Weekend gaming(7/31/09)- What are YOU playing? [Archive]

Purple Santa

07-31-2009, 04:32 AM

This weekend gaming thread brought you to by the letter “V” for vacation. The “gone fishing” sign is up for me. I’m escaping my housemates for a few days with a on the cheap visit to NYC (it’s called visiting the parents). For the rest of you, crank up the A/C, check the heat index, wear your sunblock while golfing and all other fun activities in the sun. The weekend begins with the last unofficial month of the summer, August. Enjoy the heat as you do best which hopefully includes imbibing lots of liquids (alcohol preferred) or maybe just basking in liquids of a sprinkler, pool or newly formed puddle. However you find the fun, enjoy the weekend and make sure you get some gaming time in too.

To keep my sanity while visiting "the parents", I’ll drag along the usual DS/PSP combo of games while also using my laptop as alternative to the other mobile gaming systems. To keep the peace and my large inheritance intact I’ll be with the following to keep me out of trouble:

The Longest Journey- I plan on finishing this epic adventure game. I love the dialogue in this game. Favorite so far is the dialogue with the evil magic user who takes on any challenge including hopscotch. The other, a captain of a ship being asked what shanty does he know and why doesn’t he like to sing shanties. Have I mentioned I love this game?

Civilization III- My bargain gift from ADDGirl. How can you go wrong with a game for $5? Especially a Civ. Game. I should be starting this after my tearful goodbye/finish with TLJ.

Treasure World- Let’s see what treasures I can find in the faraway land of…well it’s not so faraway but not local new hotspots that will bring in new treasures.

Flower, Sun & Rain- I’m either going to start playing this and it clicks, or it’s time to send it back to Gamefly to rent another time. Maybe the weird atmosphere of my family will induce me to appreciate the theme in this game.

Tiger Woods ’10- old reliable. My go to game at the moment. I’m pulling off some scary golf moves in this game which for me is the whole point of playing virtual golf.

Beat the heat and all that jazz. Worship the sun or hide from it…what are YOU playing?

Wilkz07

07-31-2009, 05:28 AM

Wife's away, the vids will play.

Final Fantasy XI - finally got it updated and play to play this as much as I can

Fallout 3 - roam around a bit more before Mothership Zeta on the 3rd.

Harry Potter HbP/Infernal/Army of Two - finish these ones off

Hopefully get into some Persona 4 and Devil Summoner 2.

Kelegacy

07-31-2009, 05:49 AM

Lots of stuff, and I mowed most of the lawn yesterday so I'm pretty free this weekend. I say most because the damn thing broke I think, and it's my future father-in-law's mower. Great. I can still do a bit of yard work like weed the flower beds and remulch, and maybe try to catch two annoying groundhogs that live under my storage shed. I don't know if it's them or not, but something got into my trash in the shed this week (burrowed under the sides of the shed and came up a hole in the floor that the groundhogs had chewed!!) and strew dirty diapers and ate leftovers all over the place. This morning my trash was torn asunder on the curb and on the lawn. I had to pick it all up and sweep it into bags before coming into work. Great start to the day. And to add to that, my car warning lights came back on this morning, after we thought we fixed everything--and I get no spedometer or odometer as well. I love that car with a passion (SAAB 9.5) but driving without knowing how fast you're going isn't cool.

Gamewise, I am going to play a bunch more Beast Rider. I want to finish the game but don't know where I am in it. It's not a bad title, but it got TERRIBLE reviews. It's just not exceptional at all, but the combat is a bit fun. I seem to dig average games as long as the price is right.

I'm also going to pop in Baja: Edge of Control again. Not great graphics really, but it's an awesome representation of baja racing. It does have a steep learning curve and requires you tweak and upgrade your cars to be worth a damn.

Fallout 3 is DEFINITELY going to be played. I'm in the process of doing quests and just roaming the countryside as I go to my destination. The north, west and northwest/southwest haven't been explored by me at all. Over 70 hours of gametime and I haven't explored half the map. I still have the Northeast to wander around, too. Even with most of downtown explored (or so I thought) there are tons of places I overlooked because they are accessible only by the subways and I haven't come close to mapping them out entirely. Awesome game, awesome moments throughout--this is great roleplaying as far as I'm concerned. I don't even need the expansions and probably won't d/l them anyway because the core game has so much content.

I may also pop in or play any of the following: Wheelman, Bionic Commando, Fable 2, SotN. I missed the sale of FEAR 2 and SFIV this week so I won't be able to play them. :(

And while playing Beast Rider this week, I got this crazy hankering to play a great CRPG in the vein of Ultima and Divine Divinity came popping into my head. I loved that game so much. I might have to reinstall that or Arcanum this weekend and play it on the laptop since my PC's HDD is dead.

But I know I'll probably play little because of the baby or whatever. That's how life is. We are having a lobster feast on Saturday and going out on the river to watch a private fireworks showing so that should be fun. Hopefully it's a great weekend for gaming and otherwise, since I still can't have sex for another 3 weeks!!!

astranoir

07-31-2009, 05:59 AM

I'll probably be playing Knights in the Knightmare (particularly while I'm waiting for my oil to get changed), and well as Fat Princess. I don't have specific plans for anything else right now, but I do have Kameo and Saints Row 2 kicking around from Gamefly, and still haven't finished Blue Dragon, so we'll see. I'm guessing the true results will be the first two games, with KitK also being played while I'm satisfying my Stargate fix (nearly finished with the second season).

rein

07-31-2009, 06:26 AM

I'm going to get in as much time as I can with Persona 4 and if I need a break I will jump on some Fat Princess. I know my list is small compared to others but you know what they say about size.

Gorvi

07-31-2009, 06:33 AM

Final Fantasy XI That old "want to play all the time" feeling is creeping back up on me, so this will probably be most of what I play this weekend. I'm not sure what I'm going to do in game, but I'll find something.

Riviera: The Promised Land This game is just.... weird. I'm not sure what to think of it yet, but I'm not very far either. It's nice that nearly every line in the game is voiced so far, so that's a plus.

And that's the only stuff I have planned for sure. I'd like to play some PixelJunk Eden since I bought it on sale a few weeks back, and I may start either Heavenly Sword or Folklore (thanks total!).

Kelegacy

07-31-2009, 06:42 AM

I'm going to get in as much time as I can with Persona 4 and if I need a break I will jump on some Fat Princess. I know my list is small compared to others but you know what they say about size.

With a game like Persona, you can only really play one game a weekend. :)

I guess the same could be said about Fallout, but with the baby I have to find a game I can play in small chunks. Fallout 3 sucks your life away like a vampiric hooker.

Purple Santa

07-31-2009, 06:56 AM

I guess the same could be said about Fallout, but with the baby I have to find a game I can play in small chunks. Fallout 3 sucks your life away like a vampiric hooker.

That almost sounded ...erotic to me...until I realized it resembled my x-wife :eek:.

Since i'm away on "vacation" and away from the gym, I decided to do some running on nice boardwalk near my parent's home. All was fine until dark like clouds that resembled some cut scene from a JRPG...with sudden thunder, lightening and of course the summer rain. Playing wet soggy jogger is not as exciting as playing 'Splosion Man :p.

Doctor Setebos

07-31-2009, 06:56 AM

Now that I've finally solved the mystery of the Curious Village this week, I'm playing some nifty DS games I scored on Goozex this week.

Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen I completed chapter 1 last night, and I'm loving this beautiful remake. Starting chapter 2 tonight and probably playing through another couple this weekend.

Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Haven't touched a FE game since the first GBA one, so I'm looking forward to sinking my teeth into this one.

Doogie2K

07-31-2009, 07:18 AM

@Kelegacy: I hate it when the mower gives out on you halfway through a job. I had it happen a couple of years ago, and it's maddening, because your lawn looks like hell until you can fix/replace it. Also, I tried to get into Divine Divinity when it came out, but I could never do it. Dunno what it was, but I just could never figure it out, even with it basically being a D2 clone.

Yard Work (IRL): On that yardian note, I have lawns to mow and trip and weeds to Roundup. Exciting!

