The $500 challenge.

[weemadando]

So it's been going pretty well. In the time I've had to game I've been more focused and wrapped up Battlefield Bad Company 2 (turns out I had only 2 missions left, despite what the menu screen layout implied) and I just finished Mass Effect (and that's not missing a 2).

In good news I scored a free copy of Mafia II for PC (thanks to Australian Gamer). But as that'll be a while in arriving it's onto Alpha Protocol which is sitting around waiting for me. I'd love to roll straight into ME2 but I think I'm going to hold out for the announcement of a GotY edition with DLC rolled in.

So in summary - free game won. No extra money spent and two games finished.

Next up:
Alpha Protocol (360)
Bioshock (PC)

[General Zod]

Good thing about Alpha Protocol is there's lots of replay value once you get over some of the hurdles (lol hacking minigame). I'm working on my third playthrough right now for yet another different ending.

[weemadando]

OK, so I saw a copy of World in Conflict (not the Gold Ed) for $2.50. I say that this is worth it. Would I be correct?

[JointStrikeFighter]

God yes!

[weemadando]

...and the copy was gone when I ran over to JB in my teabreak. Damnit. I guess I just wait for it to appear on the Steam sales again.

[Stark]

Just call the other JBs. If it's standard there'll be more.

[weemadando]

No biggie - it was in a bargain bin anyhow so it's probably not standard pricing for that. With Alpha Protocol burning a hole on my shelf and Mafia II's arrival imminent I'm not exactly getting caught short.

[Stark]

Mafia 2 is lame, short and linear, Bioshock is horribly outdated these days and WiC is quite possibly still the best RTS around. Priorities!

[weemadando]

Here's a quick list of the games in my collection that I intend to get around to/go back to (even if just to confirm that "yup, I'm done with this"). A * indicates a game where I'm already a decent chunk of the way into it and put it back down.

PC:
Amnesia
*ARMA2
*Ben There, Dan That!
*BioShock
*Bloodbowl (thinking about upgrading to Legendary)
Chronicles of Riddick: Dark Athena
*Crysis
Crysis Warhead
*Dragon Age: Origins
*FEAR 2
*Fallout 3
*Far Cry 2
*Halo 2
*Just Cause 2
*Mirror's Edge
Monkey Island (Telltale)
*No One Lives Forever 2
*On The Rainslick Precipice of Darkness
*Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising
Overlord
*Plants v Zombies
*Red Faction Guerilla
Sam and Max season 1
*STALKER series
*Sid Meier's Civilization V
*Spore
Strong Bad season 1
Time Gentlemen, Please!
Trine
Tropico 3
The Void
*Warhammer 40K: DoW2
Zeno Clash

360
Alone in the Dark
Alpha Protocol
*Assassins Creed II
*Banjo & Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts
*Burnout: Paradise
*Dead Rising Case Zero
*Forza 3
*Grand Theft Auto: TBOGT
*Madden 11
Splinter Cell Conviction (Co-op campaign)
*Toy Soldiers
*UFC 2010


Wii
*Endless Ocean
Little King's Story
Madworld
No More Heroes


DS
GTA: Chinatown Wars



Why are you looking at me like that? I don't have a problem! You've got the problem buddy!

[Stark]

I'm not sure there's half a dozen games there worth playing.

You should seriously just trade them in and forget about it.

[General Zod]

Here's a quick list of the games in my collection that I intend to get around to/go back to (even if just to confirm that "yup, I'm done with this"). A * indicates a game where I'm already a decent chunk of the way into it and put it back down.

*Fallout 3
Monkey Island (Telltale)
*Warhammer 40K: DoW2
Alpha Protocol
*Assassins Creed II
No More Heroes

There ya go. Anything else you can skip. Oh, and Splinter Cell Conviction is so short you can finish it in an afternoon easily.

[Bottlestein]

^ How fun is Assassin's Creed II? Is it worth buying, or renting to play through once?

I liked the gameplay of the first one the first couple of times, but then got bored with it. I did not think the later missions were very fun.

[General Zod]

AC2 is fantastic. Pretty much everything about it is a massive improvement over the first game. The combat is still easy but it's far more fluid and natural feeling; oh, and you get to have a boxing match with the Pope. You can't really top that.

[Bottlestein]

^ Does Altair still have that finger - blade thing? I would actually like spar with the Pope myself if I had one of those ...

[General Zod]

You don't play as Altair this time, it's a completely different ancestor. (One that actually starts off as sympathetic instead of a complete dick.)

[weemadando]

Yeah, in AC2 I've finished it except for Bonfire of the Vanities DLC, which I've started and a few of the truth locations. I just need to wrap it up. FAQs will probably be involved.

[General Zod]

Yeah, in AC2 I've finished it except for Bonfire of the Vanities DLC, which I've started and a few of the truth locations. I just need to wrap it up. FAQs will probably be involved.

The DLC is cheap and very short. You can finish it in an hour.

