WRUP: An early harvest

by Alexander Sliwinski on Feb 24th 2012 10:00PM

Better question this week: What aren't you playing? The floodgates are open and the year is off to a strong start with almost too much to choose from.

What's everyone playing?

[Image: Michael Krug Photography]

Alexander Sliwinski (@XanderSliwinski): Must play Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, but I may have accidentally pocketed the copy of SSX that Ben is supposed to review.
Ben Gilbert (@RealBenGilbert): Doin' flips and shit in SSX all weekend, with a super fresh review coming on Feb. 28. KEEP IT LOCKED!
David Hinkle (@DaveHinkle): I'll be going through Alan Wake's American Nightmare during the night hours this weekend. The rest of the time I'll probably be one of the handful of people playing Gears of War 3 online. So close to 100!
JC Fletcher (@jcfletcher): I'm going to infiltrate a Russian jungle wearing a giant picture of my cat.
Jess Conditt (@JessConditt): Borderlands, Borderlands, does whatever a Siren can; shoots a bandit, smallish size; catches skags, just like flies -- Lookout! Here come the Borderlands.
Jordan Mallory (@Jordan_Mallory): I am going on a Journey.
Ludwig Kietzmann (@LudwigK): I'm reaping what I've sown.
Mike Schramm (@MikeSchramm): I am strongly considering participating in a game jam this weekend and making my own game. Otherwise, it'll be Kingdoms of Amalur. And not SSX. I hate you, Ben.
Richard Mitchell (@TheRichardM): I may dip into the hard mode on Asura's Wrath. Beyond that (deep breath): Super Mario 3D Land, Lumines: Electronic Symphony, Nexuiz, Blazblue: Continuum Shift, Skyward Sword. When I'm not doing that, I'll be reading Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
Steven Wong: Finishing up the single player for Syndicate this weekend, then aggressively upping my company stock in multiplayer.
Xav de Matos (@Xav): A little Alan Wake's American Nightmare between constant replays of the Unit 13 demo on my Vita.

Tags: what-are-you-playing, wrup

Reader Comments (57)

Really jealous of Jordan. ahhhhhh, can't wait.

Playing Saints Row The Third.
Dirt3.
Warhammer 40'000 Space Marine.
Half-Life 2.

I came down with the flu last week, so in my drug filled, bug filled haze, I started up a shit ton of games. I don't know why I did that, but I now feel compelled to actually try and finish all of them. As of right now I'm playing:

1. Jade Empire for the old Xbox

2. Dragon Age 2 for the PS3

3. Tales of Eternia for the PSP

4. Xenosaga 1 for the PS2

5. Evolution Worlds for the Gamecube

6. Super Mario RPG for the SNES on the Wii

7. Final Fantasy 8 for the PSOne

@FinalFantasyXIIIsucks

Dude, that is WAY too many RPGs at once. Why not just play one to completion then boot up the next?

@Punkrawk Bbob

you don't know jrpg fanatics do you?

@PR0F3TA

On the contrary, I am one. It's just when I like a game, I keep playing it. I don't jump to another game. With massive stories generally you lose details and references from early points if you break it up that much. You start each session scratching your head and going "huh...? where was I supposed to go now... what's this skill do? Why does that dog have a pipe in it's mouth?" - I usually equate it to watching LotR entirely over a day or two max versus stopping it each hour and waiting a week to play the next bit. You do enough similar things and you start crossing stories / characters / mechanics and I feel lose some appreciation of the product.

obviously this is just my preference though. =P I'm just happy someone other than me still plays JRPGs.

Playing the SSX demo in anticipation of Tuesday; everything feels so right about it and the fun is still there. Also Jeff Minter's "latest" iOS title Gridrunner which is as addictive as they come. He really "gets" iOS gaming and this could be the best title yet.

Friend just came from the US and so he brought me

a) Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning (Fantastic)
b) TES V: Skyrim (sealed, will play in a few days)
c) RAGE (Meh and an 8 Gbs install... :C)
d) Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (LOVE IT)
e) Modern Warfare 3 (actually this was a loan from a friend and i hate it)
f) 60 bucks in PSN cards, so i preordered Mass Effect 3 (PSN)

Not only im poor now, BUT there's not enough time in the world :P

@UnnXandros I find it concerning that you chose lego pirates of the caribbean over skyrim

@SuperBread

Well it was either Amalur or Skyrim and i chose Amalur, once im done with it, I'll jump to Skyrim. On the other hand. Lego Pirates is a fun "drop-in; drop-out" game and at the moment is my "in between games"

Well........I finally finished my 100% completion of Pikmin 2. It's only been almost 8 years.

