So, what're you playing?

[Yegolev]

Dragon Quest 9 is a big step up from 8

Is this a ... DS game?

[Paelos]

I play everything on normal the first time through, no exceptions.

[Ard]

Is this a ... DS game?

Yes, and you'll play it anyways.

[ghost]

I play everything on normal the first time through, no exceptions.

Yeah.  My "hard mode" is work.  I get hard mode 10 hours per day 

[Yegolev]

PS3 dead.

[JWIV]

PS3 dead.

GURK.

[Murgos]

My 360 is going, also.  Sometimes I have to restart it a couple of times to get it to read the game disk, though once it's going it seems alright.

[Yegolev]

I suppose you don't have to worry about this with a 360 but... make a backup of your PS3 when it starts acting odd.  My most recent is from March 26.

So, right now I am playing a life-or-death game.  I'm backing-up my PS3 backup to my PC, just in case.  Next, I'll see if I can power it on after it has been off all day.  If I can get it running, I'll eject the disk and start copying save files to a thumb drive since I assume it won't stay powered on for the 1.5 hours I would need to run a full backup.  Primary targets are Lego Harry Potter and Red Dead Redemption, then FFXIII.  I think my PS2 saves are OK, but I'll go after Shadowhearts Covenant since I might have played that since 3/26.

I'd rather be playing or... well anything I guess.  God, I'm tired.

[Azazel]

How do you do a full backup of a PS3? Mine has started skipping on SingStar tracks, after less than a year of light use. Still plays DVDs and BRDs perfectly, though..

[Yegolev]

You will want a hard disk that is at least as large as the amount of data on your disk, in a chassis with USB port.  Just hook that bastard up and under the System icon in XMB there is a Backup option.  This will do a backup of your entire PS3 disk.  You won't be able to pick-and-choose, at least not last March you couldn't.  Anyway, I used this to move my saves and shit when I replaced my 60GB disk with a 320GB one.  In case you are wondering, restoring one of these backups will overwrite the disk inside the PS3 but usually that is what you want.

If you just want to make copies of your saves, hook up the disk (or any compatible memory stick of good size) and go to each save file and in the Triangle menu should be a Copy option.

I got tired of jerking around with the PS3 last night and played a lot of which is .

[Margalis]

I've also been playing the hell out of DQIX. The last RPG I played to completion was on the SNES. From what I hear DQIX is not very hard and if you stick to the main quest it doesn't take that long. So far my party has wiped only once and that was on an optional treasure map boss.

It really is super addicting.

[Azazel]

You will want a hard disk that is at least as large as the amount of data on your disk, in a chassis with USB port.  Just hook that bastard up and under the System icon in XMB there is a Backup option.  This will do a backup of your entire PS3 disk.  You won't be able to pick-and-choose, at least not last March you couldn't.  Anyway, I used this to move my saves and shit when I replaced my 60GB disk with a 320GB one.  In case you are wondering, restoring one of these backups will overwrite the disk inside the PS3 but usually that is what you want.

Thanks, that should be pretty simple, then.

Will find my reciept, then send it in for service shortly before the warranty expiration. When I get it back I might drop a bigger HDD in.

[Tannhauser]

Been playing Civ IV like crazy, trying to get it out of my system before V hits.  Decided to play the Greeks as the zerg, I conquered Rome and Germany but as my knights were forming up on Persia they attacked first.  With riflemen.  Ouch. 

Reinstalled WAR (I know) for the free trial.  Needed some rvr action and my friend wants a partner.   Lost some of my toons, but not my mains, thankfully.  Can't see Land of the Dead due to lockouts, pve is still dull and Tier 1 is still the best part of the game.    Glad to see improved renown rewards.  Dunno how long I'll last.

[Yegolev]

The reflow worked and I coped off all of the PS3 saves, then started a full backup.  Also pulled off all of the saves.  Have a new PS3 and at the moment it's not liking my 320GB disk from the previous system.  This is very tedious.

Played some more Alan Wake.  Not sure if I like it or not and I am already on chapter 3.

