The "What Are You Playing Now?" Thread

[PerfectLucky13]

I'm not playing Shank yet, but after I read Joystiq's review and compared it to what IGN said about the game - I came to the determination that I will be playing it this weekend. Between a 4.5 out of 5 and a 7 out of 5 is a good place for a DLC game that really does peak my interests.

If you're interested in reading the Joystiq review, I've posted it here. The game is just oozing with style. Samurai Jack style!

[PerfectLucky13]

I picked up Shank and am loving it. I'm also currently finishing up Alan Wake (Episode 6 right now) and both my Fiancee and I are loving that game. We also just got Metro 2033 and Singularity in the mail through GameFly so we started those this weekend also. Metro 2033 is missing some polish, especially when it comes to enemy physics, but overall is a nice rent-experience. Singularity is actually a LOT better then the reviews gave it credit for in my opinion. I started it this weekend and am loving the single player campaign. Where Darksiders was like Zelda in a lot of the "right" ways, Singularity is like Bioshock in the same ways. It's not a blatant ripoff but it has a similar feel that I enjoy. I'll keep this thread updated as I continue to progress through the single player campaign. Another solid rent - kind of wishing I would have picked it up when it was $40 and packaged with Prototype.

And of course, I'm still playing through StarCraft 2. Obsessing over trophies and playing many, many random custom games with friends. I should be finishing up my first campaign play-through within the next week or so, so I have the challenge maps to look forward too! Maybe I'll actually get good at that game sometime, then I can enjoy & win when I play. I already enjoy playing, it's just the winning that I need to work on .

And that's pretty much it - - finally starting to give my consoles some loving, again. I think they missed me.

[Grindel]

And of course, I'm still playing through StarCraft 2. Obsessing over trophies and playing many, many random custom games with friends.

But not me I see how it is!

[Yaxa]

After finishing Lost Horizon (another mystery point & click adventures from the developers of the Secret Files games) I'm currently playing Metroid: Other M. In keeping with Wii tradition, it has some segments that make me want to throw the Wiimote at the nearest wall. Switching between third and first person mode does get old after a while, and occasionally frustrating (particularly during boss battles) as there's some lag involved. I actually enjoy the cutscenes even though the dialogues/monologues can be fairly cheese and the voice work is hit-and-miss. Other than that it's a very solid action platformer, and for a Wii game, a damn good looking one too. It's also one of the few Wii games that makes good use of the rear speakers in Pro Logic mode.

[PerfectLucky13]

We will have our day! Trust me, I'm just not good enough to play with someone as awesomely talented at RTS games like you, but I will be ready soon!

[Delaregar]

The only thing I have time for nowadays is Plants vs Zombies

[Yttrium]

Castle Crashers - this game is pure win. Simple mechanics, lots of upgrading and leveling, and it regularly offers something new by giving you new character unlocks. I've already pitched it to some friends and they bought it, too. The multiplayer works as well as any I've seen.

Other times: Civilization: Revolutions (DS), Red Dead Redemption (PS3), and WoW

[Ronaan]

Finished Mini Ninjas a while ago, not playing a lot at all currently. But I did pop in Read Dead Redemption and try out the multiplayer for the first time ever, yesterday. It's better than I thought (to me, multiplayer = gankfest, usually).

Considering picking up Ratchet & Clank (Crack in Time) since it went platinum, waiting for GT5.

[PerfectLucky13]

Well, after doing some math I found out that I'd actually make money by picking up Halo: REACH. So I did last night. See, I had $45 in Reward Zone Certificates from Best Buy and you get a $20 gift card if you buy the game there this week so I made $5 off of the deal.

Started playing it a little last night - pretty epic...I'm really excited to get more into it. Although I'm still currently playing StarCraft 2 on the PC and Singularity on my PS3.

[Thwick]

PC: Starcraft 2, Free to play LOTRO to try it out,

360: NCAA 11 and just got Halo: Reach

DS (when traveling for work): LoZ: Spirit Tracks

[Naean]

Next week when I head out on the ship, finishing up Mario Galaxy 2, bought Metroid Other M, and finally bought SC2 so I'll be playing single player campaign.

Also Civ Revolutions on my iPhone has inspired some hour long bathroom breaks!

