Where are my Satellite Guy's gamers at?

[yourbeliefs]

I just finished Gone Home, and I'm anxious to play it again. Unfortunately the reason for doing so is because I can't help but think I've missed something in the experience.

Don't get me wrong, the game (if you can call it that) isn't bad, but I'm not sure why it's received so much praise. Said story is interesting but when I was expecting some sort of big "reveal" at the end and didn't really get one. I suppose it's written in a way that "forces" you to look around and piece clues together, as the last "part" doesn't make much sense unless you've done some exploring. However I'm not sure how different the experience is if you just try to advance the story as opposed to exploring, as I felt like I ripped apart everything in the house in order to advance the story. There's a subplot as well about the previous owners of the house, but it felt like there wasn't much of a payoff to that as well. Finally, I wasn't a big fan of the characterization. Although you play as older sister Kaitlin, this is really the story of Samantha, the younger sister. Kaitlin is basically a silent protagonist, which isn't illegal but I think it would have helped if they had Kaitlin comment as well. I mean, it's like 2am and she's come home to a cryptic note on the door from her sister and absolutely no one in the house. I suppose some of my questions could be answered by the newly added director's commentary, but I may try that on a third walkthrough. I think the fact that I've mentioned I'm considering playing this a third time is a credit to said game. Still, $20 is still rather steep for any game, especially one with such a short runtime. I feel the $10 I paid was fair, but I wouldn't hold it against anyone unwilling to dive in unless it's in the $5 range.

Still waiting on Batman: Arkham Origins. Unsurprisingly the reviews has been rather mixed, considering it was just a separate company adopting the Rocksteady work and engine. Most seem to complain that it's uninspired and that said story doesn't feel like an origins story at all, which seems like a pretty big misstep if you ask me with such a name. I'm most worried about the fact that the game seems to have a case of the gremlins with many people complaining about various bugs, almost to the point of destruction. Hopefully they'll release a patch soon, but I'm not holding out much hope that it'll be done before I get the game.

 

[Scherrman]

Just mailed in The Last of Us since I finished it on Friday. Battlefield 4 is next for me. Anyone here play it yet?

 

[king3pj]

Just mailed in The Last of Us since I finished it on Friday. Battlefield 4 is next for me. Anyone here play it yet?

Not yet. I'm either going to get it on PS4 or wait to get the PC version for $30 on Black Friday.

Edit: you probably won't be getting BF4 from gamefly real soon if you just sent back The Last of Us today. Typically with new releases you need to have an open spot the day before a game comes out to have a shot of getting it in the first wave.

 

[yourbeliefs]

Not yet. I'm either going to get it on PS4 or wait to get the PC version for $30 on Black Friday.

Edit: you probably won't be getting BF4 from gamefly real soon if you just sent back The Last of Us today. Typically with new releases you need to have an open spot the day before a game comes out to have a shot of getting it in the first wave.

Not only that, but the odds are better if you add the game early on to your queue, meaning someone who added it on April 27th has a better chance of getting it with an open slot than someone who added it on October 27th. Then again, I keep going back to my personal story where I added Mass Effect 2 the day before it was released (AKA Shipping day) and it mailed out to me that day. Still, from what GF told me, those stories are few and far between, and adding early and having an open slot is really your best hope.

Just be happy that EA has phased out it's online pass system, or else you'd be stuck with just single player and a 48 hour "free pass" to play Multiplayer.

 

[Scherrman]

I have it at the top of my list and it says "available now." I just put the last game in the mail today. You still don't think I'll get it?

 

[king3pj]

I have it at the top of my list and it says "available now." I just put the last game in the mail today. You still don't think I'll get it?

It's possible but I doubt it.

 

[yourbeliefs]

No. It's available now, but if you don't have an open spot in the queue then it's going to miss it. You'll learn that for GF to work the best, you need to mail back your game about a week in advance (or at most, 3 business days where I live) so that you ensure you have that open spot when the next game is released.

 

[Scherrman]

Oh well. If I don't get it I'll take the next game. I think I have GTA 5 next. What's a another must play game?

 

[king3pj]

Oh well. If I don't get it I'll take the next game. I think I have GTA 5 next. What's a another must play game?

If you haven't played Bioshock Infinite yet that would be my suggestion. In my opinion it is a must play game and it should be easily available by now. Far Cry 3 is also worth considering. Spec Ops: The Line is a good choice too. It is a good game with a short campaign (around 6 hours) so it's a perfect rental game. My favorite series of this generation was the Mass Effect trilogy. I would only recommend it if you don't mind RPG elements in a shooter though. If you haven't played many games outside sports for the last year or two there are lots of great choices.

