Hurlshort

Because AC2 built significantly on AC1. And 3 just decided to kill the franchise. Hmm...I did really enjoy AC2. Does AC3 have at least some redeeming qualities? It's getting pretty rave reviews, but that doesn't say a ton.

Based on my very limited understanding of the video game industry, the problem I see with your statement about "black and white" scenarios is that in many cases the copyright holder (the publisher) has created nothing. They have bought a product from the developers. The developers are the creators of the product and in many cases have already received payment for their work, yet often have very limited or even no copyright. I personally find the practice of granting copyright to something other than the creator of a product to be ethically challenging. Not being the creators of the product, what ethical right does a publisher have to the copyrights to a product? I am not a huge fan of publishers and studios holding copyrights where the creators have no say in their use, but it is often necessitated by the high costs of creating a game. The publisher is controlling the copyright because they are the ones taking on all the financial risks. They are paying the developer, paying for advertisements, and paying for production. If they are making a game based on an established property, they even have to pay to licence it from the original IP holder. That is the way the business works. A smart developer can work around that system if they want to maintain control. Obsidian is doing that with Project Eternity. Independent developers do that by keeping costs down. So if you aren't happy with the system, then support those projects. But the business model doesn't excuse piracy. People pirate indie stuff all the time. Heck, Lord Socks already admitted pirating Minecraft, which was money that went directly to the creator. How do you justify that? Does it matter that he payed for it later? What if he decided he didn't like it and didn't pay for it? The morally just action is to not buy a game if you have any concerns about it. I don't see how you can justify anything else.

He's not exactly chop liver in films like Born on the 4th of July and A Few Good Men. I also thought he was great in Collateral. He might not have the range of a guy like Daniel Day Lewis, but I'd put him up there with Brad Pitt as an actor who can carry a role.

Actually War of the Worlds was not a film I enjoyed. So there is one Cruise flick I didnt dig.

Actually you are biting into the apple, and then deciding if it is worth buying or not. Yes, I know we are talking physical versus digital goods, but it wasnt my analogy. I know morality can vary, but when someone offers something they created and asks for payment, its a pretty black and white scenario. You pay or you dont, again we arent talking about a life saving serum. It becomes gray when you are talking about regional locks, games out of print, etc. But that isnt what the sock lord was talking about.

Yes, downloading a game illegally and playing it at your friend's house are clearly the same thing.

Can you please explain me, what is morally wrong on downloading a game today and paying full price few days later? The seller is not offering their games in that way. They aren't running an honor system here, they are running a business. They have chosen not to give you a taste of their product before you buy. Your choice is to pay up front or refuse to buy. To take that taste without their permission is illegal and quite clearly immoral. There are plenty of other services that do offer the try before you buy option. Enjoy those instead.

I wish TOR had ignored balancing altogether. I think they would have been better off avoiding that part of MMO's, instead of trying to compete with WoW and failing spectacularly. I agree with alan about the co-op experience, TOR is phenomenal at it.

Finishing up Balmora on my Jedi Knight. I'm really surprised that I'm level 35 and I only have two real companions so far, and only one with much in the way of personality. Ah well, at the end of this planet I believe I get my third. I am still really enjoying the story, so that's great. Hopefully I'll keep my interest, the next planet was a bit of a bore on my trooper. My Trooper had three companions by the end of Act 1.

Ah, we got our first big sense of entitlement post in while, awesome Your life will go on if you don't play the latest and greatest video games. What you are doing is completely morally wrong.

You guys realize Oby is just cutting and pasting all this stuff, right? Super lazy trolling going on here.

No option to transcend our mortal shells?

Think harder, then. Rock of Ages Knight and Day Mission: Impossible III The Last Samurai Far and Away ****tail I hear Jack Reacher is rubbish too. I never saw Rock of Ages, but every other movie on that list was an enjoyable watch for me. You are going to have to try harder if you want to show that any of those are bad movies. Also, putting The Last Samurai on your list is insane. That is a fantastic movie. I remember Rock of Ages was criticized heavily, but I also remember reading his performance was the only decent part of the movie. I'm not a big musical fan regardless. Edit: Also, when you checked out his page on IMDB, was it hard to ignore the dozens of other incredible films he has done? They stretch all the way back to the 80's. Think harder indeed. edit 2 : Jack Reacher hasn't come out yet.

Steam did fix the offline problems at some point, although it took a few years. I still have trouble with it on occasion. It also doesn't seem to work right for every game. It's definitely a pain in the butt if you live in an area with a spotty internet connection. So yeah, that's pretty restrictive.

Which of the classes did you try for? Jedi Knight. I might give it some more time, see if the fabled 'story' is as good as people say. The UI is pretty terrible. Heh, the UI used to be way worse too, at launch I don't think you even had the ability to move everything and resize. You really strike me as the type who will get a bigger kick out of the sith storylines.

I think that Oblivion trailer gave away a bit too much information.

****tail? That movie was awful. edit: Seriously? I can’t even name the movie? LOL Its that drink here. Next your going to tell me Roadhouse isn't awesome

Both have merits, but I went with mistake as well,

There are always a few characters in every Bioware game that I really don't connect with. Vega was the one in ME3, for sure.

While I love the use of a Prince .gif, I don't get the Tom Cruise dig. He may be a complete nutjob in real life, but I can't think of a bad movie he has ever done. That poster is pretty sweet. I'm also thankful this isn't an Elder Scrolls movie. That show creeped the bejeezus out of me. You are clearly a braver man than I.

Just the typical influx of crazy we get with every new project announcement. Most of them will fade away in a couple months.

I'd say we are at an impasse. Diagoras, what do you do for a living? I just have a hard time coming to grips with the idea that my hard work would be so vulnerable to copying, and I'm not even in a particularly creative industry. I mean nothing personal, I appreciate your candor about this topic and your persistence about consumer rights.

Oddly enough, malls in my area have experienced a sort of renaissance in the last few years. They were taken over by a big corporation, renovated completely, and now most of them are thriving again. I do most of my shopping at the one that is still fairly dead.

I think the Felithvian character needs a little bit of work, but I find it more interesting than his Lord of Flies Communist guy. I imagine with practice he will focus in on the Christian cultist aspect. Good luck LoF! Did he have any previous alts?

We can argue about the publisher model, about copyright and IP law plenty. There are major flaws there. But piracy isn't going to fix any of those problems. It's just a way to get something without paying for it. How is it not immoral to copy someone else's work without permission? We aren't talking about a cure for a disease, we are talking about entertainment media. You can live without it if you don't like the distribution system. Why would anyone bother creating something if they didn't have some protections in place for their work?