(Daedalus)

I don't know, but I should clarify that "open world" was my wording. The game's website doesn't actually (at least, as far as I can tell) use those words, but it does suggest it. Regardless, it seems there will be a lot more freedom, and that's fine with me.

I just discovered that Mirror's Edge: Catalyst is a thing, and I cannot begin to express how excited I am. Open world. Good music. Mirror's Edge.

I haven't, though I've been meaning to pick it up for some time now. It just always happens that I think of all the books I want after I leave the book store. I've heard the same, and that has prevented me from picking it up. I might pick it up during Steam's summer sale; it appears to be at 50% off for the duration of the sale, and it might be cheaper if the series as a whole pops up on a daily deal. I doubt it is as bad as it's made out to be, but I'll keep my expectations low to prevent disappointment. As for Eliza... that's actually a good point, and one I hadn't thought of before. I might look into that a little more...

Alright then, I'll buy it when I can. And I guess it's alright if I don't like it, since I'm sure not a whole lot happened after The Conspiracy other then mankind recovering from the history changing stuff, where there is plenty to flesh out between Human Revolution and Deus Ex 1. You think Gunther is going to make an appearance in Mankind Divided?I know Bob Page probably will. Oh, and do you think Square Enix will have the balls to remake the first Deus Ex when their games catch up to 2052 (currently at 2029 I think)? Honestly, I'd be more surprised if he didn't show up, at least in a small role. From what little I've read of Mankind Divided (these days, I read as little about games prior to my purchasing them as I can; more surprises that way), it seems to be setting up the situation, at least in regards to older augmented folk, in Deus Ex. And like you said, Bob Page will most definitely be in the game; he already had a small role in Human Revolution. As for a remake... I don't know. On the one hand, I would actually love a remake. I'm not one of those kinds who thinks a remake destroys the original, so even if it didn't turn out that great, I think it would be neat to have a more modern version of the first game (though of course, I would like it a lot more if they basically recreated every detail of the first game in better graphics and maybe with a slightly different leveling system). On the other hand, I don't know that Square Enix would want to. The first game still holds up pretty well, and a remake would be a huge gamble. Human Revolution was divisive enough (though I thought it did a superb job of feeling like the first Deus Ex), but to actually remake the first game? I don't know, I just keep thinking of the Thief remake. Some of the discussions I saw about that game were ridiculous.

Nope. Never played them. Never. Anyway, yeah, I've only played Invisible War once, and I didn't think it was anywhere near as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. It isn't as good as the first game, but that doesn't make it bad. In fact, I remember quite enjoying it. The plot was pretty good, and I liked the way the factions worked. There are some annoying things--a lot of things look and feel awkward, and the game's odd engine makes many of the environments smaller than they should be (which leads to a lot of loading, and the load times aren't all that quick)--but overall, I thought it was worth playing. So basically, yeah, I think you should play it. Even if you think it sucks and you don't ever want to play it again, I don't think there's much harm in giving it a shot.

IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension) It takes me a second to understand what Olis just said, but when it clicks, I almost smile. "No' bad," I say. "Ah'm ready when yuh are."

I recently finished Darksiders, and I must say I was quite surprised by the game. I played the demo on my XBox 360 a couple years ago, and I remember I wasn't particularly impressed with it. I didn't like the combat (and I was pretty bad at it) and I felt lost the entire I was playing it. I remember being quite confused as to how I got to the boss (a fight that I utterly failed several times). However, it was placed on sale recently on GOG, and I was in the mood for something different, so I went out on a limb and purchased. Turns out that was a great decision, because I thoroughly enjoyed the game from start to finish. The combat was fun, and while I won't claim to be good at it, I got to the point that I could effectively fight most enemies without much trouble (there were a couple exceptions, like those annoying four-legged beasts with the horns). The bosses were, for the most part, fun to battle (oddly enough, I think the first Chosen was the most difficult), even if the Destroyer proved to be far easier than I expected. I liked the way loot worked, too, in that there was hardly any of it, and it was all pretty much required (as far as weapons and items and such go, anyway). That helped put the focus on the combat and the puzzles, which were never too hard. All in all, it was a fun game, and I'm glad I purchased it. I am now playing through Darksiders II, which is a slightly different beast (where Darksiders was an action game with puzzle elements, Darksiders II more closely resembles an action RPG with puzzle elements), but fun nonetheless. I like that Death controls differently than War, and I like the expanded platforming abilities. They help break things up. I'm not big on the more extensive loot (I'd rather not have to compare stats on armor and weapons), but it doesn't detract from the overall experience. I will say this, though: the music is leaps and bounds better than the music in the first game. While Darksiders' music wasn't bad, it was far from memorable. Darksiders' II's music is just great.

