Yes. Yes they are absolutely fantastic, I am going through a new Evangelion phase because of them.
I still can't believe there isn't a decent Evangelion video game.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn

Thought for sure someone would have mentioned End of Evangelion by now. 15 years later and I still feel parts of my soul being crushed and scourged by that movie.
That being said, yes, this theory is Stupid, with a big capital S for SO STINKING STUPID.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn

Seems decent, if a bit... umm... Hostel n (where n is an integer greater than 2) - Now on an Island!
Now, do all of that in engine, in gameplay without taking control away from me and you'll have sold me a copy.
Not a great fan of the Frat-boy mentality of the protagonist, but hes on vacation, I'll give him a break.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
(Also, I have no problem with Dubstep.)

This. Please.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn

Hey Publishers, its me, Fallorn. Look, we need to talk.
I am a gamer of varied tastes, and frequently play games from multiple publishers.
Now, now, don't be like that, you always knew this was not an exclusive thing. However, I bring this up because you all seem to be under the same impression that we all only play your games. Each of you seems dead-set on using your own exclusive launchers, log-ins, servers and chatting systems.
This is getting ridiculous.

On my system right now I have games that use the following systems/log-ins:
Steam (as Used by Deus Ex: Human Revolution)
Games for Windows Live (as Used By Arkham City)
Ubisoft uPlay (as Used by Splinter Cell Conviction)
Bioware (as Used by Mass Effect 2)
EA Games (non-Origin) (as Used By Dead Space 2) (These last two may have merged?)
Gamespy (as Used by Command and Conquer 3)

Ironically 4 of those games are all published by EA.

Systems I haven't used yet:
Origin
Desura

And I'm not including things like storefronts (gog.com) or MMO launchers/communities (SWTOR).

ENOUGH.

BY CREATING SEPARATE LAUNCHERS/COMMUNITIES YOU ARE SEGREGATING FRIENDS FROM ONE ANOTHER, AND MAKING IT UNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT ON YOUR CONSUMERS. (caps for emphasis)

What do I want to do: Play Games With My Friends. How much time do I have: not that much.
I really don't have the time or energy after work, marriage and grad school to deal with all of these launchers, when all I want to do is have some fun.

Now, I use Steam. I have a large number of games (200+) invested in Steam, and while I was hesitant at first, it has proven itself time and again, with good sales, innovative features, support for indie games, and reliable stability.

All of the games listed above, I bought on Steam. But, due to publishers segregating communities, I can't just jump into a game of Dead Space 2, or Splinter Cell Conviction multiplayer with my friends. or invite them in to a game. Why? because I have to have a separate log-in, and I have to have a separate username known with each of my friends, and networked via their specific platform. At least with these, I can still use the steam overlay and work out the details of managing whatever mad hoops I have to jump through to get a game going in this system, unlike what it would be with Origin.

The idea of _another_ separate community just makes me nauseous. Dragging my friends into these various launchers, setting up dozens of accounts... ugh. Not to mention that sometimes the systems plain old don't work. Ubisoft's uPlay refused to allow a private match with my friend until we resorted to using random chance by joining random games until we wound up in the same one by accident. Games for Windows Live refuses to let another of my friends log-in, even after multiple re-installs, and getting a new gamer tag... so he can't save any data, so I can't play any games that use that with him. Its... ugh.

In my opinion Steam won about 2 years ago, and you guys weren't even trying. I don't have a problem with competition, competition is lovely. But you need to do so by actually competing! Offer competitive terms, and features, do not keep communities (people who are on Origin) and games (Mass Effect 3, probably Syndicate) hostage.

I like being able to reach all of my friends, invite them to games from any publisher, that I acquired at a reasonable price, having all of my games accessible and installible from one place, with a unified interface I can access at any time, in a stable, unobtrusive way. These are all things that steam does well. Unless you can match these features with an honest level of Parity, you are punishing your consumers every time you use a different launcher.

Looking back I don't know how much this rant made sense, to anybody outside my own head, but I'll go ahead and post it, maybe someone else can clarify my words, I'm just too damn mad now.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't watch that movie. But I would love a painting of that scene to hang in my office. (Bonus points: remove Avatar, add Batman)

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn

+1 For mentioning Death Gate Cycle.
I'm not sure that would fit into the chart cleanly. With no less than... what? 3 systems of magic (Mensch, Rune, and Dragon/Snake/Wave), with often multiple flavors of each (Human/Elven, Patryn/Sartan). Hmmm...
A similar problem starts to occur in DragonLance as soon as you extend it into the 5th Age (And 3rd Edition D&D rules...)
The Dark Sword series should fit just fine though.

If we can extend this into Urban Fantasy:
The Laundry Files, Twenty Palaces, and Sandman Slim should also get some mentions.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn

Where can I get some of those as action figures?
Also, I will chime in on the chorus for a full length movie version, please.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
One of the most delightfully insane parts of Hercules in New York has to be when Arnold calls upon Sampson (as in Sampson and Delilah) to help him out.
In an immediately subsequent scene Zeus is pissed off for some reason or another. Our personal theory is that he was really displeased that Hercules apparently went over zeus's head to the christian/jewish god to get Sampson's help.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
I was under the impression that the whole idea of The Mongoliad was to be an interactive, hypertext book? Are they doing a pared-down print edition as well? Is it like printing out an entire wiki?

