Last christmas, my (younger) brother introduced me to guitarhero (3). he had hooked his PC up to our parents TV, while we were home for christmas. We started cooping, me on "keyboard" while he was using the Xbox controller that ships with the PC version.
A couple of days later, i headed out and picked up my own copy - and we had loads of fun co-op'ing. One of the great aspects of cooperative play in GH3 is the level adjustments; I could have fun at easy, while he was kicking ass on Hard.
I used to try to play the piano; took lessons as a kid and in my early teenage years. Poor coordination, difficult times with notes and the computer and friends probably killed it for me. Ill still dig out the synthesizer from time to time or play a few tunes on my parents piano, when i visit them, but I've yet to spend enough time on it.
Sure, GH isnt playing music; but its interacting with it and i can tell that having progressed to expert, hand-hand and hand-eye coordination does improve, even for a past-30-year-old, like myself. Ive also found that ones ear gets more tuned to aspects of songs now, that you've focused on certain instruments.
I'm still waiting for keyboard hero to come around, but ill be returning to GH3 from time to time.
I prefer a modded GH to frets-atm; and I'm well aware that the GH3 PC port is a botch-job (especially when you attempt to play it on an older machine) - but using a mod, you can import new content and keep it alive.
If you find yourself "air-guitarin'" led zep. or Guns'n Roses, why not put something tangible in your hand; even if it resembles something from FischerPrice (Lewd comments commence:P). Try GH, if you havent, and be warned that lower levels can be difficult because you fret a lot less than what's "present".
P.s. The trouble with GH is you usually want to play it when you're drunk. Good luck with that.
I was born slender and frail, and despite various attempts at sports and physical activites a a kid, I'd miss a lot gym classes due to illnesses.
While shopping at a mall with my kid brother, i was beaten up around the age of 15. I guess i felt pretty weak and the knowledge that i hadent been able to defend my brother knawed at me since that incident. A friend who had had a run in with the same miscreants, suggested we took up karate: and so we did. It only lasted two years; but it taught me a bit about pressing myself physically.
Later my family moved to germany and my brother and I took up Kung Fu at a local school; that too only lasted a couple of years, but i felt fit and confident. I was still a geek, but a geek with a physical hobby (and a girlfriend;).
Karate and kung fu were great settings for physical training:
Seeing others pushing themselves and managing inspired one to do more - and perhaps basic group instinct was enough: You felt you had to be able to cope too. There was also an air of mutual respect and acceptance: You felt rewarded for will and effort; not physical prowess.
Starting my studies in denmark, I stopped exercising. Due to a decently metabolism, i didnt gain much weight, but I lost stamina and strength. We dont have the same fastfood cultur here as in the US, but we're getting closed to it. Most students still cook their own meals.
Needing a break from the books, and getting a surprising mail from the army (prior to the draft being abolished), i decided i'd give it a go - in mycase it meant 8 months. Refusing, would just mean 8 months away from the uni else where. The draft instructions suggested to get in shape, prior to joining up: and so i started running and doing pushups and situps (something that karate and kungfu had taught me well).
This meant i was fairly prepared for the regular physical training at the army. It still turned out to be the most grueling physical experience i've been through, but that was mostly to painful marches, lack of sleep and stress (fear of heights + obstacle course = bruises and dread). It would have been hell, had i not shaped up for it. The army too, gave you that sense of "if the others can make it, I can too" notion: and that's what keeps you marching, or climbing some insane ladder to nowhere. We had an LT that loved push ups; so much in fact that our general training defeated other CO's attempts at intimidating us with such physical training: we could easily outdo the sergents and officers that put us to the test - and that gave us some basic pleasure.
Spite - too - can be a great motivator.
Since the army I've tried to keep my fitness. Most people bulked up in there; and expanded their notions of limits. I've returned the uni, and work is close by: so I dont have the long walks i used to have, when i tended to lectures.
The way I keep fit:
Twice a week (sometimes trice) I play badminton with a coworker. It only lasts and hour, but we've gotten really competitive. This does result in frustration tied to defeats (my coworker is better technically), but it also makes for great exercise. It's said to be the most energetic racket sport, save Squash. We work up a sweat every time.
