Drowsy Emperor

Just got Dawn of War: Dark Crusade for 1.74 euros. Sweet

Homeworld 2 campaign. Back in the day everyone was saying how horribly difficult HW2's single player was but, coming fresh from Cataclysm I finished 10 out of 15 missions in 2 days without repeating a single one. If i wasn't a "vet" though, it would probably be unfairly difficult. Playing through the game I'm starting to remember why the story was so forgettable.

I'm shocked at how excited a lot of those people in the BSN thread about the release are. I could understand perhaps if it was another SP DLC or even the announcement of a new ME game. But some of them are going nuts over what is essentially a few new maps? Star Wars syndrome methinks.

I finally understood what was wrong with Homeworld 2 (apart from the crappy single player campaign). I had to play both the original and the sequel at the same time to refresh my memory. Homeworld 2's ships are made of cardboard. In the original it takes a few minutes for even the lowly frigates to murder each other. This gives the player time to think and makes the ship feel substantial - they are after all made of thousands of tons of steel and crewed by hundreds. In the sequel everything dies to a few shots and vaporizes in seconds. I couldn't believe that my battlecruiser would destroy a mothership with something like three hits. This results in everything happening so fast that you can't even watch the action - you have to stay on the radar screen most of the time. In short, to make the game quick like Starcraft they made the units extremely expendable, faster and the maps smaller thereby butchering the whole grandiose space combat feel. Its plain sad considering HW2 had probably the best art direction ever seen in a strategy game: http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/display.htm?demo_091303_20.jpg http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/display.htm?demo_091303_02.jpg http://shipyards.relicnews.com/hw2/images/display.htm?Trailerhw201.jpg

More Morrowind lunacy. I found a place called Hlomaren or something. It has a portal I can't use and a Keep. Upon entering the keep I found that everyone in it, humans, elves etc. wants to murder me, but only on the two middle floors! The roof and the basement are full of people standing around that say nothing important when you talk to them. None of this makes any sense at all - this game needs some context badly. I can live with random dungeons (very uninspiring so far, exactly like Oblivion) but major locations need at least a little explanation. In fact this game is pretty much Oblivion except with superior art direction.

That's true. Also sad. Its hardly "fantasy" if its always the same. P&P systems aren't much better themselves either, but with them you can pick and choose. That's why I'm pretty sick of fantasy in general and Tolkien copycats in particular. The fact that Project Eternity is sticking to these notions (even though there is no reason to, they got the cash without revealing anything at all) is a major minus in my book. As for this kickstarter I wouldn't support it if I had the money because the games they consider classics - like Wizardry are obsolete for me. There is a reason the demand for Infinity engine type RPG's is so high and low to non existent for pre-infinity games. They're bloody outdated.

But, considering your stance that "new and innovative" is the benchmark for "cool", I don't see Kickstarter delivering the goods for you. As it stands, the most successful/hyped games to come out of kickstarter have been tributes to the old days.... which is the opposite of innovation, yes? Innovation doesn't have to be just a gameplay element or a new milestone in graphics, it can just as well be a unique story - like PST did. Kickstarter games could do that and I have high expectations of Project Eternity in that regard seeing as how the dev team can now do what they please.

There's no reason to get upset over Bioware anymore because they're on a downward spiral that they're not likely to recover from. I suspect by the time the ME and DA cows run out of milk (a couple of years more at most) that they'll be dissolved, because Bioware can't give EA what it wants, and it wants what all big publishers want - a CoD like spammable franchise. It goes against their whole philosophy because even though they made the same game ten times over they still did it with a degree of dedication and polish and a minimum of innovation that's simply not repeatable on a yearly basis no matter how good they are. RPGs are neither shooters nor sports games and they'll never have that simplicity and mass appeal. CDProjektRED is where the game is at right now, they're most willing to innovate and spend serious cash at the same time. Their cyberpunk project could be the new big thing. Bethesda, the gorrila in the room has cash but is artistically dead and has always been against real innovation - selling the same game over and over is their modus operandi. Kickstarter is still an unknown we'll just have to see how that plays out.

