Today, I have been mostly been playing... (2)

[Dasquian Belargic]

Yes, the old thread had gotten so big and bloated that it was time for it to retire and usher in the ascension of a glorious new 'mostly playing' thread!

I just re-installed The Witcher to since I didn't ever really get around to playing it properly.

[Sanis Prent]

Got in some Fallout: New Vegas, Lonesome Road in between barbecuing ribs the other night.

Finally explored The Courier's Mile :dood:

(Save often, you will die a lot!)

[Dasquian Belargic]

Peter and I just stabbed and stomped our way through another chapter of Dead Island :D

[Peter McCoy]

Playing some Dark Souls on PS3 aside from Minecraft. But I've watched more Let's Plays than done my own gaming lately. Loving the Diablo 3 Beta Let's Plays on Youtube at the moment. So much that I've started up a new Necromancer in Diablo 2.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Been spending my time on Mass Effect 2 and Civ 5.

[Morgan Evanar]

I played a ton of Forza 4 the past two weeks. I think I have eight or nine races left in the world tour campaign. I played dungeon defenders last night, I'm still figuring that game out.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I only play City of Heroes because it's free and I know how to play it and I enjoy it and I have it already.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Peter and I played some more Dead Island together. We make a pretty kickass team :cool

[Atreyu]

Age of Empires. I've forgotten how fantastic this game is. :cool:

[Peter McCoy]

As awesome as it is, the sequel, Age of Kings, is soooooo much better! But I still love the original with the Egyptians and the Romans.

Diablo 2 and Dark Souls for me.

[Atreyu]

As awesome as it is, the sequel, Age of Kings, is soooooo much better! But I still love the original with the Egyptians and the Romans.
The sequel will be played soon. See my retro thread. :smokin

[Dragon]

Just finished Portal 2. Some of the best-written dialogue I've ever heard in a video game.

[Peter McCoy]

Started learning the Starcraft 2 Galaxy Map Editor last night. It's very powerful and lets you tweak pretty much everything! I have an idea for a co-op game mode I'm gonna try designing once I've learned the ins-and-outs of map-making.

[Morgan Evanar]

New Vegas. Damn this game is good.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I've just been playing http://firstpersontetris.com/

Now my brain hurts.

[Captain Untouchable]

I've just been playing http://firstpersontetris.com/

Now my brain hurts.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! :cyduck

What the hell just happened? :ohno

[Dasquian Belargic]

What you're feeling right now is your brain melting!

[Peter McCoy]

While interesting, I was a bit disappointed - I was expecting an FPS-type game.

[Captain Untouchable]

Live-action FPS pac-man is fun:

1. Take an average school classroom. Arrange the desks in a maze.

2. Place Malteasers at regular intervals across the tables. Tie the player's hands behind his back.

3. Dress everyone else in left-over Halloween ghost costumes.

4. Commence chasing.


Ah, Sixth Form. There are times when I miss you...

[Dasquian Belargic]

While interesting, I was a bit disappointed - I was expecting an FPS-type game.

I was expecting that too, although I can't imagine how it would work :whaa surely it would be even more nausea-inducing

[Crusader]

^^Waves of enemies that have to be stopped with the right part that is shot at the hole in their stomach? The tricky part is: Who gets shot first since you can't switch through your weapons. Hit enemies become bricks/cover. If you manage to build a wall out of enemies/cover the cover is removed and you get extra points and go into bullet time mode.

Wrote a game idea in 5 minutes... now I just need someone to program it.

[Crusader]

BTW I have been playing BF3 on my new PC.

[Atreyu]

Installed and been playing Open Arena (open source game built from the Quake III Arena engine) on my Linux Netbook. Impressed at how damn fast the thing runs. :)

[Peter McCoy]

I very much doubt I will get BF3 with its ridiculous agreement.

[Crusader]

^^EA changed the Agreement in the last 72 hours.

Unfortunately EAs explanation for the EULA is kind of scary. It basicly says in a nutshell:

"Well everytime we install this software you give us the rights to do all the things we mention in the EULA. We never intend to use those rights but this is just the way "all" installers work these days. Other companies might not tell you this in their EULA but we felt the need to tell you this otherwise we would violate your rights. So we will remove this part from the EULA so that you can all sleep well and we will try to find a different installation and monitoring device in the future."

[Dasquian Belargic]

I bought Alice: Madness Returns on Steam but I had to activate it on EA Origin to play it :whaa

[Morgan Evanar]

Installed and been playing Open Arena (open source game built from the Quake III Arena engine) on my Linux Netbook. Impressed at how damn fast the thing runs. :)Dude, it's a 10 year old game =p

Been playing New Vegas.

[Peter McCoy]

Ploughing through the Starcraft 2: Wings of Liberty campaign for the third time.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I've ordered myself an Xbox style controller to use with my PC. Can't wait to try it out on some games! I think it should be arriving today.

[Captain Untouchable]

^ Where from?! I was watching some Arkham City lets plays the other day, and was toying with the idea of getting one myself.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I got mine from Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Microsoft-Xbox-Common-Controller-Windows/dp/B004JU0JSK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1320493199&sr=8-1

[Crusader]

I love the X360 controller. The triggers have a much better feel and they are longer than the ones on the ps3.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I have been playing Sonic Generations all afternoon with the controller... feels good :cool

[Dasquian Belargic]

More Sonic Generations! The challenge level are addictive :ohno

[Park Kraken]

Rotating between WoW, SC:II, and CS:S for the past few weeks.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Marvel Vs. Capcom on Xbox. By which I mean, Owen is playing it.

[Peter McCoy]

Elder Scrolls: V - Skyrim!

[Dasquian Belargic]

I picked up Arkham City and Skyrim so will be starting on Skyrim as soon as I get home!

[Peter McCoy]

Skyrim and Minecraft.

Despite the full release of Minecraft (no longer in beta) I have not yet updated my game as I'm having too much fun with the mods I've got installed. There's something sadistically satisfying about building a nuclear reactor and filling the reactor chamber to the brim with uranium fuel and no coolant whatsoever then running away to try and escape the blast radius (and failing!) - the crater left behind is awesome!

I also have geothermal power thanks to a generator that accepts lava as fuel, allowing me to power all manner of industrial machines that come with the mod IndustrialCraft - macerators, extractors, electric furnaces, pumps, mining rigs and compressors (allowing you to turn coal into something else then something else then something else then eventually making an industrial diamond).

Complex and detailed, this mod pack is great! Can't wait until they're updated for compatibility with Minecraft 1.0.

As for Skyrim, after my episode 7 antics I decided to play without recording and have just been wandering, not really doing any quests so I can level up and get some gold. Fought my first Vampire Master, learned a new Word of Power, and got chased by some giants. Fun!

[Dasquian Belargic]

I will be playing more Skyrim today - although I currently have the SWTOR beta downloading so what I'm playing might change later on :ohno

[Droo]

I don't think the beta becomes available to play until Friday.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Oh well, that's one dilemma solved!

[Captain Untouchable]

I just installed Assassins Creed on my PC (I have never played it before - figured I'd give it a shot).

Seriously though, what the balls is going on with these controls? All this holding the feet key while also holding the head key and moving forwards stuff... it's like they didn't even try to make it PC friendly. Good job I have one of those xbox-style controllers arriving in the post at the weekend. :grumble

Guess that means I have to play New Vegas instead. (What a shame :mischief)

[Dasquian Belargic]

The PC controls on AC didn't really improve with the 2nd game either. If you don't have a game pad, it's pointless trying to play those games at all really, especially when you're doing some of the more difficult puzzle challenges and trying to wrestle with the (at times frustrating) camera angle changes >_<

[Peter McCoy]

I really don't have any trouble at all with the PC controls for Assassin's Creed. Hmm. I guess that means I Am Win.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

^^^ I thought you were Christmas :huh

Speaking of, your season has arrived!

[Peter McCoy]

That's what you can always count on with me. I arrive when it's time. I never come early.

Ooh, snap!

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'm taking a break from Skyrim to try out Arkham City :D

[Sanis Prent]

Christin and I are playing Fable 2 since we picked it up pre-owned for like $5. This game is so much fun. Being a morbidly obese drunkard sex-fiend jolly wizard has a charm to it.

[Peter McCoy]

Terraria had a huge update! New weapons, new armour, new enemies, and a new biome after unlocking Hardmode by defeating a new nasty boss - the Wall of Flesh! I'll be playing quite a bit of this over the next week or so, along with Skyrim.

