What are you Playing? October 2010

Phoenixus said:
Chrono Trigger on DS, and Crisis Core (and soon KH: BBS) on PSP.

Crisis Core is one heck of of cool FF game and you get to play as Zac and fight Seferoph (sorry I am bad with Video game character names). I like that the battles are real time instead of turn based for a nice change of pace.

At this very moment in time I'm playing RE5 with my sister xD
It's actually surprisingly fun even if we are on amateur lol

There are a whole catalogue of games that I have been playing. The ones in the previous posts as well as a few new ones I just got today. I am really liking Alan Wake. But there has been a lot of mixed reviews about it. I don't bother looking on sites like Amazon or Play, I just use Gamerankings.

Hyper Duel

knighty said:

But...Jacob....WHAT. The campaign in Reach is just.....so poor compared to the other Halos. They tried to concentrate on the characters which is admirable but frankly they failed in my eyes. Halo has always been about the universe, and Reach didn't have many epic defining moments that I could list from the other games. Plus there was virtually no story development. We found out a couple of new things at the end but nothing to really get too excited about.

I think this is also indicative of where you and I differ overall on the Halo series. You're very passionate about the series mythology, whereas I just don't care.

The first few Halo campaigns felt like you were just doing the same thing over and over again. And over again. I thought Reach's gameplay though was phenomenally diverse. Mission variety was solid all the way throughout, and even those times where you were just corridor shooting, the armor abilities kept things interesting.

Oh yeah. And I got to fly a spaceship like freaking Rogue Squadron.

The level design for me is the biggest improvement -- even those times you're just mowing down guys in a corridor, they still manage to give you tactical options. Flank to the right, armor lock and charge through the middle, or sprint to different cover points etc. The Reach campaign has a strong level of variety and choice that the other Halo campaigns lack. Some may dispute this, saying that the other campaigns offered just as much choice in your movements, but the new armor abilities really allow you to exploit them much better.

I can understand your disappointment with the story. I enjoyed it personally -- liked how they chose to focus the story on a smaller group. Sorta like Band of Brothers in space (ha). I'll agree with you that character development was weak though. I grew to like all the characters, but it was hard to get too emotionally attached with any of them. In the realm of shooters, the story is more than adequate, but its not going to win any awards.

This post ended up much longer than I intended.

Yeah I guess a lot of people just don't care about the universe, and if you didn't I can totally see why the previous games wouldn't appeal so much. I practically creamed myself when the Covenant ship (I think it was a corvette) flew over in Tsavo Highway on Halo 3 and I love the Covenant culture you learn about in Halo 2. That was my favourite campaign story wise. I'm just a sucker for huge spaceships and camel-toed alien races I guess.

( Edited 02.10.2010 23:05 by knighty )

I suppose its not fair of me to say I don't care at all -- I do find it interesting. It just wasn't enough to compel me through the first several Halos. Halo 1 through ODST bored me within the first 2-3 hours. Reach has been the only one to keep me engaged all the way through. I speak of course only of the singe player, Halo multiplayer has always been a favorite of mine.

I also can't understand how some reviewers were disappointed with the graphics. Its just freaking gorgeous. I don't know how they've managed to improve literally everything and still keep the framerate so steady. You're the engine programmer, what'd you think?

Reach is beeeautiful. The lighting is just awesome, especially on the multiplayer level Reflection (Ivory Tower). It is a shame the fps does drop sometimes though. At the end of the game when you're holding off with the turrets it dropped for me and when the "door" opens up revealing the ship you fly in it dropped pretty heavily.

Generally when it comes to graphics in games I ignore what uninformed reviewers go on about because they usually have shitty opinions.

One thing that does look shoddy is levels made in forge, because the Halo engine has always been heavily reliant on light maps, so the dynamic forge levels with their lack of shadows and baked AO look really out of place with everything else. I'm really annoyed they included 5 forge world maps for multiplayer to be honest. Seems pretty lazy and they're ugly as sin.

( Edited 03.10.2010 00:14 by knighty )

One thing that does look shoddy is levels made in forge, because the Halo engine has always been heavily reliant on light maps, so the dynamic forge levels with their lack of shadows and baked AO look really out of place with everything else. I'm really annoyed they included 5 forge world maps for multiplayer to be honest. Seems pretty lazy and they're ugly as sin.

Very true. I had some friends come over while I was playing with some guys in forge world, and they asked if it was Halo 3. I immediately made them watch a game in that Reflection map you mention (easily the best looking one). Forge world is rather last-gen hideous.

I do have to complain about the multiplayer maps included with Reach though. I'm disappointed with the quantity and quality. I already miss old main-stays like Guardian and Narrows.

I'm sure we'll see a million map packs in the future though.

Oh god yes, The map selection is fucking awful. Just shocking. The only good maps are Halo 2 remakes. Frankly I just wish they'd remake every Halo 2 map. Terminal, Midship, Relic, Turf, Warlock ;_; God damn why was Halo 2 so good....

The only decent maps in Reach that aren't remakes are Countdown and Powerhouse.

( Edited 03.10.2010 01:24 by knighty )

Currently playing Persona 3 and Pokémon Black. ^_^

Ikana said:
Currently playing Persona 3 and Pokémon Black. ^_^

Ikana said:
Currently playing Persona 3 and Pokémon Black. ^_^

Get Persona 4 as well. I have heard that is better than P3. Also I am very jealous that you are playing Pokémon. I would import the Japanese version, but I can't understand a word of it. But I will be getting it at launch in the UK.

knighty said:

The only decent maps in Reach that aren't remakes are Countdown and Powerhouse.

