All Things Videogame Related: EXTREME VS!!

[Shadow]

Not crazy about spending 2k to game on a 14-inch screen.

Anyone trying the Battlefield 4 beta yet? Checked this morning but it wasn't up on PSN yet.

Edited October 4, 2013 by Shadow

[anime52k8]

I'm actually kind of drooling over than Razer Blade pro. All that performance in a 17.3in that's less than an inch thick and 6.5 lbs... :wub:

That said, I payed less than $700 for the 17in laptop I'm using now and a 2 grand+ price point is my number 1 reason why I've never gone to mac.

[azrael]

Anyone trying the Battlefield 4 beta yet? Checked this morning but it wasn't up on PSN yet.

I've had access since Oct. 1 but haven't downloaded it. But, being a 6GB download and being sick hasn't helped my desire to play it. Maybe this weekend.

[Major Focker]

for me, 14in and 4lbs is the upper limit to what i would consider portable. the weight is what i'm more mindful of since my backpack will always have 3-4lbs of camera gear at any time.

when i game, i just hook it up to a big flatscreen and the home theater system. i actually don't game much when i travel, but i didn't want a dedicated desktop for gaming and then need a separate laptop for traveling. that might actually have cost more.

six years ago, i could still justify the desktop because it doubled as my HTPC and laptops really weren't that powerful enough for games. nowadays, smartTVs and NAS fulfill the HTPC role and laptops can decently run even resource intensive games.

[anime52k8]

I just can't use a computer with a screen smaller than 17 inches any more.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

steam box specs released today i pasted the specs in the steam Os thread:

link

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/steamuniverse#announcements/detail/2145128928746175450

[mikeszekely]

I wanted a Razer Blade, but it was too hard to justify over a grand more than I paid for my MSI GE70 when it was always meant to be the computer I play on when I'm not at home and can't play on my desktop.

[Archer]

Steam Machine with Titan? Count me in!

[anime52k8]

So,did anyone say they were playing GTA 5 on Xbox? I just picked up a copy today.

[Archer]

So I've got some gushing to do. I grew up, as a child, having access to primarily a PS1/2, and have gamed exclusively on consoles (handheld and home) for most of my life. This pretty much means that for the last 8 years, my gaming experience has been restricted to primarily the PS3 for triple A's and other home console experiences.

That being said, PC gaming always intrigued me. I have a father who works in IT (I'm a pre med student, so I know absolutely nothing for the most part about the ins and outs of computers), and he's always offered to buy and build me a PC to the specs I wanted, but I honestly didn't think it was necessary since I had a PS3.

When the time came to buy a laptop for college, and I kinda went the standard route, and bought a retina MacBook pro (the 2012 one). Thus, much of PC gaming was out of reach for me as a standard, since Mac's don't really game. Looking back, I might have jumped on a razer blade instead.

Today, I went ahead and downloaded steam to see if I could get some Mac gaming going. To my surprise, there were quite a few games I wanted available. Thanks to the steam sale right now, I bought Borderlands 2 and Civ 5 (a game I've been dying to try).

I went in thinking the cruddy nvidia GT 650 M discrete in a macbook would be worthless in comparison to the output of something like a PS3. Boy could I have not been more wrong in my life. The detail that I can get from a weak mobile chip is INSANE. The visual performance FAR out performs what a PS3 can do, and I can only imagine how much better a dedicated rig running a GTX 780 or what not can do.

Seriously, i'm blown away by how advanced the tech has gotten in the last 8 years, and how the PS3 has really been at a stand still in comparison to how awesome PC games look and play (going to 60 fps from most of my time spent on a console at 30, and I'm LOVING IT) and I'm honestly wondering if that PS4 I bought will even be able to keep up with PC's right now.

This is really why the prospect of the steam machine has my full dedicated interest, and I'll actively be pursuing one when the time for release comes.

Lastly, HOW ARE GAMES THIS CHEAP?

tl;dr: didn't play PC games, started now, 8 years after current gen of consoles, was blown away by how much better gaming looked on a crappy GT 650M. Am in awe of what legit video cards can do now. Strongly wondering if next gen consoles will even be able to keep up.

[Shadow]

I've delved into both PC and console and devoted more attention to either or depending on the generation. I was a bigger PC gamer in the 90s then I am now but that's going to change again with the next gen consoles not really appealing to me. Looking already at building my first PC.

[mikeszekely]

So I've got some gushing to do. I grew up, as a child, having access to primarily a PS1/2, and have gamed exclusively on consoles (handheld and home) for most of my life. This pretty much means that for the last 8 years, my gaming experience has been restricted to primarily the PS3 for triple A's and other home console experiences.