[Crusader]

Christin and I are playing Fable 2 since we picked it up pre-owned for like $5. This game is so much fun. Being a morbidly obese drunkard sex-fiend jolly wizard has a charm to it.

The beginning of Fable 2 is so bitter sweet.

[Captain Untouchable]

Today I have mostly been playing with redstone in Minecraft. Among my many successes is an easy-to-replicate train station that will stop a Minecart in the platform and then propel it in either direction with the click of a button, and a secret passage way that opens when I press the open button, and closes when I press the close button (that one's a lot harder than you'd think >_<).

And of course, being me, I wasted an hour or so on a hideously over-complicated version of both, before suddenly realising there was an ellegantly simple solution. ^_^;

[Dasquian Belargic]

This evening I have been mostly playing SWTOR :cool

[Peter McCoy]

A bit of TOR this evening. More tomorrow.

[Xel-Naga]

Today I played some Rift, some League of Legends, and of course some Diablo III Beta.

[Captain Untouchable]

SWTOR! :eee

[Crusader]

Battlefield 3 and L.A. Noir

Tomorrow I will be working at the Arson desk.

[Captain Untouchable]

"I warned them about using droids. In my day, we would have used slaves. Heavily guarded slaves!"

:lol

Also, my "I used to be an adventurer until I was [shot] in the [knee]" count for SWTOR is currently at two. :ohno

[Peter McCoy]

...and of course some Diablo III Beta.

The one thing I'd love to do more than play my TOR early access! Damn you!

[Dasquian Belargic]

I would be playing some SWTOR... but I am setting in a queue to get on the server. Boo.

[Glen Fiddich]

^ This. :(

Friday and Saturday have been rubbish for loading times. Luckily it's only been about 20-30 minutes for our server: some are racking up several hours of queues. There have been a lot more people about the place too, which has made some of the "interact with this periodically spawning item / mob" quests a little tricky.

Played some PVP. Huttball is very silly and fun, but the fact that more than half of the players were Sith Inquisitors (and of the remainder, only three weren't Sith Warriors) was a little frustrating. It seems like the PVP is geared towards the higher levels: right now the INQ abilities are too good at knocking my Agent out of cover, and I haven't learned any of the "stay in cover" abilities yet.

[Crusader]

I always play battlefield 3 while waiting in line for the server

[Dragon]

I'm probably behind the curve, but I just finished the main campaign for Arkham City. Holy epicness, Batman. Where Arkham Asylum felt claustrophobic, unevenly paced, and repetitive, City is sprawling, heart-pounding, and versatile. The atmosphere and artistry of the game are just stupendous; I was thrilled when I realized I could overhear thugs threatening innocents below me mid-mission and could just swoop down to deliver some pugilistic justice. Each of the villains is characterized brilliantly and distinctly, even the lesser-known bit villains that only appear in side missions. And unlike the first game, the combat is varied and challenging, and there's actually good reason to use all your gadgets in pitched fights.

Really, I feel like Arkham Asylum was the proof of concept for this game. My only disappointment is that I'm pretty sure I've passed a point of no return and likely will have to start a new game to access all the side missions. Not a huge problem, since it's well worth playing again.

[Xel-Naga]

...and of course some Diablo III Beta.

The one thing I'd love to do more than play my TOR early access! Damn you!

While it was fun to get my hands on some of the early game content, it's since become more a chore to play than anything. You can only play up to level 13 and Blizzard has a habit of wiping all the characters every other week. The game is easy and poses no challenge beyond trying to unlock all the buggy achievements. It is fun, but it's not something you can sink a lot of time into knowing it will just be wiped out in a week or two. it is a Beta, I know, but it's hardly any content at all. It's like a demo of a Beta. The character classes are pretty cool, the monk being a favorite so far. Only class I haven't played is the Barbarian. The wizard and Witch Doctor are pretty fun with all the devastating AoE attacks they have. Just blowing your way through enemies. The game is really not balanced yet, with the game difficulty being easy enough to play through in your sleep, and Blizzard hasn't been updating/tweaking enough to keep my interested in playing it continuously. On a plus, beyond the wonky achievement system that rarely unlocks when you hit the requirements, the game is fairly well polished. I have yet to encounter anything I would call a bug.

Today I would have like to have played SW:ToR, but alas I only purchased it the other day and have yet to receive early game access. So I took a nap instead of gaming today.

[Dasquian Belargic]

More SWTOR... @_@

[Captain Untouchable]

You know you've played to much Civilization when you realise that you bound the Entrench ability for your Imperial Agent to the "Fortify" key.

>_<

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Since I beat Fable 2, I went back and played some backlog in New Vegas. Maybe I'll finish Old World blues tomorrow if I manage to find a scrap of free time!

[Peter McCoy]

Just clocked in 100 hours on Terraria! I finally beat that bastard boss, the Wall of Flesh, and unlocked Hardmode on my main world. Now things start to get really interesting...

[Dasquian Belargic]

I got LA Noire in the Steam sale, so this evening I've been trying to hone my detective skills. Trying and mostly failing!

Oh, and I played a fuckton of SWTOR today of course. Finally beat Act 1 and can now call myself LORD SHODAN >D

[Sanis Prent]

skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim skyrim

[Captain Untouchable]

I'm about to play Bioshock for the first time evar. :ohno

(Thank you! :love)


EDIT:

No one told me it was going to be so freakin' terrifying!

I would have replaced the light bulb in my lounge instead of playing in the dark if I'd known. :ohno

[Dasquian Belargic]

^ Don't go reading any spoilers about this game! I want you to enjoy the twists in all their... twistiness :mischief

And yes it scared me too :ohno

[Loklorien s'Ilancy]

I wanna know how long it's going to take you to get up the courage to fight your first Big Daddy, Jace :p

[Peter McCoy]

Just man up! But save before you do!

[Peter McCoy]

I downloaded an awesome program that installs drivers to allow me to use my PS3 SIXAXIS controller on my PC. So I started playing Sonic Generations the other night. Friggin' awesome! And I'm surprised how smooth it runs considering the pace.

[Captain Untouchable]

I wanna know how long it's going to take you to get up the courage to fight your first Big Daddy, Jace :p

I'd seen them from artwork and stuff, so I knew they were pretty tough. When you get told about Little Sister and Big Daddy by the irish dude on the radio though... I'd already gone down the stairs, and I had a panic and tried to run back the way I'd come... but I couldn't get back up the stairs. :ohno

[Peter McCoy]

Oh, you mean when you go through the hole in the toilets to the Footlight Theatre?

[Captain Untouchable]

When you say it like that, it sounds like I was playing Trainspotting!

[Xel-Naga]

My days are a mix of play between SW:TOR, League of Legends, Batman: Arkham City, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. I also got Skyrim for Christmas but have yet to even open it.

[Morgan Evanar]

Bastion! It's AMAZING!

[Dasquian Belargic]

^ I'm so glad someone else here finally played it

[Peter McCoy]

I've played about half an hour of it myself. Gorgeous game, excellent soundtrack, and I could listen to that narrator all day! Love the Breakers Bow!

Been playing my newly acquired PSP version of Final Fantasy VIII - just awesome!

[Captain Untouchable]

I've played bits and pieces of the Final Fantasy series - I once left my Playstation paused for two weeks because I was half-way through a boss fight and thus couldn't save when we left to go on holiday ^_^; - but they were always borrowed copies... I've never actually owned one. (I've also never owned a Zelda game, but that's a whole other story of tragic childhood deprevation)

If I were to hypothetically hunt out a/some vintage Final Fantasy game/s, which ones are worth playing, and which ones are universally unpopular? For reference, I've played bits of VIII, IX, and X ...and I've had a go at (and watched someone else play) parts of VII.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

I've been playing Settlers of Catan on the xbox. ^_^;

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

^ I'm so glad someone else here finally played it

I tried it, just didn't feel like a game I wanted to spend money on :(

[Lilaena De'Ville]

^ I'm so glad someone else here finally played it

I tried it, just didn't feel like a game I wanted to spend money on :(
You should, like, accept my friend request on xbox. :mad

:)

[Peter McCoy]

I've played bits and pieces of the Final Fantasy series - I once left my Playstation paused for two weeks because I was half-way through a boss fight and thus couldn't save when we left to go on holiday ^_^; - but they were always borrowed copies... I've never actually owned one. (I've also never owned a Zelda game, but that's a whole other story of tragic childhood deprevation)

If I were to hypothetically hunt out a/some vintage Final Fantasy game/s, which ones are worth playing, and which ones are universally unpopular? For reference, I've played bits of VIII, IX, and X ...and I've had a go at (and watched someone else play) parts of VII.

