What [not shmup] game are you playing now?

[drauch]

I've yet to dabble much with Marathon myself. Seems like a fairly decent early PC FPS. But yeah, as Ed mentioned, fairly archaic early stuff. Doom is certainly a godsend.

How big is the original Marathon box, btw? I've never seen one in pictures, and I can't really tell if it's regular size or more squarish. Doesn't seem like it comes up much.

[replayme]

Just completed MGS: Revengeance. Man, that final boss...

Always trust H Kojima to deliver the goods.

Edit: total playtime was 06:40:27.01 - although the game felt longer.

Console wise: Time to maybe move on to Brothers?

Handheld wise: Still finishing off Gravity Rush.

Edit x 2: according to my save slot, my playtime is 07:43 - which seems more like it.

[Ed Oscuro]

Marathon 2 is certainly better so far (especially with the high-rez textures, oh yeah!). Interesting to see how the design philosophy carries through. I still vastly prefer DOOM but this is kind of a nicely different thing.

How big is the original Marathon box, btw? I've never seen one in pictures, and I can't really tell if it's regular size or more squarish. Doesn't seem like it comes up much.

I haven't seen that one.

Pathways Into Darkness has a fairly standard PC game style box (for the era).
The three-pack Marathon Trilogy's box seems to be about the same size as the Blizzard anthology boxes (Diablo, Warcraft, Starcraft).

[null1024]

Hatsune Miku Project Diva Extend [PSP].
It's nice to have a fixed PSP screen, no more emulation for me!. And by fixed, I mean "it's on the outside of the PSP so the ribbon cable doesn't get nudged and bent", since I noticed that the screen wouldn't screw up at all if I turned the PSP on while it was opened, only when it was all closed up and the cable was in its normal position.

Damn good thing I don't need the UMD drive for anything -- it is covered in tape for holding the screen. There's even more tape on the PSP since I took that picture.

The best thing about having it fixed is that for a while, my PSP kind of was my main MP3 player -- not using my phone because it randomly decides to run hot and drain battery when I use it for anything, and I lost my standalone one [with its awesome 23 hour battery life, RIP].
Sure, it didn't need the screen for playing music, but the constant display blackouts and interlacing issues were annoying, so I stopped bringing it with me.

The other best thing is that now I don't have to deal with PPSSPP, especially since Project Diva seems to completely desync in it. I have to hit the notes ages early and then by the end of the song, the timing I was matching wasn't even close.

Maybe I'll get back to playing Ridge Racer 2 now. Also, I copied my Ys 7 save back to the PSP, yay. I'll probably play the crap out of that tomorrow, since I'm off.
And maybe I'll stop ignoring Metal Gear Acid 2 -- it's fun, but every time I think about playing it, I decide to do something else instead. I actually don't know why.


Tales of the Abyss [3DS].
Started a New Game+. Going to see what sort of side-quests I've missed out on.
And damn, I honestly didn't notice it the first time around, but Luke at the start of the game is a cunt. I guess that's why everyone hates on him so much when he screws everything up -- not because of what he did, but because he's such a damn asshole and the aftermath was a great place to slap some sense into him.


Delver [PC].
aaaaa

Get within sight of the orb [the one you need to take back to the surface, of course]. Take a bunch of damage. Use heal potion not mapped to a bind. Get fucked by the Lich -- first hit dropped me down to a pre-healing amount of health, second hit killed. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

I should probably start putting some points into Defense. Sure, putting all my points into Health and Magic is honestly working, but being able to have some meat backing up each individual hit point would be good...
also, I kind of want to kill all my friends because they kept going "hey, is that minecraft", which made me consider getting better friends right then


Rayhound [PC].
Man, I forgot how fun this is. After my first bad run [where I was getting accustomed to the controls again], I was back in the groove. I wasn't doing amazing like before, but each run was better than the last.

You just feel like a laser maestro, guiding beams back where they came, blowing up enemy fields. Had to pull out my mouse to play, since this game is depressing on a trackpad.

Thanks, Warning Forever guy!

[broken harbour]

Rayman Origiins, while fun, is just a bit too brutal for my tastes, I like a challenge but.... maybe I just suck at platformers.... I made it about 2/3's of the way through... I'm kind of done with it.

