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Post by minasa on Jan 18, 2014 20:13:59 GMT -5
Oh, and last thing: So I was looking at audio mods to add on to Oblivion's soundtrack and I gotta say that Morrowind still has a place in my heart with its music. The new ones just sound so "eh," although I'm tempted to find an imperial market place/Ocarina of time marketplace music one because that was a fun song for the atmosphere. Oblivion's OST is pretty boring other than a few exploring tracks. I used an assortment of Assassins Creed songs and the LotR OST for my Oblivion, also added a few Zelda tracks here and there. You don't really need to find mods for it though, as long as you have the songs, just add them on your music data folder and put them in either the [battle] [town] [explore] folders appropriately. I will recommend however that you install the music mod that makes it so that the tracks don't abruptly cut off but instead fade away/in. It's absolutely essential for a good immersive experience, forgot the name of the mod though.
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Post by PoopaPapaPalpatine on Jan 18, 2014 20:17:36 GMT -5
I used to think, with the advent of indie games, there'd be a lot more $5 to $2.50 on the market; instead, there are now a lot more $15-$20 games on the market, and those are the price you'd normally get for a budget game from an established studio, not a tiny game made by one to five people. I had that same sentiment when it came to fan-made collectibles. Being one of those people that make them now; I can totally sympathize.
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tonio31
Junior Spillio
Mangy Black Sheep
Posts: 96
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Post by tonio31 on Jan 18, 2014 22:00:53 GMT -5
I used to think, with the advent of indie games, there'd be a lot more $5 to $2.50 on the market; instead, there are now a lot more $15-$20 games on the market, and those are the price you'd normally get for a budget game from an established studio, not a tiny game made by one to five people. The price gets even harder to justify when there are free versions of the indie games in question. indiestatik.com/2013/05/19/how-bad-do-you-want-to-play-nidhogg-try-eggnogg-to-tide-you-over/
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Post by HaikenEdge on Jan 18, 2014 22:47:32 GMT -5
I used to think, with the advent of indie games, there'd be a lot more $5 to $2.50 on the market; instead, there are now a lot more $15-$20 games on the market, and those are the price you'd normally get for a budget game from an established studio, not a tiny game made by one to five people. The price gets even harder to justify when there are free versions of the indie games in question. indiestatik.com/2013/05/19/how-bad-do-you-want-to-play-nidhogg-try-eggnogg-to-tide-you-over/Or when mobile games costing 1-2USD on mobile platforms get ported to PC and suddenly cost 10-20USD.
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Post by slendermaschine on Jan 19, 2014 15:45:36 GMT -5
minasa - Yeah, I was never too big into Oblivion's score. I'll have to see how I like Skyrim's now that I finally got it to stop CTD'ing heh heh! The overall appeal of Skyrim draws me in greatly, possibly because I'm also a huge fan of Norse mythology, but Oblivion has always felt very vanilla to me. It just lacks enough to really make it as distinct of a world and it draws too much from standard fantasy, which is why I think mods are an essential after a certain amount of play time with it. Or when mobile games costing 1-2USD on mobile platforms get ported to PC and suddenly cost 10-20USD. Oh come on, Halo Spartan Assault was a steal and totally $60+ DLC worth of game! [/chokes on sarcasm] Seriously, anyone who buys the console version of Angry Birds deserves all the loss they ever get; it's FREE on the mobile. FREE!!! On a phone! The biggest joke seems to be on the next gen adopters because so far, yeah, looks like a bunch of PC ports at best if not something you would expect on an iPad. Personally, the new systems sound like a 4 Star restaurant trying to sell Chef Boyardee. It feels like it's the higher profile developers that are actually showing some balls in the industry these days compared to the majority of indie projects that somehow get funded. I can't even keep track of all the Minecraft/survival wannabe games are coming out, let alone with goddamn zombies. The most egregious offenders are the ones distinguished by a simple test of time: don't even look at the title and see how long until every other "retro" 2D platformer blends into the other. I understand that there's an appeal to nostalgia, but when do people wake the hell up and realize that there's a line where it's just fucking lazy AND overpriced? Saints Row 2 is on sale this weekend for under four bucks, and some of these indie devs want $60 for a bloody alpha. I'd say that practice is the most potentially detrimental to the video game industry more so than even pre-order exclusives and on-disc DLC because it is only encouraging the release of unfinished products for a premium cost. It's enough to make you wonder how Halo, Killzone, and Battlefield ever got away with a free - yes, free! - beta, now that the going rate is apparently full price to get a peak at proof of concept alpha build these days. Just look at mod communities that not only keep entire games afloat for years, but do so unpaid making many times unbelievable quality work for at most a veritable pat on the back - all out of sweat and passion maybe, just maybe, to get a break into the field some day. What's strange is there appears to be this sharp divide in many cases where "gameplay" is used to justify the overall shallow presentation and plot - if any such thing exists per game, even - or there's the absolute opposite where you have a point-and-click-if-you-feel-like-it interactive CG movie that plays like a dung beetle rolling shit while relying exclusively on its "narrative." I'm not a fan of Assassin's Creed, for example, but at least they dared to explore the 3rd dimension. **Also, I gotta say it: THIS is why Nintendo is in a slump: Where is THIS game, Nintendo? I mean what the shit is this--> Okay, that wasn't a rhetorical question. What the hell is that? And is it racist? I'm not even sure. That concept art immediately has me thinking of a Mass Effect/Dark Souls fantasy epic... and Nintendo makes cartoon Bieber-Link vs a flaming ablino emo... In tights. *Does he have to do the finger-flare thing, too? REALLY???