Roderick

One unfortunate drawback of updating the ingame graphics but not the movies is that every time a cinematic start, it kind of takes me out of the game because it's such a huge shock in terms of fidelity. The experience is less seamless.

Did I just read that they didn't make the fishboss easier, instead making it harder? Oh my.

Yes, but isn't it soothing to the ear? All of our delicious, contrary-sounding mouth sounds?

I've started a quick 'n dirty Youtube webshow about writing and publishing books, chronicling [in Dutch] my struggles and adventures in getting my stuff made. Still figuring out all the technical hurdles, so video and audio aren't up to snuff, but here's the first ep, hot off the press. Again, in our Royal Dutch Language.

You mean Dawn! Yeah, that was definitely Zanthia. There are some more subtle winks and references in Lands of Lore to the Kyrandia-world. Is that a pseudobushia hugiflora? I know Lands of Lore by heart

Sorry, this isn't comical, but I just discovered this is the game cover for Legend of Kyrandia: Hand of Fate in Japan: Beautiful!

Bought it and playing it with tank controls - the way it's meant to be played. Initial impressions: intro cinematic wasn't totally fluid, the HD makes Glottis' inner mouth clipping really obvious, but holy shit is this still one of the best written things ever. My girlfriend sat to next to me as I played (giddy with joy) for a good hour, and she said it was more entertaining than watching most films. Just talking to Eva is such a joy.

The discussion about polyamory has been very interesting to follow, proffering a bit of introspection. My initial thoughts are: wow, having a single, exclusive partner is already enough to deal with in my life (in the best of ways), let alone that I'd have to deal with multiple romantic relationships at the same time. I investigated whether my ideas about monogamy were due to restrictive cultural pressure, but I didn't find any evidence of repression within me. Of course my, and everyone's, view on life is influenced by our surroundings and the stories we hear and see when we grow up, but I don't see those as shackles, not necessarily. Thing is, I have an image in my head of what I'd like out of my future with another person. I'm aiming for that and it feels natural and fulfilling to me. There's no conflict there (as far as I or anyone else can see, ofc). I'm one of those vanilla people, probably, for whom this monogamy thing just clicks? However, there is also a jealous/insecure side to my not wanting to share my partner with others. I freely admit that. I don't want to run the risk of them falling in love with someone else and leaving me. I think that when you engage in a relationship with someone, flirting, having sex, there's absolutely a chance of falling in love. I wouldn't want to invite that. That's all bottled up in the multivaried and complex, ultimately very positive feeling I have towards exclusive relationships. It's not descriptive. I've never felt threatened with what anyone else does, nor do I judge. On the whole, I would say the first reasons I gave are the primary force in this.

That's kind of Braid outmeasured, Osmo.

Dewar, you picked the wrong guilds: it's the thieves guild and assassins guild that offer the best storylines. Go back and finish the real game.

The soundtrack to Xmax 2015 is retro!

Unmissable is such a weird thing. It exists almost solely in the realm of fashion and cultural relevance, i.e. you are 'missing out' if you don't play this because you can't join in on the conversation. In Idle Thumbs land, that means games like Gone Home, Far Cry 2, Dishonored, Crusader Kings 2, Spelunky, Snoopy's Flying Ace, Thirty Flights of Loving, anything by LEC post-Maniac Mansion. For a large part of the world it's Assassin's Creed and Call of Duty. Not the greatest, but unmissable.

SAM, what a cool video. Love the presenter's attitude! And then the setup, oh, it's delicious.

I liked it too, despite its inscrutible controls and mechanics. There hasn't been another game that lets you secretly construct Death Stars and send them to the rebel location that you've teased out of some confidence victims.

They made an anime of Insufficient Direction?! That is such a weird move, because it's a very low-key, auteur-y, autobiography by Moyoko Anno (Hideaki's partner, the baby character). Last year I posted about the 80s series, it's called Blue Blazes / Aoi Honoo, it's only 11 episodes (or so) long and it's absolutely worth it. Not just as a weird Anno fetishization thing, but a totally rad comedy that's [remo] fuckin' bonkers [/remo].

This just appeared; a rumor that Telltale is working on a Game of Thrones adaptation. http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/21/5131264/report-telltale-games-working-on-game-of-thrones Here's hoping it follows the exclusive adventures of Tywinn Lannister as he deals with all sorts of Westerosian nuisances.

When is the year of the Braid, when we finally unlock the full meaning of this game?

Would an advertising shill keep harrassing you to buy Grim Fandango throughout the year? Yes, but would they?

Tina Turner made Mad Max 3. And it's still a kick-ass song. Romancing the Stone is pretty cool. If you want a more horrible desert action/comedy, try (don't try) Ishtar. But don't.

Be strong! Christmas 2015 will prevail!

This is an exciting race, though I fear for I Have No Mouth.

Nintendo games never lose their value. It's equally frustrating as it is a genius move on their part. It's no use waiting half a year to wait for prices to drop: they never do unless Nintendo release a 'classics' version of the game.

I actually like the inventory system. Might not offer a lot in the way of clarity, but it feels like a very 'in-world' thing. Just look at that screenshot with the inventory: horrible, even if it is practical. Does anyone know whether there'll be a boxed version? I have a gorgeous box of the original game, wouldn't mind putting a new one next to it.

Tale-imaginationeer

Club Nintendo was pretty fun in essence, I think I got a Mario Galaxy CD out of it and a t-shirt, but that was basically all. In recent years I stopped even inputting the codes, giving them to a friend instead.