What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[Kiken]

Received a copy of Idol Janshi Suchie Pai Mecha Gentei-ban for the Saturn yesterday and spent several hours playing disc 3 (gave disc 1 a quick play through but haven't tried disc 2 yet). With disc 3, I was just playing the Free Battle mode (I had no idea that the characters from Game Tengoku were unlockable)... will probably play through the Adventure mode this evening.

[Acid King]

Huh, whaddya know. Wonder where I read it, then. Oh well. I also recall hearing the PAL version only has english voices while the US version has both english and japanese - and clearly I need to hear my ninjas lamenting about the nature of their shadowy existance in the original japanese dialogue in order to fully appreciate the subtle nuances of the touching story.

I like playing it in japanese, that way I can make up my own story.

[null1024]

Halo!
Haven't fired up Windows in ages to play it, had a blast, except for when I was on one server, which would randomly lag horribly [we'd all be totally fine, and then everyone stops shooting and is walking into things].

[Ed Oscuro]

Did I ever mention that I really, really hate the Minis? Collected on the Internet, one man's irrational hatred of gameplay "buddies," "sidekicks," and other cretins that conspire to take away your control of the game are manifested in this short journalistic piece.

The True (And Rather Embarrassing) Story of Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Prologue

Donkey Kong's actions that promising May still remain mysterious. Did the hypnotic advertisements provoke a simple simian greed? Was it something more noble - like trying to save the world from something horrible? Or was Donkey Kong gone bananas in his twilight, a pervert with a red hat fetish? It was hard to get Donkey Kong to talk sense, ravaged as his brain was by syphilis in the confines of a tiny concrete and iron cage. Of course, questions like these were far from Timmy Toadstool's mind that Christmas. All he knew was that his father worked at the Mario Toy Factory as head of engineering, and Timmy's little toadstool heartbeats quickened thinking about what he would get this year. Would it be a flop? Even the more mundane things, like the Whomp and Chain Chomp Ball and Cup Games he passed out to his friends that Halloween, were exciting - even if they were somewhat less successful as toys.

I.

Over the Snowman's Land holiday tree shrub (which looked suspiciously like a cloud with different coloration) shone a star with eyes. Even those eyes were fixed in surprise one one present - a bouncing present. Timmy didn't notice the other presents as one doesn't notice the frame around a portrait of Uncle Mario, nor did he notice the other presents keeping their distance, or the especially big "To-a My Timmy with Love, Mario" (who's Santa?) on the oversize tag. He tore open the package. Just as he hoped - it was the Mini Mario he'd heard about all year, famous on the news for helping save Mario and the Toadstool Kingdom from Donkey Kong! Just like Uncle Mario, but smaller. It walks! It talks! It says..."Mama Mia!" (In-a miniature, vaguely ethnic voice!) He didn't even have to buy one. It was the best Savior Mario-Themed Winter Holiday ever.

Through the beginning of the next year, Timmy and his Mini Mario had great adventures together. Mini Mario carried his house key. Mini Mario jumped over open manholes in the street (instead of falling into them and cratering the street like Bo-omb). Mini Mario used a spring pad to launch into the tree fort forest behind the city. Mini Mario even sat by happily (although not in complete stillness or silence) on idyllic family picnics. Soon, Mini Mario was a trusted member of the household, calling out whenever one of the Toadstools rushed off from breakfast missing something. Mini Mario bounced along with Dad's tie or car keys five minutes before the factory whistle blew on more than one occasion.

Timmy started to get older. In school, Mini Mario happily hopped along behind him with a stack of books. Mini Mario accidentally knocked a bully down the stairwell. On more than one occasion Mini Mario even hid a tiny cheat sheet under his hat for Timmy. But sometimes there were problems. On the last day of high school, at Timmy's advanced placement testing, Mini Mario sat in the chair. No matter what he tried Timmy couldn't get him out of it. The test monitor hissed at him. Timmy ran to the edge of the classroom in a panic. Mini Mario wouldn't follow, but bounced up and down helplessly. Timmy couldn't see that the chair had a conveyor tile on it. The nearsighted test monitor put the test down in front of Mini Mario. Tears streaming from his young blue eyes, Timmy slumped against the wall outside and held his head in his hands.

