I've finally figured it out - I don't like games without endings. I'm there playing Torchlight or Sins of a Solar Empire or Spore building more and more shit, trying to stave off the suspicion that I'm completely wasting my time and stopped enjoying the game days or weeks earlier.

Replay value is fine, but don't ask me to make stuff inside your game unless it something to do with game externals.

Thing is I know I have to keep playing Torchlight for a while now because I was stupid enough to buy it even though I already got bored of fate and by the dev's own admission they only repackaged old concepts to get enough money to make a Torchlight MMO.

Next time something comes along promising endless worlds or user created content (only complete idiots will think that of any use - I want to lay good levels designed for fun play thank you) I'm going to smile and nod and beat it to a pulp with a half brick.

When did infinite = enjoyable. 

. . . and should have . . .

Rock on with the errors. 

Not a fan of Quake then, huh? 

I think he has you there, ijed. 

Quake does end though - totals and time screen.

Once you've chopped your way out of Shub's guts going back and doing it again is up to you.

There's no 'play from the start again and you get slightly better stuff' lure. 

it's the lures I don't like.

I'll happily play L4D2 until, well, they release L4D3 because I'm playing it for fun, not grinding for loot or XP. 

Well that just seems like you don't find loot or XP fun; Others do. SO essentially you just don't like RPGs? Or at least RPGs that don't really have a definite ending? 

I'd put Spore or Sins in the same category. You build stuff. Next time you might see a slightly different permutation of the environment / situation so you are lured into playing again.

Until after X playthroughs you can't be bothered anymore and finally drop the game, feeling like a dunce for having bought it and wasted your time.

But that's me.

One these sorts of systems will finally live up to the complexity that they need to be for me to find this type of design entertaining.

So I guess I'm complaining about a few different things, but stuff being made as 'endless' in whatever way is the closest I can put my finger on. 

I'm having the same problem with torch light.

It was also a huge problem for me with plants vs zombies - once you finish the challenges there is the zen garden, and that big tree etc - but nothing to ACCOMPLISH.
...Still an awesome game considering I paid like, what, five dollars? 

Wrote a review, for those who may be interested. Haven't reviewed a game in a while, but plan to do them a little more often than before.

http://taw.duke4.net/2010/01/game-reviews/borderlands/ 

This is pretty cool. All kinds of classic 80s/90s games on multiple platforms. Requires Java.

DOS: http://dosdose.com
C64: http://c64s.com
NES: http://nintendo8.com
Gameboy: http://gbemul.com
Sega MS: http://mastersystem8.com 

Does not work well under firefox, need to use IE... bah, too old games 

Absolutely sick deal, you can get Psychonauts for a quid on steam right now, go go go!

http://store.steampowered.com/app/3830/

I lost my copy, can't wait to finish it finally... 

I have been wanting to play this game for a while! 

thanks for the nudge - downloading. 

I was just about to say something about this. 

It's out, #tf is going crazy over it, and yet there's nothing here.

In short, it feels like enjoying a very good meal, only your chair isn't as comfortable as you'd like, and it keeps reminding you of it every once in a while.

If you rebind your keys, the tutorial and tips aren't changed, the key for springting and taking cover is stupidly combined, there's no way to access your journal or codex directly.

Other than that, pretty much everything is improved from the first game. Combat is overhauled now so cover actually matters, combining different powers with shooting is a valid way to play, the graphics and the environments are a hundred times more interesting, and there seems to be much more unique content. I suppose they're still using the Unreal engine, but this time around they're actually utiziling its features. The only problem really is the somewhat clunky character animation, especially after seeing Modern Warfare and Steam games in action. Mordin the commando/scientist/doctor is among the funniest Bioware characters since HK in Knights of the Old Republic.

Michael Hogan, Martin Sheen and Michael Dorn were the voices I immediately recognized.

I just have too much damn palladium. 

springting and taking cover is stupidly combined

Like Gears of War then?

Mass Effect bored me when I played it. There was this one bit where my squad all got into a really big elevator and it showed the whole trip down the shaft (lol) then when I got to the bottom and opened the door I got a loading screen. Very bad. 

(yes, the new one!)

Multiplayer demo, you can be any of the 3 races and play deathmatch on 1 map.

I had such high hopes for this, but alas I am very sad to report that it is return of the fucking console shooter port.

- Movement is wooden, feels like you are sliding along the floor rather than walking/running.

- Someone can run up behind you, press "e" and instakill you, there is nothing you can do about this. Yes you read that right - there really is an "I WIN!" button in this game.

- The predator starts off with his wristblades, and thats it. Your other weapons are scattered around the level as pickups. This felt wrong to me =) Its the same as marine, you start with a pulse rifle and pickup other weapons as you find them, this is more acceptable.

- The level, is a corridor maze... There is 1 central room and then...Corridors! And the old fps staple.. Crates!

- It uses the same sort of match-making as modern warfare 2. Also, it took 15 minutes (no lie) of "searching for game..." before I actually got into one.

+ Textures and models are ace, especially the alien hive textures.

+ Marine motion tracker & pulse rifle feel very good.

+ It runs at 30-60fps, even on my oldman pc. I guess this is the 1 thing I can thank the PS3/360 for =)

I'll give the single-player demo a whirl for sure if there is one, but multiplayer is a joke.

I am very sad now :( 

Awww man, I was really looking forward to the multiplayer... =(
Will check it out this evening. 

 

I just tried the demo, and I dont think I hate it as much as DaZ.

The graphics are very nice indeed, it runs pretty good on this mid-level PC (9800GT), the level is a bit more than room - corridor - room. There are storgae rooms, office type lab bits, large atrium areas and cool hive bits. There are vehicles and stuff, there are crates too but they look smart.

The movement - well I tried the Marine, and it's no worse than Doom 3 or the first half of Quake 4.

The predator starts off with his wristblades, and thats it. Your other weapons are scattered around the level as pickups. This felt wrong to me =)

I must admit that I only played for 5 mins (heh) and in that time I got killed by a Predator atleast three times just because he was cloaked and killed me with the wristblades.

Cant wait to get home from work and try this on my home PC with the volume a bit louder ;)

Dunno - I think that it felt pretty good, very atmospheric. And the animations are also sweet :)

(I'm probably bias, but I dont feel like Im being dishonest, whatever) 

The predator starts off with his wristblades, and thats it. Your other weapons are scattered around the level as pickups. This felt wrong to me =)

The above paragraph was meant to be in white in the previous post, I was quoting from Daz's post. 

Cool top-down shooter, kind of like SmashTV with inventory management and more nonlinearity.

http://www.rocksolidarcade.com/static/robokill2/robokill2.swf 

Heh, it's so messy. Nobody knows how it works and it's basically 'press all buttons at once and hope for the best'. It's also laggy as hell and might take ages to find a server. SP demo plz.