Started Motorstorm Apocalypse, I found it for $5 new a few weeks back... silly, but fun so far. I'm normally a sim-racer type of guy, but I like the schtick, and the changing environments are interesting. Jury's still out tho, just started playing it. Load times are atrocious. And motion comics are lame.

[EmperorIng]

A bit of survival horror recently:

Resident Evil 3
Beat it for the first time. A marvelous game! I love the burnt-out city environment and the pulse-pounding Nemesis encounters. I think I like RE2 a bit more (for its goofy cheesy story; this one is a bit more downplayed), but this is a great way to end out the original RE trilogy. I'll have to play it again sometime to get a better grade than "F," ha ha.

Deep Fear
Resident Evil clone for the Saturn. This game's awful VA needs to be heard to be believed, especially the "gay" submarine designer, Dubois. I like the game but in a -so-bad-it's-good- fashion. The game showers you with grenades, infinite ammo for assault shotguns, and first-aid-sprays, so it's not like you are ever pressed to survive or anything! It actually makes you wonder how the other characters drop like flies when it's so easy to avoid slow shambling monsters everywhere. It's really something you play for the occasionally good soundtrack and funny VA. Good thing it's super cheap!

I just purchased Enemy Zero for the Saturn, which has been on my list for a while (I also picked up Assault Suit Leynos 2 because why not). I'm looking forward to that one, especially its potentially creepy mechanic of invisible insta-kill enemies. I'm always for interesting Saturn exclusives, ha.

I've been considering also picking up D and D2 (SAT and DC respectively), but I wonder if anyone could tell me about those games, yea or nay. I've been told that D is not really worth my time as opposed to its sequel.

[M.Knight]

Tales of the Abyss [3DS].
Started a New Game+. Going to see what sort of side-quests I've missed out on.
And damn, I honestly didn't notice it the first time around, but Luke at the start of the game is a cunt. I guess that's why everyone hates on him so much when he screws everything up -- not because of what he did, but because he's such a damn asshole and the aftermath was a great place to slap some sense into him.

I found Luke's attitude at the beginning of the game to be very refreshing in a genre with too many "pure" and benevolent main characters. His sarcastic rants, selfish complaints and him abusing Mieu made Luke much more human and down-to-earth than your usual RPG party member. I can understand why some may be annoyed by his behavior but I found it funny, memorable, even kinda relatable, and was a bit disappointed after he changed.
The same happened to me with Kalas from Baten Kaitos who was not as extreme as Luke but still far away from the usual hero traits.

[evil_ash_xero]

Valis IV and Bomberman '94

First time with either of these series. Never thought much of the way Bomberman looked, and thought it was pretty much only for multi-player. While I can tell that's where it truly would shine, the story mode in 94 is good fun. I like that it has boss fights.

Valis IV is pretty good. I'm going a bit nuts in the Cathedral(not like Pussy Riot though). I just keep getting SO close, and then I die.
I tried out the 3rd one, and at least the jumps in this game aren't as strict as that one. Good lord, if you're one pixel off, you're dead!
And this is the PC Engine version, not Super Valis IV(which sucks).

AND messing around with Umihara Kawase Shun (2nd edition) on the PSX. I'm still not sure if this game is for me or not...but I keep going back to it. And one way or another, it's quite different, in a good way.
I think I'll end up being into it though. Any game I keep coming back to like that, I usually end up falling for. What an oddball game though.

Also been playing Bangai-O, for the DC. I love the game, so I thought I would dive into it again.

Deep Fear
Resident Evil clone for the Saturn. This game's awful VA needs to be heard to be believed, especially the "gay" submarine designer, Dubois.

Holy crap, you're not kidding! Nothing tops Chris Redfield's "MY GOD" when Barry dies in RE1 though.

[EmperorIng]

Deep Fear
Resident Evil clone for the Saturn. This game's awful VA needs to be heard to be believed, especially the "gay" submarine designer, Dubois.

Holy crap, you're not kidding! Nothing tops Chris Redfield's "MY GOD" when Barry dies in RE1 though.

Especially when Barry's VA gave a (comparatively) decent line-reading for his death. Only to be followed up by Chris's out-of-place shout.

Though it's hard for me to pick a favorite quote in RE, because everything everyone says is so hilarious. Props to Barry's "It's a weapon that's REALLY powerful, especially against living things!" and Chris's "WESKER YOR PITIFUL. YOU MEAN TO SAY THIS FAILURE IS YOUR SAVIOR?"

