Amentep

Did I see correctly in the trailer, that it starts out showing you a guy beating up sheep with a stick?

yeah that was pretty clever (actually wish I hadn't been spoiled as to what was in it before seeing it) It's definitely fun, I'll say that!

I like the headline "Mandelson and Balls on Peppa Pig-gate"

I've usually already decided to buy (or not buy) a game before I ever see the box, anymore.

Yeah, sorry I just don't agree with your distinctions. To me there is no difference between Wrex, Tali, Garrus or Liara in terms of their dialogues, quality of writing or interesting elements within their character. In fact Wrex wasn't all "kill that guy" in the conversations I had with him; yes he's a ruthless fighter just as Garrus is loose cannon cop. But what makes both of them interesting is that that is not all there is to them, at least in my eyes.

I think the UK addressed post-war gun ownership with a 1920 measure (aimed at curtailing guns post-WWI) which I assume also affected gun ownership after WWII.

Some archetypes are overused and bad. For example, the "reluctant hero" or the "sadistic villain" are common archetypes, and they suck real hard (the first because it's pretty unrealistic and the second because it's so cartoonish). It's possible to make them good, but that would require finesse that Bioware lacks. "Ruthless fighter" is a pretty cartoonish archetype too, and Bioware uses it too goddamn much and just as an excuse to add in ~3 stories that the character tells that are "awesome" and "cool". The "loose cannon cop" archetype is less common and has a lot more inherent conflict (namely between law and order & vigilante justice), so it works a lot better. Plus Wrex is all like "WELL FORGET IT, I'M NOT SOME STEREOTYPE" and then the entire rest of the game his personality (not his backstory) boils down to "grumpy space frog that shoots dudes." I dunno, again to me its about execution, and I had no problem with Wrex. You didn't like him, fine. But you're making criteria for "coolness" that's only validity is your personal opinion. I really did not give a **** about everybody talking about their species. It was dumb and silly and shouldn't have been in the game. "Hello Tali, please, tell me about the Quarians. Despite being a badass special forces agent, I don't know **** about Quarians and can't be arsed to wiki it." Because individuals of each race clearly must have the same opinions of a galactic encyclopedia. Reading about something and gaining perspective from individuals who experienced that something is completely different. Doesn't she ask you at one point to like murder your family for some marginal magical bonus if you're an elf? I remember reading about that somewhere. I've not gotten that particular dialogue. Given that the Dalish Elf origin is parentless, is this the City Elf (has a single parent) or more likely an elf mage?

Yes, boring. A cardboard cut-out character with (like Wrex) little-to-no personality outside of "I like to kill things. Want to hear a story about me killing things?" All Bioware conversations are a bit repetitious. Garrus's worked a lot better because they were drawing on an already existing archetype (cop who doesn't like to play by the rules) that they hadn't used in every other game they've made. Wow. How is that amusing at all? If I wanted an obnoxious violent companion, I'd play Dragon Age and love on Morrigan. Sooo, creating a character who is a ruthless fighter archtype is somehow inferior to Bioware drawing on the loose cannon cop archtype. You'll pardon me if I fail to see the distinction, I hope! I thought Wrex actually had some interesting observations - particularly his view of the genophage and what his people should be doing vs what they were. And his meetup with Saren was interesting. Garrus had the guy who got away story that was interesting, but it took awhile to get to him. Black Whirlwind was interesting to me because he was so totally chaotic as to be completely ridiculous. Thought he was a fun character and his and Kang's dialogues were always fun in JE, IMO. I didn't find Morrigan to be obnoxiously violent either; in fact there's only one time I remember her suggesting a specific call to action that'd involve violence (specifically suggesting that killing Loghain and then gathering the army would be the best way to proceed). Most other times she seems to value individualism more than anything else.

This whole debate seems weird to me. But I guess I still haven't gotten up to speed on modern cell phones.

That's kinda my feelings as well. Really didn't like the first game.

I sold Far Cry 2 back after two weekends of trying to play it. Besides it giving me motion sickness when I drove around, I was total crap at killing anything, ever. Really liked the idea for it though.