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
Failure: Insufficient American Flags and Explosions and Scenes took place at times other than Sunset.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
I guess this is the nail in the coffin for the additional Heavy Rain DLC?

I am very torn on this.
I really dug Heavy Rain (And Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy before it). I recognize the plot holes, but I loved them regardless.
I want more innovation in games, and am excited by what Cage will do next, which I am certain will be similarly exciting (if narratively flawed)
But innovation in a AAA quality title takes time. Like 3-5 years minimum it seems, and I am pretty damned hungry for more Heavy Rain-esque experiences.

Cage, I appreciate what you are trying to do, and the call for more innovation is great. But I need more of these games, and looking around, right now you are the only person making them...
So, even in light of "George RR Martin is not your bitch" second thoughts on my position, and the desire to see innovation. I implore you to sell out (just a little bit) to get more of these games out there.

Maybe we can compromise? Can you diversify? Put a team on More Heavy Rain DLC (maybe patching a couple of plot holes), or more games using this methodology and tech? Hell, even a remake of Fahrenheit in the Heavy Rain engine, maybe with the "Missing Month" added to narratively support the rising Purple and Orange clan conflicts? (Okay I realize I'm just dreaming now) Meanwhile the design team can be busy with preproduction (and additional script-writing :cough:checking for plot holes:cough:) for your Next Big Innovative Thing?

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
Only book I might add to the list is Circle of Enemies by Harry Connolly.
Really enjoyed the other Twenty Palaces novels (read the other two in a week earlier this year) Dark Urban fantasy, Lovecraftian universe, and a main character who is underpowered for the universe and isn't a giant asshole (Unlike a lot of other Cyberpunk/Urban Fantasy I've been reading recently: See Jeff Somers' and Richard Kadrey's novels [I hope that Kill the Dead is better than Sandman Slim])
Connolly's books aren't the best I've ever read, but damned enjoyable.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
(Also Really Looking forward to Reamde)
I went in a pre-ordered the Deus Ex Human Revolution Augmented Edition from Gamestop, and picked it up yesterday.

Not only did I not get the OnLive coupon (unhappy) but I also didn't get the pre-order bonuses!

Seriously F***ed up and more than a little angry.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
I'm glad someone else saw it.
Also @ 6:49 on the building.

Its not _quite_ the tri-optimum logo (inner triangle is facing the wrong direction.
But it did give me a thrill for just a moment.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS. THIS.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
I'm sorry, but this load that they are shoveling is insulting our intelligence.
Kinekt voice recognition is likely just as easy to use as the voice recognition software that is BUILT IN to all modern (post XP) windows operating systems. You know, that operating system, made by the same frakin' company? I'd be willing to bet they even use iterations of the same software underneath... the Speech API that microsoft developed back in 2004 or so, the one that was used by the choreographer tool for HL2 modding.
Except of course I guess it could be problematic... having the microphone actually closer than 5 feet from the user. You know like in front of their mouths... on something like a... headset. Something the users could buy for cheap...
And since it looks like you are going to have it only recognize a handful of phrases anyway... something that many games and software have been able to do relatively accurately since before 2000...
RRRRRGGGG....

Not even angry about the game, just angry about the lying about it.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
(who still hasn't played more than 2 hours of mass effect 1)
I'm guessing you don't actually live around LA.
The "Santa Ana" winds actually do go through LA. Its a seasonal thing, and it has next to nothing to do with the city of Santa Ana (although they do get them there as well). It plays hell with my asthma every year. There is a fair amount of superstition surrounding these hot dry winds, and while no one is sure where the name came from, it has been suggested that the name "santa ana winds" is actually a corruption of the original spanish for vientos de Satán ("winds of Satan").
Its even been referenced in classic works of Noir fiction set in Pasadena (basically just north of LA):

" There was a desert wind blowing that night. It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands' necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge. "
—Raymond Chandler, "Red Wind"

reference for further reading if you really want to learn more:
[en.wikipedia.org]

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
As someone who has been seriously enjoying alpha protocol (but hating on the frequent bugs) I would be totally down for Bioware to pick up the ball on this.
Also, as mentioned below, Lovecraftian RPG would be difficult, but awesome if done right.
Or... buy the license from Flying Lab Software (who never completed their version) and do a Delta Green game and do both at the same time. (Head would explode from pure nerd joy)
Or Charles Stross's The Laundry Files...

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
( Would be happy to share his campaign notes with Bioware if desired ;-P )
You seem a little confused about the robins. There have actually been 3 different people who were robin: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, and Tim Drake (In order of succession).
Dick Grayson got fed up with batman and became Nightwing. (and became batman for a short period of time, but thats a different story)
Jason Todd got the shit beaten out of him and blown up. (due to popular demand! no really: [en.wikipedia.org] But as is the way with all comic book characters he eventually turns back up as Red Hood.
Tim Drake is the latest robin (as far I know anyway) and still holds that title.
(I think there has also been a female robin in the Frank Miller run in Dark Knight Returns that takes place in what is considered the "future" in the franchise, or at least one version of it, Haven't read that stuff)

I have trouble taking the young wise-cracking appeal to younger demographic robins seriously, but I have recently become a fan of older robins seeking their separate identity from batman. I think the recent Batman: Under the Red Hood cartoon helped that immensely and I am finally not groaning and rolling my eyes at every appearance by the bright red and green target.

Be Seeing You,
Fallorn
We Come from the Future
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