What games are you currently playing?

[Kailea]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Finished the main part of my arcade cabinet, so I have started playing some more games.

I am playing Borderlands, but once Dead Rising 2 comes in the mail I will start on it. I also am playing the new Tactics Ogre for PSP and the new Back to the Future game on PS3

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

OK, played a little more TO.

They really do have a different emphasis going on here. FFT likes to encourage multi-classing and there is some mild multi-classing elements in TO:LUCT, they really want you to utilize the strength of each class you have open to you.

I have met a necromancer whom I feel its going to be a perpetual thorn in the side of our heroes and when he rears his head, you're going to want some cleric or cleric skills you your team. The undead revive at full HP three turns after you've felled them and only clerics or the Divine Magic skill and spell "Exorcise" will make them really dead, so I dropped some archers for clerics.

But even then you can't load them up on skills.

There's are skill slots for weapons and even passive skills. For example, certain classes can only use certain weapons, but there are passive skills that make those weapons perform better and you may wish to keep that advantage and leave the magic to another character. Archers may wish to learn some basic Field Alchemy to become supporters who literally launch items from certain projectile weapons to heal, enfeeble or damage based on what the item is, but there are other skills you have to give up to do that.

The trade-offs are a bit more steep.

Also, regarding death. Active guests (usually central characters) - as opposed to the ones that haven't yet officially joined the part - aren't affected by death in the story, they're affected by your choices in the long term. Its your hires and recruits you'll have to watch very carefully.

"Lose if hero dies" turns out to be an occasional condition, too, usually in more critical battles instead of optional storyline battles. I didn't have to go after that necromancer to progress the story, actually.

I'm still looking for a way to go get Vyse killed because he's the angsty hothead in the midst of an otherwise extremely mature cast. Then again, he's just playing to his Chaos alignment, but even other Chaos-inclined characters are classier than him. That necromancer was pretty honorable, well, for one that defiles the dead by reanimating them to fight for him.

The decisions you make in the story will affect each unit's loyalty based on your alignments. The means by which you access their loyalty is rather cryptic, but if you go into their profile, use Help via Select and then highlight the character's name. You'll get an impression of what they think of your hero's decisions. If they start to disapprove, they may leave. Some of the hire/recruits may even look to one of the story characters and be influenced by them - I guess that means the story characters are more charismatic.

Here's one of my archers:



When I go to highlight, it says: Though not openly discontent, this unit makes no effort to keep counsel with you.

So yeah, I'll be taking that great bow and dismissing her before she leaves >.>

[DakAttack]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Some people are just quiet, damn. Give a sister some space.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Well, I recruited another archer with a similar disposition, so now she has someone to complain to.

Then i went out to save some female warrior and succeded in chasing off the rabble that had ganged up on her 5ix on one against her and they sent a dragon after her, too. Totally not fair.

So I saved her and Vyce was a dick to her and my new Lawful ally got all uppity about her factions methods and didn't approve of her "kind." at her. She left ._. So yeah, saved someone and my peeps scared her off.

[Feba]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Gundam: Bonds of the Battlefield (ガンダム戦場の絆). For a basic overview of how it works, check out the tutorial video at これから始める方へ - 機動戦士ガンダム　戦場の絆 .

There is a very, very cheap arcade near me. It costs 300 for the card, and 300 per game. This is over three and a half bucks per play. I can get a tasty, filling lunch for the same price as the game. There was a second hand clothing store near here that sold things for 300 yen per item before it closed. The 300 for the card also includes your first play though, a tutorial level that gets you acquainted with the controls and so on.

The 300 yen for a game lasts well over 10 minutes. You go through set up, online matching, equipment load out, etc. The match lasts 4 minutes ten seconds; it's not at all odd to be engaged with an enemy within the first ten seconds, so you get a good four minutes of combat. After the battle ends, you get a results screen, and sent back to equipment load out for a rematch. After the rematch, the game ends, regardless of whether it's one or two victories.

I have to say, for being five years old, it's hard to match the sheer awesomeness of the POD machine even against the latest and greatest. Sure, the graphics are about the same as every PS2 gundam game ever, but you don't notice that so much (or even the low resolution) with the speed of the game and the level of immersion in the cockpit. Having the playing field you monitor include your peripheral vision really changes things.

Still, it's bloody expensive... I've spent about $20 up to now, and to break out of the newbie league ranks takes three times the points I have. None of the players I've seen at my local arcade are in the low levels. You can pretty much guarantee that they've spent hundreds, if not thousands on the game. Apparently there are places where you can (or could, at least) rent a machine for an hour for a few thousand yen. I have to wonder how much the machines themselves cost; I'm sure there are individual players here with an investment that outweighs the cost of just buying one of the bastards. And yet, I'm going back today, because there's an event I want to take part in. But I'm only playing once. Or maybe twice. And then no more this week. Except maybe Wednesday.

