What has everyone been playing this week?

[SUMIRE]

I just did the RGB mod on my n64, so have dug out all my cartridges. Most of em were UK pal ones, so i had to use that passport device. The picture is superb now, so I cranked up diddy kong racing and donkey kong 64.

[Neon Ignition]

This week it's been:

Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 2
Continuing with the multiplayer ranking up once per session

X Men: Wolverine
Backlogue catch up with this fun little brawler

[k0pp0]

Call of Duty: Modern Warefare 2
Continuing with the multiplayer ranking up once per session

Ditto to that.

[MikeRox]

Spectrobes Origins - Wii. Nice little monster collecting RPG. I'm about 5-6 hours in now and am currently exploring the tree temple. If you can look past the blatently aimed at pre teens cut scenes and dialogue, there is a fun and surprisingly deep action RPG to be found here! Definitely worth a punt now it's sub £15.

Rabbids Go Home - Continuing my Wii-session that seems to be happening, I also picked up this and Mushroom Men along with New Super Mario Bros: Wii so I'm having a Wii-ly good time Have to say, Wii games have improved tremendously in 2009 it would seem. The only thing they lack is the spangly HD graphics of their PS3/360 rivals now.

[crocky-chocky]

I've had a week or so of digesting a couple of budget treats that I found in GAME's decent preowned sale...

The bestest of which being SOCOM on't PS3. It's a hardcore nightmare, the community is rampant with sweary mongo's (seriously, what are they so furious about?), and I'm finding it a struggle to worm my way into someone's clan on account of me being crap. But despite all that, I'm really enjoying it. It's got a pace that's refreshing amongst the majority of shooters, and the few moments that I've got in 'the zone' have been much fun.

I also got Mini Ninjas for a bargainous £12.99. It's okay. But after watching all the lovely animations that hyped its release, I'm kinda surprised at how bland it is. At every loading screen you're treated to some absolutely lush artwork of the next area, but it's never successfully translated into 3D. You just get a mass of identical trees and the odd basic shrine or castle. It does have the odd moment of charm though, so I'll give it another try

[Eight Rooks]

Think I'm about burnt out on The Saboteur. It's strange - so many little things about this game that hint at something much greater... the four-colour design, the scale of the city, the hero's vulnerability, the little details that make you wonder what the game would be like if anything you did mattered. People getting rounded up off the streets, interrogated and shot... Christ, an open-world game in a city under occupation where your actions actually had consequences could be amazing. But this isn't that game. Twenty hours or more in and I think I've done so much of the side missions with the godawful AI and the same few textures cut'n'pasted everywhere it's kind of killing my appreciation of the story missions, which aren't that great to begin with. Oh, well. It has its moments, and I certainly got my money's worth. God knows if I can be bothered to finish it though.

[Barla Von]

Started playing three Half-Life 2 mods:


Minerva Metastasis

Probably the most popular and highly praised Half-Life 2 mod. The entire game is a linear adventure that takes place on a tiny island, but despite its linearity, it feels like it's happening in a real, dynamic space.

You play as a captured Combine soldier pitted against his comrades by a mysterious woman named Minerva. At first, you get the sense that she is pushing you through a rat maze, but the game opens up as the player's changing relationship with Minerva becomes the focal point.


Research and Development

Having just hit the HL2 mod scene recently and some are calling it the best single-player Half-Life 2 mod ever, even pinning it above Minerva Metastasis.

Basically, it turns Half-Life 2 into an action-puzzle game. Fighting your way through Combine, you escape from the lab where the gravity gun was first created.


Rock 24

Made by former professional level designers who applied their skills toward a pet project they clearly loved. It's a one-off adventure starring Gordon Freeman.

Your job is to rescue a fellow scientist held in a mountain prison called Rock 24. Throughout six chapters, Gordon and the scientist escape the prison as it collapses around them. Of course, you fight off evacuating Combine, too. It's a lot like the Nova Prospekt chapter in Half-Life 2.

Great set pieces and a fun narrative. The whole thing culminates in one of the biggest and most intense battles in any Half-Life game, official or otherwise.

[112]

Now there's a cross-over I'd like to see.

jus' saw this now lol........ I m pretty sure what i meant to say was 50 Cent: Blood On The Sand. Either way the game is still a waste of my time and money!

I am much happier now playing Demons Souls........ Ive had to temporarily stop playing Eternal Sonata now because of it........

112

[Eight Rooks]

More PC stuff, what with the Steam sales and having to pack the rest of my stuff away to move house again. Tried the Half-Life mods Barla mentions, Minerva in particular... Christ, it's a bit good, isn't it? As they say. You can see why Valve hired him.

Also Trials 2 SE - okay, so that's two games I envy XBLA for having over PSN. It's no Wipeout HD, but it's still damned fine for a two-year-old game and this has to be some of the most fun I've had out of a couple of pounds all 2009.

[nickgodfrey]

GoW Collection (GoW II). At the moment I'm finding this incredibly frustrating. Have your weapons drawn and you have to press full-tilt on the analogue stick; have them put away and you just have to tap it. I can't express how infuriating this is -- makes the whole thing seem unresponsive.

[ezee ryder]

Finally eradicated my biggest gaming "regret" and finished Half-Life 2 today. What a stunning game. Five or so years on from when it was originally released it still stands up as a superb first person shooter.

Just started to play Episode One now too, what an amazing opening!

[sj33]

^ Dying to play through HL2, but I've not played through HL1 yet

[Hohum]

I've played through the HL2 series, but not finished HL1. Dunno if I ever will, actually (unless Black Mesa Source finally appears). Anyway, I can safely say that you can play the sequel without having played the first game.

[_y_]

Lovely stuff. Episode Two is the stronger of the episodes, but they're both treats. I absolutely cannot wait for Episode Three, naturally, but what I'm really looking forward to is Valve's next project on the same scale as Half-Life 2.

[BaudAttitude]

Played through World of Goo, Mini Ninjas, and Tomb Raider Underworld, started Torchlight and I have Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando at about 75% done. I love school holidays, I've knocked 11 games off my backlog in the last 2 weeks.