Every other day i exercise at home, and with few means I've made my room a makeshift gym:
When i wake up, i do diamond pushups (40), while resting my feet on a chair. Then i handweigh lift (7 lbs each) I manage between 30 - 40. This is followed by 100 situps, which in turn is followed by 40 regular pushups, while resting the feet on the chair. Finally I do another set of handweights -usually only 30.
If you attempt something like this, and you're new at it; start off easy; with few brief sets. You may not be able to do regular push ups, but you can do them while resting on your knees. That's how most people start out. Handweighs are good because you can adjust them - and they dont take a lot of space. Home training takes a lot more disciplin: It's very alluring to skip ones program; and noone's monitoring you - but it's cheap and fairly effective and you dont have to worry about others looking.
Fitness does give one sense of added energy, and it doesnt hurt ones confidence. I recommend it.
my personal runner up, has gotten far less media attention, but as PC gamer i would like to point to the excellent standalone / expansion pack for "company of heroes": Opposing fronts. This is the game i've played the most this year in conjunction with the original game. The way the two merges, so you can play OF with vanilla COH players, and the constant polishing by Relic has made this a lasting game, with many hours worth of gaming yet in store.
COH is to me the best RTS ever concieved (and i've played a few), and OF has added to it. While the new campaigns are nice, the new factions themself enrichen the game as a whole. I cant wait for the sequel or additional expansions.
Despite enjoyable WII sport hours with co-workers and my sisters zealous praise of the ps3 (she works for a sony partner.. and happens to get a lot of games), being an old stubborn PC gamer (64c +) I have yet to see a game to make console gamer out of me;).. though i cried a little inside, when i read about Mass Effect. You can keep your halo marketing-fueled halo;)
Oh.. and nethack still rocks. I have yet to beat it. Made it to dungeon 16 this year.
While I'm having a good time with the orange box (*hug* glados) and the COH: opposing fronts, i keep playing nethack from time to time and ive been playing it since the Amiga. Today, on the train from Hamburg to Århus, my female orc warrior had a sex change, smote things with a +4 enchanted axe and passed through a giant hall filled with monsters around level 13 that i had never seen before. She/he also had to dodge 3 chikatrices, due to missing projectile weapons.. how do you kill those? A blob finally froze her/him to death.. only made for a score around 10.000, but it was fun while it lasted.
I may stink at it, but the lack of saves (if you oppose cheating) and countless varied situations you can run into keeps you comming back for more. I have yet to get find the amulet.
The other day I read that their project was going well, so i figured i'd back it up. Bought the downloads for 10 pounds. Having purchased a bit of music online as of late, that has had me burn, then rip music, just to make it play on my W900i, i welcome their DRM free approach. I hope this initiative moves things in the right direction.
On the topic of the SE Walkman phone.. are any of you guys having trouble with the cable interface. Mine's getting loose and ive had it for a year and a half (as far as i recall). I love being able to listen to music on my phone, and not having to worry about overhearing calls.. but having to worry about a cable that falls out - that kind of spoils it.
Watch out.. your title may eventually deteriorate to:Fangal(!)
.. and that's just too tasty a word to leave alone: especially in a mocking context. Say it enough, and it becomes a sound, devoid of meaning.. and then we have a new internet scourge on our hands;)
I've been a PA reader and a PVPonline reader for a couple of years now. Kurtz dropped his game references long ago, except for his occasional mentioning of WOW. His characters run a gaming mag - yet they never mention games anymore..(?).
Tycho and Gabe still do a lot of game references - but recently, its been console only.. and I was saddened to se no mentioning of the one most acclaimed PC games of recent time ( winning PC game of the year 2006 at Gamespot and doing exceptionally well in most reviews): Company of Heroes. That game has changed the RTS genre.. and should be reason enough for people to get back in front of their monitors and realize that gaming is not all Zelda, Tekken and Final fantasy.
I felt more intune with the PA crew, back in their Tribes days - but i still admire and respect them. I just wish they're metion some pc games, now and again (other than WOW).
