Topic: Everything that's wrong with gaming.

[Quemaqua]

Right fucking here.  Seriously, what the hell?

[MysterD]

I saw this commercial the other day, as well.
Ummm...is this game a action-comedy a la BF: Bad Company?

[idolminds]

That was the worst commercial I've ever seen.

[Quemaqua]

That character designer and/or character design team should be dragged out into the street and shot.

[sirean_syan]

What's wrong with giving the Techno Viking his own game?

I dunno. It all just seems gratuitous and filled with explosions. I thought this was a good thing.

[MysterD]

What's wrong with giving the Techno Viking his own game?

I dunno. It all just seems gratuitous and filled with explosions. I thought this was a good thing.

I thought the action was okay in the trailer...
...but it all looked like CG-movies to me.
Where's the in-game stuff?

Oh, and that song -- eh, it just sucks.
It also is giving me the impression this game is a comedy, since it seems so over-the-top with the action.

That trailer also doesn't even really tell you what the game is even really about, story-wise.

EDIT:

IGN reviewed this already on the X360.
Oh, I guess the story wasn't told in the trailer b/c IGN says the story is....meh. That explains that.
So, this game is for blowing shit up, basically -- since anything and everything can be blown up.

Seems like, there's a problem w/ this game on the X360 -- it's quite buggy (with even a game-stopping bug) and sometimes the game has texture-popping issues.

Oh, and the AI ain't that good, either.

Sounds like this game needs a patch.

[Xessive]

That's a crap commercial. I can understand how it might appeal to 12-13 year olds though.

The original Mercenaries had a more "pro" feel whereas Mercenaries 2 just kinda seems too cyber-punk.

[Quemaqua]

I dunno'... Sy said "techno Viking", which sounds cool, but look at that fucking douchebag.  You can't possibly tell me you'd want to be that guy.  I'm all for wanton destruction and stuff, even mindless shooting mayhem, but just the whole premise combined with the character design and general aesthetic is nauseating.

[Xessive]

I dunno'... Sy said "techno Viking", which sounds cool, but look at that fucking douchebag.  You can't possibly tell me you'd want to be that guy.  I'm all for wanton destruction and stuff, even mindless shooting mayhem, but just the whole premise combined with the character design and general aesthetic is nauseating.

I agree that character looks like a total douchebag. Oddly enough I knew a guy in St. Catharines (Ontario) who looked a lot like that! He was kind of a jackass too.

[scottws]

If I have anything to say about Mercs 2 it would be this:  I had never even heard of Mercenaries and this commercial actually piqued my interest for some odd reason.  Is there a demo for it?  Was the first any good?

[gpw11]

I heard the first was pretty good from a friend of mine that I only ever play videogames with when we're retard hung over. He's also still taking Ritalin at  27 but has a very well paying and respectable job. Take that as you will.

[sirean_syan]

The first was pretty good. I didn't play it a ton, but what was there was a lot of fun.

[Xessive]

I played the first on Xbox and it was a decent game. It never came to PC though.

I'm glad Mercs 2 is getting a PC release just so I can check it out without bitching about aiming

[Cobra951]

I agree with your aiming rants.  Nothing beats a mouse or direct pointer for FPS interface, or even comes close.  I've tried to explain it to people, and the responses always fall along fanboy lines.  It's the difference between direct view adjustments and pushing a throttle to activate a motor in my neck that turns my head.  Night and day.

[Xessive]

I agree with your aiming rants.  Nothing beats a mouse or direct pointer for FPS interface, or even comes close.  I've tried to explain it to people, and the responses always fall along fanboy lines.  It's the difference between direct view adjustments and pushing a throttle to activate a motor in my neck that turns my head.  Night and day.

Haha excatly!

[scottws]

I've said it a million times:  I will never understand why controllers don't do away with the right stick and instead use a trackball.  The only things that I can think of that a right stick are good for are an arcade flight game or something like Geometry Wars, Crimsonland, or Ikari Warriors.

[Xessive]

I've always wondered about that. I knew a guy who played FPSs on his PC with a trackball. I've never tried it myself but I think it could work a heck of a lot better than a stick.

[Cobra951]

Trackball is the same idea.  Hold an old ball mouse upside down and you have a trackball.

[Xessive]

Trackball is the same idea.  Hold an old ball mouse upside down and you have a trackball.

Old ball mouse? What is this ancient and mystical technology you're referring to? It's long forgotten!

Hehe ok, you're not that old

It is the same idea, but at least the trackball is geared for that so rolling it is not as awkward.

I would really love to try a gamepad with a trackball for instead of a right stick, at least just to see what it's like.

