What are you playing?

Seriously, what is it about this new Pokemon that has everyone who's ever played it crawling out of the woodwork?

Pokemon is usually popular, but this is something different.
The graphics are no longer sprites, but cel-shaded, 3D world. The communication barriers between players are pretty much gone entirely. Simultaneous worldwide release, meaning everyone gets to be excited at the same time.

These are the major factors that separate it from previous games. Obviously there are lots of smaller tweaks and improvements, plus new Pokemon.
 
My brother's been playing it too, he said a lot of it comes from tweaks that allow a much better play experience in general and some other interesting new things, like using the Pokemonamie to evolve Evee, or turning your 3DS upside-down with an appropriate level of one certain monster to evolve it.
 
Seriously, what is it about this new Pokemon that has everyone who's ever played it crawling out of the woodwork?

Pokemon is usually popular, but this is something different.
Let's say I'm walking along, battling npc's and whatnot, and one of my friends comes online. I get a little notification on the bottom screen saying so, and it even shows me their little player avatar. At any time, I can tap that avatar and ask to trade, battle, share goofy little videos that you can make, or just voice chat, all without having to go to a pokemon center. When trading this way, you can even trade directly from your stored pokemon boxes, without having to go take out the pokemon that you want to trade.

You can also see a list of random players around the same area that you are, and do the same with them. If they accept a trade or a battle, they get put into a second category called acquaintances, and if you continue to trade or battle with them, they can even become friends and go on your friends list, without having to swap friend codes (though they're only friends for pokemon, not added to your master nintendo list of friends)
 
Apparently to evolve Evee to the new Fairy version, you have to get to the highest loyalty ranking with it in Pokemonamie.[DOUBLEPOST=1381899081,1381898983][/DOUBLEPOST]
Been playing New SMB U. I take back previous negative statements, it's fun as fuck and Baby Yoshis are crazy OP.
Man, some of the later levels are brutal. I missed this kind of Mario game, I'm loving it. Getting all the Star Coins isn't just about finding hidden areas, either, some are skill-based (jumping on enemies over a death pit, etc).
 
Man, some of the later levels are brutal. I missed this kind of Mario game, I'm loving it. Getting all the Star Coins isn't just about finding hidden areas, either, some are skill-based (jumping on enemies over a death pit, etc).
I think one of my main issues with it is that I've already played all the other New SMB games on the DS and the Wii, so by the time this one came around, it was just kind of tiresome. I'm assuming you hadn't seeing as you said you missed that type of game.
 
I think one of my main issues with it is that I've already played all the other New SMB games on the DS and the Wii, so by the time this one came around, it was just kind of tiresome. I'm assuming you hadn't seeing as you said you missed that type of game.
Maybe he means the challenge. Don't know if you've tried New Super Mario Bros 2, but it's the easiest Mario game I've ever played.
 
Kid Icarus Uprising: I'd say that got weird, but it's been that way. It got a little darker, seemingly.

Code of Princess: I don't know why, but this is fun now. Maybe I was doing something wrong. This seems to happen with some Atlus games. The story is still stupid shit (I know it's on purpose, but still), but the battles don't suffer from slowdown. I think the princess's power is to briefly slow time and maybe what I was doing when I first played this in May was spam that without knowing what it did, thus making the battles slog. It feels much more exciting now.

Of course, the real question is why I'm not playing Pokemon Y right now. No idea.
 
You can buy the SMB U with SLU included in it, instead of having to buy SMB U and then upgrading it separately.
 

Necronic

Staff member
Started up State of Decay last night. Amazing zombie game. Premise is you build a base with other survivors that you can switch to and control. Large sandbox world to explore. Here's the best part. Character Permadeath. So you really can't get too attached to one character, you're playing the entire party. I really wish they had the multiplayer in it though.
 
