Impressions - continued

[PZ]

Although it is great to ride the horse, steering it is a challenge on the PC, much like driving in FC2.  It is an all-or-nothing control where the horse goes straight, veers full left, or full right.  There is no in between - works just like the steering wheel in FC2.  You become accustomed to it, but it was funny turning left because I could suddenly not see my horse's head any longer (it was turned so far left I couldn't see it).  I can imagine that anyone looking at me was laughing, and that horse must have hated my reigning technique.

[Dweller_Benthos]

This is out? or a demo?

The horse riding sounds pretty much like it was in the first game. I've been doing steering like that for so long I don't even notice anymore. The only game I played where I had to use a game pad was Driver 3 since there was so much precision needed in the driving in that.

[PZ]

It's the real deal - came out yesterday at GameStop.

[PZ]

Well, I'm sorry to have to report that COJ2 is very linear.  I'm in Chapter 3 and am riding in a stagecoach, with my brother Ray driving.  Evidently, we are to escape from town (the destination I have no idea yet).  My task is to kill all the riders that chase us down.  Unfortunately, my aiming skills are not what they should be, because I keep dying due to the hail of bullets from the towns folks.  Because I can't kill all of them before they deplete my health, I keep dying and am sent to the beginning of that segment of the story.  There are no options, no different ways of doing things - you just need to shoot/kill everyone you see outside the stagecoach.

Regrettably, I am disappointed in the linear nature of the game.  No option exists except to go through the game as the developers scripted it.  Too bad really, I like the story and the western theme.  I'll keep playing until I finish the game, but my impression at this time is that I'll probably not play through more than once for each character (2).

[Fiach]

I hate when you come up to a brick wall like that in a game, especially when the devs decide what you must do and you cannot strategise your own way through it.

I think they do things like that to make the game seem longer, or are just too lazy to play test it.

I think games should be fun, once they stop being fun, the developers have failed.

I dont mean this as a "skill" thing, sure you need skill to feel any sense of accomplishment for beating a game, but the game has to play fair, difficulty spikes as outlined above are down to really shoddy design IMO.

[JRD]

I must echo Fiach's words.
I think that kind of game design its getting old fashioned. The "take this, go there, do this" I mean. Scripted events were a huge success in the 90's and 00's, but, at least the way I see it today, what players want is freedom of choice... plan their own strategy. Like: "Do this, I don't care how, just get the job done".
Nothing against scripted events, they add a lot to gameplay but only as long as they don't bound you into a corridor playthrough.

[PZ]

My thoughts as well - scripted games were all you could do when the hardware was limited in capacity.  However, with today's machines, it is simply not good enough to force users to follow the corridor.  Particular when the graphics are not really better than other games.

Interestingly, I went into FC2 this morning again, and I realized that it is in a completely different category of game.  For me, it is like the difference between the original Wolf3D and Pong.

[tehsam016]

I think devs are slowly but surely starting to realize players favor free choice over linearity. Even the most linear of all linear shooters Halo is supposedly going to have free roaming in their next coming up DLC (ODST), but since it's Halo I dont even see myself trying it (which you probably can't anyway since there's usually no demo's for DLC).

[Art Blade]

it is like the difference between the original Wolf3D and Pong.

Are you crazy! Now I have to wipe the coffee droplets off the screen  ;D  ;D ;D

[spaceboy]

That was kind of harsh PZ.  Look I love deep dish pizza, but sometimes we eat a Pizza Hut and it is good too.  It's not as good, it's just a different kind of good.

[Art Blade]

good as in a VW is as good a car as a Mercedes?  ;D

[spaceboy]

precisely.  hey, I just noticed I'm a Jackal too now!  I missed the turn over at 1000.

[JRD]

precisely.  hey, I just noticed I'm a Jackal too now!  I missed the turn over at 1000.

Hahaha... I even shouted at you when you did...  :-X

[Art Blade]

haha, I noticed after JRD had shouted ;)

[PZ]

lol, you guys are too funny!   ;D

[Art Blade]

re-reading made me chuckle too, again  :)

[PZ]

spaceboy has a point though, comparing COJ2 to Pong is probably a bit harsh... ;D

I need to give the game more of a chance and make informed comments once I have played through at least once.  :-X

[Art Blade]

comparing COJ2 to Pong is probably a bit harsh... ;D

hmmm.... "Frogger" perhaps?

[Fiach]

good as in a VW is as good a car as a Mercedes?  ;D

ROFL  :-X

[RedRaven]

installed it, went on great.
started it, watched intro, fell off my chair.
started it again, almost fell of chair again. just couldnt get enough of it, Spit & Shot instead of Spit & Shine.
Then Main menu screen pops up, was pleasently suprised by its simplicity of design, and the options in each section. reminded me of setting up couple of games on Wii, simple, easy to understand and effective.
Then it was time to get down with some six-shooter action..... erm, easier to think than do. think i just about managed half dozen hits, and maybe 1 single kill..... so made a cup of tea, tried again, oops. failed.
Despite that i think its FANTASTIC. not easy, not impossible, but need to remind myself its not FC2 either and six-shooters are not Mac-10's.
Reminds me of when first started playing Stalker SoC, took me over a week to survive more than an hour or so . oddly FarCry2 just clicked and away i went. anyway, time to flex my fingers an try again.

its 20 mins since wrote the above waffle and in that time failed twice to do second objective ::)

pretty sure killed 3 guys tho ???

  its sure tricky using 2 pistols at once, will master it soon enough, how are rest of you finding the 2-gun option?

OH YEAH, forgot to say, runs without the disc too :-X

[Fiach]

Got it today and had a wee play to check it out, looks good, only did the civil war bit.

Rays voice gets on my nerves though.

Keep forgetting to reload >.< :)

[PZ]

Got it today and had a wee play to check it out, looks good, only did the civil war bit.

Rays voice gets on my nerves though.

Keep forgetting to reload >.< :)

rofl! Ray's voice reminds me of the hillbilly on the movie Deliverance... "Let me hear you squeal like a pig, boy..."

[PZ]

OH YEAH, forgot to say, runs without the disc too :-X

Cool, I didn't even take the game out of the drive because I assumed that it would not run!

Only Ray can use the twin six-shooters, and it is relatively easy to use them, especially when you enter concentration mode (which works better for Ray than Thomas for me).

On the other hand, Thomas can use the sniper rifle and the knives which Ray can't.  The knives are great - if you are playing as Thomas in the scene where you are in the stagecoach, the knives are surprisingly easy to aim, and you rarely miss.