ICO finally came in through the mail.

If there's one game that's worth having a physical, boxed copy of it's definitely ICO. The boxart for this game is just beautiful.

I probably won't be playing it until I've beaten Tomb Raider: Anniversary though. And from the looks of it it's going to take me a loooong time to finish up that game.

So, I put together a spreadsheet of my backlog now that I've stripped down my game collection and used howlongtobeat.com to get average completion times for each game. And the total estimated time that it will take me to clear out my backlog of games is 2487 hours :(

Approximately 2487 hours to beat 102 games. That's averaging about 25 hours per game. The worst thing is that I can't help getting more games. I already have Castlevania 4 and Contra 3 on the way. I buy games a lot faster than I finish them, with the intention of finishing everything I buy. I really need to try and limit myself and I think I'm nearing the point where I have all the main games that I want, but I'm constantly discovering new things that catch my interest.

I would love to clear up my backlog but even with this new stripped down one, it's feeling like an impossible task.

What is up with the Ganon battle at the end of Link to the Past? It's not even a hard battle it's just bullshit that you can get knocked off the edge and have to start over.

1. Get knocked off the edge
2. Go back and buy potions or whatever else you need
3. Go back and start the battle again
4. Get to the final part of the battle
5. Go back to point 1.

I've enjoyed LttP on the whole but I really don't get how some people view this as the best entry in the series. Many of the dungeon designs felt frustrating, not challenging. And maybe it's just me trying to get through the game as fast as I can but I feel like the game just consisted of going from one dungeon to another. Sure, that's generally what Zelda games consist of but I feel like in the 3D Zelda games the game world had more of a role. I enjoyed exploring the world a lot more in the 3D Zelda games and it was nice to have breaks between the temples in Ocarina of Time for example. You couldn't just go straight to the next temple, but instead you usually had to go off and do something first.

Anyway, hopefully I'll get A Link to the Past beaten tonight. I still have A Link Between Worlds to play at some point as well, but it's unlikely to be the best thing I stat playing.

Resuscitation time!

The GF got me into Sims 3, so of course after modding all my sims to have veiny penises and making them walk around naked I had my fill and went to see what DLC I could get to enhance the game.

Imagine my surprise when I discovered it costs around £200 or something ridicuclous to get it all. Disturbing.

Also, it lost some of the charm sims 2 had. Why can't I trap people in pools anymore? For shame, EA.

Mighty morphin penis ranger

I beat Battleblock Theatre yesterday, the last couple of stages were pretty brutal. Overall it was pretty good but nowhere near the level of Castle Crashers. If you took out Stamper and the cutscenes it'd be pretty lame really. That ending was amazing though.

At 7/28/14 07:30 AM, phrozonfire wrote:

Mighty morphin penis ranger

Who the hell makes this stuff? There's someone out there who makes it their duty to get dicks on sims asap after a new release. What a hero.

At 7/28/14 07:30 AM, phrozonfire wrote:

Mighty morphin penis ranger

Man what's that mod called, I need to try it out.

I have all the DLC that I wanted, set me back at least £150.

Worth it though I have 400 hours just on Sims 3, I used to whore out Sims 2 as well.

At 7/28/14 12:04 PM, Jackho wrote: If you took out Stamper and the cutscenes it'd be pretty lame really.

Honestly don't think I'd like it without them.

Tomorrow is PS4 day for me. I got my first pay cheque at my new job, so this is my first purchase. Comes bundled with Infamous: Second Son, and I'll be buying TLOU: Remastered as it comes out tomorrow.

At 7/28/14 12:58 PM, Makeshift wrote: Tomorrow is PS4 day for me. I got my first pay cheque at my new job, so this is my first purchase.

I've been working full time for about 6 months now and still haven't felt compelled to get a PS4 or Xbox One. I thought a PS4 might be one of my first purchases too. What's going on with these consoles? I feel like I rarely hear anyone getting excited about new releases / upcoming games. I literally don't know anything that that's due to be released or anything worth making me want one of the consoles. Granted, I'm pretty much out of the loop these days when it comes to current gen gaming but still, surprised nothing has caught my interest yet.

The only game I know is coming out that I'm interested in right now is D4 and unfortunately that's an Xbox One exclusive. And the only reason I'm interested in it is because I loved Deadly Premonition so much that I'd quite like to see Swery's latest game.

At 7/28/14 12:26 PM, Snuff wrote: Man what's that mod called, I need to try it out.

Enjoy adding veiny cocks to all the women, you disgusting freak.

At 7/28/14 12:04 PM, Jackho wrote: Who the hell makes this stuff? There's someone out there who makes it their duty to get dicks on sims asap after a new release. What a hero.

I wouldn't want it any other way. God bless that pervert.

At 7/28/14 03:13 PM, Dean wrote: Granted, I'm pretty much out of the loop these days when it comes to current gen gaming but still, surprised nothing has caught my interest yet.

