Games for the Holidays - What's in your system?

[Jupiter_x]

Hey guys, #1 Gamer dug up an old thread of what we were playing back the early days here. I remember all the good times I had with Deus Ex 2, Splinter Cell, FF12, Res Evil 0, Metroid.

This year has been good to gamers of all types.

I've been playing tons of Drakes Forutune, Mass Effect, Soldier of Fortune 3. I'm still finishing up Bioshock and Orange Box.

I recently picked up a copy of Mario Galaxy and I have to say this is GOTY contender.

I had a chance to play Crysis on a PC at a local computer shop. While the settings were in medium this game still looked fantastic. I can't wait to play this one also.

Oh and Happy Holidays everyone!

[ilnadmy]

What's in my system? A lot of caffeine, but I don't think that was your question.

Been playing a lot of COD4 online, some Assassin's Creed here and there, banged through Portal yesterday (awesome game), and that's pretty much it. I'm waiting 'till I go back home so I can run through the rest of BioShock (the game itself isn't that fun, so I just want to soak up the eye candy on my desktop) as well as start playing Crysis. Other than that, I finished Uncharted a few weeks ago, and finished Tomb Raider: Legend last week. Started playing Anniversary, and so far I like it more than Legend, but I haven't played enough of it to make a decision yet. And that's about it...I might try to finish Splinter Cell Double Agent when I go home (if my Xbox is still lying around). I still haven't finished Resident Evil 4, but the game isn't as entertaining as I was led to believe, so my interest in RE5 has been somewhat dampened. Ah well, c'est la vie.

[Dancer O_o]

Hey guys, #1 Gamer dug up an old thread of what we were playing back the early days here. I remember all the good times I had with Deus Ex 2, Splinter Cell, FF12, Res Evil 0, Metroid.

This year has been good to gamers of all types.

I've been playing tons of Drakes Forutune, Mass Effect, Soldier of Fortune 3. I'm still finishing up Bioshock and Orange Box.

I recently picked up a copy of Mario Galaxy and I have to say this is GOTY contender.

I had a chance to play Crysis on a PC at a local computer shop. While the settings were in medium this game still looked fantastic. I can't wait to play this one also.

Oh and Happy Holidays everyone!

I've nearly finished Mass Effect, then on to Mario Galaxy (still in the shrink wrap). I am getting Drakes Fortune Friday and plan to download PAIN tonight or tomorrow for PS3. PAIN looks to be good stupid fun for an evening or two and they promise much more content to come soon, for 10 bones it's a no brainer. I'd like to play Portal at least once more soon as well, the cake is a lie...

I may also try to get back into Metroid, but the boss I am on is ass hard to beat.

[ilnadmy]

LOL, speaking of which...

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The Portal end song. :D

[Dancer O_o]

heh, yeah when I first finished the game and heard that song and thought it was a catchy little tune, funny too

[Mochan]

This is what's on my PC right now:
Crysis
The Witcher
Gears of War
Painkiller Overdose
Call of Duty 4
Jericho
Sexy Beach 3
Resident Evil 4
Portal


This is what's on my PSP:
Final Fantasy Tactics
Tekken DR
Silent Hill O
Princess Maker 4
CRUSH

This is what's playing on my PS2:
Culdcept

This is what's running on my DS:
Phoenix Wright 3
Contra 4
And a bunch of other crap I don't remember



Yes, it's gonna take me a while to play all that.

[T.Tashi]

PS3 - Assassin's Creed and Uncharted

Wii - Super Mario Galaxy

PS2 - Guitar Hero

PSP - Wild Arms (Finally put the PSP-PS3 connectivity to real use)

DS - Collecting dust

[ceevee]

having my healthy dose of strategy this year with Medieval 2: Kingdoms, Supreme Commander, Civ 4:Beyond the Sword, World In Conflict.. and the GOTY Europa Universalis 3. i might go for the FPS RPGs next year but that'll be when i get a meatier PC

i even threw in some old classics for good measure: Rise of Nations, Seven Kingdoms and Medieval: Total War (thoroughly enjoying the Almohad experience)

[slade]

I decided to go through Ninja Gaiden again without spamming Flying Swallow so much. Playing Sigma at the moment.

