Renegade Ops

[mixuk]

Just wanted to give a heads up of this awesome little game which is produced in the same company I work in (Avalanche Studios, maybe best known for Just Cause). This top-down shooter is called Renegade Ops.


The developers wanted to combine the A-Team and G.I. Joe with Micro Machines to create a chaotic experience. Like other top-down shooters, you'll be moving through a series of environments and blowing away any baddies that stand between you and international justice. There are different vehicles to control on land, over the sea, and in the air.

It's coming out in autumn 2011.

Here's the teaser trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKh3aBTihxc

Here's a preview by IGN: http://xboxlive.ign.com/articles/116/1165893p1.html

[instant0]

IGN Said:

Is there multiplayer?
Yes indeed. There's split-screen multiplayer support for two players as well as four-player online.

Am I to understand that, this is a game that has full cooperative (i.e. singleplayer==cooperative multiplayer) or is it a multiplayer arena/deathmatch thingy?

From the screenshot on IGN I am getting 'Dogs of War', 'Cannon Fodder' vibes. Looking forward to seeing more.

Oh yea; When we getting COOP for JC2? :-)))))

[serling]

Just wanted

Are you here to tease us with a Just Cause 2 sequel? ... Please? Pretty please? :(

Anyway, Renegade Ops looks like a blast. Just Cause 2 was one of my favorites of last year, and this game seems to have the same kind of over-the-top action. Looking forward to it. :)

[mixuk]

Regarding multiplayer on Renegade Ops, I actually can't comment anything else than what has been publically announced. But I'll let you know as soon as it gets public. I think everyone will be positively surprised.

Here's a new trailer which shows off the gameplay a bit more:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGeIDw6iM1M

Also JC2 is so 2010, we're hard at work with the next big Avalanche title.

edit: Seems like co-op is mentioned in the press release: http://www.avalanchestudios.se/start/11-04-05/SEGA_and_Avalanche_Studios_join_forces_to_create_n ew_IP_Renegade_Ops.aspx

[lordkosc]

We have been talking about this in the bargin thread, and a few of us are already in on 4 packs now that its available on steam.

Here is the new game modes trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJDzCCB6lKU

[moss_icon]

looks like a new version of SWIV.

[Rock8man]

It's such a forgettable, generic name, I'd never even have clicked on this thread if I hadn't found out about the game through the Qt3 podcast. The title of the thread should say something like "from Avalanche Studios!"

[Marcin]

No, it should be "top down vehicular JC2, with more explosions". :)

Picked it up on the preorder 4-pack, looking forward to it.

Thanks for bumping this, because I would've missed this gem:


Also JC2 is so 2010, we're hard at work with the next big Avalanche title

ZOMG.

[Pogo]

FINALLY someone combines Jackal with Jungle Strike?

With MULTIPLAYER

FUCK YES I WANT THIS NOW

[Rock8man]

I don't know. I love the pedigree of the developer, obviously, but the trailer makes the game look a lot like that early XBLA game, I think it was called Assault Heroes, which was a fine co-op game, but it wasn't really very memorable. I never even bothered finishing it. The idea of a dual stick shooter in this kind of setting was neat, but it didn't have the appeal of a geometry wars or other excellent dual stick shooters.

Speaking of which.... is this a dual stick shooter? Does anyone know?

[Pogo]

From what I see of Assault Heroes, it didn't nail down the momentum and vehicle physics that this game has.

Also, a big draw for me for this type of game is pretty explosions and a visceral combat experience. From watching the trailers, I think this game looks quite a bit more exciting.

Besides, it's coming out for PC and has online co-op... that's awesome.

[lordkosc]

Giant Bomb Quick Look

http://www.giantbomb.com/quick-look-renegade-ops/17-4672/

DO WANT NAO!

[JustinL]

Looks very exciting. SWIVtastic, even.

[lordkosc]

The upgrades have me very interested, along with the fact that different characters have different skills.

[Sander 001]

I think I like the old school bit where you lose your power up if you die. Gives you incentive to not die and adds a bit more dimension to the challenge.

[unbongwah]

Does anyone still have a spot left from 4-pack shared buy off Steam? Or interested in forming another one?

[Pogo]

Whoa, that's 50% off.

I'm definitely down for a 4-pack. I can form it.

Please send me a message if you have PayPal. When I get 3 people I'll buy the pack.

I'm going to assume you're definitely in, unbongwah, so I suppose I need 2 people.

I just got 1 other so... 1 more slot.

EDIT: FILLED UP

[tempus67]

Does anyone still have a spot left from 4-pack shared buy off Steam? Or interested in forming another one?

I'd be interested, this is right up my alley.

[LMN8R]

Count me in on a four-pack. I can paypal it right away to whoever buys the thing.

[Pogo]

D'oh, sorry you two, got a PM almost immediately that I didn't catch.

I'm full!

[instant0]

Must get a 2 pack for this! .. damn you valve!

=
Two player split-screen co-operative play
Up to four player online competitive co-op
=

:-(

Friends comment "whats wrong with people"


Can you clarify that the CAMPAIGN is only playable single player, or two-player split screen, but not online?

[Brian Rubin]

Oh god this looks amazing. SO glad I pre-ordered, though I hope my PC can run it.

[lordkosc]

I feel bad for this game , coming out the same month!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/46520/

:(

[Brian Rubin]

Do you...do you really?

[lordkosc]

Do you...do you really?

:) A little , poor new developer.

[instant0]

:) A little , poor new developer.

I liked the screenshot with the hummers in the desert on that link.. so, why not get both titles?
Edit: I might pick up this regardless of it not having coop campaign.

[lordkosc]

Rock Paper Shotgun has a preview up, ok read, not much new...

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/08/17/just-cos-renegade-ops-preview/#more-69920

Also 2 trailers:

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/08/17/remember-renegade-ops-okay-then/#more-69760

[Adree]

It's out. It kicks ass.

[XenoCrash]

It's out. It kicks ass.

It's out on 360? Dammit, GMG says it's not out until the 23rd for PC.

[Brian Rubin]

Yeah, it's not on Steam yet either. No. Fair.

[lordkosc]

Gah , can't wait, I need something to break up my FPS overload.

[Brad Grenz]

The demo on PSN is like 3 GBs, but I played last night. It's pretty damn cool.

[JustinL]

Curious as to what's going on with reviews for this. Did the codes go out on release day?

[Robert Sharp]

I DL'd the demo on 360 yesterday, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. Anyone know if there are differences between the console and the Steam versions?

