@gunluva plays the hopscotch on the pro circuit: Whatever they are, I think we all agree that placing them in different categories is faintly ridiculous. They're the same kind of game, and they're both excellent (YMMV, but you *might* be a fanboy if you consider one great and the other crap.)
@dracosummoner: There's a bit of that in Monster Hunter, although it isn't quite as specific - just a cutting animation when you loot bits off the monster.
@trunkenmath: You obviously haven't had to write up and defend one of those damn grant proposals before.
Or sift through and transcribe the dozens of hours of interview footage afterwards.
Or sift through and transcribe the dozens of hours of interview footage afterwards.
@lukedenby: Would be very cool. Now this may be getting into silly territory, but real military forces are trained to use hand signals rather than verbal commands for communication when the enemy may be near. I suspect it would be pretty damn cool if the game incorporated that - issuing a voice command when enemies are near would alert them to your squad's presence, so you would have to use realistic hand signals (and talk in a whisper when your squadmates are nearby) to issue orders...
@Kobun: There's an easy shortcut. Use a paint marker to ink in the lines and recessed bits on the details - wipe away the excess with thinner on a paper towel. Works wonders.
Of course, unlike real painting, it won't cover up seams or sprue marks - but it's better than nothing, and a hella lot less painful than doing a full paint job.
Of course, unlike real painting, it won't cover up seams or sprue marks - but it's better than nothing, and a hella lot less painful than doing a full paint job.
@paptschik: You're absolutely right, she is - and a rather nuanced one at that, given that she's been given some attributes which wouldn't exactly endear her to the average Japanese geek (e.g. weird hair, small head:body ratio).
But considering that a lot of people don't realize she's a parody... well, I think the second half of my argument still stands.
But considering that a lot of people don't realize she's a parody... well, I think the second half of my argument still stands.
@Hiero: There's a Razer Starcraft II mouse already, so be careful what you wish for.
@tim rogers:
I'm not sure about the no-targeting thing. You could apply the same argument to a battle system that resolves automatically without player intervention by choosing optimal actions at every turn.
Instead of doing this, IMO it would be wiser to set up situations where the choice of target is actually a meaningful decision rather than the rote "highest damage enemy". For instance, when facing 2 high-damage enemies, one of which does more damage using fire attacks, the player would have to choose between casting a "Resist Fire" spell and then engaging the physical enemy, or simply going all-out on the fire enemy.
Having skimmed your review, though, it sounds like there's plenty of interesting decision-making going on, so perhaps this is not necessary. I still maintain that, if well designed, it would add to the game rather than detracting from it.
I'm not sure about the no-targeting thing. You could apply the same argument to a battle system that resolves automatically without player intervention by choosing optimal actions at every turn.
Instead of doing this, IMO it would be wiser to set up situations where the choice of target is actually a meaningful decision rather than the rote "highest damage enemy". For instance, when facing 2 high-damage enemies, one of which does more damage using fire attacks, the player would have to choose between casting a "Resist Fire" spell and then engaging the physical enemy, or simply going all-out on the fire enemy.
Having skimmed your review, though, it sounds like there's plenty of interesting decision-making going on, so perhaps this is not necessary. I still maintain that, if well designed, it would add to the game rather than detracting from it.
@pizzelle: Well said. Plus, that character still looks pretty huge to me. Not unrealistic, but close to the upper end of what I'd call realistic.
I mean, I like jiggle, but it belongs in the bedroom or on the beach, not on the battlefield. (And even the beach is highly debatable.)
I mean, I like jiggle, but it belongs in the bedroom or on the beach, not on the battlefield. (And even the beach is highly debatable.)
@Kellen Dunkelberger: The Duke is an intentional pastiche of macho-man stereotypes - he gets a free pass for being a parody, unlike - say - the GoW crew.
On the other hand, nobody's had the guts to do a similar parody of enormous-breasted action-girl stereotypes - possibly because there are so many games that play those stereotypes straight. Most people wouldn't even recognize such a game as a parody.
On the other hand, nobody's had the guts to do a similar parody of enormous-breasted action-girl stereotypes - possibly because there are so many games that play those stereotypes straight. Most people wouldn't even recognize such a game as a parody.
It is amusing and somewhat disturbing that #4 is the most sensible reaction of the lot (which is not saying much).
Looks almost a bit too much like street clothes. There's an element of the mythic about superheroes; I'm not quite seeing that here.
Then again, it's certainly an improvement over streetwalker clothes. *rimshot*
Then again, it's certainly an improvement over streetwalker clothes. *rimshot*
@Turkeyslam: True if you're a dwarf, but only if you've been tasked to another digging job somewhere else. Otherwise you'll just stand there until the lava gets you.