[Gadfly2317]

Ps3/Ps2:
Just finished R&C
Oblivion (taking another stab at it, but I really suck at this game.)
Pain
Everyday Shooter
flOw (expansion just came out)

PsP:
Final Fantasy Tactics
Jeane D'Arc
Every Extend Extra

DS:
My Spanish Coach
Club House Games
Contra IV
Chessmaster

Wii:
Super Mario Galaxy (beat Bowser, but am working on remaining stars)
Link's Crossbow Training

(Will be playing RE: Umberlla Chronicles and the newest Trauma Center soon.)

I'm considering Drake for Ps3, really liked the demo. I was waiting for a demo of Assasins Creed, but Drake's gameplay was so smooth, and the graphics and storry kinda grabbed me. . . but I just can't justify getting another game right now. I have a few in the "to play" pile still, like Odin Sphere for Ps2, which I've only played a few levels of.

This has been a great year for games.

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

PS3 currently playing God of War 2 again game of the year a little bit of COD 4 online but I'm having issues connecting to a game maybe it's because my level is so low I can't find a game(?)

Xbox 360 Halo 3 multiplayer I don't have my saves so I'm going through single player again just a little bit. Also playing Episode 1 in orange box and quite a bit of Pac Man C.E.

Wii is a lot of Mario Party with the kids and Mario Galaxy for myself when I get the chance

And that's about it.

oops I forgot about the PSP which means I'm playing nothing on it at the moment. I will pick up Syphon Logan's shadow eventually though.

[ilnadmy]

Hey ceevee, a friend of mine bought Europa Universalis III and had it shipped to me (he lives back home and wants me to give it to him when I get back). Now I looked at the cover and it seems Total War-like, but without the combat. Is it any good? You say it's GOTY material, is there anything in specific about it that's good?

On another note, am I the only one not feeling the "it's been a great year for games" vibe? BioShock, a game I've been looking forward to for ages, tanked, Assassin's Creed, while really good, doesn't live up to the hype, Jeanne d'Arc is good but nowhere near as addictive as Advance Wars was for me, The Witcher is great, but I just don't have the patience for a long, drawn-out RPG right now, Ratchet and Clank was fun, as was Uncharted, but they're not genre busters by any means, and God of War 2 was a colossal disappointment after the excellence that was the first game. Really the only games I can say really blew me away this year were Call of Duty 4 and Portal. Am I missing something here? Or have I just become jaded?

[PapaSmurf]

Wow. Here's whats going on in my neck of the woods.

PC
Team Fortress 2
Portal
BF2142 (just a great game)
Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (I really love this game. I still haven't picked up 2 yet, but it's on my list)
Gears of War (unopened waiting for me to play)
BioShock (refer to Gears)
FEAR (refer to bioshock)
Company of Heroes: Opposing Forces (refer to FEAR)

PS3
Warhawk (these online titles are killing me. Warhawk and it's achievements, bah)
NCAA Football 2008 (I think I'm finally done. 10th year on dynasty in heisman mode and I think I'm ready to call it a day. Most played game this year by far)
Assassin's Creed (dabbed into it once, got caught up with other games)
Uncharted (refer to Company of Heroes)

PSP
MGS: PO
Ace Combat X
Armored Core: Formula Front

I expect to get a heavy dose of PSP games and PC games out of the way as I'll have month off for xmas and my plan is to get the new PSP so I can hook it up to a TV and I'll actually finish games.

I really should own Call of Duty 4 right now, but I just can't justify buying it when I have at least three games I haven't even taken out of the plastic. I asked my sister to get me LAIR for xmas, but I might change that to Heavenly Sword. I really want to play LAIR as I think I could get past the controlls and come upon an amazing game.

I got this 10$ off coupon from Best Buy off of any PS3 game, problem is I don't know what to get. I'm not interested in Folklore, and COD4 which would be the no brainer I'm getting for PC. So I think it's between HS or Armored Core 4. I guess though since I haven't opened uncharted yet, I could still take it back to gamestop and then just buy it from Best Buy. Hmm I hope the return policy if 30 days.

