What are you playing?

[ferrarimanf355]

Still playing Pinball Arcade. You all need to join the fun.

[magus]

what wizard do you have ferrariman?

[Himu]

The Sims 2



Top ten best games right here.



 

Farcry 3: Blood Dragon

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate 3ds

70 hours clocked. 

[StealthFan]

Going through Silent Hill Downpour. Got Digital Devil Saga 2 on the way, even though I wanted Devil Summoner 2. S'all good.

[brob]

Recently busted out my PS2 and I've been eying Digital Devil Saga. I have only played the first part because I played the US release of it and then later bought the PAL releases for both games - but shit carries over yo! so I felt some special fellow need to play through both or not bother and I chose the latter.

I also found Killer7, Mark of Kri, Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, SMT3 and mutha effin Jak 1. Jak 1 is surprisingly enjoyable. Can't skip the videos and the camera is a butt, but beside that it's quite nice. I've beaten the second boss (Klaww, the rock thrower) and I hope I make my way to the snow level soon because I remember liking that one.

[Himu]

Jak 1 is great. All of those are good picks, though K7 is better on Cube. Enjoy the ps2 load times and controls! I suggest playing Jak 2. I know all won't agree but I find it better than Jak 1 due to the difficulty spikes and level design. The only bad thing about it is the overworld, which I find pretty tedious and poor. I find Jak 2 to be the best platformer of that generation. Cop it.

[brob]

I have a gamecube somewhere, but only third party controllers. So fuck that. Would like to play some F Zero or Smash tho... Maybe I should buy a NGC controller.

I also forgot to mention Tony Hawk Pro Skater 3, Shadow of Rome and Onimusha 1/2. I know there is a box of stuff at my parents I could have my brother dig through for me, but I'm doing alright with what I have atm.

[StealthFan]

Shadow of Rome  You're in flavor country now, bro.

How is Jak 3, Himu?

[Himu]

onimusha 2

[chronovore]

How many times did you have to restart the last mission?

Man, what a bear.

I had heard, earlier on, that the last mission is a real pain in the ass. I was terrified. So after I failed once completely and immediately at the beginning of the mission, I looked at a guide. Even so, I still have to restart mission five times.

[Don Flamenco]

Just beat RE2 Claire B.   That game's still got it. 

Ordered El Viento, along with Mystic Defender.  I want the Valis games too.      Renovation 

[Great Rumbler]

[Himu]

Fucking

THE NOSTALGIA

[Himu]

Shadow of Rome  You're in flavor country now, bro.

How is Jak 3, Himu?

Jak 3 is hardly worth playing. There's barely any platforming, it's mostly just fucking around in the badlands with the stupid car crap. What platforming there is, is good, but it's not like Jak 2 or anything. Not even Jak 1.

Jak 3 stands as the worst of the ps2 Jak titles. I barely remember it even exists.

[Himu]

Found my old Jak 2 review.

Jak 2

(Image removed from quote.)

+ Excellent art direction
+ Good Music

+ Amazing platforming. One Problem I have with 3d platformers in general is that they feel like they lack the precision that 2d platformers require. I'm usually able to forgive this because some 3d platformers rely on figuring out how to get a specific location, rather than the actual platforming itself. Jak 2 stands as one of the few, if not the first 3d platformer I've played that required the timing and precision of a 2d platformer.

An example of this is the roll move. By pressing the jump button while rolling Jak can pull off a long jump move. Thing is, this move is a specific distance when pulled off. It can be long and some sections of the game require exact precision to be able to make it. You'll see an extremely thin log floating in lava that's a good distance away. This is your clue to long jump, but if your position is off just a bit you'll fall into the lava. When you do hit that log, it immediately sinks into the lava, requiring you to jump to the next log. Whhops, that log is far as hell away so you're going to long jump off a thin ass log while it submerges into lava!

