What are you playing at the moment?

[Althea]

I would imagine it's the same, it does feel a tiny bit imbalanced in places but not enough to spoil any enjoyment.
Hmm... it's just that some of the early fights in the DS version (forest and city) seemed to be ridiculously hard for how early they were, and it annoyed me so much that I stopped playing. Well, I'll probably just continue to wait for a decent sale price, then. Thanks!

[apricotsoup]

Hmm... it's just that some of the early fights in the DS version (forest and city) seemed to be ridiculously hard for how early they were, and it annoyed me so much that I stopped playing. Well, I'll probably just continue to wait for a decent sale price, then. Thanks!

There's a few fights you're better off coming back to after a couple of screens, if you notice the enemy has all level 5 troops vs your level 2, then go fight some other dudes first. Maybe that's become part of how my brain sees encounters from other heroes/kings bounty games lately, you can't necessarily take on everything close to you from the start. There's not been any insane fights that were required at the time.

[Voon]

About 6 hours in playing The Dark Spire. Running through the dungeon with just one Priest with the others dead, trying to get out while dragging their corpses alone was probably the hardest thing I've done in a DS game. Perservered, revived my party members in the temple one-by-one, and finally conquered the first floor of the Tower/Spire. Now, I'm killing Grave Robbers in the Basement. They're actually tougher than they look.

OTT, I always hated to save that Stalker at the Garbage. Not that I hated him, he tends to die almost every time I shot and killed one of the bandits. Spent 6 or so tries to actually save him.

[Vexing Vision]

You might be able to get the audio files from those games and mix-and-match, but I wouldn't really know how or if it's possible, sorry :(

Can you let me know the file names of the audio folder in the game directory? If they're the same as mine, mix and match should be no big problem by just overwriting the EN audio folder with my German one.

[Heliocentric]

With SP&Z filed away under P for "Put a fork in it, because it's done" I need to choose my next game to focus on. Deus Ex: Hilarious Radiation is a candidate but I'm almost ashamed to admit that boss fights you have to brawl with are required. In the original Deus Ex I didn't do boss fights, I either murdered the boss after a reload or laid a trap with plentiful explosives.

The Saboteur is my other thought, seamlessly swapping between pad and m&kb means a can drive the satisfyingly rickety cars with a pad and shoot with a mouse. It's WW2 GTA but it's still fun, not dry and not yet repetitive.

Also installed/close to hand is LA Noire, Crysis Warhead (with Crysis 2 waiting on origin), Liberty City: Episodes, 100% my Mass Effect 2 save in anticipation for ME3.

Ah to be less backlogged.

[Althea]

Can you let me know the file names of the audio folder in the game directory? If they're the same as mine, mix and match should be no big problem by just overwriting the EN audio folder with my German one.
Here (http://forum.dtp-entertainment.com/viewtopic.php?f=223&t=17706#p185601)

I'm not particularly bothered about doing it, myself.

[Okami]

Dead Island. It's a horrible game, repetitve as hell, the rpg and open world parts were obviously tacked on in the last minute and the the story and narration are cringe worthy but I still managed to clock in a good 20 hours so far and I don't see myself putting it away any time soon.

Also, I must have bought DoW2:Retribution at some point, because I found it sitting in my steam list last night. Eventhough I can recognize that DoW2 is a good game, it never really clicked with me, the only reason why I played it at all for any length of time is the WH40K background. But I didn't like the Blood Ravens, so I couldn't be bothered to finish either the original nor Chaos Rising.


Anyway, I enjoyed the four or five missions I played with the Imperial Guard yesterday, though much of that enjoyment came from the simple fact that I was commanding Space Wehrmacht Soldaten talking with a posh british accent. "Drive me closer, I want to hit them with my sword!"

Apart from that I'm (always) playing Puzzle Quest on my phone of eyes. Stupid, pointless game, can't stop playing it.

[Chevy]

So, I finally installed GalCiv2: Ultimate Edition, and gave it a spin in the early evening yesterday as a study break. Seriously, next thing I knew, it was 3 in the morning, and I had to be up at 6.

This game is crack. One more turn is an understatement. I can't believe I haven't played it before now.

[Nalano]

Replaying Dragon Age: Origins while I debate buying Kingdom of Amalur.

[Ian]

Installed Arkham City and promptly found that the sound's not working properly on it. ¬_¬

And seemingly the problem has yet to be patched, which is ace.

[NecroKnight]

I've recently finished Alice: Madness Returns, now I'm playing the firts game American McGee's Alice.

[Drake Sigar]

Was pleasantly surprised to find a retail copy of Fate of the World: Tipping Point (the original game and all expansions) exists, which came through the mail today. First game I've seen with a Rock Paper Shotgun quote plastered over it. The rather thin manual goes to great lengths to explain why it's not detrimental to the environment (case is made from recyclable plastics, manual is timber from FSC approved forest). You wouldn't believe how many DVDs and games with environmental messages don't even cover the basics when it comes to physical distribution.

[Ravelle]

Kingdom of Amalur, This will keep my loot needs busy until Torchlight II comes out.

[agentorange]

Tribes: Ascend. The fist MP fps I've tried since TF2 released. I appreciate that they've made something beyond a military manshoot; and I appreciate that they've not just relied on the robot suits and jetpacks to sell the game, but have crafted an identifying gameplay mechanic into something beyond a gimmick - that mechanic being the fun yet vital skiing. I've never experienced anything like blasting along a hilly landscape, accelerating down slopes and jetting up hills, all the while being chased by and shooting at other people travelling at the same extreme speeds.

[Giaddon]

I never imagined there could be someone else that thinks like that. There must be, what, a thousand of us that played and liked Rise of Legends? And what are the odds that our next best RTS is another flop? Amazing.

Yep, some of us get all the luck. :)

I finished the RUSE campaign yesterday, and liked it a lot, although the last few missions were quite tough. For the most part it's a straight historical affair (my favorite missions being those in Belgium during the Battle of the Bulge), but the last few go off the rails into a proto-Cold War showdown. Which I liked! It's fun to get creative with history. Now I'll be slowly working my way through the operations.

I've moved Anno 2070 up to the top slot, which so far is quite fun and pretty. I've just been getting acquainted with the campaign game, which is very, uh, accessible? To put it kindly. I'm going to start a continuous game next time I sit down with it and just dive in.

[Althea]

I've moved Anno 2070 up to the top slot, which so far is quite fun and pretty. I've just been getting acquainted with the campaign game, which is very, uh, accessible? To put it kindly. I'm going to start a continuous game next time I sit down with it and just dive in.
Leave it a week or so, Ubisoft are still pissing around.

[Giaddon]

I don't understand? I'm enjoying it right now, I see no need to wait.

[sabrage]

I beat Tyrian; don't see myself going back to it anytime soon, but it was good enough to make me want to play more shmups.

I'm back to Super Mario Land 2, which is indisputably the greatest game ever made. Shadowgrounds is OK, but I feel like I'm going to play an hour or two every few days rather than devote myself to it.

[Althea]

I don't understand? I'm enjoying it right now, I see no need to wait.
The servers are up and down more than an Essex girl's panties, and have been since release.

[Giaddon]

Sounds like I need to go to Essex.

I've been playing in offline mode, with minimal problems.

But I do have other games on deck if Ubi locks me out. :)

[vinraith]

Sounds like I need to go to Essex.

I've been playing in offline mode, with minimal problems.

But I do have other games on deck if Ubi locks me out. :)

"Offline mode" is missing a fairly significant volume of content.

[Giaddon]

More than the ark upgrades? I haven't been able to see a nice online v. offline list, so if you could steer me toward one, that would be much appreciated.

[db1331]

That's what you get for buying the game, criminal scum! Wait, that's not right...

[vinraith]

More than the ark upgrades? I haven't been able to see a nice online v. offline list, so if you could steer me toward one, that would be much appreciated.

Closest I can find is a discussion here, it sounds like the ark upgrades are the biggest loss (and a significant part of the game):

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/626105-anno-2070/61266337

I don't have the game (as a direct result of this nonsense) so can't compare myself.

[Ravelle]

Leave it a week or so, Ubisoft are still pissing around.

I love Anno 2070 but I suck so much at the economy. :(

[Althea]

I love Anno 2070 but I suck so much at the economy. :(
It's easy.

Play it slowly, don't panic and remember that it's going to take hours upon hours of playtime to really get it sorted in your head.

[Casimir Effect]

Sounds like I need to go to Essex.
Y'know the metaphor about the village bike? Imagine that but without the saddle...

[Heliocentric]

It's my fault for playing on hard but Battlefield bad company 2 singleplayer is proving to be a slog at times. If I carry both the auto shotgun for room clearing and a ranged rifle for ranged fights it means no rocket launcher.

I really ought to go back to medium

[Splynter]

Protip: Don't bother with the Battlefield singleplayer experience.

Honestly though, I gave up on the BC2 campaign after getting stuck at an on-rails turret on the back of a truck part where I was getting blown up at the same time somewhat inexplicably. What I did play, I enjoyed more than the BF3 campaign (which is saying very little).

[Cryptoshrimp]

I've been playing Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Dark Crusade since I picked it up in the Steam sale. It's a lovely game and the campaign is really cleverly done. I was never a fan of the W40K universe, but I'm warming up to the Imperial Guard and the Tau. The game also makes it clear what I missed from its bigger brother: base building. It's been ages since I've played a base building game and it's lovely to play one again. I just wish I could build fluff to add to my bases.

Quick edit: Does anyone have a recommendation for a good base-building game?

[Nalano]

It's my fault for playing on hard but Battlefield bad company 2 singleplayer is proving to be a slog at times. If I carry both the auto shotgun for room clearing and a ranged rifle for ranged fights it means no rocket launcher.

I really ought to go back to medium

LMGs for everything! But then, I do that (http://battlelog.battlefield.com/bf3/soldier/Nalano/iteminfo/pkp-pecheneg/278236495/pc/) in multiplayer, too.

[Chevy]

Quick edit: Does anyone have a recommendation for a good base-building game?

Stronghold. Stronghold: Crusader.

[Casimir Effect]

Quick edit: Does anyone have a recommendation for a good base-building game?
Supreme Commander perhaps.

[vinraith]

Still playing lots of Close Combat: The Longest Day. Securing the Uncle Red sector of Utah beach was a bloody affair, but I managed to cut off German reinforcements with the 502 and 506 which made the advance through the hedgerows much easier. Actually getting to Carentan is going to be another matter entirely, though, and I'm somewhat unexpectedly stalled trying to get across the creek at Le Port Brehay as well. I've made three advances across the fucking thing and been thrown back with significant casualties each time, it's turning into a real meat grinder.

Damn I love these games.

Still setting up for, but still haven't really started, my New Vegas playthrough. I think I'm completely happy with my mod loadout now (Project Nevada, an additional encounters mod, the Corvega mod) so it's just a matter of finding some time to put into it. It's much easier to find 15 minutes here and there for Close Combat, of course.

[Heliocentric]

Finished Bad company 2, was fun but I don't know I'd recommend it.

Now just to decide whether or not to invest in the multiplayer, its a lot of grinding.

[outoffeelinsobad]

I'm playing Call of Pripyat. Never got past Yaton before, but now I've got an itch to see the titular development.

Considering grabbing Outcast from GOG. I've only ever played 20 or so minutes of it before, but I've been hearing good things recently.

[sabrage]

Now just to decide whether or not to invest in the multiplayer, its a lot of grinding.
There's no grinding in multiplayer you enjoy. I have a halfway stocked League of Legends account simply because I enjoyed the game.

[Heliocentric]

There's no grinding in multiplayer you enjoy. I have a halfway stocked League of Legends account simply because I enjoyed the game.

Logically you are right, but playing for equipment is not the same thing as playing for fun. If I play for fun I accept I will never be good at these things because the pro equipment is locked away and just do what I can. But this means I'll be waiting longer for the equipment which would enable a touch more fun eventually .

Or just play another game without unlocks I can enjoy immediately like Natural Selection 2.

[Giaddon]

Quick edit: Does anyone have a recommendation for a good base-building game?

Oh, so many! (Note: each link takes you to where you can buy the game for ~$10. There are excellent games you can get for more money, but $10 seems like a good limit for a casual recommendation).

If you mean base-building in a combat-centric RTS, then Rise of Nations: Gold (http://www.amazon.com/Nation-including-Thrones-Patriots-Expansion-Pc/dp/B000PWWL64/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328746516&sr=8-1) is an excellent choice, as each match has you building multiple cities for different purposes, with a variety of buildings. Stronghold Crusader (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/stronghold_crusader), as mentioned, is also great.

On the more managerial side, Evil Genius (http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/evil_genius) has you literally base-building, as you create and manage a base as a super-villain with 1960s flair.

If you want a complex game of city management, then Emperor: Rise of the Middle Kingdom (http://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Rise-Middle-Kingdom-pc/dp/B000C05XR8/ref=sr_1_1?s=videogames&ie=UTF8&qid=1328746772&sr=1-1), Dawn of Discovery: Gold (http://www.amazon.com/Anno-1404-Gold/dp/B005OM6CGU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1328746923&sr=8-5), and Settlers 7 (http://www.amazon.com/Settlers-7-Paths-Kingdom-Pc/dp/B00347BRU8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1328746744&sr=8-1) are all fantastic, and different, takes on the genre. Settlers 7 is a fast game of "logistics strategy," while Dawn of Discovery is an epic game of slowly building up a population supported by multiple complex supply chains. Emperor sits somewhere in the middle.

