[insane_cobra]

Dreamfall is a weird game. I played some yesterday and absolutely hated it, but I continued today and I'm mostly loving it. We'll see how it pans out in the end.

[Melanie68]

That's interesting. As someone who plays more action type games over adv. games, which parts did you hate and which did you love?

[insane_cobra]

First of all, I don't like the character of Zoe and I don't like the way her voice actress is portraying her. She's not the only annoying character, but you spend an awful lot of time with her. That aspect stopped being a big issue for me after the other two playable characters have been introduced.

Dialog is all over the place. When used to push the story forward, it's usually fine, at times even inspiring, but many parts used for fleshing out the characters are incredibly cheesy and unconvincing. Not to mention that sometimes it just keeps on going and going and going... Interestingly enough, I didn't mind that in TLJ, but it bothers me here. Maybe it's because the game has moved into a more cinematic territory where such lengthy and slow dialog sequences seem more out of place.

And yes, swear words are sometimes used gratuitously, but not always.

The story is becoming more interesting the further you get, even though the buildup is rather slow and the early parts aren't particularly exciting. Made even worse by sometimes painfully bad dialog, they were boring the hell out of me. Now it's quite gripping and I'm dying to see what happens next.

Puzzles are on the easy side, but there are some more creative ones several hours into the game. I hated running errands with Zoe in Marcuria, why are such tedious fetch quests still allowed in games? I also had problems with the melody puzzle, couldn't have found any hints so I solved it by randomly trying out different combinations. All in all, they're extremely easy, but enjoyable when supported by other gameplay elements (stealth and urgency of some situations, which really add to the immersion).

Combat is serviceable once you accept its limitations, but it's really miles and miles below the fluid and engaging encounters of today's action (and even action adventure) games. Stealth is simplified a lot, but it works fine in context of puzzle-solving. On its own it wouldn't stand a chance.

Visuals are gorgeous from the artistic standpoint, even though the game is not a technological marvel (some very nice shaders are used, though). Animation often leaves a lot to be desired, characters are somewhat too stiff which is especially noticeable during the lengthy dialog sequences. In that regard, HL2 leaves this game in the dust.

Well, I think that about covers it. Anything particular you'd want me to elaborate on? I'd go back to playing it, but they're showing Deliverance on TV.

[Dasilva]

Imagine a Dreamfall HL2 Mod.

[TangentBlack]

Fetch quests are incredibley terrible ways to extend the gameplay of a particular game. They should be banned to one per game, if they are that necissary.

[Phod]

Shivers 2, just smoked the bees out of Burt's closet.

[kuze]

S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
The reviewers weren't wrong. This is the best shooter I have ever played, and I hate shooters. No, wait, it's not even a shooter, it's an RPG. And it's amazing. The story, the visuals, the atmosphere, the weather, the people, the anomalies, it all feels right, I'm so glad the game didn't disappoint me.

I just arrived at the bar "100 roentgen", thinking about joining the "DUTY", to have some backup at their outposts. They seem like nice guys...

[RLacey]

Having expected S.T.A.L.K.E.R. to be rubbish, I'm now being quickly pushed towards a purchase...

:EDIT: There isn't a demo available anywhere, is there?

[kuze]

There is an open Russian MP beta, which is rubbish, don't base your opinion on it.

[RLacey]

And how does it compare to something like Deus Ex?

I'm just worried that I'll get it and then enjoy it as much as Boiling Point...

(And I know it has Vista problems.)

[kuze]

I haven't played Deus Ex, but I highly doubt you would regret buying STALKER. I know that in Deus Ex you have to ability to enhance your body and your weapons just like in an RPG, and that's also the case in STALKER. You have artifacts to improve your stats and several types of ammo for quite a few weapons you have available. You have to eat, take antiradiation medicine (like vodka), rest, these are all thing to make the game feel more realistic and enjoyable.

Also, I had like one bug after five hours of playing. Can you say the same thing about Boiling Point?