Mini Mario bounced and scribbled furiously, but even before the (exemplary) test results were in, Timmy's confidence was shattered. Was he just second fiddle to a toy? What good was it to be accepted to prestigious Mushroom Kingdom universities then? Was his father's legacy not his own family but a wind-up mechanism without the legendary resourceful (and resilient) toadstool DNA? Timmy missed the application deadline for university and found himself with too much time on his hands. He found meaning to his life in a mechanic job, and a nice car. He knocked out karate hopefuls by the bushel in the local dojo, but never was allowed to compete in regionals. In the back of his head, he started to wonder if his path to success and adulthood was by working quietly with his hands, not in an engineering job that required a college degree like his father had. He spent his free time outside the seedy garage hanging around the high school yard, and ignored his former science teacher peering out at him disapprovingly under horn-rimmed glasses. His black Koopa-leather jacket, slicked-back oiled hair, and deep ocean-blue 1967 Chevelle captured the hearts of the junior high toadstool girls. People called him "TT-Rex Toadstool." His pulled his shoulders back when he heard the name.
II.

Parked by the shores of the Mystic Forest one evening, he was gazing out the front window, holding hands with Danielle - pretty, and brunette (all over). He thinking snug thoughts - when he suddenly noticed the car rocking back and forth. He bolted upright and grabbed for the ignition, thinking they'd been caught in an unexpected tide. Outside, the water was calm. His mind still raced. "Timmy, why's the car moving?" Simultaneously, they both looked through the rear-view mirror and saw a red cap bouncing up and down. A little voice called: "Oh Mario~" Timmy's next sensation was his cheek burning and a moment later the slap registered in his ear. Looking at him half-pityingly through teary eyes, Danielle said quietly, "Oh, Timmy, you're all messed up." She ran from the car sobbing. Timmy got out of the car, pushed Mini Mario away from the back bumper, and slammed the car into reverse.

The next morning Timmy's mind was racing. Weren't there also other unexplained accidents involving Mini Marios? Like the local muckracking journalist falling into his printing press. He had gotten a Mini Mario as an assistant. Then there was the famous local soup chef, still in the hospital with severe burns and waterlogging after falling into a Bo-omb cauldron while fixing soup. He refused to talk about it, but word was that he recieved visit from Uncle Mario. Timmy walked by the shop and saw Mini Marios taking orders from the customers. A little more attention to the history curriculum might have helped Timmy: Toadstoolopolis, the crown jewel of the Mushroom Kingdom and the headquarters of the Mario Toy Company, had actually once been known as Sim City. Timmy was too young to remember Mario's lightning war and announcement that the Mushroom Kingdom had annexed the like-speaking (which is to say, not speaking at all) peoples of Sim City, or the riots as the more affluent Toadstool peoples began reclaiming land from pollution-ridden slums and redundant stretches of train track. Uncle Mario. He wasn't really an uncle at all - he wasn't a Toadstool at all.

Timmy returned to a quiet home that evening. There was no slight creak of gears or familiar humming platform stairs - just dead silence. He looked up at the tick tock clock by the doorway and saw the little bird sticking out halfway, its mouth open in frozen surprise - somebody had forgotten to wind it up. There was a note on the table: "Come quick to Mario Metro Hospital - It's dad."

Ten minutes later Timmy's hands were on the white doors of a room with a little paper slip reading "T. TOAD." As he pushed he heard a familiar voice and angry words like "tutti frutti" and "l'aborigine." As he swung open the doors Uncle Mario fell silent. His mother and sister were sitting teary-eyed on a small couch. He heard a clockwork ventillator at work, and a barely recognizable shape under an oxygen tent, covered in white bandages. "Hey, itsa my-a favorite nephew, Timmy-o," said Mario, without even turning to face him. "What's going on here? What happened to my dad?" yelled Timmy, ignoring Uncle Mario's sweet, vaguely ethnic mannerisms. "Well-a your no-good-a bungler of a daddy-a he ruin the blueprint of a Mini-Mario mechanism-a with-a-his-face-a!" Timmy put his hand out to Mario's red sleeve and Mario turned around. His eyes went up reflexively to the frozen Jack Nicholson smile under the moustache. "I...I need some air, Uncle...Mario." "Sure thing-a, nephew-boy. Just open-a-the-winda, daddy toadstool will be-a fine." Opening the window, Timmy was hit by a stiff breeze. He felt a hand on his right shoulder. "Timmy," said a voice. A deep, painful breath. "I'm sorry it had to come to this. I've worked with your father a good long while, but you should know you're not really my son. Mario isn't really your uncle - he's your father. We adopted you so you could have a home with a father who was always there. The mushroom kingdom should have been yours." Timmy blinked, twice, and then up - no, just over - at the familiar gloved hand. It was so similar to his own. Family, love. Timmy slid his right foot around in front of Mario's - uncle's? - left, and pushed with all his might. He stood there, seeing and hearing nothing as Mario's obese form pinwheeled through the sparse air for a good minute. Timmy took a deep breath, drew himself up, bolted from the room, and dived down a nearby laundry chute right towards the car park in the basement.

