Nonek

Would be interesting for different racial and cultural groups to favour a specific type of facial foliage, such as the Saxons with their long flowing mustaches, or Sikh's beards etcetera. Nice little cultural nod. Edit: The barnet as well I suppose.

I never thought the translation was either hamfisted or campy, though i've got to admit i'm shaky on the literal meaning of the second word, but then again every individual takes his own preconceptions into any activity that he indulges in, and none of them are invalid.

In essence i'd agree with you, I prefer clear role demarcation, but as a last resort at a high cost I wouldn't mind such a wizard ability.

Wonder if a fighter could have an evolution of this ability as a researched battle tactic, slamming back the opponent trying to slip past them, perhaps more easily with a shield, but if necessary with the haft of his weapon or even a free hand? I'm thinking of the classic anglo saxon shield wall. "Ut, ut, ut." Make for a nice little change of pace for the party to defend a narrow place with spell, sword and subterfuge, while a line of warriors hold a tide of foes at bay perhaps? Edit: I would assume you don't actually slam your grimoire into a target, but merely slam it shut releasing a force of magic to slam into them, perhaps at the cost of some memorised spells.

Got to agree with Alanschu that the writing of the second game does leap forward rather dramatically in terms of quality however, from in my opinion being one of the best written rpg's of recent times in the first game, to Obsidian levels of writing in the second, while maintaining a logical and reactive narrative, along with dazzling visuals. Unfortunately in Assassins of Kings I believe that some of the smaller details of the Witcher were overlooked, and i'm of a mind that the slavic folk tale ambience of the first game was lost in the desperate hunt for the Kingslayer. Something I hope to see remedied in the third game, and while i'm on the subject of probably never to be satiated wish fulfillment, i'm also hoping they make the combat turn based. My old hands aren't as quick as they used to be.

Sales of bricks and sacks goes up? We stop eating horseburgers and instead eat ****...cat burgers?

Ah it's a matter of a percieved anachronism then, I can understand that, there are some words that have a cultural bias built into them such as my aversion to OK being in any fantasy game. In point of fact I agree that there should have been an option to intimidate Zoltan's attackers, but I don't think that portion of the game was about racism at all, it was about Haren Brogg trying to cover his tracks, after playing both sides of the Order and Scoiatael against each other for profit. You get more clues to this from Vivaldi later on, don't know if it was an abandoned quest or just overly subtle plotting as Zoraptor suggests. For institutionalised racism being displayed i'd look at Vivaldi, the smith in the Outskirts, little Mahakam and Old Vizima. Siegfried I never thought of as particularly clever and certainly Alvin/Jacque seems to have possessed a certain charisma that may have inflamed his followers, it is good that you can talk him down from his madness however. I wonder if the Grandmaster was able to use his retarded source powers to effect such loyalty amongst his followers, certainly Siegfired slaughtering the innocent was utterly out of character considering his previous actions in the graveyard quest. Watching that clip i'd forgotten what a good looking game the first Witcher was, they really worked wonders with that engine (congrats to Bioware by the way,) Vizima's a very well designed, distinctive and bustling city.

I just felt bad for the humans because I recognised Mr Chivay from his spiked hair, but the issue of non humans being opressed by their conquerors is fairly endemic in Sapkowski's writings, but obviously that scene was tied up with the scoiatael sub plot unfurling in the outskirts, Zoltan wasn't there for no reason. I think they did the scoiatael some justice in the first game, I liked the proud and nihilistic Yaevinn as a character, though despising his agenda of martyrdom, one of the few settings where I can tolerate elves. I can't remember a lord saying etcetera, unless it was DeWett reading out Foltest's titles, the king of Temeria has rather a lot of them since his victory at Brenna, he was named protector and such of near a dozen states apparently (as well as his holdings within the country itself.)

Up to Nolaloth's valley in the original campaign of Neverwinter Nights 2, it's rather stunning and definitely one of the high points of the game so far, i'd forgotten about it entirely so it came as somewhat of a surprise.

