Llyranor

The main reason I love GW so much is by far the PvP. Once you have reach lvl 20 and have the skills you want and the equipment customized for your build, it doesn't matter anymore how much time you've played - it all amounts to your team's ability skillwise. With a well-organized group, it's loads of fun. I've lost count of how many hours I've spent with guild buddies making character builds, not only individually, but also to form the team that complements itself. Seeing how you're only allowed to bring 8 skills into a battle, choosing them is a very important decision. They're pretty well-balanced, and all have their advantages and disadvantages depending on the situation. Some skills are better than the rest, but those are labelled 'elite', and you can only have 1 at a time on you. Of course, while in town, you're free to swap skills around. This is awesome if you like character creation. PvP is a matter of dedicated teamwork, coordinated tactics, focusing fire when approaching, countering the enemy's strategies, all in fast-paced real-time. A definite adrenaline-pumper, all while trying to make up a plan frantically via typing or mics. There's a lot of variety to it, as well. 4v4 with random teams. A tournament pitting 8-player teams in a series of battle for domination and to have their names and victory announced to everyone in the gameworld, with simple 8v8 battles, to capturing relics, holding strategic points, escorting Heroes to a central point, from 8v8v8 to 8v8v8v8v8v8. And then there are guild battles, pitting two 8-player teams from different guilds as they fight for victory, with 6 different guild halls providing vastly different battlefields and requiring different strategies (with catapults and so on), a central point you can fight to hold and acquire morale bonuses, and so on. I haven't unlocked the other PvP areas yet. There's a lot of room to goof off, but there's also a lot of room for serious gaming. Other MMORPGs can screw themselves for all I care.

I should have picked Malkavian. Maybe I would have enjoyed Bloodlines more.

I want Bethesda to make BG3. They're already ruining one franchise. We shouldn't impede their streak. Go Bethesda! You make the best encyclopedias! By promoting education through games, you make the world a better place! MARRY ME BETHESDA MARRY ME

Ravenholm, eh? Cutting zombies in half with circular saws. Yeah, PHYSICS ARE USELESS IN A FPS

You're the best, Magical Volo! THE BEST!!!!

BURN THE HERETIC Just out of curiosity, what levels did the demo have?

The physics were a vital part of my enjoyment of HL2. It all depends on how you play the game. Once I obtained the gravity gun, I knew I HAD to play through the rest of the entire game. And I did for 99% of the time. That's why I love HL2 deathmatch so much. In terms of features, it doesn't have much - pretty standard stuff. But the inclusion of a gravgun online makes for most visceral and hectic standoffs I've ever experienced online. Pummeling your friends with toilet seats is beyond words.

About the bad points: 1) The game was meant for fast-leveling. No freaking level-grinding crap. They want everyone to get to an equal playing field fairly fast. Once you reach lvl 20, that's where the bulk of the content is supposed to be played at. 2) Hold CTRL will bring up all target names, allowing for easy targetting. CTRL-space will make you call the target that you're attacking, allowing teams to focus fire. CTRL-clicking your skills will make you say what skill you're using on who. There are many things yon can do with CTRL. ALT allows you to bring up the names of NPCs in town. 3) Perhaps. Too bad it doesn't concern me :D 4) Didn't bother me. Then again, I played in the betas, so 'story' was never a surprise. PvP pretty much destroys any other RPG in the market. Without proper teamwork, tactics and coordination, you'll find your face mopping the floor soon enough if against a competent opponent. Levels and items become irrelevant. And that's the nice thing about it.

HL2 is account-specific, tied to your email. You can use your account on any computer.

"Update: Also, for those of you worrying that we might be left with Steam as the only option for buying Valve games, I received this response from Doug Lombardi earlier: We are making arrangements to continue retail distribution of our products post August 31. Should have more details to share soon." Source: http://www.halflife2.net

Lamarr > all, though Father Grigory and Dog get honorable mentions.

Guild Wars rocks!

Guys! This is by far the best NWN mod ever made by the community! Magical Volo ROCKS!!!

You're the best, Magical Volo! You're neat!

I have a BETTER game idea! Let's make Fallout 5! Let's call it, Fallout 5: The Chosen One Must Choose, but with a TWIST! Let's give a second subtitle! Fallout 5: The Chosen One Must Choose: The Brotherhood of FREAKING HERVE CAEN YOU FREAKING MORON: A Post Nuclear 3D FPS Live Action Role Playing Game. And let's give it space sim elements. And you can pilot a big robot! And you can dual rockets launchers! BETTER YET! You can dual-wield robots which are dual-wielding rocket launchers!!!! And combat will be in FPS mode, but with a twist! It'll have fighter game elements too! Like Dungeon Lords, the ultimate combat RPG of 2004. This will be grreat!! What a grreat game idea!!!!

This isn't right at all! I'm a BIS fanboy, damnit! Not some stinkin' bi0weenie! YOU'RE IN DEEP TROUBLE, MISTER

Mistwalker (Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi's new company) having 2 next-gen box exclusives is good news for the console.

Can't say anything good about it, but apparently the Xbox version has coop, while the PC version does not.

And don't forget the happy relationship between Valve and Vivendi! Either way, it's Steam all the way for me. Go digital distribution! I've been supporting Bioware in that aspect as well. The influence of publishers needs to be lessened.

I LOVE HIM MORE

Magical Volo is the only person I would trust for reviews. He has brains. And intelligence. And the mental capacity for thought. Magical Volo is great!

PC version. Now.

So...why was POR2 so great then? TOEE had much better TB combat IMHO - even if it wasn't always well balanced. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> POR2 was GREAT. The mere fact that you're even questioning this just accentuates that you don't know what you're talking about. Best game of 2001, bar none. Heck, possibly the best RPG in the last decade too. The story was just so.... beautiful. The ending was touching. I... cried.

What are you smoking? I didn't include POR2 because it is generally considered to be one of the worst D&D games ever - buggy, slow-motion combat, terrible design (how many ugly, endless, brown dungeons can you endure?) and for some it had a nasty buggy where it would format your hard drive. A few people said it should be listed as a Virus rather than a program. I played and finished both POR and the sequel and I have to say that the first was a joy and a revelation but the sequel was a pure slog. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> BURN THE HERETIC Planescape: Torment is what I consider as one of the best DnD BASED game. Sadly NWN is a good engine that connects all of the moder to deliver their story and design, the game it self, NWN has a totally rubbish story and design, it;s actaully pretty bad. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The OC deserves no mention. NWN was all about the toolset and the DMed mods that came out of it. With the toolset and DM client, NWN was nothing. NOTHING.

NWN definitely gets an honorable mention for being basically my only real experience with being DMed and DMing, since I don't PnP. It might have gotten the top spot if it were turn-based, but let's not go there.