Games General

[Chocofreak13]

i could see P4 being a popular crossover, or Sailor Moon if it gained more traction. the only other series that is THAT popular right now would probably be Love Live!, and i don't see that translating well.


watching all of this Bully on a Let's Play makes me want to actually play it.

[Nichi]

Indeed.

Also, funny; I recently listened to the Phantasy Star Online soundtrack, and found myself revisiting the game...although the server I play on went down a few hours after I got the pictures for the "MapleStory x Phantasy Star Online: The Event That Should Not Be" thing I did in RPT. Does bring back some good memories...and memories of the lead-up to the reveal of the final boss' first phase: easily one of the creepiest moments in a game I've played, that wouldn't feel too out of place in .hack (Granted, one of the people behind .hack cited PSO as an inspiration).

[Chocofreak13]

hahaha, that's cool. do you have vid of the boss reveal? i'd like to see. :3


Don't Starve is a fun as hell game and you all should get it. specifically Don't Starve Together. once i can muster up the spare cash i am buying the hell out of that shit. already played 5 save files (longest was 25 days; starved, was revived, then froze to death before i could make it back to camp). i really need to get out of the mentality of finding "the perfect camp", since my first save file coloured my taste for finding the EXACT right spot (though i only lived about 1-2 days, i spawned right next to a wormhole which took me to an island close by. islands are SUPER-rare to spawn (i've only seen one other, inaccessible) and it had one rock, one tree, one bird. would have made the PERFECT base). i also need to stop trying to map the entire world before settling down (that's how i died the first time). on the upside, Steve informed me that if you leave enough spiders alone, they form into a Spider Queen (boss), and there was a MASSIVE colony of them in the western forest, so perhaps it's for the best that it recycled, despite everything.

[Nichi]

Here you go; showing it, as well as the battle (All 3 forms), on the original Dreamcast version
EDIT: One thing I did notice, comparing Dreamcast V1 to Blue Burst (The newer PC version), there's a few minor graphical differences, and also a few minor quirks with the audio

As for Don't Starve, I might consider picking it up. I may end up playing it more than Terraria; which I've barely done anything with since I bought it -w-;

[Chocofreak13]

well, if i get it myself it comes with a bonus copy to give to someone, and if i can't give it to Steve, someone's gonna be a lucky winner (either one of you, Arty, or maybe Claire or Alex).

EDIT: given it's only going to cost him $5 Steve's gonna pay the upgrade tomorrow and give the bonus copy to me. provided i don't need the original Don't Starve to use it (i don't believe i do), that's how i'm going to go about getting it. if i DO need it then maaaybe (?) i'll get the frontier pack which includes the bonus copy.

also if you needed more evidence of why it rules check it.
http://www.dontstarvetogether.com/


also, finally got to play it. i've died maybe 5 or 6 times by now (longest file was day 25, which actually isn't too shabby given Steve's record is day 40) and intend to keep playing till my fingers bleed. i'm greatly enjoying a particular mod character,
Wisteria(this is an old version being showcased, her health is actually 80 now instead of 100). Steve messed with a few other popular mods and the result is that we have only really found one other character thus far worth playing,
Wulfe(this one's likely even older). there are a few other characters i'd like to research (mod characters), but for the time being i think we're both content. something good that we confirmed today is that it seems that you CAN play as mod characters in the multiplayer, but everyone needs to have the mod characters installed for the game to function properly. as with all mods, it seems to be a matter of trial and error. still, despite her low health i am committed to playing Wisteria (and intend to look slightly like her when i cut my hair in 2020) and am loving the hell out of the game. ^^

[stewartsage]

Amazing SFM portraits from SquidCubed!  Prompt service (finished mine in like four/five hours), excellent posing, lighting, everything followed to specifications.


My medic running through the top room of cp_mountain_lab looking for dumkopfs to heal.


My soldier bombing onto the cart with all rockets blazing on pl_hoodoo.

