What Video Games have you been playing II: Have you finished that backlog?

[hobbsyoyo]

Yeah, PS2.

 

[Commodore]

But why should it be eased up? Life is hard.

Life is hard and that's why video games shouldn't be. I play video games to get away from the general suckiness of life so when developers add difficulty just for the sake of being able to say "OMGZ luks how hardz our gamez are!!!!1111!!" it really cheeses my potato.

Now that's not to say I want all games to be a cakewalk, but I am kind of tired of game developers adding what I call "artificial difficulty". There is a difference between a fun challenge and something that is just so hard that it becomes work instead of entertainment. That's why my favorite free-roaming game right now is Saint's Row 3. It was difficult enough to make it fun, but never so difficult that you would lose interest. I have never finished a GTA game (haven't played GTA5 yet) because there was always one mission that I had to try so many times that I just gave up and moved on to a different game.

That sounds like a lot of fun. Do you have epic space battles against reapers?

Yeah the battles can get pretty epic. It does seem to have some minor balance issues and the resource collecting seems to be a bit buggy (but this is mitigated by the fact that you can choose to start a skirmish map with over a million resource units). None of the units have special abilities yet aside from the Normandy (but apparently abilities will be added in future updates) so there isn't a lot of tactical nuance beyond building your fleet up and sending them at the enemy. This doesn't seem to be too bad though because this eliminates a lot of the micro-management in the unmodded HW2, so the game becomes more about outmaneuvering your opponent rather than worrying about if each individual unit is being used to its fullest. Whether this is intentional or not remains to be seen, but I hope the mod team doesn't add too many special abilities and turn this mod into micro-management hell.

Also right now you can only play skirmishes against the AI or multiplayer through Tuungle (I think that's how it's spelled). They have said they want to add a single-player campaign to recreate the Mass Effect story though.

As for their BSG mod, I think it is complete but I'm not sure since I really haven't followed that mod. But from the chatter I saw while following ME:R it looks like they did finish the BSG mod.

 

[shadowplay]

The only mission I remember having a lot of trouble with in the GTA series was this mission from San Andreas were IIRC the fat dude is on the back of your motorcycle shooting while you're chasing a train. The final mission was also pretty difficult.

I don't remember having much difficulty with GTA3 or Vice City, but I'm pretty good at driving/flying games.

I played them on Xbox and Xbox 360. I don't know if the difficulty varies between systems, but it shouldn't.

 

[Takhisis]

Yeah, PS2.

Oh dear, you're a console games.

Life is hard and that's why video games shouldn't be. I play video games to get away from the general suckiness of life so when developers add difficulty just for the sake of being able to say "OMGZ luks how hardz our gamez are!!!!1111!!" it really cheeses my potato.

Oh, no, that's not the ticket either. But having easy-peasy games is for console wimps.

Now that's not to say I want all games to be a cakewalk, but I am kind of tired of game developers adding what I call "artificial difficulty". There is a difference between a fun challenge and something that is just so hard that it becomes work instead of entertainment. That's why my favorite free-roaming game right now is Saint's Row 3. It was difficult enough to make it fun, but never so difficult that you would lose interest. I have never finished a GTA game (haven't played GTA5 yet) because there was always one mission that I had to try so many times that I just gave up and moved on to a different game.

Oh, but GTA games are sandbox, so you can play them in different ways, and dodge a mission. The radio stations alone are worth the taxi missions

The only mission I remember having a lot of trouble with in the GTA series was this mission from San Andreas were IIRC the fat dude is on the back of your motorcycle shooting while you're chasing a train. The final mission was also pretty difficult.

I don't remember having much difficulty with GTA3 or Vice City, but I'm pretty good at driving/flying games.

I played them on Xbox and Xbox 360. I don't know if the difficulty varies between systems, but it shouldn't.

It can vary with the different controls you use.

 

[Commodore]

Oh dear, you're a console games.

Oh, no, that's not the ticket either. But having easy-peasy games is for console wimps.

Oh, but GTA games are sandbox, so you can play them in different ways, and dodge a mission. The radio stations alone are worth the taxi missions.

It's not just for console wimps. I remember reading an opinion piece in Game Informer about 4 years ago that I really agreed with. In that piece the writer was responding to certain segments of the gaming community that deride gamers who play games on the easy difficulty setting. Some were even going as far to say that developers should eliminate difficulty settings. Anyway, the writer was basically saying the easy difficulty setting actually serves a very important purpose in gaming. It allows new gamers to learn the ropes and it allows people who want to experience the game but don't have hours upon hours to devote to master the game still have their fun. I used to be a pretty hardcore gamer, but in recent years I have definitely fallen into the latter category. Between my family, my job, and the business I'm trying to get off the ground I just don't have the time to sit and play video games for 12 hours a day. Because of that, I have noticed my taste in games has changed as well. Where I used to play in-depth strategy games or RPGs that took at least 100 hours of play to complete, I now trend towards more casual experiences that I can play for 1 or 2 hours a day and still satisfy my gaming urge without infringing on my real life obligations.

Also, the earlier GTA games weren't exactly true sandbox experiences until you completed the story (or at least got a good way through the story) so you really can't avoid the hard missions. One of the worst design decisions in GTA3, Vice City, and San Andreas was having large portions of the game world inaccessible until you reached a certain point in the story or used cheat codes. Again, in Saint's Row 3 the entire game world was accessible from the get-go so you could put off playing any story missions until you had your fill of screwing around and causing mischief.

 

[Zack]

In some games, the combat can be tedious, so I play on an easier difficulty level to focus on the story/environment/characters/etc. Although I usually just play on normal difficulty.

