Topic: Gears 2 to have violence filter

[idolminds]

Swear filter, too!

Replace blood with sparks? Come on, does this sound as ridiculous to you as it does to me? You're still a big-neck space marine killing everything in your path. Oh...now they are...us...robots or something. Yeah, evil organic looking robots. See? Sparks. Not blood. So its totally OK for your kid to play this.

Also, no nipples!

[Quemaqua]

Eh.  If it makes parents happy, whatever.  I'm all for providing filters and stuff, but you scared the shit out of me because somehow I thought you meant that's what the base game was going to be like.

Anyway, obviously the differences are sort of dubious at best, but if you can put a spark effect in place of a blood effect and get a lot more people to buy your game, what's the harm?  If it's optional, of course.  You aren't hurting anybody, so no matter how stupid someone thinks your filter is, they never have to use it.

I can understand.  Games used to have this kind of thing pretty regularly.  I originally played Duke 3D at a friend's place without the gore and nudity and stuff, and it was a perfectly fine, enjoyable game that way.  When I got my own copy I immediately turned that off, of course, because anyone is naturally going to go for the juicy stuff if they have the opportunity (i.e. my parents knew nothing about games or computers so couldn't filter anything even if they wanted to), but still, I don't see anything wrong with it.  Sometimes the details are worse than the context, even if that varies entirely by game.

[Cobra951]

I wish GTA IV had a swear filter.  That game can't be demoed to a mixed crowd simply because of the language.  Everything else isn't really a big deal.

[sirean_syan]

What? You don't like people to hear when Roman calls you and ask if you want to see some fine American titties?

[Cobra951]

Haha!  The 4, 10 and 12-letter words are the bigger concern.

[sirean_syan]

Twelve letter words? I'm going to have to do some research because I can't think of a naughty words that gets nearly that large.

[Cobra951]

Really?  Ever heard this punchline to a racist joke?  "The baby just said his first half a word!"

Edit:  Ahahaha!  I saw where you were doing research.

[sirean_syan]

Oh yeah. I guess I just forgot that one on account of just considering the second part alone.

[MysterD]

As long as I can play the game uncut and turn all the uncut content on (if and when it gets a PC port), fine by me.

[gpw11]

Swear filter, too!

Replace blood with sparks? Come on, does this sound as ridiculous to you as it does to me? You're still a big-neck space marine killing everything in your path. Oh...now they are...us...robots or something. Yeah, evil organic looking robots. See? Sparks. Not blood. So its totally OK for your kid to play this.

Also, no nipples!

Don't those damn Krauts do this?

[Xessive]

I remember the Uk and German editions of Turok on the N64 had all the blood in the game in green so it's not too offensive or something. Later it was revealed that there was an unlock code (like a cheat) that allowed you to change the colour to anything else(red, blue, purple, etc.).

I'm not a fan of gratuitous violence/nudity/profanity in general but I think the option in the end should be given to the players/viewers.

I like seeing blood in games as long as it's appropriate, relevant, and modest. I've even taken the effort to manually add blood into some games that lacked it completely i.e. Medal of Honor: Allied Assault; I snagged the code from the oil leak when you shoot barrels and made some blood spatter textures, later I discovered someone had done a much better job with the code so I replaced his textures with mine. Fun stuff!

Another game was Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast. While I understand and agree why this one had no blood at all, I had a bit of fun with the dismemberment feature it did have! I replaced lightsabers with katanas and added blood effects. It was a little extreme but amusing in an old-fashioned Japanese film blood-fountain kinda way.

The two main companies I've noticed take an extra effort to remove blood and excessive violence are EA and Lucasarts. By contrast I think id and Raven took an extra effort to add in extra gore!

[MysterD]

By contrast I think id and Raven took an extra effort to add in extra gore!

Wo0t to that!

[Xessive]

I was playing some Gears of War earlier today and I realized that it has a filter too. It's just an option to switch off "extreme content" like gore and swearing. Not the most sophisticated violence filter but I think it's important to note that it's there.

[MysterD]

On the PC version, Xessive...?

[gpw11]

I really like the way blood was handled in HL2 and other Source engine games.  Nothing ridiculous...just an awesome splatter effect.

