Dragons & Jetpacks discussion

Is anyone else a big fan of video games? Do your favourites also tend to lie within the sci-fi and fantasy genres?

I've been playing MMORPGs for about 5 years, most recently Lord of the Rings Online which I just decided to drop after about 2 years.

Some of my favourite games include the Mass Effect series, the Elder Scrolls series, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and most recently, Dragon Age.

I also went a bit crazy in the Steam Summer sale and still have Bastion, Deus Ex: Human Revolution and Fable III to play, as well as Torchlight II and Lego Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings to finish.

My Steam profile, in case anyone is interested.

Fable III was awful. I was amazing though, and II was quite good also. They're re-releasing I soon as 'Fable Anniversary' but I'm not sure if that's on PC or just the Xbox, if they are pick that up!

Many years of my life have been spent within the World of Warcraft. Now I'm at a point where I just don't have the time for it anymore. Kids, etc. But every once in a while the wife and I get the itch and log back in. I've been clean for about 7 months now.

I never had my own pc games bar Cats 4 (not sure I want to admit that!) and Harry Potter 1 when I was little, later once I got my first laptop I ended up borrowing Heroes of Might and Magic 3 and 4 and Baulders Gate off siblings :) I still haven't finished either of them due to at the time termtime etc. and so in recent years I've only really played Portal 1 and 2, a little AOE 2 and minecraft, with perhaps some brief forays into multiplayers. We had (have, it still works happily) at home an N64 with zelda, perfect dark, jetforce gemini, goldeneye etc. etc. but that probably sums up the extent of things - my computer is too rubbish to play Skyrim or anything similar, so I'll have to wait for that mythical upgrade of the future :D

Nick wrote: "Fable III was awful. I was amazing though, and II was quite good also. They're re-releasing I soon as 'Fable Anniversary' but I'm not sure if that's on PC or just the Xbox, if they are pick that up!"

I did hear that! But it was about £3 in the sale so... why not. I have the first one on PC too, and I've played the second game on Xbox a bit.

All I've done this weekend is play Dragon Age. Sorry, books...

As one of my 3 pillars of geekdom is gaming, next to books and tv shows, I have a vast vault of video and pc games.
I always played on the PC and since 1997 I acquired most of the consoles out there. I think I skipped the Wii U and the PS Vita, but the rest I've got.
So, if there was an RPG or round based strategy game released in the last 15 years, it's almost certain that I've played it.
Of course, World of Warcraft had a big influence in my life, cause I worked at Blizzard for 3 1/2 years.

My favourite game of all time is Planescape: Torment. It had a great story and was highly philosophical. Really great RPG.

At Steam you can find me under "Verjigorm76".

I've done my time with World of Warcraft - a good couple of years spending entirely too much time with my virtual friends. But met some good people, and filled a gap. Every now and then I get the urge, but unfortunately it does just need a big amount of time in my opinion, to be worth playing. It's a great game, it's just tooooooo bigggggg.

I have also dabbled with Skyrim and Oblivion. I played Fable I back in the day, and although I've got Fable III (I just skipped II), I've just not really had a chance to get into it. Me and my other half also dabble in Lego Harry Potter, and Lego Star Wars, which are good fun.

BioShock was one of the only games I've actually managed to finish, I really enjoyed it. I also play quite a lot of Civ with my other half. Every now and then I have the major urge to start Knights of the Old Republic again, and also Final Fantasy VII - my problem is I never finish what I start!

Oh gosh Kirsty, I'm the same. I have all these games started and unfinished:
- Borderlands 1 & 2
- Dragon Age: Origins
- Elder Scrolls: Oblivion & Skyrim DLC (finished main story)
- L.A. Noire (finished story, now need 5 stars for all cases)
- Lara Croft & the Guardian of Light
- Lego Harry Potter (finished the first game, aiming for 100% and currently have 80 something; need to finish the second and get 100%)
- Lego LOTR
- Scribblenauts
- Torchlight 1 & 2
- Lego Star Wars
- Assassin's Creed 1, 2 and Brotherhood (yeah I've started and not finished them ALL...)

I think I have a problem. It doesn't help that I am a completionist and don't feel satisfied with finishing the game unless I've collected ALL THE THINGS.

Rinn wrote: "My Steam profile, in case anyone is interested"

Added you on Steam in case you want to play co-op some time. :)

Mpauli wrote: "Rinn wrote: "My Steam profile, in case anyone is interested"

Added you on Steam in case you want to play co-op some time. :)"

Accepted, though I don't have too many MP games! Borderlands 2 is the one I play most regularly - used to play Team Fortress quite a bit, but not so much lately.

I know how you feel about starting and not finishing (although collecting the flags etc in assassins creed is to much don't bother lol trust me). I recently had a period where I only played games I hadn't finished before I let myself get anything new.

