Everything Video Games!

[Fillip J Phry]

This is fun! I tried to make sure I was going with stuff that was formative in my gaming career moreso than what I played the most or thought was best.

Super Mario World (SNES) - The first video game I really played. My parents hated video games as the nightly news said they were bad for my brain. So instead I’d go over to my friend Phil’s house and play Super Mario with him and watch all the cartoons I wasn’t allowed to watch. Super Mario World is still a comfort game; at the beginning of quarantine I did a quick play through.

Sim Copter (PC) - My parents only allowed “educational” games in the house, but I was able to draw a line towards Maxis games, since they made an overture at simulation/education games. Sim Copter was pretty much a flight sim, but you could create your own mayhem (including inciting full-on riots by buzzing pedestrians). I remember making cities in SimCity2000 and porting them over and then burning them down and flying through the flames. Good, good times.

Pokemon (more specifically red, but all the handheld games hold a place in my heart) - The first video game that was *mine;* after a sixth-grade sleepover, a friend gave me his old grey game boy and lent me Pokemon red. This was my first RPG, and I really connected with the idea that the character was “me.”

Golden Sun (GBA) - I bought a Game Boy Advance with the paycheck from my first job, and this (and the sequel) was easily the game I played the most. You could port your save over from game 1 to game 2, either using two GBAs (which I didn’t have) or by copying a code that must have been a couple-hundred characters long. I wrote the code out on printer paper, then typed it back into the GBA, piece by piece.

Metal Gear Solid 3 (PS2) - I got this one in college; by the time first semester freshman year was over, I’d bought a PS2, and while I spent a lot of time in San Andreas, MGS3 was notable because it changed how I viewed games. I was used to action games or rpgs, and never had run into something which involved stealth and strategy, let alone a game that played with my expectations of what a game should do. By the time summer had rolled around, I’d obtained all the camouflages.

We had Sim Copter, Zoombinis, Carmen San Diego, and Myst installed in the computer labs at my elementary school. I made it a habit to get my work done as quickly as possible so I could spend time playing these. Pretty sure I never helped anyone in SimCopter, I just terrorized everyone. Wasn't there a cheat for an attack helicopter of some kind? I feel like you couldn't kill anyone directly, but you could blow everything up and cause mayhem.

 

[duke86fan]

OH GODDD JUST ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL XENOBLADE CHRONICLES DEFINITIVE EDITION\!!!!

i can't wait any longer, pls send help

my bro is playing the original xenoblade on the wii.. i learned 2 things

1. we need wii component cables because the deinterlacing is UGLY
2. definitive edition will look amazing

 

[Bull Shannon]

We had Sim Copter, Zoombinis, Carmen San Diego, and Myst installed in the computer labs at my elementary school. I made it a habit to get my work done as quickly as possible so I could spend time playing these. Pretty sure I never helped anyone in SimCopter, I just terrorized everyone. Wasn't there a cheat for an attack helicopter of some kind? I feel like you couldn't kill anyone directly, but you could blow everything up and cause mayhem.

Heh heh yeah, there was an apache helicopter. You could either enter a cheat code, or build/visit a city with a military base, then steal it.

 

[duke86fan]

and while im on the "games im nostalgiac for" train. i gave only 2 for eC, 3 for my early time, and 5 for modern

Babby Dukey:
M&Ms The Lost Formulas: my family had an old computer (probably a dell but i dunno exactly what it was), that mostly we had edutainment games on, M&Ms was just crash bandicoot with some math stuff included so i was able to love it fast even though i never beat it
Smash Bros Melee: My family DID have a gamecube though and my brother and his friend both LOVED melee. we played it a lot because it was so fun and the hype for brawl was UNREAL later on

Older child to teens dukey:
Super Mario Galaxy: My first true REAL experience with Mario, i got a wii when i was about 8 or so and along with it came a copy of
Strong Bads Cool Games 4 Attractive People: I got into telltale games hard after this series came out. i was even a member of the telltale forums (the youngest member on there and got banned years later because they all knew i was under 18), and i thank finding out about this game in nintendo power for making me as interested in point and clicks as i am.
Braid: i didn't actually pay attention to the story of braid, but something about braid always felt a little different then what i was used to. something felt higher class, more analytical and provocative than i had realized. it was also how i found out about humble bundle, knowing i could pay like 10 bucks and get all those games was so impressive and cool to me

