Llyranor

Guild Wars has been my main game currently. The PvP Extreme event where they've boosted the faction point rewards, as well as the skill balance update, have been very cool. Add to this that I just bought the soundtrack from DirectSong.com for a measly 6 bucks, which improves the in-game quality from 32kHz to 44, adds 25% new music, and this weekend has been a very good one in terms of GW.

I haven't really played the HOMM series (very little of 1 and 2). I know it's some sort of TBS game focused on cities and heroes and exploration and stuff, but can some fan of the series rant about it? How would it compare to, say, Civ?

Melee looks like it has lots of potential.

No, YOU're grounded for a week.

6000+ hrs is better!!!11!!1!!!11!1!11!

Hmm, we should have a HL2DM session and kill each other with toilets and watermelons.

I can't wait for freaking SvenCoop2.

Much like all RPGs are the same to the non-RPGer. Fedex propaganda machines!

And those guys will include coop :D

Heh, I'd rather this game be as un-RPG as possible. Then again, playing online in an ongoing campaign where players gain experience for better skills/equipment is quite appealing, but that doesn't mean that the bulk of the gameplay shouldn't steer as far away from RPG mechanics as possible.

So, basically, you get 24 skills total, but you're stuck with them unless you make a new character? With the way GW works, I'll take 8 skills that can be switched on the fly before a battle over that setup any day. Give me access to all skills in the game, then allow me a limited number to bring into a single battle. This allows me to make a specific character designed to complement the skills of everyone else in the team, and allows for experimenting, trying out new tactics, etc, instead of being stuck with the same skills (even if 24 of them) no matter which battle I'm in.

Which leads to the necessity of complementing one's skills with that of one's teammates. I think the 8-skill limitation is a boon as well. BTW, alandude, you in a guild or something?

As Nick said, if you don't like PvP, forget about this game. If you enjoy teamwork and coordination in a PvP setting, you'll find GW has much to offer. GW rocks. It's a shame PvE is forgettable, but that mainly has to do with it being so repetitive. More diversity and challenge in PvE would make it more fun. But anyway. PvP, though, is freaking awesome.

Previews http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/might-and-magic/643622p1.html http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3142973&did=1 "First, as a warrior, we ran headlong into the fray. We shield-bashed an orc, then kicked him off of the cliff where he plummeted to the rocks below. Next, on the platform, we fought sword-to-sword against another orc, sparks flying. Using a special combat move we ripped away his shield. Then we grabbed his neck, plunged a sword into his gut, and kicked the body off of our sword and over the edge of the platform. By now, more orcs had rushed toward us to investigate the noise. We ran inside the room, which was filled with barrels and a side of beef hanging from the ceiling. As we fought tooth and nail with these guys, barrels fell over and smashed or rolled around the room. At one point we kicked the side of beef and sent it hurtling toward our opponents. It was as vicious of a fight as you could get: the camera even goes to slow motion for spectacular killing blows."

The HDD was only used as a Save Game device by most games anyway.

After seeing that IGN Gaben interview and in-game footage, I'm suddenly interested. That ice spell is pure GOLD. Spells taking advantage of Source's physics = win. I'll also be interested in seeing how melee combat will be handled (parrying, blocking, etc). In this sense, it being more action than RPG might even benefit this part. I'd want a melee system based on pure action, not just stats. Having such in MP/PvP would be quite cool. Action games focused on implementing good melee are too few.

What next? Jack Thomson joins RPGdot staff?

Anachronox. Witty dialogue, compelling characters, awful combat. The works! BG&E was enjoyable, but 90% of the time is spent sneaking around in dungeons. Doesn't help that the stealth elements weren't exactly well-developed. The whole sequence leading up to the first battle was pretty awesome, though. Too bad things went downhill from there.

10 years from now, I won't remember the 'good' the graphics of a classic were. What I will remember is the tune being played during those defining gaming moments, as I'll still be whistling them. I still hum themes from Secret of Mana - the first game which had music to really captivate me - and that was from over 10 yrs ago.

HL:S, meh. I bought the Silver version for DoD:S.

We all like to think we have a bit of sanity within ourselves. We're obviously not in denial.

I don't know where you got the impression that Mr Jack Thomson is a complete dumbfork? He happens to be a very intelligent and respectable individual. Without Mr Jack Thomson, my faith in humanity would have dissipated long ago.

Isn't it just an eventuality before some people makes games where the goal is to destroy Jack Thomson in creative ways?

\o/

Well, at the very least, it had coop. Many games could benefit greatly from such a feature. Coop can make a bad game enjoyable.