What Video Games have you been playing II: Have you finished that backlog?

[Ajidica]

I feel bad for the fantasy genre in and of itself. There's nothing inherently bad about it. But it's been bogged down severely by the cliches; utter so much "fantasy" and everybody assumes some adolescent LOTR or D&D rip-off with dragons, magics, elves, and what have you.

It's kind of sad. I really think fantasy has a lot of potential in using a world not our own to explore deep issues akin to the way sci-fi sometimes does. Heck I don't even mind the elves and dwarves and dragons nonsense, as long as it's done interestingly; problem is, it's rarely done so at least for me.

These days whenever people ask me about some of the stories and creative writing projects I have, I really hesitate to tell them its fantasy. Strictly speaking, if you define fantasy as taking place in another world that's not our own, then these stories would be. But... bleh.

Have you played the Witcher games?

 

[cybrxkhan]

Have you played the Witcher games?

A bit. Probably will try to get back into it at some point, but to be honest I'm pretty tired of having to deal with stories. The reason why I enjoy TES above all? I don't have to deal with a story I won't end up liking anyways if I don't want to. And even if I do I can just do so at my own pace.

TES is probably the only RPG I can really enjoy at this point. For several reasons I guess, mainly because of the lore/worldbuilding and the fact that I can not only choose which terribly-written stories I want to experience, I can choose to experience them at my own pace, or not at all.

My entire rambling aside I'll just say trying to find any story in any medium that manages to get me more than just a "whatever" reaction is like trying to find a needle in a haystack the size of China.

Okay I don't even know what I'm saying. I'll just say I enjoy TES' worldbuilding and lore very much. Few fantasy can do that for me, kindle my spirit the way Tolkien's books' appendixes did so many years ago when I was a wee child.

 

[Zack]

Started Dragon Age II. Really liking it so far, although I miss tactical view.

Also started Infinity Wars. It's a fun take on TCG games.

 

[Takhisis]

Doesn't the G in TCG stand for 'games'?

 

[Zack]

It's the second studio album by the Cheetah Girls, actually.

 

[Takhisis]

You listen to girls' music?

 

[Commodore]

Started playing Homeworld 2 again because a mod studio called Phoenix Interactive just released their Mass Effect Reborn total conversion for HW2. I must say I have been spending all of my free time playing that mod. Definitely one of the better mods released in recent memory and it technically isn't even finished.

 

[Oruc]

Finished South Park: the stick of truth recently, I probably missed a lot of the jokes considering I last watched it when I had a series on VHS. I enjoyed it but wait till it's cheaper no replay value really(except for achievements).

and here is my character

Spoiler :

 

[Takhisis]

Oh amaaxla, the games you make… Gravity I and II revisited!

and here is my character

WTH that's male?

 

[shadowplay]

I finished Grand Theft Auto V for the second time. I like it a whole lot, but GTA: San Andreas is still the pinnacle of the series.

 

[Takhisis]

Pffft. Clearly Vice City has a better story (and Ray Liotta!) and the '80s are cooler anyways.

 

[AdamCrock]

Pffft. Clearly Vice City has a better story (and Ray Liotta!) and the '80s are cooler anyways.

Can You remember that level in Vice City when You had to fly a minature helicopter through a building to plant a bomb or something .... It was a nightmare .... absolute nightmare .... Controls suddenly went crazy and I ended up thinking what demented mind conceived a level so hard ....

 

[shadowplay]

The older games were certainly more challenging. Nothing in GTAV is hard.

 

[Commodore]

The older games were certainly more challenging. Nothing in GTAV is hard.

I think that's kind of a good thing though since free-roaming games are supposed to be more about exploring and creating your own experience rather than challenging players with serious gameplay.

 

[Arakhor]

The older games were certainly more challenging. Nothing in GTAV is hard.

If by 'hard', you mean that they removed GTA's notorious 'fake difficulty', then that's probably a good thing, right?

 

[cardgame]

After sitting in my library for a year or so, I finally got around to installing and playing Magicka. Wow, fantastic.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

The older games were certainly more challenging. Nothing in GTAV is hard.

I never finished any of the older GTA games, as I found them too hard.

 

[Civ'ed]

So knights of pen and paper was free on iOS.
It's pretty fun, if repetitive.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

If by 'hard', you mean that they removed GTA's notorious 'fake difficulty', then that's probably a good thing, right?

What do you mean by fake difficulty?

Pffft. Clearly Vice City has a better story (and Ray Liotta!) and the '80s are cooler anyways.

I loved that game but got stuck on a motorcycle chase mission. It was so blasted hard, I spent hours replaying it over and over again and finally I just gave up and quit.

Started playing Homeworld 2 again because a mod studio called Phoenix Interactive just released their Mass Effect Reborn total conversion for HW2. I must say I have been spending all of my free time playing that mod. Definitely one of the better mods released in recent memory and it technically isn't even finished.

That sounds like a lot of fun. Do you have epic space battles against reapers?


Was the BSG conversion mod ever finished?

 

[Takhisis]

Can You remember that level in Vice City when You had to fly a minature helicopter through a building to plant a bomb or something .... It was a nightmare .... absolute nightmare .... Controls suddenly went crazy and I ended up thinking what demented mind conceived a level so hard ....

You'll get throught it after a few hours. Five or six attempts should get you through it.

I think that's kind of a good thing though since free-roaming games are supposed to be more about exploring and creating your own experience rather than challenging players with serious gameplay.

But why should it be eased up? Life is hard.

If by 'hard', you mean that they removed GTA's notorious 'fake difficulty', then that's probably a good thing, right?

Well, 'fake' difficulty is still difficulty.

What do you mean by fake difficulty?

Let me help you.

I loved that game but got stuck on a motorcycle chase mission. It was so blasted hard, I spent hours replaying it over and over again and finally I just gave up and quit.

Motorcycle chase mission… hard? Were you playing it on a console by any chance?