The Bill's Now Playing Video Game Thread (Now with Bames)

[Wang Mandu]

Yay for living in future time. MS needs to bring it hard.

[kickpuncher]

why did i just now find out that all PS3s play PS1 games? and that you can create internal memory cards for those motherfuckers?

ape escape. this weekend. all weekend.

[spacehamster]

Playstation supremacy, baby.

[Krieg]

In the last 2 years I played the PS3 only for exclusives and the rest in the Xbox. It seems like indeed we will go back to PS supremacy.

[Krieg]

Of course there is a reason to prefer the Xbox.

Xbox controller >>>>>>>>>>>> PS3 controller

Feel free to disagree.

[DR. THRAXX]

Of course there is a reason to prefer the Xbox.

Xbox controller >>>>>>>>>>>> PS3 controller

Feel free to disagree.

For FPS maybe, but otherwise, no way.

[The Bill]

New consoles be damned till I finally play ALL the games I have for the 360/PS3. Also, I'm done being the grand wizard of game collecting and highly doubt I'm getting both consoles. Leaning towards PS4, with Halo 5 being the only XBOX exclusive I'd actually want to play.

Yet screw all that, though. I think it's finally time to pull the trigger on a new PC. I've had my XP rig since 2005, and it's actually still a powerful beast in some ways.

[MANTIS]

Of course there is a reason to prefer the Xbox.

Xbox controller >>>>>>>>>>>> PS3 controller

totally true

[storm shadow]

Don't know if any of you guys own Vitas (I got one with tax refund dollarsbux) but Soul Sacrifice comes out next week.



The demo is meaty as hell too, I've already played it longer than I've played some full games! (Saves carry over fortunately.) It's pretty much Monster Hunter, but with a lot less downtime and tedium, a bit of a Dark Souls-y art style, and a surprisingly absorbing story/flavor.

Also dropping Tuesday: Blood Dragon and Deadly Premonition: Director's Cut!

[Spooky Apparition]

i would get soul sacrifice in a second if i had a vita, game looks awesome

[DR. THRAXX]

Vita has Gravity Rush, so because of that it wins.

[james]

Adventure Time was pretty cool. It's funny and weird. Gameplay is basically just like Zelda 2 which is obviously a huge plus. In all honesty though it doesn't have a whole lot going on, its sorta repetitive and sparse - probably wouldn't pay any more than $20 for it.

[storm shadow]

Fuck I'm really wanting a portable these days. I have no idea why. I'm leaning mostly toward the 3ds x-l cause I feel like Nofriendo games-- especially old ones-- are just taylor made for the portal experience where as it looks like Vita is pushing more of the "like a console but smaller" games. Is this totally wrong?

It's not totally wrong. "Console in your pocket" is definitely what Sony is going for with Vita, but I think they also realize that not everyone is going to want to play a 100+ hour epic like Persona 4 on a portable system.

Soul Sacrifice is actually a good example: it's big and complex, but the gameplay is still doled out in bite-sized chunks. There's no free-roaming world like in Monster Hunter; instead you dive into a mission, kill some monsters, and pop back to the "menu" (which in SS is way cooler than it sounds) to watch some story sequences, level up, etc. It's put together really well with a lot of thought for the platform, and it's the kind of game you can play for multi-hour marathons or in just a few minutes at a time.

There's lots of that on Vita. I think one notable example is the Uncharted game: it's the full Uncharted experience, plus some touchscreen bits that are actually really fun--but the big difference is that the story has been scaled down a lot. It still has that pithy Uncharted dialogue, but it's less of a globe-trotting epic and more "you're fucking Drake, you're in the jungle doing Drake shit" which I think makes it easier to pick up and play when you feel like it.

[Spooky Apparition]

what would you (or anyone here who has one) say are the top 5 or so vita games, in your opinion? i sorta want one, partially because it sounds like there's going to be a lot of vita/PS4 interaction, but soul sacrifice is the only game that i'm dying to play. any slightly under-the-radar stuff worth checking out?

[james]

I just had to crunch hard logic trying to figure out if now was the time to buy into a 3DS, Vita, etc. I opted no on both in favor of a tablet... both are going to be killer in the long run, but I need that catalog to build a bit and the prices to drop.

Curious what sort of JRPGs the Vita is going to wind up with. PSP had so much cool shit...

[DR. THRAXX]

GRAVITY RUSH
Persona 4 Golden
Sine Mora
PS All Stars

I've heard Guacamelee! is really awesome too.

