What are you playing?

[Hailey Knight]

Getting back into Scribblenaughts and finding myself having an easier time coming up with things than before. Not sure why.

I also found a puzzle I refuse to do, in which you have to drop a poop, a spiky ball, and a star into specific underwater slots. It can go die.

Going on a trip in February, so I may at last finish Phantom Hourglass then so I can start Spirit Trails.

 

[Bowielee]

I hope Spirit Tracks is a little more ambitious than Phantom Hourglass, I replayed it again recently and made it through the whole game in the space of maybe 4-5 hours.

 

[AshburnerX]

I could never get past the terrible controls in Phantom Hourglass. I rented it and played it for awhile, but I just couldn't get into it because of the controls.

 

[Bowielee]

I actually loved the stylus controls in Phantom hourglass.

 

[Jake]

I hope Spirit Tracks is a little more ambitious than Phantom Hourglass, I replayed it again recently and made it through the whole game in the space of maybe 4-5 hours.

I liked Spirit Tracks more than Phantom Hourglass, but a DS Zelda is never going to be too epic, methinks.

 

[AshburnerX]

I hope Spirit Tracks is a little more ambitious than Phantom Hourglass, I replayed it again recently and made it through the whole game in the space of maybe 4-5 hours.

I liked Spirit Tracks more than Phantom Hourglass, but a DS Zelda is never going to be too epic, methinks.[/QUOTE]

I dunno... Link's Awakening on the original GB was fantastic and Oracle of Seasons/Ages were pretty damn nice too. I didn't get a chance to play Minish Cap, but I heard nothing but good things about it. It honestly seems like the problem started with Phantom Hourglass.

 

[Shegokigo]

Link's Awakening was flippin fantastic.

 

[AshburnerX]

Link's Awakening was flippin fantastic.

I know! It kind of felt like a proto-Ocarina of Time, with it's emphasis on telling a story and having an actual cast of characters that changed over the course of the game.

 

[figmentPez]

I actually loved the stylus controls in Phantom hourglass.

I did as well. My only complaint was that rolling was imprecise (trying to hit trees was a pain). I hear that rolling is done differently in Spirit Tracks.

 

[Bowielee]

I actually loved the stylus controls in Phantom hourglass.

I did as well. My only complaint was that rolling was imprecise (trying to hit trees was a pain). I hear that rolling is done differently in Spirit Tracks.[/QUOTE]

Yeah, I gave up on even trying to do the rolling after the first time it tells you how to do it. Seeing as it's not at all important to the gameplay, I didn't really mind.

Oh, and on the What am I playing front, I finally was able to get the Tales of Monkey Island pack with all 5 episodes.

 

[Hailey Knight]

I hope Spirit Tracks is a little more ambitious than Phantom Hourglass, I replayed it again recently and made it through the whole game in the space of maybe 4-5 hours.

I don't think I could ever finish a Zelda game in that short of time. I dick around too much, and forget puzzle solutions once solved. Probably why I've played Ocarina of Time five times or so; it always feels fresh.

Side-note: I too loved the stylus controls.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

Got myself one of those PS3 thingamabobs shortly after Christmas and quite enjoying it...even if it's taking away time from schoolwork.

Still, got a chance to play some of the following:

Batman Arkham Asylum: Beat it with nearly all of the Riddles found (and only one did I look up on an FAQ). Damn good game. In fact, not only is it, hands down, the best Batman game to date, but arguably the best superhero game to date.

Katamari Forever: Hee, I love me the katamari.

Saints Row 2: Nearly beat it with a good portion of the side missions finished. There's something very odd and hilarious about escorting ho's in a pimped out FBI truck wearing a pimp suit and shooting people with a pimp cane shotgun.

Dead Space: I...wasn't crazy about it. It felt like galatic whack-a-mole.

Uncharted: Kinda dug it, but not a fan of the endless amount of baddies that you have to duck-cover-shoot against. There was a moment where I crashed my plane in a jungle or something and was fighting dozens of baddies in just one area. It brought the story to a screeching halt, much to my dismay.

Ratchet & Clank (Tools of Destruction): It was either buy a second controller for $54 or buy R&C with it for $59. And goddamn is this game fun. The sheer amount of weapons is, by far, the highlight of the game.

Dante's Inferno (demo): It's God of War minus Greek mythology plus Christian mythology. Kinda fun. Might rent it and that's about it.

