What you playing?

[Jason]

Which game(s) have got your attention at the moment? Share the games that are draining your free time with us. :)

Currently, I'm playing Borderlands (PS3), Uncharted 2 (PS3, obviously) and the Left 4 Dead 2 demo (PC). That's an awful lot of gunplay. :hammer:

[Iggy]

Call Of Duty-World At War, zombie maps. Coop with my buds.

[Ziveeman]

Star Fox 64. Virtual Console of course. It's such a fun game; I love it!

[el canadiano]

I mostly play Rock Band 2 and some Guitar Hero 5. I'm getting The Beatles: Rock Band soon.

[Impulse]

COD Modern Warfare 2 and Pro Evolution Soccer 9, they're probably the only 2 games I'll pay any attention to for a while.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Borderlands (PC), Modern Warfare 2 (PS3), TF2 (PC)

That's a stretch from my usual TF2, TF2, TF2, TF2...

[BannanoPeel]

I was playing skate 1, earlier today (pretty sweet game, I don't even like skateboarding). I really need to shell out the cash for skate 2.

[Jason]

I haven't played a skateboarding game since Tony Hawk's Underground for PS2. I always found them to be good mindless fun, if a little aimless.

[Landy]

Boredlands, Left 4 Dead 2 demo, Left 4 Dead (all for PC)

[Rogue]

Modern Warefare 2. The campaign imo was brilliant but a bit short. Spec obs are hard lol and not long been doing the mulitplayer and just letting all the new features sink in, heaven. :lol:

[Jason]

Just rented Dragon Age: Origins and working my way through that. It's good, but I can't help feeling a little underwhelmed by the graphics. I definitely get the impression that the PS3 version was a bit of an afterthought.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Modern Warfare 2 (PC); playing spec-ops with a mate and fishing through the campaign for intelligence.

KOTOR and S.T.A.L.K.E.R. too.

[Rob]

I'm a few hours into Assassins Creed II and to think I had almost forgot that climbing could be so much fun. It's bringing back Tomb Raider memories.

[Astonix]

Well playing Modern Warfare 2 at the moment. Going through the campaign on Veteran (slowly) and playing Spec-ops with my brother. Mostly playing online though.

Also going on WoW every now and then but it's getting a bit boring now and not as fun.

[nilihanth]

I'm playing Modern Warfare 2 (ps3) mostly online and local splitscreen. I've already beat the campaign on normal and don't plan on revisiting it on Veteran. Gone through a bit of Spec Ops but not all of it.

Dirt 2 (ps3) which is an amazing racing game. I totally love it to pieces.

a MUD called Legends of the Jedi I play on my Ubuntu-powered laptop. Yes, old-skool doods.

[Jason]

I have to say, I haven't played MW2 for about two weeks. I've just completely lost interest in it. :-/

[MyNameDidntFit]

I played through MW2 on Veteran on my first play through and in one sitting. I did all the spec-ops on Veteran with a mate, too.

[Astonix]

I played through MW2 on Veteran on my first play through and in one sitting. I did all the spec-ops on Veteran with a mate, too.

How do you have the attention span to play campaign veteran in one sitting o.O Admittedly it's a short campaign but one sitting?...

[MyNameDidntFit]

Because, unlike MW1, MW2 is actually at a good difficulty on Veteran so that it isn't intensely irritating and frustrating as hell. It is, instead, a bloody good shooter that challenges me without pissing me off (except at points where the friendly AI are asshats).

[Rob]

Dirt 2 (ps3) which is an amazing racing game. I totally love it to pieces.

I am not usually interested in racing games but I like the sound of rally racing AWD cards.

[CemeteryGates]

Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed II, Operation Flashpoint: Resistance...

[nilihanth]

I am not usually interested in racing games but I like the sound of rally racing AWD cards.
Yes, there are a variety of vehicles including rally cars, trophy trucks, baja trucks, buggies, and raid trucks. Some of which are proprietary names so wouldn't know what they are until you see them. In any case, they are real brands, which is nice too.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Torchlight for me, now.

[vlbarto10]

MW 2 , Assassins Creed 2 and back to borderlands at times.

[Jason]

Trying to play Torchlight and failing due to framerate issues. Will be firing up Uncharted 2 again soon though.

[nilihanth]

Now it's Phantasy Star Zero (DS) when I'm not playing Modern Warfare 2.

[Jason]

I figured out what the issue was in the end. For some reason my antivirus was trying to access the files at the same time as the games. I switched off the resident guard and it's running like a dream. :)

[Astonix]

Modern Warfare 2, Assassin's Creed II, Operation Flashpoint: Resistance...

Is Operation Flashpoint any good? I heard it was but the guy I heard it off doesn't tend to have THE best choice in games :P

[MyNameDidntFit]

I haven't played the new one, but if it's anything like the old OPF then it'd be worth playing.

[Landy]

It's defiantly not. Steer away from it, unless you like arcade shooters.

[MyNameDidntFit]

So it's another bad sequel to a good game? Bollocks.

[Landy]

Yeah. The dev's released it without dedicated server support and the game does not come with a cd-key, so the basically left it wide open for "pirates".

Makes me wonder what the hell they where thinking.

[Jason]

Ugh. Such a shame. Mind you, technically OpFlash 2 isn't the real sequel to the original. Bohemia Interactive, who made the first one lost the rights to the name. The 'real' sequel is ArMA II, I believe.

[MyNameDidntFit]

I'm now beginning to play through Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. The ol' PS2 has been busted out of its prison of dust and is in use once again.

I'd forgotten exactly how much I loved SC -- going to be playing through Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory and Double Agent again so that when Conviction hits I've still got the overarching plot fresh in my mind.

[Jason]

I really need to finish Dragon Age: Origins so I can send it back and get SC: Double Agent, but I can't face playing it after I spent about 10 hours on it last Sunday. Burned myself out.

[CemeteryGates]

Is Operation Flashpoint any good? I heard it was but the guy I heard it off doesn't tend to have THE best choice in games :P


The new one looks a bit disappointing, but CWC and Resistance are beyond awesome!
They're still quite active with clans, modding, and everything...
And even if you never play it online and don't have much of an interest downloading stuff for it, it's got some great campaigns and the easiest mission editor I've ever seen. It's countless hours of pure fun... :D





I'm now beginning to play through Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow. The ol' PS2 has been busted out of its prison of dust and is in use once again.

I'd forgotten exactly how much I loved SC -- going to be playing through Pandora Tomorrow, Chaos Theory and Double Agent again so that when Conviction hits I've still got the overarching plot fresh in my mind.


Ah, I did that same thing earlier this year. Pandora Tomorrow is great.
I haven't finished Double Agent, though...

[Konrad]

Maybe I should do the same... except on my PC. Shame i don't own Double Agent.

[Landy]

Ugh. Such a shame. Mind you, technically OpFlash 2 isn't the real sequel to the original. Bohemia Interactive, who made the first one lost the rights to the name. The 'real' sequel is ArMA II, I believe.

Yeah. AmaA II is pretty much a suped up version of the original OFP.

[MotherGraham~]

I'm currently playing World of Warcraft. Somehow Blizzard Entertainment decided to lock my Shaman character due to a bugged transfer, so I was forced to play on my other characters. I spent years into my Shaman. Funny to see how little their care is towards their customers.

Anyway, I think that World of Warcraft has some roleplay potential still, which is one of my main reasons why I'm playing it still. Of course, there's still some raids to attend to for fun, but it's too easy and it pretty much becomes boring soon. I might want to level yet another alternate character for some questing fun, I guess.

