What are you playing? [SPOILER TAGS PLEASE]

[Tonalberry]

As long as they have, or plan on adding an auction house, or NPC weapon and armor merchants, I might consider going back to FFXIV.  Cause really, when you don't know anyone, it's F'ing impossible to upgrade your equipment.

[Oniya]

GemCraft Labyrinth.  I've never really seen the point of tower defense games, but this one has the added dynamic of a sort of exploration.  Once you've cleared a grid-space, one or more connected grid-spaces open up to you off of the sides where the monsters enter.  (There's one grid that I haven't defended yet that doesn't have a clear 'entryway', although it might have a 'lair' in it to generate monsters.  I'm not sure if I'll get new grid spaces after clearing that one.)

[Wyrd]

Playing some Tourchlight right now. I'm really loving this simple little dungeon crawler. I'm pumped for the second one

[Wolfy]

As long as they have, or plan on adding an auction house, or NPC weapon and armor merchants, I might consider going back to FFXIV.  Cause really, when you don't know anyone, it's F'ing impossible to upgrade your equipment.

That's why you get a Linkshell, or get to crafting. xD

But I hear they plan to add those..and I think they did add in a Search Function for the Wards at the moment.

Also, Next content patch is supposed to be this month at the earliest, and it will add in Dungeons and more Notorious Monsters.

[Wolfy]

I bought Red Faction: Armageddon and got Guerrilla for free. Win!

Also, I've read some reviews and I've played the demo. I noticed people complaining about the lack of sandbox gameplay. What gives? What is with the gaming world's obsession with sandboxes? I know more games that would've benefitted from being linear, than games that would've benefitted from being sandboxes. Sandbox gameplay is, in too many cases, a crutch. If the gameplay is solid ( as Armageddon was, in my experience ), then why the need for sandbox gameplay? I mean, I understand the desire to run around and blow stuff up, but that's only a good thing if it doesn't make the rest of the game worse. I would gladly have traded the ability to roam Mars in Guerrilla for a better story. The gameplay is fun, blowing stuff up is fun, but that was literally all the game was about, with the exception of one or two missions.

Well no, people want Sandbox gameplay in games like Red Faction so that they can level entire cities, or bring down a large building on top of a mook.

That's what I think, anyway...It's the thrill of tagging a rock with the magnet gun, going about 60-100 yards away, and then tagging an enemy, and watching the rock SAIL through the air, crashing through everything in it's path, before crushing the unsuspecting mook against a wall Wily-E-Coyote style.

[Inkidu]

I bought Red Faction: Armageddon and got Guerrilla for free. Win!

Also, I've read some reviews and I've played the demo. I noticed people complaining about the lack of sandbox gameplay. What gives? What is with the gaming world's obsession with sandboxes? I know more games that would've benefitted from being linear, than games that would've benefitted from being sandboxes. Sandbox gameplay is, in too many cases, a crutch. If the gameplay is solid ( as Armageddon was, in my experience ), then why the need for sandbox gameplay? I mean, I understand the desire to run around and blow stuff up, but that's only a good thing if it doesn't make the rest of the game worse. I would gladly have traded the ability to roam Mars in Guerrilla for a better story. The gameplay is fun, blowing stuff up is fun, but that was literally all the game was about, with the exception of one or two missions.

The sandbox was in fact the worst part for me about Guerrilla. I know you can't have total city destruction without it, but it was crap. Total samey cloned excrement. I couldn't even finish it because they made chaotic mass destruction into a chore... how do you manage that?

[Hemingway]

Been playing RF: Armageddon for a few hours now, and I can't say I miss the open sandbox of Guerrilla. The only thing I'm missing is human enemies, because the aliens are tough and they move like xenomorphs on steroids. It does make combat pretty hectic, though, especially with everything coming apart around you.

The magnet gun is great fun, too. Tearing entire buildings apart and crushing enemies with them is particularly satisfying.

[Wolfy]

Been playing RF: Armageddon for a few hours now, and I can't say I miss the open sandbox of Guerrilla. The only thing I'm missing is human enemies, because the aliens are tough and they move like xenomorphs on steroids. It does make combat pretty hectic, though, especially with everything coming apart around you.

The magnet gun is great fun, too. Tearing entire buildings apart and crushing enemies with them is particularly satisfying.

You should try shooting one magnet into one alien and the other into another, and watch them smack into each other.

Hilarious.

[Hemingway]

You should try shooting one magnet into one alien and the other into another, and watch them smack into each other.

Hilarious.

I think that's the first thing I did. And it got me an achievement.

So, the game isn't a sandbox. But it does have Ruin mode, which has a Freeplay option, which basically gives you all the weapons you could want and a playground of physics destruction. No enemies, but all the collapsing buildings you could possibly want.

I think the most disappointing thing so far are the guns. Not that the guns aren't cool, but there just seems to be an inordinate amount of WMDs on Mars. Who leaves a Nano rifle lying around on the ground, anyway? I think it would've been cooler if the salvage you gather was used to buy new weapons and upgrade the ones you had, instead of upgrading your character. Not that I mind those upgrades, but yeah. Still, the game has some awesomely cool weapons. It seems like they figured out what people wanted wasn't shotguns and assault rifles and such, but FRICKIN LASER BEAMS.

