What are you playing at the moment? [Archive] - Page 4

Megagun

06-08-2011, 04:38 PM

Freespace 2 can also be played perfectly with an Xbox 360 controller, but you'll want to have a keyboard nearby for the more advanced controls (shield/engine/guns power levels). You might need some tools to map some buttons to the keyboard, and I think you need Freespace Open.

That said, I usually play Freespace 2 with a mouse and keyboard; it works really well. I never felt the need to play it with a joystick.

As far as Star Control 2 goes: the GoG pack includes a manual (which you can probably find on the internet somewhere else) and a starmap. As far as the starmap goes: printing it out is useful, but I'd recommend printing out either this one (http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/lm.broers/download/sc2-starmap.png) or this one (preferred as it contains constellation lines) (http://home.quicknet.nl/qn/prive/lm.broers/download/sc2-starmap.pdf). You'll want to write notes and such on your map, and printing out anything that doesn't fit on one page is just too annoying. :)

Star Control 1, although a fun game isn't nearly as fun as 2, and indeed mostly about combat. The 'full game' gamemode has a 3D spinning starmap which is rather annoying to use. Star Control 2's combat has all the ships from Star Control 1, so you're not really missing out on much anyways.

CuervoJoe

06-08-2011, 05:24 PM

Thanks a lot chaps. I have to say, this is one of the friendliest forums I've ever been on.

EDIT: By God, the combat in this game is terrible.

Heliocentric

06-08-2011, 06:13 PM

If it makes you feel more at home I could wake up wizardry.

Star Control is an RPG

*runs away*

CuervoJoe

06-08-2011, 06:15 PM

If it makes you feel more at home I could wake up wizardry.

Star Control is an RPG

*runs away*

Nah, you're ok. And Yeah, I know.

Berlin

06-08-2011, 11:15 PM

I just finished Bulletstorm and it's 10/10 for me but some minutes after I finished the single player campaign I remembered that Brink's free.

What. A. Crap.

Oak

07-08-2011, 02:53 AM

this is one of the friendliest forums I've ever been on.

...really?

Ciber

07-08-2011, 08:47 AM

Started installing Hydrophobia which I bought for very cheap in a sale on steam. I just wanted to see the 'awesome' water effects.

Spacewalk

07-08-2011, 10:13 AM

I can't stop re-installing Deus Ex so that was six hours from my day just gone. I really needed those six hours but this bloody game...

Tikey

07-08-2011, 02:55 PM

Crusader was one of my favourite games back when it came out. Haven't played it in years so can't say how well it's stood time but it was a really great and fun action game. Some of the mechanics are probably a bit clunky these days but nothing that shouldn't be too much of a problem. As an added bonus, it has those oh-so-wonderfully terrible live-action cutscenes that were so trendy back then! And Crusader himself is one of the undeniable gaming badasses.

Reminds me, need to buy it from GOG myself.

Is that Crusader as in "Crusader: No Remorse and Crusader: No regret"?

Lambchops

07-08-2011, 08:58 PM

Ian

08-08-2011, 08:43 AM

...really?

I can believe it.

It's largely bereft of quick descents into name-calling, for a start.

Skeletor68

08-08-2011, 10:37 AM

thinking about reinstalling, then going through the entire dark forces series to remind myself what good starwars games are like. why did they stop making these games again?

+1 This with Mysteries of the Sith were just fantastic. So much atmosphere. I was a young un when I played them though so I think pretty much cheated the whole ay through!

Hensler

08-08-2011, 01:27 PM

...really?

As long as you stay out of the RPG conversation's, sure.

The JG Man

08-08-2011, 02:35 PM

Just a quick question, are you supposed to have any bloody clue what the hell is going on in STALKER: Shadow of Chernobyl? I've just got documents from X16, seen a cutscene and I think I have a vague clue.

Also, screw the mutants. Screw every single one of them. Especially the dogs, but especially those ninja human dog things that scratch you for about 60% damage. Screw them hard. (The game is very fun though past the awful starting weapons. Something about the game keeps me coming back and I have no idea what.)

desvergeh

08-08-2011, 03:24 PM

I saw Pathologic mentioned in the bargain bin and decided it was time to give it another shot.

last time around I remember deciding to wait for a better translation but I suspect this may never see the light of day (despite the best efforts of the volunteers and the dev in trying to get something going in the past). I want to experience this game, at the very least so I can read Quinns words on it (which I avoided for fear of spoilers).

So just firing it up now. Then i'll probably have to play something else to cleanse the palate before moving on to The Void!

Oh, does anyone know if there are any patches for Pathologic? Translations aside I know that it is regarded as being somewhat buggy, so just wanted to know if there is anything I should be downloading before I get started.

I played through it recently. Didn't download any patches, just the files from Gamersgate.

No trouble with bugs really, some weird graphical glitches using a torch (so I didn't bother and sold all the oil to buy food). There was also an issue at first with trying to get it to work with a dual-core processor, had to run it single-core in the end.

Highly suggest you refer to the game guide as you play - <CITE>www.pathologic-game.com/path_walkthrough_eng.pdf (http://www.pathologic-game.com/path_walkthrough_eng.pdf) </CITE>
<CITE></CITE>
It has very useful advice on how to make money and survive, and can help in places where the translation leaves you confused as to what it is you are trying to do. Also be sure to check out the keybindings - not realising that you are getting letters sent to you for half the game is not helpful! Especially as they often suggest where you should be going.

Would also suggest that maybe you play through as the Haruspex. Supposedly the Bachelor is the easiest, but I found his story conclusion unsatisfactory (his views seem to suddenly shift for no apparent reason). Furthermore it sounds as if the Haruspex gains access to areas that sound very interesting.

Nalano

08-08-2011, 03:29 PM

I just got DK2 to work on Win7, and now I'm basically doing that.

Alaric

08-08-2011, 03:44 PM

I just finished playing my Hard Reset preview, and am now playing Discworld (1995.)

Anthile

08-08-2011, 04:01 PM

I just finished playing my Hard Reset preview, and am now playing Discworld (1995.)

Wow, that was an awful game. Sure, Monkey Island had a couple of silly puzzles but some stuff in Discworld made the infamous cat-moustache puzzle from Gabriel Knight 3 look intuitive in comparison. No good memories :(.

Alaric

08-08-2011, 04:05 PM

Wow, that was an awful game. Sure, Monkey Island had a couple of silly puzzles but some stuff in Discworld made the infamous cat-moustache puzzle from Gabriel Knight 3 look intuitive in comparison. No good memories :(.

I know! It's the least logical adventure game I've ever played. The designers must have been doing shrooms all the while. Still, I love the art style and the humor. I also remember playing it with a friend while in high-school (it came out during my freshman year) and those were good times. We never beat it though.

By the way, I didn't mention that I'm playing it on my Android tablet. It's pretty sweet! =)

desvergeh

08-08-2011, 04:07 PM

I just got DK2 to work on Win7, and now I'm basically doing that.

Wow! How did you do that? And will it work for Vista too?

DK2 is my wife's favourite game ever. Got it to work on her computer, but it crashes every 10 minutes. So if you know a solution she would be extremely pleased.

Alaric

08-08-2011, 04:15 PM

Nalano

08-08-2011, 04:30 PM

Wow! How did you do that? And will it work for Vista too?

DK2 is my wife's favourite game ever. Got it to work on her computer, but it crashes every 10 minutes. So if you know a solution she would be extremely pleased.

Long story short, change settings in registry to force 32 bit and software rendering (because the problem's with 3Dfx) and then run in Win2000 compatibility mode with all the options below selected.

Then run the game once to get it to accept the new settings, and then again to actually play it.

Lambchops

08-08-2011, 07:12 PM

Would also suggest that maybe you play through as the Haruspex. Supposedly the Bachelor is the easiest, but I found his story conclusion unsatisfactory (his views seem to suddenly shift for no apparent reason). Furthermore it sounds as if the Haruspex gains access to areas that sound very interesting.

I may well take that advice. I fear I may have already doomed myself in my Bachelor game by playing it like an adventure game (the murder mystery had me going all detective) and not focusing on building up stuff for my survival (I haven't even picked up any weapons yet) so it's probably best to start again rather than bang my head against a brick wall.

I made a prior decision that I wasn't going to look at guides and walkthroughs, but thanks for the link anyway as I'm not sure how long that stance will last!

Doesn'tmeananything

08-08-2011, 07:22 PM

Just finished Splinter Cell Conviction.

Sigh. The game had potential but annoyingly it went down the path of combining action and stealth without getting any of them quite right. And it's surprisingly short, too, at least the main story is. I suspect it was sacrificed a bit for other modes. Still, though, it feels just too watered down. And the level design! So inexcusably linear most of the time.

There are other things to try, of course. I've played some Deniable Ops, and it seemed to be quite good. Not particularly enthralled by the idea of taking out bad guys just for the sake of taking them out, but good map design could make me forget about it. Should probably just play it in co-op with my brother, along with the separate co-op campaign. I predict good times.

Ciber

08-08-2011, 07:45 PM

Very tempted to buy portal 2 at £13. Then again I have a list of games on steam I've not looked at!

Ash_firelord

08-08-2011, 09:03 PM

Very tempted to buy portal 2 at £13. Then again I have a list of games on steam I've not looked at!

Disregard your list. Portal 2 is essential.

vinraith

08-08-2011, 09:07 PM

Portal 2 may be essential, but it'll also wait for a better sale. Come the Steam Xmas extravaganza I expect it'll be cheap as dirt.

Ash_firelord

08-08-2011, 09:10 PM

Perhaps, but the world might end before then, and then he'd have died without knowing the bliss that is Portal 2. A tragic fate if there ever was one.

Nalano

08-08-2011, 09:14 PM

Perhaps, but the world might end before then, and then he'd have died without knowing the bliss that is Portal 2. A tragic fate if there ever was one.

Please, everybody knows the world will end in 2012. He'll have plenty of time past Christmas to finish the game before Armageddon.

Heliocentric

08-08-2011, 09:23 PM

There are other things to try, of course. I've played some Deniable Ops, and it seemed to be quite good. Not particularly enthralled by the idea of taking out bad guys just for the sake of taking them out, but good map design could make me forget about it. Should probably just play it in co-op with my brother, along with the separate co-op campaign. I predict good times.Indeed, if you consider the main story little more than an extended tutorial then it makes alot more sense. Try setting up time limits and trying to tear through coop missions or playing the competitive mode face off.

Lambchops

08-08-2011, 11:40 PM

The Haruspex is definitely harder and I think I'll have to start again . . . again. I'm getting the knack of how to go about things now though, so next time will be different. Wasn't quick enough restoring my reputation and with health knocked by a couple of scrapes (which I should have avoided) I eventually got done by hunger as by the time I was able to buy food I couldn't get to somewhere with it in time.

I'll be quicker off the mark getting my rep good enough to buy food next time!

sabrage

09-08-2011, 04:14 AM

Just beat Zeno Clash in one sitting... Um... Not really sure what just happened.

Couple complaints:
-There were a lot of times where I felt like the AI was actively trying to get behind me, when getting attacked from behind is the BIGGEST annoyance with the game's targeting system
-Only like 6 types of enemies, all repeated
-No multiplayer?? I would've thought that to be a no-brainer.
-I'm not very good at this game

Great art style though. Really good enough to pick up all the faults and carry the game. Well worth the ~$4 I paid.

Ash_firelord

09-08-2011, 08:44 AM

Just beat Zeno Clash in one sitting... Um... Not really sure what just happened.

Couple complaints:
-There were a lot of times where I felt like the AI was actively trying to get behind me, when getting attacked from behind is the BIGGEST annoyance with the game's targeting system

Actually, I'm amazed most video game enemies don't actively try to get you from behind. That's what I'd do if I was facing a hundred-man killing powerhouse.

Althea

09-08-2011, 08:47 AM

Actually, I'm amazed most video game enemies don't actively try to get you from behind. That's what I'd do if I was facing a hundred-man killing powerhouse.
Oo err, that's a bit suspect.

Ash_firelord

09-08-2011, 09:55 AM

Oo err, that's a bit suspect.

There is a reason my favored class is rogue.

Althea

09-08-2011, 09:59 AM

There is a reason my favored class is rogue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2AQ3Qthw40

sabrage

09-08-2011, 10:26 AM

Actually, I'm amazed most video game enemies don't actively try to get you from behind. That's what I'd do if I was facing a hundred-man killing powerhouse.

Well, in Zeno Clash because the camera is always centered on the target you are locked-on to (or you can't do proper melee combat) when you get struck from behind it is very difficult to change targets and kill the enemy behind you. Couple this with some rather frustrating unit collision in tight spaces and the combat can get very annoying, very fast.

Ciber

09-08-2011, 11:28 AM

Portal 2 may be essential, but it'll also wait for a better sale. Come the Steam Xmas extravaganza I expect it'll be cheap as dirt.

That's about what I was thinking. It is 13 now, but it might be 6 later in the year.

mrpier

09-08-2011, 12:36 PM

Dungeons of Dredmor, fun little game, I expect I'll tire of the first level quite soon though.

ZamFear

09-08-2011, 02:19 PM

-There were a lot of times where I felt like the AI was actively trying to get behind me, when getting attacked from behind is the BIGGEST annoyance with the game's targeting system

Turning off auto-target was one of the first things I did. Got annoyed by it locking on to everything when all I wanted to do was run like hell. Mobility is too important in large brawls to tether yourself to a single opponent.

