Alright, so I finally got to spend some time with NBA 2K12 after Steam took its sweet ass time downloading it. Messed around a bit with practice modes and did the quick play game of the day (Heat vs. Mavs). Initial thoughts.
-2K servers are dead. Hopefully they'll be up soon.
-360 controller support.
-Some nice changes to practice. There's a "training camp" mode where you play as a current star while being mentored by one of the game's legends in various aspects of the game (jumpshots, dunks/layups, post defense, etc). Very nice addition for new players and returning vets that need a refresher.
-Freestyle practice tooltips are gone. Major bummer.
-Team and player ratings are updated for this year, but rosters are the same as they were at the close of last season due to the lockout. I think the "quick game of the day" is perpetually locked on Heat vs. Mavs right now as it was the same game on the 4th and 5th. This is either due to the 2K servers being incapacitated or the lockout, not sure which.
-Presentation and animations are refined and feel that much more natural over 2K11. There seems to be more sponsorship and it's more blatant this year, but that adds to the authenticity in sports games. There doesn't seem to be any change at all in the quality of the graphics, but that's fine as 2K11 looked freaking fantastic. Animations do seem smoother and more natural, and some player models are improved (Kobe). Still getting chop during post-game wrap highlight reels, and I had some stuttering during the final couple minutes of the game. I've only played the one game though, so it may (and most likely was) have just been a fluke. Game is perfectly smooth otherwise.
-Menu system is less retarded this year. List view instead of the awful grid system from last year. Game opens up to a fancy mode select menu instead of quick game, though flicking RS opens up the deeper menu options. Huge improvement overall in this area.
-Color commentary doesn't wear as thin and get as repetitive as quickly. It's a 3 person commentary team this year with Steve Kerr joining the squad from 2K11. Despite what most people seem to think, I thought the commentary was helpful last year and is at least as helpful this year. It's more in-depth and the game delivers it more intelligently this year.
-Soundtrack is much lighter on hip-hop this year, thankfully. There's still some of it in here, and almost all of it horrendous, but you can edit the playlist like last year. I've never been thrilled by the music selection in sports games anyway, but it's more bearable this year than usual. I would still love a "custom beats" or playlist mode though.
-Advanced moves like behind the back transfers and spin moves are easier to pull off. No more half stick rotation bullshit this year, or at least the controls are more forgiving. Can't confirm as I haven't gotten this far in training camp (and the aforementioned disabling of tooltips in freestlye, grr), but LT+LS rotate does spin moves while LS rotate does behind the back. Hand direction seems to still matter though, so rotate clockwise from right to left and vice versa.
-You need to unlock classic teams through NBA's Greatest before they're available in quick matches, so don't freak out when you can't find them like I did :P.
-Kidd shoots 60% with seven 3's and 25 points and I still lose. Fuck the Heat.
I honestly was not expecting to be as excited for a sports game as I was for this, and aside from maybe DX:HR I haven't been as excited for a game this year. 2K12 kind of took me completely by surprise as I didn't really read anything on it until a week or so before release, and everything I read on it made me really hyped to check it out. It delivers. If 2K ports the Jordan content from 2K11 into this, which I realize is most likely a longshot but would be a smart move to generate revenue during the lockout, I don't ever see myself going back. 2K already gave in this year with paid DLC, so they might as well go all out and give it to us. I'd rather pay for the Jordan content than pay to play as the legendary teams in online, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this.
so I literally JUST built a new computer. Like, finished iron the kinks out of it this afternoon.
Crysis could not have picked a better time to go on sale.
Pretty fucking great so far, though I'm only like 30 minutes into it. I'm able to run it with all settings on Very High and 2xAA without any framerate drop, so it looks gorgeous. Only complaint is that the suit power seems really short.
You can drop out of cloak, shotgun someone in the face, then re-cloak in the middle of a crowd of enemies while hardly losing any suit energy and they still won't know where you are.
You can tweak an ini file someplace to give your suit more power/make powers drain slower. I dunno, I found it more amusing to play that way, but it did kind of suck what challenge there was out. of course, I've only played Crysis like a sandbox style game of shoot the korean so I've never made it very far. I have, on the other hand, thrown many mans, into many things.
