The Video Game Thread - anything and everything...

[jts1031]

You nailed it. I remember Outcast multiplayer where the strong lunge attack and backstab were all people were doing. If you saw someone jump in front of you or back up to you, you were like "Here we go...". If I remember correctly there was Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch, CTF, and something like duels. There might have been a mode where you fought to get weapons, like the weapons appeared randomly, not sure. I did love Outcast MP though, CTF in particular. I got called a cheater soooo many times because you could fully charge that disruptor rifle and just skeet shoot people coming for the flag. It was built on the Quake III engine, which is why it might have felt like Quake.

I prefer some of the Jedi Knight weapons. I remember how fun that rail detonator was in MP because you could be running around and secondary fire that into a wall and the rocket would attach. So I would run around a corner, fire it into a wall/ceiling/floor and the guy chasing me would round the corner and die.

I really liked Republic Commando too. The gameplay was kind of generic, but the characters were cool. I'm still bummed they never did a sequel, because it was clearly setup to have one. Oh and the Empire at War games were really good, if you like RTS.

Jedi Academy came after Outcast and ended up with a bigger online following. There was the JA+ mod which really filled in some of the holes from the base game too. It's still out there being played, and it's actually been morphed in to Movie Battles II, which makes dueling a whole level more difficult than it was in Academy.

 

[cboath]

Jedi Academy came after Outcast and ended up with a bigger online following. There was the JA+ mod which really filled in some of the holes from the base game too. It's still out there being played, and it's actually been morphed in to Movie Battles II, which makes dueling a whole level more difficult than it was in Academy.

I still have df1, 2, oucast, and jka installed

I boughta joystick and fired up xwing, but oof...that somw rough graphics

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

For my money, the best deathmatch weapons in any MP game were the original Duke Nukem ones. I loved the laser tripwires and pipebombs and shrink and freeze rays. So wacky. Jedi Knight had some good weapons, too. But that was also running on its own in-house engine (which I think The Infernal Machine also ran on -- never beat that one...).



Empire at War I've tried, but I loathe the ground combat. I wish it could just be an updated version of Rebellion (another weird fav of mine), and it's so close to being exactly that...but the ground combat just ruins it for me. I've never really been a fan of RTS games, but I can handle the RTS space missions. The ground stuff, though, no thanks.

The first MP game I ever played was JK2 so even though I had Duke Nukem 3D I never played it. I saw some stuff afterward and wish I had!

I still have df1, 2, oucast, and jka installed

I boughta joystick and fired up xwing, but oof...that somw rough graphics

I tried playing DF2 a year or two ago when I got my new PC (RTX 3080) and I was getting some weird texture bugs once I got to that planet where you retrieve your lightsaber from his dad's house. It was that effect like when you'd film your TV with a camcorder and it just looked like it was going to infinity. It was really distracting. I could never find any fix for that, which is a bummer.

 

[janglesworthy]

Looks like one more Jedi Fallen Order/Survivor/Last Man Standing/Final Man In The Room/One More Time games is coming from Respawn

Star Wars Jedi Finale Revealed - Blue's News Story

 

[Solo4114]

I still have df1, 2, oucast, and jka installed

I boughta joystick and fired up xwing, but oof...that somw rough graphics

So, the thing about X-wing is that, technically, it's 2.5 different games. You've got the floppy disk version that's just flat 3D shapes, you've got the CD version that added the Gouraud shading, but which otherwise kept things the same, and you have the 1998 version built on the XvT engine.

The XvT engine version is the prettiest of the 3, but it needs a 3DFX graphics wrapper to really perform well and get the hardware acceleration needed for genuinely decent looking graphics. However, the gameplay of the CD version is, in my opinion, the best of the batch. You get the Gouraud shading, which is an improvement over the base graphics, but the rest of the experience is just better. You can make your own pilots who accompany you, improve in skill, get awarded medals, and can be killed/MIA. You get to see the take off/landing sequences showing your ship being damaged, too. It was always a thrill to barely survive a mission with a beat-to-hell hull, land, and see just how shot up your ship was. And you get the iMuse music, which ebbs and flows with the gameplay. XvT Balance of Power, I think, did this (sort of) with CD redbook audio, which switched tracks on your CD player to play actual movie music, and it was cool, but it was nowhere near as fluid.

X-Wing Alliance, on the other hand, is really pretty if you actually apply the fan-made graphical upgrades. Worth a play as long as you can get your joystick working right.

