What Video Games Are You Currently Playing

revisited Defcon, about six or seven years after I first played it (coincidentally round about the same time I first saw Threads). nabbed it was on sale. costs less than a cup of coffee, yet better than most multimillion dollar AAA shooter snoozefests out there.

such a brilliantly designed little game, from the cold, calculated gameplay to the War Room big-board visuals to the sombre soundtrack with its detailed little touches. a perfect illustration of what "mutually-assured destruction" means - no round in this game ever ends cleanly, you always lose lives, it's just a matter of making the other side lose more lives. Cold War nuclear holocaust paranoia pervades this game, and as an avid follower of that topic, I find this game an excellent homage. it's crazy to think how close this came to being a reality.

64 player Battlefield matches sure are fun

  On 12/25/2015 at 1:40 PM, Rubin Farr said:

I'm seriously tempted to pull the trigger on buying Dragon Quest 8 for iOS, has anyone tried that port? I could mirror it to my TV with Airplay, but it seems to only be Portrait orientation, is that correct? They seriously need to port it to Apple TV, it would sell a bajillion, and help promote that platform.

  On 12/25/2015 at 2:08 PM, bitroast said:

its coming for 3ds soon !!

YOu will be disappointed at how bad it looks on the low-res 3DS. Playstation 2 version (I still keep a PS2 and DQ 8 for this reason) is still the best until they port it to PS4 (hopefully a uprezzed remake, and not simply a PS2 emulated version, although that would suffice).

yeah got a new3ds and man i can't believe how shit it looks. the battery blows compared to the vita too (or my 10 yr old dslite). the ergonomics suck (prioritizing the shitty sticks instead of the dpad/buttons). i wonder if it's too late to return it...

  On 12/28/2015 at 5:07 PM, Joyrex said:

 

  On 12/25/2015 at 1:40 PM, Rubin Farr said:

I'm seriously tempted to pull the trigger on buying Dragon Quest 8 for iOS, has anyone tried that port? I could mirror it to my TV with Airplay, but it seems to only be Portrait orientation, is that correct? They seriously need to port it to Apple TV, it would sell a bajillion, and help promote that platform.

  On 12/25/2015 at 2:08 PM, bitroast said:

its coming for 3ds soon !!

YOu will be disappointed at how bad it looks on the low-res 3DS. Playstation 2 version (I still keep a PS2 and DQ 8 for this reason) is still the best until they port it to PS4 (hopefully a uprezzed remake, and not simply a PS2 emulated version, although that would suffice).

Has 8 been announced for PS4? So far I've heard DQ7, 8, and 11 for 3DS. And DQ11 for PS4.

it hasnt. you got it covered^

Sounds like you guys aren't too impressed with the 3DS. I was actually thinking about buying one, but now I'm dissuaded.

the 3DS is sick.

the 3DS version of DQ8 does look shittier than the ps2 (the colours* tones in particular seem over saturated from what i've seen??).

but the ps2 game still holds up solidly, and if i had a means to play that on a handheld with the 3DS button layout and everything. play it on couch / on train, etc. i would absolutely play it if i wasn't already half way thru.

hope for a ps4 rerelease with a 3xspeed button for all that goddam grinding.

Yeah New 3DS XL is awesome don't let the haters dissuade you. And having my DQ8 map on the bottom screen sounds convenient. DQ11 will show the 3D visuals on the top screen, and an 8 bit version on the touch screen how cool is that.

one thing that has to be said about the PS2 version over the phone version (and... i think the 3DS version) . is the all orchestral soundtrack. soooo lush.

The best thing about the 3DS is The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Installed the dolphin emulator and am going through some gamecube & wii games at the moment, surprisingly lush since last time I checked.

Still looking forward to some of the 2016 titles, especially Hyper Light Drifter and No Man's Sky. Not 100 percent sure about XCOM 2 and the next DOOM tho...probably will wait for reviews first rather than pre-order.

Gonna try to be cautious in my anticipation this time around, after having a mixed final impression about Fallout 4.

There's a couple more titles I'm watching but I don't feel like rambling on.

  On 12/29/2015 at 10:29 AM, ambermonk said:

Still looking forward to some of the 2016 titles, especially Hyper Light Drifter and No Man's Sky. Not 100 percent sure about XCOM 2 and the next DOOM tho...probably will wait for reviews first rather than pre-order.

 

Gonna try to be cautious in my anticipation this time around, after having a mixed final impression about Fallout 4.

 

There's a couple more titles I'm watching but I don't feel like rambling on.

Alex Preston posted an update the other day on Kickstarter re: HLD, he had his heart valves replaced with artificial ones, and has been taking it easy for the last month. I'm betting the PC/Mac/Linux ports will ship in Spring on target, but the PS4/Wii U versions might not see release til Fall 2016.