[Pogue Mahone]

I played the demo last night and thought it absolutely kicked ass. Which kind of surprised me, also because I enjoyed it way more than the Radiant Silvergun demo. Will probably buy this game instead.

[lordkosc]

Launch trailer!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW_77i6O_qk

[Kalle]

No PC demo? I'd be up for splitting a 4-pack but I'd like to try the game first.

[MrMach7]

this explains why when i ask openly to the internet if Renegade Ops is out yet, i get several different answers like 'yes' and 'no'

[lordkosc]

its out only on CONSOLE...

PC... eventually. (Sept 23rd?)

[forgeforsaken]

I like it a lot so far. The level up system is a little weird in that you can only equip a certain set of the skills, so at first I didn't realize I wasn't getting all the bonuses and had to pick and choose. Played a bit with the shield car and the emp car. I think I prefer the EMP.

[Pogo]

Still no word on the PC unlock?

How's the multiplayer?

[instant0]

Is there full coop campaign online, or just some silly horde mode?

[lordkosc]

I read this in a 360 review, so I would guess its same for PC...


There are two options for multiplayer, four player co-op on Xbox Live or two player local. Co-op is the game’s bread and butter. Going through the story co-op is an entire new experience from going it alone. It adds completely new dynamics to your game play as some vehicles/characters can really accent one another. For example, in single player if I choose a character whose vehicle has a heavy gun, slow to fire but as destructive as they come, I’m putting myself in a vulnerable position while trying to aim precisely so I can make up for slow rate of fire.

In co-op you can gather all kinds of assistance from your team to help avoid this scenario. Another player can use his EMP weapon to temporarily disable the enemy while I wipe them out with my slow but monstrous guns. It’s a great trade off and exhibits something you don`t see in most twin stick shooters, required teamwork and strategy. Most games of the genre involve walking with one stick, shooting with the other, and that’s all. Don`t get hit and keep firing, end of tactics. Renegade Ops really set the bar for this genres online play. I`m sure you`ll see more games like this follow their lead and add a little depth to the mechanics of game play.

[instant0]

@Lordkosc; Thanks, that is all I needed to know before deciding to grab the game ;) (Hardly ever buy single player games these days)

[mixuk]

Giant Bomb gave Renegade Ops 5/5 (http://www.giantbomb.com/renegade-ops/61-34619/reviews/)

[Kalle]

Now release it on pc, damn it.

[instant0]

Hmm.. So the Steam page states the following:

- Two player split-screen co-operative play
- Up to four player online competitive co-op

And the bullet points state this:

- Co-oP
- Local Co-oP

Since Steam puts "Co-op" on any game where you can put multiple people in the same screen, it is hard to deduct from the above what exactly the game will support in terms of a Cooperative "singleplayer" campaign - online - on the pc version.

[jfletch]

I really want this game, since I love Just Cause 2 with all my heart. But I just dropped $15 on Radiant Silvergun...

[Adree]

For those asking the console versions have split-screen and online co-op for the campaign.

[forgeforsaken]

I really want this game, since I love Just Cause 2 with all my heart. But I just dropped $15 on Radiant Silvergun...

Not to really derail but I'm not sure I get the big deal about Radiant Silvergun. I like shmups a lot, and never got to play this back when it came out originally and have always heard of it in ultra high regard. But I played the demo, and it really left me cold, maybe it's just a really bad demo that doesn't represent the game at all.

[Pogue Mahone]

I'm with you forgeforsaken, which confuses me because I enjoyed Ikaruga so much and I think Radiant Silvergun is the predecessor of Ikaruga (or its mechanics at least). But I couldn't get into it, and thoroughly enjoyed the Renegade Ops demo. Will definitely be buying this one.

[lordkosc]

Giant Bomb gave Renegade Ops 5/5 (http://www.giantbomb.com/renegade-ops/61-34619/reviews/)

Mmmm do want ... NOW!

[LMN8R]

Giant Bomb gave Renegade Ops 5/5 (http://www.giantbomb.com/renegade-ops/61-34619/reviews/)

Awesome! It was their Quicklook that totally sold me on the game, so I'm glad they enjoyed the final version just as much.

[Pogo]

You know what, I didn't even know the game had a level system with unlockable upgrades.

Fucking awesome, I can't wait.

[JoshV]

Hmm, anyone got this for the 360 yet? I tried the trial, if they keep up with the mission depth of the first mission, it looks like it will be a really damned good game.

[Pogue Mahone]

I have it, but after completing the first level I went back through it again with a different character just to see how gameplay differs. So I can't yet say how the other levels go, but should soon.

[Horrible Oscar]

Hmm, anyone got this for the 360 yet? I tried the trial, if they keep up with the mission depth of the first mission, it looks like it will be a really damned good game.
Quite a few of the later missions are linear affairs that require less thought to figure out.

I'm not sure how the scoring mechanics hold up on Hardcore, but I quite like the concept of what I've seen so far. It's geared towards keeping you going at all times through the damage streak system and awards bonus points for picking up ammo/health when you're already full. The latter is a really nice touch for me since I'd otherwise feel compelled to leave stuff lying around just in case I needed it later.

More importantly, everything that awards points makes a different kind of ding noise. In the middle of a firefight, Renegade Ops sounds like an exploding pinball machine. I'm not the kind of person to hunt after high scores, but this kind of stuff just makes scoring easy and fun to appreciate.

[forgeforsaken]

Game has probably one of the best escort missions ever. I know what you're thinking, escort missions suck, but trust me.

[lordkosc]

Seriously , no official PC release date yet?

[Pogo]

Could mean they want the Steam integrated multiplayer experience to work right at launch, which would be fine with me.

[Anders Hallin]

Played split screen with a friend yesterday, and will probably get it for my own 360 when I get that back in action. Fun, frantic action, much the same way you can see in the quicklook. And like them, had massive problems with the secondary weapons. The 360 didn't quite keep up, though, with somewhat regular bursts of audio crackles.

[Brian Rubin]

Game has probably one of the best escort missions ever. I know what you're thinking, escort missions suck, but trust me.
As someone who HATES escort missions, I'll wait to believe this when I see it. ;)

[forgeforsaken]

As someone who HATES escort missions, I'll wait to believe this when I see it. ;)

There's more than one in the game, I'm referring specifically to the one on level 7. Though the earlier one wasn't terrible.

[Cormac]

Was excited to give it a bash & downloaded the xbox demo. Unfortunately within 10min or so on the first mission, my car got stuck in the rain forest vegetation and I couldn't get out again. I tried to drive in all directions. No luck. Couldn't trigger a respawn and basically sat there watching the mission counter run down and announce that I'd lost the game....

