Sméagol

Depends on what system.. If I had an X-box, I would be all over that Telltale collection which contains their 5 latest games, and was on sale for $ 50,- I believe (but I don't know if that deal's still going on). I think they're worth it, but be prepared for an interactive story rather than a game. Some people (including me) had higher expectations of what you can do in the game, and how much you can influence it. That said, it's still a great story. And no, you won't miss anything if you're not familiar with the comics (or TV series, but the game is more connected to the comics). There are some familiar characters and locations in season 1, but the story is completely original, and the familiar characters aren't in it for long. If you've read the comics you know what happens to them after their role in the game, that's all. Season 2 doesn't have any familiar characters as far as I know.

So close.. It was snowing here as well. Crappy wet snow.

I got some Disney Infinity figures, Stitch and Merida, and some money. I'm still getting a Wii remote charge kit which I've should've gotten a long time ago. Still, finally no hassle with batteries anymore. It's not terribly exciting, I miss the days when I got to play a new Zelda on Christmas day (maybe next year?), but I love the gifts nonetheless! I also got a.. Christmas package from my volunteer job. I thought it was a typical Dutch thing, but apparently you call them Christmas hampers. There were some DVD's and a CD in it, and some cheese and mustard. I got my brother some comics he wanted, I'm definitely going to read those myself as well. One of them is Captain Marvel, so I'll be ready for a change when the film comes out.

Haven't seen many big titles so far I'm interested in so far, apart from the few exceptions for which I prefer a retail disc and intend to get later. However, a weird purchase this time: Sonar X3. Bought the basic version, and I can now finally try my hand at some music making.

Although my speakers can get the job done, it's easier to listen for footsteps through my headphones (and it does sound nicer!).

Fucking hell, I spent several hours getting a fucking keycard . Shit be tense! I hope I have to deal with humans and/or androids next section, they´re not nearly as persistent..

Alien: isolation and (also) The vanishing of Ethan Carter so far. Was considering Skyrim, but didn't think I'd get around to it soon. I'll definitely pick up some cheap indie titles before the end of the sale, things like Zeno clash and Naissance for example. As for bigger titles, I'll have to see what comes up in the daily deals.

"Caved in", and about to buy it in the Steam sale (€ 25,-).

Yeah I need to get the sequel as well at some point. The first was great. Does the sequel have an ending of sorts? I recall there being plans for multiple sequels / episodic gaming.

Things are: - I want to save the "harass people with mentions" option for "special occasions". - I wanted this to be a quick game during the holidays. I know this is generally a slow period, but on the other hand, many members who used to be "core players" seem to be too busy now, so I thought the holiday period would actually be an advantage. For now I'll leave this open to say week 2 of January, but I'll see if I can work on something better in the meantime. I'll be busy myself for 10 days at the end of January though.

Yeah I wish I had one. For if I ever need to set up an 8-player game for a Retro game party, although I do know someone else who can set that up, but still, it would be nice just to "complete" the Gamecube.. I saw that, but didn't mention it as you still have to go the proxy or forwarding route.. I'm not sure if it'll do much to the price of the Japanese version. I saw someone speculate it won't because the box is different. I think that only matters to collectors, but not the casual fan. Anyway, it may mean there's a chance they'll release it in Europe though some channel at some point as well, for those who are still waiting.

By the way, after Game of Thrones and Tales from the Borderlands, Telltale games announced a game based on Minecraft. I have absolutely zero interest in the Minecraft universe, so I´ll let someone else create a thread for it.

40% off on Steam (or 25% if you want the special edition which comes with the excellent soundtrack).

Nah, I remember those ads .

Should I get this game and XIII-2? After trying several FF games over the years, I decided it wasn't for me, as I don't like the battle system (the ATB thing). Do these game change things up a little? I remember comments on a FF game that did away with the traditional battle system, but I forgot which game that was.. According to wikipedia, this game still has the ATB system.

So.. What did I get for € 6,50 (£ 5,-)? Thief - The master thief edition - Not interested. The last remnant - Yes, I'll try a JRPG thanks! Murdered: soul suspect - I wanted this! Lara Croft and the guardian of light - I wanted this as well! Deus ex - The fall - Not.. interested in this, but I'll play through it once for the lore. Nosgoth founders - Warlord pack - Not interested in this, but thinking of giving it a try regardless. And some discount vouchers for the new Lara Croft co-op game, FF XIII-2, and FF III. I may get the new Lara Croft game as well, I already own FF III on the 3DS. Any recommendations for the latest FF? I believe there's a thread, I'll check there. Anyway, for me personally, this surprise box has been gold. But I guess this isn't much of a deal for people who make use of Steam sales often, and already have a lot of Square Enix games. I only had Deus Ex and Tomb Raider. But yeah, 3 out of 6 for € 6,50 is not too shabby, plus an "interactive story" (The fall), and some discounts. If anyone wants to trade Thief or Nosgoth, I'm open to offers. Like I said, I may try Nosgoth anyway, but after a couple of Steam reviews, I think I'm unlikely to give Thief a try. Edit: Here's the code for the discount on FF III (steam). This is for the Square Enix store. GFISVBKJ It's cheaper than currently on Steam.