The first MP game I ever played was JK2 so even though I had Duke Nukem 3D I never played it. I saw some stuff afterward and wish I had!

DN3D was my first MP game, and I have a lot of fond memories of it. We played it in college once we got T1 lines in our dorm rooms in 2nd semester of freshman year, and my friends and I spent many hours blowing each other up and learning that, surprise!, rockets fly through teleporters. Such a fun game.

I tried playing DF2 a year or two ago when I got my new PC (RTX 3080) and I was getting some weird texture bugs once I got to that planet where you retrieve your lightsaber from his dad's house. It was that effect like when you'd film your TV with a camcorder and it just looked like it was going to infinity. It was really distracting. I could never find any fix for that, which is a bummer.

Yeah, again, you may need a Voodoo/3DFX wrapper for the graphics. Those old games either pre-date or are contemporaneous with Direct3D becoming the default video driver, but the Voodoo2 by 3DFX was actually a way better card for games of that era.

 

[JediMichael]

My friend had Tie Fighter on the floppy disks. Let me borrow them. I remember that being pretty fun.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

DN3D was my first MP game, and I have a lot of fond memories of it. We played it in college once we got T1 lines in our dorm rooms in 2nd semester of freshman year, and my friends and I spent many hours blowing each other up and learning that, surprise!, rockets fly through teleporters. Such a fun game.

Yeah, again, you may need a Voodoo/3DFX wrapper for the graphics. Those old games either pre-date or are contemporaneous with Direct3D becoming the default video driver, but the Voodoo2 by 3DFX was actually a way better card for games of that era.

In 97 I was still living at home and going to school. We still had dial up until around 98 or 99 so a lot of MP stuff just didn't work well! I think we had DSL by the time DF2 came out though. I had the GOG version so I figured it should have had everything to get it to run correctly, but I'll check out the wrapper next time. I played it maybe 5-6 years ago on my old PC (built in 2014) and it worked great.

My friend had Tie Fighter on the floppy disks. Let me borrow them. I remember that being pretty fun.

TIE Fighter is up in my top five SW games of all time. I still love the music (MIDI?) on those mid 90s games! I remember getting the demo, I think it was packed in with Computer Gaming World magazine or PC Games, not sure. It had an add for the new Dodge Neon at the beginning. It let you fly around for all of a few minutes. The only thing in it was a Corellian corvette in the distance, but you could never get to it before the demo ended, so you could just fly around and shoot.

 

[JediMichael]

In 97 I was still living at home and going to school. We still had dial up until around 98 or 99 so a lot of MP stuff just didn't work well! I think we had DSL by the time DF2 came out though. I had the GOG version so I figured it should have had everything to get it to run correctly, but I'll check out the wrapper next time. I played it maybe 5-6 years ago on my old PC (built in 2014) and it worked great.



TIE Fighter is up in my top five SW games of all time. I still love the music (MIDI?) on those mid 90s games! I remember getting the demo, I think it was packed in with Computer Gaming World magazine or PC Games, not sure. It had an add for the new Dodge Neon at the beginning. It let you fly around for all of a few minutes. The only thing in it was a Corellian corvette in the distance, but you could never get to it before the demo ended, so you could just fly around and shoot.

I remember that the 3D space was quite large and felt like you could fly for a good amount of time before getting to anything. That was quite impressive for an old game like that.
I'm sure being in space they were able to cheat with some things.

 

[JediMichael]

Here looking out the window of my hospital window, and there is this bear on another rooftop....but like in PS1 graphics. Weird.

 

[janglesworthy]

Low poly sculpture is actually a real art people do for statues now, no joke.

 

[Nth]

Notable announcements from Sony's State of Play.

Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver II remasters announced for December, a pleasant surprise as people have been wanting that series back for years.

Sequel to Ghost of Tsushima announced: Ghost of Yotei, coming 2025. Knew that one was coming. There were two Mongol invasions afterall.

Darksiders 2 remaster announced. Fantastic game. Really enjoyed Darksiders and Darksiders 2. Haven't played them in a decade though so this will give me another reason to go through them again.

Hell is Us looks like a cross between an action platformer and survival horror. Reminds me of Death Stranding with more of a horror bent.

Archeage Chronicles, fantasy hack and slasher it looks like.

Lunar Remastered collection. Wow, another oldschool JRPG classic returning with a graphic overhaul.

TMNT Shredders Revenge DLC. Two new characters, new remixed soundtrack, out today.

