The Gaming Thread

[lordlundar]

My big two "Kill Shot" moments:

KH2: The final action in the final fight. When it pans around and you're going "Oh ****!" Then the frantic button pressing to end it.

Zone of the Enders 2: I had two moments. One was the second last boss fight. The camera was arranged in just the right position where it was over the boss' shoulder as my final strike right across the boss' face. One of those "My kingdom for a screencap option!"

The other is the final fight. It's pretty much popping around so the fight is confusing at best. Delivering the final blow in the fight itself is absolutely a blast.

[Chanlin]

MMM Old school RPG's

Speaking of I really liked some lesser spoken of titles

7th Saga

Dual Orb 2

Most if not all of the Tales series esp Tales of Phantasia and Tales of Symphonia.

DQ8 is actually the only out of the DQ games I've played and it was so so for me. My only complaint is that it seemed extremely slow at times. But it was otherwise well done.

And I know they have been mentioned many times, but I use these as an example. I recently picked up the Ace Attorney games again (IE Phoenix Wright) and started playing back through them in anticipation of the new one coming in February and I have to say what I think I like most about these games, aside from the challenge of solving the mysteries they present, is that the Games did a good job of using music to set the mood of the scenes. I still remember the first time I played the first one and got to hear the first cornered theme and how exciting it made the moment.

I still get the same type of chills/excitement every time I play through Crono Trigger and Crono steps into the teleporter to go and rescue Marle, or when you first see the destruction that Lavos reigns down on the world and you decide that against all odds you are going to do something about it (those that have played the game should know what I mean) These are really the defining moments of games.

For a long time I've considered making a blog about these moments and writing up reviews/articles of games that really make this feeling happen. I just don't get to game as much any more between work and school

Anyway I like to call these Kill Shot moments (mostly because they happen during victorious or heroic moments when you have just done something spectacularly difficult) but they are not always "Kill Shots" so to speak.

So heres a good question for those who follow the thread. What moment sticks out for you as really defining or exciting moments in a game?

[gunsage]

Yeah, definitely. Of course, one of the reasons I love it is because yet another oldschool concept...dying = half GP. A lot of "modern" RPGs are harsh in this to make up for their lack of difficulty. Harsh how? Harsh in that you die, IT'S OVER. You get to continue at your last save point. Now, true, most of those have save points right before bosses, multiple save points per dungeon, able to save on overworld map, etc. And that's where DQ8 is also oldschool in a very old, cheap way...absolute lack of save points, heavy emphasis on grinding, can only view exp to level up at churches, no auto-battle...you get the idea.

I mean, sure, it's not that big of a deal if you're an oldschool RPG fanatic, but newer gamers may be turned off by it, even with the flashy graphics and awesome story. In any case, I enjoy it, so ya'll can go blow goats.

[lordlundar]

yeah, the Dragon Quest series never was known for being easy (heck, they're known for the very same reasons that you mentioned) but still one of the best out there for old school RPG goodness.

[gunsage]

"Extremely modified" how? I hate Nascar, but I'm still interested because of the description. Over the weekend I put in 15 hours on Dragonquest 8. Here's the strange part...I'm just about to where I was previously. I think that's primarily because I'm using the guide more liberally as far as what I can or can't/shouldn't sell, how to effectively distribute skill points, etc. Unfortunately, I still have problems with enemies that have completely unbalanced attacks.

Unbalanced how? Well, for example, there's a deritive of hammerhoods (hammerfaces or something) that will often go into super high tension in one turn. So, the basic tactic is to try to wipe him out quick before his next turn comes around. Yes, that's wonderful, unless a number of your allies get cursed, put to sleep, etc. and he up and takes out one of your characters (often Jessica) while your characters corndog about. GRAAAARRR!!

It especially infuriates me because these enemies aren't that hard, actually, but just plain bad luck, not tactics, will often net them an unfair advantage the likes of which would cause aneurisms to any Vegas gambler. Beyond that, over the course of Saturday alone, I managed to pave my way into the first summer on Rune Factory with the first cave almost completely full of spring stuffs, just about completely plowing through the second caves "fields" and all monster huts with about four of them full.