 

[Scherrman]

If you haven't played Bioshock Infinite yet that would be my suggestion. In my opinion it is a must play game and it should be easily available by now. Far Cry 3 is also worth considering. Spec Ops: The Line is a good choice too. It is a good game with a short campaign (around 6 hours) so it's a perfect rental game. My favorite series of this generation was the Mass Effect trilogy. I would only recommend it if you don't mind RPG elements in a shooter though. If you haven't played many games outside sports for the last year or two there are lots of great choices.

I have Mass Effect 2 and 3 on my list. Is this a series that must be played from the first game though? RPG games were always my favorite as a child but I don't have the time they require to truly enjoy. I've heard so many great things about the Mass Effect trilogy that I figured I had to try it. Is the concept anything like Fallout 3. That game has a great combination of RPG elements and action. Fallout 3 is one of my all time favorites.

Also, does Bioshock need to be played in the order they were released?

 

[yourbeliefs]

I have Mass Effect 2 and 3 on my list. Is this a series that must be played from the first game though? RPG games were always my favorite as a child but I don't have the time they require to truly enjoy. I've heard so many great things about the Mass Effect trilogy that I figured I had to try it. Is the concept anything like Fallout 3. That game has a great combination of RPG elements and action. Fallout 3 is one of my all time favorites.

Also, does Bioshock need to be played in the order they were released?

The Mass Effect Experience is "enhanced" if you play all 3 just because the story is so rich and it's fun to watch your Shepard go through all the games. However, ME1 is very different from ME2 & 3. ME1 is basically "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" with a super mod. The "action" is done with old D&D style scoring, the dialog is in DIRE need of an editor, and exploring planets can be a super chore with the wonky car physics. So yes, for the "FULL" experience you should play all 3, but that is another about 40 hour time commitment depending on how deep you go. I love the ME series but I never played the first one for more than a few hours because it just wasn't as fun. ME2 and 3 are the best of the series IMO. The ME games are similar but not comparable to Fallout 3 in the same way that Elder Scrolls is comparable. If you like the feel of immersion and such that FO3 gives you then you'll likely have that with the ME series.

No, you do NOT need to play the Bioshock games in order. They are essentially separate storylines, although playing 2 without playing 1 will confuse you quite a bit. So yes you can jump right into Infinite, although I would STRONGLY recommend playing the original Bioshock if you get a chance, preferably before Infinite.

 

[king3pj]

I forgot that Mass Effect 1 wasn't originally released on PS3. Unfortunately the only way to get it on disk is to buy the trilogy box set that came out earlier this year and gamefly doesn't have it. Mass Effect 1 is available standalone if you buy it digitally on PSN for $15. That's how I played it since I already owned ME 2 and 3 but hadn't played them yet.

You really should play the series in order starting from 1. The reason for this is that your choices carry over through all 3 games and they actually matter to the series. Different choices mean some players live and some die among other things. The love interest my Shepard ended up with in ME3 died in ME1 for some players. These aren't generic name swaps either. Some of the missions and story is available only if certain players are alive and there is no way to save everyone. There are also a lot of political decisions that must be made. For example one race will ask you to do something for them and one of their enemy races will tell you not to. You have to pick one. Sometimes this means that the race you sided with will help you in the future while the race you ignored is now against you. Sometimes your decision might mean one race or the other will go extinct. These are all just examples but my point is that you will enjoy the series much more if you play them all in order.

If you do choose to skip ME1 and just go straight to ME2 they will show you a moving comic strip to try to catch you up on the story. It will ask you to make a few choices during this presentation so it can fill in the gaps. The problem is that the choices won't really mean much to you because you don't know the characters or situations the way someone who played ME1 does.

Compared to Fallout 3 it is similar in that they are both RPG's with shooting but there are some differences. I would say that Mass Effect is a shooter with RPG elements and Fallout is an RPG with shooter elements. Mass Effect has much better shooting and combat than Fallout. It is a competent third person shooter. Mass Effect does have multiple classes and leveling choices but the RPG elements probably aren't as in depth as something like Fallout. ME1 has a great story but the combat gets much better in ME2 and ME3.

Edit: while I was typing out that long drawn out response Yourbeleifs beat me to the punch.

