Games General

[stewartsage]

Oh right.

Kentucky Route 0 Act II came out on Steam today, finally, yay!

[Nichi]

Cool ^^

So, I tried out some new games today; all 3 being licensed titles, 2 both have Japanese voice acting, and 2 from the same era and being based on series that are polar opposites ^^;;

First up, Mega Man: Network Transmission, on Gamecube. I'll be honest, I've heard this game was rubbish, but since it was only $6, I decided to chance it; since I heard the gameplay is like classic Mega Man blended with the Battle Network games. This game is based more on the Mega Man: NT Warrior anime series than the Battle Network games, and for reasons unknown, the US version only has Japanese voice acting; kind of strange, but not a big deal to me. To be fair, it felt promising early in, but it got frustrating given how you had to rely heavily on the battle chips for your attacks; your Mega Buster is just too slow and weak (The fact you can only have one bullet on screen at a time, compared to 3 in the NES Mega Man games, makes the game quite unfair). I'd suggest avoiding it; lest you find the in-universe superhero Commander Fish is in a future stage ^^;

Second up was Neon Genesis Evangelion; the N64 game. This game is kind of confusing; mostly because it's all in Japanese, so I have no idea what the screen listing the controls was saying. However, I do understand what's going on from a story perspective. I think if I searched around for a guide to the controls, it might not be too bad; not the best game ever, but not terrible either. However, I just wait on them to decide to release Rebuild of Evangelion N.64: Expansion Pak (Not) Required...although they probably won't; because I just made that up out of the blue LOL

Third was Tiny Toon Adventures: The Great Beanstalk, on PlayStation. It's a very shoddy port of Buster & The Beanstalk; a point-and-click adventure for the PC that I have a soft spot for. However, to make it work better on a console, they have these awkward platform game segments in-between screens; with clunky controls and lower-quality backgrounds that clash with the higher-quality backgrounds they reused from the PC version (Although downscaled; as the PC version runs at 640x480, and the PlayStation versions runs at 320x240). Also, they dropped the bit on the company's logo screen with Plucky Duck saying "Shakespeare...this ain't" (Or "Shakespeare...the saint"; as I heard it as when I was a kid), as well as the talking computer books ("The error you reported is not a bug, it's a programming feature"); which is disappointing. Still, the game's wacky humor is there, but given how crappy the platform game segments are, it's hard to suggest playing it; when you could instead play the original PC version. However, at the very least, they did fix the bug with the difficulty selection screen; so when you select hard, it's actually on hard instead of easy

...and speaking of The Great Beanstalk, I beat it just to see how they changed the ending from the original Buster & The Beanstalk.

Tiny Toon Adventures: Something Something Beanstalk (PC \ PlayStation): ShowHide

They butcher the ending a bit; rather than you being the giant, instead it's Steven Spielberg, who is apparently the one actually playing the game. Which might explain the shit controls; as you're playing as a guy who is playing a PlayStation port of an older PC game. Either it was poor programming, or pure genius on their part. Otherwise, the ending is the same...although they replace the Tiny Toon Adventures theme song with a mishmash of music clips from the various areas in the game.

Also, Steve Blum provided some character voices in this game, as well as the PC version. Yes, the Steve Blum; long before his breakout role as Spike Spiegel

[Bella]

Embodiment of Scarlet Devil

[LeaflameSD]

playitplayitplayitplayitplayit

[NejinOniwa]

Possibly the weirdest game of CK2 ever.

I started as this lowfag count in the Faeroes, then launched my aptly named Fairy Conquest of Cornwall and kept going from there. After a while I had a sizable domain in Wales and Cornwall, and my son was married to the princess of Norway. And then...well.

LAUNCH INVASION OF YEMEN!

Adventurer doomstacks attacking the lone Shia muslim state on the arabian peninsula, so I had nothing to fear from his neighbors joining in. I secured Yemen successfully, but JUST AS I WAS FINISHED I see something not very fun at all happening...
The Sunni Caliphate/Abbasid Empire of Arabia declare a Holy War against me.