That was rather disappointing & put a bit of a damper on my enthusiasm, but it did seem like a fun arcadey shooty game!

[madkevin]

This game is THE TITS. I am going to make a bold statement: I like it BETTER than Just Cause 2.

[Brian Rubin]

This game is THE TITS. I am going to make a bold statement: I like it BETTER than Just Cause 2.
*gaaaaaasp*

[lordkosc]

This game is THE TITS. I am going to make a bold statement: I like it BETTER than Just Cause 2.

but but but....

what about grapple-chute!?!?!!?

[Pogo]

This game is THE TITS. I am going to make a bold statement: I like it BETTER than Just Cause 2.

God dammit I can't wait for this to unlock.

[Inverarity]

I downloaded the trial and it hooked me enough to buy it. If anyone wants to play some co-op on the 360, I'm definitely looking for teammates. My gamertag is Inver.

[Eric P]

I bought this last night. It is a hell of a lot of fun.

[TurinTur]

I just noticed the 4 pack price in Steam. Very cheap, compared to buying it alone.

Anyone interested in buying it together when it's finally released on Steam?

Link http://store.steampowered.com/app/99300/?snr=1_4_4__13

[Locker K]

As an FYI, I've read that the half price four pack will no longer be half price when the game launches.

[bandidoquest]

I'd be up for a 4-pack.

[Timsfker]

You can also get it at greenman gaming for $10 (after applying the 20% off voucher that's on the front page). It registers on steam, although I don't believe I have received a key yet. Their release date for the game just got pushed back to September 30 =(

EDIT: I notice they have updated the page from "steam is required" to "third party download required", so perhaps wait a bit to ensure it will register on steam, it better.

[mrmolecule88]

I'd be up for a 4-pack.

As would I.

[Brian Rubin]

DAMMIT. If I hadn't bought it already on Steam I'd buy it on PSN. Siiiigh, want to play.

[TurinTur]

I'd be up for a 4-pack.

As would I.

We need one more.

[Falcon554]

We need one more.

im up for it

[Kalle]

Hey, I said I was up for a 4-pack on the previous page ago. don't I count? :)

[RepoMan]

I TOO WANT 4-PACK

[WarrenM]

I've had this pre-ordered on Steam for awhile now ... COME ON, UNLOCK!!

[XenoCrash]

Release date changed to Sep 30th on GMG. I guess we can't complain about it being delayed since SEGA never announced a release date...

(Fuck you, SEGA!)

[instant0]

Grabbing it on GMG now. That voucher was nice. Just worried that the PC version wont have the same coop features that the 360 one has, considering Steams description.

Edit: GMG somehow couldn't complete the transaction.. Guess I'm waiting.

@Pogo: Yes. "Four player online competitive play" sounds to me like some PVP/Horde mode thing, and not "4 players on-line can do the singleplayer campaign cooperatively.." Steam in the past have put "coop" on games where you might have some coop missions stand alone, but being unable to do the campaign cooperatively. To me, COOP is being able to play the singleplayer content with a friend (or many).

[Pogo]

Not sure what you mean by that:

Two player split-screen co-operative play
Up to four player online competitive co-op

Now, the worrying part is sort of that they don't specifically mention online two player co-op, but the game details show:

Single-player

Multi-player

Co-op

Local Co-op


I'm going to assume they're not retarded and that the campaign can be done with two players online and doesn't have to be split-screen.

[pilonv1]

30th now?? Ridiculous.

[Brian Rubin]

30th now?? Ridiculous.
It's only next week. :-P Yeesh...

[Horrible Oscar]

I'm going to assume they're not retarded and that the campaign can be done with two players online and doesn't have to be split-screen.
I just did this on the PS3. What is not possible is two consoles with two players each playing splitscreen together online for four players total, but I guess that was too much to expect.

I'm not a fan of the splitscreen since I feel like you need the full field of view to not die all the time, but we were playing on hardcore. It's the same fun romp on lower difficulties.

[pilonv1]

It's only next week. :-P Yeesh...

I'm just jealous that the consoles have had it for nearly two weeks now. Serves me right for pre-ordering on Steam I guess.

[Inverarity]

I love this game. It's not deep - it has the feel of a coin-op game with some added strategy (I've heard it compared to choplifter and that's not a bad comparison) - but it is a ton of fun. Each character feels different enough to keep it fresh and the missions are long enough to give the feeling of accomplishment when they're complete.

I think I like using Gunner the best, but I've had the most success with Armand and his shield. Part of that is probably due to the fact that I took a while to figure out how to play. I was just bum rushing into action and getting killed almost immediately. Once I slowed down a little and got better at driving I had my first success.

The sound effects are phenomenal (particularly the maxed out machine gun) and random destruction is just too fun. I love this.

Edit to add: this engine would be amazing for an Airborne Ranger remake.

[mrmolecule88]

Is someone organizing the 4-pack or should I send out some PMs? I'm not quite sure what to do, as I've never done it before, but I'd be willing to organize it.

[delirium]

Hardest difficulty is rough solo. Maybe I should use a more defensive car than the Gunner, but I'm almost level 30 and I still haven't beaten the first level. I finally made it to the first boss after 4-5 tries, but with 0 lives left and got quickly annihilated.

This game is fun enough that I hardly mind playing the same level over and over again. It's great that it saves all my gained levels when I lose, so when I come back, I am leveled up a bit and gets a little easier.

[TurinTur]

im up for it


Hey, I said I was up for a 4-pack on the previous page ago. don't I count? :)


I TOO WANT 4-PACK

To who should i send a PM and my moneys?? I can't be the one to buy the 4-pack for the group, i am european and the game will be cheaper for americans.

[Falcon554]

To who should i send a PM and my moneys?? I can't be the one to buy the 4-pack for the group, i am european and the game will be cheaper for americans.

Humm, I dont have a paypal accout, thou I could set one up. Lets see if either of the other guys has one, if not ill set one up.

[XenoCrash]

EDIT: NOT ACTUALLY OUT ON STEAM!

Out now on Steam!

Hope you didn't get it on GMG, since it still says it's releasing on the 30th...

[WarrenM]

Is it? Mine still says that it's coming soon.

[XenoCrash]

Is it? Mine still says that it's coming soon.

It is still in the New Releases tab, but the date is now changed to October 2011...

[WarrenM]

So how is that "out on steam"?

[Kalle]

I am equally not an american and we really should get an american to make the purchase for maximum savings.

[Jørn Weines]

The release date changed from September 23 to October 2011 when I reloaded the steam store page.

