What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[drauch]

Pretty positive I got Thief: Gold working finally, so hopefully I'll be playing that ASAP. Had to switch from my main Vista main PC to my old XP laptop to get it workin'. God, playing old games on the PC is a pain in the ass sometimes. May start Phantasy Star for the SMS as well; that or Exile for the Turbo CD. I can't decideeee.

[worstplayer]

FUEL, also known as 14400 square kilometers of wasted potential.

This game has the largest, most detailed world i've ever seen. You have lots of race types, there's optional challenges and bonuses scattered all over the map.
There's also lots of vehicles, and while physics aren't exactly what you'd call realistic, there's enough difference between each of them.
But, for whatever reason, main events mostly consist of short linear races with checkpoints every few meters. There's longer events where you can actually use terrain features to your advantage, but they're few and far between.

Why would someone make biggest world ever, and then decide to only use 0.001% of it? They probably think current generation of gamers can't hold their attention for more than 5 minutes, and they're probably right.

[EinhanderZwei]

Beaten Ys I&II on PSP yesterday. Fucking awesome!!!

[Sumez]

YsI&II is one of my favourite games on PC Engine, it's incredible how many times that game was remade. The high-res 2D version for PC is quite impressive - is the PSP version similar to that?

[EinhanderZwei]

YsI&II is one of my favourite games on PC Engine, it's incredible how many times that game was remade. The high-res 2D version for PC is quite impressive - is the PSP version similar to that?

Haven't tried any other versions (though I do have the PCE CD port), but judging from the screenshots, it's really close to PC. All in all, this games (or one 2-part game, if you will) get the HOLY FUCKING SHIT Award '2011 in the 'Why the hell was I ignoring this franchise?!' nomination (as did Phantasy Star Portable two years ago)

[Ruldra]

FUEL, also known as 14400 square kilometers of wasted potential.

I just got the game myself. If you're playing the PS3 version, add me for some online races.

[worstplayer]

I have it on PC.

Which reminds me: It has GfWL on PC. So no muliplayer unless you're one of the chosen few who actually got GfWL to work (i'm not).

[Krimzon Kitzune]

Currently playing Gradiu-- er... I mean Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam Vs. Zeta Gundam (PS2). Bought it from a friend for only $10, and I'm enjoying it's massively epic, Capcomy goodness. Universal Century mode's gonna keep be busy for days...

Before that, I was poppin' caps in Super C (NES) and nearly cleared the first loop without using a continue.

[jonny5]

zombie crisis 3d: prologue on iphone

pretty awesome game!

[Siren2011]

Right now I'm playing Grim Fandango on a CRT monitor, on my old faithful Windows 98 Gateway computer. It looks a hell of a lot better than it does on an LCD monitor. It's hard to explain, but the difference in quality is immense.

I'm thinkin' bout buying TES Redguard again, and maybe some Sierra games. Overall, I'm in an adventure gaming mood. I played Ketsui so much that game is boring now. Burnout with shmups does happen with me from time to time, so I usually pick up a game from another genre to even things out.

[drauch]

Damn, I was just starting to play Grim Fandango like 2 days ago but I was having some problems getting it to run on Vista. I really need to just track down an old pos computer to play this kind of shit without having to fuck with moving files and silly patches.

[EinhanderZwei]

Cleaned the dust off my PS2 and started good ol' Kill.Switch in the morning. And what do you think... it's actually BETTER than I remember it! Sure, the graphics are not top notch (PS2 was out for 3 yrs only when it was released), but the Gears-like gameplay really works, and it's very fun (which can't be said about most modern 3D shooters). The story is nice, too, but the most valuable part is that it DOES utilize the old-school mechanics - it's easy to dodge enemy projectiles, and covers are not mandatory/vital for progression: during the oil rig countdown I was able to actually blast through the majority of the level without hiding and using only marksmanship and sometimes crouching

Damn, this game rocks hard!

[spadgy]

I'm lucky enough to have had Portal 2 for a week, and I'm on the final moments of the final level of singleplayer. It's so good I almost can't bear to finish it!

