Apparently some of you are gamers, as the Gamers Unite! thread got a decent amount of responses tonight. We've got Now Playing threads for music, movies, and books, so why not games? Let's give it a shot.

I'm playing a ton of games right now. Too many, probably. I'll post the covers and then drop some details/impressions.



Okay, so I'm not playing all eight in equal amounts, but that's a combination of recent purchases as well as what I'm currently knee-deep in. Metal Gear Acid 2 is excellent; a bit better than the first, but mostly more of the same (which I'm cool with). Should be completing that tomorrow, and will write a review for Static. I loved the original Kingdom Hearts, and the sequel is much improved, though a majority of the seven hours I've played thus far has been cut-scenes. Fun to watch, though. I dubbed the first one "fucking magical" upon completion and expect this to conjure up the same feelings in the end. I just picked up Tomb Raider Legend today, but the demo I played was excellent. Way, way better than the last few Tomb Raider titles. Major League Baseball 2K6... not so hot. Barely looks better than the standard Xbox version, plays so-so, and has a fatal error that crashes your 360! Being returned Friday, for sure.

God of War is spectacular, one of the best games of 2005. It's now available for $20, which is why I finally picked it up. I think I'm about halfway through. Burnout Revenge is the best game in the series, which really says a lot, considering how grand Burnout 3: Takedown was. I wrote a review for Static if anyone's interested. Great on all three systems, too. Rez is a strange, strange game. I had been looking for it for several years and finally came face to face with a copy two weeks ago (in new, perfect shape). Despite having never played it, I popped $35 for it. Worth the investment? Hard to say at this point, but I may end up digging it in the long run. Can always sell it on eBay for $50 if I don't. And finally, Top Spin 2... a bit dull, but it's a discounted game (well, $40 compared to $60 for most 360 games). It's tough, too. I'm actually having some trouble with it despite being pretty good at the original.

Go!

Re: Kingdom Hearts 2--they got rid of the fucking Gummi Ship, I take it?

How did you get your hands on Rez? I've been looking for that for years now. Last time I checked, Ebay prices on it were averaging around $70. It's supposed to be really good.

I'm actually on my way to play this with some friends right now. It is like Gauntlet, but with a coat of Resident Evil thrown over it. It really is mindless fun, and solo-play is incredibly boring, but multiplay is quite fun. Fortunely, I picked this one up from a used game store around the corner from my house, so it ended up only costing me $10.

^ The player is often surrounded by multiple enemies at once. This gives the game a frantic pace.

^ The graphics are clean and fairly detailed, but they won't blow anyone away.

Verdict: If you can pick it up cheap, Hunter can be a fun little game to play with friends. Just dont expect any kind of depth, because this game is solely lacking in that department.

This game is HARD. Like the originals, one hit and you're dead. And when you're out of lives, that's it. You can continue and restart the level, but you've got to go through the whole thing at once. I've yet to try the Konami Code on this one, but I just get the feeling that they probably aren't going to make it that easy for players to cheat with (the best I can do is change the difficulty from normal to easy, which as far as I can tell, just gives you a few more lives to work with).

I mean, there are a lot of really complex games out there with steep learning curves... RPGs with endless configurations and complexities waiting to be unravelled, or fighters with countless moves and combos to memorize. This game, on the other hand, is ridiculously simple, but from the very beginning, throws everything that it has at you refuses to give you a break just because you're just starting out.

Maybe I'm just getting old and rusty, but I will be very surprised if I clear a single level in this one anytime soon.

playing Ghost Recon and Burnout on 360 right now.
Also just picked up Amped 3, cheapest 360 game used, $29.99

also playing (360) farcry, DoA4, and Oblivion (which I finally managed to take a few days off of)

also since the old xbox games look so damn good on the 360 with a HDTV I grabbed Battlefront II which is really fun! almost looks like it could be a new gen game.

anyway deja let me know how your liking "tomb raider" and "top spin." Personally I cannot wait for the PS3; not that I'll buy it, but the fact that it will push Microsoft to finally release there MAJOR games: too human, mass effect and gears of war!

I quit playing games all together around the time N64 was big. for some reason I'm 13 again but even more so.

