What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[BIL]

Can't stay away for long. More blood. @_@

[Moniker]

It seems every time I go to play Battlefield 3 (X360), it requires a 100+MB update. And then I end up playing something else waiting for it to d/l, and then I forget to play Battlefield 3.

Dead Space: Extraction never crashed on me (PAL version in 60 Hz mode, PAL unit, CRT via SCART).

I looked it up online and apparently my problems are fairly common. I wonder if Europe got a bugfix version. In any case, I'm not willing to put my (second) Wii on the line for a game that's merely decent. Kinda sucks that I won't get the story, but I guess that's what wikis are for.

Kinda disappointed that for DS1&2 (X360), New Game+ only counts for the difficulty you just finished with. I have no real desire to revisit the exact same game I already played, and I don't really want to make it harder without being able to experiment with new weapons. I guess I'll let the games rest for a bit and then see.

Still playing Ghost Squad (Wii). Originally I thought it was dull, but now I'm at level 11, 8, and 9 for stages 1, 2, & 3, respectively. Such an amazing game. Penetrating bullets FTW.

[Strider77]

Pretty high praise! I am kind of skeptical because it sounds like a rather repetitive style of experience - you just trek through the desert, over and over. But it does sound very interesting. For $30 I'd like replayability though.

I thought this to until I played it. It's not all in the desert location wise. It's short enough that I have played it multiple times. I would compare it Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. It does have a structure and is not aimless roaming.

Honestly I was not super hyped for it and popped it in at 3:45 AM before I hit the bed.... I didn't get to bed till 6 AM that Friday night/Sat morning.

[Vexorg]

Been playing a fair bit of the various stuff in Retro Game Master (DS) lately. I think I'd have to go with Rally King as my favorite of the different choices, although I'm finding most of them to be quite interesting. I'm half-considering trying to find an import copy of the second one, but it seems to be a bit on the expensive side these days.

Aside from that, way too much Bejeweled 3 (mostly Diamond Mine mode) and a bit of TF2 Mann Vs. Machine mode thrown in for good measure. My next one will probably be Torchlight 2 in a couple of weeks. Also considering Borderlands 2, but I'm kind of on the fence about that. I spent a bit of time on the original Borderlands a few days ago, and although it's fun, the game seems to cause me motion sickness issues.

[null1024]

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe - arguably the best way to revisit the game that comes up as even better than I remembered. Sometimes Nintendo just delivers like that.

If the GBC screen was bigger, this would be the best thing ever. It is a fantastic port.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift II [PSP]. Just got a [relatively poor condition, but free] PSP. Had to tape a nickel over the D-Pad so that diagonals would come out at all, and had to disable the nubstick because it was totally freaking out. Playing as Jin because he seems like the easiest to get started with.

Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman [PSP]. A buddy gave this to me, it's a pretty enjoyable dungeon crawler/strat-RPG/rougelike. All the dialog makes fun of all sort of hero tropes.

Arcana Heart 3 [PC/Arcade]. Seems pretty fun, but some moves seem to have really long OTG loops, where I can just spam it over and over again, and the opponent will just keep getting hit unless they burst, and if they do, I just trap them back in, and they can't do anything.
Or can they? Some way to escape after being repeatedly hit into a wall/ground by the same move. Was playing with some friends, and most of them completely lost interest once they saw that.

[Hagane]

AH3: If the combo counter gets red it means the character can tech away and is not a true combo.

[Moniker]

Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman [PSP]. A buddy gave this to me, it's a pretty enjoyable dungeon crawler/strat-RPG/rougelike. All the dialog makes fun of all sort of hero tropes.

ZHP is good, Shiren 3 (+ENG patch) is better. Go nuts, my portable brother.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

Aquapazza is the only thing that matters to me right now. My only regret on this purchase is that hardly anyone else has bought it as well.

[trap15]

Water Pizza

[Shelcoof]

Aquapazza is the only thing that matters to me right now. My only regret on this purchase is that hardly anyone else has bought it as well.

