Darryk

I was really hoping Klopp would get his fairytale ending.

99% of rockets shot down. Thank God for the IDF and their allies UK, Jordan (didn't expect that) and the United States — the greatest nation in the history of humanity. Really hope it ends here and that Israel doesn't retaliate. I support Israel's right to defend itself but I don't want WWIII.

Dier said Ange doesn't do tactical work in training and it shows. Pass pass pass pass pass pass lose ball get counterattacked concede. Then to rub salt in the wound we're shit at set pieces. We've been figured out and will struggle top be midtable next season.

I considered Van de Ven our best player until today, but to be fair to him he's getting horribly exposed by Newcastle's brilliant counter-attacks. I love Son but playing him deep is an exceptionally dumb idea.

I think teams figured us out in 2024 and we've been mostly riding our luck.

I find all the points made interesting. I do intend to play BG3 again when I get a better GFX card.

It's so easy for teams to tactically outclass us.

I'm really going over it in my head and trying to figure out what makes Baldur's Gate 3 so unique and special that people are reacting to it the way they are. Looking at what I consider to be some of the most important characteristics of RPGs I can't find a single one where there's not another or many other games that are equal or superior to BG3. For example: Length: It's one of the shortest RPGs I've ever played. Looking back, it doesn't feel like much really happened in it. Compare that to epic, globe spanning adventures like The Witcher 3. Exploration: The game's very linear and you don't actually get to visit that many locations. Compare that to the open-ended exploration of The Witcher 3, Mass Effect, and Baldur's Gate 1; and the rich variety of locations you visit in Baldur's Gate 2. Combat: It's fine. If you really like turn-based combat then year BG3 is the one for you but I think most people don't care whether it's turn-based or real-time, so long as it's fun and tactical. Characters: This is purely subjective. Lots of RPGs have great characters and if you think BG3 has the best then that's fine but you can't say it's objectively the best. Personally I found the Mass Effect 2 cast far more compelling. Character relations: Same as above. Most of the best RPGs have character romances and relationships. The interactions between characters in Mass Effect are every bit as cinematic as in Baldur's Gate 3. Sure, BG3 has some great moments like Wyl's dance, but so do all the other games mentioned. Story: Maybe this is harsh but I actually think BG3 is one of the worst in this category. Found the plot completely underwhelming. So you've got to save the city from a big eye. Whoop de doo. Compare that to the apocalyptical threats in Mass Effect and Dragon Age, and the numerous sacrifices you have to make to win those battles. So, that's my take on it. Ultimately I think BG3 is just a well-executed mishmash of stuff we've already seen plenty of in previous RPGs. I'd like to hear the BG3 fans' takes on what it is makes the game so special and unique as to warrant the hype and accolades it's received.

The Witcher III is a recent game (at least for oldies like me) and I'd include it in my top 5. Significantly superior to Baldur's Gate III IMO.

IMO it's not even the best Baldurs Gate game but each to their own etc

I found it mostly intriguing. Really like the premise and most of the scenes involving the aliens. Found some of the characters really lacking in personality though. Loved Benedict Wong's cop and Liam Cunningham's character, but Auggie just had the same miserable expression on her face throughout the whole series. Thought there was a lot of repetitive dialogue as well. It has piqued my interest in reading the book.

Have any of the PS5 owners played Stellar Blade yet? There's a lot of talk about how...well drawn the main character is.

1995: Warcraft 2: Tides of Darkness 1996: Mario 64 1997: Goldeneye 1998: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (This was an absolute banger of a year, probably on of the best in the history of gaming) 2000: Baldurs Gate II: Shadows of Amn 2001: Baldurs Gate II: Throne of Bhaal 2002: Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos 2003: Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 2004: Half-life 2 2005: Civilization IV 2006: Elder Scrolls: Oblivion 2007: Mass Effect 2008: Far Cry 2 2009: Dragon Age: Origins 2010: Mass Effect 2 (very close between this and StarCraft 2) 2011: Elder Scrolls Skyrim 2012: Dishonored 2014: Dragon Age: Inquisition 2015: The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt 2016: Dishonored 2 Nothing really stands out for me after these years.

I forgot that was Ridley Scott. Definitely one of his better ones. Feels like he makes 12 films a decade and most of them are meh.

You guys are on the ball with those thread title changes.

Well done to whoever changed the title

My favourites were the manuals for Blizzard games. I remember the Warcraft 2 manual had a description of each clan and I was obsessed with it.

Manuals were certainly a lot more fun. They had descriptions and art work and stuff, but you didn't really need them to figure out how to play the game. Ironically Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 were easier to learn despite being based on 2nd Edition D&D which was much more complicated. A friend of mine who never played D&D and hardly played games got hooked on Baldurs Gate 1 and 2, and to me that's a testament to how user-friendly those games were despite being quite complex under the surface.

Yeah I can't convince my nephew (13 years old) to play any single player games except Mario. It makes me sad.

So many layoffs in the video game industry. My brother at Blizzard Entertainment got a notification that his boss' boss wanted to meet with him and assumed it was to lay him off. Turned out his boss' boss just wanted to tell him in person that his boss had been laid off.

Going by what affected us as kids, The Neverending Story scared the crap out of me.

Ridiculous offside decision. I thought it was supposed to favour the attacking side.

Chelsea held at home by 10-man Burnley. How much longer has Poch got?

Wow, Nice one Newcastle. A premier league classic. Always funny to see West Ham lose, especially in that manner.

Another really disturbing scene was from Deep Rising where they shoot one of the monster's tentacles open and...well...I'll leave it there.