 

[yourbeliefs]

I forgot that Mass Effect 1 wasn't originally released on PS3. Unfortunately the only way to get it on disk is to buy the trilogy box set that came out earlier this year and gamefly doesn't have it. Mass Effect 1 is available standalone if you buy it digitally on PSN for $15. That's how I played it since I already owned ME 2 and 3 but hadn't played them yet.

You really should play the series in order starting from 1. The reason for this is that your choices carry over through all 3 games and they actually matter to the series. Different choices mean some players live and some die among other things. The love interest my Shepard ended up with in ME3 died in ME1 for some players. These aren't generic name swaps either. Some of the missions and story is available only if certain players are alive and there is no way to save everyone. There are also a lot of political decisions that must be made. For example one race will ask you to do something for them and one of their enemy races will tell you not to. You have to pick one. Sometimes this means that the race you sided with will help you in the future while the race you ignored is now against you. Sometimes your decision might mean one race or the other will go extinct. These are all just examples but my point is that you will enjoy the series much more if you play them all in order.

If you do choose to skip ME1 and just go straight to ME2 they will show you a moving comic strip to try to catch you up on the story. It will ask you to make a few choices during this presentation so it can fill in the gaps. The problem is that the choices won't really mean much to you because you don't know the characters or situations the way someone who played ME1 does.

Compared to Fallout 3 it is similar in that they are both RPG's with shooting but there are some differences. I would say that Mass Effect is a shooter with RPG elements and Fallout is an RPG with shooter elements. Mass Effect has much better shooting and combat than Fallout. It is a competent third person shooter. Mass Effect does have multiple classes and leveling choices but the RPG elements probably aren't as in depth as something like Fallout. ME1 has a great story but the combat gets much better in ME2 and ME3.

Edit: while I was typing out that long drawn out response Yourbeleifs beat me to the punch.

If you must play all 3 games, I wouldn't recommend doing it on GF (actually it's basically impossible.) Of course it is hard to encourage someone to buy 3 games at once, but I'm sure if you wait long enough (especially with the Holidays coming) you'll be able to get them on some sort of deal. $40 is a GREAT deal for 100+ hours of continuity based content, but I'm sure if you held out you'd be able to get it for $20 (Or perhaps even cheaper if you were a member of the PC Gaming Master Race, but that's not worth mentioning here.) Just remember that ME1 is by far (IMO) the WORST of the series. I do somewhat regret that I didn't play the entire trilogy but after playing 2 and 3 it was nearly impossible for me to go back to 1 given the drastic gameplay improvements they made. I suppose if I could wipe the slate clean and delve into it now I could from the beginning, but since I've already invested 100+ hours in 2/3 (with a long, long pending second playthrough of 3 in limbo) I can't exactly start from scratch at this point. But then again, 1 may turn you off a great deal but 2/3 could bring you back.

TL;DR: If you really want to get into the Mass Effect series, keep an eye out for a deal on the trilogy.

 

[Zookster]

I second, third and fourth everything thing said regarding Mass Effect. It's definitely a must-have experience, but with prices dropping on the trilogy, you might be better off buying it and playing at your leisure.

EDIT: in regard to yourbeliefs' comments about Mass Effect 1, having played 2 and 3 without playing 1, and then going back and playing 2 after playing 1, I highly recommend playing the trilogy from the start. If you don't know what you're missing in terms of gameplay improvements in 2 and 3, the awkward combat and overly complex inventory/upgrade system of ME1 might not seem so bad. The story-telling of ME1 is still top notch, and learning everything about the ME universe in ME1 will make your experience of 2 and 3 that much richer as opposed to always being in catch up mode.

As far as a quicker rental type of must-play game, I highly recommend Dishonored. I just finished my first playthrough last night, and though the story isn't anything remarkable in the way that Spec Ops The Line was (recommended above), the world and the gameplay and the many options you are given in how to approach every mission is an awesome experience. It reminded me of Bioshock in many ways. Dishonored won several GOTY awards and I imagine Gamefly carries the recently released GOTY version, which includes all the DLC released for it, which I plan on getting to next.

With that said, if you have not in fact played Bioshock (the first one), that should be your first order of business. Bioshock 1 and 2 will be on sale, btw, on the PSN for $5 this week for Plus members.

