The Gaming Thread

[Gravekeeper]

Sam & Max <3. I even have full voice working. Just need to run a small command line utility to covert the original sound file to mp3 and viola.

I'm not a fan of games with immensely huge casts of characters for exactly the reason I just mentioned. Quantity over quality sucks ass. The only game I've ever played that beat that hurdle was the Fire Emblem series.

Ah yes...Yuffie. I had blocked that out. Hell, I blocked out most of FF7 to be honest. Then even more of 8. I gave up on the series after 8 to be honest. Squaresoft has been sucking pretty harsh.

I want another Xenogears. Not a Xenosaga. A Xenogears dammit.

I still slather for the FF2 ( 2 by the US titles. The one with Cecil ) remake on the DS. It's god damn awesome but I couldn't get too far since its in Japanese. So I have to wait for the localization. I just hope they don't screw it over with a terrible English dub. All the major scenes are fully voice acted and the voice acting is awesome in the Japanese version.

I near weeped fanboi tears when I hit start and the red wing theme started playing... -.-

[gunsage]

Yeah, I heard about that, but most older Lucasarts titles I've already beaten anyway. Sam & Max is VERY awesome, however, and currently I'm working on the new ones. So far I've beaten...

- Culture Shock
- The Mob, The Mole, and The Meatball
- Most of Reality 2.0

Fun stuff...kinda little bit size adventure games. Plus, they still have the charm and wit of the original Sam & Max game, so there you have it. And yeah, I thought it was also annoying how very little the actual characters were developed in the game, primarily focusing around your main character and Kid...the most annoying thief ever right next to Yuffie.

Speaking of an abundance of characters, have you tried Radiata Stories yet? I don't really like how the battle system is set up, but the story's awesome, the sheer amount of recruitables and how you recruit them is awesome, day/night with plot progression is awesome...I mean, really, it's best played with a strategy guide because of all the stuff you can do!

And yes, I shouldn't leave out the Suikoden series in that respect. Honestly, I haven't tried Suikoden Tactics, but I've thoroughly enjoyed all the other Suikoden games...yes, even number 4. By the way, on the topic of the SCUMM engine, there is one game I got emu'd for the PC that I'd never beaten: Flight of the Amazon Queen. Fun stuff.

[Gravekeeper]

You missed:

3792 playable characters. Each with approximately 2 lines worth of back story and / or personality. -.-


I have Sam & Max Hit The Road running on my DS right now. Its fantastiawesome.

Someone wrote a DS homebrew emulator that runs all the old Lucas Arts games ( Sam & Max, Kings Quest series, Monkey Island series, Day of the Tentacle, etc ). All you need is the original game files:

http://scummvm.drunkencoders.com/

Of course you need to be an uber nerd like me and actually have development hardware for your DS that lets you boot code off an SD Flash card....but still! Fantastiawesome.

[gunsage]

Hoo boy...working from the bottom again. Legacy of Kain was awesome, but so was the original Blood Omen. Kinda reminded me of Zelda, but as more of an antagonist than anything. I appreciated what Cross was trying to do, but they did it wrong. I really didn't understand all the different setup as far as the abilities and such. Surprisingly, CT was simple enough in that design along with the combo techs and everything that it just WORKED. Even if the story hadn't been all that great, the concept would've still dragged people in.

Chrono Cross had an awesome story, but it was one of those games you had to force yourself to play. Here's a list of things I either "didn't get" or just flat out hated from Chrono Cross, and I'm sure you'll all agree:

- No true levelling up. Oh sure, every so often a stat or two might increase, but often randomly and seemingly only a few here and there while in a particular dungeon, meaning there was no purpose to grinding. This reminded me of the grinding involved in Final Fantasy Legend 2, but at least there it didn't stop and wasn't limited to dungeons.
- Final Fantasy 8 style equipment upgrading. Come on! That was one of the things I absolutely LOATHED about FF8. And really, it would've been one thing if you needed a LOT of materials but you got some every battle...nope, they seemed more rare than anything like, oh I don't know, FINAL FANTASY 8 WAS.
- Skill setup. Nuff said. Didn't get it and often went for automatic. It was just too confusing. Some will argue that added an element of strategy, but I say it was more like Squaresoft dicking with us.
- Only seemed to be two time zones. Granted, I never got that far in it, so maybe I'm wrong here, but it seems like you only have the two time zones. That's crap. In CT, there were enough time zones, each quite unique, that it offered LOTS of gameplay, bonuses, endings, etc.
- Hard as hell to emulate. Yes, this is to all the emu fans out there...how the hell do you set up the options to emulate it properly? It never keeps a steady framerate in battle. I don't think I've sold my PS1 copy yet, but I don't want to go and sell it and never be able to emulate it properly.

