twmac

You could always nause them up on the questions@.

Will do, it is next on my list alongside Groov and Zoomaroom. I'll probably update my post after Christmas.

Yeah, both those posts were epic. Good read though. Eurogamer just wrote a piece on it (it even mentions Leave Home). http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/games-of-2009-borderlands-article

Sure, I will download that tonight. I agree Groucho, Jump has simplicity that does, in turn, make it look very nice. They just put out a new game called Pixel! So I downloaded it last night. Haven't played it yet. I tried out Kaiten Patissier, it was completely not what I expected from the screenshots (it has bold, pixelated anime characters in a chibi style that I find a little too much). It is actually a really sweet platform puzzler which reminded me of a indie game a while back called 'Everything moves' or something like that. The puzzles are really good and I like the fact that the game doesn't punish you too much for being a bit rubbish at rotating the game world properly but tells you what the par is if you want to go back and try again. The art style has grown on me but the music hurt my head. I have Platypus, Pixel! Zoomaroom and Solar waiting for me when I get home tonight. Update: Platypus - This was another game that visually was really good but gameplay was a bit meh. Maybe it was a bad demo but the game seemed like a very average shooter. The clay ships are effects was really nice but I would probably have preferred it if they had made a platformer... Or maybe an RPG. Solar - Is genius, I couldn't figure it out at first (it is sort of a puzzle game that also has free roaming RTS elements) but once I got planets rotating around my Star that were producing fighters that could attack other solar systems... I was hooked. As soon as I can afford to do so it will be downloaded. The screenshots don't do it justice. Miner Dig Deep - Very cool variation of Dig Dug that seems to have a lot of depth, what struck me was that the soundtrack, like Pixel! and Solar, is great. Why aren't these people making music for bigger games? It is 80MSP and it is definitely worth it. The guy needs to get a better piece of cover art for his game though as it is extremely off putting. Pixel! Groucho if you liked Jump! then you will love Pixel! You play a cat who is roaming around a world full of sentient fruit and flowers. the platforming is good and it has a minigame involving investigating things with a magnifying glass that turns into a puzzle game. The soundtrack is great.

I preferred Ninja Blade to Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Blade is actually meant to be a parody of games like Ninja Gaiden and God of War. And it turned into solid and enjoyable romp once you get past the QTEs. I normally hate them but there is just enough From Software shine to make me enjoy them. The boss battles are also, universally, awesome. But your right it isn't original.

Okay I tried out Jump, Border Wars, and Leave Home! Jump is excellent, it reminds me of the Bill and Ted game on the original green screen Gameboy whereby you have to diffuse bombs and dodge enemies. The controls are really tight (it seems obvious that they would be but there are so many platform games that don't nail it) and it is definitely worth getting. Leave Home! is also fantastic, you play through the game in about 10 minutes but each playthrough will be slightly different as the game adjusts to how well you are playing and rearranges the challenges accordingly. If you die a lot then there will be less for you to see and do. It is also a visual treat and the opening section had my eyes fried. If you like shooters then you need to download this. Border Wars was a bit disappointing. The idea is really nice, it looks like it was some kid's doodle at school, the sound effects are all done by a guy mimicking them with his voice (he goes 'Pew' every time you fire the gun) and reminds me of the sort of stuff I used to do to pass the time myself. The problem is that the controls are not very good and the enemies are quite unfair. Maybe once you customise your ship it gets better... Maybe. Anyway I would love to see someone take this guy's aesthetic and put it in a better game.

Fuck yeah! I loved Spartan: Total Warrior. That game rules, it was completely overshadowed by God of War (also good in its own way) and has one of the most gratifying turret sequences. I'm not joking I actually enjoyed it. The crowd control, counters and specials were excellent and I played it all the way to the final boss, who raped me through a hole. Man, I wish I could play that game again. Its spiritual sequel 'Viking: Battle for Asgaard' is pretty good except for the much vaunted siege sections that start off fun but lose all the epic qualities when you realise you can't actually fail them. Overall the game was a tad easy. Wallmart broke the street date on Darksiders and two of my friends are playing it right now. Gits.

