Some belated good news

[P3nT4gR4m]

Summary of what you need to really know:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiCLKmEAa1I&feature=kp

I suspect you'll like this quite a bit.

Nice find - subscribed!

[Raz Tech]

bumping that game up the list, thanks

[Junkenstein]

Summary of what you need to really know:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiCLKmEAa1I&feature=kp

I suspect you'll like this quite a bit.

Nice find - subscribed!

Yeah, the guy does good work. Actually looks at games that actually try something new with their mechanics. Reviews tend to be pretty spot on too and cover the aspects I actually give a shit about.

Personal Favourites:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jS7PCcvVoPI&index=3&list=PL44284B7F254B4024
Reviews of the reviews of the recent-ish Duke Nukem game. Stunning in many ways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X43i8NQ--_s&index=6&list=PL44284B7F254B4024
Deus Ex - Human Revolution review. Spoiler heavy and relevant to your interests in many ways.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnCpSMlUEpo&index=9&list=PL44284B7F254B4024
Adventures in Advertising. Very related to the above, covers aspects of cognitive dissonance between the advertising concepts and actual gameplay. Highly recommenced.

As I said, the rest of his output is of similar quality so if those don't grab you for whatever reason I still suggest a look down the list for anything you recognize and give him a go.
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL44284B7F254B4024

[Pæs]

I have Watch Dogs

How are you finding it? Reviews are split between people who love it and people who seem seriously butthurt that it didn't meet the hype.

[Junkenstein]

Curious about that too actually. From what I recall it certainly had potential.

[Pæs]

I read a dozen reviews saying "Terrible clone of GTA5 plus hacking" and seeing as I haven't played GTA5 yet, I bought that instead yesterday.

[P3nT4gR4m]

I feel the need to post this here (surfed on from a couple of errant signal vids) First match is fucking awesome but I don't know the map. At 16m13s, however, DM6. 

Q3 is my favourite game of all time, ever in the history of all games ever and probably yet to come. Nothing comes close to the feeling of being able to circlestrafe around the levels like a goddamn ninja ballerina, raining rockets, and knocking eyes out with rail.

[Junkenstein]

It may have been another "This is a great advert for a game that has absolutely no bearing on the plot, gameplay or key mechanics" moment then.

[P3nT4gR4m]

GTA5 was a blast. Trevor stole the show. That little sprite acted his fucking ass off!

[Junkenstein]

I feel the need to post this here (surfed on from a couple of errant signal vids) First match is fucking awesome but I don't know the map. At 16m13s, however, DM6. 

Q3 is my favourite game of all time, ever in the history of all games ever and probably yet to come. Nothing comes close to the feeling of being able to circlestrafe around the levels like a goddamn ninja ballerina, raining rockets, and knocking eyes out with rail.

For me, the finest pure FPS, particularly of that era was the original Unreal Tournament. Sure, some of the weapons sucked and the AI scaled up to FUCK YOU levels but it was pretty fucking perfect. Not to mention the Announcer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwxjYFqP35A

00:10-00:12, and a few after that. Still in my head whenever I try any gun game today.

[P3nT4gR4m]

On the UT v's Q3 war I was Q3 camp, born and bred but when UT3 came out, I fell for Onslaught hook line and sinker.

[Cain]

I have Watch Dogs

How are you finding it? Reviews are split between people who love it and people who seem seriously butthurt that it didn't meet the hype.

Not played yet, as it would melt my laptop.  I mean, when I tried Black Flag, I was getting 10 FPS maximum, so I dread to think what Watch Dogs would do.  And I've been avoiding other playthroughs so I can do a blind one, so I have no idea what to expect beyond what I've seen in the official trailers.

I suspect I'll like the storyline, if nothing else.  I mean, I watch Person of Interest religiously, and this is pretty much Person of Interest meets Assassins Creed.

