What is the last video game you played?

[Jay 37,353]

I don't know what's wrong with me. I've actually been sleeping for the past 2 weeks, robbing me of my insomnia time to play videogame

Dating someone?

[Quintus 5,399]

Got shit reviews that one. Just another CoD clone.

I feel like I've discussed this with you before, but it's the opposite. Call Of Duty is what Goldeneye would have been if it were made today. It got shit reviews, but so did Goldeneye Reloaded, but they're really nothing other than throwaway fun. Not serious gaming. I'll pick up both when they reach <$20. I've bought every Bond game since that classic on N64.

Yes, the antiquated on-rails and heavily scripted design of CoD paired with its non-existent AI is very much like N64's Goldeneye. A game which is fifteen years old. The reason the recent update reviewed badly is because the same design sensibilities which impressed back then feel positively medieval by today's standards and dressing it up in new clothes was never going to disguise that.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

the game would be decent... if you could aim your pistol...

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Got shit reviews that one. Just another CoD clone.

I feel like I've discussed this with you before, but it's the opposite. Call Of Duty is what Goldeneye would have been if it were made today. It got shit reviews, but so did Goldeneye Reloaded, but they're really nothing other than throwaway fun. Not serious gaming. I'll pick up both when they reach <$20. I've bought every Bond game since that classic on N64.

Yes, the antiquated on-rails and heavily scripted design of CoD paired with its non-existent AI is very much like N64's Goldeneye. A game which is fifteen years old. The reason the recent update reviewed badly is because the same design sensibilities which impressed back then feel positively medieval by today's standards and dressing it up in new clothes was never going to disguise that.

Won't argue there, but as you can see it's what the public wants. Black Ops 2 still outsold MW3. If the next installment is on the next gen, tomorrow may be the franchise's peak. Only reason being not everyone is going to jump into the next gen immediately. If they also release it on the current one though then who knows how much it'll sell.

[Quintus 5,399]

It most certainly is what Call of Duty fans want, that's indeed a fact. Depressing as that is. Not that it really matters since CoD isn't the phenomenon it is off the back of its campaigns. The slick multiplayer continues its supremacy.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Definitely. I think most people never actually touch the campaign anymore.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Just bought Assassin's Creed III, Dishonored, and Need For Speed: Most Wanted for a total of $90. Thank ya, Amazon.

[Quintus 5,399]

Rented Most Wanted, played it for thirty minutes, posted it back.

Can't believe the same people made the brilliant Hot Pursuit.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What was wrong with it? Criterion has been the pinnacle of racing games for over a decade.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yes they have. I was very surprised by my disappointment. My main issue (which rendered it unplayable to me) was the complete omission of the traditional 'hood' view. You get two choices: third person view and ferret view. I've never liked either in any racing game and I've never encountered one before which offered so few fundamental options. It was baffling to me.

And the graphics were shit.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Strange, I thought it looked gorgeous from the video review. Which one is ferret view? When you see nothing but the road? I used to always play on that one but these days it strains my eyes too much. I go with third person.

[Quintus 5,399]

Yeah, the one which makes it look like you're lying down on a skateboard. I hate it. Games used to have a second view just like it, where the camera was the same but just placed higher up. It's was the best option for me, until they replaced it with the same but different 'hood' view.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

Peter Molyneux is remaking Populous.

Yeah, the one which makes it look like you're lying down on a skateboard. I hate it. Games used to have a second view just like it, where the camera was the same but just placed higher up. It's was the best option for me, until they replaced it with the same but different 'hood' view.

I refuse to play racing games that pretend that I'm in a car but won't let me view the road from inside the car.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

What do you mean? How is it possible to see the steering wheel and not the road?

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

I mean games that only provide helicam/3rd person and bumper views.

[Wojo 2,453]

I disagree. While third person views are unrealistic, I lack the 3+ monitors needed to simulate a real car and it's peripheral vision.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I mean games that only provide helicam/3rd person and bumper views.

What other views are there? The Gran Turismo style where you see the wheel and your hands? Worst angle there is for a racing game.

[King Mark 3,631]

Risen 2 Dark Waters is a great RPG. The pirate based story is really different and cool. I'm about 2/3 of the way through. I wonder why the critics blasted it. It's much much better game than Witcher 2 that got high scores

Once again never trust reviews for RPG's

I don't know what's wrong with me. I've actually been sleeping for the past 2 weeks, robbing me of my insomnia time to play videogame

Dating someone?

