Let's Talk Modern Consoles, PCs, And Handhelds

[AntiBeeSpray]

Basically anything from the DS onward for handhelds and anything from the Wii/PS3 onward.

 

I've had my Wii for over 7 years now and it's still going strong. Other than a minor fan issue, it's still working well. My DS is doing well too. Just have to get the right screwdriver for it so I can change its battery.

 

I've had my 3ds for over a year now and it works good. I'd recommend it. Same with the Wii U. It's a good sturdy system.

 

How about you guys? What systems do you have? How long have you had them? What are some of your favorite games to play on them?

[Danny Franks]

I bought an Xbox 360, solely because Mass Effect was exclusive to it, and I've pretty much just stuck with that. Though I do hate that companies have made games that are exclusive to one console or another. It seems such an odd marketing choice, given that they're throwing away a portion of the gaming community, rejecting their money.

 

Anyway, so I've had that for years (well, technically, I had to replace it a couple of years ago when my first one got the Red Ring of Death), and it's served me well enough. I don't think I play games often enough to think about buying an Xbox One or PS4, at the moment. When the prices drop, and when they get the backwards compatible emulation working, I'll probably get a PS4.

[ShadowDenizen]

I bought a PS4, and the selection is a bit low for my tastes right now, though the library is growing.

I've beaten "Murdered: Soul Suspect" as well as "Infmaous 3" (whihc was the reason I bought the system.)

 

I may get an Xbox1 for "Sunset OVerdrive" when that comes up, even though I'm not a real shooter-fan.

[RapBert]

I bought an Xbox 360, solely because Mass Effect was exclusive to it, and I've pretty much just stuck with that. Though I do hate that companies have made games that are exclusive to one console or another. It seems such an odd marketing choice, given that they're throwing away a portion of the gaming community, rejecting their money.

 

Anyway, so I've had that for years (well, technically, I had to replace it a couple of years ago when my first one got the Red Ring of Death), and it's served me well enough.

 

That's pretty much my story as well. I couldn't afford a new PC at the time, so I got a 360 with Mass Effect. I finally bought a new PC three years ago and I'm not considering to switch back to consoles. I had to upgrade it this year, which cost about as much as a new Xbone, but it was definitely worth it.

 

I do have a Wii U, because it's the only next gen console that has any games that interest me. Right now it has Mario Kart 8, Wind Waker HD, and Hyrule Warriors just came out last week. There are still games to come, like Bayonetta 2 and Splatoon, and I'm really looking forward to those.

 

I also have a 3DS that I bought with the new Pokemon X. The 3D doesn't really do it for me, though.

[AntiBeeSpray]

That's pretty much my story as well. I couldn't afford a new PC at the time, so I got a 360 with Mass Effect. I finally bought a new PC three years ago and I'm not considering to switch back to consoles. I had to upgrade it this year, which cost about as much as a new Xbone, but it was definitely worth it.

 

I do have a Wii U, because it's the only next gen console that has any games that interest me. Right now it has Mario Kart 8, Wind Waker HD, and Hyrule Warriors just came out last week. There are still games to come, like Bayonetta 2 and Splatoon, and I'm really looking forward to those.

 

I also have a 3DS that I bought with the new Pokemon X. The 3D doesn't really do it for me, though.

I don't use the 3d in Pokémon X either. It's ok, but I don't need to use it to have fun playing it.

 

Sweet! :) Looking forward to Bayonetta 2 as well along with Hyrule Warriors.

[thuganomics85]

I'm a "Sony guy", I guess (grew up on Playstation 1 and 2), so I got a Playstation 3 first, but I did eventually get an Xbox 360 too. Overall, both had their strengths and exclusives, that made it worth it (Uncharted series for PS3, Mass Effect for Xbox.)

 

Right now though, I went with Playstation 4, because I was underwhelmed by Xbox One's features.  Right now, the selection is low, but hopefully it will be building up soon.  Looking forward to the new Dragon Age (hope it redeems the second one), Assassin's Creed, Batman game, and especially The Witcher 3.  Right now, the main games I've played on it are Infamous: Second Son, Watch Dogs, and, currently, Destiny.  Right now, Infamous is the only one I really loved.  I don't think the other two were as bad as some claimed, but they didn't live up to the hype or lofty promises the studios made.

