So, what're you playing?

[Bunk]

I feel like perhaps the fight would be easier as a mage or archer rogue, what with the ranged kiting and all.

It wasn't all that hard as a melee rogue, but I did have to game it some.   My strategy went something like:  unload with high damage abilities, get smacked, chug potions, run around until cooldowns reset, repeat until dead.  Yah, it was cheesey, but sufficiently roguelike for me.

Tonight it's back to mage Hawke or perhaps starting The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile since I downloaded that last night.

After doing that for a while, I discovered the easiest tactic was to just backup ten feet, jump in to attack, backup again quickly. Then sidestep when he charged. Took forever, but I hardly got hurt once I figured that out.

[raydeen]

Tomb Raider Anniversary. I really didn't play any TR games since 1 on the PC and 2 on the PS. Having fun but I have to do it in small doses as I get frustrated too easily. My hand/eye coordination just isn't what it used to be.

[Malakili]

A friend and I are still regularly playing BC2 and BC2: Vietnam since we reinstalled.  This game has REALLY benefitted from learning how to make better multiplayer maps since release.

[Tebonas]

Magicka, I caved on the 50% to everything deal.

[Jeff Kelly]

Portal. but I'm too late to the party to appreciate it's awesomeness I suppose. Does anyone else hate the computer voice as much as me? The game is hilarious and even the lines the computer delivers are hilarious but the pseudo-artificial vocoder voice grates on my nerves.

Yet the "cake and grief-counseling" line got me hard. It's an intriguing concept but rather short. I get why it's so popular and it made me preorder part two. For me it's quite good but not awesome though

[MuffinMan]

Starting Borderlands today, picked it up from the Steam sale. I couldn't resist for $7.50 even if it's another game my roommate and I own console and PC versions for.

[Minvaren]

I've really got to finish Borderlands one of these days...

Poking at the BioShocks with a stick - already owned them, but the recent sale convinced me to look at them again.

[Sjofn]

Does anyone else hate the computer voice as much as me? The game is hilarious and even the lines the computer delivers are hilarious but the pseudo-artificial vocoder voice grates on my nerves.

Her voice is like ... the best part.

[Azazel]

Finished FEAR the other night. Started in on Extraction Point. Dipping in and out of Wolfenstein on 360, and still enjoying it. If I had more time I'd just play through it till it ends. I might be about halfway through. And more Bad Company 2. About 4 more weapons to go to Bronze Star everything. Then I might go for Silver Stars.

[Jeff Kelly]

Her voice is like ... the best part.

:sadface:

I can't stand it.

[Tebonas]

You played it in English?

Yes I know, its kind of a "Is the computer plugged into a power socket" question. But just to be sure.

If you don't like Glados I can see why you don't like Portal. Its the biggest chunk of its appeal.

[Jeff Kelly]

Yeah of course I did.

I cannot even explain what it is but something in the way the voice is processed is disconcerting and not in a good way. It#s the equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard for me.

[Tebonas]

I always supposed it is meant to be this way. The same disconnect you get between what she is saying and what she is doing is mirrored in how innocent her voice ought to sound and how her monstrosity bleeds through.

[Murgos]

I always supposed it is meant to be this way. The same disconnect you get between what she is saying and what she is doing is mirrored in how innocent her voice ought to sound and how her monstrosity bleeds through.

Exactly.

Would you like some cake?  First, I am going to kill you 100 times as horribly as I can.  Then we can have cake.  Don't mind me, I'm just a computer.

[Jeff Kelly]

I get that. It's just that my body reacts to the voice in a way that's so disconcerting that it takes away from the fun of the game.

[Lantyssa]

I love her voice, so uh, "it's just you".

[Sjofn]

I can understand the feeling, mind you, as I cannot fucking stand one of the dudes in the Beastie Boys (Ingmar can probably tell you which one, I do not care to remember his name). His voice vibrates my skull in such a way where I want to punch him in the mouth repeatedly and I do not care at ALL how fucking important they are musically SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP.

I heart her, though, I love everything she says and I like her voice. So I guess it's good she doesn't make my skull vibrate.

[Yegolev]

I've really got to finish Borderlands one of these days...

Not really, you don't.

When did the Beastie Boys become musically important?

[HaemishM]

1989?   

I'm playing Fallout 3 (yes, the original, not New Vegas, fuck off) after a few good weeks away from it. I keep getting these moments of Fallout fatigue, like I just can't seem to get really interested in playing but I really want to finish it and move on to Final Fantasy 13. And then something happens and suddenly I'm interested again. I found "The Family" last night, and expected that "ok, here's a nest of vampire wannabes and no matter what I say to this Armand wannabe, I'm going to have to fucking kill everybody up in this bitch." So I go through playing out a little bit neutral, a little bit paragon-y and suddenly, not only have I avoided what I thought was the inevitable slaughter, I've actually made peace between this fuckhead and the town he was terrorizing. It was completely unexpected in a good way, and got me interested again. For the most part, I think the game world feels really empty - not in a "yes, this is a wasteland" sort of way but more in a "this world has no real character" way. At times the world feels really bland. But that little bit of non-violent gameplay solution really surprised me.

But fuck's sake, don't make me fight mirelurks again. I goddamn hate mirelurks.

[Sky]

The B Boys had a couple really good albums.  Shit, if it's gonna be that kinda party, I'm gonna stick my dick in the mash potatoes.

