Hopefully, since we’ve been keyed into some great changes (3v3) and noob-friendly things (modified kits, less button presses to find out things), it should be easy to pick and play, and will hopefully level the field a little. I only played Pandora Tomorrow once, and that was only for about 2 hours. It was recent to the games releasing, and even then, there was some nuances with level playing fields.
Also, to RedTide:
You don’t HAVE to buy games on their release day? NO WAY?! I THOUGHT THEY ALL DISAPPEARED AFTER THAT DAY?!
I think Jake got the gist of what I was saying. IT was poorly executed. Think of the many people that don’t go here (Very few) who won’t know about it? Since, it was never advertised anywhere that I can remember seeing.
Oh well. Games comes out Tuesday. I’ll be on as soon as the Maintenance is over, playing said game.
IMO, the reason Splinter Cell multiplayer is so difficult is because it hinges so much on knowing the maps. If you don’t know every little secret passage and the quickest routes to them (as both spies and guards), you’re just not competitive. It goes way beyond the level of familiarity needed in an FPS or RTS. You just cannot be good at these games until you’ve studied the maps and know them inside and out. I love the concept of the multiplayer and have had fun playing with people who suck as much as I do, but I’ll probably never get good at it.
Though I only played a few matches on Friday, I’m finding this LIGHTYEARS more friendly than the ‘other’ multi modes in past SC games.
The map is tighter and smaller while still giving enough hiding spots and access points for the Spies to ‘do their thing’. I never at all felt lost from the very first time I loaded the game up.
The dumbing down of gadgets and combat is also making the whole thing feel greatly accessible. One gadget is all the spies get(switched anytime from the base), and the cat-and-mouse design is actually pulled off here to greater effect than before.
It’s just a very friendly experience to new players this time.
The strange thing for me is this demo took about 10 minutes to download. That is the fastest I’ve ever gotten a demo off of marketplace. The latest EA demos that have come out have taken 6-8 hours to download for me.
This is stupid. Spent an hour trying to get into a game this evening and only managed it once, just to be booted instantaneously. A cancel button on the joining screen would be nice too, rather than having to quit to dashboard.
Yes or at least a timeout. I was only able to play once, the first time, after that I always get stuck on Joining a game. Well the one game I played was OK. Felt very similar to the previous Splinter Cell online component.
Jazar, you’re one up on me. I’ve spent about 2 hours trying to put together a co-op game with a friend of mine, and we’ve had zero luck so far. What happened to the good old days when demos were supposed to show your game was great, as opposed to your game sucking ass?
The inability to cancel out of the connecting screen is inexcusable.
While rumored, no one has yet to explain how you can actually create a game and invite a friend.
Releasing the game - as as I know - without any announcement of any kind. This is more of a PR professionalism critique, but a professionalism critique nonetheless. I’d expect a straight dump onto marketplace for an unknown IP from an unknown company but for the first next-gen Splinter? And from Ubisoft? It was surprisingly amateurish.
The inexplicably long connecting time (this had better not an indication of what’s to come with the final title).
That said, I’m only talking about the demo here. The game itself is likely a different matter.
Attempted 6 games today. Connected to 1 Co-Op game, which I hosted (Just wait a while at the connecting screen, eventually it’ll dump you into the host seat.
2 games were boots.
Leaving 3 games as never-ending connections. I haven’t even played a Human V Human versus game. How droll. I’m not plopping down 60 bucks if I can’t get online…
And yet, I did like the Co-Op. It was fun enough to start confusing the guards, by having two guys hack two different terminals, watch the comp guards run towards them, start hacking your own after a few minutes, and then having one spy run towards the other one, as the guards ran around trying to find you.
Which they find you QUITE easily. Kinda a bummer.
Anyways… Any luck playing a Versus game, yet?
Edit: Funny Story:
Gave my 5 year old little brother the controller, and let him watch some training videos (I went somewhere, and they love Video Games already (true gamers right there)), and somehow, when I got back, he was playing a Versus Game. Needless to say, I jacked the controller from him just in time to watch the game end…