Nalano

09-08-2011, 02:31 PM

Actually, I'm amazed most video game enemies don't actively try to get you from behind. That's what I'd do if I was facing a hundred-man killing powerhouse.

"He's killing all our mans! Send in all the reserves, but only in groups of three to four!"

Drake Sigar

09-08-2011, 05:10 PM

Actually, I'm amazed most video game enemies don't actively try to get you from behind. That's what I'd do if I was facing a hundred-man killing powerhouse.
After Doom 3 I never want to see that again, or rather not see it. No wait, is that right? I don’t want to see the not seeing… oh you figure it out. The Mars station in Doom 3 has two janitorial closets for every corridor, with a zombified Roger Wilco just waiting to leap out behind you and scream “booga booga.” Why is he there? What is that closet for? I ended up moonwalking through every new room.

Nalano

09-08-2011, 05:26 PM

After Doom 3 I never want to see that again, or rather not see it.

Doom 3 was twelve straight hours of "boo!"

Even hour-long horror flicks try to mix it up a little.

NecroKnight

09-08-2011, 08:07 PM

The Whispered World

sabrage

09-08-2011, 08:31 PM

laneford

09-08-2011, 08:36 PM

I just finished playing my Hard Reset preview, and am now playing Discworld (1995.)

Completing Discworld without cheating (no youtube spoilers in 1995) is one of my proudest gaming accomplishments.

It took me three years.

Ash_firelord

09-08-2011, 09:26 PM

I think I'm actually going to re-play the whole DOOM series now... I didn't think DOOM 3 was scary at all, but then again I played with the mod that put the flashlight on your gun. Now I think I'll find some mods that make it MORE scary, if I can.

I actually really liked the "choose either guns or light" mechanic. Sure, it made no sense, but then again, little in Doom 3 does.

Nalano

09-08-2011, 09:27 PM

I actually really liked the "choose either guns or light" mechanic. Sure, it made no sense, but then again, little in Doom 3 does.

"They shipped us thirty crates of chainsaws but no duct tape!"

Oak

09-08-2011, 09:34 PM

Speaking of which, the chainsaw is Doom 3's security blanket. If want to be scared this time, don't use it.

sabrage

09-08-2011, 09:56 PM

Speaking of which, the chainsaw is Doom 3's security blanket. If want to be scared this time, don't use it.

I'm sorry, but that's simply out of the question.

8-bit

10-08-2011, 12:12 AM

got around to playing shogun 2 and was very surprised at how well its running. when I started it up I checked the settings and it had automatically set everything to ultra, which I didn't even think was possible considering how much of a pig empire was. no AA and the loading times are long since I only have 4GB of RAM but it does looks fantastic.

funny story, just starting out the game asked me to go fight some rebels, so while I was off chasing them down another country invaded and killed my general in my undefended castle. two turns to failure :D I didn't even realize that I was at war lol.

keeps throwing me out of the game whenever I try to look at the encyclopedia though which is very irritating.

The JG Man

10-08-2011, 12:19 AM

since I only have 4GB of RAM but it does looks fantastic.

Only?? :/ 4GB certainly isn't the max now, but it's hardly nothing.

Anyhow, still playing Shadow of Chernobyl. Still interested if there's a point at which I found out what the hell is going on, but hey. I'm about to go back into it, but the last session involved me attacking a base, solo, which was causing my brain to melt. There was an amazing sequence I had of running down a road changing between a sniper rifle and a standard one, chopping down fools, before picking up an RPG and later finding a better sniper rifle, causing me to drop the one I had. At this point, I had 2 rifles, a pistol and a shotgun on me. And the RPG. More running battles as I go uphill, take down more fools. I come to the top, there's a sentry point. Sniper in it is annoying me, so out comes the saved RPG. Boom. All this time having to move quickly or use anti-radiation items and heal myself after too long outside. I like the fact there's no timer and you are warned about it. Infiltrated the base and turned off the brain melty thing and am now...somethinging.

For the record, the G36 is a beast. The VSS and the other sniper-lite assault rifle that are worth more didn't do as much for me. Of course, that could be the Complete mod. I have no idea, not playing it without.

Not to mention the game is still handing me my lovely behind over and over again.

8-bit

10-08-2011, 12:33 AM

Only?? :/ 4GB certainly isn't the max now, but it's hardly nothing.

you are right but I have noticed that its becoming more common for games to require as much as 3GB on the recommended settings. just look at just cause 2, or even shogun 2 which recommends 4GB just for the game and I know I could have done with a bit extra when I was playing the witcher 2. I have been thinking about upgrading, only thirty quid for another 4GB is tempting...

Similar

10-08-2011, 08:42 AM

Anyhow, still playing Shadow of Chernobyl. [...]
For the record, the G36 is a beast. The VSS and the other sniper-lite assault rifle that are worth more didn't do as much for me. Of course, that could be the Complete mod. I have no idea, not playing it without.
I don't think it's Complete. The 'real' sniper rifles have never been what I hoped for in any of the Stalker games, modded or unmodded. I do like the Vintar BC/VSS Vintorez, though, partly because the automatic fire can often come in handy, but there's also something satisfying about it, maybe because it's subsonic. Same with the SA/Val; the bullets feel heavy.

My playing got a bit scattered; still have to finish Metro 2033, started a new game of Call of Pripyat (with Complete), reinstalled Shadow of Chernobyl (and Complete) and played for some hours, looked at Wolfenstein (2009), reinstalled Deus Ex and then got dragged back into Minecraft by my ex, so ... I feel rather unfocused now.

Ian

10-08-2011, 09:59 AM

I finished Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood. For all that it's a fairly uninspired shooter I kept going because a) Some of the levels are quite lovely, b) the Western setting in games is rare enough to be interesting and b) I actually quite like Ray and Thomas.*

* Although having played the original it's hard to reconcile the seems-an-okay-guy-for-an-outlaw in Bound in Blood with the child-beater we discover he's become in the intro to the original game. :(

Still deciding what to start next. I'm thinking I might go for Bully. Or possibly Red Faction: Guerrilla.

sabrage

10-08-2011, 10:07 AM

Beat a casual game of Atom Zombie Smasher... I recommend all you who just got it in the Indie Bundle give it a shot, it's a great game. But it's also very taxing...

I'm gonna beat Metro 2033 next, I think. I keep picking it up and enjoying it for a while and then dropping it for months at a time. When I'm done with that, I'm going to try to tackle the Fallout franchise, starting with the original. I bounced off both that and 3 in the past so I hope they stick a little better this time. Also about halfway through a Mass Effect playthrough on the 360 and playing a lot of League of Legends...

agentorange

10-08-2011, 10:26 AM

Currently working my way through Nikopol (picked it up in a steam sale for $2); alas, I have gotten to that ONE PUZZLE that I cannot seem to fucking solve, the worst part being that, I know exactly what I am meant to do, I just can't figure out where the developer wants me to place the doodads.

airtekh

10-08-2011, 10:46 AM

Still interested if there's a point at which I found out what the hell is going on,

Are you talking about the story, or just in general?

I didn't really pay much attention to the story when I played Stalker; I just played it purely for the atmosphere. It does get resolved eventually, but it's not amazing; there are a few things that either got lost (or added) in translation which didn't help my understanding of it either.

You're about 2/3 of the way through the game, if that helps; if you are where I think you are.

I've just started Episodes from Liberty City. I quite enjoyed GTA IV, despite the poor technical performance, so I'm looking forward to these.

Althea

10-08-2011, 10:50 AM

I've just started Episodes from Liberty City. I quite enjoyed GTA IV, despite the poor technical performance, so I'm looking forward to these.
Excellent! I prefered The Lost and the Damned, if I'm honest. I found the changes in The Ballad of Gay Tony were a bit irritating, if I'm honest.

Hensler

10-08-2011, 11:04 AM

I'll give The Lost and the Damned another vote for awesome-ness. But I watching all the seasons of Sons Of Anarchy at the time I played it :).

Ash_firelord

10-08-2011, 03:32 PM

Excellent! I prefered The Lost and the Damned, if I'm honest. I found the changes in The Ballad of Gay Tony were a bit irritating, if I'm honest.

I did not like LatD, I intensely disliked each and every one of the characters, who never once failed to act like morons. But at least it got me to enjoy riding a bike in GTA4, something the main game could never do.

The Ballad was the high point of the series for me, I loved the "setting", I loved the characters, the missions were all quite nice. Wish they had fleshed out the booty call element more, it felt too cheap and sleazy, and Rockstar usually handles sex decently.

Also, I really liked the ending, and I was not expecting that, both the main game and LatD endings sucked imho. I can see what Rockstar was going for with them, but I did not feel satisfied with them.

I guess not every piece of "entertainment" is supposed to satisfy me, but I felt particularly bitter after those two endings.

Nalano

10-08-2011, 03:38 PM

and Rockstar usually handles sex decently.

Wait. <i>What?</i>

But yeah, of GTA4, LatD and BoGT, I liked BoGT the best, and mostly because these people had lives outside of shooting cops. (Plus, the protagonist lived in Northwood, the fictionalization of my neighborhood).

Ash_firelord

10-08-2011, 03:48 PM

Wait. <i>What?</i>

But yeah, of GTA4, LatD and BoGT, I liked BoGT the best, and mostly because these people had lives outside of shooting cops. (Plus, the protagonist lived in Northwood, the fictionalization of my neighborhood).

Forgive me. Forgot to qualify. Decently by video game standards.

Yes, that's it. Despite being able to relate to them or not, liking them or not, they felt like people, much more so than in any other GTA game to date.

The JG Man

10-08-2011, 04:20 PM

I don't think it's Complete.

Fair enough. I picked up the SVD, but left it in a stash once I cleared the laboratory because the G36 works pretty well enough at range.

Are you talking about the story, or just in general?

You're about 2/3 of the way through the game, if that helps; if you are where I think you are.

The story. I get that context and it's well done at that, but when playing a game with a story, I do at least like to try and understand what the hell that story is. Perhaps it speaks of the game that I'm still playing it, or perhaps I'm so invested it would make little difference. Doesn't mean I'm not enjoying it though.

I also had a look on GameFAQs because I wanted to check something regarding what I thought was a bug. The game really seems to pick up pace when you get a good gun early on. That sounds stupid, but once I got a gun that both 1) Hit people fairly accurately and 2) Did meaningful amounts of damage, I proceeded to march through fairly quickly, my biggest slow-downs being forgetting to auto-save and losing maybe 20-30 minutes of progress. Anyhow, I feel like I'm drawing close to the end of the game, if only due to Map Spoilers, whereby I'm progressively getting closer and closer to the top. Entered an interesting section whereby I was raiding Pripyat with some fellow STALKERs, but it seemed to bug up so I abandoned the session, for now.

Forgive me. Forgot to qualify. Decently by video game standards.

That's not saying much!

Althea

10-08-2011, 05:37 PM

But at least it got me to enjoy riding a bike in GTA4, something the main game could never do.
That's because bikes handle better in TLaD ;)

Nalano

10-08-2011, 05:51 PM

Forgive me. Forgot to qualify. Decently by video game standards.

That's like saying they won a gold medal in the Special Olympics.

Doesn'tmeananything

10-08-2011, 06:40 PM

That's like saying they won a gold medal in the Special Olympics.

Are you saying it's not an achievement?! Well, if that's the case, then I'd like your face to meet my wheelchair, good sir!

I hope the high rent for it is worth it.

Hensler

10-08-2011, 06:42 PM

That's because bikes handle better in TLaD ;)

Okay, I thought that was just my imagination that bikes handled better in the biker game :).

Nalano

10-08-2011, 06:58 PM

Are you saying it's not an achievement?! Well, if that's the case, then I'd like your face to meet my wheelchair, good sir!

"Hold still so I can run over you!"

sinomatic

10-08-2011, 07:11 PM

Deus Ex.

It's like coming home.

Ash_firelord

10-08-2011, 08:35 PM

That's because bikes handle better in TLaD ;)

Indeed. I wonder if the TLaD handling model is patched back into the main GTA4 campaign. That would be neat.

Hensler

10-08-2011, 09:03 PM

Indeed. I wonder if the TLaD handling model is patched back into the main GTA4 campaign. That would be neat.

It's not, or at least not as far as I can tell. Even after installing TLaD, Nico can't handle a bike at all.

Casimir Effect

10-08-2011, 11:40 PM

Saw this article the other day (can't remember where) about how GTA4 can be improved (depending on your mindset) by disabling the interface, ie. removing the minimap.
Then the game becomes more immersive by necessity: you need to memorise landmarks and streets unless you're ok with constantly Escape-ing out to the map, the talking GPS devices in the higher-end cars become useful as anything, firefights get a lot more tense as it's hard to know where enemies are and if they're dead.

There are of course a few times you'd have to turn it back on such as when you need to find a package or quest item or during some of the annoying chase missions. But it is something to consider if you have been finding the game lacking in certain ways.

sabrage

11-08-2011, 03:02 AM

Alikchi

11-08-2011, 05:22 AM

I'm running around on the unofficial RPS Minecraft server. Just uploaded an album of screenshots (https://picasaweb.google.com/alikchi/URPS2MinecraftServerAug2011?authuser=0&feat=directlink), actually.