[Wool]

Haven't had much time for video games lately, so I am still (!!!) playing Birth by Sleep. I'm not sure if I want to "review" it here, or in its own thread. Short version: best handheld Kingdom Hearts by far. Sort of a mix between the first two PS2 titles. Story isn't as good as KH1, but better than the ridiculous nonsense in KH2. Meanwhile, the gameplay is generally better than the clunky combat in KH1, but maybe not as fluid as KH2 (open to debate).

I also bought Mega Man 10 off of PSN on a sale they were having. So far I've only managed to beat it on easy, which is embarrassing. It doesn't just make the game easy, it makes it insultingly so. As if the mode only existed to make you feel bad for using it. I just don't seem to have the patience for old school nes difficulty that I used to. Now that I actually know the stages I think I might have an easier time, but first starting off normal was ridiculous.

Edit: Mega Man 10 is much more doable now that I've learned the levels and bosses. Huzzah.

[Yaxa]

After an old-school adventure binge (Broken Sword) I played through Machinarium, which I'd picked up during a sale but never got around to playing. Took the help of a walkthrough because I found some of the puzzles really obscure. Not a bad indie game, though. (Probably useless to say this here, but don't use ccleaner while playing Machinarium, it'll delete your savegames because the whole thing is Flash-based and uses the default flash folder for storage. Fortunately I was able to restore mine before they were gone for good.)

Currently messing around with Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (DS). Haven't really used the DS much lately. I never got into Dragon Quest IX, and the third Layton doesn't come out in Europe until the 22nd. Waiting for Arcania: Gothic 4 (PC) to arrive next Tuesday.

I've been thinking about getting Birth by Sleep, but I never played any of the previous Kingdom Hearts games (never had a PS2 and the DS spinoffs were supposed to be kind of bad). Can you still enjoy the game (and its story) without knowing any of the other games? I heard it's a prequel. How much does it spoil the other games (should they ever appear on PSN or something)?

[Wool]

As a preface to my answer, allow me to explain that the game is split off into three separate character story arcs. Each one is about 10-20 hours long depending on diligence and has it's own general theme. I've only completed two out of the three, so it's possible something may happen that changes my answer. I also obviously haven't gotten the ever present KH secret ending for this particular title, so don't know if it spoils anything.

So far the story stands almost completely on it's own, but is relatively simple. I like it, but because of it's fractured design, there isn't really much focus on the original material. Most of the intrigue (personally) has come from surmising what these events amount to in the later games. I would say it's slightly more enjoyable if you have played the previous games (mostly for character cameos in their younger selves), but stands alone just fine.

That's on the Square side of things, the fractured design actually makes the Disney stories kind of interesting, as each character experiences a different portion of each tale's story. Not dramatically so though, you will still mostly be playing for the button mashing and light vs dark melodrama.

P.S. The other spinoffs weren't bad, they just had flaws preventing them from being as good as the primary titles in the series. Typically the story in those games were poor, but the gameplay was good, or unique at the very least.

[Yaxa]

Sounds like I might give Birth by Sleep a try after all. Since Sony decided to remove backwards compatibility from the PS3 and I refuse to buy a PS2 at this time, I won't ever play the original Kingdom Hearts games unless Square ports them natively to the PS3 (which, I suppose, might actually happen, given the recent push for "HD" re-releases. But we all know how random Square is in their re-release "strategy").

Thanks for the explanations!

[Ronaan]

Bought Uncharted 2, it's Platinum and I've turned into a budget gamer.

Switched down the difficulty 1 level... damn, I suck at this game

It's still pretty fun though.

[BlackUser]

I am playing pirate omen at the monent and grand fantasia !.

i am new here glad to meet you all XD

[Yttrium]

I'm floundering for something to play.
I'm sustaining a minimal amount of WoW, and occasionally doing some MW2 multiplayer or Red Dead Redemption.
I'm looking for something a bit more hack-slash (PS3 or DS), but with character growth. It's out there, I just need to find it. Maybe it's time to crack open the most recent Ratchet/Clank game - it was a gift in July, and I haven't opened it yet. Hm.

[Eamin]

DEMON'S SOULS.

[Nadiar]

DEMON'S SOULS.

Fuck that game is frustrating. Its like trying to solo in original EQ. Once you find a "trick" that works (i.e. class/item combination) you can dominate. In the meantime if you pick a shitty class, the game is hard as fucking hell until you get enough shit to play a class that works.