Chris

Idle Thumbs 18: Citizen Killzone

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I liked FEAR 2 and Watchmen! I may not have communicated that well enough.

I mean it's unfair to expect that you guys will always 1) be in a good mood or 2) have some totally exciting news to talk about every week, so don't take my bitchy post too seriously.

Edited by blackboxme

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One of the weird things about Half-life 2 is that narratively, you're running for your life out of the city while the Combine is hunting you, but gameplay-wise, there are clear triggers for enemy spawns. It was immersion-breaking for me when I realized that I could stand around for as long as I liked and the Combine wouldn't come after me, unless I crossed that invisible line 5 yards ahead. As much as I hate the infinite respawn in the Call of Duty series, it probably would have worked well for that portion of Half-Life 2, short of putting the game on rails.

(Perhaps I wouldn't have noticed this, or have minded it as much if Half-Life 2 wasn't only the 2nd shooter I ever played. Amusingly, I bought The Orange Box for TF2 and Portal and had no clue what Half-Life 2 was. After I played those two a lot, I decided to give this "Half-Life 2" a try, expecting some cheesy, mediocre game. Boy, was I surprised. :tup: And in the end, I think I agree with you guys that the most memorable parts were the adventure/puzzle parts, but the shooting parts were executed very well.)

Play the HL2 episodes! They are even better I think.

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Remo, you should consider adding links to these threads below each respective cast on the frontpage. Add another button under 'Direct MP3 Download' or something.

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My absolute favorite parts of the HL2 games were the parts where I knew that there weren't grunts waiting to assault me. Like the abandoned houses along the coast in HL2, which we've discussed in an earlier HL2 thread, or the "don't touch the ground" beach section. Combat was never my favorite part of HL2, but the amazing feeling of "being there", wherever you went, experiencing the parts of the games that aren't combat. I can't put my finger on it, but thinking back on those games, I remember all the little rooms and corridors and tunnels and fields. I remember the empty house where the floor has caved in, and there's this one guy in the bedroom who turned into a zombie and you sort of stir him by entering his abode.

It's really weird, and I can't explain it properly (or at all), but I draw this very strong connection between The Half-Life games and the Myst games. I'm tempted, in fact, to refer to Half-Life as Myst with guns.

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I'm tempted, in fact, to refer to Half-Life as Myst with guns.

All this HL2 talk makes me want to go back and finish it. I'll add that to my Que in spot #3 behind Gears2 and Assassin's creed.

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All this HL2 talk makes me want to go back and finish it. I'll add that to my Que in spot #3 behind Gears2 and Assassin's creed.

What?! Don't be silly; it should easily be in front of both those games :gaming:

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I'm still listening to the podcast, but I just wanted to mention that the 'employees being sacked and having to load their own equipment into a truck' thing is from Arrested Development. Classic George Sr move!

5.jpg

(pic not related)

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Jesus Christ, I just realized it's been so long since I last saw Arrested Development it'll be almost like I never saw it when I see it again.

Also I heard a movie is in the works.

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Fantastic return of the song segment :tup:

Heartily agree - and what splendiferous couplets you have, Mr Remo. :clap:

I think you made interesting points about game design, over-used mechanics and stagnant level structure throughout. I'm certainly not going to get pissy that you scrutinised fundamentally tired and dull gameplay in the way you all did; it was still interesting and constructive which, in turn, still elevates you well above most other gaming podcasts out there I've tried.

I do not want to listen to a bunch of douchy, squealing MegaNewsCorp PR sock-puppet hacks verbally masturbate each other blind, about whatever qualifies as this week's New Hot New Game!®©™ Beta. And, in doing so, completely ignore the title(s) furiously fapped over just last week – like it/they never even existed.

Anyway… thank you. :tup:

Edited by Wrestlevania
More bile required.

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Heartily agree - and what splendiferous couplets you have, Mr Remo. :clap:

I think you made interesting points about game design, over-used mechanics and stagnant level structure throughout. I'm certainly not going to get pissy that you scrutinised fundamentally tired and dull gameplay in the way you all did; it was still interesting and constructive which, in turn, still elevates you well above most other gaming podcasts out there I've tried.

I do not want to listen to a bunch of douchy, squealing MegaNewsCorp PR sock-puppet hacks verbally masturbate each other blind, about whatever qualifies as this week's New Hot New Game!®©™ Beta. And, in doing so, completely ignore the title(s) furiously fapped over just last week – like it/they never even existed.

Anyway… thank you. :tup:

Forum admins, where are the blowjob pantomime smilies?

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As the podcasts go on, I really find Remo and I are extremely similar when it comes to personal preferences in video games. (I think it came to a head when I feel like we're the only two people in the world who loved Far Cry 2).

I bought FEAR 2, being a Monolith fan, and while I haven't completed it yet, I feel like I have the same feelings as Chris described. The gameplay is mostly solid and fun, although the Mech and Turret sections felt a little forced. Overall, it just feels like more FEAR, but more refined, which is fine except I expected more from it. If it was anyone other then Monolith, I probably would have enjoyed it just fine.