[vinraith]

@Giaddon

Do you know of a means by which to get Evil Genius running in proper widescreen resolutions? My every attempt to play it has been thwarted by my nigh allergic reaction to stretched aspect ratios.

Oh, and I'll second that Rise of Nations recommendation, still my favorite "traditional" base building RTS by a wide margin.

[Nalano]

Finished Bad company 2, was fun but I don't know I'd recommend it.

Now just to decide whether or not to invest in the multiplayer, its a lot of grinding.

No need. BF3 is out. BC2 still has a dedicated MP fanbase (especially with Vietnam) but if you wanna achieve some sort of parity, BF3 is king.

[Giaddon]

I do not! I found this GOG forum (http://www.gog.com/en/forum/evil_genius/evil_genius_in_the_widescreen_land) post with some tips. I set my video card to not stretch non-widescreen resolutions, so I get black bars on either side instead. That may be less maddening.

[vinraith]

I do not! I found this GOG forum (http://www.gog.com/en/forum/evil_genius/evil_genius_in_the_widescreen_land) post with some tips. I set my video card to not stretch non-widescreen resolutions, so I get black bars on either side instead. That may be less maddening.

My monitor won't play along with my video card on that kind of entirely sensible scaling. I'll give the res changer in that link a try, though. Cheers!

[sabrage]

No need. BF3 is out. BC2 still has a dedicated MP fanbase (especially with Vietnam) but if you wanna achieve some sort of parity, BF3 is king.
Games don't just become obsolete when the new one comes out. I prefer the color and visual clarity of BC2.

[trjp]

Games don't just become obsolete when the new one comes out. I prefer the color and visual clarity of BC2.

I agree with that - esp in an age where games are just getting visually busier and busier.

I've been flogging BulletStorm - a game I never really got into despite some attempts before - and I think one of the main reasons is that the game is a visual explosion of stuff in bright colours, tonnes of scenery details and other stuff which, frankly, makes it hard to see what the hell you're doing a lot of the time.

If I were to go back to "The Club" - the game it most closely resembles - I'd find a game pared-down graphically to ensure it's raison-d-etre (highscore finding through combos etc.) works well - I prefer that, tbh.

Bulletstorm just gives me a headache - it's like a kaleidoscope with some shooting added - even when I sorted out it's settings to get a decent 60fps it still just jars, visually, to the point I just want to give-up on it.

[Nalano]

Games don't just become obsolete when the new one comes out. I prefer the color and visual clarity of BC2.

Multiplayer games do, especially in series with annual releases.

You need other players to fight against, and in a game that attempts to have a rank grind like the BF and CoD series, you're at a disadvantage if you don't rise along with the greater group.

[sabrage]

Multiplayer games do, especially in series with annual releases.

You need other players to fight against, and in a game that attempts to have a rank grind like the BF and CoD series, you're at a disadvantage if you don't rise along with the greater group.
Unless I don't give a shit about rank, and I just play it to have fun every now and then.

[Nalano]

Unless I don't give a shit about rank, and I just play it to have fun every now and then.

You will give a shit when you get your ass shot off by people with equipment you haven't unlocked.

[sabrage]

You will give a shit when you get your ass shot off by people with equipment you haven't unlocked.
I've played both games. I really don't. Flying a copter with my friends>giving a shit.

[Chevy]

I've played both games. I really don't. Flying a copter with my friends>giving a shit.

Word. ​aaaa

[Fumarole]

I would also definitely read this, I like both AAR's (I think this one is probably my favourite ever: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/tag/captain-smith/) and a bit of Napoleon or Empire:TW. I've noticed that a lot of really good AAR's are done in parts, so maybe try the RPS style of posting some of it when you feel like you've finished a chapter?I've started the AAR here (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/forums/showthread.php?2986-The-Medallion-of-the-Imperial-Psychopath) if you're still interested.

[Nalano]

You sound like the kind of player that got me to stop playing BC2.

Also, unranked chopper: beep beep beep beep beep beep beeeeeeeeee bibibibibibi fwoosh beep beep beep beep beep beep beeeeeeee bibibibibibibi BOOM respawn

[sabrage]

You sound like the kind of player that got me to stop playing BC2.
And there you have it folks: proof that giving a shit ruins games.

[Voon]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good base-building game?

the C&C games (except 4), SupCom, Total Annihilation, Rise of Nations, Dune II/2000, Warcraft III.... Starcraft?

[Nalano]

And there you have it folks: proof that giving a shit ruins games.

Well, it's more the "why am I playing a team game where it's pretty obvious most of my team fails to give a shit?" aspect of it.

[Juan Carlo]

Alien vs Predator 3. I'm surprised by how much I'm enjoying this. I haven't tried the Alien or Predator campaigns yet, but the marine campaign is pretty good. While it may not match the older AvP2 in terms of level design or scope, I much prefer the combat in this one--especially the melee/block system (it's a much more up close/claustrophobic game than its predecessors, which requires melee more).

But I think the real reason I like it is the no-check point nightmare mode. I really, really, wish more games would implement a no check point/no save mode. It makes playing the game so much more suspenseful/fun when you know you have to start over if you die. I actually find myself being aware of my surroundings and planning ahead. But I suspect more designers don't do it because you have to specifically design levels that will work with it (i.e. not to long and not too hard to be manageable in one go).

Dead Island, for example, would have been 1,000 times more awesome if they would have found a way to build the game around the idea of survival and perma-death.

[sabrage]

Well, it's more the "why am I playing a team game where it's pretty obvious most of my team fails to give a shit?" aspect of it.
That's an excellent question, and one that I would ask myself every day... If I gave a shit.

[Heliocentric]

That's an excellent question, and one that I would ask myself every day... If I gave a shit.

This is like the age old debate of.. Nope, can't think of anything.

What is the supreme way to play low level in BF:BC 2 *, I tried conquest hardcore but the moment I left my helicopter/tank snipers became extremely problematic and between team killers and base vehicle thieves anything heavier than a car was rare.

*I won't be playing BF3 because the AI responses in multiplayer are pointlessly sweary and I game with my son.

[Heliocentric]

That's an excellent question, and one that I would ask myself every day... If I gave a shit.

This is like the age old debate of.. Nope, can't think of anything.

What is the supreme way to play low level in BF:BC 2 *, I tried conquest hardcore but the moment I left my helicopter/tank snipers became extremely problematic and between team killers and base vehicle thieves anything heavier than a car was rare.

*I won't be playing BF3 because the AI responses in multiplayer are pointlessly sweary and I game with my son.

[Althea]

I picked up Burnout Paradise: The Ultimate Box today.

Spent about an hour whizzing around crashing into shit, and so far I'm... certainly not unimpressed. I think the UI's a little crap and cars seem to become "wrecked" very easily, but yeah, I enjoyed some of it. I seem to get lost easily, though, and the game decides constantly that I'm trying to beat times on certain roads when I'm not.

Edit: And come on, Critereon - Why is the lady biker's jacket half undone? What's the point?

[Heliocentric]

Bumout Paradise is always trying to get you to do your best, even if you are just cruising to the starting line. The more you learn the map the more fun you have.

[ZamFear]

the game decides constantly that I'm trying to beat times on certain roads when I'm not.
You can turn those Road Rules off using the menu thinger that's accessed using the number pad arrows, or d-pad. For me, the main annoyance in Burnout Paradise is the stupid DJ giving completely irrelevant advice. After losing a race: "hey you can't win if you go too far off course." Thanks for that, except I followed the same route the AI did. The reason I lost was because I crashed nine times.

[Althea]

You can turn those Road Rules off using the menu thinger that's accessed using the number pad arrows, or d-pad. For me, the main annoyance in Burnout Paradise is the stupid DJ giving completely irrelevant advice. After losing a race: "hey you can't win if you go too far off course." Thanks for that, except I followed the same route the AI did. The reason I lost was because I crashed nine times.
Ha! Yeah, DJ Atomik (or whatever) is a bit annoying, but as far as announcers go he's far from the worst. I'll try and turn them off, though, thanks for that!

Given it another go this afternoon and I'm already at 11% complete, mostly 'cos I just drove around, got lost, did jumps and crashed into everything. It's definitely growing on me!

[gganate]

Half-Life 2, because my video card burned out and my integrated ati x1250 can't handle much.

[Kodeen]

After sampling through a few RPG's in my backlog that I haven't played before, I decided to play Gothic 3 again. I think this time I will play a mage, and will side with the Devil Worshippers.

[Althea]

You can turn those Road Rules off using the menu thinger that's accessed using the number pad arrows, or d-pad.
Apparently it seems to turn it off... until it turns itself back on :|

[sabrage]

What is the supreme way to play low level in BF:BC 2 *, I tried conquest hardcore but the moment I left my helicopter/tank snipers became extremely problematic and between team killers and base vehicle thieves anything heavier than a car was rare.

The only advice I can give you is "Don't play hardcore." It's been a month or two since I played BC2 though... Might be hard to find a populous server without it.

[Scumbag]

The Darkness 2 demo: Not bad, not bad at all if it were not for the dark nice looks. For some reason game engines in the past 5 years or so have looked so nice my brain cant process whats happening half the time. Must be getting old.
A cardinal sin however (for me at least), and I apologise for the caps lock:
I AM PLAYING WITH THE STINKING KEYBOARD AND MOUSE! I AM NOT PLAYING WITH A 360 PAD! STOP FUCKING TELLING ME TO PRESS "X" OR "A" TO DO AN ACTION! STUPID FUCKING PAD FUCK BALLS TESTICLES HATS SKODA SHINKANSEN!!!
Sorry, had to vent.

[Heliocentric]

The only advice I can give you is "Don't play hardcore." It's been a month or two since I played BC2 though... Might be hard to find a populous server without it.

I hate 3D overlay, its too easy to spot sneak attacks.

[sabrage]

Wow, I can not beat the last level of Super Mario Land 2. I've had to grind for coins twice to get extra lives, but the damn gambling machine won't give me what I need. (999 coins for 5 lives... OK) Every level up until this one was perfect, but this one is a fucking gauntlet.

[trjp]

You need other players to fight against, and in a game that attempts to have a rank grind like the BF and CoD series, you're at a disadvantage if you don't rise along with the greater group.

Thing is, a LOT of people have their own group of friends to play with and don't need to chase the 'latest bestest thing'.

If you're very much a solo player who chases opposition, then you need to play the latest thing for sure - but there's plenty of people keep wringing fun out of older games.

No better possible example of this is with Counterstrike really...

[Nalano]

No better possible example of this is with Counterstrike really...

CS is not a game with an annual release schedule.

[Voon]

The only advice I can give you is "Don't play hardcore." It's been a month or two since I played BC2 though... Might be hard to find a populous server without it. Nah. I usually manage to find one, at least, even without filtering out the Hardcore servers. And, I remember the time I tried out a Hardcore server in Squad Deathmatch mode. I can take the no crosshairs and a few shots to kill me thing, but what's the fun in that if I can't find a Medic in my team to get myself fixed up while I'm just running around with Vaseline smeared onto my screen?

[sabrage]

Nah. I usually manage to find one, at least, even without filtering out the Hardcore servers. And, I remember the time I tried out a Hardcore server in Squad Deathmatch mode. I can take the no crosshairs and a few shots to kill me thing, but what's the fun in that if I can't find a Medic in my team to get myself fixed up while I'm just running around with Vaseline smeared onto my screen?
What's the fun if your own team mows you down if you so much as hit them with a stray bullet?

Beat Super Mario Land. I spent 10 minutes farming lives and then beat it on my first try. Wonderful game, but that last level is a total bitch.

Played a bit more Shadowgrounds... I keep comparing it to Zombie Shooter, and at the end of the day I prefer that game simply because it's so simple and stripped down. Shadowgrounds is too ambitious for its own good; the story is tacked-on and terrible. Yeah, full voiceovers, upgrade system, full 3D and dynamic lighting, but it's still a game about shooting monsters, and that's all I really want to do. Zombie Shooter is just gleefully stupid fun.

Also, the save system sucks in Shadowgrounds. I can't compare it to Zombie Shooter, because I beat that game in one sitting, but when I can't even sit through a half-hour mission to get to the save point you know there's a problem.

[Miker]

Picked up Space Marine for $6.76 or so from THQ Spain earlier in the week. I can easily see why people criticize it for its repetition, and I usually hate repetitive games myself, but for some reason, I don't begrudge Space Marine for it. It is repetitive, but it's also satisfying and surprisingly challenging. However, I am disappointed with how bland the story and characters are so far, especially when Relic showed that they could write with Dawn of War 2 and Chaos Rising (if you ask me).

[Voon]

What's the fun if your own team mows you down if you so much as hit them with a stray bullet?

I take that we both agree that Hardcore mode suck, whatever server it's in

[Juan Carlo]

Hmm, so I finished the MArine campaign in AvP3 and started the Alien and Predator campaigns and now see why everyone hates that game. Both the Alien's and the Predator's controls are horrendous compared to how fluidly they controlled in AvP2. You can really tell that it was a game designed for consoles when, as an alien, you have to push a whole seperate button just to crawl through a hole in a vent rather than, you know, just crawling through the hole using the WASD keys like you would normally to get around--or, as the predator, you can only jump to certain designated spots rather than allowing free movement. Plus, it seems like all kills for both species are done via animated quicktime events which are a bitch to trigger. You have to be standing in exactly the right spot next to an enemy to trigger them and then the animations take so long that you are killed by other enemies before they complete. Kind of sucks. Especially considering how awesome, fast, fluid, and lethal it was to play as the Alien in AvP2 once you got good at it. I used to kick ass as the Alien in AvP2 multiplayer back in the day, so this is kind of a disappointment (I have a few fond memories of eliminating entire teams of marines in seconds single handedly, crawling around the walls in the dark and using the head bite for instant kills......ah memories).