Am I child what? If I ever do buy one for the functionality, I don't need the figure. I personally don't find the figures suitable for display, so basically I'd be only buying an NFC chip.

I think they're really ugly. Disney Infinity figures look so much better. I guess I prefer quality. When I get a Wii U, if I ever buy one of those things for their "functionality", I'll rip off the figure and throw it away. I'm more likely to pick up some Amiibo for scalping however.

I really don't see the appeal in those Amiibo. I wonder how many of the people who spend loads of money on Amiibo, actually bothered to get Nendoroid Red for example.

Episodic adventure game featuring time travel. Along with Dreamfall: chapters, Tales from the Borderlands, and Game of thrones, 2015 looks to be the year of episodic gaming for me. I'll pre-order this after the holidays.

I didn't mention this before, but I bought the Square Enix surprise box, which contains 6 mystery Steam keys. I found out about it by chance, and Square Enix occasionally has better deals than Steam themselves, and I like surprises sometimes, so I thought it couldn't hurt to spend € 6,50. If I don't like the games, I'll gift or trade the keys. But I've been Googling. They did this last year as well apparently, and these ended up being the contents: http://eu.square-enix.com/en/blog/time-open-square-enix-christmas-surprise-box' (Tomb Raider, Just Cause 2, Dungeon Siege 3, and Hitman: blood money) Apparently they got a lot of flak for the contents.. Which I really don't get. Idiots. Don't get a surprise box if you can't deal with surprises. I don't care for the other games, but I would've been very happy with Tomb Raider alone, and again, I would've gifted or traded the other keys. I saw someone correctly guess Tomb Raider would be included from simply looking at the system requirements. For this year, I see someone guessing Murdered: soul suspect to be included for the same reason, and that's a game I'd be happy about. One of the major complaints last year was the lack of Final Fantasy, so I expect one FF game to be included, which I personally don't care about. Further speculation involves Nosgoth DLC, also something I don't care about. I´m hoping for one of the 2 Tomb Raider co-op games. Anyway, I'm looking forward to see what the contents are, which will be revealed tomorrow. For anyone else who likes surprises, you have until tomorrow 12:00pm (GMT). https://store.eu.square-enix.com/emea_europe/games/pc-windows-download/The-Square-Enix-Christmas-Surprise.php#

Would people be interested if I reset the sign-ups for this?

I was late with one payment, and they not only cancelled that order, but all other pre-orders as well. Two of those orders are hard to find. I demanded the orders to simply be reinstated, but they wouldn´t do that. Luckily one of those figures is getting a rerelease, the other I´ll have to buy for a higher price at some local shop. Before you go "why didn´t you just pay on time?", they changed their payment policy this year and made it worse. Payment used to happen automatically without any further input from me required. That´s the way online shopping should be. I´m not responsible for their bad business decisions. As for Goodsmile´s online shop.. Rationally speaking, I can´t recommend it. They´re more expensive. Almost all other shops give some discount to the suggested retail price, but they themselves obviously aren´t going to do that. So why order there? Occasionally they give exclusive pre-order bonuses with certain figures. Are they worth the money? Probably not, but I can´t help myself, haha. With Mario you get some extra coins. I´m also getting a rubber strap with another figure. Lucina doesn´t come with a bonus, but I thought I might as well bundle her with Mario. Another aspect of Goodsmile´s shop is their flat-fee for shipping, which is 2000 yen for EMS. It´s more expensive if you buy only one figure and normally don´t mind much slower SAL, but it´s cheaper and obviously much faster (and includes tracking) if you buy multiple items. One thing has to be said though.. Goodsmile´s (international!) customer service is great. Although I guess that´s regardless if you buy stuff directly from them or through other online shops. I´ve heard people getting replacement parts if they were damaged. I myself complained a few days ago about having to pay higher taxes than I should have had for some exclusive figure. They actually offered to pay me back the money. Anyway, in short, just buy your stuff where you usually get them, only go for the Goodsmile online shop if you really, really, really must have that pre-order bonus. I´ve exchanged HLJ for CDJapan so far, with the occasional order directly from Goodsmile, although I intend to use Hobbysearch a lot more as well. Oh yes, and maybe I should buy some more Lucinas as well.. I regret not buying three Nendoroid Reds. They go for crazy prices at the moment.