Where is 2011 going? It’s already a week into March, and I feel like time for playing games is just slipping through my fingers. I was going to see if I could make a joke about pixels and grains of sand in there, but it kind of fell through last second. Don’t judge me.
As we have no doubt beaten the issue beyond death by now, you probably already know that 2011 is the year of the gaming assault. Already we’ve had some stellar titles, and we’ve barely even scratched the surface. Nearly every single month for the rest of the year is going to have some kind of landmark release (or several), and for March that title is Dragon Age 2. Naturally, we thought it was time to check in with another edition of the Gaming Pop Quiz. You know, because of the dragons and all.
As always with our getting-to-know-you type games, feel free to answer with as much or as little as you like. Answer to the best of your ability. Go!
1. What games from last year are you still playing?
2. What feature would excite you more: Co-op in Mass Effect 3 or co-op in Skyrim?
3. Have you ever created anything for a game with user tools?
4. What’s the next game you plan to purchase?
5. What’s the last game you downloaded over PSN/XBLA/Steam?
6. Do you feel any shame about lowering a game’s difficulty or playing it on the easiest setting?
7. What game that is not currently released do you wish you were playing right this second?
1: Battlefield: Bad Company 2
2: Skyrim. Mass Effect is MY story and MY character the fun of that game is comparing it to the characters that others have played. In Oblivion my brother and I would race each other to see who finished guild quests first and argue about which guild was better and what was the best town to buy a house what better way to settle the argument then to play Co-op? Mass Effect needs its story to stay unique to you, but the Elder Scrolls world was made to be shared.
3: Yes, I got into the source sdk tools earlier this year and have been loving it! I spent about 150 hours in two weeks just playing around and learning the ins and outs of the engine. Its hard to explain just how good it feels to imagine a level in your head and then to see it fully realized on screen after hours/days of hard work, it gave me goosebumps.
4: Portal 2, I am still finishing DA:O and will wait for a steam sale to get DA2. What excites me about Portal 2 is that Valve never says half of whats n there game, and they have already said a tun about all the new features in Portal 2 so just imagining what else there is to find is making me count the minutes. I am also looking forword to The Witcher 2, I loved the first and am really exited a bout what CD project Red does with it.
5: I got C&C red alert 3 on a steam sale for the Co-op.
6: I feel no shame in lowering the difficulty (TES:Oblivion dificulty slider FTW!) I have played a number of games on easy if I have a large back catalog of games I need to finish before buying new ones. CoD WaW was victim to this.
7: Its a toss up between Portal 2, Uncharted 3, Mass Effect 3, and HL2 ep3, hay you did not specify unreleased games THIS year so I can say ep3 if I like!!! I am going to go with Mass Effect 3 because Portal 2 is almost here, I know what to expect from an Uncharted game, and I really want to see how Bioware finishes up the trilogy.
. Modern Warfare 2. To go back further, Rainbow 6 Vegas 2, but thats older.
2. Co-op in Skyrim. Could you imagine that?!? Raiding dungeons with your friends, completing missions with two people. There were mods to give you goonies to help out, now just imagine if one was your best friend.
3. I tried making houses in Oblivion’s Construction Set. It was hard and I couldn’t get the files right. I did, however, mess around with different effects on weapons and such, which I used in game for a while. Honestly I didn’t use most of them permanently. It felt like cheating.
4. For a lack of knowing the exact dates, I want to say its the next Ratchet and Clank game.
5. Hydro Thunder Hurricane
6. Depends on the game and in what mood you are in. For some games I do. I know I can beat COD on the hardest difficulty, its just…..hard. So when you know you can and you dont, yea I tend to feel bad.
7. Skyrim is what one would expect, but with my current computer, no. Right now, freakin Uncharted 3 would be awesome. Portal 2 is also acceptable.
1. BAD COMPANY 2 FOOLS!
2. Skyrim! I don’t think Mass Effect would suit it. Exploring an open world like Oblivion’s or Fallout’s with a fruend is something my friend and I have wanted to do for a long time.
3. Does LBP or Timesplitters’ level editors count? If so, then countless unbalanced multiplayer maps to give the bots little to no chance to win or easy trophy levels.
4. L.A. Noire because, technically, I’ve already bought DA2. Pre Orders ftw!
5. Can’t remember. DA2 demo mebbe?
6. Not really. If it’s too hard I’ll lower it. Or maybe getting the odd trophy I missed I’ll tone it down.
7. DA2, Uncharted 3 and Mass Effect 3. All equal in my DO WANT NOW. KZ3 shall keep me occupied.
1. Demon’s Souls, though that’s from 2 years ago. Alundra, though that’s from 13 years ago. Hm, nothing from last year actually. Did No More Heroes 2 come out last year? If so, then that.
2. Please God no…just leave them alone.
3. I’ve got a Little Big Planet level out there that I think 3 people played, and two of them are me and my brother. Does that count? I’m not sure I understand what “user tools” are? Is that PC specific?
