Video game talk, anyone?

Yeah, I've been using guides, being careful not to spoil any plot points.

Anyone playing the Starbound Beta?

Anyone want to contribute to the Hugs and Hisses has new games but no time to play them because of stupid fucking work way-early retirement fund?

The annoying thing about the Last of Us is I'll have to buy it now since I was borrowing it from my nephew.

I know most people's opinion tends to end up middle of the road, and mine might as well, but two hours into Beyond: Two Souls I am absolutely enthralled.

I love the fractured timeline and vignette-style presentation.

*Spoilers, I guess*

The "Party" chapter achieved the perfect sense of unease and isolation. I can understand the feelings that chapter was all about. Plus, has a better decision point ever been offered than simply: "Escape / Revenge".

The "Hunted" chapter was one of the most exciting action set pieces I've experienced in a game this year. I get that my successes and failures have little if any effect on the ultimate outcome, but it really feels as if there are hundreds of different ways it could go. Much like the driving and disfigurement scenes from Heavy Rain, that sense of fear and desperation were absolutely palpable. It hits in the gut.

Xbox 360 owners!

The Wolf Among Us Episode 1 is FREE

I think you can purchase it via the xbox marketplace website, just need to sign in with your XBL id

marketplace.xbox.com/en-CA/Product/The-Wolf-Among-Us/66acd000-77fe-1000-9115-d80258411216

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons was also cheap on Xbox Live, just under $5.00. (Don't think it is any more)
Along with the Steam sale, I can't complain on what to play over the next few weeks.

I finished Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag this weekend. I was trying to drag finishing it out a bit, since I'm not ready to let it go. I was doing some sandboxy shit, thinking I had maybe one or two more main missions to go. Then I hit a button that relaunched the main story, and I discovered I had exactly one cut scene to go before the credits. D'oh! I'm the worst gamer alive.

Make sure that you have stocked up on Paxil (or some other anti-depressant) to help deal with the BLEAKNESS.  

Despite that, I still consider it to be my favorite gaming experience and would love to be able to go back and play it again for the first time.  It was a beautiful game for the PS3 and I would love to see how much the graphics get upgraded for the PS4.  

We bought Okami in HD for the PS3 (having previously played through the game on the PS2) and it's worth every penny. So beautiful - like playing a painting. Maybe it's a little too easy and definitely too talky, but I love it. I wish there were more games like it. Are there?

Okami is my favourite game.

Just finished BioShock Infinite's Burial at Sea: Episode 2 DLC. I'm exhausted by the conjecture surrounding BioShock. But as someone who has reconciled that game's issues with the fact that I'm entertained by it, I thought the series ended on a solid note. The slower, reduced combat worked wonders for the pacing set in Infinite, honoring the sense of exploration Columbia and Rapture demand. Environments that became corridors you had to rush through in Infinite and episode one felt like places you naturally got to explore the details of as you progressed. Playing as Elizabeth was also great because by this point she felt like a real character (her booksmarts, empathy, perseverance, etc. were tastefully weaved throughout). The "twist" on Daisy Fitzroy was probably too little, too late considering the rest of the bullshit this episode was tasked with tying up. But given that we're living in the world of the beta launch and the particular relationships developers wind up forming with their audience in this medium, I think an unmistakable "rewrite" such as this was considerate and, as many critics of Infinite would agree, more believable than what was initially offered with that character. It also works with the dimension-bending jazz of Infinite, the game's most liberating and destructive narrative tool.

That last point kind of sums up my feelings on the franchise at this point. Levine's universe is inherently meaningless, and with the perspective you're granted in that game you're encouraged to see it as the stories of confused folks full of existential half-truths that keep spinning their wheels for the drama of it all. I think that amounts to some good fun and legitimate wonder. I'm not really interested in BioShock saying Important Things About Society, because the more I've played the more I'm convinced Levine and Irrational didn't want to talk about them either. BioShock is fine being pulpy adventure stories. There's a place for those, especially when they're distinctly brought to life in this medium.

Just get a SP. Way better.