Xbox Thread

[nepg]

Originally Posted by Mr. Goosemahn

Anyone here play Dead Island yet?

Been playing it with a friend. Almost done with it.

[M.O.T.H.]

Originally Posted by Forenci

Thieves Guild series of quests may have been favorite in the game. I just like being a ninja, though.

Currently on the last series of quests here. They're not bad, but my Oblivion cram session has grown boring.

I was really trying to do everything before Gears 3 comes out, and it's not happening. And again, kind of bored with it. Maybe the Dark Brotherhood quests will peak my interest again.

[ElectricEye]

Little late posting this, but there's a new Dragon's Dogma trailer out.



Looks good. Gameplay is coming out as well and looks a bit like Demon's Souls. I'm more than OK with that.

[M.O.T.H.]

Dont have the time to watch that right now, but I'll check it out later. I remember seeing a live demo video, though a while back and it looked pretty bad. The characters constantly shouting out cheesy lines during battle and it just looked subpar.

Hopefully it will be good, though. I liked the debut trailer.

[Caddy]

I almost instantly dismiss anything out of Japan these days unless it is a fighting game.

[ElectricEye]

The only truly good Japanese game I've played this gen is Demon's Souls. This looks like Demon's Souls, so I'm going to roll with it.

Plus the art direction isn't completely ludicrous looking like a lot of Japanese games.

[M.O.T.H.]

Not a fan of where Japan is currently at, in game devlopement right now, either. That's why I was so reluctant to play Nier, but it really surprised me. It borrows a lot of gameplay elements from other games, however.

Normally, Japan is just behind the eight ball these days. The early gameplay I saw a while back of Dragon's Dogma, has me worried about it. I'll still keep an eye on it, though.

Japanese developers havent been too innovative as of late...this is why they should just bring back survival horror. lol. They're stuck in their old customs, anyway.

Resident Evil 6: Stuck in a mansion with a bunch of zombies...again.

That'd be a WIN in my book.

I certainly enjoyed RE5, but gah lets not build Resident Evil's campaign around co-op and take away scares for just straight action. RE4 was amazing. I just dont like where they've taken things. I used to be a big Capcom fan...I've really soured on them.

[ElectricEye]

I do agree with the Japan thing, for what it's worth. A lot of that has to do with adapting to technology, but part of me wonders if some of the ridiculousness of the stuff I used to play that came out of Japan just no longer appeals to me at my age. Probably a little bit of both.

Resident Evil 6 actually got faked announced the other day. I was pretty excited. I really don't know why as I think zombies have become completely overplayed....but I enjoy the **** out of Resident Evil.

As far as Dragon's Dogma gamplay, there's new stuff out.



That's the preview they showed at TGS. Getting a pretty strong reception from journalists so far.

[M.O.T.H.]

I'm incredibly sick of zombies...I dont get the fascination and I never did. But, I do love me some oldschool survival horror. I wish they'd just go back to their roots.

Yeah, that goes against what I was saying about Japanese developers. But Resident Evil is just a special case. They've turned it into an action game. Co-op in a Resident Evil game? Never thought I'd see the day. It goes against everything the previous game stood for. If Dead Space goes co-op, I'd be pissed.

[M.O.T.H.]

Just random...but I just wanted to comment on how stupid Oblivion's combat is in a crowd or close quarters. I cant tell you how many times I had to reload a save, because I accidently murdered one of my allies. Messy.

[ElectricEye]

I enjoyed Resident Evil 5, but nowhere near as much as I enjoyed Resident Evil 4. That game just oozed atmosphere and just worked....in spite of it being more action orientated than the previous titles. I think there's a line you've got to go with and that's more where they should be trying to get with it. It's hard to due a true survival title like that in this day and age when there are titles like Penumbra and Amnesia that have done it in a so much more immersive and effective way. That's not to invalidate titles like Dead Space and Resident Evil...but playing those made me look at that type of game in a different light for sure.

[LTgiants]

What are the pre order bonuses for Gow 3?

[TitansCJftw]

Originally Posted by LTgiants

What are the pre order bonuses for Gow 3?

$20 promo on amazon with release date shipped, got mine pre-ordered better not be that piece of **** gow 2 the multiplayer better be back up to par reviews gave me hope...

[M.O.T.H.]

I liked Gears of War 2's multiplayer, personally. I had so much fun with it. I really hated when they would have those special days when it would go back to 4 v 4. Once you've played 5 v 5, 4 v 4 is complete garbage.

But yeah, I played so much Guardian in Gears 2. Long competitive matches. So much fun.