BobsLawnService

11-08-2011, 06:05 AM

Somehow the Risen team managed to make an even worse combat system than Gothic 3. I keep getting my arse handed to me and I feel it is due to the controls. I keep spinning around wildly slashing at air and the enemy seems to teleport wildly around the place.

*sigh*

Anthile

11-08-2011, 06:19 AM

Started Assassin's Creed the other day. It's quite a bit of fun. How important is collecting all the stuff?

Heliocentric

11-08-2011, 08:35 AM

Started Assassin's Creed the other day. It's quite a bit of fun. How important is collecting all the stuff?

0% important, ass creed 2 has mandatory collection of codex pages, and maybe assassins seals, but I hungrily hunted them down so its hard.to be sure.

Ash_firelord

11-08-2011, 08:52 AM

Started Assassin's Creed the other day. It's quite a bit of fun. How important is collecting all the stuff?

Don't marathon it or you're likely to get bored. Not a lot of variety so it's best played a couple of hours / missions per day.

Heliocentric

11-08-2011, 08:56 AM

Yes, one assassination per play session tops. Then go away from it for a day.

Shane

11-08-2011, 08:57 AM

Replaying Mass Effect 2 and for the life of me I can't figure out whether to play as Sentinel or Infiltrator.

Also, going to try out Necrovision now.

Nalano

11-08-2011, 01:01 PM

Replaying Mass Effect 2 and for the life of me I can't figure out whether to play as Sentinel or Infiltrator.

Also, going to try out Necrovision now.

Infiltrator if you want 23 straight hours of Boom Headshot.

Shane

11-08-2011, 03:50 PM

Ugh, I've already put quite a few hours into Sentinel, and it sucks. Neither can he truly do any close quarters combat nor at any other stuff.

bleeding-thumbs

11-08-2011, 05:18 PM

After reading the article on Alpha Centauri, ended up installing it. Playing alongside The Witcher: Enhanced edition.

ilves

11-08-2011, 05:32 PM

TF2
Frozen Synapse
Vampire the masquerade
just finished Witcher 2
Bioshock 2, although I'm quickly getting bored with it.

Really looking forward to Deus Ex Human Revolution, Skyrim, and BF3

Giaddon

11-08-2011, 05:44 PM

Bioshock 2 is a very boring game: I forced myself to finish it and it wasn't worth it. I recommend abandoning it if the boredom levels get too high.

The JG Man

11-08-2011, 06:02 PM

Whoever designed the encounter leading up to [highlight to reveal spoiler]the power plant[/spoiler] in Shadow of Chernobyl is a jack ass. I'm in the area after sneakily making my way through some buildings prior. Excellent, I'm getting closer, I think. What's this though? Two enemy forces are attacking each other and me? Ohh, this should be fun.

No, it's not.

2 hit kills from a sniper and near instant death if shot by a helicopter. It's ridiculous. If you get hit while running, you stop running. In the rest of the game, this is the tell tale sign to back up and find some cover next to you or to duck back down. Here, if you get shot, the rocket that's inevitably been fired from the helicopter has no trouble catching up to you and killing you instantly. The fact you have to dodge the crap from the helicopter AND snipers AND people with standard rifles is, quite frankly, silly. I tried taking out an RPG I'd recovered and firing at one of the helicopters. Nothing.

I'm incredibly disappointed by this set-piece because unlike all others before, this is unfair. Truly unfair. At least all the other times where you had crap guns, it was more than likely all the other people had rubbish guns too, so at least some skill could be applied. I'll keep plugging away at it, but I'm not a fan of games that hold you up for 30 minutes when you're not doing anything discernibly wrong. The first major mis-step in this game, as far as I'm concerned.

Althea

11-08-2011, 06:04 PM

Am I the only person who liked BioShock 2, despite its many flaws and bad port?

Ash_firelord

11-08-2011, 06:13 PM

Am I the only person who liked BioShock 2, despite its many flaws and bad port?

I'll let you know once I play it. Have that and Minerva on my backlog for ages.

Serenegoose

11-08-2011, 06:20 PM

Am I the only person who liked BioShock 2, despite its many flaws and bad port?

I thought it was massively better than Bioshock 1 in every way. Better weapons, more fun encounters, a far more engaging, personal story, etc.

Similar

11-08-2011, 06:26 PM

Whoever designed the encounter leading up to [highlight to reveal spoiler]see original post[/spoiler] in Shadow of Chernobyl is a jack ass. I'm in the area after sneakily making my way through some buildings prior. Excellent, I'm getting closer, I think. What's this though? Two enemy forces are attacking each other and me? Ohh, this should be fun.

No, it's not.
Agreed. I remember having to do that part over and over again, and getting more and more annoyed. Only way I found to get through was to just run (to the right of the train track) and only shooting at the most dangerous soldiers, ignoring all the rest. It wasn't much fun.

The JG Man

11-08-2011, 06:28 PM

I'm on the left by the fencing. Trying to weave in and out of posts but it doesn't help. There's some grating to slip by, which I managed once. Thought I had time for a breather, but yet again got a rocket to the face.

Tikey

11-08-2011, 06:45 PM

For me it was a matter of run, save, die, reload, run in another direction, save, die, reload until I finished that part.

The JG Man

11-08-2011, 06:57 PM

Which is what I ended up doing, after reloading the area anew and abandoning that quick save. I dumped a load of things to get me to run quicker and made it inside. Really stupid, because I wasn't able to explore, I wasn't able to take part. Just run and get inside.

What I found really hilarious was that I saw a helicopter drop off troops who were neutral. I ran with them for a bit and the helicopter fired at us once it was in the air.

Vague-rant

11-08-2011, 07:28 PM

Whoever designed the encounter leading up to [highlight to reveal spoiler]the power plant[/spoiler] in Shadow of Chernobyl is a jack ass. I'm in the area after sneakily making my way through some buildings prior. Excellent, I'm getting closer, I think. What's this though? Two enemy forces are attacking each other and me? Ohh, this should be fun.

No, it's not.

2 hit kills from a sniper and near instant death if shot by a helicopter. It's ridiculous. If you get hit while running, you stop running. In the rest of the game, this is the tell tale sign to back up and find some cover next to you or to duck back down. Here, if you get shot, the rocket that's inevitably been fired from the helicopter has no trouble catching up to you and killing you instantly. The fact you have to dodge the crap from the helicopter AND snipers AND people with standard rifles is, quite frankly, silly. I tried taking out an RPG I'd recovered and firing at one of the helicopters. Nothing.

If I remember correctly, theres also a tank a bit down the road. :)

I actually typed out a quick guide about how I got past that, but to be honest its been a while and my information may be rusty, and I'd rather not mislead.

Are you using any mods? One of the mods I was playing had a time limit on that bit for a Radiation wipeout thing, and I ended up dying from radiation 3 steps from the building entrance. I had a quick save about 30 seconds before, and I repeated the segment so many times trying to shave time off the bolt to the finish line.

Similar

11-08-2011, 07:32 PM

Are you using any mods? One of the mods I was playing had a time limit on that bit for a Radiation wipeout thing, and I ended up dying from radiation 3 steps from the building entrance. I had a quick save about 30 seconds before, and I repeated the segment so many times trying to shave time off the bolt to the finish line.
oh. I thought that blow out was in the default game. Maybe I played the same mod as you then. It really didn't make things any easier...

airtekh

11-08-2011, 07:51 PM

Am I the only person who liked BioShock 2, despite its many flaws and bad port?

No you're not.

I loved Bioshock 2 and I actually enjoyed it more than the original game. (Though the original is still very good too).

Mostly it's because the combat is vastly superior in the sequel, but I also loved the character of Eleanor.

The moment where you have to fight alongside her after she transforms into a Big Sister was an incredibly powerful moment for me. The ending (I got the 'good' one) really hit me emotionally as well.

The JG Man

11-08-2011, 08:08 PM

Okay so apparently I've finished Shadow of Chernobyl and all I can say is this:

What.

I...I'm just a bit gob-smacked. I've been playing for near 30 hours, been paying what I thought was pretty good attention despite what seemed to make very little sense and my reward is my player wishing to become rich and then having some power plant fall on him. I thought maybe I could change it, so I pulled out an RPG and tried blow it up. Nothing. What the hell guys?!

So I went to check GameFAQs and sure enough, something to which I was given absolutely no allusion to whatsoever, at any point, at all, happened in an area I can't return to due to end-game-cut-off. I had one quest that said I'd be able to find someone, at some point, but it didn't mention where or when and I'm guessing that was it and I was under the impression you'd find them in the power plant, based on what I was told by the NPC.

I'm angry, upset, disenfranchised...I was thinking of going straight into Call of Pripyat and getting STALKER out of the way, but that sure as hell isn't happening. What a disgustingly shallow ending for the work I've put into it. CoP can certainly wait some time.

EDIT: Sorry, for clarification I was using the Complete mod and I had a timer of 6 minutes not too long after passing the gate where the train ends. I was able to run along the side of the building dodging pretty much everything until having to get into the building. By the time I entered the next area, I still had something like 3 minutes 10 left.

airtekh

11-08-2011, 08:11 PM

@The JG Man

That bit is a bitch alright. I can't remember exactly how I did it.

I think I just sprinted to the end of the road, turned left and hugged the wall until I got inside. All the while spamming medkits every five seconds.

I really didn't like not being able to explore that bit either. For a game as slow-paced as it is, to suddenly have a time limit forced upon you is quite a jarring experience.

EDIT: I was referring to the bit before your last post. As for the ending, there are about seven different endings. You got the same one I did, which is one of the bad ones. If you want the good ending, you have to explore the plant a bit more and complete one last bit of questing. I couldn't be bothered when I played it, I was burnt out at that stage.

The JG Man

11-08-2011, 08:29 PM

You know what, I'm not letting the game win. I've got GameFAQs open and I'll do what needs to be done. Whacking the difficulty down to the lowest though because, well...argh. It's a good game. I want to like it, but don't throw me this curveball.

Vague-rant

11-08-2011, 09:50 PM

Hmmm, I may have misremembered. I think the mod made blowouts a lot more dangerous a bit earlier or something like that. Its been 6 months since I finished the modded version, but over 2 years since I played it normally.

Frankly, everything after the Warehouse missions and the Duty-Freedom war felt a bit of a let down. That level made me so hopeful for what Clear Sky could have been.

Ciber

11-08-2011, 09:55 PM

TBH clear sky and call of pripyat are both better games. Don't expect better from the endings though, those guys don't seem to know how to end a good game! I won't spoil it though. It may be of course that your have freedom through the games and then you have to get funneled in toward the ending.

The JG Man

11-08-2011, 11:18 PM

SOOOOOOOoooooo, I have completed Shadow of Chernobyl this evening three times and all of them were pretty damn weak. The first one, as mentioned in my angry post previous was certainly the worst. The second one comes out of nowhere, but hey, it's a finisher. The third one just went on for too long. Hey, here's an entirely new level for you! One that we'll make drag on and on and on.

In fact, I'm not really sure I get why the ending needed to happen. I don't understand it at all. There's no sense to it. Out of nowhere you have some techno rubbish. Oh look, something we've not at all alluded to or hinted at in so much as the most subtle way is the truth. What a load of nonsense. I feel better that I actually got to see the actual ending(s) rather than the Grade A BS I got a few hours ago, but they're really not too much better.

Overall, I liked the game. It had quite a few issues, even with a mod on, that I couldn't really appreciate. The game doesn't really get going until you get half-decent guns. Even then it's quite painful. The gunplay oddly manages to both be pretty satisfying and dire. If you don't get a headshot, you empty half your clip into someone before they go down. And even if you do headshot, some manage to somehow take a knock but keep on going.

Not much in the game gets explained very well. I only found out about the bolts to throw to detect anomalies from reading somewhere else, similarly I only found out I had a flashlight and night vision when I was just checking some button options. Inventory management was interestingly done.

I'm glad I played it, and I'll happily give CoP a go, but I do have trouble seeing the fuss. It's good, but not as good as I thought it would be off the high praise others gave it. I like that it's open and you can engage things much of the time how you want to and the setting is well developed, but it's not a game I see myself going back to just to roam. I have had my fill in the 28 or so hours I've played.

If there was one thing I'd have liked the game to have done, besides not having a rubbish ending, it'd have been for some sort of checkpoint/autosave whereby crossing an invisible line in an area did an autosave that would over-write it self. There was a tedium to either quick saving every few minutes or couple of encounters or worse, not saving for ages either forgetting it was quite a bit ago or feeling good and not thinking it's necessary and having to go back quite a bit. I'm sure others would bemoan this easy way of playing, but it would've just been so much more comfortable to have had.

Edawan

12-08-2011, 12:41 AM

I just finished Assassin's Creed.

I loved the setting and the mood. The combat lacked depth.
I was slightly annoyed that the world seemed to exist only for me. The beggars only beg at me, the crazies only attack me...
The framing story felt unnecessary and even too intrusive. They better turn it into something interesting, make some revelations.

Alikchi

12-08-2011, 03:35 AM

Today on the uRPS2 Minecraft server, Digital_Pariah, The JG Man, Scallat, SkinnyBonesJones and I had an adventure!

