What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[Daigohji]

Loaded VtM: Bloodlines for a second time, and all my save files have vanished. Not sure whether to blame this on the game or Vista. Pre-Vista games like this like to install into Program Files, but I forgot that Vista is a draconian twat when it comes to what files can do in that folder. So I've reinstalled the game in a different folder, patched it again, switched off my anti-virus just in case, run the game as an administrator, and played through the first few hours...again. I'm also backing up the save files in a different folder. Shit like this is why I hardly ever bother with PC games any more.

Can't you find the saves and check their permissions?

It's not just that the save files weren't showing in the load menu; they'd vanished from the save game folder in the directory. Anyway, reinstalling the game in a different folder seems to have prevented further save game vanishing acts. Now that I'm a decent way into the game and have built up my character's stats a bit, I'm really enjoying it. The gameplay mix is similar to Deus Ex, where it's possible to fight, sneak or sweet-talk your way through most situations, depending on the skills you level up. You also run into a lot of weird characters, and there's not a single sparkly vampire in sight; just lots of demented ones.

[BIL]

Spent this evening going BALLS DEEP IN THE DEAD with the recently-released Brutal DOOM v0.17. Apparently most of the additions are in the fatalities dept (both for the player and monsters), and I never bother much with those so I've yet to see new ones. Some snazzy lighting effects on small items, lamps and explodey barrels (the last is handy in dark areas), reminiscent of PS1 DOOMs. Bugfixes too, but I only ever had one bug in hundreds of hours with the previous revs, so I'm not the best to discuss those. Misc...

-I could swear the game runs marginally smoother in the handful of my frameskip trouble spots, where gore decaling goes into screaming bloody murder overdrive (eg: the dual riser area of E1M5). Might be placebo though.

-Barrels now explode in Raizingesque unpredictable gouts and tongues of flame, with correspondingly nastier blast radius. SO SATISFACTION. I think the splash damage direction might actually be matched to the flames, which would be awesome.

-SSG's double-barrel blast seemingly 2x as powerful (instant-kills Cacos at point blank). MECHANISED COCKSLAPPING MACHINE. Ridiculously satisfying to unleash down popcorn-clogged corridors. Pointblank SSG now explodes humanoids' upper bodies with a dedicated death animation. So many more decapitated heads lying about now. Titanic new sound effects for both firing modes. Best murder sim shotgun ever.

-Noticing quite a few new riffs on other death animations too, that make the game's carnage feel even smoother and more organic than before. Try cutting an imp in half with the minigun for an improv bird fountain! Or just sock him in da fuckin mout to send him crashing to the saloon floor.



Don't try catching bullets in your teeth kids, that shit doesn't work IRL!

-Rather than have monsters smuggling around boxes of 'roids in bodily cavities, they now randomly drop DEMON STRENGTH RUNES that have the same effect.

-Nightmare is now named "Brutal" and doesn't try to dissuade the player from selecting it.

Overall haven't noticed anything earth-shattering, but then this mod was perfectly earth-shattering already. A nice refinement of a sublimely brutal mod. Looking forward to upgrading my PC at some point for full gore / full 60fps goodness.

[null1024]

Sonic Advance 2 [GBA].

Good fun doing multiplayer races. Much better than Sonic Rush's multiplayer too, because there isn't such a nasty speed difference between the characters [seriously, getting stuck with Blaze in Rush is the worst, her boost is terribly slow]. Also, SAdv2 is 4 player.

I won every time but once .

[Ed Oscuro]

More Chrome shit:

Crusader Tank: Just a bare-bones autoscroller with mouse aiming. Developers tried to shake things up with instant-kill barricades and barrels you shouldn't shoot. Pass.

Cars 2: I had a double take at this game - I couldn't believe it was an official Disney adgame, but apparently it was really put out there for the movie. Worst game I've played all year, possibly even compared to X-Plan. Just hold three keys (up, and two buttons to fire ahead and behind you), and tap Shift every now and then to fly for a while, while still pressing those three buttons. The road is straight, with no turns, just the occasional widening to two lanes (and the curb keeps you locked into the road). The only time you need to steer is if somebody bumps you especially badly. Otherwise, you'll collect enough health items from driving straight ahead to keep you in good shape. Game gets very monotonous and there's no payoffs whatsoever. There was some apparent attempt to prevent players from just holding down the fire button - your shots have to recharge, although you can still do pretty good just holding the buttons down. There are various powerup icons which seem to do nothing valuable, apparently some recharge the weapons a bit. Also, dead enemies flash a "+5 XP" icon but there is no experience system or leveling. When I finally suicided after 52 checkpoints, the game informed me I hadn't survived long enough. Well, fuck you too. There is no reason the game shouldn't be at least close to Spy Hunter - there are some rather large and detailed graphics throughout much of the landscape (especially the city, although it is the same one over and over), your car has nicely animated googly eyes on the windshield, and the playfield scrolls smoothly in all directions. This one's on the designers. Completely baffling. The last time I saw a game this inept online as advertising must've been 1999. I shudder to think how many things like this are out there.

