Chewin3

I love threads like these! Okay, here are two of my favorites I will summaries. I have more mind you, but these are two I really enjoy writing about. Geralt of Rivia -- The Witcher - His characterization as an intelligent and a knowledgable being. By all of the protagonist I've played in RPG games, not a single one have given me the same impression as Geralt in these two departments (mostly since they have lacked them). Geralt is portraid as having knowledge of his surroundings, and not being "the smartest" in any scenario. His features aren't "overblown", which I find appealing, and in the end draws me to him. And as I said in a earlier thread, in the end it is Geralt's projection into a much better written world and story, that helps make him a better protagonist. - In many RPG games, the protagonist is portraid as a set of character and an "avatar" of some sort. I do understand that some gaming developers want to make the protagonist "your" personal character as much as possible, with his/her own personal moral and views that you create (to some extent). Many like this kind of characters, but I do not. I don't want to play "my" character. I like to play "someone". - His Amnesia, while it having been done a million times before and is utterly cliché in my book, I still felt TW1 did it better than many other games/movies/books did, and that's thanks to the identity quest. What I like about it is that it doesn't feature any extreme revelations. It's not some big "twist" in the story or anything mind-breaking. It simply forces Geralt into a dilema: should he do exactly what he thinks he would have done before he got amnesia, or does he instead reshape his identity and beliefs according to his new experiences? And how does he justify his actions? These features is the exact thing I want in a role playing game, and at the same time makes Geralt an interesting character on my part. - As I stated earlier, his intelligence, knowledge, skills and in some part his competence in good parts, makes him a good character. I seldom like a 'bestial' and/or incompetent protagonist whose purpose is simply to kill people (in some ways). Geralt however, is shown to be smart, intelligent and wise without overblowing him and making him 'godly' to everyone around him. And this is done in a great way, large part because he is surrounded by great characters, which some are even smarter than him. - Geralt has a lot of ways to express his beliefs, opinions and concerns in an elaborate way (shown in TW1 and in the books, e.g with Stregobar). And often, he sounds wise while doing so. His discussion with Yaevinn and Sigfrid for example (and many other too) shows a character who reacts to the world he is living in. He may hate politics, but he he still aware of his surroundings. - And about his mutation, it actually adds to his charm, imo. He is an outcast and a freak in society and this is scene perfectly in TW1. I remember that specific quests where you basically were supposed to kill a monster and find the mans wife. But after the monster was dead, and you had found out that the man's wife was dead as well, the man simply showed Geralt away and said that he has that "evil look" in him. This is also one part why I like Witchers. People need them but are simultaneously afraid of them. - Geralt's humour. His sarcastic sense of humour is very funny and is exactly my kind of humour. I still find myself laughing at some moments in TW1, and in the books as well. And when Geralt does jokes with such brilliance, by sounding both facetious and smart at the same time, makes me just stare in awe at for being so cool. I just can't help but admire him. - Geralt's morality. He is not the "good guy" nor the "bad guy". The 'Official Announcement" trailer for TW2 said it best: "I'm no avenger of orphans, no executioner for hire. I'm a Witcher". Dandelion from the games summaries him perfectly: "Fate has little mercy for him, piling obstacles in his way, yet he trudges on. He has more scruples than a beggaring bum has fleas. Doubts haunt him even when a band of ruffians, knives drawn, approaches him on the highway. Is he a good man? I do not think so. Does he try to maintain his humanity? I believe he does." Loghain Mac Tir -- Dragon Age: Origins There's a lot I could say on why I find Loghain to be one of my favourite video game character, but I rather keep this short, so I'll go and post the shorter version instead: What I like in Loghain is that he is a rather a-typical character, because he is not inherently evil. In many ways Loghain is just compassionate about his country to the point of fanatical protection. Loghain began the game as a shady usurper to the throne who seemed to take advantage of a situation for his own goals. As we see throughout the events of Origins he is much deeper than that; his motives are benign for his people, not himself, despite how extreme they are. He is conflicted by these motivations at times, but Loghain constantly keeps them in line, putting the protection of the people from Orlais first, no matter how paranoid or misguided it may be. In the end, Loghain is not exactly a villain in the traditional sense of wanting power for his own ends. In actuality, all of his tactical moves to preserve Fereldens freedom result into a civil war within the country, something he laments towards the end of the Blight. Loghain is very much a social conservative. He is proud of the Ferelden heritage he fought so hard to regain control of, and does not want to compromise it once again. His motivation is not to gain control of the throne nor to even let the Blight continue. His motivation is the preservation of his country. Other than his daughter Anora, he only wants to preserve Ferelden by any means, and for him the ends will justify his means, no matter how colored the perception may be. Most of this, mind you, is stemmed from a bitter hatred against Orlais. But it is this grudge that becomes his tragic flaw; it begins his own descent in hostilities against the very nation he tries to desperately protect. Ultimately, Loghain Mac Tir is just a man from a different line of thinking, a socially and politically opposite to the protagonists in the game. This makes him your adversary, but not a true evil force. You can have compassion and pity for his actions as he slowly loses his grip on the situation, and you see it unravel as your player character gains control of things, including his own fate. Loghain is a fascinating look at how ideals can divide us and old grudges can twist these ideals into something malicious. He is a character with character because he is not a bad guy in the usual sense, but rather a man who chose the wrong side because of his past experiences, only to realize close to his own demise that he was wrong in that choice.