[XenoCrash]

So how is that "out on steam"?

It looked like it was out when I posted (release date was today, in New Releases section) :)

I will continue to blame SEGA.

[Inverarity]

This game is fun enough that I hardly mind playing the same level over and over again.
This is how I know the game "works". They managed to do such a good job with gameplay that I don't mind playing the same level over and over. And obviously I'm not alone.

The time limit is getting me on Mission 3, when trying to blow up all the SAMs. I suppose if I don't go after the relics (the secondary objective) I can probably make it, but what fun is that?

I can't tell if the vehicles actually handle differently or if it's just my perception based on how they look. My perception is that Armand's is the slowest and the chick with the dune buggy (the one that has air strikes as her special attack) handles the best. Anyone else with an opinion on the vehicles?

[Pogue Mahone]

Dude, all I have played is the first level. I saw there's an achievement for getting 20 people to the church on time, and I keep trying. And failing. And having the time of my life.

[Inverarity]

Damn, I think my maximum is eleven. Looks like I have something to try tonight...

[delirium]

Dude, all I have played is the first level. I saw there's an achievement for getting 20 people to the church on time, and I keep trying. And failing. And having the time of my life.

Yeah, that's pretty much how I spent the first several hours with this game. I was originally trying to do it on the hardest difficulty, but I couldn't even beat the damn level without going for the achievement. I dropped down to normal after a while and I guess my previous training paid off because I got it pretty quickly.

I'm on the 4th level right now, and even though I find the gameplay enjoyable enough on its own, I'm starting to wonder about the game's depth. I have a lot to go still, but I'm still fighting mostly the same enemies and the levels are generally playing out the same way. The 2nd boss was significantly less cool than the first boss. I was also disappointed to find out that all of the characters' leveling perks are basically the same with a different tier for the special ability.

I'm having a good time with it, but I'm thinking I should check my expectations for the rest of the game.

[Falcon554]

count me out on the 4 pack, my washing machine took a dump, now totally broke.

[Inverarity]

I'm having a good time with it, but I'm thinking I should check my expectations for the rest of the game.

Yeah, there is definitely more they could do with the game to make it deeper, but I already feel like I got my money's worth, and I'm only on mission 4. It's mostly-mindless, arcade action, though it would be awesome to see what they could do with it as a triple A title.

Some additional aspects I like about it

- The fact that you can't apply your upgrades until the next mission serve to give the game that "one more turn" feel.

- While two of the skill trees are the same across all characters, I like that they mix up the order of them.

- I also love that they only allow you to equip between 2 and 4 skills (depending on your character's exp level) for a mission. This really keeps the missions playing consistently each time.

- I'm getting better about leaving a few health packs lying around, since missions seem to always loop back on themselves.

- The machine gun upgrades are the most important upgrades in the whole game (at least, thus far). The difference between having the machine gun maxed and having it with no upgrade is far, far bigger than say, having a secondary weapon and not having a secondary weapon. This is why dying is so important. Otherwise, it would be no big deal to lose a life and respawn.


I ended up rescuing 18 prisoners. Close, but not close enough. I now have a better appreciation for Diz, who is a better character than I first thought. It's only Gunnar that I'm finding difficult to use.

[Eric P]

I wish I could skip the story elements of levels I've already played. It's really frustrating in the first level because of the long cut scenes involved. Still, it's a heck of a lot of fun though.

[forgeforsaken]

Well to make up for the delay it looks like PC players get to play as Gordon Freeman as an exclusive character via Steam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=bc33Pe4r9Q4#

Though that really doesn't look much like the HL2 buggy.

[Brian Seiler]

What I Like: Progression mechanics. Shit blows up real good. Feels like GI Joe crossed with M.A.S.K.

What I Dislike: Tanks will take off half a buggering life bar every time they hit you, and they can shoot you from offscreen if you're moving methodically. Also, every car feels like it's rear wheel drive, which is probably a symptom of the physics but really just leads to my hands hurting because when my car doesn't go where I want it to I push harder in the direction I want it to go. Also, it took me two hours to start picking up some of the detailed contours of the environment that I kept bouncing over.

Pretty good game.

[mrmolecule88]

Did that 4 pack just drive right past me?

[JoshV]

Hardest difficulty is rough solo. Maybe I should use a more defensive car than the Gunner, but I'm almost level 30 and I still haven't beaten the first level. I finally made it to the first boss after 4-5 tries, but with 0 lives left and got quickly annihilated.

This game is fun enough that I hardly mind playing the same level over and over again. It's great that it saves all my gained levels when I lose, so when I come back, I am leveled up a bit and gets a little easier.

Yeah, I agree, hardest difficulty is rough solo. Most be tough with Gunner. So far I've had better luck with the Shield car and the EMP car. Though the completionist in me also makes it tougher because I always want to rescue as many civvies as I can or artifacts, etc.

Did you snag it for 360 or PSN?

[delirium]

I have the 360 version.

Finished it last night with 4 player co-op. My friends wanted to play on Normal difficulty, so the challenge was trivial with that many people (difficulty levels don't scale for more players). I think the game works better as a 1-2 player game because there's just too much going on the screen with 4 people.

I had a decent time playing through it, but a bit underwhelmed overall. It starts off promising enough, but the levels are all basically the same (except for the last level, which seems out of place). I think it would have been a well spent $10, but I don't feel like they put enough effort into to justify selling it for $15.

[Inverarity]

The last two levels are the two worst in the game. Particularly the last one (I just don't enjoy the indoor aspect). I hope they release more as a DLC.

Gunnar is the only character that doesn't work for me. I get destroyed whenever I stop to use his cannon.

[JoshV]

The last two levels are the two worst in the game. Particularly the last one (I just don't enjoy the indoor aspect). I hope they release more as a DLC.

Gunnar is the only character that doesn't work for me. I get destroyed whenever I stop to use his cannon.

He seems like a co-op character, where you can more freely plant yourself and waste folks while your friend is in front dodging bullets and drawing fire.

[Squee]

Well hell, got a buddy interested in this too. Picked up a 4 pack, 0 slots open now, thanks!

[bandidoquest]

I thought it was weird that this game was supposed to be released this friday and I had not received the Steam code from GMG yet. I decided to take a look at the Steam page for the game and now the listed release date is Oct 19th. How many times has this been delayed already? This is getting pretty ridiculous...

[Pogo]

So no Renegade Ops this weekend? God dammit.

Maybe sales on the consoles are so steady that they don't want to risk the rampantly pirated PC release too early.