While not as state-of-the-art as SS1, SS2 was pretty nice as well, because allowed for coop mp - a rare thing in an RPG. Unfortunately BioShock (not abbriviated for obvious reasons;)) wont allow for coop play - also it interface does seem "dumbed down" to console standards.
I understand this decision, as the game is meant to be marketed for consoles as well.. but I dont like it.. just like i disliked the "Low-res" multitabbed interface of oblivion.
That being said, the setting does look very cool, even though ill miss SHODAN.
FP-RPGS need more coop play.
Doom3 had the "looks" of a modern Systemshock, but none of the fun and atmosphere in the long run.. despite the audio discs that SS1 introduced.
I know this topic is somewhat off topic, but ill ask anyway.
I study, and work part time as a graphics designer. A couple of years ago I got a Sony GDM F520 monitor (21" triniton). A couple days ago, it started blinking i green when turned on - or at random. The effect usually goes away quick, but i fear its dying.
First off; is it worth getting repaired? I loved this monitor - but ive read that many people have had issues with it.
2: What's a good alternative? Is there any reason not to go flatscreen - and if not; what to pick? (hopefully, todays alternatives arent as pricy)
My brother and I have each gotten the COH and Dawn of war double pack. I cannot say have been a proper rts buff, but I've played a lot of them (Dune2, Warcraft1-3, the C&C series up to generals, Age of Empires 2, KKND, StarCraft and more I cannot remember at the present time).
I have to say that COH is the best thing to come out in the genre. This weekend I played some 3-4 games with 2 other guys, facing various people in 3on3 matches online. We got our asses kicked most of the time, but one lengthy annihilation game lasted 2hours and 50 minutes. Despite our eventual loss, we had one hell of a time.
My own base got crushed twice, but I was still able to get back into the fight and aid the others, by micromanaging squads and producing infantry from a forwards barracks.
The basic concepts; forced offensive play, cover, visible fronts through zones, "cuttable" supply lines, directional fire arcs, experience, doctrines, a fully destructible environment and balanced, near-realistic units (eg. Directional damage and modular damage for vehicles) makes for one awesome game. The fact that it just is the best looking RTS ever to come out, is just topping on the cake.
The singleplayer campaign is great as well, despite the lack of axis missions - but foremost, it's the basic game dynamics that make for an utterly superior RTS.
Dawn of war had some of the things, and because of it, ive now fallen in love with the warhammer 40k universe.. ive beaten the campaign and like the orcs, chaosunits and spacemarines, but they say it doesn't play as well, in MP.
COH has just blown me away. Want a short game? Go for victory points.. want a lengthy game - try annihilation. COH is about offense, but you havent tried setting up a proper defense and true flanking til you've tried COH:D
(that being said, I havent tried "close combat").
I was wowed by its beautiful graphics, and visually-sensory based immersive world.. but I quickly found that i cared nothing for the characters around me and my own character, unlike the baldurs gate series which i am revisiting. Just read the dialogues in the first game - we hardly ever get that level of writing in games. Mostly, crpgs are dumbed down for the broad market and the mtv attention-span.
My addition also lies in interesting narration. A discourse i feel part of - with characters i can relate to. When its all about the "dings", you dont really care about stuff except modifiers and stats (which granted is a big part of the sense of "false" accomplishment).
Game devs.. please satisfy my basic-human need for good story-telling; but storytelling that i can interact with; where my choices affect the outcome so your story becomes my story. This is what i miss in most games
With the pc gaming scene slowly diminishing, I was sad to se that Company of Heroes got no menion on PA (correct me if I am wrong). Its such an excellent game - and one of my best experiences as of late.
I wrote them - but got no reply. I wonder if their project with Ubisoft(Brothers in arms) "got in the way". While they only metion the odd RTS ( like the recent LOTR games ), as a gamer i feel that COH is too big a thing to ignore.
There's still a lot of fun to be had in front of the PC.
.. and no; I've got no ties to THQ or Relic (Though I liked homeworld as well).
Rant: But hey - at least they write about games. Pvponline has become a comic about a game magazine without games. Kurtz is cool, and his strip is funny.. but where are the games?
