Upcoming games

[Mark_]

Browncoats...

 

[Vassago]

Anyone have any interest in Anthem? It looks like it will be a very detailed MMO shooter, which is unusual. I've found most MMOs lack some graphical quality. Gameplay also looks promising.

 

[Frothingslosh]

After Dragon Age 2, the whole Mass Effect 3 ending BS, The Old Republic, and Mass Effect: Andromeda, I have zero expectations that Anthem will be any good.

Impressive looking, sure, but Bioware has been putting out almost nothing but crap since EA bought them.

 

[Vassago]

Dragon Age 3 certainly redeemed Dragon Age 2.

I never got around to the Mass Effect games, but heard they were very good.

 

[Mark_]

Most of those games I just can't get into. I've talked to people who play them. Their linear layout and limited player choices (as well as shoot em' all nature) turn me off to them. I like fallout in spite of the emphasis on combat.

 

[Frothingslosh]

Dragon Age 3 was rather good. However, they followed that up with Andromeda, which was INCREDIBLY buggy, poorly written, and just overall a terrible AAA game - it's the kind of thing I'd expect from an indie studio, not Bioware.

Basically, EA has taken their '1 year dev cycle, no post-launch support' attitude they use for their sports games and pushed it on Bioware as much as they possibly could.

Mark, the Mass Effect games do have a lot of combat, but the story told from the original game right up until 10 minutes from the end of Mass Effect 3 is amazingly good, and I would strongly recommend playing them up until you reach the citadel in the Obviously Final Mission in ME3, then just making up your own ending.

Yes, the ending was that bad.

The image attached is the typical reaction. There is a minor, minor, sort of spoiler for one romance, only matters if you want to play the series and still haven't.

If you don't mind old-school isometric RPGs, Planescape: Torment is, in my mind, the best CRPG ever written. And while there CAN be a lot of combat, there are actually only three mandatory fights...and the final confrontation of the game is NOT one of them.

 

[Mark_]

If you don't mind old-school isometric RPGs, Planescape: Torment is, in my mind, the best CRPG ever written. And while there CAN be a lot of combat, there are actually only three mandatory fights...and the final confrontation of the game is NOT one of them.

If I want a game with giant space hamsters, I'll just start up a table top game and advertise were doing sailing ships in space...

Haven't played the CRPG, but I do have some... odd... memories of planescape. I think the writers took one too many tabs before sitting down to write.

 

[Frothingslosh]

You're thinking Spelljammer. The Planescape setting didn't have them, in either the TT setting or the CRPG. (Baldur's Gate and BG2, however, had Minsc and Boo (supposedly a miniature giant space hamster), who were just awesome, but that's something else entirely.) The TT campaign setting was a bit weird for me, but the CRPG was amazingly good. It would have been one HELL of a movie (or movie series).

If you like solid stories in RPG's, that's the one to go to.

 

[Mark_]

Ah, true. Been a while since I looked at that stuff.

Sigil, lady of pain and all.. Almost makes space hamsters look tame.

 

[Frothingslosh]

LOL Very much so, but it revolves around philosophy, not buccaneers in space.

The gist of the game is you wake up in a morgue with no memories, and have to find out who you are, why you're immortal, how you got that way, and why you keep getting attacked. It's one hell of a complex story, and quite thought provoking at points. And your companions are amazing: there are a lawful neutral succubus, a chaotic neutral modron, a lawful neutral githzerai, an incarnation of fire, an empty suit of armor, and a floating skull voiced by Yakko Warner.

And as I mentioned, only 3 combats are required, and the finale is not one of them.

 

[Mark_]

and a floating skull voiced by Yakko Warner

Does he sound like Yakko? Does he joke like Yakko??

Gonna have to find this!!!

 

[Frothingslosh]

It's not exactly the same voice, but you can tell it's Rob Paulson. And the character is a GIGANTIC smart ass. He even improves his taunt ability by listing to truly creative people cussing someone out.

If you have a Steam account, the Enhanced Edition (basically, modified so that it can run on modern systems at modern resolutions) is on sale for $20. You can probably find it on GOG, too.

Oh, and the skull joins you literally seconds into the game.

 

[Mark_]

May have to try the game out and steal that character for the table top game I'm hoping to get running again...

Wonder how the players would react to a skull flying around that only they can see, being a total smart ass? May know someone who'd love to run that one...