What are you playing?

[eatmyshorts]

What am I playing?

Why, METAL GEAR SOLID 4 of course!

[TheLuckyOne]

Call me when it comes out for the Wii, I'm there.

Meanwhile, I know this is a longshot, but is anyone playing Dr. Mario Online Rx? It's one of those Wiiware games you can download, kind of like the Virtual Console. I got it for Lady Luck because she's a puzzle game fiend and played it like a mofo back in college. She loves it and has just recently started getting into the online version, where you can play against chumps people from all over the world.

The one problem? They keep talking to her. The game has a feature where you can send one of a programmed list of messages. It's Nintendo, so they're all tame stuff like "Good game!" or "Neener neener!" instead of the phrases I would have picked, like "Your kung fu is weak!" or "Call me the Professor, 'cuz you just got schooled!" Nonetheless, they're there and a lot of people use them. This annoys Lady Luck to no end, because her ideal Dr. Mario experience is to beat your ass, leave the money on the dresser, and move on. The irony is that she's probably more outgoing than any ten of these people in real life, but in Dr. Mario she just wants to bring the pain until they quit in shame, without any of that girly talking going on.

So, since you can't pick who you play (the system just finds a random person who's also looking for a match), the ideal scenario is for her to use the "Play a friend" mode to compete against someone she can choose. Is there anyone reading who 1) is pretty good at Dr. Mario, and 2) likes to play without having to exchange "Good luck!"s before every match? If so, post or send me your friend code and you'll be making a pregnant woman very, very happy.

-D

[Al]

Well, I can't pretend that I'm any other than an average Dr Mario player, but I was planning on picking it up once I was done with LEGO Indiana Jones. I already have the Wii Points squirreled away, so I could always speed up my timetable.

[BlackCatWhiteCat]

I just got started on Final Fantasy X last night. Kinda weird for me, as I played X:2 first. I know, I KNOW. I actually never finished. I was roped in by it at first (having not played any FF for years), then life got crazy right as I was about to fight the main villain. Therefore I never finished X: 2. I tried going back to it a couple of months ago and got annoyed by it and I'm not quite sure I'll ever finish it.

Many people I've known talk about FFX as if it's justthemostamazingthingeverOMG. I hope I'm not let down.

[TheOogieBoogieMan]

I got my hands on Spore the other day. I'm playing it on easy mode right now, so there isn't much challenge to it, but it's loads of fun, the sort of thing I enjoy playing (you hardcore gamers can keep your mmorpg's and your fps's, and all your other acronyms). A great successor to The Sims.

[PoolMan]

I picked up Spore, too, although I just went for the gusto and started on Medium.

It's incredibly broad in its creativity, but not very deep on challenge. (except the Space stage, which is kicking my ass around like a soccer ball)

Can we swap designs, Oogie? I don't even know. If so, my username's PoolMan42.

[TheOogieBoogieMan]

Yeah, I'm not entirely sure how the user-content-networking works, either. All I know is you can allow any and all content to be integrated into your game, or just the content of those on your friends list, but I don't know if you can choose an option between those two (like, allowing all content from all users, but giving preference to your friends' stuff).

We'll see how it goes, I guess. My username is Blahstein (thus continuing my tradition of incorporating the word "blah" into my usernames cause I can't be bothered to think up something more interesting).

[PoolMan]

Added you, Oogie. Wow, you've been busy! Cool animals.

[TheOogieBoogieMan]

Heh, thanks, Poolman. Most of those creatures I made with the trial version during the summer.

One of my favourite moments playing the game came in creature mode, when my nest was being attacked by a giant version of one of the creatures I had already made. I knew I had to flee in terror, but at the same time, I couldn't help but stare and go "Ooooooooooo...".

[Al]

I'm just curious, how have you guys been approaching the game so far? I have a copy also and have two planets going; one with funny, herbivorous Weedles and the other with nasty, destructive Beakles.

I'm amazed at how differently the game plays depending on your strategy. As an herbivore, it was sort of like an action-adventure platformer where my pack was really just there for defense when I ran into a predator. Playing a meat-eater, though, is way more intense. Since you have to continuously fight to keeps your hunger levels in check, my pack turned into a swarm of velociraptors by the end of the phase and some of the final battles got almost scarily violent.

The stuff past the creature phase hasn't held my interest as much, but I'm about to start the tribal phase with my Beakles, who I've deprived of arms. Watching them do everything with their mouths is funny right now, I just hope it stays as creative and different as it has so far.

Have you tried playing the game without eyes, by the way? Scary!

[PoolMan]

I can relate, Al. My favourite part is the creature phase, mostly because I think I like the mostly single creature focus and evolving your animal. I haven't played with any (permanently) armless or eyeless designs yet.

What's your ID?

[TheOogieBoogieMan]

I wanted to keep my creatures without arms, but I found I couldn't get very far in socializing with other nests, cause without arms, you can't pose. I'll have to try staying armless when I play with a more aggressive carnivorous creature.

I've enjoyed each stage of the game for various reasons, but the space stage comes out on top in my book for one reason: terra-forming. It's a shame there isn't a planet creator program to go with the creature, vehicle, and building creators in the game; there's something very satisfying about making mountains and rivers and so on, turning the land, water, and sky different colours, and then circling the planet looking at your creation. It pleases my inner megalomaniac.

[Al]

Sept 15, 2008 8:44:04 GMT -5 PoolMan said:

What's your ID?

Erm, yeah, about that...

I'm not exactly able to get it online right now. Spore wasn't a game I ever planned on purchasing, but when one of my housemates came up with a copy, I scooped it up, too. After three days, I'm really really enjoying myself and think Will Wright and his crew deserve my money for a job well done; I just have such an issue with EA's anti-piracy strategy that I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it. I'm honestly torn about what to do.

[Al]

Ooh, double post.

Currently, I'm very much enjoying N, a free action/puzzle flash game that's circulating around the internet (and coming out on the Nintendo DS next month) and replaying Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, with full intentions of finally beating it.

[DTH]

I am currently playing Lego Star Wars on the 360. Its ace!

Having finished (or at least played ) nearly every Star Wars game released, you'd think I'd have had enough by now... I guess its always a blessing when the game your playing is actually good!

(Although I actually liked Jedi Power Battles )

Sept 4, 2008 13:22:30 GMT -5 BlackCatWhiteCat said:

I just got started on Final Fantasy X last night. Kinda weird for me, as I played X:2 first. I know, I KNOW. I actually never finished. I was roped in by it at first (having not played any FF for years), then life got crazy right as I was about to fight the main villain. Therefore I never finished X: 2. I tried going back to it a couple of months ago and got annoyed by it and I'm not quite sure I'll ever finish it.

Many people I've known talk about FFX as if it's justthemostamazingthingeverOMG. I hope I'm not let down.

I loved FF VII. It was pure animé in a computer game and I really, really enjoyed that.

I avoided FF VIII and IX as friends warned me that they were of the "Ok but not as good as VII" variety.

X came around and it looked awesome, so I ran out and bought it.

The first hour was just cool. It was as epic as VII but with graphics to match the awesomeness. And yet, as I got deeper in the game, the more bored I became with it. After about the 2 hour mark, I just could not be bothered with the "Press X to continue" style of gameplay. So I stopped playing.

Friends who perservered loved it. So take from that what you will