Thoughts on the PC version

Started by Tsa'räni, April 27, 2010, 07:32:52 AM

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Tsa'räni

Ok, so Impulse recently had the game for 50% off, which meant I snagged the Special Edition (or whatever it's called) for $17.50.  Yay!  Ubisoft also has a free pack of stuff you can download if you register at their site.  Not a huge deal, but free stuff is always good.

I'm just going to list some of my thoughts on the game - mainly targeted at those who haven't bought it.  I think the bad reviews scared a fair number of people away.

The game really isn't as bad as so many make it out to be as long as you keep one thing in mind.  Much of what is presented in the game doesn't really fit with the Avatar we know from the movie and the ASG.  If you can look past that, then you'll probably be ok.  If not, then don't waste your money, because it will drive you insane.

For this first post, I've only played through most of the RDA story.  So this is really just initial thoughts.

I haven't played it in 3D, but even in 2D the game looks very good.  Certainly not top of the line, but still impressive enough to be immersive.  And considering the folder is only 3.5 gigs, it's even more impressive.  In the end, they do well with they've got, and the landscape visuals are nice enough that just running around and looking at stuff is worthwhile.

Character models are a little more problematic, especially the Na'vi and some of the Pandoran wildlife.  While they're not bad, the landscapes definitely outshine them.

Gameplay on foot as an RDA soldier is quite entertaining.  The game helps you target, which is extremely helpful, as the viperwolves and Na'vi (by far your two most common opponents) are incredibly fast.  You'll gain access to upgraded skills, armor, and weapons as you gain experience, which is done by completing quests and killing the flora and fauna of Pandora.

The various weapons and skills actually give you some choices in how to approach combat.  There's enough variety that you can change it up when you feel like it (or need to, as there are certain areas and encounters that are much easier with certain types of setups).  And you can change this stuff on the fly, too, so that's convenient.

There are definitely some parts in the RDA story where combat can be fairly frantic, which is a good thing.  There are a number of instances where you'll be fighting waves of Na'vi and viperwolves with other RDA fodder.  Good times.  Many don't seem to care for the controls, but on foot I think they're pretty simple and effective.

Vehicles are another matter and here the game stumbles.  They're not horrible (as in the worst I've seen), but they're far from the best.  The land based vehicles have a better control scheme than the flying ones.  I've only flown in one area, but it was enough to show me the controls are by far the weakest.  Still, I didn't have any problems accomplishing what I needed to do, so it can't be called broken.

Regardless, imo being on foot is the most fun, so I spend my time running around.

The story on the RDA side is pretty weak, but it's not an RPG, it's an action game, so I don't really mind too much.  And of course it makes no sense in the context of the movie or the ASG, but again, I can look past that.

I haven't played multiplayer so I can't comment on that.

I'm looking forward to playing with Na'vi weapons, as there is no melee for the RDA soldiers.  I have a feeling that will be even more fun than the RDA side, but we'll see.

Overall, I've been pleasantly surprised so far.  I normally agree with the online reviewers about what is and isn't a good game, but so far I think most have been a little too hard on it.  From what I've seen, the game is definitely worth the $17.50 I paid, and I'd probably even consider it at the normal price of $30ish right now.  Still, I wouldn't be surprised to see Steam put it on sale at some point.  Who knows, Impulse might again, too.

Hope this helps anyone that's been considering buying it for the PC!  I'll post more thoughts after I've been through more of the game.

Tsa'räni

#1
Ok, so I've finished up both the human and Na'vi campaigns.

Playing as a Na'vi is certainly a different experience than playing as a human, so the game succeeds there.  I had to change up my play style for the Na'vi.  Overall I found the experience a lot of fun and more challenging than the human side of things.

Where the humans are all ranged weapons (guns) and no melee at all, the Na'vi have a few ranged weapons and a few melee weapons.  They really excel at melee, though, so that's where I spent most of my time.  But this also adds to the challenge, because very often you'll be fighting 3, 4, or more RDA troops blasting away at you from various directions.  The damage can add up quickly, especially when you haven't gotten the better armors yet.

So while playing as a human, I found the skills a useful way to mix things up, but rarely necessary.  But as a Na'vi, using my skills became very important.  And the Na'vi also have a nice selection of skills that lets you vary your strategies to some extent.  For me, using the ultra high damage dual blades (fast attack, one hit kills on a single target) was the most fun.

The Na'vi have a sprint skill that lets you dash about for a short period of time, so very often I'd run in with the dual blades, quickly moving from soldier to soldier for the kills. That was a lot of fun for me and never really got boring.  So was shooting RDA soldiers with my bow and watching them get thrown backwards when hit, especially if it was off a cliff.   ;D

Flying with an ikran takes some getting used to, as the control scheme is really just as weak as all the other flying schemes.  And the ceilings are rather low, which detracts from the experience as well.  It's unfortunate, because I think this really should have been one of the highlights of the game.  Still, you don't have to use an ikran most of the time, and I still enjoyed running around the maps more.  Staying on foot also lets you accomplish the side missions with relative ease as you progress through the areas.