'Splosion Man (XBLA): 'SPLODE 'SPLODE 'SPLODE

Gears of War 2 (360): After a three-week hiatus, it's time to get back to the usual weekend shooting-dudes routine. Yay new maps! Boo buying them twice!

Maybes: Red Alert 3, GH: World Tour, Bad Company, and all the other stuff that I mention in this space but seldom actually get to.

Kelegacy

07-31-2009, 07:30 AM

Also, I tried to get into Divine Divinity when it came out, but I could never do it. Dunno what it was, but I just could never figure it out, even with it basically being a D2 clone.

DD is not like Diablo though. The combat is real-time, but it's not Diablo. This is a frequent misperception. The problem lies with the first dungeon, the one underneath the starting town. That dungeon is EXACTLY like Diablo. It is a crappy starter dungeon, too. Lots of scrambling from tons of enemies and lots of clicking a la Diablo. It's the worst part of the game. But once that's over, the game reverts to an Ultima-like game. It's more about an open gameworld, exploration, story, etc. The combat is reminiscent of Diablo I suppose, but it's far from being action heavy like Diablo. Which is a very good thing since I hate most "action heavy/RPG-lites" like Diablo. I think they had a serious role in the destruction of the awesome CRPG genre, along with MMOs. I guess consoles are to blame as well.

If you never got past the first dungeon, give it another shot someday. The sequel, however, is very much like Diablo. Beyond Divinity is about 100% more action-focused than Divine Divinity. It has a great premise, but I never finished it. It was just too action-heavy for me, and was very linear compared to its predecessor.

jpublic

07-31-2009, 08:33 AM

Well, at work(during my lunch hour) I've been absorbed in various HL2 SP Mods, but this isn't work time:

GRID (PC) - I'm hoping at some point I can actually have a teammate that isn't a useless douchebag in this. What gives?

Independance War 2 (PC) - Going to play the classic game, then screw around in Torn Stars Mod for a while.

Xenosaga 3 (PS2) - Oh my god it's actually letting me PLAY. JHC, too much cutscenes and scripted bits at the start of this, and not enough actual playing.

Devil Survivor (DS) - I'm near the end of day 3.

Commissar Rob

07-31-2009, 08:35 AM

Well, last night I beat Prototype (that final boss wasn't as hard as fighting the targeting system :( ), so I need to start up something new. I'm thinking I might try a little BlazBlue (as I've heard good things) or mayhaps reach back into my backlog and fire up some Uncharted.

The kids got six flags tickets as part of a summer reading program, so the family will pack up and head for Six Flags St. Louis for a Saturday day trip. The weather has been incredible here in the vast heartland, so hopefully we'll keep that trend going.

Camel

07-31-2009, 08:38 AM

Persona 3 (almost there. almost) and Devil Survivor. Need to grind a bit before I beat that damn Wendigo!

I can't wait to beat P3 so I can finally go back to playing other games. Like....P4.

Gorvi

07-31-2009, 08:55 AM

Persona 3 (almost there. almost) and Devil Survivor. Need to grind a bit before I beat that damn Wendigo!

I can't wait to beat P3 so I can finally go back to playing other games. Like....P4.
What month/day are you on?

hunterx280

07-31-2009, 08:56 AM

Call of Duty 4 PC - I've been meaning to finish this game up. Not sure where I am but damn, do I suck at this game. I'm going to try and play it until it clicks. Hopefully soon.

TF2 - Steam never registered my awesome ninja spy action the other day. I'm a little disappointed my bragging rights won't be displayed to the world. I think I'm going to try to achieve the same or better. The spy is finally starting to click with me. God, I love the Cloak and Dagger.

Something on the Wii - I've been tempted to play something on the Wii. Maybe I will play some Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time or some Smash Bros. I'm not entirely certain at the moment.

LarsenNET

07-31-2009, 08:58 AM

Continuing Final Fantasy XII. I wish I knew the best way to spend all of the license points I've been stockpiling.

Gorvi

07-31-2009, 09:07 AM

Continuing Final Fantasy XII. I wish I knew the best way to spend all of the license points I've been stockpiling.
I think I remember making a mad dash on the license board for the weapons and armor upgrades I had chosen for each character and then the mist things, those big attacks you can do.

Kelegacy

07-31-2009, 09:14 AM

Man, I miss FFXII. I should fire that puppy up again, but I have no clue where I am in the game. It is easily the most fun I've had with FF since VII.

jpublic

07-31-2009, 09:22 AM

Continuing Final Fantasy XII. I wish I knew the best way to spend all of the license points I've been stockpiling.

Here's the way I did it:

1) Spells. Seriously, there's no reason for every one of your people to not have the full White/Green/Time line. They're too damn useful to not have. Later on, it's sometimes nice to have everyone with the high level Black spells.
2) All the boosts in the area under the spells. There's all sorts of automatic buffs up there, not to mention Gambit slots which can come in useful later
3) Skills. Certain skills are damn near essential. I like making sure I have Libra on everyone (just in case) and Telekinesis on all my melee players.

The rest is personal preference based on what weapon skills you want people to have, I advise having a 3.5/2.5 splot on melee/ranged - 3 people only melee, 2 people only ranged, and one mixed.

Make the primary spellcasters your ranged people.

Focus on a couple weapon lines - usually you can find a couple complimentary or similar weapon license paths near each other, that allows you to save slots.

Armor - you'll notice that the Magic/Light armor lines are cheaper to buy. This is on purpose, because they assume that your spellcasters aren't going to have enough points to buy heavy armor. Not always true. I tended to grind enough SP to get everyone a pretty eclectic armor mix - torso was heavy armor, head was magic armor. Have me godo magic and physical defense.

Not essential, but a good idea - try to look at a license board map on the web or in the guide. That'll help you allocate which quickening goes to whom, so everyone can get their 3 and you don't have to pay for one of your team to go traipsing across a quadrant of the board for their last slot.

Camel

07-31-2009, 09:24 AM

What month/day are you on?
January 2nd. I am currently on number 3 out of 5 (maybe?) guardians before the final boss.

Gorvi

07-31-2009, 09:35 AM

January 2nd. I am currently on number 3 out of 5 (maybe?) guardians before the final boss.
Ahh, yeah, you're really close then. And here's a social link option I'll spoiler if you don't want to know anything.
Aeigis's social link opens up in January, if you don't have any others that are close to being completed and you want to go through her's it's an option.

EternalGamer

07-31-2009, 09:40 AM

I passed two productivity goals yesterday (finished editing the 432 page medical book I've been working on and jogged 6.6 miles to flip the calorie counter over 999). So this weekend will be some relaxing gametime before I head out for vacation on Monday (to Quebec).

I beat Dead Space last week, so I have to figure out what I want to play as my main game next. I probably will casually play a bit of Wii Sports Resort, Splosion Man, and/or co-op Sacred 2 with friends, but these are all "side" games.

My options for my next big game already on hand are:

1."Little King Story"- I picked up for $12 after some trade ins last week but haven't even popped it in yet.

2. Ninja Gaiden 2 which I got from that $10 Best Buy sale and still have yet to play. I beat the first NG but it was a challenge and I'm a bit intimidated by the sequel.

3. Overlord 2 got this from Gamefly and haven't touched it yet. Somewhat enjoyed the humor of the first game but got lost with the confusing map system and never picked it back up.

4. Uncharted- Only have a couple of levels left, I think. The gunplay still never gelled with me and while I enjoy the game ok, it never really grabbed me yet. I'm at the part where I just left the other two characters to venture into the city of the dead.

5. The Last Remenant- I got stuck in it after leaving a dungeon in the middle of a quest nd couldn't find my way back to the quest. I was enjoying it moderately well until that happened. It's the only JRPG on the 360 besides Tales of Vesperia I haven't finished).

6. Tales of Vesperia- Well, I already put around 25 hours into it. Maybe I should try to see it through. Ugh. Maybe it gets better.

Any suggestions on what would be the most enjoyable of that bunch?