Kingdom Rush: Now here's a decent game. Surprised Armor Games is still around. They've got a lot of little goodies hidden in this one. Tougher than the other tower defense games I've played, and you really have to know what you're doing to make progress.

[Gespenst]

NFS Most Wanted

It's not bad, many flaws though.

id be grateful if you would elaborate. I didn't like the open world of Paradise, and found Hot Pursuit slightly dull, I had high hopes for this. Looks like another blast through Burnout 2.

Same here. I'd like to know whether it's just basically Burnout Paradise with licensed cars or better/worse than that. Especially on singleplayer side.

[Ghegs]

NFS Most Wanted

It's not bad, many flaws though.

id be grateful if you would elaborate. I didn't like the open world of Paradise, and found Hot Pursuit slightly dull, I had high hopes for this. Looks like another blast through Burnout 2.

Same here. I'd like to know whether it's just basically Burnout Paradise with licensed cars or better/worse than that. Especially on singleplayer side.

I wrote up my thoughts about the game's single player side a few days ago. To summarize: I don't think it's very good, I found Hot Pursuit's far more entertaining.

[CIT]

Assault Suits Valken - never beat it when I had it back in the day (as Cybernator). I can get to the final stage on one credit now.

[null1024]

More Chrome shit:

why must you do this to yourself


Marvel Super Heroes [Arcade/MAME].
My buddy got bored of KOF [hell, so did I], so I put on something completely different. The gems in this game are silly, granting you somewhat excessive powers for a few seconds [super armor on every move is the silliest]. I played as Iron Man [good choice], he played as Psylocke [bad choice].

[BIL]

Assault Suits Valken - never beat it when I had it back in the day (as Cybernator). I can get to the final stage on one credit now.

Fantastic game - so much better in its uncensored form as well. Besides being formidably atmospheric (best raid on an enemy capital this side of Strider Hiryu), the opening streets of the last stage can be deceptively lethal. Those straggler infantrymen don't look too dangerous but they'll wear you down fast if not taken seriously.

I'm still amazed at the frenzy of carnage at mission 5's climax. Flames, debris and clouds hurtling by so fast it can be difficult to catch the falling powerup icons from the shuttle's turrets. Hard Corps-like.

[Marc]

Assault Suits Valken - never beat it when I had it back in the day (as Cybernator). I can get to the final stage on one credit now.

Fantastic game - so much better in its uncensored form as well. Besides being formidably atmospheric (best raid on an enemy capital this side of Strider Hiryu), the opening streets of the last stage can be deceptively lethal. Those straggler infantrymen don't look too dangerous but they'll wear you down fast if not taken seriously.

I'm still amazed at the frenzy of carnage at mission 5's climax. Flames, debris and clouds hurtling by so fast it can be difficult to catch the falling powerup icons from the shuttle's turrets. Hard Corps-like.

I think the entire first level of Strider is one of the most atmospheric levels in videogaming, ever.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Started Metroid Prime for good (the Wii edition). Finally the moment is right - now I care to read all the scanning information diligently. Thief II: The Metal Age it is not, but for a console FPP only two years younger, not too shabby.
Funny thing is, as I play Prime, the memories of Other M I have warm up. There are bosses in Other M I can't quite remember how they looked, but I remember them putting up some good fights. Even the infamous cutscenes hold up better than expected in my memory.
Do I miss those Japanese TPP action adventure games where women were women (looked and behaved feminine too), men were men and bosses were bosses... There's a gaping hole where Capcom was and Team Ninja look like the last guardians of that shrine. Don't you be telling me about Bayonetta or S&P2; just look at the characters. Resonance of Fate? I doubt even loligoth girls cosplay at work, Japan or not (unless their job is looking the type). That game made FFX fashion look beliveable. I'm almost too scared to unseal The Last Story and FFCCh: The Crystal Bearers (although I did like the gamepay videos)... Superficial things for sure, but hinder my appetite for (not so) new video games.