[Aguraki]

Bought starcraft 2 a few days ago,1st buy in years after watching many videos and stream I downloaded the demo,and saw it worked great on my computer so I went for it cause I was hooked.
I love it!
Never played the 1st one and last RTS I played was original warcraft 1.
Also never played a multi player online game,not even a FPS,so this is all new for me

I've watched and read a lot about the game and only did 4 missions of the campaign and now I'm playing 1v1 multi.
I'm bronze right now but already won a few match and I'm in top 10 in my division(=league?).
Playing terran to begin with,but not excluding shifting race later(probably zerg which I rarely fight in my division).

Anyway I love it and think I'm gonna spend a lot of time on it.
I'm on european server,and don't know 5% of the battlenet features.
My pseudo is : cOnfUsiOn

edit:also been playing Heroes of might and magic 5 and started half life as well.

[sriq]

I'm playing on Nier for the 360 right now.

I've gotten two of the endings so far, but I'm going through and upgrading all my weapons/doing side quests and stuff before I do the next two endings on it. I don't really see why it gets so much hate - the music is hauntingly great, the story is very emotional, the English voice acting is amazing for a video game, and even the side quests are interesting. Apparently the damning factor of it is the sub-par graphics, but I guess I don't care as much about that part. But I suppose it is a little strange when all the female characters have exactly the same face :\

[drauch]

Started the original Phantasy Star today for the ol' Sega Master System. Enjoying it much more than I expected so far, albeit it's a bit tedious at times.

[dunpeal2064]

YsI&II is one of my favourite games on PC Engine, it's incredible how many times that game was remade. The high-res 2D version for PC is quite impressive - is the PSP version similar to that?

Haven't tried any other versions (though I do have the PCE CD port), but judging from the screenshots, it's really close to PC. All in all, this games (or one 2-part game, if you will) get the HOLY FUCKING SHIT Award '2011 in the 'Why the hell was I ignoring this franchise?!' nomination (as did Phantasy Star Portable two years ago)

I am so excited to play this game. I want to finish up the other rpg I am on so I can give it full attention, but after that its on!

Curious, how do some of the other rpgs on the duo fair? I picked quite a few up with my system, such as Cosmic Fantasy 2, Exile, Dragon Slayer, Vasteel, and Valis

[drauch]

The Valis series are some of my favorite games, but they are not an RPG. They are a sidescrolling action-platformer, kinda like that of Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, etc. Exile is really cool, I actually almost started playing it the other day. It's pretty neat, as the action portions of the game are sidescrolling action, compared to that of the overworld map. I haven't played Dragon Slayer for the Turboduo, but I'm a fan of the series and haven't played a bad game yet in it. Sadly haven't played a Cosmic Fantasy or Vasteel, however...

[ZOM]

Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes on the Duo is a pretty straightforward turnbased RPG and gameplay-wise there's really not much special going on in that game that sets it in any way apart from most other dragonquest-ish rpgs... That said, there's plenty of (the good kind of)cheesy moments in that game the farther you play and considering its original age, it's one of the better games in it's genre. I think it's worth a playthrough for anyone who wants to check out some of the simpler Japanese made roleplaying games, but then again, falcom-biased person speaking here. Oh, the dub is shit though. You can switch it off.

[dunpeal2064]

The Valis series are some of my favorite games, but they are not an RPG. They are a sidescrolling action-platformer, kinda like that of Ninja Gaiden, Castlevania, etc. Exile is really cool, I actually almost started playing it the other day. It's pretty neat, as the action portions of the game are sidescrolling action, compared to that of the overworld map. I haven't played Dragon Slayer for the Turboduo, but I'm a fan of the series and haven't played a bad game yet in it. Sadly haven't played a Cosmic Fantasy or Vasteel, however...

