Topic: The Currently Playing Thread / Recently Finished Thread

[Quemaqua]

Well, I just beat Metroid Prime 2, and I have somewhat mixed feelings.  They are as follows, tagged with spoilers for those who care (though it is only about one end-game boss mechanic, not really anything about plot, etc.), from a conversation I had with Sy on IRC.

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<@Que|Prime2> Man, that last boss fight is fucking stupid.
<@Que|Prime2> What a letdown.
<@Que|Prime2> And I guess I'm not playing any Mario Galaxy at night.  There doesn't appear to be any way to turn that remote sound down or off, and hell that's loud.
<@sirean|HW> I don't remember having a problem with the last boss.
<@sirean|HW> It wasn't as good as the boss from Prime 1, but it wasn't that bad, was it?
<@Que|Prime2> Well, the fight is perfectly fine except for the fact that what you're supposed to do is a complete mystery and there are no clues of any kind.
<@Que|Prime2> Absorb phazon particles with your charge beam?  I'd never have thought of that in a hundred years.
<@Que|Prime2> Once you figure it out it's fine, but that was really annoying.
<@Que|Prime2> I had to die twice before giving up and reading a FAQ, and that just seems unnecessary.
<@Que|Prime2> Anyway... it wasn't so bad.  I just put it down for an hour and came back to it.  All in all I still loved the game, it just would have been nice if they didn't conceal the obscure technique at the end there.  Sort of a bad way to top it off.  Still, good game, I'm glad to have finally finished it.
<@Que|Prime2> I think I do like it better than Prime 1 on the whole.

For those who haven't played the game but want to know what I'm talking about, you basically fight 3 forms of boss 1, then fight boss 2.  Boss 1 is fairly tricky, but not really super hard, mostly just very time consuming since it's easy to fudge stuff and just drag it out.  Boss 2 is actually quite easy except for the magical thing you're supposed to do to win, and it's a timed fight.  Time runs out, you die.  So I didn't know what the fuck the game wanted me to do, and it didn't clue me in at all, so I died twice and had to ultimately fight the first boss 3 times.  That got old really, really fast.  I eventually resorted to a FAQ to figure out how to beat the last last boss, and for the life of me I don't have a clue how they expect anyone to come up with that solution on their own.  Nothing else in the game sets any precedent for what it wants you to do.  Really lame.

So yeah, one of the best games I've ever played, but a shame the very end (and literally only the very end... like the last 5 minutes) had to be so convoluted and weirdly positioned.  I could have done without the key hunt at the end too, which seemed to drag things out unnecessarily, but it didn't end up taking quite as long as I thought, so I can forgive it.  Ultimately, despite a few minor frustrations, it's one of the best Metroid games without question and has me eagerly anticipating Prime 3.

[PyroMenace]

I think I know what you mean, it took some time for me to beat the first boss. When I finally did I nearly shit myself when I had to fight another one, so I was all high stressed, but I managed to figure it out and beat it in the nick of time. Its easy once you know what to do, but yea, it doesnt really clue you in on it.

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I don't know, charging my shot became pretty much a reflex in those games, so its really a matter of time of when you spot it when it happens, but it took me a bit to see it too.

I do hate it when a frustrating moment can taint a little bit of the awesome experience your having in a game, example God of War.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, both God of War games had a single moment like that each for me.  The first was the last boss fight which apparently I was just too stupid to do properly in the original game, and the second was that huge gauntlet run before the fat chick in 2.  That killed me so many times.

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And it's funny, because the whole charging thing is reflex for me too with the Prime games, but the way you had to manually aim is what threw me.  I couldn't do it accidentally because I was too busy trying to avoid getting hit.  I mean, as a rule... you see flying blue shit, you run, not stand there and try to let it hit you in the face.  Right?

[wizall]

Not a goddamned thing since my 360 went tits up.  I am going to buy Civ Rev, though, the moment I get the fucker back.