@Gravekeeper: Oh yeah, that game was lots of fun. Shame nobody's tried to pick it up for localization (why?!)...
Hmm. Things to try:
- teenage mutant ninja turtle
- giant enemy crab
- jumbo shrimp
If you input an oxymoron, does the world implode?
- teenage mutant ninja turtle
- giant enemy crab
- jumbo shrimp
If you input an oxymoron, does the world implode?
@Michael Brevick: Wait, shouldn't a smaller casing actually reduce the airflow, thus making overheating more likely? Look at those super-slim MacBooks; you can fry an egg on them because they're so packed with components that there's very little room for airflow.
I get that the smaller and less power-intensive internal components will reduce the heat output in the first place, but downsizing the casing itself strikes me as being more likely to cause overheating problems than to solve them. Better to have a big casing with clear airflow pathways, coupled with the new components. But of course, consumers wouldn't go for that...
I get that the smaller and less power-intensive internal components will reduce the heat output in the first place, but downsizing the casing itself strikes me as being more likely to cause overheating problems than to solve them. Better to have a big casing with clear airflow pathways, coupled with the new components. But of course, consumers wouldn't go for that...
@BubbleF**kingBuddy: Short answer: BloodRayne.
@5p.: Something that I forgot to add: I think the same visceral distinction (MG vs. rockets) can exist even if you're playing an RTS and not directly controlling the unit. Something to chew on...
This is excellent and very much needed. I stopped (seriously) reading Tim Rogers years ago, but I honestly believe this is one of the best things he's written about games.
Although his choice of vocabulary is pretty close to godawful.
Let me elaborate. Picture an FPS. Picture a twin-stick shooter. Imagine that both of these games put you up against a horde of popcorn enemies in a large empty arena (parts of Serious Sam and a modified Geometry Wars, for instance). Imagine that both of these games have those two classic staple weapons - the machine gun (rapid fire) and the rocket launcher (splash damage).
Now imagine that those two weapons are perfectly balanced so that they have equal utility in the game.
Imagine firing the weapons in the FPS and in the twin-stick shooter. Just letting rip, holding the button down (or slamming the right stick all the way over).
The point I want to make is that there's a tactile, visceral difference between firing the machine gun and firing the rocket launcher, and more importantly that there are gut-level similarities between the FPS machine gun and the twin-stick machine gun, and there are gut-level similarities between the rocket launchers in both games. It's not a matter of graphics. It's a matter of the player perceiving the game mechanics at a visceral level. It's kind of like the difference between having a hammer for a hand and having a sword for a hand.
Tim may not have done a fantastic job of describing this kind of visceral distinction, but the fact that he noticed it, and he did it (albeit only with regards to movement), already sets this essay apart. It's like people finally noticing that, you know, when you're drawing a picture you ought to draw distant objects smaller than nearby ones. (See [en.wikipedia.org] - some people may be surprised to know that the human race has not always noticed things like this.)
Although his choice of vocabulary is pretty close to godawful.
Let me elaborate. Picture an FPS. Picture a twin-stick shooter. Imagine that both of these games put you up against a horde of popcorn enemies in a large empty arena (parts of Serious Sam and a modified Geometry Wars, for instance). Imagine that both of these games have those two classic staple weapons - the machine gun (rapid fire) and the rocket launcher (splash damage).
Now imagine that those two weapons are perfectly balanced so that they have equal utility in the game.
Imagine firing the weapons in the FPS and in the twin-stick shooter. Just letting rip, holding the button down (or slamming the right stick all the way over).
The point I want to make is that there's a tactile, visceral difference between firing the machine gun and firing the rocket launcher, and more importantly that there are gut-level similarities between the FPS machine gun and the twin-stick machine gun, and there are gut-level similarities between the rocket launchers in both games. It's not a matter of graphics. It's a matter of the player perceiving the game mechanics at a visceral level. It's kind of like the difference between having a hammer for a hand and having a sword for a hand.
Tim may not have done a fantastic job of describing this kind of visceral distinction, but the fact that he noticed it, and he did it (albeit only with regards to movement), already sets this essay apart. It's like people finally noticing that, you know, when you're drawing a picture you ought to draw distant objects smaller than nearby ones. (See [en.wikipedia.org] - some people may be surprised to know that the human race has not always noticed things like this.)
@超外人: Oh lol. First reply: "If you don't want that to happen, then get your act together, you goddamn she-gorilla." (rough TL)