[Chocofreak13]

aw, these are badass. how does it work?


made it to day 28 and i died as i got into my camp (froze to death .5 seconds from putting kindling on the fire). took a break, watched some bully, and decided to have another college try at it. i'm at day 17 (?) and this is my luckiest run ever. found Chester on day 1 (by accident), by day two i had more gold than i could ever hope to need, and by day 3 i had found the Beefalo and a suitable place for camp (set up by day 5). reached my goal of eating Crock Pot food by day 10. Steve thinks i'm overprepping. i think life is good. -w-

[Nichi]

@Kari: I might buy that game sometime :3
@Stew: Cool *w*

You know, playing PSO again has me wanting to talk more in-depth about it; both my history with it and thoughts on the game itself...so, for anyone interested, I'm doing just that:

Phantasy Star Online: ShowHide

Way back in the twilight years of the Sega Dreamcast, as the PS2 had just come out and the Xbox and Gamecube weren't too far away, Sega released Phantasy Star Online; the first console-based MMORPG. In its day, it was one of the most popular online games on Dreamcast, and even though it came about in a time when the Dreamcast had just been discontinued, its popularity lead to many new versions over the following years; starting with Version 2, released as one of the last Dreamcast games, before moving onto the Gamecube, Xbox, and PC. The official servers for all versions of the game are long gone at this point, although there are private servers out there; with varying compatibility with versions.

I remember one of my cousins telling me about the game, way back in 2003; I wanted to play it, as the idea of online multiplayer was a new concept to me at the time, and being able to play a game with him, when he's all the way in Florida, was mind-blowing. Sadly, I never got the chance to play with him, since I didn't have a Gamecube, and wouldn't get one until years later. Granted, even if I did have a Gamecube at that time, talking mom into letting me play an online multiplayer game, let alone one that you had to pay a monthly fee for, would have been impossible. However, I did at least fill that void by playing the original Phantasy Star; a game that still remains one of my favorites, even if it's a bit rough around the edges.

Jump forward to February 2007; during a random trip to Longview (Another big city, slightly more out-of-the-way than Tyler), we dropped in at Game-X-Change. Although I saw some things of interest here and there, one thing stood out to me in their glass case: Phantasy Star Online ver. 2. Remembering my cousin talking about it, I decided to buy it, along with a keyboard I also found (Bought to make using the web browser a lot easier, but I later found out how beneficial it was to have for PSO, even for offline play)...going a little over my budget, but thankfully, mom helped cover me, on the condition I cooked dinner that night.

With dinner cooked, and everyone else in the house watching Desperate Housewives, I hijacked the TV in the parents' bedroom to setup my Dreamcast and begin playing. Admittedly, my first outing onto the planet of Ragol went very, very badly; after a briefing on the story so far, you're sent into the game proper. It took me a while to learn how to attack more than once (Button mashing doesn't work here; you have to follow a simple rhythm to your button presses to pull off a proper 3-hit combo), and also learning of the agony of dropping your money and equipped weapon when you die (This is a feature that was thankfully removed from Blue Burst; as it also had the unfortunate problem of me accidentally picking up a party member's dropped weapon accidentally. I can't remember for certain if Gamecube had this or not).

Eventually I got the hang of it, and found myself hooked; eventually figuring out how to get online and connect to a private server. I put so many hours into this game after that point...although I eventually moved to Blue Burst, after the abandoned Sega authentication server that I and many others on v2 were cutting through was finally shut down.

As for the game itself, one thing I love about it is how the story is presented. Rather than the story unfolding in a traditional manner, with cut-scenes, the game's story is instead presented almost entirely through recorded messages, left by Red Ring Rico, that you'll find scattered about each level. Some of these will give beginners some helpful advice by explaining some of the basics and offering some hints on how to deal with some of the more annoying enemies, while others move the story along; said messages getting a lot darker as the game progresses, as Rico discovers the truth of the situation. It's effective and not intrusive; if you're already familiar with the game or you're simply not interested in the story, you can easily skip the messages and just play the game uninterrupted. In a way, one could compare it to how Metroid Prime delivers its story.

The music's also quite good; the various songs work well for setting the atmosphere of their respective areas, and

the ending theme to Episode I is a beautiful piece.

Gameplay wise, it can get kinda repetitive after a while, especially if you're playing by yourself. Really, the big draw for this is multiplayer; as player interaction is part of what makes this game so enjoyable, especially if you get a good party going (I have fond memories of running around with a random group; cracking jokes about how we're "compensating" by using the biggest guns and swords possible xD).

