The Arcade Random Thoughts Thread

[JayDizzle]

So I got Catherine from Gamefly after debating for the longest time whether or not to give it a go. Conceptually, I thought it seemed really interesting and unique, and I really liked Persona 4. Started it up last night.

Needless to say, it is already on its way back to Gamefly. FUCK. THOSE. STUPID. BLOCK. PUZZLES. That game was fucking BRUTAL. Controls? Bad. Camera? Attrocious. General interactivity? Nonexistent.

The story seemed...interesting enough, and the pseudo anime graphics are gorgeous, and most of the voice acting and writing is pretty okay for a localized game...but absolutely NONE of that was enough to make up for the fact that the most "fun" part of the game was when you were essentially doing nothing. To put it another way, I had more fun reading the Wikipedia plot synopsis than I did actually playing the game.

It's not a game for casuals or for those who don't have the patience to sit through the same block puzzle for hours at a time.

I'll admit I have this one on hold at the moment due to all the other games I've bought but it's not the worst puzzle game out there.

It does suck that in order to progress the game, you need to beat the puzzles... BUT... once you do, you can replay the game and SKIP THEM as you look towards alternative endings, etc.

...not that a person would want to after finishing this beast.

TL;DR - Shit was made by Atlus, the game company that makes it point to put out BALLS HARD games.

It's not for everybody.

 

[SethMode]

It's not a game for casuals or for those who don't have the patience to sit through the same block puzzle for hours at a time.

I'll admit I have this one on hold at the moment due to all the other games I've bought but it's not the worst puzzle game out there.

It does suck that in order to progress the game, you need to beat the puzzles... BUT... once you do, you can replay the game and SKIP THEM as you look towards alternative endings, etc.

...not that a person would want to after finishing this beast.

TL;DR - Shit was made by Atlus, the game company that makes it point to put out BALLS HARD games.

It's not for everybody.

I love Atlus. It's harder games (Demon's Souls and Dark Souls) are two of my favorites, and Persona 4 might have been in my top 10 PS2 games. This game isn't hard though, it's bad. The block puzzles aren't overly challenging, the controls just suck and are FAR to slippery for a game that requires the utmost in precision (one push instead of a pull or pull instead of a push can mean a retry).

It's just, at the end of the day it's not a game. It's a stripped down simulator portion of Persona 4 with a really bad puzzle game tacked on. You do shitty puzzles, you wander around in a bar and talk to about the same 8 people, and you monitor a "morality" meter based on a few random conversations and how you respond. I don't know why anyone would even want to play through the other 7 endings after beating it considering 1) how shitty the "twist" is and how it ruins the story; and 2) at that point without the only interactive part (the puzzles) there, why not just go watch the shit on YouTube?

I am with you that Atlus games are not for everyone, but this isn't bad because it's hard, it's bad because it's BAD.

 

[Swarley]

I've decided that there will be no sleep for me tonight until I beat Dead Space 2. I'm right at the beginning of chapter 8, and if I remember correctly, there's 15 chapters. Time to do some work on those necromorphs.

 

[JBregz]

God of War 4 coming soon?

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/...f-war-iv-appears-on-composer-39-s-resume.aspx

:fap:

 

[JayDizzle]

I love Atlus. It's harder games (Demon's Souls and Dark Souls) are two of my favorites, and Persona 4 might have been in my top 10 PS2 games. This game isn't hard though, it's bad. The block puzzles aren't overly challenging, the controls just suck and are FAR to slippery for a game that requires the utmost in precision (one push instead of a pull or pull instead of a push can mean a retry).

It's just, at the end of the day it's not a game. It's a stripped down simulator portion of Persona 4 with a really bad puzzle game tacked on. You do shitty puzzles, you wander around in a bar and talk to about the same 8 people, and you monitor a "morality" meter based on a few random conversations and how you respond. I don't know why anyone would even want to play through the other 7 endings after beating it considering 1) how shitty the "twist" is and how it ruins the story; and 2) at that point without the only interactive part (the puzzles) there, why not just go watch the shit on YouTube?

I am with you that Atlus games are not for everyone, but this isn't bad because it's hard, it's bad because it's BAD.

If you're an Atlus fanatic, I can see playing it another 7 times for those endings (plus gathering the booze trivia and knocking out all the conversations... but even then, it shouldn't take more than 3 turns through unless you save/reload).

I know I won't change your mind about the game, but I'd rather see stuff like Catherine than another FPS or a faux-RPG that's really a 3rd-person shooter with loot and fetch quests attached.

 

[Rylo]

Thinking about building a computer. Yeeeeee.

 

[SethMode]

If you're an Atlus fanatic, I can see playing it another 7 times for those endings (plus gathering the booze trivia and knocking out all the conversations... but even then, it shouldn't take more than 3 turns through unless you save/reload).

I know I won't change your mind about the game, but I'd rather see stuff like Catherine than another FPS or a faux-RPG that's really a 3rd-person shooter with loot and fetch quests attached.

Like I said, I like the concept of it, but I liked most of the good stuff better when it was Persona 4. If anything, this just makes me upset that the team didn't just make Persona 5 with voice acting, and Catherine's graphics.

Wanting something different is one thing. I am sick of the same old thing most of the time too. I like that they tried something knew with the plot (I think for the most part they took a pretty good look at what relationships are -- until they boned it all up with the twist), and I understand why the block puzzles are in the game for the sake of the story...but at the end of the day the big thing for me isn't even that block puzzles are in no way a good thing to build an entire game around; my problem is that it has bad controls yet forces you to move quickly. Just me though. I'm just disappointed that it wasn't more based on the pedigree, in a lot of ways (did I mention it's a pretty quick game too? I didn't finish it but I was at the 7th night when I gave up -- of 8 nights -- and I think I had played for about 6 hours or so -- most of that time playing and replaying the puzzles when I foolishly tried to initially give the game a run on Normal instead of Easy).