Ooh, Valis sounds even more interesting than before. Out of all of them though, none seem as interesting as Ys

Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes on the Duo is a pretty straightforward turnbased RPG and gameplay-wise there's really not much special going on in that game that sets it in any way apart from most other dragonquest-ish rpgs... That said, there's plenty of (the good kind of)cheesy moments in that game the farther you play and considering its original age, it's one of the better games in it's genre. I think it's worth a playthrough for anyone who wants to check out some of the simpler Japanese made roleplaying games, but then again, falcom-biased person speaking here. Oh, the dub is shit though. You can switch it off.

I am a pretty big fan of rpgs, so usually even the repetitive basic ones I find quite entertaining. I really love bad dubbing too, so Dragon Slayer sounds fun!

[TrevHead (TVR)]

I finally picked up Boarderlands PC which had been sitting on my game shelf for around 18 months. I went into it with low expectations but after 5-6 hours of playtime last night I must say im hooked. As unlikle Fallout 3 which while having a good story and visually pleasing world was shit due to the questing / Dungeon aspect of the game been very very poor and thin on the ground. BoarderLand however borrows rpg mechanics and feels like Diablo 2 as a sci-fi FPS. The way theu use D2's items and quest / special and rare items is like digital crack to me, the total oppersite of how I was with Fallout3.

Atm I only have the original boxed version with no DLC, which cost I dont have the steam version must pay full price at $10 for each pack, fuck that. I might buy 1 pack and see if I can pirate the rest. Still I hear this is a very long game so I might be fine without the DLC as I dont want to be still playing this game in 6 months time, ive lots of unplayed games to get through.

Also Ive been playing a bit of Atomic Runner on MAME, damn cool game as it has a shmuppy feel to it. Ive yet to try out the MD version I hear its different to the original.

[Khan]

Cleaned the dust off my PS2 and started good ol' Kill.Switch in the morning. And what do you think... it's actually BETTER than I remember it! Sure, the graphics are not top notch (PS2 was out for 3 yrs only when it was released), but the Gears-like gameplay really works, and it's very fun (which can't be said about most modern 3D shooters). The story is nice, too, but the most valuable part is that it DOES utilize the old-school mechanics - it's easy to dodge enemy projectiles, and covers are not mandatory/vital for progression: during the oil rig countdown I was able to actually blast through the majority of the level without hiding and using only marksmanship and sometimes crouching

Damn, this game rocks hard!

yea killswitch came before gears infact I think thats where epic got their ideas from still I never actually got around to playing it although I do have the game somewhere.

[Vexorg]

I finally picked up Boarderlands PC which had been sitting on my game shelf for around 18 months. I went into it with low expectations but after 5-6 hours of playtime last night I must say im hooked. As unlikle Fallout 3 which while having a good story and visually pleasing world was shit due to the questing / Dungeon aspect of the game been very very poor and thin on the ground. BoarderLand however borrows rpg mechanics and feels like Diablo 2 as a sci-fi FPS. The way theu use D2's items and quest / special and rare items is like digital crack to me, the total oppersite of how I was with Fallout3.

Atm I only have the original boxed version with no DLC, which cost I dont have the steam version must pay full price at $10 for each pack, fuck that. I might buy 1 pack and see if I can pirate the rest. Still I hear this is a very long game so I might be fine without the DLC as I dont want to be still playing this game in 6 months time, ive lots of unplayed games to get through.

Also Ive been playing a bit of Atomic Runner on MAME, damn cool game as it has a shmuppy feel to it. Ive yet to try out the MD version I hear its different to the original.

If I understand correctly, Borderlands was designed specifically as a game similar to Fallout 3, but intended to fix a lot of the shortcomings of that particular system. I've got it here and have enjoyed what I played of it so far, but at some point I just didn't feel all that inclined to continue. From what I've heard the expansions are hit-or-miss (in particular I've heard Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot is pretty weak.)

Just recently they did a Steam sale on it where you could buy the full game with all the DLC for $7.50, but I missed it. If you keep an eye out, they may run something like that again.

As for what I've been playing lately, I'm still on Just Cause 2, and picked up a copy of Portal 2 (PC version) yesterday as well, but have only made it up to about chapter 3 in the single player campaign. If anyone else is looking to possibly do some multiplayer on this, let me know.

