gunsmoke on 17/3/2010 at 13:16

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I would try it just out of sheer curiosity. I mean, it is like a revolutionary game, and I would at least want to see what the hell all of the fuss was about. Besides, I hav never really even played more than a couple hours of MMOs (2 hours of WoW-free trial...hated it, and an hour of an older one that became free. Liked it soloing for a minute, but anyone on the server was a douche and teaming up was mandatory).

I am available to game between 7am-2pm Eastern USA time, if that helps you at all.

gunsmoke on 18/3/2010 at 21:09

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Gonna go ahead and get it tomorrow.

EvaUnit02 on 19/3/2010 at 10:36

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I wouldn't accept that abortion of a PC port even if it was free.


GTA4 has received several patches which reportedly provide noticeable improvements in optimisation.

SR2 received like one patch which reportedly made things minutely better, but it still runs like ass. THQ discontinued support for the PC version like less than 6 months after the game was released, IIRC.

NamelessPlayer on 19/3/2010 at 19:51

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I got both so I could find out which one was the shittier PC port of a recent sandbox gangbanger game.

SR2 looks worse technically to my eyes, but there definitely isn't a Real Is Brown filter like GTA IV, either. As for framerate, I don't have exact figures, but SR2 seems to stay in that desired 50-60 FPS range more often, but still drop down to the 30s or below like GTA IV. (Q6600 3.2 GHz 8x400, 8 GB DDR2-800, 8800 GT 512 MB, if anyone doesn't remember my specs. I'm thinking the 8800 GT is what's holding me back here.)

SR2 supports DirectInput for those without X360 gamepads, but XInput doesn't seem to work unless all DirectInput devices are unplugged. Then, switching is seamless, but the button prompts always show keyboard keys. GTA IV only supports XInput, but it supports it better in that I can leave my DirectInput devices plugged in and it'll still recognize my X360 pad, as well as the button prompts having X360 pad-specific icons.

Interface-wise, GTA IV is definitely better optimized for KB+M. You can dial phone numbers with the numpad or number row, and-as surprising as this may sound-YOU CAN NAVIGATE THE MENUS WITH THE MOUSE. No, really-whoever ported SR2 cocked up pretty hard in not letting you select stuff with the mouse if you want to.

Gameplay-wise, I can only give first impressions, but the vehicle handling in SR2 is VERY different from most of the sandbox games I've played. I find it unusually difficult to maintain control of a vehicle with just keyboard keys, and even with the X360 gamepad, acceleration and brake are bound to face buttons by default, NOT triggers like most X360 sandbox games (GTA IV included when not set to "classic" gamepad controls). The triggers still shoot. Since X360 pad face buttons are purely digital unlike the old Xbox pads, this makes it harder for me to control vehicles due to the weird handling.

Cheat-wise, though, this beats the pants off of any GTA I've played (which includes GTA2, the GTA III "trilogy", and of course, GTA IV and its lacking cheat selection). No, I don't use them when seriously playing the game, completing missions and all, but sometimes you want to just dick around in the sandbox-and, let's be frank, isn't that what people buy these games for? Turn on that evil cars cheat and let's see how long you last in what is suddenly an inverted Carmageddon!

And, for the hell of it, I'll throw in a comparison to another Volition-developed recent sandbox title with a PC port, this being Space Asshole-ahem, Red Faction: Guerrilla. (A game which I got for US$5, which actually ended up free because of some almost-forgotten D2D store credit from their holiday sales.)

That game may slow way the hell down once I level a big building, but I definitely feel it's at least better optimized than both SR2 and GTA IV. That, and blowing shit up never gets old.

Control-wise, KB+M works great even for the vehicles since the handling is more typical and controllable, and it also supports DirectInput. However, like SR2, you can't use XInput/X360 pads 'til you unplug all DirectInput devices. Unlike SR2 and like GTA IV, you'll get X360 button icons. And unlike both, if you want to switch between KB+M and X360 pad (presumably former while on foot, latter while in vehicles), it would be feasible if not for a glaring oversight where looking around only works on either the mouse or the right twiddlystick. You can bind it to both, but it'll only work on one at any given time.

Multiplayer-wise, I want to slap whoever decided that GfW Live multiplayer in RF:G should be limited to matchmaking or parties with friends + matchmaking filling in the empty slots. Seriously, fuck matchmaking. GTA IV proves that you can just start a server-esque room and have people join in on GfW Live, and SR2 doesn't even use GfW Live at all. (At least LAN still uses the traditional approach.)

Still mostly first impressions as I haven't made that much progress in SR2 or GTA IV (RF:G feels like I'm about one-third of the way through), so I'll probably have even more to say later on.

doctorfrog on 19/3/2010 at 21:55

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I'm not an adventure gamer, but TLJ and Sanitarium range from being very well liked to adored amongst those who enjoy such things.