Stealthshark

Just thought I'd chime in here and post a link to an interview 1UP did with a couple of the developers for SC2 that I found interesting. At about 9:35 the question about a 4th race is brought up and the response is that it was something they decided against fairly early in the development cycle.

Playing through it now and enjoying it. Does seem a lot easier though. I beat Bahamut at lvl 45 with ONE jump (had my other units stealing and prepping protect/reflect). Still quite fun though. Current Party is Dragoon, Thief, Evoker, Knight.

If the content is good then you dont need novelty to sell games. Sequels, even many of them, are not in and of themselves bad. It's only when they attempt to rely solely on brand recognition to sell instead of on actual gameplay that it hurts the franchise.

Hah, me too. Never even tried to log into the East server. What rank are you/what weapon type are you using the most? Also, what do you use for close-quarters? It's usually a toss-up for the winner of those for me... I don't like the melee weapons, but I'm at a disadvantage with my SMG/shotgun combo. Well, I'm a seargent and I have 2 mechs that i cycle between. The heaveier one is set up with dual, corporal grade rifles as primary and dual corporal grade SMGs as secondary. The lighter mech is fitted with dual private class SMGs and dual Trainee class SMGs as secondary. Truth be told, I've been tweaking my setups almost constantly. I really like using the rifles but with my current gear and skills, close combat is almost unavoidable. However, I opted for SMGs over melee weapons because the ones I have access to at the moment seem too weak to be effective (or maybe I just suck with them ). I'll attempt to get a good melee setup once I get higher in rank. However, I have seen some players who are quite good with a mixed Melee/Rifle setup. Might give that a go. It seems to me they have it setup to discourage the use of melee weapons in favor of ranged ones early on. I'm hoping they choose to reward the players that stick with it by making the later melee weaps ridiculously strong. My brother is determined to be primarily melee and has become fairly good at getting kills with his swords. Nevertheless, I constantly hear him growling at the ranged users so it's gonna be a long road. Bit off-topic but since this is really the first time I've spent a great amount of time with a shooter on any platform I have to ask...are the majority of players as whiney as what I've encountered? They complain you're not covering them so you shadow them and back em up. Then they complain you're "kill stealing" so you try giving em some space. Then they complain they don't have any backup again. They complain about your number of kills, your positioning, your choice of weapons, etc etc, blah blah, on and on and on. Whether you're winning or losing they never shut up. Is this typical for the genre?

Cool. Glad to see I'm not the only one who made it in. Forgot to mention it in my 1st post but I'm using the West(coast) servers.

Don't know of any deep mech games that aren't in the Mechwarrior series, but if you want to try a mech-lite game just for some quick fun, try to get in on the closed beta for Exteel The action is fast-paced and they seem to have tried to model the game after the humanoid mecha found in anime such as Gundam Wing rather than the mobile weapons platforms of the Battletech universe. Still, might be worth looking into to kill some time while you're looking for your next 'serious' mech game. I'm not that great at shooters in general and this is the 1st time I try one with a mouse and KB setup, but I'm having fun. There's plenty of customization to be done, though your options will be somewhat limited until you increase in rank. You also level up as a pilot and get attribute points that you can put to marksmanship, speed, scan range, etc. Additionally, the more you use a specific weapon class, say ranged weaps, the more proficient you will become with it which in turn grants bonuses to heat reduction, damage, RoF, etc. My IGN is Ardney. Maybe I'll see some of you guys on soon.

A lot of people think this when they first start the game and have memories of XvT still fresh in their minds. When you're flying frigate-sized craft it almost seems like it would make sense to implement...until you realize that for anything Battlecruiser and larger it'd be absolutely ridiculous. Combat in EVE is more naval-style than some other space combat games. When your ship only moves at 100 m/s or so, you're going to be more worried about gun range and damage control then you will about doing barrel rolls.

http://www.eve-online.com/guide/en/g23.asp Short reqs: Wouldnt hurt to check recent patch notes though as they recently re-did virtually all of the code in the game. One of the changes was that Windows ME and (iirc) 2000 are no longer supported.

Just going to toss my 2 cents in. Been playing EVE for over a year now and love it. It really is a great game that gives you a ton of freedom. That's also one of the problems with it. It's almost too big. The 2-week trial is nowhere near long enough to let you get a feel for what's actually going on in the galaxy although it does allow you to get a feel for the interface, controls, and basic combat. But since the majority of the content in EVE is player-created (territory conflicts, industrial sabotage,assasination attempts, etc.), it's really kept screened off from the majority of players in the high-sec areas. But high sec is exactly where you'll be for the first 2 months or so due to your skills and experience. If you're willing to stick with it long enough to join a player corp, it'll be more than worth it. The game is beautifully complex and constantly interesting once you have found your role. They have done an amazing job of creating a living breathing galaxy and you are constantly reminded of how large it is and how small you are. The individual is both expendable and invaluable in the grand scheme of things and finding your place in that balance can be quite satisfying. I highly recommend everyone try the game and stick with it for at least a month. If you like complexity, sci-fi, not being limited by classes, and non-consensual PvP, then EVE is definitely for you. As for grinding, the quest for money can be a grind if you allow it to become one. But if you find yourself getting bored trying to make ISK, then look for other ways to do it. There are so many ways to make money in the game that it shouldnt be a problem. Additionally, the more skilled you become, the easier it will be to get what you need without putting as much time into it. I've played (and enjoyed) my share of grinders online and EVE certainly doesn't fall into that category.

