102 replies to this topic

[Jason Panella]

A friend gave me a copy of the Terraria, a side-scrolling indie game. It's a lot like Minecraft — giant sandbox environment, the ability to do almost anything or go anywhere. It's a lot of fun. I played online with a few friends last night, and we spent a good deal of time exploring underground and then using the resources we mined to build a decent sized house. It's incredibly inexpensive, so I'd say it's worth checking out.

[Tyler]

This is a song from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remixed as a dubstep song. Pardon me while I geek out.
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSHW_iLXTac&feature=list_related&playnext=1&list=SPAFFBA811E3A4FC43"]http://www.youtube.c...FFBA811E3A4FC43[/url]

[Scholar's Parrot]

Well, my PS3 died just before I lost my job. It's like the video game version of "Time Enough at Last"

[Andy Whitman]

I just got an XBox 360, my first game console. I've only played the occasional PC game in the past, mostly some variation on the Age of Empires franchise, wherein I come home from frustrating days at work and conquer castles and forts via trebuchets and cannon. But the XBox is a very different beast. I have two games -- L.A. Noire, which promises to be a Raymond-Chandler-like excursion through the depths (and I do mean depths) of post-war Los Angeles, and Red Dead Redemption, wherein I get to play a cowboy and shoot my six-shooter and wrassle cattle and the like.

I'm currently baffled by the plethora of things to push. Too many buttons. Hence my cop walks into walls, I inadvertenly shoot the pretty blonde woman in the head when I'm just trying to get my horse to move, etc. Maybe I'll stick around long enough to gain some low level of competence, but maybe not. Right now it's merely frustrating. I'm not sure I really want to invest the time required to make this happen, although I do feel deeply remorseful about the blonde woman.

Edited by Andy Whitman, 14 September 2011 - 03:42 PM.

[Scholar's Parrot]

Andy Whitman, on 14 September 2011 - 03:32 PM, said:

I just got an XBox 360, my first game console. I've only played the occasional PC game in the past, mostly some variation on the Age of Empires franchise, wherein I come home from frustrating days at work and conquer castles and forts via trebuchets and cannon. But the XBox is a very different beast. I have two games -- L.A. Noire, which promises to be a Raymond-Chandler-like excursion through the depths (and I do mean depths) of post-war Los Angeles, and Red Dead Redemption, wherein I get to play a cowboy and shoot my six-shooter and wrassle cattle and the like.

I'm currently baffled by the plethora of things to push. Too many buttons. Hence my cop walks into walls, I inadvertenly shoot the pretty blonde woman in the head when I'm just trying to get my horse to move, etc. Maybe I'll stick around long enough to gain some low level of competence, but maybe not. Right now it's merely frustrating. I'm not sure I really want to invest the time required to make this happen, although I do feel deeply remorseful about the blonde woman.

How's this turned out, Andy? Since we haven't gotten an update, I'm assuming it didn't go well?



In other news, I picked up Batman Arkham City this past week. In keeping with the current fashion, a portion of the game (in this case, all the catwoman parts) have been removed and offered as a download. When you buy the game new, it comes with a code to download that portion for free. If you buy it used, you need to pay $10 or go without. I bought it used from Amazon and the little card with the code on it came blank. I emailed and called the company and as of today, a week after the game was released and WB acknowledged the problem, I have received nothing. In fact, I've not read a single report of ANYONE receiving their codes. I got fed up enough with it that I bought the downloadable content on Saturday night and have been really enjoying the game since, but it's frustrating to have to spend more money for something that should have just been in the game! Since it affects the game from the onset, I couldn't start the game without it and experience it all. Ridiculous.

[theoddone33]

Lots of good games out this year. Dark Souls will keep me occupied for the rest of the year, but eventually I'd like to play Arkham City and Uncharted 3. I will probably go through the campaign of Modern Warfare 3 at some point as well.

I haven't played Skylanders but it's sounding like the kind of thing that could end up taking a lot of my time and money.

[Andy Whitman]

Scholar, on 25 October 2011 - 05:53 PM, said:

Andy Whitman, on 14 September 2011 - 03:32 PM, said:

I just got an XBox 360, my first game console. I've only played the occasional PC game in the past, mostly some variation on the Age of Empires franchise, wherein I come home from frustrating days at work and conquer castles and forts via trebuchets and cannon. But the XBox is a very different beast. I have two games -- L.A. Noire, which promises to be a Raymond-Chandler-like excursion through the depths (and I do mean depths) of post-war Los Angeles, and Red Dead Redemption, wherein I get to play a cowboy and shoot my six-shooter and wrassle cattle and the like.

