Running video games (and consoles) thread

So, I'm about to enter my first Summer Vacation as a teacher. And boy do I need it. I haven't had almost any time to play video games during the school year (though I did basically live off Skyrim over Spring Break). The only game I bought in the past year is Skyrim. Probably going to pick up ME3 at some point, but are there other games I should be grabbing to enjoy over the summer? Oh, XBox 360 is the poison of choice, though if there's a good computer game out there I should consider, feel free to throw that out there, too.

 

Diablo III. Good. Great. Greater.

Not the best, because of the server issues they've been having, but they'll get those ironed out.

Well worth the extra $80 I had to shell out for a video card upgrade.

 

As Tommy brings up, one of my friends is already deep, deep into Diablo 3. Mass Effect 3 is a lot of fun, I highly encourage it, and they might even cut it to $40 or $50 by the time you buy it, since I've heard sales are somewhat soft. If you like NBA Jam, the downloadable "On Fire" edition for $10 or $15 is fun.

 

Totally forgot about diablo iii coming out. Got to grab that. How good of a video card did you need?

 

I picked up an Invidia GT520 (if I remember correctly. $79 at Best Buy. It'll run on a 300w power supply (which is what most comps have now (unless you're running on a really old one).

Just make sure whatever one you buy you check to see what power supply it'll run with. Almost made a $55 mistake and bought a new power supply I didn't need (400w).

Only weird thing is that to even play single player DIII you need to be connected to the internet at all times. So if the servers go out (which is what a LOT of people were bitching about early), then you can't play at all.

 

Anyone have any sites they trust for emulators and ROMs? I have a hankering for some Shining Force 2, but I have this fear of picking up a virus downloading the ROM/emulator.

 

For the older games, you're pretty safe at just about any torrent site (Pirate Bay, for example). Just grab a bundle of every game in existence, and if you have a client like uTorrent, you can flip on and off which games you want to download. If you actually want to pay for it and have a next-gen system, it's available on the Wii virtual console, on Steam, and in the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for PS3 and the 360 ($10 to $20, and comes with Shining Force, Phantasy Star 2, 3 and 4, and a dozen other games).

 

Thanks

 

Actually, doing a bit of research on that Sega collection, and it's actually 40+ friggin' games, including a bunch of RPGs, and there is some trophy support in it unlike some other Sega next-gen games - wow. It's in a lot of bargain bins near me, so I'll actually have to pick it up next time I see it.

 

Any PS3 owners out there download or hear about "Journey." I had heard so much talk about it from watching Sony's E3 presser that I had to get it. It's simplistic but oddly entertaining. I finished it the first time and I want to play it again soon. It just draws you in.

 

It sounds really cool, and I want to try it out eventually, but I'm deep into Skyrim in a way that should be illegal. I've played something like 60 or 70 hours... and I'm just starting the Greybeard and Blades stuff. sigh. No idea why this game is so addictive, but it is.

But yeah, Journey is high on my list to try next. FF13-2, Tales of Grace and Lollipop Chainsaw are the next three games on my GameFly queue; I'll probably try to power through Journey in the time that I return / buy Skyrim, and before my next game comes in.

 

I'm really going to start wondering when the need to buy games at "Gamestop" or anyplace else is going to end.

Look at what Blizzard did with DIII. You didn't even need to buy the damn hard copy of the game apparently (just download etc.).