Video Games

[Psyren]

Originally Posted by eckblk

anybody getting God of War 3? I know, I know, it's a button masher, but it looks epic.
Nothing wrong with button mashers. God of war is an amazing series and am definitely getting 3. It's the PS3's capabilities at it's greatest.

 

[Alias]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

I wish we could just do away with all that crap or at least save it all to the end of the game like before the last boss where the completionist people can waste 30 hours fighting an enemy for a 1/2000 drop chance item.

FF13 does this. I hear it's 15 hours into the game.

It really does remind me a lot of Mass Effect 2. Hell, there's even an in-game "Dialogue" section that's pretty much your Codex, with a bunch of information detailing the events of the game.

 

[GQgeek]

FFXIII will be the first game I play on my projector. It's gonna be awesome, but I can't start for a couple months yet.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by chronoaug

Just finished Zelda: Spirit Tracks for DS. Was a pretty solid game.

The train travel system is annoying as hell (i hated the sailing in windwaker and phantom hourglass). I just feel like it's a way to stretch a shortish game into a longer one. I didn't do almost any of the sidequests because it involved talking to someone, having him ride on your train and taking him across the land to another place. It'd open up new tracks allowing you access to new treasure, rabbits (collect all 50 for the ability to shoot beams from sword with full health) and like 2 extra dungeons. I dunno. I did like 5 of the 20 sidemissions but got bored with them.

The dungeons themselves were pretty decent though. None of it that challenging from an action standpoint but there are plenty of times where you have to stop, scratch your head and figure out the puzzles. Was enjoyable and fun with the exception of the train stuff. Not as good as lttp or oot but definitely worth a play especially since on the DS it's a great way to spend a train/plane trip


Gotta pick up FF13 sometime this week now

Yes, definitely. Exactly how I felt it. Solid game with some good puzzles, but just like w/ WindWaker, the traveling thing was boring and didn't offer enough extra stuff to warrant spending a lot of extra time doing it. Still, it was fun to play, even though it wasn't anywhere near OoT. Honestly, I doubt any new Zelda games will be close to OoT.

 

[Alias]

OoT was simply awesome. Lots of fun and I loved how it was referenced in Wind Waker (which I also really liked, even the sailing.)

FF13 sounds great on my 5.1 system. I had to convince my PS3 to play the audio with Dolby Digital, but now everything is running fine.

I appreciate what Square tried to do with the game. JRPGs as a whole are stale. The only ones I know who like them are the ones who've bought them religiously in the past. I used to count myself among them but now I can't stand most of them. I bought that Star Ocean International one and I can't believe people actually pay money for this crap. I also can't believe people get paid money to make it.

I think the only JRPGs I really liked over the past several years are Persona 3 and 4, and that's because they weren't like your usual JRPG (aside from the presence of a mute protagonist, though the one in 4 "talks" more.) So when FF13 tries to break the mold by being different from what people expect from a Final Fantasy game, I can accept it.

Of course, 12 tried to break the mold as well, and people griped about it then. These people can play their Star Oceans and Tales of Whatever for all I care. Loyalty to these games is like loyalty to Buick.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by Alias

Of course, 12 tried to break the mold as well, and people griped about it then.

I don't remember many people griping about FFXII. I thought that it got well deserved accolades from both the Japanese and US gaming community.

Now, FFVIII on the other hand, I remember people bitching about. And IX people largely ignored (though before XII, it was my favorite of the recent games)

 

[Davidko19]

just got an R4 card so Ive been playing a bit of everything I can get my hands on and I keep coing back to... Picross. Im working on the 3D version now. That game is crack man. I cant stop.

I tried chrono trigger and that seemed cool but Im not a big RPG read a bunch of **** guy and the rom froze an hour into it so I called it quits.

 

[Alias]

Originally Posted by Tokyo Slim

I don't remember many people griping about FFXII. I thought that it got well deserved accolades from both the Japanese and US gaming community.