[JemyM]

Originally Posted by RLacey

And how does it compare to something like Deus Ex?
I'm just worried that I'll get it and then enjoy it as much as Boiling Point...
(And I know it has Vista problems.)

Nothing beats the story in Deus Ex, but S.T.A.L.K.E.R is a different experience. The story is better than what I expected and above average in complexity.
It's an unique game. There are really no other game like it and it's therefore difficult to give any comparision.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R is a genrétwister, one which many games in the future will be compared to.

S.T.A.L.K.E.R offers an experience that have more in common with games like Gothic and Oblivion than with a game like Half-Life.
Yes it is a first-person shooter. Just one that is very different from every other game in the shooter genré.

The only 2 FPS's with open landscapes like that is Far Cry and Flashpoint.
The theme is similar to Fallout (even same design on the interface and some weapons/armor).

[RLacey]

Gah. I'm going to flip a coin, and if it comes up as Heads I'll probably order the CE pack.

[MasterLoo]

Looks like the game requires a lot, though, if one goes for the recommend values. S.T.A.L.K.E.R, I mean:

"What are the recommended system requirements for the game?
AMD Athlon 64x2 4800+ or Intel Core 2 Duo, 1Gb RAM, 3D Hardware Accelerator Card Required - 100% DirectXR 9.0c compatible 256MB (Geforce 7800, for example).

It should be noted that at the start of the game development our initially targeted system requirements were much lower. As a result (and due to the lengthy game development) the game can be played well on lower-end systems (the game ships with two renders - DirectX 8 and DirectX 9 one).

Additionally, the game allows to scale various options for optimal performance. For the maximum quality and performance, the more powerful system you have, the better."

The GeForce 7 is covered. I've just ordered a GeForce 7950 GT earlier today, but the CPU... AMD Athlon 64x2 4800+ or Intel Core 2 Duo. Ugh. I got a AMD Athlon 64 3200+ and have no plans of ugrading anytime soon, since then I got to buy a new motherboard with a new socket... so I guess it's "time out for number one!" for me on that one.

[Kolzig]

I played a pile of my Saturn games after a long time, many of them are going to sale now.

I had no idea that Resident Evil for Saturn had fmv sequences, very, very cheesy fmv sequences.

Sonic Jam on the other hand is awesome, it is propably the best Sonic compilation ever made, it only lacks the Sonic CD version.

[Hysteria]

I am playing Myst V...I don't like it very much. It has some bugs like suddenly a green screen appears Oo It's not because of my computer definitely. Dunno.

[insane_cobra]

I've been playing Deus Ex: Invisible War for the last several days. Like its predecessor, it's a fascinating game, broken in some respects (enemy AI), brilliant in others (intelligent script adventure game writers could learn a lot from, true freedom of choice, moral neutrality).

[tantalus]

Currently I play Jade Empire, and I have to admit that - atleast for me - it was better in terms of storytelling than most adventure games nowadays. Generally I don't play many RPG's because of their generic side quests which have nothing to do with the actual plot. However, in Jade Empire that is reduced to a minimum and the focus lies much more on the story. While many people have criticized the game because of its linear structure, I personally think that it was a good middle course between freedom and linearity since it has allowed the developers to communicate their vision to the audience while at the same time give the player the freedom he wants.

Regarding Dreamfall I nearly have the same opinion as insane_cobra. Especially the dialogue was tedious. (although Jade Empire has its problems there too)

Philipp

[MdaG]

Fable - Lost Chapters which I find an entertaining game, but nothing exceptional. It's worth the €10 I paid for it, but I'm glad I didn't buy it at full price. I'm currently venturing into the graveyard.

[JemyM]

My Metal Gear marathon goes on. Having never touched the series before, I started last week with Metal Gear 1 (MSX), went on with a fan-made english translation of Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (MSX), finished the week with Metal Gear Solid (PSX), and now I am half-way through Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance (PC).

After that I plan to run through the expansions of Oblivion.