This is the new games thread

[ericluxury]

Interupting the Mass Effect 2 talk (I will be ready to talk about it in 6 months when everyone is all about Halo Reach or Alan Wake or whatever), I played Left 4 Dead 2 for the first time. Way to ruin a great game. Left 4 Dead had a perfect level of difficulty and the new one is punishingly hard and not in a fun way. All the new special infected are hard and hordes and mini-hordes come far more regularly.
The changes they made to times when you have to pull a switch or whatever, now you have to get somewhere and pull another switch are not great either since the visibility level on Left 4 Dead is intentionally not high. Basically they just amped up all the hard stuff (on an already nerve-wracking game) and then didn't make you any better. This looks to be a Gamefly game that goes right back to them.

[TomHicks]

Do you play Left 4 Dead online? I have never played it but the reviews of it that are the most positive talk about playing as a gang.

I just started Mass Effect 2 and to just check to see how personalized the game is, I loaded my female Shepherd from the first game. Her main squeeze (only squeeze, actually) was squid-headed smurf-colored Dr. Liara. Liara came up and talked to me during the intro movie. Did people get other characters?

[TimBuktu]

The amount of carry over from the first game is kind of mind blowing. I don't know how they produced this much content.... it's so fractured. Also, I love the changes to the combat system. Nerd.

[Berliner]

I just started Mass Effect 2 and to just check to see how personalized the game is, I loaded my female Shepherd from the first game. Her main squeeze (only squeeze, actually) was squid-headed smurf-colored Dr. Liara. Liara came up and talked to me during the intro movie. Did people get other characters?

I started the game on default and then with a saved game. You get Ashley without a save, and my save was with Liara, and that's who I got. I played through the entire second game and only got to 59. I don't know why, but I'm obsessed now with getting a level 60 character, which means I have to play the whole ME1 all over again before starting on 2 just to get one extra level.

[Teaflax]

A few months ago I started replaying ME1 in order to get a better character for ME2, but the inability to skip cut scenes made me stop at about level 20 or so. So, I'm actually kind of glad to hear it doesn't matter that much for ME2.

Unfortunately, I can't afford to pick it up just now.

[ASR]

I've been watching my roommate play Mass Effect 2. It looks great but I still have no desire to play it for myself. Just too much game. Fun to watch, though.

Me, on the other hand, I'm 6 years late to finally finishing the second half of Half Life 2. I've played the first half about 4 times now, and I've somehow managed to push past it this time and I'm closing in on the final chapters. Great game, but everyone already knew that.

[Having Fun!]

Hey I just got around to finishing Sonic the Hedgehog 3, never quite got past Carnival Night Zone before but manage to pass it in a flash. Was a little disappointed that there were only two levels afterward. Oh well, great game. Wonderful graphics, great soundtrack. But you already knew that.

[nathansmart]

is that the one where Michael Jackson supposedly made the music for it?

[Having Fun!]

oh, i don't care for that if that is true

[nathansmart]

It IS the one!

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009...sonic-hedgehog

[SlyBattery]

Carnival Nights is one of the catchiest video game songs ever written. That and Beat It (from the Moonwalker video game)

[TomHicks]

I started the game on default and then with a saved game. You get Ashley without a save, and my save was with Liara, and that's who I got. I played through the entire second game and only got to 59. I don't know why, but I'm obsessed now with getting a level 60 character, which means I have to play the whole ME1 all over again before starting on 2 just to get one extra level.

Don't you have to choose between Ashley and the dude?

[Berliner]

Playing as a dude anyways, Ashley is the default character. I don't know what happens if you play as a lady.

[TomHicks]

In the first game there was a situation that forced you to pick between Ashley and Kaidan. I chose Kaidan; so Ashley and her agent should know she won't be in any of my sequels.

I think the hack and bypass minigames are much more fun than the Simon-like button-pushing minigame.

[nadsat droog]

Woah, Bioshock 2 comes out on 2/9. How is there like no hype for it? The first game is what got me to finally buy a 360.

[nadsat droog]

ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED
50g - DOUBLE POST

[gweilo845]

Woah, Bioshock 2 comes out on 2/9. How is there like no hype for it? The first game is what got me to finally buy a 360.

There seems to be some nerd backlash because it basically takes place in the same area as the first game, and there's been too much emphasis put on multiplayer.

Gotta love the internets for condemning something before it even comes out...

I've been playing No More Heroes 2. It's not as good as the first game - some of the mini-games, especially the training ones, suck. And the bosses for the most part don't have as much personality. But it's still fun and gloriously violent.

[SlyBattery]

Whaaat? No More Heroes 2 is out? Speaking of no hype, that completely went past me. Bioshock 2 on the other hand has big cardboard cutouts and posters hanging all over any place that sells or even knows what a video game is.

Also, I just found out that Dead Rising 2 has been pushed back to Fall of this year and that really bums me out. They have been working on this game for about 4 years now. Hopefully that is an indication of how expansive and detailed the game will be.

[ArchStanton]

The Bad Company 2 demo has been out for 24 hours now and it kicks major ass. The new squad building system is more like it was in 1943 and there a ton of other improvements, not the least of which is the ability to choose which squad member you are able to spawn on. I played it for about 5 hours yesterday and although I was a little on the fence about the new control scheme (it took some getting used to) I am now oficially gaga over it.
March 2nd won't come soon enough.

[dan telfer]

I have been reading a lot of reviews that describe Mass Effect 2 as having had all the RPG stuff "stripped out" of it. Would any RPG nerds care to comment? You shooter people have apparently had your way, I don't want to hear your biased gloats!

I will not have time to purchase or play the game for weeks but I am/was looking forward to it.