Kaon

We had a ps2 when I was young, but we didn't have many games for it. I actually still have the console around here somewhere; I'd like to try Ico and Shadow of the Colossus out sometime if I can find a store that has them stocked. As for the games I did get a chance to play, my favorites were probably FFX (which I still haven't fully beaten) and the Ratchet & Clank games - specifically Going Commando.

The ps2 was definitely the first one that came to my mind. But listening to the Windows 98 startup brought back so many memories, so definitely one of those two.

I agree; it's a beautiful rendition, but Freeman does seem to look quite young. Perhaps if the artist added in some creases on the brow. But otherwise it's a stunning piece of work.

Being that I am a complete wimp when it comes to horror, I can't believe that I bought Amnesia. Luckily enough for me, another friend of mine also purchased it, and he was also mildly timid. What we ended up doing was playing together on separate computers, him at his house and myself at mine; and making use of ventrilo (any such voice communication program would work). Essentially we both started the game together, I had no problem opening doors and exploring foreboding areas, whereas he had trouble being adventurous but could handle creature encounters much better than I. We rounded each other off, and although we weren't actually playing side by side the fact we kept pace with each other and could communicate when something occurred made the horror much more bearable. That's not to say it made the game any less scary - we wimped out numerous times and had to return at a later date to continue - but playing with a friend, even one who's not right beside you really helps. Either way, the best of luck mate - it was a hell of a game.

Silly scientists, bringing wonderful inventions to humanity yet unable to take 5 steps forward without fumbling Although I must say, if ever the AI was to function properly, that would have been the most suitably ironic of timing.

Perhaps it'd be out of character but I would love to see Ross make slightly baffled remarks when a scientist offers to "help him out", and when a needle is produced say something profane and take off running. Freeman bolting in the opposite direction (disregarding whatever horrors lie in wait) while screaming at the top of his lungs would make my day. It could be made tenfold better if Ross had initiated the command to have the scientist follow him, so as to make it appear the scientist was chasing him down wanting to inject him.

I absolutely loved Prey as well. Came across it completely on accident and had a heck of a time trying to find someone selling it. Very much underated. Prey 2 looks awesome from the trailers... if it was another game entirely.... Don't get me wrong, the stuff they've shown looks amazing, but aside from seeing slightly familiar aliens (or maybe I was seeing things?) I didn't recognize anything native (pardon the pun) to the original Prey. I'll definitely be keeping tabs on it, it looks fun regardless but I was really hoping we'd be seeing Tommy again.

I really don't understand what your problem is with paying money for the DLC. The major packs they released - i.e. Overlord & Lair of the Shadow Broker - were completely worth the money. Even the cheaper DLC that offered new weapons and armor that sometimes changed your gameplay in interesting ways (take the geth shotgun for example) is hardly 'justifiable' pirating material. If you think about it, a coffee around here costs the same price and you only get enjoyment out of that for as long as it stays warm. DLC is there forever.

I forgot how amazing the AoC soundtrack was, now that you've linked it I'll probably be looping those songs for the rest of the week. Makes me miss my Dark Templar

What a great episode. Even if there doesn't come to be a sequel I'm thoroughly satisfied; I found myself looking over my shoulder a few times, and the comedy was well placed. As for theories as to what's behind it all, my first thought was that there was some sort of creature (a Cthulhu type being makes a lot of sense now that it's been mentioned) that had some sort of mind bending powers that corrupted the British man. Either that or he went through the same treatment as Dave and Mike, being placed in the flesh-pod thing, and the ordeal traumatized him to the point of insanity. I didn't really think anything of the body they found; assumed it was either one of the workers that had an accident, or a poor soul that went insane and was unable to find its' way out of the tunnels. The flashes have definitely piqued my interest though. Oooh drat, now I want a sequel xD Haha I love this idea!

Agree completely. I don't think I've ever heard music in a game that was so well placed as the tracks in the Half Life series. Everytime one came on it was always so perfectly timed; an adrenaline rush. I recall many times during Half Life 2 a song would play, then end so soon after leaving me wishing it was longer.. Dang tease is all they were hah. I don't know how they'll do the music for EP3/HL3 if they don't hire Kelly even as a freelancer. I'm sure they'll find someone amazing, but Kelly Bailey made such unbelievable stuff it's hard to think someone could replicate that.

I agree, absolutely loved Moon. I was worried when I first heard Clint was who Bioware hired to do the Mass Effect 3 soundtrack, but after realizing he was the composer behind Moon I'm now quite excited to see what he comes up with.

