General Discussion

Just voted. This will be cool.

BR! You are right! Don't let Borderlands loot lottery take the Cheeries again!

I'm just being pithy. I really disliked Borderlands 1 but I haven't played the 2nd. I think the loot system in the first one is total bunko and the quests were boring, but the skill trees were pretty good.

I agree with BR. The Walking Dead for GotY!

Though I must say, I'm surprised Mass Effect 3 isn't on the list. For all the criticism about the ending, it is still a really solid game.

My basic issue with Diablo style loot systems is this:

It speaks of shitty design to me. By stimulating the casino/gambling bit of the gamer mind and playing on our desire to watch numbers go up, you avoid actually designing your game. Item drops can be powerful rewards for exploration or, in the best of cases, they can recontextualize the rest of the game.

Consider doing a side quest to get a powerful weapon in an RPG. You're rewarded for going out of your way and seeing more of the game. The developers choose how powerful it should be comeasurate with the difficulty of the quest and can tie it in thematically. I'm on board.

Consider finding a new item in Super Metroid. When you get a new item, you reconsider every area you've already been to because you have a new mode of traversal or ability. That game is very well designed.

And then think about finding a random, more powerful bit of armor in something like Torchlight 2 (which I really liked, btw). Even rare loot is usually not a huge jump in effectiveness and even when it is, it's gated by level requirements. So the pleasure you get is that of watching numbers go up and very rarely of a new ability, like a status effect of some sort. Those status effects are usually already available, without the numbers going up, from shops and the like.

The rare loot you get is barely more empowering than the loot you already had. You're just trading a viable strategy for a very slightly more viable one, with higher numbers, brighter colors and cooler names. Very little actually changes. The fact that it's random means it more or less happens continuously throughout the game. Rare loot is not rare. Playing Torchlight 2, I was finding rare and magical loot constantly. On a given run, I'd find 2 or 3 unique pieces of equipment. When I would find something really exciting, level limits and class restrictions undermine the very thrill that they're hoping to create. Because of this, the effect is a constant marginal increase in your character efficacy, that isn't tied to your actions. That's Progressquest. If you're going to be random, have the courage to be random. Then, at least, it's like a slot machine and you feel like you can really hit the jackpot.

It's also annoying to constantly have to be picking up trash items to sell as the games basic economy. Specifically with Diablo (haven't played 3, just 1 and 2), the rhythms of the game are set by trips to and from the market. It's a game about selling junk you find on the floor. Sometimes you get a nice bit of equipment that is VERY rarely a big jump up, but it's not because of your performance or for exploration or for anything you actually DID.

Again, I'm basing all of my experience on Diablo 1 and 2, Torchlight 1 and 2 and Borderlands 1. It's possible Borderlands 2 is different. Does it have stat/class/level requirements to undercut you when you win the figurative slot machine? That shit drives me bonkers.

I also like a lot of these games, but it's in spite of the loot side. What these games do really well, I think, are skill trees. I love character customization, I just don't want to pick up a whole lot of Shoulders of the North which grant +.03 frost resistance along the way.

Also, random dungeons generally don't seem to add much. It's sort of neat that it's different every time but are the layouts ever considered? Designed? Neat? Most of the time in those games, there are a lot of dead ends with pottery in them.

It's not that I'm against randomization. Consider something like Binding of Isaac where each item you get is random. The difference is there are few, if any, insignificant upgrades. Each item is a meaningful improvement or, even better, drastically changes the way you play the game. Diablo-likes are literal seas of meaningless upgrades.

This looks wonderful, and this reminds me. I need to pick up Catherine soon.

Isaac, Indie Game the Movie and Legend of Grimrock are all great. Dungeon Defenders is sort of fun. Well worth it, regardless.

Wrath of the Lamb is great but it does make the game harder. Gotta man up, Dodson!

The way you advance in Isaac is unlocking characters and knowledge. Work on getting 4 health upgrades in one playthrough to unlock a character that is sort of a beginner mode. Then work on getting 70 cents in one play through to unlock another easy mode character.

During break I'm going to try to record some LPs or guides for Isaac. I figure I should use my 300 hours for something.

Don't use the wiki! It's much more fun to experiment.

Roll with Maggie for a while and try to unlock Cain. He's the next tier. All other characters are actually much more difficult and are akin to challenge modes.

The Tick is only a problem if you're going for the Chest, which is waaaay in your future. Until then, it life drains each boss when you meet them so it's not too bad!

Pawn's Adventure

The Walking Dead is the only game on here that changed how I think of games. A lot has already been said about the narrative which is the focus and is top notch. But not enough has been said about the play.

TWD has the best "false gameplay" of any game I've ever played. The gameplay is almost entirely quick decisions and mild puzzles and the decisions are the draw. Not only do they have real consequence and do they masterfully manipulate tension by having timers, they are sometimes false. Sometimes, what you say doesn't matter. Sometimes, it doesn't matter how quick you are. Sometimes, the things you say have the opposite of the intended effect. Just like in life.

Further, there are some actual quick time events. Sometimes these are just button tap fests, but I want to talk about a very specific one that is very SPOILERY. So please STOP READING IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED IT BECAUSE I'M GOING TO SPOIL SOMETHING.


















Seriously, spoilers.








Near the end, when you're strangling the guy in the hotel, you're prompted to slam on the Q button to do so. The prompt disappears. If you stop slamming Q at this point, he gets the upper hand and you're forced to take care of him another way. However, if you're like me, you're so emotionally invested in this character and what he's done and in protecting Clementine, you just keep slamming on the Q button as if you are actually choking the life out of someone. If you can't stop pressing the button until he's no longer a thread, he dies. DESPITE THE FACT THAT THE GAME ISN'T TELLING YOU TO. That moment alone makes this my game of the year. The fact that I cared enough to transcend mechanics and actual "game" signaled to me that this would be a game I'd never forget.

Runner up: Dishonored. Dishonored is a stealth game where it's fun to get caught. Think about that for a moment.

Spec Ops: The Line.

If a game has a difficulty setting, I usually choose the hardest available for my first play through. There's a few games where this doesn't work out; namely the Command and Conquer games, but it keeps things challenging. In games like Elder Scrolls, I try do at least one run though using fists only. There's a strange satisfaction in punching a giant to death.