Screw college and engineering, my gaming is so far behind.

[DrunkenThumbmaster]

O and God of War 2 was a colossal disappointment after the excellence that was the first game.


I'll punch you in the F******* Face!

[slade]

On another note, am I the only one not feeling the "it's been a great year for games" vibe?

This year's been a colossal waste thanks to japanese and western developers. The former for not making up their minds as to which system to support and the latter for spamming the market with one lameass sci fi game after another. Hopefully, next year will be better in terms of variety and the big japanese companies actually decide to ramp up development. As it is, these Western developers are killing my interest in gaming.

[ilnadmy]

Yo Papa forget Lair. I got past the controls, and the game is kinda mediocre. You'd be much better served getting Heavenly Sword (even though I haven't played it, but I can tell that it's a better game).

Oh and DT, yeah I hated GOW2. The cheap-factor of the game annoyed the hell out of me (especially for the Medusa boss). The story and locales were definitely more epic than the first, but the overall experience didn't flow as well as the original. Let's hope GOW3 blows the crap out of the first two games combined.

[silversparrow]

My gaming has been pretty meager over the past year due to the time constraints of working full time and pursuing a graduate degree simultaneously. My PC setup is also aging, although I do plan to build a new rig in a few months.

I just bought a PS3 (60 GB) in October and so far I only own 3 games: R&C:TOD, Uncharted, and RFOM (I really need a Split Fish FragFX for this one!). I received my 5 free Blu-rays (from the promo deal) in the mail last week and so I've also been watching those in my spare time.

On the PC side I've been revisiting some older games and playing the newer ones that my PC can handle (like Company of Heroes).

The next few months should be a much easier time for me. That's when I'll explore some of the big hits released this year.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I got this 10$ off coupon from Best Buy off of any PS3 game, problem is I don't know what to get.

I got the same coupon, from the PS3 Holiday Guide I got in the mail. I also just used it. :D

As far as what I'm playing:

Mass Effect (360) - Not on it as strong as I was during the Thanksgiving Holiday (due to time restraints). The main missions are fun, and really offsets the ton of optional missions I've already done in the game.

Uncharted (PS3) - Just finished the game.

Kane & Lynch (PS3) - Almost finished it. The game is fun, but like so many games with teammates (Halo 3, CoD 4), those guys seem to get in the way.

NCAA Football '08 (PS3) - Now two games into my 7th total season (3rd with my current team). I may take a break from this for college basketball.

PGR 4 (360) - Just hopped back on this game. I'll play it enough to keep it in the rotation.

Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (DS) - I need to play this game.

There's a few more on my gamercard signature, but those are in and out of the rotation.

I would say I have a good while to finish a few more games, but I don't. Another time consuming game is coming out for me in early January.

[Cuddly Knife]

Pacman CE has become my new crack. i think I play the game at least twice a day. I've also gotten back into Heavy Weapon online. When my internet stays on, that is.

Also playing Killer 7(still). I finally got past the second mission and am now on Cloudman.

Assassin's Creed is also one in the mix. I beat it once, and am now going through it again.

[PapaSmurf]

Rogue, what game did you get with your coupon? Also we need to get in on that NCAA online. Just one game for me please.

[Glockstar]

My big to-do right now is Mass Effect. I'm hoping to have it completed before my console gametime gets seriously interrupted by family time. If I play my azz off it'll be close. I heard some jokers talking about the game being only 12 hours long. Pfffffft! Sony saboteurs no doubt. Or cheat-coders that hate RPG's. I'm already past the 15-hour mark, and I reckon I'm only 35%-40% done. I predict it'll be a 50-hour game for me personally.

Though the game isn't perfect, and has upset me a couple of different times already, it is keeping it's candidacy for my 2007 GOTY open.

It's already won one of my awards tho', I can tell you that. Best Music. Easy.


Once the family starts getting together I reckon the only real gaming I'll get done is on the handhelds. Orcs&Elves, My Spanish Coach, and Crush will be the games I concentrate on after I finish Mass Effect.

And that should pretty much close out the year for me.

Tho' I am hoping that I can get some members of the family unit to play a little Tetris Evolution and Guitar Hero II when we get together.

