Decided to play through the entire Dragon Quest series in order, excluding X.

Cleared I-III and going to start IV this weekend. I've completed them all in the past, not including IX Sentinels of the Starry Skies. IV-VI I'll be emulating on DS because I prefer the port to the originals and don't feel like patching a translation. Difficult to rank my preference of this series, but VIII is easily the best and my favorite. Level 5 really hit a home run with the ce;-shaded graphics, the skill system and huge colorful open world to explore while maintaining the mechanics; it's great.

I think VII is the most popular in Japan and I enjoy the game, but holy shit does it start slow. It takes upwards of two hours to get into the meat of the game. Yawn. DQI is probably my least favorite simply because it's so outdated, only allowed one party member and was improved upon in sequels. RPGs nowadays are too easy. One could say the grind gave it artificial difficulty, but there's something bittersweet about accidentally wandering into an area of strong monsters to early. In DQII running into a group of 4 green dragons only to be ambushed and remain helpless as they all spew fire onto your whole party. Game over and there is nothing you could do. Alternatively running into Gold Batboons and not killing them off quickly enough once they reach critical HP levels and watching as they use Sacrifice. Was it unfair? Definitely. Do I love it? Definitely.

The game threw everything it had at you before reaching the final save point, like a personal vendetta to stop you.

The line between poorly balanced mechanics and challenge in RPGs is a tight line to walk, but I for one miss the tension and fear of enemy encounters. Having to know little details like Shields of Strength restoring HP when used in battle and that certain enemies were weak to sleep or instant death was so fun to discover as a child. Enix kept the Hero's sword with the same stats was also a nice touch.

The third game wrapped up the Erdrick trilogy nicely and was one of the first console RPGs to implement a class based system that you could choose at the beginning and alter as you see fit. Probably the inspiration for a lot of other titles, even though it borrowed heavily from D&D.

When I finish I'll pop back in and rank the series. Probably take me a month, just as a guess.

At 9/5/13 05:12 PM, Sense-Offender wrote: I just wonder if you can kill people with the bow without alerting others. I've only killed animals with it.

Yeah it counts as a silenced weapon, it's brilliant for that kind of thing.

Watched about an hour of gameplay for Killer Is Dead and holy shit... I must play this gem.

I was thinking about this a hour ago but their any chance that Hideo Kojima would also be expanding the story of The Boss from MGS3 centered somewhere around the 1940s and 1950s ? ARound what time would Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin come with the initial designs for the similar machines before the Shagohod .What would it have been called? would it go over how she developed the CQC Moves, How would the story even go?

At 9/8/13 05:54 PM, argile wrote: I was thinking about this a hour ago but their any chance that Hideo Kojima would also be expanding the story of The Boss from MGS3 centered somewhere around the 1940s and 1950s ? ARound what time would Aleksandr Leonovitch Granin come with the initial designs for the similar machines before the Shagohod .What would it have been called? would it go over how she developed the CQC Moves, How would the story even go?

Nothing like that has really been let on, but on the other hand no one knew that you'd be playing as Raiden for the majority of MGS2 until it was released, so who knows.

At 9/8/13 05:06 PM, Elixur wrote: Watched about an hour of gameplay for Killer Is Dead and holy shit... I must play this gem.

Any idea what's up with the Pink Floyd reference?

At the risk of bringing up old news, I noticed that Grand Theft Auto 5 is coming out...
I'm getting old. I never really played GTA (Other then the 2nd) because I never owned a PS2.

But, its more or less about how many sequels exist these days, compared to when I was a kid.
Take Mario Party for example, there used to be three. Now there's like nine of them...
I like to think back to when I used to play those classics with 3 or 5 friends. Seems like only yesterday.
I know it sounds silly, but video games are sometimes a way to show you how much time has actually flown by.

This is a public service announcement. I purchased Amnesia A Machine for Pigs on Steam and completed it in two and a half hours and I went really fucking slow. It's literally a walking simulator. No inventory, no sanity meter, simple bring key to lock puzzles. It has no gameplay AT ALL. Very minimal scares, most of which are jump scares.

SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER
SPOILER

The story is about a man who wakes up and notices his kids are missing and so he explores his mansion to find them. He gets lead around by this other guy who promises to help him find them. He ends up turning on this machine that wrecks havoc on London streets. Realizing you've been fooled, you turn the machine off. That's the end of what happens in the game. (By the way he is the wealthy owner of a pig butchery/plantation/whatever the fuck you call it.)

What actually happens is the main character is having an existential crisis and wanted to rid the world of all people, in an effort to prevent future world wars and damage the planet or some shit. He starts by killing his kids.

This was a quick cash in on the Amnesia name. The devs who made the original better step in, apologize, offer refunds and turn around and high tail it back to the studio to put out an actual GOOD game before all of their credibility is gone. Personally, I've learned my lesson.

Fuck man... buyer's remorse. DON'T BUY THIS SHIT, WATCH A PLAYTHROUGH if you must experience the story.

That is all.

At 9/10/13 04:54 PM, Elixur wrote: This is a public service announcement. I purchased Amnesia A Machine for Pigs on Steam and completed it in two and a half hours and I went really fucking slow.

I was actually considering buying it too.

I just rented Killer is Dead and Alice: Madness Returns. Both have mixed reviews so it'll be interesting to see how they are.

I got System Shock 2 for paying $6 on the new Weekly Sale Humble thingy, but I have the game already so someone take this.

Steam key: 005WX-Q4MX5-NWR0X

At 9/12/13 02:08 PM, Makeshift wrote: I got System Shock 2 for paying $6 on the new Weekly Sale Humble thingy, but I have the game already so someone take this.

Steam key: 005WX-Q4MX5-NWR0X

I have no idea what it is but thanks

At 9/12/13 02:24 PM, Snuff wrote:

At 9/12/13 02:08 PM, Makeshift wrote: I got System Shock 2 for paying $6 on the new Weekly Sale Humble thingy, but I have the game already so someone take this.

Steam key: 005WX-Q4MX5-NWR0X

I have no idea what it is but thanks

You've never heard of System Shock? It's often considered one of the best PC games of all time. Bioshock is it's spiritual sequel.

These new humble bundles are pretty good. I've been wanting Shadow Warrior, Brutal Legend and Fez.

So, Microsoft updated their Xbox Live service to change everything from Microsoft Points to real currency. In doing this, I've noticed that a few DLC options have gone away in games that I own. Anyone else experience this?

Well, it turns out, I was wrong. There was no Steam Special 10-year anniversary. Well, at least, Tomb Raider, Activision and Rogue Legacy are having a sale.

VHQMG-KGJJK-49890
Risen 2, Sacred 2 Gold, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third Steam Key

Old humble bundle keys. you get all three. If you do partake in this, then please check out humble bundle and support. ALso if you get them, let everyone know.

At 9/12/13 05:42 PM, kidd25 wrote: VHQMG-KGJJK-49890
Risen 2, Sacred 2 Gold, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third Steam Key

Old humble bundle keys. you get all three. If you do partake in this, then please check out humble bundle and support. ALso if you get them, let everyone know.

Thanks for that man. I just got the recent humble bundle, always been interested in Fez.

At 9/12/13 03:20 PM, ZJ wrote: So, Microsoft updated their Xbox Live service to change everything from Microsoft Points to real currency. In doing this, I've noticed that a few DLC options have gone away in games that I own. Anyone else experience this?

I can't cancel my gold membership anymore from this, I have to ring up.

At 9/12/13 09:21 PM, Snuff wrote:

At 9/12/13 05:42 PM, kidd25 wrote: VHQMG-KGJJK-49890
Risen 2, Sacred 2 Gold, Saints Row 2, and Saints Row: The Third Steam Key

Old humble bundle keys. you get all three. If you do partake in this, then please check out humble bundle and support. ALso if you get them, let everyone know.

Thanks for that man. I just got the recent humble bundle, always been interested in Fez.

