Mike Epstein's discussions

I apologize once again for deviating from our prescribed chapters, but I had another overarching Zelda issue I wanted to discuss. Read more

So one thing that I think has been great in Skyward Sword is the clear push to make sure you're using many if not all of your tools in every dungeon. It used to be in Zelda game that the first half of each dungeon was pretty straight forward until you grabbed some new equipment, after which all of the puzzles would… Read more

I think that a lot of it has to do with adjusting to all of the different contexts. While the beauty of motion controls is the ability to make many actions feel different and immersive, it's not as easy to build the reflexes require to play the game well. Read more

Well that is natural a barrier for entry with any Wii game. It doesn't matter how well it's designed if you can't get behind what you're physically doing. What did you not like? I personally do like the controls (some times), but Ive been wondering whether the controls are simply to complicated a motion-based game.… Read more

Would you care to elaborate a little bit? Read more

I had problems with a couple of puzzles where I figured out what to do, but it didn't work because of control issues, so I kept trying other things. I think from a design perspective the puzzles are great: They're intuitive, but you need have an open mind to catch on. Read more

After only a few hours, Skyward Sword already feels more like an RPG than it ever has before. It could just be that many of the game's new additions; crafting, durability and stamina, are all staples in other RPGs, but it could also be because RPGs are starting to look more and more like Zelda. Read more

My understanding is that if you burn through it you can finish the game in around 45-50 hours. Read more

Do you think that maybe the leveling from the subway promo shouldn't have transferred over to the retail release? Players would still have more experience, but the unlocks would be more even for a little while... Read more

How is it more like CoD? The shooting? Weapons? Not enough original game types? Read more

I agree with you that split-screen is an under-appreciated feature. Even though it doesn't happen as often, being able to talk to someone else in the same room beats a headset every time. That might seem obvious to some, but I'm often surprised by how much better I do with the same person when they're in the room… Read more

...I actually prefer Pecan. Read more

Hey guys, let's use this thread to discuss what game we should play month. Read more

So a lot of player got early access to Uncharted 3 multiplayer through that Subway promotion. I didn't actually start playing until after the game hit shelves (I played the beta, but that was months ago) and the first thing I noticed about playing online was that everyone seemed really good. Read more

I totally did. They were setting that up the whole time with the supporting cast telling Drake not to push Sully too far. Read more

You wanted it to be the end of the series? I think one of the best parts of Uncharted is that it can just keep building story after story: Like Bond or Indiana Jones each tale is one of many, not part of a larger epic. Which is actually my biggest problem with this game's story. It attempted to make this tale more… Read more

The quicksand scene could've been great if we cared more about Marlowe, but as it was there wasn't much of a connection. Read more

The storyline taking a backseat to shooting was definitely a problem in the game. It felt like there was a missing third act in there, where we would've learned more about Marlowe, Talbot and Drake's connection to their story. Read more

I think the big thing that holds back the climbing is the fact that you always have to take the same path. Because of the game's cinematic style, it's imperative that every player accomplishes each goal the same way. It's fun, but branching paths every so often would create (at the very least) the illusion of… Read more

It's funny that you mention QTEs. There were a lot of parts (especially when the ship was flooding) where the game took over for an in-game cutscene and I kept expecting there to be prompts... but they never came. It was almost surreal. Read more