2011 Video Games Thread

[rowech]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

While walking around downtown Savannah today, I came across a store that sells old video games and consoles, among other things. Seeing some of those brought back some memories but I saw one interesting looking game I'd never heard of and was wondering if anyone had played it.

Liberty or Death came out in the early 90s on SNES, Genesis, and PC. It was made by Koei, famous for their Romance of the Three Kingdoms series among others. This one is a historical strategy game in a Revolutionary War setting where you either control the Americans or the British. It might be a long shot but can any of you guys tell me if you think its a good one? If it's of a similar quality to the RotTK and Aerobiz (obviously, a different kind of strategy game but still one that I enjoyed) I might have to go back there.

Never played a game from Koei that I didn't like. Liberty or Death was just as good as anything they ever put out. For my money, Genghis Khan was their best effort.

[SackAttack]

Liberty or Death was fantastic. I picked it up a while ago because I remembered playing (and loving) it at my best friend's house back in high school.

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

Aerobiz (obviously, a different kind of strategy game but still one that I enjoyed)

Also, this was a great game. I have Aerobiz Supersonic because I can't find the original anywhere, but still. Koei does some excellent strategy stuff.

[SnowMan]

Where's the "Alrighty boyz...." Deus Ex thread? I wanna know if it lives up to the hype!

[SirFozzie]

Holy shit.



35 minutes of Space Marine demo gameplay.

It is made of awesome and win.

[Scoobz0202]

Originally Posted by SnowMan

Where's the "Alrighty boyz...." Deus Ex thread? I wanna know if it lives up to the hype!

Yea. I could really use that thread. I was almost guaranteed to purchase it, but I watched the Giantbomb Quick Look and it didn't look that great at all. It didn't seem like it was a very well thought out QL though, so I would really like some input from the community.

[Mustang]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

Holy shit.

Looks good. (infinitely better than that piece of shit Tau one that was put out several years ago)

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by SackAttack

Also, this was a great game. I have Aerobiz Supersonic because I can't find the original anywhere, but still. Koei does some excellent strategy stuff.

Aerobiz was a fantastic series.

Didn't like Liberty or Death all that much TBH. Not one of Koei's best games.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by rowech

For my money, Genghis Khan was their best effort.

Agreed 10000x

I actually think L'Emperuer (sp) was Koei's most underrated title.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by rowech

Never played a game from Koei that I didn't like. Liberty or Death was just as good as anything they ever put out.

I wouldn't go quite that far (loved the whole RotK series) but L or D was definitely good.

As for Aerobiz, would you believe that I finally found my Genesis again, lots of game including Supersonic, opened up the case to show my son how we did it back in the day and the f'n case was empty !

Turned it that it didn't matter as much since the controller doesn't work but I couldn't believe that the cartridge just went *poof* and I know not where

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I wouldn't go quite that far (loved the whole RotK series) but L or D was definitely good.

As for Aerobiz, would you believe that I finally found my Genesis again, lots of game including Supersonic, opened up the case to show my son how we did it back in the day and the f'n case was empty !

Turned it that it didn't matter as much since the controller doesn't work but I couldn't believe that the cartridge just went *poof* and I know not where

I had that happen with Jurassic Park on the Genesis.

I swear I had the original Aerobiz before I moved to Wisconsin, but I haven't been able to find that, either.

Which is why I splurged when I found a copy of Supersonic for SNES.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Scoobz0202

Yea. I could really use that thread. I was almost guaranteed to purchase it, but I watched the Giantbomb Quick Look and it didn't look that great at all. It didn't seem like it was a very well thought out QL though, so I would really like some input from the community.

I've played about 6 hours and so far it's really good. Gameplay stays true to the original and any concerns I'd had that it would and the concerns I'd had going in are gone. It's also a good PC port, it's even a rare game that let you change the FOV right in the options menu.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I've played about 6 hours and so far it's really good. Gameplay stays true to the original and any concerns I'd had that it would and the concerns I'd had going in are gone. It's also a good PC port, it's even a rare game that let you change the FOV right in the options menu.

