Video Games are awesome

[annhell]

From your lack of ranting, I take it you didn't mind the endings at all. Very well, I shall spare you my many tirades against bad storytelling and payoffs.

[Onslaught Six]

I would've preferred More Stuff, like knowing what the hell planet they crashed on at the end, but all-in-all I don't really mind. To me, the good lot of ME3 was payoff. The entire last mission on Earth was payoff. But hey. I don't care that all the endings were very similar--look back to ME1 or ME2 and you'll see the same thing. I will say I'm also not fond of how they don't really detail what happens in those endings. Apparently I'll kill All Synthetics (but I already wiped out the Geth--not by choice, mind you, but I couldn't unite them with the Quarians and I wasn't killing Tali) in the one ending but how far does that go? And also, since all the Mass Relays are nuked, what happens to all the aliens in orbit around Earth?

[annhell]

I didn't like how the final exchange with the "child" and the 3 options had no bearing or reference to the rest of the story. In fact, Shepard was practically forced to make the same choices he fought to prevent the Illusive Man from making.

I get your point on how the entirety of ME3 provides payoff on the various sub-plots. But I disliked the fact that the destroyed mass relays practically rendered al your story achievements null and void, even if you managed not to wipe out everything by detroying the reapers.

Cured genophage? Doesn't matter, krogans can't go home to mate now. Convinced Mordin to come back later to administer the cure? Nope, not happening. Can't go back now.

Quarians got back their home world? Pointless, they're stuck in the Sol system now, and possibly also stuck in their environmental suits, in case Earth germs kill them.

And, frankly, the normandy crashing on a fertile planet defied logic. For one thing, the game already established through the free exploration segments that majority of the planets can't support life. And for another, the normandy would have to have been transiting in between relays in order to be in the path of the beam (and why were they retreating from the Sol system anyway?). To be hit by the beam before exiting another relay essentially puts them in dark space between systems where there's no sun or planets.

I'd have liked "more stuff" too. But I am very skeptical that any prologue to follow up on the various characters could make any sense, given how the ending played out. And what makes it all that much worse, IMO, is that all these "endings" seemed more like an attempt to recycle and make the most out of the one final video clip that they spent money to produce.

Bad bad bad...

(Guess I ranted, after all)

[Mako Crab]

Just bought a PS3 and I've been enjoying War for Cybertron (space slugs are ridiculously awesome). Got the Uncharted 3 bundle, but haven't played more than 10 minutes of that yet. Downloaded the full game of Flower, which is unlike any game I've played before. Great fun. Also downloaded the demos for Bionic Commando Rearmed 1 and 2, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and Blade Kitten. All are pretty good, but so far only the two Bionic Commandos are guaranteed purchases. Already have plans to download the Megaman 9 and 10 bundle. As a Megaman fan that's beaten every game in the classic, X, Legends, and Zero series, I must have these.
Having plenty of fun with it so far. I did notice that Konami's old arcade X-Men and Simpsons games were up for download, but no Bucky O Hare. I know Bucky was never anywhere near as popular as Konami's other arcade brawlers, but I liked it and wish they'd put it up. Very tempted to score X-Men.

Can anyone recommend some good games for the PS3 whether they're PSN downloads or actual discs? Not really into 1st person shooters, so no Call of Duty or anything like that. I refuse to go anywhere near Resident Evil 5, 6, or any other RE related games. Part 4 was it for me. Metal Gear 4- not happening. Had my fill of Kratos with God of War 2, so part 3 is out. It's like I'm just not feeling any of the sequels on the PS3.

Not in the mood for grim and gritty so much. I do need a good racing game though. Maybe the HD remastered Street Fighter 2 as well with all its gloriously redrawn sprites. So uh. . . with that in mind, any good stuff out there?

[Onslaught Six]

Having plenty of fun with it so far. I did notice that Konami's old arcade X-Men and Simpsons games were up for download, but no Bucky O Hare. I know Bucky was never anywhere near as popular as Konami's other arcade brawlers, but I liked it and wish they'd put it up. Very tempted to score X-Men.

X-Men is great; I have it on the 360. Well worth the price of admission. I assume what's holding Bucky up (besides obscurity) is licensing--Konami had to jump through a hell of a lot of hoops to be able to release X-Men. (One of the conditions is that they can't change or add anything new--so no retro-DLC for cartoon characters like Gambit. Damn!)

Can anyone recommend some good games for the PS3 whether they're PSN downloads or actual discs? Not really into 1st person shooters, so no Call of Duty or anything like that. I refuse to go anywhere near Resident Evil 5, 6, or any other RE related games. Part 4 was it for me. Metal Gear 4- not happening. Had my fill of Kratos with God of War 2, so part 3 is out. It's like I'm just not feeling any of the sequels on the PS3.