That being said, PC gaming always intrigued me. I have a father who works in IT (I'm a pre med student, so I know absolutely nothing for the most part about the ins and outs of computers), and he's always offered to buy and build me a PC to the specs I wanted, but I honestly didn't think it was necessary since I had a PS3.

When the time came to buy a laptop for college, and I kinda went the standard route, and bought a retina MacBook pro (the 2012 one). Thus, much of PC gaming was out of reach for me as a standard, since Mac's don't really game. Looking back, I might have jumped on a razer blade instead.

Today, I went ahead and downloaded steam to see if I could get some Mac gaming going. To my surprise, there were quite a few games I wanted available. Thanks to the steam sale right now, I bought Borderlands 2 and Civ 5 (a game I've been dying to try).

I went in thinking the cruddy nvidia GT 650 M discrete in a macbook would be worthless in comparison to the output of something like a PS3. Boy could I have not been more wrong in my life. The detail that I can get from a weak mobile chip is INSANE. The visual performance FAR out performs what a PS3 can do, and I can only imagine how much better a dedicated rig running a GTX 780 or what not can do.

Seriously, i'm blown away by how advanced the tech has gotten in the last 8 years, and how the PS3 has really been at a stand still in comparison to how awesome PC games look and play (going to 60 fps from most of my time spent on a console at 30, and I'm LOVING IT) and I'm honestly wondering if that PS4 I bought will even be able to keep up with PC's right now.

This is really why the prospect of the steam machine has my full dedicated interest, and I'll actively be pursuing one when the time for release comes.

Lastly, HOW ARE GAMES THIS CHEAP?

tl;dr: didn't play PC games, started now, 8 years after current gen of consoles, was blown away by how much better gaming looked on a crappy GT 650M. Am in awe of what legit video cards can do now. Strongly wondering if next gen consoles will even be able to keep up.

Yeah, I've told every one of my friends who have complained that a PC is so much more expensive than a console that they're pretty off base. I mean, since they're the types who buy consoles at or near launch, you figure they're spending $400-$500 for a console. Sure, a $1000 gaming rig is more expensive... but chances are if you're going to own some kind of PC anyway. New game console + cheap PC is already equal to the cost of of a moderate gaming PC. But then, while my console friends are buying games for $60, or occasionally talking about a sale where they paid $45-$50, I'm buying up most of my games for under $20 on Steam sales. So any extra money I spend on my gaming rigs, I make it back saving money on games... that will still be playable when I build my next rig. How's that backwards-compatibility thing working out for you guys, my console friends?

And yeah, PC games look, at worst, the same as their console counterparts, and at best much, much better. I recall playing the demo for the original Uncharted and thinking it looked amazing... until I got my first gaming rig and played Crysis. I also remember arguing with a buddy who actually was into PC gaming but got Dragon Age II for the Xbox 360, thinking it couldn't be that different... until he saw the PC version at my house and thought I was playing a completely different game.

When the new consoles hit, the differences won't be so pronounced... at first. That's why Watchdogs PC requirements, while not out of the question for a lot of PC gamers, are a lot closer to maxing their specs than, say, the last Call of Duty. When a new console is released, it's like it's catching up to current tech. Thing is, tech doesn't stay current for long, and after a year or so the PS4 and the Xbone will be stuck where they are, Intel, AMD, and Nvidia will be offering up all sorts of new goodies, and before long I'll be back to playing the latest Halo with my friend's wife and thinking about how crappy console graphics are.

[Archer]

Haha, that's awesome. Seriously thinking about even maybe making my own rig now. Unfortunately, nVidia doesn't offer PhysX on my card, and I can only imagine how much more awesome things will look with more AA and PhysX.

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

pokemon x y reviews

http://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/pokemon-x/critic-reviews

polygon, gave it a 9.5 looks promising (the guy put up fanart in the review so you know he's a fan)

http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/4/4800980/Pokemon-x-and-pokemon-y-review

i can't wait for this to drop on the 3ds eshop (ace attorney 5)

http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/4/4803816/phoenix-wright-speaks-in-a-new-animated-ace-attorney-5-story-trailer

[mikeszekely]

pokemon x y reviews

http://www.metacritic.com/game/3ds/pokemon-x/critic-reviews

polygon, gave it a 9.5 looks promising (the guy put up fanart in the review so you know he's a fan)

http://www.polygon.com/2013/10/4/4800980/Pokemon-x-and-pokemon-y-review

Kotaku's been hyping for quite awhile, saying it's really the first game since Gen 1 to really recapture the magic. I'm definitely looking forward to it. I've even been replaying the old ones in anticipation (finished Fire Red and Emerald, and I have half the Kanto badges in SoulSilver).