 

I'm also one of the few that owns a Playstation Vita, although it really should be called "Persona" Vita for me, since I only use it to play Persona 4: Golden and Persona 3: Portable.  I did get Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars as a gift, but I don't think I can take it for much longer.  It's like a representation of a lot of stuff I hate about some JRPGs: bad story, over-the-top voice acting, and horribly-written, stereotypical female characters.

[ShadowDenizen]

Right now though, I went with Playstation 4, because I was underwhelmed by Xbox One's features.  Right now, the selection is low, but hopefully it will be building up soon.

 

My thoughts exactly.

I'm not a "Shooter" guy, so the PS4 seemed the better choice.  360 (and now XB1) really seem to focus on that genre, for the most part.

 

And? Watch Dogs: Press "X" to hack!  That bit alone TOTALLY drew me out of the game. (IT's actually a running gag amongst our gaming group now.)

[AntiBeeSpray]

I'm a "Sony guy", I guess (grew up on Playstation 1 and 2), so I got a Playstation 3 first, but I did eventually get an Xbox 360 too. Overall, both had their strengths and exclusives, that made it worth it (Uncharted series for PS3, Mass Effect for Xbox.)

 

Right now though, I went with Playstation 4, because I was underwhelmed by Xbox One's features.  Right now, the selection is low, but hopefully it will be building up soon.  Looking forward to the new Dragon Age (hope it redeems the second one), Assassin's Creed, Batman game, and especially The Witcher 3.  Right now, the main games I've played on it are Infamous: Second Son, Watch Dogs, and, currently, Destiny.  Right now, Infamous is the only one I really loved.  I don't think the other two were as bad as some claimed, but they didn't live up to the hype or lofty promises the studios made.

 

I'm also one of the few that owns a Playstation Vita, although it really should be called "Persona" Vita for me, since I only use it to play Persona 4: Golden and Persona 3: Portable.  I did get Conception II: Children of the Seven Stars as a gift, but I don't think I can take it for much longer.  It's like a representation of a lot of stuff I hate about some JRPGs: bad story, over-the-top voice acting, and horribly-written, stereotypical female characters.

 

I have a Vita too :). Generally play Final Fantasy X and VII on it, with some Little Big Planet Vita thrown in. Not a huge fan of some of the JRPG's either. There are too few good ones out there. You end up running into the stereotypical woman characters you mentioned above. It's really frustrating.

[PrincessEnnui]

I bought an Xbox 360, solely because Mass Effect was exclusive to it, and I've pretty much just stuck with that. Though I do hate that companies have made games that are exclusive to one console or another. It seems such an odd marketing choice, given that they're throwing away a portion of the gaming community, rejecting their money.

 

Not trying to knock anyone or any company, but back in the day there was like seven or eight different consoles available and companies made their games available for all of them... It didn't end well, come Christmas time. No one could remember who owned which console.

 

I, too, am a Sony girl. I bought a used 250gb PS3 two years ago. It's a tank and sees plenty of use. I intend to buy a PS4 sooner or later. I find it best to just wait for a price drop and greatest hit prices. Meh, I can wait. XD

[ShadowDenizen]

Even with the PS4 now gaining dominnce, still some great games available for PS3.

 

I would recommend "Beyond: Two Souls", "South Park: Order of the Stick", and "Puppeteer". (The last is particualrly creative and inventinve, and one of the little-known gems of the system, IMO.)

[JayKay]

Well, I'm probably Nintendo at heart but my brother gave me a free Xbox 360 so right now that's who I am. Just recently started getting into first-person games. Something about them makes me so anxious that I can't shoot, aim or think straight when there's an enemy on-screen. Mass Effect was the first game I bought for it, and still one of my favorites. A game called Dragon's Dogma has taken up nearly 400 hours of my life and I still haven't beaten it. There's a depressing lack of JRPGs but again, free.

If I upgraded I'd probably be torn between PS4 and Wii U. Hyrule Warriors looks like something that was thought up in an amazing dream. I want to play it so badly.

(Quick question while I'm here. Witcher 2 is $6 on XBL 'til tomorrow, is it worth it? Never played the first one.)

