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That Time and Eternity trailer makes me feel bad about playing JRPGs, holy shit. There's so much complete nonsense and so many horrible stereotypes embodied in that thing.

I tried out the demo for Theatrhythm and it didn't really click with me, but i think i might be burnt out on rhythm games in general. I can definitely see the appeal there though, it's very charmingly irreverent. Speaking of demos, i'd encourage people to check out the Etrian Odyssey IV demo. There's a lot of setup in there before you can get going, but it's a cool game. Personally, i haven't played any of the EO games before, but a lot of the things i've read about IV, plus my experience with that demo, have me interested in checking it out. There's also a demo for the 3DS version of the Monster Hunter Tri re-release that shows off a fair amount of content. Unfortunately, with the 3DS version not having any online multiplayer, the Wii U release should be the only one to even consider. (The 3DS demo doesn't seem to support the CPP either, which seems kind of insane, because Monster Hunter is literally the reason that damn thing exists.) That Castlevania: Mirror of Fate demo should be going up in a couple of days too. I really love how many demos are being pushed out onto the eShop for 3DS games. Most of my 3DS time is still going to Fire Emblem though, i think Awakening is just incredible. I have all my first generation characters paired off, i've done a lot of promotions and reclassing to build up skill sets, and i've got a handle on all the spotpass/streetpass minutia. It's one of those games where i've been playing with spreadsheets open so i can plan my character builds. That is a strong, early goty for me. Hell, there's an FEA demo on the eShop too. It's a pretty brief one though, just two short levels from the start of the game. You don't get a sense of what comprises the deeper game, but it's enough to show what the core of the game is about, if taken by somebody who hasn't played a Fire Emblem game before.

I think we're agreed to be taking a break next week since a bunch of us fell behind. I'll definitely set aside some time to get caught back up.

I really just have not seen anybody who claims to be an MGS fan speak about the game except to complain. (Until now, i guess.)

Alright, i've just just added you. If anybody else wants me on their friends list, just ask. We should all play some Mario Kart 7 or something.

I still really like 1up, i felt like the guys that were left came through all the turmoil that site has been through like total class acts, they were still doing good podcasts and a lot of good written content. They ended up with a very narrow, niche focus though, that was probably their undoing. Still, a real shame that it has to end, i think. I hope those guys find good places to go afterwards.

I get a big Myst-vibe from the game, and i do like Myst.

The fact that it's been ten years since the last F-Zero game is just mind boggling to me. GX was an incredible game, i've been starving for more of that series.

The list at the top has a mistake. #1 of T2 is Bubble Bobble. We don't have #2 yet, i don't think.

There were a bunch in there that i could swear i've heard before, but i couldn't put my finger on where. Edit: I've also corrected a couple mistakes on my list.

Alright, this is a fun thing, i'm on board with this. Not listing the ones you already got, here's what i recognize and can add: I didn't double check any of these, that would ruin my fun. I'm probably wrong on a couple, though i've specifically labeled the ones i'm not sure about. Edit: I didn't realize how this worked, i've gone and confirmed my answers. I was mostly right.

Four games and four expansion packs, not eight full releases.

BioShock kind of ruins the game for a lot of people, they go seeking it out expecting much more of a shooter when it is absolutely an RPG first and foremost. It's the difference the first Mass Effect and its sequels, or Deus Ex and its sequels. An RPG that looks like a shooter versus an RPG that actually feels like one. SS2 is a first-person RPG from before designers all decided that the dice rolls need to go and that the systems need to be simplified.There's basically none of that instant gratification from more modern games, it's not immediately fun and accessible, everything is confusing and you're weak as hell. I mean, SS2 is still new enough to have lengthy and elaborate tutorials, but if you're not paying attention to that shit and willing to read between the lines, when the game actually starts, you're pretty well boned. It really just lets loose in full earnestness, there's no attempt to make sure you understand one mechanic before introducing another, it's just suddenly all there at once and it's all important. SS2 can at first be a really off-putting experience for a lot of people, i believe. There's also the matter of BioShock having repurposed much of SS2's plot. Going back to it from BioShock makes what were once truly surprising twists seem visible a mile away. Yeah, and then just the high expectations, it's one of the biggest cult favorites in the history of PC gaming, to which you can add the mystique of it being a game that had become difficult to obtain. So yeah, it had incredibly high expectations built up around it. I've said this multiple times about the game, it's one of the only horror games i've ever played that successfully builds its horror through tension instead of surprise. Not even the games it's directly influenced do that.Man, and the sound design in that game. For how goofy and primitive the enemies appear, the things they say are frequently creepy as hell. I mean, and i love the cyberpunk vibe the dnb soundtrack gives off, but the ambient music is even more notable, it's just so god damn unsettling. SS2 remains to me as one of the very, very best examples of sound design in a horror game. If you didn't realize, the reason the robot starts roaming around is because you released it. You opened the door to that cargo hold via one of the objectives you were hunting down.