I think my views on abortion are a bit odd; as Geneaux486 mentioned, we do not know what a developing life may become. With that in mind, I seem to apply it to a wider spectrum, i.e. nonhumans. (Sorry if this isn't quite on topic, it should make sense in a sec) The way humanity has been treating other life on this planet has been deplorable in a lot of cases. I'm not speaking about our desire to eat other animals, more so referring to the way we prevent other species from evolving by imposing limits or dangers on them. A quick example would be breeding lizards as pets, taking animals out of the wild etc. To me, a lot of the things humanity has done in regards to other animals seems to be a road block in development and evolution. If we had the ability and the desire to stop interfering, who knows what some species could be capable of given a few hundred years? Of course the evolutionary development of animals takes a very long time, but in the essence of what a human being starts out as (incapable of defending itself/surviving alone) to what it can become during its life (self sufficient, intelligent, etc) I see a possibility for growth. Although here is where my view's get a bit.. tangled.... I dislike how humanity treats animals, how we feel we can destroy them for our own uses simply because they are not up to our 'standards' of intelligence. But I'm pro-choice. I'm probably explaining myself very poorly, but I believe a woman should have to right to choose whether or not she's ready to care for a new life form. I mean really, having a child... it's no longer about you anymore, you're no longer having to care for just one or think about yourself, you have another life that you put before yours for the rest of your life. I don't mean to make it sound selfish, but I feel people should be prepared for that as best they can, not thrust into that situation which may lead to the child having a bad life. So I think to sum it up, humans are intelligent beings capable of taking preventative measures, and if the time comes - making informed decisions about abortion, which is why I'm alright with it. But our views on beings we deem of lesser intelligence need some rethinking... who knows what other species could become if we gave them the chance, how long before rats could sing... (I in no way intended to offend anyone by comparing human babies to animals, I've just always had a pessimistic view on how we treat them in comparison. It's also 1:40 in the morning so I'm sorry if most of this was incoherent rambling.)

Composer Jack Wall, known for Mass Effect & Mass Effect 2 as well as Kelly Bailey - the composer most known for scoring the Half Life series - have parted ways with their respective developers. http://www.gamezone.com/news/item/why_jack_wall_isnt_composing_mass_effect_3/ Gives some insight into why Jack Wall has chosen to depart from Bioware; the article also states his replacement for Mass Effect 3 will be Clint Mansell - known for his work on Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan (and if you're eagerly hoping for some glint of a history with space melodies) Moon also has a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack. http://www.geek.com/articles/games/kelly-bailey-half-life-sound-designer-and-face-of-gordon-freeman-has-left-valve-2011037/ As the article states, it was recently discovered by a Steam user that Kelly Bailey was no longer part of the Valve employee list; after some questioning it was revealed Kelly had left Valve sometime late last year. While the reasoning behind his departure is yet unknown, it seems Mike Moransky (composer of the music behind TF2, L4D and a contributing composer for Portal) is next in line to take Kelly Baileys' place. I just found it rather bemusing how two monumental game series both lost their musical composers prior to the release of what will be the third (perhaps final) and hopefully most impressive game from each developer.. While I love the work Clint Mansell has done and the romantic tie-in of space themes and deep orchestral music à la Moon, I'm not sure Mass Effect will be Mass Effect without the hint of 80s sci fi ambience that Jack Wall brought to the table. Mike Moransky also has huge shoes to fill, but his work on Portal 2 looks quite promising, so perhaps there is hope for Half Life 3 yet? What do you guys think about the changes? Perhaps it's something that you won't be bothered by when the games are released, but the soundtracks from both the Half Life and Mass Effect series thus far are my all time favorites from any video game. Here's hoping Kelly Bailey and Jack Wall can put their magnificent talents to use elsewhere. (Song links below) Clint Mansell – Welcome to Lunar Industries (Moon) Jack Wall - Mike Moransky – Portal 2 Trailer Theme Kelly Bailey –

I actually thought the original poster was asking who in the world had a mind as great as Freeman's... Don't worry, it eventually dawned on me what you were talking about Shephard's Mind would have to be a close favorite, simply for the humor and the attitude he has towards the environments and situations he faces; he does so in his own way and seems a homage to Freeman's Mind, not a copycat. I have however not watched much of the other Mind series, but after some of the comments here I'll definitely check them out.