Kelegacy

07-31-2009, 09:47 AM

Eternal, you've played Enchanted Arms and Star Ocean 4 to completion as well? Those are JRPGs too....

Gorvi

07-31-2009, 09:49 AM

Eternal, you've probably still got at least a good 2 1/2 hours to go in Uncharted, unless I'm thinking of the wrong part. You haven't reached "the twist" yet, right? I'd say go with that, but I'm in love with the game, so I may be just a bit biased.

EternalGamer

07-31-2009, 09:56 AM

Eternal, you've played Enchanted Arms and Star Ocean 4 to completion as well? Those are JRPGs too....

Forgot about those two as I haven't played (or heard terribly good things about) either. I did finish Eternal Sonata, Blue Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and Infinite Undiscovery, though. So I've guessed I've finished 4 of the 8 and gotten around half way through 2 additional ones (Vesperia and Last Remnant).

Bad Buddha

07-31-2009, 10:19 AM

I don't know if I'll get on the computer at all this weekend.

This evening we have prep work to do and tomorrow my wife and I are in a Tailgate Party Contest at the Seattle Kenny Chesney concert. We're setting up the bed of our pickup like a beach (Sand, shells, palm trees) and we're going to be sitting in the sun, drinking Corona (one of the sponsors) and grilling burgers from 11:00am until the concert starts at 4:00. we'll probably get home around midnight.

Sunday I hope to spend some time training my daughter on motorcycle riding skillz. She can ride around the school parking lot while I sit in the sun, drinking Corona and reading a book. We also might be heading down to Tacoma for a big In-Laws get-together where I will sit in the sun, drinking Corona and making small talk.

Busy!

Doctor Setebos

07-31-2009, 10:33 AM

drinking CoronaI sense a theme. ;)

Doogie2K

07-31-2009, 10:56 AM

(Dropping knowledge)

Yeah, that would probably be my problem. That, and I got confused by the teleportation stones and wound up breaking the system. Then I got eaten by a higher-level enemy and went, "fuck this." I may give it another go someday, but I think given my current backlog, its time has come and gone. Too bad, because I heard a lot of good things about it.

Well, at work I've been absorbed in various HL2 SP Mods, but this isn't work time:

I must be misreading that because it sounds like you were playing HL2 mods at work. Unless you have a better job than any of us...

LarsenNET

07-31-2009, 10:56 AM

Here's the way I did it:

1) Spells. Seriously, there's no reason for every one of your people to not have the full White/Green/Time line. They're too damn useful to not have. Later on, it's sometimes nice to have everyone with the high level Black spells.
2) All the boosts in the area under the spells. There's all sorts of automatic buffs up there, not to mention Gambit slots which can come in useful later
3) Skills. Certain skills are damn near essential. I like making sure I have Libra on everyone (just in case) and Telekinesis on all my melee players.

The rest is personal preference based on what weapon skills you want people to have, I advise having a 3.5/2.5 splot on melee/ranged - 3 people only melee, 2 people only ranged, and one mixed.

Make the primary spellcasters your ranged people.

Focus on a couple weapon lines - usually you can find a couple complimentary or similar weapon license paths near each other, that allows you to save slots.

Armor - you'll notice that the Magic/Light armor lines are cheaper to buy. This is on purpose, because they assume that your spellcasters aren't going to have enough points to buy heavy armor. Not always true. I tended to grind enough SP to get everyone a pretty eclectic armor mix - torso was heavy armor, head was magic armor. Have me godo magic and physical defense.

Not essential, but a good idea - try to look at a license board map on the web or in the guide. That'll help you allocate which quickening goes to whom, so everyone can get their 3 and you don't have to pay for one of your team to go traipsing across a quadrant of the board for their last slot.

Thanks, looks like good advice. The problem is it doesn't make since to allocate a bunch of weapon armor licenses or even spells for that matter when you don't have them. I have a lot of points but little equipment/spells.

Kielaran

07-31-2009, 11:19 AM

Not too much planned for this weekend. I assume that I will be playing Splosion Man. Between needing to finish it on co-op and grab all those cakes, I also have been working on the leaderboard. After being told I was ranked 33, I have been slowly trying to improve my scores. The current goal would be to get into the top 10, but that could take a while.

Being that I finished COD2 on veteran yesterday, I now have one less game in my backlog and a void to fill with another one. No clue what it will be, since I really haven't been inthe modd for anything special. With the pile that my backlog is, though, I am sure I will find something.

At some point this weekend I will probably be playing Mow the grass followed by Knock Down the Wasp Nest. I am not looking forward to either, but they need to be done. I just hope I can do them without getting injured. :(

Camel

07-31-2009, 11:20 AM

Ahh, yeah, you're really close then. And here's a social link option I'll spoiler if you don't want to know anything.
Aeigis's social link opens up in January, if you don't have any others that are close to being completed and you want to go through her's it's an option.
Ah, I was curious if there was going to be a social link for this character. There's one S-Link that hasn't opened up yet but for which I can fuse personas, so I'm guessing that is it.

Also, I feel the same way as you about FFXII, Kelegacy. Problem is, I haven't played it in about two years so I would definitely have to just start over. I was thinking about playing it after beating P3, but I think I am going to jump right into Persona 4 instead.

I also just completed a terrible game called Clean Out the Gutters. I don't think anyone has cleaned them out...ever. There were actually plants over a foot tall growing out of them, and they were completely clogged with pine needles and muck. The nails holding the gutters up were actually falling out because they were so full, and water would run everywhere on the front step when it would rain. We are supposed to get storms later today, so here's hoping I did a half-decent job. It wasn't too terrible, but I get really nervous climbing ladders and being on the roof.

Gotta go back up to install some new gutter guards later this weekend. Woo?

EDIT: This was a house we just moved into, by the way. I tend to neglect yardwork, but not THAT bad.

Cyndair

07-31-2009, 11:59 AM

January 2nd. I am currently on number 3 out of 5 (maybe?) guardians before the final boss.

GOGOGOGO!!! You are so close! Definitely report back to us with your thoughts on the ending. I loved P3 but I know what you are going through. At this point I just wanted it to be done. You got through it a heck of a lot faster than I did though. I think I was playing it over the course of 6 months.

I was hoping to have a very gaming filled weekend but forces are conspiring to steal away my free time. We shall see, however. I'm going to fight for my right to game.

FFXI: I'm going to spend my FFXI time this weekend working on making gil, I believe. There are some pricey things on the AH that I'd really like to get for my warrior so I have a lot to work toward.

Aion: Another closed beta this weekend. I'll be spending some more time test driving this MMO. A lot of fun so far. I want to get past level 10 this time so that I can test out the flight system and combat. The big thing that differentiates this game from the rest of the pack (or so I hear).

Wii Sports Resort: Will be playing this casually with the wife. It isn't perfect but it sure is a lot of fun. I'm struggling a bit with the sword mode. I'm so used to waggle that now that I have to swing the remote like an actual sword instead of make a jerking motion it's got me all messed up.

Jackel

07-31-2009, 12:01 PM

I'll probably be doing some Gears 2 on the new maps for the double XP time. Maybe some more crackdown as I try and finish off the remaining bosses.

And on my PC I'll keep chugging away at my primarch difficult on DoW 2.

Kelegacy

07-31-2009, 12:14 PM

Bad Buddha

07-31-2009, 12:24 PM

Knock Down the Wasp Nest. I am not looking forward to either, but they need to be done. I just hope I can do them without getting injured. :(

Tie a firecracker to a long stick. Light the fuse and hold it right under the nest. This will not harm them, but the shock will initiate the migration instinct and they will fly off to restart the colony far away.

Be sure to do this in the nude as wasps are attracted to the chemicals used in laundry detergents and dryer sheet compounds.

Post the results and pictures when you get out of the hospital!

Gorvi

07-31-2009, 12:32 PM

Tie a firecracker to a long stick. Light the fuse and hold it right under the nest. This will not harm them, but the shock will initiate the migration instinct and they will fly off to restart the colony far away.

