Monte Carlo

It is a bit in your face, I agree. And, yeah, all of this stuff will be bundled into a bonus edition by Easter for a lot less. Hmmm, should I be forgiving and suggest this might be a learning curve for them? OTOH, nah, just quit being so Starbucks about it Bioware. I'm still sort of enjoying online shopping in-game, I know, it's weird but I kinda like it.

I got the patch from a third party site which installed no problems. Still wondering why there isn't an in-game updater a la NWN series.

If I downloaded that, on top of DA and CoH, I'd be getting a divorce.

^ Dunno what that is, but looked around some BG2 modding forums afterwards and discovered that some other folks had found them too. BTW, no disrespect to Wes, he's a modding uber-god and has provided me with many hours of free and pleasurable gaming.

^ There were about a dozen trojans in various (older) Weimer mods for BG2 that AVG picked up on a deep scan last week. Minor issue about DLC, and a question for Bio: why is there are nifty in game DLC updater but not one for automatically updating the game with patches, eh? It's small things like this that make them look like Starbucks.

^ The single most effective measure of a good game As for rogues, it's not that they're gimped, it's just that their combat role is perhaps too discrete for the fast'n'furious mob nature of the melee combat in DA. In the Wilds I tried using the rogue Grey Warden recruit to (a) flank (he was OK); (b) backstab (too much going on - he was taking lots of damage);

Posted in wrong thread, sorry guys. BTW, I usually agree with hurlie, but for some reason I'm quite taken with the whole DLC thing, it's like I can expand a game I'm enjoying without having to download a Trojan-laden mod (found that last week) or traipse down to the shops. Can I burn DLC to disc in case I transfer everything to a new puter?

I think when you're getting used to the game Sword & Shield is the safest, most effective option. I'm about to head out into the wilds with the other GW recruits and suspect that my character (very high STR and heavy investment in Sword & Shield) and Alistair will be doing most of the butt-kicking for goodness.

Already I can see so much in this game to like... and a few things that are like tiny stones in your sock - they might be small but they're really irritating. The regenerating health is one thing - it's like "Hey, everybody rests after every combat, let's do it for them." Well I don't. I'm not a console twitch gamer, I like planning resources and a challenge. I'm cranking it up to hard. The cutscenes are another. The blood animations are so bad that I hope when they de-brief the game somebody does a walk of shame. Some of the dialogue responses were written for a sulky kid and so much for dark fantasy - the NPCs in castle Cousland all dress like Liberace. *MINOR SPOILER* OTOH going to war with your [Oedipus complex]rather attractive[/Oedipus complex] and heavily armed mother is fun. The combat is so very nearly there - love the camera views, the graphics are absolutely fine and the blend of RTwP and Diablo-style special attacks with cool-downs works remarkably well. It's the most fun combat I've played in a CRPG for several years, although it's early days. My character is a Human Noble Warrior, he looks like Tom Selleck. I've gone for sword and shield, which is good fun. The dog is cool, the GUI is a labour of love, am going to completely dig the tactics options when I get into it all. In fact, once some genius has modded some of the Stuff I Hate out of this game, which are minor things, then this will be a very good game. Cheers MC

^ This was my concern with the rogue, am wondering if they're any better via the archery route as back-up characters?

Obviously.

Hmmm, Shale is taking forever to download although I guess the servers are trembling like the USS Enterprise's shields under Klingon attack at the moment. Anybody want to join an Obsidz Forum-Users DA Group? It will be the coolest.

Oh dear, I have decided that I like online game shopping and spent four quid on Bio points to buy the Keep DLC because I know I'll play it. Unfashionable View of The Year - I like in-game microtransactions. I am being sucked into Bio's Starbucks vibe. Help.

Too early to call - as long as evil doesn't equal stupid like in a lot of RPGs I might take the dark path... Am downloading my free content - again it's very slick and intuitive. I like the way Bioware has clearly put a lot of pre-release effort into this part of the game.

