The "What should I know before I play this game for the first time?" Q&A!

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Video Games > The "What should I know before I play this game for the first time?" Q&A!

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Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Dominic White posted:

Breakdown (Xbox)
Play on Easy. Normal mode is roughly comparable with Halo on Legendary. Hard mode is for masochists. Easy is roughly comparable to what Normal should be.

No, Easy mode is what Hard should be. I still can't beat the drat game.

Painkiller

- Make sure to take the time to collect as many Tarot Cards as possible, they are extremely useful.

- Bunnyhop EVERYWHERE

# ¿ Sep 28, 2008 19:53

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 12:46

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

AcridWhistle posted:

How far did you get? The very last section is pure bullshit Lets throw tons of enemies at you in waves, two heavies, two regular guys, and two laser arms . Pure bullshit.

It was hard but that section put it in a whole new difficulty.

And I can't beat the stupid section. I really want to beat the game.

# ¿ Oct 2, 2008 23:14

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

What should I know before going to the first dungeon in Onett in Earthbound?

# ¿ Oct 7, 2008 23:58

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

I've recently found the Myst series on Gametap, what should I know?

# ¿ Nov 7, 2008 01:53

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

mexpak posted:

Take notes as you play, you'll need them

On pretty much everything, right?

# ¿ Nov 7, 2008 03:11

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

FordCQC posted:

I beat it.

How? I can't beat it on easy even after trying for two months! :smith:

# ¿ Dec 18, 2008 23:11

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

FordCQC posted:

Um...I dunno, I just did. I recall the hardest parts being the hallway on fire where you have to melee fight the aliens the first time and some room towards the end with several guys to fight. I think the latter I solved by slowing down time and abusing the neck snap move. The last boss took a few tries but I don't recall thinking he was impossible.

It's the enemies at the end that are impossible for me, but I think I'll try again today.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2008 20:02

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Anyone have any tips for Final Fantasy XII ? Should I worry about the ultimate weapon that goes away if you open certain chests?

# ¿ Dec 27, 2008 17:27

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Does anyone have any tips or mods that I should get for the first time through Rome- Total War with both expansions? I've played Civ IV before, if that would help me on the world map any.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2009 02:12

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Wins7ow posted:

Majora's Mask:

Aside from the Song of time backwards thing someone mentioned earlier, the main storyline and a great bulk of the extras can be accomplished without help. Put your rupees in the bank in the western block of the town before playing the song of time, and don't be afraid to rebuy arrows and bombs when you come back, though you shouldn't really need to.

Don't look at a single guide until you've beaten the last dungeon. You can earn nearly every mask without needing to look it up, but some are tucked away in places you wouldn't think to revisit.

Enjoy the ride, It's still the top 3D Zelda. Don't spoil it.

I just beat this game 100% without a guide, so you should be fine, and I'd try to beat it without a guide. You can also kill the first boss in about three seconds with lots of jump attacks, he can't even move.

# ¿ Mar 22, 2009 03:15

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

iHorse posted:

Deus Ex

- The silenced pistol is your best friend. Laser sight and accuracy mods pays off well and is perfect for a stealthy approach.
- Every playthrough is a new one.
- Deus Ex is a massive game, speaking of content. As said before, i urge you to explore. Though most of exploring requires either explosives to blow open doors or lockpicks/computing for opening, the best exploration goes for dialogue. The dialogue open for side quests which is very rewarding and actually fun.
- You will reinstall it many times.

-If you don't blow apart every door you can with the Dragon Tooth Sword when you get it, you're playing the game wrong.
-If you're playing stealthy, then the pepper spray is more useful than you think.
-Don't Uninstall

# ¿ Mar 23, 2009 22:27

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Does anyone know of any mods I should get for a first playthrough of Medieval II plus the expansion? If not, any tips for it that differ from Rome?

# ¿ Apr 2, 2009 02:44

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

I just picked up Bully for the PS2, anything I should know?

# ¿ Apr 21, 2009 00:29

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

sexual rickshaw posted:

Anyone have any tips for Devil May Cry 4 or Spellforce 2?

Devil May Cry 4 : Learn how to use Nero's Arm well. It's a lifesaver! Also, try to keep your rank up at all times by not being hit. Search areas for extra blue orbs, and if you're playing on PC get a Xbox 360 controller.

# ¿ Jul 1, 2009 03:12

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

I'm buying The Witcher: EE later on today, is there anything important I need to know about it before I play?

# ¿ Jul 5, 2009 14:17

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Zushio posted:

Until you hit a massive brick wall about 20 minutes from the end.

I'm still stuck there, have been for a year.

# ¿ Jul 8, 2009 21:45

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Jarl posted:

This doesn't really belong here, but I don't think it needs a thread either with this one being around.