Also, I went buy-crazy during Steam's holiday specials. On top of that, I only spent a little over $20 by the end of it (I think; I didn't do the math). Max Payne 1&2, the Ben There Dan That games, World of Goo, Machinarium, Braid, Zombie Driver (a big eh for this one), the LucasArts collection (a gift from a friend). It was like combining impulse buying with flea market prices.

 

[figmentPez]

I've been playing Trackmania United Forever. I'm not a huge fan of racing games, but I wanted a change of pace, and this was on Gametap and it's 64-bit compatible. I'm not sure if it's better than other racing games, but I'm having fun with it, for now.

 

[Kitty Sinatra]

I've got that game. It's kinda fun.

Weirdly, I like building my own tracks but have never found a good track created by someone else.

 

[@Li3n]

DISCIPLES 3, the russian version translated with Google Translate...

Damn it's buggy, and some choices in the changes they made from 2 where rather uninspired, but as with Heroes of M&M 4 i'm still managing to play it and enjoy it somewhat... hopefully they'll fix it in the end instead of going bankrupt like NWC (well 3DO, the publisher actually) did, requiring the fans to try to fix the balance and stuff.

 

[Alucard]

Currently playing Bad Company multiplayer. Recently achieved the rank of a 3 star. Most of the rounds you'll play are fun except for a few.
The new multiplayer skins in Uncharted 2 multiplayer are a bit humorous as well.

 

[Bowielee]

I'm really glad I picked up Titan Quest Gold for 5.00 this week. I've been playing the hell out of it, enjoying it's Diablo-esque goodness.

 

[Shaw Coyote]

Etrian Odyssey for the DS, Tales of Vesperia for the 360, and some friends sucked me back into LOTRO.

 

[figmentPez]

I'm really glad I picked up Titan Quest Gold for 5.00 this week. I've been playing the hell out of it, enjoying it's Diablo-esque goodness.

I was this close to getting it, but in the end I wasn't sure when I'd get around to playing it again, I've already got access to it on Gametap and my subscription isn't up until November (I'm canceling it then). What class combo are you playing? I went with a Nature/Spirit combo, which gave me a rough time near the end of the first difficulty level.

 

[Bowielee]

I'm going with a naturalist/dream combo right now with my friend playing as an earth/storm combo. It works out pretty well, his earth elemental tanks with backup from my wolves, I heal and throw out distortion waves to slow the enemies. The animation of the Sylvan Nymph when running is freaking hilarious.

 

[Shaw Coyote]

Earth/storm is a killer combo once he gets to max out combustion. I did that with a friend of mine, and it was a little rough for awhile, but it really comes into it's own once he gets his AOE's.

 

[Bowielee]

Yeah, we're nearing the end of the expansion pack and we basically chew up anything that's thrown at us. I only have to spot heal.

 

[CynicismKills]

I played through Mass Effect 1 again, beat it as an Infiltrator Commando with Garrus and Liara. Wish I had the cash for ME2.

 

[Oddbot]

Uncharted: Kinda dug it, but not a fan of the endless amount of baddies that you have to duck-cover-shoot against. There was a moment where I crashed my plane in a jungle or something and was fighting dozens of baddies in just one area. It brought the story to a screeching halt, much to my dismay.

The shooting parts were MUCH better paced in Uncharted 2. Even if there's a long stretch of shooting, its never kept in one place, they keep you moving around to new areas. The AI is smarter too and often won't just sit there behind their cover and peek their head up for you to blast them like in the first game.

 

[Officer_Charon]

Empire: Total War and Company of Heroes on the PC, Mass Effect 1, Dragon Age:Origins and Mercenaries 2 on the 360. Saving up cash for ME2...

 

[@Li3n]

Finally got off my arse and beat the Elder God (final boss) from Legacy of Kain: Defiance... i don't know why i got stuck at him last time, it wasn't that hard, i'm having trouble with Janos Audron now because my lack of practice in games like it (them being console only lately).

Man, now i want them to do one more game to finish the story already, it's a crying shame that they cancelled Dark Prophecy...

OMG, Amy Hennig worked on Uncharted?! Damn, now there's no way she'll be back for any LoK related stuff...