But still, I guess the Marine campaign alone was at least worth the 2 dollars I paid for the game when it was on sale. I'd be super pissed if I paid 50 dollars for this on release, though.....or even the 20 dollar retail price they are asking for it now.

[Althea]

Picked up Space Marine for $6.76 or so from THQ Spain earlier in the week. I can easily see why people criticize it for its repetition, and I usually hate repetitive games myself, but for some reason, I don't begrudge Space Marine for it. It is repetitive, but it's also satisfying and surprisingly challenging. However, I am disappointed with how bland the story and characters are so far, especially when Relic showed that they could write with Dawn of War 2 and Chaos Rising (if you ask me).
Oh, you've still got hours to go, it'll get you.

[Shane]

Playing Psychonauts and am currently shooting diseased rats and following some weird rotund monster. Thing is I got stuck in the Camp Grounds after I used the bacon twice while there, anyone know how I can get back where I left at Thorney Towers?

[Rauten]

I seem to recall there was a way to call Linda to the beach to transport you there, but it's been ages since I last played Psychonauts.

[Miker]

Oh, you've still got hours to go, it'll get you.:( How about if I try and play it in short spurts instead?

[Shane]

@Rauten, thanks, it's been long since I last played it, I had forgotten all about the lungfish.

[Althea]

:( How about if I try and play it in short spurts instead?
That's what I did. I played it over the course of about 3/4 weeks, and even then it was quite hard going due to the repetition.

[Kodeen]

Linda was the first character in that game to make me really laugh out loud, but the Milkman was the character who was able to maintain it. Brilliant, brilliant game.

[Jams O'Donnell]

I just went insane and splurged on Dead Island, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Batman:AC, Sonic Generations, and Crysis 2. I also installed Anomaly from the latest Humble Bundle. I have no clue where to start, but I have discovered that Sonic is not to be played drunk.

I also just discovered an excellent PSP/PS3 game called Where Is My Heart (http://vimeo.com/30525241) that feels like a Nifflas game. It's lovely.

[Heliocentric]

Dead Island, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Batman:AC, Sonic Generations, and Crysis 2 [...] Anomaly
Vegas 2 is clever but don't play it on hard, and the moment you get dropped down by a helicopter by yourself in a building outside a refinery just switch it off, it gets increasingly stupid from there.
Batman: AC, if the melee combat and boss battles annoy you, or the scarecrow 2D stealth sections annoy you just know you'll have a whole lot of both before its over.
Sonic Generations its not as good as sonic 3(and knuckles), but eh, it gets love, it is pretty.
Crysis 2 and Dead island get alot of haters, but I don't know about either.

[sabrage]

I played the first Vegas on the hardest difficulty my first (and only) time through, and I literally played the entire game crouched with a riot shield in the corner, blasting terrorists with my Raging Bull. Surprisingly more fun than that sounds.

I've been delving into my PSP. Dracula X Chronicles is hard as fuck. Syphon Filter proves that FPS controls do not work on the PSP, but it's still fun. I just don't think I'll be buying anything but RPGs and 2D platformers from here on. I was toying with the idea of getting Peace Walker, but now I'm definitely just going to grab the PS3 version. Now, to jailbreak this thing...

[Voon]

Nothing on PC, atm. Looks like it's artifacting again. Again...

So still on the DS with Ghost Trick in Chapter 13 I think. Still a long way to go since (I think) the game ends at dawn

[SirKicksalot]

KoA: Reckoning. I honestly can't say anything bad about it. The combat is incredible, the art style is really cool and it showers me with rewards and collectibles. Until Diablo 3 launches this is what I'll play for loot-whoring purposes. Another brilliant title from Big Huge Games!

[Miker]

More Space Marine. Just got to the part where you begin fighting Chaos. Bit sooner than I expected -- the stuff I had read about it beforehand seemed to imply that they only come in during the closing chapters of the game. It's gotten quite a bit more large-scale and enjoyable ever since Chaos entered the fray, although killing them isn't particularly different. I will, however, say that the Ork mortar/rocket launcher dudes are some of the most annoying enemies I've fought in a long time. They and they alone make me play the game more like a third person shooter than a hack-and-slash.

[Nalano]

KoA: Reckoning. I honestly can't say anything bad about it. The combat is incredible, the art style is really cool and it showers me with rewards and collectibles. Until Diablo 3 launches this is what I'll play for loot-whoring purposes. Another brilliant title from Big Huge Games!

I can, but the combat feels more fun and active than DA:O, which is taking up the other half of my time.

[Heliocentric]

So after criminally taking up a promotional free trial/discount code. I ended up with a free copy of Rochard, played the hell out of it last night, and while the story doesn't give too much away about pacing I think I'm mostly done.

It's a genetic throw back to 16bit games like Bionic Commando, Contra and Castlevania but it's also a fast paced physics puzzler with strains of Portal and The Ball.

I whole heartedly recommend it, whether you buy it or get it free off IGN. I will be following this developer closely.

[Voon]

112 people and i-don't-know-how-many-more people died in two plane crashes, tonight. But, years pass in a few minutes in SimCity 2000 apparently. I thought the disasters option was set to No Disasters while I was cooking, but when I came back, it just happened and the News appeared on screen. "112 Die As Plane Crash" or something like that.

[Vague-rant]

Recently tried to go back and play SpaceChem again, but I think its the sort of game where you need to get used to how everything works so jumping back onto the fourth or fifth planet isn't ideal.

Also trying to play Hammerfight, because I think its an interesting concept and I quite like the meatiness of the combat. Its just a shame its so dam hard...

And my main game right now is Gothic 2. Still trying to get used to the controls, but I've got high hopes for the rest of the game.

[Althea]

Gave Magic the Gathering: Tactics a run this evening. Much better than I expected it to be, and I think it's a very interesting blend between Guardians of Graxia, Magic the Gathering and Spectromancer.

[Nalano]

112 people and i-don't-know-how-many-more people died in two plane crashes, tonight. But, years pass in a few minutes in SimCity 2000 apparently. I thought the disasters option was set to No Disasters while I was cooking, but when I came back, it just happened and the News appeared on screen. "112 Die As Plane Crash" or something like that.

Disasters that knock down buildings or cause physical repercussions in your city. That generated news story that you read was just fluff.

[Flint]

Gave Magic the Gathering: Tactics a run this evening. Much better than I expected it to be, and I think it's a very interesting blend between Guardians of Graxia, Magic the Gathering and Spectromancer.
Does that have a singleplayer mode of any kind or is it multiplayer only?

[Althea]

Does that have a singleplayer mode of any kind or is it multiplayer only?
There's a single player campaign, but you still need to be connected and what have you, and you only get the first chapter. The rest are ~250SC each, which works out about $2.50 or £2.

[Flint]

Having to be connected isn't an issue. It looks really interesting but I have zero desire to play with people so something singleplayery is desirable. Might have to give the first chapter a go then at some point seeing as it's F2P (at start) and all.

[Althea]

The tutorial does a good job of easing you in, too, and it comes up before you do much else (only thing before is making your character).

It's a 3GB download, little updating after - pretty smooth experience, actually.

[Voon]

Disasters that knock down buildings or cause physical repercussions in your city. That generated news story that you read was just fluff.

No, it happened. The No Disasters option wasn't selected (by accident). I saw a plane spinning down out of control. But the real disaster started when my forest in the hills somewhere near the city went up in flames. Good thing I paused to get the firemen there.

[sabrage]

I just spent an hour and a half with Breakdown on the Xbox. Completely bizarre game. I was pretty annoyed at it for the first 45 minutes or so, but once the game stops fiddling around with guns and busts out the fists it gets a hell of a lot better. The game has a better melee combat system than Zeno Clash or Riddick (I've yet to play Dark Messiah) and it gets points in the First-Person Brawler genre for being hard as fuck. I think that was my main issue with Zeno Clash: only the final boss really gave me trouble, so the combat never had any tension. Breakdown is just tearing me a new asshole. It starts you off with fairly simple 1v1s, but as soon as it starts throwing multiple enemies at you the combat becomes exponentially harder. I really wish I could bind block to something other than the right analog stick though...

I can definitely see why the game pretty much faded into obscurity the second it was released, though. I can see most people attempting to play it and hating it right away. The environments are hideous, the checkpoints are sadistic, there's frequent loading times... But I'm still loving the hell out of it. It's the kind of flawed gem that I always enjoy, and I wish it had gotten a sequel.

[Flint]

So, after many years of owning Fallout Tactics I've finally managed to really make my way in it. I'm at the final parts of the game, just about to finally get power armor too.

And now I think I've encountered a bug that stops me from advancing.

I am ever so slightly annoyed...

[squirrelfanatic]

Making my way through the Companions's questline in Skyrim with my Orc warrior, I fought a cult of evil Necromancers in an icy cave. The fighting got really intense with me taking loads of damage while at the same time the number of enemy spellcasters dwindled rapidly (Berserk power ftw).

Then only the head cultist is left standing to oppose me. Icy darts pierce Oricsh armor, axe swings cut deep into flesh. The fiend gathers his remaining powers for one last Reanimation spell.

The spell is completed. Hearing the sound of a stiff body rising on shambling legs behind him, the exhausted warrior turns around to face this new threat and looks into the dark merciless eyes of an undead... goat. Sacrificed in an unholy ritual, called back from death to serve his master once again. The goat gives off a "Bah!" and hops away into the icy darkness of a nearby tunnel, to which the Necromancer responds with a distressed "Sigh!" just before a waraxe severes his head from his body.

I love this game.

[Heliocentric]

Finished Rochard, the story ended with a whimper but the gameplay* was great. Sure the slow thoughtful start gave way to a chaotic ending but isn't that always the way?

So what now? DXHR I think.

*Do we still use that or do we have to say game mechanics?

[Voon]

I just spent an hour and a half with Breakdown on the Xbox. Completely bizarre game.

Well, you are playing a game with Breakdown as the title, right?

Sounds fun, though.


Just saved Smuggler's friend after a few tries. I just poisoned the whole area in the hideout where he's holded up and killed him by accident, once. /facepalm

Thank God for multiple saves.

[sabrage]

It's like Mirror's Edge (bodily awareness/immersion) meets Metal Gear Solid (menu design/art direction) meets Double Dragon (self-explanatory.) Every time you pick up ammo from an enemy, you'll actually bend over, grab his gun and remove the magazine. It takes forever, but it's such a cool touch that it doesn't really bother me. There's a lot of pointless shit you can do in the environment, too... Answering phones, reading clipboards and notes laying around. Kind of like Max Payne in that respect. It's also the first game since Resident Evil 3 to truly make me feel helpless... At least Amnesia let me barricade myself in. Knowing that I'm going to have to go up against Nemesis or the early enemies in Breakdown is just stressful.

So yeah, it's a bizarre amagation of a lot of games, but it's also wholly unique. Zeno Clash lifted a lot of elements from it, but I'm definitely glad i played and beat that game first because it doesn't even come close to Breakdown's ambitions. I've had Dark Messiah sitting on my shelf for a month or two, but I clearly need to play that next.

[Fumarole]

So, after many years of owning Fallout Tactics I've finally managed to really make my way in it. I'm at the final parts of the game, just about to finally get power armor too.

And now I think I've encountered a bug that stops me from advancing.

I am ever so slightly annoyed...Can you describe what's happening to prevent advancement?

[airtekh]

Having finished with Brotherhood, I've moved straight onto Assassin's Creed Revelations. Singleplayer is solid enough so far, but as with AssBro, I've been focusing on the superb multiplayer.

I'm also playing Broken Sword: The Sleeping Dragon. I liked the first two games and this seems to have made the transition to 3D very well. Some of the voice acting's a bit dodgy in places, but Nico & George are both charming as ever.

[Flint]

Can you describe what's happening to prevent advancement?
Whenever I enter the Brotherhood Delta base, on foot or in vehicle, the game glitches out. The combat mode seems to be on (loading computer's side forever), the NPCs make their hovering comments in a massively hastened pace and seem to be glitched out themselves, and my team, while visually present in base entrance, seem to be outside the map's borders because if you try to focus on the characters, the camera throws you right at the edge of the map. In effect, my characters are completely stuck and I can't even try to move them because it's apparently the computer's turn, which never ends. Meaning I can't do anything and pretty much killing my advancement.

The game's patched, and the internet seems to know nothing of this sort of thing.

[Patrick Swayze]

Has anybody played the WARGAME: European Escalation beta?

You have to preorder the game to get access but after seeing the trailers and with Red Dawn being my favourite ever film, World In Conflict been my favourite real time tactics game, it was always a no brainer for me.

It's reasonably realistic rts game and plays quite similarly to World In Conflict, but is far more sim-ish to WIC's frantic nature. You might go 5 minutes at the start of a match without laying eyes on the enemy... but then all of sudden tanks break out of the tree line, arty is pounding the map the fields are burning away while the smoke blocks your recon unit's vision and those helos look a little too close for comfort.

It jumps between sedate and frantic in an instant.