[Konrad]

I'm finishing up Mass Effect. I have <2 hours until the sequel unlocks, will I make it in time? Find out on the next episode of "Video Games become a Hassle"

[Jason]

:lol: - I remember that same frantic rush to finish the original Uncharted before the sequel launched. Unfortunately, by the time you're able to play the sequel, you'll be well and truly sick of the game. ;)

[MyNameDidntFit]

I've been reading a stack of Warhammer 40,000 books of late and, being in the mood for that sort of thing, I'm playing through the Dawn of War II campaign again with a mate.

And, seriously, Relic... how could you have seriously thought Cyrus' scout squad was balanced?! The man can take on entire maps alone on the hardest difficulty!

[Serio]

I'm currently playing World of Warcraft. Somehow Blizzard Entertainment decided to lock my Shaman character due to a bugged transfer, so I was forced to play on my other characters. I spent years into my Shaman. Funny to see how little their care is towards their customers.

Anyway, I think that World of Warcraft has some roleplay potential still, which is one of my main reasons why I'm playing it still. Of course, there's still some raids to attend to for fun, but it's too easy and it pretty much becomes boring soon. I might want to level yet another alternate character for some questing fun, I guess.
I got seven days free during the 5th Anniversary, which I didn't realise I had.
The roleplaying was the only reason I stuck around for so long as I did, and the only reason I'd ever return. Sitting around in one of the various player run taverns on a saturday evening was pretty fun.

I think I just passed 300 hours on Europa Universalis III. I'm honestly surprised at how addicting a grand strategy game can be.

[Jason]

Currently plodding my way through Dead Space. I have to say, Isaac may be the least interesting protagonist ever.

[Kills In Heels]

Cool Spot for Super Nintendo. I haven't played it in years.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Beta. It's brilliant, and I can't wait for the full release.

[Betty]

Dead Space (We're twinsies, jaaaaason! :p), L4D2 & Fallout 3.
Currently plodding my way through Dead Space. I have to say, Isaac may be the least interesting protagonist ever.
Dude.
Halo: ODST. The rookie.
Thats all I have to say.

[Jason]

I bow to your superior knowledge there - all I know is that Isaac's not said a thing yet, and I still hate him.

[Betty]

I dont think he ever does. But even still, hes a more interesting character than the rookie.
omg I was legit about to shoot myself when I played ODST.

[Lance]

Having gone on a Civ III kick, I've moved on to the other game I lost weeks on end too - Alpha Centauri (with Alien Crossfire). I forgot how much I loved that game :)

[vlbarto10]

Picked up Mass Effect and am rushing thru to get to the second. Damn those elevators I am hearing good things about it from friends and anxious to get to it.

[Jason]

You'll be pleased at least to hear that the elevators don't feature so much in number 2. ;)

[Konrad]

I finished ME2 this weekend, and am now starting a second-play through/occasional game of BC2.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Still BC2. I've discovered that having a long-range shoot-out using your M9 against a guy with an M24 -- and winning -- after knifing three of his allies to clear the place you're going to shoot him from is perhaps the most ego boosting feeling in the world.

[CemeteryGates]

Currently playing Metal Gear Solid 4.

I'm in love with the gameplay. The amount of weapons -not to mention the detail of each one- is more than enough to keep me interested, and there's so much more to it than that.

I still think the character of Raiden and especially the scenes with the B&Bs are completely ridiculous, though. Embarrassingly ridiculous.

[Jason]

Call of Duty: World At War - or more specifically, the Nazi Zombies mode with my brother. So far our best is lvl 30 in Der Riese.

[MotherGraham~]

I've finished Mass Effect not too long ago. All I have to say is that this is truly the best RPG I've ever played. The beginning seemed "meh" to me, but while playing further, I was being pulled into the immersive setting more and more. I almost shed a tear at the time I had to abandon either of the two. I wish I didn't have to make that difficult choice. :(

Now I've got Mass Effect 2 and played up till Omega/The Professor/"Archangel" (which would be the first location I've visited ever since the prologue). I have to say I like the UI less than the original Mass Effect. The annoying spammish pop-up keeps appearing if I've finished a mission, while it only appeared in one big window in Mass Effect.

Either way, both games are great and I don't regret spending each and every single second playing these games. I love BioWare. They are gods of RPGs I tell you (ie. KotOR, Jade Empire, Mass Effect, Dragon Age: Origins, etc.).

[Lance]

So I'm browsing HOTUD for the SSI Gold Box games (Pool of Radiance, Secret of the Silver Blades etc) and notice that they had 2 games using the Gold Box Engine based on Buck Rogers (Countdown to Doomsday and Matrix Cubed)

How did I NOT know about these games - I'm almost ashamed of myself, since I LOVE the Gold Box Engine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Box)

Anyways, I've just started the 1st of the 2 games (Countdown to Doomsday) and I'm thinking that these are just as good as the DnD Gold Box games, only - in space - ahhh memories.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Dragon Age: Origins -- this is, hands down, the best RPG I've ever played. KotOR and ME have nothing on this.

[Konrad]

Huh... I thought it was pretty shit. Better than ME? Sure, if we're talking about the RPG elements. Better than KOTOR? nowai

How long have you been playing it? I was really into it the first thirty hours.... after that it just got unbearably artificially extended with every section taking four times longer than it should because you have to plow through waves and waves of enemies in every single room.

Combat to Story and Dialogue ratio made me quit and never come back.

[MotherGraham~]

Huh... I thought it was pretty shit. Better than ME? Sure, if we're talking about the RPG elements. Better than KOTOR? nowai
I think they're pretty equal. In my opinion, KotOR and Dragon Age are complete different settings (not genre) and shouldn't be compared to each other.

Also, playing ME1 still because I have to import my second character into ME2.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Huh... I thought it was pretty shit. Better than ME? Sure, if we're talking about the RPG elements. Better than KOTOR? nowai
See, the thing for me with KotOR was that a combat system centred around watching paint dry would have been more fun.

Compared to ME the story is considerably deeper, far better presented and the characters actually seem to give a toss. As for KotOR, well, I can only say somewhat as I couldn't force myself through the tedium of combat long enough to play the entire game; but, given that I've played about as much DA as I did KotOR, the story is better (IMO), the gameplay is infinitely better and the elements of building your character throughout the game are far more fun.

Mind to elaborate on "pretty shit"? As, to me, "too many enemies" doesn't warrant "pretty shit".

[Tiny Cy]

Currently enjoying Fifa 10 on the Wii. An interesting experience! The graphics are truly Wii fantastic, but they do have proper arms and legs which is a bonus. Have been loving it on the PS3 and was really excited to get it for my Wii, when I first loaded it it was abit WTF?but am beginning to get into it now.

[Jason]

Bioshock. I got it on PS3 for £12, so thought I'd rush through it while I'm waiting for number 2 to turn up.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Presently on my second Dragon Age: Origins playthrough -- doing it rather more thoroughly this time and focussing on different companions. It's surprised me, actually; apart from the core plot conversations/happenings my game has been all but completely different to my last one.

[JustaBitOutside]

Deep into Mass Effect 2, always playing L4d 1 + 2, and borrowed assassins creed 2 from a friend. I absolutely love Mass Effect, the sequel is still pretty good but honestly I miss the RPG elements like customization and a real clear use of experience points. The story is still awesome and the action is great, I'm sure when all is said and done I will have played through the whole trilogy several times. I don't get how these stupid scanning missions are supposed to be better than the Mako missions in the first one. I hope they bring the Mako back in the next one.

I bought borderlands but didn't really like it, couldn't get into it. maybe if I get with a good hunting party I will see the value.

