System Wars Lounge V.66: Happy Manly New Year Edition

@JangoWuzHere: ever? Obviously not, nowadays? Yes I stick to whatever awful consequence my build has brought me. That would be the point of playing a game with an actual choice system or character builds based on abstractions. Players being able to reload is more a crutch for players that really can't behave themselves and just roll with it, I'd hardly call that a flaw.

Either way you slice save scumming wouldn't exactly invalidate how well done that shit is in planescape.

Saw Reverent. Cool movie! Wish I didn't go to a shitty theater and sit in the worst seats possible lol.

Agreed. I forgot how much I hated it until recently I got a bottle at a super snobby Italian joint. Seems like the more expensive it is, the worse it's going to taste.

Yeah, pretty much. I enjoyed it. I see why others may enjoy it more. It's so cheap that it's hard not to recommend it.

Just don't expect to be blown away.

I just went through my entire 3DS library again.

Jesus Christ, what the f*ck am I doing here, I don't think I have ever actually owned as many games for any one single system before as I do for the 3DS.

I had that exact reaction with my PS3 game collection so i took a bunch of them out to BestBuy and traded all of them in lol... f**k it im going digital this gen no shelf space or any of that shit

Yeah, but most of my 3DS games are digital, so they're not getting traded in, either.

Yikes.

@ConanTheStoner: @a-new-guardian:Mechanically, I don't think I've ever played a stealth game as brilliant as TPP. As opposed to my initial expectations, the open world structure actually helps the game a great deal. A part of me wants to fall in love with the game, but another part of me that is somewhat invested in the Metal Gear lore won't let me do that.

Wow dude I just saw Conker live & reloaded and i can't believe this is an original Xbox game. It looks like an xbox 360 game. Very impressive. I might just get an Xbone to play this game on the rare replay. It looks so fun and unique.

brehs, i need some help

second son + first lights?

or

watch doge gold?

Second Son was a really fun game. It was short and the story wasn't nearly as ambitious as the other infamous games but the gameplay was better imo. I didn't play first light.

I don't know how watch dogs is, but it depends on what you want. I'd assume watch dogs has way more options as an open world game.

Yeah, it's impressive. Though I don't think it totally outclasses star fox adventures by Rare, it has the fur shading and that as well but runs at 60fps to Conker's 30.

But you should know that the N64 original is the version on rare replay, and if you get live and reloaded to run on the 360's BC it has sound bugs and other issues, so the only way to play it well is on the OG hardware.

Insignia windows 10 tablet for poor people. Does everything i need.

@Chozofication: that doesn't make sense. Why is the remake not in the collection damn it. The old version still looks pretty good for its time but damn I hope they do another conker game or at least remaster that game and put it on xbox live. It looks so wonderful I must play it. Really reminds me of my childhood days hehe.

@a-new-guardian: I know, just remastering L&R in 1080p would've made it look better than a lot of games today.

They just did what required the least amount of work, the 360 games in RR aren't even on the disc lol it's that 360 BC download crap. But hey, they remastered grabbed by the ghoulies :P

Pics or it didn't happen bro. Actually, I'm just curious about what and how many games there are in your library.

MGS 5's side ops are ridiculously addictive. I can't stop myself from playing more of them.

What's funny is that- for the most part- they're actually pretty repetitive in terms of how they're structured.

EDIT: Oh look, I crossed 15k posts on GameSpot. Yay!

Congrats on the post milestone.

I used to really be into the MGS lore. Partially because I was younger and just found it more interesting back then, but mainly because the lore was pretty consistent. From the original Metal Gear all the way up through MGS3, things tied together fairly well. It all made sense in its own silly way.

After Portable Ops, Peace Walker and MGS4 though? Things got out of control. Huge retcons. Kojima having no shame in cheapening the impact of deaths, changing ages to make things line up, re-introducing characters and plot points that weren't supposed to play out until later while at the same time overwriting bits of lore that were far more interesting and cohesive in their original state.

Basically Kojima said screw making this thing work, I'll just do whatever. Which is fine I guess, but it just killed my interest.

Oddly enough, as skimpy as MGSV is on the story, it actually serves to fix some of the bigger issues I had with the series lol.

Still, they had the opportunity to do so much more with MGSV, the direction they chose to take it is kind of odd.

I find myself just free roaming the maps and running from one side op to the next. For some reason it just feels better that way. Actually loading out into a side op feels tedious.

They're definitely repetitive (and the shit like mine clearing is beyond stupid), but they do make running around the map a bit more interesting.

@ConanTheStoner: Oh man, MGS 4 was a massive kick to the crotch for anyone who was invested in the series' story up until that point. Basically Kojima pulling shit out of his bag and throwing it in our faces. Back then, when I was playing it through the first time, I really liked a lot of the twists, mostly because a) I was a stupid kid and b) I was a stupid excitable kid. I used to vehemently argue against anyone who said MGS4 shits on so much of what the previous games (especially 2) did, but when my hype died down a few months later, I realized how wrong I was. I mean, I still like MGS4, purely from a gameplay perspective (and I stand by my original assertion that the final fight against Liquid is wonderfully realized), but Kojima backtracked on a lot of what he'd written for the series up until that point.

