Griddlelol

I sold my PS3 and gave TLoU to a friend without considering this... What have I done?! I guess youtube will give me my sweet Naughty Dog action.

Hey me too! I recently quit because I wasn't having any fun with it. Reading all those 11/10 reviews saying how they've innovated to the max, and it's a new game because 3 characters made me think "ooh! something new!" Nope, it's the same game since GTA3. Yes there are cover mechanics which are ok, and there are special powers now. The driving feels better, but it's still just the same thing. I enjoyed driving around the massive area for a few hours, but once that was done it felt like GTA3 again. It's GTA though, I like GTA games...right?

I'm with you: the story is the worst part of that game. The mechanics as a whole are kinda boring. I didn't quit but I felt like it most of the time, especially after failing QTEs 101298128919 times.

I only half agree with this. While technically not necessary, some levels I found incredibly difficult without the power-ups. The difficulty was what made me want to keep playing, but I also found it frustrating that I had to grind (which isn't easily achieved) or pay (which I refuse to do) to be able to succeed without the gaming being really stressful.

It makes me think of the movie Gran Torino. I've been racking my mind for 20 mins trying to think of a musical pun on that but I failed. Sounds like it could be really awesome though!

As "that guy" who only read the title and the OP. No, F2P is not inherantly evil. There are some fantastic F2P games out there, like Tribes and DOTA2. It's just when it's taken too far by certain companies that the model is just gross.

Hotline Miami So much fun! The violence was actually joyful; probably because of the graphical fidelity (or lack thereof). Going into a sort of "zen mode" where you can smash open a door, kill a guy, throw your weapon, kill the guy who knocked out with the door, grab his weapon... Plus I love hitting X to restart instantaneously. I think that's what made the game so lovable. The sound track was superb. Fit the gameplay and the context. Ugh, I just want the second one now.

Yes. And you should feel bad.

Is this sarcasm? I've not played Binary Domain, but from what I've read it looks pretty weak (plus it's Sega. I'm not much of a Sega fan). If it's not sarcasm maybe it's something I should try out. Bjorn, doesn't that fit with the find/do, rather than the show or tell? The idea that the game is set within a coherent universe, that is actually quite interesting, but the player must go out their way to find it. I too love that style (although I didn't get far into Dark Souls since it's a game that demands your time in both length and research), and it fits some games more than others. Like you said Dark Souls, it's a game that focusses on the mechanics and combat, so doesn't lose much by not having a story. However some games simply couldn't exist without that.

Those aren't so much morality systems, more like the game reacting to your playstyle. That's something I think is really cool, but not very common (probably because it's not easy). At least in my eyes they're 2 different things. Morality systems should simply be on the player - I know the difference between good and bad. You don't have to tell me with arbitrary Blue or Red points.

This has happened to me a lot. Practice enough to get a practically perfect run, then one slightly early jump leads to a wipeout. So much fun. So frustrating.

I'm not even sure there has to be much writing in games, let alone 'good' writing. As dartmonkey pointed out, films are best when they show, not tell. Games are best when they not show, but (I have no verb for this), let me find. I actually find those cut scenes or dialogue trees to be tiresome, and most of the time just skip them. The best games out there let me figure out what's going on without telling me or showing me anything. People talk about the writing in Last of Us, which was indeed pretty good, but that moment when is what stood out for me. That moment where you see what the survivor is like is just perfect. Only minimal writing was needed to pull that off. Similarly in Bravely Default (which has awful writing) there is one moment that said far more about a character than all the boring text I spammed the A button through. Afterthought: I actually think it's doing the medium a disservice to say that it needs better writing. Games aren't about writing, they're about interactive experiences. Making better interactive experiences is what will make the narratives better.

Oh this. I hate how you get bonuses for being super good or super bad. It stops me playing an RPG like I want to: making the choices I would make in that situation. Sometimes I want to stab the guy in the back. He was a pain in the ass all along. Others I want to help the beggar because I just found a chest full o'gold and I'm feeling charitable.

I never noticed that stuff. But I played for about 1 hour per week so it's not impossible that I simply forgot someone was somewhere at some point. Although I agree. I don't play Zelda or Mario for tha narrative...but that's kind of the point. Highlight the key words Nintendo so I can ignore the rest of the bullshit on the screen and get back to killing bad guys/solving puzzles/platforming.

