Video game news and reaction

[Mister Andersen]

I don't think that's a change in artistic vision from fear.  I think it's courage.  The all too rare ability to admit that you got it wrong, and figure out a way to do better.

That would be the point I was making

[Sletchman]

I don't think that's a change in artistic vision from fear.  I think it's courage.  The all too rare ability to admit that you got it wrong, and figure out a way to do better.

That would be the point I was making

Well in my defence, I did say more then once that I couldn't parse your point.  Wait a second!  That means we're in agreement here.  Oh my god.  Quick people - to the Arks, drop everything and save yourselves!


On another note: Comming out of PAX, Gearbox have announce that anyone who preorders Borderlands 2 will get a new class, The Mechromancer.  The concept art is neat, and makes me want to develop the cybernetics notes I've been jotting down while going through Deus Ex: HR again even more (grabbed the missing 500 gamescore, and just started The Missing Link this morning - shame it wasn't inserted directly into the plot the way some other games DLC is, but it's very cool so far).

Also in that announcement - characters will have more customisation then Borderlands 1 did.  As you complete missions you get new armour pieces to swap to, as well as new appearances for your character (heads, skins, etc).  If you've got a Borderlands 1 save on your HDD, you also get a full new skin.  Which is cool.

[Krensky]

What, no "I killed Crawmerax and all I got was this stupid t-shirt." skin?

[Sletchman]

What, no "I killed Crawmerax and all I got was this stupid t-shirt." skin?

Knowing Gearbox and their sense of humour, I wouldn't put something silly like that past them for the freebie skin - they didn't announce what it would be, just that it would exist.  I gotta admit though, that would have made an amazing Avatar Award for killing him.

[Krensky]

Really? I admit I don't know much about literary analysis, but it seemed quite sound to me. Yes, a bunch of the issues brought up in that document are relatively minor on their own, and if it was just the one or two in the entire ending sequence I probably wouldn't have minded (or even noticed), but when they keep going off like some constant background fireworks of stupidity and nonsense it's hard to ignore them. And "I didn't understand X" is a valid complaint when it's a significant portion of the user base that didn't understand, that would indicate the authors did a poor job explaining the situation.

It's like saying, "I didn't understand what Kafka was saying in Metamorphosis, therefore it's stupid." A way overblown example, but it illustrates the point.

(click to show/hide)

I'm interested in hearing your explanations for several of the points outlined in the document, points that I (and others, judging by all the noise on the internet) found troubling.

1. Waking up after the harbinger-beam hits you. There are several oddities/unusual behavior in this (short) sequence. The area around you've suddenly sprouted the trees/bushes from your dream. Background chatter from the radio (that I'm surprised is still functional, given the damage to shepard's suit) indicates the other forces believe everyone's dead, yet there's at least 3 people still moving down there (you, admittedly in bad shape; the guy crawling towards you, admittedly in even worse shape, and Anderson, which judging from the condition of his armor on the citadel, isn't nowhere near as badly injured as shepard). Harbinger flies off, despite Shepard still being alive and kicking.

Out of several platoons, three survivors is everyone's dead. Especially since, with the microframe down (fair supposition based on the armor's lights being off (if memory serves, and if not it's still not a stretch). The observer, who is presumably bugging out and Harbringer call everyone dead because they're not omniscient. Especially since Shepherd might well have been 'dead' before his implants fixed him.

2. The Citadel and the short sequence up to the control room. How did Anderson get to the control room ahead of Shepard when he entered the Citadel after him, and how did he get there when there's apparently just one path towards it? Why does the area look like a blend of Citadel architecture, Collector Base/Ship architecture and the engine bits from the Shadow Broker's ship?

Because, as was explicitly stated, the walls are moving. There's one path that Shepherd's on, but Anderson explicitly wound up somewhere else taking a different route. See also Rule 73. Bits look like the Citidel because it's the citadel. Bits look like the Collector's digs because it was built by the same tech base. Bits look like the Shadow Broker's ship because all council space tech is largely drawn from the same tech base and form follows function. All jet engines look sort of the same.

