What are you Playing?

[Megadoomer]

Right now, I'm just speeding through Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. I'm on the second-to-last Crystal Star, and I'm almost at level 20 It probably helps that I keep using the Pit of 100 Trials to build up cash and experience - every time I get a Crystal Star, I try to head ten levels further down, at the very least. So far, the only challenge has been Cortez, and that's more due to his final form.

[Nobodyman]

So I've been playing the Bonk series. Not a bad bit of platforming right there, even if the controls are a bit wonky. I particularly hate how can't jump immediately after landing. I also wish the games weren't so demandin in regards to precision since the gameplay is already unconvential to begin with, but it was still a really fun and innovative platforming experience.

Well, I just beat Bonk's Revenge (Amazingly. I thought I'd have to start over and try again) and so now I've got Bonk 3 and Super Bonk to look forward to.

[MetaMario]

Now I've been playing Kingdom Hearts 2 again, in an attempt to get 100% on my Proud Mode file. Already at lv. 99, got the Ultima Weapon, Save the Queen+, Save the King+, beat Sephiroth, and a bunch of other stuff.

The other things that remain are to get all the Gummi treasures, S rank every mission.....and....ugh.....get 15,000 points for the Hades Paradox Cup to complete Jiminy's Journal! I have surpassed that number three times, but the problem is I either run out of time or die. It's hell.

[The Laughing Man]

Guild Wars 2, and some more Guild Wars 2.

[Megadoomer]

Just beat Paper Mario TTYD, and I just got Tales of Symphonia, so I'll be playing that for the next little bit.

[MetaMario]

get 15,000 points for the Hades Paradox Cup to complete Jiminy's Journal! I have surpassed that number three times, but the problem is I either run out of time or die. It's hell.

I finally did it! Now just the painful Gummi missions are left.....

[Nia]

Replaying Skyward Sword ... damn, this is way too easy. And Fi is annoying as fuck.

[Mr. Zoro]

That's no photoshopped image right there- that's a legitimate Metal Gear Solid game for the Game Boy Color, and I didn't even know of it's existence until a few years ago.

The title's kind of confusing since it has the same exact name as the PS1 game, and came out 2 years after it. It magically takes place during the same time as the Shadow Moses Island incident (in other words, canonicity is thrown out the window), and instead of being in Alaska, Snake is at the other end of the thermometer- Central Africa.

And, of course, there's some bipedal nuclear tank somewhere. Don't know what that's all about.


I've started playing it seriously this time around and I'm just amazed at how well it stands up today as a GBC game. Ya, you can tell it was made 12 years ago when you play it, but it pushes the system to the limit with the graphics it has and the amount of story to it. Not to mention a whole set of VR Training missions, and a special mode to go along with completing the story mode.

And Snake is rather detailed for a pixelated espionage agent!

[GJardim]

Just beat Paper Mario TTYD

You reminded me that I have to beat it, sigh, I just kinda hate the moon.

[Megadoomer]

You reminded me that I have to beat it, sigh, I just kinda hate the moon.

Really? I didn't have any trouble with it. Then again, I tended to use the Pit of a Hundred Trials for easy levelling between each Crystal Star that I got (I just tried to get ten levels farther than I had previously reached), so I might have been over-levelled. What don't you like about that area?

[GJardim]

Really? I didn't have any trouble with it. Then again, I tended to use the Pit of a Hundred Trials for easy levelling between each Crystal Star that I got (I just tried to get ten levels farther than I had previously reached), so I might have been over-levelled. What don't you like about that area?

It's kinda slow-paced unlikely the others areas; even though you can avoid the battles, it's just too slow... I remember almost reaching what I believe was the X-Nauts' base but going all the way back just to save because I was bored.
Thinking again, I guess I was bored because the last time I played, it was for like 4 hours without stopping and the moon just killed me.

[AkumaMiltos]

I've been doing some EV training in my Pokemon Black,I plan going in the VGCs this year.Other than that I am playing some Batman Arkham City,Payday:The Heist and getting ready for the new Skyrim DLC by completing some random quests.

[Dumhuvud]

Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale.

The perfect depression killer.

[Cyber-Robin]

playing Agarest: Generations of War 2. The past few games I started, enjoyed and never played again. Although I'm enjoying the battle system in this one, kinda feels like a Radiant Historia vibe to it. And holy crap. I almost did a double take when I saw a traversable World Map in a JPRG again.

[Megadoomer]

I just bought Pikmin. I thought I was doing well, until the fourth day when I ran into three Burrowing Snagrets. The bridge before them is so narrow that I can't get my Pikmin across without some of them falling into the water and dying, and they have a ton of health compared to the rest of the enemies that I've ran into.

It didn't really help that I only thought there were two - I had sent my Pikmin back with the pellets from the first two, so by the time that the third one popped up, I only had twenty Pikmin with me. I'll just try that day again and hope that I can get across the bridge without losing Pikmin this time.

[Jekkie]

Playing the Ico and Shadow of the Colossus collection for the first time. Also Midievil and Legend of the Dragoon for the first time.