Oh, and I'm not very sure about this, but someone told me/I read somewhere (I don't remember, really fuzzy here) that Kojima doesn't consider Portable Ops to be canon...? I don't know. If that is true, then I'm glad because that game was a disaster (in so many ways).

Anyway, compared to those, MGS5 actually holds up really well in how much more compact and cohesive it actually is (relatively, at least), but I expected the game's story to take a completely different direction (also, I think the game somewhat shits on the Big Boss' legacy, a character I practically revered for so many years, but maybe that's just me :p). I mean, yeah, it's Kojima's story, and he has every right to tell it the way he wants to, and props to him for having stuck with it for all these years, but I just feel like if the game's gameplay part (which is top notch, I think, almost GOTG material) was done justice by its narrative part, it would have been a MUCH better experience overall.

OH and side ops. I don't know man, checking missions off a list just appeals to some stupid, pedantic part of me. :P But yeah, I think I have spent several hours just riding around the map, clearing enemy guard posts and destroying AA guns and comms equipment and stuff. Feels much more organic that way.

See, I was still able to salvage enjoyment out of MGS4, because the gameplay in it, inasmuch as it existed, was ridiculously great, and the game was probably the best playing Metal Gear game at the time. It's just a shame that literally everything else in the game was so terrible.

Except all the cutscenes involving Big Mama and Ocelot

Sweet muthafvckin' justice in Arizona tonight!

@khoofia_pika:

Haha, yeah, I was the opposite with MGS4. Initially it was a pure loathing for the game with me. Over time I've grown to appreciate some aspects of it though. There are things I like about it, and in many ways it did make improvements for the series. As an overall package, I still have a strong dislike for the game, but it's not the blind hate I had for the game before.... though it may not seem that way when you see me talking about it on SW. I get into these long held debates and boy do I pick a side haha.

Yeah, Kojimas comments on Portable Ops are odd. He didn't direct the game, which is crazy. How can you have a critical hit like MGS3 and then have someone else come in to make the follow up?

Basically this is all Kojima will say about it. The overall event of Portable Ops is canon. Many of the details within it, are not. Of course that doesn't help much, fans still debate what really happened and what didn't. Personally, I like to believe that the whole Null = Gray Fox deal is a non-canon element. I was really hoping that MGSV would clarify what went down in Portable Ops, but no luck.

And yeah man, I think most of us expected a much different story from MGSV. They could have made so much use of the lore without it coming off as fan service. Big Boss meeting Frank Jaeger and the MGS1 Foxhound unit? Ocelot and his dealings with the Soviets, particularly the Gurlukovich family? Roy Campbell coming into Foxhound? The true uprising of Outer Heaven? They could have made this a brutal war between Big Boss and Cipher. Gah, so many missed opportunities.

And yeah, Big Boss himself.

Just seemed like a whimper of an ending for such a good character.

Cmon Sony give me a PS4 bundle worth getting

The gameplay was tops. It took what MGS3 was doing mechanically, expanded upon it, and refined it. Good stuff.

Unfortunately it only ran strong for the first two acts lol. Seriously, if MGS4 would have continued building on what it had going in acts 1 and 2 and brought it all up to a boil like the final stretch of MGS3, it would have been my favorite MGS title, story be damned! lol

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudge

I need a lot of alcohol

@ConanTheStoner: That was more or less what I wanted from TPP. Big Boss' degeneration, going from what he was at the beginning of MGS 3, going through his development (undevelopment?) up until TPP and then taking the final steps to become the guy we saw in Metal Gear 1 and 2. I mean, sure, the end point was the same as what we wanted, but the road it took was very different from what we were expecting. Retrospectively, when you look back at previous games, you sort of get hints from Kojima about the big final twist too but it still rubs me the wrong way.

Also, that's what goads me so much about TPP, the fact that at least to begin with, it builds up this all-out war between Big Boss and Cipher, but it just never gets to that. The game has entirely different ideas about what it wants to do with the series' story.

I sort of divide the MGS series into two parts nowadays though. The first part- consisting of MGS1, 2 and 3, where I actually try and follow the story (and give two shits about where it's going)- and the second part- consisting of MGS4, Peace Walker and 5, where I think the story might actually hinder your experience if you lend too much importance to it. This second part, I think, I get the most enjoyment out of when I just enjoy the games for their mechanical awesomeness (4 and 5 because, well, gameplay-wise, there's no doubting how good they are, and PW because it gives me something I enjoy a great deal, which is pocket sized MGS) and just flat out ignore the story developments the best I can. Not always possible, given how heavily emphasized the story beats in MGS always are, but I find that this way still lets me enjoy these games much, much more.