[Rasix]

Shining Force came out for the iPhone.  It's a little lame that it uses a virtual controller.  Better than nothing, I guess.

[stu]

Started receiving hate mail from BC2 opponents. Sending disturbing replies adds an extra layer to the game.

[Yegolev]

FFXIII.  As I play a bit of any game on the new PS3, it wipes my trophies and I have to resync to get them back.  Except that after the FFXIII reset, it craps out on the sync.
RDR.
Just Cause 2.

Also, just a bit more complaining: all of my dynamic themes were corrupted.  I deleted them and cannot re-download from PSN.

[Azazel]

Started receiving hate mail from BC2 opponents. Sending disturbing replies adds an extra layer to the game.

How does that work? Or do you mean messages via XBL?

[MisterNoisy]

Gratuitous Spaceship Battles is really a lot of fun, especially for a $6 Steam game.

Build ships, set AI, place ships and hit the fight button, then go outside to have a smoke while the scenario plays out.  Frickin excellent.

[stu]

Started receiving hate mail from BC2 opponents. Sending disturbing replies adds an extra layer to the game.

How does that work? Or do you mean messages via XBL?

Oh yeah, it's just through PS3 messaging. I was kinda flattered although it was someone's ghost account.

[Azazel]

wankers.

Ahem.
The last couple of weeks I've been playing mostly 360 stuff. Needed a break from Uncharted 2. Really a great game, but playing it right after part 1 was enough already after a couple of sessions.

PS3:
Motorstorm - a few races here and there. Am making myself not load up the second one till I finish the first. Still holds up really very well as a great fun, great looking game.

360:
Borderlands co-op - we finished the Zombie Island of Dr Ned and started Genral Knoxx on Playthrough 1. Picked up Max Moxxi's thunderdome since it was half off last week and did the first of the three arena runthroughs. Also a half-dozen missions into Playthrough 2.

Army of Two co-op - almost finished it already. A pretty short game, but surprisingly fun I have to say. Pimping out the guns is a little disappointing and underwhelming, but it's supposed to be much better in the sequel. Still want to run through this one a second time to try out different guns before starting the second one, though.

FIFA 09 - just playing a season with Everton. Fun diversion now and then. Considering picking up FIFA 11 when it comes out. Maybe.

FIFA WC SA 2010 - Mostly achievement whoring. Most online players are massive douchebags, and I think I've played enough Spanish teams to do me for some time now.

Aliens Vs Predator - Just a little of the Alien campaign, which I've apparently almost finished now. Supposed to be the shortest and least fun of the three, so getting it out of the way. Considering doing it again with a guide to get the proton packs or whatever the fuck they are before moving to the Predator campaign. Also did a little of the online horde mode, but it's not that great. Nickle-and-diming of DLC maps seems to have ensured that noone plays this online.

Also a session of LotRO grinding. The more I play this, the more I'd like to play some WoW again. Or maybe Everquest 1.  Hopefully they go F2P soon and let in a bunch of the fixes they've not bothered doing for the last 2-3 years.

[Tannhauser]

Unsubbed from my free WAR trial and back in LOTRO.  Scoured the Shire and now doing Buckland/Adso quests.  Burglars are awesome.

[Shrike]

Hmm, this last couple of weeks...

360.

Not too much action here, mostly Netflix streaming (Witchblade and Farscape is top of the list for now). What little gaming I've done has been ME2 with a very renegade femShep sentinal. Mattack rifle rocks on this particular class. Been contempating a return to FFXIII. Might happen in a week or two. Need to finish off the more riduculous achievements in Borderlands, but can't convince anyone to attempt this (probably with good reason).

PC.

WoW, of course. Pretty dull this time of year, but a (very) few upgrades still trickle into my shaman from time to time (when the guild can be bothered to run anything on a weekend...or at all). DK has notched up a few open world kills on asstool horde lowlifes. Always fun, but isolated occasional fun. Have PvP gear; will travel. Paladin is soldiering along on the triumph upgrade path--slow and steady! Been thinking of hitting the bracket twinks again, but not quite motivated enough just yet. Maybe on the next AB weekend.

