Video Games...Discuss Them

[Irish]

Davis got a job with Capcom and is astroturfing Match Cut!

[D_Davis]

Davis got a job with Capcom and is astroturfing Match Cut!

Ha! Yeah, From Software fired me.

[EyesWideOpen]

I got a coupon in the mail for a free month of unlimited rentals at my local blockbuster so I'm planning on burning through all the shorter games I've been meaning to play that I never got around to.

I played through Asura's Wrath over the weekend. It was fun but once again I fell for the Giant Bomb hype about how balls out crazy a game was (also with Saint's Row The Third). It felt like I was playing an anime. Nothing that much crazier then you would see in one of those. The cutscenes and the QTE's were the best part unfortunately half the game is a mediocre 3D action game where you're fighting the same type of enemies pretty much the whole way through and the fighting consists of hitting the enemies until you build enough "burst" which will take you to the next scene. It got really repetitive by the time I was at the end and I was ready for the game to be over.

So I returned that today and got Syndicate.

[Sycophant]

I wonder if the guy who kept killing you in 1-4 is the same guy who killed me a bunch of times? I think his name started with an L.

I agree with Demon's Souls being more strategic, and that the bosses were easier than in Dark Souls. If Demon's Souls had better and more useful armor (I don't like how some armor is gender specific, and that heavy armor is all but useless) I might like it better than Dark Souls. There is something about the Nexus, and the way the levels keep opening up that I really like. It feels a bit more direct, like you can get to the action faster. Sometimes in Dark Souls I feel like I'm wondering around a lot.

I actually kept my starting equipment (save for my sword) the entire game, which I really was surprised at. Dark Souls offered me a lot of options, and while I settled into my favorite blend of stuff eventually, that was late game. The only decent armor I ever found in Demon's I might have likd to upgrade to was for males only.

I really like the expansiveness and interconnectedness of Dark Souls's world, but there is something amazing about the sprawling, clearly delineated worlds of Demon's Souls. They're pretty different ideas, but I think they both work great. So much so, I don't care which direction From goes with the successors (Though I do like how the Nexus feels more than Firelink, really).

[megladon8]

I think I'm officially hooked on "Just Cause 2".

Similar to "Skyrim" (or my favorite open-world game of all time, "Vice City"), the moment I realized they had succeeded in creating an open-world playground was when I was en route to a new mission, just driving there, and ended up spending 2 hours doing other stuff before I got there.

There's so much to do in this game, and every time I feel like the insane-o-meter has topped itself, I find some other new, incredible feat that I can do.

It's an enormous world, too. I think the size of the map may very well exceed "Skyrim" in terms of sheer KM, and it's a beautiful, lush, detailed island.

The story is pretty much non-existent and the script and voice-acting painful, but I've just been skipping through these parts. I listen to what I need to know for the mission, then hit START.

It's a very cool game, the adrenaline constantly at 11. Free falling feels incredible, as does whipping out your parachute at the last possible moment.

[D_Davis]

So far, Dragon's Dogma is pretty good. More than anything, it feels like a video game version of Dungeons & Dragons. As a matter of fact, this could easily be an updated version of Capcom's old arcade D&D games; too bad it's not, really. I don't know what it is about the game that makes it feel more like D&D than any other video game RPG, but it really does. The pawns have been great so far, and my own pawn has been hired out a few times already, thus rewarding me with more currency to spend on better pawns.

The game is janky as hell though. Pop in abounds, the textures are muddy, and the frame rate dips and dives, but not worse than Dark Souls really.

The world is also not open like Skyrim. It's more like Kingdoms of Amular. However, the ability to jump and grab ledges adds little bits of platforming here and there.

The combat is also really fun, and surprisingly strategic. It is not nearly as precise as DS; in that game, every move counted. In this game it's more arcade-like, but you have to pay attention to your positioning and take your time. Moving around the battle field and repositioning your pawns is key.

[KK2.0]

I'm very interested in Dogma as well, and the similarities with Dungeons and Dragons are intentional, I've read that the game was considered a spiritual sucessor to Shadows over Mystara and the name starting with two 'D's are definitely not a coincidence.

I wish it had true multiplayer though, looks like the perfect game for coop. well, at least it looks like a fun solo game.

[Sycophant]

I was hoping my DD preorder would be here today, but it looks like tomorrow at the earliest, maybe Thursday. Alas!

Davis, have you ever looked into Monster Hunter? It has yet to sweep me off my feet, but I suspect its depth and online capacities would appeal to you. That said, I don't know that you own a platform on which you can play it.

[KK2.0]

recently i've got the pixeljunk bundle for mere $2 at the PS store and was surprised at how addicted I've became to Pixeljunk Monsters, until now the only tower defense game that grabbed me for longer than a quick look was Plants vs Zombies, but I couldn't put Monsters down until I've beat the campaign yesterday. Great value for the price.