The graphical effects are all suitably lovely and colourful (though not overly) but I find myself too often as the eye in the sky, using the Supreme Commander level of zoom offered to maximum effect.

I'm hoping the single player provides an interesting journey, but single player RTS campaigns have been shit for me since the tears and joy that World In Conflict provided me. With a touch of polish this might be my next big RTS staple, something to get me off Dawn Of War 2...

[NecroKnight]

Mirror's Edge. The game seems rather short, but it's quite delightful.

[Althea]

Mirror's Edge. The game seems rather short, but it's quite delightful.
It's about 5-6 hours long if done with few mistakes. About average for a first-person game, eh? ;)

[Nalano]

It's about 5-6 hours long if done with few mistakes. About average for a first-person game, eh? ;)

Needs more story, more puzzles, less ridiculous "waifish asian girl picks up belt-fed machine-gun, mows down room full of trained soldiers."

Otherwise nice. Perhaps a prequel that actually focuses on those messages the couriers were supposed to be sending?

[Lukasz]

"waifish asian girl picks up belt-fed machine-gun, mows down room full of trained soldiers."
I had never done it even tough I beat the game.

does need more story.

[Nalano]

I had never done it even tough I beat the game.

There are definitely four places where there's a guy with an LMG sitting right in front of the exit you need. One of those places requires you to sit and wait for an elevator, and one of those places requires you to shoot a bunch of server farms. You can do it otherwise, buuut...

[Heliocentric]

You don't need to shoot the servers, they simply need to be shot, but not necessarily by you.

[Lukasz]

While I did have to shoot a server because it wasn't destroyed by soldiers I had never shot anyone in this game at any single point. And only one part was actually really difficult (other allowed fast jumping and escape)

[Oak]

I have a hard time believing anyone who paid attention to Mirror's Edge's story would want more of it.

[sabrage]

I have a hard time believing anyone who paid attention to Mirror's Edge's story would want more of it.
Don't be stupid. Nobody wants a sequel to Mirror's Edge because they liked the story. It was on par with those cartoon esurance commercials a few years back.

[Oak]

"It" being the story itself, re: what Nalano and Lukasz said.

[Nalano]

"It" being the story itself, re: what Nalano and Lukasz said.

Well, Mirror's Edge presented a story vis a vis couriers running illicit information when everything else is being spied upon, and then completely abandoned it past the first mission.

[Voon]

The story in Mirror's Edge is well, sort of interersting but it was quite poorly executed and the dialogues are just terrible. Then again, who gives a shit? The story's just an excuse plot to give some purpose to what are you doing in the game.

[sabrage]

Spent my day with Wipeout (Pure and HD) and now I'm going to play F-Zero GX.

[Voon]

Spent my day with Wipeout (Pure and HD) and now I'm going to play F-Zero GX. You're in a world of hurt, man

[sabrage]

You're in a world of hurt, man
Jesus Christ, you aren't kidding. I tried for about an hour, but I couldn't even beat the first level. That is some ungodly difficulty. I think I'll stick with Wipeout for now, it's challenging without being a total fucking asshole about it.

[arfmaster]

Now Playing: DOTA2

[Althea]

Well, Mirror's Edge presented a story vis a vis couriers running illicit information when everything else is being spied upon, and then completely abandoned it past the first mission.
That's because it changed due to Faith being framed for murder, but her sister got taken or something.

It's been a while since I've played it, so my memory is a bit rusty.

[Voon]

That's because it changed due to Faith being framed for murder, but her sister got taken or something.

It's been a while since I've played it, so my memory is a bit rusty.

No, its her sister, Kate that's being framed for murder and the story changes when Faith set out to stop her execution. And during that time, a few plot twists! *gasp* Surprises! And terrible dialogue!

[Althea]

No, its her sister, Kate that's being framed for murder and the story changes when Faith set out to stop her execution. And during that time, a few plot twists! *gasp* Surprises! And terrible dialogue!
Oh. Well, shit happened.

I HATED THAT DAMNED BOAT.

[coldvvvave]

Has anybody played the WARGAME: European Escalation beta?
Is infantry combat actually as bad as in the trailer? With all that random running'n'firing of huge crowds?

Star Wolves 1

Well, I only spent five minutes in it but, sadly, I think it's a pretty terrible game gameplay-wise and graphics are ugly as a sin. I'll give it a couple of hours to get good. Right now it feels like Homeworld meets Mechcommander. Sounds like a good idea, right? Well, the aidea is spoiled by a terrible execution.

[Jams O'Donnell]

Vegas 2 is clever but don't play it on hard, and the moment you get dropped down by a helicopter by yourself in a building outside a refinery just switch it off, it gets increasingly stupid from there.
Batman: AC, if the melee combat and boss battles annoy you, or the scarecrow 2D stealth sections annoy you just know you'll have a whole lot of both before its over.
Sonic Generations its not as good as sonic 3(and knuckles), but eh, it gets love, it is pretty.
Crysis 2 and Dead island get alot of haters, but I don't know about either.
Gee, I thought this was the "what are you playing" thread not the "critique my recent purchases" thread. My bad!

[Shane]

Finished Psychonauts, the game had its highs and lows. Take out the story and background though all that remains is a simplistic platformer. Also played E.Y.E. yesterday which is the worst game I have played in quite a while.

[airtekh]

Also played E.Y.E. yesterday which is the worst game I have played in quite a while.

Out of curiosity (I own E.Y.E but haven't played it yet), what did you find so wrong with it?

[Shane]

The story sucks. Something about conflict between two sub-groups of a secret society being in a conflict and with another third party. That's it.

The dialogue, oh god, the fucking dialogue. It's so bad that it is downright hilarious at times. You'll find lines like "Getting cybernetic upgrades will let you get hot chicks and be a badass, hahaha!" or "The police is to protect widows and orphans."

The gameplay sucks: Upgrading your character is made redundant by the fact that you can just pick up a sentry gun and let it do the work for you, which is what I did in the later half of my playthrough. The weapons don't matter because when the game throws dozens of enemies at you at a time and all you'll do is run around trying to rush to the objective.

There's no level design to speak of, each level consists of just a bunch of rooms you have to pass through to reach the objective. In all levels all you have to do is run to the objective, press enter, run back.

The art-syle sucks: You may think otherwise after watching the trailers and screenshots but that's just from the first fifteen minutes of the game, I shit you not. The rest of the game is fucking ugly, it's as if they the devs burnt their budget designing the first fifteen minutes of the game.

The multitude of bugs: No animations, weapons stop working, clipping, AI chars fail in committing suicide (literally)

[Heliocentric]

Gee, I thought this was the "what are you playing" thread not the "critique my recent purchases" thread. My bad!

I actually like all of the games of those I've played. I think I was just being grumpy. R6Vegas riot shield is a beautiful thing for instance.

[Voon]

Oh. Well, shit happened.

I HATED THAT DAMNED BOAT.

I've wasted 30 minutes to get on that boat without realizing that I could just hop into a truck, nearby. Yes, I are stupid.

(at least I found the secret bag there somewhere)

[Althea]

I've wasted 30 minutes to get on that boat without realizing that I could just hop into a truck, nearby. Yes, I are stupid.

(at least I found the secret bag there somewhere)
I was thinking more about the fights and stuff on it. Ugh :(

[Voon]

I was thinking more about the fights and stuff on it. Ugh :(

That too. Those MG grunts are a pain in Hard mode and the levels, confusing. But I loved dodging the snipers and fighting *cough*Cel*cough*

[Scumbag]

I really dont like E.Y.E.

I thought it was really good myself, but can understand why people would bounce off of it. The dialogue is awful, it overloads you with jargon early on (that means little to nothing until you start paying attention to the details) plus it has such a stupidly tough learning curve which just gives a very poor tutorial system which gets everything back-to-front.
The story is not too bad, its just very opaque and you need to playthrough all 3 endings. Its very David Lynch in that if you miss something or are not thinking about somethings certain characters have said it'll possibly come across as a load of bull. IF thats good or bad is down to personal preference.
I suppose you could pick up a gun and run through all the way, but thats the same as using any game breaking exploit in any game. You CAN do that, but I prefer just playing through normally. Again that’s personal choice.

I've seen people describe this as "The new Deus Ex" or whatnot, which is rubbish as E.Y.E. is first and foremost an FPS and plays like one. It’s not an RPG, it’s not "Guns and conversation" it’s a shooter where you can approach situations in whatever manner you please (provided you have the abilities). Mix that with the fact it’s rough as hell (and the art in the game has a certain "Limbo of the Lost" style to it), then yeah most are going to view it as crap.
Not noticed any of the weapons stopping working, plus "AI chars fail in committing suicide (literally)" Are you on about that guy you tell to kill himself?

[Kodeen]

Almost two pathetic years after having originally bought it, I finally tried out Aquaria yesterday, and immediately regretted waiting so long. This is a great, great game, and will definitely getting repeated playthroughs from me.

For more backlog nonsense, I also played both Samarosts yesterday. Very ... strange games.

[Nalano]

That's because it changed due to Faith being framed for murder, but her sister got taken or something.

It's been a while since I've played it, so my memory is a bit rusty.

Why have paint-by-numbers revenge/savior plot that gets sillier and sillier in its contrivances to keep you doing your running-like-your-ass-is-on-fire schtick when you already had a perfectly serviceable plot to keep you on those rooftops, making daring escapes?

[Ian]

Making my third run at the original Mass Effect. And this time I'm going to complete you, you bastard. *shakes fist*

[SMiD]

The quest for NNGFAY continues; I'm about half-way through Jade Empire. The combat is laughable, but the world/art design is fantastic. Bioware created a memorable world here with a serviceable story so far. Oh, and John Cleese.

[Shane]

it overloads you with jargon early on plus it has such a stupidly tough learning curve

Uum... not really.


The story is not too bad

It is. You wake up, meet the mentor guy who wants join the groups under the Secreta and there's the commander who wants to screw the other group, plus there's the ongoing war with the Federation. That is it. Details involve you going on nonsensical quests to side with one of them. At least that's the idea I got after playing up to the ''plant three bombs'' mission.


I suppose you could pick up a gun and run through all the way, but that's the same as using any game breaking exploit in any game.
I just rushed through during the last half of my playthrough just to finish the damn thing quickly. It's not as if the choices provide anything substantive gameplay-wise.


it’s a shooter where you can approach situations in whatever manner you please (provided you have the abilities).
The choices, like I said above, are just superfluous, summoning clones, sentries, hacking or whatever else isn't different than choosing between which weapon to pew-pew from in a CoD game.


(and the art in the game has a certain "Limbo of the Lost" style to it)
As in picked up from another source? Then, yes.


Are you on about that guy you tell to kill himself?
This guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9kwlSFo4xM) (six minutes into the video)

[BobsLawnService]

First Rage impressions:

1. Crashes a lot.
2. Unskippable cutscenes.
3. Doom 3 looks better than this.

Let's hope this gets better.

[Scumbag]

Multiquote thing.
Just chopping that down as for other people reading this, essentially tripe, off-topic stuff its annoying (not an insult to anyone, I ignore most of those things as they simply become wall-of-text arguments). As I mentioned the David Lynch reference, if you want it to literally explain itself then yes I’ll agree the story is non-senical shite. To get the full gist of it you need to play through all 4 endings, but that means 4 play throughs and if the first one did your nut in, I agree, shit game.
Just sounds like you did not enjoy it really. Cant blame you as I mentioned, its very rough and feels like they did little in the way of quality control when planning. A lot less “Hum… will this idea work?” and more “Lets just do it regardless of how lunatic it is”. Because of that there are lots of weird powers that seem fun if used correctly, but they totally screw the balance up e.g. the telefrag power being used on a sniper atop the tallest tower of doom. Once up there you cant get down.


As in picked up from another source? Then, yes.
That I wont argue with and I have to condemn the artist/s for it. Surprised with the blatant Cyberdemons, WH40k direct copies, “Aliens” etc… they have not been sued for what they have done. Just scratching the surface with that.

Anyhow, if you want to talk more about this there should be a seperate thread rather then bog this one down anymore.

[trjp]

In a week when I finally acquired my own copy of Skyrim (Steam MiniSale finally broke me) AND Kingdoms of Amalur, I find myself playing a lot of Skyrim and not as much Amalur (which surprised me, as I'm normally a blue-sky action game person but Skyrim is just so fucking lovely...)

Mind you - when Skyrim crashes (it seems to be particularly moody about reloading earlier savegames) I'll switch over to something much simpler - Soulcaster (1 or 2) as currently exclusive to the Valentines Indie Royale Bundle...

I'd played them before on 360 and I volunteered to BETA the PC versions and had a good time doing both and so I find myself playing them AGAIN.

There's something about playing them with a keyboard which feels 'right' - much better than the controller (digital game, analog controls never felt right)

For those who've not seen em - they're basically a mix of Tower Defense (deployable heros - you have to be smart and deploy on the move a lot tho) and olde-worlde NES-look RPG - and the PC versions get new Challenge Rooms for the extra-crafty amongst us.

Take a look if you're even remotely tempted - you won't regret it!

[Althea]

Been playing an embarassing amount of Burnout Paradise. It's quite good to pick up for 30 mins here and there, but I'm coming towards the end of the B License and I'm getting a bit bored of it. It wipes your events with each license so there's no way to truly track which ones you have and haven't done (although it doesn't particularly matter), and the jumps also suffer from no tracking - with billboards and "smashes" (i.e. fences), you know which ones you've done 'cos they either disappear (fences) or change to a damaged graphic (billboards), but jumps always look the same and it doesn't help that many are two-sided but only count as one.