I'm currently baffled by the plethora of things to push. Too many buttons. Hence my cop walks into walls, I inadvertenly shoot the pretty blonde woman in the head when I'm just trying to get my horse to move, etc. Maybe I'll stick around long enough to gain some low level of competence, but maybe not. Right now it's merely frustrating. I'm not sure I really want to invest the time required to make this happen, although I do feel deeply remorseful about the blonde woman.

How's this turned out, Andy? Since we haven't gotten an update, I'm assuming it didn't go well?

Sorry, I'm just now seeing this. You know, I've been so busy with the rest of life that I haven't really had much time to hone my dubious skills. I've gone back to these games a few times, but basically I can't walk, I can't drive, I can't steer a horse, and I can't shoot. I can tell that with some serious hours behind the controller I'll get better. I may or may not have the time to invest. We'll see. In theory, these games are fun. The reality is that they're more frustrating for me right now than fun. And I continue to feel deeply saddened about the blonde woman.

[Andrew]

I was starting to have doubts that I'd ever feel immersed in a videogame again, but man, I'm loving the Assassin's Creed games. (I know they've been out for a few years, but my 14 yr old son and I just discovered them.) Amazing graphics (I love climbing tall buildings in 12th Century Jerusalem or 15th Century Florence and taking in the panoramic view), relatively manageable controls for this uncoordinated fellow, and an engrossing story. The hours just fly by, much of them with a silly grin on my face.

[Scholar's Parrot]

Andy Whitman, on 09 November 2011 - 08:37 AM, said:

Scholar, on 25 October 2011 - 05:53 PM, said:

Andy Whitman, on 14 September 2011 - 03:32 PM, said:

I just got an XBox 360, my first game console. I've only played the occasional PC game in the past, mostly some variation on the Age of Empires franchise, wherein I come home from frustrating days at work and conquer castles and forts via trebuchets and cannon. But the XBox is a very different beast. I have two games -- L.A. Noire, which promises to be a Raymond-Chandler-like excursion through the depths (and I do mean depths) of post-war Los Angeles, and Red Dead Redemption, wherein I get to play a cowboy and shoot my six-shooter and wrassle cattle and the like.

I'm currently baffled by the plethora of things to push. Too many buttons. Hence my cop walks into walls, I inadvertenly shoot the pretty blonde woman in the head when I'm just trying to get my horse to move, etc. Maybe I'll stick around long enough to gain some low level of competence, but maybe not. Right now it's merely frustrating. I'm not sure I really want to invest the time required to make this happen, although I do feel deeply remorseful about the blonde woman.

How's this turned out, Andy? Since we haven't gotten an update, I'm assuming it didn't go well?

Sorry, I'm just now seeing this. You know, I've been so busy with the rest of life that I haven't really had much time to hone my dubious skills. I've gone back to these games a few times, but basically I can't walk, I can't drive, I can't steer a horse, and I can't shoot. I can tell that with some serious hours behind the controller I'll get better. I may or may not have the time to invest. We'll see. In theory, these games are fun. The reality is that they're more frustrating for me right now than fun. And I continue to feel deeply saddened about the blonde woman.

I wish I could tell you to play Heavy Rain, but it is exclusive to the PS3. Storytelling problems aside, it's a gameplay experience I think you would love based on your enduring sadness over the blonde woman. I grew up with videogames, shooters especially, so killing people in videogames was something you just got used to. There's a part in Heavy Rain where I pulled the trigger, and to this day I wonder if I did the right thing, if it was worth it in the end etc. That was 2 years ago.

[Jason Panella]

Scholar, on 14 November 2011 - 06:25 PM, said:

I wish I could tell you to play Heavy Rain, but it is exclusive to the PS3. Storytelling problems aside, it's a gameplay experience I think you would love based on your enduring sadness over the blonde woman. I grew up with videogames, shooters especially, so killing people in videogames was something you just got used to. There's a part in Heavy Rain where I pulled the trigger, and to this day I wonder if I did the right thing, if it was worth it in the end etc. That was 2 years ago.