They all have something to bring to the table.

III and VI are considered the best by a lot of FFF's (Final Fantasy Fans) but my personal recommendations are VI, VII, VIII and X.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I've played about half an hour of it myself. Gorgeous game, excellent soundtrack, and I could listen to that narrator all day! Love the Breakers Bow!

Been playing my newly acquired PSP version of Final Fantasy VIII - just awesome!


Final Fantasy 8?! On the PSP?! How did I not know about this.. now I want a PSP.

Is FF7 also available??

[Xel-Naga]

Forget all those fancy FF games. FF:tactics is where it's at. Easily my favorite games in the series. Tactics is set in Ivalice, which Ive always loved. So naturally I also enjoyed FF12. I haven't beaten a lot of FF games. I usually hit that grind wall for the final boss and give up, or lose my save pack. Final fantasy 10 so far is my least favorite in the series. Ugh. The main character makes me want to kill myself. So annoying.

[Sanis Prent]

Next time I log in Holly, I'll add you. Sorry I never look at that stuff.

Also, Christin and I have been playing Skyrim almost non-stop. We've had video game addiction that would make a Korean starcraft guild blush.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

When the TV room starts piling up with mountain dew bottles full of pee, that's when you know you have a real problem.

[Sanis Prent]

we have a bathroom within seven paces of our TV so it's completely do-able

[Crusader]

I am watching the credits of Assassins Creed: Revelations... I think I liked this game but the end makes me fear that AC3 could suck if they just make it the story of Desmond Miles.

[Peter McCoy]

Final Fantasy 8?! On the PSP?! How did I not know about this.. now I want a PSP.

Is FF7 also available??

I believe 7, 8 and 9 are available.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Where did you get these PSP versions from, Peter? I can't seem to see anywhere that there are PSP specific versions of those games.

[Peter McCoy]

Off the Playstation Network via my PS3's internet connection. After purchase I downloaded it onto my PS3 hard drive then transferred it using the PSP's USB connection.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Ahhh. So it's not possible to just own a PSP and play them on that.

Damn, Sony. Tempting with your console..

[Crusader]

Jenny may I remind you that you wanted to order a X360 in R2 design that means from now on you must pretend that Sony's portfolio is rubish while you silently look at them in agony for having Shadow of the Colossus, Heavy Rain and Uncharted on their platform.

To be honest being a Xbox fanatic has been hard lately... It is time for Microsoft to start buying good first party developers again. After losing Bungie there only flagship is Lionhead under Peter Molyneux and that is like having Captain Jack Sparrow commanding it instead of Francis Drake.

[Dasquian Belargic]

:lol I just have fond memories of the PS1 days, is all. I still have a bunch of PS1 games with no console to play them on :( I don't think I could justify getting a PS3 for the sake of revisiting FF7/8/9 though. I am also beginning to doubt whether I can afford the R2 Xbox...

So at least for the time being I am staying neutral in the console wars!

[Peter McCoy]

:lol I just have fond memories of the PS1 days, is all. I still have a bunch of PS1 games with no console to play them on :( I don't think I could justify getting a PS3 for the sake of revisiting FF7/8/9 though...

A PSOne or an original PSX will set you back less than £20 on Ebay you know. Even a PS2 would only set you back less than £40 and will play PS1 games.

The emulation on a PS3 isn't that great so I'm tempted to get a PS2 myself at some point since they're so inexpensive.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Would I be able to run a PS1/2 through my PC monitor?

[Peter McCoy]

I love Final Fantasy 8 :)

Squall is now Level 15, has GF's Quezacotl, Shiva and Ifrit, and 100 Cura, Fira, Thundara, Blizzara, Water and Sleep magic junctioned to various stats taking me to around 1500 HP - and I haven't even taken the SeeD exam yet :)

I love the refining abilities. It really allows a lot of customisation from the moment you start playing.

[Peter McCoy]

Would I be able to run a PS1/2 through my PC monitor?

Depending on the connections avilable on your monitor, yeah. Might need some sort of adapter. Something to convert from Scart to whatever the monitor has.

What monitor do you have?

[Peter McCoy]

Yay! The Technic Pack has been updated to support Minecraft 1.0.0

Now as well as the new official features of enchanting and brewing, I can also enjoy the added mods that allow you to become a King, find and trade with villages of different cultures such as Egyptian and Norse, discover and explore ancient ruins, mine additional raw materials for added industrial activities, as well as interact with a whole host of new creatures from lions and togers and bears (oh my!) to manta rays, sharks and jellyfish! There's even birds and horses. But beware the new hostile mobs such as ogres and wraiths.

This game just keeps getting better and better.

And the entire mod pack is now fully compatible with Survival Multiplayer.

Jenny and Jace - are you guys still up for some Minecraft video/blogging fun?

[Captain Untouchable]

I definately am!

Where can I find the new technic pack? Also, does it have multiplayer support as yet? I have the urge to convert my private server onto it if I can.

[Peter McCoy]

I could have sworn I saw that multiplayer 1.0.0 was supported but now that I check the site I can't find it. Maybe a bug was found and they removed it?

There's a server pack for Minecraft SMP 1.8.1 here:
http://technicpack.net/?page_id=59

We could always copy and paste our .minecraft folders for backup and then back-patch down to 1.8.1 so we can use the Technic pack in multiplayer. The only thing we'll lose is animal breeding, enchanting and brewing but enchanting and brewing are endgame things anyway and the tehcnic pack will add more than enough content to keep us occupied.

[Captain Untouchable]

If we're doing video stuff, I think it'd make more sense to play the vanilla to start with, rather than anything fancy. I have a private sandbox server is all, and I felt like shoving it on there to have a screw around - I'll just wait until the 1.0.0 support comes out.

[Peter McCoy]

This may be what I saw...

http://technicpack.net/?page_id=290

[Peter McCoy]

This new Technic Pack is evil!

Well I was wandering along a-by the banks of the river when SEVEN DEADLY ASSASSINS CAME UP OUT OF THE EARTH AND BOMBARDED ME WITH EXPLOSIVE ARROWS...u-huh-huh!

The buggers can teleport too. Luckily I never had any high-tier items on me but tried retrieving my stuff anyway and just died again and again so gave up. I shall return once I have better gear. Maybe some turrets as well - which I only just found out are included with this mod. Machinegun turrets as well as SAM turrets! Not sure what the SAMS can be used for - maybe useful against the Ender Dragon when you travel to The End!?

[Xel-Naga]

Just bought Dead Space 1 and 2 for $10 off Steam. So I've been playing that here and there. I think I might have enjoyed the game more on the Xbox. It just feels weird playing it on a PC, as far as controls and feedback on the mouse goes. I have a lot of issues with mouse sensitivity on FPS games on the PC. I think it has something to do with the conflict between in-game sensitivity and the customizable sensitivity settings on my mouse itself. Had the same issues when I played FEAR, but managed to slowly calibrate and iron out the problems. Otherwise, really enjoying the game. It's scary...

[Peter McCoy]

The lighting in that game is awesome! I haven't finished Dead Space yet so am yet to start Dead Space 2 which my fiancee bought for my birthday in September.

More Skyrim for me today.

[Crusader]

OK I caught myself making a game plan for the upcoming two months:

Right now my basic goal is to blitz through Fallout 3 GOTY as my main game until I jump over to Mass Effect 2 for the "Insane Paragon John Shepard" Playthrough. Last time I earned some Renegade points during my Paragon playthrough as well. Let's see who is stupid enough to annoy me this time.

After that Mass Effect 3 will be here... and this means back to Trisha Shepard.

Current Side Projects:
Gears of War 3 COOP with my Cousine on girlfriend-free-weekends
Your Shape 2012 on Kinect in order to get back into shape
BF3 leveling with friends of mine

Finish Dead Island in Coop?
Prepare another Dark Banana RPG sessions

[Peter McCoy]

I started playing S.P.A.Z - Space Pirates And Zombies.