[Quemaqua]

So I started Prime 3 tonight, and holy shit.  What an opening.  They start you off with some stunning graphics that really drive the point home that this isn't a Gamecube.  The graphics are similar in technology, but there's so much extra polish.  Wow.  What a stunning game.  Then they wow you with the control setup and how well it works.  Takes some getting used to for sure, and seems a bit wonky at first, but it didn't take too long to get used to it.  It gives the game a more frenetic feel, but I think is ultimately preferable to the old method.  It just feels more natural.  And then they wow you with a great opening sequence that lasts forever and has all kinds of cool shit happening.  You can't really even call it a straight opening, since you're back in the fray continuing what almost amounts to more of the same sequence.  People compared this endlessly to Halo, but I don't really see it.  That one did have a cool opening for the time, but it was basically just... aliens invading spaceship.  The similarities end there, so I think the comparison is stretching just a ton.

Anyway, things don't feel Metroid enough yet, but I hear that's mostly just a fault of the opening, which is super action-packed, and it should settle down into a more familiar groove shortly.  If that's the case I can totally get behind it, because I had great fun with the opening stuff anyway, including several "Wow!" moments that Julia and I shared since she was watching.  Good fun all around, and being able to play with the inside of Samus's gunship is pretty much concentrated Nintendo geek bliss.

Thankfully I also figured out how to turn the remote's speaker down, so I'll be able to play Super Mario Galaxy now without waking the entire house every time I grab an item.  Might give it a whirl tonight, but not sure.  Prime 3 is definitely my primary game at this point, though.

Oh, and I got a chance to play with Endless Ocean for a bit... and it's cool.  Pretty much exactly what it looked like.  The graphics won't wow you, being decidedly Gamecube-esque, maybe even a little on the low end there, but there's still a lot of very nice art and atmosphere to be had.  The fish aren't the most detailed in the world, and your interaction with them is somewhat limited, but it's still very addictive to roam around finding them and stuff.  If you had any interest in what the game seemed to have presented, you should definitely give it a shot.  It seems to live up to what it advertised quite well, and while there are a few low points and quirks, thus far I've completely enjoyed the hour or so I spent with it.  And though I didn't think it'd manage it, it did completely relax me, putting me into a semi-blissful state at the end of the hour.  Not bad at all!

[gpw11]

Tomb Raider: Ann. It's good, but like I said before, Assassins Creed may have ruined the game for me.  Climbing and platforming in any other manner than that set out in AC just feels wrong now.

[iPPi]

I don't remember MP2 very well anymore, but I don't recall having too many troubles with it.  It's been a while though, since I got the game at launch. 

MP3 was a pretty good game.  I agree with you that it didn't feel like a Metroid game at the start, but it begins to feel more Metroid like almost immediately after the opening.  They've definitely made some drastic changes though.  You're basically carried through the storyline (ie, you are told where to go for your next objective almost at all times), items are not particularly hard to find, minus a few exceptions, and the game is very much easier. 


Anyway, I'm currently play Bioshock and nearing the end of it.  I bought this game at launch, but to be honest I was not impressed with it because the story was very incoherent at the start, but once the story finally picks up, the game is amazing!  I'm now near the end.  Hoping to finish it relatively soon.

[Quemaqua]

Yeah, that's my big complaint with MP3... I have the hint system off, and yet it still constantly tells me what to do.  What the hell could it be like with the hint system, I wonder?  And it's definitely too easy, though a couple of the bosses so far have been just the right amount of challenge.  I think playing the game on whatever is above Veteran will feel right... just a shame that isn't unlocked by default.  Coming off of Echoes, this thing is a cakewalk.

[MysterD]

Finished CoD2 - Single Player Portion.
Was pretty damn good.

[Xessive]

I am currently playing:

Devil May Cry 4
Mass Effect (again)
GRID
Archlord

And a bit of Shadowgrounds Survivor. If you get a chance check this one out. I think Que, Idol, and Sy would love it! Great for Coop too.

[Quemaqua]

I've been playing a bit of the original Shadowgrounds.  It's good stupid fun, though I think ultimately I'd rather be playing the sequel to Alien Shooter.  Never could find a copy.

