The Official Althanas Gaming Thread [Archive]

Letho

01-18-10, 05:39 AM

Well, not really official, but whatever. I figured there are quite a few gamers around here, and that "Borderlands" thread has far ceased to be just a thread about Borderlands, so why not have a thread dedicated to different aspects of gaming. I could do one of these every week or two with different themes if there's enough interest, but we'll see.

This time around I figured we could discuss the games we can't wait to come out so we can play the shit out of them. So which game is keeping you at the edge of your seat?

Personally, Mass Effect 2 is at the top of my list. Yes, as you might've guessed by now, I love Bioware, possibly because I still haven't played a game of theirs that I didn't thoroughly enjoy. And that goes doubly for the first Mass Effect, which I've beaten two times already (and I plan to do it again before the second one comes out). They merged the RPG and the shooting action in a great way, and they're only going to make it better the second time around. Especially since it seems they'll fix your companions' AI, so they'll no longer be mentally challenged when they need to get to cover.

Other worthy mentions are: Final Fantasy XIII (because it doesn't look a lot like FF XII which I hated), Diablo III (yeah, I know, it'll be a while), Dragon Age: Awakening (the first expansion to the DA:O, and the way Bioware deals with expansions probably means there'll be a lot to play). I'll probably add more as it comes to me.

EDIT: Yes, I know, I screwed up in the poll title. It's meant to say "the platform on which you play the most")

The Divide

01-18-10, 07:25 AM

I suppose, for me, the games I always wanted have already been released in Final Fantasy Dissidia and Halo 3, but if I was looking forward to a particular game, I would say FFXIII Versus is probably on my list to check out. Tekken is getting very, very boring now...

Letho

01-18-10, 07:49 AM

Aiko

01-18-10, 08:56 AM

Starcraft 2.

I can't wait to play Starcraft 2!

The Divide

01-18-10, 12:08 PM

The thing that bugs me about Versus is that there is yet to be a gameplay video, if I'm not mistaken. I mean, sure, the animations look great, but then again they always do in Square games. On the flip side, most of what I saw from XIII I liked, though the combat seems a bit hectic at times.

Also, didn't Tekken get boring somewhere around number 3? ;)

Before I start, I neglected your Bioware / Mass Effect comment earlier. I can't wait for it either, I loved Mass Effect 1, and Bioware flick my switch, man.

Yeah, XIII looks to be ok, I have to agree, and graphically it's a beauty, although I can really see Lightning being a total manic depressive, for some reason. I also think a hectic combat system might not be such a bad thing to have in a Final Fantasy game for a change, something to keep us on our toes. For ages we've had ATB, which, to be fair, is bread and butter now, but let's face it: once you get to grips with it, it is so easy to manipulate it. This goes for everything except the Ozma fight in IX, where you might as well bin any ATB tactics onto the scrapheap, 'cause it ain't worth shit against ol' floaty-death.

The one thing I found particularly boring about XII was the gambit system. It just made life so easy up to the point of Yiazmat, if you trained right. *yawn*

Tekken got boring after Tekken 2. It remains boring today...I actually got Tekken Dark Resurrection at the same time as Dissidia, and have played it once, and felt physically and mentally ill trying to play it. It actually sickened me, in the same way that I was sickened trying to play Guitar Hero on Expert.

Starcraft 2.

I can't wait to play Starcraft 2!

Forgive my ignorance but I've never played the original. Anything worth shouting about? I try to keep an open mind.

Tell you what rocks though, chaps. C&C: Red Alert, the original. Me and my mate Dave got a network patch that binned that ridiculous null modem setting crap and replaced it with LAN compatibility.

It was sex.

Corvus MacCallum

01-18-10, 02:26 PM

Alien VS Predator.

Shall be such a great time specially with the amount of effort Rebellion had shoved into the thing with kill-moves and putting the marine back to red-shirt style health.

Mass Effect 2.

I thoroughly enjoy darker toned games and taking their pretty solid sci-fi setting that way, along with combat that hopefully won't shed frames, should be good times.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

Don't know how many others have played parts of the franchise, such as the Personas or the very rare Devil Summoner. The setting looks a bit less apocalyptic than previous ones but I'm sure it'll kick off nicely. Few SMTs really get started until after the world ends.

---

Makes me wonder if many of us here are packing a Steam account with multiplayable games and Skype for the important convos during those titles. Teamspeak just doesn't hold up to the yelps and swearing Left 4 Dead 2 allows for.