4. Portal 2. If you had asked me a week ago, I would have said Dragon Age 2, but after playing the demo, I’m so disappointed with the writing and dialogue in just that short segment, I think it’ll just end up being the first game all over again. A lot of cool ideas but boooooooooooooooooooooooring.
5. Alundra and Costume Quest on the same day. Costume Quest was a lot of fun but short. Alundra, which is $9 cheaper, I am falling in love with. I played it when it came out on the PS1, but I got stuck somewhere and put it down. I may not have been as aware of online guides or maybe they weren’t around, I don’t know. Now, though, I’m absolutely loving it.
6. Not so much ethically bad, but I get disappointed in myself just the same. Like if I can’t beat the game in normal, why even play? If I do switch to easy, I won’t tell anyone…
7. Dark Souls…or Skyrim…but mostly Dark Souls.
1. Bad Company 2! I love the staying power this game has.
2. Co-op in Skyrim. Having a Shepard doppleganger in my ME3 game would ruin the experience.
3. Maybe a couple Forge maps?
4. Dragon Age 2.
5. X-Men Arcade. Welcome to die!
6. For Achievements, no. Actually, Red Faction Guerrilla was much more enjoyable on the easiest setting.
7. Mass Effect 3, obviously. LA Noire is a close second.
1. What games from last year are you still playing?
Do I even need to answer this? StarCraft 2 of course.
2. What feature would excite you more: Co-op in Mass Effect 3 or co-op in Skyrim?
No! Get your Co-op out of my awesome SP experience!
3. Have you ever created anything for a game with user tools?
No, I just had Eddy do that.
4. What’s the next game you plan to purchase?
Dragon Age 2. I’m so excited to jump into an epic fantasy RPG.
5. What’s the last game you downloaded over PSN/XBLA/Steam?
[Steam] Crysis 2 Demo. Me and my Crysis bro Mitch were pwning bitches.
6. Do you feel any shame about lowering a game’s difficulty or playing it on the easiest setting?
http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1938370
7. What game that is not currently released do you wish you were playing right this second?
Uncharted Effect 3: Skyrim
1. I’m playing FFVI which is from a million years ago. I’m also playing Infinity Blade on the iPhone. Up next? Demon’s Souls.
2. I’m with Nick, I’d prefer to keep these experiences single player, but just like Gadfly said earlier, Skyrim co-op could make for some majorly entertaining gameplay.
3. Thanks Nick. I’ve created lots of stuff in Hammer for Leet World, but as for use in a game, I’ve mostly messed with Forge, but even then not a whole lot. I’ve got the willpower to make stuff, but I just haven’t found a set of tools that has the depth and flexibility I’d like from a sandbox game as of yet.
4. I’ve already purchased Dragon Age 2 and Portal 2, so I guess that kind of rules those out. Beyond that? L.A. Noire.
5. Beyond Good and Evil HD and BttF episode 1!
6. I do feel some shame, but it doesn’t stop me from doing it. I lowered Dead Space 2’s difficulty just to ease the tension a bit, but in the end I still couldn’t hang. The game made me queasy after 4 chapters. Me = wuss.
7. Honestly, while I’m really excited about Mass Effect 3, I’ve seen so little of it that the biggest game in my mind right now is Skyrim.
1. Bad Company 2 and Halo Reach (does that count?). They finally fixed that weird server glitch in BC2 where you would start at 0xp. Very odd.
2. Co-op in ME3/Skyrim would be really interesting! I’d go with Skyrim Co-op because I’m not gonna get ME3, and non-MMORPG sword-fighting games don’t have enough First-Person Slasher multiplayer.
3. I have started many Halo 3 and Reach Forge maps and finished like 5% of them. Curse my laziness!
4. Brink & LA Noire, since they both come out on May 17. EPIC HIGH FIVE.
5. Like, um, BF1943 I think. Maybe Alien Swarm.
6. Not at all; I usually play on Easy or Normal difficulty when I play through solo story mode for the first time, whether it’s a short FPS Campaign or an Open World Story.
7. Brink & LA Noire, since they both are awesome.
1. Counter-Strike? BF:BC2, but very little
2. Neither.
3. Build your own park in Tony Hawks 3! Tenchu 2! The Max Payne level editor was great. But nothing ever worth playing.
4. Portal 2 / Deus Ex 3
5. [Steam] Crysis 2, but then I found out it was only a multiplayer demo and uninstalled that shit before even running it. So last played thing would be CS Pro Mod.
6. No, I usually play games I’ve been waiting for on Medium, but if it’s an older game that I just want to play for the story, I’ll throw it on Easy.
7. Deus Ex 3. Been waiting for that thing forever, it’s the new Half-Life 2 for me. Otherwise, of course, Portal 2. L.A. Noire looks awesome too.
1. None at the moment, although the last one I did play was Halo Reach about two weeks ago. That’s one I can always return to.