It's so much fun! Playing in a random galaxy of 150 star systems, each one containing multiple planets/sectors I can warp between, doing missions for the factions which range from escorting, search and destroy and mining. You mine Rez to build new ships and earn Data points form destroyed craft to level up and unlock upgrades for your various systems. You can fit new modules on the fly and refit ships when you like. The game is a top-down space shooter like Star Control with Diablo-esque tech-tree's that you spend your data points on, and the fitting and re-fitting of modules is similar to Mech-Warrior.

A great little indie title from a 2-man team!

[Glen Fiddich]

I'm planning some Mass Effect replays too. I've played some versions of Shepard that I enjoyed... now I want to go back and make sure I picked all the right decisions at each crossroads, to see how Mass Effect 3 reacts if I let the Council die, or if I stayed loyal to Cerberus... that sort of thing.

I'm tempted to try a playthrough of ME3 with a Soldier, Ashley, and the new guy. Sure, I won't have any biotic or tech abilities... we'll just mow them down with rifles, Starship Troopers style. :cool

[Dasquian Belargic]

Not a lot today! Just some Super Mario 3D Land

[Crusader]

ROFL VATS + Bloody Mess + Mysterious Stranger in Fallout 3 is so much fun... once I am done with leveling science, lock pick and speech. I am level 13 now and I just stole the declaration of independence by claiming to be Thomas Jefferson.

[Peter McCoy]

Lincoln's Repeater is my favourite weapon in that game! Make sure you loot it from the museum!

[Peter McCoy]

More Minecraft last night. Finding more new stuff in the Technic Pack. Loads more ore types including tungsten and Nikolite - no idea what they do yet. Also found some marble in a cave - a huge cave that lead diagonally down into the earth and the walls were lined with raw marble - awesome! Also found a swamp biome full of crocodiles and piranhas.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

Beat Lego Harry Potter Years 5-7 last night... so probably going to run through trying to get more of the side-questy stuff in it.

After that, probably going to run through ICO and Shadow of the Colossus.

[Peter McCoy]

Spelunky!

Retro! Roguelike! Right good fun! And Really Cheap! (Read: FREE!)

http://spelunkyworld.com/

Download it for free and delve deep! How long can you survive?

[Dasquian Belargic]

I've been playing Hero Academy on my iPad. It's ADDICTIVE.

[Morgan Evanar]

Tetris. Lots of Tetris.

[Agent Procyon]

^ Is that genuinely playing Tetris, or are you packing boxes again?

[Sanis Prent]

E'rry day I'm Skyrimmin'

[Xel-Naga]

I play Tetris at work. Lately it's been nothing but ranked matches on League of Legends. So hard to progress. Too many trolls -_-

[Peter McCoy]

More Indie-gaming goodness!

http://projectzomboid.com/blog/index.php/tldr-just-give-me-the-jist/

Somewhat Roguelike in its difficulty, this is a zombie survival game where the emphasis is on survival. This isn't Left 4 Dead where you roam around with guns and explosives kickin' ass and takin' names. You have to roam the streest quietly, drawing as little attention to yourself as possible while avoiding the walking dead. You have to gather supplies to survive as long as possible. Wood for barricades. Sheets to rip into strips for bandages, painkillers, food and other things you'll need to live. There are weapons but they're very scarce. How long can you survive?

[Captain Untouchable]

Holy balls, Peter - I didn't realise the graphics card you recommended would be quite so good!

Skyrim looks amazing. :3

[Peter McCoy]

Remind me which card it is.

[Captain Untouchable]

The XFX one... 6870 Black, or something along those lines. It's far from the most advanced card in the world, but Skyrim seems pretty happy with it, and defaulted all of my graphics settings to max. :smokin

[Captain Untouchable]

I found out that Star Trek Online is now free. I had originally avoided it for a number of nerdy reasons... but free is free, so I figured why the hell not?

It isn't the greatest MMO in the world. It has even less of a community feel than SWTOR has; and both are miles away from what SWG had. The lack of talking throughout much of the game makes me a little uneasy; particularly since TOR, Fallout, Bioshock and Skyrim are the other ones I'm spending time on. It doesn't have as complicated or immersive a story as any of those games.

However, it is a pretty damn good Star Trek game, if you're prepared to play it casually. Space combat is reminiscent of the Starfleet Command series, while ground combat feels more like Elite Force, with a dash of Away Team thrown in with your character selection. The level of customisation is absolutely bonkers (and you get just as much customisation for your crew as you do for the player character), and while you do get some pretty fugly ships and ridiculous uniforms about the place, the devs have been smart enough that it isn't too bad.

Kill stealing doesn't seem to exist in this game: or if it does, you still get the credit for it having died in your quest, so no one gives a monkeys. As a result, you'll quite regularly get people helping out in your space battles and what-not, rather than standing around watching you, or zooming past to the next spawn. There's also quite variety of missions - not just space ones and shooty ones, but also puzzle and problem solving ones, like the time where you have to find out if a Cardassian Gul is a traitor or not by scrutinising the evidence, or where you have to help find a cure for your crew by doing some dialogue option style science experiments.

There are plenty of easter eggs for massive fans, and also plenty of familiar names and places for the more casual viewer. All in all, it has a pretty good balance of pandering to fanboys and pandering to the masses. The pay-to-play stuff doesn't seem to be all that intrusive either. It seems to mostly be unlocking costume options, race options, and additional members of your crew: asthetic differences, rather than unfair advantages and abilities that the free-play community don't get access to.

It isn't a life-conquering, obsession-enducing type MMO... but it's pretty good if you're the sort of person who used to casually play Star Trek games, and you need something that isn't going to over-tax your brain.

[Peter McCoy]

Well you certainly give it more praise than I think it deserves. I paid for the Deluxe version when it was first released. It was a bigger waste of money than *spit* Aliens vs Predator 2010.

I remember when it was in development and talking with a fellow gamer in work. We were both really excited, thinking about how you could be flying around in a procedurally-generated galaxy and while there's known systems, the space in between is randomly generated and you could stumble across a planet nobody else has and get a quest/mission automatically by arriving there and the quest plays out like your very own episode

What I actually got was boring as hell.

[Captain Untouchable]

I think it's worth bearing in mind that your game experience was coloured by the fact that you paid for it, and that it failed to meet the expectations and hopes you had for the game in advance.

I'm judging the game as a free-to-play MMO that I've heard mixed reviews about. I was also looking for something to play casually when my brain was burned out from more story-intensive games, rather than an experience that was going to keep me occupied and entertained enough for me to fork out for a monthly subscription. I enjoyed myself, and certainly think it deserves the praise I gave it: and in fact, I originally wrote a considerably longer post highlighting all of the pros and "pleasantly surprised" features.

I don't know about anyone else, but I find that expectations in advance can ruin games (and anything else, for that matter). I've been told how amazing World of Warcraft is so many times that when I finally sat down to play it, it utterly failed to live up to the hype. I'm having the exact same issue with Terraria at the moment; I guess just "don't get what the fuss is about". Hype ruined Titanic and The Wire for me, and I haven't watched Inception because too many people have told me how fantastic it is. I waited to play Mass Effect, Fallout, Bioshock and Skyrim for exactly the same reason.

It's a shame your experience wasn't as fun as mine. Maybe I just have lower expectations, or a higher tolerance for boredom.

[Peter McCoy]

Boredom is completely 100% subjective so that's irrelevant. To say you have a higher tolerance for boredom suggests that you found the game boring but played anyway? Why would you do that?

But expectations; definitely. I had big expectations for that game and I was gutted when Perpetual Entertainment went bankrupt (the irony of that name!) because I thought their game engine looked far superior. I can't help but feel Cryptic were lazy. When I played the game, you'd be on your starship and look at the schematic readout of the ship. Only that wasn't your ship, it was an entirely different class of ship to your own. And the turbolift doors were just incredibly big and visually took me right out of the immersion. Call me picky but I just did not like the way the game looked. Since going free-to-play I haven't even considered re-installing. I have yet to even scratch TOR's surface and have plenty other games without returning to a game that made an awful first impression.

[Captain Untouchable]

Boredom is completely 100% subjective so that's irrelevant. To say you have a higher tolerance for boredom suggests that you found the game boring but played anyway? Why would you do that?

Perhaps we use that phrasing differently then. I use it to mean "I wasn't bored, but other people were". If it's irrelevant though, why did you bring it up as part of your criticism of the game?

[Dasquian Belargic]

I spent most of my train journey to and from London playing Broken Sword: The Smoking Mirror

[Peter McCoy]

Boredom is completely 100% subjective so that's irrelevant. To say you have a higher tolerance for boredom suggests that you found the game boring but played anyway? Why would you do that?