I'll say it again...if you like Harvest Moon, there's a VERY good chance you'll like Rune Factory. And in more annoying news, I made a sale on Amazon. Why's that annoying? Well, in my rush to get out the door this morning, I remembered the game, my food, my supplements, my granola stuffs, pop...but not the money necessary for shipping. DAMMIT!!

The worst part is I sold this one for $40, so I want to get it out quick so as to keep my feedback high. Ugh. That's about it for me. But yes, I'm interested in hearing the modified how of the Nascar game.

[drunkenwildmage]

Ok.. A little late on the thread, but I'll throw my stuff in to.

I havn't games in a while, but when I did


Table top

Played

AD&D (2nd mostly, a little bit of third)
Battlelords
Shadowrun
Heros unlimited
Played in a traveler campaign that lasted all of 30 mins.
nightlife
Warewolf/Vampire
Battletech

Ran

Deadlands
Battlelords
Tales from the floating vagabond

Since then, the group went down from twice a week, to now, once every couple weeks or so, and I havn't had the time to get over there.



I have an 1st gen X-box, but don't play much on it... Maddan 07 from time to time, but that's about it

PC

Mostly RTS games

Age of Empires
Empire Earth
Roalroad Tycoon 2

And a EXTREMELY Modified version of NASCAR racing 2003

[gunsage]

Wow...I'm surprised this got pushed back as far as it did, but anyway. I did something...interesting on my days off. I went and started back up Dragonquest 8. Yeah...I hadn't played it in such a long time that even though I was fairly well into it (just after the abbott incident and somewhere around Yangus' hometown), I decided to just start over. If you haven't tried it, let me tell you...it's phenomenally great. Very old school and yet, a lot of excellent newer elements a la Level 5.

Besides that, it's not rare, so it's actually easy to come across and cheap. Now the guide, I'm not so sure, but I have both, so I don't care. And yes, you might want the guide for all the little collectibles, alchemy pot recipes, etc. This is one of those games where you really don't want to sell much of anything because you may end up using it later. Yeah...one of THOSE. On top of this, I made a little bit of progress with LOTR, some more progress on Rune Factory, and contemplated returning to Shadow Hearts...but didn't.

The only thing I hate about how many games I own is making a decision on what to play. For example, there are so many games that I'm either right at the end or very close that it's ridiculous and I should just up and beat them, but for whatever reason, I'm not interested. In fact, here's just off the top of my head...

- Front Mission 4. I don't know exactly how long the game is, but I'm pretty sure I'm within the last few missions.
- Kingdom Hearts 2. Beat the first one and I'm right at the last boss fight on the second...but I really hate the final parts of that fight and I've been completely unmotivated to try it again.
- Arc the Lad: Twilight of Spirits. I'm almost certain I'm right at the last area...but I have no idea how long it is, I know I've missed stuff in the game, and ultimately, I'm debating going back and getting it (restarting), but I'm not sure what I want to do.

Granted, that's not a lot of examples, but it shows you my general mindset with different games in general. It doesn't help that I'm highly indecisive. In any case, I'm wondering if I should do what I had been doing...keeping out one game per system and concentrating ONLY on those. I was actually able to make pretty good progress like that, but I stopped doing it for whatever reason (probably because I had either rented stuff or bought stuff and decided to end it).

Does this happen to anyone else? How do you keep yourself motivated to finish something?

[gunsage]

Heeeeeere we go...

BUT FIRST YET AGAIN!...!!!....?

I recently got Visual Pinball working. Good stuff. It's pinball emulation, folks. Yes, it's great...when it works. Very hit or miss, but still very fun, nonetheless.

NOW THEN...!...~

Ys was AWESOME. Here's the irony part...I played Ys 3 first for the SNES. The ironic part about that is it seems the be the one that everyone hates, but I'd love to see a GOOD remake of it. In fact, I had plans to do an unofficial remake of it, but I lack the development tools necessary...well, that and the motivation.

Dragonview was also a pretty bad ass game, but I never got very far in it. Drakkhen not so much, but Dragonview (it's sequel) is pretty great. Haven't tried the Lost Kingdoms, Crimson Sea 2, or Geist, but the others were pretty cool. By the way, did you try Megaman Legends 1 & 2? Good stuff, that. And I'm not saying FF8 was horrible, but well...it could've been better.