[Kurina]

I am all for delays that allow developers to present a more polished release, but this is getting pretty frustrating. I was pretty set to play tomorrow with three other friends, which is not easy to organize due to the widely varying timezones, and now it seems as though that won't be happening once again.

I would be a little more forgiving if they at least communicated as to why they are delaying the game, instead of constantly playing the mysterious date change game 24 hours before release. The Sega Twitter isn't very encouraging either, as they had no idea what is going on as well.


@tehpixoloo sorry for the delay, I hadn't heard anything was shifting, otherwise I'd post a blog on it. We like communication :)
http://twitter.com/#!/SEGA/status/124549174787178496


@Volcynika I've reached out to a few teams on this, so at the very least they know your frustration. Working on the communication stuff too
http://twitter.com/#!/SEGA/status/124557339658436608

[bakka bakka bakka]

So has the release has been delayed again? It's missing a date altogether now.

[frank austin]

So has the release has been delayed again? It's missing a date altogether now.

GodDAMNIT. 'October 2011' my ass. I'm sure this will be a quality port with no issues whatsoever, right?

[Kalle]

WHAT THE FUCK.

This has got to be the shittiest fucking preorder ever.

[lordkosc]

not that I care, since i have like 5 new games to play right now, but i agree, worst pre-order release date moving ever.

[Kurina]

It seems even the person who manages the Sega Twitter account is a bit annoyed. They are asking for feedback from users to put on an internal report. That is something you don't see very often.


Clarifying on Renegade Ops Feedback, I'm sending a report to internal teams - so anything is welcome, your voices will be heard.
http://twitter.com/#!/SEGA/status/126703183899787266

[instant0]

Well, at least they're not rushing it and releasing a shitty port using Gamespy.

[Pogo]

Errr... no, there is no "at least." That "at least" could have applied two weeks ago when they moved the release date again.

[Kalle]

I don't care how fucking shitty the port is. The game was scheduled for release two hours ago and pulling it at the last minute after already delaying the release several weeks is even shittier.

[instant0]

Well, I've had it on pre-order since.. forever as well, and with only GOW3 left to coop before this is scheduled in, they do not have much time left. Still.. knowing there are some shitty console ports out there.. having them spend more time is good.

If they communicated better, that would be a plus.
If they gave all the pre-orders a free Sega game of choice, that would be a plus as well.

[Strato]

I came into this thread thinking "wow, it's out now for PC." And you all commenting on how awesome this game is.

I see that isn't the case. Oh well :(

[Riztro]

27th? Good for them, they'll have a full day before everyone forgets about them for the new shinies.

[Kalle]

27th? I'll believe it when I have the fucking game installed. Talk about pissing away the good will I had for these guys after JC2.

[WarrenM]

27th. I'll be out of town. Fuck...

[Marcin]

27th? I'll believe it when I have the fucking game installed. Talk about pissing away the good will I had for these guys after JC2.

This pretty much sums it up for me. Amazing how they can go from "I'll buy whatever these guys put out" to "11 foot pole" in the span of a couple of weeks. And to think all they needed to do is communicate better. :/

Isn't one of the JC2 devs on Qt3? Or at least on my G+ list somewhere, hmm ...

[WarrenM]

I wouldn't go so far as '11 foot pole' over a delayed release. Seems a little nuclear.

[Riztro]

Delayed release with half decent information, not even a little ruffled.
Delayed release with no info followed by delayed release one hour before unlock still with no info followed by yet another infoless delay? fuuuuu

[Marcin]

I get a little ruffled when there's no information after a single delay. Then I forget about it.

But this is not just one delayed release with no information. It's what Riztro said.

[Aleck]

27th? I'll believe it when I have the fucking game installed. Talk about pissing away the good will I had for these guys after JC2.

I think it'll depend on how polished the final release actually is. If it's a buggy piece of shit port, then that's going to be highly problematic. If it's nice and polished, well, JC3 will probably still be on the radar.

I must admit that I've been psyched about this game (to the point of buying a 4 pack to gift to other friends) and have been pretty annoyed with the total lack of information. I don't know if it's Sega or Avalanche, but either way there's some serious mismanagement of information here.

[Anti-Bunny]

Where are people seeing 27th? Steam says October 26th, 2011 (4 days and 14 hours).

Whatevers, I am digging Payday and Dungeon Defenders so I am fine with waiting a little longer. Email Steam support and cancel your preorder if you think it's the shittiest fucking preorder ever.

[Riztro]

Where are people seeing 27th? Steam says October 26th, 2011 (4 days and 14 hours).

Whatevers, I am digging Payday and Dungeon Defenders so I am fine with waiting a little longer. Email Steam support and cancel your preorder if you think it's the shittiest fucking preorder ever.

Timezone difference, 4d12h comes to 27th here.

The delay would have been more tolerable if it didn't hit one day before Battlefield 3 and Sword of the Stars 2 are supposed to launch. I've always got games to play but I was looking forward to Renegade ops landing in the otherwise fairly quiet period before those two. Also, don't think I can cancel my preorder due to already having spread a fourpack around.

[lordkosc]

Ugh, seriously? The day before BF3?

Might as well move it to mid-December at this point....

[Timsfker]

Just got my cd key from greenmangaming, it must be close!

[LMN8R]

Only 2 hours until they announce the next delay!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/99300/?snr=1_4_4__13

[guppy]

Is anybody hosting a four-pack? I generally can't be bothered to set them up, but at a 50% discount I'd be interested in participating.

[RepoMan]

Available: October 26th, 2011
This game will unlock in approximately 1 hour

They're slipping their slip deadline.

[Cormac]

Is anybody hosting a four-pack? I generally can't be bothered to set them up, but at a 50% discount I'd be interested in participating.

I'd be in, particularly if someone from the US were buying a 4pack...

[RepoMan]

OK, now they've SLIPPED their slip deadline. It still shows as "Coming Soon" on the main page, and still says "Pre-Purchase Renegade Ops" on the game page, but there is NO mention anymore of when it will unlock.

:-P :-P :-P

....whoops! And JUST after writing that I refreshed the game page and now it says "Buy Renegade Ops." So it may be unlocked. :-D

[guppy]

The product page lists no 4-pack and shows it as available to purchase, not to preorder. What's the deal?

[Cormac]

I'd be in, particularly if someone from the US were buying a 4pack...

Too late now I guess. Was a VERY last minute temptation anyway! :)

[Cormac]

The product page lists no 4-pack and shows it as available to purchase, not to preorder. What's the deal?

I assume the 4pack was a preorder special...

