It's Monday -- so what games did you FINISH?!

[Arctic Blast]

Hope things go well with your dad, Jason.

And yeah, GfWL is a clunker. Every single time it has tried to update within game as it likes to do, it fails. I always have to do it manually.

[JasonPratt]

Update: surgery was postponed until Tuesday (currently, maybe later since he isn't exactly in critical need of it and emergencies might delay him again). He's on a stiff Heprin (Heparin?) regime until then. In relatively good spirits, despite having now spent a week in the hospital (along with Mom) over Christmas (and soon to be NY) holidays.

Fortunately, our small factory made enough profit this year that we can send the guys home with paid holiday vacations (and good bonuses) until sometime after NY; possibly (probably) even though all next week.  :D Although Mom and I have been here at the office several hours a day since Christmas closing out the year (or trying to).

Thanks for prayers and good wishes, guys!  :)

I'm now at the point in DoW2's first campaign, where to stop the Tyrannids I have to do three things on various planets (and have unlocked access to the forge planet, though not yet the forge. Got to stomp some Eldar first.)

I'm sure I won't be exactly announcing breaking news if I state that I don't like this campaign as much as the skirmish (or even the skirmishy campaign structure) of the prior two DOW1 releases.

It isn't even as good, IMO, as the story-based campaigns for the first two DOW1 releases, each of which featured variable objectives on cleverly designed maps, and which also had the added play-bonus of (usually) some base-building. In DoW2's first campaign, the missions (so far, probably 2/3 of the way through...??) tend to be very, very samey: drop in with my squads (always the same hero plus three out of always the same four support), sometimes on repeated maps; wander around fighting to achieve retreat/restock points (on maps for which there are no save points, by the way); take one (but only one) of the two special resource points (almost always on the far left and right of the map); advance to the other end where a single boss (almost always without cronies, and almost always overpowered) stomps on me and my squads for a while. If I lose, I get to keep any points I won, but I do it otherwise all over again. Wargear adds some minor variance. The view is so far up as to make gameplay feel very distant (and zooming in feels too cramped, plus it never seems to stay there), so the computing horsepower to play the game feels wasted.

Of course I've heard that the second campaign (for Chaos Rising--and there's a classic case of on-disc paid DLC!) is much better. But I'm seriously thinking of skipping Retribution and going back to get at least one campaign victory in Soulstorm as the first in my next set of game-finish catchups.


As to blankety-cussing GFWL: fortunately, I own a PS3, and so can easily avoid most of its shenanigans. But I'll be thinking very hard in the future about ever investing time and money into a PC-only game run through GFWL again. (Another reason I'm currently iffy about buying Retribution as my next new-game--it's GFWL, too, right?)

[JasonPratt]

Sir Slash: BG1 & 2 (the former of which I've never gotten more than about 1/4 through) are definitely on my list of already-bought games to finish/play; as is Planescape (of which I've naturally heard many loud praises over the years).

I beat M&M2 many many years ago, but I think that was the only M&M game (per se) I've ever played. (HOMM2 somewhat.) I don't recall whether there was a boss.

[Sir Slash]

I never got more than maybe 25% of the way through M&M2. I think I had gotten into my 3DO phase and was hooked on Panzer General at that time. After that all the stuff for the Amiga just went away. Anyway, I'm very glad to hear your father's doing better and hope for his speedy recovery.

[JasonPratt]

In a special edition of the Monday finish entry: it's Tuesday, New Year's Day evening!  ;D

Over the extended weekend I did beat the first DoW2 campaign. I started Chaos Rising a few minutes ago, and after only one mission I already like it better. It helps that the game writers include fluff details dating back to the very first DoW1 campaign--I'm starting to remember characters and events from each campaign except Soulstorm, which amusingly one of the characters doesn't want to remember or talk about. ;) That seems like the writers acknowledging the game was a bit misbegotten, but if the Blood Ravens didn't "win" the Soulstorm campaign, I wonder who did? Hm--will have to research.

Anyway, while this puts me at five games finished, and thus "unlocks" permission for me to buy a new game, I'm thinking of going for fifteen games finished, because I have my eye on the three-game collection of Mass Effect (none of which I've ever played because my old Falcon wouldn't run the first game and the PS3 only just recently ported it.)