The new Tomb Raider reboot was awesome and I just finished "the last of us" (I'm a sucker for post apocalyptic) but it was incredible

I have played Neverwinter Nights, A very old Xanth pc game, Dragonage( loved 1 hated 2) D and D online, all 3 Fables( I agree that three was disappointing,enjoyed 2), several Resideent Evil's, and was a level 80 Undead Warlock in Warcraft up thru Wrath of the Lich King. D and D and Warcraft just got too exspensive and repetitive when making new characters.
I tried Left for Dead but my teammates kept getting shot because they would walk in front of me so nobody wanted to play anymore. Sad face. Hey, if it moves, I shoot it.
I was sad when I left Warcraft as I had made a few really good friends and put alot of work into my Warlock. But groceries and rent were more important.
Hopefully Dragonage 3 will be better.

Nick wrote: "I just finished "the last of us" (I'm a sucker for post apocalyptic) but it was incredible "

I really want to play that, but it's PS3 only and I don't own one =(

The Last of Us tells the best story in any game I've ever played. The only thing greater than its fleshed out characters is the world itself. Every place you visit has its own tale of death and decay. There isn't any other game quite like it.

Joshua wrote: "The Last of Us tells the best story in any game I've ever played. The only thing greater than its fleshed out characters is the world itself. Every place you visit has its own tale of death and dec..."

The theme tune is just gorgeous.

And for ages I thought Ellen Page voiced Ellie - there was a whole fuss over the makers of the game using her image without her permission - but in fact she's in another game, which I forget the name of...

Just whacked together the new masthead photo using Mass Effect and Dragon Age images, haha!

Uh, looking gorgeous. :)

Maybe i am Not the Usual Player, cause no Time, but i liked final Fantasy x-2, ratchet&clank, Fahrenheit, Prince if Persianer, Kya, xgra, primär. Finished some. Now i muss the Time and myps2 is geting dusty and old...

Right now I'm coming to the end of Dragon Age: Origins. I got Awakening and DA2 in the Origin sale, despite telling myself I wouldn't buy them til I'd finished the first game... but they were cheap =D
Thing is, the closer I get to the end of a game I'm enjoying, the less I play it so it will last longer...

Rinn wrote: "Thing is, the closer I get to the end of a game I'm enjoying, the less I play it so it will last longer... "

Haha, I know that kind of feeling.

Mpauli wrote: "Rinn wrote: "Thing is, the closer I get to the end of a game I'm enjoying, the less I play it so it will last longer... "

Haha, I know that kind of feeling."

I'm just going for it now... on the very last stretch D=

Looking forward to DA2, although it means no Alistair to romance... =( But it'll be nice to have an MC that actually has a voice and relevant facial expressions...

Rinn wrote: "I'm just going for it now... on the very last stretch D=

Looking forward to DA2, although it means no Alistair to romance... =( But it'll be nice to have an MC that actually has a voice and relevant facial expressions... "

Have fun! :)

And maybe part 2 offers someone else to romance.^^

Mpauli wrote: "And maybe part 2 offers someone else to romance.^^ "

Oh it does, I think there's more choice but still! I've become rather attached to Alistair =P

And now I've ended up making a video game tumblr...

Well I'm playing Dragon Age: Awakening at the moment, and I think Anders may be my romance choice for DA2... although I have to meet the other choices first ;)

He looks a lot like Alistair though. I think the devs got a bit lazy somewhere.

I did hear that DA2 has a bit of a 'rushed' feel to it, so I'm glad they're taking their time with DA: Inquisition (even though it will be released just after I start my Masters degree...)

I've been gaming ever since I was a wee lass! I'm a huge JRPG fan - love the majority of what Atlus releases. The Shin Megami Tensei series is absolutely amazing. Demonic Pokemon, I try to explain.

I've done my fair time with Square Enix as well. Also love a lot of what Game Arts put out before they were swallowed up. Lunar: Silver Star Story was my first RPG I ever played.

I also play some of the more usual suspects. Have out way too much time into various MMO's (World of Warcraft was a lot of my summer). I've logged a good amount of time in Skyrim. Bought Dark Souls recently but have yet to play it.

My Steam Profile (unsure how to make a nice clean link like Rinn)
http://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76...

I like to play a lot of different games. JRPGS, ARPGS, MMO, RTS, FPS and just about anything else.
Most of my time recently has been getting sucked into Rome 2 TW, Europa Universalis 4, Payday 2 and a couple other odd end games on steam.

Suggestion: We could always make a steam group linked to this good reads group for people who are interested. That way we all don't flood our friends list.

Kyle wrote: "Suggestion: We could always make a steam group linked to this good reads group for people who are interested. That way we all don't flood our friends list. "

Oh that's a good idea! I'll make it shortly and link it up here =D

Don't feel afraid to hit me up to play anything via my steam profile.

Also, anyone here excited about any games coming out soon or within a couple years? My top 3 have to be Witcher 3, Star Citizen and The Division

I am suuuuuper excited for Dragon Age: Inquisition =D

I'd also love another game based in the Mass Effect universe...

Leanne wrote: "I'm looking forward to Elder Scrolls Online but probably won't be playing it."

Whaaaaaaa? I was lucky enough to do some beta testing, and it is amazeballs!

I'm going to check out Elder Scrolls as well, but only recently signed up for the Beta, so that might take a while.

