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ArbitraryWater

Internet man with questionable sense of priorities

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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#1  Edited By ArbitraryWater

Got it, but who on earth is this guy?

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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#2  Edited By ArbitraryWater
@keyhunter:  Elaborate. What makes it the best game ever? I want at least a 5 paragraph essay! (although a few sentences will suffice)
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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#3  Edited By ArbitraryWater
@Symphony said:
" Blarg, none of these sound like my kinda games... Hm... I vote for Arcanum cause it has the coolest name! "
Oh, well I'm sorry that there aren't enough emo spiky haired teens or bullshit melodrama to suit your weaboo tastes  *sarcasm*  
 
But yes, Arcanum is a pretty cool name, even if the subtitle: "Of Steamworks and Magicks Obscura" makes it sound like the game was made by a bunch of pretentious high fantasy twats. Which it probably was, but then again most CRPGs are.
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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#4  Edited By ArbitraryWater

Hello all. Once again it's time for me to ask you, the public, what games you would like me to play, hopefully beat, and summarily write a blog thing about.  You may remember me deciding to play and finish Jade Empire. After a few hours with the game's horrendous combat system I gave up. There is still a chance I might finish it, being that I liked the direction the story was going and I am a stupid huge fan of Bioware, but for now let's focus on the new candidates, all of which are RPGs that came out before 2004.
 
 Really. If you pick this I have a good 45% chance of actually finishing it.
 Really. If you pick this I have a good 45% chance of actually finishing it.

Coming in at #1, Fallout 2.

Although the original Fallout was a target of my most recent diatribe, this time on the legions of worthless character building options in older CRPGs I forgot to mention that Fallout 2 doesn't fall under that issue nearly as much as it's predecessor. However, the opening windup in F2 is much slower than its predecessor, and that isn't fun at all. However, after reinstalling the first one, I remembered how much I liked it, and figure that I probably could suck it up and try to finish it. However, I understand that there is a restoration mod that not only fixes F2's myriad of bugs but also adds some cut content (Oh Black Isle, even the studios that spawned out of your festering corpse have this problem). If you vote for F2, also include if you want me to install this or not, so I don't "dilute the experience", or something.
 
 Dave   Snider Approved!
 Dave Snider Approved!

Numero Dos: Temple of Elemental Evil

If Baldur's Gate 2 is the vanilla standard for all good D&D CRPGs, then Temple of Elemental Evil is some weird lime flavored sorbet that has LOW FAT written above the name tag. (For the record, Neverwinter Ni ghts is chocolate, Icewind Dale is Cookies and Cream, and Planescape is Mixed Berry). For those who don't know (which I assume is a lot of people. I don't remember hearing a about this game until a few months ago.) TOEE attempts to not only recreate a classic Pen and Paper D&D adventure, but also recreate the D&D 3.5 ruleset in its entirety, as opposed to the more accessible or "watered down" version found in NWN. That means tumble rolls, trip attacks, and spiked chains. It's also #1 on Dave Snider's list that was part of last year's April Fools Joke.That sounds like the kind of crazy I approve of, and it's made by the now-defunct Troika Games. However, it also had a bunch of bugs and was kinda broken in some spots (If you don't know, Troika was made up of former Fallout developers. Coincidence?), so I have decided that I am using the Fix Pack.
Also Dave Snider Approved!
Also Dave Snider Approved!

Continuing the level of inane obscurity... Arcanum.

Also made by Troika, and also #2 on Dave's List, Arcanum is a game with an incredibly unique setting, basically the concept of a fantasy world thrust into the Victorian Era of flintlock pistols, trains and electricity with a little steampunk thrown in for good measure. That sounds alright, even if the combat is apparently ass and technician characters suck. I really don't know much otherwise, but I guess it sounds like a decent enough title.  However, since I know so little about it my chance of success with be lowered somewhat.
 
 
 
 

Dude, I don't know. It's like Elder Scrolls?
Dude, I don't know. It's like Elder Scrolls?

However, in terms of not knowing anything about a title, yet understanding that a lot of people like it... Gothic wins this blog.

It's $10 on Good Old Games. I hear people in germany like it, and that's about all I know. Even if you aren't voting for it, you could at least tell me what the hell it actually is and if it's even a viable choice or not.
 
And that's my list. Since I can't have a blog and a poll in the same topic, you are going to have to vocalize your decision. Sorry. Also, be assured that I will continue to play Wizardry 8 regardless of how any of these titles turn out for me (coincidentally? It's #3 on Dave's List. That man has taste). So then, get to voting!
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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#5  Edited By ArbitraryWater
Even though I think you all have a misguided sense of entitlement in somehow assuming that the Stimulus Map Pack should have been $5 less by your lofty, MW2 hating assumptions, $20 for a map pack sounds like the worst fucking thing ever. That's 1/3 of the cost of the game right there.
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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#6  Edited By ArbitraryWater

I can't tell if you deserve a hug or a punch in the face for making this song even more catchy.

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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#7  Edited By ArbitraryWater

Uhhh... no. Even having played almost no alpha, I get the impression that Adon has never been a very popular character. Guy and Cody make sense, but Adon's inclusion seems baffling. Nothing about his playstyle really seems appealing to me.

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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#8  Edited By ArbitraryWater

Holy Shit. It is Gerstmanngate all over again.

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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#9  Edited By ArbitraryWater
@Video_Game_King said:

" @Binman88 said:

" Yes sir it is. "
No, it isn't; that title belongs to Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu. "
Sadly, I'm pretty sure everyone except me and the other two hardcore FE fans in the GB community still don't know what the hell that game is.. Blame Japan. Or blame people sucking at strategy games. I am liable to agree with you, in some form or another. FE4 is probably in my top 20, if not my top 15.
 
Ocarina of Time is definitely a title that deserves a lot of the praise it gets, and it probably ties with Mario 64 in terms of the significance in the development of 3D games. However, for as much as I enjoy it (especially in comparison to the other three 3D zelda games), I feel that it's too easy an answer, almost a cop out in a way. A person who plays a variety of video games on a regular basis should be able to be a little more creative with their choices. For the record, I think that going the opposite direction, and picking something super niche or underperforming like Psychonauts, Beyond Good and Evil, Xenogears or Ico is a cop out too, albeit in a more counter-culture way.
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ArbitraryWater

16104

Forum Posts

5585

Wiki Points

655

Followers

Reviews: 8

User Lists: 66

#10  Edited By ArbitraryWater

The way thievery was handled in oblivion was alright, as was the way the thieves' guild progression worked (you had to fence X gold worth of stolen goods to get the next job). I assume the same for fallout 3, considering it's a similar mechanic in the same engine. Thief did the act of going into some wealthy dude's mansion and taking everything not bolted to the floor quite well.
 
However, unlike real P&P D&D, I never really understood the use for stealth in any D&D video game. Sure, you could scout, but the ability to reload your save doesn't make that information as critical. You could backstab (or sneak attack, depending on what game we are talking about) fools, but setting up backstabs in Infinity Engine games is a pain, and there are other ways to sneak attack in 3rd Ed.