Be sure to do this in the nude as wasps are attracted to the chemicals used in laundry detergents and dryer sheet compounds.

Post the results and pictures when you get out of the hospital!
You, sir, are one sick man. I love it!

Cyndair

07-31-2009, 12:35 PM

Evil Avnovice

07-31-2009, 01:21 PM

I was out sick for a week, so I didn't get any playtime. So, what I'm hoping for is:

-Little King's Story
-Valkyria Chronicles
-Final Fantasy Tactics A2: The Sealed Grimoire
-Blazblue: Calamity Trigger

Camel

07-31-2009, 01:39 PM

GOGOGOGO!!! You are so close! Definitely report back to us with your thoughts on the ending. I loved P3 but I know what you are going through. At this point I just wanted it to be done. You got through it a heck of a lot faster than I did though. I think I was playing it over the course of 6 months.

Oh man, I didn't get through it THAT quickly. 4 months to get through a game isn't that great! :D

rein

07-31-2009, 01:55 PM

Just got a call from Hollywood Video, all my games are in! I will pick them up after work. What I got was:

360:
Fable 2
Grid
Dirt
Dead Space
Battlefield: Bad Company
Lego Batman

PS3:
MGS4
Resistance
Ratchet and Clank

$5 each or $45 total. :) Now I just need to get my PS3 fixed!Awesome deals. I need to get back into my bargain hunting ways. I doubt I will ever reach your skill level but at least I can try. :)

Definitely looking forward to getting the F out of here (work) today. I want to watch me some Eureka and play some P4 damn it! Fortunately I have been tied up with my own little project so everyone has left me alone today.

pomeroy

07-31-2009, 01:57 PM

I have a bachelor party this weekend, so not much.

I'll probs play some NCAA at some point.

SenatorSpacer

07-31-2009, 02:17 PM

I'll be finishing up 'Splosion Man and playing more Prinny: Can I really be the hero? and Valkryia Chronicles.

Cyndair

07-31-2009, 02:37 PM

Oh man, I didn't get through it THAT quickly. 4 months to get through a game isn't that great! :D

Has it been that long?? Man, it seems like it's only been a month or two since I saw your first P3 post.... Time flies.

Kelegacy

07-31-2009, 03:18 PM

I have a bachelor party this weekend, so not much.

I'll probs play some NCAA at some point.

Is it a titty bachelor party or just a sausage fest?

WhyThree

07-31-2009, 03:27 PM

I'm up to the end of Prince of Persia. Healed all the fert-aye-le grounds and killed the 4 bosses, so now I just have to go back to the temple and finish up. I love the art and love the music and love the dialog between Prince and Elika. And I really like the no-die thing too. There are enough long sequences that I have to redo anyways that dying on top of it would be really obnoxious. Essentially it's just like frequent quicksaves. The only thing I don't like is that I already got the ending spoiled for me. I guess that's what I get when I play a game 8 months after it came out. That and one of the achievements (Reach the highest point) is supposed to automatically unlock after you defeat the Alchemist but it didn't register for me.

So basically beat the game, then maybe look for some light seeds. After that back to either Oblivion or GTAIV.

Spigot

07-31-2009, 03:42 PM

I hope everyone puts some time into Little King's Story if you've got it. It's a delightful game.

A game I won't be playing this weekend, because I just have my laptop, DS and PSP at the in-laws. That said, I'm still going to be playing some games!

Such as...

Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters (PSP) - I fired this up on the train yesterday and realized that I really, really like this game. Except for the stupid hover board sections. I'll take another stab at it though now that I'm not bouncing around on a train.

Drawn To Life (DS) - I picked this up in anticipation of Scribblenauts and because I had always wanted to play more than the 5 minutes I put into it last time. It's not perfect, but it's quite enjoyable as a hybrid platformer/RPG. Plus I drew a really cute sun.

The Dig or Loom (PC) - I have both of these on Steam and haven't played through either of them in the past, so I'll get to them over the weekend.

Wild Arms 2 (PSP) - I downloaded this today and want to give the series a shot. I sank a chunk of time into WA3 a few years ago but never really got into it or WA5. I've heard good things about WA2 though and will probably try it out some more.

Jeanne D'Arc (PSP) - I still have to get around to beating the game I bought a PSP for...

Flower, Sun & Rain (DS) - I'm with Purple Santa on this game. I haven't had a chance to really sit down and let its wierdness wash over me, but if I don't get to it soon, I'll be putting it back in its case and leaving it on the shelf until sometime laterif I'm in the year.

FFTA2 (DS) - As much as I have been enjoying Devil Survivor, what it has really done is rekindle my love of the FFT job system and so I've taken DS out of my case and put in FFTA2. I'd like to work on it over the weekend as I haven't played it in ages.

And if I'm REALLY inspired, I'll fire up Silent Hill: Origins tonight.

jpublic

07-31-2009, 06:01 PM

I must be misreading that because it sounds like you were playing HL2 mods at work. Unless you have a better job than any of us...

During my lunch hour, not when I'm actually *working*.

I also sometimes stay late when my wife works late and play then too.

Yes, my boss knows. No, he doesn't care.

Edit: But I do have a great job, entirely unrelated to that.

Spigot

07-31-2009, 06:22 PM

Heh. I play DS, PSP, 360 and Wii games at work. Half of the time I'm being paid to play Rock Band and help finish Ghostbusters on the 360.

Of course, that's when things are good. When they aren't so good, well...

jpublic

07-31-2009, 06:32 PM

Spigot, don't you *work* at a game-related company?

I work at a scientific research institute. I'm usually pretty busy, but I found if I don't do something to break up the work day - be it playing some game, reading up some random non-work stuff, or even just going for a walk - I get too damn stressed.

As far as my boss cares, I beat my deadlines, and all my stuff works, so he's happy.

Xydarc

07-31-2009, 06:34 PM

Atlantica Online: Still grinding to 100, working my way through Yggdrasil, and recruiting a Lady Knight.

Sins of a Solar Empire: Downloaded and installed a map pack recommended by Shadowstorm, I want to give a couple a try.

At some point, I should finish inFAMOUS, Wolverine, Class of Heroes, Crimson Gem Saga, Lords of Magic, or any of a number of games from my backlog. Who are we kidding though? It'll probably be mostly Atlantica.

Purple Santa

07-31-2009, 06:40 PM

My options for my next big game already on hand are:

1."Little King Story"- I picked up for $12 after some trade ins last week but haven't even popped it in yet.

4. Uncharted- Only have a couple of levels left, I think. The gunplay still never gelled with me and while I enjoy the game ok, it never really grabbed me yet. I'm at the part where I just left the other two characters to venture into the city of the dead.

Any suggestions on what would be the most enjoyable of that bunch?
I'd suggest Uncharted just to finish. I'm almost positive the end will annoy you in some way. Not saying you shouldn't...I think there was some sentiment about it...and Gorvi mentioned the "twist" so there is that to look forward too...I think you might be slogging through just to finish so I don't know if I really want to vote for it.

I'd say with a clearer conscious, play Little King's Story. I haven't the chance to play it, but been following it since Avnovice posted the first sighting of this game. I think it has a lot of charm...and Spigot is saying to play it which usually is a good recommendation (just look past the Blue Dragon bias and he's a good indicator of an enjoyable game :p). So I vote for LKS...
You, sir, are one sick man. I love it!
BB certainly is. I'm so glad he's back from his quiet sabbatical. It's great to have him back around these parts of CoG.
I have a bachelor party this weekend, so not much.

Alright...beer and hookers...nice weekend ;)

Flower, Sun & Rain (DS) - I'm with Purple Santa on this game. I haven't had a chance to really sit down and let its wierdness wash over me, but if I don't get to it soon, I'll be putting it back in its case and leaving it on the shelf until sometime laterif I'm in the year.

And if I'm REALLY inspired, I'll fire up Silent Hill: Origins tonight.
The more I think about FS&R the more likely it's going back to play another day. I just don't think I can wrap my mind around that weirdness at the moment.

