Forums > Game Talk > Rabbi Guru's Game Jorunal VI
The Fabulous King (1332) on 12/1/2009 1:44 PM · Permalink · Report
Grand opening of Rabbi Guru's Game Jorunal VI: The Galactic Rays of Love of the Cosmic Peacelords!
Meet the Cosmic Peacelord Vixenia Delta from planet Gilius B in Omega-Beta Dimension. She's a Cosmic Paladin for peace, love and justice. She likes her men socially conscious, willing to stand up for the poor and the oppressed. Dislikes those who abuse power for evil grand galactic plots like Vizier Vaskloth the Grand Arch-Nemesis of Cosmos and anyone working for him.
Previously on Cosmic Peacelords: Grand Vizier has overthrown the King of Cosmos, and created an alliance with Arachnia the Queen of Darkness from Bizzaro Dimension of Alternatia. Together they plan to corrupt the space-time continuum, collapsing all dimensions and galaxies into one uniform collective mass obeying their every whim. Only the Brave Defenders of Galaxica, the Cosmic Peacelords stand against their villainous plot.
In a small corner of Cosmos, away from the Cosmical Palace of Justice (Now Evil!!!), in the planet of Cutesia Agorala, little Jimmy wakes up from a dark dream that shakens his very core. In the morning, her mom orders him to go deliver breakfast to the local Cosmic Peacelord Brutosh. Peacelord Brutosh lives on the edge of the plannetial village, in his small Galactic Guardtower of Love. Brutosh is thankful because monitoring the Cosmic Balance is a very tough job. Little Jimmy is hesitant.
"I had a dream today."
In a different corner of Cosmos, in the Temple of the Space Goddess Artemia, the High Priestess and Oracle of Artemia is lying on her deathbed. Her most promising disciple, the young and inexperienced true believer Xandrice, is beside her. Whenever the High Priestess has to go, she gives her Cosmical Powers to her chosen, who will become the new High Priestess of the Space Goddess. Normally it's a peaceful ceremony. But today screams of terror and pain fill the benevolent Halls of Artemia.
"It is coming... the hole... all consuming darkness... no life... the voices..."
"What is wrong with the mistress?" asks a curiously curious unimportant novice who just happened to walk by and whose sole purpose in this galaxy was to ask this question. And then she died. She had fulfilled her purpose. Xandrice watches casually how the novice vanishes from this space and time with a puff of smoke. She doesn't pay much attention to it because it happens quite often in the Halls of Artemia. Xandrice however isn't so lucky, because her purpose is greater. Then the High Priestess of Artemia, in her last moments of clarity says to Xandrice: "The Cosmic Peacelords... you must find them... and together find the Galactic Rays of Love... only with that power can you stand against the coming storm." And with that she died. Curious sensation. Xandrice was expecting something different... like reversing the space-time continuum with thunderous special effects different. Something flashy. But that was it. She is the new High Priestess. Just like that.
She leaves the room.
....
Okay this is actually a Game Journal thread. Just with a twist. Remember how I said that next time the thread would be called Game Jorunal? I didn't actually plan to write this story. It just happened. And I don't think I will.... however I could if fellow mobites wished it.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/1/2009 2:37 PM · Permalink · Report
You're a freaking genius :)
I laughed like crazy at the local Cosmic Peacelord Brutosh :)
The Fabulous King (1332) on 12/4/2009 10:53 AM · Permalink · Report
Guys feel free to talk about games here while I continue with my epic b category trash space fantasy saga.
Tales of the Cosmic Peacelords (continuing)
Brutosh was a quiet man. Little Jimmy has been quite fond of those moments they have shared on the balcony, Brutosh just standing there smoking his cigarette and Little Jimmy talking. Cause Little Jimmy loved to talk. Those other men never allowed him to talk. They always ruined the moment. But Brutosh never said anything and so Little Jimmy could imagine the conversation himself. Because imagination is very important. But today they are going to talk for the first time. Please don't ruin the moment.
Brutosh remembers how he met Little Jimmy quite well. Suddenly a nice smoke after a good evening got awkward. Brutosh doesn't like when things get awkward. Please don't make it any more awkward.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/4/2009 2:39 PM · Permalink · Report
Can I continue this fascinating story?
Brutosh gently placed a scarred hand on Jimmy's virginal shoulder. "I mean, they even have full-blown gay sex in mainstream video games now", - Brutosh thought, enjoying his masterful placement of MobyTags. - "Why can't I have my own... ehh.. guilty pleasure, especially after restoring peace to the Galaxy on several occasions? Strictly confidential. Eh?"
But Jimmy avoided the veteran Cosmic Peacelord's experienced touch. He drew his blade. The real one, I mean. Made of Galactic Steel, +5 damage vs. Jews and taxi drivers.
"Stop sexually molesting me", - Jimmy said simply, and anger lit his lovely square yellow eyes. - "I won't agree to that. Not before marriage".
"We are not in Denmark, dear", - Brutosh said solemnly, putting his unsuccessful hand back into the pocket of his shiny new Peacelord Armor (available as downloadable content).
TO BE CONTINUED!
The Fabulous King (1332) on 12/4/2009 2:55 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Hmm... it's kinda funny. I was thinking that Brutosh sleeps with Jimmy's mom (mom's a whore) and Jimmy just imagines that Brutosh is his dad, but only now I can see that the way I wrote it, it could be interpreted... differently. Words in a different light. Interesting experience.
But on-topic now. I see you are going to play a lot of games that you've already played and reviewed? Why?
chirinea (47527) on 12/7/2009 12:23 AM · Permalink · Report
OK, just finished Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. Had a good time, though the game can become insanely hard at some parts. The ending is freaking lame, which kinda ruin the whole experience, but anyway...
Slug Camargo (583) on 12/7/2009 1:40 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I just bought Tomb Raider: Underworld because it was ridiculously cheap at Steam, but I don't have over 7GB of hdd space to install it, and I don't think I'll make the effort of cleaning up room for a game I probably won't be playing anyway. Talk about a pointless impulse buy I guess =P
I think I decided on what's gonna be my definitive Fallout 3 mod mix, so I might just start it all over =D Though I might play Zeta and Lookout first, since I had them sitting there for a while, unattended.
Been meaning to play S.T.A.L.K.E.R. - Clear Sky, but since I don't allow myself to play pirated games anymore I'll need to buy it, and at 35 US bucks it's still way too expensive for it's own good. I might pay that for Pryapat or even for Shadow of Chernobyl, but CS is sort of a glorified mod, so it hardly can pull that one out ¬¬
Been meaning to play Arkham Asylum as well, but I'm also waiting for it to drop down a little. Hopefully by Christmas such miracle might just happen.
EDIT: By the way, I don't know whether you guys are aware of, but Direct2Drive has this crazy 24-day sale where they drop the price of a game per day, all the way until december 24. I've been left of of the only few ones that interested me so far, but you might be more geographically lucky than me.
ANOTHER EDIT: If someone wants to do me a solid here: Is there any way I can PayPal-send you money so you buy a game and then you gift it back to me? It's gotta be someone living in the United States or Canada, though.
Slug Camargo (583) on 12/8/2009 12:58 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Kitsune Sniper wrote--]You can buy it. But you won't be able to download it because your IP does not match any American one. [/Q --end Kitsune Sniper wrote--] I figured something like that would happen =(
Well, you're all witnesses: They are FORCING me to pirate the bleeding game. I don't want to hear Kotaku editors or that guy from Tweakguides or whatever crying about piracy killing pc gaming and such =(
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/8/2009 2:16 AM · Permalink · Report
They are FORCING me to pirate the bleeding game.
As far as I'm concerned, I've been forced to pirate games ever since they introduced online activation and Steam and DRM and other shit. And this download-for-money idea is just terrible. Why did I spend money on original games before, if not to have a beautiful box, CD, and manual? What's the difference with pirated games then?
I still buy original console games, though. Because they look cooler and it's easier to make them work on a real console. With PC games, it's just the opposite.
Slug Camargo (583) on 12/8/2009 3:08 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]And this download-for-money idea is just terrible. Why did I spend money on original games before, if not to have a beautiful box, CD, and manual? [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] In my case it's rather simple: Original games are not available in this country, and if I had them imported I'd have to pay some insane custom tax, since videogames are not considered culture-related item. Therefore, Steam and such systems are my only chance of getting originals at a relatively reasonable price.
That said, it is true that the prices of digital downloads should be noticeably lower than their physical-media counterpart, that's another of the things I don't quite understand.
Also, "beautiful box"? You give those boxes way too much credit, man =P
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/11/2009 4:37 AM · Permalink · Report
Also, "beautiful box"? You give those boxes way too much credit, man =P
You see, I look at it this way: what do I get when I buy an original that I can't get when I pirate a game? Simple: original box. Manuals. Original drawing on the CD. Something tangible. All the rest is exactly the same. If a game is just downloaded, you don't even have a feeling that you own something.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/11/2009 2:06 PM · Permalink · Report
Same thing here, I don't care about the package any more, the convenience of downloads is fine now.
Then what's the difference with pirated games? You'll have to burn the game on CD/DVD by yourself... some pirated games even have nice-looking fake covers. This way, there is nothing... what's the point?
Sciere (932882) on 12/11/2009 2:15 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Morality, supporting the games you enjoy so developers get money to create new titles. Downloads also have shifted a larger amount of the pie directly to the developers by cutting out the middle men. I spend 50 to 100 € per month on digital downloads and I get a lot of titles for that.
The same has happened to music and film. Books are the only thing to me where the "outer packaging" (and format) is part of the experience.
Also, who burns games on optical discs these days... =)
vedder (72503) on 12/11/2009 2:24 PM · Permalink · Report
I greatly enjoy seeing my IKEA Billy slowly filling up completely with game boxes.
Although I do acknowledge the convenience of digital downloads. I do like to have a box, even if it's just to show off :) For the packaging and extra content it's usually no longer worth it nowadays. With exceptions such as Civilization IV and Europa Universalis III.
