Personally I own a PS2 (and countless earlier generation systems) and I'm big on RPGs. The latest two games I've finished were Atelier Iris 2 and Steambot Chronicles, and I'm thinking about trying Battlefield 2 on the PC.
BF2 was a big step down from BFDC in my eyes, its only a very pale copy of it.
The only games i play besides L2 is Civ2 (it just never gets old) and Hearts of Iron 2. Not counting real RPGs that is :) I´m mostly a RPG and Strategic board game player.
I played helbreathusa for years. A great pvp game but very established if you understand, though getting good in that game is easier than L2. Bad administration, no updates but a very good pvp engine, non-existant PvE. I personally brought about 20 people over from this game to Linage II with me, of about 10 are still playing after 6 months.
I play random Xbox games when I get annoyed with L2. havent got into a single player game since FF7. nothing else ever compared. I try to leave the house when not in L2 though. or maybe record some new music. but in the end. I just sit down and log in. :p nothing else holds my attention quite like L2
If you do play RO, don't play on the International Server (English server) for any reason.
If you think L2 is bad at managing the economy let me tell you a bit of the history of RO.
At one point hackers discovered how to duplicate items, specifically they duped a rare accessory that highly increased evasion, one that all high level evasion classes had and needed to continue leveling. In order to fix this problem the RO staff decided to purge this particular item from the economy, without returning anything to people that had this item. It would still be dropped from monsters, and thus a large group of players desperately needing this item paid ridiculous amounts for each one found from then on.
About two years ago on RO the GMs decided that inflation was out of control, partly due to bots and farmers. To curb this they decided to wipe the currency of every player in the game, and return 100,000 of it per character level. This was great for people just starting out, as that was enough money to buy the best storebought gear if they had only gained a few levels. For the rest of us it meant losing hundreds of millions and essentially starting over.
Economy woes aside, RO's password database was once hacked and all usernames/passwords were sent in a big list through the official RO mailing list. I checked mine personally and sure enough there it was.
They also had serious issues with updating the english version from the korean patches. Things that were in effect on korean servers years ago still weren't implemented or didn't work correctly on the english servers.
Anyway, didn't mean to go on a rant like that. I'd just give it some serious thought before trying RO. I've had enough bad memories of that place never to return.
Dota all stars .. its a custom Warcraft 3 hero map with a big following, sorta like MMORPG lite http://www.dotaportal.com
5 v 5 heroes and mobs with a bit of intelligence, so many heroes with original skills and so many items to counter every situation, if L2 had some of this it would solve many balance issues.
We play this at the office on fridays, its good way to initiate company noobs. This game was my previous addiction, I also love the Unreal tournament voice overs .. "double kill!! Triple kill!! combo [censored] ... unstoppable ... GOD-Like!!"
Jumping out of the bushes and ganking noobs was never so much fun.
Recently added to my list are Stella Deus: The Gate of Eternity and Magna Carta: Tears of Blood. I can't really reccomend either of these games to anyone.
Also just picked up Mother 3 (the sequal to Earthbound, still in Japanese) and am having a blast with it.
<-- Best **** helocopter pilot avaliable, especially BlackHawks.
I love medic, support, or scouring the map, earning knife kills with a grappling hook and a taste for vengeance. There's just something about...that...stabbing motion. But seriously, the glove doesn't fit.
Looks like it's time to give BF2 a shot, after the Fireworks event is over anyway. Halo 2, Half Life 2, and Call of Duty 2 are starting to get a bit old.
Hmmm...and I'm playing L2 right now, we're definitely living in the age of sequals.
Looks like it's time to give BF2 a shot, after the Fireworks event is over anyway. Halo 2, Half Life 2, and Call of Duty 2 are starting to get a bit old.
Hmmm...and I'm playing L2 right now, we're definitely living in the age of sequals.
I am going to be straight up with you. BF2 is the best game I ever bought. I can't play it as long as L2..etc...but I have to say time passes faster there than anywhere. It is BY FAR the best FPS in existence. The flow is great, the teamwork leaves room for independence yet rewards teamplay, the weapons are balanced, the maps are fair. There are cheats, but a cheat can only get you so far. Rank allows longterm play to be rewarding. Benefits from rank aren't so amazing that you are set behind. No, rank applies to the teamwork end, allowing control of command type roles for experienced players. It's beautifully done. Best money I ever bought. I buy the expansions almost just because I feel I owe them more.