Since the C64 i've always been a bit of a pc fan-boy. Had the amiga, when people bought the snes etc. My social gaming was in the form of lan - parties.. sure you don't watch the same screen - but you do get to shout at each other.
One point I havent seen mentioned here is mods & indi gaming:
Action Quake (q2), Counterstrike (hl), Team Fortress (classic), Vampire slayer (hl1), Science and Industry, Day of defeat, Team arial combat (Tribes 2), Action Half-life, Train (Hl1), Natural Selection (hl1), The hidden (hl1), Alien Swarm (UT) and recently Forts(Hl2), Desert Combat (BF1942) are all mods I've had a lot of fun with.
Sure - these are all some form of FPS, with the exception of Alien Swarm (natural selection does feel like a mixture between an RTS and and FPS).
I havent tried the ship yet - and portal is coming out (started as a mod) but it looks interesting.
I recently purchased the most excellent Armadillo Run.
The great thing about such projects is that people dare to try create something unique that hasn't necessarily sold before. They're adapting and playing with existing concepts.
Distribution:
As much as people have berated it - "steam" seems like a move in the right direction: The marketing and distribution of mods and small games, with an inbuildt player profile.
I've already purchased "episode one".. and speaking of such addons, I bought "Euro forces" for BF2 (using EAs steam clone).
Backwards compatability and emulation:
Sure - you get repackaged arcade games or classics for your consoles, but all in all, you are more likely to get old games to run on a pc, than a console unless you hack it.
Im currently replaying MoM.. but I have to admit it was a bit of a hassle to get to work properly in Xp.
Controllers and controller friendly games:
My brother is a huge emulation fan, but he also loves modern platformers - such as the prince of Persia series and the much overlooked "Psychonauts". He purchased a dual arcade controller for his emu - kicks and he now also owns a wireless game pad that seems to work out right for him. Don't ever challenge him in street fighter 2 or any clone here of:D
One console port we do get a lot of fun out of is the excellent "mashed". Think 4 player "super cars 2" in 3D.
Whine: Oblivion is somewhat ruined by its "platform friendly interface".. a consoley inventory and map system upsets a spoiled pc rpg player such as myself.
Consoles and me:
My started working for a major games importer recently; and she gets consoles and tons of games for free (psp, ps2). I have to admit that I had fun playing "God of war" and "Shadow of the colossus", as well as "Buzz" with friends - and I'll play her games often, when I see her. So far, nothing have blown me away, but my brother tells me that "Guitar hero" and "RE4" are unique experiences.
The only console I've ever owned was a gameboy 1 - though I tried several games. I know many who swear by them these days; but seeing as I am mostly an FPS, Strategy, RTS and Rpg kind of guy.. they don't seem the way for me.
I know that I am missing out on a great deal of great games.. but so do you, unless you go with all the available consoles.
The thing we need to worry about is, perhaps not as much the technical medium for the games, but creativity and the gaming genres. "Proper" digital rpgs (Baldursgate, Fallout - and even deus ex) seem to disappear in favour of autonomous eye-candy battles with linear story telling (no - im not a big fan of FF and their likes), and adventure games seem lost too.
Coop campaigns are also something I miss (hired guns, system shock 2).
These days I mostly play: Civ4, HL2 (+ mods and episodes), BF2 and BaldursGate 2 still (coop with my bro).
Slashdot Mirror
I'm packing my bags. Word is that some dude is throwing a hugeass party in Vegas..
We were rooting for you at "the moving ending with the Borg winning"..
.. but you lost us at "(...) the surviving Borg (...) but a helpless race"
We, for one, don't applaud your idea.
Ah.. but if we were to assimilate everyone, we would render our favorite expressions obsolete.
Last christmas, my (younger) brother introduced me to guitarhero (3). he had hooked his PC up to our parents TV, while we were home for christmas. We started cooping, me on "keyboard" while he was using the Xbox controller that ships with the PC version.
:P). Try GH, if you havent, and be warned that lower levels can be difficult because you fret a lot less than what's "present".
A couple of days later, i headed out and picked up my own copy - and we had loads of fun co-op'ing. One of the great aspects of cooperative play in GH3 is the level adjustments; I could have fun at easy, while he was kicking ass on Hard.
