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Some people prefer polished mediocrity, while others give preference to rough diamonds. I think we can agree that we disagree. I was saying that there always was a company better than BioWare. Nobody said Torment was perfect. Its combat certainly was something to be endured rather than enjoyed. Thieves with high Charisma score could avoid plenty of fighting though. And this is the best part. You have to replay the game several times to get everything it has to offer. Patience and thoroughness should be rewarded. Prejudices in action. Bloodlines, Deus Ex and System Shock 2 are among my favorites. There was nothing wildly ambitious about BioShock. It didn't do anything SS 2 hadn't done better. The only thing that stood out about it was art direction. It is. If you try to satisfy everyone you get a very shallow game. It may be commercially successful, but it will be quickly forgotten. I know it.

BioWare is the most commercially successful RPG developer out there, I'm not going to argue that. They are nothing compared to Troika, BIS or Obsidian when it comes to creativity and originality, however.

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Dear sir, don't even bother to try to drag me into a flame war. I will only reply to constructive posts that feature such things as "logic" and "arguements". Consult a dictionary if you are unsure of the meaning of these words.

Speak for yourself. Pathologic, Tension, The 7th Guest are not fun, yet I enjoy them and rank them much higher than generic BioWare game #17. This was sarcasm, right? Because you gave us one of the best descriptions of BioShock I've ever heard. "Boring" and "not fun" are completely different things. Is Seven Samurai a fun movie? Hardly. Does this fact make it a boring film? You can't be serious, you really can't. You know, among the things that can render a person absolutely uncredible in my eyes statements like this come on top.

And this is precisely what is wrong with gaming press in general. It ranks enternaining higher than good, George Lucas higher than Terry Gilliam.

And here's the surprise. The droid you're talking about (IS-24) have VOs recorded by Obsidian! Fifty bucks say it's a placeholder.

He is also heavily influenced by Asimov's novels: going a little bat**** because of the orders he recieved conflicting with each other.

I have the same standards for everything. If you can't record excellent voice-overs then don't record them at all. No voice-acting > Bad voice-acting. And there is nothing ridiculous about my standards: Purgatorio seems to satisfy them and it's being developed by modders. I acknowledge these limitations. As I pointed out, a talanted team may overcome them. They can distinguish wine from juice just by looking though. So you've already forgotten that you were the one who dragged me into this discussion in the first place? I said that restoring M4-78 was impossible. You said that DStoneny restored it. I pointed out some stuff he obviously created from scratch, which makes his project just a mod, not a restoration in the true sense of the word. You called the mod a restoration effort, and I judged it as one. Then you suddenly started the whole drama. What gives? As for the rest of your points: I'll play this mod and post my impressions in a separate thread. Deal?

It is informed. 1. I see Master Vash at one of the screenies of the second trial. 2. I remember that there is no dialogue for her. 3. I put two and two together and suddenly realize that the modder must have written her lines all by himself. 4. The memories of modules created by writer-wannabes painfully resonate inside my head. 5. I come to a conclusion: this is just a mod, not a restoration effort Sharen claimed it to be. It means exactly that. I have no interest in mods. My original point was that restoration of M4-78 was impossible due to the lack of content to work with. That said, it may be a somewhat decent mod which makes use of art assets that didn't make into the final game, I give you that, but such things simply aren't my cup of tea.

What I am afraid of is that this mod's story is an ungodly combination of MCA's and Stoney's writing. Stuff like this rarely ends well. Plenty of things can: talent, good design, witty dialogue, twisty story, interesting characters. You got the idea. I double-checked with KotOR Tool. No diague for her in vanilla TSL. He was capable of finishing the modules and putting story together. It takes skill and deserves respect. I simply doubt his talent as a writer, which is way more important to me. Mommy, make him go away! This mean baddie has standards and doesn't like things I like! This must be the dumbest thing I've heard in a very, very long time. I'm not a modder and I will never be one, but does it reall disqualify me from judging works of others? Do sommeliers have to have their own vineyards?

Because it's just a mod. In my eyes, their quality is low by default, and I give a mod a whirl only if enough people recommend it to me. Beggars? Where? As I said, restoring M4-78 is a doomed effort. Playing with content we do have and creating a mod? Sure, something may come of it, but it isn't a restoration. I'm very picky, and modders seldom have enough talent to create something I can enjoy. Hell, 99% of so-called "professional game designers" can't do it. This particular line? Sure, but I wasn't talking about it. Vash is present in the scene and she has no written dialogue, which means she either: A. Speaks some lines written by DStoney and voiced by his girlfriend. B. Just stands there without speaking a single line. Beholding either of these options in action isn't something I would like to experience.

http://knightsoftheoldrepublic.filefront.com/file/M478;89207 There you go. I'm pretty sure there is no dialogue for Vash on Dantooine in the game files, which is the first hint on the level of quality of this mod. There is a difference between "restoring" and "making crap up using cut content as the basis". Note: I'm sure DStoney put a great deal of work and love in this project, and I respect him for this, but saying that M4-78 was restored is untrue.

Really? You mean voice-overs got recorded and missing pieces of dialogue were uncovered? Thanks, I'll check it out. Something tells me I'll find an amateurish mod that feels nowhere as professional as the rest of the game, but I'm always ready to be pleasantly surprised.

2 modded Mandalorian Disintegrators + Master Sniper Shot + Precise Shot = everything dies even faster.

Nope. Consulars get more Force powers, but they are not skill monkeys.

Restoring M4-78 isn't a good idea. We have nothing except half-finished modules, basic outline of the plot and some bits of dialogue here and there. Modders will have to finish the main story arc and write a couple of side quests themselves, and their prowess with the pen is questionable at best. Leave M4-78 rest in peace.

After reading the Butchering Pathologic series of articles at RPS I felt an urge to replay this gem again. The game can be harsh to the player at times, but because of it Pathologic is one of the most rewarding games I've ever played. Not sure if I can recommend it to anyone here, however, since I heard that the English translation from Russian was atrocious, which is a major issue for such a story-heavy (And how awesome the story is!) game. Check my favorite from it I uploaded on YouTube if you are interested: the scene just oozes atmosphere and style.

Obsidian tried it, yes. A ranger with no respect for nature, a stalking druidess, a bard everyone hates listening to, a sorceress who has almost zero control over her passions and powers - good ideas are all over the place, but the quirks just don't get enough screentime and end up being easily forgettable. Such a shame, really.

The idea of a dwarf who wants to become a monk because he loves tavern brawls is awesome on many levels, I agree with that. The execution could have been better, however, since all we've got is generic tale of an outcast who finally finds the meaning of honor and reunites with his clan. Boring. So much wasted potential. That said, I *like* the companions in the OC - and the campaign itself, for that matter - but they certainly are a long way from being something more than generic stereotypes.

Indeed. What NWN 2 OC had was a band of stock characters. Excellent voice-acting though.

GameShark Shacknews Joystiq Kotaku IGN Destructoid 1UP Gamespot Team Xbox GameSpy Games Radar All of them are full of all kinds of PR nonsense and quite amusing to read. Here is my personal favorite, courtesy of Destructoid: Stupid is a better word.

Man, that's a tough call. Like picking your favorite children. So in no particular order: Psychonauts Quest for Glory 4 Fallout Arcanum Torment Bloodlines Grim Fandango KotOR 2 Monkey Island 2 Civilization 4 EDIT: Looks like I forgot how to count. Added Civ 4 to the list.

I hope the fellow who has animated unarmed fighting in KotOR 2 is still aboard. Those animations were great.