Forums > Game Talk > Game Journal V
The Fabulous King (1332) on 8/17/2009 11:17 PM · Permalink · Report
A voice in my head asked from me that why do I call the 15th thread in this franchise the 5th. Here's my story.
First post - october 29, 2006. Last post - october 31, 2006. I guess there wasn't a market then for this kind of thread. But it was my first version and boy did it have a lot of problems with it. The title alone...
First post - December 31, 2007. Last post - January 30, 2008. It wasn't a huge success. Not yet. But at least I hadn't give up after my first failure... and it got some attention. I still couldn't make the title quite right...
First post - February 07, 2008. Last post - March 17, 2008. So I had just released my second game journal thread and it was a moderate succes. And then, some Oleg guy just takes my thread, polishes the title and reaches success. It was a tough time for me.
18 March 2008 - 17 April 2008. And to make it worse, that Oleg guy immediately releases a new one. It was... astounding.
09 April 2008 - 18 April 2008. I was powerless. He released a new thread before the old one was dead.
23 April 2008 - 18 May 2008. But alas, Oleg's latest thread was a failure. Just 9 days. So, he takes my original thread and adds the words "Director's Cut" to it. And it's a success. "Back to the roots!". Fans love it. Because it's "back to the roots". Funny thing is that most of them had no idea what those roots actually were. As it is always like this.
- Game Journal Gaiden: The New Discoveries 08 May 2008 - 23 May 2008
He runs two game journal threads at the same time? He EA-fied my creation. A True Thread takes years to create. There was absolutely no difference between the story of Game Journal: Part IV and Game Journal Gaiden. The characters even looked the same.
- Game Journal Thread XXVII: Back To The Past 25 May 2008 - 26 May 2008
But justice was about to find Oleg. His latest thread lasted for just one day. Just one day! "Is this the end of Game Journal fanchise?" the newspapers wrote. However I was forgotten. In none of the "history of game journal" articles or fan flame wars was I ever mentioned. I needed to set the matter strait. The original "Game Journal thread", even with it's faulty title, was about beauty and truth. And the world had forgotten this. "Which Game Journal girl would you fuck?" was all the world remembered about my creation. I needed to come back and save the world again.
- DI's Journal of Games Thread 05 June 2008 - 23 June 2008
And this was my answer to the world. I knew that I had to be innovative. So each one of my posts game with a picture of pretty girl, and what made it really special was the expensive graphical engine that made it look like the pretty girl is just stepping out from the white backgound of Moby. However.
"Oleg's Game Journal franchise has a new competitioner."
"Can the new guy bring life back to the game journal genre?"
"Who is this imposter?"
And the talk shows: "Fankly Bill, I'm pretty certain that this DI guy will just fail. He's a new guy, a new company... he just doesn't have the skills or history to make it work."
New guy? New company? Imposter? I was the fucking original creator! But that wasn't the end of my woes, for Oleg was just about to do something that would redefine the meaning of irony...
30 June 2008 - 01 December 2008
He bought the rights to my new thread, when it went bankrupt and delivered a sequel which was the most succesful and defining Game Journal threads ever. This is the thread that people mean and remember when they talk about how Game Journal threads used to be. The irony... I knew the game was over for me. I could take some consolation that my name became succesful, even though none made the connection between the new pop culture phenomen DI and me. That DI was Oleg's creation. And he was succesful.
- Game's Journal: BLOITB 28 November 2008 - 04 January 2009
Oleg was now too big for Game Journal threads. He knew that nothing would ever reach that sort of mainstream and blockbuster fame that DI's Journal of Games Thread: The Second Coming did. It lasted for 6 months and it was over for him. He had made his mark on the world. So the franchise was outsourced to some ukrainian guy. Funny thing about eastern europeians is that they are very... they just really dig the late 90's. Jagged Alliance 2, Fallout, Duke Nukem 3D - don't confuse it with old-school, because it's old-school only from a certain perspective... So what I was trying to say is that the eastern europeian companies really try to emulate this spirit of the late 90's to whatever they do. And Game's Journal: BLOITB was what you expect from Akella published franchises... slightly unique and different, but really just an emulation of things that needed to be forgotten in the first place. It is the only Game's Journal thread in the history of this franchise. However, the word BLOITB became so entrenched in pop culture, that it's now in Webster.
- Game Journal: BLOITB the Sequel 21 Januray 2009 - 27 February 2009
So, the Game Journal franchise essentially became a niche thing when it moved into Ukraine. It still got some attention, but the glory days when Oleg run the franchise were over. One day, when I was reading the newspapers where they were discussing the Game Journal threads I suddenly felt a pain in my heart. This longing pain. And I knew what I had to do. There was no point anymore to carry anger and bitterness towards the world. The world had moved on. So I moved to Ukraine. Applied for a job and was given the project of a new Game Journal thread. The first thing I did was to remove the "'s" from the name. But I pretty much left it the same. The project was almost done anyway when I was assigned the job. The previous project director just happened to accidentally drink himself to death. It was a different world. But warm. Very friendly people the ukrainians are.
- Game Journal: BLOITB III: The Return of BLOITB II 27 February 2009 - 17 June 2009
This is the second most succesful thread in the history of game journal threads. But it wasn't a glamorous success like Oleg's DI's Journal of Games Thread. It was a quiet peaceful success. My thread was back in my hands again. No one still knew that I was the original creator. The gaming media still gave Oleg that honor. I was just some ukrainian guy. Technically I was Sean Connery and Oleg Roger Moore, but just because of some twist of fate, I was robbed the honor of Sean Connery and given the honor of Roger Moore. But I was at peace with myself. Fate had led me away from the cold insane north-western protestant capitalistic world and led me to a more sane orthodox world, unfortunately not at it's best right now... but, I went to a monastery and met a holy man... and that's when I became a Rabbi. Which led me to...
- Game Journal IV: Quest for Peace 19 June 2009 - 18 August 2009
...because the world just needs some peace. I had found peace. And I wanted to share it with everyone. In a way I was fulfilling my original intention for Game Journal threads. I made it again about beauty and truth.
And that's why the 15th thread in this franchise is called Game Journal V.
Havoc Crow (29859) on 8/18/2009 6:10 AM · Permalink · Report
So what about my post about Silent Storm? :'( Here I hoped someone would comment on my brave team's exploits, and here you went and made a new thread before anyone could.
The Fabulous King (1332) on 8/19/2009 1:44 AM · Permalink · Report
You can always repost it. :)
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 8/18/2009 9:47 AM · Permalink · Report
:)
This summary was more interesting than the threads themselves :)
Anyway, I'm playing Yakuza 2 and it rocks my socks. One of the big reasons is because the wise American publishers decided to leave original Japanese voices intact. No more bad voice acting that almost ruined the first game for me. In fact, I got the Japanese version of the first Yakuza and realized that I wasn't quite fair to it. The game is much better with the original voices.
I'm also playing Freddy Pharkas and it's funny as hell. Al Lowe rules.
In fact, after realizing how ruling Al Lowe was, I got myself Torin's Passage. I'm not yet very far into the game, but so far it's just... beautiful. Sweet and charming, and with subtle humor.
Also, I'm re-playing the best game that has ever came out of China/Taiwan, Xuanyuan Jian Waizhuan: Cang zhi Tao. Man, what a game. What a story. Outstanding.
chirinea (47495) on 8/19/2009 9:17 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]In fact, after realizing how ruling Al Lowe was, I got myself Torin's Passage. I'm not yet very far into the game, but so far it's just... beautiful. Sweet and charming, and with subtle humor. [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]I played a localized version of this one. Man, they ruined the jokes. Also, I found it to be a little, er, childish, I guess. Maybe it was the localization... =/
I myself am playing Tales of Monkey Island: Chapter 1 - Launch of the Screaming Narwhal. I am taking this long to finish it because I've been über busy lately (with real life matters, work to be specific). So far, so good, it lives up to the legend.
Havoc Crow (29859) on 8/19/2009 6:20 AM · Permalink · Report
So, I went by Gabbi Ruru's advice and repost this.
I've been playing Silent Storm intensely recently, and I wanted to tell you the (somewhat embellished) story of my team...
