The Official WTF are YOU playing right now thread

[zinger]

Did you play Moon Diver, Josh?

[JoshF]

No, I just watched some footage when it was released. I remember a bunch of dumb enemies waiting for you to slash them for XP. Is it worth playing?

On a side note, I clicked the link in your sig for your site and it looks pretty cool. What kind of things will it feature?

Good question. I'll probably start out with game replays, like the old site.

[zinger]

Haven't tried it either...

[xorthen]

I was playing the Evil within but I pretty much completed it already. Got the platinum and everything. A great game. Still playing MGSV as well. I haven't beaten it yet. I kind of wish it had more story.

[Gaijin Punch]

I've got a hankering to play a few things but only a PS3 hooked up. No cables to hook up the old consoles to HDMI only. Might alleviate that soon though.

[Greatsaintlouis]

I'm kind of kicking myself for not saving up for a Framemeister before I left Japan, for the same reasons.

[EOJ]

I'm working my way through Stella Glow for the 3DS (Japanese version, of course). It's a killer game, one that really brings me back to the good old days of PS1/Saturn.

[EOJ]

I finished Stella glow months ago. Great game. Currently playing Ys 8 on Vita and loving it as well!

[mackdangerously]

Finally picked up the PCB for what is probably my favorite shooter, Sengoku Blade. Currently playing it with Junis.

[mackdangerously]

Today was the arcade PCB's Double Dragon and Shadow Force. I saw a lot of negative things about Shadow Force before I bought it, but to tell you the truth, I really dig it. Currently tying to do a one credit run with Tengu. I don't usually play grapplers in these type of games, but I really like the character.

[Gaijin Punch]

Super Mario Galaxy (first one). Pretty fun... just never get an chance to play more than short bursts.

Just now reading how many stars there are, not sure if I will get them all. I got all 120 in SMG2, which was fun, but I had fewer hobbies then, ironically.

[mackdangerously]

I finally got my hands on the first entry in my favorite series of all time. I snapped up the Nina Ryukenden Arcade PCB. The awesome music and relentless action make for one badass, overlooked, underrated game. Ninja in U.S.A.!!!

[CTN]

After finishing Symphony of the Night I'm looking forward to play

Download 2 PCE
Castlevania Chronicle PSX
Waku Waku 7 SAT

[zinger]

I've been playing a couple of PS2 titles that I never played before, right now Ico (which is super slow and annoying) and God Hand (which is fast and super fun).

I really don't understand how a game like Ico can get so much praise, I mean it's hardly a game? You just walk around holding some helpless girl's hand, pulling levers and fighting off the same harmless ghost-like creatures. It'd certainly help if the fighting mechanics weren't so goddamn simple and coarse. Not a complete waste of time I guess, since the atmosphere and environments are nice. Anyway, I'll probably finish it because it's not supposed to be a very long game.

God Hand though, is pure bliss. It is really diametrically different compared to Ico in that it's all game and no nonsense. I love how it doesn't take its story seriously at all and keeps cutscenes to a bare minimum, and the little silly narrative there is mostly serves as comic relief and of course a bit of context. Although the comedy aspect is genuinely funny at times, most of the time it's pretty cheap and almost a bit tiresome, but overall it's just so refreshing not having to put up with pretentious "artgame" bullshit or overly sentimental JRPG storylines. So yeah it's all about the action, which is incredibly addictive; great controls and a relatively complex battle system (you certainly won't get away with pressing the same buttons continuously like in God of War), tons and tons of satisfying moves and customizable combos to experiment with, really cool enemies with loads of bosses for extra variety. I'm taking on one stage at a time right now, and it seems to be a pretty easy game taking that approach (Normal mode). I suppose it'd absolutely brutal to attempt a no-continue run though, but I'll probably want to replay it like that later, partly because I want to understand the fighting mechanics more in-depth, and also because the game awards you with extra cash (to spend on special attacks and extra moves, or uh, gambling) if you max out the rank (to "Level die", lol), which looks to be an interesting system.

GP: I haven't played any of the Mario Galaxy games. How do you feel it compares to Super Mario 64? I was kind of put off by Mario games after Super Mario Sunshine, but my little brother has Super Mario 3D World and I really like it from what I've seen.

[CTN]

Have you played Shadow of the Colossus yet? Those Team ICO games are all deliberately slow paced. I'm curious if your concern is with ICO (also in comparison to the other Team ICO games) or a more general preference in game pacing?

I really like the Mario Galaxy games and would call them essentials, but I think that 64 is a shockingly fully formed game which has yet to be surpassed by it's successors.

[layzee]

I really don't understand how a game like Ico can get so much praise, I mean it's hardly a game? You just walk around holding some helpless girl's hand, pulling levers and fighting off the same harmless ghost-like creatures. It'd certainly help if the fighting mechanics weren't so goddamn simple and coarse. Not a complete waste of time I guess, since the atmosphere and environments are nice. Anyway, I'll probably finish it because it's not supposed to be a very long game.

