What games are you playing?

[saintjon]

Back on League of Legends. Kill me please. Quickly.

 

[Corporal Blues]

Finally got my hands on Skyrim...just need to take this last final of the quarter before I can sink my teeth into it.

 

[MattNY]

Well I've been mucking about with:

Dungeon Defenders- coop multiplayer, build a base, defend against baddies etc. Worth the sale price but doesn't hit me as a classic

Frozen Synapse- awesome tactical game. It's one that strategy gamers should look up IMHO. There is virtually no luck, nearly 100% tactics as you try to outmanouvre and outhink your opponent's squad. Turn based. A lot of planning resulting in a fist punching the air or a 'oh crap how do I recover from this?' Tense with a decent soundtrack to boot - go look up the youtube reviews.

Gemini Rue- very Phillip K Dick type atmosphere- I'm only an hr or so into this adventure but it's very engrossing so far.

All 3 look to be excellent games from the little I have played of each. I am really excited to get some time to dig into the latter two especially.

I have been on a Metal Gear kick as of late, after picking up the HD Collection. Plowed through MGS2 and decided to play the original Metal Gear on MSX (only had played the NES version). It is amazing how well the game holds up almost 25 years later. Now I am going through MGS3 currently, which is up there with MGS as my all time favorite for the series.

 

[Loerwyn]

As I progressed into Skyrim, I've got to admit I'm... I don't know. I'm liking it, really liking it I must say, but I think I might reduce my playtime for now until *at least* the LAA/4GB patch drops for PC, because it's closing itself after a number of hours and I think it's affecting my performance a bit. I've also put 24ish hours into it since Monday evening, which is quite a lot for me. I'm just not sure I can really get more in without burning out or getting bored. It took me most of a week to work out how to fix the headache-inducing FoV, not to mention the ridiculously quiet sound-mixing (which is fairly poor anyway, surprisingly).

I finished Dawn of War II: Retribution on Friday or Saturday (I forget which), and that didn't take long as I only had two missions left to do. I did it on Easy with the Imperial Guard, and it was fairly enjoyable but has little replay value and really I don't care for the multiplayer aspect so I uninstalled it. Also rather annoyed that the achievement flags are broken and haven't been addressed, so I wasn't awarded any achievement for finishing it. Sigh

I've got Anno 2070, too, but I've not felt motivated to play it. That's something I'd sink a lot of time into if I felt like it, but right now I don't.

 

[Corporal Blues]

About 10 hours into Skyrim, enjoying it so far. The vast size of the world is a bit overwhelming. I managed to accomplish about nothing so far, aside from joining the Companions and the Thieves guild. The missions for those factions seem like they are a bit out of my weight class so far, so I'll probably have to mess around with other side missions before digging in.

About to go on a week long forced hiatus from the game since I'll be out of town for the next week.

 

[Zieborn]

Skyward Sword. 30 hours in. Fantastic (first Zelda I've played more than a few hours of since Link's Awakening). Groose is the best new videogame character of 2011.

 

[saintjon]

Can't wait to play Skyward Sword!

I installed Mass Effect the other day although I haven't had time to play it yet, I've got the sequel too I'm looking forward to seeing what all the fuss was about, got Fallout New Vegas too (Steam had a crazy sale a couple weeks back)

 

[Erfael]

I'll chirp in. I was never a huge fan of the 3D Zelda titles. My favorite Zelda of old is probably A Link to the Past, which packed a world full of interesting things to do. The later (3D) Zelda titles have always felt barren of content and too full of filler quests. Skyward Sword is the first of the 3D Zelda titles that I've felt really has that same sense of really using the world to its fullest. If I have one complaint, it's that the quest is a bit linear, so there won't be much deviation for replays...it'll be the same run again. Not that I do a lot of replaying (usually years later). I'm coming up on the end of it and there's only one bit that I've felt was overdone (a particular fight that's happened too much for my taste). All in all, the best Zelda title I've played in 20 years, I think.

 

[Solaar]

Oh wow, I really haven't played much of anything lately MW3 is probably the only game I really stick too, as nothing has caught my imagination recently.