I haven't been playing much of anything.  I've tried to play some stuff, but I've just been too tired.  I'm still embroiled in Metroid Prime 3, but I haven't had enough time to devote to it, so I'm sort of waiting.  I'd have played some today, but Julia was using the big TV.  So I mostly just sat around and played Rune Factory, which I'm finally having a lot of fun with.  The beginning was really fun, but then it ground to a halt and became an exercise in tedium because there simply wasn't enough to do, as is fairly typical of the beginning of Harvest Moon games.  I finally got enough cash and stuff to get going, though, so now I've beaten one cave, tamed some monsters and built a hut for them, and opened the second cave.  This also progressed me far enough to get the hammer so I can mine for ore, so that's led to further spelunking.  The game is much more interesting than other Harvest Moon games since there's a more immediate sense of progression (as it's kind of an RPG), and that helps you feel less stagnant or clueless about what to do next.

[iPPi]

I've finally finished Bioshock.  Great game, but a somewhat disappointing ending.  The final boss was a pushover as well.

[scottws]

Playing Starcraft single player again for like the 4th time.  Just beat the Terran campaign again last night.

I can't believe this game is 10 years old.  While the visuals are definitely dated, they aren't horrible considering its age.  The gameplay stands the test of time very well and doesn't seem too antiquated, and really I still think it's a great pattern to follow.  The control scheme is a bit old-fashioned, especially in terms of how you scroll around the screen (put mouse on edge of screen).  Hotkeys would be great to activate the "magic" power of some of the units like Protoss Templars and Zerg Queens.

I'm still wow'ed by the story.  It's so well presented and told given the constraints of the game format.  I wish there were some other way to participate in the universe rather than this one game.  I mean this could easily be a Star Wars type thing.  The universe is very large with tons of stories that could be told.

[Quemaqua]

So I just picked up the limited edition of Quake Wars, and, finally, Portal.  Hooray!  I guess that'll help flesh out my time with CivRev and Rune Factory on my DS.  Plus I hope to finish up Metroid Prime 3 this weekend, if all goes as planned.

I LOVE GAMES.  Even when your life is total crap, they're always there for you.  Aw.

[MysterD]

Despite having a stack of games I ain't finished, began or even installed, eh -- I dunno' what the hell game to get into...

[Quemaqua]

Anyone ever tell you you're overstimulated?

[gpw11]

So I just picked up the limited edition of Quake Wars, and, finally, Portal.  Hooray!  I guess that'll help flesh out my time with CivRev and Rune Factory on my DS.  Plus I hope to finish up Metroid Prime 3 this weekend, if all goes as planned.

I LOVE GAMES.  Even when your life is total crap, they're always there for you.  Aw.

It's too late, you had to play Portal like 6 months ago, before you were sick of inter-nerds posting every line from the game as a catch phrase and then patting each other on their backs over and over again.  Now the game will just seem stupid.

[Quemaqua]

I tried it not *too* long after it came out, and I really didn't see what the big deal was.  But a podcast brainwashed me today, and I wanted to play something in a single sitting, so I figured what the hell.  My biggest complaint is that everything is really easy, and for a puzzle game to require almost no thought... that's kind of stupid.  And apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way, but I guess most people hate thinking.  Oh well.

Still, I expect to enjoy it once I sit down and force myself to get going.

In other news, Quake Wars is fucking awesome.

[gpw11]

Yeah, they were mostly easy, but you can ramp it up with some custom maps.

Edit: Anyways, I just recently finished Devil May Cry 4, which was awesome but lacked the unlockables to make it worth playing through a second time back to back.  I'm now kind of at a loss.  I just reinstalled Bioshock, but I'm not really feeling it and Tomb Raider: Anniversary isn't something I'm in the mood for all the time.  DoD on Steam is pretty sweet though and I think I'll pick up God of War II if it's cheap by now.

[Xessive]

Now that I've finished most of the games on my hands I'm jumping into the MMORPG field again. I'm trying out the recently released open beta of Florensia, an intriguing new MMO from Netts (Japanese developer) with standard MMORPG as well as MMO sailing!