That reads almost like satire (I assume it was written in good faith). :lol: If this was your average game forum, you'd now have incurred the wrath of the game's fans. But yes, it's one of those slower-paced "immerse yourself in the game's world" sort of games. An "arty" game if you will. Or "arty farty" if they're not to your tastes. The next game, Shadow of the Colossus/Wander to Kyozou is just as arty but also comparatively more action-packed - it's essentially a boss rush game.

[zinger]

Of course I didn't expect something like Devil May Cry. I love slow-paced games almost as much as fast-paced action games, across many genres, not only strategy games but also WRPGs (Fallout, Planescape: Torment etc.), and yes: adventure games (The Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle, The Last Express, Blade Runner etc). And I was really looking forward to playing a slower paced adventure game after a couple of months playing almost nothing but action and 4X strategy games. The worlds and the characters in the games I just mentioned seems to me a million times richer than the one in Ico though, and just a whole lot more fun to immerse myself in. But the worst thing for me in Ico is really the action segments, I really wish they had abandoned them all together, and just left it as a hand-holding simulator. I really do like the visual style and the atmosphere while exploring the castle, but the extremely lame and annoying battle sequences just break the flow for me, and it's not like the Tomb Raider-style puzzles add much to the experience either. I'm not saying the game is completely garbage, it just amuses me how overrated I believe it is. I felt almost exactly the same about Ookami.

I haven't played Shadow of the Colossus yet, but I will definitely pick it up some time next year.

[Gaijin Punch]

Okami was amazing, except that it was so bloody easy. Such uninspired fights...everything else I found jaw dropping. Probably could have been 10 hours shorter though.

I actually just beat Super Mario Galaxy (hardcore, huh?) Deciding whether to get all the stars or not. I got a J-Xbox and am wanting to play through Jet Set Radio Future again.

[schadenfreude]

The last time I played JSRF was when I made that semi-angry post about how it let me down after playing through the first game. I still think about it from time to time though because goddam that engine is so smooth and gorgeous and a nice improvement over the Dreamcast version. But the price you have to pay to view the awesome art gets a little high when the game starts asking you to run into stationary dudes or "play" that dreadful death ball trash. I hope you can last past those parts!

[schadenfreude]

I really do like the visual style and the atmosphere while exploring the castle, but the extremely lame and annoying battle sequences just break the flow for me

It's been a while since I've played it, but this sounds about right. I remember the combat felt uninspiring. I have some frustrating memories coming back to me of that droning sound as a black splotch appears on the ground, weird ghost dudes come out of it, and the "tedious mashing of the action button to swing the stick" mini-game begins. And then when I'd try to solve the time-waster Tomb Raider/Zelda -esque puzzle, the bastards would show up again, and the mini-game would begin anew. I did end up finishing the game though and still think it's worth playing.

I laugh at the clowns who call it art though. They'd probably reclassify any game as "art" if you'd remove all on-screen status bars, then simplify the combat system and music.

I haven't played Shadow of the Colossus yet, but I will definitely pick it up some time next year.

Definitely get this. It feels like more of a game compared to Ico, and the enormity and uniqueness of the bosses will leave a lasting impression on your mind (at least it did for me). Just please don't turn into a blubbering baby like countless men-children on the internet as you kill off those colossi, one by one. Who's to say they are innocent anyway?

[schadenfreude]

Ah, excuse my insomniac rants — back on topic! I've been lost in American DOS-gaming land the past few months — so I shall write no more of that. But prior to that, I spend the summer 1CCing the Mega Drive Sonic games, Ristar, Dynamite Headdy (JP), then finally picked up Taroumaru after a two-year absence and coined it.

Recently, I finally got my Turbo Duo R set up and launched straight into coining Chi no Rondo, because what other game would I start with? Once I succeed (or give up after repeated failures), I'm going to jump right into Gekka no Yasoukyoku — you know, while the story is still fresh in my mind and all. I hope this correct playing sequence is the secret that will turn me into Bela Lugosi or something.

Meanwhile, I acquired the Japanese versions of Shenmue I and II on Dreamcast and have been playing through the first one. I started self-studying Japanese last year, and I find the dialogue coupled with the subtitles makes a good immersion environment. Plus Ryo tends to be repetitive about the questions he asks, so the increased exposure makes it easier to understand what's going on. I also have some memories of the plot points since I played the American and European versions of these games over 10 years ago.

Finally, replaying them will prepare me for Shenmue III at the end of this year. I'm still surprised there isn't a thread here for it! I supported the game on Kickstarter but forgot to post about it. I don't even have a PS4 or a PC powerful enough to run the game, but I'll cross that crevasse when the time comes.

[mackdangerously]

Recently, I finally got my Turbo Duo R set up and launched straight into coining Chi no Rondo, because what other game would I start with?

Nice. I hope you managed to pick it up before that Angry Vidya Fuckhead made a video about it and the price doubled.

