What Are You Playing?

Lithrael

Remember, always hold your apple tight
Johnstantine said:
Started playing Infinite Space, and am about 2 hours in (which is basically nothing) and I'm enjoying it so far.

Nice! That thing lived in my DS till I decided to tackle some professor laytons.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
frankencowx said:
Seriously, its so bad its utterly embarrassing and cringe worthy. They've destroyed everything the first 2 games narrative accomplished.
Surely it's at least better than Diablo III's story, which was wafer-thin and utterly forgettable.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
I've been playing Castlevania: Mirror of Fate for the 3DS. Pretty good game overall I'd say. It got a mixed reception with some bad reviews, notably by IGN, which I can't really understand. I'm about 75% through the game and I only have praise for it at this point.

The graphics look very good and I enjoy the 3D a lot. The gameplay's a mix between what was introduced in Lords of Shadow and more classical 2D episodes, with the player evolving in a classic Castlevania view from the side. Enemies are varied enough, some of the bosses are pretty cool, and even the story is surprisingly good for the series. The music's good as well, though it's not particularly memorable. More ambient than punchy.

The only real downside to the game is that it's not very long (10 hours will be enough to get through it) and is overall pretty straightforward. There are some secrets and some back and forth, but it's very light, which is too bad since they provide you with a cool tool to leave markers on the map so you remember where the inaccessible stuff was. You also don't have a lot of customization when it comes to combat, but I didn't really mind it. A good whip (fuck the "combat cross") and a couple secondary weapons are more than enough for me, especially since you do get variety from playing through different characters at different points in time.

A must-have for any Castlevania fan (and that's from someone who was very disappointed by LoS), and I recommend it to anyone who needs to feed their 3DS.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I also bought Mirror of Fate last night, after Aaz said that contrary to many reviews, it wasn't a pile of garbage. A side-scrolling CV game that isn't shit is more than enough to get me on board :guts:

I'm enjoying it about 3 hours in, though it's not setting me on fire or anything. There is some fantastic atmosphere created by the music and visuals. I find combat quite fun, even though it is pretty easy overall. I have to imagine the negative reviews came from unrealistic expectations—people expecting Symphony of the Night 2 or something. It's not that. It's more in the vein of Super Castlevania IV, with some small touches of the Igarashi games (minor exploration, items/HP upgrades to find).

The story is just enough to keep me enticed to learn more, but honestly it could have been a little better. Simon is a pretty cool character for what little focus they give him. I'm eager to see more.


As an aside, after hearing hilariously bad things about Starcraft II: Heart of the Swarm, I watched all of the cinematics back to back last night. Hoo-boy...
 
My copy of Infinite Space arrived yesterday and I've played it for around 6 hours. The game has been OK so far but it hasn't wowed me yet (which I was kind of expecting to happen from the get-go). I know I'm just starting so I'm still hoping things will get better as I get further into the game.

The one thing I can't say I like in the game is fighting, I've found battles to be tedious so far; a single tactic has worked well in all cases, so not much variation regardless of the enemy. Is this something that changes later in the game?

Also, I didn't pay much attention to the explanation given for melee battles, so I don't understand how they work. I'm sure I will have to fight such battles at some point, so I hope I'll be able to figure it out by then.
 

Aazealh

Administrator
Staff member
There's a help menu in the game in which you can get details on pretty much everything you'll need to know. Don't hesitate to check it out if you feel the need. The melee system follows a very classical "rock, paper, scissors" configuration, only they renamed "Leader, Slash, and Shoot". There's a little subtlety to it, for example "Shoot" prevents the enemy from fleeing, but it's overall very straightforward.

Note that having a good Security Chief is very important during tougher melee battles.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
m said:
My copy of Infinite Space arrived yesterday and I've played it for around 6 hours. The game has been OK so far but it hasn't wowed me yet (which I was kind of expecting to happen from the get-go). I know I'm just starting so I'm still hoping things will get better as I get further into the game.
Well, it's a 75+ hour long game, so the first 6 hours aren't decisive of anything other than setting the stage. That being said, I also wasn't in love with the game at this point. In fact I think I had put it down for a few days around that time, but Aaz urged me to continue, and I'm extremely grateful that he was persistent. It's these weak early moments that I think sunk this game for a lot of the reviewers, and that's a real shame...