By the way, Chrono Cross wasn't meant to be a sequel to Chrono Trigger, but rather, Radical Dreamer. RD was, well...basically a text style adventure. More of an interactive fiction than anything. And yes, it was for the Super Famicom. I've tried it and I didn't really like it all that much. I would still like to see a sequel done to Chrono Trigger and really, they've got enough to work with that it could be done. Hopefully it won't turn into a revisit of Valkyrie Profile 2, but I think it'd be worth it to try at least.

All this said, I have the next days off (Thursday's an in lieu of day because I worked MLK, though I feel that's not necessary). I plan on buffing out Maximo, Virtua Fighter 4, and Wizardry before returning home. What I'm really wondering is what I should concentrate on for that time off. I may continue on LOTR, but I'm not sure.

And it looks like there's one I missed. Yes, Terranigma's VERY cool, but I crapped out on the last boss. Ah well. By the way, regarding Winback, which I also enjoyed because it reminded me of Time Crisis at the time but as an adventure, ever tried the sequel? I haven't and mostly because I've heard NOTHING positive about it.

[Chanlin]

I remembered a few titles that I have not mentioned

Y's - great series of action RPG's.

Dragonview - Another very good action RPG.

Okage: The Shadow King - This RPG was brilliantly hilarious and had some rather amusing characters. The gameplay was a bit clunky but the humor and story more than made up for it.

Winback - For some reason despite the horrid story I really liked the arcade style feel of this game.

Crimson Sea: 1 and 2 - This game was a great title. The stories were a bit out there but the fast paced shooting and sword combo action was just plain intense.

Body Harvest - Probably some of the worst graphics ever to come out of the N64, but the story line and the intense battles were over the top. This game had some really pulse pounding moments and had enough lulls in the action where exploring was alot of fun. The only major downside is it was not always clear what your next objective should be and once you made it to the 4th area (I think 1964) the game was nigh on impossible to complete because you literally get swarmed not only by the insectoid aliens but by waves of Zombies with almost no rest or down time.

Dragon Quarter (AKA Breath of Fire 5) - I really loved the way the pulled this game off. The replay value alone was awesome and the story really sucked me in from the get go. I really hated 4 because the change to the dragon transformation, but even though the same transformation in 5 the story and the innovative combat system really made the game. Plus the whole save system and having to start over repeatedly really added a whole different aspect to the game. One would expect restarting again and again to be tedious, but the fact that you get slightly more storyline each time is what really made the game.

Lost Kingdoms 1 and 2 - 1 was really clunky but had a decent story line to it. 2 I think really imrpoved on an already good game. The story was a bit lacking overall in both games, but again the combat system really made the games.

Geist - Again a fairly innovative game in that you are a disembodied Ghost spirit trying to get back to your own body. The story line in this is awesome and the boss fights are quite interesting when you have to pay attention to what you can possess.

[Chanlin]

Thief - I can only get the first and third working on my PC. Weird, huh? The second doesn't work on my PC. I really enjoyed the first, but for some reason didn't get into the third that much.

Bloodrayne - Tried the first, but didn't really like the clunky physics. Maybe the second's better. The audio also had a horrible time syncing up on the first one, which caused me even more grief.

I really enjoyed all of the Thief games.

Bloodrayne 1 was decent, way out there story line which made little to no sense at some points and was completely random. Some of the humorous dialog made it worth it, but overall it was just wayyyyyy too hard at some points and the.

Bloodrayne 2 made up for this somewhat, but again there were points where it was way too hard, and IMO the guns were just useless. Still its a great set of games if your looking for that extreme gore factor.

Gunsage your Evermore review is spot on as well.

Radiata Stories I really liked. The story kept me hooked despite the horrid combat system.

I know they have mentioned, but I have to say I'm a fan of nearly all things Mega Man except for the battle network games, and Mega Man 8 and X8 were just terrible.

Another game that is worth mentioning is Terranigma. This was one game that sucked me in from the moment I started. The story line is very good, the music very much fits the moments and overall I could play it again and again. I would put this up on the same level as Chrono Trigger in some regards.