III.

An orange sunrise slipped away and the dew began burning off. Timmy sat bolt upright, one hand across the kitchen table. The clock was still unwound. "There's just one thing I don't understand," began the detective. "Well, Detective Toadstool," Timmy cut in. "I felt faint by the windowsill, and Uncle Mario grabbed me, stopping me from falling. Like I said before, I was just coming out of it, so when I came to, I jolted and Uncle Mario went off the ledge. I don't see what's so - " He stopped respectfully short. Timmy's adopted mother and sister sat quietly; dewy eyes, saying nothing. The police were disinclined to ask questions too hard as whispers started circulating across the streets. Did you hear what King Mario did? Perhaps Koopa was the right guy all along. Slave labor in the Mario Toy Factory! Arcane clockwork arts to make monsters come to life! The fearless general and his toys that won the war...or was it the hard-fought battles won by Toadstool troops that to this day still didn't have a monument? Originals found of the airbrushed bayside photographs featuring The Hedgehog, his chief of secret police, a nonstool for many years. "Say, officer, are you really taking notes on all this? Doesn't that say "All work and no play make -" The detective pulled a tired hand over his scruffy brow. "Alright, kid. I guess I believe you. You just keep out of trouble, okay?" "Yes, officer," said Timmy, and his eyes tracked the man across the room until the door slammed shut. He looked sadly, perhaps longingly, at his adoptive mother and sister, then wordlessly walked off to his room.

Mini Mario Prototype B sat at the desk. Prototype B's thoughts were simple and consistent as two teeth meeting from two gears, if occasionally one of the teeth triggered an unlikely idea, more of a message: "COMPROMISED PLAN MARIO VICTORY STOP" Mini Mario's head nodded sleepily at the intruding thought. It was insistent, cold. It had been playing through Mini Mario's head all day, perhaps about the time the family went off like they always did. But a strange time to leave the house. A strange t-"ALL COSTS ENACT PLAN B FULL STOP" The pencil in Prototype B's fingers scratched a crooked line across the desk, another, and then another. The gearing in his little clockwork eyes turned slowly to focus on the strange marks, but before he could the door to Timmy's room exploded, sending a shower of Mystic Forest Fir wood across the room and into Mini Mario's hat. A familiar moustache protruded through the gaping hole. "Heeeeere's Maarriooo!" A whirlwind of falling axes. A spring broke somewhere, and for the first time in fourteen years, Mini Mario was still.

Epilogue

Timmy stood outside the Metropolitan Toy Store with a piece of paper in one hand, and a lighter in another. He gave the strange mark one last look, and then set fire to it. In his pocket were his life's savings and some cash from selling the passenger's bucket seats, the convertible top, and some other odds and ends that he wouldn't be needing where he was going, like the tail lights and the front bumper. It was still a Super Sport, though, and it still had the tape deck he installed in place of the original radio.

Inside he was waited on by a cheerful young brunette toadstool salesgirl, and smiled - the faintest traces of pain pulling at the corners of his eyes. He didn't look at her nametag. "Did you have any Mini Marios in stock?" "Yes, they haven't been selling all that well even though, well, Mayor Mario...passed on, so they are on clearance." She looked fidgety and relieved all at once. "I'll buy them all." She opened her eyes in surprise but didn't ask a second question. He was surprised how cheap they had become, and gave her a nice crisp K-Mario bill and didn't wait for change."

"Come on, little guys," he said as he cheerfully marshalled Mini Marios into the Chevelle. "Where go Mario?" chorused the Minis. "We're going somewhere fun! Somewhere you won't have to worry about being molested by gorillas or manipulated by tyrants." "Twilight City?" one of the Minis suggested helpfully. The Chevelle ate up the sharp corners of Metro Toadstoolopolis with ease and kicked up clouds of dust in Donkey Kong Jungle. The Chevelle rocketed across a bridge high over Fire Mountain, steel girders whipping past menacingly. The Mini Marios bounced considerably less than usual. They passed the ornate iron gates to Spooky House. Timmy turned on the radio just in time for A Prarie Home Companion. The roads set fire to his mind, and his eyes were glued to the road - wherever it lay - about fifty meters from where he was. As the Shoe Band signed off the Companion for the evening, Timmy blinked, gripped the steer reflexively, and looked at the clock. Five to midnight. He was coming up on a passport control shack at the edge of Mystic Forest Plus. He was waved through with ease. Mysterious purple fronds brushed at his hair.