Alan Wake II DLC - The Lake House.

Hitman and Metro 2033 now getting their own VR games. I don't have VR but they looked impressive.

Stellar Blade and Nier Automata doing some sort of crossover later this year, likely as a DLC.

New Monster Hunter game.

Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered October 31st. Only $9.99 if you already own the original and want to upgrade to the remastered PS5 version.

 

[Nth]

Well, my Blade Runner trench is going to have to wait until the new year. Secured a PS5 Pro preorder before they sold out. Couldn’t even get onto PS Direct to cue for one, started checking retailers even though they aren’t supposed to be taking preorders until Oct 10th. Amazon.ca, Walmart.ca and BestBuy.ca all started taking preorders today. Snagged one on Amazon, they were sold out in less than an hour. Anniversary Editions on PS Direct sold out in 5 minutes.

 

[janglesworthy]

don't forget your also competing against people using bots to buy out pre-orders and resell them on ebay.

 

[janglesworthy]

and so it begins........

Ebay Is Already Filled With PS5 Pro Anniversary Consoles Priced At $3,000+

Sony's limited edition retro-themed PlayStation console sold out almost instantly

kotaku.com

 

[JediMichael]

Wanted to replay MGS 5:Ground Zero again. It's been 9 years since I last played. Replaying it after finishing the main game, Phantom Pain back then.
It felt a little rough replaying that in the PS3, now after all these years.
Decided to see what the price of the PS4 version was on the PS store.
Ground Zero alone was still $20.
Phantom Pain was $20, but on sale....but, right now they have the package which comes with both on sale for $12.
I decided to buy that and install on the PS5.
I remember how Phantom Pain loaded things VERY slowly on the PS3. Just to get into the game, once you turn on the system, it took over 3 mins of loading.
I want to re-time it, and then time it on the PS5, and see the difference.
Either way, this version looks nicer. Much more smooth looking, and not bad, now for a 9 year old game. It's kind of fitting, since the timeframe between Ground Zero and Phatom Pain was 9 years.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

Thought I'd share this here. If you've ever had an interest in the dark and seedy history of video games, this is the book for you!

 

[Ron]

and so it begins........

Ebay Is Already Filled With PS5 Pro Anniversary Consoles Priced At $3,000+

Sony's limited edition retro-themed PlayStation console sold out almost instantly

kotaku.com

Imagine if companies made products that are actually available for customers wanting to purchase them. Crazy idea I know but maybe someday it'll happen.

 

[Nth]

After the latest big patch Helldivers II gets a 1600% player boost. Latest order finished and now the Space Station is under construction. Many are speculating it's going to be a future social hub for players. Supposedly this will act as a social hub for the upcoming Clan system where Helldivers can form their own Battalions and get access to Platoon Stratagems.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1839867125072122151

Leaker says first platoon strategems will be: Carpet Bombing, 10,000KG Atomic Bomb, Medical Supply Pod, SEAF Reinforcements (5 man AI squad of soldiers), Missile Silo (Deploy a mini missile silo), Heavy MG manual defensive turret, and a new Clan ranking system. Also rumor that Clans who form Battalions will be able to deploy 6 man Helldiver squads instead of just the standard 4.

EDIT: Advance Wars inspired Warside gets a Steam demo and release date.

 

[Sluis Van Shipyards]

After the latest big patch Helldivers II gets a 1600% player boost. Latest order finished and now the Space Station is under construction. Many are speculating it's going to be a future social hub for players. Supposedly this will act as a social hub for the upcoming Clan system where Helldivers can form their own Battalions and get access to Platoon Stratagems.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1839867125072122151

That's where you go to get your space tattoos and fight your ex girlfriend's superior officer set to Mazzy Star.

 

[Riceball]

While Ubisoft is under fire, I wouldnt be surprised if other major developers are also sweating. Apart from Nintendo, Valve, Capcom, I can imagine alot of major devs sweating that their new games just arnt selling well enough to justify their huge budgets.

I'd add CDPR to the list of devs that are still doing all right. Wile Cyberpunk 2077 got off with a rocky start CDPR worked diligently to fix it and it became a huge hit for them. And there's lots of anticipation for The Witcher 4 and Cyberpunk 2, both of which CDPR are working on right now. As long as they avoid hiring or listening to companies like Sweet Baby Inc. and don't stray too far from what made The Witcher and Cyberpunk so popular I think that they'll be fine.