Also the games I buy are usually more expensive on Steam (unless there's a 75% off sale or something) than on Play.com.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/11/2009 2:30 PM · Permalink · Report
Also, who burns games on optical discs these days... =)
Me :) Really, I just like having games in a physical form.
mobygamer (92) on 12/11/2009 9:27 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Also, who burns games on optical discs these days... =)
Me :) Really, I just like having games in a physical form. [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] If they are in a hard drive they are also in a physical form, not necessarily individually. :)
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/8/2009 10:14 AM · Permalink · Report
Finished up Sonic Unleashed, with the full 1000G. Fun game, best Sonic's been in years (for as much as that's saying), fantastic soundtrack, and the hot dog missions were bloody murder to the nth degree. Screw you, Skyscraper Scamper Night and Eggmanland.
The saddest part is that I now feel a compulsion to obtain and play this one, if only to have the complete set with all achievements, as this plus all four Genesis games means it's the only one I have left. There are probably better reasons to sink time into terrible games...
Parf (7870) on 12/10/2009 9:21 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm not sure I'd spend much time on a game that sucked purely for the achievements. But they can sometimes make a title just slightly more appealing... but just slightly. ;)
I'm playing mostly the same games as the last time I posted... Final Fantasy XII and Phantasy Star II. The newcomers (and replays) at the moment are Brütal Legend and Silent Hill: Homecoming.
Brütal Legend is pretty awesome in lots of ways. So much so that I'm willing to overlook the weaker aspects of the game. You can tell the game is a labor of love, and how much heart was put into it.
I'm playing Silent Hill: Homecoming again to see all the rest of the endings. Not that the game was anywhere near as good as Silent Hill 2, but I guess I just feel I need to finish it up properly so I can put it away for good after that.
Slug Camargo (583) on 12/10/2009 11:22 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--] I'm playing Silent Hill: Homecoming again to see all the rest of the endings. Not that the game was anywhere near as good as Silent Hill 2, but I guess I just feel I need to finish it up properly so I can put it away for good after that. [/Q --end Parf wrote--] Just do what I did: Go watch the endings in youtube. That piece of shit doesn't deserve your time.
Also, I hope you pirated it >=(
Parf (7870) on 12/11/2009 7:04 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--] Also, I hope you pirated it >=( [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--] Nope, but I traded in some old games for it so it was free. :)
[Q3 --start djsquarewave wrote--] I'm not going to play a bad game just for easy achievements...you'll never see an Avatar: The Last Airbender or a Jumper on my card...but I'll play a bad game when it does something interesting or compelling despite a lack of direction, development time, or general quality. Games with no faults are often unadventurous and, well, boring. From what I understand and have seen, Sonic 2006 is such a monstrously rushed, misdirected title that I feel a compulsion to experience it for myself. Perhaps I'm just weird like that. :) [/Q3 --end djsquarewave wrote--] I felt that Sonic and his posse started getting stale by the time of Sonic Adventure 2 actually, and I haven't touched any game connected to the franchise since. As for playing games that are rushed and bad... Sometimes I can get this odd sensation that I'll need to finish up a game I've started just to have finished it. Maybe it's some sort of cleansing process, who knows? I've played through awful titles such as Monkey Hero and Cold Fear because of this odd OCD of mine. But I guess playing the occasional horrible game makes me appreciate the good ones even more, even if they were a waste of time.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/11/2009 12:00 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]I'm not sure I'd spend much time on a game that sucked purely for the achievements. But they can sometimes make a title just slightly more appealing... but just slightly. ;)[/Q --end Parf wrote--] Well, if a game sucks, and I don't have any kind of personal investment in it, then it comes right back out again. I put in Shaun White Snowboarding for about half an hour last night, and it went right back on the shelf with me simply longing for a new 1080 or SSX. :(
I'm not going to play a bad game just for easy achievements...you'll never see an Avatar: The Last Airbender or a Jumper on my card...but I'll play a bad game when it does something interesting or compelling despite a lack of direction, development time, or general quality. Games with no faults are often unadventurous and, well, boring. From what I understand and have seen, Sonic 2006 is such a monstrously rushed, misdirected title that I feel a compulsion to experience it for myself. Perhaps I'm just weird like that. :)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 12/11/2009 7:50 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm playing through Resident Evil: Director's Cut as Chris. Not much to say except there are a lot more zombies than I remember !
St. Martyne (3648) on 12/12/2009 7:43 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
OK, dudes. You might want to wait for your Heavy Rain and whatnot. But my "rebirth of the adventure" game is already out. It's called Silent Hill: Shattered Memories... and it's most awesome.
Slug Camargo (583) on 12/12/2009 9:59 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--]OK, dudes. You might want to wait for your Heavy Rain and whatnot. But my "rebirth of the adventure" game is already out. It's called Silent Hill: Shattered Memories... and it's most awesome. [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--] Really? Is it that good? I don't have your stance on horror games in general too clear as to take your word for it, and it's a Wii game for a series that's sunken so low already I don't have any hopes for it to ever surface again so I'm about ten times as cautious as usual, but I would be very interested in reading an in-depth-ish analysis from you. You did do an awesome job at recommending Cryostasis after all.
Parf (7870) on 12/13/2009 8:48 AM · Permalink · Report
It seems to have gotten good reviews and opinions all over the internetz actually. Most of them stating that it's a great game, but not all that similar to the rest of the Silent Hill games. I think I might buy it eventually, if only to have a reason to dust off the 6 inches of dust from my Wii. I don't think I've ever neglected any of my consoles this badly before...
St. Martyne (3648) on 12/13/2009 8:58 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--] You did do an awesome job at recommending Cryostasis after all. [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--]
Thanks, man.
The reason I'm so hyped about Shattered Memories, isn't the notion of a good Silent Hill game. So as a fan, you have to consider that I don't really understand what makes the original or the sequel so outstanding. And, yeah, my relationship with horror games (and horror movies for that matter) isn't exactly something to write home about.
No, what I really love is the idea of new form of an adventure game based entirely around exploration and manipulation of the environment. Combined with the player-driven narrative taken from RPGs - it's just a killer combination. Something Fahrenheit tried to do, but without all the nagging QTEs.
EDIT: And... um, yeah. I might've given you the wrong impression. I haven't technically played it yet. ))
mobygamer (92) on 12/13/2009 4:41 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--] [Q2 --start Schadenfreude wrote--] You did do an awesome job at recommending Cryostasis after all. [/Q2 --end Schadenfreude wrote--]
Thanks, man.
The reason I'm so hyped about Shattered Memories, isn't the notion of a good Silent Hill game. So as a fan, you have to consider that I don't really understand what makes the original or the sequel so outstanding. And, yeah, my relationship with horror games (and horror movies for that matter) isn't exactly something to write home about.
No, what I really love is the idea of new form of an adventure game based entirely around exploration and manipulation of the environment. Combined with the player-driven narrative taken from RPGs - it's just a killer combination. Something Fahrenheit tried to do, but without all the nagging QTEs.
EDIT: And... um, yeah. I might've given you the wrong impression. I haven't technically played it yet. )) [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--] Thankfully it will be ported to the ps2 without forcing me to use the nagging motion controls :D
Parf (7870) on 12/13/2009 7:28 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start blabla blablabla wrote--] Thankfully it will be ported to the ps2 without forcing me to use the nagging motion controls :D [/Q --end blabla blablabla wrote--] This is what made me stop for a second as well. Do I go for the more expensive Wii version (which will have a more intuitive control setup), or do I go for the (usually) way less expensive Ps2 version... I guess I just want to justify my purchase of my Wii somehow. ;)
mobygamer (92) on 12/13/2009 8:58 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--] [Q2 --start blabla blablabla wrote--] Thankfully it will be ported to the ps2 without forcing me to use the nagging motion controls :D [/Q2 --end blabla blablabla wrote--] This is what made me stop for a second as well. Do I go for the more expensive Wii version (which will have a more intuitive control setup), or do I go for the (usually) way less expensive Ps2 version... I guess I just want to justify my purchase of my Wii somehow. ;) [/Q --end Parf wrote--] If you buy the ps2 version you will have a reason to dust it off. Well from what i have seen the wii version got bad reviews and good ones. Quote from wiki "It's not really survival horror...so much as tedious bulls**t." Even i was a little surprised to see that in a wiki of a game...anyway do not except something as awesome as SH2.
I would wait for all versions to come out(wii,ps2,psp)
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/18/2009 6:26 AM · Permalink · Report
So. I started playing Sonic 2006. I don't think I could have ever been prepared for how bad this game is. The terrible graphics, the load times, the not hitting things on preprogrammed paths, the hideously realistic-looking Dr. Robotnik. And most unforgivably, the complete and utter lack of any sense of speed.
Maybe having started this coming straight off of Sonic Unleashed (which during the day stages feels almost like F-Zero GX or Wipeout or something) I'm a little biased, but I seriously wasn't expecting the game to feel like it was stuck in a jar of molasses. When this game came out, the joke was that playing it was like controlling a stick of butter. I have this unnatural affinity for bad games, but I think this one may actually be beyond even my awful taste. Even the music is asinine, and that's been the one saving grace of Sonic games for the last ten years.
I also started playing Crash: Mind Over Mutant, which is in comparison pure joy. Never played a Crash game before, though I hear the PS1 games by Naughty Dog are far superior, but it's a solid if unspectacular platformer so far. I'm really digging the voices and the animated cutscenes...Maurice LaMarche jumped right out to me. The stages feel kind of empty, though, if not lacking in character.
Parf (7870) on 12/18/2009 6:32 AM · Permalink · Report
I decided to give Dead Space one final go, just to polish off the last achievement (to finish the game on the hardest setting). And all of a sudden the game is a challenge! Imagine that. :)
Also figured I'd play through Doom for the 360 on Ultra Violence for that same reason... and seriously, like I'd need a reason to play more Doom. It's Doom! :p
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/18/2009 6:39 AM · Permalink · Report
Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that, I started playing through Bullet Witch on the hardest difficulty, also to polish off an achievement. The very nasty 1-point one they give you for beating the hardest mode. :) But then I got sort of stuck at the airport, so I'll let it sit for a bit before going back to it.
I'm ashamed to say that Doom on 360 was my first time playing through the game. I thought it was really hard...and I was playing it on the lowest difficulty that would unlock stuff. I'm not very good at first-person shooters. :(
Mobygamesisreanimated (11069) on 12/18/2009 2:18 PM · Permalink · Report
Against my own better judgement, I recently started playing Kaizo Mario World. The level design is actually pretty clever and it's amazing how the game can fuck you up in so many different ways. I've only finished level 1, the yellow switch palace and level 2, so maybe I should stop now before things get really ugly. (You should probably turn down your speakers when you want to watch the videos).
