I'm not sure I understand what you mean, but if you're saying that he was a relatively normal guy with insecurities, short comings, personality and so on, it may simply be that it's because it's not Bethesda, but Obsidian. They have better writers. You'd think Bethesda would get with the program already! I kid, I kid, I love their games.  😀

I had the same reaction Scout and it's why I dragged him around. While I wouldn't call him well written he's just a guy. In a game world.

That was exciting. A bit sad to have such a reaction as a reminder how ridiculous most game characters truly are. Mordin in ME2 is also quite good. Lots of details keep him from feeling too broad which was my initial fear. He's got all the funniest moments in the game but they stemmed from his…him. He felt like a person, not an archetype carved off the human condition and assigned a race.

ME2 is pretty sharp actually. Garrus is another strong character. Both have their tortured backstories snore snore but they're well handled unlike say, a Boone.

NG Resonance in Deus Ex 2 (the pair of them, minor spoiler) may be my favorite modern(ish) video game character. The split and use of unreliable narrator opened all sort of little tricks. By far the best part of the game.

Pokey said:

Later....finished the game. I was able to find a dialogue choice that avoided a battle and the NCR left.

What a kick in the head. 

I generally am playing a game way long after Pokey has played it and she helps me out.  [Image Can Not Be Found]   But Pokey has already finished New Vegas game even though I started way before her. [Image Can Not Be Found]  This does not surprise me.  [Image Can Not Be Found]   Pokey is simply a more intrepid trooper than I am.   But it does make me wonder why she calls herself Pokey.   [Image Can Not Be Found]

I am still having a great time even at my snail's pace.  I am still doing side quests while  i build my character up and gather companions and try them out (and put them in storage in the Presidential Suite at the Lucky 38 for future use)  and try to decide which faction to align with.  

So I go here and there and do different quests.   I did get Helios One started and sent the power to everyone.  I have spent some time with the Brotherhood and the Followers.  I went and looked in on Ceasars Legion and then decided to backtrack until I could figure out more about them.   Have been working on a some NCR related side quests.  I am going to check out the Boomers next.

I am vilified by the PowderGangers and Great Khans and it doesn't seem worth it to try to change my rep.   I did change it back in Freeside when I ruined it and have gotten it back up to "sneering punk".  I didn't want to lose Mick and Ralph's as a place to buy and sell and it seemed like there are a lot of quest related to Freeside I had started and want to continue. 

So I venture onward.   Kay

Pokey said:

I loved the game, but time to move on to something else. Looking forward to Mafia 2. We had fun with the first one.

Pokey,  I did have fun with Mafia 1 and bought 2 when it first came out.   But I was in the middle of Gothic 2 and moved on to 

Fallout 3 Add ons and then New Vegas.   And I expect I will be spending quite a bit of time here.  There are many places to go and things to do as I save the world. 

But please let us know what you think of Mafia 2. 

Kay

Scout, when I played the first Mafia, that didn't bother me except for the end game. Everyone complained that here were more autosaves needed at that spot. The rest of the game seemed to have auto saves in the right places. Maybe they have done a better job in Mafia 2.

Edit…I'm in Chap 2 now and no problem with the saves. I was just chased by the police and died but returned to the game just a bit before that scene. I love the look of the game. I learned to pick locks and stole a car. I need to work on my driving since I ran over pedestrians and as a result got the police after me.

In Chap 3 now and haven't died since the first time, though I came close in a gun battle when I stole another car. Driving is fun.

Made it to Chap 4. Died once in a government building while stealing gas ration stamps, but the save was very close. Then I had to race around town selling them in a time limit. Did it with a minute to spare. On the trip back to the bar, I crossed the Brooklyn Bridge and could see the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings off to my right. Really having fun with this and it seems easier than the first so far.

Skimming lightly for fear of spoilers, I'll just weigh in that I agree, Arcade Gannon had an obviously unique written style - between his name and his uncompromising attitude it was clear he was written seperately, with a different intention - possibly a 'cameo' or guest appearance of someone in specific at or affiliated with Obsidian who simply wanted to be in the game, sharing his own hand-written opinions in response to the player's questions.

In that, he reminded me a little of -most- of Fallout 1's characters. Between Aradesh's rather frivolous distrust to Killian's slightly drunken, devil-may-care friendliness, to Butch Harris of the Far Go Traders with his insufferably businesslike, snappy attitude.

Fallout 1's characters actually felt like people. Rarely since that game have I found a game that felt that way, as opposed to simply starring 'mooks', lazily written functionaries serving a distinct purpose either of Quest Giver or World Filler.

Bloodlines, of course, stands out. An odd other one would be Dead Space, in which your crew-mates are paranoid and disagreeable enough to actually act in unpredictable fashions rather than merely playing out the standard cliche.

Writing is still being underestimated in the majority of games - and worst of all, in RPGs, where it's the very heart and soul of the experience.

.. Oh, one other came to mind! STALKER! There's just enough irreverent weirdness in the hand-written individual dialogue of each named character you can meet throughout the zone that you -remember- these people. The number of times in the original STALKER (with just a little bit of modding..) I found the corpse of a named-stalker I'd once had a pleasant conversation with, and felt a real ripple of sadness..

Well, I just lost it tonight.  

I have been going along very calmly doing stuff that needs to be done.  I got the Boomers on my side.   I took back Nelson from the legion  (I am now toast with the legion but that is fine with me).  

I finally decided I had to clean up the Quest for Cass.   And I snuck around and got the evidence from the Crimson Caravan and Van Graffs and took it to the NCR.   But then after a bit I went and looked and the Van Graffs were still in business.   This annoyed me no end.   So I went back to the Lucky 38 and got Boone.  And we went into the Van Graffs and shut them down.   And then with glee,  I gathered up all of their energy weapons and sold them.  

It disturbs me that I enjoyed this so much.   Biut what can I say.   These were not nice people.   Kay