Deep Fear is a lesser game, but still has some fun moments. I beat it last night, and the game gives you a Gatling Gun with essentially unlimited ammo right before the final boss. You then stand still and press 'fire' until you win. Followed by a countdown sequence with no enemies to stand in your way, making the tension of the countdown meaningless. A shame, all these fantastic monster designs that never actually hurt you! Maybe there's a hard mode option...

[replayme]

Already posted the following in the GotY thread:

"I started playing, and completed Brothers this evening. Took about 3.5 hours to complete. It's less a game in the traditional sense, and more of an interactive storybook that attempts to convey meaning in relationships. Starbreeze have always favoured story over polished game mechanics, and the same is true here. The dual stick control method is sometimes unwieldy, not as responsive as it could be, and definitely takes some getting used to. But the story, although rather simple, is lovingly told and has heart. The music is also pretty impressive and fits the onscreen action perfectly.

I'm not sure if it's necessarily GotY material, but I do however recommend that everyone should play it. Just for the experience. But as it stands however, and for what it has to offer, I give it 8.5/10 (which I guess makes it a 9/10 according to some people)."



I also played a bit of Dragons Crown on my Vita. Graphics are definitely impressive on the handheld's Oled screen, and are coulourful and vibrant. Animation is excellent, and the whole thing runs pretty smoothly. Haven't played enough to make an opinion, but I'm definitely enjoying what I've played so far. The gameplay may be formulaic in some peoples eyes, and to be honest, I've seen and played this type of game many times before. But this time, the 2D graphics are ramped up to 11, and form part of an extremely slick package.

Edit: now that I've completed Brothers on console, I'm not sure as to what my next (console) game will be. Probably Journey. Probably...

[drauch]

EmperorIng: Did you play the JP version, or the PAL one? I've always debated picking up the JP since it's so cheap, just wasn't sure about the language barrier.

[null1024]

Saints Row IV [PC].

Kind of floored that it runs at a playable framerate on this machine at all. Sure, everything is set to rock bottom and I'm running at 800x600, but hey.
I'm only playing because of the free weekend on Steam. Not sure I'd buy it -- not sure I'd play it that much, even though I was having fun. :Y
If it goes on sale for cheap at some point, I probably will get it though.

[EmperorIng]

EmperorIng: Did you play the JP version, or the PAL one? I've always debated picking up the JP since it's so cheap, just wasn't sure about the language barrier.

JP. While I sorta wish I had the PAL version, it's ass-hard to find, and I bet accordingly its price has been scalped through the roof. The JP is the same thing sans flavor text, and very straight-forward.

All of the game's cutscenes and VA are in English, a la Resident Evil. However, all of the text is in Japanese.

But that doesn't really hinder the game outside of one or two spots where you'll need to use a guide. Most of the puzzles are extremely simple and obvious, like "use keycard on door" or "use disk on computer" or stuff like that. Not only that, but the characters often tell you in English what you need to do. The only thing you miss out on, really, are the files, but considering that I've read them on GFAQs, you don't miss all that much.

Items are self-explanatory, and grenades are color-coded (blue=air, red=fire etc.). It wasn't hard to get around at all, outside of a convoluted spot halfway through the game necessitating that I talk to a few people and check specific areas, and another sequence of events in the second disc.
EDIT: Apparently, Deviantart of all places has the official UK Sega Saturn guide uploaded onto it...

[null1024]

Tales of Xillia [PS3].

Beat Agria. Fuck, that was annoying until I found out the trick: kill all her human partners first [as anyone really], then fight as Rowen -- use lots of water magic [all I had was Splash and Blue Sphere, so I used them constantly], link with Alvin until you break her guard [so you'll need to hit her with normals, luckily Rowen's range is fucking amazing]. Immediately switch to linking with Leia once that happens and hope you steal that Lemon Gel, or she will use it forever. Once the Lemon Gel is gone, just spam water magic forever.

If you're feeling cocky, map Fireball and use it sometimes. Pray to the RNG for a burn. Sure, she resists fire, but you can still burn the bitch.

I love her lines though, damn. She clearly knows she's acting like a lunatic and revels in it.


This fight had probably the most strategy I've needed in a Tales game. You pretty much can't brute-force it, unless you can deal more than 6000 damage between her Lemon Gel uses [which she apparently can reuse the same one forever!]. There's other ways, but this is the one I figured out.

