Darth Barth

? what about traci lords? taks <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I guess that one was taken from an old trivia book. Heck, even Annie Sprinkle has been in some non-porno movies. Whether or not they would be considered mainstream I don't know. However, I wouldn't consider Rabid to be any more mainstream that what Sprinkle has been in. EDIT: I just noticed the words "star in". OT - Heres some trivia for you: Oneirogmophobia is the fear of wet dreams. Approximately one out of every two hundred women is born with an extra nipple. According to statistics, Australian women are the most likely to have sex on the first date. (Im going to Australia for vacation based on this fact alone) Dendrophilia is a sexual attraction to trees. (ok, all you plushie wierdos have competition for who is the craziest) Dacryphilia is the arousal from seeing tears in the eyes of a partner.

Then you'll probably have to look to japanese RPGs because IMO, no western made RPG can match the KoTOR series in this aspect. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Which Japanese games have good character interaction? I know of good stories but there is no interaction that I know of. Unless you consider X button to be the interaction. What games are you referring to? Im not trying to be facetious, but please tell me so I can play them! OT: The latest PC games with Kotor 1 and 2 style character interaction with your party would be Torment and Baldurs Gate II. Character interaction with NPCs (like having choices during conversation where different paths sometimes lead to different events, or joining different factions) the latest would be Torment, Arcanum, the Fallout series and the Baldurs Gate series.

Wizards and Warriors was pretty decent. Its funny you mention the PS2 Wizardry: Tales of the Forsaken Land. Lately, I'v been trying to find more info on the Japanese exclusive Wizardry games. Wizardry is big in Japan. Below are some games that have never been seen the occident. Wizardry Gaiden I: Suffering of the Queen, Wizardry Gaiden II: Curse of the Ancient Emperor and Wizardry Gaiden III: Scripture of the Dark were all released for the original Gameboy. No pictures because 1) they're hard as hell to find and 2) its friggin original Gameboy. And the boxart sucks bigtime. Wizardry Empire I: Princess of the Ancient and Wizardry Empire II: Legacy of the Princess released for Gameboy then re-released for Playstation and PC it seems from this shot. Wizardry Empire III: Ancestry of the Emperor is being released for PS2 and Gamecube in Japan. Starfish has some info on their website. Caution, it is in Japanese. Empire information can be accessed on the left hand sidebar. http://www.s-f.co.jp/top.htm Another offshoot, Wizardry Summoner was released for Gameboy Advance and was later remade on PS2. Pictures below. Wizardry: Tales of the Forsaken Land was released as Busin: Wizardry Alternative in Japan. A prequel was released called (look at picture, duh) There are a few more games but they are just ports of old games; nothing else original that I can tell. If I a am wrong, please help me out here! Also, some advice: if you want to replay the old Wizardry games, find the fan translations of the Super NES versions.. they play much better than the originals and are easy on the eyes. The first remake is called Wizardry: Story of Llylgamyn (Wiz 1, 2, and 3) and has been fully translated. The second is called Wizardary: New Age of Llylgamyn (Wiz 4 and 5) and has not been dejapanesed yet.

Is it my mind playing tricks on me, but I could have swore that prices for games have come down since the 80's and early 90's. The only old game I have here to compare is Wizardry VII and my receipt inside says $69.95. And I know I didn't buy it when it first came out. EDIT: It seems SP had the same thought.

Tell that to Gus Tarballs. "What are you blabbering about, Woody?"

Sonic Youths Daydream Nation is currently playing in the background.

http://www.alandeanfoster.com/ Under bibliography > Novels

Okay. The q was poorly phrased. I wonder how much control they had over the story. Yes, I have played an evil character - 3 of them, actually. And yes, I agree that it is preferrable to playing bioEvil any day. (But I would expect nothing less of Obsidian) The first game was played through with an evil character, which is probably what enhanced the feeling of being thrown through the plot to Malachor. You know, now that I think about it - why do we even bother with Remote? Will the patch just cut it? Please? That, more than anything, screams unfinished quest. Yes, even more than the droid factory - because it's at the end of the game. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was just joking about the Matrix/Terminator thing.. its in reference to some lawsuit against the Wachowski brothers... they supposedly stole a script and/or treatment that was The Matrix from some old lady. Shes taking them to court for like $3 billion. You're right about Remote. At the time I was very much "huh?" What happens at the end took that little scene and actually made some sense.