[jellysalmon]

One of my friends introduced me to his deciding factor on getting a console. Do not purchase unless console cost <= the total cost of the games you want on it.

 

XboxOne and PS4 aren't even coming close to reaching that tipping point. We'll see what else they have when Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 finally come out.

[AntiBeeSpray]

Well, I'm probably Nintendo at heart but my brother gave me a free Xbox 360 so right now that's who I am. Just recently started getting into first-person games. Something about them makes me so anxious that I can't shoot, aim or think straight when there's an enemy on-screen. Mass Effect was the first game I bought for it, and still one of my favorites. A game called Dragon's Dogma has taken up nearly 400 hours of my life and I still haven't beaten it. There's a depressing lack of JRPGs but again, free.

If I upgraded I'd probably be torn between PS4 and Wii U. Hyrule Warriors looks like something that was thought up in an amazing dream. I want to play it so badly.

(Quick question while I'm here. Witcher 2 is $6 on XBL 'til tomorrow, is it worth it? Never played the first one.)

 

It's worth it! Hyrule Warriors, that is. Was lucky enough to rent it recently and it was really a blast to play. Hoping to get it someday once the price comes down.

[thuganomics85]

 

(Quick question while I'm here. Witcher 2 is $6 on XBL 'til tomorrow, is it worth it? Never played the first one.)

I think that's a pretty good deal.  I didn't play the first one either, but I enjoyed the second one.  If you like RPGs with solid storytelling and some good choices that effects how the story is told (one in particular, really impacts how the rest of the game is played), I would recommend this one.  The fighting also does a decent job at not just being a button masher; you need to have some strategy with certain enemies; but it didn't feel unfair or annoying.

 

The biggest criticism I could give it was that it was over-the-top and gratuitous with some of the sexual content, but you can avoid most of that, if that's a huge turn-off.  Either way, it does earn it's "Mature" rating.

[Danny Franks]

The Witcher 2 was a lot of fun. More linear than I thought it would be, but the two different story branches are pretty different, and there are quite a few vivid, fun characters.

 

Yeah, the 'adult' content is almost juvenile in its execution. Why does my character need to have a chance at shagging a Succubus, or a random woman met on the road? But the stuff with Triss actually works better, and the romance between them isn't too dreadful, on the videogame scale of these things

 

I'd say it's absolutely worth $6, just for the storyline and gameplay.

[ShadowDenizen]

Absolutely worth $6. (I'd also reccomend the first game and the book series, as well. All the stuff set in the "Witcher World" is pretty compelling, actually, IMO.)

 

Be advised that it's a fairly mechanically intense game, however.  You have to manage melee weapons, signs, traps and assorted other mechanics while moving about. (THis is particularly intense in combat situtations.)

[PrincessEnnui]

A game called Dragon's Dogma has taken up nearly 400 hours of my life and I still haven't beaten it. There's a depressing lack of JRPGs but again, free.

 

I have DD on the PS3 and it is amazing in many areas. The online community for it on the PS3 is nice, and from what I've seen the 360 is just as nice. I am not telling you how to play, but the ending is something to be seen. I wish we were on the same system, but alas.

 

One of my friends introduced me to his deciding factor on getting a console. Do not purchase unless console cost <= the total cost of the games you want on it.

 

XboxOne and PS4 aren't even coming close to reaching that tipping point. We'll see what else they have when Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts 3 finally come out.

 

This is a good rule of thumb, but for some people a console serves multiple purposes. Our (my family's) first DVD player was a Play Station 2 and my only blu-ray player is a Play Station 3. I am really good at picking a solid console that will last awhile too. It's always something to keep in mind. I've written a small buying guide for casual people on my blog even.

[Izzyboy]

I'm typically a "one console at a time" type of guy.  Early on that was Nintendo but my love of Final Fantasy led me to change to Playstation when FFVII came out on the PS1 and I've been PS ever since.  

 

I bought a PS4 over the summer and really like it.  It does have a limited (but growning) selection of AAA titles...BUT I would tell anyone that is a PS Plus member to give some of the free games they have a try.  Typically even if I'm playing something else at the time I just download them if they look like something I may like and I can always get back to them later.  Some of my favorite games I've played this year on the PS4 have been free offerings on PS Plus.  Dust: An Elysian Tale from last year was particularly good!  Even if they aren't free games, I've had a good time with some of the indie or psuedo-indie offerings.  Child of Light (actually done by Ubisoft) and Rogue Legacy were two that I really loved.

