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Laughing Banana · Jun 30, 2014

I think it would be interesting to see what everyone in here thinks about the stuff they're currently playing right now. Interesting, and might even be informative! You don't have to put too much details in your reviews if you don't like, but as best as you can don't just put stuff like this:

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Game A
It's bad.

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At least make some effort in explaining your review(s) a bit

Mention the platform you're playing it if it's a multi-platform game, because the experience of playing the same game in a, say, PC, would generally be different than playing it in consoles.

I'll start:

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MASS EFFECT 3 MULTIPLAYER
Platform: PS3

I am massively late at jumping into this, but right now I am at 241 hours according to the log and I practically do not play any other game right now besides this. I too once scoffed at the idea of ME having MP but having tried it, I couldn't be any more wrong.

It has bugs, and connection issues, and freezing especially in PS3 against a certain type of enemy, but the content are great. Numerous maps including additional hazard version, 10 character kits each in 6 different classes (Adept, Soldier, Sentinel, Engineer, Infiltrator, and Vanguard) for a total of 60 characters and they all feel distinctively different in one another, which is very great. The powers, the weapons, the items, the gears...

The way to unlock stuff, with RNG store, can be considered annoying but this too, I feel, adds more to the addictive feeling of the game (gambling is addictive, hey!)

I am thankful that I have never find any difficulties in finding games even after jumping in so much late; it is a testament on the longevity of the game that a good number of people are still playing nowadays, 2 years (IIRC) after it's launched... unlike, say, Titanfall if what people say about it in GAF is to be believed.

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Since I currently play no other game but this, that's it, hahaha. Let us hear your opinion about the games you're currently playing, GAF.

ArmageddB · Jun 30, 2014

Wolfenstein: The New Order - PS4

Fun, fun, and more fun. Really enjoying it. Also has the best cut scenes I've seen in a while.

SwiftDeath · Jun 30, 2014

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Wolfenstein the New Order
Platform: PS4

Simply a fantastic FPS game. I was truly suprised by this game as I thought it'd probably have at least decent gameplay and then just a half-baked story and forgettable charecters. I am estatic at how wrong I was.

Gunplay is the most satisfying I've had in a FPS since maybe Some moments in Rage? Feedback is great. You shoot, you kill. On harder difficulties they shoot they kill. As it should be. One of the best shotguns I've used in a FPS. All guns have alternative fire modes that are worthwhile.

Level design is mostly great. There is some slow points in the first level and some exploration in a later level or two might bore some but other than that it's very solid. Levels are designed to be much easier with a stealth approach but run and gun can work too.

Story is far more interesting than I could ever have hoped for for this game. Looking back on it seems the best option for what they were trying to do.

Charecters are great. Main charecter doesn't feel lifeless or instantly forgettable to me. His little quips throughout your playthrough add depth. Secondary charecters are far better developed than most FPS games.

Leveling system. So there is mild RPG elements where you unlock abilities by completing certain challenges. It's a good way to force you to try multiple methods to take people out

Great great game. Beat it twice. Well worth the price

fedexpeon · Jun 30, 2014

Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars

Kill it with fire.
You thought Persona 3 Tartarus was bad?
Conception dungeon designs+slow combat=horrible grinding experience.
The waifus events can't even save this game.

DiscoJer · Jun 30, 2014

Whispering Willows
Platform: Ouya

This is a 2d adventure game, controlled something like a platformer, but not.actually a platformer.

Basically you explore a creepy house and the girl you control can use astral projection and possess objects to solve puzzles. Maybe not super original, but all in all well done and atmospheric.

Coming to PC on July 9th, where I imagine it will make a bigger splash.

http://nightlightinteractive.com/whisperingwillows/

Mozz-eyes · Jun 30, 2014

Monster Hunter 4.

It's the same as ever but a bit more streamlined.

Gameplay good. Ground textures bad.

MH is unchallenged in its genre, Toukiden can go get impaled.

David___ · Jun 30, 2014

Muramasa Rebirth

Pretty good ARPG

Combat is very satisfying and it looks gorgeous on the Vita.

Only downside is the constant back tracking and

soultron · Jun 30, 2014

One Finger Death Punch
Platform: PC with 360 gamepad (thought it can be played with a mouse too)

2 buttons. X & B; these control the attacks on the left and right side of the screen. With these two buttons, you'll kick, punch, chop and block your way against hordes of stickmen that hate you for stopping your regular visits to newgrounds.com. The game is ugly as sin, but the action is smooth and snappy -- animations are simple so as not to bog things down. Half of the time there's so many people flying around and crashing into stuff littered on the stage or just straight up exploding into fine red mist for you to notice your Drunken Master animations anyway. It plays out like a martial arts rhythm game of sorts, only it's not music that dictates gameplay tempo -- it's the amount and timing of guys trying to rush your ass from either side.

Difficulty adjusts (guys come at you faster) as you get better and punchify the shit out of stickmen faster. If you mistime attacks, you get knocked a pip of health, so if you mash like a scrub, you'll get killed for it.

Challenge comes in the form of regular guys, guys who can take more than one hit, guys that dodge to the other side of the screen when you try to hit them, guys that engage in one-on-one fights with you (wherein you have to smash button combos fast enough), and even guys that throw weapons at you.

The game is pretty varied. There's a Quest and Survival mode. Quest is an overworld map peppered with stages that range from "survive X guys," "have a light sabre or nunchaku and kill X dudes," "fight this boss and kill his ass," to other exotic things like "smash the fuck out of X things using guys' faces."

Here's the video that should make you buy it. Keep in mind this guy is at a really low difficulty/speed (110%), so it gets much harder when you get up to ~190%.

My rating: get this game for $2.50 before the Steam Summer Sale ends, you idiot/10.

kenta · Jun 30, 2014

Playing Final Fantasy IX and loving it, mostly because it feels like they loved making it. There are all the classic Final Fantasy elements and they're all front and center, it's charming as heck. Story is great, abilities system is great, battles could be faster but that's about the only thing to gripe about. Forgot what it was like to play a Final Fantasy game this well made

Zakalwe · Jun 30, 2014

Shadowrun Returns
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Downloaded this to fill the time before D:OS releases, and it's a nice stopgap.