[Anti-Bunny]

They slipped the slip date and accidentally released the game. Apparently I am installing it now. Damn them!

[Pogo]

Yeah, also downloading. Too bad it'll take like 2 hours.

[Squee]

Time to play HL2 Episode 3! I'm going to blow up so many Combine tanks and watchtowers.

[Anti-Bunny]

And it crashes on start.

It's shit like this, PC gaming...

[Strato]

They slipped the slip date and accidentally released the game. Apparently I am installing it now. Damn them!

That made me laugh. Thank you. Time for me to head out for a while and blow shit up when I return.

[Farnsworth]

And surprisingly the game crashes at start. Cache validates perfectly, reinstalling, rebooting etc. do not help. Best launch ever.

[Locker K]

That extra month for PC optimization sure helped.

[RepoMan]

Wow, multiple people crashing on start? Looks like plenty of people having trouble in the Steam forum (http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=1178) too. Avalanche, WTF? Just Cause 2 was so awesome on PC....

[Marcin]

In-house vs port maybe?

[LMN8R]

I saw someone mention on another board that the game appears to be crashing if you don't have 4 real CPU cores (meaning dual-core + hyperthreading doesn't count).

If so....WTF??

[Locker K]

I'm crashing on launch and have 4 physical cores, so that can't be the only cause.

At this point, I'd almost prefer an exchange for the 360 version, but I know that isn't happening.

[XenoCrash]

Other than VC++2010 not installing because I have a newer version (which means it runs and fails every time I start the game) I haven't had any problems running the game so far and it all seems to work very smoothly. Hopefully everyone having issues can get it working soon.

[Squee]

Yeah, doesn't work for me. Get a frozen black screen.

[Kalle]

I have no problems with this game. I feel bad for the rest of you as the game is a lot of kick-ass fun. Not seeing anyone of my friends on the high score lists though, wonder if that's a bug.

[Falcon554]

Yea fired right up for me, weird

[Squee]

Found http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2202389&page=3 that fix on the Steam forum which got the game moving for me. Went through the first level, occasional very slight slowdown and the sound is a bit rough but it seems playable enough.

[Anti-Bunny]

Found http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2202389&page=3 that fix on the Steam forum which got the game moving for me. Went through the first level, occasional very slight slowdown and the sound is a bit rough but it seems playable enough.

Yeah, it worked for me. Fucking ridiculous. Users are patching the game for them and still no word from the developers.

[Anti-Bunny]

Well.. It runs pretty well. I haven't had any framerate issues at maxed settings. Lobby system sucks though, seems to be a direct port of their console system.. and it doesn't work with steam, as far as I can tell.

I can't really see any reason to recommend this over the console version.

[Cubit]

This game makes me happy. That is all.

[Pogo]

I idiotically didn't check system requirements to see that it doesn't work on XP. This gives them time to patch it before I buy W7!

[Squee]

I've got the 42nd best score on level 1! I AM THE GREATEST RENEGADE OP IN THE WORLD

[Torsion]

If you keep getting prompted to install the redistributable when you launch the game rename the following file in your Steam Renegade Ops directory

installscript.vdf to installscript2.vdf

it should start up without the prompt now, this worked for me.

Also for mouse/kb controlls, go into settings and turn on 'tank controls', makes it a bit easier to steer.

[Falcon554]

Ok dumb question but i keep getting levels, can I upgrade anything? Cant seem to find out how lol

[Timsfker]

The game is fun. With a gamepad driving is great, but shooting is too imprecise for my tastes. However, switching over to mouse and keyboard makes the driving suck. Tank controls does indeed help, but still not great especially in close quarters firefights. I am cooping with my friend, me as the gordon character with the antlions and him with the airstrike. I thought my ability sounded cooler on paper, but man I am envious of that air strike.

[Timsfker]

Ok dumb question but i keep getting levels, can I upgrade anything? Cant seem to find out how lol

As far as I know you upgrade between missions but not during.

[Kalle]

I've got the 42nd best score on level 1! I AM THE GREATEST RENEGADE OP IN THE WORLD

41 renegade ops would disagree..

[Falcon554]

As far as I know you upgrade between missions but not during.

Thanks

[Effidian]

Tank controls seem to remove a lot of maneuverability. The defaults are certainly awkward, but it doesn't take long to get used to them.

I wish I could rebind some of the keys.

And I wish they had a no time-limit mode where I could just go around blowing shit up.

Fun game, I got through on Normal and seem to suck too much to do Hardcore.

[Cormac]

So.. has anyone tried the console version AND the PC version? Would be interesting to hear which one is the preferable platform...

[Cubit]

So.. has anyone tried the console version AND the PC version? Would be interesting to hear which one is the preferable platform...

I believe if you plug in a gamepad to the PC, they're pretty much identical...apart from the Gordon Freeman bonus character.

[LMN8R]

How well does the matchmaking work on PC?

[Anti-Bunny]

How well does the matchmaking work on PC?

It's my understanding that trying to play 4-player is a real lost cause because of constant crashing.

[frank austin]

Just got a patch for this. No idea what it does though.

[Anti-Bunny]

Just got a patch for this. No idea what it does though.

No one does. The Developers didn't post any patch notes. They're like ghosts.. Always in the shadows, always hiding behind lies and proxy digital content delivery providers.

[frank austin]

How do we 'unlock' Gordon in this? I never heard anything else about him since pre-ordering and he's not a normally selectable character.

Edit: What the fuck, there he is. Maybe you have to get to level 2 first?

[instant0]

I believe this was unlocked on the PC recently?..

Too busy playing BF3 to notice.

Guess I'll get to it some time next year, might as well not have pre-ordered it at that point.

[moss_icon]

only played it for 20 minutes so far but it is exactly what i was hoping for. that doesn't happen very often with games these days.

[moss_icon]

keyboard control is awful though, i need to plug the pad in.

[Tim James]

I believe this was unlocked on the PC recently?Somebody wake up Zylon.

[Tracy Baker]

I'm so used to playing dual-stick shooters where your ship instantly reacts to changes in direction that having to steer is throwing me off, but other than that I'm enjoying this for the brain dead bit of eye candy it is.

[RepoMan]

OK, all is forgiven, this is a seriously entertaining little game. I am actually enjoying it more than I enjoyed Crimsonland, which was my previous high watermark for sheer twin-stickish fun.

I like seeing the gleeful dedication to shit going boom that I remember so well and appreciated so much in Just Cause 2. It's clearly the same engine, only with a frame rate of about six million FPS because it has such a small area to render. The details are just awesome at 1920x1200.