Modern Dukey:
Celeste: Love this game, hard but fair in the best way, trans rights, was engaging all the way through and i feel like i went through a lot of my personal emotions because of it
The Walking Dead: The last true point and click telltale game, season 1 was a game that when i finally got it i fell in LOVE with, how you role played as lee and felt responsible for what was happening made it personally a heartbreaking experience to me.
DOOM: i didn't really play doom original until i was in my teen years, i fell in love with the brutality of the brutal doom mod and i felt the rush was just so fun. i just recently got doom 2016 and its just as fun as i remember
GTA IV/V: i played more GTA IV than i have V so far, but i feel like V is objectively the better game, i honestly really enjoyed the story of niko belik and it felt like a grand mafioso story told through a sandbox, but GTA V is already getting high up on my favs if just for how much variety there is, how the 3 character dynamic means there is always something to do, and how technically entertaining it is as a game.
Portal: probably one of the most perfect puzzle games i have ever played, so much detail crafted into each puzzle and no puzzles that make me think "HOW WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THAT OUT", its always an experience of fun and relaxation, its bliss but also just enjoyment

Honorable mention goes to binding of isaac because i played the fuck out of it but lost my touch

 

[dhodo]

and while im on the "games im nostalgiac for" train. i gave only 2 for eC, 3 for my early time, and 5 for modern

Babby Dukey:
M&Ms The Lost Formulas: my family had an old computer (probably a dell but i dunno exactly what it was), that mostly we had edutainment games on, M&Ms was just crash bandicoot with some math stuff included so i was able to love it fast even though i never beat it
Smash Bros Melee: My family DID have a gamecube though and my brother and his friend both LOVED melee. we played it a lot because it was so fun and the hype for brawl was UNREAL later on

Older child to teens dukey:
Super Mario Galaxy: My first true REAL experience with Mario, i got a wii when i was about 8 or so and along with it came a copy of
Strong Bads Cool Games 4 Attractive People: I got into telltale games hard after this series came out. i was even a member of the telltale forums (the youngest member on there and got banned years later because they all knew i was under 18), and i thank finding out about this game in nintendo power for making me as interested in point and clicks as i am.
Braid: i didn't actually pay attention to the story of braid, but something about braid always felt a little different then what i was used to. something felt higher class, more analytical and provocative than i had realized. it was also how i found out about humble bundle, knowing i could pay like 10 bucks and get all those games was so impressive and cool to me

Modern Dukey:
Celeste: Love this game, hard but fair in the best way, trans rights, was engaging all the way through and i feel like i went through a lot of my personal emotions because of it
The Walking Dead: The last true point and click telltale game, season 1 was a game that when i finally got it i fell in LOVE with, how you role played as lee and felt responsible for what was happening made it personally a heartbreaking experience to me.
DOOM: i didn't really play doom original until i was in my teen years, i fell in love with the brutality of the brutal doom mod and i felt the rush was just so fun. i just recently got doom 2016 and its just as fun as i remember
GTA IV/V: i played more GTA IV than i have V so far, but i feel like V is objectively the better game, i honestly really enjoyed the story of niko belik and it felt like a grand mafioso story told through a sandbox, but GTA V is already getting high up on my favs if just for how much variety there is, how the 3 character dynamic means there is always something to do, and how technically entertaining it is as a game.
Portal: probably one of the most perfect puzzle games i have ever played, so much detail crafted into each puzzle and no puzzles that make me think "HOW WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THAT OUT", its always an experience of fun and relaxation, its bliss but also just enjoyment

Honorable mention goes to binding of isaac because i played the fuck out of it but lost my touch

TELLTALE MADE A STRONGBAD GAME!?