I'm all for an ocassional fatty and nutritionally unwise treat now and again, not so fond of the extra miles I have to run the dogs to work it off, but what is life without base pleasures.

I was quite content with the writing in the first game, there were high points such as the conversation with Zoltan on the games main theme, and low points such as some of the rather mistranslated portions, in the main however I thought that it did an admirable job especially when it came to dropping allusions to the book series. Now the narratives and the plots writing were things of beauty, pleasingly subtle and underplayed, while at the same time maintaining an internal logic that was consistent with the world and characters. One piece of such writing that I really liked was the little conversations that you had with Alvin in Murky Waters, the real heart of the game, which are thrown back at you by Jacque DeAldersburg in his dream realm, and used as excuses for his schemes. Didn't click with me until after i'd slain the man and found the amulet i'd given him, I felt like a righteous avenger morally unassailable, only to find out that I had a hand in creating the monster that Alvin became. I guess it's a matter of taste.

Thought the Loredo fight was rather good myself.

Not too much of a hassle for me lately, then again i've had it in offline mode since November last year. Don't use it for any function other than the playing of games, so it's not so intrusive, still rage when it tells me I can't access my content at this time but that doesn't happen in offline mode. Prefer GOG and would rather support their business model, but with New Vegas and other must haves on Steam only, well they've got me by the short and curlies.

Be nice to turn on one of the more fragile or needy party members and tell them that they should shape up and not rely on your advice or support, because you're neither their nursemaid, their advisor or beholden to listen to any more whining. Tell them to toughen the hell up or ship out. What would be even more refreshing is if such dialogue prompted some recognisable and quantifiable improvement or at least change in the character. Of course in reverse it would be nice for the more independent characters to dismiss your questions with equal ridicule, and lose respect for a protagonist who appears too needy and feckless.

One thing i've always liked about Obsidian is the fact that we get to play effective and formidable characters, and that this is reflected in their dialogue, such as a ruthless Michael Thorntons final speech to Albatross, the terrifying presence perk in New Vegas or even the ocassional outburst in NWN2, for instance the park showdown with Neeshka's ex boss. Of course there's also the more "practical" aspects of the Nameless One. This is something i'd like to see more of in Eternity, a whole playthrough where you can play through as a rather psychotic character, thinking about it logically the path of the usual adventurer is one of horror and brutality, so a character who's evolved to deal with that in a very confrontational manner might be a logical option. I'd also like to see a character who can be played as rather close mouthed, with dialogue options such as "steady glare," "growling acknowldgement" or "brief nod" that makes the other conversationalist feel uncomfortable, and maybe even babble nervously. Straightforward characters might even be appreciative of a less verbally dextrous protagonist, and approve of a no nonsense attiyude. I wouldn't even mind a mute character who had to communicate through sign language, Christine's finger talking in Dead Money was suprisingly effective and immersive for me. I feel I must state that i'm not looking for a streamlined upper right, middle right and lower right conversation and personality icon like in DA2, but merely a few more exotic options in the dialogue tree.

Up in Leeds on business, found time to pop into the Royal Armouries and salivate over the displays.

Me and the missus watched "A spiffing day to die hard" last night, very good overblown action sequences but a little lacking in depth or jocularity.

Tiny head, reminds me of Thrud the Barbarian, from White Dwarf (when it was good.) Still nice tough looking armour.

I'll probably have a bash at Dragon Age: Nobody expects the Spanish when it drops to a negligible price on Steam, just so I feel that I am getting some payback for preordering the Signature edition of DA2. Unless it's on Origins in which case i'll ride off into the sunset...on my own.