* Do they have some kind of quota on how many games they can make that have content that doesn't set the bar for an 8 year old? Bloody hell. Normally it would be something easy to shrug off, but to see them piss away potential is just grating. When people, especially older gamers, wonder why Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask get as much praise as they do, it's because that was in many ways a peak for the series' thematic maturity, artistic balance, general ingenuity, and overall gameplay challenge without being a stale rehash. Looks like I'll still be waiting until the Wii-Us or whatever the hell they're gonna call it because this generation ain't sitting so pretty for Nintendo thus far.
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Post by HaikenEdge on Jan 19, 2014 16:41:29 GMT -5
It's at this time that I find myself going back to text-based gaming; no graphics to speak of, just good old-fashioned gameplay, and lots of it. Sure, there are some graphics, most of it is pretty static and plug-and-play, so it's not really a focus.
I mean, I understand the importance of presentation, but, at the same time, presentation with no content is kind of crap too.
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Post by lama on Jan 19, 2014 19:18:05 GMT -5
It's at this time that I find myself going back to text-based gaming; no graphics to speak of, just good old-fashioned gameplay, and lots of it. Sure, there are some graphics, most of it is pretty static and plug-and-play, so it's not really a focus. I mean, I understand the importance of presentation, but, at the same time, presentation with no content is kind of crap too. Is your real name Gary? If the answer is yes inbox me, we are relatives.
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Post by el woospo on Jan 20, 2014 0:27:32 GMT -5
@slendermachine - those fan made Zelda pics are fuckin badarse as fuck, I would give a bollock to have the next Zelda game look like that.
I also want there to be colossus type bosses in the over world you have to kill to get to the dungeon to get to another boss.
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Post by slendermaschine on Jan 20, 2014 1:21:16 GMT -5
@slendermachine - those fan made Zelda pics are fuckin badarse as fuck, I would give a bollock to have the next Zelda game look like that. I also want there to be colossus type bosses in the over world you have to kill to get to the dungeon to get to another boss. I know, and the shame is that Nintendo seems stuck on this almost childish aesthetic that rings so... flat. No pun intended either, because I just wanted to slap my forehead remembering "oh yeah! Nintendo thinks remaking the NES is original!" Anyone remember this ol' gem? Not only informative, but it contained absolutely stunning artistic interpretations of the various characters and monsters that look like they would - and should - have evolved over time to be those type of beasts. (P.S. If you don't have it, for ~$20 you can snag one used and I HIGHLY recommend it!) www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B0009P75HM/ref=tmm_other_meta_binding_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&sr=&qid=As to your latter point, Woosp, did you every play OoT's Forest Temple as an adult: Because that idea is brilliant and it was touched upon with this beastly fucker before you could enter. Granted it was extraordinarily easy of a "fight," but I remember how terrifying the odds were as a little 7-8 year old I had to brave my way past this brute. I think part of what LoZ is missing these days is that it was kind of scary for a kid back then, and it was fucking AWESOME: (Majora's Mask) But just look at that Goron art... what happened, Nintendo, what happened??? Someone needs to send this stuff to Jeff at Rage Select because anytime people wonder "what was the big deal about Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask?" THAT was the big deal. We had what would now be at least a Teen rated game from Nintendo (Remember, there was even actual blood in OoT - I can't remember if there was in MM) and these days unless it's from that Suda 51 fucker it's like pulling teeth with Nintendo to get anything vaguely mature. What gets me the most though is that when you have game companies like Nintendo and even Microsoft with that Spartan Assault, why are they shooting so low? Yeah, indie devs are getting away with it, but they're bloody indie devs! These are big budget titles backed by massive fanbases entrenched in multi-million dollar licenses... and they put out the same level as an indie game? Top down dual stick shooters or the same ol' NES formula from zelda is awful weak when we're talking companies that literally have the resources to do something absolutely marvelous - downright groundbreaking even, and yet they shoot for the same bars that everyone else does. The best thing I can say about indie games is maybe people will stop buying the big budget titles that DON'T push new ground (the Spartan Assaults, if you will), thus forcing companies to keep innovating - especially if they want to keep charging $60 + season passes.
