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Lynx7725

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Posts posted by Lynx7725

  1. It's not really the SB fight that bothers me, it's more the Spectre fight that is a pain. The SB is simple. Hit. Don't get hit. The Spectre.. the first time I played (on normal I think?), I couldn't figured out how to corner her. Ended up getting lucky when she vanguard'ed right next to me, so I buttstroke her to death.

    BTW, in ME3, Cerberus gains a few new troop types. One of them is particularly deadly, one is a bit more than annoying. I won't spoil things for the guys here, just -- watch your backs, and watch for people touching you from afar.

    EDIT: Oh right, and one of the new Cerberus new troop types is going to be the poster boy for the "arrow to the knee" meme.

  2. Roxette?! Haha, that's kind of awesome.

    Yeah. I suspect they won't come by my place any more. So best to catch them while I still can.

    shadow broker on insanity was actually kinda easy. But then, that's always been Bioware's problem. By the end of the game, you're always a (biotic) god.

    Well that's if you do it at the end of the game.. I'm thinking of doing it mid game. The SB advantages can be worth the pain, with "free" weapons upgrade if you are patient enough. I've also made a few mistake in levelling the NPCs, I need meat shield not glass cannons, so the SB ability is useful.

    I'm a little annoyed to learn that the muti-player aspect of the game can have an effect on how the game plays out in the end. I'm not a fan of multi-player games to begin with and was not thrilled to see them add it to this game. Other than that I can't wait til Tuesday.

    I just got out of multiplayer and good grief why didn't I get in earlier? It's co-op and I don't have a mic, but none of the teams I've joined are the trash-talking types. It feels good.. but that would change I guess.

    The two maps currently available are very easy to remember and choke-points galore. As an infiltrator-sniper I love the maps. Good fire lanes, good cover. Not to say they are the best maps but quite nice for players. However, I found a new calling as an infilitrator-medic. Odd sods when you can ghost your way and revive a teammate.. and objective grabs can be simpler when the other folks are busy ignoring you.

    Initial play just jumps you through levels.. I went from 1 to 4 on a failed mission, having killed so many things. If you go past a certain point in a mission the credits start coming in, so buying the random lucky draw isn't too bad. :/ After about 3 hours of play I'm at level 11/ 12, still a long way to go. Each mission is about 20 minutes, so it's a good time filler.

    You do need to watch for a few things:

    • Bad connection, if you don't fail or pass a mission (i.e., you d/c'ed), it no-counts; you wasted those minutes playing. Very annoyed with this.
    • Watch out for bad matchings; the game scales, I don't know how, but the levels of your bunch of jokers are important. If there's one high level guy and lots of newbies, it's bad -- the team is likely malcoordinated and that just stinks. I was lucky, I got into a pair of great teams (including a Krogan/ Salarian pairing!) -- great time. If there's a pair of high-ranking, it's generally a good sign that they know the map and they know what they're doing. I just hung back and guarded their behinds.. good thing I got plenty of sniper practice.
    • Watch out for your teammates. Once you get to know the map, you'll know when someone's being a dumbass. Be careful of those teams, the heroes can die and a floodgate of enemy can open unexpectedly. Everyone has to pull its weight, I'm not too sure if the game scales dynamically, but 3 member teams I had been on did not end well. Revival counts but sometimes you're just too busy. When it goes well it goes well, when it slides it REALLY slides fast.
    • If you are hosting, for goodness sake stick all the way to the end, don't just pull the plug because a team sucks. That's because eventually the team will bite the dust and you'll get rewarded in XP or credits. Pulling the plug wastes everybody's time, including those who tried to act the part.

    I think at the moment at least the multiplayer is good if you're not in the mood to grind missions, and just want to while a bit of time away. Co-op means a less immature crowd, which I like. The pressure the game piles in the mission makes everyone too busy to yell at people, everyone's gotta pull their weight. Balance feels right, but it's really a slippery slope -- a couple of mistakes and the whole team slides.

    EDIT: Hmm I did the Infiltrator-sniper route, the Infiltrator-medic route, maybe it's time to try the Infiltrator-shotgun route.. I think I picked up a Krogan, maybe through him.