That said, Chrono Trigger is an excellent game, rivaling even that of Final Fantasy 6 and 7 in my opinion. By the by, you've got better specs than I do on my PC, so I'll let you know whether it works on mine or not. I was deeply saddened when games like Oblivion and Condemned didn't work on my comp, so here's me crossing my fingers!

Longest Journey and Dreamfall (LJ2 for those that didn't know) are very good games, but the puzzles can be very HARD. Definitely recommended if you're a diehard adventure fan though and while we're at it...

- Monkey Island series
- Grim Fandango
- Full Throttle
- Return to Zork
- King's Quest Remakes
- Quest for Glory series

Oh sure, there are more, but definitely check these out if you haven't already. I wholly endorse Fatal Frame as well. I only have 2 & 3 right now, but I have plans to get the original and I'm glad to see the series will be continuing. Advance Wars is also very cool, but I wish there was more of an RPG aspect to it, given it's by Intelligent Systems who also assisted with Paper Mario and Fire Emblem.

Well, I think this comment's long enough! But hey, here's a sleeper title you most likely haven't heard of: Juggernaut - PS1. In this beauty, it's kinda like Myst, except you're trapped in a demon world of sorts to save your girlfriend who's under control of a demon by going through this weird ass mansion. Yeah, the story's very odd, but it's actually a pretty interesting (and very cheap) little title for the PS1 that kinda reminds me of D.

[lordlundar]

I'm wracking my brain for other sleeper titles but I can't think of any more This post was mostly spawned by the need to comment on Crono Cross

If you like good story, the Legacy of Kain series has one of the best (just don't get Blood Omen 2 <shudders>)

[Gravekeeper]

Yeah, Trigger and Cross were nothing alike. But I'd take a sequel to Trigger over Cross in a heartbeat. I could enjoy Cross as long as I took it as separate to Trigger.

0_o Gravekeeper quoted me /swoon
/fangirl off

and again! ;p

I want to play The Witcher but I don't think my comp can handle it (AMD Athlon 3200+, GeForce 6800xe 1gig of RAM), Bioshock is another game I want to play but I'm not sure i'd be able to play it smoothly.

Bargin bin games are <3. I've given up on renting games and just buy them from bargin bins now. The only downside is having a growing pile of games I still need to play/finish. I'm not even close to ready for a ps3 because of all the great games I'm finding for $5 - 10$.

Yeah, the Witcher is a beast for resources. It'll sit and suck about 1.2-1.7 gig of ram when its running. Bioshock was easier on the system. Both are really must plays though. You should be able to handle Bioshock on that rig. But the Witcher will lust for more ram. I could run Bioshock on my old box which was a puny 1.7ghz, 1gig with a pitiful old Geforce. But I could only squeeze out 15-20fps. Thus I refused to buy the game till I bought my new machine. I wanted to experience it in its full glory. ;p

To be honest I buy 98% of my games off of Steam and Direct2drive.com now. Its cheaper and saves me having to go wade through the idiots at the mall. Plus they often put up older games you'd never find anywhere else like the aforementioned Longest Journey 1 & 2.

I keep finding older gaming goodness on D2D.com for $10-20 a pop like Vampire: The Masquerade.

If your into horror survival type games Fatal Frame is really worth checking out. If you don't like ghosts and spirits and such this game is not for you. To its credit this is the one survival horror game that scared the ever living sh** out of me.

The next Fatal Frame is going to the Wii. ^^


But right now I am desperately waiting for Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. 2 more days! ;9

[aniwahya]

lol I separate Chrono Cross from Chrono Trigger in my head because they're really nothing alike. I think they both need sequels though. But while I would petition for a Chrono Cross sequel a Chrono Trigger sequel would tempt me to do much, much darker things.

