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Is the "Arc the Lad Collection". The packaging lies to you a bit. It really contains 3 games, not 4. The 4th "game" really isn't much but a little side addition to the 2nd game. It also says these games are a amazing, this is also not true. Two of the games are rather mediocre, at best. In fact that could be said for pretty much the entire Arc the Lad series. It's just filled with dull, derivative uninspired "Blah". So you're saying "Why are you talking about it here, this is the thread for good stuff". Well the thing is, that here in America at least the collection was the only way to get at the good stuff:
Arc the Lad 2. It's more than just best game in a rather below average series, it's an awesome game in it's own right. It plays something like a TRPG in the vein of Final Fantasy Tactics or Shining Force, but at a faster clip with less reliance on menu-driven commands and smaller maps. It also has fully fleshed out towns and an over world map in the same vein as Chrono Trigger. The end result something that feels very simliar to both TRPG fans and those who like more traditional JRPGs, while playing more smoothly than most examples of either.
As is standard for games of this type it's moved forward by an almost wholly linear storyline and a fixed cast of characters. Which is fine by me as I like these conventions, however it's not going to make any believers out of people who want more control & freedom. While it doesn't break new ground, what is there is well presented.
It has a setting feels very much like the modern world, with cars & telephones but that doesn't seem discourage much of the main cast from going around with more traditional RPG fare like swords, axes & magic. They're not afraid to mash things up and there something gratifying about going up against a the leader of a bunch of prohibition-style Tommy-gun toting gangsters, in his high tech secret lab facility with a bunch of swords and spellcasters. Just don't over think things too much.
Finally the story is well presented and the characters are interesting. Like most games the writing is far, far, far from a masterpiece for the ages but it is very engaging.
If we are going with video games, then this is one of the best games ever:
Good characters, great story that really sucked me in, graphics were awesome at the time.
And don't even get me started about Knights of the Round.
I remember having the repeat spell/skill that lets you cast three of them in a row. You would set the first one off, go to the bathroom to take a #2, go to the kitchen to make a sandwich, and still get back before all three of them finished .
I also have it on good authority that it was Knights of the Round that inspired Mat Wards Grey Knights.
You mean like lesbian school girls, or tentacles right?
No.
As usual the trailer sucks. Yeah, the plot is a young girl meets a mysterious man during World War II and falls in love. She becomes and actress and starts looking for him.
And that's when things get weird.
It's about fiction and reality.
It's about 1000 years of Japanese history.
It's about love.
And it's so damn good it's your 5*PD!
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/14 00:49:04
Surely there must be something other then anime for the five star pick?
I prefer this to any of the other anime mentioned sofar, to each their own. Gantz.
Every Dakkanaught gets a 4+ Pinch of Salt save.
When you suffer a Falling Sky hit, roll a D6 - on a 4+ the hit is ignored as per the Pinch of Salt save. On a 1-3 panic insues - you automatically fail common sense tests for the next 2 weeks and get +7 to your negativity stat. -Praxiss
Some great recommendations, I've made sure to make a note of some of the books mentioned.
Casey Stoner on his MotoGP Honda at the Laguna Seca (US) round, captured on a fancy new 1000fps camera. I absolutely love this..
Fast forward to about 20 seconds.
This thread, unsurprisingly, has some great stuff in. Potential sticky?
Pretre: OOOOHHHHH snap. That's like driving away from hitting a pedestrian.
Pacific:First person to Photoshop a GW store into the streets of Kabul wins the thread.
Selym: "Be true to thyself, play Chaos" - Jesus, Daemon Prince of Cegorach.
H.B.M.C: You can't lobotomise someone twice.
Ensis Ferrae wrote:Sorry mate, I'll take this any day, over footy:
[rugby picture]
Agreed. Though I find that watching it makes me want to play more than it makes me want to watch.
Actually, come to think of it, soccer is one of the few sports I can actually sit and watch because I never played it competitively. Most everything else makes me want to dig out the cleats/skates.
This message was edited 2 times. Last update was at 2012/06/17 05:05:19
Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh.
The most insanely loud, and greatest sounding guitar amp of all time. No gak, this thing will kill small animals at over 100 paces.
Edit: I should probably add that I nominated this not just because I own one, but among guitarists they are widely regarded as the greatest Marshall ever made, and are THE sound of rawk.
(pic from google, not mine)
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/18 00:23:23
Things are gonna get a bit serious now cause it's NORTH KOREA WEEK here at D5*PD!
