Volourn

The thing with 'dark' is that nobody can agree what that actually means. In essence, it's a useless descriptor that can mean almost anything to anyone. *shrug* Anyways.... http://uk.pc.ign.com/articles/107/1074969p1.html

"Honestly if this proves to be true, I'd be siding with Acti. I mean IW does get a measure of freedom because they make DAMN good games, but they don't get total freedom to do what they want. They were in an exclusive deal with Acti, that means that they don't go shopping around to another publisher because they don't want to follow orders. As much as you may hate on Acti for trying to impliment some creative control, they do have that right to earn money, this is still a business." meh. Seems like Activision weren't honouring their contract anyways. Both sides no doubt have screwed up, and in the end, likely nobody will win everything they want.

"going on to spend on grinding like that" Grinding? I don't think ME2 has much real grinding since pretty much every battle is strictly story base. It's not like DA where while it doesn't btoher, it definitely can be seen as 'grindy'. ME2 battles are all set pieces and are there with an actual purpose.

"What's worse is that they could be blacklisted among publishers for this, they come with the baggage of a trial." Didn't hurt BIO. Publishers don't care about this stuff as long as you can make them money. Besides, like anyone, they probably think, this would never happen to them. The two guys here are known for being largely responsible for a game that made a billion +. They will have no problem finding a job after this is all over even if they lose the lawsuit(s).

This is silly, and Mkreku is right. Stuff like this isn't needed, and it was barely if actually there in the early FOs. *shrug* There's a lot to complain about FO3 for but this isn't one of them. Mountain out of a molehill. Frivolous stuff.

" unlike most of you, am very much enjoying scanning planets and chatting up my crew. " Chatting with the crew is best part of the game with possibly two exceptions you take part in later on. Scanning planets is underrated. It's a fun little mini game. As for Zaeed. His loyalty mission was solid; but otherwise he's boring bland banal character who think he's too cute for skool. Nothing spcieal in combat that sets him a part from others.

"Because it was hilarious, probably. I mean, super nerdy, but still quite funny by both Killian and Boo." All trolls do it for the LOLZ. That ain't a special excuse. Trolling is trolling no matter the reason. P.S. Killian's was funny; BOO's was just plain stupid. But, hey, the fellow belives a rodent is the best npc in a CRPG ever so to each their own. *shrug*

Only trolls here are the ones who attack others over stuff that has nothing to do with the topic. So... why did you troll?

"Welcome to my ignore list, dumbass. Population: YOU From now on, assume that I auto-reply with "R00fles!" to whatever you have to say." I shed a single tear... then I move on... *shrug* "This sentence conjured up images of that god-awful mini-game from JE." Meh. That mini game was fun; just out of place. "Still, with the whole Hammerhead dlc supposed to be out in a few weeks, it'll be interesting to see what exactly it adds to the gameplay. What thoughts are there? Something similar to the Mako from ME1 with better terrain? Or more a scrolling , explore/shoot em up mini-game type? " It'll probably be like the mako just hopefully with less copy and paste bumpy terrain and a little tighter controlm wise. Hoepfully, with the ability to upgrade it.

"Grey Wardens will recruit people who are good at what they do, not necessarily people who can be trusted. Daveth was a common pickpocket and I believe Duncan says they've taken criminals before. If you play as a Dwarf commoner then by all accounts you are barely recognizable as a person in dwarven society. You just happen to be in the right place at the right time." None of those characters abandoned a crap load of fellow Grey Wardens to die. Being a pick pocket or a cutthroat in dwarf citry is much different than betraying the GreyWardens themselevs. Afterall, if the Wardens are valuable, I seriously doubt the order would allow a betrayer to live. Afterall, whose to say that Loghain simply won't betray them again? Again, GW need warm bodies, but they need warm bodies that won't kill other GW.