The first year of every console is more a testing ground than anything. Not to lessen them in anyway, but all the prime mustard shit comes later. I never buy a console new, I patiently wait for it's library to develop, so you know exactly what to get and whether it'll be worth it.

At 7/28/14 03:13 PM, Dean wrote: PS4

Dude you haven't even finished half of your PS3 games. At least wait for the PS4 to actually get a game or two.

At 7/28/14 03:13 PM, Dean wrote: I've been working full time for about 6 months now and still haven't felt compelled to get a PS4 or Xbox One. I thought a PS4 might be one of my first purchases too. What's going on with these consoles?

I'm not sure you're the right type of person to own a new console quite yet. I'm the type who buys everything as it comes out if I can.

At 7/28/14 07:12 PM, Jackho wrote: Dude you haven't even finished half of your PS3 games. At least wait for the PS4 to actually get a game or two.

I don't plan on getting a PS4. That was the whole point. I haven't heard of a single game (excluding D4) that makes me want to even consider getting a PS4/Xbox One.

At 7/29/14 12:23 AM, Makeshift wrote: I'm the type who buys everything as it comes out if I can.

In other words you're a foking silly bollock who hates money and loves wasting it. Whatever boats your float m8. I bet you fund kickstarters too.

At 7/29/14 06:10 AM, Jackho wrote: I bet you fund kickstarters too.

I'm undecided on whether or not I like the idea of kickstarter. It's a great way for fans to help fund legitimate projects but I get linked to so much half assed games on that site now.

What really bugs me though is that selling "early access" to games is a thing now. Why the fuck are people paying near full retail prices for games that are in Alpha/Beta stages? Why are people paying to test a game? Developers are meant to pay for testers, not be paid by testers. It's fucked up. Maybe if it was a model like Minecraft, where people could pay small amounts really early in the beta and as things get nearer to completion the price rises to reflect it, but even still, paying for beta access is fucking stupid as far as I'm concerned. Should not be a thing.

I'll be scrolling through Steam and see something like Wasteland 2 advertised at full retail price, think to myself "I didn't even realise that was out yet", click on it and find out it's for "early access". It's a joke. If developers are making a tidy profit from a game they haven't even finished yet surely they start to lose some of the motivation to make a quality product. I mean if something is already making you money in a half finished state, does it really need to be as polished as you hoped before releasing it? Why bother if it's already made decent money.

I dunno, I just think paying near full retail price for unfinished games is ridiculous.

At 7/29/14 06:10 AM, Jackho wrote:

At 7/29/14 12:23 AM, Makeshift wrote: I'm the type who buys everything as it comes out if I can.

In other words you're a foking silly bollock who hates money and loves wasting it. Whatever boats your float m8. I bet you fund kickstarters too.

Never funded a Kickstarter before, but when it comes to games I get a lot more enjoyment from playing them on release for some reason. And if the game turns out shit, I sell it and only paid about $20 in the end to play the thing. It's worth it for me.

At 7/29/14 08:41 AM, Dean wrote: I dunno, I just think paying near full retail price for unfinished games is ridiculous.

I wish a lot more people had the same thought process. It's one thing to support a game that you want to see created because you like the concept, but a lot of people see it as purchasing a product and then feeling cheated when said product doesn't meet their standards, encounters development issues etc. You're investing in an idea that may not ever come into fruition, you have no right to complain about it just because you dropped 20 dollars on it.

Early access should be used for games that have clear gameplay value in their current state e.g. Kerbal Space Program, Minecraft, Rust, Day-Z etc. Incredibly sick of every game being released months ahead of schedule so that you can bait some people into buying into paying for the chance to beta test your game, something that was previously done as a service - not an experience to be sold.

At 7/29/14 01:05 PM, Tramps wrote: Early access should be used for games that have clear gameplay value in their current state e.g. Kerbal Space Program, Minecraft, Rust, Day-Z etc.

Completely agree on that one. Games like Day Z will actually give me more play time when I get them during their early access period. I love going back to it after each big update and playing for a few hours. Haven't done it in a while, but I plan on when there's another decent chunk of stuff added (it's getting fairly good updates lately). And then once that game is finished I'm sure I will spend hours with all of that content. Hoping it turns out to be a solid game.

Anyone around here have a PS4? I need to pad my friends list because all of my friends are on PC or Xbox. My PSN is whalepowered.

At 7/29/14 08:41 AM, Dean wrote: I dunno, I just think paying near full retail price for unfinished games is ridiculous.

I don't think it's technically a purchase anyway, more that you're willingly handing over money to fund whatever and getting a half copy just as a thank you. Of course people don't see it that way though since people are twats and jump at the chance to get angry at something.

I'll never fund anything on kickstarter. Closest I came was Wasteland 2 and by the looks of it the final game will be ass in comparison to the concept that sold the game to the backers in the first place. Give me a good final product and I'll pay for it, paid promises can fuck off.

At 7/30/14 12:03 AM, Jackho wrote: I don't think it's technically a purchase anyway, more that you're willingly handing over money to fund whatever and getting a half copy just as a thank you.