As for the Final Fantasy series I agree that 8 was a huge blot on Squares record. But I think 10 and 12 have more than remedied said blot.

[Kara]

Chrono Cross had an awesome story

Except for the part where it took anything and everything we loved about Chrono Trigger, spit on it, threw it on the ground, stomped it into the mud, set it on fire, pissed on the ashes, and gave those ashes to Keith Richards to snort like cocaine.

...
...
...
...
...
...

Is the sheer amount of raw hate I feel towards Chrono Cross evident, or need I elaborate more?

[gunsage]

Yes, I'm going to work from the bottom up...

BUT FIRST...!

I finally figured out what the hell I was doing on Unlimited SaGa. "Unlimited" is a very ironic title, because even though it seems that there's a lot to do, you're VERY limited in upgrades, development, etc. How so? For those that haven't played this, not all of your characters can do...well...everything. Now, while this would normally make sense, they still try to make the characters classless (Final Fantasy 2, Final Fantasy 12, etc.) and yet...unique. Okay, for example, the character I'm playing as now is a carrier, meaning he can accept carrier missions.

Most characters have little differences like this here and there, but mostly it's just the story that changes. That said, it's not that it's a bad game per se, but quite repetitive, a little boring, and very...random. Let's put it this way...having to select your attacks, actions, etc. on a ring is kind of annoying. There's a fairly decent amount of strategy, but throw in enough random crap like that and it dumbs down the game. Not a bad title, but you really have to go into it already liking the SaGa series to get anything out of it.

Next, I started playing Lord of the Rings: Third Age again. Fun stuff. Not that big of a LOTR fan, but it's still a fun RPG with plenty to do. NOW, back to responses. I haven't tried Serious Sam yet, nor am I much of a Halo fan, but the others are quite nice. BTW, what are the main differences between Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black? I had the original for a while, but then had to sell it. Yeah...gas vs. videogames always ends the same.

Oni was pretty badass, but I don't see Bungie returning to any of their previous games because of such fanboy-age with Halo. This is yet another reason I'm not a big fan of Halo. The Myth games were quite fun and while I think the shooting concepts needed tuned up in it, Oni was a VERY cool action game. LOVE SHADOW HEARTS BTW! I have all three in fact. Personally, I like the second the best. I love the first, but the sheer amount of stuff that was enhanced on the second makes it a definite hit.

The third could've been a lot better. I really liked the environments, battles, etc., but the characters didn't seem the have the same appeal. Frank was still cool, but...yeah. I guess it was also the fact that the main character got annoying QUICK. Never tried the Legaia sequel, but I really like the JC sequel. The only gripe I have about it is your main character can't attack AT ALL. The throw-in tactics make it worth it, but still.

And now, because of the sheer amount of others...here goes...

Thief - I can only get the first and third working on my PC. Weird, huh? The second doesn't work on my PC. I really enjoyed the first, but for some reason didn't get into the third that much.

Lara Croft Games - The first and second TRs were awesome, hands down. The third was a little disappointing and while the fourth was a little better, the fifth was crap. Didn't bother trying the sixth, but the seventh was BAD ASS.

Shinobi - Still haven't tried that one and kind of intimidated to. I heard Ninja Gaiden was hard, and it is. I also heard this one was VERY hard. Not sure if that's right or not, but I remember the arcade game being tough (and yes I have it on MAME), so most probably.

Secret of Evermore - I won't warrant this with a comment. Check the link if you're interested.

Zone of Enders - Ditto, but haven't tried the second.

Bloodrayne - Tried the first, but didn't really like the clunky physics. Maybe the second's better. The audio also had a horrible time syncing up on the first one, which caused me even more grief.

Drakan/Drakengard - Haven't tried them. And that's about it.

Whew...and finally, you're right about Kid Icarus. They had a GB version, but it wasn't all that great. Now that Pit's starring in Smash Bros., who knows? Maybe he will get another sequel.

[ShetenshiSenshi]

I'm mostly a FPS player, mainly Xbox games such as Painkiller, the Halo series ( No 360, since I don't have the third one yet), Doom 3 since my PC can't run it, Serious Sam, and Black. I've also been playing Ninja Gaiden Black.

