Chic, IL What Video Game are you playing?

Team Fortress 2 is made of pure awesome.

 

Sounds like The Force Unleashed is going to come on the console of choice...the Wii.

My inner geek cannot contain itself so I put it down. This is hugely sweet news.

http://kotaku.com/gaming/wiimote-lightsaber/lucasarts-unleashes-the-force-on-the-wii-301065.php

Wiimote lightsaber! You can't say no but you probably can't find a Wii.

 

Thank the lord I waited in line to get mine the 1st day...I love my Wii...and as soon as I'm done with Zelda (by this weekend I hope) I'll be getting Metroid with some unemployment moneys!

 

BEST HALO VID EVAR!

 

Oh, Valve... you complete me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if3Qv2tHyfA

 

So Orange Box...yeah it is awesome. In fact it is constructed of the most pure strain of awesome known to man. The kind of awesome that jams 5 incredible games together as if it were a sandwich of goodness. $50 goes an incredibly long way this time making this the most worthy gaming purchase you're likely to make this year and you'll make it. Here's my reviews of everything excluding Half-Life 2 and Half-Life Ep 1 which are found somewhere earlier in this thread but for those that don't want to search, the review is FANTASTIC!!!

Portal

Portal is the shortest game in the bunch. It took me about 3 hours to complete. That may sound like a slight against the game but the amount of fun piled into those 3 hours is staggering. If you've watched Pengy's video linked above you know what to expect. Expect that and a lot more polish.

The gameplay is top notch but the stand out is the amount of humor in this game. I have never laughed so hard. Even the sentry guns have a little inner monologue that you can here. I'm not going to spoil it because some of the stuff they say is really funny.

When you do beat the game do yourself a favor and be sure you watch the end credits because you will likely not find a funnier end sequence.

The cake is a lie.

Half-Life 2: Episode 2

I'm currently about 3/4 of the way through this gem. It starts with a brief recap of the events of Episode 1 and then launches you almost straight into the action with Alyx at your side as you attempt to get to White Forest where the resistance is holed up.

There are some amazing visuals and really memorable levels. Not knowing what happens is of critical importance to the impact of this game so I will not mention any of them. I will say that hunters will become your most hated enemies.

Valve has taken the level design to a new level here. Every level is absolutely superbly designed and feels quite realistic as though this could be an actual place somewhere in the world.

This is the thinking mans FPS and Valve makes that apparent quite often. In the heat of battle you will have to use your head to defeat enemies. There are some creative ways to win the battles too so that makes each fight fresh and fun.

It is an excellent entry in the series. More is revealed in the story but more questions arise as is the case with Half-Life games. So far a very satisfying experience.

Team Fortress 2

Pixary goodness abounds in the most fun I've had in a mulitplayer shooter in a LONG LONG time.

This is the original team based shooter with a fresh coat of Pixar-esque Source Engine paint. Simply put it rocks.

Each class is well designed and has a purpose on the team. Not all are required for victory but knowing how to effectively play your class is. For example, charging head first into a firefight as a Medic or Spy is not helping anyone. The Medic needs to be healing his/her teammates almost constantly. You should be on the frontlines but off to the side healing. The Spy needs to be subtle and patient. Your job is to create chaos behind enemy lines so the Scouts can cap objectives. It is absolutely awesome.

There is a good dose of humor here too. Each class has some really funny taunts and there is a good amount of banter that goes on automatically between characters. For example, I was playing a Sniper, who is an Aussie btw, the other night and just blasted a guy when my character says, "HAHA! Thanks for holding still there ya ******!" Little touches like that really add to the game and they are everywhere.

It is a lot of fun and the user-generated maps are starting to come out of the community so this one will be around for a LONG time.

Conclusions

If you are a shooter fan in anyway, Orange Box deserves your dollars. In an age where shooters are a dime a dozen and content is often bleak to non-existent, to have such a gem is rarity and instant classic.

Two hooves up...WAYYYY UP!

PS-Here is my Steam ID: http://steamcommunity.com/id/darthgoat friend me up if you get online. I also

 

Played the new Simpsons demo on PS3.

Positive, it really looks like you are playing an epsiode of the show
Negative, camera sucks

 

Old video, still awesome. In honor of Orange Box release:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPIq3kqr9oE

 

Oooh, played a demo of Phatom Hourglass. Me like.

 

I just got the Orange Box. Have to say Portal is a lot of fun and nice mind game. There is so much potential with it. Also the voice. Now onto HL2 ep2 and TF2

 

Saw a review online for Zach & Wiki that makes it sound like a return to the classic days of the Sierra point and click adventure games. Has me very curious about this "Wii" thing all the kids are so excited about.

 

PA tells it like it is again:
[image=http://www.penny-arcade.com/images/2007/20071031.jpg]

God I hate EB/GS.

 

LucasArts and Bioware announce they are parterning on "something"

http://www.gamespot.com/news/6181948.html?action=convert&om_clk=latestnews&tag=latestnews;title;2

 

Why can I not stop playing Guitar Hero 3???

 

The rumor is that it is a KOTOR MMO. I have some optimism but not much based on the more recent SW games. It is also an MMO which means a large measure of suck, both time suck and general suck.

However Bioware is a pretty good dev, Mass Effect looks incredible. I just hope they can keep the suck at bay. Galaxies was a terrible terrible game which didn't deliver anything. Who thought being an "Entertainer" was a good idea for a game???

"I rolled bloated shop keeper and maxed out my barter skill!"

 

Yeah, that's why I don't know how to take this rumor. The track record isn't that great for LucasArts. The only game I've enjoyed for SW lately is Lego SW, and the complete saga is coming out soon, with new levels. The only part of that that colors me excited is the one for the DS is supposed to be rebuilt from the ground up.

 

The BSG game that just came out is AWFUL. Avoid it at all costs.

 

I've just started Phantom Hourglass and it's pretty good. Twice already I've hit those kind of infuriating Zelda brick walls where you are convinced you've tried everything and STILL no result. If those keep up, I'm just gonna give up; i don't have the patience anymore.

But the game is pretty sweet, and the controls are fantastic. Best innovation so far: Writing notes on maps. That has totally helped my brain stay involved in the game since I can actually remember the crap I'm supposed to do.

 

Pussy.

 

Pac-Man: The Text Adventure

Phil

 

Yes please.

 

The best game ever made

This has gotta be. There is no way it can't be.

 

I picked up Sly 2, and was surprised that the gameplay is as good as I heard it was.

 

OMG
OMG
OMG
OMG
OMG
ZOMFGBBQTACOBURRITOSALAD

Whatever system has that game has just been sold to me.

 

Well from the Screenshots menu, even though they only have shots from the 360, it looks like it'll be out for everything put the PSP....so I think you're good.