Magna Carta, and possibly Guitar Hero (it's not hitting my Gamestop until this week)

[only]

I'm very interested in Oblivion, but I refuse to purchase a $400 system when it is the only game that interests me.  So it'll be a while until I play it.

Looking at it from the outside (as someone who has no interest in picking one up on day one), this whole thing seems rather silly.    Golden tickets...sales gauntlets...store rationing...

You guys have fun with all that.

I've never played Final Fantasy VII, but I thought it was "Aeris."

-Autistic Angel

US version was Aeris, Japanese version was Aerith.

I don't know about teary-eyed, but that was definately my first  "Holy Shit, did that just happen?" gaming moment.  Parts of Beyond Good & Evil and the ending of Shadow Hearts 2 (both previously mentioned) brought me much closer to actual tears.

Until they get some games that I'm actually interested in, fighting the 360 temptation will be pretty easy.  Once that killer-app hits, it may be a different story, but I haven't seen anything yet that screams 'MUST HAVE' for me.

[required]

what about people who dont want to go online, does this mean they cant play games because it will not be able to check.

That would be me.  I have absolutely zero plans to go online with any of my consoles.  If they suddenly required me to be online just to play, then I wouldn't be buying a PS3 (or any console that requires it).  

I also buy most, if not all, of my games used.  This would be a horrible move on Sony's part if it's true.

How did you guys get this already?  Every place I've been says it's not coming out until next week.

Hmmm, that's not good.  Maybe I'll wait until I can find it used...

http://www.starwars.com/collecting/news/hasbro/news20051107.html

This boggles the mind.  As I mentioned to Aahz on ICQ earlier:

"My brain is alternating between "That's Cool" and "I can't believe they did that" so quickly right now that I could be used as an AC generator."

I'm with you, although I have to admit that Vader/TIE Fighter combo is pretty sweet.  It'll look great on the shelf next to my Darth Tater.

I have a $40 credit at Gamestop and have been intrigued by Shining Force Neo.  The reviews are all over the map (from 40% to 90%), and I'm wondering how it held up after the initial positive impressions.    I'm torn between picking it up today, or waiting for Magna Carta next week.

GT Collective, let me know what you thought.  I'm counting on you!!  

I have no interest in the 360, but now I wish I would have pre-ordered one just to E-Bay it.

[please]

Please, please, please...anything but an MMORPG.  I don't care if you turn Diablo in an RTS or FPS, just please don't make it an MMORPG.  Just keep using BattleNet for those who want to get their multiplayer fix, and make a game that those of us who loathe MMORPG's with every fiber of our being can play on our own.

I much prefer console game music (Mitsuda & Uematsu for teh win), but PC games certainly have some great music.

-  Any of the HOMM games
-  Pretty much anything by Jeremy Soule
-  The opening theme from Civ IV is fantastic, but I'm not crazy about the rest of it.
-  Beyond Good & Evil (multiplatform, but still...)
-  the Diablo games (Odd story about Diablo music:  I'd never listed to Bauhaus before, but in reading a review of the first Diablo, the reviewer mentioned how much the music sounded like them.  I loved the Diablo music, so I picked up a Bauhaus CD and have been a huge fan ever since.  So, Diablo is directly responsible for my Bauhaus collection.  Thanks!)
-  and who can forget the classic Darkstone song!  'When the Darkstone shines...'    Actually, the rest of that soundtrack is pretty good.

It's actually kind of refreshing not to have any interest at all in the 360 launch.  I can avoid the inevitable 'Buy-a-ridiculous-amount-of-games-just-because-I-have-a-new-system' glut I always go through and save myself a ton of money.   I'm sure I'll pick one up eventually, but I am perfectly content to wait for a) a price drop and b) more games.  I've always been a late adopter, as launch and early-library titles always seem more like overpromoted cash-grabs than actual quality games.  Oblivion is the only game that interests me at this point (and that one only somewhat), so I'll be on the sidelines waiting for a while.

Empire Strikes Back - in it's entirety - in .gif format

Maybe Daehawk's picture wasn't too far off...



So... fess up?  Who did it?

While I don't harbor near the bitterness as some people over this whole mess (what's done is done - let's all just move on), I have to admit that's really damn funny.

[Moot]

Maybe it is just me, but this entire compatibility issue is mute.

/grammar nazi

Moot.  The whole thing is moot.

Sorry, that's just one of my all-time biggest pet peeves.  Please continue.

/grammar nazi off

That's pretty damn cool.  Wish we could get an english version.  

I'll go ahead and be the lone dissenting voice on Castlevania DS.  While it certainly isn't a bad game by any means, I just don't see what all the ranting and raving is about.  It's a pretty platformer with some very basic level design and a few RPG elements thrown in.  It was fun for a few hours, but I actually thought it got boring pretty quickly.  I don't see what all the hype is about.  Then again, I've never been a big fan of the series.

Meteos is still safe as the top DS game in my book.