Finished Dragon Age. Can't quite muster the enthusiasm for the expansion. It'll happen, but probably not soon.

Lot of Borderlands recently. Finished General Knoxx, but haven't seen half the stuff in that expansion (stuff I have seen on the 360--mostly). PC connectively issues still highlight the main difference between it and the 360. Yeah, the PC looks fantastic, but it pales next to the 360 for conveniance. A fact that really comes home when you deal with ME2 DLC on the PC. What a mess.

[jakonovski]

DeathSpank and 14 days of free Fallen Earth.

[MournelitheCalix]

I have been playing Transformers: War for Cybertron and am EXTREMELY Bored.  I need a new game.... I just can't find anything that looks to be worth my dollars.

[Margalis]

I'm still playing the hell out of DQ9. About 30 hours in now. Usually I don't do many sidequests in games but for some reason I've done nearly all of them in this one.

[Ard]

Still working on Dragon Quest 9 and Resonance of Fate.  Nothing to say there that hasn't been said.
Finally finished Deus Ex.  First half of the game was awesome as advertised, France and beyond got boring fast.

And dammit, Yegolev, after all your talk, and steam and then amazon taunting me, I broke down and got Just Cause 2, and it's the first sandbox game I've really really liked.  There's something about just blowing everything up that mostly rules.

[ghost]

I bought Deathspank and have good intentions of playing it.  It just never seems to work out. 

[fuser]

Finished out SC2 single player then picked up Minecraft from Nix's thread. It's really great for creativity, and has a feeling of community that a MMO hasn't for given me a while.

[Sky]

I think the number Raph used to say in UO was 250 people. You have less than that, you have a good community feeling, more than that you start getting the faceless masses effect. While sub-communities naturally form, I know I used to enjoy the feeling of beta testing games like EQ or SWG because you got a much better experience before the floodgates opened and there was less social consequences to your actions (and before you could read a wiki to learn the entire gameworld, but that's another thing).

[Tarami]

I think the number Raph used to say in UO was 250 people. You have less than that, you have a good community feeling, more than that you start getting the faceless masses effect. While sub-communities naturally form, I know I used to enjoy the feeling of beta testing games like EQ or SWG because you got a much better experience before the floodgates opened and there was less social consequences to your actions (and before you could read a wiki to learn the entire gameworld, but that's another thing).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunbar%27s_number

[Sky]

Yep, that was it.

[Tebonas]

I'm on a ADOM bender right now. Wanted to try out a Troll Healer and got lucky with the Scorched Spear and a cloak of invisibility. Sadly, I killed a cat while confused. But apart from that I should be good to go now. Lets see what stupidity of mine kills me this time.

[WindupAtheist]

Me and a couple friends whipped Castlevania 2 emulated on the Wii, sitting around passing the controller and some booze around. Good times. We're working on Zelda 1 now. 8-bit FTW.

[Yegolev]

Me and a couple friends whipped Castlevania 2 emulated on the Wii, sitting around passing the controller and some booze around. Good times.

Coincidentally, I started Castlevania: Harmony of Despair today.  Fun fun fun, in that "Symphony of the Night" way but more precisely in the "recent DS versions" way.

A little bit of FFXIII, trying to finish it off.

After everyone goes to sleep, more Just Cause 2.  I'm noticing that the military escalation is noticeable, and so I'm trying to look around for health upgrades without attracting attention to myself.  This is difficult to do.  I particularly hate propaganda trailers and cannot let one stand.  In other news, I have discovered that the game tracks the number of unique bridges that I fly a plane under.  I also have found a couple of military attack jets, which are great for flying under bridges but marginal for eradicating military bases due to the WOO HOO I'M FLYING factor.  I mostly just fire off missiles at things I suspect are government property and keep going.

I learned how to pull down statues using the "wire thingy" and a truck.  I should have paid more attention to the loading screen picture.  Related, wrecking-ball kills are difficult.