What game are you currently playing?

[Guest Miles Per Hour]

I'm currently playing GTAiv and Little Big Planet for the PS3, and The Sims 3 for the PC (So addictive *_*)

[Semi-colon e]

Been playing both Castlevania Portrait of Ruin and Dawn of Sorrow on Hard mode, started them while I was away, now I am back, I just cba to get anymore games, Castlevania or otherwise atm. So milking these for all it's worth. New Game + is rather nice. Amazing games. The Metroidvania part is a bit meh with some upgrades though, I prefer the Metroid style of upgrades where there's more and they're used more, but Castlevania has the cool combat and rpg depth. So both are awesomesauce.

[CtW]

No it ain't.

Are you aware that the Atlus version is having a white tendancy special for the next few weeks?

The difficulty in the game gets drastically reduced if you play connected to the server. Have you also been wondering why you've not been gaining much XP or high value items? Check your tendancy pages, chances are they're pure white.

Actually. Set your PS3's clock to Halloween, it should auto go into a black tendancy event, you'll find it much harder.

I wasn't connected to the servers last night, internet was down while I was playing. Whats the point of a white tendency event then? Being easier isn't really a great trade for lowered XP and worse item chances.

I'll try the clock thing though, I was wanting to see what black tendency would be like, thanks for the tip.

[Silencer226]

I wasn't connected to the servers last night, internet was down while I was playing. Whats the point of a white tendency event then? Being easier isn't really a great trade for lowered XP and worse item chances.

I'll try the clock thing though, I was wanting to see what black tendency would be like, thanks for the tip.

Good grief, certain items are only available during white tendency events as well as new areas to explore.

[CtW]

Good grief, certain items are only available during white tendency events as well as new areas to explore.

Then the friend I asked about how the tendencies changed the game didn't know what he was talking about and all is good with the world.

Edited July 24, 2010 by Cipher

[Phos]

Yeah, this is a great time to find certain rare items. Usually, ensureing a pure while tendency versus the dragon god is a complex process, involving getting pure black, then killing the primeval demon, named black phantom, and one other thing that I can't remember. Thanks to this server tendency, i was able to just walk up and get it. The same goes for the magic sword Makoto. <-- I should hurry up and do that.

Sure makes it hard to get colorless demon's souls, though.

I was actually playing a co op game recently, with a guy wielding what I think was a stock Great Sword, and I was wielding my Crescent Falchion + 3, doing a lot more damage even though he was swinging a sword the size of a truck. Now I've buffed my faith to the point where I can wield the Meat Cleaver, which is barrels of fun to use.

[Spin]

Just started Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor. It's SO ADDICTING. D:

[Glenn]

Nearly, so very nearly, completed Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm on the PlayStation3 to 100%.

Only two more Ultimate Jutsu cutscenes left to buy.

[Dobkeratops]

Yeah, this is a great time to find certain rare items. Usually, ensureing a pure while tendency versus the dragon god is a complex process, involving getting pure black, then killing the primeval demon, named black phantom, and one other thing that I can't remember.

Or you can just kill the bosses without dieing ;p

But yeah, PWWT is the hardest to get, since the "safest" way is beating the bosses and those come in limited quantities. Pure Black is much easier - all you've got to do is get killed in body form over and over and there's plenty of ways to keep getting a body back (stone of ephemeral eyes, coop, pvp, defeating a boss).

As for me, finally got Yakuza 3 on Monday and have been playing that religiously all week. In fact, I managed to beat the game just yesterday so I'll just start up a new game+ and alternate between that and moar Demon's Souls. Doubt I'll reach the platinum requirements for the former, but I'm almost there with DS - only need a bunch of upgrading stones.

[Phos]

Or you can just kill the bosses without dieing ;p

But yeah, PWWT is the hardest to get, since the "safest" way is beating the bosses and those come in limited quantities. Pure Black is much easier - all you've got to do is get killed in body form over and over and there's plenty of ways to keep getting a body back (stone of ephemeral eyes, coop, pvp, defeating a boss).

