I finished ME2 last night.

Yeah. I really felt underwhelmed by it compared to ME1.

1) Inconsistent logic. I played my Shepard as a Paragon, so it made no sense to me that I would join Cerberus. I could see it if I had played renegade, but I didn't. So the entire premise felt like a contradiction to how my character would act.

Liara switches from being a somewhat timid archaeologist/scientist to a bad ass gangster/information collector.

Joker making a comment about almost breaking his thumb on a joystick or something early in the game. Then at the end of the game, you see him standing there shooting a giant rifle that would probably shatter his fucking arms with the recoil. It's a little thing, but to me it just felt like they weren't paying attention to their own world's rules. But made for a good cut scene though!

Wrex's story was the only one I felt made sense in the context of the larger story.

Which brings me to

2) Dumbing down - The rpg "mechanics", as they were, were non-existent. I won't say they felt slapped together, but they did feel like an afterthought. It really felt like an attempt to pander to the shooter crowd.

3) It's the first full sequel I've ever played that felt like a gaiden. The entire story felt like an excuse to just start you over from the beginning and gather a crew. That and simply a set up for ME3.

Overall, it felt like a huge missed opportunity. Sequels are supposed to build and improve on what came before, and this just didn't.

I put in about an hour of ME3 last night - I got to Mars and met Liara. It was nice to see more RPG like mechanics come back, but again, that story logic isn't there.

What is Anderson doing on Earth if he's the Ambassador to the Citadel? No explanation given.
Shepard stops the Collectors from taking colonists ..... and they reward him by grounding him and giving him a desk job when they know the Reapers are supposed to be coming?

I don't usually let game logic bug me, but things in ME just seem to jump out and scream "THIS IS DUMB".

Actually it was literally about ten or fifteen minutes after they'd gotten home from it.

Amazing way to end it. I think she's alright, thanks for asking.

The worst part is now she has to eat my dad's cooking.

All FF battle music is kind of meh. It's just that they all get repetitive because of the grinding.

As for the slow part, FF8 has slower battles.

My parents got back from a week long vacation, had been back ten minutes and my mother managed to trip over the suitcase she had put down and break her arm.

Luckily it wasn't while they were in the States. They don't need those sort of hospital bills.

He's got a point.

Start with the first Shadow Hearts game. You'd be missing out on a lot by skipping it and starting with Covenant.

Also, I know I'm in the minority, but I think the first game is the better one.

That's what I wanted to know, thanks.

Why not?

I think Vivi's character arc is probably my favourite in any FF game.

As for Suikoden 5, I actually like the character designs.

I have the PS2 Sakura Wars but haven't gotten to it yet.

http://blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=189480

Dead at 49. Apparently liver failure, but he's had a rough couple of years.

Just flat out sucks. :(

Okay.....this is going to be hard. In no particular order:

10. Suikoden II - Like Starmongoose said, pretty close to a perfect game. Everything about it just clicks. Honestly though, I would have to include I, III and V in this as well as they all make up a larger story.

9. Final Fantasy IX - For the same reasons listed by other people.

8. Silent Hill 2 - It develops its themes carefully and maturely, it's got an amazing soundtrack and atmosphere and it has a mind blowing ending. There's not many games that have had more detail and attention given to them.

7. Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne - I'm not normally a fan of dungeon crawlers like this, but this game just clicked with me. The battle system is fun and challenging, the fusion is addicting and while the story isn't meaty, I thought what was presented was interesting. It was like no other game I had played with I went through this the first time, and I still love it. It's got a hell of an atmosphere.

6. Xenoblade - A really great experience. The JRPG with a fresh twist.

5. Pool of Radiance - This is my nostalgia pick. I *loved* the SSI D&D games as a kid and I still think this one is the best. Great story, great ideas, great monsters. And the twist that the guy giving you your missions was the one that sold you out blew my tiny young mind.

4. Grandia - Great battle system, great soundtrack. I really liked the characters in this game and the way the designers made an effort to make it feel like the characters were growing and changing throughout the game. Justin started out as a little kid, and by the end of the game you really felt like he had gone on a journey and grown up. The relationship between Justin and Feena felt organic as well.

3. KOTOR - This was my first Bioware game. I'm sure people will say older Bioware games are better, but this was my first and dammit, I loved it. The universe felt HUGE, the story was great (including the twist) and you really got attached to the characters. It was unique and enjoyable.

2. Nier - By no means a perfect game, but the battle system is fun, the soundtrack is amazing and the story......well it's godly.

1. Rayman 2 - The Great Escape - I *loathe* platformers. Can't stand them. Yet, Rayman 2 sucked me in. It has amazing control and doesn't make you feel like you died because the game was cheap. It has "cutesy" characters but they all talk in gibberish which gives it this surreal quality that other platformers don't have. I really, really dug this game. The only platformer worth playing as far as I'm concerned.


Honourable mentions :

Legend of Mana - Which never gets enough credit for its unique "Short story anthology" approach to the JRPG

Need for Speed High Stakes - Great control, great graphics (for PS1), fun to play and the best licensed soundtrack ever compiled. My favourite racer.

Shadow of Destiny - A really unique puzzle game with a weird atmosphere and a cool concept.

Text adventures - Zork, Hitchhikers, Adventure, The Scott Adams games, I love them all.

Ico - I loved the exploration and the mood of this game. It was like someone had taken what made Zork great and given it graphics.

Fatal Frame - The only horror game I've had to play with the lights *on*.

Mister Mosquito /Incredible Crisis/Robot Alchemic Drive - The holy trinity of weird, unique Playstation games that are essential in any collection.

Mr. Driller - This game is like crack for me.

Silent Scope - My favourite arcade shooter

Tekken Tag Tournament - My favourite fighter

There's supposed to be seven total.

    A Game of Thrones
    A Clash of Kings
    A Storm of Swords
    A Feast for Crows
    A Dance with Dragons
    The Winds of Winter (tentatively titled, not yet released)
    A Dream of Spring (tentatively titled, not yet released)

Okay, got a question about ME3 then.

If I update it when I first install the game, will it wipe the original ending, or is that more of a continuation?

Am I better off updating it at the first install, or after I've finished the "original" ending?

Season 7 of Doctor Who. (The 1970 season)

After watching Hartnell and Troughton, it's astonishing just how much of a contrast the Pertwee era is.

It feels like a completely different show.

Spearhead and Silurians are still fantastic. Ambassadors of Death is a little dull.

I know what you mean.

I'm switching between ME2, Arkham City and Dishonored depending on my mood/annoyance level. I'm going to try and play ME2 and ME3 this month and finish the trilogy. I really want to see just how "bad" this ending is.