[JemyM]

Dungeon Master: Chaos Strikes Back
The one and only free-standing expansion for Dungeon Master. Better or worse than the main game?

Turns out Lord Chaos had a secret backup plan. He created a forge that produces the ore Corbum that shakes Lord Greys castle and will kill him. Unless you do something about it ofcourse. A new party or characters imported from your Dungeon Master save will begin in a dark room filled with poisonous worms, a secret plate that spawns an additional two worms... and no equipment. That sets the tone for this expansion, it's brutal difficulty. Once that room is cleared you will eventually end up in the Junction of Ways. Each piece of Corbum is located in a dungeon unique to each class; Fighter, Ninja, Priest and Wizard. Everytime you enter one of these you are randomly teleported to one of three areas within that path (where doesn't really matter as you can get to all three destinations anyway). This is another special thing about Chaos Strikes Back, the game is very random. Items aren't placed in the same places and you may not even find most of the items you need (I never got a 2nd shield).

After dealing with your disorientation you must fight yourself upwards through fights and puzzles tailored after each class. The Ninja path have a lot of throwing puzzles and was quite fun. The priest need you to use all unique abilities that the priest have which was fine as well. Wizard was a bit frustrating because of at least one room filled with non-material monsters that takes a lot of time to kill, also there's a section filled with traps and another with quickly spawning water elementals (one of the toughest foes in the game). Then we have the fighter path. I actually started with the fighter path and it almost made me want to give up the game. It's filled with rooms that are basically filled with monsters. A 8 square section had 32 antmens, one section have 6 dragons in tiny rooms. So much fighting aren't even fun... Dragging myself through only the first sections of the fighter path took me two days.

The paths meet again in the Diabolical Demon Director, a section of the game that needs you to complete each of the four paths to complete. In each path below you find keys that unlock new places in the DDD. It's here you will find your four pieces of Corbum.

After completing all four paths and the DDD you get access to the Fulya Pit where you need to take all four pieces of Corbum and throw them into the pit, Frodo-style. The End.

I do not know what I should feel about this expansion. It's clearly innovative and pretty brilliant in it's design, but I just wish I could have skipped most of the monsterrooms since they were just too much. I also thought the ending was rather weak after the quite good intro.

I am still happy I finally completed both Dungeon Master and Chaos Strikes Back. Considering I love the genré it's quite odd that I haven't done so before.

[TimovieMan]

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk

Spoiler:

I hate this ending the most While all of the endings force you to suddenly agree, at least in part with the Reaper solution, the synthesis ending disappointed on a number of levels. It was even more of a last minute solution that came from nowhere than the crucible its self was. It felt like a betrayal of everyone's sacrifice to force them to marry the reapers at the DNA level. And its depiction was lacklustre, given the earlier Geth Consensus mission and ME2's Overlord DLC. As if they intentionally chose to lessen its significance by minimising the visual differences. Even more of a magical everything-is-better-now ending than the Jesus Shepard ascending in place of everyone else and delaying the wrath of a know-it-all God Reaper ending was.

Spoiler:

And it's actually what Saren wanted you to do in the first game.

I get all the criticism and I agree to an extent. But I'm not so dissatisfied with it that I'd whine and bitch about it on the internet for weeks and months...

If you're referring to the demand for a new ending, I agree. If you're referring to the vociferous criticism of the endings, then I disagree. Bioware actively sought this kind of engaged fanbase and they chose to work in a medium that allows for player interaction, including the possibility of multiple endings.

I'm DEFINITELY referring to the demand for a new ending. But I'm also referring to all the criticism.
Having "ten minutes of suck" after "40+ hours of awesome" (and in this particular case even 120+ hours) doesn't deserve THIS amount of criticism. Even if you hate the ending, it doesn't destroy everything that came before.
Be disappointed all you want, but up until the last ten minutes, this was the best trilogy of all time.
Everyone has the right to criticise the ending. Even I'm criticising it to an extent. But just because you hate the ending doesn't give you the right to hate everything else about it too. THAT is why I say those guys are "whiny bitches".

[Jubilee]

Last finished games include:

Grim Fandango - Just replayed it and definitely enjoyed it, actually found it quite difficult.
Sacra Terra: Angelic Night - I guess casual games are kind of mindless for me.
Tex Murphy: Under the Killing Moon - LOVE! Played this due to the Top adventure game rankings and will be playing more in the series.