And I've half a mind to pick up the 360 version of Scene It, also for the family to play together on.

[Intangir]

Oblivion (first time). Well, technically it's Oblivion plus a bunch of mods (texture pack, leveled list, nature, UI, etc). I also have TF2, Outcast, Mount & Blade, and a few other things to fall back on, but so far Oblivion's been holding my attention enough by itself.

Just the other day I ran like a girl from a mob of dread zombies, but don't feel too bad for me because I later successfully killed and teabagged my first spriggan (http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/1593/tsprigim5.jpg) (my arch nemesis in Morrowind/GIANTS was the Earth Spriggan--I HATED those things!).

[Glockstar]

Dude, don't get me started: I #@$%ing hate spriggans.

The pic is hilarious tho'. I did some weird things with my corpses (in Oblivion) too. :p :blush2:

[Mochan]

On another note, am I the only one not feeling the "it's been a great year for games" vibe? BioShock, a game I've been looking forward to for ages, tanked, Assassin's Creed, while really good, doesn't live up to the hype, Jeanne d'Arc is good but nowhere near as addictive as Advance Wars was for me, The Witcher is great, but I just don't have the patience for a long, drawn-out RPG right now, Ratchet and Clank was fun, as was Uncharted, but they're not genre busters by any means, and God of War 2 was a colossal disappointment after the excellence that was the first game. Really the only games I can say really blew me away this year were Call of Duty 4 and Portal. Am I missing something here? Or have I just become jaded?

I don't know Il, there were lots of disappointments sure *coughbioshockcough* but otherwise I totally enjoyed myself this year with:

NWN2 Mask of the Betrayer
FFT War of the Lions
Persona 3
Jericho
Crysis
Stalker
Call of Duty 4
Phoenix Wright 3
CoH Opposing Fronts


To think I haven't even touched any nextgen consoles yet, and I'm still going through The Witcher, Crush, and have some other stuff still waiting like World in Conflict, Painkiller and Armored Core. And even though they didn't blow my socks off a lot of the stuff you mentioned were still goods like Shivering Isles, Gears, Vegas, GRAW2, etc.

I'm confident in saying it's been a great year.


Oh and Spriggans are an ass if your damage output sucks. They just keep damn regenerating.

[ilnadmy]

Ugh and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops sucks balls. It's not that the game is bad, but the controls are just total ass. Good thing I got the game for free (well, technically I bought it, but it took so long to arrive that I wrote an angry email and got a refund), since I don't think I'll be touching it anytime soon.

I've never played NWN, I figure I might give NWN2 a try. I'm just in that mood where I don't feel like playing any games. COD4 online is fun, but I can only play so much of that before I start to lose interest, and all the other games I've got lying around just don't seem all that enticing. I don't know, I guess I'm just in one of those "I don't feel like playing anything" ruts.

[Cuddly Knife]

Dude, I've actually been feeling the same way. Everyday I tell myself, "Well, I'll play this or that.", but I never get around to it, and end up playing Pacman CE, or screwing around on Music Generator 2.

I have all these sick-ass games, but no desire to play them.

Except for Killer 7. I'm about done with Cloudman. Jesus Cristo[pronounced heh-soos creesto for you non Spanish speaking folk.], this game is amazing. Nothing like it ever before, and probably never after. Did anyone get that weird fuzzy feeling when you looked into the night sky in Okami, reminding you of the dark levels in SMB3? I have that same feeling now with Killer 7, only connecting with Out of This World(Or Another World for you all overseas). AMAZING GAME.

[Ocelot]

Ugh and Metal Gear Solid Portable Ops sucks balls. It's not that the game is bad, but the controls are just total ass.


I didn't find the controls all that bad considering. My problem with MGS:PO is...it's freakin' BORING!!

Kojima butchered this game. I wanted a "Ballz to the Wall" Metal Gear title. What was I left with? A freakin' fetch and quest. I really don't want to have to reqruit new members and change up their ranks/groups and all that crap. This just feels like a chore!

