seess
Pixelcade wrote:
A Boy and his Blob - Wii
Always Mario Kart on the Wii
Company of Heroes - I suck at it
Left 4 Dead 2
Final Fantasy Tactics DS
Chrono Trigger DS
Secret of Mana - SNES
I keep a rotation if I get sick of one I'll sub but those are my games at the moment.
I am playing contract killer. it is difficult.
seanstar
Well, after my MBP went well and thoroughly dead a few days into my vacation, stopping my FFIII game, I was fortunate enough to get a 3DS for Christmas and more or less tore through
Metroid II (3DSVC - GameBoy): I was kinda hoping for some 3D enhancements, but the game itself is still strong. It's one of those distinctly GameBoy titles, between when Nintendo was trying to replicate NES games on the GB and when they were trying to replicate SNES games on it. 2:37 isn't quite the time I got last year, iirc, but still good enough for the suitless ending. Obscure serendipity: I have only ever beaten this game while in Colorado, and I have beaten this game every time I've visited Colorado. The first two times were completely random fluke, but I've since turned it into a tradition :)
Kirby's Adventure (3DS enhanced - NES): Still a solid game. Some backgrounds have enhanced gradients, and all doors are oddly freshly 16-bit shaded, but the real cute bit is that they've pulled all the backgrounds apart into up to ~5 different depth layers. The awkward thing is rather than having 5 distinct layers that are evenly closer or further depending on the depth setting, as you increase the slider you see more and more layers. I suspect this has to do with the pixel alignment- stereo images needing to be at least 1 pixel apart to recede properly, but needing to keep precise 1-pixel increments so the classic graphics look good.
Zelda OoT 3D (3DS enhanced - N64): I like the updated models and textures, independent of the 3D effect. Indeed, although this is the only 3D game I've played on the system so far, if the effect is representative, anything above ~20% on the slider is headache territory. I'd expected I'd have a higher tolerance since I've been using 3D tech at work for awhile, but I think the developers must have been crosseyed-nearsighted or something... Still, I can play at 10-20% depth for extended time, and it looks and sounds great. Alas, they beefed up the physics as well, so certain classic breaks no longer work. The tilt-to-look/aim feature also kinda got in my way until I turned it off.
dickmedd
Splinter Cell Trilogy HD (PS3) - Having recently polished off the new Assassin's Creed game, I decided to keep with the stealth(ish) theme and get myself this collection while it was on the cheap. I've always been
a Metal Gear fan so jumped at Splinter Cell when finally arrived on PS2. For some reason I only ever played the first game now that I've just finished the HD version I'm keen to progress with the rest now.
The game's pretty much as I remember it, although the flaws are more noticeable in a modern context. The AI is pretty poor but I still love the level design and most of gameplay after all these years. It can be a bit of a 'rehearse and load game' experience sometimes, although I never find myself getting too bored with it. Hopefully the it'll be the same for the next two, there's a chance I could finally catch up with the series now. Then again, the UK release of the MGS collection will finally arrive on Friday!
EDIT: I should probably note that the port isn't amazing. The frame-rate can lag a lot and I've had a good number of crashes and save game corruptions along the way. Luckily, I'm a paranoid saver!
Donkey Kong Jr. (iPad) - Hurrah for iMame! Hurrah for the iCade! Yes I know the former didn't last long but now that there are two iCades in our place we've gone all arcade crazy. I am pretty terrible at Donkey Kong Jr. but I can't help getting hooked for hours on end. I'll hopefully be showing off some custom decals based on the game before too long!
zweitplatzierungsboy
Currently I'm playing a couple of old Gameboy and NES games I could never beat as a kid. Thank god for save states.
seanstar
I just finished playing... well, I'll leave it for my next RGotW, which is more or less written and just awaiting my grabbing some screenshots. It's a doozey ;)
MetalDragon
I played Little Big Planet on the PS3 the last Weeks, I finished it and the Metal Gear Solid DLC now, I just need two more Trophys to get the Platin one. :D Will buy the Pirates of the Caribbean DLC soon, it's just a great game. :) Can't wait till I get LBP2 :)
In the mean time I'm playing Kingdom Hearts 2 on the PS2. Played the first one when it came out, now playing the 2nd for the first time. I really don't remember much of the main story. :( But so far I like the game, except for the gumi jet parts which I already hated in the first game.
And I wanted to start Lego Pirates of the Caribbean on the PS3, but now the blu-ray drive is broken. :( Have to get the right Screwdriver to see if I can fix it myself. What I saw from the game was very nice. Much stuff to collect. :)
mossy_11
Just finished playing Grim Fandango with ResidualVM. Great game.
Currently playing Football Manager 2012, which is my gaming crack -- and has been for many years (through previous installments). Along with Kickboxing Manager, which is kinda like the old Football Manager (back in the days when it was called Championship Manager 2), only about kickboxing. I don't actually like kickboxing, or any kind of "beat your opponent senseless" sport, but it's a cool management sim. My extended thoughts about it will be published on Archive at some point.
And the big one consuming my attention right now is The Last Story, (Final Fantasy creator) Sakaguchi's latest game. The story is very melodramatic so far, but in a charming and well-presented style. None of the characters that I've met are annoying, which is a lovely change of pace. I'm completely sucked in to the romance subplot. I haven't played any RPGs this generation besides Valkyria Chronicles, so I'm not sure how it holds up against the competition. But I'm enjoying myself, and the battle system is engaging enough (there's even a cover system!). I wasn't sure how I'd feel about action-RPG combat in a game that is Final Fantasy in all but name, but it's already won me over. If FF Versus XIII ever comes out, I'll be happy if it has a similar combat system to this one. The whole game feels very "modern" to me, with only a few non-interactive-objects-that-I-think-should-be-interactive (probably because of the Wii's limited power) and a nice clean interface.
