Decline Your favorite post 2010 AAA games? A coming out thread.

[sser]

Not trying to be edgy or anything but I can't really think of one that had any lasting appeal with me.

 

[Metro]

I'm too lazy to find a list. Just from the stuff people mentioned here:

DXHR
Dark Souls
Alpha Peeeeeeee
Batman Arkham series
Risen 1

I can't fathom how people enjoyed Alan Wake the thermos collection simulator.

 

[DemonKing]

Post 2010 I can say I've got reasonable enjoyment out of Dishonored, Arkham City, Tomb Raider 2013, Mass Effect 2, Company of Heroes 2, Battlefield 3 and StarCraft 2. I have a few other AAA titles thanks to Steam sales which I haven't had the chance to play long enough to form an opinion and another bunch of played for a while which didn't do much for me.

 

[Wirdschowerdn]

F:NV with patches
Dishonored
Alien Isolation
Portal 2
Dark Souls series (Triple-A ?)
Binary Domain

 

[Akratus]

Coming out thread?

...I liked David Cage's games. Got a problem with that? Come at me bro

 

[Trash]

The last GTA is a blast. Also thoroughly enjoyed Dishonored.

 

[ZagorTeNej]

I really liked DXHR's art direction and dialogue system too. It had a solid aesthetic vision as its foundation and did a great job exploiting its potential. I even liked the prominent use of yellow. Piss filter jokes aside, it was refreshing to see an AAA game use color in other ways than blue and orange cover art. They also managed to set up some sweet scenes that make the most out of the visual style and music, like Zhao's penthouse, or entering Adam's apartment for the first time.

Yeah, the game nails it in terms of cyberpunk atmosphere and has a unique visual style. I also liked dialogue "battles" in the game, the way they implemented the use of dialogue skill (well aug) is much better than your usual "I win" skill check in most RPGs.

Level design is quite formulaic, lacks larger open areas (due to the engine I guess?) of the original and doesn't have as well developed environment interaction (in first Deus Ex nearly every object you see could be picked up) but it's still miles better in that regard compared to modern titles. It also has very well developed hubs with more and on average better sidequests than the original.

Also, hacking (the way the game handles XP aside) is very well done, it's the best minigame I've ever played and it didn't bother me doing it repeteadly through the game (and I usually loathe minigames and find them to be a chore).

Sure, the game has a lot of flaws too and it's obviously weaker than the original DX. Generally low difficulty, retarded majestic cinematic takedown only melee, those fucking boss fights, the three buttons ending, and so on. I also thought Eliza Cassan had a lot of underused potential and deserved more screen time. I mean, in a game with a plot revolving around conspiracies, misinformation, everyone lies and stuff like that, an AI designed to control the flow of information to the public has a lot to bring to the table in terms of reflecting the core narrative themes.

My problem with difficulty (speaking on my experience on Give me Deus Ex difficulty level, I didn't try out others) is how binary it feels, if you use sticky cover system it becomes one of the easiest games I ever played both in terms of stealth and shooting. If you don't however, it becomes more challenging yes but not in the most satisfactory ways given that the game was built around using cover in both type of playstyles (stealth and shooting). You don't have shadows to hide in, you can't lean and it doesn't have Thief's exquisite sound system (now it's still relatively easy because of low enemy density per level and somewhat limited AI but that's beside the point) while in regards to the shooting part you have your usual tricks/artificial obstacles to try and force you into using cover like a fragile main hero (seriously, even with maxed out dermal armor aug Jensen is barely more durable than your average shirt and tie policeman which makes no fucking sense) and bullet spongy enemies (thankfully, headshots are very lethal with modded 10 mm pistol) that have pinpoint accuracy.

3d person camera switching, time stopping, cinematic takedowns are just horrible. I'm not completely averse to one button takedowns in stealth games but it could have been done like in Butcher Bay which are in first person (doesn't take you out of the game flow) and in real time. I get that they wanted to show off Jensen's char model often for story/role playing/whatever purposes (I think devs even said something similar) but you already see it often in conversations and ladder climbing, you could have just extended that to some other actions as well (again, like in Butcher Bay) and achieved the same effect. I also think takedowns should have only worked when you sneak up behind enemy, engaging him head on in melee combat should be harder.

