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[The Headliner]

This is a general thread for talking about the videogames you're currently playing (though not actually while you're typing, probably). Just tell us all what you're into, how you're finding the game, whether you're stuck, and issue a warning or recommendation about the disc currently in your machine.

Last night I had my first go on both Portal for Xbox 360 and Fable for the original Xbox. I'm enjoying what little I've played of Portal so far - the training voiceover is hilarious. After dying for the first time though I gave it a break and put in Fable. The training section in this seems to go on forever, but I've started my proper adventuring now and it's been okay so far. Quite annoyed however that people seem to know when you've been "bad" despite no one being around to see it.

[El Jackal]

Well at the moment I'm playing through Call Of Duty 4.. when I first started playing it I wasn't impressed. The aiming was a little difficult to master with some the guns that use certain sights, rather than cross-hairs. I prefer cross-hairs in games, it's easier to aim exactly where you want to. But you can get used to it over time.

One thing I like about the game is that although it's set in the modern era, there's at least one level where it goes back in time.. in the form of a memory of one of the team members, to the Chernobyl era. This level involves a lot of stealth, which makes a change from the SWAT and Battlefield style tactics from previous levels.

There's a couple of good vehicle moments thrown in there too.. like operating the gun on an airship... you're given 3 different styles of canons, each all with different outcomes.. all with 3 different zoom sizes. Which makes for an interesting design on vehicle assault...

[The Headliner]

Saints Row and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have now had their cherries popped in my 360, to mixed results.

I think I made a mistake buying Oblivion. I was beguiled by tales of a vast land with endless freedom to play as much or as little of the main mission as desired. But in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't going to be my kind of game, and that's the impression I've come away with after my first blast. The inventory system is hellish, combat feels clumsy when faced with jumping rats, and I just have general difficulty with the very basics of the game. While I've barely scratched the surface I can still see there are positives to enjoy, and I'd like to stick with it to unlock a bit more of its potential, but I fear it's going to be a frustrating experience.

I'm happier with Saints Row, though I've barely attempted the actual missions so far. It couldn't be more obvious in its Grand Theft Auto ripping-off, but it does improve on some aspects while falling short in others. Is it just me or is their no focus/lock-on system? This makes all kinds of fighting needlessly difficult, unless I'm just being an idiot. On the plus side though I do like the third-person crosshairs, and the on-screen displays for stamina, etc. Calling someone on your cellphone to come and pick you up is a nice touch as well, and the ragdoll physics make mauling pedestrians a lot more fun - I rolled someone over my hood and head-first into my passenger seat, before driving full pelt at a barrier to see how far he'd fly.

[Kraul]

I actually just replayed Assassin's Creed. I didn't finish it the first time because I lost interest. I would've lost interest again had I not gotten really into the combat and fighting on rooftops (LOVE throwing people from rooftops on any game for some reason) this time around. Of course, after I beat it, I found myself bored with the combat and it's back to collecting dust.

I'm not sure what to play now. I'm thinking about EWR, if that counts.

[The Headliner]

After buying The Orange Box for Portal and playing that for a while (still struggling with the main event), I've ventured onto the other games on the disc, starting with Half Life 2. This isn't a game I'd have ever considered playing before getting hooked on Portal, but since the controls and mechanics are all identical (with the obvious exception of "proper" guns instead of the portal device), I figured it was as good a time as any to ween myself onto the FPS genre.

And it's kind of working. I'm not that far into it but I'm enjoying it fairly well. Although there's a certain amount of combat in Portal, the way around it is usually puzzle-based - obviously there's a lot more to contend with here as the enemies actively pursue you, but I haven't been put off yet. My only gripe is with the talking sections - you often have to be facing the person who's speaking in order to hear them properly, which is no mean feat in a conversation between three of them spread around the room. Thank goodness for subtitles.

Edit: There's actually another gripe I forgot about: I've been wasting a lot of ammo shooting away planks of wood, because I can't seem to switch back to my crowbar if I have a gun in my hand. I've checked the controls and there is a button for "secondary" weapon/attack, but it doesn't have the desired effect. Edit x2: Found it.

[The Headliner]

Since my Max Drive arrived yesterday I've gone back to San Andreas, finally able to see the whole map after getting stuck without the aid of downloadable saves. Tank~! But now I have "All My Exes Live In Texas" stuck in my head after it played once on the in-game radio.

The lure of unlocking Jake The Snake also got me back into SmackDown vs RAW 2006, the most recent wrestling game I own. Though I ended up spending an age in the same old CAW mode.

[Kraul]

Dude. I told you to get a Codebreaker when shortly when you around the time you got San Andreas. It's the same thing, really.

You can also unlock other characters in the SmackDown series such as Stephanie, Vince, Coach, Cole, the refs, e.t.c. whoever's model is in the game but you can't play as regularly basically.

