Undecaf

I don't think you have to do something totally new and never done before to have value. It'll hopefully encourage the expansion of Linux gaming, which I think can be important to the future of PC gaming. That's what it means for me. But Valve seems to have an interest in bridging PC gaming with the living room. At the very least, getting people to realize they can hook up their PCs to televisions. The controller design seems to be an attempt to advance controllers. We'll have to see if it works out or not, it's too beyond the norm for me to judge without testing. True, not everything needs to be something never before seen. The question just came up after seeing arguments how this is just a blatant middlehand cash grab.

I've probably missed something down the line because I haven't really followed the topic all that intensely, but what's really the point with all this? A machine to stream games to a TV from your computer through Steam, and a controller. People can already hook their rigs on their TV's and use controllers. What's the real catch here? What did I miss?

20 hours 34 minutes (and counting)?

I have no particular interests in a "space opera" game, especially of the Mass Effect or SW kind; so while I would want to support Obsidian, they'd need to do something really spectacular with the setup and gameplay to get my money. I hope they don't do it, but instead - if ever Kickstarting a new IP again, or even getting publisher backing for such - something completely different from that (or a swords&sorcery setup).

Rerun for San Andreas since I can't play GTA V at home. My god the opening is boring... and I dread the idea of the gangwars and airplane "license" tedium to come. Otherwise I have pretty fond memories to revisit (or perhaps it's just nostalgia kicking in).

Valve up to something with Steam. Announcement 1/3 in a few hours.

It sure works, no question about it. And good for Rockstar. It is kind of tragicomic to read the journos making clowns out of themselves (yet again). So I guess it's a plus that way too.

One has to wonder how much all this brown nosing has cost Take Two. These aren't even reviews anymore. The game is really fun, to be sure (from what I've played), but it's nowhere near warranting all the verbal fellatio it gets.

What ever their new game is, I do hope the setting won't be typical swords&socery or space fantasy. Those tend to be worn out and difficult to come with anything really interesting anymore.

That was the only feature I saw any possible intrigue in while the rest looks pretty standard fare and kinda underwhelming. But yeah, if I get it, it will be from the bargain bin for me too. it's weird, because if Rockstar had said "when you start a new game you get to choose from 3 characters, each has their own unique skills and strengths!" i would have been excited. But instead its: "we made a super long movie with three characters in it, and when its time for the movie to change scenes, you will begin controlling whichever character that scene is about." frankly, other than the last 30 minutes of RDR, i don't think rockstar is as good at making movies as they think they are. so playing a twenty+ hour movie about three old retired gangsters sounds very different from my idea of a good time. Yeah, I can see it getting old really fast. I've not really followed the game so I don't have much to go on but a recollection of switching between characters somewhat freely in and out of missions, and the possibilities that sort of gameplay and storytelling would offer. But meh, if there is no PC version as mentioned above, the game is ruled out completely from me (I thought there were plans for a PC version, but I guess I misrecalled or misinterpreted something). Not a big loss.

That was the only feature I saw any possible intrigue in while the rest looks pretty standard fare and kinda underwhelming. But yeah, if I get it, it will be from the bargain bin for me too.

Oh my god, the delivering of that line almost broke my jaw.

Well, that's how games are generally graded, aren't they? It's not like they have to follow the normal distribution or something.They are, almost everywhere. It just never struck as sensible to me to have a scale from 1 to 10 and have "average" at 7 to 8. I've never seen a 1, 2 or 3. 8 was slightly above average, so average would be 6-7, right? I've seen 2/10 scores. It's not an issue worth of debate, and people are obviously used to it. But it looks disfigured in my eyes, and always has.

Well, that's how games are generally graded, aren't they? It's not like they have to follow the normal distribution or something. They are, almost everywhere. It just never struck as sensible to me to have a scale from 1 to 10 and have "average" at 7 to 8.

Well it's an opinion, but it's not like anyone cares. Sure. Was just wondering...

8 being "slightly above average"? On topic... At chapter 2 in The Walking Dead. The "gameplay", if you can call it that, leaves a lot to hope for even for a point'n click adventure, but story and its flow are very satisfying so far. I'd be keen to see what kind of an RPG Obsidian could craft from this base if ever given the job.

It does. And I find it a bit worrisome, as it sounds almost overwhelmingly so. How much will it interfere with regular game flow with all these random events and management issues? How often does it prompt me to get there in the middle of quest or when I'm half a continent away and going the opposite direction to do something that's seemingly important? The feature in isolation sounds very neat, but how much and how often is the player randomly prompted to switch adventuring to sim-castle-tycoon?

I liked W1 combat better too. It felt more RPG'y and less messy than the W2 clickety click fest (which wasn't bad per say, but... meh). I've been out of the loop for some time now so I don't know what (or if) they've talked about their plans on this regard, but I strongly suspect they're not going back to W1 style combat; so I kinda hope they take a few pages from the melee combat of Risen (and probably even Gothic 2).

Go **** yourself EA.

It's not a matter of "the game" lacking an "open nature," because it's not so much a game as a rulebook/devkit. The overarching purpose of the product is the production and consumption of user-generated content.K.Let's change the "game" to "initial official module/campaign" then. Doesn't change the verdict, though.

The game lacks in open nature, exploration and overall interactivity (for understandable reasons, I guess), but all in all I found it to be very nice little adventure RPG snack while waiting for the bigger players like Wasteland 2, T:ToN, and PE. Writing was generally good, atmosphere was awesome, combat was fairly simplistic but very sufficient for a storydriven game. I do hope it and the Berlin expansion sell enough for HBS to be able to produce a sequel of similiar experience but with larger and more open scope.

Grand promises, once again. I wish I had any remote interest towards this, but as it happens Bioware instils this same "I know well enough what's to come" feelings of indifference as Bethesda, to even really consider an excitement. Shame.

edit - actually... nevermind that...

Sim City (or Sims) esque Kickstarter imminent.

If they ever return to this project, I do hope the ditch the idea of a "fast paced action combat" and focus more on making combat situational, tactical and character based and overall make the game lean more towards and adventure RPG than an action RPG.