Hey Gamers stand united, It's kinda been a little joke of mine I say round' college. but always happy to share/play/help

I purchased The Last Of Us (finally) and completed it about twenty minutes ago. Really feel like blowing off some steam, I mean wow. Going into it I didn't expect this level of writing from Naughty Dog. I outright despise the Uncharted games, but man does this title turn a 180 degrees from their prior work. (in a pleasant way)

I'm almost certainly going to go into a lengthy character consuming rant or review, but I will say gameplay wise it felt a hell of a lot like Resident Evil 4, except it allowed stealth, which is a vast improvement. Scavenging for gear, food and ammo left a lot to be desired and really made me crave an open ended game in this style and setting.

I'm still battling with the ending. It's made abundantly clear to the player that Joel suffers PTSD and his intentions are left ambiguous to let the player decide if he slowly descends into madness (as illustrated by him killing the surgeon and subsequently killing Marlene) and/or touches base on a very primitive human desire and condition; a loving father doing everything in his power to protect his -second- daughter. He knows losing her would give him no reason to continue *fighting* aka living especially when it's for a cause that isn't full proof and may be for nothing. (The vaccine wasn't a cure and wasn't guaranteed to work) Add on top of that the difficulty in distributing the vaccine were it to be viable and couple with the fact that there are still millions of infected humanoids in the world and it is really only a small step. WHo knows maybe nature will correct itself, if I was in Joel's shoes I would have done the EXACT same thing. I'd like to talk about his mental issues though,

There are three forms of PTSD (google it) and Joel clearly demonstrates one trait-
Avoiding: The person may avoid people, places, thoughts, or situations that may remind him or her of the trauma. This can lead to feelings of detachment and isolation from family and friends, as well as a loss of interest in activities that the person once enjoyed.

This is very much Joel. He refuses to talk about his watch, the deaths of Sarah, Tess, Sam/Henry, or what he did to survive.

Ellie even states that she wants to talk about the deaths before the dam and Joel says "No. How many times have we been over this. Things happen and we move on."

While that seems like a normal response to tragic events, the refusal to talk about a tragedy is not healthy. In a post apocalypse life, survival may require Joel to rely on basic instincts without time to mourn but 20 years is a long time to not "properly" deal with Sara's death and the things he did to protect Tommy.

....
I love that the ending is left open ended for the player to interpret Ellie's and Joel's final exchange. It was like, "Hey Joel, i'm giving you one more chance to be honest with me. What? Still going to lie? Okay..."

This is a prime example of what I mean about TLoU being ambiguous. They lay the scenes and dialog out to allow for personal opinions. If the conversations were "clear" then the game wouldn't be as effective in generating emotional responses. Just imagine...

"Swear to me. Swear that everything you said about the Fireflies is true."
"Ellie, I lied to you to protect your feelings because I see you as my own daughter now but you should forgive me because I saved and protected you. Help me live as if I never lost a daughter."
"I really don't like that Joel but you may be right. Now let me think about if I am going to leave because you betrayed me."

Look at Shakespeare's soliloquies. They aren't great because Hamlet stands up and says, "I am very mad they killed my dad. Now I will plot revenge!"

Just because Ridley Scott thinks Deckard is a replicant in Blade Runner doesn't mean everyone has to agree. A major part of art is audience interpretation. One guy thinks Van Gogh looks to childish, while another thinks it's the pinnacle of color. Both are valid.

In the end, I'm going to be optimistic with this one, here's how I interpret it.
-Ellie wants to "help"society

-Joel initially agrees to the mission both because of his hinted romantic relationship or atleast friendly bond with Tess and because he himself is blind to his actions, always hurling himself at whatever task he believes is required to survive, this being one (acquiring guns in the beginning)

-Over the journey Ellie develops an attachment to Joel and he responds with denial, still fighting his past with his daughter; he eventually erupts in the cabin after the horse sequence.

-She lost faith in him, knowing he was leaving her like everyone else in her life she loved. She was fighting an internal battle simultaneously and put up barriers to protect herself.