And hell yes...finish up Silent Hill: Origins if you can. I want to know your take on the ending. Although a better ending is when you replay it and satisfy a particular requirement to receive that ending. It elaborates on a theme for the character that nagged at me but didn't pan out with the ending I received. After some digging well...it's a disturbing little story that's all i'll say...

Spigot

07-31-2009, 06:46 PM

Spigot, don't you *work* at a game-related company?HAHAHHAHAHAHAHA.

I wish.

Nah, I work at a residential group home with individuals with developmental disabilities and behaviour issues. My recent promotion did make me second in command at the location though, so I COULD spend most of my days playing games... but then I'd be setting a bad example for the rest of the lazy bums around there :)

The nice thing about the job is that the guys love to play video games and they have a 4 hour block of time every night to play, so if I have my paperwork done and everyone is chillin', I can either join them in whatever they're playing, help them get past a spot where they are stuck or just lounge in a chair while they do their thing and work on one of my DS/PSP games.

Those days are getting fewer and fewer as my actual work-related responsibilities seem to be piling up higher and higher. That said, I'm working a bunch of overnight shifts in August and those are basically pure movie-watching/game-playing buckets of fun. Until about 5am, when it's pretty much impossible to stay awake.

Doctor Setebos

07-31-2009, 07:28 PM

So, apparently my son went to his aunt's house this afternoon, and apparently played a bunch of LEGO Batman with my nephew. He then apparently borrowed the game and we apparently just spent all evening playing it together.

I've never before played a LEGO [LICENSED PROPERTY] game before, but I sure as hell won't be missing any now. Holy crap, is that a lot of fun! Especially with all the co-op teamwork challenges. Such a blast! And it seems to be right at the outer edge of my 6-year-old's limited gaming capabilities. Just enough of a challenge, but not too frustrating. Lovely worksmanship, TT Games.

Excuse me while I go add every existing LEGO [LICENSED PROPERTY] Wii game to my Goozex queue. :D

maharahaj

07-31-2009, 07:38 PM

I just finished inFamous and oh man, what a great game that was. I played the "Good Karma" route and got all the good or neutral based trophies available except the one where you have to complete all 21 stunts. It took me literally a 1/3rd of the game to complete the "shoot 3 enemies off the roof in one shock wave blast" leaving me with 4 more to do and no desire to do them. I'd like to play it again soon and do the dark karma route, but I think I'll hold off for a bit. It was quite the relief when I found the final shard too.

I have a hankering to replay Uncharted. I have only beat it once; maybe I'll load it up to give my 5.1 surround sound system a workout.

I should also get back to Fallout 3, since I've gotten the first 3 DLCs but have yet to play them.

Also, some Wipeout HD Fury because Wipeout is awesome.

Spigot

07-31-2009, 07:42 PM

Goonch

07-31-2009, 08:06 PM

Just finished the IL-2 Sturmovik:Birds of Prey demo. This will definitely be a purchase for me.

Time to go see how my Sims 3 peeps are doing.

Kielaran

07-31-2009, 08:23 PM

Tie a firecracker to a long stick. Light the fuse and hold it right under the nest. This will not harm them, but the shock will initiate the migration instinct and they will fly off to restart the colony far away.

Hmm, something doesn't seem right here, but I can't put my finger on it. I will return after trying and maybe I will have figured it out by then.

Be sure to do this in the nude as wasps are attracted to the chemicals used in laundry detergents and dryer sheet compounds.

Way ahead of you!:D

Stoke

07-31-2009, 09:37 PM

Snagged Flabby Royalty from the PSN this morning. So far it's pretty fun when I manage to get into a game that's not lagging too bad to play. The matches take a long time since there isn't any team work so I'm hoping people start getting their act together soon. I don't know how much longer this is going to be fun if each match takes 45 minutes. Also I haven't figured out how to change the look of my character since navigating the menus is a puzzle all it's own.

Purple Santa

08-01-2009, 01:18 AM

Spigot, don't you *work* at a game-related company?

He certainly plays enough games when working, one would think he does. Despite what he tells us what he does...I think he's secretly working for Ubisoft somewhere ;)

I didn't care for Lego Indy though. It just didn't feel right.
Lego Indy was a letdown for the franchise IMO. I can't say i'm a over the top lover of the series but played the usual suspects and enjoyed them enough. I made the mistake of buying Lego Indy, and it's the last Lego mistake I would make. I stick to renting them and a purchase if I find it cheap enough. I thought Lego Batman was very clever, with the humor topnotch..well for a Lego game :D

Doogie2K

08-01-2009, 01:31 AM

I'm starting to understand how the rest of you felt in the 80s. I mean, it's frustrating dying for the hundredth time in the same level and having the game tell you that maybe you should go lie down before you hurt yourself, but when you beat the World 1 boss, it feels sooooooooooooooooo good. And the really cool thing is, while I had to check a video playthrough a couple of times to make sure I was doing the right thing, and not missing something, I'm figuring this thing all out for myself; the videos haven't shown me anything new, just reassured me that I'm not a 'tard. Still, bit of a subtle reminder I lean on walkthroughs too often sometimes. Very rewarding to figure out and beat a good challenge without help.

And now bed.

EternalGamer

08-01-2009, 01:53 AM

I came THIS close to buying Lego Batman for 360 for $20 new at EB the other day. I will probably snag it when I get back home, though I still have the SW Complete Saga sitting barely touched at home. Sigh.

I didn't care for Lego Indy though. It just didn't feel right.

Lego Indy is trash. The main problem is that almost all the enemies have guns and your characters usually don't. Getting shot off screen always sucks in videogames, but even more so when there are seemingly endless strings of enemies and your character has no defensive repercussions. And the "puzzles" weren't really anything more than trial and error. I never bothered finishing it.

Spigot

08-01-2009, 10:55 AM

Hey Purps,

Give FS&R another shot. I sat down with it last night and got a little further in the game and it has become a game where I feel VERY satisfied when I figure out the clue to a puzzle. Everything is in there, waiting for you to figure things out. It's just not always apparent which clue you need to be following... and that's ok. I'm starting to get a handle on the strange logic required of this game and can't wait to get some time tonight to sink into it.

Unfortunately, my gaming time has been very sparse this weekend as my daughter has developed a DELIGHTFUL new habit when we visit other places. That habit is, well, not sleeping. At all. Ever. She basically has to be wrestled into submission and hugged to sleep for 20 minutes or so before she finally exhausts whatever inhuman power battery is supplying her with energy. I swear, I'm expecting her to just take a running jump and fly off into the sunset these days with all of the energy she seems to have.

By the time I was able to finally sit down and turn on my DS last night, it was after midnight and I'd spent at least 40 minutes or so wrangling my kid. At least her brother has been playing with the kid next door and wearing himself out during the day so I only have to corral one kid.

Kel, you've been warned!

Anyway, I'm off to collect some more treasures in Treasure World. I might be able to pass the 6000 stars cleaned goal today if I can find a few apartment buildings to saunter by surreptitiously.

Spigot

08-01-2009, 10:59 AM

He certainly plays enough games when working, one would think he does. Despite what he tells us what he does...I think he's secretly working for Ubisoft somewhere ;)Ug. That'd involve me moving to Montreal. No thanks :)
I made the mistake of buying Lego Indy, and it's the last Lego mistake I would make. I stick to renting them and a purchase if I find it cheap enough. I thought Lego Batman was very clever, with the humor topnotch..well for a Lego game :D
I have rented all of the lego games at some point and like them, but have never felt that they were worth spending more than about $20-25 on. I was shocked to see Lego Batman so cheap so soon though. I enjoyed what I played of it back when it came out...

I know that Lego Battles on the DS isn't anything like the Lego <blank> games but I'd like to hear more from people who have tried it. I wouldn't mind taking it for a spin some time...

Kelegacy

08-01-2009, 11:26 AM

Purple Santa

08-01-2009, 01:48 PM

I popped in Grid this morning and good god is that a nice racing game. I don't know what to pop in now...maybe I'll try out Battlefield Bad Company.

