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[ElyrionX]

I'm really bored and I'm in desperate need of a new game. I have a decent PC, PS2, GC and Xbox.

Currently, I'm looking at several games:

Shadow of the Colossus: Looks good but apparently it's really short and I'm too broke lately to spend on a full-priced game that is so short and has no replay value.

Dragon Quest VIII: I have completely no idea what to expect here but I'm kind of sick of JRPGs after my experience with Xenosaga. But I'm looking really hard at this. How good is it? How's the combat system? How's the character development in terms of skills/magic and all that?

Need For Speed: Most Wanted: Not too sure about this but the car list looks pathetic. I'm thinking that they had limited the carlist on purpose so that the next iteration of this franchise will have something new to offer. But I'm really tempted.

The Movies: I did find some enjoyment with games like Theme Hospital, Rollercoaster Tycoon and The Sims in the past but I'm not so sure. Such games tend to get really boring for me because of all the micromanagement.

Civilisation IV: Never did play any of the previous games so I have completely no idea what to expect. I did play the hell out of Rome Total War though. Will I like this?

World of Warcraft: Recently, one of my buddies got into this game big time and I've been REALLY tempted to get into this. The only problem is that my next semester in college will start in about 2 weeks' time (I'm not from the US, BTW). I did well the previous semester and I don't wish to screw up my grades next semester so I'm really apprehensive about this. I've never tried an MMO before and I don't trust myself to have the discipline to play and study at the same time. Chances are I'll just play the hell out of the game and my grades will go down the drain.


Or: Perhaps I can just stick with my existing library of games. I have BF2: Special Forces which I have hardly played but it just did not suck me in as much as the original vanilla BF2. I'm also playing a lot of WC3 DOTA on battlenet as well. Or maybe I can just reinstall Baldur's Gate 2.

Anyway, I'm open to suggestions about other games as well. I may have missed out a couple of good games from recent months because of schoolwork. Any suggestions? No RE4 please. I already have that on the GC.

 

[Tarazet]

Well, since it just price-dropped.. what about King Kong? What I played of the demo makes me want to get it, I'm just a little gun-shy about buying new games right now at any price.

 

[Ninja Scooter]

God of War or Resident Evil 4 or Guitar Hero.

 

[AniHawk]

SotC is excellent, though short.

DQVIII is FANTASTIC, and very very long. Maybe a bit TOO long.

Check out Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance. Despite the shorter length (30-35 hours), it's right up there with DQVIII for me. Awesome gameplay and a killer soundtrack.

Also some random goodies:

Beyond Good & Evil
Pikmin 2
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando
Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil
Indigo Prophecy

 

[cvxfreak]

No GBA?

 

[Borys]

Not to be an ass but try and get all those games from your list.


WoW is a time sink and it costs money monthly. But 5M people can't be wrong, right?

DQ8 is exactly like DQ 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 but with new graphics and no job system. [If] You liked ANY of former DQs you'll LOVE it.

SotC is for the artsy fartsy japanese ICO club. You liked ICO, you'll like SotC.

Civ4 is nothing, NOTHING like Total War or Warhammer games. Try and download a demo first! (even CivIII's demo will do).

NFS:MW is a very fun racer. It is NOTHING like the crappy Undergrounds (well the menu is the same -_-). It reminds me of Porsche and High Stakes.

Didn't play Movies yet, heard it's OK, not great.

I can also recommend:

BG2, Deus Ex or System Shock 2.

BG2 - get the total conversions (FREE) and of course Throne of Bhaal.

 

[Error]

Fire Emblem Path of Radiance.

the game needs you... yeah you.

 

[ElyrionX]

Fire Emblem? Tempted but what I've read of it doesn't sound appealing. I loved FF Tactics on the PS1 though and I found some minor joy playing Tactics Ogre Knight of Lodis on the GBA.

I know WOW is good but seriously it might be too good for me. I need to study and it's a major timesink.

The problem with DQ8 is that I have never played a DQ ever before so I have completely no idea what to expect.

NFS: Most Wanted is fun? One problem is that I didn't particularly enjoy NFS: Hot Pursuit 2 on the PS2. THe whole police chase thing got a bit boring and tedious for me after a while.

What is Civ 4 like? I need more details....

