A Universal friends list. Xbox and MSN, joined together, accessible from PC or Xbox. It’d be pretty neat, hmm?
Or, how about an interface that doesn’t require 4 menu clicks to send a simple text message. Or have the delay whenever that message pops up and in menu pop-up response times when responding to it.
GoGamer.com is having a sale in a few hours (6pm PST?). One of the games mentioned is Prince of Persia for $44. They also have a few Import/International (I) games as well, which work on US machines in most cases.
Thanks, Evil Avatar
For those that don’t know:
With Sony releasing Trophy support for their console, some games in your backlog may be getting patches to add the support in.
Pain has new set of trophies, completely unrelated to the ones you may have been earning in game already (also called trophies). The in-game trophies unlocked new skins for the primary character, while the Playstation Trohpies are added to your Trophy Score. The Playstation Trophies are only mentioned in your PSN Trophy case and there is no mention of them in the game.
Uncharted also had a built-in unlock system. They unlocked various extra information, artwork and other unlockables. They are built into the game and interface. However, you must earn them again if you have unlocked them already.
So, which system do you prefer? Games that patch to offer new trophies and assume the old were already achieved, but add clutter to the interface? Or games that patch into their more elegant pre-built-in system, but requiring a replay through the game?
I finally beat Gears of War 2. I played through the entire campaign on Hardcore difficulty, co-op with Detnap. Together we defeated the 5 Acts of the campaign, each more varied than the one before. For any fan of Gears 1, Gears 2 is a must-play, and easy to recommend to any fan of shooter mechanics. However, despite accessibility, Gears 2 is not as easy to jump into.
Quantum is a cross between a classic Bond film and a Bourne film. It has improbable enemy stations, moments of comedy and seduction, mixed with a shakey cam, lots of close quarter combat, and stunts. It is not as good as Casino Royale, but it isn’t a bad Bond film. It is just living under a large shadow.
Psycho Mantis is Coming Soon to a theater near you. I know nothing about this movie, other than the guy on the poster is Pyscho Mantis from Metal Gear Solid.
Weird.
Neverwinter Nights 2 is the game that got me to buy my new computer. NWNW2 is not a particularly pretty, but the engine is very demanding. Even on the new rig, it still could not run with full settings.
I’ve been playing semi-regularly since building my computer back in February.
As an RPG, it has a decent and intriguing plot. The party is a bit stereotypical, but each has a unique twist to them. A classic drunkard dwarf who aspires to learn the ways of the Monk, but cannot understand it beyond the purely physical ability to fight. A thief who is also a demon and cannot avoid attention. The plot is slow to reveal, and I could not spoil much even if I wanted to.  There is probably a twist coming; I hope it is interesting.
Despite bringing my system to its knees, the game is not graphically impressive. The viewing distance and vegetation are alright, but the character models simply look like something from “last generation”, even when they were new. Since the game has a powerful editor, much of the terrain is piecemeal. Still, it has that authentic DnD charm.
The DnD charm is Neverwinter Nights 2’s greatest strength. It is a legitimate DnD adventure. Even when nothing is happening, you are still surrounded by inns, shopkeeps, dungeons, treasure, and monsters; all familiar DnD creations.
You can also play the campaign co-op over the internet/network. This is currently how I am playing and definitely enjoy it. Or load custom created content made by fans. Entire campaigns of new DnD stories, or abstract new adventures using custom skins representing the crew of the Serenity. NWN2 is as much about the multiplayer as the single player engine.
Overall, I am enjoying it quite a bit so far, but it is not for everyone. It is a traditional western computer RPG, with large amounts of customization, multiplayer, and a long built in campaign. Not the prettiest, or have any particular “wow” factor (yet), but it is a strong base package.
Gears of War 2: bigger and more badass. Bigger baddies, bigger weapons, bigger locations, bigger events, bigger story, and more badass.
I’m currently playing through a campaign co-op romp, and about halfway through. Gears 2 is a great co-op experience game. You can play the Campaign through with a friend (highly recommended over an AI buddy + revives), and through Horde mode with a party total of 5. The campaign co-op is very much the same as Gears 1. In fact, if you take the core mechanics of the game, the controls and combat, Gears 2 plays very similarly to Gears 1. The differences that makes Gears 2 stand out in the campaign are easily the set piece levels.
“The entire hall was in ruins and still in the process of being destroyed, as dozens of combatants hurled weapons, deadly, arcane magics, and themselves at on another in a desperate struggle to be the last one standing. Plumes of acrid green smoke rose from the pile of limp bodies you dragged yourself out of, having barely escaped the wrath of some fiendish spell. There it was – across the way, through the battling throng, through the bloodthirsty battle ahead of you, sitting untouched on a miraculously upright table – your pint of mead! And you’d get it back, if you had to kill every last one of the brawling tavern patrons to do it!”