Daniel_Spencer • Comments

• Steam may soon allow game-sharing with friends

• Daniel_Spencer 19/06/2013

  Thanks MS! To be honest, the idea of sharing digital content is good, since retail is going to die eventually. A slow but an inevitable death and Steam and Xbone (for all its faults) are getting a way to mitigate the problems of download only. Reply +4

• PlayStation 3 update 4.45 bricking some consoles

• Daniel_Spencer 19/06/2013

  That is retarded. Fix it Sony. For those with bricked consoles, read the first comment to this post on reddit, since there is a possible work-around: http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/comments/1gmpci/do_not_update_your_ps3_problems_with_update_445/ Reply +2

• BioShock creator Ken Levine writing Logan's Run movie

• Daniel_Spencer 19/06/2013

  Sadly, Infinite was only saved by the quality of world building and writing for me rather than the gameplay mechanics. This might be a perfect fit for Levine's talent. Reply +6

• Tech Analysis: The Last of Us

• Daniel_Spencer 16/06/2013

  @Issidingo A slight rebuttal to all of your points. Feel free to respond.
  
  Story-telling is predictable and cliché for the first half of the game. The second half and the ending? Most definitely not. I'd argue they take (without giving too many spoilers) much more bolder choices than Heavy Rain and supersede The Walking Dead due to the heavy contrast with the first half. It isn't *better* than the Walking Dead but it carves a very human story that is worth commending. Hell, the relationship between Ellie and Joel is touching without bordering on cringe-worthy whilst simultaneously being powerful without being pretentious. Last Of Us has very powerful emotional beats that I feel is a far cry from being predictable. This is without mentioning the fantastic world-building and discussion of uneasy topics such as assisted suicide when both Joel and Ellie walk into a bath where a couple killed each other and you can see how deprived they feel. Fair to say, they've got environmental storytelling nailed down.
  
  Gameplay is a different story entirely. It is still very-gamey. And by that term I refer to the suspiciously chest-high cover, abundance of planks and ladders etc. That said, the variety here is far better than that of the Uncharted series.
  
  Firstly, stealth is more competent than Uncharted 3 or 2. It is by no means perfect, but strikes that tonal note of characters being desperate and often making mistakes. Not to mention it works better than Uncharted. Secondly, the melee is far more visceral, with more player interaction in contextual attacks. Thirdly the gun-play is a bit shit thanks to the undue weapon sway, but that's the point. Joel isn't random space marine 42 or the generic saviour of x who can do now wrong. He's desperate to survive and that shows in his inability to focus and concentrate.
  
  AI really depends. The infected are a bit shit and annoying to fight as are the clickers but the humans are the real star of the show here. They range heavily and every encounter I've had with humans is nasty, last-minute and thrilling. They almost always react differently. But the intelligence isn't perfect but nothing ever is.
  
  It is a ND game, so visually it's bound to be amazing. Does it match Tibet visually? Depends on what we're arguing on. Thematically? From a fidelity standpoint? I can tell you that it perfectly encapsulates the tone that the game is conveying; so thematically its bang on the money.I can't argue with light-hearted humour because Tlou is a dark, sometimes unduly gratuitous though all of it has a place is the least I can say.
  
  15 hours is a good estimate for the single-player though there is a far more re-playability than Uncharted. Also, multiplayer! Supply raid isn't any good, but survivor is fantastic! Even the meta-game is entertaining.
  
  All in all, I reckon last of us isn't really game of the decade but I don't think any game deserves that title since one can pick holes in any game. Subjectively though, I think this is one of the best games on the PS3 right now. Reply +6

• In Theory: Can next-gen fulfill the 1080p60 dream?

• Daniel_Spencer 15/06/2013

  @Negotiator1 What's stopping Sony from using 'The Cloud' from upgrading the games on the console? What makes you think the acquisition of Gaikai is exclusively for streaming and not competing with Microsoft on this front? Exactly what is stopping both from doing either? Hell, what is the guarantee they will both meet their cloud-based services at all?
  