Not played Dante's Inferno but a lot of people I work with are getting excited about it. Sadly. I honestly don't know why they are bothering the God of War collection is out right now and looks better than this. I think the marketing is getting to them. Anyway in regards to Darksiders, I've now seen enough actual gameplay to happily say that it has a solid Soul reaver feel to it. There seems to be a ton of unlockables, varied enough weapons and the exploration seems good for all those OCD types. And even if the Boss battles do look a little long winded, they are all rather impressive to look at so I'm willing to let it slide. Just need to finish some of this year's games.

See, I'm talking about the fact each of those games supply me with instant gratification for hours and hours each and every time I sit down with them. I'm not saying that games have to have replay value for them to impact me in any meaningful way. However, if they can rekindle the joy I first felt when I play them like the very first time I played them that pushes them above everything else. See, now Way of the Samurai 3 can only be appreciated properly after multiple playthroughs with the story not being clearly unfurled without subsequent runs. It is my Game of the Year but once I get all of those playthroughs I don't think I will want to pick it up again for some time.

Well if we are going to start talking about games as games and then make some serious considerations for game of the decade then I'm torn between Mr Driller on the Dreamcast and Earth Defense Force 2017. Shallow? Yes. Games that I would go back and replay at the drop of the hat? Most definitely. Any other game where I have become engrossed in the narrative are good and I like them and everything but usually once I'm done I never want to play those games again. Even if the games had great mechanics I find I remember too much of the plot and therefore get bored. It is why I've only played Bioshock once but played Gears of War 2 three times. The moments of narrative in GeoW2 are time to go and get another beer/cup of tea whereas Bioshock is so fresh in my mind for all its impact that I don't want to play it again until I've forgotten it.

Well there isn't a demo but Eurogamer just released more footage including something that resembles a Portal gun: http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/darksiders-video-roundup There is 3 more weeks for this and it is coming out at exactly the same time as Bayonetta so I'm going to be very poor in the first week of January.

Sweet, I will definitely try out Border Wars (I saw this and liked the idea but it has been getting really bad user votes), Zoomaroom and Leave Home. Groov, Jump and Kaiten Patissier will also be added to the list. Nachmir if you like the visuals of leave home I urge you to try Beat Hazard (yes, I know I've been harping on about it but seriously)

I too very much enjoyed Borderlands, what I've liked the most is the crazy builds for the soldier class. Everyone pretty much plays Brick and Mordecai the same way (tank and sniper respectively) but Roland the Soldier is all over the place. Some play him as a healer type who helps buff and regen everyone. Others play him as an unstoppable force who regenerates his own health so quickly that bosses can hardly put a dent in him. There are other variations and genuinely changes the experience in Co-Op. What has been the most joy is that I have 4-5 friends who all have this game; their playing style is so different to mine that replaying areas is no big deal as the experience is different each time. On the negative side, this suffers from what all RPG Co-op games/MMOs suffer from. If you aren't playing alongside someone at the same speed they are, you will get left behind or level to far to make it enjoyable for your buddy.

Just wanted to mention that this game is great. I've dropped about 30 hours into it and it incorporates elements from games that have been talked about enthusiastically in both the forums and the Podcasts. I will either edit this post with a longer explanation or post again later when I don't have to get up and go to work. Has this popped up on anyone else's radar (out on X360 and PS3 in North America and due out in Europe in February)?

probably would have but I've probably played all of 2 seconds of it, At the moment the full list goes: WoTS3 Red Faction: Guerilla Shadow Complex Beat Hazard Overlord II Homourable Mentions: Borderlands Streetfighter IV Spectral Force 3 (actually released last year methinks) Tomb Raider: Underworld (not released this year but awesome)

Glad some one else has been thinking about that. I've been working on a top 5 + honourable mentions for this year. It is something I send around work just to start conversations. In my head so far Way of the Samurai 3 has taken the Gold from Red Faction: Guerilla. In the last 3 weeks I've spent 66 hours on that game and I still haven't seen everything. *** Oh and Miffy the game is called Shadow Complex, Dark Sector was fun but it was a completely different disc-based game.