Is It Safe? - The amoral Cipher sometimes needs answers quickly and has no time to spend examining the targets mind, opening mental doors and tracking down the hidden truth, at such times he uses this fearsome technique. Placing his hands upon an opponents skull he strips a mind of its secrets, by tearing through and sifting out what he wants to know, the victim will suffer multiple cerebral hemorrhages as the cruel Cipher tears into their brain. Each moment spent under such brutal mental assault will result in a permanent loss of intellect, as well as memory, sense and balance being compromised. No secrets will remain however. What Sights I Shall Show You - A southern tradition that is slowly filtering northwards, a bard will sometimes hire a Cipher to enhance and visualise the telling of his sagas, so that as well as the spoken word and music that accompanies such tellings, there will form indistinct dreamlike images in the minds of all spectators that hint at the scenes being retold. This is a non intrusive method of mind mastery, merely sweeping up the mood and surface level thoughts of an audience and refining the images into a performance worthy piece. It is said to be the height of fashion amongst the more supposedly civilised nations. This House Is Clean - When a plague of vermin has become too much for an innkeeper or head of household, he may turn to the local Cipher for help. Asking all small infants and pets to be taken from the premises the Cipher will extend his will over, under and around the house and exterminate the multitude of little minds that dwell therein. A thorough cleaning of the premises to dispose of the little bodies will be needed after treatment, and there is nothing stopping other vermin from returning, but still many swear by a yearly appointment with a Cipher. It should be noted that farmers fearing for their bees, worms and ferrets hold Ciphers at arms length, trusting more to the goodly work of a Druid.

Remember, for each fifteen cigarettes that you smoke, a mutation will occur in the body and mutations can lead to cancer. Or ocassionally becoming an X-Man, but that's really rare.

I've no doubt there are entire reams of accusations allready out there somewhere on the internet, from what i've seen the game could upset no end of all too delicate sensibilities. We all know how eager some people are to find even a hint of their personal bete noir, though personally I found the most despicably portrayed characters of the second game were white men such as Bernard Lordeo. Edit: One still ocassionally sees the naked female drawing issue raised from the 2007 release of the first game.

I can see Geralt's very masculine, stoic and almost chandlerish personality being an impediment to the Bioware people however, they usually prefer (as far as i've seen) more blatant characters and the broader squeeing humour of the Bioware archetypes, Alistair/Minsc etcetera. Though personally I found the important part of Geralt, the personality he expresses through his choices, was quite malleable. Edit: They may regard a stoic, faux unemotional, and rather reserved tough guy personality as rather boring.

The motion capture added a fair bit to the Witcher 2, real lot of human elements, but will we see the detail on such a small level as the Eternity engine uses? In an ideal world i'd love to see such a thing included, and heartily applaud the generous nature of the offer, whether it's successful or not.

Tormented Memories - Some souls are old, they have travelled all the paths that life offers, and one can only respect the strength of their endurance. The cunning Cipher may for a few brief moments draw out the experience of a previous life, and grant its skills to the present incumbent, so that they gain a slowly escalating bonus in swordsmanhip, archery, the arcane, lost knowledge or lockpicking for instance. This requires the utmost concentration that a Cipher may exert, they remain static and sweating throughout, and suffer a loss of stamina every few moments, they are after all piercing the veils of time and death to coax those memories to life. It must be remembered however that there are many new souls born, as the population expands over time, and they have no past experiences to draw on. They Live! - When a Cipher abandons all subtlety and in a rage elects to totally destroy his opponent, he may use this dread technique. It is a severing thing, a mental scythe that the mindmaster uses to tear into his opponents spiritual being, and though at first it may seem nothing more than a cause of lethargy, soon enough it will grow much worse. The target will begin to lose himself, mental attributes and skills are shorn away until the Cipher has severed the very soul of his foe. If the severer does not succeed in his attempt then the target will regain his statistics, just as quickly as he lost them, but if not then supposedly only death awaits. It should be noted however that the Cipher known as Hal the Eye, before he was burned at the stake, insisted that he had seen soulless bodies survive such severing, walking and talking as normally as any other. Drunken ramblings, heretical rumour or an extremely disturbing truth finally unveiled?