The one thing I freakin' hate is you loose energy as you walk through the maps. I'm always having to keep a supply of rations for this crap....LAME!! This feature makes it so you have to use other members switching constantly.


This was the biggest portable let down I've ever witnessed. Total crap!

[Mochan]

I get into those moods where I don't want to play games either... then I load up some anime and marathon a series. The moods don't last for more than a day or two, though.

NWN1 sucked ass IMO but NWN2 was okay. You enjoyed KOTOR2 right? This should be up your alley it's by the same team, but I think this is the superior game. Then move on to the expansion pack, Mask of the Betrayer.

[Ocelot]

I get into those moods where I don't want to play games either... then I load up some anime and marathon a series. The moods don't last for more than a day or two, though.

NWN1 sucked ass IMO but NWN2 was okay. You enjoyed KOTOR2 right? This should be up your alley it's by the same team, but I think this is the superior game. Then move on to the expansion pack, Mask of the Betrayer.


I played NWN1 and it was so so, I just felt I didn't have the attention span or interest to spend time talking through countless convo and then going through all the upgrades, leveling etc. I'll get to it one day.

I think I'm going to check out some video on "Witcher" that one keeps coming up in forums. And what's this Hellgate game all about?

[Fivespot]

I'm a little late to the party but here's what I've been playing lately and will more than likely continue playing over the holiday. Please note that all are on the PS3.

Playing now- Uncharted Drake's Fortune, Warhawk & Unreal Tournament 3
Playing soon (what's next on my plate)- The Orange Box & COD4

I'm also playing little tidbits of many more games but these are the main ones or in other words the ones taking the majority of my time.

[ilnadmy]

The Witcher is the game I'd be playing currently if it didn't have these damn memory issues with Vista, which means I can't play the game for more than an hour (and I mean exactly an hour) before it crashes to the desktop. They're coming out with a patch soon which is going to necessitate a new save anyway (or so I hear), so I'll just wait until they release that to play some more of the game.

It's basically a top-down RPG in the vein of NWN, but it's a lot more action and story oriented. Of course I haven't played NWN so I can't make the comparison, but that's what I hear. It's a great game in any case.

[Mochan]

The Witcher isn't necessarily top-down by the way, I play it in third person over the shoulder. It can accurately be called Neverwinter Nights done right. Emphasis is more on a branching story and characters rather than fetch quests (not that you don't do some here, but the game has a cinematic emphasis so you don't end up focusing on the fetch quests), with more swashbuckling action than whatever it was that passed for combat in NWN1.



Hellgate London is the 3D spiritual successor to Diablo.

[ilnadmy]

Yeah except Hellgate London sucks big donkey balls. There's a demo out. Don't bother downloading it.

Update: Reinstalled Medieval 2 and I'm running through a short campaign as Venice. Pretty fun game. Takes a bit of concentration and focus, but it held my attention for a good while. I think I might have found a new way to spend my free time.

[Gamer From '78]

Hey guys, #1 Gamer dug up an old thread of what we were playing back the early days here. I remember all the good times I had with Deus Ex 2, Splinter Cell, FF12, Res Evil 0, Metroid.

This year has been good to gamers of all types.

I've been playing tons of Drakes Forutune, Mass Effect, Soldier of Fortune 3. I'm still finishing up Bioshock and Orange Box.

I recently picked up a copy of Mario Galaxy and I have to say this is GOTY contender.

I had a chance to play Crysis on a PC at a local computer shop. While the settings were in medium this game still looked fantastic. I can't wait to play this one also.

Oh and Happy Holidays everyone!

Here's what I am rotating through right now for the most part. I pop other games in as well now & then.

Xbox 360:
Assassin's Creed
Halo 3
Conan

Xbox:
Breakdown
Soul Calibur 2 (Spawn)

PS2:
Soul Calibur 2 & 3 (Heihachi)

Wii:
Soul Calibur Legends
Mario Galaxy
Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles

Gamecube:
Soul Calibur 2 (Link)

PSP:
Castlevania-Dracula X Chronicles

DS:
New Super Mario Bros.
Contra 4

Dreamcast:
Soul Calibur
Crazy Taxi
Virtua Fighter 3tb

Playstation:
Soul Blade

SNES:
Castlevania-Dracula X (through a PC emulator...I have the original cart so all is good!)

