Christmastime Gaming

[Archpaladin Zousha]

As finals week approaches I find myself thinking of all the wonderful video games I'm gonna get to play that I've missed out on for months while at college. Having gotten a bed during Thanksgiving Break, my mother's declared I don't need any Christmas presents. And after my D&D spending got dangerously close to emptying my account, I decided instead of bothering my parents for new games, I'd dig out my old ones and give another go at them

The trouble is, being an RPG fan, the games I play require a time commitment, and a big one at that. Coupled with work and French and exercise and such, I'm probably going to only have time for one video game to play. I'm not sure which one to go for. Could any of you offer your suggestions?

Here are the ones I have in mind (I only have a PC, so that's what all these games run on):

Neverwinter Nights 2 and Mask of the Betrayer: I've already been playing this, so it's not so much starting a new game as it is finishing up what I've got. Thing is I'm also tempted to wait on playing it until I can get my hands on the newly released Storm of Zehir expansion.

Oblivion and Shivering Isles: I used to get so much of a kick out of this game. I've been thinking of playing a new race (Redguard, specifically) and trying out the new Shivering Isles content. I've also been thinking about trying to talk my dad into getting the bonus content from OblivionDownloads (Knights of the Nine and such), but I don't know about that, given my financial situation.

Fable - The Lost Chapters: This a quick and easy game that I could probably finish within a couple weeks. But I've already played it several times, so there's nothing really to get excited over until Fable II comes out for PC, if it ever does at all.

Mass Effect: Oh my God did I ever have fun with this game during the summer! I love the cinematic feel of it. On the other hand, it's definately one of the longer games, and my siblings get ticked off whenever I play it (apparently when they try to use the computer after I've been playing on it, the sound doesn't work). Is the Bring Down The Sky bonus content available for free? If so I'll probably look into it.

Questions? Answers? Concerns? Criticisms? Flames?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

So no one has any suggestions? :smallfrown:

[Crispy Dave]

all the games there are great.

Neverwinter 2 isn't nearly as good as the first one but feel free to try it.

edit: Oblivion is nice because you can easaly hop on and off

[Archpaladin Zousha]

It's not a matter of trying. I've played through all these games at least once before. It's about which one I should replay.

[Myatar_Panwar]

Well if you haven't actually gone through the shivering isles yet, I would recommend Oblivion. The Isles are just plain awesome.

[Crispy Dave]

Ohh I didn't read your first post very well.

well its realy up to you between oblivion and mass efffect would be my choice but I have no idea what one I would pick.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Any other suggestions?

[Crispy Dave]

Any other suggestions?

well now that ive thought aout it Oblivion because its a different experience going Spell caster, melee and ranged.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Yeah, Oblivion got the most votes on another forum.

[Breltar]

Neverwinter 2 isn't nearly as good as the first one but feel free to try it.

I feel Storm of Zehir is the next best to the original campaign for NWN2 and MoTB comes in last. I would definitely suggest SoZ to play over the holidays as it is easier to save in the middle of something than the former campaigns were.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

I'm thinking I'll play Mass Effect again, maybe finishing the Original Campaign and Mask of the Betrayer for Neverwinter Nights 2 first. There's achievements on Mass Effect that I have yet to unlock, and I don't like leaving a game unfinished.

[Mushroom Ninja]

all the games there are great.

Neverwinter 2 isn't nearly as good as the first one but feel free to try it.

edit: Oblivion is nice because you can easaly hop on and off

Oh gods, how I loathed the railroadedness of NWN 1.

EDIT: oh were you talking about the expansion to NWN 2?

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Meh, railroading doesn't bother me. I find it easier to handle than a sandbox style game where you finish all the quests and are left with a big world, most of which you've probably already explored with the afformentioned quests, with nothing else to do but wander around carving up baddies and making enough gold to buy the whole province.

It's at that point I find myself saying, "What do I do now?!" and "Would it kill them to give an ending? You know, some closure?!"

[Bryn]

It's at that point I find myself saying, "What do I do now?!" and "Would it kill them to give an ending? You know, some closure?!"
Seems everyone else disagrees, considering the amount of, well, fallout over Fallout 3's ending. :smalltongue:

[Archpaladin Zousha]

See, I watched the YouTube clip of the ending and I thought, "Gee, that'd be a cool way to go!"

But then that may be me and my love of playing messiah-type characters.

[Inhuman Bot]

My suggestions, in order:

neverwinter nights 2: I don't understand all the hate this gets. I have a computer that can play some REALLY good system-reuqiring games, so that affects it. ANyways, I like this game quite abit, and the expansion pack Mask of the betrayer feels kind of like a cross between NWN: hordes of the underdak and Planescape: Torment in my opinion. (THough I've barely played the latter)

Fallout 3: FO 3 improved on several of the problems that oblivion had, and generally feels like it had more work done on it.
Endgame spoiler
except for that destiny bull**** of Fawkes' at the jefferson memorial rotunda

Fallout 1/2: I really liked this style of game, and many more people will be able to describe why it's awesome better then I can.

(fallout 2 is obtainable from here
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/fallout_2)

[Thiel]

Well, Fable has the advantage of not taking all that much time. It only took me some two days of sporadic gaming to complete it.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

My suggestions, in order:

neverwinter nights 2: I don't understand all the hate this gets. I have a computer that can play some REALLY good system-reuqiring games, so that affects it. ANyways, I like this game quite abit, and the expansion pack Mask of the betrayer feels kind of like a cross between NWN: hordes of the underdak and Planescape: Torment in my opinion. (THough I've barely played the latter)

Fallout 3: FO 3 improved on several of the problems that oblivion had, and generally feels like it had more work done on it.
Endgame spoiler
except for that destiny bull**** of Fawkes' at the jefferson memorial rotunda

Fallout 1/2: I really liked this style of game, and many more people will be able to describe why it's awesome better then I can.

(fallout 2 is obtainable from here
http://www.gog.com/en/gamecard/fallout_2)

Slaanesh, the reason I'm asking about this at all is because Fallout 3 is out of the question. I made the decision to not get any new games for Christmas and I'm sticking to it.

[Inhuman Bot]

@^ Ah, sorry. I had missunderstood the original post, it seems.

[Archpaladin Zousha]

Eh, it's okay. I plan on getting Fallout 3 when I have enough money. My bro wants it too.

[ivendale]

any other good game suggestions for Christmas? help would be apriciated

[Archpaladin Zousha]

That honestly depends on your preferences. I can't offer my opinion without knowing what you like.