[Xessive]

On the PC version, Xessive...?

Yeah. God I keep forgetting that there are subtle differences between the console and PC versions.

[MysterD]

Yeah. God I keep forgetting that there are subtle differences between the console and PC versions.

Sometimes, yes.
Sometimes, no.

[scottws]

That has to be the most informative post I have ever seen.

[MysterD]

You should expect nothing less than the best informative stuff bullshit from MyD.

[MysterD]

Epic, you suck.
Really. Nuff said.
No GoW 2 PC planned period.
I really enjoyed GoW PC, too.


FROM IGN Interview.

IGN: Does this mean you are planning a Windows version of "Gears of War 2"?

Cliffy B: Gears of War is a great franchise first and foremost for Xbox 360, and therefore we're focusing on that platform for Gears of War 2. We've decided we're not going to do a PC version this time around.

[Quemaqua]

What they mean is they're too pathetic to build a PC version of the game that isn't fucking broken, so to try and save face they'll just avoid it.  Losers.

[MysterD]

What they mean is they're too pathetic to build a PC version of the game that isn't fucking broken, so to try and save face they'll just avoid it.  Losers.

Sounds about right.
Thanks a lot, Epic and People Can Fly.

[Xessive]

In the case of GoW2, I don't have a 360 so I guess I won't be enjoying it.

If I could use a keyboard+mouse combo on any console I wouldn't care so much. This is the main reason my brother and I avoid 1st-person shooters or any games that require aiming at all on consoles.

[MysterD]

In the case of GoW2, I don't have a 360 so I guess I won't be enjoying it.

If I could use a keyboard+mouse combo on any console I wouldn't care so much. This is the main reason my brother and I avoid 1st-person shooters or any games that require aiming at all on consoles.

I still don't understand why console systems don't allow for KB/mouse for their FPS and RTS games. Some things are just better normally around a KB/mouse.

And by allowing this KB/mouse on a console, I think it'd make it easier for console gamers to get more RTS's on their system, too.

EDIT:
Back to GoW2, I'm not happy we PC gamers ain't getting it. I mean, despite the stuttering issue, GoW PC was damn good.

I should've saw this coming, after Epic has been bitching about UT3 PC and GoW PC being pirated to the heavens. Oh, and that the PC community wanted UT3's UI fixed and the stuttering issue in GoW PC fixed -- and well, they're still waiting on these fixes, many months later.

Hell, why don't Epic just partner up with Steam for GoW2 PC? I'm sure that'd be a pretty sure way to cut-out "Zero Day" Piracy, which is what most publishers and dev's really need to do, so some people actually go out and BUY a copy of their game upon its release.

[Quemaqua]

Xessive, Gears of War isn't anything like a first-person shooter.  If you had accurate mouse control, the game would utterly suck.

[Xessive]

Xessive, Gears of War isn't anything like a first-person shooter.  If you had accurate mouse control, the game would utterly suck.

I've played GoW on both 360 and PC and I definitely prefer it on PC. I tend to use weapons that require accuracy, like sniper rifles.

I'd agree that I wouldn't need mouse-accuracy if my targets are static, but if I have moving targets I need to aim as quickly as I can. I don't like spending time rotating analogue axis till I line up my target, by which time it would have already moved and/or killed me. I'm not supposed to be operating a tank! (unless of course it's a tank mission, but even then Quake 4 proved it can be done with a mouse).

I'm a firm believer that certain games require certain control schemes and equipment to play optimally (mind you, some games are just poorly designed when it comes to controls). Gamepads are for platformers, driving games, fighting games, adventure games, etc. The mouse is for any game that requires manual aiming or cursor control (FPS, RTS, Click-fest RPGs). I have a gamepad hooked to my PC which I prefer to use with certain games. Prince of Persia is one game I can play perfectly well with a KB+Mouse setup but I prefer to use a gamepad. By contrast, Crysis (which does support gamepads) is a game in which I prefer to use a KB+Mouse.

If shooters work so well with gamepads then is there always some form of auto-aim or aiming assistance?