Loved Dead Space, played through it 4 times now. Isaac is not very compelling no, but the Rookie is probably about the most worthless. ODST was pretty simple and boring overall.

[Tyloric]

L4D1/2 and Borderlands at the moment.

[Lance]

Playing Prototype at the moment - only started about an hour ago. The intro movie was excellent, and from the prologue where you get to use some of the powers, it looks like it'll be ok. We'll see though, apart from that, it's started slow and if I see "loading" one more time I'll probably scream.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Prototype's a good game. Unfortunately it does have a bit of a learning curve that takes a while. Once you have a reasonable set of powers and know how to use them all efficiently and effectively you start having a lot of fun with the game.

[Lance]

I get that impression. The controls would seem a bit weird to get use to except that I've play Spiderman: Web of Shadows enough that I could pretty much just jump straight in.

So far I'm just running around collecting the hints and landmarks. Getting that out of the way gives me a chance to get fully use to his movements, and a decent XP so I can get upgrades pretty much as soon as they become available.

[JustaBitOutside]

Playing Prototype at the moment - only started about an hour ago. The intro movie was excellent, and from the prologue where you get to use some of the powers, it looks like it'll be ok. We'll see though, apart from that, it's started slow and if I see "loading" one more time I'll probably scream.

A lot of people gave prototype bad reviews, but I really loved it. Hope you enjoy it!

[JustaBitOutside]

As far as the game goes I would focus on the core maneuvering powers first. It's total fun to just fly around all the guys trying to kill you.

I just got back into Fight Night round 4. I've loved all these games but felt that the training games were very difficult in this one. now that I have gotten the hang of it I see the value in them. The other games training didn't actually teach you how to fight like they do in this one. I love boxing in general.

[Lance]

As far as the game goes I would focus on the core maneuvering powers first. It's total fun to just fly around all the guys trying to kill you.

I just got back into Fight Night round 4. I've loved all these games but felt that the training games were very difficult in this one. now that I have gotten the hang of it I see the value in them. The other games training didn't actually teach you how to fight like they do in this one. I love boxing in general.

I've done that - it's still pretty annoying in places though. Those damn hunters give me the *****.

I agree about FN4 too - it took a while to get in to training, and there's still a few that annoy me (luckily my fighting style doesn't need to focus on those ones :))
At last count (it's been a while since I played it) I think I was 29-1, all knockouts. It's a great game - though I think UFC 2010 will be better.

[AzH]

Finally playing F.E.A.R. after I managed to get it working.

[Steph]

Left 4 Dead. After nearly a year of playing it I still can't get enough.
Why am I not sick of it yet?
But when I run into a few bad games where my team mates think it's funny to team kill etc I go for a bit of MW2 or something.

[Jason]

I've done that - it's still pretty annoying in places though. Those damn hunters give me the *****.

I agree about FN4 too - it took a while to get in to training, and there's still a few that annoy me (luckily my fighting style doesn't need to focus on those ones :))
At last count (it's been a while since I played it) I think I was 29-1, all knockouts. It's a great game - though I think UFC 2010 will be better.

Another FN4 fan here - I keep meaning to pick this one up, but my gaming list is getting insanely long, and the last thing I need is to add another game to the list.
Re: the training games, I still find some of them to be excessively fiddly, particularly the one where you punch the heavy bag down the track. That seems to be unnecessarily awkward.

[Konrad]

I've mainly been playing Mount & Blade recently (thanks :D), with some breaks for Left 4 Dead 2 which I've been getting into again.

[JustaBitOutside]

Re: the training games, I still find some of them to be excessively fiddly, particularly the one where you punch the heavy bag down the track. That seems to be unnecessarily awkward.

Man ain't that the truth, I think that one is terrible. not sure what that's supposed to accomplish, but I guess I just gotta keep on pushing on! :)

[Lance]

Man ain't that the truth, I think that one is terrible. not sure what that's supposed to accomplish, but I guess I just gotta keep on pushing on! :)

That's one of the games I DO do well ironically lol It's the one where you circle the bag to get the zones and punch it that infuriates me. I can never seem to circle fast enough.

[Jason]

Ah yeah... I hate that one as well. Hmmm, you guys have got me wanting to pick up this game now. Bastards. :p

[MyNameDidntFit]

Talking about which parts of it you hate has you wanting it?

So confused...



But then, I never got into fight games, so maybe that's why I don't understand this backwardsness.

[Lance]

Yeah, but he's a brit - you gotta expect backwardness from them ;)

Bought Mass Effect/Mass Effect 2 today - going to start it about half-hour.
Not sure what to play as though. Soldier looks good because of the Assault Rifles and Heavy Armor, but Vanguard seems interesting too.

[Konrad]

Can't reccomend Soldier... Boring class, especially in ME1. I played both my games mainly as a vanguard and never looked back. It's an especially fucking awesome class in ME2 with the charge ability.

[MyNameDidntFit]

So I'm playing BFBC2 now. Love it.

[Lance]

I might take you up on that recommendation Konrad, it does seem to be more.... flexible.... than your run of the mill soldier.

[Lance]

......

One word - Elevators

(@#*$@ (@$*#$@!

[MyNameDidntFit]

The one word to ruin a game.

[Jason]

No, I think you'll find that's 'escort'.

[Lance]

On to ME2 now, with my ME1 character.

I'm not quite sure what to make of it. While I like the "scanning planets for minerals" thing, I feel that contributes to about 90% of the game. The other 9% is character conversation, followed by 1% combat. I like the new Gears of War type combat (and the fact there's "ammo" now) but more choices for weapons/armor would be nice too.

I've just finished the Horizon mission and I feel the game is already almost finished?

Overall, I'm happy with it (gotta love Shepard's scar ridden face, no way I'm buying the upgrade to fix that) - it just feels a bit short at the moment.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Dawn of War II - Chaos Rising, R.U.S.E. Beta and Bad Company 2

Chaos Rising is awesome. R.U.S.E. is good and getting better with every bit I play. BC2 is still goddamn amazing.

[Jason]

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Well, when EA's server system will allow me to. I try not to get 'angry nerd gamer' too often, but I may have to if EA don't sort their online system out soon.

[Konrad]

Bad Company 2 and StarCraft 2.

Both fun games, wish I could play BC2 with Jassiecakes. :[ :[ :[ :[

[Steph]

I'm dying to complete Dead Space but it's up in Dundee with thee boyfriend and he forgot to bring it back down with him.
So he's in the bad books :P

So eh, Left 4 Dead it is then ...

[Jason]

Get him to post it. :p

[Konrad]

Get him to mail it instead.

[Steph]

Well he's down here with me at the moment or I would've :P

[Jason]

Pffft, details. Send him back up there and get him to post it to you! Some things are important, dammit!

[Konrad]

Send him back up there and get him to mail it to you.

[CemeteryGates]

Currently playing through Broken Steel on Fallout 3, Shivering Isles on Oblivion, my second Heavy Rain playthrough, and my good brother just came back from a trip with Uncharted 2 as a gift. Guess I'll be busy playing that the next few days. :D

[Lance]

Finished Mass Effect 2 (which turned out to be longer than I expected and well worth the time/money... looking forward to ME3 and converting my evil Sheppard (see spoilers for the end game choice I made)

All my characters survived and chose Miranda for romance. I chose to turn the Reaper base over to Cerberus though, which should be interesting to see how they use it in ME3.

I was considering playing through again as a good Sheppard for ME3 but I'm going to go complete my half-finished GTA IV: Lost and Damned and then get Ballad of Gay Tony before I go back to Mass Effect.

