Gamers Thread

No I have not, I have not actually gone back to play SoC in a while but it sounds interesting. Last time I played it I played with the Stalker Complete mod. I have been meaning to get back to SoC again since I know a few new mods have come along and it was probably my favourite of the 3 games overall. CoP did add a lot of great features while keeping an interesting game world that Clear Sky lacked, so I got stuck on that game for a while.

Clear Sky I can't see myself going through again. It was just kind of a weak installment.

I was really upset when the GSC went under mid-way through STALKER 2 development. I would absolutely love to get another STALKER game in the form of a true sequel as opposed to a STALKER 1.5 like the first two "sequels". Metro 2033 just isn't the same (although it's still pretty great).
 
I'm not a big gamer anymore but is anyone else a huge fan of the PS1 era Final Fantasy games? The first six are great as well but didn't quite reach the gripping level of storytelling that the series achieved with Final Fantasy VII. I also liked Final Fantasy X when I played it years ago but my memory of the game is too hazy to elaborate much. I'll try to avoid spoilers as much as possible but here's my take on each game.

I'm going to get it right out of the way by admitting that I'm a rabid fan of Final Fantasy VII. It is quite easily the most ambitious narrative to ever be implemented into a video game and I find the accusations of its convolution to be mostly unfounded. It's undoubtedly a complex story but every so-called "hole" in the plot has an answer hidden inside the game (through side quests and such). The translation is iffy in places but never in such a way that majorly obscures the plot. If anything, the unexplained segments seem intentionally left open for interpretation which is only a perk in my book. Materia is an engrossing system but not overly complicated to the point of finding yourself backtracking to grind a certain spell or summon. The characters all go through a significant amount of development throughout the course of the game, including the two side characters Yuffie and Vincent. Despite the antagonist's flashy character design and FMV sequences (which have since gotten updated with fancier graphics, I might add), Sephiroth is unfair to dismiss as merely a villain for mindless fanboys. For those who've played the game, the character is someone easily sympathized with (or pitiable, at the very least) and like the game's protagonists, he develops his personality (or in this case, insanity) throughout the course of the game. He is the most compelling villain out of the entire series and easily my favorite as well (sorry Kefka). I do not care the slightest bit about shallow details like graphics but if anything, the dated blocky character designs add a sense of much needed quirkiness to what is an atmospherically bleak and tragic story.

I hated Final Fantasy VIII at first. So much, in fact, that I didn't even muster up the patience to finish it until a few years ago. Upon doing so, however, I've come to love it for its perk and there's a lot of them if you can get past its many flaws. Firstly, despite the sappy and cliched love story being what it was (aka sappy and cliched), it did a lot to develop Rinoa and Squall as characters. Squall is a bit whiney but I found his penchant for being antisocial easy to relate to and Rinoa's presence had an interesting effect on his attitude. Unfortunately, most of the other characters were weak with the exception of Laguna. Zell was obnoxious, Irvine was forgettable, and Selphie was ditsy. Quistis seemed to have potential but became downplayed by the time the plot started to really take off. Junction was a clever, in-depth form of customization but required a tedious amount of grinding. The concept of time compression was unique and several aspects during the story were compelling (like the dream sequences from the viewpoint of Laguna and co., for example). Ultimecia was underrepresented as a villain and her motives were only briefly explained. Even so, the final battle was epic and challenging. In summation, it's a great game with a lot of flaws making it my least favorite Final Fantasy of the PS1 era.

Final Fantasy IX is almost as good as VII. It was so engrossing for me during my first play through that I'm almost positive that I at least flirted with the idea that it was better than VII at one point or another (blasphemy in retrospect, but still). Either way, I can confidently admit that it has what is quite easily the most likable cast of characters in the entire series (aside from Quina I guess who was only a side character anyway). If I had to complain about anything when it comes to the characters, it's that Amarant appeared pretty late in the game which gave him too little time to develop his otherwise outstanding traits. The plot was less complex than the previous two games but is still equally involved and captivating. It falls into the trap of cliches at times but that was sort of the point to begin with (seeing as it's a tribute to the older games). The battle system was simplistic but fun. It's also probably the least challenging out of the three but had its tough bosses here and there. Kuja was a smarmy, self-absorbed prince-like antagonist but unfortunately lost his edge when he finds out certain things about himself. Nothing but a spoiled brat.

My boredom at work and my itch to play through these games again inspired me to create this mammoth of a post. Discuss.
 
Yeah I loved those games. I think 7 and 8 were almost equally as good. 7 gets a slight edge because of better characters and story, but 8 was more fun to play IMO. The combat system in 8 was great, everything from "draw" to interactive limit breaks and GF's. Easily the best summons in the entire FF series IMO. How badass was Diablo, or Ifrit? Finding the GF's was also one of the most fun part of the game. That was back when RPG's had so much hidden shit that undoubtedly the majority of gamers would miss. Getting Yuffie in FF7 was so convoluted, having to pick a series of correct options in chat etc, and that's AFTER having to grind to randomly encounter her. I'm playing the new Dragon Age right now and they are just spoonfeeding you all the playable characters. Of course they've recorded a ton of dialogue that they don't want you to miss, but still, I miss that feeling of stumbling upon a major character/summon by chance, or having to search extensively to get it.

