The Video Game Thread

[MartyFunkhouser]

Good to know that is 3rd person shooter. The effect of 1st person shooter on me is the same as if I were to eat a dozen chili dogs then immediately get on the Tea Cup ride and spin the hell out of the seat I'm in. It makes me physically ill.

I've never played any of the series and wonder if it would be worth it to get the first two before the 2nd. Also, how inappropriate is it for teens?

Yes, play ME1 and 2. ME1 is one of my top 10 games that I've ever played. ME2 is the best game that I've ever played. Just play through ME1 pretty quick and then focus your time on ME2. It is a great series.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Also, I prefer not to get divorced, so I'll be passing on the demo until the day after it is released.

[il Padrino Ute]

What games do you let them play already? ME isnt bad. If your kids are playing CoD especially via Xbox live, then they are going to be relatively safe and unoffended within the confines of Mass Effect.

I would suggest playing them in order although it isn't necessary. I am picky that way, though. The good thing about playing them in order: you can go to GameStop tomorrow and pick up a used copy of ME1 for $10 or less. ME2 will be under $20.

They play CoD occasionally, though they prefer Red Dead Redemption. It sounds like this would be fine. My wife sometimes objects to some stuff she hears on the games, but then they remind her of the language in the movies that she watches, so she just gets upset at me while I'm laughing and walks out of the room.

Thanks for the info about the series. It sounds like I ought to get the first two before getting the 3rd.

[Colly Wolly]

Recommend you play the first game on easy and power through. The overarching story across the series is absolutely superb, but the combat and mechanics in the first game are sub par. They tighten things greatly in the second game to make the combat very enjoyable. You need to play the first game though to get all of the context and backstory of the universe, your character, the interspecies diplomacy dynamic, all very important things to understand to get the full experience.

I'm with Funk, ME2 is my favorite video game of all time. I have a feeling it will be supplanted next month though.

[TripletDaddy]

They play CoD occasionally, though they prefer Red Dead Redemption. It sounds like this would be fine. My wife sometimes objects to some stuff she hears on the games, but then they remind her of the language in the movies that she watches, so she just gets upset at me while I'm laughing and walks out of the room.

Thanks for the info about the series. It sounds like I ought to get the first two before getting the 3rd.

If your kids are playing RDR then Mass Effect will have all of about zero impact on them...or your wife.

[Blueintheface]

I was reading a gaming magazine yesterday. They polled about 20 of the "experts" Skyrim was the number 1 game of the year for 18 of the 20 and number 2 for the other 2.

I have not played it and not sure I will like it. It does seem popular though.

Here is what the real experts were saying about Skyrim a few months ago:

http://cougaruteforum.com/showpost.p...&postcount=235

http://cougaruteforum.com/showpost.p...&postcount=247

I'm no expert (although I play one on CUF) but Skyrim is by far the best game I've ever played. It turned Oblivion, a game still in my top 5, and turned it into Missle Command from Atari 2600. I don't play as often as I'd like but in the 3 months that I have I've been blown away.

[woot]

I'm slowly getting through Skyrim, and agree that it's really good stuff. It has its problems, and I'm still not a big fan of the leveling system (although it is far better than the ridiculous system in Oblivion), but I love it. It's probably the only game from 2011 that I've played, so calling it my favorite of the year won't mean anything.

I'm playing as a stealthy archer type, and find the archery mechanics to be by far the best of any game I've played. It's as satisfying as an FPS, but adds in a greater element of skill (having to lead targets) that makes it really fun to shoot at most anything I see.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Recommend you play the first game on easy and power through. The overarching story across the series is absolutely superb, but the combat and mechanics in the first game are sub par. They tighten things greatly in the second game to make the combat very enjoyable. You need to play the first game though to get all of the context and backstory of the universe, your character, the interspecies diplomacy dynamic, all very important things to understand to get the full experience.