I used to try to play the piano; took lessons as a kid and in my early teenage years. Poor coordination, difficult times with notes and the computer and friends probably killed it for me. Ill still dig out the synthesizer from time to time or play a few tunes on my parents piano, when i visit them, but I've yet to spend enough time on it.
Sure, GH isnt playing music; but its interacting with it and i can tell that having progressed to expert, hand-hand and hand-eye coordination does improve, even for a past-30-year-old, like myself. Ive also found that ones ear gets more tuned to aspects of songs now, that you've focused on certain instruments.
I'm still waiting for keyboard hero to come around, but ill be returning to GH3 from time to time.
I prefer a modded GH to frets-atm; and I'm well aware that the GH3 PC port is a botch-job (especially when you attempt to play it on an older machine) - but using a mod, you can import new content and keep it alive.
If you find yourself "air-guitarin'" led zep. or Guns'n Roses, why not put something tangible in your hand; even if it resembles something from FischerPrice (Lewd comments commence
P.s. The trouble with GH is you usually want to play it when you're drunk. Good luck with that.
I was born slender and frail, and despite various attempts at sports and physical activites a a kid, I'd miss a lot gym classes due to illnesses.
;).
While shopping at a mall with my kid brother, i was beaten up around the age of 15. I guess i felt pretty weak and the knowledge that i hadent been able to defend my brother knawed at me since that incident. A friend who had had a run in with the same miscreants, suggested we took up karate: and so we did. It only lasted two years; but it taught me a bit about pressing myself physically.
Later my family moved to germany and my brother and I took up Kung Fu at a local school; that too only lasted a couple of years, but i felt fit and confident. I was still a geek, but a geek with a physical hobby (and a girlfriend
Karate and kung fu were great settings for physical training: Seeing others pushing themselves and managing inspired one to do more - and perhaps basic group instinct was enough: You felt you had to be able to cope too. There was also an air of mutual respect and acceptance: You felt rewarded for will and effort; not physical prowess.
Starting my studies in denmark, I stopped exercising. Due to a decently metabolism, i didnt gain much weight, but I lost stamina and strength. We dont have the same fastfood cultur here as in the US, but we're getting closed to it. Most students still cook their own meals.
Needing a break from the books, and getting a surprising mail from the army (prior to the draft being abolished), i decided i'd give it a go - in mycase it meant 8 months. Refusing, would just mean 8 months away from the uni else where. The draft instructions suggested to get in shape, prior to joining up: and so i started running and doing pushups and situps (something that karate and kungfu had taught me well).
This meant i was fairly prepared for the regular physical training at the army. It still turned out to be the most grueling physical experience i've been through, but that was mostly to painful marches, lack of sleep and stress (fear of heights + obstacle course = bruises and dread). It would have been hell, had i not shaped up for it. The army too, gave you that sense of "if the others can make it, I can too" notion: and that's what keeps you marching, or climbing some insane ladder to nowhere. We had an LT that loved push ups; so much in fact that our general training defeated other CO's attempts at intimidating us with such physical training: we could easily outdo the sergents and officers that put us to the test - and that gave us some basic pleasure. Spite - too - can be a great motivator.
Since the army I've tried to keep my fitness. Most people bulked up in there; and expanded their notions of limits. I've returned the uni, and work is close by: so I dont have the long walks i used to have, when i tended to lectures.
The way I keep fit: Twice a week (sometimes trice) I play badminton with a coworker. It only lasts and hour, but we've gotten really competitive. This does result in frustration tied to defeats (my coworker is better technically), but it also makes for great exercise. It's said to be the most energetic racket sport, save Squash. We work up a sweat every time.
Every other day i exercise at home, and with few means I've made my room a makeshift gym:
When i wake up, i do diamond pushups (40), while resting my feet on a chair. Then i handweigh lift (7 lbs each) I manage between 30 - 40. This is followed by 100 situps, which in turn is followed by 40 regular pushups, while resting the feet on the chair. Finally I do another set of handweights -usually only 30.