Would like to point out that Atlus are only distributing this. It is developed by someone else and was originally published by From Software, as massive From Software fanboy (Otogi, Metal Wolf Chaos, Ninja Blade, Demon's Souls) just wanted to point that out. Just saying. Really... I thought I should bring it up. No need to thank me...errr.

Anyway I sent an email off to the developer dude of Cold beam games and he actually replied! Seems like a really nice guy (I would paste in his response but I was getting geeky about how the game accesses media/devices attached to the X360 and its limitations in XNA titles) and it made me download his visualiser (80 points so it was worth it). Hopefully it will fund his work on Beat hazard 2 which he mentioned in his email. Anyways, I'm sort of bumping this thread with this 'patch' post as I'm hoping other people have tried this game and like it. Having re-listened to Podcast 15 in which Mr Remo said that if you make a game to be also about music then he would love it I reckon he should read this and then go download the game.

Wrestle I would :thumbs up: but it is gone. I agree co-op is the way forward. As for the predecessors Patters, I am aware of them. In terms of breadth they are more interesting than the X360 version but the X360 version, once played, makes it impossible to go back to the earlier versions as it is the only one verging on a playable framerate. In fact, it amazes me what I once found tolerable in Global defence force.

Sorry, saw some mistakes in there and adjusted accordingly. I think the onyl game that even comes close in terms of the number of hours I've spent playing a game is Oblivion and I didn't even enjoy that game halfway as much as Earth Defense Force 2017. Oh, how I wish they would make a sequel. On another note Wrestle is back! Hope the missus is okay.

I'm avoiding anything that can be found on PC. Oldies (should be able to find them cheap so you can be safe that you didn't spend much money if it turns out it isn't for you): Dead Rising Condemned: Criminal Origins PGR4 Earth Defense Force 2017 Banjo Kazooie Nuts & Bolts Crackdown Mass Effect Beautiful Katamari (if you haven't played any previous ones) Virtua Tennis 3 Virtua Fighter 5 Viva Pinata: Trouble in Paradise XBLA: Dishwasher: The dead samurai Rez HD Castle Crashers Braid Splosion Man Trials HD Shadow Complex XNA/Indie: Weapon of Choice I MAED a GAM3 WITH ZOMBIES IN IT !!!!!111 Beat Hazard New games: Gears of War 2

Ah well, if it was art direction then I don't really have anything to say about that. I actually have a lot of respect for the team that put out Monkey Island from a technical perspective. Getting out am XLA title can be a tremendous pain in the arse and the iPhone apps were still in their infancy.

Out of professional curiosity what did you think was lacking in terms of quality? Are we talking buggy messes that should have been reported by the QA team or are we talking about a graphical style/audio style you didn't like? Maybe the new interface?

I went to this a few years back and it was pretty goddamned sweet: http://blipfestival.org/2009/front It is a must for anyone who is in to the Chiptune scene and lives in New York. I'm planning to go down there myself as the last event was great. I saw the first footage of 'We are the strange' and got to chat to the one of the guys behind Red Vs. Blue (who is also an 8-bit artist). It runs from the 17th to the 19th of December so if you get the chance try and catch if you can (the Thursday is usually dead but Friday and Saturday gets packed).

The only reason I haven't officially boycotted Activision is because I'm still getting over my EA one (Brutal Legend and Mass effect 2 will change that once BL stops being 69.99 cdn). But yeah Activision hasn't released anything that appeals to me recently so I haven't purchased squat from them.