Bethesda and "great, original games". lololololololo

I don't believe it, Dawn of War: Dark Crusade works great on my netbook with most settings on high after using 3D analyzer to simulate Hardware transform and lighting capability for my integrated Intel 3150.

Finished Homeworld Cataclysm. Sadly, the story dwindled to a cliche towards the end. The new ships are not nearly as well crafted as in the original. Overall the game is very good, but if it didn't have the homeworld frame to build on nobody would remember it at all. 8/10

I love Homeworld and tactical games but Nexus didn't leave much of an impression sad to say

I've been to Malta and it sure isn't some multicultural paradise. Its a strongly catholic country of approximately half a million people, and not really representative of anything. Cyprus's multicultural status is even more dubious what with the ever present threat of conflict that hangs over it. In fact, its a very divided place and probably a prime example of multiculturalism not working. Besides culture and ethnicity are extremely important to most people in the world, to ignore that in favor of "individual personality" is to be voluntarily blind in political matters. Individual personality is relevant between individuals but its not how states can conduct relations with one another. Never has been and never will be. What makes you think the world wants to be united? If there was such a desire it would be spontaneous, from the bottom up - not spoon fed by propaganda and politicians. And "democracy" will certainly not prevail when the usual method of delivery is on the wings of NATO bombers. I'm sorry to say but your argument is 99.9% wishful thinking. I will say this, a good sort of multiculturalism works in countries where it isn't an elaborate propaganda. The US prides itself on it, yet racial divisions are still extremely present. On the other hand you have Brazil or Cuba (but oh so undemocratic!), where whites, natives and blacks work together and the question of race is nowhere near as important as in the "progressive" US. And let me remind you that we had a functional multicultural society in Bosnia before the current model of multiculturalism was even concieved. It went to **** only when the economy was so bad that dissolution became inevitable, but it worked for a long while. So, 3 conclusions: a) multiculturalism can work when its spontaneous, born out of necessity b) it doesn't have to exist under a democratic rule c) multiculturalism created by a) is true multiculturalism because the "cultures" that comprise it are really preserved

I played NWN 2 through at least 2 times but for the life of me I can't remember what the game was about. Its just so forgettable

The problem with IMF austerity measures is that they always target the welfare state and never the business institutions that created the problem in the first place. Their solution to the crisis is to cut state spending on health care, education and other things everyone needs while never touching the filthy rich financial capital that created the crisis, never putting regulations on the systematic loans that are given out to grease the wheels of the economy and subjugate the weaker countries. Everyone knew a decade ago how this was going to play out and the large capitalists that run the whole scheme played it this way on purpose because in the end: a) their personal wealth wasn't going to be touched, only increased b) in the event that their companies "fail" the state can be manipulated and pressured to bail them out Its a win win situation for them. The IMF is just a tool for playing dumb, leveling all the blame at the state and the masses as if Tom, **** or Harry were asked what their country's fiscal policy should be. Did certain countries take advantage of the loans? Definitely. But I ask you, what was the alternative? These same faceless institutions changed the PM of a major european country overnight (Italy). With that sort of power, to install their "agent Smith" type characters at top political positions, how much power did states really have in the issue? It was a rigged game and the masses are getting all the blame and the short end of the stick.

When the IMF starts shaping a country's economic policy (and austerity and cuts is their [neo-liberal] invention and specialty), you can be pretty sure they're well on their way to poverty and disaster. What we're seeing in Europe now are those same recipes and there are plenty of examples of what the outcome looks like. Most countries in EU are now treated as second rate citizens by the few powerful ones, Germany in particular - what will happen when they're twice as weak and dependent a few years down (this) road?

Homeworld Cataclysm and Morrowind. I'm halfway through Cataclysm. Its an excellent game, although not as good as the first. But still better than the sequel

You guys really have a negative view on the world, it is incredibly unhealthy. It is also terribly inaccurate, your life is much better than it was at any other point in history. Do you really think humanity is the same as it was 2000 year ago? 1000 years ago? 100 years ago? Numbers man, cynicism and negativity does not equal intelligence. I don't see that as necessarily negative, people are what they are and that's neither good nor bad. But I don't believe any scholar of history would agree there is real progress in the human psyche. Technological progress, yes, obviously - which has allowed some to live better. The greater masses of humanity pretty much live as they have lived for ages.