Really want this game as well but I know no one will play it

Going to wait and see if there is a community first

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

There're some peeps at Dustloop and Homing Cancel playing this, but I'm sure you were already aware of them. Even without having much people to play against I'm still having a ball just punching in a few hours in training mode, playing around with a bunch of assists to see what kind of combos I can come up with. Although I don't think she's my type of character, I'm really enjoying Sasara's playstyle. (has nothing to do with the air-dash, I swear!)

[Shelcoof]

There're some peeps at Dustloop and Homing Cancel playing this, but I'm sure you were already aware of them. Even without having much people to play against I'm still having a ball just punching in a few hours in training mode, playing around with a bunch of assists to see what kind of combos I can come up with. Although I don't think she's my type of character, I'm really enjoying Sasara's playstyle. (has nothing to do with the air-dash, I swear!)

OMG Holy crap I didn't realize it was already out!!!!

Man I must be working too hard these days to remember what the date is... time really flies. I actually did not know that players on Dustloop or Homing Cancel are playing this.

Personally I was going to pick it up even if there was going to be lack of online players just to see how the game was like. I don't usually buy games that lack online competition but I really like Exemu's style.

So my big question is how is the game? How does it compare to Arcana Heart 3?

[null1024]

AH3: If the combo counter gets red it means the character can tech away and is not a true combo.

Ahhhhh. That works. Hopefully people will realize how to tech shit properly when I fight them [and explain how teching works in this game].
Playing on a keyboard is a PITA, but it's the middle of the night [the clatter of tangled controllers make too much noise], and I was at least able to test how that works.


now playing
Wipeout Pure [PSP].
Feels a bit like XL, looks a lot like 3. Excellent.
Although, quake shouldn't be a CPU allowed weapon, it really shouldn't. You'd think they'd have learned after Fusion.

[ChainsawGuitarSP]

So my big question is how is the game? How does it compare to Arcana Heart 3?

I haven't been able to play Arcana Heart 3 yet, but I don't think it's anything like it. Combat is FAR more ground based, so it feels more like a traditional Capcom/SNK game except with air blocking, and every character has some gameplay mechanics that are mostly exclusive to them that borrow from other FGs as well, meaning it's essentially a whole bunch of different gameplay styles all in one game! (Why is it so unpopular again?)
Feel free to add me on PSN if you do get this game, I'll be open for matches anytime I'm available. I go by the same username. (Minus the SP)

[Shelcoof]

So my big question is how is the game? How does it compare to Arcana Heart 3?

I haven't been able to play Arcana Heart 3 yet, but I don't think it's anything like it. Combat is FAR more ground based, so it feels more like a traditional Capcom/SNK game except with air blocking, and every character has some gameplay mechanics that are mostly exclusive to them that borrow from other FGs as well, meaning it's essentially a whole bunch of different gameplay styles all in one game! (Why is it so unpopular again?)
Feel free to add me on PSN if you do get this game, I'll be open for matches anytime I'm available. I go by the same username. (Minus the SP)

Oh I know its more ground based.... I was referring to how easily you can jump in and play Arcana. When I play Arcana I felt like it was less focused on difficlut inputs and combos and more about strategies, timing, footsie, spacing. I could easily pick up a different character and do okay with each and everyone of them. It was just a simple joy to play. I was never really good at the game but I found that it was easy to get into but very difficult to master.

I was hoping Aquapazza was more like this in terms of easy pick up and play. I'm not a huge fan of strict timing inputs and 1 frame links etc. Not my cup of tea because I suck at those. lol

I don't mind adding you up if I get it. I'll most likely get it before Xmas though waiting to see if my wife will buy it for me

[Ed Oscuro]

I just posted this in Annoyances (Razer Lachesis 5600 left button multi-click, dying microswitch), but what do you use, team?

[Hagane]

(Why is it so unpopular again?)

Art direction. The upside of otaku pandering is that it will sell well within that niche. The bad is that the vast majority of people will ignore it based on looks.

[Zaarock]

Got King of Fighters XIII yesterday.

Seems like a really good game but hard to get started when the online is pretty dead at least in europe (to be expected I guess)

[Shelcoof]

Got King of Fighters XIII yesterday.

Seems like a really good game but hard to get started when the online is pretty dead at least in europe (to be expected I guess)

The online is dead here in Canada as well. You can find players but the connection is horrible. Amazing game but horrible netcode.