 

That being said, my favorite games I've played on the PS4 so far have been Tomb Raider and Shadow of Mordor.  And I'm counting down the days till Dragon Age: Inquisition comes out next week!

[ShadowDenizen]

Looking forward to trying Shadows of Mordor! (It's like a knife in my heart every time they put out a mediocre "Lord of the Rings" game, so I'm happy to support a quality game.)

 

Game-wise?

I've just finished Season 2 of "The Walking Dead" (the episodic one), and "the Wolf Among Us".  I would highly recommend both of them. (And the Fables comic book series, if "The Wolf Among Us" really grabs you.

 

I've snagged my XBox1 finally, and am happily playing through "Sunset Overdrive."  Also working on "The Evil Within" for PS4. (PS4 is finally ramping up the good game titles available to them!!)

Edited November 14, 2014 by ShadowDenizen

[thuganomics85]

 

I've just finished Season 2 of "The Walking Dead" (the episodic one), and "the Wolf Among Us".  I would highly recommend both of them. (And the Fables comic book series, if "The Wolf Among Us" really grabs you.

Still need to pick up The Walking Dead Season Two (Season One was amazing; even better then the show), but I'm currently playing The Wolf Among Us, and loving it.  Haven't read the comic series, but it reminds me of a much darker and more serious version of that show, Once Upon A Time.

 

Saving money for Tuesday though.  Both Dragon Age: Inquisition and Far Cry 4 are coming out the same day.  Having all the big games coming out November kills me (picked up Assassin's Creed: Unity this past Tuesday as well.)  It actually makes me glad when games get delayed, like the new Batman and Witcher 3 did, because it lets me space things out.

[halgia]

I really wanted to like season 2 more than season 1, but I just don't think it was as strong. Still wonderful, though.

Haven't played Wolf Among Us yet — I read the first volume of the comics and it felt too much like Sandman Lite tone-wise for me to want to stick with it, but I'll get to the game eventually. After Dragon Age, which I suppose I'm getting for PC because I want to import data from the first two (on PC)....

Shadows of Mordor was fun. I replayed Last of Us (in remastered version this time) right after it and was pretty surprised to learn that Tallion and Joel were the same voice actor.

[RapBert]

I really wanted to like season 2 more than season 1, but I just don't think it was as strong. Still wonderful, though.

Haven't played Wolf Among Us yet — I read the first volume of the comics and it felt too much like Sandman Lite tone-wise for me to want to stick with it, but I'll get to the game eventually. After Dragon Age, which I suppose I'm getting for PC because I want to import data from the first two (on PC)....

 

The Walking Dead was an amazing game, way better than the show. I like Season 2 as well, but it wasn't as strong as the first. The characters were less memorable than in S1 imo, and a lot of the plot felt very linear. The Wolf Among Us was also good, but it felt less like a game and more like an interactive movie or TV show.

 

I am also very much looking forward to playing Dragon Age Inquisition. Also, you don't need to buy it on PC. There's a thing called Dragon Age Keep, which is a website where you can create your own world state. It does import your saves, but only for achievements. It does not import all the decisions. It's very easy to handle, though it might be hard to remember some of the more minor decisions.

[halgia]

I am also very much looking forward to playing Dragon Age Inquisition. Also, you don't need to buy it on PC. There's a thing called Dragon Age Keep, which is a website where you can create your own world state. It does import your saves, but only for achievements. It does not import all the decisions. It's very easy to handle, though it might be hard to remember some of the more minor decisions.

Ooh, interesting. I guess I have to think about whether playing on PS4 is worth not being able to play it while I go away for Thanksgiving the week after it comes out, then....

[Izzyboy]

I am also very much looking forward to playing Dragon Age Inquisition. Also, you don't need to buy it on PC. There's a thing called Dragon Age Keep, which is a website where you can create your own world state. It does import your saves, but only for achievements. It does not import all the decisions. It's very easy to handle, though it might be hard to remember some of the more minor decisions.