Perhaps we use that phrasing differently then. I use it to mean "I wasn't bored, but other people were". If it's irrelevant though, why did you bring it up as part of your criticism of the game?

I brought it up because I was giving my subjective opinion.

[Captain Untouchable]

Sorry Peter... I really don't understand the point you're making by saying boredom is irrelevant, then. :\

[Peter McCoy]

I'm not saying boredom is irrelevant. You saying you have a higher tolerance for it is.

[Captain Untouchable]

Ah, I see. Saying I have a higher tolerance effectively means the same thing then: I don't get bored as easily as most people I know, so that could by why I was less put off. *shrug*

[Peter McCoy]

Ah, I see. Saying I have a higher tolerance effectively means the same thing then: I don't get bored as easily as most people I know, so that could by why I was less put off. *shrug*

That's my point, right there. You say you don't get bored as easily as most people you know - under what circumstances? Boredom is not universally measured by how enjoyable we find Star Trek Online.

You didn't find the game boring. I did.

I absolutely love game XYZ, I think it's the best thing since sliced bread. You find it as dull dishwater.

Who has the higher tolerance for boredom? Neither of us because it cannot be quantified. You cannot measure it. Each game has different aspects that people will like or dislike. So across 5 games and ten people, interests will vary so you cannot rank those gamers in order of Boredom Tolerance.

That's all I was saying. Tolerance has nothing to do with it. I'm not saying you found the whole game a blast and will play it every day for the rest of your life - I'm just saying you never found it boring to the same extend that I did. I was bored before the tutorial ended. If you played beyond that then it engaged you more, thus you found it less boring than I did. But Terraria is a game I have invested over 100 hours into and I love it. That is in stark contract to yourself -you don't find it as engrossing as I do.

Based on how we both find those two radically different games, can you honestly say that one of us has a higher boredom tolerance than the other?

[Captain Untouchable]

It's just a turn of phrase, Peter, and an observation that a lot of people have made of me. There's no need to get so deeply philosophical about it.

[Peter McCoy]

Ok cool, I just took it literally. No problem.

[Dragon]

I rather enjoyed the philosophizing.

So, this "Skyrim" thing sounds all well and good, but can you raise for yourself a monument from the bowels of the earth that dwarfs the mountains and blots out the light of the sun?

I mean, I can't, either, but my tower still turned out pretty well.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/stormfyre/Tower-closeup.jpg


PS: Skyrim does look awesome, but, as I am gaming on a budget, is Oblivion GOTY edition worth the $20 to tide me over, or should I just wait for a price drop on Skyrim?

[Dasquian Belargic]

Oblivion is good - but I'd say hold out for the discount on Skyrim.

[Crusader]

If you want to play it on PC and your system meets the specs wait for it to be cheaper on Steam. If you just want to kill some time now buy Oblivion in the regular version on Steam. The knights of the nine and most of the other DLC are pretty much a waste of time and the addon Shrouded Ilse is not really supporting the main plot so you can always buy it as an optional addon if you really fall in love with it.

If you play it on console go and get yourself a used copy at Gamestop or Ebay although I would recommend you the later one since gamestop is the devil!!!

[Dasquian Belargic]

Jace got me the Jurassic Park game for my birthday, so I'm playing through that now :D

[Crusader]

A great gift

Tell me if you liked it. I am intrested in this game as well.

[Dasquian Belargic]

I've played through 3 of 4 episodes so far. In the last episode, I had a knife-fight with a velociraptor (and won!)

[Dragon]

Well, that's hardly fair - how's a velociraptor supposed to use a knife?

[Dasquian Belargic]

Life isn't fair! That raptor got what was coming to him!

[Xel-Naga]

Playing the Dota 2 Beta.

[Dragon]

My tower's got wings now! But the darned creepers keep blasting craters in my front yard.

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y115/stormfyre/tower-wings-sunset.jpg

[Lilaena De'Ville]

It looks a bit like Isengard.

[Dragon]

Yeah, I built in the desert so I didn't have to deal with Ents. Gradually finishing the interior, but I need lots more bookshelves for my library.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Ghost Trick: Phantom Detective

very cool!

[Dasquian Belargic]

Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning

I'm basically playing a night elf rogue.

[Nathanial K'cansce]

FFXIII-2. Welp, they fixed the linearity aspect from the first one. @_@

[Crusader]

My back hurts, my lower leg is in pain while walking and my belly feels like I would give birth any minute... Yes I played video games yesterday and I am still undecided if I like or hate the bootcamp trainer from You Shape 2012 for Kinect.

At least half the bootcamp starts to explode once you reach the end of the exercise. Tell me in what gym they blow up things everytime you make a perfect chain of exercises and I will join it instantly but in the meanwhile I will use this to get back in shape.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Some Alan Wake on PC and some Game Dev Story on iPhone

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Spice Invaders on the iPad :3

[Dasquian Belargic]

Spice invading?! No no no.. the spice must flow.

[Glen Fiddich]

They've been gathering forces for years.

In the back of every kitchen cupboard, jars of forgotten spices have been waiting.

Now their decades-long hibernation is over.

No one suspected.

No one was prepared.

SPICE INVADERS - Coming Summer 2012, in 3D.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Hey it's a fun game and I like it! And, it's free! And, additionally, it's cute! AND I'm saying and a lot :uhoh

[Crusader]

I finally finished fallout 3 today including all the DLCs, plus I finally hit 40k Gamerscore last night. Today I did 2 ABS workouts on Your Shape 2012 and some Mass Effect2.

[Dasquian Belargic]

At last! Congrats :)

[Dasquian Belargic]

Beat the homicide desk in LA Noire tonight. Yeeeesh.

[Crusader]

...and now you feel regret that you solved all the other cases wrong?

[Dasquian Belargic]

I'm disappointed that Cole seems to have accepted what happened so easily :/

[Crusader]

Cole is a douche!

[Park Kraken]

Empire: Total war was recently added to my gaming purview. Pure awesome so far, been doing the Grand Campaign, first played as British, have that game saved away and am now working on the Russians. Love the new naval battle sims, although it reminds me a lot of the system they used in Age of Sail II.

[Dasquian Belargic]

More of LA Noire. I've worked a few cases on the Arson desk so I'm guessing that I must be near the end of the story...

[Sanis Prent]

Beat motherfucking Alduin with three swings of a sword

[Dasquian Belargic]

I got the Sims 3 for cheap off Steam, so I made a house with myself and Jace in it! I'm a freelance journalist at the moment and Jace is working at the locally military base, trying to climb the career ladder there.. he wants to be an Astronaut one day :P

[Captain Untouchable]

I got the Sims 3 for cheap off Steam, so I made a house with myself and Jace in it! I'm a freelance journalist at the moment and Jace is working at the locally military base, trying to climb the career ladder there.. he wants to be an Astronaut one day :P

Just don't expect me to leak you any military secrets to further your career. :colbert


I found a box with a bunch of D&D books in today, and a blank notebook.

Hypothetical campaign planning ensued. I no longer have a blank notebook. :ohno

[Dasquian Belargic]

As the mess hall chef, I don't think you've got access to any tip top secrets yet :P You are doing a lot of schmoozing with your superior though so who knows what he might let slip ;)

[Captain Untouchable]

With the height increase that came in the 1.2 update, Minecraft worlds are finally tall enough for the adventure map I've been wanting to make for ages.

The map takes place in a sort of post-Norse setting: basically the gods have all retired, and have decided to go on a long holiday. Like all good old people when they go on holiday, they've left a spare set of keys with the neighbours: only there are seven keys needed to unlock Bifrost (the rainbow bridge), and their "neighbours" are seven of the nine realms of the cosmos. The player(s) travel around various locations, completing Zelda / Tomb Raider style challenges in temples and what-not.

So far, I've begun work on Niflheim, which is a chilly place up north where the Frost Giants live. So far I've started work on the human settlement, which is based on a Trellborg (http://bergrasmussen.dk/bedandbreakfast/images/trelleborg_oppe.jpg) style of Viking fort, which looks absolutely awesome (http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/landscape-cityscape-sys/140845-wintershots-viking-fortress.html) covered in snow.