 

[JayDizzle]

The controls argument I can agree with... I think it's more of an issue with the camera angles they give you though.

I have no beef with the way the game rushes you to the finish of each block puzzle (at least the first or second time through with the sense of "urgency" I felt due to the game trying to kill me)...

But the option of being able to climb to the back of the puzzle grids is wasted on the fact that unless you have a grasp of spacial thinking with 3D grids, you're fucked as soon as you can't see Vincent.

Since it is a short game (minus the Tower of Babel stuff for online and playthroughs on different difficulties), what else could/should they have added to the game?

If not extra block puzzles through DLC (technically they do that already with the 'Rapunzel' arcade machine in the bar, maybe extended chapters with different characters to play as?

 

[SethMode]

I don't think that I in any way argued that there should be more of whatever that "game" is. I simply said that as it stands it's a stripped down (drastically so) Persona 4 day simulator when it isn't blocks. I expected more than that from that studio. I guess if you're referring to the length comment that I made then yeah it'd about as long as a shitty puzzle game and shallow life simulator can be.

Also just want to point out that the speed and tension of the game areis not my issues. It's the speed of the game in congress with the bad camera and the way too loose controls for a game requiring such precision, timing and above all speed.

 

[ThomasTomasz]

Thinking about building a computer. Yeeeeee.

XoticPC.com......had a great experience with ordering a laptop there. You pick a base model, and can customize parts as you wish. Also great service and they kept me up to date about the order.

 

[Golden Taters]

Only a couple more missions and I'll have beaten GTA 3. The fighting/driving is so boring and stale in this game, I had completely forgotten (haven't played this since 2008). I've been playing the Xbox version and there are quite a few differences between this and the PS2 version.

The shine/lighting on the cars and water is a lot better and crisp, rain affects your HUD, as you see rain drops in this version, and some alleyways and other bare areas from the PS2 version are a lot more detailed and lifelike in the Xbox version, if any of you were wondering. Not to mention, the load times are 100x faster.

 

[Swarley]

Only a couple more missions and I'll have beaten GTA 3. The fighting/driving is so boring and stale in this game, I had completely forgotten (haven't played this since 2008). I've been playing the Xbox version and there are quite a few differences between this and the PS2 version.

The shine/lighting on the cars and water is a lot better and crisp, rain affects your HUD, as you see rain drops in this version, and some alleyways and other bare areas from the PS2 version are a lot more detailed and lifelike in the Xbox version, if any of you were wondering. Not to mention, the load times are 100x faster.

With all of these HD collections coming out, I really wish they'd release one for GTA 3, GTA: Vice City, and GTA: San Andreas. I would nut over that HD collection and definitely purchase it day one. GET ON IT ROCKSTAR!!!

 

[Bomberooski]

I'd definitely spend the money on San Andreas 3D

 

[Twigg4075]

An HD GTA collection is just money on the table. I know Rockstar is obviously busy with Max Payne and GTA V but they could farm that shit out like Sony does with their HD collections.

 

[padman59]

I just found out that my Steam account is worth over $1300, and I've only paid a fraction of that. That's one hell of a testament to how good those seasonal sales are.

 

[Swarley]

I'd definitely spend the money on San Andreas 3D

That's the one I'd really love to play with upgraded graphics.

An HD GTA collection is just money on the table. I know Rockstar is obviously busy with Max Payne and GTA V but they could farm that shit out like Sony does with their HD collections.

I know, you'd think with seeing how much people enjoy playing these updated old games that they'd be hopping on that shit. Those are some of the most popular games of all time. They'd make a killing on that collection.

 

[JayDizzle]

Advertisements promoting Soulcalibur V have begun appearing in mainstream papers in Japan, like Nikkan Sports, reports Andriasang. Highlighting the swollen bosom of Ivy, the ad says “This spring, your chest swells with anticipation,” and promotes the title’s upcoming Japan release on February 2. Also released by Namco Bandai today, is a new video of the game’s opening cinematic. You can behold both below.

This is one way to sell a game. :shifty:

Soul Calibur V is coming out Jan. 31st here and Feb. 3rd overseas.

 

[FedEx227]

An HD GTA collection is just money on the table. I know Rockstar is obviously busy with Max Payne and GTA V but they could farm that shit out like Sony does with their HD collections.

Honestly, throwing achievements on the 3 GTA games even without updated graphics would cause buys and mass replay for me.

 

[Swarley]

Chalk up Dead Space 2 and inFamous: Festival of Blood DLC to the beaten games list. I think tomorrow I'm going to dive into either Resistance 2 or Goldeneye Reloaded. Also been getting the urge lately to hop back into Skyrim.

 

[Swarley]

The Japanese Home Console Business Declines For 4th Straight Year

Much has been written about the decline of the Japanese video game industry. Today, the Japanese retail tracking service Enterbrain delivered more bad news.

Jiji Press reports that new Enterbrain sales data from 2011 shows another dip in sales of Japanese home consoles and home console software. The report attributes this to the "the absence of big hit game titles." Sales dropped eight percent in 2011 as compared to 2010, for a total of $454.3 billion.

The previous comment about a lack of hit titles really drives home how different the Japanese market is from the U.S. and Europe, as 2011 was regarded as one of the most blockbuster-packed years in recent memory in those territories.

Interesting little article I saw on GameInformer. While it's talking about home consoles, this could also be why the Vita isn't doing well over there so far.

http://www.gameinformer.com/b/news/...-business-declines-for-4th-straight-year.aspx