[Zaxx]

Well I wanted to buy Wolf Youngblood but when I got to the Steam page to do just that this is what I saw:

Haha, you almost got me there, Bethesda but no, fuck you.

[Danukem]

But what are they for in game? Could be just cosmetics.

[Zaxx]

Trooper Dan, on 25 July 2019 - 03:21 PM, said:

But what are they for in game? Could be just cosmetics.

Could be but frankly I don't even care, after all the grind I've experienced in MK11 (another paid game with microtransactions and a currency system) I've decided not to buy ANY paid videogame that has ANY form of microtransactions in them. I don't want to deal with it because in my experience publishers release grindy games if they have microtransactions in them and since Youngblood is a coop game with a level-based progression system I'm just afraid of another game full of filler missions. Wanna make money by microtransactions? Then make your game free-to-play or fuck off.

Also: Bethesda has already betrayed consumer trust by saying that the F76 atom shop will only be for cosmetic stuff and then suddenly they added paid items that make the gameplay less tedious.

[Ninety-Six]

Well that's disappointing as hell.

[MusicallyInspired]

Bleh. I wasn't going to get it anyway, though. I'm not even interested in Wolfenstein 2 given the reviews I've read/watched/heard.

[DisgustedGrunt]

Remember when you checked every nook and cranny for gold in Wolfenstein? now you just buy it.

[Lunick]

I've played a few levels/missions with a friend via the buddy pass system and the game feels pretty weird. Not necessarily in a bad way but it will take a bit of getting used to the gunplay and progression system.

[Striker]

MusicallyInspired, on 25 July 2019 - 05:25 PM, said:

Bleh. I wasn't going to get it anyway, though. I'm not even interested in Wolfenstein 2 given the reviews I've read/watched/heard.

It's really not that bad. A lot of the bad reviews were by people who were salty about the ad campaign and had an axe to grind.

[MusicallyInspired]

Wasn't even anything to do with that. Just the gameplay took a downturn from the first one is what I heard.

[Danukem]

Lunick, on 25 July 2019 - 07:33 PM, said:

I've played a few levels/missions with a friend via the buddy pass system and the game feels pretty weird. Not necessarily in a bad way but it will take a bit of getting used to the gunplay and progression system.

I've heard that there aren't many gameplay areas, and you to keep going back to the same areas for different missions and the enemies constantly repopulate. I would have preferred a linear mission structure with no repeats.

[Zaxx]

Trooper Dan, on 25 July 2019 - 08:59 PM, said:

I've heard that there aren't many gameplay areas, and you to keep going back to the same areas for different missions and the enemies constantly repopulate.

See? Presence of microtransactions = grind.

[----]

I heard and read bad things about the "extremely boring progressions system" and the "repetitive grinding". And it seems that you have to level up to kill certain types of enemies.

Makes sense to make gameplay deliberately boring and bad and then offer additional "ingame-gold" to bypass that. SO I bypass that game until it is discounted at least 75%.


After Rage 2 the second turd of the year from Bethesda.

[HulkNukem]

Been playing through the Machinegames Wolf games in anticipation of Youngblood.

Started with Old Blood and it all comes back; boring first level, combat heavy last 7 levels and the meh boss fight. Still a real solid playthrough with a good amount of variety and cut scenes kept to a minimum.

Moved onto New Order and I'm reminded why I loved it in the first place. Big variety in level locations, satisfying weapons, a story that's grounded yet still has a sort of Tarantino vibe to it, and the ability to just go HAM on Nazis mostly uninterrupted.

And then New Colossus. I went in with an open mind even though I disliked it a bit the first time when it came out almost two years ago. And yep, still the same issues. Enemies have a bit more health and weapons are a bit less accurate making combat feel like a slog, cut scenes stopping gameplay far too often, levels are samey, stealth section after stealth section (which I just immediately fail on purpose), you can't do new game plus or reload chapters like the other two so you don't keep your progression, the combat just doesn't feel as good as the first two, and a few more annoyances. There's still a number of things I really like about it, especially some of the small bits of comedy like when the nazi tries to tip toe through that laser trap.

I 100% the first two but I don't think I'll ever get close to that with New Colossus which is a shame. My last save after completing the campaign and a couple of side stuff was at 55% completion and I don't think I want to do that grind.

