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Strength.Training.Guile. [Mass Effect].The Special Tasks Group needs you.USE SPOILER TAGS

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  • StiltsStilts Registered User regular
    Shorty wrote: »
    Orca wrote: »
    Well, ok. The critics correctly panned the technical problems and wonky shooting--though I maintain they were too harsh. ME1's shooting is worse!

    But what they were trying to do with the storytelling and dialog was impressive, and from what I remember, that was acknowledged.

    my main problem with the story of Alpha Protocol was with the player character (mike? was that his name?)

    the fact that you could change your dialogue approach on the fly made it seem like he didn't have a character of his own

    having every personality is essentially having no personality

    and the mechanics just weren't good enough for me to put up with a game full of characters I didn't give a shit about

    though the crazy guy voiced by Nolan North almost made it worthwhile

    I like how Dragon Age II solved this problem

    It took your first few responses and tweaked incidental dialogue based on that

    So if you went snarky the first few times, you could still pick other options but still be mostly a smartass

    Yeah, DA2 had a fantastic dialogue system.

    IKknkhU.gif
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    Pharezon wrote: »
    VtM: Bloodlines is one of the RPGs ever created.

    it is certainly an RPG that was created, this is true

  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    Shorty wrote: »
    Pharezon wrote: »
    VtM: Bloodlines is one of the RPGs ever created.

    it is certainly an RPG that was created, this is true

    Goddamn it. It's one of the best.

    jkZziGc.png
  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    I can't do a run of DA2 as anything but snarky

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    Shorty wrote: »
    I would really like it if just one Obsidian game lived up to its full potential

    I'd say AP has come closest

    I am looking forward to that South Park RPG

    but it will probably be terrible

    just once

    Man, nobody gonna live up to the western RPG pipedream.

    Even ME falters hard.

    so, does historical precedent not count

    are we ignoring things like Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment and Dragon Age

  • Munkus BeaverMunkus Beaver You don't have to attend every argument you are invited to. Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    If you include a snarky dialogue option I admit.

    I will go

    "Why are there other options?"

    Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    Pharezon wrote: »
    Shorty wrote: »
    Pharezon wrote: »
    VtM: Bloodlines is one of the RPGs ever created.

    it is certainly an RPG that was created, this is true

    Goddamn it. It's one of the best.

    oh

    ohhhhh

    oooooohhhhhhhhh

  • Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    I'm excited for those remakes of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2

    xmassig2.gif
  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    If you include a snarky dialogue option I admit.

    I will go

    "Why are there other options?"

    A good question

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    I'm excited for those remakes of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2

    fuck yeah, brother

  • Munkus BeaverMunkus Beaver You don't have to attend every argument you are invited to. Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    Shorty wrote: »
    Shorty wrote: »
    I would really like it if just one Obsidian game lived up to its full potential

    I'd say AP has come closest

    I am looking forward to that South Park RPG

    but it will probably be terrible

    just once

    Man, nobody gonna live up to the western RPG pipedream.

    Even ME falters hard.

    so, does historical precedent not count

    are we ignoring things like Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment and Dragon Age

    Dragon Age does not live up to it.

    I used ME as an example because really, illusion of choice + your decisions in game 1 really meant shit all by game 3.

    Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
  • Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    you know what the best thing to do in dragon age 2 is

    Play as an Uncle Tom mage

    "You're absolutely right, I and all my kind are evil made manifest and should be purged from the earth!"

    Everyone is so confused

    xmassig2.gif
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Shorty wrote: »
    Shorty wrote: »
    I would really like it if just one Obsidian game lived up to its full potential

    I'd say AP has come closest

    I am looking forward to that South Park RPG

    but it will probably be terrible

    just once

    Man, nobody gonna live up to the western RPG pipedream.

    Even ME falters hard.

    so, does historical precedent not count

    are we ignoring things like Baldur's Gate II and Planescape: Torment and Dragon Age

    Dragon Age does not live up to it.

    we could argue about that

    but we don't need to

    because you're still wrong

    Shorty on
  • Munkus BeaverMunkus Beaver You don't have to attend every argument you are invited to. Philosophy: Stoicism. Politics: Democratic SocialistRegistered User, ClubPA regular
    If you include a snarky dialogue option I admit.

    I will go

    "Why are there other options?"

    A good question

    Someone should have made the cannon Shepard be the snarkiest of all shepards

    Humor can be dissected as a frog can, but dies in the process.
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    I'm excited for those remakes of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2

    But, they're old games?

    jkZziGc.png
  • Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    Pharezon wrote: »
    I'm excited for those remakes of Baldur's Gate 1 and 2

    But, they're old games?