...The "Insane Six" is widely known throughout the whole Allied forces as the most insane, irresponsible military unit ever known. Jokes about the team include: "Normal people go to the basement by stairs; the Insane Six blows up the floor and jumps down." or "Normal people go upstairs to get to 2nd floor; the Insane Six blows up the ceiling so that the 2nd floor comes to them." These rumors are exaggerated, however; all witnesses agree that, after the Insane Six finished defending an English laboratory from attackers, the building still had at least some of its floors intact.
The team includes:
- Nikolai - the leader of the team, who claims to be a loyal citizen of the Soviet Union who graduated from an elite academy and set off to fight the fascist menace in the name of the homeland. These claims are a little doubtful, particularly due to the fact that he has black skin and a Brooklyn accent. Nevertheless, during the missions Nikolai shows great courage, never engaging into glory-hogging bravado but always bravely letting his companions do most of the work.
- L.A. - a female engineer whose main function is picking the locks that the Insane Six comes across. Of course, in the opinion of the Insane Six, a clip of bullets is better than any lockpick, but every so often the team actually decides to open a door or a chest without alarming everyone in the area. L.A. is also a specialist at precise explosive work, known for her blatant disregard for such minor details as "presence of fellow Allied troops in the explosion's area."
- Nessie - a big, bad, black guy who serves as the grenadier. Nessie is known for his friendly demeanor, loyalty, and a tendency to use grenades recklessly. He is said to use grenades even outside combat, to open whisky bottles and light up his cigarettes. His motto is: "Everything can be done with enough grenades."
- Sook - a Korean scout, a fervent patriot and a man of honor. His favorite pastime is tossing lots of terrifyingly sharp objects at his enemies to turn them into living pin-cushions. He also tends to carry a grenade or two, just in case the sharp isn't enough.
- Viper - sniper. A British gentleman from a rich family, he travelled all over the world, hunting rare, exotic and endangered species (most of them became endangered only after he began hunting). Now he decided to join the Army so that he can put his hunting skills to good use. He is known to be a somewhat unorthodox sniper, as at random intervals he decides to use a tommy gun instead to shower his enemies with bullets from a distance.
- Yves - the medic. Sometimes he heals his teammates. Most of the time he hurts people with his rifle. He is known to have uncanny amounts of luck when it comes to aiming. (Fun fact: in the Polish version, where the subtitles were translated, all of Yves' subtitles are written as if he was female. Oh the translators.)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 8/21/2009 1:09 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm giving StarCraft another go. I've had a inexplicable urge for strategy lately. I'm considering getting Total Anihilation, C&C, and WarCraft 2 to see what exactly I'm missing.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 8/27/2009 10:05 AM · Permalink · Report
Oh wow... Just finished "Yakuza 2". INCREDIBLE story!
—- (1623) on 8/27/2009 1:05 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Oh wow... Just finished "Yakuza 2". INCREDIBLE story! [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]
I'd say the story was presented very nicely, yet the plot itself was kind of unimpressive and foreseeable. The characters were still rather pale, but there was some improvement in that regard.
Anyway, it kind of relates to what I've been playing - the demo of Yakuza 3 from Japanese PSN, which is definitely one of the best-looking current gen games right now (say about 3D graphics what you want, but urban areas at night with neon signs all around just work). The game plays in the exotic brand new setting of ... Kamurocho AGAIN. Though it annoyed me much less then in the prequel, since everything looks so amazing. There are easily 100 people at the same time on screen now, all of them much more detailed then in the prequels; finally there's a fully adjustable camera, some of the best facial expressions I ever saw, etc.... Here we have a game that truly benefits from technological advancements. Oh and the gameplay is also much smoother now; more varied move repertoire, finishing moves, Shenmue-esque QTEs...
Only problem: still no localisation. And I really don't get it... I guess Yakuza 1 and 2 really didn't get much attention because of the PS2's giant software catalogue, but the PS3's is still not exactly exploding in that regard, so I'm sure they'd make some profits in the west. Marketing people can make people buy refrigerators with built-in LCD screens, but making them buy quality games seems too much to ask.
Sigh I guess I'll have to play this one with a walkthrough on my lap and import it... Luckily most PS3 games aren't region-locked anymore.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 8/27/2009 2:24 PM · Permalink · Report
Only problem: still no localisation.
Maybe it will come later? Remember how long we have waited for the localization of Yakuza 2...
Is the hero of Yakuza 3 still Kazuma? Can't just say "good-bye" to this guy. Love him :)
—- (1623) on 8/27/2009 2:38 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Maybe it will come later? Remember how long we have waited for the localization of Yakuza 2... [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Yeah, you're right, Yakuza 1 was released in the west shortly before Yakuza 2 was released in Japan, so there's still hope. After playing the demo, I probably won't be able to wait anymore, though; it's that good! Heck it wouldn't be the first game of which I own multiple copies, so I guess I'll just import it anyway. =D
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Is the hero of Yakuza 3 still Kazuma? Can't just say "good-bye" to this guy.[/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Yep, still good-ole Kazuma. At least in the demo. And he still hasn't changed his clothes... =D
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Love him :)[/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] You really shouldn't. You know, I've been told by advanced Indonesian AI that love is terribly overrated.
By the way, the first moment that comes to mind when thinking of Yakuza 2 is the battle scene in the Be My Baby "establishment" - a modern classic. I could hardly concentrate on the fight because of laughter!
—- (1623) on 9/20/2009 4:05 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Only problem: still no localisation.
Maybe it will come later? Remember how long we have waited for the localization of Yakuza 2...
[/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Glory glory hallelujah!
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/20/2009 4:57 PM · Permalink · Report
Glory glory hallelujah!
Great news :)
It's time to buy a PS3, what do you think? MGS4, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, LA Noir, The Last Guardian, and now Yakuza 3... it's getting serious.
xroox (3895) on 9/20/2009 5:03 PM · Permalink · Report
This sounds rather amazing: Demon's Souls.
—- (1623) on 9/20/2009 6:11 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Kitsune Sniper wrote--]If I could afford it and Sony's Mexican PSN releases weren't absolute trash, I'd get one. [/Q --end Kitsune Sniper wrote--] I think when you just select "US" as your location you should be able to buy stuff from the US PSN store. At least I know that some German users can buy things that way from the UK store. It seem that Sony isn't checking the IPs. I haven't checked that out personally, though.
—- (1623) on 9/20/2009 7:18 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Kitsune Sniper wrote--]Mexican IP. We're locked out.
I can't even play Nexon games because I happen to live FOUR BLOCKS AWAY FROM THE US. [/Q --end Kitsune Sniper wrote--] Sorry to hear that, man.
Maybe it'll work after the Reconquista =P
—- (1623) on 9/20/2009 5:58 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Great news :)
It's time to buy a PS3, what do you think? MGS4, God of War 3, Heavy Rain, LA Noir, The Last Guardian, and now Yakuza 3... it's getting serious. [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] ...and with TGS around the corner, there will be some more introduced shortly, I'm sure.
As for LA Noir, it seems that this one has gone multi platform (there's very few info about the game anyway, unfortunately), but there was a new PS3-exclusive Rockstar game announced, called Agent.
With the price cut and everything it's probably the best time to buy one. Are Chinese console prices en par with Japanese/US/European ones?
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/20/2009 6:10 PM · Permalink · Report
Are Chinese console prices en par with Japanese/US/European ones?
A PS3 is sold for 2000-2500 RMB (200-250 Euros) around here.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/1/2009 8:36 AM · Permalink · Report
Oh, so many cool new games... I mean old cool games which I haven't played yet!
Just tried Little Big Adventure again and it's SO CUTE! I'm really in love with it now.
Second attempt at The Space Bar. Pretty impossible game, but I'm just dying to discover who the murderer is! Some day, some day...
Half-Life. Glad I gave it a second chance. Seems to be a great game after all!
Will play the English version of Policenauts soon.
St. Martyne (3648) on 9/1/2009 9:00 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Haven't played much lately, cos I've been on a trip to Prague (marvelous place!) for a week. Now, heavy at Animal Crossing. I really dig the idea of a real time clock for the game, it's so cool to boot up the game and find that many new things has happened while you were away, without all the hassle of multiplayer games.
