Meelis13

I do not get why people are so keen on doing (and liking) stunts that are high up. I mean it doesnt add degree of difficulty (unless you are scared of heights in which case i very much doubt you'd be even doing it), at least in most cases (as person really would have to be really high up for weather to be significantly different). All it does is adding degree of stupidity & danger (which i think isnt interesting factor at all when it comes to stunt. But hey, i dont want people to die, so maybe thats why. Or maybe im actually judging stunt itself, i dont really know). I mean, nobody bats an eye when someone jumps from stone to stone few meters high, but everyone suddenly act like its coolest stuff when its high up. Yeah, one misstep and you are effectively a paste, but again, unless you are very high up, it isnt harder than doing it on the ground. Heck, i'd actually even argue percision jumping is harder on ground as you want to run on on instinct.

another oldie but goldie from satw: http://satwcomic.com/the-scariest-ghost-ever

yesterday, while waiting for Mafia 3 to unlock i started seeing huge ammounts of negative reviews & topic with "30 fps lock- dont buy, this game is horrible because of it, worst devs ever, blah blah blah" (while they all ignored the fact that devs already mentioned there will be patch released in day or 2 unlocking it. Now, leaving question that should devs even lock fps at 30 on pc aside (because really, they shouldnt unless needed & plan to fix it), i honestly DO NOT get the big hate about 30 fps. Sure, depending on game & setup it can feel slower, but to each game its own. I mean, does it make story worse? graphics worse? does it make game unplayable? No? then why the huge hate to the point that for so many its dealbreaker. I seriously hate fellow PC gamers at times like this.

Definetly Monkey island franchise. While some puzzles can be hard to figure out, you can NEVER run yourself into dead end with no way out or get yourself killed.

Digital suicide -er, Digital Homicide is no more! _WG--77oIn0 Apparently they've ran out of money. wow, what a shock i must say

Pandora tomorrow was great (my favourite), but it has one huge problem from what i hear- it has supposedly lighting issue. Chaos theory is ok as well- also last pure stealth one. Havent been able to play my copy for years though, so cant confirm or deny

Mass Effect 1 is indeed outdated. I'd say GTA IV is also outdated, at least on PC- interestingly enough, only GTA game to be so (despite choppier gameplay & graphics of 3d era). Its mainly caused by its poor port, which makes it near impossible to mod, even when having beastly computer. All Hitman games before newest hitman (episodic title). I know this will cause "what are you talking about" moment for some of you, but here is the thing: Old hitman games are classics (heck, 2 is one of my old favourites), but even excluding graphics, their gameplay is too choppy & sloppy. Assassin's Creed 1- it was already outdated when AC2 game out. Poor mechanics, not lot of variety, literally doing same thing over and over again.... Rome: total war. This is perhaps most sad one to write in here. Fantastic game, probably spent well over 1k hours in it, battle gameplay actually still holds up, but just too many things are outdated. Now, granted- this one is salvagable as it has great mods that eliminate lot of its issues (Europa Barbarorum), but still. Max Payne 1 & 2. Again, fantastic games, graphics are good, sounds are good, gameplay is good, however it is outdated for one very simple reason: enemy spawns. Worst thing AI can do in shooter game is to always come in exactly same way, exactly same formation, same weapons, everything. In shooters you shouldnt know exact position & number of enemies (or at least it should be harder to remember), but in Max Payne 1 & 2 it was easy- after playing trough once (including couple of deaths), i already knew exact points where enemy will spawn, how they move, when they spawn, etc. Its so integral part of the game that it seriously makes game boring.

Completely agreed on that. Heck, those choices didnt affect even small things and not even little. For example, if you ok, please, go ahead. Do explain how its narrative in game with literally no story & all roleplay (and even that is more barebones). Sure, you can create your own nation, join as lord or even be simple bandit or mercenary, but please do explain actual stories & narratives you create there. Because i could claim i get even more narrative in my current empire: total war campaign (see "last game you played" topic for details. Also, look up this topic, i think you find it interesting: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?314110-Most-unhistorical-thing-you-ve-done-or-seen-happen/page23).