The Divide

01-18-10, 02:35 PM

Yeah, I got a steam account, but I roll with L4D1.

Letho

01-19-10, 03:31 AM

Yeah, XIII looks to be ok, I have to agree, and graphically it's a beauty, although I can really see Lightning being a total manic depressive, for some reason. I also think a hectic combat system might not be such a bad thing to have in a Final Fantasy game for a change, something to keep us on our toes. For ages we've had ATB, which, to be fair, is bread and butter now, but let's face it: once you get to grips with it, it is so easy to manipulate it. This goes for everything except the Ozma fight in IX, where you might as well bin any ATB tactics onto the scrapheap, 'cause it ain't worth shit against ol' floaty-death.The thing is, I'm a big fan of ATB and an even bigger fan of normal turn-based combat used in FFX. I don't know, maybe I'm getting old, but I like having time to ponder on what's the best thing to do in a combat and I'm not a big fan of changes. But I guess it comes down to preference. Still, I hope that the battle system is nothing like in The Last Remnant (Square's baby as well, though it probably should have been stillborn) which was simply horrible. Good idea, but horrible execution. The only good thing about the game was that since they fucked it up, they probably won't fuck up another in the next ten years or so.

The one thing I found particularly boring about XII was the gambit system. It just made life so easy up to the point of Yiazmat, if you trained right. *yawn*I never used the gambit system, oddly enough. The way I saw it, they're my characters so I should have control over them instead of just guiding them to an enemy and go grab a sandwich while they finish the job.

Tell you what rocks though, chaps. C&C: Red Alert, the original. Me and my mate Dave got a network patch that binned that ridiculous null modem setting crap and replaced it with LAN compatibility.

It was sex.Both Red Alert and Red Alert 2 are some of my favorite RTSs of all time, especially the second one. The third one was crap. Just... crap. We'll see how the new C&C (Tiberium Dawn or something) will fare.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

Don't know how many others have played parts of the franchise, such as the Personas or the very rare Devil Summoner. The setting looks a bit less apocalyptic than previous ones but I'm sure it'll kick off nicely. Few SMTs really get started until after the world ends.I've played some of Persona 3 and 4, but never got very far. It takes a shitload of time to finish those games from what my sister told me, and the whole anime setting isn't really doing it for me. If there was some hentai involved, however... ;)

The Divide

01-19-10, 11:44 AM

Both Red Alert and Red Alert 2 are some of my favorite RTSs of all time, especially the second one. The third one was crap. Just... crap. We'll see how the new C&C (Tiberium Dawn or something) will fare.

Read Edge magazine. If you do you'll realise why they are making C&C 4 the last in the series. Resource gathering has gone completely. Bases walk around and cannot be fully destroyed, as when you lose your "crawler", as your construction yard is now called, another one flies in fifteen seconds later. Credits are earned by destroying vehicles and crawlers and battles are won by capturing strategic points and holding them. Ok, if this had been say Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War, I might have licked my lips. But this is C&C for christ's sake. I want to build bases, I want to gather resources...that's what the game is about!

In fact, apart from C&C Generals (without Zero Hour), EA have totally, in my opinion, fucked up the Red Alert / C&C series. Westwood were far better at developing the games before they went plop. I could go on about Red Alert 3, but i'd only be wasting my time. It's just shit. No further explanation needed.

Red Alert 2 was one of my favorites, but the original RA was the best, in my opinion.

Letho

01-19-10, 01:11 PM

I couldn't agree more. There are games where the lack of resource gathering and base building is a good thing. I personally couldn't imagine something like that in say Ground Control 2 and especially Dawn of War II (which is possibly my favorite RTS that doesn't involve classic gathering/building), where it would only detract form the strategic aspects of the game. Company of Heroes is another one of those game. But in games like C&C and Age of Empires base building is a part of the strategy, and also something that's been at the very core of the game from the beginning. Hell, C&C's story is basically revolving around gathering Tiberium. So yeah, I think that EA took a great thing and did what they usually do; fuck it up.

I can't believe you didn't play Starcraft, though. I personally don't like the game much (I know, blasphemy!), but I did give it a shot back in the day. It's worth a play, at least for the story.