[Jason]

I'm wading through Bayonetta at the moment. It's quite enjoyable as long as I turn my brain off. There are some crazy difficulty spikes though - one minute you're slaughtering hordes of enemies with a flick of your thumb, the next minute the game decides to drop three huge bosses on you. I can see this getting frustrating in the later sections of the game.

[Konrad]

I just finished playing Assasin's Creed 2: Customer Rights edition, which I enjoyed very much and am now playing through Splinter Cell Conviction: Customer Rights edition.

I'm very confused about the latter. It's a horrible Splinter Cell game. It really, really sucks. It's more action than stealth, it's dumbed down like some shit and you can't even hide bodies. Aside from the voice actors and names I feel like this game has nothing to do with Splinter Cell. Even Sam Fisher's face is different now. That being said, when I get over the fact that I'm not really playing Splinter Cell anymore it's actually kind of fun in a retarded herp derp i'm cinematic ninja kind of way and I keep wanting to come back to it.

I have said my goodbyes to a game series I loved though, and I keep waiting to spot Corey on steam so I can ask him what he thinks about the new face of Splinter Cell.

[Jason]

Yeah, the reviews for Conviction have generally said that it's not true Splinter Cell, but once you get past that, it's a pretty good game. The single-player campaign is apparently criminally short, though?

[Konrad]

Yeah, I heard it was very short. Yesterday I was on day two of gameplay, but I have no idea how much of it remains. I just finished defending a cafe after chasing down some fellow who shot some other fellow. And yeah, it is a pretty good game. There are some parts of it that seem pretty broken and rushed like "that one scene near the monument where you have to take out some spotters" or the fact that you can only climb up on select things when the game feels like it or not, and I really am butthurt since I was looking forward to another Chaos Theory. The first two missions in the game I was just raging as I kept trying to play it like the old splinter cells and everything was just wrong, but I think I adjusted my expectations now. I still get pissed off when I see how fast Fisher climbs and shimmys now though. That's just plain dumb and an obvious sacrifice for the sake of the impatient modern gamer.

I think I'm having fun, but it's a very tainted sort of fun. I know for sure that I will play it again today and probably enjoy it.

I look forward to playing some Co-op since I heard it was great. I was hoping to recruit my cousin but I think the hates the series on principle.

[MyNameDidntFit]

I'm very confused about the latter. It's a horrible Splinter Cell game. It really, really sucks. It's more action than stealth, it's dumbed down like some shit and you can't even hide bodies. Aside from the voice actors and names I feel like this game has nothing to do with Splinter Cell. Even Sam Fisher's face is different now. That being said, when I get over the fact that I'm not really playing Splinter Cell anymore it's actually kind of fun in a retarded herp derp i'm cinematic ninja kind of way and I keep wanting to come back to it.
Alright. So I took three deep breaths, and now I'm going to reply.

Firstly, I haven't played too much because my Win7 Beta GFX drivers despise the game and crash it every so often so I'm waiting 'til my current downloads finish so I can reformat and install a real OS to play more.

Secondly, no, it is not Chaos Theory. It's a different game.

Thirdly, you can play it stealthily and it is amazing fun. You can't use the old "Oh I'm right next to you but I'm in a shadow so you can't see me" kind of stealth, though. You have to use the "ooh, look at me, I'm moving constantly around the shadows and you can't see me" kind of stealth. Honestly, this is a whole lot of fun to me. But, hey, I knew what I was buying [or, presumably in your case, getting] and I wasn't expecting more the same patience = stealth gameplay.

Fourthly, coop... well, the Ubi servers [read: SERVERS, not DRM] are being annoying for me and my mate that has it -- though, the Gods of gaming despise us and we have a history of NOTHING working perfectly for us. Between that and my driver issues, we've only managed half of the first level, but it is crazy fun. There doesn't seem to be as much forced coop as CT [read: it's not: "oh no a ledge, where's my buddy?!"] and you could basically do most of it yourself, but that's not the point. The point is that being awesome stealthy ninjas of death together is, as I said, crazy fun. Pew pew.

Fifthly, from a lot of gameplay videos pre-release it looked like you could third-person shooter your way through it... you can't. At least, not on realistic difficulty. I've tried. Maybe it's because I don't have the really big guns yet, but if you try to TPS your way through you get owned... except on the Iraq level. I just walked forward obliterating with my AK in that level, but I think that's the point of that one...

Sixthly... wait, no. I think I'm done. No, actually. Sixthly, DRM.

*drum roll*

It's fine. I've had zero issue with the DRM stopping me playing or anything of the sorts ;)




Konnie, I dunno how we'll go with the distance, but if you do catch me on Steam, I should be done with my format/OS install so hit me and up we'll see if the lag is low enough for us to play some coop.

[Steph]

MW2 still ... trying to prestige again.
Making life hell for Boosters.
Because it's funny and I have too much time on my hands.
I just recently got better at it too which is a shock.
'Cause I was just average/sucked before.
I can now constantly get more kills and only like 3-4 deaths per game.
Think it's 'cause I changed back to the gun I'm most comfortable with though ...

[MotherGraham~]

Well, playing Star Wars: Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy again. It never gets old. At least, if you're role-playing, IMO. I've just finished a scene that lasted ~2.5 hours whereas my character (Darth & Sith Elder Gharth Tarentek 'Naeszuhaenael' the Fourth) has been betrayed by Sith Warrior Zekkyr, after righteously accusing Zekkyr of disrespectful behaviour and arrogance towards the Elder.

As such, he rebelled and gathered several other Dark Cultists, along with two other Knights, to fight me and the lower circle of the Sith order, as well as the very Triumvirate. I wonder how it'll end.

[JustaBitOutside]

A bunch of MW2 lately, I've been getting pretty good. I agree with what steph said about switching to your favorite gun. You gotta play to your style, and I'm all about the SMG's.

[Jason]

I'm hitting Mass Effect 2 hard and loving it. Every BioWare game I play makes me respect them a little bit more - they are truly masters of their art.

[MotherGraham~]

Respect them a little bit more? ;)

(Note that this is my opinion).

BioWare are the gods of RPGs and have done an excellent job at creating them. They definitely deserve a load of respect, IMO. Mass Effect 1 and 2 are merely a part of their eternal fame. Have you tried their other games as well? Games such as Jade Empire, Neverwinter Nights, Dragon Age: Origins/Awakening and Knights of the Old Republic (a must-play if you liked ME1/2!!!). They've got, IMO, the best collection available for hardcore RPG lovers (such as I, aye!).

[Jason]

You missed out the Baldur's Gate series as well. Number 2 is probably still one of my favourite RPGs. That was a fecking huuuuuuge game.

[Konrad]

Fallout 1 & 2, Planescape: Torment and Baldur's Gate make Black Isle the top RPG studio in my book. This is also why I'm thrilled for Fallout: New Vegas, as I hope at least a part of their charm will carry over.

Bioware is indeed a very good game company on of the best, but their tendency to recycle a working formula and often simplistic approach to RPGs does not make them the top performer.

[JustaBitOutside]

The Mass Effect series is one of my favorites of all time. I just can't wait for the next one! I find myself thinking about the story all the time... it's pretty much Babylon 5 with a shit ton more action, but I liked that story too!

[Jason]

I have to say, the Mass Effect series is quickly becoming one of my favourite game franchises. They got the balance of 'true' RPG and shooter is just about perfect, in my opinion.

[Konrad]

^ Has not played Mass Effect 2. / ^ Is the Antichrist.

[Jason]

I thought you had played it? I'm sure I remember you saying you were rushing through ME1 to get to ME2. I may be cracking up, mind.