The writing is excellent, the use of unique language adds a lot to the the world without ever feeling forced or cheesy, and the design and music give the atmosphere a suitably grim yet fantastical feeling.

I love he mix of magic and tech, and he cyberpunk aesthetic in general. Combat is solid, if a little simplistic, hoping it gets a little more complex as the game progresses.

The world isn't very interactive though, the best it manages is "hold alt and click on the icons", and it's incredibly linear, but the writing and story often make me forget how closed off it is in terms of optional content.

I hear Dragonfall fixes many of the issues, so I have that stacked up.

Outlast
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Usually, horror games don't bother me. Outlast bothers me. Something about being chased down a pitch black hallway looking over your shoulder with your night vision as a manac with a meat cleaver nips at your heels is quite effective at making me not want to play this with the lights off.

That massive thing that hounds you through the game is horrible. Entering a new area with zero bearings and hearing chains rattling and heavy breathing sets my nerves on edge every time.

Gameplay is solid. It does get a little repetitive at times, but then they throw another encounter at you like the huge reservoir, pitch darkness, and the fat man, and suddenly the shortcomings don't feel so worrying...

So far it's doing what it's supposed to do quite well. I feel a small sense of dread each time I boot it up. Looking forward to finishing it so
I can never play it again!

Datto · Jun 30, 2014

Natural Selection 2 (PC)

An FPS/RTS hybrid, where the objective is to destroy your enemy's bases. How you do it is up to you.

One person is the commander (RTS perspective), while everyone is on the ground.

One team plays as the marines with the other as the aliens.

Marines get access to shotguns, mines, grenade launchers, flamethrowers and grenades, along with jetpacks and exo suits. Aliens get access to various lifeforms, starting with the low level Skulk and then moving up to the support and healing Gorge, the flying Lerk, the assassin-like Fade and massive and powerful Onos.

Games can range from the competitive 6v6, to the typical pub play of 8v8, 10v10, or 12v12, to the chaos of a 21v21 server.

The game has an incredibly high learning curve and skill cap. This game is not easy to play and requires mass communication between players. A microphone is highly encouraged and damn near mandatory for commanding roles. If you are expecting a CoD or Battlefield like experience in this game, you will not find it. The game is probably as balanced as it's ever going to get for typical play and for the average player. The community has taken over most of the updates going forward, as the Unknown Worlds team has moved on to another game.

If you'd like to try it, it's still on sale for $6.25 on Steam for another 9.5 hours as of this post. Full price, it is $25, which is quite a hefty tag for a game like this, where many players get instantly discouraged due to the high learning curve.

Biggest issue with the game right now is easily finding a balanced game. A fun little meta-game in NS2 is "find a balanced server". With the sale (and with every sale), a ton of new players have entered the game. Upwards of 70% of the population is new to the game and typically one or two players can tilt the balance of the game heavily to those players favors, simply because they know how to play the game. Once the rookies clear out, the games get a lot more balanced and a lot better. A fully balanced game of NS2 is one of the best gaming experiences I've even taken part in.

If you're looking for a unique multiplayer experience, I suggest checking out NS2 or at least suggest checking out some youtube videos. This is not a very casual game. If you want to be good, you'll need to put in time, probably a lot more time than you would for most other games to become good. I have almost 1000 hours and I'm a bit above average.

Doomshroom · Jun 30, 2014

Valinat hearts: The great war
Review: game is good 7/10

Shun · Jun 30, 2014

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge

What the shit, why am I dying so much? Why are the controls so clunky?
Wait it's only like that for 2 chapters?
It's getting better?
Oh... this is pretty decent.

Button mash, dodge mash, button mash, dodge, ninpo, dodge, button mash, finisher, repeat.

Game's a 7/10 so far.

yami4ct · Jun 30, 2014

Wolf Among Us:Episode 1

Love the characters and art so far. Also love how TellTale has seemingly downplayed the whole "your decisions matter" bit when they really don't. Promising start. Just hope they don't screw it up like the end of Walking Dead:S1.

Jindrax · Jun 30, 2014

Starbound:

Terraria, but different, and theres a spaceship

Joey Ravn · Jun 30, 2014

Game: The Witcher (Enhanced Edition, with FCR mod)
Platform: PC
Playthrough: First.
Thoughts: The game is bad. But it's great at the same time. It's dated in terms of graphics, gameplay and interface, but not in a way that makes playing it an unenjoyable experience. It's pretty rough around the edges (voice acting, animations, combat mechanics, difficulty spikes, etc.), especially seeing what CD Projekt RED achieved with TW2, but, again, there's nothing insurmountable in here. It starts slow, but it makes you want to keep pushing just to see how things develop. It's a hard game to get into for sure, but that just makes it more rewarding in the end.
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Game: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons
Platform: 3DS
Playthrough: Lost count, honestly.
Thoughts: Best Zelda(s) ever. They do everything Link's Awakening did great, but even better. And they have an actual plot! Yeah, it's pretty basic, but the integration between both titles makes up for it.

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Game: Terraria
Platform: Vita
Playthrough: First on Vita, though I dabbled with it on PC.
Thoughts: It's pretty cool to have Terraria on the go. Well, on my bed, really, because I don't take my Vita out. I'm waiting for a PDP trigger grip to arrive by mail, so I can start playing other "console-like" games more confortably, and Terraria is holding me over. I'm still a bit confused about the control scheme (you can't change items with a button instead of tapping the screen? What?), but the conversion from PC to Vita was pretty solid.

Dr. Benton Quest · Jun 30, 2014

Final Fantasy V Advance

It's my first playthrough and its fantastic! The job system isn't very deep, but it's a blast to experiment with combining abilities to make powerful teams.

