Hurlshort

There just isn't any evidence to support the idea that Bioware's brand name has declined. It isn't backed up by any sales numbers. We also live in a very different time, as Bruce already stated, and internet discussions are everywhere. But you've got to realize that forums like BSN represent a super tiny part of the actual customer base. It doesn't matter how much whining goes on there if people still line up to buy the games on day one. Plus many of their previous works have been disputed, NWN and Jade Empire got plenty of complaints. This whole profit versus creativity thing doesn't really work for me. Creativity is subjective, profit is not. If a game sells a lot of copies, then clearly it is appealing to a large audience.

There are plenty of games that get bad reviews. The trouble is you can usually tell that it's a bad game simply by looking at it. It's pretty rare for a AAA title to get a bad review because, once again, the reviews are written for general audience. Not us superior folks

Nah, Mass Effect will very likely be played quite a bit over the next decade. It might even have a bigger impact on gaming as a whole. When I wear my Commander Shephard N7 shirt, middle school students know what it is. They have no idea what Baldur's Gate is. After Dragon's Age 2 I said that I am clearly not in the Bioware Wheelhouse anymore. But I'm not equating that to mean they are making terrible games. They are making games for a different audience, one that is much larger than us crotchety old folks, Boo. You might have an argument if these games got terrible reviews, but that doesn't happen. They sell well, they score well, and they are heavily polished.

Isn't this an open beta? Doesn't that mean the characters will be wiped before release?

If I'm going to get some vengeance on somebody, I want to do it with my bare hands, not watch from the gallery as he falls asleep.

It would be funny if they did. Come to think of it, wouldn't it be funny of every group had a "cold, dead hands" phrase? On topic: I don't like the NRA, I own guns and would benefit from the insurance benefits that come with a membership, but I have no desire to support any sort of lobbying organization on principle, especially one I disagree heavily with and am sometimes startled by what high-ranking members say. This is refreshing to read. I have a hard time understanding how a story like the 5 year old who shot his 2 year old sister doesn't bring massive condemnation from a group like the NRA. It would seem like the perfect time to step in and say the parents are doing everything wrong and educate people about how to prevent such tragedies in the future. Really the NRA should be distancing itself from things like this bleeding target dummy and .22 rifles marketed for children.

So my 10 year anniversary is next weekend, and some of my buddies surprised me by taking me out for a Giants game last night. We are renewing our vows, so they thought that was a good excuse to have a pseudo bachelor party. It was a great time, and the Giants won!

It's great to be able to put a face to the memories, thanks Valashar.

Graphics typically aren't cutting edge in MMO's, with Elder Scrolls Online I'll wait to really see it in action before making a judgement. But yeah, I've been underwhelmed by what I've seen so far.

Geez, if that woman goes around telling terrible stories like that to grieving parents, I can see why her son was crazy.

Heh, I just did read an article on a prison rodeo event they hold to raise money

I'm against the death penalty. Mainly I dont think any civilized society needs to be actively involved in the ending of lives. The only legitimate reason for that is to protect others. That being said, I think the penal system needs massive overhauls. In the US we use prison as an answer for too many societal problems.

42 - Very well done, made me cry a few times. A fantastic addition to the baseball movie library.

Hah, I used to have a group of guys I played Asheron's Call with, and we would meet at like 4 AM to run through these dungeons when they were empty. It was a very different time, that's for sure.

First off, this is gross. Secondly, what a huge waste of money. Thirdly, this really has nothing to do with the NRA. It is simply a tasteless vendor. I'd be more worried if I heard it sold like hotcakes.

Yeah I pretty much hate the way the camera and movement works. I prefer to hold down a mouse button to get the free look, and have a set camera as the default. I suppose I'll get used to it. I don't see this as a real direct competitor for DDO, at least not any more than any other fantasy MMO would be. First off I think DDO pretty much has their customer base locked in at this point, they aren't really attracting new people but they have enough of a loyal base to support the game. Secondly they are in very different worlds. And third, NWO operates very loosely with the rules, whereas DDO is a closer D&D experience.

Yeah I really see the mix of a sub and f2p feature as being the future of MMO's. Glad to hear it is working for TOR.

Yay! First sweep in history, and it was nice to watch Marleau put it in. That being said, Vancouver looked terrible. Whoever the Sharks face next will probably be a lot tougher.

I found out my parents are moving, which surprisingly made me feel great. It means I can go back to my hometown (well, where I went to High School) without worrying about seeing them. Considering they lived by the beach, this is a pretty big deal. Plus I can comfortably visit old friends. I don't really even know where they are moving to, which is cool as well.

It looks awesome, but I think they are giving away too much. It is supposed to be a surprise ending.

I'm as big an Obsidian fan as anyone else, if they handled character development and writing for every game that would make me a happy guy. But TOR is a gigantic universe with a ton of different story threads, and I try not to let the bad ones bother me. For the most part they are few and far between. The whole Revanite cult is actually one for my favorite parts of TOR.

TOR destroying the canon of the KotOR's is just a silly internet myth. You are either thinking too highly of the lore from the first two, or you are thinking too little about TOR. All three games range between uneven and good at various times.

Yeah, that's really how I read it. Basically Disney is handing off a lot of the game business stuff to people they feel are more capable, since their own game development hasn't really gone well. Obsidian's shot at working on Star Wars is probably the same as it was before. Sadly I still don't think it is very good, as TOR is still alive and I doubt they'll release a single player game in that universe any time soon. Although with new movies, maybe they will launch a new RPG set in the EU. But most likely we will see 1313, possibly Battlefront 3, and movie tie in games.

I have a ton of fond memories of Skynet, I would probably buy it just to reminisce. It isnt like we have any other Terminator games to compare to.