[BIL]

Been playing a lot of Sin & Punishment lately. I'd forgotten how flawless its pacing is - it's absolutely wall-to-wall with action and insane setpieces. The atmosphere at some points is among the best I've found in a pure action game, too, always a plus... the monster-infested nightmare train with the poignant BGM is a great moment, as is the apocalyptic first boss backdrop. Also, battling a giant spider in a dingy cafeteria before chasing its brain into the kitchen, knocking over the bins it's hiding in and cooking it.

[ED-057]

I finished Shining the Holy Ark. Now I`m going to play Pier Solar

[Siren2011]

The atmosphere at some points is among the best I've found in a pure action game, too...

Even better than Gunvalkyrie and DMC 1? Those games were both gorgeous in their own right. And from what I've seen in videos, S&P looks like a worthy successor to it's predecessor. It's too bad that the first one didn't click with me immediately (I only played the first two stages.). Maybe I should pick both of them up...I got my N64 modded for a reason: to play Japanese gems. I still haven't played Bangai-O on it, either.

Anyways, I'm playing The New Adventures of The Time Machine on Windows 98, because that is the only operating system to my knowledge that runs the damn game without crashing. I'm about done with the first chapter and I'm just as impressed with it as I was with the demo when I played it several, several years ago. The combat system is hardly complex and a little shoddy-- basically just shoot and evade (and the evade button has a delayed response, resulting in taking a lot of unnecessary, unpreventable hits) until your enemy dies. But all complaints aside, the exploration element is what this game is to be played for. You go around town searching for clues (like in Shenmue) on how to find a temple of time. In this world that our protagonist finds himself in, no one can really die. In fact, many of them are ignorant of the concept of death and even that of nightfall. The idea is that a God-like being called Kronos is in control of the flux of time. With a single wave he can turn certain citizens into children again, even abolishing their memories in some cases. The reason no one can die is because, supposedly, everyone is in "harmony" with time. To escape its grasp is possible, but that results in merely being on a separate time zone from everyone else; thus not existing and yet still existing. This is called "invisibility" in the game, and is used for a few puzzles (such as stealing a herb from a woman's shop). The weapons do not injure, but transport people to different places.

[BIL]

Even better than Gunvalkyrie and DMC 1?

Moreso than DMC1, I think - I love that game, but it tends to be a bit garish. Part of its awesome style, being about a demon-man who gets elecrocuted, impaled and crushed by a sexy blonde in the first sixty seconds before going "LOL," kicking her ass and following her into a gothic castle deathtrap where he insults and then kills monsters hundreds of times his size. The surreal atmosphere in Stage 2-3 of S&P is more along the lines of st7/"Forbidden Memories" from Panzer Dragoon Orta.

Haven't played Gunvalkyrie, unfortunately. I'm in the process of getting an Xbox1 primarily for it and Smilebit's other games, plus a handful more (Ninja Gaiden Black and the Otogis).

[ZOM]

I finished Shining the Holy Ark.

Loved that game in my younger days, it kicked my behind!

[Zaarock]

Just finished playing through Zone of the Enders on very hard mode. Game feels better than I remembered, the combat is fun and I love the visual/music style. Then again I did play it 7 years ago last time and it is short + ends on a weird cliffhanger. Funny how the last bosses are easier than some normal enemies on the harder difficulties..

I played through ZOE:FOM (srpg for gba) as well recently, not a bad game but it's too easy with the dodge mechanic.

Going to do ZOE2 SE on very hard now, maybe extreme afterwards if I don't have a lot of trouble.

[dunpeal2064]

Finally finished Mana Khemia. That game was far better than I expected it to be. The music was great, and the combat system was one of my favorites.

I have now started Ys Books 1 & 2. I can't believe how kickass the music is. Great color too. The fighting style is taking a bit to get used to, and I'm finding myself having to do a bit of grinding early on for better weapons and armor (granted, that may just be because I suck.

Still, absolutely loving the game.