If you attempt something like this, and you're new at it; start off easy; with few brief sets. You may not be able to do regular push ups, but you can do them while resting on your knees. That's how most people start out. Handweighs are good because you can adjust them - and they dont take a lot of space. Home training takes a lot more disciplin: It's very alluring to skip ones program; and noone's monitoring you - but it's cheap and fairly effective and you dont have to worry about others looking.
Fitness does give one sense of added energy, and it doesnt hurt ones confidence. I recommend it.
I too, fell in love with portal. Its ingenious game design, its captivating darkhumored narrative, its terrific ending and song (props to Coulton).
;).. though i cried a little inside, when i read about Mass Effect. You can keep your halo marketing-fueled halo ;)
For a non-commercial indepth review of the orange box as a whole, here's a shameless plug for my brothers assessment: http://www.everything2.net/index.pl?node_id=1922474&lastnode_id=124
my personal runner up, has gotten far less media attention, but as PC gamer i would like to point to the excellent standalone / expansion pack for "company of heroes": Opposing fronts. This is the game i've played the most this year in conjunction with the original game. The way the two merges, so you can play OF with vanilla COH players, and the constant polishing by Relic has made this a lasting game, with many hours worth of gaming yet in store.
COH is to me the best RTS ever concieved (and i've played a few), and OF has added to it. While the new campaigns are nice, the new factions themself enrichen the game as a whole. I cant wait for the sequel or additional expansions.
Despite enjoyable WII sport hours with co-workers and my sisters zealous praise of the ps3 (she works for a sony partner.. and happens to get a lot of games), being an old stubborn PC gamer (64c +) I have yet to see a game to make console gamer out of me
Oh.. and nethack still rocks. I have yet to beat it. Made it to dungeon 16 this year.
While I'm having a good time with the orange box (*hug* glados) and the COH: opposing fronts, i keep playing nethack from time to time and ive been playing it since the Amiga. Today, on the train from Hamburg to Århus, my female orc warrior had a sex change, smote things with a +4 enchanted axe and passed through a giant hall filled with monsters around level 13 that i had never seen before. She/he also had to dodge 3 chikatrices, due to missing projectile weapons.. how do you kill those? A blob finally froze her/him to death.. only made for a score around 10.000, but it was fun while it lasted.
I may stink at it, but the lack of saves (if you oppose cheating) and countless varied situations you can run into keeps you comming back for more. I have yet to get find the amulet.
Props for commenting with a Aqua Teen Hunger Force reference :D
"Pirates vs. Ninjas" is officially now yesterdays news.
The other day I read that their project was going well, so i figured i'd back it up. Bought the downloads for 10 pounds. Having purchased a bit of music online as of late, that has had me burn, then rip music, just to make it play on my W900i, i welcome their DRM free approach. I hope this initiative moves things in the right direction.
;)
On the topic of the SE Walkman phone.. are any of you guys having trouble with the cable interface. Mine's getting loose and ive had it for a year and a half (as far as i recall). I love being able to listen to music on my phone, and not having to worry about overhearing calls.. but having to worry about a cable that falls out - that kind of spoils it.
Just my two cents - well 10 pounds
D&D 3rd edition = Numbercrunching? I've just created my first character in rolemaster..
..it took days.
What about John Carpenters the thing (which happens to be a remake too) :)
Watch out.. your title may eventually deteriorate to:Fangal(!)
.. and that's just too tasty a word to leave alone: especially in a mocking context. Say it enough, and it becomes a sound, devoid of meaning.. and then we have a new internet scourge on our hands ;)
I've been a PA reader and a PVPonline reader for a couple of years now. Kurtz dropped his game references long ago, except for his occasional mentioning of WOW. His characters run a gaming mag - yet they never mention games anymore..(?).
Tycho and Gabe still do a lot of game references - but recently, its been console only.. and I was saddened to se no mentioning of the one most acclaimed PC games of recent time ( winning PC game of the year 2006 at Gamespot and doing exceptionally well in most reviews): Company of Heroes. That game has changed the RTS genre.. and should be reason enough for people to get back in front of their monitors and realize that gaming is not all Zelda, Tekken and Final fantasy.
