Gaming is back... baby!

My gaming rut is over and once again I have Skyrim to thank! After seeing numerous images and videos of the RealVision ENB mod on the web I started lusting over it's unbelievably good graphics. Was it possible that these shots were real - could Skyrim look that good for me? I'm not much of a modder - but I was motivated to get this done. I read what I could, downloaded the NMM installer from Nexus Mods and began the process of installing the exhaustive list of mods (and in the correct order!) to get my Skyrim to look like their Skyrim.

It took about two weeks (hey - I have a job, a wife and three kids!) but I finally got it working. It is stunning! I started a new character and spent a weekend in Skyrim exploring the environment. THIS is next gen gaming - not the peonic little consoles offered by Sony and Microsoft or Nintendo - THIS is what games should look like. THIS is the future! Unfortunately the next time that I tried to load Skyrim, about three days later, the game crashed and hasn't loaded since. Maybe the future needs a little more time.

In any case - the Skyrim mod experience energized me up for this most recent wave of gaming. I picked up Wolfenstein and devoured it. A terrific game if somewhat traditional - but there's nothing wrong with a great single player FPS campaign if the story is solid and there's Nazi's to be killed. I picked up Dark Souls 2 and put it aside after many, many deaths to finish Wolfenstein - but I've returned to it and it really is an amazing game. It's like nothing else out there - discovery is the key in the game and of course repetition. I've leveled up to the low 60's now and I'm committed to finish it before I hit my hundred thousandth death.

My 'to play' backlog is actually quite large now. I've been picking away at Age of Wonders 3 - it's a 4x game in a fantasy universe - and though I wish that I was better at it (and had more time to invest in it), it is scratching an itch until the next Civ game is released. I've started up State of Decay and need to give that a little more time to gel before I form an opinion, and I'm looking at Endless Space, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West and The Last Federation as well. I also decided to launch Hearthstone and Starcraft II to see what all of the excitement was about, and I'm enjoying both of them.

On the mod front I installed The Long War mod for X-COM: Enemy WIthin and wow - it's a long, brutal, difficult and unforgiving war. Probably too much for me.

I'm now ready to roll into the Destiny Beta to see what that's about - but in all, it feels good. I've got my gaming cajones back.

Oh man, you were free and clear.... Why in the world would you want to come back ? :(

Yea, that totally sounds like the future! I can't wait to not be able to play my games :)

This feels... unreal. Someone is completely positive about gaming in general. It's... I like it. I share your enthusiasm. I'm also having a great time playing videogames!

Yay! The future!

@Lulu_Lulu: Why wouldn't he wanna come back?

Skyrim with Mods is awesome, I love exploring the world and trolling locals. Try the Tropical Mod when your board with how skyrim looks, such a dramatic change and it looks good.

@mastermetal777

Gaming is a curse for me... I encourage people to avoid it if they can.... Its for their own good. :)

@Lulu_Lulu: And you say this as you comment on a website dedicated entirely to gaming. As well as going against practically every major gaming trend out there, while simultaneously defending certain ones. Now it's official: I can't take a single thing you say seriously.

@mastermetal777

Sorry if I don't fit in your view of the world being Black and White.... :(

@Lulu_Lulu: It has nothing to do with being black and white. My issue is that you're inconsistent in what you post. You like games, and you think they're a waste of time. You think video game stories suck, and yet admit to liking narrative-based games for gameplay that serves the narrative. You hate RPGs, yet you once liked them and changed your mind for arbitrary reasons. I can't keep up. Make up your mind at least on one subject, and then maybe I can have a little respect for you. Until then, nothing you say is going to register as a good conversation piece in my mind.

Happy to have you back.

@Grazen:THIS is the future! Unfortunately the next time that I tried to load Skyrim, about three days later, the game crashed and hasn't loaded since.

Does it crash at the main menu or as you're loading a save? If it crashes at the main menu, it's typically because the game is missing a required file. So, for example, if you install an HDT physics based mod but didn't install the HDT plug-in/mod, then it will do that. Or if you have a patcher running and you uninstall another mod without running the patcher again, you'll ctd at the main menu until you run that patcher again...in this case it could be something like the Dual weapon sheathes mod that has a jar file that checks your other installed mods. Uninstall one of those mods without running the jar file again and you'll get a ctd at the main menu.

@mastermetal777

Uhm.... Everything you just said sounds pretty normal to me, but then again I could be saying thats to defend myself.

Its quite the pickle isn't it ?

Congrats...I'm going back to sleep :/

It always feels great to pick up a game, and feel total happiness like that.

That hasn't happened to me for a while. I play plenty of games, but for the most part my mind is always wandering thinking about life, work, etc.

It keeps me from getting sucked into the games I've been playing.

welcome home son

@Lulu_Lulu: Most people try to stay consistent with their convictions. It's not normal to flip-flop on your own personal views unless you're in politics.

@mastermetal777

What people try to be and what they really are is two different things and they can change especially when it comes to specifics....

@Lulu_Lulu: true for some people, but I personally don't bother trying to be someone else.

@mastermetal777

Not some else, something else.

Skyrim sucks but I think this console gen is just going in the wrong direction. Not just the games but the tone of everything that goes along with the industry as well. Outside of a select few titles pc and wiiu is the way to go.

