# What is the latest game you played and what did you think?



## dustinzgirl (Nov 3, 2006)

We've been playing scarface, bully and NFS Carbon.......

Scarface is a blatant rip off of GTA-SA, as far as the actual game goes, but hey, any game where the cuss like my navy uncle is just great in my book. Plus, Tony freaking rules the universe!!!!!!! Not that my kids will ever, ever, ever, ever play it. Ever. 

Bully---ugh. Could there be a more boring game? THe funnest part was going to the classes and playing the little tests. Otherwise, expect to do a lot of walking/running and getting beat up. Even tho you are supposed to be the bully. I don't know, only played it for a few hours. Another game my kids will never play, but thats because I dont think they should be pretending to go to a school where they beat people up and get beat up. 

NFS Carbon-----holy raviolies batman! its EXACTLY like the other 25 NFS games, but now you have this wingman who is supposed to be smart, but just gets in my way. Eh, I only lasted about 10 minutes on this game anyways. BORING. Hubby's been playing if for the last few hours, but that is because of lack of better things to do, he says. This is a game I let my kids play. Just wish half the girls did not look like streetwalkers.

Well, thats it for this month. Probably going to get MK3 pretty soon, at least I hope because Moral Kombat rules! FATALITY!


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## Winters_Sorrow (Nov 3, 2006)

Well the last game I played was Bully as well (except it's called Canis Canem Edit or "Dog eat Dog" in Europe) and I agree mostly.
Not sure how far you got before turning off, but I managed to get into chapter 2 before I returned it (rented it rather than bought it)
The most frustrating part of the game is the camera which seems to be obsessed with showing you what's behind you when you're being chased rather than what's in front, so you wind up running into walls etc as you can't see where you're going!!
The mini games (lessons) are probably the best thing about it but once you get into chapter 2, you get access to the town outside the school and it becomes much more GTA in feel in terms of the go anywhere, do anything aspect. 
It's not worth renting out again, put it that way


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## Crymic (Nov 4, 2006)

FFXII (PS2)- Basically FFXI without all of the crap. Still playing, great game so far.

M&M Dark Messiah (PC)- It's half life 2 engine but with swords and magic. It's an alright game and I'm enjoying it. I just hate the depth perception with daggers tring to judge range to slash mobs.

DoW Dark Crusade (PC)- Very fun and addictive game to play. Love the new dominate world mode they added.

Family Guy (PS2)- Silly game based on the cartoon series. They make alot of refecences from the tv show in it. A good rental.


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## Lucien21 (Nov 4, 2006)

Sam and Max - Culture Shock (episode 1)  :  Hilarious return of the Dog and Rabbit as they try to outwit a group of ex-child tv stars.  Loved it, but as an episodic game it lasts about 2-4 hours and leaves you wanting more (Next one due Jan)

Still playing:

Splinter Cell- Double Agent  : Great first 360 Splinter Cell game
Dead Rising : Dawn of the Dead on a 360. Hours of Zombie mayhem
Secret Files Tunguska: PC adventure game that i'm about 3/4 of the way through.


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## Cycodave (Nov 10, 2006)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 for PC.  Love this game but wish that EA would take more care in removing bugs and such like.  Apart from being slighty more polished in a graphical sense, new courses and some tweaking I sense has been done to the wind in the game, no real difference to 06.  But, hey.....enjoyable nonetheless


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## Joel007 (Nov 10, 2006)

Quake4 - Atmospheric shooting action. Good for relaxing 

still playing:
UT2004 (especially slowing it down and having more of a strategy style than action.)
NWN - so many possibilities! and cool dragons. 
BG2 - best. game. ever.
CSS - offline its cool, online its awesome.


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## Thadlerian (Nov 10, 2006)

Beat Ultimecia and finished Final Fantasy VIII on PC. It wasn't nearly as intriguing and fun as FFVII; the gameplay seemed more clumsy, and Rinoa was an extremely annoying character. But the FMVs were well worth the time


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## Aes (Nov 10, 2006)

Final Fantasy 12:  Great game, and very much unlike the others in that it's actually challenging.  The play control is very different compared to its previous incarnations as well.

Okami:  A very different and incredibly awesome action-based game meets RPG.  The graphics have a painted look to them, but despite that, everything is fully 3D and the play control is really well done.  In this game, you have the unique ability to "pause" the action and employ various "brush techniques" to do anything from invoke attack effects, help you move around, or restore dead parts of the world.  My only complaint (and a very minor one at that) is that the NPCs all have gibberish voices--literally.  You can read what they say, so not all is lost.


