What are you playing?

[AEUGNewtype]

[quote name='Geof' post='86220' date='Oct 10 2010, 12:28 AM'][quote name='The☆AEUGNewtype' post='86146' date='Oct 7 2010, 12:01 AM']The only real downside to the game that I've found is that you can't adjust the camera manually, which gets annoying at times, but they actually did a good job of moving the camera to a decent angle whenever it needs to be.[/quote]

From what I played in the demo, this has pretty much un-sold me on the game. If any store around here still rents games, maybe I'll give the full thing a try, but the demo just kinda let all the air out of my anticipation for this game.

[/quote]

It seems Konami is god-awful at making demos, cause pretty much every demo they've put up in the last year or so has just been really bad and very unrepresentative of the full game. The recent Castlevania Live Arcade game had an atrocious trial version that only let you pick 1 of the 6 characters, among other shitty things. The LOS demo is just showing you a really dark, hard to see level and introduces you to the weird camera setup really quickly, but after about 3-5 levels you'll forget that you can't move the camera except every once in a while it'll get a bit wonky every couple levels. They shouldn't have just made the demo the first 2 or 3 levels, its much better once you can actually kinda see what the hell is going on later.

[Geof]

One Konami game I know I can't possibly be disappointed in is THE FUCKING 90'S ARCADE X-MEN, FINALLY COMING TO CONSOLES. The only way they can screw this up is if they somehow forget to include online co-op, but the article specifically mentions it, so huzzah!

[al kusanagi]

[quote name='Geof' post='86223' date='Oct 10 2010, 04:24 AM']One Konami game I know I can't possibly be disappointed in is THE FUCKING 90'S ARCADE X-MEN, FINALLY COMING TO CONSOLES. The only way they can screw this up is if they somehow forget to include online co-op, but the article specifically mentions it, so huzzah![/quote]



SIX PLAYER co-op, even. Now all we need is some Captain America and the motherfuckin' Avengers!



And, yeah, I gave Castlevania a second chance and I'm now enjoying it, but it still has those lameass QTEs. "Oh look, cinema scene! *put's the controller down to take a drink* *misses a button press and has to do the fight all over again* Fuck you!!!"

[Melon]

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' post='86224' date='Oct 10 2010, 03:38 AM']And, yeah, I gave Castlevania a second chance and I'm now enjoying it, but it still has those lameass QTEs. "Oh look, cinema scene! *put's the controller down to take a drink* *misses a button press and has to do the fight all over again* Fuck you!!!"[/quote]



The only thing I enjoy about these QTEs is that you can use any button to activate it and it's a simple mechanism. I always mess up the "press certain button when the stars and planets align" because for some reason when QTEs come up I forget the layout of the freaking controller. But there are no real cinema scenes in action games anymore, so I don't know why you would take a drink. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/rofl.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />



The stages are really, really, really, gorgeous. Some stages are so beautiful and the camera has such a cinematic feel I'll run through, turn around and run back, then run through again. The only real crime are the invisible walls, especially since so many stages have secret paths cut into them. I look like an idiot playing because I'm trying to make sure I find everything. (though I look like an idiot smashing my whip at everything in igavanias) The first chapter boss battle made me miss a certain game.



I had the game's final boss spoilered. Lame. Don't people like surprises anymore?! I don't have time to play games all day/night like you do! ;_;



Some of the game's environments are a love letter to Del Toro. If there's a movie Castlevania, I want him to direct. We could have a ball with monsters and locations! <I would so audition to be a creature. Jones can't have all the roles....! And if I beg :coughsuckenoughcock: I could keep the costume and have the best Halloween costume forrreeevvveerr>



Seems MercurySteam is already working on a sequel. Whoohoo!

[AEUGNewtype]

The stages are really, really, really, gorgeous. Some stages are so beautiful and the camera has such a cinematic feel I'll run through, turn around and run back, then run through again. The only real crime are the invisible walls, especially since so many stages have secret paths cut into them. I look like an idiot playing because I'm trying to make sure I find everything. (though I look like an idiot smashing my whip at everything in igavanias) The first chapter boss battle made me miss a certain game.

