What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[Ed Oscuro]

Killer7's animation is better.

Let's see here -

No, Super Mario Sunshine, I am not going through all your levels to find spray birds for blue coins (I didn't even realize that could be done until I looked it up today...I'm not cruel enough, obviously). 96 sprites total; I'm done. Lots of neat mission objectives, but Mario is as much of an idiot as ever (balanced out by some cool new moves which occasionally work to your advantage), spraying down goo triggers OCD tendencies, and quite often you can escape a lot of the designed complexity by doing things that weren't intended. Steering boats or leaves with the spray nozzle is terrible, the awesome hydro jet item is almost never used, while the rocket is unimaginative, and dear god the story intro / extro scenes are terrible. Oh look! Peach is an idiot, Bowser Jr. is a budding psychopath, and why is FLUDD dead again? At least I'm happy for the shipwrecked guy who got back home again. Great game overall but 3D platforming is as annoying as ever.

Huge lot of random NES titles, mostly terrible. ROBODEMONS almost qualifies for the worst shmup of all time, judging from its opening, but then it just turns into an insanely difficult platformer with no production values. Heroes of the Lance is as awful as everybody says. Battle Kid and the first Mega Man don't seem to be my cup of tea (shiiiit @ the platform rides for the second stage, Guts Man I believe). Circus Charlie: Dated, repetitive crap from Konami. Robocop series games - bleh. 2 and 3 are by Ocean, oh joy! Zelda II: Quite difficult but I'm not going to spoil it with a walkthrough; I'm enjoying it so far. TMNT 1: Crap. Thanks Konami, er, Ultra. New York Nyankies / Rockin' Kats should be up soon. 53 Stations of the Tokaido: Really primitive but also reasonably fun. Would be a lot more fun if planting bombs was quicker, however. The randomly-placed hidden items don't add anything to the game here.

[Jonathan Ingram]

Killer 7`s animation may be better, but not in the 'so bad it`s good kind of way'. No one can compete with Sweary65 on that front. Not even Suda51(what`s with the numbers anyway?).

Anyhow, I installed DP yesterday and sure enough there were no settings to tinker with other than the key bindings. The Steam page for the game claims partial controller support and that`s about right - only some of the buttons on my Logitech worked and the mapping was all sorts of messed up. Hooking up an Xbox 360 controller or a DualShock3(through MotionInjoy) did nothing as the game just plain doesn`t recognize Xinput devices. In the end I resorted to using the good old Xpadder with a DS3. Took about five minutes to configure and worked like a charm.

The game runs in 720p resolution by default and there`s no way to change that; no .ini files in the game directory or anything. I have the GPU scaling turned on in the GPU settings to scale non-HD content to 1080p, but of course Deadly Premonition being what it is just couldn`t simply work with it(scaling it to a resolution higher than the native one screws up the aspect ratio), so I had to disable it. A resolution fix exists by none other than Durante of the Dark Souls fame, but as far as I understand it`s somewhat unstable in its present form, so I decided against using it for the time being.

On the bright side, the PC version runs really well. In the couple of hours that I spent with the game, the framerate never dipped below sixty. That`s a marked improvement over the console versions and especially the PS3 Director`s Cut which chugged at 15-25 for most of the game. Some would say that it`s part of the experience and that smooth framerate takes away from the charm, but fuck that!

Now could someone mod in Alan Wake`s graphics and Resident Evil 4`s gunplay? Pretty please?

[ZaKa-tokyobassist]

I'm going to make myself a personal checklist and I'm just going to edit this post as a knock these games off as they are completed. Wish me luck.

PS3/PS1:
Currently playing: Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow, Bioshock Infinite
Need to finish: Demon's Souls, Ni no Kuni, MGS: Peace Walker, Dragon's Crown, Parasite Eve
Haven't started: Deadly Premonition: DC, Splinter Cell: Double Agent, Deus Ex: Human Revolution: DC, Valkyria Chronicles, NIER, Brave Fencer Musashi, Okami HD

Wii/Gamecube:
Currently playing: Killer 7, Ikaruga
Need to finish: Sin & Punishment Star Successor, Sonic Colors
Haven't started: No More Heroes 2, The Last Story, Muramasa: Demon Blade

PS2:
Currently playing: None
Need to finish: SMT3: Nocturne
Haven't started: Legacy of Kain: Defiance, Manhunt, Digital Devil Saga Vol. 1, Onimusha 1/2, Fatal Frame 2, The Warriors, Zone of the Enders 2

PC:
Currently playing: None
Need to finish: Deus Ex, Thief 2/Deadly Shadows

[Ed Oscuro]

Now could someone mod in Alan Wake`s graphics and Resident Evil 4`s gunplay? Pretty please?