People keep forgetting you can hide in the hg foliage by simply crouching, with using cloak. I burnt through so much energy before thinking to try that.
how many new co-op levels are there in the Portal 2 dlc?
Also, is the new DLC included in the initial download? Edit: Whoops, missed the answer to his Q. Now do mine!
If you had Portal 2 installed before the DLC was released, it will auto-update. If you didn't have it installed, it will be included in the initial download.
So, tried out some old single player Crysis demo, and was surprised to find it would run on my PC. Not well, and not pretty, but did.
Guess I'm asking is it both fun enough beyond the prettiness and the demo was a prerelease demo. Am wondering if anything else tweakwise happened that might make things more of a pain. Also curious if any Brits or Aussies would be open to trade me it for something around 4-5 dollars since you guys get it for roughly 4 bucks while in the US it's 7.50
The release version did have some optimizations, I think some later patches spiffed it up a bit too.
Also, if you're just playing to mess around, the game is a goldmine. If you're playing to actually finish the game.. eh, the later like... fourth of the game isn't too thrilling, but nothing terrible. I think its a good game though even without the prettiness. I'll randomly boot it up just to see what new way I can clear out the first couple of camps for giggles. (First time was pure stealth, second time I tossed exploding barrels, third time I punched things to death, fourth time I ran up and grabbed a jeep and ran some bitches down, fourth time I swam out to a boat, beat those guys up,a nd used the boat to fly up on the beach and hit someone, fifth time I tried to be a sniper, sixth time I just ran past, seventh I tried the human shield approach...)
Just exploring and getting used to the mechanics for the 1st half is quite fun. After that it's mostly grind. As choco said, there's lots of different play styles available, of which using only improvised weapons is the best (note: fact).
Lord_SnotЖиву за выходныеAmerican ValhallaRegistered Userregular
Okay, I was holding off buying the HIB, but I can't resist the combined attraction of Trine and Spacechem. Gotta get that now.
I've finally got around to playing Alpha Protocol, and it's very good, I'm not having any problems with the mini-games on KBAM. So far it seems pretty good. Also, I can add Crysis to my backlog. God damnit.
Also, Orcs Must Die! Is one of the best pure-fun games I've played in ages, I do wish there was multiplayer co-op, though.
Alright, so I finally got to spend some time with NBA 2K12 after Steam took its sweet ass time downloading it. Messed around a bit with practice modes and did the quick play game of the day (Heat vs. Mavs). Initial thoughts.
-2K servers are dead. Hopefully they'll be up soon.
-360 controller support.
-Some nice changes to practice. There's a "training camp" mode where you play as a current star while being mentored by one of the game's legends in various aspects of the game (jumpshots, dunks/layups, post defense, etc). Very nice addition for new players and returning vets that need a refresher.
-Freestyle practice tooltips are gone. Major bummer.
-Team and player ratings are updated for this year, but rosters are the same as they were at the close of last season due to the lockout. I think the "quick game of the day" is perpetually locked on Heat vs. Mavs right now as it was the same game on the 4th and 5th. This is either due to the 2K servers being incapacitated or the lockout, not sure which.
-Presentation and animations are refined and feel that much more natural over 2K11. There seems to be more sponsorship and it's more blatant this year, but that adds to the authenticity in sports games. There doesn't seem to be any change at all in the quality of the graphics, but that's fine as 2K11 looked freaking fantastic. Animations do seem smoother and more natural, and some player models are improved (Kobe). Still getting chop during post-game wrap highlight reels, and I had some stuttering during the final couple minutes of the game. I've only played the one game though, so it may (and most likely was) have just been a fluke. Game is perfectly smooth otherwise.
-Menu system is less retarded this year. List view instead of the awful grid system from last year. Game opens up to a fancy mode select menu instead of quick game, though flicking RS opens up the deeper menu options. Huge improvement overall in this area.