If you're into MMO's I'd recommend checking it out. The art syle is very benign and "cartoony" but pleasant. Sometimes I'm in the mood for saturated colours

I think the title "Florensia" sounds like some kind of disease or syndrome though.

[scottws]

I tried it not *too* long after it came out, and I really didn't see what the big deal was.  But a podcast brainwashed me today, and I wanted to play something in a single sitting, so I figured what the hell.  My biggest complaint is that everything is really easy, and for a puzzle game to require almost no thought... that's kind of stupid.  And apparently I'm not the only one who feels that way, but I guess most people hate thinking.  Oh well.

Yeah, Portal was a good, fun game, but it's not the game people were making it out to be.

In other news, Quake Wars is fucking awesome.

Do you just play against bots?  Or do you play online?  If I can ever figure out why my rig is dropping packets like a banshee (yes, banshees are renown for dropping packets), I wouldn't mind jumping in a game with you.  I think my wireless card is just shot.  I've noticed the signal strength seems to be going down over time, and I'm like fifteen feet from the wireless router.  Something similar happened when my last wireless card was going.

As far as ET:QW goes, I'm way out-of-practice though.  I played a lot of CoD4 much more recently, and that's a whole different combat philosophy.  Still, it's fun to go back and play some of the old Wolf-style gameplay.

Edit: Anyways, I just recently finished Devil May Cry 4, which was awesome but lacked the unlockables to make it worth playing through a second time back to back.  I'm now kind of at a loss.  I just reinstalled Bioshock, but I'm not really feeling it and Tomb Raider: Anniversary isn't something I'm in the mood for all the time.  DoD on Steam is pretty sweet though and I think I'll pick up God of War II if it's cheap by now.

That's precisely the time I go back and play some classics.  I've played Deus Ex, X-COM: UFO Defense, and Starcraft all within the last year for significant amounts of time.  In fact, I'm about to play the last mission of the Zerg campaign.

[Quemaqua]

I'd be down to play sometime, scott, at least once I learn the ropes.  I literally just picked the game up, so I haven't spent more than a couple hours with it.  But compared to the other experiences I've had with online FPS games lately, this thing takes the cake.  It's just really solid where a lot of other games might shine more brightly in an area or two, but ultimately feel like paper mache in all the areas where they aren't quite up to snuff.  I doubt I'll have the time to devote to the game as seriously as I used to play games like it, but if I were to do so, Quake Wars would be my game over TF2 or UT3.  I actually really like UT3, but there's something about it that just doesn't jive with me.  I suck at it and can't seem to find my groove.  I'll probably suck with Quake Wars too, but it seems ultimately to be a much more rewarding game, and I love the objective/mission system where you always know that there's something your class should be doing, and get rewarded for doing it.  That's really quite cool.

[nickclone]

Final Fantasy 4 - I don't really like this game, the battle system is different from a traditional RPG and I find it jarring. However, this is the best looking and sounding game on the DS.

Gourmet Chef - Kind of like Cooking Mama, but this game focuses making the meals instead of the little mini games you have to do in Cooking Mama while cooking. Sleeper hit, go check it out.

[MysterD]

Anyone ever tell you you're overstimulated?

Well...you just did!

[PyroMenace]

Final Fantasy 4 - I don't really like this game, the battle system is different from a traditional RPG and I find it jarring. However, this is the best looking and sounding game on the DS.

Gourmet Chef - Kind of like Cooking Mama, but this game focuses making the meals instead of the little mini games you have to do in Cooking Mama while cooking. Sleeper hit, go check it out.

I want to pick up FF4, the only thing that worries me is that they used voiceovers with it which I thought was unnecessary.

[nickclone]

I want to pick up FF4, the only thing that worries me is that they used voiceovers with it which I thought was unnecessary.

Not every thing is voice acted, I've only put in about six hours, but there hasn't been a lot of voice acting.

[Quemaqua]

So I really, really, really like Quake Wars.  I still suck at it, but I can't believe this game didn't get more fanfare.  It blows the fucking shit out of all the Battlefield games, IMO, and the "meh" response to it makes no sense to me.  If you have even a passing interest in team, objective-based shooters, you should really try this.  It only cost me $30 for the limited edition (which basically just has a pretty box and some cool glossy cards that server no real purpose), and I'm now very sorry I didn't pick this up straight away.  It's much, much better than I was led to believe.