[weemadando]

Here's a quick list of the games in my collection that I intend to get around to/go back to (even if just to confirm that "yup, I'm done with this"). A * indicates a game where I'm already a decent chunk of the way into it and put it back down.

*Fallout 3
Monkey Island (Telltale)
*Warhammer 40K: DoW2
Alpha Protocol
*Assassins Creed II
No More Heroes

There ya go. Anything else you can skip. Oh, and Splinter Cell Conviction is so short you can finish it in an afternoon easily.

I forgot to put Fable 2 in there as well (which I'm about 1/2 way through), but that list fairly accurate in terms of my motivations.

Fallout3 I've finished the main game, Anchorage and Broken Steel, just got The Pitt and Point Lookout queued up (and maybe Mothership Zeta if I get really drawn back in).

Like I said. Often when I say I've started them, what I mean is "I'm well into them and then got distracted".

[weemadando]

Yeah, in AC2 I've finished it except for Bonfire of the Vanities DLC, which I've started and a few of the truth locations. I just need to wrap it up. FAQs will probably be involved.

The DLC is cheap and very short. You can finish it in an hour.

Well that's good, because it means I can then trade that shit in for... Not sure yet.

[General Zod]

I forgot to put Fable 2 in there as well (which I'm about 1/2 way through), but that list fairly accurate in terms of my motivations.

Fallout3 I've finished the main game, Anchorage and Broken Steel, just got The Pitt and Point Lookout queued up (and maybe Mothership Zeta if I get really drawn back in).

Like I said. Often when I say I've started them, what I mean is "I'm well into them and then got distracted".

Mothership Zeta can take it or leave it. Point Lookout is the best DLC in the game, and the Pitt is okay, but better than Anchorage and probably better than Broken Steel.

[Ghost Rider]

I forgot to put Fable 2 in there as well (which I'm about 1/2 way through), but that list fairly accurate in terms of my motivations.

Fallout3 I've finished the main game, Anchorage and Broken Steel, just got The Pitt and Point Lookout queued up (and maybe Mothership Zeta if I get really drawn back in).

Like I said. Often when I say I've started them, what I mean is "I'm well into them and then got distracted".

Fable 2...can be a mixed bag. The finale is not worth it, but the journey can be decent.

Mothership Zeta is to get access to wacky weapons, shoot and kill bastardly anal probing cowfucking aliens. The guns aren't anything special except an immense clip size. The Pitt is a fun excursion of choices and Point Lookout is fun, large, but more for atmosphere then weapons. Though the perk you get from the start is batshit broken. Also they do something with the Dunwich building.

[weemadando]

After spotting a cheap copy on eBay I've grabbed Way of the Samurai 3 for $30 (incl. postage). It's a series that I've heard a lot about and the design of intrigues me. Games are locked down in a small location (rural village), with a very short timeline (only 3-4 hours) but they are apparently hella branching with meaningful decision making and the like.

Plus there's sword fighting.

I'll be interested to see how it is and if it does truly rock then I shall evangelise.

Remaining: $453.30

[Oskuro]

Hmmm, forgot about this.


To recap, whatever a retailer/publisher does to ensure their policies are profitable is a red herring. My point is about the attitude of people doing this.

Stark's mention of how he uses a certain product until the return period is about to expire, and then turns it in is another non-videogame related instance of what I'm talking about.

The only justification being brought up so far is that it is OK to be dishonest about return policies just because you can do it. I fail to see how that refutes that returning an used product just to avoid spending money on it is morally wrong.

And do try to understand my meaning. Returning something because it is broken, or you bought the wrong item, or you simply dislike it is OK, that's what return policies and consumer laws are there for. Heck, I wouldn't disagree to returning a game so bugged or horrible that I can't play it through.

The situation here is about people lying about their discomformity with the product just so they can get a refund. How is that attitude justifiable? You know, besides the usual "it doesn't hurt anyone" excuse pirates love so much.

And, furthermore, how is promoting such attitude justifiable? Or in any way different to promoting software piracy, for example? Or heck, minor shoplifting.

And, again, I'm questioning the attitude of it being OK to do these things, not the impact or lack thereof these acts might have on retailers.


And, mind you, Starglider's mention of how publishers are attempting to take over entertainment markets for profit is the other side of this issue, and I find delightful how Stark bashes DRM, when this profiteering attitude is, in essence, exactly what he is doing. As I said, using any means at your disposal for profit doesn't look so nice when the ones doing it are the big corporations, right?

[General Zod]

In other words it's unethical because you don't like it, and you can't actually demonstrate where the harm is. Fuck off if you're just going to regurgitate your original position.

I do find your "dislike it" qualifier absolutely hilarious though. If someone thinks a game is okay but not okay enough to keep, and somehow that makes it wrong then all you're doing is splitting hairs with your mealy mouthed bullshit. But I guess in Oskuro's world there's no middle ground between "I like it" and "it sucks".

[Oskuro]

Awwww, cute. You can't tell the difference between returning something you don't like outright, or thouroughly using said item and only returning it because you can recover the money.

Maybe I should draw it with crayons next time. Would puppets help?