I for one think the map selection is terrible in Reach. The only ones I really enjoy are Haemorrhage, Reflection, Powerhouse, countdown and Sword Base. The others slip by me. i.e, 'The Cage' is terrible + it promotes camping which I have never ever seen in a Halo game My favourite game mode overall though is SWAT, its so much fun!

In terms of the story on Reach, I loved it more than the other Halos (perhaps apart from C.E) and is generally the only one that I felt the need to go back and complete on a harder difficulty, and I'm pretty sure I'll temp fate at trying Legendary at some point too. Everything from the Vistas and the action was amazing, it was just generally fun and engaging to play, lots of different 'worlds' to explore.

I'm still also playing Dead Rising 2. Over the past day or so this game has drawn me in further, it stops being so unforgiving and starts being ridiculously fun, especially since I realised you don't need combo cards to make new weapons (doh!). Flash light + Gems=....Lightsaber >.< This is admittedly a game that is also more fun with buddies, but it also makes it slightly easier in the sense that you can be revived and tag teaming bosses and psycho's is pretty fun and very rewarding in terms of levelling up. It will keep me coming back for more as there are many different missions that you can't complete due to the time based nature of the missions, which even though it is slightly annoying, you get new game+ so you can keep getting ridiculously strong. Its a shame that your speed doesn't increase until around lvl 25 though, it feels slightly sluggish otherwise. Did I mention making weapons to mow down thousands upon thousands of zombies is really, really fun?

Prince said:
halo reach 24/7
but I have downloaded a beta of black ops and I played it, its really good

Huh Black Ops beta?

I'm still playing MH Tri. I'd never played any MH games, or seen any screenshots, videos, whatever, before Tri was due for release, and I have to say, it's SO addictive. That "just one more quest" line is said at least 3 times every time I play it. I think it's an awesome concept, and appreciate that it has been around for many years, makes me wish I'd played it before, though I assume the graphics are poo from previous versions. Hunting online, and the ability to kick noobs while you're out in the field is a brilliant thing. LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT

knighty said:
Oh god yes, The map selection is fucking awful. Just shocking. The only good maps are Halo 2 remakes. Frankly I just wish they'd remake every Halo 2 map. Terminal, Midship, Relic, Turf, Warlock ;_; God damn why was Halo 2 so good....

The only decent maps in Reach that aren't remakes are Countdown and Powerhouse.

Bleh, hate countdown dosn't feel like halo, feels more like quake in that map or something. Way to close and hectic for me.

My Personal favorite is Paradiso.

Really hate haemorrhage as it is though, two tanks on the map with no fucking anti vehicle weaponry, basically which ever side destroys the opposing sides tank with there own tank wins the game and become practically invincible.
The other vehicles are fairly pointless as well because of the tanks, everyone gets in them at the start and then just dead, dead, dead and then they are usually to afraid to use them the rest of the match, apart from the ghost maybe because it's more nimble.

I'm glad there getting ride of team swat from big team and making team snipers less frequent from tuesday onwards.




( Edited 03.10.2010 23:40 by Jimmy2000 )

Yeah the tanks break haemorrhage. Thankfully they're replacing them with Wraiths which should be fine, though having the Revenants seems a bit iffy now though. I wish more people would realise what excellent transport vehicles they are instead of killing people with them. They are incredibly fast, can take loads of damage and give driver and passenger loads of cover.

As for SWAT and snipers, I enjoy both when played occasionally but the amount they were coming up in Arena was just stupid. SWAT isn't really Halo. It's CoD. Oh and yes, Countdown does feel like a UT/Quake map, that's why I like it

( Edited 03.10.2010 23:40 by knighty )

Yeah there nice occasionally but I always felt they deserved there own playlist as opposed to mixed in with big team battles.

I wish more people would realise what excellent transport vehicles they are instead of killing people with them

Yeah, people are just stupid, I see people take warhogs withought gunners into battle like oversized mongooses for some reason, i dunno what there trying to do with that.
Or a third passanger getting into a warthog in a slayer match, and shooting from it, makes no sense you just giving the other side a triple kill when they eventually destroy the vehicle.

Also people need to learn NOT TO BOOT PEOPLE ALL THE TIME, if your in the middle of a busy battle field and a grenades happens to kill you from your own side, chances are it was a mistake.
I lasered a warthog which had 2 enemies in it and one of my own guys (i didn't see him) and he booted me! Cunt! If the reticule goes red i'm shooting it!

Mmmm the betrayal system ought to pick up on situations like that. I was playing on Spire one time and I was following 2 guys up into a lift and I was trying to lob a sticky up over their heads but it stuck the first guy and killed them both. I cringed so badly then because it was a shocking betrayal

knighty said:
Mmmm the betrayal system ought to pick up on situations like that. I was playing on Spire one time and I was following 2 guys up into a lift and I was trying to lob a sticky up over their heads but it stuck the first guy and killed them both. I cringed so badly then because it was a shocking betrayal

SWAT is arguably the worst mode for betrayals though. I've done it once and its happened to me three times its so hectic when everyone is shooting at head height and you miss and hit your team member from behind or something...

Super Sonic said:

Ikana said:
Currently playing Persona 3 and Pokémon Black. ^_^

Get Persona 4 as well. I have heard that is better than P3.

Already got and completed Persona 4.

Psychic Assassin Taromaru.

Gonna be playing left 4 dead 2 today at some point since the dlc should come out later on

( Edited 05.10.2010 15:31 by LKR000 )

Playing MadWorld. Just got up to the last area to fight the final boss. It was actually quite difficult in some areas, but I really did not like fighting the Zombies in the dungeon areas. The commentators just add the funniness to the game, I wonder if the humour will be this funny in sonic colours seeing as it is being written by the same people who wrote this game?