As for me, finally got Yakuza 3 on Monday and have been playing that religiously all week. In fact, I managed to beat the game just yesterday so I'll just start up a new game+ and alternate between that and moar Demon's Souls. Doubt I'll reach the platinum requirements for the former, but I'm almost there with DS - only need a bunch of upgrading stones.

Doing it that way basically requires either a marathon session or playing it offline because when there isn't a world tendency event, they all gradually change towards neutral.

And so anyway, the only boss I have left is King Allant, and any boss that might be after him (if there are any), but I've hit a bit of a problem because I spent most of the game tooling out my character to do magic damage, but Allant is resistant to it, and getting to him is a chore thanks to that damn dragon. Ostrava somehow managed to get himself killed when I wasn't looking, so now I can't get into the mausoleum at all.

[Dobkeratops]

Doing it that way basically requires either a marathon session or playing it offline because when there isn't a world tendency event, they all gradually change towards neutral.

Towards the server average, actually. In the EU's case it's currently either +1 or +2, which makes PW relatively easy at the moment.

I'm not entirely sure the game constantly retrieves the server tendency, from my experience I'd say it only changes them when it connects to the server after loading a game. But you're right, the safest way is to do it offline.

And so anyway, the only boss I have left is King Allant, and any boss that might be after him (if there are any), but I've hit a bit of a problem because I spent most of the game tooling out my character to do magic damage, but Allant is resistant to it, and getting to him is a chore thanks to that damn dragon. Ostrava somehow managed to get himself killed when I wasn't looking, so now I can't get into the mausoleum at all.

Ostrava has a knack of getting raped in 1-3 if you die, leave or take too long in helping him AND completing the stage. Since he won't leave the stage until you've beaten the boss, any actions that reset the stage (ie: getting killed) will respawn enemies in the middle of his path. For future reference I'd advise to leave 1-3 for last and clean the stage in one run. Leave Biorr and Yuria for later and don't return to the Nexus until Penetrator is dead.

Alternatively, if all you want is those keys you can kill him right off the bat on NG+... but in that case might as well do that during the Mephistopheles subquest. Should that be the case, help Ostrava during 1-1 but don't ever approach him in 1-2. He'll safely stay there until you're ready.

As for that dragon, stock up on arrows. 600 or something. You can get his life down to 50% in the first encounter pretty easily from a safe distance. For the second part, you'll want to be right below him where it can't hit you, cast poison/death cloud then fire more arrows. Keep in mind on this position you won't be able to manually aim or even tilt the camera to see his HP, but locking-on with R3 DOES work. It'll take a while, but if you don't do it now he'll be even tougher on subsequent playthroughs.

Edited July 26, 2010 by Dobkeratops

[Phos]

Towards the server average, actually. In the EU's case it's currently either +1 or +2, which makes PW relatively easy at the moment.

I'm not entirely sure the game constantly retrieves the server tendency, from my experience I'd say it only changes them when it connects to the server after loading a game. But you're right, the safest way is to do it offline.

I think it waits one loading screen and then on the next one starts to normalize the world tendency. I killed Sasuki, which put the shrine of storms on neutral, but it was back up to moderately white an hour or so later.

Ostrava has a knack of getting raped in 1-3 if you die, leave or take too long in helping him AND completing the stage. Since he won't leave the stage until you've beaten the boss, any actions that reset the stage (ie: getting killed) will respawn enemies in the middle of his path. For future reference I'd advise to leave 1-3 for last and clean the stage in one run. Leave Biorr and Yuria for later and don't return to the Nexus until Penetrator is dead.

The first time I went through 1-3, I somehow avoided killing a handful of enemies that show up right near his spawn point, but saw his life bar showing up from far away after killing the penetrator. I ran over and used my violence on the remaining enemies, and I thought I had saved him. Perhaps he managed to die before I made it back to the archstone? I need him alive, because he also gives you the pure clearstone along with the mausoleum key, IIRC.