Empire: total war (with Darthmod mod) i hadnt played any TW game for months, properly more than a year. Suddenly felt urge and next thing i know im reenacting WW2 with Prussia (with exception of NL being allies). Though to be fair- opponents started! First to go was Poland-Lithuania, then Saxony, then Hannover (which was suprising pain in the butt). While i was battling Austria, France, Russia & UK decided to join in with Austria & declared war on me. Current situation- Austria has only Alsace-Lorraine in Europe & area in India. Meanwhile me, as Prussia have conquered pretty much entire eastern Europe (except area in very east thats under ottoman control), eliminating Russia in process. Oh and i also conquered Scotland. On things not related to me, Sweden conquered Denmark (but Denmark is still alive (holding Iceland) & protectorate of Dagestan) & Sweden holds a region in middle of Europe that was given to them by Austria. Right now only thing keeping me attacking british & french colonies is that my naval power is feeble as heck I friking love Empire total war (even if time period is perhaps the one i dislike the most), it has such odd AI

I disagree that video games havent found their own form of narrative yet- its there. The thing is, there is NO other medium with so vast diversity, so we simply cant talk about single form of narrative as we can when talking about movies or books or plays. FPS? minimal story or at least linear. open world game? story that makes sense but also gives you time. Walking sim? they are full of cutscenes. classic RTS? story at end of the mission (or some mid-point factor) See my point? you try to press gaming as one huge bundle & try to find perfect form of narrative for it, while fact is that games are so large and diverse medium we simply have not seen before and it cannot have single "good form of narrative", but it has to have many, depending on game genre and what it wants to say. I think good story for you would be Mass Effect 2- one of things i liked about it was that if you did certain mission it started invisible counter, where you would get to do certain ammount of submissions (far less than you'd need) you would simply be pushed to final mission. And your choices definetly mattered. I do see your point of stories being detatched from main game (such as in GTA IV for example), but that problem has been disappearing very quickly. Oh and you obviously mistake narrative with mechanics if you talk about m&b- seriously, that game has NO narrative, its sandbox. Raiding villages & thus making them poor is simply game mechanic- similar stuff can be found in total war for example or even Mafia 2 (rob a store & kill clerk, you wont get to use it, at least not in same chapter)

Thats actually very interesting approach you take, one i havent seen much debated, at least not from that angle. But main question here is wheter choice mechanic focuses on gameplay or, well, story. In gameplay choices consequences are often more permanent, while story changes tend to be subtle & affecting characters. See, lets be fair, your gameplay choices are simply way you play the game, you really dont care about them. But as for story, if you are anything like me & like to get invested in story, that changes a lot. Now, in story choices there is very often the thing that ending is affected by one or two choices (Life is Strange (best writing i've seen in game, but has worst ending i've seen. Overall, best game), walking dead S2) or not at all (Walking dead S1), but people who critisise that miss the point story based games have. Most story based games are based on concept of journey and not showing immideate consequence of the choices you made until certain point where those choices started piling up, with choices you made becoming deciding factor in games like walking dead. And then those choices you made start making huge impact. And those are the moments that matter more than the ending in most story-based choices-matter game. One of the best examples i can think of is in Life is Strange (but its huge spoiler regarding probably most emotional part of the game (though not by far last), so read at your own risk) Overall, Life is Strange is actually very good in having consequences to its choices, as you even have consequence to the most minor of things. You also need to use memory a lot which adds to weight & immerses you more to the game. And really, most actions do have consequences! Again, horrible ending eliminates most of those, but up until that point, its fantastic (and trust me, poor ending does NOT damage the game at all)

I love how that sheep things cheerful expression doesn't change at all. That sheep is New Zealand Here's another one:

well, there is PCgamer article: http://www.pcgamer.com/valve-removes-digital-homicides-games-from-steam/ (it has links to documents & such) also, heres video from the know (it was done hours before DH was removed from Steam): 4cd3z9lP5xs

Ok, i have finally stopped laughing enough to make this topic. In case you never heard of this developer its because their games are... well below the par. They are shovelware devs basically. Recently, however, they sued Jim Sterling for negatively reviewing their game. Few days ago, however, they also decided to sue 100 or so steam users for pretty much same thing. Apparently they sued using steam names (not id-s, names) and they didnt even bother listing them all. On top of that, Steam had enough & removed their games from steam altogether. That sparked DH now trying to sue Steam. Oh and if you think they sue those for just rather small ammount of money? nah, mate, Sterling got sued for 15 million USD & steam users with 18 million. This is so ridicolous.. I can see only 2 options- either 1) they have lost their marbles & seriously believe what they claim or 2) they have lost smaller ammount of marbles & believe they have chance of winning (though knowing desicions USA courts have done before, maybe they really do believe that) What do you think?

