twmac

Not so great to know it has only sold around 140 thousand copies. Hopefully it will be one of those slow burners.

Okay, this kind of attitude got blasted in the most recent podcast but seriously, where's the game?

I built a giant green dragon with no merit other than it is a giant green dragon. I also mucked about with different helicopter types (which are great for most missions that don't involve racing). I also created a huge tray with balloons attached to it, it has been useless for everything but two challengers I need to do in quick succession. If you are finding time trials and challenges frustrating the first thing you need to do is create. Engine power stacks as well as fuel. So simple 'more is better' philosophy will get you through most challenges. However there are moments where thinking laterally will do you more favours. Having problems racing along a narrow platform? Make a plane and you'll never fall off. Need to guide an antenna up a steep slope? Build an helicopter with a grabbing attachment and pull it all the way to the top in 4 seconds. Also, spend some time exploring the hub world for extra stuff, don't forget you can use your tray as a platform then lift it up to higher ground to repeat.

My reason for gaming on a console is fast becoming defunct. My love of consoles comes from the simplicity of it, having had nothing but problems with PC gaming and PCs in general. Mind you, with all these patches, downloads and microsoft point madness easy consoles seem to be coming a thing of the past. I'm kind of gutted I don't have down time where I'm away from home. There are so many DS titles I would happily sink my teeth into but as soon as I pick it up I look at the 360 and put it back. Most of my friends have relatively long commutes (I walk to work) so get a lot out of their little buddies. Except for my mate with a PSP who uses it as an MP3 player now. Miffy, did you try Ultimate Ghouls and Ghosts that is supposed to be awesome.

By the way, I don't agree with the linguist. Well I do but only from a day-to-day perspective, for example when I chat to some one about something fairly inane. If they understnad what I was getting at (eg: I had a good night, drank beer and played games) then it seems irrelevant how I said and whether I got the tense on verbs right. From a writing perspective it bothers me a lot more, even if my spelling is atrocious, and I like intricacies/idiosyncracies of literature.

In what way did you find it broken? My main frustration was about half way through when you split into two teams of two and all of a sudden your team mates, who were able to revive you when all four were together, can't help you any more. Mind you that was in the first one too. Apart from that I have to disagree with you. Gears 2 was solid, I played through it twice to completion and found the set pieces gratifying. It was like they took the one good arena section from the first (I think it was chapter four when you landed in the chopper) and expanded that over most of the game so that all the weapons became valid choices in any given fire fight. The levels were varied enough to never become repetitive even though you were really doing the same thing over and over. It even managed to strech the limited cover mechanic into doing other things like some very rudimentary puzzle sections that were totally out of place but very much appreciated. I actually felt that Epic delivered on the promise to make the battle less personal and give more perspective on the grand scale that these encounters were suppose to be happening. This was shown through several sections when riding on giant machines or running down catacombs with units off in the distance engaging in combat. Nothing to do with Mirror's edge, but I hated the thing, and am quite sad to see Gears 2 being dragged into a thread about a game that has no relation to it.

Okay, in the last couple of podcasts you talked about moral choices and also a the level of immersion in games. Having just finished one of my final playthroughs in Dead Rising I'd be interested to hear your opinions on that game. For me, the fact that saving a survivor garnered you as many points as dragging them in to a horde of zombies and taking a photograph of them in their 'death scene' brought up more moral quanderies than kicking a chicken. That, early on, you are forced to choose between saving innocents or following the story speaks volumes to me rather than having a plot that twists and turns. In fact I'm inclined to say that DR follows the path of a simple story line that you argue that most of the best books have, in this case it is survival. This is a game that also plays with your emotions as gamer. The save system is set up in a way that you can't approach it from a conventional quick save approach and as such makes you appreciate each subsequent playthrough as it unlocks more story and depth. EDIT: My pizza was burning so I had to stop I feel that the game, through not giving you devil horns or glowing halos, nor giving you an alignment score allows you to create much more personal stories. For example on my last escapade I tried to save this old lady from atop a kids playhouse but when I eventually convinced her to follow me (she called me her gentleman guide) I couldn't get her away from the zombies and after trying for 5 minutes I gave up and instead photographed her being ripped apart by zombies. I then went over to a shop and stopped a crazed, lesbian cop from murdering 4 women. These I escorted to safety, by chance, none of them condemned me for my previous brutal act and yet I still felt insanely guilty. This, to me, was far more effective. So as to frame this as a question, agree, don't agree?

Plain sight also got a plug on Kotaku and Rock Paper Shotgun! I don't really play PC games but good luck to you.