I'm not playing anything right now, but I'm thinking of going through Halo 3 as a single player. I've only played through the campaign with another player, so it'd be a relatively new experience for me. Though the level where I have to climb to the top of this structure with what seems like the entire Covenant army in my way makes me hesitant since I hated that level with a passion.

[The Headliner]

Dude. I told you to get a Codebreaker when shortly when you around the time you got San Andreas. It's the same thing, really.

The Max Drive doesn't involve cheat codes, it's purely a means of transferring saved game files between the PS2 and PC. So the only reason I could play as Jake in SVR was because someone else had unlocked him and put their save online.

I think Datel does sell another version that combines the two, though.

[Kraul]

A Codebreaker allows you to use cheats (meaning you can unlock Jake yourself without losing previous information) and transfer saves.

I started playing Halo a few hours ago. I think I'm going to go through all three, though I really don't like half of the campaign in 2 (all of the aribiter crap) and I've reached halfway through the first which means the fun part is ending (I don't enjoy fighting the Flood ).

Maybe I'll just play Gears of War again?

[The Headliner]

Probably should've got a Codebreaker then, as by the sound of things the joint existence of the Max Drive seems to have as much purpose as a Street Fight on a pay-per-view of all Extreme Rules matches.

Anyway...

Since the arrival of my Wii I've been playing Wii Sports, Wii Play, and Supeeerrrrr Marriiioooo Galaxyyyyyy!

Wii Play is worth the extra £5, barely, if you're buying a second Wiimote anyway. It's pretty lame, with most of the games being a chore to play to unlock the rest. Laser Hockey is good though, and the "Duck Hunt"-like shooting game is fun in two-player. Tanks is mildly diverting as well.

Wii Sports is much better, with Golf being my favorite at the moment. Bowling is good too but for some reason my ball keeps steering towards the left no matter what I do. This can usually be compensated for though by moving your Mii's position to the right.

Speaking of Miis... Not exactly THQ's CAW mode, is it? I can't even find out how to recolor my character's pants, so he's stuck in a fetching red number.

I've got about four stars on Galaxy so far, and quite enjoying it, though I haven't quite caught "OMG this is the best game evar" fever yet. But every challenge has been something new, even if I did notice a feature "borrowed" from Sonic & Knuckles.

[Kraul]

I wound up playing Halo 3 and Halo afterall though it was over the last weekend. I beat Halo 3 on "legendary" and Halo on "heroic" and I now have confirmed it - I hate the flood with a passion.

The next Halo had better not have the flood or a "flood-like" boss. You know the type, zombie like beasts with a lesser form that is more annoying than harmful (like headcrabs from Half-Life). I hate those types of enemies (the flood-like as a whole, not just the headcrab ones). They're almost as bad as escort missions.

That said, I also beat Gears of War (in between the Halos) and am now on it again. This time I'm playing through it on "insane" which is crazy hard at times and just plain crazy fun at other times.

[The Headliner]

Lately I've been mostly playing Super Mario Galaxy (still), but also gone back to GTA: Liberty City Stories for a quick blast on a downloaded save. The chicken suit is awesome...

Also started playing Spider-Man 3 for the Wii, and finding the controls a bit frustrating. You can websling with each hand using the Wiimote and nunchuk, but here's the thing: only the Wiimote has a jump button. So launching with your right hand is easy, as it's all done with the Wiimote, but getting off the ground with your left requires more co-ordination, which is tricky to remember in the heat of action. Your hands instinctively want to perform the same action whichever side you're using, but that's not how it works. It's going to take some getting used to.

[jimmi syxx]

 Tom Clancy: GRAW 1 on Xbox360

 

[chazjobro]

If I had money, I would be playing GTA IV on 360.

But I will admit that I am a World of Warcraft nerd.

[The Headliner]

I've been trying a couple more DS games.

Lego Indiana Jones is okay on first impressions, but as with the Lego Star Wars games the controls feel a little more cumbersome on the DS than a console. I don't know if it's just the D-pad versus analog stick, or something else, but simply walking around isn't quite as precise. Furthermore, to keep the characters from being tiny sprites on screen, the area viewable around you at any one time is quite small, meaning you're sometimes trying to crack your whip at enemies shooting at you from off-screen. The humor and charm of the Star Wars games is still there though, so I'd like to check it out on a console. Does anyone know the differences between the PS2, Wii and 360 versions?

Soul Bubbles came recommended by GameCentral on Teletext, which regularly champions lower profile games that deserve the success they won't get, like Okami and Global Defence Force. Once again they were right, as I suspected they would be with a game from the same people behind Little Big Adventure (anyone remember that?). If you're familiar with the bubbles in Super Mario Galaxy, you'll have an idea of what Soul Bubbles is like, though it expands/develops that concept to warrant a whole game on it. And refreshingly it doesn't take itself too seriously (see the opening disclaimer).