It says 40% Complete, but I can see myself getting fed up before 50%.

[neema_t]

Right now I'm playing through Metal Gear again because I got the HD collection the other week. So far I've played:
Metal Gear (it was great, no real complaints)
Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake (sort of improved over MG, but the new multi-screen enemy tracking results in too many unfair spots)
Metal Gear Solid (great right up until the super cheap fist fight at the end)
Metal Gear Solid 2 (Tanker is great, Big Shell has way too many tutorial messages, but maybe that's just my opinion as someone who has finished it at least 20 times).

I'm dying to get on with Snake Eater, and I haven't played MGS4 in years, looking forward to starting that fresh again.

As for the PC, I'm always playing BF3, as in it's my standby online shooter so I dip in for an evening very frequently. I've recently rediscovered 64 player servers because a mate of mine decided he's had enough of MW3 (even though he had both preordered, and how it took him this long is beyond me, particularly as he also had bought Skyrim in the christmas sale), and I've been doing pretty well for myself lately... I fully expect that trend to change soon, though, it always does.

A bit of Borderlands here and there, the occasional shitting it around a track on Race 07 or GT Legends, and that's what I'm playing at the moment. When I'm finished with MGS I expect my PS3 will go back to a GT5 machine and I'll pick up Arkham City again.

[BobsLawnService]

Second impressions of Rage after about an hour and a half:

1. I love the level design, Id use all 3 dimensions and the geometry is interesting. The best level design in years if I'm to be honest.
2. Enemies are very well animated and unpredictable.
3. Vehicles aren't slidey enough. I want more handbrake turns and powerslides.
4. Weapons don't have enough weight and feel plinky.
5. My God, that music is a disgrace. What were they thinking?

[Heliocentric]

Just got started in Deus Ex HR, completed the first real mission (after augs) for the first time 3 times. Been ghosting it, but that means you don't get to read everything and that was always one of my favourite parts of Deus ex. Got the conversations upgrade but I don't get hoe to use it.

Fun.

[Nalano]

Did a whole play-through of DA:O and DA:O-A as an angry city elf. Killed half the nobles in Ferelden. :D

Now doing a play-through of DA2. The Qun are funny:

Me: "I killed some of your men."
Qun Leader: "I know."
Me: "You're not angry?"
Qun Leader: "No."
Me: "I was set up. I didn't mean to."
Qun Leader: "If you say so."
Me: "Your mage would rather kill himself than deal with me."
Qun Leader: "That's good."
Me: "That's all?"
Qun Leader: "Yes."
Me: "I'll just be leaving now."
Qun Leader: "Go with honor."

Leading to a very confused Nalano.

[sabrage]

So, Breakdown. I couldn't recommend this game to anyone that wasn't deeply interested in the genre or mechanics, but the melee combat is so good. It's just that everything else is so awful. This game is the poster child for linear design, muddy textures and boring firefights. If I ever (god forbid) taught a class on game design, I'd require all my students to play this game.

[Flint]

Got the conversations upgrade but I don't get hoe to use it.
In conversations where you can use it, you should see three different meters (alpha, beta, omega). As the conversation goes on, one or more of those meters light up with various strengths. When you get a prompt to do so you can use the special dialogue skill that opens up three new dialogue choices, each corresponding to one of the meters. By selecting the one that matches the meter that lights up the most, you can (attempt to) manipulate the character into doing what you want them to do. Note that it's not a failproof system as some characters resist it and some outright tell you to not even attempt to manipulate them. Doing the conversations normally can also lead to vastly different outcomes.

[Voon]

So, Breakdown. I couldn't recommend this game to anyone that wasn't deeply interested in the genre or mechanics, but the melee combat is so good. It's just that everything else is so awful. This game is the poster child for linear design, muddy textures and boring firefights. If I ever (god forbid) taught a class on game design, I'd require all my students to play this game.

I thought about making a game with mechanics similiar to it and Mirror's Edge. More movement, more finesse. Slide while shooting, shoot wildly while sprinting, rushing and knocking down grunts. Stomp them down with flying-kick. Then, shoot. Right now, my head's still in the clouds and I know fuck all about coding video games. Man, I want learn XNA, now

[sabrage]

I thought about making a game with mechanics similiar to it and Mirror's Edge. More movement, more finesse. Slide while shooting, shoot wildly while sprinting, rushing and knocking down grunts. Stomp them down with flying-kick. Then, shoot. Right now, my head's still in the clouds and I know fuck all about coding video games. Man, I want learn XNA, now
Nah, take out the shooting entirely. When Breakdown lets me slide tackle, dropkick, uppercut, and otherwise pummel my enemies, why the hell would I want to shoot them? The blocking mechanic allows you to stop bullets, so you can use that as a distance closer too.

But I'd be happy to play that game. There's a laundry list of things that Breakdown could've done so much better, so if you ever need a beta tester, let me know.

[Kemuel]

Anyone else really enjoying Amalur at the moment?

There's so much of it that's just better than I was expecting. I'm really enjoying the sidequest lines, and helplessly addicted to farming loot for breaking down to feed my Blacksmithing habit..

[Voon]

Gonna roll my Vanquisher in Torchlight, this weekend. I've got some rather impressive gear, but they'll be better off with my other character. Sticking with guns and bows for now. Sometimes I hate enchanting items.

[Heliocentric]

Gonna roll my Vanquisher in Torchlight, this weekend. I've got some rather impressive gear, but they'll be better off with my other character. Sticking with guns and bows for now. Sometimes I hate enchanting items.

Every build is better with summon and heal all on both the player and the pet.

Skeleton horde!

[Voon]

Every build is better with summon and heal all on both the player and the pet.

Skeleton horde!

And how could I forget the summons! Best decoys ever! At least, for my Vanquisher to shoot the bosses from afar as they annoy them.

[trjp]

Anyone else really enjoying Amalur at the moment?

There's so much of it that's just better than I was expecting. I'm really enjoying the sidequest lines, and helplessly addicted to farming loot for breaking down to feed my Blacksmithing habit..

I'm finding it a totally tedious slog tbh.

I started it on 'hard' but all that's done is turn some easy fights into overlong and boring fights (no more skill required, it just takes longer to get rid of the endless waves of uninspiring and unchallenging enemies).

If anything, the game is WORSE than the demo for grind and the combat is - sadly - unchanged in that it's a mess of a thing (dodge should be renamed "move an enormous random distance for no apparent reason).

[Kemuel]

Playing in Hard's a mistake, because you're right, it does just drag the fights out. In a game like this you're supposed to rip through everything besides the bosses, having to chip away at packs of wolves while they gank you is never gonna be fun.

But messy combat?

Cannot disagree with you more, personally, or in what I've heard in my friends and reviewers' experiences. I'm enjoying it every bit as much as I did God of War and other similar console fighters.

Are you playing with a keyboard and mouse? Because that might well be the problem. With a pad you don't have to deal with the horribly twitchy movement and camera, and you have an individual button mapped to each weapon with skills on the triggers. Combat should be all about combos and juggling, mixing up weapons with different reaches with spells that keep your enemies dazed and in range. Should only be dodging as a last resort if you don't like your chances parrying something and using the opening to get more hits in.

I made a run of the demo with keyboard and mouse and almost dismissed it.. but plugging a pad in fixed pretty much every problem I had except the limited field of view. If you've got one, I'd definitely give it another shot.

[Theblazeuk]

I'm playing Battlefield 3 finally.

Good fun but so irritating at the moment. How can I progress with the vehicle unlocks if my jet only has a cannon and no radar or countermeasures, but the enemy has heat seeking missiles?

Unlocks were ok in BFBC2 but are almost game-breaking here. For example my engineer can harm a tank but rarely kill it with my rockets (and not at any range) but experienced players have the javelin,allowing them to lock on to all kinds of vehicles and score kills from miles away.

Throw in all the extras for the guns and I'm seriously underpowered compared to everyone with more play-time, forcing new players to be 3rd class cannon fodder at best. Its like the inverse of escalating difficulty.

[coldvvvave]

How can I progress with the vehicle unlocks if my jet only has a cannon and no radar or countermeasures, but the enemy has heat seeking missiles?
Forchristsakes, you only need 300 points to unlock normal flares. And thats all you need. Furthermore, if you see a jet with heat seekers - mock him on a chat for being a giant noob. Who even uses those anymore? Admittedly, it's harder now than it was on launch, but the thing is - your main mortal enemy is a SPAAG( Tungusska and LAV-AD), it hard-counters jets and helis, flares or no, you are supposed to avoid it and stick to your side of the map or better - go further beyond the map borders. Sadly, even the bigger maps are still tiny.

PS: you DONT need a radar. Even in hardcore mode you can see spotted enemy planes on a minimap. Don't forget to zoom out and you'll see where enemy planes are. Even better if you have friends on a mic - they will spot targets for you.

[Voon]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs57e-viIKw

[AmazingMisterPete]

Trying to get decent at Tribes Ascend, have resigned myself to making YouTube videos about how much I suck at it.

[Nalano]

For example my engineer can harm a tank but rarely kill it with my rockets (and not at any range) but experienced players have the javelin,allowing them to lock on to all kinds of vehicles and score kills from miles away.

I have the Javelin but unless somebody else is lasering targets, I stick with my trusted SMAW. Why? Because you get precious few shots and anybody with smoke can ruin your lock and nullify your AT capabilities. Meanwhile, at least with RPGs you can hit the motherfucker. Remember to hit 'em in the ass: That way it's two shots 'til disable, not three.

Also, you get C4 very early as Support. Run up, lay three on whatever you want to see die, run away a bit, BOOM. You don't even have to look behind you at the cool explosion. Lay three on the hood of a jeep if you can't run up quickly enough. Engineers can do the same with AT mines, and the Engineer's bomber car is contact sensitive.

[Jockie]

Been playing quite a bit of League of Legends with the EU RPS people, which seems to often culminate in staying up well past my bedtime. A lot more entertaining than enduring the solo queue.

Need to finish both Bulletstorm and LA Noire at some point, both are sat in the middle of playthroughs. I never seem to have the time or energy to sit down and play them though and I'm not going to force myself to play them through some sense of obligation.

I also spent 10 hours playing Dark souls this weekend after being linked to a youtube video which gave me a powerful urge to revisit it again, finished one of my NG+'s and got my arse kicked in pvp lots of times.

[cosmicolor]

I'm still playing Soul Calibur V on the consoletoy, with a bit of Divinity 2 and Dungeons of Dredmor for my PC game fix. Apparently I've managed to log will over 30 hours of SCV despite barely having the game for a week.

[Lukasz]

Second mission of Fallout Tactics. Slow yet great fun. not that hard yet but it will get harder soon. My main guy is a sniper, gifted and kamikaze (so extra damage) with focus on outdoorsman, small guns and energy weapons.

[Drake Sigar]

Underrated game, and ball-bustingly hard. Whoever activates that extreme mode at the starting character screen which prevents any saving during missions, is insane.

[Giaddon]

Sid Meier's Railroads!

It rules.

[Kodeen]

I've been playing Shank. I'm almost done, just have the last set of levels and bosses, and I've had a weird reaction to it. I really enjoy the gameplay, the combat system is very well done and the aesthetic direction of the game is just great. However, neither one of those things really changes at all and it can get boring quickly, so I can only play a half hour to an hour at a time.

[Scumbag]

Tribes Ascend: There is still something very fun in traveling at 150 kph and throwing exploding frisbies at people.

[sabrage]

I've pretty much been playing Wipeout Pure exclusively.

Seriously, has anyone ever beaten F-Zero GX? There's literally no twitch reaction or reflex; it's pure memorization at supersonic speeds.

[vinraith]

Despite having configured and set up some other games, I'm really only playing two.

In single player, I'm still working my way across northern France in Close Combat: The Longest Day. It's a long, bloody campaign, but we're making progress.

In MP, it's back to AI War, which never seems to get old. The latest patches have made some nice tweaks, and there are still several ways to play that I've never even tried.

[Casimir Effect]

Taking a short break from the main fanatical machinations in Dragon Age 2 to go and play with an ancient evil in the Legacy DLC. It's good fun for the most part, better than Amgarrak or Witch Hunt or Ostagar or any other DLC from the first game (incomparable to Awakenings). Tells a nice story and after about 3 hours I feel there is one left. Definitely challenging in places and it's nice to fight some darkspawn again.

To be honest Dragon Age 2 has been a nice surprise all round. After hearing the internet rage I half expected the game to jump through my windows and violate me, but it's actually really good fun. Looking forward to a second playthrough with a more hostile character to see what things will happen differently.

[Nalano]

To be honest Dragon Age 2 has been a nice surprise all round. After hearing the internet rage I half expected the game to jump through my windows and violate me, but it's actually really good fun. Looking forward to a second playthrough with a more hostile character to see what things will happen differently.

Take the Internet Hate Machine with a grain of salt. I'm replaying it too, right now, and I honestly can't remember what I was supposed to hate about it.

[Heliocentric]

Invested a nice chunky of time into Deus Ex: Hideous Rhinoplasty, I am bloody <dramatic pause> loving it. The petty freedom of the towns allow me to potter around doing subquests. I'm stealing the hardest difficulty. So far I've upgraded my radar and my talking, but while a want to upgrade my "punch in face" recharge rate I know I need some death dealers for fighting the bosses.

Any suggestions? Typhoon?

