Finished Halo 2. The levels where the Master Chief was infiltrating the Covenant base were great. Good enemy variety, some new weapons to try out (Fuel Rod) and generally nice looking environments. Also, lots of Energy Swords to play around with, which is always fun. The last couple of Arbiter levels were similarly interesting, with some nice vehicle combat sections as well.

The final battle against Tartarus was a bit confusing due to all the (unintentional) platforming, but it did feel very satisfying to kick his ass. After the cutscenes played, I figured there had to be a post credits scene, and I wasn't disappointed. Overall, I agree with what the others have said earlier. Halo 2 is very much like Halo CE, only with improved visuals, slightly different weapons, better vehicle controls and slightly fewer tedious/repetitive levels. I liked it quite a bit.

Man, I still remember how profoundly let down people were by Halo 2's cliff hanger. And then the extremely long wait until Halo 3 to get any sort of closure. Not that it stopped anyone from enjoying it's multiplayer for years and years. I remember in college a roommate of mine had a hacked XBox with a pirated, possibly early, copy of Halo 2. One day we wake up, and his frat brothers had let themselves into our apartment without him to play it. Most of us weren't even awake yet, but then again, that doesn't stand for much since we regularly slept until noon if we didn't have early classes back then.

Repo Man11 wrote on 2024-04-23, 02:00:

I've just begun Max Payne for the first time. Many years ago a neighbor gave me a demo, but I wasn't interested because my obsession was flight sims. This is the first third person shooter I've ever played, so the perspective's a bit odd. It runs nicely on my Soyo Dragon Plus system which I would expect as it's newer than the game.

I found the character model for the bad guys in Max Payne:

Started playing Halo 3 on my Xbox 360. Didn't think I'd move on to the next installment so soon, but the story of Halo 2 ended with a cliffhanger, and I wanted to see how things turn out. The campaign mode of these games isn't too long (about 10 hours each) so playing three of them in a row is somewhat manageable.

First impressions: I don't like that they changed the reload/interact button from X to RB. Somehow, this doesn't feel right, and there's no option to change it back. Since the game already offers several alternative controller layouts, it's weird that the developers didn't add "Halo 2 Controls" as an option. If this bothers me, a newcomer to the series, I can only imagine how it felt for Halo 2 veterans who spent countless hours in multiplayer. Muscle memory and all that.

On the plus side, the visuals are definitively prettier, and the initial jungle level nicely shows off the graphical advancements with its lush vegetation. However, there's no flashlight this time, so I'm kinda dreading those overly dark corridors that Halo games seem to love so much. The audio sounds cleaner as well, but there are still no subtitles for in-game voices, and no volume controls to turn down the music (if it gets too loud).

Combat still feels great, and I like how you can now rip off turrets and use them as improvised weapons for a while. Also, the Assault Rifle from Halo CE made a triumphant return, which I certainly appreciated. I haven't used the new equipment items much, except for the portable shield and gravity lift (which I activated by accident), so I'm undecided on those for now. Anyway, need to play some more before I can comment further. So far so good.

Halo 3 is the best in the series and you are in for an amazing fun time. It is one of my fondest gaming experiences, I was mesmerized by the gameplay and visuals. Bungie really did Halo justice with their last entry in the mainstream series.

Halo 3 campaign and multiplayer was just a great time. I logged so many hours doing both such good times.

Making progress in Halo 3. I think the missions in this game might be a bit smaller, but on the plus side, they are packed to the brim with great content. It's basically all action all the time, which is just the way I like my FPS games. Vehicle combat is still fun, especially when you're driving one of the heavy hitters like the Wraith. Environments are also a lot more varied and detailed compared to the previous games, with each mission bringing something new and fresh to the table.

Additionally, it seems like Halo 3 is putting more emphasis on the main plot than its predecessors, and I like that. The story certainly feels much more cohesive, since you're no longer jumping between the Master Chief and the Arbiter, as those two are fighting side by side now. I also like the Cortana visions/flashbacks. It's a nice way to reference the character while she's absent.

Anyway, it looks like the Flood will be showing up in the next mission. Based on the previous games, I've been conditioned to expect the following during such levels: 1) a bunch of overly dark corridors 2) enemies spawning out of thin air 3) rocket launchers. 😀 We'll see if that still holds true for Halo 3.