It's significantly easier this time around, and I'm usually never playing a game above Normal so this is surprising. I mean, you're already at a huge advantage with bullet time, why do all the enemies need to glow at the same time? Mind you the first game was pretty much bullet porn anyways, so maybe they just thought you might as well have fun with exploding heads this time around.

The only thing I don't understand is why everyone talks about how incomprehensible the plot is, and how confusing it would be for someone who hasn't played the first game. I find this baffling as it feels to me like the series has bashed it into your head, making it way too obvious, and removing the potential mystery of connecting the dots yourself. I'm not even done the second game and it feels like it's already spelled out for me what Project Origin was three separate times.

I also agreed with the discussion on how some games take the care into "disguising" the rails, like Valve or Monolith. I think that's why I overly enjoyed FEAR 2 despite it's flaws, because so few developers give the player the benefit of the doubt nowadays. Despite the increase in scripted events, where you are supposed to go next is always provided with environmental clues rather then a glowing arrow or something. It's just a natural feel that doesn't feel like you're being pushed along, and it suggests real care was put into the level design. It also puts me in an exploratory mood when I play a Valve or Monolith game. For instance, I know if there's a gaping hole in the ground, then either it is supposed to be where I go, or if not, then there will be something provided to let me get back out of it. In most other games, I'm concerned that I'll end up trapped because the devs didn't intend for me to go there.

Contrary to this, it seems the majority of titles are too scripted for their own good, as Chris described. As fun as COD4 was, I have to say there were quite a few instances where the immersion was ruined for me because at some point in time I did not perform an action the exact specific way the developers wanted to. I then felt punished for not staying on the rails even though I didn't know where they were, as if the devs were so focused on creating a cinematic experience that it caused them great pain to give me any type of control.

It kind of distresses me that the Half-Life way of scripting seems to be falling out of favour for these overly-scripted events. I hate to use the horrible phrase "dumbing down", but I feel like too many gamers are unwilling to be given a less structured feel. I keep hearing people talk about how they hate the level design in Half-Life 2 or Condemned because they kept getting completely lost, as if they would prefer to be staring at a compass to guide them instead of looking around and figuring it out themselves. Likewise, a common complaint from people who claimed Crysis was too boring, when pushed, seem to have preferred that their mission objectives told them what gun to use in each situation, or what powers, and instead of having environmental borders like shark infested waters to contain the same nonsensical invisible walls most other games provide. It breaks my heart a bit.

Edited by kuddles

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I still have the UT demo installed on my computer! It's somehow survived through the years. I wasn't a huge fan of Facing Worlds low-grav instagib, but I recall that map being really popular. :erm:

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Idle Thumbs 18: The one and a half hour rant about dumb crap

It's generally a bad idea to do a long show exclusively about topics that you find boring and annoying.

Shut up, ass.

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Now now, no fightong back there. Return to your seats.

Although I should like to point out that it was in fact a one and a half hour rant about topics that are interesting and annoying :tup:

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I still have the UT demo installed on my computer! It's somehow survived through the years. I wasn't a huge fan of Facing Worlds low-grav instagib, but I recall that map being really popular. :erm:

I dislike Facing Worlds. But for some weird reason that there a lot of people that only place that map, and have been for a really long time.

I simply don't get it.

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I know this is late and I have completely and blindly posted this so not sure if this has been answered, but that trash can looking thing you see on "telephone poles" (don't ever call them that in front of a transmission or distribution guy!! They're "power utility poles"!!) is a distribution transformer that steps down the voltage from a distribution-level voltage (several thousand volts) to a usable voltage for residential applications (i.e. 240/120V AC).

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Not really related but...

I draw this very strong connection between The Half-Life games and the Myst games. I'm tempted, in fact, to refer to Half-Life as Myst with guns

I thought of that actually, because there was kind of that feeling among my friends that enigmas and shooting where not integrated together as one in HL2, it's either shooting or on location enigmas. So yeah, some liked it for the Myst side, some for the shooty side, some for both, and some were annoyed by that dissonance in the game, getting frustrated by the sudden drop of tension and being blocked thing, particularly in the vortigon escort thing in the begining of HL2e2. But there definitely was this general trend of two "playstyles" that was visible.

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So yeah, some liked it for the Myst side, some for the shooty side, some for both, and some were annoyed by that dissonance in the game

I loved the dissonance, although I'd rather call it pacing.

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I call it rhythm management in most games but people who were annoyed by that and felt like the game was castrating them for not being a run-through experience really called that dissonance, for it was not what one would expect of a shooter.

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Did they even play the first one? There were long periods of no monsters, with puzzles and stuff instead, throughout Half Life. The Half Life series is almost a 'First-Person Adventure Game" rather than a shooter.

So screw those guys who said that thing.

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