There is definitely a good amount of repetition in the game, but I never found it excessive or boring.  Combat was always fun and the various weapons and skills added enough variety to each side to keep it interesting.  And of course, combat as a Na'vi is totally different than as a human, so that also helps.

The Na'vi story isn't all that great, and like many other things, makes no sense when compared with the movie and ASG.  But it held my interest enough for me to want to see the end, so it's not all bad.  I've played plenty of games where the story was so bad I really didn't care what happened at the end, and that wasn't the case for me with either campaign in this game.

I didn't bother much with the Conquest minigame, so I won't comment on that.  You certainly don't need to play it to finish single player.  And I still haven't tried multiplayer.

Overall, it's not a bad game if you don't get hung up on what it does poorly.  And it does some things very poorly, but it also does some things pretty well.  If you can find it on sale, that's definitely the way to go.

Sopyu

ive played and beaten it for both navi and rda. i find that the rda gets a lot of good vehicles along with that gernade launcher but beyond that hes got a much harder campaign. i played through as the navi and found it rare if my life fell below 50%. the bow is amazing and allows u to get kill from such a distance that the enemy is gone before they even realize that u already killed both of his partners. the ikran flight controls are anoyying u have to be moving forward or backward to go up or down and u cant attack from its back. much potential here gone to waste. the dire horse was ok along with most land vehicles but once again u cant attack from its back. (ok i stated most of the bad... ready for the good?) the scenery.... wonderfull, full of life, u can tell they worked hard on it. from scorpion thistles to the lighting up of the plants at night. its amazing. the rda soldier gear looks good but the avatars could have used a little better body work. ether way i give this game a two thumbs up. its down right fun to play. if u dont like one side u will probably like the other.
wake up with a smile not a grunt. start with a smile and dont let anyone take it from you. its your smile. others have thier own they just have yet to find it yet.
never tell someone off. but try to make them see why you are not pleased
look at things from not both sides but from all the sides.
love life because someday the energy that is you. the energy that you have borrowed will be returned.
do not greave for those who have left us. you will see them again and share your laughs once more.

Tsteu Tsmukan

I felt that there just wasn't much interactivity in the game, there could have been way more potential for the player to experience being a Na'vi inside a game.

Just like I said in one of my topics, Ubisoft really have poor gameplay quality in their games but the visuals in Avatar : The Game was very very good. Too bad we could'nt see the night version of Pandora that much. There was one part of a map that was like it but it was kinda cheap since it was supposed to be day time and only that segment of the map looked like it was night but as you get out of it again....still bright and early.


Txep swirä

i bought the game a few days ago and i am now playing as a Na'vi.

i must say that the game is very good, i like the story, the units and the locations.
weapons and vehicles are just awesome, the Na'vi bow is very powerfull.

but the graphics are from...what? 2000? (looks like is does) comone why that? i mean its a game from 2010! (or 2009?, idk), look what you have : Bioshock 2, Fallout 3, Left for dead 2 and many others have alsmost perfect graphics.
look at those games, the are perfect examples to make this game.
yes i know that this game is made in hurry but thats is not a excuse.

solution? patch, patch  ;) you can change that, its not to late
"You not be here. Go back!"
Neytiri

I survived Black Mesa, I went trough City 17, I fought trough Rapture and escaped....
So what can possible go wrong on Pandora?

Stories:
The untold stories of the war on Pandora (written in Dutch)written in English

Tsa'räni

Avatar runs on the Dunia engine and it does well with what it has to work with.  I find it funny you bring up L4D2's graphics when there are plenty of places that Avatar blows it out of the water.  Bottom line is, despite some shortcomings here and there, the graphics are actually quite good, all things considered.  However, it doesn't use ultra high resolution textures, which may be what you're commenting on.

If you honestly think the graphics look like they're from 2000, though, then I'm not sure what else to say...

Txep swirä

yes, but i failed... :-[
i didn't checked what resolution was and everyting was standard on low, i mean the graphics where on low so i put them on High.
and now its just incredible, and very bautifull.

so i take my words back, its a game what can put in the line of the games what i said in my last post. ;)
"You not be here. Go back!"
Neytiri

I survived Black Mesa, I went trough City 17, I fought trough Rapture and escaped....
So what can possible go wrong on Pandora?

Stories:
The untold stories of the war on Pandora (written in Dutch)written in English

Tsamsiyu92

Quote from: Tsa'räni on May 13, 2010, 07:10:00 PM
Avatar runs on the Dunia engine and it does well with what it has to work with.  I find it funny you bring up L4D2's graphics when there are plenty of places that Avatar blows it out of the water.  Bottom line is, despite some shortcomings here and there, the graphics are actually quite good, all things considered.  However, it doesn't use ultra high resolution textures, which may be what you're commenting on.

If you honestly think the graphics look like they're from 2000, though, then I'm not sure what else to say...

Check out quake 1, CS 1.6 and Half-Life 1. That's around 2000-gfx.