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## sanityassassin (Nov 10, 2006)

Cycodave said:


> Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2007 for PC.  Love this game but wish that EA would take more care in removing bugs and such like.  Apart from being slighty more polished in a graphical sense, new courses and some tweaking I sense has been done to the wind in the game, no real difference to 06.  But, hey.....enjoyable nonetheless




I'm playing this on the PS2 and have found it very buggy. Love the new central park course but damn it is a difficult course to play. also the points system is a bit off as I've got 1000's of spare points on some stats and very short on others


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## cornelius (Nov 10, 2006)

ROME TOTAL WAR! i can't help myself , I just feel like saying " auxillia" and " Urban cohort" all the time

TES4: Oblivion. GREAT . enough said


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## dustinzgirl (Nov 11, 2006)

SPlitner Cell---my kids own that game. I am terrible at it. I dont know why. 

Hubby Just finished NFS Carbon which is pretty much like all the other NFS's. I played, but I crash a lot. Sometimes on purpose. Driving cars over cliffs is fun to me for some reason. 

Waiting on MK Armagedon so I can own my kids at a game finally.


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## Talysia (Nov 22, 2006)

Just finished Dirge of Cerberus:  Final Fantasy 7 on PS2.  Really enjoyed it, even if it was a break from the norm for me.  (I usually play RPGs, not FPS)
I have to say that - as a big FF fan - I got it largely for the story, but it didn't take me too long to get accustomed to the different genre.  I liked it.


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## Ahdkaw (Nov 23, 2006)

Recently completed two games on the PS/2.

First off, Scarface, great game, tremendous fun, great music backing, incredible fight scenes, and plenty of profane language. Can still pick up the game and play after completion, although admittedly there aren't many things to do once you've done the story missions, killed off all the gangs, and completed the races, although you can do easier distribution missions to earn enough money to purchase the remaining Exotics.

Secondly, Canis Canem Edit (Bully in the US), again a fun game, but a little too easy and short for my liking. Good game nevertheless, I still recommend it.


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## Lucien21 (Nov 23, 2006)

Gears of War (Xbox 360)

Brilliant, over the top, testosterone laced shooter. Packed with extreme violence (it is an 18), superb graphics, cinema style cut scenes and some of the most addictive gameplay around.

You contol a bunch of soldiers (who are built like American Football linebackers) against the evil Locusts. Hide behind cover and try to flank/shoot as many enemy as possible. Get in Close and use the chainsaw (along with over the top blood splatter on the screen), Use the Hammer of God satellite weapon on the big aliens, Hug the light and stay out of the dark to avoid the Pitch Black type aliens and keep reviving your idiot comrades who keep getting killed.

I'm having a blast.


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## Jason_Taverner (Nov 23, 2006)

Neverwinter nights 2 which is just amazing, such a well written story, a few bugs in the game but nothing major and they have released 2 patches already so great support, 

Also my girlfriend just bought me ICO which I have to say is a amazing but strange game, its the same guys that made shadow of the colouss, ICO is fantastic but difficult to get into as NWN2 is taking up all my time


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## Azathoth (Nov 24, 2006)

> Brilliant, over the top, testosterone laced shooter. Packed with extreme violence (it is an 18), superb graphics, cinema style cut scenes and some of the most addictive gameplay around.
> 
> You contol a bunch of soldiers (who are built like American Football linebackers) against the evil Locusts. Hide behind cover and try to flank/shoot as many enemy as possible. Get in Close and use the chainsaw (along with over the top blood splatter on the screen), Use the Hammer of God satellite weapon on the big aliens, Hug the light and stay out of the dark to avoid the Pitch Black type aliens and keep reviving your idiot comrades who keep getting killed.



Sounds really cool - makes me wish I had an Xbox. 




I'm playing Conflict: Vietnam right now.  Little difficult, little dull, not much in the way of a story...but I haven't got anything better to do.


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## conradbrean (Jan 17, 2007)

I recently played Mortal Kombat: Armageddon and I must tell you, it made me believe in the PS2 again as I had become tired of most games I'd been playing. Also, being a fan of MKII helped out. Yet the game is a gem among fighting games no matter what.


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## Thadlerian (Jan 17, 2007)

Finished Halo for the second time, at second hardest difficulty. That took me a while, some of the levels seemed close to impossible, but I made it alright.


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## Quokka (Jan 17, 2007)

I bought an Xbox a couple of years ago and have been kind of regretting it ever since, Halo 1&2 are impressive and I really liked the first half life on the PC so may get the sequel but I'm not a big FPS fan and there's been alot of games come and go on the PS2 that I would have bought had they crossed over.