[zane]

just finished botanicula, this is the first amanita game iv played through so i cant compare it to the others. But i liked it. It was fun and atmospheric. You play as these little organisms defending your tree from a life-draining evil force. The characters you play as are so alien.. and yet they have very simple human joys and fears. The game goes by very fast (4-5 hours on average probably), but theres lots of beautiful scenery and neat little things that happen. Theres also a ton of easter eggs. I'd love to see a really long game from this company. Theyr so creative, I cant wait to see what they come up with next.

[kndy]

Going through major backlog's of games and finished Runaway last night, now finally starting Gabriel Knight III.

[TimovieMan]

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (GotY Edition Deluxe) - 3.5 / 5 - Abandoned

After about 35 hours of playing I've officially grown tired of Oblivion, and I'm abandoning the game. Maybe I'll pick it up again in a few months, but then again, I said the same about Fallout: New Vegas over a year ago, and that one's completely off my radar now.
Since I spent 35 hours in it, and got to level 22 in the process, you can't say I didn't give it a fair shot.
I'm just going to have to admit that these "open world" games are just not my thing. Towards the end I started skipping dungeons and Oblivion gates, because they were just more of the same each time. I started using the console to advance faster through the game, and worst of all: I started skipping dialogues without reading them. All the proof I need that the game has outstayed its welcome.
So I've abandoned it.

And it's not that it's a bad game. The world map is insanely huge, no two dungeons are the same (Mass Effect 1 Dragon Age 2 ), side quests are really interesting, variety is enormous, and you can really play it however you feel like playing.
It's just that - like in Fallout 3 - the main quest is actually uninteresting (despite the presence of Sean Bean's voice and the epic imminent doom), and the constant exploring gets tedious after a while. Plus the entire map is just far too hostile. You can't walk 30 seconds in any direction without having some beast or some monster or some bandit trying to bite/burn/slice your face off. And this game lacks the VATS to beautify the combat.

The leveling system is also seriously flawed. The concept of it is good, though: you get better at a skill simply by *using* that skill, and the game is leveled in such a way that you can tackle any quest even at level 1. But it's also designed in such a way that you need to put far too much effort in efficient leveling as to not get overrun by the enemies at higher levels. Plus the fact that the world around you changes when you do is a bad game design decision. At level 1 you can encounter wolves in the woods, and weak bandits and goblins all around. At level 20 there are no wolves to be found, but they're replaced by trolls, minotaurs and other increasingly difficult enemies. Even bandits get stronger and stronger.
Not only is it unrealistic and immersion-breaking that the creatures you encounter change when you grow stronger, it's also bad for the gameplay as you never feel like you're actually growing stronger. At level 20, it takes just as much effort to take down a simple road bandit as it does at level 1. That's just awful. They should pose difficulties at level 1 and you should be able to stomp them like ants at level 20, THAT's how leveling should work...

I liked the game well enough, but I think the "open world" is just not really my cup of tea. It worked for Fallout 3, failed for Fallout: New Vegas, and it failed here. I guess I prefer having a more linear story and having the developers "hold my hand" a bit more Ã* la BioWare.
Otherwise, how could I spend 120 hours playing the entire Baldur's Gate Trilogy (plus all the extra content and even some fan-made mod content) in one single month, yet not get beyond half of one Elder Scrolls game?

I also really missed having some companions to interact with, as well as romantic options in the game. Even though Bethesda's RPGs have a complexity to them that BioWare can only dream of, I'll happily take the BioWare RPGs over these any day of the week...

I'm glad I only payed a fraction of what Skyrim would've cost me. At least now I know I can safely skip that one and focus back on adventure games instead...
...until BioWare releases another RPG, that is...

[SamandMax]

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk

How final and devastating can you make an ending, when you're under pressure to release any post game DLC? This whole mess is a direct result of where Bioware/EA have steered the medium, we entitled whiny bitches are blameless. In the end DLC was announced, for free. Ignoring the fuss was never an option, it was of their own making.

I've agreed with criticisms you've made about the ending in the past but this kind of they-made-us-do-it inflammatory rhetoric is the very reason why the backlash to this game has been so disheartening to witness.

It doesn't matter if they gave players choice, it doesn't matter if there was going to be DLC, it doesn't matter if it was rushed of incomplete, this was BioWare's creative expression and anyone else trying to say how they have any stakes or ownership in it is wrong. There is no excuse for taking art away from the artist.

[Crunchy in milk]

Originally Posted by SamandMax

I've agreed with criticisms you've made about the ending in the past but this kind of they-made-us-do-it inflammatory rhetoric is the very reason why the backlash to this game has been so disheartening to witness.