Recently added Radiata Stories to my game list (I really play a lot don't I?). The story is fairly cliche and the gameplay is average at best, but the entire game is stuffed with so much charm that its flaws are less apparent.
Waiting on my upcoming birthday to pick up BF2 (most of what I play are rentals, no luck with that in the PC department). After reading the opinions here and doing a bit of research it looks like it could keep me busy for a while.
On a side note, you can complete a lot of long RPGs if you forego sleep.
Also just picked up Mother 3 (the sequal to Earthbound, still in Japanese) and am having a blast with it.
OMG I remember Earthbound on SNES, I have some fond memories of it involving caps of a certain kind :).
I play such a wide variety games but mostly I play RPGs and fighting games. Lately I've been playing Oblivion (Xbox360), Draconus (Dreamcast), BloodRayne 2 (PC), and Super Monkey Ball Deluxe (Xbox). I would still be playing Kingdom Under Fire if my original Xbox still worked >_< but at least Super Monkey Ball Deluxe works on Xbox360 :)
Newest three games are Metal Saga, Onimusha 4, and God of War. I'm finishing up Onimusha 4 as I write this.
Incidentally, if you do play this game make sure to level up at least one weapon on all of your characters. I've been fighting the same boss for over two hours now since one of my less used characters is only doing 1 damage per hit.
My goal... Find something worthy of killing, everything I have come across dies in 2/3 hits, even the two Gods that I killed where not much better (~20 hits)... :confused: YES!! A MELEE CLASS WHICH IS OVERPOWERED! :D
My goal... Find something worthy of killing, everything I have come across dies in 2/3 hits, even the two Gods that I killed where not much better (~20 hits)... :confused: YES!! A MELEE CLASS WHICH IS OVERPOWERED! :D
Yeah... I played Morrowind for 2 years before I came to L2. Was actually looking for a "Morrowind" type game with better AI. What better AI then humans! :p
I've been playing Oblivion. A lot harder than Morrowind.
Finished Morrowind and Oblivion a long time ago, I thought Oblivion was the better of the two since the combat was a bit more sophisticated. That and every now and then one of the 'random converastions' would be hilarious.
I did pretty much everything there is to do in Oblivion, including become the head of every guild in the world. I ended up making a hybrid swordsman/mage as I always do in such open ended games. The one thing I dislike about all MMOs is that there's never an effective hybrid class that can handle both melee and spells without being severely underpowered in both. If L2 allowed it, I'd play a swordsman/archer/mage/tank/crafter as I'm only truly happy when my character can do everything. Until a game comes along that allows me to play a role such as that, I'll have to rely on having 6 alts.
The one thing I dislike about all MMOs is that there's never an effective hybrid class that can handle both melee and spells without being severely underpowered in both. If L2 allowed it, I'd play a swordsman/archer/mage/tank/crafter
Doomcryers have 1k patk with 2 handed swords, 1.6k with bows, we can nuke, we can tank in heavy as long as we don't have to buff, and we can do common crafts or power level dorfs. :p
Other games I play are any HL/HL2 mod, BF2, Starcraft (yes people still play SC).
Did WoW and RFo for a month each and didn't like them.
Is playing "Hide the Fist in the Brown Button" considered a game? :o
Oblivion is crap. It is so easy to get all the top items int he game, when you hit the right level every creature in the game hands you a full set of the top armour / weapon. At least in Morrowind having a full set of Daedric is something to be proud of, not something to be left behind on a monster. Hell, I dont think I have ever had a full set of Daedric armour on Morrowind.
Oblivion is also so linear its not even funny. There are so few choices for you to make, even from the first conversation in the game there is only one way to finish it. In Oblivion there are 5 factions, one of those is a part of the main quest. In Morrowind there are 14.
Oblivion has been so dumbed down (just like Morrowind was over Daggerfall, if you remember) it is not worth playing anymore. You can complete the game with a level 1 mage never picking up a piece of armour or a weapon. Fast travel to anywhere on the map? Quest pointer which leads you directly to exactly where you need to go? There is just no challenge to the game.