Also, looking forward to playing Cursed Mountain. It will be something special.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 9/1/2009 12:20 PM · Permalink · Report
I was trying to get through StarCraft again, but I've gotten ridicuously addicted to Fallout ! I made it from the Mutant Base to the Cathederal last night. (And gained two levels.) Now I know why it's held in such high regard ! But I still want to find the original media if possible. Just for the heck of it. 8)
Parf (7873) on 9/1/2009 10:50 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm still trying to catch up on games i've owned for a long time now, but have yet had the time to play.
Currently:
God of War II - Really a blast to play, and very similar to the first one in flow and button mashing goodness. :)
Chaos Legion - This game just feels "off" somehow. It's like Devil May Cry, but with 400 enemies on screen at the time. And all you do is walk room to room and kill yet another 400 enemies. No puzzles, no nothing, just hack'n'slash. Could have been a good thing, turns slightly boring and very repetitive quickly.
Breath of Fire II for GBA. I almost played all the way through when I first got it, then some other game stole my attention away from it, so I'm giving it another shot. I do feel that they hadn't found the perfect RPG in this one yet. It wasn't until BoF III that they managed to get it just right.
Shenmue II for the Xbox. I played through the first one on my DC maybe a year ago, so when I found this one in a bargain bin in the US for $3 I just couldn't stop myself! I'm a little bit into it, but I do feel that some of that cozy feeling of "knowing" the people in the small town Ryu lives in is lost a bit in the sequel. Sure, he's in Hong Kong, but still. I do like it a whole lot though, and the style of gameplay it presents is one that's hard to find a match to.
St. Martyne (3648) on 9/17/2009 7:51 PM · Permalink · Report
Playing Xenogears, which is so good, that it probably ends up being my favorite Square RPG. In very many ways, it's much more like Chrono Trigger, than Final Fantasy, which is a definite plus. And, it's... easy. Perhaps, too easy. I haven't died once, and I've already... well, probably not very far. Weird, considering how painful my progress through both FF7 and FF8 was.
Also, I so much prefer the weird, but cool and lushly animated 2D sprites in full 3D environments to the atrocious primitive shapes of FF7 models. Ugh. I can imagine people coming to play FF7 after beautiful Chrono Trigger (the prettiest SNES game, imho) only to be "impressed" with pre-rendered CGI masturbation and mishandled 3D artificially buffed up by enormous budget.
So, to recap. Xenogears is the best, FF7 is the shit. I so love pointless exaggerations. ))
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/18/2009 3:56 AM · Permalink · Report
And, it's... easy. Perhaps, too easy.
Wait till you meet the final boss. That's the only hard battle in the game, but it's challenging alright.
FF7 is the shit.
I think you meant to say "FF7 is shit". If you say "THE shit", it means it's good :)
chirinea (47495) on 9/18/2009 5:29 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]I think you meant to say "FF7 is shit". If you say "THE shit", it means it's good :) [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Or maybe he meant to say that it is THE shit among the shit. Which could also be the worst. =)
J. P. Gray (115) on 9/17/2009 8:29 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Playing mostly Bay 12 Games outings, with a little Nethack thrown in.
Liberal Crime Squad: Goes a similar complex simulation route to Dwarf Fortress, only this time in a more traditional RPG fashion inspired by Oubliette. Essentially it's a violent, sexually-charged and over-the-top satire that caricatures both sides of the American political debate (though you play as a liberal). You lead your founder to recruit/seduce followers, orchestrate prison breaks, kidnap and brainwash prominent conservatives, plant sleepers in the conservative machine, shoot up intelligence headquarters, shut down the nuclear power plant, and publish weird photos of CEOs in your Liberal Guardian newspaper. :-) Be careful that your safe-houses don't attract too much heat, or you'll be besieged by the cops, the military, CIA agents, corporate mercs, or a truck full of hicks. Great fun and slightly disturbing satire all around, even if the wiki is essential for getting started. The goal is to turn the country and gov't elite liberal. The modeling of elections and official gov't acts is pretty neat.
WWI Medic: Brilliant arcade-style game where you play as a medic during the hells of trench warfare, bandaging allies and dodging biplanes, mustard gas, machine guns and artillery shells. This is actually the first game I've added to the database, so maybe that will compel you to play it. It's a fantastic coffee break game that exemplifies the futility of heroism--you won't make it long if you wade out into No Man's Land to save everyone, and after "winning" a battle, you move on to the German trench and it starts all over again.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/18/2009 3:58 AM · Permalink · Report
I went completely insane. Have a Japanese RPG fever again. And am madly in love with the first wave of Japanese RPGs on CD ROM.
Turbo CD. Best console ever!!..
Also, playing Galleon, and it rocks my socks. Good thing I own an Xbox!
Still way too many unfinished games... and I'm busy contributing. I'm planning to submit all PC-FX games in existence!
Mobygamesisreanimated (11069) on 9/19/2009 12:51 PM · Permalink · Report
Currently Playing The Second Reality Project Reloaded, a Super Mario World hack with really good level design. It's pretty hard at times, but not as absurdly difficult as Kaizo Mario or similar hacks. If you have any love for SMW at all you should check it out.
Mobygamesisreanimated (11069) on 9/19/2009 1:57 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I'm also playing Outcast again and I just finished all the side-quest and the Mon-quest in Shamazaar. The first Mon is hidden inside a flame that you must extinguish and I saved my game right at that spot. Now when I load that game, the flame is burning again and I die before I can do anything, hooray!
edit: Outcast.ini is easy to edit, fortunately.
MZ per X (3017) on 9/25/2009 8:45 PM · Permalink · Report
After a series of more or less difficult boss battles, the plot of Overlord came to an end. Being a fun game with high production values and memorable moments, it's still lacking somehow.
Your minions need too much micro management, and the game's strange concept of good and evil is like a splinter in your brain. Doing many good things to finally become the evil ruler of the world? The plot isn't really fleshed out either so you'll never really know why you're killing all your opposition right now, or how they relate to you, to each other, or the game world. You don't know until the end, but that's too late.
Now I can focus on free MMO games, or will I play Aeon Genesis' Mystic Ark translation before?
Parf (7873) on 9/26/2009 8:15 AM · Permalink · Report
I just finished up Shenmue II for the Xbox. Part of me wishes that I had bothered to find the PAL Dreamcast version instead, since the US voice acting was far from satisfying. Aside from that, this is a fantastic game (some minor repetetive gameplay aspects aside), and you can tell that lots of "modern" games tend to borrow things that originated here.
Up next is... I don't know actually. Maybe I'll get back to Odin Sphere again. I gave it a rest while playing through Shenmue II. The art direction in OS is just out of this world beautiful. That alone almost makes it worth owning. It being a pretty nice 2D-sidescroller-RPG-hack'n'slash is just a bonus. ;)
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/26/2009 4:14 PM · Permalink · Report
I just finished up Shenmue II for the Xbox. Part of me wishes that I had bothered to find the PAL Dreamcast version instead, since the US voice acting was far from satisfying
Believe it or not, I actually bought a Japanese version of the first Shenmue, even though I already had the PAL version, because I couldn't bear the voice acting.
I also got a Japanese version of the first Yakuza - same reason.
Games that are set in modern Japan should have Japanese voice acting, no question about that.
—- (1623) on 9/26/2009 5:09 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]I just finished up Shenmue II for the Xbox. Part of me wishes that I had bothered to find the PAL Dreamcast version instead, since the US voice acting was far from satisfying. [/Q --end Parf wrote--] On the other hand, it feels extremely strange in the Dreamcast versions to see every Hong Kong person being able to speak perfect Japanese! =D
All in all, the non-dubbed versions are preferable, though.
Parf (7873) on 9/26/2009 9:22 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Ash Ligast II wrote--] On the other hand, it feels extremely strange in the Dreamcast versions to see every Hong Kong person being able to speak perfect Japanese! =D [/Q --end Ash Ligast II wrote--]
No, no... It's not strange at all, you see in asia, they all speak Asian. (vague Cable Guy reference, I know)
I've never liked dubbing, since it's usually inferior to the original in 99% of the cases. If we're talking movies, then I'd rather not watch it at all than watch it dubbed.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/27/2009 7:48 AM · Permalink · Report
If we're talking movies, then I'd rather not watch it at all than watch it dubbed.
