Griddlelol

That's too easy.

I used to get lower back pains during runs too. For me it was the constant standing. I was at school when that happened so I spent a lot of time sitting. Now my job demands standing all the time and my back got used to that position which stopped the running pain. However it might be something more serious so don't ignore it! On knees, have you tried looking up running techniques? I did some reading when I started long distance running. The technique is different from short distance and I found trying to learn this new way of running helped with my ankle pain. I don't long distance run any more but I used to a lot when I was younger. How does the heart rate thing work for you? I bought one years ago but I never really understood the benefit of keeping my heart rate low. I thought the whole point of cardio was to strengthen your heart (hence the name).

Congrats on finishing DS. Sounds like you did it with the exact same build as me, except I used what I considered to be prettier armor (the Elite Knight set). That bleed on Uchi was so useful, but after playing again with the Lightning Zweihander, I think I prefer heavier weapons. They fit my play style of hit-and-run followed by panicked swinging when the boss is close to death more than the uchi did. I'm curious, as I've yet to play 2, why do you think this? The popular opinion is that 2 isn't as good. I have the feeling I'll prefer 2 just because I'll get a real DS experience as I'll actually be able to play online (once I get the controller sorted out).

I tried just about every controller fix I could find this weekend. None worked. Not quite sure what options I have now! OK! Update! I had recently purchased a Wii U pro controller adapter for PC. This actually works, however the key bindings are still slightly off to the point that its a minor irritation. However muscle memory is important and it's fucking me. On the 360 controller A and B as well as Y and X are flipped compared the the Wii U pro. However the game reads the pro controller's inputs. In other words, I press A on the Wii U pro, and it reads it as A on the 360, but it's where B usually is. Gah!!! Does Dark Souls 2 offer a way to change controller bindings? I found keyboard bindings but nothing about controllers... Update 2: I tried a previous fix that didn't work for the PS4 controller, but it worked for the Wii U pro. So I can totally play now! WOO! Nintendo to the rescue! Still prefer the DS4, but beggars can't be choosers. I got in about an hour of play time last night. Wow. I'm liking the start. Those enemies you face off against first are actually pretty tough. The only shield I have doesn't block 100% so I'm having to learn their attack patterns while taking a lot of damage and dying a lot. That leads into losing overall health when you die? Similar to the Deamons' Souls mechanic, but much harsher. I'm at the point where 2 hits from the great sword wielding guardian wipes me out. Finally, I don't know how I feel about the new bonfires. The fact you can fast travel to start feels odd, but it's mandatory now you need to go back to the "nexus" to level up.

I think upset is a bit strong word for how I feel. It's just lame. I want to see link beating the crap out of Dr Mario, not two random miis fighting.

Still not a fan of it. It's always been a fictional universe character brawler. No place for miis.

Everything that Jake said about this game, even if some of it he framed in a negative light, just makes me want to play it more. It sounds like something I'll get sucked into and won't let me go. I think the response to the voice acting thing is way over the top. Yeah it sucks, but man, I'm sure there's a shitty line in just about every fantastic game ever made, with only a tiny amount of exceptions. It's kinda lame that this is possibly one of the most expensive games ever made, and has poor VO, but it is only the alpha, and wasn't that character meant to be a robot? My reaction to "that wizard came from the moon" was completely the opposite to most people though. I watched a let's play and that line made me crack up and think - yup, this is Bungie.

I agree, I'm not a fan of including Miis in everything. In Mario Kart I can just about abide it, but now they're doing it in Super Smash Bros? That I find irritating and so out of place. They don't fit with the aesthetic, they don't fit with the theme, and I don't really understand why. It's not like there aren't enough characters to choose from.

Yes it was: Vanillaware, they have a pretty cool art style. If you have a vita or a Wii then it's definitely worth grabbing. Great fun. I'm going to play Dragon's Crown, another Vanillaware title next...again free on PS+. It looks crazy fun too!

I finished Muramasa Rebirth which I got free on PS+ (although I was going to buy it eventually) on vita. So it's sort of a 2d hack n slash metroidvania, although the back tracking isn't 100% necessary. It apparently has multiple endings, but I found the narrative to be a bit too confusing for me to care enough to go back and get them. The combat was great! There were some seriously intense boss battles which require pretty fast reflexes and learning the boss mechanics quickly to do well. Although death is rather inconsequential. Even if you die, you keep any experience earned so you can just bash your head against a brick wall until you're strong enough to get through. I really enjoyed it though. It worked great as a vita game, where I could happily sit and play for an hour or two, or even just play for 5 minutes and enjoy it.

I've bought 3 games so far, two of which where 75% off! then dark souls 2 which was 33% (understandable for a new game). I've only spent as much as ds2 would be full price. So I'm happy.

That's kinda interesting. I personally would have gone with basically a screen shot of the game, but what do I know about marketing video games in the 80s? This thread has kinda derailed. I'm kinda irritated at Nintendo for making a 3ds and wii u version of smash bros. I don't want to buy both...but I probably will.

Don't Starve is one of those games that's unquittable to me. Even if I don't play it for months I feel like there's a chance I'll come back and play for a few hours.

The Mercedes is specifically for the dad portion that Nintendo caters for.

I don't know how they can sell it to the general public. I seriously think casual gaming is a dad that's either over, or has been completely eclipsed by tablets and phones. On the bright side. The Wonderful 101 is bloody brilliant. Had some serious issues first, but I restated and bought the counter ability which just made the game feel right. The style is fantastic, it constantly makes me smile. The combat is where it really shines though, I've noticed an odd combo system that I don't really understand but I think there's quite a lot of depth. I recommend this game!

I'm using a dual shock 4 with an xinput wrapper that makes it appear to be an xbox 360 controller. I might have to update drivers or something like that. A lot of people on forums suggest unplugging it then plugging it back in, but that doesn't work at all for me. I might check if maybe I didn't download a patch or something that could fix my tv issue. The input I noticed the most is that the 4 buttons seem to be rotated clockwise. So x is now a and a became b. Also start doesn't work.

I just looked it up, assuming there was a creepy 3d pacman game I'd not seen, and that's what the box artist imagined was happening in-game? That's horrific, I assumed it was just constraints of 3d modelling but no, it's an aesthetic choice that is gross as anything.

Wow, it's a hot fucking mess on the PC. Issue 1) It won't play on my TV. Just boots to black. It works on the monitor though, but that's not really how I want to play a game. 2) If you accidently unplug a controller at any point, you can't plug it back in and the controller work again. 3) The controller inputs are completely fucked up. Has anyone else experienced these things? Kinda frustrating!

Why do I immediately think "sex offender" when I see that?

I've never liked Kingdom Hearts. I've tried the 2 main console releases and found them boring to play, and a narrative that was just stupid.

Ah, that makes a huge difference! Can't wait to get started on this!

My initial plan was to pump my endurance constantly and get enough strength to use whatever cool big weapon I could find, then start worrying about HP after. So it looks like I need to put points into endurance, but I'll also need to put the occasional point into vitality unless I can find a Havel's Ring equivalent fairly early on. Edit: However I should probably point out that I'm aiming to PvP too with this build so I'm not even sure if that's a good plan.

Yes, should have clarified. I can easily use the stylus in my right hand. It's obviously less accurate for me...but it's good enough.

Oh so like Liberation Maiden? That game was OK to play, got a little repetitive though.

Seriously? Ugh, I might see if I can find a video of someone playing it left handed. If I can I might go out and find it somewhere.