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Post by el woospo on Jan 20, 2014 3:29:58 GMT -5
@slender, I cannot remember doing that as an adult, its been years and years... I played through most of it on master quest mode on the 'cube and do not remember...
I only got about half way through MM as it was borrowed from a friend who dememded it back in shorttime...
the WW reveal did have me raging but I quickly got over it. Its when they show a tech demo for a system then release a Zelda game that looks nothing like it.
i remember following OoT for years waiting for it (LttP on SNEES was my reason to buy n64, had to wait for a few years to get OoT, it was a long wait!) and remember gettign hyped to fuck with the articles and art work that went in magazines. To expand on what I said, I want it to be like Shadow of the Collossus was inside hyrule while a Zelda game was going on. There are huge beasts all over place, when you kill them their corpse stays there for the rest of the game rotting, thy block your path in places and need to be hunted in thers, all while still haveng loads of dungeons to get throught. Smaller bosse need different strategy to beat ect... but with weird nude postman and daft shop keepers runing about, bassically I want have to have goot fights in the overworld rather tan just the same plants and odd stupid soldier thing... i want to fight my way to puzzles.... or something...
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Post by el woospo on Jan 20, 2014 3:44:53 GMT -5
@slender, I cannot remember doing that as an adult, its been years and years... I played through most of it on master quest mode on the 'cube and do not remember...
I only got about half way through MM as it was borrowed from a friend who dememded it back in shorttime...
the WW reveal did have me raging but I quickly got over it. Its when they show a tech demo for a system then release a Zelda game that looks nothing like it.
i remember following OoT for years waiting for it (LttP on SNEES was my reason to buy n64, had to wait for a few years to get OoT, it was a long wait!) and remember gettign hyped to fuck with the articles and art work that went in magazines. To expand on what I said, I want it to be like Shadow of the Collossus was inside hyrule while a Zelda game was going on. There are huge beasts all over place, when you kill them their corpse stays there for the rest of the game rotting, thy block your path in places and need to be hunted in thers, all while still haveng loads of dungeons to get throught. Smaller bosse need different strategy to beat ect... but with weird nude postman and daft shop keepers runing about, bassically I want have to have goot fights in the overworld rather tan just the same plants and odd stupid soldier thing... i want to fight my way to puzzles.... or something...
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Post by PoopaPapaPalpatine on Jan 20, 2014 4:47:39 GMT -5
@slendermachine - those fan made Zelda pics are fuckin badarse as fuck, I would give a bollock to have the next Zelda game look like that. I also want there to be colossus type bosses in the over world you have to kill to get to the dungeon to get to another boss. ..."what was the big deal about Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask?" THAT was the big deal. We had what would now be at least a Teen rated game from Nintendo (Remember, there was even actual blood in OoT - I can't remember if there was in MM) ... You know you've got something when you've got a guitar company making these things: I don't know if any of you remember but there was a contest held in Nintendo Power yonks ago for one of these things. I didn't find out til later that, that was a pretty big deal as only 7 of these things (last time I checked, retail, these things went for like 25 grand) were made and one was given to Miyamoto at an E3 show. As to the Majora's Mask blood thing, there wasn't any blood as people just died.