After having watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie dubbed in German, I'm considering to suggest dubbing as the eighth deadly sin.
Mobygamesisreanimated (11069) on 9/27/2009 9:59 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]If we're talking movies, then I'd rather not watch it at all than watch it dubbed.
After having watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie dubbed in German, I'm considering to suggest dubbing as the eighth deadly sin. [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]
While I agree that it's best to watch movies in their original language, this is probably the worst possible example you can come up with. Are you sure you're not thinking about Schwarzenegger's own voice here? Because he can neither speak English nor German properly.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/27/2009 10:04 AM · Permalink · Report
Are you sure you're not thinking about Schwarzenegger's own voice here?
Yup. I mean the German guy who dubbed his voice.
Mobygamesisreanimated (11069) on 9/27/2009 10:11 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Yup. I mean the German guy who dubbed his voice. [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]
And what's wrong with him? He's a very well-known voice actor, his voice fits Schwarzenegger and unlike Arnold he can actually (voice-) act.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/27/2009 11:15 AM · Permalink · Report
Yes, but the whole point of watching Schwarzenegger movies is to listen to his funny German accent when he speaks English! It's terrible to hear someone speaking German instead!
And yes, German voice actors are generally good (for games, too, by the way), but I can't stand dubbing in general. It's just a terrible invention. And it's a great hindrance to an easy and pleasant way to improve one's foreign language skills.
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 9/27/2009 4:07 PM · Permalink · Report
The only reason I sometimes watch a dubbed movie is for the hilarity factor. 8D But getting back on subject, I've become unusually infatuated with Blades of Steel. Why is that unusual ? I've never really cared much for sports in general, (Or sports games.), but hockey seems to be growing on me.
Foxhack (32100) on 9/27/2009 6:03 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]If we're talking movies, then I'd rather not watch it at all than watch it dubbed.
After having watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie dubbed in German, I'm considering to suggest dubbing as the eighth deadly sin. [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Hey I grew up watching subbed and dubbed films. I like both. :P
chirinea (47495) on 9/27/2009 8:08 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Kitsune Sniper wrote--] [Q2 --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]If we're talking movies, then I'd rather not watch it at all than watch it dubbed.
After having watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie dubbed in German, I'm considering to suggest dubbing as the eighth deadly sin. [/Q2 --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Hey I grew up watching subbed and dubbed films. I like both. :P [/Q --end Kitsune Sniper wrote--] Me too! =)
St. Martyne (3648) on 9/30/2009 3:57 AM · Permalink · Report
Finished Xenogears. Wow.
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/1/2009 3:54 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Ash Ligast II wrote--] Enjoyed the story? [/Q --end Ash Ligast II wrote--]
Oh, yeah. Definitely. The whole second disc made my brain imploding on itself and then furiously expanding into infinity. Very impressive story.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 9/30/2009 9:09 AM · Permalink · Report
Congrats. Great game, eh? Awaiting your review :)
Slug Camargo (583) on 10/1/2009 12:04 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--]Finished Xenogears. Wow. [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--] Is there a point in beating the last boss (the insane fight with the God thing and all those minions around him, it, whatever)? I mean, I gave up mainly because I found it unbelievably hard (even with all the advices Oleg game me at the time), but also because I thought the story was pretty much wrapped up by then --this is, the good part of the story, the whole crazy pseudo-biblical arc and whatnot; and I imagined the only thing that could be left would be some kind of closure for the stories of the characters themselves, but since I couldn't give any less about any of them, there was no point.
So, I guess my question is: Did I miss something good? =P
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/1/2009 1:54 AM · Permalink · Report
So, I guess my question is: Did I miss something good? =P
The only cut scene with voice acting in the entire game, that's what you missed!
Besides, aren't you curious about what happened to Krellian in the end?
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/1/2009 3:58 PM · Permalink · Report
Strange. I found the last boss to be laughingly easy. Fei's Xenogears and Citan's omnigear pumped up into infinity mode didn't leave a trace of Deus. It ended rather quickly.
I didn't even bother with two orbs. Just killed the healing one and the fuel draining one.
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/1/2009 9:52 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm on a roll, friends. Finished Suikoden just now. A very kind and cozy game. Perhaps the least obnoxious and genuinely funny jRPG I've ever played.
Unfortunately, I couldn't get all 108 recruits. I did managed about 102 or 104. I went to read a FAQ about the missing ones, and it appears that even if I did get all 108, it wouldn't count, because, one of them, Pahn, died in what I asssumed to be an unwinnable battle. Crap.
So, how different was my ending to the true ending, apart from the obvious, like the contents of "what happened to her/him later" message boxes?
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/2/2009 5:34 AM · Permalink · Report
I'm on a roll, friends. Finished Suikoden just now.
Glad you liked it :) Hope you don't stop and play the second and the third too, they are even cooler. Especially the second - it's just incredible.
Four and five are great too (don't listen to those who say four isn't great), but might not be everyone's cup of tea.
I totally agree with your definition: kind, cozy, not obnoxious. That's Suikoden.
If you like this style more than "let's protect the big-breasted girl with mysterious powers and collect 33 magical crystals of ancient nation and defeat the mua-ha-ha villain and save the world", you gotta try a Xuanyuan Jian game. Cang zhi Tao, specifically. Best. Story. Ever. Get someone Chinese to play with you. A girl, preferably :)
So, how different was my ending to the true ending, apart from the obvious, like the contents of "what happened to her/him later" message boxes?
Well, Gremio would be alive, for once. Might be some other story-related differences, too..
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/2/2009 3:12 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] If you like this style more than "let's protect the big-breasted girl with mysterious powers and collect 33 magical crystals of ancient nation and defeat the mua-ha-ha villain and save the world", you gotta try a Xuanyuan Jian game. Cang zhi Tao, specifically. Best. Story. Ever. Get someone Chinese to play with you. A girl, preferably :) [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]
Yeah, you should really do the job of translating it. It's a Windows game, all the assets must be practically there in the open.
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/2/2009 3:34 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Glad you liked it :) Hope you don't stop and play the second and the third too, [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]
Already playing the sequel. Meeting Victor and Flik in the beginning was pretty sweet and made me immediately think of Ultima and how you meet Iolo, Shamino and Dupre every time you play a new game in the series. Come to think of it, Suikoden is a bit more similar to Ultima, rather than you average jRPG, isn't it? Will the continuity be preserved in the subsequent games as well?
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/2/2009 3:44 PM · Permalink · Report
Will the continuity be preserved in the subsequent games as well?
Not as much as between Suikoden 1 and 2. But sure, there will be plenty of recurrent characters. For example:
The main villain of Suikoden 3 is one of the "good" characters of the first one.
Ted's past will be uncovered in a large side-quest in Suikoden 4.
One of the imperial generals of the first Suikoden will be (actually, was) a major "good" character in Suikoden 5.
Not to mention continuously recurring minor characters, who appear in every single game, like the teleporting girl Viki.
Or families, like Silverburg. I think 5 is the only one that doesn't have them.
Just bear in mind that while Suikoden 3 happens after the first two, 4 and 5 happen before, so they are prequels.
Yes, yes, I'm a fanboy, I know :)
—- (1623) on 10/2/2009 4:05 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Will the continuity be preserved in the subsequent games as well?
Not as much as between Suikoden 1 and 2. But sure, there will be plenty of recurrent characters. For example:
The main villain of Suikoden 3 is one of the "good" characters of the first one.
Ted's past will be uncovered in a large side-quest in Suikoden 4.
One of the imperial generals of the first Suikoden will be (actually, was) a major "good" character in Suikoden 5.
Not to mention continuously recurring minor characters, who appear in every single game, like the teleporting girl Viki.
Or families, like Silverburg. I think 5 is the only one that doesn't have them.
Just bear in mind that while Suikoden 3 happens after the first two, 4 and 5 happen before, so they are prequels.