There's a third category too, which consists of Portable Ops. This third category is easily ignorable because it is hidden under a three feet deep pile of flaming dog shit.

@khoofia_pika:

Yeah that's exactly it man. We finally got there, just not in an expected way. And tbh, I suppose we're foolish for expecting Kojima to do anything that is... expected lol. The man loves subverting expectations. He pulls the rug out from under us just for fun. It may have been his way of coping with having to deal with this franchise for so damn long.

And yeah, that's how I divide up these games as well. MGS3 is the swan song of the series as far as story is concerned. As a matter of fact, I once thought MGS3 was truly going to be the end. The catalyst for the turn of Big Boss is all right there. The events of Snake Eater were more than enough to send him into a downward spiral and revolt against his country and the world. I never thought they'd fill in the blanks. MGS3 worked as the back story of Big Boss and the Patriots. MGS2 was left to be open ended. That was that.

Still, I'm glad he pushed on, if only for the sake of making some truly fun games. I'm glad I got to play these titles rather than wondering what might have been.

fun, competently executed super hero game or bad GTA wannabe with stupid hacking mechanic.

Tough call.

Hope it helps. Last week I had to take a bunch of lortabs to deal. :D

Xenoblade Chronicles X is awesome so far. So much content, so much stuff to do! The story is decent so far, the voice acting is pretty good as well but the lip-syncing is as awkward as an English dub of an anime. There's also some awkward dialogue/scenes here and there. The music is pretty good, but they made it say too loud, it basically doesn't fit the dialogue and scene that it complements. The combat is good, a bit chaotic at first, but is easy to learn. Definitely MMO-esque, but my only major gripe about the combat style is that it has that standard MMO hit detection where you could get hit and die at least ten feet away from your enemy's attack. Kind of annoying, but otherwise it's great! The world is huge and luckily they give you fast travel so... Yay! The mini-map is a bit confusing, but otherwise it's pretty good as well. Graphics are stunning, but there is some major pixelation and pop-ups, but it isn't too severe. Environments feel different as well, not copy paste. Look forward to playing online with anyone who wants to.

@darkspineslayer: @XVision84:

F it, i went with both infamous'

I forgot watch dogs was ubisoft eww...

Started finally playing Planescape Torment. I really like it so far. I just got out into Sigil, and I really like just how the game really lets me roleplay. I've been talking my way out of everything, I've only had one combat encounter so far, and that was with a zombie so I could get a key right at the beginning.

It's a cool game, and it's holding up well so far.

@charizard1605: I just adore the writing, they really paint images with words. It's great. Damn it I really didn't need to get sidetracked again, but I think I'm gonna boot up some Planescape right now lol.

The writing is great. Feels like I'm reading a nice fantasy novel, really.

After I finish this, I'll try and do either Baldur's Gate II or replay KotoR/Morrowind.

>The Witcher 3
>Best WRPG

This forum will never have a shittier opinion. You can book this chaz. Nothing on System Wars in 2016 will be a shittier opinion than that.

Right? It's almost more offensive than four fucking Final Fantasy games on the JRPGs list.

Depends on which 4 and what was the top 10? for both.

And it's actually giving CT quite a competition. So far, at least.

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/system-wars-314159282/system-wars-votes-the-greatest-jrpg-of-all-time-is-32885948

About the only placement I agreed with was the top 2.

To be fair, other than the top spot, the WRPG list was actually pretty good.

Are we gonna circlejerk about how people haven't played Planescape

Planescape did very well in the WRPG list. It ranked third and was only like 80 points behind Mass Effect 2, which was placed second.

I've never played Planescape, I'm doing it the first time right now.

Yea technically there was only 3 WR's after Cobb went down lol XD

I'm just saying that those conversations are great from a storybook level of storytelling. The actual game part of choosing that dialogue doesn't offer the same level of tension. I don't think I'm alone at all when I say that I reloaded constantly in that game. I wanted to see different outcomes and explore that world more. However, I also messed up a few times as well. Vhailor is, like, one of the best characters ever made. But its pretty much a guarantee that you'll say or do something he won't like and have him leave or even turn on you. I doubt many are willing to live with their decisions of losing such a cool party member, so they reload. Having that reload option exposes the various speech checks and trigger requirements behind the script. Undertale is a lot more video gamey, but it does make the player feel like they are in the experience, and not just an individual reading a story.

It's only redeeming quality is the soundtrack. That's literally it.

Everything else is pretty much a mess.

Guys.

The Witcher 3 is leading

Oh yeah I forgot the spotlight thing, might as well do one more maybe before this thread inevitably closes in the next day or so.

Spotlight #4: Shogo Kawada

Series: Battle Royale

Literally probably the only character I liked in the series. He's badass, strong, fit, and has a great personality. He was a bro till the end, and the ending to this series was bullshit. Although, Battle Royale was still a good read and the art was fantastic, don't bother with the shitty go-for-nothing sequel though.