Games

[icycalm]

Because I know you care, I'll tell you which games I am playing right now. Feel free to tell me what you are playing. If we keep this thread up-to-date, we can look back in a year's time and remember exactly how we were wasting away our lives.

Since I bought a 29" TV about a week ago, I've set it up in tate and I've been playing one great shooter after another. That's the only TV I have at the moment, and since it weighs a fucking ton I can't really keep flipping it back and forth to play regular games. So until I get a second TV (which will happen sometime next week) I can only play vertical shooters.

At the mo, my routine goes like this:

1 credit of Espgaluda, then 1-1.5 hours of Psyvariar Medium Unit, followed by 1 hour of Mushihime-sama. Finally, one or two credits of Espgaluda before I turn the PS2 off.

Last week I also played Homura quite a bit, but I find that Psyvariar and Homura don't mix well, so I stopped playing that. Homura is a pretty awesome shooter, though, and I plan to pick it up again after I am through with Psyvariar.

I am still thinking about what to play when the other TV arrives. I brought almost 300 discs with me from Tokyo, and I don't know where to start. (btw, most of those games I picked up for under 10US from bargain bins--in case you are wondering, I am not a millionaire). At the moment it's a toss up between MGS3 and GitS:SAC. Or maybe I'll play both at the same time.

[zak]

At the moment it's a toss up between MGS3 and GitS:SAC. Or maybe I'll play both at the same time.

So which one did you end up with? I liked MGS3 because the gameplay and the controlls where brilliant. Didn't like it's story as much as I liked the one in MGS2 though (all those bosses popping up and fighting you for no real reason in the jungle just didn't seem right).

I mostly use my computer for emulation these days, since most of the new games don't run as good as I'd want them to (it's a P4 1.4 Ghz, 384 ram, Geforce FX5200). So I play 1 credit of Dodonpachi and Dangun everyday, or some more when I'm in the mood. Lately I've been fooling arround with Discworld and I'm quite enjoying it, as I haven't played adventure games in quite a while.

My PS2 is going through a real dry spell. There's a Vagrant Story disc inside, and I haven't played it in two weeks. The thing is I don't have a PS1 memory card (actually I had 2 but neither of them worked) so I can't save. I think I'll just see how much of it I can play before I get too tired or distracted. I could emulate it but I don't have a gamepad and the camera's a hassle (I want to buy one of those PS2 to USB converters so I can use my allready abused DualShock2 but so far I haven't found one in the shops here).

I have some cash I've been saving for an Ipod Nano (2gb) but I guess I could spend some on a new PS2 game. I'd like to try Katamari or maybe get the PS2 version of Dodonpachi. Steambot Chronicles looks preety tempting too.
Almost picked up GTA Liberty City Stories a few days ago but I reminded myself I didn't like GTA3 that much at the last moment.

So what have you guys been playing?

[Chuplayer]

I played through worlds 1-9 of Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels last weekend.

Last week at school, I played some Garou: Mark of the Wolves, Marvel Vs. Capcom, and Alien Vs. Predator (Capcom side scroller) on my friend's laptop. He has two PS2 to USB converters, so we used PS2 controllers.

Over the past couple days, I played UFC on my Dreamcast. It's the first UFC game. It's actually pretty cool. I also played Propeller Arena (burned, lol) on my DC yesterday. It's a shame that game didn't get released.

I also played some World Driver Championship on my N64 last Friday.

I'll probably play ECW: Hardcore Revolution on my DC later on. I'm in an ECW mood, being that One Night Stand is going to be on tonight. Maybe I'll also play some Virtua Fighter 3tb or 4 Evolution later. I don't know.

[icycalm]

I am glad you guys are posting in this thread now. I see that seven people voted that they play games every day, yet none of them cared to talk about what the titles they play. And I ask you, what's the point of a video game forum if people don't talk about the games they play every day?

Any way, zak, welcome to the forum. Are you the same guy who posts on shmups?

So yeah, I didn't end up playing MGS3, nor Ghost in the Shell, because I spent too much time playing and reviewing the arcade games you see on the front page. I guess my priority is with the site at the moment, so I try to limit my gaming to titles that I can review at the same time. If I played MGS3 I wouldn't be able to review it because I'd need to review MGS and MGS2 first. So it will take a while. To be honest, I am kinda tired of old arcade games after two months of playing them non-stop--I'd like to try something modern now. But not too time consuming... Oh well.

