What video game are you playing?

[ulukinatme]

I'd spend $80 on a full Red Dead game too. Happy?

 

[IrishBroker]

I still argue that $100 is too much for a fully fleshed out game. Call me cheap, but the most I'm generally willing to spend for a complete game is in the $80 range, and that's reserved for titles like Fallout for me. That's where developers have made a smart move and offered Season Passes. I think they realize that some users are probably going to sour on some of their games. Some gamers aren't going to buy every one of their DLCs. Some may pick and choose or not get any of them. By offering a cheaper Season Pass for $20 or so they can get the consumer's cash up front at a discount. It's good for them, and in a small way it's good for the consumer because they save some cash (Unless they end up not liking the game and were ultimately going to decide not to purchase DLC after they got to play it).

As far as Skyrim and Morrowind, I don't know I'd say Skyrim was more polished. In some ways that may be true, but Bethesda also dumbed the game down quite a bit. They've done the same with the Fallout franchise when they made 4, taking out features that have been around from the start like Karma. Obviously from a graphics and audio perspective they've improved things quite a bit, but beyond that? It's hard to say. Bethesda really mailed it in with some of the quest arcs in Skyrim, namely the Mages guild (Or whatever they called that college...the whole section was forgettable and made me disappointed as a pure Mage). Long story short, I feel like Bethesda has gone in the wrong direction. They've taken out some content and replaced it with "Radiant" quests which are meant to be repeatable, but often times end up boring and forgettable. Radiant quests aren't content, and I don't know anyone that continues to do them more than a few times once they complete a major quest arc. They're ultimately boring and pointless. I'm sure Bethesda caved to some people that were looking for more to do once they complete something like the Dark Brotherhood quest lines, but the time they spent creating Radiant quests could have been better served creating meaningful content.

I agree...if the system is only $400-600 bucks, how do you justify $100 dollar games?

 

[ulukinatme]

I agree...if the system is only $400-600 bucks, how do you justify $100 dollar games?

My gaming budget has gotten so bad I won't even spend $600 on a new system. I can upgrade my PC every 5 years for less than I would spend on a new console (As long as I'm only replacing select parts). I ended up getting a discount PS4 about 2 years after release, which is crazy for me as I spent $700 on Ebay for one of the first PS3s. These days it's hardly worth it to get consoles at launch though, so few games are out there and typically few are that good to begin with. I have no reservations with how I waited for the PS4...other than I'm a bit disappointed they're rereleasing it in a 4k format now a year later.

 

[IrishBroker]

My gaming budget has gotten so bad I won't even spend $600 on a new system. I can upgrade my PC every 5 years for less than I would spend on a new console (As long as I'm only replacing select parts). I ended up getting a discount PS4 about 2 years after release, which is crazy for me as I spent $700 on Ebay for one of the first PS3s. These days it's hardly worth it to get consoles at launch though, so few games are out there and typically few are that good to begin with. I have no reservations with how I waited for the PS4...other than I'm a bit disappointed they're rereleasing it in a 4k format now a year later.

The PS4 will be my last system. And I only paid about 400 bucks because I got it last year...came with The Last of US

I remember when PS2 came out and I spent 800 bucks (at the time, it was also the cheapest Blu Ray player as well...if you remember)

I'll never buy another. To be honest, I love gaming, but as we drift further and further into the online world, and as my kids are getting older, there are other things I'd rather spend cash on.

I also have a healthy gun hobby and I want to take my son to his first ND game (at ND) next year with all the trimmings.

 

[wizards8507]

My gaming budget has gotten so bad I won't even spend $600 on a new system. I can upgrade my PC every 5 years for less than I would spend on a new console (As long as I'm only replacing select parts). I ended up getting a discount PS4 about 2 years after release, which is crazy for me as I spent $700 on Ebay for one of the first PS3s. These days it's hardly worth it to get consoles at launch though, so few games are out there and typically few are that good to begin with. I have no reservations with how I waited for the PS4...other than I'm a bit disappointed they're rereleasing it in a 4k format now a year later.

Games Aren't Too Expensive, You're Just Broke

I didn't actually read the article but the headline is funny.

