Nonek

Well there goes my weekend.

Would I have to shave me chin whiskers, if so I emphatically disagree with this genderless business. As for opening doors; I find a playful pat on the rump serves to defuse any tension in such a moment (or result in a good healthy slap across the jowls which has its own attractions).

Liked the character creation, very simple and intuitive (and you could craft an Ahnolt the barbarian). Overall i'd give a hefty shrug however, there are too many niggling little irritations to convince me to endure the game. It doesn't seem lacking in any significant way, just rather mediocre; i'd rather be walking the Mojave in the hopes of finally finishing new vegas.

Oddly enough the combat is a negative point for myself, with the oversized weapons and exaggerated animations it seems a little silly; for wont of a better word. That said the actual implementation of the mechanics seems sharp and responsive. The drawing and use of the weapons and shields seems a little too responsive however, the shield seems to magically appear from nowhere when blocking is implemented and weapons appear in hand without being drawn or visibly equipped. Small, anal details that will most likely wear upon me the more I play, they violate my personal (and I must admit rather petty) code of verisimilitude. As for the setting, it seems to be the usual mish mash of celtic (Sidhe, Tuatha) and norse (Dokkalfar, Liosalfar) elements that are becoming a way bit overused and conversely; not explored in enough detail to draw my interest. The colourful palette is refreshing however, as is the distinctive character design. I'm beginning to detest the very notion of other species in games however, be they Elf, Gnome or Dwarf; yes they evoke certain easily recognisable qualities but these could be represented by different races of humanity with very little effort and thus allow a more cosmopolitan racial mix (as an added bonus.) How I ramble; proof of the pudding will be in the eating, or playing of the demo in this case.

Looked it up, apparently it was called simply enough "Space Marine" and is no longer considered canon. Gave a very different vibe to the modern interpretation of the Astartes but a much more realistic one.

Ian Watson wrote some good books back when I was still involved in the hobby, as i recall there was a very good book on aspiring space marines of the imperial fists chapter.

Who doesn't like getting stuck in with the boys? That said the games never represent just how intelligent Warbosses can become, it would be nice to see a major Ork antagonist portrayed with as much cunning as brutality. The blessings of both Gork and Mork so to speak.

Personally i've always had a certain affinity for the proud and slightly nihilistic Eldar, the romanticism of their millenia averted extinction has always appealed to me. Of course portraying such an inhuman and enigmatic species would be a serious undertaking, and doubtless most players would prefer to experience such a game from a human perspective. However with their psychic symbiosis with the warp, the enmity of the chaos god they birthed and commitment to a chosen path to stave off their exuberant passions, they offer a somewhat more original experience than another superhuman Astartes. That said I don't think that the Space Marines presented to us by Relic have taken advantage of the more interesting aspects of being such a creature, for that you need the detail and time afforded by an rpg rather than a strategy game. Gabriel Angelos' war diaries from the original Dawn of War were a simple and effective way of conveying his story and perspective, but they were wasted by the usual Daemonic Ascendance plotline. I'd like to see Obsidians take on this universe, they strike me as one of the few developers who could do it justice.

I have known many gods. He who denies them is as blind as he who trusts them too deeply. I seek not beyond death. It may be the blackness averred by the Nemedian skeptics, or Crom's realm of ice and cloud, or the snowy plains and vaulted halls of the Nordheimer's Valhalla. I know not, nor do I care. Let me live deep while I live; let me know the rich juices of red meat and stinging wine on my palate, the hot embrace of white arms, the mad exultation of battle when the blue blades flame and crimson, and I am content. Let teachers and priests and philosophers brood over questions of reality and illusion. I know this: if life is illusion, then I am no less an illusion, and being thus, the illusion is real to me. I live, I burn with life, I love, I slay, and am content. I'm with Conan on this matter.

Personally i'd just make your own ruleset, rely on the playing and players to refine it and use the old dm's 50/50 rule when in doubt. There's always something egregious in any ruleset that doesn't gel with your campaign or personal preferences, so just do a little bit of extra paperwork and make something which you won't end up hating. Cool kennings.

