I finally finished up my vampire game

December 26, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finally finished up my vampire game. The ending was okay - not as satisfying as I would have liked, actually. The last few levels were very combat heavy which was not the game's strong point in my opinion. Still, it's one of the better RPGs of the year and I loved some of the characters and earlier missions. The haunted house and Janette are worth the price of admission.

While I might pick up another game for myself, I'll probably stick to my Dragon Age project for a time. I've been neglecting it and I've endless dialog to write and plans to make.

I continue to play my little vampire game

December 15, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I continue to play my little vampire game. I hit another annoying bug, preventing me from taking a minor side quest. Still, it's one of the better roleplaying games I've played in a long while so I'm excusing a fair bit of problems.

I just made it to Chinatown, which I can't wait to explore. Supposedly there are some mysterious vampire-like beings from the far east that have taken up residence. I suspect there will be some ass kicking and bubblegum blowing required . . . and I'm all out of bubblegum.

In my vampire game I picked up what's known a...

December 11, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

In my vampire game I picked up what's known as a "ghoul" - basically a normal human who drank my blood and then follows me around to do my bidding. So far she's given me some valuable items and money. The big surprise came when I returned to my lair only to discover that she's brought home some stranger for me to snack on. So thoughtful.

I ran into my first bug as well, an elevator that stopped working. I went ahead and used the noclip command to fly up to where the elevator was stuck and bring it down. I also decided to install the unofficial patch that someone made for the game. Supposedly it fixes some of the most serious bugs until the game can be officially patched.

Still, I'm having a lot of fun with the game. I've been sent on all sorts of interesting missions. I just got back from a museum, for example, and I wanted to stop and look at each of the exhibits which had animals posed in interesting ways.

I'm still having fun playing my little vampir...

December 07, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm still having fun playing my little vampire game. There's something special about being a creature of the night, summoning my supernatural strength, fighting demons, not to mention seducing women and feeding on their blood. Good times.

Mostly I've been impressed by the roleplaying opportunities. I like being able to lead my character down good or evil paths, ally myself with different people, and choose the tone I take in my dealings with the other undead in the city. I just got to LA tonight. So far the buildings are taller and the women tastier. Mmm.

Well, I played a little more this morning and...

December 04, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I played a little more this morning and so far I've been quite impressed. There's a certain atmosphere for these sort of games that they nailed perfectly. Troika, the company who made it, also does a great job with dialog and presenting a variety of options to solve problems. Plus they've added a lot of nice extras, such as being able to dance in a local club. It has nothing to do with the main plot, but there's something cool about dancing with a bunch of vampire wannabees.

I should mention that I had a horrible time installing the game. Every time I put the second CD in to install the game, it would crash XP. I finally gave up and installed it on my second computer, then copied all the files over. Worked like a charm but I have no idea how normal people handle these sort of wacky computer problems.

I got Vampire: Bloodlines yesterday

December 04, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I got Vampire: Bloodlines yesterday. The premise is that you're a vampire, thrown into the vampire intrigues and politics of seedy Santa Monica. So far it's pretty fun, though I admit to being a sucker for stat screens and experience points. The one thing I've heard is that the game has some major bugs, though I haven't seen any yet.

Some of the graphics are pretty amazing and they did a great job with the general ambiance. When I first arrived in LA, I just hung out in my apartment looking out the window, listening to the radio, and watching television. Some of the radio dialog was pretty hysterical, reminding me of the Grand Theft Auto car radio moments.

At the moment, the family's still asleep, I have a cup of Chai tea sitting next to me, and hopefully a good hour or two to satiate my bloodlust.

Well, I finished up Half-Life 2

November 28, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I finished up Half-Life 2. The plot was pretty skimpy, especially at the end. Still, the gameplay was great, nicely divided into unique sections of the game. The gravity gun in particular was fun to play with. Being able to pick up most things in the world and throw it about is loads of fun. Sam's playing it at the moment and has decided to toss everything not nailed down out the window.