[D_Davis]

Davis, have you ever looked into Monster Hunter? It has yet to sweep me off my feet, but I suspect its depth and online capacities would appeal to you. That said, I don't know that you own a platform on which you can play it.

I wish they'd release a true next gen version on the PS3 or 360. I'm not sure why they haven't - seems really weird to me. I'd love to play it, but I'm not much of a mobile gamer, and I don't have a Wii any more.

[D_Davis]

I've read that the game was considered a spiritual sucessor to Shadows over Mystara and the name starting with two 'D's are definitely not a coincidence.

That is exactly what I thought, looks like the feeling was intentional. I'd love to see a game like this with the actual D&D license.

[megladon8]

I, too, just can't seem to develop that love for mobile games that I have for consoles.

I bought a DS a couple years back and it was pretty cool for a few months...then I started to find it very limited and the games never as deep and satisfying as what consoles had to offer.

I frequently found myself saying "It's really good...for a portable game."

I'd rather play games that are just really good, period.

[D_Davis]

One thing about DD - it is absolutely nothing like Dark/Demon's Souls. I don't even understand how those original comparisons were made, except out of sheer laziness.

[KK2.0]

Maybe it was because of the 'night time' gameplay footage they released.

In fact, that was the first time the game actually went from 'hmmm' to 'i want this' for me. I always wondered why nearly no game uses day and night cycles to any advantage, when I've saw that footage of characters roaming in pitch black forests, with only the small lanterns as a guide and a bunch of zombies came crawling from the earth I went

[D_Davis]

I, too, just can't seem to develop that love for mobile games that I have for consoles.

I bought a DS a couple years back and it was pretty cool for a few months...then I started to find it very limited and the games never as deep and satisfying as what consoles had to offer.

I frequently found myself saying "It's really good...for a portable game."

I'd rather play games that are just really good, period.

For me, gaming is something I do at home. When I'm out, I'm doing something that doesn't involve video games. I also like to use my commute times to read. I've just always associated video games with something I do while at home. I, too, had a DS, and I barely used it at all. As a matter of fact, I put it somewhere about 3 years ago and can't remember where.

[D_Davis]

Maybe it was because of the 'night time' gameplay footage they released.

In fact, that was the first time the game actually went from 'hmmm' to 'i want this' for me. I always wondered why nearly no game uses day and night cycles to any advantage, when I've saw that footage of characters roaming in pitch black forests, with only the small lanterns as a guide and a bunch of zombies came crawling from the earth I went

There are definitely some intense moments, and the combat is a ton of fun. I just completed the first major dungeon, and it was really neat. I also love the pawn system. It is really, really cool.

[Sycophant]

I use my GBA, my DS Lite, my PSP, and my 3DS about as much as my consoles, depending on what game currently has my interest. I also play them almost entirely at home. Some of my favorite games are portable games (Super Mario 3D Land is the best Mario game in at least twenty years).

[D_Davis]

What RPGs do you like on the PSP?

[Irish]

I, too, just can't seem to develop that love for mobile games that I have for consoles.

I feel the same way. There's a couple of mobile games (Dungeon Hunter II, Civ Revolutions) that were fun in passing, but they never approached the entertainment value of full fledged console or PC games.

@Davis Are you console only or PC too? Go grab a copy of Legend of Grimrock. It's $15 on Steam & a helluva lot of fun.

[D_Davis]

@Davis Are you console only or PC too? Go grab a copy of Legend of Grimrock. It's $15 on Steam & a helluva lot of fun.

Yeah - I've been following that for awhile, unfortunately I don't think it'll run on my PC. Looks pretty cool.

[EyesWideOpen]

When I'm playing games I want them on as big a screen as I can get and with as comfortable controls as I can get and no handheld offers this so it's why after a month or two my handheld's sit untouched.

[D_Davis]

One thing I don't like about DD is that your progression is far more based on level/items/purchased skills than it is your own ability to play well. It feels more traditional RPGish in this sense; unlike Dark Souls, I doubt you can actually beat this game without leveling, or keeping your level low. It's far more grindy.

[Dukefrukem]

When I'm playing games I want them on as big a screen as I can get and with as comfortable controls as I can get and no handheld offers this so it's why after a month or two my handheld's sit untouched.

40 inch computer monitor FTW

[megladon8]

I really don't like computer monitors all that much.

I don't know what the technical difference is, but something about computer monitors hurts my eyes after a while, whereas a TV I could stare at for hours on end without discomfort.

[Dukefrukem]

I really don't like computer monitors all that much.

I don't know what the technical difference is, but something about computer monitors hurts my eyes after a while, whereas a TV I could stare at for hours on end without discomfort.

Well my 40 inch "monitor" is technically a TV.