Don't buy Liberty City Stories dude, it's the worst GTA. DOJ and Katamari for PS2 are must-haves. Forget about Rockstar, they have enough money already.

And Chu, you seem to be into wrestling games. I never saw the attraction. WTF is up with that? I guess I should try one sometime.

[zak]

Thanks icy. Sorry but I don't post on shumps.
What are you reviewing now? Are you gonna write something about Dangun/ Dodonpachi/ Ikaruga because that would be great. Or dare I mention Final Fight (where I was surprised to find that the arcade version is much more challenging than the NES one).
People should post more here because the site/boards are preety cool.

A friend came over earlier with Sensible Soccer for the PS2 and I like it preety much. Sensible Soccer was one of the first games I played on the PC (actually I believe it was Sensible World of Soccer for DOS) and I loved it. So I'm really glad it got a remake this year. The core mechanics are unchanged, the pace is as great as ever, and watching big headed cel-shaded players run arround after scoring a goal is enough to make me not miss the official licenses. I miss some of the advanced gameplay elements from FIFA or Winning Eleven but Sensible Soccer is just plain fun, especially when combined with the entire World Cup atmosphere that we have going on these days (even though my team is sitting it out, guess I'll cheer for England or something).

Also, Chu, I never played a wrestling game in my life and I wouldn't know where to start either. I used to watch it on TNT some time ago, and some costumed guy hitting another burly fighter with a chair is one of the greatest feelings you can find in sports. Also all the smack talk was preety entertaining too.

[icycalm]

What are you reviewing now? Are you gonna write something about Dangun/ Dodonpachi/ Ikaruga because that would be great. Or dare I mention Final Fight (where I was surprised to find that the arcade version is much more challenging than the NES one).

I'll have reviews for Onimusha and Insector X up shortly. I've got several more in my mind that I just need to type up: R-Type II, Super R-Type, R-Type Leo, Dragon Breed, Devil May Cry, Ghosts & Goblins, the third Rastan game, Xbox Ninja Gaiden, Psyvariar Medium Unit, Saint Dragon, .... Well, those for starters.

I'll get to Final Fight pretty soon, as well as DonPachi and DoDonPachi. On the other hand, Ikaruga and Dangun Feveron reviews are not coming any time soon because I haven't played them enough, and I won't for a while.

One of my main problems is the fact that I only want to play good games, but for the sake of the site I have to spend as much time playing bad and mediocre ones. And, in most cases, finish them. That means I often get fed up with games (try playing Arrow Flash or Narc for 5 hours straight and you'll see what I mean), and need to take a break. If I was only playing good games I'd be writing reviews much faster.

People should post more here because the site/boards are preety cool.

Since there are very few people here, and even fewer who check back frequently, I wouldn't hold my breath. This place isn't taking off any time soon. Give it until September maybe, and it should be much more lively.

[Chuplayer]

Don't buy Liberty City Stories dude, it's the worst GTA.

j

What if it was someone's first GTA game? I rented Vice City a few years ago, but that's all the GTA I've had. If LCS (PS2 version, of course) is decent, then the subsequent games should be more amazing, right?

And Chu, you seem to be into wrestling games. I never saw the attraction. WTF is up with that? I guess I should try one sometime.

They're rather like fighting games, but they've got a wrestling theme. They're no SNK fighters, but playing as your favorite wrestlers in a game with a decent-to-good gameplay engine is a lot of fun. I suppose you have to be into wrestling to get into the games, but even if you aren't, you could play some multiplayer matches and still have some Smash Bros.-style party fun.

I haven't played a lot of recent wrestling games, though. The most recent one I've played is Rumble Roses for PS2, and that's not even a game with real-life characters. However, they sort of made a mini universe for that game. The game has a storyline of its own, and it's kind of like wrestling-like. (Barring the boss.) And there's bikini mud wrestling :) Unfortunately, the sequel on the bawks 360 has no storyline. It's effectively a wrestling-themed fighting game. It got rid of mud wrestling, too. You'd think with all that power the system has, they'd use it to make some realistic mud for the chicks to wrestle in.

I think this is a complete list of all the wrestling games I have.