Heavy Rain is supposed to be awesome. RE5 was actually legitimately fun as a co-op shooter, 86 and I played through it a while back--completely ignoring or openly mocking the storyline and not caring about the plot at all, mind you.

Mass Effect is awesome; you miss out on the first game by having a PS3 but ME2 is honestly kind of a better game. It does get a little bogged down in shooteryness, but I played all three games as the class with the most guns who could shoot the most things, so your experience could vary. (It's a third person shooter, not an FPS.)

If you're into fighting games, let Prowl tell you about BLAHZBLOO.

If you haven't played Portal 2, do so. I'd recommend the original as well, but apparently the PS3 port is terrible. The PS3 version is cross-compatible with the PC version, meaning you can actually play with anyone on the PC...and it even comes with a free download of the PC version! Yes, seriously. (The game doesn't have deathmatch or anything; just single player and a co-op two player mode. It also has local co-op as well.)

If you're into oldschool games (and who isn't?) then get Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It's especially awesome if you actually like the Scott Pilgrim franchise, but even on its own, it's a rad-as-hell oldschool beat-em-up in the vein of River City Ransom and Double Dragon. Has mild RPG elements but nothing more than RCR had in the day, and they're well implemented, so.

GET BIONIC COMMANDO. Not Rearmed or Rearmed 2. (I mean, get those too, they're awesome--Rearmed 1 is better IMO though.) The sequel/3D remake/whatever you want to call it. It's a flawed game (as all of GRIN's games were) but when it's good, it's very good. Given how cheap it is right now (I paid $10 and that was two years ago) it's well worth the price of admission--a middling or even bad $60 game is an awesome $10 game.

Do you like Ghostbusters? Buy Ghostbusters.

I'd recommend Super Meat Boy but it didn't get a PS3 release. Sucker!

There's all sorts of other weird middling-type games out there like Prey or Crackdown or Vanquish or Splatterhouse which are sorta-fun in the short term but marred by various things. If you like your games cheaper and with flaws, these are where to go. I have tons of these type of games and I usually don't pay more than $15-20 for them. But I clearly like games with flaws.

I'm currently playing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which is fun as hell and generally a great game. The only thing is it sometimes doesn't feel very "Castlevania-y" and part of that, I think, is the music, which barely resembles traditional Castlevania tunes and needs to die in a fire. I play a huge-ass mix of covers and tunes from various bands, old CV games and CDs instead.

[Mako Crab]

Wow! Lots of good suggestions! Thanks, 06

X-Men is great; I have it on the 360. Well worth the price of admission. I assume what's holding Bucky up (besides obscurity) is licensing--Konami had to jump through a hell of a lot of hoops to be able to release X-Men. (One of the conditions is that they can't change or add anything new--so no retro-DLC for cartoon characters like Gambit. Damn!)

There go my dreams of playing as Savage Land Rogue. Still, I loved this game in the arcades, and I'm sure I'll get it here. And yeah- I can understand now why they wouldn't bother with Bucky if they gotta jump through all those hoops. It's not like Bucky was a huge money maker for them.

Heavy Rain is supposed to be awesome. RE5 was actually legitimately fun as a co-op shooter, 86 and I played through it a while back--completely ignoring or openly mocking the storyline and not caring about the plot at all, mind you.

I think that's the only way anyone can play RE5. Before I had a PS3, I watched all the cutscenes on youtube just to see what the story was all about. So I didn't get to say, "At least the gameplay is good!" It was more like, "14 years of build-up and *THIS* is how they choose to end the story?!!?" I saw a free demo of Heavy Rain, so I'll check that out. I played Indigo Prophecy by the same company, and even though I never finished it, it was still good.

Mass Effect is awesome; you miss out on the first game by having a PS3 but ME2 is honestly kind of a better game. It does get a little bogged down in shooteryness, but I played all three games as the class with the most guns who could shoot the most things, so your experience could vary. (It's a third person shooter, not an FPS.)

Maybe the ending of part 3 won't bother me, seeing as how I'll be prepared to be let down. In all honesty though, I got part 1 for a friend, and he spent countless hours addicted to it. Maybe on this one.

If you're into fighting games, let Prowl tell you about BLAHZBLOO.

I am, but at the same time I don't play them very often. I have a bunch of SF, MK, and Soul Calibur, and while they're all great, they spend more time just sitting on my shelf. Not sure I want to bother with more fighting games. Although Pocket Fighter is awesome. Saw it on PSN.

