Last game you finished, tell us about it

Just finished Titan Quest. Thanks to all of you who recommended it. I had a blast... never got bored.

The game is beautiful, and well written. This is the very first time that I've ever had any fun with a game of this kind (I'm dread to classify it as Diablo-like, since I hated that game so very much).

Truly a great game... and almost bug free (the patched version that I played). That last battle was nearly impossible though... man... talk about dying a lot!
 
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Final Fantasy X 9,25/10
Final Fantasy X delivers a great and multibottomed storyline like always. The step up to PS2 meant improved graphics but except for the main theme To Zanarkand, the music is a step down. I enjoyed the return of a technology filled fantasyworld but the free roaming which was so enjoyable in the previous three games were gone. The battle mechanics held great balance at first but dropped a bit later on. I killed the final bosses with like 2-3 strikes each. Unlike FF8 and 9, FFX did not touch my emotions as much even if I loved the characters (Unlike FF8 and 9, FFX did not make me sob like a fourteen year old girl). There were some great scenes but they were rare. It's sad that I could not use all characters more due to the imbalance I mentioned before. The weakest part was the equipmentsystem. I barely bothered changing weapons/armor and the ultimate weapons was simply boring to get (over 10 hours of Blitzball??). It took me 17 days to finish FFX which is 3 days longer than FF7 and 9. Yet again I finished the entire game and all extras, but I skipped the Dark Aeons except for the one required to kill to get Aurons last overdrive. Many "buts" FFX is still an awesome game that was worth buying a PS2 for, even if it does not quite reach up to the previous 3 as far as I concern. But that's like comparing the best to the bestbest, few series spend so much time on building so deep and complex storylines that still keep me surprised when the twists just keep bombarding me.

As a sidenote. My girlfriend sitting near me when I ended it cried openly at the ending.
 
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Final Fantasy X-2 8.5/10
100% complete, perfect ending. The best word I can put on Final Fantasy X-2 is "original". This game is absolutely nothing what I had expected. From the game mechanics to how the story was told and numerous things I never seen in a game before. FFX-2 is a direct sequel to FFX and whoever have not played the first game have no reason whatsoever to play FFX-2. FFX-2 expands on the many plotlines introduced in FFX and manages to tie up all the loose ends. In FFX-2 I have seen the first all-girl party. I do not remember a roleplaying game in which the main character is a woman. I have never seen a roleplaying game that plays out like a girl manga. This is a very feminine game with strong feminine themes. It's not as deep and complex as other FF games though so I had to take down the score a bit even if it's still a decent game and well worth it for thoose who played the first game.
 
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Final Fantasy X-2 8.5/10
100% complete, perfect ending. The best word I can put on Final Fantasy X-2 is "original".

Did I miss something or did you start at #7 in the series? I only ask because after playing III on the DS earlier this year and VI on the GBA, I have been recently playing FF I and II on the PSP. All of my FF experiences are on handhelds. Wonder where all of those older games fell on your list of stuff.

FWIW, the PSP versions of FF are a waste of ... well, everything. Get the GBA double pack for a *much* better value. And FF2's level system still sucks.
 
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Did I miss something or did you start at #7 in the series? I only ask because after playing III on the DS earlier this year and VI on the GBA, I have been recently playing FF I and II on the PSP. All of my FF experiences are on handhelds. Wonder where all of those older games fell on your list of stuff.

FWIW, the PSP versions of FF are a waste of ... well, everything. Get the GBA double pack for a *much* better value. And FF2's level system still sucks.

Since the beginning of the summer I have played FFVII, FFVIII, FFIX, FFX and FFX-2.

I think I scored them:
FFVII: 10/10
FFVIII: 9.5/10
FFIX: 9.5/10
FFX: 9.25/10
FFX-2: 8.5/10

It's difficult to rate theese games. They are all absolutely great. Very long and large, deep and complex storylines, original game mechanics, state of the art graphics (for it's time), great music and memorable characters. Usually where one of the games fall short in some areas it makes up in others. For example FFVIII have a very slow start and annoying game mechanics, but pay back the double with an absolutely awesome story once CD1 is finished. FFIX do not have an interesting story but it makes up with very loveable characters and a heartwarming story that made me sob several times out of joy, happiness and sadness. I also think the inventory mechanics in FFIX is the best.

