Hurlshort

The problem here is you are dealing with a completely subjective scale. When I give a student 73% on a test, it is very clear where they lost points. Even on something like an essay, we have rubrics that make it very clear where points were lost. Games just don't have that. Maybe it would be possible to create a standardized rubric for the media and games. You would need a different one for each genre, and reviewers would need to be trained in how to recognize all the criteria. I guess it could work.

With the huge team they have working on this game, I'm really not surprised how quickly they are going to be pushing out content. Realistically that is the only way to maintain those big subscription numbers. I hope they do something about commendations. They stack up and pretty much go to waste as you level. In beta you would trade them in for higher level commendations. I get that this can be exploited, but if they could figure out something useful for them other than the slim selection of gear, mods, and surprise boxes that would be nice.

I've been playing a Sith Juggernaut, this class is crazy fun. It's a serious DPS fest.

That always looked interesting to me, let me know if you figure it out.

I know it's cool to hate on things that are popular, but given that 90% of video game writing is absolute garbage, me thinks you folks are being a bit too picky. I read his books over a decade ago and I remember a decent amount about a few of the characters. Considering my age and senility, he must have done something right.

Yeah, that does sound pretty lame. Thinking of that makes me thankful that I rarely reach the end game content in these games. By the time I get anyone to level 50, the cap will be raised.

You just made me tear up a little. That would be magnificent.

Just remember the game has only been out for a month, so you are fairly alone at the high end content. It will pick up soon, I imagine. Play some alts, I'm having a blast with a new character right now.

Dude, we've been talking online for around 8 years. So if you were a 13 year old girl when we met, you are legal now.

I'm guessing you haven't watched "A Clockwork Orange"? I have. I get how it's a reference to a film. Now, how is it satire? Lampoonery is probably a better word. Asking me to explain this is like asking me to explain the humor of fart jokes. I'd rather not.

For me, Saints Row 3 is so over the top about it, that its hard to really see it as smut. It's not just sophomoric humor, it lampoons that humor and makes everything ridiculously charming. It's brilliant. But not everyone is into lampoons. I enjoyed Airplane, Naked Gun, Hot Shots, and Scary Movie. I think the Wayan's Brothers are awesome. So clearly this movie is in my wheelhouse.

Krookie also didn't bash him, he simply pointed out his size. The average height of males universally is between 5'7" and 5'9" and the average hockey player is over 6', so that must mean something. Hockey is a sport where you can still break in undersized, but it definitely is an obstacle. Trust me, as a 5'10" 190 pound hockey player, it ain't easy going up against 6'2" 220 pound defensemen.

I'm guessing you haven't watched "A Clockwork Orange"?

Yes. Not everyone gets satire I suppose, but SR3 makes it pretty hard to miss.

Actually I think RA Salvatore might be a good fit for video game writing. He has simple and clean dialogue in his books, and he creates memorable characters. Not every author needs to write like Tolkien. That said, I agree it will still be generic fantasy, and the screenshots seem to support that. edit: Just read the world building thing Oner said. Ah well, forget the dialogue then.

Events sound a bit like what went on in Rifts, which were pretty cool. edit: My number one wish is a match chestpiece setting. My trooper looks horrible.

Wow that's fast. Hopefully it will be something good. Turbine used to release a content patch every other month for Asheron's Call. Those were good days. I'll be very happy if they give us some new content every 3-4 months.

I've been planning my big summer RV trip. I think we've got it worked out. I'm going to head up to Tillmook, Oregon for a couple days and do the factory tour as well as enjoy their ice cream. Then we will head to Washington and take a Ferry across to Vancouver Island (with the RV, which will be neat.) We will psend a week on the island, a few days in Victoria and a few days further north near Nainamo. We will take another ferry across to Canada, and then start the long drive home, stopping in Salem for a couple days. I'm pretty excited, it looks like about a 16 day trip. I'll start making the reservations in march, but I like to have a plan early.

So you think that a large development cycle justifies the massive change of direction instead of just streamlining DA1? What part of "It doesn't forgive some terrible decisions" do you not understand? I wasn't in on the design meetings, so I can't understand how they ended up where they did. All I'm saying is that it was not surprising that there was a big change from DA1 to DA2. Unfortunately many of us feel that was a change for the worst.

The problem I see here is that the direction ME2 went was fantastic and improved on the original in many positive ways. I can see folks getting pissed about the direction DA2 went. I disliked it tremendously. But we should also remember DA1 had a problematic development cycle and it was no surprise that they would need to streamline that for future games. It doesn't forgive some terrible decisions they made, but changes were necessary nonetheless.

I agree with you to an extent Gromnir, it's a bit late to offer a grey path. But I will say they should be adding new content every few months. They have a huge team, so I'm guessing we will be getting a new planet, or at least a content expansion somewhere, every 3-4 months. I'll also say the monotony is surprisingly well expected among the hardcore crowd. Some folks will raid every night, basically repeating stuff every week or two. That's not my idea of fun, I'll put on the breaks for a month or two and come back when a patch peaks my interest. In fact I doubt I'll max out a character anytime soon, I've already pulled back on my 31 trooper and have started creating Empire folks.

Xcom 2: Terror from the Deep had the craziest house fires, I don't know how many squaddies I lost because they passed out due to smoke inhalation. I always sent my people in teams of two, and I remember multiple occasions where one would pass out, and the other would drop all their gear and try to drag the other to safety.

I don't see the big deal about Diablo 3 on consoles. Unlike RTS's, an action-RPG works just fine with a controller. Diablo 3 isn't exactly a complex game, it's about hacking and slashing and getting neat loot.

I'm less upset about the ammo than the multiple bases. I loved having a research base, a military base, and a manufacturing base. Still, everything else sounds sublime, so I'm planning on it as a day one purchase. Not having to manufacture individual clips will also be nice, that was a pain in the original.

"Sounds like you need a trooper" is repeated quite a few times, but it's said in such a sleazy way that it makes me laugh every time.