Outline · [ Standard ] · Linear+ Play, Want, Bin, February 2010 edition

[Garwoofoo]

It's that time of the month again.

Play
Mass Effect. Everyone seems to describe this as a fairly short game but it's not really if you do all the side-missions and DLC - as I am discovering. 22 hours in so far and probably around halfway through. I'm thoroughly enjoying it though, it's very cinematic and now I've turned the difficulty down even the shonky combat isn't annoying me any more.

Dragon Age. Two BioWare games on the go at the same time - I am spoiled. This is probably even better than Mass Effect; it has an extraordinary amount of content, virtually no filler, some superb dialogue and is just hugely entertaining to play. I might even finish it one day, though I've just bought even more DLC for it and the expansion is out in two months!

Katamari Forever. There's more in it than I thought, and it's still my go-to game for when I only have short periods of time available.


Want
Demon's Souls. Apparently hard as nails; well there's no escaping it now because I'm definitely getting it for my birthday this month. Really looking forward to this one.

Mass Effect 2. Though probably not this month as I have to finish the first one and will then play something else in between.

Uncharted 2. When I find it cheap.

Monster Hunter Tri. It comes bundled with Wii Speak and a new controller (as if I didn't already have enough controllers for the Wii). It could be amazing. We'll see.


Bin
Uncharted 1. Really enjoyed it, but will play the sequel first before revisiting this one I think.

Lego Rock Band. Plugging through it out of a sense of duty more than anything. I'll enjoy it more when I get the opportunity to get my drums out, I'm sure.

[aniki]

Play
Mass Effect 2

Want
More time in which to play Mass Effect 2

Bin
Anything that isn't Mass Effect 2 and the playing thereof.

[Brian Bloodaxe]

Play
Mass Effect - I have a ton of new games to play but this has me hooked. I have done as many side missions as I can and Bringing Down The Sky and as much of Pinacle Station as I can with these characters so now it is on with the story!

Batman: Arkham Asylum - I actually haven't touched this since I went back to Mass Effect but I will. I'm at the first Scarecrow bit. It's been good so far but I am hoping it will get better.

Warlock of Firetop Mountain iPod - It's the original FF gamebook on the iPod. Awesome.

Black - A very satisfying FPS. Could do with a few more checkpoints or with being a little easier.

Want
Mass Effect 2 - I'll finish ME1 someday after all.
Assassin's Creed 2
Brutal Legend
Borderlands

Bin
Kitchens which try to electrocute you.

[statusjones]

Play

Borderlands - i thought i was out, but it pulled me back in (because i just can't say no to its charms) and just as i was starting on...

Mass Effect - after having it sit on the shelf for about a year or so i've finally gotten round to playing it; it's quite good, but has really grabbed me yet

Geometry Wars/Assault Heroes - every now and then i go back to these for a quick blast as i can manage to squeeze a quick game out of them and a bit of mindless shooting never goes amiss

Want

Capcom vs Tatsuthingummywhatsit - i'm a bit concerned about what the control method might be given it's on the wii, but well it's got Battle of the Planets types in it (which while unwatchable now was great back in the day)

Bin

nothing at the moment, though i'll probably think of something(s) shortly

edit: ah yes, my preorder for Dead Rising 2, the damn thing just keeps getting pushed back further and further (now to remember who it's with)

[Prole]

Play:

Forza 3 - probably for the rest of my life, the way things are going.

Darksiders - the patch to fix the tearing has made this a lot more fun, and I'm really starting to warm to it now.

OpFlash - We have playdates arranged and everything! Hooray!

Borderlands - hopefully. Would like to get all of Mad Moxy's achievements before the next batch of DLC.


Want

Uncharted 2
Dragon Age
To make more progress with Operation: Snow Leopard 2 so I can allow myself the luxury of purchasing these games.

Bin

John Terry. Not because of his private life (that's just confirming that he's a poor excuse for a human being), but just on point of principle.

[DoktorSeven]

PLAY

World of Warcraft - And it goes on, and on, and on. Got a druid up to 80 recently, and not a standard druid that most people do which is either healing (resto), DPS Balance or Tank Feral (bear). Oh no. I went with DPS Feral (cat), and loving it. Unconventional, but fun. That's me.

Team Fortress 2 - though it's starting to wear on me, having rediscovered this after finally having the server browser not take down my fucking internet connection, I've been playing this off and on for a while. I always return to the Heavy after experimenting with other "lesser" classes

Torchlight - Not quite as often as I'd like, but still playing. I guess it's sort of like Diablo in that I feel like I don't want to get sick of it, but when I play I play for what seems like forever.

Ancient MAME games - Been updating my LEGALLY ACQUIRED ENORMOUS LIST WHICH I OWN EVERY SINGLE ARCADE GAME EVER and finding odd, odd stuff to play as well as being able to play some old favorites as usual.