Obviously more maps for MM. Remakes / redesigns of old maps would be quite nice as well. Don't know how exactly Spartan Ops will turn out, but if there is room for interesting DLCs for that as well I wouldn't mind.

As long as I can go Skull Hunting, I'm all good.

I'm not American, so it doesn't bother me. Though I will still be following the news...

^Yeah right, you just want the award for it.

I am indeed interested in Middle Eastern history! The thing is, most history books in school / universities tends to focus on European and American history. I once had a discussion about history with a friend from Syria, who named several remarkable historical events / periods / figures who I had never even heard of. So I got interested, hit the library, and picked up several books concerning the Middle East. And I must say, there are several things I've read about that are really foreshadowed, and should get some light upon them. One reason why I tend to make threads like these on different forums.

^Well UK bacon is very different than "American" bacon. Their bacon is from the back cut of the pig and corresponds to what people call “Canadian bacon.” Our beloved bacon, made from pork belly, is known in the United Kingdom as “streaky bacon.” In Canada, interestingly, “bacon” means the exact same thing as in the United States, and they use the term “back bacon” to refer to what we call “Canadian bacon” and English people just call “bacon.” Which is simply a long-winded way of saying that the pork supply issue has nothing in particular to do with bacon.

If Mantis' are available in Forge (and I don't see a reason why they shouldn't) I can see game modes like this happening.

Basically as Darkness said, they are a group of Warrior-Servants in the Forerunner empire. As for your worries of Halo 4 not being as epic as 343i have stated, while I have no clue what the plot will feature in the game, I'm pretty certain that as the first game of a trilogy, Halo 4 will be the initiation stage; introducing the Forerunners and the inevitable threat that they will--presumably--poses. It depends entirely on what you define as something being "epic". If you mean gigantic battles and similar, then you might get disappointed. Not saying that such aspects are an impossibility, but I doubt it.

It's simple, the feedlot operators who supply the vast majority of beef buy year-old cattle and then fatten them for the slaughter. As fattening gets more expensive, the price they’re willing to pay for the yearlings declines, so the price of cattle in the futures market goes down, reducing breeders’ profits. In the short-term, drought and expensive feed lead to pre-emptive slaughter and an abundance of cheap meat. In the medium-term, however, this process leaves you with fewer animals to bring to the table, hence increase in meat prices.

I'll start with the campaign, possibly on Normal first to absorb and get the full content of the story. Or rather, don't want to frustrate myself the first time on Legendary... Then I'll probably hit the MM, depending on if I have LIVE at that point.

And according to some interviews, the less you move, the harder it is for you to be visible. Playing as a sniper has never been more safer!

