This is what I feared with Eternal Darkness. I've seen the reviews and yet something just doesn't seem to click. I think it's mainly the graphics just don't make it look that scary. It seems more of an action adventure than a survival horror. I've also watched a few clips on youtube and it doesn't grab.

Although I'm pretty certain RE Zero was released a year or two after Eternal Darkness. I thought ED was released not long after the cube's launch, whilst zero was after the remake, which itself was about a year into the system's lifespan.

I found Eternal Darkness to be a good game, with a scary "Lovecraftian" atmosphere and terrific controls. However, a survival horror game it is not. More like thriller-action-adventure or something with emphasis on thriller and adventure. It's not worth the hype though.

Hmm why can't I edit my post?

Anyway.

Gradius V
Just got to the final (?) boss on stage seven on very easy using the ten continues I've earned so far. A challenging game has moved on to hard by stage 5 and insanely hard on stage 6. I more or less grinded my way to the boss of stage 7 before my lives were up. Superb game!

Ikaruga
I've only gotten to stage 3 on easy, but at the momemt I'm enjoying Gradius V more so I'll return to this later.

Geometry Wars Evolved 2
Just kicks money maker! Loads of fun with a friend, even though the only goal is to collect points or achievements.

Braid
Just one more puzzle piece on world 5... Ghaaaa! I can't figure out how to get it.

Grand Theft Auto IV
Superb game. I'm enjoying this a lot. Too bad there's no real coop mode.

*edited info above*

Sounds like you like your shmups. You should look into Gigawing Generation for the PS2. You should be right at home with that.

I normally do not have problems with aging graphics, only the way the reviewer totally overated a game that looks like it was developed on N64 (which in fact it was). I am missing immersion. Sure, the insanity effects is kinda cool, but things are less scary when you know what's going on. There are insanity effects in the game, but these effects starts to happen when your visual on-screen sanitybar goes low, and they are more fun than scary (such as turning off your monitor, or making it look like the game is deleting your savefiles).

I have played a few more levels and there have been some improvements on story but I still find the combat annoying and the dungeons boring. I really hate when it's the controls that become the challenging aspect of a game rather than game design. To chop off a head you must be close enough, push the aim button, push up, then attack. So far ok. But when you push the aim button, you freeze, and if you freeze too far from the monster you are trying to hit, you will miss and even if you wave your sword like a featherduster you wont hit it. Most monsters however, have a somewhat longer reach, so they hit you. Not to mention that when you are dealing with multiple nearby foes, aiming at the one closest to you is not a simple task, if it's even possible.

I also consider the spellcasting system to be out of place. Having the good old "health drinks" (silent hill) or herbs (Resident Evil) instead of the clunky spell system would not have been a bad idea. Right now, the only spell useful enough in combat is heal anyway, the rest are just for puzzles. Like, if an area looks enchanted, use dispell magic.

Resident Evil Remake: March 22, 2002
Eternal Darkness: June 23, 2002
Resident Evil Zero: November 21, 2002

Yeah, I've rediscovered my old love for games like Contra or Gradius. I really hope to see more quality "schmups" for the X360 as the achievment possibility makes for great replayability and bragging rights :)

I stand corrected. Sorry.

I know there's Wartech for the 360 but that's the only one I know of classic 2D shmups, and even then Wartech is technically a fighting game.

Yeah, I'd like to see more of the old skool videogames. I seem to be more and more into my pick and play casual games these days.

I decided to play Gradius V again after all this talk and, on medium settings, managed to get 2/3rds the way through level 4 before needing a continue (and quitting). I think there's about 8 levels in total so you've got a bit of a way to go, but persistancy is the way to victory.

And I love the soundtrack (by vagrant Story's Hitoshi Sakimoto). Once I get his music in my head it's no leaving for days.

I'm currently playing through Resident Evil Gamecube (if I haven't mentioned already). I'm on the courtyard house, I think it's called, about to face the sharks to the controll room. Really enjoying this game, although easy mode really is quite easy. I've about 15-20 mixed heal up herbs and over 100 pistol bullets and around 30 for the shotgun.

Only thing I don't like is on many occasions it's impossible to avoid zombies forever. The corrdors are just too tight to manuever past most of them. But setting them alight afterwards is always great fun. I should see this game to the end.

