When has there NOT been severe bug problems with PC games? BIO marketing definitely dropped the ball and shanked the FG attempt with DA, but cut them some slack. They screwed up. No biggie.
ME's DLC is being worked on. They are fixing bugs. It'll get released. NWN2 has delayed patch releases as well, not to mention the MOW snafu.
I'd say Bioware is on par, or a bit (significantly) better than most companies outside of Blizzard with regards to customer support.
To add on the titles already mentioned, I would like to see:
Great Naval Battles of the North Atlantic 1939-1943
Red Storm Rising
Tony LaRussa Baseball
Earl Weaver Baseball
Mechwarrior 2
Wing Commander: Privateer
X-Wing/Tie Fighter games
Wasteland
Lakers vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs
TV Sports Basketball
X-Men 2: Fall of the Mutants
Nobunaga's Ambition
Caveman Games
That'd be a good start.
There are four different endings plus the choices of three romances and atleast 1 or maybe two more party member deaths (for a total of 3 possible). If memory serves...
Not intending any disrespect, but places in California like Fresno, Bakersfield, Merced, and Modesto strike me as prototypical minor league baseball towns. They ain't exactly small towns, but really, there isn't much to do over in those places.
How does the final release of Europa Barbarorum compare to RTR? Based on their earlier releases, EB seemed a little too concentrated on "realism" at the expense of fun gameplay.
I feel like the main campaign of M2 benefited greatly from the Retrofit and/or Custom Campaign Mod, both made by the same guy - a CA programmer.
Baldur's Gate. Got me into cRPG's. I won't deny that nostalgia plays a big part here.
BG2
Fallout
Planescape: Torment
NHLPA '93. Ever seen Swingers? That explains all.
KotOR. It's probably inferior to K2 in terms of ambition, but I've started and finished this game more than any other RPG.
Jagged Alliance 2.
Tony LaRussa Baseball
Baseball Stars
Super Smash Bros. Best social game ever.
Holy Sweet Bovine Shanks!
This is an awesomely fun game! Right now, it's on Steam for $4.95 through the end of the month. Got it with Baseball Mogul 2008 (also on sale for $4.95).
Totally worth it.
*In awe*
Man, do you have everything written by/about any OE dev cross-referenced, catalogued, and organized into some master database, and easily recalled at your instant beckoning?
Well, I remember that Avellone was the Creative Lead for Aliens before he bailed to be Lead Designer for P. Georgia. This wasn't too long ago was it? Maybe he was working on both titles concurrently before concentrating fully on Alpha. Still, my understanding is that being Lead Designer is a full time job, as is being a Creative Lead. Or was there some serious project personnel shuffling going ons behind the closed doors of OE?
For that matter, is Alpha Protocol scheduled to be released before Aliens?
Having read the GI article, I came away with a few impressions:
1) The dialogue system is in some ways similiar to Mass Effect but different. What your PC says is not written on screen but is chosen based on three archetypal personas.
-A. What James Bond would say.
-B. What Jason Bourne would say.
-C. What Jack Bauer would say.
However, I'm a little confused as to whether it is explicitly stated just what each choice will do/say? And will we have more than three options?
2) I certainly like the premise for romance in this game. There is none! It's just gonna be a shag fest James Bond style. No cringe-inducing courtship rituals ala Bioware.
3) If this game will be released roughly one year from now, will Obsidian have enough time for polish? They can't have been working on it for too long. Plus, if they actually will have time for polish, will this be a surperlatively short game? How much content can they produce for a game that uses the Unreal Engine 3 with such a relatively short development period? It took Bioware many years to produce ME.