[guardianoftheblind]

i think fire emblem sealed it for the 3DS. i had no inclinations either way before, but that game pushed it over the edge i think

[Spooky Apparition]

GRAVITY RUSH

for some reason i always assumed this was a racing game just checked it out and it looks cool as hell. another mark in the 'buy a vita' column

[james]

i think fire emblem sealed it for the 3DS. i had no inclinations either way before, but that game pushed it over the edge i think

definitely the first thing I'd buy, I imagine... looks so badass

[guardianoftheblind]

yeah jame

and etrian odyssey, mario kart, the 2d super mario games, monster hunter, etc

[Cryptoplasty]

The 2 Fire Emblem games for Gamcube and Wii are 2 of my favorite games of all time. I really want to play this new one, but I don't want to buy a 3DS.

Maybe 10 years from now it will be ported to iOS on the iPhone 27.

[storm shadow]

what would you (or anyone here who has one) say are the top 5 or so vita games, in your opinion? i sorta want one, partially because it sounds like there's going to be a lot of vita/PS4 interaction, but soul sacrifice is the only game that i'm dying to play. any slightly under-the-radar stuff worth checking out?

I think the fact that a Persona game is basically the flagship title is telling, and I think james is dead on that much like the PSP (and the DS!) the Vita will eventually have TONS of cool offbeat games. (Corpse Party anyone?) It's probably still a bit early, but there are some exciting ones on the horizon:

[Spoilered for long post/Sony street team]

SPOILERSPOILER_SHOW

Muramasa Rebirth - Reissue of a Wii game that nobody played, made by Vanillaware, who ALWAYS deliver. Insanely gorgeous side-scrolling, olde thyme Japan, ninjas, etc. It's fucking great, like Okami but with less Nintendo and more violence.



Dragon's Crown - Vanillaware's new game. Also on PS3, and will undoubtedly rule. If DAT ART doesn't give you meatworm, then PRAYSTASHUN VITARU just might not be for you.



Ys: Memories of Celcetta - Ys has still never really connected in the US, which is kind of weird because the Ys games eschew a lot of what people hate about JRPGS (mopey heroes, overblown stories, turn-based combat) and basically play like a stripped-down version of Zelda. But they found a good home on the PSP (all the PSP ones are available for Vita on the PS Store) and hopefully that tradition will continue on Vita.



Batman: Arkham Origins: Blackgate: Subtitle - You bros probably already know this, but the next Bats game is going to have a portable spinoff that's a 2D Metroidvania style side-scroller. I'm still skeptical since it's under a different developer now, but to be honest I'm more excited for this than the main game. Will also be on 3DS.



Tearaway - From the LittleBigPlanet folks. I've never been that into LBP but this looks very charming and like it'll really take advantage of the touchscreen, accelerometer and other tactile controls on Vita.



Phantasy Star Online 2 - Yet another game where you run around with friends slashing a sword at monsters, but man I'm not complaining. As anyone who remembers the first PSO can tell you, this is basically vidya bame crystal meth.



Gods Eater 2 - Shit, another Monster Hunter style game! It's kind of funny how Sony compensated for Nintendo getting limited exclusive MH rights by releasing every other Monster Hunter style game in existence. Anyway, this is about a post-apocalyptic world ruled by twisted monsters, and the only ones who can fight them are teenage anime characters. The original was on PSP and was really good, this should be a blast.

Also, I'll be honest: I've been playing PSP games as much as Vita ones. I sold my PSP a while back (and ended up regretting it), but a lot of great stuff is on the PSN store (although there are some seriously maddening ommissions - where's Valkyria Chronicles 2?!).

There are also a lot of sweet PC indie ports on the way: Spelunky, Terraria (now on PS3 as well), Lone Survivor, and especially fucking Hotline Miami.

[kickpuncher]

get the 3DS

hunt ghosts

[canon.docre]

I think one notable example is the Uncharted game: it's the full Uncharted experience, plus some touchscreen bits that are actually really fun--but the big difference is that the story has been scaled down a lot. It still has that pithy Uncharted dialogue, but it's less of a globe-trotting epic and more "you're fucking Drake, you're in the jungle doing Drake shit" which I think makes it easier to pick up and play when you feel like it.

I hadn't played any of the other Uncharted games .. at first I was all "this is a baby-game for babies" but then I ended up launching myself off a few cliffs to a hilarious death and the shootouts are actually getting kinda fun. But yes, I find myself completely satisfied to sit down to this in 5-10 minute increments, and then jump over to Final Fantasy tactics whenever I have some real time on my hands.

[Spooky Apparition]

storm shadow, thanks a lot for typing all of that up i'd heard of basically none of those games, and a lot of them look promising.

but then...

Jesus Christ-- a Vita with a memory card is basically the same price as a WiiU?

i didn't realize it was that expensive either. with the PS4 later this year, this might have to wait for a while unless a trustworthy ebay'er is getting rid of theirs. dammit