    I never played them before!

    xmassig2.gif
  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    I bought and installed VtM: Bloodlines, put maybe three or four hours into it

    didn't really hook me

    games are a lot like novels or short stories

    they need to give you a damn good reason to play/read them and they need to do it fast

    this is why the very best line in a good short story is often the first one

    and "you're a vampire! and there's a mystery afoot!" isn't terribly compelling

  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    Shorty wrote: »
    I bought and installed VtM: Bloodlines, put maybe three or four hours into it

    didn't really hook me

    games are a lot like novels or short stories

    they need to give you a damn good reason to play/read them and they need to do it fast

    this is why the very best line in a good short story is often the first one

    and "you're a vampire! and there's a mystery afoot!" isn't terribly compelling

    Different strokes, etc. You should go back and play it though. It is so much more than that.

    jkZziGc.png
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Pharezon wrote: »
    Shorty wrote: »
    I bought and installed VtM: Bloodlines, put maybe three or four hours into it

    didn't really hook me

    games are a lot like novels or short stories

    they need to give you a damn good reason to play/read them and they need to do it fast

    this is why the very best line in a good short story is often the first one

    and "you're a vampire! and there's a mystery afoot!" isn't terribly compelling

    Different strokes, etc. You should go back and play it though. It is so much more than that.

    I do intend to give it another shot

    just

    priorities

    Shorty on
  • Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    You've made a powerful enemy today, sign.

    xmassig2.gif
  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Shorty wrote: »
    Orca wrote: »
    Well, ok. The critics correctly panned the technical problems and wonky shooting--though I maintain they were too harsh. ME1's shooting is worse!

    But what they were trying to do with the storytelling and dialog was impressive, and from what I remember, that was acknowledged.

    my main problem with the story of Alpha Protocol was with the player character (mike? was that his name?)

    the fact that you could change your dialogue approach on the fly made it seem like he didn't have a character of his own

    having every personality is essentially having no personality

    and the mechanics just weren't good enough for me to put up with a game full of characters I didn't give a shit about

    though the crazy guy voiced by Nolan North almost made it worthwhile

    I like how Dragon Age II solved this problem

    It took your first few responses and tweaked incidental dialogue based on that

    So if you went snarky the first few times, you could still pick other options but still be mostly a smartass

    Yeah that was really cool.

    You really invested into your long-term personality, which is a thing RPGs very rarely let you do.

    Goatmon on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Always go after Vido. Always.

    jkZziGc.png
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Actually screw that, going after Vido is dumb. I may be renegade but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I prefer to think of it as "chaotic good".

    Though I guess we'll see if I have enough paragon points at the end.

  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    DA2 definitely had some flaws, but I really dug a lot of what was there.

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • PharezonPharezon Struggle is an illusion. Victory is in the Qun.Registered User regular
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Actually screw that, going after Vido is dumb. I may be renegade but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I prefer to think of it as "chaotic good".

    Though I guess we'll see if I have enough paragon points at the end.

    Go after Vido. GO AFTER HIM.

    jkZziGc.png
  • Day of the BearDay of the Bear The Qun demandsRegistered User regular
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Actually screw that, going after Vido is dumb. I may be renegade but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I prefer to think of it as "chaotic good".

    Though I guess we'll see if I have enough paragon points at the end.

    You're almost as bad a renegade as I am.

    m6eoUgQ.jpg
  • Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    The worst part of DA2 was that fucking mage guy at the end snapping and turning into a monster for no goddamned reason

    xmassig2.gif
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    Also, if you really want to meta-game it the HWP ammo bonus is more useful to me than the assault rifle bonus...

  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    DA2 definitely had some flaws, but I really dug a lot of what was there.

    Mainly, DA2 needed to be a bigger scale game, one that had a more important plot than "BLOOD MAGES, OH SHIT. WAIT, THE TEMPLARS ARE OUT TO GET US OH FUCK"

    IT was really forced, and I just couldn't wholly get behind the idea of a civil war contained mostly within a single city. It just paled in comparison to the scale of the story of origins.

    I understand they wanted to narrow the scope of the story down a bit. but they went a little too far.

    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Actually screw that, going after Vido is dumb. I may be renegade but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I prefer to think of it as "chaotic good".

    Though I guess we'll see if I have enough paragon points at the end.

    If you do it pretty late into the game, you're probably fucked.

    If you do it really early, the odds are good.

    A NG+ on ME2 is really brutal for certain reputation checks.

    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    Goatmon wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Actually screw that, going after Vido is dumb. I may be renegade but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I prefer to think of it as "chaotic good".

    Though I guess we'll see if I have enough paragon points at the end.

    If you do it pretty late into the game, you're probably fucked.

    If you do it really early, the odds are good.

    A NG+ on ME2 is really brutal for certain reputation checks.

    wait, what

    the reputation check for convincing Zaeed to drop his vendetta is what you're talking about, right?

    and you're saying this scales up depending on how far in the game you are?

  • Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    It's like they went "hmm, the mage guy is pretty reasonable, and the templar lady is a goddamned lunatic. Everyone will side with the mages! Oh, I know, let's have the mage turn into a demon no matter what!"

    xmassig2.gif
  • Kuribo's ShoeKuribo's Shoe Kuribo's Stocking North PoleRegistered User regular
    But yeah other than that I liked Dragon Age II a bunch

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  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Shorty wrote: »
    Goatmon wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Actually screw that, going after Vido is dumb. I may be renegade but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I prefer to think of it as "chaotic good".

    Though I guess we'll see if I have enough paragon points at the end.

    If you do it pretty late into the game, you're probably fucked.

    If you do it really early, the odds are good.

    A NG+ on ME2 is really brutal for certain reputation checks.

    wait, what

    the reputation check for convincing Zaeed to drop his vendetta is what you're talking about, right?

    and you're saying this scales up depending on how far in the game you are?

    In ME2 (I don't know about the other games) the higher your level, the more difficult the checks get. Some become almost impossible once you hit 30.

    This carries over into a NG+.

    I ended up redoing Zaeed's mission a LOT because, no matter how high my paragon bar climbed, it would not let me pass that fucking paragon check at the end. I eventually just gave up on that playthrough when I figured that out.

    Goatmon on
    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


  • ShortyShorty touching the meat Intergalactic Cool CourtRegistered User regular
    Goatmon wrote: »
    Shorty wrote: »
    Goatmon wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    ASimPerson wrote: »
    Ah, Zaeed's loyalty mission.

    I guess I'll go after Vido since I haven't done that before :\

    Actually screw that, going after Vido is dumb. I may be renegade but that doesn't mean I'm evil. I prefer to think of it as "chaotic good".

    Though I guess we'll see if I have enough paragon points at the end.

    If you do it pretty late into the game, you're probably fucked.

    If you do it really early, the odds are good.

    A NG+ on ME2 is really brutal for certain reputation checks.

    wait, what

    the reputation check for convincing Zaeed to drop his vendetta is what you're talking about, right?

    and you're saying this scales up depending on how far in the game you are?

    In ME2 (I don't know about the other games) the higher your level, the more difficult the checks get. Some become almost impossible once you hit 30.

    This carries over into a NG+.

    I ended up redoing Zaeed's mission a LOT because, no matter how high my paragon bar climbed, it would not let me pass that fucking paragon check at the end. I eventually just gave up on that playthrough when I figured that out.

    that's real dumb

    kind of defeats the purpose of the whole thing

  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    edited April 2012
    Yeah, I failed the check actually.

    ME2's check system is based on a percentage of points earned out of how many points you can gain at that point in the game.

    I should've done ASAP but oh well.

    I also failed the paragon check for Miranda and Jack's argument but I passed the intimidate check.

    ASimPerson on
  • KanaKana Registered User regular
    Goatmon wrote: »
    DA2 definitely had some flaws, but I really dug a lot of what was there.

    Mainly, DA2 needed to be a bigger scale game, one that had a more important plot than "BLOOD MAGES, OH SHIT. WAIT, THE TEMPLARS ARE OUT TO GET US OH FUCK"

    IT was really forced, and I just couldn't wholly get behind the idea of a civil war contained mostly within a single city. It just paled in comparison to the scale of the story of origins.

    I understand they wanted to narrow the scope of the story down a bit. but they went a little too far.

    Like, if you took the fleshed out characters of ME3, and took away all their fancy powers and guns and just put them into a city during a civil war

    It wouldn't matter that the conflict is small scale, I'd still really care. You don't have to have "SAVE ALL OF EVERYTHING" for every god damn plot every time, saving the universe gets old after a while. I've written some long rants about how much I love the first half of Book of the Long Sun for just this reason. First 2 books basically the only thing the hero cares about is saving his shitty little temple in the middle of a shitty ghetto, and it's fantastic.

    If anything that setup can be even more interesting, because the hero is genuinely choosing to be a hero. If the enemy is coming to destroy the planet, well duh you're going to fight, it's not heroism it's just basic self-interest, really. But if you genuinely have the option of running away and saving yourself, then you can take that in a lot more directions.

    Uh, but problem being with DA2 (besides the gameplay issues), you really didn't care that much about the consequences of your small scale conflict. Compare it to the suicide mission in ME2, which really compared to 1 or 3 is for minor stakes, but is goddamn nailbiting the first time because it really feels like if you mess up characters you like are going to die.

    A trap is for fish: when you've got the fish, you can forget the trap. A snare is for rabbits: when you've got the rabbit, you can forget the snare. Words are for meaning: when you've got the meaning, you can forget the words.
  • ASimPersonASimPerson Cold... and hard.Registered User regular
    Sweet I managed to save right before you have to make the choice!

  • GoatmonGoatmon Companion of Kess Registered User regular
    Not to mention

    The last mission is just extremely well done, regardless of the consequences involved.

    The music was especially well done, and it's one of the few times where I just kinda of thought to myself part-way through "Damn, this music fucking rocks".

    Switch Friend Code: SW-6680-6709-4204


This discussion has been closed.