I'd much rather be doing that but no. I'm playing videogames to forget that I'm not dating anyone actually

[Quintus 5,399]

I've come to never fully trust reviews for any game. That, and game journos have been found out to be rather dishonest just recently, it's widespread and part of the culture. The best thing to do now is listen to general word of mouth and rent.

Harley Quinn's Revenge is half price today, which I've patiently waited to happen. Gives me another excuse to dip into the brilliant Arkham City. Other than that I've played a ton of Halo 4 online - in spite of it's horrible matchmaking issues and crippling lag. Never has a Halo multiplayer shipped in such a state, it's a disgrace. 343i nailed the campaign but they are fucking amateurs where stable net code is concerned and I imagine Bungie are collectively face palming right now. They would never have let it happen, being the Lords of Halo. Last night though there seemed to be improvements, so fingers crossed the new dev has finally gotten off the phone to them and pulled their heads out of their arses. Week one issues are to be expected of course, but by the end of second week a Halo game is traditionally butter. I mean rock solid - stable connections, immaculate host selection and flawless host migrations. The original, industry standard Bungie net code has been one of the main reasons I've stuck with the franchise. But I'm thinking this time though it could take up to a month to get up to those sorts of standards. 343i have much to learn, bloody novices.

Oh and I'm slowly chipping away at Fable 3. The perfect game to relax.

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

I mean games that only provide helicam/3rd person and bumper views.

What other views are there? The Gran Turismo style where you see the wheel and your hands? Worst angle there is for a racing game.

Yes, that. It's the only view that gives you a realistic view angle on the road, even if you lack the side windows of a real car. Bumper view gives you an even more restricted field of vision (and an unrealistic feel of speed due to the low height). Helicopter view always gives you sluggy controls and a much too large field of vision, which is why I generally consider it cheating. I'll take an external view for F-Zero of Wipeout, but not for something that wants me to pretend I'm sitting in an actual car.

The worst thing is that so many games don't even give you the option anymore.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I suppose but arcade racing is where I place my money. I keep coming back to Gran Turismo for some reason and keep being disappointed by its boring 'real driving simulator.' If I wanted to drive a car I'd hop into my own. I want to smash peeps over the guardrail at 200mph.

Borderlands 2 is $25 on Amazon's lightning deals. Joined the waitlist for the hell of it. Don't know why I want to buy it considering I already have a ton of games I haven't played and just bought 3 new ones yesterday.

[Quintus 5,399]

It might still clear up at the GOTY awards that one.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I still don't see the appeal of it. I didn't get it from the waitlist, fortunately, cause I know I would have been disappointed. So many better games that do bigger and better than Borderlands.

[King Mark 3,631]

I saw Borderlands 2 discounted 20$ yesterday (39$). Still gonna wait a bit

On a side notewhen I went to New York City a few weeks ago, I was surprised to see that games are exactly the same price as in Canada (both new and used)

[Quintus 5,399]

Played and finished Dear Esther in one sitting, it was only a couple of hours long. Hands down the most visually arresting 'video game' I have ever played, and it is almost photo-realistic in places. I was simply astounded by the beauty of the art and profound sense of place, on the island - a haunting autumnal stretch of rock and bush where you walk ever onward toward the glowing light of the tower high on the horizon, always in view. There are no objectives, puzzles, people to speak to or things to kill (you have no weapon or tools); there is only you and your destination, a narrative slowly unfolding as spoken aloud by a man who lost his love in a fatal car crash, the letters he wrote to her providing the breadcrumbs of the plot, coming together rather lyrically, regret and melancholy being the maturely handled tone of the experience. It was striking in its originality and deftly executed, placing all of its trust in the 'gamer' to just go with it, to not expect the usual conventions of the medium. Anyone could 'play' it, the case for games as art strengthening convincingly a little more.

8/10

[Marian Schedenig 8,193]

Sounds intriguing.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Sounds like Journey.

[Quintus 5,399]

Doesn't Journey have actual gameplay though? I'm still yet to play that. Waiting out for the price drop.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Sounds like Journey, except in that one the plot is what you make it. Completely audiovisual.