A little gushing from IRC:

<Que|warquakes> Okay seriously, Quake Wars is the fucking best team FPS ever.
<idolminds> heh
<Que|warquakes> I'm not even kidding.  I don't know that it really is, of course, but it's obviously the one that fits me best.
<idolminds> thats cool
<Que|warquakes> I love the feel of it, the look of it, the maps, the objectives, the sound design... wee!
<idolminds> I need to get the update with the tutorials. Pre-patch I dont see any tuts, and I feel very lost
<Que|warquakes> It's just fun, and the whole gaining experience and bonuses thing works really well, especially if you're playing a campaign (three related maps in a row).  It really gives you that "let's do just that much better next time!" thing, since you actually earn rank as you go.
<Que|warquakes> So it's like, next time I'll make First Lieutenant!
<idolminds> heh
<Que|warquakes> And you get extra stuff like more grenades or health, faster sprinting speed, that sort of thing.  Really gives you incentive to get shit done.
<Que|warquakes> Engineers are often boring, but they're a blast in this game.
<Que|warquakes> And they balance the necessity of each class really well, so you always feel necessary and like you're getting rewards for pulling your weight.  And especially in a campaign it trades the most-needed class between maps well, so while your must-complete objectives may be for an engineer one map, the next it may be that a soldier is who has to be the hero
<Que|warquakes> Really fucking good game.  I'm really surprised that this didn't get a more excited reception, and I'm now very sorry I didn't pick it up day one.
<Que|warquakes> Though yes, I'd be lost without the tutorials.  They're definitely really helpful.

[gpw11]

Do you think the time it was released might have been a bit of a problem?  TF2 being packaged in Orange Box, CoD 4, and UT3 (well...sort of) kind of drowned it out?

[scottws]

Didn't all those games come out quite a bit later?

[gpw11]

I have no idea.  I was out of PC gaming at that time.

[PyroMenace]

I want Quake Wars really bad, but it runs like shit on my PC and its supposed to suck on consoles...

[Quemaqua]

Really?  I'd think it would run okay.  My rig isn't the beefiest, but it runs pretty great with nearly everything cranked up.  I'd think it would scale well.  It's just the Doom 3 engine, right?

But yeah gpw, idol and I were talking about it and we're pretty sure all the other games coming out were ultimately what killed it.  It makes sense, especially since a lot of those competing franchises are really popular, so it was a tough group to beat.  What bothers me more is that even critically things were kind of uneven, and I'm sorry but there is no fucking way in hell that TF2 is anywhere even close to as good as Quake Wars.  I was a big TF fan back in the day, and I don't think TF2 is a horrible or anything, don't get me wrong, but in my mind there's really no comparison.  The games aren't trying to do exactly the same things either, granted, but I think TF2 has some pretty significant problems with lack of content and gameplay balance, yet those issues seem more or less accepted without much thought by everyone, where Quake Wars, a much more solidly built game, seems to have people on both sides of the fence.  Battlefield Vietnam, that catastrophic piece of bug-ridden garbage in the tradition of all its bug-ridden brethren, has the same rating as Quake Wars on Metacritic, and the other 3 Battlefield games all rate higher, despite the fact that Quake Wars was more or less rock solid from the beginning barring a couple issues, and the gameplay is at least as good in most respects, maybe better in some others depending on your tastes.  And it doesn't explode every time you poke it.

The critics just seem conflicted.  Some call the mechanics dated, some say it's brimming with new ideas; some say the gameplay is tight and balanced, others claim there's spawn camping; some say the maps are superlative examples of grace and balance, some say the maps are a little imbalanced or out of whack; some say the game "welcomes newcomers", others say it has a "fairly harsh learning curve for newcomers".  I just wonder where the conflict is coming from since I feel the game is extremely well built in a lot of very obvious ways, and it would make sense to be conflicted with something like TF2 or Battlefield, games that are great in concept -- and in certain elements of execution -- but have/had some serious issues that hold them back.  I think Splash Damage really didn't get their due with this one.  Enemy Territory was great, and this is a very finely honed evolution of that with some real craftsmanship on display.