 

[Hailey Knight]

After a couple computer changes and wipes kept deleting my progress in Half-Life 2, I finally got past the farthest I got (near the end of Water Hazard, just before you get the gun on your boat) which was reached sometime in early 2008. As fun as the chases were, I'm glad to at last be done with that damn boat.

And I'm very glad to finally have the gravity gun I've heard so much about! Ravenholm lives up to the dark whispers I've heard over the years as well. I'm having fun with it again and I'm glad I have so much game left, not onlyl of this, but of the Episodes I never played.

 

[@Li3n]

The concept of backing up saves is not something you're familiar with, is it?

also, WHERE IS EP. 3 ALREADY VALVE...

 

[bhamv3]

Episode 3? Nah, the series ended with Episode 2. Gordon and Alyx lived happily ever after at White Forest base, where they kept a fully-fueled helicopter as an ornament in their hangar. Kleiner and Magnusson retired from science and rocketry to swap labcoat maintenance tips with Uriah. Every now and then, while relaxing on their sofa with a large mug of headcrab juice, they'd remark to one another, "I wonder what happened to Judith and that ship - what was its name, the Borneo? Ah well, I suppose it doesn't really matter." And then Gordon would go out to whack a few more headcrabs, for the juicer.

 

[fade]

I just started Resident Evil 4. This is the first Wii game I've bought for myself. I've heard good things, but I find it lacking the creepiness of the older RE games. The massive ammo supply makes it too easy. I must say the rifle and scope are fun for good ol' zombie head-splattering fun.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

Add me to the list of people getting impatient for Episode 3. Or, at the very least, SOME kind of mention of progress on it.

As for games played lately?

Brutal Legend
It's pretty dang fun, actually. There's not enough music consistently through the game, though. It's mostly sequestered to when you're driving around (which is fun as hell thanks to the AWESOME music). And the RTS elements? Yeah, they're there, but it doesn't bother me that much since it's nowhere near as complex as other ones. I can pump my guys up with a guitar solo boost and send them in. A few times, I've had to think a little (like going with a group of roadies to destory some towers), but overall, it's not that big a deal to me.

Of course, given that I'm a casual metal fan, it just rocks so hard visually and musically. The presentation on the game alone has been worth it for me.

 

[Hailey Knight]

The concept of backing up saves is not something you're familiar with, is it?

also, WHERE IS EP. 3 ALREADY VALVE...

Pre-snark: I've looked up Half Life 2 save files and found nothing about an independent save file for it. It seems embedded in the game itself, at least if you're running it off Steam like me.

Snark: Because when your computer needs formatting, or the motherboard dies, or you're just doing routine back ups of important files such as school projects, work, tax info, et cetera, video game saves are very low on the priority list.

Edit: Wow, that eye-rolling emoticon sucks.

 

[figmentPez]

Pre-snark: I've looked up Half Life 2 save files and found nothing about an independent save file for it. It seems embedded in the game itself, at least if you're running it off Steam like me.

Snark: Because when your computer needs formatting, or the motherboard dies, or you're just doing routine back ups of important files such as school projects, work, tax info, et cetera, video game saves are very low on the priority list.

Edit: Wow, that eye-rolling emoticon sucks.

I've transferred my HL2 saved games before, so I know it's possible. There is a folder called SAVE somewhere in the SteamApps folder, I think. I'll check when I'm on my desktop.

Of course, that may not be necessary anymore, now that the HL2 series has Steam Cloud support. I'm not sure how it works, but it's supposed to backup your saved games for you, along with keybindings, sprays and other stuff.

 

[Bowielee]

The saves are in Program files(program files(x86) if you're on 64 bit windows)/steam/steamapps/[steam username]/[game(HL2, portal, etc...]/[game]/SAVE

Yes, it is embedded in there pretty far, but it was easy enough to find seeing as this is the first time I ever attempted to find them.

 

[ThatNickGuy]

So, given that one of my favourite parts of Brutal Legend has been the music, I looked to see if there was a soundtrack. Found one on...well, it rhymes with Buy Rat Stay.

And holy crap, does it ever KICK ASS. I'm kind of a casual fan of metal, mostly from songs that bands have done as wrestling enterance themes like Motorhead. And this whole album just KICKS TOTAL ASS. So far, I'm going back to Motorhead a lot, but there's some great Ozzy in here, too. And the one song I keep going back to is Motley Crue's "Kickstart My Heart". Think that'll be a song to add to my mp3 player when I'm running.