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Portal is worth playing through, although short and more bare-bones than the sequel. I think Portal 2 is a masterpiece, with a ton more character and intrigue beyond the puzzles. It was the first sort of on-foot puzzle game that I'd ever played, and made enough of an impression to have me force feed it to my FPS-centric friends at the time. Portal Stories: Mel is good too (harder puzzles, weaker writing from what I remember).
portal and portal 2 was on the xbox 360 and ps3 right? i think i remember playing it on the on the ps3



Portal is worth playing through, although short and more bare-bones than the sequel. I think Portal 2 is a masterpiece, with a ton more character and intrigue beyond the puzzles. It was the first sort of on-foot puzzle game that I'd ever played, and made enough of an impression to have me force feed it to my FPS-centric friends at the time. Portal Stories: Mel is good too (harder puzzles, weaker writing from what I remember).
I just remember puzzle after puzzle and me throwing stuff around in a fit of rage. But I'm willing to give it another go. I've matured since then and I think I'm ready to intellectualize.



portal and portal 2 was on the xbox 360 and ps3 right? i think i remember playing it on the on the ps3
Yes it was.

I just remember puzzle after puzzle and me throwing stuff around in a fit of rage. But I'm willing to give it another go. I've matured since then and I think I'm ready to intellectualize.
Hm. One of the least rage inducing games for me, but that's probably because if I'm stumped I just retreat to google and avoid looking in the mirror for a few days.

At least you can get some Rage that doesn't crash every 5 seconds.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
I had rage when introducing my nephew to the first Portal game. I had to shut off his system in complete frustration else i would have strangled the kid. 20 minutes of me screaming, "Just look DOWN!? NO... Now! Dude!! Stop running around and...STOP RUNNING IN CIRCLES!!! just LOOK around!?! STOP. RUNNING. AROUND. AND JUST FRIGGIN LOOK at the damn floor!?!!?!!?1!!?!"


He assumed it was a Call of Duty style shooter and had no idea how to do anything but dodge gunfire.


I told him he wasn't allowed to play it while i was there.



Yes it was.


Hm. One of the least rage inducing games for me, but that's probably because if I'm stumped I just retreat to google and avoid looking in the mirror for a few days.

At least you can get some Rage that doesn't crash every 5 seconds.
I'll be honest with you, I can't picture you in a rage. I know you're a bear and all, but I just don't see it.

Google definitely would've been a way to go, yes. I actually don't remember if I used Google as much back then. Or even considered looking up answers to video games. I think that was around the time I was still using Yahoo but seriously considering other alternatives. Plus, I was more of a casual gamer then, so if a game pissed me off I would eventually rage quit and never look back. Except for Mario. The little turd pisses me off constantly but I can't quit him. We have history.



Yes it was.


Hm. One of the least rage inducing games for me, but that's probably because if I'm stumped I just retreat to google and avoid looking in the mirror for a few days.

At least you can get some Rage that doesn't crash every 5 seconds.
thought so cause i miss playing those games back in the day



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
I'm thinking about grabbing a few titles on the current PS Store sale. Has anyone played or have comments on any of the following:

A Plague Tale: Innocence

The Starwars Triple Bundle (includes Squadron, Battlefront II, and Fallen Order)
I do not have VR or online play access so I'm concerned that Squadron and Battlefront II may be a waste of money. Both descriptions list single player mode, but I'm not sure if those campaigns are worth it.

I'm considering the Bioshock 3-pack for like 10 U.S. It seems to be the remastered set which would be a nice, fun revisit, but I find it odd that the set is only 10 bucks, as the individual (and more recent release date of 2020 compared to, I think, 2016) price of 15 U.S. for each title alone. That seems ...odd to me. Any of you have them for comparison?
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That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
I'll be honest with you, I can't picture you in a rage. I know you're a bear and all, but I just don't see it.