  As proven by OnLive, no matter how much money you end up throwing at it, Cloud computing has its limits. And its limits are bandwidth transmission, something which isn't perfect in any country so all that 'infinite processing power' is going to mean jackshit when the uncompressed video ends up looking janky thanks to shitty video decompression resulting in severe artifacting or high latency. Reply +6

• Daniel_Spencer 15/06/2013

  @IvorB Ditto, that was the most interesting thing out of the Ubi conference.
  
  I'm not ragging on Watch Dogs but we already knew that game was coming. The Division (to me at least) looks truly next-generation and it was a huge surprise. Reply +6

• That difficult second screen

• Daniel_Spencer 15/06/2013

  That artillery strike in Dead Rising 3 was the last straw for me. There is genuinely little use for a second controller. I'll say this now as I said it then, make more games Nintendo not more gimmicks. Reply 0

• Miyamoto: Nintendo's game ownership policy should operate "like a toy company"

• Daniel_Spencer 13/06/2013

  Well done! Now go make some more games. Reply +2

• The big interview: Microsoft Studio's Phil Spencer discusses Xbox One

• Daniel_Spencer 13/06/2013

  Buzzwords, Buzzwords, PR blitz, PR blitz etc. EG, why bother doing an interview with a man who seems content to dream of an imaginary audience that will actually like being restricted to platform-wide DRM, and a complete lack of apathy for core gamers? Reply +1

• Poland and Portugal not supported at Xbox One launch, importing near ruled out

• Daniel_Spencer 13/06/2013

  Its like every article I read, every quote I hear and everything that comes out of Microsoft's fallout is that they really don't like us gamers. That much is transparently apparent to everyone now to such an extent where a friend of mine is guessing what could be the next shit-hole they will dig up for the consumers. Reply +3

• Star Wars: Battlefront is "DICE's interpretation of what Battlefront should be"

• Daniel_Spencer 13/06/2013

  I can just feel an air of, 'please don't fuck it up' coming from many longtime battlefront fans. Here's hoping they don't. Although it is frightening to see people get so excited for a game with zero footage outside of a pre-rendered cinematic. Hopefully the collective optimism pays off. Reply +1

• Bigger really is better: Dead Rising 3 preview

• Daniel_Spencer 13/06/2013

  Sadly, even though this looks good (bar the terrible colour palette, lack of humour and the ability to call down an airstrike with a tablet which I might add, no one gives a shit about) I really don't think it will be worth buying an Xbone for. Reply -2

• Sony: PlayStation 4 will not restrict used games or force you to connect your console online

• Daniel_Spencer 11/06/2013

  Thank fucking christ for that. Its not going to stop online passes but who gives a shit about accessing a multiplayer component? Massive win for gamers and here's the key difference I took away from the conference.
  From Andrew House:
  "Concepts like true consumer ownership and consumer trust are central to everything we do." These are the closing words we as gamers should support with pride. Reply +11

• Project Gotham Racing 3 retrospective

• Daniel_Spencer 09/06/2013

  I miss Bizarre Creations. Between Blur and PGR4, they'll be certainly missed by me. Reply +13

• Deus Ex: The Fall is six hours long, the first of a series and will contain in-app purchases

• Daniel_Spencer 09/06/2013

  @Burro Counter-counter 1.) You're assuming that "if done well it's really hard to fault them". Unfortunately there is not a single FPS game that uses touch controls as an input that has crossed me as 'faultless'. It's simply counter-intuitive to just pressing a button.
  
  Counter-counter 2.) Again, that's assuming Deus ex fans have an apple device. Secondly, there is also another fallacy that it 'will' release on Android after they just announced an exclusivity deal.
  
  Counter-counter 3.) Square Enix has priced games like Chrono trigger and final fantasy dimensions at $20 in Us territories. What part of that is in the 69-4.99 mark? There is a plethora of articles already calling bs to square enix's pricing on iOs.
  
