I had a blast with 3, it was like the game was designed specifically for my limited attention span.  It didn't hurt that I bought SR3 through one of the great Steam sales.  I loved the freedom and gameplay of Just Cause 2, and SR3 hit on a lot of what I liked in JC2.  I'm all for a new SR. 

Rollercoaster Tycoon is a good example of something they're trying to do that was already done better...10+ years ago (minus the multiplayer requirements/features). 

It's funny that the mod community quickly removed the online timer when EA/Maxis said it just wasn't possible.

I think it would be great if Pope Francis gave another short speech later today, where he would step up to a podium and say, "Women can be priests, priests can marry.  That is all.", and walk away.  That would be like a pope walk off homer.   

Farting is funny

Unless it's a SBD...those are never funny.  The whodunnit group detective work that follows afterwards can be funny, but not the actual SBD. 

At first I thought Rick was going to be outmaneuvered and outplayed by the Gov.  Rick's speech post-meeting back at the prison was awesome, and made me think that Rick saw 100% through the Gov's deception.  But then his one on one with Hershel was dissapointing, because he admits to being in full contemplation of the Michonne swap proposal.  So in the episode I went from thinking Rick was out of his league, to feeling good that he saw through the deception and BS, back to thinking he's being outplayed.

Come on Rick, that SOB is going to kill all of you the second he gets the chance.  And Rick knows about all of the evil shit the Gov's done courtesy of Michonne.  So he's actually thinking about trading her back for the Gov's promise of peace?  That's idiotic on the level of Andrea's naive stupidity.  

There's only one option that minimizes the losses on both sides, and Merle was the only person to bring it up.  Kill the Governor.  The rest of Woodbury are mostly people who just want to survive.  Merle's approach is actually the least violent of all, especially if they were able to isolate the Gov away from Woodbury.      

Edited: I forgot to add that Merle's value to the group, as much as I can't stand him as a person, is that his tactics and strategy are almost always good when it comes to fighting.  If I'm remembering right, he's the only one in the group who actually served in the military before the ZA.  I don't think they've ever mentioned when, where and how he served, but he's had military training.  Every now and then it will surface when he gives his thoughts on the tactics of a situation (usually without any tact).   

I never talk about games outside of my own family.  As has already been expressed well, the divide between gamers and non-gamers is often times too much to cross, or takes too much effort.  The outcome of a long discussion with a non-gamer will most likely just reinforce their perception that games are juvenile...or worse, and that there's something wrong with us for liking them (at our age).

I've noticed that the generation of my elementary school aged kids don't even bat an eye about it, unless their parents are strong anti-gamers, and have programmed their kids that games are evil.  All of my kids are gamers, even my youngest who loves driving cars around in Need for Speed.  My biggest challenge is moderating their play time to balance out with the other important areas of their lives.  I think the younger generations are helping to make gaming more acceptable.

My wife is not a gamer, but will appreciate artistic games, good stories, or games that help push and challenge development with our kids.  I've specifically asked her not to mention gaming things that we talk about with her family or friends.  "Hey my husband just hit level 80 on his engineer last week in Guild Wars 2...I'm so happy for him.  He told me he doesn't get to max level in most MMOs, well except for Age of Conan...but he said that game actually gave him levels even when he wasn't playing", would be met with raised eyebrows and complete disbelief from her mom friends in the neighborhood, who would when then pass on horribly botched grapevine version to their husbands.

I'm convinced that many parents are closest gamers that act one way in public, but get back home and iOS game, or work on their SWTOR bounty hunter.   

Yuck.  That's the worst kind of customer service.  So they can ban someone from access to games they already purchased on Origins?  So basically they don't truly own the digital games they purchased?  That doesn't seem legal. 

Wow...they're already at 2.1 million.  It's awesome to see this kind of support for a single player rpg.  If a concept like this can raise over 2 million in 1 day from potential customers and supporters, shouldn't the big publishers take notice that people still want good single player games? 

