Aristes

I have to admit, the doc says I can't drink anymore, so I lay off the brew most of the time. I take the occassional Scotch and water, though. I would suggest, other than a few local brews in the evening, you stick to soda and juice with the kid. And let us know if you track down taks. I want pictures. I will only use them to stalk you a little bit I suppose.

Actually one will be good enough. If I post mine, then you can say what's different about yours. Should give us something. It might also prove interesting to folks who have both platforms and want to decide which one to use.

taks, you da man. I'm serious, you beer swilling swine!

Literally ending the world? Our world could end tomorrow for some reason unforseen by us today. We simply lack enough of an understanding of the universe to make a reasonable prediction. Like Calax says, the means of our demise could be a few years off. It could have been set in motion millions of years ago, but we won't know it until it slams the earth. However, destroying humanity? While we can't know everything, we do know that it would take less to destroy humanity than destroy the earth. It's simple, if the earth goes, we go. The erath can get along without us, though.

I'll post AP and DA screenies for you to peruse.

I finished Max Payne and now I'm playing Max Payne 2. The second one has much better graphics, although I miss my right button slow mo jumps. It put the game in bullet time, but just to do the slo mo jump, you have to hit shift.

I'll pick it up PC since I don't have a 360. We can compare notes about how each plays.

Your point about the amnesia aspect of PS:T really makes the case. It was okay then, but now it's cliched. For everything cliched, there was once something new to someone. In fact, the amnesia in PS:T is often a point of criticism for the game and has been. Amnesia in literature falls under attack in general. We computer gamer geeks hadn't seen it played quite so well in a crpg. It was okay then, but it has become so much of a staple that folks rebel against it. Frankly, I think there is room for the cliched ideas. I thought, and clearly I was wrong as MC and Gromnir have set the record straight as regards the details of the Dragon Age plan, that Bioware was going to try to escape from the more or less cliched notions. ...But, forewarned is forarmed. Now that I know, it's no big deal. Even within cliches, there are different levels of acceptance. Take me, for example. I don't mind elves and dwarves and whatnot. Having the cliched notions of elves and dwarves doesn't bother me. However, I would like to see elves and dwarves used in a different way. I don't offer it as a serious setting, but I do think the idea of dwarves being the big guys on the block and the elves, through no real fault of their own, being the new upstarts who threaten the status quo. I think cliches will be with us for a long time. Hell, I'm all for it. However, it would be nice to see a game that doesn't depict the same old notions we have in sooooo many computer games. Downtrodden 'demi-humans.' Humans who are the most vigorous and widespread. It is so tiring to see the same ideas recycled. Bioware is making the game they want to make and I'm sure it will sell gangbusters. It's not the new and invigorating path I'd hoped they would take, but I'll pick it up and enjoy it anyhow.

I actually like chicken livers. I'll eat beef liver also, smothered with onions. When I lived on Guam, we had an appetizer all the time called Rumaki. It was liver and water chestnut wrapped with bacon and fried or baked. Good stuff. Remember to take out the toothpick. One of my favorite cheap dishes is something called hot dogs and tortillas. You heat the tortillas, sprinkle some parmesian cheese on them, wrap them individually around a half vertically sliced hot each, and then fry them until golden brown. MMM. I know it might sound weird, but it's goo eatin' and it's cheap to make. Used to have it all the time when we were kids. You can dip them in mustard or sourcream and salsa.

That's like getting drinking water out of a toilet. Hey now! Seriously, you bunch are like a well oiled machine. Either that or mutant monkeys, but it somehow works. Between you all, I get great game advice.

This friends with benefits idea should be more widespread. I'll run that by my wife and see what she says. Better yet, I value human life far too much to throw mine away.

It's all about managing our expectations. For example, I'm complaining about ToEE, but I really dug the turn based combat. The bugs irritated me, but there were some good ideas in that game.