The story is on the lighthearted side and feels a little shallow at times. I've had several laughs though.

It's definitely a title I'll play yearly now.

Forkball · Jun 30, 2014

I'm playing a ton of crap right now and I can't even keep it straight, but I'll try.

Mario Kart 8: I'm not a hardcore Mario Kart fan, but this game is certainly one of the best games in the franchise if not the best. The online is silky smooth and the kart customization allows for a lot of different play styles and challenges.

Harvest Moon (SNES): My first real time with a Harvest Moon game. It's all a bit daunting, your daylight is so limited that it feels like you are doing a speed run each day. A lot of the mechanics are also not explained very well. I might just drop this game, it seems like I have a long road ahead of me. The sprites are fantastic though.

Enslaved: Odyssey to the West: The game looks great and has an interesting concept. The automated platforming is fairly dull, but at least the set pieces are nice to look at. The combat seems simplistic but there is a bit of depth and challenge to it. I will try to push on till the end.

Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+: I didn't know what to expect when I bought this, but I am pleasantly surprised. It is a very modern take on an arcade classic, complete with graphics that make you look like you're trapped inside a casino. It's a fun score-beating game.

Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae: HU HU HYAH. This game is fun in an absurd way, I mean you just mow down people with a katana as a school girl, but the camera is terrible. Also you have to stand perfectly still when attacking or else you do a dash move, which really messes up your combos.

Metal Slug 3: This is one of those games that is technically good, yet so impossible that it makes me not want to play. I will never get past level three, this is just something I have accepted.

Payday 2: BORING. I didn't like Payday 1 but everyone told me this game was much better. I am just not into this franchise. Half the time you are just sitting around doing nothing, and the other half you are just shooting at maybe the worst AI in a video game. It's a shame because I can tell this game has a lot of interesting ideas, but I cannot bring myself to enjoy it.

The King of Fighters XIII: This game has some interesting new additions to the KoF franchise. The special system works really well and allows you to concentrate on what you do best. The roster is a bit lacking though, but I like the alternate versions of characters like NESTS Kyo and Orochi Iori. The sprite work is superb and the online is very smooth, though I get wrecked every time.

Shovel Knight: It's medieval Mega Man! It keeps the challenge of old NES games but without being absurdly unfair and brutal. The game has a lot of humor and some cool secrets. The boss battles are also some of the best I've played in a long time. I highly recommend it for platformers and action fans.

The sad thing is, this isn't even all the games I bought in the past week.

yami4ct · Jun 30, 2014

Joey Ravn said:
Game: The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages/Seasons
Platform: 3DS
Playthrough: Lost count, honestly.
Thoughts: Best Zelda(s) ever. They do everything Link's Awakening did great, but even better. And they have an actual plot! Yeah, it's pretty basic, but the integration between both titles makes up for it.

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I like the way you think.

greatgeek · Jun 30, 2014

Watch Dogs - meh

Neiteio · Jun 30, 2014

SHOVEL KNIGHT
Version tested: WiiU
Also available: 3DS, Steam

I nearly overlooked this game because I'm unfortunately quick to dismiss indies that go for the retro look... There are just so many of them... But this one is a true gem.

The jumps are tight, tight, TIGHT. Reflecting projectiles with your shovel, pogoing off of bosses with a downward stab, flinging fireballs and throwing anchors -- it all feels RIGHT. The level design is consistently inventive from one screen to the next, packed full of secrets, and teaching you new mechanics without ever interrupting the game for an explanation. For example, you come across what appears to be a dead end, and not sure how to proceed, you take a wild stab at the wall -- revealing a hidden passage, and teaching you that striking imperfections in a wall can cause the wall to disappear. You come across a sprawling chasm that burps up a single bubble, and out of desperation you try pogoing off the bubble to reach the other side -- and you succeed, teaching you your shovel can bounce off objects in the environment. Everything is taught to you in this organic and non-intrusive way. And the game is always teaching you new things, and layering them together in increasingly complex arrangements that never feel unfair or frustrating. Failure is always your fault, and you always come back with an idea of how to better approach the situation.

And speaking of respawns, you have unlimited lives, but the game cleverly incentivizes survival by borrowing a page from Demon's and Dark Souls, with you dropping treasure upon defeat that you then have one shot to reclaim on your next turn. There are also generous checkpoints, but herein lies another risk/reward mechanic, since you can destroy the checkpoints for loot, but you'll respawn at the previous checkpoint if you fall in battle. Touches like this make the game more than the natural evolution of its obvious inspiration: Mega Man, Zelda II, Ducktales and NES Castlevania, with a pinch of Super Mario Bros. 3 (the world map and roaming mini-bosses).

The pixel-art has been crafted with love and care, imbuing each character with real personality that shines through in idle animations and sequences such as Shovel Knight's recurring dream where he tries to catch his beloved Shield Knight as she falls through the sky... a sequence you play out in slow-motion each time it happens, making you feel for the protagonist despite the obvious limitations of 8-bit, and proving that "less" can be "more." The characters are both cute AND cool, possessing the elusive "it" factor of a classic Nintendo character. And the witty script adds humor and warmth that keeps the pathos of the plot firmly in check. The humor reminds me of Paper Mario at times. The music is also top-notch and creates a strong atmosphere for each of the varied locations and boss encounters while also getting you pumped for battle or lulled into a cozy sense of home, depending on where you may be.

The game is also highly replayable, with New Game + and collectible pages that add songs to the music player (in the form of the Bard in the first town). You can upgrade your armor and shovel, unlocking new abilities in the process, like a super-swing after two consecutive down-stabs, or the ability to fire spark shots at full health (think Link's sword beam). You have sub-weapons like the aforementioned fireballs and anchors, and other items in the form of relics, and they're ALL useful. You can upgrade your health and magic, and play the occasional minigame. And you always have several levels to tackle at any given time, not to mention you can revisit previous levels to grind for loot (never a necessity, but always an option) or just for fun. You even get a fishing rod you can use to dredge up treasure in literally any bottomless pit in the game!

