What games are you playing currently?

[Balok's Decoy]

So last night I finished Halo 3. Amazing. I had a ball playing the final Warthog escape level. I think at this point I'm officially obsessed with this franchise. I really like the way they're developing the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana. I was afraid it would come off hokey or unbelievable, but they really nail it. Cortana is one of my favorite characters in video games now. So interesting. The characterization in these games is great across the board, actually.

Played the first level of Halo 4 last night too. After finishing Halo 3 I was so excited to get to Halo 4. I can't imagine what it must have been like back in the day waiting years for the next one. Anyway, HUGE leap in graphics from H3 to H4. Feels more current in that regard. Excellent opener. Thrilling on a blockbuster film level. Playing these games I've thought it would be cool if they made a Halo movie, but then I think what's the point? The games are just as satisfying and epic.

Geez, I'm really gushing here, but it's been a while since I've been so engrossed in a video game franchise. Can't believe it took me this long to discover Halo.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I know I haven't seen "social gaming" get a lot of love in this thread, but I just want to mention that I play Boom Beach a couple of times a day on the Android platform. It's one of those games where you build up a fort and go blow other people's up, and where you can accelerate your progress by buying stupid crystals with real money - BUT, I've played a number of those, and a lot of them make you feel like you would *need* to buy the crystals (or whatever their equivalent is) to get anywhere. Whereas Boom Beach is pretty balanced for fun without needing to do that. I've been playing it for more than a year and a half now and have never put ANY money into it. It's just a nice, simple, start-the-app-and-blow-shit-up for about 10 minutes a couple of times a day sort of thing.

 

[Lowdarzz]

Finally bought Fallout 4 for the PC. I've only played a few hours but I'm already missing the karma system and the increased character customization that was available in Fallout 3 and New Vegas. I also understand the general dislike of the dialog options but having played a lot of Mass Effect, that doesn't bug me as much. The combat however is far superior and I enjoy the idea of likening the Power Armor to a tank you only use once in a while.

I can already tell I'm going to enjoy the crafting system but have already gotten too caught up in collecting junk. Steam will probably have its spring sale soon. I'll probably pick up the dlc then. My brother told me that Far Harbor is really good.

 

[SPCTRE]

Glad you're having such a blast with the franchise, @Balok's Decoy - my love for it has faded, but I still remember Halo 1-3, ODST and Reach very fondly. You know, the Bungie games.

If you're enjoying the world building, I'd definitely recommend giving the novels a go. See if you like them. (Fall of Reach is really good.)

I really like the way they're developing the relationship between Master Chief and Cortana.

If that's the case then I'm very curious to what you're going to say about Halo 4 and 5

 

[SPCTRE]

I also understand the general dislike of the dialog options but having played a lot of Mass Effect, that doesn't bug me as much

Mass Effect's dialogue system does it way better though - the issue with Fallout 4 is that you don't really have options because the dialogue trees don't branch for the most part.

Mostly, you have 4 "options" in Fallout 4

• yes
• sarcastic yes
• more info please, then yes
• I'll get back to you later (then my only option will be to say yes or delay further, etc)

Sometimes your dialogue option will even say "no" but your character will still say "yes".

Compare that to dialogue in Fallout 3 or New Vegas. Then compare it to Mass Effect. Actual choices do happen there.

 

[Kane2026]

I have just started playing P.A.M.E.L.A. - It is an Indie game available since yesterday on STEAM. So far I am enjoying it a lot. The game is still in early access so there are bugs and crashes but they have not really impeded my fun.

 

[Random_Spock]

Just got done playing some Mobius Final Fantasy on my laptop. I really like the game so far.

 

[Amaris]

The second heist?
Personally i didn't like him that much before he met up with Micheal, then he became fun as a counter character to Micheal being a bit on the safe side, though that changes during the game as well...

I just finished the game, and without a doubt Trevor is my favorite character. I didn't see that coming. I like Michael, and Franklin, but Trevor stole the show. Also, that epilogue when he returns to his trailer? I laughed so hard I think I pulled something.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Now I've a Steam link, I'm starting to get back into my PC gaming, but with a modest laptop that's only older indie titles like Bastion.

Boom Beach is pretty balanced for fun without needing to do that. I've been playing it for more than a year and a half now and have never put ANY money into it. It's just a nice, simple, start-the-app-and-blow-shit-up for about 10 minutes a couple of times a day sort of thing.

Every few weeks I throw a few pounds into it to allow me to bump up my base. But then I think of all the Humble Bundle games I've picked up and never played, so possibly worth it. It's a good game though without purchases all the same, enough variety and nice controls.

At least with Trevor, you know what you're getting as he shows his true colours from the get-go. But heck yeah, Trevor's a load of fun to play with. He's just so extreme that you can't help but laugh at what he gets himself into. And he has some of the best random phrases

I'm currently playing my way through GTAV. It's a nice change from the gloom of GTAIV, Trevor being as refreshing as the sun shine.

Geez, I'm really gushing here, but it's been a while since I've been so engrossed in a video game franchise. Can't believe it took me this long to discover Halo.

Took me ages to find it too, overall I think I enjoyed it, but I could have done without The Flood. ODST was a very nice little game to end Bungie's run with it.

 

[Lowdarzz]

Mass Effect's dialogue system does it way better though - the issue with Fallout 4 is that you don't really have options because the dialogue trees don't branch for the most part.