 

[Borys]

Civilization 4 demo (350 megs):


http://www.gamershell.com/download_11624.shtml

N4S:MW demo:

http://www.gamershell.com/download_11487.shtml

 

[Error]

Fire Emblem? Tempted but what I've read of it doesn't sound appealing. I loved FF Tactics on the PS1 though and I found some minor joy playing Tactics Ogre Knight of Lodis on the GBA.

what did you read that didn't found appealing bout the game?

 

[ElyrionX]

what did you read that didn't found appealing bout the game?

To be honest, I can't really remember but if I'm not wrong, it just sounds a bit too tactical for me. Not enough fantasy elements as well. Anyway, what is so good about FE that deserves my attention? Is it similiar to FF Tactics (I <3 FFT A LOT).

 

[ElyrionX]

Civilization 4 demo (350 megs):


http://www.gamershell.com/download_11624.shtml

N4S:MW demo:

http://www.gamershell.com/download_11487.shtml

Thanks dude. I'll check those out when I get home.

 

[AniHawk]

To be honest, I can't really remember but if I'm not wrong, it just sounds a bit too tactical for me. Not enough fantasy elements as well. Anyway, what is so good about FE that deserves my attention? Is it similiar to FF Tactics (I <3 FFT A LOT).

FFT is very different from FE. FE's main draw to its strategy is that when the characters die, they stay dead. The game moves a lot faster than FFT ever did.

 

[Grug]

Get Civ IV, especially if you are a history buff, you'll lap up everything the game has to offer.

 

[Error]

To be honest, I can't really remember but if I'm not wrong, it just sounds a bit too tactical for me. Not enough fantasy elements as well. Anyway, what is so good about FE that deserves my attention? Is it similiar to FF Tactics (I <3 FFT A LOT).

well it's nothing like FFT that's for sure. the fantasy elements are definitely there I would say more so than in FFT(FFT is lot more political based than FE).

well, FE is very good imo because it very easy to get into. the game offers a pretty good tutorial anyway. about the tactical part... yes the game is lot more tactical than FFT but shit, don't let that scare ya that's probably the best thing about the game.

sorry for the shitty overview bout the game, it's very late here and I'm sleepy

 

[ElyrionX]

Get Civ IV, especially if you are a history buff, you'll lap up everything the game has to offer.

Oooo, I am kind of a history buff. Tell me more about the game.

FFT is very different from FE. FE's main draw to its strategy is that when the characters die, they stay dead. The game moves a lot faster than FFT ever did.

Think I'll pass. Sounds like a lot of reloading to me. :lol

 

[AniHawk]

Oooo, I am kind of a history buff. Tell me more about the game.




Think I'll pass. Sounds like a lot of reloading to me. :lol

That's part of the strategy sometimes: trial and error. You have to decide who to level, against what characters, and when. It really feels rewarding when you clear a chapter because usually it is rather challenging. However, PoR's gameplay is good for beginners (it even has an easy mode), and the story and characters are pretty good... minus a few. The music is also really damn good. It's a recommended purchase for a reason.

 

[Danj]

Civilization 4 is a great game (and a significant improvement over its predecessor) but it suffers from a plethora of technical problems. There is an official patch out for it already, which fixes some but not all of these, and there is also a fan-made "helper" .dll which helps with the stability and memory usage problems. Another way in which Civ4 differs from its predecessors is the fact that it actually has a guided tutorial now (with an animatronic Sid Meier head!). Oh yes, and it has Leonard Nimoy doing the narration for things like technological discoveries and what have you.

Dragon Quest 8 seems to be (at least in terms of plot) a pretty standard trad-fantasy RPG. However, it has a number of things which make it stand out. The artwork is great: it manages to be pretty without having to descend a technical level to 2 dimensions. The characters are interesting and varied, and I especially love the voices (which are new for the US version, but are actually mostly British accents - works very well for people like Yangus). The menu and inventory system seem logical, and while saving does require you to go into a church and talk to a priest, you do get a low-cost spell which allows you to teleport to any area you've been before.

World of Warcraft.... if you're worried about your school work, don't get into WoW. If you end up liking it, it will suck up a large chunk of your free time and money. To its credit, WoW is the MMO which held my attention the longest (I'm not really an MMO person, all the others I've tried only interested me for a few weeks and then got boring) so if you like MMOs it's definitely worth looking into at some point. Just be aware that it's the sort of game where people who get into it seem like they disappeared off the face of the Earth (I've had that happen with a couple of friends).

