Video Game Thread 2.0

[kefkaownsall]

i need 5   does anyone have that for 2

[Cerim Treascair]

I have spares, Kef.  Hit me up on Steam, should be able to find me through either Tlaren or Siraj.  The gryphon avatar is hard to miss.

[Alehksunos]

My newest baby, adopted yesterday:

(click to show/hide)

(Yes, I also have a controller and the optional VMU card, which are pretty damned cool. I honestly don't need to say this.)

Sadly I couldn't get the sound set up so for the rest of yesterday I mopped up BioShock 2.

I can't tell if that was a worthy sequel or another simple expansion of the first game like most game sequels...

[chitoryu12]

Shenmue is really the one that matters the most there.

[Alehksunos]

Yeah. I was fascinated about that game since 2000, the same time I was fascinated about the Dreamcast itself. And I knew nothing about that game and what I would get into in the future. It's kind of like back in 2007 I wanted to play BioShock and when I finally got to play it last year (or as this year is coming to a close, 2012) I absolutely loved it, even with a few moments of reluctance.

I can certainly tell it's going to be one damn fine game, like four discs (and the Dreamcast was a pretty powerful system then) and lots of content.

Already, and I'm considering filling in a wishlist of games (like Bangai-O, which the next time I find that game I'll grab it regardless of price. Good thing it shouldn't be that expensive since I one time found a factory sealed (keyword: factory sealed) for just $100). And also, Japan-exclusives like Ikaruga (which was released here in North America, but on the Gamecube, and it's still not cheap).

[Vypernight]

My little brother bought me XCom and Civ V to be downloaded from Steam for xMas.  Got them downloaded (though I have no clue what XCom is).  Now I just need to find the time to play them.

[Cerim Treascair]

My little brother bought me XCom and Civ V to be downloaded from Steam for xMas.  Got them downloaded (though I have no clue what XCom is).  Now I just need to find the time to play them.

XCOM is a tactical strategy game.  It can be... ... very unforgiving.

[Shane for Wax]

Thanks to Cerim I finished my badge.

I have an extra #1 if anyone wants it. If you can, I'd like to get a couple of the others so maybe I can craft the badge again.

[ironbite]

My newest baby, adopted yesterday:

(click to show/hide)

(Yes, I also have a controller and the optional VMU card, which are pretty damned cool. I honestly don't need to say this.)

Sadly I couldn't get the sound set up so for the rest of yesterday I mopped up BioShock 2.

I can't tell if that was a worthy sequel or another simple expansion of the first game like most game sequels...

It's more of the same from Bioshock 1 really.  Only difference is instead of a wrench, you get the drill.

Ironbite-which is only fun the first...50 times you use it.

[chitoryu12]

Battlefield 1942 is free on Origin, so it's gotten a bit of a revival. The old Forgotten Hope mod even has one very well-populated server with a max of 128 players that seems to be perpetually active; you just need to use 7-Zip or something to extract the individual .exe files for the mod into one folder and add it to the Battlefield 1942/Mods folder, then download a no CD compatibility patch from ModDB to get it to run.

[Ghoti]

My little brother bought me XCom and Civ V to be downloaded from Steam for xMas.  Got them downloaded (though I have no clue what XCom is).  Now I just need to find the time to play them.

XCOM is the bastard lovechild of Dark Souls and Command and Conquer, with a bit of Alien added for flavor. It's also got perma-death like Fire Emblem. Carelessness is punished without mercy, but with careful consideration of your actions and a bit of luck it's a fun ride.

[kefkaownsall]

I turned off Ironman oddly enough I found Normal especially ironmanless kind of easy classic is douchey  BTW buy Enemy Within it has mech suits.  Also thx 4 the card.
I got a gamestop gift card for xmas so I bought KH 1.5 and I actually skipped all the destiny islands tutorial fights since they are super hard on proud.  I hope the game gets more easy since the difficulty seems to be from not having dodging or blocking (any KH vets will tell you need blocking to do anything.)  Also the camera really really really sucks.  Even on manual rotating the stick a little jerks it way too much

[Alehksunos]

Just started playing BioShock Infinite today. I was starting to get discouraged since some people expressed disappointment in the game. As for me, I am so far loving it. This is like, a huge improvement over BioShock 2, even though I've also been annoyed by the plasmid vigor system (i.e. you can only carry two at once and you must replace one of them). To me, that's not a big deal because how often did I used the other plasmids in the previous games? And then, there is also the same for the weapons, though I'm currently yet to obtain the third and beyond, but now that's going to be a bitch.