I was being deliberately facetious (in the delivery, not the point). I don't tend to rely on smilies, hoping people read enough from the delivery.

Originally Posted by SamandMax

It doesn't matter if they gave players choice, it doesn't matter if there was going to be DLC, it doesn't matter if it was rushed [or] incomplete, this was BioWare's creative expression and anyone else trying to say how they have any stakes or ownership in it is wrong. There is no excuse for taking art away from the artist.

I couldn't disagree more. Shit in a can is art, too, try selling it to the masses. Commissioned art puts power into its sponsors hands. Bioware/EA went to great lengths to make sponsors of their fans. The recent Kickstarter craze is taking this a step even further (and more literal). Its going to be interesting to watch.

Call it art all you want, Mass Effect 3 is a product for sale and its customers live in an age of unrivalled buying power, thanks to the internet. Bioware/EA wanted all the perks of the digital age and none of the hazards. Being upset at the vocal fans is misdirected anger. The only power they wield is that given to them by Bioware/EA.

Monetizing the fuck out of their product bit them in the ass. If they want artistic freedom and integrity they should aim for it, next time.

[TimovieMan]

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk

Monetizing the fuck out of their product bit them in the ass.

And it was about time that that happened to EA, imo...

[SamandMax]

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk

Commissioned art puts power into its sponsors hands. Bioware/EA went to great lengths to make sponsors of their fans.

Paying $60 to buy Mass Effect 3 is the equivalent of buying a ticket to see a movie or to get into an art gallery, you're giving money to enjoy someone's creative expression and while you're free and encouraged to have opinions on it, you have absolutely no say in its development whatsoever. There's absolutely no way you could argue that Mass Effect 3 is commissioned art, BioWare encouraging fans to be open and vocal about their opinions in no way means they suddenly have any actual tangible stake in how the game turns out. Unless your copies of Mass Effect 1 and 2 actually came with the majority of shares in BioWare when you bought them, having simply paid for them gives you no right to feel like you're involved with the creative process.

Originally Posted by Crunchy in milk

Monetizing the fuck out of their product bit them in the ass. If they want artistic freedom and integrity they should aim for it, next time.

They released a finished game which fully realized their vision for $60 and that's that, absolutely none of the DLC they may charge for is or will be essential. The monetization of video games is a distressing trend but it's a completely different problem and has no bearing on the core experience of Mass Effect 3.

As for artistic freedom, I don't think you have to worry about BioWare every trifling with something as silly as that ever again.

[SamuelGordon]

Donna: Avenger of Blood

WOW, what a surprise! This game beats any adventure game i've played in the last few years!! LOVE the STYLE, LOGICAL CHALLENGING PUZZLES and the STORY (some of it was wtf? but it works!!). Donna herself could have her own series, really interesting character. The game was in the works for over a decade! Thank you Blaze Dzikowski, it's been a while since i played a real adventure game. Bravo

10/10 amazing. I really want to donate but paypal is no good to me!!

[zane]

Originally Posted by SamuelGordon

Donna: Avenger of Blood

WOW, what a surprise! This game beats any adventure game i've played in the last few years!!

iv just now played for about 15 minutes and... wow is right! No idea what im going to think of this by the end... but this is definitely surprising.. essentially a vampire: the masquerade adventure game! with powers that you use to solve puzzles! I am sold.

[SamuelGordon]

Originally Posted by zane

iv just now played for about 15 minutes and... wow is right! No idea what im going to think of this by the end... but this is definitely surprising.. essentially a vampire: the masquerade adventure game! with powers that you use to solve puzzles! I am sold.

Yeah, it's amazing! The music still haunts me, i'm sad i will never again go to the park at night and bite strangers for blood Really deserves some kind of sequel or a new game. Have fun Zane, and oh make multiple saves!! Yes there are different endings and some situations you can handle in different ways, just heads up^^

The Shivah

Fun little game. The puzzles were mostly computer stuff and not the inventory kind (actually there were none that i can think of). The voice acting is great, the villain is amusing and straightforward. The only negative aspect is its length , yup too short. Def recommend it if you want a break from the long grind adventure games.

8,5/10

[Crunchy in milk]

Originally Posted by SamandMax

Paying $60 to buy Mass Effect 3 is the equivalent of buying a ticket to see a movie or to get into an art gallery[...]

Art Galleries display a collection to make money. If no one goes to a show, different pictures are put up on the wall. Displays are still reviewed, and popular opinion and word of mouth advertising still dictate what a gallery displays.