I did picked up Shenmue2 and Mech Assualt cheaply the other day and I've enjoyed Shenmue2 so far though I probably wouldn't replay it. There's a decent storyline and just enough innovative bits to distract from the fact that it's very much on rails. 

MechAssault is a solid game and good fun but like the main storylines of alot of games it seems almost an add on... I _really_ have to get the xbox online one of these days, there's nothing like competing against other people  .


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## Triceratops (Jan 20, 2007)

My bachelor friends and myself have been playing Baulder's Gate and Champions--Return to Arms for four years running, nearly every day.  Talk about being stuck in a cotton-pickin' Mobius loop, I tell you.  There's no hope for us.  And we're in our 40s and 50s.  So there!

Chris


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## Jason_Taverner (Jan 20, 2007)

Champions--Return to Arms I really enjoyed that game then stopped playing it, hmm might just go back to it. 

Talking about Motius loops I keep going back to GUN, I think watching too many westerns with my gran as kid has caused that problem,


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## Leonardo (Jan 20, 2007)

Recently played through *The Legend of Zelda: Windwaker*, and was very pleased with the game. It's thoroughly beautiful, reminiscent of the other zelda games in many ways but still innovative enough to be a completely new experience. People keep complaining about the cellshade graphics (the cartoony look), but I think they're fantastic. The water, especially, is absolutely astounding. Besides, only the characters look cartoony. Most of the level textures are still very traditional and zelda-esque. And the soundtrack has some of the best renditions of the traditional zelda themes ever done. Reccommended to everyone, fans and newcomers to the series alike.

Also played *Super Mario Sunshine* - I think the game was a little ignored due to the fact that the PS2 completely dominated the gamecube. But it's alot of fun! It has the familiar feel of Mario 64, but with the gamecube controllers analogue camera stick you feel much more in control of the game. Camera control is just as important as character control when the whole game is about acrobatics.
In addition to all the gravity-ignoring jumping that you should already know and love, this game introduces the FLUDD - Which is a sort of watercannon that you can augment. It's a simple element, easy to master and easy to learn, but it adds a whole new dimension of movement to Mario - There are four nozzles. The standard one is sort of a gun. You wash away paint, fill things with water, propel watermills, things like that. Then you have the hovernozzle, which is just that. A nozzle to hover above the ground (or in mid air). This will help you get across huge gaps, and cover alot of ground before you land your jumps. The Turbo Nozzle lets you zoom across water surfaces or land with high speed, and the Rocket Nozzle shoots you up into the sky.
As said, the FLUDD is super-easy to master, but yet it will allow you to explore every crook and cranny of the whole virtual world. It's so liberating to be able to go everywhere!
It does tend to get boring after a while though. It's not a game you play from start to finish, but rather one you bring out now and then. There's lots of stars to get, and lots of secrets to find, so you won't finish it in a single sitting, or even ten.

Currently playing the beta version of *GUNZ - THE DUEL*. While being slightly entertaining, the game is terrible. It's a bad idea, and a sloppy execution. The graphics are so so, the gameplay is tedious, the sounds are repetitive and annoying, and the concept is ridiculous - You are a guy/girl with lots of gunz and swordz. Now go deathmatch. 
The game is an MMO (or so it proudly calls itself), but the only justification of that title is the fact that it doesn't have single player. It's very reminiscent of Unreal Tournament, but it's third person, you have swords, and you have to shoot someone about 70 times in order to kill them.
On the upside, it's only 140mb, and free for download - It's kind of fun for about two hours. If you're bored out of your mind, it could be nice to have around. Also, it's only beta - Chances are it could improve lots by the time it releases. But I wouldn't count on it.


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## debs (Jan 27, 2007)

I'm currently playing " Kingdom Hearts II " 
I just love it! The graphics are great and the story is beautiful. Besides, the battles are easy compared to the ones in final fantasy. You don't get stuck that much. 

Do you happen to know any other game similar to kingdom hearts or zelda? ( for ps2, if possible ) It's really hard to find a good role game!


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## dustinzgirl (Mar 14, 2007)

OMG! GOD OF WAR 2!

Ok I only got to play it for like two seconds because my husband is an overgrown teenager, but WOW!

I am so way impressed with this game, the graphics, story, movemetn capabilities....its just outrageously cool. More than I expected from a sequel!

