Hurlshort

I'm going to tell you it's awesome because it's permanent, and it would be messed up to tell you anything else.

What the heck is that?

I would say my check off list for what makes a game good goes like this: 1. Gameplay - That's pretty simple. It's the reason I still break out JA2 and Xcom. The gameplay needs to capture my attention. 2. Graphics - Try as I might to play old classics, very few games can keep my attention without decent visuals. A great looking game gets my attention, and the gameplay sustains it. 3. Story - Pretty much a tie with 2, but I've played great story games with bad graphics, and I still lose interest. On the contrary, I've put up with a few terrible stories for the sake of graphics and gameplay. 4. Setting - I'm just not into the WW2 setting anymore. No matter how excellent the game might be, if the setting is tired to me, I will not stick with the game. 5. Stability - It's only this low because most games are fairly stable. I have no problem patching games. I can go on and on, but let me highlight. #13 is multiplayer, and #58 is engine technology in terms of implementing the D&D ruleset.

I loved Shaman's Crossing, and I'm waiting on the second one. The Liveship Trilogy was a bit slow for me, but it picked up in the second book. Robin Hobb is one of my favorite writers though.

I used to share Meta's opinion...until I entered an Ikea. LadyCrimson, I recommend you go to the E. Palo Alto store. That's where I went. It will blow your mind. It really was a life changing event. That sounds odd when talking about furniture, but people who hate Ikea usually have never been through one. Wals, if one of the stores is within 3 hours of you, I recommend going. Most of the boxes for the furniture can fit in a decent sized car.

So the most important thing to you is how well a ruleset is implemented? I'm glad ToEE was not buggy for you, but it was buggy for a huge percentage of people. It was not a stable game. Playing it unpatched all the way through was virtually impossible. It had an excellent combat system and that's about it. Looking at the total package, ToEE doesn't compete with NWN. The sales numbers, the reviews, and the general concensus on the internet all support that. Your opinion, which you are entitled to, is not shared by many.

Have you checked Ikea? It's pretty awesome, and I believe you can order stuff online. The prices are about as low as you'll find, and I love the look. The drawback is that they are made cheaply. It isn't furniture that is made to last, but if you are just looking for something to get you through a couple years, it's great. My wife and I spent about $800 when we bought our condo and we got 3 bookshelves, a desk, a futon, kitchen hanging racks, and a rolling utensil cart with a cutting board top. http://www.ikea.com/

I finally grabbed GODS. It's an excellent indy game, the graphics a good and the combat system is neat. It's a solid RPG.

There is definitely a Wasteland/Fallout nostalgia, and the fact is it's a setting that hasn't been done to death, at least by quality developers. Entertainment in general has had some great PA stuff. Mad Max, certain Twilight Zone episodes...it's been done well but not enough. I don't think it's simply the Chosen One concept, as that is a fairly common scenario. If I had a quarter for every time I was the One, I'd have at least $37.26.

I own a 360, and I'm not all that impressed by this. I also think those screenshots are heavily doctored. Is that Jesus coming out of the clouds? He's the one true profit. I may go to hell for that one.

Lare, I'm a bit confused by your stance on Patriotism. You also made a comment about how "Crash" is a boring drama about American racism. I'm sorry if these films aren't universal enough, but these are American films. They are primarily for American audiences. Bashing them for knowing their target audience seems a bit off. I don't watch a Bollywood movie and expect to relate to it easily. I have to alter my expectations. "Crash" was powerful for me because I deal with American racism every day. It also portrayed the dual nature of racism, the lack of black and white, good and evil. But if you don't live in the US, or rather a major city in the US, it doesn't carry the same wieght.

In my opinion, Lare Kikkeli is insane for choosing "National Treasure" as his worst movie ever. There is plenty of stuff that is much more worthy of that title. "National Treasure" was supposed to be a fun adventure, and I think it achieved that very well. It also interested an entire generation in the National Archives and the Declaration of Independance. That's actually priceless from a historical standpoint.

He has quite a few off the all-time records. He lost all his single season ones this year to Marleau and Cheechoo. Don't get me wrong, he was a good player for the Sharks, but he was frustrating to watch. He dominated the league one year, but the rest of the time he was just good enough. He also played a ton of games, so his team records will be passed pretty soon by players like Marleau, Cheechoo, and Thornton. http://www.sjsharks.com/team/records/individual.asp That doesn't include this last year.

A buddy of mine played pickup with Owen Nolan a few weeks ago. He was at the regular noon pickup we have at our local ice rink in San Jose. I'm not sure what that really says, although he was dominant, but that's not saying much against the guys at pickup. He also wasn't really trying very hard, but people still ducked when he took his shots, and he didn't really miss. Sounds like he's landing in Phoenix. He's only 34, but I don't imagine he'll have much impact. He only had one good season in San Jose, honestly. Isn't it odd that, as soon as we talk about Malkin leaving Russia, we get a spam bot for a Russian travel agency?

The $10 also isn't a permanent increase. This has happened before, and prices tend to drop back to that comfortable mark after a year or so.

$20 million over how many years? Malkin may just want to get out of Russia. The Penguins don't have a huge amount of payroll to offer him, but it sounds like Malkin just wants to get to the NHL.

Hmm, it's animated or CGI. It smells like a straight to video...but Keifer Sutherland always deos a decent bit o' work.

The only problem is NHL teams really aren't making a ton of profit. Malkin is going to a team that is in the red. So what it the real value of a genuine superstar?

That made my eyes bleed.

Wait a sec, are all the MLS All-Stars actually Americans? I thought a few international players were in the MLS.

So has Manchester United tanked? Why is the assumption made that a US businessman will only try and milk the team for money?

NWN was 3D. The OC was pretty basic looking, but the expansions and many mods were breathtaking.

Coca-Cola has done a lot of very hokey commercials in the last 10 years. They aren't typically the company to push the envelope, and using GTA as a backdrop for a commercial is extremely ballsy. Even with the positive message, GTA is the most controversial game on the market. Also know that Coke is tied heavily to The Church of Latter Day Saints. Pepsi does the Cindi Crawford in Daisy Dukes, and Coke does Polar Bears and We Are the World. I don't have a problem with Coke being a conservative group, I just was surprised to see this commercial considering the companies history.

Have you checked the devs' track record? <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Exactly. My only hope is that they seem to be copying JA2 in every aspect, except they added a 3D engine. Strategy First is also supposed to be overseeing it. While I don't have a ton of faith in SI, they have had a bit of success in the past. It's dreary, but I love Jagged Alliance too much to give up all hope.

1. Madden 07 2. NHL 07 3. Neverwinter Nights 2 4. WoW expansion - Burning Crusade 5. JA3D - Although I'm also terrified that they will butcher it.