There only thing Oblivion has going for it is the graphics. Don't let yourself be blinded by glammer and miss the fact that the game has no content.
Morrowind itself isn't exactly the hardest of games. It is the only game I know of that allows a level one character five digit stats and infinite money without cheating, exploiting, leaving the safety of towns, or killing so much as one monster.
If I'm not playing L2, its either becuase I actually have something vaguely important to do for once or becuase I want something a little faster paced to break up the grind. Usually play Melty Blood in that second case, not that I'm any good at it.
I'm willing to admit Morrowind did a few things better, greater skill variety and a less annoying intro for one. Compared to Oblivion's combat it's too simplistic for me though. Particularly in the melee deparment, every single enemy behaves the same way and is easy to evade. There aren't as many factions, but there are still plenty of quests and you can spend weeks playing without even touching on the main storyline. I don't recall any Morrowind quests being as interesting as the assassin quests in Oblivion either (though admittedly, those were the only quests that went above and beyond the normal game mechanics. It's as though they were done by a completely different design team.)
I also agree that it's very dumbed down, but for me all it got rid of was the annoying parts. Fast travel saves me the tedium of traveling the same roads over and over again, while quest pointers ensure I don't have to wander around town for days wondering if a specific NPC will happen to be there at the same time as me. I can speed through to the fun parts, and if I want to take a breather and take in the scenery the option to walk is still there. You can even turn off the quest pointers as well, so it's not as though they hinder people who want a classic experience.
I enjoy the combat, the character growth, and the ability to wander around and help, rob, and kill everyone that I meet (in that order) with no regard to the main story. All of that remains intact in Oblivion.
Of course, Ultima 6 still has my vote as the best open ended RPG ever made. This is mostly due to the fact that it was a game made in 1990 yet it was open ended enough to let me kill the court jester and hide him in the castle's pantry (after murdering the chef too of course). Unfortunately Lord British is immortal in that game, and even filling the castle wall to wall with powder kegs and setting them off in one breathtaking explosion wasn't enough to dent his armor.
Similarly, my other attempt to take his life met with failure as the events that followed had him chasing me throughout the city striking down my party members behind me. I ended up killing the shipwright, stealing a galleon and furiously firing cannoballs at the king who was stuck on the docks. Unfortunately they bounced off of him like wads of paper.
The combat in the RPG Oblivion is not better. The combat in the FPS Oblivion may be better, but it is not RPG combat. It has nothing to do with how you develop your character, and more to do with skill at controlling it. That should not be the deciding factor in an RPG. What character development is there in Oblivion? Really? You dont develop your character, you are given a developed character at each stage. Elder Scrolls games have always been about striving to level (do this in Oblivion), striving to earn your gear (where did this go?), WORKING THINGS OUT for yourself (no sign of this at all).
I dont know whether the new patch adds something so you can turn off the quest cheat pointer, but on the original version you cant turn it off without using mods.
How is removing 1/2 of the armour skills, and numerous weapon choices removing the boring parts of the game? How is removing the feeling that you are playing an RPG removing the boring parts of the game? If I wanted a **** n slash RPG I would have bought Rune or Diablo, but no, I (and many others) wanted an Elder Scrolls game, but we got Counter Strike - The Medieval Terror Cell.
Oblivion has one good quest going for it. And that is not even the main quest. All of Morrowinds faction quests are better by far.
The combat in the RPG Oblivion is not better. The combat in the FPS Oblivion may be better, but it is not RPG combat.
This is simply a matter of opinion. I prefer a more action type battle system in my RPGs, I've gotten enough of turn and number based combat. I like to be able to take down a level 20 character as a level 5 relying on my reflexes and exploiting the weaknesses of my enemies.
You dont develop your character, you are given a developed character at each stage. Elder Scrolls games have always been about striving to level (do this in Oblivion), striving to earn your gear (where did this go?), WORKING THINGS OUT for yourself (no sign of this at all).
