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Front Mission Evolved - Out Tuesday!

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    brynstarbrynstar Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Olivaw wrote: »
    Someone tell me what the cockpit cam is like so I can just write off this entire thing

    Does it look like you're in a cockpit or is it just a shitty first person view they put in for no real reason

    Unless I missed it somewhere and/or am a silly goose, there is no cockpit view. It's a standard third-person shooter camera both in Wanzers and on-foot, with a tighter zoom in for aiming mode.

    EDIT: With how fast the shooting is and all the skating that the Wanzers can do, I feel like a cockpit view would be difficult to play in.

    brynstar on
    Xbox Live: Xander51
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    JoJoHoraHoraJoJoHoraHora ItalyRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    brynstar wrote: »
    Olivaw wrote: »
    Someone tell me what the cockpit cam is like so I can just write off this entire thing

    Does it look like you're in a cockpit or is it just a shitty first person view they put in for no real reason

    Unless I missed it somewhere and/or am a silly goose, there is no cockpit view. It's a standard third-person shooter camera both in Wanzers and on-foot, with a tighter zoom in for aiming mode.

    EDIT: With how fast the shooting is and all the skating that the Wanzers can do, I feel like a cockpit view would be difficult to play in.

    Speed wise is it (hopefully) slower then Armored Core? More like Chromehounds?

    JoJoHoraHora on
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    ElitistbElitistb Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    It is not slower than armored core. But since it operates more like a conventional 3rd person shooter, it doesn't suffer much.

    edit: I think the E.D.G.E. is probably not warranted and not a particularly good addition to this game.

    Elitistb on
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    MorkathMorkath Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited September 2010
    Review!

    Short Form: Starts off good, turns atrocious.
    It's slower than armored core, and faster than chromehounds. In the wrong places. The combat is still really fast with everyone dodging everywhere due to the skating. While getting to the combat is slow and dull due to needing to conserve the slow recharging skate for battle.

    Good things
    You have mouse control in the menus!
    You can set mouse buttons as controls!
    Has advanced video options!
    Can change controls mid-mission!
    Skating is pretty cool, reminds me kinda of heavy gear, although not as good.
    Cinematics are good as always
    Cutscenes are good, although your weapons are not the ones you chose, and sometimes ones you don't have access too yet.
    Only your main armor regens, so you can still lose your legs and be screwed.
    Decent customization choices.
    The movement feels realistic.
    Controls are decent, they start to get difficult for kb+m with 2 guns and 2 shoulder weapons though.

    Cons
    Campaign is only 5 and a half hours long! Yes I already beat it.
    Jesus fuck the multiplayer is bad, I would have had to play like 6 more games just to rank up to unlock more parts. I already had to fire into a guy 2 levels above me's back for 30 seconds just to drop his life 20%. The melee attack takes like 5 hits to do 20%. They can also just spam jump repeatedly to easily avoid the melee. Some of the much higher rank guys I couldn't even damage, or would actually heal in the middle of the fight while I was hitting them.
    The pre-order bonus mechs are pretty shitty.
    Story is not only atrocious, and completely improbable, but I really have a strong feeling they cribbed it from one of the armored core games.
    Voice acting is bad.
    The second to last boss is so redicuously broken they have a full health repair that respawns every 5 seconds.
    He has an unblockable and as far as I can tell undodgable melee attack that will kill you if you have taken more than 5% damage. He also fires two homing missiles right before this sequence, so if you aren't carrying a weapon that can easily shoot them down(read a machine gun), you are going to die instantly.
    Machine guns are only useful against bosses in later missions.
    Goes from having ammo and health kits everywhere one mission, to going multiple rooms without seeing either within a single mission.
    Plot skips ahead like content is missing.
    Mixing is atrocious, dialog/sound effects will go from whisper quiet to screaming.
    AI will always go for you, ignoring your squad mates who have been shooting at them for 30 seconds.
    Friendly AI will actively hinder you, they like to run right in front of you while you are firing.
    Enemy AI is obviously scripted to act stupidly. They will be in cover, then run out for no reason and stand there for you to shoot at.
    The on foot sections are shoddy third person shooter segments.
    Love interest;
    Your character magically falls in love with a character you speak to all of like 5 times
    Weapons lack impact, you can be unloading into a light/medium wanzer with two heavy assault rifles and they won't even react.
    You can get hit stunned into death. This is particuarly bad during the last boss fight. Also a problem with the beater wanzers, who will rush you while you are being suppressed by snipers/missile boats, and just beat you until you explode with no chance of escaping.
    Melee stops being useful around halfway through the game, the only thing you would want to use it against are other melee bots, but you end up just getting shot during the animation for a ton of damage.
    Shield is completely useless, it can only take 1-2 salvos of missiles before it is destroyed, and you can't fire your weapon while you are blocking with it.
    It has just enough potential to piss you off for the crappy job they did.
    All the legs move at roughly the same speed, only difference seems to be the amount of skating you can do before needing recharge.