Jak 2's platforming is balls against the wall. I never thought I would ever play a 3d platformer this good. Although the Mario Sunshine warp levels are certainly close, there's always something missing when I play a 3d platformer. Sly is too brain dead and easy, it almost impossible to miss a jump. Ratchet implies too much emphasis on blowing crap up, Spyro is too easy, Crash is great fun but not what I'm looking for, Mario 64 is okay, Mario Sunshine isn't exactly a  high benchmark for 3d platforming either. Mirror's Edge, Jak 2, Jumping Flash, Jet Set Radio, Jet Set Radio Future, and arguably Portal stand as the few 3d platformers to ever impress me on a core level.

+ Excellent level design. Every level is designed from the ground up to be gone through repeatedly, you just need certain abilities to get through them. Each and every time you do an old level in Jak 2, you're going to be doing something new or going to a new place you haven't been before. This gives each of the levels a feeling that they're deep, vast labyrinths, and usually...they are. Unlike Mario 64, which requires players to go through the same level repeatedly to get stars without really switching it up, Jak 2 constantly adds something new to its levels so not to leave the player bored with repetition.

+ Great action. There are only 4 weapons, and each weapon has its use. Unlike Ratchet games, which have mostly filler weapons you will use 2-3 times in the game, Jak 2 employs the quality > quantity rule. Further more, the actual shooting is strategic. Due to the general lack of checkpoints and sometimes ammo, you're going to need to make every shot count. This is where Jak 2 succeeds; melee is just as productive as weapons. This gives almost each and every encounter multiple ways to complete them.  The people who feel it is a shooter are dead wrong. I love how even fights with small time enemies can be interesting. One of my favorite enemies in the game is a Metal head in the Haven Forest (I think?) that uses a shield. Your guns will not do any damage to this guy when his shield is up, but he'll pop his head out when he goes on the offensive. You have to time a roll, roll out of the way of his shots, and stick an energy beam up his ass to kill him without getting hit.

Ultimately I find the action to be far more satisfying than Ratchet games or other 3d action platformers I've played. For me it's about as satisfying as whacking enemies in Rocket Knight Adventures or managing to clear a Mega Man stage without getting hit once. The way Jak 2 manages to blend its shooting elements with the platforming should be praised.

+ High difficulty, low checkpoint ratio. The game almost feels oldschool in nature. More 3d platformers should be like Jak 2. I hate being babied. I hate that 3d platformers are so dull and easy. Timing is rarely important in 3d platformers, they don't require precision either, and the few 3d action platformers out there pale compared to the best of their 2d counterparts. Jak 2 is an exception.

+ I like the story. It's not great or memorable or anything, but boy howdy it's fun. As someone who likes time travel stories I definitely got some enjoyment out of Jak 2's story. What helps the story is the writing and humor. Daxter is definitely the star of the show, whereas in Jak 1 he's just annoying all the time and never funny like, ever.

- Big open world environment that detracts from the game. It's easily the worst thing about the game and it adds nothing of value to the game at all. You have to travel 5-10 minutes out of your to a mission when it should be just 30 seconds or 1 minute at most. I understand that ND wanted to make it immersive and stuff, but they failed hard.

- The vehicles all suck. Even the hoverboard can be annoying since you lose health if you run into someone (which will happen a lot).

- The Krimson Guard are balls. Accidentally run into their car? Accidentally hit one? Accidentally BUMP into one? WELP, LET'S CHASE THE PLAYER FOR 10 MINUTES. Terrible. Awful. Dreadful.

Honestly, the only bad things about the game are GTA influences like the overworld. These things do not add to the game at all and take more away from than they do anything to improve it.

It's a shame because I feel that a more streamlined hub world (the one thing I think 3d platformers *do* do right) would have made it a more high quality game. However, it's not so much of a negative that it takes away from the fact Jak 2 is the best 3d action platformer I've played.

Rating: A-minus, definitely ps2 top 10 material. Shame I didn't play it until recently.

I seriously need to pick up the Jak and Daxter Collection for ps3 once I get my psn issues settled because  

[BobFromPikeCreek]

I can totally hear chachings and the sounds of sofas and coffee tables being slapped down and spun into position in my head.