I developed my character fine in Oblivion. You level up the exact same way as you did in Morrowind, the only difference I can see is the skill variety. And really I didn't see the loss of 'Medium Armor' as the downfall of the series. It's true that Daedric drops like crazy at the end, but you still need to enchant it yourself. All the best items are from quests anyway.
I think we'll just have to agree to disagree here. Oblivion is a different type of game than Morrowind, yes, but it is still very well designed and allows for free open ended gameplay. I found Morrowind too boring to finish, while Oblivion held my interest until the end. While I don't think Morrowind was a bad game at all, I spent quite a few hours on it, it simply got old for me before I could complete it.
There you go. Why is The Elder Scrolls 4 a completely different type of game to The Elder Scrolls 1, 2 and 3? Oblivion help your attention until the very end because the main quest only takes about 3 hours. ;)
Well 'until the very end' for me means doing every quest I can find and becoming the head of every faction, in addition to building an invincible character. As a rough estimate I'd say I spent 300 hours on Morrowind and 500 hours on Oblivion, I probably quit Morrowind earlier mainly because my character could kill people with his thoughts.
As for why Elder Scrolls 4 is different from 1, 2, and 3. That's because game series evolve over time. That's why Mario today plays nothing like the old NES one, and also why the Sonic and Castlevania series have been going downhill since they stepped into the 3D realm. Some series get better, and some get worse (well most get worse if you ask me). Some people like the changes in some series, while others hate them. Thankfully the market is so diverse now that you can find pretty much whatever you want, you just can't stick to a series and expect the same experience every time.
What would please most people if they had made Oblivion, and not tagged the Elder Scrolls brand onto it. Then made a proper Elder Scrolls game with Lore, Content and all that good stuff which you actually need half a brain cell to play. :D
Don't get me wrong, I like action games as much as the next person, but I dont like when they change my favourite games into action games just to please to X-Box tards.
Don't get me wrong, I like action games as much as the next person, but I dont like when they change my favourite games into action games just to please to X-Box tards.
I can agree with that completely. I've also seen some action games turn more and more RPG as they go on (Onimusha for example, even RE4 implemented weapon levels and currency recently, though I have to admit to liking those changes). That's why I tend to rent games a lot more than I used to, even a direct sequal can be a completely different game. Sadly that's not an option for PC games so I tend to read reviews a lot before buying.
Reviews for PC games do not tell you what the game is like, they tell you what the hype is about. Oblivion reviews went on about fancy graphics, the (crappy) AI and all the fancy stuff, but forgot to mention it wasnt an Elder Scrolls game anymore. :p
I usually stick to user reviews rather than those by critics, as user reviews rarely actually review the game but just tell you random things like either like or dislike about it. Fortunately I have a lot of gamer friends, so I can discuss things with them beforehand.
Incidentally if anyone on this forum needs some info on a particular game chances are I've played it, whatever it may be.
There you go. Why is The Elder Scrolls 4 a completely different type of game to The Elder Scrolls 1, 2 and 3? Oblivion help your attention until the very end because the main quest only takes about 3 hours. ;)
Well, I'm enjoying it :confused:
The way I look at it is that I take each game for what it is. I loved Morrowind and played it for 2 years (as I've mentioned before).
I really love Oblivion. It may not yield the same "play hours" but as I play it here and there, I've only just hit lvl 14 and bought it the day it came out.
Hard to play L2, Oblivion, a smattering of other games and compose, hang with friends, have a life, do laundry, avoid having my brother come up and visit (just kidding bro!) and go to work becuase "the man" feels like I need to contribute to society.
My brother and I used to play full-contact backgammon. Those were the halcyon days of youth...
My brother and I play Extreme Crochet. We set up the wickets over rocks or close to trees. Great fun.
Ohhh, wicked ricochet!
In high school my friends and I used to have dart fights in their parents basement. Only rarely did someone actually get nailed (pun intended). Also, the same group of us would go out into the desert and have bottle rocket fights. Yeah, they hurt.
Just finished God of War, best action game I've played since Ninja Gaiden. You play a godlike warrior in ancient greece, hacking your way through figures from ancient mythology. It's fast, fun, and extremely violent. Best of all it has a difficulty setting that can kill you in only a few seconds if you make the slightest mistake.