I must be doing something wrong then... I was hoping it was just early-days jitters, and it would sort itself out. Will look into it. 

Do you really think it being multiplayer only is part of the problem? I really prefer to see multiplayer or singleplayer only game where they focus on one of those parts instead of adding a half-assed version of one of the modes that takes away resources from the main component only to score an extra bullet point on the box.

Anyway it doesn't seem to run very well for me as it is now and although I can see some value being added by the site with friends/stats/matchmaking old Q3 would probably offer a more enjoyable experience currently. 

Do you really think it being multiplayer only is part of the problem

No. My tongue just slipped. 

[is qlive free?] Apparently not, which was the whole point of my post. I consider running your own server a vital part of the package.


Just read the article, from what I can see, you aren't allowed to run your own server, you are in fact buying time on their servers with your $5. He claims this represents good value relative to normal server rental costs, but I have no experience there, so who knows.

Playing on id's servers is "free" if you don't consider looking at ads ingame (and serving as part of the community that they are in fact selling, thereby effectively working for them, unpaid) some kind of price.


Well, this is the premise of ad-supported games I guess, it is what it is. It's free in the monetary sense, but you pay for it by having your eyeballs bombarded with special offers on herbal viagra pills. The game content is degraded, and you can choose to make that sacrifice if you wish. The exciting thing here is that because so many people are cheapskates (hi) those servers are going to be rammed. 

The advertising is quite subtle and not degrading the game in any way for me. Just think of it as random image on the wall (muh_bad but without jesus).

And since I consider QuakeLive more like a "free service" instead of a free game I am totally fine with it. I really hope id can monetise it so it does not vanish in a year. 

"Don't Look Back" -- like a cross between Pitfall and Another World (AKA Out of This World.) Fun enough to play to the end. 

http://www.kongregate.com/games/TerryCavanagh/dont-look-back 

quite decent, its better that you have the option of going stealth or assault rather than forcing you to go one way (which still happens every now and then but at least not all the time).

wasnt used to seeing so much aliasing, for some reason the game turns off AA (even if you force it through desktop) if you select HDR rendering. graphics were decent otherwise without being anything awe inspiring.

did get a bit repetitive towards the end.

overall, good. 

Is chaos theory on the UE3 engine? If so then that would explain the lack of AA. There is some technical reason why UE3 cannot do AA on anything but DX10 hardware but I can't remember what it was.

I have not actually played any of the Splinter Cell games, as I find stealth frustrating in 90% of games (was great in Deus Ex tho), but if the sequels give you more freedom of choice then I might have to check them out. 

not sure, but I think so.

as for the stealth, Chaos theory is no actioner in the normal sense but compared to the other Splinter Cells, the amount of action that could be used was welcome. 

After purchasing a used copy of this game 3 years ago (!), I finally finished it. Overall, the story was interesting but the game was just a bit too difficult. There were a few things, though, that I really appreciated:

1) The mansion hub - while "won't budge" could get a little annoying, I liked the giant haunted house theme and would love to see it implemented in a Quake mod/map pack.

2) The "finish him" animations - it was neat to see how the various baddies dispatched you in Undying, even if it was often awkward and you couldn't fast forward through it :(

3) Creature diversity - from the gypsy terrorists to the giant floating heads with arms, there was a good variety of enemies with just the right amount of evil mixed in. I would like to see someone implement a comprehensive collection of prehistoric monsters in Quake like the base baddies in Quoth (e.g., cavemen with melee and long-distance attacks, dinosaurs, man-eating vegetation, etc.).

That is all. Now I hope to start playing my used copy of Wheel of Time! 

It's one of the good games.

I found that the last 'autumn' section jarred a bit with the rest, but was a great style anyway.

The skeletons were the only misjudged bit - infinitely respawning enemies is ALWAYS a bad idea. 

save for a few tech errors (czg has a great post on them earlier).

Wheel of Time is good fun too, great atmosphere like Undying. 

Indeed.

As was Wheel Of Time. 

i'm also reading the books right now and WoT game should NEVER have been a shooter. :\

i guess cause shooters were all the rage back then, but it would (and still could) make a great rpg. i'm eager to see how dragon age plays. 

BTW, you can 'kill' the skeletons for good with the Invoke spell (or some other spell if I named the wrong one). 

That's it.

Although I always preferred to use after killing a donkey to bring it back to life. 

 

http://www.playnileonline.com/

This is browser game that is free to play and involves building a city and trading materials and goods with other players in order to upgrade your own city status.

Its quite an addictive little thing, perfect for switching to and managing your city for a few minutes every couple of hours to keep things ticking over, just the kind of thing you might want if you are bored at work :)

Try it out if resource management / trading games are you sort of thing! 

http://www.runtimeterror.com/play/rombo/

Its a 3D flash first person action game (some might even say shooter, if you consider casting fireballs as shooting :-P). It took me a while to make (now i know why many 2.5D games used prerendered art instead of hand drawn sprites :-P), although i didn't worked on it all the time (mostly a side project).

Currently there are only five levels, although each level has something new to show (otherwise i could have done much more levels but they would be too 'same').

Btw, there is a dopefish hidden somewhere.
http://gimme.badsectoracula.com/rombodope.png
Can you find it? :-)

Any comments would be appreciated :-)

AH! Before i press the Submit button... do not forget to read the instructions (they're below the story)! Also if you're using firefox, due to a bug i'm trying to squish, do not press the right button or you'll hang your browser! 

hey, cool. Nice old-schoolness. Kind of like if they tried to make Heretic using the wolfenstein engine. 

http://www.destructoid.com/is-the-gaming-press-scared-of-its-readers--127568.phtml 

Aye, good article.

The Killzone 2 review linked from the article is scary though. Fairly happy review with 80% score and over 60 pages of Anonymous and profanity filterd abuse... 

Epic even.

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/hot_new_video_game_consists 

I'd play it... Mainly for the emu headshot

Also, lol at the cure for crying at the end.