  On 12/29/2015 at 5:36 AM, ambermonk said:

Sounds like you guys aren't too impressed with the 3DS. I was actually thinking about buying one, but now I'm dissuaded.

Don't get me wrong; the 3DS is a great little handheld - IF the games are made specifically for it. Link Between Worlds (aka the latest Zelda game - not counting that awful Triforce Heroes monstrosity), and a ton of others (my daughter is playing the SHIT out of Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer) are some of the best games period, regardless of platform.

However, the biggest limitation (which I had hoped they would finally address with the "new" 3DS was the poor screen resolution - instead, they kept the screen resolution to the paltry 800x240 (400px is for the 3D), which is shameful in this day and age, especially on the vertical. As a result, many games (even some specifically made for the platform) just look awful due to the jagged edges.

Nintendo's next handheld (be it the NX or something else) really should have at least a 1080P screen - phones and most tablets that are sub 100$ have them; there's no reason for a 2016/2017 handheld not to have at least that.

  On 12/29/2015 at 1:56 PM, Rubin Farr said:

 

  On 12/29/2015 at 10:29 AM, ambermonk said:

Still looking forward to some of the 2016 titles, especially Hyper Light Drifter and No Man's Sky. Not 100 percent sure about XCOM 2 and the next DOOM tho...probably will wait for reviews first rather than pre-order.

 

Gonna try to be cautious in my anticipation this time around, after having a mixed final impression about Fallout 4.

 

There's a couple more titles I'm watching but I don't feel like rambling on.

Alex Preston posted an update the other day on Kickstarter re: HLD, he had his heart valves replaced with artificial ones, and has been taking it easy for the last month. I'm betting the PC/Mac/Linux ports will ship in Spring on target, but the PS4/Wii U versions might not see release til Fall 2016.

 

Geez, what a slacker

  On 12/29/2015 at 4:31 PM, Joyrex said:

 

Nintendo's next handheld (be it the NX or something else) really should have at least a 1080P screen - phones and most tablets that are sub 100$ have them; there's no reason for a 2016/2017 handheld not to have at least that.

Yeah I think I overheard the NX announcement a couple of months ago. If it's coming out within the next year or two I may just hold off til then. I already have a highly capable laptop for gaming, but lately I'm sorta desiring a change of pace in the games themselves - simpler, faster paced games as opposed to open-world exploration games, to be more specific. I'd like to exercise my eye-hand coordination / motor skills a little more.

  On 12/29/2015 at 1:56 PM, Rubin Farr said:

 

  On 12/29/2015 at 10:29 AM, ambermonk said:

Still looking forward to some of the 2016 titles, especially Hyper Light Drifter and No Man's Sky. Not 100 percent sure about XCOM 2 and the next DOOM tho...probably will wait for reviews first rather than pre-order.

 

Gonna try to be cautious in my anticipation this time around, after having a mixed final impression about Fallout 4.

 

There's a couple more titles I'm watching but I don't feel like rambling on.

Alex Preston posted an update the other day on Kickstarter re: HLD, he had his heart valves replaced with artificial ones, and has been taking it easy for the last month. I'm betting the PC/Mac/Linux ports will ship in Spring on target, but the PS4/Wii U versions might not see release til Fall 2016.

 

That reminds me, I need to chip in @ Kickstarter. A handheld version would be fantastic, if it's coming to Wii U. My brother just bought one yesterday. I watched a brief interview with Preston last night, where he cited Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past as a direct influence, which happens to be my favorite Zelda game. HLD looks awesome either way.

  On 12/29/2015 at 7:14 PM, ambermonk said:

 

  On 12/29/2015 at 4:31 PM, Joyrex said:

 

Nintendo's next handheld (be it the NX or something else) really should have at least a 1080P screen - phones and most tablets that are sub 100$ have them; there's no reason for a 2016/2017 handheld not to have at least that.

Yeah I think I overheard the NX announcement a couple of months ago. If it's coming out within the next year or two I may just hold off til then. I already have a highly capable laptop for gaming, but lately I'm sorta desiring a change of pace in the games themselves - simpler, faster paced games as opposed to open-world exploration games, to be more specific. I'd like to exercise my eye-hand coordination / motor skills a little more.

 

 

  On 12/29/2015 at 1:56 PM, Rubin Farr said:

 

  On 12/29/2015 at 10:29 AM, ambermonk said:

Still looking forward to some of the 2016 titles, especially Hyper Light Drifter and No Man's Sky. Not 100 percent sure about XCOM 2 and the next DOOM tho...probably will wait for reviews first rather than pre-order.

 

Gonna try to be cautious in my anticipation this time around, after having a mixed final impression about Fallout 4.