Alternatively, if all you want is those keys you can kill him right off the bat on NG+... but in that case might as well do that during the Mephistopheles subquest. Should that be the case, help Ostrava during 1-1 but don't ever approach him in 1-2. He'll safely stay there until you're ready.

As for that dragon, stock up on arrows. 600 or something. You can get his life down to 50% in the first encounter pretty easily from a safe distance. For the second part, you'll want to be right below him where it can't hit you, cast poison/death cloud then fire more arrows. Keep in mind on this position you won't be able to manually aim or even tilt the camera to see his HP, but locking-on with R3 DOES work. It'll take a while, but if you don't do it now he'll be even tougher on subsequent playthroughs.

I actually found a trick for killing the dragon at his second roost. But first off, you want to be using a sticky compound bow (+5, ideally), or else your arrows won't do much damage, too high up. You can back yourself into a corner of that little safe spot and manually aim up, and shoot for the bottom of one of his wings. This does the same amount of damage as shooting him in the face. I was able to kill the dragon with about 200 and change heavy arrows. I couldn't get poison cloud to work, against the blue dragon, though I did use it to exploit the shit out of Allant's AI, and now the Old One has been lulled back into his slumber.

But back to the dragon, I noticed during this fight that Biorr does no damage to it, his crossbow can't reach. Honestly, I'm kinda disappointed by Biorr, I was expecting him to be a cool guy, but he doesn't really do all that much.

Edit: The penetrator's sword is unbelievably lame, it would be worthwhile if it didn't require colorless demon's souls to upgrade.

Edited July 28, 2010 by Phos

[Glenn]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Jedi Alliance on Nintendo DS.

Truly remarkable witchcraft allows this game to exist on such a tiny cartridge. A full orchestral score, detailled 3D character models, vast environments, full dialogue in cutscenes with multiple speech options, constantly-shifting gameplay, huge variety of minigames, and all controlled through a touchscreen system that has dozens of different attacks and powers open to it. Basically, 'tis more impressive than the HD consoles' effort, Republic Heroes.

Which is both surprising and frustrating. Wish they'd make a decent game of Star Wars: The Clone Wars in HD sometime.

[Cobalt_Bolt]

Just downloaded NFS World today and I worked my way up to level six. The pursuits are so much better than NFS Undercover and rank up there with the intensity of the cops from Most Wanted. My longest one was over 17 minutes and a successful escape.

[ovarloard]

So I just finished Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations... and I'm reminded of one thing Godot/Armando said.

"A lawyer can only cry once it's all over." (or something to that effect)

And now that it's all over, I feel like crying. The ending was funny, uplifting, and sad all at the same time, and I didn't think that was possible until, well, just now.

Also, there's one more reason that makes me want to cry...

the fact that it's all OVER. Done. Finished.

Sure, there's Apollo Justice, and then Miles Edgeworth's Ace Attorney Investigation spinoff... but it just won't be the same without piloting Phoenix through the game.

Without exaggerating, I'm prepared to say that in my humble opinion, Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations is the best game EVER.

[killemoff]

Just replayed InFamous for the last 2 trophies i missed for Platinum.

Such a nice and polished gaming experience, replaying it 1 year after the first couple of times actually felt pretty good, instead of "here we go again...".

[Semi-colon e]

Castlevania Order of Ecclesia, to fit in with my current Castlevania binge.

It's really good, but kind of strange. It's not really a Metroidvania except for the controls and rpg elements, and the powerups and upgrades seem to be rarely used to get to new areas, rather the new areas are unlocked after you beat current ones, like with levels. The level design leaves something to be desired but it has it's cool moments, and the different locales are nice. It's also harder, which is refreshing, but it's not as Nintendo Hard as it's made out to be, at least, not so far (Oblivion Ridge). I think it's weaker than Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin so far, but it's a different, unique, spin-off like almost gaiden game, and it's certainly really good and polished. The boss battles also require strategy and are fair, as in you could beat them easily if you just timed it right. Fun stuff.

