Stray questions
-Any information on whether or not Tera is a "traditional" MMO? Meaning shared overworld and minimal instancing.

Diaries need to go. Their presence in Army of Two: TFD was the last straw.

I don't really mind the easy achievements that stack up as you beat the game. They let your friends know where you are in a game and act as a virtual checklist of games you've beaten, but I suppose there are other ways to do that without piling on the achievement points.

Civ V Civ V Civ V
I like your comment about Civ V's one-unit-per-tile rule making the combat in Civ IV feel retroactively dumb. When Civ V was announced I started downloading Civ IV on steam then I went to class. By the time I had a free moment, I had already heard the rumor about Civ V's combat and just uninstalled…

I choose Environmental Storytelling at 3:00!

I think the FPS is the one genre where they can get away with not incorporating it into the design from the get-go. Pointing at the screen should be the ideal way to control a FPS; potentially even better than a mouse and keyboard. IN THEORY.

It appears that the download link over there is broken.

Did the Sundance articles get a features slot? I think they were only on the sidebar too.

Nothing lights up my nostalgia centers more than seeing mention of that game. Do you know if there's any way of procuring that these days?

Apparently they were already demo-ing it with Socom 4 at the event.

Playstation Move
Your sarcasm about the Playstation Move is completely warranted, but I'd like to point out that since it does not use IR (like the WiiMote) that turning the camera in FPS games would be markedly less retarded than on the Wii…at least in theory.

Fourthed? I also really appreciate this type of coverage.

There was this skit on SNL in early 1992 where the Democratic candidates were at a debate which was labeled, "Who will win to lose against Bush?" or something like that. My point: trying to predict anything about a presidential election 3 years out is a pretty pointless exercise.

I think you have an interesting point GhaleonQ. I suppose I wouldn't have any problem with Heavy Rain if it seemed like a more competently directed experience, even if its gameplay remained as shallow.

Fair enough ocean. I do intend to rent it on Tuesday but everything I've seen does not look promising.

I agree with Japan. Games storytelling has had several stellar examples (last year's best was Silent Hill: Shattered Memories) but all those examples tell stories in a way that is unique to games.

Yeah that guy is out of his mind, Chris Roeper I think.

I just want FPS games that have powerups (Big Daddy suit) spawning around the map to go away. I don't want to memorize maps anymore.

I remember the System Shock 2-related backlash that sprouted up when Bioshock was getting rave reviews and it's similar to the Fallout 3 backlash amongst die-hard fans of 1 and 2 in that it smacks a little of I-liked-this-before-it-was-cool syndrome. I agree to a point about System Shock 2, but there is more to games…

I think, perhaps, that you are implying there are some parallels between his posts and the character you described.