 

[king3pj]

If you must play all 3 games, I wouldn't recommend doing it on GF (actually it's basically impossible.) Of course it is hard to encourage someone to buy 3 games at once, but I'm sure if you wait long enough (especially with the Holidays coming) you'll be able to get them on some sort of deal. $40 is a GREAT deal for 100+ hours of continuity based content, but I'm sure if you held out you'd be able to get it for $20 (Or perhaps even cheaper if you were a member of the PC Gaming Master Race, but that's not worth mentioning here.) Just remember that ME1 is by far (IMO) the WORST of the series. I do somewhat regret that I didn't play the entire trilogy but after playing 2 and 3 it was nearly impossible for me to go back to 1 given the drastic gameplay improvements they made. I suppose if I could wipe the slate clean and delve into it now I could from the beginning, but since I've already invested 100+ hours in 2/3 (with a long, long pending second playthrough of 3 in limbo) I can't exactly start from scratch at this point. But then again, 1 may turn you off a great deal but 2/3 could bring you back.

TL;DR: If you really want to get into the Mass Effect series, keep an eye out for a deal on the trilogy.

Yeah, I think if I would have played 2 and 3 before I got 1 it might have been hard going back to ME 1 and giving up some of the combat improvements. That being said, I was completely engrossed in the story of ME1. I had a great time with it and the only real problems for me were the Mako driving sections. Thankfully that was removed from ME2 and ME3.

It's easy for me to spend someone else's money but I would say the trilogy is a good deal at $40. If you don't want to pay for all 3 games you can get ME1 for $15 on PSN and then rent ME2 and ME3. You are going to put quite a few hours into these games if you play them though. If you do rent them you aren't going to be getting any other games in the mail for a while.

 

[Zookster]

As I indicated in my previous post, I played Mass Effect 1 after playing ME2 and ME3 multiple times. In fact, I did 3+ full playthroughs of ME1 (all side missions and planets explored) to prepare two complete save files (a renegade level 50 and paragon level 60 Shepard) for additional ME2/3 campaigns. Once you get accustomed to the differences, and accept ME1 for it is (an older, less-refined game), it's still a great game. In fact, there are a few things I actually preferred in ME1 and had trouble readjusting from once I went back to ME2. For example in ME1, you can spam all powers simultaneously, whereas in ME2/3, you have to wait for the cool down after using only one power. Insanity difficulty with a level 50+ Shepard was actually a cake walk for me. The adept and engineer powers were pretty overpowered when maxed out.

 

[king3pj]

Yeah, by the time I got to the end of ME3 after playing through ME1 and ME2 and most of the side missions with my Shepard he was pretty unstoppable. The difficulty level was the easiest in ME3. I'm not sure if that was because I was almost all the way leveled up by the time I finished or if it really is just easier. I died about 100 times during the final showdown in ME1.

 

[Scherrman]

All very good info guys. Thanks a bunch.

 

[Scherrman]

Looks like you guys were right. As soon as Battlefield 4 was released they had very low availability. I switch my game to Bioshock Infinity and it shipped out already. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[yourbeliefs]

Well it looks like Batman: Arkham Origins will be going back to GF tomorrow. Not because I beat it, but because WB Games presented me with something better: the two previous Batman games for $5.

I'm about 3 hours into AO and about 1 hour into a replay of AA, and I had more fun in the 1 hour than I did the 3 hours. A number of reviewers have said that AO is just like AA and AC but just not quite as good. Honestly though it goes beyond that. AO feels like such an unnecessary game. I truly feel that they just called it "Origins" as a way to trick people into thinking this was an origins story, or as some way to excuse the fact that there's almost NO recognizable villains in this. Compare this to AA, where in the first 5 minutes you're exposed to Killer Croc, Joker, and Harley Quinn. Speaking of, as much as I feel that Joker is an overused villain in the Batman universe, not having him as a major player, voiced by Mark Hamill does take something from AO. Also, why is Batman given half the gadgets in the beginning of the game when previously I had to unlock them? And if this game takes place in the past, why is everyone using modern technology?

All this smacks of the worst type of game: a cash-in game. I can't even bring myself to call this game "bad" because it really isn't. It just feels so unnecessary and "whatever." It's like the game doesn't have a soul. It doesn't do anything for the Batman story or convey any sort of message. It's simply there to occupy your time and take money from you (price of admission.)

I suppose the best advice I can give about this game is to just ignore it and play the others, unless you just simply can't get ENOUGH of Batman flying around and beating up people and stealthing around. Had this "game" been released 10 years ago it would likely just be an expansion pack. Honestly if you have a modern PC I think you'd be best served picking up the first two games here for cheap.

If you wish to see most of my complaints in humorous video form, you can do so here (NSFW)