    Exploit to nearly instantly kill any boss/the loadout you want for bosses.
    For bosses you want 1/2 machine guns for dealing with missiles and building EDGE, and then two rocket launchers. Why rocket launchers? Because during EDGE they have no refire delay/heat buildup. Yes you are constantly firing rockets at a non-moving target and not using ammo. A boss that would take 10-15 minutes to wear down normally now takes 30 seconds to kill.

    That's all I can think off right now.

    Morkath on
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    ElitistbElitistb Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    I guess I don't remember Armored Core being as fast as some other people remember it. The only reason I would say it might seem faster is because of the atrocious controls and slow turning rates of the mechs. For armored core, when you have a piece of equipment which just instantly turns you 90 degrees, then the game is turning too slow.

    Elitistb on
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    MorkathMorkath Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited September 2010
    Elitistb wrote: »
    I guess I don't remember Armored Core being as fast as some other people remember it. The only reason I would say it might seem faster is because of the atrocious controls and slow turning rates of the mechs. For armored core, when you have a piece of equipment which just instantly turns you 90 degrees, then the game is turning too slow.

    The last couple AC's have speed the game up considerably, also in FM you can turn pretty much instantly while skating.

    Morkath on
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    Lord_AsmodeusLord_Asmodeus goeticSobriquet: Here is your magical cryptic riddle-tumour: I AM A TIME MACHINERegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    So, is anyone else having the problem where the game begins to load up on the black screen, and then goes to a white screen and crashes?

    Lord_Asmodeus on
    Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Lincoln
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    MorkathMorkath Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited September 2010
    So, is anyone else having the problem where the game begins to load up on the black screen, and then goes to a white screen and crashes?

    Nope, try updating video drivers if you haven't already. Sounds like its crashing trying to start the intro video.
    Try running the dx installer out of the steam folder for the game too maybe.

    Morkath on
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    skaceskace Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Ouch Morkath... guess I'm not touching this. Sigh I really just want an RTS FM (for PC!) :(

    skace on
    http://picasaweb.google.com/skacer | Shiren:5413-0147-4655
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    HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    I will second the part where the game has just enough potential to make you furious that it's so mediocre.

    Also, it's bombed on steam (consider that this game has steam works so every physical copy might count toward its sales charts, yet it's still in 8th place on the charts), which means that they'll probably never get another chance to do it right.

    HadjiQuest on
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    FawstFawst The road to awe.Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    I... I didn't know this wasn't a TBS until just now.

    I'm gonna cry.

    That reminds me, some asshole borrowed my copy of FM3 like 10 years ago. I want it back, dammit. Talk about a glaring black hole in the PS Classics category on PSN.

    Fawst on
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    CorporateLogoCorporateLogo The toilet knows how I feelRegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    The multiplayer could be neat if it wasn't for balance issues and the fact that nobody's playing it online

    Shame they put the effort into a CoD style XP system when nobody's going to play it

    CorporateLogo on
    Do not have a cow, mortal.

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    BlitzAce1981BlitzAce1981 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Fawst wrote: »
    I... I didn't know this wasn't a TBS until just now.

    I'm gonna cry.