"Hey guys, let's sing a song!" He punched at the tape deck. Familiar: "Wouldn't it be nice if we were older / then we wouldn't have to wait so long..." He frowned, then hit rewind. "Sorry guys, that's not the beginning." He hit play and a familiar clockwork tune came on. He glanced to the side of the road momentarily, and thought he saw a familiar forest clearing past as he entered another mountain pass. Mystic Forest Plus. A girl named Danielle, brunette (all over). Maybe she was standing there, still in her toy store uniform...wouldn't it...a mysterious symbol on paper. He wrapped the palm of his hand around the handbrake. Turn around? He waited a beat for the first bass hit of the song before yanking the handbrake and spinning the wheel sharply. As the car spun about, coming closer to the guardrail, Tim began singing and the Minis followed off-key, one by one.

SPOILER: Everybody dies.

[dave4shmups]

Dark Sector on the 360, and it's great! It's very underrated, IMO. I'm also playing through F.E.A.R., an excellent FPS!

[Zeether]

I played some of GRID and I have to get used to the physics.

[StoofooEsq]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma is going to get plenty of playtime lately. I finished my second run on Normal yesterday. After my very first time through the game, I figured I would play on Normal again to make sure I've got a complete basic grasp of the game before I move onto Hard.

So I did start Hard (on Chapter 3 now) and I've been faring quite well. The increased difficulty made the game more fun. For now, at least. I haven't reached anything that's made me rage yet. I'll have to get used to fighting minions alongside the bosses now; though the extra essence I could use for UTs would seem to make a couple of bosses slightly easier. Surely there's some other nasty surprises in store for me this time. One question: Is it worth looking for all of the Golden Scarabs to get the Dark Dragon Blade in Hard?

Since I seem to be on some sort of ninja kick lately, maybe I'll track down Shinobi PS2.

[drunken starsailor]

I'll have to get used to fighting minions alongside the bosses now; though the extra essence I could use for UTs would seem to make a couple of bosses slightly easier.

I can't help but be reminded of the second NG. I hated how you could UT at any time as long as you pressed the heavy attack button down. It completely defeats the purpose of collecting orbs. To add insult to injury, getting hit does not snap you out of the charge. (Not to mention the pathetic health refill after every quarrel.)

I can't imagine those fights to be better with extra enemies thrown in.

[Acid King]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma is going to get plenty of playtime lately. I finished my second run on Normal yesterday. After my very first time through the game, I figured I would play on Normal again to make sure I've got a complete basic grasp of the game before I move onto Hard.

So I did start Hard (on Chapter 3 now) and I've been faring quite well. The increased difficulty made the game more fun. For now, at least. I haven't reached anything that's made me rage yet. I'll have to get used to fighting minions alongside the bosses now; though the extra essence I could use for UTs would seem to make a couple of bosses slightly easier. Surely there's some other nasty surprises in store for me this time.

I don't know how the difficulty was tweaked for Sigma but I played up through Very Hard on the Xbox game. I gotta say that the biggest, most frustrating part of the game on higher difficulties is the bosses. The way the damage scales makes the bosses crazy frustrating. Alma's throws in particalur drove me crazy. One of those and you might as well restart.

[sjewkestheloon]

Alma was a complete bitch on normal for me! Second version cup-for-a-head less so.

[Acid King]

I can't help but be reminded of the second NG. I hated how you could UT at any time as long as you pressed the heavy attack button down. It completely defeats the purpose of collecting orbs. To add insult to injury, getting hit does not snap you out of the charge. (Not to mention the pathetic health refill after every quarrel.)

I can't imagine those fights to be better with extra enemies thrown in.

I'm pretty sure that they added the essence-less UT charging in Ninja Gaiden Black. It doesn't really defeat the purpose of collecting orbs because you still need them in order to do the quick UT charges after landing.

[sjewkestheloon]

Damn 360 failed in an epic manner.

As a result I've restarted FF12 on the PS2 which I played for about 12 hours before and moved on from for no particular reason.

[Kiken]

Been working on a handful of games:

Idol Janshi Suchie Pai Mecha Gentei-ban disc 2 (Saturn):
Finished up getting all of the good endings for the initial four partners. Unlocked Suchie Yuki's side mission (still need to go through that).