St. Martyne (3648) on 12/18/2009 7:19 PM · Permalink · Report
Yeah, the commentary is perhaps even more painful than the actual levels.
I really liked it, though. It's so intense! Most of the time I was thinking "How can you possibly pass that?!?"
It's more of puzzle game, really. Part of the fun is figuring out what to do. If only it didn't require an unhuman precision to execute your ideas.
mobygamer (92) on 12/18/2009 8:32 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start djsquarewave wrote--] I'm ashamed to say that Doom on 360 was my first time playing through the game. I thought it was really hard...and I was playing it on the lowest difficulty that would unlock stuff. I'm not very good at first-person shooters. :( [/Q --end djsquarewave wrote--] A keyboard and mouse can fix that ;D
St. Martyne (3648) on 12/18/2009 9:01 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I would think that, if anything, two thumbsticks will make Doom controls better.
Remember, it doesn't have mouselook, so it's only one axis on each thumbstick you have to worry about. Also there is the advantage of analog controls over a plain digital keyboard.
Of course, it's quite a different story for a game with free mouselook, which is only every FPS made, since Quake.
mobygamer (92) on 12/18/2009 9:22 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--]I would think that, if anything, two thumbsticks will make Doom controls better.
Remember, it doesn't have mouselook [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--] Depends on the version. Here is one that supports freelook: http://linux.softpedia.com/get/GAMES-ENTERTAINMENT/FPS/DooM-Legacy-604.shtml
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/18/2009 11:03 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start blabla blablabla wrote--] A keyboard and mouse can fix that ;D [/Q --end blabla blablabla wrote--] A keyboard and mouse can't fix a lack of ability. ;) I used to play Quake and Unreal Tournament with friends a fair bit, and was always the bottom rung. Though, maybe that was because I was the only one still using a ball mouse instead of optical...
I was pretty good at Goldeneye back in the day, but I think that was just an anomaly. :)
Parf (7870) on 12/18/2009 9:07 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start djsquarewave wrote--]I'm ashamed to say that Doom on 360 was my first time playing through the game. I thought it was really hard...and I was playing it on the lowest difficulty that would unlock stuff. I'm not very good at first-person shooters. :( [/Q --end djsquarewave wrote--]
I just finished it! :D
This is one of those games I think I've been playing on and off since it was first released for DOS back in the day. As soon as I got the 360 it was a given download. How sad is it that I get a spanking new console only to play a game that's over 15 years old? :)
I don't really view this one the same as a new FPS though since, like Martyne said, it's really not 3D in the same sense as they are now. You don't need to aim up or down, which makes mowing down hoards of monsters much easier. Oh... and the controls are actually simple but spot on, as opposed to many new games with 35 different buttons to remember.
Pseudo_Intellectual (67239) on 12/18/2009 10:30 PM · Permalink · Report
How sad is it that I get a spanking new console only to play a game that's over 15 years old? :)
If anything it's not a sad comment on you, the player, finding fun in simple things, but sad for the games industry, which hasn't yet really figured out what to do next.
Parf (7870) on 12/22/2009 11:41 PM · Permalink · Report
I actually got a small case of the technophobia/nostaliga illness and decided to halt playing anything even remotely modern in favor of Shinobi for the 360 now. I must be on some sort of backwards developement program or something. I seem to be finding more and more simple enjoyment in these old school games as of late. I put off FFXII in favor of PSII, Dead Rising for Shinobi... what next? Pong?
Pseudo_Intellectual (67239) on 12/23/2009 3:10 AM · Permalink · Report
I don't think we will seriously ever beat Tetris. But I look forward to seeing the contenders!
Mobygamesisreanimated (11069) on 12/23/2009 10:41 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--]I don't think we will seriously ever beat Tetris. But I look forward to seeing the contenders! [/Q --end Pseudo_Intellectual wrote--] As someone who also enjoys Wario's Woods you should know that Tetris has already been beaten into a coma.
Slug Camargo (583) on 12/23/2009 5:41 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]I actually got a small case of the technophobia/nostaliga illness and decided to halt playing anything even remotely modern in favor of Shinobi for the 360 now. [/Q --end Parf wrote--] That's what I call a good investment in entertainment systems!
And here I am, still waiting for a working PS2 emulator. Talk about giving bread to those with no teeth :______(
Come to think of it, that doesn't make any sense --you don't necessarily use your teeth to eat bread o_O
mobygamer (92) on 12/23/2009 1:29 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--]
And here I am, still waiting for a working PS2 emulator. [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--] http://pcsx2.net/ It works. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-whYQW8ExPs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vdc8YZkllg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icoOauHaCfY etc etc
Even the wii has a working emulator :P
xroox (3895) on 12/24/2009 10:50 PM · Permalink · Report
I just bought myself a PS2 for Xmas. I'm in love!
So far, I own two games: The glorious Global Defence Force and the slash-tastic Maken Shao.
My copy of Shadow of the Colossus is in the mail =)
St. Martyne (3648) on 12/26/2009 10:12 PM · Permalink · Report
Great!
Bought myself an XBOX today! That's my XMAS present!
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/27/2009 1:27 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--]I just bought myself a PS2 for Xmas. I'm in love!
So far, I own two games: The glorious Global Defence Force and the slash-tastic Maken Shao.
My copy of Shadow of the Colossus is in the mail =) [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--] Oh man, Global Defence Force is such insane fun. Some of the weapons you can find in that are so gloriously useless. It's great!
I got Assassin's Creed II last week, and I finished it last night. To anyone who played the first and saw unfulfilled potential, you want to play this. It's like the first game was just to build the tech, so for this one they had the tech ready and spent the whole two years or however long just making a damned good game. Almost everything wrong with the first one is addressed, and it's just a much richer experience as a whole.
I've also been screwing around in Mushihimesama Futari...so many bullets. Also picked up Ninja Blade and Way of the Samurai 3 today, will be digging into those soon. I need to find time to add all these games here, too... D:
Foxhack (32137) on 12/27/2009 5:46 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Speaking of adding, I just went ahead and added these two sets. And my hatred of SNK Playmore USA's management grows with every passing minute.
I've been playing the PS2 version of Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law a bit. It's good, but... it's not the same...
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/27/2009 6:08 AM · Permalink · Report
I got Assassin's Creed II last week, and I finished it last night. To anyone who played the first and saw unfulfilled potential, you want to play this. It's like the first game was just to build the tech, so for this one they had the tech ready and spent the whole two years or however long just making a damned good game. Almost everything wrong with the first one is addressed, and it's just a much richer experience as a whole.
I'm impatiently waiting for the PC version!
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/27/2009 6:06 AM · Permalink · Report
the slash-tastic Maken Shao.
I thought I was the only one who played this game... Dude, you should review it! :)
Parf (7870) on 12/27/2009 6:19 AM · Permalink · Report
I've pretty much wrapped up Shinobi for the 360 and turned my attention to The Simpsons Game on the same platform. While I can see why the game has gotten a luke warm rating, I still can't help but like it. It's a pretty good way to waste time, and since it's written by the original writers, it's also very funny. I do see some irony however in the game making fun of game clichés on the one hand, but on the other uses them as gameplay mechanics itself.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 12/27/2009 7:42 PM · Permalink · Report
I got Batman: Arkham Asylum for Christmas and I'm enjoying it very much. It's been a long time since a game has suck me into as fast as this one. Escorting the Joker to his cell at the begining really set the atmosphere. After that I'll try and finish Pure. I'm just seven events away from winning.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/28/2009 12:13 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--]I got Batman: Arkham Asylum for Christmas and I'm enjoying it very much. It's been a long time since a game has suck me into as fast as this one. Escorting the Joker to his cell at the begining really set the atmosphere.[/Q --end DANIEL HAWKS ! wrote--] This game was amazing. I know it's been said a million times before, but it was a pleasant surprise and one of the precious few license games to really do its property justice. It was just pure solid gameplay and incredible atmosphere all the way through. I should play through it again on the hard mode sometime!
I never really got the hang of the combat, though...I don't see how some of those challenge goals are even possible. :(
Patrick Bregger (305667) on 12/28/2009 11:44 AM · Permalink · Report
So, I just finished Dragon Age and it was awesome. It has many small things which bothered me, e.g. underwear sex and stupid inventory system, but the three most important disciplines of a RPG are performed very well: great dialogues and story, fun quests and good fighting system and character development.
Now I've started to play two new games. On the one side I finally decided to start with Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir which was sitting on my shelf for over a year. I've played an hour or so and I like the new approach to the NWN2 mechanics.
I also started to play Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and the gameplay seems as fun as the first game. I could start to write a big rant about how absolutely retarded the story and especially the story telling of this game is and I certainly hope Pandora Tomorrow manages to do better.
Donatello (466) on 12/28/2009 6:28 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I didn't know where to post this, but since I'm playing Final Fantasy VIII:
Jesus Christ, the dance scene is absolutely fabulous. I've been watching it over and over on Youtube after I witnessed it in the morning. I've seen it before, as I played a bit of FFVIII back when I was 7 or 8, but God, I hadn't a slightest clue how magical it really is.
I told my mom that I'm going to take dance lessons.
:D
Currently playing: Final Fantasy VIII, Shadow Hearts Covenant, Persona PSP. More detailed impressions when I've managed to get more hours into Shadow Hearts 2.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 12/28/2009 6:47 PM · Permalink · Report
Jesus Christ, the dance scene is absolutely fabulous.
It is. One of the most beautiful scenes in any video game, ever. I love it. I love FF8, and you should love it too, don't listen to the cynical enemies of melodrama! :)
MasterMegid (723) on 1/6/2010 1:36 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
"I love it. I love FF8."-Oleg- That's because you are a
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 12/29/2009 11:00 AM · Permalink · Report
Man, you guys really get to see my inability to play a game through to the end. I've been chipping away at the multiplayer achievements in DOOM (finished, though I also need to play through on Ultraviolent) and Beautiful Katamari (mostly done, but damned if the multiplayer isn't dreadfully boring).
But I also started playing through Sonic 2006 and Ghostbusters. And I've still yet to finish Crash: Mind Over Mutant or my hard-mode playthroughs on Bullet Witch and Bionic Commando. Not to even mention Phantasy Star II.
