Natural Selection 2

from Elemental Forums

Bought it during the Xmas sale, and it was an excellent purchase.

The game still continues to amaze me, it's one of the few games that actually makes cooperation absolutely necessary on strategic level, while Left 4 Dead did it on tactical level.

Playing in a team that communicates, listens to its commander and actually executes his plans is awesome experience.

The game is not without problems, the HW reqs are rather steep, and the balance is problematic due to asymmetric economies of the alien and marine side.

However, it's a fresh and innovative title the gaming scene needs so much. It actually succeeds where Savage 2 has IMO failed.

www.naturalselection2.com

22,214 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

My most played game right now. Can't wait for the free Gorgeous update coming soon - Exo railguns and Gorge ass tunnels.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

So, the update is out, what is your opinion - if you still play, that is.

I am still amazed by the game, and having a blast playing it, especially now when I passed the steep learning curve needed to become at least passable commander. 

The gorgeous update is a mixed bag. I really applaud to fixing the skulk movement and hitbox. Babblers are entirely useless and badly implemented, and I cannot understand how a team of devs can put obviously so much work into something so evidently useless. Gorge tunnels are interesting, but they could be just phase gates, I find the space "inside" the gate entirely pointless. Railgun exos are interesting, they fill the gap between a conventional marine and the tank dual exo is. 

The performance of the game is horrible, though, and I am getting constant lag problems. 

Start11 - Customize the Start Menu and Taskbar in Windows 10/11.
Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

I thought it was kind of meh. Without a doubt it made the game better, but I'd say by 1%, not 10% or 20%. I like that they fixed shooting skulks, but now it seems aliens have a real hard time in the early game. I'm not sure where the balance is, it seems to favour marines in the start, then aliens in the middle until the very late game where marines have all upgrades and spam macs and arcs.

Reply #4 from JoeUser Forums Top

Prepatch, the first three minutes of play were the most important in the game.  Aliens needed to quickly get kills and evolve up to flying lurk before marines researched first level upgraded armor and weapons.  Now due to post patch skulk speed changes, the aliens play a little less aggressive than they used to be.  By comparison, the whole metagame of both factions feels slower and more defensive now.

 

Before I did not want to change either faction between games because of all the fun I was having playing them.  That's when you know you hit that special 'sweet spot' of competitive gaming.