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/--odD8O1yQho/TkSRjMjbaII/AAAAAAAAAXM/UhirDEEhaDE/s1280/2011-08-11_18.19.10.png

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8od4jpiY6Xc/TkSRZ0FcxRI/AAAAAAAAAXI/WQIGtKr25q8/s1280/2011-08-11_18.22.07.png

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-n-XJ7PIsO1Q/TkSRC3U__HI/AAAAAAAAAW8/yNOqwYsjD5I/s1280/2011-08-11_18.36.04.png

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-CatIKhgPM-0/TkSQRfKWD6I/AAAAAAAAAWY/aswn2NaD2LM/s1280/2011-08-11_18.54.12.png

Minecraft is amazing.

agentorange

12-08-2011, 05:51 AM

Finished Nikopol; carrying on with my adventure game kick I've decided to finish Broken Sword: Director's Cut, left it off about 5 months or so back, which made it hard to get back into (why am I carrying around all this shit?), but as the story is picking up steam I can feel myself getting into the swing of it.

I also really need to finish Outland (one of those XBLA games that shoot be on the PC). The final(?) boss is a real bitch: the game up to her had been a platformer with some bullet-hell elements, but now it's a bullet-hell game with some platforming.

8-bit

12-08-2011, 06:42 PM

I was planning on finishing the end but it seems to have broken on me, I get to one of the final bosses and he refuses to make a move. It could be some kind of statement on how the only way to avoid defeat is not to play at all, but I just think its broken for me, and since I cant get any further I am counting this as finished.

also finished alien breed 2: assault, it has a few problems with being overly generic and some clunkiness in the camera controls, but I got it for free in the steam sale so I cant complain too much.

next I think, some more shogun 2 and...doom 3? I haven't played it since the xbox and found it annoying, are there any good mods for doom 3 that make people think improve the game, or should I just not bother?

vinraith

12-08-2011, 07:02 PM

After a brief stint trying out a few different VtMB builds and abandoning all of them I'm back to just playing Sword of the Stars and Assassin's Creed Brotherhood, which seems to be picking up a bit as it goes. I definitely got enough of those "truth" puzzles in AC2, though, do I actually need to do those to finish the game?

The JG Man

12-08-2011, 07:08 PM

Nope, they're all side-quests. You can watch a video on YouTube though. That being said, the puzzles (and reward) do go a very short way of highlighting the conflict between the Templars and Assassins over time, but the whole context is only really validated once you've seen the ending. Reading up on these will not take as long and will not be as repetitive. Of course your mileage may vary.

neopets

12-08-2011, 11:13 PM

I'm playing game Like ANDKON , NEOPETS , STARFALL together with my son Jushua.

Hensler

12-08-2011, 11:16 PM

I'm playing game Like ANDKON , NEOPETS , STARFALL together with my son Jushua.

Have you ever heard of a game called Manhunt 2? It might be kind of hard to track a copy down, but it would probably be a good game to play with your son, too.

neopets

12-08-2011, 11:22 PM

thanks Hensler can i have the link of those game you were talking? Is this an educational video game?

Casimir Effect

13-08-2011, 12:33 AM

thanks Hensler can i have the link of those game you were talking? Is this an educational video game?

You might want to look into one called Rapelay as well (pronounced Raap-é-lie). Very educational about certain aspects of Japanese culture.

jp0249107

13-08-2011, 02:07 AM

I can't really tell if neopets is serious or not....which would therefore beg the question, "Who is trolling who?"

8-bit

13-08-2011, 03:49 AM

three hours messing around with mods in doom 3, then fixing it to play in a resolution I can stand to look at and I remembered why I didn't like this game. even the most basic of enemies soak up massive amounts of damage, and the wobbly heads makes it impossible to get a head shot. yeah, I don't care what game it is, if I shoot something in the face with a shotgun I expect that things brains to be splattered across the nearest wall, especially if that game is called DOOM and the thing in question is a standard unarmed zombie. uninstalled.

Ciber

13-08-2011, 07:11 AM

I've given the frozen synapse demo a go and you may be surprised to hear I don't like it. Glad I didn't waste my money on buying it. 10 or 15 years ago I might have been bang into it as I liked stuff like xcom, but not now.

Althea

13-08-2011, 07:37 AM

I can't really tell if neopets is serious or not....which would therefore beg the question, "Who is trolling who?"
Their signature gives it away. Boooooooooooooot.

Ash_firelord

13-08-2011, 07:44 AM

You might want to look into one called Rapelay as well (pronounced Raap-é-lie). Very educational about certain aspects of Japanese culture.

Unplayable mess, tbh. If the theme / imagery appeals to you, you're better served in minutes by a google image/video search.

I've given the frozen synapse demo a go and you may be surprised to hear I don't like it. Glad I didn't waste my money on buying it. 10 or 15 years ago I might have been bang into it as I liked stuff like xcom, but not now.

So you mean to say that turn-based strategy is not contemporary?

Casimir Effect

13-08-2011, 08:52 AM

Unplayable mess, tbh. If the theme / imagery appeals to you, you're better served in minutes by a google image/video search.

Myself and a friend decided to check it out after many, many drinks and 'acquired' a Japanese version. Even in my heavily inebriated state the fact that game existed killed some faith in humanity.

8-bit

13-08-2011, 10:44 AM

I just lost on the oil fix it mission in fate of the world, only south africa and india let me down with the HDI being below target. this has got to be the only game out there that makes players feel bad about winning, and with that I think that even though I lost the game, I won a moral victory. you know, except for all the animals that suddenly went extinct in the last two turns of the game, and the war in the middle east, and the wildfires in Latin America, and the overcrowding in India...

its not my fault I swear. I was out of the office at the time, a temp made a few decisions here and there, it was a computer error. so you see, completely not my fault.

Ciber

13-08-2011, 11:16 AM

So you mean to say that turn-based strategy is not contemporary?Well I'm really saying it's not for me any more. Turn based I used to like, but I remember it being faster to play. Why would a 2d strategy game take so many seconds to do it's progress bar thing on a quad core machine? Why do I have to look at 2 words so long after that before the animation starts? I have the same issue with Civ 5. I make my decision and then it takes so long to play it out due to the slow, seemingly unskippable and after the first time quite dull animations. I can see the appeal of the game but to me it is 'Do not want'.

mrpier

13-08-2011, 02:04 PM

Have been playing lots of Dungeons of Dredmore, testing different builds and mucking around on level 1 and 2, cleared out my first zoo today, so that was cool, did it with a quite pure rogue chracter also. So no aoe spells and I didn't get to use my tentacle bolts because I couldn't get near the zoo after I opened it.

Ash_firelord

13-08-2011, 11:07 PM

Myself and a friend decided to check it out after many, many drinks and 'acquired' a Japanese version. Even in my heavily inebriated state the fact that game existed killed some faith in humanity.

I played it due to morbid curiosity, and due to the fact that some golden-age Japanese hentai games were actually pretty funny, but mostly because I though it would be good writing material. Alas, Leigh Alexander beat me to the punch, and did it much better than I would have ever done.

The JG Man

14-08-2011, 12:32 AM

Started up Hitman: Blood Money.

It is very fun to play, although it is kicking my ass. I shall tell you what is kicking my ass more though; hitting 'Restart' instead of 'Load' during a mission. Good lord, the amount of times I've accidentally restarted! I find it even more bizarre after a restart you can't load up, it wiping your last slate of slaves. Boo hiss. Still, the game is pretty good fun, probably got through about a quarter of it in 3-4 hours. I don't know how that correlates to actual completion, but I imagine I'll be able to knock it out in a few days.

Oak

14-08-2011, 04:05 AM

After a joyful return to Brink during the free weekend I fell back into Civ 5 pretty hard. I feel like half the time I'm on edge waiting to encounter some withering AI failure, but nothing truly dire have shown itself. I've even been pleasantly surprised - in my current game, an allied city-state encircled and actually captured an enemy city.

I hope I can pull myself away from the game soon. There's so much coming out in the coming months, and so much from this year I still haven't played.

Heliocentric

14-08-2011, 11:14 AM

ugh... .
I tried the hammerfight demo around
last Christmas, it was frustrating ,
limiting and unsatisfying , mouse
control was horrible , might play better
with a pad, will investigate
Objection!!!
Okay, so I put some hours in. Reached the armoury so I can customize my loadout, mostly I'm rocking a halbard with a mortar on the tail. Mostly I use the Mortar while being chased, the halberd to either slap out or stab and I also balance the halberd on the environment to aim shots when appropriate.

Hensler

14-08-2011, 04:33 PM

Oak

14-08-2011, 05:21 PM

I haven't. You mean like the Vanilla Enhanced mod? Do they make a significant difference?

Flint

14-08-2011, 05:35 PM

Dipped into Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Feels a bit like the crippled little brother of Deus Ex. I'm enjoying it and I've been playing it fairly frequently, especially now that I've managed to build a 'tactic' for the rather awkward combat (= spamming Celerity), but it's not really hooking or absorbing me. Although I can't really tell whether it's because of the game itself or because I've never really liked vampires and thus a big part of the setting leaves me a bit cold.

Doodier

14-08-2011, 06:35 PM

I've played a bit of Bioshock and I've got this weird issue with the game. The cursor is not moving as it should. Or as I think it should. It seems to be slower or something.. Is it possible it happened because I've set widescreen resolution? Anyone with same issue?
Also I really hate horror-ish games so I don't know why I even installed it.. Oh now I remember! Cause I saw that stunningly awesome trailer for its third sequel!

The Pink Ninja

14-08-2011, 06:45 PM

I dislike the number of horror based FPSes too, I'm easily scared so I rarely get far and it just seems to me designers do it because it's easier to make a game "Scary" than any other type of design or emotion.

Right now I'm playing Battle for Wesnoth because my laptop sucks too much to run anything else and my main PC is borked. Playing the basic Heir to the Throne campaign and despite being my second time giving it a try I still don't think I have enough highly levelled units and that I'll be fucked later, if not in this campaign then the next.

Doodier

14-08-2011, 07:00 PM

The Pink Ninja: I remember as I uninstalled first FEAR game after I saw that little girl for a first time so ummmm maybe 10 minutes after I started? :D Not cool! :D

Heliocentric

14-08-2011, 07:09 PM

Polished off the rest of Hammerfight... Heyo! To an ending so depressing that most mainstream reviewers would probably knock off a point. To be fair, the whole plot was cobblers, you kick s hundred asses, plot character shows up suggests you surrender, and you do, like 3 times.

Returned to Assassins Creed 2 after finishing it, not doing chests or feathers but the other stuff like races, assassinations and beat up missions... I actually can barely be bothered, something about the story being terminated makes missions seem pointless. :( Now to find brotherhood cheap digitally.

Rii

14-08-2011, 07:17 PM

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes

Really not seeing why this is the unloved middle child of the trilogy. For the most part it's Metroid Prime ... but better. The graphics are better, the art and environments more interesting. The story is more engaging too: the four way Marines/Pirates/Luminoth/Ing stuff early on was fascinating, although I'm disappointed that the former two factions seem to have disappeared from the game at this point, hopefully they will return. Mechanics are generally deeper than in the original game and just as slick. Maybe it all falls apart later (I'm just past Torvus Bog, the last item I picked up was the Dark Visor from Chykka) but right now it seems a more than worthy sequel to its superlative predecessor. Oh and of course ... Dark Samus!

Some random observations:

- I love the updated scan visor and the way it drills down the database, really adds to the sense that it's gathering data in realtime.
- Hunter Ing are awesome ... particularly when I make them disappear in a cloud of blood by supercharging a nearby light crystal. Ahahaha.
- Map system could use the ability to switch between levels rather than showing everything on the one layer. Sure its "3D" nature theoretically allows you to work around such issues, but at times it gets to be a confusing mess regardless.
- When I got the Dark Suit and it said that it would protect me from Dark Aether's corrupting atmosphere I was like 'yay', which quickly turned into 'oh ffs' when I discovered that it only makes you take damage more slowly.

Althea

14-08-2011, 07:45 PM

I'm mostly playing New Vegas, I suppose. I'm just exploring and finding new things whilst I wait for Lonesome Road to arrive. I'm already max level (45) so I'm not gaining a lot except caps and ammo to replenish what I used in DM, HH and OWB.

I tried a new character as evil and melée, but it felt kinda rubbish so I've gone back to my high level character.

Lambchops

14-08-2011, 08:53 PM

So I've stepped back from Pathologic just now. Whether I'll return or not I don't know, but it's certain;y not the game I need right now. Nope, seeing as I'm doing a shed load of tedious writing up at the moment I've reverted to Serious Sam 2 (as i never played the second one first time round). Which has turned out to be reverting to the first game as they seem to have included that in the package. which is fine by me as I rather enjoyed it. So yup, I'm just shooting stuff till it dies. Man it's ages since I've just played a plain old shooter, I'd forgotten just how tough (but fun) they could be when they just send wave after wave of enemies and ask you to deal until the next health pack.

Pretty much just a stop gap until Deus Ex 3 comes out. A very good stop gap indeed.

CuervoJoe

14-08-2011, 08:59 PM

I'm playing Sniper Elite. In every critical aspect, it is a terrible game. The AI is psychic, the script is terrible and so is the level design, but I keep going just to get one more kill. I wouldn't recommend it, but it's quite fun in a "This game is catastrophically bad" way. I'm also playing a lot of Cannon Fodder, which I bought off GOG earlier, it is extremely addictive, and has a grim pathos too it.

Casimir Effect

14-08-2011, 11:34 PM

Playing Terraria and alternating between the mindsets "It's great I chose a Large map for my singleplayer character as it means I get far more out of the game and whenever I find something it's so much more meaningful" and "Fuck this noise for a game of soldiers more fucking stone blocks where's the fucking gold or silver hell I'd blow someone for some demonite".