 

There's a couple more titles I'm watching but I don't feel like rambling on.

Alex Preston posted an update the other day on Kickstarter re: HLD, he had his heart valves replaced with artificial ones, and has been taking it easy for the last month. I'm betting the PC/Mac/Linux ports will ship in Spring on target, but the PS4/Wii U versions might not see release til Fall 2016.

 

That reminds me, I need to chip in @ Kickstarter. A handheld version would be fantastic, if it's coming to Wii U. My brother just bought one yesterday. I watched a brief interview with Preston last night, where he cited Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past as a direct influence, which happens to be my favorite Zelda game. HLD looks awesome either way.

 

 

Supposed to be unveiled at E3 this year, possibly out by Christmas 2016. Rumours are it might be a combo console/handheld, where you can take a portion of the unit on the go. Sounds quirky enough to fit NIntendo's M.O.

So NX would be a "hybrid" portable console? Sounds pretty cool. Yeah I'd be curious to see the demo.

If the NX ends up being backwards compatible, then I will most likely just wait for it to release instead of buying a Wii U. I have so many other things that are higher on my priority purchase list that it may take that long anyways. I know the Wii U will be pretty cheap by then, but at that point I'm sure I'll be swayed by Nintendo's ideas for the NX enough to skip the Wii U and have the NX move up on my priority list. I'll just have to wait and see.

High up on that priority purchase list, under video game purchases, you'll find Sony's PlayStation VR. I can't wait to play around with VR, and Sony's VR solution seems pretty sweet. It'll either be PlayStation VR or Oculus Rift. I'm not 100% sure on that decision yet.

  On 12/29/2015 at 7:36 PM, ambermonk said:

So NX would be a "hybrid" portable console? Sounds pretty cool. Yeah I'd be curious to see the demo.

That's one of the more popular rumours going about...

  On 12/29/2015 at 11:43 PM, 747Music said:

If the NX ends up being backwards compatible, then I will most likely just wait for it to release instead of buying a Wii U. I have so many other things that are higher on my priority purchase list that it may take that long anyways. I know the Wii U will be pretty cheap by then, but at that point I'm sure I'll be swayed by Nintendo's ideas for the NX enough to skip the Wii U and have the NX move up on my priority list. I'll just have to wait and see.

 

High up on that priority purchase list, under video game purchases, you'll find Sony's PlayStation VR. I can't wait to play around with VR, and Sony's VR solution seems pretty sweet. It'll either be PlayStation VR or Oculus Rift. I'm not 100% sure on that decision yet.

I wouldn't count on the NX being backwards-compatible (at first, or ever) - unless Nintendo stubbornly sticks to non-standard architecture for their CPU/system (and is Wii U compatible/capable), I think what will happen is they will jump on the "standard PC architecture" bandwagon like Microsoft and Sony have so third-party developers will be able to embrace the NX, unlike the Wii U.

Add to the fact there will probably be an awkward period where the Wii U and NX will share the spotlight (possibly for some time depending on how long Nintendo keeps the Wii U going post-NX launch), the last thing they would do is cannibalize their Wii U market with backwards compatibility on the NX.

Nintendo has a good thing going with their eShop and Virtual Console games; I hope they continue this with the NX (although buying the same games over and over is getting a bit tiring). Nintendo should go a subscription route for a "all you can play" for the Virtual Console, but do it better than Sony has with Playstation Now.

There's also a rumour going around that SEGA might get back into the hardware game with a new console, but supposedly it's like a Steam Machine where it's a bog-standard PC in all respects. I bet if true it's probably a glorified emulator that will run past SEGA games. Really sad, as SEGA was once king of hardware, easily besting Nintendo in that space.

that sega rumor was debunked the day after it came out. it was apparently some singular group writing about wanting to make a dreamcast 2 and a few blogs reposting it and then people reposting it on fb to where it got tagged in their "trending articles" ticker and snowballed from there.

http://kotaku.com/no-sega-isnt-launching-a-dreamcast-2-1749342080

i don't really use fb but a friend of mine had sent me a link to an article about the dc2. i thought it had the potential to be true (like how they released those new c64 pcs). oh well

and yeah. wouldn't count on nx being backward compatible. rereleased and uprezzed is the new backwards compatibility

  On 12/27/2015 at 7:21 AM, juiceciuj said:

bought fast racing neo. playing it on the gamepad while my lady hogs the tv playing mgsv. very cool looking game. very strong mix of fzero and wipeout. kinda funny at borrowing the chopped menu title bars from wip3out. got gold in the first two novice cups by tying for first place. seems to be a pretty severly rubberbanding ai. or maybe i just suck at it so far.

bought nintendo money and going to try out neo racing later tonight..

Ether One is pretty good.