What are you Playing?

Especially but not limited to pre-2000 titles
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Daniel
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What are you Playing?

Post by Daniel »

I figured that this might be a nice ice breaker, so here is the obligatory "what are you playing" thread. :)

Feel free to make posts whenever you play any games (whether anime-related or not) so that we can all know what you're up to, and hopefully find some things to discuss as well! If you've got a lot to say about a game that you're playing, feel free to make a separate thread.


As for me, I just started 聖剣伝説2 (Holy Sword Legend 2, or Secret of Mana, as it was called in the US) for SNES.

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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by greg »

For several years in college, playing through Secret of Mana was a December ritual for me. It seemed appropriate, since there is an ice level where you meet Santa Claus in the game. :)

I'm currently playing an RPG for the PSP called Fate Extra, a spin-off of the Fate/Stay Night franchise. It's pretty interesting. It's often compared to the Persona games, although I haven't played those yet. The battle system is basically rock, paper, scissors, although it is more interesting than that sounds.

I'm also playing Yggdra Union for the GBA on my DS Lite. Very beautiful strategy game. SRPGs are my current favorite genre.
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by Daniel »

For several years in college, playing through Secret of Mana was a December ritual for me. It seemed appropriate, since there is an ice level where you meet Santa Claus in the game. :)
Did you ever play it in multiplayer mode? That was a lot of fun :)

Speaking of multiplayer, we should do an aging otaku online gamefest sometime :)

I'm currently playing an RPG for the PSP called Fate Extra, a spin-off of the Fate/Stay Night franchise. It's pretty interesting. It's often compared to the Persona games, although I haven't played those yet. The battle system is basically rock, paper, scissors, although it is more interesting than that sounds.

I'm also playing Yggdra Union for the GBA on my DS Lite. Very beautiful strategy game. SRPGs are my current favorite genre.
I don't keep up with newer games, so admittedly I had to go to YouTube to check those ones out, but they look pretty fun; lemme know how they go :)
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by greg »

AnimeSennin wrote:I don't keep up with newer games, so admittedly I had to go to YouTube to check those ones out, but they look pretty fun; lemme know how they go :)
The DS (and the PSP to an extent) is the only real home to sprite-based games anymore. Although that may be changing with this new 3DS, which I am not remotely interested in so far at all.

If you like 16-bit sprites and RPGs in general, the DS is where it's at. The DS Lite is best because it can play GBA games like Yggdra Union. It's also the home to many re-releases of games that were on the SNES and SFC games that were never localized.

Anyway, the DS and PSP have kept retro-style gaming alive more than any other console, In my opinion. Other consoles have stuff like downloadable games, but that's mostly cheating.
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by Daniel »

greg wrote:The DS (and the PSP to an extent) is the only real home to sprite-based games anymore... If you like 16-bit sprites and RPGs in general, the DS is where it's at. The DS Lite is best because it can play GBA games like Yggdra Union. It's also the home to many re-releases of games that were on the SNES and SFC games that were never localized.
Ah, yes. Sprite-based games. I don't much care for the newer hyper-realistic stuff. I'll check out your recommendations, thanks.

David also mentioned They Bleed Pixels to me awhile ago, which I thought looked pretty fun. (David's also a pretty heavy retro gamer)

I've actually done a bit of programming for the DS... :)

Although that may be changing with this new 3DS, which I am not remotely interested in so far at all.
Everything's moving towards graphics, graphics, graphics. I highly prefer gameplay over graphics. One could say that newer graphics were key to older games as they were coming out back in the day, but there wasn't this need for tons and tons of 3D programming. I think that you get better gameplay and more innovation if you don't have to bother with the graphics so much.

Anyway, the DS and PSP have kept retro-style gaming alive more than any other console, In my opinion. Other consoles have stuff like downloadable games, but that's mostly cheating.
How long do you think retro-style games will continue to produced, other than the downloadable stuff?
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by greg »

AnimeSennin wrote:How long do you think retro-style games will continue to produced, other than the downloadable stuff?
I think the 3DS will help kill sprite-based games. The DS seemed to have more sprite-based games than the PSP, but now that the effort is on 3D, and I'm sure Nintendo's policy will be that any game made for the 3DS must have 3D graphics, I can't see how a sprite-based game can be made for that system. I haven't been following the console closely at all, but as far as I know, there are zero sprite-based games for it. Even if there were, they'd look like paper doll cutouts floating around on top of each other or something.

The 3DS has amazing technology, making it so that glasses are not necessary. But it still looks weird, and I am so tired of 3D. As a result, I don't think I will ever buy a 3DS. With each new generation of consoles being released, I become less and less interested in modern console gaming.

