JonCole

I actually feel like easy mode is a perfectly legitimate way to enjoy a game that doesn't hold up at higher difficulties due to "we're gonna increase enemy health rather than improve enemy AI". I've played quite a few games that are mechanically sound in the minute to minute but break under those circumstances.

I actually really liked Dark Sector too. Due to the lukewarm response to it, I remember I got it for < $5 so it was a pretty great value for a solid third-person shooter.

Yeah, compression plays a big part here, as Patters said. And to follow up on my personal experience, I'm actually regularly playing on a 32" television from 6-8 ft away using the OnLive Microconsole. 720p and 1080p are nearly indistinguishable at that distance, so I'm not particularly eager to bemoan that negligible resolution change. I can imagine that OnLive might be more disappointing on a high-resolution monitor from one or two feet away, but that's simply not my use case.

I dunno, I was getting pretty good 720p streaming at 3-5 mbps. I know it didn't hold up so well for a friend of mine who's a bit of a AV stickler, but for my money I didn't see too much difference between OnLive's stuff at that speed and my regular console stuff. The biggest problem performance-wise was latency, as just every now and then I'd get a tiny bit of lag on the controls that might make a turn in a racing game less tight or something like that.

I think Playstation Plus exclusive games are also doing this (Assassin's Creed Brotherhood is a specific example I remember).

I actually have quite a bit of first-hand experience with both the service and the hardware they offer. I actually think their marketing department has been pretty solid so far, running sales every week and holiday season much like Steam albeit with a more slimmed catalog. Just search OnLive on Slickdeals and you'll see what I mean. As far as performance goes, I agree with the assessment that it's running at a level similar to a modest PC. I actually first played with the service on my shitty second-gen netbook (single-core Atom, 2gb RAM, integrated Intel graphics, 1280x800 10" screen) and it ran circles around any other modern game I attempted to run. The controller support for games is pretty impressive too, accepting my wireless 360 controller + wireless adapter with ease. I think the most promising aspect is the near universality of trial periods for their catalog. What this essentially means is you could be playing a 30-minute demo of any game right from the beginning (basically you're just playing the full game on a timer), which lets you carry on for your regular game save if you choose to buy it at the end. Also, since you don't have to download anything, you could be playing what would be a 4GB demo on PC in a minute or two via OnLive. Other promising features - Mac compatibility with Windows games due to remote server operation, 3 or 5 day instant rental periods, GameTap-esque subscription "PlayPass" with unlimited playtime for older games at $10 a month. While it's very contingent on internet connection (3 mbps or more, otherwise you're screwed), I'm really liking OnLive. It's just a shame their selection is so limited and their prices on games are so relatively high unless you wait for sales.

I played a little bit of it... a solid version of the game. I actually like the controls more than the DS version, but that's just me.

PSN has a lot of stuff rolling out on the cheap, especially if you still have the PS+ Welcome Back membership. I grabbed Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, Chime Super Deluxe Edition, and Pixeljunk Shooter 2 all for $5 each. I believe they also have a couple more titles on that list as well, including Back to the Future for $10 and Hard Corps Uprising for $7.

I beat Shatter yesterday! Really enjoyable brick-breaking game with great music that you should play at all costs.

I bought a lot of smaller stuff that I was marginally interested and the hideously low prices roped me in. I've already had a lot of fun with Bit.Trip.Beat and Swords and Soldiers HD, also looking forward to check out Sanctum and Terraria. Besides that, Darksiders was impossible to pass up for $5.

I dunno... five hours seems quite doable. I think I finished the campaign somewhere around the six or seven hour mark, but I spent a lot of time just testing the limits of the game in the larger areas. That said, I don't really think that's any particular deficiency for the game. Between commentaries, extras, co-op, and achievements... there's tons of shit to get yourself into for that game. Also, that reminds me that I need to finish that co-op campaign!

I guess what I'm trying to say is that spoiler tags don't discriminate what week they're spoiling. So to deal with that, I just propose that right before the deadline of each week we edit the OP with a post number that signifies when the next week's spoilers begin. Otherwise, yeah, we could liberally use spoiler tags and just keep them off of fundamental discussion points like gameplay mechanics and such.

I suspect four hours a week might be a little much for some people, but I think I might be able to manage it. As far as spoilers go, I think we should talk spoilers after the "deadline". So, up until next Saturday (7/16) in the setup you described, we could discuss basic mechanics and gameplay type stuff. Then for the next week, the first two targets would be fair game. That way, we can set more easily find the last post on Friday and edit the OP with something like "spoilers for week 1 begin at this link", "spoilers for week 2 begin at this link" and so on. That way, people who are a week behind or something could have a clear place to stop and start reading. Make sense?

I managed to find the single copy within a 30 mile radius of my house and it was in like new condition (from Gamestop, which makes it miraculous). I'm in if I can dig out the GC from the closet.

I don't actually own the game, but if enough people decide to participate I'll try to track one down.

I've been back into the TF2 lately too, so if Thumbs were up for it I'd jump in for sure.

Have we never considered (as a community) doing a more formal "backlog game club" type situation? I know you kinda did one around Half Life, but even then it was more for you than the group as a whole. I feel like there are enough of us and enough old games that there could be some basis for such a thing.

A dream I have that will literally never be fulfilled - Metroid Prime remakes with dual analog STICK controls. I would play through the whole thing, guaranteed.

I don't really understand the usage of a Google profile if not to manage a public online identity.

So, as much as Wind Waker's ending is worth it and good (which I don't know from first-hand experience), I can safely say that Twilight Princess's ending is not worth it and not good. In fact, giving up around the Sky Temple would have been a much better experience for me.

I colorize everything I can get my hands on.

Darksiders was already discounted to $5. If you missed that, cross your fingers hard for a last day reboot of earlier deals. I grabbed it even though I already played it on Xbox, that's how much I liked it. On the Fallout NV tip, I'm probably just gonna bide my time for a GOTY version of it. With regards to today's sales, Deus Ex at $2.50 is pretty damn tempting. Also, Stalker: Call of Pripyat at $3.75 is pretty great.

Totally agree on the Alpha Protocol note. Even if you aren't interested in a somewhat lackluster gameplay, going at a lower difficulty might help this otherwise fairly good game easier to swallow. I love the social interactions (on a mechanical level, not necessarily the writing) and some of the underlying systems at play behind the combat.

Not to mention the fact that Shepard notably and publicly died only to be revived by a pro-human terrorist organization guilty of forced genetic experimentation, kidnapping of young biotics, and sabotage of relations between human and alien governments. Yeah.

As if there weren't already enough deals, looks like Gamersgate UK has Civ V for $11.18 / £6.78. The key must be activated on Steam, so it looks like the sale is valid for US Civ lovers as well. Here's a link to the Slickdeals post about it - http://slickdeals.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3073091