"Good thing that the coalesced.ini is there to help you around that and the fact that Zaeed doesn't have any research projects of his own." So... you cheated yet still found the game hard? LMAO

Except it's not a plot hole. Alistair doesn't know Rhordan personally. He hasn't travellled with him for months. You, the PC, are the one IGNORES Alistair's advice and decide to spare the life of the man who made it his mission to destroy the Grey Wardens. There's no reason to trust Loghain. If you played a good PC (as I did my first time through)m there's no real reason to putting your trust in a man whose wanted to kill you all game long, who allowed multiple veteran GW to die, allowed the king to die, allowed the nation to crumble into civil war, poisoned the man who raised Alistair (forgot about that, huh?). It would have been a plot hole if Alistair just rolled over, shrugged hsi shoulders, and said oh well. It hurts the GW to have someone like Loghain in the group. He simply can't be trusted. " Alistair then tosses everything he believes in out the window and storms off like a thwarted child." nah. Childish is the PC who expects npcs to exactly like they want them to. Why should Alistair just accept the forgiving of Loghain and betswoing the honour of Wardenship on him? Quite frankly, I think a certain old style GW would have potentially slit Loghain's throat on the spot because you cna't have someone so untrustworthy, and unstable as Loghain in your club. "wardens actually need people...duh" They sure do; but not any cold body; but someone that can be trusted. Alistair doesn't act like a child. He acts like a man with conviction for justice who was betrayed by his main ally (the PC). Throughout the entire game, Alistair talks about avenging Duncan's death and then at the end the PC just turns their back on that just because a warm body is needed? Wut? Nope, that's no plot hole if you look at it from Alistair's point of view. When I see a plot hole (and there is some in DA); buit this simply isn't one of them. I call it as I see it.

" but would never dishonor the wardens " Except this is exactly what he feels the PC did. He's now disillusioned and feels nothing is worth the sacrifices he's had to make since the one he decided to follow betrayed him by siding with the man who played a huge role in destroying the Feralden Wardens including Alistair's mentor. Makes 100% perfect sense. EVERYBODY has a snapping point. He follows around complaining about your evil acts yet sticking by your side anyways; but the decision to spare Loghain AND bestow the HONOUR of Wardenhood onto him sickens Allistair so much, he's had ENOUGH. Fits his character to a tee. Sure beats him doing whatever the PC demands of him since he is NOT a robot. To expect him to do what the PC wants just because DEMEANS him as a character and a person.

"Like dumping his friends," His friend betrayed him. " making a mockery of Duncans death" Depends on point of view. Siding with the man who helped usher in Duncan's death as well as the king who happens to be Alistair's family), is enough. "turning his back on the grey wardens," The Grey Wardens whoa re siding with the man who decimating the Feralden Grey Wardens including their leader. "leaving Ferelden and humanity to a horrible, gruesome death?" I actually that this wa sna iffy decision; but obviously Alisatir was acting on emotion and notn thinkingc learly. OMG Alistair is HUMAN and REACTS to BETRAYAL in a non cool manner. I honestly preferred if he had ignored the PC's 'orders' and challenged the douche head on. Or, in another alternative, he goes his own way to find a way to battle the darkspawn - even him showing upo for the last battle on his own. And, then when the PC approaches him after the battle, he spits on the PC for betraying him, then walking out. PC could either elt him go, or attack (which could elad to others reacting differently to that encounter). But, yeah, it makes near perfect sense on how Alisistair reacts to the landsmeet betrayal. It sure beats the silliones sof him accepting the PC's choice like everything is honky dory and everyone will get along with rainbows and kittens. The PC betrays Alistair and even taunts Alistair so yeah, damn straight he should turn his back on the one who betrayed him. Alistair > Betraying Untrustworthy PCs

Morrigan never betrays the PC. Where is this betrayal? Certainly not in the game. P.S. That comic is so so so emoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. NERDRAGE!!!!!!! P.S.S. "like with Alistair after a certain decision during the Landsmeet." Nope. Outside of one iffy decision he makes post landsmeet, his reaction to how the PC betrays him makes perfect sense if you actually pay attention to every aspect of Alistair. And, i say that, not being his biggest fan.