    That reminds me, some asshole borrowed my copy of FM3 like 10 years ago. I want it back, dammit. Talk about a glaring black hole in the PS Classics category on PSN.

    You could always make an EU account; FM3's on the UK store, at least.

    BlitzAce1981 on
    PSN ID - BlitzAce1981 FFXIV - Raiden Solitaire (Sargatanas)
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    schussschuss Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    4 wasn't bad, but wasn't amazing either.

    3 was ridiculo-awesome, especially since it had a fair bit of difficulty baked in if you came into it cold. I still fondly remember group knuckling people to death when the ammo was tango or their arm had been blown off.

    schuss on
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    XaviarXaviar Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Reeeaaaallly? Does it work on the PSP? PS Classics work on the PSP, yes??

    Xaviar on
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    DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Morkath wrote: »
    Review!

    Short Form: Starts off good, turns atrocious.
    It's slower than armored core, and faster than chromehounds. In the wrong places. The combat is still really fast with everyone dodging everywhere due to the skating. While getting to the combat is slow and dull due to needing to conserve the slow recharging skate for battle.

    Good things
    You have mouse control in the menus!
    You can set mouse buttons as controls!
    Has advanced video options!
    Can change controls mid-mission!
    Skating is pretty cool, reminds me kinda of heavy gear, although not as good.
    Cinematics are good as always
    Cutscenes are good, although your weapons are not the ones you chose, and sometimes ones you don't have access too yet.
    Only your main armor regens, so you can still lose your legs and be screwed.
    Decent customization choices.
    The movement feels realistic.
    Controls are decent, they start to get difficult for kb+m with 2 guns and 2 shoulder weapons though.

    Cons
    Campaign is only 5 and a half hours long! Yes I already beat it.
    Jesus fuck the multiplayer is bad, I would have had to play like 6 more games just to rank up to unlock more parts. I already had to fire into a guy 2 levels above me's back for 30 seconds just to drop his life 20%. The melee attack takes like 5 hits to do 20%. They can also just spam jump repeatedly to easily avoid the melee. Some of the much higher rank guys I couldn't even damage, or would actually heal in the middle of the fight while I was hitting them.
    The pre-order bonus mechs are pretty shitty.
    Story is not only atrocious, and completely improbable, but I really have a strong feeling they cribbed it from one of the armored core games.
    Voice acting is bad.
    The second to last boss is so redicuously broken they have a full health repair that respawns every 5 seconds.
    He has an unblockable and as far as I can tell undodgable melee attack that will kill you if you have taken more than 5% damage. He also fires two homing missiles right before this sequence, so if you aren't carrying a weapon that can easily shoot them down(read a machine gun), you are going to die instantly.
    Machine guns are only useful against bosses in later missions.
    Goes from having ammo and health kits everywhere one mission, to going multiple rooms without seeing either within a single mission.
    Plot skips ahead like content is missing.
    Mixing is atrocious, dialog/sound effects will go from whisper quiet to screaming.
    AI will always go for you, ignoring your squad mates who have been shooting at them for 30 seconds.
    Friendly AI will actively hinder you, they like to run right in front of you while you are firing.
    Enemy AI is obviously scripted to act stupidly. They will be in cover, then run out for no reason and stand there for you to shoot at.
    The on foot sections are shoddy third person shooter segments.
    Love interest;
    Your character magically falls in love with a character you speak to all of like 5 times
    Weapons lack impact, you can be unloading into a light/medium wanzer with two heavy assault rifles and they won't even react.
    You can get hit stunned into death. This is particuarly bad during the last boss fight. Also a problem with the beater wanzers, who will rush you while you are being suppressed by snipers/missile boats, and just beat you until you explode with no chance of escaping.
    Melee stops being useful around halfway through the game, the only thing you would want to use it against are other melee bots, but you end up just getting shot during the animation for a ton of damage.
    Shield is completely useless, it can only take 1-2 salvos of missiles before it is destroyed, and you can't fire your weapon while you are blocking with it.
    It has just enough potential to piss you off for the crappy job they did.
    All the legs move at roughly the same speed, only difference seems to be the amount of skating you can do before needing recharge.