I am so sick of 3D and how it's being shoved down our throats,particularly with movies. Isn't Promethius going to be released only in 3D? I hate this crap. It makes my eyes feel weird, it looks dark, and the detail is lost. I cannot see 3D movies as clearly as I can a 3D movie. Moreover, I already see in 3D. I don't need my movies or my video games to be in 3D. What I want is to appreciate art.

Whether or not Star Wars: The Phantom Menace is a terrible movie, any movie redone in 3D is such a stupid idea. If a movie wasn't originally filmed in 3D, making it look 3D is stupid, like a bunch of freaking paperdolls moving around. I heard they're going to make the LOTR movies 3D too. Why don't they remake Da Vinci's artwork in 3D? Or Van Gogh? "Hmm.. The Mona Lisa is so boring because it's 2D. But if it was 3D and dark and blurry, then I'd appreciate it more!" Why not? Because it's insulting. I want to see movies that have good photography and frame the scenes right with the rule of thirds, stuff like Citizen Kane, The Matrix, or The Ring (USA ver). Movies should be 2D artwork and filmed as such. Hollywood must think that forcing 3D on us is going to help put an end to piracy or something, and it makes me want to puke.

Anyhow, back to video games. :/
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by kndy »

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Right now I am playing "Shin Megami Tensei Persona" and "K!-ON" on the PSP and many others on the other consoles. And I enjoy mecha games, especially Gundam games... A few that I recently bought from Japan (cheap/used).

I actually love a lot of Japanese video games to the point where I created a site "Ai Love Japanese Video Games" recently:

http://www.ailovejvg.com/
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by greg »

Nice. I've been playing Super Robot Taisen W (the one with GoLion) off and on over the past two years. It takes me a while to go through a typical SRT game. This is the first one I've seriously played in Japanese, after playing the two domestic GBA titles.

Lately, I am mostly playing Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna (Bonds of the Battlefield) on the PSP as well as Fate Extra on the PSP.

I also play Senjou no Kizuna in the arcades when I can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvOQzWa9URo
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by kndy »

BikeLover wrote:Current Library of Games(PS3):

Bioshock, Bioshock 2, Portal 2, Wipeout, Burnout Paradise Ultimate Box(+packs), Skyrim, Bayonetta,Rise From Lair, Uncharted, Valkyria Chronicles(sic), Tomb Raider: Underworld, Mass Effect 2, Front Mission, Armored Core games, Dungeon Siege 3 and a few more that are hiding somewhere.

Thinking of buying an old 2nd-hand PS2 as I still got the VOTOMS game for it.

Son is play the 3DS now but had the PSP & WII(All MonHun), myself thinking of getting a PSVita soon.
I was about to get the PS Vita on Japan launch, then waited until USA launch but after seeing the sales figures in Japan, I figured maybe we will see the same price cut in the US, like what happened with the 3DS. I still have yet to get a 3DS as well.

Usually buy the consoles at launch but now that my son is getting older and outgrowing clothes like crazy (or tearing them quickly), I'm holding back on purchasing them.

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But my son has been hooked on these as of late...and I have to admit, I enjoy it because it has brought pretty good father and son time and also it surprises me to watch him watching the anime in Japanese.

But I would definitely get a second hand PS2, especially now that you can get the regular or slims pretty cheap. I'm thinking of getting a secondary one, since I have the first gen PS2 and a lot of the JRPG games I own are for the PS2.
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Re: What are you Playing?

Post by kndy »

greg wrote:Nice. I've been playing Super Robot Taisen W (the one with GoLion) off and on over the past two years. It takes me a while to go through a typical SRT game. This is the first one I've seriously played in Japanese, after playing the two domestic GBA titles.

Lately, I am mostly playing Gundam: Senjou no Kizuna (Bonds of the Battlefield) on the PSP as well as Fate Extra on the PSP.

I also play Senjou no Kizuna in the arcades when I can: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvOQzWa9URo
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That game looks cool! I was thinking of importing "Kidou Senshi Gundam: Mokuba no Kiseki" but will wait until the price goes down a bit. I also picked up Fate Extra from Amazon around the Holidays...the limited edition dropped down to $28 and that was a steal!

It also takes me a while to get through an SRT game...

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For those of you in Japan, are "Densha de Go" PSP used games really that expensive? I have purchased them all except one (Densha de Go! Pocket Toukaidousen Hen) and I'm kicking myself in the tail for not buying it when it came out. This is the only one I'm missing. On Amazon Japan, someone is selling it new for "¥ 69,000より". Definitely out of my price range.
Last edited by kndy on Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:39 am, edited 2 times in total.
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