I played a ton of Space Hulk.  It was my first introduction to the Warhammer 40k universe.  I'm feeling some serious nostalgia after seeing those screenshots.

If they really were committed to their agenda of destruction, they should spend all their defense budget on mmo development featuring horrific level and item grinds, and turn the youth of SK into a nation of mmo zombie addicts.  They don't need to resort to violence and bravado.  MMOs should be their weapon of mass destruction.     

I so want to click on that link, but I'm afraid to because I'm on my work laptop.  Is it safe on the other side of that link?

Is that Blackjack editing?  That was awesome.

I'd want to see a walkers musical and singing number in the spirit of the goblin and orc songs from The Hobbit (book).  Or maybe the walkers inside the prison perimeter could torment the gang with '80s and '90s broadway songs.  I think Daryl would break first, followed by Carl, then Rick.  Surprisingly, Merle wouldn't break at all, since he secretly adores broadway, and has a cd collection stashed back at Woodbury that he misses terribly.         

He's a Furion Necromonger Lord, how much more powerful can he get? 

I wonder if the writers had intended on Andrea's character being as hated as she's become.  She really is an annoying character who seems unreasonably naive and clueless.  Not only that, but she has seen things in Woodbury that would have made most people either run for the hills, or organize an overthrow if they had the means. 

I've heard that the comic version of Andrea is very different...that she's a badass.   

The thing for me about the cars isn't the gas, it was how spotless the truck was when Glenn was getting ready to drive away.  All the characters look like they haven't seen a shower in a year but the cars look like they just came off the lot.

The blatant car sponsorship on the show can be really funny, especially when the cars are showroom pristine, as you mentioned.  One of the motorcycle companies should sponsor Daryl's bike.  Scratch that, I just looked at some pictures of his bike and I forgot that it has a big SS symbol on it.    

IMO, KOTOR was the best Star Wars experience since ESB.  I'd love to see a movie, if it was done well.

Agreed.  Most of Kotor2 was good too. 

I can't believe I missed this oversight from the last episode.  Nice shooting governor

I don't know how the handheld remains relevant, unless it's directly tied into the functionality of the new consoles.  Remote gaming, or coop gaming using the handheld plus the console.  I know that's what Nintendo was thinking, but their tablet controller isn't something that I would want to take with me as a stand alone gaming device.  It would have to be something that could be used with the new consoles or PC, and be used on the road.  Even then, I'm not sure it would do well against all of the tablets and smartphones.

So it was little funny hearing the radio newscaster talk about Apple's "eye oss" devices.

That's funny.  I'm sure many people have pointed out that mistake to that newscaster, who was probably just reading script.  That's worthy of a few days or weeks of professional ribbing.  It would be like a newscaster teasing about Windows 10, the new oss being developed by Microsoft.      

Woo I love this time period just before the new consoles start coming out! It's a shame that we only get to see this once every 7 years or so now.

For the sake of our wallets and bank accounts I'm glad it only happens every 7 years.  I agree though, it is fun.  I'm just as interested in seeing how both companies handle the business and marketing side of things as I am to learn about the details of the consoles themselves.  That Sony had their shit together early enough to take the gloves off first is a promising sign for this console generation...for all customers.  I'm looking forward to seeing MS's reveal.  

I wonder what will happen to the WiiU?  I don't really consider it a next gen console, even though I guess I should.  I have a feeling it's going to get completely lost in the new Xbox and PS4 hype.    

I think the social integration stuff is important for the kids, so I can see why it keeps getting added to everything, but personally, I don't want the rest of the world knowing how much time I spend gaming.  I imagine this will hold true for the kids as they get older, too.  It seems like this kind of integration is going to be flash in the pan.  We're in the flash now, though.

Good point.  I'm counting on there being an option to disable the public advertising of what I'm doing and playing, and I don't have to link to any social outlets.  But the option is there to have all of that integrated if you wanted.  Would you like to link to your FB, Twitter or Youtube accounts?  No.  And then it would just move onto the next part of the new user setup.