    Exploit to nearly instantly kill any boss/the loadout you want for bosses.
    For bosses you want 1/2 machine guns for dealing with missiles and building EDGE, and then two rocket launchers. Why rocket launchers? Because during EDGE they have no refire delay/heat buildup. Yes you are constantly firing rockets at a non-moving target and not using ammo. A boss that would take 10-15 minutes to wear down normally now takes 30 seconds to kill.

    That's all I can think off right now.

    ...Wow...well, thanks for the heads up.

    Sounds like they tried to make AC but failed miserably.

    Dragkonias on
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    Lord_AsmodeusLord_Asmodeus goeticSobriquet: Here is your magical cryptic riddle-tumour: I AM A TIME MACHINERegistered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Morkath wrote: »
    So, is anyone else having the problem where the game begins to load up on the black screen, and then goes to a white screen and crashes?

    Nope, try updating video drivers if you haven't already. Sounds like its crashing trying to start the intro video.
    Try running the dx installer out of the steam folder for the game too maybe.

    Well, my drivers are fully updated, I ran the installer... and it still doesn't work. Maybe my video card just isn't up to snuff? I'm using my laptop because my PC has a problem with it's connection where it just has a terrible terrible connection, so I can't even download the game on my PC.

    Lord_Asmodeus on
    Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if Labor had not first existed. Labor is superior to capital, and deserves much the higher consideration. - Lincoln
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    Hiryu02Hiryu02 Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    Morkath wrote: »
    Review!

    /snip.

    That's all I can think off right now.

    FUCK.

    Hiryu02 on
    Sev: Your gameplay is the most heavily yomi based around. Usually you look for characters that allow you to force guessing situations for big dmg. Even if the guess is mathematically nowhere near in your favor lol. You're happiest when you have either a 50/50, 33/33/33 or even a 75/25 situation to go crazy with. And you will take big risks to force those situations to come up.
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    HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited September 2010
    I just played a couple matches where everyone else was so high level that my weapons and builds couldn't even hurt them at all. My entire team ragequit because the team balancing broke and put 3 high-level guys with super mechs against three lowly scrubs like myself.

    And the worst part is there are only around 20 people playing at any given time, it seems, so I just keep getting stuck against those same guys.

    HadjiQuest on
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    KazakaKazaka Asleep Counting SheepRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Man, I fucking love the idea of skating.

    Quick someone make a new armored core


    I wish a quality dev team would take up a giant robot game and just make it completely fucking awesome. That would be my Halo.

    Kazaka on
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    Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Armored Core was great when it was the post-apocalyptic mercenary setup where the mechs tended to have a sense of weight and power to them. Then the series degenerated into everything flying around at Mach 2 with energy shields and nearly every boss fight turning into a race to lowest common cheapness so you could win without being wrecked by 30 straight seconds of perfectly-aimed machine gun fire. Also, the story became more and more prominent with "branching" paths with lame writing where you inevitably get funneled towards fights that make you want to microwave the disc because you don't have your mech exactly perfectly built to fight a certain way.

    I'd kill for a decent big-budget mech game too, but the chances of that happening with Japanese devs is pretty low. And the chances of a Western dev making a major effort at the genre are probably even lower. I don't really know of any Western devs who have experience in the genre anyway, so even if they could come up with great story and presentation, they would basically have to pull off great mech combat out of absolutely nowhere.

    Ninja Snarl P on
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    HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I still dislike traditional Western Mech designs.

    That said, Mech Warrior 5 is still somewhere on the horizon. I hope they make it less of an inaccessible, self-congratulatory mess like that series has kind of traditionally been. If they could mix the arcade gameplay from Mech Assault 1 and 2 in with the heavier focus on customization and aesthetics, that would be a good time. Somewhere halfway between those two sister series, where I can mouse aim and use WASD, but where there's still a lot of simulation-style elements.

