So, what're you playing?

[Azazel]

FEAR 2, Kinda.
Free "please come back" week of WoW. I wasted like 6 hours doing Childrens's weke quests on a few characters Sunday night. I may be done with it now.
Need to get back onto Wolfenstein

This thread makes me feel like getting back into RDR. Which I put down in a bad mood last time after playing for an hour or more, then dying and losing a bunch of progress since I'd forgotten to save. Still got Undead Nightmare waiting and staring at me as well...

[Yegolev]

Did some glyph farming in Castlevania HD last night, got squat for weapon glyphs for Shanoa but I did manage to get some higher-grade armor which is always helpful.  I'm sad that more people aren't into this game, max game so far has been three people and last night was a duo.  We were not able to beat the boss in the pyramid level on Normal.   More farming!

[Rendakor]

Pokemon Black; I bred an awesome party in White and transferred them all over (as eggs, of course) so now I'm smashing my through with a badass team.

I was thinking about picking up Brink but with what I've heard about the single player I'm going to wait until the PSN comes up and the price comes down.

[Morat20]

My wife and kid both upgraded to DSi's awhile back (like six months after they came out, max), so we've had two regular DS's just sitting around.

Never been a big fan of hand-helds. But I took one and I'm thinking of trying out one my kid's Pokemon games out of sheer boredom.

I think Pearl is the one I'm going to try, since I know he doesn't have the newest ones (Black and White, right?). He has one of every set going back to GBA, though, in case there's a gem in the older ones I should try instead.

I just feel like monster chicken fighting is about my speed. Any recommendations?

[Ingmar]

I have recovered from my hacking and finished the Moria part of the epic in LOTRO. \o/ Now skirmishing the rest of the way to 60 before I go out into poncy elf land so my little skirmish buddy doesn't fall behind.

[Morat20]

I have recovered from my hacking and finished the Moria part of the epic in LOTRO. \o/ Now skirmishing the rest of the way to 60 before I go out into poncy elf land so my little skirmish buddy doesn't fall behind.

And another game on my "When I finally have employment arranged for FY2012 and get a new PC" list. I tried LOTRO when it came out, and was enjoying it, but my PC struggled even on the lower settings.

I gather it's still doing okay, even once it moved to it's weird F2P model?

[Ingmar]

The server the f13 people (not that I ever see any of them) are on certainly seems to be crowded. I think the game experience as a completely F2P player would be extremely irritating/limited from what I can tell, though.

Plus without paying you'd never see Moria, which is probably the most amazing place I've ever seen in any MMO. It sort of defies description. I am pretty sure it is as big as, or bigger than, an entire continent in WoW. It is hard to navigate, confusing at times, etc., but for some reason because it is Moria this feels 'right' to me rather than annoying. Not that I'm going to be in any rush to level another character through it, mind you.

[Hawkbit]

My wife and kid both upgraded to DSi's awhile back (like six months after they came out, max), so we've had two regular DS's just sitting around.

Never been a big fan of hand-helds. But I took one and I'm thinking of trying out one my kid's Pokemon games out of sheer boredom.

I think Pearl is the one I'm going to try, since I know he doesn't have the newest ones (Black and White, right?). He has one of every set going back to GBA, though, in case there's a gem in the older ones I should try instead.

I just feel like monster chicken fighting is about my speed. Any recommendations?

I *think*, and someone will correct me if I'm wrong, that version Platinum is both Pearl and Diamond combined.  If you have that as an option.  Post in the Pokemon thread, there's been good help there. 

[Yegolev]

I gather it's still doing okay, even once it moved to it's weird F2P model?

Going F2P was a very lucrative move for Turbine.  It's now a very pretty MMO with TF2 hats.  What's not to like?

[Mrbloodworth]

The server the f13 people (not that I ever see any of them) are on certainly seems to be crowded. I think the game experience as a completely F2P player would be extremely irritating/limited from what I can tell, though.

I got burned out on this MMO type in general ( Hence why I'm never online ), still one of my favorites.

[Morat20]

I gather it's still doing okay, even once it moved to it's weird F2P model?

Going F2P was a very lucrative move for Turbine.  It's now a very pretty MMO with TF2 hats.  What's not to like?