*Edit I apologize if my lurking is monopolizing. I'm just so excited to be able to talk games.
<-- A girl living in a "little big town" >< in northern Illinois. All my friends live far far away and people I socialize either don't admit to gaming or actively burn gamers at the stake. ><

[Chanlin]

Fans of the series have been itching for a good sequel to Crono Trigger for a long time. Many many many fans HATED Crono Cross, myself included. The game had a decent story but the elements that made Crono Trigger a really good hit were just gone from Cross.

Other titles I have not mentioned. I'm a huge fan of the Ace Attorney series for the DS.

The Longest Journey 1 and 2 for the PC and Still Life are both very good if your into puzzle games.

For PS2 I really enjoyed Ico. As simple as it was the game was kind of emotionally involving and had some wicked hard puzzles to work through.

How could I not mention the Metroid series. Even with Prime 3 being incredibly easy (I beat it on hard on my first play through).

Zone of the Enders 1 and 2. These are really decent titles but did not quite get the folowing that some of the other Hideo Kojima games did. Speaking of which the Solar Boy(the games that use the solar sensor) series for the GBA and DS rock.

Pretty much anything by NIS (Disgea, Phanto Brave, La Pucelle) is worth checking out also.

If your into horror survival type games Fatal Frame is really worth checking out. If you don't like ghosts and spirits and such this game is not for you. To its credit this is the one survival horror game that scared the ever living sh** out of me.

I'm wracking my brain for other sleeper titles but I can't think of any more This post was mostly spawned by the need to comment on Crono Cross

[aniwahya]

0_o Gravekeeper quoted me /swoon
/fangirl off

<coughs>

Hmm I still need to play Rainbow Six Vegas; Rainbow Six Three was awesome. Speaking of games that need sequels, how about a sequel to Legend of Dragoon, Primal, Chrono Cross, and Shinobi (Nightshade is fun but NOT the same as a true Shinobi sequel).

I want to play The Witcher but I don't think my comp can handle it (AMD Athlon 3200+, GeForce 6800xe 1gig of RAM), Bioshock is another game I want to play but I'm not sure i'd be able to play it smoothly. Which reminds me i need to download a demo for it. Damn attention span pwning me again. -.-

Bargin bin games are <3. I've given up on renting games and just buy them from bargin bins now. The only downside is having a growing pile of games I still need to play/finish. I'm not even close to ready for a ps3 because of all the great games I'm finding for $5 - 10$.

WoW makes me nostalgic for Warcraft and Warcraft II, neither of which would play on my comp last time I installed them. ><

Heh, is anyone else annoyed that game consoles are moving away from backwards compatibility? Take the XBOX360 for example, I've already paid for my Xbox games, wth should I have to pay a fee to play a game I already own?

Edit: I just got a copy of Ratchet and Clank and it is insanely fun. Awesomeness in a box I tell ye! Check it out if you like platformers.

I hath found my true love and thy name is "Suck Cannon". <3

[gunsage]

Working bottom up here...I had only played the original and didn't really like it much, but as I stated before, the original Splinter Cell was kinda also like that, but the further Clancy gets in his series, they seem to get better tenfold. I'll have to check it out. I also need to get back into Vampire as well. I only played it for a little while, but I liked what it was presenting. Betrayal at Krondor was an AWESOME game.

Too bad Antara and Return to Krondor didn't live up to it. That's a game I haven't played in a LOOOOONG time, but now I'll probably end up returning to it. Never tried Pariah, but Breakdown was kinda fun for the little time I played it. The nice part is both of those should be bargain bin'd, so I should be able to find them relatively easy. And now, here's my WTF for the bargain bin for the day...

Voodoo Vince - X Box

Really? Really? For a while, this game got kinda rare. It's not the best platformer ever, but it's pretty sarcastic and kinda reminds me of a "lighter" version of Conker's Bad Fur Day. Honestly, I'd love to see a sequel to that one, but then I'm not really quite sure what Rare's doing these days. Also, I don't think I caught this last time...there's supposed to be another Dark Cloud and Ar Tonelico?!