Anyways, anybody here like the look of Splinter Cell: Conviction? I have to admit that I haven't played all the games in the Splinter Cell franchise, but in this latest one it looks like Sam Fisher's going a bit crazy, kicking ass and taking names. It looks more action packed than the previous games, which could be both a good and a bad thing. I mean, Splinter Cell was always about sneaking and keeping to shadows, but it looks like that won't be the only option this time around. I feel it'll be a good thing. There was always too much pussyfooting in SC for my taste. :P

Corvus MacCallum

01-19-10, 01:42 PM

Convinction is definately among my interests on games to pick up, but I'm in no rush to grab it just because there are other titles I really feel I must sink my teeth into. Plus still filling out certain series, like ordering both Digital Devil Sagas last night.

Also the Personas differ in tone greatly from the regular Megami Tensei series. Sides if you wanted innuendos and such Persona 4 was the best for that, nearly your entire party was sexually repressed and it all came out thanks to their Shadows... oh and one of them was a toughguy punk that questioned his own sexuality since his interests aside from leather jackets included needle-point, doll making and if you play your card rights, Puppet classes.

Whereas in the regular series Shin Megami Tensei Lucifers Call(Nocturne to you USians) the world is destroyed within the first ten minutes, humanity numbers less than five and the main character finds himself changed into a part demon, having to fight and bargain his way through an unstable inner sphere of a dwindling world looking for Reason to reform it.

Setting like that lends itself quite well to fantastic art.

---

The Chaos expansion for Dawn of War 2 shall certainly be interesting, despite losing single-player control of so many races I was amazed and well pleased at the gameplay alterations.

---

Ah yes I forgot one I'm solidly looking forward to, Dantes Inferno. In the demo it felt of solid God of War, but the imagry and the many circles you'll travel though, to me far more curious than what Kratos had slaughtered his way through. Plus the opportunity to saddle up big beasties.

The Divide

01-19-10, 05:20 PM

But in games like C&C and Age of Empires base building is a part of the strategy, and also something that's been at the very core of the game from the beginning. Hell, C&C's story is basically revolving around gathering Tiberium. So yeah, I think that EA took a great thing and did what they usually do; fuck it up.

You see, EA should really pay attention to the don't fix what isn't broken advice posted by about just every RTS fan on the face of the Earth. That would help. Tremendously. Too much effort in FIFA, not enough effort in C&C.

I can't believe you didn't play Starcraft, though. I personally don't like the game much (I know, blasphemy!), but I did give it a shot back in the day. It's worth a play, at least for the story.

"Back in the day" suggests a period of time where I was probably poor (actually, i'm still poor) or still trying to complete my first playthrough of Final Fantasy VII. I might do some homework on it and educate myself.

Anyways, anybody here like the look of Splinter Cell: Conviction? I have to admit that I haven't played all the games in the Splinter Cell franchise, but in this latest one it looks like Sam Fisher's going a bit crazy, kicking ass and taking names. It looks more action packed than the previous games, which could be both a good and a bad thing. I mean, Splinter Cell was always about sneaking and keeping to shadows, but it looks like that won't be the only option this time around. I feel it'll be a good thing. There was always too much pussyfooting in SC for my taste. :P

Never been a big fan of the later Tom Clancy games. Again, this probably has more to do with the fact I only progressed past a PS One in the last year when I got a DS, and subsequently traded it in with a bit of money for a PSP with Dissidia. I've been a little...behind, shall we say, with the generation progression. The last Tom Clancy game I played was Rainbow Six waaaaayyyyyy back on the Nintendo 64.

You see, we kick it old school, me and the boys from Manchester. I still have my Master System somewhere, unless rats have eaten it, or moss has made a home in the cartridge slot. Remember when you had to blow on a cartridge to make it work if you hadn't played it for a while? Good times, good times.

Aiko

01-19-10, 07:03 PM

"Back in the day" suggests a period of time where I was probably poor (actually, i'm still poor) or still trying to complete my first playthrough of Final Fantasy VII. I might do some homework on it and educate myself.

For education, nothing beats firsthand experience. They sell the Starcraft Battlechest at Walmart. It contains the original, plus its brood war expansion.

My favorite race to play as is The Zerg. Sometimes I like playing as the protoss. I just plain hate terrans. Starcraft's storyline is great, and I think its engaging. So much so that I'm thinking of buying the books.