[BIL]

Spot the birdies!



Diggin' this here BDOOMv017. The titanic new explosions, more responsive area-specific damage and polished visual effects alone firmly outmode the previous rev, but it also makes some welcome system refinements.

-player's invincibility period after a fatality is much shorter; try cheesing through a room of pinkies one instant-kill after another and you'll get devoured.
-gunner enemies no longer subject to ricochet damage. It was a nice bit of consistency, but inappropriate given their minuscule HP.
-SSG is MUCH stronger at point-blank, can decapitate a Baron in one blast if you're accurate and feel like gambling on the pellets' random damage. A good change given its accuracy and firing rate are the game's worst and second-worst respectively.
-AR's clip is now 30 bullets instead of 15, again great given the weapon's limitations (weakest firearm). Much less annoying, now you can let really rip.
-left fist now jabs as fast as you can hit the fire button, for those "jump a muhfucka like bail" zombie beatings.

This rev also dials back some of the more OTT audio additions - no more chatty zombies or crackling torches. I was disappointed until I got stuck into playing. Zombies have more personality when they STFU and it was also jarring giving them alone an entirely new set of noises. Also classic "wuohhh..." and "ROWRRR!" death noises are infinitely more SATISFACTION. As for torches they suit slower-paced stuff like the original Quake or Hexen but given how frenetic DOOM's action can be, ambient noise is just unwelcome debris amongst all the important stuff.

[Hagane]

Dead Rising 2. It's shallow, and the JRPG like ability system can go fuck itself, but I'm still enjoying it. Will never touch it again once I finish it though.

[Ed Oscuro]

More Chrome shit:

why must you do this to yourself

No real answer, but at the least it's made me think twice before spouting off about Equites or some other actually playable game.

Hmm, had a quick run through Nano Ninja, pretty close to a perfect run, done with that too. I'm starting to delete Chrome apps now

Dead Rising 2. It's shallow, and the JRPG like ability system can go fuck itself, but I'm still enjoying it. Will never touch it again once I finish it though.

I also tried to play this recently (mentioned a few pages back), and it just annoyed the fuck outta me, so I stopped it quick. Ability system, huh.

[Hagane]

Actually I just uninstalled it. I like the setting, how you are overwhelmed by zombies, how you can grab anything to use it as a weapon and the timed mission system. But the lack of variety in the missions, the extremely limited moveset (at the beginning, you get several worthless moves later on as you level up), the lack of enemy variety (all zombies behave exactly the same) and the total lack of difficulty outside of boss battles which destroy the survival horror feel (something that also happens with Dead Island) ended up boring me.

It's a shame, because the setting is so compelling; it's the closest to actual "survival horror" I've seen in that regard. There's like a hundred of zombies on screen at the same time instead of a few like in a Resident Evil.

[Obiwanshinobi]

the extremely limited moveset (at the beginning, you get several worthless moves later on as you level up)

Capcom has a history of making "role playing" incentives badly, even in otherwise good games (see Viewtiful Joe). Your words I quoted and Ghegs' thougths about NFS: Most Wanted echoes the impression Geometry Wars: Galaxies gave me. Unlocking stuff in those games isn't an awful lot of fun. I'll say it again: Excite Truck does the right thing (rewards feel rewarding).

[AweOfShe]

Got my Ys Celceta no Jukai Platinum, on Sunday. Would have gotten it sooner if I didn't keep missing the same single treasure chest on both of my play-throughs. I felt so stupid when I finally figured out which one I missed.

Since then, the only non-shmups I've been playing were:
- Liberation Maiden (got all the Honors/Gallery unlocked)
- a replay of Ace Attorney 1 (on case 3 now)
- and Ys: Oath in Felghana PC (still achievement-whoring that game)

Once my copy of the Zero no Kiseki Evolution LE (finally) arrives, I'll be aiming to get the Platinum in that.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Retro Studios don't have the knack for bosses, do they? Few western developers have, but coming from Other M to Prime appears particulary jarring.
Unless playing Prime with a GameCube joypad feels better, but face it - triggers ("shoulder buttons" if you like) of that one are hardly ever fun to use.
So far I fail to see what's supposed to make Prime better (though it seems more ambitious, admittedly).

