[CP5670]

That's because much is missing from the game that is in the book for the sake of the multiple endings (you might not have noticed is a thing there) .... the sequel is better because it is an original story taylored for the medium - but if you are fatigued of the level design you might not want to try it yet

I did get the alternate, "save the aliens" ending, but it seemed nonsensical given how the game presents them. They're just generic FPS baddies during the rest of the game. I actually had more fun with Deus Ex TF, but you do need to have read the book to understand the story (and that in turn is only worth reading if you've played HR and are a fan of the series).

[Det. Bullock]

Although even among "turn-based under the hood" combat systems, I still find KOTOR clunkier than e.g. Baldur's Gate.

It needed to be controllable with a gamepad because it came out on Xbox too, so yes, the interface is clunkier than any infinity engine game, while I played through the Baldur's Gate at least twice I could never finish another playthrough of this game after the first one, only the sequel I played twice because of the restoration mod (which is a must, especially for the ending).

[Androgeos Exeunt]

Tried out the Overload Playable Teaser a few moments ago. It's really fun despite being an early product - I love the Flak Cannon, especially - but it won't run beyond 30 FPS on anything higher than the lowest screen resolution (ie. 640x480). Although this may be due to the models not being optimised (as per Revival's disclaimer screen upon starting the teaser), I think it's more of my computer being closer to the bottom end of the performance scale in this day and age.

[0rph3u5]

I did get the alternate, "save the aliens" ending, but it seemed nonsensical given how the game presents them. They're just generic FPS baddies during the rest of the game.

The game's finale is indeed very confusing, esspecially because it doesn't actually convey much of what the book can (more so since you cannot really flip back a page and check out some of the more obscure things that happen to Artjom, but which acutally contribute to the resolution)... but some parts are there:
The Dark Ones are at one point refered to as "homo novus" and there are some, way too understated IMO, allusions to their extra-sensory-powers. The strangeness of the encounter (with the shifts in persepctive and visuals etc etc etc) is actually supposed to be conveying that what is percieved to have been an attack is just communications gone wrong...

The novel's ending (also the canonical ending for the Last Light) is this:

Spoiler:

Artjom & Ulman relay the coordinates for the missile strike back but just as they are done Artjom is transfixed on the Dark Ones' City and realizes that they have been telephatically calling to him the entire trip, and now to the proximity he is contact on clear terms (which in turn explains some of the stranger encounters he had in the Metro tunnels and stations when no one else was around - most of those have been cut from the game). He then realizes that the Dark Ones are in fact a new form of sentient life born from to the devastated world, which have been reaching out to the humans in the Metro in order to ensure co-existence. But before he can do anything the missile strike hits and the Dark Ones are anihiliated. Artjom then flees back into the Metro.

[Androgeos Exeunt]

I got a Thunderbolt shortly after starting a Challenge Mode run on Easy Difficulty in the Overload Playable Teaser, so I decided to practice using it.

My kill count when I eventually died from firing a Devastator at point-blank range was 695.

Armor drain rate of the Thunderbolt needs to be a lot faster to discourage overcharging.

[Det. Bullock]

I've got all the trophies/collectibles/shinies in Tomb Raider Legend.
I don't know how the other two Crystal Dynamics titles are (and I probably won't know until the next sale) but it felt a lot like a less polished and more linear version of the 2013 reboot, the camera sometimes screws up making you fail easy jumps (and it usually means instant death) particularly when you are hanging off ledges (thing that doesn't happen as often in the reboot, probably because controls are less camera-dependant there), the QTE are there in all their infuriating glory (and they feel somewhat worse than the reboot, I don't quite know why), the bike sections can be extremely infuriating as well, the puzzles of the main story are even a bit easier than the reboot, with only the ones necessary for getting some of the collectables being really difficult and that only because you may pass them without noticing and this game being more linear to get them you often have to replay the entire level instead of simply backtracking.

