What are you playing this weekend/these days?

[Blue Protoman]

Obviously they're important, else we wouldn't have savestates.

 

[Mr Rob]

Obviously they're important, else we wouldn't have savestates.

I'm actually very stingy with my savestates. In SMB3 of course, I'll use them since playing the whoooole game in one sitting isn't always convenient (or even healthy, for that matter). But people use savestates before, say, a big jump or challenging part of the game, and it makes me sooooo mad.


Video games are supposed to be difficult, and it's more fun to get good at Ninja Gaiden by playing the difficult parts over and over again when you die instead of loading from the furthest you've gotten every time.


Of course I've never beaten Ninja Gaiden, or Castlevania, but I'm getting close, sans savestates.

 

[Nintendo]

OoT


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38X8nOC_Wuw&feature=player_embedded

 

[Caine]

But people use savestates before, say, a big jump or challenging part of the game, and it makes me sooooo mad.

Why? Unless you're in a competition, there is no reason to get upset because people prefer to play games otherwise. I prefer to play like you do, a savestate is for having a life (i.e. one-time load only). Unfortunately, with modern games, the above is exactly what the automatic save points are doing. Something difficult is comin up ---autosave---. This I do hate, because is removes the free choice to do otherwise.

Video games are supposed to be difficult, and it's more fun to get good at Ninja Gaiden by playing the difficult parts over and over again when you die instead of loading from the furthest you've gotten every time.


Of course I've never beaten Ninja Gaiden, or Castlevania, but I'm getting close, sans savestates.

I fully agree with you. However, the industry at large does not. It is very rare for modern games to be difficult. Virtually all modern games can be easily played on the hardest difficulty on the first try.

 

[Mr Rob]

It is very rare for modern games to be difficult. Virtually all modern games can be easily played on the hardest difficulty on the first try.

Silly industry, though I understand their perspective. Most people would get so frustrated that they died in the first stage of Ninja Gaiden that they'd put it down, never play it again and never tell their friends that they should buy it. Which is bad for sales. And now modern games have so much non-gameplay exposition that it takes time just to do anything. Ninja Gaiden, takes an hour or so to get to the final stage?


And it's not always a bad thing. SMB is dead easy in comparison to Ninja Gaiden, and my parents would casually pick up SMB and play it and have fun, something they'd never do with Ninja Gaiden.


The times, they are a changing? As I sit and play 20 year old video games.

 

[kuru]

Ha, I know. The world needs more games like Ninja Gaiden.

Ain't that the truth. Ninja Gaiden is one of my favourite series on the NES. I still remember how my hands were trembling when I beat part II for the first time. Reaching the final boss wasn't that hard, but each time you lost you had to go through the entire level again.


Kids these days with their save-points.

There's also a Ninja Gaiden for the NDS and it's quite challenging and also highly entertaining to fight your way through hordes of enemies with the stylus - you get the feeling of actually beating the bad guys as a lot of frantic movement is necessary - hello typewriter's cramp!


Some, rather blurry, footage where the stylus action can be seen:

Spoiler

https://www.youtube.com/embed/il0EEh4cDpU?feature=oembed

 

[Caine]

There's also a Ninja Gaiden for the NDS and it's quite challenging and also highly entertaining to fight your way through hordes of enemies with the stylus - you get the feeling of actually beating the bad guys as a lot of frantic movement is necessary - hello typewriter's cramp!

It's a nice game, good use of the stylus too. Though it's probably one of the easier Ninja Gaidens. Don't forget your screen protector or this game will devour your touchscreen.

 

[gruso]

Wanted something oldschool, Medieval, kinda chilled, so I picked up HOMM II from GOG. Then I realised I could put it on my Pandora. B)


Needs a couple of little fixes though, might have to sweet talk el Pickle.

 

[Mr Rob]

But people use savestates before, say, a big jump or challenging part of the game, and it makes me sooooo mad.

Why? Unless you're in a competition, there is no reason to get upset because people prefer to play games otherwise. I prefer to play like you do, a savestate is for having a life (i.e. one-time load only). Unfortunately, with modern games, the above is exactly what the automatic save points are doing. Something difficult is comin up ---autosave---. This I do hate, because is removes the free choice to do otherwise.

Ha, sorry, I completely spaced out your question.


Eh, I probably am just becoming an old fart. I just see things like save states (or Game Genies, actually, or like technology) takes away from what was originally meant in the game itself. Ninja Gaiden is a good example, dying at the end boss puts you back at 6-1, instead of like the other bosses where you'd go back to, well, 6-3 in this case. They specifically designed it that way for a reason; save states via emulation right before the boss negates that reason.


I do realize I sound all old and cranky-pants, though. And your thoughts on kids should play how they prefer to play is probably wiser than me, ha ha.

 

[Null]

Either Portal 2 or De Blob 2, depends on whether I fancy taxing my brain or just splatting some paint around.

 

[friz898]

Well, I dont know what to say to this.


Being 32, I grew up with a NES. Being poor, I got maybe 3-4 games a year. This means that every nintendo game I got, I played until I beat, even if I was bored of it. We didnt have cable and I was an only child.


That meant I beat all the marios (not hard), Battletoads (hard), Nintendo version of Ninja Gaiden (pretty challenging), Nintendo Double Dragon (very hard with only the 2 lives you get or whatever...used elbow over and over)....Zelda 2 (pretty challenging to some people)...etc etc etc. Many others I rented.


My point? I've beat my share of hard games.


However.