I'm just trying to put up some resistance to playing this game, which will happen sooner or later. Probably later, but I am pretty interested in it. Makes me want to go find out what Twin Peaks was all about, too.

@ ZaKa-TV:

That's a good idea, I ought to sum everything up and astound myself by how many apples I'm trying to juggle at the moment, gaming-wise. It's a huge bunch.

[Mischief Maker]

I'm just trying to put up some resistance to playing this game, which will happen sooner or later. Probably later, but I am pretty interested in it. Makes me want to go find out what Twin Peaks was all about, too.

Do not play Deadly Premonitions until after you have seen Twin Peaks. At least the first season. It's on Netflix Instant.

[Formless God]

rhythm games

If your iOS device has a hueg screen, consider getting jubeat, Reflec Beat and DJMAX Technika Q.

I'm more of a 'ight player' myself; preferring Reflec Beat and perhaps Sound Voltex to varying extents (love the interface and menu music by Sota Fujimori, but not the saturation of Touhou-themed songs).

lol, Sota's music are the best of SDVX. Too bad they aren't playable!
Heavy 2hu music is cocks, but at the same time heavy is the only type of music that will work in a game like SDVX ... Luckily the vocals got less squeaky in SDVXII. I'm still bothered by all the EoSD junk though, and the synth vocal/Vocaloid stuff are also indigestible.

I bet my local places are crammed now

Which heaven are you living in?

[Ed Oscuro]

Argh, nearly broke the knife in the first area of STA. Fighting enemies with that or even your fists gives a lot of life pots (of course you'll need them unless you are a strafing / melee demon). 86%, gonna get 100% before I move on...yep, restarted the game to make use of some new insights.

I am trying to decide what to use my soul pot on. There's a very incomplete guide on GameFAQs that says Stamina is "physical defense" when it seems more likely that it's related to how fast your attacks recharge (or possibly how many attacks you can have readied at once).

[hecheff]

lol, Sota's music are the best of SDVX. Too bad they aren't playable!
Heavy 2hu music is cocks, but at the same time heavy is the only type of music that will work in a game like SDVX ... Luckily the vocals got less squeaky in SDVXII. I'm still bothered by all the EoSD junk though, and the synth vocal/Vocaloid stuff are also indigestible.

That's despite using Vocaloids, somehow...
But yeah, the sheer amount of Touhou Project content in the game has left me the impression that the fans are crazy.

Which heaven are you living in?

Hong Kong, though 'crammed' because the number of places where you can play are dropping fast (think I mentioned earlier; lost 4-5 major Arcades in just these two years).

...

Switched out my old GTX 275 for a 770 (4GB) a couple of days ago, and I found myself replaying Borderlands 2 and Strike Suit Zero to much more delightful experience.

[Ed Oscuro]

Shadow Tower Abyss, sheesh.

I'd like to go find the guy who stole Rurufon's stuff (ALLEGEDLY, I feel like a pimp enforcer over here) but it's too easy just to blunder upon the boss...then blunder through a couple more areas. I think I've missed out on that story opportunity. Luckily, I made it out of the waterfall area and found the M16 before traveling to Cliff World and fighting its boss. I've got four areas left to discover.

Been using items to recover HP and save health pots - easy to overdo it though. I hate it when games have mechanics like this, but sometimes they're worth exploiting. I'm probably rolling in health pots for the rest of the game already, however.

Excited to see a grenade launcher show up in the store. I haven't been buying anything (because the items I find in-world are often better) but I might just make an exception, and sell off some old junk while I'm at it (not that I'm not rolling in cunes, too).

[soprano1]

I'm done with Ys Oath in Felghana. Best action adventure game i ever played, but that's not saying much...
I'll start Ys Seven after i get some progress on Pokemon Black 2 (currently on final confrontation with Team Plasma).

[null1024]

I'm done with Ys Oath in Felghana. Best action adventure game i ever played, but that's not saying much...
I'll start Ys Seven after i get some progress on Pokemon Black 2 (currently on final confrontation with Team Plasma).

Heh, once I'm done with 7, I'll get to Oath in Felgana. I've heard that Felgana is better than 7.
And I still need to finish Black 2 [which feels really off, now that I've played through Y], haha.

[spadgy]

Tearaway and Zelda Link Between Worlds. Gotta get them done soon for review so playing feverishly. But I can't talk about either in any kind of detail. Playing games early is kind of cool, but you rarely get to share the experience with other people who are also playing it and discovering it at the same time.

[Daigohji]

I bought a Vita last week. Considering that I never bought a PSP, this opens up a nice catalogue of games for me. Currently playing Gravity Rush, Pursuit Force, and Everybody's Tennis. The latter has a surprisingly robust story mode for a sports game...even if the 'story' revolves around sorting out people's lives by spreading the joy of tennis.