I think the series is a must play for thoose who enjoy a game with good story with memorable characters because that's what the FF games deliver first and foremost. The mechanics are not as advanced as, for example, the Baldurs Gate series and the free-roaming exploration is not as open as, for example, Gothic.

Theese are large scale productions that really leaves nothing short. They makes even the longer western games to appear small and cheap.
 
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I think the series is a must play for thoose who enjoy a game with good story with memorable characters because that's what the FF games deliver first and foremost.
Oh, I know that - I have played 1 - 6 on GBA, DS and/or PSP at this point. I, IV and VI are my faves. I have no interest in console gaming so until they come to the PSP or DS I'll take a miss on the others (though I *will* be playing the Crisis Core FF VII game when it hits PSP in a few months).

I was just wondering about your opinion on those earlier ones, since i couldn't find them in this thread.
 
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I thought PSP was PSOne compatible?
I played FFVII-IX on PC in an emulator.
 
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I thought PSP was PSOne compatible?
I keep my PSP 'legit' - no hacked firmware. That way when I have an issue with a game I *know* it is an issue with the game.

The downside of that is that I cannot just load up PSOne images on my memory stick. And as it is Sony has continued to delay releasing the Playstation Store access from PC or PSP (PS3 only), so that option is out even if Sony decided to release FF VII for the Playstation store.
 
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I just finished Bioshock (first play-through) and Crysis or Mass Effect have to be pretty damn impressive if either of them are to take the coveted "Game of the Year" award away from Bioshock.

Everything in the game is top notch; from voice acting to animation or from architectural design to character concept - all aspects in this game really is AAA production. For once, a highly anticipated game has actually managed to surpass all the hype. Bravo Irrational ... erm I mean 2K Boston, Well done indeed!

For those in doubt about how to categorize Bioshock, let me just say that the tag line: "Spiritual successor to System Shock 2" is a VERY accurate description. However, time has passed and the market has grown and changed somewhat so while the ties to SS2 are very strong they are also ... how can I say this so it doesn't sound too negatively ... simplified in the sense that Bioshock is a multiplatform title and consequently many of the stereotypical traits of a PC RPG (such as inventory management and lots of stats) have been toned down, replaced with something else or left out all together.

In short: If you're looking for a Baldur's Gate or Wizardy sort of game then Bioshock is not for you. However, if you liked Deus Ex and/or System Shock then I guarantee that you'll love Bioshock.
 
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I just finished Bioshock (first play-through) and Crysis or Mass Effect have to be pretty damn impressive if either of them are to take the coveted "Game of the Year" award away from Bioshock.

Everything in the game is top notch; from voice acting to animation or from architectural design to character concept - all aspects in this game really is AAA production. For once, a highly anticipated game has actually managed to surpass all the hype. Bravo Irrational ... erm I mean 2K Boston, Well done indeed!

For those in doubt about how to categorize Bioshock, let me just say that the tag line: "Spiritual successor to System Shock 2" is a VERY accurate description. However, time has passed and the market has grown and changed somewhat so while the ties to SS2 are very strong they are also ... how can I say this so it doesn't sound too negatively ... simplified in the sense that Bioshock is a multiplatform title and consequently many of the stereotypical traits of a PC RPG (such as inventory management and lots of stats) have been toned down, replaced with something else or left out all together.

In short: If you're looking for a Baldur's Gate or Wizardy sort of game then Bioshock is not for you. However, if you liked Deus Ex and/or System Shock then I guarantee that you'll love Bioshock.

I'm not finished with it yet, but I'm not particularly impressed. To me it suffers really, really much from "consolization" of the gameplay. 2K Australia hasn't done a great job there.
Not that it isn't a good game but it has some fatal gameplay flaws such as the lack of inventory. And what is that hacking mini-game about? More or less a joke.
 
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I finished up Bioshock on Friday, and also agree that it is truly an excellent game. It is funny, as I've had the weekend to think more, I can think of many minor little annoyances, but they are all just that - minor.
 
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I envy you guys the ability to play this game, as I can't without becoming violently ill. This is just one of the reasons I don't normally play shooters, nor am I normally drawn to the PA/Sci-fi setting, but in the case of Bioshock all my normal rules go to the wall. I loved everything about this game--the atmosphere, the world, the story, the presentation, even the lack of any rpg type stuff like a paperdoll or even a face. ;) It made the game more itself, if that makes sense.

