The Battlefield 3 Beta on the PS3 is equally as dumb.

The control sensitivity is set VERY low, to the point of being a pain in the ass, and the HUD is about as unfriendly to read as any I have ever seen.

Who makes a map layout on grey and white?  You can't see a damn thing on it.

I think I'll pass and buy Rage and Modern Warfare 3 instead.

I ordered RAGE on Steam today, and it's preloading now.  I was on the fence, but after watching a few trailers, I think it's going to be a pretty decent title.  I'm excited, because I haven't played an Id title that was worth a darn in years now.  In my reckoning, the latest truly top-notch game they released was Quake 3 Arena, and even that paled in comparison to Unreal Tournament.

You guys should definitely check out the trailers.  If the gameplay is even half as good as the graphics, I think it might give Borderlands a run for its money.





-b0b
(...will find out tomorrow how good his choice was.)

I had a chance to play through the first mission tonight (~35 minutes).  It's a pretty decent game.  It definitely has a Borderlands vibe to it, but the single player feels a bit more "deliberate" compared to the arcade/action bent in Borderlands.  There are definitely some crap-your-pants style surprises that involve scripted monsters dropping down on your character from nowhere.

My only real gripe so far is with the music.  Near the climax of the first mission, a beautiful and very urgent orchestral piece plays that really makes you fear what's around each corner.  The only problem is that it plays for 15 minutes solid, and it's only a 2-3 minute piece.  You can very clearly hear the abrupt end of the song and the sudden start from the beginning.  Moreover, it's really the kind of music that should be used in moderation.  After about 10 minutes, you're no longer anxious, you're just annoyed.

All in all, I look forward to spending more time with RAGE tomorrow.  This is definitely the best Id title I've played in many, many years (e.g. since Quake 3 Arena).


-b0b
(...loves it so far!)

Duke Nukem Forever is on sale on Steam for a whopping $9.99.  It's probably not even worth that much, but I think I'll pick it up so I can have something to play after I finish Rage.

I'm anxiously awaiting November, and the arrival of Skyrim.  I feel like pulling a Cartman and putting myself in a month-long coma.  The wait is killing me!


-b0b
(...must have more Elder Scrolls goodness!)

I can't take Friday off unfortunately.  BUT....I plan to sleep from noon till 7pm thursday, get the game at midnight, and play till I leave for work at 7:30am.

I just finished preloading off Steam.  I've already laid in the Dew and snacks to keep me awake after a long day of work.  Eight and a half more hours!

I was surprised the new game is only 5.8GB.  That seems fairly lean these days for a AAA title, but even more so for a Bethesda title.  Oblivion weighs in at 5.5GB (with the expansion and all DLC), Fallout 3 is 7.8GB with all of the DLC, and Fallout: New Vegas is 9.3GB with all the DLC.  Surely the DLC counts for something, but 5.8GB still seems a bit lean.  Maybe they've used ridiculously good compression?


-b0b
(...already has a sugar buzz.)

Yeah, it's the real deal.  Here's a quote from Pete Hines, after someone questioned the small file size:

Quote:


Briney, are you staying up for the midnight launch?  I'm half-tempted to use a European VPN just to play a couple hours earlier!


-b0b
(...two more hours!)