ThunderPeel2001

I was considering doing that, but I think you're supposed to have a valid code for 120GB drive... which isn't rippable from your old 20GB one. That means you've got to download it and there's plenty of questions about whether MS can tell all these different people are using the same code. I've heard pesky rumours about MS being able to detect such a thing, but more research is probably needed, as the amount of FUD that surrounds MS is ridiculous. Anyhoo I eventually found a new 120GB HD in a sale in Argos (of all places). Can't remember exactly how much, but between £60 to £70 (~$100), I think... I was very lucky! Nachimir was in the middle of the process at one pont... How did you get on Mr. Nach?

Yes of course! There was no real "end game" (unless you include making your ingame rank "Elite"). If only there was a really decent version of this game (I fear the original Elite has aged badly and Frontier was pretty pants)... EVE here I come!

BLOODY Leeds!

Sounds like I should get around to reading that. Thanks for bringing it up!

Cor lummy! There's quite a few of us in London - we should attempt to arrange some sort of London Thumb's "knees up". Of course last time we tried this only myself and n0wak (a Canadian) showed up... Could there be any more takers this time?

Nope. His main point (and I'll have to dig this out) was that he wanted it to look exactly like the main game. Edit: I can't find this quote... perhaps I dreamt it?

That's the thing: Schafer was saying how he didn't want to up the quality... He wanted to use the ingame models. He did the same in Grim Fandango and Psychonauts (both irritated me as both feature close ups with jagged textures for no good reason), but Brutal Legend looks really good.

Isn't it a bit more "Lahn-dahn"? Whereabouts in London are you, Marek?

Loud minorities, I'm sure... Plus EA are kind of downplaying Black's involvement. His name isn't mentioned in the trailer, or the demo - I think, nor on the game's advertising or the cover. I'm guessing they would have had to pay a lot more to use his name in that way (or maybe Black didn't want his name used in that way), but it's probably a good thing.

That's cool. JB is definitely a lot more subdued, which will take me some getting used to, but I think it's because *shock* he's actually acting, not just being OTT comedy man. Which is pretty awesome. As for the personality of Eddie Riggs, I'm not totally enthralled -- he's a bit too confident and almost sleazy. But thinking back to Grim Fandano's and Psychonaut's demos, I didn't really "know" or care for those characters back then, either... and I've come to love them both now. I think it's really interesting to be back in this place: Incredibly excited about a game which I don't fully comprehend what it's going to be like. Having played a demo which was not really indicative of how cool the game with most likely be. Not wanting to get my hopes up too high so I can just enjoy it as if I didn't know it had come from the mind of Tim Schafer... Does anyone know if the cut-scenes were done ingame or using video? I'm sure I remember Schafer talking about how he preferred video but he wanted the look of the game itself. Very odd choice when games like GTA have shown how slick ingame cut-scenes can look these days... but he did the same with Psychonauts, too (rather pointlessly in my opinion -- it looked worse than ingame graphics and now looks weird when you're playing widescreen). But with BL it looked incredibly crisp, exactly like ingame animation -- was it?

For those that have played the demo... what do they think of the character of Eddie Riggs? I know it's too early to tell, and no doubt ultimately I'll end up loving him, but he's not what I expected (which could be a very good thing).

The quality of the character animation is still amazingly great, too (like it was in L&D)... it's odd to go back and watch GTAIV proper as the add-ons have surpassed it easily.

Actually, I totally agree with you. They feel like two very separate things... I just prefer the world of the song.

Ah... Black Adder later became Mr. Bean. I see. Edit: I see Miffy already made the connection. I grew up idolising Black Adder -- probably not the best way to make friends and influence people

It's listed for me... possibly because I've already downloaded it?

Yeah, I can't believe we forgot Portal! That game's experience was largely its ending, if you ask me. Sure it's clever, slick and fun... but the ending was what really elevated the game to something else -- I wish that amount of personality and charm was featured more prominently in the game itself.

As much as I dislike any Guitar Hero game after II, 1up seem to think that GH5 is the greatest music game in the history of mankind... http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3175867&p=4&sec=REVIEWS Conversely, Rock Band: Beatles gets a far less glowing review. What gives? Edit: This was, in hindsight, the worst attempt at expressing myself ever here on the Thumbs... *sigh*

Well that's what one of the comments below the GH5 review actually suggests! Lol.

I was judging it from Metacritic's interpretation of their score... But either way, who cares? As I've already said, they're pretty much the only site with such a difference between the two games... so why bother examining it further? (I should have done a bit more research before bringing it up.) Edit: *sigh* I went to the bother of calculating what the grades equate to in percentages -- which is pretty silly, I know. But A = 92% and B = 67% (their grades go straight from D- to F with no inbetween). This is confirmed by their editorial director, too: Linky. Must get life

Indeed! No more Brutal Legend for me until Rocktober!

From your description it sounds like they should have gotten a similar score. Instead Beatles: Rock Band got 75% and Guitar Hero 5 got 100%. I guess, now that I've done a bit more research, 1up is the only site with that kind of discrepancy, so maybe I should just forget about it. I'm still interested what other Thumbers think of GH5, though.

Sacrilege! (I love that game.)

Aw crap... But what if I get hopelessly addicted and die at my computer after a three day, non-stop marathon session? Ah, what the heck... Send over the code, Mr. Scrobbs! (And thanks for the offer.)

Well I downloaded it and will be playing it soon. Thanks, Wrestle.

Ah, the sarcastic Mr. Remo. The point of my (lazily put together) thread was to ask Thumbs their opinions... Something I trust a lot more than reviews. Has GH5 taken a massive leap forward or is still a soulless corporate exercise? (The inclusion of a virtual Kurt Cobain is pretty tacky and tasteless in my opinion -- something the reviewer doesn't even touch upon. Or as Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic put it: )Is this just more of the same or is it really a vast improvement deserving of the phrase: "the most multiplayer-friendly music game yet".