I love it though, well worth the money and I'm going to be playing it for a while longer yet. Wish I could find a sky island though. Anyone have any advice on how or when to take on the Eater of Worlds? Soon I'll have full gold armour and weapons so I feel the next level is to try and get some Shadowmetal.

Giaddon

15-08-2011, 04:39 AM

Now to find brotherhood cheap digitally.

Direct2Drive has it for 16 bucks (http://www.direct2drive.com/2/10024/product/Buy-Assassin%27s-Creed:-Brotherhood-Download?hph)/14 pounds (http://www.direct2drive.co.uk/2/10025/product/Buy-Assassin%27s-Creed:-Brotherhood-Download?hph) at the moment.

I'm playing Pharaoh, the old (12 years old) city builder by Impressions. I'm loving it. The gameplay of the Impressions games runs together, but they did a great job of making the style and feel of their games very different. Pharaoh has a fantastic sense of scale -- the giant monuments are huge and take a lot to build. It captures the bizarre drive of a culture that put an insane amount of resources and manpower (in a desert environment!) toward building giant tombs to hold a handful of dead people. It still looks and sounds great, and coming up with city designs for the different levels is fun and challenging. I'm considering picking up Children of the Nile (sort of a spiritual sequel), but I've never got along with 3d city builders, for some reason.

Jams O'Donnell

15-08-2011, 08:23 AM

Newly upgraded PC (new video card, new motherboard, new cpu, more RAM, and Win 7*) means I'm starting over in Call of Pripyat with the graphics all kinds of maxed out. Also, my previous build couldn't scrape a consistent FPS in Crysis Warhead even with the detail turned way down, so I reinstalled that and have been whooping it up about how shiny and smooth everything is now. So I guess mostly I'm reinstalling things and going "w00t" at the graphics a lot while I wait for Human Revolution.

I'm a happy camper.

* Thinking about it, I guess the only things I didn't replace are the case, drives, and PSU.

The Pink Ninja

15-08-2011, 11:32 AM

Hammer fight is the physics game where you pilot the little gyrocopter and fight with hammers?

Didn't get far in that, the combat could have been cool but I just found it annoying and impossible to battle in any way but random luck.

The Pink Ninja: I remember as I uninstalled first FEAR game after I saw that little girl for a first time so ummmm maybe 10 minutes after I started? :D Not cool! :D

I managed to complete FEAR. Often hid in corners so I couldn't see the scary stuff.

Never got far in Bioshock. Stopped once that doctor appeared out of the steam right behind me

Stopped in STALKER too but it was more I got stuck in a fight I couldn't win. The fear factor just stopped me going back.

Took me several tries to get through Ravenholm but I made it. Has stopped replays though. I hate headcrabs and zombies and antlions.

Drake Sigar

15-08-2011, 12:19 PM

I’m on King’s Bounty, something I wouldn’t have right now if it weren’t for the recommendations on these forums. I’d like to give you all running high fives.

airtekh

15-08-2011, 04:03 PM

I finished Lost and Damned, and I'm well into Ballad of Gay Tony in Episodes from Liberty City. I've enjoyed both of them very much so far. I love the way the episodes cross over with each other, as well as the main GTA IV missions.

Strategy games aren't usually my cup of tea, but I tried the demo of Frozen Synapse recently and it intrigued me enough to make a purchase. Hurrah for demos I guess.

Jams O'Donnell

15-08-2011, 04:34 PM

Strategy games aren't usually my cup of tea, but I tried the demo of Frozen Synapse recently and it intruiged me enough to make a purchase. Hurrah for demos I guess.
That is a purchase you will not regret. :)

Hensler

15-08-2011, 09:41 PM

LA Noire on my console toy. And I'm doing fairly mediocre as a detective, because I never ever think a suspect is telling the truth. About anything.

Creeping Death

16-08-2011, 12:46 AM

Just started Hamilton's Great Adventure this evening after picking it up in the gamersgate sale last week. So far it seems like a really fun puzzle platformer. The music especially is a highlight.

agentorange

16-08-2011, 02:19 AM

Finished Broken Sword 1, now about midway through 2. I attempted Zork, but I think I'll hold off until I can get some graphing paper (for maps).

NecroKnight

16-08-2011, 07:40 AM

Team Fortress 2

Ian

16-08-2011, 10:59 AM

LA Noire on my console toy. And I'm doing fairly mediocre as a detective, because I never ever think a suspect is telling the truth. About anything.

"I'd like a glass of water, please."
"LIAR!" *punch*

CuervoJoe

16-08-2011, 11:06 AM

As well as Sniper Elite, which is "So bad it's quite good", I'm playing through the Broken Sword games, the remake of 1 is actually rather good, surprisingly, I'd have thought they'd have ruined it.

PeteC

16-08-2011, 02:02 PM

squirrelfanatic

16-08-2011, 05:06 PM

Vinraith has. :>

Althea

16-08-2011, 06:16 PM

I played the Just Cause 2 demo earlier. It's... Uh... Kinda broken but not. It's also the first time I've played a DX10 game. Not bad looking, but it moves around too fast for me.

vinraith

16-08-2011, 08:22 PM

Just got the gold medal on all maps in Defense Grid.

Has anyone here played AI War: Fleet Command? If so, what's the learning curve like? I've had it in my Steam Library for ages and feel like I should give it a go.

AI War is a favorite around here, a search will turn up a lot of discussion about it both on the main page and in the forums.

It's not the easiest game to learn, simply because you've never played anything quite like it. It looks like an RTS, and in the most basic senses controls like one, but the strategy involved is completely different. It has an excellent set of tutorials, however, and that's the best place to start. The intermediate tutorial, in particular, is very important to get a basic understanding of larger strategy involved in the game. Once you've played that, I'd recommend trying a fairly basic game with the default setup (keep those minor factions, AI options, and AI plots turned off!) and availing yourself of the very helpful community and devs at the AI War (http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/board,2.0.html) forums, and the ArcenWiki (http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Main_Page).

PeteC

16-08-2011, 08:31 PM

AI War is a favorite around here, a search will turn up a lot of discussion about it both on the main page and in the forums.

It's not the easiest game to learn, simply because you've never played anything quite like it. It looks like an RTS, and in the most basic senses controls like one, but the strategy involved is completely different. It has an excellent set of tutorials, however, and that's the best place to start. The intermediate tutorial, in particular, is very important to get a basic understanding of larger strategy involved in the game. Once you've played that, I'd recommend trying a fairly basic game with the default setup (keep those minor factions, AI options, and AI plots turned off!) and availing yourself of the very helpful community and devs at the AI War (http://www.arcengames.com/forums/index.php/board,2.0.html) forums, and the ArcenWiki (http://arcengames.com/mediawiki/index.php?title=Main_Page).
Yeah, I've read through the articles on the main page and watched a couple of vids on Youtube and they've really piqued my interest.

Trouble is, I've spent so long doing that I've no time left to play the bloody thing. Maybe dip into it tomorrow if I get a chance.

Lambchops

16-08-2011, 08:35 PM

AI: War is to me what Planescape Torment is to Vinraith!

Every so often I fire it up and every time, despite the feeling that i probably would enjoy it if I sat down and got to grips with it, I just can't get much past the tutorials.

Don't let me put you off though, most people who do give it the time have great stories of how brilliant it is (that's what persuaded me to buy it in the first place, that and a Steam sale!).

vinraith

16-08-2011, 08:45 PM

AI: War is to me what Planescape Torment is to Vinraith!

We should form some kind of "I'll make a concerted effort to get into Planescape, you make a concerted effort to get into AI War" pact. I wonder if that would actually help any?

Lambchops

16-08-2011, 08:50 PM

We should form some kind of "I'll make a concerted effort to get into Planescape, you make a concerted effort to get into AI War" pact. I wonder if that would actually help any?

A good idea but i'm definitely on the busy side right now! As clearly shown by posting here, anything for a distraction really.

vinraith

16-08-2011, 09:06 PM

A good idea but i'm definitely on the busy side right now! As clearly shown by posting here, anything for a distraction really.

Yes, the beginning of the semester is a lousy time to have this thought for me, too. Too much teaching prep to do. Still, it's something to keep in mind.

sabrage

16-08-2011, 10:34 PM

PC: Just getting into Bastion. The narrator is great, the weapon upgrade system is awesome and the powers are so far pretty cool. I just wish that the "mana" didn't fell so arcade-y. I tried playing DOOM but decided it wasn't worth all the effort to find a proper source port right now, so I just gave up.

X360: Still slogging through Mass Effect, I think I'm almost done with all the side-missions that I've been assigned so far... Which means I can stop trying to force my Mako up vertical slopes to get to important mission destinations. I hope.

NDS: Picked up Picross 3D again... Hadn't played it in a while, still hard as hell and just as addictive.

Edawan

17-08-2011, 09:41 AM

I'm playing a bit of Beat.Trip.Runner these days.

At first I was really annoyed by the unforgivingness (???), but I thought to myself I'll at least finish the first world. Let it not be said that I didn't try !
And now I'm hooked !
Still cursing when I fail late in a level, but it's part of the game I guess.

After many attempts I beat level 3-10 last night !

Vague-rant

17-08-2011, 05:27 PM

Just finished Bastion. Really liked it. The combat mechanics may not be the deepest, but the combinations of upgrades and items gives a decent variety and the ability to mess around a little with different combos/perks. As for the rest, the art-style, the music and story were great. The way the narrator works doesn't really let the other characters shine too much, but if you do the little side battle bits then they all get interesting side stories.

Spoiler for the ending:

I really like what they did when/if you save Zulf. You put down your weapons and carry the dude who betrayed you over your shoulder and try to carry him back. Then as you try to reach the exit the enemies start to shoot you, but when you get close enough, they stop because they see you're carrying someone. Apparently theres a bit when some dude shoots at you and another enemy behind him hits him.

As for using the Bastion to go back in time... I just used the dam thing. Your character has spilt so much blood and ruined so many creatures/peoples chances at survival just for this one shot to put things right. There's no guarantee that it'll work or that thing's will change, but the alternative is saying that all the killing has been just to save three people's sorry lives.

Lukasz

18-08-2011, 12:21 AM

arcanum.

what an ugly excellent rpg. cant wait to replay as gun nut maiden.

The JG Man

18-08-2011, 12:38 AM

Trying to mix things up and finish games I've started on my backlog, so I've jumped back into Torchlight. I'm at the final location and it is thoroughly kicking my arse. If it's not for a massive horde waiting in one location, it is rogue mobs 1-2 hit killing me with very little warning. It's a little frustrating actually. It also doesn't help that bar my weapons (one of which I bought from the random item guy) I've had no armour upgrades in several levels. Ohwell, got to level 31, so only a few more to go...

Heliocentric

18-08-2011, 05:14 AM

Your torchlight experience sounds nothing like mine.

I had a horde of summons clambering over everything, occasionally I'd throw out buffs or debuffs to insure their victory. Running away when things got bad, my dog had a summon and a heal all spell which was, indeed the same as me if you discount the teleport home and identify spells which meant I had near 0 reason to actually go home.

After watching the beautiful Battlefield 3 video I realised that I need a new windows to actually play it, no small investment. I returned to battlefield 2 coop with my son, even trying out some of the once dlc maps I had never played. It's still an epic game with artillery shaking the ground, tracer fire filling the air and comically dumb AI LEEEEROY charging at each other. I'm not sure I could stomach vanillas multiplayer's excesses but the coop with up to 48 or so bots is a ball.

Casimir Effect

18-08-2011, 08:02 AM

In Torchlight you can often buy better stuff than you can find so if you need to upgrade then check the vendors. Also you can go and do a few Map Scroll dungeons or the ones offered by the guy at the bottom of the map who sends you in to a generated dungeon to get some sort of item.

Never really found the game to be especially hard though, not with a shooty-woman or wizard-man anyway (haven't tried melee-guy yet). As a wizard I just spammed Ember Lightening, I think, which destroyed everything. At the final areas you do have to be careful of those damn Dark Acolytes or whatever they've called. The enemy sorceress things who have a spell that zaps so much health off. The dragon breath burts as well if you get caught in it.
Always a good idea to have a Summon Zombie spell on either yourself or you pet, and maybe things like a Heal All so you can help keep things alive.

Ian

18-08-2011, 08:59 AM

After faffing about deciding what to play next I've ended up not starting anything else off the list, meaning I'm still letting FM11 steal my life and getting stuck on Defense Grid.

So being away from my main gaming PC, I shall wait for Deus Ex. I'm getting a bit excited now.

I really hope The Game Collection get my copy to me for release day. The waiting would be UNBEARABLE.

Joseph

18-08-2011, 09:02 AM

I've been playing Frozen Synapse a lot recently. When I started the multiplayer I was unstoppable for a while, didn't get defeated until about 20 wins but now I'm on a losing streak. D:

Alikchi

18-08-2011, 11:50 AM

Dunno if you guys have been paying attention to Kerbal Space Program, but they've been pumping out new versions like crazy and the modders are keeping up. N1 and Saturn V parts packs have been released, and along with the other sets (Sunday Punch's especially) you can create some seriously badass machines.

On the other hand, this happens (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WjZJFK9wXo&list=FL69KbwZavqXwgFiXwTIzY3A&index=40).

