Hurlshort

Last night my wife dropped her Ipad. Somehow it ended up catching the corner perfect and totally shattered the screen. She was very upset, so we drove over to the nearby Apple store (about 30 minutes away.) There was a line to get into the store. When we reached the front, she showed her Ipad to the gatekeeper. The gatekeeper said we need to schedule an appointment with a tech to diagnose the problem. I exclaimed that the problem was pretty obvious. She then told me it was like a doctors office. I walked out shaking my head. So we waited two hours for our appointment. When it came, the tech said it was broken and it would be $250 for a new one. It took him 5 seconds to "diagnose" the problem. Thank you Genius Bar. I hate Apple.

I think I remember Shea Weber doing a fair amount of that stuff early in his career, no?

I really enjoyed how ME3 used the characters from ME2. They all made appearances, some of them more awesome than others. Heck, it even made me like characters I previously didn't care for, like Jack and Thane. I just don't see how you can claim the relationships don't carry forward. Just because they don't sit on board the Normandy? They are busy fighting the war in their own way.

I stopped for a couple months, but the last week I've been playing a lot again. That's pretty typical of MMO's for me. I still really want server transfers. Entrerix, I grabbed your last post and quoted it in the ME3 thread so we can continue there if you want.

That sounds ridiculous. Did you play ME1 and ME2? I fail to see how ME3 is a huge departure from those two, particularly ME2. I'm also pretty sure your opinion is in the minority. The only major griping I've heard has been over the ending. Heck, the whole Tuchanka section was one of the best parts of the whole series.

Did they screw up ME3? They created an ending that a lot of people disliked. Do we judge a 30 hour game solely on the last 5 minutes? I don't. The rest of the game was great. I also don't think it was a lack of caring that led to the ending being lame.

I doubt Bioware is purposefully sacrificing quality. They are trying to make sure their product appeals to a large audience, as is EA. That is the difference with a small company and a big one, a small one can survive easier off a niche product. But Bioware was moving past that before they partnered with EA. In fact EA seems to have given Bioware a lot of free reign, they didn't push ME3 out the door, it was delayed a couple times. TOR was given a huge budget. I disliked DA2 tremendously, by the way, and I blame Bioware for it fully.

It took me awhile to realize caulity means quality. EA is simply running a business here, and they want quality products. They also want major sales. Bioware wants those same things.

Descartes

Obsidian and Bioware are both businesses, making money is their primary goal.

Rumors of Wow's death are greatly exaggerated. It sounds like you like TOR, I'm not sure what your complaints are. I have concerns with the Bioware/EA relationship. For example, the whole shift of Dragon Age to an ultra-violent action game seems geared towards appealing to the lowest common denominator. But TOR and ME are solid properties and I've enjoyed the heck out of them.

^and it was written by someone who didn't work at Bioware at any point. It's mostly speculation. The truth is TOR is a very good game. It is light years ahead of what Warhammer Online was when it was released. It also clearly is not going to be one of the greatest failures in MMO history. It remains to be seen what sort of long term success it will find, but it sold fantastic out of the gate and seems to be maintaining a healthy enough player base at this time. I'm very aware of the flaws of TOR, but I played WAR, and that game was a wreck.

I disagree, C&C makes a huge difference in the personal story that you are going through. It may not be as reactive as a single player game, that is unrealistic, but on a personal level I continue to be impressed at the tough choices my character has to make. Last night I played through the early levels with a Jedi, and decided to not rat out the two Jedi lovers. I was pleased to see that I could even refuse their bribe.

I know Phoenix has a pretty low point total in the West, but to me that speaks more to a competitive division than a weak one. You play your divisional rivals a lot, and in the Pacific that means a lot of games against tough teams. That is backed up by the entire divison being in the playoff picture until very late. I'm not sure about Florida, I don't get to see many games in the Eastern conference.

I started a new character on an RP-PVP server last night. It was a very active server, with what seems like a good community. It is still too early to tell, but I think this might help me stay more engaged in the game. I do think that buying the game and playing for a month just to experience the story is worth it. I recommend the Sith Inquisitor and the Republican Trooper, myself.

Rangers vs. Senators - Senators in 7, I think the Sens are a deep team, Lundquist will have to be phenomenal to shut them down. Bruins vs. Capitals - Capitals in 7, I see a Stanley Cup hangover and a Caps team that is finally starting to play well. Panthers vs. Devils - Devils in 6 Penguins vs. Flyers - Flyers in 6 - If Sid shows up, I might change this, but the Flyers are tougher. Canucks vs. Kings - Kings in 7. I like Quick and I'd love to see the nucks go out fast. Blues vs. Sharks - Sharks in 6. Sharks are looking better of late, they are dangerous and the Blues lack offense. Coyotes vs. Chicago - Chicago in 6. Tough draw for the Yotes. Nashville vs. Detroit - Nashville in 7. I really want the Preds to find a way to beat Detroit. A lot of possible close matchups here, and a lot of potential upsets. This could be another one of those years where the high seeds all go out in the first round!

Happy Easter as well. My kids will be searching for eggs tomorrow morning for sure. Although it doesn't really feel like spring yet, it is still very cold here in California. I still haven't found a church in my area that I'm comfortable attending, but we'll still make it a special day.

Anyone catch Ryan Clowe playing defense from the bench in last nights Sharks/Kings game?

Never let the details get in the way of a good moment folks, and Mordin sacrificing himself to cure the Krogan while singing a tune was golden. The only thing that bugged me about the story in ME3 was the ending. It was vague and incomplete. I've watched a ton of movies that left me feeling the same way, but then again a movie is only a 90 minute time commitment.

It's be cool if they can get the release date of December 21st this year. I'm not sold on this Kickstarter thing being ideal though, it's one thing to fund a very proven team, but what have these guys done to this point?

Actually that sounds like a fair assumption. Very few games managed a sustained MP community. Even games like Left 4 Dead and Gears of War experience sharp drop offs after the initial months. Call of Duty and Battlefield are exceptions, not the rule.

Crosby already can't stay healthy, do you think the Broad Street Bullies would let him skate around? Sure, you can put a bodyguard out there like Gretzky had, but that also limits the offensive potential.

40 years ago Crosby or Stamkos would have been murdered on the ice.

I watched a few flicks this weekend. Cedar Rapids - Pretty hilarious film about a very naive guy from a small town making his first trip to the city. The characters were really good, I enjoyed it. Hannah - Interesting film about an assassin girl. There was one big plot element that bothered me, but as an action flick it was very well done.

There were some big goalies in the 80's, they just weren't very flexible or cat-like. I don't think there are guys better than Hasek or Roy or Brodeur, I just think there are more guys around that can compete at their level. The average goalie today is much better than in the past. I will say that goalies of today still have problems with consistency, which is what separates the hall of famers. The difference is when your goalie pulls a Jim Carey, you can replace him with an excellent backup on many squads.