Army of Two: 40th day - shoot the cutscene in the back!

Man, a boss you can't figure out (we've turned him around and emptied all bullets available to a small nation into his back) right after an unskipable cut scene? It's like one of those cut scenes which is actually cool and bad ass and...that leeches right out.

That's quite a way in - otherwise it's ludicrous two player anarchy fun prior. Those mad strategies you formalise on the go between the two players.

Apparently you shoot him in the back, I read and watch a video where - the AI team mate shoots him in the back for ages, then the player pops out and shotguns something off his back. I dunno - I'd have thought all those bullets we shot would have done that by chance, atleast!

Dishonoured dis culled?

I watched an developer interview recently that said in the game Dishonoured you can get through the whole game without killing anyone.

It's curious these games that have options like these - yet what is the advertising? Shiv to the neck! Shiv to the neck! Shiv to the neck!

I'd assumed (call me assuming) that it was another murder porn game that secondarily has some strategy element. Now I'm not sure what design philosophy the developers have.

Unholy Consult Excerpt

There's a teaser chapter up for the latest in the Prince of Nothing series, for the new book 'The Unholy Consult'. Over at the second apocalypse forum. Gives some insights into trapping souls...and dreadful places!

http://secondapocalypse.forumer.com/excerpt-the-unholy-consult-chapter-one-t1246331.html

You lose = Monster escape?

Let's face it, you're gunna reload. You don't die in the game. There's all these causal paths where something blew you up - but...not really, that got pruned at the press of a quick load key.

So what if the losing condition was that the monsters manage to escape? You can't die - get your health knocked down to a certain level and the monsters freak out and leave through various unfollowable escape hatches.

"But that's frustrating - I hate letting any monsters get away!"

Exactly. That's why this isn't going to sell on you, but to have some kind of literary merit in a game, it has to screw with what you prefer to some degree.

Hidden Growing Difficulty - Undercuts satisfaction?

I recently got a PS3 and Batman: Arkham City (BTW: Mark Hamil...think about it...).

And I really can't tell if the thugs on the street are getting tougher, or I'm getting crapper somehow.

I'm guessing they are getting tougher. In Arkham Asylum you had a semi linear tunnel, so you could tell that the further you go, the tougher it gets. Here - it feels like - I dunno, did that guy club me in the back of the head because I screwed up, or actually he's been set to a higher difficulty.

It's an odd flaw - ambiguity of difficulty. It'd be better to show the difficulty of the goons somehow.