Raithe

The australian relations have left for a week, so now we all try to destress before they arrive back for the two weeks after that... Although with the hassle of moving the pc back and forth out of the cramped space its in at the moment.. I think I'll actually wait till they're gone for good to do it. Woke up early, but the heavy wind and rain on the window was just hypnotic and I kept zoning out for stretches before i forced myself to get up. Got some mathematical models to check and a 38 page report to read once more and see just how much sticks to the mental plate...

Finished the main storyline of Skyrim. Hm, haven't done the Civil War or the Dark Brotherhood yet.. Not sure if I can really be bothered to do them now. Generally entertaining and certainly plowed a fair few hours into it to get to that point, but it was beginning to hit a certain tired zone. Also, sneak + archery was a serious killer combo, and having pretty much maxed out sneak, archery, light armor and one-handed (and having the nightingale blade and that daedric quest dagger...) it was getting a wee bit silly. Then of course if you go back and try to start using destruction to improve the skill, most of the enemies you find to use it on are now too high level so you end up chugging time trying to chip their health down. The premise of the Mages Guild story was interesting, but fell through in the shortness. One moment I've just joined the guild, next moment I'm the Archmage.. I think the Companions slightly glitched, after curing the lycanthropy I went back and found Skjor alive and well and handing out sidequests... And I still can't get over just how many damn characters are voiced by Claudia Christian. Every time I wander into a new city/locale and find yet another npc with her voice..

Hm, after spending the last few days getting in gaming time on this.. I can say it doesn't have Oblivion's soul-sapping blahness to the gameplay, and the world and environment generally looks somewhat pretty. But I can't see this turning into a repeated playthrough game. Sure, there's probably a bunch of the miscellaneous quests I'll have missed by the time I finish it..and places I've not discovered.. but beyond a certain point there just doesn't seem to be much push towards those elements. That and the lack of choice in these quests can be a bit annoying. Most especially the Daedric ones, given they usually sneak up on you sideways. When you reach points that you would like to step back and say "no", or rather then invite x priest to be murdered at a certain location you could just get an option to tell them about it and not casually murder them... As it is, the only options you get left with are to walk away, leaving the quests unfinished, lurking on your journal and with a priest stuck in a cage... (or elements to that effect). Not to say it isn't being mostly enjoyable, but I'm not really getting the glowing magic of it's appeal that various folks I know have been going on about.

After my first attempt got interrupted by family members deciding to ask me 20 questions.. my second go hit 800. Although the fact that it seems to throw pages of "classics" as it were at you (Alice in Wonderland, The Wizard of Oz etc.) it's not like you really have to have good reading to answer the questions if you've read them before.

Still exploring my first playthrough of Skyrim..and the one thing thats leapt out at me.. is my god Claudia Christian voices a lot of roles. Now, she's got a distinctive voice if you know it, but they have her voicing three characters in one city where they're all about 40 seconds travel from each other. Dang it, that's just making it silly. If you're going to re-use voice artists like that, at least take into account some distance gamewise so it doesn't get shoved in your face.. (or ear, as the case may be...)

Caught Iron Sky. Some ups and downs to it, but damn. Nazis in Spaaace. and a rather fun sendup of a Palin-style President. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNDaOFQ6g2I

Tried some Skyrim today. Hm, can't make up my mind just yet. It hasn't had the deep drag in that Morrowind had.. but so far it also hasn't got the soul-destroying blandness of Oblivion.. So we'll have to see how it goes.

Lightly steambroiled one hand. New kettle, just boiled some water. Poured one cup, started to pour the second, lid fell off and cloud of steam ran up my arm. Cold water under the tap never felt so good.

Maybe a deliberate design choice, with consequences to happen if you do take the time out to do them? Or by doing them it will alter the main quest in some way? I kind of doubt it, but you never know....

Since I'm suffering under cramped and non-ventilated areas with my pc at the moment.. I haven't really been able to spend chunks of time playing games. Managed a short burst of Saints Row Third - ran the "Gangsta's in Spaaace! dlc which was somewhat amusing. Getting some moments of Tor in. Pondering whether I should re-arrange my budget (both time and finance wise) to get a copy of Skyrim or not now..

I could just imagine Alpha Protocol done like this.. Or..this done like Alpha Protocol..

There was the "I don't think so" glowing lightning finger and dirty chuckle. I think he managed a few others scattered aroudn the film. But for some totally bizarre reason, they really managed to sell the character of Rayden...

The sweltering heat is still here.. family members are beginning to snipe at each other or having some of the general shine rub off... I got to enjoy most of sunday with a heavy headache and a spontaneous nosebleed... And today, whilst I did manage a chunk of time digging through some of my old system engineering/software engineering books to re-inforce a few things.. I just seem to be in an odd mood I can't really place.

And his laugh in Mortal Kombat was a serious contribution to the cinematic art in that film...

It should be noted that Reynolds can do serious, and quite well too. See Safe House and Buried. Also look at his character in Smokin' Aces. He played that very straight and non-comedy, in a film that had a lot of..cwaziness. Especially when the ending arrives....

Yes, sorry, the morass of annoying European bureaucrats sticking their toe in.. It tends to merge together. I forgot, if it was the American's telling people in Europe to change their laws and such-like it would be an obvious annoyance to people. But because it's the UK suffering under Europeans, it's the UK whinging...

In contrast to that gaming extravaganza earlier in the thread.... the home of my pc setup for the next few weeks...

Ah, and now, both in the name of providing some space for those relatives arriving tomorrow..and in keeping my sanity over the upcoming month.. my whole computer set-up is now crammed into a room that's about 4' by 6'..

Endgame was okay. But then, I was a fan of the tv series, especially as it smoothed out over the first couple of years.

The barbaric concept is believing that robbing people off freedom, punish and degrading them will somehow make them better people.. You know how we scorn parents who always criticize their kids and never take the time to teach them the skills to actually be good? The reason for that is it produces rotten kids - society works on a much similar principle, if people don't feel like they belong or that their actions have no real social consequence (ie they are hated no matter what), then what's gonna make them change? The carrot is infinitely better than a rod, especially working with people. Of course some a just looney and needs to be taken to a brightly lid facility with rubberwalls, but let's not judge every misdemeanor as deserving of that. okay, not every prisoner has no voting rights. I can't remember the exact breakdown, but pretty much the "misdemeanour" crowd , especially those who have sentences of a year or three are able to vote. But it's pretty much aimed at the "hard time" cons. And the moment they get out of prison, they can vote. But whilst they're in prison, as part of thepunishment for breaking the social contract and commiting crimes that get you arrested.. you can't vote. It's not like they are stripped of the vote to right until they die.

Call me crazy, but having a bunch of non-elected officials, most of whom are bureaucrats rather then geniuses of legal ability and aren't even from your country tell your elected officials what they have to do, even in the face of the actual democratic voting on the matter... Especially when it started due to a literal Axe Murderer who delights in attempting to "game the system" making the original complaint?

Apart from the boss fights.. I enjoyed the majority of DEHR. The art direction was coherent and solid throughout, and the storyline pretty much held together, which is rare enough in most games today..