North Korea is one of the most isolated, impoverished, oppressive and heavily armed states in the world.
I mean people flee to China so they can enjoy lives of freedom. That's how bad it is.
The border between North and South Korea is closed and heavily armed on both sides. Even a minor incident could spark a war, a war that may involve nuclear, biological and chemical weapons. A war that would certainly draw in the United States and the People's Republic of China.
Solid information on North Korea is hard to come by, usually it comes from refugees who managed to flee and survive the difficult journey to freedom, or from a handful of North Koreans who risk their lives by sending out quick reports using smuggled Chinese cell phones.
So this week I'll feature some of the better books and films I've seen on North Korea.
Good Friends is a Buddhist NGO that brings food to North Korea. They also bring out what information they can and regularly translate and publish it. It's chilling reading sometimes... the current headlines are:
Defectors Facing Forced Repatriation Attempt Suicide
China’s Intensified Investigation on Brokers Trafficking North Koreans
Defectors’ Families Frustrated At Losing Contact
“Form a Group of Two or Three When Getting Around in China”
Repercussions of Monitoring Defector Groups on Their Family Members in North Korea
Scary stuff, and the people who got those stories out risked their lives and freedom, and the lives and freedom of their families. North Korea after all believes in the Confucian idea of punishing people unto the 3rd generation.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/18 22:13:16
If we're recommending mind-bending movies, I have to rave about Being John Malkovich. Or I would, but I'm being lazy. Just do yourself a favor and see it, if you haven't. Describing it would be almost pointless, and you wouldn't believe half the things I would write; either the subjective ones or the straight plot points.
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For music, I'm going to recommend Cake's Prolonging the Magic. The biggest single was Never There, probably followed by Sheep Go to Heaven (Goats Go to Hell) but this sucker is a rich and varied feast of different styles, all executed with real skill and love, not just hipster irony (though that's there too, of course). Favorite tracks include You Turn the Screws, Let Me Go, and Where Would I Be, which is probably one of the best love songs I've ever heard.
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Beer recommendation. Goose Island's Summertime. I have loved their 312 wheat ale since I discovered in Chicago two years ago, where it is brewed, and recently was extremely happy to discover that a place in my town sells it. Sadly, the 312 here is brewed and bottled in New York, and does not seem to be as good. However, I also discovered their Summertime varietal in the same store, and this one IS actually from Chicago, and is delicious.
This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at 2012/06/19 01:24:06
Adepticon 2015: Team Tourney Best Imperial Team- Team Ironguts, Adepticon 2014: Team Tourney 6th/120, Best Imperial Team- Cold Steel Mercs 2, 40k Championship Qualifier ~25/226
More2010-2014 GT/Major RTT Record (W/L/D) -- CSM: 78-20-9 // SW: 8-1-2 (Golden Ticket with SW), BA: 29-9-4 6th Ed GT & RTT Record (W/L/D) -- CSM: 36-12-2 // BA: 11-4-1 // SW: 1-1-1
DT:70S++++G(FAQ)M++B++I+Pw40k99#+D+++A+++/sWD105R+++T(T)DM+++++ A better way to score Sportsmanship in tournaments The 40K Rulebook & Codex FAQs. You should have these bookmarked if you play this game.
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RossDas wrote: I must admit that I struggled through Embassytown, though it was a fascinating book.
Just finished EmbassyTown. I enjoyed it for the depth and breadth the Author took you on. Well worth the initial struggle to get your feet under you when you start.
Finished 3rd Co Starting First Company
Arbites
DS:70+S+G+MB+IPw40k03#++D++A++/wWD280R+++T(D)DM++ Adepticon TT Headhunter 2008 1-800-INQUISITION
One of the great classic movies of our time would be this:
Spoiler:
Shut the feth up Donny.
Every Dakkanaught gets a 4+ Pinch of Salt save.
When you suffer a Falling Sky hit, roll a D6 - on a 4+ the hit is ignored as per the Pinch of Salt save. On a 1-3 panic insues - you automatically fail common sense tests for the next 2 weeks and get +7 to your negativity stat. -Praxiss
One of the great classic movies of our time would be this:
Spoiler:
Shut the feth up Donny.
I read an interesting article ones with the theory that Donny is not real. Nobody ever talks to him except for Walter, so the theory is that Walter has a bad case of PTSD and Walter is an old war buddy that he imagines is still around.
.
Arbites