2. Neither. Hearing of those features in either game would nearly devastate me. Although the one I care the most about Mass Effect, has already been confirmed to be single player only. I nearly assaulted the offices of IGN when one of their editors said something along the lines of, “You have two squad mates, so why the hell is there no co-op?”
3. No, however I have fiddled with Dragon Age’s toolset and I plan to make something with it this summer.
4. Dragon Age 2, tonight.
5. Limbo. However I plan to get BGE soon.
6. Not at all. If the difficulty is affecting my enjoyment, then I turn it down. However I can have moments where I become stubborn and refuse to change it until I beat a certain part.
7. I would say Mass Effect 3, but I know it’s not anywhere near finished yet so I’ll go with Dragon Age. I’m not going to have nearly enough time to play it tomorrow unfortunately.
1. For the life of me I can’t think of one.
2. Co-op in Skyrim… I still haven’t played any Mass Effect games, I need to get on that.
3. I’ve probably created more than I’ve actually played.
4. If you count games that I’ve already prepurchased, then Portal 2… if not, then probably Duke Nukem Forever.
5. Over PSN: Scott Pilgrim Versus The World. Over Steam: Tomb Raider: Legend and Red Alert 3.
6. Yes. I always play through a game the first time on medium unless it’s a horror game, then I tend to go easy… if it’s an oldschool platformer game though, then I’ll almost definitely go on the harder difficulties.
7. Half-Life 2 Episode 3.
1. I’m still playing BFBC2… and that dinosaur of a game that is Rome: Total War.
2. Honestly, I don’t think that adding co-op would be a good thing for either game. So neither.
3. Nope.
4. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier or Supreme Commander (What? I like older games)
5. Hmm… I think that was the Original Call of Duty back when MW2 came out.
6. If it isn’t my first playthrough, I don’t care what the difficulty is at. But if it is my first playthrough, I need to complete it on Normal or one notch above it first.
7. Ghost Recon: Future Soldier or Mass Effect 3… Actually, Future Soldier because I still need to play ME2.
1. OMG, all of them! Black Ops a bit, thanks to the double exp weekend, Demon’s Souls again soon after that.
2. Neither, but Skyrim if I had to choose. Mass Effect is too story intensive for co-op.
3. Yes, a very shitty and unfinished LBP level called Saving Private Sackboy.
4. Uh…Gears of War 3? If I finish my backlog,lol.
5. Vagrant Story. PS1 classic, baby.
6. Nope. How I play is my bidness.
7. Mass Effect 3. URGE TO SCAN RISING.
1. Oh god, I’m still playing a ton of games from last year. You should see my backlog.
2. Probably Co-Op in Mass Effect 3. I liked Oblivion perfectly by myself, and I hope Skyrim stays singleplayer.
3. I once had a killer idea for a Fallout 3 mod, but I got burnt out the moment I started drafting up a story.
4. I’m hoping to purchase Infamous 2, but I’m not buying anything else until I clear out my backlog.
5. The last game I bought on Steam was Sonic Adventure DX. God I love that game.
6. I don’t feel much shame unless my stats are shared online. And no game I know of does that. So I’m cool.
7. Assuming I magically received an Alienware computer at the same time, Skyrim.
1. Mass Effect 2, DA: Origins-Ultimate Edition, and Assassins Creed 2
2. Probably Skyrim because co-op in Mass Effect 3 would ruin the narrative.
3. Only in Little Big Planet on the PSP
4. Assassins Creed: Brotherhood for the PC
5. Assassins Creed, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, and Far Cry 2 ( I bought the Ubisoft special for $13)
6. Lately i have, but usually not so much if the game seems impossible at the time.
7. Deus Ex: Human Revolution or Assassins Creed: Brotherhood. But now my excitement Deus Ex is down a lot since it is being released in August now.
And Nick, i would love to play Uncharted Effect 3: Skyrim.
1. What games from last year are you still playing?
Mass Effect 2, Pokemon Heart Gold, Dragon Quest IX, Borderlands (year before but its still good)
2. What feature would excite you more: Co-op in Mass Effect 3 or co-op in Skyrim?
I’d prefer neither, but if I had to choose I’d go for co-op in Skyrim.
3. Have you ever created anything for a game with user tools?
My friend and I had this grand plan of creating our own level for Team Fortress 2, but after we tried playing around with the SDK we discovered we had no idea what we were doing.
4. What’s the next game you plan to purchase?
Portal 2… No wait, Pokemon White comes out in Australia tomorrow.
5. What’s the last game you downloaded over PSN/XBLA/Steam?
Steam was VVVVVV. Great game, Music is awesome too.
6. Do you feel any shame about lowering a game’s difficulty or playing it on the easiest setting?
None at all, I mostly play games for the story so if I’m getting stonewalled by a particular level/area/boss I have no problems with dropping the difficulty
7. What game that is not currently released do you wish you were playing right this second?
Mass Effect 3 – no question.
Love all of these responses!