Scandinavia and the World (link: http://satwcomic.com/) example: And of course polandball (or countryballs or whatever they call it. Fuck it, they started as polandball so they stay so)

true, reviews are subjective, but main point of reviews should be short summary of story (its style & buildup), gameplay aspects description (you can say what you like or wont, but thats minor point as people are more interested in wheter game actually functions properly). Thats after all what good reviews do- they have personal touch, but you get enough neutral information out of it, that you can formulate your own opinion, wheter you like it or not.

There is no "correct way" when it comes to critique, as everyone has their own style to it. Still, depending on piece you are writing, you need to be able to adapt your style. For example, if you write reviews, you should focus more on bringing good & bad sides out. You got one good thing going for you at moment- you aint afraid to point bad things out, but as you said yourself, you often overextend bad stuff. anyways back to topic at hand- in reviews, only mention stuff relevant to that particular game you are reviewing. Means you can hate EA (just because) for x thing, but if they didnt do anything major related to game you review or there wasnt any controversy, leave EA alone (NB! im NOT saying you do that, thats just 1st example of what person shouldnt do in review (2am here)). Feel free to look at my reviews for what i mean: http://www.twcenter.net/forums/showthread.php?700592-Mass-Effect-2

thats actually good one- to add challenge, try to kill everyone in level without being detected (bodies can be detected though)

Witcher 3 & its DLC-s. thats one amazing game

I suggest PrinceofMacedon (focuses on Total war games, although he now makes other types of vids primarly). Now, he isnt dead serious, but still. He is also history nerd (bonus points from my end- he likes to talk a lot about history during LP-s when time is right) and actively communicates with fans. You will also like that he doesnt have his face on except for time when he made videos when his PC had troubles i think. you can find his channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/PrinceofMacedon/videos I'd also suggest my own let's plays as well if there werent 2 things- 1) havent made decent one in years (i.e one where i put effort in) and 2) majority of those let's plays were made over 4-5 years ago, when i was in high school. And i was pretty bad at the time. Still, i am thinking of restarting my let's plays, so if you really feel bored enough, feel free to check out anyways & give feedback (i can quarantee- no reaction faking): https://www.youtube.com/user/armeelane/videos

Lazer team- rather good comedy. Not great, but good, especially if you want some time off things. 4 idiots+alien gear, what could go wrong? Police academy movies (7 total)- classic comedy that just doesnt get old. Lethal weapon movies- again, comedy. 2 cops, complete opposites. Heck yes Singing revolution- documentary about singing revolution. Just watch it- its not boring documentary, especially if you are interested in history and few estonian movies as well (might be bit harder to find, but ones i reccommend are well-known so shouldnt prove too difficult) Klass (the class)- estonian movie focusing on school bullying & translated into many languages Viimne Reliikvia (the last relic)- movie set in Estonia during livonian war (1558-1583) and one of most beloved estonian movies of all time. Its basically drama/action (i mean seriously, it has suprisingly lot of action). Also, soundtrack of this movie is regarded as one of the best ones in here, as it features many now-iconic songs ("vaba laps", "pistoda laul" & others). And thats not all- this movie has spawned numerous jokes that are still popular. I think only 1 other movie has influenced estonian culture that much (talking about it below). Kevade (spring)- based on extremely popular novel with same name by Oskar Luts. Its the movie i mentioned above. The novel itself was based on Luts's own childhood memories he edited (so its semi-biography). This movie focuses on small Paunvere boarding school in 1880-s (Paunvere is fictional place, based on Palamuse area), with several interesting characters, that types you may even regognise yourself from school period. This movie has also 2 sequels (both placed on novels with same name as well, as good as kevade if not even better)- Suvi (summer) & Sügis (autumn). As you may notice, this triology has continuation of theme, with Kevade focusing on childhood, Suvi on youth and Sügis in middle aged life eras. One remarkable thing- i know that at least main actors have grown with the movie series. Yes, that means that even despite the fact that Kevade was filmed in 1969 and Sügis in 1990 (i.e 21 years apart), main actors have stayed same. And yes, i mean every single one. Klassikokkutulek (Class reunion)- no, its not related to "klass". Its comedy about, well, class reunion. Real funny. 1944- historical drama of Estonia in ww2. Interesting movie, watchable but rather average. Nimed marmortahvlil (names in marble (sometimes translated as "names engraved in marble"))- historical drama set during estonian war of independence- lot better than 1944 in my opinion

