Red Dead Redemption II

[version]

The general idea of open-world/sandbox games is old hat now but the continuous refinement and expansion of them is pretty staggering. They genuinely seem to be able to present entire worlds at this point, you can practically live in them. Apparently in this one there's stuff like your horse's balls changing shape depending on the weather, dynamic weather systems, random characters holding grudges based on your actions, interactions being dependent on stuff like your social standing and appearance and more or less everything being interactive.

I dunno what I'm getting at here but it feels as though it ties in with the dematerialisation stuff, from the first open-world GTA onward these games have been much more than just video games, imo. Once they started building these sprawling cities and worlds that you could just exist in and explore rather than actually doing anything something shifted. The new Spider-Man is the same, they've rebuilt NYC inside the machine complete with interactive New Yorkers and the rest.

 

[luka]

yeah good one. i was going to start a thread on this. i remember the first time i played GTA3 (i know i've said this loadsa times now but indulge me) i remember thinking very clearly, they've made a deal with the devil. this is a quantum leap forward. i can't beleive how real it is.

the control interface is one of the big problems they have to overcome becasue there is always a point
at which you realise that the sum of your actual activity is pressing 4 buttons and toggling a stick. that's the point at which you feel like a fucking loser.

 

[Corpsey]

Very tempted to get a Ps4 next payday just to play this. Although I'd be even more excited if it was a new Elder Scrolls.

I do think that one of the reasons Skyrim e.g. is so popular is that it enables people to "spend time in nature" in a way they mostly can't if they live in cities.

Also this is just the first baby steps towards VR. If technology is allowed to develop as it is, who knows where we'll be in a hundred years from now.

 

[IdleRich]

The last computer I owned was an Amiga... but since then I've played a few of the GTA games and been blown away by them. I never played the missions (never had time, was visiting my brother or friend or something so could really only scrape the surface before they insisted on beating me at FIFA) so just wandered around and explored and stuff and that alone was enough to get me hooked. I particularly like the aesthetic or the milieu or whatever of those games - NY or Miami or wherever - but the fading Old West is one of the few I might like just as much (actually reading Cormac McCarthy right now). Seriously tempted to buy a PS... what are we on now, 4(?) and this game too and get lost in it. How much would that set me back?

 

[IdleRich]

How much would that set me back?

In the electric goods store it's 450 euros for PS4 Pro and the game- is that about right? We went there to buy air conditioning for about twice that, I suggested that the PS would be a better investment but my girlfriend was having none of it...

 

[version]

yeah good one. i was going to start a thread on this. i remember the first time i played GTA3 (i know i've said this loadsa times now but indulge me) i remember thinking very clearly, they've made a deal with the devil. this is a quantum leap forward. i can't beleive how real it is.

Yeah, I remember playing it at a mate's when I was like nine. It was just something else really, I remember wondering what the point of playing any other game was after that. It felt like you could do anything.

 

[version]

In the electric goods store it's 450 euros for PS4 Pro and the game- is that about right? We went there to buy air conditioning for about twice that, I suggested that the PS would be a better investment but my girlfriend was having none of it...

The Pro is more expensive because it runs in 4K.

 

[IdleRich]

They were packaged together. Guess I could get the normal one and the game separately but would lose the saving...

 

[version]

If you can afford the pro and have a 4k TV then might as well but it's still cheaper to get the standard PS4 and game. The Pro's about £100 more than the standard and the game's £50.

 

[luka]

The last computer I owned was an Amiga... but since then I've played a few of the GTA games and been blown away by them. I never played the missions (never had time, was visiting my brother or friend or something so could really only scrape the surface before they insisted on beating me at FIFA) so just wandered around and explored and stuff and that alone was enough to get me hooked. I particularly like the aesthetic or the milieu or whatever of those games - NY or Miami or wherever - but the fading Old West is one of the few I might like just as much (actually reading Cormac McCarthy right now). Seriously tempted to buy a PS... what are we on now, 4(?) and this game too and get lost in it. How much would that set me back?

worth asking if you will feel guilt/resentment/self-loathing at using up so many hours playing the game. if the answer is no i would recommend buying it. im sure it will be a very good game. im sure you wil enjoy playing it.

i think if i do buy it i almost certainly will play it non-stop for hour upon hour day after day and i don't think i want to invest that time in it. i think it will make me feel bad about myself. i might change my mind though, as the weather gets colder and the days grow shorter.

 

[luka]

WORLDSTARHIPHOP
‏Verified account @WORLDSTAR
5m5 minutes ago

Today marks 14 years since “GTA San Andreas” was released! 🎮🔥

 

[Corpsey]

I do find it hard to devote time to games now, I'm constantly possessed by this sense of futility and triviality which I hasten to add I don't really believe exists. It's more that I have convinced myself that I must use all my spare alone time on reading, music and films. Somehow along the way I lost my addiction to video games. Occasionally I'll throw the guilt off like a cassock and play Skyrim joyfully but it's very rarely...

The point to impress here is that I don't look down on games whatsoever and in fact was pretty addicted to them from the 16 bit era up to the PlayStation 2

 

[IdleRich]

Got a couple of friends who have bought it. One in Germany seems to have pretty much locked himself away from life with RDR2 and a large back of heroin - he seems happy though. Another guy in Russia is also banging on about it, thing is he's moving to Portugal in December and he says I can play with his when he arrives (oo er missus) so I reckon I'll just wait for that. If I really do fall in love with the game i can buy one then - although our tv is so small I'll probably need to upgrade that too. He's got 300 games to play on as well so I can probably borrow those and get more out of it to justify the expense.

 

[Corpsey]

Interestingly, I've read quite a few negative reactions to the game online from the playertariet. There's a complaint that the game is TOO realistic, that you have to watch animation sequences again and again every time you e.g. skin an animal. I have a feeling I would like this sort of thing because I am the sort of person who plays games quite slowly so I can take in all the detail.

 

[Corpsey]

OTOH, the only game I've played and adored in recent years was mario Odyssey, which is almost completely uninterested in cut scenes and world building, and is only really interested in gameplay.

 

[version]

I rarely have the patience to finish anything with a substantial story these days, prefer more immediate stuff where I can just jump in and mess around or play matches/rounds like footy games and Tekken. The exception being Metal Gear Solid, I'll happily play through hours and hours of story/cutscenes with those.

 

[version]

 

[version]

 

[Corpsey]

There's a lot of cool things about this game, including the sense of integration of the dialogue into the gameplay. You don't have to press a button always, often the conversation just starts when you're close enough.

Definitely some flaws with it too and tbh so far I haven't felt the same wonder towards the landscape that I did for Skyrim BUT I've been playing it three hours or so only.

Worst thing about it ATM is I'm shit at it. Not executing the slick murder spread I had envisaged.

 

[Corpsey]

Since my last post I've got really into this. I think there are things wrong with it (it's too easy, at least so far) but I'm constantly wowed by it all, particularly the landscape (with its weather) and riding your horse. I think riding the horse is the most enjoyable and brilliantly designed part of the gameplay, another miraculous illusion.