jase12881

It was discounted by 75% yesterday but I guess that was either temporary or a mistake because it's 33% now. I was seriously considering it at $4.95 because I bought the 39.99 ckii+dlc collection and it's only missing Charlemagne and Way of Life but I didn't pull the trigger in time apparently.

It's apparently free to play on Steam this week if anyone wants to try it but isn't sure if they will like it.

Here this wikipedia link might help:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_video_game_exclusives_(eighth_generation)

Obviously the list isnt 100% complete and things will change as more games are announced but it should give you an idea. I have the xbone and it's OK. Mostly it doesn't feel as intuitive and easy to use as the 360 was. Other than that I have no real complaints I guess.

Also, in my first franchise with the Browns, I got Manziel to like a 93 OVR by the end of the season, and broke the NFL passing touchdown record with 8 total touchdown passes (although that was on All-Pro while I was getting the hang of things). Will probably end up doing a Browns franchise again on All-Madden with some better sliders to give myself a challenge, but might stick with this Raiders one for awhile, then maybe do a Jaguars or Lions franchise. A little ticked off with how fast these guys progress though. Might have to give myself some in-house limitations on improving players, especially quarterbacks and their accuracy ratings.

In a fantasy draft franchise online with a friend I actually have Manziel at 99 at the end of his rookie season without ever doing the drills and letting the ai progress him. I throw a ton of picks as I suck on all pro but he has superstar development so he goes up quickly. In my offline Jags franchise I'm having a much harder time. Two #1 draft pick QBs so far won't progress at all if I sim the franchise. They gain 0 XP if they play badly apparently. So I've taken to doing the "work on a promising qb" training and I should be able to progress one of them with that, and it's pretty effective but still no XP from games unless I play them and have a good passing game.

Having a hell of a time trying to get gold on formation flight. Got silver but gold seems near impossible.

So I'm thinking....anything that you do to make a Bawsaq stock go down, you should invest in that stock. Why? Because Bawsaq is the same stock prices for every player playing with an internet connection and any drops caused by you are only temporary. Maybe that's obvious, but I wonder if any of the earlier assassination missions caused one of the Bawsaq stocks to go down while I was investing in the one Lester told me was going to get a boost.

I kind of want to go back and redo those now. Oh well. I did invest in the ones he told me were going to get a boost though.

On a related note, I'm kicking myself for not keeping my money in the Hawk and Little (HAL) stock. It started at $0.76 and I started out by always investing all my money in the stock, but I think the market was broken and after 3 days of 0% movement in the stock, I got bored and took it back out. As of today, the stock is trading at $2.92, which would be about a 350% return on investment.

The nice thing is, knowing that the bawsaq is based online, before you get off for the day you can save your game, invest, save in another slot, and then wait and see what happens. The next time you get on, if your stocks have gone down, you can reload the first save and not have invested anything.

E3 Drinking Game:

1. Everytime someone says that a (probably minor) innovation is a 'game changer' or will 'revolutionize the way you play' or any other kind of exaggeration of the importance of some minor upgrade, take a shot.

2. Anytime someone shows a game but no actual gameplay footage, take a shot.

3. Anytime Microsoft or Sony brag about an 'exclusive' which actually is just them getting some kind of DLC a month early, or some minor DLC content exclusively, take a shot.

4. Make sure you dvr it so you can watch it back later if you survive, and would like to actually remember what's being shown.

Seriously though, I watch every year because I love games, and I enjoy seeing everything that's coming out, but man the corporate-speak gets really old really quick. I guess that's the price for watching and seeing what's new.

It doesn't look like there will be a way to use a game rental system like Gamefly (for example) though. Which is a bummer, but I guess will save me $25 a month I can put towards new games. That is, of course, assuming I decide to go Xbox One. This sounds a bit less draconian than what was initially rumored though

Giant's toe is an important ingredient in raising your alchemy though . Up until recently I've avoided Alchemy but I decided to create a player who uses it and I actually enjoyed it. Need to kill those giants though.

You were high?

I don't know. So far neither Sony nor Microsoft has shown me anything that blows me away. Sony basically showed off a controller and a couple games, and Microsoft focused on some neat (but of questionable use to me) technology and was mostly the typical corporate talk they tend to do at conferences (Fun drinking game: Take a drink during E3 everytime someone makes a claim that something will "revolutionize" something or uses the term "game-changer").