Because Garrus is a badass pulpy cop who excellently embodies Renegade principles while simultaneously avoiding being a pointless douche and whose worldview is cool and which you can positively effect. On the other hand, Wrex is a boring character who you may recall from KotOR as "Canderous Ordo" and Jade Empire as "the Black Whirlwind." Wait, The Black Whirlwind was boring? Spear Catches Leaf: "You've just had the... unexpected honor of defeating the Black Whirlwind, the self-styled deadliest mercenary in the Jade Empire." Player: "What earns a mercenary a title like "deadlist?"" Spear Catches Leaf: "The tales say this man once stormed an entire fortress alone, naked, and screaming his defiance into the night." The Black Whirlwind: "Ha! Scared the tar out of those border guards! But they botched the story; I was naked, screaming, *and* I was dead drunk." Sure he was no Kang the Mad, but boring? Mind you I didn't think Wrex was boring but did find Garrus' stories always boiling down to the same thing (OMGWTF?! I have to follow rules! Wah!) to be repetitious.

Fans of Fallout 3 would claim that Obs were reusing Bethesda's ideas (Antagonizer/Mechanist), I'm sure...

Don't try to fight the irresistible lure... Being a bit more serious, let me put it this way - if your setting already contains a number of high powered concepts, how does adding a different high powered concept make it "more ridiculous"? I think this is the point where I'm having trouble following you. Its a bit like saying that 557 rabbits are okay, but 558 is just CRAZY! The distinction in how they're different is lost on me.

Not sure the world is ready for Day the World Ended - The Game. Besides there's only so much role-playing of being trapped in a cabin surrounded by killer radiation with 5 other people (one who is slowly turning into a radiactive flesh eating monster) I could take.

So your take is that Fallout all ready has a boatload of ridiculous stuff so who cares if they add more? My take is that Fallout all ready has enough ridiculous stuff, let's not make it any worse. I'm not Gromnir, nor do I play him on TV. Fallout as a setting already has Alien Ray guns, magic super-mutant making virus, zombielike ghouls (one with a tree on his head), magic pills that take away all effects of radiation (except suddenly growing 6th toes), computers that still work after 100 years of inactivity, and robots with giant brains in a clear plastic bubble. Is a mini-nuke launcher or giant space laser really all that out of place amid that? I don't think so. It isn't about there being a certain number of "ridiculous" things in a game, but that certain concepts either fit in the setting or don't. Neither the launcher nor the space laser seem particularly out of place to me (on the surface at least).

Any lawsuit involving corporations are subject to out of court settlements at any time. So while I didn't know it would happen, I'm not really surprised (and I can't imagine that a deal wasn't struck for them to drop the suit). But I could be wrong.

Watched Django from 1966. Lots of people got killed. Movie was pretty over-the-top. Not as good as the Leone films, IMO, but it certainly has its low budget charms.

Their numbers are in the same general area as athletic supporters, I hear.

I just realized the phone booth one doesn't work anymore, since phone booths don't really exist in the way they used to...

I didn't pay attention to them to be honest, but yeah eventually seeing won't be believing.

All it takes (here at least) is for one dude to be streaming porn on his phone and one over-reactive parent thinking their little Timmy or Sally can see it to cause a lawsuit.