Cool - Metacritic is showing score of 88 right now. The only negative feedback I've consistently seen is that they give you so many choices when you are doing routine missions (which is great), but that the Boss Battles force you into one path (sounds like bloodbath is only way to win those encounters).

[Big Fo]

So it sounds like I should play Liberty or Death. Cool.

A sequel to Little King's Story has been announced for PS Vita. I'll be getting a Vita at some point assuming that game gets brought over to North America.

[RainMaker]

Would anyone know where I could find Power Politics 3? I know it's a random question, but I loved that game and have had a huge inkling to play it.

[spleen1015]

Originally Posted by Big Fo

A sequel to Little King's Story has been announced for PS Vita. I'll be getting a Vita at some point assuming that game gets brought over to North America.

I liked this game on the Wii. I'm not going to get a Vita to play the sequel though. Why the system switch I wonder?

[jeff061]

Originally Posted by mckerney

I've played about 6 hours and so far it's really good. Gameplay stays true to the original and any concerns I'd had that it would and the concerns I'd had going in are gone. It's also a good PC port, it's even a rare game that let you change the FOV right in the options menu.

This is the common reaction I've read. I'm pretty fucking ecstatic about this. I already bought and installed, can't wait to play this weekend.

[tyketime]

Sorry - wasn't sure the best place to post this - a very cool Portal video. Also my apologies if this was linked some place else.

[Mizzou B-ball fan]

Speaking of PS Vita, has there been many updates about the unit since E3? I've been pretty busy and haven't been keeping up with it all. I think the only thing of note I saw was that it would be released in early 2012. Will have to save up my Best Buy Gift Cards from Xmas until that comes out.

[JPhillips]

Don't buy Deus Ex from Gamestop.

Yesterday morning, a long awaited title called Deus Ex: Human Revolution was finally released to an eager audience. Tucked inside the box was a little surprise: a coupon for a free copy of the same game through the still relatively new game streaming service, OnLive — something which, if purchased directly through OnLive, would cost $49.99. At least, there was supposed to be a coupon…

The reports started trickling in fairly quickly: for some reason, the coupon seemed to be absent from nearly all copies sold through GameStop.

What had happened? Had the folks at the factory forgotten to pack some of the coupons? Nope. Had GameStop worked out a distribution deal to keep the coupons from ever finding their way into their copies? Nope.

GameStop employees had opened the boxes, removed the coupon, and put the product back on the shelf… after orders from above to do so.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by JPhillips

Don't buy Deus Ex from Gamestop.

I wasn't planning on buying it anyway so it really doesn't affect me much but ... what that account leaves out is the fact that the developer failed to tell GameStop that they were putting a coupon in for a direct competitor to SpawnLabs which GS recently purchased. As the GS statement explained "We don’t make a habit of promoting competitive services without a formal partnership"

I'd say that's putting it mildly & GS would have been nuts to leave those coupons in there. Truth is, SquareEnix is lucky they didn't get themselves kicked out of GS altogether on this one.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I wasn't planning on buying it anyway so it really doesn't affect me much but ... what that account leaves out is the fact that the developer failed to tell GameStop that they were putting a coupon in for a direct competitor to SpawnLabs which GS recently purchased. As the GS statement explained "We don’t make a habit of promoting competitive services without a formal partnership"

I'd say that's putting it mildly & GS would have been nuts to leave those coupons in there. Truth is, SquareEnix is lucky they didn't get themselves kicked out of GS altogether on this one.

Sorry Jon - I don't think I agree with this move either. I think brick-and-mortar game stores are going to be a dying breed over the next couple of years. It's fairly obvious that PC games being purchased digitally is fairly well accepted. It shouldn't be much longer before the same occurs with console games.

To me, the problem occurs in this interim period. More and more games/companies/distributors will start to synergize (is that a word?) between a physical presence and an online presence. The question I have is whether Gamestop was upfront with their customers when they purchased the game? If so, then I suppose I can see their viewpoint. If not, then it doesn't pass the smell test. The real issue will be - now a consumer has to understand all of the relationships between companies and online distribution points, and which companies play nice with each other. Before this, the most we had to worry about was which "preorder bonus" was best at each company...

