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yeah, pretty much trial and error. all of a sudden i fall into a portal and end up somewhere i wasn't before, but i'm not sure i know how. or maybe i'm just overthinking it, i don't really know, but i feel like if i understood the mechanics better i'd definitely be faster at it. i mean, i think i've sort of figured out there are patterns that make things happen, so i just keep repeating them and they seem to work, but i'm still not sure why and stuff.

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letterboxd

Hmm. It feels like the trial and error thing would only work for awhile. The more complicated puzzles would be pretty hard to solve without an abstract understanding of things. How far into the game are you?

Anyway, it's a fantastic game and those "Eureeka!" moments are an absolute joy.

i'm on level 15 or whatever. i don't know, are they even levels?

the last few puzzles i solved, i was able to figure out by creating two portals, one high up somewhere and the other on the floor below it so that i would fall into both of them at the same time and that always seems to work.

Story-wise, Portal 2 might be a bit of a shock if you've not played the first one.

Might take a crack at The Walking Dead myself later. Got it in the Steam sale but haven't tried it yet beyond the first few minutes where I figured things would be much easier with a controller.

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"Critics are like eunuchs in a harem; they know how the Tatty 100 is done, they've seen it done every day, but they're unable to do it themselves." - Brendan Behan

It'll get worse.

Anyway, sounds like you're being tough on yourself and "get" most of what you're intended to. The game's brilliant largely because it walks that line where you kind of know what you're doing, but are sort of discovering the implications of the portals at the same time. It's supposed to feel just a little out of control, since that's kind of the whole idea: science out on the edge, reach exceeding grasp, etc. If you're actually progressing in the later levels, you'll probably be right where you're meant to be.

For me, the best moment in either game was probably... (this has probably already happened to you, but just in case...)

this is a good example of exactly what i'm talking about when i say i don't know if i really get it or i'm just getting lucky meaning, i think i did this part already but i can't be sure because i just fell through a portal and just started bashing at buttons whilst falling and then something weird happened and i was transported elsewhere. i just blinked and then shrugged.

every time i beat a puzzle i just think i'd never be able to go back and do it again if i had to, heh

Ha. Yeah, that sounds pretty random. Though I've solved my share of video game puzzles that way, no doubt.

No wrong way to play, of course, but usually when I got stuck I'd sit back and think about the problem, then experiment a little, so that when something worked I usually knew why. That's the really gratifying part, at least for me. Maybe for others that'd be insufferably boring.

In the case of that exact puzzle, yeah, I actually think it would be quite possible to just sort of mess around and button mash and get past it (hit the correct portal button near the end of the fall and you'd automatically fall right into it, most likely). But I don't think that'll work much later on, as the puzzles get more complicated.

no, it would be very gratifying if i could play it like that, too! i kind of wish there was someone like within earshot while i was playing that had already played the game, so they could explain to me what i just did. maybe i'll try to look up something on it to get a better grasp. i definitely do like that game a lot. i didn't even have any idea what kind of game it was when i started playing it, it was just there and i thought i'd give it a go. i like the storyline, too.

Teaser trailer for CD Projekt's new RPG, Cyberpunk 2077, here.

If it's anywhere near as good as their Witcher games, it'll be pretty special. At the very least it's bound to be better than Billy Idol's Cyberpunk album.

Can't remember the title.

Just finished the main storyline of Skyrim last night; the ending was nearer than I'd realized. Pretty good ending, all in all. Not quite what I expected, but there are definitely a lot of very cool moments throughout.

Progressing through the Civil War questline now. I'm pretty ridiculously overpowered, which has its downsides, but then, I find I still prefer it to being worried about whatever's around the next corner. Kinda fun to just plow through a dungeon with a couple of Daedric swords doing 230 damage each.

If you're reaching Endgame levels you might want to try some of the better armour mods (which are high powered but generally take a high Smithing skill to make).

For Light armour there's Scout Armor and Evil Mastermind Armor. Heavy includes Dragon Kinght Armor and Silver Dragon Armor.

Jaysus Swords should also be fun.

The Perfect Legionnaire mod is also pretty good if you're doing the Civil War quests - Basically it makes Imperial soldiers actually look like they're working in a cold climate. No more skirts and short sleeves - leave that to the Nords.

Just recently upgraded my PS3 hard drive from 80GB to 320GB so I can hold more games and such. I was running out of space after my last shopping spree, and so this is gonna help me out. Especially for some of the newer releases that are coming out soon.

