So, what're you playing?

[dusematic]

Is Fallout 3 worth creating a window's partition on my Mac to play? I hear so much about New Vegas that I am contemplating jumping off the Cataclysm ship and re-addicting myself to something else.

Yes. 

Only if after playing the last Fallout start to finish you thought to yourself "they should make another game exactly like this one but with a different story."  I watched my roommate pla here and there fr awhle until he got bored with it and shelved it.  Looked boring and poopy.

[Rendakor]

He asked about Fallout 3, not New Vegas. If you haven't played either then you should at least play one of them. duse is right that they're basically the same game with a different story; however, it's a pretty good game.

[dusematic]

He asked about Fallout 3,

fair point

[dusematic]

Bioware has been taking the same game and reskinning it with slight refinements for awhile. Frankly, I'm sick of the act. I'm supposed to be super excited about Mass Effect?  Hey, I already played that game for the Xbox a decade ago when it was called KOTOR.  Dragon Age, same thing.

Now Bethesda has gotten into the act and is busy seeing how many times they can reskin Oblivion.  Meantime, Western RPG's are sliding further and further away from stats and loot and more toward psuedo-film on rails gameplay with dialogue trees and played out "morality" elements that were getting stale somewhere around Ultima 8.

[Reg]

Sounds like you should just stop playing games.  You're burned out.

[dusematic]

I'm chilling out with the new DQ on DS.  Also playing King's Bounty.  The problem with the predominant Western RPG's is not that I'm burned out but that they're shit.  Yes, they have high production values and great graphics.  No, Fallout: New Vegas does not have good gameplay.  Nor does Mass Effect 2.  Nor does Red Dead.  They DO have hackneyed stories, ghey "good guy/bad guy" dialogue trees, and shitty pseudo FPS game mechanics that are so dumbed down that they are literally idiot proof.  That's why all these games have some combination of bullet time/life recharge which boils down to God mode.  The limited strategy of "should I use Icega or Firega" has even been stripped and filtered out.  The shit is just washed up.

[Reg]

Well I'm sure Bioware will take your opinion into account when they develop their next best selling game.

[Rasix]

The fact that he threw in Red Dead with everything else should tell you something.

IE that he's speaking directly out of his angry, erupting ass.  Like normal.

Stuck in no gaming land still.  I could play Torchlight on my parents PC, but their mouse is just dreadful.  Back to dumb iphone games like Cut the Rope and other millionaire making, glorified flash games.

edit: Just to head him off, I'm not really interested in arguing about Rockstar gaming being RPGs or not.

[jakonovski]

Been buying Steam sale games like crazy, but not playing them. Instead, it's been WoW, GT5, Limbo and Costume Quest.

[Azazel]

Now Bethesda has gotten into the act and is busy seeing how many times they can reskin Oblivion.  Meantime, Western RPG's are sliding further and further away from stats and loot and more toward psuedo-film on rails gameplay with dialogue trees and played out "morality" elements that were getting stale somewhere around Ultima 8.

It might be a somewhat reskin of Oblivion, but it's much better done. Oblivion bored me senseless within hours, while F3 is something I really enjoyed, albeit, still haven't finished (when you could the DLC stuff, anyway).

Been buying Steam sale games like crazy, but not playing them. Instead, it's been WoW, GT5, Limbo and Costume Quest.

That's what I tend to do. Unfortunately, I buy too many games based on "I'd like to play this with my wife/friends" and then simply don't have the time or ever get around to doing so. I've also just realised that with the big reinstall of steam, I'll have lost my Bioshock save. 

[dusematic]

Well I'm sure Bioware will take your opinion into account when they develop their next best selling game.

Me being right has noting to do with something being popular, or even good. Those games are all "good" at what they're attempting to do. And some people will never tire of the formula. Maybe most.

[dusematic]

The fact that he threw in Red Dead with everything else should tell you something.

IE that he's speaking directly out of his angry, erupting ass.  Like normal.



edit: Just to head him off, I'm not really interested in arguing about Rockstar gaming being RPGs or not.

What was so great about Red Dead again, regardless of whether you'd classify it as an RPG?  Besides the graphics I mean? 

After the 50th time you went into bullet time mode to pick off the 16 gunmen surrounding you were you not sort of over the gameplay?  A game that did bullet time right was Max Payne because A) it was a precious resource, B) it looked super cool, and C) not only was it groundbreaking at the time but also because of the way it was integrated into the gameplay.  In Mx Payne you could still get fucked up in bullet time mode.  In Red Dead it's just "enter god mode, god mode runs out, run around for awhile until it recharges then re-enter god mode"

[Rendakor]

The coolest thing about Red Dead was that it was the first Rockstar game with a protagonist that wasn't a total douche (not something you'd empathize with, but...). As a result, I stayed reasonably focused on the story and the sidequests, rather than go on a senseless killing spree then get bored with the game (like I did with GTA III-IV and most of their clones).