[spleen1015]

I stopped buying games from GS a while ago because of BS like this.

When I go into a store 2 weeks, maybe a month after a game comes out and buy it new, the clerk should not be pulling a disk out of a drawer and sticking it in the case. I am buying it new. The game should be in the case, shrink wrapped. If not, the game is used, IMO.

Coupon or not, they shouldn't be opening boxes, period.

[CraigSca]

Gamestop, the Blockbuster of the next decade.

[JPhillips]

Originally Posted by tyketime

Sorry Jon - I don't think I agree with this move either. I think brick-and-mortar game stores are going to be a dying breed over the next couple of years. It's fairly obvious that PC games being purchased digitally is fairly well accepted. It shouldn't be much longer before the same occurs with console games.

To me, the problem occurs in this interim period. More and more games/companies/distributors will start to synergize (is that a word?) between a physical presence and an online presence. The question I have is whether Gamestop was upfront with their customers when they purchased the game? If so, then I suppose I can see their viewpoint. If not, then it doesn't pass the smell test. The real issue will be - now a consumer has to understand all of the relationships between companies and online distribution points, and which companies play nice with each other. Before this, the most we had to worry about was which "preorder bonus" was best at each company...

Yep. I can understand this if they disclose it to customers. If they disclosed that they removed the coupon that gives consumers the option of buying there or at another location.

[sterlingice]

Originally Posted by CraigSca

Gamestop, the Blockbuster of the next decade.

Think of all the cheap, crappy real-estate that will be available in 2020

SI

[gstelmack]

If you buy a physical copy of Civ V from Gamestop, will the code no longer work on Steam? That's basically the same thing here, isn't it, just a different implementation? Will they not sell Battlefield 3 because of Origin?

[Matthean]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I stopped buying games from GS a while ago because of BS like this.

When I go into a store 2 weeks, maybe a month after a game comes out and buy it new, the clerk should not be pulling a disk out of a drawer and sticking it in the case. I am buying it new. The game should be in the case, shrink wrapped. If not, the game is used, IMO.

Coupon or not, they shouldn't be opening boxes, period.

If it's opened, they better be willing to let people return it as well. Typically, open software is non-returnable.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I wasn't planning on buying it anyway so it really doesn't affect me much but ... what that account leaves out is the fact that the developer failed to tell GameStop that they were putting a coupon in for a direct competitor to SpawnLabs which GS recently purchased. As the GS statement explained "We don’t make a habit of promoting competitive services without a formal partnership"

I'd say that's putting it mildly & GS would have been nuts to leave those coupons in there. Truth is, SquareEnix is lucky they didn't get themselves kicked out of GS altogether on this one.

It comes down to whether Gamestop notified customers that the product had items removed from it. They have every right to not sell SquareEnix products, and even a right to sell them in an altered state with notification. But if they are passing off the product as new and in tact, that crosses a line.

Does seem like a desperate move by a dying company though.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

If you buy a physical copy of Civ V from Gamestop, will the code no longer work on Steam? That's basically the same thing here, isn't it, just a different implementation? Will they not sell Battlefield 3 because of Origin?

As far as Civ V you couldn't even play the game without the Steam code because it's a Steamworks game (and Deus Ex is too). Their only option there would be to not sell the game. If they start getting some major releases Impulse exclusive I could see them not selling copies of game that require Steam or Origin, though I'd also be very surprised if they were able to get any big titles to be Impulse only.

[stevew]

Originally Posted by gstelmack

If you buy a physical copy of Civ V from Gamestop, will the code no longer work on Steam? That's basically the same thing here, isn't it, just a different implementation? Will they not sell Battlefield 3 because of Origin?

I bought a physical copy from gamestop of Civ 5 and it works fine.

[gstelmack]

Originally Posted by stevew

I bought a physical copy from gamestop of Civ 5 and it works fine.

I know, I'm just surpised they allow that, given their stance with OnLive. Isn't Steam a competitor?

[SackAttack]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

I'd say that's putting it mildly & GS would have been nuts to leave those coupons in there. Truth is, SquareEnix is lucky they didn't get themselves kicked out of GS altogether on this one.