Nearly bought this when I saw it's affordable price tag, I was pretty decent at contra games but I never could beat one. The one that came out for SNES that had the overhead sections was one of the best games ever.







The mega man game is god awful, the Final Fantasy one is pretty great, probably Square best game since FFVII, not that I've paid any attention really to games that have come out since but hey.

P.S. here's a site that may be of interest to the board, since we seem to be by and large budget bin gamers.
www.cheapassgamer.com

A friend and I rented that one once. It was pretty fun, but we had to return it before we ever finished it.

We did have a Now Gaming thread on the old board now that I recall, it's just that it was often buried in obscurity at the time. Games were expensive at the time.

I'm not a huge wrestling fan, but ive always loved the videogames. Needless to say, screens like this are gonna make not picking up a PS3/X360 very hard.

^let's see your current gen systems handle sweat like that!

Still playing this fucking game. I'm like three or four songs away from beating it on Expert. I swear to you, avoid this game at all costs unless you have blocks of time on yer' hands cause it will be addicting.


This game is so great. Seriously, if you have an XBOX and find this for about 10-20 bucks, get it. Especially if you're into first person shooters with a bit of an RPG and choose yuor own story feeling behind it.

Oh yeah dude, how is MLB 2K6? Granted the 360 version is a bit different, but I read some reviews of the PS2/Xbox ports, and it sounds basically like crap. So I think I will be avoiding it, even though I really considered buying it the other day.

rez is for dreamcast. that must be a PS2 port. probably easier to find. i really want Rez for Dreamcast, but yeah it is hella expensive.

i recently quit wow. since then i have been p[laying oblivion. i tried out second life, but couldnt get into it. im ordering Mr. Driller 2 for teh GBA this week so that should be fun

Just finished this:


Hands down the best atmosphere I've ever experienced in a game. Very effective story-telling too, as it let you actually play the story, instead of bombarding you with cutscenes. I actually gasped a couple times

Starting up these two, both fun so far:

And when we both have time, my wife and I will play through this:

They replaced it with way better Panzer Dragoon-ish shooting sequences.



I work at GameStop... we got one in from corporate, "used" but clearly just an opened new copy. Apparently, we got another one the week after, so you might want to troll GameStop stores to see if you can find one. They're selling it for $39.99. And like Rufus said, Rez was originally for Dreamcast, but ported to the PS2. The Dreamcast one never came out in America, so we don't really have that option.

shimmy - Amped 3 was great, I really dug it. I'll let you know what I think of Tomb Raider/Top Spin as I play them more. The Tomb Raider demo is available on the Live Marketplace, check it out.

Sausage - Final Fantasy X was fantastic, definitely my second-favorite behind FFVII.

Derek - Yeah, MLB 2K6 hasn't been so hot. I'll be playing a bit of it (and MLB06: The Show) for a potential Flyer article about this season's baseball games, so I'll let you know if my opinion changes. The more I play these games, I've come to a realization: I never really loved baseball video games, I loved MVP Baseball. These are no substitute.

Seriously glad I didn't buy it when I saw it the other day. I really considered it, but put the breaks on right away. In retrospect, I made the right decision.

Have you guys played the Warriors game? That shit is fucking fun. I played it a bunch over Xmas with my bro-in-law.

I need to get a copy for myself.

Ah, yeah I was probably looking for the Dreamcast version originally. I bought one of those systems used a few years ago but later found that most of the really interesting-looking games that I had been assuming I'd be able to pick up used were basically impossible to find or simply not available at all. I guess I'll look for the PS2 version of Rez in the future, but I've got my hands full right now with more than enough games that I have yet to complete.

Not that nuts about it, IV and VI still blow it out of the water.

One obnoxious thing I've notice on the last two fantasies as that in their concern that battles aren't as engaging as they should be they go on for too long. I liked ending random encounters in a turn or two in IV, VI, and VII instead of a few turns like IX and X.

Also, what's with status ailments being used so frequently as well? Instead of making the game more challenging, it just makes it more frustrating. A disturbing trend I noticed in FFIX's dearth of effects and FFX less than effective use of them as well. Seriously, having bosses where all they do is break, berserk, and confuse constantly is a fucking nuisance.