Man, it just keeps getting better and better! What I wonder is what system they'll come out for and what they'll update on them. Oh, and a final comment on FFX ripoffs...Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. Tried this one yet? Yeah, basically it's Lord of the Rings minus any relevant characters from the story plus FFX battles. It's not a bad game actually, if a bit tedious. I really ought to return to that one soon too.

[Greenday]

Rainbow Six Las Vegas is AWESOME! It's not easy by any standard, and I've only played on normal mode, not realistic. Even playing with co-op is pretty sweet. Definitely a game worth picking up if you like shooting things and it takes some skill with tactics.

[Gravekeeper]

Yaay a week where someone has a DDS icon and someone else mentions <3ing Betrayal at Krondor is a GOOD week imo.

EverQuest and Anarchy Online player here, though i'm thinking about switching back to FFXI, if I ever get time to play.

Otherwise I'm rotating between Vampire: The Masquerade and F.E.A.R. on the PC, and the Jak and Daxter games on ps2. My psp is getting the most use of any of my game machines though. Tales of Eternia is so worth importing ^^. Ooh, Pariah and Breakdown are quite alot of fun for Xbox gamers too. Lack of attention span is at least good for introducing variety into my gaming lifestyle!

Finish Vampire a little while ago. They need more games like that. The Witcher was fantastic too for a real gritty, mature kind of rpg.

I tried EQ2 for a couple months....its really impressive for sheer content but its also really easy and no pvp. Well, there's PVP servers but the game just wasn't built with it in mind so its pretty meh. Still, it took them what? 2 years to make it a half decent game? Sony Online is like the touch of death when it comes to MMOs. ><

That and the character models are hideous. The alternates are ok. But still pretty bad. -.-

Final Fantasy Online I never really bothered with. It sounded way to grindy.

I'm stuck back in WoW again now. >< I had high hopes for Pirates of the Crimson Sea then I got into the beta. Ugh, awful game. Again, Sony Online's Touch of Death(tm). Find a promising mmo developer, scoop them up then force them to release the game 6-12 months before its actually done. ( *cough* Vanguard ).

[aniwahya]

Yaay a week where someone has a DDS icon and someone else mentions <3ing Betrayal at Krondor is a GOOD week imo.

EverQuest and Anarchy Online player here, though i'm thinking about switching back to FFXI, if I ever get time to play.

Otherwise I'm rotating between Vampire: The Masquerade and F.E.A.R. on the PC, and the Jak and Daxter games on ps2. My psp is getting the most use of any of my game machines though. Tales of Eternia is so worth importing ^^. Ooh, Pariah and Breakdown are quite alot of fun for Xbox gamers too. Lack of attention span is at least good for introducing variety into my gaming lifestyle!

[gunsage]

Yeah, Ar Tonelico's not bad. Have you gotten to diving in it yet? Also, if you like that one, you ought to give Gust's other titles a shot: Atelier Iris 1 - 3. I really liked the second AI, but the others are good too. BTW, you missed one thing with the CM...add bad loading algorithms. There you go. Seriously, ANYTIME you have to go into battle, it loads about as much as Xenosaga 2 does...which is a little much for RPGs IMO.

Ar Tonelico's not bad (there I go repeating myself), but it gets a little tedious because if you're really serious about diving, it's up to you to find all these little conversation points and such. It gets a little annoying because you'll often miss one and then be seriously hampered until you find enough to proceed further. Diving is very cool, though...it almost reminds me of a more involved version of Thousand Arms' dating minigames.

[Geek King]

I managed to snag a tough one last week. Ar Tonelico. A typical anime-ish RPG with a solid story. I just started it and I'm hooked. This is a perfect example of my fave type of game. Not the best looking thing in the world, but great story, well thought out characters and solid gameplay.

I loved Ar Tonellico! You know, the sequal is due out soon...

In fact, just about anything that Atlus has translated for the US has been good. I've picked up more than one game just because it had their name on it.

I also keep waiting on Dark Cloud 3 to come out. I recommend Dark Cloud 2 (PS2) to anyone who likes action RPGs.