I also played Metal Gear Arcade, which is a pretty neat display of technology, and a fairly average seeming online shooter. Sure, it has a head-mounted controller for turning, stunning 3D visuals, mic, and tons of other neat toys, but other than that it didn't seem particularly impressive. You do have to give them credit for having the balls to DLC a fucking arcade game though-- basically, you put in money which comes out in uneven amounts (for example, 21 for 100 yen, 42 for 200). An online match is 30MG, a 'mission' is 10MG, the shop/setup is free but has a time limit. Between every match, you're given an option to put in more credit to keep playing. If you have MG left over when you quit the game, its put into a lottery for prizes to improve your character. The items in the shop are about 2-5 MG each from what I've seen, although I wouldn't be surprised if they get more expensive. So basically, the idea is to give you 'left over' money that either causes you to spend it on stuff to improve your character, or put in another credit to avoid 'wasting' it. This is easily one of the sleeziest business models I've seen in the arcades here, behind only the "You need to buy trading cards to be able to pay to play our arcade game. No, we aren't kidding. That vending machine over there has starter decks", and the various slot machines and other gambling implements in a country where you aren't legally allowed to gamble, and the store cannot give you any rewards.

[Kailea]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

ooooo Feba have you seen the Kamen Rider OOO Ganbaride Arcade game?

It uses cards and the OOOs version uses medals as well.... I want to play it soooo bad -.-

[Feba]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

no

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Well, seems like the world when Lawful Evil on me. I decide not to slaughter a village of my own people under the guise of the enemy (to unify my people under the Duke's cause) and for this I'm branded a criminal.

Now I'm flagged as Chaos. Well, at least I'm Chaotic Good

[Kailea]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

thinking about getting back into FFXI -.-

FFXIV is still a jumbled mess (though I love it so much) and no other MMORPG can give me what FFXI has....... that and NOT playing an MMORPG is breaking my bank account lol ;p

on the console side though, finished Dead Rising 2, so now I am back to Borderlands and Tactics Orge untill my backup of FFXI ISO finished (not buying the disc again for the third time)

[Armando]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Played the first 2 hours of Metroid: Other M. Fuck what people say, the game is fun. Switching between 1st person and 3rd person takes a bit of getting used to, and it's true that you're rooted to the ground while in 1st person, but you can still dodge and you can't use Missiles in 3rd person view, so 1st person view often kills things faster. And if you really hate Samus's monologues, they seem to die down after the beginning.

[Malacite]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Yazthee became dead to me when He rated that game as one of the worst of 2010. Umm... what? I honestly don't see how any Metroid fan can hate the game.

The 1st to 3rd segments are somewhat awkward and to be honest, could have done with out them and they could have at allowed use of the classic controller but oh well. The game was a blast, and I for one fully welcome Samus having a voice and talking. I know some people bitched and cried foul that Samus had a voice and they don't like Nintendo bringing in an actual plot to the games... which to me signifies that a lot of people are brain dead retards.

It's not like Metroid is being turned into Mass Effect here, they're just trying to liven things up so there's more to it than just exploring and shooting at monsters. Was her voice actress really that offensive? I rather liked her.


There were 2 things in that game that just made be giggle with glee. The return of the Speed Booster (really hated how they never used it in Prime) and the post-game boss whom I will not reveal for spoilers. I'll just say that it totally took me by surprise and they did an AMAZING job of re-creating it. There's even a little nod to Metroid Fusion in there.

[Armando]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

The return of the Speed Booster (really hated how they never used it in Prime)

I love the Speed Booster and doing shinesparks as much as anyone else, but I really don't see how they could've possibly worked that into Prime. Running at such retardedly high speeds would be impossible to control in first person view.

[Omgwtfbbqkitten]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

The only parts of the story that really don't work are the ones where Samus recounts things that just happened. A flashback narrative is just supposed to fill in the gaps, not reiterate things we just saw.

Example: With the Crocomire defeated, I sought out my next target.

Too Much: I had defeated the Crocomire, but as its skin melted off its bones it tried to attack me one last time, but failed. My heart jumped at the possibility it had survived the lava, but then my thoughts turned to recovering the baby.

I think the overly wordy aspect of parts of the story was Nintendo not only doing a full-scale voice over for the first time in any series they've done - but that they also timed it for worldwide release. Had NOA been given enough time to do a proper localization, I think we would have seen a less expository Japanese narrative and something a bit more suitable to western tastes.

Really, though, why any priority is given to Japan on this series is beyond me. It gets all its love in the west, so the priority should be on the western audience first as we appreciate the series WAY more than Japan does. In the west Metroid will move 1 million copies per installment at minimum, usually. In japan, it just hits the break even point and barely any further than that.

That's not to say it doesn't have its fans in Japan, we wouldn't see games like Castlevania SOTN or Cave Story without its Japanese fans, but I don't think there should be any urgency on Nintendo's part to get these out in Japane and America at the same time.

[Neverslip]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

Lord of Arcanum. Interesting slant on ripping Monster Hunter off. There are things I both like and dislike regarding it. Simply using it to pass the time until MH portable comes to America if Capcom ever localizes it for the west.

[Cheezeman3000]

Re: What games are you currently playing?

The thumbs-down thing kinda ruined the beginning of Other M for me. So freakin' weird. And another really weird thing? The title....yes I know what it means but... so odd.

I haven't played it since the day I got it, kinda lost interest from the story, although I know I"ll play it eventually.