Saturday, October 09, 2004
Time and space
It would seem that my putting down Fable, most likely permanently, and subsequent purchasing and playing of KOTOR would have something do with each other, but they really don't. I was probably about two-thirds through the main quests of Fable, and after being away from it for a couple of days, I just wasn't compelled in the least to go back. Ever. It's such a great game in so many ways, but it just never fully came together for me; especially the story, which is a big problem in the "best RPG ever." That, and once KD was out, I just couldn't justify not smashing barrels over rolling up balls of writhing fun.
Fast-forward to a couple of days ago, where I saw a grossly inexpensive used copy of KOTOR at Gamecrazy, where I still have plenty of "credit" left. I figured I should give the debatable 2003 GOTY a shot, and I'd like to be excited for the sequel (and even more excited for Jade Empire, which I'm already looking forward to quite a bit). I'm predictably enjoying it so far, though I would still give last year's prize to PoP by a wide margin. This seems like a great RPG, whereas PoP was one of the best action/adventure games ever. Though I'm still on the first planet, so I guess my opinion could change quite a bit. I really like the action inherent in the quasi real-time combat, but it feels a little out of my control a bit too often. Just in terms of not being able to do what I want exactly when I want to do it. But again, I'll give it more time before I lay down the official Word of Nick.
In other, vastly more current news, I'm really fucking looking forward to Psychonauts. I was surprised when Microsoft dropped it from it's publishing lineup alongside Stranger earlier this year based on what little I had seen of the game, and after reading and watching a shitload about it since they announced it was going multiplatform, I'm downright shocked. The crux of the game has you adventuring inside the minds of various people on a sliding scale of sanity, a Lucasartsy adventure game bred with a platformer and the better parts of The Cell, of sorts. It's not hard to see the Lucasarts influence from the cutscenes alone, but it turns out it's no coincidence - Tim Schafer, the President of Double Fine, had a hand in Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. And if you haven't played any of those, or at least Sam & Max, well...there's a place in hell for you, I guarantee it. The story, setting, art style and gameplay just look really appealing to me. The amount of great games that are going to be released in the first quarter of next year sickens me, perhaps moreso than this last, this, or next month.
I figured Tom would blather on endlessly about all the recent DS news, but apparently not. Though I'm not likely to ever buy a portable system again when it comes down to it (the last being a Game Boy Color), I enjoy tracking their progress as much as anything I'm actually going to be playing. While nothing mind-blowing has been shown yet in regards to the DS, the $30 price point for games is pretty sweet if not at all shocking, as is Feel the Magic: XY/XX. Don't ask, just follow the link.
And, in perhaps the last paragraph devoted specifically to Halo 2 before it's release, all I'll say is that I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. Quite. I just figure once it's out, there will be little reason to play anything else, with friends or alone. I've enjoyed the mystery and the hype as much as anyone up to this point, but after reading two separate features in the new EGM and XBN finally exposing some of the single-player game, I've about reached my capacity for anticipation. Now there's just a constant, throbbing, sweaty desire to be one with it. Hopefully GTA will be able to ease my mind for half of the torturous month that stands between me and my green, armor-plated mistress.
Fast-forward to a couple of days ago, where I saw a grossly inexpensive used copy of KOTOR at Gamecrazy, where I still have plenty of "credit" left. I figured I should give the debatable 2003 GOTY a shot, and I'd like to be excited for the sequel (and even more excited for Jade Empire, which I'm already looking forward to quite a bit). I'm predictably enjoying it so far, though I would still give last year's prize to PoP by a wide margin. This seems like a great RPG, whereas PoP was one of the best action/adventure games ever. Though I'm still on the first planet, so I guess my opinion could change quite a bit. I really like the action inherent in the quasi real-time combat, but it feels a little out of my control a bit too often. Just in terms of not being able to do what I want exactly when I want to do it. But again, I'll give it more time before I lay down the official Word of Nick.
In other, vastly more current news, I'm really fucking looking forward to Psychonauts. I was surprised when Microsoft dropped it from it's publishing lineup alongside Stranger earlier this year based on what little I had seen of the game, and after reading and watching a shitload about it since they announced it was going multiplatform, I'm downright shocked. The crux of the game has you adventuring inside the minds of various people on a sliding scale of sanity, a Lucasartsy adventure game bred with a platformer and the better parts of The Cell, of sorts. It's not hard to see the Lucasarts influence from the cutscenes alone, but it turns out it's no coincidence - Tim Schafer, the President of Double Fine, had a hand in Day of the Tentacle, Full Throttle and Grim Fandango. And if you haven't played any of those, or at least Sam & Max, well...there's a place in hell for you, I guarantee it. The story, setting, art style and gameplay just look really appealing to me. The amount of great games that are going to be released in the first quarter of next year sickens me, perhaps moreso than this last, this, or next month.
I figured Tom would blather on endlessly about all the recent DS news, but apparently not. Though I'm not likely to ever buy a portable system again when it comes down to it (the last being a Game Boy Color), I enjoy tracking their progress as much as anything I'm actually going to be playing. While nothing mind-blowing has been shown yet in regards to the DS, the $30 price point for games is pretty sweet if not at all shocking, as is Feel the Magic: XY/XX. Don't ask, just follow the link.
And, in perhaps the last paragraph devoted specifically to Halo 2 before it's release, all I'll say is that I'm looking forward to it quite a bit. Quite. I just figure once it's out, there will be little reason to play anything else, with friends or alone. I've enjoyed the mystery and the hype as much as anyone up to this point, but after reading two separate features in the new EGM and XBN finally exposing some of the single-player game, I've about reached my capacity for anticipation. Now there's just a constant, throbbing, sweaty desire to be one with it. Hopefully GTA will be able to ease my mind for half of the torturous month that stands between me and my green, armor-plated mistress.
// posted by Nick @ 9:59 PM 
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