toblix

Sweet. You should totally add a Java compiler to this!

Apparently. And even less if you're bound to that one guy's point of view. Good for you. I thought it was fantastic, so I'm disappointed that they've changed it. Hopefully they'll achieve the same amount of tactics and pacing as FO1 and 2, but I doubt it. Sure, I wasn't really talking (thinking, rather) about "tactical combat", because that's Rainbow Six, SWAT 3, C&C, and so on. I guess I'm thinking more about the pacing. Turn-based combat works fantastically in a lot of games. It's not like the concept has some inherent error that makes it useless. It has its strenghts and weaknesses just like real-time combat does, and for me, turn-based is what I associated with Fallout (less important) and think suits the style, feeling, gameplay and pacing(more important).As I've said, this is more of a "this isn't Fallout" thing than "this isn't a great game" one.

There's a reason chess is a third person turn based game, and it's not technical limitations. I hate it when people say that it's just a design or technical issue and that it's not that important. It's really important. Fallout combat is about tactics, not about immersion or whatever. It doesn't have to be isometric, but it has to be third person. Why? Because you can't make meaningful tactical choices from a first-person view, you don't have the big picture. It has to be turn-based because that's how you do tactical combat. Max Paynifying it doesn't make it tactical, it makes it suck. Anyway, I fully realize that this comes from my huge disappointment that they've changed what I loved about the first two games. I'm sure they're making a great game, but I'm just sad they had to "overwrite" the Fallout series with their first person crap. And first person isn't crap, first person Fallout is crap. Just you wait.

Okay, having just completed the game, here's my review: This game is really cool. It looks like Legend, in other words totally awesome. The level architecture and textures look really good. Lara finally has enough texture and polygons to actually be hot, with her wiggling hips and her big, juicy... anyway, the game looks awesome. And, just like in Legend, the controls are generally very responsive, and it's like the game is doing "as much as possible" to interpret your commands like you intended. If you jump up to grab something you're not directly below, Lara jumps a bit to the side and tries to grab it anyways. The new pole balancing and wall running stuff is also cool, although there's an issue with jumping from a wall run being a bit wonky. Nothing too frustrating (and you know me, I frustrate like The Hulk). The gameplay feels a bit more "samey" than in Legend. I guess in Legend you were in an office building and in a city. In Anniversary you're just in dungeons. It may also be that Anniversary is a markably longer game. Not too long, but almost. Good thing the ending isn't horribly difficult. There's only one point in the game where I had to restart like ten times to proceed, but even there the game saves progress like a motherfucker, so it's not too bad. And, uh, it's too bad you can't change into the unlockable outfits until I've completed the game. The Legend outfit is much hotter than the Anniversary one. And it loads up really quickly, so it's like under one minute from double-click to double-jump, if you know what I mean (but there's no double jump ((thankfully!)). Anyway that's my review, I know you wanted one.

Sure, the trailer itself wasn't any good. However, I thought the post-apocalyptic, I don't know, matte paintings? looked good. With Will Smith in a main-stream action flick it's bound to be mediocre, but throwing money at post-apocalyptic visuals is always good.

I handed in my master's paper thingie today. That means more work and more games! Start congratulating me after this line, thank you.

I thought just being here made you cool. What, I have to take some stupid course now?

Yeah, working and studying, which I've been doing for the last six months, really sucks.

That's a false quote, you bastard!

I thought the movie trailer looked cool, post-apocalyptically, but there's a book? I'm totally getting it. Also, for that post-apocalyptic, 28 Days Later zombie feel, I recommend Day of the Triffids.

That's like being rich in order to not get murdered. Like in murder mysteries? Hello?

In that case I hope they board up all their ventilation ducts and turn up the speed on the giant fan on the roof.

Gaming community?! More like... ah, forget it.

Jesus Christ!

So, has anyone played this? I'm having a load of problems with those flying, fireball shooting pieces of shit. Is there some pattern to avoiding them or are they just the world's most terrible design decision?

Sure it is, if you like what you do.

What, all you people hate your jobs?

The last two Tomb Raiders were excellent at this. They load up really quickly and then you can just play for a while, getting through a room or something and then stop at the next checkpoint. Maybe quick game loading matters more than I think when it comes to the threshold for someone to choose that game when they want a little break.

This is why my life motto is "Replay value? Fuck replay value."

The Dizzy games rocked.

Shouldn't the system be non-linear, though? Who cares if it's horrible or just really bad? It should be more like: 5=Best. Movie. Ever. 4=Totally Awesome 3=Great 2=Okay 1=Shit

Happy birthday! Uh... ?

Anyone play Lost Dutchman Mine on the Amiga? Back in the day I always played all the games aimlessly, never really trying to win. Like that game, Persian Gulf Inferno. Did they expect you to be able to complete that game in one sitting? Those crazy motherfuckers.

Finally, after all these years, I've ordered a completely new computer. Some of the stuff I got today, the rest will be delivered next week. Building computers is totally awesome!

Dragon's Lair. I played it like a million times, never getting past the third or fourth screen. Uh, there's probably more, but, unlike some, I'm not one to make lists of shit games.