Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

BFBC2 is nothing like GRAW and Rainbow (more like Call of Duty)...I love Rainbow/GRAW, and sad to say there is not a lot of options out right now.

Operation Flashpoint Dragon Rising would be close. I actually had a lot of fun with it but there are flaws. If you don't have a weapon with a scope, you are useless...the pace can be slow at times....and you die with one bullet, so you have to take it slow..but I actually enjoyed it a lot..and you should be able to get it under 20 bucks....and Operation Flashpoint Red River comes out soon, and it looks to fix many of the problems with Dragon Rising...

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I rented it yesterday, from Blockbuster. Luckily, they included the online pass, so I redeemed that code. Though I wasn't able to get into an online match at all yesterday due to server issues.

I played the single player campaign for a while on guerilla difficulty. It's pretty challenging at times. As per the quality of the campaign thus far (2.5 levels in,) I'm underwhelmed. I really didn't like it at first, but it's grown on me a little bit. Nothing special whatsoever though. Makes me glad I rented it.

Hopefully the multiplayer will be working today...

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I returned my unopened copy to Kmart today. I'll wait until it's $20 and hope for the best with respect to MP.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I genuinely enjoy Bad Company 2. It requires teamwork far more than CoD or Halo. It rewards you for non-kill contributions (reviving people as a medic, dispensing ammo, repairing vehicles) in a way that makes playing a necessary support class reasonable. I also enjoy the physics a good bit and having the bullets travel versus arrive instantly is a big difference in game style.

My favorite way to play is as a scout. Make a few kills but primarily my job is to spot and mark targets for the more effective killers on my squad to take out.

It is however very different from GRAW or R6.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Well thats sounds far more interesting than any CoD game I've played. God know if we'll ever see anothe RB6. How is that Onslaught co-op mode?

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Amazon has it for $41 + a $15 credit right now.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Really sad reading this thread.

I haven't bought a new retail game in a long time. Any from this year. I don't have high expectations for Crysis 2 either.

At least the Fall/Holiday season looks really packed for me.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Why don't you have high expectations for Crysis?

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I would have pissed me off if I had the game pre-ordered from amazon for 60 bucks...and got the 15 gift card...only to see it drop to 41 bucks and still get the 15 a day after....

Unless it is a game I know I will like...like Uncharted 3 or Gears 3...I think I might be done with pre-orders.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

BF:BC2 is far more methodical and goal oriented than CoD. You won't die 15 times per round -- generally -- if you play smart. Spotting the enemy is a HUGE plus in my book too. The only downside was the lack of gameplay types and maps... oh and maxing our your levels was far easier in BC2 due to getting XP for things like healing, spotting enemies or distributing ammo.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Is this the way of the future? If so, I really don't like it. First time I saw it was Dead Space 2. I buy lots of my games used, and I sell games too, but if it's only one MP use without extra cost, that's gonna suck if it catches on.

I'll pass on this game until a much bigger price drop. $42 already is not a good sign on the quality of the game...

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I believe THQ and EA are the only two currently doing this, though that doesn't mean it won't continue to spread.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

and since this game is the most pre-ordered game in the history of the company...and it has a code to cut down on used sales...who are they going to blame when the game does not do well????

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

They must have known this game wasn't all they were promising since the reviews were embargoed like no other game I've ever seen. As soon as the reviews hit (which wasn't until after all the pre-orders were shipped), people got pissed.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

That's exactly how it works. The first five or so reviews (average 8.8 out of 10) previous to the 15th were overwhelmingly positive, likely allowed to break embargo for THQ's marketing dept to work them into their coverage. Or course, that hasn't seemed to help their stock price.

I'm staring at an embargo for the new Tiger Woods right now, the 29th at 12 p.m. Now, if Nick (the reviewer) decides that dirty manwhore's game is worth a 10 out of 10, I bet that I could probably email EA, forward them the coverage and watch their brains spin at the possibility of bolstering preorders if they allow us to publish early to feed the Metacritic / Gamerankings monster.

That type of BS happens all the time, me thinks. And screws the fanbase that pre-ordered in the process (when the game sucks).

