So, what're you playing?

[Margalis]

Started Dark Souls 2 last night. It runs pretty well on my outdated PC, which is great.

[Cyrrex]

Speaking of Dark Souls 2 on PC...how good is this conversion?  The only reason I haven't bought this game yet is because I am still trying (actively) to get through DS1 on PS3.  Big graphical improvements?  Works well with a 360 controller?  Major bug issues?

[Falconeer]

I've been the fiercest opponent to the PC versions. To me this simply was just a console game and not just because of the controller debate (it NEEDS a controller. Period). And still, I have to simply admit: the PC version is the ultmate version.

- It has 1920x1080. It shows. It's like playing the HD version of it, or putting on glasses after playing for years without it.
- It runs at 60fps or more. It feels great.
- Load times are between 3 and 5 seconds as opposed to the 30-40 seconds on console. This is very important when you die (no waiting time) and when you summon or are summoned.
- Everything else is absolutely the same.

So basically, with the PC version you get 4 major improvements and simply not a single downside. As I said, it's simply a no brainer. As long as you have a controller or can get one, PC version is just many times better. PC manages to make an already stellar game.... better.

[Cyrrex]

Sweet, that sounds great. 

[Phildo]

So they learned their lesson from the last game?  That's encouraging.

[Signe]

Has anyone heard of Minimum?  They're giving away beta codes at IGN.  It looks good.  You can craft pets and explode things.  If you get your friends to join up, they'll give you prizes.

[schild]

Minimum refers to how much effort they put into graphics.

"if you get your friends to join" is the fastest way to make a game sound like utter dogshit. People used to do that without incentives when games were GOOD.

[Paelos]

Minimum refers to how much effort they put into graphics.

"if you get your friends to join" is the fastest way to make a game sound like utter dogshit. People used to do that without incentives when games were GOOD.

Yeah if I hear that phrase, I immediately thing of Facebook garbage and move on to the next thing.

One exception that I play right now is Kingsroad, sort of a brower-based ARPG lite, where they put up things to invite friends, but it has no bearing on the F2P nature of the game. It's a straight cash shop thing.

[Signe]

A game named "Dust: An Elysian Tail" is the freebie xbox game right now.  It might be a furry game.  I'm not entirely sure what it is.  I'm stuck, though, so I'll try and play it.  The second freebie game coming up is "Saint's Row: Third" which is cool because I just sent my copy to my nephew. 

[Samwise]

Giving "Sir, You Are Being Hunted" another shot.  It's improved a bit since I last played it.

[Fabricated]

Dust is basically a Vanillaware game if made by a single furry dude.

[koro]

It's also a pretty good game, but yeah, it is very furry.

[Signe]

Ok, well then, it's free.  Furries are sort of creepy but not in a good way like evil clowns.

[Ironwood]

I am still amazed at how MUCH Diablo 3 I've been playing since the patch.

That's the DH now 70 too.

[KallDrexx]

Decided to play the Witcher 2, but figured I might as well play the first one before playing the second.  When the first Witcher came out I played through to the middle of act 2 before I had to drop it due to other matters.

Man, that was hard to take again.  It wasn't just the combat mechanics, but my tolerance for bad auto-save systems has gotten much lower in years.  I went into a cave, got jumped by 3 ghouls and managed to die.  However, even though I meditated, entered several different zones, talked to some people, bought and sold things, got some new quests, and apparently at no time during that did it ever create an auto-save.  I didn't feel like playing through that again and potentially having that happen again so I'm just going to jump right into Witcher 2.

[Jeff Kelly]

I'm playing child of light and it's great

[Rasix]

Decided to play the Witcher 2, but figured I might as well play the first one before playing the second.  When the first Witcher came out I played through to the middle of act 2 before I had to drop it due to other matters.

Man, that was hard to take again.  It wasn't just the combat mechanics, but my tolerance for bad auto-save systems has gotten much lower in years.  I went into a cave, got jumped by 3 ghouls and managed to die.  However, even though I meditated, entered several different zones, talked to some people, bought and sold things, got some new quests, and apparently at no time during that did it ever create an auto-save.  I didn't feel like playing through that again and potentially having that happen again so I'm just going to jump right into Witcher 2.

You rely on autosaves?   I don't care how often a game autosaves, I save compulsively every few minutes, after I do anything, or before I'm about to do anything.  Quick save or no, I hate re-doing even the most minor thing.  Witcher 2, however, probably isn't that hard to get into without playing the first.  The NPCs will talk your ear off if you let them.   Witcher 1 is pretty damn long too, and a couple of the chapters feel rather long.  You run around a lot.

Playing some GTA 5, SWTOR, and Hearthstone (it's great for conference calls and/or pooping).  I kind of feel like playing Shadowrun again, so I may just buy the expansion and knock that out this week.  GTA 5 seems to take a lot of the criticisms from 4 to heart.  It's nice that I don't have to drive 10 minutes to an area and replay the entire mission if I die landing the plane at the end.  Game could really do with sort of quick travel, however.  I don't always want to drive out to the sticks to do a side mission for Trevor.

[Hawkbit]

I'm playing child of light and it's great

I'm hoping to dig into it tonight.  Hopefully.

[Jeff Kelly]

right now Child of Light crashed and corrupted my save, that's less great. Was 90% through the game.