This is the only fighting game that I would be willing to learn and practice all the difficult inputs for.

[MR_Soren]

Got King of Fighters XIII yesterday.

Seems like a really good game but hard to get started when the online is pretty dead at least in europe (to be expected I guess)

Yeah, I think the game is fantastic, but the steep learning curve combined with the sparse online activity made it tough to really get into.



Currently, I am playing Persona 4 Arena. It's a good fighting game from ArcSys, and the online community is active. I don't think it's out in Europe yet, but I think it should appeal to players of all skill levels regardless of whether or not they are familiar with the Persona RPGs.

[null1024]

So my big question is how is the game? How does it compare to Arcana Heart 3?

I haven't been able to play Arcana Heart 3 yet, but I don't think it's anything like it. Combat is FAR more ground based, so it feels more like a traditional Capcom/SNK game except with air blocking, and every character has some gameplay mechanics that are mostly exclusive to them that borrow from other FGs as well, meaning it's essentially a whole bunch of different gameplay styles all in one game! (Why is it so unpopular again?)
Feel free to add me on PSN if you do get this game, I'll be open for matches anytime I'm available. I go by the same username. (Minus the SP)

Oh I know its more ground based.... I was referring to how easily you can jump in and play Arcana. When I play Arcana I felt like it was less focused on difficlut inputs and combos and more about strategies, timing, footsie, spacing. I could easily pick up a different character and do okay with each and everyone of them. It was just a simple joy to play. I was never really good at the game but I found that it was easy to get into but very difficult to master.

I was hoping Aquapazza was more like this in terms of easy pick up and play. I'm not a huge fan of strict timing inputs and 1 frame links etc. Not my cup of tea because I suck at those. lol

I don't mind adding you up if I get it. I'll most likely get it before Xmas though waiting to see if my wife will buy it for me

I've heard fuck-all about Aquapazza, but I could do with something more ground based. Would be nice if I had a PS3 though [only reason I've even been able to play AH3 is because the arcade version's sysreqs are so low, it works on my netbook, one of my friends is supposed to have it for PS3, but he hasn't brought it with him ever]... gah.

Also, KOFXIII is probably my second favorite fighter ever, after 2002/UM. Some of the inputs are annoyingly strict though, even for KOF.

[also, still playing Wipeout Pure [PSP], and enjoying the glory that is Zone mode, which gets satisfyingly difficult very quickly]

[Mortificator]

It's been more than a year since I last played, but I followed Bil's advice and restarted Shinobi on Super as Moritsune. I was dread the Hiruko fight all the way through, but after a dozen or so runs at 8-B, I annihilate him with a full tate backslash!

... my victory roar warps into a Wilhelm scream as I realize I forgot to grab the last Oboro coin.

I was able to fully clear the game after another several tries, forunately, though this victory wasn't as stylish, just a few decen't-length combos and using up all three ninjutsus.

I also forced myself to finish Nightshade. One of the last levels looked like it was constructed of feces, in perhaps a moment of honesty by the developers.

[louisg]

I also forced myself to finish Nightshade. One of the last levels looked like it was constructed of feces, in perhaps a moment of honesty by the developers.

I'm so sorry. I tried to play that and it seemed just terrible.

I'm playing Shinobi 3 over here-- very enjoyable save for Traps: I think the vertical scroll part goes on too long and the ghost house is a bit frustrating (designed to prolong game time I suppose). Other than that, it's one of the better platformers of that era IMO.

[Ed Oscuro]

Wow, this 360 system update is taking a while. Good 5-10 minutes here.

Thrift store buy and it had the family content lock on, and of course I didn't know the answer (or "who is your favorite person from history," Abraham Lincoln wasn't the answer). I tried a few reset codes suggested on the 'net and they didn't work. Since it was a 2009 unit, I guessed I'd find the right instructions from 2010. Reset codes I've seen on the internet start this way:

LEFT TRIGGER, RIGHT TRIGGER, X, Y, LEFT BUMPER, RIGHT BUMPER,

but then they seem to diverge a bit from there. For this one, the correct next steps were X, X, UP, DOWN.

