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Post by Pyramus on Oct 24, 2007 13:40:53 GMT -5
I've played through Portal as well. I enjoyed the game a lot.
I wouldn't call it best ending either, but pretty damn good especially if you're a Jonathan Coulton fan.
The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie. The cake is a lie.
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NoThru22
Casual Gamer
Two Worlds > Elder Scrolls
Posts: 866
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Post by NoThru22 on Oct 24, 2007 14:41:21 GMT -5
I'm pissed that almost all of the reviews used "The cake is a lie" as their headline. I would have preferred to see that in context in the actual game first. Oh well.
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vado
Gamer
360 > Wii > 360 > Wii > 36...
Posts: 1,564
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Post by vado on Oct 24, 2007 15:50:04 GMT -5
see? that's why i kinda stopped reading reviews - i've noticed even the slightest bit of information can be a form of spoiler. but its a double-edged weasel because then how'm i to know what's really worth the dolares? a serieses of mid-to-high nines usually helps.
on the bright side, i started portal for myself this afternoon during a conference call - farkin 11 stages into it and i can't wait to get back to it.
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Post by Pyramus on Oct 24, 2007 16:21:55 GMT -5
Actually, for me, the cake line was part of what helped get me curious enough to play the game. I wanted to know just what the hell that meant in context.
Sorry if anybody feels I spoiled it for them though.
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vado
Gamer
360 > Wii > 360 > Wii > 36...
Posts: 1,564
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Post by vado on Oct 25, 2007 16:49:38 GMT -5
i'd not been exposed to much coulton before going to PAX in august. I had no idea how much street cred he had with gamers. but the OneUp Mushrooms.....those kids can throw DOWN.
honestly (and because i avoided said reviews) here was the first time i'd heard the line. didn't really ruin anything for me, tho.
so i did finish Portal, and am tempted to grab the PC version too just to get my hands on what will be a flood of user-created mods and levels.
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Post by fatty on Nov 6, 2007 17:52:11 GMT -5
I picked up the Orange Box a couple of weeks ago and finally got around to playing it this past weekend.
I'm a Half-life noob (only played about an hour into the first game a long time ago) so I decided to start with Half-Life 2 hoping I wouldn’t miss out too much on the story from the first game. Right now I’m about 2 hours in. Pretty good, started off slow but moving along much better now. I like how interactive the environments are and also the dialogue between the non playable characters.
Very small spoiler: Is Barney, the guard that leads me to the doctor in the beginning, the same security guard from the first game? It’s been a long time but I think that is the same name. Anyways, I’m at the point where I got in a mix-up in the transporter so now I’ve been slumming around sewers for a bit. [/spoiler]
The small attention to detail is done very well, and I appreciate games that do this (like how vado mentioned the TV shows on The Darkness). Hearing different distress calls on the radio from other rebel groups adds a nice little touch, a feeling that even though I’m alone I’m not the only one going through this predicament.
Bad thing is I can only play the game in very short bursts. I get nauseous really easy when playing FPSs (esp. on the computer). Maybe that’s one of the reasons why I’m not real big on Halo. For some reason though, I haven’t really been affected when playing the Prime games, and for this I am very thankful.
Still haven’t played Portal (or Team Fortress 2) yet, need to play these soon.
Also finally beat Twilight Princess and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. I’ll probably say more about those later but they are so, so good.
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Post by fatty on Nov 8, 2007 0:24:09 GMT -5
Just finished watching the latest episode of Chuck. Keep liking it more and more, it's just so "fun". All the inside geek jokes are appreciated..."One remote to rule them all" was pretty funny.
Another thing I like is that they don't throw out teasers just for the sake of throwing them out (Heroes I'm looking at you). The whole Bryce backstory was talked about at the beginning of the series but then not really mentioned anymore, just more as a catalyst to explain why Chuck has that ability.
Then they mention it again but I liked how they handled this episode after giving the previews for it. Yeah, they might of hinted that he may still be alive but they gave enough details and closure on why Chuck was "done wrong" by Bryce. I can see them dragging it out longer than they did but I'm glad they chose not to.
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Nov 8, 2007 0:30:50 GMT -5
It was a Harmony 880. Great remote.
I still like this show. Hope it doesn't suffer from the writer's strike. Thank goodness I've got Tivo. I have about 6 shows that I have yet to start so I have enough new shows to hold me if the strike goes long.
And the women are still HOT on this show...
