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jazzycmk

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#1 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

Too many to name, especially when you start breaking it down by genre.

If I had to name one, I would say my sentimental favorite is Jedi Knight 2 : Jedi Outcast. Really made you feel like a Jedi badass. Light saberbattles are also still the best of any Star Wars game. You didn't just push a button for a pre-determined combo. You chose between light, normal, and heavy stances, and the way you moved affected how you swung your lightsaber. By the end when you had level 3 push and force lightning, you could just lay waste to entire crowds of stormtroopers.

A close second is Max Payne 2. Took the best elements of original Max Payne and improved them. Story was still gritty but not quite as dark and oppressive as original.

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#2 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

[QUOTE="onewiththegame"]

I think Ellie would have sacrificed herself for the vaccine and Joel had no right to make that decision for her IMO

Justforvisit



So, the Fireflies HAD the right to make this decision for her?

 

Deep waters here.  However, this does show how far games have come that we're having a moral / ethical debate.

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#3 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

They created an ending within the moral ambiguity of the situation.  Is one life worth potentially saving humanity?  Is Joel being selfish by saving her, or are the fireflies being selfish by killing her for a potential cure?  Is Joel doing the right thing hiding the reality of the situation from Ellie, or is he making a decision that Ellie should have made?  The ending is so stunning because there is no right answer to any of the questions.  This isn't an ending that excites you and makes you happy; it is an ending that makes you speechless over what happens.  And that speechlessness doesn't go away with time because I still don't know if Joel did the right thing.

Pitthepunisher

 

That's a great assessment.  I was surprised at how abrupt the ending was with Ellie just saying "OK" and the credits then rolling.  And you're right, I guess I wasn't satisfied, not because I thought the ending was poor but I have so many unanswered questions.

 

If Ellie hadn't been out cold but had been told she would have to die to extract the cure, would she have agreed to it?  I'm not sure.  Earlier in the game when they arrive at Salt Lake, Joel proposes the idea of just walking away and returning to Tommy's.  Ellie says no, but then says that when it's over they can go anywhere Joel wants.  I think she wants that, but at the time she didn't know she would have to die for a cure to become reality.

 

When Ellie asks Joel to swear to what he told her about the Fireflies (that she wasn't the only one immune to the virus, but it didn't matter because it hadn't led to a cure, etc.) and he says "I swear", does she believe him?  Again, I'm not sure.  I sense she doesn't, but she really wants to.

 

At any rate, I don't think I've ever been as invested in the story of a video game before.  You really cared about Ellie.  I was on the edge of my seat during the fight to get up to the operating room.  Was Ellie already going to be dead?  Would she be conscious and furious at Joel because she wanted to make the sacrifice?  Or would she be scared to death and grateful that Joel came to her rescue?  When Joel picked her up off the operating table and said, "I've got you baby girl", I thought it was incredibly moving.

 

A lot of unanswered questions, but very thought provoking.  It wouldn't have fit this game for everything to be tied up in a nice, neat bow.

 

 

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#4 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

Use your super move (L2 + R2 on PS3).  Kind of cheesy way to do it, but I got stuck there as well and this worked.  You don't need to build up your super meter on that mission.

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#5 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

Having a good time playing MP3. I loved both MP2 and MP1, and this is a worthy successor.

I preferred MP2 over MP1 slightly. The story in MP2 was a little less dark, and it didn't have the somewhat annoying dream levels with the awkward platforming sequences (MP2 had some dream sequences, but they were straightforward and quick and were only meant to drive the story).

With that being said, here are a few observations about MP3:

  1. I like that they returned to the MP1 approach to bullet time in that you have to kill enemies for it to re-charge. In MP2, bullet time refreshed automatically over time. If I had a nitpick about MP2, it was that it was a little too easy, and the automatic refreshing of bullet time largely contributed to that.
  2. I agree with Gamespot's review regarding shoot dodges in MP3. I don't use them much because they often leave you very vulnerable. About the only time I use them is when I'm down to the last guy or two in a room. That's disappointing because shoot dodging was such an integral part of MP1 & 2.
  3. While the high production values are obvious, I've got to admit that MP3 plays a bit too much like so many other cover-based shooters out there (Gears, Rainbow 6, Uncharted, etc.). Bullet time is as slick as ever, but it's not quite the same when you're using it from cover. I do miss the MP2 approach to charging headlong into a room with 10 guys, activating bullet time and being able to clear it before they knew what hit them (if you played it right). Can't do that in this game, even with a full meter of bullet time. Just too many enemies who are pretty accurate (at least on hard mode).
  4. I think the level design in this game is superb. They have just enough flashbacks to Max in New York to make you wax nostalgic, but the new locales in this game make for a refreshing change of pace.
  5. Call me sentimental, but I would have liked to see them still use the comic book storyboards to progress the story. That was always very old-school cool in the first two games. The live actions panels with the flashing words just don't strike the same chord with me.
  6. Very glad they have the same voice actor back for Max. He still has the perfect world-weary pitch.
  7. I like the subtle tips of the hat to fans of the first two games (like finding Vinne Cognitti's tombstone in the cemetery level). Nice touch.

