What are you playing? [SPOILER TAGS PLEASE]

[Hemingway]

It just sort of dulls the effect for me, having monsters coming at me all the time.

There's another thing I think a lot of horror games are missing. It might not have worked that well in Dead Space, and don't get me wrong, I'm liking this game. But I wish more games would put you in situations where you're essentially helpless and your only option is to F**KING RUN!!! ( which is incidentally a game mode in FEAR 3, an otherwise ... not very scary game ). I mean, when you hear something in the vents, and you start looking around, wondering where it's going to pop out, and it just keeps lurking, and you start running, and you know something's after you but you don't look back, that's when it gets really scary. That's panic, man! Games need panic. They rely too much on jump scares these days, which is pretty much the lowest form of horror.

But, like I said, there's a lot in this game I like. There are moments where I feel like just running. And the sounds are awesome. I love how everything is designed to scare you. Like, even the sound when you get a transmission from one of the other guys is this nightmarish screech. And the voices. Man, I hope they explain that one too. Limbs and disembodied voices, those need to be explained.

[Lirliel]

The only parts of Dead Space 2 (I didn't play DS one, just watched a let's play before starting my playthrough of DS 2) that really get me going are the moments with 'kid' necromorphs, or jump-scares. Or that alarm clock.. fuck whoever thought that shit was funny. Guys.. you know what's gonna be funny.. a really slow part of the game, let's make a loud noise go off right behind the player... yeah man!

Seriously screw you guys.

Also currently playing:
Skyrim, now with Mods because Mods make everything better.

Having actual fun now playing with Bows, sniping people is fun if a little.. wut sometimes. I mean if there's somebody in the distance, you should point above them because y'know gravity! But apparently Skyrim arrows have the same gravity effect as handgun bullets in Battlefield 3, they don't exist!

Killed someone yesterday on BF3 who was camping on a hill, line up my pistol, pop pop pop watching his head go. Yeahhh buddy you just got sniped by a medic with a pistol. Realism.. who needs it!

[Inkidu]

Actually there is gravity in Skyrim's arrows. It just takes a fairly long distance for it to show affect. Most people snipe from fairly close, but I remember in Oblivion even having to save scum the arrow shot for the Thieves Guild final quest.

[Hemingway]

I have to ask, who designed this ship, the one in Dead Space?

"Oh, I know, let's put giant tubes that shoot fire, and let's make them completely exposed. What could possibly go wrong?"

"I like it! Oh, and you know that shaft where there's no gravity? Let's put huge spikes in it."

"I like the way you think, man... I like the way you think. With the money we saved by not covering up any of the potentially deadly moving parts in this ship, I bet we can even install an anti-gravity device with a giant rotating steel beam on it. And the console to activate it should be inside the room with the steel beam, so once you activate it, you have to dodge it to get back. And it should switch on the artificial gravity and vent the room, too, so you have to do it in a vacuum, but with gravity to keep you down!"

"Brilliant!"

Seriously! Who are the engineers behind this ship? It's like they actively tried to make it less safe!

[LunarSage]

I have to ask, who designed this ship, the one in Dead Space?

"Oh, I know, let's put giant tubes that shoot fire, and let's make them completely exposed. What could possibly go wrong?"

"I like it! Oh, and you know that shaft where there's no gravity? Let's put huge spikes in it."

"I like the way you think, man... I like the way you think. With the money we saved by not covering up any of the potentially deadly moving parts in this ship, I bet we can even install an anti-gravity device with a giant rotating steel beam on it. And the console to activate it should be inside the room with the steel beam, so once you activate it, you have to dodge it to get back. And it should switch on the artificial gravity and vent the room, too, so you have to do it in a vacuum, but with gravity to keep you down!"

"Brilliant!"

Seriously! Who are the engineers behind this ship? It's like they actively tried to make it less safe!

Reminds me of a certain scene in Galaxy Quest.

Gwen DeMarco: What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn't have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here?

Jason Nesmith: 'Cause it's on the television show.

Gwen DeMarco: Well forget it! I'm not doing it! This episode was badly written!

[Hemingway]

Right. I've been playing Dead Space for a while now, and ... it's a pretty good game. Given the number of absolutely mediocre games I've played recently, like Syndicate and Kingdoms of Amalur, I can deal with a game that's just ... good. Not fantastic, not amazing - not mediocre. Just plain old good.

I have only two complaints so far. One I've mentioned already, which is that it's not really that scary anymore. Too many enemies, too much firepower to deal with said enemies. The second one is that it's quite repetetive. It seems you're always running errands in this game. Fix the tram. Fix the engines. Fix gravity. Go to this console and do that. Return to the tram! Fix more consoles! It's not as dull as some other games, but still, it could've taken a more story-driven approach. But maybe it'll get better.

That said, there are some things I really like, too. For one thing, the arsenal of weapons. Telekinetic buzzsaw device? Sweet. Gravity gun-thing that also shoots explosive balls, and tears things APART at close range? Sweet! A handgun that lets me shoot either in a vertical or a horizontal line, for precision dismemberment, making me feel like a post-modern Michelangelo? Awesome!

The atmosphere is great, too. I do wonder why I always hear voices in the blood-soaked lavatories, but ... eh.

[Brandon]

More Tribes: Ascend. No epic flag cap stories for tonight but I did pick up enough money for a new class. I'm actually kind of torn. On one hand I'm thinking Raider would be nice because its basically the anti-armor class. Then again Juggernaut can fill that role. The only thing is Juggernaut's a heavy class and has a hard time getting into bases to blow up the enemy generator. So I wonder if a medium class would do better. However I know they kill vehicles fast and easily

On the other hand Doombringer is also kind of attractive because that chain gun rips everyone apart. The saber launcher is ok for either people trying to escape with a flag or newbies but anyone who's been playing the game awhile knows how to avoid the lock on so I'm not to enthusiastic about it.