I always wondered whether video games killed the tabletop star, to paraphrase the Buggles. No rules lawyers, no latecomers, no lost character sheets and no need to gather your party before venturing forth with the session.

I believe Ray Charles is often credited with introducing "soul" to the world at large.

At last he will no longer be so terribly lonely.

Can't disagree, Raziel was the tragic hero.

Legacy of Kain? The first bitter taste of that terrible illusion: Hope. Kain fighting an endless battle with the fates decreed by tyrannous stars, an unusual theme in a genre replete with prophecy and "but thou must" commandments.

Apart from Aerondight and Ravens armour I agree with you Blodhemn, the witchers swords and armour though well modelled were just tools to be used in his job. However I was advocating the games limit on what Geralt can carry, most games we're carrying around a few hundred pounds of bulky gear without any visible pack, mule or overburdened manservant like patsy. It's a trifle disconcerting, I always wondered where Morte in Torment kept his inventory items. Point of fact I think obsidian handles side quests a lot more responsibly than most, Kreia's admonishment of the exiles thoughtless charity on Nar Shadaa was both surprising and satisfying. The fate of the dapper old gent in Dungeon Siege still tasks me, and the maze of repercussions that can be navigated in Alpha Protocol is obviously an excellent example.

A lot of those problems could be diminished by making the acquisition of wealth much more realistic, how many times in rpgs are we richer than Croesus fairly early on into the story. Dragon age 2 was supposedly the story of a refugee struggling to survive in a foreign and hostile city but i'd amassed enough of a fortune to render the end quest of chapter one pointless after a dozen hours of questing. Of course what breaks most of these systems is simply the tyranny of loot, our obsessive compulsive natures and competitive drive task us with exploiting the system to recieve maximum reward and we thus spoil the game for ourselves. I'm not saying loot should be entirely dropped, just that it be much harder to acquire, carry and maintain than the usual quick trip out to the bandits lair to pick up a few dozen suits of chainmail for the player. An easy way to achieve this is to limit what the player can carry, the original witcher game did this remarkably well with the ability to only wear one suit of armour and carry two weapons on the back, one at the hip and a dagger strapped to the thigh. The rarity of new armour or weapons that are lovingly described, uniquely useful and fully upgradeable would be a real reward for the player, rather than the endless procession of undescribed loot that we'll most likely dump on a merchant after a quick trawl for the optimum pieces. Cash would then be rarer, much harder to acquire and more satisfying to use or recieve. Quality armours would need to be fitted to the wearer and maintained by the smith as most enemies would be marred in combat, weapons could be picked up and used but would also require honing, oiling and occasionally replacing if not of enchanted or exemplary craftsmanship. This verisimilitude would fix a problem in most modern rpgs that sacrifice sense for accesibility and makes those side quests choices all the more meaningful and crucial. I think i've been wanting to get that off my chest for awhile, thank you for the opportunity OP.

I would buy that for a predetermined amount of sterling converted dollars. The possibilities inherent in the vast universe of the 40k lore does seem to be crying out for a decent rpg, relic almost always rely on the tired "foil the risen deamon prince" plot and i'd much rather explore the nature of the warp, the terrifying emptiness of the necron tainted pariahs and the casual horror that is life on the front lines of the emperors hammer.

When they say Barbie do they mean the war criminal or the doll? Though certainly a rather bemusing notion upon first reception, the idea has actually grown on me since. The sacred cows of rpgs could ocassionally benefit from a good ridiculing, South Park would be an ideal candidate for the deliverance thereof. Or mayhap i'd just enjoy a day inside the twisted mind of young master Cartman.

Tough opposition from the new kid on the block, but eminently well deserved, well done.

Might also allow both parties to be proactive in seeking advantage over the opposing side, striking at assets that they know the other side will try to capture and setting traps or false trails. Given a standard choice of which four or so quests to pursue, the smart antagonist could wait to see what the protagonist chose to do and while he is busy with that go after one of the others. While the protagonists could set his own snares and misdirections in the quest areas he has conquered. I can see Oroguns point in that the stranger and the threat not shown can be more dramatically effective than the more symbiotic relationship though, Omen Deng as opposed to Conrad Marburg I suppose.

