SBG writes:
We have a bit of a loot problem.
It’s hard to admit it, I know, but if you think about how often games implement a loot system and how frequently players take to hoarding piles of the stuff, you’ll realize it’s true. I’m definitely one of those people. It is easy for us to become obsessed with collecting things in games, not just loot-driven games, so it’s clear why loot is so prominent in some of the year’s biggest releases. This is not the loot problem I am referring to though. This problem stems from games that give you too much and, as a result, potentially ruin an otherwise-good experience.
Who says a dud game can't have a video game comeback?
Cyberpunk and No Man's Sky have to be up there. We're lucky and cursed, equally, to have games that can be updated now. For folks old enough to remember the Sega/SNES into PS1 and even 2 eras, if a game came out that was half baked (*cough*Angel of Darkness*cough*) that was it, no redemption. At the same time, having the option for updates shouldn't be an excuse for half assing games.
I remember when the Nintendo Seal of Approval meant something.
All those games had to release without bugs.
Diablo III still works on modern PlayStation and Xbox consoles, and remains hugely playable a decade after initial release.
Diablo III: Season 28 brings with it the Altar of Rites, an altar full of unlockable bonuses and potions that will require the gathering of tons of resources. One of things needed is the Staff of Herding, which also unlocks the famous Cow Level known as Whimsyshire. Here's how to craft that staff, for those that either have forgotten, or have never completed it.
Ugh...I have so much to say about this topic.
I love the game for both the game-play, the story and the loot.
I would take Torchlight 2 and Borderlands 2 loot over Diablo 3, because that trash still doesn't accept the fact that it isn't an MMO and it was built around the Auction House, although convenient it shouldn't affect anything whatsoever. I wish gear was as interesting as it is in that game as it is in both TL2 and BL2.
"This problem stems from games that give you too much and, as a result, potentially ruin an otherwise-good experience."
"OHGOD!!TOO MUCH LOOT!!" when is or will it ever be a bad thing? especially since there's so much that has the potential to drop. It's what the game is built around for the most part. It is an FPS+RPG and that's something I enjoy.
"but there are times when I just stop and see how all of this loot is somehow limiting my enjoyment of what I truly love about Borderlands 2: the actual gameplay mechanics."
then just...play the game?...it's not that hard =/ -derp-
"Players want to be continually rewarded; they need a constant reminder that what they are doing is good and that they should continue to do it."
This is such a bad way to put things, You are generalizing people too broadly with that statement. I don't need a constant reminder and being lead like as if it's a carrot-on-a-stick. I do like to get something worthwhile probably from a quest or whatever else, but that's not entirely the reason I enjoy the game. The quest was probably fun and it was the experience and journey that counts. It's a way of progression as well when you are rewarded.
[[And also, yes, because I enjoy the game giving me shinies and not just the guns, the characters, the world and everything else I've stated about the game! (-sarcasm-)]]
"And if loot is our drug of choice, Diablo III’s auction house is our opium den. This allows players to buy and sell rare loot they find on their journey using in-game gold or real money. This is a smart idea on the part of Blizzard; they know their audience and they know that this, as a result, will make them even more money. And for people who love loot, this is another way for them to get more without having to work for it."
^this right here seems to state they enjoy the AH trend of the game and not having to try too hard, not getting gear dropping as it should and not trying too hard and the convenience of gettign the items you want. Please game-god don't let that become mainstream =_= I laugh at people who would and do actually pay real money for anything to do with Diablo 3. But, their money and it's their choice...
I almost feel this was just made as some sort of rant...oh well. to each their own and I really enjoy the game...
ESPECIALLY Torchlight 2! Diablo 3 can be thrown to the fires of hell and not even Diablo himself would play that garbage. :)
I still love loot hunts, though what I will say is that games need to move away from stat-based loot.
I love finding one gun in Borderlands that maybe lights folks on fire and has a nice zoom, and then a completely different gun with a very high rate of fire and great range. It's game changing and very significant when you find good equipment in the world.
Now compare that to most MMO's (and Diablo 3, a game that thinks it's an MMO), which basically treats loot as a means of leveling. The next big drop is nothing more than some stat-boosts and maybe a stray buff here or there that increases dps or survivability. If you get down to brass tacks, it's actually ridiculously shallow.
Basically, I don't necessarily think games need to tone the loot down. I just think they need to make the loot more meaningful....which I guess means I disagree with the article, because I LOVE the loot system in Borderlands.
One of the draws is borderlands 2 incredible amount of loot. It's one of the reasons people loved the first one. And are now loving the 2nd. I mean if u don't like the loot u could always just pass it by. Oh wait, u can't, cause it might just be that one gun, that one u have been waiting for. If u pass it up u might wonder, dang I shouldn't of passed that loot, I wonder what it was. Ya that's why it's so damn addicting.
Its the addictive nature of looting thats BL2's biggest draw for me. Waiting to find that real gem in the next box or dropped by the next kill.
Strangely, I can draw so many parallels from this game and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning which was released early in the year.
I have the hardest time throwing away or selling guns in BL2. Even with the expanded backpack slots or bank slots I still find myself having a hard time deciding.
Sure, I have favorites and follow the weapon color schemes, but still...every once and a while there is that one gun that just feels so rare and amazing, even if it isn't all that powerful....