Will post more if I ever get to actually play the game


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## Joel007 (Mar 14, 2007)

I finally got to play NWN2, and I wish to spend my remaining days exploring the game to the fullest. It looks and feels awesome


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## sanityassassin (Mar 14, 2007)

I have just bought 4 preowned games for the bargin basement price of just £20 they are -Conflict: Desert Storm II, Onimusha 2, Cold Fear and Urban Chaos:Riot Response and played a little of each so far C: DS ok so far but keep getting killed at very end of a mission and it is really annoying having to go through it again. Onimusha seems to be a bit faulty as it keeps crashing. Cold Fear similar to resident evil in story line and game play. Urban chaos is not bad for a FPS


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## Duchessprozac (Mar 14, 2007)

I'm currently playing FFXII and I must say it's very good so far. Much better than, well all of them after VII. I'm just hoping I've got the time to play it along with reading my new collection of books and writing my own. I may just have to forgoe sleep until I have it completed.


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## Ice fyre (Mar 15, 2007)

Tonight I load up hopefully Civ IV am hoping it's as good as II. Also just played Age of Empires II on PC last night and surpise surpise I got me head handed to me! I dont know why I still play it sometimes.

Neverwinter night 2 is on my wish list but I'm not in a hurry as I just got Kingmaker the last module for Never I.


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## Ice fyre (Mar 15, 2007)

Do you happen to know any other game similar to kingdom hearts or zelda? ( for ps2, if possible ) It's really hard to find a good role game![/quote]

I have posted this on other parts of the web but that style is well represented by the Final Fantasy series and my particular fave at the mo a game called disgea on PS2. It has a sequel called (wait for it) Disgea 2. The story is very good a bit cliche'd but it's fun and it get's a little surreal in places.

I just spent 10 hours leveling up charicters my wife was not best pleased I can tell you! 

Also try the wild arms series (up to 4 I think) all available in most good game stores but I would shop around if I were you.


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## Leonardo (Mar 15, 2007)

*Do you happen to know any other game similar to kingdom hearts or zelda? ( for ps2, if possible ) It's really hard to find a good role game!

*You should definately try *Okami* if you haven't already. It draws alot of lines to several of the Zelda games. You play a wolf, like in parts of *Twilight Princess*, and are collecting various devine powers, like in *Ocarina of Time* (with ocarina songs that change everything), and it follows the same basic premise as the zelda games; Overcome challenges, get better stuff / abilities, kill the final boss. The progression is smooth, and it has a great flow.

The graphics are _cellshaded_, which in essence means they look cartoony. Like in *Zelda : Windwaker, XIII, or Silverfall* to mention a few. Some games pull this off really well, and others don't. *Okami* is stunning. It's almost as fun to watch as it is to play.

The basic story goes like this:

*Okami* is the reincarnation of a great god who possessed the ability to paint the future and the presence with a mighty brush. He would paint trees and crops, the sun, rivers and lands. The world had been saved through the bravery of the last incarnation (and the sword of a hero), but now someones gone and undone all that.

Your job is to seek out the smaller gods who are the keepers of the brush techniques, relearn them all, and use them to save the earth yet again by defeating the evil shadowy hydra thing.

Hope that wets your apetite a little. 

Also, here's the GameTrailers review, which is a really general and easy-to-agree-with review site. The reviews are usually spot on, atleast according to my taste.

Enjoy!


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## Bikewer (Mar 16, 2007)

I'm working my way through the Call of Duty series; presently almost finished with United Offensive.  Pretty solid WWII-drag shooters, though many of the elements are rather arcade-y.  (like shooting down most of the Luftwaffe in the bomber segment)
I just downloaded and installed America's army, a much more realistic effort.
Looks pretty good so far...I have to go through "basic training".   (hehe-the first time was in 1964...)
Also waiting patiently for FH2.  That's Forgotten Hope 2, a mod for the Battlefield 2 engine.
The first version, for Battlefield 1942, is very good, but everyone is about played out on that.  The new iteration is due this Summer.


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## Urien (Mar 16, 2007)

Rome: Total war.

Pretty darn good.

Though it bears little resemblance to the HBO series.


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## Rahl Windsong (Mar 21, 2007)

I really do like games made by Bioware, a canadian company. So recently I picked up the PC port of Jade Empire. JE came out a few yeats back for the xbox and I think it won game of the year in many magazines that year. So with all that success Bioware decided to do a PC version of the game, with higher resolutions, widescreen support, and some enhancements to cut scenes and some spell effects.

Once again I am reminded of just how great the folks at Bioware are at telling a story in an RPG setting. I absolutely love Jade Empire and my only complaint would be that the game might be just a tad to short.

