Tale

I take that back. There's been no mention of Dwarves. I was confused by a reference to Dwarves in another of Salvatore's work in a thread asking if they were in.

Actually...

Because the distinctions in the subtle range are too subtle for anyone to actually understand. What does the difference between a 72 score and 73 score actually mean? Yes, one is better, but how was that slight distinction actually achieved and recognized?

Because nobody knows what the heck it means.

Giantbomb's Review/Criticism article part 2 Also included, a youtube video of Adam Sessler's rant against Metacritic from GDC 09. Never heard of it before.

Speaking of rubber foreheads, I'm enjoying my Farscape blu-rays. I honestly don't know if the quality is any better than the DVD. If it is, it's not significant. I still love this series. I have to get in my hour or two daily. I need my fix. Just finished The Locket. D'awww, John and Aeryn.

Armageddon was good. Edit: THQ refutes the rumor. http://kotaku.com/5876348/thq-says-it-has-...its-2014-lineup

Trying to finish up unfinished games from last year that I already started. First up LA Noire. And I quickly remember why I didn't finish it, it bores me. Shelved. Next up, Dead Space 2!

Hopefully we'll still get Darksiders 2 and South Park. Sad for Dark Millenium.

Finished Jedi Academy. I've now played the entire set. I still hate Dark Forces 2. Academy was a nice improvement over Outcast. I hadn't really expected that. The mission structure was uninteresting. But the lightsaber combat was a lot more tolerable, there weren't as many obnoxious snipers, and they toned down the platforming. And the level design was much better. I very rarely got lost and never had to resort to youtube to figure out what I missed.

Setting seems unimpressive. The well of souls and "fateless" concepts merited a roll of the eyes when I see that trailer. But, the combat looks good. Not many RPGs with combo systems out there. And that's merited a pre-order from me. The demo is out next week and I'll see if I keep the pre-order from there. The build options also look very interesting. They've got a set of destiny cards for all of the class combos, so that hopefully means their synergies work well.

Back to Jedi Outcast. Those Cortosis Reborn are enough to make me cheat my way through the game. Dance around, randomly swinging until one guy dies. Usually it'll be me and reload the save. One on one I can handle. I can hope for a saberlock then push and get them while they're on the ground. But now they like to do two at a time and that's simply not enjoyable.

Hmh, what Planescape document? http://www.rpgwatch.com/files/Files/00-020...tement_1997.pdf

That makes me wish we could get more behind-the-scenes stuff that includes the pitch. The Planescape document was quite a thing to read.

Combat looks good from the things I've seen. For one, they've got a combo system. That's not something I'm used to in RPGs. There's lots of ways combo systems can go wrong, so it's not a sure thing, but I'm glad someone's put one there.

On Games, Reviews, And Criticism -- Part 1 - Giantbomb Thoughtful discussion between a Giantbomb writer and a Bioware designer on the roles of and distinction between reviews and criticism. Looking forward to part 2.

I keep hoping I'll color spray the group from behind. I remember doing that during one of my BG2 plays. Good times.

To the Moon THERE IS NOTHING MANLY ABOUT THESE TEARS, HOW DO I MAKE THEM STOP So, it's a visual novel. Very moving. I'm not actually yelling, by the way. That would require being able to breathe.

I'm optimistic about Amalur. Incredibly glad they're having that demo. My optimism means I'd probably end up getting it. At least a demo can let me re-evaluate that initial position.

Apollo 18. It wasn't bad. It's just not especially good either. I don't think it used the found footage concept very well. And it wasn't scary. But I don't begrudge the time I spent viewing.

I'm not sure that eradicating hunger and disease would be worth having to wear spandex.

Blizzard's made a lot of console games in their time. Even Diablo was on PSOne. I imagine they'll refine that old scheme a bit.

Did I mention that I quicksaved while falling in Jedi Outcast? Oh, I did, did I? Did I mention I also did that into the 4th mission of Dark Forces 2 just a few days earlier? This happens all the time.

Downloading To the Moon. Apparently a few places list it as one of the best overlooked games of the year. And Gamespot editors called it Story of the Year, while nominating it in a few other story and music categories. Pretty good for a small indie adventure. I'll let you guys know what I think after I give it a good whirl.

Jedi Academy is better in every way. Plus if you go dark side, you get to kick Kyle "Carth" Katarn's whiny ass. Ehh. I remember trying the demo out for Academy back in the day, and it felt too much the same as Outcast so I skipped it. But I'll be giving it a shot after I finish this play of Outcast.