Video Games Thread

[Late]

Lol, there was only a fractional difference in quality between Call of Duty on the Wii and the PS3/360 too according to how you're working these things out and we all know how you feel about that. Visually there's going to be a big difference between the U SKU and PS3/360 SKUs as there was between the Wii and PS3/360 SKUs before it.

Yes, we all know how I feel about the resolution, because I've just said I'd love to see 720p (or better) for the game. I'll repeat my point - it'd definitely be a step up from the 600p or so we currently have on the 360*. Not a massive step up, but a step up nonetheless.

It's arguable whether 20% more lines (from 600 to 720) is a "fractional increase". That's comparing xbox360 to Wii U.
Ditto the 25% more lines (from 480 to 600) when comparing Wii1 to xbox360.

But (again this is something I've just said, but it seems repetition is required) the cons of the U version outweight the pros.
Considerably outweigh them.

In xbox360 versus wiiU you've got the wiiU winning on resolution but losing on controller, balance, release date, dlc, elite, numbers of players in a match, and numbers of online players available for matchmaking. The 360 wins, for anyone serious about gaming.#
In wii1 versus xbox360 you've got the 360 winning on pretty much every single factor for comparison. The 360 obviously wins.


So your point was...?


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* I'm treating ps3 and 360 as the same, here.
# ie anyone who buys COD for the competitive online multiplayer.

[harv]

And how can you possibly say that the 360 controls are better..? The GamePad is ergonomically sound, lets you change loadouts on the fly and lets you play local multiplayer without splitscreen gaming. And if for some reason you don't want to use the GamePad you've got other control options such as the remote and nunchuck and the Pro controller. If you want to have the same controls as its 360 counterpart then use the Pro controller.

As for balance, what are you on about..? The only problems you could possibly have regarding balance is that remote and nunchuck users will always beat users using dual analog controls but when you lose a game you're not aware of what controls your opponents are using so you won't notice anything apart from the online multiplayer being more difficult...and is that a bad thing..? It's going to make rising the ranks more challenging compared to those using the 360 SKU if you decide to go for dual analog controls.

[harv]

Launch trailer for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge.

Looking miles better than the mickey mouse Beta versions released on the PS3 and 360

Going to be interesting to see how this game sells, plenty of people didn't bother with the game on the PS3 and 360 due to the bad reviews and bad feedback from the world and his wife on forums. I don't think we'll see many people double dipping after being burnt by the Beta versions but there should be plenty of people trying the franchise for the first time, trying the improved version after hearing that the game has been fixed. There'll also be a major marketing campaign from Nintendo seeing as they've decided to publish it.

Just a real shame it's not being released until January, it's looking pretty awesome.  

Edit: Shit, have just had a look at how badly Ninja Gaiden 3 sold on the PS3 and 360 - just 330,000 units altogether Bloody hell, Tecmo Koei must have lost a small fortune! I can see the U SKU outselling the PS3 and 360 SKUs by twice as much at least. My guesstimate would be 750K LTD.

[ancelotti]

Big GTA news released today:

Screens: http://www.gtagaming.com/v/news/2100

Summary: http://www.gtagaming.com/v/news/2101

Snippets:

The Protagonist(s)

There are three main protagonists in the game. Players can assume the role of any protagonist on the fly, in both free-roam and in missions, providing that all characters are present on the mission you are attempting. As a player, you are prompted as to when to change characters in a mission, but it is still entirely up to you.

Location

Rockstar have decided to return to San Andreas, but instead of having multiple cities this time, they've drawn the line and have managed to create a rendition of Los Angeles that truly does the city justice. Rather than making smaller "sketchlike cities," Los Santos now offers the full-package in a way it never did previously.

The map is said to be larger than the combination of the maps of Red Dead Redemption, GTA IV and San Andreas. In other words, it's pretty large.

Mt. Chiliad is back and it's surrounded by thick wilderness that stretches from a desolate desert to wine country. Los Santos is still the epicenter of the game, both geographically and culturally speaking. There's also a military base hidden somewhere out there, so expect to break into that at some point.

There's a lot of new interiors as well, with particular emphasis on the description of a convenience store named 24/7 - albeit only for the sake of explanation. In the scheme of things, the 24-7 is a small part of the world, yet it is fully detailed, all the way down to the cigarettes and magazines on the shelf.

Oh, and bring your diving gear, because there's a fully-explorable ocean.

Miscellaneous Info

- There are a lot of 'Three Leaf Clover' type heists in the game.
- Unfortunately, the in-depth character customization seen in San Andreas has been left out again.
- Tennis, yoga, triathlons, base-jumping and a fully-formed game of golf are just some examples of mini-games you'll be playing.
- A selection of characters from IV and it's Episodes are said to return but Niko won't be one of them.
- Property isn't back, but there's apparently plenty more to buy than there was in previous games, though what these are remains unknown.
- You can have casual encounters with NPC's of the world, this includes simple things like flipping the bird or having a chat.
- NPC's are much more lively, and a lot of them are fully mo-capped for added realism.
- Red Dead Redemption-esque dynamic missions return: this could include anything from muggings to hitch-hiker's, and there's even one which involves two abandoned cars and a load of dead people (No Country For Old Men style).
- Your phone can access the internet now.