I'm still fairly early in the construction process: there's no MCEdit for the new Anvil file type, so I've had to build the entire circle by hand in creative mode. It's about 130 blocks across (or there abouts), so it was quite a big job. The ground looks so damned messy because I blanket-bombed the entire area with TNT to knock out the lumps and bumps: for story reasons, the town is going to look like it's built inside a massive impact crater. I may be mashing the Viking fort with a motte and bailey style castle, so there may end up being an Edoras style keep... mainly because I want to build one, and I can't think of anywhere else in the map to put it.


<a href="http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd259/o6untouchable/Fans/MC/Adventure%20Map%2001/?action=view&amp;current=2012-03-11_054553.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd259/o6untouchable/Fans/MC/Adventure%20Map%2001/2012-03-11_054553.png" border="0" width="500" alt="Photobucket"></a>

The map will be using the nether for fast travel (since you travel 8x further in the nether than overground, or something like that) over long distances. The portal is set into an awesome rock formation to the east of the town and looks epic at sunrise: I'll try and grab a screenshot next time I see it. Here it is under normal light, plus the view once you step through.


<a href="http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd259/o6untouchable/Fans/MC/Adventure%20Map%2001/?action=view&amp;current=2012-03-11_054619.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd259/o6untouchable/Fans/MC/Adventure%20Map%2001/2012-03-11_054619.png" border="0" width="250" alt="Photobucket"></a> <a href="http://s221.photobucket.com/albums/dd259/o6untouchable/Fans/MC/Adventure%20Map%2001/?action=view&amp;current=2012-03-11_054647.png" target="_blank"><img src="http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd259/o6untouchable/Fans/MC/Adventure%20Map%2001/2012-03-11_054647.png" border="0" width="250" alt="Photobucket"></a>

I'll post some more pictures once things are looking a little snazzier. There'll be assorted houses going in the town; after that I'll turn my attention to the "ruins of the Frost Giant city" which is just over the mountains in the background. I'll probably be taking a lot of inspiration from the Northern Water Tribe from Avatar for that, because their city walls of snow were freakin' awesome.

The giant ruins are going to be where all the puzzles start coming into play. I'm thinking of stuff like having mazes that go through cracks in the walls (because the stairs are too big for normal-sized people to get up), and ice mazes because they're hard to see... but I'm a little low on ideas beyond that. Is there an Ice Temple in Zelda or something that I can plunder for ideas?

[Crusader]

I think Kinect is trying to turn me into a metro sexual...
First I buy fancy and tight sports wear for playing video games like Your Shape and Your Shape 2012...
...eventually I started playing my zombie survival game for kinect in my fancy sports wear as well pretending that I would be doing cardio slaying...
...now I have reached an even higher level of fancy first I start my work up with Hula Hula and then I ended it with a Latin Dance Class while actually enjoying myself.

Most likely I will end up choosing a pink light sabre next month in Star Wars Kinect.

Crusader your journey torwards the PINK side will be complete.

So and now off to playing Mass Effect 3 with Charley while talking about low carb recipies!

[Peter McCoy]

I'm about to start a new game of Fallout 3.

[Alexia Sturkov]

Just bought Fallout: New Vegas. You may not see me for awhile.

[Crusader]

I started playing Shadow Complex again.

Normally I hate Jump and Run Games but this game is so addictive.

At first you are an average Joe on a hicking trip with his girlfriend but then she gets kidnapped by a secret military organisation that uses your hicking destination as a front for their "Shadow Complex".

So at first only armed with a flash light you start gathering weapons and special equipment that allows you to unlock more and more of the enemy base. The game reminds me a lot of Metal Gear Solid ("Twin Snakes") because your constant exploration of the base is now and then interrupted by really satisfying boss fights.
I am a huge sucker for well done boss fights like we had in the late 80s. You know battles against foes with only a few weak spots or that require a certain rythm or strategy.

Right now I have a rocket launcher, a foam gun, a jet pack in my boots, a grenade launcher, a heavy assault rifel and a friction dampener.

In other words I am a fucking ninja with super powers and guns... lots of guns.

This is only a XBLA title but I have already logged 10hours plus in this game. I guess those are some the best spent $12 in my life.

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

Re-rolling in mass effect 2

[Peter McCoy]

Aliens: Infestation on Nintendo DS.

It was a present from my mum earlier today for doing well in a job interview. I'll hear later next week whether or not I've actualy got the job, and hopefully if I do I'll get another game bought for me, lol! :)

So far, really enjoying this game. Animations are fantastic and the sound effects are top dollar! You know in Aliens when newt runs out into the hallway and makes the marines all shit a brick and there's a loud sound effect? That's in here! Pulse Rifle muzzle sound is authentic, as well as the handgun. 20 minutes playing and still no actual xenomorph. But I have found hived areas of the ship (the Sulaco). Pacing is really good so far - just like the movie.

[Xel-Naga]

Tribes: Ascension.

It's great. Try it out. It's free.

[Peter McCoy]

Diablo 3 Open Beta Weekend!

[Peter McCoy]

After having the opportunity to try the Diablo 3 Beta for a few hours over the last two days, I'm looking forward to this game more than ever. I focused solely on the Barbarian and had an absolute blast playing him.

The combat is very satisfying. As with the previous two games, the key controls are left and right clicking to smash the enemies into pulp. You can assign different skills to your mouse buttons, as well as a small selection of abilities assigned to your number keys. I had a fury-generating skill of Cleave which hits multiple enemies when I swing my weapon at them, and my fury-spender "Hammer of the Ancients" was a strong attack that costs fury to use, which I then build back up with my left-clicking.

You can also unlock and apply runes to your abilities. One granted Hammer of the Ancients an AoE shockwave effect. On my number keys I had a play around with Leap - which caused me to jump over to an enemy, stunning them in the process, and a Spear attack which - like Scorpion form Mortal Kombat or even World of Warcraft's Death Knight ability "Death Grip" - pulls an emey towards me while dealing a bit of damage too. This was very handy against Tomb Guardians who stand back and summon skeletons to harrass you.

The combat itself looks awesome. The physics engine is a joy to see in action, as weapon swings cause enemies to reel back from the impact slightly, and when you actually kill an enemy with a weapon strike, all but the large and insanely big enemies are thrown to the side or into walls or over ledges. If you are near a piece of scenery, such as tapetries and drapes, the force of your swing will cause them to sway in your wake, or in the cemetary, my weapon swings not only ripped through flesh and bone, but stone too - headstones were demolished all around me as I sent the undead back to hell.

There's parts of the scenery you can use to your advantage too. If you've watched any videos you may be familiar with damaged walls held up by wooden supports - if you destroy the supports the wall comes crashing down onto anything under it. Or breaking chains that hold up chandeliers to damage enemies standing beneath them.

I also liked the inclusion of a mini-event inside a crypt. There was a Soul Jar in the centre of a room which, when activated, summoned a continuous wave of skeletons. I had to hold out until the magic dissipated. It was touch and go but eventually the Jar was empty and after dispatching the remaining monsters I got my loot. I hope there's more such events in the rest of the game s you explore.

The loot itself, while a big part of the game, doesn't really need much time spend talking about it. Anybody familiar with an MMO or an RPG knows all about loot acquisition. But with Diablo 3 and its forebearers, there's tonnes of it. A lot of it is vendor trash, but there's a constant stream of gear coming at you which can be used to not just upgrade what you're already using. Which brings me to two of the most awesome aspects of the game, at leats for me.

While Diablo 3 does what Diablo 2 did so great - the monster hacking and slashing and levelling up and whatnot - it adds to the aspect of followers. In Diablo 2 you could hire a companion to follow you on your quest. Different companions had different attributes, such as being good at supporting a melee class from range, or being a decent meat shield for a fragile spellcaster - kinda like pets in WoW. Also, you could give them armour and weapons to further augment them. What Diablo 3 adds are skill choices for your followers. During the Beta, I encountered a Templar beneath the old Cathedral. Upon joining me in my adventure, I was able to select one of two skills - a Heal or a Taunt. It seems these are permanent choices since the Taunt was greyed out upon selecting the Heal. Perhaps you are able to respec for a price, I dunno?

The second feature of unwanted Loot is the option to Salvage. In the town of New Tristramm you encounter a Blacksmith. After helping him with a personal endeavor, he offers his services to you. You can bring him unwated gear (seems they have to have some bonus properties to be useful) which he breaks down (Salvage) - you lose the item but obtain materials that the Blacksmith can then use to Forge weapons and armour for you to use in battle. If you've played WoW, you'll be familiar with the Enchanting professions Disenchant ability which breaks down Green-quality or better items into materials which can then be used in Enchanting. I think it's gppd that not everything can be Salvaged, since you'd be torn between Salvaging everything you don't plan to use for Forging materials or selling it to one of the vendors for gold. All those materials you Salvage will be useless without the gold needed to Train the Blacksmith so that he can build you better gear.

And the Blacksmith seems to be common across your characters. You unlock him a few quests in, but when I started a new character, he was there. It may even be that Tristram itself is common across your characters, as a cart that was blocking the way for my Barbarian until I'd completed a specific quest was not there as soon as my Demon Hunter entered the town for the first time. I really like the idea of using your characters collectively to develop the Blacksmith and perhaps other NPC's you meet, as well as the towns in the game I'm assuming that like Diablo 2, there's a safe town area for each act since there was a small dock with a boat that I could not use (likely because I had not defeated the Act 1 Boss). If each act does indeed take place in a different area, and those areas have a town, I wonder if there are different NPC's to develop. If I leave New Tristram, what happens to the Blacksmith I've spent money training up? WIll he come with me, or shall I have to return to New Tristram to make use of his skills? I guess I'll have to wait and see.

Running around that crypt with the Templar was a lot of fun. As you explore, or fight, there's a dialogue between him and yourself. This must be different depending on the class you choose. One of the things the Templar asks is how criminals are dealt with where you come from. Now the Barbarians come from the cold, Northern mountainous areas of Sanctuary whereas the Witch Doctor looks like e's form a more tropical area such as Kurast, so I imagine each would answer differently. Even speaking with the Blacksmith revealed a bit about not just him, but my own character. I won't spoil the (albeit minor) revelation but I felt it really added depth to the characters and the story - which is really great considering the key motivation for playing is to level up and use awesome skills to acquire awesome loot to take down giant monsters or hordes of smaller ones.

And I remember some people were worried the game looked too "bright" and "WoWish" compared to the dark-fantasy setting of Diablo 1 and 2. I can safely say the dark, forlorn atmosphere has been preserved. Tristram is safe but creepy, and I felt that the possibiity of the roaming hordes of dead outside the town walls could overrun the town militia was very strong - the current captain is a farmer by trade. This is not WoWs cartoony, colourful world. This is Sanctuary and it's dark and dank with cobwebs and dust and nightmares lurking in the shadowsr. The Fires of the Burning Hells await! Roll on May 15th!

[Dasquian Belargic]

Super Mario 3D Land

Trying to collect all of the stars!

[Peter McCoy]

Just tried playing the D3 Beta again and it says I don't have a license. :cry

I now have to wait for May 15th before I can play again.

Ah well, back to Fallout 3!

[Salem Ave]

Bit of Rayman Origins tonight. What an incredibly fun platformer.

[Taataani Meorrrei]

If posting sucks tonight I'm on mass effect 2/3 or something

[Dasquian Belargic]

More of Rayman Origins tonight. I love the visuals and the soundtrack in this game. So fun to play :) I only wish someone else had it, so we could do co-op

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[Zem Vymes]

Played resurgence. Got both geth classes unlocked with my first two packs hell yeah

[Dasquian Belargic]

The first episode of The Walking Dead game. It's actually a really interesting story so far.

[Crusader]

I started playing Arkham City this morning. This game's hard difficulty is actually hard.

[Peter McCoy]

A Valley Without Wind

It's a platformer/RPG/crafting game from what I've read so far. The writing is off its tits as well!

[Dasquian Belargic]

Getting serious nerd rage at how hard this Rayman Origins level is fffffffff

[Peter McCoy]

In just about 10 hours I shall hopefully be on my way home with my copy of Diablo 3! :)

[Crusader]

I hope you have a copy for your soon to be wife as well otherwise she wont see you for a while.

[Peter McCoy]

She's not into many games - Minecraft's about it.

Time to head off to collect my pre-order! Yay!

[Zen Auryn]

TERA Online. Amazing. Beautiful. Brilliant.

[Peter McCoy]

No joy getting on Diablo 3 last night due to the login servers being full so I went to bed. Got up early and started playing this morning. I'm now past the Beta content and am almost certain I know what the Fallen Star really is.

This Barbarian of mine is just brutal. Got myself a pair of Mighty Weapons now - Barbarian Sickles that look insane and have some nice bonuses to them. Also got a decent rare set of bracers that increase my magic find and gold drops. Gonna go have some dinner now before I carry on.

[Xel-Naga]

I will hopefully be playing D3 later today. Had to work this morning but did pick up a collector's edition of the game on my break. I'm a sucker for blizzard collectors editions. They really know how to pack them. Planning on playing the monk or wizard, based on my beta experience.

[Peter McCoy]

Cracking on with my Barbarian this evening Oh, and I was right about the Fallen Star :)

[Peter McCoy]

Perhaps not, since the servers are fucked up again.

[Emelie Shadowstar]

FFFFffffffffffffffff servers are BUSY?? ;___;

[Atreyu]

Some bright spark has built from the ground up the original Command & Conquer (with Javascript and HTML5) that can be played in your browser:

http://www.adityaravishankar.com/projects/games/command-and-conquer/

Bit awkward playing in the window, but works ok. Managed to complete the first 2 missions as GDI. :)

(unfortunately no save options as yet)

[Xel-Naga]

Played a little diablo once the servers were unfucked enough to play. Got a monk up to level 9. Only stopped because of work :/

[Peter McCoy]

My Barbarian is Level 14, looks awesome, and I'm almost done with Act 1. Absolutely loving this game so far. With 5 classes, 2 genders and 4 difficulties, that's a total of 40 playthroughs! I doubt I'm capable of gettinga Hardcore character very far though!

EDIT: Finished Act 1 at Level 16.

[Xel-Naga]

I am really looking forward to playing hardcore whenever I get around to it.

[Korax]

D3 when it's up has been eating up my time. Demonhunter and Monk so far :)

Also, SWTOR of course - pretty busy there

[Dasquian Belargic]

Feeling so tempted by D3. So very tempted.

Probably best to leave it until the servers even out though huh.

[Korax]

Definitely wise. Launch has been sooooo messy

I will say this though, all the errors people have been reporting, thankfully I've not seen. Mostly it's just been server downtime that's been cramping my Tristram time.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Couldn't resist... playing D3

Already I'm running around with a character voiced by Jennifer Hale, HELLO

[Crusader]

I am still not sure if I want to play diablo 3 maybe I should get atrial key afterall or just wait if it gets cheaper.

[Peter McCoy]

You will ve waiting a while for a price drop. However, IM me for a trial key since I got two free with my copy. The other is reserved for Droo if he wants it.

[Crusader]

Seems like Blizzard has got their new business model from Rastafaris at the Central Park. "Here dude, take one for free!" "Oh you are addicted now that's too bad because the next ine will cost you."

[Dasquian Belargic]

D3 - fisting my way through wave after wave of demon bitches

[Mara Tallen]

Dante's Inferno - where mutant babies with swords for arms crawl out of a damned queen's nipple, and are herded around by the occasional damned bitch with...well...it looks like a tentacle coming out of some place it shouldn't.

Edit: Cleopatra's nipples have lips and a tongue, apparently.

[Crusader]

^^how do you like this game? I played the demo and it was kind of meh but I later saw some nice gameplayfootage that looked way more exciting so I never ended up buying it but asking myself if I missed something.

[Salem Ave]

Edit: Cleopatra's nipples have lips and a tongue, apparently.


What does this even :whaa

[Crusader]

So I just wanted to check how much Diablo 3 costs on Steam right now... Guess what happened? Diablo 3 is not on Steam. Why did I not know this? Did I sleep through a RIOT?

WARNING RANT AHEAD!
Dear Gaming Community,
You are so full of crap in the last 12 months that I would love to punch you in the face today...

Where is the gamer outcry about Diablo 3 not being on STEAM? I want to see Activison Blizzard being voted the worst company in the US ASAP.

So if some other company wants to release it's flagship games on their own release platform they are the devil disguise. OK they fucked up the ending of one of their games as well but this is a RANT and I am on a RAMPAGE here so I don't have to think this through.

Seriously gamers forgive and forget certain companies way too much and too fast these days and they are just a bunch of hypocrats.