[Ingmar]

Paul's Boutique is among the most important/influential albums of its era. If I were teaching a course in late 20th century popular music it would be on the curriculum for sure. (I'm sure it already is at the sharper schools.)

[Merusk]

I did not enjoy the new song off their latest album when I heard it previewed yesterday.  Maybe it'll grow on me or there will be better songs when the album is released but for a preview-release track that's supposed to build hype it wasn't that great.

[Hawkbit]

Paul's Boutique is among the most important/influential albums of its era. If I were teaching a course in late 20th century popular music it would be on the curriculum for sure. (I'm sure it already is at the sharper schools.)

Whether you like or don't, this man speaks the truth.  Also, Sky's quote was used in our group incessantly from about 1992 to, well, we still use it.   

Fun fact:  During the Ill Communication tours, one of the shows I got picked up by security and dropped on my head.  I contend to this day that if I had been less inebriated, I would have broken my neck.  Drinking saved my life that day.  I just folded up like a wet noodle. 

On topic:  Currently playing Batman AA and DA:O, and I'm loading Portal 1 to go through a nostalgia run. 

[Ingmar]

There's probably an argument to be made that if you weren't drinking security wouldn't have picked you up in the first place. 

[Yegolev]

Paul's Boutique is among the most important/influential albums of its era. If I were teaching a course in late 20th century popular music it would be on the curriculum for sure. (I'm sure it already is at the sharper schools.)

I'm now aware of a gap in my education.

[Sky]

I never got into Paul's. Check Your Head and Ill Communication were my thing. Of course, I didn't own a copy of Paul's, that  might have had something to do with it :)

[Goreschach]

I've been playing the Drakensang sequel. It's a videogame.

The first one was really enjoyable in the semi-old-school kind of way and it got some talk here, but the sequel kind of slipped under the radar. Maybe because the company went bankrupt and the english port came out over a year late. Pretty enjoyable, but it's obvious that there were some problems during localization and the game itself is basically just more of the original. Honestly, it feels more like an expansion pack, but since it was only $20 on steam, I'm not complaining. Maybe I'll get around to writing a BIIF for it.

[Paelos]

BLOOD BOWL!!!!

[Kovacs]

Paul's Boutique is among the most important/influential albums of its era. If I were teaching a course in late 20th century popular music it would be on the curriculum for sure. (I'm sure it already is at the sharper schools.)

Fine ok. 

Saw them live at Lallapaloozza trying to play their own instruments.  To this day I'm not sure it the fact that they had to stop mid verse and restart during Sabotage was odd synchronicity or just sad.

[Samwise]

Played a fair bit of Amnesia last night and, frankly, it's not for me.  Sure, it's suspenseful and actually manages to be genuinely frightening but I'm really, really not interested in a powerless simulator.  If I wanted to feel like I was entirely at the mercy of forces beyond my control I'd spend more time at the Jobcentre.

Run and Hide are fine options, but it's not all I want in my games.

I do frequently find myself wishing for a mod that adds in a grenade launcher.  Still, I'm able to take some satisfaction from outwitting the big dumb monsters and making them gnash their teeth impotently.

Might try to finish this tonight.  FOR SCIENCE. 

[Sjofn]

I've mostly been fuckin' around in the Sims Medieval, now that my Dragon Age 2 hyperfocus bender has finally come to a close. I should probably give Portal another whirl before Portal 2 actually comes out so I remember how u werk gun before I inflict myself upon Ingmar in multilplayer mode. <3

[Chimpy]

Left click = one color, Right click = other color.

Tutorial over.

[Sjofn]

Well yes, I remember THAT. I more meant getting in that spacial relations and occassional motion sickness = fun mindset. :P

[Ironwood]

Played a fair bit of Amnesia last night and, frankly, it's not for me.  Sure, it's suspenseful and actually manages to be genuinely frightening but I'm really, really not interested in a powerless simulator.  If I wanted to feel like I was entirely at the mercy of forces beyond my control I'd spend more time at the Jobcentre.

Run and Hide are fine options, but it's not all I want in my games.

I do frequently find myself wishing for a mod that adds in a grenade launcher.  Still, I'm able to take some satisfaction from outwitting the big dumb monsters and making them gnash their teeth impotently.

Might try to finish this tonight.  FOR SCIENCE. 

As you can see from Steam, the wife won't let me quit.  She keeps insisting I play it so she can watch.  It's a fantastic bit of craft and I'm always amazed that such a seemingly simple engine works so very bloody well, but I really take issue with the whole 'You're absolutely shitting yourself in game so you're walking with one leg and your head swinging about like a cripple'.  Running and hiding with that kind of interface is so punishing it's not funny.  I got to the Prison last night and frankly it's a combination of utter frustration and pants-wetting-terrifying gameplay.

I have a hammer.

[Samwise]

I finished the Prison and then the Cistern last night.  Entered a new zone called "The Morgue" and decided maybe that'd be a good place to take a break and recharge my batteries.

Strangely, I've never had my sanity drop below "slightly blurry", even with spending most of my time running around in pitch blackness.  Do what I do: when you're starting to go a bit blurry, find a nicely lit safe room, shut the door behind you, park yourself in the light, and leave the game running so Daniel can catch his breath and compose himself while you go fetch yourself a beer and do the same.