I've never owned a console, nor do I ever plan on getting one. But games like this temp me so, so much.

I recently got a new video card and monitor, so I can actually play newer games on my PC quite easily. I finally got around to beating Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on single player. It was a fun (and surprisingly funny) experience, but the multiplayer aspect is great. I've always enjoyed the Battlefield games over competitor Call of Duty (since Battlefield 1942 a decade or so ago). Multiplayer in BC2 is vicious — pretending the game is Quake or something similar will get you killed pretty quickly. I love how so much depends on actually working as a team. Sure, being a lone wolf has its advantages, but trying to work with your squad to get things down is a blast. One of my biggest frustrations with online gaming is annoying uber-gamers. Thankfully, I've found most of BC2's players to be really cool (or, at the very least, typing in a language I don't understand and, thus, can't find annoying).

[Ryan H.]

I finally got a PS3 around Christmas, and have been catching up on some titles: METAL GEAR SOLID 4, L.A. NOIRE, BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM, and BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY. I enjoyed all of them, to a certain extent, though they all had significant problems. I probably enjoyed L.A. NOIRE the most, and I'm hoping a sequel will really kick things up a notch. It's a fun game, it's just too repetitive.

[Andrew]

Is anyone here planning to play The Walking Dead videogame? I have to admit, I'm intrigued.

[Jason Panella]

Andrew, on 13 April 2012 - 08:23 AM, said:

Is anyone here planning to play The Walking Dead videogame? I have to admit, I'm intrigued.

I didn't even realize there was a game, so I looked up some news articles on it. The episodic nature is really cool, and I love the art. I wonder how it'll play out. Thanks for the tip, Andrew.

[Ryan H.]

In the wake of completing METAL GEAR SOLID 4: GUNS OF THE PATRIOTS, I've been revisiting the previous METAL GEAR SOLID games, including some of the side games I missed (PEACE WALKER, for one). There's no question that it's my favorite video game series. So wonderfully odd.

[Jason Panella]

I've been playing a bunch of Lord of the Rings Online over the past month.

It's a free-to-play MMO, which means you really can play the game at no cost (even the download is free). That said, you can spend money on the game and get rewarded for it (have access to certain areas, play classes unavailable to freebie players, and so on).

Free or not, the game is fantastic. You can tell that some Tolkien nerds were behind it, since so much of the game feels like it was created with care and love of the theme. The game's main story runs parallel to that of Lord of the Rings, but there are plenty of other stories to follow as well. The game is absolutely gorgeous to look at, and so much of it feels just right — Tom Bombadil, for instance, is amazing, and the game's designers actually made the Shire feel like the kind of place you wouldn't want to leave.

The game feels quite different from other MMOs, too. Sure, there are some of the usual "collect X" type quests, but you can learn how to play instruments (and actually play different notes on your keyboard), spend hours hunting and using the animal hides to make clothing, and so on.The typical MMO tropes are kind of here, but are here to serve the setting and story, instead of be an end to themselves.

[Tyler]

Good memories here.

[winter shaker]

I finished Mass Effect 3 about a week ago...sort of disappointed with the ending.

Now I'm back to Skyrim.

[opus]

You can now play Wolfenstein 3D... in your web browser.

[opus]

I've been playing Infinity Blade 2 a lot lately, since they recently released an upgrade. I've always found the series' world intriguing, because it doesn't quite fall into your typical fantasy tropes.

[Doug C]

Not much of a video game player, but I've been enjoying the Android versions of "Settlers of Catan" and "Carcassonne" lately, and my new favorite (though interest is already waning) is Fantasy Flight's app version of their game "Elder Sign: Omens," an absorbing Lovecraft-themed dice game. Has great art (scanned, I assume directly from their physical game) and a detailed, atmospheric interface.

What I really enjoy are "MYST"-style, non-violent adventure games, but I hasten to add that I really detest "hidden object" games, which I think are entirely different. Again, another Android family favorite (we play as a group and even my then-three-year-old really got into it) is "The Lost City" and (to a lesser extent) "The Secret of Grisly Manor." We tried playing "Machinarium," and though we loved the graphics and ambience, the puzzles seemed too complex and random for us to really enjoy it. Any other suggestions?

Edited by Doug C, 04 August 2012 - 06:46 PM.