The more times has passed since Microsoft's conference the more I actually kind of like what I've seen of the Xbox One. The new controller looks like a quality design, and I can live with the Kinect when they stop trying to get me to buy shovelware or jump around like an idiot and give me something to actually use. That being said, some of the rumored restrictions have turned me off a little bit. The used game fiasco could be a deal breaker for me, but we will see.

I do have to wonder, in what world is moving my arm in a swiping motion to control the menus easier or more intuitive than pressing left or right on a controller? I mean it's cool but it seems like after a while it would just become something that's more annoying than practical. And the voice control probably works about half as well in practice as on the stage.

The whole used game thing is a funny issue though. Game developers use the same flawed logic they do for piracy: They assume that anyone who pirates their game or buys it used would have bought it at retail if it wasn't for the fact they could get it cheaper/free. Thus they see missed opportunity for sales. In most cases, if I buy a cheap game second-hand, it's because I was never interested enough in the game to buy it at retail, but since it's cheap, I figure I will give it a shot. I would never have purchased the game at retail even, in some cases, after a lot of time has passed and it's sitting at half-price or so. Game sales are the exception.

That being said, I think the reason Microsoft (and Sony, for that matter) are being coy about their plans for used games and always-on internet is that they've probably not decided what they're going to do in that respect yet, but they know they're going to do SOMETHING, so they cant unequivocally say "It will play used games just like the Xbox360" or "It won't require you to be connected to the internet to play your games"

Also, people have their own opinions when it comes to consoles and other tech, but let's be real: Both systems have their strengths and weaknesses.

I'm sure you can think of more, or disagree, but below are my thoughts on the strengths of each, based purely on my own experiences:

PS3

• More upgrade-able: Sony makes it easier to upgrade your hard drive by swapping out a laptop one, and generally isn't as restrictive on the OS
• You can use any bluetooth headset which means a larger range of options
• The option for up to 7 controllers at once
• Blu-Ray
• Free Online
• More Exclusives
• Controllers don't shut down randomly when battery gets low like Xbox360's sometimes do (In my experience)
• Controllers are chargeable with any USB cable and don't require Microsoft's proprietary connections
• Mine, at least, seems to freeze less than my 360.

Xbox360

• Better Online experience (Party chat, easier to see what friends are doing/achievements that load almost instantly, easier to get into and out of friend's games)
• Sturdier-feeling controller (although my Dual Shock 3 has been put through Hell and is still in great shape.)
• Gets -some- Triple A DLC before Sony (CoD, GTA, etc)
• Immune to issues a few games had with Sony (Skyrim for example)
• Better voice chat. Maybe because PS3 players have all different bluetooth headsets, it seems like the voice quality is much lower.
• It's exclusives are industry giants like Halo and Gears of War (although PS3 has God of War)

Personally speaking most of my friends have a 360, so that gets used way more, and I like the dashboard better.

But what I realized making this list is that the 360 and the PS3 are very similiar systems with most differences being minor. Hardware-wise the PS4 and XboxOne's specs seem to be closer even than the 360 and PS3, so I think as long as neither side takes a hard stance in the used games or always-online thing, this will be a virtual wash from a hardware perspective. The difference will come down to what games each one offers and whether Microsoft can transition the "all-in-one" nature of their console into a must-have experience, which I have my doubts about.

Oh we'll complain and gripe about it and how they're ruining the system. And then we'll eventually get talked into it and go out and buy it. The always on internet thing basically, for me, just means the days of taking my Xbox with me when I visit my parents, or go on vacation are over. It's not a deal-breaker for me personally as it just means the system is now as immobile as my desktop PC. It's annoying cetainly but oh well.

The thing that potentially kills it for me is the used games thing, but like the old EA online gaming thing where you had to pay $10 to play it online, Im sure it will just become something that we get used to. I think likely the decision to make this change is not so much just because they want to, but because of pressure from game developers. As a result, I would be willing to bet Sony goes the same direction. However, I do think it's to the detriment of the industry. For most of us, if we can't rent games, we're likely to play less which means we're likely to buy less. Also, if there's no way to sell games, there's a huge risk in buying them because they will have 0 value the moment the box is opened. As such, if you get a bad game, you will have wasted $60-70 depending on the price this generation. I think this will mean people take less risks and the smaller name titles will struggle to get people to play their games unless they're exceptional quality.