I felt more intune with the PA crew, back in their Tribes days - but i still admire and respect them. I just wish they're metion some pc games, now and again (other than WOW).
Their gametrailer looks sweet.
While not as state-of-the-art as SS1, SS2 was pretty nice as well, because allowed for coop mp - a rare thing in an RPG. Unfortunately BioShock (not abbriviated for obvious reasons ;)) wont allow for coop play - also it interface does seem "dumbed down" to console standards.
I understand this decision, as the game is meant to be marketed for consoles as well.. but I dont like it.. just like i disliked the "Low-res" multitabbed interface of oblivion.
That being said, the setting does look very cool, even though ill miss SHODAN.
FP-RPGS need more coop play.
Doom3 had the "looks" of a modern Systemshock, but none of the fun and atmosphere in the long run.. despite the audio discs that SS1 introduced.
Dont forget to salt the fries.
I know this topic is somewhat off topic, but ill ask anyway.
I study, and work part time as a graphics designer. A couple of years ago I got a Sony GDM F520 monitor (21" triniton). A couple days ago, it started blinking i green when turned on - or at random. The effect usually goes away quick, but i fear its dying.
First off; is it worth getting repaired? I loved this monitor - but ive read that many people have had issues with it.
2: What's a good alternative? Is there any reason not to go flatscreen - and if not; what to pick? (hopefully, todays alternatives arent as pricy)
Did you miss the part about God making man in his own image? ;D
My brother and I have each gotten the COH and Dawn of war double pack. I cannot say have been a proper rts buff, but I've played a lot of them (Dune2, Warcraft1-3, the C&C series up to generals, Age of Empires 2, KKND, StarCraft and more I cannot remember at the present time). I have to say that COH is the best thing to come out in the genre. This weekend I played some 3-4 games with 2 other guys, facing various people in 3on3 matches online. We got our asses kicked most of the time, but one lengthy annihilation game lasted 2hours and 50 minutes. Despite our eventual loss, we had one hell of a time. My own base got crushed twice, but I was still able to get back into the fight and aid the others, by micromanaging squads and producing infantry from a forwards barracks. The basic concepts; forced offensive play, cover, visible fronts through zones, "cuttable" supply lines, directional fire arcs, experience, doctrines, a fully destructible environment and balanced, near-realistic units (eg. Directional damage and modular damage for vehicles) makes for one awesome game. The fact that it just is the best looking RTS ever to come out, is just topping on the cake. The singleplayer campaign is great as well, despite the lack of axis missions - but foremost, it's the basic game dynamics that make for an utterly superior RTS. Dawn of war had some of the things, and because of it, ive now fallen in love with the warhammer 40k universe.. ive beaten the campaign and like the orcs, chaosunits and spacemarines, but they say it doesn't play as well, in MP. COH has just blown me away. Want a short game? Go for victory points.. want a lengthy game - try annihilation. COH is about offense, but you havent tried setting up a proper defense and true flanking til you've tried COH :D
(that being said, I havent tried "close combat").
I was wowed by its beautiful graphics, and visually-sensory based immersive world.. but I quickly found that i cared nothing for the characters around me and my own character, unlike the baldurs gate series which i am revisiting. Just read the dialogues in the first game - we hardly ever get that level of writing in games. Mostly, crpgs are dumbed down for the broad market and the mtv attention-span.
My addition also lies in interesting narration. A discourse i feel part of - with characters i can relate to. When its all about the "dings", you dont really care about stuff except modifiers and stats (which granted is a big part of the sense of "false" accomplishment).
Game devs.. please satisfy my basic-human need for good story-telling; but storytelling that i can interact with; where my choices affect the outcome so your story becomes my story. This is what i miss in most games
With the pc gaming scene slowly diminishing, I was sad to se that Company of Heroes got no menion on PA (correct me if I am wrong). Its such an excellent game - and one of my best experiences as of late.
I wrote them - but got no reply. I wonder if their project with Ubisoft(Brothers in arms) "got in the way". While they only metion the odd RTS ( like the recent LOTR games ), as a gamer i feel that COH is too big a thing to ignore.
