[DustyShinigami]

Originally Posted by Intrepid Homoludens

Finally finished Splinter Cell: Conviction last night.

Me too. I just had to get a few achievements connected to the Insurgency Pack. Now I have all 1250.

[Fantasysci5]

Playing Dungeon Siege, and this close to giving up. I'm going through a dungeon...yeah, that's fine. But there are WAY too many spiders down there. I don't mind a few here and there to kill, but I mean they swarm you. I get creeped out watching them, and some are huge scorpian/spider hybrids, and there's just so many of them. There's way too many swarming me at the same time, and it's actually getting to me. I can't play much more of this endless fighting with spiders. I'm playing on the easiest level! Should I continue? It doesn't seem to be anything special to me.

[SharonB]

Still playing Divine Divinity. I am currently in the Dark Forrest having completed all available quests in Verdisti/Sewers. I solved the quest for the ambush and gave the jewelry from the Dwarven Hall to Sir Dante's assistant. Otherwise I'm just mapping the forrest and solving quests as they come. I still have to look for an urn and there is an herb I need to get and I have to go back to the sword in the stone and remove it.

Having a good time with the game. I had stopped playing for months, then got back into it and am really enjoying it. I finally got a really good sword and was able to put 2 large charms in it, so I can't wait to see how that works out for me.

[kuze]

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

Playing Dungeon Siege, and this close to giving up. I'm going through a dungeon...yeah, that's fine. But there are WAY too many spiders down there. I don't mind a few here and there to kill, but I mean they swarm you. I get creeped out watching them, and some are huge scorpian/spider hybrids, and there's just so many of them. There's way too many swarming me at the same time, and it's actually getting to me. I can't play much more of this endless fighting with spiders. I'm playing on the easiest level! Should I continue? It doesn't seem to be anything special to me.

Don't continue. It's the most mediocre game I've ever played - not particularly bad, but tiring and uneventful.

[Fantasysci5]

Thanks Kuze. lol I ot past that part, and I do like going into the towns, but it is pretty boring. Step gave it to me since the new Ultima remake needs the "Dungeon Siege" platform to work. I'll keep up with it, since I really don't have anything to do, and download and play the Ultima remake. I hope it's better than this game...

[Crunchy in milk]

Originally Posted by SharonB

Still playing Divine Divinity.

This game is as close as it gets to pure win for the isometric real time hack/slashers crowd. Diablo meets Ultima VII.

I finished it way back when, but stopped a recent return to it (thanks GOG!) when I picked up the poison arrows skill on my archer. Talk about game breaking. One day I'll go back to it and replay it as something other than an archer.

----------

I'm tidying up some old Dragon Age save's to run them through Awakenings since I bought it on the cheap. I've got to be quick though so I can get to Deus Ex and Invisible War before the reboot is released.

[Crunchy in milk]

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

... I'll keep up with it, since I really don't have anything to do, and download and play the Ultima remake. I hope it's better than this game...

Seriously don't. The switch to Lazarus and/or VI is enough of a new learning curve that you get nothing from playing the original Dungeon Siege.

Legends of Aranna is also not worth it, and neither is Dungeon Siege II or Broken World. Yes I've tried them all, more the fool me. I even have a freebie copy of Space Siege I'll probably try to play one day.

Picking your nose is more entertaining, has a deeper plot and the loot is better.

[booB]

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk

Picking your nose is more entertaining, has a deeper plot and the loot is better.

Quote of the century!

[Fantasysci5]

lmao That really was the quote of the century.

Alright, I've moved on Crunchy. I just boguht myself Sims 2:Freetime, and I really like some of the little stuff taht they added, making it worth the money in my opinion.

I love that you can have NPCs grow up with you now, instead of having your high school sweetheart stuck in high school your whole life. I also like that when you go to a community lot, you can now choose to bring your pets along or not. There are more options for turn ons and offs now, which is great since I used to think it was sorely lacking. To be able to pick what you want to write about when writing a novel is a nice touch, too. I think getting more enthusiasm for hobbies is a little difficult, and I have no idea what my Sims natural hobby is, but I'm having fun. The little things are definetely making the game for me.

A question; does anybody know if an NPC ('non-playable character' around town) can propose by himself, or do you have to control him to make him? :eyeroll: lol He says he wants to propose, he's in a good mood, etc, but he just won't. I think it would look weird if she proposed to him (because the person getting proposed to does some really girly things). Does anyone know, without just asking him to move in already?

[Little Writer]

Sam & Max: got the doggelgangers away from Sal so now I can talk to him.

Wife needed the pc to make a photo album, so I took refuge on my PS2 for some casual gaming. Battled the Final Aeon in "Final Fantasy 10". I forgot I had acquired the Magus Sisters; I had prepared myself for an immense battle and now it was over in five minutes

Been roaming around GTA: San Andreas as well. Just having fun.

Tried a new playthrough of "Fahrenheit" but I wasn't in the mood.

I've been wanting to do the Prince of Persia games, but then I'd probably want to complete the entire trilogy and I don't really have time for that.

