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  #1801  
Old 03-23-2009, 06:04 AM
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Originally Posted by Azazel005 View Post
I'll answer the question fielded in that quote Des. It lacks genuine thrills not because it fails to lean on "pavlovian" conditioning cliche's but because it's elements both allow you to kill too efficiently and the impact of it's monsters lack any sort lasting fearful impression after the thirtieth one you massacre. Also the shift from "Survival" to "Offense" makes you characters seem more like highly trained spec op zombie killers rather then victims fighting for their lives. Not necesarily BAD but not scary.

The exampled cited, I never once had to stare down one of those infected men whose parasite had morphed the mans head into a lashing tendril without a copiuos amount of ammo and explosives at my fingers. In fact I took on three or for of those things at once on many occaisons. The first time it was perhaps a bit of "FUCK what is that?" but then it's just one zombie against my shotgun. After that they pop up I waste them, busines as usual.

At times it is scary, the game can do a good job of keeping monsters popping up all around you and placing a tense sort of pressure on you, in full context though it doesn't scare you, becuase you just kill so many monsters and so efficiently.

Its not to say I didn't like it, and I truly love mercenaries mode, but it's not scary. Not in a condictioned response sense, nor in any genuine tension building desperate way that the first three delivered. I will add though virtually all of that applies to Dead Space in my opinion as well. In fact Isaac Hayes is even mroe efficient at killing with his time slowing powers and wide array of lethal useful weapons.
Are you playing it on the hardest difficulty level?
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  #1802  
Old 03-23-2009, 11:15 PM
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Azazel005 Azazel005 is offline
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Originally Posted by Despare View Post
Are you playing it on the hardest difficulty level?
The default. Though it doesn't make as much difference as you might expect. I generally play any game based around shooting accurately on the base difficulty, while I have good reflexes I have poor fine motor control. I'd never be a very good sniper that's for sure.

I assume by hardest you don't mean the unlockable difficulty just the hardest available at the beginning. My experience with that difficulty was not really one of a greater strain on your ammunition but enemies will kill you that much faster, most in one or two strikes. It's just more likely that you will be killed by an enemy in your blind spot. It didn't really increase the tension, you just have to improve(after going through the game once and unlocking all the mercenaries characters I'd probably cruise through it) it doesn't change the fact that you will still be doing battle with hordes of enemies all of which you will need to learn to dispatch quickly and efficiently. Higher difficulty just punishes you worse for poor accuracy.

I could just try playing with an eye patch or a controller with a sticky trigger button, sure that might make the challenge greater but it's not going to change the balance of what goes on in the game Des.
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  #1803  
Old 03-24-2009, 02:05 AM
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Originally Posted by Azazel005 View Post
The default. Though it doesn't make as much difference as you might expect. I generally play any game based around shooting accurately on the base difficulty, while I have good reflexes I have poor fine motor control. I'd never be a very good sniper that's for sure.

I assume by hardest you don't mean the unlockable difficulty just the hardest available at the beginning. My experience with that difficulty was not really one of a greater strain on your ammunition but enemies will kill you that much faster, most in one or two strikes. It's just more likely that you will be killed by an enemy in your blind spot. It didn't really increase the tension, you just have to improve(after going through the game once and unlocking all the mercenaries characters I'd probably cruise through it) it doesn't change the fact that you will still be doing battle with hordes of enemies all of which you will need to learn to dispatch quickly and efficiently. Higher difficulty just punishes you worse for poor accuracy.

I could just try playing with an eye patch or a controller with a sticky trigger button, sure that might make the challenge greater but it's not going to change the balance of what goes on in the game Des.

There is less ammo AND there are less heals available at the harder difficulty levels, and while I haven't played through the game at that setting I have tried it and it does increase the dread. The eye patch thing is ridiculous, I'm not saying to alter the way you play the game but to try the harder levels that the developer has included to increase the challenge. I don't think RE 5 is a straight up survival horror game but I would classify it as action horror. I think it's great that they are delving into a different sub-genre but personally would like to see the claustrophobic, zombie filled adventures of the past revived... it's time. Ah well, I'll just have to grab Killing Floor when it comes out and play some more L4D to sate my zombie thirst. I still hold strong to my opinion that running away from a giant axe wielding maniac while trying to find ammo was exhilarating and RE5 isn't as bad as the rap it's getting. Every medium has their snobs and nerds though, and that's cool, but no matter how much you pontificate it will still be just an opinion.

EDIT: I do see where you're coming from, the issues you have with the game are not lost on me, I just disagree with writing off as a "horror" game completely simply because of the broad definition of horror.
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  #1804  
Old 03-24-2009, 07:53 AM
maxwellm maxwellm is offline
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Longtime gamer (like since before 1980), but don't have the time I once did for it. Play a lot of World of Warcraft, though not as much today as I once did (Horde, if you're curious.)

Picked up Left4Dead for my X-box yesterday. Played a little bit. Been playing FPS games since the original DOOM, but haven't played them for several years. It's an interesting transition back into them. Left4Dead itself seems like it wants both survival horror creepy and "unload the ammo you've got against the hordes" gameplay of something like Robotron (for you oldschool gamers). There's certainly a good dollop of creepiness and fear, feeling like everything you know has been overrun by psychotic masses that want nothing more than to eat you. I'll have to play it a bit more to really get a feel for it.

