davepesc

My go-to is Heavy Nova for the Genesis.

Same for me. I didn't actually play anything. Just navigated menus and watched gameplay videos.

I saw yesterday that Target has Wii-U hooked up in its demo units. I didn't spend a lot of time with it, but my first impressions weren't that great. The controller: I felt that it was way too big and had buttons all over the place. Not intuitive at all. My 2nd-grade daughter wondered why you need a screen on the controller when it's hooked up to a TV. On the plus side, it's not as heavy as it looks, but being a flat tablet, I could imagine it getting uncomfortable pretty quickly. Graphics: Looked nice, but I don't think they looked up to 360/PS3 standards. Overall, I remain skeptical. It's a pass for me.

From what I understand, beta characters were reset, but those players got the final version of the game a few days early. Still, I can't imagine hitting 40 in a few days.

Happy Wars released yesterday, although you wouldn't have known unless you were looking for it as I didn't see any ads on the dashboard for it. I actually had to use the bing feature to search for it. But... it was well worth it. There are some big matchmaking issues, but the game is very fun and there are tons of weapons/armor to collect and upgrade. Battle is "supposed" to be 15-15, but most of my matches started at about 10-6, with the team having more players winning each time, regardless of player level. The system takes a long time to match players, and you might lose connection to the server during matchmaking. I never got booted during an actual match. Matches are all won by destroying the opponent's totem in their home base. After 15 minutes, if no one has done that, the team controlling the most interim points is declared the winner. And on player level, how are people level 40+ mere hours after launch, even with the advance launch for beta users? It did get old getting one-hit-killed after running 1/4 of the map to join the fight. As best I can tell, leveling up does not effect your att/def stats. It only allows you to carry heavier gear, which in turn, allows you to get stronger. There are 3 classes, Warrior, Mage, and Cleric. They have the strengths/weaknesses you would expect, but I find healing with the Cleric difficult with all the people running around and no easily visible health bars. Might get easier with practice. Clerics have the added duty of being the only class that can create the materials to build siege weapons. There is a single-player mode, but missions unlock as you level up in multiplayer. This is very annoying to me, but I guess I understand why they made it this way. I don't know how long Happy Wars will stay fresh. It is fun, and free. I certainly enjoyed my couple hours with it. To sum up, I would compare it to Castle Crashers both in terms of art style and simplistic combat, but with skirmish-style gameplay.

I have no interest in the Wii U after being totally let down by the Wii. I haven't bought a game for the system in probably 3 years. I teach elementary school and haven't heard any buzz about the new console. I can't say if it will sell or not, but I'd also guess that the name is holding it back from mainstream attention. "Wii U" sounds like another expansion part, not a new console.

I always just put mine on a folding table you would use for eating in front of the TV.

Oh, come on. That is 7 topics down on the first page. You didn't expect me to look THAT far back, did you?!?

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/08/30/gamestop-planning-vintage-game-sales GameStop Planning "Vintage Game" Sales Retail giant planning on expanding its online sales catalogue. by Richard George August 30, 2012 Check out GameStop's website and you can pretty much buy any game from the past generation or two - or pre-order anything due out for the next several years. But one thing that's missing from the global retail giant is the ability to buy games prior to the era of the PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube. Want a classic NES or SNES game? Some other classic part of gaming history? You won't find it. According to GameStop CEO Paul Raines, that's going to change. "We think there's a vintage sales opportunity, so we're accumulating some inventory," Raines told Verge in a recent interview, specifically pointing towards GameStop's website as the destination for this new venture. "If you go to eBay and look at all of the gaming stuff that's on there, it's unbelievable. Collector's stuff. We've got to be in that business. We will be." Raines noted his company already has many old school classics, the result of trade-ins over the company's meandering 25-plus year history. According to the executive, there are a few challenges remaining, such as "sourcing the product, the condition [and] the refurbishment," but because the demand is there, the effort to expand the business is seen as worth it. Raines offered no timetable for this expansion, merely noting his company is "working on some stuff we haven't announced yet."

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Then every (non-mmo) game is "Free to Play" because you can play as much as you want after you buy it. "Free to Play" is a semi-new genre of (usually multiplayer) games that are completely free to download and play, with upkeep costs covered by microtransactions. Some of these games gimp "free" players to such an extent that money becomes necessary if one wants to succeed. These have come to be known as "Pay to Win."

http://youtu.be/BgBr6iYgWTw

See a trend? http://www.trueachie...-freetoplay.htm Ascend: New Gods Will Be Free-to-Play The free-to-play revolution has begun Written by SgtDigglesworth yesterday at 22:33 | Credit to CounterInsurgnt With the recent announcement that Happy Wars will be a free-to-play, it may or may not, come as a shock that, Ascend: New Gods will also be a free-to-play XBLA game. In a recent interview with OXM, a spokesperson from Microsoft recently indulged information regarding other titles in the works to join the ranks of 'true' free-to-play games. We're always looking at ways to push the boundaries of the console and our digital platform. Bringing true free-to-play gaming experiences to Xbox 360 is a natural extension of that. With the ongoing success of the model on PC, and the interest from both our consumers and our partners looking to explore this system on console, it simply made sense to deliver this experience through great games that would take advantage of it. In this pilot program, Microsoft Studios will support free-to-play gaming with Happy Wars, due out in September, as well as the recently announced game Ascend: New Gods which will ship in several months. The free-to-play model and games experiences will be available to all Xbox LIVE Gold subscribers, as many of the games planned will be multiplayer games by nature (an Xbox LIVE Gold subscription is required for multiplayer gaming). The games that use the free-to-play mechanic will leverage the Microsoft Points system. Fellow gamers, what is your take on the inception of free-to-play titles currently and those in the future? Fans looking to get their hands on the upcoming Xbox LIVE Arcade action-RPG, Ascend: New Gods, will be able to purchase download this title for free sometime in 2013.

Top notch current 2.5D Vertical Shooter... wow, how could you write it off? Initially, I didn't like that you couldn't save special weapons for when you need them. I always seemed to get them at the end of a wave of enemies. I also died way too much in the beginning. Also, the game has glitched on me so that it stops advancing and the levels do seem to go on for a bit too long. Upon further review, Special weapons drop so frequently after the 1st level that I always seem to have one anyway. Upgraded health, the discovery of secondary weapons, and a little practice mean that deaths are infrequent now. It's not the best game I ever played, but I'd give Rocketmen a thumbs-up.