What games are you playing currently?

[Jim Steele]

Need to get XCOM and AssCreed III next week. Right now I'm on the cusp of finishing Dishonored (with a high chaos rating because I'm really shit at videogames, mate).

Finished Walking Dead episode 4 on Sunday. That series has been a triumph for interactive narrative and the concept episodic gaming. So tense. So gripping. So utterly able to break you via your own paternal instinct.

[USS Mariner]

X-COM: Enemy Unknown ('94, with UFOExtender to fix bugs)

My current playthrough (on beginner) is pretty good, aside from the US signing a pact with the aliens two months into the game.

I just chalk it up to Bush being in office. The money loss isn't that big, since it let me setup a laser cannon factory for good cashflow, in addition to alien repo.

[Chemahkuu]

Pokemon White 2, Sonic Jump, TF2.

[Turd Ferguson]

I got Forza Horizon yesterday and so far it's a pretty fun game. Definitely some of the best graphics I've seen in a racing game and the Colorado setting that's open to free roam is a nice refresher from the Forza Motorsport formula.

[Temis the Vorta]

Sims FreePlay, new Halloween update. They finally got GUNS!

Ghostbusters guns, sure...but still. Now I feel like a real gamer at last.

PS, can't figure out how EA makes money off this game. I've been playing since July and I've spent a grand total of maybe seven dollars on it, and probably won't bother spending more. I guess a lot of people are too impatient to just play the damn game and build up simoleons and life points that way. But where's the challenge in buying your way through the game? And then they complain the game is "boring."

[Chemahkuu]

The Sims 3 is still releasing expansion packs at £30 (~$45) a time, which are still selling millions of copies, which is used to fund more and little side projects like this.

[Temis the Vorta]

So the best deal is to play Sims freeplay and avoid the main PC based game?

I looked at the main game, and although it has lots more options, I love the freeplay graphics on the ipad. And with the Halloween pack being released, it does look like they intend to keep beefing up freeplay. But the price is what sold me, ya can't beat free.

I'm sure EA feels they have to develop for phone/pad devices since "that's where games are headed." Sims freeplay may be market research to figure out what works, what doesn't, what people will spend money on if they'll spend anything at all.

Who know if they're placing a good bet but I'm more than happy to enjoy a free ride while it lasts.

[Chemahkuu]

I have Freeplay and 3, and Freeplay is just easier. Sims 2 even with all the packs installed isn't that bad if you play it now and then, 3 was just too bothersome from the beginning.

[FPAlpha]

XCom: Enemy Unknown and World of Tanks mostly

XCom i played through on normal mode without much difficulty but then i tried Classic Mode (the next difficulty mode) with Ironman enabled (only one automatic save game.. screw up the game and you can't reload to try again).

I'm honestly a the end of my wit.. i tried over a dozen approaches and sooner or later i am done and on the losing end. The last savegame went pretty well actually.. managed to keep most of the soldiers alive to gain experience and even got to the next equipment level to keep up with the appearance of harder enemies only to lose the entire team in two missions in a row.. now i'm down to one Soldier, basically no money to hire new ones and about 2/3 of the countries on the verge of leaving.

Damn that game is hard.

[SPCTRE]

Completed building my new PC gaming / home server rig today, so mostly been "playing" 3D Mark 2011 and assorted CPU benchmarks and stress tests

[Temis the Vorta]

Sims freeplay being easier isnt necessarily a good thing. I feel like the options are limited, and the lack of challenge and variety is the worst aspect of the game.

It's annoying that the Sims all have the same face and that their personality types apparently have no influence on their behavior. I'd like to take a crack at designing my own clothing, hair, furniture and even animations. I'd like to see the lake behind the dam. I'd like to turn my Sims into vampires and fight off a zombie attack.

But most of all they really need weather and seasons. The Xmas pack better include a white Christmas. (I'm assuming an Xmas pack is in the works of course...)

[Chemahkuu]

Then stick with the Sims 2, Sims 3 made the Vampires into those stupid fae things from Twilight.

[Temis the Vorta]

I'm not familiar with Twilight (she said proudly) , do you mean they sparkle? No Sim vampires in freeplay yet, I guess I could cope with sparkly ones even.

[Chemahkuu]

Temis the Friendly Ghost wrote:

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I'm not familiar with Twilight (she said proudly) , do you mean they sparkle? No Sim vampires in freeplay yet, I guess I could cope with sparkly ones even.

There are two kinds, the coffin sleeping, sun hating, blood drinking variation (harder to get and a lot harder to maintain) or "vegetarian" Vampires that drink cloned plasma from the fridge, sparkle in daylight and levitate above normal beds.

Both are ageless and have superspeed literally running 5 times faster than other Sims and turning into bats, but still.

[Kelthaz]

I picked up Radiant Historia for the DS last week. It's been a long, long time since I've played a JRPG that felt fresh and original.