Whatcha been playing lately?

[Rau Le Creuset]

I started gaming in a backwards direction yesterday. I busted out my dads old super Nintendo and am now playing the secret of mana and a link to the past...

its cool to go backwards sometimes.

[Avatar]

...if anyone's interested in a grand strategy game with some good RPG elements in it, definitely check out CK2!

How does combat work in it? Civ style? AoE style? TW style?

--A

[Major Isoor]

...if anyone's interested in a grand strategy game with some good RPG elements in it, definitely check out CK2!

How does combat work in it? Civ style? AoE style? TW style?

--A

Well, it's all "turn-based" in a sense, although that's still not a good description - it's more "day-based" where you can speed up, slow down or pause the passage of time. (so like, each day can fly by one per second, or one per five seconds, etc. Normally you'll want it to be reasonably quick though) I suppose the closest thing you can compare the combat to is 'Total War minus the real-time battles', since instead of directly controlling troops, etc. the battles are effectively auto-resolved (although not instantly, they take time, that's dependent on troop numbers and morale) based on a variety of factors, such as terrain, numbers, morale, as well as the competence/incompetence of the commanders*.

*And the commanders are more-or-less where the RPG elements are, as they will primarily be members of your court and family, (sort of like assigning family members as commanders in Rome: TW, sort of thing) who all have unique traits (such as cynical, diligent, slothful, etc.) and skills (skills being diplomacy, martial, stewardship, intrigue and learning), that they gain primarily throughout their early life, via their guardian. (so it's important to pick a good guardian for your kids - generally you'll want high stewardship, then it really depends on if you want them to get personally involved in war-waging, for the other skill stats. Also keep in mind the guardian's traits, as his/her ward will likely pick at least some of them up)

Characters are also more than just a name and stats, as they will have unique events and decisions that can be triggered (or altered, since if you have high diplomacy, you might be able to get out of some tricky situations easier, for example), and they age and develop like any real person - so they aren't just something happening behind the scenes, as the royal families of Europe are in the TW games.

But yeah, it does tend to seem a bit much when described (and I don't feel that I've done it much justice!), but it's actually quite easy to get the hang of it, after the first few minutes of initial confusion! (Also, starting in Ireland is a must - it's basically 'tutorial island', since no one on mainland Europe tries to interfere at all, so you're mostly left to your own devices with the other earls)

[Major Isoor]

Whoops, quote =/= edit!

[Cagliostro]

I have never played the first Uncharted, so I bought it recently and have been enjoying it. The pacing of the game/story elements are not as well honed as they are in 2 and 3, but it is still so much fun to play. I got Uncharted 2 with my PS3, so I'm thinking that after I finish the first one that I should revisit the rest of the series. Especially 2, because when I played it originally, I didn't have an HD TV, and couldn't see several elements of the game, such as the journal, which made it pretty challenging during a couple of puzzles.
I've also completed another run-through of all the Rock Band songs that I do not have 5 stars on yet for medium. I'm very happy to have completed so many songs this time around. It's especially satisfying to knock out those songs that are part of the core Rock Band 3 songs that I've never been able to finish before. Particularly on pro-guitar or pro-bass, but I knocked out one of pro-drums that I've never been successful on until now. I don't really feel like I'm making much progress in the drums these days, but pro-keys and pro-guitar/bass I am seeing a heap.
Meanwhile on my gameboy which I usually neglect to talk about, I am loving Dragon Quest IX, although so many of the side quests are annoying. The problem is that I want to raise everybody up in every different type of job that they can have, and I should really just concentrate on making them good in whatever job that balances with the rest of the group.

[Avatar]

...I don't feel that I've done it much justice...

On the contrary, sounds like something I might try out, despite my utter and unwavering commitment to the Total War series for strategy games ever since...well, Shogun: Total War[/] really.

--A

[Major Isoor]

...I don't feel that I've done it much justice...

On the contrary, sounds like something I might try out, despite my utter and unwavering commitment to the Total War series for strategy games ever since...well, Shogun: Total War[/] really.

--A

Well, that's good to hear, then! And uh, if you need more convincing, hopefully THIS should suffice! But yeah, if you do grab it at some point, I'd definitely recommend getting some of the major expansions, as they do add a lot to the game (Sword of Islam - lets you play as Muslim nations, Legacy of Rome - adds more options like castration and blinding for members of the Byzantine Empire, plus adds retinues/standing armies/bodyguards for every nation, The Old Gods - viking action! Plus an earlier start date, among other things), when a Steam (or GamersGate, as those are the only two options) sale comes along.

(...I'll stop advertising the game now, I swear! I just can't help myself from recommending it, as I currently have a bit over 220 hours logged into it from playing it on-and-off over the past year and a bit, and every update seems to pull me back in for more)

[Avatar]

I'll let you know I pick it up.

--A

[Cambo]

I'm playing The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. So far it's great, and I can only see it getting better from here. All the immersive greatness of the first game, with better combat and inventory systems, and it looks absolutely beautiful.

