What are you playing?

[Hailey Knight]

Spoiler

How would they track her down? The only people left alive in the building are potentially 2 surgeons and any guards you missed. Even if they survive to find help, Joel and Ellie will be on the other side of the state and no one knows what they look like except the surgeons... and that's assuming that wasn't the last of the Fireflies. Even if it's not, it could be weeks or months before any Fireflies head to the building to check up on everyone.

Basically what I'm saying is that it's an incredibly remote chance that anyone would go looking for them. Even if they did, they may not have the ability to do anything with the cordecep anymore.

Spoiler

If there had been no more Fireflies, Joel wouldn't have had to stop the elevator. I don't know whether or not they have more medical personnel (I assume so), but I don't think they would be impossible to track. Miranda knew where Tommy was, as Joel did. There's no reason to assume Tommy's location was a mystery to the rest of the Fireflies. Now, they don't know Joel and Ellie are with Tommy, but that's the first place I'd look.

But regardless of that, I found the game's narrative dissatisfying overall. I don't think there's anything wrong with what's there, but I guess I wanted more out of it. If this was Walking Dead, where the only goal was survival, I probably would have been satisfied. But since they added this whole "hope for humanity" thing and got a real plot going, I thought we would learn more about the world, about the spores and such, have some stronger resolution to things, because what we're left with is essentially Ellie and Joel having this uncomfortable relationship where he's open to her being his surrogate daughter, only for her to not really be interested in that. I don't have any problem with that; I just wanted more on it.

The best way I can think to put it is how I feel about the conclusion to L.A. Noire: As an artist, I respect what they did, but as a consumer of art, I didn't care for it.

 

[figmentPez]

I played Papo & Yo yesterday, and I was really impressed. The game mechanics aren't highly impressive, it's a puzzle platformer that is competent but not innovative. However, the art style and story both impressed me. I love the way that the chalk lines in the game carve up and alter the environment, and the world manages to be colorful and grimy at the same time.

Anyway, the story revolves around Quico and his companions Lula and Monster. Lula is a small robot that can flip switches and provides a double jump. Monster is... a little more complicated. He's a huge pink/orange beast, somewhere between a rhino and a bear, sort of. Monster sleeps if there isn't any food around. When he's sleeping you can use his stomach to jump on and bounce to higher areas. If you need him to trigger a switch you can lure him around with coconuts.

The big switch-up to his mechanics happens when frogs enter the picture. Spoiler for anyone who hasn't been told about the theme of the game:

Spoiler

Monster loves to eat giant poison tree frogs more than anything, but when he eats them he turns into a firey enraged version who will attack Quico. He'll stay enraged until he eats a poison fruit, which will briefly knock him out and then he'll return to the friendly version of Monster.

On my second run-though of the game I discovered that Monster will rescue you from a moving wall if you fail in solving a certain puzzle. He'll reach down into the pit you're in, pull you out and give a disapproving shake of his head. Quico looks ashamed and then you can continue playing. I wish the game had used this type of mechanic for more fail states, because I think it helps with the games metaphor to show that Monster can be benevolent to Quico and not just indifferent.

There are some real kick to the feels moments in the game, and I thought the subject matter was well handled, even if the metaphor breaks down at some points (or maybe I just didn't understand well enough). In any case it was a very enjoyable experience, and I think it's well worth a run-through.

 

[bhamv3]

Still working my way through Pokemon Black 2. I've encountered a dilemma.

I just caught Terrakion. Now, Terrakion is awesome, and I'd like to add it to my team. The problem is my current team has no room for it. I have Samurott, Leavanny, Sigilyph, Excadrill, Lucario, and Magnezone.

As a physical attacking Fighting/Rock type, Terrakion would most likely replace Lucario or Excadrill. This would also remove one of my three Steel types, and reduce my weakness to fire types. However, both Excadrill and Lucario are incredibly sexy in combat, and I'm loathe to remove either of them.

I'm stumped.

 

[Hailey Knight]

How about not using a legendary and continuing the game with a legit team?

 

[GasBandit]

I've been playing an Anarchy-spec Mechromancer with friends in Borderlands 2. I just got The Fibber, and I already had The Bee shield.... and now the game is officially broken. We killed Terramorphous in 30 seconds using less than 50 pistol shots each, three times last weekend. I say "we" because they were present while I just repeatedly did 800k+ damage per shot.

So now I try not to use that gun. I use something else like the Hellfire or Moxxi's Bad Touch most times. But if we start to get into a seriously difficult encounter... I can whip out the Fibber and end it in seconds.

 

[Frank]

Oddly enough, Chrono Trigger on my DS since I haven't been at home much lately.

Just got Dragon's Crown in the mail. Ready to boot up that hot mess of art fun.