They're within their rights to refuse the shipment if it includes that stuff. Removing elements intended for inclusion within the product because it conflicts with their business model, and selling the item as 'new' despite that, is not a good precedent.

Best Buy, for example, makes its money off of iPod accessories - not the iPod itself. This, then, would be the equivalent of Best Buy removing the earbuds from the iPod packaging because they don't have a formal agreement with Apple and the inclusion of the earbuds competes with their own earphone sales business, but neglecting to tell the consumer they've done so.

It's the same principle - particularly when you consider that there's nothing prohibiting a consumer from using OnLive and also Steam and also Origin and also whatever the fuck EA is doing. Giving away a digital copy of the same game the consumer paid for does not inhibit the customer from using GameStop's own digital delivery services at a later time. It just means that the consumer is being made passively aware of another avenue that isn't GameStop.

Originally Posted by spleen1015

I stopped buying games from GS a while ago because of BS like this.

When I go into a store 2 weeks, maybe a month after a game comes out and buy it new, the clerk should not be pulling a disk out of a drawer and sticking it in the case. I am buying it new. The game should be in the case, shrink wrapped. If not, the game is used, IMO.

Coupon or not, they shouldn't be opening boxes, period.

Yeah. I understand why they 'gut' copies - to have boxes on the shelves that aren't either prone to theft or otherwise encumbered by security cases - but that doesn't mean I wish to pay full price for a gutted copy. Especially since employees are allowed to 'check out' titles. There's no guarantee that 'gutted' disc is in the same condition as a brand new one. If you're gonna charge me full price, I'm gonna go somewhere else to buy a sealed copy.

Originally Posted by gstelmack

If you buy a physical copy of Civ V from Gamestop, will the code no longer work on Steam? That's basically the same thing here, isn't it, just a different implementation? Will they not sell Battlefield 3 because of Origin?

My understanding is there isn't actually anything on the Civ V disc, which is why snagging it at midnight from Wal-Mart didn't allow people to play before it unlocked on Steam. The disc is just the authenticator and perhaps also has the Steam installer on it for people who don't already have an account. You get all of the game files delivered via Steam.

Originally Posted by Matthean

If it's opened, they better be willing to let people return it as well. Typically, open software is non-returnable.

I know for used games GS has a 7 day policy. Not sure about new.

Originally Posted by gstelmack

I know, I'm just surpised they allow that, given their stance with OnLive. Isn't Steam a competitor?

"Hey, GameStop. If you pull any shit over Civ V using SteamWorks, your allocation of Grand Theft Auto V might suffer a mischief. Love, 2K."

[tyketime]

Looks like both companies have backpedaled:

GameStop Pulling Deus Ex: Human Revolution PC Off Shelves

[JediKooter]

Speaking of Portal...

And now for an 'Awww' moment:

[mckerney]

Counter Strike: Global Operations will support play between PC and PS3. Looks like I'm gonna get the chance to shoot up some controller jockeys.

It will support mouse and keyboard on PS3, but I really want to get in a game with me and a bunch of people with dual shock controllers.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by tyketime

Looks like both companies have backpedaled:

GameStop Pulling Deus Ex: Human Revolution PC Off Shelves

Which is what they should have done in the first place, but hindsight is usually clearer.

As for comparison's to Civ 5/Steam, the difference would appear to be that Gamestop was aware of the situation ahead of time (and we don't know what sort of agreement might have been reached to accommodate those sales).

[Qwikshot]

I like Deus Ex so far. It has nice notes of noir (Blade Runner). However, I think the guy is using a little too much of the Christian Bale batman speak, gruff and stand offish, even if you use more optimstic speaking choices...

I'm sure it will be replayable, I enjoy the environment but I do believe even from the intro I know some of the twists coming.

[mckerney]

Good news on Torchlight 2, it will cost $20 at launch like the original did.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by Qwikshot

I like Deus Ex so far. It has nice notes of noir (Blade Runner). However, I think the guy is using a little too much of the Christian Bale batman speak, gruff and stand offish, even if you use more optimstic speaking choices...

I'm sure it will be replayable, I enjoy the environment but I do believe even from the intro I know some of the twists coming.