But I'm hypothesizing a bit I guess.

Most mocks I've seen recently have the Lions taking Ansah. I watched some of his college highlights and came away completely unimpressed. Quite a few of his "sacks" came when the other team's qb held the ball too long or due to pass coverage. I really hope if both tackles are gone, they go after one of the top two guards or I'd even be ok with Milliner. I'd rather see them trade down a couple spots though. I know everyone wants to trade down, but really if the 3 OTs are gone, there's nothing they can get at 5 that won't still be there in some form around pick 10.

EDIT- But yes, like you, I believe the Lions will blow this pick spectacularly. I've kind of had a sinking feeling about it since the draft talk started.

I love that, for the most part, discussion in this thread has gone like this:

"Justified...great show...great season..."
"yeah its great"
"I enjoy it"

then a few episodes later

"Great episode"
"Yep"

a few episodes later

"Ooh another great episode. Great season"
"Yeah, great season"

I guess maybe there's not much to say about the show other than it's good. Well I enjoy it. It's definitely one of my favorite shows on tv, but I'm trying to find a way to describe it to people that makes it sound more interesting than just another "Rogue Cop who does things his way" type of show. I really want to recommmend it to friends, but I don't think I'm capable of making it sound interesting enough to get them to watch it. And a couple of people I mentioned it to actually told me that they dislike Timothy Olyphant so much (particularly from his role in Deadwood) they could never watch it.

Considering the throne is supposed to be made of swords...at least from a story-perspective, having sex on it would probably be quite painful.

You can just as easily take this as not being the death of used games. I mean, sure, if you assume that game installs will use a CD Key or something similar to PC games but it could just be the next step of the installation system that the 360 got patched in during it's life.

Well a big part of the rumor is that it will run without the disc. If that's the case, there's no way they don't lock it with a cd-key or some kind of one-time activation so that you can't just install the game and then give it to your friend to also install. If that happens, I can't foresee a way that it would allow used games. Sony has stated publicly that the PS4 WILL play used games already. That being the case, there's a good chance that I will take a good hard look at the PS4 over the new Xbox. There's a lot of information to still be released though, so it's too soon to say for sure. Microsoft would have to blow me away though, if their console won't play used games. It's bad enough the games lose their value so quickly. I can't imagine the games having 0 value the moment I install them.

I have a 50 inch Panasonic plasma, that I absolutely love. I think the picture is way better than the LCD that my ex used to own (bought about a year apart...right about the same price), although screen burn in is a concern, I've had no problems with it. Power consumption is higher, but not sure what the difference is on an actual power bill..you'd have to research that. and yes, it's heavier than an LCD, but much lighter than a 50" CRT....I was able to carry it into the apartment all by myself.

Every time my interest picks up and I start to play, I'm almost instantly reminded of why I stopped in the first place. EASHL matchmaking is just flat out broken. It's impossible to level my player up when our team of mid-50 OVRs keeps going up against teams with 70-85 rated players. The skating mechanic has basically broken the game. The AI goalies are still terrible and horribly uneven (I cannot believe the poor play we have to suffer whilst getting utterly stonewalled at the other end), it's just not fun.

It seems to me like it's another case of an EA studio getting recognition and becoming complacent.

While I agree with your assessment of goalies, etc., I don't believe the matchmaking is -completely- broken. The problem is how the game determines who to put you up against. It seems to favor ping first, then team size, then whether you're amateur, pro, or elite. Without doing it this way, you'd end up in a lot of laggy games I think. The other team also has to be looking for a game at exactly the same time. It makes matching up a bit of a chore. That said, you should have the option to set your match up options to skill-level and wait for someone of the same skill level to get on if you choose.