Bungie proved it with their Halo tests when they were considering making Halo cross-platform: They had 4 players on gamepads and 4 on KB+Mouse, then the players swapped up, in every scenario the players using the KB+Mouse won by a landslide. All this considering Halo was a FPS designed specifically for the console.

I don't understand why FPS's are being force-fed onto consoles.. Equally I don't understand why Devil May Cry 4 is on PC. Then again I can argue that I can attach a gamepad to a PC and play DMC4 exactly as it was intended on the console.. but I can't attach KB+M to a console and play a FPS as it was intended on the PC. Kinda unfair.

Sorry Que, I didn't mean to turn this into another Mouse versus Stick discussion. It's just that controls are a deal-breaker for me. If controls are an obstacle then the game is not fun anymore, but a tedious stress inducer.

Tying this in to GoW2: If it's going to be an exclusive 360, then I'm not interested. I'm just saying if console developers want to win people like my brother and myself over they'll have to at least give us the option of using a KB+M setup on a console. Effectively turning it into a Gamer PC.

[Quemaqua]

It's not a mouse versus stick discussion.  Mouse + keyboard destroys any other form of control out there.  My point is that with precision, Gears of War becomes worthless because it wasn't built for it.  It isn't an FPS or anything even resembling one.

[MysterD]

It's not a mouse versus stick discussion.  Mouse + keyboard destroys any other form of control out there.  My point is that with precision, Gears of War becomes worthless because it wasn't built for it.  It isn't an FPS or anything even resembling one.

In GoW PC with the KB/mouse, you aren't in freelook mode at all times like say a Doom game. GoW PC has the Silent Hill mechanic, GTA: San Andreas mechanic, or RE4 mechanic going on here. You have to actually right-click to be taken into that freelook-aiming mode to get a crosshair on-screen and to get the camera to follow your head movement, too -- which fits the whole game's pop-and-shoot atmosphere. You have to hold the right mouse button to stay in that freelook-aiming mode, too.

Sure, you can shoot without right-clicking, but where the hell are you aiming? Camera's not going to move along w/ your head movement, if you don't do the right-click 9and hold it). Camera could wind up over your head, but you'll be shooting elsewhere if you fire. There's no crosshair or cursor if you're just moving around, which is like trying to do melee in Oblivion in 3rd person viewpoint -- it's just not a good idea b/c it's not meant to be precise.

BTW, GoW PC was NOT easy on Casual. Nor was it really hard, either. It felt just about right on Casual. Plus, GoW PC has a bunch of difficulties on it to pick from, anyways.

[Quemaqua]

My point is that as soon as you enter shoot mode with a mouse you enter headshot mode.  I mean, am I wrong?  Unless you fucking suck at shooters in general or the mechanic operates differently than I'm aware of, the game would be 80 times easier with a mouse than with a pad.

[MysterD]

My point is that as soon as you enter shoot mode with a mouse you enter headshot mode.

Basically, yes -- unless headshots don't do any damage to the enemy.

I mean, am I wrong?  Unless you fucking suck at shooters in general or the mechanic operates differently than I'm aware of, the game would be 80 times easier with a mouse than with a pad.

In general, yes -- mouse is much easier to manipulate for precision shots than say those analog sticks.

I'm definitely no expert with a gamepad for a FPS/TPS games; I usually will always take the KB/mouse combo, unless the KB/mouse controls blow for the game (a la RE4 PC).

We would really have to take a player that is equal in their skill of KB/mouse and gamepad to see what makes the game easier -- play it once with gamepad, then once w/ KB/mouse.


Curiosity factor -- Anyone know they added extra enemies to the PC port of GoW PC?

EDIT:
Whoops. I accidentally left "if" out.
It should read...
Curiosity factor -- Anyone know IF they added extra enemies to the PC port of GoW PC?

[gpw11]

I was unaware of that.  I think I played it with a mouse and found it just fine, but like Que says - the game isn't based on precision aim.

[Quemaqua]

I think he's asking if they did, not stating (but I could be wrong).  I'd be extremely surprised if that was a statement.

[gpw11]

I thought the lack of "if" signified a bizarrely worded statement.  I don't even know why I thought the question mark was there.

