What we’re playing

This is going to get long, as it’s a first-impressions post for some of these games, and probably more than you’d care to read. Here’s what we’ve been playing.

Tony:
360:
Soul Calibur IV– When I worked in an arcade, I was a HUGE fighting game gamer. Street Fighter 2, MK and MK 2 were my personal favorites. Since then, however, I haven’t played a ton of fighting games. I had Killer Instinct Gold and MK3 for the N64. But recently, I started picking them up again. First with DOA 3 and now Soul Calibur.

I’m still in the buttonmashing (duh) phase of my play-through, but I’m already hooked on the customization and unlocking. Can’t get enough of it. SC IV looks great and handles very well. I’m not fully comfortable with all the moves and combos but I’m getting the hang of it. I’ve got a long way to go, however. I got into a ranked game online the other night and got beat down pretty good. The guy I was fighting was pulling off five and six hit combos while I was flailing around trying to hit him.

I’ll be playing SC IV for a while.

Battlefield: Bad Company– BF:BC has been out for a while now and has received relatively good reviews. As a single player game, it’s got a certain charm that separates it from other military shooters. I’m enjoying it thus far. I haven’t given the multiplayer a try yet, and since this is a GameFly rental, I doubt I will. It’s going back in the mail soon. But still a pretty fun game.

GW2 – If you’ve seen me on Live lately, this is probably what I’ve been playing. I love the original Geometry Wars and GW2 is six times better. With the six different game modes, each one with a hook, I’m loving it. The integration with hi scores and your friend’s list is genius. Everytime you play a game, up in the corner where the high score is displayed, shows the score of whoever on your friends list has a higher score than you do. It’s absolute genius. Every time I play a game I’m reminded that I need to catch Greg on Pacifism, Kim on Evolved and Masem on just about everything else.

Pacifism, the game where you don’t get to shoot (you know, in a shooting game), is by far my favorite game mode. While they’re all a blast, I find myself playing Pacifism more than any other.

Grand Theft Auto IV– Even though I finished GTA IV a while ago, I still love to throw it in for a few minutes and get my quota of run-down pedestrians. Once I get enough sidewalk surfing, I’m on to another game.

PC:
I’ve also been playing a few games on the PC, but mostly brower-based.

Corpse Craft – This is another one of those links I saw come across the Twitter wire. I don’t remember who linked this one but I’ve been playing it non-stop. The easiest way to explain Corpse Craft is to combine Bejeweled and an RTS-lite game. Then, take those two games and throw in Zombies. Yeah, I know, your mind is blown. Just check it out.

Also, check out Whirled while you’re at it. It’s another flash-based gaming site, a-la Kongregate, complete with achievements and other perks.

The last game I’ve been spending time with is another browser based game called Fallen Sword. It’s a simple little RPG, with a bit of an MMO-feel. It’s all turn based combat and moves, but it’s a bit addicting. I always sneak in a few turns any time I sit down at the PC.

So that’s what I’ve been playing. I know Nat will be updating this post later as well with his current line-up.

(And here I am…)Nat:
360
Too Human: I think you’ve heard enough from me about it.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed: I feel that this game, while good, is so full of lost potential that I hope to have it competed by the end of this week in order to get a good trade for it. There are some “wow!” moments, and there are some “what?” moments. I generally give out a lot of “sigh” moments.

PS3
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction: This is a game that is just fun to play. It helps that it’s a visual treat as well.

The Last Guy, Pain, Super Stardust HD, and Everyday Shooter: I’m finding some of the offerings on the PSN Store to be a real treat. I spend most of my time here.

PSP
Exit: I played the demo on XBLA and loved it. The style. The pacing. It fits. I don’t know why I never bought it. I guess I wanted to play it on the PSP first. Finding it for $10 was the best game deal I’ve had all year. It’s my, ahem, toilet title.

PC
Spore: I don’t know why I purchased this. I’ve played it a total of five times, and I think I may be done with it. I’ve not even reached the beloved space stage. I’d rather just create creatures and vehicles.

What I’ve not been playing.
The DS or the Wii. When we do play the Wii, it’s Bloom Blox.

(…and now back to Tony: Nat)

What have you been playing?

The Holiday break my have already ended for some of you, but for some of us, it’s just getting started. Mrs. Buttonmasher’s parents came to town to take two of the munchkins back to their place for a while, so it will just be me, the missus and the baby buttonmasher. I’m not heading back to work for a few more days, so I’ve got lots of gaming time on my hands. Here’s what I’ll be playing:

Pokemon Diamond – I wanted to finish Pokemon before I dive into Phantom Hourglass, but I’ve been stuck in the same place for about two weeks, making very little progress, so I did that which I hate — I went to GameFAQs for some “hints”. I’ve finally made it past the latest roadblock, but I had no idea how deep this game really is. I think I’m slowly closing in on the end. I’m about to take out the sixth (of eight) gym leaders so I figure I’m just about done.

On the 360, I’d really like to finish up a couple games I started earlier, Bioshock and Halo 3. Once I get those two in the bag, I’ll make my way back to Mass Effect to get some time there. I’ll probably try to work on a few more achievements from games I’ve left behind (Forza, NCAA 2008). Of course, now that the hand is about 80%, I’ve been able to play some Halo 3 on Live. That’s always a good time. I should probably pick up Puzzle Quest on XBLA, but I may hold off on that. There’s just too much gaming at the moment.

I posed the “what you playing” question to Nat and it looks like it’s all 360 for him: Call of Duty 4, Mass Effect, and getting 1000 achievement points on Assassin’s Creed. (Ninja edit: I’m going to add to this. Some things have changed since he asked me a week ago.-Nat) I made the mistake of picking up a second PSP (Thank goodness for Visa Sony points!) in order to play Playstation Network games. Beats is an interesting title that uses MP3s on your memory stick to play a game that is similar to Boom Boom Rocket on Xbox Live. I also made the mistake of starting Final Fantasy Tactics. I’m finding that to be easier than it was almost ten years ago. We’ve also been watching movies like crazy at our house. We picked up an HD-DVD player from Sam’s at a great price. Batman Begins? Yes, please. (Now back to Tony. – Nat)

On the blogging front, I’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, a lot of things I’m excited about. I’d like to finish our “Games of the Year” post before the new year, but it may not make it by then. I’ve also got some new developments on the gaming front, but we’ll tackle those soon enough.

What games have you been playing? Any good Christmas loot?

What we're playing

What we’re playing

What we’re playing, Holiday Break Edition