The "What are you playing?" topic.

[Beskar]

Playing FF13, so far so good. I heard people whine about it, all I can think is that they have ADHD. The game like FF8 (only other FF game I played) has a lot of story elements etc, and the game is meant to be very story based in the beginning to introduce you to the characters and storyline. So unless you not interested in storylines, etc, you obviously make a pass at the game.

[Hooahguy]

right now im deeply entrenched in Battlefield Bad Company 2
the single player is short, but sweet.
the multiplayer is the best ive seens so far, much better than COD4.
you actually need to use strategy when you play, not just blatant run and gun.

[Meneldil]

Playing FF13, so far so good. I heard people whine about it, all I can think is that they have ADHD. The game like FF8 (only other FF game I played) has a lot of story elements etc, and the game is meant to be very story based in the beginning to introduce you to the characters and storyline. So unless you not interested in storylines, etc, you obviously make a pass at the game.

The Final Fantasy series lost its charm with the PS2. All FF since FF10 then have ranged between "meh" and "terribad". Having played FF13 for a few hours, it goes into the "terribad" category so far.

And that's coming from a dude who refused to hear anything about the Playstation, played FF7 and then ran to the nearest store to buy a PS and the game. A guy who finished FF6, 7, 8 and 9 half a dozen time. A guy who who bought FFX-2 despite the terrible reviews.

Hopefully FF13 Versus will have a more FF7ish tone to it, though I think will still end up as a running fest throughout an endless corridor. And I expect the characters to look retard too. Japanese scifi was bearable in FF8 cause of the poor graphics. It burnt my eyes with FF10 and 12.

Edit:
Still playing ME1, on hardcore. Oddly, I find this playthrough easier than the first one. I had to get used to the whole "take cover and use biotics" part of the game at the beginning, but now I reached the point where I simply fend off waves after waves of Geth and husks. I still go down quickly if I get hit, but it rarely happens. Except if it is significantly harder, I except to breeze through Insanity just as quickly, by using a balanced team.

[johnhughthom]

FF8 (only other FF game I played)

Good choice, my fav FF game. Much better than 7 in my opinion. Haven't played any since 10, I know the games were always very linear, but why did they have to take away the illusion of some sort of freedom in the game?

[Secura]

Playing FF13, so far so good. I heard people whine about it, all I can think is that they have ADHD. The game like FF8 (only other FF game I played) has a lot of story elements etc, and the game is meant to be very story based in the beginning to introduce you to the characters and storyline. So unless you not interested in storylines, etc, you obviously make a pass at the game.

You bought Final Fantasy XIII? Or was it a gift for your birthday? I didn't know you had it; I assume it's for 360, as you don't own a PS3.

SquareEnix should be pleased; this is the first game Beskie has bought for his 360 in a very, very long time. I'm the console advocate, he's more of a PC gamer. :P

Good choice, my fav FF game. Much better than 7 in my opinion. Haven't played any since 10, I know the games were always very linear, but why did they have to take away the illusion of some sort of freedom in the game?

FFVIII is my favourite too; massive graphical step-up from VII, more likeable and realistic characters (compare Tifa to Rinoa, Cloud to Squall) and the Guardian Force system. Loved every moment of it. :3

[Prussian to the Iron]

nothing....unfortunately. damned PS3 decided to die on me right before a 3-day weekend.

[Beskar]

The Final Fantasy series lost its charm with the PS2. All FF since FF10 then have ranged between "meh" and "terribad". Having played FF13 for a few hours, it goes into the "terribad" category so far.

It is no where near terribad. I played 11 hours so far. yes, it is very storybased, but that is that, it is very storybased. If you like pretty much interactive stories, then it is ok. If you want Dragon Age Open-ended RPG, then you are definitely in the wrong game. As for it being very linear at the start, it is, but it is not that bad.

I have a few qwerks with the story, but as I get past the mile-stone, where it apparently goes open-ended, should be fine. So far the game hasn't "lost my attention".

[Meneldil]

On a relative basis, FF13 is maybe not terribad, though it certainly isn't a great game either. But according to previous Snes and PS one FF standards, it is indeed a terrible disappointement.

I played FF10 to death for the sheer respect I have a for the series. But something just didn't work. Then I tried FF12, got bored after 5 hours and never touched it again. I'm trying hard with FF13, just to make sure it's not an "old sob who hates everything new" kind of feeling, but there again, it just doesn't work: I'm bored. The characters are whiny and annoying, and the game feels like you have to run through a 80kms long corridor. Just like johnhughthom said, they took away the illusion of freedom. But then, saddly, the same can be said about most modern RPG's.

That makes me sad more than anything. I wish the new FF's were as good as the 6th, 7th or 9th one.

[frogbeastegg]

Heh, I thought I'd be alone in playing FFXIII here! I shall be starting once I've wrapped up the last bonus objectives and top ranks in Toy Soldiers, which, incidentally, I'm still loving. Highly recommended.

I created a FFXIII thread.

[Xiahou]

After building a new PC a few weeks back, I find myself playing Oblivion once again. Every time I look, I find new "must have" mods. The best new additions this time around include RealisticFatigue, DarNified UI, and the stunning Qarl's Texture Pack....

