-- just play a game with a tit like Skills on the other end. |
"This game has a stigma."
"Because it's terrible. It has awful controls, a lousy mechanic and it just sucks." "THAT'S THE STIGMA TALKING!" Sometimes something just sucks. Move on. |
If he wants to present an argument, that's perfectly fine. All he said was that it's bad, so I offered an explanation. Making something out of an innocent exchange, Deni.
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I'd definitely favour something with a co-op element, games are always more fun with other people and the dynamic does rather change with a human companion, if only because you inevitably spend more time fucking each other up than cooperating (Always wear a gas mask in co-op Rainbow because getting constantly flashed by your team mate is bad enough without getting tear gassed too).
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OK then, so what co-op games do people suggest? Crackdown supports co-op but it's more two people in the same game instance rather than having to work together (that's not to say it isn't fun, because it most certainly is), the Rainbox Six games do too. Left 4 Dead 1/2 perhaps? Army of Two? Any other thoughts?
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SWAT 4 is pretty good co-op :3:
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Rainbow Six Vegas 2, either two player co-op or four player terrorist hunts. I'd even be happy to pick up the first one as it's never much more than £5.
Also GRAW has pretty decent co-op to it and even Halo 3 is good fun with a team of you all together. |
OK, March 28th, so open discussion time for Ikaruga now.
Anyone have any more suggestions for next month? It doesn't have to be a co-op game suggestion, that's just one road we can explore when we chat about it. What do people think to the idea of playing a recent release (something like Resonance of Fate, Infinite Space or even something like Just Cause 2)? |
I kinda liked that most of the games have been easy to acquire for cheap (ICO probably being the only exception, though luckily most people seemed to have owned it already), but doing a recent release would definitely change that. I'm not totally against it, especially if enough people have bought or are planning to buy a recent release, but I kinda like how price hasn't really been a barrier to entry for the most part.
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I agree. Cheapo shit is what makes this a great thing to get in on. New releases are expensive-- not to mention things everyone is playing anyway.
Today's the day. Do we have a decision? Additional Spam: Actually, what about Sacred 2? It's $20 new through Gamestop's Game Days sale, it's considered a pretty good game that not everyone has played, and it's got very enjoyable multiplayer. Thoughts? |
Sacred 2 is an awesome game, although quite the time sink if you want to see a lot of the side quests. As an advantage, there's a few of us who've already unlocked the higher skill levels so could host some experience-boosting multiplayer games.
How about an old PC game? I was playing UFO: Enemy Unknown (Called UFO Defence in the US), the first Xcom game, yesterday and it's awesome and everyone ought to play it once. I've got an ISO of the whole thing too if people want to swerve the $5 or so the game costs. |
Hello everyone. So we're going to try something a little different to hopefully mix up the game choice a little and give everyone a little more involvement in the process. This might not work, but I figured it was an experiment worth dabbling with.
So here's how it's going to work: we've decided on a short-list of 5 games, you need to PM me by Wednesday 20:00 BST (which is 48 hours away) with the 5 games listed in preference order with your most preferred first (or at the top). We'll award points in a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 fashion and then total the scores. Most points = game we play. The 5 games (in alphabetical order) are: Bionic Commando (the new dreadlocks one), Crackdown, Machinarium, Max Payne and Yakuza 2 Get voting people. Note: Only votes from members will be counted |
With regards to Ikaruga, I still can't play this game any better than I ever could. It's great, but somehow my brain doesn't work that way. Some people see the bullet and colour patterns and they can adapt to them without thinking about it, but for me it is a conscious process and that means that I'm slower than I should be. Past a certain point I just get to the point where my brain just can't process it fast enough.
I've been working hard to clear up my backlog recently, so I'm kind of glad that there wasn't much pressure from the selected game. I like variety, just like the next man. I prefer to be playing several good games at once so that I don't get bored. Recently it has become a bit out of control though. If I actually listed everything I've started but not finished, it would be a long and scary list. I've buckled down and started taking one game at a time to the finish line. I don't mind playing three or four games at once, but I draw the line about the same point I run out of fingers and toes to count them on. For the next game, well... Yakuza 2 is a game I want to play anyway. I started up that one as well as the first one to take a look and see what they had to offer a while back. As luck would have it I just recently started seriously playing the first one, so depending how long that is, the timing might be perfect. Max Payne is a game I already completed and loved. I'd be happy to join in with the discussions, and I really do think there's more to discuss there than with the previous titles we played. The storyline is simply excellent. The other three look fine, but I can't say I know anything about 'em other than what was mentioned in this thread. |
I'll repeat it here, it's ok to discuss your votes I guess? But everyone needs to PM their votes to OP or we can't count them.
