The Syndicate

Devin the Omniscient wrote:Fusion Frenzy - My all time favorite competitive arena style game. I have fond memories of my brother and I bonding over kicking each others asses in this game.

That is a fun party-style game.

Metalmarsh89 wrote:I've actually been playing Age of Empires II recently a bit (no joke). I never could figure out how to play online outside of LAN, but I'd love to join someone for a game if there are any takers.

Just last night, we were discussing doing this. Stay tuned.

nijuukyugou wrote:You should finish Ocarina of Time while you wait

I lost because I forgot how to reseed farms efficiently.

I lost to the Lumbees. New faction.

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

This came out a couple of years ago.

The fact that they came out with an expansion for a decade-old game proves its excellence. And this looks cool as hell.

Now I need a computer that can actually play games. Life is hard.

Well, Eloh got a nice sum in a cake deposit. I have been authorized to sink $25 into Age of Empires II HD + The Forgotten. Downloading my prize now.

Lord Simon and I shall conquer the world.

As soon as he cleans his room.

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

This came out a couple of years ago.

The fact that they came out with an expansion for a decade-old game proves its excellence. And this looks cool as hell.

Now I need a computer that can actually play games. Life is hard.

Well, Eloh got a nice sum in a cake deposit. I have been authorized to sink $25 into Age of Empires II HD + The Forgotten. Downloading my prize now.

Lord Simon and I shall conquer the world.

nijuukyugou wrote:

Epignosis wrote:In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

Playing this game online took the fun out of it for me, especially since my favorite part was doing those upgrades and, y'know, actually building an empire? I like the British for the longbowmen and the Japanese samurai

This came out a couple of years ago.

In my younger days, I spent more time playing Age of Empires 2 than I did sleeping. It was also the only time I ever tried playing against people online. It got old quickly when everyone chose the Chinese and exploited a certain mechanic that ensured victory nearly every time before you even had a chance to upgrade your city once.

DharmaHelper wrote:Baldur's Gate

This would make my top ten.

I have never ever finished it though.

I like Apollo Square. That has both a modern and fanciful ring to it.

First of all, you really should have a name for this forum that fits in with the rest of the decor. "The Subspace Emissary" doesn't exactly sound like "The Speakeasy" and "Tinsel Town."

To answer the question proper, in no particular order:

I have always been a fan of the Total War series, but I think Medieval II was their crowning achievement. In many respects, Shogun II was an improvement, but the Shogun II campaign itself felt somehow small. Japan isn't as large as Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas. The expansion pack, Kingdoms, quintupled the value of the game. Seven years on, and I still play it. There are even factions I won't allow myself to play until I meet certain (self-imposed) requirements. I want to add that Rome Total War was amazing in its own right, but I am highly disappointed in Rome II.

For me, this is the greatest first person shooter, incorporating great Art Deco scenery, memorable characters, an engaging and unforgettable story, and the freaking Circus of Value. Who knew that a vending machine could be so terrifying? While many shooters pride themselves on "frags" (do the kids even call it that anymore?), Bioshock was a game that challenged your sense of ethics. Who was right in all of that? I remember it took me seventeen tries to take down my first Big Daddy (full disclosure: my first Big Daddy was before I had explored several sections of the Medical Pavilion, and so I was woefully ill-equipped). I found the sequel to be much better than the critics suggested, and in terms of gameplay, was an improvement. Minerva's Den (DLC), for me, rivals the first game more than any other, Infinite included. The twist to Minerva's Den was one I did not foresee at all. I'm currently playing through Burial at Sea.

Mega Man is my favorite NES legend. Always was. Capcom did what they do best in this series: Churning out the same awesomeness over and over. And we held our mouths under it like kids at a buffet's frozen yogurt machine- and quite literally, I mean, since we had to blow into the cartridges to get them to work. I still struggle with which game in the series is my favorite, but in writing this, I've made up my mind: Five. My first was the second one, bought at an amazing used game shop where you could actually try out any game before buying. That place was my candy store, only I got to lick all the candy without buying anything if I didn't have any money. I also bought the third one there. The fourth one I rented (remember when you could rent games when your parents got movies?), but I was a little dumbass who rented it on a Sunday, so I only really got to enjoy it that day. It remained my favorite for some time. But the fifth one, I feel, was the NES pinnacle. The Mega Buster looked the greatest, they incorporated some anti-gravity elements, and you finally had a real go at Proto-Man. Wave Man's stage is one of the finest pieces of video game music in history.

Time travel, I find, is a narrative nightmare for a number of reasons. Chrono Trigger, in spite of that, was my favorite RPG on the SNES, with something like fifteen different possible endings. Despite a lighthearted look, it tackled some dark themes (witnessing the moment a mother became crippled, hopelessness, the fucking end of the world). The combat system was the first I had seen that involved double or triple-teaming enemies with technical and magical powers. I found the "End of Time" to be a strange and somehow poignant touch. Once in a while, I'll think of a scene from this game, and a wave of sadness and nostalgia washes over me. If only I had Epoch to go back to 1996...

The best thing I got out of my first year of college...