Letho

01-20-10, 10:21 AM

Never been a big fan of the later Tom Clancy games. Again, this probably has more to do with the fact I only progressed past a PS One in the last year when I got a DS, and subsequently traded it in with a bit of money for a PSP with Dissidia. I've been a little...behind, shall we say, with the generation progression. The last Tom Clancy game I played was Rainbow Six waaaaayyyyyy back on the Nintendo 64.Splinter Cell games are pretty cool if you like that sort of gameplay. In pretty much all of them you couldn't shoot your way out of a sticky situation, but rather had to plan ahead, stick to the shadows and take enemies out silently. Sort of like Metal Gear Solid, only even more bent on the tactics and stealth. I played Chaos Theory last, but I have Double Agent somewhere as well, waiting for a playthrough. At any rate, if you like that sort of gameplay, you can't go wrong with a Splinter Cell game.

You see, we kick it old school, me and the boys from Manchester. I still have my Master System somewhere, unless rats have eaten it, or moss has made a home in the cartridge slot. Remember when you had to blow on a cartridge to make it work if you hadn't played it for a while? Good times, good times.Since we're mentioning ancient hardware, I probably still have an Atari 7800 somewhere. Man, that thing sucked balls, more so since my friend had a Nintendo back in the day. Take a guess which we played more. :P

The Chaos expansion for Dawn of War 2 shall certainly be interesting, despite losing single-player control of so many races I was amazed and well pleased at the gameplay alterations.I'm not usually a fan of expansions or DLCs or whatever you want to call it because most of the time they're just mediocre addons made for hoarding even moar money. Very rarely there's an expansion that really expands the game's universe. Again, I have to mention Bioware, and their addons, especially for Neverwinter Nights 1 & 2. If all expansions were like that, I wouldn't mind wasting money/bandwidth/time on them. Hopefully, Chaos will be one of those. The trailer looked pretty nifty.

Letho

01-23-10, 09:11 AM

Two more that could be the shit.

Heavy Rain. Coming from the creators of the awesome Fahrenheit (or Indigo Prophecy, depending on where you live, I guess), this game looks to me very much like a movie in which you actually get to make decisions. I haven't found out much about the story, but what was shown so far looks pretty promising, especially the effects of your decisions (which were already pretty awesome in Fahrenheit).

Also, The Old Republic. Now, I'm not an MMO kind of guy, I've never played WoW or LotRO or any of that crap because frankly I found those game pretty shallow story-wise, found their graphics lousy and their gameplay boring. But I am a Bioware guy, though, and also think the two KotOR games are some of the best ever. Now, my fanboyism aside, The Old Republic seems somewhat different to me, mostly because they seem to focus much more on the story. The graphics are still a bit choppy in the videos I've seen, sure, and the gameplay doesn't seem revolutionary, but the fact that you can do most of the stuff in the game solo is something that sounds encouraging. Well, maybe not from the MMO perspective, but if you loved the KotOR games and want to dig deeper into that particular universe, The Old Republic could offer that. Until they make KotOR 3, that is. :)

Godhand

01-23-10, 01:45 PM

Heavy Rain.

Quick-time event games!

Saxon

01-23-10, 02:40 PM

I played Indigo Prophecy, and have been following Heavy Rain since it's conception. If there was a game other than Bioshock 2 that I wanted to get my hands on, its this. However, I've been coming aware of how quick-time events are slowly being associated with canned action and events, which was something HR's predecessor was solidly built on. If HR turns out with half of what developers are promising, however, it won't really matter.

I'm looking forward to the nonlinear storyline and the idea that you have 4-5 characters to run through, and once or if you die with them, the story keeps moving with another character. There is no replay button. Aside from making 'choices'. Be realistic. Developers abound have always promised giving you a choice between being a good guy or a bad guy, but it always amounts to complete polar opposites. You're either god's gift to man or the son of satan who lives off of blended human baby milkshakes. There's rarely a decent moral middleground.

Letho

01-25-10, 04:44 AM

Quick-time event games!No, a great quick-time event game!

I played Indigo Prophecy, and have been following Heavy Rain since it's conception. If there was a game other than Bioshock 2 that I wanted to get my hands on, its this. However, I've been coming aware of how quick-time events are slowly being associated with canned action and events, which was something HR's predecessor was solidly built on. If HR turns out with half of what developers are promising, however, it won't really matter.