This is my thread about Dragon Age. I will update it as I go. Initial thoughts: * As I posted in Alan's thread, the UK CE feels crappy and not very collectible. * It installs smoother than a smooth thing covered in olive oil - very nice. * I like the music. Now I'm going to make a character and download my bonus stuff, which I will share with you all later. Cheers MC

Bonus stuff - * Shale NPC * 3 Twinky magic items * Disc with stuff about how they made Dragon Age on it The cheapo UK version just has a normal plastic case, which is annoying. The manual is poorly bound and will break, luckily only wimps read manuals.

Mine just arrived, a day early so I'll give it a whirl this evening. The European CE, BTW, blows chunks. Plastic CD case, no map, normal manual. Cheers MC

A quickie, but what a rogues for in this game? Are they an alternative ligh fighter / archer option or do they have the full raft of thief skills a la D&D (i.e. traps / dialogue / high level skills)? Someone mentioned you really need one - which seems to me being doomed to have Imoen chick in the party for a time (NOOOOOOOOOOOOO). Am thinking do I play one to spare myself the indignity?

^ Sadly not, Bastogne would be awesome. CoH turns on the campaign in NW Europe, broadly speaking D-Day until the capture of Antwerp (including Arnhem). CoH2 should be the Ardennes or an Eastern Front game, although rumour has it that it will be Korea (an indication of where the next big gaming market is seen by Relic). Korea is sorta neglected by mainstream military history buffs, shame because it's extremely interesting and chock full of legendary battles. I wonder how the CoH engine will cope with the resource implications of Chinese human wave infantry assaults but we shall see, historical accuracy isn't really what CoH is about. It's about blowing up tiny models of all the WW2 vehicles you used to make models of when you were a kid.

I think the problem with modern-day games reviewers is that they think they're too cool to actually, uh, like games. Although the comment about not being able to escape the orbit of the games design resonates with me in a big way and is my biggest beef with Bioware. They used to be able to mask that orbit, now it's shot into your face like you're **** Cheney's hunting partner. We'll see when I game it at the weekend. The best review so far has been the Game Banshee one, y'know written by a regular guy who likes games. He spoke to me like he was a gamer and interested in the stuff I'm interested in. Cheers MC

The other night a had a three hour slug-out with a 'noob' (my arse, he was a seasoned prop with an alt.account trying to get a few easy wins), I was Wehrmacht he was American (utilizing the mandatory Ranger Blob AT tactic). It was a great game, on one of the waterlogged Netherlands battle maps and we fought to-and-fro, neither side delivering the decisive blow. Eventually, after arty duels, melee assaults and tank battles my Kampfgruppe of a Tiger, three panthers, a StuG and a Mark IV rumbled down the road accompanied by Knight's Cross infantry... Gottadammerung awaited... ... and the MoFo dropped, Relic arbitrated and I lost. Like I say, love and hate bundled up in a perfect gem. Cheers MC

How is discussion of combat styles and character building a spolier? Because it isn't. I'm liking the stuff in the thread, but highlighting fiddly and not-very-easy-to-read text is slightly annoying. A spoiler is "NPC X is in fact a giant man-eating vegetable in disguise who tries to eat you after you capture the Orb of Destiny*" Conversely, "The two-handed weapon tree is optimal for a tank and there's a couple of groovy two-handers you can get before the halfway point" isn't. Cheers MC * I've said it before, but honestly, I should write this stuff for a living.

^ Hmmm, not really, it was a bit of an anti-climax but it does give you a good idea about aesthetics and gameplay.

Hmmm, demo of Dragon Age? I'm not so sure. Firstly, Bioware has put more info on the game out there than you could shake a stick at, secondly there's the character generator which gives you a flavour of the game plus acts as a sort of ersatz tech test to see if you puter will run it. Thirdly, there are gameplay videos ad nauseum and a website chock full of spoilers, screenies and so on. Lastly, it's a Bio RPG with elements of all the Bio games you've either loved or hated about Bio. So I'd say a demo was, in this instance, pretty much surplus to requirement for most customers. People like free, illegal stuff off the internet. Period.

^ Yes, UK release 6th November, the people I pre-ordered from keep sending me emails about the status of my order. I'll get it Friday morning, will be busy all day at work and will probably get around to installing it Saturday. As for piracy, it's stealing and I've never done it. I'm feeling virtuous now.