 

 

Dragon Age Inquisition is currently downloaded on my PS4...I just need 5pm to hurry up and get here so I can get home and play!

 

And yes, the DA Keep was a really good idea by Bioware.  With this game being released on all different systems I'm sure it helps clean things up for them. Its also good as a refresher as I didn't remember some of the minor decisions made in the last two games.

Edited November 18, 2014 by Izzyboy

[halgia]

I screwed up with the Keep, and plugged in all my choices but forgot to hit "export to DA:I" before starting playing.

 

I'm an embarrassing number of hours in already, but contemplating restarting, since I didn't realize it for a few hours and every time something different from what I actually did gets imported, I get annoyed....

[Izzyboy]

I'm an embarrassing number of hours in already, but contemplating restarting, since I didn't realize it for a few hours and every time something different from what I actually did gets imported, I get annoyed....

 

 

You don't have to feel embarrassed about hours spent on DA:I...you're talking to a guy that took yesterday off work for the sole purpose of playing that game!

 

Tough decision though, with how long DA:I is...and it looks like its an EXTREMELY long game if like getting sidetracked...it may be worth restarting.  You'll probably get caught back up to where you are now quicker than you think since you already know how things start out.

[halgia]

You don't have to feel embarrassed about hours spent on DA:I...you're talking to a guy that took yesterday off work for the sole purpose of playing that game!

Yeah, I did pretty much the same, though as a grad student I don't have to tell anyone that I'm doing that. :)

 

I did end up restarting, and am now past where I was before. I made the other choice with the first main quest where you have the choice, so I really didn't repeat that much stuff, and swapped race/class also.

[RapBert]

DA:I is huge. I've played it for over six hours already and I haven't even finished the first area. I've also encountered my first dragon, it killed my entire party in seconds. :(

 

So far, I like the new characters. Sera is probably my favourite, she's just so adorably crazy.

 

Also, the game looks amazing. I don't think I've seen a world this beautiful in quite a while.

[Danny Franks]

I am also very much looking forward to playing Dragon Age Inquisition. Also, you don't need to buy it on PC. There's a thing called Dragon Age Keep, which is a website where you can create your own world state. It does import your saves, but only for achievements. It does not import all the decisions. It's very easy to handle, though it might be hard to remember some of the more minor decisions.

 

Wait, really? Sounds better than the Q&A function Dragon Age II had for new start games. But it's going to be so annoying to me that each little decision I made won't be reflected in Dragon Age: Inquisition. This franchise has travelled a long way, and I am one of those people who loved the second game almost as much as the first. But there's no way I'm splashing £800 on a PC that can run it at decent spec.

 

So I'm going to have to go for either the PS4 or Xbox One in the new year. Still don't know which. I was thinking PS4, because they've got that backwards compatible streaming service, and I'd really like to play the Uncharted games, but then Xbox has Halo 5. Argh. Decisions.

[Izzyboy]

DA:I is huge. I've played it for over six hours already and I haven't even finished the first area. I've also encountered my first dragon, it killed my entire party in seconds. :(

 

 

This is another thing I love about DA:I...it can be HARD if you don't go about battles the right way.  Granted, I'm playing on the Hard level, but still I blasted through DA II with little effort and only had trouble with a few high level encounters in DA:O.  But in DA:I you'll get your butt kicked if you just Leroy Jenkins everything.  I think I remember reading that even in the first main area they put in enemies that they knew players wouldn't be even close to being able to beat in their first encounter and that they'd have to come back later after leveling up and learning new talents.

 

Yeah, if you can't tell I frickin LOVE this game...

[AntiBeeSpray]

Been avoiding updating my PS3 due to issues with the most recent update (4.66). Read about quite a few people who've had their consoles get bricked by it, along with other problems. Anyone else run into problems with it?

[Izzyboy]

DA:I is huge. I've played it for over six hours already and I haven't even finished the first area. I've also encountered my first dragon, it killed my entire party in seconds. :(

 

 

Finally killed my first High Dragon (the one in Crestwood) last night...woohoo!

[PrincessEnnui]

Been avoiding updating my PS3 due to issues with the most recent update (4.66). Read about quite a few people who've had their consoles get bricked by it, along with other problems. Anyone else run into problems with it?

