There is a set of standard moves in the game which the architecture is pretty much tuned to. With practice it's possible to judge what moves are possible where.
There is and i'm starting to recognize it a bit more, but the more advanced (and fun!) moves such as multiple wall running are rarely explicitly pointed out, so I end up missing them and don't really practice it.

I find combat is also pretty cool in ME
i haven't really explored combat at all! usually I just run away.
the few times where i've been forced to fight, i just treat it like a normal shooter and easily finish npcs without needing more than the first gun i grab.
but i don't do it unless i need to because killing the npcs feels strangely wrong in this game even though they are faceless evil dudes trying to kill me. 

Yeah... I think the PKs have it coming though, so those are fair game. 

Anyone interested in Br�tal Legend and FTL: Faster Than Light? I have spare Steam keys. 

humble bundle? 

it lives! 

my lazy brains...:) 

I've got an FTL one as well, but I tried plugging it into steam to see what'd happen and nothing did. Not sure if that makes it invalid or not.

Mark of the Ninja is just as good as everyone's being saying. 

I'd be interested in FTL.
My Steam handle is Zynith. 

These bundles... I have too many unplayed games in my steam list. I've just stopped buying them. FTL is something I genuinely wanna play though. 

System Shock 2 is really hard to get back into after 3 weeks without. The maps are terrible. I just found out that you can press N to leave markers though. Died shortly after because my fingers missed the reload button and I panicked.

This game is so damn much ahead of HL in having a coherent, tight atmosphere and story. HL had more vista and diversity though so that might be better. 

Was much more accessible :)

The design was much more player friendly and well rounded. 

Spirit's average game impression: http://i.imgur.com/1YrIG.jpg%3C/span%3E

Spiney: Got an email address? If non-public, send me one. 

ptr[dot]vrhvn[at]gmail[dotcom] 

you got the wrong impression and I meant the maps (cartographic), not levels. 

FTL is a bit disappointing, so many good reviews for a straightforward grinding and leveling game? I dunno... art is also kind of a mess.
I did pour half a day into it, so thanks for the key :P

Giving Amnesia another try. 

yes, it looks boring to me too. i don't know why everyone likes it. there's nothing to it, you jump go from random encounter to random encounter until the game forces itself to completion. 

my impression as well. but even rogue-like-likers like it?! 

well, it is very roguelike, is it not? totally random with discreet combat events.

but i don't like roguelikes either. :) 

I don't get why people like Quake either, all you do is maneuver a pawn around a layout and click on enemy pawns endlessly... and the layouts and positions are the same every time! 

I thought it was great, the gameplay is original, and the rogue-like elements work well. Each playthrough is quite different, and using different ships makes for even more diversity.

I like rogue-likes though.

BTW Spelunky is awesome. 

I value the aesthetic qualities from maps in Quake far more than the replayability of FTL. Obviously, I would love endless streams of maps in Quake, but if the choice was between hand-crafted maps and endless random ones that were like Oblige maps, then it's not a choice at all. 

yep I pay quake more for the level design and admiring what you guys build, rather than the gameplay. 

I liked it once I tried to complete the quests of unlocking the additional ships. It got boring once I got them all though. And some were pretty frustrating to get - the crystal one for example.

I liked the game, but it could have done with more written content and stronger linked events to make it more interesting. 

I think Quake still has some of the best fps gameplay to date, well except for the base parts perhaps, the soldiers just don't compare to the other monsters. Especially with Quoth the game is just awesome imo.

FTL: It does have some qualities though, and it's quite difficult. I've gotten to the end a dozen times (on easy, haha), but beating the boss feels impossible. I found that if you want to stand a chance in the later levels you just need to fight constantly in order to keep monetizing.
And sometimes you just die in silly ways, like an enemy using multiple ion weapons on your shields in the midst of a supernova.
I also lost 6 of my 7 person crew once because I forgot to close my hull doors between 2 jumps. Apparently the air sound stops playing when you do that, and I was wondering why my oxygen level kept dropping, haha.
All in all though, I feel I'd rather play something like Masters of Orion instead. The rebel fleet pursuit feels kind of forced and the game starts repeating itself very quickly. Games that rely purely on leveling for macro progression just don't do it for me. The clever RPGs are the ones that manage to sidestep that, make enough room for skill and alternate playing styles. I tried to unlock the pacifist achievement, but there's just no way I can get enough scrap to upgrade my defenses and FTL that way.
Those things just make the game feel more shallow than it should be. 

Is the worst in the game, after a few plays you'll unlock b type variants and new ships just by getting through, or near enough. Check out the conditions on the achievements page.

It does lean towards learning more than leveling, but the learning curve is pretty steep.