Continuing on with Halo 3. I was pleasantly surprised to fight the Flood in a (relatively) open area for a change. I didn't notice any inexplicable enemy spawning either. There were dark environments and some obscuring fog here and there, but the level wasn't that hard to navigate. Speaking of dark areas, I was wrong about the flashlight before. Thankfully, it hasn't been removed, just remapped to D-Pad Up.

The next mission started off strong, with the Master Chief sniping enemy positions while the marines provided support. Very reminiscent of Halo CE. The part in the desert had vehicle combat galore, and I enjoyed every second of it. There's something special when you're driving a Scorpion tank and the epic music suddenly kicks in. You just know you're in for a good time. After taking down another Scarab and dispatching a decent number of camouflaged Brutes, it was time to move on. Probably my favorite level so far.

This was followed by a surprisingly long mission. What started off as a seemingly simple task to take down three barrier towers turned into quite an endeavor. It had some great vehicle combat, especially in the section with the two Scarabs. Flying the Hornet was fun too, and those guided missiles are pretty cool. Also, I finally got some mileage out of the equipment items. The portable turret and regeneration were useful during some of the tougher firefights.

Gotta say, it was weird to see the Flood (temporarily) fighting alongside Master Chief, though what came after was no surprise. Following some lengthy cutscenes, it looks like we're finally going to find Cortana. I'm guessing the end of the game isn't too far off either.

Finished Halo 3. Either I'm getting through missions faster due to being more experienced now, or this campaign was shorter than the last two. Possibly both. In any case, it took less time to complete this game.

That penultimate mission sure was something. It reminded me of the Library from Halo CE, in all the bad ways. That said, I didn't mind this one quite as much, because it gave me a Flamethrower and a couple of Energy Swords. Having either of those at hand makes it much easier to destroy Flood enemies. And there were *a lot* of them here, with the weird spawning mechanics and all. Also, this level was reasonably bright, unlike the endless dark corridors of the Library.

For the last mission, we went to yet another Halo, in a nice callback to the first game. However, the final boss battle (if you can call it that) was kind of anticlimactic. And then, the devs decided to once again reference Halo CE, by reintroducing my least favorite part of that game - the Warthog escape sequence. Yeah, I didn't like it this time either, it was just as terrible. After barely getting through that mess, I was treated to a proper ending, including a nice post credits scene. Without going into spoilers, let's just say that Master Chief kept his promise and finished the fight. No cliffhanger this time, just a hint that there's more to come in the future.

Despite the lackluster quality of the last two missions, I liked Halo 3 the most out of the initial trilogy. The gameplay was even more fine tuned, the maps were always action packed, and the story was very engaging. Great game, extremely fun to play, can highly recommend it.

Apart from Fallout 4 in survival mode, I've been playing some Forza Horizon 4 with my elder kid. He can handle the wheel pretty fine but he's too short to reach the gas and brake pedal, so dad's gotta help for now 😉

Started playing Halo 3: ODST. I ordered this a while ago, and it finally arrived today. Well, this game sure hits different. The atmosphere is darker, and the somber music as well as the muted colors reflect that. Gameplay wise, it's similar to Halo 3 of course, with a few small twists like the visor system. I do find it strange that ODST troopers can rip off turrets and use them as temporary weapons, just like Master Chief. I mean, he's a genetically enhanced super soldier wearing special power armor, while these guys are supposed to be just regular people using normal gear.

Anyway, ODST is delivering a pretty good story as well. The plot seems to be more down to earth and personal, but that's not a bad thing. And experiencing some things through flashbacks is an interesting take. Also, it looks like they got some prominent actors for certain roles. Someone on the dev team was clearly a Firefly and/or Battlestar Galactica fan. 😀

P.S.

Back when I was searching for Halo 3 on my local classifieds, this game also kept popping up. Due to my inexperience with the Halo series, I initially thought ODST was some kind of special soundtrack CD. 😁

Joseph_Joestar wrote on 2024-05-15, 19:02:

Started playing Halo 3: ODST. I ordered this a while ago, and it finally arrived today. Well, this game sure hits different. The […]
Show full quote

Started playing Halo 3: ODST. I ordered this a while ago, and it finally arrived today. Well, this game sure hits different. The atmosphere is darker, and the somber music as well as the muted colors reflect that. Gameplay wise, it's similar to Halo 3 of course, with a few small twists like the visor system. I do find it strange that ODST troopers can rip off turrets and use them as temporary weapons, just like Master Chief. I mean, he's a genetically enhanced super soldier wearing special power armor, while these guys are supposed to be just regular people using normal gear.