 

[ulukinatme]

Games Aren't Too Expensive, You're Just Broke

I didn't actually read the article but the headline is funny.

Broke is true. The writer makes a statement that we had more disposable income in the 80s and early 90s for video games. That's totally true. In the 80s most families didn't own a personal computer, let alone tablets/laptops because they weren't really a thing. On top of that most homes during that period didn't have cell phones and cellular plans, which for some people can be a significant monthly bill. To take it one step further most people didn't have the internet, it was still in it's infancy essentially, so that's another monthly bill people didn't have to fit into their budgets. Cable bills were far cheaper too, and even then many people were fine with antenna programs only. When all is said and done, you're talking hundreds of dollars a month that many families spend these days that they didn't have years ago. It's probably a big reason you find both parents working today.

However, the dude lost me when he starting comparing incomes. He made the case for this guy that makes $9,000-11,000 a month on Patreon and then calls him middle class. Yeah, technically he is upper middle class, but for the average worker in a small Midwestern town that is damn good money. I certainly wouldn't be complaining about $80-100 video games if I was making that each month, or hell even half that. I do QA/software work in Ohio and because of the economic status and cost of living in this area people can live on lower incomes. In reality I'm middle income for my area. That's fine for paying the bills, but it definitely puts a damper on luxury items. Gets worse if you have family with special needs or long term medical bills.

Overall I don't have a problem with the pricing on most games, but I'm far more selective these days in which games I purchase. I do my homework, I read reviews (From real gamers whenever possible because the sites and mags are in bed with developers), and I watch "Lets Play" videos on You Tube to get a feel if I'm going to enjoy something or not. More often than not I end up waiting a year or two for the price on a game to come down, and I'm ok with that these days.

 

[ACamp1900]

I certainly wouldn't be complaining about $80-100 video games if I was making that each month, or hell even half that.

Trust me, you still would be....

 

[ACamp1900]

I blame women, if they had just stayed in the kitchen like the good lord intended I'd still be able to afford all this shit....

 

[ulukinatme]

Trust me, you still would be....

Shiiiit, if I was making that much, I'd buy 50 copies of Red Dead 2 and make it rain discs on IE.

 

[wizards8507]

I blame women, if they had just stayed in the kitchen like the good lord intended I'd still be able to afford all this shit....

Working women are a conspiracy designed to inflate the workforce, suppress wages, and increase consumption. Elizabeth Warren agrees.

 

[IrishBroker]

Working women are a conspiracy designed to inflate the workforce, suppress wages, and increase consumption. Elizabeth Warren agrees.

That's "Chief" Elizabeth Warren to you, Breeder

 

[nlroma1o]

I played Battlefield 1 until 2 in the morning last night. My wife woke up and forced me to go to bed. I'm going to fall asleep at the office today, but it was totally worth it. Such an amazing game. The online maps are the best designed maps I've ever played. I recommend the game to anyone that's itching for a shooter.

 

[ACamp1900]

I played Battlefield 1 until 2 in the morning last night. My wife woke up and forced me to go to bed. I'm going to fall asleep at the office today, but it was totally worth it. Such an amazing game. The online maps are the best designed maps I've ever played. I recommend the game to anyone that's itching for a shooter.

Is there any kind of offline story? Or is it just a bunch of random maps?

Can you do the online stuff offline with bots?

splitscreen?

Thanks in advance for anything you can share.

 

[Henges24]

I played Battlefield 1 until 2 in the morning last night. My wife woke up and forced me to go to bed. I'm going to fall asleep at the office today, but it was totally worth it. Such an amazing game. The online maps are the best designed maps I've ever played. I recommend the game to anyone that's itching for a shooter.

Thanks for sharing. I would love to hear more about it.

Are you a COD gamer too? Is it a complete different game (besides the huge maps)?

 

[IrishBroker]

I played Battlefield 1 until 2 in the morning last night. My wife woke up and forced me to go to bed. I'm going to fall asleep at the office today, but it was totally worth it. Such an amazing game. The online maps are the best designed maps I've ever played. I recommend the game to anyone that's itching for a shooter.

