Portal vs. the uncertified

JetSonic · Post by **JetSonic** » 13 Jan 2008, 14:30

uh...Portal isn't a game, it's a puzzle. Puzzles and games are two different things

WTF is Portal doing on your list?

Post by **Paradigm Shifter** » 13 Jan 2008, 14:40

Puzzle game. That term is quite common, and Portal is an excellent (if short) example of a puzzle game. ;)

Amraam · Post by **Amraam** » 24 Jan 2008, 14:19

I voted STALKER. it has its downsides, and it isn't the newest graphics engine, but I love the non linearity of the game, the RPG side of it (surprising, as I dont usually like RPGs).

Add a few mods, and the guns become a lot more effective (one of the major bugs).

STALKER, portal, Crysis, and CoD4 are all among my favourites, but I think STALKER just came on top.

Post by **Tamlin** » 03 Feb 2008, 07:31

I'd vote for ET-Quake wars, but its not there :(

Frag Maniac · Post by **Frag Maniac** » 05 Feb 2008, 13:48

All these low frequency rumbles, foot steps or strange clanging sounds... I know nothing is there but I literally jump out my seat!

Actually much of that sound is caused by several Poltergiests tossing things around. There are at least 5 of them in X18. Shooting at the hovering balls that look like electro anomalies will kill them and reveal their true form. When the Poltergiests and Psuedo Giant are killed the place becomes as quiet as a church.

For an interesting experience try taking the Kill the Mercs quest offered by one of the guys in Bar (inside the bar). If you time it so you go there just when it's getting dark it is very atmospheric. There is lightning illuminating the dark sky and a lurking Poltergiest that likes to throw explosvie barrels when he gets near them.

The first time I did that quest I had just started using some good mods. I went in all confident I would be able to snipe the Mercs with my silenced rifle then this Poltergiest decides to make it hard for me to accomplish that. I recommend doing this with a good realism mod that includes Darker Nights.

Osuperman · Post by **Osuperman** » 05 Feb 2008, 22:21

Actually much of that sound is caused by several Poltergiests tossing things around. There are at least 5 of them in X18. Shooting at the hovering balls that look like electro anomalies will kill them and reveal their true form. When the Poltergiests and Psuedo Giant are killed the place becomes as quiet as a church.

For an interesting experience try taking the Kill the Mercs quest offered by one of the guys in Bar (inside the bar). If you time it so you go there just when it's getting dark it is very atmospheric. There is lightning illuminating the dark sky and a lurking Poltergiest that likes to throw explosvie barrels when he gets near them.

The first time I did that quest I had just started using some good mods. I went in all confident I would be able to snipe the Mercs with my silenced rifle then this Poltergiest decides to make it hard for me to accomplish that. I recommend doing this with a good realism mod that includes Darker Nights.

Hey Frag Manaiac :) LOL you know, I wondered what those things were!! I pretty much ran through that entire area... as the first time I played it and met that monster at the tunnel (the one with the jeans that makes your screen go all crazy) really freaked me out. I've since completed S.T.A.L.K.E.R. (for the first time) and, well, it wasn't a happy ending, so I presume I've done something wrong. I'm currently re-playing it through with the weather overhaul mod 2.0 (which I highly recommend):

http://board.oblivion-lost.de/showthread.php?t=12303

And wow, it's really beautiful... in an ugly, post-apocalyptic, sort of way... I'll take your advice and go for the darker nights option. Though even the brighter option is pretty freaky... I'll definitely be trying out some of the other quests! Cheers for the heads up, I could live in this world forever :)

Frag Maniac · Post by **Frag Maniac** » 06 Feb 2008, 08:11

Actually I'm pretty sure Weather Overhaul includes Darker Nights, though I'd forgotten about that one. It also makes the sky look more colorful and realistic. Weather Overhaul is included in many of the better realism mods.

The creature you described that makes the screen go crazy is a Contoller, though in X16 not X18. They have a sort of mind zap ability once in visual contact with you whereby they extend a hand toward you and your vision zooms toward them rapidly followed by huge health loss.

Even without their visual mind zap attack they can be lethal just by being near them. You start hearing that creepy sound and your vision goes extremely blurred. If you start seeing a little brain icon on screen that goes from green to red, by then you're almost dead and need to get away from him or find and kill him. There's an interesting and easy way to kill them which has to do with range, I'll let you figure it out.

There's one in Bloodsucker Village when you take on the Kill the Bloodsuckers quest for Freedom. Be aware that this task is buggy though and often times broken and won't complete.

Another interesting thing you can do is take the Package for Duty quest where you find the stash near the downed chopper in Red Forest. There are half-ghost Psuedo Dogs that attack you. They look real like regular Psuedo Dogs and can bite you but they disappear into a yellow vapor when you shoot them. For a creepier experience I recommend going there about midnight with Weather Overhaul or a mod that contains it.

Flatfingers · Post by **Flatfingers** » 13 Feb 2008, 00:24

Portal for me.

It's the most remarkable balancing of action, problem-solving and storytelling I've seen in many years of computer gaming. Lose any one of those, and it's just another game like games we've seen before; integrate them all as elegantly as Portal did and you wind up with a uniquely memorable gaming experience.

It should also be noted that, since the gameplay of Portal is about solving 3D puzzles, having widescreen capability definitely helps. A wider FOV doesn't just make the gameworld prettier; it contributes materially to the game by exposing more of the potential solutions at any moment in time.

Is Portal a perfect game? Of course not. It's just really, really well done, and a breath of fresh air in a field of me-too game designs.

--Flatfingers

JohnnyWakko · Post by **JohnnyWakko** » 16 Feb 2008, 02:40

I can't vote. But for me it would have to be STALKER. Graphics were a bit too resource intensive, but it is for sure the most fun since DuesEx for me. The immersion was and still is fantastic. I am still yet to finish it too.

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