What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing?

Just finished The Walking Dead - Season 2.

The first was way better, but I think this one's ok. I don't like the (seemingly more) QTE stuff, and there's very few likable characters this time around.

But the best part is it *feels* different playing Clementine. When playing Lee, I always try to make the best decision, being neutral, and just trying to do the best thing. Clem is different. I feel that she's not presented with the big choices, since she's a minor. But this allows me to get nasty, blame people and being more straightforward and less politically correct. It just came so natural.

But maan... some of these characters just don't die quick enough.

^Sounds like the show. Other people just cannot get enough of the show but I could not bear another season of watching unlikeable people, even if that was sort of the point.

I played the first season of it and enjoyed it but wasn't it didn't blow me away. But I bought the Game of Thrones telltale game which I like more, but primarily because I really enjoy the Song of Ice and Fire source material. It wasn't really any better or worse a presentation.

jeb wrote: Working the hardcore Barbarian in DIABLO 3 right now. Got this amazing Belt that I might never replace, even though it's Lvl 23 or something (Levels go up to 70). It applies all my skill runes (think: skill nuance) to my main skill. So, doing the thing I normally do (hit stuff) now does like eight things (shoot lightning, scare guys, stun guys, freeze guys, gain life, &c).

We must play this game together some time. I have a hardcore Monk I'm currently rolling with, although I haven't played in a bit. After playing on HC, I have no desire to go back to softcore. I love that my character can bite the dust at any moment, keeps me on my feet.

Pug wrote:

jeb wrote: Working the hardcore Barbarian in DIABLO 3 right now. Got this amazing Belt that I might never replace, even though it's Lvl 23 or something (Levels go up to 70). It applies all my skill runes (think: skill nuance) to my main skill. So, doing the thing I normally do (hit stuff) now does like eight things (shoot lightning, scare guys, stun guys, freeze guys, gain life, &c).

We must play this game together some time. I have a hardcore Monk I'm currently rolling with, although I haven't played in a bit. After playing on HC, I have no desire to go back to softcore. I love that my character can bite the dust at any moment, keeps me on my feet.

Nice! I am on the PS4 with Ultimate Evil Ed--I don't know if we are sympatico. If so I am jeblucas out there in PS4 land.

iguanaDitty wrote: One of the reasons Witcher III sounds so interesting to me is that the side quests supposedly have stories built up around them so the rinse-repeat nature of them is mitigated. Also that they're less fetch quests than witcher quests, which sound intrinsically more interesting.

Well since a Witcher's job is to hunt and kill monsters, you won't really be fetching flowers or charcoal nuggets for anyone, unless it's to build yourself some potion or charm to help kill a monster. This is definitely a cool game with Eastern European medieval folk roots which I just love.

JonJacob wrote: I have to say, I loved Witcher 2, but never really found anything hard in it except the Kraken fight and once I realized it was just a trick that was easy too.

The hardest fight sticking out in my mind was fighting those wraiths in episode 2; Tthere were 3 at a time but they kept coming back until you beat 7-8 of them or so. Side quest so totally unnecessary, but man my potions and traps ran out before I even beat half of them. Then it was dodge this way and that until my shield sign could recharge, for half an hour.

GAMES OF THRONES had episode ONE (Telltale Games) for free now on Xbox One so I downloaded it, haven't tried it. Loved Walking Dead season one to death and I love AGOT so I'm sure I'll like it.

So EA ACCESS has been around for a few months now. It costs 30$ a year to subscribe or 5$ a month. You get early access to new games if you're a real nut about that, but more important you get free access to 'the vault' which seems to be any EA game released more than a year ago. Xbox Gold members got free access for a week (ends today I think) so I took the occasion to try it out this weekend. I downloaded Madden 14/15, FIFA 15 and Need for Speed: Rivals.