Shovel Knight is fantastic, and looks and sounds incredible on an HDTV with a full sound system. The controls feel great with the GamePad (especially when you go into Options and switch relics from Up + Attack to the R button), and the WiiU features a Souls-style message system, powered by Miiverse, where as you traverse the levels, messages from other players will appear on the GamePad, relevant to that area. You can also use the touchscreen to quickly swap subweapons and relics, and of course you can use it for Off-TV Play, as well.

I hear the 3DS version, aside from the portability, has a very impressive stereo 3D effect, as well as some additional functionality like Play Coins, etc. And then the Steam version supports virtually every controller imaginable, which is wonderful. I personally plan to double-dip and buy the 3DS version once I'm fully done with the WiiU version.

However you play it, Shovel Knight is well-worth the $15 they're currently charging. It's proof that the Kickstarter model works. I now see why Nintendo was pushing this game so hard in their Treehouse Live segment, etc. It's a high-caliber game that is every bit as good as the AAA titles with 100x the budget. This game is big on ideas, paying homage to the classics while bringing its own ideas to the fold and becoming more than the sum of its parts in the process. It's brimming with heart and soul, it has organic design and zen-like pacing, and the jumps, once again, are tight, tight, TIGHT.

Play it!! The Troupple King (that's trout + apple) commands you!!

Zakalwe · Jun 30, 2014

Joey Ravn said:
Game: The Witcher (Enhanced Edition, with FCR mod)
Platform: PC
Playthrough: First.
Thoughts: The game is bad. But it's great at the same time. It's dated in terms of graphics, gameplay and interface, but not in a way that makes playing it an unenjoyable experience. It's pretty rough around the edges (voice acting, animations, combat mechanics, difficulty spikes, etc.), especially seeing what CD Projekt RED achieved with TW2, but, again, there's nothing insurmountable in here. It starts slow, but it makes you want to keep pushing just to see how things develop. It's a hard game to get into for sure, but that just makes it more rewarding in the end.

The combat in TW1 is so mix better than 2. Neither are outstanding, but 2 was a clunky actiony mess.

The story and world building in 1 are also much better. It has this fantastical nursery rhyme gone bad feeling about it. So unique.

The only thing 2 does better is visuals, IMO.

Jintor · Jun 30, 2014

Fallblox

Fallblox is difficult and hurts my head and I can only do like one or two puzzles a day because otherwise I will get mad and smash my 3DS. However I think I only have another 2 mainline puzzles unless it pulls a Kid Icarus and reveals another 100 puzzles or something after the credits.

I've really been enjoying it but Pullblox was wayyyyyyyyyy easier just because you didn't have to think ahead quite so far re: gravity.

Zeyphersan · Jun 30, 2014

Disclaimer: I'm drunk right now, so forgive any spelling mistakes or otherwise

GAME: Tomb Raider Legend

I haven't played any of the other Tomb Raider's to completion, to start with. I played probably about 1/4 of the very first one, the beginning level of the second one, and then only the first few second of 3-6. I was trying to find the first one that had actual mouse controls. Turns out none of them did, even though Tomb Raiders 3-6 came out when that was totally unacceptable.

So I jumped into Legend, knowing it was the first "modern" one that was made. Overall I like it, but two things stick out as sore thumbs:

1. The terrible combat. So far, according to my save file, I'm 11% done. There have been forced combat sections that have unilaterally been terrible. It doesn't feel right or good or anything, and the fact that the developers are willing to throw me into small arenas where combat is the focus shows me that that didn't really care about polishing up that aspect.

2. The controls. It never feel -quite- right controlling Lara. It feels like the developers were hamstrung between the older control scheme and the newer one, not willing to dismiss all the conventions of all but not really embracing how a game should control in 2006 and beyond. It doesn't ever feel *good* to navigate a level, which is a shame.

Overall the thing keeping me going is the nice level design and the want to beat Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld before jumping into the reboot. Legend is straddling the line between "keep going for the sake of it" and "give up now, no redemption is to be found here". I think the fact that it is pretty short (7 1/2 hours according to How Long To Beat) helps a lot.

Also the quicktime events really suck. Definitely 2006-era usage and it detracts from the experience

Magicgamer101 · Jun 30, 2014

Uncharted 3

I started playing this one first a while ago but thought it would be a good idea to go back to 1 and play all the way to 3, as it's meant a to be played. So last week Monday I started Uncharted 1 which was average, but after the masterpiece that was uncharted 2 I am struggling so much to motivate myself to play 3. Everything seems so slow and sluggish, the combat, the aiming even Drake running seems off.

And for a cover based shooter it is kind of ridiculous that you get like 2 enemies at a time running at you to fight you while there are snipers about, people with rpgs, people chucking grenades and armored enemies with shotguns all shooting at you.

All in all, on its on it might be a decent game but as part of the trilogy I think it doesn't hold up at all.

peanutbutterlatte · Jun 30, 2014

Jintor said:
Fallblox

Fallblox is difficult and hurts my head and I can only do like one or two puzzles a day because otherwise I will get mad and smash my 3DS. However I think I only have another 2 mainline puzzles unless it pulls a Kid Icarus and reveals another 100 puzzles or something after the credits.

I've really been enjoying it but Pullblox was wayyyyyyyyyy easier just because you didn't have to think ahead quite so far re: gravity.

Yeah I quit pretty early with Fallblox. Love the concept, but I'm too fucking dumb to adequately enjoy it without getting ragey.

Mecca · Jun 30, 2014

Ocarina of Time 3D
- Nintendo 3DS

Although this is my first play through of OOT, it's not my first Zelda game so I knew a little about what to expect game play wise going in. Still after completing several dungeons, I'm just not loving it. The need to go from child Link to adult Link is a bit annoying. I feel like some of the side quests are confusing and hard to figure out how to complete without looking up a guide. There were a few times were I had to look up a solution to a puzzle and my reaction upon seeing/reading the answer was "how in the world could anyone figure that out on their own!?". Overall it feels like a chore to explore the world rather than a fun adventure. The game has it's moments of greatness and I can see how important its influence was on future games, I just wanted to be enthralled by OOT and I wasn't.