I am OK with the fact that it is a lot of the same base layouts and enemy makeups on any given map; it's all about careening through a house while circle-strafing a fucking tank. I'm sticking with Dina, the EMP chick, and focusing on maxing out her EMP. Just about to buy the "faster cooldown" upgrade, and the next level is going to be a goddamned hoot.

Looking forward to trying co-op. Anyone in this thread want to share Steam nicks? Mine is repomanftw.

[lordkosc]

Works fine for me on Steam , though its pretty much requires a controller.

:)

[Teiman]

Tried to play this one.

My problem is that the controls seems bad with the keyboard (except aiming). So I have tried a XBox 360 Control pad. I find the xbox pad horrible, the controls are not soft enough, and after a few minutes, my fingers hurt. The game ask the vehicle to drive in not straight direction ( N,S,W,E,SE,SW,NE,NW ) so you have to fight the digital controls of the pad to give the vehicles the direction.... driving is not a joy.

Everything else is excellent in the game. Probably the game is fun with other control setup, maybe some digital one.

I am not a fan of losing control of the vehicle every 5 seconds wen the vehicle hit the border of the path, and you have to try to drive back to the path.

I don't know, maybe this game is good for console gamers, and hybrid gamers (gamers that do both PC and console games).

[Anti-Bunny]

Plays great with a PS3's dualshock controller and some unofficial drivers.

[RepoMan]

What? Driving is not a joy with a gamepad? Teiman, you are doing it wrong. I have no difficulty driving with the A button mashed down all the time.

The thing that really helped was to start looking down the road consistently, just like when driving a car. Look at where you want to go, not at where you are. Once I started doing that I was much less prone to spinning out or clipping the side of the road.

[RepoMan]

OK wait a second here now. I was mortified to realize two nights ago that I was totally failing to actually select which of my upgrades I wanted to use. "What are those green checkmarks for?" I asked myself, stupidly, before finally figuring it out.

But now I find that some of the upgrades seem not to work immediately. For instance, "Active Reload" definitely doesn't take effect the second you spawn. But if I take it, I've driven over upgrades that say "Active Reload" -- so it seems that that particular upgrade requires you to find it as a drop!

Am I interpreting this right? Because any upgrade that I have to find as a drop is a fuck of a lot less valuable than a built-in upgrade that you start the game with. I'm using Dina for my first playthrough (the EMP pulse chick), and she's not the most survivable it turns out, so I'm trying to get as optimal a loadout as possible to survive the final Inferno boss fight, and it's made much harder by not knowing which upgrades you get on spawn and which you don't!

Am I missing something here, or did they totally bury this quite crucial piece of info?

[RepoMan]

Aaah, screw it. Last level is kicking my ass a few too many times, and the fun has departed for the moment.

[lordkosc]

Aaah, screw it. Last level is kicking my ass a few too many times, and the fun has departed for the moment.

Playing solo?

I heard its easier with friends, as the difficulty doesn't scale.

[jardine]

is this game like counter strike source

[Morberis]

I'm not sure how they could be more different.

[Farnsworth]

I'm not sure how they could be more different.

Don't worry. It seems the guy just signed up to try to get an invite to the DOTA 2 beta. After someone told him to first post before asking for that he promptly cluttered a few threads with nearly nonsensical one-liner replies.

[RepoMan]

Renegade Ops could be turn-based, I guess. That would be more different.

Yes, I was playing solo. Will give co-op a shot someday, but right now I'm probably just going to read books for the next two nights. (The third night is Big Nap Time followed by Midnight Release Party.....)

[Strato]

I was almost tempted to play through the final level on casual. It constantly beats me when I think I'm getting close. Hands get sore holding the controller tightly.

[Squee]

I guess if you preordered this on Steam, you get the Coldstrike and Reinforcement Pack DLC for free. Just noticed Renegade Ops downloading 500 megs and saw the two pieces of DLC added to the Steam page, and noticed me and 12 of my friends had the game and the DLC, out of 14 friends who own the base game.

So that's kinda cool!

[lordkosc]

I guess if you preordered this on Steam, you get the Coldstrike and Reinforcement Pack DLC for free. Just noticed Renegade Ops downloading 500 megs and saw the two pieces of DLC added to the Steam page, and noticed me and 12 of my friends had the game and the DLC, out of 14 friends who own the base game.

So that's kinda cool!

Indeed this is correct!

Now I just need to play past the first mission, lol.

[BobJustBob]

I guess if you preordered this on Steam, you get the Coldstrike and Reinforcement Pack DLC for free. Just noticed Renegade Ops downloading 500 megs and saw the two pieces of DLC added to the Steam page, and noticed me and 12 of my friends had the game and the DLC, out of 14 friends who own the base game.

So that's kinda cool!

Kinda cool? It's frozen. There's snow everywhere. That's why they call it Coldstrike.

Yeah sorry. Same here. I was gifted the game before release and I have both DLC packs now.

[lordkosc]

Its a nice "thank you" for all the delaying of the release, over and over.

[Tony M]

I got this game because it was spoken of warmly by RPS and Tom Chick, plus I'm a fan of Just Cause 2.

But its too hard. I've got a controller, but I'm an old school PC gamer, my thumbs don't do that thing. I've got to "control" a car (not just point it) and shoot aim at the same time? Both using my old-timer thumbs?

[RepoMan]

Oh dear, you poor poor man. You never played Robotron 2084 back in the day? Or frickin' Crystal Quest? Or Geometry Wars, which was even on PC? If the twin-stick shooter is really an unknown territory to you, then... um... well... I guess there's always easy mode, right?

You don't really have to "control" the car too much, you just have to turn it in relatively wide turns and keep it moving all the time.

The good news is that humans can learn amazing skills through practice :-) So now that you own it, just dink with it on easy level and enjoy the feeling of your brain rewiring itself.

....Hey, what? Free DLC? I also preordered via combo-pack (thanks Anaxagoras, at least I think it was you), and that's sweet!

[Rock8man]

The game is 50% off on Xbox Live for the next 12 days. But what's this about free DLC on the PC version? Is it also on the 360? I thought the 360 was a no-brainer decision on this one, but maybe not anymore. After all, it seems like a natural lean back game, not a lean-in game (which is how I usually decide between 360 or PC).