[0rph3u5]

I've got all the trophies/collectibles/shinies in Tomb Raider Legend.
I don't know how the other two Crystal Dynamics titles are but it felt a lot like a less polished and more linear version of the 2013 reboot

It's a game from 2006 ... and there are little grounds of comparison between it and 2013 Tomb Raider: as for the 2013 "re-boot" they rebuild the gameplay where as Legend uses most of the mechanics (the bike is new) that were established in the series and even expanded on them. Not only that, the 2006-08 trilogy* kept the tone of the old franchise, where as the "re-boot" was going in a different direction in terms of tone and atmosphere. Even the protagonist of both games only share passing similiarities, such as the name and some general features of their appearance.

* TR Legend 2006, TR Anniversary 2007 & TR Underworld 2008

That said, Legend is the low point of the three; there are still some camera and control-response issues (esspecially in Anniversay); but it is essential for the three games to work out in terms of pay-off. Anniversary will be breeze if you know the original 1996 version (the level design has been updated substantially but almost all elements of puzzle structures, progression etc are the same despite the addition of the serveal completely new mechanics - nostalgia may blind. Underworld is worth checking out if you are invested in the hooks of Ledgend (both are a story unity, with some ties to Anniversary)

[Det. Bullock]

I've got all the trophies/collectibles/shinies in Tomb Raider Legend.
I don't know how the other two Crystal Dynamics titles are but it felt a lot like a less polished and more linear version of the 2013 reboot

It's a game from 2006 ... and there are little grounds of comparison between it and 2013 Tomb Raider: as for the 2013 "re-boot" they rebuild the gameplay where as Legend uses most of the mechanics (the bike is new) that were established in the series and even expanded on them. Not only that, the 2006-08 trilogy* kept the tone of the old franchise, where as the "re-boot" was going in a different direction in terms of tone and atmosphere. Even the protagonist of both games only share passing similiarities, such as the name and some general features of their appearance.

* TR Legend 2006, TR Anniversary 2007 & TR Underworld 2008

That said, Legend is the low point of the three; there are still some camera and control-response issues (esspecially in Anniversay); but it is essential for the three games to work out in terms of pay-off. Anniversary will be breeze if you know the original 1996 version (the level design has been updated substantially but almost all elements of puzzle structures, progression etc are the same despite the addition of the serveal completely new mechanics - nostalgia may blind. Underworld is worth checking out if you are invested in the hooks of Ledgend (both are a story unity, with some ties to Anniversary)

In fact I mostly talked about gameplay similarities.
I replayed the reboot recently and the platforming felt almost the same if you exclude the control and camera issues in Legend, of course the shooting parts are completely different and the level design is much more linear but lowpoint or not it's still surprising that many talked about the reboot like it was something radically new for the series, yes the shooting mechanics don't rely anymore on a lock on system but that comes naturally with developers and players being used to dual analog sticks on consoles and the resurgence of the PC market.

Regarding the differences in story, I kinda took them for granted as the difference with the Sherlock-esque eccentric in Legend and the young woman who happens to just be very good at keeping her cool in dangerous situations is self-evident, though considering the similarities of the reboot with the Legend segment I mentioned it may be that they'll eventually end up similarly though I say that not having yet played ROTTR so that's only speculation on my part.

I'm not even sure if I'll ever buy the original entries, while I play videogames since the DOS era, most of my experience was with genres that were already very close to their modern version regarding controls and interface (for example PC RPGs, anything prior to Fallout and Baldur's Gate is almost unplayable to me), I've tried a demo of Tomb Raider IV and I wasn't able to get beyond the first room, they just fell very rough around the edges in terms of controls.

[Det. Bullock]

Stimulated by the Rock paper Shotgun top 15 spacesims I've tried the demos of Starlancer and Freelancer
Starlancer was enjoyable if a bit basic (at least at first glance), reminded me a lot of Wing Commander I (which is my way to say "surprisingly few buttons for a spacesim"), only with a game engine that doesn't get in the way and more limited afterburner fuel.
Freelancer left me disappointed, I'm all for giving options to the people who don't have a joystick (I still think that locking out people without a joystick was one of the worst mistakes of the later X-wing games) but being able to pilot the ship only with mouse and keyboard feels just wrong.