I'm looking forward to the nonlinear storyline and the idea that you have 4-5 characters to run through, and once or if you die with them, the story keeps moving with another character. There is no replay button. Aside from making 'choices'. Be realistic. Developers abound have always promised giving you a choice between being a good guy or a bad guy, but it always amounts to complete polar opposites. You're either god's gift to man or the son of satan who lives off of blended human baby milkshakes. There's rarely a decent moral middleground.I agree. Also, I think this will make for great replayability of the game, if for no other reason, then to see what will happen to the story if you take a different choice somewhere down the path. Makes me wonder just how many endings the game is going to have.

Chucklecut

01-26-10, 12:46 PM

Also, The Old Republic. Now, I'm not an MMO kind of guy, I've never played WoW or LotRO or any of that crap because frankly I found those game pretty shallow story-wise, found their graphics lousy and their gameplay boring. But I am a Bioware guy, though, and also think the two KotOR games are some of the best ever. Now, my fanboyism aside, The Old Republic seems somewhat different to me, mostly because they seem to focus much more on the story. The graphics are still a bit choppy in the videos I've seen, sure, and the gameplay doesn't seem revolutionary, but the fact that you can do most of the stuff in the game solo is something that sounds encouraging. Well, maybe not from the MMO perspective, but if you loved the KotOR games and want to dig deeper into that particular universe, The Old Republic could offer that. Until they make KotOR 3, that is. :)

I've been waiting for this as well. I'm just hoping that they avoid some of the more annoying flaws in the previous games in the line, though most of those shortcomings came from game mechanics and not the story itself. And yeah, the fact that it seems solo-able is a good thing, honestly. Even for an MMO. There is nothing quite as annoying as trying to find a decently geared/leveled party to help with a quest/mission. I'd say a good 90% of why WoW is so 'addictive' is that to do any one raid, you have to sit on the damn game for hours, hawking in trade chat for someone of the appropriate role and gear level. I'd say solo-able is a great quality for games like this.

And so long as I am here, I'm gonna jump on the fanboy bandwagon. Gogo Diablo 3. Blood, Guts, and Glory!

Sorahn

01-26-10, 10:10 PM

Okay so I haven't been on Althanas in about half a century, but I can never resist a video game thread.

I'm personally really excited about FFXIII for no apparent reason. I've seen a couple of trailers and such, but I don't know much about the game. But I absolutely loved FFX, and this looks to be just as epic. Other than X though, I haven't played any other FF games (well, I was addicted to FFXI, but that doesn't really count, does it?).

And because of my love for FFXI, I have to mention FFXIV. That game intrigues me. I probably won't hop on right at the beginning, but I'll keep an eye on it. Hopefully it will be a bit more accessible for those who don't want to play it 5 hours straight every day of the week, like FFXI required.

And just to add something new to the discussion, what about Star Trek Online? I don't consider myself a Trekkie by any means, but I freakin love TNG. I've never played any Star Trek games before (mainly because I've heard they all suck) but this one looks promising. I've checked out about as much info as I can find on this game and it actually promises a decent story for an MMO (there will even be "episodes" like the tv shows) and nice gameplay. I definitely can't afford to spend much time on an MMO due to my last semester of school right now (a big reason I haven't been on Althanas in ages), but I still might pick this game up at some point down the road.

Corvus MacCallum

01-26-10, 10:46 PM

I tried out the open beta of Star Trek online out of boredom than anything else. It looked a pretty competant game, slow pacing, awkward cash managements and such with about four different currencies. But putting together the ship from various parts. All the notable sound effects as well and nice graphical power.

Only downsides were that being on foot seemed, quite dull and basic since it was just phasers at dawn but I liked the idea of having an NPC away team to help show that you were indeed the captain.

Ship combat, never had any interest in that stuff but they actually pulled it off really well, specially with the angles required to use your weapons correctly. Seeing several ships circle and rise around each other in various spheres as they plinked at each others shields.

And despite its limitations in the beta, the character creator was pretty nice.

http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l167/Corvusmoore/GameClient2010-01-1504-17-08-73.pnghttp://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l167/Corvusmoore/GameClient2010-01-1504-00-01-50.png

So yea, fairly nice game, but as a subscription title it's never one I intend to own and I admit I lost interest in it quite quickly during the open beta, so very slow paced.

