Video Games Thread

[jman]

Well I've been a fan of GTA since the first one on the pc.. and played every single major release since.. so I might have a biased vision on GTA myself.. but I loved every single one.. personally San Andreas was my least liked one.. mainly because of those "annoying" diversions and the RPG aspect of it.... and those turf battles you kept having to do were just irritating... Vice City is still my favourite by a long shot..but I liked Nico in GTA4 and I thought the story was great - the missions werent as explosive as SA but that was a good thing.

State of Decay came out today on XBLA - 1600pts.. usually I wouldnt even bother with a downloadable title given the price tag.. but it actually sounds like a wicked game.. open-world.. with zombies.. worth a read of a review - Im tempted to buy it tonight but shouldnt really 

[harv]

Hmmm...rumours have been coming around for the last couple of weeks that Microsoft have been forced to underclock the One'sGPU which is going to increase the gap in power between the PS4 and One, and decrease the gap in power between the Wii U and the One. They're also believed to be having problems with low yields for their ESRAM too.

[ancelotti]

That State of Decay looks good Jman. Open world zombies! This paragraph from the review is the best part:

It is not a game borne of this Golden Age of tutorials and hand-holding. You are no superhuman zombie slayer, armed to the teeth with a stockpile of firearms and a recharging health meter. Death is both imminent and permanent, and venturing away from the (relatively) safe confines of your home base at night is downright terrifying.

Looks like the only downside is that it doesn't run too well on the 360 compared to its PC counterpart... but that was the case with TWD and it didn't hinder the experience too much.

[AVFCRoss]

Started Sleeping Dogs (finally)...First Impressions, decent enough game...Combat is nicely structured and entertaining, seems to be alot to do (though early signs of some activities indiciate too much repitition) and graphics are solid...Driving is a bit too floaty and unrealistic for my liking, and the running mechanic feels clunky.

Haven't got too far into the story just yet, but the Cop/Triad branch seems quite interesting and I like the way each path has it's own levelling process and unique upgrades as you move through the respective levels...Trophies don't see too difficulty, but having to Gold award all 30 stat sections will be a tough one glancing through the list.

Wouldn't exactly call it a GTA killer, but I am feeling it as a good game so far...Hopefully the story pans out to be a good one and the side activities are kept varied and interesting.

[jman]

The Gold stat award isn't that tough when you realise that there are areas in the game that you get your stats up easily.. you should have at least half of them done by the time you finish the game anyway.  The most difficult one (for me) - Reckless Driver.. but then I should of bought a class A car much earlier in the game... The most annoying one - Gambler - the cockfighting is just bollocks.

I've got about 2 gold stats to do, need to buy all the clothes, still need to get my Triad level to 10 (halfway through 9 at the moment).. 2 city events and I've missed the gun nut achievement somehow too.. that's about 1-2 hours gameplay left (I hope) and I'm just a shade under 22 hours at the moment.. its a good game.. its good you enjoy the combat.. because there is a LOT of melee combat in the game - for me, that's the defining feature of the game over GTA.. solid combat mechanics which make the gun battles you do have feel even more intense!

That State of Decay looks good Jman. Open world zombies!

Yeah it does sound good.. I was finishing Sleeping Dogs off last night so didn't download it.. but I saw you playing it.. any good?  I can put up with a few shonky graphics, frame-rate and screen tearing if the game is great... It sounded a bit like Dead Island.. but better... and I like the perma-death thing in a game like this.


Edit: Just purchased it.. temptation too much.. 2100 pts @ cdkeys for £15.15

[ancelotti]

It's a bit confusing at first. Smashing zombies' heads in is so much fun! There is A LOT of clipping/framerate issues/pop-in though. It's the only downside so far.

[Late]

Tempted by that, too - just been waiting to get/read some reviews. Stocked up on msp yesterday, though, in anticipation of buying it. Let me know how you're finding it, lads.

[jman]

Yeah reviews are trickling in.. mainly because everyone has been too busy fapping over The Last Of Us on the PS3.

But so far it seems the same story from each review... awesome open-world game with an original take on the survival genre only let down by poor tech (graphics/framerate) and no multiplayer (although they say its going to be patched in).

I might get round to giving it a go at the weekend if I can finish Sleeping Dogs off.. just realised the Triad level achievement is going to require re-playing quite a few missions again.. a lot of people moaning that its impossible to fill the meter to lvl 10 without buying DLC.. I'm sure its not, but also equally sure its going to require quite a few more hours gameplay to get it.

[Late]

Pfft - achievement whore! :p

[ancelotti]

I bought all the DLC and didn't even fill my triad meter all the way lol! But then I wasn't really thinking of it. I was well up for completing the game 100% but got bored of looking for the lockboxes.

[Late]

Downloaded the trial version of State of Decay today. Upgraded to the full version pretty soon after that - cracking game, from what I've seen so far.
Definitely a bit glitchy, though.
Base camp is pretty well stocked with guns and ammo, because I'm almost exclusively sticking to melee weapons. Love the fact they degrade with use, though.
Can't wait to get back to it tonight and explore some more.

[jman]

Fucking sleeping dogs is taking too long to 100%, I wanna play State of decay now 

[shellyboy100]

Any cheap games you guys would recommend? I've been playing Fifa and Formula One all year, and fancy a change now lol

[Late]

If you don't have "deus ex: human revolution" yet I recommend it. Nearly two years old now, but a great game and can be had very cheap.

And Sleeping Dogs and Far Cry 3 are both fantastic games, and fairly cheap now.

[ancelotti]

Great mentions from Late. Some games I've enjoyed a lot:
 
Red Dead Redemption - One of my fave games this generation. Definitely have a look if you haven't played it.
Skyrim - worth about 100 hours of your time if you like open-world RPGs.
XCOM - Not sure how much it would be now but it's a thoroughly enjoyable strategy game.
Super Meat Boy - quite old XBL Arcade game but is frighteningly addictive!
L.A. Noire - Almost like being in a film at times, a unique game but great fun.

Also, the two Batman games are a lot of fun with a brilliant combat system (Arkham Asylum & Arkham City).