What We're Playing: The Last of Us Elder Scrolls Online Edition
Cliff Bleszinski says that running a bar is a lot like running a video game company. Though the next Mass Effect is still years away, the Mako is coming back to handle planetary exploration duties. And unconfirmed reports say GameStop will start handing out a credit card with a life-destroying 26.99% interest rate.
What are you playing this weekend?
Russell Archey, staff writer, @NeoScyther
I recently jumped back into Final Fantasy VII in my attempt to actually clear a Final Fantasy game for the first time in my life and finally hit the end of Part 1. Along the way I had to keep asking myself a question...one that I can't repeat here because it would contain a spoiler that I'm sure I'd still get blasted for, even though the game has been out for almost two decades now. This week I'm also prepping for football season a little early as I'm digging out my copy of Tecmo Super Bowl on the NES to begin recording some videos for YouTube. I'm hoping to take the Bengals as far as I can through pre-season and season mode—or at least better than they did in 1991 where they went 3-13. As a sign of things to come, while recording the first pre-season game for YouTube, the darn game froze up on me early in the fourth quarter. Sucks, too, as I had a great recovery on an accidental onside kick. I've also been recording some footage of the original Borderlands in preparation for a possible video review of that and, for the first time in five characters in that game, decided not to use a Siren. It's amazing how much fun the other classes can be when you actually try them.
Ben Berry, community manager, @Ben_M_Berry
Im jumping into AR-K Chapter 1 to play into the review for AR-K Chapter 2. And when I'm not playing that, I'll be working through the second alliance worth of quests in The Elder Scrolls Online.
Sean Cahill, staff writer, @GN_Punk
I dusted off my PlayStation 2 for some nostalgia, recently, and have jumped back into some of my old favorites. I have been playing through Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War and Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. I also pulled out The Simpsons: Road Rage because I remembered just how stupid fun that game truly was.
Sean Colleli, staff writer, @scolleli
I must have forgotten how many times I've played Doom II because I chewed through all 32 levels under a week of casual play. Now, onto Doom 64. The underappreciated gem of the series, Doom 64 was notable for redrawing all the sprites and textures based on high resolution renders that were pretty slick for 1997. The game also featured new sound effects and an unnerving, atonal soundtrack by legendary game composer Aubrey Hodges. Sadly, the game was overshadowed by Turok and GoldenEye when it was released, and was dismissed for using old-style sprite graphics; only recently has Doom 64 been rediscovered and appreciated for the action-horror masterwork it really is. Doom 64's mix of classic run-and-gun action and forbidding, gloomy horror made for a perfect transition from old-style Doom to the survival horror-style Doom 3, and the game's ending served as a fitting conclusion to the original series. For these reasons, many fans consider Doom 64 to be the "true" Doom 3, the end of the first trilogy that began with Ultimate Doom and continued in Doom II. The game is easy to find for N64, and there's a very accurate PC port called Doom 64 EX. Needless to say, I highly recommend it, and I'm looking forward to replaying this game on my march to the Doom reboot next year.
Jeremy Duff, senior staff writer, @Duff3c
This weekend will see me diving back into The Last of Us in its newly remastered form, as well as exploring my family lineage in Rogue Legacy. This all happens between sporadic matches in both Hearthstone and Marvel Puzzle Quest, two addictions that may land me in a rehabilitation center if something doesn't give soon.
Charles Husemann, editor-in-chief, @chusemann
I'm hoping that I'll have some time this weekend to focus on the remastered version of The Last of Us, as I barely got an hour into the original game. My fiancee watched me play a lot of the Destiny beta last weekend and wants to try out a shooter, so I might dig up Titanfall or a PC-based shooter so she can get her feet wet with the genre.
Randy Kalista, staff writer, @RandyKalista
I'm struggling to fill a big, beautiful, beta-shaped Destiny hole in my heart. I’m doing that with a round of Hearthstone here, a Skyrim character reroll there. But mainly I'll dip my toes into the Star Wars: The Old Republic waters again. I like playing the honorbound Sith and the Jedi that just doesn't get it. It's fuzzing up the lines between heroism and villainy quite nicely.
Jeff Kintner, staff writer, @JKTerrezas
I've made a little progress with my Second Quest into The Legend of Zelda. The fourth dungeon ended up having something like five bosses inside it, and I had to go back in three or four times to get the Triforce, both treasures, and purchase a bomb upgrade. Also, I got robbed by an old man in the middle of the dungeon! He literally told me, "Your money or your life," and I had to choose between giving him 50 rupees or one of my heart containers. Second Quest doesn't mess around, man. This is some prison rules Zelda. But I have emerged from the depths of the dungeon victorious, and am making my way towards the fifth dungeon. Considering I just picked up the raft, I have a pretty good idea of where it's going to be.