[chitoryu12]

Just started playing BioShock Infinite today. I was starting to get discouraged since some people expressed disappointment in the game. As for me, I am so far loving it. This is like, a huge improvement over BioShock 2, even though I've also been annoyed by the plasmid vigor system (i.e. you can only carry two at once and you must replace one of them). To me, that's not a big deal because how often did I used the other plasmids in the previous games? And then, there is also the same for the weapons, though I'm currently yet to obtain the third and beyond, but now that's going to be a bitch.

Well, it's so fast to replace your Vigors on the wheel (and Gear in the menu) that you're technically carrying all of them and just need to swap them out. Way easier than the first two with Plasmids and Gene Tonics, where you needed to visit a Gatherer's Garden and Gene Bank to make any changes.

[Witchyjoshy]

(click to show/hide)

So I've been up until 6:30 AM playing a new freeware point and click adventure game that was released called Heroine's Quest.

The "freeware" part actually surprised me because I was under the impression it was one of those games that you would have to pay for, but no, they released it free.

You're a hero, traveling to the snowy north, when an avalanche nearly kills you.  The people of the nearby city rescue you, and nurse you back to health.  However, there's currently a food shortage and... you're starving, your supplies were stolen by a creature, and you've gotta get food.

Right off the bat, the three different classes have three different methods of finding their food.

Warrior - Grab a spear, go out, and spear up a boar, slice its meat off, and cook it using your knowledge of animals (Animal Ken, as it's called).
Sorceress - Search for edible roots, using your Herbalism skill.
Rogue - Play off of the local chivalrous chauvinist's heart and get him to give you some of his precious rations using your Fast Talk skill.

To say that this series is immersed in Norse mythology would be like saying a fish is immersed in water.  You are basically preventing Ragnarok from happening because of the rebellious Jotun, and the three Norns are there to pretty much guide you to your fate, whatever it is.

Even the character classes draw from Norse mythology.  The Warrior follows the path of Thor, the Hammer-Wielder, the Sorceress follows the path of Odin, Rune-master, and the Rogue follows the path of Loki the Lie-Smith.

So far, I'd say it's actually a very, VERY good spiritual spin-off to the Quest for Glory/King's Quest games.  There is a tutorial, but it doesn't spoon-feed you the game, either.  You gotta figure out how to get food before you starve to death, and the game only offers suggestions.  And once you're past that point, you're pretty much past the tutorials.

I've had to put my brain to use on these puzzles.  And there were a few times I thought I was encountering a glitch, but I had to step back and go "Okay, no wait..." then did some in-game research and found out why it was happening the way it was happening.

Sidequests are different for each character... but at the same time, you are allowed to hybridize.  Want a Warrior with some sorcery?  You can do that.  Want a Rogue who can understand how animals behave?  You can do that, too.  A Sorceress with a penchant for thievery?  Completely your choice.

Characters are interesting.  Lots of strong women around.  The smith's wife is a soft-spoken darling who takes care of the adventurer's guild (by which I mean she practically runs it but is too humble to admit it) but when she gets pissed, she can bend steel like it's cardboard.

And then there's the heroine herself.  Due to the kinda game this is, she is a generic hero, but that's because she's your avatar.  She has a voice, but she only says what you want her to say.  Her personality is what you give her through your actions as her.

Also, the game is pretty much chock full of references, humor, and general not-taking-itself-seriously.  From getting served "soda" at a tavern (right after an argument about how ID laws don't exist in this time period and how this is supposed to be a family friendly game), to reading all kinds of references to Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings (in various places no less) to hearing the Zelda "Item Get" Jingle when digging a jewel out of a frozen river.

I'm only at the beginning of chapter 2 for any character and it's already fun.  Even the Warrior character is interesting due to getting something unique, "Animal Ken", which I've yet to fully explore.  Also she gets to wield a bunch of different weapons.  Sword and Shield, Two-Handed Axe, Warhammer... and later, a mystical sword.  The Rogue gets dual daggers to wield, and even the Sorceress can do some decent damage smacking enemies around with her magic staff.

Anyways, before I rave TOO much...

http://crystalshard.net/hq.htm

Here it is if you wanna check it out.  It's done in classic VGA Sierra adventure game style, but its got plenty of differences, enough to make it stand out.

Only real downside is that, due to being a fan game, some of the voice acting will be about as dry as you'd expect a fan game to have.