Hmm, more kinect calumny...



The extended 3D worlds look pretty awful, both in quality & as an effect. Kinda like the idea of cues in the form of 'off camera' shots flying by, or maybe snow being swirled by off screen event or what have you. The most effective was probably the 'warping' of in-room objects by some magical attack - could emphasise the on screen action I guess.

Thoroughly 'peripheral' tho . More here.

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Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here

PSN has some games on for $0.99. Blokus, Modern Combat: Domination and TV King Trivia are three games I picked up for under $3. Next to no online support for the puzzle and trivia game, but people seem to be playing the ridiculously cheaply made Modern Combat.

No loss, I am enjoying all three.

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"A laugh can be a very powerful thing. Why, sometimes in life, it's the only weapon we have."

Suspect's Reviews

Since this is a videogames section of a film site, I'd like to call attention to Thirty Flights of Loving. It came out in 2012, it's a very short, mechanically simple game that functions essentially as a test of the famous Scorsese quote, "Cinema is a matter of what's in the frame and what's out."

The game uses many jump-cuts, but never halts the action (though you can wait as long as you want, you don't, especially your first run through). It seems like it would be disorienting to be constantly sent to new environments every couple of seconds, but the game very intuitively makes sure you never lose track. Whenever I play games, I'm annoyed when every little thing is told to you, and then tested with an easy battle or something, and environments change slowly with much preparation. Here, it's proven that that's not needed, it's a great gameplay innovation for a simple game.

The story, as well, is made up of how you piece together the cuts. There's no spoken or written words (besides on the liquor), so you're left to observation, emotion, and connections made through cutting (kind of like a Malick film). Pick it up if you're willing to shuck five bucks for half an hour of your time.

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Mubi

I see that PS3 finally gets the Skyrim DLC next month including a 50% off bonus (for the first week or something) to offset their lateness. I wonder if it's worth petitioning the OED to make 'Bethesda' a verb meaning 'to cock-up a port'?

eg: 'Bayonetta on PS3 was so badly Bethesda'd as to be almost unplayable before a patch.'

'I was looking forward to Fallout 3 on the PS3 until I learned of the savegame bloat which caused the game to Bethesda at higher levels.'

Saying that, I'm really enjoying my pre-Dragonborn Skyrim jaunt, rocking with SkyRe (latest version is rather good), Frostfall and Realistic Needs & Diseases.

Hardcore. You know the score.

Another cracking new mod is Pumping Iron. No one will ever kick sand in your Dovah's face again!

I have queries...

For any PS3 owners, I'm thinking of getting some more PSN games. Not full games that can be bought on disc, but anything DLC-only. Stuff like good Minis, or exclusives, anything fun that isn't a full price disc game. Any PS3 owners with favorites they wanna recommend?

Also: Assassin's Creed... I played the first at release, and a little of the second, but the series fell through the cracks for me and I see now multiple games and add-ons... I kind of want to get back back into the series but what is all this different stuff out now for AC. How many ACs are there? I think there are three main games but what are the others? Are they important to the story? Are the DLCs worth it? Are there significant gameplay differences in each title or is it mostly story & setting changes?

Finally, Yoda ought to sticky this thread. Thanks for listening.

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#31 on SC's Top 100 Mofos list!!

Double post, sorry.

Flower and Journey, for starters, then maybe Wipeout HD and its expansion.

I enjoyed Joe Danger and Super Stardust HD and you might get a kick out of Braid if you're a Hipster pseud. I didn't.

The Pixeljunk games are pretty popular but I've never really gotten into them.

Lastly, it's not an exclusive but Lara Croft & The Guardian of Light is fantastic.

EDIT - I've never played a Mini that I liked (and with being a PS+ member I've had a fair few thrown at me). They're phone games, basically, and are probably fine in that environment. On a large TV, however...

For Deadite:

There are now 5 main Assassin's Creed games. There's the first, the second, Brotherhood, Revelations, and the third in that order. There were a few that went to the DS and the PSP and one for the Vita, but the real story lies with the main series. The DLCs aren't usually game-changing, their just a few bonus missions that are meant for more action and a little more history. Play them in order to fully understand the story, as later games can get convoluted if you just start from that point.

As for Downloadable PSN games, I'd highly recommend Journey. It's 15 bucks, and it'll last you roughly 3 hours to complete, but I promise the experience will last you for a lifetime.