Chucklecut

01-26-10, 11:09 PM

I've been checking into Star Trek online myself. The Sci-Fi game itch has been nagging at me for awhile now- Eve Online didn't cut it for me, though I can't really put a finger on why. It was just too... forgettable. Though now that the topic came up, I feel no shame in linking this. (http://www.cad-comic.com/comics/sillies/20100115.gif)

@Corvus's screenshot: Wow. I'm sorry, but I completely forgot your entire post once I seen that. What the hell is up with his head? Looks like an angry squid took up residence. Wait, that thing has boobs. Epic.

As for Final Fantasy... I was never really into those games until my Fiance got FFXII (I think that's the one, anyways. With Vaan and Balthier.) I still haven't gotten around to playing the others in the series yet.

What do you guys think about Dragon Age: Origins? I found it pretty entertaining, though with games like that, I have a tendency to re-roll a new character every ten minutes. The Origins bit of the game (Different starting zones/quest/cinematics for each race/class combination) kind of rewarded that quirk though.

Another game that I recently learned about, and am hoping (desperately) is still being worked on is Battle of the Gods. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Gods). Fighter game like Tekken, but with religious figures as the characters. I mean, seriously, who hasn't felt the desire to beat the Virgin Mary up as Zeus? I figure my soul is already damned enough that fifty (or whatever) bucks is worth a few hours of entertainment.

Logan

01-26-10, 11:55 PM

Mass Effect 2 PWNS all. That is all...

Letho

01-28-10, 11:04 AM

And so long as I am here, I'm gonna jump on the fanboy bandwagon. Gogo Diablo 3. Blood, Guts, and Glory!It's a good thing that it's coming out so soon too. Oh wait, NO, IT'S NOT!!! Goddamn Blizzard, wasting their time on Starcraft 2. ;)

As for Final Fantasy... I was never really into those games until my Fiance got FFXII (I think that's the one, anyways. With Vaan and Balthier.) I still haven't gotten around to playing the others in the series yet.Of all the great FF games, you chose a crappy one to get into. :P Try FFX if you have a chance. It's my favorite Final Fantasy by far and possibly one of my favorite games of all time. Crisis Core is also awesomeness poured over a PSP.

What do you guys think about Dragon Age: Origins? I found it pretty entertaining, though with games like that, I have a tendency to re-roll a new character every ten minutes. The Origins bit of the game (Different starting zones/quest/cinematics for each race/class combination) kind of rewarded that quirk though.I loooooove Dragon Age. I mean, like, if it were a chick, I'd marry it, or at least rape it in a dark alley. Even if it's an ugly chick. I've beaten DA:O for the second time yesterday (with a rogue) and enjoyed it even more than I did when I played through it for the first time (with a fighter, naturally). I can honestly say that I didn't mind the fact that they abandoned the D&D rules, because it gave much more freedom in combat and character development. The presentation of the entire game was nothing short of amazing, from the locations to voice acting, and both the story and the side-quests kept my interest piqued. And the choices you make, though sometimes merely arbitrary, can have serious consequences. I received significantly different endings on my two playthroughs without making drastically different choices, which tells a lot about replay value, which to be honest a lot of games today lack. It's definitely a game worth playing and paying for.

Mass Effect 2 PWNS all. That is all...We'll see. I'm planning to start it for the first time today. Makes me almost giddy, especially since I found my old save, meaning the choices I made in the first game will end up influencing the second. Which, frankly, is pure awesomeness! It's good to be a gamer these days.:D

Letho

01-28-10, 04:35 PM

First three or four hours of Mass Effect 2 have left an... odd taste in my mouth, I have to say. I have a feeling that they dumbed it down a little, what with kicking out the normal inventory. I mean, sure, in the first one the mess in the inventory could be ridiculous and the massive amount of weapons, armors and upgrades mostly only differentiated in name and looks. But on the flip side, in the second one I get this loadout window in which weapons don't even have any statistics displayed, just a description. Also, you can't upgrade each weapon like you could in the first one, which is pretty lame.

Also, the story seems to be divided in missions and every time you complete one, you wind up back in the base. Another example of dumbing it down, it seems, because most people can't keep track of multiple tasks.