I'll probably give myself a couple weeks before picking up a new game. Vampire: Bloodlines is likely to be good, though only after they issue some patches to fix a few major bugs. Pirates! also came out, which looks appealing to me. I also have some assorted games I've yet to finish and my own games to make. I just opened up a Dragon Age section for documenting my development on this new project of mine.

My Half-Life 2 adventures continue

November 23, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

My Half-Life 2 adventures continue. The game seems to be broken down into levels, each one highlighting a certain aspect of the game. There's areas that let you play around with the gravity gun, picking up and throwing objects about. There's a couple vehicle levels. There's another level that's focused on AI. Once a certain style of gameplay starts getting stale, the player is quickly plunked into a new environment and faces different challenges. It seems to work out quite nicely.

Well, I can honestly say that Half Life 2 is ...

November 18, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I can honestly say that Half Life 2 is one of the best games I've ever played. I love the physics systems, the look, and the tone of the story so far. Lately I've been driving around my trusty airboat, doing crazy jumps and avoiding the evil Combine troops. Great fun.

There's a pesky stuttering that happens sometimes, so I think I'm going to have to take a closer look and see if there's some settings I can tweak.

I woke up around two in the morning, dreaming...

November 16, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I woke up around two in the morning, dreaming of Half-Life 2. At midnight this morning the game unlocked on my hard drive and was suddenly playable. I forced myself back to sleep, waking up at 4:30 am and delving into the game before work.

So far, it seems like the best first person shooter I've ever played. I love the physics gameplay, with exploding barrels, floating boxes, and falling debris. It's very much a thinking man's shooter, with plenty of real-life puzzles to solve.

For an example, there are these barnacle-like creatures that stick to the ceiling and trail a long sticky rope to grab anyone who comes by. I picked up a nearby flammable barrel, threw it down for it to catch, then set it on fire with a few pistol shots. By the time it pulled it up to the main body, it exploded and cleared out most of the barnacles in the area. Even better, the nearby ones picked up the debris and tried to eat it, giving me yet more room to run by.

I played Myst IV a little more this morning

November 05, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I played Myst IV a little more this morning. I've been stuck at a certain point for a week or so, not realizing I had to pet the snake from right to left, not left to right. I think I'm slowly wrapping up the game. I decided the puzzles were too hard, even with the hints at hand. Mostly it's turning into a pretty movie.

I'll probably fiddle with Sims 2 a bit more after that and wait patiently for Half-Life 2 to get finally released.

One of the most anticipated games, Half-Life ...

October 24, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

One of the most anticipated games, Half-Life 2 is going to be released soon. It's also one of the rare big games that's being distributed electronically as well as on CDs. It's a massive download, over a gigabyte easily, and encrypted as well. I'm downloading it at the moment and once it's "released", I can pay my money and get it unlocked to play it.

It's an interesting way to do things and hopefully one that happens more often in the future. All the waste of cardboard boxes and CDs seems a bit silly when all you want to do is get it on your computer anyway. Interesting times.

Myst 4 seems fun so far, though the puzzles a...

October 15, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Myst 4 seems fun so far, though the puzzles are mind numbingly hard. Sam's been getting in on the action, doing the simpler puzzles and enjoying the general ambiance. The areas are so pretty and the music so pleasant that it's easy to forget how much your brain has to think just to get to the next area. There's a few things that annoy me - hunting through a dark screen for a lever to pull, for example. Still, it's classic Myst and fun for the whole family.

I fiddled around with Sims 2 a bit

October 14, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I fiddled around with Sims 2 a bit. Putting our Simoleans to good use, I added on to the house and dumped all the baby stuff in there for use for the next kid. I changed the hairdo of one of the twins as it was simply too hard to keep them apart. The birthday party went fairly well. After all the guests had left, Jamie was busy cleaning the toilet after the rest of her family went to sleep. At least she was thinking the party went well.

We'll see how long I stick with the Sim Millers. Raising children, even virtual ones, seems like a lot of hard work.