Now, FFVIII on the other hand, I remember people bitching about. And IX people largely ignored (though before XII, it was my favorite of the recent games)

A lot of FF fanpeople cried on the interblag about how the overworld exploration was so different and how the Gambit system played the game for you. I didn't listen to them. I think it's a great game.

I also loved 8. Everyone gets tight in the pants over the characters in 7, but while Cloud was clueless, Squall was just an asshole, and he was awesome for it. The Junction system was cool and so was the card game. The CG was also revolutionary for its time. I remember showing a friend the dance scene, and he had to pick his jaw up off the floor.

Of all the FF games, though, my favorite would have to be 6. It sported not just one but TWO strong female protagonists, and the music was just awesome and really pushed what the SNES was capable of. I loved how the story was presented to you through the eyes of various characters, and Kefka remains to me one of the all-time best videogame villains simply for his kill-the-world attitude and his awesome laugh. I can't say many bad things about it.

 

[asobu]

^agree that 8 was a great game. Never played 6 unfortunately, should get around to that sometime. I thought 9 was unmemorable, and only played the first 20 hours or so of 10 before I gave up. 7 and 8 are my two favorites.

 

[Alias]

20+ hours into FF13 and I can safely say that I have absolutely no idea what the story is about. I blame sloppy writing. It's really bad compared to, say, Bioware games.

Speaking of Bioware, Dragon Age expansion is coming out next week! Mass Effect 2 DLC also!

 

[FidelCashflow]

Originally Posted by ssnyc

Bought Heavy Rain on Tuesday (for $59), finished it on Wednesday (with a couple different endings), sold on eBay on Thursday ($55).

Didn't expect the sex scene.

I'm glad I rented it, figured it would take me maybe a month to get through, I got through it in a week. It's an incredible game, but it's basically an interactive movie and has about as much replay value as a blu-ray movie with a few alternate endings. I am already waiting for a sequel (those crappy Heavy Rain Chronicles like the Taxidermist don't count)

 

[RedLantern]

I've been a fan of FF since the NES days. How many hours did I spend grinding in that game? Man I really want to play it now... Anyway, I agree FF VI (III) was/is excellent - in the top 5 games I've ever played. Got a ways into FFVII but never beat it, couldnt stand VIII (magic system was crap, no item buying, battles too sooo long), recently played and really enjoyed IX. Have played some of X, and liked it. Havent played any of the newer ones, though at some point I will probably pick up XIII.

 

[Psyren]

Originally Posted by FidelCashflow

I'm glad I rented it, figured it would take me maybe a month to get through, I got through it in a week. It's an incredible game, but it's basically an interactive movie and has about as much replay value as a blu-ray movie with a few alternate endings. I am already waiting for a sequel (those crappy Heavy Rain Chronicles like the Taxidermist don't count)

I actually rented it and got through it in one 10 hour sitting last Sunday. I didn't notice how long I was playing until I went into the kitchen and saw the time on the oven.

 

[Tokyo Slim]

Originally Posted by RedLantern

I've been a fan of FF since the NES days. How many hours did I spend grinding in that game? Man I really want to play it now... Anyway, I agree FF VI (III) was/is excellent - in the top 5 games I've ever played. Got a ways into FFVII but never beat it, couldnt stand VIII (magic system was crap, no item buying, battles too sooo long), recently played and really enjoyed IX. Have played some of X, and liked it. Havent played any of the newer ones, though at some point I will probably pick up XIII.

You and I seem to have the same thoughts. Do yourself a favor and play XII sometime. It was unexpectedly brilliant. IMO it's the best of the Playstation era Final Fantasy games.

I don't understand why more people didn't like or play IX. The only part of it that I didn't think was top notch was the final battle.

 

[RedLantern]

^ I agree, the final stage/level was kind of weird in IX. X-XII are only on ps2, correct? I've never been a loyal sony customer and so have never owned a PS2, I only briefly had a PS1, some years after it's heyday, and borrowed one from my friend a couple months ago to play IX.