From the Wii, to the PC, to a combination card and board game. Come join the Non-Fiction Gaming crew as we discuss what has been distracting entertaining us these past few weeks.
As always we’d love to hear what you’ve been playing in the comments below.
The Elder Scrolls Online and Starcraft 2
Dan
In the process of moving house my more cumbersome entertainment systems have been shelved for now. I’ll be happy to breathe life into the Wii U and Xbox 360 again once I’m settled but until then I’m confined to my PC and Nintendo 3DS. The PC isn’t cumbersome; it’s an essential piece of life support.
The Elder Scrolls Online has me in her grips on the MMO front, the story is engaging and the characters are brilliant. There have been some teething issues though, with falling through worlds and walls disappearing and causing me to get stuck. The options of teleporting out (costing gold) or using the /stuck command (which kills me and takes me to the closest teleport spot) only build my rage further. Elder Scrolls Online works well and hours can melt away as I carve my way through Daedra, so long as I don’t get stuck in a bloody wall.
When recent games are just too much commitment I’ve been finding myself drawn back into custom Starcraft 2 maps. I’m a big fan of the Warcraft 3 Battle.net custom map scene and it’s great to see some of the classics reappear for this generation. They provide a quick pick up game without lots of time investment. It is pretty quiet on the South East Asia (Australasia) servers when it comes to custom maps, I may have to do some convincing to get friends to re-install and join me in Wintermaul Wars or Gem TD.
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Stick It to the Man
James Wilson
I’ve been sticking it to the man in Zoink!’s latest game as it has just been released for the PS4. It’s a fun little game where you play as hard-hat tester Ray who comes into contact with an alien who gives him the power to read people’s minds and literally stick thoughts into their heads. You are then on the run from a mysterious character who wants Ray captured so that they can retrieve their brain controlling alien.
The game play is goofy really and isn’t like anything I’ve played. You are a paper cut out that can manipulate what people do by collecting stickers and putting them into their heads via your pink ‘spaghetti’ hand. I’m not finished playing but so far Stick It To The Man is really fun to play, and it has a cool soundtrack. I also can’t wait to play the new Wolfenstein.
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Munchkin and the Walking Dead
Emma
I’ve been making the most of living back at home for a couple of weeks and have roped the family into some Munchkin fun. While not a video game, it is deserves a mention due it’s seriously fun nature of making a super simple RPG card game. I’ve even managed to get my non-gaming members of the family to join in.
In between Munchkin’ing I’ve made it a mission to complete some campaigns that have been hanging over my head, such as the StarCraft 2 campaign as well as Season 1 of the Walking Dead. My weekend plans are locked in it would seem.
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Don’t Starve: Reign of Giants and Dark Souls II
Senior Stiv
Gods, am I glad to see “What we’re playing” is back. To begin, after my time at PAX East I got to play quite a few indie games; some old, some new. While my attempt to play Don’t Starve: Reign of Giants DLC ended with me dying in two minutes I was immediately hooked. I downloaded the game on Steam and I’ve been surviving, thankfully for more than two minutes. I have yet to come across any giants, but the new characters and seasons are already making the game more of a challenge.
On console I’ve been slowly chipping away at Dark Souls II. The game is still challenging, but the games central hub and finally learning how to truly play the game, has led to a much more enjoyable experience compared to my time with the original. That, and finding all the amazing loot in the world keeps me coming back. I’ve also just started playing Dragon Age: Origins and absolutely enjoying fighting darkspawn. The world is colorful and being able to dismiss or lose party members is making me pick every word I speak carefully.
Finally I’m in the midst of coming up with a list of games I need to finish and others I still need to get around to playing. Really looking forward to finishing the Bioshock Infinite: Burial at Sea DLC and finishing up Elizabeth’s side of the adventure should lead to one great conclusion. FTL’s Attack of the Clones expansion is also out, which means I can expect to have my ship destroyed several more times. Expect to see some reviews and, who knows, maybe even the revival of overdue reviews.
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Guild Wars 2
Meztrov
I’ve been currently playing older titles which I’ve bought for bargain prices. Just some fun distractions like Resident Evil 6, Dead space 3, Crysis 3, to name a few…
The main game that I’ve started getting back into is Guilds Wars 2; the MMORPG famous for its ‘ripple effect system’ that allowed players more freedom. It has made its 25+ GB into my personal laptop yet again. I stopped for a while now as I personally find most MMOs unappealing, but GW2 has a certain aesthetic to the gameplay and art of the game. Since a friend has recently downloaded the game, he needed someone to brave this large and expansive world with, and I happened to get it a few months prior.
Guild Wars 2 is a treat to play if you just want to get in and start grinding and leveling up your character. I mainly play alone or with a small party, because guilds are ‘broken’ in this game. Essentially you can join and start as many guilds as you like, giving little to no commitment or even neglecting guilds you’ve joined in the past. Right before I started writing this, I was talking to a random player and discussed how it’s a rarity to find someone who is willing to relax and have a chat with a random player, without others screaming in the chat-box, of an EVENT, or JOIN THIS GUILD BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS!
Read more articles from Meztrov.
Xenoblade Chronicles and Fire Emblem:Awakening
KRS 2
Oh man it’s been so long I could write a short memoir about what I’ve been playing. But to keep things within reason I’ll just list what has been absorbing my time most thoroughly. After a 10 month hiatus or so, I restarted Xenoblade Chronicles (major competitor for best game on the Wii… if you like JRPGs that is). I am currently just 100 hours into the game, keeping in mind I’ve been obsessively side questing and exploring every inch of the map.
One of the best things about Xenoblade is the world that’s been crafted. You see you don’t live on a sphere circling the sun (like us pitiful Earthlings do). Instead the story takes place on the corpse of a titan known as the Bionis, meaning your adventure starts on the leg and will eventually take you to the chest, arm, back and head of the Bionis. Not only that, but unlike other very linear JRPGs, you can actually explore just about everything you lay eyes on. I entered a forest at one point, saw a giant waterfall in the distance feeding a massive lake and assumed there would be an invisible barrier to stop me jumping off the cliff. Needless to say, not only was I wrong, I could also swim up to the base of the waterfall or follow the river to find enemies and secrets. I don’t think I’ve ever felt this free playing a JRPG.
Other than that, I recently bought my own copy of Fire Emblem: Awakening as previously I was leeching a save file from my girlfriend. Yes, even more than a year after its release, I’m still playing Fire Emblem. If you have a 3DS and still don’t own this, you are missing out as it is probably the best game available on the handheld.
Read more articles from KRS 2.
What Have You Been Playing This Week?
That’s all from us this week but we would like to know what you’ve been playing.
Have you been shooting your way through the latest FPS? Maybe there is an RPG you’ve been unable to put down. Our hearts go out to you if an MMO has been keeping you entertained for hours on end sucking up time. Leave a comment below or check out what’s happening on our social media.
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