Has anyone played any good video games lately?

[Soveliss]

Embodiment of Scarlet Devil! I even managed to kick Patchouli Knowledge's ass after 3 month of struggling with normal mode...

Now, time to take care of Sakuya Izayoi.

But anyway, if you like very difficult shoot-them-ups, fireworks, and/or cute witches slinging spells at each other, make no mistake, Touhou Project (Of which Embodiment of Scarlet Devil is only the 6th installment, but first in the Windows series, and really the point where the series were gaining a bit of consistency) is the right series for you. Oh, and make sure to play as Marisa Kirisame, she has a very acid wit and dry sarcasm, so lovely! And if you manage to 1 credit Clear normal, try Hard or even Lunatic! And if you succeed in that, well, get to the next game (Perfect Cherry Blossom).

[Inkidu]

Ooh

I highly recommend The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. It's from Polish developer CDProjeckt (I know I'm not spelling that right).

It's a challenging game that rewards you for knowing the alchemy system, and rewards proper prep according to your play style. It also has several difficulties.

You also don't really have to play the first to get the plot. It's also on 360. 

[Chris Brady]

Darksiders 2 is amazing

I loved that game and it was so much fun. And so much replayable value as well. I really need to play that again (for the third time XD )

* Chris Brady has his jaw drop.

That's two others?  YAY!

Ooh

I highly recommend The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. It's from Polish developer CDProjeckt (I know I'm not spelling that right).

It's a challenging game that rewards you for knowing the alchemy system, and rewards proper prep according to your play style. It also has several difficulties.

You also don't really have to play the first to get the plot. It's also on 360.

I want to play through the first one, (which I am, but it's a BIG game) and then take that play through, Mass Effect style to the second game.

[Shjade]

The only one I've played lately that I don't already see in the thread is Mark of the Ninja, which is excellent.

[Chris Brady]

Mark of The Ninja is AWESOME!

[alextaylor]

Oh, if you like tactical combat games and science-fiction look at XCOM: Enemy Unknown.

I will play that game until I die.

If you liked XCOM, would recommend getting UFO: Afterlight. As much as reviewers belittle the UFO series as an XCOM clone, it's an entirely different kind of game in the same genre. Different strategies, different type of plot, different tactics. The three UFO games themselves have very different gameplay, art style, and storytelling style to each other.

I did like UFO: Aftermath, not so much for the gameplay, but the ridiculous attention to detail in the artwork.

[Sel Nar]

If you liked XCOM, would recommend getting UFO: Afterlight. As much as reviewers belittle the UFO series as an XCOM clone, it's an entirely different kind of game in the same genre. Different strategies, different type of plot, different tactics. The three UFO games themselves have very different gameplay, art style, and storytelling style to each other.

I did like UFO: Aftermath, not so much for the gameplay, but the ridiculous attention to detail in the artwork.

The main issue with the After<Blank> (Aftermath, Aftershock, Afterlight) Series is that they were all released in beta states, and never patched.

[Revelation]

Got my preorder of Shin Megami Tensei 4 for the 3DS, absolutely loving it.

TLDR is that you play a samurai tasked with the defense of his lands and accomplishes this by summoning and controlling demons. Theres a whole deeper plot involving a few moral choices and paths to follow, but the plot isn't the mainstay of the game.

The meat of the game is in the gameplay and combat. you explore dungeons as you face down demons in combat or negotiations. You try to recruit demons into your party to both level them and eventually fuse them to other demons for combinations, and recruiting them can be challenging because each demon type has a personality and all of them are also giant assholes. Combat is especially unforgiving, where being overleveled can still lead to enemies 20+ levels lower than you one shotting you because they hit your weakness. The combat involves exploiting enemy weaknesses and powers to gain extra turns, while trying not to lose turns of your own by fumbling or hitting enemy strengths.

You could almost see it as a grim version of pokemon though the first SMT came out well before the first Pokemon game did. If you've played the persona series, they are a branch off of the SMT series. The same is UNFORGIVING. You WILL DIE, and when you kill a boss kicking your ass before you will feel an amazing rush.

Also the music is totally amazing. But instead of spamming youtube here, i'll leave this link.

Shin Megami Tensei IV 真・女神転生IV OST (gamerip) - Boss Battle

[Sara Nilsson]

Saints row the third, picked it up on the steam sales and I am hooked!

[Neysha]

Saints Row the Third is amazing! I never played any of the GTA style games until that one came out. It was simply amszing in its embracing of the utter ridiculousness of the genre and taking it to its logical conclusion.

[AlexStone]

If you liked the new XCOM, give the original- XCOM:UFO Defense a shot.  And if you like that one, and thought it was too easy, try XCOM: Terror From the Deep.  I'd also give a thumbs up to the Enhanced Baldur's Gate edition, if you liked BG or haven't played it.

[Remiel]

Saints row the third, picked it up on the steam sales and I am hooked!

The second game in the series turned me off after playing it for about fifteen minutes, but I loved the third game.  The missions were actually fun to do, the characters were unique and interesting, and the paradigm of taking the city back piece by piece appealed to my OCD. 

Really, when the final mission entails zooming down a street on a crotch rocket, tanks and cars exploding in your wake, desperately trying to beat a countdown timer while Bonnie Tyler's "Holding Out For a Hero" thunders in the background, the experience is really nothing short of awesome.

[edit: got the Bonnie Tyler song title wrong.  Fixed!]

[Chris Brady]

Another game I've played and loved:  Bastion.

[Inkidu]

If you like Batman get in on the Arkham Games. They're a little light on the detective aspect, but in general you are the goddam Batman.

[Plot Hooks]

If you like Batman get in on the Arkham Games. They're a little light on the detective aspect, but in general you are the goddam Batman.