Infinite Space is a true diamond in the rough. You may have to work at it to see what's so great about it at first. But give it time, and I think you'll see that it has heart despite its limitations. It builds to several story crescendos that are unlike anything in recent RPGs. The ultimate takeaway from the game is something special that I've experienced in only a handful of games.

The one thing I can't say I like in the game is fighting, I've found battles to be tedious so far; a single tactic has worked well in all cases, so not much variation regardless of the enemy. Is this something that changes later in the game?
Most of the time, the combat is rudimentary. For me the fun was more in growing my fleet, customizing each ship to maximize its efficiency and potential. Most of those early battles, and in fact almost every random encounter in the game, can be beaten with brute force after you get your first battleship. A few battles will test you, and for those you'll want to hang in the back of the field, but more often than not going in guns ablazing and keeping a "dodge" on, will serve you through most battles. The game does ramp up in difficulty at a certain point though. I remember learning that lesson the hard way...

But yes, there are some variables that have yet to come into play, namely fighters and the number of ships you're facing and employing.

Also, I didn't pay much attention to the explanation given for melee battles, so I don't understand how they work. I'm sure I will have to fight such battles at some point, so I hope I'll be able to figure it out by then.
Like Aaz said, the HELP robot is very useful. You can find him at any large space station in the game. But there's also the game's manual: http://dl.sega.com.s3.amazonaws.com/guide/infinite-space/infinite-space-zero-g-manual-us.pdf (some minor character spoilers in the characters section).

But basically: Leader>Shoot>Slash.
 
Aazealh said:
There's a help menu in the game in which you can get details on pretty much everything you'll need to know. Don't hesitate to check it out if you feel the need. The melee system follows a very classical "rock, paper, scissors" configuration, only they renamed "Leader, Slash, and Shoot". There's a little subtlety to it, for example "Shoot" prevents the enemy from fleeing, but it's overall very straightforward.

Note that having a good Security Chief is very important during tougher melee battles.

I completely missed this, I'll definitely be checking it out. Thanks for the tip! :serpico:

Walter said:
Well, it's a 75+ hour long game, so the first 6 hours aren't decisive of anything other than setting the stage. That being said, I also wasn't in love with the game at this point. In fact I think I had put it down for a few days around that time, but Aaz urged me to continue, and I'm extremely grateful that he was persistent. It's these weak early moments that I think sunk this game for a lot of the reviewers, and that's a real shame...

Infinite Space is a true diamond in the rough. You may have to work at it to see what's so great about it at first. But give it time, and I think you'll see that it has heart despite its limitations. It builds to several story crescendos that are unlike anything in recent RPGs. The ultimate takeaway from the game is something special that I've experienced in only a handful of games.

Yeah, I know I'm barely starting, I guess I was just starting to think I missed something. It's good to hear that the best is yet to come and that the work put in will pay off.

Walter said:
going in guns ablazing and keeping a "dodge" on, will serve you through most battles

Exactly my current tactic! :guts:

Walter said:
But yes, there are some variables that have yet to come into play, namely fighters and the number of ships you're facing and employing.
Like Aaz said, the HELP robot is very useful. You can find him at any large space station in the game. But there's also the game's manual: http://dl.sega.com.s3.amazonaws.com/guide/infinite-space/infinite-space-zero-g-manual-us.pdf (some minor character spoilers in the characters section).

But basically: Leader>Shoot>Slash.

Thanks! I was thinking I was going to need a manual of sorts; mine is in German so no help there (I don't think I even opened it)
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Just started Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

I played for about an hour and then realized my DS was dying so I ran to charge it in...but didn't make it.