[Rufus]

Checked out BLOPS 2 because of the free weekend on Steam. Feels pretty nice all around and the maps look great. There is no way in hell I'm paying 40€ for it though.
Have also heard a bunch of 12-year-olds already and silently chuckled to myself as I muted them one after the other. I've also noticed that the people who've prestiged several times over aren't actually that good, despite the fact that they must be poop-socking these games. Although that's probably owed to my limited exposure so far.

I had heard, earlier on, that the last mission is a real pain in the ass. I was terrified. So after I failed once completely and immediately at the beginning of the mission, I looked at a guide. Even so, I still have to restart mission five times.

It's pretty nuts what they ask of you. Mad scramble doesn't begin to describe it.

[Raban]

I played some Blops 2 as well. Fun little game. I'll probably pick it up when it hits ~$20, but right now I'm not really looking for an online FPS.

[StealthFan]

At the final section of Downpour and I've liked it so far. The framerate is complete shit, as is the enemy design and combat. A ton of work went into the level design and the areas look great. The atmosphere is good and the story interesting, though there isn't as much as I'd hoped.  I know this section is the worst portion of the game but I am prepared.

[magus]

Fez

did.... did this seriously win any sort of awards? twice in fact? cause this is the most boring dreck i've ever played,it's so boring i wanted to eat my own face,i'd rather play a thousand shitty jrpg than this,it's just a collectathon with a lame gimmick implemented on it,think sunshine blue coins but worse! i know coming from me it just seems that i'm just "being me" but seriously it's sooooooooooooooooo bad

Disgaea 4

eeeeehhhh it's exactly what i expected,i don't have anything bad to say about this but there isn't any sort of big improvement or difference from the original,in fact i feel like i might as well play the original and it would actualy be better if only for the fact that statiscian (the magic spice that made you jump a thousand levels all at once and made grinding fun) are now somewhat rare and require work to get,valvatorez is a nice main character,he cracks a joke once in a while and comes off heroic without resulting too much as a 2-bit heroes,his pal fenrir is also refreshingly evil... the other characters feel like filler needed so that the game had a sizeable cast but are otherwise unremarkable (desco annoys me a little because i hate characters that refer to themself in third person) at the end of the day it's an improvement over disgaea 2 but it's really hard to beat the original characters

some of the story mission are annoying and require some trickery,many of them have a bunch of geo blocks that blocks your way which you have to destroy by using another geo block near,i guess it's nice to not have every single map being a simple straight fight but it feels like at times i'm playing a twisted version of sokoban and i see multiple playtrough in this game without the hyperdrive (if it's still in the game) as a huge pain in the ass

the new gameplay addition feels like they are rarely there,you can now buy new innate but they all sucks,the item world has now random stuff happening on it but it's too rare and barely makes any difference,monster get to unite with the character you actualy use but there is no need to ever do it (this was introduced in disgaea 3 right?) the whole thing just seems desperate to not look like a rehash which is sort of funny when you think the next disgaea game is actualy going to be a sort-of rehash.... back on ps2 NIS made so many games that were "like disgaea but not disgaea" there was makai wars,phantom brave and soul nomad so it's pretty lame to see none of this happened on ps3

[Great Rumbler]

I can totally hear chachings and the sounds of sofas and coffee tables being slapped down and spun into position in my head.

Hard to believe that The Sims is over 13 years old, isn't it?

[tiesto]

I'm just about up to the end of Virtue's Last Reward (just have to get Phi's ending)... I have a small vacation coming up as I leave my current job and go to a new one... so during that time I think I'm gonna catass one of those infamous backlogged RPGs. And Digital Devil Saga 2 looks like the most likely candidate. Finished the first one but never the second...