I couldn't help myself

October 12, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I couldn't help myself. I ordered Myst: Revelations, which should be arriving in a few days. I hear the puzzles are mind bogglingly hard, but the atmosphere and music are stunning. I've been wanting a game that Sam can play on his own for awhile, perhaps with a few hints from his dad.

As it is, he'll either play FPS games or build houses in Sims 2.

We survived the toddler ages with the twins

October 11, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

The Sim twins are driving me nuts

October 09, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

The Sim twins are driving me nuts. I had hired multiple nannies to help out, but they were less than useless, not bathing the kids and wetting themselves (the nannies, not the kids). I dismissed them and took a lot of vacation time to spend some quality time with the children. It's doing better. I taught Emma to talk and Tess to walk (or the other way around - I can't keep them apart). Hopefully we'll get potty training for the both of them. They also grow up fast. I think it's something like three or four Sim days before they're a kid. Crazy.

Now it's time to spend some quality time this morning with my real family. I better right click on Emma and select "Teach Emma to Talk" or something. Oh, and check Sam's hunger levels while I'm at it.

I just have to add how ironic I find it that ...

October 06, 2004 by Jamie in Adam's Games

I just have to add how ironic I find it that Adam takes so much time from his day in the real world to manipulate Pseudo people based on his actual family. Have my anxiety and control issues pulled him over the walls of mental health into my own emotional prison? Oh well, At least we are together!

The Sim Millers are doing well

October 06, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

The Sim Millers are doing well. Tess and Emma turned into toddlers overnight. How quickly these children grow older. I also figured out that the trick to surviving twins is to have a nanny over full time. There was an odd game bug sort of thing that involved babies and nannies protruding from Sim Adam. Amusing, though weird.

Now the two critters are wanting constant attention, otherwise they splash around in the toilet. Soon the Sim days ahead will involve potty training, teaching kids how to talk, and getting them walking. If only real children had point and click interfaces.

As an aside, Sam asked Jamie the other day "When you wanted to have a baby, did you play in bed with dad?" He was present when I right-clicked on Sim Jamie and chose "Try For Baby". It was pretty tame, mostly the two characters moved around under the covers. I remember the story my dad told about how his parents bought him mice to teach about the birds and the bees. Now we have computer games. Strangely I don't recall a large green diamond above my head with fireworks shooting out of it when Sam was conceived.

Sim Adam and Sim Jamie finally decided to tak...

October 04, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Sim Adam and Sim Jamie finally decided to take the plunge and give parenthood a try. Since Jamie has reached the Mad Scientist peak of her career, she got lucky and managed to bring the dead to life (flowers anyway). It brought in a huge monetary bonus which clinched having children. We had moved into a new big house in preparation, so with real-Sam's prompting, we had kids.

It didn't start out very well. Sim Jamie threw up a lot. After a few days, though, she was happily painting portraits and enjoying the sunshine with her big belly. She also ended up eating and sleeping more than usual until we heard the exciting news . . . she was having twin girls. Soon enough the two babies magically appeared out of thin air and reality set in.

The first thing was to call a nanny, as two babies are ten times as much trouble as one. Most of the time was spent sticking the babies on the floor whenever anything needed to be done. So far, I've named one Emma and the other Tess. Hopefully the Sim Miller household will survive.

My little Sims addiction continues

September 24, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

My little Sims addiction continues. Sim Adam and Jamie continue to put off children, earning lots of money in their respective professions. Soon enough they should be at the pinnacle of their careers, whatever that may be.

They had their first house party, putting in a swimming pool for the occasion. There was also a stove fire while Jamie was cooking a turkey, but the firefighter showed up and put it out. Sim Adam was busy unclogging the toilet, so he wasn't much use.

I continue to play Sims 2

September 22, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I continue to play Sims 2. Sim Adam and Sim Jamie are currently climbing their respective corporate ladders. Jamie's a Field Researcher and I'm an Astronaut. With all this time focused on work, the money's pouring in. Unfortunately that doesn't really leave time for kids, so I've been drinking Elixirs of Life to keep us eternally young. I'm curious as to what happens when we reach the pinnacle of our careers, so I may just hire a nanny when Sim Sam and Sim Emma come along.