Need for Speed: Most Wanted - I've not played this myself, but it got panned by videoGaiden (the fellows behind videoGaiden are the same people who did Consolevania, if that means anything to you).

 

[CajoleJuice]

I will third Fire Emblem: PoR. It rocks so hard. I'm only up to Mission 8 and it's been awesome so far, and I know it will only get better (at least going by the GBA FEs).

 

[Gibbo]

You might wanna check out SOTC. I saw a 2nd hand copy up for sale when I went to Gamescore 2 days back. But considering the popularity of the game... it would have probably been sold off by now

 

[Snaku]

Beyond Good & Evil
The Longest Journey
Shadow of the Colossus

 

[Musashi Wins!]

You would probably really like Civ IV.

I think DQVIII is one of the best rpg's I've played all gen. It's about a 100x as satisfying as Xenosaga: Der Will To Bore...it's a true feel good game that has wonderful presentation and gameworld.

 

[evilromero]

Since you're a Petrucci fan and I'm of that school I'll give you my honest opinion. SotC is the best out of that list. Although I haven't played CIV, which I plan on getting with my new laptop. I will say the soundtrack is fucking brilliant, whic warrants a bit of a purchase.

 

[renvi]

NFS:MW or SotC

 

[ElyrionX]

Hmmm, currently it looks like it'll be either Civ 4 or DQ8 for me. I'm going to download the Civ 4 demo and check it out.

DQ8 sounds really good and maybe just maybe I'm ready for another JRPG after the horrors of FFX2 and Xenosaga.

Gibbo: Thanks dude. But I'm busy the next few days so I won't have time to check out GS. I hardly go there anyway. Usually I get my games delivered by MM. BTW, you're Sion right?

 

[Tarazet]

Hmmm, currently it looks like it'll be either Civ 4 or DQ8 for me. I'm going to download the Civ 4 demo and check it out.

DQ8 sounds really good and maybe just maybe I'm ready for another JRPG after the horrors of FFX2 and Xenosaga.

Gibbo: Thanks dude. But I'm busy the next few days so I won't have time to check out GS. I hardly go there anyway. Usually I get my games delivered by MM. BTW, you're Sion right?

I haven't played Civ 4 just because I don't play any PC games, but I have played DQ8. The main thing that appeals to me - and it rocked my world the first time I stepped out to the other side to the town - is how epic and huge it is, and how full of life every part of this vast world is. No other RPG has come anywhere near it, not even Morrowind. This is the full realization of the potential posed by the draw distances in Smuggler's Run - in its own way, it uses the PS2 to the absolute maximum effect.

 

[djtiesto]

Xenosaga is probably the worst RPG I've played this generation, while DQ8 is the best... so get that. DQ8 doesn't feature any of the pretentiousness or awkward story or frustrating and slow gameplay that XS does.

 

[shpankey]

I highly recommend Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The game is hella FUN!

Shadow of the Colossus is awesome and shouldn't be missed out on, but it's so short... just rent it (but definitely play it, it rocks). Rent it whenever you get a chance.

 

[Gibbo]

Hmmm, currently it looks like it'll be either Civ 4 or DQ8 for me. I'm going to download the Civ 4 demo and check it out.

DQ8 sounds really good and maybe just maybe I'm ready for another JRPG after the horrors of FFX2 and Xenosaga.

Gibbo: Thanks dude. But I'm busy the next few days so I won't have time to check out GS. I hardly go there anyway. Usually I get my games delivered by MM. BTW, you're Sion right?

Yeah I'm Sion from the other forum.

I highly recommend DQ8. The scale of the overworld and the game in general is nothing short of impressive... which is something that has been severely lacking in JRPGs ( The ones that have been brought to the US anyway) in recent years.

Extensive exploration- Check
Awesome Soundtrack- Check (Tho there tends to be quite abit of recyling of town and dungeon music)
Good Storyline and Characters- Check

 

[truffleshuffle83]

SotC is for the artsy fartsy japanese ICO club. You liked ICO, you'll like SotC.

wow :lol i mean WTF, have you even tried the game. its an epic game on so many levels

 

[Borys]

wow :lol i mean WTF, have you even tried the game. its an epic game on so many levels

Yeah, I did (import).

I wouldn't call it epic... it's just not my cup of tea.

 

[sprsk]

DQ8!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its a fucking adventure!!


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