Safety's Off

one and only one comment...I LOVE LEGEND OF ZELDA ...

2012-02-12T20:43:48.672-08:00

one and only one comment...I LOVE LEGEND OF ZELDA :D

FO3 was vastly overrated - it's a complete was...

2012-02-05T22:56:21.692-08:00

FO3 was vastly overrated - it's a complete waste of time as a shooter/RPG as the Oblivion engine can't do guns and VAT was just an awful gimmick. STALKER on the other hand is vastly underrated and has the better RPG & shooter elements.

This was the only truthful review at the time that managed to dodge the hype and actual review the game with reasoning: http://www.cpugamer.com/reviews/4764/Fallout-3-Review

Fallout 3 sucks. The graphics suck, the gameplay s...

2012-01-01T12:52:32.614-08:00

Fallout 3 sucks. The graphics suck, the gameplay sucks, everything about it sucks. Everyone is Bethesda's dick when it comes to their games. I also felt Oblivion was overrated too.

While the environments are large, and there is a lot to do, the gameplay takes a back seat to the games extreme non linear design. At times, there was so much to do in the game it felt overwhelming. And not in a good way. The gameplay wasn't fun to me, and therefore, the game felt very contrived and boring.

I am one who enjoys RPGs. I love most Final Fantasys, I love Demon's Souls and Dark souls, but I can't get into this. I think this company, Bethesda, and their games are extremely overrated.

I would much rather play Mass Effect 1 and 2 than this turd of a game.

great article, anyway I think you're right abo...

2011-12-26T09:31:04.123-08:00

great article, anyway I think you're right about everything just getting to big to manage, most review sites just think of getting all the reviews out on time and of course they have to appeal to their readers, otherwise people start thinking that because they're not like all the other reviewers they're not worthy of consideration... people need to lighten up and start looking for what really counts in a review and stop sticking to analytical pros and cons

Really, really good article. I totally agree, alt...

2011-12-25T08:59:44.374-08:00

Really, really good article.

I totally agree, although I can understand (considering the amount of games which are being released) that game journalist shorten their reviews.

What's also a problem is that reviewers just can't really enthuse themselves for certain games.

I mean if I were a game journalist and I reviewed Batman: Arkham City I would give it a really high score with an extensive review, because I love Batman and think that the game really delivers on what I WANT TO SEE IN A VIDEOGAME. But this can be really subjective.

Everyone experiences a game slightly different, especially story-driven games. Some games just fit better with a person, hence the fact that a reviewer writes an extensive review, because the player (journalist in this case) really got immersed into that game.

If this for instance were a new IP that was actually a really good game, but a game that I really couldn't relate to. I would have a really hard time to write and extensive review and enthuse myself to write an extensive review.

Do I think that game journalist have this obligation? Of course, but I do understand that this is a really hard thing to do if the game just doesn't relate to you that much.

Don't get me wrong I do agree with you, I'm just trying to look at it from a different perspective.

Anyway thank you for this great article.

I'm sorry if there are grammatical errors. I'm European :)

A big thumbs up for this article, and yes u should...

2011-12-25T08:59:14.548-08:00

A big thumbs up for this article, and yes u should be paid 4 this.

cheers from Portugal.

Best article I've read in 2011. Well written a...

2011-12-25T07:39:24.343-08:00

Best article I've read in 2011. Well written and I couldn't agree more. I hope you are getting paid for this, if not, you should be.

Are you fucking retarded? Rage isn't an RPG it...

2011-10-22T15:58:54.656-07:00

Are you fucking retarded? Rage isn't an RPG it is an FPS that lets you travel from location to location yourself in a car instead of just porting you like most FPS games. It's closer to Call of Duty or Crysis 2 than it is to Fallout.

I sure as hell do not wish Fallout was like Rage. I love both games, but if fallout was like rage then that would mean a shitty story, almost no player choice, no customization, and me not giving a fuck about what happens in the game other than "oh hey i get to shoot the hell out of everything because this random dude told me to."

Rage is awesome, but to compare it to Fallout is like comparing the Transformers movies to American History X, which is stupid.

Rage is a a First Person Shooter based in a pseudo...

2011-10-22T15:45:58.492-07:00

Rage is a a First Person Shooter based in a pseudo-open world (it's not really that open, more like it has a shallow surface hub world that connects a bunch of linear levels together). Fallout NV and FO3 are RPG's with massive open worlds and plenty of players choice. Rage has some slight RPG elements, and Fallout has FPS mechanics. But the two games are nothing alike (aside from having somewhat similar settings).

Rage has much more engaging well controlled combat. But it's all about combat,and in the end that's all it has to offer. Fallout's combat is much less engaging, but it's strength lies in the freedom it gives you to do whatever the hell you want, the very engaging stories, quests, and characters.

If you want an extremely fun mindless shoot-em up game that pretends to be sophisticated then get Rage. If you want an open, unlimited choice game where you get to control the outcome, and make your own decisions instead of being lead along like a dog, and don't mind average combat mechanics then get fallout. If you are like me and love both games with deep engaging stories, open worlds, and choice as well as games with really fun shooting action then get both.

I loved Fallout3 and Nv and all the dlc between an...

2011-10-14T01:44:35.495-07:00

I loved Fallout3 and Nv and all the dlc between and 3rd party mods!! I just felt that the fallout was missing vehicles or at least a vehicle....... I am about 5 hours into Rage and really enjoying all the nice things as mentioned above but what it has not done as nearly as well is the customisation of character... The outfitter gave a weak choice of attire in rage. In Fallout you also had a choice to be good or evil too. If you liked an npc's clothes you could either reverse steal the item or execute the npc (which may have consequence) also Many different choices and mission outcomes. I hope to find alot more in rage and love that is has online co-op elements . I think that they are 2 different games and should not be directly compared I can't wait to get my hands on the monarch vehicle in rage though

Thanks

Great article

2011-05-27T06:26:53.213-07:00

Great article

"Student, dude, gamer. I aim to help people u...