[Saint Nathan]

Playing Mother 3 and Summon Night: Swordcraft Story.

Mother 3 makes me cry.

Also in SN:SS, I picked the girl because the guy looked like a douche, ended up getting this lesbian summon beast. lulz ensues.

[ovarloard]

Alright, now to sorta expand on my previous post...

I just completed the first case in Apollo Justice, and it's still great fun... but it lacks that Phoenix Wright touch. There wasn't as much satisfaction involved in finishing the trial... not to mention the music wasn't nearly as good as it was in the previous games.

On the plus side, the graphics are a bit better, and there are a few new activities that take place during the trial (such as modifying the crime scene so that it makes sense and examining evidence to find other pieces of evidence within).

It's still one of the best games out there; it just can't hold a candle to any of the three Phoenix Wright games. Definitely not the best place to start playing the Ace Attorney series; being a veteran to the series, the first case was easy enough, but for someone who is playing Apollo Justice as their first Ace Attorney game, the case might be a bit complex.

So basically, what I'm saying is that it's a great game, although the others were better.

Especially Phoenix Wright 3. In case you didn't know. I liked that one a whole lot.

[Silencer226]

I had a big urge to play Resonance of Fate after getting to the top of that stupid tower in FFXIII only to have the stupid boss show and piss me off even more so I quit (of course...) and went to RoF and had a blast, something I can't do in FFXIII... because it sucks...

[Glenn]

...and that's 72% trophies gained on Just Cause 2: Limited Edition, thank you very much!

[-Mark-]

So I just finished Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations... and I'm reminded of one thing Godot/Armando said.

"A lawyer can only cry once it's all over." (or something to that effect)

And now that it's all over, I feel like crying. The ending was funny, uplifting, and sad all at the same time, and I didn't think that was possible until, well, just now.

Also, there's one more reason that makes me want to cry...

the fact that it's all OVER. Done. Finished.

Sure, there's Apollo Justice, and then Miles Edgeworth's Ace Attorney Investigation spinoff... but it just won't be the same without piloting Phoenix through the game.

Without exaggerating, I'm prepared to say that in my humble opinion, Phoenix Wright: Trials and Tribulations is the best game EVER.

Personally, the original is still my favourite of the Phoenix Wright games. Turnabout Goodbyes FTW.

[Silencer226]

Strted a new game of Demon's Souls , and with the tendency in white mode I snagged some items that would've given me hell (Purple Flame Shield). I started a new game because my old character was so unbalanced, I thought brute strength would be the best way to go... nope, there goes an entire years worth of playtime...

Aww Goddammit, how come very fucking time I want to do something fast in Demon's Souls some random black phantom decides it's the perfect time to invade... kill me and make me start what I was doing all over, I swear soul mode is so much better than being alive when you want to goof off...

Edited August 1, 2010 by Silencer226

[Danj86]

oh...hmm...I've been playing Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies alot recently. It's freakin awesome, I reckon!!

When I'm not on that, I would play on Transformers: War for Cybertron(XB360-v) ....and I'm quite addicted to it, and I only need 3 more acheivements to complete the list. Yay! XD

I think I'll be going back on it soon, to kick some......posterior...on multiplayer. ^-^ ....or have my posterior handed to me on multiplayer.... 0_o

[GameFarnsworth940]

I just got Mega Man X Command Mission and Battle Network 4: Blue Moon, with my friends also giving me BN5: Team Protoman. Since I'm too lazy to beat 3 again, and I;m saving 5 for later, I;m playing 4, Command Mission, and Dead Rising: Chop Till You Drop (Which is very underrated, by the way. No camera picture taking? Boo hoo, it's fun anyways.). I don't know if this counts, but I'm also actively using my Wii Netflix disc, since it first was released.