Google definitely would've been a way to go, yes. I actually don't remember if I used Google as much back then. Or even considered looking up answers to video games. I think that was around the time I was still using Yahoo but seriously considering other alternatives. Plus, I was more of a casual gamer then, so if a game pissed me off I would eventually rage quit and never look back. Except for Mario. The little turd pisses me off constantly but I can't quit him. We have history.
I'm quoting this one only because it's the closest post in the list and I'm too lazy to track down your earlier one on Portal!

Portal was suggested to me by a coworker way back when. He picked up the PS3 Orange Box set for Half-Life 2 but was pleasantly surprised with the addition of Portal. His description of it eventually pushed me to pick up a used copy at an old going-out-of-business Blockbuster Video store. I never played Team Fortress and I don't think I finished Half-Life (if I did, I just can't remember), but man did Portal really stick with me.

I've never really played or pursued puzzle games unless you call Tetris style platforms puzzle? Iderno. But I also didn't really get a puzzle vibe while playing Portal. Don't get me wrong, It is most definitely a puzzle to solve for progression, but Valve did a hell of a job wrapping that in an incredibly fun and deceptively dynamic environment. For me, I was a character in some dystopian future trapped in some location that I needed to get out of. That's it. There was little in the way of story/character development so I was free to project whatever I wanted onto the character. Additionally, the controls were pretty basic. You shoot an entrance hole here, then shoot an exit hole there, and you walk though it. MIND-BLOWINGLY SIMPLE!! But OMG did that open up so many trippy ways to approach any given level.

The puzzle, to me, wasn't my attempt to solve something. It was more in me having to make a serious effort to change my ideas on what a game can do. More specifically, how I had to let go of my preconceived notions and expectations of ...reality. This was quite literally my "Neo first enters the training constructs to learn that it is not air that he's breathing" moment. When I realized that nearly every surface was available to have a portal placed onto it, MOST of my game was just running around acting the fool, shooting portals everywhere just to see what I could break. Yes, solving the puzzle keeps you moving forward; but I didn't NEED to solve them as I was totally cool with pinging all the hell around one corner of the level to another falling through chaotic holes into mind-bending portal loops. Too, the game isn't very long. Levels were quiet, and lonely, and I felt that I was really trapped in some abandoned science lab with just me, my obsessive thoughts, and GLaDOS' very weird, glitchy and unintentional A.I. humor. Returning to The Matrix as a comparison, celebratory cake will become your "spoon" mantra and inside joke with other Portal nuts in the world for years to come.

As the game progresses into higher levels, it becomes very dark as environments start to break down and you begin to see the façade of these "test chambers" for what they are/were intended. You begin to see just how psychologically damaging this environment has been and may be to you in the long run. As you progress you learn less of yourself as a character, but gain so much insight as to what this structure is that you are progressing through. Totally worth early level frustrations as you evolve to a new gaming mind. This may change how you approach every FPS after. It should, at least, improve your timing and aim control.

If you find yourself frustrated, just take a long, deliberate breath. Slow things down. Change your goal. Don't bother finding a path through to the next level. Instead, just screw around with your portals to see how much fun you can have NOT dying, flinging yourself from one end of a level to the other. EXPERIENT! Test your character's limits. Test the environment's limits! I spent DAYS (maybe even weeks) on a few levels. This game invaded my dreams, with how wild and completely sci-fi some of the later levels were.

As a Kool-Aid guzzling cult convert bought, sold, and wholly (huh, that took two Ls) committed to the coming comet prophecy, I hope you stay for the awakening. I can then call you brother Ch-ell. Come on in, the water's fine!



I'm quoting this one only because it's the closest post in the list and I'm too lazy to track down your earlier one on Portal!

Portal was suggested to me by a coworker way back when. He picked up the PS3 Orange Box set for Half-Life 2 but was pleasantly surprised with the addition of Portal. His description of it eventually pushed me to pick up a used copy at an old going-out-of-business Blockbuster Video store. I never played Team Fortress and I don't think I finished Half-Life (if I did, I just can't remember), but man did Portal really stick with me.