Mass Effect:
I'm doing this quest where I'm supposed to knock out a bunch of colonists.

First: Is there any way to make grenades explode earlier, instead of them default being on a LOOOOOOONG timer which often makes them useless (for this quest I have been given a grenade upgrade that will just knock them out).

Second: The quest informs me that I have two ways of knocking them out. One being the aforementioned grenades and the other being melee attack, but I can't find any melee attack button. I've looked through the controls and nothing that looks like it is there. If I take down my weapons and press fire they are just reequipped.

Help.

EDIT:
Apparently the first can be done by sprinting. - http://meforums.bioware.com/viewtopic.html?topic=599924&forum=104 - What was I thinking

First can be done by pressing the grenade button again to explode them, and the second and be done by standing real close to them and pressing the shoot button.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2009 12:37

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

I just got GTA4, Ninja Gaiden II, and Dead Rising today. What should I know about them?

# ¿ Nov 28, 2009 03:12

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Mr. Heliotrope posted:

GTA 4: If a friend calls you to hang out but you don't want to, agree anyway. Then call them back to cancel, and you won't lose any respect from them. If you want to get their abilities but don't want to spend a lot of time with them, just go get food and drop them back off.

Dead Rising: You're probably going to die several times at the beginning. That's fine, you can start over and keep all your levels. Don't expect to be able to do everything and still meet the time limits when you first go through. You can talk to survivors and get XP, but I would consider actually bringing them back a secondary goal for now.

Thanks for the GTA 4 stuff, I wasn't sure if I could do that. With Dead Rising, if you run out of time do you still keep your levels?

# ¿ Nov 28, 2009 04:57

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Argon_Sloth posted:

Don't know why you want tips for a 20 year old game but here you go:

Ninja Gaiden II
- There is a scroll in each act set that will increase your maximum Ninja power by 10.
- always try to have 2 shadows at all times.
- Fire dragon balls are worthless, never pick them up.
- You can jump over the windmill throwing star, causing it to hit enemies behind you. You can keep jumping it so long as you don't catch it or scroll it off the screen.
- Practice jumping from a wall to ledge it supports. This skill will come in handy.

You probably mean the more recent 360 game, but I've got no tips for that one.

I really ought to have made that clear. :saddowns:

# ¿ Nov 28, 2009 06:51

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Because I can't keep my attention focused on one thing for too long, I just picked up Crackdown, The Darkness, Gears of War for 360 and Dragon Age for PC. What should I know about them?

# ¿ Dec 12, 2009 05:25

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Anything for Blue Dragon or Shadow Complex?

# ¿ Dec 29, 2009 02:24

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Draile posted:

Shadow Complex is pretty straightforward. Use your flashlight a lot to find destructible objects and secret passages. Don't be afraid to use your subweapons (when you get them) against enemies because you'll find plenty of ammo refills in save rooms. Melee enemies and get kills quickly without taking damage to build up your exp multiplier, which will let you gain levels faster. Follow the straight line when you want to get to your next objective, but don't be afraid to explore.

A few more specific tidbits:

- There are two item pickups that will not appear on your mini-map. One of them is in the room where you get the item that lets you breath underwater. Jump in the water on the right side of the room to get it. The other is in a save room with a destructible floor. Don't miss these or you will go crazy later when you're trying to figure out what you missed.

- At level 20 your minimap will show all uncollected pickups (except the two referred to above) with a question mark. This is great for helping you get 100% item collection.

- Get all 12 passkeys to unlock the game's best upgrade, an item that makes you invincible while you're standing still. This makes the final boss trivial.

- Massive sequence-breaking is possible (and even encouraged) for speedruns. Beat the game normally first.

- If you want to do speedruns or sequence-breaking you should get all 12 gold bars in your first playthrough. This will unlock a room right at the beginning of the game that will let you choose any main weapon you want.

Cool, looks like I've got a great Metroidvania game to look forward to when I get back to my Xbox at home tomorrow.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2009 04:05

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Happy Bear Suit posted:

I just bought S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Shadows of Chernobyl for $2 on Steam. Anything I should know?

Guns are not as bad as you think they are, and you can in fact hit the first enemies with your piston in iron sight mode. Also, grab the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Complete 2009 mod, it makes everything better, even for your first time as it doesn't completely change the game, just makes it better.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2010 06:42

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Sentient Toaster posted:

It's not Shifter, is it? I can't remember if that one added the blackjack.

Yes, it's Shifter, and it's very awesome.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2010 15:42

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

What should I know about Dead Rising 2?

# ¿ Dec 11, 2010 01:58

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

I just bought Resonance of Fate , and have no idea how the game plays, I just know that every friend that played it loved it. Anything I should know?

