Shadow Warrior for $9.99. SOLD!
Who wants some Wang?
Having purchased most of my games this past week outside of Steam,
Ray

If the $20 BF4 promo ended, your next bet is Lamestop and/or Amazon. Lamestop will be selling BF4 for $25.00 tomorrow, but I don't recall if it was the PC Master Race version as well.

Otherwise, Amazon's Lightning Deal on BF4 is starting in ~45 minutes (6:10PM PST, 9:10PM EST) and it should be going up for $25.00.

Also, for all the new PS4 owners, the $30.00 PS+ deals are going live tomorrow.
Even I will pay $2.50/month (average) for free games.
Skipping the BF4 deal for now,
Ray

Saints Row IV is $20.00 on Amazon as well.
Risen sucks. That studio needs to die.
Wanting to buy...everything ,
Ray

It takes a few extra steps, but you can get Battlefielf 4 for $20.00 now.
Sooooooooooooooo many indie games to buy.
Not sure I will get that,
Ray

Amazon is definitely going to be doing some noteworthy sales over the next week.
AC3 is good, if you like the series, but most of GF was lacking.
I already picked up two games and I regret looking at my wish list; all but two games have received discounts, most of them at 50% or larger.

Going to be horribly broke soon,
Ray

ESO is like a less robust version of Skryim that you play online. The problem is that I am pretty sure that I just played that game and it didn't need a subscription. What is its draw and appeal? I couldn't tell you at this point.

As for GW2, I enjoy the game overall, but I only play intermittently because it seems to fall into the traps of grinding out pointless crap or the same instances over and over. At this point, I just casually play with my wife now and then to level characters or explore the world, but it's really tedious - repetitive design, way too many mobs given how few players are in the area, waypoints that are constantly contested by mobs, etc. We recently played two characters that were nearly max level and we just trudged our way through three sh*tty areas with the same stupid zombie mobs and with few other players in the area. It's one of those games where I keep on thinking that, if it was half as long, I would actually enjoy it more and not find it such a chore.

On the micro-transaction front, we are definitely not the intended market. I might pay a buck or two, no more than $5.00, for some silly item, but a generic outfit that costs $10.00 or more? Buying keys to chests that routinely have substandard items? Paying $10+ for perishable items? Charging a premium for items, but then having a limited stock of them and rarely releasing new ones?

I'm already a bit bored with the game; I'm not going to spend $50+ for the same items I had no interest in a year ago. By doing this, they just reinforce the forming of negative opinions towards the game.
Give me something new and interesting.
Probably averaging around 45 minutes of play time through the week,
Ray

I just picked up Dark Souls from the $6.00 Amazon sale. What are the suggested community patches other than the resolution fix?
No idea what I did with the link somebody posted fairly recently...
Going to die...a lot...repeatedly...with much frustration ,
Ray

It's always good news when the original developer can get access to publishing rights.

In the meantime, I hope they will go back and update these releases as well. I played Costume Quest on the PC (part of some package I bought at one of the discount places,) but I could not run it full screen due to an incompatibility with either CF or Windows 8. I played it for a bit in Windowed mode, but ended up giving up on it.
Bring forth the Windows 8 haters. I demand it!
Driving the waaahhhhmbulance,
Ray

Lamestop already updated its advertisement to list BF4 at $25. Given that Amazon typically matches the other retailers, this wouldn't be much of a leap (the current Amazon leak of $30 matches the original Lamestop rate.)
Looks like I will be getting Saits Row IV for $15, too.
Unable to put Super Mario 3D World down ,
Ray

We had a pathetic and surreal moment yesterday - my wife was playing AC:BF on the PS4 and I was playing Super Mario 3D World on the (shut up ) Wii U gamepad.
I got the Zelda bundle. My first two and last two games???
I actually like the Vita hardware, but never found myself playing games outside of our apartment. However, a remote play PS4 screen seems far more interesting, especially considering the upcoming Black Friday sales...

Thinking there is no greater joy than a cat suit and tanooki suit backup ,
Ray

Sorry to hear this, Stephen. We all lost a friend and a Blue's mascot.

I do not have anything insightful at the moment - I watched Hudson come into your life, create a lifetime of memories, and now leave us on this sad day.

Try to remember the good times and smile at the funny ones.
R.I.P.
Expecting her to be flying around somewhere out there,
Ray

How long until id closes, especially if its games continue along the current trajectory?

Some of id's early games, running on Carmack's engines, were trendsetters and certainly left me with some wonderful memories. I was a gamer from age of four or so, but the first time I saw Doom running in its gothic 2.5D glory, it was a life-changing event. Commander Keen, Hovertank 3D, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Doom II, Quake, the accelerated graphics of Quake 2, and Quake III Arena - I have fond memories of these games, not to mention the gaming joy third parties brought (Raven, Ritual, Rogue, Splash Damage, Valve, etc.)