WWF Wrestlemania (NES, my first wrestling game, played this semi-often even when I wasn't into wrestling from 1994-1998)
WWF Wrestlemania Challenge (NES, really bad)
WWF RAW (Genesis, good music and decent gameplay, four player IIRC)
WWF Wrestlemania: The Arcade Game (Saturn and PSX, but they upped the difficulty on the Saturn version a lot, so I don't play it as much)
WWF War Zone (PSX, not as good as Attitude)
WWF Attitude (Dreamcast, the best version)
WWF Smackdown (PSX, it's pretty good)
WWF Smackdown 2 (PSX, improved over the first Smackdown)
WWF Wrestlemania 2000 (N64, has full wrestler entrances)
WWF No Mercy (N64, widely regarded as the best US-released wrestling game, cuts out some of wrestler entrances though)
WWF Royal Rumble (Dreamcast, port of the Naomi-based arcade game)
ECW Hardcore Revolution (Dreamcast, my favorite promotion's first video game, based on the WWF Attitude engine)
WCW Vs. The World (PSX, precursor to the N64 WCW World Tour and Revenge and WWF WM2K and No Mercy)
WCW Vs. NWO: World Tour (N64, first N64 wrestling game, major step up from Vs. The World on PSX)
WCW/NWO: Revenge (N64, the pinnacle of WCW games)
WCW Mayhem (N64, but I want to pick up the PSX version before they're all gone from GS/EB/Funco stores because the play-by-play is better, first WCW game from EA, and the engine really showed promise despite being very rough)
WCW Nitro (PSX, utter crap, but there are some interesting videos of wrestlers talking trash)
WCW Thunder (PSX, see WCW Nitro, but has more videos)
Rumble Roses (PS2, MUD WRESTLING!!! BONER TIME!!!)

Damn, that's a lot. The only older game I really wish I had is ECW Anarchy Rulz. The second and final ECW game. It's got a better roster than Hardcore Revolution. I also wouldn't mind WWF In Your House for the PSX, but whatever. I'll pass on WCW Backstage Assault, though. Stupid EA making a wrestling game without any option of wrestling in a ring. I hear they discarded the gameplay engine from Mayhem and made an all new all crappy engine for Backstage Assault.

I plan on getting all of the older PS2 WWF Smackdown games. I'm going to start with the first one that came out when WWF was still the WWF. Them I'm going to get the WWE ones and see how the series progressed. I hear the WWE Day of Reckoning games on the GCN are good, too.

[Molloy]

I'm playing Gradius V at the moment. Found it 2nd hand a couple of weeks ago after searching for it for like a year. Brilliant, brilliant game but it's doing my head in something awful. Can't get past the 2nd level boss. I'm a resolute 1 credit person though so I can't credit feed my way past the bastard. :)

When I'm not tearing my hair out at that I'm generally playing a multiplayer RTS game for the PC called TA Spring. It's a fan made game that borrows most of its gameplay from Total Annihilation. I've been playing TA in some form or another for 10 years now, and I'm still hopelessly addicted to it. I'll sit down to it at 5 o'clock and before I notice it its 1AM.

I like the look of Liberty City Stories. Some people thought San Andreas was the 2nd coming of christ but it did nothing for me. All the RPG aspects, trudging around a massive game map, and the unfunny script put me off. Give me Vice City over that any day. More focus and more fun.

[Jedah]

I'm currently destroyed by the "silly" Nintendo DS. This machine made me play games the way GameBoy did back in 1993. I'm playing Advance Wars: Dual Strike, Yoshi Touch & Go, Mario Kart DS and Metroid Prime Hunters. If you don't own a DS I highly recommend it. It has many addictive games. It sounds silly but its true. You cannot pass a day without powering up this little machine.

Besides DS and its small bubbles of gaming fun, I love 2D shoters and beus. I'm playing in MAME using a Saturn arcade stick classics like:

Dodonpachi
Progear
Metal Slug
Marvel vs Capcom
Street Fighter Alpha 3
KOF 98, 99


In the weekends I hook up my Dreamcast for some F355 Challenge racing and Ikaruga Shooting. I like racing simulators a lot (not games, simulators) so I run a lap or two in Live For Speed or Racer. You maybe wondering where do I find so much time to play all these games. Well I don't. I'm usually spending 1.5 hour max per day for gaming, with very short gaming sessions of many games. I don't like it but work & social obligations live me with very little free time. Sad but true.