Yes, yes, I'm a fanboy, I know :) [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Um, you know, if I hadn't played those games already, I might be quite angry with you for spoiling them for me. o_O
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/2/2009 4:15 PM · Permalink · Report
Well, I've made my own mistake asking about it. ;-)
But, yeah.
"the main villain of Suikoden 3 is one of the "good" characters of the first one"
This really made me feel spoiled.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/2/2009 5:34 PM · Permalink · Report
"the main villain of Suikoden 3 is one of the "good" characters of the first one"
This really made me feel spoiled.
Why? There are at least 108 good characters in the first one :) Not much of a spoiler, really :)
—- (1623) on 10/2/2009 5:40 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Why? There are at least 108 good characters in the first one :) Not much of a spoiler, really :) [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Well, one can pretty effictively reduce the circle of suspects by deducing that it's likely neither the girl who does your laundry, nor one of the blacksmiths.
And even if there were 500 relevant characters, knowing that one of them would turn evil is still a major spoiler =/
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/2/2009 5:43 PM · Permalink · Report
Sorry... :-(
—- (1623) on 10/2/2009 6:08 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]Sorry... :-( [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Maybe you should edit a big, bold "SPOILER WARNING" to that post and I'll put a "SPOILERS OVER" to my last post concerning the topic for future generations =)
We don't want anyone to not play this masterpiece because he'd think the story is spoiled for him, now won't we? =)
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/2/2009 5:47 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Ash Ligast II wrote--] neither the girl who does your laundry, nor one of the blacksmiths. [/Q --end Ash Ligast II wrote--]
Now that would have been a major plot twist! ;-)
EDIT: Now I feel disappointed because it's not them. ;-)
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/2/2009 5:54 PM · Permalink · Report
neither the girl who does your laundry, nor one of the blacksmiths.
Now that would have been a major plot twist! ;-)
Suikoden VI: Struggle of the Proletariat. The first of the Suikoden games to be developed in North Korea, "Suikoden VI" tells the story of Linda (whom fans of the series remember as the poor laundry girl from "Suikoden II). Sick and tired of washing clothes for the corrupted bourgeoisie, she decides to put an end to the filth rich people have brought into this world...
—- (1623) on 10/2/2009 5:59 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--] Now that would have been a major plot twist! ;-)
EDIT: Now I feel disappointed because it's not them. ;-) [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--] Haha! =D She has seen one too many dirty speedo and now plans her terrible revenge! =O
—- (1623) on 10/2/2009 3:46 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--] Will the continuity be preserved in the subsequent games as well? [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--] The strongest continuity is mostly present between Suikoden 1, 2 and 3. Parts 4 and 5 still have recurring characters, and obviously play in the same universe, but overall they tried to reduce the references to earlier installments, in order to not scare away people unfamiliar with the lore.
And don't listen to Oleg. Suikoden IV is pretty lame. ;D
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/2/2009 3:51 PM · Permalink · Report
And don't listen to Oleg. Suikoden IV is pretty lame
Let me guess: another guy who couldn't figure our that holding R1 makes your ship go faster? :)
Seriously though, why are people saying it's lame? It has a beautiful, sad story, killer graphics engine, and awesome sea atmosphere. Sure, it has shortcomings (4 people instead of 6 in the party? Meh!), but it's still a great game.
Beats Suikoden 5 anyway. Talk about overrated. I still love it, but it's overrated. I rank 4 higher than this one.
—- (1623) on 10/2/2009 4:29 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Nah, none of these things. =)
The story itself just didn't have enough scope. Most importantly, the characters are completely bland here. Honestly, I cannot remember one single likable original character (both main characters excluded). The game starts off relatively strong, but, as soon as I reached Obel, it came to a grinding halt, and I was forced to run errands for people I didn't care about.
The ship premise is indeed the games strongest asset, but, that's ultimately completely wasted by the fact that there is next to nothing to explore. You have... like three or so optional islands with no interesting side quests at all, and the rest is just empty sea.
The biggest complaint is, however, that S4's narrative is all over the place. A far cry from the monolithic stories of the prequels. There is one too many instance in which the game just jumps from pointless side story to pointless side story, without advancing the the actual story arc meaningfully.
Now, by no means is Suikoden IV is bad game. In fact, I did enjoy quite a lot of it - it has definitely the coolest headquarters with the coolest mini-games (did you recruit the guy who runs the confessional, Oleg?) But, ultimately, if your name is "Suikoden", you have to meet some much higher standards. No magic in this one... =/ And S5 isn't much better, albeit for entirely different reasons.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/2/2009 5:38 AM · Permalink · Report
I'm going insane here. I'm discovering so many great Japanese RPGs of the past.... especially for Turbo CD. They aren't even in MG database yet! So can't link to them yet. Most of them are pending approval already...
Has anyone even heard of "Seiya Monogatari'? Incredible. Japanese RPG with four different stories, depending on character class... and without regular battles... and still with all that stuff that makes JRPGs charming... Hell, I just paid 240 yuan just to have it original!
Parf (7873) on 10/2/2009 7:48 AM · Permalink · Report
I've found myself playing two games at the moment, both on the 360.
I decided to play through Lost Planet finally. It was among the first games I got for the console, but for some reason I moved on when Bioshock was released... It's a pretty standard, but pretty and relatively enjoyable game. Lots of action and insane end-stage bosses. And the cut scenes show that there was some great ambitions to make this a movie-like experience, which I actually like. Kind of on the Japanese over the top side of things, but good enough to keep me interested.
And also... I've become semi-casual! I'm playing Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, which I suppose isn't really more than a glorified version of Bejeweled, but all those shiny RPG elements got me hooked one it. Add some leveling up, special attacks, mounts, magical artifacts and a world map and I'll play it. ;)
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/4/2009 1:23 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
After a fun diversion with the excellent Blades of Steel, I'm going head first into MDK 2. I already beat the first boss yesterday, and now I'm playing as Max. I have to say, when I first heard that you play different characters in the games, I was turned off. But it's a lot more fun than I thought.
Edit- I'll have a review of Blades of Steel soon.
vedder (70793) on 10/21/2009 4:27 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]And also... I've become semi-casual! I'm playing Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords, which I suppose isn't really more than a glorified version of Bejeweled, but all those shiny RPG elements got me hooked one it. Add some leveling up, special attacks, mounts, magical artifacts and a world map and I'll play it. ;) [/Q --end Parf wrote--]
I'm on a road trip in the US. So at the moment I don't play much games at all. But I do have my DS with me and every now and then I turn it on after the sun's gone down. I've been playing Metroid Prime Hunters. Which I didn't like at first, but I'm starting to. But the controls are a bit annoying. After about 20 minutes I get cramps in my left hand. That can't be good :(
Other than that I'm also hooked on Puzzle Quest :( It's not such a great game, but it is really addictive... Actually, if it had like 4 different kind of (equally well-thought out) minigames, instead of just bejeweled, it would be an awesome game. Now it's just shamefully addicting.
chirinea (47495) on 10/15/2009 12:10 AM · Permalink · Report
I started playing Castlevania: Symphony of the Night three days ago and just finished it. It's weird, it feels like I had so much more to see, and yet, it's over already. I know I didn't explore the whole castle (couldn't figure how to get to some places). I also know the game has different endings, I just avoided reading spoilers. I was even thinking on writing a review for it, but I don't know...
chirinea (47495) on 10/15/2009 2:11 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
Not even 100%, I think I got about 70%. I know there's another castle and stuff (BTW, some admin should remove those trivia pieces from there, those are easter eggs and HUGE spoilers in my opinion). I went back to the game and tried some other things, turns out I didn't even beat 2 bosses (there's more, maybe) and there's a lot left to see. This is one of those games which you can beat easily, but to get everything you have to lose a lot more time on it.
Foxhack (32100) on 10/15/2009 4:06 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
In other related news, man, old PC emulation is annoyingly hard.
I tried to play some legit Amiga games I got on a retro compilation PC, and I couldn't even get the damn thing to run the games.
And amusingly enough? The one game I got to run was cracked... it even had the distro team's physical mail and phone (BBS?) number before the game booted.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/15/2009 5:27 AM · Permalink · Report
I'm not playing much now, because there are so many hentai RPGs I haven't added yet.
Hentai RPGs rule!