I am still jammin' on that Ninja Ryukenden interspersed with Ninja Kids and Black Dragon. I am also dropping credits on Burning Force, which I feel is a grossly underrated, criminally overlooked game.

[Gaijin Punch]

The last time I played JSRF was when I made that semi-angry post about how it let me down after playing through the first game. I still think about it from time to time though because goddam that engine is so smooth and gorgeous and a nice improvement over the Dreamcast version. But the price you have to pay to view the awesome art gets a little high when the game starts asking you to run into stationary dudes or "play" that dreadful death ball trash. I hope you can last past those parts!

I've played through it multiple times, so literally no problem on that front! That being said, I've not even hooked it up yet... lots going on still. I think I worked 65 hours this past week.

[zinger]

Okami was amazing, except that it was so bloody easy. Such uninspired fights...everything else I found jaw dropping. Probably could have been 10 hours shorter though.

I agree about the world being impressive, the graphics are gorgeous. A bit too childish for my taste, but still!

But yeah, the fighting is pretty much challenge-free and feels pointless in the long run. I was also annoyed by the constant interruptions from dialogue boxes you have to click through; I actually started skipping most of the text after a while, it just felt life-less and boring to me, like a very drawn-out children's book. I played the PAL version though, so probably it's at least partly an issue with translation; it felt very un-Japanese, which of course sucks and is totally anti-immersive in a game which relies so much on its (Japanese) theme.

I definitely think it should have been shorter too, because I think I gave up after about 15 hours. I don't know exactly how long it is, but if it had been around 10 hours or shorter (hey, like Ico) I would probably have liked it a lot more. Not a very satisfying game in my book, anyway, regardless of how cool it may look.

I have some frustrating memories coming back to me of that droning sound as a black splotch appears on the ground, weird ghost dudes come out of it ...

Oh god, don't remind me.

I haven't played Shadow of the Colossus yet, but I will definitely pick it up some time next year.

Definitely get this. It feels like more of a game compared to Ico, and the enormity and uniqueness of the bosses will leave a lasting impression on your mind (at least it did for me).

Playing it right now, definitely more impressed with this one, despite all the flaws.

Also, it's cool that you're playing the Shenmue games and Gekka no Yasookyoku, because I have them next on my list on what to play. I only tried both very briefly way back, which is just silly considering how amazing both Shenmue and Gekka seem to be. Also, I didn't know there was an "undub" version of Shenmue? Does it work well? Or, do you mean JP subs? I know I don't want to play the dubbed version because I remember how the voice acting felt off (again, "un-Japanese"), but subtitles would probably help me a lot.

Aside from Colossus I just hooked up my 360 for the first time ever (lol). Currently enjoying Gears of War and Ninja Gaiden II (I also just briefly tried Metal Gear Rising (holy shit!!!!), but I'm going to save that for much later after I've played more of what was released in-between).

Also:

Taroumaru

Damn, wish I had money for this!

[schadenfreude]

I hope you managed to pick it up before that Angry Vidya Fuckhead made a video about it and the price doubled.

Taroumaru

Damn, wish I had money for this!

I don't collect games — just hardware on which to play those games — so no matter how much something costs, I'll eventually sell it and use the money to buy other games — and thus the exchange cycle continues. I move around a lot and pride myself on my quasi-ascetic lifestyle, and it would be a nightmare to lug so much stuff with me. I leave some stuff at my mother's place, but I don't want to burden her with too much shit. Plus it's rare for me to replay a game these days, so once for example I 1CC a game, there's really no chance of me playing it ever again. If there's some aspect of the game I've forgotten and thus need a reminder, I can watch a YouTube video — or poll you fine gentlemen.

Also, the nerd made a video on it? I found a James & Mike video for the game if that's what you mean. I like some of his Angry Video Game Nerd videos, but pretty much everything else is crap.

Also, I didn't know there was an "undub" version of Shenmue? Does it work well? Or, do you mean JP subs? I know I don't want to play the dubbed version because I remember how the voice acting felt off (again, "un-Japanese"), but subtitles would probably help me a lot.

Nope, my testicles are too big for something like that; see here: viewtopic.php?f=5&p=28660#p28660. I imported the Japanese versions of the games from Japan and am using a region-free boot disc to play them on my US Dreamcast. The subtitles and their frequent use of kanji keep me afloat. All Japanese, all the time!

Aside from Colossus I just hooked up my 360 for the first time ever (lol).

I am loving this. The apartment near my friend's apartment (same building) had a fire in it a few years ago, and a lot of his stuff reeked of smoke afterwards (thankfully our extensive Magic card collection was spared!). Anyway, he gave me a bin with 2 Xbox 360s and some games in it. I left them out in the shed for about a year and forgot about them, and by the time I brought them back in, the fire smell was gone. But the systems still had noticeable "dirt" smudges on them from the smoke, and one controller didn't work (I think the cable was loose). But hey, the systems actually worked! But I have way too many old games to plow through, so I sold the whole lot last year. I wanna continue loving and using CRTs before they become difficult to find.