 

[dhodo]

and while im on the "games im nostalgiac for" train. i gave only 2 for eC, 3 for my early time, and 5 for modern

Babby Dukey:
M&Ms The Lost Formulas: my family had an old computer (probably a dell but i dunno exactly what it was), that mostly we had edutainment games on, M&Ms was just crash bandicoot with some math stuff included so i was able to love it fast even though i never beat it
Smash Bros Melee: My family DID have a gamecube though and my brother and his friend both LOVED melee. we played it a lot because it was so fun and the hype for brawl was UNREAL later on

Older child to teens dukey:
Super Mario Galaxy: My first true REAL experience with Mario, i got a wii when i was about 8 or so and along with it came a copy of
Strong Bads Cool Games 4 Attractive People: I got into telltale games hard after this series came out. i was even a member of the telltale forums (the youngest member on there and got banned years later because they all knew i was under 18), and i thank finding out about this game in nintendo power for making me as interested in point and clicks as i am.
Braid: i didn't actually pay attention to the story of braid, but something about braid always felt a little different then what i was used to. something felt higher class, more analytical and provocative than i had realized. it was also how i found out about humble bundle, knowing i could pay like 10 bucks and get all those games was so impressive and cool to me

Modern Dukey:
Celeste: Love this game, hard but fair in the best way, trans rights, was engaging all the way through and i feel like i went through a lot of my personal emotions because of it
The Walking Dead: The last true point and click telltale game, season 1 was a game that when i finally got it i fell in LOVE with, how you role played as lee and felt responsible for what was happening made it personally a heartbreaking experience to me.
DOOM: i didn't really play doom original until i was in my teen years, i fell in love with the brutality of the brutal doom mod and i felt the rush was just so fun. i just recently got doom 2016 and its just as fun as i remember
GTA IV/V: i played more GTA IV than i have V so far, but i feel like V is objectively the better game, i honestly really enjoyed the story of niko belik and it felt like a grand mafioso story told through a sandbox, but GTA V is already getting high up on my favs if just for how much variety there is, how the 3 character dynamic means there is always something to do, and how technically entertaining it is as a game.
Portal: probably one of the most perfect puzzle games i have ever played, so much detail crafted into each puzzle and no puzzles that make me think "HOW WERE YOU SUPPOSED TO FIGURE THAT OUT", its always an experience of fun and relaxation, its bliss but also just enjoyment

Honorable mention goes to binding of isaac because i played the fuck out of it but lost my touch

I really need to play Binding of Isaac and I just learned about all those crazy doom mods. We used to just patch Doom II so it was all Simpsons characters or whatever, didn't know about any more than that. I need to play the big ones, they sound awesome.

 

[duke86fan]

TELLTALE MADE A STRONGBAD GAME!?

you cant buy it anymore sadly

 

[Max Sterling]

Currently downloading PSO2, free is nice.

I tried Crucible, Amazon's new competitive MOBA-like hero-shooter, it's meh.

 

[Fillip J Phry]

Anyone else play Journey to the Savage Planet? I needed a change in pace after FFXV, so I snagged it from Game Pass. Basically, it's a 3D platformer metroidvania disguised as a survival game. Basic premise is you work for the 4th best planet colonization company, and you've arrived at what was presumed to be an uninhabited planet, only to find structures and tech that suggest otherwise. You are tasked with exploring and documenting the planet, and finding fuel for a potential return trip. Progression is gated by finding unlockable tech that lets you traverse new areas (grapple hook, tether shot, bombs, etc). If you die, a clone of you is created, and you have to go retrieve the loot you gathered. There is light resource gathering, light shooting, light puzzle solving, and more platforming than I expected. That being said, everything works pretty well overall, with a few bugs. I've played about 6 hours so far, not sure my total progression, though if the upgrade system is any indication, I'm at around 40-50%. I tend to play slower than average, so your trip may be quicker.

I've also been playing Blasphemous. This one is a soulslike 2D platformer, that is drenched in religious iconography, though I don't think it is tied to any real religion. Basic premise is a plague called The Miracle has swept the land, and you are seeking repentance and to rid the world of this corruption. Controls are tight, and the difficulty is challenging but mostly fair. I've encountered a few blind faith leaps that ended in death, and one of the boss fights had some insanely difficult/impossible to dodge attacks in the second phase, but I overcame after a few tries and good RNG. It's also worth mentioning that the game lets you go where you want for the most part, and that boss was on what is now the obviously harder of the three main paths, which of course I took first. Having a lot of fun with this one overall.

Still doing daily Binding of Isaac runs, trying to get those last achievements before the new DLC comes out. I'm stuck on boss rush and Mega Satan with The Lost. Neither boss plays to what little strengths this character has, thus the wall I've hit.

 

[Jake!]

