I missed the last Halloween update... school interfered. And a not-so-good computer.

But for example, both games have a case of What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?: Team Fortress 2 had the shtick with hats, Portal 2 had "WHO WANTS TO MAKE SIXTY BUCKS?" and then shows a picture of a bum dancing in front of a yacht.

Keg: I think that's a bit more of an evolution of the series. The first one is quite a bit more serious, even if its campaigns are largely based on cliche horror movies (with the old campaigns now in the second game, the atmospheric difference between the new and old stuff is readily apparent). I definitely feel like the second game plays up the camp a lot more (it probably helps that the banjo-based music is just that, plus the second set of characters is a lot quirkier and Nick adds a whole extra level of snark that lightens the mood a lot).

Kind of like the C&C Red Alert series where the first was pretty serious (although had some inherent ridiculousness, it didn't really play those aspects up) and then the second decided it wanted to be campy and the third that the camp was now its primary goal (and I loved the third to death for that reason).

Oh geez, God Tier Derpy would be pretty bad. I can't tell, is she supposed to be an Heir? At least she's only Breath.

Find a server with the bosses enabled. I've fought Monoculus/the HHH a few times since the event ended.

@Pannic. The only problems with the last Halloween event were people ignoring the boss and getting way too interested in the hat drops. It was pretty fun.

edited 12th Jun '12 11:17:37 AM by Swasfews

Red Alert 3 was the only one I played. So fun. And I bought it for only a pound.

I never understood the whole hat thing, I just wanted to sit at a distance firing arrows at unsuspecting opponents.

I don't have very many hats. Never concerned me.

It was annoying when they starting doing those "sets" with the bonuses and they wouldn't work unless you had the hat. That was a massive mistake. Thankfully they abandoned that later, but they can't retroactively change the old ones because that'd cheat the people who paid money for it.

Trying to tie it in with ponies somehow, I once played on a "pony server." They were running some variation on that Saxton Hale mod that I didn't like, and I swear there were a few guys there who hadn't hit puberty. Whyyyyy are you playing an M-rated game...

@Kuroi: that's possible; I never played the first extensively so I couldn't get a feel for it, really. It seemed like Francis was sort of a meaner Ellis, though.

I have the second game, but I haven't played it that much. Largely because my computer's connection was bad. I'll have to try it again. And maybe get a better mic...

Hats are more or less the holy grail of the Free-to-Play model. It doesn't matter if 90% of the player base has no interest in paying money for them. The other 10% will spend more than enough to make you a tidy profit. Combine that with community generated content, and Valve has more or less created a perpetual motion machine that prints money.

Heh. I remember when the game went Free-To-Play. Can you believe people were complaining about it? They were all "noooo we'll get overwhelmed by idiots!"

I wasn't complaining. I just thought about the free weekends when I dominated the scoreboard.

They're rare and exist solely to change your appearance. The only time I've ever bought a hat was the spy halloween set because I thought it was neat.
I think I know what you're talking about. The mane six as bosses are kind of weird, but at least it's not fighting the same boss over and over again usually. I generally stick to the pony servers because the players are pretty good. As for the second part, it's free and parents don't care.

I have both L 4 Ds, but I don't really play either. I don't have a mic, so I wouldn't really be much help to any team other than just shooting everything constantly.

It's probably a similar thing with Mass Effect 3 weapon packs, not very many people pay with real money but enough do that it's actually cost effective to release new weapons and characters for free.

Also I enjoyed Left 4 Dead 2. With my friends it always devolves into who can be the biggest jerk though. I tend to win with my cleansing fire molotov cocktails.

Fun times.

edited 12th Jun '12 11:31:00 AM by Badwolfwho

Man, Nick and Ellis are the best things about Left 4 Dead 2. Mostly Nick:

Ellis is the best thing about L 4 D.

And I never got the Rochelle hate.

I exclusively play as Rochelle. Partly because I was the last to get it and my three other friends had already called dibs on theirs. I only play with one of those anymore.

I love Ellis' stories about Keith.

"I ever tell you about that time Keith..."

I used to play on Furry Servers for TF 2, and it was always sort of odd when younger kids would come on. I was sort of the designated 'nice' guy, so I would try to warn them away before anything too weird happened. The other folks on the server gave it about a five minute buffer before the porn sprays came out.

Well, except when the more idiotic kids came out. you know the kind, the kids who will scream epithets and slurs to sound cool? Yeah, those ones didn't get a warning. They got the weird stuff. And considering there are other people in the furry fandom here you can trust me when I say 'weird' means fucking weird.

Yeah, Nick was awesome. He was the one I almost always played as in Left 4 dead 2. Ellis was great as well.

"I ever tell you 'bout the time me and Keith was watching My Little Pony?"

Nick was always played by my most jerkish friend so he was simultaneously my greatest ally and my greatest enemy.

It was fun throwing Boomer Bile on him and ruining the suit. I should play Left 4 Dead more.

Sweetie, is now the best time?

edited 12th Jun '12 11:37:17 AM by Badwolfwho

Still playing Gears Of War 3. What are the rest of you up too?

Talking about Valve games. I think I will get on TF 2 in a bit. On the subject of porn sprays, though, I always found that Counter-Strike was the worst offender in regards to sheer volume.

I started playing TF 2 after it went free, so Free To Play Rules.

The Four Chords of Harmony. The quickest way to get pony versions of too many pop songs, I'm working on the demo right now now that I've finished the lyrics.

LYRICVANA, HERE I COME!