We keep saying it over and over, but gaming news is mostly out of commission right now. Well, unless you think that the 3DS thumb peripheral is news. Or… well, that’s about it, this week.
When we’re normally dealing with this kind of drought, the tactic I usually take is to talk about something going on in the specific game I’m playing. However, I’m standing on the cusp of a lot of games coming out, and I’m currently playing nothing. So instead of talking about nothing, I thought I’d ask you guys what’s been on your mind lately in relation to games and the gaming industry.
For me, I’ve mostly been thinking about game design in relation to Deus Ex: Human Revolution, which I finished last week. For everything wrong with the game, it was designed in such a way that it didn’t matter. Just something bouncing around in my head that I might expand on in a future feature.
So what about you guys? What’s been rattling around in those noggins of yours in relation to gaming? Go!
In lieu of getting a laptop, I’m going to focus on some PC related gaming issues because PC gamers aren’t very vocal these days… Oh, wait…
Anywho; my noggin has been severely rattled after getting a laptop capable of running some games. Naturally the first thing I did was get Steam and I’ve been introduced to a world with fantastic deals and DRM that should be the industry standard. If only all companies would look to Valve and say: “We should follow their example because they’re doing it right” (except charging me £2 for a key to unlock a crappy random gun, but since TF2 was free a measly £2 is a small price to pay so I got over it quickly).
It’s nothing that hasn’t been said before, but coming from a console gamer it’s at least something right? 🙂
Anyway, I took the liberty to install Oblivion on my laptop and it runs well so my mind has been racing: Do I get Skyrim on the PC? I really don’t know if my laptop will run it(maybe on low-minimum) but I’m not paying £35 just to find out that it doesn’t. The same goes for The Witcher 2, man do I want them SO bad. My point here is that I’m pondering how minimum the minimum specs can be made and how far devs will go to allow everyone to play their games on PC. Valve’s Source engine is yet another thing of their creation to look at as, while it looks piss poor in comparison to some other engines, it is incredibly functional. Also, TF2 still looks gorgeous but I’m sure the art style has more to do with that than anything else. I’m going to put Portal 2 on my laptop sometime (thank you PS3 version!) to see how well a game from this year runs but I don’t know how good a litmus test that is with regards to other modern games. Can anyone here help me out in this respect? ‘Twould be very much appreciated.
So there’s my thoughts on what’s going on with me and gaming, glad to have a platform to throw some thoughts out there.
I’ve also been thinking about Deus Ex Human Revolution, Eddy. Specifically, how amazing it is, how much I love it, and what our wedding will be like. Ahem.
Honestly though, when I played the original Deus Ex, I was blown away by how deep, well-designed, and customizable the game was. Seriously, that old game from 2000 with adorably bad graphics was far better than many games, from shooters to RPGs, that I’ve played after 2000. I love that Deus Ex Human Revolution retained many of the key gameplay aspects and the general feel of Deus Ex while telling its own story and creating its own atmosphere in the story.
I hope we see more game developers incorporate the Deus Ex spirit into their games, so that we see more games that allow for multiple playstyles and let the player explore an immersive and responsive world.
Basically, What Would JC Do?
I want a computer upgrade. I got a new graphics card and used some parts from a friends old PC (about 4+ years old) to upgrade mine. I want a whole new system, but my financial situation wont allow it. Im thinking for my birthday Ill ask for some parts. I really just want a new system thats cleaner and can run Skyrim on its full power.
Other than that Im ready for MW3 on the multiplayer side of gaming. Im getting tired of Blops and MW2. Playing MW2 makes me want 3 to be out and Blops just seems too lackluster.
As I post this, Red Orchestra 2 unlocks on steam in 2 hours so I know where I’m going to be all day.
In relation to gaming news and technology, that 20 minute Skyrim video absolutely blew everyone away. Another thing that recently got released was the Gamescom footage for Arma 3 is also quite impressive. (Their map designs based on actual satellite imaging is phenomenal.)
And my most anticipated MMORPG, Guild Wars 2, continues to feed us information, finishing with the last race week out of the 5 races in the game.
@ Skuba
I played the first Witcher with minimum specs, and while I enjoyed it enough, it was less than ideal, to the point where I stopped playing eventually…then I upgraded, and started again to where I couldn’t stop. Then got The Witcher 2, which I couldn’t play on the best settings, but but still excellent settings, and I loved it. I guess my point is, even playing on minimum specs isn’t really worth it. If you can wait, download the demos (I’m sure Skyrim will have one) since I’m sure the required specs will be much greater than Oblivion, and laptops aren’t always the best for games, even if they’re okay. Just my two cents, for what it’s worth. If you have the option, which I think you do, I’d get Skyrim on console, and I think even The Witcher 2 is coming for console eventually. And either way, PLAY THE WITCHER 2!!!
Now my thoughts. I get the majority of my gaming news from Eurogamer, which I love. However, since I live in the States, some things may be a little misleading. Case in point, Xenoblade Chronicles, a game I heard about when it was announced, didn’t have too much interest in (a JRPG on the Wii?!), and then was blown away by the reviews and decided I needed to play it. However, because I read Eurogamer, I didn’t know until yesterday that this game was not, and probably won’t ever be, available stateside.
However, I read an article on Joystiq that gives instructions how to hack your Wii in order to play an imported version of the game. I don’t think this is illegal as long as you actually buy the game, and they are very specific on reasons why you shouldn’t download illegal copies or anything like that, and Joystiq’s pretty legit, I think. Is this worth it to try? I know that game is amazing, and I want to play, but is someone going to come knocking on my door and take my stuff?
Here’s a link to the article: http://www.joystiq.com/2011/08/19/how-to-play-xenoblade-chronicles-if-you-live-in-america/
Any input would be appreciated.
I’ve mostly been trying to bury my head away from the recent games, I must admit a month ago I didn’t think I would be picking anything up until Gears at the end of the month but I’ve been pleasantly surprised about Deus ex and Dead Island. I’ve even been pressured into buying them despite my wallet already screaming in pain at what is to come over the winter. I’m just worried we are going to get to a point where we have such good games coming out all the time that we will have to drop games we love simply because we have too.
@ dp, thanks for the info. It’s food for thought. I’m not particularly hopeful for my laptop keeping up to date but I just threw it out there to see if there was ANY chance lol. If thhere is a demo for Skyrim, I shall get it without hesitation. Same goes for The Witcher! 🙂
@dp – I’m halfway through the Wii mod myself, no hitches so far, pretty sure it will be worth it. Can’t see any negative consequences coming from Nintendo’s end, the only thing I’m at all worried about is the apparently slight chance of bricking. I believe you can use one of the mods to restore your system to its original state, which makes me feel a little more comfortable with the whole thing. Looks like the bigger issue at this point may be finding somewhere to import Xenoblade from – stock seems to be running low.
@benign – Think I’m gonna go for it. And sooner rather than later…Dark Souls comes out in a few weeks. I’m sure that will take a little time. Thanks.