I remember the first time I played those games. My friend had bought FF8 and I'd come over and watch him play. I'd translate the text for him because his English was shit, and I'd take over for all the GF summons because I was so fast at pressing Square :lol:. Anyway I decided it was time for me to go buy it for myself and went to the game store where I could only find FF7. I bought it anyway and was pissed off when I got home because it looked like shit compared to FF8 graphics-wise. I only played for a little bit, got stuck on a boss and went and bought FF8 a month later hah. It wasn't until a year or so later that I revisited FF7 and realized just how good it was.

Anyway, I really disliked 9. I hated the childish characters since at the time I was unaware it was all just a throwback to old-school FF games. Yeah, not my thing. Maybe I should give it an honest chance, but I feel it's too late now. I have a hard time going back to old games. Whenever I put one on an emulator I end up quitting after the nostalgia wears out.
 
Got Inquisition and BioShock for Christmas. Hell fuckin yeah on both of those. Occupied with two other games right now that I really wanna finish, but I'm really lookin forward to it. I love Dragon Age and the BioShock demo was awesome, think its a series I could definitely dig.

Also, never got into Final Fantasy, the anime thing always irked me. Played the one with Blitzball a ways and it was OK, played a gameboy one that was sweet. But nah. As you were.
 
I should have elaborated on the battle system of FFVIII, which is possibly the best in the entire series. My only complaint about Junction, like I said, is grinding which forces you to keep drawing repeatedly in the same battle to maximize magic applied to whatever stats you have them assigned to. The idea itself is more interesting than gaining level after level but they could've applied it to a less grueling task. Agreed about GFs and the summoning mechanics being some of the best in the series.

I'd strongly recommend giving FFIX another chance. The story is a bit more light hearted than the previous two but the characters aren't childish other than when it comes to character design, I guess. One thing I forgot to mention is that the game starts off very slow. I would recommend sticking with it until disc 2 before giving up.
 
Also, never got into Final Fantasy, the anime thing always irked me. Played the one with Blitzball a ways and it was OK, played a gameboy one that was sweet. But nah. As you were.

I feel like it's impossible to bring up JRPGs or anime in general without someone saying something like this. I'm not an anime expert by any means but even I can tell you that you're going to be missing out on a lot if you avoid it altogether. Your loss, I guess.

People who think FFVII is convoluted seriously need to play Xenogears. The first disc had me believing that it was going to be the greatest RPG of all time. The story was confusing to begin with but well paced so it was easy to get the jist of what was going on. There were many scenes with great foreshadowing sequences which kept me interested and the battle system is more engaging and fun than any Final Fantasy game. I had heard prior to playing the game that the second disc seemed rushed so I at least knew what to expect. I'm not sure if it was to meet a deadline or completely intentional. Either way, the game spends the second disc showering you with dialogue and piles major plot points on you without giving you a chance to breathe. I was more or less lost by the end of the game. From what I understand, part of it has to do with the expansive back story in that Perfect Works book not being included as part of the game.
 
Does anyone play Europa Universalis? I just downloaded EU IV and it looks fun but it also seems like the most complex game ever made, a bit overwhelming. I don't have any prior experience with the series so I would like to know if it's worth the time.
 
I played it for a while, but after a bug made any progress impossible I uninstalled it. It's fun for a while, but it gets so repetitive. If you're trying to learn how to play, I suggest picking an Irish province and just working your way to unite the island.
 
Anyone pay attention to Awesome Games Done Quick last week? Was pretty cool - but was a total shame what happened during the Super Metroid race :(
 
100% Crit chance on top of already impressive damage that surpasses the crusader I run with. I have a witch Doctor doing more base but 100% crit is pretty fuckin cool. 92% additional. Ballin.

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Unless you're doing something "extra" its impossible to hit 100% CC because of diminishing returns - or you're using the sharpshooter passive (i think that one anyways) which is pretty awful in most cases really)

My crusader is pretty decent though

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Yeah that's the one. And sure it diminishes... When you crit. Then it keeps upping your chances until you crit again. What's not to love? That on top of my increased damage against slowed enemies... Which almost all my attacks slow... And I'm finding DH might be shoving wiz out the way for second favorite class.

I gotta snap a pic of my WD next chance I get, my longest running character. Amongst friends, undefeated in PvP.
 
LoL definitely aint bad. The playerbase are some of the fucking dregs of the world, but the gameplay is pretty amazing.

ESO is going buy-to-play. If I had to take a guess it will breathe new life into the game and be a net improvement over the short term. Long term that cash shop will be a slippery slope and the quality will drop. I don't know if I should keep playing and see how it goes, or quit MMOs. I'd like, for once, for a studio to release a finished and fucking IMMACULATE quality MMO. I'd pay $50 a month if they'd actually get their shit in order.
 
Started playing this again. It's not bad, but I really, really wish I still had the original. Stepbrother stole it years ago, and we're not related or even in contact anymore.

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