I've never really played or pursued puzzle games unless you call Tetris style platforms puzzle? Iderno. But I also didn't really get a puzzle vibe while playing Portal. Don't get me wrong, It is most definitely a puzzle to solve for progression, but Valve did a hell of a job wrapping that in an incredibly fun and deceptively dynamic environment. For me, I was a character in some dystopian future trapped in some location that I needed to get out of. That's it. There was little in the way of story/character development so I was free to project whatever I wanted onto the character. Additionally, the controls were pretty basic. You shoot an entrance hole here, then shoot an exit hole there, and you walk though it. MIND-BLOWINGLY SIMPLE!! But OMG did that open up so many trippy ways to approach any given level.

The puzzle, to me, wasn't my attempt to solve something. It was more in me having to make a serious effort to change my ideas on what a game can do. More specifically, how I had to let go of my preconceived notions and expectations of ...reality. This was quite literally my "Neo first enters the training constructs to learn that it is not air that he's breathing" moment. When I realized that nearly every surface was available to have a portal placed onto it, MOST of my game was just running around acting the fool, shooting portals everywhere just to see what I could break. Yes, solving the puzzle keeps you moving forward; but I didn't NEED to solve them as I was totally cool with pinging all the hell around one corner of the level to another falling through chaotic holes into mind-bending portal loops. Too, the game isn't very long. Levels were quiet, and lonely, and I felt that I was really trapped in some abandoned science lab with just me, my obsessive thoughts, and GLaDOS' very weird, glitchy and unintentional A.I. humor. Returning to The Matrix as a comparison, celebratory cake will become your "spoon" mantra and inside joke with other Portal nuts in the world for years to come.

As the game progresses into higher levels, it becomes very dark as environments start to break down and you begin to see the façade of these "test chambers" for what they are/were intended. You begin to see just how psychologically damaging this environment has been and may be to you in the long run. As you progress you learn less of yourself as a character, but gain so much insight as to what this structure is that you are progressing through. Totally worth early level frustrations as you evolve to a new gaming mind. This may change how you approach every FPS after. It should, at least, improve your timing and aim control.

If you find yourself frustrated, just take a long, deliberate breath. Slow things down. Change your goal. Don't bother finding a path through to the next level. Instead, just screw around with your portals to see how much fun you can have NOT dying, flinging yourself from one end of a level to the other. EXPERIENT! Test your character's limits. Test the environment's limits! I spent DAYS (maybe even weeks) on a few levels. This game invaded my dreams, with how wild and completely sci-fi some of the later levels were.

As a Kool-Aid guzzling cult convert bought, sold, and wholly (huh, that took two Ls) committed to the coming comet prophecy, I hope you stay for the awakening. I can then call you brother Ch-ell. Come on in, the water's fine!
I'm gonna play the game, guys. Geez. I take re93's suggestions very seriously, so I'm going through with it. With your post I'll even swear to finish it.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
lol @MonnoM


I hope my post wasn't pressuring! I just got caught in a wave of nostalgia and procrastination from work. =D



lol @MonnoM


I hope my post wasn't pressuring! I just got caught in a wave of nostalgia and procrastination from work. =D
No worries.

But if I end up hating it just know you will be held accountable.



noNO! You blame the bear if that's the case.



You wrote such a heartfelt, somewhat lengthy post convincing me that this game is worth giving another try. I make a small threat and suddenly there goes your conviction! You stand tall on that plank...as I get back to you with my final verdict.



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
So I pulled the trigger with those titles with the current PS sales. I've played through about half an hour each in the three Star Wars titles. First up was Squadrons. I'm not feeling it. Maybe I'm not feeling it yet? The interface is clunky and the visuals do not feel connected at all to my controls. I mean, the flight tutorials flash instructions to use the D pad arrows to change energy priorities between shields, lasers, speed/agility, and I guess a balanced distribution of power to all three areas; but clicking different options, I've yet to see my screen reflect the option to confirm/know what it is that I've selected. I'm also not really told when and why I should use either, apart from a flight leader callout to "Transfer power to X before we make this run..." kind of narration.