And it plays more like a shooter and less like an RPG now, at least that how it feels like to me. I mean, there are some new kinks in the system, but the first impression I got was that it's not all that superior to the original. And that's not a good thing. It's still an excellent game, though. After all, it's Bioware, baby! :cool:

Chucklecut

01-29-10, 08:09 AM

It's a good thing that it's coming out so soon too. Oh wait, NO, IT'S NOT!!! Goddamn Blizzard, wasting their time on Starcraft 2. ;) Stop it Letho. You're gonna make me cry. :(

Well, I'd be slightly more pissed off about that if I wasn't looking forward to SC II as well. (Protoss kick ass)

Of all the great FF games, you chose a crappy one to get into. :P Try FFX if you have a chance. It's my favorite Final Fantasy by far and possibly one of my favorite games of all time. Crisis Core is also awesomeness poured over a PSP.I'll have to check that out.

I really did like 12, though the license board made my head hurt. Especially since there didn't seem to be any merit in using one type of weapon over another. I really liked the summoning system though- wandering around trying to find one of them to kill/gain was a favorite pass time of mine on that game.

I loooooove Dragon Age. I mean, like, if it were a chick, I'd marry it, or at least rape it in a dark alley. Even if it's an ugly chick. I've beaten DA:O for the second time yesterday (with a rogue) and enjoyed it even more than I did when I played through it for the first time (with a fighter, naturally). I can honestly say that I didn't mind the fact that they abandoned the D&D rules, because it gave much more freedom in combat and character development. The presentation of the entire game was nothing short of amazing, from the locations to voice acting, and both the story and the side-quests kept my interest piqued. And the choices you make, though sometimes merely arbitrary, can have serious consequences. I received significantly different endings on my two playthroughs without making drastically different choices, which tells a lot about replay value, which to be honest a lot of games today lack. It's definitely a game worth playing and paying for.My Alt-itis has me stuck somewhere after the first "Mission" (Castle Redwhatever, most of the time), though I've managed to unlock most of the specializations already. Bard and Champion are my favorites right now, though Shapeshifter is pretty nice. With my fascination with new characters, Shapeshifters have a longer life-span than most others. My favorite Origin is probably City Elf though. Least favorite being Mage. The Mage Origin is just... I don't know. Cliche, in a slanted way. I've never seen a story line just like it, and yet, it feels like I've seen it a million times. Deja Vu Cliche? Anyways...

Rayse Valentino

01-31-10, 01:05 PM

Exit Fate (http://site.scfworks.com/?page_id=3)

I heard this forum was a fan of Suikoden II. Well, this game is basically the spiritual successor, and it was made entirely by one person for free. The plot and grand-scale politics of this game was so interesting that I think Post-FQ Salvar should be a lot like this: Warring states/factions/countries, political+military storylines, just a more macro scale of economic and historical relevance that carries over and persists. For too long the only sort of thing on this site has been very general changes with pre-defined Good and Evil sides, concentrating all the blame onto one or two people, and dealing with it in a very individual, character-specific way. Any sort of Gisela-style battle has been done either in a non-canon way or one with a very vague outline of what exactly is happening to each soldier. Armies have been just used as a backdrop for the character's own story, and nobody cares whether they all live or die.

Salvar is a good candidate for this sort of stuff. Is anyone with me? If not, play this game and then ask yourself that question again.

Saxon

01-31-10, 04:37 PM

Corvus MacCallum

02-01-10, 04:14 AM

Would get into the whole Salvar thing but the main issue is IC reasoning. Simple fact is despite Cor being from Salvar his people keep themselves well isolated and he has no interest in the politics of any nation. Same with my other characters, plus it's doubtful any army liason would hire them for any purpose.

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As for gaming been enjoying a slightly dusty classic The Bards Tale, the 2004 version. It's nice seeing a proper sorta fantasy setting, with the Scots accents and other county dialects along with areas that look as if they've been plucked right from down south. Sides always a great bonus having Tony Jay doing voice work, particulary in pessimistic comments.

Also snagged and pretty much completed my Shin Megami Tensei set with the arrival of both Digital Devil Sagas. Exceptional RPGs with a nice battle system that focusses... though a bit less than Lucifers call on being intelligent rather than just all powerful. Also incredible music, such as this tune (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVFXMb7vibM) which is Digital Devil Sagas standard battle theme.

The Devil Summoners are also fantastic in so many respects, mainly in personality of the various demons and folks around... and the odd slang. Also interesting seeing just how different the two games are, in the first just whacking a demon with its weakness and then sucking it down your tube was enough to capture them. In the sequel it's proper demon negotiation which typically has fun results as you try to butter them up enough to join you.

Also wound up with this little guy as a fun bonus.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l167/Corvusmoore/100_0210.jpg