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Post by dschroll on Nov 8, 2007 7:17:16 GMT -5
Yeah, I just got done watching Chuck the other night and I was cracking up. The LOTR references were great. Did anyone see the previews for next weeks episode where his spy girlfriend says she thinks its time to have sex? Chuck was drinking something when she said it and then starts coughing and says, "Hot coffee." I was laughing thinking they were making reference to that whole GTA Hot Coffee thing. What do you think? Coincidence?
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Post by fatty on Nov 8, 2007 12:41:03 GMT -5
'Heroes' Creator Apologizes to Fans Tim Kring admits mistakes were made at the beginning of season 2, but promises to get back on trackBy Jeff Jensen[/i] On the chilly Monday morning that Hollywood's writers went on strike, Heroes creator Tim Kring called from the streets outside the Hollywood studio where his NBC series is shot. ''Yes, I'm picketing my own show,'' says the 50-year-old writer-producer. ''So surreal.''
But Kring wasn't calling to discuss labor woes — he was calling to explain why Heroes, suffering a creative decline and a 15 percent ratings drop from the same period last year, went from Human Torch hot to Iceman cold. The good news? A turnaround appears to be under way. After weeks of sluggish storytelling, the Nov. 5 episode recaptured some of last season's fanciful energy. We've also seen the next two episodes — and we like them, too. The cliff-hangers are back. Narrative purpose has been discovered. Old favorites like Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Horn-Rimmed Glasses (Jack Coleman) take center stage. Even more encouraging: Kring himself is keenly aware that Heroes is broken. Here's his candid critique:
THE PACE IS TOO SLOW ''We assumed the audience wanted season 1 — a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their powers. We taught [them] to expect a certain kind of storytelling. They wanted adrenaline. We made a mistake.''
THE WORLD-SAVING STAKES SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED SOONER The premonition of nuclear apocalypse created a larger context that unified every story line last season. Kring now sees that Volume 2 (the first 11 episodes of season 2) would have been better served if Peter's vision of viral Armageddon had appeared in the season premiere rather than episode 7. ''We took too long to get to the big-picture story,'' he says.
THE ROOKIES DIDN'T GREET THEMSELVES PROPERLY New Heroes Monica (Dana Davis), Maya (Dania Ramirez), and Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) ''shouldn't have been introduced in separate story lines that felt unattached to the show. The way we introduced Elle (Kristen Bell) — by weaving her in via Peter's story line — is a more logical way to bring new characters into the show.'' (That said, Kring says a few newbies won't make it beyond this second volume, which wraps Dec. 3.)
HIRO WAS IN JAPAN WAY TOO LONG Hiro's (Masi Oka) time-bending adventure in 17th-century Japan — where he mentored samurai hero Takezo Kensei (David Anders) — finally came to an end on Nov. 5. But Kring says it ''should have [lasted] three episodes. We didn't give the audience enough story to justify the time we allotted it.''
YOUNG LOVE STINKS Kring regrets sticking Claire (Hayden Panettiere) with a super-dud boyfriend and forcing Hiro to moon over a cutesy princess. ''I've seen more convincing romances on TV,'' he admits. ''In retrospect, I don't think romance is a natural fit for us.''
Yet while Heroes has finally found some dramatic traction, this second volume is pretty much a wash. The Dec. 3 episode has been retooled to function as a potential season finale — a move inspired by the writers' strike and a desire to give the show ''a clean slate'' when it goes back into production for Volume 3. At that point, Kring wants to craft a rebooted Heroes that can attract new fans and win back those who've tuned out: ''The message is that we've heard the complaints — and we're doing something about it.''
I pretty much agree with all of those points, and they have been the same complaints that I've had with the show lately. Good to see them addressing it.
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Post by fatty on Nov 8, 2007 12:43:16 GMT -5
Yeah, I just got done watching Chuck the other night and I was cracking up. The LOTR references were great. Did anyone see the previews for next weeks episode where his spy girlfriend says she thinks its time to have sex? Chuck was drinking something when she said it and then starts coughing and says, "Hot coffee." I was laughing thinking they were making reference to that whole GTA Hot Coffee thing. What do you think? Coincidence? It went right over my head when he said that, I was laughing about his reaction (and the mood setting music in the background). But it wouldn't surprise me if that was the intended reference.
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Post by dschroll on Nov 8, 2007 21:16:48 GMT -5
[/i] On the chilly Monday morning that Hollywood's writers went on strike, Heroes creator Tim Kring called from the streets outside the Hollywood studio where his NBC series is shot. ''Yes, I'm picketing my own show,'' says the 50-year-old writer-producer. ''So surreal.''