[Konrad]

I was pointing at you. ^ = user above.

And I was talking about the fact that ME2 is known for it's limited RPG elements.

[Jason]

Yeah, so I like my RPGs shooty. >_>

[JustaBitOutside]

yeah that's whats been missing from RPGs for years, GUNS!!! :) Alpha Protocol is going to be bad ass I think.

[MyNameDidntFit]

I was pointing at you. ^ = user above.

And I was talking about the fact that ME2 is known for it's limited RPG elements.

Choice system. Dialogue system. Skills/stats system.

If I wanted to spend an hour finding a recipe, so I could spend thirty-nine hours harvesting <flower/root/extract>, so that I could then spend three hours looking for <chemical/poison/creature>, so that I could make a lotion of +30 sun protection I'd bloody well play WoW.

ME2 is nigh perfect. It has all the things that the non-hardcore RPGer wants from their RPG without all the crap no-one likes ;)

I'm not a hardcore RPGer? So hate me.

[Conor]

I've been going through Batman: Arkham Asylum again, whilist playing Dark RP on Garry's Mod, The Halo Reach Beta occasionally and as of tommorow, Assassins Creed 2, Bioshock 2 and Splinter Cell Conviction :P

I have a LOT of free time at the moment xD

[Jason]

Choice system. Dialogue system. Skills/stats system.

If I wanted to spend an hour finding a recipe, so I could spend thirty-nine hours harvesting <flower/root/extract>, so that I could then spend three hours looking for <chemical/poison/creature>, so that I could make a lotion of +30 sun protection I'd bloody well play WoW.

ME2 is nigh perfect. It has all the things that the non-hardcore RPGer wants from their RPG without all the crap no-one likes ;)

I'm not a hardcore RPGer? So hate me.

Pretty much what MNDF said.

Perhaps my use of the word 'true' was incorrect, because I don't think ME2 is a true RPG in the sense of a Jade Empire or Neverwinter Nights, even though it shares many elements.

Whilst I do enjoy the occasional 'beardy' RPG (Baldur's Gate II being the shining example), I feel for pure 'entertainment value', Mass Effect 2 got the balance just right. There's enough freedom in choice and character development to allow you to screw things up a bit, be an asshole if you feel like it and make difficult choices from time to time, but not at the expense of the well-written and tightly-paced story.
I don't want to spend ten minutes in the inventory screen tweaking my armour and resistances for every single fight - sure, every now and then it's a good idea to do it to keep the player on their toes, but I don't want to have to do it every time I enter a new area - most of the time I just want to get in there and have a good old-fashioned brawl/gunfight before engaging in some verbal sparring.

[Konrad]

It has all the things that the non-hardcore RPGer wants from their RPG without all the crap no-one likes ;)


And I was talking about the fact that ME2 is known for it's limited RPG elements.

Troll some moar fggt.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Uh, sure, Konnie... try to stay true to the first word of the domain, if you would.

[Konrad]

Pardon me sir, I guess what I should have said was: Please do not reply to my postings in a condescending manner when you do naught but repaint my argument to conjure up a disagreement. I would also strongly like to stress the importance of humour in our lives.

[MyNameDidntFit]

You disagreed with TP. I backed him up. Humour is great, yes, but "troll moar" isn't a response because you couldn't hold up a discussion.

[Konrad]

There was no discussion. I said "I think Mass Effect is lacking in RPG elements to be called the perfect balance." You responded by saying that nobody likes the RPG elements in RPGs anyway. Boy oh boy, that's just spilling over with discussion potential and we're not agreeing on the facts but taking opposite stances based on nothing but opinion.

Ahh! There, on the horizon! The fruits of fruitful discussion! Darn me and my immaturity trampling all over them.

[MyNameDidntFit]

At least we can still make wine with them.

I said ME2 isn't a hardcore RPG. I said that the non-hardcore RPG audience doesn't want a hardcore RPG. I said that ME2 achieves the perfect balance for this large audience.

[Konrad]

Grown men drink expensive wine, don't you know that?

And sure, I agree. But it's a general rule that the wider of an audience you want to appeal to - the more washed out your product becomes as the first priority is to not include anything that might bother anyone. Massively popular RPG does not necessarily mean better RPG, it all relative.

[MyNameDidntFit]

... what about homemade? We'll just put a high pricetag on it and then drink it?

[dimples]

CSI Deadly Intent and Resident Evil 5

[JustaBitOutside]

I want Alpha Protocol really badly because it's supposed to bring back some of the customization that I felt was missing in ME2. I have GOT to have Red Dead as well.. where the money will come from I don't know.

[Konrad]

I'm looking forward to Alpha Protocol as well. But life is keeping me so busy I probably won't have time to get my game on until late-end of summer. That's going to be a whole lotta games to catch up on.

[Jason]

I don't know much about Alpha Protocol to be honest, I'll have a good look at that one, but Red Dead Redemption is definitely on my list, although it might have to wait a couple of weeks.

Currently Playing: Gears Of War, and really not getting what all the fuss is about. Perhaps it hasn't aged well, or maybe playing Mass Effect 2 before it has kind of made it like comparing McDonald's Hamburger to a huge chunk of Steak, but I really haven't been very impressed so far.

[Lance]

I'm now successfully playing Mechwarrior 4: Mercenaries after a few false starts (the MTX downloading system they employ takes a bit of getting use to)

But it's fun all 'round - loved taking the Blood Asp out (I'm a Clan Blood Spirit boy)

[dimples]

I'm not really playing anything. I don't know what to play. I want to start a new game, instead of playing Resident Evil 5 all the time. Tho it is great.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Titan Quest: Immortal Throne when my mate (http://www.mature-gamers.com/forums/member.php?u=116) is online and Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts when he's not.

[Jason]

Switching between Sim City 4 and Red Dead Redemption as the mood takes me.

[dimples]

I'm playing Crackdown mainly. And trying to force myself to play Quantum of solace. But it's just so bad :(

[Anne]

Reverted back to the old school... Been playing Virtual On lately. :)

[MyNameDidntFit]

Saints Row 2 cooperative.

By God is it hilariously fun. Seriously. Epic.

[Archangel]

It is. Very.

[dimples]

Saints Row 2 is awesome :D

[MyNameDidntFit]

Started playing AVP just recently. It's starting off a bit slow, but the ambience is really good and it will either be an awesome game or it'll ruin the ambience and be a shoot-fest.

[Serio]

Red Dead Redemption, and Half-Life 2. I didn't think Valve would ever update the Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode 1 engines, but they did. Now I'll have to play through both games to get a proper feel for them.

[dimples]

Tekken 6. That was kind of weird :D Not the tekken I'm used to. We'll see if we will have a nice and long relationship, or if it was just a quickie you don't want to remember..

[Jason]

I hated the 'campaign' mode in that game SO MUCH. The classic one-on-one mode is as good as ever though.

[Steph]

Assassins Creed 2 ... just managed to get all that Goddamn Subject 16's videos unlocked to reveal well, what I guessed to be Adam and Eve and Abstergo and that object of Eden thing.

I was somewhat disappointed, I expected an epic tale and description of maybe what is leading up to the next AC.

But like, 30 seconds of a man and a woman running through somewhere assassin-style (the garden of Eden?) butt-naked really wasn't worth finding and solving all those ridiculous puzzles.
[/rant]

[Jason]

Welcome to the side missions in Assassins Creed games - 60 hours of effort for 30 seconds of questionable reward. Once I completed the main storyline, I was done with the game.

[Archangel]

I really needa get around to playing AC2 sometime. Or getting it, for that matter.