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Being the one who started this thread had real high hopes with a compelling story that sort of made you feel like a "Red Dawn" game is finally here. Either the Testers were asleep, took off early or flat out didn't see what was in front of them but based on what I've read and heard no-way this should've been signed off and gone Gold.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I'd love it if there was a sticky thread where games on embargo were listed. It would force me to think twice about a blind purchase where I typically try to capitalize on the pre-order bonuses.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I would have more respect for IGN and other sites if they had the embargo date listed with the game (and any other restrictions, like only post a 9 or higher review)...of course, the next step would be they tell everyone "you don't get early access to blah blah blah if you list the embargo dates"

They are going to make people gun shy about pre-orders by doing this with games they know will score lower than a 9 and it is going to have a negative domino effect....

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Damn, I had no idea that the video game business was so shady.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

A general rule of thumb is that the embargo date is the day of the release, probably about 75% to 80% of the emails I get with that date. However, if the game is going to be fantastic and the publisher knows it, embargos are much looser.

If a game is being perceived as potentially getting negative reviews, you will see fewer reviews at the date of the release. Less copies distributed or they are sent post-release. It's very similar to movie studios avoiding advanced screenings of their stinkers before the release.

I wouldn't call it shady as much as being built from the ground up to favor PR agencies. My Tiger example doesn't silence those who speak negatively about the game, just front-loads the positive opinions pre-embargo to sell more copies of the game.

I do believe that the wall between advertising and content is much thinner than we would like to believe. Just my opinion though.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Games are a 60 dollar investment that you are stuck with (unless you want to sell used which they don't want) even if you don't like the game. With a movie, if you are not enjoying it you can walk out and get your money back. When that movie finally comes to DVD you already know what you are getting, because you have seen it, or have heard from many people how good it is. With a game, once you buy it you are stuck with it...

The industry shovels out a lot of crappy games every year. Of the many games that come out each year, probably only 20 or so are worth 60 bucks...they know this so they

A: do everything they can to get you to pre-order the game before you hear from your friends or review sites the game sucks..

B: Make sure you hear NOTHING about the quality of the game if it is not perfect...


Then they point to developers that blow their money, make bad choices and finally go out of business as to why the used game market is horrible. They want you to buy their game site unseen, and then NOT sell it when you don't like it or you are done with it. As the big companies continue to squeeze, buy up and put smaller developers out of business it will get to the point where only 3 or 4 developers have all the power. They will then point fingers at pirating and used games as the cause of all the problems, only to drive home that night in 100,000 cars...


I just wish that companies would judge the quality of their own games honestly and release those games at the price the market will accept. Instead of Homefront falling to 41 bucks a day after it comes out because that is the price needed for it to sell, how about you come out at 39.99 right from the start, not piss off those that support you, and sell many more copies. Look at how well Sniper did. A value game that sold 1 million copies...a game that got BAD reviews...with a low budget...and made a killing...

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I rented this from a Redbox tonight. Played for a couple of hours (well, played and watched cutscenes in about a 50/50 ratio). It's the postergirl for a 7.0 game. Nothing overtly terrible (though the lack of a cover system is pretty unforgivable in this day and age), but nothing very great or memorable so far. Coming just from Kilzone 3, this game is so inferior in every way. Glad I can get a pretty good taste in a couple of days at $2 per day. It's kind of fun to play through at this pace, but I'd be pissed if I dropped $60 on it.

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I saw you playing last night, and I was sure you were going to come in here saying the game was amazing, and that you did not know what all the fuss was about...lol

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

Not to go off on too much of a tangent, but how'd you like Killzone 3? (I really enjoyed it, personally).

Re: Homefront...March 2011
 

I'm only about half-way done. I'm going slowly and using the Move and Sharp Shooter. It's a great looking game with a lot of nice set pieces. Love the game physics; people fall and react like they were really shot, which is very different than most FPS. I'm enjoying it, and by playing it with the gun, it really is a totally different sort of experience (not that it's better than playing with a DS3; just very different and entirely functional, if a bit tiring after a while).