The Video Game Thread

[Surfah]

How many preordered MW3?

I went to target on my way home on we'd and there were loads of copies for sale. I don't think there were shortages. Most releases these days are pretty robust.

Yo.

[Hsaru]

How many preordered MW3?

I went to target on my way home on we'd and there were loads of copies for sale. I don't think there were shortages. Most releases these days are pretty robust.

Games almost never have shortages, preorders are more for preorder exclusive content these days and because there is no penalty for preordering so why not.

[Colly Wolly]

Been away for a while, playing a ton of video games has had something to do with it.

Skyrim - 25 hours in and barely scratched the surface. I have stayed away from Bethesda RPGs to this point because they just seemed a little dry and uninteresting to me. I'm really glad I took a chance on this game because it is that good. Huge and immense world and quests/story filled with discovery and amazing moments. Fighting dragons is awesome! I'm playing this one slow and steady, soaking everything in and being very methodical. Loving it.

Uncharted 3 - very good game and love the Uncharted series. This series is the reason I bought a PS3. This game is awesome, but it wasnt quite as awesome for me as the last one. Uncharted 2 was just such a great leap forward, and it felt like a lot of what made UC2 great was reused in UC3. That's not something to really complain about, it's still great, but it hasnt been as eye opening as UC2. Also thought the story was a little messier and less intereting than UC2.

Rage - meh. It's pretty good, but probably a rental. Amazing graphics and fun shooting game play, but short, no really compelling story and a terrible and abrupt ending.

Forza Motorsport 4 - I'm not any kind of car nut, but this game is amazing. I loved Forza 3, and this game tops it. So complex and realistic while at the same time being very accessible and noob friendly. Those of you obsessed with your CoD sessions should consider getting this game and having a race night session to break it up every once in a while. It is extremely good fun!

Battlefiled 3 - Amazing FPS multiplayer! Love playing conquest, love the team/squad focus and vehicle elements. I have had MW3 for a week and it is still in the shrink wrap. If you are starting to feel that CoD is getting stale, give this one a shot.

There are some really good Black Friday deals at Walmart and Best Buy where you can pick most of these (and the other newer titles) up for $30 or so. Get on that!

[TripletDaddy]

Bethesda makes the best RPGs in the US and A, IMO.

Agree in uncharted and Skyrim.

[Colly Wolly]

Bethesda makes the best RPGs in the US and A, IMO.

Agree in uncharted and Skyrim.

Still giving that nod to Bioware but fair enough.

[woot]

I'm avoiding Skyrim due to a bunch of pending deadlines, but I spent probably 200+ hours with Oblivion, which apparently wasn't nearly as good as ES3.

The issue for me is that games like Dragon Age scratch the same itch, but eat up a lot less of your life. Sure, DA2 was terrible and made a lot of people lose faith in Bioware, but it still scratched the itch (DA:O was awesome, which is probably why DA2 was so disappointing). Bethesda makes games that are almost as life-consuming as MMORPGs, which I have sworn off for life.

I'll still play through Skyrim eventually, even if it takes me a year to get through it. I might get it next semester sometime.

For the Bethesda connoisseurs, is ES5 a return to the greatness of ES3 or is it just a better version of the (apparently) simplified ES4? ES4 didn't seem simple at all to me. It did have the worst leveling system I've ever encountered, and I've encountered a lot of them. Other than that though it was incredible.

[TripletDaddy]

Still giving that nod to Bioware but fair enough.

The Mass Effect franchise is fantastic...some of the best RPGs and they have staying power. A hard core gamer could pick up a copy of Mass 1 and play it today and still really love it even though it is years old now.

I gave the nod to Bethesda because, as woot mentioned, Bethesda excels at huge games. These open worlds in Oblivion, Fallout, New Vegas, and now Skyrim are simply mind boggling. And there doesn't seem to be a lot of w.a.s.t.e.d space, either. You are compelled to explore everywhere because there is something to do in every location.

Ultimately it is a personal preference thing and I have no problem with someone enjoying Bioware more. I seem to gravitate a bit more towards Bethesda.

It is nice to see American RPGs resonating out there, giving the traditional Asian studios a run for their money. The Yanks have shown that an RPG doesn't have to be turn based combat in an anime fantasyland in order to be successful.

[Colly Wolly]

Woot - everyone I have talked to and everything I have heard and read point to Skyrim being the best Bethesda game ever. It is immense but you can take it as fast or slow as you like.

[woot]

Woot - everyone I have talked to and everything I have heard and read point to Skyrim being the best Bethesda game ever. It is immense but you can take it as fast or slow as you like.

Crazy. I wonder if my computer can run it. But no, I won't look until all these grant proposals are submitted.

[Shaka]

Geez, you guys are hardcore. Should I feel embarrassed that I've been enjoying the new Batman game?

[Colly Wolly]

Geez, you guys are hardcore. Should I feel embarrassed that I've been enjoying the new Batman game?

No. I have that one installed to the console but still haven't played it. We're finally finishing the crazy season so hope to get to it soon.

[TripletDaddy]

Geez, you guys are hardcore. Should I feel embarrassed that I've been enjoying the new Batman game?

Arkham was reviewed very positively. I liked what I saw of it at E3. I'm waiting until Friday and then buying it from the Wal for $29.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Still giving that nod to Bioware but fair enough.

I'm with on giving the nod to Bioware. Although, the only games I've played from Bethesda are Fallout 3 and Morrowind. I'll eventually play Skyrim, but think that I'll skip Oblivion. I haven't played any game that I've enjoyed more than Mass Effect 2.

[woot]

I'm with on giving the nod to Bioware. Although, the only games I've played from Bethesda are Fallout 3 and Morrowind. I'll eventually play Skyrim, but think that I'll skip Oblivion. I haven't played any game that I've enjoyed more than Mass Effect 2.

ME2 was fun, but the plot wasn't nearly as good as ME1 or DA:O. If anything, Bioware has a pattern of coming up with great new IPs and then slopping together money-grab sequels, with KotOR 1 and 2 being another good example of this. I also don't like how they seem to be trying to distill most of the RPG elements out of their games, and how they seem to be leading the pack in the bullshit trend of forcing people to pay for stuff that should have been in the game to begin with.

But I still love Bioware. Baldur's Gate, NWN, and the above originals are all excellent.

[MartyFunkhouser]

ME2 was fun, but the plot wasn't nearly as good as ME1 or DA:O. If anything, Bioware has a pattern of coming up with great new IPs and then slopping together money-grab sequels, with KotOR 1 and 2 being another good example of this. I also don't like how they seem to be trying to distill most of the RPG elements out of their games, and how they seem to be leading the pack in the bullshit trend of forcing people to pay for stuff that should have been in the game to begin with.

But I still love Bioware. Baldur's Gate, NWN, and the above originals are all excellent.

I agree the story of ME1 was better than ME2, but the gameplay was so much better that I didn't really care. They need to find a nice balance between ME1 and ME2 for the last game with the RPG elements. ME1 managing inventory was a complete pain in the ass and the skill system was a little too fiddly. ME2 it seemed way too stripped down. If they find a middle ground in ME3 it will be perfect.

I haven't played either Dragon Age games yet, but I do plan on playing Dragon Age Origins and skipping Dragon Age 2 alltogether.

As for the DLC that is pretty much every company now and it is bullshit. I'm not sure that Bioware is any worse about that stuff than other companies.

I never played KOTOR2, but Bioware actually didn't make the game. It was passed off to someone else so they could make Jade Empire.