I take it you're meaning SOTC, but there's like 3 other battles just like that in the game, so you'll get a bit of a fill. I didn't like SOTC past the basic concept really, so its nice to see the concept popping up in other games and being mixed with other game styles instead of just being repeated the whole game ad nauseum.

I had the game's final boss spoilered. Lame. Don't people like surprises anymore?! I don't have time to play games all day/night like you do! ;_;

I had it spoiled as well, but even if you know, its great to see how the final events unfold and why you're fighting that as a final boss. It gets a little heavy-handed religious toward the end which ends up a little awkward, but its pretty epic to have a huge battle between Heaven and Hell take place on Earth between two humanoids who embody each side.

Some of the game's environments are a love letter to Del Toro. If there's a movie Castlevania, I want him to direct. We could have a ball with monsters and locations! <I would so audition to be a creature. Jones can't have all the roles....! And if I beg :coughsuckenoughcock: I could keep the costume and have the best Halloween costume forrreeevvveerr

James Wan is still set to direct and write the Castlevania movie, which I would be pretty happy about, because he isn't some huge Hollywood director with all these shitty sensibilities about mass entertainment, etc. he's just more about getting out the art of the story and doing it in a very dark environment. We'll see. It's changed directors about 6 times in the last decade.

[al kusanagi]

Finished Lords of Shadow and while I thought it was great overall, it REALLY didn't have a damn thing to do with Castlevania other than some name dropping and the epilogue. I know it's supposed to be a reboot, but it honestly just felt like they took some already under development game and made a handful of changes and slapped the Castlevania name on it.

[Ap2000]

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' post='86347' date='Oct 15 2010, 07:49 PM']Finished Lords of Shadow and while I thought it was great overall, it REALLY didn't have a damn thing to do with Castlevania other than some name dropping and the epilogue. I know it's supposed to be a reboot, but it honestly just felt like they took some already under development game and made a handful of changes and slapped the Castlevania name on it.[/quote]



Hm... how do you think they could have made a 3D game that has a Castlevania feel to it ?

(Note: I only played Super Castlevania IV, so I know nearly nothing, I am asking this because I am curious)

[al kusanagi]

I'm not saying it played poorly, I'm just saying that the setting, the lore, characters, etc. didn't feel like a Castlevania game. For me, Castlevania will always = action platformer, so I don't think any 3d conversion would satisfy me, but if they do keep this up, I'd prefer it to have far more action and platform elements and far less of the dumbass puzzles. Also, people use "linear" like it's a bad word in games, but I think it'd be better off with smaller, narrower stages.



Like I said, I really liked it and would gladly play another, but I think it would have been better off as a completely different franchise rather than bringing in the expectations/baggage of the Castlevania name.

[aine]

HOLY SHIT I AM SO SOLD ON 3DS NOW <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... prised.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':omg:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' />



VG247 article



I know, I know, let's go back to the good old "don't get your hopes up" mantra. But things really got a lot more exciting right now.





In other news, I'm still grinding my way through FFIV on DS in the few spare moments I have and finding it somewhat tedious. I also got drawn into WoW which is pretty fun (blame Berry), but really damn time consuming and time I do not have. Bummer.

[Melon]

[quote name='aine' post='86418' date='Oct 19 2010, 12:03 PM']HOLY SHIT I AM SO SOLD ON 3DS NOW <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... prised.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':omg:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /dance.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':omg:' />[/quote]



Nintendo, here is a direct link to my bank account. Feel free to charge me for any items published on your system and I will sit back and enjoy what has been given me.



No, really, that's the coolest gaming news I've heard all month. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' />

[Ap2000]

I installed New Vegas yesterday and it crashed after about an hour. According to some reviews it's more unstable than Fallout 3 (which ran pretty fine imho), PC and console versions.



I also experienced some weird framedrops while walking around in a very small town.