Also picked up one of those Imperial Series Sam Adams 4-packs today. The White Ale is 10.3% alcohol, so even with 4 beers I should be able to get as much as buzz as nearly 10 regular beers I think. We're having an outing today and wanted to be taken care of.

I've said this before on Grid...a fun racing game that I didn't put enough time into. It's a game I should put on the buy list so it can collect dust with the other games.

And Kel, don't drink all the beer before I can get there :p

@Spigot: I"m going to pop in FS&R tonight to give it more time...

Gorvi

08-01-2009, 02:04 PM

I started up Heavenly Sword when the kids went down for a nap today. Good game so far, with some great character animation and acting, especially Bohan. It figures, since it's that guy from LoTR. I'm on the boss fight with some Fox guy, but had to shut it off.

Oh, and PixelJunk Eden finally clicked for me. I bought it for $5 a few weeks back but had only messed with it a little, not quite getting why people enjoyed it. Now that I've played it a bit more I really really like it.

Arphahat

08-01-2009, 02:43 PM

Well, first and foremost, I will be putting effort into my short story for CoG's Two-Fisted Action (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?t=10694) pulp anthology. Any writers here who missed out on this thread, there is still plenty of time for contributions.

As for actual "games", I will likely be playing:

Sword of the Stars: I've taken to playing my single player games with a crazy, one-minute / turn timer. My biggest issue was that the game seemed to get dull at points, and now I am being pushed through those areas of the game at a breakneck pace. Definitely a fun time.

Cake Mania 2 & 3: I picked up the Cake Mania Collection a couple of weekends ago during the Steam Weekend sale. The hectic pace of the games is a blast. I finished the story mode (which for a cake baking game really is off-the-wall) in 2, but really enjoy the endless mode there. I'll also being working on the story in CM3.

I've been itching for some Railroad Tycoon 2 which I've played before but picked up as part of the Railroad Tycoon pack during Steam's crazy holiday sale at the beginning of the year. I don't know if I'll get to this one, or one of the many other games in my Steam list that I haven't played, yet. But, I am confident about the first three items.

Doogie2K

08-01-2009, 04:22 PM

Ug. That'd involve me moving to Montreal. No thanks :)

You talkin' shit about Montreal? Well, I have no response because I only spent two weeks there, so you go right ahead, I guess. Though you could also move to Toronto, now that they're starting that one up.

SenatorSpacer

08-01-2009, 04:26 PM

W00T! Just finished 'Splosion Man today, probably the most random and awesome ending for a video game in a long time. Fantastic game, can be really hard, but it's really fun at the same time.

Moving on to Valkyria Chronicles. And more 1943 and Gears 2 Horde.

jpublic

08-01-2009, 05:57 PM

Re: Grid

Dear god someone tell me that your teammate gets more useful over time. That guy couldn't be worse if he was blind.

zarathstra

08-01-2009, 06:20 PM

Spigot

08-01-2009, 06:21 PM

@Spigot: I"m going to pop in FS&R tonight to give it more time...Good on ya. It's still very odd and random, but there is a narrative emerging and the sense of solving the puzzles is immensely gratifying.

I started up Heavenly Sword when the kids went down for a nap today. Good game so far, with some great character animation and acting, especially Bohan. It figures, since it's that guy from LoTR. I'm on the boss fight with some Fox guy, but had to shut it off.
I enjoyed Heavenly Sword up until the SECOND fight with Flying Fox. Most broken boss fight, ever. At least, most broken boss fight that makes you use the deflect move that you've never had to use more than once before in the entire game and then force you to use sixaxis motion controls to get pinpoint accuracy on a moving target ever. I just walked away after that fight. I was kind of annoyed because I was SO close to the ending and quibbles aside, it was a fun game.

I'd buy it if they ever dropped the cost to something remotely reasonable for a 2-3 year old game.

You talkin' shit about Montreal? Well, I have no response because I only spent two weeks there, so you go right ahead, I guess. Though you could also move to Toronto, now that they're starting that one up.Toronto isn't very far from the sleepy little burg I call home. I'd be tempted, if I had any game design/programming skills whatsoever. My only real game skill is to find discontinued games for great prices and to spend far too much money on games that will sit unplayed for ages.

And you guys are funny with your non-alcoholic beer. Our water has 10.5% alcohol!

I got past that hellacious hover-board section in Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters and am wowed with how gorgeous this game is on the PSP. I'm going to be playing either R&C:SM or FS&R tonight once I subdue the wee ones.

rein

08-01-2009, 06:29 PM

And you guys are funny with your non-alcoholic beer. Our water has 10.5% alcohol!

..once I subdue the wee ones. A tall glass of water should do the trick. :p

I played a few more hours of Persona 4 and a little bit of Fat Princess online. Really liking chubs the princess. My gosh what an awesome idea for a PSN game. I'm not sure it really matters but I kind of wish I had studied a little more in P4 to raise my knowledge and get the best test score on my mid-terms. I got the top ten but it kind of sucks I missed out on the number one spot. I feel so dumb now. :o

Arphahat

08-01-2009, 07:46 PM

A bit of advice I gleaned from the SotS forums: if the battle is moving slowly, you can increase or decrease the time compression by hitting CTRL+ PAGEUP/PAGE DOWN.

Thanks! I did know that, though. My issue with the "slow moving parts" are outside of battle. It is too easy to get hung up on checking every detail of every planet every turn. Unless, of course, you only have a minute for that whole turn.

maharahaj

08-01-2009, 07:55 PM

Re: Grid

Dear god someone tell me that your teammate gets more useful over time. That guy couldn't be worse if he was blind.

You can fire him buy hiring someone else. My final teammate was ranked 13 or 14....all the ones higher up were always on other teams. I would say half the time, my final guy would come in 2nd.

Doogie2K

08-01-2009, 09:09 PM

And you guys are funny with your non-alcoholic beer. Our water has 10.5% alcohol!

Wait, who is that aimed at? It's under a quote from me, but I'm from Calgary, and we know what beer is here, so that can't be it. ;)

EternalGamer

08-01-2009, 11:38 PM

I played "My French Coach" on DS for several hours today to brush up on my French in preparation for my trip to Quebec next week. It's actually not a bad piece of software. It's not going to help you learn complex syntax, but as a basic vocabulary trainer, it is fairly entertaining. It's interesting that they have taken a "leveling up" mechanic from RPGs and put it in this software. You start off at a "preschool" level and earn points to increase your level by doing vocabulary excercises. Even within the specific sets of vocabulary words, you "level up" each individual word or phrase every time you get it right until you gain mastery over all the words in that set and move to the next level.

It also has a pretty good built in dictionary with pronunciation and reverse look up. And you can save particular words or phrases to a quick list. It even lets you record your own voice and compare it to its own pronunciation by playing your recorded voice simultaneously with the demonstrated pronunciation.

I think I'm going to pick up a couple of copies of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles for the DS for the trip (saw it at Target for $19.99) to make the plane rides and layovers a lot more enjoyable with some co-op play.

EternalGamer

08-02-2009, 01:44 AM

I also played through around 5 levesl of 'Splosion Man (somewhere around 2-6 through 2-12) and the levels keep getting cooler (loved that scrolling elevator level and the most recent water one). I one shotted one level and it was like an amazing 2 minutes of platforming zen. The game is just incredibly well designed in that it teaches you everything you need to know as you go so that if you are on your toes, you can clear incredibly complex chains on the first attempt.

Kelegacy

08-02-2009, 06:06 AM

Awesome deals. I need to get back into my bargain hunting ways. I doubt I will ever reach your skill level but at least I can try. :)

Definitely looking forward to getting the F out of here (work) today. I want to watch me some Eureka and play some P4 damn it! Fortunately I have been tied up with my own little project so everyone has left me alone today.

I'm going in tomorrow with another huge list and hope the same girl is working there. If not, I won't care much. I don't want to get greedy.