I need to learn how to focus my attention a little bit. -_- Then maybe it won't take me six months to play through most every game I start...
—- (1623) on 12/29/2009 5:23 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Honouring its tenth anniversary, I started replaying the mighty Shenmue again. This game was just ahead of its time in so many ways... Hell, even graphically it still holds up; I played recent Wii games that didn't look nearly as good as this!
Sigh I already dread the moment when I'll reach the end of Shenmue II again, knowing full well that we'll probably never see a continuation of the story =(
vedder (72503) on 12/31/2009 4:23 PM · Permalink · Report
Played Flatout 2 at a LAN with 7 friends. Great fun, although I sucked at racing. I did do very well in the destruction derby mode.
Also bought Machinarium in the Steam Holiday sales. A very cute little game which conveys a lot of emotion. It's even more fun than I hoped it would be! A great improvement over those Samorost games.
Parf (7870) on 1/2/2010 5:19 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm kind of wrapping up The Simpsons Game for the 360 now. Just some more collecting and stuff to do before I put it to rest.
And I borrowed a pile of games from my brother, and the first one I started a little on is Dead or Alive 4. I'd have to say it stays true to its roots (being a fan of the first two games), and it's quite fun at times. Although I don't think I'll be playing it for that long. Fighting games aren't usually long runners with me (with the exception of Super Smash Bros.: Melee and Street Fighter II, which me and my friends at the time played more or less constantly).
And I just got Sam & Max Beyond Time and Space, which me and my wife will get started on together soon. :)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 1/5/2010 11:08 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Just finished Arkham Asylum. WOW. I haven't played a game that kept me on the edge of my seat like that in ages ! I'm so blown away, I have no words ! I do have my favorite Joker game over screen though.
MasterMegid (723) on 1/6/2010 1:40 AM · Permalink · Report
I am playing a game starring Drunken Irishman....er I mean Rabbi The Sabotuer. It is not on Moby yet.
Alas, it will be Pandemic's last game.
Just finished Dragon Age. I have Assiassian's Creed II, but have not delved into it yet.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 1/10/2010 4:21 PM · Permalink · Report
Playing Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. Powerful, this one is!! So fun! And sometimes hysterically funny. Has anyone else played this??
Parf (7870) on 1/11/2010 9:54 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I only played the first one, but that one was a nice little time waster for sure. :)
As for myself, I've finally gotten around playing Fable II. I'm really liking it so far, since it's managed to capture what made the first one fun and expand on it.
Spenot (8585) on 1/11/2010 7:38 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn Lynx wrote--]Playing Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga. Powerful, this one is!! So fun! And sometimes hysterically funny. Has anyone else played this?? [/Q --end Unicorn Lynx wrote--] Playing these new Lego games gave me a warm, nostalgic, fuzzy feeling, made me feel like a lil' bugger again, combining my two of my favorite things into one :D. And I had even more fun with the first Indy title too. Should get around sometime to check the second part, and the Batman one too.
Speaking of Lego, the Lego Universe trailer looks awesome. Too bad I'm not that much of an MMO fan.
The Fabulous King (1332) on 1/27/2010 7:18 AM · Permalink · Report
So Mass Effect 2 is out. Here are it's "sex" scenes. Surprisingly, there's even less sex than in original ME or even Dragon Age - which means no sex actually. But lots of groping and kissing... with clothes on.
Male Shepard&Miranda
Male Shepard&Subject Zero (evil sex)
Male Shepard&Subject Zero (good sex)
Male Shepard&Tali
Female Shepard&Garrus
Female Shepard&Thane
Female Shepard&Jacob
It is kinda a step down from DA's wonderful dwarf&elf gay sex and ME's naked bodies. Miranda is something of a "girl next door" fantasy, Subject Zero is the broken twisted woman with whom you can have "dirty violent" or "saved by Jesus" sex, Tali is the virgin fantasy. Garrus was funny, Thane one is the "dark, disturbed and mysterious" fantasy and Jacob is the "boy next door" one I guess.
Donatello (466) on 1/27/2010 1:51 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rabbi Guru wrote--]So Mass Effect 2 is out. Here are it's "sex" scenes. Surprisingly, there's even less sex than in original ME or even Dragon Age - which means no sex actually. But lots of groping and kissing... with clothes on.
Male Shepard&Miranda
Male Shepard&Subject Zero (evil sex)
Male Shepard&Subject Zero (good sex)
Male Shepard&Tali
Female Shepard&Garrus
Female Shepard&Thane
Female Shepard&Jacob
It is kinda a step down from DA's wonderful dwarf&elf gay sex and ME's naked bodies. Miranda is something of a "girl next door" fantasy, Subject Zero is the broken twisted woman with whom you can have "dirty violent" or "saved by Jesus" sex, Tali is the virgin fantasy. Garrus was funny, Thane one is the "dark, disturbed and mysterious" fantasy and Jacob is the "boy next door" one I guess. [/Q --end Rabbi Guru wrote--]
That Subject Zero one was disturbing, I mean the evil one.
Slug Camargo (583) on 1/27/2010 11:19 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rabbi Guru wrote--]So Mass Effect 2 is out. Here are it's "sex" scenes. Surprisingly, there's even less sex than in original ME or even Dragon Age - which means no sex actually. But lots of groping and kissing... with clothes on.
Miranda is something of a "girl next door" fantasy, Subject Zero is the broken twisted woman with whom you can have "dirty violent" or "saved by Jesus" sex, Tali is the virgin fantasy. Garrus was funny, Thane one is the "dark, disturbed and mysterious" fantasy and Jacob is the "boy next door" one I guess. [/Q --end Rabbi Guru wrote--] Wait, there's no girl-girl? Bleh, ME2 officially sucks. And to think I almost went all the way to the Pirate Bay to get it >=(
The Fabulous King (1332) on 1/28/2010 6:33 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Little Miss 101 wrote--] Wait, there's no girl-girl? Bleh, ME2 officially sucks. And to think I almost went all the way to the Pirate Bay to get it >=( [/Q --end Little Miss 101 wrote--]
Well there's this thing, but the video had no sound and she seems to be just some random loosepants. And apparently you have to hit F repeatedly for that to continue... so that was just weird and sad.
Slug Camargo (583) on 1/29/2010 2:15 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rabbi Guru wrote--] Well there's this thing, but the video had no sound and she seems to be just some random loosepants. And apparently you have to hit F repeatedly for that to continue... so that was just weird and sad. [/Q --end Rabbi Guru wrote--] I gotta hand it to them, though, in any case it beats the """"""""""""sex scenes"""""""""""" in Fallout 3 by a big, fat margin.
And what's with this new Youtube thing where they leave the video but they extract the audio? What is that, copyright half-infringement? It's like putting you in jail but leaving the cell door unlocked, because it wasn't that bad a crime anyway o_O
By the way, I might just give the first ME a go, since it's at a pretty sweet price point now, so wish me luck. I'm still afraid that the whole pew-pew-pew sci-fi setting will kill my gaming boner, but at least it's not medieval fantasy, which is to say something already. And apparently the models actually act!!! when they're talking (I.E., they don't just stand still with a blank stare while repeating the same two hand gestures compulsively), which is just CRAZY!!! =O And I saw some videos and the combat seems to be pretty fun.
Sicarius (61514) on 2/1/2010 7:31 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Females can jump into bed with Kelly Chambers and Morinth (the evil Asari you only get if you don't help Samara) for a round of lesbian-action. But both are also an option for male Shepards and Morinth will kill Shepard after making out, subsequently ending the game prematurely.
Here's the complete list of possibilities:
Male
* Miranda Lawson
* Subject Zero (Jack)
* Kelly Chambers
* Tali’Zorah nar Rayya
* Morinth
Female
* Jacob Taylor
* Thane Krios
* Kelly Chambers
* Garrus Vakarian
* Morinth
Though if you had a romance in Mass Effect and continue playing with that character I would strongly advise against starting a new romance because the developers promise repercussions in Mass Effect 3 for such an action (if you survive the ending of Part 2 anyway). And judging by the huge amount of big and small decision you made in part one that actually do have an effect on ME2 - I do believe that statement to be true.
And to stay on topic: The last two weeks I played the hell out of Mass Effect 2 for my review and my huge guide ( http://www.gamersglobal.de/howto/mass-effect-2-kompendium ) which of course has its own section simply called "Sex" culminating all the important information.
Foxhack (32137) on 1/27/2010 2:27 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Thanks for reminding me - I really have to work on adding the PS2 version of this abomination here. (To be fair, it's not entirely bad, but it could've been much, much better. Imagine a Guitar Hero clone with first-gen PS1 graphics.)
As for me, I've been adding a few Mac games, having fun in the process. After discovering a demo version of Crop Circles: Escape from Planet 3 in one of my Mac shareware CDs, and finding out there's a Windows version, I ended up researching the company that made that game, finding out they've made at least three more games (two of which are a quiz game with different questions). One of which is a very impressive puzzle / action game that is really awesome.
Unfortunately The Wayback Archive keeps spitting out "Data Retrieval Failure" errors when I try to access their archive website. Which I'm sure is a lie. There's no excuse. :(
Parf (7870) on 1/27/2010 9:28 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Well, I have Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals to "enjoy" after I've washed my hands of Ultimate Band. Funny/tragic trivia: Ultimate Band uses a lot of the same source code and gameplay as a Hannah Montana game for the DS, which in itself almost makes me want to burn it in self defense.
xroox (3895) on 2/1/2010 12:26 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Currently playing Toki Tori, a really fun puzzle game I picked up for the price of a sandwich on Steam.
I'm halfway through Psychonauts. Not crazy about the platforming but the art and the writing more than make up for it.
However, it's temporarily put on hold so I can re-play Silent Hill 2. I haven't seen Pyramid Head yet but already I've jumped out of my seat a couple of times.