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Oh come on. You can up the contrast a bit and imagine you're playing a muscular reggae dude. Like a 3D Ganja Farmer only without the music.
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When I play the game I just pretend it's a Jason Momoa simulator
http://images.starpulse.com/Photos/p...%20Momoa-3.jpg |
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When TFTD was made, it was based on an early version of UFO that was bugged to play every skill level as beginner, so they ramped the difficulty up based on how hard UFO's Impossible mode was, but with it actually playing as beginner. As such, playing with anything above easy skill in TFTD requires advanced knowledge of the game and a shit ton of luck. It is an amazing game though and if Ikaruga can be considered an approachable game, then I reckon people could cope with UFO. The trick really is just not become too attached to your soldiers... |
I legitimately like Bionic Commando's player model.
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This is because you are a negro
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I'm tossing in my vote for Bionic Commando. I just picked up the game for $10 on eBay too, so I'll finally see what every one of you waxes so lyrical about in this game.
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I gotta go with Max Payne because noir kicks my ass or Machinarium, because that game kicks all your asses.
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PMS at OP, folks. did you see what i did there, i better screenshot and journal this
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I tossed up Yakuza for my top vote. I know the second one is the one stated up there, but it gives me a good excuse to pick the first one back up and play that one for http://backloggery.com/images/beaten.gif.
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Come on guys, this isn't that tricky, but I'm really surprised by how much difficultly people are having with this:
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I did that shit on purpose just to ruffle your feathers, mate. I just had no idea this was going to be such a flamboyantly colorful display of anger. Like a peacock in heat, baby! <3
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If you vote incorrectly in this thread it just gives you a STIGGGGGGGGGGMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAA
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Ence has more than enough STIGGGGMAAAAAAAA on him already.
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OP getting irrationally worked up about something? Nooo. That doesn't sound like him at all.
STIGGGGMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA |
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CLERARING
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A few tips to add for beginners: Spoiler:
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To expand on that, if you're doing a night mission it makes sense to put the flare in the left hand of the two people first off the drop ship so they don't waste APs getting it out to throw it. Also, it's often worth chucking a couple of smoke grenades out of the drop ship before you leave, especially on terror missions where there are likely to be a few aliens watching you land.
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If anyone else is interested in voting you have a few hours left to do so, so get on that.
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Sorry about that, Tails. I meant to get with you on Ikaruga the other day. :)
I haven't gotten around to get to play this but I recall seeing a video of some dude using two fighters with both hands on the keyboard (not sure if its two keyboards) but watching him beat it with SSS rank was insanity. But massive props and pretty awesome to watch. Synchronicity and all that. :) Anyway, can't wait to see what's the vote will be for this month. I'm willing to go for Machinarium or Yakuza 2 action. :D |
Right, the votes are in and the game for this month is:
http://www.opimage.co.uk/u/OmagnusPr...64_front_1.jpg Max Payne I'll set another month on it, so we'll say the end date for this one is 30th April. If you don't have the game you can pick it up on Steam here: Max Payne on Steam. It was also released on Mac (no idea if that still works though). Used copies can also be had on original Xbox and PS2. Also, a quick change to the rules: open discussion is allowed for the entire duration of play, though if you can spoiler tag chunks to prevent whole-sale give-aways for people who haven't gotten to where you are yet, etc, that'd be good (bascially: be courteous). Enjoy. |
Hot damn I'm going to replay the hell out of you.
Also philia I'm fairly sure the video had the guy using arcade sticks (or a cabinet in this one).
Could of course be another video entirely! |
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Yeah that was it. I must be thinking of that keyboard with another shump or something.
But man that's pretty awesome. And MAX PAYNE. This game was awesome then, and still is today. We got into the two installments immediately when they first came out and we both played them back to back and enjoyed the hell out of them. :D |
Oh, what the fuck. You looked at my ranking correctly, right Omagnus? Like, how I put Max Payne last?
Ah well. I'll just pass. |
What kind of fuckwad passes on playing Max Payne? It's not like it's too powerful for anybody's PC these days. Do you just not have the $10? Do you need $10? I will give you $10 to play Max Payne. I will do this.
Pretty much my proudest stupid gaming achievement is playing through with the kung fu mod without firing a single shot, just bashing in heads with the fighting staff. Spoiler:
Funny as hell, it was the worst thing I could think of. |
This one I'll actually do. Max Payne has been sitting in front of me for at least a year now. Doing this should give me SOME motivation to play it. And Pang, save yourself the 10 bux and yell at everyone to buy a used copy at Gamestop. You could buy two used copies there with that 10 bux.
