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Post by Xeogred on Aug 18, 2020 16:14:00 GMT -5
Visually I guess... but it doubled the enemy roster with some really iconic new additions that spice up any mob, the map size capabilities increased tenfold, and the super shotgun. The music definitely wasn't as good though, but there's some tracks I like. To be fair, when I think of Doom 1-2 and even TNT/Plutonia to an extent, they are just all one entity in my mind and my third favorite game of all time, along with hundreds of new fan made maps and expansions out there to play forever. But my Doom thread here clearly showed I'm kind of the only one that obsessed. Go to the Doomworld forums and you see people that probably only play old Doom and nothing else and I can see how that's possible. Getting a bit off topic anyways though but yeah, Doom is perfection to me.
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Post by Ex on Aug 18, 2020 16:25:11 GMT -5
it doubled the enemy roster with some really iconic new additions that spice up any mob, the map size capabilities increased tenfold, and the super shotgun I guess it says a lot that I didn't even notice those changes as a teenager, or if I did I forgot about them. I'm not trying to imply that Doom II isn't a good game though. It just didn't blow me away like the original Doom did. For me Doom was a 10/10 and Doom II was more a 7/10.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 18, 2020 16:37:24 GMT -5
I liked the original game because it felt more free-flowing and atmospheric. The sequel, to me, felt like an expansion pack, and a lot of the levels followed suit, with what I consider more "gotcha" traps and rooms that you pretty much have only one real intended way to clear. And again, I wouldn't say it's bad at all. I think it's probably a 7/10 for me, and the first game is like a 9/10.
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Post by EasyHard on Aug 19, 2020 2:59:48 GMT -5
TNT Evilution really is skippable in my book. Plutonia should be approached with the mindset that you'll be using mid level saves a lot more than regular Doom 2. It's a constant test of tricky situations and unique ways to spring dangerous encounters on you. I think that the fact that Plutonia is highly respected in the community and was an officially released megawad gives it a shine that makes it more fun to beat than some random megawads of similiar difficulty and style. It's not perfect though, and I realized that I dislike a lot of the maps as I replayed it over the years. I appreciate that Plutonia still has a distinct sense of reservation to it -- it doesn't go as far with difficulty and monster counts as so many other megawads. But more than anything else these days I appreciate polished maps that are more in line with vanilla Doom 2.
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Post by Ex on Aug 19, 2020 8:29:20 GMT -5
When I was in high school back in the '90s, I went through the effort to create my own WADs (and even custom weapons) for Doom. I simply shared them with some PC gamer friends I had the time, never uploaded them to a BBS or anything. I wish I still had those WADs so I could let you guys play them. But alas they are long lost to the abrasive sands of time. - Last night I reached the point that I quit playing last time, so we'll see how I handle that section tonight. It was tough, but I made it past that part last night. The trick was to leave the gatling gun alone, and instead just scramble through the enemy ambush until I reached the next plot trigger point. I then proceeded to finish that episode (a Ray one), and am almost finished with the next (a Billy one). Each level in CoJ is called an "episode", and takes about 35-45 minutes to finish.
I vacillate between being really impressed with/enjoying CoJ, to being really annoyed/aggravated with it. There's an equal amount of greatness and awfulness present, but so far the greatness nudges out the awfulness enough for me to keep going. Mainly it's the stealth sequences that I despise. Now the stealth stuff is rare, it's like 5% of the game so far, but it's still not done particularly well. I don't mind stealth in games when the stealth is done well, after all Thief: The Dark Project is my all time favorite game ever. But when stealth isn't done well, it just becomes an unjustifiably punitive experience for the player. That said, the overwhelming majority of CoJ has been about shoot outs and exploring thus far. A LOT of shooting in particular if it's a Ray mission, my kill count for his last episode was 85 in the span of 40 minutes.
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Post by Ex on Aug 23, 2020 1:13:47 GMT -5
Still playing Call of Juarez as I've had time. Tonight I made it to the start of chapter 13. There's 15 chapters, so I'm getting close to having this one done. I've got mixed feelings, but ultimately I'm glad I've stuck with it this far.
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Post by Sarge on Aug 23, 2020 9:46:32 GMT -5
If you pirated your copy, would that make it Call of Warez?
...
I'll show myself out.
But not before I mention that I'm making some decent progress in Wild ARMs: Alter Code F again.
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Post by paulofthewest on Aug 23, 2020 11:58:04 GMT -5
If you pirated your copy, would that make it Call of Warez? That should be a mod =)
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Post by Ex on Aug 24, 2020 0:17:25 GMT -5
Call of Juarez is a western themed FPS, developed by Techland for Windows PC, and published by Ubisoft in 2006. In 2007, this game was ported to Xbox 360, and that is the version I beat. CoJ's plot is interesting because the player plays the part of both the protagonist and the antagonist, via alternating episodes (missions). As Billy the player tries to clear their name of a crime they didn't commit. As Ray, the player tries to capture and kill Billy in vengeance. Ray's episodes tend to focus on pure FPS action, with the occasional physics puzzle. Billy's episodes often include large portions of platforming, whip swinging, and stealth segments.
+Very impressive graphics for its time.
+Solid FPS shooting with a good ballistics model. +Lots of variety to the mission designs and objectives.
+A palpable sense of exploration in often beautiful terrain.
+Above average writing.
-Can be sadistically punitive to the player sometimes.
-Uneven game design quality makes the experience hit and miss.
-Enemy AI is often unrealistically accurate (what are they cowboy Terminators?).
-Billy's missions can be tedious due to occasional forced stealth.
-Ray's missions can become repetitive after killing 80-100 outlaws.
My favorite part: Riding a horse way out to Eagle Mountain, and climbing its treacherously high cliffs to obtain an eagle feather.
My least favorite part: Fighting boring waves of baddies through a bland mine.
I first played Call of Juarez a few years ago, and ended up shelving it after three hours. That's because the first third of this game, is unfortunately the worst third. Thankfully I gave CoJ a second chance, and discovered that the deeper into the experience I got, the more interesting and varied it became. Now that I've beaten CoJ, I can say this is the best first person western FPS I've played. But CoJ is far from perfect, don't get me wrong. For every ingenious scenario and beautiful vista, there's an awfully designed scenario, with an unskippable cutscene you've seen way too many times, due to having to continue after a cruel battle keeps making you dead. However, the good stuff certainly outweighed the bad, and I'm glad I answered this call a second time.
Ex's time to beat: 10 hours Ex's rating: 7.5/10
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Post by toei on Aug 24, 2020 0:44:36 GMT -5
The premise seems very similar to The Fugitive with Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. I wonder if the similarities extend beyond the basic idea. The trailer has a slightly pretentious vibe, like it wants to be taken more seriously than it deserves.
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