3. The confrontation with the Illusive Man. How can the Reapers control Shepard or Andersen if they aren't indoctrinated? Hackett seemed mighty sure Shepard was still alive even though he should've gotten reports that Hammer Squad was wiped out. Why was Anderson shot in the side, but at the end Shepard is the one clutching a fresh bulletwound in his side?

The codex specially mentions fast indoctrination, but why does it need to be indoctrination? The Illusive man is an adjunct, something mentioned in the books but never seen in the game. Cerebus had also been screwing around with all sorts of mind control type stuff, including the Thorian. Or it could have simply been more eezo magic with them functioning as pure puppets. As for how Hacket knows, once the arms open up who the hell else would you think it was? Plus Shephard's armor might well have had time to repair the IFF systems.

4. The God Child. He outright lies. Synthetics and organics is doomed to exterminate each other? Sorry Geth and Quarians, it looks like that peace I brokered a couple of days ago isn't happening after all. And Joker, I'm afraid you'll have to break up with EDI, the God Child said so. The other arguments are disingenuous, circuitous and often contradict what we've learned earlier. [/quote

Stop calling it the god child. It's got people all in a tizzy because they assume it's godlike. It's a fsking VI or a shackled AI. A zealot at that. It's a matter of either programming  or faith. The game's filled with bad ideas, stupid people, idiotic decisions, blatant contradictions, and dubious faith. Just like real life.

5. The ending sequence. Singular, because let's face it, there's fuck-all difference between the three choices. Why has the Normandy turned tail and was already running when the space magic wave happened, and when did they have time to fetch your teammates who apparently stood back and watched as you charged down the hill towards the transporter-beam? What's up with that 'Shepard wakes up in rubble' clip that plays apparently only if you choose the destroy ending?

Your squad was picked up while you were unconscious or while you were dealing with stuff on the citidel. The Normany was bugging out because no one really knew what would happen with the crucible, it couldn't contribute anything else, and Hacket had ordered a retreat in case the whole thing went kablooie.

The Shephard waking up thing is because you deserve something if you got your score high enough but still decided to blow up the geth and edi. It's a booby prize.

[Mister Andersen]

Asari vanguards are fun. I'd trade the grenades for warp in an instant though.

[Antilles]

So... speculation and guesswork, basically? Sorry, I prefer the Indoctrination Theory, which at least has the benefit of making the ending's biggest sin deceiving (and short-changing) the player, instead of running roughshod over things like theme and narrative cohesion.

Disregarding the theory, I've found this video to best show the failings of the ending. Yes, it's 40 minutes long, but it's red letter media style and uses among other tings star trek and Socratic exercises to explain his points.

[RusVal]

And in other news, we learn who the third Resident Evil 6 character is.

[Sletchman]

Asari vanguards are fun. I'd trade the grenades for warp in an instant though.

Totally.  I'm guessing they left Warp out to further seperate it from the Asari Adept.  I just wish she looked more like the new Asari Justicar - with the heavier armour.  It just fits the Vanguard feel better, IMO.

I'm not a fan of grenades in general - they're great powers (especially Inferno and Cluster), but since they don't refresh it's just a pain in the butt getting more on anything above Bronze.  Especially if you get 2 users on your team.

[foproy]

this has given me a bit of a nerdgasm and i hope they release it in america.

http://ds.ign.com/articles/122/1222728p1.html
i may have to get a 3ds

[MilitiaJim]

One of the lead developers for X-Com:  Enemy Unknown was drawn down the comp sci path by X-Com:  UFO Defense.

Here is the interview.

[Sletchman]

One of the lead developers for X-Com:  Enemy Unknown was drawn down the comp sci path by X-Com:  UFO Defense.

Here is the interview.

Everything I see about this game makes me want it more (and like the team at Firaxis more).  Oh and now I have to make a Spycraft character - a buddy of mine is running an XCOM game starting tonight.  It's a good day to be the Sletchman.

[RusVal]

Oh and now I have to make a Spycraft character - a buddy of mine is running an XCOM game starting tonight.  It's a good day to be the Sletchman.

...

...

Details.

Now.

...

Please.

[Sletchman]

So far all I know is: 4th level, Clandestine, Thriller, Faction, Tense.  I'm not sure what he's planning in terms of the narrative or anything like that.

[Crafty_Pat]

Diablo 3: Barbarian trailer