The "What Are You Playing Today" Thread

[Anastasia]

Grand Theft Auto 3: San Andreas.

Started a new playthrough of this just for kicks. The game's really amazing for pure, enthralling 'do whatever you want'ness, something I don't think any other game has come close to yet.

[Merc]

Heh, I remember playing GTA: Vice City at a friend's place very often during college. I don't think we ever did a single damn mission in all that time. Fun memories though. ^_^;

What do you do the most whenever you don't do missions in San Andreas? ^_^

[Dracos]

SA actually got dropped by me when it started giving me on rails situations where I had to use very specific solutions to problems and couldn't just be clever within the game rules.

That said, camping the police station.  Yarr!


Anyhow, Portrait of Ruin may well be the best Castlevania title yet.  It really is quite charming and phenomenially well done.  I could go without the fact that the current optimal money gaining strategy at the moment for me involves using a large spear against nubile young women, but then there's other things to farm if need and it really is a well done inclusion in the series.  Aside from one premise (Belmonts can't touch whip till wha?) that they dropped in, it's been remarkably smooth whenever they've  chosen to interject story into my rocking out.  After shit like ToA, I verily appreciate such on their end.

Their level design is notably very charming this go around.  Finding excuses (Portraits) to go any way they want with the design without polluting the castle was great.  My favorite level so far has to be Nation of Fools.  It's both a carnival and a warzone and while your gravity is always  down, the enemies gravity goes with what the room orientation happens to be, which can be lots of things and is a really neat effect.  It also has the best version of Legion I've seen yet, and so remarkably fitting in what seems to be the shattered ruins of a world war 2 era village.

Dracos

[Anastasia]

ToA, Drac?

[Merc]

Tales of Abyss, I imagine. He didn't sound too pleased with the game in the review thread for it.

[Anastasia]

Oh, I missed that somehow. I'm surprised, since I've heard nothing but good about ToA so far.

[Dexie Oblivion]

I gotta go with Drac on ToA.

My problem with it is that the game takes about 20-25 hours to start getting interesting, and you hate Luke for that entire period.

That, and the world map is not only one of the worst designed world maps I've ever seen, but it's ugly as hell to the eye.  

Anyway, staying on topic. Portraiting!

EDIT: Btw, Drac, I'm pretty sure Nation of Fools is meant to be a WWI warzone, not WWII.

[Dracos]

Probably, Dex.

And yeah, Dex pretty much calls it.  Having to put  up with a really shitty protagonist for 25 hours is longer than I used to take to finish RPGs.  That's not cool.  Not that  I played it anywhere near that long.

Dracos

[Dexie Oblivion]

Granted, the game DOES pick up, but by that point, I really didn't care anymore.

Symphonia started faster, had a better cast, and the world map didn't hurt my eyes. XP

Really, if I ever do end up finishing it, it'll be mainly because of Jade. XD

[Merc]

Still playing Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess.

Roll-Goal = Most ANNOYING/EVIL/FRUSTRATING mini-game EVER.

[thepanda]

Sonic Rivals.

A very fun Sonic game.

No longer an oxymoron, I see.

[Dexie Oblivion]

Sonic Rivals.

A very fun Sonic game.

No longer an oxymoron, I see.

I don't believe it.

[Olvelsper]

Was playing Tomb Raider Legends until the rental disc froze up because of a scratch on it. I guess I'll have to play Final Fantasy XII now, then.

[Dracos]

FF3DS. =)

Just finished the sewers.

Dracos

[Dexie Oblivion]

Trauma Center: Second Opinion.

I fucking hate Deftera SO DAMN MUCH. :D