# ¿ Jan 2, 2011 17:50

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Just got GTA IV complete edition for cheap, anything I should know about it? I know that the pigeons are pretty much worthless to shoot.

# ¿ Jan 23, 2011 22:45

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Just got Heroes of Might and Magic 5 + the expansion, what should I know?

# ¿ Feb 25, 2011 06:46

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Just bought Gothic 1, 2 Gold, and 3 on Steam, anything I should know?

# ¿ Mar 25, 2011 05:19

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Just got Persona 3: FES, anything I should know about it?

# ¿ Apr 6, 2011 00:20

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

I did all of the sidequests in Nier and am a better person for it. :colbert:

# ¿ Apr 11, 2011 05:08

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Just got Final Fantasy IX , anything I should know about it? Also, Got Disgaea: Hour of Darkness , anything for that?

# ¿ May 1, 2011 18:27

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

flatluigi posted:

Alright! I got a bunch of games right now that I'm getting ready to play over the summer and am looking for knowledge from you all!

What should I know before I play Dead Rising 1, Bayonetta, Assassin's Creed II, Red Dead Redemption, and (for a laugh) Perfect Dark Zero?

(I picked up the last one for two bucks and kind of know it's poo poo already, the main thing I'm asking for is how to make it enjoyable, I guess)

There's a ton of stuff to unlock in Bayonetta. The best piece of advice I can give is not to worry about ranking on your first normal run, and to just enjoy the game and learn to play better. You may want to look up a grinding guide, but don't worry about that until, I'd say, the last difficulty or after.

# ¿ May 13, 2011 01:42

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

Happy Bear Suit posted:

I've never played a Civilization game before but I want to start. Is starting at Civ 4 a good idea? What addons/mods/expansions do I need with my first playthrough? Any newbie tips?

That's a great idea, as long as you have Beyond the Sword. I'd check out the tutorial from the vanilla game, then dive into a low difficulty match.

# ¿ May 15, 2011 04:14

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

What should I know about Viewtiful Joe and Viewtiful Joe 2 for PS2?

# ¿ May 23, 2011 00:12

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

blakyoshi posted:

Play on the easiest difficulty. Don't worry, the game will be plenty difficult.

I figured as much and expected that, seeing as this is a Clover (Platinum) game.

# ¿ May 23, 2011 06:04

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

LoveisOver posted:

Hey, I'll be plowing through MGS2 soon, and I would appreciate some basic advice.

Just know that the end of the game goes off the deep end story wise. It's an enjoyable game, and you'll have fun with it, but don't run and gun I'd say. Try to sneak around, because being caught is more trouble than it's worth. Also, all the bosses have an endurance meter that can be taken down with the tranq gun, and makes it so they don't count against your kills. I don't remember if anything is different when you don't kill people, but it's an option of course.

# ¿ Aug 10, 2011 02:44

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

I just ordered quite a bit of games from Goozex because I had a ton of points on there. Anything I should know for the following?

007: Nightfire (PS2)
Suikoden 3
Transformers: War for Cybertron (360)
Armored Core 2: Another Age

# ¿ Aug 13, 2011 05:06

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 12:46

Mr E: Sep 18, 2007

S-Alpha posted:

FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET ARMORED CORE 2 VANILLA BEFORE THIS. I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH.

AC2AA is meant to kick in the balls of people who have a strong build from AC2, and have been intimately familiar with the mechanics from the start of the series. AC2 is hard enough, and I would not wish starting from scratch with AA on anyone. It's the second most newbie-unfriendly game in the whole series, and one you don't want to get your introduction with.

Also, master boost hopping as fast as you can, as it's fundamental for evasion and movement in that game. Basically, you boost in a direction, let go and quickly press the boost button again to increase thrust to boost yourself into the air. As soon as you leave the ground, let go of the boost button to coast back to the ground, this will let you regain most of the energy you used up in the hop. Just before you land, press the boost button again so that, when you hit the ground, you're still boosting in a given direction. Then you go into a hop and repeat.

Doing this as regularly as you can allows you to move far faster than you normally can, and it's incredibly economical, and it allows you to preserve energy for more important things. It also allows you to completely mess with the enemy's FCS, making it a lot harder for them to get a good lock on your position. You're still a little bit slower than just straight-up boosting, though, so if you really need to get the gently caress out, energy be damned, go for that.

Also, instead of continuing in one direction, in the middle of a hop, you can angle yourself to change your direction and continue, weaving back and forth. This helps with dodging missiles, and is a good way to throw off enemy fire.

I'm actually currently playing AC2, so no problem there, thanks for the advice though on boost hopping.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2011 16:16

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