Oh hell no.  Let me guess, the next step in the research is to determine how to initiate the change through viral delivery?

I like that the PS4 marketing seems to aimed directly at gamers (and developers), and that they're not trying to go after everyone...yet.  It will be interesting to see if that strategy pays off, especially if MS goes more mainstream casual with its marketing.

I agree on the current gen controllers.  While I don't mind the PS3 controller, the 360 feels more comfortable.  I have long fingers, and they start to feel cramped on the PS3 controller after awhile, especially my right thumb working the face buttons.  But I have freaky long thumbs, so I'm probably not a good benchmark.  

That's the kind of bad work day that puts other bad work days in perspective.  Sorry to hear about your drawings.  It sounds like a scene from an exorcist movie.  I really hope she didn't have something like the norovirus, or your bad day will unfortunately last for another 3-5 days.   

Does gas go bad sitting in cars? How are they still driving around a year later?

Watching the Gov shooting into the air and standing in the open while bullets fly around him makes him seem like an idiot.

I've wondered about the gas too.  I think we're supposed to believe that they are mostly siphoning gas from abandoned vehicles.  I'm not sure how to get gas out of a gas station's underground tanks without a working pump...and a way to actually get access to the tanks.  There must be a way.  I have no idea how long gas can sit around before going bad, if that's possible.   

I took the scarface shooting into the air as a blatant reminder to the viewers that the Governer is crazy.  It wasn't necessary, and came off as silly and a waste of good ammo.

I hope those aren't the real prices.  Over $500 is a lot to ask when there are plenty of great games still out there for the PS3 and 360.  At that price point they would really have to blow the doors off the current gen consoles.  I didn't pick up my PS3 until late in the current generation, at a much more reasonable price than the $600 something they originally launched with.  I may do the same thing this time if the prices are +$500 for the SKU with the better storage options.

I was just thinking about this the other day too.  While I don't have nearly as many phone numbers memorized as I did when I was a teen, I think I've replaced that functional part of my brain with all of my login passwords.  My brain was much better wired when I was a kid to receive phone numbers and memorize them without having to write them down.  Today when someone starts rattling off their phone number they might was well be speaking a different language to me.  We're so lazy now.  Just email/text me your contact info, I can't be bothered to write it down or make my brain remember it.   

[Spoiler]

Spoiler for Hiden:

I thought the handlebar moustache prisoner was going to get it when he was telling the story about his robbery while stacking up tables on the bridge walkway.  When that didn't happen, I knew it was coming when they were joking around in the courtyard.  His sole purpose was to be fodder at some point.  As soon as he started giving his backstory I knew his time had expired.  RIP nice robber.

I'm looking forward to the crazy Rick phase ending.  And Andrea is just a horribly stupid character.  Lots of things to like in this episode though:

Spoiler for Hiden:

- Daryl being a hero on the bridge and returning to the group
- Michonne in action dispatching walkers with her katana
- Hershel trying to be the voice of reason, in a fatherly way, to both Glen and Rick.  He's been a lifeline for Rick many times over
- Zombie terrorism.  I knew that truck was packed with zombies.  
- The Gov's assault worked well.  He could've pushed a little further, but he knows Rick's group are hardened warriors, and probably wasn't ready to commit to an all out attack...and die.  He was testing their lines, and testing a new technique (using walkers against other humans as a weapon)

   

In terms of total playtime, it would be 1&2 and Alpha Centauri.  I have 5 but I haven't spent a lot of time with it. 

Phillip is really entertaining to watch.  I can't tell if he's insane, or just really clever.  Either way, he's funny to watch.  There should be a rule against male contestants wearing tighty whities, or in Phillips case, tighty pinks.  There's just no reason to subject the audience to this. 

Fran deserved to be voted out.  She should have played the wallflower, not stir things up with Phillip.  After 2 attempts, she doesn't seem to get the game.

I've always wondered why more contestants don't get sunburned.  The medical staff must hand out or administer sunscreen behind the scenes.  I would burn like Cochran without using sunscreen.     