Mostly the plot. I'm interested to see what 343i wants to continue to explore in the franchise, what certain elements / aspects they want to tell, and how it concerns Master Chief and other characters, both new and old. I'm also intrigued with what exactly Spartan Ops will bring to Halo 4, and how it'll develop further into the franchise. Gameplay / MM / Forge are naturally a big plus.

Haha, really cute to see a simple meme turn into an indie game and even further to a sequel! And if this one turns to be as good (or better) than the previous one, I would consider buying it.

"I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the 343 Industries Community Forum, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the Community". Creative, I know.

I'm very excited over AC3 and what it will bring to the table, mostly concerning the variety of new characters, the execution of the American Revolutionary War, and the continuity of Desmond's storyline. Truth be told, the main focus of the AC series is not really the ideological divide between the Assassins and Templars, especially no after AC1. Instead, the way I see it, he focus lies primarily on the characters, how they grow and how their perceptions develop throughout the game(s). That said, there are points where AC shines, though sadly it's not at the forefront like it should be. In AC1, all the Templars you assassinate represent something, ranging from lust to power, to a desire to establish order, to a feeling of rejection by an intolerant society (e.g. the homosexual templar). Altair's codices and philosophical reflections in AC2 were pretty deep as far as a video games go. And the Assassin vs Templar conflict, while binary, is being fought over several ideas and issues, both philosophical and practical. And the cool thing about it is that the Assassins and Templars start with the same premise: "Nothing is true, everything is permitted". Both are nihilistic, but both have very different conceptions of what ought to be. Now sadly the Templars in AC2 and Brotherhood (the Borgias) are portraid horribly. Only AC1 and Revelations touched on that conflict pretty well relatively speaking. But to reiterate, I still see the focus of AC on its characters and their journey, with the ideological conflict being the BG.

Scratch banned for editing her previous post! *wub*

As most people have already stated, it could be anything. Speculate is the only thing we can do at this point. I have to admit, I'm a fan of the 'bittersweet stories', but that depends entirely on the execution of it, would 343i make such a decision.

Scratch banned for not including anything "wub wub" in her post.

Glad to hear that! And that's an interesting list of figures. And agreed on your view of Alfred the Great. Him improving both the kingdom's legal system and military structure is fascinating to read about! I would also like to add to other figures that I've found to be very interesting to read about: Abd al-Malik Ibn Marwan - If Mu'awiya is to take credit for bringing unity to the early Muslims, Abd al-Malik would have to take credit for truly establishing an Imperial state with a system that would outlast his dynasty and be adopted by following Islamic polities centuries after him. An excellent politician and statesman as well as a visionary. Though most claim that the "Islamic Golden Age" started with the Abbasid dynasty, I would claim that the zenith started with his rule for all the political reforms he enacted and the administrative stability he established that allowed for a boom of high culture. Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb (Saladin) - He had amazing diplomatic skills, was a brilliant person as far as knowledge, and great military leader. He united and lead the Muslim world, and managed to recapture Jerusalem for the Muslims after defeating the King of Jerusalem at the Battle of Hattin. When his soldiers entered the city of Jerusalem, they were not allowed to kill civilians, rob people or damage the city. The more successful Saladin was, the more he was seen by the Muslims as being their natural leader. Rather than becoming a hated figure in Europe and by his enemies, he became a celebrated example of the principles of chivalry.

Very impressive work, Rob! Really like those small Easter Eggs / references.

"Wars have been started for less". But in all seriousness, it's not exactly a big deal. The outcome will possibly simply be an increase in meat prices in different ways, depending on timing.

Välkommen Liana! Trevligt och ha en till svensk här runt! I--and most people around here--hope as well that Halo 4 will turn out to be successful. Though we all have to just wait and see. And hopefully your boyfriend will also change his mind on the game.

^I will have to agree, 250,000 is a bit too much. Though if you're staying with that score, I'll have to 'quite' the challenge.

1. The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings 2. The Witcher 3. Planescape: Torment 4. Alpha Protocol 5. Baldur's Gate 2 6. Dragon Age: Origins 7. Assassins Creed 8. Batman Arkham Asylum 9. Kingdom Hearts II 10. Deus Ex: Human Revolution