The "What are you playing?" topic.

[Hooahguy]

Men of War is...frustrating at times ("at times" being 99% of the time), and even on easy mode is ridiculously hard. To give a feel for how difficult it is, on the very first mission of the first campaign (with less than minimal tutorial or guidance), I lost right before the end, and it said that I had lost all 12 of my men and my only vehicle, and the enemy had lost over 100 men and I think over 30 vehicles (I'm lowballing that estimate, but I believe they had lost closer to 200 or more men). And I somehow lost the mission. That said, it does give an immense sense of satisfaction when you do finally get past a part or when you finish the mission. Definitely not for the impatient, the easily aggravated, or those with little time to dedicate to playing it however.

I got that game in a pack of 5 with it's sequels for about $12 on the steam sale, and I've only tried one other expansion; Men of War: Vietnam. I must say that while I expected to be irritated, I expected it to be a result of the same insane difficulty levels and the complete asymmetry of the missions, not because I couldn't see a damned thing. I would highly recommend never getting this sequel, because you can't see anything. The entire map is always covered by trees, and the small areas where it isn't, the camera angle is so bad (and, at least for me, unchangeable) that you can barely see then. I understand that Vietnam has a lot of jungle. But making it impossible to see through the tree's makes it frustrating to play not because of challenge, but simply bad development.

Men of War is certainly a unique series. I spent hours on that game in Junior year. The AI, even if it is a bit scripted, is fantastic.
Also, MP is amazing. I had some fantastic matches with Veho Nex. I remember one where I had a small force under siege in a ruined building and I thought it was going to last a while (units were taking pot shots at each other). I sent in reinforcements but was ambushed en route by VN using concealment. Also I was a moron for using the main roads. Needless to say my units were eventually overwhelmed in the ruined building and the battle moved on but that was one moment that really stood out for me. Also during the siege I had to make my men who were still alive get ammo off of the dead ones. Tough times.

Also the Vietnam game is notoriously bad within the MoW series. Assault Squad is amazing.

[Prussian to the Iron]

Men of War is certainly a unique series. I spent hours on that game in Junior year. The AI, even if it is a bit scripted, is fantastic.
Also, MP is amazing. I had some fantastic matches with Veho Nex. I remember one where I had a small force under siege in a ruined building and I thought it was going to last a while (units were taking pot shots at each other). I sent in reinforcements but was ambushed en route by VN using concealment. Also I was a moron for using the main roads. Needless to say my units were eventually overwhelmed in the ruined building and the battle moved on but that was one moment that really stood out for me. Also during the siege I had to make my men who were still alive get ammo off of the dead ones. Tough times.

Also the Vietnam game is notoriously bad within the MoW series. Assault Squad is amazing.

I figured I would like Assault Squad, since I had read that it was more infantry-based than the original, which will probably be good for me (I really enjoy the small, squad-based missions, like the one in the Russian campaign when you start with one guy and have to round up some partisans to help you release the prisoners and take the German HQ), I will definitely try it sometime. It is definitely a game where micromanagement is extremely important.

If you would like to play with me sometime you should message me on steam

also...how do you change the vertical camera angle? I have no middle mouse wheel, and I can raise it vertically but I can't actually change the angle.

[CountArach]

Is it really that good? Ive heard varying things about it.

It depends on what you are after. If you want an immersive game that rewards long-term play and don't mind a slow start where you have to trade your way up to bigger and better things then yes, it is incredible. But if you want a quick fix or to just play a plot and not fiddle around with the open-world then there are other better games on the market. None of them allow you to hunt space pirates, though. Which, it must be said, is always a positive in any game as far as I'm concerned.

[johnhughthom]

Just finished Heavy Rain on the PS3. Really enjoyed it, was a bit skeptical of a game that is nothing but QTEs, but none of it felt out of place. Probably the closest I have played to an actual interactive movie, I did have a few small gripes with it, mainly one scene that felt as out of place as DX:HR's boss fights, but nothing major. Not something I'd play more than once, I think the writer actually said it's best to only have one play through, but pretty entertaining for that time spent on it.

[CountArach]

Just finished Heavy Rain on the PS3. Really enjoyed it, was a bit skeptical of a game that is nothing but QTEs, but none of it felt out of place. Probably the closest I have played to an actual interactive movie, I did have a few small gripes with it, mainly one scene that felt as out of place as DX:HR's boss fights, but nothing major. Not something I'd play more than once, I think the writer actually said it's best to only have one play through, but pretty entertaining for that time spent on it.

Pretty much my thoughts on the game too. Beyond: Two Souls, byt he same people, is looking quite promising and fixes some of the repetitive tasks of the first one. Fingers crossed.

[Fragony]

Still have to play it, have been collecting dust for 3 years or so, which is odd as I loved Fahreheit

[CountArach]

Finally determined to finish Mass Effect 3.

[phonicsmonkey]

Playing LIMBO on the PC, and Real Racing 2 and SimCity Deluxe on the iPad

really enjoying all of them!

[naut]

Playing a Red Dawn style scenario for ArmA2. Managed to rendezvous with a friendly A1M2 Tusk, which is handy, but there are a lot of Russian helicopters out there.

[Fragony]

Playing LIMBO on the PC, and Real Racing 2 and SimCity Deluxe on the iPad

really enjoying all of them!

Real Racing 2 is fun, great handling, but I have gold medals in all races of the first competition but I can't progress, odd

[phonicsmonkey]

Real Racing 2 is fun, great handling, but I have gold medals in all races of the first competition but I can't progress, odd

That is weird, on my version is says you only need to place in one championship and the beecherton shootout to move up to club level, so I don't know what's going on with yours...