If you haven't played Portal 2, do so. I'd recommend the original as well, but apparently the PS3 port is terrible. The PS3 version is cross-compatible with the PC version, meaning you can actually play with anyone on the PC...and it even comes with a free download of the PC version! Yes, seriously. (The game doesn't have deathmatch or anything; just single player and a co-op two player mode. It also has local co-op as well.)

Okay. Heard lots of good things. Mostly about cake, but still good things.

If you're into oldschool games (and who isn't?) then get Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It's especially awesome if you actually like the Scott Pilgrim franchise, but even on its own, it's a rad-as-hell oldschool beat-em-up in the vein of River City Ransom and Double Dragon. Has mild RPG elements but nothing more than RCR had in the day, and they're well implemented, so.

I do like beat-em-ups. On that note, I noticed that they have Streets of Rage 2 on PSN but none of the others. Made me laugh. Part 2 is pretty awesome, but come on! That's the only one I've ever been able to play! Maybe I want to try the others.

GET BIONIC COMMANDO. Not Rearmed or Rearmed 2. (I mean, get those too, they're awesome--Rearmed 1 is better IMO though.) The sequel/3D remake/whatever you want to call it. It's a flawed game (as all of GRIN's games were) but when it's good, it's very good. Given how cheap it is right now (I paid $10 and that was two years ago) it's well worth the price of admission--a middling or even bad $60 game is an awesome $10 game.

The one where his bionic arm is really his wife, and RAD Spencer has become SAD Spencer? The gameplay looks fun as hell, but I'd have to mute the TV any time Mark Wahlberg tries to do his best Solid Snake impression.

Do you like Ghostbusters? Buy Ghostbusters.

Sanctum of Slime or another?

I'd recommend Super Meat Boy but it didn't get a PS3 release. Sucker!

You keep your nasty meat sack over there, Mr. 360!!

There's all sorts of other weird middling-type games out there like Prey or Crackdown or Vanquish or Splatterhouse which are sorta-fun in the short term but marred by various things. If you like your games cheaper and with flaws, these are where to go. I have tons of these type of games and I usually don't pay more than $15-20 for them. But I clearly like games with flaws.

I was looking at Journey and Braid recently. Heard some good things about them, and they *do* look good. I was kinda bummed to find *NO* Ninja Turtles games. No arcade games. No TMNT Smash Up. Where's the turtles?!

I'm currently playing Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, which is fun as hell and generally a great game. The only thing is it sometimes doesn't feel very "Castlevania-y" and part of that, I think, is the music, which barely resembles traditional Castlevania tunes and needs to die in a fire. I play a huge-ass mix of covers and tunes from various bands, old CV games and CDs instead.

Yeah, it looks good, but I've had nothing but bad experiences with 3D Castlevania games in the past. And considering that this one sets out to reinvent the whole series, I'm not so sure. I'll definitely keep it on my watch list though. I'd be willing to give it a chance.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

[Onslaught Six]

Wow! Lots of good suggestions! Thanks, 06

I try!

I think that's the only way anyone can play RE5. Before I had a PS3, I watched all the cutscenes on youtube just to see what the story was all about. So I didn't get to say, "At least the gameplay is good!" It was more like, "14 years of build-up and *THIS* is how they choose to end the story?!!?"

Obviously not, considering RE6 is hitting in December. And I'll have to get it, too, because I love me some Leon.

I do like beat-em-ups. On that note, I noticed that they have Streets of Rage 2 on PSN but none of the others. Made me laugh. Part 2 is pretty awesome, but come on! That's the only one I've ever been able to play! Maybe I want to try the others.

I think SOR2 is generally considered the "best" one of the three. That said, there's a little game called Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection which has all the Sonic games from the Genesis era (including stuff like Spinball and the Genesis version of 3D Blast), all the Streets of Rage and Golden Axe games, both Vectorman games, and a bunch of other crap nobody cares about. It's only $20 or so and definitely worth it if you have no other way of playing some of those games (e.g. no earlier compilations, no Genesis). It's worth it alone to get all the Sonic games rather than buy them individually on the marketplace.

The one where his bionic arm is really his wife, and RAD Spencer has become SAD Spencer? The gameplay looks fun as hell, but I'd have to mute the TV any time Mark Wahlberg tries to do his best Solid Snake impression.

Mark Wahlberg? No no, man. The guy voicing him is Mike Patton, the singer from Faith No More (and other various voice acting gigs). It's pretty worth it just to hear him in the game. (You also can't take it seriously at all. It's pretty GRR GRIMDARK for no reason.)