Sakura Wars: So Long My Love (PS2):
Completed chapter 7. Only one more chapter to go (I understand 8 has a lot of combat).

Left 4 Dead 2 (360):
Played through Dead Center on Expert last night in single-player. Took me 2 hours 14 minutes (only 9 (?/!) restarts). I guess that's not bad considering how stupid the bots act in certain scenarios ("hey guys, it's the Tank, we should run right up and box him to death!").

[BulletMagnet]

Picked up Ys Seven the other day - I was worried about some of the changes they were making earlier on, but having played the game a bit I'm pleasantly surprised at how little they interfere with the overall "Ys-ish-ness". Hopefully I can finish this one without getting sidetracked...managed to do it with Ark of Napishtim, so at least there's a precedent!

Also been hacking away at Trinity Universe on the PS3...rough around the edges, but definitely the best Idea Factory product I've played. Admittedly, you have to be a big enough nerd to laugh at all the in-jokes and various goofiness to enjoy it fully.

[Rob]

Left 4 Dead 2 (360):
Played through Dead Center on Expert last night in single-player.

I also just did this yesterday (w/ realism) and it took me 1 hour and 24 minutes, but I've played the stage a lot and got a little lucky. Atrium kind of sucks since it's a lot of work to fill up the car single-handedly.

[Zaarock]

Left 4 Dead 2 (360):
Played through Dead Center on Expert last night in single-player.

I also just did this yesterday (w/ realism) and it took me 1 hour and 24 minutes, but I've played the stage a lot and got a little lucky. Atrium kind of sucks since it's a lot of work to fill up the car single-handedly.

You get so many boomer biles (4?) on that level that you can keep the horde in one place for the whole time you fill up the car if I remember right, probably cant do that on single player though. I've only cleared dead center and swamp fever on expert so far though, will get back to the game sometime.

[Rob]

Sometimes there is practically nothing or maybe they were just in really out of the way places. And if it's not bile, molotovs are pretty worthless on the stage and pipe bombs are pretty worthless in the entire game. Dead Center and Dark Carnival are the only two I've done legitimately (no Last Man on Earth). Dark Carnival was really hard. The only other one I might do solo is The Parish. Perfect finale for it.

[null1024]

Pilotwings, F-Zero. Mode 7 is delicious.

I hate the helicopter mission in Pilotwings. So much.
Oh, and Death Wind II in F-Zero. Dieing in the charge lane makes it so much worse.

[Slump]

Saw Torchlight II has been announced and should be out sometime in spring next year so I got the urge to play the original some more. It amazes me how a game so simple can keep me so addicted to it. It really reminds me of the original Diablo, just mindless fun-loving hack 'n slash. Great game to waste a few Sunday hours on before reality hits and it's time for work all over again...

[Ed Oscuro]

Four more stages to go on Mario vs. DK. All in the first go of the night city place. Kind of stuck here actually. I almost have another expert mode course figured out...the first one...sheesh.

Sometime I ought to find out how to pull off all the moves in Double Dragon Advance, there's a whole lot going on there but unfortunately PROPLAYER just abuses pits, drop-offs, and holes in the ground.

Left 4 Dead 2 (360):
Played through Dead Center on Expert last night in single-player.

I also just did this yesterday (w/ realism) and it took me 1 hour and 24 minutes, but I've played the stage a lot and got a little lucky. Atrium kind of sucks since it's a lot of work to fill up the car single-handedly.

You get so many boomer biles (4?) on that level that you can keep the horde in one place for the whole time you fill up the car if I remember right, probably cant do that on single player though. I've only cleared dead center and swamp fever on expert so far though, will get back to the game sometime.

I always fetched the gas tanks before I started filling. Doesn't really seem to make much difference though.

Also, since you asked:

Plural of boomer bile = boomer bile
Plural of boomer bile bombs = boomer bile bombs

[Acid King]

I just cleared the first Test of Valor on Path of the Mentor in Ninja Gaiden 2. It was a ball breaker.

[drunken starsailor]

I'm currently playing through Bayonetta again; this time on my Uncle's 80 something inch HDMI TV!! Oh my God, I appreciate this game so much more, now. It's going to be tough going back to my shitty 19 inch TV.

But no worries! I'll write down the model number and relive the experience with one of my own someday!

I'll post pictures real soon, I promise!