[Archer]

Pokemon Y will be my first Pokemon game ever, so I'm looking forward to this! Should I except at least a semi-decent story in the game? I've been watching pokemon since way back when, so I can handle the "made for 10 year olds" angle of the game.

[azrael]

So I played a little of BF4-beta. I hope they did some work on the net-code in the final because I see lag. Or it maybe that we had other country users on the server. Some of the guns might need some balancing as they seem a little too good right now.

The customization menu seems a little too complicated now. This is a problem I see with games these days. As games get bigger with more features, you invariably get more complicated.

[mikeszekely]

Pokemon Y will be my first Pokemon game ever, so I'm looking forward to this! Should I except at least a semi-decent story in the game? I've been watching pokemon since way back when, so I can handle the "made for 10 year olds" angle of the game.

Pokemon has never been a particularly plot-heavy game. Red/Green/Blue/Fire Red/Leaf Green were pretty much, "Hey, you have a Pokemon, so you should take the League challenge." Team Rocket was thrown in to cause a little mischief, padding out the game so that it wasn't as simple as wandering from town to town challenging gyms. And Team Rocket's motivation was never more than money-grubbing generic baddies.

They haven't evolved much since, but they have improved a bit. For instance, in Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, there were two bad guy teams, Aqua and Magma. In Ruby you fight Magma, in Sapphire you fight Aqua, but in Emerald you fight both. Their deal was a bit more complicated. Team Aqua loves the ocean and believed in protecting sea life, Team Magma thinks that creating new landmass will give people and land animals more room. Each is after a legendary Pokemon that can help them achieve their goals, but they can't control them. The two Pokemon, when awakened, start fighting, which starts affecting the weather. The player winds up seeking a third Pokemon who legend says was responsible for separating them in the first place to stop them.

Or, in Black/White, you encounter Team Plasma, an Pokemon-rights group that questions the morality of catching Pokemon in balls and forcing them to fight each other.

TL:DR - Pokemon X and Y will most likely have an extremely minimal story, but it'll be enough to keep the game moving.

[Shadow]

So I played a little of BF4-beta. I hope they did some work on the net-code in the final because I see lag. Or it maybe that we had other country users on the server. Some of the guns might need some balancing as they seem a little too good right now.

The customization menu seems a little too complicated now. This is a problem I see with games these days. As games get bigger with more features, you invariably get more complicated.

I was hoping they'd improve the damage for some weapons like the heavy machine gun mounted on vehicles. It felt severely underpowered in BF3 where I'm needing 3-4 shots to take someone down.

Edited October 6, 2013 by Shadow

[azrael]

I was hoping they'd improve the damage for some weapons like the heavy machine gun mounted on vehicles. It felt severely underpowered in BF3 where I'm needing 3-4 shots to take someone down.

I have only played Domination-rounds so far to get a feel for the small-arms. I haven't tried Conquest yet which has tanks and helicopters. As I understand it, small arms (i.e., rifles, machine guns) can affect jets and copters now (not tanks obviously). Not much, but enough to annoy them.

[Duke Togo]

Xbox One's Top Marketer Brags to Advertisers about Kinect's Abilities

Of course they are going to use Kinect to monitor user habits and then turn that into advertising revenue. News, but not news?

[Archer]

wow, Civ 5 is so fun. I didn't think i'd be into a game like this (more of a platformer/action title guy), but the game's really captivated me. Currently playing through my first game, and watching my empire start to expand is really cool.

I will say, the game is so complex that I can't really begin to wrap my head around everything, and having 6 advisors telling me to do 6 different things isn't helping!

All in all, I really want my first game to be an aggressive one, world domination here I come

[Duke Togo]

Non-Civ fans tend to like Civ V a lot more than Civ fans do. In a way, it's good they've brought new fans to the series, but a lot of us old timers hate the game and feel like we've gotten screwed, lol.

A bigger potential audience for Civ VI is never a bad thing, though.

[Shadow]

The last civ game I played a great deal of was Civ III back in the day. Enjoyed that game so much. I never gave 4 or 5 a try though.

[frothymug]

If you like Civ 3 (which is my personal favorite), you'll like Civ 4. Like Duke Togo mentioned about fans of the series, Civ 5 just didn't do it for me. I may give it another try sometime down the road.

[mikeszekely]

Civ V was my first entry into the series, so I can't comment on previous games. All I can say is that I have more hours logged into Civ V than double the next closest game. I hope Civ VI has some kind of classic mode to appease the old fans, but I personally like Civ V just fine the way it is.

[azrael]

Some more thoughts as I play the BF4-beta.