    HadjiQuest on
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    OlivawOlivaw good name, isn't it? the foot of mt fujiRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I hate how in Armored Core it's like "hey you can customize your mech however you want!" but all that means is you can customize how you want to lose unless you want to win in which case you build a light, fast, dash-y mech because slow mechs with lots of firepower suck balls

    Ugh

    Olivaw on
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    MorkathMorkath Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
    edited October 2010
    Olivaw wrote: »
    I hate how in Armored Core it's like "hey you can customize your mech however you want!" but all that means is you can customize how you want to lose unless you want to win in which case you build a light, fast, dash-y mech because slow mechs with lots of firepower suck balls

    Ugh

    Yeah, if they made it so the heavier mechs got actual shields that blocked 100% of damage, that would "fix it" probably.

    But when you base score/money earned on damage taken, and have no repair options, giving only a damage reducing shield that is ignored by some weapons is pretty dumb.

    I would love to see a chromehounds 2, that fixed the issues of the first one. Hell I think the first would have lasted a lot longer had they actually dealt with the balance issues more quickly.

    Morkath on
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    Zoku GojiraZoku Gojira Monster IslandRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Dragkonias wrote: »
    Sounds like they tried to make AC but failed miserably.

    They tried to make Mechassault and failed.

    Zoku Gojira on
    "Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are." - Bertolt Brecht
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    AkilaeAkilae Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Olivaw wrote: »
    I hate how in Armored Core it's like "hey you can customize your mech however you want!" but all that means is you can customize how you want to lose unless you want to win in which case you build a light, fast, dash-y mech because slow mechs with lots of firepower suck balls

    Ugh

    Heavy with lots of firepower was entirely doable in Armored Core 3. I remember putting together a tread design with bazookas, howitzers, and chain guns that spanked everything. Then they broke all that in 4 and 4A...

    Akilae on
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    Ninja Snarl PNinja Snarl P My helmet is my burden. Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    HadjiQuest wrote: »
    I still dislike traditional Western Mech designs.

    That said, Mech Warrior 5 is still somewhere on the horizon. I hope they make it less of an inaccessible, self-congratulatory mess like that series has kind of traditionally been. If they could mix the arcade gameplay from Mech Assault 1 and 2 in with the heavier focus on customization and aesthetics, that would be a good time. Somewhere halfway between those two sister series, where I can mouse aim and use WASD, but where there's still a lot of simulation-style elements.

    The Mechwarrior series has never been something which really relied much on common-sense mech design. It was built off an RPG, so the mech designs are all meant to be more about being identifiable, both in a visual sense and in how they appeal to players. Logically speaking, there is just no way a 100-ton mech of huge complexity like in Mechwarrior is going to being able to take a single hit from a 100-ton tank which would infinitely simpler and easier to build and drive. Which is a tough thing for the series, because if they try to be too believable, the game won't sense. But if they completely throw believability out the window, you end up getting chased around by a mech skull as a final boss.

    Conversely, I really don't like the general Japanese approach to mech combat or design. A 100-ton walking tank isn't going to be able to whip around a city like a jet fighter on steroids; not only would the machine tear itself to pieces, the G-forces would turn the pilot into a thin, greasy smear. It doesn't matter how plucky that 13 year-old is or how much he loves peace and hates war but has to fight or else, going from a couple hundreds miles an hour to zero in less than a second does bad things to a person.

    And thus the problem. The Japanese devs are the ones with the experience in making mech games, but they only want to make crazy metal ninjas. The Western devs would have a grounded approach to mech design and story, but so very, very few of them would have any idea of where to even start with a decent mech game.

    All of which makes what this latest game has done to the Front Mission series a real shame. The strategy was fun, building mechs was fun, the RPG elements were fun, and the mech designs had at least a nod towards common sense, but then it all gets chucked out the window for another Gundam-wannabe game. And when the game followed its own traditional, at least it had a reliable following, but now? People who liked the turn-based combat are going to hate the regular combat and people who would be willing to try the new combat aren't going to have any clue that the game even exists.

    Ninja Snarl P on
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    LanrutconLanrutcon The LabyrinthRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Wasn't there a thread a few months back about turn-based vs realtime? And most people shat all over turn-based because it's 'outdated' and 'boring'?