[0rph3u5]

Started a new playthrough of The Banner Saga (because my GPU isn't working correctly; not just because the Sequel is due at the end of year)

[Scourge of Ages]

Started a new playthrough of The Banner Saga (because my GPU isn't working correctly; not just because the Sequel is due at the end of year)

Oh, if you're playing that again, make absolutely sure to not let

Spoiler:

just kidding, no spoilers here. Unless you know already

[Mammothtank]

Started up Valkryria Chronicles^tm and... it's okay. That difficulty curve hit me like a tank though. I've also been messing around with some mods for HomeworldRM.
That Macross mod is pretty neat... except for the fact you can build things without their prerequisite modules and research, cant salvage wreckage and your cap ships are made out of paper. Still waiting on that Blue Planet RM mod though... if it gets updated to work, that and the english version of the Gundam SEED mod which I've been looking to try-
when that comes out.

[Dark Hunter]

Distorted Travesty 3... finally one of the patches made it compatible with my machine (either that or the game really doesn't like it when my joystick's unplugged, unsure which).

As expected of this game, it's Chapter 3 and I'm already stone-walled. Not a matter of my upgrades or equipment, I just suck at dodging the bosses's attacks. 

Also arrows are hard to aim. Especially when the targets are a third the size of the actual arrow and spewing magic bullets all over the place.

[0rph3u5]

Oh, if you're playing that again, make absolutely sure to not let

Spoiler:

just kidding, no spoilers here. Unless you know already

Spoiler:

Was it not letting her killing or just fighting humans?

[Scourge of Ages]

Spoiler:

Was it not letting her killing or just fighting humans?

There's so much that can go wrong in that game, without even expecting it to, so I can't remember what I was or was not referencing.

Spoiler:

Probably the young, earnest shield guy dying hit me hardest, because I didn't expect it at all.

[Black_Yoshi1230]

... (I still think that locking out people without a joystick was one of the worst mistakes of the later X-wing games) but being able to pilot the ship only with mouse and keyboard feels just wrong.

One thing that royally pisses me off about NovaLogic's F-22 Raptor is that it does not accept USB Joysticks, so it's keys only for me (whereas I can use mine in F-22 Lightning II as a generic 2-Button in DOSBox, Tachyon: The Fringe, Comanche Gold and 4 can take the Windows Primary Joystick).

On another note, I would say Star Fox Adventures (yes, the Zelda-like one), and 007 Nightfire (holy crap, have I missed out).

[Bryan See]

I've been playing I-War 2 lately. Some 14 years ago, I-War 2 provided me the first opportunity to do modding. With the Geographical Tools SDK released some time after the release of the latest game patch, I've been adding star systems to the game, expanding the IW2 universe, and providing new ways to explore in the 16-year-old game.

It is there I've learned a taste of object-oriented programming, which played a role in my studies later on.

[Det. Bullock]

... (I still think that locking out people without a joystick was one of the worst mistakes of the later X-wing games) but being able to pilot the ship only with mouse and keyboard feels just wrong.

One thing that royally pisses me off about NovaLogic's F-22 Raptor is that it does not accept USB Joysticks, so it's keys only for me (whereas I can use mine in F-22 Lightning II as a generic 2-Button in DOSBox, Tachyon: The Fringe, Comanche Gold and 4 can take the Windows Primary Joystick).

On another note, I would say Star Fox Adventures (yes, the Zelda-like one), and 007 Nightfire (holy crap, have I missed out).

Wait, what?
How is that even possible?
Doesn't it use DirectX?

[Black_Yoshi1230]

F-22 Raptor only takes Joysticks that had the Gameport plug, such as the old Sidewinders. I have no damn clue what NovaLogic was thinking at the time. (My Sidewinder has a Gameport-to-USB adapter that came with it, so that's why I was able to use it for FSO until it started dying out on me.)

[Colonol Dekker]

Was that the one with nuclear ordnance that came out around the time voxel delta force did?