I'm gonna echo some comments I've been hearing so you'll probably see so you will hear them again. Again, this is only playing Domination rounds.

-Spray-and-pray only works for PDWs. I could unload an entire mag on guys who line up and take them down with the Beretta MX4.

-Spray-&-pray doesn't seem to work as well with ARs and MGs. There are times I've unloaded a mag and had fewer hits. This seems to call back BF:BC/BC2 days where controlled burst were king. This may only apply to the AK-12 and SCAR-H though, which are the only guns available in the Beta. Between the AK and the SCAR, the I like the AK more.

-The XM25 and ACW-R are annoying. The XM25 reminds of the USAS-12 pre-nerf in BF3. It's rapid-fire splash damage kills. The ACW-R just murders in close-quarters with that high ROF. Been killed too many times by that gun.

I'm working on finishing up Assault and I'm starting on Engineer and Support soon. I get to Recon in a bit as well as Conquest for vehicle action.

[Archer]

What made Civ V so bad for old time fans?

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

i don't think there's any COD fans on MW but the COD dogs (Ghosts) will have dedicated servers for every platform...

PC system requirements are pretty even:

minimum: gtx 550ti amd 5870

cpu requirements is very low

recommended 780GTX

50 GB needed to install.

http://www.geforce.com/games-applications/pc-games/call-of-duty-ghosts/system-requirements

i think this is the first year i might skip COD, i'm going to wait before passing judgement.

[anime52k8]

CoD is still dead to me. BTW, is anyone else still playing GTA V? I haven't even touched multiplayer yet and I'm maybe 25% through with story mode. This is my first GTA game BTW, and it's been one of the most enjoyable game-play experiences I've had in a while.

[Duke Togo]

I'm story complete in GTA V, and currently sitting at 88% completetion. I haven't had a lot of time to play lately.

[Archer]

I've never played Ocarina of Time before, but after so many people heralded it as the best game ever made, I went ahead and bought the 3ds version.

I hope it's as good as they say

[mikeszekely]

I've never played Ocarina of Time before, but after so many people heralded it as the best game ever made, I went ahead and bought the 3ds version.

I hope it's as good as they say

It's not.

Don't get me wrong, it's fun game, and the 3DS version addresses some of the issues the N64 version had. But even when it was brand new I felt like it was missing some of the magic that made the original and Link to the Past so great. But in my opinion, Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy VII are the two most over-rated games in gaming history.

[Scyla]

So I've written page over page why OOT is a very good game and why it was so influential but then I hit the wrong mouse button and it was all gone. But all that I've written you can read on any commentary on the game so to summarize it:

You should play it of you like adventure games specifically or are interested in games in general because it was so influential on (3d-) game design. I prefer Windwaker because it has a timeless graphic design and an a good premise where OOT has blocky polygons and is for me at least a bigger version of A Link to the Past.

So go ahead and enjoy.

In GTA 5 I'm at 55% completion. I like the gameplay but I'm not sold on the story yet. Maybe it is my age but for me they could dial down the cussing and swearing a bit. Also I would prefer to play as Michael the whole time and explore his character a bit more. In GTA 4 I felt overwhelmed by the possibilities so multiplying the playable characters by three doesn't help that (again must be the age).

A short question: Why is Marie Anns cell phone busy the whole time? I want to go on a date with her.

It's not.

Don't get me wrong, it's fun game, and the 3DS version addresses some of the issues the N64 version had. But even when it was brand new I felt like it was missing some of the magic that made the original and Link to the Past so great. But in my opinion, Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy VII are the two most over-rated games in gaming history.

I don't know about that. As I said I prefer other Zelda games over OOT (and Chrono Trigger over any FF game) but both games where highly influential on how video games look and feel today. So both games are very good but as always when stuff gets hyped you can dial it down a notch or two.

That said you can still enjoy OOT today and that is a feat on its own showing that the game is very good. Q: The best game ever made? A: Depends on your personal preferences.

Edited October 8, 2013 by Scyla

[Guest davidwhangchoi]

that's is up for debate. two different games all together. top down like adventure rpg's like land stalker, alundra, (even y's book I &II, sward of vermilion) are the same style as link to the past. apples to apples

OOT is more like dark souls, demon souls, super mario 64.

comparing 3d zelda games to the top down is apples to oranges even if it is in the same world.

(same as metroid trilogy on gamecube, great games but totally different games and can't be compared to side scrollers like super metroid, castle vania, symphony of the night)

i think it was magical it it's own way and can stand the test of time (greatness status). greatest? maybe...

(i prefer the top down zelda's myself as link to the past. i am currently playing the gameboy color zelda oracle of season/ages on my 3DS)

Edited October 8, 2013 by davidwhangchoi