So, what're you playing?

[schild]

I can't stand the "movement" in the game where you can only move from room to room in one big jump or am I missing something about the controls?

No, that's correct. The controls are shit right now and I hate them.

[Margalis]

Went back to Dark Souls. I stopped playing it because I lent my 360 to someone and didn't hook it up when they returned it.

So I was at the Anor Londo part with the archers. Took me a while to get past them. Then I got to Orenstein and Smaugh. (Or whatever there names are)

Unfortunately, right before I fought them, I upgraded my main weapon to be a lightning weapon. These guys use lightning and thus were taking almost no damage from my lightning weapon. So after trying a bunch of times I realized what the problem was and devolved my weapon. Then I turned it into a Golem Axe, then realized I didn't have the strength to wield it. So then I devolved it again. (Colossal waste of resources!)

I had 5 charges on my flask and no humanity, so I couldn't summon an NPC to help me or upgrade the bonfire to get 10 flasks. And I had just wasted a lot of my most valuable materials. Thought about giving up. But I powered through and eventually beat them.

[HaemishM]

Managed to correct the motion sickness that Gone Home gave me by turning off motion blur and turning the mouse sensitivity all the way down. Just finished it. What a thoroughly beautiful, brilliant game. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

[Falconeer]

Managed to correct the motion sickness that Gone Home gave me by turning off motion blur and turning the mouse sensitivity all the way down. Just finished it. What a thoroughly beautiful, brilliant game. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Yes!
I am pretty sure it wouldn't have the same effect on those who weren't there in the 90s (and happen to be pretty much the same age as the protagonists), but it's really awesome in many ways and you don't really have to be over thirty to appreciate. Also, great soundtrack.

[MrHat]

Managed to correct the motion sickness that Gone Home gave me by turning off motion blur and turning the mouse sensitivity all the way down. Just finished it. What a thoroughly beautiful, brilliant game. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Yes!
I am pretty sure it wouldn't have the same effect on those who weren't there in the 90s (and happen to be pretty much the same age as the protagonists), but it's really awesome in many ways and you don't really have to be over thirty to appreciate. Also, great soundtrack.

My brother was over and we played it and while we were a little disappointed by the end (we expected something different) the game stayed with us for days.

[Jeff Kelly]

After watching a few videos I'd rather like to play Persona 4. Game is only legally available for the PSVita though so that's out.

I'm currently playing a few iOS games in between, most notably Cook Serve Delicious, which is pretty good but could use a more streamlined UI on the iPad.

[Rendakor]

Have you played Persona 3? It's just as good, and available on the PSN for PS3.

[schild]

Persona 3 and Persona 4 look exactly the same and I like 3 more than 4. 4 had some nice bits though.

[HaemishM]

I haven't played Persona 4 but 3 was one of the best JRPG's I ever played.

[Jeff Kelly]

Persona 3 is not on the EU PSN store. US only.

[Falconeer]

Available here for 20$. Can't recommend this enough (the FES edition especially. Insane amount of content).

[Strazos]

I actually preferred P4, but YMMV, clearly.

[Rendakor]

I liked the story better in P4, but in P3 the dungeon was an evening activity instead of an afternoon+evening, so you had more time for Social Linking which makes it kind of a toss up.

[Jeff Kelly]

Available here for 20$. Can't recommend this enough (the FES edition especially. Insane amount of content).

I do no longer own a PS 2. Persona 4 is currently only available for PS 2 and PSVita (as Persona 4 Golden) and I also don't own a Vita (and have no intention of buying one), Persona 3 FES is available on the PSN store as a port for the PS 3 but only in the US store.

So my curent options would be to buy a Vita to play Persona 3 and 4 which I won't do, download the ISOs and set up a PS 2 emulator or not play them. I'll go with not playing them then.

It's always the same with Atlus and localizations it takes years for them to launch games in North America and even longer to bring them to EU if they bother at all.

[Moaner]

I've been playing a ton of Spelunky and still suck.  Almost 200 deaths so far and I can't consistently clear the first area.  It's pretty frustraiting at this poing but I can't stop playing the damn thing.

[jth]

I do no longer own a PS 2. Persona 4 is currently only available for PS 2 and PSVita (as Persona 4 Golden) and I also don't own a Vita (and have no intention of buying one), Persona 3 FES is available on the PSN store as a port for the PS 3 but only in the US store.

Do you own a PSP? Persona 3 Portable is available in the EU PSN Store.

[ezrast]

I've been playing a ton of Spelunky and still suck.  Almost 200 deaths so far and I can't consistently clear the first area.  It's pretty frustraiting at this poing but I can't stop playing the damn thing.

Keep at it. Area 3 is pretty crazy/fun, assuming nothing's changed from the old version.

