[:plant:] The GFF Game Club [Now Playing: Max Payne] Now with less spoiler tags

Originally Posted by OmagnusPrime

Anyone consider starting and not bother?

Yo.

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by OmagnusPrime

How did people get on? Did anyone start and not finish it? Anyone consider starting and not bother?

I made an effort to start with, got distracted by social events then gave it another go just recently. I can honestly say I'll be completing the game eventually, but the timing was off.

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.

FELIPE NO

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.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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?

There's nowhere I can't reach.

BG&E spoilers now do not need to be marked.

--------------

Voting Chat:

22:36:00 Philia: Ikaruga or Vagrant Story
Crackdown
Majora's Mask
M&L 3
Dark Cloud 2
Assassin's Creed
Mass Effect
FFT
San Andreas
Xenogears
Valkyria Chronicles
TWEWY
SotC
Assassin's Creed 2

Added suggestions of after the meeting:
Republic Commando, Descent 2 - Skills
Super Monkey Ball & Silent Hill 2 - Shin
Skies of Arcadia - Myself
Saints Row 2 - Mo0
Dark Cloud 2 - Denicalis
22:36:37 Colonel Skills: did you get the youtube link
22:36:39 Ben (stuff): throw out anything too long and what are left with?
22:36:42 Philia: k Ikaruga sounds great for march any other second picks?
22:36:43 Philia: NO
22:36:54 Colonel Skills: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-slr7wL8KE
22:36:54 Philia: not at you op
22:36:54 Philia: skills
22:37:04 Ben (stuff): Ikaruga, Crackdown, Super Monkey Ball
22:37:25 Colonel Skills: Republic Commando is pretty short
22:37:27 Philia: I like Monkey Ball okay
22:37:35 Philia: Ooooh
22:37:47 Philia: like old school Doom
22:37:47 Philia: awesome
22:37:55 Philia: yeah I can play this
22:38:00 Ben (stuff): play what?
22:38:07 Philia: what platform is this?
22:38:07 Philia: descent 2
22:38:07 Ben (stuff): oh
22:38:10 Ben (stuff): Descent 2
22:38:44 Colonel Skills: DOSBOX
22:38:54 Philia: o.o
22:39:00 Colonel Skills: is there a mac dos emulator
22:39:10 Philia: www.zophar.net
22:40:08 Colonel Skills: google descent 2 max might also help
22:40:38 Colonel Skills: http://descent.en.softonic.com/mac
22:40:38 Colonel Skills: apparently so
22:40:54 Ben (stuff): Boxer is a DOS game emulator for OS X, built around the powerful DOSBox. Boxer aims to make it easy and painless to play your DOS games.
22:41:05 Ben (stuff): or there's that
22:41:15 Ben (stuff): I might actually sit this month out if it's Descent 2
22:41:22 Ben (stuff): I played it back in the day
22:41:34 Ben (stuff): and it was fun, but I'm not sure it's something I want to spend time on this month
22:41:40 Colonel Skills: Is that a genre or time concern
22:42:08 Ben (stuff): more a "I know the game, and how much I enjoyed it" vs "time to spend on other games I'd rather play"
22:42:12 Ben (stuff): thing
22:42:15 Ben (stuff): if that makes sense
22:42:19 Philia: hee hee
22:42:31 Philia: yeah I don't replay games for the same reason
22:43:03 Colonel Skills: indeed it does
22:43:03 Colonel Skills: we can pick something else
22:43:03 Colonel Skills: it's just an idea thrown out there
22:43:16 Colonel Skills: descent 3 has aged better and I believe there's a mac version for that so it might be possible to go that route in the future
22:43:18 Philia: well it was pretty cool though skills
22:43:21 Philia: thanks for the link to the vid
22:43:28 Ben (stuff): we don't all have to be involved in every game
22:43:30 Ben (stuff): hmm
22:43:34 Ben (stuff): didn't play Descent 32
22:43:35 Ben (stuff): 3*
22:43:37 Philia: lol
22:43:38 Ben (stuff): maybe
22:43:48 Philia: I SHOULD be involved with ikaruga right?
22:43:48 Philia: xD
22:44:17 Ben (stuff): yes
22:44:23 Ben (stuff): you've not played that
22:44:24 Philia: lmao
22:44:28 Philia: okay
22:44:29 Ben (stuff): I'm more tempted by Ikaruga
22:44:29 Philia: okay
22:44:32 Ben (stuff): as I've not played that either
22:44:35 Philia: say we have two games to pick for March
22:44:38 Philia: what's your two picks guys?
22:44:41 Ben (stuff): though like you
22:44:42 Colonel Skills: doesn't matter if you're terrible
22:44:52 Ben (stuff): schmups type things aren't necessarily my cup of tea
22:44:54 Colonel Skills: I vote ikaruga
22:45:02 Ben (stuff): I'm certainly not gay for them like Skills
22:45:09 Philia: LMAO
22:45:10 Philia: yes
22:45:13 Ben (stuff): yeah, I vote Ikaruga
22:45:20 Philia: we all have our vices though
22:45:23 Ben (stuff): Skills: you down with doing the thread post?
22:45:27 Philia: and yeah I vote ikaruga
22:45:30 Ben (stuff): and I guess the title change

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...

Ikaruga

"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.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Philia

SO. WHO GOT ALL OF THE ANIMALS (in photos)?

How about that WHALE in the ice that you can destroy?

Can't say I got all the animals at all, but I got a fairly decent chunk of them that's for sure. I did end up being fairly focused on the story so didn't explore as much as I could have. But what's that about a whale in ice? o_O

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).

How ya doing, buddy?

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

MAN I SUCK AT VIDEROGAME WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME SKILLS WHY WHY WHY?

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Da HPV SLAYER

MAN I SUCK AT VIDEROGAME WHY DO YOU HAVE TO DO THIS TO ME SKILLS WHY WHY WHY?

ME TOO. But we can still enjoy a bit and laugh at our miserable failures. xD

FELIPE NO

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?

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.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

...And this will be the third game in a row that I will not be playing.

Laaame.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by GB

...And this will be the third game in a row that I will not be playing.

Why not? What's stopping you this time?

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.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

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.

Most amazing jew boots

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.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

You can't beat Ikaruga. It's impossible.

I think I got to the 3rd or 4th level...

FELIPE NO

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.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Lady STD KILLA

Looking forward to a month when all my several fantastic suggestions aren't completely ignored.

Your suggestions haven't been ignored, Philia mentioned a couple of games you'd said (one of which being my very own suggestion too), but they just weren't what we decided to go with this time. We've got plenty of days ahead of us and all sorts of suggestions to take into consideration. Ping me an email with which games you want included for discussion next time and I'll guarantee it happens.

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.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

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.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Lady STD KILLA

Crackdown Ikaruga would allow for discussion of tactics and different approaches to killing the bosses,

Could actually replace that with just about anything, which was what we were going for.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

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.

How ya doing, buddy?

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.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Lady STD KILLA

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.

But that's where you're wrong. It's not about the organiser's tastes, I'm using this as an exercise to push me towards things I wouldn't normally consider too (like Ikaruga). You had two suggestions on my shortlist this time round (Crackdown, which I also suggested way back, and Super Monkey Ball - I merely voted Ikaruga because I've not played that yet). Tell you what Shin, how about you join the dark side and get involved with us on the organisational group. If your voice is so different to ours then it will only serve to mix things up and then you can take part in keeping the discussion going (and yes I have bloody well posted after every game and tried to stimulate some sort of response, but I literally can not force people to reply to me).

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?