I've watched a video for Youngblood and although I don't like the RPG elements (similar to what happened to New Dawn) the coop part is what I'm very interested in, plus I've heard the partner AI when solo is actually competent. Also Arkane doing the levels has me intrigued. I do hope Wolfenstein 3 ditches the RPG elements and they were a one time thing for the offshoot.

Will see tomorrow.

[Sledgehammer]

Ninety-Six, on 25 July 2019 - 03:44 PM, said:

Well that's disappointing as hell.

It's like you're surprised or something.

[Ninety-Six]

Sledgehammer, on 26 July 2019 - 01:22 AM, said:

It's like you're surprised or something.

I guess I was just too optimistic.

[NightFright]

It's a shame this is the first Wolfenstein game with swastikas in Germany. Previous titles would have deserved it more.

[Lunick]

Zaxx, on 25 July 2019 - 09:21 PM, said:

See? Presence of microtransactions = grind.

From what I can tell, the micro-transactions can only be used to buy cosmetics. The "consumables" are only able to be bought with the money found from the game that you get quite easily.

The store page says you can use them on a bunch of things but it doesn't seem to be true unless I haven't unlocked them yet...? Also there are no consumables to boost XP.

[MusicallyInspired]

...yet.

[NightFright]

It looks like a test vehicle to me with which they can check how far they can go. Since it's a spinoff, no damage done to the franchise if things go wrong. Or so they may think.

[MusicallyInspired]

That seems likely.

[Kerr Avon]

I was going to buy this on the way home, but I forgot (which does sum up who little I'm looking forward to it, I suppose). I will get it, tomorrow or Monday, but I'm not too hyped up for it, from what I've read. I don't really mind it starring a couple of girls (I'm indifferent to the gender of the protagonist of a game, as long as it fits the game), but I'm worried that the dialogue and in-cut-scene behaviour of them might be too immature and irritating (not because of their gender, because of their age and the games company wanting Wolfenstein: Youngblood to appeal to young people). Worse, I don't like the sound of the (semi-)open-world style of game-play, as to me Wolfenstein means a good, linear, journey.

And from what I've read, there's nothing game-play-wise to differentiate the two protagonists. Why not have one who's more up front and willing to face the enemy, and one who prefers stealth and sniping? So that choosing which person to play actually has some game-play relevance. Apparently, you can't even pause the game, even if you're playing it solo with an A.I. Controlled companion. How utterly stupid is that?

And I REALLY hope that the story in the new game has nothing even remotely as jarring and immersion-breaking as the staggering stupid part in the New Collossus where

Spoiler

B.J. gets decapitated, his head (on live TV) falls for dozens of years gets caught by a drone (which apparently none of the TV camera's viewing the action actually notice), then B.J.'s brain survives long enough for his head to get transplanted to an artifical, super body. Everything else in the Wolfenstein games I could accept in a fictional game, but that was just TOO unrealistic.

My preferences for the Wolfenstein games so far are:

Wolfenstein 2009 (just the most enjoyable, to me) > Old Blood > New Order > New Colossus

I haven't listed the original Wolfenstein 3D, as I never liked it (I played it long after Doom, so perhaps that's why it never clicked with me), or the 2003 game Return to Castle Wolfensten, which I did like, but it's been so long since I played it that I can't decide where it would fit in my list of preferences.

[HulkNukem]

Kerr Avon, on 26 July 2019 - 10:47 AM, said:

I was going to buy this on the way home, but I forgot (which does sum up who little I'm looking forward to it, I suppose). I will get it, tomorrow or Monday, but I'm not too hyped up for it, from what I've read. I don't really mind it starring a couple of girls (I'm indifferent to the gender of the protagonist of a game, as long as it fits the game), but I'm worried that the dialogue and in-cut-scene behaviour of them might be too immature and irritating (not because of their gender, because of their age and the games company wanting Wolfenstein: Youngblood to appeal to young people). Worse, I don't like the sound of the (semi-)open-world style of game-play, as to me Wolfenstein means a good, linear, journey.

And from what I've read, there's nothing game-play-wise to differentiate the two protagonists. Why not have one who's more up front and willing to face the enemy, and one who prefers stealth and sniping? So that choosing which person to play actually has some game-play relevance. Apparently, you can't even pause the game, even if you're playing it solo with an A.I. Controlled companion. How utterly stupid is that?