[Quemaqua]

Well, he could have been saying that he knew they added extra enemies and wondered if anyone else was aware of the fact.  It would have been worded fairly for that.  But I suspect it was just an omission of the "if", as you said.

[gpw11]

Well, he could have been saying that he knew they added extra enemies and wondered if anyone else was aware of the fact.  It would have been worded fairly for that.  But I suspect it was just an omission of the "if", as you said.

Yeah, I pretty much thought the first one when I replied but on re-examination I became very confused.  Lets stab him.

[Quemaqua]

Well, that is the penalty written in the Book of Judgment.  But to clarify, he has to be stabbed in the face.  Just so we're clear.

[Xessive]

Haha poor D keeps getting himself into these jams

I played GoW like a regular shooter. Any time I took a shot I always went into aim-mode (hold right-click), unless I was being swarmed or something. I felt the game played naturally with a KB+M setup. Much like practically any FPS/TPS. For comparison's sake I played GoW just like I played R6V2, tactical and no willy-nilly firing.

Even though Cliffy B said that RE4 was an inspiration to the development of GoW, I can't relate the two games at all other than the 3rd person perspective. To this day my brother and I cannot play RE4 comfortably, which is why I haven't finished it. Haven't even met Ada yet.

[MysterD]

I think he's asking if they did, not stating (but I could be wrong).  I'd be extremely surprised if that was a statement.

Whoops -- I did leave out the word "if." Accidental omission. That should've been there. Freudian slip.

Even though I do often make wise-ass remarks sometimes in the form of a question (asking a rhetorical and leading question) -- this was not one of those times. I was definitely a question b/c I really do not know the answer to that; so, that's why I asked.

It was something that would make sense to add extra enemies to the game, if they wanted to give the PC version more of a challenge. That or add another extra difficulty to the PC version.

Oh -- did Epic add an extra difficulty to the GoW PC version?
(Yes, that is another question I don't know the answer to.)

Even though Cliffy B said that RE4 was an inspiration to the development of GoW, I can't relate the two games at all other than the 3rd person perspective. To this day my brother and I cannot play RE4 comfortably, which is why I haven't finished it. Haven't even met Ada yet.

Yes, RE4 has to be an inspiration for GoW -- b/c you have to press a button to get into aim-mode.

Plus, in both games, you're basically mowing down a certain type of enemy and fight some bosses here and there. Most of GoW PC, you're mowing down mostly locusts, for the most part -- and you fight some bosses, here and there. In RE4, you're just mowing down mostly Zombies -- and you fight some bosses, here and there. So yeah, very similar, in some regards.

Though, RE4's definitely got more puzzles than GoW PC. GoW PC is just pretty much action-packed from start to finish.

About RE4, I thought it was fine w/ a controller. Only real way to play the game, if you ask me -- since Capcom botched the KB/mouse controls. Unlike GoW PC's KB/mouse controls, RE4's PC KB/mouse controls sucked b/c there's no real mouselook support. At least for the KB/mouse controls on GoW PC, Epic found a way to actually make it work perfectly on the KB/mouse; Capcom didn't even try for RE4 PC -- they basically said their game's meant for a gamepad.

[Quemaqua]

See, that's exactly my point, Xessive.  You weren't even playing Gears of War, you were playing something that wasn't similar to RE4, which Gears was in many respects.  I mean, the games were totally different because Gears is much faster and is a squad-combat game, but ultimately it plays like RE4 with cover and a lot more options for mobility.  KB+mouse fundamentally changes the nature of the game.

[MysterD]

See, that's exactly my point, Xessive.  You weren't even playing Gears of War, you were playing something that wasn't similar to RE4, which Gears was in many respects.  I mean, the games were totally different because Gears is much faster and is a squad-combat game, but ultimately it plays like RE4 with cover and a lot more options for mobility.  KB+mouse fundamentally changes the nature of the game.

For the hell of it, to better understand where you're going with this by actually experiencing it, maybe I'll one day pop back in GoW PC and play it with a X360 gamepad from start to finish.

You know, that might happen, when I get more hard drive space open.
Well, hell - that probably won't ever happen then (with the way I don't finish games and got many still insalled!)
Not unless I get a new PC with lots of HD space open to easily laugh at me blowing 10+ GB on it.