[BareKnuckleRoo]

Resident Evil 3
Beat it for the first time. A marvelous game! I love the burnt-out city environment and the pulse-pounding Nemesis encounters. I think I like RE2 a bit more (for its goofy cheesy story; this one is a bit more downplayed), but this is a great way to end out the original RE trilogy. I'll have to play it again sometime to get a better grade than "F," ha ha.

Resident Evil 3 is a lot like Silent Hill 3; the plot isn't as good as the previous game (it's mostly run through the city to random places with many of the memos you pick up being unimportant and mostly for flavour/mood) but the combat is vastly improved, making it super fun to replay through. It's got quickturns, dodges, custom ammo creation, a way better knife (it actually does damage now, and the quickturn makes it a lot easier to use effectively). The Mercenaries mode is totally unrelated to the plot and yet it's amazingly fun to blaze through.

The last time I played it seriously I think it was when I was doing a knife-only run. It's the easiest RE game in the series to do knife-only because unlike 1&2 the knife actually is pretty strong (it takes forever to kill things in RE2 with it) and unlike pretty much any other RE game, there's only one boss fight in the entire game you have to actually use the knife on to inflict damage for the win: Clock Tower Nemesis. Every other boss fight you can either run from, or there's ways of killing the boss without poking 'em with the knife (activate the switches to escape from/hit lamp posts to electrocute Grave Digger, splash acid on nemmy and then railgun him later). If you've never fought Nemesis with the knife, even if you go into the Clock Tower fight with an inventory full of health items, he can be rough to knife down (I cheesed it by getting him stuck on part of the map and knifing him as he walked back 'n forth). Very satisfying game.

[Hagane]

I don't play as much as I used to, so there's not much to say here. I got a 1CC with the Elf in Shadow Over Mystara, I'm working on Guardians / Denjin Makai II now (with Tulks, who seems to be the simplest character to beat the game with), and got an Emperor clear on Civilization IV. Now going for Immortal with Darius since he has a great early rush unit and good traits for a war oriented game. So far I got Chaka out of the way, not without some unexpected extra effort. That's good, because his Impis would be a nightmare if I let him get too big.

I've tried the supposedly overpowered Romans, but chariot-based civs (Persia's Darius and Egypt's Hatshepsut) suit me much better due to their sheer speed, even if they aren't as reliable as the mighty Praetorians.

Managed to get a totally pacific cultural win on monarch with Elizabeth too. Quick, but boring once you know what you have to do. Just try to get along with everyone that's a threat, then make a defensive pact with the most powerful friendly civ, and you will play unmolested for the rest of the game. Score was rather low though, but that's to be expected considering how effortless the clear was.

[null1024]

Tales of Xillia [PS3].

oh my lord
what is this

That's three deaths due to the entire party getting hit by the King's fucking Mystic Arte. Really late in the fight too, at least the first and third times. First time, I was careless and forgot about such things, second time same, third time, I was ages away from the King and he fucking still hits me because one of my AI party members was stupid and got hit by Tyrant Spear into his Mystic Arte while he was in overlimit.
Somehow, I was in range. The animation is sufficiently flashy that you aren't exactly certain where it hits.

and damnit, none of my party members have access to their Mystic Arte yet, blah
Overlimit lasts for fuck-all time in this game though. Builds up fast, goes fast.


And earlier in the palace, some of the enemy fights are fought at like 20fps. Really nasty. No frameskip either, so you feel like you're underwater or something. A bit shameful, especially since fights usually keep 60, and I do remember the game frameskipping when it couldn't, instead of just outright slowing down.


On an unrelated note, I really kind of feel like playing The King of Dragons now.


[edit]
I beat him. One of my teammates still got hit with his Mystic Arte still. Also, I had to use two Omega Elixers to not get ruined, since my party was full of squishy casters and Jude.

I'm so glad those are purchasable items [at least with Black Feathers]. I kind of wish I could set more auto-items, 5 slots seems awfully crap. Oh well.

[MOSQUITO FIGHTER]

I picked up Splinter Cell Blacklist because it was only $20. This is the first one that I've played and it seems to be pretty good so far. It's kind of refreshing to play a game with semi-decent Ai for a change after playing a lot of newer games that have terrible Ai. I thought the spies vs mercs multiplayer was interesting too even though it's tough to catch a match on it. I like how it scores you're play, might end up replaying it because of that. Nice controls too.