I checked (using the Network test failure screen) the status codes to see if it was banned (really doubtful), and the Z section was clear (0000-0000), so it should be good.

It seems like a relatively quiet system.

Edit: I better finish up NG on the original Xbox before playing this, just to get that full experience. I never had the Hurricane Packs so I guess I'll be missing the "interception" move. More difficulty, no sweat!

[Obiwanshinobi]

So I'm trying to get into Vagrant Story yet again and... I just fail to see what's that great about it. For starters, why isn't the camera controllable with the right thumbstick THE WAY IT WAS IN SQUARE'S OWN CYBER-ORG A YEAR BEFORE? Just... what the heck? There's no auto-centering button either. Furthermore, the timing requirements seem more strict than in Parappa or Gitaroo Man. Was that really necessary? I'm playing on a PS2 and maybe it's one of those rare incompatibilities, but I dout it.
I like dungeons in my games but controlling this one feels too much like a chore.
One thing I like is the three-dimensional map but either it doesn't let me know which way my dude's facing, or I keep overlooking some visual hints on the map screen. Again, sometimes working out which door I have come in through and which one I should leave through is more of a hassle than it should be. It's nowhere near as bad as it was in Xenogears, but still pretty bad.
Maybe my problem is that I don't really enjoy the combat. When the game tells me I did well, I'm like "is that so?" and when it tells me I blew it, I'm like "if you say so..." Kind of like kills in F-Zero GX are not emphasised enough by today's standards.

[null1024]

VectorRacing [3DS].
Avoid. Stupid easy, mostly boring tracks, AI is dumb. The vector look is pretty neat, but that's all it has going for it, and that isn't worth $6.

Mind you, I had $3 holed up on my eShop account that I couldn't use for ages because I couldn't update since there hasn't been an Acekard update for ages, so I wrote that money off ages ago, so it didn't hurt so bad. Only felt like I lost $3, which is about how much the game is worth, at best.

I'm not even good at racing games, and the only thing approaching a challenge was the third set of courses, on the highest speed class. Siiiiiigh.

Wipeout Pure [PSP]. Installed all of the DLC tracks [Gamma, Delta, Classic 2], lots of fun, although sometimes the PSP crashes when loading the additional machines included.

@Obiwanshinobi:
The timing in Vagrant Story is a biiiiitch.

[Ed Oscuro]

Furthermore, the timing requirements seem more strict than in Parappa or Gitaroo Man. Was that really necessary?

Yes

For what it's worth, I don't think my chain is very high. 18 or something. I got it there on the very first few hours I played the disc and never reached it again. That was dumb, because it means I lost a bunch of item grinding potential (destroying dummies with a low chain amount will net you elixirs, but only if you beat your previous high, so starting low is a good idea).

Chaining is not all that important really; it's just for show. You can theoretically beat the game by just chaining through all the bosses (when I emulated this I beat a few bosses just by savestating through super long chains), but unless you are damned amazing and consistent at chaining, you'll lose, because dat RISK. Likewise, trying to build up weapon affinities for types of monsters isn't really important (some people grind weapon types so that they slot together for later combination into ultimate weapons with no weaknesses, but that's pretty useless when you can defeat huge things in just a few hits anyway).

It is much better to select affinities and equipment and cast defensive or offensive magic to match the enemy's element, get in a few hits, and then back off so RISK doesn't build up too high. I never really found a use for magic outside of that (especially attack spells), and on subsequent playthroughs it becomes less and less useful. So my complaint was that the game wasn't really amazingly well balanced from the start - to make all the combat bits useful - but the high difficulty dealt with that to some degree.

I haven't played Cyber Org but you definitely can twirl the view around. Not sure what you mean here.
_______
For my part, I played a bit of Modern Warfare 2 (dirty disc) and Dead Space on the ol' 360.

I'm also working up towards speedrunning LogiCola. Strictly speaking it's not a game; it's logic practice. But it's fun to get them right, especially when I can see an "or" statement and ignore 2/3 of the problem Damn negations, though

[Obiwanshinobi]

I haven't played Cyber Org but you definitely can twirl the view around. Not sure what you mean here.