LOL...Did this the other night with the Witcher.

 

[IrishBroker]

By the way...Anyone with tips on how to beat that god damn frog on the Witcher?

The one from the expansion? He's kicking my ass.

 

[Veritate Duce Progredi]

I don't know if games are "too cheap" but I would definitely pay $100 for a fully fleshed out RDRII.

I think part of the problem with AAA titles today is that you actually reach a point where increased scope actually decreases what you can do with the game.

A good example would be comparing Morrowind to Skyrim. Skyrim is a much more polished product but it ultimately lacks a lot of the small details and risky systems Morrowind had. It's easier to coordinate when you're working in small teams and it's harder to justify taking big risks when you've got $100 million dollars invested in development.

I read a good article about it and can't find it, but both of these make the point:

Why I Quit my Dream Job at Ubisoft | Gingear Studio
https://www.destructoid.com/aaa-game-development-teams-are-too-damn-big-247366.phtml

Great articles. I hope we see the indy development culture continue to evolve. We need more 10-20 person indy companies. As individual developers continue having success, they hopefully stay in the market and assemble quality teams that deliver finely crafted experiences on a larger scale.

Many of the indy games are from very small teams so they create great content but it's minified due to available funds/man hours.

Of course, if you only want FPSs or MMOs, you likely have little interest. But I believe there is still very fertile ground out there for grandiose seeds to grow.

 

[nlroma1o]

Is there any kind of offline story? Or is it just a bunch of random maps?

Can you do the online stuff offline with bots?

splitscreen?

Thanks in advance for anything you can share.

The Single Player modes is 5 different WW1 stories, each with their own Protagonist. So that't their story telling device they are using so that they can travel all over the globe to different War Campaigns. I havent played them yet, literally got the game yesterday and only played online.

I do not think there is any online game modes with bots. The only game I know that has that is Titanfall.

I dont think there is split screen in the single story. There might be. I just havent looked at it yet.

 

[nlroma1o]

Thanks for sharing. I would love to hear more about it.

Are you a COD gamer too? Is it a complete different game (besides the huge maps)?

I do not play COD any more. MW2 was my favorite online shooter back when I was in college. Played the shit out of that game. But now I can't stand COD.

After MW2, I felt the quality of the maps went down hill. The last game I played that I truly enjoyed in that series was Black Ops 1. MW3 was a disappointment, and then Black Ops 2 was the game that caused me to give up on the series. I rented last year game, I think its Advanced Warfare, and I couldn't believe what they had turned that game into. They basically copied Destiny and gave characters a "special" which in Destiny is called their "Super." And on top of that, there's a double jump boost and the copied Titanfalls wall running. COD is dead and has been for a long time IMO.

But in regards the BF1. Its more strategic, and overall is a harder game to try and master. Its so much fun to play the mode called "Rush" with friends if you can coordinate and work together. I could play that all day.

 

[ACamp1900]

Thanks man, what I meant is can you play online maps offline with bots instead of real people? Also is there any kind of split screen offline at all... My wife likes to play these games w me but we obviously need at least two player split screen... (This world where friends never play on the same TV together melts my mind and I want no part of it, lol)

 

[nlroma1o]

By the way...Anyone with tips on how to beat that god damn frog on the Witcher?

The one from the expansion? He's kicking my ass.

I haven't played the expansion yet, so I have no idea how to beat the boss. If its a frog, I would guess use bombs and light that dude on fire with igni. But thats a total guess.

 

[nlroma1o]

Thanks man, what I meant is can you play online maps offline with bots instead of real people? Also is there any kind of split screen offline at all... My wife likes to play these games w me but we obviously need at least two player split screen... (This world where friends never play on the same TV together melts my mind and I want no part of it, lol)

I am not sure. But when I get home I will check to see if there is any split screen, offline mode and report back.

Yeah its crazy how much ppl play with friends online and several states away. Its a great way to keep in touch believe it or not.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

By the way...Anyone with tips on how to beat that god damn frog on the Witcher?

The one from the expansion? He's kicking my ass.