The JG Man

18-08-2011, 12:45 PM

Your torchlight experience sounds nothing like mine.

In Torchlight you can often buy better stuff than you can find so if you need to upgrade then check the vendors.

Thanks for the feedback. I started the game on the second hardest difficulty with the shooty-woman and was doing fine up until the last section. Most of the time I'm fine, but there are odd clumps of mobs that just obliterate me. My dog has skeletons and heal all and I have a heal all (I don't use many of my other spells). I have a fully powered up Ricochet shot, the first Marksman skill, and a fully powered up *name of spell I can't remember* that's at the bottom of the tree and that if I get off, hilariously destroys with ease anything caught in the AoE. There's a few other things. Those acolytes are the problem though, mostly. Although there was one corridor I transported to with a couple of segments and the receiving location was just full of mobs. I had no time to actually do anything because I was instantly killed.

My stats aren't too bad, but I didn't know buying the armour was a better thing to do. I'll certainly go and check that out. I've completed all the quests I've been able to do so far and, as far as I'm aware, have completed that side dungeon from that guy who wants you to go to powerful areas to retrieve an item. I'm either level 33 or 34 at floor 31 and I can make it through. I also have over 100 points in Knockback from accumulated items, which is also rather amusing.

Perhaps I made it out harder than it actually is. Of course, I don't deny that I just suck at these types of games. Is stacking points into fewer skills worse than a broadened use? I tend to only use main attack, two specials and a heal move...anyhow, advice taken on board, I'll try it out later!

Tikey

18-08-2011, 01:13 PM

Just Cause 2.
Is fun that I completely ignore the missions and instead I'm going around causing chaos.

The JG Man

18-08-2011, 01:23 PM

Do complete the missions though. The first 4-5 or so are very average, but as soon as you get the Hotel mission (you'll know which one it is) it goes from being acceptable deviation to HOLY WHAT THE HELL?! and becomes So Crazy It's Awesome. It's a little sad to guesstimate that most people haven't played the last few levels that are overwhelmingly fun.

Giaddon

18-08-2011, 01:30 PM

I'm playing city-builders, dammit.

Historical city-builders.

I'm about 2/3 of the way through the Pharaoh campaign. I've just built my first pyramid and am now hard at work on an extensive temple complex. When I'm not setting up elaborate systems of loops and roadblocks I'm playing Grand Ages: Rome, which is actually quite good, and switches things up from the Impressions games by prioritizing layout over logistics. I also picked up Caesar IV, to check out the Impressions mechanics in 3D, and damn if it isn't compelling. I'm also playing From Dust, which sort of fits into that whole.... thing.

coldvvvave

18-08-2011, 04:37 PM

Deus Ex with New Vision texture mod and DX10 render. Honestly, new textures aren't that good, everything feels wrong, uncomfortable and overly sharp in a bad way. Sharper textures ended up amplifying uglier sides of Deus Ex level-design( like that basement in Liberty Island, where there is a multitool, two weapon mods and some electricity thingie? I never before noticed how ugly it was. Might-andmagic-6-ugly). Gameplay is... well, I haven't played this game in a year or two, were enemies always THAT terribly blind? Still, I love it, gonna replay VtmB next if I have time before HR is out.

8-bit

18-08-2011, 04:56 PM

warning! poor grammar and lots of text ahead, proceed at your own risk.

I finished the first templar last night and its a weird one, my mind is telling me its mediocre at best but god help me I did like it. Ok, it looks like it was made in 2004, the acting is awful, and the main character has a gravelly voice that would make solid snake embarrassed with how overdone it is. the story doesn't really go anywhere yet finds time for frequent diversions, and most of the characters motivations are vague at best. it also cant decide if its going for a historical adventure or if it wants to have magic things, which ends with the supernatural elements feeling out of place and the whole thing ends up as a bit of a mess.

But. Its still good. I think.

The combat system involves the clicking of various mouse buttons to get the simple combo and win the day. You can block, counter attack or dodge your way out of trouble, and unlock various other attacks that help take on more than one enemy at a time. It actually reminded me of the witcher 2, while not as visually brutal or difficult the combat is still effective in its own simple way.

What the game does to set itself apart (and what I would call its biggest achievement) is the inclusion of an AI partner. It feels strange to say that this is a good thing in a game. the player can freely switch between the two characters at any time and the AI is quite capable of taking care of itself, which means it not only didn't need babysitting, it actually made itself useful. And since you can freely switch you can basically form a super tag team, grabbing enemies with one character and stabbing them with the other, block from the front and switch to stab from behind. Its all oddly satisfying.

I don't think I have ever said or written anything complimentary about a forced AI partner before, I don't suppose I ever will again but there it is.

as I said before the graphics aren't up to much, but I whenever I walked down a hill to see what was supposed to be an incredible view I see where the effort would have gone if the developers had the money. They aimed high with this game and they couldn't pull it off, perhaps they never could and it was doomed to failure from the start, but they made an effort, they tried their best to punch above their weight and I have to admire them for that.

The JG Man

18-08-2011, 05:16 PM

So that's Torchlight completed. I think the pacing takes a bit of a wobble in the final location and the final boss has tons and tons and tons and tons of health, but fortunately, going back to town doesn't mean it gets restored. I should know. Several times. Disappointed at the loot dropped too actually, nothing usable, but there ya go. Who knows if I'll go far in the 'Shadow Vault' infinite dungeon, but I'm content with having completed the story and waiting for TL2 whilst I focus on getting my backlog down.

All round, great game.

airtekh

19-08-2011, 11:07 AM

I've been playing the single player, and I just broke my multiplayer duck in Frozen Synapse, with a win. Yay!

If someone told me at the start of the year that I would be considering a strategy game as a candidate for my game of 2011 then I would not have believed them. I don't play a lot of strategy games as I find I don't enjoy them much; but FS is simple enough for me to pick up, yet surprisingly deep with its mechanics. It's purely about outthinking your opponent, with no luck involved.

It reminds me of chess, in that you never want to be in a position where you are only reacting to your opponent's moves, as that gives them the edge. Also like chess, a slight material advantage is often enough to secure the win, provided you don't screw up of course. Unlike chess, it has guns and explosions, so hurrah!

The best compliment I can give FS is that it has the same addictive quality that I've experienced in the likes of Civilization and Football Manager: Just. One. More. Turn.

I recently played through SC: Conviction, and enjoyed it very much indeed. However, since I played it, I've had this nagging feeling in my head that I didn't enjoy it as much as I did Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory; so I've started replaying it to find out why.

Heliocentric

19-08-2011, 11:37 AM

Conviction and Chaos Theory reality are massively different considering how much they share on the surface, its a sign of how other titles (most obviously Assassins Creed) have influenced the game, the adjustments mostly seem to be trying to tune "stealthy special ops" to a dual analogue pad, mark and execute to offset aiming under pressure, sonar to offset poor vision manipulation by analogue, last known position is just owning up to how the AI has always worked and then exaggerating it... The swearing I cannot understand in the slightest.

Giaddon

19-08-2011, 12:54 PM

Fucking Sam Fucking Fisher!

SirKicksalot

19-08-2011, 01:46 PM

From Dust. I have three more levels. It's fascinating... but I put it on hold because Red Faction Armageddon just arrived. 90 minutes in and it's more entertaining and beautiful than any third person shooter since Just Cause 2.

The Mechanical Aggressor

19-08-2011, 04:54 PM

Dungeon Siege 3: I got it for cheap in the recent GAME sale and it's actually quite good. It's much better than I was expecting considering all the bad user reviews it got. I'm quite enjoying the story and I think I may like it more than Torchlight, surprisingly. I'm still yet to play an Obsidian game that I dislike. My only complaint is that there's too much useless loot.

Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood: Also got this for about £7 from GAME. I probably would have bought this earlier and paid more for it were it not for UbiDRM. It's a better port than Assassin's Creed 2. I was pleasantly surprised to see that they got rid of the useless head, hands and feet icon system from Assassin's Creed 2 and the interface now actually displays which key corresponds to which action. Content-wise it seems to be more of the same, albeit a bit more polished.

Arona Daal

19-08-2011, 07:08 PM

- a Mix of Zero-k and Balanced Aniihilation ,both free remakes in the style of Supcom/TA based on the Spring engine.
- COH skirmish
- a bit (German Versions are usually horribly dubbed) Fallout 3 here and there.
- A *lot* of F2p-Noob-murdering in TF2
- Tropico 3 which i got for 2 bucks from gamersgate
- WINSPMBT ,autogenerated campaign as Russion vs Brits/Germans/USA with 1 year steps from 1990 to 2020 so i can upgrade my core army each battle.

8-bit

19-08-2011, 09:48 PM

a bit more shogun 2. I got my first ninja and had him running around the countryside killing off generals left, right and center, when a big old army came my way that would have battered me into the ground. I had just captured a fort and if I had a few turns I could have recovered enough to fight them off, unfortunately I did not have that time so I sent my ninja to do what he does best. only he couldn't because the AI realized exactly what I was going to do, so in its previous turn it split the army up so that the main force was blocking a bridge with the general behind them. clever bastard that computer is.

in other news I am just about to start up grey matter when its installed in a bit, and on the console front I spent about five hours on the best damn game on the wii today (Xenoblade Chronicles). the chances of having both of those done by the time deus ex comes out are slim I reckon. meh, its probably not going to be very good anyway right? no? balls... time to get my grinding hat out then.

Heliocentric

19-08-2011, 10:01 PM

http://cdn.nexternal.com/edgez/images/Gongshow_MuckGrind.jpg

Anthile

19-08-2011, 10:49 PM

Far Cry 2. It just won't end. I think I have killed the entire country thrice by this point.

corbain

20-08-2011, 01:36 AM

Have a few games on the go... Metro 2033 and Dead Space which i'm playing on my main PC, and have a long running game of the Neverwinter Nights on my laptop. Been playing NWN tonight in fact after a LONG break, over a year, and found it suprisingly easy to pick back up again. I'm still only on the original campaign, which seems a little dreary to be honest, which is perhaps why i stopped playing it for so long.

Heliocentric

20-08-2011, 09:18 AM

I'm still only on the original campaign, which seems a little dreary to be honest, which is perhaps why i stopped playing it for so long.
Skip it, seriously, the 2 expansions are connected with slight meaningless references to the original campaign, but they are Oooooh so much better. Better written story, better scripted quests, more varied environments, more epic battles, more persistence to your actions, its a shame they were not expandalones and that the original game would have put people off trying the expansions.

BobsLawnService

20-08-2011, 12:28 PM

Space Siege. I haven't played much but judging by what I've experienced up until now I suspect that I'm kind of going to enjoy it in future when I'm in the mood for something brain dead and unchallenging to zone out with.

SirKicksalot

20-08-2011, 06:37 PM

Red Faction Armageddon is the most fun I've had this year. It tanked so hard you'll find the Command and Recon Edition, which is the pre-order edition, for dirt cheap. BUY IT.

squirrelfanatic

20-08-2011, 09:11 PM

Bastion. Hrmpf... I can't really tell. It is cute, nice music. But it starts to get repetitive with the fighting and feels grindy. Get another piece of that stuff. Ok, now get another piece of stuff. And now, get another piece of that stuff. Many of the weapons are plainly worse than others, pretty fast it gets clear with which weapon you will be going throughout the game. A new gun? Meh, I'll use my old one.

It is OK and I think I'll finish it, but I don't experience the joy others get out of it.

Hensler

20-08-2011, 10:10 PM

Finished LA Noire on my 360. Absolutely amazing game - until it complete falls apart at the ending in a series of total "WTF?" moments.

Edawan

20-08-2011, 11:47 PM

I don't really know why, I launched VVVVVV.
My save had been wiped when v2.0 was launched, and I'd already saved one guy since.
So today I wander a bit more, and here I am, grabbing Veni,Vedi,Vici's trinket in like 5 minutes. What does it mean ?

Serenegoose

21-08-2011, 03:07 AM

Jamestown. for a shmup the lower difficulty levels are nice and gentle, so I've been enjoying it a fair bit.

8-bit

21-08-2011, 03:55 PM

taking a break from grey matter to post this, spoilers ahead.

there was a puzzle where you collect fragments of paper like a jigsaw, and when put together it had letters with pictures on it. on one side are pictures like a car, axe, flower, along with letters, then on the other side is a picture of a phone box. so I figured this was telling me to go to the only phone box I had seen so far in the game, and that the symbols represented a number to dial. now thats a fair assumption to make right? well here is the part where I look stupid, it was half an hour before I realized that car and axe meant carfax (the name of the street) and that it wasn't a number at all but directions to where I already was, and the actual number was in an earlier clue that I forgot about. +1 idiot points for stupidly over thinking everything I guess.

edit: see this is what these sort of games do to you, you spend years playing them trying to think of the most insane way to solve each problem, and when you are presented with something quite simple you completely miss the solution while you are trying to tie a cat to a lamp post. damn you adventure games *shakes fist*

coldvvvave

21-08-2011, 06:42 PM

Dawn Of War: Retribution

After restart of stats I'm suddenly in top-50 1v1, well, I'm on a lucky roll( 25 wins, 12 loses), so when my luck runs out I'm around 200 again. Playing Ork Kommando is as fun as ever. Yes, he is unbalanced( some stuff is useless, some is overpowered), but which hero isn't? Everyone is unbalanced - thats balance I like. It's fun.