I've played the non yellow ones - 2000 * 2000-02-29 - Might & Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer * 2000-06-22 - Deus Ex * 2000-06-29 - Diablo 2 * 2000-06-30 - Icewind Dale * 2000-09-24 - Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn * 2000-09-27 - Wizards & Warriors * 2000-10-16 - Nethack: Falcon's Eye * 2000-10-26 - Summoner 2001 * 2001-03-15 - Gothic * 2001-03-23 - Avernum 2 * 2001-06-27 - Anachronox * 2001-08-21 - Arcanum: of Steamworks and Magick Obscura * 2001-09-27 - Pool of Radiance: Ruins of Myth Drannor * 2001-11-05 - Wizardry 8 * 2001-11-12 - Geneforge * 2001-12-04 - Gorasul: The Legacy of the Dragon 2002 * 2002-04-05 - Dungeon Siege * 2002-05-01 - Morrowind * 2002-06-18 - Neverwinter Nights * 2002-08-02 - Divine Divinity * 2002-08-19 - Prince of Qin * 2002-08-26 - Icewind Dale 2 * 2002-09-19 - Avernum 3 * 2002-11-15 - Prelude to Darkness * 2002-12-22 - I of the Dragon 2003 * 2003-03-07 - Mistmare * 2003-03-29 - Might & Magic IX * 2003-06-28 - Arx Fatalis * 2003-08-13 - Lionheart: Legacy of the Crusader * 2003-09-16 - Temple of Elemental Evil * 2003-10-08 - Paradise Cracked * 2003-10-15 - Geneforge 2 * 2003-10-28 - Gothic 2 * 2003-11-07 - Silent Storm * 2003-11-19 - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic * 2003-12-01 - Devil Whiskey * 2003-12-02 - Deus Ex: Invisible War 2004 * 2004-01-25 - Omega Syndrome * 2004-02-27 - Sacred * 2004-03-03 - Knights of the Temple: Infernal Crusade * 2004-04-27 - Dawn of Magic * 2004-04-28 - Beyond Divinity * 2004-10-15 - Space Hack * 2004-11-16 - Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines * 2004-11-18 - Seal of Evil 2005 * 2005-02-15 - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2: The Sith Lords * 2005-12-05 - Hammer & Sickle * 2005-12-05 - Mourning's Wrath * 2005-04-12 - Kult: Heretic Kingdoms * 2005-04-12 - Jade Empire * 2005-05-05 - Dungeon Lords * 2005-05-18 - Fate * 2005-05-27 - Restricted Area * 2005-05-30 - Geneforge 3 * 2005-08-02 - Metalheart: Replicants Rampage * 2005-08-16 - Dungeon Siege II * 2005-11-24 - Knights of the Temple 2 2006 * 2006-19-01 - Aveyond * 2006-02-11 - Day Watch * 2006-03-02 - Avernum 4 * 2006-03-17 - Fable: The Lost Chapters * 2006-03-20 - Oblivion * 2006-04-07 - GODS: Lands of Infinity * 2006-06-26 - Titan Quest * 2006-06-26 - Night Watch * 2006-07-12 - The Fall: Last Days of Gaia * 2006-09-26 - Mage Knight: Apocalypse * 2006-10-17 - Brigade E5 * 2006-11-20 - Gothic 3 * 2006-12-08 - Neverwinter Nights 2 2007 * 2007-02-05 - Geneforge 4 * 2007-03-09 - Silverfall * 2007-04-06 - Loki: Heores of Mythology * 2007-05-09 - Two Worlds * 2007-05-21 - Nethergate: Resurrection * 2007-09-05 - Depths of Peril * 2007-09-28 - Neverwinter Nights 2: Mask of the Betrayer * 2001-10-01 - The Chosen: Well of Souls * 2007-10-30 - The Witcher * 2007-11-19 - Eschalon: Book I * 2007-11-20 - Mass Effect * 2007-12-27 - Aveyond 2 2008 * 2008-02-17 - Avernum 5 * 2008-07-30 - The Spirit Engine 2 * 2008-10-02 - Sacred 2: Fallen Angel * 2008-10-28 - Fallout 3 * 2008-11-03 - Kivi's Underworld * 2008-11-18 - Neverwinter Nights 2: Storm of Zehir 2009 * 2009-02-20 - Geneforge 5 * 2009-02-24 - Drakensang: The Dark Eye * 2009-05-05 - 7.62 * 2009-07-24 - Divinity II: Ego Draconis * 2009-08-09 - Knights of the Chalice * 2009-10-02 - Risen * 2009-11-03 - Dragon Age * 2009-10-27 - Torchlight * 2009-10-30 - A Farewell to Dragons So definitely not me who has played the most of them...

My friend Charlie is going to be less than amused, however.

*whew* he's still older than me. Happy Belated Birthday!