Slug Camargo (583) on 2/1/2010 11:07 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--] However, it's temporarily put on hold so I can re-play Silent Hill 2. I haven't seen Pyramid Head yet but already I've jumped out of my seat a couple of times. [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--] ZOMG! Where did you get it? I've been looking for it for ages without any luck =(
Also, Oni.
xroox (3895) on 2/2/2010 1:19 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--] [Q2 --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--] Silent Hill 2 [/Q2 --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--] ZOMG! Where did you get it? I've been looking for it for ages without any luck =(
Also, Oni. [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--]I bought it in 2003, from a regular shop, at a discounted price ;) I do notice that it's pretty damn rare and expensive now though. I also notice that it doesn't play nice with WinXP like it did on WinME :( Occasional sound loops (corrected by quitting and reloading) and GeForce users have problems with the flashlight (lucky for me that I have an ATI card). If you can, I'd say go with the Xbox version instead.
Oni's a game I mean to play one day...
P.S. Is it wrong that I find Cosmic Peacelord Vixenia Delta sexier every time I open this thread? :O
Slug Camargo (583) on 2/2/2010 4:11 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--] I do notice that it's pretty damn rare and expensive now though. I also notice that it doesn't play nice with WinXP like it did on WinME :( Occasional sound loops (corrected by quitting and reloading) and GeForce users have problems with the flashlight (lucky for me that I have an ATI card). [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--] Retail box then, forget it =( I can only buy online.
If my memory serves me well, there is a patch for the sound loop, by the way.
xroox (3895) on 2/2/2010 12:31 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--]If my memory serves me well, there is a patch for the sound loop, by the way. [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--]Yeah, but only for the U.S. version, frustratingly. Although I managed to get the sound fix into my Euro version, via a U.S. noCD crack. I think. Anyway, the game works and the sound issue seems noticeably better now.
You're right - I don't think this is being sold on any digital download sites.
The Fabulous King (1332) on 2/4/2010 7:17 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--] P.S. Is it wrong that I find Cosmic Peacelord Vixenia Delta sexier every time I open this thread? :O [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--]
No. There's nothing wrong with that. ;-)
So Mass Effect 2. Retcon time. There's just something about Cerberus going from a black ops unit gone rogue that no-one really knows about... to being some intergalactically known terrorist group that wear uniforms, where they all wear emblems everybody recognises as Cerberus, oh, and they register their super-secret ship so even the Quarrians know it's built by them...
At least it's better. The formula is also different, however it does share a certain drunken Potemkin village thing with the first one, because the formula is also just too noticeable. But I guess it's hard for it not to be, since recruiting characters is the focus of the game. Do them, gain loyalty and it's "the omg finale!". But yeah, characters are definitely much more interesting in this game.
So Oleg and Martyne, where are you guys?
Patrick Bregger (305667) on 2/4/2010 9:12 PM · Permalink · Report
I hate this game. This is literally the first game which forces me to play it until 2 in the morning. Normally I seldom play longer than an hour at a time - but I have to force myself to stop playing ME2. Shortly before I start being tired of shooting stuff it stops and I have a dialogue sequence. And shortly before I start getting tired of taking I get to shoot people. The pacing is just right. At least since I stopped scanning every planet for resources.
And I'm seriously thinking about playing Mass Effect 1 again after finishing ME2. This time with a "light side" woman - just to see what changes in ME2 in comparison to this playthrough.
vedder (72503) on 2/7/2010 10:55 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Currently playing Tomb Raider. I only ever played the first level before. I loved Tomb Raider II, so playing this was rather inevitable.
I gave one of those new Crystal Dynamic Tomb Raiders a go a while back (Legend I think) and didn't like it at all. But this this is great.
At first I booted up the game in DOSbox which was rather a shock because the graphics were atrocious. A jumble of gigantic pixels of which you could hardly make anything. But then I found a Glide emulator, so now it all looks as if I'm playing it with a Voodoo graphics card. Still crap, but at least now I can actually detect polygons :)
Anyhow, awesome game. And that intro tune just gives me a nostalgic shiver down my spine.
Also at work I've been playing Facebook games all week. For research, not voluntarily! ;) It's funny to see that whatever game I start Rob Lim already has an account with an insanely high level :D
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 2/8/2010 12:56 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start vedder wrote--]Currently playing Tomb Raider. I only ever played the first level before. I loved Tomb Raider II, so playing this was rather inevitable.
I gave one of those new Crystal Dynamic Tomb Raiders a go a while back (Legend I think) and didn't like it at all. But this this is great.
At first I booted up the game in DOSbox which was rather a shock because the graphics were atrocious. A jumble of gigantic pixels of which you could hardly make anything. But then I found a Glide emulator, so now it all looks as if I'm playing it with a Voodoo graphics card. Still crap, but at least now I can actually detect polygons :)
Anyhow, awesome game. And that intro tune just gives me a nostalgic shiver down my spine.
Also at work I've been playing Facebook games all week. For research, not voluntarily! ;) It's funny to see that whatever game I start Rob Lim already has an account with an insanely high level :D [/Q --end vedder wrote--]
Have you tried upping the rez to 640x480 ? The default is 320x200. I beleive the key that does it is in the first set of "F" keys. It's been a while since I played it on my pc, so I've forgotten. But Tomb Raider is one of the best games ever made, and is still a favorite of mine. I plan on playing it begining to end next month.
vedder (72503) on 2/11/2010 8:47 PM · Permalink · Report
My initial enthusiasm for TR1 has ebbed away completely about halfway through the game and I don't really know if I'll play it any more.
The responsiveness of the controls is just so horrible, making every jump tedious to perform. I have to reload dozens of times with every jumping puzzle, just because miss Croft refuses to jump because I didn't press the jump button 2 seconds earlier than the exact moment I want to jump.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 2/11/2010 8:52 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start vedder wrote--]My initial enthusiasm for TR1 has ebbed away completely about halfway through the game and I don't really know if I'll play it any more.
The responsiveness of the controls is just so horrible, making every jump tedious to perform. I have to reload dozens of times with every jumping puzzle, just because miss Croft refuses to jump because I didn't press the jump button 2 seconds earlier than the exact moment I want to jump. [/Q --end vedder wrote--]
Don't give up ! Tomb Raider works on a grid system for movement. I think it's every two steps when running that equals one block of the grid. Tomb Raider one to five works like that. It takes getting used to, but after a while it's second nature.
vedder (72503) on 2/11/2010 9:31 PM · Permalink · Report
I know how it works. I played and finished Tomb Raider 2 and 5 when they came out. But being used to games such as Prince of Persia, Assassin's Creed and Mirror's Edge there's no turning back to this flawed system. My primary annoyance is that if you stand in the middle of a grid square and start running you can't jump anymore until your in the next grid. Most of the jumping puzzles in the game involve pillars of a single square and you'll almost always land in the middle of it, meaning that after every jump you have to take a step back before you can start your next running jump or a step forward before you can start your next stationary jump. It annoys the hell out of me. Particularly if the platforms are fiery furnaces which could turn back at any moment.
The camera is dramatically bad as well. And the combat dreadfully dull. And while the controls for the platforming didn't bother me much in the early levels, now that more elaborate jumping puzzles are presented it's starting to become a real drag and the game is losing charm very quickly. And I'm wondering if the game will offer me sufficient rewards for continuing. Because for the graphics I don't have to do it, obviously :)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 2/11/2010 9:48 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I know what you mean. It's hard to go back to the grid system after playing other games, but I played TR so much when I first got it, I suppose it's been burned into my subconscience. As for the game getting better, I swear it gets better after the Greek levels. Of all the levels in the whole game those can really drain your will to play. And there are lots of them. The first few Greek levels are pretty draining, but everything after that gets better.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 2/11/2010 11:35 AM · Permalink · Report
So Oleg and Martyne, where are you guys?
I'm busy playing Mass Effect 2, obviously :)
I'm not very far into the game. Just finished the Omega part, got Garrus and the funny Salarian doctor.
So far - it's fun. Good dialogue, the story seems very promising.
But we gotta look at it from the right angle. It doesn't seem to be much of an RPG. Even less so that the first one.
The shooting is more fun than in the first one, though.
Looks like one of 'em "BioWare Lite" games.
Then again, after Baldur's Gate II everything seems "light". Even Dragon Age. Man, I want that heavy RPG with 100000 side-quests and stuff.
The Fabulous King (1332) on 2/11/2010 9:20 PM · Permalink · Report
I love Garrus.
It's also great to see your choices affecting situations in ME2. It's not mindblowing, when you import two characters and play them at the same time, you'll kinda notice how it is done*... but I've missed this thing ever since Quest for Glory, where it wasn't this refined.
- which is actually my main gripe about the series. It's just too noticeable how things are done.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 2/12/2010 5:50 AM · Permalink · Report
which is actually my main gripe about the series. It's just too noticeable how things are done.
Unfortunately, that's how it is with most modern games. Gone are the days when you could do things in games the designers did not intend you to do.
Besides, like you said in your ME review, once a company finds a formula, there is no going back.
But I appreciate the cinematic qualities in ME series, and above all, the creation of a unique universe. I love just reading the Codex there.
Slug Camargo (583) on 2/13/2010 7:56 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn Lynx wrote--] But I appreciate the cinematic qualities in ME series, and above all, the creation of a unique universe. I love just reading the Codex there. [/Q --end Unicorn Lynx wrote--] I've been playing ME a bit (in a nutshell: pretty cool, actually =D) and I have a question for you guys. First off, I gotta say I just got my Spectre title and did my first couple quests on other galaxies, so maybe things are bound to change later on, but at least up until now: Is it just me or the sidequests are horribly shallow?
I am of course comparing them to the sidequests in Fallout 3, what with all those stories going on with so many clever and funny details, and the multiple choices and whatnot, even for the smallest, completely tangential ones; and I can't help but feeling ME just has me running errands for pretty much no reason other than to artificially extend my gameplay time --most of the time I'm literally just delivering a message, like the guy who hires me is simply too lazy to walk over there himself.
And whatever story there is to be told is delivered in a most uninspired way. I just finished one where some miners had disappeared from the radar and whatnot, so I went over to the planet they were working on, and turned out they had became these robot-zombies types. This was explained to me in a dumb pop-up window that came up once I killed all of them, which is a pretty lame way to wrap up a story --felt like they simply got suddenly tired of telling the story and cut it there for good.
I bring it up here because I think it's odd that there's obviously so much work put into the background of this universe, with Codex pages upon Codex pages of history to dig into. As in, they did all this monumental effort for an optional aspect of the game --I don't need to know every bit of background information-, but they seem to have dropped the ball with the most important aspect of a game like this: The actual bleeding quests I will play.