I also have a DS Lite, but use it to run homebrew ports of Doom, Quake, Hexen, Heretic, Rise of the Triads, Descent, and Duke Nukem 3D. I've also been playing some Metroid Prime Hunters online the last few days.

[aniwahya]

Legacy of Kain series needs more sequels, they can't end it with defiance ><.
For that matter they should make Thief and Deus Ex sequels before they even THINK about making another Lara Croft game .-.-

Radiata Stories was a lot of fun. If you guys like games that have a darker sense of humor try Shadow Hearts (the first one is the best imo). Drakengard is also interesting (the story is great, if twisted, but the gameplay gets old fast). Also fun (and twisted) is Messiah for PC.

Chrono Cross was really just off the top of my head. =p

I'd also like to see an Oni sequel. Did I mention a Shinobi sequel? That game is awesome<3. THey need to make Bloodrayne 3 too. You can't just tease people with post-apocalyptic vampire futures! Oh! I can't believe I forgot Drakan.

Zone of Enders is awesomely fun, but too short.

I wish Legend of Legaia and Jade Cocoon would have had worthy sequels.

Also, why can we not get a Secret of Evermore sequel/remake (why not both?)? Or Kid Icarus?

I do think games with heavy storyline content do benefit from having less main characters because you are able to focus and "bond" more with the characters.

Xenosaga 1+3 were alot of fun, but I'd love a new Xenogears. Hell just tweak it and stick it on the PSP and i'll buy it again. A new Brave Fencer Musashi for psp would be most excellent as well.

I want a ps3 just to be able to put ps1 games on my psp. >< Soon I shall be able to work and then my plans of game conquest shall be of use yet again.

[gunsage]

Well, it is true that often with a wider cast, it feels like it's dominated by extras more than anything. The primary reason I like Radiata Stories, though, is that it's more of a fetishy collection-type deal. There's another game that had a lot of characters but didn't manage to sweep them under the rug too badly: Final Fantasy 6. If I recall, weren't there about 20 characters including the bonus characters?

Personally, I really enjoyed FF7, but I acknowledge that it's also probably the worst of the series. How, you ask? Well, think about it...it's THE highest grossing FF ever and has been heralded as the best FF by so many people...which has led to CRAPPY sequels, a CRAPPY movie, NONSENSICAL involvement in the Kingdom Hearts series, UNNECESSARY cameo appearances in such titles as Final Fantasy Tactics...to put it bluntly, Square milks that puppy for all it's worth.

And why not? Capcom has attempted it many a time to the point that there may never be a good Megaman game ever again and I'm starting to lose faith in what could otherwise normally be a great game: Street Fighter 4. I loved FF7. I'd love to see it brought to portable, too. But come on...enough of the sequels and fanboy BS.

That said, 8 was okay. It had a nice story, awesome movies, good length, etc., but they tried to add too many concepts that just didn't work well. Final Fantasy 9 was pretty bad ass because of how you developed abilities, which was later ported to Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. Final Fantasy 10 was cool, too, but maybe a little too straightforward. It felt highly mission-based, and FFX-2 put the final nail in the coffin on that one. Ugh. Two things I would have to compliment FFX-2 on are ability development and battle innovation. AND THAT'S IT...NOTHING MORE.

Never played FF11, but then, I'm not much of a MMORPG person. I really like FF12, but there's SO MUCH stuff that it's a little overwhelming. Well, that and it also kinda feels like a MMORPG, but still. It's actually pretty fun and if you're a veteran of the series, you can really get a lot out of it. For example, you have the ever-revised FF theme...then a FF12 theme that sounds like something straight out of FFT...and then...THE RED WING THEME FROM FF4 right on the title screen! Good stuff.

Honestly, Xenogears could/should be remade for the PSP. I mean, after all, Valkyrie Profile was, there are plans for Star Ocean Second Story and even the original Star Ocean, so why not? Ah but here's one I'm finally glad happened that not a whole lot of people have been talking about, probably because it's very grind-intensive: Front Mission. Love that game.