[LMN8R]

If your PC doesn't allow you to "lean back" while playing, it's time to invest in a new chair rather than limit yourself to less-capable platforms ;-)

[Rock8man]

If your PC doesn't allow you to "lean back" while playing, it's time to invest in a new chair rather than limit yourself to less-capable platforms ;-)

Yeah, I know, I know, I need to get a HTPC system set up, whatever the acronym is for hooking up a PC to your living room TV. That way I can do couch gaming/lean back on the PC too. Maybe some day. I haven't found any computer chairs that facilitate the same kind of comfort as a couch though. If you're saying such a thing actually exists, I'll probably be very skeptical of such a claim.

[JoshV]

Tried to play this one.

My problem is that the controls seems bad with the keyboard (except aiming). So I have tried a XBox 360 Control pad. I find the xbox pad horrible, the controls are not soft enough, and after a few minutes, my fingers hurt. The game ask the vehicle to drive in not straight direction ( N,S,W,E,SE,SW,NE,NW ) so you have to fight the digital controls of the pad to give the vehicles the direction.... driving is not a joy.


Don't use the dPad, this game is meant to be used with two analog sticks.

[LMN8R]

I'm not even talking about an HTPC! Just a comfy chair with perhaps a foot-rest under your desk so you can lean back a little bit.

[moss_icon]

this game rules.

[djotefsoup]

I'm so glad I got this working finally. What a fantastic game. I'm, I dunno, half way through it now and all I can think of is that someone at EA really fucked up by not immediately resurrecting the Strike series of games and getting these guys to do 'em.

[lordkosc]

I recall playing the first mission, then a friend of mine said hold off as he was going to get it during the last Winter sale, and we've never played it, lol...

[djotefsoup]

Yep, looking at the global achievements it seems like probably one of the least played games of all time, probably thanks to those 4 packs. Less than half of the playerbase even has the achievement for getting 3/4 through the first mission.

[lordkosc]

Wow thats really depressing seeing as how I recall it was very enjoyable.

[Cormac]

Yeah, I also thought it was a really fun arcade drive-n-shoot game! Real pitty it didn't get more traction...

[Aleck]

Yep, looking at the global achievements it seems like probably one of the least played games of all time, probably thanks to those 4 packs. Less than half of the playerbase even has the achievement for getting 3/4 through the first mission.

Which achievement is that? I've put about 20 hours in to the game (mostly co-op), and only have 2 of the achievements...

[djotefsoup]

The "Airborne" achievement for piloting any helicopter, which you need to do when you go kill the battleship in mission 1. Drops to 1/4 the playerbase for an extremely easy achievement in mission 2 ("A Mess of Stiff Staff Sergeants").

[djotefsoup]

I guess this is pretty fun...ny

http://www.avalanchestudios.se/eng/blog/post1/


Reading through the reviews for Renegade Ops, it seems we succeeded with the first goal. Tom Chick writes the following in 1UP’s review of the game: “…it [Renegade Ops] manages to capture all the over-the-top action-movie glee of Just Cause 2. But it does it within the confines of a top-down twin-stick shooter…”

[...]


The primary goal for Renegade Ops was that it had to be a fun game to play. It became our highest priority and we discussed “fun” a lot in the team. We wanted to find an approach that naturally let “fun” be the main factor of all decisions. The most reliable tool a developer has to accomplish this is to play the game LOTS during development, and to openly discuss any issues or gaps that hamper the “fun”.

avalanche nooooo

[djotefsoup]

Finally got all the cheevos and finished the whole game on hardcore. I tried so hard to get the Alien achievement, with countless Fantastic/Godlike/Legendary mission ratings, and then got it by accident on the Cauldron mission and didn't even notice until it popped up in the overlay.

Pity the leaderboards are so full of hacked scores, I was pretty chuffed at getting 97th place on the DLC1 mission with a level 3 Gordon Freeman though. I think it might actually be easier to do some of the missions with a new character because with Hardcore scores you end up getting the equivalent of a full heal every few minutes from levelups.

Next time this is on sale so many people are getting gifted copies. Such a shame this didn't sell better.

[Tom Chick]

I guess this is pretty fun...ny

Hey, those guys are totally griefing me!

It's too bad they considered their aggregate rating a failure. They made a great game that was probably doomed to get a handful of drive-by reviews dismissing it as a throwaway twin-stick shooter.

-Tom

[djotefsoup]

Yeah I seem to remember some review I saw even expressed disappointment that there was no stealth mission! No, no, no. Renegade Ops is the game where this happens -

http://i.picpar.com/0d849f50323352e31d6441617e3900e80f5fe641.jpg

[bigdruid]

Just bought a new 360 and was re-downloading my old games, and saw that there's a Coldstrike mission pack I never heard about. This is one of my favorite games of the last few years, and you guys didn't even tell me? Jerks.

[Pogo]

I just started re-playing this after getting a new 360 controller for my PC and uhhh...

Keyboard + Mouse is the better way to play.

[Nightgaunt]

I just started re-playing this after getting a new 360 controller for my PC and uhhh...

Keyboard + Mouse is the better way to play.

I remember coming to the opposite conclusion after trying both. But I can't remember: does keyboard only let you drive in eight directions, cardinals and diagonals? That drives me nuts when the level design is clearly not build for that.

[Pogo]

You are correct. HOWEVER, there is a "tank mode" control scheme for keyboard, where when you press W your vehicle moves forward, not "up" on the screen.

It seems weird but it becomes easy after a couple of minutes. It also makes it possible to reverse. And then the precise aiming from the mouse trumps the stick.

[Pogue Mahone]

You mean the way Retro City Rampage handles steering? I think I'll stick with twin sticks, thanks.

[Pogo]

I guess? I don't know. It really depends on how RCR feels with its steering physics and gameplay.

Renegade Ops works out because you're rarely shooting at max speed, and having an easy way to reverse gives you a great strafing maneuver to dodge missile launchers and tanks.

Ideally I wish I could move with the analog and aim/shoot with the mouse, but the game won't let you control both at the same time, which is sorta odd since you can drop one and use the other while playing.

[Pogue Mahone]

I wouldn't say RCR has steering physics, exactly. It's more like the early 2D Grand Theft Autos. I find it a little unintuitive after all this time has passed, personally. And while I don't doubt that the mouse will provide accuracy in firing, like it does with an FPS, I find that the loss in mobility from having to drive with keyboard rather than an analog stick is not worth the tradeoff. But as frenetic as these types of games are, I don't mind the loss of accuracy all that much anyway.

[Pogo]

Renegade Ops is a little special in that regard. I find it easier than in the GTA games because somehow I can use the screen movement and the vehicle graphics to know where I am on the screen without having to actually look. I think the same thing happens with analog, eventually you stop having to see where exactly you're driving. It helps that you can drive through some of the obstacles in the game, mainly buildings.