-Color commentary doesn't wear as thin and get as repetitive as quickly. It's a 3 person commentary team this year with Steve Kerr joining the squad from 2K11. Despite what most people seem to think, I thought the commentary was helpful last year and is at least as helpful this year. It's more in-depth and the game delivers it more intelligently this year.
-Soundtrack is much lighter on hip-hop this year, thankfully. There's still some of it in here, and almost all of it horrendous, but you can edit the playlist like last year. I've never been thrilled by the music selection in sports games anyway, but it's more bearable this year than usual. I would still love a "custom beats" or playlist mode though.
-Advanced moves like behind the back transfers and spin moves are easier to pull off. No more half stick rotation bullshit this year, or at least the controls are more forgiving. Can't confirm as I haven't gotten this far in training camp (and the aforementioned disabling of tooltips in freestlye, grr), but LT+LS rotate does spin moves while LS rotate does behind the back. Hand direction seems to still matter though, so rotate clockwise from right to left and vice versa.
-You need to unlock classic teams through NBA's Greatest before they're available in quick matches, so don't freak out when you can't find them like I did :P.
-Kidd shoots 60% with seven 3's and 25 points and I still lose. Fuck the Heat.
I honestly was not expecting to be as excited for a sports game as I was for this, and aside from maybe DX:HR I haven't been as excited for a game this year. 2K12 kind of took me completely by surprise as I didn't really read anything on it until a week or so before release, and everything I read on it made me really hyped to check it out. It delivers. If 2K ports the Jordan content from 2K11 into this, which I realize is most likely a longshot but would be a smart move to generate revenue during the lockout, I don't ever see myself going back. 2K already gave in this year with paid DLC, so they might as well go all out and give it to us. I'd rather pay for the Jordan content than pay to play as the legendary teams in online, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this.
Thanks for the in-depth review! I may be picking this up as soon as tonight. I'm guessing you're using the 360 controller? If I can convince my friend to let me borrow a Dualshock I'm pretty sure I'll pick it up. I don't fancy having to use a keyboard.
360 pad, yes. Keyboard controls feel awkward just in the menus. Can't imagine what they're like in-game.
I played a couple more games last night and had absolutely no issues with stuttering. The only consistent issue seems to be the post-game reel chop, but that has absolutely no impact on how the game performs during games.
One neat addition I noticed last night: jerseys move and flow a bit when you switch photos in the pressbook. I'm not sure I understand the need for jersey movement in still photographs, but it's a cool looking touch regardless. Also, there are outdoor aerial shots of the arenas shown between halves that are actual footage instead of in-game models. Not quite sure how I feel about the presentation aspect, but I don't recall ever seeing them in 2K11 so it's cool just to have them.
Grah, why would you add SpaceChem to a bundle of games I mostly already own?! UNFAIR
SpaceChem has it's own separate steam key, you could gift the games you already own. (There's a key for Frozen Synapse (and Trauma?), then one for all of the Frost Byte Bundle)
Well, I went ahead and got 2k12, despite not having a controller at the moment to play it. I just got too excited looking at the classic teams. 70-71 Bucks? 93-94 Rockets? Yes please.
XBL: Flex MythoMass
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Sir CarcassI have been shown the end of my worldRound Rock, TXRegistered Userregular
Wow, NBA 2k12 is only 30 bucks. Still way out of my range, but that's pretty awesome. Hopefully it'll show up in one of the big sales.
Been wanting that game.. Now there's three games in the bundle I want - World of Goo, Trauma and SpaceChem. Time to stop putting off punching in that cc number.
Been wanting that game.. Now there's three games in the bundle I want - World of Goo, Trauma and SpaceChem. Time to stop putting off punching in that cc number.
AFAIK, World of Goo was only in the first HiB. It's not part of this one.
I ordered a boxed copy of Portal 2 with an old gift card I've been holding on to. After shipping and tax it was 10.50, so I still came out ahead. Keep in mind I didn't think about them putting the game on sale along with the DLC but I should have. Just finished installing and now I'm downloading the patches+DLC.
Having trouble resisting the current Humble Indie Bundle.