@Dooliss I really really love that game. I was kind of reminded by your comment of the shriek of terror I made the first time that fatass caterpillar thing rolled over most of my Pikmin. So many of my little friends, lost...

@MarkezJM

I don't know, I still have nightmares about the Waterwraith. Behind its cute mask, that game could be pretty damn scary.

Dark Souls (as always), Vanquish (when not Dark Soul'ing), Mass Effect 2 on PC (when not Vanquish'ing) and hopefully Alan Wake's American Nightmare & Warp this weekend (when not Mass Effect'ing).

It's a Vita weekend! Playing Hot Shots, Uncharted and Katamari. Between that, may sneak in some Gears 3 and Resident Evil 4 HD.

@Hoops

Vita-VIta-VITa-VITA!

Yeah, I'll be playing some Vita too.

Just purchased American Nightmare this evening and I'm also working on Duke Nukem Forever and Fallout 3 GOTY on from the Steam holiday sales. I need to get back to Amnesia too. I've had gaming ADD here lately!

Deus Ex: Human Resources, Sakura Samurai, and Resident Evil: Revelations. I'll be jumping into Dillon's Rolling Western as soon as I finish Sakura Samurai. I hope Nintendo can keep up the eShop goodness.

Bought Skyrim right when I got to the last dungeon in Last Odyssey, which someday I hope I have the will-power to finish. Checking my game drawer... I also see Shadows of the Damned and Singularity sitting there unfinished... And man, every time I see my GC Simpsons Hit n' Run and Chibi Robo I always really really want to play them again. Blah. Skyrim it is...

@MarkezJM

Singularity was surprisingly good when I got it a few months back

@Faenix

I honestly think Singularity was one of the best games I played last year. I'm sure only paying $15 or so helped with that decision, but the game was just seriously FUN!

And I always love dynamic ragdolls being used when enemies die... That never gets old.

@liquidsoap89

yeah Im sure me getting it for $10 at a blockbuster closing sale helped my decision, but it was still an enjoyable game. Didnt completely feel like the typical FPS to me, though the last part of the game made me feel like a total badass - and I loved it.

i was also surprised with how creepy some parts where, didnt expect that... or maybe im just a damn wimp? lol

Uncharted: Golden Abyss, Rayman Origins, Super Stardust Delta

... and Skyrim.

@Goldenswo140

I will always and forever upvote anyone who is playing Rayman: Origins.

Somehow I keep coming back to the ME3 demo.

having a retro weekend... downloaded some games from GoG:

Baldur's Gate II - going to try a Monk build, as never tried it yet in all my playthroughs.
Unreal Tournament 2k4 - LAN with my brother and some friends on saturday.. hurray! pew pew!
and finally going to try Celtic Kings... and if i am feeling really ambitious I might even try beating Aquanox 2 finally....

Some Saints Row the Third and maybe some Serious Sam 3. Might fit in some Just Cause 2 and Dead Island.

Unpacking the Gears of War edition Xbox I just got for my birthday and jumping into GoW3, assuming I can tear myself away from Skyrim and Alan Wake's American Nightmare, both of which are keeping me up till 3 a.m. most nights.

Still playing Twisted Metal. I know. I suck. It's just crazy fun. Just waiting for that patch that hopefully fixes mp, and I'm good to go until Binary Domain gets here.

Alan Wake's AN, Captain America, Fallout 3 maybe...

I made the mistake of starting a Civ 5 game for the first time in about a year...

I'll probably emerge victorious around monday or so...

GOODBYE CRUEL WORLD!

Finally got around to RDR. Soon I will decide what was GOTY 2010! ;)

Oh, and some Blur with friends online. It saddens me that we will probably never see a sequel to this most enjoyable arcade racer.

thats an awesome photo! im thinking of majoring in photography :3 or maybe acting. @_@ but thats off topic, im gonna play ME1 as renegade femshep and carry her over to ME2. then probably a "idgaf i do w/e i feel like!" male shep :3 maybe some skyrim too.

Syndicate. It's surprisingly fun, once you get past the mediocre story.

Going on 50 hours on Kingdoms of Amalur, a fantastically addicting game. And if the server issues get fixed, I'll probably try to get some Starhawk beta rounds as well. Good times.

@wallywallas
im so jelly! T-T i want kingdom of amalur sooooooooo bad! i know the gameplay is awesome but hows the story? is it mediocre or is it actually good?