To be fair the narrative in Nintendo games has become gradually less interesting over time. I didn't even know there was a story in ALBW until the ending.

For the Bravely Default players out there: Has anyone bothered to get all the Genome abilities for the vampire class? I feel like I should, since I like the idea of the class, but it seems so incredibly tedious that it's putting me off playing. If anyone has...was it worth it?

You're totally right. I missed that. This is excellent news!

Urgh! I forgot about that. I hated that so much. What was the point in having limited ammo, limited life or limited mana if whenever you get low your magic lady throws exactly what you need at you? Side point, but man I really loathed Infinite.

These games. Also Tearaway if you have access to a Vita. It's both relaxing and joyful. This may be an odd suggestion, but Borderlands (1/2) are pretty relaxing for me. Just shoot 'n' loot. Civ 5 is pretty relaxing. It's the kind of game you can play with the TV or radio on without paying too much attention to the game. Another strategy game I find great before bed (if you can ignore the 1-more-turn feel) is Long Live The Queen. Rock, Paper, Shotgun did a great Wot I Think on it. Maybe read it before trying it. It's enjoyable as long as you can get past the kitsch anime art style. http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2014/01/10/long-live-the-queen-review/ Flotilla can be relaxing, although it can also be frustrating. The music is fantastic, and I find it an easy going experience as long as I don't take it too seriously with the progression. Possibly Limbo too. Although I didn't enjoy the game as much as others.

This made me chuckle and think of every turret sequence I've played in shooters. I was thinking more on the [insert popular military shooter here] side of things. They have a barely serviceable story anyway. I actually enjoyed the search/loot mechanics in The Last of Us. They fit with the story. It was a long journey where the characters were devoid of all resources. Looting places was what they did on a regular basis. Similar to State of Decay; search and loot makes sense in that context. However, I'll agree with you that there are some serious offenders. Bioshock games drive me nuts. My character turns into one of those homeless people wheeling around a shopping cart full of bags of junk they've pulled from bins. It's stupid! Also any game where you're running away from or out of something, but for some reason there's a collectable or loot to be found. It's so dumb. I always pick it up and it breaks me out of immersion. The character would not stop for the $10 on the floor if they're being chased by a monster. They wouldn't stop for the golden trigger if the house they're in is on fire and collapsing.

I guess you've not played A Link Between Worlds. That's more like "Want to know how to play?" "No? Cool, let's get on with it then." My fix for health regeneration would be that as soon as you die, you appear in the body of another member of that team/army/whatever. "Realistic" damage, but without the frustration that comes from having to restart every time you die. I don't need to feel like a mega superman, if I'm playing a shooter I'm content to be the grunt.

I would not enjoy it as an iOS game. The controls are actually quite intricate with half and quarter turns. Not to mention if I had my fat fingers in front of the screen, getting perfect landings would be impossible. The description I saw on gaf of "Tony Hawk's meets Hotline Miami" is actually pretty accurate. I find myself restarting exactly like in HM constantly, and when you pull off a good combo, you feel like a god. It's a similar feeling to killing 6 guys in HM in quick succession. I did the same: I got a vita because I saw there were tons of PS+ games I could have for free (plus I REALLY wanted Tearaway). OlliOlli seems like a game I'll be obsessed with for a month then put down for a long time. If they had leader boards or a daily challenge I think I'd last a lot longer.

ebay or cheap imports are always a possibility. So has anyone tried OlliOlli? I thought I'd pick it up and play a few minutes before I went to sleep. A couple of hours later I was still playing. Thoroughly recommend that game.

I don't know how I feel about Danganronpa. I get bored of Phoenix Wright games really fast and find the goofiness of the characters incredibly off-putting. It's not even like I can watch a couple of "let's play" videos about a game completely driven by narrative to help me decide. Everyone who like the games/anime/whatever seem to be pretty die hard fans which makes me want to give it a shot.

Just got a Vita and singed up for PS+. Jesus! This is fantastic. Most of the games I wanted to play are already free and others heavily discounted. I wish I had done this sooner. It's certainly turned me into the idea of ps4. Didn't care about it at all, but maybe after the first price drop I'll have to take another look if this is what I can expect.