The General Gaming Thread: "What 'cha been playin?"

[Lazy]

I made a unicorn friend.
And then fell into lava and died...

[Highbrow DashAJ, Rarity! What's happening?]

So it was like Jurassic Park+Aliens?
That is an incredibly weird choice to make.

Hey, the Jurassic Park 2 novel had invisible dinosaurs

[SlateSlabrock]

Hey, the Jurassic Park 2 novel had invisible dinosaurs

Click here to view video.

[GravensteinCURSE YOU LARSON FOR MAKING ME THIS WAY!]

Click here to view video.

7:22 SHE TRIIIED TO KILL ME WITH A FORK LIIIIIFT (ole!)

[Mad SurgeLunch break is over, back to the brewThe fad is over and nothing's askew!]

Good thing they saved the best music tracks for the level where you die the most, eh?

[SlateSlabrock]

I decided to fire Skyrim up again to check out the new DLC, and then maybe New Vegas to finally finish that last DLC they released after I got bored.

But I switched computers since the last time I played either, so four hours later, I think I finally have all my mods updated.

[GrimI'M THE WORLD CHAMP BETCHA CAN'T BEAT MEBALL SO HARD LITTLE GIRLS WANT A PONY]

I got around to revisiting Rayman 2 and it's not nearly as good as I remember. The only challenging parts aren't difficult by design, but because of having to fight with the camera and controls, usually in one-way segments where you're riding something or sliding down a slope. (I think some of it can be blamed on the game's frameskipping making it harder to know just when I should jump or let up on the joystick when lining up for something. Haven't played any except the N64 version, but I'm pretty sure things should be smoother than fucking AC: Wild World, at least.) The missile-riding segments like to throw weird curveballs where I'll end up exploding just for getting near an obstacle or touching the side of it when I can bump into walls without a scratch. The slope areas make turning ridiculously stiff even when you slow down, and the bouncing fruit things are just plain hard to steer. (Plus it's really easy to accidentally bump them away and have to wait for a new one to respawn. ) Everything else is much too easy.

The levels aren't that interesting in general, and kind of weird here and there. Why would you put a switch right next to the door it opens, with nothing between them? Why do I need to blow open two doors to fetch two keys to open a bigger door, when at no point during all this do I encounter an obstacle? Other times there is some neat stuff like turning a boss' projectiles into platforms so you can approach, but it's rare.

Almost every collectible (lum) seems like it was forced in, easy to miss while insultingly easy to get. Except for in the aforementioned one-way segments, where you'll see that you've just missed one, and have to find a way to kill yourself to retry now that you know what to expect. This can be difficult or impossible if they're placed near the end of the segment, so you'll likely have to go back through the level to grab what you missed.

Overall, it just feels like another sub-par PS1 era game. I will probably finish what I started here regardless, since it's decent enough to be played in bursts.

Much unlike a certain two other games which I might not finish ever.

[DavyinatogaEw, will you please just stop posting already so I can stop having to look at it?]

Truth about Rayman 2

Mm-hmm. Really, the setting, story, and worldbuilding are what set it above other average platformers from that generation.

I realized a moment ago that I've managed to dunk 35 hours into Lost Odyssey within the past week and a half. Pretty impressive for an RPG, as of late. As much as I enjoy them, lately I haven't been able to keep that much interest in them without at least a really good story, which this game definitely portrays well. A bit of it is a little too simplified and/or blatant (SUPERIMPOSING IMAGE OF CHARACTER OVER THIS GIANT BASILISK THAT DID SOMETHING BAD JUST IN CASE YOU FORGOT THAT HE'S THE ENEMY EVEN THOUGH IT'S POUNDED INTO EVERY CUTSCENE AND WE NEED TO STOP HIM JUST BECAUSE ), but the execution is superb. It's actually just like getting into FiM: no matter how much you may scoff at the beginning, there's that one moment where you know it's something better than others. All anybody has to do to get hooked to the game is watch any cutscene with a decent chunk of Jansen in it. Even if the gameplay is off-putting or the story isn't deep enough for you, you can't help but think "I need to see more of this guy." His facial animation is just worlds above any other RPG character, the VA is spot-on, and his persona is hilariously amazing. Not to discredit the rest of the characters or anything else in the game; far from it. Jansen's character is just one of the things that positively astounds me about the game. I was impressed when the two kids (both of whom mostly stay away from being "kiddy" and actually act like real kids) joined the party and they actually had traveling cloaks! Accessories each character wears show up in cutscenes (nothing like Kaim wearing a flower barrette as he helps chop a train car in half to save his grandkids).