I thought IWD2 was a great game. IWD, however, is one of my all time favorites. Nevertheless, that Dykast blade made me laugh out loud and I don't give a damn if it were in IWD 1 or 2, it was a wonderful item description. I think IWD's item descriptions tended to have a lot of flavor compared to most other games altogether. I still managed a chuckle over many of the item descriptions in the BG series as well as the IWD titles. Frankly, the only game that dropped the ball on item descriptions is the Temple of Elemental Evil. Of course, the fact that identify didn't work compounded that problem. Wait, was that a bug, a bad design decision, or a 'feature?' Riiiight. It was Troika. All of the above.

What was that one in IWD 1 or 2? The Dykast blade? THAT was a funny description.

hahaha I laughed out loud. Hey, the kids a cutie, but having a wife and kid with you will be like babe repellant. Have a good trip! Don't drink too much beer. Don't drink too little either.

I actually started this thread as a joke. I mean, mutant cats? *rawr* oops.

That's pretty much what I intended, MC. There are four basic ways I approach these things. Some I'm going to get come hell or high water. I pre-purchase those or get them very soon on release. There are those that I'm more or less sold but I'll wait a bit to hear what folks say. That's DA. I'll pay close attention the first week and, if it still seems good, I'll buy it. Sure, you can sometimes get swept away, but usually that works well. There are those that I'm leery of buying. I'll pay attention, but it's more than a week. Ironically, this is exactly what happened with FO3. Killian and HC sealed the deal on that one for me and it turned out to be a great purchase. Then there are those that I won't buy at all. Rarely, but sometimes, I'll decide I will under no circumstances buy a game. There are plenty out there and if there's any reason to think I'll hate a game or not want to support the publisher, why buy that game instead of one of the other games on the market. Frankly, the problem with ME isn't that it sounded bad. It just didn't sound good enough. I'm still listening for ME2, though, so you never know.

"Wow! Who would have thought that would happen?" *dies*

I can get where Hurlie is coming from, though. I mean, some folks like to be able to just shoot the breeze, even argue some, while maintaining a more or less friendly relationship with others. That's how I try to do it. I don't find a lot of folks who like to talk about some of this off topic stuff in real life. My friends are into things other than politics and the ones who aren't tend to hold the same views I do. I don't like that. This board gives me a chance to see alternate views. I think both Vol and LoF believe in what they say. I mean, as long as you are arguing for what you believe, I don't tend to think you're simply "trolling." ...But I'm a whimp who tries to like folks as best he can.

What I was trying to get across earlier is that some of the positive reviews have cited issues that don't sound like fun. First and formost, combat doesn't sound engaging to me. I've gotten this impression from both the folks who've enjoyed it as well as the detractors. I'm not trying to convince anyone of anything. I'm far more likely to buy DA than I ever was ME. I've enjoyed a lot of Bioware games, but there have been a few I didn't like much. Still a quality developer, though.

I do mean the Obsidian boards, Vol. ...But the reviews here have led me to some great purchases, so I don't mind if one gets away. It's not really negative criticism so much as the types of criticism and, to be fair, some of things that strike me come from positive reviews. I'm not slamming Bio. Hell, I've really enjoyed A LOT of Bioware games. I'm just saying I doubt I get ME. Now, if ME2 comes out and folks really like it, I might pick up that title. If I really like it, then I'm likely to buy the original game.

Hey, we don't want her to know we're stalking her, maaaaan! Too bad about the lures, but there's always more fish in the ocean. Which, by the way reminds me that I will have to try Walsingham's 'sausages are the way through any problem' approach someday. No shweaty balls, though.

And perhaps then died, which makes you even worse!

You have been spending entirely too much time with Walsh!

I'm actually interested in Dragon Age at the moment. Not chomping at the bit excited, but at least I'm thinking about it, which is always a good sign for a purchase. I've skipped the last few Bioware titles, but I also don't think that criticism is the equivalent of being a Bioware Hater. By that standard, I'm an Obsidian Hater because I've complained about various elements of Obsidian games. I decided to pass ME, though. Too many mixed reviews for my tastes. DA I'll get if for no other reason than to help keep Alan gainfully employed. haha