For some reason reading your posts Orogun I began to think about the relationship between Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter in silence of the lambs, polar opposites who shared a strange empathy. Obviously that is more drawing on older myths of the hero(ine) bearding the ancient evil in its lair and coming forth with the weapons or knowledge to slay the dragon, but an antagonist who begins the game at the opposite end of the usual scale, bound by the protagonists faction and answering questions to shape his opposing personality (and maybe the protagonists) would be a very easy way to formulate later responses and actions. Something along the lines of an inverted virtue test as used in the old ultimas.

Just off the top of my head: A city converted could be plagued by banditry or terrorist attacks such as the dapper old gent did in stonebridge, weaken infrastructure. The quest to repel these attacks would come at the cost of some other asset being gained, so you do not have an option for an optimal ending unless certain infrastructures have already been developed (a draconian secret police or such like.) An artifact could be corrupted by its guardians through infiltration of their ranks, an easily overlooked comment on a guardians strange behaviour being the only indicator that wrongdoing is afoot which if not followed up would see you losing the asset or seeing it corrupted. Companions and allies could be brought over to the antagonists side if the protagonist fails to gain sufficient influence with them or fails to live up to their expectations. Dispossessed noblemen could be promised the return of lands and titles, religious leaders could be manipulated by church decree or doctrine, charismatic freedom fighters could rise up amongst the common folk to lead suspiciously well funded and equipped revolts or plague might break out in the strongholds of the protagonist due to tainted water supplies or the collusion of a prominent trader. Most of these would be combatable by quest or side mission that hides their importance I would think, but certain acts such as the artifacts corruption or plague outbreak could spill over and raise up other antagonists or factions that can be swayed by either side of the conflict or manipulated into ignorant service. A clever antagonist could take advantage of almost any situation where the player is given a choice or performs some service, automatically courting the opposing side or spinning negative aspects into the protagonists deeds. The variables and world states might be a touch beastly to keep track of unless some method of chokepoint is implemented, but replay value and reactivity would be out of the court and it would be interesting to see a protagonist lose through poor planning and lack of attention.

I do believe there was somewhat of a nod to this in the first witcher game, specifically the confrontation with Azar Javed in the second chapter. In case you're not familiar with the game i'll not spoil it but while the protagonist conducts a rather noire inspired investigation the malefactor makes his own moves and delightfully if the hero makes a misstep he can be thoroughly thrashed in the following confrontation. Obviously this is not quite as exhaustive as I believe you are suggesting, with a strategical game of chess being played between protagonist and antagonist but for an old crpg fan it was very refreshing. I suppose with the reactive nature of alpha protocol and the various aspects playing into the mission hubs that there is a gesture towards this kind of idea, but there are very few counter measures enacted against Mr Thornton (Grigori informing to the U.S. embassy guards?) while he blazes a trail across the globe. I would definitely like to see something like this brought into games, very interesting idea.

Just finished the game and i've got to say it was both enjoyable and very stable, only had one crash and that was when I was exiting the game so didn't really bother me. Liked the logical and tragic story that slowly revealed itself along with the sensible supporting cast and their realistic motivations, and even though i'm a rather ham fisted ape I found the combat none too taxing, which for me was suprising as action rpg's and I don't often gel. I did like some of the more unusual and outlandish designs that permeated the gameworld and the vast array of choices that were presented to you along the way were suprisingly effective, still regret sending down the dapper old gent. I've made a save just before leaving to give old Jayne a damn good thrashing in preperation for the forthcoming dlc which i'll be snapping up when it comes out. In summation: I found this to more than equal the original dungeon siege game, which quickly became tiresome to me without a strong narrative to hold the long bouts of automated combat together. I would however have liked the ability to look up and behold vistas at some points in the game (The forests of the Rukkenvahl, the grand chapterhouse and Jaynes spire to name but a few.)