What VIDEO GAME(s) have you been playing?

I don't have experience with Harvest Moon, but I'm going to say no. Key events are broadcast to you early enough that if you need to be somewhere between a certain time range, you will know, and other events are basically forced on you so you can't miss them. The year is broken into 4 seasons of 28 days each. Each season has a different set of crops and other things that can be found.

If the game has an end, my guess is that the end is after many game years. The amount of things you can throw resources at is vast.

edit- So far I have 2 criticisms, both surrounding fishing. #1, the fishing mini-game is too difficult. Compared to the rest of the game, it seems very out of place. And #2 is more general to any game that includes fishing.... It is neither FUN, nor FUNNY when you make people catch trash.

A friend lent me his Battle.net account so I could play Overwatch. It was fun, but the more I play it, the more I think it's going to stay as "just and not as something really interesting.

If you strip down Team Fortress 2 and leave only the Soldier, you would still have Quake. It's a great base upon something better has been built and there are lots of brillant design choices with very far-reaching effects like damage fall-off or the use shotguns and explosives over automatic rifles or other generic hitscan weapons. But Overwatch is not like that, if you strip down the game and remove the special abilities and characters, all you have left is a dull, generic middle-range shooter in which everyone carries an automatic rifle and every level is flat and narrow. There's no great mechanical base upon which the rest of the game is built.

This doesn't mean it's bad, because the game is still fun and well-made. It simply means there's an upper limit on how good the game can be because the chasis doesn't allow for more.

Where there is no upper limit and I'm mixed on are on the characters themselves. There's a lot of fun stuff in them, abilities and different weapons and so on. I really like the girl who can "warp back in time" a couple seconds and I really like the guy that can deploy an "energy shield" to protect his allies. That stuff is fun and interesting and I really like that. Sadly, these abilities are in the minority because it seems the developers are in love with stun. At least five characters have stun mechanics and it's completely inane: Get close, stun, kill. It's not fun. There's a girl in the game that can "freeze" enemies and mechanically it's the same as being shot at except a fair bit more annoying.

There's also something that worries me and that's the community. This game is going to attract players from League of Legends, Dota and the like and is "mainstream" enough that a lot of the problems with general gaming culture will sip in. In fact, I've already encountered some hostility, people talking about how such and such was unfair and mocking me for my character choice or worrying it's going to make us lose. The fact that Blizzard has made it so you can only check your scores but not others shows they have this in mind too which is not reassuring.

I don't know, I just don't think I would enjoy any game if the people I play with are the kind that wants to be a "pro streamer" and get internet fame and get frustrated if it doesn't happen. Let's hope it doesn't turn that way.

1) Mark, all fishing mini games are terrible.

2) Erik, turn off your headset. You will enjoy games more.

3) I played The Division for about an hour last night. I could not possibly be less interested in a video game. Virtually everything I dislike about modern games all in one comprehensive package.

What's the point of realism when you can shoot people in the head 10 times and they're still running and shooting at you?

yeah Division didn't do it for me either. So much anticipation with that game. All my friends are still playing it though.

I'm still playing Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes. Good fun. Anyone listen to Paz's 5th journal entry? Hot stuff.

The Division does look tepid as fuck. I bought Salt and Sanctuary (2d Castlevania/Dark Souls?) to follow up the Bloodborne DLC, which I should finish in the next day or two.

I know Barnes has issued his edict that you are a weak person if you watch twitch streams or people playing videogames, but you guys HAVE to watch the ,most recent in the Giantbomb series if you like KSP. It starts a little slow but eventually is gold. They are so bad at the game and it is hilarious.

www.giantbomb.com/videos/kerbal-project-...-part-13/2300-11053/

I got to part 10 took a break and I'm having a hard time getting back into it. Seems like they spend a lot of time in the building stage lately, which isn't the most interesting.

Yeah, agreed, my interest was flagging. But this one has a few of their brilliant fuckups once they start launching 1/4 of the way into the stream.

Guys, it's what video games are you PLAYING.

I've been playing some smaller games before diving into Uncharted 3. I went back to Unravel to try and find the buttons I missed. I really like that game a lot. The other day Sony had a flash sale and I bought 3 things for $10 total.

CounterSpy - stealth-looking game I haven't played any of yet.

SteamWorld Dig - I've been playing a lot of this platformer. It's really fun, not punishingly difficult, and cute as the dickens. When I fired it up Monday night it was "just for a few minutes", to get a taste of it. Ended up playing for 2 hours.

Project Root - I'm too old and impatient for bullet hell shmups these days, and honestly never was too into them, though I have fond memories of Twin Cobra and Raiden. There's also one on the iPad that isn't too bad. This one is fairly forgiving and not really "wall of bullets" so much, which appeals to me, but it's also just plain not very good. Will probably delete, but it was only $2 or so.