Zeusthecat

I haven't played a proper golf video game since Jack Nicklaus Golf for the Super Nintendo back in 1993 but lately I have had a strong desire to pick up a super realistic next gen golf game even though one doesn't exist yet (at least not that I'm aware of). I don't even really care for golf. Oh god, I said golf too many times and it just started sounding really weird. I feel like "Golf" would be a really good name for some kind of fictional giant mutant monster.

I think that video just gave me epilepsy.

Sorry, I didn't mean for what I said to come across that way. I'm really just trying to say that I think maintaining a positive outlook on life will yield better results than maintaining a negative outlook on life. Not that it's the end all solution for all problems. Of course Twig has every right to be negative as hell at this point and I don't think he's wrong for feeling that way. Just trying to offer some dumb advice.

I think it's one thing to be positive and enthusiastic in an interview and another thing entirely to actually adopt a positive mentality as part of the way you live life. I am generally a pretty optimistic and positive person and I feel like those qualities are directly responsible for the level of confidence I have in myself and my abilities. As someone who used to have pretty low self esteem and very little confidence, I have found that my "success" rate in life has improved dramatically as I've learned to stay optimistic and think positively.

I look at every failure as a success because they usually succeed in preventing me from making the same mistakes in the future.

I just realized next Monday is Memorial Day so I decided I'm taking Thursday and Friday off this week to give myself a 5 day weekend. Hopefully that provides ample time to get a few good sessions going and knock out a good chunk of the game. And I'm right there with you on the whole cat thing. I have a strong preference for wired accessories over wireless so I've just gotten into the habit of always wrapping up my controllers and microphone after each session and putting them on my gaming shelf where the cats can't get to it.

It looks like you are actually three hours ahead right now. This time of year we are basically the same as PST. I can usually get on by around 9 PM but I imagine that might be a bit late for you. If that time on weeknights doesn't work, I should have some time throughout the weekend where we can try to set up a session. And I'm in the same boat as you with Gears 2 as well. I still need to go through all of the higher difficulty levels in the campaign and have barely touched horde mode or multiplayer so there are quite a few achievements I am missing there. I've actually fully cleared my 360 backlog at this point so my main motivation for jumping back in to a lot of these games is to get some of those sweet cheevos.

Let me know once you figure those details out and we'll try to set something up (I'm available most evenings Arizona time). I too am missing quite a few achievements in that game (and Reach for that matter) and have been meaning to knock a bunch of them out for awhile now.

And finally, I just started Escape From Monkey Island I'm playing in fullscreen mode with the default resolution and so far everything looks pretty good.

I got everything installed and set up. Using the updated launcher, which resolution do you recommend if my native resolution is 1920X1080? Would 1280X1024 be the best bet or should I just stick with the default?

I just got my copy of Escape From Monkey Island (for PC) in the mail and to my surprise, even though it was marked as 'used' on Amazon, the one I got was a brand new shrink wrapped copy of the game with all inserts in the case and completely immaculate discs. As someone who has spent years scouring pawn shops and building up my video game collection, I am super stoked that I managed to get a copy of a 14 year old game that is still in mint condition for such a cheap price ($9 total with shipping and handling). Assuming the links Udvarnoky provided give me everything I need to get this game running, I plan to start either today or tomorrow.

How about Ken Levine vs Charlie Day? Any takers on that one?

I honestly have no idea what this #LOLO thing is. I'm the ultimate dad.

Maybe I'm missing something but the Grand Theft Auto 5 I played didn't quite come across as racist as you so adamantly claim. I mean, sure there are some of those elements present but I don't agree with your claim that "Grand Theft Auto V seemed about as intentionally racist as any piece of pop culture in the last decade." You may not have liked the game but I think your claim is quite an exaggeration.

Well thanks for crushing what little shred of dignity I had left. One thing you can't take from me is that this guy and this guy still agree with me.

Well I can at least take comfort in the fact that part of the internet agrees with me... according to google at least.

The fact that that image looks so fucking stupid is reason enough to question its authenticity. Similar to Nachimir, my first gut reaction was that it was a joke.

No idea where this should go but while reading this article on Kotaku, it highlighted for me how truly unique and respectful the Idle Thumbs forum community is. I'm not sure if it's just the size of our community that has fostered such a positive environment with no tolerance for disrespectful behavior or if this community just gives off vibes that tend to attract more intelligent and level-headed people but it is pretty sweet that things are the way they are around here.

Sega returns to the console business and announces the Sega Saturn 2! And it is available to buy now.

Maybe influenced by the late Ryan Davis? I've been going through the whole Giant Bomb back catalog lately and noticed that he exclusively uses the term "robutt" instead of "robot".

I'm frustrated that my wife doesn't see the facial similarities between Willem Dafoe and Dr. Oz. They seriously look like they could be twins to me. And I could totally see someone having twins and naming them Mehmet and Willem.

So out of nowhere this game is back in my normal rotation. I completed it again the other weekend and couldn't help but start it up again last night to try going through the areas more thoroughly and find all the hidden stuff I had missed. As I was going through the first stage, a Whitecloak joined my game and just naturally started guiding me to all of the hidden stuff I was looking for. It was such a cool experience to just have someone come in and patiently guide me to various easter eggs, glyphs and symbols and then stop and wait for me any time I lagged behind. I find it amazing that this game manages to naturally foster this sort of master/apprentice dynamic (as jmbossy put it) and I'm now finding myself compelled to continue the cycle when I unlock my white cloak. I'm also surprised at how well this game holds up over repeat playthroughs. I thought the experience would be diminished after going through it for the first time but I am finding that it still manages to evoke the same emotional response that I got on the first playthrough. There is something about the gorgeous presentation of the world combined with the way the music builds throughout the stages that just makes me want to play this again and again. It's kind of become a video game version of a really good album that I just can't help but listen to over and over.

I actually already have Psychonauts on Steam so I'll definitely be checking that out soon after I finish Escape. I also still need to play through The Walking Dead episodes (purchased on Steam but haven't played any yet) and I'm planning to go through several of Telltale's other games afterwards. As far as other LEC games go, I already know I need to play TIE Fighter and X Wing but beyond that I'm not really sure what is a must play. So I'm definitely open to recommendations.

Per the original intent of this thread, Escape From Monkey Island will be my last hurrah. I might run through Fate Of Atlantis again to try the different paths and I'll post about it here if I do but I would prefer to keep this thread exclusive to the LucasArts games at this point. This has been an amazing experience though, being able to share this with everyone else here. I feel very fortunate that you guys have been so receptive to this and despite being able to experience some amazing games, I'm kind of sad that I've nearly reached the end and that this experience will be ending soon. If you guys have any more good recommendations for games that you wouldn't mind me playing and posting about, I would be more than happy to continue sharing my thoughts in another thread as I go through.

I come here. Not sure about how to make yourself feel more capable of communicating after a prolonged period of downtime though. I just force myself back into it because I have no choice.