 

[Hailey Knight]

I'm about ready to give up on Zelda: Oracle of Seasons. I love a lot about this game, but because there's no Hyrule Field type hub, instead having a maze of outdoor screens with their own rules and respawning enemies, trying to pick it up after taking a break is an ordeal. I had to use a walkthrough to figure out how to get out of a place where I finished a dungeon, and then when I had to traverse the same area, I was lost again. It's a pain in the ass to get anywhere. I don't mind glancing at a walkthrough for a point in the right direction, but to have to go step by step like this ... it's ridiculous. I'm sure Oracle of Ages and Link's Awakening are the same way, as I know Link to the Past is. I'm seriously reconsidering whether I want A Link Between Worlds. I love the dungeons, but getting to them shouldn't feel like I'm in the Blair Witch Project.

On happier notes ... Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate. I just discovered item mixing. This game is way more complex than I realized and now I wish I hadn't sold all those materials I found in the first few quests for near-worthless money.

Also replaying Portal 2. It's amazing that so many of my favorite moments in gaming come from one game.

 

[Dei]

Playing some Pikmin 3 with my kids, and trying yet again to make progress in Lunatic mode on Fire Emblem: Awakening, but this time with Casual mode, even if I do feel like I'm cheating.

 

[bhamv3]

How about not using a legendary and continuing the game with a legit team?

Legendaries don't necessarily mean overpowered. Terrakion is allowed in the competitive metagame, for example, while Excadrill is banned. And there are legendaries that are widely considered useless. (Articuno, all four Regis, etc)

Anyway, I decided to stick with Lucario and Excadrill in the end. They both have their specific uses on my team.

 

[Docseverin]

Everquest. I am hooked so damn hard again it's not even funny. I am currently grinding AA's...help!

 

[GasBandit]

Everquest. I am hooked so damn hard again it's not even funny. I am currently grinding AA's...help!

... as in, Everquest 1?

... Huh.

I knew that was still active, but never thought I'd run into anybody who actually still played it.

 

[CrimsonSoul]

... as in, Everquest 1?

... Huh.

I knew that was still active, but never thought I'd run into anybody who actually still played it.

I just ran into a friend I hadn't seen since high school a few weeks back (oddly enough he works about 100 feet from me) and still plays eq1

 

[Hailey Knight]

Playing some Pikmin 3 with my kids, and trying yet again to make progress in Lunatic mode on Fire Emblem: Awakening, but this time with Casual mode, even if I do feel like I'm cheating.

I'm playing Hard mode in Fire Emblem. Even with Classic on, since Chapter 9 it's felt kind of easy. I don't know if that's from doing too many side mission things or if that's just how the game gets. Does it get more difficult again as it continues on or is there just a big hump to overcome in the beginning that just evens out as the game goes on?

 

[Dei]

There are some tricky missions, but I felt it was very easy. Lunatic is completely dumb though.

 

[Hailey Knight]

There are some tricky missions, but I felt it was very easy. Lunatic is completely dumb though.

I'll have to try it, but probably not until I beat the game on Hard.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I picked up the ultimate edition of Fallout New Vegas during the steam sale (it was cheaper than buying the individual DLC) and so have been playing the shit out of that. I never got far in New Vegas the first time, so it's like playing an all new game. Decided to go high science energy weapons character, and so far I've been loving it. Scrounging for power packs and any kind of tech to craft and repair my lasers in the beginning felt much more survival-like than when I went guns.

Just finished the Honest Hearts dlc. Didn't think it was that great, but I've never liked tribal stories in Fallout. Joshua Graham the future mormon was pretty awesome, though.

 

[Hailey Knight]

Dodge, slash, slash, dodge, slash, block, chase, sharpen weapon, watch monster eat, throw down the trap, tranq, slash, slash, tranq, AND DOWN HE FUCKING GOES! I love Monster Hunter 3, but I have work soon, so I should sleep now, but goddamn, taking down a big monster after a long fight/chase feels so fucking great.

 

[Bowielee]

Just got Pikman 3. It's my first Pikman game and so far it's pretty groovy.

 

[Frank]

Just smashed Last of Us' face in.

I don't know, I feel pretty blah about it.

Spoiler

Winter was such an intense segment that everything afterwards felt like....winding down.

 

[Bowielee]

I discovered the wonders of the Dolphin emulator this week. I don't feel guilty about using it because I actually own the games that I'm playing. The upscaling features are nice. It's giving me some HD Wind Waker while I wait for the actual remake in October.

 

[Ravenpoe]

Still playing the shit out of Fallout: New Vegas. The Honest Hearts DLC was blah, but so far the Dead Money DLC is amazing.

