Does this post have a point? I think I lost it behind my desk.
First things first: Ubisoft has released a trailer for Assassin's Creed that looks suspiciously like an extremely professional fanvid. Check it out. This game is looking so good, oh man. And I am finding myself even more intrigued by Altair than before - he seems to be...reverent. That's interesting.
(And if anyone can find me that song, I would be eternally grateful. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)
Replaying The Dark Project is lots of fun and also instructive, and to prove I will ramble spoilerifically about it behind the cut.
Now I remember why I thought Garrett was a punk kid! When he and Cutty have their last talk, Garrett says something like, "Good thing you're dying, Cutty, otherwise I'd kill you for stiffing me. Again." Cutty replies, "Snap snap, puppy," which struck me as something you'd say to a, well, to a punk kid. Also, I am deeply amused by the nickname.
Garrett, I'm just going to go ahead and say that you should never, ever state that your luck is getting better. Fate likes you too much to ignore the temptation. The first time, someone tried to have you killed. The second time, you got hired by the freaking Trickster god to make him feared once more in the hearts of men, and then he tried to have you killed. I imagine the third would cause the universe to spontaneously implode, leaving you alive so the Creator could try to have you killed.
Down in the Bonehoard is an awesome mission, even though it's more Tomb Raider then Thief. I love the design of it. Despite the zombies and the burricks and the dead thieves everywhere, it's oddly impressive - all soaring crypts and wire-thin walkways. Also, it is notable for being the first time I missed my footing, plummeted a hundred feet, landed in water with a tremendous splash - and survived, much to my shock. I then spent several happy minutes seeing how high I could high-dive, reveling in a fall that did not end in Garrett flapjacks.
This game is a lot easier once you work out where everything is. I've been breezing through the levels even though the difficulty is set on hard. Maybe it’s a matter of getting the knack.
Garrett's a good sprinter. As in, his running speed is faster than just about any other creature he encounters. This is extremely handy against zombies, but not so much when I accidentally corner myself.
Ramirez has notes in his house about Viktoria! Misspelled ones! That's awesome.
The Looking Glass Theory of Mission Completion: If you can't find a quick way out, you're not looking hard enough.
I would like to salute Stephen Russell for Garrett's blisteringly sarcastic read of the Prayer of Consecration, which is a moment of hilarity in an otherwise tense and difficult mission.
Also, a sudden remembrance from The Metal Age: I love the way Looking Glass do revelations - by increments. You wander around the Soulforge, knowing there are no humans there, and spot one of the Mechanists. Then you find the note about Karras and his realization that the Children aren't as good at fine manipulation as humans. Then you look closer at the Mechanist workers and find they have been masked - quite recently and clumsily, it seems, because there's blood on their faces. And that's all you get, and all you need. It's so...personal. So quiet. The Cradle was made entirely out of such realizations and I think that's a big reason why it's so horrifying.
I like to think Garrett's revenge on Ramirez was what made him infamous. Um, I was going to expand upon why, but now I've forgotten.
In conclusion, listening to audio commentaries for animated movies has made me realize something. I love animators. They dork out over the most hilariously random things.
(And if anyone can find me that song, I would be eternally grateful. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?)
Replaying The Dark Project is lots of fun and also instructive, and to prove I will ramble spoilerifically about it behind the cut.
Now I remember why I thought Garrett was a punk kid! When he and Cutty have their last talk, Garrett says something like, "Good thing you're dying, Cutty, otherwise I'd kill you for stiffing me. Again." Cutty replies, "Snap snap, puppy," which struck me as something you'd say to a, well, to a punk kid. Also, I am deeply amused by the nickname.
Garrett, I'm just going to go ahead and say that you should never, ever state that your luck is getting better. Fate likes you too much to ignore the temptation. The first time, someone tried to have you killed. The second time, you got hired by the freaking Trickster god to make him feared once more in the hearts of men, and then he tried to have you killed. I imagine the third would cause the universe to spontaneously implode, leaving you alive so the Creator could try to have you killed.
Down in the Bonehoard is an awesome mission, even though it's more Tomb Raider then Thief. I love the design of it. Despite the zombies and the burricks and the dead thieves everywhere, it's oddly impressive - all soaring crypts and wire-thin walkways. Also, it is notable for being the first time I missed my footing, plummeted a hundred feet, landed in water with a tremendous splash - and survived, much to my shock. I then spent several happy minutes seeing how high I could high-dive, reveling in a fall that did not end in Garrett flapjacks.
This game is a lot easier once you work out where everything is. I've been breezing through the levels even though the difficulty is set on hard. Maybe it’s a matter of getting the knack.
Garrett's a good sprinter. As in, his running speed is faster than just about any other creature he encounters. This is extremely handy against zombies, but not so much when I accidentally corner myself.
Ramirez has notes in his house about Viktoria! Misspelled ones! That's awesome.
The Looking Glass Theory of Mission Completion: If you can't find a quick way out, you're not looking hard enough.
I would like to salute Stephen Russell for Garrett's blisteringly sarcastic read of the Prayer of Consecration, which is a moment of hilarity in an otherwise tense and difficult mission.
Also, a sudden remembrance from The Metal Age: I love the way Looking Glass do revelations - by increments. You wander around the Soulforge, knowing there are no humans there, and spot one of the Mechanists. Then you find the note about Karras and his realization that the Children aren't as good at fine manipulation as humans. Then you look closer at the Mechanist workers and find they have been masked - quite recently and clumsily, it seems, because there's blood on their faces. And that's all you get, and all you need. It's so...personal. So quiet. The Cradle was made entirely out of such realizations and I think that's a big reason why it's so horrifying.
I like to think Garrett's revenge on Ramirez was what made him infamous. Um, I was going to expand upon why, but now I've forgotten.
In conclusion, listening to audio commentaries for animated movies has made me realize something. I love animators. They dork out over the most hilariously random things.