I wouldn't say Sims 2 was the best game out there, but it's certainly different. One of the biggest strengths is its story telling ability. I could have an evil clown move in with the two of them if I wanted. I can even make my own movies and post them to the web. All very strange and funny.

Okay, I got Sims 2 and so far it's really, re...

September 18, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Okay, I got Sims 2 and so far it's really, really fun. I forgot how entertaining it is to fiddle with your characters as they move through their comical lives. Sam and I started with a Sim Adam and Sim Jamie, early in their lives. They're getting by with a small house, just starting off.

Since I didn't want Sam to miss anything, I started up a new Sim. This one's a zombie looking character and his house looks a bit like a crypt. Early on in the game, he invited Jamie over and it seems they hit it off a bit too well.

Of course, things didn't always go well for Zed Zombie. He had a house fire that was pretty bad. He managed to put it out, but he now has a deep seated fear of fire.

Later on, Jamie comes over again. It appears they're playing some form of patty-cake. Should Sim Adam be jealous? In truth, science is Zed Zombie's true mistress. He spends long hours looking at the stars or studying mechanics.

I suspect we'll continue to have lots of fun with this one. I'm working hard with Zed to fulfill his science aspirations, which lets me open up all sorts of strange contraptions to add to my house. I'm shooting for the Elixir of Life to keep him ever-young and zombified!

I finished up with Doom a few days ago

September 08, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished up with Doom a few days ago. The ending was pretty straightforward - very few surprises after awhile, though it sure did look pretty.

I went ahead and ordered Sims 2, as it's something the whole family can play. I suspect my first project will be to try and recreate our little family and see what happens. I had a lot of fun with the first Sims game and Sam seems to think it's a pretty funny idea. It'll be a nice break from the typical shoot-em-up games he tends to show interest in.

I just got to the Hell levels of Doom

August 28, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I just got to the Hell levels of Doom. If I wasn't creeped out before, now I'm crying like a baby. Anytime that everything you have is taken away and you're thrust into an unfamiliar environment is frightening. And if that environment happens to be, oh, HELL, then it's twice as scary.

Remember kids, eat your vegetables and pay attention in school, or else you might be thrown into a place of firey brimstone where the monsters are tough and ammo is always scarce.

I'm plugging away at Doom 3, trying not to pl...

August 22, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm plugging away at Doom 3, trying not to play for too long at a time. I actually had my first Doom 3 related nightmare, so I guess I'm getting my money's worth. I think it's pretty close to the scariest game I've ever played.

At this point, I'm probably 30-40% of the way through, though it's hard to tell. Hopefully I'll finish up just in time for Half-Life 2.

It's been so hot lately and Emma has been up ...

August 11, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

It's been so hot lately and Emma has been up late a lot. I haven't had a chance to play Doom 3 for a couple days. That's my way of explaining why I was sitting in the basement playing Doom 3 naked in the dark last night. While I'm sure people could read various things into it, it's mostly because of the heat, not to "fully experience" the game or some such thing.

It's still really scary and creepy. I ended up getting trapped in a pit with a ton of spider-like things trying to come after me. Lots of moments like that.

Well, Doom 3 arrived finally

August 06, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, Doom 3 arrived finally. As promised, the graphics are incredible. It's amazing to see games slowly approach photorealism. I have mixed feelings about the gameplay itself, so far it seems like a pretty linear funhouse, with endless creatures jumping out at me. I stopped playing after an hour or so last night as I found myself clenching my teeth and needed to calm down.

They also have all these touchscreen monitors scattered around which you can easily go up to and interact with. It's done very nicely and looks incredible.

I just got e-mailed that Doom 3 is being ship...

August 03, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I just got e-mailed that Doom 3 is being shipped to me. Hopefully the gaming madness can begin soon.

My NWN game is being fairly well received, though there's been some exciting bugs along the way.

I just posted my Neverwinter Nights module af...

July 31, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I just posted my Neverwinter Nights module after over a year of development. I've been feeling nervous and giddy all day. Hopefully things will go smoothly, though I dread the bugs I know will surface.