-Deep down they both are scarred and regret their actions, coming to an almost silent mutual agreement to let it go.

-When the Fireflies find them after the water event Ellie is unconscious and has no choice in the matter of her sacrifice for a vaccine. It's of my opinion she thought it was a simple "give some blood or whatever samples and go home the next day" kind of deal. She wasn't given any kind of choice by the scientists and Marlene. They wanted a cure and had no qualms with taking what they wanted by force, effectively playing the role of God.

-Joel when struck with her fate went into Denzel Washington *Man On Fire* mode. Become Rambo Achievement Unlocked.

-Ellie is never told about the Fireflies and Marlene's true intentions and in my opinion knows that Joel is lying to her about the events. She accepts and acknowledges with that final push that their bond is in cement. Some of theorized that this is her realizing she cannot trust Joel and will inevitably leave him and go on to become a mature, strong survivor and thus The Last Of Us 2. I disagree with this because the developers in an interview I searched minutes ago stated they had no intentions of bring back these characters "Their story is complete". Who knows, money talks and TLoU sold well.

So, yeah fantastic game. By the time the Fall section and beyond came around i was extremely connected with and cared for the two main protagonists. (although I find the supporting cast lacking, besides maybe Bill and Tess) I think the overarching plot is extremely flimsy, seeing as it remains constant throughout and adds no further dynamic, stagnating the pacing at times. (Get Ellie to X place) The enemy AI is mediocre at best. The upgrading system could use some tweaking and a few more enemy types would have been lovely. The screen transitions from one season to another broke up the progression and felt jarring. Two people who had been on the road for so long and had so much time to discuss and share you would think would be much closer and open then they are at some points. It didn't have great continuity. You know what I'm trying to say, I'm tired.

Overall 8/10 game. Ways to improve- Less linear, better AI, more fleshed out cutscenes, some waves of enemies felt unnecessary to the context of the world (kinda like oh hey we haven't had the player fight some dudes in a while throw some baddies here) weapon diversity was non-existent -I didn't even use the bow-, the shotgun and El Diablo were OP and stealth+melee was OP, my mind is going blank at the moment...

Anyway, if you want an in-depth review this isn't it. I enjoyed every second though and as a "mature" gamer it satisfied me completely. Would completely recommend to anyone who can enjoy a great post-apocalyptic story. I'm out.

Also I'm finding GTAV to be more or less overhyped, it's just more of the same and I'll probably drop it in a week and forget about it. Don't know why I expected more than bad dialogue and an open world to dick around in for a few hours.

This place hasn't seen any activity in a little while.

Terraria is at 75% off on Steam just now. It's a game I've always been tempted to try out but always decided against buying it for whatever reason. With the release of that recent update to the game though, I think I feel more inclined to check it out now. Can't really go wrong at £1.50 anyway. I can't even buy a pint with that money!

At 10/17/13 06:44 AM, Dean wrote: This place hasn't seen any activity in a little while.

Terraria is at 75% off on Steam just now. It's a game I've always been tempted to try out but always decided against buying it for whatever reason. With the release of that recent update to the game though, I think I feel more inclined to check it out now. Can't really go wrong at £1.50 anyway. I can't even buy a pint with that money!

I remember buying that when it first came out and playing it for like 6 hours straight and then never touching it again. Might have to give it a go again with the new update.

Am I the only person incredibly bored with GTA V?? Haven't even finished the story and yet I feel like I could never play it again and not miss anything. Think i'll force myself to finish the game and then put the game away for months until the dlc comes out.

In other news, I got Pokemon X and apparently i've been playing nearly 20 hours and not even got to the second gym yet.

At 10/17/13 08:30 AM, warshark wrote: Am I the only person incredibly bored with GTA V??

I wouldn't say I'm bored of it, I just played it so much when it was released that I've sort of worn myself out. I've spent quite a lot of time playing Online too but so many of the missions are similar. I hope the heists are fun. I've not been on GTA in a few days which in a sense means I'm "wasting" my XBL trial which probably only had a couple weeks left.