@Knives Chau

The story is good. Not great. KOAR is an RPG that focuses on Combat, not story. Its the Polar Opposite of Skyrim, as an example

Skyrim = Amazing story, amazing world, decent combat

KOAR = Decent story, Decent world, amazing combat

Just finished Kingdoms of Amalur, pretty much did everything I came across and sunk 82 hours into it. I'm sort of a trophy lover so I'm kicking myself I didnt make sure I was on hard so I could platinum it.. lol

Not sure what to play now as I wait for Mass Effect 3, probably finish the PS+ games I have never even tried.. or maybe boot up RAGE that I got for $30 two months ago lol

I'll be attempting to beat my brother's scores on the SSX demo, and maybe I'll get the last few persuasions for my Kingdoms of Amalur platinum. Ah, and some BF3 with my friends during the nights.

Playing kingdoms of amalur right now should have it finished up by the time ME3 and Street Fighter x Tekken drops.

Looking like lots of Battlfield 3, some Gears of War 3 for digger/auto snipes weekend, and wrapping up Super Mario 3D Land.

Seriously though, what the shit is with all the requirements for the final level? Get 5 stars by beat the game, clear all stages, defeat bowser again after clearing all the extra levels, obtain all the big coins, and then clear all levels with Mario AND Luigi AND gotten the top of each flagpole? This is insane, and I'm doing it. Really wish 3DS had cheevies/trophy system =P

SWTOR for me this week-end: cannot stop playing it since I bought it 3 weeks ago.

I'll be playing Virtua Tennis 4 and my other Vita games all weekend. Also, can anoyone tell me how to get my avatar to update? Ive tried PNGs and JPEGs of varying sizes and it still doesn't change.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through my new file on Mass Effect 2, and I've got the next 14 hours do do something about that as I get ready for 3. Also need to finish the Amular demo to get my omniblade.

Now replace all those words with Mass Effect and talk like a pokemon!

Ok, these guys are awesome. Still playing Borderlands and BlazBlue, and when they're not, they're wishing they were playing SSX. Three of my favorite games ever there. Well, I hope SSX ends up on that list, at any rate. Waiting for my slow internet to get the demo.

TERA Online CBT2

Skyrim. Trying to buy a house in Markarth.
Modern Warfare 3 and Pokemon Pearl. I'm gonna finally complete my pokedex!

Mainly smudging up the vita this weekend. Hot shots golf and tales from space for me.

Trying to wrap up ME2, just did the Overlord DLC, such a great story. Then hopefully starting Darkness 2 or Amalur. Hopefully watching Archer while playing some Uncharted; Golden Abyss.

I finally got WiFi in my apartment (I know, sad really), so I've been downloading all kinds of stuff on my 3DS. It's like a whole different system now. Currently playing through VVVVVV and Mighty Switch Force. The former is absolutely phenomenal.

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WRUP: An early harvest

Reader Comments (57)

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:07PM Brett from Atlanta said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:10PM Indigo X said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:15PM FinalFantasyXIIIsucks said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 6:46AM Punkrawk Bbob said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 8:59AM PR0F3TA said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 1:21PM Punkrawk Bbob said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:20PM Hong Dong said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:20PM UnnXandros said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 7:07PM SuperBread said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 7:30PM UnnXandros said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:22PM Dooliss said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:33PM MarkezJM said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:29PM Dooliss said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:23PM andrewpoe said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:26PM Hoops said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 12:34AM GreenElf said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:28PM The Tim said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:28PM A Sandwich said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:29PM MarkezJM said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:44PM Faenix said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:20PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:53PM Faenix said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:31PM Goldenswo140 said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 12:12PM The Pork said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:45PM Andrew12h said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:45PM Omnistatic said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 10:49PM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:03PM Chief Oddball said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:05PM civilciv said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:14PM captplut9465 said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:21PM liquidsoap89 said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:21PM Pure Black World Tendency said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:24PM Knives Chau said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:36PM gtakiller0914 said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:43PM wallywallas said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:45PM Knives Chau said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 8:24AM Rasral said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:56PM Faenix said

Posted: Feb 24th 2012 11:57PM SteveoftheGods said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 6:49AM AbsoluteZero273 said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 6:53AM Punkrawk Bbob said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 6:59AM peyo01 said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 7:12AM shadowphoenix said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 8:35AM HobbitGamer said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 9:20AM musicssound said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 9:50AM DarkSonata said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 9:51AM TheTARDIS said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 11:17AM althekiller said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 11:30AM Hawkz900 said

Posted: Feb 25th 2012 12:15PM The Pork said

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