Yes you can, but it's too slow and unwieldy for my liking. Centering the camera behind the dude's back is also weird; instead of just tapping some button, I must switch to the FPP view, then go back to TPP. Showing me what I want to see takes the camera too long. The right thumbstick is of any use on the map screen, where it works the way I like it. Why doesn't it do basically the same in TPP view is beyond me, ESPECIALLY since Cyber Org had brought such "modern" camera to the table already, so it's not like it was yet to be invented.

Tell you which dungeon crawler has got fun chaining - Crimson Tears. The camera isn't perfect (not a surprise coming from Capcom) and I was told the game crashes at some point if you stick to twin guns (I didn't), but it's a very speedy, arcadey take on the genre, and all the better for it. Astonishingly, even the story doesn't suck.
Funnily enough, the makers of Crimson Tears made Tobal 1&2 and Ehrgeiz published by Square (games notable for their dungeon crawl modes).

[Ed Oscuro]

The maps and the play style of Vagrant Story are such that you don't really need to see the enemies all the time. You get adequate sound cues whether they're alert and trying to close with you or not, and your own targeting system doesn't need them to be visible (just need a rough line of sight with Riot). As bad as that sounds, most of the rooms are narrow but deep so that you can see down into them a ways, without needing to worry too much about what's on the sides (and if there's something you'll hear it). As you go along in the game, you get to the point where you have all the room layouts memorized anyway.

Back to The $9.99 360 Chronicles:

I was wrong - even though it is a recent model, it is loud as hell when playing. I've been putting a couple hours on an old cheap Panasonic TV with integrated VCR that has only ever been used for a handful of hours, but the picture looks terrible. Noteworthy checkerboard pattern on loading screens in Dead Space, and text looks terrible - I have to use my best image interpretation skills to read the notes. I end up with a slight headache after a few hours of this and have to take a break. The video problem can be sorted (maybe - I'm not sure if my PX2611w actually works right for 1080p images, since it's 1200 pixels and owners with previous firmwares complained about the image in that mode, although I bet it's fixed in my more recent firmware revision) but I think only a new Xbox would solve my noise problems.

Modern Warfare 2 - fuck you scuffed CD (so the fuck you probably originates with the 360 that wore that ring pattern into part of the disc surface). Also, do I want to play this one again, this time with a worse controller setup? Nah...plus I already have the only Achievement you need: Pit Boss.
Dead Rising 2 - fuck you keiji inafune, don't use America and annoying children as whipping boys (girls?) for your obnoxious social commentary and horrible gameplay mechanics
Dead Space - annoying and not especially fun
Portal 2 - some neat points and a decent intro (for a Portal game, I mean) but otherwise see my Dead Space review

How the fuck are these shitty games getting high scores? Just...damn. In the pile I have Fallout 3 and New Vegas, plus a handful of others, but I know it's more of the same. I haven't cared for Bethesda Software games much since Oblivion, and that seemed like a downgrade to Morrowind in most ways. Speaking of which, Dark Souls (on PC) has been annoying me the last few times I've tried it - I finally bugged out of the Catacombs after making no progress there (I did get some random priest costume from rolling on ledges though, woohoo) so meh. When I go back it'll be fairly easy to get to my last place (due to having killed off the necromancers) but the few enemies I kept encountering were not helping things - the titanite demon, the dark knight especially, and of course the fucking wheel skeletons that were annoying because the best safe way of dealing with them is just to cheese them out by luring them into a tunnel opening and attacking them from around the corner before they see and spin into you. There are plenty of places for me to go in the overworld still, or I could just take a trip to Blighttown...

Dark Souls is considerably less nice looking than I had expected, actually. It's almost there but not really. Taking Oblivion again - at least you had hills and stuff to run past if you wanted (admittedly many things look crap in that game too).

[Obiwanshinobi]

The more I learn about Xbox 360 and PS3, the less I want to own one. Consoles as I knew them do seem to be nearly extinct. Even my Wii is a bit louder than my PS2 slim (comparing the noises extensive data streamers make both make, such as Metroid: Other M and God of War).
Just set up your PS2 and play pretty much anything Capcom made for it; you're in for a treat. They went nuts that gen.