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Post by slendermaschine on Jan 20, 2014 9:58:04 GMT -5
Yeah, for obvious reasons it wasn't nearly as dynamic as your idea, but it was quite an epic sensation to have this massive foe who would stand in this narrow corridor smashing a club on the ground to send shockwaves you had to weave around. Once you got close all you really did was go behind him and swing until he died - like I said, nothing as grand as your idea, but hey, it was a start (and on the N64, so tech-limits pass heh heh) As for remaking WW, the only negative is that it takes away resources that would be better spent diverted elsewhere because while I actually did enjoy the game, I felt it also was the first big step away from everything great OoT and MM did. It ditched the challenge and overall mystique of the world in favor of endless. Fucking. Sailing. It wouldn't have been so bad if they didn't also factor in the need to change the wind so often but more importantly, if they let you upgrade the King of Red Lions (Ha! I remembered that bastard! Go memory I guess...I think?) to a bigger ship. The real temptation was that pirate crew had this massive ship and I bloody wanted one myself. At least WW's art worked for what it was - I think the greatest problem with remaking it is that the game didn't age all that much because the art style held up nice. Personally I have a greater problem with 1) Twilight Princess's "Twilight" world with those stupid Shadow monsters and 2) All of Skyward sword. That pic I posted pretty much says it all as to why. ..."what was the big deal about Ocarina of Time or Majora's Mask?" THAT was the big deal. We had what would now be at least a Teen rated game from Nintendo (Remember, there was even actual blood in OoT - I can't remember if there was in MM) ... You know you've got something when you've got a guitar company making these things: I don't know if any of you remember but there was a contest held in Nintendo Power yonks ago for one of these things. I didn't find out til later that, that was a pretty big deal as only 7 of these things (last time I checked, retail, these things went for like 25 grand) were made and one was given to Miyamoto at an E3 show. As to the Majora's Mask blood thing, there wasn't any blood as people just died. If I were to go back, I'd have subscribed (well, asked my parents to subscribe ha!) to Nintendo Power. But damn did that game have amazing art design that felt connected to OoT but also unique in its own right... and the guitar was really amazing! Regarding the blood, I didn't think so because I remember that OoT later was edited in that matter (color change I think), but overall the game made up for any blood by being dark as fuuuck. Why is there a Majora's Mask Creepy Pasta? Because Majora's Mask is the one game that you could actually believe that type of insane shit would revolve around. And yet it was at the same lighthearted to enough of an extent to retain a special sense of charm all to its own (as did Ocarina in its own right); it struck just the right balance and along with Ocarina of Time it could appeal to any age. It was an E rated game by the true definition of "E" because it can be for Everyone; nowadays it feels like that E label has to beat you over the head or else it's T, M, and/or on Fox - for da' chil'ren, of course.
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Post by George Knight on Jan 20, 2014 11:59:57 GMT -5
I know, and the shame is that Nintendo seems stuck on this almost childish aesthetic that rings so... flat. No pun intended either, because I just wanted to slap my forehead remembering "oh yeah! Nintendo thinks remaking the NES is original!" One of my infamous monsters posts incoming. You've been warned:As After Spill's resident Zelda fanboy, I disagree entirely. Especially about the about the art direction of Skyward Sword. (Which was a flawed game's best feature) Stylized =/= Childish I don't want Zelda to be a serious and dark epic fantasy story. I don't want it to focus on telling a deep or thought provoking story (Though this can be can be an optional secondary focus), or be extra difficult for the sake of being extra difficult. There are more than enough games like that on the market these days. If I wanted that, I'd play Dark Souls or Skyrim. Similarly, I don't want Zelda to have gritty and realistic artstyle. It doesn't really fit the series as a whole. Zelda should be what it has ALWAYS been (MM excluded): A fun fantasy adventure game. (This is why A Link Between Worlds is so great, but we'll get to that later.) Naturally, I think that sort of game works best with a colorful and flashy art style. Not only does it fit with the franchise, but it also separates it from the pack of high fantasy games that all look exactly the same. It gives the series a unique feel to it. This is why Twilight Princess, which was an attempt to achieve something similar to the fanart you posted in your original post, is the least memorable 3D Zelda game to date. It really doesn't have an identity of it's own, and it feels conflicted tonally. Pics related: Most of the stuff you posted was pretty much in the game. All well and good, but as I stated it's hardly