Ressurrected an old thread without even adding something relevant. Not Cool.

It was good to go back on this old thread though Lulu. Since then I rediscovered Dark Souls 2 and it's taken over my life... but in a good way ;) I finished the game (finally!) and given that I bought both DeS and DS at launch and failed at both - I was pretty proud of myself. I'm now through an NG+ play through, I'm PvPing on the bridge, I'm working through the DLC, I'm watching lore videos on YouTube and The Dark Souls 2 podcasts - WHAT HAVE I DONE? A simply amazing game - easily my game of the year so far. Next up is DA3. Fingers crossed on that one.

Any games you play that aren't RPG's?

Oh and some idiot resurrected this old thread without anything to contribute. inb4lock

@speedfreak48t5p:

Played Destiny for god knows how many hours before I gave up in frustration and boredom at level 25 or so. I'm done there for now - love the gameplay but will wait for DLC or for something new to drop. Can't believe they didn't add match making to the weekly strikes and raids. Not much else though DS2 has me for now. Would love a good story based FPS but don't see on the horizon right now...

Personally i hate pc gaming, to much hassle with games crashing, controller issues etc.. not even that good games on pc. If i ever gonna get a gaming pc it will be only for Oculus Rift. But before that im gonna get a ps4 , thats my first priority, getting it around xmas. Ps4 kicks ass!! Just wait and see the exclusives that will come out on the ps4 next year :-) Holy shit!

@speedfreak48t5p

Be Nice.... !

@Grazen: im close to lv 29 Titan and starting to feel extremly powerfull. Just one more upgrade on my Exotic Heavy Weapon and i have it fully upgraded. My plan is to be lv 30 before the Dlc comes out then ill just Rambo my way through the Story Dlc and destroy everything that comes in my way. Can't wait:)

@ojmstr: sounds like you haven't played on a PC in a while. No controller issues for any console style game - Xbox 360 works fine and so does the PS3, PS4 and Xbox One controller. Personally I prefer the 360 controller and a wireless receiver. You can even connect up to four controllers to it and play couch co-op games like Castle Crashers and the like. I have the PC connected to a tv in the living room and frankly I think you get the best of both worlds plus 1080p 60 on nearly every game. Sure there's some occasional tweaking that propeller heads might do but I just let Nvidia optimize my games and settings for me. I see no reason to buy either console right now - but come Bloodborne time in February I think I'm going to cave in and pick up a PS4 - and late next year around the time of Halo 5 I'll probably pick up one of those too.

Totally agree,

I am always so baffled by the amount of negativity on these forums, I have been gaming for 30 years and I still love it as much as I did when I was 5 years old.

@Grazen

Part of me is happy for you, most of me is sad that it had to be Dark Souls 2. :(

@Grazen: It's the second time i was trying to get into pc gaming now for a little while ago after recommandations from my brother. My pc is more than good enough for gaming, it's only a couple years old and it has better graphics than my ps3 and xbox360 BUT the thing is, everytime i get this software to run my ps3 controllers, it messes up my pc. I only get frustrated and mad as hell lol i just have way to little patience when it comes to pc stuff like that i guess.

When that is said, im happy for you man, as a gamer and a father like yourself, im glad you get it to work and cool that you have hooked your pc up to your tv in your living room, i have done the same thing but mostly for movie watching. People are talking about smart tv's now, i have had smart tv's since early 2000:)

I might give it a shoot another time but i will never use motionjoy again, that program must have some virus or something:/

why is he never nice mate?

@sukraj

Maybe he's just acting out... I get all cranky if nobody gives me a decent discussion about co-op.

Perhaps he has a topic he needs us to adress too.

I get like that sometimes but I'm okay when I'm on my meds.

@sukraj

Hmmm. Meds.... I was on anti-depressants once..... They drained the life out of me.... Probably because I wasn't actually depressed.

yep it's a bummer isn't it but hey I can function properly on them.

@sukraj

And thats why drugs are cool ! ;)

@ojmstr: I've been a console gamer pretty well exclusively since the PS1. I bit the bullet and went for a PC late last year when my kids convinced me that buying a good PC for not much more than the price of the 2 consoles at launch was a better call. Look - aside from the fact that the performance is better and there's a whole freaking world of mods out there that are awesome - I buy games at launch for 25% off through places like GMG. Don't know how they do it - but I'm not complaining. The Alienware X51 that we bought is also smaller and quieter than the XBone - though I gotta admit the PS4 looks slick. Bloodborne - let's arrange for some co-op in February ;)

@pook99: People are negative on the forums because they don't feel like their opinion is heard (or that people care) in the real world. It's a call for attention. If people need attention to validate or empower themselves in the real world - I say let then have at it. It makes them less miserable to deal with in the analog world. From my perspective I just recognize it for what it is and move on.

Yeah, skyrim can soak up so much time, especially after taking a break from it for few years. Adding some fresh new mods, and that game is ever more immersive. And as for new games - legend of grimrock2 is still new. Addicting even more than its first game.

Congratulations sir, sit yourself down at the inn and enjoy a pint of fresh nordic mead, you've earned it

I know mate