Parf (7873) on 10/15/2009 1:43 PM · Permalink · Report
I'm playing through Condemned: Criminal Origins for the 360 a second time, simply to achievement-whore a little. And also because it's a really good game, although with somewhat aged graphics compared to the sequel.
I picked up my pre-ordered copy of Brütal Legend today (which strangely isn't even pending yet... it came out 2 days ago in the US!), so I might be giving that one a whirl soon.
And I'm also trying to finish up Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords for the 360. That last boss is cheating!
Oh, and I'm playing Dead Space with my wife. She's a sucker for horror games, so that's a good way to spend quality time with the little lady and still get some gaming in. ;)
So, to summarize... much love is given to my 360 at the current moment. I suppose I'll focus on another console when I'm done with a couple of games for it. Still have tons for Ps1, Ps2 and Dreamcast that I need to play (and submit to Moby in some cases).
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/15/2009 9:47 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I tecnically just finished Rez. What I mean by that is I'm still going for 100% shotdown to get the real ending. But, WOW ! I thought this game might be overrated when I started playing it, but level five really sucked me into it ! All the elements that were used in the previous levels really came together, and transported me away into synaesthesia... Now I'm going to give it a very thorough playthrough again, including the "Beyond" mode. Still playing MDK 2, but playing with the Professor is proving more difficult than I thought.
Edit-That Blades of Steel review might be a little late. ;)
beetle120 (2415) on 10/15/2009 10:21 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I agree Rez is a great game if you are into techno. I found this game at 'game on expo' in the music based games and just fell in love with it and had to get it. To my delight I found it on Xbox Live Arcade and downloaded it and played it really loud (only way to truly enjoy this game). btw try hard for that last level as I think it is the best by far, well worth the effort.
MZ per X (3017) on 10/16/2009 12:34 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]Oh, and I'm playing Dead Space with my wife. She's a sucker for horror games, so that's a good way to spend quality time with the little lady and still get some gaming in. ;)[/Q --end Parf wrote--]OMG what a lucky man. My wife is starting tennis lately, so we can hit some serious balls in, maybe, 5 years or so. :o)
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/15/2009 10:17 PM · Permalink · Report
Completed Risen, feeling a bit disappointed.
Not playing anything at the moment.
Suikoden 2 is on hold too.
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/16/2009 2:31 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--] May I ask why? [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--]
Well, the closing two chapters were a definite let down. Too much pointless dungeon crawling with character already leveled up to the limits killed much of the fun.
And, of course, there is this general feeling of a game trying to capture the fleeting magic of the original Gothic and Gothic 2, ending up being a somewhat enjoyable imitation.
Piranha could do better than that, surely.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 10/16/2009 3:23 PM · Permalink · Report
I'd advise skipping Gothic 3. You remember Outcast, right? Well, Gothic 3 is something like this.The story is completely dissolved in pointless quests.
And at least Outcast had good combat. The combat in Gothic 3 is atrocious.
It has wonderful graphics and music, though. Really wonderful. But then again, so did Outcast.
I would strongly suggest playing the first two Gothics, though. Marvelous games.
St. Martyne (3648) on 10/16/2009 3:54 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--]Thanks. Still worth playing, though?
Also, would this be a sensible course of action: Play Gothic, then Gothic 2, then Risen (entirely skipping Gothic 3)? [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--]
Definitely worth it.
As for course of action - the first two Gothics are must. And don't bother yourself with the original Gothic 2, go straight for the Night of the Raven, it includes all the content of Gothic 2 as well.
Depending on your impressions, play Risen if you want more of the same or Gothic 3, if you're curious how the ideas in the early games can be developed further, if not entirely in a successful way.
xroox (3895) on 10/16/2009 4:20 PM · Permalink · Report
I recently completed this gem - Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ (DS). It's a gem, I tell you! It took me completely by surprise. I really wasn't expecting it to be good, but it turned out to be a very well designed, fun vertically-scrolling shooter with immensely creative and enjoyable boss fights (Bear in mind: I usually hate boss battles). Lovely art direction and a generally endearing sense of humor as you take on twisted, zombified (and usually massive) versions of Pinocchio, Santa Claus, Godzilla and (as they say) many more.
One of the best DS games I've played, so if you like guns and action and fairy tales... Don't miss it!
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 10/24/2009 10:05 PM · Permalink · Report
Progress is coming pretty slow on Rez, so I'm going to give it a break before I get burned out on it. On another note, I finished my review for Blades of Steel in less than three hours today.
Parf (7873) on 10/26/2009 8:08 AM · Permalink · Report
I decided to finally play through Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for the Xbox. I don't know why it's taken me this long to get started on it... I'm ashamed of myself. :(
Foxhack (32100) on 10/27/2009 9:33 PM · Permalink · Report
Got Samurai Shodown Anthology for the PS2 yesterday. It's been out of stock for over a year everywhere and the game costs a pretty penny on eBay, but some stores got new stock in so I bought it immediately. It's neat and I plan to add it to the site soon, but unfortunately, Walmart sent me a Canadian version. So now I'm stuck with a bilingual cover and two manuals. Aaaaaaaaaablgargh.
Pseudo_Intellectual (66360) on 10/28/2009 9:12 PM · Permalink · Report
What's the problem with the Canadian version?
Parf (7873) on 10/29/2009 7:54 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Kitsune Sniper wrote--]I really don't like having two languages in anything, it just makes everything look cluttered.[/Q --end Kitsune Sniper wrote--]
You'd hate living in Europe then. Some games here have like 6 languages on them because a couple of countries here are hellbent on never learning english. ;)
Mobygamesisreanimated (11069) on 10/30/2009 11:47 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--] [Q2 --start Sciere wrote--]The notable offenders being France, Germany, Italy and Spain. [/Q2 --end Sciere wrote--]
Exactly what I wanted to say, but I didn't want to step on peoples' toes. ;) [/Q --end Parf wrote--]
It's good to see that at least people in the smaller European countries don't refuse to learn English... hey, wait a minute...
Parf (7873) on 10/31/2009 10:52 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Supernintendo Chalmers wrote--]It's good to see that at least people in the smaller European countries don't refuse to learn English... hey, wait a minute...[/Q --end Supernintendo Chalmers wrote--]
If it was aimed at Sciere... way to go! If it was aimed at me... Boo, hiss!
;)
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (95165) on 10/29/2009 9:42 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--]I recently completed this gem - Little Red Riding Hood's Zombie BBQ (DS). It's a gem, I tell you![/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--] I've had this sitting on my shelf for nearly a year now and have yet to pop it into my DS. I picked it up at the same time as Legend of Kage 2 and promptly played the crap out of that instead. I'll have to grab it next time I'm at home and give it its due.
I've been playing some of the weird little Japanese games popping up on the Xbox Indie Games service recently. HuntersLunch and SummerVacation are a couple spiffy little Adventures of Lolo/Sokoban-style puzzle games, and there are free Windows versions out there if you're too cheap to pay the dollar for each. :)
Also, JUMP! is pretty great, an oldschool single-screen platformer type affair. SWAP! isn't as nice, though...polished and cute, but the controls are a bit too slippery for me. Coulda been a contenda to the Tetris Attack throne, maybe...
xroox (3895) on 10/30/2009 5:01 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q] I've had this sitting on my shelf for nearly a year now and have yet to pop it into my DS. I picked it up at the same time as Legend of Kage 2 and promptly played the crap out of that instead. I'll have to grab it next time I'm at home and give it its due.[/Q] Ah! Djsquarewave - I heart you!
Also, as an Adventures Of Lolo fan, I thank you for the game recommendations. Will check those out.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 11/2/2009 4:41 PM · Permalink · Report
it has great chances to become Tim Schäfer's second-best game.
But... can it truly be?! You do know Tim Schafer made Day of the Tentacle, Grim Fandango, and Psychonauts?..
—- (1623) on 11/2/2009 4:50 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Sure.
I suppose one has to have a certain amount of appreciation for the whole heavy metal music genre/culture, or at least some knowledge thereof, to enjoy the game to its fullest, though.