Lost Odyssey is just damn impressive. There's a lot of polish; it's probably the only current-gen game I can tolerate having to be multi-disk.

[PinkemonIts SO limited edition! :'D]

Rayman 2 stuff.

I always assumed I had trouble with those gimmick segments cause of my own incompetence. Though, yeah, I gotta admit I always liked the game cause of reasons other than the gameplay.

[ScionVyseSilent Brony]

So Persona 4 Arena is pretty awesome. I suck at fighters, but love me some Persona, so I got it. It's wonderfully animated, has lots of interesting mechanics, and half the soundtrack is straight from the Persona series. Giving the protagonist a name and a voice is pretty jarring though. He's voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch so when he speaks I just hear all sorts of different anime characters and none of them fit with him. "Come on Vash, stop beating on Yosuke. I know he deserves it but still."

[HallerPONY RASPBERRIES THE STOMACH]

I finished Spec Ops The Line and good god that was a messed up game. It gets your attention when near the end, the game is taunting you in the loading screens for doing the games own objectives. And it did what you rarely see in a shooter in that it shows you that war isn't fun or as simple as it's depicted in most FPS war shooters. Other games might try to do this, but this is the first game that does a good job of getting the message across I think. By the end of the game, your character looks like absolute hell.

And now I've started playing Farcry 2 even though every part of me is telling me to stop. Getting to mission objectives is a pain and it feels they designed it like that to artificially lengthen the game.
: Oh look! A zebra!

*WHACK*

: You're not supposed to run into them with the car Rainbow.

: But I barely hit it. How was I supposed to know it would die that easily?

: Barely hit? You were going at least 100 kilometers an hour.

: Excuse me girls. Sorry to barge in but I heard yelling and was wondering what was going on in...

: ...here.

: Ok. How much will it take for you not to tell Zecora about this?

[Opposing FarceDon't you smile at my faceSpit on my backDo you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?]

So Persona 4 Arena is pretty awesome. I suck at fighters, but love me some Persona, so I got it. It's wonderfully animated, has lots of interesting mechanics, and half the soundtrack is straight from the Persona series. Giving the protagonist a name and a voice is pretty jarring though. He's voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch so when he speaks I just hear all sorts of different anime characters and none of them fit with him. "Come on Vash, stop beating on Yosuke. I know he deserves it but still."

I'm not upset that they gave him a name, I'm just upset that the name wasn't "Charlie Tunoku." Canon-breaking bastards.

[MordjaLYRA is the cool pony who likes to hang out. You can find most of the cool ponies with her. LYRA can just chill and do whatever and totally relax. "Take it easy" is the LYRA motto, for example, that's how laid back she is.]

His name comes from the Persona 4 anime.

[W.T. FitsSpoilers, you say? Well, in that case, I suppose I should avert my eyes.]

He's voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch so when he speaks I just hear all sorts of different anime characters and none of them fit with him.

Yeah, but he was voiced by JYB in the original game, too.

Granted, all he said was "PERSONA!" and the names of various personae and attacks and grunted in pain when attacked, but still.

[tdkgunghoulI'm still spinnin'!YEAH YEAHYEAH]

Got to play a bit of Okami over the weekend

Why did I never notice how to make shooting stars goddamnit

Yay Water Dragon! Gonna get the Dragon Ball thing!

Goddamnit Water Dragon King Guy

Yay, Rao's here so I don't have to backtrack to give her the Fox Rods!

"It looks like this skeleton has been here for a long time,"

Queen Himiko noooooo

OKAMI

[PerrydottoHow is a pegasus like a writing desk?]

Yup, Rayman 2 has its problems, and replaying it today you can just see how darn easy it is. Getting 100% can be challenging at times, but that's about it.
I still replay it, however, simply because it's not only nostalgia par excellence, but also because the world, the music and the style make it oddly compelling. There is a lot of creative joy conveyed in the game and I love experiencing that.

[Lazy]

Rayman 2 is basically super charming and that's most of why I like it.
Also nostalgia.