Well, I'm done with Thief

July 28, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, I'm done with Thief. No really big flashy ending, just the satisfaction that the game is over with. Time to move on.

These days I'm waiting impatiently for Doom 3 to be released. There's also the matter of a NWN module I'm trying to finish. I was up late bug fixing last night. There were only a few minor changes today. Perhaps I'll shoot for a Friday release?

I'm slowly wrapping up Thief

July 22, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm slowly wrapping up Thief. It's been good, though not great. I've enjoyed skulking around damp hallways and stealing away trinkets. Doom 3 is coming out in a couple weeks, which I've already preordered. Supposedly it will be 20 hours of terrifying fun.

Much of my gaming time is spent wrapping up my Neverwinter Nights game, which is in final testing. I've been working on it for over a year, so it's nice to finally approach that magical state of doneness.

I just finished a two-hour marathon of Thief

July 11, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I just finished a two-hour marathon of Thief. There's a level in the game called the "Cradle" level. It was probably the most creeped out in a computer game I've been in years. Excellent use of noises and shadows.

There's one scene where you slowly creep up the stairs to the attic, a strange thumping sound getting louder as you go. By the time I got to the door, my heart was racing but I was compelled to see what was on the other side. Creepy stuff.

I'm still working my way through Thief

July 01, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I'm still working my way through Thief. It's fun and I wish I had more time with it. There's some suitably creepy elements that I appreciate. I'm lurking around in the underworld in some lair that belongs to fish-like people.

Most of my time is spent working on my NeverwinterNights module, which after a year is finally approaching completion. It's been a long haul and I'm happy to finally see the end.

I broke down and ordered the latest Thief game

June 18, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I broke down and ordered the latest Thief game. I have fond memories of playing the original many years ago. This one has a great feel to it as the previous ones did. Sam and I spent an hour tonight skulking through the hallways of a castle, slipping past guards. Sam also learned the valuable lesson "it's all about the loot."

I had played Deus Ex 2 with high hopes, only to find that it was pretty bad. Thief was made by the same folks using the same engine, so I was pretty nervous about it. Fortunately it so far seems quite good and the reviews have been generally positive.

The great thing about UT2004 is all the mod d...

June 07, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

The great thing about UT2004 is all the mod developers out there. There's a mod called Alien Swarm that's pretty fun - sort of a top-down tactical version of the Aliens movie. There's another called Air Buccaneers that's literally a blast - piloting balloons and shooting cannons at the enemies as you float about.

I love the fact that the game has some many people doing such creative things with it.

I've been playing Unreal Tournament 2004 off ...

May 13, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I've been playing Unreal Tournament 2004 off and on. It's a fun little game, very well polished. The vehicles are loads of fun. Mostly Sam and I play Onslaught, fighting together against the computer to take over the various power nodes on the map. Sam likes it when we ride in a vehicle together - I drive and he shoots.

I challenged Josh to a one-on-one deathmatch and managed to beat him by a hair. It's nice to know that I've still got the reflexes to beat a teenage boy, though I suspect that won't last much longer.

It's E3 week, which is sort of like Christmas to the gaming world. All sorts of gameplay videos and announcements of new games are coming out. I'm quite interested in Dragon Age, Bioware's upcoming fantasy game. It looks like the next Neverwinter Nights, but with superior graphics and hopefully improved gameplay.

I've finished Far Cry, as has Sam

May 03, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I've finished Far Cry, as has Sam. I kept pushing onward last night, unable to stop. Strangely, the last ten minutes of the game were so much harder than everything else that came before it, I ended up making myself invulnerable since the difficulty just wasn't that interesting. Still, it's one of the best first person shooters I've played in a long while. The graphics and vehicles were really well done.

I also picked up two copies of Unreal Tournament 2004 that should be arriving tomorrow. The price dropped so low that I could get two for the price of a normal game, allowing Sam and I to play together if we wanted. Great fun.

Sam plays Far Cry more than I do these days a...