So, thoughts?
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 2/13/2010 8:42 AM · Permalink · Report
Is it just me or the sidequests are horribly shallow?
The sidequests are horribly shallow. That's the most glaring flaw of Mass Effect. My advise: don't do sidequests. Just follow the main story.
It's funny, actually: the first ME was all dramatic main story and awful sidequests. The second ME is weird: the main story is composed of sidequests. The sidequests you decide to do is the main "meat" of the story. Pretty interesting, actually.
Parf (7870) on 2/8/2010 7:50 PM · Permalink · Report
I started playing Mega Man Legends 2 again, after having put it aside a couple of years back for reasons unknown. It's an oddly nice blend of Mega Man and Zelda gameplay. I'm quite enjoying it actually. :)
I also endured some Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals for the sole reason of adding it to the site. I've never been a fan of monster-breeding games, and this one sure didn't make me see the error of my ways. :\
Slug Camargo (583) on 2/9/2010 11:08 PM · Permalink · Report
Checking the Steam window every fifteen seconds to see Bioshock 2's progress, and giggling like a schoolgirl every time I notice a 1% bump.
This might take a while, though, it's at 26% now.
xroox (3895) on 2/10/2010 2:19 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--]Checking the Steam window every fifteen seconds to see Bioshock 2's progress, and giggling like a schoolgirl every time I notice a 1% bump.
This might take a while, though, it's at 26% now. [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--]You have a lot of giggling ahead of you, sir.
Parf (7870) on 2/11/2010 7:41 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm starting to realise what a grind-fest Phantasy Star II is. For every very short story section there's tons and tons of grinding to do to get money for equipment. I'm trying to tell myself that I'm doing this because I want to experience some gaming history.
As a matter of fact, I'm sitting here surfing around Mobygames while occasionally glancing down at the DS to see if the next random encounter is over yet. Then I'll just sit and press up and down on the D-pad until the next one starts. I suppose you could call it extremely passive gaming. ;)
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 2/27/2010 4:22 PM · Permalink · Report
gulp I'm approaching the Meat Circus in Psychonauts. Wish me luck.
Hey, it ain't that hard, not for a gaming veteran like you. It's just one level, and it's got checkpoints. Honestly, those old platformers without save feature were harder.
Slug Camargo (583) on 2/27/2010 9:44 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn Lynx wrote--]Honestly, those old platformers without save feature were harder. [/Q --end Unicorn Lynx wrote--] You tell 'em girlfriend! high five
Seriously, this is the truest truth to ever not lie. Sure the Meat Circus ramps up the difficulty to insane levels, but that's how platformers were actually supposed to be back in the day. Humanity has no memory =(
And in any case, the ending more than makes up for any hair-tearing this level subjected you to. Hang in there.
—- (1623) on 2/27/2010 7:44 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--] (Btw, does anyone notice how Oleg's 'DLC' thread has almost killed its parent? ;) ) [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--] I thought we would just use the DLC thread from now on and leave this one alone... I'm confused now! =(
Slug Camargo (583) on 2/27/2010 10:20 PM · Permalink · Report
So my daughter started playing platformers. It's quite cool actually, she's pretty good but not that good as to beat them by herself, so every now and again she turns to me for help with a hard enemy or an unforgiving platform section or whatever. I guess this is the kind of parent-child bonding us nerds get to do.
She went through The Maw and Mini Ninjas recently, and I guessed I'd pass on some of my old(ish) time favorites to her.
Thus, just a few days ago we finished Beyond Good & Evil. Needless to say, she adored the whole thing.
As for me --you know how nostalgia makes us remember those old games as much more than they actually were? Like, they were ground breaking back in their time, but by today's standards they pretty much suck? This has happened to me quite a few times. Sins of the Fathers isn't anywhere near as "mature" and "atmospheric" as I liked to remember (and yet its puzzles were every bit as inane and frustrating =( ) and I can only imagine what a massive crush I had on Alone in the Dark to even bear with it. Jesus that crap is unplayable. Even Metal Gear Solid 2 feels unbearably broken gameplay-wise, and the storytelling makes me feel so embarrassed I'm actually thankful the horrible gameplay puts me off so badly.
Now don't get me wrong, those were some of my favorite games ever, and I have a great deal of respect for them; but they can't even compare to the games I have now. I wouldn't go through them again with a gun pointed to my crotch.
Which brings me again to BG&E. This game is OUTSTANDING. And note I'm saying "is", because it's every bit as good as it was back then. Maybe even better. The gameplay is flawless; it's pure, out-and-out bliss to play, even if the camera is honestly bad --it's just that much fun. The stealth sections are surprisingly fun (considering that stealth mechanics are even today a universally broken aspect in games), and those parts where you run towards the camera (an idea that's so terrible I would never forgive in any other game) not only are enjoyable but are also probably the most adrenaline-pumpingly awesome sections of the game.
About the only thing I could complain about is the world not being bigger and having more sidequest. Including more of those where you run towards the camera =P
And the storytelling, Jesus, I didn't even remember it was so great. I can't believe I actually forgot some of the cutscenes, since I don't think I've seen stuff this powerful in gaming ever --not considering these surprisingly effective dramatic moments are being thrown in the middle of a generally light-hearted, humorous, child-friendly story. BG&E is like the anti-MGS, that way looking. The closest comparison I can think of for the whole experience are the best of Pixar movies, like Finding Nemo.
So, I usually love to hate old stuff and nostalgia-powered discourses, but this time is totally justified --this game is actually good, and it's good today. Do yourself a favor and book some quality time with BG&E as soon as possible. You won't regret it, and you probably don't even remember how good this was.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 2/28/2010 4:55 AM · Permalink · Report
BG&E is like the anti-MGS, that way looking.
Good comparison :)
Cultural differences are just too obvious here. BG&E is so French, while MGS is very Japanese.
BG&E: beauty above content, why to say it all when you can just indicate, check out all those nuances, cf. Monet and Debussy.
MGS: generously throw everything I know, everything I feel at you, without processing. Cf. Akutagawa and Kurosawa.
Slug Camargo (583) on 3/1/2010 1:00 AM · Permalink · Report
Adding to the multi-thread confusion, I'm supporting BOTH D:
Anyway, I re-started S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky for the gazillionth time because I made some fuckup that erased all my saves. In any case, I'm enjoying it more every time. I don't know what is it exactly, these games just know how to push my buttons. As soon as I get my check I'm SO buying Pripyat.
Also, I discovered I'm addicted to scavenging. I can't help it. About the best part in a given combat is going through the dead bodies searching for stuff to pick up. Actually, that's a very big flaw I see in Mass Effect: Not enough scavenging. See me after class >=( And it's one of the things I enjoy the most in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R.'s, Fallout 3 and Bioshock 2.
Speaking of which, I've been spending some time with Bioshock 2 too. The story has just taken a small, timid step up, which is great because so far it was pretty derivative and shallow. This might end up in something good after all.
Gameplay wise, it's insanely fun. I don't think I'm even halfway into the game and I already have an arsenal worth of a couple world wars --and there is still a lot to acquire and upgrade. This is the most ridiculously action-packed thing I've been through in a while. And playing that hulking monstrosity has its own charme, especially with the new melee swing that every weapon has. You really feel for those poor splicers on the wrong end of a shotgun's butt :D
farrah fawcett on 3/8/2010 9:31 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
I still buy original console games, though. Because they look cooler and it's easier to make them work on a real console. With PC games, it's just the opposite.
chirinea (47527) on 3/8/2010 1:55 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start farrah fawcett wrote--]I still buy original console games, though. Because they look cooler and it's easier to make them work on a real console. With PC games, it's just the opposite. [/Q --end farrah fawcett wrote--]Indeed, it is much harder to make original console games to work on a real PC. =)
Patrick Bregger (305667) on 3/9/2010 3:26 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
At the moment I'm feeling kinda dirty: I finished four games during the last week. To be fair, one of them is a ultra-short adventure and two of them are action games of average length which were more than half finished but still...
However, now I finally try out a game I wanted to play for many years: Thief (using the Gold version). Everybody seems to love this game and I am very excited to experience it for myself. I spent a good part of today's afternoon with attempts to get it to work - I hope it was worth the trouble.
Patrick Bregger (305667) on 3/19/2010 4:24 PM · Permalink · Report
I just finished Mission 5 (Thieves' Guild) and I can already say: this game is worth every minute of configuring! The levels have a logical structure (there are even toilets!) and the atmosphere is very good. The most important thing, the gameplay, works very well and still feels fresh and unique, even more than ten years after later. I'm not aware of any similar game - the closest would be the Splinter Cell series which feels very differently because of the 3rd person view. Well, and of course all that advanced equipment.
What I also love are the varied difficulty levels - not just harder enemies like most other games but totally new mission objectives with new parts of the level to explore. Absolutely marvellous! Normally every good idea gets copied hundreds of time, why not this one? But everyone has to jump on that stupid auto-healing bandwagon.
Slug Camargo (583) on 3/10/2010 4:28 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Finished BioShock 2. Like I said, the gameplay is a blast, and that's that.
The story, though, is an interesting beast. It starts sort of flat and derivative, but it unexpectedly starts getting better and better during the last few hours, building up to finally come off with what must be one of the most rewarding endings I've ever seen, ever --I probably haven't seen something this fullfilling since Sands of Time. Seriously. Much as it happened in SoT, they make you follow a more-or-less bland plot, while slowly sneaking in bits and pieces of what in the end is revealed to be the actual main story. There's no philosophy-fest to be had here (there is, actually, but it's rather yawn-inducing), but more of a smaller, more personal kind of quest. And that's probably what makes it all the more appealing.
These guys managed to take the typical, crappy black=/=white moral choice system we see in every game and their mother (including the first BioShock, as much as I love it), and give it a twist that makes it hold an incredibly deep and touching meaning. I'm literally afraid of what might come up if I choose to play as a "bad" character (which I am gonna do right away, mind). It's true, you need to hold tight all the way to the end of the game for it to click, but when it does, it's SO worth it. There probably isn't another game where you feel so deeply responsible for the consequences of the choices you made.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone who cares about clever storytelling devices, to those who give importance to moral choices in games and, very especially, to those who have children --especially little children. And I can't help but think that, if noone else, Oleg would very much enjoy this.