    Lanrutcon on
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    CherrnCherrn Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Mechwarrior is not inaccessible at all, it just appears that way. If I could figure out MW2 without any trouble when I was 12 years old, anyone can. There are just a few more steps between pointing and shooting a dude.

    Cherrn on
    All creature will die and all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai.
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    DragkoniasDragkonias That Guy Who Does Stuff You Know, There. Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Lanrutcon wrote: »
    Wasn't there a thread a few months back about turn-based vs realtime? And most people shat all over turn-based because it's 'outdated' and 'boring'?

    I don't think it is turn-based vs realtime as much as it is fun vs horrible.

    Like even though FM has been about turn-based combat I would have given the new one a swing if it sounded good.

    Problem I have is that, like most of SE's low budget games this gen...it looks pretty bad.

    Dragkonias on
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    HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Cherrn wrote: »
    Mechwarrior is not inaccessible at all, it just appears that way. If I could figure out MW2 without any trouble when I was 12 years old, anyone can. There are just a few more steps between pointing and shooting a dude.

    I just feel like it's a new era. I certainly don't want to play a game that uses poorly implemented flight-stick-mapped-to-keyboard controls like that anymore. What did MW2 play like on the PSX?

    HadjiQuest on
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    BonepartBonepart Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I was thinking of getting this, but now I'm kinda glad I didn't :(

    Bonepart on
    XBL Gamertag: Ipori
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    CherrnCherrn Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    HadjiQuest wrote: »
    Cherrn wrote: »
    Mechwarrior is not inaccessible at all, it just appears that way. If I could figure out MW2 without any trouble when I was 12 years old, anyone can. There are just a few more steps between pointing and shooting a dude.

    I just feel like it's a new era. I certainly don't want to play a game that uses poorly implemented flight-stick-mapped-to-keyboard controls like that anymore. What did MW2 play like on the PSX?

    Oh, I'm sure the controls will have to be significantly revamped, especially since it has to be playable with a 360 controller. But I don't think they have to change the systems themselves that much; Mechwarrior at its most complicated doesn't even scratch the surface of something like Armored Core.

    Cherrn on
    All creature will die and all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai.
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    HadjiQuestHadjiQuest Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Cherrn wrote: »
    HadjiQuest wrote: »
    Cherrn wrote: »
    Mechwarrior is not inaccessible at all, it just appears that way. If I could figure out MW2 without any trouble when I was 12 years old, anyone can. There are just a few more steps between pointing and shooting a dude.

    I just feel like it's a new era. I certainly don't want to play a game that uses poorly implemented flight-stick-mapped-to-keyboard controls like that anymore. What did MW2 play like on the PSX?

    Oh, I'm sure the controls will have to be significantly revamped, especially since it has to be playable with a 360 controller. But I don't think they have to change the systems themselves that much; Mechwarrior at its most complicated doesn't even scratch the surface of something like Armored Core.

    That's true, I just mainly meant speeding up the gameplay a little and making the controls a lot more streamlined while also keeping all of the hardcore "simulation" features, although maybe shifting them to the background a bit more (unnecessary for newbies, but around for diehards to still take advantage of).

    Really I am talking about just finding a medium between stat loving, sim-driven hardcore stuff like mechwarrior and completely banal, featureless action stuff like this game (Front Mission Evolved, of course).

    It'd probably be Mech Assault with cockpit view and ton of customization, stats-focus, and simulation elements integrated into it.

    That is my new dream mech game, because I just don't trust Japan to make decent ones anymore.

    HadjiQuest on
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    CherrnCherrn Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Man, we really haven't had a great mech game in ages. I hope the MW 5 guys get on that.

    Cherrn on
    All creature will die and all the things will be broken. That's the law of samurai.
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    SiliconStewSiliconStew Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    Yeah, 15 years since Mechwarrior 2, 11 for Heavy Gear, and 8 years since Steel Battalion. Chromehounds could have been great but was hamstrung by the poor balancing.

    Hadji, to get that simulation feel, you have to slow the game down, not speed it up. You can't do sim stuff like monitor heat levels, fiddle with weapon groupings, or mitigate system damage if you can die in under 5 seconds.