I haven't played many, but I'm just going to go with a three-way tie between the Alpha Team game, LEGO Star Wars, and LEGO Indiana Jones (Alpha Team because nostalgia; LEGO Star Wars because it was fun and I almost got 100%, though I didn't achieve it because a kid I was babysitting overwrote my save; and LEGO Indiana Jones, because it was fun and the music is just great (also almost got 100%, but my XBox 360 quit reading discs before I could)).

IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension) I step to the elevator doors and look out through the small passageway. I... hadn't remembered it being that small, though I guess if I'd had to leave The Rosteimer behind, that would make sense. Makes me think, though. It's a good thing the elevator was large enough for us. I turn back to Olis. "We ain' gettin' ou' da' way. Yuh go's da enuhgy tuh ge' us tuh anothuh floo'?"

Okay, I only occasionally pop into this sub-forum to take a gander, but this caught my eye. While I'm not a big fan of Katryna (the thighs seem a little off), I don't dislike her. She just doesn't elicit much of a reaction from me. The BOB, on the other hand, is incredible. It just looks big and mean. It's just so intricate, and the claws/paws/whatever-you-want-to-call-them are just fantastic. They don't look awkward or too small (which, in the few beast MOCs I've seen, seems to be, at least to my eyes, a common problem). I can't really compliment it enough and I don't know all the lingo and such to properly express how much I like this, but just know that I mean it when I say this is an awesome MOC.

IC: Daedalus Drachoren (The Spine) Daedalus had followed along behind Dreisen, keeping quiet. When Dreisen stopped them and asked a question, the first response that came to mind was, "What are we doing again?", but being the sensible bloke that he is, he opted to keep his mouth shut. IC: Von Worten (Wailing Cliffs) A lot of movement began to drift across my vision as I followed behind the Host, and I was somewhat lost in the activity. I staid close to the Host, only dimly aware of his conversation with Maccha Yellow! (Which reminds me, should the impossible ever occur and Maccha Yellow! ever read this account of mine, I feel it only fair to apologize for my thoughtlessness in my previous entries in regards to the exclamation mark that appears to be part of his name.) OOC: I'm going through one of those weird spells where I find it a little difficult to write Bionicle characters, so I apologize for my low activity.

IC: K'Larn (Hoarders' Retreat) As would be the case with almost any thief (or any other person who found himself or herself in a place he or she was not supposed to be), K'Larn's first instinct upon being discovered was to either get away or fight. However, he had worked for the Thieves' Guild long enough to know that there was always someone smarter, faster, and/or better at fighting. In this case, running would do him no good; the only exit lay behind him, and whoever had spoken would be blocking the way. He could try to fight, but he knew nothing of this person's fighting skills, and unless he had absolutely no other options, he didn't want to risk his life. The only outside indicator of this thought process was a second's hesitation. K'Larn straightened and turned to face the speaker. He stood in the entrance of the room, in the weird dull area between the lighted room and the lighted tunnel behind him, making it difficult for K'Larn to focus on the figure. All he could see was the rough outline of a well-dressed Dunmer. "No easy feat, sneaking up on a Khajiit," K'Larn commented. "Oh?" the Dunmer said. His voice was soft but confident and suggested a smile. "Well, to be fair, I do have certain... advantages." Pause. "I smelled you as soon as you entered these tunnels, and I must confess to feeling mildly elated." It was K'Larn's turn to say, "Oh?" "Yes. You see, in all my years, I have never had the pleasure of experiencing a Khajiit." The words caused K'Larn to shift uncomfortably, and a few moments passed before he could respond. "You said something similar earlier, though it was creepier this time." "Creepy...?" The Dunmer's head tilted to the side, and then he let out an embarrassed "Ah..." He shook his head. "I understand, and I apologize for the confusion." K'Larn just continued to watch the Dunmer. "No, I truly apologize. I am hardly so... base. My appetite is for other things." K'Larn eyes began dancing about. He still had no immediate plans to run or fight, but he felt the urges and he wanted to improve his chances of success should he choose to do either. The Dunmer seemed to pick up on K'Larn's survey, and he stepped into the room, shaking his head. "Oh, no," he said, "I'm afraid you won't be leaving for a few days yet." K'Larn's body went absolutely still. A chill swept through his body as his eyes registered the sharpened teeth and the piercing eyes. "I do not wish to harm you, Khajiit, and please believe me when I say that," the Dunmer said, his expression sincere. "But I think it is better for you and those in the immediate area for me satiate my hunger." His expression turned curious. "Besides... I want to see the effects on a Khajiit. They should be... fascinating."

I'm still trying to figure out why people take these RPGs so seriously.

IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension) "Stairs?" I ask at the same time Olis says "Elevator." I don't really want to square off on the manas, but looking at Olis, he might not make it up the stairs. "El'vatuh, den," I say. I stretch out my hands and loose jets of flames at the ground in front of the manas. My hope is that the flames will get under it and do some significant damage. Oddly enough, I'm beginning to feel the strain on my powers. It is not yet significant, but I can feel it.

IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension Basement) I don't bother to respond; I just hold my arms back and downward and spew jets of flame out of my hands, quickening our movement upward. Shouldn't take us long to reach the top, though I don't think we will particularly enjoy what's at the top.

IC: Daedalus Drachoren Daedalus gave a quick nod and offered a "Yep" before falling in behind Dreisen. Only then did he take a moment to consider just what he'd gotten himself into.

People drink milk in their rooms? Huh. I have gray sheets covered with a black, red, and gray quilt my grandma made for me. The design is hard to describe, but it's pretty awesome.

IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension Basement) I look around the room for anything that might be an exit. We can't go up the stairs, and I don't recall there being any exit in the other room. There has to be something in here...

I quite enjoyed Dark Souls without multiplayer. I couldn't experience all that the game had to offer, of course, but I wouldn't say that makes the game "not good." As for the WRPG and JRPG discussion... I've found I'm more inclined to like WRPGs than JRPGs (though to be fair, I've played far more of the former than I have of the latter). Of the five JRPGs I've seriously played (Final Fantasy XIII, FFXIII-2, Lost Odyssey, Dragon Quest IX, and Septerra Core), I liked three of them (the first three, for those curious). I've played several others, but I had the same problem with them as I had with Dragon Quest IX and Septerra Core; they are incredibly repetitive and require a lot of grinding (which may be due to my being horrible at them, but whatever). I don't mind having pre-made characters and no decisions, but at the very least, I want something interesting to happen to those characters. And... I feel like I was going to say more, but I don't know what it was. Maybe it will come back to me later.

IC: K'Larn (Hoarders' Retreat) K'Larn slowly made his way inward, coming across only one trap, an easily avoidable tripwire, along the way. He didn't know much about Hoarders' Retreat's layout--only that it was fairly small. He could see a tunnel branching off to his lift, while the primary tunnel continued in a roughly straight line until it curved to the right past another tunnel on the left. It was all sparsely lit by weak torches, which K'Larn found somewhat annoying. The torches were just bright enough to hamper his night vision, while not bright enough to help him see clearly. Still, he had come to steal, and he wouldn't let something so simple deter him. He took the first tunnel on the left, pausing every few steps to listen. He still heard nothing. The tunnel angled slightly downward and led to a small "room" furnished with a simple, full-sized bed, a small chest, and two crates. The chest was locked but easily picked, though it contained nothing of interest--common garments. The crates were sealed, and while they might hold something more interesting, K'Larn did not want to risk the noise necessary to open them until he was sure there was no one else here and that he couldn't find anything else of worth. He left that room and continued down the main tunnel. He took the second side tunnel, which ran straight into a large chamber. This was where most of the merchandise and such seemed to be located. It contained several square crates, a few barrels, some chests, two dismantled carts, and two rectangular boxes. The chests were mostly uninteresting, though one yielded a set of expensive dinnerware. Another held primarily standard weapons, with one ornate dagger in the midst. Again, K'Larn avoided the crates. The barrels contained food stuffs. The rectangular boxes were empty except for some padding, which K'Larn thought odd. He supposed they could be used to transport something long and fragile, though he could not picture the items. Maybe they were further in. Taking what he deemed valuable, K'Larn left the chamber and returned to the main tunnel. He followed it around the curve. The tunnel, lit by a single, dim torch, extended several yards ahead of him and split at the end. The tunnel to the right was completely dark. K'Larn decided to check that one last. The tunnel to the left led to another room about the same size as the first, though this room was furnished much more extravagantly. An ornate dresser stood against the right wall. A small table sat next to the large, well-covered bed. Even the alchemy table against the left wall seemed to add to the extravagance. K'Larn searched the dresser first. Lots of expensive clothes, most of which he couldn't take. Even disregarding the fact that there were too many garments for him to stuff into his pack, such clothes tended to be unnecessarily heavy, in his experience. He moved to the bedside table next. It was empty except for some expensive writing equipment. "A Khajiit. How... interesting. I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure." K'Larn sighed. Why did he get the feeling this wouldn't turn out well?

IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension Basement) "Dis ain' good," I mutter. I consider suggesting we make a run for the stairs while we stay on the ceiling, but Olis looks strained and I'm not sure we'll make it. Of course, despite all our power, I'm not so sure we'll last in a fight. Though I guess it wouldn't hurt to try. I call upon the great power within me and extend my hands upward, creating large streams of fire and raking them back and forth across the manas.