[MordjaLYRA is the cool pony who likes to hang out. You can find most of the cool ponies with her. LYRA can just chill and do whatever and totally relax. "Take it easy" is the LYRA motto, for example, that's how laid back she is.]

Beat Bastion. Good game. Now onto Amnesia.

[blasmeisterIt is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.]

Beat Bastion. Good game. Now onto Amnesia.

Stay out of the water

[Tzar469"A thrilling time is in your immediate future."]

I'm playing Bastion again in New Game+. The new secret skill you get is pretty great.

[AzranOh dear oh dear I NEED MORE DRINKING STRAWS]

I'm playing Bastion again in New Game+. The new secret skill you get is pretty great.

Wait, you get a new secret skill? As soon as I finished the game, I went and bought the soundtrack, so I may have missed that.

I think I'm going into NG++ just to hear more dialogue. I think "hearing Logan Cunningham's voice" is starting to creep up the "priorities" list, currently fighting against "water" and "food".

Good way to entertain myself while I think of a new Dark Souls character.

[Xavier GenisiLike I said, princesses are pretty, Jack. And I am very in touch with my inner princess.]

Organ Trail: Director's Cut.

It's Oregon Trail, but with zombies. And it's awesome.

[ArtificerGoes well with All Natural Milk Naturally Flavored with Natural Flavors.]

Organ Trail: Director's Cut.

It's Oregon Trail, but with zombies. And it's awesome.

Are you serious? Holy crap I need to see that.


I just gave AI War a shot and it's super complicated. I was shifting around a fleet of 100 ships in the TUTORIAL and I still don't really know what I'm doing.


: Dear Princess Celestia, how does fleet combat wo-OH GOD THE AI IS SHOOTING SO MUCH PLASMA ALFJAEFJADFS

[DavyinatogaEw, will you please just stop posting already so I can stop having to look at it?]

Queen Himiko noooooo

OKAMI

Thank goodness she's last one. Nothing like a bunch of deaths right in a row to dampen the mood.

[StuntwomanI want to poop in your butt and pass it back and forth like a subway train.]

36 hours on Fallout: New Vegas in the past week. Someone please shoot me.

[Opposing FarceDon't you smile at my faceSpit on my backDo you kiss your mother with a mouth like that?]

36 hours on Fallout: New Vegas in the past week. Someone please shoot me.

But then you couldn't keep playing New Vegas

[SlateSlabrock]

36 hours on Fallout: New Vegas in the past week. Someone please shoot me.

Chandler already did! It didn't work!

[BloodWulfeEverfree Eggnog™: Equestria's choice for over 1000 years]

Got to play a bit of Okami over the weekend

There's an HD remastered version ($20) coming out 01 Nov for the PS3. Either way, it's an awesome game! Just throwin' that bit out there in case you want to replay it later on.

[blasmeisterIt is justice, not charity, that is wanting in the world.]

36 hours on Fallout: New Vegas in the past week. Someone please shoot me.

I'm approaching this - damn you, ultimate edition!

[Hyper!!!I had two avatars, but the admins were able to do something about it...]

There's an HD remastered version ($20) coming out 01 Nov for the PS3. Either way, it's an awesome game! Just throwin' that bit out there in case you want to replay it later on.

This is great. Iv'e been wanting it for a while but my crack-addicted brother stole out PS2.

[Crow.Why, of course!I'm clearly insane! .]

I put 107 hours into Fallout New Vegas in the first week it came out. Without going into the city of New Vegas.

[Glaed]

169 hours in NV since I got it... 3 weeks ago.

Although to be fair a full 30 of those are my little brother's.

[AramekYour MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue."So you're saying..."Your brain is about 20% tumor.]

As much as people shit on Fallout 3, I really loved it. Still, NV is better in every way.

[BloodWulfeEverfree Eggnog™: Equestria's choice for over 1000 years]

As much as people shit on Fallout 3, I really loved it. Still, NV is better in every way.

Fallout 3 was really not that bad, especially given that it was the first game from Bethesda with that IP. I mean, sure, Bethesda has plenty of experience with those types of games, but it was a pretty dramatic shift from swords and bows. NV was better for sure though.