Never saw that movie and I don't particularly want to. I prefer the constant progression of the now. The use of flashbacks stops the story and makes it stagnant. If a story point in the past is important to the present, don't use a flashback but actually draw out the information and drama in current action. Flashbacks are a crutch and should be avoided as much as possible. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Memento is different than what you are descibing. It is as if you took a movie and chopped it up into 20 minute increments and played them starting with the last part and progressing back towards the beginning. There is a real tension and several WTF moments because just when you think you have things figured out, it turns out things aren't what they seem. The short-short-short synopsis of Memento is that there is a man who is physically unable to remember more that a few moments at a time, he has no long-term memory due to an accident. He has to write everything down so that when his memory resets he can continue his quest to find his wifes murderer.

None of it. They pulled a Terminator/Matrix-style hijack from an elderly woman. It's not libel if its on the net, right? On topic, on whos dog? Hey, I normally don't defend anyone in public besides women of low morals whom I can curry favor with, but I am in the faction that believes that K2 was pretty damn good. Sure it could have been better, but any game except Star Control 2 has that fault. The expectation that has been placed on Obsidian by some nutcases is so fantasticly great that I don't really know how the people behind the curtain deal with it. I mean really, sometimes you have to just have to enjoy things for what they are and realize that not everyone will offer a reach-around. You also inquired if someone played an evil character. I almost have to ask, did you? Or were you hoping for "evile" along the lines of Kotor1, cheesy laughing and all? The approach to evil taken in K2 was done with signifigantly more taste and (seemingly real-life) experience than almost any other game released in the last five years. If someone wearing red tights and a cape thrown over one shoulder came into my hood trying to muscle my crew with talk of "the Dark Side mwa-ha-ha"... well, lets just say it wouldn't be pretty. Most people are evil in the real world because of incremental and seemingly insignificant choices. Choices which are rationalized regardless whether they are driven by emotion or logical consideration. I also believe that K2 succeeded in bringing some depth to that kiddie-pool of a villain, Darth Malak. His scene in the Force cave on Korriban actually made Kotor1 playable to me again. Now that thats all out of the way, I WANT THAT DROID FACTORY! What the hell were you guys doing? Who was responsible? Who needs a taste of the old truncheon? Tell me!

I am curious to what actual real life game developers think of the shortage of computer RPGs that has occured in the last few years? It began shortly after the release of Pool of Radiance 2 (ominous!) and continues to this very day. There are two ways to view this in my opinion. On one hand, it is bad. So very bad. It is something that harasses you when you try in futility to sleep at night. This... "It" is the deathknell of the PC gaming industrial complex that magazines have talked endlessly about with disturbing enthusiasm since damn near Creation. Its the Big One. 11-point oh-no! Do you as a developer have your doubts when you see the PC industry as it is today? Or.. On the other hand, it is actually pretty nice. Less competition with larger user base, means $$ cha-ching! You laugh yourself silly at the thought of a potential and literal Zounds! of users out there, most of whom have an addiction and now they have decent paying jobs instead of paper routes! The kicker with the ace is that most of those have an estimated 70% larger purchasing power since they have no girlfriends or wives who demand exuberant gifts! On top of that, you have gathered a relatively decent bit of renown since there are less people to spread that praise around to! Do you as a developer see the glass as half full?

Oh I can actually see this! Like in my head or something! FU - Hey Bob, how are the kids? Bob - Uh, they're doing good. FU - Oh thats nice, you're fired. Bob - Uh.. FU - Just kidding, Bob.. heh-heh. So, Saturday. Bob - Uh... Saturday? FU - You know Bob, job securtity in todays world... yikes. Oh, not to change the subject but did I ever tell you about my half-brother John Joseph? Bob - ... FU - He was indicted for attempted murder and conspiracy several years ago. The authorities had him pinned as a lieutenant in the Luchese family. It all turned out well in the end, Bob, because the judge and two prosecutors and all the evidence just disappeared one day. Isn't that incredible? It was like a miracle from heaven! He lives in the next area code. We have BBQs at each others house every other week. We're tight like prom night. Bob - Uh, I'll be in Saturday? FU - Whoomp, there he is! Bobert! Ol' Reliable! Thanks Bob, I knew I could count on you! Bob - You're welcome, I think.

Translation: Time to buy some hundred-pack cdrs and make big bucks down at the swap meet.