Anyway, ODST is delivering a pretty good story as well. The plot seems to be more down to earth and personal, but that's not a bad thing. And experiencing some things through flashbacks is an interesting take. Also, it looks like they got some prominent actors for certain roles. Someone on the dev team was clearly a Firefly and/or Battlestar Galactica fan. 😀

P.S.

Back when I was searching for Halo 3 on my local classifieds, this game also kept popping up. Due to my inexperience with the Halo series, I initially thought ODST was some kind of special soundtrack CD. 😁

ODST is a really great game. It keeps you engaged right untill the final fight.

I don't know why but I started playing "Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst" on the "EdenServ" private server again.

I've been streaming it too:
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2146498646
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2146099364
https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2144593794

I've had this user account on "Eden" since 2013. Somehow it never expired or was purged. However, I've long since lost contact with the people I used to play with especially one particular individual that even told me about the server ever since the "SchtHack" drama happened many years ago.

Come to think of it I've lost contact with troves of individuals ever since "Windows Live Messenger" folded into "Skype" because Microsoft clearly knows how to make good business decisions.

Summer has finally arrived to my neck of the woods, the time when I always drop off anything heavier and go for lighter easy to pick up stuff. And to my delight I've gotten in the mood for point and click adventure games, been a few years. Time to revisit some old favorites and hopefully some others I've only played once ages ago. Even have a couple I've never played before, ought to check them out too.

The plan is to play most of the LucasArts adventures and if I still have some gas in the tank also revisit Gabriel Knight trilogy and the first two Broken Swords.

Already started with The Secret of the Monkey Island. While the sequel is possibly my all time favorite game the original is still a certified classic. How can you not smile at stuff like this:

Meathook: Hey! I don't like visitors! Who are you?
Guybrush: I'm a pirate, cannonball-head. Who are you?
Meathook: My name's Meathook... And I think you've got a little attitude problem.
Guybrush: Well I think you've got a little hair problem.
Meathook: Geeze! You just don't know when to quit do you?
Guybrush: Obviously neither did your barber.

I'm selling these fine leather jackets..

G: "Stan, why are you in prison?
S: “marketing-related crimes” 
G: "what have you done?"
S: " Dont know, I was offering absolutely nothing... ...at least nothing fungible...

Bought Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project for 5€.

Started to play it: I'm enjoying it so far.
I really like the platform mechanics, also because it's a sort of return to the roots of the first 2 Duke Nukems 🙂

Sometimes, I'm just having problems with the responsiveness of the controls, but maybe it's due to the fact I'm using an Xbox360 controller.

I reached the final boss of the 1st episode: looking forward to complete the whole game 🙂

Back in April, I mentioned that my wife wanted to try Hogwarts Legacy. She is a complete non-gamer other than an occasional phone puzzle game. Here we are, a month later and we're still playing! Usually only on a Saturday and/or Sunday afternoon for an hour, but she hasn't given up yet. Given we're only 6ish hours in, there's still a long road ahead, but I hope she gets more into it as we continue along. I set her game up on the easiest setting (Story Mode) to keep her from getting discouraged. I've also been trying to get her to hold her left hand as she would type (ASDF) so she can use the WASD method. For some reason, it's completely foreign to her even though she holds her hand that way when she types. For now, she holds her index finger on E, the rest of her fingers hang near/off the left keyboard edge, and her thumb is somewhere around F. 🤷

clueless1 wrote on 2024-05-19, 11:11:

For some reason, it's completely foreign to her even though she holds her hand that way when she types. For now, she holds her index finger on E, the rest of her fingers hang near/off the left keyboard edge, and her thumb is somewhere around F. 🤷

I'm having a extremely hard time picturing this, but mentioning E and F reminds me that Tribes 2 was one of the first games I've ever played where instead of WASD it was ESDF for some reason. (Even though the prior game used WASD by default)

DracoNihil wrote on 2024-05-19, 16:26:

clueless1 wrote on 2024-05-19, 11:11:

For some reason, it's completely foreign to her even though she holds her hand that way when she types. For now, she holds her index finger on E, the rest of her fingers hang near/off the left keyboard edge, and her thumb is somewhere around F. 🤷

I'm having a extremely hard time picturing this, but mentioning E and F reminds me that Tribes 2 was one of the first games I've ever played where instead of WASD it was ESDF for some reason. (Even though the prior game used WASD by default)

I meant to say index finger on W. My bad. Here's a pic I sneaked: