The Official "What Are You Playing Now?" Thread

[strigori]

Still working on AC3, but have been mixing in some HearthStone beta also.

[scarletNcream]

Anybody play BF4 on their computer? Got the game and Premium content for a super value, not realizing they have major issues with it. Anyway, played a couple of days online and tried the campaign but now I can't get the game past initializing. EA support total sucks, along with their servers, they have no idea how to fix this largely reported issue that they are doing their best to ignore. Anybody have a work around for this?

[strigori]

its not just PC, and its not just you. EA is getting sued over it actually.

[Danny Bateman]

Been playing the F out of Black Ops 2 zombies on my roommates PS3. But the servers suck and its incredibly hard to find 3 other good players online who stick it out.

 

Otherwise, solo.... Twilight Princess (GC version on my Wii) or Madden 25 Ultimate Team online. Fantastic game mode for those who haven't tried it.

 

Wish Left 4 Dead 2 actually worked on my Desktop :'(

[VectorVictor]

Thats to say they dont just exit the console market all together. The first 8 weeks of sales for the PS4 and XB1 are already almost to the lifetime sales of the Wii U. AAA third party titles are few and far between, and many of the devs and publishers have outright mocked them in the press, in relation to their policies, and the hardware in general. Its possible they do a Sega and go software only, but more likely they end up handhold only and live off the 3DS and 2DS. So unless the desire for those couple gamesa re just eating you up, you should be able to get it much cheaper in the not too distant future.

 

Yes, because this has worked so well for Sega? :-|

 

Nintendo can easily get back into the hardware race and be a factor--they just need to spend some of the serious bank they built up during the Wii era updating their R&D teams, networking infrastructure, and making some key acquisitions so they can pump out first party titles.

 

Plus, if there's any truth to the rumors about a combo portable/set top console that runs the same games...well, then they be back in business. One of the key selling features of the Wii U is that you can play console titles and apps using the screened controller--why not just go one step further and make said controller a full-fledged portable system that docks with a base you hook up to your TV for when you want to play on the big screen?

 

As long as Nintendo doesn't skimp out on the resolution for the handheld...that would make some serious waves, and do a lot of things that NVidia, Steam, and Sony are trying to do right now to some degree.

[strigori]

Thats to say they dont just exit the console market all together. The first 8 weeks of sales for the PS4 and XB1 are already almost to the lifetime sales of the Wii U. AAA third party titles are few and far between, and many of the devs and publishers have outright mocked them in the press, in relation to their policies, and the hardware in general. Its possible they do a Sega and go software only, but more likely they end up handhold only and live off the 3DS and 2DS. So unless the desire for those couple gamesa re just eating you up, you should be able to get it much cheaper in the not too distant future.

 

Yes, because this has worked so well for Sega? :-|

 

Nintendo can easily get back into the hardware race and be a factor--they just need to spend some of the serious bank they built up during the Wii era updating their R&D teams, networking infrastructure, and making some key acquisitions so they can pump out first party titles.

 

Plus, if there's any truth to the rumors about a combo portable/set top console that runs the same games...well, then they be back in business. One of the key selling features of the Wii U is that you can play console titles and apps using the screened controller--why not just go one step further and make said controller a full-fledged portable system that docks with a base you hook up to your TV for when you want to play on the big screen?

 

As long as Nintendo doesn't skimp out on the resolution for the handheld...that would make some serious waves, and do a lot of things that NVidia, Steam, and Sony are trying to do right now to some degree.

Sega's not doing terribly, just stay away from Sonic games.

 

Nintendo's issues would require massive philosophical change on their part. They have skimped on tech for better than a decade, instead preferring to sell units based on gimmicks, and its becoming much harder to do. Devs and publishers have for the most part, written off the Wii U. EA has outright laughed about bringing titles to it, and others have had more tact, but its been pretty much the same, its at best last gen tech, not even able to run some engines that the PS3 and 360 handle. (Frostbite 2 engine comes to mind)

 

And the idea of a combo box that runs handheld games on the big screen is laughable. To have enough power to compete with Xbone, PS4 and PC it would be too big to be a handheld. And 'Remote Play' like you are mentioning there is already in existence with the PS4 and Vita, and no one really cares.

 

I don't see Nintendo following the Sony and MS paths and buying/forming more dev studios as they have always kept things in-house. Its a massive change, and one they have resisted for 20 years.

 

The main area they are having success right now is in the handheld market, which is under heavy fire from iPhone and Android games. And honestly, outside Japan, the 3DS/2DS has an image of a kiddie system.

 

In short, as the gamer has aged, they have not aged with them.

[VectorVictor]

Sega's not doing terribly, just stay away from Sonic games.

 

Nintendo's issues would require massive philosophical change on their part. They have skimped on tech for better than a decade, instead preferring to sell units based on gimmicks, and its becoming much harder to do. Devs and publishers have for the most part, written off the Wii U. EA has outright laughed about bringing titles to it, and others have had more tact, but its been pretty much the same, its at best last gen tech, not even able to run some engines that the PS3 and 360 handle. (Frostbite 2 engine comes to mind)

 

And the idea of a combo box that runs handheld games on the big screen is laughable. To have enough power to compete with Xbone, PS4 and PC it would be too big to be a handheld. And 'Remote Play' like you are mentioning there is already in existence with the PS4 and Vita, and no one really cares.

 

I don't see Nintendo following the Sony and MS paths and buying/forming more dev studios as they have always kept things in-house. Its a massive change, and one they have resisted for 20 years.

 

The main area they are having success right now is in the handheld market, which is under heavy fire from iPhone and Android games. And honestly, outside Japan, the 3DS/2DS has an image of a kiddie system.

 

In short, as the gamer has aged, they have not aged with them.

 

Seriously, Strigori, just stop--you don't know what you're talking about. Doesn't look like much resistance there.

 

Nintendo has already said they're going to do mergers and acquisitions. They already have multiple studios that they farm out work to--Retro Studios in Austin and Camelot, off the top of my head already work on products, and Nintendo knows how to play this game--they did have and let go of Rare and Silicon Knights, among others, in the past...not unlike what Sony, Microsoft, and others have done before.

 

Also, don't forget that Nintendo corporate is now more in control of its own destiny thanks to stock buybacks of Yamauchi family shares. Talk was that the Yamauchi family were the proverbial fly in the ointment when it came to innovation, and if they're being removed from the picture, this supports that assertion. And considering the cash Nintendo has, they can ramp up R&D and networking/infrastructure no problem--if Sony can pull its head out of its ass in a couple of years (though Sony still throttles DL speeds...), then Nintendo can do the same. And frankly, Sony was just as stodgy and mired in their ways as Nintendo was until lately.

 

As for Sega, they're flat at best. Their best selling titles are, as of July 2013's corporate reporting, are Phantasy Star 2, Company of Heroes 2, and Football Manager--all PC titles. Save for the Yakuza titles (which they're reluctant to bring West because of poor to mediocre sales), they really haven't had many good titles (their Go Kart Game withstanding...which is actually handled by Sumo).

 

Fankly, if Sega was doing so well with this track, then why would they sign an exclusivity deal with Nintendo for their most valuable IP? Answer, because they're not--they're treading water.

 

And let's not forget, it's not just 'Sega' anymore--it's 'Sega Sammy', and the Sammy side of the equation is helping keep the Sega side afloat as well.

 

re: portable systems on the TV, yeah, I guess Sony just forgot to consult with you Strigori when they made their Vita TV box. And my gamer friends, made up of the 25-40 crowd with wads of disposable income, pretty much echo the following statement found in the PC Mag preview: "Most of my gamer friends, including Vita owners, have expressed more interest in the Vita TV than the PlayStation 4."