Simply speaking, I was largely bloody damn fucked. So what do?

Stiernvald the Berserker, Jarl of Cornwall and newly throned Jarl of Sanaa clears his throat. Everyone is silent around the long table - all eyes are on the great clan chief. His sons are looking at him with expectant eyes - they know what is at stake here better than most.

"I'm sorry, friends, but this is not a war we can win. I have heard of the Arabs and their vast armies - even if all the norsemen in the world were to fight by our side, we would not match them in number. The brave men who helped us take this land have gone, many settling down as farmers - they will not take up their swords again without good reason, and by the time the enemy knocks at their doorsteps it will be too late."
Everyone in the room grows grim, and the men ease their swords from their belts. Soon they will ride to Valhalla with the valkyries, after they have fought their last against this vast foe. Except...
"But I have a plan."
Eyes perked up. Perhaps the old bear wasn't quite out of luck yet - perhaps there was a way for them to win glory - and live - still.
"Stiernmar, eldest of my sons. I shall grant you all my british holdings, and your independence. I will take charge of our arab lands, and Hranulf will inherit me. Stiernmar, I wish you the best of luck with your wife - my grandsons shall no doubt become splendid kings of Norway."
Eyes went down again, though perhaps Stiernmar was a little relieved. Everyone knew of the tensions between the brilliant young Hranulf and his elder brother; and everyone knew that their father favored his younger son, as well. But this wasn't "a plan", as much as it was a contingency for the dynasty; one branch would live, and the other would fall glorious in battle. It was better, perhaps, but not good.
So why was the old bear still grinning?
Young Hranulf dared his luck, and asked. "But father, what will we do with the arabs? Even if they do not take all our land now, they surely will in a matter of years. They have no respect for our us - or the gods!"
Stiernvald's grin was like that of a shark. "Then perhaps we shall show some respect to theirs."
Astonishment shot through the room like a hail of arrows, striking everyone except the archer himself.
"I have heard, from the peasants, that if we announce our conversion to this mohametan faith, the Arabs will have no choice but to stand their armies down and welcome us as brothers. And even then we can use the very split in their faith that got us this far! We will drive our conquests north into what remains of these Shiites, and secure the our entire half of the arab peninsula. And the Caliph's lands are fuming with unrest - when that cookpot boils over, we shall strike wherever the iron is hot. Our gods got us this far - now, we shall steal theirs, and go further! And think of what the damn christ-men will think, when they hear that the Bear of the North has gone from being a filthy pagan to a stinking muslim instead of their own blasted faith!"
Astonished faces slowly turned to accepting and approving, as the elder spoke. Pitchers of mead were raised high, and soon the feast was on. Strange a plot it may be, but the Bear was not one to fail in anything.

Late was the hour when the newly-built long hall in al-Sanaa was empty, save for the clan head and his eldest son, who were sharing a mug of mead in silence. Stiernmar would soon take his men and go to the ports, to take his longboats back on the long journey to Britain; and Stiernvald would remain, accept his new faith and establish his rule in this new, far-off land. They had come far, very far, from the tiny castle he had got from his father, and the city he had built, back on the Faroe Islands.

But perhaps it was fitting. "Vittfare", Far-traveled, had once been said of his father when he took the journey to the cold islands in the North Sea. For his son, it would be doubly, nay, ten times that true.
And even if he abandoned his gods in name, this was a plot that Loki himself would be proud of.
Perhaps he would earn his place in Valhalla after all...
...but he had a few thousand Arabs to slay before that. After he fooled them all into thinking he was on their side, of course.
Grinning, the Bear of the North followed his son to the port, finishing his drink. Going over what he knew of his new faith, he found an immense snag, which he announced to his son with a grimace.
I will miss the mead, he thought, and shed a small tear.

But the fire of drink is but a kindle beside the bonfire that is the Berserker's rage.
A few thousand arabs to slay, indeed.

Epic fucking stuff.