I usually get 60fps with all settings on max. (except for the annoying, useless depth of field shit), but sometimes it drops to 30. One time I talked to an old guy sitting in his chair in front of a house (so all that had to be rendered was the wall of his house, the chair and the guy itself) and it went down to 17 fps during the whole dialogue.



[quote name='aine' post='86418' date='Oct 19 2010, 07:03 PM']In other news, I'm still grinding my way through FFIV on DS in the few spare moments I have and finding it somewhat tedious. I also got drawn into WoW which is pretty fun (blame Berry), but really damn time consuming and time I do not have. Bummer.[/quote]



You should try out EverQuest II, it's like a mature version for the adults and it doesn't look like shit.

It also has some unique stuff like collectibles (which I am addicted to) and a few very comfortable features. Also, crafting and gathering is actually entertaining.



I did try the f2p version of it myself, but it's not the same as having the full game at your hands. It might be ok to get a first impression though.

[aine]

[quote name='Petit Melon' post='86448' date='Oct 20 2010, 07:05 PM']No, really, that's the coolest gaming news I've heard all month. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nceman.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' />[/quote]

My feelings exactly.



Here's a complete awesome 3 minutes of Attorney vs Professor love. I can't stop watching! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ek3run.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' />



[quote name='Ap2000' post='86454' date='Oct 20 2010, 07:28 PM']I also experienced some weird framedrops while walking around in a very small town.

I usually get 60fps with all settings on max. (except for the annoying, useless depth of field shit), but sometimes it drops to 30. One time I talked to an old guy sitting in his chair in front of a house (so all that had to be rendered was the wall of his house, the chair and the guy itself) and it went down to 17 fps during the whole dialogue.[/quote]

I read in a lot of comments that this only happens with nVidia cards. Or only ATI cards, don't remember which. Anyway, it's still a long time before I get around to New Vegas. I barely made any progress in F3 recently. But I'll admit blowing up Raven Rock was fun.



[quote name='Ap2000' post='86454' date='Oct 20 2010, 07:28 PM']You should try out EverQuest II, it's like a mature version for the adults and it doesn't look like shit.[/quote]

Haha, no thanks, just one MMO at a time is enough for me. Maybe when I get fed up with WoW, which at my pace won't happen in the next 10 years. I think Berry played EQ too, so she'll hook me up when the time comes. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /ph34r.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':dance:' />



Cataclysm intro looks kinda exciting.

[AEUGNewtype]

LOL @ PC gaming. My copy of New Vegas runs just fine on 360, and I didn't install it. And fuck Nintendo as well. That game will probably combine the irritating puzzles of Professor Layton with the non-replayability of Phoenix Wright to form the ultimate game not worth buying. Flame on, guys.

[aine]

Anyone replying to the post above gets a 10 days ban, ktnxbye.

[Sabaku Ika]

I've had a recent relapse of Pokemon disease. I am now working my way through Platinum and I've ebayed some of the GBA games I missed originally. I just wish I could find a wifi hotspot my DS can connect to...



Also, playing the demo of Lord of Shadows, I was reminded that I hadn't played Dante's Inferno yet, so I traded for that on Goozex. I was initially biased against it for playing exactly like God of War, but it's a great game in itself just because it takes place hell and what could be more fun than hell?

[Ap2000]

I just had to download a dx9 dll file (107kb) and now it runs with everything maxed out (again, except for the annoying depth of field thing) on 1680x1050, 8xAA, 16xAF and perfect smooth 60fps.



EDIT:

More infos you can get here in case you have the same problem:

http://segmentnext.com/2010/10/19/fallout-...-freezes-fixes/

(also has workarounds for console bugs)

[neshcom]

[quote name='Ap2000' post='86462' date='Oct 20 2010, 06:04 PM']I just had to download a dx9 dll file (107kb) and now it runs with everything maxed out (again, except for the annoying depth of field thing) on 1680x1050, 8xAA, 16xAF and perfect smooth 60fps.



