Always hated FPS games, but Bioshock Infinite.....

[dsheinem]

I never ran into this either. Dave, you and I played on PC. Luke played on 360. MAYBE the save system was different? (Seems strange if it was, but...)

I played on PS3. About to play the DLC on the PC, when I find the time.

[dsheinem]

It's not that "archaic," it is a checkpoint system. Lots of games still use them, and I still hold that it is a deliberate design choice to NOT allow the player to save when they want. It may be inconvenient, but given that they had previously used a more "contemporary" save system in the earlier games you have to see this as a choice to up the difficulty of the game.

Have you played this game? I ask because the checkpoints do not save the game, only level exits and extrances do (or so it seems). I played for several hours at one point, hitting multiple checkpoints only to have to redo all that work after shutting off my system to take a break. Why? Ask the devs, because I sure as hell don't know.

Hmm, I don't recall that being my experience to be honest. The game would tell you/prompt you with when it last autosaved before you exited, and if the time was too far back I would keep playing a bit until I saw a new autosave. I played it right at launch…and on PS3….was it different later or on another platform?

[isiolia]

Have you played this game? I ask because the checkpoints do not save the game, only level exits and extrances do (or so it seems). I played for several hours at one point, hitting multiple checkpoints only to have to redo all that work after shutting off my system to take a break. Why? Ask the devs, because I sure as hell don't know.

It's how Halo seems to do things too. I turned off Anniversary figuring that, hey, I hit a checkpoint, I should start back there. Nope. When I went back the next day, it bumped me back by about an hour, to the last chapter marker. It -will- save at the last checkpoint, but only if you use the "save and quit" option.

I found the checkpointing in those games a little spotty in general, but, there's kind of an art to it anyway, and it did get better as the series progressed.

So it might partly be something that tends to fly on consoles, but there's a lower tolerance for on PC.

[Retrogamer0001]

It's not that "archaic," it is a checkpoint system. Lots of games still use them, and I still hold that it is a deliberate design choice to NOT allow the player to save when they want. It may be inconvenient, but given that they had previously used a more "contemporary" save system in the earlier games you have to see this as a choice to up the difficulty of the game.

Have you played this game? I ask because the checkpoints do not save the game, only level exits and extrances do (or so it seems). I played for several hours at one point, hitting multiple checkpoints only to have to redo all that work after shutting off my system to take a break. Why? Ask the devs, because I sure as hell don't know.

Hmm, I don't recall that being my experience to be honest. The game would tell you/prompt you with when it last autosaved before you exited, and if the time was too far back I would keep playing a bit until I saw a new autosave. I played it right at launch…and on PS3….was it different later or on another platform?

I played it on 360 myself, and this exact situation happened to me multiple times. I won't even try to pretend that I understand it, because I don't. You can only go back and trudge through the same levels so many times before you start to lose your patience for bullshit, so the game sits on my shelf, ignored.

[prfsnl_gmr]

Save states DO make the game easier.

I agree. In many cases, however, I think that including save points in some NES games would have made them vastly more enjoyable. (I think a lot more people would have appreciated and enjoyed the staggering variety in Battletoads' level design if the game had included a save or password feature.)

[Luke]

Save stating in a lot of those older NES games is akin to cheating.

I say this because, if you beat the game (lets say, Ninja Gaiden 3) with save states, you are most likely incapable of clearing the game.

You are using save states to adjust the difficulty. The deisgn choice is the same, but in reverse.

Nail on the head.

[dsheinem]

So I just wrapped up the first episode of the DLC (Burial at Sea). Good stuff, though at the end of it I am still a bit unsure exactly what is going on. That said, playing in the places you do is very cool and the atmosphere/design of the world is still second to none in the genre.

I was also surprised how long it took to get to the combat sections, and ultimately I felt like I was doing a lot more scrounging for health and ammo than I remember from the campaign.

Anyway, I know noise and Stark were planning to play this weekend too, so i thought I'd chime in with some thoughts. Have other folks spent much time with the DLC? Is the 2nd Episode about as long as the first?

[MrPopo]

The second does more work explaining what happened in the first. It's about the same length but it's more of a gameplay change; it plays more like Thief than a guns blazing shooter.

[dsheinem]

The second does more work explaining what happened in the first. It's about the same length but it's more of a gameplay change; it plays more like Thief than a guns blazing shooter.

Sweet! Hopefully I'll get to it today.

[marurun]

I suggest giving Borderlands a try. Sure, it's story-light, but it gives you a great deal of open space to explore and lots of side-missions you don't have to take. It isn't atmospheric in a serious sense, but it is something of a playground.

Then again, I did LOVE Deus Ex: Human Revolution because of how many different play styles it supported.