Video Game General 7.0: Day Juan Ys: MoC June 9th & Wonderful 101 June 30th!

General Discussion
6721

MH isn’t a games as a service model, and the devs themselves have said they don’t aim to go that route. MHW and Iceborne are the exact same model they’ve always followed of main game then update, just fitting into the DLC schema. The only difference is all the post release updates, but those will have a definite end like a year and a half or less after release. World and Iceborne don’t even have the same directors and probably don’t have the exact same people working on it either.

I think the only real way you can define GaaS is by developer/publisher intent. Destiny was one of the early really big GaaS titles, but they ended up pivoting from their original “10 year plan” and just made a “sequel” though that sequel still follows mostly the same model. Anthem was trying to be this as well, Overwatch is it etc. Basically they want to continually develop content as long as people are buying, like a service, it just keeps going. Monster Hunter World Iceborne content WILL stop regardless of popularity because they’re going to move on to the next project, and likely are already working on the next MH title in the early stages.

4 Likes
6722

Games as a Service immediately sends up red flags for me because I think of games that require the internet to even function at all…the “LIVE SERVICE” shit. I will most likely forever be opposed to such nonsense. When it REQUIRES the internet, then you don’t really “have” anything. Basically you got an extended rental, and yeah, it’s also planned obsolescence. There will come a day where you CAN’T play that shit anymore…all because a company said so…or because they lost the legal rights to use certain assets and characters/places in the game…or because another company bought them out, and all kinds of other reasons that are naturally beyond the consumer’s control…oh and it’s not like that’s far off in the future, either. We all know the sad story of games that were cut down sooner than expected. Not everyone gets to be Fortnite with the success, obviously (and that one will disappear some day too. You won’t be able to play it at all, no matter how much money was spent.)

To me that’s a shit-ass deal that ONLY benefits the companies behind it. It’s astounding to me that so many gamers are actually in favor of this foolishness…then again, considering my incredibly low expectations of the human race in general, perhaps it shouldn’t be that surprising.

…but really, why does it NOT sound stupid to more people? That still puzzles me— break it down like this: “Hey, you know what I’d really like? I’d like to NOT own anything at all, no matter how much money I spend on a thing. I’d rather it be a service instead of a product! I want there to be days when I can’t play this because of server issues and maintenance, or because the company lost the rights to use this character or music!” It’s fucking DUMB.

quick comparison with one of my favorite games—Diablo 3. What happens if Blizzard were to suddenly go away tomorrow? Console fans can keep right on enjoying the game. Woops, pc fanboys of D3…you CAN’T say the same. :laughing: haha I’ll bet some even believe that old nonsense about “well, I heard that if that ever happens they’ll release a patch that makes it so you can play pc Diablo 3 offline!” hahahah yeah ok…you keep believing that fairy tale, bruh… I got a bridge I can sell ya, real cheap :rofl:

1 Like
6723

I can play diabro 3 offline just fine on my pc…

6724

hmmm…a version acquired by “other means” then, I assume? :laughing: :pirate_flag:

1 Like
6725

I can drop a few.

Even though they haven’t charged anything for the services, Animal Crossing and even Splatoon both use the model, where there are limited time events, content drops and other things. Star Wars Battlefront 2, Overwatch, Fortnite, Paladins, League of Legends, etc all are games as services. How long they provide the service depends on the company their success and what they make off it.

The only major bad things with games as a service are when the developers or publishers drop incomplete games for sale at full price claiming that is the reason for the state the game is in or they monetize it to hell and back.

1 Like
6726

This seems cool! And the lady talking about it is hella cute too. Bonus points. :ok_hand:

I never got into Hack, despite seeing a lot of visuals from it and always thinking it looked neat. This came with that Humble Bundle I posted earlier and I didn’t even realize it was a collection of games.

Side note: How do you guys feel about Enslaved? It also came in that bundle. Generally my understanding is most people consider it a bad game but, I remember having a pretty good time with it back when it released. I just thought the whole world and aesthetic was pretty cool, and the combat was flashy enough to keep my attention. Never finished it tho. I have to imagine it’s much better on PC.

6727

I thought Enslaved was ok based on the demo I played.

6728

Enslaved was pretty good. The combat sucked and the performance on console was brutal, but the world, characters and story were pretty cool from what I remember. I really liked the artstyle+graphics too.

Speaking of Ninja Theory gaemz I should play this copy of Hellblade: Senuaunuanana’s Wrath soon. :+1:

2 Likes
6729

The main takeaways I always heard from enslaved was the combat was boring and certain parts of the game were just a mess from a technical stand point

6730

Sacrifice, not Wrath.