CAN'T WAIT! 

[harv]

Have now changed my avatar - My Zombie Is Reggie lol

[Late]

And how can you possibly say that the 360 controls are better..? The GamePad is ergonomically sound, lets you change loadouts on the fly and lets you play local multiplayer without splitscreen gaming. And if for some reason you don't want to use the GamePad you've got other control options such as the remote and nunchuck and the Pro controller. If you want to have the same controls as its 360 counterpart then use the Pro controller.

As for balance, what are you on about..? The only problems you could possibly have regarding balance is that remote and nunchuck users will always beat users using dual analog controls but when you lose a game you're not aware of what controls your opponents are using so you won't notice anything apart from the online multiplayer being more difficult...and is that a bad thing..? It's going to make rising the ranks more challenging compared to those using the 360 SKU if you decide to go for dual analog controls.

Change loadouts on the fly on a touchscreen? Yeah, I really want to be looking away from the action whilst playing COD so that I can dick around on a touchscreen to change stuff that I can do perfectly well with the standard controller...

How balanced is it going to be if you try to play on the crappy resolution hand-held screen against someone who is playing with a pro controller on the tv? He'll be able to see and shoot you from miles away, you'll only see him if you trip over him. Or if you look up from the gamepad to the main telly to see where he is.

And despite your repeated assertions that people using wiimote and nunchuck will beat other users: (a) if one controller is better than another then it's unbalanced; and (b) the wiimote is ridiculously inaccurate.

The only decent controller is the Pro. Which isn't exactly a selling point for the U, is it? "Oooh, I'll ditch my 360 so that I can play on the U because it's got a controller that's a copy of the 360's controller." Yeah.

No, the only thing the U has going for it is a marginal increase in resolution. It's gimmicky controller, lack of balance, late release date, late content, lack of elite, and lack of online players all make it last choice.
As I said earlier - if I were given a wii U for free and could buy COD on one platform I'd definitely get the 360 version, without a shadow of a doubt.
Shame, because the U needs system sellers - and if folk with Wii U's are going to swerve the U version of the game and instead buy the version that's for a 7 year old platform then there's clearly something very wrong with what Nintendo are doing...

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I can't wait for GTA V. The screenies and info all look/sound fantastic!

[jman]

Yup, GTA 5 is going to be EPIC.. cant wait..

I watched all the "Forward Unto Dawn" live-action web series last night.. (available freely online but came with the limited edition of Halo 4) - OMG they are fucking amazing.. seriously, even if your not even into your Halo lore, its still a great watch, they go on for about 75 minutes in total and tells the story of Thomas Lasky, a cadet in training  - Its got that fishlips bird in from Narnia too - the older sister??  ... and some of the acting is pretty decent.. totally unexpected at how good this is... I watched the trailers a while back and thought it looked great, but didnt think it would be as great as it is but just found out they spent $10 million budget creating it.... I still cant believe that they havent made a Halo film, it would seriously rape the box office.. and I think it could be one of the greatest sci-fi films made.... maybe with the success of FUD they will realise that it can be done without spoiling, diluting or disrupting the game series...

Seriously.. watch them when you have time..

[Late]

I usually buy COD from a supermarket on launch day, but this year have pre-ordered instead. Until recent years you've usually been able to pick the game up pretty cheap on launch day as the supermarkets have some sort of price war, but the last year or two they've not done so...

Good deal at Tesco this year though, if any of you are looking for a decent launch day supermarket price: Blops2 is £25 when bought with either 2100 msp or £25 psn card.
I paid £33, but definitely would've been happy enough to pay the extra tenner to get it with 2100 ms points (assuming 2100 msp is £18).

[harv]

Woo hoo!!!

It's been announced that Nintendo are going to sell separate batteries for the GamePad. Which means that I'm going to be able to have a spare battery or two ready. The PS3 controller is a major pain in the arse, I've lost count the number of times my PS3 gaming has been interrupted due to me forgetting to charge the controller. They've also confirmed the rumour that the Pro controller has a ridiculous 80 hour battery life lol.

[harv]

Someone on Gaf has done a comparison GIF of the 360 and U SKUs of the Black Ops trailer. You can clearly see the difference in resolution, lighting, texture quality and colours. No idea why they've got this strange brown filter thing going on with the 360 though...very odd

[bealec]

Wow the Wii one is brighter...woop de do.

[harv]

Wow the Wii one is brighter...woop de do.

And higher resolution, better quality particle effects and textures and superior lighting.

It's noticeably better quality in terms of eye candy.

[bealec]

And you'll be able to explore those wide open multiplayer maps in all the brighter glory...on your own....whilst everyone else is playing it on the PS360

[ancelotti]

Wow... is that it?

It looks slightly better on the Wii U (albeit unrealistically bright), up against the 7 year old tech of the 360.

[harv]

Going to be interesting to see what resolution it is. If it ends up being 1080p the internet may explode with Nerd-Rage lol. Can't see it being 1080p given the problems associated with bringing out a launch title but it would be amusing