Anyway, if this one doesn't get all the GOTY awards on the planet( and deservedly so) I'll be amazed.
 
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I finished up Bioshock on Friday, and also agree that it is truly an excellent game. It is funny, as I've had the weekend to think more, I can think of many minor little annoyances, but they are all just that - minor.

Christ, you finished it in 2 days!?

Weekdays no less, don't you work?
 
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I finally finished the last, greatest spreadsheet cRPG -- NWN2. My final verdict is "meh." It ticks all the boxes, riffs off the Planescape setting, works pretty well, is epic in scope and so on, but I somehow get the feeling that there's no *passion* gone into it. Many of the battles (especially the endgame) were ultra-tedious slogs, the characters were clichéd (Ammon Jerro was the only one that broke the mold even a little), and even the romance was sort of half-heartedly done. The UI was really bad in many ways -- sometimes it felt that most of the game was about inventory management ("I know I had a bleepin' Bel Juril tucked away somewhere!") and stepping on world map transitions to reshuffle the party.

Way too much phat lewt. You know something ain't right when you've just slain an ancient red dragon and are going through his hoard and find nothing of use to your party.

Way too big a party. Having lots of characters to choose from is good, since it permits many different build and combat strategies, but having them hanging around doing nothing except when they're foisted on you becomes a chore. It would have been much better to have only a small window to recruit them, and have them walk off if they're doing nothing but sitting in the inn drinking ale.

Most choices illusionary, and no choices provided where they really count. For example, I would never have forgiven Ammon Jerro for what he did: I would have hanged him or thrown him into the dungeon to rot for his crimes, never mind how "vital" he is. The game didn't let me. If the consequence for this decision would have been to make the King of Shadows unbeatable, then so be it: going out in a blaze of glory for standing by your principles would have been totally narratively satisfying.

But it was still engrossing enough. I will probably buy the Mask of the Betrayer; the Rashemen setting sounds interesting, and it also sounds that they've addressed at least some of the problems in the OC -- less combat slogs, more story-driven, smaller party with people that actually do walk off.
 
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Christ, you finished it in 2 days!?

Weekdays no less, don't you work?

Yeah well ... I put aside my PSP and DS, and didn't do any reading or watch any TV at night and ... quite frankly skipped out on some sleep ... then my family had me again for the full weekend :)
 
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Yeah well ... I put aside my PSP and DS, and didn't do any reading or watch any TV at night and ... quite frankly skipped out on some sleep ... then my family had me again for the full weekend :)

When do you sleep? I notice a lot of your post are during the night\early morning hours.
 
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When do you sleep? I notice a lot of your post are during the night\early morning hours.

I get up at 4AM. My wife was really, really sick after the birth of our second son and spent 2 weeks in the hospital, and he had a couple of trips to the NICU with apnea ... at that point I quickly went from a heavy 8+ hour sleeper to a very light ~4 hour sleeper ...
 
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it would actually be four days JDR13 i finished bioshock myself on friday (well saturday actually at 2:30 in the morning). i spent every waking hour not at work playing it and like mike got little sleep. i'd say i spent somewhere between 30-40 hours on it as well. to me its a culmination of not only levines best games thief 2, system shock 2 but also troika influences as well especially in the artistic categories-arcanum, bloodlines, and even the fallouts. i don't understand peoples "console" complaints though as steamlining is done in computer software all the time and it was far more keyboard and mouse friendly than most pc games. when you remapped the keys it even changed the what key to use floater. also you could turn off alot of "hints" like the compass and other aids as well. inventory management is still a part of the gameplay with limited ammoholds as well as tonics and plasmids which you can think of an inventory or spellbook if you like which you can drag and drop back and forth. much like a filet mignion isn't going to appeal to a vegetarian this game isn't for everyone, though i think everyone should appreciate it for the creative marvel it is much like even a non christian could be awed by the sistine chapel even if they don't see god shining down on them.

oh and when i say its not for everyone, children are the number one on that list. its a great game but wait 'til there older or may a little sister visit you in your sleep.
 
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if I got up at 4 am, I could fit in 2 hours roughly of gaming before work. hmm.. ='.'=

Last game I finished was Overlord. I was impressed, really liked it, it's the most original title Ive played in a long time. It had it's share of problems, and the replayability is minimal if you have other things to play, but overall I think it was a good purchase.
 
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