[dusematic]

The coolest thing about Red Dead was that it was the first Rockstar game with a protagonist that wasn't a total douche (not something you'd empathize with, but...). As a result, I stayed reasonably focused on the story and the sidequests, rather than go on a senseless killing spree then get bored with the game (like I did with GTA III-IV and most of their clones).

True.  Although to be fair, Senseless killing sprees are really the best thing GTA has going for it.

[Riggswolfe]

I just finished a budget 360 game called Deadly Premonition. I bought it based off the odd cult following it has and discovered that it is a game with terrible graphics, sound design and controls and yet was somehow oddly compelling to the point where I couldn't help finishing it and am considering going back to finish up sidequests and stuff.

Bioware has been taking the same game and reskinning it with slight refinements for awhile. Frankly, I'm sick of the act. I'm supposed to be super excited about Mass Effect?  Hey, I already played that game for the Xbox a decade ago when it was called KOTOR.  Dragon Age, same thing.

Mass Effect != KOTR in any way, shape, or form. They're both sci-fi rpgs and you have companion NPCs. That's where the resemblance ends. Different mechanics, different story, different everything. Now, Dragon Age is a somewhat refined NWN in some ways, I'll give you that though they did try to make the world at least semi-original.

[dusematic]

Mass Effect != KOTR in any way, shape, or form. They're both sci-fi rpgs and you have companion NPCs. That's where the resemblance ends. Different mechanics, different story, different everything. Now, Dragon Age is a somewhat refined NWN in some ways, I'll give you that though they did try to make the world at least semi-original.

Well, of course the story is different.  But video game stories in general are pretty frail.  The point of a story in video games is really not to trip over its own feet and ruin the willing suspension of disbelief. 

Maybe it's been too long since I've played both games, but combat in KOTOR and ME were exactly the same, no?  Press pause, issue commands to party members, can set auto A.I. behavior.  ME2 changed it to play more like a pseudo FPS.  So, that was actually even worse imo.

[Riggswolfe]

Maybe it's been too long since I've played both games, but combat in KOTOR and ME were exactly the same, no?  Press pause, issue commands to party members, can set auto A.I. behavior.  ME2 changed it to play more like a pseudo FPS.  So, that was actually even worse imo.

Wrong. KOTOR combat was based on the d20 Star Wars (aka D&D Star Wars) Me and Me2 were both hybrid FPS/RPG but ME2 took the RPG skills out of the FPS aiming.

[Margalis]

Obligatory:

http://biowarequest.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/orig_320200_1_1257581825.png

That Bioware has been pumping out variations on the same theme for quite a while is a pretty popular notion.

[Reg]

Well all companies can't display the stunning originality of Square Enix.  Not and stay in business anyway.

[Sir T]

i'm in a retro mood lately. My current gaming plans are Hegemonia, ground control, stalker then playing arham asylum.

[Margalis]

Well all companies can't display the stunning originality of Square Enix.  Not and stay in business anyway.

I like how you always try to make things "personal" for absolutely no reason.  

[dusematic]

Maybe it's been too long since I've played both games, but combat in KOTOR and ME were exactly the same, no?  Press pause, issue commands to party members, can set auto A.I. behavior.  ME2 changed it to play more like a pseudo FPS.  So, that was actually even worse imo.

Wrong. KOTOR combat was based on the d20 Star Wars (aka D&D Star Wars) Me and Me2 were both hybrid FPS/RPG but ME2 took the RPG skills out of the FPS aiming.

 Whether it's based on the D20 system or the Tentacle Rape 3.0 system, the combat was the same.  Ain't talking about how shit is determined under the hood statistically.  Frankly I'm weirded out that you're making such fine distinctions.  It'd be like if I said Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. were totally different because of the way health and powerups are governed.

People that play Mass Effect and talk about how great the fucking story is can suck on my balls.  The story blows.  The dialogue blows.  It just sucks.  I don't play games for stories.  I read stories for stories.  The best video game stories only rise to the level of "that wasn't pure shit."  As was pointed out supra, the idea that all these games are the same isn't exactly a new idea.  It's basically a meme at this point.