Gameplay-wise, it's definitely Schäfer's most ambitious game.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 11/2/2009 5:09 PM · Permalink · Report
I suppose one has to have a certain amount of appreciation for the whole heavy metal music genre/culture, or at least some knowledge thereof
...both of which I don't have... :/
—- (1623) on 11/2/2009 5:51 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] ...both of which I don't have... :/ [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--] Oh, I'm sure you'll still enjoy it. It's just that some of the in-jokes would be lost to you.
And I didn't necessarily mean that one has to be an über-metalhead to enjoy the game. Being familiar with the most common metal cliches should suffice. If you don't know who Lemmy is, you might have a problem, though =D
Slug Camargo (583) on 11/2/2009 5:20 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Ash Ligast II wrote--]Currently playing Brütal Legend. About halfway through. If nothing goes entirely wrong in the game's second half, it has great chances to become Tim Schäfer's second-best game.
PC gäming is for pösers! [/Q --end Ash Ligast II wrote--] Bleh, I was heartbroken about this being a console exclusive, but Yahtzee kind of dismissed it it as a Jack Black vehicle with a bunch of gameplay styles badly mashed up, so I'm not interested on it anymore. Motherfuck Schafer, I say =(
Also, I rarely play anything that's not Fallout 3 anymore =P
—- (1623) on 11/2/2009 5:39 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--] Bleh, I was heartbroken about this being a console exclusive, but Yahtzee kind of dismissed it it as a Jack Black vehicle with a bunch of gameplay styles badly mashed up, so I'm not interested on it anymore. [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--] Say, do you worship that guy or something? If you disregard every game that this bloke trashes, you already missed lots of great games.
Then again, if you only consider playing games that Mr. Croshaw approves of, you won't be playing more than two per year anyway =D
Parf (7873) on 11/2/2009 11:29 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
I bought Brütal Legend on the launch day, but I have yet to get to it as I have to finish up what I'm currently playing first... which would be KotOR and Puzzle Quest at the moment. With hints of Dead Space when I'm playing with my wife.
I wonder how his own games would fare if he were to actually "analyze" them (Yahtzee I mean)? I haven't played any of them myself, but it seems he's made a few point-n-click games and some platformer? Ben Croshaw
Zeppin (8408) on 11/3/2009 12:55 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Parf wrote--]I wonder how his own games would fare if he were to actually "analyze" them (Yahtzee I mean)? I haven't played any of them myself, but it seems he's made a few point-n-click games and some platformer? Ben Croshaw [/Q --end Parf wrote--] I often wonder about that when watching his reviews. I've only played a few of his adventure games but those I have played, such as 5 Days a Stranger, have been quite good.
Slug Camargo (583) on 11/3/2009 11:01 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Ash Ligast II wrote--] Then again, if you only consider playing games that Mr. Croshaw approves of, you won't be playing more than two per year anyway =D [/Q --end Ash Ligast II wrote--] That is pretty much what I end up playing, actually =P
Nah, seriously, I do disagree with him now and again (I would lenghtily argue with him about his view on Fallout 3, for one, and I thought he wasn't nearly as hard on Velvet Assassin as he should have), but I noticed that buried within all the cursing and the penis jokes the man does make a valid point or two, and turns out they're usually points in which I tend to agree to scary levels (his review of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill Homecoming, for instance). He was the one person in the whole world (beside me) that I ever heard calling Dead Space in all its apnea-inducing boringness, for example.
In fact, crazy as it might sound, he might just be the closest to a reviewer I actually pay some attention in the entire bleeding gaming world. With the guys at Rock, Paper, Shotgun coming a distant second, maybe.
St. Martyne (3648) on 11/7/2009 12:04 PM · Permalink · Report
Playing some obsucre, "under the rader" game about dragons and some sort of ages. Pretty cool, so far.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 11/7/2009 12:07 PM · Permalink · Report
What?! It's released?! Ayayayayay!
St. Martyne (3648) on 11/9/2009 2:27 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]What?! It's released?! Ayayayayay! [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]
And it's really good. Based on about 10 hours, it's probably the best RPG, well, since Shadows of Amn and Dues Ex, as it happens.
The Witcher, NWN2 + expansions, Kotor, Kotor2, Gothic series, Oblivion, Mass Effect, Morrowind and everything else in between included.
It's really good. Really, really good.
The reviews are labeling it the RPG of the decade, that may very well be true.
Unicorn Lynx (181775) on 11/9/2009 6:41 AM · Permalink · Report
It's really good. Really, really good.
Oyoyoyoy... I'm ashamed that I, a huge Bioware fanboy, still haven't played this game... but I will! Soon!
The Fabulous King (1332) on 11/10/2009 5:50 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]It's really good. Really, really good.
Oyoyoyoy... I'm ashamed that I, a huge Bioware fanboy, still haven't played this game... but I will! Soon! [/Q --end Unicorn B. Lynx wrote--]
You seem to be a person who aquired this information from my thread alone - which was cancelled due to low ratings. Anyway, since I can't do it anymore, I will tell you that there's only like 3 months between Dragon Age and Mass Effect 2. You see Mass Effect 2 comes out in January 26, 2010, which is kinda like 3 months from Nov 2, 2009. So I guess it's a really good winter to be a Bioware fan. Don't have to wait two years between Bioware games.
I disagree with Martyne about it being the best rpg of the decade though. I'd say it's okay. I'm playing a female mage character myself.
St. Martyne (3648) on 11/11/2009 3:47 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Rabbi Guru wrote--] I disagree with Martyne about it being the best rpg of the decade though. [/Q --end Rabbi Guru wrote--]
Well, on second thought, I am not that fond of that silly claim either. Let's say it's "one of". But, for the sake of argument let us take a look at how it stands up to competition.
If we disregard the story and characters for a moment (I suspect nothing will beat KOTOR2 in your mind, then) and take a look at it in pure gaming terms, Dragon Age does stand up rather well. It's infinitely more polished than anything Obsidian done to date, without sacrificing the depth of its roleplaying system, which is second only to AD&D and sometimes even better, for it was specifically tailored for a video game.
It's more realized and consisted than Troika's output. It effectively marries impressive cinematography with the drawn-out dialog trees we came to love, carefully balancing one with the other. It's scope and effort put into it far eclipses previous Bioware outings, like Jade Empire, Mass Effect and to a lesser extent KOTOR.
The amount of lore and the back story created for the game easily rivals those found in Elder Scrolls, lots of stuff to read and find.
The Witcher - the only game that comes really close, and it actually might be a better game. But Dragon Age is the game with much more pure unadulterated RPG goodness (party, loot, dungeon puzzles, freedom, customization options) piled on top of the branching storyline and choices we all love in The Witcher.
The Fabulous King (1332) on 11/11/2009 6:37 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--] If we disregard the story and characters for a moment (I suspect nothing will beat KOTOR2 in your mind, then)[/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--]
I'm actually going to test that theory in the near future. I've changed a lot over the past year. So who knows if that game still speaks at all to me anymore. Right now rationalizing it I'd say it was the character moments of that game that I loved. The story ,as I remember right now, seems to have been very sparse - just some war veteran revisiting old battlefields. Right now I think I like Mask of the Betrayer the most. I mean it was kinda like home, wasn't it? Very close to "eastern europeia the tribal years" in a genre that is usually anglo romanticism. I'm going to give musical examples of what to me MotB was like.
Arkona Värttinä Obviously this And this guy And this'll be the last
That + the postmodernist planescapian elements about religion and identity = killer combo.
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--]It's infinitely more polished than anything Obsidian done to date, without sacrificing the depth of its roleplaying system, which is second only to AD&D and sometimes even better, for it was specifically tailored for a video game. [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--]
True. But right now my impression of it seems to be as very polished NWN 2. Very polished. But the creative quality is about the same as NWN 2. Just more advanced and... looking for words here... blown out?
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--]It's more realized and consisted than Troika's output. It effectively marries impressive cinematography with the drawn-out dialog trees we came to love, carefully balancing one with the other. It's scope and effort put into it far eclipses previous Bioware outings, like Jade Empire, Mass Effect and to a lesser extent KOTOR.[/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--]
From a techincal point of view - definitely more realized than... well yeah. From a creative point of view - it does seem to be more complete than any previous Bioware rpg. But it's kinda too...safe? It's like same, but just perfected? I'm not very certain about my impressions yet. I'm thinking about doing it twice before I dare to claim my opinions as facts.