EDIT:

More infos you can get here in case you have the same problem:

http://segmentnext.com/2010/10/19/fallout-...-freezes-fixes/

(also has workarounds for console bugs)[/quote]

I've heard that fix can do wonders. There's also some .ini change you can make to use multiple cores. I'm liking it, though I'm not sure I'll use the new crafting aspects seeing as I never crafted in F3. It's weird not coming from a vault and having the whole conflict of the game presented in a pre-rendered intro scene. It's very up-front and matter-of-fact-ly. Plus, it doesn't give enough info to let you know what's going on in the world, but more than enough for you to have convenient-amnesia. I want to know where I came from, what my past is. I do like he factions thing, but it hard to know who's what faction from 100 yards away or even on the world map. Also, I got woken up twice during sleeping to have a conversation. That's strange.



Also, DJMAX P3. The remix system is a much more organic way of adding difficulty instead of 8B, but unlocks have been slow and the overall difficulty level feels low. They also changed the timing window a bit. Hold notes can be released a little later. You can break on any note much sooner which is a shame because now you can only play notes when they come up. No note, no sound. The combo/fever system has been made easier. You only need 40 100% notes to get a fever, so even the easiest songs can get you a 5x fever. Visuals are hi-quality if not too anti-aliased. 6T(6B) mode feels too cramped horizontally. As far as music, the list just feels like a remixed list. There are a lot of remixes of older tracks and the remix system also uses clips of older songs. A lot of the other songs are very boring or plain. It's yet to be seen how the unlockable music sounds if I ever get to it quickly because I'm not totally into the given 31. I'm just so burdened with my obvious skill.

[Ap2000]

[quote name='neshcom' post='86471' date='Oct 21 2010, 01:40 AM'][quote name='Ap2000' post='86462' date='Oct 20 2010, 06:04 PM']I just had to download a dx9 dll file (107kb) and now it runs with everything maxed out (again, except for the annoying depth of field thing) on 1680x1050, 8xAA, 16xAF and perfect smooth 60fps.



EDIT:

More infos you can get here in case you have the same problem:

http://segmentnext.com/2010/10/19/fallout-...-freezes-fixes/

(also has workarounds for console bugs)[/quote]

I've heard that fix can do wonders. There's also some .ini change you can make to use multiple cores. I'm liking it, though I'm not sure I'll use the new crafting aspects seeing as I never crafted in F3. It's weird not coming from a vault and having the whole conflict of the game presented in a pre-rendered intro scene. It's very up-front and matter-of-fact-ly. Plus, it doesn't give enough info to let you know what's going on in the world, but more than enough for you to have convenient-amnesia. I want to know where I came from, what my past is. I do like he factions thing, but it hard to know who's what faction from 100 yards away or even on the world map. Also, I got woken up twice during sleeping to have a conversation. That's strange.

[/quote]



The thing you can change in the ini to prevent the game from crashing is limiting the number of cores.

This is done via limiting the number of "HWThreads". I changed the ini so only 2 of my 4 cores are being used and the game runs perfectly now.



The shitty framerate seems to come from horrible DX10/11 (I run Win7 x64) support and the dx9 dll on that site forces the game to run in DX9 mode.

You don't need to run it in DX10/11 anyway, since it doesn't use Tesselation or any of the other new stuff.



I also liked the F3 intro better. But that one was masterfully done and one of the best intros in gaming ever, so it was hard to top. Actually I'm not too much interested in the story of New Vegas anyway, I just want to have a new wasteland to explore and some interesting spots to visit.



I'm happy they implemented a hardcore mode. (now hopefully somebody mods this game to feel and look like Stalker and it'd be my personal GOTY, but I probably have to wait for Stalker 2 to give me that Fallout x Stalker experience I am craving for)

[neshcom]

I gotta give New Vegas both a "wow" and an "ow." I'm not done, but I'm really in the thick of the game. Let me tell ya, you get quests for everything. I've seriously got probably two dozen right now. I'm really trying to pace myself in New Vegas because I know in F3 I really ran through the story, but I've hit a multi-directional junction and I'm not sure what to do and when. There are truly a lot of moving parts in this narrative and your order can really affect the game (or at least the game will tell you it did). I really have to say that, given the chance, the narrative can pull for your attention in multiple directions and I believe you can give it a lot more attention than would be expected. So that's the "wow."