Anyway, I suck horribly at explaining things and I'm the worst marketing blurb-er ever, so if you're -understandably- not convinced yet, and you don't mind spoilers, here are a couple of guys that say pretty much the same I did, but with a lot more style: Here is one, and here's the other one.
Here's a quote, as spoiler free as I could find:
The real twist though is that where Bioshock made a bad attempt at guessing your motivations, Bioshock 2 creates a situation where it doesn’t actually matter. It’s not your opinion of your actions that count, or even the computer keeping score (at least, not within the fiction), but how your decisions appear to an initially neutral third party.
There. It's awesome. Just play it and make sure you finish it.
Parf (7870) on 3/10/2010 7:44 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Bioshock 2 is on my to-do list. I've taken a week off from work late March, so me and my wife decided to use it to play through the game. Oddly enough, I was more excited over the LP than the actual game, while my wife was the one who kept insisting that we needed the sequel as soon as possible. I loved the first one, but I was a little afraid that the sequel might turn into a "more of the same"-fest. And also, I couldn't care less about the multi player part of it.
Glad to see one of the more avid fans give it the thumbs up. It brings me great hope. :)
—- (1623) on 3/22/2010 8:10 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
After a year of waiting and uncertainty, I finally got my hands on the English version of Yakuza 3.
Having a blast so far. Gotta love the series.
The reasons for why SEGA decided to cram the release date between Heavy Rain, Final Fantasy XIII and frickin' God of War III remain mysterious, though. It can only tank, I'm afraid...
Support this game if you want Yakuza 4 to go west, people!
Patrick Bregger (305667) on 3/30/2010 8:41 PM · Permalink · Report
It is 2010. I have a big pile of unplayed games in my shelves. I have an even bigger pile of new and old games on my wishlist I'd like to purchase at some point. I didn't touch any game for over a week. So what's the logical thing to do in this situation?
Correct, re-installing the Baldur's Gate series. And then installing a lot of mods. And then playing nothing else for a few months. To be honest, this is not entirely surprising, I have the irresistible urge to play BG every 1.5 years or so.
The last time I used the Big World Project for the first time and the game got damaged beyond repair while I was in Durlag's tower. This time the installation went a lot smoother but if this happens again I screw mods and go back to using just BGT.
Of course I still need to finish Thief and I already planned for a long time to play Stories of Liberty City as soon as possible when it gets finally released on PC. Well, we'll see.
The Fabulous King (1332) on 3/30/2010 9:14 PM · Permalink · Report
No DLC can beat Cosmic Peacelord Vixenia Delta, eh?
xroox (3895) on 3/30/2010 9:30 PM · Permalink · Report
Gotta love that Peacelord.
While I'm here: Just finished Time Hollow a nice 'visual novel' style adventure for the DS. Good story, lovely graphics, limited interactivity, dragged a bit in places. But I liked it.
Donatello (466) on 3/31/2010 11:49 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--]Gotta love that Peacelord.
While I'm here: Just finished Time Hollow a nice 'visual novel' style adventure for the DS. Good story, lovely graphics, limited interactivity, dragged a bit in places. But I liked it. [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--]
It's worth noting that it's sort of a spiritual sequel to the fantastic Shadow of Memories/Destiny.
xroox (3895) on 3/31/2010 2:41 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Donatello wrote--] It's worth noting that it's sort of a spiritual sequel to the fantastic Shadow of Memories/Destiny. [/Q --end Donatello wrote--]Yes, I noticed it had the same writer/project lead. Luckily, I have Shadow Of Destiny - I might play it soon.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/2/2010 2:28 AM · Permalink · Report
I found Shadow of Destiny to be an interesting experiment, but that the execution was rather...lacking. "Got kitten" indeed.
Though it did add the phrase "Hi, I'm Eike Kusch!" to the stock phrase library of my circle of friends, so there's that I suppose. :)
Slug Camargo (583) on 4/2/2010 2:47 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start djsquarewave wrote--]I found Shadow of Destiny to be an interesting experiment, but that the execution was rather...lacking. [/Q --end djsquarewave wrote--] Oh good, I thought I was the only one. Again. I got so bored of watching endless cutscenes rarely interrupted by three-click pseudo-interactive sequences I never even finished it =(
Parf (7870) on 4/1/2010 10:37 AM · Permalink · Report
I bought myself two Indie Games from Xbox Live recently that I've been playing a little here and there, namely: Ninja Bros and Shoot 1UP. One is a retro style puzzle platformer with pixel ninjas in bright colors, and the other a top-down frantic shoot 'em up with some fresh new ideas.
And here and there I occasionally play Bioshock 2 for the 360 as well. It's a pretty good game, but it so far hasn't grabbed me as much as the first one did.
Slug Camargo (583) on 4/1/2010 10:19 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--] And here and there I occasionally play Bioshock 2 for the 360 as well. It's a pretty good game, but it so far hasn't grabbed me as much as the first one did. [/Q --end Parf wrote--] Hang in there, girlfriend! It gets better later on! =P
It didn't do much for me either in terms of story at first. Once I had to choose the fate of certain three NPCs (don't know whether you met them yet) it did get somewhat more interesting, but still not on a BS1-level.
I think this was mostly because Lamb takes a major role for most of the story, and she's just about as shallow and uninteresting a nemesis as Fontaine was, and frankly her ideals and such sound like the kind of random questionings anyone could come up with while playing the first game. Those debates between her and Ryan were good ideas at the core, but came out pretty dumb, if you ask me. I don't buy that Ryan could be overtaken by such basic, generic comebacks.
Basically, it all felt like extending the last lame two levels in BS1 through an entire game.
However, once you finally find Eleanor, it really starts getting better, and it only gets better and better afterwards.
It worked like that for me anyway. Then again, some people finished the game and hated it nonetheless, but I think they missed the point.
Edit: We still don't have an entry for BioShock 2 here? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?
Parf (7870) on 4/2/2010 7:03 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--]Edit: We still don't have an entry for BioShock 2 here? Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?[/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--]
I have the special edition myself (bought it for the LP), so I guess I could add the standard version... I think they are the same, minus the extra stuff you get in the box. But, considering how little time I seem to have left over for internetz lately I'm not sure it'd be me doing it. :\
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/2/2010 8:49 PM · Permalink · Report
I can no longer stand my self imposed exile from videogames. (I'm studying for the SAT, and thought it would be a good idea to take a break.) Tomorrow, I'm jumping headlong into FFXII and Panzer Dragoon. Right now, I'm playing a couple of flash games I'm going to add to the database soon. Ahh...it feels good to be back.
Donatello (466) on 4/3/2010 10:19 AM · Permalink · Report
I've been playing with all kinds of kinky things, but anyway...
I finished Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on PSP. Yes, it's intended platform is Wii, but I managed to look past the obvious limitations of the handheld version (lack of motion controls).
I'm impressed. The beginning was rather slow and the somewhat linear approach doesn't suit quite an exploration-heavy game like Shattered Memories, but when the story started appetizing me with cryptic details, I was sold. It has many amazing setpieces and scenes, a lot of them symbolic. The atmosphere is very different from the previous games and that's why it would be apt to call Shattered Memories a reboot. Also, here's my main qualm with the game: it doesn't feel like Silent Hill most of the time. For once, without spoiling much, the town doesn't have the same role as it did in the previous games, and besides similar character names and various references, it could easily stand on its own. The other little problem is the plot, or well, how much it hinges on the ending. Again, I can't really explain it in details because if someone had ruined the conclusion for me, I wouldn't have come away with such powerful emotions.
Climax's efforts paid off this time, and while I do enjoy and like Silent Hill: Origins a lot, it's obvious that Shattered Memories is a much more ambitious product that isn't a mere product for the fans. It's more of a dark psychological thriller than a pure horror game, however, so if you're expecting the same Silent Hill you've played over the years, you'll be disappointed.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/5/2010 12:42 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Well, I was going to jump into FFXII and Panzer Dragoon this weekend, but a nasty case of poision oak is going to keep me from any gaming for a while. Sigh.
Pseudo_Intellectual (67239) on 4/5/2010 5:12 PM · Permalink · Report
Did you hurt your hands? Could be a good opportunity to investigate some one-button games 8)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/5/2010 10:07 PM · Permalink · Report
No, it's mostly on my right arm (A few spots elsewhere.). I would put up a picture, but it might gross everybody out. I just don't want to risk getting it on my stuff. I have some news paper on my desk just so I can use the mouse. Sigh, such is my luck in April. It seems the last few Aprils, I've managed to do some injury to myself or contract some virus. Last year, I was screwing around in the house and gave myself quite a nasty rugburn. It wasn't too bad until I took a shower that beat the thin skin off. It took almost a month to heal, and two more months after that for it to not even be noticable. I haven't had poision oak in almost ten years, but it shouldn't take too long to clear up.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/5/2010 10:19 PM · Permalink · Report
It's actually poison oak (Way worse !). Friday, it was only on my right arm, and then on Saturday, one third of my arm was covered in it, then a bit on my stomach, and now there are a few spots on my left leg. I would rather stay on the safe side of things for now.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/9/2010 7:29 AM · Permalink · Report
Finally went back to Phantasy Star II after about four months now...did a little bit of grinding and got past the part I was stuck at before (Climatrol). Made it through the first dam (Red Dam) and decided to take a break for tonight.
I really should have been studying for my Russian test instead, but, well...eheh...
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 4/9/2010 7:37 AM · Permalink · Report
I really should have been studying for my Russian test instead, but, well...eheh...
You are studying Russian? What for? To read Dostoevsky in original language? Or maybe play Pathologic in original language? :)
The Fabulous King (1332) on 4/9/2010 4:02 PM · Permalink · Report
I originally played The Witcher in polish (with english subtitles). When I later discovered that I was starting to understand the language, I thought that it's an amazing tool to learn languages. So I planned to play it in russian the next time. I've been postponing it since, but I'm going to do it in the near future.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/9/2010 6:29 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn Lynx wrote--]I really should have been studying for my Russian test instead, but, well...eheh...