memorable. The game hasn't aged well so far, and I doubt that will change any time soon. Meanwhile, Skyward Sword looks absolutely fantastic. By moving away from the gritty and edgy style that was met with mixed reactions, they managed to create a new style on par with Wind Waker without actually copying it. Skyward Sword may have been a meh game for many reasons, but art direction was not one of them. Like Wind Waker, it will age extremely well and hopefully be recycled into more games in the future. Sure you can cherry pic a screenshot with a Bokoblins from early in development, but anyone who's actually played it will tell you how good the game looks. (Even on the inferior hardware of the Wii) The character and level design look fantastic when taken in context with impressionist painting look of the game. The best part? They were able to incorporate the mature themes and undertones that have become a staple since OoT into the game despite having a bright and colorful look and lighthearted tone. (Link for an example HERE, anyone who's played it will know what I'm talking about) They were also able to create one of the best villains in Zelda, period. Granted it really isn't very hard considering his only real competition is the always flat Ganon and Vaati, Ghirahim is a fantastic character. Flamboyant and disturbing at times, his unique look and unpredictable nature makes him one of the most threatening and memorable antagonist the series has had since Skull Kid and the moon. Unlike many of his peers, he plays an active role in the story. Link faces off against him many times over the course of the game, constantly having to foil his plans. You can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment after getting curbstomped by him at the beginning of the game, only to have both Link AND the player rise in skill enough to rival him by the end. They have a dynamic that's quite refreshing for a Zelda game, even though it's nothing we haven't seen before in gaming as a whole. His motivation for his evil doing and the eventual twist involving him is also pretty interesting and well done. He also has a fantastic theme music: The only real problem I have with Ghirahim is that there isn't enough of him. Spoilers below, even though it's a three year old game at this point and everyone who's going to play it probably has already. Ghirahim get's shafted at the end of the game, and another character fills the role of final boss. Thankfully, it's a satisfying fight and the character who replaces him is just as intimidating. His hair looks great great in motion with all the impressionist style shading btw. I guess, in conclusion, I think Zelda is heading into the right direction as far as look goes. It might not be the dark fantasy adventure game that many people who grew up on OoC and MM want, but as a long time fan who's played every entry in the series I couldn't be more pleased. They'll continue to experiment, and I'm sure whatever they move on to next will be look just as good as SS or WW. It certainly won't be as shocking as WW, that's for damn sure. People should stop trying to make everything into something serious and epic, as not everything needs to be. Sometimes I just want to have fun. The biggest problem with Zelda at the moment is the stagnant gameplay and overemphasis on story. Story in Zelda should be simple and subtle, used only to motivate the player to go on an adventure. The world can be fleshed out with bits of lore, optional dialog, and context clues. This is one thing OoT, MM, and WW did very well, but were lacking in TP and buried under a mountain of CINEMATIC ACTION in SS. My hopes for the future of the series were dashed until I played A Link Between Worlds, which gets almost everything completely right. Simple story that doesn't put a hamper on gameplay, clever puzzles, interesting world, fantastic artstyle, and just difficult enough to provide a satisfying experience to new and old players. It really felt like I was back in the ALTTP and Link's Awakening glory days. The only real complaint I have about it is that it's GORGEOUS artwork didn't really translate into the game, which is a damn shame. It's given me hope that Anouma has actually taken many of the series criticisms to heart, and that the next 3D console Zelda will be the best one yet. Only time will tell though. While we wait though, here's more Ghirahim: EDIT: Forgot to post some examples of great enemy designs that match the SS style.
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Post by George Knight on Jan 20, 2014 12:33:14 GMT -5
As an afterthought: I'm in the minority that thinks WWHD looks gorgeous in it's own right, even if drastically different to the still stunning original. With the gameplay improvements that have been made that streamline some of the sailing and general gameplay kinks, I'd say it elevates a 9/10 game (Not on the IGN "EVERYTHING UNDER 8 IS BAD" scale) into a full blown 10/10 experience. Definitely worth picking up if you have a Wii U and are on the fence about it. The new Hero mode is unlocked right from the get go, so you're garuenteed a pretty solid experience even if you don't care about the gameplay tweaks.
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