[Inkidu]

Since AC: Revelations is coming out eventually, I think I'll go back and play some AC: Brotherhood. I need more face-stabby Italian in my life I guess.

[Wolfy]

Since AC: Revelations is coming out eventually, I think I'll go back and play some AC: Brotherhood. I need more face-stabby Italian in my life I guess.

Isn't revelations going to have a bigger, better multiplayer mode?...Cause..I damn well hope so...the Multiplayer in Brotherhood is so awesome..^-^

[Inkidu]

Isn't revelations going to have a bigger, better multiplayer mode?...Cause..I damn well hope so...the Multiplayer in Brotherhood is so awesome..^-^

I could care less. :D

[Tonalberry]

Started playing DA2 again.  Finally almost ready to go on the Deep Road Expedition.  The only side quest I haven't completed is the Act of Mercy one.  In the cave now, saved just before fighting the apostates and undead.  Fuck them.

[Inkidu]

I'm trying to get the final achievement in Metro 2033 (Explorer). I can't seem to get it after God knows how many plays. I'm just going to walk in circles for half an hour and see if like someone suggested it's a step counter kind of thing.

Because I don't know if I can find any more bodies or points of discovery. Geez!

[Hemingway]

I finished Red Faction: Armageddon, and my final verdict is ... Well, it's basically Guerrilla without the sandbox part and more emphasis on story. That said, if you're expecting a masterpiece story, you're going to be disappointed. And I would suggest you probably expect too much.

The action is obviously still what it's all about, and ... it's the same concept as Guerrilla, but instead of surgically picking apart buildings, you're given an arsenal of WMDs and a playground of destruction. This game isn't about assault rifles and that sort of thing, it's about grenade launchers, black hole launchers, plasma launchers ... well, it's about launchers. There's one weapon that only hurts organic targets and saves the environment, which is handy, but ... you'll find yourself tearing Mars' infrastructure apart no matter what. Probably one of the best scenes in the game was me in a room with two enemies. It was a rather large room and I was blindly firing grenades. I did get the enemies, but by the time I killed the last one, there was literally nothing else left in the room but rubble. Awesome!

I'd say it's roughly on par with Guerrilla - better in some ways, worse in others. There are probably going to be some people who are alienated by the, err, aliens and the lack of sandbox mode, and there are probably some people that are going to enjoy this more.

[AllieCat]

Good Old Games re-released Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri today :D :D :D :D

[FreshMeat50]

Good Old Games re-released Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri today :D :D :D :D

Heh, thought I'd see you in here.

I am currently heading out west on the 'ol Oregon Trail, and the going is rough - 'Ol Eranil-Jean just got snakebit.

[Wolfy]

Nintendo Wins.

;D

[Wyrd]

Kinect is actually doing better then expected in sales since it came out and I thought sony had some great demos and trailers in their press conference. I don't really know how people felt about the new Nintendo Ipad thing. Then again, isn't VG cats made by a bunch of Nintendo fan boys who bash the other systems when they get the chance? Hmmm?  And did you even see Nintendo's press conference? very underwhelming   

[Inkidu]

Kinect is actually doing better then expected in sales since it came out and I thought sony had some great demos and trailers in their press conference. I don't really know how people felt about the new Nintendo Ipad thing. Then again, isn't VG cats made by a bunch of Nintendo fan boys who bash the other systems when they get the chance? Hmmm?  And did you even see Nintendo's press conference? very underwhelming   

As far as I know VG cats is still a one-man production. Scott Ramsoomair, a Canadian. I've actually never seen any real bias from him. In fact some of his best pieces are allegories for Nintendo's peripheral infamy. It usually involves Mr. Potatomoto and the peas.

Let's face it, in the first-party category this year's E3 blew chunks. The third-party stuff was to die for, but anything the big three had to put forth wasn't all that hot.

[Wyrd]

I've only ever seen like three of those comics anyway and they all seemed to perpetuate Nintendo as better, so I drew to conclusion. Didn't feel like looking into it because VG cats looks like it's made for grade nines.

Anyway, I've been playing the online free roam in Red dead for the last few days with a few friends, trolling and F***ing up all the other posse's. ;D   

[Oniya]

Got through the second epic battle in GemCraft.  I've discovered that some, if not all, of the challenge amulets can only be gotten on endurance, which would require the paid version.


I'm actually considering it.

[Wyrd]

How much is it?

[Inkidu]

What a wasteland of gaming... again. Duke is a universally accepted flop by most critics and even individual players, Deus Ex: Human Revolution isn't until August. Skryim is entirely too far away. What happened to that awesome gaming summer of a few years ago? Where's that?

[Wolfy]

I dunno what your talking about, Inki. I'll have OoT and other games to keep me busy..like Catherine, which comes out next month. ;D Same team that made the Persona Games.