You are studying Russian? What for? To read Dostoevsky in original language? Or maybe play Pathologic in original language? :) [/Q --end Unicorn Lynx wrote--] Honestly? I just think it's a really interesting language. I doubt I'll continue with it, though, as I've only got one more semester of uni left anyway. It's not coming nearly as easily as Japanese did. :(
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/10/2010 2:11 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start MZ per X wrote--] Six cases is too much? :o) What's with cases in Japanese? [/Q --end MZ per X wrote--] I'd never even heard of cases until I started taking Russian. D: Japanese denotes a word's function by adding a tiny one-or-two-syllable bit (called a particle) after the word, rather than by changing the word itself. It just feels unnatural to me to conjugate nouns.
MZ per X (3017) on 4/10/2010 12:11 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start djsquarewave wrote--] I'd never even heard of cases until I started taking Russian. D: Japanese denotes a word's function by adding a tiny one-or-two-syllable bit (called a particle) after the word, rather than by changing the word itself. It just feels unnatural to me to conjugate nouns. [/Q --end djsquarewave wrote--] Ah, interesting. Care to give some particle examples for an ignoramus?
For English conjugation newbies German is a better choice to go with. We have only four cases for nouns and only four additional characters (three umlauts and one s-z). :o) But the German language holds other obstacles for the interested, though.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/10/2010 7:30 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start MZ per X wrote--] Ah, interesting. Care to give some particle examples for an ignoramus? [/Q --end MZ per X wrote--] It's pretty simple. Say, for example, the basic word for "me", watashi. If I'm the subject, it'd be "watashi wa"; if I'm the direct object, it'd be "watashi o"; if I'm talking about something I did with someone else, it'd be "watashi to"; if they give me something, it'd be "watashi ni"; once I have it, the possessive would be "watashi no".
Well, notwithstanding that personal pronouns are usually dropped. But that's the basic just of it. There's a bunch more, but they don't really work with this word. There's ones that denote location, source, destination, methods/tools, stuff like that.
There's still conjugation in Japanese, of course, but it's limited to verbs and adjectives. There's also the complication of having various grammatical forms and same-meaning words where the only difference is how polite they are. :)
[Q --start MZ per X wrote--] For English conjugation newbies German is a better choice to go with. We have only four cases for nouns and only four additional characters (three umlauts and one s-z). :o) But the German language holds other obstacles for the interested, though. [/Q --end MZ per X wrote--] I must have had at least four people tell me I should have taken German instead by now. :P I'm not sure my school even offers it.
Donatello (466) on 4/10/2010 5:22 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn Lynx wrote--]I really should have been studying for my Russian test instead, but, well...eheh...
You are studying Russian? What for? To read Dostoevsky in original language? Or maybe play Pathologic in original language? :) [/Q --end Unicorn Lynx wrote--]
I think Pushkin would be a better choice in that case. :)
vedder (72503) on 4/10/2010 5:54 PM · Permalink · Report
Still playing Divinity II at home. It's quite fun, but very rough around the edges and often a bit disappointing. The latter particularly, because I was part of the design team during an earlier stage of development and problems identified back then are still present. Also the difficulty curve is all over the chart. The game definitely could've done with some scaling encounters à la Oblivion/Dragon Age.
At my parents' house (where I'm bound to retro-gaming because I only have a crappy old laptop at my disposal) I finished the superb MDK last week and started on Realms of the Haunting. I had never heard of this game, but it's surprisingly good! It's a very nice blend of genres. Having to describe it I'd say think Tex Murphy meets DOOM meets Resident Evil, with some Interactive Movie elements thrown in for good measure. It's a poor man's shooter, it's a poor man's adventure game, it's a poor man's interactive movie and a poor man's survival horror game. But all the genres added together make for a might fine game!
Patrick Bregger (305667) on 4/10/2010 8:39 PM · Permalink · Report
I've abandoned my BG-project for now. It worked fine but there were two big problems with it:
1) I had fun playing it but I always had a bad conscience because of all the other games I need to play
2) I didn't want to play at all in the last three weeks. Burned out I guess.
I'm still playing Thief but until the GTA 4 add-ons are finally released on PC next week I'm trying something special. I never liked strategy games, but I recently learned that the first Command & Conquer is freeware now. I didn't play a similar game for many years and now I plan trying it out. If I don't like it I wasted a few hours of my life but confirmed my dislike for the genre. If I like it I have to catch up on 15 years of RTS games.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/11/2010 6:45 AM · Permalink · Report
Still playing Phantasy Star II: finished opening the dams, and made it to Dezo. Having played PS4 before, it's interesting to see all the connections and play through things that are only referred to in the later title. Switched out some characters who then promptly died in a single hit, so I went back to Mota to grind a bit.
Also managed, by some stroke of luck, to finish all the achievements in Hexic HD. I never want to look at a colored hexagon again. D:
Also, also! Picked up Deadly Premonition today after reading this review of it, and played it for a few hours. I love it! It's absolutely ridiculous, pulls references and stupid jokes in from all over the place, undermines its own drama with cheesy music, and also manages to be a pretty solid game to boot. Just don't go in expecting a serious horror title...that it ain't.
Parf (7870) on 4/11/2010 1:17 PM · Permalink · Report
@djsquarewave: I'm playing PSII here and there for the GBA and I do have to say it's quite the grindfest without much in the ways of rewards really. I'm about to open the fourth dam myself soon. I do find the music strangely nice, for as repetetive as it gets after a while. As it is now, I hope that PSIII is less grind'y since that's the last game on the compilation before I'm done with it all.
As for Hexic... YOU'RE INSANE! ;p
<hr />I've found myself to be a little in-between games at the moment. I recently finished up the 1000 achievement points in Silent Hill: Homecoming. Not because it was a great game or anything, but simply because I really didn't have any other games to play at the moment.
I've packed up most of my consoles except the 360, DS and Xbox to get ready to move in the end of May. And since I hardly have any games left to play for any of those consoles I just try to kind of finish up what's left for now. I might start up a new game at some point when I feel inclined to, but as it is now, it's a little bit of Ninja Bros. (which got hard really fast!), Chime, Shoot 1UP and Phantasy Star II. And when my wife feels well enough we tend to play Bioshock 2 together.
chirinea (47527) on 4/11/2010 7:40 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]As it is now, I hope that PSIII is less grind'y since that's the last game on the compilation before I'm done with it all. [/Q --end Parf wrote--]I find PSIII to be a bit more fluid then other PS titles, you don't have to grind that much.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/12/2010 12:46 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]@djsquarewave: I'm playing PSII here and there for the GBA and I do have to say it's quite the grindfest without much in the ways of rewards really. I'm about to open the fourth dam myself soon. I do find the music strangely nice, for as repetetive as it gets after a while. As it is now, I hope that PSIII is less grind'y since that's the last game on the compilation before I'm done with it all. [/Q --end Parf wrote--] Do you have access to the fourth game? Despite what Oleg might try to tell you, I think it's fantastic and much better-paced than II and III (though now having played II, I can see what he means about IV being the same story again). If III and IV ever go up on Live Arcade, I'll be getting them day one, even though I already have them on this disc.
Unicorn Lynx (181666) on 4/12/2010 4:47 AM · Permalink · Report
Despite what Oleg might try to tell you, I think it's fantastic and much better-paced than II and III
Better-paced yes, but so unoriginal that it hurts.
I think Phantasy Star IV is a good game, I also said that in my review; but there were more interesting and exciting Japanese RPGs at that time.
It's just puzzling... The first half of the 90-ies - that was the golden age of Japanese RPGs. All those great games on Turbo CD and SNES make PSIV more a nostalgic tribute to the series' former greatness than a real competitor.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (110102) on 4/12/2010 5:54 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn Lynx wrote--]Better-paced yes, but so unoriginal that it hurts.
I think Phantasy Star IV is a good game, I also said that in my review; but there were more interesting and exciting Japanese RPGs at that time.
It's just puzzling... The first half of the 90-ies - that was the golden age of Japanese RPGs. All those great games on Turbo CD and SNES make PSIV more a nostalgic tribute to the series' former greatness than a real competitor. [/Q --end Unicorn Lynx wrote--] Maybe it's because I only played 3 and 4 upon their original release (and other than that, Dragon Warrior 1 & 2 were the only RPGs I'd ever encountered), but it really seems to me like 4 is a distillation of what worked so well about 2. They took the basic framework and said "okay, how can we make this better?" Maybe I like it so much because it captures that early-90s anime vibe so perfectly...Slayers and whatnot.
I'm certainly enjoying 2, and I respect how much it did right, but I also look at it and see all the problems it has. But considering my history with RPGs, it says something that I'm even sticking with it. :P
Slug Camargo (583) on 4/11/2010 9:51 PM · Permalink · Report
Just started Call of Pripyat. I'm officially in love with this franchise. I don't know what it is exactly, I could clearly point out about a dozen flaws every time my suspension of disbelief is violently shattered, which happens way more often than I would like, but I still enjoy these games like a degenerated maniac.
For all I care, they can milk the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series in a way that would put Squaresoft to shame, and I'll be buying every single one of them. It's one of those chemistry things, I guess.
This one is certainly more refined and all-around solid than the previous ones anyway, so the developers clearly haven't just been sitting on their fat asses since Clear Sky. It's also nice that they took a couple great ideas from the mod community and made them official. It's a cue many developers could take.
Also, I started Fallout 3 yet again.
I had a brief experience playing as an out-and-out bad character, and I confirmed that -other than a few key moments- the game was definitely not thought out to be played this way. It just feels too forced and artificial. Not to mention, I miss about 80% of the quests if I'm not nice to people. This is probably the one thing they should work out for the next one. Less about "good" and "evil" and more about making choices in a wide gray area --they did a great job at it with a few sidequests (this one comes to mind), so they do know what I mean, goddamnit.
That, and the animations during the conversations, for dog's sake --it's pretty awful talking to a barely animated dummy that couldn't express a f'ing emotion to save their life.
Anyway, I restarted as yet another good character. This is another game I just can't get enough of. Especially with all those amazing mods out there.
Also, motherfuck OST's when you have something like Galaxy News Radio enhanced with 100 tracks. God bless the DJ who doesn't know what a disc is =D
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 4/13/2010 12:45 AM · Permalink · Report
Well my poison oak is going away. I feel comfortable enough to play my games now. But after that break, I've developed a itch for Nintendo. Sorry, it was waaayyy too good to pass up. 8D
The Fabulous King (1332) on 4/13/2010 10:21 AM · Permalink · Report
There was another thread. People didn't like it. They kept crawling back here.
