Hurlshort

I remember that game. It was an awesome adventure game, probably the darkest game I've ever played in terms of suspense and plot.

Again, there is no draft on the horizon in the US, so this is all just talk, but I really liked what ~Di said. People fail to see the people through the politics when we are dealing with Iraq and Vietnam. They are unpopular wars, but jumping off a carrier isn't going to stop it from getting to its destination. Also, complaining about isn't going to change anything either. If you really want to stop the Iraq war, figure out how to end sectarian violence and bridge the gap between Muslim countries and the Western world. So many people spend all their time complaining about our very presence in Iraq, but the fact is if we pull out completely, things will likely get worse. People love to complain about stuff, but not enough people are willing to work towards change. The avenues are available. Educate yourself, find like minded people, and institute change. The tricky part is keeping an open mind during the process and not closing yourself off to other options. That's how you get extremists and violence.

I never called ToEE ugly, I said it's a graphically inferior engine. You just aren't going to see a major developer take a chance on a 2d engine. I agree with you wholeheartedly about wanting a good turn based RPG, and I also will happily accept 2d graphics if that's the only option. I was just pointing out why it will not happen. From a business perspective, and Obsidian IS a business, they aren't going to invest resources in a project like this. We will continue to see budget titles with 2d turnbased combat (a la Geneforge and Spider (?) Software), but the days of high quality games like BG and Arcanum are over. I'm not sure how well ToEE sold, but that fact is Troika went under. That doesn't bode well.

First off, the US is nowhere near instituting a draft. Vietnam is still too fresh in people's minds, and it would be political suicide at this juncture. Understand that every decision that our government makes is motivated by politics, and you can see very clearly why no draft is around the corner. Secondly, there are quite a few alternatives to being a front line soldier. Being drafted does not mean you are given a rifle and told to shoot people, but being uneducated gives you very few options for duty. If you are concerned about being drafted and being forced to kill, I'd recommend pursuing education. Even if college doesn't keep you out of the military, it gives you choices about where you will serve, and in what capacity. For example, being a medic. Your entire job is to help people. I'm not just talking about wounded soldiers, you are also in a position to help the innocent victims of war. The fact is, even if their is a draft, you have a lot of options besides becoming a marine or a rifleman. Not all servicemen are on the front lines. *edit* I just read the Nazi comment. Uh, the German military (Wermacht?) and Nazi stormtroopers served entirely different functions. You didn't get drafted into the Nazi party. Plenty of Germans fought in WWII with little knowledge of the horrors that Nazi's were conducting. So, basically, if you were drafted into the German military, it wouldn't mean you were suddenly taking part in massacres.

Huh? Look, I love consoles, but they are limited compared to PC's. From the architecture down to the OS, you just can't upgrade a console and push the technological envelope like you can with PC's. The PS3 is a hefty machine, but it's locked into the current technology, whereas PC's will continue to get faster. Not to mention the fact that PC's are applicable in more than just gaming and media.

I miss the days where you had an all-star from each team. I know that means a team only gets to send one representative, but I think it's a good system. Why is a Chicago fan going to watch the All-Star game if they won't see any of their own players?

Technically, NCsoft is just the publisher and has nothing to do with the actual game. But I'd imagine they are responsible for a certain amount of customer support, and it sounds like this issue falls in that realm.

I think I'm going to throw up.

That was awesome! I like the Bowser soundtrack in Racoon City, very fitting.

I like the one where he made Adam Oates and Ray Bourque look like bumbling rookies, and the one where the guy is hacking at Lemieux so hard he loses his stick, and then he grabs onto him, and Lemieux still scores.

I have a couple friends who stick primarily to MMO's, one is on WoW and the other CoH. It's worth it for them because it keeps them from buying a new game every month. Obviously, everyone has different tastes. Typically I play an MMO for a few months, cancel, and then re-up if I feel the desire to play again. The only exceptions were WoW and AC1, as they were incredibly engaging at the time and I found myself playing well over the amount I consider necessary for $15.

Beat the crap out of the shaman with melee fighters? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> He turns into some wierd earth elemental after I beat him down the first time. Basically, he cheats.

It's odd that you are willing to spend hundreds of dollars on a system to play Bioware games, but that $15 a month is unthinkable.

I keep getting my butt handed to me by a Lizardman shaman in act III. Seriously...I need a new strategy or something.

Actually, in my eyes WoW has pushed the idea of storytelling in MMO's forward. The game is much more dependant on quests than previous MMO's. It isn't until you get into the upper levels that "grinding" really becomes necessary. In fact, my highest level character is only 54 because I refuse to do anything that isn't directly related to a quest. Sure, some of the quests are generic kill 10 skeletons, but I still see those in single player games too. The problem isn't with storytelling, it's with character impact upon the world. WoW tells quite a few stories, and it even has a few in game cinematics, but you're not making an actual impact on the gameworld. There is no easy solution to this problem.

Yeah, the DM and Modding would need to be pretty active. It would have to be either a very small group of actual players, or a pretty big building team. Interesting idea. There are a few servers that allow you to build stuff, but you usually need to have a good relationship with the admin team. In ALFA, I was constantly trying to save money to build a temple of Tempus, but my Cleric died before it came to pass.

You speak truthiness

Didn't Jim Carey already make this movie?

what does "kickin A" mean? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I think it's Cherokee for "He who flies with eagles and swims with sharks".

Lots of people? That's an exaggeration. It's probably about 1%.

Bloodlines was the only game I actually played through as a girl. Typically I stick with males, and also human instead of other races. I guess I just like playing myself in these games, albeit a more physically fit and better with swords self.

Uh, they both look like snowglobes. I see what people are saying about the 3D effect that NWN1 nailed. I just don't really care. I enjoy both spell effects. I think the actual character models in NWN2 are so far above what I had in NWN1 that it just doesn't bother me. edit: Thanks Deraldin for posting an actual comparison shot!

I decided to pump all my interest in Shandra. I liked her better than Elanee. Let me tell ya, I nearly cried myself to sleep last night over that bad choice.

Actually, I've yet to see many comparison pics between NWN1 and NWN2. My guess is because NWN1 looks ugly in comparison, but hey, I'm not making these insane lists.

Just watched The Break Up with Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Anniston. It was decent enough. Not really a romantic comedy, which might be why it got trashed a bit in the reviews. Vaughn makes it worth seeing with his line delivery. Pretty cool Chicago scenes if you've ever visited, that alone was fun for me to watch. It's not a movie I'd enjoy without my wife, as we were able to relate to certain tendancies in the film.