  3. I ain't going to make it for my Paragon Insanity run. I just can't get behind the grind at the moment -- thinking about the Shadow Broker run on Insanity is an insanity. But, it's something I'll finish.

    Heck, I won't even be picking up ME3 on release day. Roxette holding a concert in town. Given how many singers/ artists had kicked the bucket recently, best to catch them...

  4. Oh right. One thing -- Dark Horse just released a ME Art book. If you are trying to avoid spoilers, don't get it now.. but do get it, the content are quite nice.

    Some quite spoilerish art inside. As expected, Shepard is going to do a lot of travelling. I don't expect this game to be short, so sure to put aside some time for that. Some old friends with new looks. Some new friends with old looks. I was quite surprised at one, both the new look and the new weapon... The other was really out of the blue.

  5. Third run with a Biotic. Singularity is very powerful on normal -- maxing it out quickly reaps a lot of benefits. That and having a "no ammo" power like warp means you can clear low level crowds very easily. Not so good against armoured targets like the Atlas though.

    In the opening, I managed to kill all the Cannibals sent at you with just Warp and Singularity, until "the Cavalry arrives"... Scripted. (Also scripted is the ammo loss. I went through the front without shooting a single shot and I still ended up with no ammo...) Is it just me, or are Cannibals really low-powered husks? I hated husks in ME2, but the demo Cannibals are really... sub-par.

    Adept run in the second demo mission is also similarly easy. The various choke points that the enemy sets up are easily manipulated away by Singularities (since Liara was along for the ride), and your teammates are noticably much more competent at killing things now. Found a few more armour and weapon components lying around, so exploration is also key to get stuff. It was only when I ended up against the boss Atlas that things got difficult.

    ME2 style cover and blast is notably non-effective. Enemy AI do try to flank you and the likelihood of mission maps giving flanking options is very high. Grenade tossing enemies got very easy ways to get you out of cover as grenades are fairly damaging. Certain enemies such as the Atlas can actually reach over cover to grab you and squeeze you into paste (happened). Relying on cover for short periods is necessary but if you are staying extended times in one place, you are looking to get flanked and burned.

  6. Did a run through with a Soldier. IMO a bit easier, but not too different. Adrenaline Rush a big difference in the initial stage, allowing me to clear the Cannibals quickly and efficiently with an Avenger.

    The later run wasn't much different; had grenades but quite limited IMO -- need to figure out how to use it properly. Concussive shot feels more useful to my style.

    Squadmates feel a lot more competent now. A big improvement.

    Combat fludity means ME2 style sit and squat is a lot less efficient now; getting into and out of cover is a lot more hesitant, so I rather just not. Enemy grenades also have a nasty habit of showing up, so getting locked into a position is more deadly than protective.

    Ran into a few things I didn't see on the first runthrough. Weapons component, for one.. picked up a pistol scope. A few other odds and ends. I was running the demo under standard ME mode, so was a bit busy shooting things. The new story/ action mode may change that.

  7. Just finished the ME3 campaign demo. Impressions:

    1. The opening sequence is very blue.. Alliance uniform is blue, energy discharge and engine exhaust is blue, Ashley is in blue!..., there's a blue overlay on many things, etc. etc.

    2. REALLY dislike the "quick skate" that many Cannibals executed during the opening sequence. I thought it might have been a Cannibal only problem, then I saw it happen for the Cereberus troopers (to a much lesser extent in the tighter confines). Looks likely to be a program "issue".. bots need to be there, so they skate there..

    3. Weapons selection for the demo is rather bad. The initial I can understand, but not giving the Infiltrator a sniper weapon for the second part is just silly.. A sniper using a Matlock or a shottie isn't an sniper. Still, cloaking makes it very possible to make good use of what you have. In ME2 I disliked the Matlock, so I'm at a disadvantage. Also, where did my grenades go?

    4. No heavy weapons for the demo.. and they drop a mech on you. Bah.

    5. Nice to see that Cryo ammo now stops regen. Cryo feels a lot more usable, really. On the flip side, not a big fan of the heavy melee, as the animation time is too long.. leaves you too vulnerable.

