The Gamer's Quarter

Slonie · . Joined: 28 Nov 2006 Posts: 141

I want to come back to this post and edit it with relevant links, names, dates, and researched details, but in the grand tradition of the Internet I'm just going to spew from memory as I promised this post earlier and never delivered...Here goes!

So anyway, one of the fairly heavily-marketed aspects of Shadow Ops: Red Mercury was the "Hollywood Screenwriter" writing the plot for the game. This screenwriter was Micah Ian Wright, at least in all the pre-release PR for the game. Micah Ian Wright is an interesting dude. An abridged version of his career, from memory, would go like this:

0) Career in the Special Forces as an Army Ranger

1) Write and produce a pilot for a NickToons show that never got made (past the pilot) that woudl have been TOTALLY AWESOME (steampunky Doc-Savage-inspired pulp).

2) Create a book featuring old propaganda posters remixed into current anti-war politics. It's called "Back the Attack!". Heady stuff, especially considering he was ex-Military himself.

3) Oh wait, it turns out he was never in the Rangers. He came clean on his website and others. Big scandal.

4) Write Shadow Ops: Red Mercury. Or did he? His name is nowhere in the credits of the game (unless I missed something). The credited writers are two other guys. Pseudonyms? I don't think so, they appeared in the video documentary featured on the game DVD.

I still don't know the truth behind the Shadow Ops thing. Did he quit? Did he get canned during the scandal about his military history that was actually fictional? I don't know. I do know (from old posts on his website) that coming out with the truth was incredibly difficult as you might imagine. I also know that his show should have gotten produced, the pilot was totally rad.
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-Slonie

Dracko · . Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 2613

He also wrote the comic Stormwatch: Team Achilles, which DC hated so badly, they said they cancelled it at #24, but instead cut it at #23 at the last minute, frustrating writer and fans alike.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

Huh, that comic sounds interesting. You ever read it, Dracko? Any good?
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Dracko · . Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 2613

I read the first arc (Three issues), but gave up since. It didn't come off as bad, just too much like a macho comic book for my blood at the time. I'll give it another go.

They do mercilessly wipe out the Shadow/Elders of/Illuminati U.N. within a couple of pages though, just to show they take shit from no-one.

If anyone's curious, send me a PM and I'll give you links to them.

EDIT: Also, it gets better.
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

dhex · Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 10:05 pm Post subject:

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Minerva was really, really good guys!

And Unreal 3 hasn't learned much since Quake 3 Team Arena except how to make really awesome vehicles and not include anti-aliasing so that it constantly looks much uglier and older than it should.
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“The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

Yeah, I tried the UT3 demo (not Unreal 3, shaper! Unless I'm missing something) and found it very dissapointing. It's basically old school deathmatch that looks pretty nice and a few forgetable additions. This junk is dated as all heck! I can't imagine playing a game with such dated design these days.

Then again, I wasn't really expecting anything else, so yeah.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Need help: Jedi Outcast

This is the same part I got stuck on my first play through and it's going to prevent me from finishing the game ever. There's a part right after where you go into the freezing chamber (very early on) and it's a circular room, you jump up on some parts, cross a catwalk, then make it into a room with a pool of freezing liquid. From there you can kill some stormtroopers and an officer, then go down into a large room with a camera, three turrets, and some storm troopers. I can't get past this point. There's nothing I can (seemingly) do to progress. There is one cylindrical door in the corner of said room that seems like it should open but doesn't. I've back tracked and retraced my steps multiple times but CAN'T progress from here. Any help?
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“The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"

ryan · . Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 999

The last UT I played was the original, and even though 3 is only slightly different, I'm still really enjoying it. There is a pace to the games that is unlike any other, and everything works towards it - the weapon firing rate, reload time, vehicles, etc. Sometimes I just want to jump in with some bots and dive around a weird level and run something over with a tank. There are also the giant hovering robots that randomly fire out death rays, a deathmatch obstacle the 23rd century has long been advocating.

Also, Daikatana is free on GameTap until the 31st.
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Come to me, Mordel. We shall depart.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

To be honest, I encouneted one of those robots in the demo and thought it was one of the most retarded things I've seen in my life.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:34 pm Post subject:

Harveyjames please liveblog Daikatana for the good of this thread.
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Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

guys i actually own a big box copy of daikatana
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Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 7:40 pm Post subject:

I feel like I dodged a bullet of some kind by never feeling the need to buy Daikatana.
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captaincabinets · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:19 pm Post subject:

Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:23 pm Post subject:

Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 8:25 pm Post subject:

Pink Teddy Bear · . Joined: 24 Aug 2007 Posts: 180

Daikatana is a damn glorious game. Anyone liveblogging it would be much appreciated.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

I don't have time to scratch my own ass at the moment. I had to hire some guy to do it for me.
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The Great Unwashed · Posted: Thu Dec 06, 2007 10:47 pm Post subject:

The pay is great but the conditions are appalling.
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ryan · . Joined: 20 Feb 2005 Posts: 999

dhex · Posted: Fri Dec 07, 2007 10:26 am Post subject:

so how bad is daikatana anyway?
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

This is from the Something Awful review of the demo that came out at the time:

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

the levels after the swamp section are actually not too bad, some parts are even lots of fun!

but the swamp part was just so, SO fucking terrible. If they had just cut out that entire section, the game would have automatically done 3 million times better. Seriously.
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Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Sat Dec 08, 2007 1:18 am Post subject:

Daikatana made it to the N64. That's all I can really say on the subject.
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Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2007 3:19 am Post subject:

Paranoia is a pretty sweet Half-Life mod that is full of high quality content and modifications to the engine. It almost looks like a Source engine game such is the level of visual quality of the models and textures. It has a pretty epic "Hazard Course" map as well.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

yeah, the game has a shit-tonne of problems, but it still would have done 3 million times better if the first quarter of the game was cut out!