Edit: Forgot to mention, the music is brilliant. Nobuo Uematsu is still one of the best composers around.
dickmedd
@mossy: How was ResidualVM for you? I encountered a couple of jarring bugs that kind of made me reluctant to continue playing. For instance, I seemed to experience a really odd jump in the game at one point, skipping out a small section. Pretty bizarre eh? I also found that sound sometimes didn't work when reloading my game.
I am still keen to replay GF though. I guess I'll either dig out an old machine or pray that it gets a re-release with updated controls etc. (I was never too keen on the original configuration back in the day, I guess I would dislike them even more now.)
mossy_11
I didn't have any major problems until the very end of the game, when it locked up just before the final cutscene. There were a lot of minor glitches, though -- things like Manny getting temporarily stuck or animations clipping. I was playing on Windows, though -- not sure if that made a difference.
Were you playing with the patched version? And was the bug by any chance
this one? In any case, ResidualVM has made big progress in the past few months.
There's also a fan project to update the graphics to fit with modern resolutions:
Grim Fandango Deluxe.
dickmedd
I haven't tried it in a while, I'd imagine it's been updated since. I can't specifically remember how far into the game the bug was but it was definitely year 1, which made me reluctant to commit any more time.
Thanks for the heads up on the Deluxe project, I'll keep my eye on that.
Squirrel
Started up a replay of Final Fantasy 3 on the NES last year. I got way too intrigued in figuring out some of the game mechanic details and stopped playing. I'm sure I'll get back to it some day.
I finished up Radiant Historia for the Nintendo DS about a month ago. Excellent 2D style (with 3D graphics) RPG. I haven't had as much fun from an RPG as that since Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy 6 & 9.
After that was Kingdom Hearts on the PS2. MetalDragon - you're fine for not remembering the story, because there wasn't one. It really was about finding your friends and getting your world back. You end up finding your friends (and losing them again) while saving the world. And the gummy system did suck. Gameplay was meh.
Kingdom Hearts 2 is up next, when I find time to start it. I've been told it actually has a story!
IUG
Squirrel wrote:
Kingdom Hearts 2 is up next, when I find time to start it. I've been told it actually has a story!
Do yourself a favor, catch up on the story of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories before you start #2. There is a big gap in time between 1 and 2, and this GBA game fills in that time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDBPkVHdUKk
seanstar
I'm also on to Final Fantasy X-2 (PS2). I think I've mentioned being prepared to start it for awhile, but now I've actually done so. This game requires a certain... appreciation... that I have only come to acquire in the time spent in Japan, and the memes and cultures I've exposed myself to thereafter. It's still taxing my sanity just a bit, but I think I can probably evolve my mindset as it progresses and not snap my brain completely... o.o;
Squirrel
IUG wrote:
Do yourself a favor, catch up on the story of Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories before you start #2. There is a big gap in time between 1 and 2, and this GBA game fills in that time.
Way before I started Kingdom Hears, I gave the GBA game a try. I hated the card-based battle system and got rid of it. I have the PS2 remake, Re:Chain of Memories, as well. Should I even bother with it? I was planning on skipping that one entirely.
IUG
I just know the plot of the GBA game is important to understand what the hell is going on in the beginning of the game. Because otherwise you don't know how Sora got from the end of 1 to where he is in 2.
I also couldn't finish that GBA game.
seanstar
Terranigma. On hardware. Like a boss.
I must say, up close, the Euro SNES is a sexy machine. A strange, mildly freakish sexy machine that claims to take 9v AC, packs with an adaptor to 9.1-9.5V AC, but is quite happy on 9V DC. But a sexy machine.
And I'm so happy my EyeTV not only does PAL but intelligently detects it- Terranigma fullscreen on 27" iMac ftw ^_^ (okay, okay, I could technically accomplish the same thing with BSNES and get better picture, but where would be the fun in that?)
dickmedd
seanstar wrote:
I must say, up close, the Euro SNES is a sexy machine.
I feel the same way about your crazy version of the console. It's always reminded me of a space ship or something.
seanstar
That would be an interesting poll (if the board did polls... :P). The US version is distinctive- all hard edges and extruded rectangles with the rare concave indent. The EU/JP shell is all soft curves and shade-based delineations, with one distinctive iconic spot of color. There is something to be said for preference for familiarity vs novelty, but I'd imagine proper design majors could pin one or the other as the better design choice.
And then there's the SNES model 2, which basically took the EU/JP lines and the US color and jammed them together...
mossy_11
I remember the first time I saw the US SNES, my reaction went along the lines of "what the fuck is that? Oh, it's a Super Nintendo...why does it look so weird—it's, like, a spaceship or jetpack or something.." I wasn't sure how you turn it on or where the carts go, because the buttons looked like they were there for visual flair rather than any practical purpose. (Then I read the labels and reasoned that the bit above the logo must be the cartridge slot.)
I think the softer edges and the tactile differences between the buttons of the EU/JP version are friendlier, too. Hard edges seem unnatural and scary.
MetalDragon
The US SNES is ugly as fuck.
But I think it's typical USAmerican design. It's like they hate everything round. Just look at their cars, especially from that time of the SNES.
It really makes me wonder how Steve Jobs got to like rounded corners.
The NES was the same, the US Version (which Europe got also) has nothing round, not even the controller. But to be fair, I'm not sure which one is more ugly, the US or the JP NES/Famicom...