The Sierra Madre is creepy as fuck

 

[Frank]

Sierra Madre has atmosphere to spare but I very quickly got sick of the sensor hunting. That felt like it slowed progress to an unbearable crawl.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I haven't found it to be too bad yet, but I also tend to move slowly and methodical, exploring every nook and cranny.

 

[GasBandit]

Man, I was really psyched about the Rise of the Triad.

Can't play it for more than a half hour without getting a crosseyed headache.

 

[Ravenpoe]

Man, I was really psyched about the Rise of the Triad.

Can't play it for more than a half hour without getting a crosseyed headache.

Have you tried adjusting the field of view?

 

[Hailey Knight]

I beat Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

I don't feel like I really earned it--the set of beans at the end was garbage, so the AI wasn't have much luck either in making good combos--yet since I couldn't get past level 2 as a kid, it feels like a big deal.

Also, end credits rolls used to be way shorter. This took maybe a minute, if that. Compare that to today, the end credits can go ten minutes depending on the game.

 

[GasBandit]

Have you tried adjusting the field of view?

It's set the same as my borderlands FOV, I think it's more the speed of turning/moving and the fact you can't turn motion blur off, despite what the advanced settings panel would have you believe.

 

[Frank]

I beat Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine.

I don't feel like I really earned it--the set of beans at the end was garbage, so the AI wasn't have much luck either in making good combos--yet since I couldn't get past level 2 as a kid, it feels like a big deal.

Also, end credits rolls used to be way shorter. This took maybe a minute, if that. Compare that to today, the end credits can go ten minutes depending on the game.

Having just beat Chrono Trigger on the DS, which has 3 sets of unskippable credits (fucking unbelievable, one is the original SNES credits, then it's the PSX port credits, then it's the DS port credits) before you can do the you beat the game save, I long for the simple days of the quick credits.

 

[Hailey Knight]

Having just beat Chrono Trigger on the DS, which has 3 sets of unskippable credits (fucking unbelievable, one is the original SNES credits, then it's the PSX port credits, then it's the DS port credits) before you can do the you beat the game save, I long for the simple days of the quick credits.

That's ridiculous.

And it also sucks because then you have to watch those tacked-on cutscenes that explain the transition from Chrono Trigger to Chrono Cross, a transition that fucking sucks.

Spoiler

Hey, glad you loved those characters, here's a cutscene implying half of them and their possible children get butchered, now go play the shitty sequel.

If I ever get Chrono Trigger again, it's going to be the Wii VC version, without all the bullshit and Athenian Water.

 

[Frank]

That's ridiculous.

And it also sucks because then you have to watch those tacked-on cutscenes that explain the transition from Chrono Trigger to Chrono Cross, a transition that fucking sucks.

Spoiler

Hey, glad you loved those characters, here's a cutscene implying half of them and their possible children get butchered, now go play the shitty sequel.

If I ever get Chrono Trigger again, it's going to be the Wii VC version, without all the bullshit and Athenian Water.

I didn't hate the cutscenes

Spoiler

(actually watching on youtube, I never got that one where everyone is killed either, which may have bugged me more).

I did begin to hate the added on Reptite village. Run up this mountain, now run down this mountain, now run up this mountain, now run down...FUCK YOU, solve your own problems.

 

[Hailey Knight]

I didn't hate the cutscenes

Spoiler

(actually watching on youtube, I never got that one where everyone is killed either, which may have bugged me more).

I did begin to hate the added on Reptite village. Run up this mountain, now run down this mountain, now run up this mountain, now run down...FUCK YOU, solve your own problems.

There are a ton of stupid sidequests, leading up to a secret boss (another tie-in to Chrono Cross).

 

[Hailey Knight]

Nintendo, why the hell did you have to release a demo of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team? I'm supposed to abstain from this until Christmas.

But it's fun. It's really fun and charming. It's everything I wanted Paper Mario Sticker Star to be. You can see where Nintendo's effort and creativity went. I don't think I'm gonna make it through the day without buying this.

Fuuuuuck.

 

[Ravenpoe]

I'm at the Dead Money finale.

Fuuuck this final level is hard. And not in an entertaining way, just super frustrating. So many goddamn radios.

 

[Frank]

That shit just became filler to make it take longer than it should. Ruined that whole thing for me.

 

[Dei]

Nintendo, why the hell did you have to release a demo of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team? I'm supposed to abstain from this until Christmas.

But it's fun. It's really fun and charming. It's everything I wanted Paper Mario Sticker Star to be. You can see where Nintendo's effort and creativity went. I don't think I'm gonna make it through the day without buying this.

Fuuuuuck.

I bought this game, which was a bad plan because I told my husband I'd help him paint the garage today. 2 hours later...