@Dan I should have known better.
No _sleep_ for the wicked. No _rest_ til Brooklyn. Wait, strike that, reverse it. :P
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Sensationalist Headline Be Damned!
You are a bad man Shoe. ;)
Enjoy the time off. It is, of course, well deserved. :D
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I have been playing non-stop since I won that code and I am lovin' the frak out of Reach, especially Stockpile and SWAT. I used to not like SWAT in Halo 3 but I appreciate the game-type a lot more in Reach for some reason.
Armor lock may be noobish to some but I think it's a finesse tactic as much as it is a holy shit button. The head game that occurs when your team is backing you up is fun and powerful against a trigger happy opposing team. Many players become too mesmerized by the glowy blue guy to defend themselves from greater threats.
GT: mindtakery
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@Jonathan I like your two alternate questions: "Have video games shown that they can communicate ideas that cannot be communicated in other media?" and "Have video game communicated ideas "better" than how the same ideas are communicated in other media?" These are the kinds of talking points that the industry should put energies into answering and showcasing.
Your discussion of game developers setting the boundaries of interaction compares well with an architect defining the boundaries and structure of a building. And there are many architectural examples that are considered art. Also the people occupying a building use the space as they see fit and perhaps not as the original architect intended, much the way a player might interact with a game. Authorial control is not essential to art.
* I know you said Frank, but I think you meant John. I get confused myself sometimes. ;)
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1. Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
2. Super Mario 64
3. Deus Ex
4. Metal Gear Solid
5. Portal
6. Shadow of the Colossus
7. Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
8. Chrono Trigger
9. Super Metroid
10. Baldur's Gate 2
Checkmate.
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Wow. When I considered doing this writing challenge these were the two series/games I was going to compare. I would have come to the same conclusion as well. I am glad someone here decided to "This or That" them.
Bully utilized the Rockstar formula in a more effective and ultimately more fun way than any of the GTA games although San Andreas comes closer than the others. I would buy another Bully-type game in a heartbeat. I can't say the same of GTA especially if the series continued to play like 4.
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Cool list. Congrats on the inclusion in Kotaku's Top 5 Top 10!
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Thanks Mike. Much appreciated.
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I looked at this once already today but it took Michael's ringing endorsement to make me actually look and understand what I was seeing.
Yes, this _is_ fucking awesome! :D
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Thanks Frank. I was calling out Reddit in specific because I got banned immediately after posting my "Games as Ebert" piece. I wasn't sure if it was an anti-Bitmob thing or something else entirely. No one there would tell me.
Reddit really feels like the wild west even when compared to N4G (which I also have a difficult time with but that is partly because I am still considered a trainee there). Some of the low-rent Reddit articles that get voted up really boggle the mind.
If there are bitmobbers that already have N4G contributor approval rights it would be good for the rest of us to know. That way we can at least make it onto the front page more easily. I have already had two articles which were front paged here on Bitmob that failed approval on N4G. It would be great to get some help next time I try (which should be soon.)
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I am finishing my Renegade Insane playthru of Mass Effect 2 right now. I loved the ride the first time through. It truly made me think and feel.
This time I thought it was going to be a bit "been there, done that". Not so. It's just as awesome this time as it was the last. The increased difficulty maintains the challenge and fun factor during combat so I am covered there. I used an ME1 Paragon Infiltrator save but I changed my face which has kept things fresh on the visual front. The character creator isn't as deep as some games but I feel like a "new man".
And the "all renegade, all the time" ride is off the hook. There is just enough spectacle and variance to keep me wondering and engaged even though I know where things eventually lead. All that and the game is long enough that I have actually forgotten some of the minor twists and plot points.
i.e. Garrus' "We, ah, ended up holding a tiebreaker in her quarters. I had reach, but she had flexibility. More than one way to work off stress I guess." & Mordin's version of Gilbert and Sullivan! w00t!
Bioware you make a wicked tasty Awesomesauce.
I want more games to make me feel like this*... even after the second and third time through.
* Developers: Providing me with the feeling/illusion of "Time Well Spent" = "I will keep buying your games"
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