Does anyone else pay the suggested price? I feel bad not doing so, for some reason. I realize that's not exactly the point of suggesting a price.
really dumb, but I haven't bought it because I feel bad about not having enough money to meet the suggested price. From what I remember, theyg have to pay a fee if you Pay less than a certain amount.
I feel bad for already owning most of the games in the current Humble Indie Bundle, because it's a cool idea and I'd like to support the devs.
I had $5 in my PayPal account, so when they added Trauma to the bundle-which-I-already-own-everything-from-other-than-the-preorders, I was all, "Okay - give that all to charity."
Posts
-2K servers are dead. Hopefully they'll be up soon.
-360 controller support.
-Some nice changes to practice. There's a "training camp" mode where you play as a current star while being mentored by one of the game's legends in various aspects of the game (jumpshots, dunks/layups, post defense, etc). Very nice addition for new players and returning vets that need a refresher.
-Freestyle practice tooltips are gone. Major bummer.
-Team and player ratings are updated for this year, but rosters are the same as they were at the close of last season due to the lockout. I think the "quick game of the day" is perpetually locked on Heat vs. Mavs right now as it was the same game on the 4th and 5th. This is either due to the 2K servers being incapacitated or the lockout, not sure which.
-Presentation and animations are refined and feel that much more natural over 2K11. There seems to be more sponsorship and it's more blatant this year, but that adds to the authenticity in sports games. There doesn't seem to be any change at all in the quality of the graphics, but that's fine as 2K11 looked freaking fantastic. Animations do seem smoother and more natural, and some player models are improved (Kobe). Still getting chop during post-game wrap highlight reels, and I had some stuttering during the final couple minutes of the game. I've only played the one game though, so it may (and most likely was) have just been a fluke. Game is perfectly smooth otherwise.
-Menu system is less retarded this year. List view instead of the awful grid system from last year. Game opens up to a fancy mode select menu instead of quick game, though flicking RS opens up the deeper menu options. Huge improvement overall in this area.
-Color commentary doesn't wear as thin and get as repetitive as quickly. It's a 3 person commentary team this year with Steve Kerr joining the squad from 2K11. Despite what most people seem to think, I thought the commentary was helpful last year and is at least as helpful this year. It's more in-depth and the game delivers it more intelligently this year.
-Soundtrack is much lighter on hip-hop this year, thankfully. There's still some of it in here, and almost all of it horrendous, but you can edit the playlist like last year. I've never been thrilled by the music selection in sports games anyway, but it's more bearable this year than usual. I would still love a "custom beats" or playlist mode though.
-Advanced moves like behind the back transfers and spin moves are easier to pull off. No more half stick rotation bullshit this year, or at least the controls are more forgiving. Can't confirm as I haven't gotten this far in training camp (and the aforementioned disabling of tooltips in freestlye, grr), but LT+LS rotate does spin moves while LS rotate does behind the back. Hand direction seems to still matter though, so rotate clockwise from right to left and vice versa.
-You need to unlock classic teams through NBA's Greatest before they're available in quick matches, so don't freak out when you can't find them like I did :P.
-Kidd shoots 60% with seven 3's and 25 points and I still lose. Fuck the Heat.
I honestly was not expecting to be as excited for a sports game as I was for this, and aside from maybe DX:HR I haven't been as excited for a game this year. 2K12 kind of took me completely by surprise as I didn't really read anything on it until a week or so before release, and everything I read on it made me really hyped to check it out. It delivers. If 2K ports the Jordan content from 2K11 into this, which I realize is most likely a longshot but would be a smart move to generate revenue during the lockout, I don't ever see myself going back. 2K already gave in this year with paid DLC, so they might as well go all out and give it to us. I'd rather pay for the Jordan content than pay to play as the legendary teams in online, and I'm sure I'm not alone in this.
9 chambers!
Crysis could not have picked a better time to go on sale.
Pretty fucking great so far, though I'm only like 30 minutes into it. I'm able to run it with all settings on Very High and 2xAA without any framerate drop, so it looks gorgeous. Only complaint is that the suit power seems really short.
You can drop out of cloak, shotgun someone in the face, then re-cloak in the middle of a crowd of enemies while hardly losing any suit energy and they still won't know where you are.