I thought it seemed like Jensen's voice actor was trying to sound like Batman too, though the voice acting has seemed alright with the exception of David Sarif reminding me of the annoying brother from Ed sometimes.

I have really enjoyed the game with the exception of the one boss fight I've done so far, I agree with the reviews I read that it was really out of place and just awful for people who had just been carrying non lethal weapons. Hopefully by the time I playthrough it again there will be a mod to skip boss fights. I agree on the twists, spoiler below from my thoughts on the Motherly Ties sidequest.

Spoiler

When Jensen was telling Megan's mother what he'd found upon completion of the quest I wanted to yell at Jensen, "Tell her there's plenty of evidence that Megan didn't really die. Tell her there's plenty of evidence that Megan wasn't dead. Are you ignoring that the last thing you saw before almost being killed was her being carried away, and the fact they went through the effort to burn bodies beyond identification and cover things up with her autopsy at the morgue? You gonna tell her any of this." Haven't found Megan alive yet, but I'm certainly expecting to before too long.

[tyketime]

Originally Posted by mckerney

Good news on Torchlight 2, it will cost $20 at launch like the original did.

I approve of that price! That's definitely a pre-order for me.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by tyketime

I approve of that price! That's definitely a pre-order for me.

I was expecting it to be around $40 and probably would have bought it at that price, $20 pretty much guarantees a day one buy for me.

[jeff061]

Deus Ex is really really good. Granted my expectations were non-existent, but I'm pretty thrilled.

GUIs are pretty shitty, low res and a pain to navigate(console effect). But the core game is fantastic and the control is solid enough. With the core gameplay being as good as it is I can easily over look my other gripes, cause it's fucking Deus Ex.

Not a huge fan of the mini games for hacking, but a lot of games have started doing that lately.

[SackAttack]

Put my money down on Disgaea 4. First game in at least six months, if not longer, that I'll have bought.

[spleen1015]

The games I have on my radar for the rest of the year.

The accountant won't be happy.

8/30/2011 Madden NFL 12
9/27/2011 X-Men: Destiny
9/27/2011 Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
10/18/2011 Batman: Arkham City
10/18/2011 Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
10/25/2011 Battlefield 3
11/1/2011 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
11/8/2011 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
11/15/2011 Saints Row: The Third
11/20/2011 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

And SW:TOR whenever it gets released, if this year.

[SackAttack]

I'm working the midnight release tonight. It was fairly busy last year, but the Packers weren't coming off a Super Bowl victory then. I wonder what tonight will be like.

[mckerney]

Originally Posted by spleen1015

The games I have on my radar for the rest of the year.

The accountant won't be happy.

8/30/2011 Madden NFL 12
9/27/2011 X-Men: Destiny
9/27/2011 Ico & Shadow of the Colossus Collection
10/18/2011 Batman: Arkham City
10/18/2011 Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One
10/25/2011 Battlefield 3
11/1/2011 Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
11/8/2011 Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
11/15/2011 Saints Row: The Third
11/20/2011 The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

And SW:TOR whenever it gets released, if this year.

Some games I'm looking forward to that you hadn't mentioned.

September - Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
September - The Binding of Isaac - Rouge-like shooter from the developers of Super Meat Boy
September - Red Orchestra 2: Heroes of Stalingrad - WWII Shooter from Tripwire. Pretty much anything from creators of Killing Floor is a must buy for me.
September - Hard Reset - Sci-Fi single player FPS with old school gameplay.
October - Serious Sam 3
October - RAGE - New FPS from id.
November - The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
October/November - Torchlight 2
Early 2012 - Metro: Last Light - Follow up to Metro 2033.
Early 2012 - Dota 2

Great to see a couple old school style FPS coming out, and a couple others that are primarily single player in RAGE and Metro.

[PadresFan104]

Only game I'm looking forward to playing is Driver: SF which drops this week...

[Groundhog]

Originally Posted by mckerney

September - Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

Ditto. I'm a sucker for the WH 40K universe and I'm excited about this one.

November - The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

Quadruple ditto. This looks absolutely amazing.

[spleen1015]

Can I play PSP games on the PS3 if I download them off of PSN?