April 30, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Sam plays Far Cry more than I do these days as my free time is miniscule compared to a five-year-old's. He'll turn on God mode so he doesn't have to worry about dying and work his way through the game. Unfortunately this means he's way ahead of me which causes problems if I don't want to avoid spoilers. Last night I was trying to get him to bed when he announced, "But I just got to the future!"

With that cryptic comment, I swore him to secrecy and packed him off to bed.

Far Cry arrived Friday afternoon and I've bee...

April 19, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Far Cry arrived Friday afternoon and I've been happily playing it now that I've finished Call of Duty. It's quite a bit of fun. There's no single thing that makes it stand out from the traditional shooters, but there's a number of things it does really well. The physics model is great, allowing you to take out enemies via the traditional methods, or instead do things like knock over the tower they're standing on. Rolling barrels down hills becomes its own mini-game, watching them bounce about.

I had one moment where I had jumped into a boat hung by two chains at the front and back. I was supposed to drive it away, but it was hanging dozens of feet over the water. Not thinking clearly, I shot the front chain which tipped the boat and toppled me into the water. Feeling dumb, I took careful aim and shot the other chain, getting my prize to where I could reach it.

The graphics are also quite good. Running around a tropical paradise with my red Hawaiian shirt makes me feel a bit like Magnum P.I., but the effect is hard to beat. Some of the locations, such as a rusted out WWII aircraft carrier and a tree top research lab, made me stop and take in the scenery once I came across them.

The story seems a bit traditional at the moment, but it's shaping up. Some of the acting is hokey, but not too bad. I think it was a stylistic decision to go with some vaguely campy lines. I would have prefered it be played a little straighter. Still, lots of fun overall.

I finished up one of the possible endings to ...

April 13, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I finished up one of the possible endings to Deus Ex 2. I think I was disappointed enough that I probably won't try to finish the other ones. I'd like to get to the end of Call of Duty, which I don't think is too far away. There was a great set of Russian scenarios. There's one where you're driving the Germans out of Stalingrad, scores of your comrades dying around you, and you're not given a gun to carry. Instead your job is to act as bait, giving the sniper a chance to do his job. Scary stuff.

Far Cry should hopefully arrive this week. I keep hearing really good things about it. Of course, there's also the comic that the folks at Penny Arcade did. It makes no sense and involves monkeys, making it even funnier.

It's been a bad week to try to play games

April 09, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

It's been a bad week to try to play games. I'm wading my way through Deus Ex, which is something I feel obligated to finish up. Call of Duty is fun, but I usually only play with Sam, so I don't play that often. With the weather so nice, we usually run around outside most evenings. Plus I just ordered Far Cry, which I'm hearing all sorts of good things about. The Demo was pretty amazing, with incredible water effects and a very open free-form environment. Who knows when I'll get a chance to play it all, of course.

I borrowed Call of Duty and XIII from Chris o...

March 31, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I borrowed Call of Duty and XIII from Chris over the weekend. I've only loaded up CoD, and it's pretty fun so far. I've really liked the mission variety. The graphics are decent and the sound is great.

I'm not sure if Jamie is so keen on me playing with Sam, however. Last night Sam was sitting on my lap and we were trying to defend a bridge from oncoming troops. Our officer just gave us the order to man the machine gun, so we hopped on and started laying down suppressing fire.

I had the surround sound on and the volume was cranked. Jamie stuck her head in and gave me "that look". Soon enough, we were off the computer and doing something else. Sam's "But mom, it's only a machine gun" didn't help my cause very much, I think.

Sam and I finished up Beyond Good and Evil ov...

March 23, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Sam and I finished up Beyond Good and Evil over the weekend. I'd classify it as a solid adventure game - not stupendously great, but pretty darn' good in its own right.

I'm still puttering through Deus Ex 2, which is okay. The physics is fun to play with and I like the multiple pathways to solve a problem. I've turned into a bit of an air duct monkey, prying open grates and seeing where they lead. Lots of fun.

I picked up a couple games Friday - Beyond Go...