I want to start a CoG Bargain Hunter Group. I've been thinking about it lately. For clearances and sales in national chains/department stores mostly, but whatever. If my Target doesn't have FEAR 2 for $15 on clearance but yours does or has another game, we could trade or just pick up the title at cost for the other person. I think that's a rewarding experience and I've done it many times. Too often people on those other deal sites go in and buy 10 copies of the same game and flip them at Gamestop or sell them for 200% markup. It pisses me off when I see it. With a CoG Bargain Group we could watch out for each others' backs.

I may start up a thread here soon, gauge interest. Even if we had just a few people, that's another set of eyes at the sales at different stores around the country. I think Canadians could even benefit from it greatly, since our sales seem to be more frequent than theirs. A group like this is based on friendship and kindness, which I think is abundant at CoG. Why else would you help another gamer get a game for $5 or $10 on clearance?

And Purple, I still haven't mailed those games out yet. I hope you're not too irritated. Been a bit busy this week. And I don't even have your address still...I don't think. I thought I had it around here but no dice.

Spigot

08-02-2009, 07:08 AM

Wait, who is that aimed at? It's under a quote from me, but I'm from Calgary, and we know what beer is here, so that can't be it. ;)Sorry, I should have quoted the other quote about people being excited with 10.5% alcohol in their beer.

I played "My French Coach" on DS for several hours today to brush up on my French in preparation for my trip to Quebec next week. Ah, you poor thing. You need the My Franglais Coach if you're going to Quebec (man, that's the second dig at la belle province I've made in this thread this week). Seriously though, those My (blank) Coach 'games' are pretty good. I've mucked around with the Japanese Coach version and was quite impressed, though I need to actually carve out a chunk of time on a daily/weekly basis to try and study the lessons it gives.

I want to start a CoG Bargain Hunter Group. I've been thinking about it lately ... I think Canadians could even benefit from it greatly, since our sales seem to be more frequent than theirs. A group like this is based on friendship and kindness, which I think is abundant at CoG. Why else would you help another gamer get a game for $5 or $10 on clearance?I'd be down for this. I wish we had as many good and deep discounts/sales as you guys do. I'll stumble upon a good deal every so often, but it's very rare to find the kind of outright bargains that you guys seem to have on a daily basis.

Back to the matters at hand:

Flower, Sun & Rain... I'm starting to alternately love and hate you. The game even makes comments about how satisfying it is to figure out the solution to a complex puzzle, but man. It seems as though the solutions to the core story puzzles aren't terribly difficult and there tends to be a lot of hints and roundabout discussion about what you'll need to reference to figure them out. The other puzzles to locate the missing items in every 'day' of the game... THOSE are pissing me off. I always seem to be able to figure out 1 or 2 solutions and then the item I find to work on requires the answer to the 3rd mindbender. Grr.

Still, the very odd, Groundhog Day-esque storyline is drawing me in. I think the biggest hang-up I'm having about FS&R is that it's presented in a way that makes you think it's a standard adventure game but it's got so many elements that seem to work perpendicular to the way you think the game should work that it is very difficult to get into a groove. Something like Killer7 disposed with any pretense of normalcy right off the bat, so I was able to glom onto its strange logic instinctively. My adventure game roots keep making me want to try to play FS&R in ways it refuses to play, which is driving me nuts!

rein

08-02-2009, 07:50 AM

I'm going in tomorrow with another huge list and hope the same girl is working there. If not, I won't care much. I don't want to get greedy.

I want to start a CoG Bargain Hunter Group. I've been thinking about it lately. For clearances and sales in national chains/department stores mostly, but whatever. If my Target doesn't have FEAR 2 for $15 on clearance but yours does or has another game, we could trade or just pick up the title at cost for the other person. I think that's a rewarding experience and I've done it many times. Too often people on those other deal sites go in and buy 10 copies of the same game and flip them at Gamestop or sell them for 200% markup. It pisses me off when I see it. With a CoG Bargain Group we could watch out for each others' backs.

I may start up a thread here soon, gauge interest. Even if we had just a few people, that's another set of eyes at the sales at different stores around the country. I think Canadians could even benefit from it greatly, since our sales seem to be more frequent than theirs. A group like this is based on friendship and kindness, which I think is abundant at CoG. Why else would you help another gamer get a game for $5 or $10 on clearance?

And Purple, I still haven't mailed those games out yet. I hope you're not too irritated. Been a bit busy this week. And I don't even have your address still...I don't think. I thought I had it around here but no dice.
I would definitely be interested.

zarathstra

08-02-2009, 10:19 AM

Spigot

08-02-2009, 11:05 AM

Flower, Sun & Rain continues to astound and confound. Played it for a good hour or two this morning and am on about 'day' 5 or so. Thankfully some of the fetch-quest puzzles got a little more straightforward and the narrative is getting delightfully strange. It's funny to have a character in the game that breaks the 4th wall continuously (something that might annoy people but that I absolutely love to see happen in a variety of media) and it's also heartening to see that the character I'm controlling is as befuddled by the events of the game as I am.

EternalGamer

08-02-2009, 11:35 AM

I played about 4 more levels of 'Splosion Man this morning. I'm up to 3-2 now. Level design continues to impress me. I loved the part where you have to practice volleying yourself between two barrels while reflecting a robots missiles or shooting a barrel up in the air to run and catch it when it came down on the other side. There are new concepts and challenges being introduced constantly but all of them stem from the very simple and intuitive gameplay mechanics. I think this is my favorite game this year, so far.

Gorvi

08-02-2009, 03:15 PM

I think I'm in love with PixelJunk Eden.....

Spigot

08-02-2009, 03:25 PM

I think I'm in love with PixelJunk Eden.....Do you have Encore as well or just the basic game. The gardens in Encore are amazing.

Gorvi

08-02-2009, 03:27 PM

Do you have Encore as well or just the basic game. The gardens in Encore are amazing.
Just the basic. Honestly, up until yesterday I couldn't see what people liked about the game. As soon as I finish the base game's garden's I'll be getting Encore, though, I can't get enough. :)

EternalGamer

08-02-2009, 03:50 PM

I "beat" "My French Coach" today. Blew threw all 50 lessons in two days. Although, it does have a nice "open lesson" where it will just throw random words at you that you haven't seen from the extensive dictionary. Again, as a vocabulary builder/refresher it's very good. I don't expect it to get my conversational French back up to speed. But at least I should be able to order off of the menus next week.

I got a $20 giftcard from Best Buy's rewards program in the mail yesterday that apparently has to be used by the 8th of August and I'll be gone until then. So I guess I'm headed up to Best Buy this afternoon to find something to spend it on so it doesn't expire. Not really anything I can think of that I really want off the top of my head, but I'm sure I can always find a way to spend $20 in a place that has videogame wares.

Purple Santa

08-02-2009, 04:15 PM

I want to start a CoG Bargain Hunter Group. I've been thinking about it lately. For clearances and sales in national chains/department stores mostly, but whatever. If my Target doesn't have FEAR 2 for $15 on clearance but yours does or has another game, we could trade or just pick up the title at cost for the other person. I think that's a rewarding experience and I've done it many times. Too often people on those other deal sites go in and buy 10 copies of the same game and flip them at Gamestop or sell them for 200% markup. It pisses me off when I see it. With a CoG Bargain Group we could watch out for each others' backs.
I think this would be a great idea. I floated something like this a while back, commenting on something similar so hell yes, go for it.

And Purple, I still haven't mailed those games out yet. I hope you're not too irritated. Been a bit busy this week. And I don't even have your address still...I don't think. I thought I had it around here but no dice.
No worries my northern neighbored friend. I'll send a PM with my address. No rush on the mailing...you did me a great favor, that's all i'm seeing.

Flower, Sun & Rain... I'm starting to alternately love and hate you. The game even makes comments about how satisfying it is to figure out the solution to a complex puzzle, but man. It seems as though the solutions to the core story puzzles aren't terribly difficult and there tends to be a lot of hints and roundabout discussion about what you'll need to reference to figure them out. The other puzzles to locate the missing items in every 'day' of the game... THOSE are pissing me off. I always seem to be able to figure out 1 or 2 solutions and then the item I find to work on requires the answer to the 3rd mindbender. Grr.