 

I guess not everyone, including Sony, thinks the idea of a combo box, or a box that runs portable games on the TV, is 'laughable'. Jokes on you, it looks like, and this is why Nintendo is looking at something similar with their handheld...which is actually the top selling console for the past generation and current outsells the XBoxes, PlayStations, and their own Wii U in multiple countries. If you can get the handheld unit enough power (see Vita) to power apps and 1080p games (4K games is next gen), then you're golden.

 

And I'm sorry you feel that the 3DS/2DS has the image of a kiddie system...but that really speaks volumes about your shortcomings as a gamer and not the reality of the market or the 3DS. Frankly, the best console out there, bar none, is the 3DS, considering the varied content the console has and the number of titles coming out for it. If Nintendo would pull its head out of its arse regarding their Virtual Console title selection, it would be golden.

 

But I guess if Shin Megami Tensei, Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, and Castlevania are too 'kiddie' for your tastes, then I feel sorry for you, because you're missing out on fine gaming.

[walksalone]

Just got the xbox one for the b'day, when I get my login name squared away, i'll post it up...

[Enhance]

Since Christmas I have finally finished Asspirates, and knocked out Tim Schafer's Broken Age (with the wife). My single Player backlog is still ridiculous due to playing MP with my buddies 3-4 times a week. I'm down to :

Bioshock infinite

Company of Heroes 2 (PC)

FC3: Blood Dragon (PC)

Dark Souls (PC)

COD Ghosts (PS4) Don't really wanna play it, SP will suck

Do you have a controller for PC? Not sure if we've talked about this before or not.

 

The reason I ask is because I lost controller for a couple of days, conveniently around the time I wanted to play Dark Souls. It was almost completely unplayable without it. The controls were just really wonky and the movement didn't feel right with a mouse/keyboard. But, if you do have a controller for PC, you're golden! Once I found mine again the experience was much better.

[Enhance]

Has anybody started playing any of the survival/scavenge/crafting zombie games yet like Rust, DayZ (standalone), the DayZ mod for Arma II or Nether? I want to get one but it looks like a couple are still in early Alpha stage (like DayZ (standalone)) or has more content but is kind of glitchy (DayZ mod for Arma II).

[tschu]

Dammit, I had a gigantic post typed out and Chrome crashed and I lost it. The gist of it was strigori is being ignorant, typical COD BRO gamer. Nintendo has dropped the ball with the Wii U for a variety of reasons, with the console itself being bad being the least of those reasons. I own a Wii U. It's quality and the gamepad is quality. Just sad.

[tschu]

Doing my first playthrough of Pikmin. Haven't gotten very far...gonna go have a few beers, come back and start a batch of chili for tomorrow, and then play some more. Fun and unique game so far.

[strigori]

Dammit, I had a gigantic post typed out and Chrome crashed and I lost it. The gist of it was strigori is being ignorant, typical COD BRO gamer. Nintendo has dropped the ball with the Wii U for a variety of reasons, with the console itself being bad being the least of those reasons. I own a Wii U. It's quality and the gamepad is quality. Just sad.

Must come as a shock that I don't own a copy of COD(or Battlefield) on any format, and have never played it at all. And anyone who has ever met me would NEVER call me a 'BRO' or typical.

 

The Wii U does have some hardware issues, and that's coming from the game dev's and publishers. Stating flat out, that it can not run some engines. And making it so different, with the controller/gamepad, it pretty much gets passed up by multi-platform games. Which outside of the console company owned studios, is becoming the standard, especially for the next gen where the xbone and PS4 are basically PC hardware with a different OS.

[Excel]

Just finished Mass Effect 3. I'm in awe of the depth of the trilogy and its character development. One of the best games/series I've ever played. Going to start another play through next weekend with the original ME and run through it all again just a little smarter this time.

[Enhance]

Just finished Mass Effect 3. I'm in awe of the depth of the trilogy and its character development. One of the best games/series I've ever played. Going to start another play through next weekend with the original ME and run through it all again just a little smarter this time.

The original ending for ME3 is bad and so is EA. That said, Mass Effect 2 was the best in the series IMHO. I enjoyed it so much I beat it three or four times.