[Chuplayer]

You cannot pass a day without powering up this little machine.

I can. Still, I love my DS, and I play it fairly often. I just finished Ultimate Spider-Man on it. It's awesome.

Besides DS and its small bubbles of gaming fun, I love 2D shoters and beus. I'm playing in MAME using a Saturn arcade stick classics like:

Dodonpachi
Progear
Metal Slug
Marvel vs Capcom
Street Fighter Alpha 3
KOF 98, 99

GAROU FTW.

In the weekends I hook up my Dreamcast for some F355 Challenge

You, sir, have great taste. No, wait. Do you play with the 80s rock soundtrack blaring? If so, you, sir, have great taste. If you don't, then you, sir, have good taste, but not as good taste as you would have if you were rocking out with the legendary tunes of F355 Challenge.

F355 Challenge is possibly the greatest racing game ever. It's a 100% true racing simulator. Hell, the graphics still look great today. Who needs a bawks 360? Pull out a DC and play F355 Challenge. The demo of that game owned my soul for months before I got the game for Christmas. I actually managed to take first place in Suzuka Short in the demo. You only get two laps to race, but I did it. It was totally awesome. Possibly the most exciting gaming experience I have ever had, and that was only on a demo. It's the closest thing you can get to beating a game whilst only playing the demo. It was like, "Fuck you, Yu Suzuki. I know you don't want me to, but I'm going to beat your game and not even put the full game in my DC. I'm just going to fire up this here demo and school you, you F355 owning bastard. I am more deserving of your F355 than you are." I swear, if I could've raced against him back in 2000 when I did that and my skills were totally awesome, I would've kicked his ass and he would've relinquished not only his F355 but total control over AM2 over to me. Then I would've released VF4: Final Tuned on every gaming system. After I did that, I'd tie him to the back of my new Ferrari like cans when people get married, and I'd drag his soon-to-be dead corpse around Japan in my new F355 whilst blasting the hard rock tunes of the F355 Challenge video game so loud windows in buildings along the streets would shatter. Of course my F355's windows wouldn't break because they're Ferarri windows, and they're awesome. Then I'd drive my F355 over an opening bridge, flying through the air, only to find that it was actually a closing bridge, and Suzuki's body fell down into the gap between bridge pieces before it closed, flattening him and turning him into a human pancake with blood sauce dripping down into the below body of water where sharks would converge and eat the Suzuki Pancake when it fell down into the water the next time the bridge opened.

Then I'd be all like, "Oh fuck, I just killed the creator of the Virtua Fighter games."

[Jedah]

F355 Challenge is one of the purest racing games. Although it is surpassed in physics and realism by Simbin's GTR, F355 is still the most astonishing drive you can have in a videogame. The sound and only the sound of this V8 can make a motor freak fall to his knees and cry like a baby. Graphics wise? Silky smooth, no pop-up, amazing car details. Only texture quality is very low, especaillly in track objects. But you cannot notice them when concentrated so much in your perfect driving line. I've currently unlocked all tracks, except the last one. I suspect I need to place 1st in the Championship mode ( 2nd is my best effort so far).

AND YES I LOVE THE 80'S ROCK TUNES!

[icycalm]

I once saw the 3-screen arcade... I can't remember where exactly. It must have been either in Tokyo or Hong Kong. You guys would have loved it. Apparently, it uses the equivalent of 4 Dreamcasts to run (4 Naomi boards): 1 board for each screen, 1 to tie it all up.

[Jedah]

Believe or not this cabinet was found in Paladium arcade shop in the center of Athens. Besides the 3-screen layout this cabinet is far superior than 2-seat / 2-screen layout. It was equipped with clutch and 6-speed manual gearbox with very lifelike gear lever, en exact replica of a Ferrari lever. The other cabinet had little semi automatic paddles behind the wheel and no clutch. The 3-screen cabinet is one of the greatest arcade experiences a man can have. The major letdown is that there's no fine wheel for the Dreamcast. The official is very bad, without foot pedals.