[vinraith]

Take the Internet Hate Machine with a grain of salt. I'm replaying it too, right now, and I honestly can't remember what I was supposed to hate about it.

Mid-combat spawns, constantly recycled locations, and a general tendency to keep the worst parts of DA1 without expanding on anything that was good or promising about it? Mind I've not played it, I'm just recalling what most of the bitching amounted to. To be honest, it sounded too much like Mass Effect: Medieval to bother with IMO.

[SMiD]

Mid-combat spawns, constantly recycled locations, and a general tendency to keep the worst parts of DA1 without expanding on anything that was good or promising about it? Mind I've not played it, I'm just recalling what most of the bitching amounted to. To be honest, it sounded too much like Mass Effect: Medieval to bother with IMO.

This is precisely why I haven't bothered with DA2. However, I am open to the possibility of a purchase and playthrough should DA3 convince me it would be beneficial.

[Nalano]

Mid-combat spawns, constantly recycled locations, and a general tendency to keep the worst parts of DA1 without expanding on anything that was good or promising about it? Mind I've not played it, I'm just recalling what most of the bitching amounted to. To be honest, it sounded too much like Mass Effect: Medieval to bother with IMO.

I don't care about the first, it takes place in a city and its environs so of course the locations are recycled (and I find it interesting and a departure from usual fantasy fare that way), and the third bit is way too vague for me to dispute.

Also, I don't think it plays at all like Mass Effect. Not combat-wise, at any rate.

[Casimir Effect]

Mid-combat spawns, constantly recycled locations, and a general tendency to keep the worst parts of DA1 without expanding on anything that was good or promising about it? Mind I've not played it, I'm just recalling what most of the bitching amounted to. To be honest, it sounded too much like Mass Effect: Medieval to bother with IMO.
Spawns are rarely mid-combat taking more the form of waves. It's annoying only when the enemies appear behind you but even that isn't so bad. DA:O often had extra enemies appearing during combat, at least in the later stuff.
Recycled locations are an mark against the game. The only silver-lining is that you always know your way around.
I would also say that while it is nice to have the coversation wheel the options are often too vague so you end up saying something you didn't intend to; taking the wrong tone.
The loot system could do with polish too, and in fact that is the main downside of the game - everything could use a bit more polish.

Otherwise I prefer the story of the sequel, the characters are about the same (usual Bioware cliches), combat feel more dynamic and generally better in the sqeuel (eg. 2-handed weapons now hit everything in a 120degree arc and so are useful), game performance is excellent, and there has not yet been a Fade segment for which there was a (brilliant) mod made to remove.

I think it comes down to the Internet Hate Machine Bandwagon, rose-tinted views of DA:O, and various reviews which overrated the game thus setting off the whole "You rated this game better than my favouritist favourite game therefore I hate this game" reaction (eg. PCGamer, Escapist).

[vinraith]

I think it comes down to the Internet Hate Machine Bandwagon, rose-tinted views of DA:O, and various reviews which overrated the game thus setting off the whole "You rated this game better than my favouritist favourite game therefore I hate this game" reaction (eg. PCGamer, Escapist).

You're welcome to that opinion, of course, but it's an easy way to dismiss any dissenting opinion in gaming.

For my part, I wanted DA:O to be more like Baldur's Gate than it was. DA2 is clearly even less like Baldur's Gate than DA:O was. Consequently, it's not the game I wanted it to be.

Absent that, I'm left to evaluate it on its own merits, and it's simply not a game that looks compelling to me in any real way. It's very indicative, again from what i can tell without having played it, of the modern Bioware model. "Streamlining the RPG mechanics out of RPG's" should be their corporate slogan here, lately.

[trjp]

Playing in Hard's a mistake, because you're right, it does just drag the fights out. In a game like this you're supposed to rip through everything besides the bosses, having to chip away at packs of wolves while they gank you is never gonna be fun.
I've pushed into the game as far as I can stand it and it really does feel like Hard simply gives enemies more HP - thus it just makes the game hard work. It's not like you need any more talent or variation to the combat - just more time


But messy combat?

Cannot disagree with you more, personally, or in what I've heard in my friends and reviewers' experiences. I'm enjoying it every bit as much as I did God of War and other similar console fighters.

THe combat is nowhere near as tight as GoW or the like - it has some really cheap tricks too, like enemies who go to attack - you dodge - they follow the dodge and hit you anyway!!!!

They seem to have decided that it has a roll-in/attack/roll-out/ranged-attack/repeat model (which works if you're a rogue, warrior or mage and thus covers all bases) - anyone thinking that a Rogue/Warrior should remain close will get the sh*t kicked out of them by enemies who use some cheap tricks to do so.


Are you playing with a keyboard and mouse? Because that might well be the problem. With a pad you don't have to deal with the horribly twitchy movement and camera, and you have an individual button mapped to each weapon with skills on the triggers. Combat should be all about combos and juggling, mixing up weapons with different reaches with spells that keep your enemies dazed and in range.

Sadly I think you're right - the keyboard controls are shite (and actually impossible to use without remapping or having six fingers on your left hand!!) - the pad actually feels worse but actually works better.

If nothing else it also makes it easier to remember I'm playing this and not Skyrim :)

[Voon]

Seriously, has anyone ever beaten F-Zero GX? There's literally no twitch reaction or reflex; it's pure memorization at supersonic speeds.

Yep. Four years ago

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYdsIL-LSq0

[sabrage]

I think I'm going to re-do all my phone's sounds to the semi-psychotic announcer in this game. "YOU GOT BOOST POWER!"

[NecroKnight]

I just finished Dear Esther. The game isn't really that good, although I liked the ending.

[Shane]

Finished ME 3 demo. It's shit.

[TailSwallower]

Any suggestions? Typhoon?

I've got no personal experience with the Typhoon, but when there was a lot of chatter about DE:HR Typhoon for bosses seemed to be the general consensus.

[Shane]

I got the first boss using fire extinguishers and gas canisters as distractions, the second one went down after three consecutive typhoons, I got the third with three-four shots from the grenade launcher and for the last one, a couple of seconds of laser rifle, which passes through the shields, was enough.

[Casimir Effect]

You're welcome to that opinion, of course, but it's an easy way to dismiss any dissenting opinion in gaming.
Normally I'd never make a dismissive statement like that, it's just DA2 is so similar to DA:O that I can't understand how anyone could love one and hate the other. Rate-as-less-good, be-disappointed-in or nothing-it sure, but vitriolic hate doesn't make sense. There's a far smaller gap between the two than between ME1 & ME2 or Oblivion and Skyrim.

If someone hated or didn't care about the first then it completely makes sense for them to have the same opinion of the sequel

[Althea]

Normally I'd never make a dismissive statement like that, it's just DA2 is so similar to DA:O that I can't understand how anyone could love one and hate the other. Rate-as-less-good, be-disappointed-in or nothing-it sure, but vitriolic hate doesn't make sense. There's a far smaller gap between the two than between ME1 & ME2 or Oblivion and Skyrim.
DA2 has an art-style change, removes most aspects of character customisation (i.e. the races, voices, etc), goes from film-like exaggeration to anime-esque flashing, is shorter and more repetitive than DA:O was and so on.

There's a lot of differences.

[Casimir Effect]

DA2 has an art-style change, removes most aspects of character customisation (i.e. the races, voices, etc), goes from film-like exaggeration to anime-esque flashing, is shorter and more repetitive than DA:O was and so on.
The art style has just been given a washed-out look but otherwise looks the same, and I'm not sure what you mean by "film-like exaggeration to anime-esque flashing".
The character customization is probably the thing people dislike the most, especially the removal of the Origins stories and different races (the PC voices were pointless though). I just can't see how that can be such a massive deal-breaker though: there's already a game which allows for you to play an elf, human or dwarf whose looks can be customized - it's called Dragon Age: Origins. I can never understand people who want essentially the exact same game over and over again like you get with Nintendo or CoD. Look at what Assassins Creed is becoming/has become*.
But then I'm a bad person to ask as character customization has never been a big thing for me. I'd argue DA2 allows far more customization of character abilities though.

It is shorter than DA:O true but that's largely a consequence of not having the Bioware Hub System (which masks doing the same thing several times by dressing it up differently each time), and I'd argue DA:O is just as repetitive if not more so once you consider the monotony that is the Deep Roads and the extra length resulting from fetch quests or the like.
To clarify I do prefer Origins overall but think DA2 is also very good in it's own right.

*Assassins Creed 3 scheduled for release later this year btw - not even a year after Revelations.

[Althea]

The art style has just been given a washed-out look but otherwise looks the same
DA:O - Dark. Grey, brown, green. Realistic.
DA2 - Brown, red, brown. Cartoony.


and I'm not sure what you mean by "film-like exaggeration to anime-esque flashing".
DA:O - Exaggerated but not super-realistic animations during combat. Kill moves seemed right.
DA2 - LOL SMASHY SMASHY SMASHY SWING SWING SWING


The character customization is probably the thing people dislike the most, especially the removal of the Origins stories and different races (the PC voices were pointless though). I just can't see how that can be such a massive deal-breaker though: there's already a game which allows for you to play an elf, human or dwarf whose looks can be customized - it's called Dragon Age: Origins. I can never understand people who want essentially the exact same game over and over again like you get with Nintendo or CoD. Look at what Assassins Creed is becoming/has become*.
"Oh, you've played DA:O? You want to play something like it? Well... play DA:O again." See the problem? It'd be like if Baldur's Gate 2 only allowed you to play a Human Fighter after the customisation of Baldur's Gate.


It is shorter than DA:O true but that's largely a consequence of not having the Bioware Hub System (which masks doing the same thing several times by dressing it up differently each time), and I'd argue DA:O is just as repetitive if not more so once you consider the monotony that is the Deep Roads and the extra length resulting from fetch quests or the like.
Yes, DA:O had some back and forth, but areas did change and they didn't reuse quest areas as such. You had the hub(s), but the other locations were generally fairly unique.

[Shane]

Bioware's games are like action movies of the type Michael Bay spawns with the corny dialogues and vain, half-hearted attempts at showing a non-existent depth. Dragon Age 2 showed people that it was possible to take that shit up a notch.

I disagree with your assertion about the AC series. As opposed to DA 2 which was developed in about ten months, AC 3 has been in development for more than three years. Anyway, that publishers release sequels too soon is not wrong in itself as long as those release maintain quality and offer something substantial to fans.

[Althea]

As opposed to DA 2 which was developed in about ten months
Actually, DA2 was closer to the standard two years. Think it was at least 18 months.

[Lukasz]

Is having a hub a bad idea? I always liked that. Going back to your ship on kotor, where you could talk to your teammates, sometimes do quest, in DAO having relationships between your comrades slowly build up and seeing how your team slowly grows bigger.

[Casimir Effect]

DA:O - Dark. Grey, brown, green. Realistic.
DA2 - Brown, red, brown. Cartoony.
I guess I never thought about the colour tone. My brain justifies it by thinking of Kirkwall and its environs as a Mediterranean setting to Ferelden's Britain. It's a different climate.

DA:O - Exaggerated but not super-realistic animations during combat. Kill moves seemed right.
DA2 - LOL SMASHY SMASHY SMASHY SWING SWING SWING
They look over-the-top, but I found the Origins ones silly. Origins has so few standard combat animations that it ends up looking dull. BG2 has more. I prefer the more bombastic combat of DA2, especially how rogues can jump towards enemies which actually adds a tactical element.

"Oh, you've played DA:O? You want to play something like it? Well... play DA:O again." See the problem? It'd be like if Baldur's Gate 2 only allowed you to play a Human Fighter after the customisation of Baldur's Gate.
It's not a niche genre. Like DA:O, try BG1, BG2, NWN1, NWN2, IWD1, IWD2, Drakensang, ToEE, Ultima etc. There are plenty more things to try so Bioware don't need to churn out more of the same - they can experiment without making fans feel alienated. Now, if Railworks 2012 decided to have trains which can go 400mp/h, back in time and turn on a dime while explosions go off all around, then there's cause for being pissed.


Is having a hub a bad idea? I always liked that. Going back to your ship on kotor, where you could talk to your teammates, sometimes do quest, in DAO having relationships between your comrades slowly build up and seeing how your team slowly grows bigger.
Ever played Neverwinter Nights? That'll beat hub-love right out of you. It goes like this:
Act1: Hub with 4-directions + boss fight area
Act2: Hub with 3-direction + smaller hub with 2-directions + repetitive-ass 8 floor tower with boss fight
Act3: Hub with 3-direction
Act4: Hub with 2-directions + endgame area.
Each 'direction' is just a case of "Go here, find/investigate this". Never again.

[Jockie]

To be fair the art changes weren't just colour tone, the Qu'nari were entirely redesigned from being large grey haired chaps, to having big bastard horns sticking out of the top of their heads.

Whatsherface the witch also suffered from bigbastardhornsonyourheadnow syndrome too.

My problem with DA2 was it felt rushed, the storylines and plots tapered out with little warning, consequence was removed from Origins, in favour of having the end result be almsot exactly the same, whatever decisions you make. The companions weren't half as good as Origins, give me Alistair, Shale, hell give me Anders out of Awakenings over these chumps (dwarf bloke was fine, Avelline was pretty decent, the rest were pretty much awful).

[Althea]

They look over-the-top, but I found the Origins ones silly. Origins has so few standard combat animations that it ends up looking dull. BG2 has more. I prefer the more bombastic combat of DA2, especially how rogues can jump towards enemies which actually adds a tactical element.
But some people don't. See, that's it - DA2 represented a stylistic change too.