[Raban]

Fez

did.... did this seriously win any sort of awards? twice in fact? cause this is the most boring dreck i've ever played,it's so boring i wanted to eat my own face,i'd rather play a thousand shitty jrpg than this,it's just a collectathon with a lame gimmick implemented on it,think sunshine blue coins but worse! i know coming from me it just seems that i'm just "being me" but seriously it's sooooooooooooooooo bad

That's not the full extent of it, though. Sadly, you can keep doing that and still reach the end credits. The game's "real puzzles" involve deciphering the made-up hieroglyphics you see everywhere and using them to find a different set of cubes. But yeah, it's not a mechanically complex game at all, and if you don't find the music/visuals immersive (or don't even care about "immersion" in games) then it's going to be a very shallow experience.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

It held my attention for about an hour. Then I longed for a game with a similar mechanic and more structure (aka Crush).

[Himu]

CRUSH

[Purple Filth]

I have FEZ on 360 and still haven't played it yet 


Also I need to finish Spec Ops: The Line one of these days also

[ferrarimanf355]

what wizard do you have ferrariman?

None yet. I'm close on No Good Gofers, tho.

[Himu]

Bought Sims 2 Kitchen and Bath Stuff Pack from Origin.



  The customization and house building options

[StealthFan]

The Sims is such an awful series. That shit was amazing for a couple hours back in 2000.

[Himu]

The Sims is such an awful series. That shit was amazing for a couple hours back in 2000.

Look how wrong you are.

[The Sceneman]

made it to the water part in Amnesia. FUUUUUUUUCKKKK shit is so scary. The scariest part is the jank ass platforming!

[StealthFan]

That DDS2

Gonna be a good one. It's also a good thing I played the first one and know the series owns because all these forced encounters at the beginning are SCUST.

I've probably asked a million times before, but Devil Summoner 2: RA vs King Abaddon is worth Gameflying right?

[fistfulofmetal]

made it to the water part in Amnesia. FUUUUUUUUCKKKK shit is so scary. The scariest part is the jank ass platforming!

that shit was so bad and sucked me out of the game completely.

plus there's a way to completely subvert the games mechanics and finish the final room without doing the thing they want you to do.

[The Sceneman]

(re: Amnesia: the Dark Descent)

yeah definitely using a FAQ to get through the water rooms. So many trial and error deaths already.

The game is masterful in so many ways, so engaging and intense. I LOVE the writing and story. Amnesia is one of the best examples of an interactive narrative I have experienced.

 

[Positive Touch]

anyone played penumbra? it anywhere near as good as amnesia?

that water part is one of my favorite parts of that game, but there were a few later on that took me like an hour to get through because i spent so much time cowering

[Himu]

That DDS2

Gonna be a good one. It's also a good thing I played the first one and know the series owns because all these forced encounters at the beginning are SCUST.

I've probably asked a million times before, but Devil Summoner 2: RA vs King Abaddon is worth Gameflying right?

Devil Summoner Raidou 2 is among the best ps2 SMT titles. Yes.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Jumping into Mass Effect 3 finally. Could've played it on PC eons ago, but I wanted to wait until I could get to an Xbox and FINISH THE FIGHT with the fem shep I've been using since 1 . Will update as tears are shed.

[brob]

anyone played penumbra? it anywhere near as good as amnesia?

that water part is one of my favorite parts of that game, but there were a few later on that took me like an hour to get through because i spent so much time cowering

Overture and Black Plague are worthwhile, but I'd say Amnesia is better than those. Never played the third Penumbra game.

[Rufus]

The third is just a collection of puzzles.

[Don Flamenco]

playing RE DS.  man, I'd rebuy all these classic RE games for the 10th time if they got updated with quick turn, on-screen map, and instant access knife.

[Positive Touch]

same here. was REALLY hoping theyd try to make a series out of ds re-releases. the gameplay is so much more fluid its unreal.

[BobFromPikeCreek]

Why is this series still pretending to be an RPG?

[archnemesis]

anyone played penumbra? it anywhere near as good as amnesia?

I finished the first game and it was alright. Amnesia was too scary for me so I had to turn it off. Right now I'm playing Scratches (currently 60% off on GOG) which seems really promising.

[tiesto]

Man, Virtue's Last Reward's plot got crazy awesome at the end... finally finished that, along with finally beating Panzer Dragoon Zwei. I hit a roadblock on stage 4 and finally beat that today... then the rest of the stages weren't difficult at all.