  Check here: http://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/square-enix-explains-why-final-fantasy-games-cost-so-much-on-ios/
  
  And here:
  http://kotaku.com/5950253/square-enix-defends-the-surprisingly-high-pricing-of-their-ios-games Reply 0

• Daniel_Spencer 07/06/2013

  Problem number 1.) Touch interfaces are not suited to a game that requires multiple inputs at the same time. Scrambling through the screen to press it or by mistake-triggering it will screw up the gameplay. Also, said problem cannot be solved by slapping a menu to select all the different inputs because that makes the experience more static then it needs to be.
  
  Problem number 2.) Exclusivity of spin-off games usually don't draw the ire of an average deus ex gamer but considering this game is actually vital from story perspective, you've basically alienated half your audience and your most hardcore fans who've loyally bought all your games.
  
  Problem number 3.) Square Enix is well known for being the most unscrupulous publisher on iOS with some of the highest prices for games that aren't even remotely that valuable. Reply +2

• Android: Netrunner review

• Daniel_Spencer 07/06/2013

  Sounds like something out of neuromancer. Reply 0

• The Last of Us review

• Daniel_Spencer 07/06/2013

  @cloudskipa "I think it's a fair comment." Yet, not a fair assessment since you haven't actually played the game and all these 'overrated' reviewers (the same ones you herald in high regard when halo gets a good score; talk about affirmation bias/hypocrisy) have explicitly gone on record to state that it differs vastly from previous uncharted games. Hell, I could tell you right now that I think Zelda games are the most overrated, genre-trope cementing, tone-deaf, terrible plotted games I've ever had the displeasure of hearing people waffle about. Yet, even I don't dismiss every new project that nintendo EAD do, 'because of the past history in games'. Reply +3

• Daniel_Spencer 06/06/2013

  @cloudskipa So..by that logic, when many reviewers award a game a 10/10, its overrated? Doesn't that apply to games like halo or gears of war where there were more than a fair few reviews that fell in the '80-95' margin. (which is still pretty good) Reply +4

• Daniel_Spencer 05/06/2013

  @kingando Polygon? What, the same publication that gave Dead space 3 a 9.5? If we're to argue about scores being objectively indicative of a game's quality (rather than the written review) than one could attribute the same criticism at the opposite end of the scale as in how the fuck did dead space 3, a lost planet 3 look-alike, an empty husk of its former survival horror-self get a 9.5? Why didn't that get a 'balanced' review? Reply +8

• Remember Me review

• Daniel_Spencer 03/06/2013

  @dogmanstaruk I don't remember saying it was bad since I haven't played it but the general consensus seems to be that its average and I don't think that warrants me to buy it at full price. Besides, I've played excellent 7/10 games at 'bargain bin' price such as Dragon's dogma although I'd feel like it was lesser investment if I had bought it at full price. Reply -2

• Daniel_Spencer 03/06/2013

  That's a shame. Bargain bin it is then. Reply -8

• Mortal Kombat's Scorpion is the next DLC character in Injustice: Gods Among Us

• Daniel_Spencer 03/06/2013

  Surely there should be more DC characters right? Reply +1

• PlayTV crashing PS3s

• Daniel_Spencer 03/06/2013

  @cloudskipa "Everyone forgot Sony's record free-to-air digital TV add-on for the PS3 as they were too busy hating on Microsoft for not being a games company anymore." Because it's not that much of an issue?
  
  If I want to watch television. I have my television for that. I don't need a console on top of that which will serve me the exact same service albeit slightly worse as half the stuff shown at the conference was appealing to American fratboys. Reply -1

• Digital Foundry vs. The Last of Us demo

• Daniel_Spencer 03/06/2013

  @darkmorgado "True, but a zombie with a twist is still just a zombie at the end of the day." I assume that was the exact mentality people had when the Telltale's walking dead series came out. Many thought it was a cheap cash-in on the success of the TV show and yet it turned out to be one of the most memorable zombie game in recent years. Reply +14