It sort of depends for me.  Goth chicks done right can be the absolute sexiest thing in the world.  However, those are very few and far between.  And goth chicks done wrong are possibly the most horrid thing ever.  Unfortunately, they seem to be in the extreme majority.  

Faith Hill.

Please remove all Goth chick pictures. Thank you

Bah.  I'd take crazy goth chick over poppy bubblegum bullshit any day of the week.

How the hell does this thread get this far without a mention of



Charlize Theron

and



Scarlett Johannson

You guys are slipping.  

I'd go with Tori.  The fact that she is ridiculously talented only ups the hotness factor:



I've also got a thing for Mary Fahl (ex-October Project).  Some may disagree, but I think she has one of the best female voices I've ever heard.  Plus she's hot.



She's batshit insane, but the singer of Otep is yummy if you're into the 'goth chick' look.

[Spoiler]

So, I'm apparently an idiot.  How the &*#% do you get on #2?  I've shot about 50 arrows into the only spot I can see light coming out of (his feet), and it doesn't do anything.  Am I missing something blatantly obvious here?

Spoiler for Hiden:

Shoot an arrow into the bottom of one of his feet where it's glowing, then you can climb onto him.

Hmmm, I tried that for about 15 minutes straight and it didnt' seem to have any effect.  Guess I'll try it again...

So, I'm apparently an idiot.  How the &*#% do you get on #2?  I've shot about 50 arrows into the only spot I can see light coming out of (his feet), and it doesn't do anything.  Am I missing something blatantly obvious here?

Classic!

Just downed my first colossus after about a dozen tries.  I think it classifies as one of 'those' moments.  You know, the ones that when people ask 'Why do you game?', you can point to the sheer thrill of something like that and say 'That's why'.  I could never get into Ico, but SofC is nothing short of amazing.

The wonky camera is certainly a problem, though.  I died 6 times fighting that thing, and at least 3 of them were because the camera either obscured my view, or switched angles right as I was trying to do something.  Grrr...

I probably would have kept playing if it wasn't for that damn timer.  The further you progress in the game, the shorter amount of time you have to select your cards.  You get to point of having less than 2 seconds to play a card, and choosing the wrong one could be disasterous.  Had they removed that one gameplay mechanic, BK would have been a much more enjoyable game.

[Devil]

+1 to Devil

[after]

God, the first game was absolutely horrid. I can't believe Namco's making a sequel to it.

BK was one of the few games last year that I acutally enjoyed.  It got fairly monotonous about 18 hours in, (I never did actually finish it), but I really enjoyed it.  It is still one of the most beautiful games I've ever seen.  

Well, I should quantify that by saying I really enjoyed it after turning the voices off.  That was quite possibly the worst voice acting ever recorded.

I probably bought another 50 or so, but they were used and most cost between $1 and $10.

Those don't count?  I rarely buy games new, and will usually wait months until I can find a used copy on the cheap before I'll give them a try.  Since games are so hit and miss with me (lately it's usually 'miss' ), it's very seldom that I will pay full price for one.

As far as being rich and/or frugal...not really.  It's very, very seldom that a game grabs me enough to actually play it all the way through.  In fact, I'd bet that half of the games I purchased this year were returned for credit within 30-60 days.  There's many more I didn't list that I returned within Gamestop's 7-day exchange (thank goodness for that policy!).  I play games until I get bored with them, and have no qualms about trading them in unfinished.

Isn't that Metroid Pinball, not Prime?

Here's what I can remember off the top of my head, but I'm sure there are more:

PS2:
-  Digital Devil Saga
-  Onimusha3
-  God of War
-  Tenchu 3
-  Katamari Damacy (again)
-  Jak III
-  Stella Deus
-  Altilier Iris
-  Disgaea (again)
-  Shadow Hearts:  Covenant (again)
-  Dark Cloud 2 (again)
-  Drakengard
-  .hack - Vol 1
-  Tsunugai

X-Box:
-  Burnout 3:  Revenge
-  Psi-Ops
-  Burnout 3: Takedown (again)
-  Tenchu 3 (again)
-  Psychonauts
-  Lord of the Rings:  Third Age
-  Jade Empire
-  Phantom Dust
-  Wrath Unleashed
-  NCAA '06
-  Thief 3
-  Forza Motorsport
-  Fable (again)
-  Oddworld:  Strangers Wrath

DS/GBA
-  Castlevania DS
-  Meteos
-  Advance Wars DS
-  Fire Emblem
-  Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
-  Rebelstar Command
-  Zelda:  Minish Cap
-  Riviera

GC:  
-  RE4
-  Baten Kaitos
-  Tales of Symphonia

PSP
-  Tony Hawk
-  Lumines
-  FIFA '06
-  Hot Shots Golf Fore
-  Wipeout Pure

PC
-  Sacred Gold
-  Black & White 2
-  Baldur's Gate 2 collection
-  Medival:  Total War
-  Age of Wonders 2 collection
-  Neverwinter Nights Platinum
-  Morrowind
-  Pirates!