If you look at history new divisions are made practically at the same rate that others become obsolete. There is no reason to believe that that will change - its just a part of human nature.

This is beautiful, but not very practical. Methinks you haven't actually immersed yourself in a society that has attempted to get "multiculturalism" to work, or any society other than your own, for that matter. I live in a country that has significant (as in, you couldn't imagine how much up there in comfy Scandinavia) immigration, and have had the fortune of coming into contact with many due to jobs I've held. And let me tell you, being nice just doesn't cut it. There's no way to write "being nice" into law, and laws, my friend, are the structure that keeps chaos and anarchy at bay. The are also, by their very nature, a tool and a means to bend wills. There's this little thing called moral minimums where tolerance simply has no place, and as Mes suggests, moral minimums differ from culture to culture. "Democracy" is nice, only there's no true democracy anywhere, and the devil hides in the details. I think it's quite telling that you speak so fondly of "tolerance" but are so quick to dismiss conflicts arising from cultural differences, the solution apparently being simply general niceness. Do you believe people don't love their culture, their customs, their ways? I think your stance is deeply arrogant; those people and their little cultural idiosincrasies should simply drop their generations-old beliefs and customs and "be nice". What if they'd rather continue being who they are instead of conforming to your poorly defined idea of "nice"? Tolerance only goes so far. And, historically, multiculturalism has been proven a failure as a foundation for state-building. Deep down, humans are still deeply tribal. Yes, even iPhone-toting humans. Sad but true. What he said. Except I don't think multiculturalism as seen in Europe was conceived as an idealistic project. Its a result of the failure (or overt success, depending on your point of view) of the capitalist system whose culture of hedonism left Europeans without the adequate birth rates to cover their aging work force. The German green party program (which I had to write a piece on) pretty openly states that the immigrants are necessary and if you read between the lines it turns out that multiculturalism (as seen in our time) is a concession that had to be given for them (immigrants) to be better integrated into the political and cultural system. There are other reasons as well, certain countries were more open to certain immigration as a way to preserve influence in their ex colonial states. Its a weak and short sighted policy because it tries to solve a problem, not by addressing the underlying cause (the capitalist system of production and its ideology of hedonism) but in typical businesslike fashion it looks for the quickest and cheapest solution to patch up the holes and pronounce the end product, a leaky ship, the new Titanic of freedom and multiculturalism. A system where a single child costs such obscene amounts of money to rear and educate, a system that lets its basic unit (the family) be dissolved and crumble while at the same time accepting that the only solution is to import "other people's children" wholesale can only be pronounced a failure in the long run.

At least its more than you spend before posting here.

I've played more or less everything from '99 onward but it boils down to Infinity engine games (specifically BGII and PST) and the Witcher as a distant second. The list keeps on getting shorter and shorter as my tolerance for flaws drops over time while at the same time my expectations grow to probably unrealistic proportions. Really, unless a game is the new BGII or a new Shadow of the Colossus, or PST, Homeworld, Alpha Centauri, Dawn of War - I'm not likely to care about it much. And I'm not talking about sequels but exceptional, one-of-a-kind originality and quality. That sort of innovation is long gone from the RPG genre.

Just a look over the gradual changesthe gameplay undertook makes 3 things clear: 1. They're simplifying everything as much as possible. 2. They're cutting as much content as possible, mostly in the little things. 3. The trend is likely to continue as long as the games sell well This is why nothing great can be expected of Bethesda (if it ever could)

I played everything up until 4. Now the first three were stupid in good way and ok for their time (what was it, PS one - and considering the real horror came from the dysfunctional control scheme), but 4 was ludicrous. The way it starts off as classic horror but half way turns into a Tarantino movie, with the whole surreal "look we're in the middle ages" act. Really, most things they're accusing no 6. of could be applied to 4 as well, only everyone was going bonkers over the production values at the time far too much to notice that nothing made even elementary sense in that game.

Sad that a series like Resident Evil gets 6 titles + spinoffs. It is a prime example of equal parts convoluted and outright stupid storytelling (as is typical of japanese games anyway).