Anyway, rant over.  Go buy the game, it's sweet.  And you get to blow up shit in Jersey.

EDIT - Oh, and it's got pretty great bots, too, which can be used however you want.  Not perfect, but a lot better than many games of this type, rivaling UT3 and other top-notch AIs.

[MysterD]

In regards to Quake Wars and UT3 -- I really don't know how the hell can anyone go wrong w/ either of those MP-based games. They both are pretty damn good.

EDIT:
Performance in Quake Wars -- On my PC (see the sig), but back when I had a 128 MB GF 6600 in there, I had most of the graphical bells and whistles on Medium at 1024x768 and it ran really good; never below 30 FPS.

Of course, w/ the 512 MB GF 8800 GT OC in there, everything's on full blast now.

Doom 3 Engine was never great at running outdoors areas, when it first came out. But now, w/ much better hardware around and w/ the engine been tweaked-out to handle really outdoors environments for QW, it's been fine.

The ray-tracing experiments are interesting for QW, though...

[Quemaqua]

Man, I'm completely hooked on this game.  Like most MP shooters I probably won't play it for a really extended period (I've never been the type to keep going at these for months on end), but it's amazing how all the other games I was planning to play this weekend just fell off the map.  I just finished going through all the maps as Strogg, though I did play as GDF a couple times, and I haven't been that exhilarated by a game in ages from a pure adrenaline standpoint.  This is a very fast-paced game in the face of many other team shooters like Battlefield.  I honestly can't remember, was the original Enemy Territory this quick?  It really does feel like a Quake brand of team shooter, which is great for me because I enjoy the slightly more frenetic pace.  The only drag about it is it does make the march from spawn points to the front lines feel a little extra lame, where in some other games the slower pace makes it a little easier to ignore.

Love the maps, though.  Makes me really wish they'd release a map pack or something just to see more of what they can do.  Different maps change the dynamics of certain gameplay elements the way a good selection of maps should, which is something a lot of games seem to fail at these days.  It does seem like certain objectives are ridiculously hard to take compared to others, though I suspect a good lot of that is because I haven't even gone online yet... just playing with bots.  Real meatbags to play with would probably improve things a good bit.

[gpw11]

In regards to Quake Wars and UT3 -- I really don't know how the hell can anyone go wrong w/ either of those MP-based games. They both are pretty damn good.

I'm glad you and the 15 other people actively playing UT III see it that way.  Personally, however, I like to play my online mp games with other people and it doesn't really deliver in that category.

[Quemaqua]

I didn't have any trouble finding people playing UT3, but I did have trouble finding any of them who weren't super-ultra-hardcore and could kill me with their eyes closed while operating the keyboard with their feet.  It's a smaller group, but sort of prohibitively so.  The people playing are just way too good at it.

I suspect it'll be the same with QW once I take it online, and that's part of the reason I haven't yet.  I want to get to know the maps pretty well before I even get my feet wet.

[MysterD]

Que pretty much hit the nail in the coffin.

[idolminds]

I bought Assassins Creed for PC. I am getting my shank on.

[MysterD]

I'm playing a few things, here and there.
Not really able to set myself on ONE game to dedicate myself to.

Anyways, here's what I been up to:
--Brothers In Arms: Road to Hill 30 (this is getting the most time, of the bunch, surprisingly...)
--Overlord
--Scarface: The World Is Yours

[Xessive]

I'm still hooked on R6 Vegas 2! The multiplayer is highly addictive!

By the way I also checked out Kung Fu Panda on PS3 as well as PC, usually Movie-to-Game conversions suck ass, but this one is pretty decent especially for kids. It also has the best water effects I've ever seen in a game! The way the water ripples, splashes, or just flows down a stream is beautifully rendered. And it has some great light and shadow rendering too! The way the light shines on (and passes) objects and characters is fantastic! It looks surprisingly good among the common movie-games.