Started up State of Decay last night. Amazing zombie game. Premise is you build a base with other survivors that you can switch to and control. Large sandbox world to explore. Here's the best part. Character Permadeath. So you really can't get too attached to one character, you're playing the entire party. I really wish they had the multiplayer in it though.
Actually, there really isn't any reason NOT to only play as one character once you get your base going. Coffee and soda are common things that you get from your locker, so you never have to worry about tiredness. Really, the only reason to switch around is if you kind of suck at the game and get injured or to train people to better fight when you aren't playing them. Otherwise there is no reason to ever switch from the first guy you get.
 
Borderlands

So my wife goes, "Hey, you should totally play as the girl, she looks cool." So now I'm playing as Lilith. I found her starting weapons, the SMG and the pistol, to be unimpressive, so now I'm packing a shotgun and a sniper rifle. Is there any disadvantage to this? The shotgun and sniper rifle are awesome.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Borderlands

So my wife goes, "Hey, you should totally play as the girl, she looks cool." So now I'm playing as Lilith. I found her starting weapons, the SMG and the pistol, to be unimpressive, so now I'm packing a shotgun and a sniper rifle. Is there any disadvantage to this? The shotgun and sniper rifle are awesome.
You can play her how you want and not be crippled, but later in the game, Lilith's elemental buffs will really make the best weapon for her the Maliwan Hellfire - an SMG. But the Maliwan Volcano - a sniper rifle - is also an excellent choice for her.

Also, later in the game the shotguns (and assault rifles and autopistols) tend to fall behind compared to the SMGs, Snipers, and revolvers, mostly due to the supremacy of elemental effects. Of course, anything made by Atlas generally trumps most everything else.

This changes up a bit in BL2 though. Shotguns get a lot better especially, SMGs get a little weaker, and the pistol types are merged. ARs still kinda meh though.
 
ARs are fine if you are willing to build solely around them. I know my Roland made excellent use of an Ajax's Spear, which basically let him kill most of the bosses in 1 or 2 clips. But then again Roland is super OP in Borderlands, which is why they nerfed the turret of the Commando in BL2. It's still OP, but not in quite so many ways.

But yes, if you are playing Lillith, you want elemental weapons and that means SMGs. Hell, SMGs in general are great in Borderlands.

Once you start Borderlands 2 though... I'm not sure if I'm alone in this but I think the Torgue gyrojet rifles are OP: they are good against everything, you can make the damage better with Bad Ass perks, and the explosions from the rounds shred armor almost as well as corrosive. Manage to slag something first and it's even worse.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
ARs are fine if you are willing to build solely around them. I know my Roland made excellent use of an Ajax's Spear, which basically let him kill most of the bosses in 1 or 2 clips. But then again Roland is super OP in Borderlands, which is why they nerfed the turret of the Commando in BL2. It's still OP, but not in quite so many ways.
Ajax's Spear is pretty darn good, yes. It's an Atlas weapon, so that comes naturally. However, if you're playing the game in chronological order, it doesn't come until very late in the second-to-last DLC. You can get a hellfire and volcano pretty easily by or in the Trash Coast.

But yes, if you are playing Lillith, you want elemental weapons and that means SMGs. Hell, SMGs in general are great in Borderlands.

Once you start Borderlands 2 though... I'm not sure if I'm alone in this but I think the Torgue gyrojet rifles are OP: they are good against everything, you can make the damage better with Bad Ass perks, and the explosions from the rounds shred armor almost as well as corrosive. Manage to slag something first and it's even worse.
I find it depends on the class in BL2, and even on the build. Anarchy-spec Gaige with a good quad shotgun, even if it isn't orange, is a completely gamebreaking murder machine.
 
I find it depends on the class in BL2, and even on the build. Anarchy-spec Gaige with a good quad shotgun, even if it isn't orange, is a completely gamebreaking murder machine.
If you have the charged slag perk, does that effect all of the shots from her shotgun at once or does it only effect a single pellet of it? Because if it's all of them... my god.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
If you have the charged slag perk, does that effect all of the shots from her shotgun at once or does it only effect a single pellet of it? Because if it's all of them... my god.
Not sure. Honestly, with her damage, I've never even needed slag. With a Jacobs Texas Quad, she pretty much one-shots everything, sometimes getting multiple things with one shot. Using "The Fibber," she solos Terramorphous in 30 seconds (with 2 other people in game, so he's 3-player difficulty level).
 