That's not how it's marketed though. Steam has a FAQ page about Early Access. Basically, it's saying if you like the look of a game you can buy it before it's released and that community feedback can potentially change how the game develops. It even says "This is the way games should be made."

I agree that giving fans access to the game prior to release in order to receive feedback and allowing their feedback to change development decisions is potentially a good thing, but fans shouldn't be having to pay to do this. If they want fan feedback they should give free beta access and then make them pay for the final release.

On the topic of Wasteland 2, why are they even doing an early access if early access is for "funding" the game? They made over 3 times their Kickstarter goal, surely they can't need further fan funding by offering early access. This is part of why I don't like early access. It suckers people into buying an unfinished game and then if it's looking a bit shit during the early access they can just be all "don't worry, it's not finished yet".

I guess I just don't like the concept of early access. Can't help feel that it's more likely to have a negative result on the final product than a positive one. Maybe I'm just too cynical and I certainly don't know much about what goes on behind the scenes in the video game world.

At 7/29/14 11:17 PM, Makeshift wrote: Anyone around here have a PS4? I need to pad my friends list because all of my friends are on PC or Xbox. My PSN is whalepowered.

I have a PS4 but haven't touched it since I got it in November. I figured I'd get it for Kingdom Hearts, Infamous and probably some other stuff that takes my interest but I still have yet to play it. Infamous is out but I'm waiting for the price to go down more. Poor student and all that. Waiting for a good reason to dust it off.

You poor fools, this is only why you buy a new console AFTER it's been out a few years.

At 7/31/14 07:09 PM, phrozonfire wrote: You poor fools, this is only why you buy a new console AFTER it's been out a few years.

Yep, I regret buying it so much. As a poor student, I could have made so much out of that £400 I spent.

At 7/31/14 07:09 PM, phrozonfire wrote: You poor fools, this is only why you buy a new console AFTER it's been out a few years.

idc I'm makin' bank now bitches

Finally got around to ordering Bob Chipman's book SMB3: Brick By Brick, should be in my mailbox this Saturday. Read some reviews on it and a majority of them are not too favorable. Still interested in this book, mainly because I'm writing something in a similar fashion and want to see how he went about doing it.

After having a PS4 for a few days and having had an Xbox One for a couple months I can safely say there is nothing useful the Xbox One does that the PS4 doesn't do better. Like fuck, this console is so many steps ahead. It feels so much faster, and I fucking LOVE the Dualshock 4. Not regretting the purchase at all.

At 8/2/14 11:09 AM, Makeshift wrote: I can safely say there is nothing useful the Xbox One does that the PS4 doesn't do better.

This is tripping me up, I want the Halo: Masterchief Collection so bad but that's pretty much it, along with the controller which seems nicer.

Got these bad boys today. Back in the days when I actually had video game stores to visit, I remember flicking through this Oblivion guide book and wanting it so bad (loved Oblivion) but didn't want to spend money on a book when it could have been spent on games. Finally got myself a copy all these years later.

Got the Fallout 3 guide from the same person and it's actually much nicer than the Oblivion one in terms of content. Just feels like more effort went into it and it still has the wall chart. Both are in like new condition as well which I wasn't expecting.

Admittedly I really just got them as collectors items or whatever the term is, but they're pretty cool to flick though and just nice to have.

Anyway, just thought I'd share these mammoth things. Thought they're pretty cool.

At 8/8/14 11:39 AM, Dean wrote:

Anyway, just thought I'd share these mammoth things. Thought they're pretty cool.

Oh man those are cool. I would never spend money on a game guide but I would definitely buy those two as collector's items. The Oblivion one looks fantastic, I always loved the GOTY edition's artwork. Probably because it's the one I got originally.

My girlfriend gave me a copy of Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4 for the PS2. It was supposed to be a birthday gift, but it arrived way too late for some reason.

Anyway, I can't wait to play it. I've been hearing so many good things about this game. I first want to finish up Okami though.

At 8/8/14 11:39 AM, Dean wrote: Anyway, just thought I'd share these mammoth things. Thought they're pretty cool.

Those look awesome!

At 8/8/14 11:53 AM, Snuff wrote: Oh man those are cool. I would never spend money on a game guide but I would definitely buy those two as collector's items. The Oblivion one looks fantastic, I always loved the GOTY edition's artwork. Probably because it's the one I got originally.

The Fallout 3 guide is 752 pages and has a poster size wall chart with various sub-way maps on it. Seems to go into way more detail too. For example, it has pictures of all the weapons in the game where as the Oblivion guide just lists them in a table with various stats. The Oblivion guide is 496 pages in comparison though. They're pretty text heavy too. I just like having them because it's like having a physical copy of a wiki for the games.

I don't actually have many game guides. I have a Final Fantasy X guide that I got with my PS2 and a Dragon Quest VIII guide that came bundled with the game when I bought it off ebay. Still want to get the Skyrim Legendary Edition guide some day too. That thing is HUGE. Would have liked to get the hard back edition but it seems to sell for like £50+