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[Prussian to the Iron]

gah!!!! God of War 3 just cam eout and now i have to wait a month to play it!!!!

though ive made a resolution to not look up any info about it no matter what.

[drone]

Just fired up the original Dawn of War for the heck of it. Good times!

[Beskar]

Playing Dawn of War Chaos Rising with pevergreen. He is evil, keeps killing all the good guys.

However, I wish they expanded it to a total of 6 squads, with 3 each on 2 player, and even a 3 player option of 2 each.

[Scienter]

I've been playing the new Borderlands DLC, The Secret Armory of General Knoxx for a while. It's a pretty large expansion, lots of new baddies, a new vehicle, and I like the new missions. Oh, and loot!

[drone]

Playing Dawn of War Chaos Rising with pevergreen. He is evil, keeps killing all the good guys.

However, I wish they expanded it to a total of 6 squads, with 3 each on 2 player, and even a 3 player option of 2 each.

Does DoW II still have the ridiculous activation/Steam/GfW-Live requirement? Or did Relic patch that out already?

[pevergreen]

Does DoW II still have the ridiculous activation/Steam/GfW-Live requirement? Or did Relic patch that out already?

Oh no, ONLINE YOU MUST BE.

And you must suffer terrible matchmaking.

On the upside, if you've bought CHaos Rising, if you register the game at THQ (you don't have to input a serial or anything) you get a code to download 6 wargear items!

edit: And it was your choice Beskar. I gave you all the choices a man could want and this is how you repay me?

[Prussian to the Iron]

finally got to play God of War 3 on my friends PS3. sad thing is that I probably will finish it on his PS3......


anyway, great game. brings back fond memories of the first 2, though i alwas find myself at less than half health for some reason

[Warluster]

pevergreen, would you recommend DoW2? I saw it for $30 the other day and enjoyed DoW1/CoH. Is it worth the $30 or should I just wait until Victoria 2/Red Dead Redemption.

As to what I'm playing right now; I am switching between Metro 2033 and BFBC2. Both games are great fun. Bad Company 2's singeplayer was okay, but its multiplayer is stunning. IMO, everything within it is high quality; the sound is one of the best features, the graphics and destructible environment adds to the experince and stratergy, the maps are the works of veteran mapmakers. My only problem is that the connection problems are common (as is lag) and within a game people usually spam a singe class (This is on the PC).

Metro 2033 is a good game. I've only played half an hour, and so far its the most scripted game I've ever played. Extremely linear, moreso then CoD or other games like that. Despite that, I still find it great fun (Though a one playthrough type of game, I suspect) and the atmosphere is entrancing and due to the linear nature of the game it can tell the story true to the book and still maintain the 'environment'.

[Prussian to the Iron]

im not sure if i want to get Bad Company 2. i definitely loved the first one, but I got SOCOM:Confrontation a few days ago, so when my PS3 gets back I'll play that. maybe I'll do the same I did with Bad Company 1; wait a year or 2, then buy it when its $30.

[Hooahguy]

get BC2, its multi is like no other.

[Fragony]

clearly youve never played the bank mission.
or you never tried to get 100% on a mission either.

Clearly you have never played Thief. Splinter Cell isn't a stealth-game, it's a game about stealth. It's as open-ended as gravity the only way is down. In thief you are given a mission, how you want to solve it is up to you. Not a on-rails series of petty stealth-challenges but a semi-sandbox where quick wits and creativity always pays of, or smacks you in the face. Hard. Can you finish the game without even killing a single person? Can you finish the game not having being seen at all, sorry man just sneaking through? Can you make a desperate escape by shooting a rope arrow in the ceiling, climbing the rope and jump on another floor and find a hiding place? No you can't you just have to do what the makers want you to do.

//waits for that other rabid Thief fanboy to confirm

Anyway, playing Darksiders and it's good. I wanted to buy God of War 3 really, but they can shove the 70 euro they want me to pay for it up their , I might just [turn green and go on a Hulk style rampage] for the first time in my life just because of this overpricing. Darksiders on the other hand costed only 20 euro and it's a truly splendid title and it's a pretty damn recent. Combat feels great, the post-apocalypse setting is great, the puzzles are Zelda-esque great, money well spend oh yes.

[Prussian to the Iron]

get BC2, its multi is like no other.

im sure ill get it eventually, but with the new house, the new paintball gun, the ps3 repair, i dont see that in my near future.

[frogbeastegg]

Started Bioshock 2, xbox version. I've made it as far as Pauper's Drop. Thus far I'm not impressed; it's the first game minus the neat and unique and plus a handful of boring. Boring weapons, boring combat, boring level design, and a complete rehash of the opening sections of the original. The atmosphere is weak.

My hard/no vita chamber run of Bioshock taught me to appreciate my plasmids and fight in a creative manner, and here I am in the sequel feeling like my hands are tied because the melee doesn't work how I want, the plasmids feel weak, and the guns are not great. The first proper Big Sister fight wasn't very interesting. The two gathers weren't interesting either. Resource carrying capacity feels artificially limited as your item caps are lower than the original and yet there's resources lying around everywhere which I can't use or pick up.