Whenever I read the word wrath all I hear is Liam O’Brien saying "Need more wrath "

6731

Senuanananana’s Sacrifice

Game seems pretty divisive like your average Ninja Theory game. 50/50 people like it, 50/50 don’t.

6732

I hear it leans way harder on the cinematic side then the gameplay side.

6733

I still say fuck Blizzard with a ripe cactus for what they did to Warcraft 3…

3 Likes
6734

Hellblade was very cool. The sound design in that game is untouchable. It really does a good job of putting you inside the head of someone who suffers from things like schizophrenia or paranoia.

It’s very light on combat and is more about exploration and puzzle solving. Even the combat sections are more like combat puzzles. But the story is so engaging, the puzzles are quick and clever, the visuals are incredible and the sound design is brilliant. Those elements all meld together very well to create a unique expirience that remains very engaging from start to finish. I think most of you would enjoy it. It is a masterclass in world building and atmosphere.

Wear headphones tho. For sure. :+1:

1 Like
6735

.hack and .hack//GU are fairly different, at least different enough to not feel like a repeat. They’re both good though. At the time, it was kind of cool that playing the next game in the respective series carried you over exactly as you left off, and the setting was great too. I remember dungeon design in the first series not being very good but just ok, but the combat is fun. Better in GU though. Story wise GU is waaaaay more anime edgy though

3 Likes
6736

I’ve only really gotten into one game that could be considered a GaaS, and that’s Destiny. But it’s more of a hybrid of genres. It has some of the best gun play mechanics I’ve ever played- going around shooting fucks FEELS fun as hell.

And while there is a lot of single player content, the game really shines playing that content with friends in a fireteam. And the rewards are loot in the form of better guns and gear.

There’s some very light RPG elements with a leveling system, and different subclasses that work in tandem with others. The game is straight awesome on a fundamental level.

The problem is content. Throughout both games there have been content droughts, or questionable decisions on how the game will operate moving forward. For example, the first year of Destiny 2 was a huge step back in terms of features and playable activities on offer. Coming from the end of D1 with the last expansion Rise of Iron, which was amazing, the decision to scale shit back was unacceptable and it lost a lot of players (myself included) after they beat the initial campaign and the Raid. There just wasn’t much incentive to keep playing.

But then the Forsaken expansion came out and it put the Destiny franchise in a better place than it has ever been, content wise. People started to come back and play it (myself included). Even the season framework was working, with new series introduced, and new cool activities to keep you busy while also having fun.

And then again with Shadowkeep. We could go back to the Moon and all of a sudden there was a ton of cool shit to do again. New Raid, new Dungeons, Vex Offensive, Nightmare shits, it was fucking awesome.

And then the next season starts and it’s one new activity, MAYBE five hours of story, and a bunch of grindy fetch quest bullshit.

All this to say that the service provided from Bungie in support of Destiny has been INCONSISTENT. And that’s a problem. The great heights of videogame greatness followed by stupid shit only the diehards want to stick around for. And it’s a shame because the good stuff is really fucking good. But that’s how they get you to keep spending money.

I feel that, if done right, games like Destiny could really be the best shit ever. But corporate greed gets in the way of it all. I’m interested to see what Destiny 3 will look like after Bungie has been away from Activision and can build their game in their own vision for a new console generation.

6737

This all explains why some people have an issue with GaaS. It’s not really a very realistically supportable model for most types of games. PvP only FPSs(Overwatch) can do it just fine because the amount of content that needs to be produced is far, far less. Mostly just maps and characters are the only new things that get created, story can basically take a back seat. Having to make new levels, enemies, placements, etc., and story content is a lot more work and I’m willing to be Bungie underestimated how much work it would be. I bet they couldn’t figure out where to go toward the end of Destiny 1 and just wanted to start over.

This is also why I am totally fine with Monster Hunter starting over each new entry. It gives the devs a chance to try new stuff and work on new things, explore new ideas and reset the situation for players, etc.

Warframe is also a GaaS game but I think it’s the only one that’s actually gone on as long as it has as successfully as it has. They didn’t need to make a sequel game and just kept working on what they made, were super communicative to their community apparently, have tried changing whole combat systems and such, and they seem to be able to keep producing story content as well. I don’t follow the game super closely so maybe it’s also had content drought issues, but it certainly doesn’t seem anywhere near as bad as Destiny has had at times. I can only imagine they’ve just been better at planning things ahead.

4 Likes
6738

iD Software is patching out the anti-cheat Denuvo in the next Doom Eternal Update

image
image748×1132 151 KB

15 Likes
6739

Nah Warframe has gone to the gutter the last 2-3 yrs.

6740

oh yeah, she just gained a new fan… tabs will be kept. That girl is looking tasty.

…yep, just found the instagram. :eye:

4 Likes