[ilnadmy]

Castlevania-Dracula X (through a PC emulator...I have the original cart so all is good!)

You don't need an excuse with us. We won't tell...

[ilnadmy]

Aaaand I finally found my holiday addiction: The Witcher. After fiddling around with the virtual memory settings I'm finally able to get the game to play without crashing, and boy what a game it is. After playing NWN2 for an hour or so, The Witcher is like a flowery breeze of fresh air. For one thing, the game runs better than NWN2 AND looks better. For another, the quests aren't a bunch of Fed Ex runs. And finally, the combat system is actually fun, as opposed to the mindless click-fest that is NWN.

So yeah, this game is awesome.

[Gamer From '78]

You don't need an excuse with us. We won't tell...

LOL....but in all seriousness, I'm a big fan of Castlevania AND a collector at heart. I spent more than I care to say to get a complete, original copy of Dracula X for the SNES. I've only got two games to go to complete my Castlevania collection (not including import titles). Castlevania Adventure II-Belmont's Revenge and Castlevania Legends, both for the Gameboy.

I've been spending a fairly insignificant amount of money on old games right now. I bought a Dreamcast (mint in box) with 2 controllers, 2 VMU's, Crazy Taxi, NFL2K1 and NBA2K1 and some other crap game for $50. I've also picked up Chu Chu Rocket, Soul Calibur, Soul Blade, Virtua Fighter 3tb, Soul Calibur 2 & 3 (PS2), Soul Calibur 2 (Gamecube), Tekken Tag and some others. My favorite though? I won Virtua Fighter, Virtua Fighter Remix and Virtua Fighter 2 for Sega Saturn, all mint for $6.05 plus four bucks shipping. :D

[ilnadmy]

Dude, you can't own a Dreamcast and not have Blue Stinger. That game was fun. Blowing zombies' heads off while Christmas jingles play over the loudspeakers of the supermarket, and then waltzing over to a vending machine to buy a shotgun is a unique experience in videogaming that you will probably never experience outside this game.

[Mochan]

Aaaand I finally found my holiday addiction: The Witcher. After fiddling around with the virtual memory settings I'm finally able to get the game to play without crashing, and boy what a game it is. After playing NWN2 for an hour or so, The Witcher is like a flowery breeze of fresh air. For one thing, the game runs better than NWN2 AND looks better. For another, the quests aren't a bunch of Fed Ex runs. And finally, the combat system is actually fun, as opposed to the mindless click-fest that is NWN.

So yeah, this game is awesome.

Yup, The Witcher handily shows Bioware how it's done, and for that matter also shows Obsidian how it's done. NWN2 was a train wreck but despite that NWN2 *does* have a good singleplayer campaign, it opens up by the time you get to Act 2, and if you ever finish it go and check out Mask of the Betrayer which was also a fresh take. The Witcher is still better than it all in all, though.

[Jupiter_x]

Here's what I am rotating through right now for the most part. I pop other games in as well now & then.

Xbox 360:
Assassin's Creed
Halo 3
Conan

Xbox:
Breakdown
Soul Calibur 2 (Spawn)

PS2:
Soul Calibur 2 & 3 (Heihachi)

Wii:
Soul Calibur Legends
Mario Galaxy
Resident Evil Umbrella Chronicles

Gamecube:
Soul Calibur 2 (Link)

PSP:
Castlevania-Dracula X Chronicles

DS:
New Super Mario Bros.
Contra 4

Dreamcast:
Soul Calibur
Crazy Taxi
Virtua Fighter 3tb

Playstation:
Soul Blade

SNES:
Castlevania-Dracula X (through a PC emulator...I have the original cart so all is good!)




I'm going to assume...now I'm going out on a limb here, and maybe I'm wrong but...are you a Soul Calibur fan?:idea:



Serously,

I've been trying to pry myself away from my 360 and Drake was the only thing that could do it so far. I noticed you are playing Breakdown, do you play these on your 360 or the Xbox? This game reminds me of Riddick in a lot of ways and from what I've played I really enjoyed.

