Ok seriously now..... wtf

[Mike]

So after a dry run of shitty games for the most part for the last few years (imo)... the whole place goes BOOM.

Today, Bioshock.

I planned on nothing until Halo... then read about Blue dragon

So next week... blue dragon

Then Halo
Then Guitar Hero 3
Then Mass Effect
Then Expensive ass Rock Band

And I'm sure as shit that I'm forgetting at least one thing.

But waht the fuck... I haven't bought games forever.... then all of a sudden. 500+ bucks is getting flushed, when, atm, I don't have time to play forza/gears/wow (ick) anyways.

Blue Dragon breaks me... I gotta find a way to pull 60 hours out of my ass.
_________________

[Parsifal]

People are climbing mountain tops and shouting at game companies to no avail, begging for all this cool stuff to be spaced out a bit because there's waaay too much coming out. Thats good. As in, way good.

Oh well, if you can convince Dave to chip in $25, I'll throw in another $25, maybe get Joel to toss in the same, and there you go. Almost half of the "Rock Band" bundle paid for.
_________________
<(@_@<), <(@_@)>, (>@_@)>, <(@_@)>, <(@_~)>, <(@_@)>, <(@_@<)

[Mike]

It's not about the money... it's about the time.

Oh hey

Stranglehold
yay or nay?
_________________

[Zeke]

I have to get that game on principle alone, so I say yay?
_________________
Anyone who says money can't buy happiness doesn't have enough money.

[Parsifal]

Last I heard there was going to be a demo for it on Live, if its up give it a shot.

"Stranglehold" seems to be this console generations "Max Payne" It borders on the slightly ridiculous in terms of destructibility and you're highly encouraged (via a complex series of action hotspots like rails, banisters, carts) to make use of the set pieces and enact all kinds of stunts. If you enjoy just rolling around and diving and shooting lots of things lots of times then it may be worth a look for you. This is one of those titles I haven't looked too far into yet, but it does paint a fairly standard picture, gameplay-wise. No idea as to how good the story is, though.

You have several mechanics available to you under the names "Tequila Time" (your basic time slow "bullet time" with the ability to chain the other techniques and get bonuses for hitting multiple targets), "Instict" which is the series of guiding surface lines and hotspots that shows you where you can start the interactive functions of the environment and its objects, and "Dead" (I would guess short for "Dead Aim", is the ability to slow time and take aim at distant targets, rewarding you with the old school "follow the bullet" camera angle as your projectile flies to its intended destination).

The following is a trailer from a previous game convention that shows some of the stuff in action. There are more "tutorial" driven videos but this one gives a good overall sense of the gameplay. If you'll notice at certain times you'll notice big white lines over banisters or railings, that is a guide from the "Instinct" mechanic showing a possible move. In another video the protagonist is presented with a walkway over the water and like 4 or 5 different guidelines to choose from as he runs at enemies on the other side. You basically highlight and choose which one you want on the fly and the animation/interaction (such as climbing or hoping onto it so you can run) starts of its own accord.

Highrise Trailer
_________________
<(@_@<), <(@_@)>, (>@_@)>, <(@_@)>, <(@_~)>, <(@_@)>, <(@_@<)