I CAN'T LEAVE WITHOUT MY BUDDY SUPERFLY
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

I was just thinking about that. Why didn't they just make it so the buddies automatically catch up with you when ever you try to leave a level? Or, Romero's such a big Miyamoto fan, why didn't they just make them like Epona so they just magically appear from behind you no matter where you call them from? Dumbasses.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

yes there were lots of odd design choices. it was a real mess. you can see glimpes of genius here and there, but yeah.
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

Hey, someone should do a liveblog of it.

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

how about YOU, harveyjams
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

How about you go whap-a-dang?

dhex · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:11 pm Post subject:

guys last night in best buy (i am looking for a new keyboard and like to clack before i buy but i'm just getting a natural $19.95 joint anyway cause i like the bend and wireless sucks sometimes but anyway) and i saw an fps that had you as a gubmint soldier shooting at al qaeda dudes in front of someone's suburban lawn. looks really 1995. any ideas?

it's new obviously but man invasion usa without a sense of humor sounds like no fun carnivale.
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Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

no idea!

so i played through deus ex, playing through bloodlines right now. was thinking of doing thief 3 next, but think i'll do stalker instead. how is it improved since the original release? lots, i hope!

not sure how much longer i'll play bloodlines. this game is more of a mess than i remember. it's still fun, but man, the missions become boring really quickly. running around downtown is still fun, though! plus the game is so patched that i havent bumped into any bugs this time. but yeah... no amount of patching will fix the mission design!

i feel like i should be playing other games, like finished my copies of planescape: torment and the last express, but i dunno, i just like shooting stuff and dont feel like playing anything that doesnt involve that. my favourite type of game is certainly FPS games with a large dose of adventure/rpg.

i'm also thinking of plugging through bioshock again when the new patch comes out, but i don't know.
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Dracko · . Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 2613

dhex, is that the game where you fist-fight Saddam and Osama? Because, I don't know its title either.

If you want disgusting rhetoric, you can always play the new Soldier of Fortune. Or if you want a brainless fascist wet dream, Urban Chaos: Riot Response.

Hey, who here played Zero Tolerance? Much like the Marathon series (dhex, play them if you haven't already), it's been made publically available, along with its unfinished sequel.

P.S. Winged Assassin, I am going to give that mod a look. It looks graphically superior considering it's a Half-Life mod and seems like a viable alternative to S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

dhex · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 12:06 pm Post subject:

no i believe you don't actually fistfight anyone, it's more invasion usa style madrassas from canada or something like that. i have no idea i was in a hurry at the time, sadly. i'm going to go looking later today and maybe i'll buy the witcher maybe i dunno. (i can't buy crysis or cod cause i figure i'm getting those as gifts for xmas from the wife)
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Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 4:41 pm Post subject:

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

Yeah, Zero Tolerance wasn't too hot, but it was about the best you had when it came to Mega Drive FPS games.

I wonder if I should reveal that I've only played 20 minutes of half-life 2.
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Shapermc · Hot Sake! Joined: 14 Oct 2004 Posts: 6279

Cycle, you should be ashamed of yourself.
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“The average man has a secret desire to be a swaggering, drunken, fighting, raping swashbuckler.”
-Robert E. Howard in a letter to a friend circa Decmber 1932

"There is no place in this enterprise for a rogue physicist!"

Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2007 8:43 pm Post subject:

As punishment he must live blog Daikatana.
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Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

Surely Daikatana is something which must be experienced first-hand!
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Harveyjames · the meteor kid Joined: 06 Jul 2006 Posts: 3636

I'd be the first to admit I'd just be playing it wishing I had the expert wit, guidance and insight of someone like Cycle to help me through.

Dracko · . Joined: 10 Oct 2005 Posts: 2613

Hey, that Paranoia mod was pretty fantastic. Shame about the rock music and lack of ammo, though. It's worth the playthrough, I'd say.
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"This is the most fun I've ever had without being drenched in the blood of my enemies!"

Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:16 am Post subject:

Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

Yes, Blood is awesome!
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Winged Assassins (1984) · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 1:23 am Post subject:

It's awesome, but then you get to those bastard severed hands, and all the status-effecting spiders. Oh, and those fucking gillbeasts. Fuck those goddamn bastards, they are cunts. They made me hate aquatic enemies for life and I really used to like aquatic enemies.

Still, the game is saved because it's not Blood II.
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Cycle · Mac daddy Joined: 08 Sep 2006 Posts: 2767

I should play Blood again, I don't think I played it much past the first episode, but yeah, it certainly was a pain in the ass at times. On the other hand, it has so, SO much awesome stuff that makes up for it.

Which reminds me, I finished the first episode of ROTT! I enjoyed it, but I really hope someone uses the source to make a map and checkpoint function. A map, because they can be huge and confusing (and would look great on the DS bottom screen) and checkpoints (like, say, after grabbing a key) because the levels could take so long and I'd always forget to save. Plus, what with the 1up, weapon and MORE system, it's obvious the game should be played without saving/loading (or perhaps just a nod to WOLF 3D and it's lives and score systems), but it's just too much of a pain in the ass without checkpoints of any kind.

Also, the game goes way downhill on the first level on the second episode, because what the fuck, we get these super strong juggernaut guys who take forever to kill, plus they keep throwing grenades at you that kill you in like two hits. It's ridiculous!

Defend THAT, rero.

Oh, and yeah, Blood II, what the hell was that?

I'll tell you what it was.

Shit.

EDIT: Actually, I'm pretty sure I finished Blood, but I had to use lots of cheats by the end of it. Still was tonnes of fun!
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