It's not a niche genre. Like DA:O, try BG1, BG2, NWN1, NWN2, IWD1, IWD2, Drakensang, ToEE, Ultima etc. There are plenty more things to try so Bioware don't need to churn out more of the same - they can experiment without making fans feel alienated. Now, if Railworks 2012 decided to have trains which can go 400mp/h, back in time and turn on a dime while explosions go off all around, then there's cause for being pissed.
You named 7 D&D games, one DSA/TDE game (which had niche appeal, by the way, due to its complexity, availability and so forth) and a franchise that's been reduced to a bunch of classics and an MMO.

Is it a niche market? Right now - yeah, it is. So few studios, at least AAA ones, are putting out games in that vein. It's really only BioWare, Obsidian - a couple of studios, and even then they're moving away from the 90s/00s in terms of gameplay. DA:O's sale figures prove that there's a market for it, but come on, it's a BioWare title and it released across three platforms (later four with Mac).

But DA2? Its sales dropped off really quickly, and it hit low prices quite fast. It did well initially, but with the review controversy from PC Gamer and the months of talk about changes, DA2 just didn't do as well as its predecessor. Why? Because BioWare cocked it up.

[Heliocentric]

Now, if Railworks 2012 decided to have trains which can go 400mp/h, back in time and turn on a dime while explosions go off all around, then there's cause for being pissed.
I take it you missed the Halloween DLC, including zombies and flying trains?

[Shane]

but with the review controversy from PC Gamer
What controversy?

Why? Because BioWare cocked it up.
Their games are invariable shitty but DA 2 was saturated with all of the faults that plague their work.

[Casimir Effect]

I'mmm not going to win this one am I? Final attempt though.

I think of DA:O as a D&D game because, aside from the mana/stamina system which comes from an MMO, it's the same gameplay. All combat depends on a stat-based ruleset where the player skill has no effect on the outcome (not tactical skill).
DA:O counts as a niche only if you get very specific in your classifications: realistic, medieval-era, dark fantasy; mana system; party-based; heavily customizable character; non-skill based; single player and lots of non-combat gameplay. You could say God of War is in a niche genre because there is no other 3rd person action-brawler with some puzzle/platforming set in ancient Greece where you control an angry man.

Ultimately I think the game needed another year to be fully polished. Get rid of those quests where you find some shit lying around then hand it to some guy for 50silver. Attempt to tie the majority of side quests into the main quest like the Witcher did - use them to show the atmosphere of fear supposedly prevelant in the city etc. Work better on the conversation wheel prompts. More environments - source the majority of level building out to fans. That sort of thing.

[vinraith]

Normally I'd never make a dismissive statement like that, it's just DA2 is so similar to DA:O that I can't understand how anyone could love one and hate the other. Rate-as-less-good, be-disappointed-in or nothing-it sure, but vitriolic hate doesn't make sense. There's a far smaller gap between the two than between ME1 & ME2 or Oblivion and Skyrim.

If someone hated or didn't care about the first then it completely makes sense for them to have the same opinion of the sequel

Many people (myself included) liked DA:O as much for what it represented as what it was. Specifically, it looked like (and was billed as) an attempt to build an RPG in the Baldur's Gate model (not a fully successful one, but an attempt). When, instead of refining and improving on that attempt, they went in the opposite direction and made its sequel more like other "modern" RPG's, the result was a genuine feeling of betrayal. What you're reading as hate is a manifestation of disappointment in what DA2 is coupled to a sense of betrayal because of what it could have been, and what the series will apparently never be: a spiritual successor to the Infinity engine games of the late 90's and early 2000's.

[Althea]

but with the review controversy from PC Gamer
What controversy?
The controversy where they rated it something like 94 or 96 out of 100.

[Ian]

In tackling the first set of three missions in Mass Effect, it occurred to me that I'd in my earlier attempts I'd never got as far as finding Liara. I'd either go Feros->Noveria or vice-versa, then get bogged down in sidequest obsession and wander off. This time I went to get Liara first and was surprised by how quick it was. Drive a bit, fight about ten Geth and job's a good'un.

In an attempt to whizz through these early bits and get to stuff I've not seen before and hopefully get into it properly this time I've turned down the combat difficulty. This lets me crank up my talky skills, which is good. I like the talking.

[Smashbox]

The controversy where they rated it something like 94 or 96 out of 100.

Incidentally, that's all I knew about the game, so I bought it without hesitation. Lesson learned.

[Casimir Effect]

Many people (myself included) liked DA:O as much for what it represented as what it was. Specifically, it looked like (and was billed as) an attempt to build an RPG in the Baldur's Gate model (not a fully successful one, but an attempt). When, instead of refining and improving on that attempt, they went in the opposite direction and made its sequel more like other "modern" RPG's, the result was a genuine feeling of betrayal. What you're reading as hate is a manifestation of disappointment in what DA2 is coupled to a sense of betrayal because of what it could have been, and what the series will apparently never be: a spiritual successor to the Infinity engine games of the late 90's and early 2000's.
I can get how the feeling of betrayal could lead to the anger, and I myself am somewhat disappointed by the game and the untapped potential it has. I found the progression from one game to the other natural though. When Dragon Age was first announced back in 2004 or so it was billed as an updated BG game and I loved the sound of it. But when it resurfaced in its final form years later there was no way you could still think that was the case. Remember the Marilyn Manson, the blood splattering, the sexytimes and the exagerrated grimdarkness that the trailers and dev diaries began to proudly show?

So my brain can easily draw a straight line from BG2 to DA2 with DA:O sitting on that line. The game is as I expected and still closer to DA:O than DA:O was to BG2. I struggle to understand how a BG fan can like DA:O yet a DA:O fan can dislike/hate DA2.

[vinraith]

I can get how the feeling of betrayal could lead to the anger, and I myself am somewhat disappointed by the game and the untapped potential it has. I found the progression from one game to the other natural though. When Dragon Age was first announced back in 2004 or so it was billed as an updated BG game and I loved the sound of it. But when it resurfaced in its final form years later there was no way you could still think that was the case. Remember the Marilyn Manson, the blood splattering, the sexytimes and the exagerrated grimdarkness that the trailers and dev diaries began to proudly show?

So my brain can easily draw a straight line from BG2 to DA2 with DA:O sitting on that line. The game is as I expected and still closer to DA:O than DA:O was to BG2. I struggle to understand how a BG fan can like DA:O yet a DA:O fan can dislike/hate DA2.

The answer there is that the BG fan liked DA:O because of what they thought it was trying to be at least as much, if not moreso, than what it was. Speaking for myself, in the wake of DA2, DA:O has lost a lot of its luster.

[Casimir Effect]

The answer there is that the BG fan liked DA:O because of what they thought it was trying to be at least as much, if not moreso, than what it was. Speaking for myself, in the wake of DA2, DA:O has lost a lot of its luster.
I see: it gave you hope that the older ways were going to continue in some fashion. Now that has turned out to not be the case DA:O itself seems like a false prophet.

[vinraith]

I see: it gave you hope that the older ways were going to continue in some fashion. Now that has turned out to not be the case DA:O itself seems like a false prophet.

Exactly. (10 chars)

Now, if I back away from expectations and hopes, and evaluate DA:O for what it is, I did still enjoy it (for all its myriad flaws). In reality, I would probably get at least some entertainment out of DA2 as well, and I probably should play it at some point. After all, I enjoyed ME2 (after getting over my disappointment with where THAT series went). Still, that disappointment builds quite a wall, and there's a long list of games demanding my time.

[Nalano]

To be fair the art changes weren't just colour tone, the Qu'nari were entirely redesigned from being large grey haired chaps, to having big bastard horns sticking out of the top of their heads.

Whatsherface the witch also suffered from bigbastardhornsonyourheadnow syndrome too.

It made the Qunari more distinct. Speaking of art direction: Would you prefer DAO Isabela (http://images.wikia.com/dragonage/images/8/89/IsabelaDAO.png) or DA2 Isabela (http://images.wikia.com/dragonage/images/5/5a/IsabelaDAII.png)? I also prefer DA2 Flemeth to DAO Flemeth: There's more character there. They no longer looked like every third person you came across.


They look over-the-top, but I found the Origins ones silly. Origins has so few standard combat animations that it ends up looking dull. BG2 has more. I prefer the more bombastic combat of DA2, especially how rogues can jump towards enemies which actually adds a tactical element.

I find the animations in DA2 to be vastly superior to DAO, after playing a female city elf in DAO. Always, my arms were way far out my sides, making me look like a lanky chimpanzee. It was worse when I was hunched over in "combat mode" because it looked like I had a spine problem. Plus, when I was a human noble with a twohander in DAO, the combat animations made me look like I was fighting in slow motion.

[Althea]

I find the animations in DA2 to be vastly superior to DAO, after playing a female city elf in DAO. Always, my arms were way far out my sides, making me look like a lanky chimpanzee. It was worse when I was hunched over in "combat mode" because it looked like I had a spine problem. Plus, when I was a human noble with a twohander in DAO, the combat animations made me look like I was fighting in slow motion.
That's because BioWare *massively* cut corners with regards to skeletons. Female Elves and Dwarves drew (no pun intended) the short straws.

[Drake Sigar]

It made the Qunari more distinct. Speaking of art direction: Would you prefer DAO Isabela (http://images.wikia.com/dragonage/images/8/89/IsabelaDAO.png) or DA2 Isabela (http://images.wikia.com/dragonage/images/5/5a/IsabelaDAII.png)? I also prefer DA2 Flemeth to DAO Flemeth: There's more character there. They no longer looked like every third person you came across.
There's no subtlety in DA2 Flemeth. DAO Flemeth looked like a peasant, but you knew she was dangerous the moment you met her.

Better animation wouldn't fix some of the horrible DAO models. My dwarf could reach her toes without kneeling.

[TailSwallower]

Instead of ressurecting that old thread, I'll just mention that I'm NOT playing Cthulhu Saves the World because it decided to stop working. Crashes when the game tries to bring up the main menu - whether I skip the opening cinematic or let it play.
I was actually kind of sick of the game because of the combat, but thought I'd give it one more chance.

I HAVE been playing Realm of the Mad God, which is really fun and addictive, but I don't know if I either don't understand some of the subtleties of the game, or if there simply aren't any.

[NUSNA_Moebius]

Just played Dear Esther (and finished), absolutely wonderful.

I've been playing Lotsa Battlefield 2142 as of late. I forgot how awesome Titan Mode is. I think it's the most rewarding multiplayer experience you can get.

[Kodeen]

Instead of ressurecting that old thread, I'll just mention that I'm NOT playing Cthulhu Saves the World because it decided to stop working. Crashes when the game tries to bring up the main menu - whether I skip the opening cinematic or let it play.
I was actually kind of sick of the game because of the combat, but thought I'd give it one more chance.

What difficulty levelwould you recommend playing that on? I gave it about a half hour or so when I first tried it, and playing on Normal difficulty was a joke. Do the fights scale up, or is Difficult the way to go?

[The JG Man]

Mass Effect 3 demo, particularly and only the multiplayer part.

It's actually really good. Objectives are mix-and-matched, so you might get the same thing, but not in the same place, both which wave it is and where they are on the map. Little things like that. I also totally love the level design of the two maps that are being shown off. Lots of movement, elevation and very pretty to look at.

Whilst the single player is where I'll be dedicating my time, this feels like a worthy attachment to the main game. Unlike Dead Space 2's multiplayer component, this feels very much part of the full package, integrated well and generally, just enjoyable.

Also, the Krogan melee is a headbutt.

[TailSwallower]

What difficulty levelwould you recommend playing that on? I gave it about a half hour or so when I first tried it, and playing on Normal difficulty was a joke. Do the fights scale up, or is Difficult the way to go?

Fights seem to get harder as you go, but you also become more powerful, so I think it balances out. If you're the type to enjoy that style of combat then go difficult I suppose. Personally I'd recommend playing it on Easy just to follow the storyline, 'cause I found the story, characters and dialogue to be the only enjoyable thing about the game.

[Wizardry]

I think of DA:O as a D&D game because, aside from the mana/stamina system which comes from an MMO, it's the same gameplay. All combat depends on a stat-based ruleset where the player skill has no effect on the outcome (not tactical skill).
This is gold. So all "stat-based" RPGs are D&D RPGs?

[Nalano]

There's no subtlety in DA2 Flemeth. DAO Flemeth looked like a peasant, but you knew she was dangerous the moment you met her.

You met DA2 Flemeth after she torched a big pile of darkspawn and offered to send you air coach to the coast. What subtlety?

[Pertusaria]

I'm playing Driftmoon.

I was happy with the demo, with one or two gripes (the big one being that you can't seem to equip the secondary character), so I've now bought the alpha. I don't know why they're calling it an alpha, because it sure seems like it's in beta.

Once I tried it on the most difficult setting, I was hooked. The big difference so far is you get no stat points to spend at the beginning (only when you level up), so you have much tougher choices to make about your character. It's by no means a real old-style RPG, but it's fun and has heart.

Also, if you don't mind paying to playtest, the feedback system is really well thought out.

[Odeon]

You know what? This thread and the many like it here at the RPS forums have shown me something. I haven't played 1/50th of what people here talk about regularly and with great emotion. So despite the many, many hours of time I've put into the many games I've played over the years, I'm probably barely eligible to be considered a "gamer." Either that or these forums are populated with a high percentage of the truly hard-core, live-and-breathe-nothing-but-games kind of gamers that people like me wish we had the time to become.