2011-05-27T06:26:11.816-07:00

"Student, dude, gamer. I aim to help people understand that games are an evolving medium that deserves to be scrutinized as much as any other art form" should is say "deserve to be scrutinized" not deserves? Im not too sure...

Rage is not an rpg, neither was bioshock you dimwi...

2011-04-30T09:17:05.143-07:00

Rage is not an rpg, neither was bioshock you dimwits. Things like inventory weight and room management are rpg mechanics that fit with the survivalist setting and having everyone riding around in a dune buggy would make no fucking sense in a setting where most tech has been lost and you can't even find clean water, much less fuel.

that was chill

2011-04-09T12:37:59.912-07:00

that was chill

we all know why they rush this game, so street fig...

2011-03-30T20:33:05.347-07:00

we all know why they rush this game, so street fighter vs tekken get more attention.

MvC3 sucks big time, can't wait for Mortal Kom...

2011-03-30T15:28:48.278-07:00

MvC3 sucks big time, can't wait for Mortal Kombat long live Shao Khan

@Xino I couldn't agree more, MvC3 is 2011'...

2011-03-30T11:39:31.272-07:00

@Xino I couldn't agree more, MvC3 is 2011's biggest disappointment. It's hard to believe that capcom released this trash of a game.

i agree...MvC3 failed in many areas. to the idio...

2011-03-30T11:31:51.555-07:00

i agree...MvC3 failed in many areas.

to the idiot anonymous who I shouldn't bother answering!

Blazeblue may have a story but am I playing a fighting game or reading a novel?

when games have story, they should be told in cutscenes NOT Text!

Mvc3 was so hyped and they said it would have an actual story. I played the game and witnessed nothing!

All I saw was bunch of trash novel/comic scenes story that lasted 1min.

seriously Capcom should get MVC3 out of my face

Your comment sounds way more fanboyish.

2011-03-30T11:09:20.107-07:00

Your comment sounds way more fanboyish.

an actual storyline, mode that don't suck? hav...

2011-03-30T11:03:05.596-07:00

an actual storyline, mode that don't suck? have you played guilty gear and/or blazblue?? dude its not just about mvc and sf... you were right at the beginning it's only a pure fanboy rant, nothing new has been put to the table. kthxbye

Replying from my phone, so I apologize in advance ...

2011-03-14T13:30:41.146-07:00

Replying from my phone, so I apologize in advance for any spelling errors.

I like the comparison between micro and macro visions! Good point, and I think that despite the tech being "small" I anticipate it having a significant impact on the gameplay.

Just to be clear, I think this engine looks incredible, and I've been a long time fan of UE3. I'm not saying that games shouldn't advance graphically, but I want more companies to be showcasing stuff that encourages developers to want to build games with that tech in mind. The NaturalMotion/Euphoria engine is a great example of this. I'm convinced that every sports game ever should use that physics/AI engine to deliver a dynamic experience that current tech simply can't replicate. I suppose the tone of my article may have come off as slightly retro, but I didn't mean that at all. Games need to look better, end of story, but if "innovation" is defined as improving a lighting model or whatever, it's going to be a shallow future, indeed.

You know this rant is a bit misplaced on Tech Demo...

2011-03-14T13:06:48.642-07:00

You know this rant is a bit misplaced on Tech Demos. La Noire is showcasing a particular piece of tech in their toolset. Epic's Engine demo did not showcase the same kind of tech. I am not really sure what support Epic has for Facial Animations, but their video clearly wanted the most WOW for the buck and seemed to be a "macro vision" of what they offer. The R* Demo is more of a "micro vision" of Facial Animation.

Now if you want to draw comparisons to an actual game and La Noire you would have some compelling arguments. As it stands I can't damn a game engine based on their demo (especially when it's so impressive).

Shhh. How the hell did this opinion based rant ge...

2011-03-14T12:21:39.117-07:00

Shhh. How the hell did this opinion based rant get to n4g's front page?

I personally believe that developers and designers...

2011-03-14T12:04:48.884-07:00

I personally believe that developers and designers have gone about as far as they can go with the gameplay without introducing a serious technology update. Call of Duty is the best example of this. If Activision were to continue to churn out the same concept of Call of Duty over-and-over and change the setting slighty each time, the series would eventually be driven into the ground without adding additional realism AND additional gameplay elements based on new graphics technology.
On the other hand, you look at something like Portal 2 - a game which takes it's gameplay straight from the heart of it's technology, and you have to admit, it's awesome.

"While I’m sure that the technology used in L...

2011-03-14T04:48:19.559-07:00

"While I’m sure that the technology used in L.A. Noire isn’t cheap or even readily accessible, it’s arguably more practical and effective than showcasing some fancy lighting effects and depth of field variations."

No it's not. The method employed in LA Noire requires simultaneous motion capture and voice capture of the specific actor, so it basically means that for 1 minute of any kind of dialog you need 1 minute of actual motion capture - and most games can not afford that.
Moreover, this tech is only useful for very precise actor capture, so it's mostly useful for real actors portraying people who look like them. Don't expect it to be used in games like mass effect.

The unreal was made for developers, not for the common gamer. You might not know for example how subsurface scattering might benefit you or even how it works - but you don't need to because you don't develop games. Leave it up for the developers to use this tech in order to enhance their games and provide new features using these tools.