I've updated to 4.66 and haven't had any issues. Everything is running as should. Unless you really need something from PSN, there's no harm in waiting (like you already are) to update until you're sure.

[AntiBeeSpray]

I've updated to 4.66 and haven't had any issues. Everything is running as should. Unless you really need something from PSN, there's no harm in waiting (like you already are) to update until you're sure.

 

I finally updated to it without problems either. But it still is bugging me that so many people are running into issues with it. 

[RapBert]

So I've finally finished Dragon Age Inquisition, and while the ending was a bit underwhelming, as a whole, this was a fantastic game. I liked the main story, although it was a bit short. There were many moments where my jaw dropped, and one scene in particular left me speechless. Aside from the few bugs, this was very impressive on a technical level. Beautiful landscapes, fantastic sounds and music, and superb voice acting. It was very fun to explore the world, even though some of the quests seemed more like the usual RPG busywork.

 

If this is the future of Dragon Age (and Bioware in general), I'm looking forward to the next game.

[Danny Franks]

I finally took the plunge, and bought an Xbox One. Not disappointed, so far.

 

Though the only game I've played is Dragon Age: Inquisition. which I'm 20 hours into and feel like I'm only just scratching the surface. I've cleared all the Hinterlands, and most of the Storm Coast and Fallow Mire. Not gone near the dragons yet. The story is progressing nicely, and I like the amount of freedom this game is giving you to explore. It's not quite the Elder Scrolls, but it makes up for it by actually having characters you can care about, and a story that seems to matter.

 

I'm loving all the new companion characters, so far. It's a different beast from Mass Effect, in that you don't have the continuity of one character, and his old friends fighting alongside him. But the world is very much a shared one, and I appreciate the little moments where I hear about Isabella or Alistair, or anyone else I journeyed with in the first two games. Of course, there's still Leliana and Varric, providing a bit of continuity.

 

The voice acting is as stellar as ever (though I'm not wowed by either voice options for the male Inquisitor), which is the norm for Bioware, and the animation and facial features just continue to get better and better. A good first exposure to next-gen hardware, I reckon.

[Izzyboy]

I'm close to the end with DA:Inquisition but i've been taking my time. I'm currently High Dragon hunting right now (I've taken out 3 of them) and in general just grinding a bit before the end. This has definitely been the best game I've played on new gen and the best RPG period I've played in a long time (probably since DA: Origins). You can tell Bioware put a lot into this game and they should definitely be proud of it. That being said its about time to wrap things up as I have other games waiting to be played (I'm looking at you, Lego Batman 3) but I've put them all off to focus on this...

Edited December 15, 2014 by Izzyboy

[Danny Franks]

About thirty hours in, now. I've uncovered Cassandra's guilty secret... romance novels! I've started decorating Skyhold, although I'm not sure how much work I need to do to get it looking all nice.

 

One thing I really like is how the Hinterlands started to improve as I completed quests. I set up watchtowers, killed off camps of Templars and Mages, and suddenly it's a much more peaceable area to be in. The downside is not being able to grind against regenerating enemies, but I don't really see that as a downside, because I've always hated revisiting an area in a game only to see the baddies have respawned like nothing happened. Apparently Crestwood will visibly improve too, once I get through the quests there. And I'm glad of it, because it's a miserable, dingy hole of an area at the moment.

 

Really wish I could edit my Inquisitor, mid-game. His hair is annoying me, and the skin colour I chose looks too dark for his features, in all the cut-scenes.

 

When I do finally get through this game (it'll be a while yet. The dragons are still untouched, although I've found three of them), I've got CoD: Advanced Warfare, Assassin's Creed: Black Flag, FarCry 4 and Forza 5 to get to work on. It's going to be a very long while before I need to spend any more money on games.

[Izzyboy]

Really wish I could edit my Inquisitor, mid-game. His hair is annoying me, and the skin colour I chose looks too dark for his features, in all the cut-scenes.

 

 

I am surprised they didn't put this in since they had that option in DA: II.  There's a few things with my Inquisitor I'd probably tweek as well if I could.  Ah well.