Rahl


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## Pandora (Mar 22, 2007)

I tried out the new game by Monte Cristo, _Silverfall,_ just a few days ago. Maybe it was just me, but I think that game is in the need of some serious patching or it won't be playable. 
Imagine this: 
You are level 1, running into the woods to take out some zombies for the pretty elf girl (who for some reason has a male voice, quite a peculiar bug) and everything is going fine. You're leveling at super speed, the skill system seems interesting, and you're finding some great loot. Suddenly you get completely slaughtered by a group of super zombies.
This happens, and it appears the game doesn't have perma-death, so you accept your fate and start running back to your corpse. Awaiting you there is your tombstone, which, in order for you to get all your stuff back (as it is, you are stark naked, and quite vulnerable), you need to click. Combined with the fact that it's a click-and-run game. And add that surrounding the tombstone are still all those super zombies, just as super as ever, but YOU are completely unarmed and naked on top of that.

I gave up on it after half an hour or so. Sorry for ranting, but I'm seriously disappointed in the game.


It was of course possible to forfeit all your possessions and start somewhere else, but I'm a stubborn *******.  So it didn't work out.


It did have cute cell shaded graphics. I'll give it that.


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## Leonardo (Mar 22, 2007)

Have to agree that *Silverfall* sucked.

Currently playing *Splinter Cell - Double Agent.*  The graphics are great, the voice acting top notch, and the physics engine is as ubisoft as they come. You can do virtually anything you can imagine as far as acrobatics go. Hang from the ceiling with a wince, rappel off buildings, climb edges, pipes, railings. You can interrogate people to figure out keycodes or hack computers to override them. You can drop down from ledges and land on guards, knocking them unconscious. The freedom is immense, greater than any of Ubisofts previous games. It's clear that Ubisoft are taking their engine to a new limit of freedom, and it feels good.

As shiny as all of these features are, however, they do not outshine the countless bugs and glitches the game also contains. Think _Murphy's Law_. I personally had to download an AMD Dual-Core Booster, because the game literally ran in slow motion. Everything was at 50% speed. Unbearable. Others have had to downgrade their DirectX to the first version of 9.0c in order to run it. A few have needed special drivers. It seems, in general, to be pretty badly prepped for release. And the same with sound. After playing for a while, my sound started feedbacking. It would echo until it got super-loud and sounded like a siren. New drivers didn't help, no. I needed _special drivers_. This is the general norm for the whole game. If you can be bothered to download all the crap you need to run it, it looks and runs pretty decent.

While the singleplayer will provide a few hours of fun, the muiltiplayer probably won't. Unlike the xbox version, the pc version does not feature coop, which is a huge dissappointment. Infact, it barely has any multiplayer modes compared to its xboxian brother. The spies and merc mode is fun, but hopelessly imbalanced. I am not impressed.

On the whole, the game isn't all bad, but won't have you disconnect your phone and shut the shutters.


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## YoYo (Mar 26, 2007)

Well, it was actually WoW
but speaking of games that _have _some point playing, I should mention Knights of Honor, I'm totally hooked on it... it's a Bulgarian game, you're some ruler whose aim is to govern whole medieval Europe (how original, eh?) but it's actually quite good and I recommend it to whose who are keen on history or at least have to deal with their craving for power...


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## Lenny (Mar 26, 2007)

At the moment it's *Resistance: Fall of Man* and *Motorstorm*, both for the PS3.

And I have to say, they are amazing!

Though R:FoM is making me jump a lot. Especially now... underground, only the light on my rifle, deathly silent.


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## dustinzgirl (Mar 26, 2007)

Lenny said:


> At the moment it's *Resistance: Fall of Man* and *Motorstorm*, both for the PS3.
> 
> And I have to say, they are amazing!
> 
> Though R:FoM is making me jump a lot. Especially now... underground, only the light on my rifle, deathly silent.



Anyone remember playing Doom when it first came out, what like 10 years ago? That game scared the poopies out of me. 

I want to play Resistance, just haven't found the time yet. Plus I don't have a PS 3, and likely won't until christmas or later, but I think its out for the ps2 too.


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## Lenny (Mar 26, 2007)

Sadly it isn't, sorry. It's a must get, though, when you get a PS3.

It's a great game, and there are hundreds of quaint little things dotted arpund the environment - for example, in some of the earlier levels I've been banging fridges open, and right now I'm in a games room playing Pool with my rifle!


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## Leaf Face (Mar 29, 2007)

I love MMORPGs. 2 years on *FFXI* and 1 & 1/2 years on * World of Warcraft*, both really fun. Now I am playing *Elder Scrolls: Oblivion* on PS3, not MMORPG, and it is awesome. You get crazy-detailed with how your char looks and I think this game will go on for at least as long as an MMORPG. Recommended!


