# What's everyone playing? (video games) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 5, 2009, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520 "2009-02-05T03:21:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/41 "2009-02-06T04:23:44Z")
Until recently **Fallout 3** , but currently **Europe Universalis 3** w/ the **In Nomine** expansion on top of the **Napoleon’s Ambition** expansion( necessary ), beta patched and with the Magna Mundi Platinum 1.4 mod. Bit of a mouthful :). But if you’re going to play EU 3 at all ( and it’s definitely a niche game ), I wouldn’t recommend any other way. I adore the EU games and Paradox games generally, for all their flaws. As the duchy of Burgundy just fought a nearly 7 year war with France 1462-1468 and won big - a rarity 😛 ( France is generally a dangerous collossus ). Quite a bit of luck on my side, but still very satisfying. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/42 "2009-02-06T04:38:13Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Until recently **Fallout 3** , but currently **Europe Universalis 3** w/ the **In Nomine** expansion on top of the **Napoleon’s Ambition** expansion( necessary ), beta patched and with the Magna Mundi Platinum 1.4 mod. Bit of a mouthful :). But if you’re going to play EU 3 at all ( and it’s definitely a niche game ), I wouldn’t recommend any other way. > > I adore the EU games and Paradox games generally, for all their flaws. As the duchy of Burgundy just fought a nearly 7 year war with France 1462-1468 and won big - a rarity 😛 ( France is generally a dangerous collossus ). Quite a bit of luck on my side, but still very satisfying. I wanted to love those games. I never got them, though. They should have been right up my alley. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/43 "2009-02-06T04:51:10Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > No. It’s not graphically intensive at all. I’ve got it running on two laptops, and it runs beautifully. The game’s not about the graphics anyways. > > Two people here with interest. Hm. Now we have to find the other 5. Maybe I’ll put up a review about it later on. yea I know they’re not about graphics, but I only have a laptop in this country (would have cost more than the price of my desktop to have it shipped to me) so I don’t really bother installing any new games. If it can’t run smoothly I’d rather just not play. Running smoothly at super low graphics settings is acceptable, just so long as it runs smoothly! And yes, a review would be nice 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/44 "2009-02-06T04:55:01Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > yea I know they’re not about graphics, but I only have a laptop in this country (would have cost more than the price of my desktop to have it shipped to me) so I don’t really bother installing any new games. If it can’t run smoothly I’d rather just not play. Running smoothly at super low graphics settings is acceptable, just so long as it runs smoothly! > > And yes, a review would be nice 😃 Nah, you should be cool. Install with confidence, I’d say. ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/45 "2009-02-06T05:00:13Z")
> [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](#): > > I wanted to love those games. I never got them, though. Any particular thing bug you? They have a steep learning curve to be sure and they’re fairly heavy on the micromanagement as such things go ( better than Victoria, though ). Beyond that they certainly aren’t flawless, the fact that I use a ( pretty major ) mod is proof enough of that. But IMO nothing else comes close to their depth as historical strategy games. ---
**Author:** ![Headrush042](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a5b964/32.png) [@Headrush042](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Headrush042)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/46 "2009-02-06T05:03:27Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#): > > Other than that, there’s the usual WoW, and I’m thinking of trying out Mass Effect. (Was Mass Effect one of those games whose PC version has horrible DRM?) Well, other than _all_ DRM being horrible, not really – as far as DRM goes, ME was a pretty painless install/play for me. There’s a small percentage of people whose configurations + DRM completely trash the game for them, so you might want to check the official tech support forums to see. Great game, by the way! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/47 "2009-02-06T05:18:23Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > Any particular thing bug you? They have a steep learning curve to be sure and they’re fairly heavy on the micromanagement as such things go ( better than Victoria, though ). Beyond that they certainly aren’t flawless, the fact that I use a ( pretty major ) mod is proof enough of that. > > But IMO nothing else comes close to their depth as historical strategy games. It didn’t have any ebb and flow. A strategy guide may have worked. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/48 "2009-02-06T06:05:09Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > How is Vampire bloodlines? I’m nerdy enough that I used to tabletop some Vampire (and Hunter, and Werewolf) and the only video game of the World of Darkness stuff I ever played was Hunter: The Reckoning for either ps1 or 2, I forget. Wasn’t particularly impressed. Mind giving a little mini-review of VtM Bloodlines? I’m almost done playing it for the first time. I never played the tabletop VtM game, so I can’t really compare the two, but…well…it’s a game by Troika, therefore it’s good. I’m not thrilled with the combat (I like turn-based combat), and once you get into missions they tend to kinda be on rails, but it’s still well worth playing. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/49 "2009-02-06T06:35:33Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > I’m almost done playing it for the first time. I never played the tabletop VtM game, so I can’t really compare the two, but…well…it’s a game by Troika, therefore it’s good. I’m not thrilled with the combat (I like turn-based combat), and once you get into missions they tend to kinda be on rails, but it’s still well worth playing. wow, that sounds pretty good. Loved the only Troika game I ever played (Arcanum) and was a huge fan of the first two Interplay Fallout games. I’d definitely be willing to give VtM-bloodlines a chance. It’d probably even run on my laptop, hehe (didn’t realize the Source engine was almost five years old already) uuarg, too many games to play, so little time ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/50 "2009-02-06T06:53:46Z")
Oh, I should note that apparently the released version was buggy as hell. I’m running it with the official patch and the most recent unofficial patch put out by Wesp. ---
