Activity- Video Games

[metalgoddess029]

I figure its an activity thats off the computer (sometimes), so why not talk about it here? If I'm wrong, then move me to the right topic board. I won't fight the decision- just keep it simple and easy for us all.

I love video games, especially RPGs, Fighters, and Puzzlers.

My personal favorite RPG series: Final Fantasy (big duh)
Tales of...
Xenosaga and Xenogears
Romancing Saga
Atelier Iris series
Shin Megami Tensei/Persona
Growlanser
Lunar Series
And many, many more...

Though its on the computer I do like these as well:
Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn
Icewind Dale
War of Genesis II: Side Story 2: Tempest (Korean Game)

Fighting Games:
Mortal Kombat (at least no. II in the series)
Soul Blade and Soul Calibur (no. III in particular)
Bloody Roar
Darkstalkers
Street Fighter Alpha (Rose and Chun Li FTW)

Puzzle Games:
Puyo Puyo
Magical Drop
Bust a Move
Tetris

I'm a big fan of the old school games of the "Golden Era" of the SNES and I love 2D games more often than 3D ones due to the artistry and time that goes into animating them. Not that 3D games can't be amazing, but sometimes you can appreciate something that took more pen to paper than a program. Just my view of it, so don't take it personally.

My strong preference for RPG games is because I want something that lasts a while and is usually a good read. I love it when a good story develops and takes you along and you help take care of the characters and get to know them, usually far more intimately than a story in a book (though I love books just as much). Its also interesting what other people can do with the ideas sprung off of them. What was innovative one day can become the standard and later the further pushing of the frontier tomorrow.

Anyways, what do the rest of you enjoy? Console games are a must for this topic, but do feel free to discuss the games you like on the PC as well. I like an open-ended conversation. ;3

[minx.eh]

For people who enjoy RPG games I advise you to play:

Knights of the Old Republic I
Knights of the Old Republic II
Dungeon Siege I (With expansion as well)
Dungeon Siege II
Neverwinter Nights I
Neverwinter Nights II
Aveyond (www.amaranthia.com)
Ahriman's Prophecy (www.amaranthia.com)

I myself didn't enjoy the Final Fantasy games since you were stuck playing Squal, which I found was a dull and boring character. I'd rather play the teacher myself. (Forgot her name).

I like games who allow customisation to make a character that somehow releates to you. I really enjoyed Dungeon Siege I and II because they left a choice of races and gender. I like Knights of the Old Republic because their fans make custom mods so you can play different races, classes, and make available to you more clothes etc. Plus their story line as great, and funny. LOL.

I like RPG games with a mix of action, romance, humor, and a great story line.

[capnchef]

I've been playing games since the days of the Commodore 64, and 64khz IBM's, so I've had a large amount of experience when it comes to RPG's, action games, strategy games, etc.

Some of the best RPG's I have played have been:
Curse of the Azure Bonds
Pools of Radiance
Pools of Darkness
The Bard's Tale 1 and 2
Might and Magic
Final Fantasy III
Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy XII
Secret of Mana
Illusion of Gaia
Dragon Warrior 8
Castlevania 2: Simon's Quest
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Sid Meier's Pirates!, Pirates! Gold, and the newer Sid Meier's Pirates
Knights of the Old Republic I

I know I posted quite a few Final Fantasy games. Thats because the ones I listed I felt were some of the best RPG's made. Notice I did not include Final Fantasy VIII(the one with Squall Leonheart). I fully agree with Minx's statement that Squall was a dull character. Frankly, he was the lamest main character in the series. That said, the other Final Fantasy games offered up some fantastic stories and characters. Who can forget Cloud Strife from 7, or Zidane and Vivi from 9, or Vaan and Penelo from 12? Out of 12 released Final Fantasy games, I'd say that having only one of them be boring and stupid is a great track record for SquareSoft.

Also, Knights of the Old Republic I was a fantastic game. KOTOR II would've been good, had they not rushed it out the door and 1.) actually finished everything, and 2.) ironed out all the bugs. It was fun and enjoyable, but the bugs made it so unplayable at times that I finally put it down and never picked it back up.

And for all you Dungeons and Dragons nuts out there like myself, the old SSI games for TSR's D&D were the best. Curse of the Azure Bonds, Streams of Silver, Dark Queen of Krynn, Death Knights of Krynn, Pool of Radiance, Pools of Darkness...gosh, they were all just so fantastic! They were the best, most accurate translations of dungeons and dragons into a video game to ever have been made, even more than Neverwinter. There is no better feeling in the world than growing powerful, and using the disintegrate spell to turn to dust the very same dragons that had terrorized you earlier in the game.

Ah gosh.. I miss those games. I should dig those out and play them again. I think I need a floppy disk drive again lol.

[minx.eh]

I have a floppy drive for my laptop...somewhere. Its just a USB drive hook up one. KOTOR II was good once you added all the updates (which they have fixed the game a good bit) and once they bright out the KOTOR II restoration project it will be better. I myself added a lot of player content which fixed the game.

Anyway, you could probably find those floppy disk games online for free. (As in a downloadable version). I still have my floppy games that I played when I was REALLY little. ^^ I enjoyed them very much and sometimes find myself playing them.

[capnchef]

I was playing KOTOR II on xbox so no updates for me. The main fact of the matter though, just like with NWN II, a game that is released when its finished, not pushed out the door before its ready, doesn't require patches to be right.

In the 90's and early 2000's, games that were released with as many bugs as KOTOR II and NWN2 were released with were seen as incomplete and the company saw a reprisal when their sales took a dump. Nowadays, companies get away with it because of rampant fanboy-ism and people who are willing to wait for them to put out patches every month for a year to finally "complete" and fix the game. Its bullshit, and we shouldn't allow these companies to get away with it. And you generally always see it when a company has released a game that everyone loves, and then another company either buys the original company or takes over their production.

As for games on floppy disk, I'm way ahead of you on that one heh. I download old games from Abandonia all the time heh.

[metalgoddess029]

Capnchef, I see on your list that you've played Illusion of Gaia. Did you ever get to play Soul Blazer or Terranigma? I really enjoyed Terranigma most of all and Soul Blazer was fun too.

And I do consider it a good track record on Squaresoft's part to create only one character I didn't care for and that is indeed Squall Leonhart. And it was kind of a blah game though I did like some parts of the story and I enjoyed Laguna as a character.

My favorite game though is Final Fantasy 6- I remember buying the cartridge in 5th grade for 15 dollars at a flea market and it was my first SNES rpg and Final Fantasy game. I've played them all one way or another except no. 11 because I don't care for MMORPGs.

My favorite character(s) out of all them is Celes, Vincent Valentine and Auron.

[capnchef]

Yes, I did play Soul Blazers(have it on my computer now too heh) but I never got around to Terranigma.

Yeah, Squall and that entire game were both fairly lame. At least they made up for it since Squall has a MUCH better voice in Kingdom Hearts 2 than Cloud's crappy american voice.