What game are you playing?

[ibanezmonster]

They forgot the box of delivery Domino's pizza.

[Lethevich]

Ah, yes, that would truly set the Ham-Beast-O-Meter into the red.

Edit: I've watched a lot of Amnesia playthroughs, idk why, it's compulsive, but Day[9]'s recent one was ridiculously fun:

http://www.youtube.com/v/8fGHJMeTGwg

Skip to 2:20 for the most increasingly scared person you have ever seen

[lisa needs braces]

You know, I try not to be cynical but maybe Day9 was hamming it up for his considerable audience. 

Anyway, I finally reached Platinum League in SC2 in 1v1. I would love to go higher but I simply never feel like practicing (like doing APM drills, practicing builds against computer, etc.)  and that is exactly what it would take to move up (and in fact to probably stay in Platinum.)

And in the single player department I finally started playing this game due to a recommendation:



It's a dungeon crawler that came out in 2006 which continues to have a fairly devoted fandom:

http://www.titanquest.net/tq-forum/forum.php

It's more substantive than Torchlight and I find its classes and setting (ancient Greece) more interesting. 

[Mirror Image]

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be released on Sunday and it's already been getting rave reviews. Metacritic gave it 9.5 out of 10, IGN gave it a 10 out of 10, Game Informer gave it a 10 out of 10, and some have heralded it as the Wii's crowning achievement. We'll see if it lives up to the hype. I've always been such a big Zelda fan. I mean my history with the game goes back to the very first one released on NES. N64's Ocarina Of Time was, however, a game changer. It completely energized and revamped the entire franchise. For me, the next big change came with The Twilight Princess whose dark textures and environment gave the franchise a serious prodding. I hope Skyward Sword delivers on all the promises Nintendo have made to us fans who have had to wait 5 years for a new game.

[TheGSMoeller]

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be released on Sunday and it's already been getting rave reviews. Metacritic gave it 9.5 out of 10, IGN gave it a 10 out of 10, Game Informer gave it a 10 out of 10, and some have heralded it as the Wii's crowning achievement. We'll see if it lives up to the hype. I've always been such a big Zelda fan. I mean my history with the game goes back to the very first one released on NES. N64's Ocarina Of Time was, however, a game changer. It completely energized and revamped the entire franchise. For me, the next big change came with The Twilight Princess whose dark textures and environment gave the franchise a serious prodding. I hope Skyward Sword delivers on all the promises Nintendo have made to us fans who have had to wait 5 years for a new game.

Nothing beats Koji Kondo's theme....

http://www.youtube.com/v/6SiCb-6b-Zw&feature=fvst

[Tapio Dimitriyevich Shostakovich]

Huge world and amazing beauty. I think you could play it 1000 hrs. in order to see everything... And what a time waster!  If I play Skyrim, I cannot practise the clarinet

[Lethevich]

Then there's the mods... I want some simple fix ones first (no third person criticals, no bleeding eyes, etc).

[Mirror Image]

I've been playing Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, but I bought this game tonight and played it some and it's really fun:



For those not familiar with this game, it's a 2D platformer. The graphics, while obviously cartoon-like, are fantastic. The gameplay is excellent. It's been released for all systems: PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii. I bought it for PS3, because I wanted the full HD quality. Glad I did too. This game reminds me of Donkey Kong Country for the SNES. Obviously not graphically, but the way the game handles and it has that DKC feeling, which sadly I think the Wii game Donkey Kong Country Returns severely lacked.

I traded in several games today: Super Smash Brother Wii, Endless Ocean, Batman: Arkham Asylum and Street Fighter: Arcade Edition. With these games I received an $80 store credit. I bought, obviously, Rayman Origins, and I also bought the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword collector's edition strategy guide. You can't play Zelda without a strategy guide IMHO. While I know many who have, they go through the game haphazardly, which maybe okay for some, but I would like to be able to collect, at least, all the items and hearts I need.

[jowcol]

Huge world and amazing beauty. I think you could play it 1000 hrs. in order to see everything... And what a time waster!  If I play Skyrim, I cannot practise the clarinet

I just took the plunge with Skyrim-- loving it so far. I'll need to sleep less to balance job and family-- I think it wlll be worth it.  No shortage of side quests and adventures. 

[lisa needs braces]

Someone noticed this in Battlefield 3:

[Lethevich]

I am currently playing Gabriel Knight 1, and going to replay The Longest Journey after that.