[ACSeraph]

Just started Metal Gear Rising. It's all flash but damn do I love it. It's like hack 'em up katana porn with a story lifted from an episode of the G.I. Joe cartoon, and I'm loving every fuckin' minute.

[replayme]

Just started Metal Gear Rising. It's all flash but damn do I love it. It's like hack 'em up katana porn with a story lifted from an episode of the G.I. Joe cartoon, and I'm loving every fuckin' minute.

Last boss is epic.

[BIL]

I looove BDOOMv19 Desert island material. The smoothness of DOOM. The malleability of ZDOOM. And the balls-out atrocity exhibition of BDOOM. Pictured above: my new favourite savefile "FUTURE CRIMEZ" - Doomguy's idle barb some twenty one years ago that shotgunguy's mom "**** a real good ****" bears a horrible toll when ultimateshotgunguy warps back in time to E1M1 intent on bloody revenge.

[drauch]

Holy shit, what is that? Is that a Mancubus combined with a Pigcop tank?

[BIL]

Found it while digging around in BDOOM19's pk3 file. Open console and type "summon juggernaut," then run away! Cool monster type. Although its dual chainguns smart and its multi rocket salvos can reduce Doomguy to gristle in seconds, by far its deadliest feature is the "run you the fuck over" attack!

[KAI]

Initial D Street Stage [PSP]
Just beated Takumi. The Akina course was so easy. Battle Gear's Akina was a pain in the ass compared to this.

[null1024]

Initial D Street Stage [PSP]
Just beated Takumi. The Akina course was so easy. Battle Gear's Akina was a pain in the ass compared to this.

I forgot that there even was an Initial D game for PSP. I can't wait until my new PSP comes in so I can try it.

[railslave]

Metro last light

It looks amazing !!!

But the NPC'S just wont STFU and let me enjoy the game, soak in the atmosphere.

[Obiwanshinobi]

To see if my Jet Set Radio copy works on my DC, I played through the prologue.
Astonishing presentation. The framerate and camera don't bother me (yet), but then again - I've cleared the PS2 Shinobi almost without touching the right analogue stick. Even the Sega physics I find quite charming (OutRun 2006 parties like it's 1999 in that respect as well). Maybe it's the cel-shading, or character animations steal the show, but rampant pop-ups don't look as antiquated as in Crazy Taxi.
Shame that pedestrians don't cast even blob shadows (neither do cars, it seems). It just never looks good to me.

[null1024]

JSR is gorgeous, although its pop in always did bug me more than Crazy Taxi somehow. The camera does bug me though. Constantly. I am not sure if Sega even knows how to make a camera that deals with free range motion -- even in Sonic Colors/Unleashed/Generations, I feel like the only reason the camera works is because the level layouts simply don't allow for problematic angles, since you're either in 2D for your meat-and-potatoes platforming or in 3D going along a corridor at BLAST PROCESSING SPEED while dodging shit.

And if you ever get to playing JSRF, that is a game with 3D visuals that hold against the test of time like a goddamn rock in a storm. It's been a while since I've seen it [a few months to be exact], but the draw distance is mighty impressive, and I could swear the game runs at 60fps if I remember. Same brilliant sense of style too. I really wish Sega would port it to PC or something one of these days.

[R-Gray 1]

I was Playing F-zero X on N64. The first and only time that i had played this game was in 2players mode with split screen and in a videogame center. This game looks much better in 1pl view.
I really liked it ! the music the speed the roads. I needed lose 3 times all my lives in the 3rd cup to finish the game in novice mode.

White land 2 was awesome.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcppXyQZ3Vk


BUt my favourite obviously is F-Zero snes !!!!!!! i grew up in the 90s so definitely enjoyed that snes jewel my favourite race game on snes.

[evil_ash_xero]

Just started Metal Gear Rising. It's all flash but damn do I love it. It's like hack 'em up katana porn with a story lifted from an episode of the G.I. Joe cartoon, and I'm loving every fuckin' minute.

Yeah, it's kind of a trip. I wish the game was longer, and the story gets a little too much...but the last boss makes up for it. Some may disagree, and say this boss is ridiculous, but by THAT point, you're just kind of like "oh whatever". And this boss is so funny, and then it's ass kicking time. Like a MAJOR ass kicking. It's all smiles, then "ARGH!!!".