I have always totally hated sports games (not sure if Mario Tennis counts, I loved that), can't stand the 'sim' nature of them, i'd prefer just it to be arcadey and fun. I haven't tried any sports games on current gen consoles so I figured I'd give one last kick at the can. So I spent hours with Madden and FIFA and HATED them in and out. i tried tons of different modes (even that new cool CCG-like Ultimate Team mode, which I also didn't like, opening boosters and all). I'm glad I tried it one last time to really make up my mind on this but now I'm convinced, they're not for me. Probably in the same way that some people really don't like the 'sim' feel of Forza games and prefer more arcadey racers.

...speaking of which, I downloaded Need for Speed RIVALS and really liked it. It's very Skyrim-questy, but I love that. I tried both a racer and a cop and settled on cops for now. Upgrading new vehicles. The EMPs are fun but I think the Electromagnetic FIelds and Shock-Rams are probably better. That roadblock sounds interesting. Anyway, I'm sad the free access is already over soon but hopefully I can still play it tonight. Unlocked a Ford Shelby and want to chase after criminals all night. Lots of fun.

I remember poo-pooing the idea of paying EA 30$ a year for this but I now think it's a decent deal. I'm a FPS guy a heart and believe it or not, I didn't even download Battlefield 4 which was also free (and i"ve never played it). Garden Warfare was there too which is cool.

I won't subscribe but I do think it's a decent deal. I get enough free games with Gold as it is.

Black Barney wrote: I have always totally hated sports games (not sure if Mario Tennis counts, I loved that), can't stand the 'sim' nature of them, i'd prefer just it to be arcadey and fun. I haven't tried any sports games on current gen consoles so I figured I'd give one last kick at the can. So I spent hours with Madden and FIFA and HATED them in and out. i tried tons of different modes (even that new cool CCG-like Ultimate Team mode, which I also didn't like, opening boosters and all). I'm glad I tried it one last time to really make up my mind on this but now I'm convinced, they're not for me. Probably in the same way that some people really don't like the 'sim' feel of Forza games and prefer more arcadey racers.

There's a whole thread in this paragragh. I am with you--I need my sports games to be light and airy. There was a time when I was totally into HARDBALL III and took the Acton Action through the 162-game season, but those days are twenty-five years gone. I need things like ICE HOCKEY on the NES now (Team Four Fat Guys for life). I would play the cubist DR J VS LARRY BIRD ONE-ON-ONE before you could get me to spend any time with a recent NBA title from EA. I will make an exception for things like FOOTBALL MANAGER, as that's more an economic sim than a sports game, but you catch my drift. If I need to shoot the ball, puck, disc, whatever--it needs to be WII SPORTS or Konami TRACK & FIELD, and not MADDEN or FIFA.

it's funny cuz I was totally going to start a new thread since I figured EA Sports games must have lots of hot opinions around here. People that love sports games and those that hate them cuz they're so damn inaccessible to casuals like me

Sports games I loved:
Baseball on intellivision
tennis on NES
Mario Tennis on N64
Ice Hockey on NES (was four fatties really the nuts in that game??)
Blades of Steel (awful)
Tecmo Bowl (obv)

on the driving side, I can appreciate both sim and arcadey games, but on the sports side, i can't stand the sim stuff and that's probably because I hate sports

I generally don't like sim sports either but the most fun I've had playing video games with a group of buddies live and in person is probably while playing the EA NHL games. I guess they are sims in some way but the gameplay is so easy to understand and natural to use that it never feels sim like... also since we're all Canadian hockey doesn't feel like a sports game... because hockey is more than just a sport to us.

Folks, that Diablo III Reaper of Souls edition that Jeb and I are on about is $20 on PSN right now. If you do not buy it you are literally a slobbering Neanderthal without a duke of an idea about how to comport yourself public-wise.

Sports games...yeah, you know, I go through periods where I _think_ want to play a serious sports game (usually FIFA), but when it comes down to it what I really want are more arcade-style sports games. NFL Blitz, NBA Jam, Sega Soccer Slam, Mario Strikers, Blades of Steel, Speedball 2, etc...I could care less about all of the frippery that goes with the big "sim" titles, even FIFA.

I was thinking about trying Inazuma Eleven on the 3DS, it's a JRPG soccer game.