OH GODDD JUST ONE MORE WEEK UNTIL XENOBLADE CHRONICLES DEFINITIVE EDITION\!!!!

i can't wait any longer, pls send help

My copy was supposed to get here today but isn't arriving until tomorrow now I was waiting all day for the mail, and then I got the "running late" notification from best buy.

 

[kvetcha]

I got mine on Friday, unexpectedly. Don’t know when I’ll have a chance to crack it, though. I really need to finish DQXI.

 

[Jake!]

I got mine on Friday, unexpectedly. Don’t know when I’ll have a chance to crack it, though. I really need to finish DQXI.

Got mine yesterday! I'm finishing up another game as well, and then I'm gonna head right into Xenoblade. I'm so excited.

 

[Crabbers]

Zelda fans ....30% today only too

TWILIGHT (Twilight Princess Tribute) Vinyl Record

Only 500 pressed Max 2 per order Respawned Record’s newest release, TWILIGHT, is a LoFi tribute album to our favorite games of all time... “Twilight Princess.” This chill-hop arrangement by Brady (BKNAPP) Knapp was served up fresh for this release! No samples or sound clips here, these relaxing...

respawnedrecords.com

 

[Santi XcX]

My copy was supposed to get here today but isn't arriving until tomorrow now I was waiting all day for the mail, and then I got the "running late" notification from best buy.

Got mine yesterday! I'm finishing up another game as well, and then I'm gonna head right into Xenoblade. I'm so excited.

i preordered at gamestop and was able to get it on release day. so, i spent the majority of the weekend on it. but i also didn’t really want to post anything on here meanwhile.

i finished the new epilogue “future connected”, and i really liked it for

Spoiler: spoilers

tying up loose ends on Melia’s and the High Entia’s role that the original main game didn’t cover. unfortunately, it’s kind of a bummer that the epilogue didn’t hint at anything in particular to Xc2 considering that Alvis’s design was changed to sort of confirm the theory that he is the third Aegis Ontos. if there’s any sort of hints about what xenoblade x2 or xenoblade 3 could potentially be, it would be about

Spoiler: Future connected spoilers

the telethia who are fully sentient and aware

besides that tho, it was definitely fun exploring the bionis shoulder and doing the side quests.

i’m now just finally starting the main game now. in my first playthrough, i tried to abstain from doing side quests as much as possible, but i learned there that xc1 is not like xenoblade 2 where you can exploit chain attacks and pouch items to increase levels and affinity much more efficiently. instead, xc1 places more emphasis on doing side quests instead. as such, i am REALLLLYY pleased that monolithsoft made doing side quests a much more intuitive and streamlined process in this remake so that doing side quests doesn’t feel like a drag and can be done quickly. also the expert mode feature is pretty good for grinding levels for late-game/post-game. so this time around, i intend to do this playthrough on definitive edition 100% complete

 

[Thackeraye]

Rise of the Tomb Raider completed. Got to about 80% complete, which included all the tombs. I'm not a completist in these things (got too much of a PS+ backlog), so I'm happy with that. Really enjoyed it, and will get Shadow the next time it's in the sales.

Started CoD: WWII. I'm definitely not very accurate on FPS's on console as I grew up with PC controls, but I'm grinding my way through it. Not all that bothered by the multiplayer, so I'll finish the campaign then delete.

 

[Jake!]

i preordered at gamestop and was able to get it on release day. so, i spent the majority of the weekend on it. but i also didn’t really want to post anything on here meanwhile.

i finished the new epilogue “future connected”, and i really liked it for

Spoiler: spoilers

tying up loose ends on Melia’s and the High Entia’s role that the original main game didn’t cover. unfortunately, it’s kind of a bummer that the epilogue didn’t hint at anything in particular to Xc2 considering that Alvis’s design was changed to sort of confirm the theory that he is the third Aegis Ontos. if there’s any sort of hints about what xenoblade x2 or xenoblade 3 could potentially be, it would be about

Spoiler: Future connected spoilers

the telethia who are fully sentient and aware

besides that tho, it was definitely fun exploring the bionis shoulder and doing the side quests.