[TheGSMoeller]

Had a child = no more console game 

But have been playing some great iPad games, for example Tiny Towers, Machinarium and Infinity Blade.

[Lethevich]

I am not old enough to have played the early generations of adventure games like Gabriel Knight, Broken Sword, etc - I'm only catching up now - but now that you mention Machinarium, a game that I also enjoyed, I did notice some mild parallels between that game and Beneath a Steel Sky if you're looking for more of that type. Its age makes it less stylish, but that kind of game remains quite fun, and BASS isn't too hideous to be unplayable nowadays (although it's quite bad).

If you're interested, GOG.com offers it for free once you sign up to an account. If you like it, there are similar classics available in their Christmas sale for $3 each. They should be undemanding enough to run on an iPad.

I just realised, that site is Windows only But if anyone else is interested, do try that site out. Ultima IV is another of the freebies, although it's too primitive for me despite being constantly recommended by the fanbase. The Longest Journey is the best adventure game I've played and it's only $5.

[Mirror Image]

Haven't been playing many games at all lately, but I do have this game coming in the mail:

[jowcol]

About 40 hours into Skyrim.  Wow.  Similar to other Bethesda games-- the physics of the game engine is a bit spastic, and it walks a line between FPS and RPG.  For openness, however, this seems about 3  to 4 times as expansive as the last two Fallout releases, and is every bit as immersive.   Maybe moreso.   I'm finding the quality and writing in the side quests (I've hardly touched the main) to be better in most cases than the last two Fallouts as well. 

Although the rendering is still not as sharp as other games, for an overall artistic/immersive impact, the game is amazing, and I'll lose 10-20 minutes at some sites just soaking in the beauty at some vista I've just uncovered -- assuming some bad-ass troll doesn't come out of the quiet, snow draped landscape to tear me a new one. 

I was in the middle of a moderately "Harry Potter" like storyline at the Wizards college when I went back to my home town just to stock up on supplies.  Dropped by the tavern and took up a drinking contest with a very friendly fellow.  Blacked out and woke up to a true WTF moment that took about 10 hours of game time to unravel.  Don't want to provide spoilers, but, I woke up on the other side of Skyrim (one I knew nothing about), and was told I'd been blathering about my upcoming marriage plans and a goat.   


Although I thought the main storyline was better in Fallout NV than Fallout 3, many of the side quests were just running messages back and forth between mulitple parties.  I'm really enjoying my side quests more here.   Although some of the bizarre humor is missing, I'd say that Skyrim is having a much stronger immersive factor than I either of those two Fallouts-- and that is saying a lot.   


There are many more options for playing styles and races-- this is a lot of game for the price.     I'm sure the final main plot line will be a let down after all of this, but I don't care.  this was just what I was looking for.   too bad most of my playing is at obscenely early times in the AM before I wake up the kids, and that I have a family and professional life that stops me from getting fully lost... 



On another note-- for more of a turn-based strategy game, I'm a big fan of the Battle of Wesnoth open source game which is available in IPad for 5$.   This is actually the closest thing you can get to an old hex-based wargame on the IPad, but is more like fantasy small/unit and Individual flavor, and it comes with an obscene amount of content.   The only thing I miss from the PC version (which is free, and worth checking out), is that you can't use the cheat console, and some campaigns have a couple really hard battles , and you can only set the difficulty at the start of a campaign.  I started developing a scenario in WML (Westnoth Markup Language) , as it's very configurable on the PC, but then got crunched for time.  I'm assuming you'd need to buy the IPad App to add new content-- although the author is bringing new campaigns in from the community.

[Mirror Image]

About 40 hours into Skyrim.  Wow.  Similar to other Bethesda games-- the physics of the game engine is a bit spastic, and it walks a line between FPS and RPG.  For openness, however, this seems about 3  to 4 times as expansive as the last two Fallout releases, and is every bit as immersive.   Maybe moreso.   I'm finding the quality and writing in the side quests (I've hardly touched the main) to be better in most cases than the last two Fallouts as well. 

Although the rendering is still not as sharp as other games, for an overall artistic/immersive impact, the game is amazing, and I'll lose 10-20 minutes at some sites just soaking in the beauty at some vista I've just uncovered -- assuming some bad-ass troll doesn't come out of the quiet, snow draped landscape to tear me a new one. 