I agree, the scariest werewolves would benefit from the mobility and speed of using all 4, but could also stand up and fight using claw like hands.  I don't like the full shapeshift versions where they turn 100% into a wolf.  That's not a werewolf to me.  That's a shapeshifter.   

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I overestimated my ability to make a smooth transition.  I thought I could just roll with it like I had done with everything else in my life.  It took me about 2-3 years to really accept that I was a civilian, and to be ok with it.  That's not to say I was a failure during that time, my first job after the Corps was good, it was more the emotional reality that I was no longer a Marine that hit me the hardest.  Sure, once a Marine always a Marine, but it's different as a civilian.  Being a Marine was my indentity, 24/7.  It was a calling for me.  There aren't many occupations out there where you are your job, if that makes sense.  I really underestimated how tough it would be to let most of that go, and be ok with it.

For me it was accepting doing a job to provide for my family versus doing a job that was a calling, that served almost as a label.  It's hard to replicate that feeling.  What helped me was meeting other veterans who were in the same position I was in, or who had been through that transition.  It's also how I got my first job, a veteran Marine was the hiring manager for a veterans hiring program for that company.  They were looking for first and middle level leaders that already had proven leadership experience that they could teach the business.  It was an awesome experience for me.  Like a real world crash course welcome to the business world.  

My biggest recommendation is to hook up with other veterans, get plugged into those communities locally.  Many, many veterans are hiring managers or in positions where they know hiring managers.  Both jobs I've had since I left the Corps were 100% a result of running into a vet who happened to be the hiring manager.  It makes a big difference.  They don't need a translation of the DD214, they already know the value of your service, and they also understand how long the transition really takes.  

Fast forward to today, and while I miss the culture and the community, and some of the excitement, I appreciate not having to deploy all the time.  I don't miss the constant seperation, or living in the sand, or the dirt.  I've been able to see major milestones in my kids development that I know I would've missed.  The biggest thing was I had to be at peace with not being a war fighter, not being the tip of the spear.  I had to accept that my contributions are different now.  I'm raising and developing my kids, I'm doing my part to help grow our economy, I'm trying to help in my community, all of which help the country on some small level.  It's not as sexy as launching out of the back of an underway ship at night, but there are guys who are much younger than me that can do that now.

I don't understand why this is still 4th on the Steam top seller list.

I never thought the viral zombie apocolypse would start in Russia, or that the viral carrier would be a meteor.  "500-1000 people injured" by the passing metorite?  I'm guessing they have about 24 hours before all hell breaks loose...at best.  Time to activate ZA protocols, ground zero: Central Russia.

Some nutjobs are claiming it's a sign from God.

imho, it's a sign that God is angry that "A Good Day to Die Hard" is so freaking awful, and since it's set in Russia, he/she mistakenly blamed them... 

That's understandable.  It's hard to discern who's responsible for what from God's perspective, especially when professional athletes are distracting him with their constant requests for divine intervention to win games.  I imagine it must be really annoying.   

It would be great if Sony could really blow us away with a well designed console that's priced reasonably.  I'd love to be able to throw my money at them and their free PSN (if the core service still remains free this gen).  It really irks me to have to pay to access streaming apps on my 360 like Netflix and Amazon Prime, that I'm already paying for.  Not to mention having to pay to play with friends, and xbox live doesn't allow for a house account either, each individual family member has to pay for a Gold membership. 

The right way to do it this gen would be to offer free access to all of the core features of their gaming and entertainment network/community (xbox live and PSN), and then have it loaded with apps and other services that can be purchased.         

It looks like the game is selling well.  According to the NPD charts, it was #11 for the month of January, despite being released late in the month.

It seems like it's doing well considering it's a single SKU jrpg competing against multiplatforms (of course Halo 4 is the single SKU big daddy that blows the bell curve).   

I saw this posted in the comments section under one of the reviews:
"How many games is this for you, Gearbox?"
"Thirty eight... simulated."
"How many *decent* games?"
"Uh, two. Not including this one."