For now though, between playing Sam Tyler to Corey's Gene Hunt in Saints Row 2, I've been tryin' out Supreme Commander 2. It makes me a little sad to see how simplified they've made it, but a little glad for it too. Tech advancement and a greater capacity for bigger, badder assed sons of bitches was a very delightful thing in SupCom 1, and I miss that much, but for the rest of the changes between 1 and 2, there's now a lot less micromanagement, tedium and annoyances. So that's handy.

Still waiting to see if I can get seriously badass artillery, though.

[JustaBitOutside]

Agreed about the AC2 side missions, really not worth it. Still love those games though, warts and all.

I just finished Red Dead and have started a new play through Mass Effect. Never played it as a straight dickhead before, so it's amusing :)

Started a new fallout character for the umpteenth play through, and have been playin a lot of Gears of War 2 multiplayer

[James Sparrow]

I'm Playing Call Of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Online.

Nothing New There Then Lol. :)

[Jason]

Borderlands and the Halo ODST campaign disc arrived today, so I'll be playing through them shortly.

[Archangel]

PC or Console Borderlands?

If it were PC, I'd be having 'words' with you behind the shed, and I'd bring Corey along too, 'cos we still got us some DLCs for Borderlands to play through.

[Jason]

I'd love for it to be the PC version, but unfortunately my Lappy would probably melt. :(

[Archangel]

On Cell-Shaded graphics?

Damn, son, what's that Lappy made of? Cardboard?

[Jason]

Eh, it's a 2.0gHz dual-core with 2GB ram and a 256MB Nvidia 8400 with a history of running a bit on the hot side. I might be able to run it, but I'm not about to bet £20 on it. :p

[Archangel]

Or bet your lappy on it, I'd wager (Hurr, pun). >.>

[Jason]

Yeah, I'd be all kinds of screwed if this thing died. :-/

[MyNameDidntFit]

AudioSurf, Supreme Commander 2, Aliens Vs Predator... and I think that's it for right now.

[Steph]

Red Dead Redemption = good times.

Still MW2 & L4D1 on the side though.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Alien Swarm... so god damn fun. I honestly cannot wait for community-made maps to start flowing -- not to mention any more maps Valve decide to add.

With whoever/whatever you, the reader of this post, hold dear as my witness, I solemnly swear that I have not had the amount of fun I've had playing this game for longer than I can remember.

[Lance]

I'll agree with you there MNDF, it could get very seriously addictive

[Jason]

I swear, stop it you guys. You're just taunting me now. :(

[MyNameDidntFit]

Just put your laptop on a shelf in your fridge and play it there ;)

[MotherGraham~]

Played Halo 3: ODST yet again. It remains as an awesome game still, though I'm not too fond of the start (as I mentioned some time ago I believe). I love it how you're much weaker than Master Chief; gives you an actual feeling that you're not quite as near-immortal as the Chief.

[Steph]

Dragon Age Origins. Although I'm just at the create a character screen. Been there for like 10 minutes haha.

[Archangel]

Put all the sliders to max, and call yourself blockface.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Oi. That was my name. Blockface the Doomsmasher -- the female warrior dwarf from hell.

[KAZMAIER]

Currently level grinding in "Dark Cloud".Probably will be for the rest of the decade.:lol:


Godspeed.
KAZMAIER

[Archangel]

Oi. That was my name. Blockface the Doomsmasher -- the female warrior dwarf from hell.

But you never made 'er and doomsmashed.

[JustaBitOutside]

The Saboteur right now, it's like not as good Assassins Creed.

[MyNameDidntFit]

But you never made 'er and doomsmashed.

Was intending to do it when we get around to Awakening, tbh.

[Archangel]

Huh. Awakening.

Should get that.

Don't think there's too many places I can get it from right now, mind.

[Kino]

Right now I mainly just play Modern Warfare 2 on Live. But I want to get back into Fallout 3 to complete some more of the quests.

[Tiny Cy]

Since borrowing the PS3 last month it has been non stop fifa! Won the prem with Arsenal, got snapped up by Bayern Munich, became Captain of England scoring 2 goals on my debut and now in my 3rd season I'm the fans favourite at Inter. And I'm still only 23!Pah stick that in your pipe and smoke it Messi!!

[Steph]

Okay so I got stuck in this dream world by this sloth demon or something and it got ridiculous at one point so I'm playing Tomb Raider right now to calm my frustrations haha.

Although it hasn't really worked as I've got to a point where I have no clue where to go.

[Jason]

Ah, I remember the Sloth demon fight. That was quite frustrating. I seem to remember that was one of the fights I had to switch the battle mode to 'turn-based' for.

The worst one is one of the fights in the gauntlet later on in the game. That nearly had me tearing my hair out.

[CemeteryGates]

I haven't gotten that far into it, mostly because I've bought a lot of games since then, but I remember I hated that Sloth Demon part.
Steph, it's like a big puzzle... you have to wander through the worlds open, unlock stuff, then go use your new stuff on a past world, and so on, until you can finally reach the Demon.

[MyNameDidntFit]

I honestly liked that segment of the game. It actually required moderate use of your head rather than your sword.

[Archangel]

I honestly liked that segment of the game. It actually required moderate use of your head rather than your sword.

Aye; was pretty fun.

Pretty good level design, too.

[Jason]

I'm currently losing my whole life to Final Fantasy XIII, and in even worse news for my social life, my rentals of Fable 2 and Splinter Cell: Conviction are arriving in the post in the next couple of days.

*sigh*

[Diachron]

I hear you. I was on vacation last week, and instead of knocking out my to-do list, I managed to spend somewhere in the vicinity of 500,000 hours in Dragon Age.

[Archangel]

*Thread necromancy for justice*

Me and MNDF are presently awesoming our way through Fallout 3 and the the DLCs pertaining to it, him for the first time, me for about the third (first time on the DLCs though). Asides from the typical Bethesda fail in relation to bugs (like where Dr Li preferred standing in a sewer as opposed to going to the Brotherhood Citadel in MNDF's game), it's pretty awesome. I've nuked Megaton, I've nuked China, fired an alien deathray at the Earth at least a handful of times, dislodged many people's heads from their respective bodies, and generally just awesomed my way all across the wasteland.

Good times.

On the side, I've also played a little bit of Call of Duty: World at War, because as far as modern games go, it's pretty much the top WWII shooter around, and I've felt alot like shooting me some Nazis.

[Lance]

lol You know I'm playing Fallout 3 at the moment as well (in between bouts of Mafia II)

As usual I just kill everyone after screwing with their heads (not literally you perverts -.-)

*Thread necromancy for justice*

Me and MNDF are presently awesoming our way through Fallout 3 and the the DLCs pertaining to it, him for the first time, me for about the third (first time on the DLCs though). Asides from the typical Bethesda fail in relation to bugs (like where Dr Li preferred standing in a sewer as opposed to going to the Brotherhood Citadel in MNDF's game), it's pretty awesome. I've nuked Megaton, I've nuked China, fired an alien deathray at the Earth at least a handful of times, dislodged many people's heads from their respective bodies, and generally just awesomed my way all across the wasteland.

Good times.

On the side, I've also played a little bit of Call of Duty: World at War, because as far as modern games go, it's pretty much the top WWII shooter around, and I've felt alot like shooting me some Nazis.

[Archangel]

Hehe. SO far I've been doing it the 'professional' way--i.e. going where the caps are at. It just turns out that the caps are in the hands of evil folk, and it makes me an evil fellow for doing their dirty work.

That, and every now and then I take a certain amount of joy and pleasure in making pretty patterns on the ground with people's grey matter.