To compare the overall atmosphere of the game to the original two wouldn't be a stretch, but the visuals and execution really could be punched up. I could imagine any of the locales in an isometric 2D game and you juggle factions with your own desires, but New Vegas doesn't feel just right. I've recently entered The Strip in New Vegas and it's really "where it's at;" casinos and towers and bright lights, but it's really where the game shows it's inability to shift gears. Walking around a desert for hours looking for random places works, but that mentality shouldn't expand to the game's "metro" area. F3 was pretty good at keeping functionally tight spaces small and New Vegas just drops the ball. The game's casinos are huge, but you only play three games: slots, blackjack, and roulette. It's an attempt at realistic scale that ends up being tedious. This isn't confined to casinos either. A nearby NCR base made from an airport terminal is probably realistically the size of a terminal, but it's so empty and really lacks variety. So, you're in this gigantic terminal with huge hallways and the people of interest are holed up in tiny rooms on opposite ends of the site. And none of this is helped by the game's below-par lighting and textures. If I'm in a pleasure palace-themed casino, why do I feel like I'm playing the Egypt level on Deus Ex: Invisible War?



BONUS RANT: What's up with the soundtrack? There are like, 8 songs amongst the 3 stations I've heard. I love you Mr. New Vegas, but can you play something other than Johnny Guitar? I would like to see Best Friend Tabatha though.



SUPER SPECIAL DISCOUNT ALSO FORGOT TO INTRO THIS RANT TOO RANT: I feel like I'm really getting out of a lot of quests. I've heard that characters don't really get a lot of use for the "basically lets you hit on women" perk, but I've gotten more than my weight in gold with the "I'll hit on you silly boys" perk. Also, I apparently got fisted by a robot in a dark, dirty building while my teetotaling lady-companion(-faghag) apparently watched. Game, why are you letting me just walk away from quests when they can resolve like that?



Still, I'm having fun

[Ap2000]

My only gripe with NV are the at times extremely annoying restrictions on climbing mountains and large rocks.

They deliberately made some invisible walls in areas where you physically could easily go to, but NO they want you to walk around for ages to get to your destination.



The engine also (since Oblivion) has this problem that when you run down a rock or something rather steep you often can't jump and thus get to higher ground.

[al kusanagi]

For climbing rocks in NV I found that you can kind of cheat it by coming to a complete stop, then jumping and moving in the air. Also, just like Fallout 3, I think I managed to "break" the game by going off the rails and accidentally skipping forward in the main storyline a few missions by dealing with a certain individual far sooner than the game obviously wanted me to.

[Tsujiji]

God damn it, I absolutely have to buy a 3DS now. Phoenix Wright is one of my favorite games ever and Layton's a close second. Those bastards bulling me into getting the damn system. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... >/hmph.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':eekrun:' />

[Ap2000]

[quote name='Al Kusanagi' post='86590' date='Oct 24 2010, 10:57 PM']For climbing rocks in NV I found that you can kind of cheat it by coming to a complete stop, then jumping and moving in the air. Also, just like Fallout 3, I think I managed to "break" the game by going off the rails and accidentally skipping forward in the main storyline a few missions by dealing with a certain individual far sooner than the game obviously wanted me to.[/quote]



That often doesn't work though. =(



I did a similar thing in F3, I completely skipped the Three Dog part and just went to Tranquility Lane.

[Vikitty]

I need a 3DS like, immediately. I love PW and I love PL. Unf.



My mom might be getting me an XBox as her internet provider has some sort of package deal going on. What games should I check out? Not sure if it's the original or the 360, if that makes a difference.