i’m now just finally starting the main game now. in my first playthrough, i tried to abstain from doing side quests as much as possible, but i learned there that xc1 is not like xenoblade 2 where you can exploit chain attacks and pouch items to increase levels and affinity much more efficiently. instead, xc1 places more emphasis on doing side quests instead. as such, i am REALLLLYY pleased that monolithsoft made doing side quests a much more intuitive and streamlined process in this remake so that doing side quests doesn’t feel like a drag and can be done quickly. also the expert mode feature is pretty good for grinding levels for late-game/post-game. so this time around, i intend to do this playthrough on definitive edition 100% complete

ive read twice now that the side quests are better, I’m interested in how that is, because I definitely do them on the Wii version. They just didn’t seem worth it to me

 

[Fillip J Phry]

Finished Journey to the Savage Planet twice now. FIrst was my 100% run, which clocked in at around 18 hours. I had a lot of fun exploring, and didn't fully understand the abilities that show collectibles until I was near the end. I found roughly 85% of the stuff on my own. Since this game is a Metroidvania, naturally there is an achievement for beating the game in under 4 hours. For this, there's two ways you can do it: beat the final boss, or find enough fuel to power your ship, and abandon the mission. The latter is quicker, and I was able to do this first try in 2.5 hours with 45% complete. Honestly this felt really slow, since I went for a bunch of health upgrades and resources, not sure how far I had to make it because I forgot where the fuel was. Honestly, all you need the health for is the 2nd boss fight, and if someone figures out how to clip through the areas that require the slam move, you can get enough fuel before that fight. I'm doing a third run now, in the limited "Old Game Minus" mode, which is timed and has limited lives. Should have done this with my first speedrun, but now I'm going for a time under 2 hours.

Overall, the game is really fun, and has some of the best 1st person platforming I've experienced. My only real complaint is that the ledge grab mechanic is sometimes wonky, and the ability to scan for nearby collectibles is unlocked really early, which diminishes the exploring aspect a little (even if I didn't realize how the mechanic worked for longer than I should admit).

 

[Max Sterling]

Materia Collective released Fuzzy Pickles today. A tribute to the Mother franchise.

Fuzzy Pickles, by GameLark

I believe they're working on a vinyl, too.

 

[gouis]

Been playing Yakuza 0. Shit is wild.

 

[wokeupnew]

Rise of the Tomb Raider completed. Got to about 80% complete, which included all the tombs. I'm not a completist in these things (got too much of a PS+ backlog), so I'm happy with that. Really enjoyed it, and will get Shadow the next time it's in the sales.

I liked Rise better than Shadow. In Shadow there's loads to explore and a lot to collect and I realized I was just running around collecting things before I went back and progressed further in the story. I didn't not enjoy it, but it was tedious trying to collect everything for achievements/trophies, when in the end it didn't matter. Have you played the first game that came out in 2013? I had planned on playing it, but I never got around to it before it was taken off Game Pass. Next time I see it on sale I'll grab it.

Finished Journey to the Savage Planet twice now. FIrst was my 100% run, which clocked in at around 18 hours. I had a lot of fun exploring, and didn't fully understand the abilities that show collectibles until I was near the end. I found roughly 85% of the stuff on my own. Since this game is a Metroidvania, naturally there is an achievement for beating the game in under 4 hours. For this, there's two ways you can do it: beat the final boss, or find enough fuel to power your ship, and abandon the mission. The latter is quicker, and I was able to do this first try in 2.5 hours with 45% complete. Honestly this felt really slow, since I went for a bunch of health upgrades and resources, not sure how far I had to make it because I forgot where the fuel was. Honestly, all you need the health for is the 2nd boss fight, and if someone figures out how to clip through the areas that require the slam move, you can get enough fuel before that fight. I'm doing a third run now, in the limited "Old Game Minus" mode, which is timed and has limited lives. Should have done this with my first speedrun, but now I'm going for a time under 2 hours.

Overall, the game is really fun, and has some of the best 1st person platforming I've experienced. My only real complaint is that the ledge grab mechanic is sometimes wonky, and the ability to scan for nearby collectibles is unlocked really early, which diminishes the exploring aspect a little (even if I didn't realize how the mechanic worked for longer than I should admit).

I just started playing this yesterday. I had it downloaded off GamePass for like a month but never got around to playing it. I spent the majority of May playing Assassin's Cred: Oddyssey. I put about 3 hours into Savage Planet and it feels like it won't take much longer to complete. It's pretty fun, the landscapes remind me of the Outer Worlds (which I didn't enjoy, but these are better), mechanics are pretty easy, kinda goofy, enemies aren't too hard to defeat, I like it.