Dude, yeah that game is great. It's so pointless, but so amazingly fun. Walk, beat the fuck out of someone. Walk, beat the fuck out of someone. Et cetera et cetera. One of the best impulse buys I have ever made.

Yeah. Stealing car stereos and shit is fun, too.

"Warriors...Come out and pla-a-a-a-a-y..."

FF Tactics was the best in my opinion. sold my copy for 75 bucks about a month before they re-released it and bought it new for 20. I rule.

FFX was amazing looking but was too "hip". I liked FF9 alot but then again I'm gay.

FF Tactics was alright but the teams previous work, the criminally underrated Tactics Ogre put it to shame.


My problem with FFIX was the aforementioned length of battles, status effects and the load times. My god were they bad.


I think VII was the last game in the series to have that "Just pick up and play" feel to it enough for me to ever want to play it again. VIII was an abomination and IX and X's gameplay was too unwieldy for it to warrant a second playthrough. X not so much, but definitely IX.

I was meaning to give this one a try, but it slipped right off my radar. It looked kinda like Manhunt, which i enjoyed, in a disturbing sort of way. Rockstar games are usually top quality. Plus they push the envelope...although im not too sure about theyre first Xbox 360 game...



Speaking of Rockstar, has anyone heard of a game called Bully? Has it been released? I heard about it at last years E3, but havent heard much since.

I liked tatics better despite the smaller level design and what not. the leveling system was fantastic and added so many hours of game play and the graphics were far above Ogre as well. Two Lancers will always do the trick.


whoa, I need to play games more. do they have a new rating system again???

Is it based on the movie/book? Do you get to kill people and fuck fourteen year old chicks while Sonic Youth plays in the background?

Graphics didn't really matter to me in a tactics game. Playing through Hell's Gate clocked TO at over 120 hours or something crazy like that.

I guess my main beef with FFT was the lack of actual characters you could play on the field, plus leveling up in FFT was more of a pain in the ass than TO. They were both fun games.


That, and that steep learning curve at the beginning when all of sudden you're fighting black mages, took me a couple years to be honest to finally beat that level.

i wish! (actually it has no relation to the film/book)

My cousin introduced me to tactics and after watching him basically play the same level about 400 times I got the smart idea. I forget the names of the moves but there was a way to get your main character to speed up his/every one elses turn and then I would just accumulate. you could level up the whole team about 5-10 levels every battle until you got higher and it was a bit harder but it made the boss battles seem like cake.

I had not trouble with the game past the fourth level. It's just your characters could only chuck rocks while they could kill you in one hit. I only beat it by lucking out. I've still yet to look at any guide to this game because I secretly worry that I was playing the game completely wrong and making it hard on myself.

The other problem I had with Tactics is that with the lack of using more than 4-5 characters at a time, I tended to just stick to using those same 5 so the Job system was kind of a waste. Would've been a better idea to control multiple parties and stuff.

Nah, some people are using the PAL boxart (U.K.).

Bully hasn't come out yet, I think it's pegged for a fall release. Table Tennis looks interesting, but I'd have to play it before I popped $40 on it.

Think we can get this thread pinned, or is there a certain post count it needs to reach?

naw, theyll pin it if we request it.

so mod, pin this bitch

so guys now that they have BCed so many old xbox games on the 360, is Manhunt worth a $20?
I need super gore, but is it just a stealth type of game? and also I hear the "director's" voice dosen't come in on the 360. (some bug I guess)

thanks

The Backwards Compatibility has so many bugs. I tried playing through Black for Xbox on my 360 this weekend, and there were several fatal errors that made it impossible to finish the game. I heard Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory had trouble too.

I never played Manhunt, but I'd like to someday.

Manhunt is kinda cool, but after the first few levels, it gets really redundant. I've been told that as you progress on, it picks up ALOT, but i never had the patience to get through alot of it. The first levels are based largely on stealth, yeah, but the means of offing guys is fucking brutal. Bag over the head followed by smashing their face down to the ground. It's vicious, but fun. I recommend it for twenty buckaroos if you dont mind the first half being largely stealth.

presh!

yeah I heard there were bugs in BLack, but none so far in the 3 xbox games I own. (blitz pro, battlefront II and The Thing, which is too damn hard)

apart from the bugs in black, how are you liking it? is it different from other FPS? (I know graphics are better)

so the 360 is backwards compatible?

if so, i know a few weeks ago some store was doing a deal where you bring in your xbox and theyll give you 80 bucks towards a 360. any clue what store that was or if that promo is still going down? if so, i think i might pony up some bucks for one of these dealies because i really am interested, and have been very much so over the last few weeks.

dude 360 is TITTIES!(not tits)

and it's just getting started......

