Llyranor

The problem is that Nintendo didn't include the Japanese manual overseas. http://www.kotaku.com/gaming/top/the-japan...nual-218939.php

pixies is correct. I tip my hat to you, pixies. Well-played.

War in the Pacific - courtesy of publisher Matrix Games - is a WW2 naval wargame focusing on the entire Pacific end of the war, starting from Pearl Harbor until potentially 1946. The scope is huge, and the amount of detail is apparently quite unsurpassed (down to individual ships and planes - which means thousands and thousands of units). It seems to be a WEGO turn-based system (similar to CM), with each turn being from one day to one week. Each hex is 60 miles. That's a lot of hexes. I've been hearing mostly good things from the game, and the reviews from wargamers are quite positive. Though, it's really from a strategic/operational level, with you as Fleet Commander. You don't directly control the tactical encounters. Anyway, I never got the game, from the steep price and the fact that I couldn't testdrive it via a demo first. Matrix is having a time-limited (ends tomorrow, actually) 30% discount, dropping it to a more reasonable price. http://www.matrixgames.com/news.asp?nid=372 I probably still won't get it at this point. Matrix is getting my money, but it's be for when the CC3 remake comes out. So, alanschu, if you're still alive, in case you haven't received my harmless letter containing no dangerous materials at all yet, this might be something for you, since you apparently like naval wargames. It certainly sounds more appealing than that Pacific Storm game, which sounds like it could just be dumbed down to accommodate too many tastes at once.

What kind of stupid example is that? We all know that not being actively stabbed in multiple places at once is the true gateway to fun. Try playing a game without being actively stabbed in multiple places at once. Then try playing it while actively stabbed in multiple places at once. Still fun? Most likely not. This is true immersion.

The Dark Brotherhood was the best part of Oblivion, but the story was horrific, especially the way it was told near the end. People can whine about NWN2 being linear and whatnot, but that was some freaking railroading there.

Good for NWN2, but Oblivion being one of the nominees for 'best story' just removes Gamespot's credibility altogether as far as giving out awards goes. [/stealth troll]

No, Krookie, what is YOUR purpose? Morality or Survivability?

Anyone but Hades! I mean, Hades!

Professional writers isn't the end-all solution. Writing for games is fairly different than for other mediums. Some of the games featuring actual novelists don't necessarily have better stories. In any case, if any emphasis is to be put on writing, I'd rather it be focused on the bulk of the storytelling, rather than on a small portion of it that not everyone will even initiate in the first place.

I disagree. I think that you are part of the problem.

Yeah, because we aren't already desensitized by all the dying that happens all over the world everyday. Just text you read on the newspaper, heh. Go go humanity.

Guys, let's not derail this topic from the important point here: we would all be sad if alanschu died.

Maybe it hasn't occurred to you that the death could have been faked. That being said, if someone in our community - say, alanschu - were to mysteriously perish, I would be quite saddened.

How is portable gaming unable to portray an epic feel?

Yeah! What's wrong with us Obisidianiteses'? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> You just answered your own question, jerk.

Just find player impressions whose tastes are similar to yours.

I have no interest in the Metal Gear series, so it's a good trade-off for me. Though, actually, I had no real interest in Dragon Quest until the awesomeness that is Rocket Slime. One wonders, though, what this means for JRPGs this gen. What of the PS3? What of the Wii? What of the, erm, 360? What of the, haha, PSP?

That depends. Not everyone is a huge fan of Bioware's older games. I'm not sure where Messhugie stands. If I weren't given Bioware the benefit of the doubt for their upcoming titles, I wouldn't be far off from his impression. As you say, not Bethesda. But Bethesda also technically makes 'good games' that the majority like.

IIRC, JE Sawyer was raving about these games.

I don't mind a preconceived outcome so much, my main interest is in the tactical battles themselves. The campaign is really just a bonus (I say that, but Xcom wouldn't be nearly the godly game it is if it weren't for the mix of strategy and tactics). Nick was telling me how a problem with CC3 was how you could get way too many tanks and how those ravaged infantry. It's nice to see the remake make tanks more rare and infantry have better chances of survival. And yeah, jerkface says CC2 is the best one of the lot.

Or maybe he's prejudging it based on his opinion of past Bioware games.

Ah, so it's that time of the month.

Huh, I didn't get into CoH from the beta. It was just a RTS with a superficial WW2 layer on top of it. I loved the CC1 demo back in the day, but somehow never got around to getting the game. I've played a few maps of CC2 in the past year. I'm already convinced enough to fully support the series. CoI is mine day1. I'll be playing them at the slowest speed, in any case.

Unless it were actually dynamic and not just a shallow illusion of choices. But yes, resources. It's like the illusion of having multibranching dialogue trees which all lead to the same response. The problem is in the design and implementation of the dialogue, not in the dialogue format itself.

Theoretically-speaking, an actually dynamic real-time conversation system could work. That would require quite some extra work, though. Would Bioware actually take the extra step? Can't say I'd be surprised if it turns out somewhat shallow, in any case. Then again, who knows.