I am currently playing the sequel to Hotel Dusk on the NDS. It's called Last Window, it was only released in Europe, but it is fantastic. It's too bad the company went bankrupt. :/

[Melon]

[quote name='Valerie' post='86647' date='Oct 26 2010, 09:38 PM']I need a 3DS like, immediately. I love PW and I love PL. Unf.



My mom might be getting me an XBox as her internet provider has some sort of package deal going on. What games should I check out? Not sure if it's the original or the 360, if that makes a difference.[/quote]



What genre of games do you like?



PLAYING KIRBY'S EPIC YARN.



OMG SO CUTE I DIE OF CUTENESS EVERY LEVEL. WHEN HE DOES HIS HAPPY DANCE I SQUEAL IN DELIGHT. MY LOVE CAN ONLY BE EXPRESSED IN ALL CAPS. But...it's very easy, it's like I'm playing "My First Platformer". Very quick game too, I'll probably end up beating it next time I get a chance to play it. The level "secrets" are sort of fun...they're so easy to find I get it all on the first time. At least the Mario games had bits that could be fun for experienced players. But the artstyle is very unique and beautiful and it makes me want to make a quilt of all the worlds/stages.

[Ap2000]

[quote name='Petit Melon' post='86648' date='Oct 27 2010, 04:59 AM']Kirby's Epic Yarn.[/quote]



One of the veeery few Wii games I'd like to play. Unfortunately I can't find a place here where I could borrow a Wii + games for a week or two.

I did borrow a Wii + SMG 1 for a week once and that games was really great.



EDIT:

NV's Doc is a weird guy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMHkFUQiQzo



2.EDIT:

Nearly 20h played now and still not arrived in Vegas. (as I said, I love exploring)

[Ap2000]

Reaching lvl20 I took the "Explorer" perk in New Vegas, which reveals all of the locations on the map.

As it turns out about 1/4 to 1/3 of the map could easily be cut away, because there is absolutely NOTHING on the edge of it:

Link to a picture of the map unvealed: http://www.imagebanana.com/view/2h7w9n8x/f...ew_vega_map.jpg



Obsidian constantly said "oh, the map is as big as Fallout 3's !", which is correct. But as it turns out quite a big junk of the map is devoid of anything...

[neshcom]

[quote name='Ap2000' post='86807' date='Oct 30 2010, 06:26 PM']Reaching lvl20 I took the "Explorer" perk in New Vegas, which reveals all of the locations on the map.

As it turns out about 1/4 to 1/3 of the map could easily be cut away, because there is absolutely NOTHING on the edge of it:

Link to a picture of the map unvealed: http://www.imagebanana.com/view/2h7w9n8x/f...ew_vega_map.jpg



Obsidian constantly said "oh, the map is as big as Fallout 3's !", which is correct. But as it turns out quite a big junk of the map is devoid of anything...[/quote]

I've heard about that. I think that might end up being space for DLC.

[al kusanagi]

Hit 30 in NV. I was about 25 when I finished it, but then went back and explored and recruited all the companions. Hopefully I can change the ending somehow, because it pissed me off working with a certain faction the whole game only to find out I had no choice but to sell them out.



Also, fuck the Force Unleashed II. What teeny, tiny, minuscule amount of game that is actually there is fun, but I went through the whole thing in a single sitting in less time that it takes to watch one of the movies.



I guess between the 50 hours I've put into NV, and the 2 it took to finish FUII, I can just pretend I bought two 26 hour games...

[Ap2000]

I love going into Vaults and discovering their past.

I also love to read the logs and emails. (I never read a single book in Oblivion however)



Vault 11 was great and it fills my heart with pleasure that there is so much stuff to find that is not directly related to the main quest.



I'm at 36h and lvl24 now.



EDIT:

The Nexus (also known for Stalker, F3 and Oblivion mods) has some good NV mods up:

http://www.newvegasnexus.com/downloads/top/



Especially the enhanced 3rd Person View and GUI (called MTUI) are great. I also installed one that mutes Raul, my companion, during battle and sneaking. He was so damned annoying.