And Skyrim holds absolutely no fascination for me after the turgid borefest that was Oblivion... and yes, I know I am in the minority of one.

However, something beautiful has just found its' way onto my PS3...

Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. Both in the PSN store now.

Solaar
happy Christmas

 

[saintjon]

Oblivion was another one I got dirt cheap off Steam and I barely gave it a chance but what I did play seemed awfully boring.

I think I might get both of those titles Solaar, never got play Colossus but from what I saw of Ico it was an artfully made game.

Edit: I've also wanted to play Colossus since watching Reign Over Me, which along with being an incredibly moving film was also the best Shadow of the Colossus ad of all time.

 

[cule]

And Skyrim holds absolutely no fascination for me after the turgid borefest that was Oblivion... and yes, I know I am in the minority of one.

Don't worry, you are not alone.

Skyward Sword is amazing, yeah. I'd still put it behind OoT/Majora/WW, but it's definitely one of the best I've played. There was a bit too much hand holding at times and Link had a tendency to autojump into lava/off the cliff, but those are the only complaints I have. Loved the combat (glad to see a stamina bar) and really loved the timeshift stones.

Speaking of Ico/SotC, I'm kinda losing hope in The Last Guardian. It's been my most anticipated game for years, but it seems like it's been in development forever and with the recent problems at Team Ico...*sigh*

E:Nintendo revealed the official timeline for Zelda. Three separate timelines, that's crazier than anyone predicted I think.

 

[Loerwyn]

So, I'm working through Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine (I got the Collector's Edition, too!), and it's really fun. Takes a little while to get used to the controls for some bizarre reason, but once you get into it and get going, it flows really well. It actually feels like you're controlling a Space Marine too, with the way he thunders around and stuff.

It's not perfect, the voice acting is a little laughable at times, but it is really good fun so far, and the engine is absolutely stunning.

 

[saintjon]

Cheers we should play Exterminatus sometime, Loerwyn.

 

[Loerwyn]

Which platform have you got it on, jon?

 

[PeterWilliam]

I had been considering Skyward Sword, then saw cule's comments upwards a bit. Trying to find ways to convince myself that it'd be ok to go ahead with it (i.e. find room in 'the budget').

 

[Erfael]

Did you see my comment even farther upthread?

 

[PeterWilliam]

Did you see my comment even farther upthread?

Just re-read it, but in doing so I remember having read it. I have to admit, I have not played a Zelda game since OoT. As each successive game came out, I was convinced that they were getting weaker and didn't want to play games from a cherished childhood gaming experience, just because Nintendo was using the franchise as an ATM. Now, however, I am considering playing a Zelda game for the first time in a rather long time.

 

[Erfael]

Actually, I finished it last night. It's the most fun I've had playing a Zelda game in years and right up there with some others on my most fun list. I can honestly say for the first time in quite a while that I liked a whole game from front to back. There were none of those tedious bits of padding or such. Even stuff that I thought was going to be aggravating ended up not being so (get to something and groan because it just can't be an entertaining hour of gaming coming up for whatever reason) ended up being fun. The SO (cheerleader and extra set of eyes) will usually tell me to go ahead and play when she's not around. With this one, that wasn't allowed. She wanted to stick around for the whole thing, which I don't think has ever happened with a game.

 

[Loerwyn]

Nintendo was using the franchise as an ATM.

Well, that is pretty much standard business practice for Nintendo. Rehash the same ol' stuff every year and - as the jovial saying goes - it prints money. Just look at Mario, it's insane how much they're really milking it without innovating all that much. Seems like even SEGA are doing more innovation with Sonic, which is rather shocking.

Last Zelda game I played was Twilight Princess on Gamecube (i.e. the proper version of TP), and I did enjoy it but it did really just seem like a repainted Ocarina of Time. I enjoyed Wind Waker a lot, though, that was something a little different, although in truth it really just shook things up a little.

 

[cule]

Well, that is pretty much standard business practice for Nintendo. Rehash the same ol' stuff every year and - as the jovial saying goes - it prints money.

Aside from indie developers, that's pretty much standard business practice for everyone in the game industry.