The graphics REALLY bothered me. So much so that I had to Google around on this to see what other gamers were saying on release. To my surprise, the masses seem to have praised this game. I'm dumbfounded by this. Digging around more, I began to wonder if the VR experience is really that much better so I continued down the rabbit hole of PS4 VR support and requirements. Pricing around I figured if I'm going to bother with this I need to settle for something used. No luck with the local pawn shops. Last night I start comparing the PS4 VR specs to PC options and I now get why the graphics here are so simple. PS4 just can't handle it. Not in any detail and resolution, at least, for the necessary refresh rates apparently required for a smooth VR experience. So there goes that option. I am still curious though, and will explore PC VR options to chase Squadrons (and maybe CCP's EvE: Valyrie.

I'm not exaggerating when I say gameplay reminded me of my old Atari 2600 Star Commander. WEIRD! Granted. it's obviously a lot smoother and no goofy sprite blocks were ticking across the screen, but what a disappointment. Mostly, I'm just playing catchup to the squad in whatever generic back-and-forth run we're on. I'm going left? I see them passing me hard, going right. I turn to catch up and they're now speeding the opposite direction. My radar so far feels more like a loading graphic than anything useful. All I can come to is that everyone making reviews are playing this on a decked PC VR cabinet and everyone was smart enough to not touch the PS4 port.

Next up: Battlefront II. I'm running campaign mode in all of these. I have no idea what online requirements exist and I'm already deeply creeped out by EA's requirements to create an account beyond my PS (not to mention the notice that to play the game, EA must have access to user data and cookies histories. seriously? This is beyond aggressive). Back to the game. It's decent. Graphics are clean enough on first play through. AI is predictable so far and though I'm only a few save points into the first real Endor mission, I'm starting to see flaws. Or at least relative to the expectations I have for an EA/Star Wars title. For example, this feels VERY much like the old Mass Effect game with a more or less single path through a level, character motions feeling stock and generic, and aiming mechanics are clunky at best. Aiming with a sniper scope, I see NPCs full-on sprinting in circles faster than they should actually be able to move. When I type "circles" I mean hard left to right twitching making it very difficult to get a headshot. Even when I do hit a very exposed character (body or otherwise), nothing happens. Additionally, If you're too close to a wall or doorway frame, you cannot shoot past it even if your sight reticule is on target---even if your aiming arm is past the door frame. NPCs spawn in side hallways that open as you approach. Nice, in that you need to mindful of your surroundings even if you've cleared a passage. The problems are 1) if you jump the corner before the NPC spawns, you can see them literally falling out of the ceiling; and 2) sometimes (like every third spawn), you see that NPC fall, then bounce through a side wall model never to be seen again. It's just so wonky. I'll continue to play, but the Mass Effect vibes are really throwing me off from overlooking the issues I've already experienced. It feels dated.

Finally, I loaded Jedi: Fallen Order. THIS game feels right. I'm not far in at all, having only left the starter scrapyard world, but I have to say that this entire introductory level was fun. I expect this game to provide many hidden paths and obstacles to maneuver around while offering a nice balance of gameplay cut with mini Indiana Jones-style stunts. Cutscenes usually irritate me when they trigger during game play, but so far these are smooth and actually exciting. I bounced in my chair once or twice, startled from some random environmental destruction that I needed to climb over before falling to my death. That may become tiring, but so far I'm loving it. That could also be the contrast in disappointment from the other two titles, but whatever. At least it was fun for the bit I played.



My latest obsession is Nerts, which is, I kid you not: competitive solitaire. It's existed offline for awhile, but Zachtronics just released a video game version of the same concept, for free, and boy is it addictive:


I know it looks ridiculous but it's really, really fun. It's probably not evident from gameplay because the fun part is what it does to your brain. Kinda takes it over, gets you into a flow state, like Tetris. Except in the middle of that flow state someone puts a card down right before you do and your brain screeches in horror and you have to regroup and keep playing.



