Cl_Flushentityhero

2 minutes of pure footage is pretty good. Most of the time is usually dedicated to interviews.

It's going to feel weird at release when Funcroc starts posting. Maybe he'll just start scouting for the sequel immediately.

*explains at great length why head kicks are seldom a good idea combatively* Based on what we know, the slick-looking knife to which you refer is probably a kerambit. I think American Kenpo uses them, though I'm most familiar with them as a weapon used in the Filipino martial arts and silat (which, if you ask me, are more than a little similar). The movie "Taken" features a good fight scene with one.

I'm guessing pretty much that.

I'm stoked.

The argument could be made that, by keeping the forums active, we're doing our part to create buzz. I had considered standing on a street corner with an AP poster, but all the ones in my neighborhood have already been staked out.

I thought that compared to the games of the day there was nothing wrong the DX combat. Sure, these days it seems a bit archaic, but then again so does FEAR 2.

It's possible, but I'm not holding my breath. The gameplay videos I've seen looked pretty much like Splinter Cell with less polish. Given that even the SC franchise itself has moved in a new direction, I'm skeptical of games that look like imposters. It seems to play as follows: old school stealth mechanics -> gratuitously violent CQC animation -> old school stealth mechanics -> gratuitously violent CQC animation -> . . . . Don't get me wrong, I love gratuitously violent CQC animations, but my suspicion is that the emphasis is on the 'old school stealth mechanics' part.

Well, they certainly need to do something, because AP doesn't have the same market momentum as CoD 50.

Of course, they were originally both supposed to release the same quarter I think.

A cover system allows you to minimize your character's exposure around the edge of said cover, as you suggest, without fumbling with the interface for so long that you get yourself killed. The way (some) cover systems are animated lets you be less exposed to fire than would be possible in free movement due to the rigid nature of games' animations these days. As for being "forced" into cover you just want to walk past, I don't really see how that's possible in Gears since you actively have to press a button. The only game I've played that sucked the player into cover automatically was Kane & Lynch.

*runs out to start combing the shelves* Damnit damnit damnit!

If my reading is correct, the "dozens of skills" they refer to are abilities that you unlock as you rank up in skills.

Well, yeah, it's stupid, but it does lend a certain artistic style. Given that Obs is trying to create a cinematic spy experience, I don't think there's anything particularly wrong with imitating cinema for the sake of imitating cinema in that regard. If they *didn't* do it, it wouldn't seem as polished and "hollywood" (and Obs needs all the polish they can get). I also think that they wanted to create that kind of atmosphere, which is why they undertook AP to begin with. So, I both agree and disagree with you.

I would imagine it's pretty subtle. You may (or may not) have noticed, for example, that films tend to desaturate the colors and tint the screen blue in European locales. It sounds like what AP is doing is similar to that.

They did say "The JBs." And when I think spy, I think Mexican wrestling, don't know about you.

Is Sega in charge of the ad budget?

It's funny, in my nerdy musings I was contemplating just that the other day.

And canceling the Aliens titles was?

Yeah, that video got me even more excited. The "You are Riddick" multiplayer mode looks fun too. I think the Starbreeze staff has the definite potential to "get it right" with the Bourne CQC. The Bourne Conspiracy game used Jeff Imada as the choreographer, but the way they implemented the moves didn't feel fluid like the action sequences from the movies. I wouldn't say the Riddick CQC is perfect for it either (at least, from the original game), but Starbreeze seems flexible enough to adopt mechanics appropriate for the source material (though I did find the amount of gunplay in Butcher Bay slightly off-putting). I also have no doubt about their ability to deliver a good story or high production values.

SEGA has been making some questionable moves lately. Maybe they're afraid that Starbreeze's next Bourne game will overlap too much and are waiting for it to release first . . .

One thing I like about certain parts of certain games (GTA4's bank robbery comes to mind) is that they create the impression that the actions of the protagonist are spilling over into other peoples' lives. This is not solely a function of adding civilians into a level or contrived "this random person's life is destroyed" moments in cutscenes, more a willingness of the game to engage with it's own world (ironically, these moments are rather sparse in GTA4 despite its detailed game world). It seems like there is a general tendancy among developers to confine the action to top secret installations, or deserted construction sites. There is some kind of impact the protagonist has in the world, but always in a very focused and controlled (dare I say artificial?) manner. I realize cause and consequence is a major point of AP, but will we truly experience broad C&C while playing? Or will it be things we hear/read about in the paper or focused on the specific characters with which Thornton has frequent interactions?

My impression of AP in general is that it will seldom force you to take a certain approach, even if it is the only realistic solution. So, my suspicion is that in the intro the player will have options regarding playstyle, which isn't all bad.

It sounds as though it has a James Bond type actiony intro in lieu of lengthy exploration/puzzle solving. Then again, if Thornton leaves his IV in it might play out differently.

Really? Rich American tourists don't get kidnapped? As for one guy going through a small army, I thought that was kind of the premise upon which action movies are typically based. The Bourne movies were pretty well-received . . .