IC: K'Larn (Hoarders' Retreat) The approach to Hoarders' Retreat was simple. The entrance was situated just out of sight of the road, though due to its popularity among traders, a worn path could be found leading from the road to the entrance. He watched this entrance for almost half an hour. He saw no activity, which didn't surprise him. He would need to get closer, or get inside, before he could know if anyone was inside or not. He figured at least one person from the crew would stay behind to protect their stuff--probably the bruiser sort. Generally easy to avoid, but difficult to shake if noticed. Dogged, was the word K'Larn used to describe them. K'Larn crossed the open area between a small hill close to the road and the hill in which the cave entrance was situated. He moved along the side of the other hill until he was next to the entrance, at which point he crouched and listened. His ears picked up various ambient noises from outside, but no sounds--at least none of note--came from inside. Even after ten minutes, he heard nothing. He finally decided to risk a peek. He leaned over and looked inside. A few sightless moments passed while his eyes adjusted, but when they did, he saw several ropes hanging from the ceiling. Along each length of rope were several pieces of bone and glass. It was a simple and common alarm system meant to catch the stupid or those with more honest intentions. K'Larn was, fortunately or unfortunately, neither. He stepped inside and crept forward in a crouch, carefully moving between the alarms while also scanning the ground for any traps. It took him a full minute to pass through the alarm system; he probably could have done it more quickly, but he was in no hurry and he didn't want to press his luck. Once fully inside, he pressed himself against a wall and waited for his eyes to more fully adjust--which, thanks to his being a Khajiit, didn't take long.

OOC: Holy geez I can't believe I forgot to post in a very long time. My apologies. IC: Einefus Ingrayv (Ascension Basement) Whether it was lingering disorientation from my transformation or some other, outside force, I cannot say, but I stood frozen as Olis battled the large creature. His angry cry, however, snaps me from my stupor. I send a (hopefully) parting fireball toward the creature and then run for the exit, trailing behind Olis. "We still has ahse'ves a prollum," I observe, my eyes taking in the large number of manas crabs.

IC: K'Larn K'Larn didn't look back when the figure didn't respond. He was too focused on getting out of the city. He worked his way through the streets. When he was finally free of the city proper, he maintained his quick walking pace. He had learned some time ago that leaving a city while running tended to make guards suspicious. He followed the road for several minutes. When he thought it was safe, K'Larn took a deep breath, smiled, and ran. He didn't run flat out--in fact, it was more of a quick jog than anything--but he moved quickly enough to feel the light breeze brush his fur. His body warmed and tingled as his blood began to flow. His rhythmic cadence played like a steady drum beat in his ears, and before long, he was humming to himself. He passed docile wildlife and exotic plants that never ceased to amaze him. Inevitably, K'Larn began to think inwardly. It happened often when he ran for long stretches of time; his mind began to turn inward. He thought of the past, the present, the future. Right now, as he ran, he wondered what would have happened if he had not been raised here. He was certain he wouldn't have been raised by Imperials. No doubt he would have been raised by slavers. Even if he had been lucky enough to be raised by his parents in captivity, he would probably refer to himself in the third person like his parents had. And what if he had left with his sister? Last he heard, she was in Cyrodiil. He missed her, but he wasn't sure he would enjoy Cyrodiil as much as he enjoyed Morrowind. Morrowind was much more exotic, much more unusual, much more beautiful. No, in all, he was happy where he was. Maybe not with what he was doing--he had never intended to live up to his race's reputation as thieves--but he was definitely happy where he was. Time passed as his thoughts drifted on, but when night began to fall, he stopped and moved off the road. He would have preferred to continue on, but he figured he would be less likely to run into the "merchants" at Hoarders' Retreat if he sneaked in during the day. For now, he set up camp and, after almost an hour, he fell asleep.

IC: K'Larn (Narsis Streets) K'Larn left The Lucky Guar not long after Diron, casting a curious glance at a table of odd individuals as he did so. Once outside, he set off down the street, ready to leave Narsis. He didn't have anything against cities, but there were times when he just liked the openness of the country. Right now was one of those times. As his mind drifted forward to his coming journey, he recalled, as he always did, the time when he was young and he overheard a conversation between some guests his parents were waiting on. One, a young soldier who had only recently arrived in Morrowind, was expressing wonder at Vvardenfell's size. The other soldier, a woman who had been a soldier stationed of Morrowind for some time, had laughed at the younger soldier. She told him that Vvardenfell was much smaller than many claimed. It only appeared large because everyone on the island moved at a snail's pace. Having never actually been on Vvardenfell, at least as far as he could remember, K'Larn did not know how true that was. The island did look big. At any rate, the conversation had stuck with him all these years, and whenever he set out on a journey, he thought of it. Perhaps it was a subconscious way to inspire himself; he had always enjoyed running, and he ran as often as he could when he traveled. Even now, the itch to get moving quickened K'Larn's pace. He wanted to be out on the road and out of the city. He stepped past a scowling Dunmer and almost into the back of a hooded figure. He lithely sidestepped the figure and said, "My apologies," though he did not stop moving. OOC: Kind of a little bit interacting with Anguis.