It would be better if we could call more than 2 games on that list art. And in case of W3 that's only half-true imo, as a whole package (expansion and game) it's definitely exceptionally good, but art? Nier:A is the only game in that list where you walk away after completing the primary 3 endings with a new collection of thoughts and emotions you never thought about before. And that is the very definition of art.

Rattican wrote on Jun 28, 2017, 21:06:

Jerykk wrote on Jun 28, 2017, 03:16:
I think you're just tired of the setting or overall formula. Dishonored 2 has even better level design than the first game and greatly expanded mechanics. The story wasn't as good as the first game's but everything else was a step up. Many people felt the same way about Deus Ex: Mankind Divided. That was superior to its predecessor in every way except story but was oft criticized as "more of the same."

It's possible that people are just getting bored of the immersive sim formula in general. Dishonored 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided and Prey all sold below expectations. Maybe people just want more linear, guided and story-driven experiences with lots of spectacle. Uncharted and CoD continue to sell like hotcakes, after all.

I think you're right. It's weird though; we haven't exactly been saturated by immersive sim (*) games for a long time, then we get some within the space of a few years. They do require a greater level of attention compared to many other games though - more reading, more hunting in corners for things to find, thinking about how to manage your resources efficiently, and basically a level of thought that most other games don't require. It gets mentally tiring after a while, but it's also my favorite game genre, so fuck me I guess.

* BTW, when did the term "immersive sim" come about? I can't even recall hearing that genre until it just kinda started getting used a few years ago. How'd that happen? Deus Ex for example was always considered an FPS/RPG hybrid.

ItBurn wrote on Jun 28, 2017, 02:11:

Jerykk wrote on Jun 27, 2017, 23:25:

Acleacius wrote on Jun 27, 2017, 20:30:
Can't be a coincidence, first Dishonored 2 and then prey, under bethesda's thumb. Surely this is exactly why Human Head didn't kneel at the bethesda altar.

Not sure what you mean? Dishonored 2 and Prey are both great games. Before Zenimax bought them, Arkane made Arx Fatalis and Dark Messiah of Might & Magic. Their games under Bethesda have sold significantly more, had much better critical reception and have made the studio a much more established name.

I like Arx and Dark Messiah way more than Dishonored. I didn't play Prey, but from what I saw, I'm not even interested in it. Sure, the new games are selling more, but I'd rather have the old studio back. To me it seems like their new games lack any kind of passion. Like they're just churning AAA games for the money instead of love. They don't evoke much excitement in me, partly because of that.

Rattican wrote on Jun 28, 2017, 02:50:
When playing Dishonored 2 I just didn't get the feeling that the game had any soul. It lacks a creative spark - it's hard to describe, but it just feels as if it existed because Bethesda wanted a sequel of Dishonored, instead of Arkane actually wanting to make one. It's still a decent game, but it feels too similar to its predecessor even with the new ideas. Prey at least is more interesting, feels fresh even, which is probably why I enjoy the game more.

Acleacius wrote on Jun 27, 2017, 20:30:
Can't be a coincidence, first Dishonored 2 and then prey, under bethesda's thumb. Surely this is exactly why Human Head didn't kneel at the bethesda altar.

Kxmode wrote on Jun 22, 2017, 14:12:

Quinn wrote on Jun 22, 2017, 02:36:

Kxmode wrote on Jun 21, 2017, 14:20:
Kinguin is okay, but there are constantly better deals on CDKeys, GreenManGaming, and a handful others. Nevermind the fact that Kinguin has a $3 "buyer protection" tax. CDkeys doesn't charge that. The price you see is the price you pay.

You can decline the protection with the click of a button xP GMG hasn't ever had lower prices than Kinguin. Maybe on a very rare circumstance.

What I'm saying is CDKeys bakes protection into the price. Kenguin provides the opt-out but they don't guarantee protection. That's what I was referring to.

I think charging $3 for key protection is shady. It's the responsibility of the platform to ensure buyer protection. Buying keys is already a gray market. It would behoove Kinguin and G2A to make protection a standard feature, not a premium.

Muscular Beaver wrote on Jun 21, 2017, 09:02:
Previous games had a story, as small as it was. But this one is as non-existent as the Doom one (the original one). Actually even less, because sometimes you dont even know why youre there or why youre doing it.

Shineyguy wrote on Jun 21, 2017, 09:12:

Jerykk wrote on Jun 21, 2017, 04:58:

Retired wrote on Jun 21, 2017, 04:01:

The Half Elf wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 21:46:
Without the flash sales, the "Sales" are worthless anymore.

Flash sales were a gimmick. The publisher tells Steam what they will offer their games at. I prefer the new model - just tell me the lowest price you offer the whole week.

Except the size of the discount is directly correlated with its duration. The longer it's available, the weaker the discount. That's how sales work. A discount that's only available for 6 hours is going to be far better than a discount that's available for two weeks. That's why flash sales were good and why recent Steam sales have been so underwhelming.

On a side note, Cdkeys.com is a reliable source of good discounts on newer games. You can currently get DOOM for $13 and Prey for $34. Some people consider the site to be "gray market" but I've never had any issues with it.