As for Carmack, I hope he is able to improve the Oculus Rift and bring it to market with game developer support and a widely appealing combination of price and functionality. Looking back at his history, especially his more recent games, I question if he understands gameplay any has any real passion for the act of gaming. Rage sacrificed everything for 60FPS and shoving a mediocre game engine down our throats. Even on the tech side, his embracing of 1080p is profoundly disheartening. Otherwise, let him go tinker on stuff and let other people design great gaming experiences for old and new gamers alike.

Still waiting on my Quake sequel ,
Ray Piss off, you stupid space marine...

I can see the merits of replacing the PS4 HD, but I think 500GB is a good starting number.

I have a TB mechanical drive on my PC and it hovers between 400GB and 600GB, depending on what games I have installed (~45 titles.) If could pare that down a bit, a 500GB SSD would certainly be feasible.

Again, 500GB isn't amazing, but I don't think it's terrible either.
If we're talking about mechanical, 1TB drives are like $40.
Having wwwaayyyy too much stuff to play,
Ray

I guess a better description is "very warm." It's been running fine without any issues, but after three straight hours of AC:BC, I felt the system and it was okay to touch, but I likely wouldn't want to leave my hand there for more than a minute or so. If anything, it reminded me of how warm the original 20GB 360s would get.

The gamepad light doesn't do much, but it will change colors now and then depending on what you are doing with the system or with the game. I know it glows orange while charging and some upcoming games are said to use it in a minimal fashion (white light for when you are not in shadows, red light for when your health is low, etc.)

My wife was fiddling around with the DC Comics game yesterday and I noticed it used two or three different colors.

I finally got the phone app to work and it's only useful for limited circumstances, but I definitely prefer inputting account information via my phone than with the gamepad.
Speaking of the gamepad, did I mention how much I love it?
Wondering if The Witness will be my next PS4 game,
Ray

I would get one. Luckily, my PS4 was able to get the update without any delays, my HDMI port works, and we've repeatedly played our games (Resogun, AC:BF, and Contrast) without any issues.
My wife will take full blame for AC:BF.
However, the PS4 runs really hot - while playing AC: BF, it was hot to the touch and it was in a cool area without any constricting airflow. Additionally, there are reports of some systems already having some issues and I personally had bad experiences with the last generation of systems (2x PS3s and 4x 360s.)

For $60, coverage through 3 years seems like a no brainer at this point.

Having canceled my Xbox One preorder earlier today ,
Ray

A bit fun so far - no amazing games (though Resogun is stupidly addictive,) but some nice potential.

PSN is currently up so I was able to download a few things, but I haven't been able to get the phone app to work yet.

Otherwise, it's the small things that are neat - the speaker in the gamepad is surprisingly powerful, the background downloading, FINALLY BEING ABLE TO CHARGE THE CONTROLLER WHILE NOT PLAYING, having two apps open at once, the gamepad fits perfectly in my hand with a solid feel and my fingers comfortably resting between the much improved triggers, etc.

The UI isn't too bad, though it could use some streamlining - some things are on the main bar, some are on the top menu bar, some things are done via the PS button, etc. Also, it's weird seeing how few options there are for customization right now. I wasn't expecting a lot, but I cannot even change the wallpaper or color of the background wave thingie.

Overall, nothing to play for the PC Master Race , but I like its potential and the gamepad feels terrific.
Moarrr games, pleazorz.
Thinking I would like a PS4 gamepad for PC,
Ray

I think the PS4 has more going for it - cheaper, more powerful, a big focus on indie games, the improvements to the gamepad, heavier focus on games, etc. - but the launches for both systems are fairly mediocre, at least if you have access to multiple systems.

If you look at day one exclusives, it's basically Knack (which is getting hammered) and Killzone. On the Xbox 180, there is Forza, Ryse, Zoo Tycoon, Dead Rising 3, Zumba Fitness, and Fighter Within. None of those scream out to me and, having access to a high end gaming PC, I will be playing the multi-platform releases on PC.

For now, I am sticking with my PS4 preorder, mostly as a Netflix and Blu-Ray box. I am canceling my Xbox 180 preorder and I am still trying to figure out that damned Wii U. Nintendo really botched the hardware of the system, but I definitely want the new kitty Mario game and I wouldn't mind playing the HD Zelda game.
Still...buying a Wii U? That's a hard pill to swallow.
Meanwhile, where are the amazing AAA games? I realize there will be things for June and later of 2014, but the next few months look somewhat barren for all the systems.

Supporting the PC Master Race,
Ray

This comment was edited on Nov 13, 2013, 18:33.

For characters, I want an entirely different comic book or mythological character to play as. Give me Superman, give me Lobo, give me Vision, give me Wolverine, give me Dr. Strange, etc.