My $.02. Maybe not a perfect game, but after a 10-year wait thinking that we had seen the last of Max, I'm just glad to be playing him again.

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#6 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

Lots of good Star Wars games. My list would go:

  1. Jedi Outcast
  2. KOTOR1
  3. Battlefront series (cheating, incl 1 & 2)
  4. Republic Commando
  5. Empire at War

Hard stopping at 5. There are other good ones as well (Unleashed, Rogue Squadron, Dark Forces Jedi Knight, Jedi Academy, Tie Fighter, etc)

But Jedi Outcast is definitely my favorite. Great force powers and great control over the lightsaber. Great story. Great villian. Great level design. Great downloadable content (The Ladder. Still one of best mods of all time)

Only SW game that really disappointed me was KOTOR2, partly because it was a letdown after how good KOTOR1 was. Gameplay was similar to KOTOR1, but for me the story just dragged, whereas KOTOR1 kept driving me to play.

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#7 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

Here's one for you experts - how do you get a cyclops' eye in the game?

I know there is some kind of bonus for getting cyclops eyes, but I never figured it out. I'd fight the cyclops and wait until the "O" appeared and then do the button-punching minigame, but never collected any eyes.

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#8 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

I'm more of a PC gamer, but of the PS2 titles I've played:

5. NCAA football (particularly the 2004 version which was huge improvement vs. prior versions)

4. The Two Towers

3. James Bond, Everything or Nothing

2. God of War I

1. God of War II

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#9 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

The first two waves of the "protect the translator sequence" weren't too bad. Just used the Barbarians hammer and the L1 button move while in the air to create the shockwave in front of me. That cleared out most of the bad guys. If they got too close, I used the "electric shock" magic power (whatever that's called) to move them back.

One key - there are a blue and green chest in the entrance to this sequence. Save those until after you've beaten the first two waves. That way you can take some damage and use some magic, and then power back up before the third wave.

The third wave is a pain. Originally I just tried going right for the Summoners and engaing them (pressing the "0" button), but that would take three tries to take just one of them out (and I believe there are 3 of them in the room). By the time you did that, the rest of the bad guys would have gotten to the translator.

Taking some cues from the YouTube video I watched, I would immediately run and take out the two dogs who appear at the top of the room. If you grab the dogs (the "O" button), you'll usually throw it at an enemy, and if it's another dog, that might be enough to take it out). After that, I ran back to the translator to protect him. I would again use the Barbarian hammer to create the shockwave and try to keep them at a distance. If they got too close, I would use Atlas quake or electricity to keep them back. If a dog was in the area, I would just grab him. Basically, if you keep unleashing the shockwaves with the hammer, you'll find that you're doing long range distance to the summoners. Eventually you'll see the number of spawning enemies start to thin, and then you can be more aggressive in going after the summoners.

Another useful mood is the "parry" attack (hitting L1 just before getting struck, then following up with the square button), That will knock back any enemies in the area.

Again, this is easier said than done. Even after watching the YouTube video, it still took me a while to pull it off.

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#10 jazzycmk
Member since 2003 • 195 Posts

I finally finished GOWII in Titan mode.

Just curious as to which part others found the most difficult.

By far, I thought the most difficult sequence was the long hallway before entering the tower to battle the third sister of Fate. Seven waves of enemies with no checkpoints? Are you kidding me? I don't even know how many tries it took me, but it was into the triple digits. The strategy was fairly obvious in utilizing the pop-up shields to deal damage while you were protected, but pulling it off was easier said than done. I kept making it to the last wave, but I would run out of magic and Rage of the Gods against the last troll, and then I would get pinned into a narrow space with him and he would club me to death.

Beyond that, I got a bit stuck in the battle to protect the first translator. I would make it past the first two waves easily enough, but the translator kept buying it in the third wave when the summoners kept calling in reinforcements. Finally had to sort of "cheat" and watch a video of someone completing that sequence on YouTube.

Surprisingly, the final battle with Zeus wasn't that bad. It was long, and you had to have down the timing of deflecting his lightening bolts back at him, but if you were patient and saved your magic and rage of the Gods it was fair enough.

But man what a great game that is. Can't wait for GOWIII.