[Junkenstein]

On the UT v's Q3 war I was Q3 camp, born and bred but when UT3 came out, I fell for Onslaught hook line and sinker.

Yeah, that was the main thing that sold me on UT. Simple stuff like "assault" was just really nicely implemented. Always had a preference for the engine too, it just seemed more stable in general but I have no idea if that's actually reality. That said, Carmack has done some incredible work. Zenimax/Id letting him go is one of the fucking stupidest business decisions I've ever seen. Someone must have fucked up and thought they were talking about Romero or something.

[P3nT4gR4m]

I have Watch Dogs

How are you finding it? Reviews are split between people who love it and people who seem seriously butthurt that it didn't meet the hype.

Not played yet, as it would melt my laptop.  I mean, when I tried Black Flag, I was getting 10 FPS maximum, so I dread to think what Watch Dogs would do.  And I've been avoiding other playthroughs so I can do a blind one, so I have no idea what to expect beyond what I've seen in the official trailers.

I suspect I'll like the storyline, if nothing else.  I mean, I watch Person of Interest religiously, and this is pretty much Person of Interest meets Assassins Creed.

You have to play fucking Black Flag. Do it right now. Whatever it takes! The story is the usual kind of hokey bollix with a dash of conspiracy theory but the ship gameplay mechanics is fucking stunning, the water simulation (big breakers can be surfed, properly, like I do in a kayak) makes the ocean practically a character in it's own right. The ambience is like knocking back a bottle of Jamaican firewater and dropping a patch over one eye. Who knew pretending you're Cpn Jack would make for such an immersive experience?

The rest of it is pure AC sandbox. Does what it says on the tin and, if you like that kind of shit, then it prolly won't disappoint. One last thing (only a teeny bit spoilery) Sea Shanties. Johnny fucking Bolger!

On the UT v's Q3 war I was Q3 camp, born and bred but when UT3 came out, I fell for Onslaught hook line and sinker.

Yeah, that was the main thing that sold me on UT. Simple stuff like "assault" was just really nicely implemented. Always had a preference for the engine too, it just seemed more stable in general but I have no idea if that's actually reality. That said, Carmack has done some incredible work. Zenimax/Id letting him go is one of the fucking stupidest business decisions I've ever seen. Someone must have fucked up and thought they were talking about Romero or something.

I reckon Epic back then was more art focussed than ID. They got in bed with Nvidia early on and that gave them the tech they needed to know the kind of look that was required so their shit was always nicer aesthetic art. ID had okay artists working there, don't get me wrong but it was more of a mad-science thing at ID. It came out in the physics for me. UT felt functional where Q3 felt like a kind of expression of how it was possible to "feel" in a game. They dealt a more visceral and fluid experience. Comparing the two, for me, is to examine a reversal of emphasis. ID saw physics as the expression of their art and Epic saw the aesthetic as .

They were both fucking great games, mind you. One was the digital equivalent of Rembrandt and the other was more like snowboarding  or base jumping. Gameplay wise ID had a headstart. We were playing Q1 LAN deathmatches and TDM, a good two or three years before Unreal the single player game came out on the old voodoo cards. ID got a lucky break with the strafe bug and, rather than fixing it, they magnificently capitalised on it through Q2, perfected and fine tuned in Q3 which was where UT found itself upon release.

Then UT3 brought massive map strategic elements, some absolutely sick and perfectly balanced vehicular gameplay and I jumped ship having taken my Q3 skillz as far as I was capable or could be arsed. The vehicles (the mantas especially) were the physics sport that had been missing from the previous two. But any time I was on the ground, I felt like I was running through treacle. Every boost jump I made, I'd remember jumping bridge to rail on DM6 and sometimes, when it was really bad, a little tear might happen.

[Junkenstein]

Credit where it's due, you want to talk massive maps it's all about Tribes 2. Those were fucking huge for the era, 60 on 60 fights. I'll see if I can find some footage because when that was going well it was amazing.