Amentep

I enjoyed the first Tomb Raider, didn't care for two or three and stopped at that point. Dunno if the reboot will regain the interest the first title had.

Even with the load screens I didn't mind it the quest since there's no need to finish the quest right then and there, I typically find the ranger stations first go around, fast travel at some later point when I feel like it. As to the fort; I did think it was weird the Mormon fort wasn't a fast travel location by itself, though (but even then its three loads to it from Kings Impersonation (one out of the building, one to the north Freeside section, one to the fort) and two back (one to fast travel to The Strip gate, one into the Kings building). To tell the truth for the most part if I don't feel like doing a quest, I wait and do it when I feel like it later.

Actually it makes a lot of sense. I think penalty is a charged word. There should be consequences with how you choose to play - it sounds to me like there is with the new system. It also sounds to me like there might be an attempt at a somewhat more complex party dynamic. The NPC might leave because they hate you leave because you hate them (and kicked them out of the party) be neutral because you don't talk to them and never bring them along on most quests (essentially making them a hired hand) Respect you but think you're an idiot (because your ideologies differ) Respect you because they think you're the bee's knees (because your ideologies coincide) The last two options would be the rival/friendship path

So he's the Gene Shalit of game reviewers? lol. No, Croshaw is a lot funnier ps. IS Gene Shalit still alive? You and I are probably the only ones old enough to remember him around here regardless. He retired November 11 this year from NBC, so he's still alive as far as I know. I wasn't really talking about funny content per se, but that most of Shalit's reviews take a specific approach so that he can do his verbal gags.

I gave Veronica a grenade launcher and she without fail always seemed to target Rex...

I can't think of any game that has a sex scene and then rolls the credits either. Both ME1 & ME2 have sex scenes that culminate the relationship around the 2/3rds mark; this isn't dissimilar to, oh, say Avatar which has a relationship culminate in a sex scene about 2/3rds of the way through.

Sex is always an easy target. It also seems to miss a huge whopping point that games aren't currently capable of reflecting (and arguably shouldn't reflect) real life. Real life isn't about running around and gunning everything that moves (or at least shows up as a red tic on the compass). Even adventure games abstract the experience of real life. A lot of real life is boring. I don't think we want boring in games. - movies are just as bad about including pointless sex scenes as any other media - television and video games closely behind.

You can't target limbs in VATS with Melee or Unarmed (you can still break bones if you hit a limb enough to do it though - I broke a giant ant's head).

You didn't play Nightmare did you? Nope. I don't recall the NPCs in Baldur's Gate really having robust AI's. Even still I mostly allowed them to do what they wanted based on their AI except in extreme situations.

So he's the Gene Shalit of game reviewers?

I dreamt that me and a co-worker I've worked with for 20+ years were once again working in the same office under one of our old bosses (who retired years ago). As we dealt with complaints from students and a large amount of work our boss came in an told us that another co-worker had just been killed in China for wearing our T-shirt with a school's logo on it. Probably shouldn't have read the thread on Korea right before bed...

I paused my main game because I realized I'd recreated my character from FO3 (what can I say, I lasers) and have been toying around with an unarmed character. There was something rather hilarious about running in and punching a giant ant soldier.

Wals isn't in to spooning.

I dunno, I tend to roll with what they give me. Didn't really mind (but also wasn't greatly into) the Father-Quest of FO3 so in that sense as long as I can accept it in the story, then I'll just go on and do my thing. Who knows, maybe it'll be fun to have the family around. It'll certainly be different from most other games.

I was lulled into a false sense of security about Deathclaws in FONV because Rex killed a Deathclaw. But I think that Deathclaw had to have been already injured because pretty much everyone (including my PC) died quickly against Deathclaws for about 12 more (of my) levels...even at level 29 I got killed once by 3 Deathclaws.

Meat shields have their place. But there needs to be some utility to their blocking abilities. Just running up and dying isn't terribly useful. Thankfully in DA:O I felt like - even when the NPCs would die get knocked unconscious - they had done some effective work against the opponent. That said I very rarely feel like micromanaging NPCs and generally let them do whatever. I think in DA:O the only time I took control of an NPC during a fight was to force Wynne to use her healing magic sensibly (or how I wanted her to).

I actually had it that I clicked on a male soldier and he said his main story one-liner, then I clicked on a female soldier and I got the same one-liner...in the exact same voice as the male soldier!

I always picked the other dudes in the Dwarven city. Uncontrollable NPC's are only bad IMO if their AI consists of "run towards all dangers and get impaled on enemy swords without doing anything effective".

May be another can of worms not warrenting opening, but I have a distinct impression that modern businesses aren't run with the idea of sustaining the business anymore. There's a quest for profits that over-ride any kind of logic -- like it is better to make yourself a million running the business in the ground that to make 500K keeping the business viable in the long term. Sadly, though, the government (or I suppose more appropriately the people running it) seems to have the same attitude; its more important to get what they want (money, power, a "win" in some unwinable and silly ideological race, etc) than it is to actually make sure the government works and is going to last (because, fact is, governments can go broke as well as be broken).

I enjoyed it. Not the greatest movie ever, and probably had a better idea than execution, but it was fun. I watched TANGLED over the weekend and really enjoyed it. Frothy fun Disney fare; good animation and several humorous scenes and characters.

Who needs sound when you can turn subtitles on?

As if we needed more evidence that you're a space alien. Well DA's case is a bit of an anomaly for me - I bought DA the same week my 360 red ringed (and don't have a PC capable of running it). By the time I got my 360 up and running ME2 was out, and I ended up playing it more. I think I only beat DA twice, with a third game going to the last battle that I never finished. I plan on playing through the complete DA again when I get done with FO:NV. But I did love JE - I know that this isn't a love shared by all though...

I beat JE probably about 7 times - possibly more. I think KotOR and ME both were about the same. Definately replayed NWN OC and DA less.

I really enjoyed Jade Empire. The fighting mechanics I don't think quite worked the way they'd planned/hopped, but it had a lot of entertainment value for me (but then again so did NWN OC and KotOR). If DA2 can have that same kind of entertainment value, then I'm all for it, personally. I never played the Sonic DS game either.

I like spiders too. I like them over there. While I'm over here.