Amentep

Naturally SWAT teams have a designated Bard.

There were 256 movies classed as "Westerns" since 2000 on IMDB. But it includes a HUGE amount of direct to DVD fare, and horror-westerns, softcore-westerns, foreign westerns and modern westerns (rodeos, pickup trucks etc). I tried to stick with films I'd heard of and that had some semblance of a national release and that were also period pieces without majorly overt supernatural elements. There are only two films on that list that I know could be considered comedies - Shanghai Noon and Shanghai Knights (although arguably Legend of Zorro was pretty tongue in cheek). The rest of the films are fairly serious to my knowledge (I haven't seen them all). At any rate, I'm not entirely sure what it has to do with games where the genres really haven't ebbed and flowed with movies. I think the big problem with Western games is that there haven't been very many good ones in recent years (even still, I'm pretty sure the original Red Dead Revolver did fairly well, and I've heard Gun did too). Westerns used to be made in spades in movies, its true, but most of them were "B" movies (if you look at the prestige pics of the period, westerns aren't as big). The loss of double features and drive-ins, the changing market and the economy all led to Westerns being made at a slower pace (and the popularity of the genre in Italy in the 60s and 70s meant US studios didn't need to make them, just buy the rights, dub and release). The Majors still did make westerns but the Heaven's Gate fiasco slowed those productions down as well (and yet you still got the occasional western like Silverado before another boom period came in the 90s). Is the genre as big as it used to be? No. But it still plugs along (supernatural-western Jonah Hex looks to be the next big release in June) Of course I'm a bit biased, I'd love a Deadlands video game.

It's definitely fun, I'll say that! Any movie that has inspired over a 100 sequels is automatically cinema gold. But what was up with the Franco Nero staring Rambo-esque Django sequel?

I was just kinda shocked that sheep beating is being used as a selling point.

Shanghai Noon (2000) The Claim (2000) South of Heaven, West of Hell (2000) Texas Rangers (2001) American Outlaws (2001) Dust (2001) Shanghai Knights (2003) The Missing (2003) Open Range (2003) Blueberry (2004) The Alamo (2004) The Legend of Zorro (2004) The Proposition (2005) Bandidas (2006) Seraphim Falls (2006) Sukiyaki Western Django(2007) 3:10 From Yuma (2007) The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) Appaloosa (2008) I stuck with westerns I'd heard of from the 2000s

I loved old school Gamma World. Didn't really like the 3e Version (6th Edition, from SSS) and as I recall all mutations were actually the result of nanotech instead of radiation. But overall it just didn't capture the fun of the early versions. I believe we played 3rd edition and it was some of the funnest games I remember from that period, so I hope that this new one (aligned with 4e D&D) is a return to good form. I always loved the drawing of the hopeless mutant in the character generation section about accidentally creating a non-viable character. White Dwarf Gamma World Ad

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.