It's shades of gray - I like the series, but not enough to rave about it. The combat does little for me at this point because I just feel like I am going through an elegant dance rather than doing something dynamic or having any real input into it. Even for the existing system, integrate the bat weapons better, let me utilize the environment, have the block not counterattack, make the finishers skill based so there is a difference between just beating somebody to a pulp versus skillfully taking them out, etc.

For this game, for a lot of these games, I just tend to want more. But for others, you liked the prior game and this is more of the same. To me, though, it decreases my excitement of anything new and, if not revolutionary changes, why not make some of these small tweaks to just make it more diverse or have more depth?

Yes, AC is a very repetitive game. Again, it's a game that frequently negates any reason for input. Many times, it's just get the next objective, turn the camera direction, turn on running, and hold down the space bar so you'll vault onto/over anything in your way, run right up to the target, and just go for the close quarters kill. Even when you get to the more instanced areas, you often only have a single route to take. It's not terrible, but my enjoyment peaked at AC2 (half gameplay tweaks, half PC bug fixes) and I've been dying for some other gameplay or design improvements - not more feathers, flags, crew to hire, more of the same assassination types, investing in shops, identical buildings, quirky scripted sequences, etc.

What can I say? I can like parts of most all games for being something new to see or try, but I tend to get bored quickly with minor changes, much less rehashed releases, because I am always looking for something new and different.
A lot of the pointless collectibles burn me out on stuff, too.
Needing somebody to call me the waaaahhhmmmmbbbuuulllaaannnccee,
Ray

Sorry, Jerykk, but it is possible. No, not for the "special" NPCs, but...2/3...1/2 of the fights? I have literally beating large groups of standard NPCs with only a single button (the block to counter action does not even require you to be facing the enemy or any other input in its direction.)

Even for the special NPCs, just do the disarm or the one magical ability you pick up the first time they appear and they, too, can be treated very much the same. Counter, counter, counter...oh wait, that dude is going for his weapons...attack...counter, counter, counter...

I'm not trying to bash the game - it's a generally good system and probably the best melee/comic book fighting system. It's definitely fun at first, it implies some skill by Batman, it's very cinematic, etc. But it's the system that was in the first game. I sincerely was looking to see how it had grown or increased in complexity in the second game...and then I found out it was basically the same thing. Toss in the other similar things, I still want to play the third game for a different story, particularly their telling of Joker's origin, but not right now. Cut the price some more, wait until the holiday season is over, or wait until the indie scene isn't exploding with all sorts of neat, unique features.

Also, you and I definitely approach games differently. By the end of both games, I found the combat to be an annoying distraction between puzzles, riddle hunting, new areas to explore, my next upgrade, story continuation, etc.

Outside of that, I think they have a great skeleton to a game, but I can think of all sorts of other things I would love to add - different characters, significant story progression, more player control and gadget integration, higher emphasis on stopping crime in progress, etc. It's a good game, just not a great game. For $60.00, is this the single game I would buy and play? Would I rather have this one game or a handful of neat/unique/quirky/emotional indie games?

As for the other games you mentioned, I offer no defense. AC is marketed to oblivion, but the sales reward the publisher for this. The series is frequently the same game over and over and over and over with very little actual gameplay, a bizarre focusing on pointless, tedious collectibles, designed around heavily restricting the player's movement, terrible combat, an inane story, etc. For AC in particular, it's interesting see the transition of opinions on AC3 go from "ZOMG!" to "Meh..." or that the new AC is more pirate game than assassin game. CoD and BF are really only online shooters and one can never underestimate the love people have for shooting one another over and over and over and over. I have certainly enjoyed that style of game when I was younger, but now it only amuses me for 20-30 minutes at a time. Does nobody want to see anything different, greater, or deeper?

I have no real intentions of buying those game until they are $5.00 whereas I do actually want to play B:AO.
Give me a Lobo game or something.
Really wanting to play as a different comic book character at this point,
Ray

$60.00 for just more of the same just isn't enough, at least not right now.

Actually, I avoided the first Batman game until it his $20.00 or so (I had fears from prior comic book games,) but it ended up being worthy of the credit it deserved. I picked up the second game when it hit $20.00, too, but it already presented some "more of the same" concerns, further compounded by the open-world, but slightly less focused gameplay.

The combat works, but you don't really have to do anything - if you wanted, you could even not attack and just counter whenever your bat senses go off. After that, you get held back from completing areas until you go through few story levels and are given the proper tools to complete a given area. When you finish the story, you grind out challenges, riddles, etc.

It's still a very good series, but...I wish they would do more. Or if they are going to rehash the gameplay, give me a different comic book character and world - nothing to do with Batman - to play through.

I'll get the current game eventually, but not until it is $20.00 or so. For $60.00, I would rather pick up some other new titles or a handful of indie games.
Definitely good, but not creative or amazing.
Wanting a bit more, four years later,
Ray