I simply do NOT have the patience to play games of this nature now. I skipped out on Demon's Souls for the PS3 just for this very reason. (Although with Dark Souls coming ,I'm giving it a second look)...when I'm playing a game and I constantly die over and over at the same spot, for whatever reason, I feel like I've made no progress. Being a Dad, Husband, and in the military, if I only get say a couple hours gamer-time every other day or something, if I continually play to a level that takes 30-45mins just to get to that point, then I die over and over by a mechnism that doesnt seem fair, or just so challenging and the continue point is like 20mins back at the beginning....


...I just feel like I wasted my precious gamer time.


Now I mostly play RPGs and Racing games. That being said, in those kinds of games, it's perfect, every level up, or every time i beat one single track, it's like I made progress and I'm "getting towards the end" so I can go out and buy the next awesome game.


As for save states....I generally dont abuse them, however, I once played Dragon Warrior 1 and using save states went way ahead to a city I wasn't ready for, and I just kept saving as I made progress to the city and eveytime I got a random encounter I quickly reset, and made it to the city.


Well, I got served some justice for this awful abuse because I accidently hit save instead of reload after popping into a demon knight and to get through the battle, I kept reloading-reloading-reloading over and over until I dodged a couple attacks and landed crit (excellent blow) and won. I abused it so bad I felt guilty doing it, and that's by far the worse I've ever abused that. (Dont worry, this wasnt one of my first play thoughs of Dragon Warrior 1, I by no means spoiled the game).

 

[friz898]

To answer the original question.


Currently I'm playing Tempest X, Dragon Warrior 7, Ys 7, and Class of Heroes on my PSP.


These are only meant to hold me over until I plunge into my waiting list of PS3 games when I return from this deployment. (Soon).


The first games to get the PS3 Treatment from me are NFS: Hot Pursuit, Dragon Age 2, Skyrim, Pacman CE DX, and LBP 2.

 

[Mr Rob]

To answer the original question.


Currently I'm playing Tempest X, Dragon Warrior 7, Ys 7, and Class of Heroes on my PSP.


These are only meant to hold me over until I plunge into my waiting list of PS3 games when I return from this deployment. (Soon).


The first games to get the PS3 Treatment from me are NFS: Hot Pursuit, Dragon Age 2, Skyrim, Pacman CE DX, and LBP 2.

What are your thoughts on DW7? I've been meaning to play it, but haven't got around to it. In terms of awesome, is it as good as 1-6 or more bleh? I played it a tiny bit, but the 3D make me ill.

 

[Blue Protoman]

How does Dragon Quest 7 (I refuse to call it Dragon Warrior) compare to the DS remake of Dragon Quest 4? That's my only experience with the series, and I quite liked it.

 

[friz898]

Mr Rob,


This is my second time playing it. I burned it for my psx back on release day over 10 years ago.


7 is very good compared to 1-6. However, people complained alot about no update to the graphics etc. Especially at the time, the PS2 was already out that this game was released for the PSX. Enix responded to this by improving the graphics in DQ8 (which are about the same as the recently released DQ9). DQ8 and DQ9 are definitely superior to 7.


That being said, 7 has the most hours of gameplay and a very indepth job system. The graphics are probably about the same, if not slightly better than the DS version. Probably too close to really say. The biggest complaints with the game was some felt the job system was too tedious and demanding, and others felt there was too much back tracking. (Similar areas, but alternate times/relatiies, so seems like backtracking)


If you're a die-hard DQ Lover, you'll rate it highly. If you're new to the series, or only played DQ9 on the DS, you may be disappointed.


Blue Proto,


You've only played 4? DQ 5 and DQ 6 are both >> than 4. 4 had the silly chapter stuff. I rate 5 better than 6. Regardless, if you have a DS, before you get tired of it, pick up 5, 6, and 9. ---> 5 has the best story, 6 is "more of the same" after you've played 4 and 5, and 9 has the better gameplay (and a bit of a lacking story).


All in all, I'm a HUGE DQ lover, and I rate them all extremely high.


Oh and Blue Proto, for the love of God, download DQ1 for a Nes Emulator. It's a short RPG I would say 10-12 hours. Maybe 15 since not familiar with it.


Here's the Wiki link nice and handy --> Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Warrior_7


Here's the IGN review that I read years ago and echo's my statements --> http://psx.ign.com/articles/160/160863p1.html

 

[Mr Rob]

Thanks for the information, friz898; that sounds interesting.


I'll probably have to pick it up and play sometime. I've beaten 1-4 for the NES (had 1 as a kid growing up, lord knows how many times I played through that one, 2-4 as emulation), and then beaten 5-6 for the SNES (you can find translation patches out in the interwebs). I'm working my way through 3 again on the Pandora at the moment.


We may need a DW/DQ thread.

 

[fuji99]

How does Dragon Quest 7 (I refuse to call it Dragon Warrior) compare to the DS remake of Dragon Quest 4? That's my only experience with the series, and I quite liked it.

I've played nearly the entire series over the course of my life (everything except 6), and I seem to remember 7 starting off really really slowly. If you can stand the first ~10 hours or so, the game gets a lot more interesting. Also, I strongly recommend DQ5 and DQ9 for DS, I personally enjoyed both of these titles more than 7.


To answer the original question on page 1, I'm currently playing Soul Blazer.

 

[SavageMind]

Well after much fighting. I bought the original Starfighter 3000 for RISC OS and playing it on Virtual Acorn. Runs Crappy but I get to play it kinda. :blink:

 

[Stainy]

Tekkan


Match Point


Oids.

 

[Nintendo]

I can't get enough of the online multiplayer mode.