Resident Evil on the Gamecube is really the only game in the series I really enjoyed. Zero was good, but didn't stand out the others were just meh.

Zero was the part of the series which "fit together" the most IMO. The rest suffers a bit from inconsistency when it comes to environments (difficult to explain). I could however forgive this for RE and Codename Veronica because those actually had quite decent storylines. #2 and 3 were maybe a bit outdated when I played them. #4 feels incredibly overrated and broke the formula so bad that it kinda trashed the "survival horror" genré with it.

Some people want immersion and story, some just want action. Belonging to the first group simply sucks when you are in a minority.

I rememeber watching someone play Zero. Didn't like it straight away. It felt like an anime. Too OTT like Code Veronica.

RE 1, 2 and possibly Veronica remain the only REs I like. It's a shame they've gone down the action route now, and with the fourth installment the series is no longer even scarey.

I just started playing Obsidian again after having had it on hold for quite some time. I just got out from the cube shape with the different sides being different rooms.
I'm really in the mood for puzzles so this will be fun. :)

I've played through Halo 3 and Halo 2 on Legendary, so I figured I'd try it on Halo Combat Evolved. Unfortunately, Halo on Legendary is primarily a series of impossible firefights that will get the player killed over and over again. It's slow going.

Currently giving an old classic, Final Fantasy VII a go and I'm about 3 hours in. So far it seems to be a good game although with some childish dialogs. Also I'm not sure how I should respond to the arbitrary enemies that keep attacking me out of nowhere. Just recently I was attacked by a house which spat nukes at me... :crazy:

I'm also half way through Call of Duty 4 on Veteran. This game is everything I've hears it should be. Engaging and a thrill from the moment I start to when I quit. When I finish it I'm going online for the first time since buying my X360.

Neverwinter Nights 2

My Drow Wizard and his team are have just reached Owl Wells after some fun in Neverwinter helping out the City Watch defeat the local theft leader.

Come across an annoying gnome bard who if he doesn't shut up is getting the full force Fire wall up the yazzo and a +3 rapier in the neck.

Welcome to the world of Japanese RPGs. Get used to the random fighting, cos you're gonna have an awful lot of it.

I've spent too many hours on that game. Too bad I've had to level up characters on so many RPGs now that I can't be bothered to play any more that ask for the same thing.

I'm currently playing Jet Set Radio Future for the Xbox. I bought an Xbox again just to play that one game. I've got a few other Xbox games but I'm afraid most of the ones I've played so far haven't gripped me that much.

I'm not that far in JSRF, and I forgot just how hard it was to navigate around certain levels. I also don't always know what I'm supposed to do next. I'm in this rundown location looking for the PearlJam group or whatever they're called, but can't figure out how to get into the sewers. I'm certain I've done just about everything else in the level.

I love enemies like that! And I love FFVII, so now you've gone and made me want to play it again!

Anyway, just last week, I finished off one of my games from my pile of unplayed games - Yakuza. Then I proceeded to play another one from that pile - Okami. Around the same time, I traded in a couple of old games for Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction - which I then started, and couldn't stop playing it until I completed it today. Not being entirely satisfied after the credits, I bought the episodic follow-up, Quest For Booty. Played it and completed it within a couple of hours.

And now I'm back to Okami. I hear it's a very long game, so I will probably go back and forth between games, depending on what I want to play.

I've heard it's 40 hours, half of which is fillers, which is why I've not bothered.

I might try the Wii version, despite some saying the PS2 version is better.

Okami took me around 40 hours to complete and then I didn't bother with the "fillers". Its fresh atmosphere and quality makes it my number one PS2 game. The closest game I've played to Okami is Zelda - Twilight Princess, and the former is way better.

Okami has a lovely atmosphere and it feels like an epic adventure. It's also as close to a Zelda game you're gonna get. If you love the atmosphere in Zelda, you'll love this one as well. Okami even have a jingle similar to Zeldas when you solve a puzzle.

How is the party management? I am interested in picking this game up but I don't really like a lot of party management. I'm more into Diablo 2's party system than one like what's in Baldur's Gate 2.