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--]The amount of lore and the back story created for the game easily rivals those found in Elder Scrolls, lots of stuff to read and find. [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--]
I'm not so sure about that. So far the lore doesn't seem to be as inspired as Morrowind's lore.
Slug Camargo (583) on 11/9/2009 10:57 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--] The Witcher, NWN2 + expansions, Kotor, Kotor2, Gothic series, Oblivion, Mass Effect, Morrowind and everything else in between included. It's really good. Really, really good. The reviews are labeling it the RPG of the decade, that may very well be true. [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--] Now if only they could do something about all those f'ing dragons and all that Middle Earth crap, we'd be golden! =D
Seriously, though, don't RPG'ers ever get bored with playing the same bleeding story over and over again?
On a somewhat related note, I had high hopes for Borderlands, but I found it surprisingly shallow. Either people are calling anything a RPG these days and even I can tell (which is terrible), or Fallout 3 sort of spoiled me and sent me to some sort of gaming limbo where I won't ever enjoy any other game ever again.
Until New Vegas comes out, that is =P
And maybe Alpha Protocol...
St. Martyne (3648) on 11/10/2009 1:19 AM · edited · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--] Seriously, though, don't RPG'ers ever get bored with playing the same bleeding story over and over again? [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--]
Aren't you bored with extrapolating the game's story, setting and characters by looking at a bunch of screenshots? ;-)
The Dragon Age world, look and feel, will not wow! anyone immediately, that much is true. But don't assume you've cracked that nut already. If you're ready to give it the benefit of doubt, and look deeper into it, you'll find a very rich, unique and most importantly - believable world, quite dissimilar to anything you've seen in Fantasy so far (especially, if like me, you're not much into written Fanatsy).
Also, there are great, fantastic, fleshed out characters removed from the generic Fanatasy stereotypes as far as they can possibly be. Or you can just wait until "Yahtzee hates it" and move along.
Parf (7873) on 11/7/2009 7:26 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start St_Martyne wrote--]Playing some obsucre, "under the rader" game about dragons and some sort of ages. Pretty cool, so far. [/Q --end St_Martyne wrote--]
Oh... I heard of it. Made by some pretty small unknown studio I think. They made some game about stars, knights and republics before, right?
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (95165) on 11/7/2009 10:42 PM · Permalink · Report
Started playing Dark Sector. My god, what a mess of a game. Never before have I played a game where my character gets knocked over by a door while he's opening it. There are also excellently broken physics where pushing a crate against a wall makes it slowly crawl up the wall and fly over your head.
But I like this sort of trainwreck stuff, so I'm continuing just to see how bad it gets. :)
xroox (3895) on 11/8/2009 12:12 AM · Permalink · Report
Hm. I didn't encounter those kinds of problems with Dark Sector. Played it on the PC, found it really slick, great performance, very nice looking. And fun too! The thing that really let it down in my opinion was its AWFUL story - which is indeed a trainwreck. Apart from that, it's a pretty decent game.
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (95165) on 11/9/2009 2:41 AM · Permalink · Report
It could be because I'm playing the Xbox version, but I would assume it shares the codebase with the PC version. If I didn't specifically like bad games I probably would have already given up on it. Slicing heads off in slo-mo is dandy fun, though, I'll give it that much. :)
Also: Finished up the co-op campaign in N+ with a friend of mine today. Maddeningly hard, but seeing this pop made it all worth it. 200ing that game is one of my prouder achievements I must say. :)
Slug Camargo (583) on 11/9/2009 10:52 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Sam Jeffreys wrote--]Hm. I didn't encounter those kinds of problems with Dark Sector. Played it on the PC, found it really slick, great performance, very nice looking. And fun too! The thing that really let it down in my opinion was its AWFUL story - which is indeed a trainwreck. Apart from that, it's a pretty decent game. [/Q --end Sam Jeffreys wrote--] Same here. And not only I liked it, I enjoyed it much more than, say, Gears of War. I guess it's another case of you and I having this thing for underdog-ish games with cool atmospheres that most people tend to hate =P
j.raido 【雷堂嬢太朗】 (95165) on 11/11/2009 4:33 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--] Same here. And not only I liked it, I enjoyed it much more than, say, Gears of War. I guess it's another case of you and I having this thing for underdog-ish games with cool atmospheres that most people tend to hate =P [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--] To be fair, even though I'm ragging on it, I'm still enjoying the game, and I hated Gears...but I think I've expressed that opinion already. I'm sure Parf knows what I'm talking about. :)
I mostly think I just can't play these close-view third-person shooters...never got into Army of Two or 50 Cent: Blood on the Sand either. I've played through Bionic Commando and tripe like Bullet Witch numerous times, though, which despite being mechanically similar have wider camera angles. Modern game design is failing me. :(
chirinea (47495) on 11/8/2009 5:38 AM · Permalink · Report
Finally fucking finished The Suffering. Gotta hate some of those enemies, I kept dying and dying and dying. I don't even want to see the other endings, can't think of playing it all over again.
Parf (7873) on 11/8/2009 12:40 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
Then please don't play The Suffering: Ties That Bind. It's like the first one, but way more mindless fighting. To quote Mr. Horse from Ren & Stimpy.. "No Sir, I don't like it... don't like it at all!"
As for myself, I'm pressing on in KotOR. I'm on Kashyyyk at the moment, and I'm a very, very VERY nice Jedi. All light points here. :)
And on the side I'm playing Viewtiful Joe 2 for the Ps2 (I'm on the third movie), as well as Dead Space still (chapter 9).
GAMEBOY COLOR! (1990) on 11/8/2009 6:07 PM · Permalink · Report
I've negelected my GBA for quite a long time now, and I thought I would give it some attention with the original Wario Ware Inc.
Slug Camargo (583) on 11/9/2009 10:50 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start chirinea wrote--]Finally fucking finished The Suffering. Gotta hate some of those enemies, I kept dying and dying and dying. I don't even want to see the other endings, can't think of playing it all over again. [/Q --end chirinea wrote--] Jesus, what a baby! =P
Seriously, the game is undeniably tough, but me, I wish more games were this challenging. Also, by not playing the other paths you're missing what I insist might be just about the most interesting storytelling experiment in gaming.
chirinea (47495) on 11/10/2009 12:07 AM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start Schadenfreude wrote--] Jesus, what a baby! =P
Seriously, the game is undeniably tough, but me, I wish more games were this challenging. Also, by not playing the other paths you're missing what I insist might be just about the most interesting storytelling experiment in gaming. [/Q --end Schadenfreude wrote--] I knew you would complaint! =D Well, the problem is that the "toughness" made me lose interest some time ago. I installed it one year ago and I quit playing it just some time after because I'm that kind of person who doesn't like to save a game all the time, I let the quicksaves do the job. So I end up playing some parts a dozen times or more just to pass it without resorting to save in the middle of it. As far as I remember, The Suffering doesn't even allow it.
As for playing the other paths, I must say that I was a bit disappointed by the ending I saw. A quick cutscene, not much explanation... I don't know, it didn't seem that deep, you know? Of course, the whole "insane character dealing with it along the game" is pretty cool, though.
I didn't uninstall it yet, maybe I'll give it another shot, but not now.
DJP Mom (11333) on 11/8/2009 7:26 PM · edited · Permalink · Report
To my shame, I'm playing a Barbie game (for the database, mind you!), have been for a month now, just can't stand to spend more than five minutes at a time...
- the worst part is, I actually bought it just to enter in the db, so I really have to finish it if only to justify the purchase!
Slug Camargo (583) on 11/9/2009 11:01 PM · Permalink · Report
[Q --start DJP Mom wrote--]To my shame, I'm playing a Barbie game (for the database, mind you!), have been for a month now, just can't stand to spend more than five minutes at a time...
- the worst part is, I actually bought it just to enter in the db, so I really have to finish it if only to justify the purchase! [/Q --end DJP Mom wrote--] LOL My daughter loves those, she played like a dozen. Too bad she's too young to get into the whole MG-contributing yet. And I love Moby, but I have limits... =P