donbot

Here's another Simcity video preview, not your type of game as you mentioned, but I still had to share. I'm psyched for this game, I'm spreading it were I can

They even have high-speed chases in this version! How fitting too, being that I live in SoCal, relatively near Los Angeles...car chase capitol of the world

So what are your favorite computer/video games, donbot?

Well now, I like all manner of games.. and there's a pretty long list to answer that question properly. I suppose my all time favourites though tend to be story driven single-player games. No game is flawless, but the truly great games get most things right and give you a really memorable and rewarding experience.

Bioshock is one of my all time favourite series. It takes place after the downfall of a once utopian underwater city created by this guy Andrew Ryan, with the ideology of a society not bound by laws or morals; where visionaries and scientists could flourish. Experimentations in genetic modification led to the discovery of superhuman powers like telekinesis, pyrokinesis, etc, made possible by a substance called Adam. So out of the desire for Adam and controlling its production, there were attempts to overthrow Ryan, and ultimately the city fell in the wake of the chaos. It's now overrun by psychotic mutants, rebel factions, and some others caught in the middle. Adam itself is harvested by these genetically altered little girls called Little Sisters, and while they're obvious targets for attacks, they're accompanied by pretty formiddable creatures called Big Daddies, who protect them rather brutally.

Why I love it - first and foremost is because of the world it created, which is beautiful and fascinating. The city was built in the 40s, so in addition to the really unique environment of an underwater city, it's laid on top of a richly designed Art Deco aesthetic. The architecture, typography, graphic design, music - it's all wonderful and of the era. Also, while beautiful, it's also incredibly unsettling in its state of ruin, especially combined with the mental state of what's left of the inhabitants. There are actually some genuinely creepy moments in the game that I'll always remember vividly. The voice acting is outstanding, and really brings Andrew Ryan and others to life, and helps to make them amongst the most memorable characters in recent gaming. What's more is the game is just loads of fun too. The combination of weapons and powers makes for varied and satisying approaches to the gameplay.

Dead Space is another of my favourite series. It's a third person horror/action game (each successive game has gotten less horror and more action) set in space, with a similar sort of vibe to Event Horizon if you've seen that movie. You're part of a small rescue crew, investigating the mysterious loss of contact with one of the corporation's large 'planet cracker' (they go out to deep space and strip other planets of their resources, since we've blown through all of Earth's) ships. Then horrible, horrible things start to happen, and basically turns into a 'get the fuck out of here alive' situation The first game was brilliantly atmospheric, and genuinely scary - I guess you could say there were cheap 'jump' scares, but it also built tension really well with some great sound design and music. I love the monster designs too, and they also added to your peril by making the death scenes brutal (you can watch YouTube compilations if you're inclined ).

What I also love about the game design is their remarkably elegant solutions to completely removing any HUD on the screen - eg. your life bar is an illuminated tube down the spine of your suit, your inventory/map/etc pop up as 3d holograms projected from your suit. The design of the suits, weapons, monsters and the other bits and pieces is not only superb, but iconic in a way that few other games are. And once again, the gameplay is just really satisfying on top of all that, also with a some unique twists that further makes it stand out from other games. Dead Space 2, like with Bioshock 2 (and indeed most sequels), didn't really have the same level of intrigue or 'wow factor' as the original, but that's to be expected. They both made significant refinements to the gameplay though, ultimately making them much more enjoyable to play.. which makes up for the fact that they don't have the excitement of everything being a completely new experience. They were also a lot more ambitious with the presentation of DS2, including some pretty enthralling cinematic setpieces. DS3 is out next year, and I can't wait to play it

I could go on..

For Bioshock, I'm counting down the days too. Arkham, GTA and Uncharted aside, I’m not usually in the habit of paying the full whack for games or for aggressively seeking them out on the day of release, but I think I’ll be making an exception for this one.

Did you hear about that Russian cosplay girl who Irrational Games actually hired after they saw her photos as Elizabeth? Not sure exactly what she's doing, but they're going to use her for some official promo material. Her work is actually quite impressive, and she's pretty to boot

Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite)

Ellie (Dead Space 2)

Alice (American McGee's Alice)

Femshep (Mass Effect)

Poison Ivy (Arkham Asylum)

Elika (Prince of Persia)

More here: http://ormeli.deviantart.com/

Here's another Simcity video preview, not your type of game as you mentioned, but I still had to share. I'm psyched for this game, I'm spreading it were I can

The game looks as impressive as Quigley's moustache

its a very merry Marloes christmas...

Damn, donbot. I'm straight, but your sets get me thinkin

Here's another Simcity video preview, not your type of game as you mentioned, but I still had to share. I'm psyched for this game, I'm spreading it were I can

The game looks as impressive as Quigley's moustache

Ah yes...the mustache! I have an unhealthy obsession with it at the moment *Thinks of growing handle bars as well*

AND THIS!

Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite)

Good lord is my imagination running wild at the moment!

Did you hear about that Russian cosplay girl who Irrational Games actually hired after they saw her photos as Elizabeth? Not sure exactly what she's doing, but they're going to use her for some official promo material. Her work is actually quite impressive, and she's pretty to boot

Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite)

I'm doing my level best to come up with something intelligent or constructive to type here, but quite honestly all I can think of is, well...'woah'

Congrats Donbot! How have you been

its a very merry Marloes christmas...

Damn, donbot. I'm straight, but your sets get me thinkin

Good lord is my imagination running wild at the moment!

Congrats Donbot! How have you been

This actually sounds like a good idea

So, I assume that you like these two games...

Do you have any more?

I youtube games on occasion as I'm interested to see if the 'art' has really progressed or if it's still 'the same old'. Among the games that I've youtubed', Bioshock and Dead Space were certainly the most impressive in the past 5 years. I've never played them, but even just watching the story via youtube was enjoyable. I think that Bioshock is particularly impressive, and is probably as much as a work of art that is possible for this genre.

My memory is hazy, but I thought that the 'Sander Cohen' segment was really brilliant. The writing (especially the frightening journals and warped characters) in Bioshock is particularly good. The creative team has obviously read 'Atlas Shrugged' and/or 'The Fountainhead', and have some understanding of Ayn Rand's ideology.

As for the dead space,- being a fan of 'The Thing', the monsters really freaked me out the first time I saw them.

As far as games go, I think that story+design reaches a high point with games like: Shenmue, Metal Gear Solid, Zelda 64, and Bioshock. Dead space was imaginative as well. Can you think of any more?

So what are your favorite computer/video games, donbot?

I youtube games on occasion as I'm interested to see if the 'art' has really progressed or if it's still 'the same old'. Among the games that I've youtubed', Bioshock and Dead Space were certainly the most impressive in the past 5 years. I've never played them, but even just watching the story via youtube was enjoyable. I think that Bioshock is particularly impressive, and is probably as much as a work of art that is possible for this genre.

This actually sounds like a good idea

That cosplay girl is quite cute as Ellie from Dead Space 2.

I was actually genuinely relieved she survived the game, would have been typical for Visceral games to give the player one last mindfuck by killing Ellie in the final cutscene.

^Same here

Glad she'll be back in 3. Apparently she's got a new prosthetic eye.. I kind of wish she kept the eye patch though :capt:

^Inspired!

Any significance to Elsa's 'Joker' status? I'd certainly have her in my deck anyways...

^Not especially, just luck of the draw!

Having said that, I do think she'd be able to pull off a jester's hat better than most