Though I will say that playing even with AI buddies takes a lot of the fear out of things. You're not alone, and even if your friends are robots, they're still there to help you out when a hunter lunges onto your face and starts biting down.
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  #1805  
Old 03-24-2009, 08:39 AM
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Originally Posted by maxwellm View Post
Longtime gamer (like since before 1980), but don't have the time I once did for it. Play a lot of World of Warcraft, though not as much today as I once did (Horde, if you're curious.)

Picked up Left4Dead for my X-box yesterday. Played a little bit. Been playing FPS games since the original DOOM, but haven't played them for several years. It's an interesting transition back into them. Left4Dead itself seems like it wants both survival horror creepy and "unload the ammo you've got against the hordes" gameplay of something like Robotron (for you oldschool gamers). There's certainly a good dollop of creepiness and fear, feeling like everything you know has been overrun by psychotic masses that want nothing more than to eat you. I'll have to play it a bit more to really get a feel for it.

Though I will say that playing even with AI buddies takes a lot of the fear out of things. You're not alone, and even if your friends are robots, they're still there to help you out when a hunter lunges onto your face and starts biting down.
I love playing that multiplayer but the AI is a little boring to play with. The best parts are the final battles of the levels and witches who inject a much needed sense of fear into the game. I love blasting through hordes of zombies with friends only to hear a distant crying before yelling at everybody to shut their flashlights off.
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  #1806  
Old 03-24-2009, 03:41 PM
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Originally Posted by Despare View Post
There is less ammo AND there are less heals available at the harder difficulty levels, and while I haven't played through the game at that setting I have tried it and it does increase the dread. The eye patch thing is ridiculous, I'm not saying to alter the way you play the game but to try the harder levels that the developer has included to increase the challenge. I don't think RE 5 is a straight up survival horror game but I would classify it as action horror. I think it's great that they are delving into a different sub-genre but personally would like to see the claustrophobic, zombie filled adventures of the past revived... it's time. Ah well, I'll just have to grab Killing Floor when it comes out and play some more L4D to sate my zombie thirst. I still hold strong to my opinion that running away from a giant axe wielding maniac while trying to find ammo was exhilarating and RE5 isn't as bad as the rap it's getting. Every medium has their snobs and nerds though, and that's cool, but no matter how much you pontificate it will still be just an opinion.

EDIT: I do see where you're coming from, the issues you have with the game are not lost on me, I just disagree with writing off as a "horror" game completely simply because of the broad definition of horror.
I'd certainly still classify it as a Horror game, I just don't think it's scary. It's a pretty awesome game, and the example you cite there is a highlight, not too mention jumping through windows pushing a bookcase in front of the door then spinning back to the window fire down on the slow encroaching hordes on your tail in that same area. There are some truly great set pieces like that which are tense and exciting, but tense and exciting more in the vein of dancing around cover in GOW or diving out of lines of fire while your shields warning signs beep in Halo.

RE5 is a really good and for the most part satisfying game. I mean it is AWESOME to be a duo of highly efficient zombie dispatching spec ops agents. I just didn't find it that scary, as blithered on about ad nauseum. It's horrific, battling hordes of zombies risen from innocent infected civilians and tribal men I don't think one could say it is not horror.

Mercenaries mode too, THAT is some sweet very tense stuff. It's like all the best bits of the game in action packed bite sized bits.
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  #1807  
Old 03-24-2009, 03:49 PM
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Despare Despare is offline
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Originally Posted by Azazel005 View Post
I'd certainly still classify it as a Horror game, I just don't think it's scary.
A complete misunderstanding then. :o






Still playing Peggle, it's a blast, anybody with Live Arcade should pick it up.

Azazel, do you play 360 or PS3? Online?
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  #1808  
Old 03-24-2009, 04:23 PM
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Azazel005 Azazel005 is offline
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Originally Posted by Despare View Post
A complete misunderstanding then. :o
No way dude, a couple of highly opiniated handsome devils such as ourselves would never have a misunderstanding, we just did that to provide some colorful discussion... yeah... that's it.






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Azazel, do you play 360 or PS3? Online?
On the X-Box mainly. I have become strangely addicted to my gamerscore...

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  #1809  
Old 03-24-2009, 04:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Despare View Post
Still playing Peggle, it's a blast, anybody with Live Arcade should pick it up.
I have the PC version, and I swear to Christ...that game is more addictive than WoW, crack and Facebook - combined. I've never been so hooked on a game as I was on Peggle...had to stop myself from playing after awhile.

Be careful.
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  #1810  
Old 03-26-2009, 03:15 AM
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Despare Despare is offline
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I have the PC version, and I swear to Christ...that game is more addictive than WoW, crack and Facebook - combined. I've never been so hooked on a game as I was on Peggle...had to stop myself from playing after awhile.

Be careful.
The adventure mode was pretty quick and easy but I'll be damned if I won't be playing the challenges until the end of time. Totally clear ALL those levels? Hmph...
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