Caporegime
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- Dormanstown.
I got that feeling from the saboteur, a game that was pretty much the definition on average 
So Nearly Great
- Thread starter Pighardia
- Start date
I got that feeling from the saboteur, a game that was pretty much the definition on average
Great shout!
It had the setting, open world, some fun gameplay, good characters, but was let down by nothing really being top notch, just 'quite good'....I think the problems were a little deep-rooted though for any kind of easy-fix, it is not like you can look at it and immediately identify something specific to improve it.
It is still an underrated game imo.
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Peter Molyneux.
/thread
[there you go, the first and potentially last time I've ever used a /thread tag. enjoy it while you can]
<thread>
Now for some serious suggestions:
-Doom 3. Good graphics, tension, fights, and story for the most part. However there's a few sections that just don't quite cut the mustard, and it overdoes the zombie in a closet / imp spawns behind you thing a bit.
-TOCA RD3. Codemasters have a very strong pedigree when it comes to racing games and this was one of those games that ticked a lot of boxes (mix of race types, tracks, cars, good balance between arcade and sim etc). But it had a few randomly hard races and was a little too unforgiving when it came to contact with other vehicles (i.e. AI causing you to crash)
-Test Drive Unlimited. Quite ambitious scope wise, this game really had me hooked for a while. Lots of events, lots of cars, and that addictive property that comes from being able to spend your winnings on stuff (cars, property, upgrades etc). It was unfortunately also quite buggy and was a bit of a time-sink in terms of making it very easy to waste effort (trying to reach unexplored areas, little challenges that would last 10mins but could be failed instantly due to one false move 30s from the end etc)
-Assassin's Creed: Directors Cut. Great to see a forgiving platformer that blended storyline, exploration, combat, free roaming, and the ability to climb almost anything. Unfortunately it also had some flaws (11 clicks to quit the game, boring commuting on horseback, overpowered counter-attack (Block+counter is virtually invincible in 90% of fights so it gets very repetitive etc, cumbersome blending process, repetitive side-missions). The good news is they removed several of the flaws in future games, making it a much more streamlined experience (AC2 is pretty much the perfect example of what a sequel should be IMO - bigger, better, improved characters and storyline, the same core gameplay just more polished).
-Medal of Honour: Pacific Assault. Got a lot of criticism but this was very, very close to being a great game in my book. It gave you squad mates, strong cutscenes chatting with your buddies between missions to build comradery, some awesome set pieces (e.g. Pearl Harbour), a good variety of missions/environments, great atmosphere etc. I strongly believe the core of the game is up there with the CoD series, it just lacks IW's polish.
-Freelancer: Has a lot going for it but it is hard not to judge any space combat game against the benchmark that is Freespace 2, and sadly in comes up short in some key areas (storyline, combat and control system). It gives you more freedom of course but one can't help but wonder if an extra 10% in those areas could have pushed it right up to the top level.
edit: Regarding the Saboteur, I played it fairly recently and was very pleasantly surprised. One of those games that slips under the radar being rarely talked about but is probably as good as many much better known titles. Not without its faults though!
/thread
[there you go, the first and potentially last time I've ever used a /thread tag. enjoy it while you can]
<thread>
Now for some serious suggestions:
-Doom 3. Good graphics, tension, fights, and story for the most part. However there's a few sections that just don't quite cut the mustard, and it overdoes the zombie in a closet / imp spawns behind you thing a bit.
-TOCA RD3. Codemasters have a very strong pedigree when it comes to racing games and this was one of those games that ticked a lot of boxes (mix of race types, tracks, cars, good balance between arcade and sim etc). But it had a few randomly hard races and was a little too unforgiving when it came to contact with other vehicles (i.e. AI causing you to crash)
-Test Drive Unlimited. Quite ambitious scope wise, this game really had me hooked for a while. Lots of events, lots of cars, and that addictive property that comes from being able to spend your winnings on stuff (cars, property, upgrades etc). It was unfortunately also quite buggy and was a bit of a time-sink in terms of making it very easy to waste effort (trying to reach unexplored areas, little challenges that would last 10mins but could be failed instantly due to one false move 30s from the end etc)
-Assassin's Creed: Directors Cut. Great to see a forgiving platformer that blended storyline, exploration, combat, free roaming, and the ability to climb almost anything. Unfortunately it also had some flaws (11 clicks to quit the game, boring commuting on horseback, overpowered counter-attack (Block+counter is virtually invincible in 90% of fights so it gets very repetitive etc, cumbersome blending process, repetitive side-missions). The good news is they removed several of the flaws in future games, making it a much more streamlined experience (AC2 is pretty much the perfect example of what a sequel should be IMO - bigger, better, improved characters and storyline, the same core gameplay just more polished).
-Medal of Honour: Pacific Assault. Got a lot of criticism but this was very, very close to being a great game in my book. It gave you squad mates, strong cutscenes chatting with your buddies between missions to build comradery, some awesome set pieces (e.g. Pearl Harbour), a good variety of missions/environments, great atmosphere etc. I strongly believe the core of the game is up there with the CoD series, it just lacks IW's polish.
-Freelancer: Has a lot going for it but it is hard not to judge any space combat game against the benchmark that is Freespace 2, and sadly in comes up short in some key areas (storyline, combat and control system). It gives you more freedom of course but one can't help but wonder if an extra 10% in those areas could have pushed it right up to the top level.
edit: Regarding the Saboteur, I played it fairly recently and was very pleasantly surprised. One of those games that slips under the radar being rarely talked about but is probably as good as many much better known titles. Not without its faults though!
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It's from the books. Geralt uses a steel sword against humans, but against monsters, he has a silver witcher sword made with silver from a meteorite. Monsters are particularly susceptible to silver in the books.