Yrden traps, Cursed Oil, and Northern Wind bombs. Golden Oriole to counter his poison, Swallow to boost your healing from food mid-fight, and Thunderbolt for extra attack power are all helpful, too.

He's vulnerable to Signs and very resistant to physical damage, so how you've built Geralt makes a big difference in how difficult this fight is. Regardless, his attacks do huge damage, so you have to treat him like a Dark Souls boss by always prioritizing avoidance over offense.

 

[ACamp1900]

I am not sure. But when I get home I will check to see if there is any split screen, offline mode and report back.

Yeah its crazy how much ppl play with friends online and several states away. Its a great way to keep in touch believe it or not.

Thanks man, I'd really appreciate it.

And yeah I def recognize I'm an outlier but I pretty much loathe online gaming.

 

[IrishBroker]

I haven't played the expansion yet, so I have no idea how to beat the boss. If its a frog, I would guess use bombs and light that dude on fire with igni. But thats a total guess.

Yrden traps, Cursed Oil, and Northern Wind bombs. Golden Oriole to counter his poison, Swallow to boost your healing from food mid-fight, and Thunderbolt for extra attack power are all helpful, too.

He's vulnerable to Signs and very resistant to physical damage, so how you've built Geralt makes a big difference in how difficult this fight is. Regardless, his attacks do huge damage, so you have to treat him like a Dark Souls boss by always prioritizing avoidance over offense.

I can always count on IE. Thanks boys! Reps to both!

Tonight, I dine on frog legs.

 

[tussin]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nintendo Switch is coming March 2017! Catch the Preview Trailer and visit <a href="https://t.co/j4Unm459lg">https://t.co/j4Unm459lg</a> for more details. <a href="https://t.co/EV7zPiVf35">pic.twitter.com/EV7zPiVf35</a></p>— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/789103913328709632">October 20, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

For any Nintendo nerds out there.

 

[wizards8507]

For any Nintendo nerds out there.

Looks like it'll play very well to the Nintendo fans and not very well to anybody else. So basically like every Nintendo product since the 64.

 

[tussin]

Looks like it'll play very well to the Nintendo fans and not very well to anybody else. So basically like every Nintendo product since the 64.

I mean Wii and DS are two of the best selling consoles of all time. If Nintendo consolidates their portable and home console lines then I can see the product doing extremely well. It will depend on battery life IMO.

 

[greyhammer90]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Nintendo Switch is coming March 2017! Catch the Preview Trailer and visit <a href="https://t.co/j4Unm459lg">https://t.co/j4Unm459lg</a> for more details. <a href="https://t.co/EV7zPiVf35">pic.twitter.com/EV7zPiVf35</a></p>— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) <a href="https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/789103913328709632">October 20, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

For any Nintendo nerds out there.

Looks like it'll play very well to the Nintendo fans and not very well to anybody else. So basically like every Nintendo product since the 64.

I think it looks nice and I like the size. I'm somewhat concerned about the feel of the console in tablet mode. I have big hands and most handhelds don't feel comfortable for me to hold at all. I'm also a huge fan of cartridges as the amount of flash memory on those kills loading screens.

The big thing this will come down to is power IMO. Switch needs to be at the level of the original PS4 to be a real "thing" going forward. If it can't play current gen games at levels that acceptable, the console will die. No developer wants to downgrade their tech at this point. It sucks but graphics are what sell to the masses.

All in all, that was one of the more promising things I've seen from Nintendo in awhile. Hopefully it will actually be a hit. I'm of the opinion that Nintendo is like college football blue bloods. It's more fun when they matter.

 

[wizards8507]

I mean Wii and DS are two of the best selling consoles of all time. If Nintendo consolidates their portable and home console lines then I can see the product doing extremely well. It will depend on battery life IMO.

And third party support. That launch trailer showed one third party game and it came out five years ago. That's not a good sign.

The big thing this will come down to is power. Switch needs to be at the level of the original PS4 to be a real "thing" going forward. If it can't play current gen games at levels that acceptable, the console will die.

I agree. With Microsoft and Sony both launching consoles that are a half-step more powerful than the current generation, I think it's a mistake for Nintendo to introduce a product that's a half-step less powerful than the current generation.