There's still a lot of fun to be had in front of the PC.
.. and no; I've got no ties to THQ or Relic (Though I liked homeworld as well).
Rant: But hey - at least they write about games. Pvponline has become a comic about a game magazine without games. Kurtz is cool, and his strip is funny.. but where are the games?
"Todays headline: contraceptive-united's stock took a dive today..
..Several sources report that the combine's suppression field is up and running again".
Weather forecast: Time to hop in those HEV suits people.: We're looking at heavy downfall and some headcrab."
If you have a PC that's up to it: Company of heroes will blow your mind.
Since the C64 i've always been a bit of a pc fan-boy. Had the amiga, when people bought the snes etc. My social gaming was in the form of lan - parties.. sure you don't watch the same screen - but you do get to shout at each other.
:D
One point I havent seen mentioned here is mods & indi gaming:
Action Quake (q2), Counterstrike (hl), Team Fortress (classic), Vampire slayer (hl1), Science and Industry, Day of defeat, Team arial combat (Tribes 2), Action Half-life, Train (Hl1), Natural Selection (hl1), The hidden (hl1), Alien Swarm (UT) and recently Forts(Hl2), Desert Combat (BF1942) are all mods I've had a lot of fun with.
Sure - these are all some form of FPS, with the exception of Alien Swarm (natural selection does feel like a mixture between an RTS and and FPS).
I havent tried the ship yet - and portal is coming out (started as a mod) but it looks interesting.
I recently purchased the most excellent Armadillo Run.
The great thing about such projects is that people dare to try create something unique that hasn't necessarily sold before. They're adapting and playing with existing concepts.
Distribution:
As much as people have berated it - "steam" seems like a move in the right direction: The marketing and distribution of mods and small games, with an inbuildt player profile.
I've already purchased "episode one".. and speaking of such addons, I bought "Euro forces" for BF2 (using EAs steam clone).
Backwards compatability and emulation:
Sure - you get repackaged arcade games or classics for your consoles, but all in all, you are more likely to get old games to run on a pc, than a console unless you hack it.
Im currently replaying MoM.. but I have to admit it was a bit of a hassle to get to work properly in Xp.
Controllers and controller friendly games:
My brother is a huge emulation fan, but he also loves modern platformers - such as the prince of Persia series and the much overlooked "Psychonauts". He purchased a dual arcade controller for his emu - kicks and he now also owns a wireless game pad that seems to work out right for him. Don't ever challenge him in street fighter 2 or any clone here of
One console port we do get a lot of fun out of is the excellent "mashed". Think 4 player "super cars 2" in 3D.
Whine: Oblivion is somewhat ruined by its "platform friendly interface".. a consoley inventory and map system upsets a spoiled pc rpg player such as myself.
Consoles and me: My started working for a major games importer recently; and she gets consoles and tons of games for free (psp, ps2). I have to admit that I had fun playing "God of war" and "Shadow of the colossus", as well as "Buzz" with friends - and I'll play her games often, when I see her. So far, nothing have blown me away, but my brother tells me that "Guitar hero" and "RE4" are unique experiences.
The only console I've ever owned was a gameboy 1 - though I tried several games. I know many who swear by them these days; but seeing as I am mostly an FPS, Strategy, RTS and Rpg kind of guy.. they don't seem the way for me.
I know that I am missing out on a great deal of great games.. but so do you, unless you go with all the available consoles.
The thing we need to worry about is, perhaps not as much the technical medium for the games, but creativity and the gaming genres. "Proper" digital rpgs (Baldursgate, Fallout - and even deus ex) seem to disappear in favour of autonomous eye-candy battles with linear story telling (no - im not a big fan of FF and their likes), and adventure games seem lost too.
Coop campaigns are also something I miss (hired guns, system shock 2).
These days I mostly play: Civ4, HL2 (+ mods and episodes), BF2 and BaldursGate 2 still (coop with my bro).
or "dickhead" for that matter. I seldom swear - but Ill probably never find a situation better suited for the term :)
So the mars face DOES depict the missing link!
.. and they dared calling me crazy.. Ill show them - Ill show them ALL!.
I knew it!