Mostly, you have 4 "options" in Fallout 4

• yes
• sarcastic yes
• more info please, then yes
• I'll get back to you later (then my only option will be to say yes or delay further, etc)

Sometimes your dialogue option will even say "no" but your character will still say "yes".

Compare that to dialogue in Fallout 3 or New Vegas. Then compare it to Mass Effect. Actual choices do happen there.

Having played the game more now I see what you mean. I find myself saving the game every time I talk to someone because the dialog options often don't reflect what you actually say. I definitely preferred knowing exactly what I was going to say in Fallouts 3 and New Vegas compared to this. You're also right that the dialog doesn't branch. You only seem to get a set amount of responses and that's it.

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Finished Halo 4 last night. I know the 343 games are not as beloved as the Bungie stuff by most fans, but I loved Halo 4. The story of Cortana's rampancy and how that affects her and Master Chief's relationship was really well done. The ending is excellent -- I liked seeing a glimmer of emotion in Chief. Overall, I was very happy with the gameplay, the graphics (good mo-cap!), and the story. I am not sure yet if the Forerunners are as interesting a foe as the Covenant, but we'll see. What I loved about Halo 2 was getting to play as the Arbiter and seeing things from the Covenant's perspective. I thought that was great. Not sure the Forerunners are going to get that level of depth.

On to Halo 5 Guardians! I may watch Fall of Reach, Nightfall, and listen to the Hunt the Truth audio drama before proceeding though -- I've read that H5's story is better if you have some familiarity with the expanded universe. If anyone has suggestions for "do this before Halo 5," would love to hear it. I'm planning on playing Reach and ODST after H5.

 

[Skellington]

The Witcher 3, which I've been playing for 194 hours according to Steam (though I finished the main game after a piddling 136 hours or so and am now stuck fighting the particularly tough final boss from the Blood And Wine expansion). The game has its flaws but is colossal in terms of both scope and accomplishment. The world detail (and a great-looking world it is) and the sheer amount of story have greatly impressed along the way.

 

[John Clark]

I don't think I have spent that long on Witcher 3 (It wasn't a completionist run and I know I missed some stuff) but yeah, it's a very good game.

I dug out my old Playstation and have been giving the original Tomb Raider game a go.

 

[John Clark]

Continuing with my phase of older games, I've had a quick go of Buffy: Chaos Bleeds last night and might see if Dark Angel is willing to work properly. (Always seemed to crash at the saeme point on my old PS2, so I'm trying something else).

Besides that, maybe a bit more of Saints Row 4 and the Baba Yaga portion of Rise of the Tomb Raider.

(Somehow, I don't think I'm going to get around to finishing any of these or Witcher 2 before Andromeda takes over for a while )

 

[Balok's Decoy]

Finished Halo 5 tonight. Took me 8 hrs 45 min to complete the game on normal, which for a player of my average ability is a little underwhelming. The story is pretty good, but not on par with the previous four games. My major complaint about the story other than its brevity is the direction they're taking Cortana (assuming there's not a Forerunner-related explanation for her behavior...) She's a character I latched onto, so I hope things are not as they seem or something.

The gameplay and level design are excellent. I love the new Spartan abilities and Team Osiris is great. I'm a big fan of Michael Colter and Nathan Fillion. I have no complaints with the game focusing heavily on Osiris. A lot of people also complained about the Warden, but I thought he was a cool boss. Not sure it was necessary to fight him five times, but still.

I'd rank the five major installments in this order: 3, 4, 5, 2, 1. I'd rank H5 over CE and H2 just because the gameplay, level design, soundtrack and characters are so strong in 5. H4 may overtake H3 in my ranking after replaying the series.

Now I'm going to dig into the side games: ODST, Reach, and eventually Halo Wars.

 

[Jax]

The ending to Halo 5 was pure cliffhanger esq brilliance,

Spoiler: Halo 5 Ending

the full scale attack by Cortana on the human colonies

ooooo

 

[kirk55555]

Finished Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. Story wise it was a lot better then BL2, with more personality for the main character and side characters, and a more involved story. It had some problems (it never explains why Moxxi, Roland and Lilith betray Jack, just that they somehow saw something wrong with him that never gets explained and you never see until they betray him and he starts to lose it). Gaeplaywise I liked the changes with the gravity and air. The big problem with TPS is that the quests had a lot of filler. Most story quests padded themselves out by having you do a bunch of pointless things (like try three different ways, all across the map from each other, to open a door), and it got tedious sometimes. But, overall it was a fun game.

Now, I started heavenly Rain. I'm only a little bit into it, so I can't say much. What I will say is that the game is very buggy, with 2 crashes in about 20 minutes of play time even though 9it had a patch that was over a GB (I know a lot of that was to add move support, but still). Hopefully it won't cause any unbeatable problems.

 

[Owain Taggart]

Jedi Outcast. It's weird returning to an old favourite after so long a time. I've found that I've forgotten most of it, yet there are some parts that I remember quite clearly from back when. I don't remember having so much trouble navigating the game, though. Some of the level design can be very confusing, but I think that's more of a sign of how much design philosophies have changed over the years. That and I've gotten older and feel more obtuse, and I've run around the first few levels wondering what I needed to next when it was much clearer to my younger self. Then again, the FPS genre is not one I play very often anymore. It means that I'm finding it much more difficult and the puzzles aren't coming to me as naturally as they once did.

 

[BigFoot]

I finished Horizon: Zero Dawn earlier today. That was pretty awesome.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Started the 10 hour trial of Mass effect. I won't pay £50-60 for it but i do want it.