So what're you playing nowadays?

Angela wrote:

Given the recent accolades bestowed upon them here, I decided to give Rayman Origins and Sonic Generations a shot.  I'm opting for 360, but are there any discernable differences between the PS3 versions?

Not sure why you'd go with the 360 versions of games that play better with a d-pad, but I can't say I've heard anything negative about their respective 360 versions other than the fact that you have to use the 360 controller.

Angela wrote:

Other than that, I recently discovered bliss in the form of Jetpack Joyride and VVVVVV.  (Had I known the latter to be this much fun, I would have picked it up on Steam a long time ago.)  Both titles are perfect companions for on-the-go gaming.

I thought I'd never get into casual apps and the like, but Jetpack Joyride is amazingly addictive.

Last edited by Amazingu (Jan 08, 2012)

Okay, so I started to play Xenosaga which I haven't touched in maybe eight years. I really like the story but the actual game play feels as tacted on as you'd expect. Makes a better movie than a game.

Still, the real goal here though is to try and make it to the third game which I have but haven't played. That means playing the second game....

Dartannian wrote:

they did essentially replace Cherenkov with Virgil.

Okay, I like both these characters, but to replace Cherenkov is just outright crazy - I mean who do they think makes the game worth playing - Shion? Sure. Seriously, there are several scenes where I wish I could punch her.

I advocate the punching of (annoying) vitual women. Real women no.

I made it through the (two-hour!) Final Fantasy XIII-2 (PS3) demo last night.  Surprisingly, I enjoyed the gameplay.  I'm not sure why they've gone back to random battles; they can be avoided, but you don't see the enemies until they pop out of nowhere.  They're kind of annoying, but tolerable on the whole.  I never really played much of the original XIII other than a brief playtest at a friend's house, so I can't compare it to that, but I found the Paradigm Shift battle system and Crystarium leveling system to be easy enough to understand.  I can confirm that area maps are actual maps and not just hallways, there are hidden things to find, and the game keeps track of how much of each area you've explored.  NPCs wander around talking to themselves which is kind of weird, but you get used to it.  The biggest turn offs are the story and character designs which are just as nonsense as you'd expect from a Nomura-era Final Fantasy game.  In fact, new character Noel looks almost exactly like one of the Kingdom Hearts characters.  As for the much maligned music, I have no complaints so far, but I'm only a little less than halfway through the OST.  The two goofy rap vocal tracks I've heard so far (Worlds Collide and Invisible Invaders) are more silly than offensive.

Edit: I just made it to Disc 4 and "Crazy Chocobo."  The other vocal songs I could live with, but this one is just terrible (or should I say "turrible").

Last edited by XLord007 (Jan 23, 2012)

Wanderer wrote:

Taking out the rap for "Invisible Invaders" was the right call. I can actually enjoy the exploration without wanting to mute the television.

Amen to that.  You'll enjoy this: http://vgmblog.tehmiker.com/post/159522 … demo-loved

Sonic Colors.

I don't understand why there's a general consensus that this game is better than the other Sonic titles that SEGA has been releasing lately; it's essentially the same engine as Shadow the Hedgehog, Sonic Unleashed (the Speed stages), and maybe some of the games that pre-dated those, even.

I just breezed through the first world without putting in any effort at all.

People say Final Fantasy XIII plays itself. I say this game plays itself.

Looking back at the original Sonic games (1, 2, 3 on the Genesis) the only thing that differentiated it as a platformer was the illusion of speed; the only reason Sonic had the opportunity to run fast, was because levels were designed to be long, sprawled out, and were laid out in a pinball-like path; it was essentially just watching animation, until you had to slow down and actually navigate obstacles and enemies.

I guess I just don't see the Sonic franchise through martini-tinted glasses anymore.

Last edited by Dartannian (Jan 24, 2012)

Dartannian wrote:

Looking back at the original Sonic games (1, 2, 3 on the Genesis) the only thing that differentiated it as a platformer was the illusion of speed; the only reason Sonic had the opportunity to run fast, was because levels were designed to be long, sprawled out, and were laid out in a pinball-like path; it was essentially just watching animation, until you had to slow down and actually navigate obstacles and enemies.

The idea of "slowing down" is why I like the original Sonic the Hedgehog and by extention the Marble Zone. By the time you get to Sonic 3 it's all about speed which became somewhat of a distraction despite it being the series calling card. I don't know... all I can say is my relationship with Sonic and Sonic games is very complicated, more complicated than I wish it was. Like a Mario game I should be able to dive in with as little hesitation as possible but that's not really the case, even with the old games.

the_miker wrote:

Wanderer wrote:

Taking out the rap for "Invisible Invaders" was the right call. I can actually enjoy the exploration without wanting to mute the television.

Amen to that.  You'll enjoy this: http://vgmblog.tehmiker.com/post/159522 … demo-loved

Nice!

Gaming-wise, I'm doing a replay of FFX. Even just three hours in, the subtlety and general high quality of the writing (for JRPGs, at least) completely blows every Final Fantasy after it out of the water.

Idolores wrote:

So I been playing Katawa Shoujo. Essentially, it's a dating sim where each of the available women has a very prominent physical disability

At first, I laughed it off as nothing more than exploitative, perverted garbage, but it's actually a very heartfelt story about coming to terms with physical limitations. I'm not only amazed that someone had the stones to make this into a video game, but also for their choice of genre. I'm generally not a fan of visual novels, but this one is exceedingly good.

Interesting.  I figured this one would have been just been for the perversion.  After you finish this, I guess you'll have to play If I Was in a Sealed Room with a Girl I'd... and Listen to me Girls, I'm Your Father!

Qui-Gon Joe wrote:

Wanderer wrote:

Gaming-wise, I'm doing a replay of FFX. Even just three hours in, the subtlety and general high quality of the writing (for JRPGs, at least) completely blows every Final Fantasy after it out of the water.

I'll agree with you for XI (does that even count?) and XIII, but as much as I love FFX and generally prefer its overall story, the writer in me cringes at the notion that XII loses to it in terms of "subtlety and general high quality."  As far as I'm concerned, XII has a MUCH more nuanced and eloquent script than X despite the fact that the story kind of falls apart later on.

Oh, XII was subtle. Problem is, it was too subtle. It's hard to care about anything that's happening in the game (both story and characters included). I enjoyed the game while I was playing it but damned if I can remember a single memorable scene from it.

Reading this I can't help but think of how many times I've actually read the opposite. I don't have a problem with the game myself but I know the "whistle scene" gets awful lot of flack.

Do you mean the laughing scene? I just played past that yesterday and its awfulness is overstated. It has a dramatic purpose (Yuna is trying to make Tidus feel better) and while a little goofy, at least has its heart in the right place.

Last edited by Wanderer (Jan 29, 2012)

still playing King of Fighters XIII. barely any time to play anything else, lol.

Two more demos:

Resident Evil Revelations (3DS)
-I like the exploration and scanner elements, but the 3DS' microscopic shoulder buttons make the controls more awkward than they need to be.  Still, pretty good overall.


Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games (3DS)
-Nice graphics and use of 3D, but the game itself is garbage.