I'm not convinced by the Big Daddy character at all - I make stomping noises as I walk and control in a mildly (irritatingly) clumsy way, and that's meant to make me a behemoth instead of a regular guy? Then I found a Little Sister and get a rehash of the first game's speech about "Go harvest, it's much better for you!". Big daddies protect the little sisters. It's what they do, are engineered for, and are brainwashed to live for. Why is it presented as so little of a deal to harvest one? They should have stuck to the original idea of having you play an ordinary surface man come to Rapture to search for his missing daughter.

Not fond of the tweaked controls either. Which bright spark decided to put the health pack hotkey onto the d-pad? The d-pad which famously doesn't recognise inputs that well. The d-pad you have to let go of more important buttons to reach? And all so I can have a lame, useless and unwanted melee attack stapled onto the B button instead. :sigh: Look, just give me a designated melee weapon which does an actually useful melee attack when I pull the fire button, ok? Then I won't get hurt so much, and when I want to use my health pack I get healed on the first press while continuing to fight effectively. It's not rocket science. :mutters about it being almost as bad as God of War's insistence on using the right stick for dodge despite it being a lot slower and more awkward that the 'hold block and push direction' command used by most other action games: Amazing how small things like this can infuriate!

They've even gone so far as to re-use 'how much is that doggy in the window?'

[Hax]

//waits for that other rabid Thief fanboy to confirm

How ironic that I totally agree with Fragony. Thief is true stealth. It should be the bar for all stealth games, I think. But the game itself is quite stealthy and not widely known.

[Xiahou]

Fragile Dreams
&
Infinite Space

Both promise to be excellent, based on some initial playtime.

[pevergreen]

pevergreen, would you recommend DoW2? I saw it for $30 the other day and enjoyed DoW1/CoH. Is it worth the $30 or should I just wait until Victoria 2/Red Dead Redemption.

Hi Warluster, havent seen you around for ages! We should totally have an orgah meetup.

30 AUD? Yes. Get chaos rising as well, if you can afford it.

Metro, I've been told by one of my L4D2 friends, has the great atmosphere, but terrible shooty.

[Meneldil]

I finished a second Mass Effect playthrough and despite the fact the game is great, I didn't feel like doing it a 3rd and 4th time (to get all achievements), so I switched to S.T.A.L.K.E.R Shadow of Chernobyl.

I already played it when it was released, though I couldn't finish it because of job+university. It's kind of cool, and wow, it is actually difficult. Playing in normal (STALKER) mode, I often find myself dead when I'm facing a few opponents. Mutants and weird animals are okay, even when they come in pack, but people with guns and whatnot? I'm always outgunned, outnumbered, and have to find way to defeat them without wasting grenades.
Biggest disappointement so far is the plot, or rather, the lack of plot. Ambient is awesome and as spooky as one could hope, too bad it has the same issue as most sandbox games, ie. a lame and uninteresting plot.

I'm also playing Supreme Commander solo game. Just like with the original Total Annihilation, the game is hard until you're able to build the biggest stuff. As for the AI, it's completely scripted, which means you just have to build a dozen guns where it attacks you without ever bothering about the rest of your base. Then wait until you have enough resources to build artillery or nukes that can blow her up from afar, and bam, mission complete.

The game would actually be challenging if the AI was actually a real AI, and not a bunch of scripts. Game still doesn't feel nearly as fun as Total Annihilation. It gets a bit better once you reach T3, but even then, it feels blank.

[CountArach]

Pokemon SoulSilver - Nostalgia is my friend.

[Secura]

Pokemon SoulSilver - Nostalgia is my friend.

I want this... but my DS Lite's finally given up the ghost.

I bought it around... October 2006, and the battery's finally gone, doesn't last more than an hour of charge if that. I managed to complete Ace Attorney Investigations with it, but now it's useless, utterly gutted. Can't afford a replacement or new battery either. :<

[Warluster]

Hi Warluster, havent seen you around for ages! We should totally have an orgah meetup.

30 AUD? Yes. Get chaos rising as well, if you can afford it.

Metro, I've been told by one of my L4D2 friends, has the great atmosphere, but terrible shooty.

I mainly hang around the Interactive History forums.

I'm defintely getting DoW2 after Red Dead Redemption. I love the giant demons the Chaos spawn so much (Especially their animations. I remember one demon from DoW would pick up a space marine and hit him like some sort of gory tennis game).

One way to compare Metro 2033 is that (and I saw this interesting comparison in a review) is that it is similar to the Half Life series. Both games are linear, both games have extremely good atmosphere. While Half Life (2 especially) has better weapons and puzzles, Metro has some really good ideas (such as the need to check air, etc). The only way they can't be compared is that I think the characters of Half Life are much more interesting then Metro, but I have enjoyed both games for the same reasons (Metro is also based on a book so it is expected to have this approach to gameplay, they couldn't make it free-roam). Despite all this its more of a 'rent' game. The only reason to replay it is to re-experince the plot.