[Lance]

Do you kill everyone in Megaton before blowing it up? I find it amusing to do it that way - take their equipment, steal the sherrif's key to get the strength bobblehead and access to the armory and a bit more XP, then go and blow it up

[Archangel]

Aye, I did. Walked into the middle of town with me ol' Huntin' Rifle, let the sheriff know I was planning on setting off the bomb, then proceeded to go a-huntin'.

The VATS camera is really quite superb when you're taking down a half-dozen-odd fleeing civilians with a hunting rifle. Watching the futility of them trying to flee as they fall, one by one... makes the sociopath in me happy.

[JustaBitOutside]

I went to see three dog once, waited until he was asleep and snuck up on him to place a grenade in his pocket. Then he painted the ceiling like the Sistine Chapel :) Any time you put that channel on a lady comes on and talks about some a-hole killing 3 dog. AWOOOH!

[Steph]

Ah man, you guys suck, I want to play Fallout 3 so bad now.
:upset:

[MyNameDidntFit]

As usual I just kill everyone after screwing with their heads (not literally you perverts -.-)

I was playing it at a style of 'whatever has the best outcome for me'... but then Doctor Li wouldn't move the right fucking way and I couldn't console hack her to do what I wanted and I had to go back about nine hours so I just shot every bloody piece of godforsaken life that dared move within my line of sight for about two hours and now I'm decidedly on the evil end of the scale and working somewhat at fixing that.

To give you an idea of my wrath, I walked into Oasis, walked up to Harold, the tree, and shot the bastard in the face with a nuclear device. He burned and howled in agony as I laughed maniacally and slaughtered his followers with my gorram Samurai sword -- as my Prototype Medic Armour yelled encouraging insults at me.

>:|

... and that's me playing as a nice guy.

[Lance]

...

If you did all that without the Bloody Mess perk, I'll never forgive you :p

[MyNameDidntFit]

I did. Bloody Mess in FO3 is... lackluster. Sure, it makes a bloody mess, but they're irrelevant bloody messes. When I hit someone with a sword I want to see those bastards slide in half, not frigging explode.


Also; just now died due to worst idea ever: gave Charon my Fatman :/

[Lance]

I'm trying not to laugh... but seriously? You gave him your Fat Man? lol

The only thing worse would be giving it to Fawkes

[MyNameDidntFit]

It was great while it lasted, he managed to kill three or four groups of Super Mutants/Talon Company Mercs before destroying both him and myself.

[MyNameDidntFit]

So I did every damned thing in my power to join the Enclave, but the damn game would not let me. From the moment Eden invited me to his office onwards the only Enclave soldier I killed was Col. Autumn. Hell, I spent most of the time running around in Enclave Power Armour and a frigging party hat surviving only by virtue of more drugs than you can possibly know.

Still, I wish the game actually gave you the choice of assisting the Enclave rather than the naive fools over at the Brotherhood traitor citadel.

[Lance]

Meh - just do what I do - depopulate the entire wasteland and start your own super-powered force of 1 :D

[MyNameDidntFit]

Well I wanted to do that to the Citadel... but the game wont let me kill half of them so it's not worth it.

[Serio]

I'm playing Dead Space for the first time(bit late, I know. Better late than never, right? :p). I learned the hard way that headless necromorph doesn't necessarily mean dead necromorph. I walked past it calmly, only to have it jump up in my face and scare the heck out of me.

[Archangel]

The first time that happens is pretty awesome.

Unfortunately my main problem with Dead Space is that it gets very, very, repetitive. That, and the walk/run and third person aiming system is annoying as balls.

[Jason]

Yeah, here's hoping Dead Space 2 enhances on what was an excellent (if slightly flawed) debut. Survival Horror should not be allowed to die as a genre, and with Silent Hill now churning out relentless 'reinventions' and prequels, each slightly worse than the one before it, and Resident Evil looking to take a more action-orientated approach to the genre, Dead Space is currently flying the flag.

EDIT: Yeah, Serio - I always go for the limbs for that precise reason. ;)

[Serio]

I don't know if I would classify Dead Space as true horror[1]. I mean, it's creepy but it's a good creepy. So far, I've been startled by the odd tentacle and not-quite-dead necromorph, but nowhere near the same scare I had in Penumbra: Overture with the dog. I will, however, say that Dead Space is one of the most amazing science fiction action games I've ever tried. The fantastic HUD, the derelict ship, and the environments overall add to a fantastic experience.

Isaac does seem to have superhuman strength, though. I'm not the least bit disappointed with it, and it was kind of an impulse purchase.

[1] - When I say true horror, I mean the knowledge that you're not alone. You know the game is out to scare you, and not necessarily tell you a good story. Then again, maybe the fact it's set in space, so far from "home", is what makes it less scary for me, whereas F.E.A.R. and Penumbra are both set in places that you can walk by in your everyday life.

[Jason]

I own the Penumbra games, and I've struggled to get into them - I guess it's the art of getting used to the games, but I often find that it's unclear what is and isn't interactable - there were several times when I was trying to do something that made perfect sense, but for whatever reason the game wouldn't have any of it - but from what I've seen they do look pretty darn creepy.

As for the point about the HUD in Dead Space, I agree 110%, it's probably one of the best HUDs I've seen in a game.

[dimples]

Call of Duty MW2 (yeah baby!) and Bionic Commando. Which I absolutely hate so far.

[MotherGraham~]

Currently been playing some games, switching every so few hours. Mainly achievement-hunting. Games such as SW:TFU, Mass Effect (1), Dragon Age: Origins and Prototype... again.

[Jason]

...absolutely nothing. Stupid work. :(

[Serio]

Just lost my 9 year old fortress in Dwarf Fortress yesterday. Everything went well from the establishment in year 31, to the beginning of the chaos in year 40. It all began with the appearance of a forgotten beast in the caverns. I sent down my soldiers to deal with it, and they did. But they brought back a disease that incapacitated most of my military force(it caused their feet to rot). It wasn't fatal to adult dwarves, but it could easily kill animals and younger dwarves, which it did. The result? Tantrums. And my Captain of the Guard was incapacitated. When he recovered, he was driven nuts as well. Did I mention he had previously killed over 20 creatures? Among them, 7 or so humans, and 5 Forgotten Beasts? Alone? The population quickly declined as they began to kill each others. My King locked himself(correction: I locked him) inside his bedroom chamber and sealed off the noble quarters. I thought I had saved my fortress, but alas, nothing is ever that easy in Dwarf Fortress. One of the dwarves in the "vault" went insane and murdered everyone but the King. When they were finally let out, the population had gone from 245 to 12. The King later died of thirst, and the Captain of the Guard of hunger. The last Mayor of Darkmeadow buried himself and the Captain inside the golden tomb I had constructed for him(two levers, one for each "seal", and no alternative way out of the tomb).

So, still Dwarf Fortress. I'm also playing a bit of Team Fortress 2, The Settlers VI, and X3: Reunion. I'm thinking of installing EndWar too.

[Steph]

Left 4 Dead. Lovin' the new add on for it. The generators at the end and getting to sacrifice one of the players is dead fun. Lots of tanks + lots of hordes = intense fun.

Just gonna go play it now and start the generators all at once. It's so sad how intensely excited I am about this.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Darksiders and Lord of the Rings: Online, presently.

[JustaBitOutside]

Halo Reach, Uncharted, Enslaved, and Heavy Rain (again!). Got a few more sitting around here, but those are my main draws lately. I like the new L4d content, but I am baffled at why they would put the same campaign in two games. Who really gives a CRAP if you can play it with melee weapons or not? Maybe there are more differences, I'm not sure. At no point when I was playing it on L4d did I say to myself, "hmm, you know what this is missing? A bunch more incredibly annoying special infected to irritate the hell out of me and a few baseball bats!!" I can assure you that I never felt that way.