I want to try ESO out too, but like Leanne I'm unsure about time/money. I'm saving for uni so it depends how much it is per month, although I'm not paying for LOTRO any more... so we shall see. I LOVE the Elder Scrolls, so in a even bigger sandbox world it would be amazing =)

Less RPGish, but very much Sci Fi. I'm extremely excited for X-Rebirth which is coming out in November. It's more of a space sim. You're placed in a very large simulated space universe with it's own economy, political intrigue, and wars. Then you can complete missions and follow the plot, or just do what you want. Go from a beginning trader to the most financially powerful entity in the universe, become a pirate and start raiding to see the impact on the economy. Just go exploring.

RPGs I'm dying for are probably Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077. CD Projekt Red is amazing.

Like many people, I'm am currently throwing my time into Total War: Rome 2 and creating a barbarian empire! :)

Matthew wrote: "Less RPGish, but very much Sci Fi. I'm extremely excited for X-Rebirth which is coming out in November. It's more of a space sim. You're placed in a very large simulated space universe with it's ow..."

Oooh, that sounds pretty interesting! I love sandbox games =)

Rinn wrote: "Matthew wrote: "Oooh, that sounds pretty interesting! I love sandbox games =) "

Me too! These are pretty fun because you can go from nothing to having a whole empire more or less. As well you can really roleplay what you're doing anyway you want and make it happen. Fun stuff.

This video makes me geek out and wish i could go to sleep and wake up in november.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEbL1p...

As a space sim fan for the past decade, I'm very excited out these next couple years. So many sims coming out!

I also recently finished playing "The Last of Us". It was a fantastic experience. The story dragged me in. The characters dragged me in. The sense of decay, loss, determination to survive dragged me in. My first video-game experience was on a ZX Spectrum in 1982, and I never thought to believe that games would ever get this good. When I had finished the game, I experienced the same thoughts/feelings as when I've just finished a really good book; thoughts of longing to be back in the story, and wonderings of what the characters would be doing next. Joel and Ellie felt like real people to me towards the end and it was a wrench to finish the game. Oh, and the graphics were just dripping with atmosphere which helped. Voice-acting was on-par with, and arguably surpassed, that of the "Uncharted" games (by the same developer!). Brilliant!

Oh I really want to play that game, but don't own a PS3! The music is lovely too.

Tim wrote: "When I had finished the game, I experienced the same thoughts/feelings as when I've just finished a really good book; thoughts of longing to be back in the story, and wonderings of what the characters would be doing next."

That's always a sign of a great game =)

Yes, the music is perfect for the game. I also got it as a free mp3 album for pre-ordering the game on Amazon.

Nice! I've been abusing Spotify - I often listen to film and game soundtracks whilst reading.

I thought for ages that Ellen Page played Ellie, but she's in another game (Beyond: Two Souls) and apparently there was a big controversary because Ellie looks a LOT like her.

Apparently so. Before this game, I didn't have the first clue who Ellen Page was though, so she should be so worried! In any case , it's only a 'face' and the story is MUCH more important than that. Question - why do we love 'end-of-the-world stories so much? They are so bleak, but yet so compelling! Does it say anything about us as a sentient species that we find them so?

Hmm I wrote about this in a review yet to come.

I like them because they're the most terrifying thing to me. Scarier than vampires, aliens, demons etc - the human race. How in these sorts of stories everyone turns on each other, it's just horrific =(

Good point Rinn - adversity tends to reveal character, and you don't get much more adverse than 'the-end-of-civilisation'.

I've just picked up Infinity Blade I for the iPhone... is pretty good! I read Infinity Blade: Awakeninga while back so I kind of understand what's going on!

Tim wrote: "Question - why do we love 'end-of-the-world stories so much?"

I think that we're living in a relative save and peaceful environment. That leads to a very high level of masking some of our less favourite character traits or at least tone them down a bit.
An end of the world scenario always confronts us with the question of how far are we willing to go to survive.
Which rules and customs of society we have to sacrifice under extreme conditions?
On a personal level it lets us delve into the pit of what we are capable of, good or evil.

I think these questions are fascinating and in the better dystopias you ask yourself, if you can still be human, if getting the last bottle of water that someone else owns decides the life or death of your children.

Mpauli wrote: "Tim wrote: "Question - why do we love 'end-of-the-world stories so much?"

I think that we're living in a relative save and peaceful environment. That leads to a very high level of masking some of ..."

I think we enjoy 'end of the world' so much because we want to feel unique. If we imagine a futuristic world that suffers a catasrophic event (nuclear winter, zombies) we can project ourselves into that world and maintain the fantasy. If the world is so-so we feel the pull of our everyday lives and it becomes harder to imagine ourselves in that scenario.

I finished Dragon Age 2... my playtime was 21 hours compared to 62 hours in Dragon Age: Origins =0

Rinn wrote: "I finished Dragon Age 2... my playtime was 21 hours compared to 62 hours in Dragon Age: Origins =0"

Hm, that was quick. But hopefully still enjoyable?

Yeah! I did every side quest too so I don't understand =o I didn't enjoy it as much as the first game (the relationships felt nowhere near as deep) but it was very good =)