Wizardry 8

Finally got out of starting location, took me a while.

laneford

21-08-2011, 08:46 PM

on the console front I spent about five hours on the best damn game on the wii today (Xenoblade Chronicles).

What's this like? Is it brilliant-if-you-like-jrpgs-brilliant, or just brilliant on it's own merits? I'm hearing fantastic things, and have to admit I'm tempted to get it and free the wii from it's vault of dust.

The JG Man

22-08-2011, 02:04 AM

Annnnnnnd that's a rap with Hitman: Bloody Money. I will throw up my hands immediately and say I cheated a bit (read: a lot). I ended up watching TheAuZZieGamer's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6Bzg99DE1w&feature=BFa&list=SP09B5319B34863032&index=1) thorough and hilarious Let's Play, so my creativity was stifled in about 3/4 of the game. That being said, actually being able to pull off those things still requires a lot of skill; the LP is designed for the top rank of 'Silent Assassin', but for whatever reason I only got that a few times. Like I've said before, I suck at the game, but it's oh-so-fun to play.

Anyhow, it's an absolutely fantastic game filled with lovely amounts of choice, characters, variety and length (coupled with replayability for difficulty). The levels are fun to play through (when you don't suck) and satisfying to sneak away from at the end. Which brings me onto this point; whilst I saw the ending coming a mile away, it didn't change the fact it was awesome in its entirety. In fact, it's one of the few games to actually have a fundamentally great ending (and sure beats the ever loving crap out of Stalker: Shadow of Chernobyl in that sense...and probably general 'fun' I had). I'm also a great fan of the changing/progressing main menu.

Very, very recommended for those who like the stealth gameplay, and for those who don't, still recommended. Just play it on easy and enjoy.

This also brings my backlog down to a mere 10 games! Let's see how many more I can down before the next new game...

TailSwallower

22-08-2011, 02:55 AM

I hadn't gotten around to buying a digital copy of Deus Ex (since I sold my boxed copy a while ago to clear out some clutter), so I got the Deus Ex: Human Revolution Augmented Edition from Steam that came with the original game too. Started playing it, but I don't think I'll have much chance to get stuck into it before HR unlocks.

I've also been playing a lot of Starcraft II. Finished the campaign on Normal and am going to tackle Hard next. Haven't played much multi, but I'm going to give it a shot and see if I can get any good at the competitive side of things.

Anyway, got a new laptop a few weeks ago and have been playing more games on the PC than a console for the first time in about 8 years. Don't know why I ever defected (well, I do know, but it's good to be back).

Oak

22-08-2011, 03:02 AM

The levels are fun to play through (when you don't suck)

Au contraire. One of the great virtues of the series is that it's still fun when you do suck.

The JG Man

22-08-2011, 03:06 AM

Ha, perhaps. Being the perfectionist I am though, it meant that I was quite quick to hit the load game. Of course, I'd be over-excited at times and hit restart, forgetting that it removed the saves. I'll keep it around though to muck around in. That's the thing though, so much choice and yet so fun whatever you do.

Anthile

22-08-2011, 03:10 AM

Finished Far Cry 2 the other day. Great ending. Now started Torchlight on hard difficulty, playing an alchemist à la Diablo 2 horde necromancer. Backlog reduced to only about 50 games.

The JG Man

22-08-2011, 03:22 AM

Backlog reduced to only about 50 games.

Holy crap. Do you ever see yourself completing that backlog?

agentorange

22-08-2011, 05:54 AM

Monkey Island 2 keeps agitating me, so I've gotten back into my PSX/2 backlog; currently working through the psychic survival-horror that is Galerians.

sabrage

22-08-2011, 07:01 AM

Look at my backloggery...

I've just been playing League of Legends and Picross. I just can't bring myself to play anything single-player right now, it doesn't sound fun at all.

airtekh

22-08-2011, 10:14 AM

Finished Far Cry 2 the other day. Great ending.

I really liked the ending to Far Cry 2 as well.

It also made me a bit sad that they didn't put more of an effort into other parts of the story.

Nalano

22-08-2011, 12:49 PM

I really liked the ending to Far Cry 2 as well.

It also made me a bit sad that they didn't put more of an effort into other parts of the story.

Never quite understood how you could possibly argue the humanitarian aspect of killing a legendary gun-runner when, during your travails, you personally murder practically half the country.

gganate

22-08-2011, 12:57 PM

I'm almost finished with assassin's creed 2. I got it for five bucks in the steam summer sale. I like it, but I find it's not much improved over the original game. Sure, there's more mission variety, but you still end up repeating the same basic types about a hundred times over the course of the game. Also, Ezio is a likable character, but the story is unintelligible. A bunch of guys killed his father, and they're all interchangeable, and no real character development occurs. I think the assassin's creed series would benefit from becoming full-fledged RPGs. They create these immaculately detailed worlds and give you little to do other than murder people.

airtekh

22-08-2011, 01:54 PM

Never quite understood how you could possibly argue the humanitarian aspect of killing a legendary gun-runner when, during your travails, you personally murder practically half the country.

@Nalano

You obviously haven't completed Far Cry 2.

Don't want to spoil much just in case anyone is interested, but let's just say that your actions during the game are reflected on during the end sequence.

Nalano

22-08-2011, 02:00 PM

@Nalano

You obviously haven't completed Far Cry 2.

Nah I haven't. Couldn't get past the instant respawn checkpoints mindfuck.

8-bit

22-08-2011, 04:50 PM

ah farcry 2, I remember slogging through, thinking I would find the fun bits other people were apparently enjoying, but when I found out there was a whole other massive but empty map I quit the game and cried. even if the ending was good is it really worth playing through so many hours of bad game to get to it?

elsewhere I am on ch4 of grey matter, hoping to get ch 5 and possibly 6 done tonight. I have also given up hope of finishing xenoblade by friday, since I have spent most of my twelve hours playing time running around the enormous fields going "oohhhh pretty" at everything. best ever idea for a game world though.

The JG Man

22-08-2011, 07:15 PM

I just played through the demo of Space Marine. First with KB+M, then with controller. Both on hard.

HOT DAMN. That game...just, that game. So satisfying. The visceral punch of your guns, the kill animations...amazing.

laneford

22-08-2011, 08:09 PM

I have also given up hope of finishing xenoblade by friday, since I have spent most of my twelve hours playing time running around the enormous fields going "oohhhh pretty" at everything. best ever idea for a game world though.

Already asked on the previous page but ANYWAY. Please sell this to me, is it just good for a JRPG/if you like JRPGs? or is it just wondrous anyway?

Should I believe the hype (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-19-game-of-the-week-xenoblade-chronicles-article), essentially?

8-bit

23-08-2011, 01:16 AM

Already asked on the previous page but ANYWAY. Please sell this to me, is it just good for a JRPG/if you like JRPGs? or is it just wondrous anyway?

Should I believe the hype (http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-08-19-game-of-the-week-xenoblade-chronicles-article), essentially?

sorry didn't see your comment, anyway, I would say that its the game final fantasy 12 wanted to be but failed at (imo). battle system is kind of like an mmo, its similar to what f12 did but its more involved and doesn't make me feel like I only have to hold down the right stick to win. it also has a lot of mmo like quests, but does some interesting things with social links which help the town folk become more than faceless quest givers.

I am not far along with the story but it spent the first five hours building up in a predictable way, then did something that made me sit up and think this is going to be anything but the standard jrpg plot. as I said though I have mostly been wandering about asking myself, if they can have environments this big and interesting then why is nobody else doing it in their rpgs? you can almost point the camera in any direction and find an amazing view, or at least something interesting that needs more exploring. or avoiding in the case of that giant building size lv 70 enemy, which can and will stomp you into the ground if you get close enough.

I could probably be further along but I am having a lot of fun just exploring what seems like the most finely crafted world I have seen in a jrpg, it just feels like an actual world. there aren't monsters waiting in ambush, there is a herd of elephant like creatures looking after the infants who will ignore you unless you attack them. those hostile bird creatures with the spears aren't some random enemy, they are a primitive tribe with a home base you are free to find and attack.

it gets so many simple things right too, for example you can save anywhere and anytime, I don't think I have hit a single invisible wall yet, and the penalty for death is going back to the last activated checkpoint (without losing anything you have done) instead of punishing you by making you load an old save. I thought this was a lost generation for jrpgs on home consoles (and I still do), but this is looking like showing everyone what we could all have been playing instead of the gears of war/cod clones.

away from that for a moment I would like to say that grey matter just got really good. there are a few fumbles where characters have accepted some feeble excuses for my snooping but its really building up a great mystery now. the puzzles have also done very little to upset me by being understandable to the sane mind, so unless it falls apart in the end I will be prepared to say this is one of the best adventure games in years.

sabrage

23-08-2011, 02:22 AM

XENOBLADEXENOBLADEXENOBLADEXENOBLADE
You sold me. That's all I need to read about this game; I haven't beat a JRPG since Final Fantasy X-2, I haven't played my Wii in well over a year... But if this game makes it to the states, I WILL buy it.

Hensler

23-08-2011, 02:50 AM

But if this game makes it to the states, I WILL buy it.

I don't endorse the piracy scene on the Wii, but there are a few homebrew ways of getting around the region locks on the Wii and playing imports. Since a US release was looking doubtful last I heard, I'm going to be importing Xenoblade Chronicles.

sabrage

23-08-2011, 07:51 AM

My Wii has a broken SD card slot, so I don't think I could do any modding (though I've never looked into it) and importing is expensive :E

laneford

23-08-2011, 11:07 AM

Yep, I'm sold too now, Rab's been banging on about it on twitter (https://twitter.com/#%21/robertflorence/status/105742739362168833) also. £50 here with a classic controller... or £30 without.

*hrmm*

Hensler

23-08-2011, 01:24 PM

My Wii has a broken SD card slot, so I don't think I could do any modding (though I've never looked into it) and importing is expensive :E

Well, you could buy a Freeloader disc... probably about $20. But yeah, it wouldn't be worth it if you're only going to import Xenoblade. Unless something has changed with the more recent custom firmwares, you do need the SD drive to mod your Wii.

Anthile

23-08-2011, 01:31 PM

Holy crap. Do you ever see yourself completing that backlog?

Of course. The problem is that it grows.

The JG Man

23-08-2011, 02:27 PM

You make it sound like it's taking on a life of its own.

Maybe it is?

Anyhow, post Hitman and the makes-everything-else-tame Space Marine demo, I've been trying to work out which of my backlog to get more into. I tried Bit.Trip.Runner and finally completed the stonkingly hard penultimate level of the first zone. Of course, now the boss is killing me with its "I know, let's give you as short a time as possible to react to anything!" which I don't really appreciate. I tried Call of Pripyat in a spat of madness and I dunno; I gave myself a powerful gun and some ammo, had the difficulty on normal and got through part of it. I like the atmosphere, I really do, but I feel like the game part of it just doesn't entirely hold up. Actually, I'll go back to it now, but...there's just something about it that is good enough to play on the whole. Something about 'greater than the sum of its parts'...

BobsLawnService

23-08-2011, 04:43 PM

Why can I not put Space Siege down? Does this mean I have terrible taste in games?

Heliocentric

23-08-2011, 05:16 PM

Why can I not put Space Siege down? Does this mean I have terrible taste in games?

It actually means your soul isn't in your body.

squirrelfanatic

23-08-2011, 09:01 PM

Don't anyone DARE to post "Deus Ex HR, lol" here.

8-bit

23-08-2011, 09:15 PM

well I think xenoblade is amazing but keep in mind that thats obviously no guarantee that you guys will like it, I don't want to be responsible for people putting money down on a game and not liking it. probably worth noting though that the cast are all British, acting is alright and the translation seems to be spot on so far (original Japanese voice track is on there too). its a real shame this hasn't gone to the USA, even worse that you guys aren't getting the last story either.

Rab's been banging on about it on twitter also.

I can also confirm that you can indeed walk to all of that, and that what you see there isn't even half the map he is currently on.

I tried Bit.Trip.Runner and finally completed the stonkingly hard penultimate level of the first zone. Of course, now the boss is killing me with its "I know, let's give you as short a time as possible to react to anything!" which I don't really appreciate.

runner is so hard that by the time you get to the final zone you will look back at those early levels and think about how easy they are. it eventually stops being about skill or level memorization and becomes entirely about button presses as a reflex action, you simply don't have time to think about anything.

this is where I stopped playing, I could get almost to the end of the level before I reached my limit, 3-9 is harder I think but I was just burned out at that point and couldn't go on.
spoilers I guess...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihsZJ_WRL1Q

laneford

23-08-2011, 11:03 PM

AWESOME BIT TRIP RUNNER SKILLS

Shit fuck man. I'm stuck at the end of world 1.

:(

Lukasz

24-08-2011, 12:39 AM

star wars Episode 1 Racer

what an epic underloved game.

stuck at second race of the last tier. the one where you can fall one level and it is over for you. its so frigging hard!