[Quintus 5,399]

I see. Well Dear Esther differs somewhat I suppose in that its a rigidly linear experience, the outcome always the same. Definitely audiovisual, though.

[Luke Skywalker 1,795]

amazing graphics

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

I don't think Dear Esther is a game per se. There is no game in there. It's a 3D picture book.

Lovely experience though and really beautiful art.

[Quintus 5,399]

There's certainly a lively debate as to exactly what it is. Picture book implies something static and unmoving though, which it clearly is not. That you can move through the game's space and traverse its landscape in real time makes it at least quasi 'game', in my mind. It's almost like a first-person short story novel, the narrative unfolding, pages turning with the forward push of the player's thumb (I played it with a controller). Looking around with my right thumb was the author describing the eerie lush scenery, recounting the foliage and worn pathways with wordy embellishment and observed symbolism.

Now excuse me while I pull my head out of my arse! Sorry about that

But yeah, it's true! And nice to see you've played it Blume.

[BLUMENKOHL 1,068]

There's certainly a lively debate as to exactly what it is. Picture book implies something static and unmoving though, which it clearly is not. That you can move through the game's space and traverse its landscape in real time makes it at least quasi 'game', in my mind. It's almost like a first-person short story novel, the narrative unfolding, pages turning with the forward push of the player's thumb (I played it with a controller). Looking around with my right thumb was the author describing the eerie lush scenery, recounting the foliage and worn pathways with wordy embellishment and observed symbolism.

Now excuse me while I pull my head out of my arse! Sorry about that

But yeah, it's true! And nice to see you've played it Blume.

I help make games for a living...and Dear Esther has definitely been the talk of town in the industry. You'd be surprised how deep and metaphysical the conversations get.

I enjoyed reading your post and perspective.

And I agree, though I think the difficulty of categorizing Dear Esther is part of why it's great. It's kind of made its own little category.

[Koray Savas 2,251]

I see. Well Dear Esther differs somewhat I suppose in that its a rigidly linear experience, the outcome always the same. Definitely audiovisual, though.

Journey is the same, albeit a bit more open to explore as you like. But there is no dialogue, which is what I meant. The journey that you take is what you make it. I was in tears by the end of it. If you need any reason to dust off your PS3, Lee, it should be this game. It's worth the $15. I feel like I've heard about Dear Esther, but that it was horrible. Maybe that was "Emma" or something like that.

EDIT: Didn't realize that I made a double post on my phone and that you responded earlier. Yes, it has some slight gameplay mechanics, but it's mostly just avoiding and hiding until the path is safe to push forward.

[King Mark 3,631]

Done with Risen 2. Pretty decent overall. 7.5/10

50 hours to do everything

now what..Darksiders 2?

[Quintus 5,399]

My brother was disappointed with Darksiders 2. Said the first one was better.

[Red 75]

Beat the last episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead. Absolutely heartbreaking.

[Wojo 2,453]

Beat the last episode of Telltale's The Walking Dead. Absolutely heartbreaking.

I considered buying the franchise on Steam's Autumn sale for $12, but I concluded I wouldn't play it anytime soon, so I'll wait for the Christmas sale.

I have zero interest in the WiiU. I suspect that the commercials that show its gameplay of Arkham City are not representantive of its true graphics abilities, and are just showing a better console or PC version to hawk the new hardware. Since getting a dedicated BR player, I don't need my Wii anymore for Netflix, and I never play the few games I have for it anymore, though I believe I'd have more fun with a partner so I need a second controller. Though I will say the hunting games are a lot of fun with the gun fixture, with groups of people all screaming at me what to do.

[Quintus 5,399]

Speaking of Arkham City, I finished the bite-sized story add on last night in a couple of hours. Very enjoyable. Playing as Robin was brilliant and way better than he had any right to be. They should use this video game version of him in the upcoming movie reboot.

Love that game. Still the best thing I've played in the last twelve months.

Thinking of getting Legend of Grimrock off Steam today. Three quid for a lovely looking Dungeon Master remake is silly money.

[Wojo 2,453]

Last time I played Arkham City, I was in the steel mill ready to hunt down Quinn. I need to get back into it.

[Quintus 5,399]

She was on the run again in the add on.

Hey KM, I'd have thought Legend of Grimrock would be right up your alley, no?

[Wojo 2,453]

It's not on consoles. Doesn't his blood curdle at the thought of playing a game on the PC?