Still, the very odd, Groundhog Day-esque storyline is drawing me in. I think the biggest hang-up I'm having about FS&R is that it's presented in a way that makes you think it's a standard adventure game but it's got so many elements that seem to work perpendicular to the way you think the game should work that it is very difficult to get into a groove. Something like Killer7 disposed with any pretense of normalcy right off the bat, so I was able to glom onto its strange logic instinctively. My adventure game roots keep making me want to try to play FS&R in ways it refuses to play, which is driving me nuts!
Flower, Sun & Rain continues to astound and confound. Played it for a good hour or two this morning and am on about 'day' 5 or so. Thankfully some of the fetch-quest puzzles got a little more straightforward and the narrative is getting delightfully strange. It's funny to have a character in the game that breaks the 4th wall continuously (something that might annoy people but that I absolutely love to see happen in a variety of media) and it's also heartening to see that the character I'm controlling is as befuddled by the events of the game as I am.

Just when i'm convinced i'm not up to playing this game...you lure me back in...if you started a cult I would be your first follower...

Lazy...lazy...lazy...that's been my gaming so far this weekend. While visiting my parents I played lots of TW '10 and haven't been motivated to play anything else. I have classes starting in less than a month so I need to clear out what I want to finish and what needs to be stored away again.

Spigot

08-02-2009, 04:38 PM

Just when i'm convinced i'm not up to playing this game...you lure me back in...if you started a cult I would be your first follower...I hope so. I need someone to hold the hems of my robe.

Seriously though, give the game a try when you're somewhat conscious and realize that the hidden items (the things just tucked here and there in the environment) aren't truly necessary for progressing the story. How much they'll matter later in the game when I am hauled before the judgement seat, I know not, but as far as moving the plot forward, they're not necessary. That said, it's ever so nice to figure one out.

The odd remixes of classical music are cool too.

Doogie2K

08-02-2009, 04:51 PM

I got a $20 giftcard from Best Buy's rewards program in the mail yesterday that apparently has to be used by the 8th of August and I'll be gone until then. So I guess I'm headed up to Best Buy this afternoon to find something to spend it on so it doesn't expire. Not really anything I can think of that I really want off the top of my head, but I'm sure I can always find a way to spend $20 in a place that has videogame wares.

We have a large number of Best Buys in Canada, nine of them in the province of Quebec (http://www.bestbuy.ca/FSStoreLocator/Cities.asp?prov=QC&logon=&langid=EN), though now that I look it up, eight of them are in either Montreal itself or Greater Montreal, and the other is in Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa. Dunno where you're going, but if it's not near Montreal or Ottawa-Gatineau, you may be SOL. Future Shop is a related store that exists solely up north here, and is in a few more places (http://www.futureshop.ca/FSStoreLocator/Cities.asp?prov=Quebec&logon=&langid=EN). They might take them, too, though I couldn't tell you for sure, having never tried.

Oh, and @Kelegacy: Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

Kelegacy

08-02-2009, 06:25 PM

Spigot

08-02-2009, 07:12 PM

Doogie, I think that it's probably pretty unlikely that the Best Buys up here will accept EG's gift card from the states. They rarely works across borders...s

jpublic

08-02-2009, 07:12 PM

We have a large number of Best Buys in Canada, nine of them in the province of Quebec (http://www.bestbuy.ca/FSStoreLocator/Cities.asp?prov=QC&logon=&langid=EN), though now that I look it up, eight of them are in either Montreal itself or Greater Montreal, and the other is in Gatineau, across the river from Ottawa. Dunno where you're going, but if it's not near Montreal or Ottawa-Gatineau, you may be SOL. Future Shop is a related store that exists solely up north here, and is in a few more places (http://www.futureshop.ca/FSStoreLocator/Cities.asp?prov=Quebec&logon=&langid=EN). They might take them, too, though I couldn't tell you for sure, having never tried.

Future Shop *is* Best Buy.

*shh* Don't tell anyone.

Camel

08-02-2009, 07:18 PM

Alright, so I don't know when and how it happened, but there is a huge door on the base floor of Tartarus now. I went in, fought three enemies, picked the level 10 experience card, and got 25k experience. NICE!

I am on January 21, and am bummed that I am not going to complete all of my social links. I did kill Death earlier, however, so WOO for that! I am currently level 80, and am looking forward to beating the game and moving on to P4 (or maybe FFXII, but I am pretty addicted to Persona's style for now and need more!).

EDIT: I did complete all of the social links that didn't require certain levels of courage/academics/charm, however. I really wasted a lot of time leveling those aspects up and it prevented me from opening up a bunch of social links until it was too late. :(

SUPER DOUBLE EDIT: Ok, it is just silly how much experience I am getting in Monad. I definitely might try for level 90 so I can get some of those ridiculous high level Personas like Messiah.

Spigot

08-02-2009, 07:27 PM

P4 does a much nicer job of boosting several social links or stats at once, which at least makes it feel like you're making more progress.

Good on ya though, Camel. I'm going to be doing a couple of overnights when I go back to work this week and I'm very tempted to bring in my PS2 and P3 to work on, though with my luck they'll have moved the decent TV down to the basement. If only I could load up P3 on my PSP...

jpublic

08-02-2009, 09:04 PM

Camel - that's the special dungeon. You can level up MAJORLY there.

Camel

08-02-2009, 09:23 PM

Camel - that's the special dungeon. You can level up MAJORLY there.
I'll say! This place is ridiculous. I was thinking that I would just push ahead to the last boss and not really level up all that much, but now I really want to go for at least 90. Fortunately, I go up a level after every couple of fights it seems.

Unfortunately, however, I lost a good bit of time after one of my vorpal blades went all snicker snack on me when it was reflected. That's what I get for using such a hard-hitting move on an enemy I didn't scan first. :(

jpublic

08-02-2009, 09:39 PM

Aim for the Armageddon Fusion. Makes the end boss a joke. :D

Variable Gear

08-02-2009, 09:44 PM

Braid. I've got about nine puzzle pieces to go!

Doogie2K

08-02-2009, 11:44 PM

Future Shop *is* Best Buy.

*shh* Don't tell anyone.

That's what I was getting at with "related store." Like Zellers and The Bay, except not even pretending to have different shit. ;)

pomeroy

08-03-2009, 12:19 AM

Is it a titty bachelor party or just a sausage fest?

Lots of titties.

pomeroy

08-03-2009, 12:26 AM

Purple Santa

08-03-2009, 05:21 AM

I have a copy of Ninja Gaiden II if anyone wants to trade or buy it. I picked it up for $5 the other day to trade with a guy on CAG, but then I got the game I wanted (Dead Space) at the store without having to trade. Purple, if you are interested I can toss it in with the other two. I already own a copy. If not, someone else can have it. I can't take it back because it's a used game.

Thanks for the offer but NG is a bit out of my league when it comes to gaming. My frustration level is to low to play a game like that. Trial and error in a game like 'Splosion Man, I don't mind. A game like NG...i'd be breaking the controller to often. Thanks again though.
Alright, so I don't know when and how it happened, but there is a huge door on the base floor of Tartarus now. I went in, fought three enemies, picked the level 10 experience card, and got 25k experience. NICE!

You found the secret dungeon I didn't find. I forgot about that when I was nearing the end. I should of made an effort to find that since as you have found out...getting XP is ridiculously easy. You should have no problems with the end boss now.
Braid. I've got about nine puzzle pieces to go!
This game taunts me every time I turn on my Xbox. Taunting me how dumb I am that I haven't figured out all the puzzles yet...stupid game (said in Homer like voice).
Lots of titties.
Woohoo! Someone had a good bachelor party experience...
Hell, if no one has jumped on this yet, I'd take it. I don't really have shit to trade, but I can throw some cash your way.
Take it. Kelegacy is a trustworthy soul. Of course he owns my soul so I have to say that...

And my gaming ended with me nodding off playing Treasure World...treasure hunting will have to wait...for now onto the WeekDay here (http://www.colonyofgamers.com/cogforums/showthread.php?p=326821#post326821) ...