[BIL]

Just saw BDOOMv017's new, new Imp headshot death for the first time while playing through the brilliant Thy Flesh Consumed on the superb "Brutal" difficulty. Brought to mind the Master Boreworm from Splatterhouse 3. For a second I thought something was bursting out of the fucker's neck, brrr! Seems riflemen, shotgunners and Imps all have both an "instant drop" headshot animation and a "lingered horribly for a bit" one. Wishlist: more gore deaths for the non-humanoid monster types! Having said, when Cacos explode from critical damage in 017, they EXPLODE. Blue shit flies all over the fucking room accompanied by a juicy "SPLAT." * hums "Under Pressure" *

Also wishlist: option to display what type of armour is currently equipped in the standard status bar. Currently have to increase screen size by 1 to check. edit: goes for ammo left in a current clip where applicable, too.

Discovered by mistake that a new "dodge roll" has been added, with a dedicated button for left and right. The roll itself is accompanied by a shift to third-person, fatality-style, can be fired during, and seems to render you invincible for its duration. LOL. Might be fun to mess around with for sure but disabled it for now as it'll jar for at least a while. DOOM's ultra-smooth dodging under fire isn't something I'd want recklessly altered, much like I always disable jumps so Doomguy never has the option of hopping over chest-high obstacles (aka FLEEING LIKE A WEENIE). edit: and ducking! DOOMGUY DOES NOT DUCK PROJECTILES, HE DODGES WHAT HE CAN AND ABSORBS WHAT HE MUST WHILE FUCKING UP WHATEVER'S SENDING THEM.

Forgot to list the most important advance of all - typo fix! Cruelty Bonus is no longer "AWARED."

[mesh control]

Have you tried out the Fallout-esque mod made by the brutal Doom guy, BIL?

[BIL]

Nope! Sounds interesting though, I should be trying out more mods. BDOOM's the first I ever tried, would still be rocking plain WADs via Zdoom otherwise. What I like about BD is how closely it plays to the vanilla game, just with more oomph. Even plain-ass DOS DOOM would be my desert island game so this is like friggin' candyland. Hard to move on, haha.

[mesh control]

Ah!

Here's the trailer: http://youtu.be/FpO24Y-5Wdw



No time for games, but I've been creeping my way through Metroid Fusion. Great Aesthetics and gameplay, ruined by it's linearity.

[BIL]

Oh cool - looks a lot more fun than the DOOM II map it was inspired by (never liked how the vanilla engine was forced into attempting storied buildings - just looks silly compared to the first game's locales). The architecture gives me a bit of a Terminator: Future Shock vibe.

[Moniker]

No time for games, but I've been creeping my way through Metroid Fusion. Great Aesthetics and gameplay, ruined by it's linearity.

MF's linearity never really bothered me. Gaming linearity generally gets an undeserved bad rap, IMO. I just wish there was a hard mode, like Zero Mission. Apparently the JP version has it; guess I should look into that, once I've spent enough time away to play it on normal again.


For my part, I've been diddling around with Metro 2033. Pretty good game: great atmosphere, awesome voice acting, and good visuals. Supposedly it's meant to be an FPS survival-horror - the reviews I've read said ammo would be scarce, but I haven't run into problems as far as chapter 6. Not sure I want to up the difficulty just yet, though. The PC is fragile as hell.

[Ed Oscuro]

That map looks awesome.

Fucked around a bit more with some Chrome apps.

In MAME, tried a new old Taito game - 1984's Cycle Maabou, where you ride a unicycle around, try to keep your balance and not stumble over things, and execute bounce combos. After the first few stages, there's a behind-the-back stage where you try to drive over things, I think. Not the most fun I've ever had, but not terrible, aside from the rather severe inertia physics of the behind-the-back stage which is pretty hard to deal with. (I think it's a digital control setup; if it was analog that'd be something else).

[mesh control]

MF's linearity never really bothered me. Gaming linearity generally gets an undeserved bad rap, IMO. I just wish there was a hard mode, like Zero Mission. Apparently the JP version has it; guess I should look into that, once I've spent enough time away to play it on normal again.

I suppose the linearity is bugging me because I want to be playing Zero Mission :/

I think I'm having fun with it...I think.

[shmuppyLove]

Angry Birds Star Wars

[Ed Oscuro]

This one doesn't require some shitty facebook codes, does it? How was Angry Birds Heikki by the way?

I didn't realize they actually had this out there; I just saw some ads for a Halloween bird costume that had the Leia-style hair buns; didn't realize it was related to something else.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Are those Angry Birds the new Lego?

[Ruldra]

Angry Birds Star Wars

Started playing yesterday. It's awesome!