Do you truly believe all movies are bastions of creativity isolated from the need to sell, and utterly guilt free of pandering to the masses? That's almost worth a smiley.

Money in their pocket, and the creator/publishers desire to maximise profit is the only power any fan needs to influence content.

Originally Posted by SamandMax

There's absolutely no way you could argue that Mass Effect 3 is commissioned art

I think you mean you're unwilling to accept it, not that there's no argument for it.

Originally Posted by SamandMax

The monetization of video games is a distressing trend but it's a completely different problem and has no bearing on the core experience of Mass Effect 3.

The more commercially focused games become, the less freedom for artistic expression by their creators. DLC is just an extension of this. It doesn't matter if its story based missions, nick-knacks, made before, during or after the main game. If you want to sell any DLC to fans, you need happy fans.

This limits the direction you can take the core experience (the game itself). When pandering to customers becomes a part of your creative process, their $60 is an investment, and their interest in future titles from you, commission.

A lot of fans will see this ending DLC as a victory, but I'm honestly not one of them.

[TimovieMan]

The Curse of Monkey Island - 5 / 5 (replay)

It was an actual replay this time - I "replayed" Monkey Island 1 and 2 already, but those were the Special Editions from a few years back, not the original ones. This time around I replayed the original game, the game I consider to be the best adventure game of all time.

And the replay didn't disappoint. CMI was as funny as I remember, with a great graphical style (I very much love those cartoony graphics) and some of the best characters ever created (including THE best character ever, Murray!).
I had a blast replaying this, and it strenghtened its position as my favourite game of all time. Seriously, the only thing I would change in this game, is adding even more Murray...

Best game ever, imo. From the opening conversation between LeChuck and Elaine to the Barbershop Quartet, from Kenny, the budding young entrepreneur to Murray the Demonic Skull, this was one hilarious gag after another. Now let's all sing along: "A pirate I was meant to be! Trim the sails, and roam the sea!"...

[TimovieMan]

King's Quest V - Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder - 3 / 5

This was typical Sierra brutality. Hundreds of deaths and dead ends had me restoring previous saves more often than in all the games I've played these last 5 years combined. And I was using a walkthrough to avoid the dead ends!

The story is decent, graphics were actually quite good (especially given its time period) and the voice-over (with our very own Josho as the lead) was pretty good. Cedric the Owl was slightly annoying after a while, and I didn't like the fact that it was either voice-over or text, not both at the same time. Fortunately pronounciation and sound quality was good enough for everything to be clear.

It's really not a bad game, but I've never liked the abundance of deaths and dead ends in Sierra's games. It's just too unforgiving...

[Little Writer]

Jurassic Park - 4/5

Definitely a good game, very true to the movie atmosphere. Not that heavy on the puzzles, pretty much just quick button pushing at the right times, but it fits the urgency of the story genre.

[SamuelGordon]

Downfall

I really love the style, they should make more adventure games like Avenger Blood and D.

Sad thing is i did not enjoy this game. The bad writing, predictable plot, the overload and akward use of swearing words. The average puzzles (the brain one was ridiculous, i mean really?)

That's not the worst thing, THE BUGS pissed me off! Facing the last boss i saved during the battle, little did i know the boss GLITCHED! i could not kill it. And yes i did not have a second save. I REPLAYED THE ENTIRE GAME fastforward (skip,skip,SKIP!). I regret it because the finale was not worth it, the entire game wasn't. I guess the game just didn't touch me, the dialogue was too "butchy" and replaying it made me RAGE.

I give it a 6/10, i simply did not like anything in this game besides the style,graphics and originality. The story was flat. One particular puzzle pissed me off, the rest was ok. Disliked all characters, ALL. The game was NOT scary, too much gore made it seem cheap.

[Mister Ed]

Last game I finished was Back to the Future.

It wasn't a GREAT game, but it had its moments, and definitely captured the feel of the movies, IMHO. And I played it with my son, who had just recently seen the movies for the first time, so that was fun.

Edit: Forgot to give a score. I guess I'd say 3/5.

[Little Writer]

Mata Hari - 2/5

I liked the style of the graphics, the slider puzzles were fun (and usually I don't like those), the train travelling as well -- at first! But it got so old and annoying after a while. It's like all I did was travelling back and forth. Puzzles were straightforward, nothing too hard which kinda fit my current frame of mind. I didn't like how you also had to drag topic conversations onto people, why couldn't we just click?