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## Leonardo (Mar 29, 2007)

*Leaf Face, *What was your general opinion of *FFXI, *all in all, and why did you quit? I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should try it out. I love *FFXII*, and it's supposed to be like a spiritual MMO brother. How true is that?

Also, I'm a roleplay junkie and unless there's some sort of a roleplaying community, I'd probably hate it. What can you tell me about roleplaying in *FFXI*?

This seems like a really hard game to find info on (except in korean), and it's one of the few MMO's not to have a free trial at any point. Would love some info from you. : )


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## Lucien21 (Mar 29, 2007)

Just finished *Legend of Zelda:Twilight Princess*

Took me 36 hours to do it, Fantastic games 9/10


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## Joel007 (Mar 29, 2007)

I'm playing through _Dragonshard _at the moment, its a dungeons and dragons cross between RPG and RTS. I'm liking the double map style (above and below ground with 2 minimaps). It gets slightly less original after that first innovation, but I'm still enjoying going through the campaign and finding apparently overpowered items which always have a catch somewhere  
The game is quite addictive, although I just made the mistake of walking into 2 armies fighting each other with my scout, who then died... and then 2 armies descended on my low level base from either side


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## Commonmind (Mar 29, 2007)

Leonardo said:


> *Leaf Face, *What was your general opinion of *FFXI, *all in all, and why did you quit? I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should try it out. I love *FFXII*, and it's supposed to be like a spiritual MMO brother. How true is that?
> 
> Also, I'm a roleplay junkie and unless there's some sort of a roleplaying community, I'd probably hate it. What can you tell me about roleplaying in *FFXI*?
> 
> This seems like a really hard game to find info on (except in korean), and it's one of the few MMO's not to have a free trial at any point. Would love some info from you. : )



It does have quite a few similarities to FF XII, or rather, FF XII has a lot of similarities to it. There is a Role Playing community, but it's not as robust as other MMO's as quite a bit of the FF XI user-base came from the console gaming market; unlike other, traditional MMO's which attract more traditional PnP players and develop much larger RP communities. 

The game is quite fun, but as with most of the other MMO's out there it has its faults. I don't like the fact that it was veritably impossible to solo, and that I was forced to constantly find groups when I logged on. After level 10, going at it alone is simply not a great idea. Other than having a few thematic elements from the FF universe, there's really not a lot to be said about it being truly unique. 

My opinion to you, is there are quite a few new MMO's coming to the market that look quite a bit better, and if you're interested in playing one, wait it out. Games like Aion and Pirates of the Burning Sea are going to offer something a bit different to players, and might actually be worth the 15 dollars a month.


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## Leonardo (Mar 29, 2007)

Thanks for the reply, Commonmind!

I've had my eye on Pirates of the Burning Sea for some time, thought it was somewhat low profile. Funny that you should mention it. 

Anyway - Having already wasted a year of my life mmoing, I don't plan to get into another one very deeply. That's a major reason why the roleplaying question matters. Me and my better half are looking for a game that can be played very moderately, but that simply doesn't end. A sort of elaborate social coop game, where we could pop on for an hour or two every second day. Would you say it's possible to enjoy FFXI without joining raids and dedicating your life to it, since that just isn't going to happen?

Also, I'll look into Aion as well. I'll certainly try PoTBS if I come across it, and I'm in no hurry. Thanks.


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## Commonmind (Mar 29, 2007)

Leonardo said:


> Thanks for the reply, Commonmind!
> 
> I've had my eye on Pirates of the Burning Sea for some time, thought it was somewhat low profile. Funny that you should mention it.
> 
> ...



Honestly, FF XI just doesn't have the content necessary to make it compelling to RP'ers, which is  another caveat that makes it unappealing to that type of player. Without good content and settings that inspire the role playing experience, an MMO is basically a glorified chat room that becomes a training ground for speculative fiction writers and people like yourself (myself included) who want an interesting social outlet that goes beyond hanging out at the bar or "kicking it with your homies." 

The two games on the market that do have a good amount of content, though I'm not a fan myself, are World of Warcraft and Everquest 2. Wow is enigmatically popular, and though I've played the game, I don't enjoy it like the next guy. That being said, it really does have some compelling environments and interesting character roles, that sort of get you in the mood of the experience. Everquest 2, though as it stands is not a fantastic MMO, does it right in the same department as WoW, as it has quite a bit of interesting landscapes to explore, and its lore is deep and very inspiring. Myself, when I'm not RP'ing, I'm playing the hardcore role. I led a very successful Alliance in Lineage 2 for three years and was a heavy PvPer, so when it came to playing WoW and EQ2, I didn't devote a lot of time to either one, and my suggestions should be taken with a grain of salt. 