[Margalis]

Well, I beat the Four Kings and the Scaleless Serpent dude in the library / crystal cave area. The Four Kings were pretty hard, the Serpent dude was a joke. He did basically no damage to me. Now I'm in the Tomb of the Giants - I can't see shit.

I like hard but not this kind of hard. This is the one place in the game I've been legitimately annoyed.

[Jeff Kelly]

Do you own a PSP? Persona 3 Portable is available in the EU PSN Store.

Unfortunately I don't.

Thank you all very much for all of your recommendations though. I'm not a huge JRPG fan but Persona 3 and 4 are universally praised and the few videos I watched looked interesting so I at least wanted to try it as long as the financial investment isn't to high. If it were a game series I know and really love (like Zelda for example) I'd consider buying hardware for it but not if it's a game I am curious about but don't know if I will like it once I've played it myself. P 3 would have been a good start since the PSN version doesn't cost that much money and I already own a PS 3 but I'd rather not buy a used PS 2 plus retail versions of the games or a Vita or PSP for a game I don't know I will love. I'll maybe revisit it once a version of P3 or P4 becomes available on the EU PSN store or on another system I own.

A final question for those who've already played a Persona game. How is the D Sim part of Persona? From the outside Persona looks like a mix between RPG and simulation where the simulation part mostly covers relationships like in the D Sim or ren'ai genre of games. Is this assumption correct and if so would you consider it to be a good fusion of those concepts, especially the relationships part? I don't really like those style of games (D Sim) so would it be a dealbreaker or does it make sense in the context of those games?

[Ingmar]

Borderlands 2 with proudft and Celer; I still can't stand playing the game solo, but in a group it is fine.

[Yegolev]

In a group, it's great.

PS2 emulation is very, very easy.

I spent a little time on one or two games I bought.
Deadlight looks like it could be fun but the gamepad didn't work and it sometimes hangs up for no discernible reason.

State of Decay is sort of fun but it's something that I need to be in the mood for.  It is very cool that when the house I was in was attacked by a horde that I was able to escape out the back door while leaving the other survivors to... stop surviving I guess.  It's less cool that it's not always obvious what I need to be doing, but that's probably just me.  Also it looks funny.

Also playing Why Won't This Motherboard POST, which really isn't a lot of fun.

[Job601]

I'm playing Guacamelee on my pc and La Mulana on wiiware.  Two metroidvanias, both very good but in totally different ways -- Guacamelee is a joy to play with great combat and movement and secrets that are maybe a little too easy to find.  La Mulana is a huge pain to control and punishes you harshly for exploration, but the map is complex and interesting.  My tolerance for frustration before I look up the solution online is about five minutes.  I'm also still playing lots of Hearthstone.

[trias_e]

Spent today playing Broken Age and Banner Saga, two games which I kickstarted, both of which are quite good.  Not to say they are perfect by any means.  Broken Age act 1 is a bit too short and too easy for anyone who has played any adventure game ever (although, it's too short because it's too simple puzzle-wise, not because of story or writing.)  Anyways, it still has better writing than pretty much everything else in gaming, so despite being short, I'm very happy with it so far.

Banner Sage feels like a Oregon Trail/Final Fantasy Tactics/King of Dragons Pass hybrid.  I fucking love it so far, but I'm only 2 hours in, so the honeymoon might fade quickly as I progress. 

[Sky]

I started a bit of Drakensang River of Time. Knowing my predilection for euro rpgs, so far it's not too bad. Dialog is a bit meh, but it's voiced (but not synced). My only initial complaint is that I'm getting less forgiving of control/UI schemes. The movement is a bit wonky wasd/p&c with a weird camera, but my biggest complaint is probably that there doesn't seem to be a key to display all the interactable items onscreen. If it continues to be a cursor hunt I'll probably not make it far.

The music and graphics are pretty nice, though. Nice selection of character classes, I'm giving a dialogue-focused character a try.

[Bunk]

Oddly, I've been playing Powerstar Golf on the XBone. Despite the cartooniness and gimmicks, it actually plays as a pretty good golf game (and gets quite hard in the later stages). Unfortunately its lacking in multiplayer features.

I've already played it five times more than I ever played the latest Tiger Woods.

[MisterNoisy]

Still popping into GTA Online to screw around and do the occasional mission with randoms or solo in between terrorizing people in free-roam from the relative safety of a stolen fighter jet.

Also the occasional round of Peggle 2.

[Yegolev]

Went up to the top of Dragon Keep last night with my Mechro and a friend's Siren.  We were brutally sodomized at the waypoint for at least a half hour until a friend came online with his Zerker.  The disparity in ability is such that I'm going to actually search the innertubes for a Mechro build to tackle UVH with.

In somewhat related news, my offense-only Ranger in Path of Exile has entered the Scepter of God, only dying once during the Piety fight.  Maybe the next difficulty level won't be TOO awful.