Lego Batman 2: DC Super Hereos
- PS3

I love me some Lego games. There isn't much too it. Break anything that looks breakable, build anything that vibrates and step on switch "A" to release contents "B". Lego Batman 2 is more of the same, but with more Superheroes! As simplistic as the game play is in this game, I still want to 100% every level, unlock all the extras, find all the special bricks and get all the vehicles/planes/boats. I bought Lego Batman 2 on release and got all the trophies except for one that seemed almost unattainable...

10 Billion Studs

! That 96% complete has been bugging me for the last 2 years so I'm going back for that last trophy. I'm having fun exploring everything again.

velcry · Jun 30, 2014

Watch Dogs

Platform: PS4

Less than halfway through the game. Keep picking it up only to find myself putting it down a short while later. Production values are good, but something about it just doesn't click for me.

Maybe it's how I can't seem to identify with the protagonist (you wonder why people targeted your family?!?), or the fact that other games did the whole sneak thing better (which is how I like to play it).

Heroes of Newerth

Platform: PC

I don't know why this game is not more popular than it currently is. For the uninitiated, it's a MOBA which hewed closely to the original DOTA in terms of mechanics and hero skills. It has two inventive game modes which help you crank out a game in about 20-25 minutes, so you get your MOBA fix without the usual 45mins - 1 hour you would have to devote in DOTA2.

You really should try it if you could.

Terraria

Platform: PSVITA

I just wanted to dip back into it after it went free on PS+. I had also never tried it post the Ver 1.2 update, so this is feeling fresh so far.

taco543 · Jun 30, 2014

Dark souls 2

Actually my very first souls game I got this and dark souls prepare to die edition on pc during the summer sale to get ready for bloodborne and honestly am really enjoying it so far it takes a lot of patience and strategy. It's difficult but it challenges you to learn and if you keep blindly running in you'll keep dying and keep having no fun, the fun comes from figuring out how to kill and not be killed.

PaulExcellent · Jun 30, 2014

Halo: Combat Evolved - Anniversary EX Ultra Plus
Platform: Xbox Threeeeeeeeeeeee fiddy +10

My first time playing the story of the game, and I'm very happy with my purchase.
The slow approach that the story takes at the beginning makes this game easy to get into and keeps the action interesting while driving the essential parts of the plot at a reasonable pace. Later on through the game, the world-building is present, but is kept subtle to ease the player into the vast universe of Halo in a way that doesn't feel forced. (Especially with the added Terminals. That was neat.) I can definitely see why it was such a hit. It's well done.

The gameplay feels great and works wonders at times by pushing the "One vs. All"-style of confrontations with the enemies. You actually have to think before taking on groups of the Covenant that are hanging about. Going in "guns blazing" will get you killed fast. It's swell.

Honestly, it might be my favorite shooter of the year. It does everything right and just clicks. Great stuff.

ALSO MULTIPLAYER REACH SUCKS AND I HATE IT AND UGH WHY IS THIS SO BAD UGH WHY DIDN'T THEY JUST PORT THE HALO 1 PC MULTIPLAYER PLEASE

So... 8/10 so far.

CrovaxPSO · Jun 30, 2014

Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth (PSP)

From what I understand, this is a pretty direct port of the original Playstation game with minor updates, like CG cinematics.

I'm not far in, only a couple hours. I'll get the major bad thing out of the way now: the voice acting is terrible. I've heard that it gets better later on, but so far it's among the worst I've ever heard. I know it's a port of a game from 1999 (I think), and voice acting wasn't what it is now, but holy crap it's bad. And there's no option to turn it off.

The rest of the game is pretty great, though. The story has yet to really get going, but the premise is interesting enough. Ragnarok is soon to occur and a great battle will take place in Valhalla. Loki sends Lenneth, a valkyrie, to Midgard to collect the souls of the bravest warriors to participate in the world-ending battle to come. Lenneth must find warriors who are nearing their deaths and recruit their fallen souls to help them ascend to Valhalla. It has the potential to end up being a depressing story, with Lenneth having to witness dozens of deaths. So far, though, the characters I've recruited have died in ways that aren't particularly stirring.

As for the game itself, it's got a unique take on exploration that's more like a 2D side-scrolling platformer than most other JRPGs. There is a world map, but so far all it's used for is getting to the next "stage" where the actual gameplay occurs. Lenneth can run, jump, slide, and even climb walls by shooting spikes of ice that stick out and can be jumped on.

Battles are unique as well, with each of the four characters in the party assigned to the four face buttons (triangle, circle, square, cross). All characters can be used to attack in the same turn, but their abilities have different cooldowns. If all characters attack at once, they might not all be ready to attack again on the next turn. Battles are not random, but enemies show up on screen as ghostly blobs that you can attack first to get a first strike in the actual battle (similar to Persona 3 and 4).

Like I said, these are only impressions from around three hours in, but I'm eager to play more. This is a game that I've been meaning to play for years that I finally got around to starting.

jtenma · Jun 30, 2014

Doomshroom said:
Valinat hearts: The great war
Review: game is good 7/10

greatgeek said:
Watch Dogs - meh

Please read the first post of the thread.

I said please. Please.

glaurung · Jun 30, 2014

Watch Dogs (PS4)
It works, it looks somewhat nice, but by good the story and characters are both unbearably stupid. Will continue to push through, but once the main story is over, I doubt I'll go back to it. Which is a shame because I also have the season pass.

The online modes are almost all cumbersome and annoying - not fun. Game economy is stupid, because already before the first act concluded, I had 2,000,000 cash on me and all weapons bought. Buying cars and clothes is stupid.