And I REALLY hope that the story in the new game has nothing even remotely as jarring and immersion-breaking as the staggering stupid part in the New Collossus where

Spoiler

B.J. gets decapitated, his head (on live TV) falls for dozens of years gets caught by a drone (which apparently none of the TV camera's viewing the action actually notice), then B.J.'s brain survives long enough for his head to get transplanted to an artifical, super body. Everything else in the Wolfenstein games I could accept in a fictional game, but that was just TOO unrealistic.

My preferences for the Wolfenstein games so far are:

Wolfenstein 2009 (just the most enjoyable, to me) > Old Blood > New Order > New Colossus

I haven't listed the original Wolfenstein 3D, as I never liked it (I played it long after Doom, so perhaps that's why it never clicked with me), or the 2003 game Return to Castle Wolfensten, which I did like, but it's been so long since I played it that I can't decide where it would fit in my list of preferences.

Spoiler

To be fair in New Order you have to choose who to sacrifice to get their brain implanted into a robot who ends up still remembering you when he becomes a boss fight and Old Blood establishes that there's zombies and monsters. I think you surviving decapitation and being transplanted onto a new fake body is fine.

What I personally find unbelievable is how you go into a coma for 14 years but you retained all your muscle mass.

[Zaxx]

Lunick, on 26 July 2019 - 04:17 AM, said:

From what I can tell, the micro-transactions can only be used to buy cosmetics. The "consumables" are only able to be bought with the money found from the game that you get quite easily.

I get the argument but honestly I think you're not looking deep enough. If a game has premium currency and a store then the publisher's intention will be to keep you in the game so that you'd have to look at your "player choice options" for as long as possible. They make the progression system a bit grindier than usual so that you'd get bored and "hey, maybe if I buy some gold to get this weapon skin I've been looking at I may be less bored". It doesn't matter if it's only for cosmetic stuff, there are still ways to manipulate people.

[Lunick]

Zaxx, on 26 July 2019 - 05:08 PM, said:

I get the argument but honestly I think you're not looking deep enough.

I think you're looking too deep personally, this is pretty tame for Bethesda and there are worse things to get angry about them about. I do believe they shouldn't exist in this game and should be sold as separate DLC packages instead but things like Rage 2 and Fallout 76 are way worse.

[Ninety-Six]

I wonder who's more at fault: Bethesda or Zenimax.

[HulkNukem]

The game does sell boosters, some of which can only be bought with gold bars and they have a time limit, but honestly you earn XP and earn money so quick its pretty much just if you really want to unlock everything immediately.

Coins you find and earn in game are used to buy skins (which isn't a big thing), gestures (which do give a small benefit like +50 health on use), and more importantly upgrade your weapons. From what I can tell you can't even buy weapon upgrades with real world money.

Exploring is real fun and rewarding and I've found I'm fully upgrading weapons super quick so there's really no need any sane person should need a booster. If weaker minded people didn't have the option to buy ingame money for cosmetics in a 2 player coop game they would waste their money on some other frivolous garbage so its not the end of the world for me.
It reminds me a lot of when Portal 2 came out with hats like they did with TF2. They pretty quickly realized trying to sell cosmetics in a 2-player only game is kinda pointless.

Also gotta add I really like the level design and environments so far. Felt the Arkane influence immediately after entering the first open area.
No pause really sucks. Even setting permissions to offline only doesn't let you pause, so when my little dude starts crying I have to just hope there's no Nazis around.

[Lunick]

HulkNukem, on 26 July 2019 - 07:24 PM, said:

The game does sell boosters, some of which can only be bought with gold bars and they have a time limit, but honestly you earn XP and earn money so quick its pretty much just if you really want to unlock everything immediately.

It seems like the gold bar boosters are only on the console versions of the game? I smell a fuck up

[HulkNukem]

Lunick, on 26 July 2019 - 08:21 PM, said:

It seems like the gold bar boosters are only on the console versions of the game? I smell a fuck up

They're available for purchase on Steam, unless you mean the boosters themselves just aren't available on PC.
If so, that is hilarious

[Lunick]

HulkNukem, on 26 July 2019 - 08:54 PM, said:

They're available for purchase on Steam, unless you mean the boosters themselves just aren't available on PC.
If so, that is hilarious

The boosters themselves, compare the screenshot I posted above to this PS4 screenshot:

[Jimmy]

Mictro-transactions and in-game currencies are tumours killing the industry.