This is the new games thread

[TomHicks]

I think "stripped down" would be a better description. Even then, that would only refer to the abilties menu that you spend points in. They chopped it down to about 5 per character. You no longer have to put points in for each gun or armor type; those are handled as party upgrades that you buy or develop. You also seem to get 2 points per mission, so you have fewer points to spend when you level up.

But there's no way you won't like this game as much or even more than the first one. It's still all about the role-playing through the dialogue choices, the characters and the story. The minigames for hacking, bypassing and planet exploring are better than the button-pushing minigame in the first one. The action seems to flow more smoothly and it's no longer mostly confined to a series of cookie-cutter two-story warehouses.

You also continue to get experience points from missions and assignments; you don't get anything out of gunfights other than the satisfaction of administering justice.

[TimBuktu]

Man... I am obsessed with ME2... I keep playing it for so long in one sitting my brain goes fuzzy.

[ericluxury]

The abilities part in Mass Effect felt to me like someone awkwardly putting RPG elements that didn't belong in the RPG, so I am glad they are stripped down. In all the first game never felt very RPG-like in the first place and I think thats what made it so good (even for RPG fans) was that it was a new way to do it. Every review says part 2 is just better, so I can't wait.

[isoS]

I've completed everything in Batman: AA except the fight things in challenge mode... As much as I'd like to get 100%, I don't see myself toiling with the stupid combat system to get 100,000 pts or whatever in every scene. You'd think I'd be good at it by now, having finished the game and all, but it's still monotonous button-mashing to me.

[Berliner]

ME2 definitely feels a lot more natural than ME1. I just came off playing ME1, and the differences are really noticeable.

[bridgetosolace]

Assassin's Creed II is really neat. Significantly better than the first in almost every way.

/two or three games behind

[TimBuktu]

I beat ME2. It's not quite as long as the first, but I think that's because you have to do less grinding. I'm starting over and I'm going to be a total dick this time. Fuck you universe!

[James Smann]

I've completed everything in Batman: AA except the fight things in challenge mode... As much as I'd like to get 100%, I don't see myself toiling with the stupid combat system to get 100,000 pts or whatever in every scene. You'd think I'd be good at it by now, having finished the game and all, but it's still monotonous button-mashing to me.

I'm actually re-beating it one last time to get the final achievement I need. Those Challenge Mode achievements are hardcore, I'll agree with you there. It took me a good solid two weeks to beat all the challenges between the predator ones and the fighting ones. I do like that they included those challenges in the game though...it's definitely fun to poke around Arkham and investigate shit detective style in the story mode, but it's also fun as hell to just do the action-oriented parts with the challenges.

[TomHicks]

I've completed everything in Batman: AA except the fight things in challenge mode... As much as I'd like to get 100%, I don't see myself toiling with the stupid combat system to get 100,000 pts or whatever in every scene. You'd think I'd be good at it by now, having finished the game and all, but it's still monotonous button-mashing to me.

The only challenge mode I beat was the first one; I played that one to practice for the regular game. I was never able to beat that long line of goons in the hallway as part of the regular game -- they will let you through if you don't attack. I tried that one only two or three times before giving up.

[isoS]

I love the predator challenges and could do those forever -- even the "extreme" ones, which were challenging, were fun to figure out (take out three guys with three different exploding walls!). I feel the opposite about the fighting ones. It's just boring and while I admit I suck at fighting in this game, I have no desire to get better. It doesn't seem to require any cleverness or strategy, just practice and timing (although maybe people who are good at it use batarangs and other gadgets to fight). I used to love fighting games, but the combat system in this game has, to me, the fatal flaw of not giving you the sensation that you are actually controlling the moves -- you just hit square over and over again and sometimes that makes Batman kick, sometimes it makes him punch, sometimes it makes him killamothafucka. Yes, dodging and cape-twirling are variations, but it even tells you when to dodge (not that you always can), and all that does is bring you back to square one: mashing the square button some more.

[James Smann]

You're totally right about not needing a whole of finesse or skill to successfully fight in AA. But you're also right that in order to amass those insane numbers of points you have to use batarangs and the batclaw and the A+X and B+Y combo too. I'm just a fucking game nerd and felt compelled to 100% and get every achievement for the game, so that's the only reason I took the time to beat every single challenge. But I beat it the story mode without playing a single challenge or employing any of those tactics and was just fine...so yeah.

Also, on Hard mode, it doesn't tell you when to counter or when they're going to attack unless you're critically low on health...so that does make the fighting more challenging...

[TomHicks]

My space hamster is named Buck, as in Buck Rogers.

[bridgetosolace]

I love the predator challenges and could do those forever -- even the "extreme" ones, which were challenging, were fun to figure out (take out three guys with three different exploding walls!). I feel the opposite about the fighting ones. It's just boring and while I admit I suck at fighting in this game, I have no desire to get better.

I was decent at fighting in the game, but I agree with you 100%. Even though I used the bear claw all the time (especially for an opponent with a weapon. It makes them fall over so you can kill them immediately), the basics of the combat were a bit too simple. Assassin's Creed II's battle system is actually somewhat similar, but it's so much more fun to look at and I don't feel like the system is holding my hand. Oh, and a ton more weapons and options.

The thing this game really did nail, though, was the predator aspects. I would love to see a new genre of "Action puzzlers" that really force you to think and solve problems, but are still visually interesting and fun.

The previews of the new Splinter Cell game kind of echo that to me. It's not stealth, it's tactics.

[TimBuktu]

Playing through Mass Effect 2 a second time is like keeping your thumb in a choose your own adventure book. I never thought of it as cheating, but maybe it is....

[nathansmart]

Anyone here interested in Heavy Rain? I like the idea a lot but will it be fun?

[Berliner]

Yeah, that's what I wonder about it. I don't know why anyone would really want to play a game that would depress the hell out of you.

[nathansmart]

the same can be said about movies thought right?

(this is a PS3 game, btw, so iSos please google and contribute)

[Berliner]

Yes, but that would kind of redefine one of the informal definitions of games, which is something that you enjoy and is fun.

[MrDys]

Heavy Rain looks pretty pretentious to me. It also may have an uncanny valley problem throughout the entire game (though, I would love to be proved wrong on both counts).

Something that I am looking forward to in a similar vein is Alan Wake.

[nathansmart]

Videogames are all simulations - why can't one simulation be a sad family member?

New genre: Sad Family Member Simulator