Super Mario World 3D (WiiU)
Amazing platforming all round. It is also great fun to go back and clean up all levels for those yellow flags, stamps and all stars. The sound assets and graphics are all very, very nicely done and the polished controls make this an experience that is even superior to Galaxy.

Something that I turned off though as soon as it was offered in the game - Miiverse integration. It clashes with the game design in my opinion.

shanemt · Jun 30, 2014

Darksiders on PC.

I think this game is definitely under-appreciated. I'm at about 15 hours so far and It's shaping up to be one of my favorite games of the year.

When I first started playing the game I was playing it with an Xbox360 controller, so it affected my initial view on the game. To be honest the game played terribly because of the fact that the camera movement, when tied to the controller, is ridiculously slow. Like to the point that if you're getting attacked from behind, it'll take you almost a full second to rotate the camera to be able to see the enemy who's attacking you.

However, after I switched over to playing with a mouse and my Nostromo keypad, and that along with the fact that I finally got through the horrendous tutorial, the game finally clicked and I've fallen in love with it. The combat system is incredibly fun, with your sword being mapped to your left click, and a scythe to your right-click. I'm playing through the hardest difficulty, so it's awesome switching between weapons on the fly and not getting touched by swarms of enemies. Something about the way the combat works is incredibly satisfying.

And I've heard the second game is even better so I'm super stoked.

PaulExcellent · Jun 30, 2014

jtenma said:
Please read the first post of the thread.

I said please. Please.

reedin iz hurd

Aquamarine · Jun 30, 2014

Mario Kart 8

Pros:

Beautiful graphics, especially for the Wii U.
Rock-solid performance. I don't even notice that frame glitch.
Fantastic core gameplay
Wonderful track design in many of the courses. Mount Wario is my favourite.
An addictive "pick up and play" element that brings people together
Great soundtrack...in my opinion, the best out of any Mario Kart game

Cons:

Very disappointing, repetitive character roster
Light on content, particularly annoyed with how they like to remove content that was available in prior entries for no good reason
Feels slightly rushed / barebones to meet a deadline
Horrible battle mode
Decent multiplayer but could be more extensive
No options menu / limited customisation
A few disappointing stages where anti-gravity could have been better utilised (like the new Rainbow Road)

Overall? Out of a true 0 through 10 scale where 5.0 out of 10 is "Average," this game gets a 7.5 out of 10.
It's a really fun game with some eclectic flaws that annoy me. At first it's easy to overlook the flaws / bizarre design decisions, but as time goes on they become more apparent.

Crayolan · Jun 30, 2014

Metroid Prime 2
Platform: Wii via Metroid Prime Trilogy

So I decided to start up Metroid Prime 2 right after 1, and thankfully, despite being about halfway through the game (or at least I think I am) I'm not feeling burnt out yet. Prime 2 changes up enough of the formula to keep it fresh with the light/dark world mechanic and the mystery behind Dark Samus.

The exploration of Aether is just as good as Tallon IV, but I think I preferred having to constantly jump from region to region to find the next up-grade over being (mostly) confined to one area at a time. In Prime 1 I had most of the world mapped out in my head by the end, but in Prime 2 once I restore energy to each temple I forget the layout of the respective area's map. Then once I do have to return to that area exploration becomes more of a chore.

Lore-wise, I feel like Luminoth lore is a lot less of a mystery to discover on your own since the elder just tells you what's going on from the start, whereas with the Chozo you had no idea why the planet was such a mess until you started finding a good amount of lore passages. The war between the Luminoth and Ing is still interesting though.

As for bosses, they also feel a bit underwhelming when compared to Prime 1. I'm enjoying the guardian minibosses more than the regional bosses in Prime 2 since the guardians all have unique abilities which make the fights more difficult than the big bosses. The fact that you fight the main bosses in the dark world is also disappointing, since the light crystals in the dark world pretty much guarantee you'll never die. The first Dark Samus fight was great though, and thankfully it took place in the light world.

Overall, Metroid Prime 2 is great, but just not as great as Prime 1. Hopefully it will only get better as I reach the end-game; Sanctuary looks pretty cool so far.

random25 · Jun 30, 2014

Shovel Knight

A game that just gives the great vibes of classic NES games, but still remains being a unique experience and the story is just very good. A modern game built on a vintage 8-bit engine.

9.5/10

Zakalwe · Jun 30, 2014

Dr. Benton Quest said:
Final Fantasy V Advance
The job system isn't very deep

You sure you're playing V?

SomeOneInaHat · Jun 30, 2014

METRO: LAST LIGHT (RANGER MODE)
Platform: PC

As someone who doesn't own the beefiest PC I was worried that I wouldn't get the best experience with this game, as its main draw is its atmosphere. Even on middling settings the game still finds a way to make the player feel in the moment. These moments are often unnerving and often countered by the relief of either beautiful imagery or amusing hub areas full of interactivity and story dumps via the citizens that live there. The game gets this across with the verbs that they supply the player. Wanna sneak past those guards? "unscrew" the light bulb and then "sneak" past them. Want to grab there attention for a trap? "shine" your light and then attempt to make your enemy "surrender" by sneak behind them. You can even go guns blazing, though this isn't smart as you bullets are currency.

In short, The game is fun so far and contains some very interesting design choices. If your looking for atmosphere and a reason to use your physx enabled graphics card this is the game for you.

Triggerhappytel · Jun 30, 2014

Need for Speed: Most Wanted on the Vita

I've kind of finished with this. Just last night I shut down the 10 most wanted racers, and I'm in two minds whether to go back and try any of the multiplayer stuff. Initially I really liked it and it felt a lot like Burnout Paradise 2, but as time went on more and more things pissed me off about it. For one thing, I don't think it's a great port, as I must have crashed dozens if not hundreds of times because the muddy, unclear grey textures don't adequately highlight the road in front, and I was constantly hitting low barriers. I can't even blame this on the Vita hardware, as, for comparison, Wipeout 2048 looks sensational. The map is borderline useless, with no detail or points of interest noted at all, and no way to mark waypoints or the like. Further, I understand that Criterion try to have flowing 'in game' interfaces from which to do everything, but at times I really wanted a proper menu where I could browse and do everything. It just feels a bit too barebones for the sake of keeping all the options on the left of the HUD. And the physics are really poor, with cars feeling a lot more inconsequential than they should. I started playing GTAV at the same time as playing this, and the physics and handling model in that is so incredibly good it really highlighted my dissatisfaction with Most Wanted. It also really annoyed me how the police would only ever pursue me and not the other racers, and some of the police chases were very tedious when you're just trying to keep out the way and avoid them, but new cars keep spawning and finding you.