[Fragony]

That is weird, on my version is says you only need to place in one championship and the beecherton shootout to move up to club level, so I don't know what's going on with yours...

Maybe a reinstall will help, otherwise 5 euro badly spend. 5 Euro! You got to love the app-store

[Gregoshi]

Bought Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam this week. My best friend and I have been having an absolute blast with it. In fact we were up until 5am this morning playing - eight hours of zombie blasting goodness. We've been playing on "easy" which is hard enough while we learn the game. We still have to work on not cutting in front of each other while the other is shooting.

[Prussian to the Iron]

I've been skipping between DayZ, Shogun 2, and Dark Souls: Prepare to Die Edition on my computer for the last couple weeks. Balancing this with college is going to be a challenge.

[phonicsmonkey]

Maybe a reinstall will help, otherwise 5 euro badly spend. 5 Euro! You got to love the app-store

I got it for 99c along with NBA Jam, Madden 12 and SimCity Deluxe in the EA sale a little while back!

[phonicsmonkey]

Bought Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam this week. My best friend and I have been having an absolute blast with it. In fact we were up until 5am this morning playing - eight hours of zombie blasting goodness. We've been playing on "easy" which is hard enough while we learn the game. We still have to work on not cutting in front of each other while the other is shooting.

@Zim, @TheFlax and I were playing a co-op campaign in L4D2 a little ways back. I disgraced myself with the sheer scale of my back-shooting.

Hit me up on Steam some time if you want to play through any of the L4D2 co-op campaign (as long as you don't mind getting repeatedly shot in the back )

[Gregoshi]

I disgraced myself with the sheer scale of my back-shooting...(as long as you don't mind getting repeatedly shot in the back )

Gives a new meaning to the phrase "I got your back".

[Csargo]

Bought Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 on Steam this week. My best friend and I have been having an absolute blast with it. In fact we were up until 5am this morning playing - eight hours of zombie blasting goodness. We've been playing on "easy" which is hard enough while we learn the game. We still have to work on not cutting in front of each other while the other is shooting.

I've recently started playing it as well. It's loads of fun, but I'm terrible at it really. I'd be interested in co-op it would be fun I think.

[Fragony]

Bit of Bastion on iPad, it's awesome so far. But I want to play this with a controller I don't think I will ever get used to virtual sticks, does anyone know a good bluetooth controller so I can play it like the xbox version?

[Hooahguy]

Started GTA IV. Overall liking it, but I cant stand the combat. Still early on in the game so its just fists, but I have never used a more unwieldy fighting system in all my years gaming. Half the time I just shove the guy, a fourth it doesnt do anything, and a fourth of the time I actually throw a punch. And trying to kick doesnt do anything.
So thats frustrating.

Seriously thinking about just abandoning Roman and just going on that date I was supposed to go on.

[johnhughthom]

What the heck's a fourth? It's a quarter, you silly American.

[Monk]

No, this is a Quarter.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[johnhughthom]

Doesn't that actually prove my point though? You don't call that coin a fourth.

[CountArach]

Right, but seeing as how a 'Quarter' is more often than not referring to a type of currency (or to refer to the four periods, or 'quarters' in an American Football match) it should then seem a little more reasonable to your foreign sensibilities that an American might be more inclined to use 'fourth' as opposed to 'quarter' in many contexts compared to someone from, say, the UK?

Quite the opposite. A quarter being 1/4 of a dollar in addition to the uses of the words you cited, it seems logical that a quarter would be the most at-hand word for 1/4 of anything.

[CountArach]

You would think so, due to simple association, but human brains are wierd. In the American brain, a quarter-dollar (a noun, an object with value, something very distinct) and a quarter-of-something-else (a plethora of possible whatevers) are entirely different.

This is not to say we don't use 'quarter' in the fractional sense, but the need to be clear in your meaning means that in many circumstances an American will use fourth where an Englishman may not.

Fair enough, that's quite interesting as I've never heard it or seen it anywhere.

[Monk]

Recently rediscovered a game called Semantics, the Argue challenge isn't that fun but it's pretty interesting to go into observe mode for it and just watch other people play. Very good spectator mode all around, can't wait for the DLC: Getting Back On Topic.

[johnhughthom]

I have a question for the devs. Did GC basically just suggest Americans are too stupid to differentiate between the same word in two differents contexts?

[Hooahguy]

All I wanted to know if other Orgahs who played GTA IV had the same problems I had with fighting in the game.

[johnhughthom]

I know exactly what you're talking about, the fight with the Albanians. If you do ignore him and go on the date you still have to fight them anyway... And yes, the controls are pretty clunky. Who cares though, most of the time you have guns.

[Jolt]

Finished Mass Effect 2 yesterday. A good game, but nothing that blows my mind off. The game's plot is extremely slow until the very end, I only started getting hooked to the story as I was getting my last few team members and hooked at the end after what happens when you get the IFF (And I had completed all the side-quests and visited all the planets before going to the final act). I think the main quests should have had more missions where emotional tension and stress ensued.

The last act is a fantastic piece of work. Possibly the only time where I was completely immersed (But hey, I had put 40 hours of game-time into it before the final act, so they had better make my money's worth). Fortunately, those that died at the end were folks I didn't particularly like or care about

As for my character, I was pretty neutral. 3 bars and half of Paragon and little more than 1 bar of Renegade.