"Call me pessimistic, but if there is actually an ending where the reapers win in ME3, my brains will probably need a hard reboot as a result of epic surprise. We are talking about Bio here after all." Yeah, because BIO has never made a game where the main villain(s) won. Oh yeah, oops, they have. LMAO

"I hope that anyone who finds the combat frustrating/boring/un-fun -" I don't find ME2 any of those. Just more boring and one dimensional and less fun that ME1. And, a heck of lot dumbed down. And, no matter how much NumebrsU tries to proclaim otherwise, ME2 is not hard. Hide n seek can never be hard. ME1 was much more challenging and gratifying to play because the combat was deeper, and the biotic powers were nerfed.I died probably the quatrter fot imes I did in ME1. ME2 combat is basically ME1 combat but dumebd down much like KOTOR series is simply D&D combat but vastly dumbed down. "ME2 is an RPG and, apart from the combat, there are some decent role-playing elements." I agree with this 100%. Only the FOs and a few other games have better overall rping than ME2 does. The last mission alone is one of the best game sequences EVAR (with possible exception of the questionable end boss...). Good stuff.

"I consider anyone under 18 as a kid. Hell, some days I consider anyone under 30 as a kid." Yet, you probably all for 'kids' being thrown in prison if they commit a heinous crime. A 15 year old is no simply kid. Biological or otherwise no matter how much some old geezers want it be so. It's called grouping, maturing (something even old geezers often can't do). I was taking jobs (mostly odd jobs and newspaper routes) at a rather young age. Hell, I was babysitting my younger siblings while I was still in single digits. *shrug* As an 'adult' now, I'v ealso had coworkers who were teenagers, and I find overall they tend to try harder to do the job unlike the lazy slackers one is usually stuck with.

"Children shouldn't need to be employed." *sigh* Contrary to what some think, one is not simply a 'kid' at 15. You are a teenager in the process of becoming an adult. Potentially having a job can help you in achieving a successful transformkation from merely being a kid to a young adult. tsk, tsk.

Hey, leave my family out of this!

"There's only so much of the same you can take." Not if it's good. If I could have good sex all the time you better believe I'd take it all the time. If I can play the same fun game all the time so be it. And, if soemthing is bad, I'm done with it pronto.

"I'd say it's just as much an RPG than ME1 was" I agree... just dumbed down. R00fles! "1 and most important: You must be able to bone everyone in the party" I guess BIO fails at making BIO games since they have never made a game where this is possible. "2 The plot must be written by a six year old right after he watches too many Saturday morning cartoons" Prove it. "3 There can never be enough inane, pointless conversations" 'innane pointless conversations' is a HUGE part of RPGs. Hell, fully half of PST conversations fall under that category. Almost everything Morte says except his convo at the Pillar of Skulls fits under that description. ME2 is dumbed down not hard. I died a lot less in ME2 than I did in ME1 yet I had more fun with ME1 combat. In fact, the best encounters in ME2 were the tricky non standard ones. The best part of ME2 are the npcs, conversations, and atmospehre. Combat is passable fun only a little better than KOTOR because even dumbed down ME combat is vastly sueprior to extremely dumbed down D&D combat.

And, have all countries follow the US' lead and have instant tomfoolery on it. Individual or not, your plan is silly. Perhaps, China or Japan should force their companies to follow all their laws when doing business inn other countries. It's silly talk. Companies should follow the law whichever country they are. It's logical, it's make sense, and it's the way it should be.

Dunno. Morrigan comes across as way too emo in that comic. Fun to skim, but that would have my favorite character if that scene was actually included in the game. It was unneeded so I'm thankful it got cut.

The above is how I read Purkake's posts.