To be fair, both of those time frames are still less than the ten years they spent exclusively making Halo games.

You did hear about those leaked documents, right? A Marathon revival was specifically named as a thing that is in development with a small team inside Bungie. As for Destiny/Marathon connections, i had also noticed that they're basically giving themselves a lot of room to tie Destiny back into Marathon. Also, unlike Halo, i believe their deal with Activision states that they retain control of Destiny once their ten year deal is over. Alternatively, the first few Halo games were also crammed full of fan teases, and Halo still ended up becoming a wholly distinct thing from Marathon. I wouldn't count out the same thing happening with Destiny. (I mean, but as suggested above, Bungie not having complete control over Halo is really the main reason Halo had to become its own thing.)

I think AvP 2010 was a vastly, vastly better looking game than ACM. I mean, even down to the look of the Xenomorphs, which just kind of shuffle lifelessly across the ground in Gearbox's game. In 2010, they were scrambling across the walls to get at you, leaping from surface to surface, their tails swimming through the air behind them.

I'm pretty happy to see so many people all over the net having a great time with the game, I feel like the things I've been saying about the game all along have been validated a bit. I always felt like a bit of an apologist, because whenever somebody dug up a copy to check the game out, they almost invariably ended up being disappointed with it.

So we're on the seventh, right now? How about we make this one two weeks? It does seem like we've all fallen a bit behind.

There's been persisting rumors that Dead Space was originally conceived as a possible System Shock 3, and it's easy to buy into with how much Dead Space seems to owe to System Shock 2.

No, no... Somewhere i heard the idea suggested that Sim City should have distinct eras like an AoE game. I mean, and i don't think that would work, but things like how Sim City would gradually introduce things over the decades that would change how you approached your city, i always thought that was one of the coolest parts of Sim City, and i would absolutely love to see them go even further with that kind of thing. Have things falling in and out of favor as time passes, old infrastructure becoming obsolete and requiring overhauls. Seeing major shifts from early industrial up through the atomic age and into modern information age, creating situations that you have to respond to instead of merely having a new power plant unlocked that generates more power. How different are the ways a city is run now as opposed to a hundred years ago? That is a city building game that i would probably play.

It's particularly notable in how it utilizes an oddball permadeath mechanic to allow itself to have that action-focused gameplay, but still feel threatening. You start the game with a small squad of marines and eventually recruit more. They all have their own dialogue and sprites, but to be really reductive about it, they are essentially additional lives. The game could have gone a bit further with it and made them meaningfully different, but it's still a cool system. If you have a character you like, there's a lot of moment to moment tension as you struggle to keep him/her alive. The game ends up striking a nice balance between making the marines seem fragile, throwing a ton of enemies at you, and not ending up unapproachably difficult. Wayforward does cool stuff.

I just started having an issue where, unless i go to the full post editor, line breaks are not showing up in my posts. Such as this, right now. These sentences were all written on different lines, but are showing up as a single paragraph. Not exactly a huge problem, but it's a little annoying.

I don't feel like just doing 2000 again is the right answer, but i definitely don't like the places they've taken the series. Maybe this one features somewhat more inspired changes to the design, but that has unfortunately come with the looming specter of microtransactions and DRM. Did i hear the Idle Thumbs guys floating out an idea where Sim City would be a game that was set across different distinct eras? Did that happen? Or are my memories of different podcasts starting to run together? Either way, something like that, i listened to that and realized that is the kind of Sim City game i want. Having to adapt your city's infrastructure to meet the demands of the day as time marches on sounds like a fascinating possibility to me. It's the kind of thing that has always sort of been there in the series, but never really explored and expanded upon. In their constant experimentation with trying to narrow and broaden your view of the city, i think time is kind of an unexplored avenue for the series.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/186801/Analysis_Bungie_and_Activisions_reveal_of_Destiny.php

I want to ask if the new game would appeal to me, a person who has stubbornly believed that everything after 2000 was misdirected and awful, but i feel like i already know the answer. I'd probably be happiest just playing 2000 again, can i even get that anywhere? (Edit: It's on GOG.)