Morgoth

"Peter Molyneux" is just another MS brand. They slap it onto the box and hope to envoke pleasent memories like "Populus", or "Dungeon Keeper" to make some gamers at least listen to what Lionhead's up to. The PR team will do the rest then to assure adequate hype, and so forth.

On a sidenote, I actually liked how they handled the camera and 3D engine in the Van Buren demo. I really hope we'll once see a game from Obsidian that's true to this spirit again, even if it's just a low-cost budget title, or a DD only title.

True, the 2D backgrounds were beautiful. But I was more talking in a tactical sense. Even if they'd change the focal length of the camera in the Aurora/Electron engine, I'd still find it hard to engage combat on a field that's more build like a filmset, with stupid trees that get in your way etc. Maybe I'm just a bit clumsy, but combat in IE games and Fallout just were fun and tactically challenging. Combat in Kotor, Jade Empire, NWN2 etc. was rather dull and annoying.

I doubt a IWD3 could make fun with a 3D engine a'la NWN2. I didn't like combat with any game utilizing the Aurora engine, so they'd have to make quite a few changes to get the IE feeling back. In fact, I haven't played a 3D-engine-CRPG that could match the addicting combat of any IWD/BG game.

The demo (coming September 25th) will suffice for me. Full version later.

Dungeon Keeper 1/2 rocked. But that's about it.

Who told you it's a MS exclusive? That would be stupid for a MMO, considering that "MS exclusive" often entails "Xbox 360 exclusive". How would they be able to reach a bigger market then? Besides, WOW shows that PC games are stronger in the MMO space....are there any console MMOs available anyway? Baldur's Gate, while recognized by many old-skool CRPG players, is by far not as well known as Kotor. Go over to the Bio boards and look how many played the BG series, and how many Kotor. My money is either on KOTOR Online, a new IP, or maybe a Dragon Age Online.

I never trust Peter Molyneux' games. He may be a creative head, but he's a totally incapable designer.

Boring. CoH is still 1000x better.

There's no place alongside WoW for the big boys. Bioware is a big boy, they just won't launch a MMO that's vegetating slowly into a dwarf. Either Bioware have to come up with something to lure the players into their MMO, or it will be a failure.

It could also be Baldur's Gate Online... but I doubt it. Lucas Arts already launched once a MMORPG with Star Wars Online, and Kotor knows almost everyone, really. It would make sense to do a KOTOR Online.

Click So, in order to kick WoWs arse, they have to pull out a brand everyone recognizes? This can only be KOTOR Online he's talking about! Anyway, read it, and whatever it will be, Bioware at least seems to be committed not making another WoW clone. If they can make a MMO that's actually interesting to play and stands on it's own feet, I'll gladly be one of the Offline-worlders to give it a chance.

He surely talks quite a lot!

Click It's all about the roleplaying I say! I'm still wondering though whether Dragon Age will go into an akin direction.

This could be said about every game. Bioshock still is an outstanding game, though.

Bioshock needs a lax tabacco merchant like this. "Greetings, What can I offer you today, dear Sir?"

? Delete it, create your own. There must be order!

Oh yeah the Ghost scenes. Did anyone else think they weren't scary in Bioshock at all? And Mus, I kept the soundtrack in SS2 off alltogether. Brosius succeeded in the ambient sound, however. Edit: This new "guy" is a woman called Emily Ridgway. She's the new Audio Director of Irrational. Anyway, Eric Brosius wins, nonetheless.

Do you prefer some annoying hardrock soundtrack the entire time? Ambient wins in the -Shock games, still Bioshock couldn't even succeed on that level. It was solid work, but there was nothing outstanding, eerie, crawling, heartstopping or pressing that I felt in SS2 or the Thief games the whole time. Also, ambient sound was done from someone different (forgot the name) than the actual music (Gary Shyman...good work). I'm just not quite so happy with the new Audio Director that Irrational hired.

Jadda jadda jadda. Sure he makes music as well. The SS2 sountrack (where did you get it was done by a different artist?), Thief DS, the Freedom Forcre series, Tribes Vengeance. All great pieces for the most part. Bioshock lacks a certain memorable something. It lacks the audial backbone that Brosius delivered so well. I never got the feeling in Bioshock I'm isolated, in an underwater city. Brosius easily could have pulled that off.

Agreed, he wouldn't have fit. What a horrible thing to say. Why wouldn't he fit in? His Sound design is so memorable...

Ever heard the proverb "Sport ist Mord!"?

Missing out some dialog annoyed me at my first playthrough as well, maybe because I always charged the enemies directly (or they did with me). Anyway, I'm at my second playthrough right now, and I actually enjoy it even more! Mainly because now I actually hide in a corner, listen to the nutjobs (I know I know, but it's fun!) and listening to every record so that I don't miss out any tiny part. It certainly lacks the huge and eerie environments of a System Shock, but in other ways it's superior (AI, Art design, story) to SS2. Overall, it's a classic in my book, considering that it's also the best FPS since Deus Ex. Besides, since Bioshock sells like hell now, Publishers like Eidos or EA respectively might consider to give DeusEx 3 or SS3 greenlight for development. Edit: Oh, and it notably lacks Eric Brosius as well.

And what about Eidos Montreal? Let Crystal Dynamic doing a Thief game equals a crime, agreed. I wouldn't mind some darkish Blood Omen sequel, however. And the "inane world-saving plot" never played out like you're some typical hero who does it on his own volition. Garret is an egoist who's just dragged into some "circumstances". Hell, and I don't need an acrobatic Sam Fisher monkey, either. This isn't about acrobatics, but stealth. Feeling limited and vulnerable is what made Thief so unique. No Altair, no Prince of Persia, no Sam Fisher please.

Irrational (2K) would be the ideal candidate for a Thief sequel, but I know that won't happen. Besides, with Eidos Montreal allegedly doing Deus Ex 3, why would Eidos sell the Rights if they just could create "a modern take" (aka ruining it) by themself?