the snipers have passed out in the bushes again

I've just come off of a hella busy week/end, and due to the events that will be transpiring in less than two weeks, I can only expect it to get busier. Everything seems to be falling into place, which is definitely a relief. But I won't bore you with personal details like, two weeks from now I will be checking "married" in those little boxes on any given government form. Miraculously, I've managed to fit in some game time since last post.

Clearly I have buckled like those cheap metal struts on Ikea "furniture", because I've been playing The Temple of Elemental Evil since Friday. The reviews are now steadily rolling in, including one from my favorite mag in the known planetary systems, PC Gamer. They gave it a dignified 79%, and seemed to enjoy the game for what it was - an excellent RPG engine. I can tell you right now the story is extremely lacking, and the voice acting is horrible. I cringed whenever I met one of those "special" NPCs that possessed an audible voice. Otherwise, the implementation of the D&D 3.5 edition rules is superb. It could turn off those that were looking for strict hack and slash action, as well as make them feel overwhemled by the number of options in those crazy radial menus. Which can be cumbersome at times when locked in heated battle. Look for a full report soon - I have barely scratched the surface of my impressions of the game. So far things are looking good.

I am also wielding demos akimbo - War of the Ring and Empires: Dawn of the Modern World. I briefly tried out Empires to be pleasantly surprised by their 3D engine that is reminiscent of C&C: Generals. The RTS gameplay is fun, indeed - but Rise of Nations this is not. The in-game cut scenes are fugly; I'll take another helping of WC III please. I also have a problem with the release of two gigantic 250 MB demos - a multiplayer/single player (with one WWII-themed mission) and a single player only demo with two medieval missions. I only procured the former.

I have also entrenched myself deeper into the game known as Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It had been established that I was not impressed with the characterization, but regardless I continue to drink deeply from the cup of turn based strategy. The Jobs system has been a tremendous help, and Clan Machina has not receieved an infraction card yet. On the surface the gameplay may seem pretty basic, but there are veritable heaps of gameplay ahead. But don't you dare call me a fan of Final Fantasy, I may have to hurt you.