I dunno, any thoughts?

[Bayushi]

I haven't played Ascend yet.

I never managed to get in the Beta. :-(

Though from old Tribes experience, I can say that I hated Heavy classes. That game is built around speed for survival, and heavies are slow.

[Veluux]

TERA Online... is amazing. Can't wait until it launches in May. Though I hope the monthly fee isn't too steep. Very interesting take on an MMO.

[Brandon]

I haven't played Ascend yet.

I never managed to get in the Beta. :-(

Though from old Tribes experience, I can say that I hated Heavy classes. That game is built around speed for survival, and heavies are slow.

It kind of depends with Ascend. If I can get my juggernaut into the enemy base or defend my own base I will wreck just about every other class because it takes away the heavy classes key disadvantage. However Im having a tough time getting that jugg into the enemy bases. I mostly flag run with my pathfinder though.

Still if we have a ton of pathfinders I like to switch to something else so were not so specialized. Usually this means the jugg but sometimes itll be the soldier instead.

Im kind of thinking raider because like I said its the anti-armor class and it may get into the enemy bases easier but theres also that doombringer which melts people with that chain gun.

[Bayushi]

TERA Online... is amazing. Can't wait until it launches in May. Though I hope the monthly fee isn't too steep. Very interesting take on an MMO.

Tera looks interesting.

Though, when it comes to this May, I'll only be playing Diablo 3. I probably won't even log into WoW.

[Inkidu]

I'm really only playing some SNES roms. Ah, childhood. A simple time where games were all good and... wait a minute! Some of this crap sucks! ;D

The only reason I still don't have Dead Space is because I've beaten it completely and played it about twenty times. My understanding behind the fire tubes thing was that the ship was severely damaged catastrophically so.

Anywho, I want the new XCom game coming out this fall and Assassins' Creed 3. It would be cool if George Washington was a robot Templar, but they'll probably do something clever and un-ridiculously cool as that. It'll probably be awesome and all intrigue-y.

[CaptainErotica]

Mostly been playing Star Wars Old Republic, mixed with some Extreme Warfare revenge- an excellent Pro wrestling sim if you are a fan.

[Hemingway]

Well, uh ... this is fricking convenient.

I've been wanting to buy Total War: Shogun 2. Just now I was reading about Japan, which sort of helped. So I went to Steam to check the price, and ... guess what the midweek offer is? That's right! Don't mind if I do!

[Sabby]

What do you think the side benefit to invasive anti-piracy software is? Monitoring your private computer.

[Inkidu]

What do you think the side benefit to invasive anti-piracy software is? Monitoring your private computer.

Orson Wells for better consumerism! *ding! Sparkle-Sparkle!*

[Hemingway]

Orson Welles? Surely you mean George Orwell! Or am I missing something from Citizen Kane?

Anyway. DA:O on Hard is ... hard. I can't imagine what it's like on Insane. I think I'll just turn it down to Normal until things even out...

[Inkidu]

Orson Welles? Surely you mean George Orwell! Or am I missing something from Citizen Kane?

Anyway. DA:O on Hard is ... hard. I can't imagine what it's like on Insane. I think I'll just turn it down to Normal until things even out...

Well there's my best malprop for the month. Ironically, both kind of work. Orwell better obviously, but they both kind of work.

[Hemingway]

Citizen Kane made me think of that scene from Family Guy, where the dad goes "It was his sled! It was his sled from when he was a child! I just saved you two boobless hours!"

Now apply that to Mass Effect 3. Or Mass Effect as a whole!

[Sabby]

Finally got Viva Pinata: TIP, and my new mod. Won't be able to use it until the hard drive arrives this week, but I can't seem to play VP without getting a corrupted save :/ seems to be a common problem, according to the Rare boards.

[Inkidu]

Citizen Kane made me think of that scene from Family Guy, where the dad goes "It was his sled! It was his sled from when he was a child! I just saved you two boobless hours!"

Now apply that to Mass Effect 3. Or Mass Effect as a whole!

It as his sled! is actually the name of a trope now. Although this ME3 hate is already getting old on me.

[Geeklet]

Sometimes its more about the journey than the destination. And the end of ME3, no matter how good/bad one may think it is, is not so bad as to make the rest of the game bad.

[Sabby]

Very true, but with modern games, an ending is a very dicey business... most gamers don't finish every game they get. Hell, I'm obsessed with the things, and two thirds of my games don't pass the halfway mark. The gameplay is what carries a game, so usually, story gets snubbed, and with the player not likely to even get the ending, it gets even less priority.

But then again, a bad ending can and will sour an entire experience. For me, it was Borderlands. I LOVED that game, and I still do, but the ending was just so atrocious it made me associate it's very memory with groans. I just started replaying it with a friend and I'm having a great time, but I keep remembering that fucking tentacle monster.

As amazing as ME3 is, if the ending is as bad as that Fagthulhu boss fight, I'll probably have a similar problem xD

[Hemingway]

Guys, guys.

Check it out.

[Sabby]

...w-wait, that's it? o.O That's all people are bitching about? That there's only one ending? You gotta be kidding me -.- Mass Effect 2 only had two endings, and the minor changes to both games endings, like who lived and died, carried over, ME3 is THE END. If the ending is a bad one, it's a bad one, but these people are upset over the number of endings...

I guess it's not enough that your choices were carried over and had a natural, meaningful inclusion to the story in general. They're acting like the end is all that matters for those story arcs.