[JWIV]

I had completely missed every bit of info about The Banner Saga, but managed to snag it on the pre-order discount.  A few hours in, and absolutely enjoying the hell out of it. It's not without flaws, but it's a refreshing change of pace (and I'm shocked that the Internet hasn't overflown with tears over the lack of quick save and the ability to lose/have characters killed off during dialogue scenes).

[MrHat]

This game is F2P?

[Ruvaldt]

Picked up The Banner Saga yesterday as well, and it's excellent.  I haven't been this happy with a game in some time.  Like others have said, it does have some issues, but the things that the game excels at are done so well that you soon ignore its flaws.  I spent about an hour just looking at the in-game map, merrily clicking away and reading up on various locations.

The Banner Saga is not free-to-play, MrHat.  The multiplayer-only The Banner Saga: Factions was released last year as free-to-play.  I never bothered to play it though.

[tazelbain]

Is it  a play perfect or load game like fire emblem?

[Tebonas]

The Banner Saga is more like a play perfect or restart game.

You can only lose characters when you make the wrong choice during dialog scenes though, not in combat.

Loving the hell out of this as well.

[dusematic]

So I fired up Rust for the first time at 6:30 a.m.this morning before work. I started naked with a rock, a torch, and two bandages.  I used the rock to hack some wood chips off of a tree in the vain hope that I could somehow repurpose this wood later towards a higher purpose.

Running through a forest, i stumbled upon another naked man in a clearing.  He stared at me blankly in a face-off that lingered.  Then, almost as if the starting pistol had been fired in a 100 meter dash, we both rushed each other with our rocks in hand.  We traded two-handed, overhead rock haymakers, until I was felled, my body broken and picked over by "Thamaturj01."  "Nice fight," he said.  "I respect you for attacking me naked with a rock."  "Thanks," I replied, "same to you."

Later, after my resurrection, darkness came over the land quickly.  I was blind, so I employed my torch and began running through the forest.  I tried to break down a door to a shanty with my trusty rock, to no avail.  I searched through many crates and bins, and found nothing.  Finally, a light in the distance. At this point desperation had crept in.  I was cold and hungry, with no food or fire. I snuffed out my torch and followed in the shadows.  Before I could strike from the dark, morning came, and "youngjuice" stared me down.  I asked him questions such as "where do you find rocks?" He never answered, but, assured that I was not an immediate threat, he began rummaging through some bins.  The bottom of those bins would be the last thing he ever saw as my rock smashed into his head, killing him instantly.

I searched his body and found 2 bandages, a torch, and a rock.  Ah, the circle of life.  I also found some woodchips.  I took everything and found an open house with a small fireplace.  I placed all the wood on the fireplace, and instantly died.  "You have killed yourself, you silly sod" was the message I was greeted with in the afterlife.  It was hard to disagree.

[MrHat]

The Banner Saga is not free-to-play, MrHat.  The multiplayer-only The Banner Saga: Factions was released last year as free-to-play.  I never bothered to play it though.

Thanks.

Steam was giving me the Factions one when I searched, but I see the game now.

Onto the wishlist you go!

Still playing way too much SMT4.

[Teleku]

So I fired up Rust for the first time at 6:30 a.m.this morning before work. I started naked with a rock, a torch, and two bandages.  I used the rock to hack some wood chips off of a tree in the vain hope that I could somehow repurpose this wood later towards a higher purpose.

Running through a forest, i stumbled upon another naked man in a clearing.  He stared at me blankly in a face-off that lingered.  Then, almost as if the starting pistol had been fired in a 100 meter dash, we both rushed each other with our rocks in hand.  We traded two-handed, overhead rock haymakers, until I was felled, my body broken and picked over by "Thamaturj01."  "Nice fight," he said.  "I respect you for attacking me naked with a rock."  "Thanks," I replied, "same to you."

Later, after my resurrection, darkness came over the land quickly.  I was blind, so I employed my torch and began running through the forest.  I tried to break down a door to a shanty with my trusty rock, to no avail.  I searched through many crates and bins, and found nothing.  Finally, a light in the distance. At this point desperation had crept in.  I was cold and hungry, with no food or fire. I snuffed out my torch and followed in the shadows.  Before I could strike from the dark, morning came, and "youngjuice" stared me down.  I asked him questions such as "where do you find rocks?" He never answered, but, assured that I was not an immediate threat, he began rummaging through some bins.  The bottom of those bins would be the last thing he ever saw as my rock smashed into his head, killing him instantly.

I searched his body and found 2 bandages, a torch, and a rock.  Ah, the circle of life.  I also found some woodchips.  I took everything and found an open house with a small fireplace.  I placed all the wood on the fireplace, and instantly died.  "You have killed yourself, you silly sod" was the message I was greeted with in the afterlife.  It was hard to disagree.

Been tempted to buy rust.  This may have pushed me over the edge.