[Quintus 5,399]

Doubt it. I think console gaming became a hassle free means-to-an-end for KM, that's all.

And I don't think that particular game is especially demanding on current hardware.

[King Mark 3,631]

Well, it's my type of game, except I don't play on PC as noted. Although never say never. My next PC will probably have a graphics card...

I got 150$ for about 15 of my used games today. I'll go back tomorrow with another pile. I was kind of holding on to them as completion trophies but better sell them before next gen and they aren't worth anything at all. My obscure RPG's seem to hold more residual value than the mainstream stuff

I went to both Gamebuzz and EB games. I gained 30$ by comparing the prices they gave me for each game (sometimes a difference of 10$).

And my next game playing is...Trinity Universe

[Koray Savas 2,251]

Need For Speed: Most Wanted

So far so good. Loved how it laid everything out in a quick minute and tossed you right in. Seems a lot more intimate and cozy than Burnout Paradise was; incorporating the free roam and exploring aspect of that and combining it with the arcade style pick-n-go of Hot Pursuit with the 'Easydrive' feature. As expected, Criterion knows how to pack a challenge into their games. I never got around to fully completing Hot Pursuit because of those damned time trials, and this time around the races prove a little more tough, which is welcomed... Or maybe I just suck since racing games are a dying genre and I rarely play them anymore. Oh well, I'm liking it.

Call Of Duty: Black Ops II

Realized that I never did a write-up for this one. I think it's easily one of the worst COD games from the current gen. Treyarch messed around with the mechanics a little bit too much. I mean it's nice that they spiced things up with the slightly futuristic jump, but I'm talking about how the game runs. Hit detection is way off and the knifing system is simply nonexistent. I cannot tell you how many times I'd walk up behind a clueless dude and have my knife fly right by and lunge me stupidly in front of him to die embarrassingly. At times you can lunge like 10 feet for a kill and other times you'll miss four swipes right in front of their face. I don't know how they managed to break that but they did.

The servers, at least on the PS3, are shit. Lag is pretty much guaranteed every other game, hosts can migrate up to three times per game, and getting booted out are all far more common than in previous entries. The first week or so the game would freeze your system because of the server issues. I had to hard reset my PS3 a lot and go through the restore process more times than I ever did with Skyrim. In fact, Skyrim never completely locked your PS3. It'd need to restart but it'd boot up normally. This one fucked up with your HDD. That has since been fixed via patch but it was still surprising considering how well they usually fare upon launch.

Campaign is supposed to have changed a lot, but so far I've only done the first two missions. Apparently you are given choices that affect the game's outcome, and you actually have classes for the story missions, allowing you to choose which guns and attachments you want to use. It all seems to still be the same spectacle riddled action flick with gratuitous slow motion and an excessive use of bad language. Multiplayer is still, for the most part, that good ol' addictive fast-paced shooter, with it's share of questionable dev choices. So what really irks me is that IGN praises this game to no end and gives it a 9.3 and then trashes MOH: Warfighter for being the same tried and true FPS that everyone has played before and rates it a 4. I swear these reviews are bought out by the publishers.

[Quintus 5,399]

IGN are corrupt. This is known. Their Halo 4 review was sponsored as much as their Black Ops one.

[King Mark 3,631]

Ok so finally the game I started is Atelier Totori, The Adventurer of Arland.

It's weird because I used some trade in credit to get it new yesterday, and found it used for 15$ today. These games are extremely rare in the used section and even then never sell under 40$ used. The guy at the cash though it was some sorting/price mix-up.

now I have to return my new unopened copy. Lucky I didn't open it. I'll get Borderlands 2 if it's on sale

And I sold off another pile of game for 100$, totaling 260$ now . And still have some to sell. I guess almost everything I get next year will be free

[Quintus 5,399]

Your games collection must be huge!

So what was intended to be a quick hour to get acquainted with Legend of Grimrock rapidly became three. Damn this game is moreish, "just another ten minutes..." So far I'm absolutely loving it, but late nights aren't really to be encouraged at the moment.

[King Mark 3,631]

I sold 26 games so far...for 260$

I have 21 finished games left to sell. But these are the ones I bought under 15$ used so I don't expect to get much for them. Stuff like Gears of War and Mass Effect is worth almost nothing

Then I have 35 games I have not played yet .

And a few more I lent to people