Starting over now:(
 
Picked up Bioshock, Arkham city, Borderlands 2, and Max Payne 3, and Fallout New Vegas during the XBLA sale 3 weeks ago. I'm beating the games in that order and just made it to Borderlands 2 this week.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
I'm about 3 hours into Bioshock: Infinite, and I really, really like it so far.

Also, I hated the first Bioshock.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Walter said:
I'm about 3 hours into Bioshock: Infinite, and I really, really like it so far.

Also, I hated the first Bioshock.

That's the only thing holding me back. I'm not a fan of the series. I didn't enjoy the first two games at all.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Oburi said:
That's the only thing holding me back. I'm not a fan of the series. I didn't enjoy the first two games at all.
Well, I wouldn't hold Bioshock 2 against it. That was a completely different team, and wasn't sanctioned by the original guys or its writer (Ken Levine).

To elaborate some, what I didn't like about Bioshock was that it was a narrative driven game trapped inside a series of systems that were alternately boring and broken. Try listening to a mandatory audio log while being shot at by splicers and then you trip an alarm so helicopter bots are attacking you, while your low health and low magic meter are yelling at you. That's a pretty common occurrence in the original Bioshock. For a game whose strength is its atmosphere and storytelling, that's a glass jaw.

Things are more streamlined in Infinite. The combat systems don't get in the way of the storytelling as much (and also don't come at you all at once), and overall it allows the story to take center stage. It also doesn't get so far up its own ass like the original did, and doesn't lose sight of why you're playing the game: Exploring a unique, richly detailed setting. At least, that's what has my attention the most in Infinite.

It doesn't hurt that it looks truly gorgeous on PC, and runs like a dream.
 

Oburi

All praise Grail
Walter said:
Well, I wouldn't hold Bioshock 2 against it. That was a completely different team, and wasn't sanctioned by the original guys or its writer (Ken Levine).

Interesting. I don't why I couldn't get into the series though. The story I guess but also the whole style and atmosphere was a turnoff. Just didn't do it for me. I didn't think it was scary or anything and the enemies seemed almost too childish or cartoony. I'll check Infinite out though. Can't not play a game when it's getting reviews like this is.
 
The first one was alright, though the only real memorable part was meeting Ryan (Kill!)

I played the game and overall I thought it was very good myself. The story is a lot more cohesive than the original Bioshock, which had a more cryptic approach to its storytelling. Not to spoil anything, I found the narrative takes a pretty sharp diversion halfway through the game from an overarching action/adventure story and social/political themes to a more specifically sci-fi narrative.

The immersion is also better this time around, with Columbia given a much better overall atmosphere than the first one--though the fact that it is more populated with NPCs probably helps. There are a some lengthy fetch-quest style mission diversions that sort of slow the game down (one almost laughable in its ultimate pointlessness) yet they still manage to add moments of plot and character depth. Some serious anachronisms bugged me early on as clashing pretty strongly with the supposed 1912 setting, and while much of it is explainable once the latter sci-fi plot developments are introduced, Booker and Elizibeth definitely don't talk like people born in the 19th century. Odd considering most the the NPCs and audio logs do better in at least attempting historic accuracy in that regard.

The gameplay is very much like the first game with a few extra gimmicks added to it. No real complaints there, but there wasn't a drastic departure in that regard. It felt more polished, the some of the more detail-oriented aspects of it are a bit lacking. For instance very little of the environment is destructible outside of mission-specific objectives, even bottles getting only dents from machine gun fire. Also, enemies are the damage-sponge sort that only really get pause from direct gunfire when knocked down or killed. Lastly, why does the "Dollar Bill" vendor have the same vocalized audio sound bites as the ones in Bioshock? It was annoying in Bioshock, and it continued to annoy me in Infinite.

Oburi said:
The story I guess but also the whole style and atmosphere was a turnoff. Just didn't do it for me. I didn't think it was scary or anything and the enemies seemed almost too childish or cartoony. I'll check Infinite out though. Can't not play a game when it's getting reviews like this is.