[Riggswolfe]

Whether it's based on the D20 system or the Tentacle Rape 3.0 system, the combat was the same.  Ain't talking about how shit is determined under the hood statistically.  Frankly I'm weirded out that you're making such fine distinctions.  It'd be like if I said Super Mario Bros. and New Super Mario Bros. were totally different because of the way health and powerups are governed.

Are you being dumb on purpose?

KOTOR: click combat with optional pausing to que skills. Flat dialogue system with silent protagonist. You choose what the PC literally says.
ME1/2: fps controls. ME1 had RPG skills affect your aim & damage. Me2 only has it affect damage if I recall correctly. Dialogue is the wheel (+interupts in Me2) intended to make dialogue more seemless. You choose the tone of the response but not what the PC actually says and the PC is voiced.

I won't comment on your story criticisms since it's just your opnion.

[dusematic]

Okay now that's real criticism. The trouble is that all of that is too diffucult for me to fackcheck and so we must agree to disagree

[Rendakor]

KOTOR: click combat with optional pausing to que skills. Flat dialogue system with silent protagonist. You choose what the PC literally says.
ME1/2: fps controls. ME1 had RPG skills affect your aim & damage. Me2 only has it affect damage if I recall correctly. Dialogue is the wheel (+interupts in Me2) intended to make dialogue more seemless. You choose the tone of the response but not what the PC actually says and the PC is voiced.

This was actually one of my biggest complaints about ME, and why I never bothered to try ME2. Just picking the tone didn't feel immersive at all; I would rather have had no choice at all.

[Ingmar]

Okay now that's real criticism. The trouble is that all of that is too diffucult for me to fackcheck and so we must agree to disagree

I can confirm what Riggswolfe is saying, other than the games both being first person the combat has very little at all in common.

[rk47]

I like King Arthur. It wasn't that great, but the whole decision making quests blends well with the warfare management. I'm not even that far into the game (only 20 turns in) but I kept thinking whether it's the right choice to split army and prioritize which quests to do first, since a few of the them had time limits.

Here's hoping it'll improve as I get deeper into it.

[Sand]

Fate
NWN2 OC
DF2010 (started last night, but spent past 3 days reading up on it and trying to figure it out)

[apocrypha]

For the first time in ages I'm playing something other than WoW (apart from Fallout:NV but I burned through that in 3 weeks):

Assassin's Creed 2. Got Plat edition for Christmas, and loving it.

[ghost]

Mass Effect != KOTR in any way, shape, or form. They're both sci-fi rpgs and you have companion NPCs. That's where the resemblance ends. Different mechanics, different story, different everything. Now, Dragon Age is a somewhat refined NWN in some ways, I'll give you that though they did try to make the world at least semi-original.

This may be true, but they sure felt similar to me.  That isn't necessarily a bad thing. 

Fallout 3, on the other hand, felt like a completely different formula.

[Mrbloodworth]

We started a new minecraft server, played that a lot. Played some Global agenda, and contemplated booting up the Guild 2: Renaissance again.

[bhodi]

contemplated booting up the Guild 2: Renaissance again.

I am continually amazed at your love for terrible, terrible games. We seem to have absolutely nothing in common when it comes to enjoyment. That game is only fun if you want to be a stockbroker at the turn of the century, and your job is already an accountant.

[HaemishM]

Took advantage of Gamestop's buy 2 used, get 1 free sale to pick up Assassin's Creed 1, Fallout 3, and Final Fantasy 13, so will somehow add that to the mountain of games I'm currently engaged in.

[Mrbloodworth]

contemplated booting up the Guild 2: Renaissance again.

I am continually amazed at your love for terrible, terrible games. We seem to have absolutely nothing in common when it comes to enjoyment. That game is only fun if you want to be a stockbroker at the turn of the century, and your job is already an accountant.

Amazingly, I disagree.   Who saw that coming! In fact all the various facets of play are what I like about it. Its got a full politics game, a full "sims" family game, a full RTS action game, and a full Merchantmen game. The depth is quite amazing, its just really buggy.

I tend to enjoy rather unique games, those that break molds. Granted this usually means indi or low budget titles. This removes the need to participate in discussing the virtues of the same games with different titles that still fail in the same way despite having AAA budgets and a huge pedigree.   This does not mean I don't play them, but there is not point in discussing them, what more needs to be said?

It's a really intriguing game, if you peel the onion and flick out the bugs.

[ghost]

Just got into Mass Effect 2 a little bit, and I can already tell that it is a huge improvement over the first one. 

Also, trying to start Dragon Age again.  Something about it just doesn't hook me.  Oh well, maybe it gets better as you go into it a bit.