Doom - duh

WANT

Diablo III - OH GOD NEW SCREENSHOTS WHY DO THEY TEMPT ME SO

WoW Cataclysm - DUH.

BIN

L4D2 - I just feel I've gotten everything I can out of this. It's fun to play for a while but there are much better FPS out there, and I'd rather play those.

(M)Ass Effect 2 - I'M SICK OF HEARING ABOUT THIS GODDAMN GAME HOLY FUCK WHY DOES EVERYBODY DO NOTHING BUT TALK ABOUT THIS DAMN GAME MAKE IT STOP AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[Hapimeses]

Play
Dragon Age - Lindsay got this on PS3 for Christmas and I'm about to dabble again. It's shit in comparison to the PC version -- far more of a romp -- but I'm still enjoying it.
Mass Effect - Enjoying the replay so far. Picking up a Renegade save for ME2.
Mass Effect 2 - Tinkering with a second playthrough of this, but it's highlighted just how little depth there is in terms of extra exploration or different story paths.

And I'm going to start/revisit one of the following, but haven't decided which: Assassin's Creed 2, Borderlands, Brutal Legend, Fallout 3, or Mini Ninjas.

Want
Demon's Soul's - Almost imported it; changed my mind.
Heavy Rain - Really looking forward to this.

Bin
Nothing this month.

[JDubYes]

Play

Darksiders - I haven't been doing a lot of gaming, what with moving and stuff, and have barely scratched the surface, but I am liking it so far, despite finding the controls a little unwieldy. It's yet another take on the post-apocalyptic scenario, but I'm still fine with that, and even though it is reminiscent of lots of games (Zelda, God of War, Soul Reaver, Brutal Legend...), they are all ones I'm fond of (the imported elements) of.

Other than that, not much, though I have already finished both God of Wars and Bayonetta this year, and am intending to pick back up on BioShock (maybe pre-sequel), GTAIV and Borderlands if and when I get a chance.

Want

BioShock 2
Heavy Rain
FFXIII
God of War III

...and that's all in the next two months.

Bin

Annoyingly, I got rid of Bayonetta three days before the patch hit, but I may pick it up again when it drops in price and/or/if there's a summer games drought (most years it's a given, but the way this year is going...).

Having to get ready for work yesterday morning without running water.

[statusjones]

Want
AvP and for it to be as good as the one from ten years ago (ten years?!?)

[Garwoofoo]

Want
AvP and for it to be as good as the one from ten years ago (ten years?!?)

The original game was stonkingly good.

It's just been re-released on Steam for about three quid, too, all compatible with modern systems and it's even got support for the 360 pad. I'm very tempted to get it.

[Ianos]

Want
AvP and for it to be as good as the one from ten years ago (ten years?!?)

All signs point to you having to wait another ten years. Demo tomorrow though, so we can all judge for ourselves and not rely on the opinion of someone who sits near me.

Anyway:

Play
Borderlands - realised I've got a load of DLC to get through, and that I need to get to level 42 before I can reasonably take it on. OH WELL.

Dante's Inferno - just borrowed a copy, and it's actually quite good.

Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight - goes in the same pile as Half-Life 2 for 'why have no developers ripped off all of these ideas?-itis'

Want
Mass Effect 2 - hurry up, post. Seriously. I'll kill Royal Mail if this has customs charges on it.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - multiplayer may or may not be seriously, seriously excellent.

Heavy Rain - glowing reports from people whose opinions I trust, which is good.

Bin
MAG - it's shit, let's be honest.

Writing a blog a day - why did I sign up for this?

MAG again - it really is shit.

[CheddarFrenzy]

Play
Mass Effect 2 - enjoying this, but it's a very different beast to the first one. As stated in the main thread, it's easy to find criticisms but what it does, it does well.
Dragon Age - was making great progress on this until ME2 came along. Will definitely go back to it again once I'm done.

That'll probably keep me going for a week or two I think.

Want
Final Fantasy 13, it's very close now. Hopeful rather than excited from what I've read, but it's pre-ordered anyway.
Heavy Rain, can't decide whether to pre-order this. It looks intriguing, but with FF13 a couple of weeks later, I might hold off for a bit and pick it up on the cheap.

Bin
The fecking snow. It's back. 3 inches in Sheffield at the moment, causing chaos...

Play
Dragon Age - Lindsay got this on PS3 for Christmas and I'm about to dabble again. It's shit in comparison to the PC version -- far more of a romp -- but I'm still enjoying it.

I'm thoroughly enjoying it on the 360 but "romp" is a great description of it I think. What makes it shitter than the PC version, "just" the lack of a proper tactical overhead view? Or is there other stuff missing/different? Welcome back btw

[Luscan]

Bin

Writing a blog a day - why did I sign up for this?

Because it's easier than having a real job?


I say that as someone who tests games for a living.