I really liked weapon modification system (it was a very nice mix of original Deus Ex and IW) but I still found the arsenal somewhat disappointing and a number of the weapons felt redundant even when fully upgraded. For example, what use is a sniper rifle compared to 10mm pistol (with armor piercing and laser mods you both find very early in the game) when there aren't enough large open spaces, it is loud as hell, does less damage on a headshot on heavies and takes up far more inventory space? Same with shotgun compared to just using double takedowns when enemies are that close that shotgun would actually do some damage (not to mention that the game just isn't built for run and gun playstyle) or combat rifle/machine pistol/heavy rifle compared to magnum with explosive rounds that doesn't guzzle up ammo, is incredibly effective for crowd control, takes heavy soldiers down more easily and outright destroys even bots and turrets? Also, no melee weapons which just sucks, no other way to put it.

While I didn't like the way game handled the XP system or the frequency in which you gained praxis points (I usually had every upgrade I wanted within the first hour of Hengsha) some of the other game's notable faults didn't bother me that much. I can see how boss fight were objectively bad in many ways but I found them to be a nice change of pace if you're playing as a stealth char and a reason to use all those sweet weapon mods and combat augs (as a stealth hacker, you are swimming in praxis points before long) while as a combat focused/shooter char it was nice to face off against another terminator. Same with rushed last third of the game/ending, I can easily look past it considering that the meat of the game is so good. Overall while I think HR differs from the original in some crucial ways I find it similar in a sense that for me it is more than the sum of its parts and very enjoyable despite the many flaws, I think saying it's very good for a modern game is selling it short (it's a hollow praise considering most modern games are shit), I'd say it's very good (even great if you have a preference for FPS/RPG/stealth hybrids) period.

 

[Maschtervoz]

Great write-up. Forgot about the hacking, but I have to agree, as someone who also tends to hate the fuck out of minigames, this one was surprisingly well handled.

The last third of the game suffered a lot from all that content they cut out of it: Upper Hengsha and a Montreal hub are no small things. Without them, especially Montreal, the late game feels very disjointed pace-wise, as you go from hub-based somewhat open messing around, to just hopping on a plot train going in a straight line to several different places at a breakneck pace compared to how the game had progressed up to this point, all culminating in the painfully rushed endgame. Had the game stayed in development one more year, I think we might have had a truly great game, instead of a merely good one.

As a side note, I played focusing on stealth, so I can't give a good opinion on how the various weapons behaved gameplay-wise, but goddamn those were some sexy looking guns.

 

[bozia2012]

Eh, what does favourite mean? I'm torn between gameplay, storyfaggotry, good time-burners and one-time wonders. Guess I'll have to make a few lists.



BEST GAME OVERALL:

The Secret World - not only it's my most played game (that was released after 2010), but it's also a game where I invested my whole mind. I've spent easily over 1000h on it, but I've also invested a massive amount of time researching/discussing the game lore and engaging in ARGs. Mind you, I've reduced the grinding to minimum - even when I was continuously running dungeons, I mostly did it for the great atmosphere all those places had, it never felt grindy.

The game is at it's base a huge horror/action flick homage, but at the same time it features quality writing and genuine horror, where the decay caused by The Filth runs parallelly to psychological decay of society (featuring suicide and discussion on free will).


Pre-2008 I was loathing MMO games, but Funcom made such a big effort in world creation, that *gasp* both AoC and TSW are in my TOP10 BEST GAMES EVAR /fanboy




MOST PLAYED (~300-400h):

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim - because Sexlab, HDT and Requiem.

APB:Reloaded - dominating the streets with LMGs, trolling people with custom made death themes, being able to wear Kaneda's jacket over your favourite band shirt - how cool is that?