Wait..what? Janeway followed the rules if and when they suited her. One episode she was all about the PD and next she was chucking it out the nearest hatch. There was no stability to the character(IMO). I liked Voyager's concept a lot as it carried the potential to explore fresh new worlds away form the established species and cultures of the Star Trek universe. They had an excellent setup but extremely poor execution. Few if any of the characters acted like Starfleet officers. The characters had the same potential as the setting. Several of them had plenty of room for development but it just seemed to be done poorly. And while many people liked the doctor, I hated the character. The concept of the holodeck accidentally 'creating' life irked me back in TNG, but at least they handled it properly by sticking Moriarty in an advanced sim and then placing him on a shelf to be forgotten. If the doctor had developed a similar malfunction, he should have been wiped and rebooted. Simple. Enterprise is a similar story of failed potential (again, IMO). The decision not to attempt to stick with the established continuity was a huge blunder though. You cannot (well, should not anyway) take control of a property with as much history behind it as Star Trek and then decide to ignore that history because it would force you to work a little harder to adapt your ideas. Want proof? Look at Star Wars 1-3. The Star Trek animated series will succeed or fail based on the amount of respect its creators bring to the franchise. While you certainly have great freedom when making a new series, there are certain fundamentals of the franchise (be they timelines, technology, protocols, or mindsets) that must be adhered to if it expects to do justice to the Star Trek name. While fans want (and one could argue, deserve) new content, you cannot move forward without adhering to the precedents set by those before you. If you attempt to, it ceases to be Star Trek. Well, that's my 2 cents anyway.

From the description in the article it didn't seem to me that they were attempting much more than an RTS with a twist (emphasis on killing heroes as opposed to buildings). Portable, "Starcraft Lite" is fine by me. As for the direction the series as a whole is taking, hasn't the franchise made it something of a point to be something a little bit different each time and never quite fit into the standard mold? [edit] Admittedly, it's been a while since I played the SNES incarnations and I have limited experience with the other versions. I just remember the impression that the games never really had the same feel as one another. Could just be me.

Wait...did you just Describe AoE:DS as Strategy RPG? Did they really do that much genre changing to it when they brought it to the system? Also, am I the only one excited about the fact that the next Mana game for DS is going to be a 'build and send' strategy game with a Wi-Fi mode?

Checked the last few pages and didn't see it posted so... Heroes of Mana is apparently an RTS. Not quite Mariocraft but it still sounds like it'll be fun. Always good to see series try different directions. We've had several turn-based strategy games from Squenix, it's about time they tried their hand at something realtime.

I'm wondering if that isn't just a typo and the intended word was "now". After all, what's the point of a browser that doesn't, well, browse?

I disagree with their assertion that all launch games suck. Super Mario World, Mario 64, and Halo come to mind off the top of my head. Also, since when are Pepsi and Coke considered energy drinks?

Odd. Perhaps Sony is using Dark Kingdom as a testing ground for the service, with plans to incorporate it more extensively in the future if it succeeds. If this is the case, then Playstation owners can at least look forward to the possibility of a comprehensive online plan from Sony in the not-too-distant future. Now if only we knew exactly how Nintendo was going to handle their online services...

Thought I'd buck the trend and post some optimistic news about the PS3 for a change. http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3153547 A smart move on Sony's part IMO. This round of the console wars just keeps getting more and more interesting.

Who buys the games for the boxart anyway? I mean, come on, look at the 1st Mega Man game.

Bit of trivia: The cardboard box actually made it's first appearance in Metal Gear (NES) where it was used to sneak by surveillance cameras unnoticed. Always struck me as a bit humorous since a moving cardboard box seems like it would draw at least a little bit of attention. [edit] Bear in mind however, that Melee was rated Teen. If the same holds true for Brawl (which it likely will), it wouldn't be out of the question.

But depending from what time period they pull X, he could have the sabre as well. 2 for the price of one man!

It really doesn't bother me. I'll jsut end up trying them all and then reverting back to Ness anyway. Though it would be cool to have X in Brawl since we got Mega Man in MVC2. Besides, X > Zero anyway.

You can't. In New Game+, you can touch a shining sparkle in one of Luca´s telepods, and you will then stand in front of Lavos, alone or with the girl depending if you walk in there before or after the girl has been teleported to the past. New Game + is not a fresh game. I am aware of this. I have used the new game + to continue with old gear, lvl, etc. before. The encounter I described was not done on a new game+ file. The warp to Lavos from the Millenial Fair does not exist in a normal new game. This is entirely possible since it's been ages since I played, though i could have sworn I did it w/o newgame+ . I'll have to track down a ROM and doublecheck. If my memory is indeed playing tricks on me, then thanks for the correction.

You can't. In New Game+, you can touch a shining sparkle in one of Luca´s telepods, and you will then stand in front of Lavos, alone or with the girl depending if you walk in there before or after the girl has been teleported to the past. New Game + is not a fresh game. I am aware of this. I have used the new game + to continue with old gear, lvl, etc. before. The encounter I described was not done on a new game+ file.

Maybe that's what I ended up doing. Been so long I can't remember. All I know is I saw a little shiny thing on the ground, walked over to it, and next thing I know I'm fighting Lavos with no gear and my lvl below double digits.