Salacious Snake

It's funny that you say that! I posted this same picture on facebook, and someone replied with this: I'll take it.

I'm in a factory, which is a lot like being in a huge storage closet.

I've been playing with this newfangled instagram that all the kids are into.

This is me prior to a Kraftwerk performance at MoMA a few weeks ago, attempting to look appropriately serious and three dimensional.

Yeah, that makes sense. Although, I'll naturally listen when she has input. I wonder who she'll want to save.

Nice writeup, Speedy! I'm totally going to play a second time (mostly because I know my girlfriend is going to love going along for the ride), but I don't think I'm going to do much differently. All the choices I made kinda came from the gut, and I'd feel weird going another way just to see what happens. Is that weird?

Speaking of achievements, I'm playing the PS3 version, and the trophy notifications put me off. Unlike the Xbox, you can't turn off notifications, which drives me crazy. (There is a setting that sounds like it should turn them off, but it just disables friends-related messages.) Heavy Rain did a great thing where it waited until the end of a scene, when everything faded to black, to drop all of that stuff on you. In this, I keep hearing the tinkle and seeing a thing pop up in the corner right in the middle of the drama.

Just finished the episode. Damn, that was good. It's so crazy how so few games even try to deal with the basic elements of human drama, like familial relationships and stuff like that. I guess there's Marcus Fenix's dad, but it's almost never present in games. That was one of the things I loved so much about Heavy Rain. Also, it's action movie 101 that you need to make people invest in the characters, or it's not exciting to put them in dangerous situations. Games almost never even try. Of course, movies barely do either sometimes. Michael Bay could learn a thing or two from this game.

I decided to see what Instagram is all about, since it's apparently the most popular thing in the universe, and I took this picture. I feel like it belongs here: I call it "Lords Only"

Make sure that your contract clearly states that you can take Zorro with you if your employment is terminated! That's how they get you.

Yup. If you play on a Wii, it should prompt you when you boot it up. If you use a real live Gamecube, then you need to hold B while you start it. It makes a big difference; between that and the widescreen option, it's fairly easy on the eyes.

At least Twin Snakes has a progressive scan mode, so it doesn't look too bad on an HD set.

If you'd like to see a list of differences, look here: http://metalgear.wikia.com/wiki/Metal_Gear_Solid:_The_Twin_Snakes#Game_mechanics It all adds up to making it a significantly different experience. It's much easier than the original. If you're into the series, I think they're divergent enough that it's worth playing both. I'm not sure which version I'd recommend to someone who has played neither.

I love the ridiculous cutscenes in Twin Snakes (best part of that video is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=KlM79v9ddYs#t=3985s ) It would be cool to see it pop up on the WiiU. I think Kojima has expressed an interest in re-remaking MGS, since an upscaled version of the original (along the lines of what Bluepoint did for the HD Collection) would still look like a poop from a butt. It would also be an opportunity to modernize some other elements. I would personally enjoy playing a high resolution Twin Snakes on the PS3/Xbox, but that doesn't seem to be in the cards. There could be legal weirdness there, and a lot of people seem to dislike that version anyway.

I'm all for revengeance as long as it's set up well. Like, I hope it's more Monte Cristo than Green Goblin. At least our protagonist's "iron mask" is a hella badass-looking skullface. I'm skeptical of settings that mix old-fashioned stuff with futuristic stuff. They're almost always horribly dumb and awful, but I'm willing to give it a chance.

I've been having a ton of fun with this game. Speeding around and jousting with spinfusors is a thrill. It feels so good to get those crazy shots where you and another person are moving at high speeds, changing altitude, and you lead just perfectly with a (relatively) slow-moving projectile… damn it's good. I was hugely skeptical about the "free-to-play" thing, but the game is so fun that I don't care, and they don't handle it as poorly as some. If anyone wants a Tribes friend, my name on there is DiaperDawg.

This is exactly why Magic sucks… it's full of poorly explained special case rules and you have to stop playing every 2 minutes to figure out what the hell the bikes and awesome friends rule is or whatever. That kind of rules creep is inevitable with collectible games, and that's why I don't play them.

Wow, this has come a long way. The last time I played it it was all ascii art and keyboard controls, and it was already a hoot. I hope more progress is made on the Mac OS version, since my lappy is the perfect place for this style of game.

So, remember that fancy new version of Ogre that I mentioned in this thread a year ago? In case you don't follow board game news, get a load of this: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/847271320/ogre-designers-edition It looks awesome. Ogre is a really fast, simple, extremely asymmetrical wargame which started life in a little pouch 25 years ago, and now is going to be in a huge box. It's very pricey, but they're going all out with the production. I'm kinda hoping that this crazy one will drum up enough interest for them to make a refreshed "Microgame" version that retains portability. If you want an idea of how it plays, the DOS version (made by Origin Systems!) is available (presumably legally) here. It's not pretty, but it works like the board game.

For card games, Set is an easy one to teach people. It still manages to make my brain juices curdle with concentration, but the concept is very simple. It's super fun. http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/1198/set

The first time someone used "CBT" to mean cognitive behavioral therapy, I thought he was talking about cock and ball torture. That was a bit embarrassing.

I think this is how Shadowbane was designed. Lots of "wouldn't it be awesome if x?!" combined with not having a clue of how to make x happen or thinking about the consequences it would have on everything else.

I love WFRP 2nd edition. It's the sweet spot in that line for sure. The original game has a lot of charm, but it's old and therefore overly fiddly, and the new one is too weird. I ran a fairly long-running campaign in 2nd edition, and had a ton of fun doing it. It's a fast system with a decent amount of tactical choice, and the sort of Discworld-meets-Cthulhu setting is great for adventuring. The critical hit tables never stopped providing entertainment… extremities and entrails everywhere are a crowd pleaser. I imagine a lot of people overlook it, because they assume you'd have to be a big Warham to appreciate it, but that's not the case at all. Some of my players had a passing familiarity with the setting, but most knew nothing about it, and it was fine.

Now that is inspired. I am going to have to steal this for something. Yes, I am going to plagiarize content from Your World.

I'm still freaked out by the rise of voice chat in games. I get all weird and quiet. Fuck adding video on top of that. Also, I'm transcribing an interview, and listening to my own stupid voice is AGONY. I don't know how these guys deal with it.