In other news: Dad came through the major surgery with insanely good flying colors--literally less than fifteen minutes once the op started. This led the doctors to rather drastically overestimate his condition, and they tried a much less dangerous second procedure this afternoon rather than waiting another couple of days, the upshot of which is that he started having small heart attacks this afternoon.  >:(

At least both are done now, but I'm not at all comfortable with the concept of him coming home before Saturday. I want them to keep him on observation for a clear 48 hours of no problems at least. I know he (and Mom) want to come home, but strategically it just isn't a good idea to hurry things, as this afternoon proved.

Thanks for prayers and good wishes!


Next Monday I'll be starting a new MONDAY FINISH thread for Jan 2013, and proceed from month to month like that, rather than stretching one thread out forever.

So this will be my last report (though not necessarily my last comment) for this thread. :)

Anyone else manage to finish off anything over the more-or-less extended New Year's weekend?  :D

[Shelldrake]

Glad to hear that your Dad's surgery went well Jason! I hope he has a speedy and complete recovery.

Just finished Majesty - fun game but that last mission is a killer. Now on to the expansion, then Majesty 2.

[Bison]

Good news on your father.


I finished a Hell level run and killed the first boss on Inferno with my monk character in Diablo 3.

[Sir Slash]

I just killed my first Master Vampire(Skyrim Dawnguard). Scared the hell outta me when he came at me outta nowhere right in the middle of Winterhold and it wasn't even totally dark yet. My first play with the Dawnguard DLC.

[Longdan]

Happy to hear about your Dad.  Good news is always short.
Mine passed some years ago.
Just be thankful that whoever designed
Games for Windows Live wasn't doing the work
else you would be orphaned now.
What a stinking pile of trash.
Anyway back to games.

[Anguille]

Finished a Civil War Generals 2 campaign...it's a draw. I was really suffering in the end....tougth game, especially if you play the Confederates....

[Kushan]

I just killed my first Master Vampire(Skyrim Dawnguard). Scared the hell outta me when he came at me outta nowhere right in the middle of Winterhold and it wasn't even totally dark yet. My first play with the Dawnguard DLC.

If your not ready for it, there are several mods that give you items that will stop then random vampire attacks until you want them. I had a few attack Whiterun right after I hit level 10, and was in no place to kill them. They killed a few guards, the blacksmith lady at the entrance and a couple of other random townsfolk.

Speaking of Skyrim, I have almost finished the mage college quest line. I'm in the last dungeon then its off to fight the boss. After that I think I'm going to do some daedric shrine quests. I don't see myself doing much more with this character beyond them. He's not the sort of character then I can see doing any of the other major faction quest lines.

[Gusington]

Haven't checked this thread in a long time. Glad to see your Dad is doing well Jason.

I am a hair's breath away from finishing the Dawnguard main quest in Skyrim as well as the base game main quest and two or three other linked quests. I am a Level 28 dark elf and I have put almost 100 hours in.

Skyrim is by far one of my favorite all time games.

[LongBlade]

In other news: Dad came through the major surgery with insanely good flying colors--literally less than fifteen minutes once the op started. This led the doctors to rather drastically overestimate his condition, and they tried a much less dangerous second procedure this afternoon rather than waiting another couple of days, the upshot of which is that he started having small heart attacks this afternoon.  >:(

At least both are done now, but I'm not at all comfortable with the concept of him coming home before Saturday. I want them to keep him on observation for a clear 48 hours of no problems at least. I know he (and Mom) want to come home, but strategically it just isn't a good idea to hurry things, as this afternoon proved.

Thanks for prayers and good wishes!

Glad to hear it, Jason.

[JasonPratt]

Quick update: Dad's home now. :)

Fortunately, this is not a euphamism for him dying from the doctors rushing him out of the hospital due to insurance pushing. ;)

(I do think they rushed him out too soon, however. Would have preferred a good 48 hours observation with no further incident. Oh, well.)

[Nefaro]

I finished a Hell level run and killed the first boss on Inferno with my monk character in Diablo 3.

Is that your avatar?  At first I thought it was an Orthodox Priest with brass knuckles and the typical epic beard.  ;)