I was in the middle of a moderately "Harry Potter" like storyline at the Wizards college when I went back to my home town just to stock up on supplies.  Dropped by the tavern and took up a drinking contest with a very friendly fellow.  Blacked out and woke up to a true WTF moment that took about 10 hours of game time to unravel.  Don't want to provide spoilers, but, I woke up on the other side of Skyrim (one I knew nothing about), and was told I'd been blathering about my upcoming marriage plans and a goat.   


Although I thought the main storyline was better in Fallout NV than Fallout 3, many of the side quests were just running messages back and forth between mulitple parties.  I'm really enjoying my side quests more here.   Although some of the bizarre humor is missing, I'd say that Skyrim is having a much stronger immersive factor than I either of those two Fallouts-- and that is saying a lot.   


There are many more options for playing styles and races-- this is a lot of game for the price.     I'm sure the final main plot line will be a let down after all of this, but I don't care.  this was just what I was looking for.   too bad most of my playing is at obscenely early times in the AM before I wake up the kids, and that I have a family and professional life that stops me from getting fully lost... 

You make Skyrim sound interesting. I've heard good things about it. I'm just not so sure about it. I don't know but something inside of me is telling me "DON'T BUY IT!!!" I've spoken with several people about the game and their responses were quite enthusiastic. I'll probably pick it up (eventually). I'll definitely consider it when it drops in price which may be a little while, but I have plenty of other games to hold my interest until that time comes.

[jowcol]

You make Skyrim sound interesting. I've heard good things about it. I'm just not so sure about it. I don't know but something inside of me is telling me "DON'T BUY IT!!!" I've spoken with several people about the game and their responses were quite enthusiastic. I'll probably pick it up (eventually). I'll definitely consider it when it drops in price which may be a little while, but I have plenty of other games to hold my interest until that time comes.

For hours of playing time per dollar, it's a steal at its current price.   But it won't hurt to wait for some patches to come in.  I've had a couple minor glitches and one crash.  For the complexity, that's not bad.

It won't appeal much to the hardcore FPS/Multiplayer crowd, like Halo, or Rage (which I considered getting, but turned down for Skyrim.)

[Mirror Image]

For hours of playing time per dollar, it's a steal at its current price.   But it won't hurt to wait for some patches to come in.  I've had a couple minor glitches and one crash.  For the complexity, that's not bad.

It won't appeal much to the hardcore FPS/Multiplayer crowd, like Halo, or Rage (which I considered getting, but turned down for Skyrim.)

I'm not a FPS fan, but I'm not much for RPGs either. Is it safe to call this game an adventure game?

[Rinaldo]

I'm not a FPS fan, but I'm not much for RPGs either. Is it safe to call this game an adventure game?

Skyrim is an open world RPG, through & through, but it's all about adventure and the way you shape your own hero / story. For a fan of the genre (and the series), I'd say it's a must, otherwise.. it might not be your thing.

I've been playing L.A. Noire recently, as it finally came out on the PC. Cherishing every minute. Solving even the weaker cases is tons of fun and I just love the fact that I can be the "good" guy in a game for a change. I used to be a huge fan of the Police Quest series so this one is a dream come true, even if it's basically a rehash of L.A. Confidential. The technology that drives the virtual acting is fantastic.

[jowcol]

I'm not a FPS fan, but I'm not much for RPGs either. Is it safe to call this game an adventure game?

To me, it's like living in a novel for several months.  It intrudes in your real life, and when you are caught in traffic, you find yourself  worrying about half a dozen threads going on-- some of which you know who won't get to for weeks if you're only playing an hour a day.  I'm not sure if "game" really captures the feeling.   

It does take a certain mindset-- some sessions you'll be wandering over bleak landscapes and managing your logistics and finances.  Other sessions, can be pretty hairy when yo have to clean out a complicated underground necropolis, get caught in a civil war, stage a jail break, etc.  A few times I just find myself wandering in a subterranean grotto or wantering a snowy ridgeline at night and I'm so caught up in the beauty that I don't really do anything rather than be there. 

(If I decided to abandon job and family, the XBox comes with me!)


For the record-- most of my gaming time in the Total War series by Sega-- both turn and real-time strategy games.  I'm not typically into FPS or RPG that much, but the type of games that Bethesda dishes out are something I can't turn down.  Although the dialog choices at each branch are still pretty limited, the way the myriad lines and interactions keep expanding exponentially, and the trully open freedom to explore is something hard to find elsewhere.

I'm curious about LA Noire-- I love the James Ellroy LA quartet.