Game on! What are you playing? + Q2 New Releases

[Jeff B.]

Also, if you encounter a couple of giants cooking food in the woods don't walk up to them and poke them with your sword. You will be disemboweled. 

 

[PercussionMasta]

Also, if you encounter a couple of giants cooking food in the woods don't walk up to them and poke them with your sword. You will be disemboweled.

Yeah, dude.  I couldn't tackle giants until about 40 levels in.  Lol.

[Wood]

Look at this, Wood handing out the Skyrim advice! 

I finally got to jump into the game yesterday. The girlfriend got it for me for Christmas. Played about 6 hours yesterday and had a blast. There are a few things I still haven't figured out yet though. I have gotten the golden claw (or whatever its called) and even beat my first dragon but I still can't seem to equip myself with a shield. I also died about 30 times in that first dungeon before I realized that I could use my hand to regenerate health. 

I was also finally able to steal a horse to cover ground more quickly but then I had no where to put the damn thing. Also, if you encounter a couple of giants cooking food in the woods don't walk up to them and poke them with your sword. You will be disemboweled. Loving this game. Can't wait to leave the office and jump back in. 

You equip shields the same way you equip weapons. A lot of weapons are two handed though, which precludes you from using a shield.

When you go to the weapons/equipment screen, look at the weapon you have equipped. There's a TINY L/R denotation. If you see just the L or R, you can add a shield. If you see LR, it means it's a two hander.

Oh, and I haven't run into a giant or a dragon yet. I'm still just doing minor quests and the like. I've also used almost no magic to speak of, but do have two one handed axes, one that burns and the other that freezes, and am using them both in a two-handed melee style.

 

What levels do people find are necessary to really handle the tougher enemies? I'm level 11 so far, but really haven't been close to being tested by anything yet.

[leafinsectman (Dan)]

Terraria is now $2.50 on Steam! That game is so much fun. It's a steal at that price.

[PercussionMasta]

What levels do people find are necessary to really handle the tougher enemies? I'm level 11 so far, but really haven't been close to being tested by anything yet.

Enemies don't level with you in Skyrim like they did in Oblivion, but your level does determine what enemies spawn.  For example, when you'r starting out you are faced with normal Dragons, which you are perfectly capable of taking on.  As you gain levels, you will encounter stronger Dragons that are harder to defeat.  

So, essentially, you can take on most things you come across.  Giants seem to buck this trend, as they spawn right from the beginning of the game, but they are freaking hard to kill.  I also found the Charus creatures harder to kill during early levels.

[Wood]

Enemies don't level with you in Skyrim like they did in Oblivion, but your level does determine what enemies spawn.  For example, when you'r starting out you are faced with normal Dragons, which you are perfectly capable of taking on.  As you gain levels, you will encounter stronger Dragons that are harder to defeat.  

So, essentially, you can take on most things you come across.  Giants seem to buck this trend, as they spawn right from the beginning of the game, but they are freaking hard to kill.  I also found the Charus creatures harder to kill during early levels.

Ah, good to know!

One thing I'm intrigued by is all the different paths and replayability. So far I'm taking on all offers for side quests, and yet I'm sure there are many I'm never going to be exposed to simply because of who I've chosen as a character, which direction I went at the beginning, and my decisions looming from here.

[PercussionMasta]

Ah, good to know!

One thing I'm intrigued by is all the different paths and replayability. So far I'm taking on all offers for side quests, and yet I'm sure there are many I'm never going to be exposed to simply because of who I've chosen as a character, which direction I went at the beginning, and my decisions looming from here.

There are definitely some quests that will require multiple playthroughs.  If you choose to join up with the Imperials, you're not going to be able to do the quests for the Stormcloaks.

I have to say, though, I think the vast majority of quests can be done on one playthrough.  At least it has seemed that way to me thus far.

[Lawrence]

You equip shields the same way you equip weapons. A lot of weapons are two handed though, which precludes you from using a shield.

When you go to the weapons/equipment screen, look at the weapon you have equipped. There's a TINY L/R denotation. If you see just the L or R, you can add a shield. If you see LR, it means it's a two hander.

Thanks for the heads up. I'm awful at not taking the time to get fully implemented at games and hours later wishing I would payed more attention. I'm sure that shield would of helped me get through that first dungeon. Things like setting up "favorite" weapons really helps you not stop the game down so much.

I also need to find a freaking blacksmith and I have not enchanted any weapons yet and still need to figure out how to do so. I am really good at picking locks though. 

[Wood]

Thanks for the heads up. I'm awful at not taking the time to get fully implemented at games and hours later wishing I would payed more attention. I'm sure that shield would of helped me get through that first dungeon. Things like setting up "favorite" weapons really helps you not stop the game down so much.

I also need to find a freaking blacksmith and I have not enchanted any weapons yet and still need to figure out how to do so. I am really good at picking locks though. 

Pick pocketing is the best.  I loot from EVERYONE. And the ability to save your game at any moment makes looting so easy. If you find someone with something that has a low probability of recovery (20%-30%), you can try a few times by loading your save game without having to do any catch walkthrough.

[Greg Leclair (greg1ca)]

One thing I'm intrigued by is all the different paths and replayability. So far I'm taking on all offers for side quests, and yet I'm sure there are many I'm never going to be exposed to simply because of who I've chosen as a character, which direction I went at the beginning, and my decisions looming from here.

Hey Wood. I don't want to spoil so I will simply say I think (based on your comments so far) that you have played less than 5% of the game so far. Trust me that there is a LOT of replayability. I am clsoing in on the end of my first playthrough and have clocked 140+ hours. That is WITHOUT doing 3 of the guild series of quests available.