Sanctum of Slime or another?

Another; Sanctum of Slime is a crappy multiplayer XBLA game that sucks. It's just called "Ghostbusters," and is basically the Ghostbusters 3 that we never got. All the original actors return to voice their characters, and the game's plot and dialogue was written by Harold Ramis and Dan Akroyd. It's only about $15-20, and I'm not too far in it but so far it's just as fun and funny as the movies. (The second level has you fight the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.)

You keep your nasty meat sack over there, Mr. 360!!

At least there's a PC version?

I was looking at Journey and Braid recently. Heard some good things about them, and they *do* look good. I was kinda bummed to find *NO* Ninja Turtles games. No arcade games. No TMNT Smash Up. Where's the turtles?!

Woah, wait, really?

Oh, actually, yeah, there's a reason for that. Ubisoft developed those ports, and their license expired, so they were removed from the marketplaces. (You can still download them if you bought them, but new people aren't allowed to buy them.)

Yeah, it looks good, but I've had nothing but bad experiences with 3D Castlevania games in the past. And considering that this one sets out to reinvent the whole series, I'm not so sure. I'll definitely keep it on my watch list though. I'd be willing to give it a chance.

Kojima is involved in this one, so I dunno how much that makes you want to try it or skip it. It plays nothing like past 3D Castlevanias. On its release, it was largely called out for playing like God of War only with European horror/fantasy elements rather than Greek ones, but I never played God of War anyway, so. If there's a demo on the PS3, I'd play it, or I'd rent it and play the beginning and see if you dig it. And yeah, story-wise it's kind of a strict reboot but there's enough basic Castlevania elements to keep one satisfied--I particularly like how Gabriel Belmont's armour resembles Simon Belmont's from the NES CV2 box art.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

No prob. If I think of any more, I'll let you know. (The majority of the games I mentioned are cross-platform; I have no experience with the PS3 hands-on.)

[BWprowl]

If you’re only *kinda* into fighting games, I can’t recommend BlazBlue; it’s a bit intensive, requiring a lot of time dedicated to it, and it gets updated rereleases far too often. However, you *should* look into getting Street Fighter III: Third Strike Online off the PSN. It’s fifteen bucks, it’s the best Street Fighter ever, and it’s now online-enabled. Oh, we’re also getting Guilty Gear Accent Core in the same vein later this year, I’m totally getting that when it comes out.

SoulCalibur V (the latest one) is cool and all, but I don’t like it as much as I thought I would, mainly due to Namco’s retooling of the game’s mechanics to be more offensively-focused. I just can’t quite get the hang of the new way things work, which is my gentle way of saying that I suck now at a game I used to be pretty good at back when it was more about exploiting openings and flaws in your opponent’s offense rather than just trading blocked shots, scoring a mixup and racking a combo up as far as possible like it is now. *Sigh* At least the character creator is back and better than ever.

Heavy Rain is fantastic, and, in my opinion, everything and adventure-type-story-driven-game-thing should be. It’s the only game I’ve ever encountered where the Sixaxis controls are used *well*. It’s all very immersive, and the story gets pretty intense towards the end. It’s also got “Nahman Jeydin” who is awesome.

I really need to get more games for my PS3, but, y’know, money. And time to play them. I’m barely six missions into WfC!

[Onslaught Six]

I really need to get more games for my PS3, but, y’know, money. And time to play them. I’m barely six missions into WfC!

At least three of you are around who have the game now. Why aren't you playing it together? I don't think I ever really played the game without at least one other person on my side. (The lack of co-op is the major reason I'm not very excited about FoC.)

[BWprowl]

At least three of you are around who have the game now. Why aren't you playing it together? I don't think I ever really played the game without at least one other person on my side. (The lack of co-op is the major reason I'm not very excited about FoC.)

Eh, didn't really think to ask. Plus it's just my first time through the single-player, I figured I might as well see what that's like before I jump into getting mercilessly slaughtered in the multiplayer (one reason I tend to avoid shooters is that I'm just so *bad* at them, reminds me exactly how worthless I would be in a real firefight).

Who else has it? Mako and Shocky, yeah? Mako, you're here, what times would you be on?

Wait, FoC doesn't have co-op? Why would they cut that out after the first one had it? I thought all shooters were required by law to have co-op these days. Of course, they've also been phasing out split-screen (which is monumentally stupid now that we're in an era where televisions are larger and high-definition enough that split-screen could work *well*) so I really shouldn't be surprised. It's gonna be nothing but online Horde Mode deathmatches from now on!

Spoiler

I flippin' hate Horde Mode and everything it's done to video games.