Yeah, I get that he uses silver as it works on monsters, I don't get why he doesn't use it all the time... why bother with the steel one at all?
The silver one is thin and flexible, good for cutting monster flesh and hurting anything supernatural. It's not very good for using on metal armour, and it too rare and special to use on anything human.
IIRC in the game you get more damage using the correct sword depending whether your target is human or monster, so it reflects how Geralt uses his weapons in the first books. You don't have to switch swords in the game, but it's advantageous to do so. It's the same as making/using potions or using sword oils, and is part of the background of the Witcher universe.
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This is what happens when you let investors decide what the guy making the game should be doing. Mediocrity sells and that's all that matters in the world of business. You want Timmy the 10 year old to nag his Mum to buy the awesome 'COD 10: Back to the Future (starring Barney the Dinosaur)' that he saw on a TV advert.
Publishers are now afraid to do anything new, and just want to keep copying whatever makes money, or whatever franchise they can keep marketing ad nauseum.
It's why games like Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous had to go for crowd funding - no publisher would give them the money.
It's why games like Star Citizen and Elite Dangerous had to go for crowd funding - no publisher would give them the money.
People say its a generation thing, but as you say its only because this generation gets fed a new "must have" game every 6 seconds.
More games they can push out the better the revenue, who cares about new design or innovative ideas.
I genuinely believe if all you know is mediocrity then why would you question how good these games are or how good they could be, only the older generation gamers can spot these inferior products.
How can you go from a game like Deus Ex (Release 2000) to regurgitated crap like COD.
Instead of expanding on great ideas they just keep chipping away until your left with hollow gameplay but thank god the graphics look great and you can level up and unlock new guns and armour.........
Soldato
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- deep space nine
Personally I am really enjoying the Indie scene. Peggle ( not sure if considered indie ), Machinarium , Botanicula, Limbo, and currently loving Fez. & Thomas Was Alone. Besides Portal 2 though I have no interest in the first person big budget games.
As another poster said
Innovation is out there, but the publishers won't get behind the unknown because thats not their business. They are in it to make money one way or another, the fact that once in a blue moon the big names actually produce a worthy title is just a pleasant side effect to them
Gaming is mainstream media, the revenues are up there (and in a few cases, above and beyond) the music and film industry.. take the star wars mmo, they chucked 100 million+ at that thing and didn't even blink when it failed to live up to its billing (although its still done alright for itself)
When you do have a smaller studio come up with something new, and innovative, its just a case of how strong willed they are before they are eventually swallowed up by the big fish in the pond
I feel you OP
I'm keeping a close eye on War for the Overworld (a project based on Dungeon keeper) because back in the day I had a strong interest in dk1/2 and was sore ea canned dk3... yet already I notice EA have realized theres enough demand for WftO to cook up a mobile version of dk for android (micro transaction based) recently.
They did it just like that.. thats the power the big ones have now
Innovation is out there, but the publishers won't get behind the unknown because thats not their business. They are in it to make money one way or another, the fact that once in a blue moon the big names actually produce a worthy title is just a pleasant side effect to them
Gaming is mainstream media, the revenues are up there (and in a few cases, above and beyond) the music and film industry.. take the star wars mmo, they chucked 100 million+ at that thing and didn't even blink when it failed to live up to its billing (although its still done alright for itself)
When you do have a smaller studio come up with something new, and innovative, its just a case of how strong willed they are before they are eventually swallowed up by the big fish in the pond
I feel you OP
I'm keeping a close eye on War for the Overworld (a project based on Dungeon keeper) because back in the day I had a strong interest in dk1/2 and was sore ea canned dk3... yet already I notice EA have realized theres enough demand for WftO to cook up a mobile version of dk for android (micro transaction based) recently.
They did it just like that.. thats the power the big ones have now
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I'd put Singularity up there too from a story point of view. Gameplay wise it's pretty slick, especially the time manipulation features, but it feels like they didn't have time to flesh out the story properly to account for the possible player choices at the end of the game.
The one choice in particular that would have allowed you to fix the timeline completely, the game didn't let you take
The one choice in particular that would have allowed you to fix the timeline completely, the game didn't let you take
I am sticking with Kingdoms of Amalur, as it really is a good game, but playing it, I can't help but feel a little sad as it really does have everything going for it, it just falls short in a few key areas. It is probably down to it's slightly troubled development history, and the pressures from EA to get the game released in time.
It is a Shame that the devs have gone under, as this game is primed for one of those 'ultimate editions' we seem to be seeing more of these days that could get the game up to scratch.
The original Assassin's Creed is another great example of a 'nearly there' game. So many great elements to that game, but is just lacking something that pushes it into greatness...probably just the repetitiveness of the combat/mission structure.
It is a Shame that the devs have gone under, as this game is primed for one of those 'ultimate editions' we seem to be seeing more of these days that could get the game up to scratch.
The original Assassin's Creed is another great example of a 'nearly there' game. So many great elements to that game, but is just lacking something that pushes it into greatness...probably just the repetitiveness of the combat/mission structure.
When does an Indie scene stop being Indie though ? Minecraft is a hugely popular game and has made a crap ton of money. Its still considered "Indie" but now they have a load of money and more resources at hand if they ever make a new game would be "indie" or by a big developer ?
I don't really care where games come from, but bit by bit games are becoming tedious for me personally.
I'd put Singularity up there too from a story point of view. Gameplay wise it's pretty slick, especially the time manipulation features, but it feels like they didn't have time to flesh out the story properly to account for the possible player choices at the end of the game.
The one choice in particular that would have allowed you to fix the timeline completely, the game didn't let you take
I really enjoyed that game, will have to get it again at some point. Felt like a mix of Bioshock in terms of gameplay and Fallout in terms of visuals and atmosphere.