My strong suggestion for you is to get yourself a house. If you complete some quests for the Jarl of Whiterun you will be on your way to getting a house there. It is VERY useful for storing  your possessions and is close by to smithing stations and stores for trading. I have houses in 4 cities but the one in Whitefun was the best investment early.

cheers
Greg L

[Wood]

Hey Wood. I don't want to spoil so I will simply say I think (based on your comments so far) that you have played less than 5% of the game so far. Trust me that there is a LOT of replayability. I am clsoing in on the end of my first playthrough and have clocked 140+ hours. That is WITHOUT doing 3 of the guild series of quests available.

My strong suggestion for you is to get yourself a house. If you complete some quests for the Jarl of Whiterun you will be on your way to getting a house there. It is VERY useful for storing  your possessions and is close by to smithing stations and stores for trading. I have houses in 4 cities but the one in Whitefun was the best investment early.

cheers
Greg L

Thanks Greg 

I have been leaving tons of items behind as I slay things, simply because of weight limits and because I know I can get them readily again. I have a companion, so I keep putting stuff on him, too, but to have a house to drop off stuff would be sweeeeeeeet.

[Farrell]

Also, if you encounter a couple of giants cooking food in the woods don't walk up to them and poke them with your sword. You will be disemboweled.

Being launched 100 feet into the air is always fun.

One thing I'm intrigued by is all the different paths and replayability. So far I'm taking on all offers for side quests, and yet I'm sure there are many I'm never going to be exposed to simply because of who I've chosen as a character, which direction I went at the beginning, and my decisions looming from here.

There are some quests, especially (but limited to) the Daedric ones, that have significant alternative ways of completing them.

The game is large enough that the main way to maintain replayability is simply not to try to do everything with one character. You CAN be a mage/thief/assassin/Companion/did every side quest guy, but it will take forever, and the game gets quick easy when you are level 35+.  More fun IMO to role-play a bit and avoid some questlines, and then tackle them with a fresh, low level character with a different take.

On the difficulty tip: depends a lot on the difficulty level you're playing on.  Bump it a bit higher if it's too easy.  I don't want to spoil anything, but there are a few enemies that are notoriously more difficult (frost trolls), and some you wouldn't necessarily expect (bears can be a bitch early on, especially on Expert or above.)

[scoundrel3000]

I also died about 30 times in that first dungeon before I realized that I could use my hand to regenerate health. 

Probably not all you use your hand for!   


                                      Sorry couldn't resist. 

[Tim H]

I finished Zelda: Skyward Sword today.  It clocked in just a little over 60 hours.  This was one of the most solid gaming experiences that I have had in a long time.  Then again, I expect nothing less than stellar from this franchise. 

The final battles after you complete the triforce are pretty sweet.  From the hordes rushing you as you run down the hill, to the final battle with Demise.  It all felt pretty epic.  The dungeons were challenging, but no so hard that I had to resort to gamefaqs.  The enemies could use a bump up in difficulty though, as I found most of them to not be that challenging.  I know on Hero mode you can't acquire hearts from enemies, and must rely on your potions more, so that would help but I rarely ever play through a game a second time unless I can play a different character build. 

I think I found everything in the game except the heart piece from Fun Fun Island.  Fuck that challenge.  Anything that depends that much on luck, can get very frustrating after dozens of tries. 

A great game overall that I would give a solid 9/10 to.

[leafinsectman (Dan)]

Solar 2 is $2.50 on Steam (75% off). Very fun game for the price. You start off as an asteroid and you collide with other asteroids until you become a planet then you get bigger and bigger, all the while you get to do missions for some god-like being. I love the humour too.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/97000/

And as I mentioned earlier, Terraria is also $2.50 on Steam (75% off). I've already wasted several days on this game. It's a steal for that price.
http://store.steampowered.com/app/105600/

16+ hours left in the sale, then they revert back to the regular price until the next sale.

[scoundrel3000]

Skyrim:  So I'm trying to be a badass Mage.  Right now put all my spells and powers into favorite so that it's right there.  Is this the best strategy?

[Wood]

Dumped Faendal, got Lydia, killed my first dragon, became the Deagonborn, learned how to disenchant, and got drunk. Not bad for a nights work in Skyrim.

Been having a ton of fun with What If scenarios. Pickpocketed the key to the inner sanctum of the temple where I woke up after the drinking contest, accepted the side quest to find their new girl but then killed the priestesses, looted all the rare items from the inner sanctum, stole thei statue and bounced.

[TheMarvelMan]

I guess I'm a cheap bastard, because I have never bought a gaming console or computer game itself.  Instead, since the late 1970s, I've waited for my nephew to "trade up," and then I inherit his old system and games!  I got his Atari when he switched to Intellivision, and his Sega Saturn when he switched to Playstation, etc., etc., etc.

And thus, I'm now playing PS2 (ever since last Christmas when he upgraded to PS3 and Wii).  I know!  I am SUCH a moocher!  Anyway, like the 11 o'closcars, they're new to me!  So, at the moment, I'm playing one of the Medal of Honor games, and the Hulk game (from the second movie), and Iron Man (from the first movie).

But I hear that those newfangled PS3 games are pretty cool!   

[Jay Tomio - Part Deux]

So are the reports that Skyrim on the PS3 in unfixbly broken true?

[leafinsectman (Dan)]

And thus, I'm now playing PS2

A ton of awesome games on the PS2, probably more than any console in recent memory. Have fun!