Not sure. Honestly, with her damage, I've never even needed slag. With a Jacobs Texas Quad, she pretty much one-shots everything, sometimes getting multiple things with one shot. Using "The Fibber," she solos Terramorphous in 30 seconds (with 2 other people in game, so he's 3-player difficulty level).
I really need to pick up the GotY version that is coming out for PC. I have it for 360 but it's kind of pointless to buy the DLC when I can get it all for free with the GOTY version.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
I really need to pick up the GotY version that is coming out for PC. I have it for 360 but it's kind of pointless to buy the DLC when I can get it all for free with the GOTY version.
It's so very worth it. Hell, the Tiny Tina DLC alone would be worth the price. It's got a gun that shoots swords that explode into more swords that explode.

"BECAUSE REASONS!!!" - Mr. Torgue
 
Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy - Nostalgia trip over. With the last song unlocked, I think I'm done with this one, and feeling a little dumb for buying as much DLC as I did. Maybe it'll be used in the sequel, Curtain Call, but for this edition, I've had my fill.
 
I've been playing the beta of Contagion, a zombie mod on the HL2 engine. It's a decent game, I have FAR too much fun playing as a zombie in some game modes. Just roaming around like a zombie in zombie mode then catching survivors unaware that you're not a regular zombie is awesome.
 
The Stanley Parable

This started as a Half-Life 2 mod, but they recently released it as an expanded, full game on Steam. I picked it up on an impulse and it's hilarious. Some of the things that happen when you restart the game or take a different path are hilarious.

So far, my favourite ending is the broom closet ending.
 
I WOULD be playing Lego Marvel Superheroes if they got their shit together for the Steam release. Pre-ordered off of gamer's gate. Got steam code. Redeemed steam code. No game.
 
Played a little State of Decay. Yeah I'm not touching this thing again until release. It has ALOT of promise and is fun but the bugs, glitches and save errors are just enough to make me wait.
 
Played a little State of Decay. Yeah I'm not touching this thing again until release. It has ALOT of promise and is fun but the bugs, glitches and save errors are just enough to make me wait.
Having played it on Xbox, I can confirm that the actual gameplay IS fun. However, there are a few problems...

- If you don't play every day, you're going to come back to a safe house devoid of resources. This can make it VERY hard if you want to move your base or build an upgrade, but don't want to spend hours looking for lumber. It will always be lumber too, because you'll never run out of anything else except bullets.
- Not playing every day tends to have you come back to missing people as well.
- The story is none existent. You have a few story quests but the stuff with your neighbors will resolve unsatisfactory. Main quest is kind of dumb too. Don't really get much out of doing side quests.
- There are tons of guns, but you'll never use one unless it's silenced. Loud guns will bring hordes and strays right at you, making your job a hell of a lot more difficult. Same goes with explosives unless it's against a fatty. Melee is king.
- Cars don't respawn. If you wreck too many cars (and you will wreck MOST OF THEM due to hordes) it can make things difficult. Get an auto shop ASAP.
- There are like 3 voice actors for a cast of dozens. People will start to look alike too.

Basically, it's a fun game... but you need to look past a lot to get there.
 
Just bought Kenshi on Steam. It is still in Alpha but it is quite promising. Wasteland Survivals Squad RTS where you can build your own base,trade,fight bandits or go city raiding.
 

GasBandit

Staff member
Started getting into Gnomoria again. It's officially in beta now. Also still playing occasional games of Killing Floor and TF2, usually when I see somebody else already playing it. Apart from that, lots of AA, though tonight might be the last night of that for a little while.
 
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