[Hammerite]

Started the new Alan Wake DLC The Signal. I'm really enjoying it so far, I like the surrealism.
The brief (and, frankly, kind of insignificant) flaws I've seen so far are that it's quite difficult (doesn't help that I'd gotten used to the control systems of other games) and slightly more heavily combat-orientated.
The unfolding storyline remains intriguing and the atmosphere is only improved in this surreal setting.

[SamandMax]

I've been playing The Saboteur a lot lately and I love it, it really got overlooked when it came out and it's probably Pandemic's best (and unfortunately last) game. It has its share of problems but I think the things it attempts to do and pulls off - the brilliant use of black & white and colour, the fun pulp storyline, the addicting fun of killing nazis - makes up for most of the problems. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who hasn't played it yet, you can probably pick it up for pretty cheap already too.

[Fantasysci5]

Dragon Age: Origins. I must be the only one in the world, but I'm not thrilled with it so far. I've never really been much into action games, but so many people liked it, I thought I'd give it a try...since Gamestop is selling it for only $15.

I've tried playing as a Danish elf, and I'm not thrilled with the spiders, but it's more than that. I don't like the interface much, and it's a little boring so far. I know; heresay. I can't really put into words why I don't like it so far. Am I a heretic for not liking this, Samorost, and Syberia? lol On the other hand, I'm playing Black Mirror 2 and enjoying it.

[haptsonir]

Originally Posted by Fantasysci5

heresy

No; the game is mediocre in every way. Except reviews.

[maladroid]

Originally Posted by haptsonir

No; the game is mediocre in every way. Except reviews.

Including writing, gameplay length and overall production values? I don't think so. One can argue that they didn't find anything appealing to them, that the game does not break any grounds with its lore, story or overall design and probably one million other shortcomings, both major and minor, but to deny it certain virtues (unimportant as they may be to some) seems unfair to me.

This is not to say that it is impossible or a manifestation of heretic behaviour to feel the game is boring or not up to the hype (which should be attributed to both players and reviewers, if I might add), just that there are certain aspects of it that do not qualify as being called "mediocre", in my opinion, even if they are not as effective as intended.

Anyway, to stay on topic: I am reaching the end of Chapter 1 in The Secret of Monkey Island: SE and, while having a good time, there is a persistent feeling of...emptiness in the game's screens. Maybe it's because I have kept it to such a high regard for all those years since I first played it about 11 years ago, but I was under the impression that the level of interactivity with the environment was much higher and varried. Also, the voice overs, although competent enough, seem to kinda lose in wackiness and comedic timing when compared to the silent delivery of the text. Could just be a side-effect of me growing up, although I had replayed the original a couple of times since first contact. Here's hoping for a better impression later on (still haven't met Stan or the canibals).

[haptsonir]

Originally Posted by maladroid

Including writing

Yes, very much so.

gameplay length

Some 80 percent of the game is pointless, tedious filler combat against the same encounters, which one can beat by using the same tactics over and over again. It would be a better game if you removed most of the filler - but then it would be quite short.

and overall production values?

I don't know. It looks generic, and a pretty polish doesn't improve the actual content.

[maladroid]

Originally Posted by haptsonir

I don't know. It looks generic, and a pretty polish doesn't improve the actual content.

I see. So the game didn't really work for you at all, apparently. It's definitely a shame but hardly debatable, so..

I just thought it would be odd if someone could fault Dragon Age for not being competently written (especially dialogue-wise, the story didn't really cut it for me either) or because the voice-overs were irritating or alienating, for example. I guess if a game fails to grab you or fulfill its promises towards your personal expectations, everything falls apart and almost nothing salvagable remains. Pity I guess, but totally understandable.

[kuze]

World of Tanks - now that's a great idea: tanks-only, massively multiplayer warfare game. Insane customization possibilities, fun matches, the gameplay is easy to learn and hard to master. I'm currently on the very first tank, made my first kill today (kind of a big deal in this game).

[Crunchy in milk]

Originally Posted by haptsonir

No; the game is mediocre in every way. Except reviews.

I can't fault most of your criticisms with Dragon Age, it is quite repetitious and over long. But while its dialogue may be mediocre and repetitious in presentation (the camera work is often awful and 'samey'), its content is not.

Dragon Age was the first game I've ever played where the conversation isn't one tier deep. It doesn't always stop after one response and there's not always a right/wrong answer.

I have never before played a game where you can criticise, jibe, express remorse and then sympathy all in the one conversation with an NPC. It was quite lamentable that the so called expansion did away with this element and was all the more forgettable for it.

If you can find the right character to drudge through the repetitious elements of Dragon Age its worth it for some of the dialogue if not for the main plot.

For me, it took a lot of mods to enjoy replaying the game. Any efforts to make the game more approachable and cinematic is a plus in my book, I'm looking forward to any and all changes in Dragon Age 2.

[Hammerite]

Having just discovered the Playstation Store on the PSP, I am going to find me a 4gb memory stick (my current one is too small - aw shucks) and get MGS and FFIX.
Oh yes.