[I'm Murrin]

I finally just went ahead and played through the story missions to the end of Far Cry 3. Good game. Weird game.

[I'm Murrin]

Something has started to bother me in these big name games. What I think of as "detective vision", because the first time I dealt with it was in Arkham Asylum. An ability you toggle that highlights interactive objects and even shows enemies through walls. Since I first saw it, it's been in both Arkham games, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dishonored, and in Far Cry 3 enemies you'd spotted would be marked through walls in a similar way. And those are almost every game I've played in the last few years.

And now I've started Tomb Raider, I was getting along well in the opening sequence, and then... "Press Q to examine the area" pops up, and it's detective vision again, and I immediately got thrown out of the moment in the game as I got annoyed by the mechanic. (Edit: It only works while standing still, which is slightly better.)

The problem I have is that it's far too useful. You wind up relying on it all the time. In the Batman games, you could spend the entire game in Detective Vision and it was much easier and more convenient. But it removes some of the fun.

I'm also getting annoyed with quick time events, but really Far Cry 3 was the first game I've played that relied heavily on them, so I didn't really get all the complaining about them until now.


Aaanyway, so that this post isn't all bitching: This opening area of Tomb Raider is incredible. Very detailed, atmospheric, really very well done.

[Avatar]

I'm playing The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings.

I enjoyed it a lot, although haven't gone back to try out different options yet. Wish you could save your arena battles though, even just for offline playing.

Something has started to bother me in these big name games. What I think of as "detective vision"

Hitman Absolution uses it a lot.

I'm also getting annoyed with quick time events, but really Far Cry 3 was the first game I've played that relied heavily on them, so I didn't really get all the complaining about them until now.

Yeah, not a fan myself either.

--A

[I'm Murrin]

And a little further into Tomb Raider, I'm not really enjoying the frequent QTEs that result in a graphic death scene if you miss one button press. In one of them Lara is actually shot in the head right on screen...

[Spiral Jacobs]

And a little further into Tomb Raider, I'm not really enjoying the frequent QTEs that result in a graphic death scene if you miss one button press. In one of them Lara is actually shot in the head right on screen...

I saw a compilation of Tomb Raider death scenes on Youtube and several are overly gruesome, like the apparently often-recurring

Spoiler

stake through the head

.

[I'm Murrin]

Finished Tomb Raider yesterday. Apart from the gore, such a stunning game. Really incredible visuals, all integrated into the big action-platformer set pieces.

I started Bioshock Infinite straight after, and it just pales in comparison. The graphics are nowhere near Tomb Raider's quality, and somehow it totally fails to make a flying city look impressive (this is probably because it's pretty much floating in nothing. Perfect blue sky with cloud, but no real sense that it's actually up in the air because there's no ground, and the view distance seems low).

[I'm Murrin]

So I've now finished the whole list of games I had in mind since last year to play. Dishonored, Far Cry 3, Tomb Raider, Bioshock Infinite. And now I'm stuck for something new to play. Any suggestions?

[Avatar]

Well, TW:Rome II is out. That's my next one. But in the meanwhile, I enjoyed Skyrim so much and got so much replay out of it, I've started playing Oblivion.

Now granted it's not as polished, and the levelling system hadn't reached the innovative brilliance of Skyrim's, but I'm still enjoying it pretty much. Not that I'm far yet, only started yesterday.

--A

[I'm Murrin]

I saw Rome II, but I read a review that wasn't very favourable, saying wait 6 months or so until it's all patched up. Also the bastards have made some of the playable factions (like all the Greek factions) pay-to-unlock.

[Rau Le Creuset]

Has anyone one here ever played dark souls or Demon's souls? These games are simply amazing in a alone and dark kind of way. not to mention that absolutely no one you meet in these games has a happy ending. the first time you get through one of these games.. you may not really get the full grasp of the story.. but it's all there you just got to look harder. people even make youtube videos on the discussion of the storys. all in all these are the two of my favorite games no questions asked. the atmosphere is amazing and the morals of the story are great.

Also I saw some of you guys talking about strategy games.. have any of you guys ever played battle for middle earth II? that's my favorite strategy game. you get to make your own armies from lord of the rings it's sweet! just thought you guys might like to check this out aswell xD

[Avatar]

...wait 6 months or so until it's all patched up.

Always sound advice for these to be honest. Witness my decision to play Oblivion for now...also, the price will come down in the interim. Maybe I'll even wait for the GOTY edition or something.

[I recently updated my Shogun 2, for the first time since the original [5GB] main patch, taking advantage of my new uncapped connection...22GB update. Bastards. ]

Also the bastards have made some of the playable factions (like all the Greek factions) pay-to-unlock.

Yeah, this one was sorta inevitable. Still, waiting for the GOTY or Gold edition usually has the advantage of including the DLC too. So...although I'll get it, I'm not really in a rush.

Has anyone one here ever played dark souls or Demon's souls?

...battle for middle earth II?

I was reading something about Dark Souls (I think it's that one) the other day...is that the one where they basically tell you you're going to die all the time?

As for the other, is it AoE style RTS?

--A