Then you must hate Robert Jordan <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Who doesn't love the lip-licking, ear-twitching, dress-smoothing adventures of authors who get paid by the page? EDIT: On topic... unlike other certain carnal pursuits, I don't mind if story is slow or fast. My only requirement of any story (game, book, movie) is that there is sufficient interest maintained throughout its entirety. Also unlike other unnamed interests, I also don't mind if there isn't a happy ending.

Listen to this man, he speaks the truth!

Lucas is many things....but a 'good writer' isn't one of them. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Sure he is. Star Wars in an excellent book written by Mr. Lucas himself. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Ghostwritten. Alan Dean Foster wrote the novelization. On topic, so what? George Lucas has seemingly let his underlings and fans rot his brain from years of their lavish praise. Forget all that Jar Jar and Mannequin Skywalker garbage, the whole story concept of the prequels is so fundamentally flawed.. I could type here till I am blue in the fingers and I still couldn't adequately describe the RSI I developed in my neck from shaking my head.

I am not sure if I understand exactly what kind of programming you are referring to. Do you mean like home improvement type shows? Make-over shows? I can not think of any television show where the whole point was for someone to tell me how much they sold there house for (besides, isn't that why we have coworkers, so we can lord our accomplishments over them? Anyways..). It has been my personal belief that psychologists and psychoanalysts are in the business to portray answers and explanations as exciting or thought-provoking or alarming as possible. If they just came out and said "People watch home-swap-improvement shows because they want to see the neat and awful designs" or "People watch Springer cause they love to see people talk trash, who doesn't?" there would be a scarcity of psych articles to fill newspapers. In short, the conclusions these people arrive at are just another "oh, hey" diversion in life which is, ironically, these articles entire focus. Who knows.. I'm a little drunk. Besides, I'm Rocket McGrane and I do whatever I want to maintain my upbeatness.

I love Starflight. But I have to be a tool and say that Star Control 2 is higher up on the food chain. Hyper-melee seals the deal for me. I used to piss people off with the Arilou skiff.

For computer the first I literally played was one of the early Ultimas for Commodore. Im not sure which one because the game and computer were my friends. My true crpg deflowering was several years later when I had access to The Magic Candle. On the console side of things, my first taste was of Dragon Warrior. "But thou must!" "Nope, sorry."

The problem I have with Palahniuks work is that there is a point when he puts to paper an analogy or phrase so outlandish and ridiculous that I have to declare aloud "Bullsh*ts!" Other than that, he is a fantastic pusher of buttons.. which may very well be the point.

As far as your standard bustop reading goes, I adore smut. Not stuff that half-way requires some thought like Frank Harris' My Life and Loves. I am talking all-out hard-core blankety-blankin' like Caresse Crosby's Under the Roofs of Paris. As for what else.. here are some quick ones that I haven't seen in the thread yet. Pushkin - General lit Donaldson The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - Fantasy Straub Ghost Story - Horror

Especially as Kevin. Kevin! Of all the villains... Kevin! I'll admit, when I saw the reflection from his glasses in the trailers I was pumped. But E. Wood as Kevin? I know he looks similar, but I havent felt this odd since Exorcist II. Call me by my dream name. I guess Hamils typecast as the farmboy or goody two-shoes. But I don't recall Mark Hamil starring in any movies as a psychotic time-traveling crossdressing lesbian from the lost continent of Atlantis... which is what Kevin would be symbolically when compared with Frodo. The closest Hamil has been to an evil bastard is the Trixter and the voice of the Joker. Try to think of Hamil as the Hannibal Lecter that is portrayed in the novels. If you've read Sin City, well you probably understand. If not, hopefully they will keep certain things complete for the movie so afterwards, you will understand. Speaking of keeping things complete, I must have watched the trailer at least ten times and I swear that the only thing I can truly say that is different is that Nancy Callahan is not showing her breast. Everything, the shots, the dialogue, pretty much every damned thing, is dead-on lifted from the comic.

I just have to comment, wow. I had no idea that people still kicked it old skool, herc-style. Auguring, I say!

Ahh.. I have the US versions.. that explains it actually. The European versions were different.

Huh? I think you are mistaken on this one. I have most of the original ones that I bought for $69.95 back in the day and they have gold boxes. As for the new Bard's Tale, I was in an Gamestop several months ago and they had the Xbox version on display. Nobody was playing it for awhile and the things the Narrator said I thought were hilarious. Although.. I was the only one to laughed out loud. I get that alot though. But no odd looks when I start laughing at the ice dispenser at the soda fountain.