but thats just it- thats the problem. I have that shield and i have maintained it, but its crumbling faster than i can build it. I cant ignore them because until i find job, im simply forced to live in family home, that others visit at their whim. Never pleasant that. Not to mention that they constantly threaten (and in past have) take my stuff, that i bought with my own earned money if i dont do whatever they want. My main concern is my PC, as i wouldnt simply afford to replace it, should they decide to take that (wouldnt be first time). And that is extremely important part of, well, my life really. In here, you simply do not find IT jobs offline (meaning walking to front door and asking for job is not working- especially if you live hours away from potential employers), so you have to constantly investigate every thread you can think of, plus i have ton of ongoing projects here (that i cant talk about, but in long term they should be something great- i backup them, but thats when i remember, so depending on day, it could be 10+hours of work gone). Not to mention good place to unwind via games & such (trust me, without that part, i'd soon lose it). Oh and also its first bigger (as in more than 500 euros) buy i bought with my own money (i.e not loan). while i do spend lot time on pc, its not majority of day though So now every damn time i have to go somewhere, i have that bloody threat lingering back of my head. Meaning im so paranoid at this point that if i have to go somewhere i have to make mental chart of is anyone likely to come by when im gone. I realise this is too much, but i cant help it. i prefer to be paranoid than to fight long & hard to get my property back- if at all. As for not registering what they say, again, not simply possible. See, i cant help but caring for other people. Even as much that no matter how i try, i cant NOT have others words affect me. Believe me, i've tried. And this is where i start to lose hope. I feel i have absolutely no control over my life. This is why i want to get job, to get control back to my life, but nobody hires fresh out of school IT tech it seems...

Im starting to run out of, well, everything. Im falling more into depression as days go on, im becoming increasingly paranoid and i find it hard to trust people, especially the case with my own family members (and the thing is, i really want to trust people). Worst thing about that- its often justified. every single time i've trusted them with something (especially their promises) or asked for their help (and i really need it right now), its only gone badly for me... as if everything i do lately doesnt go to s**t anyways... which it does... still, they dont mean bad, but thing about meaning well is that you can mean well, but if your "help" does more damage than it helps, it doesnt count for heck. And here is how my family members think its best to "help" me- mock me at every damn chance, shout at me, ridicule me, every time i am close to making anything positive, talk me out of it (and i am such a fool i let them). I've been emotional punching bag for every member of my family all my friking life, every time someone has bad mood- just vent yourself on me (case in point- few minutes ago my brother called me just to shout at me).. and of course i try to do even small venting, you can imagine what happens. and the fact that im unemployed since start of the summer doesnt help much either (i quit so i could get job in my field (IT).. of course it ended to not happen). Every time something positive happens to me, immideatly there has to be 10 times worse thing happen.. all that has piled up way too much on me. Im getting increasingly anxious, my temper grows shorter (to the point of where im close to exploding) and i spontanousely bust crying (this is very new thing to me, like last month or so). Very randomly- sometimes in night, sometimes even in middle of street (where im barely managing to hold it back). and worst thing is that i dont have a clue what to do about any of it...

well, hype is lot to blame for actually. True, game wasnt nearly close to what it was advertised, but lets be fair- hype was off the charts on this one. That also was cause for it costing 60 bucks- demand was so high that devs felt they sell enough even with high price & steam refund mechanics (because in game so big as this, you play more than 2 hours before you even know wheter you like it or not). And another part why hype was to blame- i've been gamer most of my life, yet i've never seen so impossible wishes from gamers to a game. I mean some imagined it to be star wars-like, some star trek, some mass effect (all examples are meant as huge universe) and so on. Basically everyone wanted planet from their favourite sci-fi show to be there. Or at least gameplay to be extremely good. i cant explain it any better. Still, it was obvious from start that this was meant to be groundbreaking title (and lets face it- it IS that) just because of its sheer scope. Well, at least to me. It has barebones for game to be playable & enjoyable, but thats it. Like pretty much any groundbreaking mechanic, it starts off in failed game as gimmick.

Was it destined to fail? yes. Media & fans way overhyped it, expecting something much more than this game could possibly offer. Was it nessessary for gaming in general? definetly. NMS started a new era in gaming, even if it failed.