 

[cybrxkhan]

It's not just for console wimps. I remember reading an opinion piece in Game Informer about 4 years ago that I really agreed with. In that piece the writer was responding to certain segments of the gaming community that deride gamers who play games on the easy difficulty setting. Some were even going as far to say that developers should eliminate difficulty settings. Anyway, the writer was basically saying the easy difficulty setting actually serves a very important purpose in gaming. It allows new gamers to learn the ropes and it allows people who want to experience the game but don't have hours upon hours to devote to master the game still have their fun. I used to be a pretty hardcore gamer, but in recent years I have definitely fallen into the latter category. Between my family, my job, and the business I'm trying to get off the ground I just don't have the time to sit and play video games for 12 hours a day. Because of that, I have noticed my taste in games has changed as well. Where I used to play in-depth strategy games or RPGs that took at least 100 hours of play to complete, I now trend towards more casual experiences that I can play for 1 or 2 hours a day and still satisfy my gaming urge without infringing on my real life obligations.

I have to agree with this. I'm no console player - been on the PC my entire life, I can't use a hand-held device to save my life. Yet I really don't want challenging games just because they're challenging. Some people play games for the challenge, I don't. As ludricous as this may sound, I play games for my imagination. I like playing TES and taking nice strolls around places. I don't want to be stressing over nothing.

Usually I play around normal difficulty, anyhow. Easy difficulty - in some games - can be so easy as to ruin the immersion and experience, but generally not as much as hard difficulty.

 

[Takhisis]

Well, if it's stresses you it's not for you, and I'll grant you my benevolent permission to play easier games (or use the Easy setting) but console gaming is still something to be frowned upon almost as much as the adoration of small-sized-equestrian-starring series for children.

 

[Ajidica]

I picked up Wargame: European Escalation after I re-read Red Storm Rising and had the urge to lead a Soviet armored column through the Fulda Gap.
And I've been failing quite horribly at it.

 

[cardgame]

Yeah, that game is pretty difficult.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

Oh dear, you're a console games.

Dude, this was like 5 years ago. At the moment, when I have time to play, it's almost exclusively on PC. Not because I'm a PC Master Race'r but because the most up to date console I have is a Wii whereas my computer is quite nice. One day, when I have money, I'll buy a new console but for now I'll stick with my multi-tasking PC (I do much more work than gaming on it either).

Oh, but GTA games are sandbox, so you can play them in different ways, and dodge a mission. The radio stations alone are worth the taxi missions

Nope, at least not Vice City, which is the only GTA game I own. You have to complete main missions to unlock different areas and side missions. Regarding the particular motorcycle mission I was talking about, it's mandatory. I couldn't beat it, so I finished the few side missions available to me at the time. But there weren't many by that point and since I couldn't be the motorcycle mission, the game effectively ended for me. It sucked as I quite enjoyed the game but I couldn't win that damn race.

 

[Joecoolyo]

I picked up Wargame: European Escalation after I re-read Red Storm Rising and had the urge to lead a Soviet armored column through the Fulda Gap.
And I've been failing quite horribly at it.

Yeah, that game is pretty difficult.

Aye, I've played Airland Battle and Red Dragon for over 120 hours combined in multiplayer, and I'm still not very good.

Never played European Escalation, but if its similar to ALB and RD, as the Soviets abuse the fact that your T-80's have missiles on them and your helicopters are fantastic. Also Spetznaz are great for clearing infantry, especially if they can use their grenades.

Soviet artillery I think it also pretty decent, though I think Nato arty isn't all that different.

Oh yeah, and the number one rule as always is RECON RECON RECON. If you can't see your enemy, there's no way you can shoot them!

 

[Takhisis]

Nope, at least not Vice City, which is the only GTA game I own. You have to complete main missions to unlock different areas and side missions. Regarding the particular motorcycle mission I was talking about, it's mandatory. I couldn't beat it, so I finished the few side missions available to me at the time. But there weren't many by that point and since I couldn't be the motorcycle mission, the game effectively ended for me. It sucked as I quite enjoyed the game but I couldn't win that damn race.

If it's the one about Díaz and getting a suitcase… it was quite easy. Maybe change the controls' configuration a bit so you can handle the bike more easily.

 

[Oruc]

WTH that's male?

Don't oppress me CIS scum

 

[Mise]

I may be showing my age here but isn't GTA all about stealing a tank and seeing how many police cars you can shoot before the army barricades waste you? What's so difficult about that?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Zack]

I may be showing my age here but isn't GTA all about stealing a tank and seeing how many police cars you can shoot before the army barricades waste you? What's so difficult about that?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

There's an actual story/campaign in the game. It's not all just dicking around.

 

[Ajidica]

There's an actual story/campaign in the game. It's not all just dicking around.

All I ever did when playing with my friends was punch/drive over prostitutes and drug dealers. (In fact, that all started out as an accident. I was trying to figure out how to run and accidentally punched a lady in the back of the head.)

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I may be showing my age here but isn't GTA all about stealing a tank and seeing how many police cars you can shoot before the army barricades waste you? What's so difficult about that?

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

With GTA V you don't even need to wait for the army to kill you. Regular bullets do! Joy.

 

[Mise]

I did all the missions in GTA 1 and 2 and they were pretty much the same: drive to a place, kill a guy, get a tank, whatever. That was cool. I don't like the 3D GTAs though - they're too slow and "realistic". I guess I preferred the dicking around.

 

[cardgame]

Been sinking some serious time into Gnomoria.