**Author:** ![PopeJewish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@PopeJewish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PopeJewish)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/51 "2009-02-06T07:04:28Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > Oh, I should note that apparently the released version was buggy as hell. I’m running it with the official patch and the most recent unofficial patch put out by Wesp. linky? I live in Japan and usually can’t wait for things to come, so I order games online, then just download a pirated version and play that. Come to think of it I did that back in the States, too. I have a binder full of games I’ve never even put in my disc drive… 😛 Actually, that’s not technically true. I uninstall the game after I play through it, then if I ever reinstall it (like, say with NWN2 or Black&White2) I just grab the disc instead of redownloading. Does that make me weird? ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/52 "2009-02-06T14:44:42Z")
**Fallout 3** on PC, though I’m at level 20 and on the verge of finishing the game, I like wandering around and don’t feel like starting a new character. **Patrician 3** , looks like a great game, but I’m having trouble getting the hang of it. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/53 "2009-02-06T19:09:34Z")
I’ve been trying to [catch the damn cat](http://gamedesign.jp/flash/chatnoir/chatnoir.html). ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/54 "2009-02-06T19:44:40Z")
Rock Band 2 on the PS3. Day of Defeat (the original) on the PC. And my weekly multiplayer with my friend has been various zombie mods for Half Life 2, including [Zombie Master](http://www.zombiemaster.org/media.php). ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/55 "2009-02-06T19:48:45Z")
My two newest games (all on PS3): \*Call of Duty: World at War \*and _Shaun White Snowboarding_. Also in the not to distant past, I’d been playing _Midnight Club: Los Angeles_. Mostly, my time lately has been with an old favorite – \*MLB The Show 08 \*… I like it so much, I’m not sure if I’ll pony up for the 09 version. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2009, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/56 "2009-02-06T21:06:59Z")
I’m still waiting for **Fallout 3** mods to come into their own (some of the stuff is really good already, though) so I started up a new game of **Oblivion**. With FCOM. My god that was a pain in the ass to set up but it is such a huge improvement. I’ve also been playing a bit of the **Quake Live** beta. Ah, playing good 'ol Quake 3 brings back memories of my high school computer lab. ---
**Author:** ![fusoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@fusoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fusoya)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/57 "2009-02-07T00:24:13Z")
STILL playing Dragon Warrior 3…man, it’s a long one, and DW4 is even longer…it’s all part of my NES-a-day challenge, which is why I usually stick to games without passwords or saves. also replayed through Castlevania: Symphony of the Night earlier this week. My favorite game of all time; perfectly constructed. Also been dabbling around in Portal, another great game. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/58 "2009-02-07T03:36:24Z")
> [@PopeJewish](#): > > linky? Patches are available [here](http://www.patches-scrolls.de/vampire_bloodlines.php). ---
**Author:** ![Windwalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/5e9695/32.png) [@Windwalker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Windwalker)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/59 "2009-02-07T18:07:52Z")
I’ve been playing **FIFA '09** for the Nintendo DS. It’s probably the best soccer game I’ve ever played, a huge improvement from **FIFA '08** and **FIFA '06**. **'06** moved smoothly, but it had a very video game feel to it, as players could immediately turn in any direction without transition time, and steals were basically one player slamming into another. **'08** was more realistic, but the animation was very choppy, which made for a sloppy playing experience. **'09** finally gets it right, as the players move realistically as they switch directions, they confront each other realistically for the ball (approach angle matters a lot now), there’s an option to do fancy moves to try to maintain possession, the touchscreen is used only for PKs and corners, and the animation is pretty much smooth as silk. I don’t think they can improve much on this version, as they’re probably pretty close to the NDS’s hardware limit. I’d love to be proven wrong, though! (as a random note, I find it vaguely amusing that soccer games are my favorite video sports games, even though I never follow professional soccer outside of the World Cup and haven’t played the sport myself in 10 years or so) ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [February 7, 2009, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520/60 "2009-02-07T20:07:32Z")
I’ve just started playing EVE Online again, after giving it a brief try a few years ago. I’m rather intrigued by the shakeup going on in the game right now, even though I’m way too new to worry about getting mixed up in all of it right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-everyone-playing-video-games/484520.md?page=4)