All in all, PSO is still a favorite of mine; maybe not the best game ever, and it can be frustrating at points, but it's enjoyable for what it is. I mean, the fact I always find myself coming back to it should be enough of an indicator. It strikes a contrast with its spiritual successor, Phantasy Star Universe; which I admit was ok in terms of gameplay, and I heard online play was pretty good when it was still running, but given I was too cheap to pay for online, all I had was the offline Story Mode, which I couldn't get too far into; bland characters, tons of cut-scenes, and the fact it takes itself far too seriously for a game that opens every story quest with

a cheesy anime intro, and closes them off with an ending and "next episode preview". I may one day reinstall it and try to finish it, just to say I did; I mean, I have pushed myself through worse games before, like 102 Dalmatians on Dreamcast -w-;

[Chocofreak13]

hahaha, you had a 102 dalmatians game, too? the one for the PC wasn't bad.

Phantasy Star sounds like the type of thing i'd be into watching a let's play of. these days it feels harder and harder for me to get into games at all, let alone console. But it'd be cool to watch. :0
(this is why i'm so thankful for Don't Starve, it's really quite refreshing. which leads me to....)



Day 21
I hear the hounds in the distance as I keep watch over camp. The fleshy bulb fire last week stole my bushes and saplings. I fear as winter approaches I won't make it, despite my furious attempts to speed-grow my crops. The lack of rocks in the area is also disturbing. Often I am plagued with the thought of giving up and letting myself fall to the earth. Perhaps that's the insanity setting in. Some flowers would help. How i wish they grew here.

[Nichi]

@Kari: Cool on Don't Starve :3
TBH, I have considered maybe attempting to do an LP of some of the Phantasy Star games. I especially want to do Phantasy Star Universe, oddly enough; mostly to riff on the story -w-;
Also, I did have a 102 Dalmatians game at one point. TBH it was quite fun early on, feeling like Spyro the Dragon, but it got very repetitive toward the end; at the very least, the final battle with Cruella was satisfying...and fit surprisingly well with Libera Me From Hell xD

[Chocofreak13]

did it involve a rosebush maze and was part of it running around a factory, and another part running around Picadilly Circus?

[Nichi]

Yeah :3
I had it on Dreamcast; was part of a huge CD wallet full of DC games I picked up last summer for $5 -w-

[Chocofreak13]

hahahaha, we have the same game! i agree that the mechanics got tiresome after awhile, but perhaps it was easier to play on PC? i think it was a basic point and click or directional keys, anything with hotkeys would have been too much for my 10-year-old brain to grasp. :0

[Nichi]

The only controls besides movement were jumping and 2 attacks (A roll attack, and a bark that is borderline FUS RO DAH). Simple stuff, ala Spyro -w-

So, last night I finally finished up Episode II of PSO. The first 2 areas are weak; in-story, they're VR Training Rooms you had to complete before you're allowed to go on the main mission (The result is they're interesting in layout, but the enemies are weakened, recycled enemies from Ep1). Things get better with the last 2 areas, Central Control Area and Seabed; which offer new enemies as well, and in the case of Seabed, I love the use of reflections in the area (At first it just seems like a neat graphical touch, but it actually comes into play with one type of enemy, that can turn invisible...but the reflection of it remains visible).

As for the bosses, 2 of them are revamped versions of Ep1 bosses; De Rol Le (AKA the eel), and the Dragon (This new incarnation is infuriating; in how it can clone itself), while the other two are new; Griffin (Honestly a pretty cool fight) and Olga Flow (Final boss, whom sucked until I figured out that using a gun instead of a sword made the fight more bearable). All in all, actually better than I expected based on the first 2 areas.

This just leaves Episode IV; one I'm not looking forward to, as it's visually the most bland area from what I can tell, and given 99% of people on the same server as me stick to Episodes I and II, not a good sign on the area's quality.

[Chocofreak13]

how long is PSO, anyway? the way you've been describing it, it sounds reeeally short. :0




let it be known i DETEST Treeguards.



This time was a frustrating start (didn't find flint till day 2, which you need to cut down trees to survive day 1), and i died once (it reset the clock), but after finding this little fort to set up in i haven't been doing too bad. worried about food.