I also just snagged Earth Defence Force 2017 Portable, which is currently half price on the UK PSN (£11.99 instead of £23.99).

[spadgy]

I bought a Vita last week. Considering that I never bought a PSP, this opens up a nice catalogue of games for me. Currently playing Gravity Rush, Pursuit Force, and Everybody's Tennis. The latter has a surprisingly robust story mode for a sports game...even if the 'story' revolves around sorting out people's lives by spreading the joy of tennis.

I also just snagged Earth Defence Force 2017 Portable, which is currently half price on the UK PSN (£11.99 instead of £23.99).

Rayman Origins, Thomas Was Alone, LittleBigPlaten Vita, Super Stardust HD, Virtual Tennis 4 and Uncharted are great Vita titles.

And if you want it for free, I've got a spare download code for Epic Mickey 2 for Vita. I'm not saying it's a good game - but it's free! Call it a welcome to Vita gift (if you want it!).

[railslave]

I just started playing gta 5,

30 minutes in and i am bored beyond belief....... just the same old stuff

nice waves though

[BulletMagnet]

Tearaway and Zelda Link Between Worlds...But I can't talk about either in any kind of detail.

I'm picking up both games in a few weeks and most early impressions of both have been positive...would it be too much to comment on whether said previous feedback was well-founded, in some roundabout way?

[BIL]

Virtua Racing Deluxe (32X), again. Like an idiot I sold my Japanese cart a few months back, losing its onboard SRAM record saving for all three cars and the diabolical final chicane in Sand Park, both AWOL in the US version. Got a nice JP copy back and will never let it go. I don't mind keeping a certain annoying mushroom around to play it either. The sense of analogue pedals, steering and grip this thing conveys to digital pad is astonishing, and fiendishly addictive while pushing adhesion to the absolute limit in search of better lap times.

[null1024]

Virtua Racing Deluxe (32X), again. Like an idiot I sold my Japanese cart a few months back, losing its onboard SRAM record saving for all three cars and the diabolical final chicane in Sand Park, both AWOL in the US version. Got a nice JP copy back and will never let it go. I don't mind keeping a certain annoying mushroom around to play it either. The sense of analogue pedals, steering and grip this thing conveys to digital pad is astonishing, and utterly addictive when pushing adhesion to the absolute limit in search of better lap times.

The JP version has SRAM? That's news to me.
I really to get better at this game, haha. Been forever since I've played it too...

And despite the PS2 version existing, the 32X version is the definitive console release of Virtua Racing.

[SuperGrafx]

sense of analogue pedals, steering and grip this thing conveys to digital pad is astonishing, and fiendishly addictive while pushing adhesion to the absolute limit in search of better lap times.

You nailed it!
I felt exactly the same way about the Saturn port of Sega Rally.
That game also conveys an almost analog like quality despite using a standard DPAD controller.
SR and VR Deluxe are 2 games I'll remember fondly whenever I think of 'best ever' console racing games. Even though they lack photorealism and high polygon counts, the playability has yet to be topped IMO

[BIL]

The JP version has SRAM? That's news to me.

Yep! It's excellent. Individual tables for each car on each track, with best laps and best total times both saved. It also saves your firsts across all three difficulties, plus mirror mode once unlocked. The one caveat is that it apparently can't be initialised (and doesn't even use a battery either), but it's a small one. I think it's the same type of memory Sonic 3 uses, might be totally wrong there though.

Also, the content of Sand Park's right-hand fork at its end is different and a bit harder in JP - where the US's grass-lined stretch is pretty straightforward, the JP's one has more twists and can make or break a lap. I guess it was either more dev time or a rebalancing.

I felt exactly the same way about the Saturn port of Sega Rally.

Another masterpiece. It's a shame VR Deluxe didn't get a Saturn remake like Shadow Squadron/Stellar Assault.

[Ed Oscuro]

GAME OVER, YEAH

I have a copy of that for Saturn, should load it up some time. Sega was still in its era of "endearingly low-key" covers at that stage (though I'm not sure what to think about the huge SEGA SPORTZ), and that persisted right up through the Dreamcast I thought. Not the kind of polished cover designs we've gotten used to since then.

[BIL]

I'd forgotten about the massive SEGA SPORTS stamped onto the US cover's forehead! It's nowhere to be seen on the JP box, nor is it in the bootup sequence, but you can still enjoy seeing it at Sand Park's fork.



