Progressive Boink

[Jim]

So anyone with a PS3 should definitely just go ahead and grab Scott Pilgrim. It's a shitload of fun if you dig River City Ransom and its ilk. No online multiplayer is a pretty big omission, but I can understand it from the perspective that this is supposed to be pure throwback. They still need to put it into the game. I'm sure if enough people bitch then they can patch the game and add it.

[Alex]

Game of the year, hands down.

[BackLegFrontKick]

No online multiplayer is a pretty big omission

Is it, really? Or is it just because I come from the NES/SNES/X-Men Arcade Cabinet era (Colossus noise) and prefer being in the presence of the people I'm playing with?

Lack of a Wii port makes me sad

[Jim]

Like I said, I get why they left it out. Their dedication to keeping things old school is apparent. That said, I also don't have four controllers or three other nearby people that would want to play it. I do, however, have multiple friends scattered around with PS3s, not to mention I would love to play co-op with ol' Alex here. So, yeah, I think it's a pretty big omission.

I'm sure it would be an easy addition.

[Terry Cheesecake]

If it doesn't have any kind of online component at the moment I'm not so sure adding one would be as easy as you think.

[Alex]

I think it was left out due to keeping costs down and to get it out in time for the movie, making this possibly only the second licensed game released this gen to not be awful.

So I'm playing Alpha Protocol, and it is pretty good! It is not a great game by any means, but I think I really prefer flawed games that try interesting things to games that go by the numbers and play it safe. I must have played it for about 10 hours this weekend, as opposed to Final Fantasy 13 which I have to struggle to play for more than half an hour.

Raw Danger is another example of a severely unpolished game that does some pretty interesting things, in that you play through the same scenario as different characters who each have their own story, and when the characters intersect, what you choose the first time through will affect how the story develops when you play through as the other one. It's an incredibly inventive approach to interactive storytelling that I don't think I've seen attempted since.

[Zack Hoagie]

Splinter Cell: Conviction is fucking the best possible 24 game.

[Alex]

If you play it a certain way, Alpha Protocol lets you be a violent asshole to everybody you meet.

[Bismark]

So what's the official word on Monday Night Combat? Has anyone played it? Is it any good, or do you play it for a minute and then realize that you really want to be playing Team Fortress?

[Zack Hoagie]

I played the trial with a lot of cool dudes and I liked it but it needs a patch or a balancing update or whatever. But it's TF:DOTA: Blitz and worth your 15 bucks.

[Lilarcor]

You only say it needs a balancing patch because I was kicking your ass. There are still some minor glitches and host migration issues, but I bought it immediately after my demo timer was up and have been enjoying it thoroughly. It's distinct enough from TF2 in my opinion, although I think doing a half-assed ripoff of that game's art style does MNC's gameplay a disservice.

Beyond that, I'm playing Bayonetta for the first time right now after buying it on sale a week or so ago. I'm enjoying how fucking batshit crazy it is, but I'm really terrible at it. I'm also replaying Final Fantasy Tactics A2 when I don't have the time or the energy to turn my Xbox on.

[Alex]

I've been alternating between Final Fantasy XIII and Fallout 3 a bit this summer, and I think they're both pretty bad.

[Terry Cheesecake]

Fallout 3 is fucking great, you're crazy.

[Alex]

I got some problems with Fallout 3!

Everything's brown and green and murky, and every place you go is just really dull. There's no coherent level design, you just wander around copied and pasted environments for a while, then you backtrack out. Also, combat isn't very fun at all, unless you're really in the mood to retreat while plinking away at their health while you wait for your VATS meter to fill.

Oh yeah, and there's what, 4 voice actors?

[Randy]

VATS is the stupidest thing ever put in a game. Combat is either all-VATS or no VATS at all, you shouldn't be able to choose.

Also Monday Night Combat is pretty cool.

[Alan]

combat isn't very fun at all, unless you're really in the mood to retreat while plinking away at their health while you wait for your VATS meter to fill.

this is the reason I never continued playing it, I enjoyed it otherwise. I am constantly saddened when great games are ruined by adding combat for no reason. I loved Alan Wake because I could at least bypass the combat most of the time. I mean, I understand it's what sells, but although I haven't played Heavy Rain yet (still sans PS3) I know it was well-received and they didn't need combat to make a good game.

[David]

Heavy Rain technically has no combat but it has a ridiculous amount of actions scenes using QTE. I personally found that kind of annoying and would have almost preferred some regular combat (an even better option would be get rid of half the action segments all together).

If you ever do get Heavy Rain, play it once and only once. Any further playing will result it you not appreciating the game.

[Alex]

So long as you don't spoil any of the twists for yourself, it's one heck of a ride. I couldn't bring myself to play it more than once, and I really wish I had rented it or had discovered Goozex when it came out.

Speaking of which, I've got Yakuza 3 coming in the mail soon, has anyone else played that? I'm looking forward to it.

[Zack Hoagie]

Yakuza 3 owns.

[Jim]

Speaking of which, I've got Yakuza 3 coming in the mail soon, has anyone else played that? I'm looking forward to it.

I played the demo and everything about it felt last-gen.