Roderick

A ton of games are left behind and never see release in Europe. But worse is that this takes away any last vestige of pressure Nintendo and other companies have of getting the games out worldwide at around the same time. Europe has historically been shafted when it came to release dates so many times (sometimes it was years later) and that's not set to change any time because of things like this. So, yes, this is quite a serious bit of bullshit and backwards-ass thinking.

I'm also more than a little miffed about the region locking. Nintendo is still embracing 20th century, pre-globalization ideas about market regions. It's a big step back for their handhelds and thoroughly without excuse.

Yes, that is quite a turn-off after that gorgeous 2D art.

Still, how awesome was the movie's opening with the ?

I love the little references between the Kyrandia series and Westwood's Lands of Lore series. Is that a Pseudobusha Hugiflora?

I now realize my error: I spoke of the book of Job, but had in my mind the story of Jonah. Now it makes sense why nothing made sense, and I see the parallels more clearly.

I'm extremely happy with the revamped level scaling system, though it's typical that there's a lot of hype being created about the dual wielding. Though I'm certain it'll be a rewarding, fine system of combat, it really doesn't mean that much to me than a lot of other aspects of the game. However, in video games, how you get to kill the bad guys is the thing of import. Call me insane, also, after the dragon overkill that is World of Warcraft, but Skyrim manages to enthuse me about these strange, arcane creatures of menace again. So, well done, Bethesda.

I saw A Serious Man and god damn are the Coen brothers on a roll! They've been making their best films in the past few years, which is an amazing accomplishment considering they've been at it for so long and their legacy consists of The Big Lebowski, Fargo and O Brother, amongst others. One thing puzzles me about A Serious Man, though. I've heard many people say (and echo) that the movie is a sort of retelling of the book of Job, but for the life of me I don't see it. Sure, there are some loose references - - but the story is so different. Job is fundamentally about a man turning away from his god after hardship and god punishing him for his lack of obedience and trust. In A Serious Man, the protagonist never loses faith, but rather is constantly looking for answers from the Rabbis. Furthermore, he never takes action of any kind, is completely passive throughout. Can anyone explain why people seem so easily to draw parallels between the two?

Saw Dark City for the first time and holy shit, does it prefigure The Matrix by a year! http://galeon.hispavista.com/cinerama/actu2/matrixdarkcity.htm

Oh wow, that does sound super extreme, Vimes! Sounds like a god damned James Bond movie; skiing right into the airport.

Also Zanthia is one of the best female characters in gaming. Love Zanthia!

E-readers and piracy the end of great writing? Absolutely not. The need or basis to create stunning works of fiction emphatically does not come from money, it comes from the human urge to create something worthwhile. This will not, will never, go away. In a way, the problem is even far less great than in, say, software development. To make a game you need the dedication of a team of people. Writing a book, though also taking time, can be done by a single person, in whatever time someone has. And you can bet Dollars to doughnuts that the best writers will still be paid. The actual book might not be the big money printing press anymore, but that's not the only source of revenue. There's movie deals, shows, signings, hell: human inventiveness will always find a way to monetize something of value. So I honestly don't think this will change anything as regards the quality of books. The balance of good books versus bad books (say, 1 to 99) will remain

Yes! A unique and wonderful game. Malcolm was quite menacing here, and I especially loved the maze near the start of the game, where you need to pick fire berries to illuminate your surroundings. The second and third games (Hand of Fate and Malcolm's Revenge) are all more like standard adventures, though all of them try to incorporate novel systems like potion creation and morality-based puzzles. Well worth looking into, if only for the gorgeous, and frequently absurd and humerous visual direction.

Congrats!

Max Chafing

That's probably the only time Max Shaefer's name seems the normal one in the bunch, instead of the crazy porn name.

One hundred percent deserved. The Idle Thumbs podcast has in some, and many ways, been a really cool part of my life for the last couple of years. Congratulations! :tup:

Pretty sweet! It could've been really cheesy, but despite Duke not being quite human in design, it was very cool.

It's Sinterklaas, and nobody really know what happens to the kids that go back to Spain in the burlap bag. Horrible, horrible things, I presume!

That was terrifying, so MERRI CHRSITMASATJH!

Of the 48 hours, 30 were spent scanning planets.

Well, Thunderpeel, I think you'll find that the bible has nothing of the sort to say about evolution!

From the trailer in the other topic: Abraham Lincoln on the cymbal hit made me happy.

I'm sorry, but I beg to differ. From the get-go, Idle Thumbs was a lot more animated, it had a lot more "stuff" per minute happening. It was, perhaps, just as fumbling in the beginning, but in my experience a lot less awkward. Which, I hope you'll understand, isn't a knock on the Double Fine podcast.

I hope your answer included the word "yes" Yet strangely, I also hope that someone at one point answered: "I'm not sure if there's anything in the bible on that, lemme check."