July 2: wallet threat level premature

Title July 2: wallet threat level premature
Author Tom Chick
Posted in Games
When July 2, 2012

This week sees the release of two games arguably not ready for release. Funcom's X-Files meets Lovecraft meets Stephen King MMO Secret World is suffering the usual teething pains you'd unfortunately expect from an MMO launch..

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How is Endless Space "superdumb"? (I agree with the other descriptors.)

In America that's a term of praise.

Also they're releasing the pre-order DLC stuff like the graveyard map for Max Payne 3.

"Spanish car-maker Ferrari"

I see what you did there.

Spelunky really is that good. I felt proud of myself when I beat it 20 times before I reached the 2000 death limit I set for myself.

yeah, that's right, I forget: america is dumb.

Spelunky! HD and the long-awaited 3DS-music-game-with-awful-title Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy for me this
week, because I want to play a game with bombs and a game with Bombs.

Tom may be interested to know that this week's update for PlayStation
Plus (AKA "that service no one spends money on") adds game-he-loved Renegade Ops as a free full title. This means that as long as they log in to PSN and add it to their account during July, PS+ users can download and play it for free as much as they want until their subscription expires. I missed it back when it was released, so I'll definitely grab it now. (The update also adds Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, which is excellent, and Gotham City Impostors, which I've mostly ignored.)

I assume you'll be telling us why you don't think Secret World is ready for release yet once the review embargo is up. It's not obvious to me - I've experienced a bugged quest or two, which is alas par for the course in MMOs, but not to any significant degree, and I've had none of the other technical issues I can recall from many another MMO at launch.

Really? America-bashing?

Aw, Renegade Ops is too good to give away for free!

The AI is one of the things the developer intends to finish after the game has been released. Hence, superdumb. My experience so far is that the AI is pretty passive. Do you disagree, jdhas? I would love to be wrong about this.

On Her birthday, no less!

The bugged quests, poorly scripted quests, screwed up interface issues, bad chat system, and amateurish PvP come to mind. As much as I like Secret World, it's got issues that shouldn't be glossed over just because other MMOs have those issues.

I think I could achieve 2000 deaths in an extended evening of play. Spelunky is about that punishing.

Oh, no, of course not. I'm just not seeing much in the way of the above. I mean, I haven't tried the PvP, but it's really not something that ever appeals to me, so I can't say as I particularly care if they screw that up.

How can I get a copy of the game you're playing?

Ah, fair enough. The AI does need work, I admit; though "super" dumb may be just a weeeee bit hyperbolic, no?

I happen to think most AIs are ultimately dumb. It takes a superdumb AI to not even be able to play its own game. See also, Civilization V.

Ha! I happen to think most HIs (Human Intelligences) are intimately dumb, which is why I tend to avoid multiplayer-heavy/-only games. Sadly, this makes the superdumbness of most AIs that much more frustrating.