That's great, but most of the time unless the developer/publisher is putting up the game on that site, neither is seeing any of your money.

Basically, it's as good as pirating at that point.

Retired wrote on Jun 21, 2017, 04:01:

The Half Elf wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 21:46:
Without the flash sales, the "Sales" are worthless anymore.

Flash sales were a gimmick. The publisher tells Steam what they will offer their games at. I prefer the new model - just tell me the lowest price you offer the whole week.

Rigs wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 19:43:

NetHead wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 19:01:
PS; for any of "those" people that go on about things like "you don't like x-ray vision then don't use it" I suppose it's to much to ask them to consider that games with such things are designed around such things and with them in mind. For instance try something as simple as looking through a keyhole in this Hitman game, that's right they don't need to add such things when there's crap like x-ray vision.

Disclaimer: I've only played the second and third Hitman games, Contracts and Blood Money...I thought they were the first and second but apparently not...hmmm...I'm curious how janky the first one is and if it's good enough to play these days?

Quinn wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 14:21:

Jerykk wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 12:28:

Quinn wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 11:26:
*the suits sitting around the table*

Suit 1: Lets make it episodic. Shit seems so sell.

Suit 2: Yes! And lets remove any sense of a real story. That shit is expensive.

Suit 3: Yes! And lets show the players all the ways they can assassinate their target, so we can fill up that storyless void with useless replayability. Because achievements!

Suit 4: No idea why we'd do that but these pathetic, completionist fuckers swallow everything as long as it keeps them away from facing real life. So yes!

Suit 2: No reason to be so cynical, Laurens, but yes!

*and HITMAN 2016 was born*

Genuine question: Have you actually played HITMAN 2016? If you have, you would know that it has just as much story as Blood Money, Contracts, Silent Assassin and Agent 47. There is an overarching storyline that is conveyed through cutscenes between missions. All of the missions tie into the storyline as well.

In fact, one could argue that it has more story because they've really fleshed out the targets, NPCs and environments. There's plenty of backstory and side-story to discover in each level, which is part of the reason why the game has so much replayability.

Finally, you might be the only Hitman fan (are you actually a Hitman fan or did you only play Absolution?) that complains about replayability. Seriously, replayability is one of the pillars of the series.

In any case, it's cool of IO to do this, though the headline is misleading. They aren't giving the full Episode 1 for free, only the tutorial levels. Paris is not free.

I only played episode 1 but I have all the eps. I loved all Hitman games, except for Absolution. Hated how the disguise system did a 180 and those FUUUCKING assassination "achievements". Fuck that "these are the ways you can somehow get to kill your targets!". Lazy as fuck not to let those ways to kill be told within context -- eavesdropping etc.
Especially loved Blood Money.

HITMAN is too much like Absolution, I thought?

I could explain the story in one short sentence. I dont call that a story. It doesnt even have a conclusion and you dont even know it is a story until you complete the last mission or so.

Quinn wrote on Jun 20, 2017, 11:26:
*the suits sitting around the table*

Suit 1: Lets make it episodic. Shit seems so sell.

Suit 2: Yes! And lets remove any sense of a real story. That shit is expensive.

Suit 3: Yes! And lets show the players all the ways they can assassinate their target, so we can fill up that storyless void with useless replayability. Because achievements!

Suit 4: No idea why we'd do that but these pathetic, completionist fuckers swallow everything as long as it keeps them away from facing real life. So yes!

Suit 2: No reason to be so cynical, Laurens, but yes!

*and HITMAN 2016 was born*

jacobvandy wrote on Jun 18, 2017, 13:53:

ItBurn wrote on Jun 18, 2017, 13:30:

Quinn wrote on Jun 18, 2017, 13:23:
Fucking drama queens. Them losers been playing that game every fucking day since it came out for PC. This is the kind of shit that has Rockstar flip the PC off for.

So you're against gamers voicing their discontent when a developer kills mods in order to juice more money out of the customers? You like all these microtransactions and day one DLC bs? Because it happened when gamers didn't say anything. Who cares if Rockstar puts their game on PC or not. We've got infinite good games to play, we don't need to bend over for them.

Voice it all you want, but it has nothing to do with game itself. Reviews aren't there for angry nerds and their bandwagoning circlejerks trying to "stick it to the man." They're for telling people your opinion of the game. This type of pointless nonsense (along with the retarded memes and other jokes so often voted "most helpful") is why a lot of people don't bother reading Steam reviews at all.

Prez wrote on Jun 16, 2017, 15:11:
The worst part of the last HITMAN game was that it was poi tlessly broken up into episodes and that was Squeenix's fault, not IO's (Squeenix has a hard-on for episodic gaming it seems). Since it will be impossible for them to finance another AAA HITMAN game without getting another publisher or a crowdfunding campaign I say they should work on Freedom Fighters 2 in the interim.

Kobalt wrote on Jun 4, 2017, 18:08:
Fucking finally. A fighting game where not only is the port not terrible, it's actually better than console. Tekken 7 is the fighting game of the year no question.