    While this game has the aesthetic feel of Front Mission and a similar level of customization to the past games, any depth is lost in the actual gameplay. There's no combined arms strategy or tactics involved. It's just load up as much armor and weapons as you can afford and mash the fire button when then enemies run straight at you or pop out of cover every 3 seconds and mash the repair button otherwise. Plus for a game series about mechs, why am I fighting on foot every other mission?

    SiliconStew on
    Just remember that half the people you meet are below average intelligence.
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    Mysterious GamerMysterious Gamer Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I pre order this game mostly because i liked FM 4 and because I'm a huge Armored Core fan AC: for answer being my favorite. this game certainly isn't an amazing game but I'm sure anyone who is a mech sim fan will love it. The EDGE system thing doesn't really break the game (i barely remember to use it.) and even though the story is rather painful at some point's the game play is quite good.

    My biggest complaint is the online multi-player. the only game mode I've been able to play is death match because every time i try to start a team based game you HAVE to have at least eight players before the game will even start. The matchmaking online is just horrible and takes forever.

    Mysterious Gamer on
    I am new to the Forum's, but long time follower of Penny Arcade so don't be a stranger :mrgreen:
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
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    RoxtarRoxtar Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I would say this game is decent, but not great. Multi gets more bearable as you rank up, for some reason gear progression is linear so the higher rank you are the FLAT better the gear. Makes the beginnings of multi pretty rough though. Game overall is a C+ in my opinion, and thats from a mech junkie so take that for what you will.

    Worst part is this game has MAJOR bugs and is in bad need of a patch. There is a bug you may or may not get that seems to be associated with having dual shoulder missle launchers or certain variant setups. Its a game breaking multiplayer bug that pretty much blinds you (makes a majority of the screen just black out). Switching configurations of your mech seems to solve it, but it will continue if you use the same setup. Really REALLY f'ing annoying.

    Roxtar on
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    DartboyDartboy Registered User regular
    edited October 2010
    I picked this up earlier and was playing through it. It's not super great, but it's not terrible either. I did run into a couple bugs that required restarting the mission (scripts not firing right, NPCs just standing there when they should be moving somewhere). Plot really jumps around without adequately explaining anything. Like right at the beginning, the bad guys took the city because apparently the entire military base was unmanned or something? And I'm guessing some of the backstory stuff they refer to happened in the previous games (I've only played 1 and 3). Also, does anything in the Front Mission world not use an acronym?

    Haven't played multiplayer yet, but yeah from looking at the stats the starting gear it gives you sucks ass. Seems odd they'd lock gear progression like that.

    Dartboy on
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    KazakaKazaka Asleep Counting SheepRegistered User regular
    edited October 2010
    HadjiQuest wrote: »
    I still dislike traditional Western Mech designs.

    That said, Mech Warrior 5 is still somewhere on the horizon. I hope they make it less of an inaccessible, self-congratulatory mess like that series has kind of traditionally been. If they could mix the arcade gameplay from Mech Assault 1 and 2 in with the heavier focus on customization and aesthetics, that would be a good time. Somewhere halfway between those two sister series, where I can mouse aim and use WASD, but where there's still a lot of simulation-style elements.

    ...
    Conversely, I really don't like the general Japanese approach to mech combat or design. A 100-ton walking tank isn't going to be able to whip around a city like a jet fighter on steroids; not only would the machine tear itself to pieces, the G-forces would turn the pilot into a thin, greasy smear. It doesn't matter how plucky that 13 year-old is or how much he loves peace and hates war but has to fight or else, going from a couple hundreds miles an hour to zero in less than a second does bad things to a person.
    ...
    I laughed

    In all seriousness I kind of enjoy the speedier mecha, but I also enjoy a slower combat as well. The problem is these cannot be mixed. Either make every mecha fast or slow - don't give me the illusion of choice so that when I deploy my loaded-for-bear tank-treads mecha it doesn't get plinked to shreds by a bunch of speedy waifs packing the most unbalanced gear.

    Kazaka on
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