The fact that my geriatric computer strips a gear every time I think about playing it? :)

I really need to buy or build a new box, but it's hard to justify the money these days. And I can never seem to design a box I like for less than 2k. Of course, always wanting Office (at least the student version) and the professional version of Windows doesn't help.

[Strazos]

2K? What the heck are you putting in there?

[Morat20]

2K? What the heck are you putting in there?

Too much. :( It's the technical equivilant of "my eyes are bigger than my stomach."

What sucks is I don't even play that many PC games, I just know it'll be 6 to 8 years before I buy another, and I put off upgrading video cards as long as possible. So my instinct is to buy a lot more moachine than I need, when what I really want is something that'll play SC2 and Diablo III and handle any MMORPG's that come out in the next four or five years without having to do more than add more RAM at some point.

I truly don't need a quad-core i9 with 12 gigs of RAM, a fast-ass 1 terabyte primary drive and a 2T RAID 1 box, dual video cards and a 1200 watt power supply. What I can't figure out is what I really actually need. (Well, I don't need a monitor, keyboard, mouse or speakers. I really just need the box. My old flat-panel is fine).

So when I put together a machine, especially once I add in software (Windows 7 Ultimate, Microsoft Office Student, and a few other odds and ends) it gets pricey.

[Strazos]

What do you need all that space for? I mean, HDDs are cheap and all, but still?

Also, I'm of the mind to spend a decent amount on mobos and CPUs, since they're a pain to upgrade later. I get decent amounts of RAM and a decent video card, but they're easy to upgrade later. Dual video cards has always seemed like such a waste.

[Morat20]

I don't, really. I don't even want to fuck with RAID. I'll just spend 40 bucks a month on Mozy and have 400gigs of room for the shit I don't want to lose. It's totally not porn, I promise. :)

I just keep having to add secondary drives at some point in every PC I've owned shelf life, so again -- habit. "I filled up 60 gigs and had to add 500. I have 200 gigs total used on my machine, and 200 or so on my wife's" (mostly videos I just really just move to a DVD. My wife's fond of videoing family shit) so I should get "more than I have now!". And then "another drive, so I don't have to add one later when I fill up the first!".

*rolls eyes*. Frankly i7s and 8 gigs of RAM and a single, solid video card (like maybe the 200 or 250 dollar range), and a single terabyte drive is plenty. Hell, I should probably just start watching NewEgg deals.

[Sky]

Loaded up Dead Space, controls slightly improved with the forced vsync trick. What's bumming me out is how close it came to being a masterpiece but falling short thanks to the way the lighting and shadows are rendered in 3D, as well as the UE3 crappy volumetric halos. You can turn off light and shadow effects...but what's the point? The volumetric halo effects are pretty much there. ~Amazing~ in 3D, otherwise. Shame.

[Sheepherder]

Last time I checked i5's were still a good deal Morat.

[tgr]

I'm still rolling fine with a quad 2 duo and a gf285. vOv

[Sky]

Core 2 Duo 2.4GHz with 4GB of RAM and the GTX460 is enough for most modern games, and most stuff I can run in 3D on it, as well.

Morat, you should start a thread on building a custom gaming pc on a budget, I don't think anyone's done that. 

i5 750 or whatever the sweet spot is in that line now, 4GB of good ram (double it later), GTX460 on an SLI board (double it later). Do you need W7 Ultimate? Home Premium works fine. If you have buckets of data, use external drives or set up a RAID file server (how are you backing it up now, is it critical - how pissed will you be to lose it all). It's silly to pay an external service that much a month for online backups when you can easily do it yourself (though you do gain offsite without effort).

[Yegolev]

Pokemon Soul Silver and Borderlands.

My do-nothing friend Killjoy has found a good route through Ch. 7 of Castlevania HD, but first I need to get a couple other things, like a yasutsuna and another kaiser knuckle.

[Morat20]

I'm still rolling fine with a quad 2 duo and a gf285. vOv

I have a single-core 3g Pentium IV and like 4 gigs of RAM. Which tells you how long I've gone without a new box.

I'm thinking of picking up SoulSilver this weekend, since it was recommended to me and my kid wants HeartGold. Apparently, it is a Bad Thing if I get the same one he does.