Fallout: New Vegas - atmosphere as good as in originals, questing best in the series

Path of Exile - great TOTALLY FREE h'n's. Started playing because I had to finally give up my TQ addiction and D3 looked like shit. I stayed for fun hardcore runs and really great atmosphere and production value. Did I mention the game is TOTALLY FREE? There are microtransactions, but it's all cosmetic stuff (different skill animations, armor effects, non-combat pets etc.). I bought some shit just because I wanted to throw money at GGG.




Games I didn't spent that much time on, but still were exceptional (storyfaggotry abound):

Witcher 2 - aside that it's a game based on the books I loved, it has nice political plot and is a next step on bringing pr0n into games

Alpha Protocol - great C&C, engaging real-time dialogues (where sometimes important stuff was said after a pause, just before the timer ended!)

Game of Thrones (RPG): hardcore plot, disturbing at times


All three games (also TSW) have this great storyfaggy/metagame-y thing - the plot and NPCs are designed to deceive you, but you can gather lore and hints to wade between their lies. I really love that shit - this and C&C is the best improvement in storytelling over books and movies.



Honorable mentions:

Mafia II - great atmosphere of mafia movies, very detailed world

Metro 2033 - atmosphere, difficulty

Spec-Ops: The Line - for trying to show a dirtier war, actually disturbing at times, white phosphorous, unique setting

Call of Juarez: Gunslinger - hilarious narrative (lol they literally took a piss), cool art direction

Wasteland 2: nice C&C and quests, oldschool but with the wonder of modernized UI



Surprisingly fun popamole:

Sniper Elite V2

Tomb Raider - my first TR!

Saints Row 3-4: still wondering how going full retard worked out for them

Kane & Lynch: Dog Days - seriously! I imagine the outrage of people who bought it for full price, but I paid like 1$ - that's not a bad price to play in a 3,5h gritty action flick. The VHS filters, camera movement, victim pixelation - it worked! It was even disturbing at times (f.e. carpet knives scene)

 

[Azrael the cat]

DH:HR - this might sound like damning with faint praise, but it's the only modern delayed sequel i can think of where one has to give thoughtful criticism to explain why it's not as good as the original instead of just being able to say popamole here deep. The developers seemed to genuinely 'get' the original, even if they couldn't reproduce it, which was confirmed further by the excellent commentary track.

 

[Ovplain]

Dishonored is probably my #1.:S Played it like three times in a row!

The rest are, in no particular order:

Alan Wake
Heavy Rain
God of War 3
Uncharted 3
Arkham City
GTA 5
Skyrim
Red Dead Redemption

 

[ZagorTeNej]

As a side note, I played focusing on stealth, so I can't give a good opinion on how the various weapons behaved gameplay-wise, but goddamn those were some sexy looking guns.

Oh no doubt, they look and sound great, clearly a lot of detail and care went into designing weapons (I like how using weapon specific mods alters the way they look in game) and one of the main reason for replaying the game for me was trying out different weapons (using all the mods I could found on one or two of them) and wrecking havoc.

Also don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed playing through HR as a FPS without using cover, playing it that way transforms it into one of the more challenging FPSes and really forces you to get gud (no slacking). However, I still think the game would have been better off ditching the sticky cover system entirely and focus on making it either a run and gun game (use FEAR gunplay as an inspiration, replace original Deus Ex speed aug with bullet time) or a tactical shooter (use Rainbow Six:Raven Shield as a basis for example). Either way, I think devs could have done a better job of conveying that you're supposed to be a cyborg killing machine while still maintaining a decent challenge which could have been done with better AI (make regular mooks use their numbers in a more efficient way with flanking, swarming etc. and augmented enemies make better use of their powers/abilities).

 

[meanwhileInPoland]

Dark Souls
Dark Souls 2

Spoiler

MGR,GTA5,Dragons Dogma,Mass Effect 2, AC:Black Flag, RDR, Bulletstorm, Bayonetta

 

[Sykar]

I really liked DXHR's art direction and dialogue system too. It had a solid aesthetic vision as its foundation and did a great job exploiting its potential. I even liked the prominent use of yellow. Piss filter jokes aside, it was refreshing to see an AAA game use color in other ways than blue and orange cover art. They also managed to set up some sweet scenes that make the most out of the visual style and music, like Zhao's penthouse, or entering Adam's apartment for the first time.