[drauch]

My real life has currently gone to shit so I've started a new, fake one in Sims 3

Also, been playing System Shock 2 for awhile now. Tooooooo good.

[ratlhead]

I'm currently playing Alundra. I have this for nearly 12 years and I've began to play it several times but it just didn't grasp my interest enough to complete it... until now. It has a rather slow start but after 10 or so hours in things've really changed. Some dungeons are really hard compared to most games of this genre.

[drunkninja24]

My real life has currently gone to shit so I've started a new, fake one in Sims 3

Also, been playing System Shock 2 for awhile now. Tooooooo good.

If there's one thing the Sims series taught me, it's that hygiene and proper restroom usage are the true keys to happiness

Been meaning to try System Shock 2 for some time, I never touched the series (or even knew about it actually) until Bioshock. But it sounds pretty sweet.

Anyways, I just finished up Dragon Quest IV on DS yesterday, such a great game. Also just started playing Ys: The Ark of Napishtim on PC (through a fan translation). Also a pretty sweet game, I'll definitely be picking up Ys Seven on my PSP if I find this game as enjoyable by the end as it is now. Of course, I also recently picked up a NeoGeo CD with some games I've been wanting (Last Resort, Aero Fighters 3, Windjammers, Savage Reign, and Art of Fighting 2), so I'll be messing with those as well. Busy time in gaming for me

[rancor]

I had to actually think for a minute about this -

I've been playing entirely too much 'shmups lately since I live about 15 minutes away from Akihabara.

Then I remembered I recently picked up almost the entire Gamecube discography.. seemingly. Been trying to work my way through it, and there is a LOT of garbage. One gem I've found that I've been playing a bit is "Smugglers Run: Warzone". Also some of the Medal of Honor / Call of Duty games are good... but then, some are terrible (Rising Sun). Anyone recommend any other good but under-rated 'cube games?

[sjewkestheloon]

I'm currently playing Alundra. I have this for nearly 12 years and I've began to play it several times but it just didn't grasp my interest enough to complete it... until now. It has a rather slow start but after 10 or so hours in things've really changed. Some dungeons are really hard compared to most games of this genre.

I have real fond memories of Alundra, a great sense of exploration and wonder. Just don't try the diabolical sequel.

I caved and got Monster Hunter Freedom Unite from the PSN for £7.99 and I can feel it pulling at me to the depths of addiction.

Even though I'm still a bit suspicious of downloading games I can't deny that it has served my PSP well. For under £30 I've downloaded Disgaea, MHFU and DJ Max Fever and I'm pretty damn pleased with that as a line up permanently installed to the machine.

[drauch]

Been meaning to try System Shock 2 for some time, I never touched the series (or even knew about it actually) until Bioshock. But it sounds pretty sweet.

Anyways, I just finished up Dragon Quest IV on DS yesterday, such a great game. Also just started playing Ys: The Ark of Napishtim on PC (through a fan translation). Also a pretty sweet game, I'll definitely be picking up Ys Seven on my PSP if I find this game as enjoyable by the end as it is now. Of course, I also recently picked up a NeoGeo CD with some games I've been wanting (Last Resort, Aero Fighters 3, Windjammers, Savage Reign, and Art of Fighting 2), so I'll be messing with those as well. Busy time in gaming for me [/quote]

I've got Ark of Napishtim on the PS2, yet I've never played it yet. I love the original Book 1 & 2 on the Turbografx. But yeah, you should definitely play System Shock 2. I've got a copy you could borrow/have if you're interested.

Whoaaaaaaaaa, where did you get that Neo CD? Awesome group of games! I can't wait to play them

[null1024]

Yoshi's Island, having a blast with this [although, I really shouldn't have played in bsnes -- kind of slow [in Linux at least, never had *any* slowdown with the Windows build, suspecting it's the Linux drivers for Intel graphics chips], and rewind is too tempting to resist ].

[Ed Oscuro]

Also, been playing System Shock 2 for awhile now. Tooooooo good.

Sometime I oughta organize another multiplayer game, shit's great.

Then I remembered I recently picked up almost the entire Gamecube discography.. seemingly. Been trying to work my way through it, and there is a LOT of garbage. One gem I've found that I've been playing a bit is "Smugglers Run: Warzone". Also some of the Medal of Honor / Call of Duty games are good... but then, some are terrible (Rising Sun). Anyone recommend any other good but under-rated 'cube games?

I'm going to take a wild guess and say you know way more about the system's library than I do. What have you played so far? I might be able to compare a few notes after seeing a list...