I'm finally warming up to Assassins Creed. I wish it played more like Thief but I'm enjoying it finally.

Ahhh, Crazy Taxi on my Dreamcast. I'll never forget that fine day I first played this along with Sonic Adv.

[Ocelot]

Yup, The Witcher handily shows Bioware how it's done, and for that matter also shows Obsidian how it's done. NWN2 was a train wreck but despite that NWN2 *does* have a good singleplayer campaign, it opens up by the time you get to Act 2, and if you ever finish it go and check out Mask of the Betrayer which was also a fresh take. The Witcher is still better than it all in all, though.


How was it a train wreck? Is it the MP portion or was it the play mechanics?

I'm still wading through the first NWN and it's good but nothing like Morrowind, nothing is like Morrowind. I have never been so attached to a game as I have that...true digital crack it was!

[NEO-360]

I'll punch you in the F******* Face!

God Of War 2 a disappoinment? What in the blue hell is Ilnadmy smoking? Apparently some bad weed to say such nonsense. Currently playing Raw vs. Smackdown 2008 and Mass Effect for the 360. Still playing a little Gears Of War and Virtua Tennis 3 too.May start playing Halo 3 again to get ready for the annual Halo fest over my house for the holidays. Cant wait to see what games I get for X-mas though.:p

[ceevee]

Hey ceevee, a friend of mine bought Europa Universalis III and had it shipped to me (he lives back home and wants me to give it to him when I get back). Now I looked at the cover and it seems Total War-like, but without the combat. Is it any good? You say it's GOTY material, is there anything in specific about it that's good?


i can't remember a title that left much to the imagination without trespassing into the realms of historical improbability.

Europa Universalis III is a hardcore slowpaced RTS. but forget the notions of any RTS values cos this game is a TBS game at heart. you control a nation through 400 odd years from 1453 to the dawn of Napoleons reign. during these years you spend your time developing a national identity and national ideas.

and the experience isn't limited to a handful of clichéd European Superpowers of the age such as England, French, Prussia, Venice, Spain and the Ottomans. why not become the seafaring Almohads? or a small nation monopolising tea and rice ( as in my current campaign as an East Indian nation in the mould of the British Empire), or a globe trotting Mameluks? or a more expansive Chinese empire that becomes the single major naval power before anyone.

the developers have woven a masterpiece that isn't easy to digest. it takes a lot of patience but flows from the same vein as Football Manager and Medieval/Shogun: Total War. this is a time consuming gem and i hope your friend can afford such time

[ceevee]

in regards to Medieval 2, i uninstalled that waste of harddrive space for other purposes. with Rome and M2, Creative Assembly simply rewrote Sun Tzu's Art of War

Medieval 2: The Art of War

War is a matter of vital importance to the State. Appraise war in terms of 5 fundamental factors. the 5 are moral influence, weather, terrain, command and doctrine.

for influence, a ruler's success shall be governed by random rebellions in the most secured borders, where the state is safe ensure the peasants revolt in some remote isolated region that later burns the countryside.

by weather, the effects of winter and summer shall cause no change to one's operation. charge down the advantageous icy hilltop to greet a superior force. in the summer one can charge down the advantageous grassy hilltop for a change in scenery.

by terrain, the searing desert heat shall have no effect on heavily suited men-at-arms. fatigue shall be more an issue with crossbowmen reloading their weapon of choice than a tincan running 10kms to great the first missile volley.

by command, then that is his wisdom in charging headlong into a spear wall hoping for a courageous death and thus earning respite for the fleeing supporters. one man's death is another man's good night sleep. never mutually support your battle units as each man is for his own.

by doctrine, then this is to be understood by stratagem. attack your allies and meet the enemy in the open with a vast array of headless artillery. supremacy in missile and run across the wide steppes with spearmen.

scissors cut paper, paper wraps stone, stone smashes scissors, scud missiles beat all in the right conditions. build cavalry for they are your scuds.. lots of cavalry. use heavy cav to charge spears and use light cav to mop up swords. out duel missiles with your own horsemen and victory is assured. but be warned, a wrongly placed thorny bush and you can never perfect the art of charging