March 01, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I picked up a couple games Friday - Beyond Good and Evil and Deus Ex 2. Deus Ex 2 had fair reviews and I'm finding the game to be okay with occasional bursts of fun. Beyond Good and Evil, however, is an overlooked gem. Both were quite cheap, $25 for DE2 and $20 for BG&E. The latter has been very much worth the price of admission.

Sam and I have been sneaking, photographing, and fighting our way through a mysterious invasion of our little planet. The graphics are stunning, with some of the best water effects I've seen in a game. I usually take over for the tricky fighting and sneaking parts, while Sam does most of the wandering around and "adventure style" gaming. There's also a huge number of mini-games, from a hovercraft race to a weird air-hockey like game that I've yet to master. Needless to say, Sam and I played a lot this weekend.

Staying up late for the third night in a row,...

February 11, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Staying up late for the third night in a row, I finished Max Payne 2. Though quite short, the production quality of the game was simply astounding. When the game ended and the credits started to roll, I just stared at the screen and let it all sink in.

Love and bullets.

I picked up Max Payne 2 yesterday, at Fred Me...

February 09, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

I picked up Max Payne 2 yesterday, at Fred Meyers of all places. I usually don't pick up games at retail as they tend to be a bit expensive. I've also been waiting for the price of this one to fall a bit as it's been a tad high for a game that's supposedly only ten or so hours long. I started playing yesterday and I'm glad I did it.

It's very much a genre piece, film noir brought to life. There are some hysterically funny moments, though, as the bad guys you fight have this comical conversations right before you leap in with guns blazing. The "gimmic" of the game is that you can slow down time, which I use often for good effect. The graphics are amazing, of course, finally making use of some of the great features of my video card. It also sports a realistic physics engine, making knocking over barrels and boxes highly entertaining.

The story, while convoluted, has captured me. Images of Mona Sax, the cold hearted and beautiful assassin, haunted me as I fell asleep. I keep wanting to make metaphors about bullets, love, and impending doom.

um, and how about the WIFE who makes your lif...

February 02, 2004 by Jamie in Adam's Games

um, and how about the WIFE who makes your life of leisure possible?????????

Well, it looks like my Neverwinter Nights gam...

February 02, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, it looks like my Neverwinter Nights games won Module of the Year. I'd like to thank the academy and my mom . . .

Well, Sam and I finished Prince of Persia

January 19, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Well, Sam and I finished Prince of Persia. The ending was poingnant - funny with a touch of sadness and longing. Well done. I did have a few moments of frustration with some extremely difficult twitch gaming. Fortunatly my teenager's reflexes returned to me and I was able to finish it off.

Now there's a bunch of NWN modules that I'd like to play. I finished one over the weekend, though I think it scared Sam a little. I'll have to remember not to play games with ghosts right before bedtime.

Prince of Persia seems to have somehow worked...

January 16, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Prince of Persia seems to have somehow worked it's way into Sam and I's regular life. We'll make jokes about wall running and we try to get a half hour or so of the game under our belts before he goes to bed. I think we're getting down to the very end, with only a couple hours to go. It's sort of sad, like getting to the last few pages of a great book.

As an aside, my Neverwinter Nights modules are up for a vote for module of the year. It looks pretty likely that I'll win too, which is sort of neat. I'm racking up those bonus nerd points.

Prince of Persia arrived on our doorstep yest...

January 01, 2004 by Adam in Adam's Games

Prince of Persia arrived on our doorstep yesterday, which Sam and I have been playing. It's a fighting game with strong jumping puzzle elements, which I usually hate. It's done very well, however, so that it's not that frustrating to play. The movement is incredibly fluid and it looks beautiful on the screen.

Emma did manage to crash the game while bouncing up and down on the keyboard. She'd found the Print Screen button which creates a screen shot and generated several hundred of them in a few seconds time. The computer didn't like it.

Sam's been wanting to reinact scenes from the game, running along walls and doing amazing jumps. He learned the hard way that trying to run up a wall sort of hurts (mostly it's running into a wall). We had a very funny moment when I helped him run up the wall and he did a flip to sit on my head.