Ugh... What happened, Frank Miller?

But yea, I'll second this.  The Arkham games were a ton of fun.  Also, they had my favorite voice actors.

[alextaylor]

If you liked the new XCOM, give the original- XCOM:UFO Defense a shot.  And if you like that one, and thought it was too easy, try XCOM: Terror From the Deep.  I'd also give a thumbs up to the Enhanced Baldur's Gate edition, if you liked BG or haven't played it.

I was a fan of the old XCOM games, but found them a bit unplayable tbh. At later stages of the game, it takes minutes just to equip your starting squad, and the bug hunt on the ships can take an hour or more, looking for that one last alien. And the TU/Energy thing. The old games had a lot more spirit, but were lacking in the gameplay. The new one gets to the point, plays a lot more smoothly. Would still recommend trying it out, just don't get shocked.

Was a huge fan of BG back in the day, but after playing Enhanced BG, I just couldn't get back into it. AD&D seems to have aged poorly. The plot seems to be kinda amateurish too. I'd very highly recommend Baldur's Gate 2, which has plenty of replayability.

[Koren]

I love Arkham Asylum but I never got even half way through Arkham City. I found the fact you had to navigate around the city constantly, from one side to the other, with that damned no fly zone in the middle really frustrating.

I do agree they are great games for most people though.


Another great game I've played lately is Resident Evil Revelations. Its a true RE and survival horror game, and damned scary at times.
I'd actually forgotten how to play survival horror because of the lack of good games and so struggled a lot :)

[Caeli]

Got my preorder of Shin Megami Tensei 4 for the 3DS, absolutely loving it.

TLDR is that you play a samurai tasked with the defense of his lands and accomplishes this by summoning and controlling demons. Theres a whole deeper plot involving a few moral choices and paths to follow, but the plot isn't the mainstay of the game.

The meat of the game is in the gameplay and combat. you explore dungeons as you face down demons in combat or negotiations. You try to recruit demons into your party to both level them and eventually fuse them to other demons for combinations, and recruiting them can be challenging because each demon type has a personality and all of them are also giant assholes. Combat is especially unforgiving, where being overleveled can still lead to enemies 20+ levels lower than you one shotting you because they hit your weakness. The combat involves exploiting enemy weaknesses and powers to gain extra turns, while trying not to lose turns of your own by fumbling or hitting enemy strengths.

You could almost see it as a grim version of pokemon though the first SMT came out well before the first Pokemon game did. If you've played the persona series, they are a branch off of the SMT series. The same is UNFORGIVING. You WILL DIE, and when you kill a boss kicking your ass before you will feel an amazing rush.

Also the music is totally amazing. But instead of spamming youtube here, i'll leave this link.

Shin Megami Tensei IV 真・女神転生IV OST (gamerip) - Boss Battle

I'd actually been considering getting this game... I think your description/review may have tipped the balance. :-)

Is there a lot of strategy/tactics in the game (Fire Emblem comes to mind), or is it more of a explore-the-world-with-a-party type of game (Pokemon, Final Fantasy)?

[Revelation]

I'd actually been considering getting this game... I think your description/review may have tipped the balance. :-)

Is there a lot of strategy/tactics in the game (Fire Emblem comes to mind), or is it more of a explore-the-world-with-a-party type of game (Pokemon, Final Fantasy)?

The strategy/tactics come in by using the correct combination of demons in a fight, and fusing demons to make stronger ones. Going into a battle unprepared will get you wrecked in a fight, and you have to exploit enemy weaknesses and use (de)buffs. Unlike say, FF where using a debuff spell is pointless, many bosses require you to actively debuff them or counter their own buffs. Anyone who played Nocturne knows what I mean when I say Matador and casting Red Capote.

Movement is more exploration/FF based, where you play in the third person and explore the dungeons and zones of the world. Towns are explored in a sort of menu based system, rather than exploring them manually.

Since you also mentioned Fire Emblem, anyone who registers Fire Emblem Awakening and SMT4 on their 3DS gets $30 in Nintendo Eshop coins for a limited time offer.

[Caeli]

Since you also mentioned Fire Emblem, anyone who registers Fire Emblem Awakening and SMT4 on their 3DS gets $30 in Nintendo Eshop coins for a limited time offer.

Yes, I know about this. :-) That's why I was considering SMT IV, but I wasn't sure if it would be something I'd be interested in or not, since I haven't played the previous titles.

[fretboardmagic]

I've been continuing to go HAM on Borderlands 2 since it came out and actually haven't gotten to play any other games at all. :/

[Remiel]

I've been continuing to go HAM on Borderlands 2 since it came out and actually haven't gotten to play any other games at all. :/

You sound like my roommate.  He's gotten all four original game characters up to level 65 and is currently working on the Mechromancer. <_<

[Sabby]

Castlevania: Curse of Darkness. Yes, the 3D one >.>

[Revelation]

Yes, I know about this. :-) That's why I was considering SMT IV, but I wasn't sure if it would be something I'd be interested in or not, since I haven't played the previous titles.

Its definitely a game i'd recommend to a beginner who wants to get into the SMT series. I've played Nocturne, Persona 1(remake) 2/3/4 and the Devil Survivor series, and SMT4. SMT4 is challenging, fun, and the storyline is interesting enough when theres a focus on it. Its challenging, fair, doesn't quite hold your hand, but still gives you the tools and information to beat the game.The physical edition comes with an artbook/strategy guide and soundtrack of the past SMT games to boot.

[Outsider]

I bought Saints Row: The Third on summer sale and I have to say I absolutely loved every second (or almost every, damn tiger missions) of it.
Felt great to get away from all these seriousface games for once and unleash my inner troll.
Definitely buying Saints Row 4.