The other thing is, the tiers (amateur,pro,elite) are not an actual measure of player skill, so much as a measure of how actively you play. My team, for example, almost never plays anymore, so when we do, we're in amateur and usually get matched up with teams we manhandle until we get a couple wins under our belt. This is magnified at the beginning of the month when all the elite teams are starting over at the bottom, and you get matched up with teams that have "top 10" and "top 100" trophies.

The reason, I think that you're struggling with attributes, is that EA doesn't intend you to play with the base stats. They intend for you to spend money on the stat packs (sniper stat pack for example), until you get to Veteran or Legend and then buy the boost packs. Essentially it's a way to make you pay microtransactions without actually coming out and saying so. Sure, you can refuse to spend the money on the packs, but when everyone else does it, it just means you're playing at a huge handicap.

It just doesn't feel like the big leap forward that the last couple consoles have. Maybe part of that is that they're not really changing mediums like in the past. Or maybe it's because hardware hasn't changed that much in the past few years. Honestly though, I think that being connected to the internet has allowed this generation of consoles to adapt like no generation prior, making the need for a new generation of consoles to be lessened.

That being said, it seems like game developers have been afraid to take risks late in the consoles life cycle, so maybe new consoles will help to re-spark the creativity of some of the game developers. Also I don't think we know enough about the PS4 to completely dismiss the console as not being a big enough leap forward.

You need to change it off of "What's Hot" to either most downloaded or highest rated most likely. That's what I did when I first started using it. If you search "what's hot" you only get certain results.

1. Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64)

2. Chrono Trigger (SNES)

3. GoldenEye 007 (N64) (Perfect Dark was better but released in 2000)

4. Mario Kart 64 (N64)

5. WarCraft 2: Tides of Darkness (PC) (All expansions as well)

6. Romance of the Three Kingdoms III (SNES) (Romance 7 is my favorite, but was released a few months too late)

7. E.V.O.: The Search for Eden (SNES) (I rented it when I was about 14....kept it for like a month)

8. Shining Force II (Sega Genesis)

9. Uncharted Waters II: New Horizons (Sega Genesis)

10. Age of Empires II (PC)

11. Dark Reign (PC)

12. Mario All-Stars (SNES)

13. Phantasy Star IV (Genesis) (Still one of the only video games that ever made me want to cry )

14. Wrestlemania 2000 (N64)

15. Soul Reaver (PSX) (I didn't own a PSX, but my cousin did, and I played the crap out of this game)

Had kind of a cool moment in the game earlier:

2nd mission spoilers:

Went to the room where the commander and the guy you have to kill were having the meeting and got rid of the poison. Then I followed them down to the overseer guy's secret room. I was trying to figure out a way to kill the overseer guy without the commander being any wiser, but without knocking the commander out. On a whim, I grabbed a bottle, and was going to use it to hopefully get them to investigate the noise and get them separated, but I threw it just as the overseer guy pulled his sword to stab the commander, and the noise made the commander turn around, and once he did, I guess he realized what was going on and shot the overseer guy in the face with his pistol. No need for an actual kill as the commander did it for me, while I hid in the shadows. Then he muttered something about rat guts and left the room. Awesome.

Most everywhere I looked this past weekend it was discounted to $25.00. That might have contributed to the sales from this past weekend anyway. I know I bought it on Black Friday for $25 from Amazon. Still, it's pretty good so far, so I'd love to see more.

I actually spent a good amount of time going through the first year draft classes because I had seen a player I wanted...then reloaded into preseason and found that the draft class had changed, but I wanted to find him again, so I reloaded several times and simmed the season several times to see how things fell. I found a half back in one of the draft classes with 96 speed that starts 90 OVR. I will have to reload the game and post the name as I don't remember it. He's a top 5 pick though, so your chances of getting him are low.

nOOb question, can't find a quick answer on google. In a match, is there a way to see a full playbook for my team. I know I can press square to call an audible and select a PA pass, Deep Pass, run etc - but not exactly which play I want.... Is there a way of bringing up a bigger, better, all singing, all dancing play menu?

And thanks for the passing tips last week guys. I've had a dodgy internet connection so I haven't had much chance to say cheers.

Yeah, when you're in the game flow thing, there's a button and I believe it's x that brings up the full playcalling screen. You may have to hit a button (I think B) to go back a few screens to the formation screen though as it starts on the Ask Madden play by default.