Travis | Cheerful Ghost

If you havent played this game, youre missing out. Im not

http://i2.listal.com/image/826134/600full-star-wars-jedi-knight%3A-dark-forces-ii-screenshot.jpg

If you haven't played this game, you're missing out. I'm not sure how well it holds up, though. Going back through my games to plug them all into the site made me really want to get a Windows 98 VM up and running to play a lot of these old games.

One thing you have to say about LucasArts, they have solid, polished games. The cinematic nature of this game was pretty much untouched at the time. Even with some glitchiness, the immersion was high, and the mechanics were great (again, for the time).

This site is making me reminisce a lot. Who else remembers

This site is making me reminisce a lot. Who else remembers staying up til 4AM downloading .WAD files over crappy modem speeds just to play bizarre Doom mods? There were some clunkers, but there were some true masterpieces too. I played a Star Wars total conversion, complete with light sabers, that was incredible.

This was the second PC game I ever played, I think, and I still play it occasionally. Even the keyboard controls have held up, or at least my fingers still remember it. iD may have sunk a bit these days, but they're still one of the almighty developers in my eyes.

Wheres episode 3 already?

Where's episode 3 already?

One of the first games I heard being touted as proving games

One of the first games I heard being touted as proving games can be art, and with good reason. The platforming is solid, the time manipulation mechanics work exactly as expected, the puzzles are challenging but satisfying. But the true stars of this game are the story, which is very thin but compelling at the same time, with a hell of a twist-ending, and the artwork. The game looks like nothing else, and has inspired a new sub-genre of artistic platformers. This is easy to knock out in just a few hours, so it's great for a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/24/2012 at 01:00am

Have you tried Cave Story... I just checked your game list, you have played Cave Story. So +1 to looking before writing! lol

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/24/2012 at 02:19am

I wouldn't say I have played it... I played a bit of the original one, but not the re-release with some financial backing. I still need to get to it. It was on one of the big Humble Indie Bundles.

Tungsten wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:32am

What about limbo? That was another good artful platformer.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:34am

I got the demo on the PS3. I liked it. I didn't get attached to it enough to nab it.

Tungsten wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:37am

Its worth $5 on sale some time. Its fun, smart, and pretty

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/06/2012 at 03:38am

Cool, ill check it out.

Will_Owens wrote on 11/22/2012 at 02:30pm

I'm playing this one for my blog and hope to have a lot of meaty stuff to get into. Is there anything you would recommend knowing before I start the game? It seems pretty straightforward, but there are some mechanics that are a little opaque. I hope I will have a lot to write about for this game. (And it has a lower time investment requirement!)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 11/23/2012 at 04:03am

It really is quite straightforward. I can't think of anything I could recommend, as learning the mechanics is, to sound a bit cliche, an organic process.

Will_Owens wrote on 11/27/2012 at 04:03am

Do I have to wait for the end for a payoff? I have some material to write about... but I'm in World 6 and I haven't seen that mindblowing thing people are talking about besides the clever mechanics and permutations thereof.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 11/27/2012 at 06:58pm

I'm not sure what mindblowing thing people were talking about, but I can say that there is a pretty big payoff at the end.

Will_Owens wrote on 11/28/2012 at 09:52am

I think I'm on the last world now (1). It's pretty good mechanically but I thought there was more to the story rather than some elliptical creative writing... maybe I'm tipping my hand here.

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This is my previous favorite game of all time before this

This is my previous favorite game of all time before this generation changed my mind with Fallout 3 and then Skyrim. I must have played through this at least ten times on PC and Xbox 360. The atmosphere and genre go from sci-fi (obviously) to war, to horror, to driving, to puzzle seamlessly. The Source engine blew me away at the time, and even though it was the first iteration of the engine, it still holds up well graphics-wise today.

Portal 2 is second place for me for Game of the Year 2011.

Portal 2 is second place for me for Game of the Year 2011. The gameplay we all loved from the first game is back, with far more puzzle elements. The humor is more prominent this time around, there are a few iconic characters to carry the narrative, and the addition of co-op (which I was skeptical of at first) is brilliant. The controls for the PS3 version are probably the best first-person controls I've played. I have only played a puzzle or two of co-op, so anybody who has this on PS3 or PC and is interested, feel free to add me. When I'm done with Skyrim (or when it's done with me) I'd love to play some more co-op.

jdodson Admin wrote on 01/23/2012 at 08:15pm

I agree, Portal 2 was really great. My wife wouldn't let me play it without her in the room.

Haven't tried co-op yet. I want to though.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 01/23/2012 at 08:43pm

Cave Johnson is a legend. I reloaded a few saves just so my wife could hear his lines.

jdodson Admin wrote on 02/03/2012 at 04:00am

The voice acting was very well done.

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 02/05/2012 at 06:44am

The voice acting overall was. Everyone. But Cave was the best by far! I love the actor in everything I've seen him in, but I may like Cave more than any of the others.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/17/2015 at 12:57am

I think I know, but was Skyrim your game of the year for 2011 and Portal your second place? I know this is necromancing a long side dead thread but I am curious as your explicitly mention it.

I wonder if you had to pick a game now for 2011, would it still be Skyrim over Portal 2?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/17/2015 at 03:27am

Wow yeah, necromancy to the max! :)

And yeah, I'd still pick Skyrim over Portal 2, and possibly any game this decade.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/17/2015 at 04:03am

Over... Terraria?

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/18/2015 at 12:49am

Yes. I adore Terraria, but it's not my favorite game ever. It's damn close. :)

Travis Admin Post Author wrote on 03/18/2015 at 03:32am

Shit man, I don't even know.

That's a hard question. I was sure of it three hours ago, but now I'm not. I think, in terms of fun intensity, I'd give Skyrim the nod over Terraria. In terms of quantity of fun, it's Terraria. I think.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/18/2015 at 05:15am

That makes sense. I think I'd put Terraria multiplayer over many single player games i've played. It's just so much fun playing with friends.