[kildorn]

So hooked on Space Pirates and Zombies still. So much fun. I meant to go back to WoW for a week, but... things need exploding.

[Rasix]

Finally got my rogue back to the level my paladin was last time I quit Rift.  Just in time for Witcher 2 to hit so I can quit Rift again for a while.  Yay. 

Maybe play some Witcher 1 tonight to see if I can finish a completely neutral playthrough.

[Morat20]

I've heard about Witcher, but never played it. Any good?

[Rasix]

I've heard about Witcher, but never played it. Any good?

<FRYE EYE SQUINT>

I like, a lot of others like it, but it's not for everyone.

It's a single player RPG.  Something very bad happens at the beginning (shocker), and you work toward rectifying that wrong and stopping the big bad.  Along the way it gets really complicated as you're considered somewhat of an anachronism in a rapidly changing world.  You're a monster slayer in a time where the biggest monsters are often humans themselves.  It's a mature, dark, and often brutal story. It's got a lot of political intrigue,  racial undertones, and a smattering of romance.  Plus, boobs, sex, swear words, and blood.

It does have some noticeable shortcomings:
The interface is bad.  It was worse.
The combat is passable at best.
You do a lot of running around.
The game is very long and at times ponderous to play.

But it all just works together.  RPGs rarely have strong individual components, but the some of the parts can often come together to make something special.  It really is a fanastic setting that's executed rather well.  You make some very interesting decisions in your journey that can affect the plot in various ways (it is still incredibly linear).  You make these decisions with the best of intentions and often it's like leaving your kids with Joseph Stalin or Osama bin Laden.  

I'm drawn to Eurowank RPGs, and I'm not really sure this is even a good representative since I don't play many.  But this game is definitely one of my all-time faves.

"You doomed the city for a red head?!!?!?!"

[Ingmar]

I would add:

- by the time I got to the end of the game I had forgotten what I was doing at the start completely.

The setting is basically 100% of the value, and is good enough to make the game worth playing once, and there was enough promise in it to make me give the 2nd one enough of a chance to preorder. It does at one point have one of the best pieces of quest design I've seen (the 2nd act 'mystery' is great assuming you don't hit any of the bugs in it...)

[Paelos]

The Witcher was worth it for me due to Poker Dice alone. The rest of it was just gravy. I loved the game and the little song that would play in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dFmeQvBR1I

[Sky]

My fiancee's review system is:

-music score
-ambient sounds
-is there a medieval british town?
-kitties?

So far her favorite is still EQ2.

[Yegolev]

She should have played Horizons.

[Sky]

She doesn't so much play games as read novels in the same room.

[Morat20]

She doesn't so much play games as read novels in the same room.

My wife is rather fond of Rome: Total War for the campaign map music. She is non-fond of Age of Empires (one of my friends is fond of the hot-keyed sounds) and of some of the EVE tracks.

[Strazos]

All the Witcher talk reminded me that I need to actually give it a shot at some point. It's still $20 on Steam, but GoG has it for $5 right now - GoGo Competition! 

[Rasix]

It does at one point have one of the best pieces of quest design I've seen (the 2nd act 'mystery' is great assuming you don't hit any of the bugs in it...)

First time I did that part, back before the game was patched to hell and back, it completely bugged out on me.  It just solved itself at some point because I got ahead of the clues.  Didn't run into that with the "director's cut" at all.

[Jeff Kelly]

I'm currently playing "Working insane hours to fix the mess created by my incompetent boss" and "if only we had a project plan then we'd at least know how fucked we are". I don't like the game mechanics, the bosses or the community but I'm after the achievement "paycheck" so I guess that I'll be in it for quite some time.

This unfortunately didn't leave any time to play much this week. At least I've preordered LA:Noire

[Mazakiel]

It does at one point have one of the best pieces of quest design I've seen (the 2nd act 'mystery' is great assuming you don't hit any of the bugs in it...)

First time I did that part, back before the game was patched to hell and back, it completely bugged out on me.  It just solved itself at some point because I got ahead of the clues.  Didn't run into that with the "director's cut" at all.

Playing through the murder mystery quests for the first time is probably one of my favorite RPG moments.  It really was pretty well thought out, and the way the final confrontation worked out at the end was great.