Anthile

24-08-2011, 01:56 AM

Just played through Torchlight. It wasn't very good. Way too repetitive. The whole Black Palace bit made me almost deinstall the game right on the spot. Before it, I died about six times through the entire span of the game and by the end I had 30 deaths accumulated. I can't remember the last time I had to suffer through such an utterly unenjoyable final section in a game. When I wasn't one-shotted by dark zealots, I had a dozen of those green skeletons in my face. Not cool.
That said, I played an alchemist and focused on summoning (Lore) and my build was, well, beyond overpowered. Just to give you an idea: there is one skill that reflects 30% of the damage done to minions back on the attacker for a couple of seconds. I only ever invested one point in this skill and it absolutely wrecks champions and bosses. However, this kind of gameplay is not really supported by the game. You never know how wounded your minions are or even how many of them are out. You can't control them at all and they get constantly stuck, especially in areas with lots of stairs and narrow passageways like the prison. And, worst of all, there is no aggro system whatsoever, meaning that mobs constantly attack you unless your minions physically block the path. Cue lots of Benny Hill chase scenes.

Rii

24-08-2011, 02:15 AM

star wars Episode 1 Racer

what an epic underloved game.

stuck at second race of the last tier. the one where you can fall one level and it is over for you. its so frigging hard!

Yes, wonderful game this, except for it being too freaking hard. A straight "HD" conversion and it could be released today and still be excellent. I still consider F-Zero GX to be the pinnacle of the racers-wot-go-stupid-fast-around-geometrically-implausible-tracks genre, but in my view the upgrade/economy/customisation systems of Episode I: Racer (and other titles such as Extreme-G III) are things wot both genre stalwarts F-Zero and Wipeout could stand to learn from. Actually I think Wipeout should dump weapons in favour of such an upgrade/economy/customisation system, whereas F-Zero should pick up weapons.

Similar

24-08-2011, 02:17 AM

Played some of the W40K: Space Marine demo and didn't enjoy it, which is disappointing after reading and watching stuff about it. I do have a general problem with third person games, it's very rare that I enjoy them, but SM also just felt kind of messy (and not in a good way) to me.
I'll probably give it another try at some point.

The JG Man

24-08-2011, 02:54 AM

runner is so hard that by the time you get to the final zone you will look back at those early levels and think about how easy they are. it eventually stops being about skill or level memorization and becomes entirely about button presses as a reflex action, you simply don't have time to think about anything.

The problem I have with Runner is that it's a rhythm game where you're expected to already know the rhythm. Compare, say, Free Bird in Guitar Hero. My favourite song on that version (2) and it's the second/joint hardest song in the game. Now forgetting the fact that I already like it, which makes me enthuthiastic anyhow, I can practice all the sections of it as much as I want, not to mention I'm allowed to make mistakes.

Now, if you see Runner as a platformer, compare it with say, Mario/Sonic or Super Meat Boy. In the case of the former, there are check points so a mistake isn't as costly. In Meat Boy, restarting is instant and the levels aren't too long (barring those in Chapter 6 and the odd few scattered around elsewhere).

Whatever way you look at it, you're given chance. Runner is completely demoralising in its instantaneous level restarts and silly-quick reflexes that make it neither a great platformer or rhythm game. I'm not saying the game is bad, but I am saying it's disappointing the game has gone for an artificial difficulty, whilst the four other games I've mentioned all become difficult at some point, but either have great difficulty curves or are still lenient on you where it matters. And naturally, as that video is evident, it's obviously possible, but what's scary is that I'm playing on normal. There's a harder difficulty. What the hell is powering that?!

I think Runner would be a far more enjoyable game if it played up the game aspect a little bit more and was nicer to the player. Or perhaps I got it the "Secretly Hard" version for buying it in a sale!

Anyhow, Runner aside and despite my temporary loathing of STALKER, in the last two days I've gone back thanks to the Call of Pripyat (with Complete mod). After turning the difficulty down from my SoC run, and giving myself a good weapon to start off with combined with a healthy dose of money (pretending to be a crappy Stalker my arse. I'm military, I'm going to go in there prepared), I tried to enjoy the game and bypass its less-good mechanics. Namely the gun-play, which is better in that bullet sponges have gone, but it still feels off. It's also still not running amazingly. Some textures aren't great, pop-in for grass and shrubs is hilarious and every so often I get completely random stutters. The rest of the time, it runs perfectly fine. I read somewhere that it only utilises one core in a processor. I have no idea how true that is, I may investigate. Regardless, the game DOES look nice, so long as you're not looking at your guns.

Still, it's been fun to play. Side quests have been alright, although I'm clearly missing the trigger for loads. I've investigated all the helicopter sites; I liked how they all had little obstacles to get to. It's a far better game than Shadow of Chernobyl, but I'm finding the environments in CoP not as interesting. The emissions are cool and having to duck for cover and sit inside as noises and colours swell is pretty awesome. The lingering thunder afterwards as well makes for quite the screenshot. Anyhow, I don't think I'm too far away from completing it, but there is something I'm having a slight issue with.

I'm about to go into the tunnels to Pripyat; Zulu recommends another pair of hands, as I only have the guy with the debts in Yantov Station whose name I've forgotten and the soldier who was sitting with the scientists. Everyone else I've asked didn't want to go, including that hermit guy with the dog who you meet at the beginning of the game. Any suggestions? In addition, I've met with the Monolith group and tried to ask in Yantov if Freedom or Duty want them. They both don't trust me yet and the only thing I can think of is that I give one of them all the papers I found while investigating Jupiter. I don't want to do that because I think one of the factions will get too powerful, but seemingly without anything else, I can't get the Monolith guys to do anything and I'd quite like them to join me in Pripyat. Suggestions are more than welcome.

So yeah, I can see CoP being easily finished before the end of the week, bringing the backlog down to just 9 games! Then it's just a case of seeing what else I can finish before the new titles come out...

[/Essay]

ZamFear

24-08-2011, 04:07 AM

@ The JG Man:

You have to support one side. There's a few things that I'm pretty sure improve your standing with one faction.
Giving them the Duty trader's (Morgan, I think his name was) PDA.
Giving them General Tachenko's (sp? Founder of Duty) PDA.
Informing them about Magpie (instead of telling Gonta).
Hiring them as guards for the scientists.

I usually give Magpie to Gonta, then do the other three in favour of one faction.

A couple walkthroughs I found say that the PDAs are most important for recruiting the ex-Monolith squad, but I'm not sure how accurate that is. If you've already done all these, you're probably out of luck.

It's not totally necessary to recruit everyone. I didn't even know those guys existed my first time through.

BobsLawnService

24-08-2011, 04:45 AM

star wars Episode 1 Racer

what an epic underloved game.

stuck at second race of the last tier. the one where you can fall one level and it is over for you. its so frigging hard!

Can you tell me how to get it running in Windows XP? I had a blast with this back in the day but I've never gotten it to run on the aforementioned platform.

JohnnyMaverik

24-08-2011, 04:55 AM

Yup, star wars racer was one hell of a game. Only good thing I can think of that came from that film. Shame it won't run on modern OS' (I've never got it going post ME). I guess if GOG get the LucasArts library...

**looks at the thread title**

Mass Effect 2, because I like to be fashionably late.

Rii

24-08-2011, 06:31 AM

Ok, so, Prime 2 is a wrap: 98% in 22 hours. Yes, I used a walkthrough. And... I dunno. Someone earlier said they found the game 'slightly disappointing' and halfway through I would've laughed off that idea. But now... I get it. The odd thing is that I don't know what to point to as engendering that feeling. It's not like the second half of the game doesn't feature some great stuff, because it totally does, and all the improvements I noted previously (http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/forums/showthread.php?4-What-are-you-playing-at-the-moment&p=25710&viewfull=1#post25710) over Prime 1 stand. I think mostly it's that the game simply wore out its welcome toward the end, much as the original did. I don't think I have the patience for 20+ hr 'continuous' games these days, and I'm constitutionally incapable of temporarily putting them aside, playing a different game for a while, and returning a few days or weeks later: I lose the atmosphere, my mental map of the game state, etc. I am disappointed that the narrative didn't live up to its early promise re: Dark Samus and inter-factional fighting.

One thing I should give the game credit for that I didn't note previously is the wonderfully inventive enemy design, both an improvement over the original game (which was no slouch in that respect either) and superior to pretty much any FPS game I've encountered. I particularly liked the floating drones in Sanctuary Fortress that when they weren't lasering you, deflecting shots with their shield and breaking target lock with their ECM field would hit you with an electro-magnetic pulse which would scramble your visor image and force a button-mashing reboot, which in turn would result in BIOS-esque text scrolling up your visor as your systems came back online. Awesome stuff. I often allowed myself to get hit with it just for kicks. Best boss award probably goes to Chykka.

I look forward to checking out Prime 3 for a whole bunch of reasons, not least of all because from what I've read it sounds like it makes the awesome even more awesome and the frustrating much less so, but I dunno when I'll get to it.

Doesn'tmeananything

24-08-2011, 07:49 AM

Finished Machinarium last night. Despite my overwhelming desire to write many words about the game, I will not, seeing as none of them would come out even a bit smart. All I can do, without making a fool of myself, is to recommend it to anyone. Genre preferences shouldn't really play a role here.

I mean, what a game.

Lukasz

24-08-2011, 10:10 AM

Can you tell me how to get it running in Windows XP? I had a blast with this back in the day but I've never gotten it to run on the aforementioned platform.

no idea. i really don't.

when i installed it on my amd 3200, 4850 machine with xp3 i couldnt run it. the game was all white and i couldn't see anything properly

but it works on xp now.

i am using my old computer with geforce 5800 and 2.8 Pentium 4 and 256 MB of ram (updated yesterday to 1GB as everything was painfully slow with modern programs like browser and antivirus)

i would say that xp is not the issue but the graphics card or maybe directx. try removing directx and install an 8 version??

The JG Man

24-08-2011, 12:17 PM

*Spoilers of usefulness*
It's not totally necessary to recruit everyone. I didn't even know those guys existed my first time through.

I don't remember the part at the Rangers station, although I imagine I did do it, which also means I sold it. Oops. I've yet to find an upgraded detector, so I guess that's out the window. So I HAD screwed up, I knew it! Ahwell, I could magically make them appear, but I'm good I guess.

And fair enough on the last point. I shall advance like I planned. Ta for the help!

I don't think I have the patience for 20+ hr 'continuous' games these days

I think it's more that developers don't have the patience to make enough content for a 20+ hr continuous game. I've played plenty that haven't outstayed their welcome and lasted double that. The result is a game that starts off well, but then kind of drip feeds its ideas out so you're left with something that you can see beginning to stagnate before possibly rising back up again for the finale.

As it goes, I got 2-4 hours into Prime 2 and I just gave up. I wasn't interested in what was going on. Similarly, I got about 9 hours into 3 and gave up because again, I just didn't have the interest to play it. There's some great design in the Prime games, but something in there doesn't always click for me. Prime 1 was good, I just couldn't fully enjoy the other two enough to finish.

8-bit

24-08-2011, 12:36 PM

lotsa stuff about bit.trip.runner

Thing is I agree with most of what you say, but to give the reason why I loved the game is that after all the struggle, tears and heartache, there comes a moment where everything just fits together. Even the best meatboy/mario runs have mistakes, moments where they can be done better and made more efficient, but in runner a perfect run actually means perfect. I would never argue that other games should adopt such an idea since the drive to be better is what makes people keep playing (and thats really a better way to go about things anyway), but its a strange satisfaction I get from knowing that in this one game a perfect run is something that can be achieved.

I think mostly it's that the game simply wore out its welcome toward the end, much as the original did. I don't think I have the patience for 20+ hr 'continuous' games these days,

I think it says a lot that I can finish prime in about seven-eight hours but echoes has always taken over twelve for me, finishing the first fetch quest to be rewarded with...another, longer fetch quest was just not funny, didn't help that it managed to be more linear than the first game too. The third game has the best controls, some inventive use of the wii remote for one weapon, and much improved graphics, but it is unfortunately more of a straight shooter with less exploring to be done.

The JG Man

24-08-2011, 12:44 PM

Thing is I agree with most of what you say, but to give the reason why I loved the game is that after all the struggle, tears and heartache, there comes a moment where everything just fits together.

Ah, 'The Click'. Fair enough. I'll probably keep it on a back-burner, coming back to it every so often. I'm not so bothered now about collecting all the gold on all the levels, I just want to finish it so I can say I completed it.

laneford

24-08-2011, 03:05 PM

Have abandoned all attempts to play anything remotely technically competent on this current PC as I have now deemed it on it's last legs (TM), and shall be replaced in October/November. This means Deus Ex (I wish) STALKER, Crysis, and Bioshock 2are on ice, or effectively unplayable. (Except, oddly, Space Marine which runs amazingly well)
So PC wise, it's lots of indie games, Bit Trip, Uplink (where I appear to be stuck, can't seem to upgrade, so can't take any more interesting jobs) Fate of the World (Going from the Africa scenario to managing the entire planet is confusing +1) and also the fateful decision to finally beat Xcom: TFTD. (Lobstermen you will be MINE) which I have never managed to complete.

PS3: Currently attempting to finish Demon's Souls in NG+ (i.e. for the second time) before the servers shut and before Dark Souls comes out. Also have borrowed copy of Uncharted 1 that I haven't started yet.

PC: Contemplating playing through Mass Effect 1&2 again (have only finished both once, and ME1 only on Xbox) started a new shepherd in ME1, and it only took seven attempts with the character creator to make her not look like a cross between an Oblivion NPC and The Elephant Man overdosed on Botox.

360: I keep looking at the Red Dead Redemption box, trying to convice myself that I like Rockstar games rather than merely admire them. Then I go play FIFA instead. :(

And then I have to go get xenoblade... hrmm. it's a hard life.