(I will say my wife plays EQ2 and loves it, even after hitting the level cap she continues to crack away at it because she says she loves exploring and interacting with what she calls a "friendly community." For whatever that's worth)


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## Commonmind (Mar 29, 2007)

And to stay on topic, so I don't look like a thread hijacker, the last game(s) I played were my second run-through of Okami (R.I.P Clover); LoZ: Twilight Princess; Splinter Cell: Double Agent (stuck on the Cruise Ship, still); God of War II and I just finished Final Fantasy XII and about to start Dragon Quest 8.

I know, sounds like a lot, but I'm totally OCD and play a game for a set amount of time before switching to the next one (meaning I play games in the same way I read, a dozen titles at a time; though it takes me 3 months to finish the entire lot)


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## dustinzgirl (Mar 29, 2007)

Ha! Im totally the opposite, I read or play one or more games until I get bored, there is no reason or rhyme....I've started games and finished them a year or two later because I get sidetracked with other things.....I still haven't finished the last Tomb Raider (I know, awful). Or I just never finish them, like Darkwatch is a fun game but I just goof around a lot. 

We've been playing Star Wars Battlefront this week, its pretty cool, actually. I still haven't gotten to sit down and play GOW2, but it looks awesome. Test Driver 2 is fun, but kind of boring. I don't know if thats a new game, but its new to me, lol.


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## Leaf Face (Mar 29, 2007)

Leonardo said:


> *Leaf Face, *What was your general opinion of *FFXI, *all in all, and why did you quit? I'm trying to figure out whether or not I should try it out. I love *FFXII*, and it's supposed to be like a spiritual MMO brother. How true is that?
> 
> Also, I'm a roleplay junkie and unless there's some sort of a roleplaying community, I'd probably hate it. What can you tell me about roleplaying in *FFXI*?
> 
> This seems like a really hard game to find info on (except in korean), and it's one of the few MMO's not to have a free trial at any point. Would love some info from you. : )



I really enjoyed the social aspect in FFXI. You can't do hardly anything without help from other players, during which you get to know people really well. There was little or no RPing as far as I saw. People might joke around from time to time and act like the race they chose to be. 

I quit because I tried out World of Warcraft and found myself wanting to play that more than FFXI. Also, it is hard to make money in FFXI and the end game aspects were not fun to me. As an example, to get a specific piece of gear to drop to make your character more "uber", you have to get something like 40 people together to fight several monsters, one of which fight can take up to two hours. Then, if the gear even drops, of those 40 people who fought, you have about 10 who need the gear and you either draw lots or the person who has done the fights about 20 times gets the drop. It made me start to pull out my hair.

I miss the friends I made on that game, but I still email some of them from time to time or they ended up on WoW. If you want a game with a lot of social interaction, you might really like it. But like Commonmind said, there is very little soloing available.


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## Crymic (Mar 31, 2007)

Leaf Face said:


> I really enjoyed the social aspect in FFXI. You can't do hardly anything without help from other players, during which you get to know people really well. There was little or no RPing as far as I saw. People might joke around from time to time and act like the race they chose to be.
> 
> I quit because I tried out World of Warcraft and found myself wanting to play that more than FFXI. Also, it is hard to make money in FFXI and the end game aspects were not fun to me. As an example, to get a specific piece of gear to drop to make your character more "uber", you have to get something like 40 people together to fight several monsters, one of which fight can take up to two hours. Then, if the gear even drops, of those 40 people who fought, you have about 10 who need the gear and you either draw lots or the person who has done the fights about 20 times gets the drop. It made me start to pull out my hair.
> 
> I miss the friends I made on that game, but I still email some of them from time to time or they ended up on WoW. If you want a game with a lot of social interaction, you might really like it. But like Commonmind said, there is very little soloing available.



I can break FFXI down easy for you...

Will you be playing with close friends alot in groups? If no.. Find a Linkshell (guild) where you can do this..
To level fast it requires a Static group, They're the best way.

Money wise..
It can be extremely frustrating to make money in this game. The Encomy is so bad it almost forces you to buy gil with real money from websites. You can far these Battlegrounds which require Beastcoins you get from random mobs. Get your best party together and do it.