[Hapimeses]

What makes it shitter than the PC version, "just" the lack of a proper tactical overhead view?  Or is there other stuff missing/different?  Welcome back btw

In terms of what the game offers, the two versions are effectively identical, but the console version plays completely differently, making it almost feel like a different game at points.

On PC, you get a bar of hot keys for all your powers. You need to use most of them, and do for most battles. Also, it's very easy to tightly control your party, so you do (or, at least, I do -- the hardest difficulty setting takes some thought for some of the battles). The tactical overview is almost essential for tough battles, so I grew used to using it a lot. You need to pause a lot to have time to make all the required choices. On lower difficulties this isn't all necessary, but as all the extra access is there to use, it does get used.

On console, accessing your powers is an absolute arse. I hardly use them. I have a few set up for repeat use and the rest languish, abandoned due to the lack of quick-access slots. However, it makes almost no difference. The difficulty is so much lower. I can charge through most situations and rely on my party to pick up the pieces (most times -- I find my party gets hurt far more often on the console version as I pay far less attention to them). I use a few powers repeatedly, and use healing to keep me in place. It quickly devolves into a Monty Haul romp through the adventure. This is so far from the tone of the PC version, which is a very tactical game (on higher difficulty; on lower difficulties, obviously, it's a bit of a romp there as well), that moving to console took a bit of adjustment (I was surprised at how easy it was). I'm used to PS3 versions of games being identical to PC games, but at a lower res. This isn't the case here. Dragon Age plays completely differently on PC if you want it to; the console version is stuck in romp mode.

To give an idea of those differences in practice, the console game is taking me about half the time to stomp through than the PC one, purely because I charge through the battles with little thought and with almost no pausing. On the PC, I'm pausing frequently, using all my powers, controlling most of the characters directly without problem, and almost no one ever falls (excepting in very difficult battles). On console, half my men are usually carrying a bunch of injuries in very little time, but I don't care the game is so easy, even on the hardest difficulty.

So, the console version is just a bit crap when compared to the PC version as it has less options, less control, and in just less of a game, overall. The PC covers all spectrums from the gung-ho to the very tactical, the console game is just a quick romp. Sure, this will probably suit most console owners, but I'm really pleased I bought the PC version.

Beyond all that, there is the obvious graphical differences as well. 1080p at highest settings does not compare favourably with the console's 720p at medium settings. Less on screen, blurrier text, more zoomed-in, more jaggies, and all the other normal stuff. And my PC kicks out a far higher fps. It's not hugely important in terms of the game (and I soon wasn't noticing it as I played), but it's worth pointing out.

So, the console version is a just a bit shit. Still, the two games are, in terms of content, identical, so the story will be the same, it's only the gaming experience that will be pretty different.

Or so I've found.

[CheddarFrenzy]

Interesting, cheers. I'd agree with your assessment of the console version - it's very awkward on the the 360 to accurately control all of your party members at the same time, it is virtually impossible to place them where you want them, and there are a huge number of powers etc I've never used. I acively choose passive traits during levelling up because I know they will be of more use than active ones, most of which I can't find when I want them. I tried doing it "properly" for the first ten or so hours, but found it very frustrating and have regressed to dropping the difficulty and playing it in an almost arcade style "romp mode" now. The story, world and dialogue carries it through, and I'm still really enjoying it, but it does feel strange having almost arcade style battles in a bioware game of this type. A bit like ME2 actually...

If I'd have had a PC capable of running it properly, I'd probably have gone for that version originally. This has been reinforced by your comments. If I end up updating my machine at some point, this will definitely be on my list of starter games.

[Ianos]

I tried doing it "properly" for the first ten or so hours, but found it very frustrating and have regressed to dropping the difficulty and playing it in an almost arcade style "romp mode" now. 

Glad to know I'm not the only one.

[Hapimeses]

Yeah, I'm doing exactly the same on PS3. I'm choosing passive powers first, and ignoring the vast majority of the other stuff. Then it's rompin' time!



Still fun, just not the same as having all the powers at the tip of your fingers and all the party members easy to select and control.

[cavalcade]

Is anyone playing the Heavy Rain demo? It seems to be getting near universal hate and pre-order cancelling rage.

[Ianos]

Doesn't surprise me in the slightest. I'm assuming the demo is the first few sections, which are the worst in the game. Not that it changes much, but you definitely get into it more beyond the first few chapters.

Oh yeah:

Play
Heavy Rain - we got promos early and I played that bitch to death. Opinions are embargoed for a while longer though, unfortunately. I can say the story actually, genuinely pulled the rug from under me.

[Mr Party Hat]

The demo is great, I can't imagine it actually put anyone off if they already had a pre-order. It plays exactly as every preview and video would suggest; it looks great, sounds great and seems like a unique idea.

I'm more convinced that it can work after playing the demo than I was before.