[Enzeru]

Tales of Graces F. Bought it today and been playing it for the past 3-4 hours. Quite a nice RPG I must admit.

[The Beast]

That's no photoshopped image right there- that's a legitimate Metal Gear Solid game for the Game Boy Color, and I didn't even know of it's existence until a few years ago.

The title's kind of confusing since it has the same exact name as the PS1 game, and came out 2 years after it. It magically takes place during the same time as the Shadow Moses Island incident (in other words, canonicity is thrown out the window), and instead of being in Alaska, Snake is at the other end of the thermometer- Central Africa.

And, of course, there's some bipedal nuclear tank somewhere. Don't know what that's all about.


I've started playing it seriously this time around and I'm just amazed at how well it stands up today as a GBC game. Ya, you can tell it was made 12 years ago when you play it, but it pushes the system to the limit with the graphics it has and the amount of story to it. Not to mention a whole set of VR Training missions, and a special mode to go along with completing the story mode.

And Snake is rather detailed for a pixelated espionage agent!

yeah, this was one of the best GBC games period. it's so well put together.

[Demonicpoodle]

At this moment I am switching between Wing Commander: Privateer, Final Fantasy XI, and Dragon's Dogma.

Dragon's Dogma is boring me so much. The only solace I've found is jumping off of buildings into random people--the fancier they look the more of a THUD I want to give them with my boots--but the darn police keep putting me in jail. One thing I do like is how they show the corruption of how flimsy prisons were back then. I like how you can just pay your way out by bribing a guard. But I'm a completionist, so at the very least I need to get through the storyline. Unless it magically gets a lot better this is not one I will be 100%ing anytime soon.

Final Fantasy XI is a mixed bag. A very colorful, vibrant, glorious bag. I don't play it for the player interaction at all anymore. The reasons I am playing it, even after all these years, is:
- The areas and music synergize so well together. One without the other would be nothing. It is truly, truly like being there yourself, in a vast unknown land. My favorite areas include... All of them, but specifically... The Federation of Windurst. Beautiful, grassy, one-with-nature city. The music is delicate and everytime I enter the area I get a warm feeling from the music and the primary green scheme of it all. Green's a very calming color. ...Jugner Forest. This is an area, that if you're travelling through there as a level 20 warrior wearing your skimpy lizard armor, will most likely get you slaughtered by way of claws. Not just claws. The tigers these claws belong to are nimble, much faster than you, and you can only avoid them by sticking to the very thin road. Oh and there's also these treant things which are the scariest treant I've seen BY FAR in video games. They have these gnashy teeth and just... blagh. They blend in so well with the other trees, too. ...Lufaise Meadows. The music is so beautiful here it almost makes me want to cry. I want to LIVE here (with my computer of course and without all the gargantuan monsters). Not only is the area so beautiful, it's like a hidden utopia because you had to beat the Promyvion areas to get to it, and back in 2005 those were hard as tacks. So, the music is also tied to a sense of accomplishment. Speaking of Promyvions: ...Promyvions. These areas were works of art. An area of macabre and emptiness, again, the music syngerizes with it to the point that it's almost magical. The music is the very definition of despair. Not only that, the monsters in it were so out of whack with nature that the music complemented that yet again by it sounding so out there. The music enveloped you, it felt like you brain was kind of wish-washing around with the waves of the music. If music could get you high, this is definitely a piece that would.

I'll have to stop there because I could literally write multiple paragraphs about every single area in the game. They're that fucking good. If FFXI didn't have its areas or music, I would dethrone it as my favorite game immediately. Those are the very huge towers that are erected in my mind as to why FFXI is unforgettable.

Oh also there's the fact that there's a ridiculous amount of stuff to do. The job system has 20 unique jobs (the game doesn't give them to you, either, you have to unlock 14 of those). Multiple crafting systems that were crazy hard and expensive to master, especially back in 2005. It's not the same game anymore, and I wouldn't recommend it to anybody (it's something you had to be there for in its golden years to understand), but there's a literal magical quality that keeps reeling me back in every year.

And finally, Privateer. What a classic space-sim game. 10/10. I love the sense of accomplishment (just like FFXI, though FFXI's reward:risk ratio used to be horrible skewed by way of the reward being miniscule and the risk being very high); you start out in those rickety old boat of a ship called the Targus. The little bugger only has one laser and you start out flat-broke, so you have to fight your way out to get any kind of upgrades. Not only that, but the next ship upgrades make your wallet their bitch, so you have to keep flying it for quite a while. Privateer is vast. In my opinion, if you're ever going to play this game for the first time, take my advice: This game can give you a very hopeless, lost feeling. That's when the game is at its peak. So don't just stick in your safe little sector doing the same missions over and over to make sure your ship is safe. Explore. Go to different solar systems, see what awaits you, try not to die in a mess of fireworks. Being safe with Privateer sucks the fun right out of it in my opinion. If you keep on the dangerous side of things, I think you'll have one of the best gaming experiences in your entire life.

[Crossword]

Finally got all the medals in Star Fox 64 3D's expert mode. I practically threw my 3DS into the air in celebration when I just barely got Sector Z's medal. So much killstealing!