Soloing..
You can if you play a Beastmaster. All other classes not really.. Some mobs you can solo but they need be alot lower level then you and with the best gear possible.. but it requires alot of effort.

Combat.
Learn the classes and memorize the chain skill charts to maximize the dps.

Death..
When you die and release your body you lose 10 or maybe 20% xp you've gained.. You get a raise you only lose 5 or 10%.. I forget the numbers but it's really harsh if you release. Yes, you can delevel. It's a total pain in the ass when you get 75 then die and lose it.

Questing..
This game does offer some questing but it's extremely Limited in number of them. Each nation offers their Main Storyline quests for ranks. These quests offer cut scenes and some nice rewards in cash. But overall the quest system is flawed.

Leveling
it's all about static groups, This game requires hours and hours of grinding. You need to chain mobs 5-10 levels higher then you for max xp. Anything that gives a steady flow above 300xp.

Raiding.
You can normally raid upto 3 groups. This isn't so bad.. pretty easy to manage with the Interface Square has given you.. Now try 64 raiding.. Totally stupid. The Unit frames don't support it so you have no idea who is alive and who isn't. What their mana or hp is at. It can cause total choas. They should have never made it raiding require past 15 people.

Dealing with Japanese players and Racisim.
Yes, you will deal with Racisim in game. Japanese players dislike you, and often will refuse to group with you. Sometimes it is due to Language barrier and they feel your a noob who doesn't know crap about the game. They know the best places where to xp and don't want someone messing it up. It pay however to learn hiragana, katakana.. So you can understand some replies. Like "Level up?".. Also pays to make friends with a bi-lingual person who can get you into these phat xp groups. You'll level atleast 3 times a day.

WoW vs FFXI
Raiding is Hell of alot better in WoW. Also depends if you can find a good guild in WoW who can show you the world how it was ment to be played. FFXI does have an awesome class system. WoW Tradeskills don't punish the player as FFXI does.. If you fail in FFXI you have a 50% to lose all your mats, While in WoW you can't fail. Also it's alot easier to make money in Wow. Some people say WoW is too easy for them and play harder games. The Risk vs Reward is much better in WoW then FFXI. You can camp a named monster for hours and only get a fire crystal. While in WoW never walk away empty handed.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Been playing Shining Force EXA for ps2.
Not a bad hack/slash game, It plays like Secret of Mana. You have a choice to play between 2 characters and a supporting character. Though when your base gets attacked you play the main character you left behind to defend your World Domination Fortress.


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## Leaf Face (Apr 1, 2007)

That was a great description of FFXI, IMHO. You left out auto-translator fun, though. {mithra} {meat} {hole} {Can I have it?}

I am glad I will never have to see that again in the dunes. Or the dunes, for that matter!


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## YoYo (Apr 2, 2007)

Has anyone played Fable? A friend of mine told me about it and yesterday I spent nearly 8-9 hours in front of the PC...


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## destruction (Apr 2, 2007)

Spectrobes, theres a thread about it already, read into it, very good game imo


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## Lenny (Apr 2, 2007)

Just be careful that you don't hear about Fable 2, YoYo.  The work that Molyneux is putting into it is mad. And it's not due out for at least a year, so he's got even more chance to add things to it.


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## Aegon the Unworthy (Apr 3, 2007)

God of War 2-  The first was this visceral experience of sheer bad-assness that I have never quite seen in a videogame and yet the controls were easy and intuitive.  So I am a little disappointed in the sequel because it is the exact same game.  I know, I know....a small complaint....super-awesome original translates into mostly awesome sequel.  In the first there was more than one moment where I had to blink and question whether I just saw the "hero" do what he did.....in the second I would see the situation coming as it unveiled itself.

I am Kratos!  Bring me your finest meats and cheeses


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## Loz1703 (Apr 21, 2007)

I've havent long finished Zelda princess of twlight on the wii I found that a realy challenge but I got there. Fantastic story and love the set up that allows you to turn into a wolf.
Currently playing prince of persia rival swords.


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## djp (Apr 23, 2007)

Me, I'm revisiting some favorite old DOS friends, most notably _Jill of the Jungle_ and _Jill Goes Underground._ There's nothing quite like the sight of a good pixel!


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## Rahl Windsong (Apr 23, 2007)

Just finishing up Bioware's Star Wars: Knight's of the Old Repblic and I am once again reminded of just how well the folks at Bioware can tell a story in a game. This game is brilliant and I highly recommend it for any RPG or Star Wars fan.


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## Joel007 (Apr 23, 2007)

KOTOR is indeed awesome. KOTOR2 was even better on gameplay but had a rushed ending


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