Your PC GOTYs?

Hmm, no, but stylistically it has moved away from that "whimsical fairytale" and become a much more standard, dark angry hero game. Some parts are very, very difficult (so you may need cheats). They have amped up the combat, and streamlined a lot of thing (like the collection of time sands), and improved and expanded the use of time-powers, but on the whole I'd say it plays very similarly to the first game ie, lots of architechtural puzzles & traps, punctuated with frantic combat and telling a mindbending time-travel story with some neat twists.

There are some sections that seem to repeat (due to the fact the maps are in a hub format both in the present and in the past), but it is basically a linear route. The most annoying thing for me was the occasionally inappropriate rock guitar music, the same camera position/control issues as the first game, and save points sometimes placed in such a way to artificially make the game harder by forcing you to replay extremely complex moves perfectly.

I like to sit back and look at the puzzles and traps, think about how to get through them and make considered moves, but some of the hardest sections are time sensitive, so you end up having to die and repeat long sections over again to discover the route through the map at high speed.

Basically if you enjoyed the mechanics of the first game, you'll like this one. If you enjoyed the fairytale style of the first one, you may find this one takes a few too many steps into the darker, Grimm version of that story. If you hated the save point in the first game, the second game is better except in a few crucial places that will have you flinging your PC out the window without being very determined or downloading a trainer.

It does have very nice production quality that may put it in the top ten or fifteen games of the year for many people, but certainly not the best one (phew - just made it back onto topic).

 

agreed.

 

BZB, I appreciate the input. I did kinda like the fairy tale side of SoT - it was refreshing, so many games do the "dark" and "grim" thing bad, ending up looking like a goth Duke Nukem. I'll check out the demo and see how the frustration level of combat has changed from SoT, the last thing I need is a stupid button masher.

 

The combat is actually quite clever, with lots of different moves available depending what you do, what weapons you have and so on. Or you can button mash. What I tended to do was learn a few special moves that I liked and were particularly effective, and use those along with some button mashing and the time powers. I think there might be a little more combat than in the first game, and it ususally takes longer to match your upgraded powers, but it's not particularly any more difficult. Once you've cleared an area, they don't drop more monsters in behind you and you can concentrate on the puzzle aspect.

I liked the combat in that it was quite time sensitive. You could block two enemy attacks, and then as the enemy draws back you can hack in when his defence is down, or leap over and attack from behind, etc.

 

pop2:
Thats funny cause the rock guitar music is one thing that made me love the game! I thought it fit perfectly.

HL2 is probably my goty though spent the most time with it atleast for pc.

 

Hehe, that's a detail why I DIDN'T like they game, actually. It just didn't feel right.

Worked on the game.

 

Well, I just played through The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay, and I have to say, it's a fantastic game, easily a contender for game of the year. The hand to hand combat system is the best I've seen in an FPS, the atmosphere is great, and the character of Riddick is just awesome. Gotta love it when he sees an open and empty heavy guard unit just waiting for him, and he says, "Beautiful."

 

Well, I really loved HL2, really hated Doom3 (because I expected much more fun, not because it's bad). FarCry was nothing for me, didn't like the gameplay dynamics.

My favs are HL2 and (should you believe it) DX2. DX2 was much worse than DX, but still a better game than the whole bunch, even with all the shortcomings IMHO.

 

I got my usual gaggle of gift certificates for Christmas so I'm going to have to pick Tribes: V up if I can find it cheap somewhere (EBs, Best Buy).

 

I loved the cybernetic assasin missions in T:V, by far my favorite part of the game. Yeah it's a great game but something completely different from Riddick. Riddick is more of a stealth/action/adventure(my fav genre heh) that relies heavily on the atmosphere, you move at a slow, deliberate pace. Both games are just lovely.

 

See, I don't understand this attitude. It just sounds elitist to me. I mean, Enter the Matrix was a game that suffered from consolitis: the sniping controls were hindered to make the challenge more in line with the console games (and it was so artificial that it was just plain horrendous).

But Riddick really plays well, and has great controls on the PC. I think it's ridiculous to complain about its presentation just because it reminds you of the way console games are played.

 

My Nominees

PC

HL2, W40KoW (no other mentions, pah), R:TW.

Xbox

Chronicles opf Riddick, Halo2, Full Spectrum Warrior, Ghost Recon 2.

 

Hey look at my first post!

 

My fav's of the year, in chronological order:

UT2k4
T:V
HL2
Vamp: Bloodlines

I suppose HL2 is my GOTY just for the epic, movielike feel though vamp: bloodlines may beat it out when I finish it (i guess i'm ~1/2 to 2/3 the way through as a malkavian)

 

oops

 

Rome:Total War (well, it should be by the time it gets properly patched up...)
Farcry for coming out before the big boys & still managing to do more.
Nexus:The Jupiter Incident (omfg it actually finally managed to get released)
Honourable mention Zeckensack's glide wrapper for allowing me to play that perrenial classic Iwar @ 1600 * 1200 8)

 

If UT2k4 is an expansion pack, the Tribes:V is just a mod for UT2004

I think its HL2. Best single player part. And has the most popular MP game out so its a win-win. However loved Farcry and UT2k4. Doom3 was just ok....