    6. Combat moves are now more varied and very fluid now, I like. Takes a bit more getting used to and getting into and out of cover is more troublesome. Especially when you are cloaked.

    7. Demo is easy on Normal mode. There's one part with sentry guns that the story advised to flank. I just went through.. Enemy engineers are much more deadly now with the ability to deploy and support turrets, that could be annoying. Higher levels are likely a lot tougher.

    8. The skill tree that pops up shows that ME3 is going to be a long grind. Sigh. On the plus side, Cloaking is both longer (at lower levels than the ME2 maxed version) and MORE useful overall thanks to better combat fluidity.

    9. Nice to see Ashley all grown up. :) And not in pink! xD

    EDIT: Formatting problems.

  8. This September 9, Hasbro tells modders to stick it with reworked blasters that fire up to 75 feet. Among the blasters are the Rampage (a Raider with a 25-dart drum and a blast shield, minus the stock) and the Retaliator (a Recon with a larger magazine clip, a foregrip and a sturdier stock). N-Strike Elite

    A bit out dated. A reworked Recon is not very useful now, especially with the Alpha Trooper out -- the Alpha, even unmodded, is way too useful that a single-shot Recon can't compete.

    A upgraded Rampage might be interesting, though would have prefer the stock -- blast shields are usually pointless IMO. A stock gives a lot more stability that a long range gun needs.

  9. Hey Hey!

    Voice Cast reveal. Old folks are coming back; Hale, Martin, Tricia, Green -- first time I've seen Liara VA too.

    Jessica Chobot has a part.. unfortuately, said character underwent a certain surgical procedure that both inflated and immoblized (her facial muscles on the later). Sheesh, I can just imagine all the fanboy mods for that particular character already... *snort*

    Of course by now you guys should be aware that the demo is out Feb 14. Yes, I ain't got nuthin' to do that night anyway.

    1 month to release, give or take. Gotta grind that insanity run down.

  10. Actually the broke-back syndrome is more because of tight tolerances and mis-transformation. You can get it non-broke-back, but fiddley -- it's an annoying process as you tweak torso and legs for that "right" look.

  11. Well, basically the die-cast problem on the Toynami boils down to two area -- they have diecast in the chest area, which adds weight for no real reason I can see, and that there's really too much die-cast in the legs. Two areas of heavy stuff connected by pins to hold together in Fighter mode... not a great combination.

    Not to mention the paint chip problem especially on the legs where you have a lot of rubbing when trying to get it to lock together, plus plastic missile cover to pry open etc. Of course, the whole business of why die-cast to begin with, when a totally plastic solution is probably adequate...

  12. I own a Toynami. (One. Is. Enough.). I don't mind it too badly, it's an ok toy, disregarding the price tag.. common problems: problematic fit, usually too tight/ little leeway in tolerance, which ends up being difficult to get things to lock. There's a knack, but you have to pay attention to get it right.

    Crumbling hands. Just holding the rifle in 'Bot mode will cause it to crumble over time. I just need time to find a plastic replacement and I'm good.

    Too heavy. Too much die-cast in the wrong places. Paint chip will occur, of course.

    The good point? Looks decent to good if you get it to transform right. Good proportions, a decent compromise. CM compromises IMO more to achieve a certain look in fighter, Toynami balanced the three modes roughly right. With a better manufacturing and material design choice, it could have been a lot better.

  13. Me, Home PC (Vista) is shutdown every day (as I leave for work). It's ok. Some times startup issues, but usually stable.

    Work PC (Win7) is left on pretty much perpetually (locked but awake), with occasional shutdown/ restart. It's actually fairly stable.

    Work Personal (Mac) is locked but left running, but shutdown over weekends, and personally I feel is the least stable.

  14. Just a quick update. Been running around in Halo CE Anniversary. The graphical upgrade is nice, but the game design is dated, and if I have to walk through yet more reused/ recycled passageways and compartments, or go into that same room to kill sleeping grunts quietly, or see the same bridge stretching out in front of the door... grrr.

    Since I came into the game late, it's a good opportunity for me to get back to where it started, but honestly, for the old Halo fans, it's probably not the best buy.

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