[Chuplayer]

I only played the three-screen version twice, and that was almost six years ago. Still, it's the most amazing thing I've ever played. It was a little small, though. My knees were hitting the steering wheel, and I was only 14 back then.

[Molloy]

They have two of those 3 screen F355 cabinets in Dublin. I'm embarrassed to say I haven't played it at all. I've always found the game very intimidating.

Had the PS2 version which I believe isn't the best introdcution to the game. You really need the analogue acceleration.

Just couldn't face the game after trudging through the snorefest that was Gran Tourismo 3. Should have given it more time before I traded it in I suppose.

[icycalm]

So again I find myself playing only shooters. For the past 4 days or so I play about an hour, hour and a half, of Mushihime-sama every day. These games are like sports, really. You stop playing, your ability goes to shit. You play too much, you wear yourself out and can't perform. But if you play in moderation on a daily basis, you get exponentially better, as time goes by.

I am now ranked 19th (out of 30) on the shumps.com boards on this game. Check it out:

http://shmups.system11.org/viewtopic.php?t=9307

I play on Maniac, I can get past the 4th stage midboss (the game has five stages), and my best score is 43,710,190. I did this several days ago, and since then I haven't been able to get anywhere near it. Although I am certain I will soon reach 50 mill, and climb a few spots on the hi score table.

I am going to get that 1CC eventually, but I doubt whether I'll seriously go after the high scorering lunatics on that thread. These people watch replays and read strategy guides, and they plan their runs down to minute details.

I just can't go through all that shit for one goddamn game. It doesn't sound like fun.

Well, except...

I am not bored of the game yet, even though I must have put at least 40 hours in it. If I DO manage to 1CC it, and I am still not tired of it, then I guess the next logical step to take would be to improve my score. We'll see. Mushi is an incredible rush though. I can hardly imagine a day going by without firing it up.

Anyway. I think next week I'll start on MGS 3, finally. I want to play a few less demanding, beatable games. It'll be a shock. I haven't touched a non-arcade game in 3 months.

[Chuplayer]

It's been almost five years since I played it on the Dreamcast, but I finally got Sonic Adventure DX for the GCN yesterday. I played through the Sonic portion of the game and beat it in one sitting last night. It was cool.

I unlocked the Game Gear Sonic 1 this morning. I played it for a little bit. It was just like I remembered it on my Game Gear, but now I don't have to worry about batteries! I'll have to get an Action Replay to unlock all the other games because I don't have the patience to get all the emblems and complete all the missions.

[zak]

I got Katamari Damacy last week and played a bit, but right now I'm tied up with all these goddamn final exams. I really like the way the music relates to the general feel of what's happening on screen. And rolling arround picking up cars and trees is great, but starting each mission from a small size and working your way up gets repetitive after a while.
I also love the way the King talks and berates you when you fail the mission. Guess I'll put some more time in it after next week.

I also played some Capcom vs Snk 2 but it's freaking torture without a fighting stick. The PS2 controller really isn't meant for fighting games, the D-pad makes my thumb hurt and the analog stick is hyper-sensitive so you end up jumping instead of moving. Guess I'll buy a fighting stick soon, but it'll have to be a cheap one.

So KoF XI is out in Japan. Icy are you gonna get it and take a look at it, or are you into MGS3 right now? It's gonna be a while before we'll se an english version I'm affraid, but I wouldn't mind stumbling my way through the menus on an import version.

[Chuplayer]

So KoF XI is out in Japan. Icy are you gonna get it and take a look at it, or are you into MGS3 right now? It's gonna be a while before we'll se an english version I'm affraid, but I wouldn't mind stumbling my way through the menus on an import version.

Bullshit. I have three Japanese DC KOF games, and there is hardly any stumbling through menus.

Of course, SNK is dead to me now, so I don't know if they changed their nonstumbling ways.

[icycalm]

Well, KOF XI is out in Japan but I am not there right now. I am home in Athens. Even if I was there I wouldn't be buying it, since it'll be at around 6,000 yen for at least six months before the price comes down. I've played a few credits in the arcades, though, and it looks pretty sharp. Don't ask me about differences to previous games, because I wouldn't know what to tell you.

I've yet to start on MGS3! I may never do!!

But I am at around 70% in Aria of Sorrow, and having a great time. Wonderful game. I'll move on to Harmony of Dissonace afterwards, and I'll finish Circle of the Moon for the second time after that. I am playing them the other way round, because it's cooler that way.