[Lance]

I'm addicted to Guitar Hero currently -.-

[Archangel]

Darksiders and Lord of the Rings: Online, presently.

This.

[Landy]

Recently been picking up a lot more hours on 'Red Nation'. Quite a challenge and good fun, especially when playing it with a friend. Rumors has it that they will be making the game into a 4 player Co-op.

[CemeteryGates]

FIFA 11, Dragon Age: Origins and Demon's Souls.

[Jason]

Masses and masses of Team Fortress 2, learning the art of being THAT Pyro - the one that just blasts everything you throw at him/her/it straight back at you. And god help you if you happen to be standing near anything that could kill you if you fall into it.

Still haven't got the art of reflecting Huntsman arrows down yet though - only done it once, and that was a fluke.

Apart from that, I've been getting to know Dead Nation and also rebuilding the British Empire in Civilization IV.

[happysister]

Champions Online and Global Agenda own my soul atm.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Global Agenda, when there are people around to play with.

Serious Sam: The Second Encounter when no-one is around to hear the repeated screams of frustration as I die again and again in this stupid fucking dark room filled with Kleer.

[Soulwatcher]

Right now I am not playing anything. But I am patiently waiting for Fear 3.

[fantanoice]

I'm playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess right now. It's so good that it is Uni holidays so I can play games that aren't Pokemon for a change.

[Daggers]

I'm playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess right now. It's so good that it is Uni holidays so I can play games that aren't Pokemon for a change.

I too am on a 2nd run through of Twilight Princess! I haven't played it since I bought it for Gamecube many moons ago, having just moved back home I have access to it again!

Currently about to investigate Snowpeak.

In other news:
Feather hunting on AC2.
Getting back into Mass Effect.
Playing Black Ops with a number of online homies.
Finally decided to play Gears of War, actually, it's pretty good I hear.
Crackdown 2, because somehow I forgot I had bought it.

[fantanoice]

I too am on a 2nd run through of Twilight Princess! I haven't played it since I bought it for Gamecube many moons ago, having just moved back home I have access to it again!

This is my first playthrough of Twilight Princess (on Wii because it is near impossible to find a GC copy). I started it a few months ago but put it down when semester started. I hate leaving games unfinished, so it's good that I can get back to playing it.

[Daggers]

This is my first playthrough of Twilight Princess (on Wii because it is near impossible to find a GC copy). I started it a few months ago but put it down when semester started. I hate leaving games unfinished, so it's good that I can get back to playing it.

Ah fair enough, where have you reached? I love it on gamecube I would never have bought it for wii.

[Betty]

Theres a few gc copies at mah local gamestop. I want to buy it except its 45 bucks.
...for a gamecube game...
I borrowed it from my friend a few summers ago, beat it twice & collected everything.
That was sufficient enough for me.

[Kozahk]

Playing Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria on the PS2 and Yggdra Union on the PSP at the moment.

[Lyght]

Champions online took over my life atm.

[fantanoice]

Ah fair enough, where have you reached? I love it on gamecube I would never have bought it for wii.

Finished the desert and got the first piece of the mirror. Heading to the ice/snow place next.

[iebo]

Right now I split my gaming between MicroVolts and World of Tanks. MicroVolts is cool because you play a 2 inch high toy running around in human sized environments, and World of Tanks is a tank shooter which is a lot of fun.

[JustaBitOutside]

Trying to play everything and it doesn't work!! Darksiders, me 2 for the fourth time, portal 2, blops, gears, dirt 3 nfs undercover, marvel vs capcom 3... oh god im buried ;)

[dimples]

Borderlands. Again. I think last time I played it was after xmas :/ But luckily it's not hard to get back into

[CemeteryGates]

Splinter Cell Conviction
Rome: Total War
Shogun 2: Total War
InFamous
Demon's Souls
Black Ops
FIFA 10
Oblivion (Shivering Isles)

So many games to play, so little time. I would think it's not helping my performance at work, getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep every night, but my boss says I'm getting better lately. :p

[Kozahk]

At what? Work or Total War? :P

[CemeteryGates]

At what? Work or Total War? :P

Hahaha. Both. :p

[socko25]

Currently playing L.A. Noire. I didn't pay any attention to the trailers or ads for it so when I started it and realized Cole Phelps was protrayed by Aaron Staton (Ken Cosgrove on Mad Men) I got very excited to play through the game.

[fantanoice]

I think I left my Twilight Princess disk at my friend's house so I'm playing Star Fox Adventures again instead.

[Kozahk]

Uncharted 3 multiplayer beta :P

[happysister]

as soon as it comes back online, DFO.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Still Serious Sam: The Second Encounter. So frakking amazing to be playing back through these games after so long :D

There's just no other game that feels like these do. For example, I just went around the back of a GIGANTIC Mayan pyramid via a hidden path. Behind it I find a plunger. So I hit the plunger and BAM. The entire pyramid blows up, revealing TWO of one of the game's strongest creatures standing literally 20 meters from me.

Talk about unforgiving. But I killed them :)

[Taylore]

Right now I am Playing “Speed for speed” car racing game, because it is my one of the favourite game and it is really very interesting.

[Misfit]

Mortal Kombaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!

[Kozahk]

Yggdra Union (Fuck Blaze Union atm), Homefront, M&B: With Fire and Sword, Recettear: An Item Shop Tale and maybe Terraria again.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Killing Floor and Serious Sam. No surprises there. This sale and Summer Event have been awesome, they've added many people to my 'play Killing Floor with' list.

[Konrad]

I'm totally trying to get into Killing Floor. I totally am. It's hard, and frustrating, and confusing, and I feel lonely, but I really want to like the game. I even bought a tux-and-gasmask outfit for spare change so I can look bamf while I don't play the game.

Also, The Old Republic Beta, starting today. Despite having previously promised myself to not care about the game, it had me squealing with joy the second I got me email.

Also trying to start New Vegas again and finish it this time. I still remember too much though, and I took a perk I shouldn't. My limbs are really... really frail.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Try joining a few of us some time for Killing Floor. I don't think I've ever played it without at least one person I know and really doubt I would have that much fun if I did.

We can keep you on the right track and tease you when you fail so it's more fun :)

[happysister]

so i'm now playing Torchlight, Battlefront 2, KOTOR, and still DFO. such a busy schedule.

[Kozahk]

Gotta get around to installing Torchlight. Currently focusing on M&B:WFS and Recettear. Recettear is...odd. The best description I can think of is Animal Crossing meets Diablo with the same sense of humor as Disgaea (there is no fourth wall). And it takes the piss out of everything from Pokemon to Metal Gear Solid to .exe files to interspecies bonking of the Mass Effect variety.

[LoloPinky]

Got sucked back into The Sims 2... Ah, this is gonna eat up so much of my time <3
As well as playing Mafia II and L.A. Noire, oh dear.

[MyNameDidntFit]

Bought C&C 3, the expansion and C&C 4 for about $12 so I'm now playing C&C 3 along with the usual Killing Floor and Serious Sam.

[CemeteryGates]

Killing Floor, FIFA 11, S.T.A.L.K.E.R., Metro 2033, Deus Ex, Rome: Total War, and I'm about to start Terraria.

[fantanoice]

Ocarina of Time 3D. Up to the Fire Temple. Giggity giggity.

[Misfit]

Alice: Madness Returns <3