As far as Okami HD (or whatever they're calling it) goes, here are two videos showcasing the changes for anyone curious:

Longer video that shows before/after comparisons which is really cool to see
Much shorter video that just showcases the visual updates

From the bits I've seen, it looks like a legitimate, well made HD remaster, and not just a cash-in. As far as attitional added content goes I have no idea, but I would assume none given the developers (Clover) are no longer around (arguably not their choice). I feel bad for those guys; Okamiden comes out on the DS, and now a remaster. All the while they're SOL.


If you enjoy action/adventure games, and never played Okami, definitely consider picking this up later on for $20. I'm excited to replay it since it's been ages (2006?) since it came out.

[AramekYour MRI results have shown total infection to now be approximately one fifth of the full mass of the tissue."So you're saying..."Your brain is about 20% tumor.]

I've never played it, and always wanted to AND I own a ps3. Methinks I'll be gettin' this.

[Dodger]

Clover Studios more or less became Platinum Games, there's a few people that went elsewhere, but by and large that's where the studio ended up.

The important things to know about Okami HD is that they are keeping Clover's original credits in the game, which they removed from the Wii version. Not only was this a huge slap in the face for all of Clover's hard work, but the game's creator's mother did all the calligraphy for the game's credits by hand!

This HD rerelease is being handled by HexaDrive, who have done Rez HD and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater 3D. In short, I think we're in good hands with them, and they already said that the parchment filter is in and apparently has different "levels" so you can pick how much you want (again, something the Wii version entirely removed).

I'm very pleased with these developments and can't wait to play Okami again, might actually boot up my old PS2 copy for old time's sake and run around.

[RagnarThe fact that there is quite definitely nothing at all out there, yet it is visiting anyway, is of some distress to those who care about such things.]

I've never played it, and always wanted to AND I own a ps3. Methinks I'll be gettin' this.

Yes. Get Okami. It's an amazing game.

[The great MPinke Torte das Pony.---]

Darksiders II unlocks next week, can't wait.

You should really consider trying it, it's like a Zelda game except good.

Also, it has ponies!



Wait, that's no pony

[GrimI'M THE WORLD CHAMP BETCHA CAN'T BEAT MEBALL SO HARD LITTLE GIRLS WANT A PONY]

Darksiders II unlocks next week, can't wait.

You should really consider trying it, it's like a Zelda game except good.

I was actually considering trying the first one at some point, but then I was like "do I really want to play another goddamn Zelda game?" What makes it good, exactly?

As I said in the VGM thread, I finally played through Bastion yesterday after having it in my Steam library for who knows how long. It's... an okay game. The way the story is told is perhaps the most inventive thing about it, but the gameplay and the story itself don't do much for me. The whole "Yep, Kid does this. Kid does that, too. Kid's found himself some kid. Kid kid kid kid, kid kid kid. Kreatures kan't kill kid kause kid's got karbine." gets kind of old after a while as well. It's also kind of weird to think that The Stranger is supposedly telling you all of this as Zia, while you play as The Kid from past times. The Stranger is always talking about where The Kid was during gameplay, and happens to never even hint at where he is at The Stranger's own point in time (final level) until the gameplay catches up to that point.

I think the gameplay just reminds me too much of the Diablo games, so I am predisposed to like it less than I would otherwise. I like that invoking gods usually doesn't just add numbers to enemy stats, but some of the effects (randomly reflecting projectiles ) just make them super tedious to kill. One of the enemies near the end of the game was regenerating faster than my loadout could damage it, so I had to fall below 33% health to enter crit mode, then get hit again every time another one of my spirits caused me to heal back up from dealing damage.

[The great MPinke Torte das Pony.---]

I was actually considering trying the first one at some point, but then I was like "do I really want to play another goddamn Zelda game?" What makes it good, exactly?

It has a much better combat system. It's sort of like God of War, but adds the Zelda-like gadgets to it. The setting is also really cool, especially since those kinds of games are usually generic fantasy stuff. Darksiders is much more post-apocalyptic.

It also "flows" much better than Zelda games. No 3 hours of set up before the first bit combat. Traversal is fast and fluid, and Ruin (the horse) is agile and fun to use, as opposed to slow and annoying like in Zelda games.

Darksiders 1 was $5 during the summer sale, I'm sure it'll go that low again at some point. Might want to wait for a sale.

As for Darksiders 2, it adds Diablo-style loot and skill trees and is supposedly much longer and bigger in scale.