And as of right now, the only games I still own are:
-  Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
-  Sacred Gold (which is up for trade)
-  Age of Wonders Collection
-  Baldur's Gate 2 collection

The PSP & GBA were sold, and all my games were either traded or sold.  Oddly enough, I'm perfectly OK with that and plan on buying very few games in the forseeable future.

Picked up the DQVIII demo yesterday and was completely unimpressed.  Everything about it had the feel of the bland, boring, uninspired gameplay which (just IMO, of course) has been the hallmark of Enix developed games.  DQVIII just seems like more of the same thing we’ve been playing for years, only prettier.

Then again, I’m going through my ‘jaded gamer’ phase right now, so maybe it’s just me.

Half-Life 2, Halo 1 & 2, Dynasty Warriors Version 3,4 and 5, Burnout 3 (and revenge is really good too). RE4 and Zelda have also entertained me beyond the point of remembering to go to bed.

That's the sad part.  I've tried every one of those games, and the only one I enjoyed for more than a few hours was Burnout 3.  If I can't get into the supposed 'best of the best', then maybe I am hopeless.  Hell, I even bought a Gamecube twice - once when Zelda came out and once when once when RE4 came out.  Ended up selling it both times because once I realized I didn't care for either game, there wasn't anything else that made me want to keep it.

One of my biggest pet peeves (I do realize I'm in the minority here) is the trend towards open-ended gaming.  There is nothing I hate more than wandering around wondering what to do next.  Many of the newer RPG's are leaning that way by giving 8,000 different quests and letting the player decide which to do first.  No thanks.  I much prefer something stricly linear like FFX where I'm lead from place to place with a strong narrative and memorable characters.  Hell, even platformers - which used to be simple, straightforward fun - are picking up on the trend.  I tried Jak 3 a while back and ended up wandering around for an hour wondering what the hell I was supposed to be doing.  Granted, I'm probably just an idiot and missed something obvious, but it insanely frustrating.  This probably sounds like a 'grumpy old man' rant, so I'll stop while I'm ahead.  

I like the idea of sticking with one game.  I'm mainly an RPG gamer, but I do enjoy stealth action (mainly the Thief and Tenchu variety, not the Splinter Cell or Metal Gear type.  Not into military games of any type.).  maybe I'll play through one of those again, as I thoroughly enjoyed both those games.

Sounds like you need a good dose of multplayer. Single player games are great but playing with other people makes games a whole new experience.

For example playing BF2 last night with Doomboy and we were on Mash City not sure if your familar with the concept of conquest but the there are several strategic sites marked by a flag the idea is to take and keep these sites.

Well my squad was at the mosque site and the flag kept dropping and we couldn't figure out why, there were no MEC soldiers around then it occured to me the bastards were on the roof. Oh and not just one bastard like 5 or 6 of them. Hadn't even occured to me to do that but sure enough they did, it took a helicopter dropping them off but it's do able. Of course we dug em out with grenades and arty strikes but thats the point never know what your going to get against other human players. Even if doomy didn't have any freaking grenades to help out with..

Ascendent

Actually, I have never enjoyed multiplayer games.  Some of it is the obnoxious-profanity-spewing-12-year-old to decent gamer ratio, some of it is the fact that I don't have enough 'practice' gaming time to actually be good enough to enjoy it, and some of it is the simple fact that gaming - for me - is a very individual hobby.  (Hence my penchant towards RPG's)

i've tried both MMORPG's (which I absoutely despise, but that's a whole 'nother topic) and online shooters, and quickly grew tired of both.  I did enjoy playing the first UT online, but that's about it.

[wanted]

I think I might need a break from gaming for a while.  I don’t know if it’s the games themselves, or if it’s the fact that I have become the stereotypical cynical, jaded gamer, but I just don’t seem to be enjoying gaming anymore.  Nearly everything I play has that been-there-done-that feeling to it, and there is absolutely nothing that feels remotely innovative or creative.  Even when I come across a game that I enjoy, there are always these little things that frustrate me and I’ll quit playing.  For example, I was really quite enjoying Digital Devil Saga.  The artwork, music, characters, story…everything was great.  But the encounter rate took the frustration level through the roof, and I quit playing.  A few years ago, I may have soldiered on and tried to finish, but now I simply lose interest and figure the frustration level isn’t worth it.  It is a very rare occasion that I put more than 8 hours into a game, and that seems a struggle even with games I enjoy.    Hell, I recently sold Castlevania DS, Advance Wars DS, and Black & White 2 after only a week.  They received great reviews and I really wanted to like them, but every time I sat down with them, I either got frustrated or bored within an hour.

Honestly, I’m really hoping that taking a break for a while will renew my interest in what has been my favorite hobby for the last 15+ years.  I just wish that there was a game that could give me that ‘Wow’ feeling that I used to get when playing games.  A game that I could sit down to play, look up the clock and realize that 3 hours just flew by.  It’s been far too long since that happened, and maybe stepping away for a while will help.

We’ll see.  

We just dug my wife's old Atari 2600 out of the basement, but all we have are the paddles.  Anyone have some spare joysticks laying around that still work?

[warning]

+1 to warning.  Great as always.