Maybe now I'll try to force my way through Kid Icarus. I made it pretty far, but the atrocious controls just got to me...

[Don Flamenco]

same here. was REALLY hoping theyd try to make a series out of ds re-releases. the gameplay is so much more fluid its unreal.

yeah I thought that's what was going to happen.  i think DS was met with pretty tepid reactions, maybe weak sales too?  That'd get capcom to abandon a plan pretty quickly.  unless it's DmC or a Lost Planet sequel no one asked for.

[mjemirzian]

This VC challenge run is starting to wear thin on me. I miss the elite weapons (flamethrowers, rifle grenades, etc.) and it's kinda boring with not much depth to work with. Lots of struggling with grenades bouncing off misaligned corner boundaries. I only started the run because two of VC's biggest "fans" were talking crap.

[Positive Touch]

iirc it got hit by one of reviewers random "we hate capcom" phases. lot of "ANOTHER resident evil!?" and "hey didnt everyone already play this on one of its ten million other releases??" (nevermind that itd only been ported to saturn and the pc, each like 9 years before) and bullshit like that. whatever, it was an amazing port of an excellent game that still holds up today, and im sad we didnt get more.

[The Sceneman]

RE2 DS would have been AMAZING

[Rahxephon91]

Tried to play Hitman Absolution and it's just very boring and so far the actual hits don't feel very inventive. This is my first Hitman and it's not what I expected. I know this was supposed to be dumbed down, but so far it just seems like a lame stealth game.

Are the other ones split between different levels with each level just dropping you in the level with your mission to kill the target?

[brob]

go get blood money. yes, it's level based. yes, it's better.

[StealthFan]

Pick up the HD collection. It has Silent Assassin, Contracts and Blood Money. Play Contracts and Blood Money.

SA was badass when I was 15 (got it for that birthday actually) but there are quite a few BAD missions up in that bitch. The last two refined the formula, and since you didn't play the first one you won't mind that Contracts remixes some of those missions.

[Rufus]

I know this was supposed to be dumbed down, but so far it just seems like a lame stealth game.

It is. There are some levels that come close to what Blood Money used to be, but the rest is sullied by the instinct mechanic and some sections that are flat-out stealth levels (unless you decide to kill everyone, which I have done a few times in frustration).

[Eric P]

enjoying Uncharted 4: Tomb Raider.  It's not a great TR game, but it's pretty fun spectacle / experience gaming

[demi]

Are you offended by the game's exploitation and over-sexualisation of the female model, Eric P?

[Don Flamenco]

the gun is just a manifestation of her penis envy.  like a young catholic boy masturbating for the first time, she feels terribly guilty after she first shoots it, but gradually, shooting her gun becomes business as usual. 

[Eric P]

Are you offended by the game's exploitation and over-sexualisation of the female model, Eric P?

I actually didn't even notice the "OMG SHE IS ABOUT TO BE RAPED" moment as it was happening.  And I know you're being HAW HAW INTERNET and all but it's certainly less exploitative and sexualized than it could have been.  I mean, she was in bed when the boat sank.  She could have been running around in pajamas the whole time.

[hampster]

I got Skylanders Giants over the weekend. RIP wallet :'(

The game is pretty fun. Super simple but fun. I'm surprised how quickly my kid became obsessed with it. I imagine it will pass after a few weeks and then I'll be left with a small pile of figures in front of the tv. At least the figures look nice

[Eric P]

i put about 20 hours into it but it didn't really do much for me.

I couldn't find a combo i liked enough to play through the entire game

[Rufus]

I think I played a straight fighter. "Unfulfilling" is probably the best way to describe it. Two Worls (and 2) is the same way. Whatever it is that Gothic has, those games don't. That said, it's perfectly functional, the combat system is fairly fluid and later on you'll get to transform into a dragon, which works surprisingly well.

[Great Rumbler]

How is Divinity 2 Dragon Knight Saga? considering taking a dive into ugly unfulfilling eurojank out of boredom

I really like it, and it's really not all that janky compared to most other Euro-RPGs.