It's worth a shot, but this game is not that much different in those respects. In the latter part of the game, it does go for more of a horror-like atmosphere and there's a pretty heavy camp element in some of the combat and enemies (i.e. killer robot George Washington) and there is a fair amount of action movie style one-liners throughout. It's an improvement over the original in general, but no guarantees it will entirely suit your tastes.
 

Viral Harvest

Every Knee Bent Too Shall Break
Johnstantine said:
Just started Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.

I played for about an hour and then realized my DS was dying so I ran to charge it in...but didn't make it.

Starting over now:(

Just picked this up today as well, never having played a MH game before. I got the 3DS version, and am sort of bummed at the lack of Netplay and only Local, but I have a friend with a 3DS and a copy too so all isn't lost, I suppose. Also my first time playing with the Circle Pad Pro and holy shit is this thing cumbersome. I suppose I'll get used to it though...maybe. The game is pretty fun though, and I love how goofy it is.
 

Johnstantine

Skibbidy Boo Bop
Viral Harvest said:
Just picked this up today as well, never having played a MH game before. I got the 3DS version, and am sort of bummed at the lack of Netplay and only Local, but I have a friend with a 3DS and a copy too so all isn't lost, I suppose. Also my first time playing with the Circle Pad Pro and holy shit is this thing cumbersome. I suppose I'll get used to it though...maybe. The game is pretty fun though, and I love how goofy it is.

I haven't been able to pick the game up in about a week, but once you get the quests going it gets super fun.

Also, I'd never played a MH game before either.
 

Akebobo

my god... it's full of pants
On ultra setting with a wide FOV... holy crap Columbia is staggering. While I agree Bioshock had some poor gameplay, especially on my last replay I found myself taking a lot of time just wandering around and exploring the world after everything was dead and I could stop and look at things in peace. Even Bioshock 2 (ugh :magni:) grabbed me with its deco world.

Walter said:
It doesn't hurt that it looks truly gorgeous on PC, and runs like a dream.
 

Dar_Klink

Last Guardian when? - CyberKlink 20XX before dying
I just finished Bioshock Infinite and I really loved it. You should give it a try Oburi, I didn't really care for the first game too much, but this one got me into it easily. I wish it was longer and had more to do than like 5 sidequests, but the story, atmosphere, and graphical style were great.
 

Walter

Administrator
Staff member
Just beat Infinite. Fantastic game. Highly recommended.

I told Aaz earlier today that this is a game that has been in my headspace ever since I started it a few days ago. That's pretty rare for me. And that was before the ending.

It's by no means a perfect game, so don't get washed away in that particular hype. It is not "best game ever" material. I could probably complain loudly for an hour or so about a few annoyances that linger throughout the experience, but it's all tangential to what matters. It knocks it out of the park where it counts.

If you care at all about storytelling in games, get it. Don't hesitate. Don't wait for a fucking sale. Get it.
 
Bioshock Infinite is a absolutely awesome game. There are so many breath taking scenes and settings. The game really rewards you when you stop and smell the roses. It really makes for a great feel. I also recommend Tomb Raider as it too really stood up to its hype. I actaully have a hard time deciding which game I enjoyed the most. Both are pretty intense and non-stop. I think I give Tomb Raider a lot of credit for reinventing itself as well as it did. But I got to hand it to Bioshock for doing still breaking so much new ground and being the 3rd game into the series. Even story wise they are pretty on par if you ask me. Again, for me its a hard call on which is better than the other. I loved RE4 and to me TR feels a lot like it. Now I'm depressed because the two games I looked forward to the most post-Skyrim are out and I gutted them both. I'm left with nothing to play... Back to Whiterun I guess! :void:


-I had to beat Bioshock twice, and if you ask me its even more rewarding the second time around because you catch the cues, and all the clues through out the game add up better. At least for me it helped me really understand what was taking place.
 
Playing Silent Hill 2 at the moment, finished Silent Hill 1 quite a while ago so I'm just going through the 4 previous games in the series and sort of avoiding the current ones.
 
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