I'm with Funk, ME2 is my favorite video game of all time. I have a feeling it will be supplanted next month though.

I agree with everything about the post except for the combat and mechanics being sub par in ME1. They may not be up to the standards of ME2, but I don't think they are sub par. I would still consider them above average. ME1 though is essential to play, because the bulk of the actual story is in ME1 not in ME2. Someone else said it best, ME2 is like one giant side quest. The story and mythology is a huge part of what makes ME great and that is almost exclusively in ME1.

I have high hopes for ME3. If they just refine the combat and close out the story in a satisfying way, I'll be happy with the game.

[MartyFunkhouser]

Played through most of the ME3 demo last night. Combat seems refined, but not a huge jump like from ME1 to ME2. March 6 cannot come soon enough.

[TripletDaddy]

If you were a teenage boy in the 80s, you played computer games. And if you played computer games in the 80s, you played Karateka. (as a side note, Broderbund really knew the interactive space at a time when it was still being defined....action games such as Choplifter, Prince of Persia, Lode Runner, Karateka, adventure games such as Myst and Mask of the Sun/Serpent's Star, which were some of the first adventure/questing games to incorporate graphics and real-time twitch elements. Daily use products such as Print Shop, edu games such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? WHat a crazy resume.

Anyhow, Karateka, one of the best platform scrollers of all-time, was cutting edge when it was released but was limited by existing technology. Fast forward to today....the original designer, Jordan Mechner, is currently heading a team of designers to launch a sequel to Karateka via XBLA/PSN using technology that was only a dream 25 years ago.

The article is a great read about the making of one of the seminal computer games of the 80s.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/4...eka_remake.php

[Flystripper]

If you were a teenage boy in the 80s, you played computer games. And if you played computer games in the 80s, you played Karateka. (as a side note, Broderbund really knew the interactive space at a time when it was still being defined....action games such as Choplifter, Prince of Persia, Lode Runner, Karateka, adventure games such as Myst and Mask of the Sun/Serpent's Star, which were some of the first adventure/questing games to incorporate graphics and real-time twitch elements. Daily use products such as Print Shop, edu games such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? WHat a crazy resume.

Anyhow, Karateka, one of the best platform scrollers of all-time, was cutting edge when it was released but was limited by existing technology. Fast forward to today....the original designer, Jordan Mechner, is currently heading a team of designers to launch a sequel to Karateka via XBLA/PSN using technology that was only a dream 25 years ago.

The article is a great read about the making of one of the seminal computer games of the 80s.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/4...eka_remake.php

Loved that game so much, but I was not lucky enough to have a color monitor. I was only able to view my skills in green and black.

[Color Me Badd Fan]

If you were a teenage boy in the 80s, you played computer games. And if you played computer games in the 80s, you played Karateka. (as a side note, Broderbund really knew the interactive space at a time when it was still being defined....action games such as Choplifter, Prince of Persia, Lode Runner, Karateka, adventure games such as Myst and Mask of the Sun/Serpent's Star, which were some of the first adventure/questing games to incorporate graphics and real-time twitch elements. Daily use products such as Print Shop, edu games such as Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego? WHat a crazy resume.

Anyhow, Karateka, one of the best platform scrollers of all-time, was cutting edge when it was released but was limited by existing technology. Fast forward to today....the original designer, Jordan Mechner, is currently heading a team of designers to launch a sequel to Karateka via XBLA/PSN using technology that was only a dream 25 years ago.

The article is a great read about the making of one of the seminal computer games of the 80s.

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/4...eka_remake.php

Hint: Run to the girl in the end!

[TripletDaddy]

Hint: Run to the girl in the end!

What's the worst that could happen?

[woot]

The GD parrot got me a few times, but mostly I got my ass kicked by the chick. Good times.

[TripletDaddy]

Loved that game so much, but I was not lucky enough to have a color monitor. I was only able to view my skills in green and black.

"Go and purchase a color monitor!!"