Because the Nanosuit literally turns you into the Predator.
Also, is the new DLC included in the initial download? Edit: Whoops, missed the answer to his Q. Now do mine!
If you had Portal 2 installed before the DLC was released, it will auto-update. If you didn't have it installed, it will be included in the initial download.
Twitter: busfahrer -- Quake Live: busfahrer -- StarCraft II: busfahrer.184 (EU)
Guess I'm asking is it both fun enough beyond the prettiness and the demo was a prerelease demo. Am wondering if anything else tweakwise happened that might make things more of a pain. Also curious if any Brits or Aussies would be open to trade me it for something around 4-5 dollars since you guys get it for roughly 4 bucks while in the US it's 7.50
Also, if you're just playing to mess around, the game is a goldmine. If you're playing to actually finish the game.. eh, the later like... fourth of the game isn't too thrilling, but nothing terrible. I think its a good game though even without the prettiness. I'll randomly boot it up just to see what new way I can clear out the first couple of camps for giggles. (First time was pure stealth, second time I tossed exploding barrels, third time I punched things to death, fourth time I ran up and grabbed a jeep and ran some bitches down, fourth time I swam out to a boat, beat those guys up,a nd used the boat to fly up on the beach and hit someone, fifth time I tried to be a sniper, sixth time I just ran past, seventh I tried the human shield approach...)
It's awesome, but hurts my brain!
The harder the rain, honey, the sweeter the sun.
edit: and space chem is installed just in time for my lunch
Steam ID: Good Life
I've finally got around to playing Alpha Protocol, and it's very good, I'm not having any problems with the mini-games on KBAM. So far it seems pretty good. Also, I can add Crysis to my backlog. God damnit.
Also, Orcs Must Die! Is one of the best pure-fun games I've played in ages, I do wish there was multiplayer co-op, though.
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Steam ID: Good Life
Thanks for the in-depth review! I may be picking this up as soon as tonight. I'm guessing you're using the 360 controller? If I can convince my friend to let me borrow a Dualshock I'm pretty sure I'll pick it up. I don't fancy having to use a keyboard.
I played a couple more games last night and had absolutely no issues with stuttering. The only consistent issue seems to be the post-game reel chop, but that has absolutely no impact on how the game performs during games.
One neat addition I noticed last night: jerseys move and flow a bit when you switch photos in the pressbook. I'm not sure I understand the need for jersey movement in still photographs, but it's a cool looking touch regardless. Also, there are outdoor aerial shots of the arenas shown between halves that are actual footage instead of in-game models. Not quite sure how I feel about the presentation aspect, but I don't recall ever seeing them in 2K11 so it's cool just to have them.
Doesn't look like it, but according to twitter 2K's been actively working on it.
EDIT: I can briefly connect for about 5 seconds or so before being dropped again. So progress, but still pretty useless.
SpaceChem has it's own separate steam key, you could gift the games you already own. (There's a key for Frozen Synapse (and Trauma?), then one for all of the Frost Byte Bundle)
Steam ID: Good Life
Steam Support is the worst. Seriously, the worst
Been wanting that game.. Now there's three games in the bundle I want - World of Goo, Trauma and SpaceChem. Time to stop putting off punching in that cc number.
AFAIK, World of Goo was only in the first HiB. It's not part of this one.
Does anyone else pay the suggested price? I feel bad not doing so, for some reason. I realize that's not exactly the point of suggesting a price.
really dumb, but I haven't bought it because I feel bad about not having enough money to meet the suggested price. From what I remember, theyg have to pay a fee if you Pay less than a certain amount.
I had $5 in my PayPal account, so when they added Trauma to the bundle-which-I-already-own-everything-from-other-than-the-preorders, I was all, "Okay - give that all to charity."
Steam: Elvenshae // PSN: Elvenshae // WotC: Elvenshae
Wilds of Aladrion: [https://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/comment/43159014/#Comment_43159014]Ellandryn[/url]
Steam ID: Good Life
Yes, you're such a dick for supporting charity.
(I do the same thing)