But Kring wasn't calling to discuss labor woes — he was calling to explain why Heroes, suffering a creative decline and a 15 percent ratings drop from the same period last year, went from Human Torch hot to Iceman cold. The good news? A turnaround appears to be under way. After weeks of sluggish storytelling, the Nov. 5 episode recaptured some of last season's fanciful energy. We've also seen the next two episodes — and we like them, too. The cliff-hangers are back. Narrative purpose has been discovered. Old favorites like Peter (Milo Ventimiglia) and Horn-Rimmed Glasses (Jack Coleman) take center stage. Even more encouraging: Kring himself is keenly aware that Heroes is broken. Here's his candid critique:
THE PACE IS TOO SLOW ''We assumed the audience wanted season 1 — a buildup of intrigue about these characters and the discovery of their powers. We taught [them] to expect a certain kind of storytelling. They wanted adrenaline. We made a mistake.''
THE WORLD-SAVING STAKES SHOULD HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED SOONER The premonition of nuclear apocalypse created a larger context that unified every story line last season. Kring now sees that Volume 2 (the first 11 episodes of season 2) would have been better served if Peter's vision of viral Armageddon had appeared in the season premiere rather than episode 7. ''We took too long to get to the big-picture story,'' he says.
THE ROOKIES DIDN'T GREET THEMSELVES PROPERLY New Heroes Monica (Dana Davis), Maya (Dania Ramirez), and Alejandro (Shalim Ortiz) ''shouldn't have been introduced in separate story lines that felt unattached to the show. The way we introduced Elle (Kristen Bell) — by weaving her in via Peter's story line — is a more logical way to bring new characters into the show.'' (That said, Kring says a few newbies won't make it beyond this second volume, which wraps Dec. 3.)
HIRO WAS IN JAPAN WAY TOO LONG Hiro's (Masi Oka) time-bending adventure in 17th-century Japan — where he mentored samurai hero Takezo Kensei (David Anders) — finally came to an end on Nov. 5. But Kring says it ''should have [lasted] three episodes. We didn't give the audience enough story to justify the time we allotted it.''
YOUNG LOVE STINKS Kring regrets sticking Claire (Hayden Panettiere) with a super-dud boyfriend and forcing Hiro to moon over a cutesy princess. ''I've seen more convincing romances on TV,'' he admits. ''In retrospect, I don't think romance is a natural fit for us.''
Yet while Heroes has finally found some dramatic traction, this second volume is pretty much a wash. The Dec. 3 episode has been retooled to function as a potential season finale — a move inspired by the writers' strike and a desire to give the show ''a clean slate'' when it goes back into production for Volume 3. At that point, Kring wants to craft a rebooted Heroes that can attract new fans and win back those who've tuned out: ''The message is that we've heard the complaints — and we're doing something about it.''
I pretty much agree with all of those points, and they have been the same complaints that I've had with the show lately. Good to see them addressing it.[/quote] I agree with most of that too. After season 1, I'm amazed that they made so many mistakes with 2.
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Nov 9, 2007 0:46:54 GMT -5
Kudos. I respect anyone who admits and owns their mistakes. I still watch the show but I agree also w/ what he said. Look forward to the "fixes"
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Nov 9, 2007 21:06:44 GMT -5
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Nov 12, 2007 13:34:53 GMT -5
Anyone watch Bones? One of the recent episodes had a blond women that looked familiar. Turns out it was Denise Crosby aka Tasha Yar. How do you like that for a TNG reference?
Man, time has not been good to her...
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Post by fatty on Jan 24, 2008 19:52:41 GMT -5
Chuck is back, baby!! And not with one but two new episodes, so I can finally continue my crush with Sarah.
It's about time some new episodes starting showing up, besides The Biggest Loser and American Gladiator as background filler during workouts, my tv schedule has been pretty light.
And Lost is just around the corner too...
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Post by oldskoolboarder on Jan 24, 2008 20:01:00 GMT -5
I agree, I kinda miss Chuck.
Sarah the character or Sarah the actress? Both hot IMHO. I dig the commercial where Sarah's character spoke in her (british?) accent.
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Post by dschroll on Jan 24, 2008 20:04:29 GMT -5
Sweet. Chuck and Morgan are back! One remote to rule them all.
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Post by fatty on Jan 24, 2008 20:07:42 GMT -5
Sarah the character, though I'm normally a brunette guy. But yeah, they are both hot. And don't forget the sandwich girl. Great looks and the ability to fix a good sandwich? You gotta keep that, Chuck.
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Post by dschroll on Jan 24, 2008 20:21:19 GMT -5
I love the sandwich girl. She was on the OC and while I never watched the show, I just thought she was a gorgeous actress.
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