What should I be looking out for? I've been a vegetatian for 2 decades, I will admit that I'm definitely on the skinny side but I just put that down to not eating a lot of meat. Protein can be a problem, and I believe iron isn't abundant in a lot of what I eat... I thought I was fine... Should I be taking vitamin supplements or Omega 5 or something. Is this deficiency like cancer where it catches off guard after years and years of neglect? Damn you Dan I'm off to scour the Internets Edit: Apparently I'm only not getting enough B12 and iodine. B12 is responsible for mental well being, DOH!

Just watched the 'Consolevania Christmas Carol' I felt a little bit wrong when they brought out all the games they loved this year and only I liked or was interested in one. Does that mean I'm bitter? Good swansong nonetheless.

Can't offer words of encouragement. This series has always seemed dire for the 10 minutes that I can stand it. I'd agree with the terrible acting and the often crass script. There are better sitcoms out there (UK grown 'outnumbered' has been floating my boat).

Sorry, I have images of the games industry interpreting 'woman friendly' as 'bollocks that sells on the Wii'. I can't help but imagine the following titles: 'Getting into tiger-kicking shape with Lara!' 'My tarantulaz featuring the Croft mansion play pen' 'Raiding Rabbids: The mini-game Tomb of hell'

Was one of my games of the year. In terms of games that I hated at first but came back to and loved... In recent years there was Enchanted Arms which was retarded but fun once I figured out it was supposed to be stupid. The only other games I can think of were 'Citadel' on the BBC Micro Computer and 'Diablo' on the PC, both of which I didn't have a manual for so when I first played them I didn't have a clue what was going on. Then I lost hours on both. Never finished Citadel though...

The critics are wrong. This game is the best Sonic game since Sonic Adventure. The speed levels are beautiful and fluid. The werehog levels are combo heavy but never dull. The RPG system is fairly easy and never intrusive. I'm disappointed with the non-believers, play this game it is awesome.

Ah well... It's just me then. Would like to argue somehow but if you dont like it you just don't.

Ah the futility of language. I remember my housemates (both English Literature students at the time) coming back from a talk given by a linguist and fuming that the linguist had basically told them that language was pointless and only what you imply with your communication was even remotely valid. The only thing that has made me cringe in recent years was someone who thought that when I used the trm 'apathetic' I meant 'lethargic' and went on to tell me that that was what 'apathetic' actually meant. This also reminds me of a friend of mine who worked on computer and robot AI, he watched this episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk makes a super computer blow up by soiling its logic and said it was funny because it probably would have only taken a simple 'How are you?' to fuck up most current AI routines. Apparently this question is extremely confusing. PS: The English language may change but I'm not accpeting the term 'winningest' into my vocabulary, no matter what.

Yeah, Goldeneye is a mess now. I actually learnt to play with a mouse and keyboard first but it is a style that I never grew accustomed to. In recent chats with a friend who suffers from RSI he pointed something out that I had never thought of that fits perfectly in to why I prefer controllers over K+M. He said that while using a controller he is in a much more relaxed and comfortable state, both from body posture and hand postion (the main reason he suffered from RSI was largely due to typing on a keyboard). I thought about it and also my disposition towards gaming and I just find PC gaming more stressful. I mean, I like challenging games but the way I'm forced to pose when playing PC games feels unnatural. If I was playing games competively, going to tournaments, there is no way I could advocate a controller as the peripheral of choice but I don't and therefore prefer the slouchy, relaxed feel of melting into a chair approach of consoles.

MY EARS!!

I don't eat meat because I don't much like the taste. Not so much a vegetarian as an extremely fussy eater. On the point of humane treatment of animals... I think it is pretty hard to argue in one direction or the other without disappearing up one's anus. When we treat our own race like shit it is difficult for me to believe that we are arguing about the suffering of... oh wait

By normal and not being deficient in social skills do you mean that they won't shut the fuck up about WoW if you give them the chance? Soem of the people I work with drive me round the bend with their wittering on about DPS and what not.

wow, really? I've still been trying to think of a good reason to buy a PS3 and haven't found one. Yakuza 3 looks promising and I like the idea of... Well that's it really. The Wii has a bunch of titles that I'm sort of interested in: Okami, Resident Evil 4, Madworld and Battalion Wars 2 but nothing that has given me the urge to go out and buy one. The 360, in contrast, has kept on trucking for me and I just can't imagine needing another console (depending on how good Madworld is) to play any other games.

I think I may have decided to take time off my main hobby: drinking heavily. Not exactly heart warming but my wallet seems pleased so far.

hurrah, people are finally playing it! Just re-read some of my posts... I could really use some proof reading as my spelling is terrible.

Beardy, that Harold Shipman post is brilliant. Shame no one outside of England is going to get it.

I very much enjoyed the Super Douche song too. Not really with you guys on the Fall out 3 opinions and have been pretty dissatisfied with what I've seen so far but it was nice to see someone else's side.