Sure, the game has a lot of flaws too and it's obviously weaker than the original DX. Generally low difficulty, retarded majestic cinematic takedown only melee, those fucking boss fights, the three buttons ending, and so on. I also thought Eliza Cassan had a lot of underused potential and deserved more screen time. I mean, in a game with a plot revolving around conspiracies, misinformation, everyone lies and stuff like that, an AI designed to control the flow of information to the public has a lot to bring to the table in terms of reflecting the core narrative themes.

It was a clear step up from the dismal Deus Ex 2 though...

My list:

DXHR
FO:NV
Tomb Raider
Witcher 2
X-Com
Marvel Heroes 2015
Portal 2

 

[leferd]

X-COM
Super Smash Bros. (Wii-U)



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted member 7219]

Not counting RPGs, and in no particular order:

• The Last of Us
• Dishonored
• Beyond: Two Souls
• Alan Wake
• Alien Isolation
• Batman Arkham City
• Portal 2
• Assassin's Creed IV
• Max Payne 3
• Warhammer 40k: Space Marine
• Red Dead Redemption
• Shogun 2: Total War - Fall of the Samurai
• Mafia II
• Starcraft II
• Dead Space 2

Some in that list I've put there due to lack of appreciation by enough people (Space Marine, Mafia II, Alan Wake, Beyond: Two Souls) but there's a few that I consider to be truly excellent (The Last of Us, Dishonored).

There are other big releases I've enjoyed like Tomb Raider, GTA 5 etc but I don't think much about those games now I've completed them.

I've probably missed some out so I'll update this when I think of more.

 

[Renfri]

Fallout: New Vega Easily the best.

Witcher 2 Broche.
Total War: Shogun 2 Japan.
CS:GO Great for learning russian.

 

[Cassidy]

I had more fun watching Jackass than playing what I would consider my "favorite" post-2010 AAA game.

PS: AFAIK Risen never had the kind of marketing that would make it be considered AAA.

 

[GrainWetski]

I had more fun watching Jackass than playing what I would consider my "favorite" post-2010 AAA game.

PS: AFAIK Risen never had the kind of marketing that would make it be considered AAA.

People are just posting mainstream games rather than AAA.

 

[Metro]

You can quibble over the definition of AAA but Risen was published by Deep Silver... Also doesn't surprise me Cassidy watches Jackass.

 

[Somberlain]

New Vegas and Dishonored.

 

[mastroego]

- Skyrim.
It is what it is, + Mods. Played it too much not to mention it.

- Tomb Raider.
Honestly I hated how "cute" and "fragile" and "innocent" they forcedly made L. Croft, but the game was kind of cool. I mean, nice environments, good progression, very good level design. No, I've never played the original games.

That's it, I don't think I've even played any other AAA titles recently.

 

[chestburster]

The Witcher 2
the two Metro games
F: NV
The Darkness 2
Syndicate
Alien Isolation

 

[Clockwork Knight]

People are just posting mainstream games rather than AAA.

For the average codex hipster, admitting that is just as painful

 

[Ovplain]

- Tomb Raider.
Honestly I hated how "cute" and "fragile" and "innocent" they forcedly made L. Croft, but the game was kind of cool. I mean, nice environments, good progression, very good level design. No, I've never played the original games.

Just finished it yesterday. And it is a good game. Not as :O as Uncharted, but OK. It's a fun game, plays well, looks great but I can't help but feel the whole thing could have been so much better.:S The 'tombs' SUCKED! Too short, too easy. The whole game was too easy.:S Also too many QTEs, not enough 'boss fights' and the story pretty much sucked. Hopefully they can improve on most of this shit in the next one. And it would be nice if Lara was more of a nut in the next one, more like Nathan Drake or Indiana Jones. She's got to enjoy the crazy, bloody chaos of 'tomb raiding' a bit more.:D Less whining, that's done with. You're a killer now, baby.