Game didn't automatically upload save to cloud even though I activated it in the settings so all of my progress is now lost.

Game still great but that shit is absolutely unacceptable

[HaemishM]

After having finished Shadowrun, I'm vacillating between a lot of games like I have gamer OCD. Back to Battlefield 4 because of the Naval Strike expansion (Carrier Assault is good, maps are ok - not great, not terribad). Still poking at Football Manager 2014 trying to get Liverpool a title. Had a really bad run of form against mediocre sides recently, then got curb-stomped by Chelsea like 6-0, but still doing good in Champion's League. Hearthstone is more addictive than it should be for a shitty card game with a terribad matchmaker. I started a run on Dark Souls for the 360 - and that game is hard. I've put about 45 minutes into Walking Dead on the 360 as well but that one feels like it's missing interactivity (since it's really an adventure game and I haven't played one of those in years).

Finally, I've been putting more time into the original Baldur's Gate and fuck me - games really were harder then. So many QOL issues with that game compared to modern times. Something fucked happened last night - I accepted Shandalar's quest in Ulgoth's Beard and got teleported to an ice island in the middle of fucking nowhere. And now every time I move anywhere in the dungeon, I get skullfucked by a bunch of magic-users. I'm going to have to go back to an earlier save and tell Shandalar to go fuck himself aren't I?

[Cyrrex]

Walking Dead had me thinking the same exact thing in the beginning.  Needless to say, I was a total convert by the end.  Remarkable experience.  I cried like a bitch more than once.  When I think back on it, I don't even remember it playing like a point-and-click adventure game.

[cironian]

Finally, I've been putting more time into the original Baldur's Gate and fuck me - games really were harder then. So many QOL issues with that game compared to modern times. Something fucked happened last night - I accepted Shandalar's quest in Ulgoth's Beard and got teleported to an ice island in the middle of fucking nowhere. And now every time I move anywhere in the dungeon, I get skullfucked by a bunch of magic-users. I'm going to have to go back to an earlier save and tell Shandalar to go fuck himself aren't I?

Not sure where you are level-wise but the Ulgoth's Beard stuff is harder than anything in the rest of the game. So just ignore it until you are done with everything else but the final boss fight. You should do it though because despite being very tough, it's also great.

[Phildo]

Haemish, are you playing the Enhanced Edition or the original one?

[HaemishM]

The original classic version from Gog.

All of my party are like level 3 so yes, that Ice Island is a bit of a "I'm fucked" situation.

[Fabricated]

I've had more trouble with the enhanced edition than I've ever had with the original.

My game completely broke in the latter half of the game when an enemy NPC didn't spawn and I couldn't get it to work right even using the commandline to forcespawn him in and give me the stuff I needed to trigger the plot progression. Earlier saves didn't work either so something was broken really early, or from the getgo.

[Ironwood]

The original classic version from Gog.

All of my party are like level 3 so yes, that Ice Island is a bit of a "I'm fucked" situation.

In fairness, if you're only level 3, you could start again and be where you are in a couple of hours....

[Fordel]

I'm bad at SF4, this makes me sad.

[Signe]

So, ok, there's this gamed named Bound by Flame and it looks fun.  I'm thinking of getting it but I don't know if I should get it for console or PC.  Anyone know anything about it?  Of course, maybe I shouldn't get it at all because it secretly sucks.  It's on sale and if you buy it from Steam it's another 15% off but I want to get it on the platform that suits it best.  Don't say PS3 because I gave mine away.

[Paelos]

Reminds me of a janky version of Dragon Age.

[MisterNoisy]

More GTA:O, some Titanfall and a fair bit of Luftrausers, which is great arcadey fun.

[koro]

Bouncing between Fire Emblem: Awakening and Warframe with the lady.

I'm digging Warframe a lot, though I can already see how we're going to get tired of it by the time we've maxed out a few frames. It's fun, but just janky enough to have a bit of character.

[Samwise]

Just finished Walking Dead season 1.

Was pretty good.  Definitely enjoyed it more than Last of Us and would be more inclined to recommend it as a "guy becomes father figure to plucky little girl in the midst of the zombie apocalypse" kind of a game.

[Teleku]

Waaaaaay to much Hex.  Lots of Hex.

[Tannhauser]

Playing Rift, mainly doing the craft shuffle between alts and selling on the AH.  Creating custom souls is fun too.

Back on Hearthstone.  I made a zoolock decks from the net and it is godly.  I made my own Rogue deck to climb the rankings and it synergies with stealth and spell damage.  Had an awesome game last night I should have lost due to poor play, but I got exactly the cards I needed to get back in the game and pull it out. 

[Shrike]

Been awhile.

Lets see...

PC: mostly Warframe and XCOM: Enemy Within. Warframe, mostly forma-ing the living whee out of niche weapons and grinding keys. XCOM, Mectroopers are just too much fun, even if they do make you a tad uncomfortable.

360: World of Tanks. This is strictly a Friday Nights After the Bars game. The matchmaking is pure unadulterated shit, but some fun to be had--as long as you're not playing T4 and up light tanks.

3DS: Should just say DS, since the game of choice presently is Infinite Space. Never have finished it, this time...actually might. Can't help but think the game would have been brilliant on a more expansive platform, but probably wouldn't have turned out as well. Fun, though, even limited as it is.