The Adventure Starts Here!
My latest obsession is Nerts, which is, I kid you not: competitive solitaire. It's existed offline for awhile, but Zachtronics just released a video game version of the same concept, for free, and boy is it addictive:


I know it looks ridiculous but it's really, really fun. It's probably not evident from gameplay because the fun part is what it does to your brain. Kinda takes it over, gets you into a flow state, like Tetris. Except in the middle of that flow state someone puts a card down right before you do and your brain screeches in horror and you have to regroup and keep playing.
Okay okay okaaaay... so, wait...

You have your own pile of solitaire cards... but you can put your cards on anyone else's stacks? So the object is to just get rid of all your cards somehow? Why was the announcer yelling out suits?

This looks like somebody who made SpyParty decided that solitaire was too relaxing and made a competitive version... NOT COOL, MAN. Some of us play solitaire BECAUSE it's too relaxing.



Okay okay okaaaay... so, wait...

You have your own pile of solitaire cards... but you can put your cards on anyone else's stacks? So the object is to just get rid of all your cards somehow? Why was the announcer yelling out suits?
Your cards are your own and you can make your alternating red/black stacks unimpeded, but you play your cards in the center in order by suit, like normal solitaire. But there's a bunch of decks, so people can (and will) have the same card as you, and can beat you to the same spot.

The object is to score points: first to 100 wins. One point per card played in the center, and -2 points for each card left on your Nerts pile (top left in your section) when the round ends. And, recently, they added a 10-point bonus for finishing your pile.

The announcer yells out a suit any time an Ace goes down, starting a new pile. Not sure what the reason is, but I find it helps a lot in that it gives you one less thing to keep track of on your own. It's also very funny when a bunch of people put Aces down in quick succession.



A system of cells interlinked
Speaking of cards, I have been firing up a little MTG Arena as of late, on the free to play side, of course. MTG is basically a vacuum on your wallet if you get into the pay side in either the virtual or real platforms. I used to play the paper version way back in the 90s, but I sold most of my cards quite a while ago for a tidy sum.

Anyway, really slick client that made my friends and I realize that MTG is a fairly peppy game if you don't have to deal with the hassle of the actual physical cards. All that time spent shuffling etc. is gone, and you spent almost all of your time playing instead of dicking around. On top of that, all the triggered/fast effects and math is handled by the client, which helps to speed things along as well. Finally, the client features many cool animations and play areas that really bring the game to life.

__________________
“It takes considerable knowledge just to realize the extent of your own ignorance.” ― Thomas Sowell



there's a frog in my snake oil
I'm not exaggerating when I say gameplay reminded me of my old Atari 2600 Star Commander. WEIRD! Granted. it's obviously a lot smoother and no goofy sprite blocks were ticking across the screen, but what a disappointment. Mostly, I'm just playing catchup to the squad in whatever generic back-and-forth run we're on. I'm going left? I see them passing me hard on, going right. I turn to catch up and they're now speeding the opposite direction. My radar so far feels more like a loading graphic than anything useful. All I can come to is that everyone making reviews are playing this on a decked PC VR cabinet and everyone was smart enough to not touch the PS4 port.
Yeah I found it pretty insipid in the end. But then I really hate chapter-based campaign games on the whole, so wasn't super surprised. It definitely didn't feel like it was going to elevate anywhere particularly far or fast, and the 'I'm in an X-Wing!' factor couldn't make up for that.

Can't speak to the graphics, because I was in VR . And you kind of expect them to be rougher there. (The actual character models and ship interiors looked sweet enough with that VR twist though. Headlooking around as you flip around stuff is def plus amongst all that.)

Keep meaning to really get comfy with the flight model and go mess around in the arena, but nah. Not feeling it... Might as well just Elite if I want to fly through explosions in VR.
__________________
Virtual Reality chatter on a movie site? Got endless amounts of it here. Reviews over here