 

I like the fact that the regions show improvement as you complete quests as well.  Really nice touch to the game and not only does it make it feel like what you're doing matters, but I found myself wanting to do more sidequests just to see the benefits.  Honestly you shouldn't worry about not having as many enemies anymore in the Hinterlands.  I worried about that at first myself, but while playing I realized that the experience you gain from defeating enemies is really small compared to what you get from finishing quests...especially once you get into some of the areas in Orlais.  Its an interesting way to handle leveling up since its yet another way to keep you motivated to do more quests.

Edited December 18, 2014 by Izzyboy

[Danny Franks]

Yeah, I've noticed I get more XP from reading a book than from killing a bear. Go figure. Not that I mind, though. Grinding has never been a favourite aspect of RPG games, for me.

 

Hanging around in the Western Approach now, which is a pretty big area. Just trying to push as many quests forward as I can, gather the random bits and bobs from around the different areas. I'd really like to find a better sword, though. Been using the Templar's First for about eight levels, now. And that's another thing I wish you could tweak: reassigning skill points, like you could in DA:II and the Mass Effect series. Because it seems that putting the majority of my points into Sword & Shield might have been a waste of time, given the reported lack of high end longswords in the game.

[RapBert]

Yeah, I've noticed I get more XP from reading a book than from killing a bear. Go figure. Not that I mind, though. Grinding has never been a favourite aspect of RPG games, for me.

 

Hanging around in the Western Approach now, which is a pretty big area. Just trying to push as many quests forward as I can, gather the random bits and bobs from around the different areas. I'd really like to find a better sword, though. Been using the Templar's First for about eight levels, now. And that's another thing I wish you could tweak: reassigning skill points, like you could in DA:II and the Mass Effect series. Because it seems that putting the majority of my points into Sword & Shield might have been a waste of time, given the reported lack of high end longswords in the game.

 

There is an amulet you can buy at the smith in Haven/Skyhold, it's called "Tactician's Renewal" and refunds your skillpoints.

 

After Inquisition, I've installed DA2 again, and I'm really enjoying it. There's something about this game I can't put my finger on, but I absolutely love it. I might be one of the few people who prefers 2 to Origins.

[Danny Franks]

Ooh, thanks for that. Definitely going to find that amulet. I think two-handed is the way for my Inquisitor to go, especially because I use Cassandra as a tank most of the time. Does it refund them for all characters, or just my PC?

 

Yeah, I really liked Dragon Age II. It was a very different game to Origins, but the feel of it was interesting. Instead of constantly exploring new places, there was a feel of real familiarity about Kirkwall that I liked. It felt like home, to my Hawke and his friends. Yes, the identikit caves and dungeons were uninspired, and I'll never understand how Bioware thought that was a good idea, but on the whole, it was a great story. And I play games more for story than for novel, challenging, exciting mechanics.

 

I thought the companions in that game were pretty great. Loved Isabella and Aveline and Varric, and liked Merrill and Anders too. The only ones I didn't really care about were Sebastian and the elf guy (who's name I can't remember, which shows you how little I cared about his emo existence)

[Izzyboy]

Ooh, thanks for that. Definitely going to find that amulet. I think two-handed is the way for my Inquisitor to go, especially because I use Cassandra as a tank most of the time. Does it refund them for all characters, or just my PC?

 

 

It refunds the points on whoever you equip the amulet on.  You can only use the amulet once, but the vendor has an unlimited supply and they're fairly cheap once you reach the midpoint or so of the game and have a lot of gold from selling stuff.

 

I liked DA: II as well, I've always thought it got a bum rap.  After playing DA: Inquisition and hearing their explanation of exactly why they decided to name it "Dragon Age: Inquisition" and not simply "Dragon Age: III" (they wanted to emphasize that this game, while part of the DA setting, is its own entity) I wonder if they should've done a similar naming convention with the second game and if it would've been slightly better received if they had.  Maybe something like "Dragon Age: The Champion of Kirkwall".  The game was obviously going to get compared to DA: Origins anyways, but maybe if they had a different naming convention for it and were more upfront about it being Hawke's personal story that it may have been better received.

[Danny Franks]

So I killed my first High Dragon. The one in the Hinterlands. Took a while, but it did feel like an achievement at the end. And I like the way that it is treated as such in the game, with people commenting on it and celebrating the fact.