I thought it was solid, but not very different from the Medal of Honor-type shooters. Except for the lack of worthwhile story. I was leaning towards a 2 1/2 star rating (out of 4) for my review, but since I was unable to complete it, I won't be able to review it.

Derek - I think GameStop has a promo like that, but I think you need to buy one of their value packages to get the full $80 on it. So yeah. I really don't know for sure. But I wholly recommend an Xbox 360, just keep all things in mind ($400 for system, $20 for play & charge kit, $40-$60 for a game). You'll pop over $500 for the first purchase. If you're thinking about a core system, just forget it and hold out for a premium.



Somewhat, but barely. There's about 200 games that are currently compatible, but there are some very major titles missing from the list. And some of the ones considered compatible have a ton of bugs. I kinda wish I held onto my original Xbox, but it's not a huge deal to me.

So how is Kingdom Hearts 2?
I didn't like the first game that much.

Quite good, so far. The gameplay is much improved, but the storyline isn't a huge leap. So if you liked the story/concept but hated the gameplay, give it another shot. But if you just don't like the Disney/Square thing, it probably won't change your mind.

I beat Metal Gear Acid 2 tonight. The boss fight was insane... took me a good 90 minutes to complete. I may work on a review later tonight.

But first, I'll be playing MLB2K6 and MLB06: The Show for a bit, as I'm considering an article that compares the two... as long as 2K6 doesn't crash too much. Definitely returning that tomorrow, so I need to get in the playtime tonight (if I can).

Just beat Ninja Gaiden Black about 10 minutes ago. Amazing, amazing game. Just be prepared for a ridiculous challenge should you take it on. I recommend it highly if you've got your shit together. Just think God of War but times 10 in coolness and gameplay, and it also gives you about (literally) 35 hours more of game play.

Cancel that. MLB2K6 for 360 is so fucked up that you can't even get through three innings without a complete system freeze. Kind of a bummer, but oh well. I won't re-buy it if they re-release a fixed version... just doesn't seem like a game that's worth $60 by any means.

I'll start playing Tomb Raider Legend tonight instead.

I have the original version of Ninja Gaiden; my boss gave me his when Black came out. I couldn't even get further than 30 minutes in when I first started playing. Seemed cool, but such a harsh game in terms of difficulty.

I was going to pick up Ninja Gaiden, but i remember playing a demo once, and almost throwing my controller out the window. I later found out that it was an early, tutorial level. After that, i decided to stay away from it, for the sake of my controllers.

You know I almost bought a PS2 foor MLB 06, but the reviews were awful, and so were those of MLB 2K6.
Too many flaws for me to ignore, and that's an understatement, I think.
I'm pissed too, cuz MVP carried my attention through the summer and beyond that last few years.
Pity.

Man, I loved MVP hardcore. I've logged hundreds of hours into that series. I was so heartbroken when EA lost the rights, but it's really their own fault for initiating the exclusivity-rush in sports gaming.

I didn't find Ninja Gaiden that dificult, I guess I just kick ass or something. Though I was bred on action games so I guess it's no surprise.

Video Games = Working on Paper in your world, home slice?

shit. owned. bbl

Yeah, EA got scared off by the 2K football series too easily. It was a good game and all, but no real threat to Madden, really. As far as sports games are concerned, I think they are getting close to a real simulation in every major sport, but haven't quite gotten there yet. MVP Baseball was the closest, in my opinion, and with another year or two under their belt, it could have been even better. Damn, it makes me pissed just thinking about it.

On Legendary Ninja (or whatever the most difficult setting is called) I guess Team Ninja only had one person on their staff who could get to the end of the game. My question is: How in the hell did they test it for bugs, if nobody could get that far? ha ha.

Looking at picking up either Psychonauts or Half-Life 2 for XBOX. Those are the last two games on that system that intrigue me enough to purchase. Any recommendations?