[Dr. Kraus]

After completing Alelier Totori Plus for the PS Vita, I am selling the system and all the games to my friend since they are really killing off the PS Vita and I really really really don't see a future for it as I did when I bought it almost a year ago.

Now for my thoughts on the game Aletier Totori Plus for the PS Vita:

A really great game for the vita, I just wish they would make more jrpgs of this nature for the vita then I wouldn't feel that its going down hill like it is currently. All the mechanics work amazingly and they didn't attempt to add anything gimicy to the game like using the back touch pad or gyroscope a lot. The graphics were very very very well done and polished to portable perfection, the Nintendo 3ds can never touch the amount of beauty that the Vita offers and with this game they really show why the screen is the best portable gaming screen around.

Overall, this game gets a 9.5/10

Now i'm off to bed and to get a PS3 tomorrow probably after making this sale with the Vita.

[Nichi]

If you get a PS3, track down Hyperdimension Neptunia. It may not be the best, most ground-breaking JRPG ever, but it's enjoyable, and as close as we'll ever get to an OS-tan video game

[Dr. Kraus]

Got the PS3, playing the following games at the moment;

·Hyperdimension Neptunia**
·Bioshock Infinite√
·Metal Gear Solid 4; Gun's of the Patriot√
·Ni No Kuni; Wrath of the White Witch*
·Uncharted 3√

Key
-------------------
* = Just Started (1 - 8 hours played so far)
** = 15 - 20 hours played so far
*** = Very Close to end
√ = Done

Metal Gear is great but it truly is just a interactive movie, which is fine but I just has a play length of a month or two if I pace it the way I am right now.

Hyperdimension Neptunia is great fun & I will most defiantly be downloading mk2 and ordering V soon after I complete it! I've already put in an easy 8 hours so far but it seems to only just be starting with the story so this one is going to be a long haul.

Bioshock Infinite = Amazing

Ni No Kuni is great fun, even though it is geared towards what seems to be the younger audience. Its a very beautiful game that doesn't require much time to complete seeing as I've made it thru the first forth of it so far in only around 4 hours.

Uncharted 3 is being played by my little brother so I'm just counting it as done because I got the game with the system and I'm the not the biggest fan of it.

[Nichi]

Nice to know you're enjoying Neptunia :3

As for me, currently playing EarthBound on my Super NES. Got past the point I was at when playing it on an emulator years ago, so it's all new to me from here

[Nichi]

Played some Scott Pilgrim on my 360 before I came home. I'm now up to the final boss, and really need to earn some extra lives and maybe max out my stats ^^;;

For the curious on details

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Game: ShowHide

During the battle with Gidion, he gets really tall and buff...and after you defeat him, a light shoots out of his chest and pulls you in; as you find yourself on, as the game displays on screen, "Subspace Highway...?".

After some platforming and dodging some bombs falling from the ceiling, you reach the end...as Gideon transforms into a One-Winged Angel form. I unfortunately couldn't beat him; I was already worn down from the previous fight and on my last life, so things didn't go very well. I plan on trying again soon, though.

Also, you actually get to fight Nega-Scott in the game. He's the boss of the second-to-last level

[Dr. Kraus]

MGS4 was amazing. Hands down probably the greatest console games I've ever played.

[Nichi]

I know my bro-in-law loved MGS4. I'll have to check it out...whenever I finally beat 2 and 3 ^^;;

So, I just beat Scott Pilgrim...again, as Kim again, except on the highest difficulty level. I needed every trick I had up my sleeve to survive that...and was oh so satisfying when I got in the final blow.

[Dr. Kraus]

@pent: Just play Metal Gear 3 before 4, Kojima set it up so you don't have the play the first two to understand the story. Also play Peace Walker if you get the chance because 4 will make even more sense if you play that after Snake Eater.

[stewartsage]

I've not been playing many games lately, though I have acquired and modded GTA IV and Kentucky Route 0 has updated.  Just can't find the time.

[LeaflameSD]

Sonic