[Caddy]

We are getting our Gears on shortly. The SWDC crew is going to run a train on XBL.

[Matthew Jones]

I'm probably way behind but I just finished Limbo and lately I've been playing Plants vs. Zombies. Just started Braid yesterday and it's also excellent. Highly recommend all three.

[ElectricEye]

Originally Posted by RavenOfProphecy

I'm probably way behind but I just finished Limbo and lately I've been playing Plants vs. Zombies. Just started Braid yesterday and it's also excellent. Highly recommend all three.

Limbo is probably one of the best games I've ever played. It's just completely so completely realized. You can tell that developers got everything they wanted out of that game and the quality shows. The atmosphere and the art are just so fantastic.

[Caddy]

I'll be honest, I'm just waiting for it to go on special...

[M.O.T.H.]

The problem with Limbo for me was actually the story. I wish it was more conclusive and not so anti-climactic at the end either.

[ElectricEye]

I loved that. The ending was one of my favorites in the history of video games. Conclusive stories are boring, subjective ones are so much more fun.

[M.O.T.H.]

Mehhhh.....it would have been so much more powerful, if there was a more conclusive meaning to the story. People have their theories, but people still dont know 100% how he even got to Limbo to look for his sister. I was really let down with the story...the gameplay and atmopshere were great, however.

But if they sured up that story...I could have been blown away, and I just wasnt.

[nepg]

Originally Posted by M.O.T.H.

Not a fan of where Japan is currently at, in game devlopement right now, either. That's why I was so reluctant to play Nier, but it really surprised me. It borrows a lot of gameplay elements from other games, however.

Normally, Japan is just behind the eight ball these days. The early gameplay I saw a while back of Dragon's Dogma, has me worried about it. I'll still keep an eye on it, though.

Japanese developers havent been too innovative as of late...this is why they should just bring back survival horror. lol. They're stuck in their old customs, anyway.

Resident Evil 6: Stuck in a mansion with a bunch of zombies...again.

That'd be a WIN in my book.

I certainly enjoyed RE5, but gah lets not build Resident Evil's campaign around co-op and take away scares for just straight action. RE4 was amazing. I just dont like where they've taken things. I used to be a big Capcom fan...I've really soured on them.

Japanese games are just way too obviously linear. Their focus is a lot different than American developers. Japanese developers tend to not do enough, but the games are usually complete and feel like they're well-polished. American developers usually try to do too much and the games often feel broken or there are just parts that don't make sense and there's often a lack of polish.

Valve, Blizzard, and Bioware seem like the only companies that seem capable of making well-polished, fun, and great games with good storylines. Square used to be infallable, but they haven't put out anything worth a crap in quite some time.

[ElectricEye]

But that's the entire point of the game. It's not about the puzzles or the jumping...it's about being dropped into a situation oozing with atmosphere and the discovering it all. It's more about what goes through your mind than what they tell you. That's the definition of good writing, in my opinion.

There's a place for both styles, don't get me wrong...but things that challenge you and interact with you are always better than things that tell you.

[M.O.T.H.]

I wouldnt say polished. Every japanese game I pick up feels outdated and with that, comes a lack of polish, because the mechanics and the apparent technology used seemed to be lagging behind.

There are a lot more developers than you listed that are really at the forefront of this games race. Bethesda, Ubisoft, Rockstar, Epic, branches of 2K, branches of EA, etc...they're all superior developers to Japanese developers. They're all well ahead of the game.

All these companies could learn a thing or two about character creation, however. Most Western games boast a similar hero. And the Japanese still love the one note interchangable hero with crazy hair. And their idea of what Amercans want to see in video characters is horrible. Like a hulked up Chris Redfield and inflated tits and ass everywhere. You see that new 3DS Resident Evil game? The chick they have in there is hilarious. Big ass, big boobs, long flowing blonde hair. (you cant even see her eyes). And she's obviously wearing the proper cleavage barring attire.

[M.O.T.H.]

Originally Posted by ElectricEye

But that's the entire point of the game. It's not about the puzzles or the jumping...it's about being dropped into a situation oozing with atmosphere and the discovering it all. It's more about what goes through your mind than what they tell you. That's the definition of good writing, in my opinion.

There's a place for both styles, don't get me wrong...but things that challenge you and interact with you are always better than things that tell you.

The problem is...you dont discover anything. The story is incoherent. The puzzles should have had a deeper meaning which connect to the backstory, but really, it all seems random. There are theories about the story, but they all have holes in them. This has been one of the common complaints about this game. I was hoping for some big pay off in the end, but you dont learn anything.