Right now I'm more interested in starting Mass Effect 3 at some point. Also thinking I'll probably check out Terraria later today. Been watching a few videos on it. Looks pretty cool.

Also want to get back into StarMade at some point. I was really enjoying that game then just abandoned it. I even paid for it a while back despite it being a free game right now. Worth checking out if you like the concept of a minecraft style exploration and building game set in space with planets to land on and stuff. It's really cool and the guy who developed it is constantly adding new stuff at rapid speed. Back when I started playing there were daily updates.

At 10/17/13 08:58 AM, Dean wrote:

At 10/17/13 08:30 AM, warshark wrote: Am I the only person incredibly bored with GTA V??

I wouldn't say I'm bored of it, I just played it so much when it was released that I've sort of worn myself out. I've spent quite a lot of time playing Online too but so many of the missions are similar. I hope the heists are fun. I've not been on GTA in a few days which in a sense means I'm "wasting" my XBL trial which probably only had a couple weeks left.

Perhaps thats the issue im having too. Online was fun but now theres not much to do apart from grind for hours to level up and get money so I can buy new vehicles.

Until Pokemon came out, the only 2 games I played were GTA V and Civ V.

Been distracted by Just Cause 2 and not playing much else. It's addictve looking for shit to destroy. Came across a faction mission that's total bullshit, though.

It's upsetting that this page keeps falling down the topic list.

Anyway, the other day I spent like an hour trying to do the Mario 64 exploit in Whomp's Fortress where you wall jump off the side of the cage and land inside. Did it after said hour with many failures and rages, then did it twice more pretty quickl after. Felt good ^_^

Someday I shall try a decent speed run! Someday...

Cyrodil Imperial City?

At 10/25/13 12:20 AM, Sense-Offender wrote: Cyrodil Imperial City?

Yeah, I guess.

Isn't he also wearing a helmet from Skyrim? The first scene definitely seems like a reference to the The Elder Scrolls series to me.

At 10/25/13 08:45 AM, Auz wrote:

At 10/25/13 12:20 AM, Sense-Offender wrote: Cyrodil Imperial City?

Yeah, I guess.

Isn't he also wearing a helmet from Skyrim?

Reminiscent, anyway. The other guy's outfit was looking pretty Altmer-ish, too.

I beat the original Metal Gear from 1987. It's not that great of a game (even for the time) but was cool seeing so many things that showed up later in the series. It pretty much nails the formula Kojima has been repeating ever since. Metal Gear 2 is up next.

Recently I realized I like console gaming more than PC gaming. Like a lot more. Pretty much everything about it besides the graphical differences appeal to me. Maybe the console community is younger and immature, but I welcome that. I play with friends all the time so I don't have to listen to these other players and they usually just flat out suck balls at video games so in competitive multiplayer I do really, really well. Like when playing Battlefield on console I can finish top of the team consistently, whereas on PC I'm around the middle.

I'm starting to really want game cases and a collection again, and I like the idea of being able to sell my game when I'm done. I'm sick of digital copies even if I do get them significantly cheaper from platforms like Steam and GMG. I like getting away from my computer to go play games too. When I go to play a game on PC I just click on Steam, look through all my games and try to pick something out of the hundreds of games there to play. With my Xbox it's like beforehand I actually know what I want to play and I dedicate some time to playing that shit.

My roommate will be buying an Xbox One as soon as they become available again so I'll get to try one out before dropping a fat stack of cash on one myself (oh yeah, I'm totally getting on Xbox One over a PS4). So yeah, suddenly I'm really looking forward to the new consoles. I've even bought recent games for my 360 when I could have gotten them cheaper and in better quality for PC. I'm also considering selling this ~$800 PC to just get a cheaper one. Maybe even a fucking Chromebook, all I need is a web browser. I feel like I've wasted so much money on this thing...

TOO FUCKING LONG, DIDN'T FUCKING READ:

I like console gaming over PC gaming, fuck you