[sabrage]

You know what? This thread and the many like it here at the RPS forums have shown me something. I haven't played 1/50th of what people here talk about regularly and with great emotion. So despite the many, many hours of time I've put into the many games I've played over the years, I'm probably barely eligible to be considered a "gamer." Either that or these forums are populated with a high percentage of the truly hard-core, live-and-breathe-nothing-but-games kind of gamers that people like me wish we had the time to become.
Well, just look at Nalano's Steam page. 151.2 hours played in the last two weeks. If I could spend literally half my time playing games, I'd get a second job.

[Nalano]

Well, just look at Nalano's Steam page. 151.2 hours played in the last two weeks. If I could spend literally half my time playing games, I'd get a second job.

My job is computers. I'm staring at three of them right now.

[Drake Sigar]

You met DA2 Flemeth after she torched a big pile of darkspawn and offered to send you air coach to the coast. What subtlety?
She could have kept out of sight, sent a minion, or maybe Hawke could win the fight and travel by other means. You may think that there's no reason to hide Flemeth's power now that the whole audience knows what she is, but she wasn't flaunting it openly in DA:O and doing so here seems to compromise her character. What the hell happened between DA:O to DA2 which made her go from a swampy old kook to Disney's Maleficent? Is this even the same person?

[Nalano]

She could have kept out of sight, sent a minion, or maybe Hawke could win the fight and travel by other means. You may think that there's no reason to hide Flemeth's power now that the whole audience knows what she is, but she wasn't flaunting it openly in DA:O and doing so here seems to compromise her character. What the hell happened between DA:O to DA2 which made her go from a swampy old kook to Disney's Maleficent? Is this even the same person?

"The character progression didn't go in the direction I wanted! Why has Bioware forsaken me? ...didn't they get my cards?"

[Casimir Effect]

This is gold. So all "stat-based" RPGs are D&D RPGs?
Nope, I just didn't want to get into it heavily. The larger group is the stat-based RPG of which the D&D ones are a part of. I'm just saying that DA:O plays similar to a D&D one in that I, the player, don't have to actively dodge or block or strike and there are (6) stats from which to-hit rolls, damage, etc are largely derived with additional input coming from equipment. The only things that set it apart are the non-passive abilities.


She could have kept out of sight, sent a minion, or maybe Hawke could win the fight and travel by other means. You may think that there's no reason to hide Flemeth's power now that the whole audience knows what she is, but she wasn't flaunting it openly in DA:O and doing so here seems to compromise her character. What the hell happened between DA:O to DA2 which made her go from a swampy old kook to Disney's Maleficent? Is this even the same person?
Remember that Flemeth expected to die from Morrigan's machinations, so it's understandable she'd throw caution to the winds for a while to ensure her survival.

[Drake Sigar]

Eh? I just criticised DA:O too, and I like that game.

[Nalano]

Remember that Flemeth expected to die from Morrigan's machinations, so it's understandable she'd throw caution to the winds for a while to ensure her survival.

Even more than that, you see here all of three times in DAO. The first time, she's all ":3" while your companions tell you she's the most powerful person in the entire area. The second time, Morrigan basically tells you she turned into a giant bird and plucked you out of a warzone because she knows exactly who you are and what you're capable of, and the third time she turns into a giant dragon with the expressed intent of kicking your ass.

She was never hidden. She was barely even coy. Hell, she herself says that the way she dealt with nosy nancies is to kill 'em, and easily.

[Drake Sigar]

I'm beginning to think nobody is going to congratulate me for that Maleficent comparison.

[Nalano]

I'm beginning to think nobody is going to congratulate me for that Maleficent comparison.

Well, when you said "Disney Maleficent," I immediately thought of that freakish preview for Epic Mickey.

[sabrage]

I built a house for you (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/forums/showthread.php?3099-The-quot-I-Played-Dragon-Age-and-I-Care-quot-thread&p=92551#post92551). Now the rest of us can get on with talking about the games we're playing.

[trjp]

I gave the new "indie" title 'Warp' a try on the consoleboxofXs earlier (it's Origin-only on PC atm, coming to Steam in a month-or-so apparently) and it's - well - it's "interesting".

Visually, it's a treat and it has a sense of humour and plenty of "oh wow that was NEAT" bits - but there are some NASTY design issues which, by the time the demo ran out, had pretty much worn me out.

1 - Without spoiling anything, you 'warp' around and you can 'warp' inside things and break them. To break them you have to 'waggle' the left stick - and you have to do this a LOT. Frankly, I was utterly pissed-off doing this after about 2 minutes, just make it a button press please, I'm not a performing seal...

2 - It likes loading stuff quite a bit, it's not so bad in the main levels, but it has these challenge levels where you have to complete objectives as quickly as possible and it reloads those EVERY time you try them AND makes you wait for a countdown before you can go. This is a massive, massive, massive ballache - esp on levels where there are only obstables to avoid and nothing to move/destroy (e.g. they DON'T NEED TO RELOAD THE BLOODY LEVEL)

3 - Quite a lot of bits will require some experimentation BUT checkpoints aren't too frequent which means you'll be repeating a fair bit of stuff. It's not a disaster but it does kinda grind a bit when you have to redo stuff in a what's basically a puzzle game.

Those things are a shame in what's otherwise a very imaginative and visually attractive thing - they're really schoolboy mistakes IMO and they're not unredeemable (and may be less of a problem on PC - who knows!!)

[Miker]

Here are my experiences with the free weekend for Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, if anybody cares:

My first and only game look a minute to find a match, a minute to start the match while putting all level one players on the same team against three level 80 players on the other team, then we finally started playing. A few minutes into the match, one guy starts calling out someone else for hacking. The accused guy keeps on saying "mad" repeatedly. Then the angry guy begins throwing out insults and curses left and right, culminating with "go die a slow death you jew ass pussies."

I uninstalled the game as soon as my match ended. As they say, Never Again.

[Heliocentric]

Here are my experiences with the free weekend for Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, if anybody cares:

My first and only game look a minute to find a match, a minute to start the match while putting all level one players on the same team against three level 80 players on the other team, then we finally started playing. A few minutes into the match, one guy starts calling out someone else for hacking. The accused guy keeps on saying "mad" repeatedly. Then the angry guy begins throwing out insults and curses left and right, culminating with "go die a slow death you jew ass pussies."

I uninstalled the game as soon as my match ended. As they say, Never Again.

7/10

Its the lowest possible score which is statistically valid.

[khaz]

I've pretty much been playing Wipeout Pure exclusively.

Seriously, has anyone ever beaten F-Zero GX? There's literally no twitch reaction or reflex; it's pure memorization at supersonic speeds.

Really? I found the AI to be quite ruthless (But fair). The tracks in the game are pretty expansive (Because of the insane speeds you're racing at) and not that hard to remember frankly, I always had a much tougher time with the AI because of how aggressive they were and required swift reflexes on my part. Some of the story mode challenges on hard difficulty made me cry though. :(

One of my favourite games ever. Don't think any other game has come close to capturing the feeling of sheer speed that GX has. Its arcade brother - AX - is amazing too, the cabinet it was housed in really added to the game.

CoD4: MW was the last CoD game I played and I loved it. The multiplayer lasted me a good eighteen months to two years. Very few games capture the reflexive nature of multiplayer CoD, I take it the sequels still retain this?

One of my favourite gaming moments happened in a CoD4 tffa game. It was on the aircraft hangars level with the nuke silos, Countdown I think? Somehow, just one enemy and me found each other at close range with him carrying a P90 and me a Skorpion in a corner of the map. We circle strafed each other perfectly emptying our clips and not landing a shot. Both of us went to reload but halfway through my reload I found myself charging him and knifed him. Pure instinct. I wasn't even thinking, it was one of those Batman like "I just did it" moments.

And this was on hardcore mode.

[Nalano]

Here are my experiences with the free weekend for Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, if anybody cares:

My first and only game look a minute to find a match, a minute to start the match while putting all level one players on the same team against three level 80 players on the other team, then we finally started playing. A few minutes into the match, one guy starts calling out someone else for hacking. The accused guy keeps on saying "mad" repeatedly. Then the angry guy begins throwing out insults and curses left and right, culminating with "go die a slow death you jew ass pussies."

I uninstalled the game as soon as my match ended. As they say, Never Again.

I think that succinctly sums up most MPFPSs. And I still put in 115 hours into BF3. You begin to tune out the "keep hacking, cocksucking nigger faggot jew," or, at least, it gives you cause to seek the perp out and grief him with C4 charges.

[Heliocentric]

I think that succinctly sums up most MPFPSs

Never happened to me in Project Reality, SWAT 4 or Natural Selection and I've passed 300 hours in each (maybe only 200 in swat, but it's exhausting).

You do get hack accusers and occasion griefers but administrators usually fix that in short order.

This is part of why dota is such a breeding ground for contempt, no admins ever.

[corbain]

Loaded up my save in DA:O this week, and have been really enjoying getting back into it. I abandoned it about 18 months ago after I hit some issues with the DLC and a corrupt save game, meaning I lost all the items and storage benefits from the Warden's Keep DLC.

Someone said that they're not that great anyhow, so I'm just ploughing on without them, and having a blast so far. I've just finished saving the boy Conor and am now trapsing round Denerim looking for trouble.. and a Sacred Urn. Great stuff.

[Serenegoose]

Still playing Amalur, still enjoying it. The only gripe I have is that sometimes I end up launching into a move I didn't want by accident and then I get hugely punished for it because I can't blink out of trouble or use my shield til its done its animation. This is where I take 99% of my damage against kobolds from, with their bloody spears and bombs.

[Miker]

I have to agree with Heliocentric here -- my 200+ hours in TF2 and about 50 hours in Bad Company 2 never had stuff that bad.

[One Pigeon]

Never happened to me in Project Reality, SWAT 4 or Natural Selection and I've passed 300 hours in each (maybe only 200 in swat, but it's exhausting).

You do get hack accusers and occasion griefers but administrators usually fix that in short order.

This is part of why dota is such a breeding ground for contempt, no admins ever.

Must...resist...urge to go back to Project Reality. That sucker had me playing every spare moment I could for a good 6 months. 6 months when I desperately needed a new job but mostly played PR.

I'm finally going through the list of Steam games I own but never played.
Finished Ass Creed 1 & 2.
1 got boring quite quickly so I skipped most of the extra missions.
2 Was much better and I did a large majority of the side missions.
I'm looking forward to getting brotherhood and playing that at some point in the near future.

Today I started on Rage, which was an absolute bitch to get running. It took me a good hour of searching for the right settings for my graphics card to get the game to not judder or have the textures constantly flicker.
Once it was running the game seemed pretty fun although I didn't get long to try it out before work.
The pistol with the Fatboy rounds is very satisfying.

[Doodier]

Ok so.. I've bought a copy of Borderlands to my multiplayer pal because the group I've played with before kinda dropped on this game and I really wanted to finish it BUT we can't connect in the friggin' game! I really don't know what to do.. We tried Hamachi, Gameranger but nothing works.. We tried it every possible way - online play, LAN game, me as a host, then he - everything! But it just doesn't work.. So currently I am playing nothing and my blood pressure is somewhere between "heart attack" and "dead." GAH!

[Heliocentric]

Mass Effect 3 Multiplayer, I'll play the Single when I own the game. This is pretty good, but which departmental chimp decided peer to peer was a good idea?

I actually had lots of fun once the other players quit and I was by myself, with the resulting 0 ping game.

By myself i had a ball of a time, leaping from cover to cover fighting enemies. I can see this being great, but my god, peer to peer, are these people really that stupid?

[The JG Man]

I too had that concern with it being P2P, especially considering the last foray into small-scale P2P co-op of Space Marine, but this seemed to work pretty well for me. It was either no connection, a bit of lag before migrating host or fine. Sure it would be nice, but it seems to run rather well.

[Miker]

Ok so.. I've bought a copy of Borderlands to my multiplayer pal because the group I've played with before kinda dropped on this game and I really wanted to finish it BUT we can't connect in the friggin' game! I really don't know what to do.. We tried Hamachi, Gameranger but nothing works.. We tried it every possible way - online play, LAN game, me as a host, then he - everything! But it just doesn't work.. So currently I am playing nothing and my blood pressure is somewhere between "heart attack" and "dead." GAH!Have you tried Tunngle? It's ghetto as hell with a hideous "for gamers by gamers" interface, but I've gotten it working with Rainbow Six Vegas 2 when neither Hamachi or Gameranger worked.

[Juan Carlo]

Let's see, I just finished "Zombie Shoot 1." It's pretty awful. All the enemies get stuck on walls, and there's a particularly horrible bug where bullets can't pass through each other so if groups of enemies are shooting at you their bullets will stop yours mid air. Plus, all bullets/missiles fired by enemies immediately hone to the player no matter what, which is kind of frustrating. Also, it's basically just killing massive waves of enemies who a re all clumped into tiny rooms with no ryhme or reason or consideration of strategy or placement. It's only saving grace is that the gore effects are kind of neat and it's very short--like 2 hours (plus I got it in a bundle, so I paid hardly anything for it).

I'm actually kind of shocked that Valve accepted it at all to sell on steam--it's that bad.

I did finish the first Blackwell game a few days ago, though, and that was awesome. One of the better adventure games I've played in ages. I even liked it better than Gemini Rue.