But despite all that moaning, there's a lot I enjoyed too. There's a great collection of gorgeous cars (sixty-something, which IMO is just right for a racing game), the handling and drifting is pretty great, some of the most wanted races are pretty awesome, the presentation is terrific as one would expect from a Criterion game and I like really being able to win upgrades for my cars. I like the progression system, and how you get EXP for almost everything you do, which gives the game a sense of flow and advancement. I got the 10 most wanted races fairly naturally without ever feeling like I had to do much grinding, so well done for that.

It's a really good game in most regards, but not as good as the Burnouts and a few minor annoyances kept it from greatness in my opinion. A big part of what I missed was the massive and detailed crashes from the Burnout games, and I wished they weren't using licensed vehicles as the cosmetic damage was really weak.

7/10

maomaoIYP · Jun 30, 2014

2048
iOS
I swipe and shit. No idea how to get a 2048 tile. I saw a dude on the train with a high score of more than 30k.
It's a fun time waster when I'm having my lunch or waiting for the train.
Don't have the skills to get past 1024 so that pisses me off.

FrankerZ · Jun 30, 2014

Rogue Legacy
-------
Enjoying my time with it. The progression is bad, towards the early parts of the game entire runs can be made null and void just because you're 3 gold short of any upgrades making you feel like you've wasted your time. Fortunately, the simple gameplay makes up for that.

The game certainly has it's balance issues though. I see no reason to do anything besides get the minimum movement upgrades (You can "enchant" each of your 5 pieces of equipment) like the dash and double jump enchantments, then just stack extra money enchantments. The only thing stopping your from doing this is the RNG whenever you open a "Fairy Chest" which is usually locked unless you do a certain task, i.e. kill all the enemies, reach me in 5 seconds.

Sometimes these Fairy Chests are literally impossible as they will require spells that you don't have. Sometimes there is a room with an unreachable portion filled with enemies at multiple levels, the chakram can pass through solid walls in the straight line in it's boomerang-esque return, but no matter where you throw it, you'll never hit the enemies on certain levels, that requires the "Crow" magic ability which for a high mana cost sends crows out in a 1.1 ratio of crows to enemies and heat seaks in on them dealing moderate damage.

What's weird is that these chests no matter what region you open them (The game has 4 areas, Castle, Forest, Basement, and Tower) you always get an enchanting rune. When you open a normal chest you get gold or a blueprint to use for the blacksmith to buy equipment but once you get the 3 different blueprints per slot in that area, you just get money. This is so you can't farm the easiest part of the game and get end level gear, which makes sense, but as far as I know you can farm all the runes in the easiest part of the game.

It is satisfying to move on to the other harder areas. Soon, suicide runs for extra money in these higher paying areas actually turn in to offensive exploration as you eventually do enough/mitigate enough damage to adventure comfortably up to the point where you fight the boss.

The boss fights leave something to be desired. The pacing of the boss fights is jarringly different from the normal game, where as going room to room and killing enemies is easiest done fast and loose, boss fights seem to require a more "Dark Souls" like approach. If you were to play the game like the fight wanted you to, you'd probably be there awhile. Fortunately, the Ninja class is broken in this regard.

Ninjas don't do critical strikes, but they have high base damage. When you bring a Ninja into a boss fight, it becomes more of a DPS race as you hope your strikes of high damage can kill the high HP boss before it kills you, a lot of the times I just face tanked the bosses during the time.

To say the game was perfect would be incorrect, however, to say the game was fun would be very correct. Despite the flaws I find in it, I still find myself always doing 1 more run in the hopes I find a new blueprint or gain enough gold to upgrade my character. I would still recommend this game to anyone who thinks they might enjoy 2D beat em up rogue-like-likes

GoofsterStud · Jun 30, 2014

Ps4 Valiant Hearts. I am learning a lot about WW1. I don't like adventure games but the settings and art style dragged me in. The music complements the game perfectly. The game is kind of emotional. I can't wait to see the engine. do a game I would enjoy like metal slug, dragon force, or street fighter.

I give it a C. If it were any other genre I would give it an A. Everything is done so well. It just not my type of game.

Peterpan · Jun 30, 2014

Platform: PC Close to the end of the game. Game is brilliant. I was against it at first, so many seemed to dislike it and since I disliked the Uncharted series, because the shooting felt bad, I went in with low expectations. The games shooting feels good to me, not Max Payne 3 levels good, just satisfying. Getting headshots with the bow and arrow is the most satisfying. Sneaking up on multiple enemies, shooting them from behind using an arrow, makes me feel like the Arrow (so awesome). Leveling and upgrading your weaponry is great, I upgraded my bow up to maximum and by doing so there was so many ways to tackle future combat, some one is hiding behind cover, use your bow and arrow to pull it down, heavily armored soldier is coming, use the explosive arrow, lots of fools are coming at you, kick a barrel towards them and light it up with your fire arrow. These combat experiences felt fresh to me, I enjoyed most encounters which allowed you to use these different expects of battle which were not that many. There is also the pistol, assault rifle and shotgun, which you can also upgrade, but I never used them much, some of them also have different firing modes, but I was too busy being Green Arrow in the game. You can also upgrade Lara and she gets new abilities, game feels too short to use everything and you can't start a new game plus it seems, so that sucks. The game decides whether you run or walk or sneak, so there's no inherent buttons for these which is a little weird at first, but the game makes the best choices for you and you never feel like you should be moving another way at most points. The platforming is good, nothing really amazing. The game looks really good as well, but I am playing on Ultimate settings on PC at 1080p, the PS4 replicates these setting I believe. The only jarring thing is the story, it feels like she becomes this killing machine in a few hours, which just makes it unbelievable, but I loved the character of Lara. The story is not such a big deal for me, but its pretty ordinary, like the mystical part of it though. Lastly I hate cinematic experiences, but Tomb Raider gives you enough control that it doesn't feel like I'm not doing anything especially during combat cause I can approach it anyway I want, loud or like a sneak. The parts where it becomes a sort of action film are cool, jumping from burning building to crumbling one was cool, so there was that at the very least during the cinematic parts. I would give it an 8.5 or 9 so far, unless it has some horrible ending I think it will stay like that.