 

Still not much further in the story. Had Cassandra tell me she wants to be wined and dined... or rather, 'courted properly', which was fun. Now I apparently have a quest to secure candles, flowers and a box of chocolates, or something. Done a load of side quests, cleared most of the stuff to do in the Western Approach now. Navigating Skyhold is a big of a drag. It's like the Normandy, but about five times as big. I can't even remember how to get up to the balcony that Vivienne is on, but it's not like I particularly want to chat to her anyway.

[Izzyboy]

Yeah, I had problems getting around Skyhold myself.  Eventually i learned how to get to key places/people from the nearest fast travel point and just used those.  I did the Cassandra romance option too!

 

After a game as heavy and involved as DA: Inquisition I'm taking a break and playing Lego Batman 3 now.  At some point I think I may go back and try DA:I on Nightmare mode.  That's gonna be quite a task though...

[AntiBeeSpray]

Just picked up Final Fantasy 13-2 used recently. Really enjoyed playing it via rental so I wanted to be able to continue play it on my PS3.

[Danny Franks]

Finished Dragon Age a few days ago, and felt a little underwhelmed at the ending, to be honest. There really wasn't much emotional resonance or sense of real jeopardy. It felt far too much like the end of Skyrim, and far too little like the end of Mass Effect (any of the three).

 

I've always praised Bioware for concentrating so heavily on narrative and storyline, while still crafting games that play really well, and I always will praise them. But I can't help feeling that those elements were neglected a little here in favour of making it open world and multiplayer. It just ended up feeling a little unfocused and lacking in urgency. Still a great game though.

 

And I blasted my way through Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare in a few days. Not the longest game, but it was a lot of fun. A plotline that could easily be a dumb Hollywood action movie, complete with hammy Kevin Spacey acting. The obligatory vehicle sections were as annoying as they always are in FPS games, and I'll never understand why developers keep including them. Took me about ten attempts to do the mission where you pilot the fighter plane, because the controls were so ropey.

 

Now onto Far Cry 4. It's very pretty.

[halgia]

I agree that I was a little underwhelmed with the end of Inquisition. Part of that might have been that I stopped playing for a week or two because of holidays craziness, and then did the last two hours of it – but yeah, it was just a little lackluster. I only killed three or four of the high dragons, but otherwise did pretty much everything I saw other than some fetch quests and whatnot.

 

My other main complaint with the game is that the level scaling didn't necessarily work that well? I wanted to do most of the side quests, so I was always over the recommended level for the main quests, and most of the combat was just pretty easy. I guess maybe that means I should have just been playing on hard, but whatever.

[Izzyboy]

I'll chime in that I agree that the ending for Inquisition was a little bit of a letdown.  I still had some unresolved questions regarding some of my companions that I thought would be addressed and weren't.  Still, its a just a small blemish on an otherwise fantastic game.

 

Still playing Lego Batman 3, but I've also started up Ni No Kuni.  For some reason I never really got around to it even though I love JRPGs.  So far its great, I'm maybe 12 hours into it.

[RapBert]

Over the holidays, I've been playing some games. First up was Wolfenstein, which I really enjoyed. The story is pure trash, just like the other games in the series, this one seems to take itself way too seriously at times. The utterly pretentious narration really feels out of place when I'm shooting Nazi cyborgs with a laser gun. Also, I expected more fantastic weapons, this one only has the awesomely named Laserkraftwerk, otherwise it's just your standard FPS rifles and shotguns. Still, there were some great moments in there, and I enjoyed it a lot more than other FPS games in recent memory.

 

Next up was Alien Isolation. I was a bit skeptical going into this, since it seems to be a very polarising game. Personally, I enjoyed it. The environments look just like from the movie, I love the "retro future" aesthetic. The first hours of the game were really intense, though it was a little too much trial and error at times. Once you get weapons to deal with your enemies and see the fabric of the game, it becomes a bit easy and a lot less frightening, though there were still some great moments. The game also could have been a bit shorter, but apart from one  really terrible instance of backtracking, I was never bored.

 

Right now I'm trying to finish the campaign of Assassin's Creed: Black Flag I started a year ago, and my Wii U needs more attention.