-Thanks to Sony I think twice which company gets my credit card info these days and I don't own a PS3. Has it hurt them? NOPE!
-MW3 tops the bestseller lists although Activision Blizzard treated the founders of this franchise like crap and don't get me started on map pack prices
-Activision Blizzard planed to use REAL NAMEs on their forums and Battlenet in order to control internet trolls but still Diablo 3 is one of the most preordered games.
-Blizzard anounces that you have to be connected to the internet all the time while playing Diablo 3... This means poor Jace can't play this game right now. Where are the hundreds of online petitions to make Blizzard remove this DRM device from the game for people who do not have a proper internet connection?

I think it would be wrong to mention here that Blizzard fired quite a bunch of people in the last few months but they launch Diablo 3 in a terrible state and with textures that rival with last gen games. I know these 3 issues are not connected and I am not saying here that Diablo 3 looks ugly or that it is a bad game.

Hell no just a few minutes ago I was 3 clicks away from downloading it. I am just on a RAMPAGE here.

TL;DNR

Gamers are a bunch of hypocrats these days and they are so brand loyal that they fail to see that they are hurting themselves in the long run.

[Korax]

Edit: Cleopatra's nipples have lips and a tongue, apparently.

What does this even :whaa


You didn't know? Nipple babies too.

[Dasquian Belargic]

Peter - I don't think Blizzard has released any of their titles (Warcraft / Starcraft) on Steam, have they?

[Crusader]

I haven't bought a Blizzard title in years. I just expected to find them there since all of the other Activision titles are there.

I am not against Blizzard having their own distribution platform since they are doing this for years via Battle.Net

I am just annoyed by 2 things:
-EA's Origin got a lot of beating from gamers for not wanting to give 30% of the game prices to STEAM
-EA offers the same amount of extras in a digital version of their products for the same amount of money on Origin but Blizzard wants 5 Euros more for a digital version. Not only do they cut out the retailer that would normaly get around 10% in his store(yes companies earn 20% more from boxed products than from Steam downloads) but they charge you 5 Euros extra.

I have no problem to pay the same price for a game that is done by a smaller studio and not a AAA title.
So my whole point is just that everyone is OK with Activision Blizzard's business plan while pointing fingers at all the smaller studios.

[Dee]

Edit: Cleopatra's nipples have lips and a tongue, apparently.

What does this even :whaa


You didn't know? Nipple babies too.YES. And the little buggers are bloody irritating >_<

Here's a screencap (http://www.sidestorygames.com/uploads/4/6/0/7/4607000/2112792_orig.jpg?583) so you have a lovely point of reference, Jenny...

[Dee]

^^how do you like this game? I played the demo and it was kind of meh but I later saw some nice gameplayfootage that looked way more exciting so I never ended up buying it but asking myself if I missed something.Whoops! I keep meaning to answer you, and I haven't yet >_<

I'm playing it through on the Classic setting this first time through (restarted it since it had been forever since I'd played). Its not too bad - the different levels of hell are really cool and there's some damn creepy things to kill running around. Oh, and the sound effects are great as well - there's a couple of hallways on the gluttony level that are mouths and throats and the squishing made me twitch the first time I heard it.

I'll let you know what happens when I finish...but it seems to be going at a pretty good clip right now, which is a tiny bit disappointing. Overall, so far so good. But I'm not entirely sure yet if it was worth the nearly $60 I paid for it (but it did come with a wicked cool Dante figure complete with spine-scythe, so that makes up for alot).

[Anne Phoenix]

Been rotating with CS:S, Empire: Total War, and Portal 2 on my PC, while on my old Laptop I've been playing Ghost Recon. A fun old game that.

[Zeke]

Been playing some classic Mega Man, particularly 3, 5, and 7. Also a ton of Team Fortress 2 and a bit of SW:TOR.

[Zereth Lancer]

Today I have played nothing, because I am anything if not a social gamer and none of my friends have been online to play with I choose to do nothing instead. I would play Diablo III, but I'm waiting for my GF to catch up to me in level so we can play together.

So I'll probably play Final Fantasy Tactics: War of the Lions on the iPad.

[Atreyu]

Finished my final exam for the semester today, and lo and behold Kinect Sports (the 1st one) has arrived in the mail. :dance So spent a merry afternoon bowling, volleyballing and playing table tennis (though I think I should have gone easier on my swings in the latter as my shoulder is now a bit sore ^_^;).

[Zeke]

Finally finished Mega Man 7. Thinking of doing up 8 real quick. If the Pathfinder tabletop game counts, we're building characters for that.

[Atreyu]

Got Child of Eve yesterday. It's ... different. I think I might set it to easy mode until I get a handle on the controls.

[Peter McCoy]

Having to restart Red Dead Redemption, Demons Souls, Dark Souls and Dragons Dogma since I have now replaced my problematic original Phat PS3 with a brand new slimline one due to a Yellow Light of Death for the third time.

Also finished Deus Ex: Human Revolution and thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Dasquian Belargic]

played a couple of chapters of Max Payne 3 yesterday, it was fun

[Crusader]

more Portal 2

Take that lemons!

[Cirrsseeto Quez]

The original xcom UFO defense, circa 1993. Game is still very difficult

[Crusader]

^^Games from that era are still pretty much unmatched in difficulty.

They don't do games like this anymore :(

Delete Carol! Snifff!

[Peter McCoy]

That's why I'm so glad we now have games like Demon's/Dark Souls that bring that unrelenting challenge back to gaming, rather than handholding convenience elements. Also, Bioshock Infinite will have "1999 Mode" which will be a more difficult and challenging mode like the game sback then.

[Crusader]

^^This was the news that really got me hooked on Bioshock Infinite since my biggest complaint about Bioshock was that it was too easy and that the penalty for dying was not existing.

OK and I complained about the fact that the game did not use its setting enough for more intresting setpeaces like having those big ass windows really break now and then so that rooms would get flooded, fleeing out of flooding buildings and you get the big daddy suite but you never take it for a walk outside like in Bioshock 2.

[Peter McCoy]

I think too much walking around in a suit in the ocean would damage the feeling of isolation. The idea is that you can't go outside because of the ocean. In an open-world game you literally can run away form the scary stuff. But with this, you can only run so far before you reach a dead end.

[Crusader]

The idea is that you can't go outside because of the ocean.
That is my point here for a game that is set like 1000 miles below sea level the chance of drowning is like 0% in this game. This is a high level complaint over an overall good atmospheric game.

Oh and talking about isolation diving or walking alone at the bottom of the ocean from one building to another in shark infested waters with only the sound of your breathing in the helmet.

[Peter McCoy]

It depends on your perspective. It's just my opinion - the water all around is what creates that osilation. Yes, I too would have liked more potential watere dangers such as windows cracking and letting water in. But the option of using a diving suit - for me - destroys the fear of that water. Even if its limited to outside sections, it's existence dilutes the fear.

[Dasquian Belargic]

A whole lot of D3 as Russian Loki (he gives no fucks)

[Razielle Alastor]

A whole lot of D3 as Russian Loki (he gives no fucks)

oh my yes.

Same, only not as Loki. :D

[Emelie Shadowstar]

Running amok in D3 again today...continuing the adventures of Russian Loki and the Human Turret

[Dasquian Belargic]

fuck all the barrels/vases
http://i45.tinypic.com/ff0axu.jpg

post-nightmare glory shot
http://i46.tinypic.com/21ov784.jpg

[MortalDanger]

ArmA 2: DayZ mod.

If you haven't heard of this, you need to check it out. Watch some YouTube videos.

www.dayzmod.com

[Dasquian Belargic]

Replayed a bunch of Bastion this afternoon. It's neat, noticing bits of voice-over that I didn't get the first time around.

[Peter McCoy]

I bought ArmA II the other day after seeing the DayZ mod in action. So far though I'm finding it very frustrating as the difficulty is a bit silly.

[Morgan Evanar]

Forza 4 and Bastion.

[Peter McCoy]

Been playing Skyrim as my Wood Elf sneaky bastard archer. Also working on alchemy and found an awesome recipe for a poison I'm going to try as soon as I have the ingredients.

It requires Imp Stool, Human Flesh and one of either Mora Tapinella, Orange Dartwing, Slaughterfish Egg or Slaughterfish Scales - the poison created will deal a good chunk of Damage Health, plus put a dot on for Lingering Damage Health, as well as Paralysis. Add to that the base damage of my bow, type of arrow used and Archery perk bonuses - as well as any enchanted gear or potions that increases bow damage - and that's one killer shot!

I can't wait to try it out! But Human Flesh is hard to come by.