hateradio · Jun 30, 2014

Infamous: Second Sun

I've been playing this game for the past week or so. The game looks really nice and plays well. Delsin is a decent guy, but he's a little too cocky without anything to show for it, aside from his recent powers. His personality is a blank slate, I think.

The game suffers from having limited types of side-quests, so they get repetitive after a while.

The powers are interesting, and some remind me of Mass Effect in a way.

Coxy · Jun 30, 2014

================

Battle Princess of Arcadias
Platform: PS3

This is a really weird unique little game that isnt quite like anything else I've played. It mixes Dragons Crown style 2d combat with Dragon Force style simple command of hundreds of troops. It isnt really as good as either of those but its a unique blend. The story isnt up to much but the characters are reasonably likeable enough. Its largely a fluffy pointless story though it has a couple of points where it starts turning towards a much darker, more interesting story, before quickly veering away from it.

Overall it feels like a great game to pick up when it goes on sale for 15 or 20 bucks
================

WITHE1982 · Jun 30, 2014

================

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns Of The Patriots
Platform: PS3

I'm extremely excited for the upcoming MGS: The Phantom Pain on PS4 so I though I'd familiarize myself with the franchise instead of just jumping in at #5 and being completely lost. I'd never played MGS3 before hand and thoroughly enjoyed that so for the first time I delved into the 10/10 rated MGS4 with high hopes.

First things first; I have no idea what is going on with the plot. Apparently Snake is now old, has grown a mustache and war has changed. The patriots are trying to control all soldiers and every conflict and sustain a "war economy". Liquid Ocelot is there and doesn't like that one bit so is doing some naughty stuff involving hijacking some soldier control system called Sons Of The Patriots to achieve something that The Boss was trying to achieve (I'm not really sure what that is as during a cut scene my wife started talking about someone at her work who was having problems with her boyfriend and going on holiday... I mentally muted her after that but missed a bit of plot). Naomi has popped up for some reason and we have a mini Johnny #5 to control.

Up to now it's been extremely heavy on the exposition and fan-service and at times I feel like I'm back in school being lectured on this "war economy". Whenever the game starts to drone on about it I feel like I should really be paying attention but it's just soooooo boring! Also, despite playing through MG, MG2, MGS2 and MGS3 in the last month, I still feel like I should be sitting with a MGS Wiki page open beside me to keep up with the characters and references to previous games. It hurts my head at times.

Game-play wise it's not a million miles away from it's predecessors. You sneak around a battlefield hoping to not get discovered while going from point A to point B. You can choose to kill every mother humper in sight or just put them to sleep (via tranc gun, not a war economy lecture).

Controls are a might confusing at first and it seems like they've tried to cram a million things in. An example of this is rolling on the floor. To roll from side to side you have to: press x twice to lie prone, hold L1 while tilting the left stick and press x again. It's akin to having to perform a fatality in Mortal Kombat and the thing I hope they address in MGS V. IMO they should streamline and simplify the controls.

I've only just started act 2 so I'm hoping the action get's better, the set pieces get bigger and lectures on the economy decrease a bit. Some times I just like a good "you are the good guy, he's the bad guy. Kill him with fire" story line. Although that's not to say I'm not enjoying it as I am, It's just a bit to convoluted compared to the previous game.

So far I'd give it 6/10.

================

themagicalkitsune · Jun 30, 2014

Super Mario Sunshine

Still waayy too early to judge (I'm about 15 shines deep), but I can already see why some got so frustrated by this game. So far for me it's Mario 64: Summer Edition.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team Brehs

I'm having fun with the battle system but to be honest the Dream World gets kinda tedious after a while. Find pillow, enter world, find weird floating shining purple rock, smash it, rinse and repeat. The story so far has been pretty uneventful, hopefully it picks up from where I am (about halfway through).

Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex

I don't see why people hate this. It's essentially Crash 3 v2.0, perhaps with lesser tight physics. Loading is fine too. It's your standard pre-2007 Crash game.

Rayman 1 GBC Version

Why did I think this was a good idea to purchase. Looks like only my past smaller self can appreciate small-time gbc platformers.

Megaman 1

Don't enter the Iceman stage first, the boss will annihilate you. It's also a hard game overall.

Revan · Jun 30, 2014

greatgeek said:
Watch Dogs - meh

Came here to say this. I traded a bunch of stuff at EB in Canada and got their 449 PS4 Watch Dogs bundle - came with the game, 3 months free PS+ and that wonderful 10$ code for PSN.

So far - the game doesn't feel "next gen" at all - the environment is pretty (I'm aware of the controversy surrounding that) and I'm really digging the DS4 (and remote play on my vita) - but other then that the game itself isn't anything to write home about. Aiden isn't an interesting character so far and while the premise of what you can do is cool, the implementation and execution isn't anywhere near what I was expecting (which isn't much - I wasn't hyped for this to begin with). It reminds me a lot of the first Assassin's Creed - and even tho I'm not far into the game I do have to say that Ubi will eventually have to say that this universe ties into the other - that "white" cap DLC reminds me way too much of the assassins robes.

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