Magnus

I... what? Hey, I'm all caught up. Nando and Buttons are the ones you should be pestering.

ReZ loves the Disgaea series. Of course, he also loves Uncharted 2 as well as the Green Lantern movie, so it's hard to know if something's going to be good or bad just based on his recommendation. It's a turn-based strategy RPG, so yeah, it's similar to Shining Force, Final Fantasy Tactics, Fire Emblem, Tactics Ogre, etcetera. What makes it stand out is the massive amounts of customization and the (largely optional, from what I understand) level grinding (level 1000 being the maximum in the first game), as well as a humorous story involving some really strange characters. You'd probably enjoy it if you like strategy RPGs and don't mind long games that involve a lot of combat.

There's not much else the L3 button could have been used for, though, and it makes sense for L2 to show energy sources when you're frantically running around trying to refill your energy while trying to avoid being killed. It's more like they kept the L3 functionality because it was in the first game and the button would have been wasted anyway. I was a bit disappointed that you couldn't use another R2 powers at the same time as the power that required L1+R2, but I guess that would have messed up their precious quick-select.

I imagine you laughing like a maniac as you posted this.

I agree, Danny. She's not as attractive as Rapunzel. The movie should hopefully be great either way, though.

Bastion looks like a potentially good game, but it doesn't look like my type of game at all. From Dust I'm not sure about, but it's made by the guy who created Out of This World, so I'm hoping it'll be a pleasant surprise. Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet tries too hard. I'm not sure about the gameplay - it doesn't look like my type of game. Fruit Ninja Kinect is lucky it's a successful iOS game. It really stands out (in a bad way) among the other titles. Toy Soldiers: Cold War doesn't do enough with the toy angle (based on the trailer) and ends up looking like a generic shooter with some minor twists. Basically, where's my Guardian of Light sequel?

Yes, because television and DVDs are the only two ways to watch TV shows... Now hurry up and finish season four.

Should have sold his hat.

That looks very impressive. It must have taken ages to build. Too bad he didn't have time to dress himself properly before taking the picture.

Man, what's wrong with people in this thread? Well, enjoy season five when you do watch it. It seems to be a very polarizing season.

You make me hush my mouth! Besides, there are five seasons (but don't tell Nando). Yeah, yeah - the fifth season hasn't been released on DVD yet. Excuses, excuses.

Do yourself a favor and watch Dexter instead. Because really, if you thought Matt was annoying in season one...

John Hensley was the worst thing about Nip/Tuck. And that's saying a lot.

But you also wear Hello Kitty headphones, so you're obviously not too concerned about keeping up appearances.

I'm so tempted to make you do my bidding under threat of spoilers. Dance puppet, dance! :p Curb Your Enthusiasm is great (I think my favorite season is probably the Seinfeld-themed season seven), but the box set will look awful on your shelf once they release season eight on DVD. You'll have to hide it in the closet or something.

Come on, this is Nightwolf we're talking about. She'll start complaining about her housemates after three days.

I can just imagine you having to enter any room ~dramatically~.

I hate it when my spirit guide doesn't call on time. I always start questioning why I was incarnated. I like being on time as much as the next guy, but my dad takes it to extremes. If the drive takes twenty minutes, it's okay if we leave half an hour before we need to be somewhere to account for traffic. Yet he always want to leave as early as possible, leading to half an hour of waiting around for no reason.

I'm not sure how you can wait for the DVD releases, Nando. The wait must be torture, and I'd be terrified of spoilers. But I suppose it depends on which corners of the internet you visit. Season four is probably my favorite, I think. John Lithgow was brilliant.

Wasn't that the one with the twist everyone hated so much?

Just listen to them on YouTube? I liked the covers more before they started writing the episodes around the music, instead of using the music to enhance the storylines.

Tell me about it. I still remember when Sam was going to be gay. I'm kind of counting on even him being smart enough to realize that you don't announce that you're cutting a large part of the main cast if you don't really mean it, though. But as I said, he could still change his mind. If Prison Break can reattach a woman's head due to fan outcry, I'm sure Murphy can find a reason to have the kids stick around after next season.

Murphy was asked if any of the kids would stay around after graduating, and he said that he didn't like that idea. So bar any changes of heart/executive meddling, it sounds like the best we can hope for is occasional guest appearances. Because... why would you watch any non-reality TV show if not for the writing? Glee was never going to be the next Mad Men, but the first thirteen episodes managed to be a surprisingly fresh satire on high school and other teen shows.

I haven't played Bulletstorm, but "entertaining" describes my impression of the game perfectly. It seems very over the top and doesn't appear to take itself too seriously. So yeah, it seems entertaining, but Enslaved is a game that tries to make you care about the characters. (Of course, I know nothing about the story in Bulletstorm, so if it's really moving, feel free to correct me.) When you first meet Trip and she's sitting there with her arms wrapped around her leg, you can tell that she's really freaked out about what she's gotten herself into. Or when you have to carry her as you're climbing on a collapsing bridge. Just working together to get through an area makes it feel like you're in this together. These are characters that feel real, with real emotions. I agree that the gameplay is severely flawed, but I think the game is saved by its well-written characters. Sometimes that's enough.

I quite liked the BioWare-developed DLC mission for the first Mass Effect (though, admittedly, giving people an option of playing it without having to replay the game would probably have been a good idea). The other DLC mission was pretty horrid, though, but only because it was nothing but combat without any real new content. I think mid-game DLC adds value to subsequent playthroughs, or if you're late at picking up the game. I like the thought of buying a game a year after release and getting a richer experience, or replaying it a couple of years later and having new things to discover. It's like a director's cut of a movie with additional scenes. Post-game DLC, meanwhile... It's like you watch a movie and really enjoy it, and then two months later they release another scene, and then two months later yet another scene. The Death Star is blown up, Darth Vader is defeated, everything's right with the galaxy... but wait, there's (a little bit) more! The script works up to a climax, and then they just tack this additional story onto it. "Yeah, you've spent thirty hours defeating the main bad guy, but here's another bad guy you can defeat in an hour and a half." Plus, I prefer playing DLC at the same time as the main game anyway. I'm unlikely to pick up a game again six months later just for two additional missions, and even if I do, I'm not going to remember what the story was or what gear I have - I probably won't even remember the controls. Basically, I think BioWare got it right the first time with the expansion pack for Baldur's Gate, I never got the hate for the DLC for Mass Effect (the first mission, anyway) and I love that Obsidian is outright refusing to make any post-game DLC for New Vegas. Agree to disagree?