By the way, I've been looking into it and apparently there is a mouse for the PS3 that is basically recognized by most games. The problem is that games made for consoles are not built to recognize a mouse at all (except UT3), this mouse apparently tries to work around that by registering as the right analogue stick. You have to configure it for each game to get a good feel of it but it seems like decent product.

[idolminds]

You can get one of these. More than just a trackball gamepad, its even a full keyboard (once you learn the various shift buttons.)

[Xessive]

You can get one of these. More than just a trackball gamepad, its even a full keyboard (once you learn the various shift buttons.)

Woah, that's nuts! A brilliant effort, no doubt, but it would be like learning a new language! hehe

I believe the BodieLobus Reflex would be Scott's ideal Playstation controller:


The device I was talking about is the SplitFish FragFX:



Some more info from Gizmodo

Those of you playing first person shooters on the PS3 but suck at using the SIXAXIS to aim were probably looking forward to the SplitFish FragFX, the half controller, half mouse contraption. How well does it work? Pretty darn well. And it's customizable too.

You can assign the mouse to control the camera view, the left stick, or even act as a mouse in the PS browser. Downloadable software also lets you reassign all the buttons in case games don't have good assignment options themselves.

There's even a "frag" button, which when pressed, slows down the mouse movement significantly so you can aim even more precisely. For $59 (wired) and $69 (wireless), you can't go wrong with this controller. We just wish they'd make one for the 360.

And here's the Hands-On from IGN.

[scottws]

I believe the BodieLobus Reflex would be Scott's ideal Playstation controller:

Interesting.  I'm not the only person that's thought of this (or I was the first and someone stole my idea  ).  The only thing I would worry about is if the trackball worked like a trackball and not some ball that just emulated the stick, which would probably suck worse than the stick itself.

[idolminds]

Yeah, I think the console would have to recognize it as a trackball otherwise its a waste.

I think the reason we haven't really seen a trackball controller is...it gets dirty. Kids are disgusting creatures and a trakcball will get gummed up really fast. You'll have to take it apart and clean it, so some kids will break it doing that and others will probably try swallow the ball and choke to death.

[MysterD]

PC Demo for this Mercenaries 2: World in Flames is out now, in case you're curious.

Around 1.44 GB.

[MysterD]

John Riccitiello opens his mouth and says that there will be a Mercs 3.
 
He goes further, saying if he has anything to do with it, there will be a Mercs 10.

I guess John wants sequels for these ones b/c they sold. Sold lots of copies -- so far, 1.9 million copies have been sold for Mercs 2 (across all platforms).

EA CEO proclaims long-term support for Pandemic's franchise, says original IPs won't be sequelized on annual basis.

Four days after it teased sequels to Dead Space, Army of Two, and Battlefield: Bad Company, EA has confirmed that another follow-up is being planned. During a post-earnings conference call this afternoon, EA CEO John Riccitiello revealed that his company is planning a third installment in the Mercenaries series, developed by its Pandemic Studio.

"There will be a Mercenaries 3 and, if I have anything to do with it, there will be a Mercenaries 10," declared the outspoken executive. The proclamation was a brief bright spot in an otherwise dour afternoon in which EA revealed it was laying off 6 percent of its workforce and reported a loss of $310 million for the July-September quarter.

Riccitiello's ardent support may surprise some, given the occasional thumping Mercenaries 2: World in Flames received from critics. However, despite mixed reviews, the game has been a commercial hit. As of September 30, the oft-delayed title had sold 1.9 million copies internationally--as many units as Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 and nearly as many as Spore.

[Xessive]

Just more proof that the most abundant resources in the world are oxygen and stupidity. And fresh oxygen is running out.

[gpw11]

I kind of want to try it just to see.  I've seen reviews come in anywhere from the 50%-85% range.  That's a pretty mixed bag.

[Xessive]

I tried it out in PS3. It was more-or-less a bagfull of wasted potential. The garphics are decent for a GTA clone and just like a GTA clone it is monotonous as heck. The voice acting is actually pretty good considering a cast list with Phil Lamarr and Jennifer Hale. It is pretty buggy at times though.

Gameplay-wise, the shooting is horrible. All the guns feel like impotent pea-shooters but that is contrasted by the satisfying explosives. The good part (and I guess the main selling point) is that everything is destructible.

Visually the game is very yellow-tone. It's ok at first but it just feels like it's always dusk. Even when the weather and time changes it retains that yellow/amber colour tone. It's cool and artistic for the first 5 minutes but then it starts to bug my eyes and I need a new perspective.

I guess overall I'd give it a 6.5/10. The 0.5 is for giving us the option to not play as the douchebaggy character.