It beats getting frustrated at Shepard and Garrus for taking too much damage in Mass Effect. (I was really hoping for some Yakuza though. :() |
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Not to mention that I actually don't have $10 to spare (Skills was frustrated by the same thing when I didn't have the money for Perfect Dark). |
If you played it then you still have it.
it's not like anyone with three or more firing brain cells would have gotten rid of it or nothin |
Maybe he just played it so damn much that his system exploded, tragically taking the innocent disc along with it
This is the only plausible explanation really |
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Fuckwad. Additional Spam: Quote:
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this owns
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Does anyone have a piano transcription of
Morricone's Nocturne from The Lady Caliph or Rota's Theme from La Strada? THANKS!! Additional Spam: Does anyone have a piano transcription of Morricone's Nocturne from The Lady Caliph or Rota's Theme from La Strada? THANKS!! |
I remember back when I first saw Max Payne I was tempted to think of it as a gimmick driven game and dismiss it on that basis. How wrong can you be. The storytelling is probably the strongest of any shooter I ever played, and while the gameplay is based on the bullet time mechanic, it never really feels like the type of shallow and gimicky game I initially mistook it for.
I love the character of Max Payne. I love his twisted half smile, I love his voice, I love the way he's right out of every old detective film ever. Goddamn I love this game. Only decision that remains is whether I replay it on XBOX or spring for the Steam version. I'm not much good with mouse/keyboard controls, but I heard the PC version looks a lot better so... Additional Spam: What the fuck? |
hm, wonder what happens with post-merging
Additional Spam: Okay that's fucking genius. Additional Spam: Let me help j00 with dat! :) |
Upgoats for everybody!
Additional Spam: FUCK GOTTA BOUNCE |
You are now entering the realm where the supernatural becomes the natural, you have stepped into the *name pending*
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My delay this month is purely attributed to SAUS. Now that the trackload is manageable, I'll be back on schedule. |
im scared!!! Thid thread scares me!
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I fired up Max Payne today just to go at least start it. I couldn't play it on my 360 because, for some reason, I couldn't see anything. I thought I'd fried my Xbox again but I tried it on my old Xbox and that worked just fine. I'm thinking it has something to do with the HDMI cable because I have component cables hooking up my old Xbox and that looks just fine. For the record, since I have a much nicer TV than I did the last time I played this game, I never noticed how great this game looked back then; it's a lot nicer than I remember.
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So I've been trying to play on New York Minute, since I've never beaten it on that before. Yeah.
Uh. I'm not really getting anywhere. This was not a good idea. :( Has anyone here got anything they can offer me for general pointers? I understand getting by under the wire is how this works but I feel like I'm succeeding more on luck than brains in the rare occasion where I do? Or am I just doing that shittily? Maybe trying this coming off of such a lengthy hiatus is not the best idea. |
I don't even know what happened to my original game save on my Xbox so I started playing it again and the highest setting available until I beat the game is "Hard Boiled". I never did get to play it on "New York Minute".
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For anyone that doesn't own the games on PC, Steam is running a fantastic deal this week on Rockstar games including Max Payne 1 and 2 (as well as all the GTA games and expansions): Package: Rockstar Collection
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Apologies, I've been a little lax getting things sorted with this thread this month due to the flat move and everything else going on at the moment. I was intending to try and play this game this month, but sadly haven't gotten around to it.
So who did play the game, and what did you think of it? For those who returned to the game again how well did it hold up to your memories? There's also the question of what game to tackle next: anyone have any suggestions? |
It held up exceptionally well, but that wasn't my problem. I got to chapter 6 in New York Minute and just had to stop. It wasn't necessarily the baddy difficulty that was getting me as much as the time limit, but I just felt like I wasn't making consistent progress, and everything I was doing felt like more luck than brains.
I don't know if I was just playing sloppily after having a go for so many years, or what the deal was, but it was something I was unable to finish. Maybe if I watch some vids about it I'll pick up on what I was doing wrong, I don't know. |
I just rebought it as part of the Rockstar bundle and I have to say the game feels a lot harder than I remember it being. Before I'd hardly ever have to take any pills, and now I'm constantly chugging all of them. :(
Also, if you got it off of Steam or are playing it on a new OS there's a chance you'll have an audio bug where you can't hear sounds in the cut scenes or Max's narrations in-game. Someone posted a patch on the Steam forums which made it run A++ for me. |
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http://speeddemosarchive.com/demo.pl?MaxPayne_NYM_2922 |
So now you guys have finished your meet thing, any chance of getting this up and running again?
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I think I also figured that people were losing interest, but if people still generally interested in the idea then please shout and say so and I'll see about getting this back off the ground sooner rather than later (still sort of catching up with my life back home post-meet). Also, if people have suggestions for games, that'd be good. |
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