"Decisions, decisions." There's GAME OVER YEAHHH, and then there's GAME OVER OOOOOO

[Jonathan Ingram]

Done with the PC version of Deadly Premonition. My fourth time through the game and probably the last one, at least for a while. *Minor spoilers ahead.* I appreciate how the narrative manages to maintain its serious edge through the entire game despite sidestepping every so often into the downright campy and ridiculous territory, and how uncompromisingly depressing the final resolution is, but still... The Director`s Cut could sure do with an option for a more cheerful conclusion. I`m not asking for a Hollywood-style happy ending, but at least something with a bit more hope in it. But no, they introduce this new framing device to the story which makes things look even bleaker than before. "At times we must purge things from this world because they should not exist. Even if it means losing someone that you love." I get it already, don`t rub it in.

That probably sounded emo... But anyways, now`s as good a time as ever to give Twin Peaks a rewatch. Or rather give a rewatch to the first season, then skip the decidedly mediocre second season and jump straight to the amazing ending. Also, TP: Fire Walk With Me, Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway. Gonna be a good weekend.

[null1024]

Liberation Maiden [3DS].

'S neat. I adore the premise: you are the President, who must now go and blow the shit out of everything to make Japan green again.

Also, game: why do you allow the player to dash themselves against the core [somehow did that during score attack]? Why is that last sequence with all the stylus spinning when fighting a boss even there? At least it wasn't "rotate the circle pad", fuck games that do that shit.

[Moniker]

Desktop Dungeons (PC)

Also known as "The Original Coffee Break Roguelike," "The First and Only Puzzle-Roguelike at the Time," "The Alpha that was Totally Its Own Stable Game," and "The Beta that Lasted for Like 3 Years."

Anyway, I played the alpha to near 100% completion (can't remember if I ever finished that final dungeon or not), and loved it enough to prepay for the beta. Played the beta off and on for awhile. Now it's finally released and.. so far it's more or less a prettied-up version of the alpha. I've spent enough time away to fall in love again, but if you're new to it, definitely play the (freeware) alpha first and, if you decide you want a more polished and varied experience, get the retail version. Great game; odd pattern of releases.

[zeroroute]

Ocean hunter at my local arcade. Sure, the monitor is somewhat faded, but it works fine. Sega, why didn't you port this to Wii, and maybe star wars trilogy arcade as well? These games must be immortalized before it's too late!

[Ruldra]

Desktop Dungeons (PC)

Fun game but the whole "explore the dungeon to regain health" thing pisses me off to no end. Too often you run out of unexplored tiles because you were looking for an enemy or altar.

That and the alpha has some nasty bugs. Once I was playing a monk who starts with 50% damage resistance, bought a shield which bumped it up to 60%, then bought an altar upgrade which should've given me +25% resistance, but instead the game strips me of all my resistance and leaves it at 25%. I raged so much I deleted the game right there and never went back.

[replayme]

Final Fantasy Crisis Core on PSP. That is all.

[Daigohji]

And if you want it for free, I've got a spare download code for Epic Mickey 2 for Vita. I'm not saying it's a good game - but it's free! Call it a welcome to Vita gift (if you want it!).

I appreciate the generous offer, but I never did work up enough interest to finish the first Epic Mickey. It's probably better going to someone who would actually play it. Besides, I have a backlog of 70 unfinished games at the moment . Thanks though.

[Ed Oscuro]

Finished up Shadow Tower Abyss. A bit of a mixture of feeling a bit hollow (though not really disappointed) and interested. I wasn't let down by the final boss - though it was hilariously easy. I enjoyed the final major area, once I got a hint from a YouTube video (I had left the third void disk carrier unbothered behind a door - d'oh). Smashed open a couple secret areas, too. I played through the game opening a bit more a second time - there doesn't seem to be much more here for me. I've only got something like 36% of all items, and haven't seen a few enemies (I declined to fight Rurufon when given the choice earlier) but I did get the Panzerfaust and saw plenty of high-level items. I didn't break 9000 health but I'm very close to it. I have so many Cunes I had to put a bunch into storage, and I did the same for restorative items. Final area stats were mixed, but mostly well above 90% (86% and 87% were my lowest, and I did get one 100% completion). I didn't see the necessity of going through the areas again because I was locked at 93% for that first forest area.

Neat game, but really thin once you get over the "I'm smashing things in first person" aspect of it. I never really totally warmed up to the dungeon-crawling aspect of it.

Combat is really weird - I spent a lot of time waiting to heal and repairing with health, a goodly amount of time ferrying items and wandering through areas looking for more enemies. But combat, especially against bosses, was mainly a joke. I beat Nemesis by crowding his space and repeatedly slashing him; he kept trying to spin evade but since he was up against a wall that didn't help him much. Slashes with Divine Wind put him down. For the final boss, I just brought out the upgraded shotgun from the hidden area (the same one in Jon Ingram's screenshot, I believe) and shot a few times. I sure did savestate my way through things (to conserve ammo - no crosshair for ranged attacks? feh), so perhaps it's not right to say the game felt unbalanced, but the gameplay wasn't quite about to click so that I felt like I needed to care about that.