And then Dawn of Sorrow here I come. That should be in about 2 weeks, so I need to arrange with someone to send me the game from the States.

And THEN, I can sit around with Jedah and wait for Portrait of Ruin...

(There is a slight possibility I might get fed up with the Castlevanias before that. If this happens, I'll give myself a break. In the long run, I never get tired of these games.)

Oh, I also played a bit of Ultimate Spider-man on the GBA, after reading Chuplayer's comment somewhere in this forum. It is fucking awesome. Everyone should play it. I wonder when I'll find the time.

[Chuplayer]

I've yet to start on MGS3! I may never do!!

Bull-fucking-shit.

Oh, I also played a bit of Ultimate Spider-man on the GBA, after reading Chuplayer's comment somewhere in this forum. It is fucking awesome. Everyone should play it. I wonder when I'll find the time.

Right on, man. USM is the best comic book themed video game ever, and it's damn good in its own right. It more than makes up for those shitty console comic book side scrollers of the 90s. But X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse was pretty cool. Wish I got the cart when I had the chance. And there were a few decent arcade beat-em-ups, too.

Do you read the USM comic books? I figured a bit of my joygasm from the game might have been from being an Ultimate Marvel fan.

[icycalm]

I've yet to start on MGS3! I may never do!!

Bull-fucking-shit.

Yes well, from time to time I work on my Tim Rogers imitation.

Oh, I also played a bit of Ultimate Spider-man on the GBA, after reading Chuplayer's comment somewhere in this forum. It is fucking awesome. Everyone should play it. I wonder when I'll find the time.

Right on, man. USM is the best comic book themed video game ever, and it's damn good in its own right. It more than makes up for those shitty console comic book side scrollers of the 90s. But X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse was pretty cool. Wish I got the cart when I had the chance. And there were a few decent arcade beat-em-ups, too.

Do you read the USM comic books? I figured a bit of my joygasm from the game might have been from being an Ultimate Marvel fan.

I never actually read any Marvel Ultimate comics. I used to read Marvel comics voraciously when I was younger, everything from old school Namor the Submariner to X-Factor and of course all the popular ones. The mighty Thor was my favorite.

But I got out of comics (and got into manga) just when the Ultimate books started coming out.

I played only the first stage of Ultimate Spider-Man, and it gave me an incredible rush flyng around the screen. It's the closest I've felt to being Spider-Man since that DC title, which if I remember correctly was produced by the same developer. They've come a long way since then.

[Chuplayer]

I never actually read any Marvel Ultimate comics. I used to read Marvel comics voraciously when I was younger, everything from old school Namor the Submariner to X-Factor and of course all the popular ones. The mighty Thor was my favorite.

But I got out of comics (and got into manga) just when the Ultimate books started coming out.

Namor... was he a good guy? He just showed up in one of the more recent Ultimate Fantastic Four books, and he was a bad guy. And I also like Thor, but Ultimate Thor is quite a bit different from the regular one.

I played only the first stage of Ultimate Spider-Man, and it gave me an incredible rush flyng around the screen. It's the closest I've felt to being Spider-Man since that DC title, which if I remember correctly was produced by the same developer. They've come a long way since then.

I played the N64 version of that game. It was pretty cool. I'm not sure who made the DS version of USM, but I do know that the same people that made the console version of USM made the Spider-Man game you're talking about. The console versions pretty cool, too. USM console is to USM DS as Sonic Adventure 1 is to Sonic Adventure 2. (Or something. I always hated those standardized test analogies.) It's a lot more adventure oriented.

[icycalm]

Namor is what you'd call an anti-hero I guess, but he has helped the Avengers and others on occasion.

He had his own comic for a few years in the early 90s. And of course a number of Limited Edition runs.

As for USM, I only played the first stage of the GBA game. I've never seen any other version, though now I see there are several. I wonder which one's the best. I guess I'll do some research.

[Chuplayer]

As for USM, I only played the first stage of the GBA game. I've never seen any other version, though now I see there are several. I wonder which one's the best. I guess I'll do some research.

*sees GBA in your original post*

LOL. I thought you were talking about the DS. So the GBA version is that good? Maybe I should check that one out, too.